Democrats trying to unseat each other II

[lpetrich]

Another NY-10 candidate: Yuh-Line Niou.

With such a crowded field, Mondaire Jones might have to move back to NY-17 and duke it out with Sean Patrick Maloney.

Biaggi Seeks to Block Sean Patrick Maloney’s Chosen Path to Re-election - The New York Times - "Mr. Maloney, who leads the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, upset some Democrats by opting to run in a district currently represented by a Black congressman."

Nicholas Fandos on Twitter: "NEWS: Alessandra Biaggi, a New York progressive, will challenge DCCC chair Sean Patrick in Aug. primary. Biaggi is channeling progressive ire at Maloney.

@JamaalBowmanNY is already backing her, called Maloney's moves last week “completely unacceptable" (link)" / Twitter
then
Based Tom on Twitter: "I'm surprised she is not running in #NY10. (link)" / Twitter

Because it has become so crowded. She was earlier running in NY-03, against Melanie d'Arrigo.

From the NYT, about Alessandra Biaggi,

She was first elected to the State Senate in 2018, when she was the face of a wave of younger lawmakers who toppled six conservative Democratic incumbents who had led the chamber in a power-sharing agreement with Republicans. In her victory over Jeffrey D. Klein, a former leader of the breakaway group known as the Independent Democratic Conference, Ms. Biaggi was outspent nearly 10 to one.

But the odds could be even higher this time around.

Mr. Maloney, 55, will enter the race with far more money, name recognition and institutional party support. The fifth-term congressman had more than $2 million in the bank at the end of March, and, given his ties as a party leader, could easily marshal far more in outside support if needed. (Ms. Biaggi said she had about $200,000 in her campaign account.)

Among her supporters is Jamaal Bowman NY-16.

So AB is yet another progressive who primaried a long-time incumbent, like AOC and Ayanna Pressley and Cori Bush and Jamaal Bowman.

 

[Derec]

Another NY-10 candidate: Yuh-Line Niou.

Interesting. She is very far left, but also autistic. You don't see that much in politics.

With such a crowded field, Mondaire Jones might have to move back to NY-17 and duke it out with Sean Patrick Maloney.

Why? If anything, he should run in the 16th. That's where he lives. Just like SPM lives in the 17th.
Previous districts are irrelevant. They don't exist any more.

And why should Jamaal Bowman be protected from a primary challenge? He is the one who primaried Eliot Engel. It would be poetic justice if somebody were to beat him in the primaries.

Biaggi Seeks to Block Sean Patrick Maloney’s Chosen Path to Re-election - The New York Times -

She is a far left "defund the police" activist. She might conceivably win the primary, but I doubt she would win the general. The new 17th is more competitive than the old one.

"Mr. Maloney, who leads the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, upset some Democrats by opting to run in a district currently represented by a Black congressman."

Again, the districts are not the same just because they share the same number and some of the territory.
And why should the race of a congressman play a role one way of the other?

Nicholas Fandos on Twitter: "NEWS: Alessandra Biaggi, a New York progressive, will challenge DCCC chair Sean Patrick in Aug. primary. Biaggi is channeling progressive ire at Maloney.
@JamaalBowmanNY is already backing her, called Maloney's moves last week “completely unacceptable" (link)" / Twitter
then

Why should it be "completely unacceptable" to run in a district you live in? These fauxgressives are getting ridiculous.

Based Tom on Twitter: "I'm surprised she is not running in #NY10. (link)" / Twitter
Because it has become so crowded. She was earlier running in NY-03, against Melanie d'Arrigo.

And she is switching to 17th out of pure spite.

Among her supporters is Jamaal Bowman NY-16.

Another far left extremist.

So AB is yet another progressive who primaried a long-time incumbent, like AOC and Ayanna Pressley and Cori Bush and Jamaal Bowman.

To sum up fauxgressive "logic":
- primarying long term incumbents: ok
- running in a district you actually live in but where a one term incumbent also wants to run: not ok

 

[lpetrich]

"And while Mr. Maloney has attracted ire from fellow New York Democrats, he maintains the support of Speaker Nancy Pelosi."

Suraj Patel is running yet again in NY-12, this time against Jerrold Nadler and Carolyn Maloney. I call him the Indiana Catfish because he is from an Indiana-base hotel-magnate family and because some of his campaigning involved setting up fake dating-site accounts. Also running in NY-12 is Rana Abdelhamid, backed by Brand New Congress and Justice Democrats.

Chris Sommerfeldt on Twitter: "ANOTHER ONE: Even though she's 80, trailblazing former NYC lawmaker and prosecutor Elizabeth Holtzman is considering a run for Congress in the new 10th district.
Already running in the 10th as of this minute: @BilldeBlasio, @MondaireJones and @yuhline. (link)" / Twitter
noting
80-year-old former NYC lawmaker Elizabeth Holtzman considering run for Congress in same district as de Blasio – New York Daily News

The first woman to ever serve as Brooklyn district attorney and New York City comptroller in the 1980s and 1990s, Holtzman confirmed in a brief phone interview Monday that she is weighing jumping into the already jam-packed Democratic primary for the 10th congressional district.

“I have been considering it, but I don’t want to say anything more,” said Holtzman, who also served as a Brooklyn-representing congresswoman in the 1970s and was a member of the House Judiciary Committee during the impeachment proceedings against President Richard Nixon.

According to a source familiar with the matter, Holtzman recently contacted veteran political strategist George Arzt’s firm about potentially launching a campaign for the 10th District, which under a new congressional map will cover sections of western Brooklyn and downtown Manhattan.

 Elizabeth Holtzman

• 1941 Aug 11 - born
• 1973 - 1981 - US House
• 1980 - failed run for US Senate
• 1982 - 1989 - District Attorney of Kings County (Brooklyn)
• 1990 - 1993 - NYC Comptroller

"n the 1972 primary election, Holtzman upset Judiciary Committee chairman Emanuel Celler, the 50-year incumbent and the House's longest-serving member at that time."

She was the youngest woman elected to the House, at age 31. She was beaten in 2014 by Elise Stefanik at age 30, and in 2018 by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez at age 29, someone who also primaried a long-time incumbent.

I recall something from a news story about the Abscam investigation. That was a sting operation for exposing political corruption, and some politicians took the bait. One of them said about EH that she's "too honest".

 

[lpetrich]

Not much new on PA-12, but OR-05 has a sizable update. The number of votes counted in Clackamas County has gone from 4112 to 4551 to 6757, and the estimated number of uncounted votes there from 30,000 to 11,000 to 8,000 -- a total of 34,000 to 16,000 to 15,000. JMLS now leads KS by 9485, a little less than the estimated number of uncounted votes, about 14,000. As Clackamas County votes are counted, the fraction for each candidate has stayed roughly the same, from JMLS 44% KS 56% to JMLS 45% KS 55%.

 

[lpetrich]

‘An uphill battle’: As de Blasio dives into congressional run, weary and angry voters await him - Gothamist
Bill de Blasio, Mondaire Jones, Yuh-Line Niou, Carlina Rivera, Maud Maron.

A Manhattan clash of the titans: Redistricting pits Nadler vs. Maloney in primary - POLITICO

Jerrold Nadler and Carolyn Maloney
"They’ve both been in office for nearly 30 years. They both chair powerful House committees. They both have affluent, active voter bases flanking Central Park."

"Nadler, 74, and Maloney, 76, were both elected to their seats in 1992. Nadler chairs the House Judiciary Committee, while Maloney heads the Oversight Committee."

“I’ve been asked to step aside my whole career. I’ve always been told that I had no right to run. I’ve always been told to shut up and get out of the room, and I’ve just kept working,” Maloney said in an interview Monday, after releasing a statement saying too many accomplished women “have been told to stand aside for the sake of men’s egos.”

The Upper East Side congresswoman plans to argue that her record of accomplishments outstrips that of her cross-town rival. “The main difference is I get things done,” she said.

Her Upper West Side neighbor is leaning on his own resume to convince voters to pick him.

“I look forward to the opportunity to continue serving the West Side and I’m excited to introduce myself and my record of principled, progressive leadership more fully to the residents of the East Side,” Nadler said in a prepared statement Monday. “I want the voters to know that this great district belongs to no one but them, not any single candidate or politician. I hope to earn that right.”

...
The two representatives — whom political insiders say are not particularly close and have clashed on occasion — are now figuring out whether to fight for support on each other’s turf or drive up turnout in their own neighborhoods as they approach newer voters who’ve been shifted into the district.

...
Running against each other will present a challenge for two pols with much in common, political experts say. “It’s terrible for a strategist to have to say he is stumped, but I am stumped,” said Democratic consultant Jon Reinish.

“It’s very tough to say who has the advantage. Can you out-progressive each other? No, that’s very tough, because they’re both good on the issues,” he said. “They are old school New York City liberals, one from the West Side, one from the East Side. But there’s no visible or discernible policy differences between them. That makes this very hard.”

Then mentioning the Indiana Catfish, Suraj Patel, running a third time.

Rana "Abdelhamid, who lives in Queens, which is not a part of the new district, has not made a decision on the future of her campaign."

 

[lpetrich]

In PA-12, Summer Lee is now beating Steve Irwin by 907 votes.

In OR-06, Clackamas County has 7,596 votes counted and around 21,000 votes to go.


Have I Been Redistricted? Search Your Redrawn Political Districts in New York - THE CITY

New York State's district loss was because of relative loss of population, and that was mostly in upstate NY. That caused a chain reaction of districts moving outward from central NYC.

District 13 stayed pretty much put, losing a bit of northernmost territory and getting the southern end of the Bronx.

District 14 lis now close to rectangle-shaped. It goes its southernmost ends, got a bit at the southwest, got central Bronx at its west, lost a northwestern projection, and got a bit at its northwest.

As a result, it lost its Jackson Heights district office, and also Flushing Meadows - Corona Park, home of the Unisphere, a big globe built for the 1964 New York World's Fair. Both are in Queens, and both are now in NY-06.

But it gained its satellite district office in the Bronx, an office that had previously been across the street from it, and it retained the AOC Organizing Base, in Westchester Square on Herschell St.

District 15 lost its eastern half, but now extends northward, then northwestward.

District 16, Jamaal Bowman's district, lost most of its NYC parts, and now is mostly in Westchester County. It now extends northward an additional half of its northern extent, now including White Plains.

District 17, Mondaire Jones's former district, now has an eastern half that extends twice as far north as the old district did, almost to Poughkeepsie.

District 18, Sean Patrick Maloney's former district, now extends northeastward by about its former size.

