Democrats trying to unseat each other II

[lpetrich]

If you want to see what a displeased party leadership can do, look at what happened to Liz Cheney.

The leadership might also support primary challenges to Squad members. They refused to do so back in 2020, and they are apparently not doing so this year, but they might, if they get displeased enough.

As to the Justice Democrats dropping Nina Turner this time, I've seen in some biographies of AOC that JD did much the same thing with most of its slate to focus on AOC -- that it was either one candidate winning or none. The original BNC/JD conception was to run a candidate in every open Congressional race, for all 435 House seats and 33 or 34 of Senate seats.

Shontel Brown vs. Nina Turner both times:

• 2021: 50.1% - 44.6%
• 2022: 63.4% - 33.6%

Priorities | Shontel Brown For Congress - she claims to support much of Nina Turner's platform. She talks the talk, but will she walk the walk? Especially when doing so might displease her big-money donors.

I'm seeing the same sort of thing in OR-04 -- Val Hoyle is claiming to support much of Doyle Canning's platform.

 

[lpetrich]

Rep. Cuellar attacked on his anti-abortion stance by opponent Jessica Cisneros in Texas Democratic runoff - "Cisneros' attack is the latest example of how a leaked draft opinion of the Supreme Court's pending abortion ruling could shake up the midterm elections."

"As the Supreme Court prepares to overturn Roe v. Wade, I am calling on Democratic Party leadership to withdraw their support of Henry Cuellar who is the last anti-choice Democrat in the House," Cisneros said in a statement Wednesday morning.

Cisneros, 28, added that "with the House majority on the line, he could very much be the deciding vote on the future of our reproductive rights and we cannot afford to take that risk."

Asked about her request of her party leaders, Cisneros said, "The reality is I would be a better working partner for Democratic leadership to be able to deliver on these Democratic priorities and proposals that Democrats ran on in the last election cycle."

Nancy Pelosi Is Trying to Save an Anti-Choice Democrat as Roe v. Wade Falls

“It’s called conscience: I am a Catholic, and I do believe in right to life, and it’s just a conscience,” Cuellar told reporters in October. “Sometimes people vote because of [politics], they think just because [it’s a] Democratic or Republican issue, for me it’s just a matter of conscience.”

Cuellar has been endorsed by top House Democrats including Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, as well as the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, whose campaign arm funded attacks on Cisneros in 2020. Pelosi’s political action committee gave Cuellar $4,000 in December, according to FEC records,

Cisneros, on the other hand, is vehemently pro-choice, and has been endorsed by reproductive rights advocacy groups such as NARAL and EMILY’s List, as well as progressive politicians such as Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Texas’ abortion law spurs U.S. House to pass reproductive rights bill | The Texas Tribune

“Once again, Henry Cuellar has refused to stand up for South Texans’ reproductive freedom and the constitutional right to abortion care,” Cisneros said in a statement to the Texas Tribune. “Even after our state’s Republican leaders just passed the country’s most extreme ban—ending almost all abortion access in Texas with no exceptions after 6 weeks—our Congressman refuses to defend us and our reproductive rights.”

Henry Cuellar on Twitter: "THIS JUST IN: We’re getting out the vote with @ClyburnSC06 🗳
San Antonio- mark Wednesday, May 4th on your calendars to join me and House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn! #TX28 #GOTV #SanAntonio
RSVP: (link)
Donate: (links)" / Twitter

Why Aren’t Democrats Supporting This Pro-Choice Candidate in Texas?

Cisneros, who finished roughly 1,000 votes behind Cuellar in the primary out of nearly 50,000 cast, told VICE News that it’s been “frustrating” seeing the Democratic leadership stand behind Cuellar—even as he’s opposed Democratic agenda items such as the bill to make Roe’s protections a federal law, as well as the PRO Act, a monumental package of labor law reforms to empower workers.

However, Elizabeth Warren on Twitter: "I'm supporting @JCisnerosTX in her primary against the last House Democrat who opposes abortion rights. The election is three weeks from today. Join me at her fundraiser tonight—this is something we can do right now to fight for abortion rights: (link)" / Twitter

 

[lpetrich]

I've seen the theory that Rep. James Clyburn is supporting Rep. Henry Cuellar because the two are on the take from the same big-business lobbies.

EMILY's List poll: Progressive candidate opens big lead in Pennsylvania House primary - POLITICO for PA-12, in the Pittsburgh area

"First elected to the state House in 2018, state Rep. Summer Lee is a lawyer who supports a $15 minimum wage, the Green New Deal and Medicare for All."

The poll: pa-12-poll.pdf

Lee, who received 38 percent of the vote in the late March poll, has two chief opponents in the May 17 primary, lawyer Steve Irwin and law professor Jerry Dickinson. They received 13 percent and 7 percent, respectively. Some 40 percent were undecided.

The Corporate Lawyer Running for Congress in Pennsylvania | The Nation

Steve Irwin, a Pittsburgh attorney and the establishment favorite in a high-profile Democratic primary in Pennsylvania, has spent much of his career defending corporations and their interests in court. For a decade, he led the Labor and Employment division of Leech Tishman, a law firm that provides union-busting services and describes itself as being “predominantly management-side.” Before joining Leech Tishman, filings show, Irwin defended corporations against wage and discrimination complaints, and represented companies against Disability Act lawsuits.

