Democrats trying to unseat each other II

[lpetrich]

There's a curiosity about the two western-Pennsylvania candidates. They are both running for PA-18, a district that is to be eliminated. I suspect that it will be some rural district that will go, with PA-18 likely becoming PA-17. So we have a BNC candidate vs. a JD candidate. Will one of them drop out as primary election day nears?

 

[lpetrich]

This is what India Walton is up against: the mayor she unseated running a write-in campaign, Mayor Byron Brown of Buffalo NY. That's worked for some politicians, so it might work here.

Buffalo agency raided by FBI awarded $20 million in grants to Brown campaign donors | Buffalo Politics News | buffalonews.com

• Millions of dollars in federal funds distributed by the agency went to contributors of Brown’s two most recent campaigns. BURA distributed roughly $35 million in the last eight years, with more than $20 million – 58 percent – going to campaign contributors. Most of the remaining funds went to neighborhood groups and non-profits.
• Brown campaign contributors have also benefited from the sale of prime city properties near the waterfront and the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus. In some cases, they received exclusive development rights without public bidding.
• Many of the same developers and consultants who received city contracts gave thousands of dollars to the Brown campaign in the days before his primary defeat to challenger India B. Walton. They have contributed even more to Brown’s write-in campaign.

However,

Brown says that isn't the case with his donors.

"Donating is absolutely not a condition" of receiving public funds, Brown said in an interview. "We completely don't allow that to occur. People in office raise money – they have to raise money. That’s the system that we have. But there is no correlation to what people give, when they give or even if they don’t give at all to them being able participate in the development process in city government in Buffalo."

That's like saying "Sure, I took those bribes. But I didn't let them influence me."

 

[lpetrich]

Big donors to Brown and Walton - Investigative Post

Byron Brown’s usual cast of campaign donors are digging deep to support his write-in campaign for mayor, showering the four-term incumbent with $851,000 since he lost the Democratic primary on June 22 to India Walton.

Brown’s donors include developers and other companies who do business with the city and patronage employees who depend on the mayor for a paycheck. A number of noteworthy Republicans have also donated significant sums.

Like with Shontel Brown.

 

[lpetrich]

On IW's side is AOC, who also won a victory against a big-money candidate.

India Walton For Buffalo on Twitter: "Excited to accompany ⁦@AOC⁩ to the ⁦@CWAUnion⁩ picket line at Mercy Hospital.

As she says, if management can’t guarantee safe staffing ratios because there’s a “shortage” of Registered Nurses and healthcare workers, then supply-and-demand dictates:

Pay better wages! (pix link)" / Twitter

Mary Pasciak on Twitter: "@AOC talking to striking @CWADistrict1 workers at Mercy Hospital in Buffalo (vid link)" / Twitter

SBWorkersUnited on Twitter: "Thank you to @AOC and @Indiawaltonbflo for a very special day! With your help, we will hold Starbucks accountable for their union-busting -- and we will win the first unionized corporate Starbucks in the United States. (pic link)" / Twitter

Mark Ruffalo on Twitter: "We @Indiawaltonbflo! (link)" / Twitter
noting
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Asks Buffalo To Elect ‘Badass’ India Walton As Mayor | HuffPost Latest News - "At a rally, the New York congresswoman also framed a Walton victory as important for American democracy."

The New York congresswoman, another political neophyte who defeated an entrenched incumbent in a Democratic primary, cast Walton on Saturday as the latest in a string of insurgent progressive campaigns that began with Ocasio-Cortez’s June 2018 victory. She recalled how many business-friendly Democrats declared her win a “fluke,” but are now pouring resources into defeating Walton.

“Not so much of a fluke anymore is it?” she said.

Ocasio-Cortez emphasized, however, that a Walton victory would further benefit the progressive cause by showing progressives’ ability to competently govern in executive positions, particularly in the kind of “post-industrial city” where the left has yet to gain as much traction.

“It is not enough for us to have victories in legislative bodies,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “We need to show that we can execute. We need to show that we can do the damn thing. We need to show that we can govern in an executive position.”

Later in her remarks, Ocasio-Cortez accused centrist Democrats — who often complain about progressives not rallying behind the party’s candidates — of undermining Democrats’ fight against the “fascist threat” present in the ranks of the Republican Party.

“Any Democrat right now that is trying to establish a precedent of not uniting behind the party’s nominee is playing a dangerous game with our democracy,” she said. “If you, especially as an elected official ― as a Democrat and elected official ― try to go out and undermine your party’s nominee, how can you ever turn around and ask people to support you when you are [the nominee]?”

Ocasio-Cortez also accused Walton’s detractors of unfairly smearing her because she is a Black woman. (Brown is a Black man.)

“I am sick of a Democratic Party that says, ‘Black women are the backbone,’ but they’re not the front,” Ocasio-Cortez said.

 

[lpetrich]

Common Dreams on Twitter: "@aoc and @Indiawaltonbflo joined striking CWA workers on the picket line in Buffalo Saturday after an early voting rally. (link)" / Twitter
noting
'When We Organize, We Win': Ocasio-Cortez Joins India Walton at Rally in Buffalo

Ryan Whalen on Twitter: "There is a huge line for this @AOC ⁦@Indiawaltonbflo⁩ event at Town Ballroom. The line is down the street and around the corner. (vid link)" / Twitter
and
Charlie Baker on Twitter: "The line for the @AOC event for @Indiawaltonbflo is… (vid link)" / Twitter
then
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "See you soon, Buffalo! It’s time to early vote for @Indiawaltonbflo! 🗳" / Twitter

India Walton For Buffalo on Twitter: "Just a girl from the Bronx supporting a girl from the East Side (pic link)" / Twitter - AOC


India Walton For Buffalo on Twitter: "Look.
@AOC is a working class WoC who ran for office against all odds, defeated a long-time incumbent who ignored her, galvanized first time campaign volunteers, raised money from small dollar donations, and injected a bold vision to politics.

I guess that’s just how we do now! (pic link)" / Twitter

India Walton For Buffalo on Twitter: "For every single mother struggling to make ends meet, for everyone enduring poverty and abuse, for every Registered Nurse working 12–hour night shifts, for every working class Buffalonian being told they can’t achieve their dreams…

Let’s do this.
Early voting starts now. Vote! (pic link)" / Twitter

 

[lpetrich]

Both of NY's Senators have now endorsed IW:

Kirsten Gillibrand on Twitter: "I'm proud to endorse @Indiawaltonbflo for Mayor of Buffalo! She's run a truly impressive grassroots campaign and clearly has a heart for public service. And her experience as a working mom and a nurse have prepared her to tackle the challenges facing Buffalo's working families. (pic link)" / Twitter

Chuck Schumer on Twitter: "Today, I endorse @indiawaltonbflo, the Democratic nominee for Mayor of Buffalo. She's a community leader, nurse, & mother with a clear progressive vision for her hometown.

Dems are at our best when we build a big tent & forge inclusive coalitions to fight for everyday people. (pic link)" / Twitter

The race is getting ugly.
India Walton For Buffalo on Twitter: "The 1st ad Byron Brown released saying I’d fire 100 officers? It was a lie.
The 2nd one? A lie.
The 3rd? A lie.
And his new one, repeating the same debunked claim? Still a lie.
His record: Terrible.
His vision: Nonexistent.
All he has is a big lie. (link)" / Twitter

For her part,
India Walton For Buffalo on Twitter: "I don’t think everyone having safe, stable, affordable, environmentally friendly housing is too much to ask of our government.
To the contrary, it’s the bare minimum." / Twitter

GOP Meddles In Buffalo Mayoral Race To Help Incumbent Democratic Mayor | HuffPost

Without a partisan of their own on the ballot, top Republicans in Western New York have made no secret of their preference for the business-friendly Brown, with a number of pro-GOP business executives in particular chipping in to help fund his write-in effort.

The Walton campaign revealed at a press conference on Friday that Brown has official Republican Party support as well: The New York Republican State Committee is paying for mailers to Buffalonians that praise Brown and attack Walton.

A double-sided flyer sent to voters that the Walton campaign showed has a pro-Brown message on one side, calling him the “proven, commonsense leader Buffalo needs.”

On the other side of the flyer, the GOP provides a side-by-side comparison of the two candidates and warns that Walton’s “radical agenda will destroy Buffalo.” Walton, the flyer claims, would “defund the police,” “protect violent criminals,” and usher in “economic disaster.”

Just like they did with Shontel Brown.

 

[Derec]

I see Biden as doing what he needs to do and appealing to whom he needs to appeal to to get legislation passed. If he has to split the baby between Sanders and Manchin then so be it.

If it was only the Spendapalooza I could see your point. But Biden has been disappointing in his leftward lurch since the beginning. Now he even wants to tax unrealized capital gains.

 

[TV and credit cards]

I see Biden as doing what he needs to do and appealing to whom he needs to appeal to to get legislation passed. If he has to split the baby between Sanders and Manchin then so be it.

If it was only the Spendapalooza I could see your point. But Biden has been disappointing in his leftward lurch since the beginning. Now he even wants to tax unrealized capital gains.

That was Biden’s idea? I haven’t read where it originated. At any rate, it’s getting pushback now as being too cumbersome as some senators call for the original $400k plus which I mention in the infrastructure thread.

 

[ZiprHead]

I see Biden as doing what he needs to do and appealing to whom he needs to appeal to to get legislation passed. If he has to split the baby between Sanders and Manchin then so be it.

If it was only the Spendapalooza I could see your point. But Biden has been disappointing in his leftward lurch since the beginning. Now he even wants to tax unrealized capital gains.

