Democrats trying to unseat each other IV

[Derec]

Darializa Avila Chevalier is dating Mamdani’s lawyer Ramzi Kassem - City & State New York

Ramzi Kassem, who also defended an Al Qaeda terrorist.
Mayor-elect Mamdani's controversial pick: ex-al Qaeda lawyer named NYC's top legal counsel
And sure, you may say that everyone deserves legal representation, but it sure seems that he selected this particular client because he agreed with his Islamist ideology.

Meet New York City’s newest political power couple: Darializa Avila Chevalier and Ramzi Kassem. They’re proud Muslims living in Harlem who are pro-Palestinian, anti-ICE and friendly with Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

You have to be a special kind of stupid to want to convert to Islam, especially as a woman. I also hope they aren't engaging in any hanky panky, because that's

“Ramzi Kassem and I met outside an ICE detention facility, both working to free someone unjustly held,”

Chevalier doesn't think anybody should be deported. So she would think anybody held by ICE is "unjustly held" no matter the circumstances.

she said in a statement. “Over the years, as we collaborated on different projects, our professional acquaintance became a friendship, which grew into a romantic relationship. I'm deeply grateful for such a loving, supportive partner – he's been a refuge these past few years. Like most couples, we value our privacy, and ask that it be respected.”

He also defended Mahmoud Khalil, the spokesman for the antisemitic Columbia group CAUD which Chevalier cofounded.

Both Avila Chevalier and Kassem are now firmly within Mamdani’s orbit. Avila Chevalier worked as a volunteer field lead for his 2025 mayoral campaign and received his endorsement for her congressional campaign at the end of May. Kassem speaks regularly with the mayor in his official capacity as chief counsel.

That may explain Mayor Mamdani endorsing her.

Maybe. But Mamdani is also an extremist just like these two. Antisemitic peas in a Marxist pod.

 

[ZiprHead]

Woman alleges in Post interviews that Graham Platner sexually assaulted her

A woman who said she previously dated Graham Platner, the 41-year-old ex-Marine and Democratic nominee in Maine for the U.S. Senate seat, alleged in interviews with The Washington Post that he sexually assaulted her in her home near the end of 2021.

Jenny Racicot said Platner showed up at her home intoxicated after she sent him a text that she says he misinterpreted as an invitation to come over. She told The Post he entered her home through an unlocked door and then immediately climbed on top of her on her couch as she repeatedly told him no. She said he went on to have nonconsensual intercourse with her in her bedroom.

“These allegations are troubling, serious, and false. Any accusation of non-consensual behavior is categorically untrue,” Platner said in a written statement provided in response to The Post’s request for comment.

He's toast.

 

[ZiprHead]

 

[Tigers!]

Woman alleges in Post interviews that Graham Platner sexually assaulted her

A woman who said she previously dated Graham Platner, the 41-year-old ex-Marine and Democratic nominee in Maine for the U.S. Senate seat, alleged in interviews with The Washington Post that he sexually assaulted her in her home near the end of 2021.

Jenny Racicot said Platner showed up at her home intoxicated after she sent him a text that she says he misinterpreted as an invitation to come over. She told The Post he entered her home through an unlocked door and then immediately climbed on top of her on her couch as she repeatedly told him no. She said he went on to have nonconsensual intercourse with her in her bedroom.

“These allegations are troubling, serious, and false. Any accusation of non-consensual behavior is categorically untrue,” Platner said in a written statement provided in response to The Post’s request for comment.

He's toast.

Believe all women casts a very wide net.

 

[lpetrich]

Graham Platner officially withdraws from the Maine Senate race - "Democrats have already set off a mad dash to find a new candidate, with a July 27 deadline to submit a replacement nominee to face Republican Sen. Susan Collins in the November election."

Platner announced Wednesday that he planned to withdraw from the race, but he had yet to file the necessary paperwork to do so. The Friday filing put an end to fears among Democrats that he might reverse his decision or fail to file the papers by the July 13 deadline and ultimately stay in the race.

The filing triggers a process where the Maine Democratic Party can replace him on the ballot. Under state law, they have until July 27 at 5 p.m. ET to submit a new nominee.

Maine’s Democratic Party has said it will hold a convention where candidates can seek the nomination.

I've seen some rumors that GP wanted to play a part in the selection of his successor.

In his letter Friday, Platner wrote that more than 156,000 Mainers voted for him in search of “a new kind of politics.”