Irwin is currently running for the House seat being vacated by longtime Representative Mike Doyle in Pennsylvania’s newly drawn 12th Congressional District, where he faces a crowded primary field. Summer Lee, a democratic socialist who won a state House seat in 2018, is the other top contender in the race, and represents one of the progressive wing of the party’s best pickup opportunities heading into the 2022 midterm elections. She’s running on a platform that includes Medicare for All, the Green New Deal, and support for the PRO Act, Democrats’ sweeping labor reform legislation, which would bolster organized labor nationwide. The district, which includes Pittsburgh and some southern and eastern suburbs, is solidly blue.

Irwin has won endorsements from top Democrats in the area, including from the congressman he hopes to succeed.

His support includes some labor unions(!)

Summer Lee also has plenty of support, from the likes of Bernie Sanders and the Justice Democrats.

Irwin’s campaign has responded by touting his labor endorsements, describing the candidate as “a lifelong progressive.”

 

[lpetrich]

Pro-Israel group attacks Lee as bad Democrat without mentioning Israel, or its own support for GOP | 90.5 WESA

The ad, which started hitting local airwaves last week, accuses Lee of saying “she wanted to dismantle the Democratic Party. … And she’s done everything in her power to do just that.” It faults her for criticizing Biden and accuses her of “refus[ing] to support Biden’s infrastructure plan" in a February City Paper interview.

Lee and her supporters reject those claims — while raising questions about the interests of those who paid for it.

The sponsor of that ad, United Democracy Project, states that its goal is to “help elect candidates that … will be strong supporters of the U.S.-Israel relationship. UDP, in turn, is sponsored by the America-Israel Political Action Committee, a PAC that gives to politicians from Hakeem Jeffries D-NY to Jim Jordan R-OH.

“When you can hide behind a made-up organization, when you get to flood money into elections, you can play both sides,” Lee said.

She calls the spot “disingenuous in every way.” While her political career has been built around challenging the power structure on behalf of marginalized communities, she said the spot wrenches those efforts out of context. Her Biden remarks, for example, were made during a hotly contested primary during which many Democrats locally and nationwide had other favorites but rallied behind Biden once he became the nominee.

The ad is falsely "trying to convey that I did this during the general election,” Lee said.

In any case, she added, “Are we saying constructive criticism is bad? That marginalized people shouldn't criticize the party on the ways in which it should do better?”

Gainey, other Dems call out attack ads against Summer Lee in 12th District race | TribLIVE.com

This month, Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey, state House Minority Leader Joanna McClinton, D-Philadelphia, and a group of Allegheny County progressive Democrats sent a letter to the Irwin campaign condemning the attack ads, which they said are spreading misinformation about Lee. The letter calls on Irwin’s campaign to join them in criticizing the ads — which portray Lee as a phony Democrat who does not support President Biden.

“As Democrats from across the commonwealth, we find it shameful that you would team up with a corporate super PAC that has endorsed over 100+ pro-insurrectionist Republicans to attack and smear our Democratic colleague, state Rep. Summer Lee, as not a Democrat,” reads the letter, which also is signed by state Reps. Sara Innamorato and Jessica Benham, Allegheny County Council members Bethany Hallam and Michelle Naccarati-Chapkis, as well as Pittsburgh City Council member Deb Gross. All are allies of Lee.

The Squad could grow stronger even if Dems lose big in midterms
Greg Casar TX, Jessica Cisneros TX, Summer Lee PA, Erica Smith NC, Becca Balint VT, Amy Vilela NV, according to "multiple progressive strategists".

"In 10 years, a lot more of Congress is going to look like the Squad," Karthik Ganapathy of Left Flank Strategies, a political consultancy supporting left-wing candidates, told Axios. "This is where our politics is headed. Not just as Democrats — as a country."

...
"The progressive values we’ve been building our campaign around have attracted leaders in this space," Lee, the Pennsylvania candidate, told Axios.

 

[lpetrich]

"Bush and Bowman both face credible primary challengers, though Bowman has more than doubled his challenger's fundraising."

Steve Roberts challenges incumbent Cori Bush for Congress | STLPR

He added: “She made a comment that she wanted to defund the Pentagon. The NGA (National Geospatial Intelligence Agency) is a multimillion-dollar project that's in my Senate seat, in the 1st Congressional [District], those folks don't have a voice.”

But a CB staffer responded

“Their Congresswoman who loves them and delivered hundreds of millions of dollars to St. Louis, and a host of ego-driven men who seem to think all that Black women leaders do is never good enough,” the written statement said.

The prospects for the candidates:
Manion says Roberts is fashioning himself as a more moderate candidate.

“He's going to be looking for maybe an older voter, a more traditional voter, but I think he's going to have to figure out how to get the enthusiasm to have them turn out in a Democratic primary,” she said.

Manion still believes Bush has the advantage in the primary.

“I think she has a lot of enthusiasm in her base. And that'll be really difficult for Senator Roberts to overcome, particularly in a Democratic primary,” Manion said.
[/quote]
He has a scandal.