 

[Derec]

In PA-12, Summer Lee is now beating Steve Irwin by 907 votes.

Irwin should pull a Brown and run a write-in campaign against Hamas Lee.

 

[bilby]

I am quite impressed by Steve Irwin’s performance, given that he was killed by a stingray more than fifteen years ago.

 

[Derec]

‘An uphill battle’: As de Blasio dives into congressional run, weary and angry voters await him - Gothamist
Bill de Blasio, Mondaire Jones, Yuh-Line Niou, Carlina Rivera, Maud Maron.

DeBlowjob is a very unpopular ex-mayor, but who knows, maybe he is popular enough in the very lefty 10th.
It's a crowded field though.

A Manhattan clash of the titans: Redistricting pits Nadler vs. Maloney in primary - POLITICO

I am surprised one of them did not declare a run in the 10th before it became as crowded as it got.

Then mentioning the Indiana Catfish, Suraj Patel, running a third time.

What is his politics?

Rana "Abdelhamid, who lives in Queens, which is not a part of the new district, has not made a decision on the future of her campaign."

I still wonder why conservative Muslims are so overrepresented in the far left of the Democratic Party (DSA/JD type stuff).

 

[lpetrich]

In PA-12, Summer Lee is now beating Steve Irwin by 907 votes.

Irwin should pull a Brown and run a write-in campaign against Hamas Lee.

Derec, do some research. Pennsylvania has a sore-loser law that dates back to 1937: When states adopted sore loser laws - Ballotpedia

 

[lpetrich]

Henry Cuellar and Jessica Cisneros are now neck and neck. From Texas 28th Congressional District Runoff Election Results 2022 - The New York Times HC now has 175 more votes than JC out of a total of 45,209.


Marianne Williamson on Twitter: "Progressive Jessica Cisneros in an extremely close Congressional race in Texas tonight against Henry Cuellar.

Pelosi, Clyburn and Hoyer all vigorously supported Cuellar, who's the only House Democrat with an A rating from the NRA." / Twitter

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "On the day of a mass shooting and weeks after news of Roe, ..." / Twitter

On the day of a mass shooting and weeks after news of Roe, Democratic Party leadership rallied for a pro-NRA, anti-choice incumbent under investigation in a close primary. Robocalls, fundraisers, all of it.

Accountability isn’t partisan. This was an utter failure of leadership.

Congress should not be an incumbent protection racket and sadly it is treated as such by far too many.

The fact is those who fail their communities deserve to lose. They don’t need rescuing from powerful leaders who state they fight for gun safety, the right to choose, and more.

TX28 is an extremely close race. If Cuellar wins, leadership’s decision to go to the mat for a pro-NRA incumbent will be the reason why. If Cisneros pulls it out, they will have mobilized against a badly needed grassroots for Nov & fought against a historic victory. And for what?

The last time leadership waded in to save him, he thanked them by obstructing the party’s signature legislation, paving the way for the child tax credit to collapse and imperiling millions while taking a victory lap for it.

We can’t afford to reward such acts. We can do better.

 

[Derec]

Derec, do some research. Pennsylvania has a sore-loser law that dates back to 1937: When states adopted sore loser laws - Ballotpedia

Ah. Too bad.
Regardless, Buffalo mayor election is the prime example of why partisan primaries should be abolished. They tend to favor the more radical candidate even if a more moderate candidate is supported by more of the overall electorate.

 

[ZiprHead]

Derec, do some research. Pennsylvania has a sore-loser law that dates back to 1937: When states adopted sore loser laws - Ballotpedia

Ah. Too bad.
Regardless, Buffalo mayor election is the prime example of why partisan primaries should be abolished. They tend to favor the more radical candidate even if a more moderate candidate is supported by more of the overall electorate.

Why should people who are not members of the party have a say in who the party chooses to represent them?

 

[lpetrich]

Rep. Kurt Schrader Nears Defeat in Oregon Primary - "Progressive challenger Jamie McLeod-Skinner is poised to oust the Oregon Democrat in a stunning upset."

A Schrader loss would be stunning: The incumbent pulled in $2 million in outside super PAC support, half of it from the pharmaceutical industry he served in Congress, compared with McLeod-Skinner’s roughly $340,000 from the Working Families Party and Indivisible. Adding in his own spending, Schrader outspent his opponent 10 to 1 — and will likely still lose.

Schrader, whose opponent dubbed him the “Joe Manchin of the House,” joined last year with Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., to push for decoupling the bipartisan infrastructure bill from the Build Back Better Act and cast the deciding vote in the Energy and Commerce Committee to kill prescription drug price reform. Nevertheless, he had the endorsement of both President Joe Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

McLeod-Skinner — a lesbian, rancher, and board member of the Jefferson County Education Service District — capitalized on Schrader’s weakness with Oregon Democrats by running a progressive, issues-focused campaign and convincing Schrader’s many local skeptics to endorse against the incumbent.

Seems like she may do well in the general election, the way that Katie Porter did in a borderline-blue district.

McLeod-Skinner made Schrader’s corporate ties an issue in the campaign, linking his cozy relationship with the pharmaceutical industry to his consistent undermining of the Democratic agenda. While McLeod-Skinner does not accept corporate PAC money, Schrader took in over $1 million from these interests this cycle alone. Schrader also benefited from massive independent expenditures from PACs tied to Democratic Majority for Israel (which has consistently targeted progressives from marginalized backgrounds). By March, internal polling found that the race was a dead heat, and Schrader began running ads touting his alleged support for many of the key proposals that he has worked to undermine.

So he lied about his record to get votes.

How did JMLS do it?

McLeod-Skinner said that attention to messaging is especially important when reaching out to rural and working-class voters who may be sympathetic to progressive ideas but wary of national Democrats. “Sometimes we’re talking about the same ideas in different ways. … To message correctly, you really have to show up, build relationships, and show a commitment to understanding people’s perspective,” she explained.

Her efforts paid off with numerous endorsements from labor unions, local parties, and local newspapers.

Schrader, meanwhile, relied on what appeared to be a half-hearted rescue attempt from national Democrats to salvage his campaign. Biden provided a lukewarm endorsement a few weeks before the primary. “We don’t always agree, but when it has mattered most, Kurt has been there for me,” Biden said.

Like what? Sabotaging Build Back Better doesn't help very much.

And while Schrader was endorsed for reelection by members of House leadership, they abstained from campaigning on his behalf, as they have for embattled Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas. While Cuellar — who is anti-abortion and actively under investigation by the FBI — carries more baggage for national Democrats, he has managed to maintain warm relationships with House leaders.

House Majority PAC didn't support him, but instead Carrick Flynn of OR-06, someone also backed by cryptocurrency billionaire Sam Bankman-Fried. CF lost.

 

[lpetrich]

Derec, do some research. Pennsylvania has a sore-loser law that dates back to 1937: When states adopted sore loser laws - Ballotpedia

Ah. Too bad.
Regardless, Buffalo mayor election is the prime example of why partisan primaries should be abolished. They tend to favor the more radical candidate even if a more moderate candidate is supported by more of the overall electorate.

Why should people who are not members of the party have a say in who the party chooses to represent them?

That's a concern for open partisan primaries, but what he's talking about are nonpartisan ones, where some small number of candidates continue to the general election.

 

[lpetrich]

Democratic Voters Deliver Rebuke to Manchin-Sinema Wing - "Voters shrugged off an obscene amount of spending from super PACs to send a message to Democrats: Do something."

Cuellar Buoyed by Democratic Leaders to Narrow Lead in Texas Runoff - "The Texas Democrat was neck and neck with challenger Jessica Cisneros Tuesday night, thanks to support from Democratic leaders and millions in outside spending."

Cisneros’s campaign earlier this month called on party leaders to withdraw their support for Cuellar, and told The Intercept that refusal to do so showed “cognitive dissonance” in the party’s stated values and its actions with respect to the right to abortion. The Working Families Party helped convene progressive groups to coordinate independent expenditures in support of Cisneros. Groups including the PACs for WFP, Justice Democrats, Communications Workers of America, NARAL Pro-Choice America, and J Street spent just under $2 million in support of Cisneros and against Cuellar, who came within 4 points of losing his seat to Cisneros in the 2020 Democratic primary.

Ads in the final weeks of the race from an anonymous sender falsely claimed that Cuellar had been cleared by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in a probe that included a January raid of his home in Laredo. Cuellar has not been cleared, and the probe is reportedly related to an investigation into business interests in Azerbaijan, where Cuellar has ties with prominent oil executives. Other billboard ads that called Cisneros a “homewrecker” were bought by a firm called Big River Media, which Cuellar’s campaign has used in the past and is run by a major Cuellar donor. His campaign issued a statement and said it did not condone the billboard. The campaign did not respond to a request for comment for this story.

The expensive and unscrupulous campaign to keep an anti-abortion Democrat in Congress

In April and May, United Democracy Project spent $1.85 million on ads supporting Cuellar and attacking Cisneros. None of these ads, however, mention Israel. Several ads, however, contain misleading attacks.

One of the ads, for example, claims that Cisneros is "backed by groups" that support "cutting police spending." On the screen, however, only the words "Jessica Cisneros" and "cut police spending" appear.

...
This specious claim is then used to justify another United Democracy Project attack ad, which claims that Cisneros would cost Texas "thousands of jobs" because lower police funding would mean fewer jobs for police officers.

All of this is a somewhat toned-down version of Cuellar's own attacks. Cuellar claims Cisneros "would defund the police." He makes these claims even though Cisneros "does not actually support defunding the police."

Where Henry Cuellar gets much of his money from: Big Oil.

Cuellar recieves extensive support from the fossil fuel industry including the American Petroleum Institute ($1,000), Chevron ($10,000), Conoco Phillips ($11,000), Exxon Mobil ($5,000), Halliburton ($10,000), Hess ($15,000), Koch Industries ($8,500), Marathon Oil ($3,500), Marathon Petroleum ($7,500), Occidental Petroleum ($7,500), Phillips 66 ($5,000), Southern Company ($6,000), and US Energy ($5,000).

Cuellar has a 50% lifetime score from the League of Conservation Voters — the lowest of any House Democrat. He routinely opposes environmental legislation.

Other corporate PAC donors to Cuellar include AT&T ($5,000), Comcast ($1,500), Dell ($5,000), Wendy's ($5,000), Toyota ($7,000), and Walmart ($2,500).