“They voted for time and dignity; for strong unions and jobs they can raise families on; for the hope of buying a home; for the chance to retire with grace,” he wrote. “My name may have been on the ballot, but that ballot line belongs to the people of Maine. As such, please consider this notice as my official withdrawal from consideration for this office.”

He seems like a left-wing dudebro, someone who could have been a stereotypical Bernie Bro.

 

[lpetrich]

Looking at the primary elections held yesterday, the most prominent of them is the Michigan US Senate rate, where Democratic candidates Abdul El-Sayed and Haley Stevens are neck and neck. With nearly all votes counted, as of this writing, AeS got 48.48%, HS got 47.51%, and Mallory McMorrow got 4.01%. AeS won by 3.8% or 14,893 votes. HS conceded and pledged to support AeS.

An impressive victory for AeS, given that he and his supporters were heavily outspent by HS and her supporters, especially AIPAC, but a victory much less than many polls had suggested.

Not doing very well were Cori Bush in MO-01 and Kshama Sawant in WA-09. CB lost by 22% to incumbent Wesley Bell, who outspent her with help from AIPAC, but who was also the incumbent. For some reason, CB's candidacy didn't get the sort of publicity and support in the Left that AeS's candidacy did. KS also lost, not advancing to the general election. Advancing were Democratic incumbent Adam Smith at 51.0% and Republican Doug Baster at 23.8%. KS got 12.6%, and the others got 11.4% and 1.1%.

Kshama Sawant: My Independent Socialist Campaign Will Defeat Adam Smith - YouTube - it suggests a big reason why she failed. After deploring purity tests, she seemed to think that most politicians on the Left are totally inadequate, which seems like purity testing. She didn't say much about political strategy, at least I don't recall her doing so. This being unwilling to form coalitions didn't help her, I'm sure. That makes her very unlike CB, who got along very well with like-minded politicians like AOC.

AOC did discuss political strategy when she appeared on The Majority Report: Rep. AOC Joins the Majority Report - YouTube full episode Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Joins Us In Studio! | MR Live - YouTube She described a division of labor between her and NYC mayor Zohran Mamdani. She didn't want to make enemies by campaigning against fellow Congressmembers, and ZM didn't want to make enemies by campaigning against NY state legislature members. So AOC campaigned for NY legislators and ZM campaigned for Congresspeople.

AOC seems much more personable than KS, who seemed very self-righteous, as if the rightness of her positions is all that one needs. So I have to marvel that KS ever got elected to anything.

Looking at other Democratic-primary races, in MI-12, Rashida Tlaib won with 73.9% with the two others having 16.8% and 9.2%. That's a 57% margin. In MI-13, Donavan McKinney beat two-term Shri Thanedar by 3.8%.

As to AIPAC, Kat Abughazaleh recently noted a pattern in its attack ads. No reference to Israel, AIPAC's raison d'être, but AIPAC attacks Democrats as not being progressive enough and Republicans as not being conservative enough, at least Republican Thomas Massie.

 

[Elixir]

Abdul seems to have won the day. Break out the muzzie-bashing tropes!

 

[lpetrich]

We all know about "Machiavellian", but that term is about Niccolo Machiavelli's book "The Prince", where NM described how to win in the politics of his society.

Bertrand Russell in "History of Western Philosophy", stated about NM, "He would have applauded, as an artistic connoisseur in statecraft, Hitler's Reichstag fire, his purge of the party in 1934, and his breach of faith after Munich." That infamous appeasement deal got him the Sudetenland, some ethnic-German parts of Czechoslovakia. He later followed up by conquering the rest of that nation. That party purge included Ernst Röhm, leader of the SA militia and a close friend. As to the Reichstag fire, Nazis started it and then Nazi officials claimed that Communists started it.

More recently, NM might have had that sentiment about AIPAC hardly ever presenting its raison d'être in its attack ads, and also about AOC saying that she supported state legislators and Mayor Mamdani Congressmembers to avoid making enemies.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Enough with the AIPAC stuff. In 2024 they put in $124 million into elections, not a tiny sum, but that is a drop in the bucket where billions were donated across the board for the 2024 elections.

Israel was about 83763th on the list of what Americans care about when voting.

 

[lpetrich]

From Michigan Election Results Live Updates: Abdul El-Sayed Wins Democratic Senate Primary - The New York Times

El-Sayed said at his rally that he had a “great conversation” with Haley Stevens this morning. He acknowledged that they had a bitter campaign, but hailed her as “one of the most committed public servants” and said there was far more that unifies them than divides them.

but

In a Truth Social post, President Trump called El-Sayed’s win “great news for the Republican party.”
“As usual, the Polls were way off on this one,” Trump wrote. Referring to Haley Stevens, he wrote: “She was not expected to do nearly as well as she did. Now, the Dumocrats crazy policies will only get worse!”