Before his term in the House, Roberts was accused by fellow freshman lawmaker Cora Faith Walker, who died this month, of drugging and sexually assaulting her. Prosecutors did not press charges against Roberts, and both Walker and Roberts dropped their lawsuits against each other.

Manion says Walker’s recent death has brought more attention to the allegations.

“I think that makes it a more of an uphill battle for him. And particularly when we know that Black women are the core of the Democratic Party in St. Louis and elsewhere. And in a primary election, it's about energy and turnout,” Manion said.

The statement from Bush’s office mentioned Roberts’ assault allegations, saying, “Such men do not belong in public service, much less representing the incredible people of St. Louis in Congress.”

Republican Andrew Jones launches run for congressional seat held by Rep. Cori Bush of St. Louis | Politics | stltoday.com

 

[lpetrich]

Democrats’ Tough Choice in Missouri 1 - The Bulwark - "Re-elect Squad member Cori Bush despite her far-out views? Or vote for her challenger despite his baggage?"

Pro-Israel groups wade into Dem primary fights - about dueling pro-Israel PAC's, AIPAC and J Street.


I checked on Home | FEC - the Federal Election Commission - to see who is in each race for the Squad members.

AOC has raised over 10 times the money of her rivals combined, mostly Republicans. Rashida Tlaib has raised about 8 times as much, Ayanna Pressley an infinite amount more -- her challengers, two Republicans, are listed by the FEC as raising $0.00. Ilhan Omar has the strongest competition. Her biggest Republican challenger has raised almost as much as she has, and her biggest Democratic one less than 5 times as much. IO's biggest R challenger is a certain Cicely Davis, with Shukri Abdullahi Abdirahman far behind, at half as much as another Republican, and 1/12 as much as CD. Like IO, SAA is a Somali refugee.

Jamaal Bowman is mainly challenged by some Democrats, though they have raised only half as much money as he has, but Cori Bush, also mainly challenged by Democrats, 17 times as much,

 

[lpetrich]

Rep. Henry Cuellar Tried to Discredit a Staffer He Fired at 28 Weeks Pregnant - "Court documents show that the congressman himself requested staffers write letters about the woman’s job performance after he fired her."

In August 2018, Kristie Small was newly serving as the acting chief of staff for Texas Rep. Henry Cuellar, an anti-abortion Democrat, when she told him she was pregnant. Small requested maternity leave via email, and Cuellar responded that they would need to talk about the leave—and the 90-day probationary period for all new hires. It was the first time Small, who already had a young daughter, had ever heard about the policy, which wasn’t in the employee handbook. Cuellar never approved her parental leave and, on October 16, he fired her over the phone, citing poor job performance, while she was in her third trimester. About two weeks later, Small delivered her baby at 30 weeks pregnant. It was a stillbirth.

Small filed a lawsuit against Cuellar’s office in May 2019, alleging both sex and pregnancy discrimination under federal law and noting that she’d worked for another congressman for 13 years without any performance issues. Cuellar’s office tried to dismiss the lawsuit on summary judgment and submitted letters from Small’s colleagues about her job performance but, according to court documents reviewed by Jezebel, Cuellar himself requested staffers write these letters after he fired Small, and at least five were dated after Small filed her lawsuit.

Seems very vindictive. Stillbirth = born dead.

Meet the Press on Twitter: "ICYMI: @JCisnerosTX says her Democratic opponent, Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), “could become the Joe Manchin of the House” due to anti-abortion stance.

“The last thing we want is to hold onto a slim Democratic majority and then have someone ... keep siding with Republicans.” (vid link)" / Twitter

 

[Elixir]

The last thing we want IS a Manchin. They should kick him out of the Party. He gives the GQP side the ability to tar The Democrats for not doing all those things he keeps them from getting done.

To those who say "it's better to have his vote on xyz" I ask what evidence there actually is, that his vote would be any different if he was kicked out of the Party?

The general public will be more responsive to the need to elect more Democrats when if they are not holding an ostensible "majority". Wariness of majorities seems to be a strong dynamic.

 

[lpetrich]

Rep. Henry Cuellar Tried to Discredit a Staffer He Fired at 28 Weeks Pregnant - "Court documents show that the congressman himself requested staffers write letters about the woman’s job performance after he fired her."

In August 2018, Kristie Small was newly serving as the acting chief of staff for Texas Rep. Henry Cuellar, an anti-abortion Democrat, when she told him she was pregnant. Small requested maternity leave via email, and Cuellar responded that they would need to talk about the leave—and the 90-day probationary period for all new hires. It was the first time Small, who already had a young daughter, had ever heard about the policy, which wasn’t in the employee handbook. Cuellar never approved her parental leave and, on October 16, he fired her over the phone, citing poor job performance, while she was in her third trimester. About two weeks later, Small delivered her baby at 30 weeks pregnant. It was a stillbirth.

Small filed a lawsuit against Cuellar’s office in May 2019, alleging both sex and pregnancy discrimination under federal law and noting that she’d worked for another congressman for 13 years without any performance issues. Cuellar’s office tried to dismiss the lawsuit on summary judgment and submitted letters from Small’s colleagues about her job performance but, according to court documents reviewed by Jezebel, Cuellar himself requested staffers write these letters after he fired Small, and at least five were dated after Small filed her lawsuit.