Cisneros does not accept corporate PAC money. She has also signed the "No Fossil Fuel Money" pledge, "which prohibits candidates from accepting contributions over $200 from oil, gas, and coal industry executives, lobbyists, and political action committees."

marissa martinez on Twitter: "new Cuellar ad funded by Mainstream Democrats PAC in #TX28 — his first ad that mentions women's rights as "under attack by extremists" and that he "opposes a ban on abortion." Cuellar was sole House D to vote against codifying Roe in 2021 (bill failed in Senate). (vid link)" / Twitter

 

[lpetrich]

Carolyn Bourdeaux’s Primary Loss Breaks Off a Third Member of Gottheimer Gang - "The so-called Unbreakable Nine gained notoriety for dooming Biden’s agenda in the House. Now Democratic voters are picking them off."

On Tuesday, Rep. Carolyn Bourdeaux lost to Rep. Lucy McBath in a member-on-member race Georgia prompted by redistricting. And in Texas, as of this writing, Rep. Henry Cuellar is slightly ahead of his opponent, Jessica Cisneros.

McBath, whose 17-year-old son was shot and killed in 2012 in a dispute over loud music, first ran in 2018 in the Atlanta suburbs as a proponent of gun control with the support of Everytown for Gun Safety. Her son’s killer was acquitted under “stand your ground” laws. In her run against Bourdeaux, McBath benefited from an influx of spending by American Israel Public Affairs Committee and Democratic Majority for Israel, as well as Protect Our Future PAC, which is funded by crypto billionaire Sam Bankman-Fried.

What the Unbreakable Nine did:

The Unbreakable Nine eventually managed to split the two bills apart, and once the infrastructure bill was safely signed by the president, the centrists killed Build Back Better, as had been predicted and as had been the plan all along. Manchin pronounced it dead on Fox News in December.

About Jared Golden of Maine:

Golden was always an odd man out in the group, as his criticisms of Build Back Better were generally shared by progressives rather than the other eight obstructionists. He wanted a billionaire tax included in the package, demanded tougher drug pricing legislation, and opposed the state and local tax, or SALT, deduction giveaway. Unlike Vela, Golden has sponsored multiple efforts in the House to prevent former members of Congress from becoming federal lobbyists.

 

[lpetrich]

Silicon Valley PAC Is Bailing Out Abortion Foe Henry Cuellar - "The Mainstream Democrats PAC, founded by LinkedIn’s Reid Hoffman, has gone all in to protect the Texas Democrat in his runoff against Jessica Cisneros."

Hoffman, the founder of LinkedIn, says he personally supports the right to abortion, but Cuellar’s is among just two other Democratic primaries his organization has weighed in on this cycle. The PAC spent $150,000 successfully opposing Nina Turner’s bid for Congress against Ohio Rep. Shontel Brown, and $1.5 million in what looks to have been a failed attempt to defend Rep. Kurt Schrader in Oregon.

Defending an opponent of abortion rights is a challenge in a Democratic primary, especially in the wake of the Supreme Court news, and the Hoffman PAC has squared the circle by suggesting that Cuellar is actually on the right side of the issue. The newest ad warns voters “with women’s rights under attack by extremists, Democrat Henry Cuellar has made it clear he opposes a ban on abortion. Let’s send Henry Cuellar back to Congress, so he can keep standing up for us.”

Seems like they wanted to say that he's anti-abortion but not some anti-abortion extremist.

So how does Hoffman’s PAC justify using that article to call Cuellar a defender of abortion rights? The AP notes that Cuellar felt the draft opinion overturning Roe “goes too far and that there must be exceptions in cases of rape, incest and dangers to the life of the mother.” Technically, then, Cuellar opposes a ban that does not make such exceptions, but he does support a ban. In 2021, Cuellar was the lone House Democrat to vote against codifying Roe v. Wade into federal law.

About this anti-progressive strategy,

offman’s intervention in the race comes as the faction is jockeying for position within the coalition and swapping accusations of blame for a coming midterm wipeout. Mehlhorn discussed the anti-progressive strategy with The Intercept. A version of the argument, known as “popularism,” argues that if candidates just run on messages that poll the highest, they will perform the best.

“If you look at America as a whole, and you want the fascists not to take power, what you need to do is trade a little bit of your enthusiasm in urban districts [and] transfer some of that enthusiasm and energy, just trade it for people who are actual swing voters who vote but make up their mind kind of at the last minute,” said Mehlhorn, arguing that defeating a candidate like Nina Turner in Ohio helps Democrats by preventing Fox News from using her to scare their base.

By backing a candidate like Turner, he said, “you’re going after the populist turnout by going for a populist, and you’re also handing a message that is going to motivate the shit out of the other side — because remember, they’re already amped to be motivated out of fear. If Nina Turner would have won that race, she would have been 20 percent of Sean Hannity’s chyrons out of the gate.”

Whether that’s true or not, Hoffman’s approach also relies on stacking the Democratic caucus with centrists who then actively work against the party’s legislative ambitions. Both Cuellar and Schrader were a key part of the so-called Unbreakable Nine organized by the dark-money group No Labels, with the intent of undermining the party leadership’s two-track strategy of passing President Joe Biden’s Build Back Better Act.

The problem there is that the right wing goes after even the most milquetoast centrist as some left-wing ogre. I remember how the right wing went after Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, and AOC remembered how the right wing went after Nancy Pelosi and former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. That's why AOC decided that she was not going to be cowed by right-wing attacks on her.

IMO, I think that Democrats should try to make Republicans the party of the likes of Marjorie Taylor Greene.

 

[Derec]

Why should people who are not members of the party have a say in who the party chooses to represent them?

Why should a party get an official representative in an election to begin with? Political parties are not mentioned in the constitution.

The reason partisan primaries are a bad idea is because they tend to select more extreme candidates on both sides and because in non-competitive districts the primary becomes a de-facto general election, with a significant portion of the electorate effectively disenfranchised.

 

[ZiprHead]

Why should people who are not members of the party have a say in who the party chooses to represent them?

Why should a party get an official representative in an election to begin with? Political parties are not mentioned in the constitution.

The reason partisan primaries are a bad idea is because they tend to select more extreme candidates on both sides and because in non-competitive districts the primary becomes a de-facto general election, with a significant portion of the electorate effectively disenfranchised.

No one has to be a member of a party to run in an election.

 

[bilby]

Derec, do some research. Pennsylvania has a sore-loser law that dates back to 1937: When states adopted sore loser laws - Ballotpedia

Ah. Too bad.
Regardless, Buffalo mayor election is the prime example of why partisan primaries should be abolished. They tend to favor the more radical candidate even if a more moderate candidate is supported by more of the overall electorate.

Why should people who are not members of the party have a say in who the party chooses to represent them?

That's a concern for open partisan primaries, but what he's talking about are nonpartisan ones, where some small number of candidates continue to the general election.

Why have preliminary voting rounds at all?

Why not just have Instant Runoff Voting, and as many candidates on the ballot as want to run?

 

[lpetrich]

Jessica Cisneros is not giving up.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "Cisneros’ race isn’t over. If you’re in #TX28, we need you to track your mail-in ballot " / Twitter
noting
Jessica Cisneros on Twitter: "This is a close race. We have a call to action:
Track your mail-in ballot here: (link)
If your mail-in ballot was rejected, call our voter protection hotline: 956-413-7752 & we’ll help you cure it.
We won’t stop fighting until every vote is counted. #TX28 (vid link)" / Twitter

An interesting feature of this election is where each candidate is strongest. For Henry Cuellar, it's the Rio Grande Valley, including Laredo, while for Jessica Cisneros, it's the San Antonio area.

The same effect can be seen in the other races that I'm tracking. For PA-12, Summer Lee is doing best in urban areas, while Steve Irwin is doing best in more suburban areas. SL is currently ahead of SI by about 0.9%.

For OR-06, Kurt Schrader is doing best in south of Portland to north of Eugene, while Jamie McLeod-Skinner is doing best near Bend. The district is rather oddly-shaped, looking like two rectangles glued together near a corner in each of them. Nearly half of the nearly 30,000 Clackamas County votes are now counted, while counting is approaching completion in the other counties of that district. The vote fractions are 58.0% - 42.0% and I predict a final result of 56.2% - 43.7%. To win, KS would need a vote fraction of 86% of the remaining votes in Clackamas County, while his vote fraction there has been holding steady at around 54%, the latest value.

Elsewhere, in GA-07, incumbents Lucy McBath and Carolyn Bourdeaux ran in the same district, with LMB getting 63.0%, CB 30.7%, and a third candidate 6.3%.

State Rep. Beth Moore trailed Nabilah Islam in state Senate District 7 race, but is not conceding defeat yet | News | gwinnettdailypost.com

State Rep. Beth Moore, D-Peachtree Corners, may have come in behind Nabilah Islam in the state Senate District 7 race, but she is not conceding defeat yet.

NI got 50.34% and BM 49.66%, giving NI a victory margin of 0.68%, barely above the recount threshold of 0.5%.

"This victory is our victory," Islam said in a message to supporters. "Thank you to every single voter, volunteer and supporter. I couldn’t have done this without you. I can’t wait to get to work in the legislature to improve the lives of every Georgian."

But BM isn't giving up yet.

"With a difference of only 78 votes total — and a difference of only 12 votes to trigger an automatic recount — this is the closest race in the entire state of Georgia," Moore said in a statement to supporters. "Therefore, the most responsible thing to do right now is to wait for all of the provisional ballots and UOCAVA (overseas and military) ballots to be tallied.

"We do not yet know how many there are or exactly when they will be tabulated, but I do know that our elections officials are working diligently to finish the job. Every vote deserves to be counted, especially in a race this close."

But NI is confident that she won.

"While we are dedicated to making sure every vote is counted, we are confident the outcome will not change," Islam said. "We won. I will continue to monitor the vote to make sure every person's voice was heard while also turning my attention to the general election."

NI ran for Congress back in 2020, but lost to Carolyn Bourdeaux.

 

[Derec]

Carolyn Bourdeaux’s Primary Loss Breaks Off a Third Member of Gottheimer Gang

GA7 is a safe Dem district (D+16). It would be better for the whole electorate to have a meaningful say in who will represent them.

- "The so-called Unbreakable Nine gained notoriety for dooming Biden’s agenda in the House.

First of all, things like B³ are really slightly watered down Bernie agenda. Biden is unfortunately too old and too weak to effectively resist being pulled to the left by Sandy Wormtongue et al.

And in Texas, as of this writing, Rep. Henry Cuellar is slightly ahead of his opponent, Jessica Cisneros.

To AOC's great consternation ...

Her son’s killer was acquitted under “stand your ground” laws.

That's a boldfaced lie! The shooter was convicted of first degree murder.