Has President Trump *ever* shown any respectful disagreement?

 

[Patooka]

Israel was about 83763th on the list of what Americans care about when voting.

Agreed. The real issue is how far up on the list did the candidates care about Israel? The way the NDAA is being discussed in congress gives a clear answer.

 

[lpetrich]

Looking on the Republican side, one primary had a very weird outcome.

• Trump-backed Michigan candidate loses to opponent who dropped out - KCRA
• Trump-backed candidate's name led to Michigan primary loss, Republicans say
• Trump loses house endorsement as Amir Hassan falls in Michigan primary
• Michigan Eighth Congressional District Primary 2026: Live Election Results - The New York Times

For House district MI-08, the National Republican Congressional Committee and President Trump endorsed Amir Hassan, an American black man who had served in the US Navy, and who is a Muslim turned Christian.

Also in the race were Thomas J. Smith, who barely campaigned, and who withdrew last month, endorsing another candidate, Al Limmo.

The outcome? Thomas J. Smith 50.4%, Amir Hassan 33.2%, Al Lemmo 16.4%

Why did TS beat AH? Apparently because AH has an Arabic name, and TS has a White Anglo-Saxon Protestant sort of name.

 

[lpetrich]

Wisconsin Governor Primary 2026: Live Election Results - The New York Times - David Crowley barely beat Francesca Hong by 0.48%: 39.81% to 39.33%. The others: 7.51%, 4.69%, 4.13%, 4.09%, 0.41%, write-ins: 0.03%.

Wisconsin Democrats preach unity as Hong endorses Crowley - WPR - "At an event Wednesday, Democrats put forward a united front following chaotic primary"

However,
Minnesota U.S. Senate Primary 2026: Live Election Results - The New York Times - Peggy Flanagan beat Angie Craig by 19.6%: 59.0% - 39.4%. The others: 0.6%, 0.4%, 0.3%, 0.2%.

 

[lpetrich]

Upset victory in the Florida US Senate Democratic primary.

United States Senate special election in Florida, 2026 - Ballotpedia

On November 3, 2026, there will be a special election to fill the rest of the six-year term that Marco Rubio (R) was elected to in 2022. Primaries were scheduled for August 18, 2026. The filing deadline was April 24, 2026.[1][2]

The special election will fill the vacancy left by Marco Rubio (R), who was confirmed as U.S. Secretary of State on January 20, 2025.

Ashley B. Moody - Ballotpedia - "On January 16, 2025, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) announced he selected Moody to replace Sen. Marco Rubio (R) in the U.S. Senate."

Florida U.S. Senate Special Primary 2026: Live Election Results, Nixon vs. Vindman - The New York Times - "Alexander S. Vindman, a retired Army lieutenant colonel who was a top witness in President Trump’s first impeachment trial, is running against State Representative Angie Nixon, a progressive lawmaker, for Florida’s Democratic nomination for Senate."

AN 56.1%, AV 43.9%

 Angie Nixon - "Angela Nixon (born February 27, 1984)[2][3] is an American politician who has served as a member of the Florida House of Representatives since 2020. A member of the Democratic Party and the Democratic Socialists of America, she is the Democratic nominee in the 2026 United States Senate special election in Florida."

A red flag for some people.

 

[lpetrich]

On the Republican side,
Florida Sixth Congressional District Primary 2026: Live Election Results - The New York Times
Randy Fine (inc) 56.9%, Dan Bilzerian 18.7%, other 13.5%

RF, the "Hebrew Hammer", is a hardline Israel supporter who hates Muslims. DB, however, hates Jews, claiming that Jewish conspirators have done lots of nasty things, and calling RF a "fat Jew", a "satanic whore", and a "shylock".

 

[Patooka]

On the Republican side,
Florida Sixth Congressional District Primary 2026: Live Election Results - The New York Times
Randy Fine (inc) 56.9%, Dan Bilzerian 18.7%, other 13.5%

RF, the "Hebrew Hammer", is a hardline Israel supporter who hates Muslims. DB, however, hates Jews, claiming that Jewish conspirators have done lots of nasty things, and calling RF a "fat Jew", a "satanic whore", and a "shylock".

ADL and AIPAC know their side. If China, Indonesia or Malaysia was such involved in Aussie politics like this, I would have tiki torched a while back.

Fuentes sickens me.