Seems very vindictive. Stillbirth = born dead.

Meet the Press on Twitter: "ICYMI: @JCisnerosTX says her Democratic opponent, Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), “could become the Joe Manchin of the House” due to anti-abortion stance.

“The last thing we want is to hold onto a slim Democratic majority and then have someone ... keep siding with Republicans.” (vid link)" / Twitter

 

[lpetrich]

Texas House race poses test for Democrats on abortion and climate politics - The Washington Post

As the battle over abortion puts more attention on the race, environmentalists hope to rally support for Cisneros, whom they view as a champion of bold climate action, and erode support for Cuellar, whom they have dubbed “Big Oil's favorite Democrat.”

Texas unions roast Henry Cuellar, stump for PRO Act at San Antonio rally - Texas Signal

Major Texas unions, labor and progressive groups gathered in San Antonio on Friday to make noise for the Protecting the Right to Organize Act and to deride its number one opponent in the U.S. House, Rep. Henry Cuellar.

“Let’s talk about why we’re here, Representative Henry Cuellar,” Geronimo Guerra, president of the Communication Workers of America Local 6143 told unions gathered outside the labor group’s headquarters. “[Cuellar] has spent time and time again in Congress voting against the interests of the working people. We are here today to remind you, when we said we wouldn’t forget the constant insults to working families in the district, we meant it.”

“The PRO Act is a once-a-generation piece of legislation that would transform the rules of the economy,” Guerra said.

Which makes one wonder why the party leadership loves someone who stabs their party's base in the back so much.

 

[lpetrich]

Guess who is endorsing Jessica Cisneros. Her former opponent Tannya Benavides:
Jessica Cisneros on Twitter: "Our coalition is getting bigger! Grateful to team up w/ @TannyaForTexas & have her support.

Tannya ran as a pro-choice progressive candidate to meet the challenges working folks face in #TX28. Over 50% voted for change in the primary, and I know we will defeat Cuellar on May 24. (pic link)" / Twitter

The primary election's vote:

• HC: 48.4%
• JC: 46.9%
• TB: 4.7%

Texas' 28th Congressional District - Ballotpedia

If JC can get TB's votes, that will be enough for her to win.

 

[lpetrich]

EMILY's List poll: Progressive candidate opens big lead in Pennsylvania House primary - POLITICO - Apr 4 (a month ago)
noting
pa-12-poll.pdf - "Summer Lee Holds Commanding Lead in PA-12 Primary"

A recent survey1 among likely Democratic primary voters in Pennsylvania’s 12th District finds State Representative Summer Lee with a 25-point lead over corporate lawyer Steve Irwin, 38-13 percent, with constitutional law professor Jerry Dickinson claiming 7 percent. Lee leads across nearly every major demographic, ideological and regional group of voters.

Importantly, balanced introductions of Lee, Irwin and Dickinson push Lee’s vote share to almost 50 percent; Lee either maintains or expands her lead with virtually every group of voters after hearing more information about her and her two chief opponents.

Ryan Grim on Twitter: "Six weeks ago, polling had Summer Lee up by 25 points with a big local approval rating. She was cruising toward becoming the first Black woman to ever rep western PA in Congress.
Then AIPAC stepped in. Now it’s a dead heat. (link)" / Twitter
The America-Israel Political Action Committee.

Eric J on Twitter: "@resplendentKid @ryangrim TV ads for Steve Irwin ran for three weeks last month while none ran for Summer Lee during that time." / Twitter
noting
Eric J on Twitter: "Please support progressive Summer Lee in #PA12.
Steve Irwin:
- Worked for a law firm as a union buster.
- Worked for Sen. Arlen Specter when he was a Republican.
- Donated to Sen. Pat Toomey (R).
- Opposed a bill for paid sick leave.
@SteveIrwinPA #SummerLee @SummerForPA" / Twitter

 

[Derec]

[never mind]

 

[lpetrich]

Summer Lee Faces AIPAC Spending Onslaught in Final Days

For Irwin, a former Republican U.S. Senate staffer, it would take something of a miracle to turn numbers like that around in the six weeks that remained. But ahead of Tuesday’s contest, Irwin’s backers have attempted to close the gap with something else: a tsunami of outside spending, funneled through two major pro-Israel organizations that have made it their mission to undermine progressive Democrats in contested primaries.

In less than a month, the United Democracy Project — the political action committee for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC — poured more than $1 million into ads in Pennsylvania’s 12th District. The bulk of the messaging attacked Lee, though just over $100,000 went to materials supporting Irwin. In total, United Democracy Project has spent more than $2.3 million on the race so far.

...
“When you look at who DMFI has spent money attacking,” says a new video released Monday by Organize for Justice, a sister organization of Justice Democrats, which recruited Lee to run, “they [also] just so happen to want to hold Israel, the biggest recipient of U.S. aid, accountable for how they spend billions of American tax dollars.”

Justice Democrats on Twitter: "WATCH: Why have Republican-funded groups like DMFI and AIPAC spent millions of dollars to try to beat progressives like @SummerForPA, @JCisnerosTX, @BernieSanders, @ninaturner, and @JamaalBowmanNY in primaries? (vid link)" / Twitter

“When you look at who DMFI has spent money attacking,” says a new video released Monday by Organize for Justice, a sister organization of Justice Democrats, which recruited Lee to run, “they [also] just so happen to want to hold Israel, the biggest recipient of U.S. aid, accountable for how they spend billions of American tax dollars.”