In her run against Bourdeaux, McBath benefited from an influx of spending by American Israel Public Affairs Committee and Democratic Majority for Israel, as well as Protect Our Future PAC, which is funded by crypto billionaire Sam Bankman-Fried.

That's interesting. I did not know McBath is considered more Israel-friendly than Bordeaux.
The crypto kid donating is more concerning. I see crypto as basically a Ponzi scheme, and one particularly damaging to the environment at that. Bad development for Dems of all people to take crypto money.

The Unbreakable Nine eventually managed to split the two bills apart, and once the infrastructure bill was safely signed by the president, the centrists killed Build Back Better, as had been predicted and as had been the plan all along. Manchin pronounced it dead on Fox News in December.

And good thing they did. B³ was a bad bill that would have driven inflation even higher than 9% we have.
COVID response led to major government expenditures anyway, and it was a bad idea to add to that needlessly.
Not to mention that some planks of COVID response, like the expanded unemployment benefits, were kept going way too long, adding to inflationary pressure.

 

[Derec]

No one has to be a member of a party to run in an election.

But one has to be a member of one of the two major parties to have a reasonable chance to win elections.
In a jungle primary system, the power of parties would be diminished. Which would be a good thing.

 

[Derec]

Why have preliminary voting rounds at all?
Why not just have Instant Runoff Voting, and as many candidates on the ballot as want to run?

I would not be opposed to that.

 

[lpetrich]

New York Reps. Sean Patrick Maloney and Mondaire Jones Flee Blue Districts - "A court-ordered redistricting process nearly pitted Squad member Jamaal Bowman against progressive Jones, but Jones instead is targeting a new open seat in New York City."

Sean Patrick Maloney on Twitter: "While the process to draw these maps without the legislature is against the will of voters, if the newly-announced maps are finalized, I will run in New York's 17th Congressional District. NY-17 includes my home and many of the Hudson Valley communities I currently represent." / Twitter

Ally Mutnick on Twitter: "New: Rep Mondaire Jones (D) to me on SPM’s decision to run in #NY17
“Sean Patrick Maloney did not even give me a heads up before he went on Twitter to make that announcement. And I think that tells you everything you need know about Sean Patrick Maloney”" / Twitter

Mondaire Jones on Twitter: "The final maps ..." / Twitter

The final maps released today are the result of partisan politics–drawn by an out-of-state, Republican court appointee who has shown utter disregard for cultural, social, and economic communities of interest. It is designed to reduce the number of NY Democrats in Congress.

I have decided to run for another term in Congress in #NY10. This is the birthplace of the LGBTQ+ rights movement. Since long before the Stonewall Uprising, queer people of color have sought refuge within its borders.

I’m excited to make my case for why I’m the right person to lead this district forward and to continue my work in Congress to save our democracy from the threats of the far right. In my first term in Congress, I have worked hard to deliver real results for New York State.

I helped pass the American Rescue Plan and critical investments in infrastructure for New York City. I have also worked to increase affordable housing and have led the fight to protect the rights of women and LGBTQ+ individuals. I look forward to championing #NY10 in Congress.

Back To The Intercept.

On Thursday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi threw her support behind Maloney, saying his move wouldn’t hurt Democratic prospects in the House. The only way that’s conceivable is if Pelosi and Maloney are confident he won’t actually have a primary.

Maloney didn’t want to primary Jones; he wanted Jones to step aside for him. When Jones’s staffer sent a Maloney staffer a pissed-off text message after Maloney’s announcement, the Maloney staffer shot back, “you guys live in 16 right?”

Then about how Mondaire Jones had been preparing for primarying Jamaal Bowman for a long time. JB responded:

But let’s also be clear about this: two Black men who worked hard to represent their communities, who fight hard for their constituents in Congress and advocate for dire needs in our communities should not be pitted against each other all because Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney wants to have a slightly easier district for himself. The Democratic Party should not tolerate or condone those who try to dismantle and tear down Black power in Congress. I’m proud that many of my Democratic colleagues have stood up and made clear that this is wrong, and I encourage more to do the same.

The solution is simple. Congressman Maloney should run in his own district. I’ll be running in mine.

Jake Sherman on Twitter: "Also — @RepSeanMaloney allies are spreading the message that jones would be ideologically better suited to another district.
But is that their belief on behalf of the dccc? Or a candidate who doesn’t want a member-on-member primary" / Twitter
Then Ritchie Torres of NY-15 in the Bronx:
Ritchie Torres on Twitter: "The thinly veiled racism here is profoundly disappointing.
A black man is ideologically ill suited to represent a Westchester County District that he represents presently and won decisively in 2020?
Outrageous." / Twitter
RT might not want JB fleeing to his district. What a chain reaction: SPM moves from 18 to 17, MJ moves from 17 to 16, JB from 16 to 15. Where will RT go?

 

[lpetrich]

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "Let’s gooo! Together we’ve sent 6 incredible new members to the New York State Legislature.
What’s another 7 more? Help them here: (link)" / Twitter

AOC Is Endorsing the Full Slate of New York Democratic Socialist State Candidates

Endorsements by AOC, whose approval can transform a campaign’s prospects, are often treated as mysterious koans — puzzled over by political insiders who ponder why she chose one candidate and overlooked others, why she used to make so few endorsements, or why she now makes so many. Today’s announcement is unburdened by any such ambiguities: AOC’s endorsement reflected solidarity with NYC-DSA’s platform and movement, against the forces of capitalism and reaction both inside and outside the Democratic Party.

...
State senate candidate Kristen Gonzalez, who lives in Long Island City and was active in successful campaigns there against Amazon and against the toxic natural gas NRG Energy plant, was overjoyed by the AOC endorsement when asked for comment on Wednesday. Her campaign is similar to AOC’s 2018 insurgent congressional bid: Gonzalez, who was a volunteer field lead for AOC’s reelection campaign, is running against a thoroughgoing machine candidate, Elizabeth Crowley — a cousin of Joe Crowley, the centrist who AOC unseated that year.

So AOC might help knock off another Crowley?

Ocasio-Cortez has never tied her political brand to the familiar “you-go-girl” type of individualism; her story is not one of political bootstrapping. “This is not about one candidate,” says Shrestha. “One candidate is not going to be able to do anything alone. We have developed knowledge as part of a movement.” The power of such campaigns is their relationship to the climate and labor movements, to organizing for housing, racial justice, and socialism.

“When people say, ‘If AOC can do it,’ they are talking about the movement — they are talking about the bigger picture.”

AOC is also honest enough to reject the common whine from the right wing that "I didn't need anybody's help".

As to building a movement that is larger than any one person's career, that's necessary for having lasting success in politics. Personality cults are self-limiting.

 

[lpetrich]

AIPAC super PAC funnels millions in dark money to attack progressive candidates in Democratic races | Salon.com - "Pro-Israel group spends millions on ads attacking progressives Summer Lee in Pennsylvania and Nida Allam in N.C."

A poll commissioned by pro-choice group EMILY's List at the end of March showed Lee with a 25-point lead over Irwin and a high approval rating among likely primary voters.

But a survey conducted by Mercury Public Affairs at the end of April, following the release of UDP's ads, showed that Irwin was ahead of Lee by one point.

But after being behind for much of the count, SL ended up ahead of SI by 0.9%.

Sanders declares “war” on GOP-backing billionaire-funded group pouring dark money into Dem primaries | Salon.com
"They are doing everything they can to destroy the progressive movement in this country," Sanders warns

 

[lpetrich]

I like this critical commentary.

To keep winning, progressives must do more than grassroots organizing: We need money | Salon.com
"Summer Lee's victory shows how progressives can beat super PACs: by fighting — and winning — the money war"

Lee and her allies were quick to credit grassroots organizing for her victory.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tweeted: "People over money. You absolutely love to see it."

My former boss, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, chimed in: "When you fight from the heart and build a grassroots movement, you can win."

It's an inspiring narrative, especially for progressive candidates across the country who are facing historically unprecedented levels of super PAC spending on behalf of their moderate or centrist opponents. But it's easy to overlook an important fact: Lee received almost $2 million of independent expenditure support herself.

To be clear, Lee was still outspent significantly by pro-Israel super PACs and Irwin's campaign. But between her own campaign operation and outside support from Justice Democrats, the Working Families Party and others, voters likely saw almost $3 million worth of ads and mailers supporting Lee's candidacy.

Lee's progressive platform is broadly popular, and she ran a robust field program. But in the end she won by an exceedingly narrow margin, so it seems clear that every penny of that nearly $3 million was necessary to deliver a victory.

The progressive movement needs more people like Summer Lee in Congress. And it's clearer than ever that if we want to achieve this goal, we must organize money as much as we prioritize organizing people.

Reminds me of all the ads that I saw for Val Hoyle and Andrew Kalloch in OR-05 -- but not for Doyle Canning. Lots of TV ads and mailers for VH and online ads for AK, but nothing for DC.

I worked for Mondaire Jones in New York, who was outspent two to one by a Big Pharma billionaire and still won — and I just managed the campaign of Nida Allam in North Carolina, who was outspent close to four to one by Super PACs, and lost. I believe in the power of organizing, and that's the most important long-term work we must do to grow our movement. But even the best organizing can overcome only so much spending.

 

[lpetrich]

Author Maya Handa estimates that progressives can overcome a 2:1 spending ratio, but not much more, despite exceptions like AOC's victory over Joe Crowley in 2018.

How much did progressives spend?

• Victories
  • (2018)
  • (Rashida Tlaib) >> (her opponent)
  • (Ilhan Omar) ~ (her opponent)
  • (Ayanna Pressley) <~ (1/2)*(inc Michael Capuano)
  • (2020)
  • (Marie Newman) > (inc Dan Lipinski)
  • (Cori Bush) > (inc Lacy Clay)
  • (Jamaal Bowman: <~$2M) >~ (1/2)*(inc Eliot Engel)
  • (Mondaire Jones: >~$2M) <~ (1/2)*(his opponent)
  • (2022)
  • (Greg Casar) >> (his opponent)
• Defeats
  • (2022)
  • (Nida Allam) >~ (1/10)*(her opponents)
  • (Erica Smith) >~ (1/6)*(her opponents)

Progressives can replicate Summer Lee's victory, in many more places across the country. In fact, we can expand our margins of victory. But we must approach campaign finance with the same determined and innovative approach we have toward grassroots field organizing.

 

[lpetrich]

Jessica Cisneros is holding out for counting of late-arrival mail-in ballots and provisional ballots, and the count is likely to go into a recount.

Summer Lee's margin is holding firm at 0.9%.