Unrealized gains are taxed quite often. It's called property taxes.

And I don't remember you ever saying anything about Trump's spendapalooza.

 

[lpetrich]

Something weird: Summer Lee (JD) and Jerry Dickinson (BNC) are running for the same seat, PA-18. Its incumbent, Mike Doyle, is retiring, and PA will be losing a district. So PA-18 will likely be mapped onto PA-17 or whatever other new district approximates it. Will SL and JD keep on running in the same district, or in different districts?

That aside, BNC is now doing a cross-endorsement with JD:
Brand New Congress on Twitter: "Welcome to the BNC 2022 Slate @JCisnerosTX! Jessica is an immigration & human rights attorney running to unseat an anti-choice Democrat. In 2020 she came within 2,800 votes of winning. Let’s help her finish the job in 2022. Split a donation w/BNC & Jessica (link)" / Twitter

Jessica Cisneros on Twitter: "It’s an honor to be endorsed by @BrandNew535.

We're fighting to build a more reflective government. A Congress where immigrants, farmworkers, truckers, rancheros, and teachers have a seat at the table.

It’s time South Texas had a real working-class champion. #TX28" / Twitter

If she wins, she will defeat the last anti-abortion Democrat in the House. Marie Newman defeated the second-to-last one last year. I've seen speculation that he, Dan Lipinski, might enter the race to try to reclaim his seat.

 

[lpetrich]

At last report, Reps. Marie Newman and Sean Casten are being shoved into one district, the new IL-06.

Marie Newman on Twitter: "I’m running for re-election in the #NewIL06. #IL06 (pic link)" / Twitter

Nothing from Rep. Casten, however.

No new candidates for either BNC or JD. The candidates that I'm tracking by minimum number of endorsements:

• >=0: 220
• >=1: 70
• >=2: 29
• >=3: 12
• >= 4: 4

The champions: Shervin Aazami CA-30, Brittany Ramos DeBarros NY-11, Nina Turner OH-11, Jessica Cisneros TX-28.

The numbers show an exponential decline, of a factor of about 2.7 at each step.

 

[Derec]

Both of NY's Senators have now endorsed IW:

Kirsten Gillibrand on Twitter: "I'm proud to endorse @Indiawaltonbflo for Mayor of Buffalo! She's run a truly impressive grassroots campaign and clearly has a heart for public service. And her experience as a working mom and a nurse have prepared her to tackle the challenges facing Buffalo's working families. (pic link)" / Twitter

Chuck Schumer on Twitter: "Today, I endorse @indiawaltonbflo, the Democratic nominee for Mayor of Buffalo. She's a community leader, nurse, & mother with a clear progressive vision for her hometown.
Dems are at our best when we build a big tent & forge inclusive coalitions to fight for everyday people. (pic link)" / Twitter

Did not help her. With 68% of precincts reporting, it looks like she is going down.

Could it be that the bloom is off the red carnation?

 

[lpetrich]

In OH-11, Shontel Brown beat Laverne Gore (R) 78.8% - 21.2%

In FL-20 Brand New Congress candidate Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick is at 11,372 votes and her biggest opponent Dale Holness at 11,341. The two have nearly half of the total of 47,830 votes and SCMC is ahead of DH by 31 votes. The rest of the votes are distributed among 9 candidates.

Dale Holness is a protégé of the late Alcee Hastings, the long-time Rep of FL-20 whose death vacated that seat.

That election will likely have a recount.

 

[lpetrich]

In Buffalo, Mayor Byron Brown has (1) a lot of money and (2) name recognition on his side. As I write this, 68% of the vote has been counted, with India Walton having only 41%. She will need 69% of the remaining vote to overcome this lag, if all the write-in vote is for BB. But some other candidates have entered the race as write-ins, like Benjamin Carlisle, a former Democrat, and they may end up being spoilers for BB.

Election Live: Youngkin Wins Virginia Governor’s Race, Live Video - The New York Times
But in Boston,

Michelle Wu, who entered public service out of frustration with the obstacles that her immigrant family faced, will be the next mayor of Boston, pledging to make the city a proving ground for progressive policy.

Buoyed by support from the city’s young, left-leaning voters and by Black, Asian and Latino residents, Ms. Wu, 36, soundly defeated City Councilor Annissa Essaibi George.

Ms. Essaibi George, who ran as a pragmatic centrist in the style of former Mayor Martin J. Walsh, had the backing of the city’s traditional power centers, like its police, its trade unions and its working-class Irish American neighborhoods.

MW: 63.6%, AEG: 36.4%

 

[lpetrich]

Dale Holness has taken the lead over Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick: 11,644 to 11,632, difference 12.

The Buffalo mayor race is now at 92% reporting, with India Walton still with only 41% of the vote and write-ins at 59%.

 

[lpetrich]

India Walton Concedes to Byron Brown in Buffalo Mayor's Race - The New York Times

India Walton For Buffalo on Twitter: "My statement on last night’s election results, threaded below for accessibility. (pic link)" / Twitter

She conceded that she was not likely to win, but she nevertheless appreciated the campaign that she ran, for what she advocated: "Community Land Trusts, LIFE Camp, and survivor-based restorative justice." She said that she was up against big money and a massive smear campaign, and she noted that the write-in votes tended to come from the richer and whiter parts of the city. Sort of like the campaign against Nina Turner.

After sleeping on last night's results and speaking with my team this morning, I wanted to update you all on the state of the race.

I couldn't be more proud of the campaign we ran. It wasn't just a field program with a messaging strategy attached; it was a deeply felt love letter to the working people of our beautiful city.

This was a special campaign. Our volunteer operation was unprecedented in Buffalo political history. We raised over one million dollars from thousands upon thousands of small dollar donors. We introduced Buffalo to bold, transformative ideas like Community Land Trusts, LIFE Camp, and survivor-based restorative justice, and earned tens of thousands of votes for our vision.

Those votes came from the exact base we set out to organize. The wealthier a district was, the more likely it was to go for a write-in candidate. The districts with more poor people, more Buffalonians of color, and less affordable rents voted for us.

One major accomplishment of ours is ending the era of complacent Buffalo politicians. No longer can they feel confident that they can rest easy in their seats of power. No longer can feel that their offices are safe without having to do anything to improve the lives of their constituents. They now know that, unless they step up for our city, their careers are at risk. We taught them that.

Think of all we had to overcome. The New York State Republican Party leadership went all in against us, and many high profile Democrats declined even to defend us against them. Millions of dollars came pouring in to finance attack ads, personal smears, and racist, sexist fear-mongering. Every dirty trick in the book was tried against us, from draining our resources in legal fees, to playing flagrant lies on a loop, to Republican poll inspectors pre-stamping ballots. The hostility and aggression against us were ugly and relentless, in the streets, in the press, and on social media.

We knew that would be the case. When you take on the corrupt and powerful, you can't expect them to play fair.

We fought as hard as we possibly could. We left everything on the field. And I believe today, as fervently as I ever have, that the hour will come when we will finally draw down power to the everyday people of this city, and build the safe, healthy Buffalo we all need and deserve.

 

[lpetrich]

The Betrayal of India Walton — The Mountain

She started her activist career at the age of twelve when she protested the Rockefeller Drug Laws with her mother as part of the activist group Families Against Mandatory Minimums. From there she became a union representative at 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East, executive director of Fruit Belt Community Land Trust, and was a key community organizer during the George Floyd protests.

The article noted
Socialist India Walton Will Be Buffalo’s Next Mayor
About IW's primary victory against incumbent mayor Byron Brown.

Brown, the incumbent, seemed to think he could defeat Walton by ignoring her campaign. He refused to debate her a single time and outraised her by more than 2-to-1, with a campaign war chest of upward of half a million dollars to Walton’s $150,000. The incumbent’s haul was padded by last-minute contributions from wealthy donors.

noting
Wealthy last-minute donors to Brown campaign - Investigative Post - "Billionaires and companies doing business with the city are among the contributors who have flooded the mayor's campaign committee with nearly $120,000 the past week"

But the empire struck back.

... The state’s Democratic old guard made their opinions clear about this progressive mom of four who won Buffalo’s primary. State Democratic Chairman Jay Jacobs compared being obliged to vote for India Walton with being forced to vote for David Duke, the face of the Ku Klux Klan. Many feared her “socialist” policies such as defunding Buffalo’s police or establishing a civilian police oversight board would alienate conservative Democrats and give Republicans fear fodder to harp against the party as a whole. Republicans joined a united front with conservative Democrats to shoot down Walton, one-third of the signatures for Brown’s independent nominating petition were from Republicans. Buffalo’s city council even explored a nuclear option for a Walton victory, the plan being to simply remove the position of mayor from Buffalo.

 

[lpetrich]

A response to such campaigns is "sore-loser laws", laws that state that if one loses a primary, one cannot run in the general election in another party or as an independent.

•  Sore-loser law
• Sore loser laws in the 50 states - Ballotpedia
• Microsoft Word - REN-White Paper- Sore Loser Laws-FINALlk3:20:2020.docx - REN-White-Paper-Sore-Loser-Laws-FINALlk3202020-1.pdf

There are now only three states without sore-loser laws: Connecticut, Iowa, and New York.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

In OH-11, Shontel Brown beat Laverne Gore (R) 78.8% - 21.2%

What gerrymandering? I mean, yeah, you could say it was an urban district, but then you'd need to see the shape of it.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

The Betrayal of India Walton — The Mountain

She started her activist career at the age of twelve when she protested the Rockefeller Drug Laws with her mother as part of the activist group Families Against Mandatory Minimums. From there she became a union representative at 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East, executive director of Fruit Belt Community Land Trust, and was a key community organizer during the George Floyd protests.