Summer Lee on Twitter: "Trayvon, ..." / Twitter

Trayvon, a kid, was walking in his own neighborhood, going home.

George didn't like the way he looked and assualted him.

Trayvon fought back with his fists.

George drew a gun and killed him.

American government: "George had a right to defend himself."

When I hear American pols use the refrain "Israel has the right to defend itself" in response to undeniable atrocities on a marginalized pop, I can't help but think of how the west has always justified indiscriminate& disproportionate force &power on weakened & marginalized ppl

The US has nvr shown leadership in safeguarding human rights of folks its othered

But as we fight against injustice here in the mvmnt for Blk lives, we must stand against injustice everywhere. Inhumanities against the Palestinian ppl cannot be tolerated or justified

Back to the article.

AIPAC’s United Democracy Project ran an April 22 ad that suggested that Lee isn’t really a Democrat. Two days prior, the group had released a slate of endorsements including more than 100 Republican candidates who voted to overturn the 2020 election results. “Groups like AIPAC and DMFI don’t have much name recognition even amongst Democratic primary voters, and even amongst high-level operatives and journalists,” Justice Democrats spokesperson Waleed Shahid told The Intercept. “Some of the people at the highest levels of Democratic Party politics have no idea what these groups are, what their political goals are.”

 

[lpetrich]

Mike Doyle, the longtime incumbent in the predecessor district of PA-12, has retired. But he has decided on a successor.
Julian Routh on Twitter: "Mike Doyle ..." / Twitter

Mike Doyle and Rich Fitzgerald are holding a press call w/ other Steve Irwin surrogates to hit Summer Lee for rallying w/ Bernie Sanders today. Doyle says “Sanders wing” and Squad won’t work with other Dems to “get things done.”

Mike Doyle: “You don’t get anything done being Bernie Sanders or the Squad. If you point to anything they’ve done resulting in law, I would love to know what it is. That just hasn’t happened.”

Doyle says transforming PGH hasn’t happened by being “a loner.” It’s happened by working with Dem caucus, labor leaders, business community, etc. Doyle says you won’t get anything done by being a “crusader.”

Also on this call: PGH City Councilman Daniel Lavelle, County Councilman DeWitt Walton.

Fitzgerald and Doyle say this isn’t about a difference in issues — Irwin and Lee believe much of the same — but style. Fitz on Squad and Sanders: They make noise. They’re on MSNBC. They’re on social media. They don’t accomplish anything for the people that they represent.”

Gainey, other Dems call out attack ads against Summer Lee in 12th District race | TribLIVE.com

This month, Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey, state House Minority Leader Joanna McClinton, D-Philadelphia, and a group of Allegheny County progressive Democrats sent a letter to the Irwin campaign condemning the attack ads, which they said are spreading misinformation about Lee. The letter calls on Irwin’s campaign to join them in criticizing the ads — which portray Lee as a phony Democrat who does not support President Biden.

“As Democrats from across the commonwealth, we find it shameful that you would team up with a corporate super PAC that has endorsed over 100+ pro-insurrectionist Republicans to attack and smear our Democratic colleague, state Rep. Summer Lee, as not a Democrat,” reads the letter, which also is signed by state Reps. Sara Innamorato and Jessica Benham, Allegheny County Council members Bethany Hallam and Michelle Naccarati-Chapkis, as well as Pittsburgh City Council member Deb Gross. All are allies of Lee.

Akela Lacy on Twitter: "uh, @SteveIrwinPA on Summer Lee: “The attraction of having a Black woman as a congressperson, on its face, is very attractive ... I know how she's worked with people ... it does not indicate that it would be conducive to getting things done." (links)" / Twitter
SL responded to SI:
Summer Lee on Twitter: "1st he diminishes me as just a "professional protestor." Which is obviously offensive
But THIS, is disgraceful
This is the misogynoir we witnessed w/#JudgeKBJ & COUNTLESS qualified Blk women who threaten white male hegemony. And as we see it doesnt just come from Republicans..." / Twitter

Misogynoir - hostility to black women from being both black and female.

 

[lpetrich]

Rachel F. Ventura on Twitter: "I know what it feels like to run against the broken, corrupt political machine that seeks to serve their wealthy campaign donors. (link)" / Twitter
She ran in 2020 against a longtime incumbent.

They Are Not Even Pretending Anymore - May 17, 2022 - "Democratic leaders are joining with oligarchs to try to permanently destroy the progressive movement."

Democratic leaders don’t just want avocado toast and mimosas — they want an outright counterrevolution. Only not against the GOP insurrection — against the Democratic rank and file, and in many cases for the politicians most hostile to the party’s (purported) agenda.

Last week, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) sounded an important alarm about all this, slamming billionaires and conservative advocacy groups blanketing the airwaves with television ads supporting corporate candidates in this week’s pivotal Democratic congressional primaries. But the Vermont senator understated the situation.