The other Steve Irwin: Steve Irwin | Biography, Death, Son, Daughter, Wife, & Facts | Britannica

Jamie McLeod-Skinner is still beating Kurt Schrader, and that race was recently called by the Associated Press. With the amount of votes counted, it's unlikely that KS will beat JMLS, because the remaining votes would have to be nearly 100% for KS.

This upcoming week will have no primaries, but next week will have some on June 7, in CA, NJ, and some other states.

I checked fec.gov for primary challengers to The Squad and Squad-adjacent Congresspeople, and how much money they have raised. All these amounts are of the last reporting date, March 31.

• NY-14: AOC: $9 M >> three Republicans: a Trumpie (Tina Forte: $401 K), a more traditional sort of conservative (Desi Cuellar: $230 K), and one whom I can't find anything on (Pura DeJesus-Coniglio: $34 K). Seems like the Republican primary will be a very interesting one.
• MI-12: Rashida Tlaib: $2.3 M >> a D at $236 K
• MN-05: Ilhan Omar: $1.9 M > R Cicely Davis $1.3 M, D $352 K, R $207 K, R Shukri Abdullahi Abdirahman $105 K
• MA-07: Ayanna Pressley: $886 K >> R's
• NY-16: Jamaal Bowman: $1.1 M > D $481 K, D $61 K
• MO-01: Cori Bush: $1.4 M >> D $35 K, D $31 K, R $16 K
• IL-06: Marie Newman: $1.3 M < Sean Casten $2.7 M >> R's
• NY-10: Mondaire Jones: $2.8 M >> (others)
• CA-47: Katie Porter: $15.2 M >> R $1.5 M
• FL-20: Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick: $6.8 M > D $1.0 > D Dale Holness $904 K (yes, he's trying again after SCMC defeated him in last year's special election)

So of all these, only MN is vulnerable and maybe also SCMC.

Shahid Buttar is running against Nancy Pelosi yet again, in CA-11, the renaming of CA-12. NP has $17.2 M, followed by R $798 K, and SB at $164 K -- all reported at May 18. So he may not make the top two this time.

 

[lpetrich]

Shahid Buttar - Ballotpedia - him vs. Nancy Pelosi in 2018 and 2020

• 2018: NP 68.5%, R 9.1%, SB 8.5%, D 5.9%, 4.6%, G 2.0%, I 1.4%
• 2020: NP 74.0%, SB 13.0%, R 7.7%, D 2.0% R 1.8%, D 1.5%
• (2nd round) NP 77.6%, SB 22.4%

D = Democratic, R = Republican, G = Green, I = Independent

NP's money will likely go to fund many other Congressional Democrats' campaigns, but she has more than enough money to swamp SF with advertising for her.


Former candidate for VT-01 (the entire state is its only House district):
Congressional Corner with Kesha Ram Hinsdale | WAMC
She mentioned having gotten an abortion, and she said that this issue is a matter of having control over one's body.

She was backed by Brand New Congress.

But then,
Kesha Ram Hinsdale for Congress on Twitter: "Today, I announced my plans to run for re-election to the Vermont State Senate, stepping down from my competitive place in the Congressional race and supporting Becca Balint’s bid for Congress. Full statement here: (links)" / Twitter
noting
Senator Kesha Ram Hinsdale to End Congressional Bid, Run for Re-Election to the Vermont State Senate in Chittenden Southeast District - Kesha Ram

Senator Kesha Ram Hinsdale to End Congressional Bid, Run for Re-Election to the Vermont State Senate in Chittenden Southeast District

MONTPELIER, VT – Today, State Senator Kesha Ram Hinsdale announced her plans to run for re-election to the Vermont State Senate, stepping down from her competitive place in the Congressional race and supporting Becca Balint’s bid for Congress.

“There is a far greater feeling than winning, and that is doing what is right. This moment calls on all of us to do what is best for our state and nation, and for me that means continuing to champion working people, climate action, and our civil rights here at home,” said Ram Hinsdale. “Given recent resignations across the Vermont legislature and our statewide offices, it’s becoming clear that there’s a need for experienced leadership to remain in Montpelier. I began serving in 2009 during the start of the Great Recession, have led through Tropical Storm Irene, and brought marginalized voices into the room as the first woman of color to serve in the State Senate. We have critical work to do on racial, social, and environmental justice, and we are still not out of this pandemic.”

“It was not an easy decision, but I have decided to run for re-election to the Vermont State Senate and endorse Becca Balint, a candidate whose values align with my own and who will be a fighter for Vermont in Washington. This wasn’t an easy decision to make. We built a coalition that was bigger than me, and so many Vermonters and national leaders stepped up to support my Congressional campaign and the principles I stand and fight for. I am so grateful to all of them and to Vermont for holding me through this decision. I can best serve Vermonters in this moment in the State Senate,” Ram Hinsdale continued. “That is what the moment calls for.”

Kesha Ram Hinsdale for Congress on Twitter: "The only feeling better than winning is doing what is right. On this long and winding road, we are better off when we walk together. Thank you all for walking alongside me. We are just beginning. (pic link)" / Twitter

Kesha Ram Hinsdale for Congress on Twitter: "I knew today would be hard, but I could not have imagined the outpouring of love and support we received. Vermonters saw and felt this as a historic moment where leadership looked different. I’m honored to have played a part. Thank you, Vermont. #LoVermont (link)" / Twitter
noting
Kesha Ram Hinsdale exits Vermont’s U.S. House race, endorses Becca Balint - VTDigger

Ram Hinsdale and Balint have been jockeying for the support of left-leaning voters in the Democratic primary. The departure of the former will likely help the latter compete against Lt. Gov. Molly Gray, who is seen as more of a centrist.

“I had a few sleepless nights thinking about my path to victory, bringing down another woman in this race that I deeply respect and that has earned a broad coalition of support from Vermonters,” Ram Hinsdale told VTDigger, referring to Balint. “That is not the person I am or what Vermont needs.”

Ram Hinsdale said her decision was also driven by how competitive the primary contest had become.

“This was what many would call a jump-ball race, a toss-up,” she said. “Anyone could pull ahead. Anyone could outsmart or outmaneuver. And I couldn't live with uncertainty on Election Day about who would emerge victorious.”

noting
Vermont’s left is split on US House candidates — but unified in opposition to Molly Gray - VTDigger

One party member, Chris Brimmer, asked: Would any of them run in the general election as a Progressive candidate if the Democratic nomination went to Gray?

“I want someone on the ballot that will hold her feet to the fire,” he said. “And as far as I can tell, she is 100% astroturf, and I really want to know where the money's coming from.”

A problem is splitting the vote and letting the Republican win.

Both Balint and Ram Hinsdale said they wouldn’t run as a third-party candidate if they failed to clinch the Democratic nomination. But they were still eager to take shots at Gray.

“I think it would be an absolute catastrophe if the candidate representing us on the left was Molly Gray. She is a corporatist Democrat,” said Balint. “I think we are starting to see exactly where her money is coming from. And it is not a good thing.”

So they'd be supporting MG as the lesser of two evils. When I see something like that, I think of how convenient ranked-choice voting would be.

Ram Hinsdale said she had spent “political capital” to call out Gray’s donors. In an April fundraising email to Ram Hinsdale’s supporters, the campaign called out a $5,000 contribution to Gray’s campaign from a political action committee for American Crystal Sugar. (The missive, in particular, focused on the PAC’s generous donations to Republicans who voted against certifying the 2020 election.)

“People in D.C. are already looking at me, already mad, saying ‘(Ram Hinsdale) seems like someone who's not going to be a team player. Big sugar isn't that bad, big sugar gives to Democrats and Republicans,’” Ram Hinsdale said.

Using small-donation fundraising is good for avoiding becoming compromised, and AOC notes that she can do more of the work of her position, rather than spend much of her day dialing for dollars.

n an interview with VTDigger on Wednesday, Gray rolled her eyes at the phrase “corporatist Democrat” and argued, “Vermonters want fewer labels and more action.”

“The biggest challenge right now with Congress is that we see Democrats attacking each other,” she said.

Her campaign has responded in the past to the scrutiny she has received for her donors by saying those connections are a reflection of her time on Capitol Hill, where she was a staffer for U.S. Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt.

...
Like Balint and Ram Hinsdale, Gray has signed on to some of the national progressive movement’s signature platforms, including Medicare for All and the Green New Deal. But she is nevertheless increasingly viewed as the establishment pick.

D.C. insiders fundraising on her behalf — and the corporate lobbyists who have generously given in kind — have attracted attention from the media and other campaigns. (Balint and Ram Hinsdale have also taken money from lobbyists, although far less.) And while Gray has not explicitly identified herself as the race’s centrist, her campaign’s emphasis on her perceived strength as a general election candidate implies it.

It's great that some candidates have been able to avoid big-money campaign financing. Their success shows that we are not doomed to being in the pay of big-money lobbyists.

Becca Balint appreciates her new endorser.
Becca Balint for Congress on Twitter: "Kesha and I have been friends for a long time, and I am incredibly proud to have earned her support.
Thank you, @KeshaRam. I am so excited that you will be returning to the Vermont Senate to continue being a voice for working Vermonters. #vtpoli (link)" / Twitter

Becca Balint for Congress on Twitter: "“Becca is the experienced, qualified, and sincere fighter Vermonters need to meet this moment.”
I am so proud and grateful to have @KeshaRam’s support. As our campaign continues to build momentum, I hope you’ll join us in this exciting moment. (links)" / Twitter

 

[lpetrich]

Natalie Silver on Twitter: "What @KeshaRam did today is so very rare in politics. Kesha made the choice that she felt was best for the people. It is indicative of her deep commitment to solving our state's biggest challenges. This is the kind of politics we need. Honored to have her on our team. #vtpoli" / Twitter

She is joined by Rana Abdelhamid of NY-12, supported by Brand New Congress and Justice Democrats. Because of redistricting, she now lives in NY-07, because NY-12 is now midtown Manhattan, and she doesn't want to run against either AOC or Nydia Velázquez. 2020 govtrack.us Ideology scores: AOC 0.09, NV 0.15, Jerrold Nadler 0.15, Carolyn Maloney 0.17.

Rana Abdelhamid on Twitter: "Today, I am formally ending my bid for Congress after the court’s undemocratic map removed me and my community from #NY12.
I want to thank our team, our volunteers, our donors, my mom and dad, and our movement allies. This is not the end. See you soon NYC.
Full statement below (pix link)" / Twitter

Democratic Candidate for Congress Rana Abdelhamid Campaign Announcement

New York City, NY - Late last week, New York Judge Patrick McAllister approved the court-appointed special master's new congressional map for New York. These new maps, pit incumbent Democrats against each other and divide up historically significant communities of interest, will have devastating consequences for many marginalized communities and communities of color in New York City.