The article noted
Socialist India Walton Will Be Buffalo’s Next Mayor
About IW's primary victory against incumbent mayor Byron Brown.

Brown, the incumbent, seemed to think he could defeat Walton by ignoring her campaign. He refused to debate her a single time and outraised her by more than 2-to-1, with a campaign war chest of upward of half a million dollars to Walton’s $150,000. The incumbent’s haul was padded by last-minute contributions from wealthy donors.

noting
Wealthy last-minute donors to Brown campaign - Investigative Post - "Billionaires and companies doing business with the city are among the contributors who have flooded the mayor's campaign committee with nearly $120,000 the past week"

But the empire struck back.

... The state’s Democratic old guard made their opinions clear about this progressive mom of four who won Buffalo’s primary. State Democratic Chairman Jay Jacobs compared being obliged to vote for India Walton with being forced to vote for David Duke, the face of the Ku Klux Klan. Many feared her “socialist” policies such as defunding Buffalo’s police or establishing a civilian police oversight board would alienate conservative Democrats and give Republicans fear fodder to harp against the party as a whole. Republicans joined a united front with conservative Democrats to shoot down Walton, one-third of the signatures for Brown’s independent nominating petition were from Republicans. Buffalo’s city council even explored a nuclear option for a Walton victory, the plan being to simply remove the position of mayor from Buffalo.

Everyone gets to fucking vote. Maybe it is time these "progressives" get the point. Things don't change quickly and anyone running on a platform as such will get resistance from the establishment.

 

[lpetrich]

‘It’s a disgrace’: Progressives take aim at Buffalo mayor’s DNC post - POLITICO

Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown infuriated progressives with his winning write-in campaign last week against the democratic socialist who beat him in the primary.

Now prominent left-wing Democrats are calling for the veteran New York mayor’s head, urging Democrats to strip Brown of his position on the Democratic National Committee.

“When you pull a stunt like this, somebody wins a primary, a working-class woman, and you go to every rich donor in both parties to fund a write-in campaign … it’s a disgrace,” said Larry Cohen, chair of the Bernie Sanders-aligned group Our Revolution.

Cohen, a DNC member himself, said he plans to organize an effort to press Democrats to remove Brown from his post on the national committee. And on Monday, India Walton, the unsuccessful Democratic nominee for Buffalo mayor, threw her weight behind the move: “Not only do I support the DNC revoking Byron Brown's post; I believe it would set a dangerous precedent not to,” she said in a statement to POLITICO.

...
The divide among the Democratic factions, which is also playing out in battleground states like Nevada, Pennsylvania and Arizona, is one of multiple challenges facing the party ahead of what are expected to be grueling midterm elections in 2022. And the intraparty feuds are only likely to multiply next spring, when left-wing and moderate Democrats face off in primaries across the country.

"This, to me, sounds like another case of sour grapes out of Our Revolution," said Jon Reinish, a New York-based Democratic strategist. “I think that progressives are feeling cornered, which is why you’re seeing a lot of the lashing out. … Where Democrats did badly and it was a bad night [in last week’s election], a lot of it was a loud and clear message from voters that people feel the party is going too far to the left.”

 

[lpetrich]

2022 Midterms: Charles Booker and Other Candidates to Watch | Teen Vogue

• Charles Booker, KY Sen - vs. Rand Paul
• Jessica Cisneros, TX-28 - vs. Henry Cuellar
• Rana Abdelhamid, NY-12 - vs. Carolyn Maloney
• Morgan Harper, OH Sen - vs. Tim Ryan in the primary for this open seat
• Maxwell Frost, FL-10 - for an open seat
• Brittany Ramos DeBarros, NY-11 - vs. Nicole Malliotakis
• Imani Oakley, NJ-10 - vs. Donald Payne, Jr.
• Malcolm Kenyatta and John Fetterman, PA Sen - open seat
• Mandela Barnes, WI Sen - vs. Ron Johnson, who may or may not run again

Of these, JC is the most-endorsed at 5, and BRDB at 4, in a list of progressive candidates and their endorsements that I'm maintaining.

 

[lpetrich]

Sean Casten and Marie Newman in Illinois 2022 election | WBEZ Chicago

But already, control for the 6th Congressional District is shaping up as a potentially big-money and nasty fight in the family — the Democratic family. Freshman U.S. Rep. Marie Newman, of LaGrange, and second-term U.S. Rep. Sean Casten, of Downers Grove, are vowing to compete against one another for the same southwest and west suburban Chicago turf.

...
Both rose to power by beating establishment opponents. Last year, on her second try, Newman toppled a political dynasty by narrowly defeating eight-term Democratic U.S. Rep. Dan Lipinski, whose father had represented the region in Congress since 1983. And in 2018, Casten beat six-term GOP U.S. Rep. Peter Roskam for control of a district that had been in Republican hands for decades.

Now, given the new developments in Springfield, it’s fair to say both Casten and Newman are still in shock about what happened to their existing districts. It’s also fair to say they’re both displeased with Springfield Democrats.

“I think it’s got all of us in the Illinois delegation scratching our heads as to what was driving the folks in Springfield,” Casten said.

Then redistricting for the House and how it shoved SC and MN together in the same district. MN now lives in Chuy Garcia's district, and she doesn't want to run against CG. Not only SC but also MN is displeased with that decision, and MN did some last-minute lobbying to get it changed. It was not successful.

Neither SC nor MN seem to want to run against the other one of the two, but both are in the race.

MN:

“I was born in the Beverly neighborhood, grew up in Palos. I have lived in the southwest or western suburbs my entire life. So if you had to tailor-make a district for me, this brand-new district called Illinois 6, which is primarily my current district, is the right one for me to run in,” she said. “Just because I live a block outside doesn’t mean anything.”

In a subtle dig at her new Democratic rival, Newman said, “What I don’t think Sean is aware of is that this brand new district is very different from his old district. But I assume he’s a smart guy. He’ll look at it and think about it.”

SC:

“The operative question that none of us can really answer is why was a map created that left a friend in such a difficult situation, where she either has to decide to run against a very popular member of the district she lives in, Chuy Garcia, or to run in an empty seat that she’s got no history of representing, or to run for a seat that’s got some of the community she used to represent but isn’t in her district,” Casten said.

“I can’t imagine having to make that choice myself. … I’m sympathetic to the issue,” he continued. “The good news is that we’re both friends. We respect each other. And all told, I’d rather run against someone who I respect than someone I don’t.”

SC says that it's a "disrespectful" affront to the suburban women who elected him, but MN is a ... suburban woman.

MN is ready to fight if necessary.

“Moving forward, we’ll see how this goes. You know, we’re a long way away from petitions,” she said alluding to the March deadline for candidates to file nominating petitions for the June 28, 2022 primary.

“I am running for sure,” she continued. “My team is fully assembled. I have an enormous on-the-ground constituency. So we’re ready to go on, and we’ll see if Mr. Casten stays in the race.”

 

[lpetrich]

Shahid Buttar's in the race again for 2022. Shahid Buttar for Congress (@ShahidForChange) / Twitter

Shahid Buttar for Congress on Twitter: "Are you tired of ..." / Twitter

Are you tired of Democrats falling in line behind a wealthy dynasty politician promoting Republican policies of the past and blocking progressive priorities?

The future demands our solidarity in the present.

Join us!

We came closer in 2020 to unseating Pelosi than anyone in her 34 year career, despite:
character assassination
weaponized Islamophobia
patronage networks
a 15:1 fundraising gap
a 142:1 gap in media coverage

Your support levels the playing field.

Pelosi has conceded policy to only 1 challenger in 34 years.

We won 6 victories in 2020 bigger than a seat in Congress: policies that passed the House over her initial objections.

Justice in Policing
Protecting Right to Organize
&impeachment
funding USPS
war powers

We support calls to #CancelStudentDebt. Pelosi doesn’t.

We support #HousingForAll. Pelosi is a wealthy landlord.

We won >81,000 votes in 2020 to replace her, more than any challenge she has ever faced since going to DC.

Want to help expand our reach to 115k?

RT, like, reply!

SB then states policies that he supports and that he claims NP doesn't: Medicare For All, Green New Deal, Executive Accountability, Legalize Cannabis, End Mass Incarceration, End Mass Surveillancem Abolish I.C.E., Stop Funding War

At her age, NP might want to retire, write her memoirs, and enjoy her ice cream.

Shahid Buttar - Ballotpedia

SB vs. NP so far:

• 2018 primary: SB 3rd at 8.5%, 4 others after him
• 2020 primary: NP 74.0%, SB 13.0%, 4 others
• 2020 general: NP 77.6% SB 22.4%

 

[lpetrich]

Paula Jean Swearengin #PeoplesParty on Twitter: "I am beyond ashamed that I supported & believed in these people. The biggest scam of the century was #JusticeDemocrats & the #FraudSquad. They used people's struggles to get these liars in power & didn't think we would notice when they turned their back on their promises." / Twitter
noting
Nick is a Fred Hampton Leftist on Twitter: "AOC lying to her supporters in order to turn them into Democrats. I have no idea how people can defend this" / Twitter

noting
The Recount on Twitter: "“America is back … as a leader in climate action.” — Rep. @AOC (D-NY) at #COP26. (vid link)" / Twitter

But
The Recount on Twitter: "Rep. @AOC (D-NY) says “No, we have not recovered our moral authority” on climate action following the Trump administration. (vid link)" / Twitter

She's been Instagramming on her attendance there, and she voted against the bipartisan infrastructure bill because it was too supportive of fossil fuels.