The perpetrators rigging these elections aren’t just meddling oligarchs operating on their own. This call is coming from inside the Democratic house from party leaders, who are at minimum passively condoning the trend, and in many cases actively fueling it with endorsements and its machine.

Noting such corporate-Democrat support for:

• OR-05 -- incumbent Rep. Kurt Schrader over progressive challenger Jamie McLeod-Skinner
• OR-06 -- Carrick Flynn “an electoral novice who’s barely participated in Oregon civic life,” (the Oregonian) over progressive State Rep. Andrea Salinas
• OR-04 -- former Labor Commissioner Val Hoyle, gas-pipeline supporter, over progressive activist Doyle Canning, gas-pipeline opponent
• OH-11 -- Shontel Brown over Nina Turner
• PA-12 -- Steve Irwin, former leader of the “union avoidance” division of a corporate law firm, over Summer Lee
• NC-04 -- Nida Allam, under attack by DMFI, AIPAC donors, and cryptocurrency billionaire and Joe Biden donor Sam Bankman-Fried's super PAC.
• TX-28: -- incumbent Henry Cuellar over progressive challenger Jessica Cisneros

 

[lpetrich]

Back to The Lever.

This is one large party-sanctioned operation aimed at the left, even when corporatists are undermining the party’s agenda and its own president. Indeed, rather than amping up potential progressive primary pressure on Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), Biden’s political machine actually ran ads touting her as she was killing his signature economic legislation and driving down his approval ratings.

Without even expecting some quid pro quo -- we'll support you if you support BBB -- it seems.

Up until the mid-2000's, Democratic leaders typically did their candidate-choosing behind the scenes.

That tradition began to change in 2006 after Rahm Emanuel bought a Chicago-area congressional seat and began hand-picking House Democratic nominees through the party’s campaign apparatus. Later, the party’s political machine went all in against Sanders’ 2020 presidential primary campaign and then went in even stronger for corporate candidates in contested Senate primaries in Iowa, Maine, Kentucky, North Carolina, Texas and Colorado — and in the latter case, even progressives like Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) participated in the scale-thumbing.

All of this escalated to the DCCC literally blacklisting political consultants who worked for unapproved Democratic candidates.

Their favorite argument is "electability", asserted with little or no evidence, and even counterevidence like Sherrod Brown of Ohio and Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin.

Meanwhile, in purple states, many of those corporate-friendly candidates picked by party bosses for their alleged “electability” last cycle were summarily crushed in their general elections.

The Democratic Party leadership is much like Soviet leadership in the last years of the Soviet Union -- old, stuck in its ways, and intent on preserving its power.

 

[lpetrich]

Jewish Progressives Concerned Over Pro-Israel Election Targeting - "AIPAC and DMFI are leading scorched-earth campaigns in Democratic primaries. Progressive Jews warn the tactics are all too familiar."

The gravity of the political moment is forcing at least one purportedly progressive pro-Israel group to pick a side. J Street, an organization that has at times struggled to operate in the gap between traditional pro-Israel groups like AIPAC and unapologetically anti-occupation Jewish groups like Jewish Voice for Peace and IfNotNow, is leading the counteroffensive against the flood of cash that AIPAC and DMFI are pouring into Democratic primaries. The group has spent over $100,000 backing progressive Jessica Cisneros over AIPAC-endorsed anti-choice incumbent Henry Cuellar, and its statements indicate plans to multiply that amount by 10 before the cycle concludes. J Street’s conduit PAC has also raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for progressive candidates.

Kurt Schrader Calls Pelosi “Truly a Terrible Person” While Killing Build Back Better - "Pelosi has endorsed the Oregon Blue Dog, who faces a primary challenge from Jamie McLeod-Skinner, but the feeling is apparently not mutual."

He was one of those who helped kill Build Back Better, by splitting off the infrastructure parts, which got passed, while the rest of the bill was obstructed by Manchinema / Sinemanchin.

Schrader, now facing a tough primary challenge on Tuesday from Jamie McLeod-Skinner, has campaigned as a supporter of many of the policies in Build Back Better that he helped kill.

Congressional candidate Alexandra Hunt wants you to look beyond her past : NPR - as a stripper

In a lot of ways, Hunt is a traditional progressive candidate. She's well-educated and has a background working in public health. She's also running on the main pillars of the progressive platform — like the Green New Deal and Medicare for All.

In other ways, she's a bit unusual for someone running for Congress.

She's spoken publicly about her brief time as a stripper in college to make ends meet.

...
In a conversation with NPR, Hunt said she's worked in public health for years and is so much more than her past.

Jennifer Lawless, politics professor at the University of Virginia, said Hunt's campaign represents how far American society and politics has gone.

"Ten years ago or 20 years ago she couldn't have even run" because of societal beliefs and pressure, Lawless said.

She added: "It's progress in and of itself that somebody with that background feels confident and qualified to run for office. I think that demonstrates some degree of progress."