I can see how he gets such a fucking cunt following piece of cunt that he is.

Two things at once.

 

[lpetrich]

How much has AIPAC spent against Michigan’s Abdul El-Sayed? And why? | US Midterm Elections 2026 News | Al Jazeera
AIPAC spent a LOT to support Haley Stevens against him.

Federal Election Commission (FEC) records show that AIPAC and other political action committees (PACs) have spent more than $54m to help Stevens.

A dark-money group called the Center for Democratic Priorities has also spent about $6.5m on ads supporting Stevens, according to local media reports – increasing the grand total to more than $60m.

The Center for Democratic Priorities has not reported its spending to the FEC.

AIPAC’s election arm, United Democracy Project (UDP), has spent north of $30m on the race – $30,638,639.63 to be exact – as of Saturday evening.

The amount represents a record for AIPAC, which has been using its enormous spending power to derail candidates who oppose unconditional aid to Israel.

"Have PACs backed El-Sayed?"

Yes, the progressive Democrat has received around $3.5m in independent expenditure support, a fraction of the amount Stevens received.

The largest spender in that camp has been Fighting for Michigan, a group funded by progressive advocates and pro-Palestine donors.

The PAC has received donations from the Institute for Middle East Understanding, Inc, a nonprofit.

El-Sayed’s father-in-law donated $300,000 to the group. Saikat Chakrabarti, a progressive advocate who ran for Congress unsuccessfully in California in June, also gave Fighting for Michigan $250,000.

Some labour unions and progressive groups have used their own PACs for modest campaigning, like phone banking, to help elect El-Sayed.

 

[lpetrich]

Last April, Rep. Eric Swalwell both quit running for California governor and for re-election to his House seat, CA-14. What happened next was no less than three elections, both the usual one for the upcoming House term, and a special one to serve out the rest of ES's term.

June 2: general-election primary: Aisha Wahab 38.3%, Melissa Hernandez 17.2%, others 13.2%, 13.0%, 12.1%, 2.1%, 1.7%, 1.4%, 1.1%

June 16: special-election primary: AW: 42.8%, MH 16.8%, others 12.9%, 9.2%, 9.1%, 4.1%, 2.0% 1.7%, 0.7%

August 18: special election: AW 53.1%, MH 46.9%

AW and MH will face off again in the upcoming November election.

California special election results: Aisha Wahab becomes first Afghan in Congress

Super PACs, groups that can spend an unlimited amount of money to support or oppose candidates, spent at least $5 million in recent weeks against Wahab, according to Politico. The money was a mix of support for her opponent and attacks on Wahab.

Much of it traced back to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, known as AIPAC, which Politico found spent at least $3 million to boost Hernandez’s campaign.

 

[Harry Bosch]

Last April, Rep. Eric Swalwell both quit running for California governor and for re-election to his House seat, CA-14. What happened next was no less than three elections, both the usual one for the upcoming House term, and a special one to serve out the rest of ES's term.

June 2: general-election primary: Aisha Wahab 38.3%, Melissa Hernandez 17.2%, others 13.2%, 13.0%, 12.1%, 2.1%, 1.7%, 1.4%, 1.1%

June 16: special-election primary: AW: 42.8%, MH 16.8%, others 12.9%, 9.2%, 9.1%, 4.1%, 2.0% 1.7%, 0.7%

August 18: special election: AW 53.1%, MH 46.9%

AW and MH will face off again in the upcoming November election.

California special election results: Aisha Wahab becomes first Afghan in Congress

Super PACs, groups that can spend an unlimited amount of money to support or oppose candidates, spent at least $5 million in recent weeks against Wahab, according to Politico. The money was a mix of support for her opponent and attacks on Wahab.

Much of it traced back to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, known as AIPAC, which Politico found spent at least $3 million to boost Hernandez’s campaign.

I thought that we agreed that you were going to stop drilling on and on about AIPAC?

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

On the Republican side,
Florida Sixth Congressional District Primary 2026: Live Election Results - The New York Times
Randy Fine (inc) 56.9%, Dan Bilzerian 18.7%, other 13.5%

RF, the "Hebrew Hammer", is a hardline Israel supporter who hates Muslims.

Is that his WWE ring name?

DB, however, hates Jews, claiming that Jewish conspirators have done lots of nasty things, and calling RF a "fat Jew", a "satanic whore", and a "shylock".

A Nazi nearly took 20% of the vote! Not a 'well he has said some bad things', but pretty much a Nazi, a guy that cried at the end of Schindler's List for the wrong reasons.