Which is what PJS might want. What *does* she want?

 

[lpetrich]

This Veterans Day, Don’t Just Thank Us, Fight Alongside Us for Change – Brand New Congress by Brittany Ramos DeBarros, candidate for NY-11, and herself a veteran

I’ve been home for almost a decade now and Veterans Day still brings a flood of painful memories and complex emotions. Every year there are parades, festivities and politicians posing for photos. And every year, as we’re trotted out like props by both political parties, I wonder how many more Veterans have been created by endless, expensive wars, and how many more of us have died at home lacking adequate care and support that some claim is “too expensive.”

Please don’t misunderstand me, the acknowledgement is important and I’m incredibly grateful for the services and resources I do have access to as a Veteran that many others don’t have.

 

[lpetrich]

Cherfilus-McCormick ‘Apparent Winner’ of District 20 Democratic Primary – NBC 6 South Florida

"Final but unofficial results showed Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick ahead of former Broward County Commissioner Dale Holness"

Ahead by 5 votes.

Health care company CEO Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick is the apparent winner of the Democratic primary for Florida's District 20.

Cherfilus-McCormick led former Broward County Commissioner Dale Holness by five votes, according to Broward Elections Supervisor Joe Scott.

"I'm excited. I think now it's sunk in, so this is a very exciting moment," Cherfilus-McCormick told NBC 6 at her victory party in Miramar. "I'm also overwhelmed because people came, they voted, and I know it's a huge responsibility."

...
On Friday, Broward and Palm Beach county elections officials announced the final, unchanged vote for the top two finishers after a machine and hand recount, including overseas ballots. Cherfilus-McCormick issued a statement on Twitter claiming victory after the recount.

...
Cherfilus-McCormick loaned her campaign more than $3.7 million and far outspent the other Democrats in the race. She wound up with 11,662 votes to 11,657 for Holness. The result won't be official until the Department of State certifies them Tuesday.

If elected, Cherfilus-McCormick would be the first Haitian American Democrat in Congress.

"This is an opportunity for us, the Haitian American community," she said. "What we should do, how to move forward, lots of questions about how to fill that void."

She advocates a universal basic income of $1000 / month for anyone earning less than $75,000/year "during major economic recoveries or necessities."

On Thursday, Cherfilus-McCormick sued the canvassing board over three mail-in ballots, asking the judge to not include them in the final tally.

...
Cherfilus-McCormick insisted the three came in after that deadline.

November 4.

Meanwhile, Holness said he will consult with lawyers soon about a possible lawsuit. Twelve ballots were rejected by the canvassing board because they could not prove they were active overseas military members. Holness says he believes they were disenfranchised.

About her opponent in the general election,

Businessman Jason Mariner won the Republican primary, but he is considered a longshot to win the general election.

Mariner, an advertising executive and self-described “America First” conservative candidate, served time behind bars on numerous charges, including felony theft, burglary and cocaine possession. He was open during his campaign about his criminal background, and has described himself as someone who "turned their life around."

Cherfilus-McCormick agreed he should have that second chance.

"I think it's going to be an interesting run," She told NBC 6. "Especially with someone like him with that kind of past because you can see the honest truth."

 

[lpetrich]

Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, JD on Twitter: "I am proud to be recognized tonight as the Democratic nominee for Florida's 20th Congressional District following Alcee Hastings' legacy of fighting for the rights and welfare of the common person. This is an enormous honor to carry. Official statement to come. #FL20" / Twitter

From a former Florida Congressional candidate:
Jen Perelman on Twitter: "My friend will be the next congressional representative of FL-20! (pic link)" / Twitter

Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, JD | National Alliance for the Advancement of Haitian Professionals

Before joining Trinity Health Care Services, Sheila worked as a project manager for New York City Transit Authority in the Capital Programs & Environmental Sustainability division managing over 2 million dollar projects. In 1999, she launched her career with Trinity Health Care Services, Inc. which led to several promotions and achievements. Sheila was named Chief Executive Officer and Corporate Counsel in 2010.

In 2018, Mrs. Cherfilus-McCormick became the first Haitian American woman to run for Congress in Broward and Palm Beach County. She was part of a national movement of women committed to taking back the House of Representatives for working families. Although, she did not win the Primary, Sheila made history when she secured close to 30% of the votes within 3 months from a 26-year incumbent and only spent $30k.

...
Sheila’s family is her proudest achievement. Before joining forces with her husband, Sheila was a single mother for twelve years. During that time, she raised her daughter alone while completing course work while working towards a Master’s in Business Administration and putting herself through law school with her daughter’s learning disability. Sheila was told that her daughter would never be able to attend a regular school. Out- of- pocket medical expenses piled up. But together, they persisted in the face of adversity. (Today her daughter is enrolled in an honors pre law program preparing to pursue a career in law).

Sheila For Congress

Home | People's Prosperity Plan - seems like another SCMC campaign site.

Her success even got on CNN: Businesswoman Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick is apparent winner of Florida primary for late Alcee Hastings' seat - CNNPolitics

Cherfilus-McCormick and Holness emerged as the top choices for voters in a crowded primary to replace Hastings, a civil rights icon and the state's first Black federal judge. The race for the relatively safe blue seat attracted 11 Democrats, including state Reps. Bobby Dubose and Omar Hardy.

The Hastings family endorsed Holness, but he was outspent 10 to 1 by the self-funded Cherfilus-McCormick, who pumped a staggering $3.7 million into her race. Cherfilus-McCormick had mounted unsuccessful primary challenges against Hastings for the seat in 2018 and 2020.

Florida Democrats have expressed displeasure at Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, for scheduling the election so long after Hastings' death, leaving the majority Black district without representation for nine months.

 

[lpetrich]

i feel really bad for Kyle Kulinski. this is the thanks he gets. : seculartalk

Back in 2018, when Paula Jean Swearengin lost the WV Senate D primary to Joe Manchin, she tweeted
Paula Jean Swearengin #PeoplesParty on Twitter: "Team #PaulaJean2018 can't thank each and every one of you enough for your support! This past year has been a wonderful experience! The revolution continues! We will continue to fight and work hard for the future that we deserve!
#UniteOurFight" / Twitter

Then
Secular Talk🎙 on Twitter: "You have nothing to be ashamed of. Manchin drowned you in corporate cash and the media refused to cover you. You're a true patriot and your vision for this country will win in due time. Thank you for your inspiring campaign. The fight continues. (link)" / Twitter

Then in 2020, KK supported PJS again.
Secular Talk🎙 on Twitter: "Support @paulajean2020! One of the original @justicedems! (link)" / Twitter
Referring to the Justice Democrats.

Then most recently, this happened.
Secular Talk🎙 on Twitter: "It's very healthy that the online left is split between 2 camps: the AOC over-defense squad and the AOC derangement syndrome types. For the record I despise you all." / Twitter

Paula Jean Swearengin #PeoplesParty on Twitter: "@KyleKulinski It's easy for you criticize now when you helped build the "progressive" illusion." / Twitter

Paula Jean Swearengin #PeoplesParty on Twitter: "@KyleKulinski PS. We don't like your fake grifting ass either." / Twitter

LIVE: PAULA JEAN Swearengin CALLS KYLE KULINSKI A SELLOUT GRIFTER! - YouTube by The Progressive Voice, Sep 21:

"Justice Democrat candidate Paula Jean Swearingen called Kyle Kulinski, host of Secular Talk, a grifter, along with AOC & the Squad."

Back in 2018 May 8 when she and PJS were running for office,
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "Just got off the phone with #WVSen candidate @paulajean2018.
1 year ago, Paula + I met and decided together to run for office in 2018.
We knew that the Bronx and West Virginia had more in common than folks want to admit.
Today is her Election Day. And she has made us so proud. (link)" / Twitter

Paula Jean Swearengin #PeoplesParty on Twitter: "Flashback to when @AOC acted liked the rest of us matter.
We knew that the Bronx, West Virginia & people across this country had more in common than folks want to admit.
Where is the #OGAOC?" / Twitter

Then she grumbled about how AOC won't talk to her anymore and how AOC has given money to corporate Democrats.

Paula Jean Swearengin #PeoplesParty on Twitter: "I am beyond ashamed that I supported & believed in these people. The biggest scam of the century was #JusticeDemocrats & the #FraudSquad. They used people's struggles to get these liars in power & didn't think we would notice when they turned their back on their promises." / Twitter

-

As to KK,
Angel Rivera #FreeAssange #FreeDanielHale on Twitter: "@paulajean2020 @KyleKulinski Seems to me that Kulinski is just appealing to one person…Krystal Ball. That’s the only person’s opinion he seems to care about." / Twitter

Krystal Ball?
Krystal Ball on Twitter: "They don't call me Krystal Ball for nothing! (vid link)" / Twitter
"This suit is always 5 seconds away from dropping some ethnic slur" - referring to President Biden

Showing her on her talk show, Breaking Points, with Saagar Enjeti. Both of them had been on TheHill's Rising, but quit some months back. KB also does a talk show with KK, "Krystal, Kyle, and Friends".

 Krystal Ball - KB ran as a Democrat for VA-01 back in 2010, only to lose to Republican incumbent Rob Wittman.

I recall her saying that that was because her father was a crystallographer.