 

[lpetrich]

Daniel Marans on Twitter: "It won't show up on public filings for another day or two, but I have learned that Rep. Katie Porter's PAC just contributed $5,000 to @JamieforOregon, who is challenging Rep. Kurt Schrader, a colleague of Porter's in the House Democratic Caucus." / Twitter
also
Daniel Marans on Twitter: "Porter had not officially endorsed yet, but her former mentor Elizabeth Warren has.
$5,000 is the most that a PAC can give to a candidate. (links)" / Twitter

Crypto gets its first big political test - POLITICO - "A super PAC largely backed by cryptocurrency billionaire Sam Bankman-Fried has poured more than $11 million into a House primary in Oregon."

Protect our Future, a super PAC largely backed by cryptocurrency billionaire Sam Bankman-Fried, has spent more than $11 million backing Democrat Carrick Flynn in a crowded House primary where the super PAC’s stratospheric spending has generated hard feelings.

...
Protect our Future’s big spending — which has included everything from mailers to GOTV calls to radio and TV ads on Flynn’s behalf — has made the Oregon contest the most expensive House primary race so far this cycle. It’s also drawn the ire of several Democratic leaders and progressive groups who complain that the super PAC has boxed out several experienced women of color in favor of a white man with no political experience.

“Democrats don’t like it when people try to buy elections, and grassroots organizing can overcome big spending by outside groups,” said Kristian Ramos, a long-time Democratic strategist that has closely followed the race. “This will be the real test of that this cycle.”

Still, the super PAC hasn’t shown any sign of letting up — in fact, it recently made a last-minute spend on attack ads against one of Flynn’s top opponents. While Protect Our Future has been plowing money into the race in support of Flynn since mid-February, only in the last week did it begin spending to oppose state Rep. Andrea Salinas, who, if elected, would be the first Latina to represent Oregon in Congress.

...
The super PAC, which is largely funded by the 30-year-old billionaire co-founder and CEO of cryptocurrency exchange FTX, has repeatedly said it intends to back Democrats “who take a long term view on policy planning,” especially as it relates to pandemic preparedness and prevention.

Flynn has also been the beneficiary of an unexpected intervention by House Majority PAC, the House Democrats’ flagship super PAC which spent $1 million in support of Flynn. That move pitted HMP against the Congressional Hispanic Caucus’ campaign arm, BOLD PAC, which endorsed Salinas to represent the newly drawn district that’s more than 20 percent Latino.

...
The super PAC, which is largely funded by the 30-year-old billionaire co-founder and CEO of cryptocurrency exchange FTX, has repeatedly said it intends to back Democrats “who take a long term view on policy planning,” especially as it relates to pandemic preparedness and prevention.

Flynn has also been the beneficiary of an unexpected intervention by House Majority PAC, the House Democrats’ flagship super PAC which spent $1 million in support of Flynn. That move pitted HMP against the Congressional Hispanic Caucus’ campaign arm, BOLD PAC, which endorsed Salinas to represent the newly drawn district that’s more than 20 percent Latino.

OR-06 Public Policy Polling Memo.docx - Google Docs

 

[Derec]

Summer Lee Faces AIPAC Spending Onslaught in Final Days

As we fight against injustice here in the mvmnt for Blk lives, we must stand against injustice everywhere

Damn. She must be really hard up on fundraising. She can't even buy a vowel.

they [also] just so happen to want to hold Israel, the biggest recipient of U.S. aid, accountable for how they spend billions of American tax dollars.

In plain English, they attack Israel for defending herself, while giving Palestinians a pass on terrorism such as rocket barrages from Gaza and stabbing attacks in places like Jerusalem.

Trayvon, a kid, was walking in his own neighborhood, going home.
George didn't like the way he looked and assualted him.

Actually it was Trayvon who assualted[sic] Z.

American government: "George had a right to defend himself."

American government wasn't involved. State of Florida said that it was 2nd degree murder and prosecuted him. A jury of Z's peers disagreed and found him not guilty of that charge.
Does Lee even know how criminal trials work in this country?

Why is she even bringing up a case from 10 years ago?

When I hear American pols use the refrain "Israel has the right to defend itself" in response to undeniable atrocities on a marginalized pop, I can't help but think of how the west has always justified indiscriminate& disproportionate force &power on weakened & marginalized ppl

Oh, she is bringing it up as some sort of weird analogy to bash Israel with. LMAO!
So if Z is supposedly Israel, what does that make Trayvon? Hamas and Islamic Jihad with their rockets, suicide bombs and stabbings?

The US has nvr shown leadership in safeguarding human rights of folks its othered

Huh? That does not make sense even after correcting mistakes in spelling and grammar.

But as we fight against injustice here in the mvmnt for Blk lives, we must stand against injustice everywhere. Inhumanities against the Palestinian ppl cannot be tolerated or justified

What about the inhumanities of Hamas wanting to destroy Israel?

Justice Democrats spokesperson Waleed Shahid told The Intercept. “Some of the people at the highest levels of Democratic Party politics have no idea what these groups are, what their political goals are.”

It looks to me that groups like DSA and JD have been infiltrated by Islamists and other haters of Israel. A dangerous development. Mainstream democrats need to distance themselves from this anti-Israel fringe.

I really hope Steve Irvin wins. Right now, with ~30% reporting, he is leading Lee with 51%-31% of the vote. May it remain so!

 

[ZiprHead]

Actually it was Trayvon who assualted[sic] Z.

You still on that bullshit???

 

[Derec]

You still on that bullshit???

No, Summer Lee is.