Today, in response to these maps, Democratic candidate for Congress Rana Abdelhamid is announcing her official withdrawal from the race for New York's 12th Congressional District. Abdelhamid issued the following statement:

"Today, I am formally suspending my campaign for Congress. After nearly two years of putting together this effort, this was a very difficult decision to make. But because my community and I were cut out of our district, we were left with no other choice. I want to first take time to thank my team, our incredible volunteers, our movement allies, my amazing community in Queens that rallied around me, my husband, my mom and dad, and all of our incredible grassroots supporters. We made over 100,000 calls, collected over 5000 signatures, worked with over 700 volunteers, and raised nearly one million dollars from more than 11,000 people. Running for Congress, especially as a young woman of color, is not easy, but what we built together through this campaign is powerful and will last for years to come. 0

"When the pandemic left my neighbors in Queens hungry and housing insecure and my own mother without access to proper healthcare, I decided to run for Congress. The new NY-12, which was drawn through an undemocratic process, no longer includes Queens or Brooklyn. That means that my home and my community which includes, working class, Black and brown, Muslim and Arab immigrant communities of interest in Queens, were all divided into two districts, NY-7 and NY-14, diluting our opportunity for representation and political power.

"From the very beginning, Carolyn Maloney fought to remove the Queens and Brooklyn-based communities of color from her district. Now, she got exactly what she wanted: a fully Manhattan district and my community kicked out the door. These maps are reminiscent of an ongoing legacy of noninclusive gerrymandering which continues to rob communities of interest like my own of the opportunity for representation. Although this was not the outcome we had hoped for, stand strong knowing that I fought for its this district and its people my entire life, and will never stop fighting for New Yorkers to live free and full lives even when it gets hard.

"For a community with no representation in New York City politics, for a community that was harassed and profiled by law enforcement for years, a community that continues to be gentrified, whose story is barely told, this glimpse of representation was a dream. For a district that has had a corporate-backed incumbent for three decades, this glimpse of people power was a dream. We surpassed everyone's expectations. We built a winning campaign and I am committed to continuing to organize alongside our coalition and progressive leaders for a more equitable and just New York City, especially on issues of safety and housing.

"The relationships and infrastructure we've built through this campaign is powerful - and we're not stopping here. While the historic communities of interest in Queens become divided with these new maps, I still feel that our power comes from people coming together across our beautiful differences for vision of justice and shared prosperity. When the opportunity presents itself we will be more ready than ever to achieve the electoral representation we deserve, because we'll have this infrastructure and the power behind us.

"It is this power that gives me and all of us the strength to know that this is not the end of our time in politics, but only the beginning. We have a lot of work to do.

I'll try to parse this. She is complaining about how the new map splits up some communities of interest, something that Jamaal Bowman also objected to. There is a simple cure: multimember districts. That would be simpler than endlessly tweaking single-member districts.

She also seems to be saying that she plans to become an activist, that having built her campaign apparat, she plans to put it to work. Sort of like what Stacey Abrams did.

Rana Abdelhamid on Twitter: "I want to appreciate everyone who supported our campaign and helped us process this challenging decision.
Coalition statements of support below: (pix link)" / Twitter
Brad Lander (NYC Comptroller), Tiffany Cabán (NYC District-22 Council Member), Sochie Nnaemeka ( NY State Director Working Families Party), Cynthia Nixon (activist and 2018 NY Governor candidate), Rachel McCullough (Political Director, Jews for Racial & Economic Justice).

 

[lpetrich]

A Queens upstart gained momentum in her congressional bid — then came redistricting - Gothamist

he community organizer, activist and first-time candidate was mounting a progressive challenge against an incumbent, Rep. Carolyn Maloney, whose district for more than 30 years included the East Side of Manhattan, a portion of western Queens and northern Brooklyn.

Abdelhamid, 29, built momentum on the left as she sought the Democratic nomination in the 12th Congressional District. She was backed early by the Justice Democrats, the same organization that successfully supported Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Jamaal Bowman when they ousted longtime incumbents. She raised nearly $1 million in campaign funds, amassed a growing list of supporters and was running a serious campaign aimed at engaging more immigrants and working-class voters with the electoral process.

Then came the state’s turbulent redistricting process.

In the final version of the maps drawn by a court-appointed special master this month, the 12th Congressional District is now based solely in Manhattan. Abdelhamid’s home in western Queens, which includes an Egyptian, Arab and Muslim community, was entirely removed from the district. It is now divided between two progressive powerhouses: Ocasio-Cortez in 14th Congressional District to the north, and Rep. Nydia Velázquez in 7th Congressional District to the south.

RAH didn't want to run against either, it seems.

Abdelhamid’s campaign promoted deep investments in public housing and NYCHA; a model of community care that aimed to address poverty and economic insecurity through intervention programs that would also promote public safety and mental health; and the history-making potential of her campaign: she would be the first Muslim woman from New York City, and the first Egyptian in the country, to serve in Congress.

,,,
But Abdelhamid’s campaign was as much about reaching out to immigrants from within her community as it was about making residents at the Queensbridge Houses, the largest public housing development in the country that was once in 12th Congressional District, feel like they had a voice.

,,,
One of her biggest supporters is Councilmember Tiffany Cabán of Queens, who nominated her to the Justice Democrats. (The organization makes its endorsement decisions after candidates are nominated by someone in their district.)

That's a way of filtering out egomaniacs and people only interested in their own careers. Donald Trump would lose very badly.

 

[lpetrich]

Suraj Patel, the Indiana Catfish, is still in the race for NY-12.

Steven Donziger Endorses Suraj Patel for Congress

Longtime Democratic congressional candidate Suraj Patel has nabbed the support of environmental lawyer and Chevron foe Steven Donziger in his bid to oust two of New York’s longest-serving Democrats from Congress. The endorsement positions Patel to gain more credibility with local progressives, many of whom had rallied behind activist Rana Abdelhamid in the primary for New York’s redrawn 12th district. Abdelhamid suspended her campaign Tuesday.

Patel and Abdelhamid both entered the race from the left to challenge 30-year incumbent Reps. Carolyn Maloney and Jerrold Nadler, who were placed in the same district thanks to a new congressional map. Drawn by a special master after the courts rejected the New York legislature’s original map, it combines Nadler’s Upper West Side turf with Maloney’s Upper East Side base to create a newly formed 12th district, setting up the contest between the two venerated, Manhattan-based lawmakers. A recent poll from Emerson College found 31 percent of primary voters support Maloney, 22 percent want Nadler, 6 percent back Abdelhamid, and 4 percent plan to vote for Patel, with 36 percent undecided.

Emerson Polling - NYC Congressional Polls: Voters Not Sold on DeBlasio in NY10; Maloney Has 10-point Lead Over Nadler in NY12

Following court-ordered redistricting in New York, an Emerson College Polling/Pix11/The Hill survey of likely Democratic primary voters in the newly drawn 10th and 12th Congressional Districts finds a 77% majority undecided in the 10th District, and Carolyn Maloney leading Jerry Nadler by 10 points in the 12th District.

While a majority of voters in the 10th District spanning Brooklyn and Lower Manhattan are undecided, 7% support sitting 17th District US Rep. Mondaire Jones, 6% support former Mayor Bill DeBlasio, and 5% support New York City Assemblymember Yuh Line Niou.

In NY-12: Carolyn Maloney 31%, Jerry Nadler 21%, Rana Abdelhamid 6%, Suraj Patel 4%, others 2%, 1%, 0%, 0%, undecided 36%

Rather curious that neither CM nor JN fled to NY-10. So this primary will be like other incumbent vs. incumbent primaries: two in, one out. Yes, a Thunderdome primary.

 

[lpetrich]

“Maloney’s support is stronger with female voters,” Kimball continued, “a 35% plurality of female voters back her in the Democratic primary, while male voters are more split: 26% support Maloney and 22% support Nadler.”

As to Thunderdome primaries, GA-07 has already happened, and IL-06 is due to happen, pitting incumbents Marie Newman and Sean Casten against each other.

More from The Intercept.

“Suraj has fought relentlessly for climate justice, indigenous rights, and speaking truth to corporate power and influence in our democracy and I am proud to endorse him for Congress,” Donziger said in a written statement to The Intercept. “Both Jerry Nadler and Carolyn Maloney are some of the biggest recipients of corporate PAC dollars in the country; their incrementalism and defense of big corporations have led us to the brink. 60 years is enough time in Congress to know that the 61st will be no different. It’s time for change.”

Donziger is renowned among progressive circles on the Upper West Side for his activism against Big Oil. In 2011, he won $9.5 billion for thousands of Indigenous Ecuadoreans and farmers in a high-profile class-action lawsuit against Chevron for contamination of their lands. The corporation sought to vilify him, winning verdicts that disbarred him and eventually placed him in prison for 45 days and under house arrest for more than two and a half years. On April 25, he was released early amid a public campaign from human rights activists.

Now Donziger is putting his weight behind Patel, a former Obama administration staffer and technology entrepreneur who characterizes himself as a “pragmatic progressive.” Patel supports a Green New Deal and Medicare for All but distinguishes himself from more left-wing Democrats by, for example, backing military assistance to Israel and touting his long-standing commitment to strong U.S. relations with the country.

...
Abdelhamid, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, had positioned herself to Patel’s left. In addition to the Green New Deal and Medicare for All, her campaign emphasized the need for union protections and investments in the care economy. She deviates from Democratic Socialists of America by opposing the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement but says she wants to condition aid to Israel on the advancement of human rights.

With Rana Abdelhamid dropped out, who will her and like-minded people support?

2022 Election United States House - New York - District 12 | FEC
2022 Election United States House - New York - District 10 | FEC

Carolyn Maloney $2,277 K, Rana Abdelhamid $956 K, Jerrold Nadler $917 K, Suraj Patel $653 K

 

[Derec]

With Rana Abdelhamid dropped out, who will her and like-minded people support?

She no longer lives in the 10th. Why doesn't she simply run where she lives?

Speaking of NY10th, it's getting more crowded.
Trump impeachment lawyer Daniel Goldman to run for Congress in NY-10
Carlina Rivera, Lower East Side Council Member, Joins NY-10 Race for Congress

Worst thing is that in NY there is no runoff. Plurality takes it, which means that in a crowded field somebody could luck into nomination (and almost guaranteed victory in the general) with 15-20% of the vote.