 

[lpetrich]

Michelle Wu 吳弭 on Twitter: "Just arrived! (pic link)" / Twitter - picture of her business card

The Chinese in her Twitter handle: Wú mǐ

Image Alt Bot on Twitter: "@hearing_girl A photo of a business card with a gold Boston seal and "MICHELLE WU" in English and Chinese, then the word "Mayor" in English and in Spapnish, Haitian Creole, Traditional Chinese, Vietnamese, Simplified Chinese, Portuguese, Cape Verdean Creole, [1/2]" / Twitter

Image Alt Bot on Twitter: "@hearing_girl Arabic, French, Russian, and Somali. [2/2]" / Twitter

Cindy Lu on Twitter: "@hmxabi @wutrain I imagine usage varies depending on location, but l'Académie francaise now recognizes usage of "madame la maire" (changing their 2014 position that it should be ”madame le maire”). And it looks like they don’t recommend the term “mairesse”. (link)" / Twitter

on Twitter: "@wutrain Congratulations Michelle, the somali one should read: "Duqa Magaalada" duqa is used for both genders just like Mayor is used for both; "duqta" is not even a real word! also fun fact: "Duqa Magaalada"literally means the "Elder of the city"" / Twitter

Furat A Saleem on Twitter: "@wutrain Congratulations Michelle! Just a note that the Arabic translation should read العمدة not العميدة. This one means (Dean-Academic) or (Brigadier-Military)." / Twitter
aleumda "mayor", aleamida "dean"

JaninedeNovais on Twitter: "@wutrain Beautiful, with “Mayor” translated in all the languages *including* Cabo Verdean. This made my day !!!" / Twitter

𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐮𝐧𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 on Twitter: "@wutrain Congratulations! Mayor | Thị Trưởng Michelle Wu " / Twitter
Thị Trưởng "Mayor" in Vietnamese

José Santos Woss on Twitter: "@wutrain Looks great! Felicitaciones Alcaldesa!" / Twitter
"Mayor" (f) in Spanish

fjajji on Twitter: "@wutrain Congratulations ‘mabrook’ please note that the Arabic translation is incorrect.. the one on the card reads “dean” as in a dean of a university." / Twitter

kekefleur on Twitter: "@wutrain Mes Félicitations Madame la Maire WU! Felicitasyon Majistra WU" / Twitter
"My congratulations Madam Mayor" (French), "Congratulations Mayor" (Haitian Creole)


But 80 years ago in NYC, Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia could speak 7 languages: German, Yiddish, French, Italian, Croatian, Hungarian, and Hebrew.

 

[lpetrich]

Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick's win is now officially certified, and it's gotten some attention outside of Florida.
Health care CEO wins Florida congressional race by 5 votes

Cherfilus-McCormick, 39, loaned her campaign more than $3.7 million and far outspent the other nine Democrats in the race. She has spent more than a decade as CEO of Trinity Health Care Services, which provides in-home care. She is a married mother of two.

“This is an exciting time for our district,” Cherfilus-McCormick said in a statement. “It was imperative that our district has someone who understands and represents the unique complexities of our culturally diverse community. I appreciate everyone who supported me in this process and now it’s time to get to work."

Florida officials certify 5-vote victory in primary for Alcee Hastings' seat | TheHill

Though she will still technically face four other candidates in the Jan. 11 special election, including Republican Jason Mariner and Libertarian Mike ter Maat, Florida’s 20th District tilts so heavily Democratic that Cherfilus-McCormick’s primary win is seen as a near-guarantee that she’ll succeed Hastings in Congress.

Hastings died in April after a nearly 30-year career in Congress. Cherfilus-McCormick, a health care executive, previously challenged him for his seat twice, first in 2018 and again in 2020.

Five votes decide winner of House Democratic primary after Florida recount - The Washington Post

"Holness, who was close to Hastings, claimed that the congressman had quietly endorsed him before his death, but other candidates questioned whether that qualified as an endorsement."

SCMC was supported by Brand New Congress, and as for her spending much more than Dale Holness and barely winning, was DH supported by outside PAC's?

Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick - Ballotpedia

• 2018: AH 73.8% SCMC 26.2%
• 2020: AH 69.3% SCMC 30.7%
• 2022: SCMC & DH 23.2% others 17.7% 14.8% 7.0% 5.9% 3.4% 1.3% 0.9% 0.7%

 

[lpetrich]

The Sunrise Movement - We Are The Climate Revolution is now endorsing candidates for 2022. Its first candidate: Jessica Cisneros of TX-28, in south Texas. It earlier endorsed Nina Turner, but she lost.

JC now has 6 endorsements by the orgs I'm tracking. NT had 5, 4 candidates, Shervin Aazami CA-30, Kina Collins IL-07, Brittany Ramos DeBarros NY-11, and Odessa Kelly TN-05, have 4, 7 candidates have 3, 19 have 2, and 41 have 1. A factor of 2 with each one less endorsement.

 

[lpetrich]

Jessica Cisneros on Twitter: "I am honored to be @PPact’s first U.S. House endorsement. While Texans live under the shadow of #SB8, Rep. Cuellar continues to turn his back to our community.

It’s time South Texas has a representative that will fight tirelessly for our health care and reproductive freedom. (pic link)" / Twitter
That's the Planned Parenthood Action Fund. Henry Cuellar is the last remaining anti-abortion Democrat in the House, with Dan Lipinski, the second-to-last, having been primaried by Marie Newman last year.


I like this:
Charles Booker on Twitter: "It’s not about big government vs. small government. It’s about a government that actually works for everyday people vs. a government that only works for the rich.

It is time your government finally works for you." / Twitter
He's running for the Democratic nomination for KY Sen, where the winner will be up against the incumbent, Republican Rand Paul, son of Ron Paul.

 

[lpetrich]

What ‘The Squad’ Tells Us About Progressives’ Ability To Win Voters Of Color | FiveThirtyEight

(their 2018 initial victories, then their victories and setbacks in 2020 and 2021...)

As a result, the buzz over the Squad’s initial wins in 2018 has largely been replaced by a narrative that progressives struggle with people of color, and that Black voters especially prefer more moderate candidates. But the truth lies somewhere in the middle.

We looked back at the Squad’s initial primary wins, and found that they’ve often won sizable blocs of nonwhite voters, especially when they have had strong ties to those communities (or at least stronger than their opponent). But at the same time, they haven’t necessarily performed well with all voters of color in their district. In fact, our analysis found that — despite each member’s very different path of Congress — each Squad member’s wins required a multiracial coalition of both white and nonwhite voters. We only found one instance without a clear racial pattern.

The article has ternary diagrams of the ethnic composition of the precincts in each district, with each marker having a color that indicates how well each candidate did.

AOC did well among white and HIspanic voters, but not as well among black voters.

Rashida Tlaib did well among Arab Americans, listed as white in the diagram. She also did well among Hispanics, but not as well among blacks. Her main opponent, Brenda Jones, is black, and it was a battle of the favorite daughters.

Ilhan Omar did well among blacks and Hispanics but not as much among whites.

Ayanna Pressley did very well among black voters but not as much among whites and Hispanics.

Jamaal Bowman did well among blacks and Hispanics and not as much among whites.

Cori Bush did the best among white voters, because her predecessor, Lacy Clay, was supported by a lot of older black voters. But she nevertheless got a lot of support from younger black voters and black civil-rights activists. Among white voters, she did well among progressives -- and maybe among some conservatives who didn't want Lacy Clay yet again.

In sum, the Squad members’ coalitions have been all over the map. While some members (Ocasio-Cortez, Tlaib and Bush) did better in whiter precincts, others (Pressley and Bowman) did better in predominantly nonwhite areas. And in one case (Omar) there was no obvious pattern (at least in her initial election).

Even with these differences, though, it’s clear that voters of color aren’t an automatic vote for the establishment-aligned candidate (as Capuano, Engel and Melton-Meaux can attest). Instead, in all the Squad’s primaries, it seems that voters of color opted for the candidate who had a deeper connection to their respective communities. And that shouldn’t be surprising. It makes a lot of sense, actually: Voters vote for the representative who they feel best represents them.

 

[lpetrich]

Ilhan Omar on Twitter: "Y’all they wrote a whole freaking article just to tell you, we actually represent our districts & POC voters.

“Omar performed well in all corners of the 5th District. In fact, there was no correlation between a precinct’s racial composition and its level of support for Omar.”" / Twitter

Then
Cowboy Guru on Twitter: "@IlhanMN What few pundits seem to understand, is the members of 'The Squad' are some of the most constituent engaged Reps in Congress. Follow them on social media, and watch how many community events they attend. Food drives, picket lines, online town halls. My Rep is OK but scarce." / Twitter

 

[lpetrich]

During her run to unseat AOC last year, Michelle Caruso-Cabrera (MCC) claimed that AOC didn't meet with her constituents, even though she has done a lot of that. She even organized food assistance to her constituents last year, and participated in delivering some of it. I remember when she helped push a wagon of some of it with her staffers.

Morgan Harper on Twitter: "Spent the morning in Marietta where 30% of people live in poverty. We need to turn up and support each other—especially on days like this. The senior housing facility we delivered Thanksgiving meals to—it was clear how almost everyone I met was deeply lonely. (pic link)" / Twitter

 

[lpetrich]

Cori Bush on Glitzy Pelosi Wedding Officiation: 'That's More Her Lane I Guess'

• Cori Bush drew a sharp contrast with Nancy Pelosi, who officiated an oil heiress's lavish wedding.
• "She's in a position of power, and that's more her lane I guess. That's where her focus is," she said.
• Bush also declined to say whether she'd back Pelosi in potential future leadership elections.

Cori Bush Is Fed Up With The Democrats, Too

Cori Bush set out to make Congress more reflective of activism outside Washington. But in an institution with hierarchical power structures, how much say does she have?

...
Bush is only about one year into her first term and is already one of the highest-profile progressives in the House of Representatives. If you saw the 2019 Netflix documentary Knock Down the House, which captured Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s winning campaign against a powerful Democratic incumbent, you also saw Bush’s losing 2018 primary challenge in the Midwest. If you heard of the lawmaker who camped out on the Capitol steps over the summer and was widely credited with winning an extension of the eviction moratorium, you’ve heard of Bush as she is today. Most recently, Bush was one of six House Democrats to vote against the infrastructure bill President Joe Biden signed into law on this month, withholding her vote not in objection to the bill, but in objection to the fact that Democrats had moved forward with it before the social programs bill progressives had been promised they would pass alongside it.

Bush is determined not to fit in. Her office describes her as a “politivist,” someone who is both a politician and an activist, trying to change the system from within. She’s willing to criticize party leaders like Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and ridicule party moderates like Sen. Joe Manchin. She’s not in Congress to move up in leadership, she says, or hoard institutional power.

... Historically, the approach to winning people over in the halls of Congress has more often been trying to butter up the person you want on your side. Bush has little patience for that.

She prefers to be an activist.

“I don’t wear those same glasses that she wears,” Bush says of Pelosi. “For me, I’m not a woman first, I’m Black first. I don’t care about party lines the way that she does. I don’t care about looking like I’m leading, or care about being the one that is staying within — like, just playing the game.”

The weekend of the House infrastructure vote, Pelosi flew back to San Francisco and officiated the ritzy wedding of Ivy Getty, an heir of the oil fortune. Asked what she made of it, Bush prefaces by saying that she “didn’t know who those people were until I saw people talking about it,” and she ends with saying Pelosi officiating “didn’t really move me either way.”

“My purpose is to lift up those that have been marginalized and oppressed and overlooked. And she’s in a position of power, and that’s more her lane I guess. That’s where her focus is,” Bush says. “People see things differently than others, and I have learned to not condemn people for the way they see things when they haven’t gone through the things that I’ve gone through. Like I can’t change their experiences, the only thing that I can do is expose them to mine, or those of others that they may not know or understand.”

About President Biden,

“He has to deliver a substantial win to the Black community as it relates to policing. He has to, because this is not even about just looking good, this is about saving lives,” she says. Bush hadn’t given thought to whether Biden should run for reelection, but says it would be up to him. Days after Bush's interview, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters that Biden intends to run for reelection.

 

[lpetrich]

Brittany for Congress on Twitter: "New profile in @thenation!
We’re building something special in Staten Island & Brooklyn—a coalition of everyday, working people tired of being counted out & told to settle. We’re the majority! We’re already powerful & we’re going to #FlipNY11 together!(link)" / Twitter
noting
Brittany Ramos DeBarros Took on the War Machine. Now She’s Running for Congress. | The Nation
"Can an anti-war ex–Army officer defeat a centrist Dem and a Trumpian Republican in New York City’s most conservative district?"

As the war in Afghanistan drew to a long-overdue end, a veteran of that conflict campaigned to represent Staten Island and South Brooklyn in Congress. At a street fair in the Bay Ridge neighborhood in August, Brittany Ramos DeBarros, 32, wore a white skirt over dark leggings, light blue Asics, big hoop earrings, and a T-shirt adorned with her new campaign logo. She talked to her potential constituents about housing, Covid-19 relief, and registering to vote. Her staff ran a bubble machine and handed out candy to the kids.

Then comparing her to the likes of AOC and Cori Bush.

DeBarros’s likely primary opponent, Max Rose, is also a veteran of the Afghanistan War. But as a conservative, pro-cop Democrat, he is a natural antagonist for this movement.

Rose, whom the media and political class are already hailing as a “comeback kid” even though he has not yet announced his candidacy, held the seat for a single term, before losing to rabid Trumpist Nicole Malliotakis. Rose and Malliotakis ran dueling TV ads in 2020, each trying to outdo the other in pro-police conservatism—a contest which, not surprisingly, the more right-wing candidate won. Malliotakis’s message was a simple anti-liberal one: “Max Rose: Talks like one of us. Votes like one of them.” She joined the 147 GOP House members who attempted to overturn Joe Biden’s election, and days after the January 6 riot, although Malliotakis condemned the violence, she was still tweeting about voter “fraud.”

From govtrack.us ideology scores for 2020, MR's score was 0.43 -- he was one of the more conservative Democrats.

In 2018, DeBarros went door-to-door to persuade people to vote for Rose, but now she’s opposing him on a progressive platform. And this time the election has a new twist. If DeBarros beats Rose, she will face Malliotakis. If she beats Malliotakis as well, DeBarros will show that working-class, anti-war left politics can defeat not only the spiritless mediocrity of mainstream Democrats but also the dangerous extremism of the far right. It’s an exciting idea, but largely untested.

Hard to tell, because similar candidates have mainly run in heavily Democratic districts, either primarying incumbents or else running for open seats. The main example I can think of is Katie Porter.

Prognosticators are not yet calling the seat for a Democrat. Richard Flanagan, a political scientist at CUNY’s College of Staten Island, told me he expects redistricting to add a few Democrats but not many. Besides, he pointed out, Democrats nationally are expected to struggle in the midterms. He said Malliotakis was the favorite but added a self-deprecating caveat: “I am serving up a big, hot bowl of conventional wisdom that bold challengers occasionally do tip into my lap.”

One factor that might tip that bowl over: This month’s elections were bad for normie Democrats. Most prominently, the avowedly centrist Democrat Terry McAuliffe lost the gubernatorial race in Virginia, with many Biden voters flipping Republican. There is so much distress in centrist circles over recent results like these that it’s possible that some conservative Democrats, like Rose, might decide not to run in 2022.

 

[lpetrich]

Jessica Cisneros on Twitter: "Please respect my privacy during this very difficult time." / Twitter
noting
SAY CHEESE! on Twitter: "Theres a Hot Cheetos Shortage in the U.S right now. This shortage is mainly because of increased demand and tightening supply. Some stores are putting limitations on how many you can buy. (pic link)" / Twitter

Cute

 

[lpetrich]

Jamaal Bowman on Twitter: "I am so proud to endorse my sister @JCisnerosTX in TX-28!

At a time when reproductive justice might take a 50 year lapse, immigration continues to be a human rights crisis and our planet's wellbeing declines, we need fighters like her in Congress.

Jessica is ready! (vid link)" / Twitter
then
Jessica Cisneros on Twitter: "Watching @JamaalBowmanNY, a public educator of more than 20 years, run a people-powered campaign & win despite all odds was inspiring.

I'm incredibly honored to have the Congressman’s endorsement as we try to do what he was able to do for his community for our South TX families. (pic link)" / Twitter

-

Jessica Cisneros on Twitter: "Today, we officially filed for the Texas primary election.

My name is Jessica Cisneros, I’m an immigration attorney, the proud daughter of immigrant farm workers & I’m running for Congress.

We have 85 days to bring the change our families deserve. Let's finish what we started! (vid link)" / Twitter

She called Rep. Henry Cuellar a sellout to big-money interests and an opponent of things that his district needs.

In 2020, she lost to HC in the D primary: 48.2% - 51.8%.

I think of Marie Newman vs. Dan Lipinski:

• 2020: 47.3% - 44.7% - (others) - 5.7% - 2.3%
• 2018: 48.9% - 51.1%

Cori Bush vs. Lacy Clay:

• 2020: 48.5% - 45.6% - (others) - 5.9%
• 2018: 36.9% - 56.7% - (others) - 3.4% - 2.9%

 

[lpetrich]

Democratic Exodus From Congress Could Supercharge the Squad -- 'Joseph Geevarghese, executive director of Our Revolution, predicted Democratic primaries will get “pretty nasty,” with moderates spending “big money” to try and prevail.'

Starting off with Rep. Mike Doyle of Pittsburgh PA. After more than 20 years, he is now retiring, and when he did so, a progressive State Rep, Summer Lee, announced her candidacy.

But while an open primary paves the way for a surefire changing of the guard and allows progressives to run without the tricky politics of challenging an incumbent, vacated seats also come with their own downsides: they often attract the political masses, sparking competition.

Like diluting the progressive vote among multiple candidates. When Jamaal Bowman ran for office, his campaigners convinced another Eliot Engel challenger, Andom Ghebreghiorgis, to withdraw from the race rather than risk losing from vote splitting.

Joseph Geevarghese, executive director of the progressive organizing group Our Revolution, said he thinks “there’ll be a greater opportunity for progressives to prevail in these races given that the incumbent Democrat and the established machine isn’t necessarily going to be united early on behind one candidate.”

But, Geevarghese added, “the challenge for progressives is to try to coalesce quickly around the most viable progressive who’s going to be in the race,” in order to not split the base and let a moderate take a plurality simply because a bunch of progressives jumped in the race.

Shows how awful first-past-the-post is.

Still, while insurgent progressive campaigns against longtime incumbents have become more frequent in recent years, their success is far from guaranteed. Often, even if the seat is open, more established or moderate politicians who have waited their turn are quickly elevated by party leadership.

Then about how the party establishment supported Shontel Brown against Nina Turner for OH-11. I may add supporting Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown's sore-loser campaign against India Walton.

Then progressive Kentucky House Rep. Attica Scott not waiting for Rep. John Yarmuth to retire.