 

[lpetrich]

There are primaries today in ME, ND, NV, and SC, and in NV-01, Amy Vilela is running again, against incumbent Dina Titus.

Jessica Cisneros isn't giving up.

Patrick Svitek on Twitter: "Cisneros statement: https://t.co/cgTou92KX6" / Twitter

"Our movement was never just about one politician - it was about taking on an unjust system that rewards corruption and corporate profits at the expense of the needs of working people," said Jessica Cisneros. "Our community isn't done fighting, we are filing for a recount. With just under 0.6 percent of the vote symbolizing such stark differences for the future in South Texas, owe it to our community to see this through to the end."

Nothing further, however.

Someone is trying to primary Rashida Tlaib.

Scoop: PAC to spend $1M to oust ‘Squad’ member Tlaib- POLITICO

A new PAC endorsed by Bakari Sellers says it’s going to spend upward of $1 million to support one of the candidates trying to unseat progressive firebrand Rashida Tlaib.

The stated mission of the group, Urban Empowerment Action PAC, is to back candidates who are “dedicated to the educational empowerment and economic uplift of Black communities,” according to a release first shared with POLITICO’s The Recast. The PAC adds that its support of Janice Winfrey, the Detroit City Clerk, is meant to boost “her campaign to restore infrastructure, improve educational opportunities in the district and support the Biden-Harris agenda in D.C.”

The group is made up of a coalition of Black and Jewish business leaders.

Bakari Sellers-Affiliated PAC Aims to Unseat Rashida Tlaib - "With stated aims to support Black communities and narrow the racial wealth gap, the group is financed by a billionaire hedge fund investor who also funds Republicans and AIPAC."

A new political action committee “dedicated to empowering urban communities to narrow the wealth gap between Black and White Americans” has picked its most prominent and first incumbent target this cycle: Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich.

Launched in October by more than 40 Black business and civic leaders, the group, Urban Empowerment Action PAC, has labeled the challenge against Tlaib its “premier race” and plans to spend at least $1 million to unseat her, arguing that Detroit, a city that is majority Black, should be represented by a Black member in Congress. The PAC is primarily funded by billionaire hedge fund investor and philanthropist Daniel Loeb, though its initial founder remains unknown.

The slew in planned spending comes as top Democrats continue to fight against the party’s progressive wing with help from Republican donors and outside groups backing conservative candidates in both parties. Democratic leaders and outside groups aligned with them have spent millions so far to defeat progressives in several competitive primaries this cycle.

Rashida Tlaib barely won the Democratic primary in 2018, beating her biggest challenger Brenda Jones 31.2% - 30.2%. BJ returned in 2020, but RT beat her by a much bigger margin that time: 66.3% - 33.7%. BJ is nowhere in sight this time around, however.

 

[lpetrich]

The empire strikes back some more.

A New Dark-Money Group Aligned with Powerful Democrats
"Opportunity for All Action Fund has spent more than $500,000 in four primaries to support conservative House Democrats."

Each incumbent backed by Opportunity for All Action Fund is facing a primary challenge from their left: Rep. Danny Davis, D-Ill., is facing Kina Collins, an organizer and anti-gun violence activist who first challenged him in 2020; Rep. Dina Titus, D-Nev., is facing Amy Vilela, who ran unsuccessfully in a Nevada Democratic congressional primary in 2018; on Tuesday, Rep. Donald Payne Jr., D-N.J., beat organizer Imani Oakley and Akil Khalfani, a professor who ran against him in the 2020 primary as an independent. Justice Democrats is backing Collins’s campaign this cycle, and on Wednesday, she will campaign virtually alongside Justice Democrats-endorsed primary candidates Jessica Cisneros, whose Texas campaign is awaiting a recount, and Summer Lee, who won the Democratic primary in Pennsylvania’s 12th District last month.

It's hard to find much on who funds this PAC.

For one, each of the incumbents is also backed by Team Blue PAC, launched last June by House Democratic Caucus Chair Hakeem Jeffries of New York, New Jersey Rep. Josh Gottheimer, and Alabama Rep. Terri Sewell to protect caucus members facing primary challenges. Team Blue PAC endorsed five incumbents in February and has given $5,000 to each of their campaigns, including Davis, Titus, Payne, and Reps. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., and Shontel Brown, D-Ohio, who beat former state Sen. Nina Turner last month. Jeffries campaigned alongside Davis in Chicago last week, and also campaigned for Payne and Brown.

...
Opportunity for All Action Fund’s bare-bones website and “OFA” logo led a local New Jersey site writing about the fund to wonder whether it was “a misleading bid to implicate Obama for America.”

Then how that PAC is run by various staffers and campaigners for Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Sen. Harry Reid, Rep. Gregory Meeks, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, Rep. Tom Sewell, ...

Which goes to show how the Clintons and Barack Obama are anything but the left-wing ogres that right-wingers like to depict them as.

 

[Derec]

The empire strikes back some more.

A New Dark-Money Group Aligned with Powerful Democrats
"Opportunity for All Action Fund has spent more than $500,000 in four primaries to support conservative House Democrats."

"The Empire". "Dark money". Spare us!

The Democratic Party and the country is worse off with moderates being replaced with extremists.
Same goes for the Republican Party.
This country is entering a world of shit because of this hyperpolarization.

 

[Harry Bosch]

The empire strikes back some more.

A New Dark-Money Group Aligned with Powerful Democrats
"Opportunity for All Action Fund has spent more than $500,000 in four primaries to support conservative House Democrats."

"The Empire". "Dark money". Spare us!

The Democratic Party and the country is worse off with moderates being replaced with extremists.
Same goes for the Republican Party.
This country is entering a world of shit because of this hyperpolarization.

I agree. In my district, Kurt Schrader, a popular moderate was replaced by a very far left candidate. My district is a bell weather. I can tell you that Schrader would have won. But now it looks very bleak. We're going to get lambasted this year in congress...

 

[lpetrich]

Shahid Butter barely lost the first round in CA-11:

Nancy Pelosi 71.7%, John Dennis (R) 10.7%, SB 10.4%, others 3.9%, 1.9%, 1.3%

Ryan Grim on Twitter: "Well that took a turn" / Twitter
referring to
Shahid Buttar for Change on Twitter: "As we await the final results ..." / Twitter

As we await the final results in our race, I received some messages from a fellow candidate that unfortunately included a death threat.

Given the political violence sweeping our country, I’ve shared the message with authorities. /1

I received this threat on Sunday via SMS message from Bianca Von Krieg. It comes after she repeatedly visited my home uninvited, and once forced her way inside before my housemate threatened to call law enforcement if she did not leave. /2

Before threatening me and trying to break into my home, Ms. Krieg may have gained access to sensitive data, including the contact information of our supporters. Several have let us know that she has been sending them unsolicited messages. /3

How did von Krieg obtain the email addresses of our supporters who did not give them to her? Could she have gotten them from former campaign staff who also appeared to have misappropriated campaign data for their own purposes? /4

...

noting this message

You jackass you split the goddamn vote! I'm going to rip off your dumb man bun and beat you to death with it

BvK got 1.3% of the vote, and if anything, she was the one who split the vote. Adding her vote fraction to SB's gives 11.7%, enough for SB to beat JD and go into the runoff.

Shahid Buttar Lost Again in San Francisco - What's Next in Fight Against Nancy Pelosi? - YouTube

SB described falling short of second place by 500 votes this time around, and he described getting into second place back in 2020. He claimed that as a result, the House passed legislation like the Protecting the Right to Organize Act and the Justice in Policing Act, as a result of NP facing a challenger on her left, as opposed to some Republican. "No one should trust career politicians who only show up to work when they are challenged."

He recalled how the general-election race barely got any coverage in the local news media. Also the COVID-19 lockdown, meaning that SB's canvassers couldn't knock on lots of doors. Also what SB calls character assassination, a smear campaign against him by many Democrats and self-described progressives. Like accusations of sexual misconduct, misogyny, not paying child support despite.

He described NP as not doing much to challenge Trump, like slow-walking impeachment.

He claims that the SF media barely described the Congressional race, mainly discussing who might succeed NP, like her daughter Christina.

He proposes the Green New Deal (NP called it the Green Dream), and nationalizing the fossil-fuel companies.

He described NP as a corrupt oligarch who likes to line her pockets with carefully targeted tax breaks.

He then described how the problems with the Democratic Party extend beyond the party itself, into the activist organizations that support the party. Like wanting access at the expense of their principles.

He described how he got no support from The Squad or from progressive activist organizations like the Sunrise Movement, Our Revolution, Progressive Democrats of America, Brand New Congress, Justice Democrats, ... SF Berniecrats, Democratic Socialists of America, Harvey Milk Democratic Club turned against their principles for the convenience of their leaders, ...

But he also expressed admiration of the revival of labor-union organizimg.

 

[lpetrich]

In CA-30, G. "Maebe A. Girl" Pudlo advanced:

Adam Schiff 62.4%, MAG 12.6%, others 8.6%, 6.5%, 4.8%, 1.6%, 1.6%, 1.0%, 0.9%

MAG is transgender, and when I saw an interview with her on TYT, her somatic maleness showed through as stubble and a low voice.

In CA-47, Katie Porter is up against a Republican:

KP 51.7%, Scott Baugh (R) 30.9%, others 8.3%, 7.1%, 2.0%

The others were all Republicans, so KP will have a tough race.

 

[lpetrich]

How Many N.Y. Democrats Does It Take to Fill a House Seat? Try 15. - The New York Times

The result is a contest not so much of ideas — almost every major candidate has condemned threats to abortion rights and bemoaned the lack of strict limits on guns — as of brute force, blunt ambition and identity politics.

A long list.

1. Bill de Blasio, fmr NYC mayor
2. Daniel S. Goldman, fmr Federal prosecutor and lawyer who worked on the first impeachment of Donald Trump
3. Yan Xiong, pro-democracy Tiananmen Square protester and Army chaplain
4. Elizabeth Holtzman, first elected to Congress some 50 years ago
5. Mondaire Jones, currently in US House NY-17 (near upstate), and fleeing from Sean Patrick Maloney
6. Jo Anne Simon, disability-rights lawyer and state assemblywoman
7. Carlina Rivera, city councilwoman
8. Yuh-Line Niou, state assemblywoman
9. Patrick Dooley
10. John Herron
11. Brad Hoylman
12. Jimmy Jiang Li
13. Elizabeth Kim
14. Maud Maron
15. Ian Medina
16. Brian Robinson
17. David Yassky

Source: New York's 10th Congressional District election, 2022 - Ballotpedia

MJ:

“Let me start by saying this: I fear no man,” said Mr. Jones, the sitting congressman who decided to try his hand in the reconstituted 10th District, rather than run for re-election in the 17th District or contest the neighboring one to the south. Either option would involve competing against a House incumbent.