But after Yarmuth retired, the opening quickly appealed to a number of established politicians. Kentucky state Sen. Morgan McGarvey, for one, launched his campaign within minutes of Yarmuth’s retirement announcement. While Scott was elected to the state Legislature in 2016, McGarvey was elected in 2012 and now serves as the top Democrat in the state Senate.

The former chair of the Kentucky Democratic Party, Jennifer Moore, and state Reps. McKenzie Cantrell and Josie Raymond are also considering a run, according to The Courier-Journal.

“A safe Democratic seat comes up, like, once in a generation…” a progressive operative told The Daily Beast. “Every single state legislator in America has pictured themselves in Congress.”

Some Democrats argue those politician pipelines serve as a reason for not waiting for vacancies in the first place.

I recall AOC stating in an early interview that she was annoyed with politicians thinking of themselves as waiting in line for seats to open up.

Imani Oakley, a progressive running against incumbent Rep. Donald Payne Jr. (D-NJ) in 2022, told The Daily Beast in a statement that she doesn’t want to show deference to “the corrupt party machinery that chooses successors.”

He succeeded his father when his father died in 2012, and Donald Payne Sr. first got elected in 1989. Much like Lacy Clay and Dan Lipinski, who succeeded their fathers when their fathers retired. They in turn were succeeded by Cori Bush and Marie Newman.

“He inherited the seat from his father and he’s intent on holding it until he can anoint a successor. That’s aristocracy, not democracy,” Oakley argued. “The only option to protect my community from the ravages of climate change, housing instability and healthcare inequality: challenge Payne Jr. on my own timetable.”

Geevarghese also suspects that corporate interests are going to be especially interested in boosting more moderate Democrats this election, because “it is not in their interest or the establishment’s interest to have a stronger Congressional Progressive Caucus.”

“I anticipate, you know, the primary season is going to get pretty nasty pretty soon between the two wings. And on the moderate side, I think you’re going to see a lot of big money get involved,” he forecasted.

Like what we saw against Nina Turner and India Walton.

 

[lpetrich]

Mike Siegel on Twitter: "Got to hang out with one of the stars of Texas politics.
Support this woman and let’s change the future of this state. (pic link)" / Twitter
Jessica Cisneros. MS ran for Congress last year.

Brand New Congress on Twitter: "Happy birthday to the incredible, the one and only, @ninaturner! (pic link)" / Twitter
BNC head Adrienne Bell with Nina Turner.


Imani Oakley for Congress on Twitter: "Good morning! ..." / Twitter

Good morning!

So because I am absolutely unwavering in my commitment to defending the human rights of the Palestinian people & all oppressed people worldwide, a fake email address tried to harass my campaign, I posted about it, and Twitter locked my account. ()

In a world where white supremacy and violence are constantly being bred in online spaces like @Twitter, it is the responsibility of these platforms to do a better job at deciphering posts that are harmful v. posts that are informative

As the future Congresswoman for NJ10, I will not only continue to use my position of power to steadfastly fight against human rights abuses, but I will also make sure we are properly regulating platforms like @Twitter so they don’t become breeding grounds for hate

She was supposedly violating Twitter's new rule against publishing others' private information.

Right-wing activists are openly 'weaponizing' a new Twitter policy against doxxing - CNN

Twitter acknowledged on Friday that a new policy it unveiled this week to protect users from harassment is being abused by malicious actors — days after journalists, left-wing activists and self-described "sedition hunters" reported their accounts had been locked for sharing publicly available images of anti-maskers, anti-vaccine protesters and suspected Capitol insurrectionists.

...
Unveiled on Tuesday, Twitter's new policy prohibits the sharing of images of private individuals without those people's consent. The rule was created, Twitter initially said, in a bid to prevent its platform from being abused to harass and intimidate people, particularly women, activists and minorities.

But right-wing groups and anti-mask activists have quickly determined that the new Twitter policy offers an opportunity to strike back at those who might draw attention to their real-world identities. And in a matter of days, they established a coordinated campaign to flood Twitter with complaints that left-wing activists, Jan. 6 investigators and journalists covering rallies have published their faces without consent in violation of the new rule.

...
After filing such reports, some individuals have publicly celebrated "weaponizing" Twitter's new rule. A pair of posts reviewed by CNN on the alternative social media site Gab boasted of making dozens of Twitter reports and urged allies to "stay on the offensive" against "antifa" and "their doxxing riot videos."

...
As of Friday morning, several accounts on Twitter that track open-source images of right-wing extremists and participants in the Capitol riot had been hit by suspensions under the private media policy, potentially jeopardizing what has become a vital source of information for law enforcement and federal prosecutors investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection. Sean Beckner-Carmitchel, a Los Angeles videographer, told CNN his account was locked due to reports to Twitter involving videos he posted of anti-vaccine rallies and counter-protests in January.

The speed, scale and enthusiasm with which some groups have invoked the policy — along with numerous enforcement errors — have prompted some experts to conclude that Twitter's policy is backfiring.

 

[Derec]

Imani Oakley for Congress on Twitter: "Good morning! ..." / Twitter

Ah yes, the anti-Israel wannabe squadie who got taken by a parody account purporting to be the "Chief Rabbi of Gaza". The account is such an obvious parody, Imani Oakley richly deserves all the ridicule she has gotten.
New Jersey Democrat agrees to meet 'Chief Rabbi of Gaza' in Twitter ruse

An example tweet by the supposed Chief Rabbi:


Imani O. must really have some morons on staff if they could not recognize this as parody after about 20 seconds.

Good morning!

So because I am absolutely unwavering in my commitment to defending the human rights of the Palestinian people & all oppressed people worldwide, a fake email address tried to harass my campaign, I posted about it, and Twitter locked my account. ()

In a world where white supremacy and violence are constantly being bred in online spaces like @Twitter, it is the responsibility of these platforms to do a better job at deciphering posts that are harmful v. posts that are informative

Oh yes, the eternal boogeyman of "white supremacy". What does this parody account have to do with "supremacy" of any kind?
Imani O. (or rather her staffers, but the buck stops at her desk) fell for an obvious parody and she is all butthurt about it.

As the future Congresswoman for NJ10,

Hashem forbid!

I will not only continue to use my position of power to steadfastly fight against human rights abuses,

But only by Israel and white people, right?

but I will also make sure we are properly regulating platforms like @Twitter so they don’t become breeding grounds for hate

She not only hates Israel, she hates the 1st Amendment as well.

She was supposedly violating Twitter's new rule against publishing others' private information.

And rules should be applied consistently. Apparently some think Twitter rules should only be used against so-called "right-wing activists", but not against left-wing ones.

Twitter acknowledged on Friday that a new policy it unveiled this week to protect users from harassment is being abused by malicious actors — days after journalists, left-wing activists and self-described "sedition hunters" reported their accounts had been locked for sharing publicly available images of anti-maskers, anti-vaccine protesters and suspected Capitol insurrectionists.

Not to mention parody accounts who dare expose an anti-Israel politician to ridicule.

Unveiled on Tuesday, Twitter's new policy prohibits the sharing of images of private individuals without those people's consent. The rule was created, Twitter initially said, in a bid to prevent its platform from being abused to harass and intimidate people, particularly women, activists and minorities.

Again, rules should apply to all equally. Women, minorities and (left-wing) activists do not deserve special protections.

But right-wing groups and anti-mask activists have quickly determined that the new Twitter policy offers an opportunity to strike back at those who might draw attention to their real-world identities.

So the "real-world identities" of only certain activists should be protected?

 

[Derec]

Democratic Exodus From Congress Could Supercharge the Squad -- '

That would be a disaster, both for the Democratic Party and for the country.

Joseph Geevarghese, executive director of Our Revolution, predicted Democratic primaries will get “pretty nasty,” with moderates spending “big money” to try and prevail.'

And so much depends on the moderates being successful in holding off the extremists.

 

[lpetrich]

Warren Democrats | elizabethwarren.com - has some Senators and also this new one:

Elizabeth Warren on Twitter: "I’m endorsing @JCisnerosTX for Congress in Texas’ 28th District because she’s fighting for working families, not big money—and she knows that when progressives are unapologetic about who we’re in this battle for, we win." / Twitter

Jessica Cisneros on Twitter: "I’m so proud to receive @ewarren’s endorsement.
Sen. Warren has spent her entire career fighting for working families like mine. Sen. Warren believed in our campaign early on last cycle. Now, she is back on our team to help us give South Texans in #TX28 a voice in Congress. (pic link)" / Twitter
then
Jessica Cisneros on Twitter: "Join @ewarren and help us finish what we started last cycle!
Let’s unseat an anti-choice, anti-worker, Big Oil, NRA democrat and replace him with a progressive champion who will fight for our families. (pic link)" / Twitter


Donna Imam on Twitter: "Let's get it done Texas! (vid link)" / Twitter -- DI is now officially in the race for US Congress in TX-37 in Austin.

 

[lpetrich]

Cori Bush on Twitter: "A note to Democrats who blame progressives after losing an election:

Forcing millions to start paying student loans again and cutting off the Child Tax Credit at the start of an election year is not a winning strategy.

We're warning you now, don't point fingers in November." / Twitter

I researched which Democrats lost in 2020, and it was mainly the most conservative ones. Only one Green New Deal supporter and no Medicare for All supporters. Also, all the "Squad" members won big in their primaries.