Sean Patrick Maloney or Jamaal Bowman (NY-16).

Mr. Jones did not have to move to Brooklyn to run for the seat; House candidates must live in the state they represent, but not the district. Mr. Jones, who grew up in Rockland County, contended that his status as a newcomer was irrelevant. He suggested that he is sufficiently tied to the district by virtue of his time living elsewhere in the city and socializing in Greenwich Village, as a young gay man of color trying to discover his “authentic self.”

JAS:

“People vote for people that they know, that they trust and they have reason to know show up,” said Ms. Simon, referencing her decades of activism on local issues like pollution from the Gowanus Expressway. “Nobody here has voted for Mondaire Jones.”

Saying that he is a carpetbagger.

 

[lpetrich]

Akela Lacy on Twitter: "New: the 1st & biggest donor to the Bakari Sellers-backed PAC planning to spend $1 million to oust Rep. Rashida Tlaib is a hedge fund manager who has given >$1 million to GOP committees & candidates this year, including Herschel Walker, & $125k to DMFI PAC (link)" / Twitter
noting
Bakari Sellers-Affiliated PAC Aims to Unseat Rashida Tlaib

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "Y’all. Republicans are spending tons of money in Democratic primaries.
GOP and insurrectionist funders are trying to buy races, including Dem ones. Do your research and DON’T just vote for whoever has the most ads.
To “Dems” who welcomed this blood money: you should be ashamed." / Twitter
In fairness, a lot of big donors donate to both sides to hedge their bets and to ensure that whoever gets elected will be in their debt.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "A reminder that today (and any day) is a good day to donate to the ONLY Palestinian-American woman to ever serve in the United States Congress. Apparently to some, one is too many. Not to us. Protect her: (link)" / Twitter

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: ".@RashidaTlaib is also one of the most prolific field and turnout organizers in the entire Dem party. In a SWING STATE.
Seeking to defeat ground game leaders out of spite and replace them w/ low-field candidates are risking disastrous consequences for us all. So short sighted." / Twitter

 

[Derec]

You jackass you split the goddamn vote! I'm going to rip off your dumb man bun and beat you to death with it

She has a point about the man bun. It is indeed dumb.
She needs to chillax though. Wound up too tight. Isn't weed legal in Cali?

That Butter guy needs to give up. At least until Pelosi retires (or dies, whichever comes first) but even then I doubt he will be the frontrunner.

He proposes the Green New Deal (NP called it the Green Dream), and nationalizing the fossil-fuel companies.

He calls in a dream because it's never gonna happen.

 

[lpetrich]

After Bitter Loss, Ousted Centrist Democrat Goes After Party That Backed Him | HuffPost Latest News - "Jamie McLeod-Skinner, the progressive who unseated Rep. Kurt Schrader, is due to face former Happy Valley Mayor Lori Chavez-DeRemer in November."

In his first interview since his defeat, Schrader told a local television station that he believes McLeod-Skinner will lose the race for Oregon’s 5th Congressional District in November.

“The red wave begins in Oregon – Oregon’s 5th district,” he told KATU on Thursday. “That’s unfortunate.”

Nancy Pelosi and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee have pledged full support for JMCS, but KS has yet to officially endorse her.

Schrader also revealed in the interview that there is a “significant chance” he will endorse independent centrist Betsy Johnson’s gubernatorial campaign, rather than backing Democratic nominee Tina Kotek, the former speaker of the state’s House of Representatives.

“I think people are exhausted with the extreme, far-right Trumpites. I think they’re very concerned about the socialist drift on the Democrat left,” Schrader said. “So that opens up the middle.”

While the Dem party leadership supported Henry Cuellar against Jessica Cisneros in TX-28, that leadership did not support KS. One can only speculate about why they made that decision. Did they think that he is not worth the trouble?

 

[lpetrich]

Nancy Pelosi Rebukes AIPAC Ads Against Donna Edwards - "The response is a shift for the House speaker, a stalwart supporter of Israel and longtime ally of the flagship Israel lobby group."

Donna Edwards is running for MD-04, a seat she was in over 2008-2017.

The contest between Edwards and corporate attorney Glenn Ivey had been relatively quiet. This week, the race was upended when United Democracy Project, an AIPAC-aligned super PAC that has spent millions to thwart the campaigns of progressive women of color, put big money behind an ad accusing Edwards of poor constituent services during her previous tenure in Congress.

On Friday, Edwards’s campaign held a press conference outside the headquarters of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 689 — one of several local labor unions that have endorsed her bid — where Edwards blasted Ivey for accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in outside spending from “corporate interests that are fueled by AIPAC.” After Edwards condemned AIPAC and its allies’ intervention, a number of her supporters — including elected officials, labor leaders, and constituents — also rebuked the ad’s content. One critic, in particular, stood out: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.

In a video recorded this week in response to AIPAC’s attacks, Pelosi dismissed the new ad’s claims against Edwards. “She was one of the most effective members in Congress,” Pelosi says in the video. “Donna fought hard for Prince George’s County — for jobs and investments in her community, to help constituents in need and to deliver results.”

NP is a long-time ally of AIPAC and an attendee of its conferences, and she rarely departs from the AIPAC party line on Israel.

In a spate of competitive Democratic primaries between progressives and moderates this election cycle, AIPAC has reliably weighed in on the side of the moderate — including those with spotty records on abortion and gun rights. Pelosi had declined to weigh in on some of the races and, in others, supported the AIPAC-backed moderates.

Liberal pro-Israel group J Street, which has supported Edwards in past elections, identified at least $1.5 million in upcoming ad spending over the next week — nearly $200,000 a day. They expect that number to increase dramatically in the run-up to the July 19 primary. If that happens, Edwards may face more outside spending from pro-Israel groups than any other candidate this cycle.

 

[lpetrich]

The TX-28 runoff recount is done, and Jessica Cisneros lost to Henry Cuellar, 22,612 to 22,901 votes, 49.7% to 50.3%, 289 out of 45,513 votes.

But in TX-15, the neighbor of TX-28 to the east, Michelle Vallejo won the Democratic primary runoff by 35 votes out of 12,137 in all, a difference of 0.2%.

Jessica Cisneros on Twitter: "The results of the #TX28 runoff are not what we had fought for. ..." / Twitter

The results of the #TX28 runoff are not what we had fought for.

I am so grateful for the leap of faith so many of you took on this underdog race.

I look forward to keep fighting for a more progressive and accountable Democratic Party and work to turn Texas blue in November.

We always knew this was an uphill battle. We were up against a corrupt political machine, Republican-funded Super PACs, Big Oil, the Chamber of Commerce, dark money groups, Big Pharma, and nearly the entire Democratic Party establishment - and we still refused to back down.

With this close of a margin, it's clear that without their aggressive interference in the lives of South Texas families, we would have won

The biggest thing holding us back from pursuing the change we deserve is their fear. Fear of change, fear of the future.

The only way you defeat fear is with courage and determination that in the richest nation in the world, we all deserve to thrive.

Change is a process -- and through this process, we’re educating our community that we deserve better than the status quo.

Seems like she is likely to become an activist, like Stacey Abrams.

 

[lpetrich]

Justice Democrats on Twitter: "A statement from @alexandrasiera on @JCisnerosTX in #TX28. (pic link)" / Twitter

GOP-FUNDED SUPER PACS AND PELOSI NARROWLY HELP ANTI-CHOICE, PRO-NRA CUELLAR DEFEAT PRO-CHOICE, ANTI-NRA CISNEROS

Corporate, Republican-funded Super PACs spent over $3 million in the last month attacking Jessica Cisneros in TX-28

LAREDO, TX - After a recount, 29-year-old immigration attorney Jessica Cisneros came just shy of defeating 17-year, corporate-backed, anti-choice incumbent, Henry Cuellar, in the Democratic primary runoff in Texas' 28th Congressional District. In the last month of the runoff campaign, Cuellar relied on corporate Super PACs to flood the airwaves and mailboxes with over $3 million in outside spending-including more than $2.6 million from AIPAC's affiliated Super PAC, United Democracy Project, and Democratic Majority for Israel-adjacent Mainstream Democrats PAC.

"While we're proud to have backed Jessica since the very beginning, I am furious with the Democratic Party leadership in DC," said Alexandra Rojas, executive director of Justice Democrats. "In a healthy Democratic Party, a bright young star like Jessica would have been welcomed with open arms, but Speaker Pelosi, Steny Hoyer, AIPAC, and others supported an extreme anti-choice and pro-NRA incumbent while working overtime to stop Jessica's candidacy."

Days before Election Day, voters received mailers from an undisclosed source falsely claiming Cuellar was "cleared" of the FBI investigation. Campaign mailers that do not disclose who paid for them are illegal. Despite his consistent votes against the PRO Act and reproductive rights, Cuellar was endorsed by the Democratic Party establishment in Washington including Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Steny Hoyer, Jim Clyburn, and Hakeem Jeffries.

"The party establishment would rather protect one of their Own than deliver results for Democratic voters and South Texas families," said Rojas. "They would rather discourage more young, working-class women of color like Jessica from running for office. It's disgraceful and am deeply worried about November."

I find it curious that the D party leadership selected him to support so strongly, and not (say) Kurt Schrader.

Working Families Party on Twitter: "Our response ..." / Twitter

Our response to the results of the recount in @JCisnerosTX's race for Congress in Texas’ 28th congressional district:

Democratic leadership trampled over their own stated principles to carry Henry Cuellar to victory.



With abortion rights hanging by a thread, leadership stumped for the last-remaining anti-choice House Democrat.

On the same day when nineteen children were murdered in senseless gun violence, they made robocalls for a man who has scored the highest marks from the NRA.

Henry Cuellar helped derail the Democratic agenda, but he wasn't punished by his party's establishment -- he was rewarded.

We have so much appreciation for @JCisnerosTX. She ran a courageous campaign, enduring smears, dirty tricks, and an endless sea of dark money from Republican billionaires.

Now the work continues. Texas has two Working Families champions on their way to Washington in @GregCasar and @JasmineForUS. We're going to work hard to make sure @MichelleVforTX wins her general election and joins them.

We have hope they will work alongside other Working Families Democrats to defend abortion rights, protect our children from senseless gun violence, and make our nation work for all its people.