She got response
Michael Salamone on Twitter: "@CoriBush Punching down & left is the only consistent policy out of both parties. (link)" / Twitter
noting
People worry that 'moderate' Democrats like Joe Biden are the same as Republicans. Our study suggests they may be right | The Independent | The Independent - "Men who refer to themselves as 'moderate' or 'centrist' score basically the same on values and opinions as people who identify themselves as 'conservative'"

In an August 13th column in the New York Times, David Brooks argued that the moderate “forces that brought Joe Biden the nomination are far more powerful than a few extremists in Portland and even the leftist illiberals on campus,” adding, “If you look at who actually leads change over the course of American history, it’s not the radicals. At a certain point, radicals give way to the more prudent and moderate wings of their coalitions.”

Evidence: {} - the "moderates" or "centrists" did such things only because they were pushed leftward.

When it comes to addressing climate change, Eric Levitz of New York Magazine argued that “a major [obstacle] is the tendency of moderate Democrats to mistake their own myopic complacency for heroic prudence”. Political researcher David Adler found that across Europe and North America, centrists are the least supportive of democracy, the least committed to its institutions, and the most supportive of authoritarianism. Furthermore, Adler found that centrists are the least supportive of free and fair elections as well as civil rights — in the United States, only 25 percent of centrists agree that civil rights are an essential feature of democracy.

noting
Opinion | Centrists Are the Most Hostile to Democracy, Not Extremists - The New York Times
Polling about:

• Percentage of people who say democracy is a “very good” political system.
• Percentage of people who say that choosing a leader in a free election is an “essential feature of democracy.”
• Percentage of people who say civil rights that protect people’s liberty from state oppression is an “essential feature of democracy.”
• Percentage of people who say a strong leader who does not have to bother with a legislature is “fairly good” or “very good.” (exceptional in being most common in the right wing)

Either (left, right) > (center) or sometimes (left) > (center, right) or rarely (left) > (center) > (right) -- the Left is consistently the best supporter of democracy.

In the United States, centrists’ support for a strongman-type leader far surpasses that of the right and the left.

... As Western democracies descend into dysfunction, no group is immune to the allure of authoritarianism — least of all centrists, who seem to prefer strong and efficient government over messy democratic politics.

Strongmen in the developing world have historically found support in the center: From Brazil and Argentina to Singapore and Indonesia, middle-class moderates have encouraged authoritarian transitions to bring stability and deliver growth. Could the same thing happen in mature democracies like Britain, France and the United States?

These are all self-reported centrists, and a lot of people on the left and the right may call themselves centrists.

 

[lpetrich]

This finding dovetails with observations made by Martin Luther King Jr. in his letter from Birmingham Jail: “I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the… great stumbling block in the stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen’s Councilor or the Klu Klux Klanner, but the white moderate who is more devoted to ‘order’ than to justice.” Even Arthur Books, a self-avowed moderate, admits to “the failure of the mainstream, moderate, progressive formula for how to create a more equal pluralist America,” adding, “I’m a moderate guy, but the evidence doesn’t support moderation when it comes to racial equity.”

Letter from a Birmingham Jail [King, Jr.]

Then research into Navigating Religious Diversity | IFYC (IDEALS)

I am actively working to foster justice in the world:
MM 49.7% CM 49.8% CW 51.7%, MW 57.3% LM 68.2% LW 74.4%

I am committed to leading efforts in collaboration with people of other perspectives to create positive changes in society:
CM 46.3% MM 51.3% CW 54.3% MW 62.5% LM 65.8% LW 71.3%

My worldview inspires me to serve with others on issues of common concern:
CM 68.7% MM 70.7% CW 80.0% MW 82.3% LM 84.5% LW 87.5%

I am currently taking steps to improve the lives of people around the world:
MM 50.5% CM 51.8% CW 62.9% LM 64.0% MW 64.5% LW 71.2%

It is important to serve with those of diverse religious backgrounds on issues of common concern:
CM 70.9% MM 78.0% CW 82.1% MW 86.5% LM 89.5% LW 92.7%

I frequently think about the global problems of our time and how I will contribute to resolving them:
CM 59.1% CW 62.7% MM 65.3% MW 72.3% LM 85.2% LW 87.0%

C = conservative, M = moderate, L = liberal, then M = men, W = women

That moderate men most resemble Republicans has been confirmed, of all places, on dating apps. Brittany Wong of HuffPost writes, “It’s almost become a coastal cliche at this point: If someone lists their political views as ‘moderate’ on a dating app, the thinking goes, go ahead and assume the person is a conservative.” One interviewee noted, “It’s just in my experience, even ‘moderate’ guys tend to have extremely different views on topics that matter to me, like gun control, women’s reproductive rights and immigration.” Sometimes, moderate men who appear to bend liberal turn out to be “faux woke,” according to one interviewee who was initially attracted to someone whose profile featured photos at a women’s march. Eventually “he slowly started to drop his facade,” revealing behaviors inconsistent with his professed political beliefs.

noting
In Partisan 2019, Listing 'Moderate' Can Hurt You On Dating Apps | HuffPost Life
AOC said early in 2020 that “The Democratic Party is not a left party. The Democratic Party is a center or a center-conservative party.”

 

[lpetrich]

Now for the candidates that  Brand New Congress and  Justice Democrats have endorsed so far.

For this year, Selinda Guerrero NM-01 BNC lost the party-convention vote, Nina Turner OH-11 BNC JD lost the primary, and Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick FL-20 BNC won the primary.

For 2022, BNC is endorsing 3 Senate candidates and 17 House ones, 13 newcomers and 4 incumbents. JD is endorsing 5 House candidates, all newcomers. BNC and JD are both endorsing two candidates, Summer Lee PA-18 and Jessica Cisneros TX-28.

Past performance:

2018:
BNC: H new (28, 9, 1) S new (2, 1, 0)
JD: H new (64, 21, 4), H inc (3, 3, 3), S new (4, 0, 0)
BNC & JD: H new (22, 7, 1), S new (1, 0, 0)

2020:
BNC: H new (38, 7, 2), H inc (2, 2, 2), S new (6, 1, 0)
JD: H new (8, 5, 3), H inc (7, 7, 7), S new (1, 0, 0)
BNC & JD: H new (5, 3, 2), H inc (2, 2, 2), S new (1, 0, 0)

Numbers are (all candidates, all who won primaries, all who won general elections)

 

[lpetrich]

Of the BNC- and JD-endorsed candidates, 7 ran in 2020 after losing in 2018, and only 2 won: Marie Newman and Cori Bush. Among those that lost was Paula Jean Swearengin.

Jessica Cisneros Is the Future of the Democratic Party | The Nation
About her opponent, Henry Cuellar:

Cuellar is one of the last anti-abortion, pro-gun Democrats left in Congress. He’s held the seat, which represents a relatively safe blue district including Laredo, Rio Grande City, and Universal City, since 2005, but had already been involved in South Texas politics since the 1980s. Even among corporate Democrats, Cuellar stands out for his deference to big business and Republican interests. He’s the fourth-biggest recipient in the House of oil and gas campaign contributions in the 2022 cycle so far, according to OpenSecrets, and he is the biggest Democratic recipient of private prison campaign cash.

...
Cuellar, meanwhile, has the power of entrenched political interests on his side, from the fossil fuel industry and conservative dark money groups to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. The US Chamber of Commerce, the nation’s biggest lobbying group representing corporate interests, has traditionally aligned itself with the GOP, but it went big on Cuellar, spending seriously on a Democrat for the first time in years. In the run-up to the primary, Pelosi found herself on the same side as the Koch network, as she traveled to Laredo to campaign for Cuellar with other party leaders in a last-ditch effort to try to get him over the finish line.

It looks like it's going to be a tough fight. Will NP and the House leadership stand by HC the way it did the last time around?

 

[lpetrich]

It looks like controversial Seattle councilmember  Kshama Sawant will survive an attempt to recall her.

Before running for office, she was an economics professor at a local community college.

After an unsuccessful run for Washington State House the previous year, she got into the Seattle City Council in 2013, defeating an incumbent by 1.7%. She won again by 12.2% in 2015, and by 4.1% in 2019.

She is a member of the Socialist Alternative party, a Trotskyist party, and she has caused a lot of controversy. In addition to advocating typical left-wing positions, she has done things like this:

Sawant and Mayor Jenny Durkan have repeatedly clashed, and in June 2020, Sawant said that the mayor should resign.[61] In a letter to the Council president on June 30, 2020, Durkan asked the City Council to investigate Sawant under its city charter authority to punish members for "disorderly or otherwise contemptuous behavior," writing that Sawant had participated in a march to her home, knowing that her address "was protected under the state confidentiality program because of threats against me due largely to my work as U.S. Attorney."[61] The mayor accused Sawant and others of acting "with reckless disregard of the safety of my family and children."[61] Additionally, Sawant led protesters into Seattle City Hall, which was closed to the public due to the coronavirus pandemic, on the evening of June 9, 2020.[62] Durkan also alleged that Sawant had used her council office to promote the "Tax Amazon" ballot initiative, urged protesters to occupy the East Precinct police station, and involved Socialist Alternative in her council office staffing decisions.[61] Durkan said that she respected policy disagreements with members, but that these disagreements, "do not justify a council member who potentially uses their position in violation of law or who recklessly undermines the safety of others, all for political theatre."[61] In response, Sawant accused Durkan of being the leader of a "pro-corporate political establishment" and of carrying out "an attack on working people's movements."[61]

Kshama Sawant - Council | seattle.gov - her official city council page - contains

Tax Amazon for COVID-19 Relief, Affordable Housing, Jobs, Green New Deal

Rent Strike! Fight for rent and mortgage suspension and rent freeze now!