 

[lpetrich]

In the Pennsylvania US Senate seat up for election this year, in the Democratic primary, the vote was John Fetterman 59.0%, Conor Lamb 26.4%, Malcolm Kenyatta 10.3%, Alex Khalil 4.3% with 91% counted. JF seems like some Bernie-Sanders-ish figure, as opposed to the carefully-manicured-looking CL.

CL has 2020 govtrack.us ideology score 0.42 (0 = liberal, 1 = conservative), making him one of the more conservative Democrats in the House, the sort who like to brag about how "electable" they are.

MK was supported by Brand New Congress and some other progressive PAC's, as was Morgan Harper of Ohio.


In PA-03, incumbent Dwight Evans got 76.3%, Alexandra Hunt 19.5%, and another one, 4.2%. AH, a former stripper, was supported by some progressive PAC's, though not BNC or Justice Democrats.

In PA-12, Steve Irwin was ahead at first, then Summer Lee pulled ahead, and she is now ahead by 41.7% - 41.3% with 94% of votes counted. The uncounted votes are mainly in more-urban Allegheny County, where she beats Steve Irwin. However, SI beats SL in Westmoreland County, which is more suburban.

SL now has 446 more votes than SI, and I estimate that counting the remaining votes will likely give SL 160 to 320 additional votes above SI.

SL was supported by Justice Democrats and several other progressive PAC's, and also by the likes of Ayanna Pressley and Elizabeth Warren.

A third candidate, Jerry Dickinson, was supported by Brand New Congress. He got only 10.9% of the vote. If he wasn't in the race, then SL would likely have gotten a larger victory margin.

 

[lpetrich]

Ryan Grim on Twitter: "Big wins for the GOP donors to AIPAC tonight: they and allies spent $7 million to bury Erica Smith and Nida Allam in Democratic primaries in North Carolina.
They proved that if they spend endless money everywhere, they'll at least manage to win in a few places." / Twitter

J Street on Twitter: "United Democracy Project (AIPAC) & DMFI have spent $2.9+ mil in #NC01 to defeat Erica Smith, $2.4+ mil in #NC04 to defeat Nida Allam and $3+ mil in #PA12 to defeat Summer Lee. It makes them them BIGGEST player in each race, spending more than the leading candidates COMBINED. 2/5 (pic link)" / Twitter

David Weigel on Twitter: "Another AIPAC win/progressive loss in #NC04, a safe seat where Sen. Valerie Foushee beat Durham County Commissioner Nida Allam. Among Allam's endorsers: Sanders, Warren, Tlaib, Omar, Sunrise Movement. (link)" / Twitter

NC-01 (NE of Raleigh): Don Davis 63.2%, Erica Smith 31.1%, others 3.1%, 2.6%

NC-04 (NW of Raleigh): Valerie Foushee 46.1%, Nida Allam 36.9%, others 7.4%, 5.4%, 1.3%, 1.3%, 1.1%, 0.5%

Another progressive loss was Attica Scott in KY-03 (Louisville), losing 63.3% - 36.7%. From the NYT,

Representative John Yarmuth, a Democrat, is retiring, leaving two state legislators to compete for the state’s only Democratic congressional district. Attica Scott, a progressive activist and state representative, will tee up against Morgan McGarvey, Kentucky’s Senate minority leader. Mr. McGarvey has Mr. Yarmuth’s blessing.

 

[lpetrich]

But so far, Summer Lee seems to have survived the onslaught of AIPAC smearing.

Summer Lee on Twitter: "Our victory shows that we can overcome the billionaire class that wants to divide and conquer us all with fear and lies-for-profit, if only we come together across our differences for a positive vision of multiracial democracy. We can have nice things, if we fight. #PA12" / Twitter

On the other side,

Abigail Gardner on Twitter: "I'm going to make it plain: Steve Irwin hired a man convicted of forgeries to do petitions for him, and when he got caught with 100s of forged signatures he lied about it. So do I think he is going to do the right thing and concede? No. Does it matter? Also no." / Twitter

Abigail Gardner on Twitter: "Conceding is theater. I don't expect him to concede prior to the county making more official numbers from the outstanding precincts available on Friday. But we know the math and it is with Summer Lee." / Twitter

Marta-Vote Summer Lee on May 17th on Twitter: "@abigailgardner Also lied about not taking $ from the PAC and about not using the same talking points as in the PAC ads." / Twitter

 

[ZiprHead]

In the Pennsylvania US Senate seat up for election this year, in the Democratic primary, the vote was John Fetterman 59.0%, Conor Lamb 26.4%, Malcolm Kenyatta 10.3%, Alex Khalil 4.3% with 91% counted. JF seems like some Bernie-Sanders-ish figure, as opposed to the carefully-manicured-looking CL.

I saw Fetterman's wife announcing his win. I thought it was his daughter at first. Not only is she gorgeous, she seems to have a great sence of humor. "I saved his life and I'm never going to let him forget it."

 

[lpetrich]

Max Berger on Twitter: "It’s genuinely staggering how much @justicedems has accomplished in so little time, with so few resources. ..." / Twitter

It’s genuinely staggering how much @justicedems has accomplished in so little time, with so few resources.

They are the most impactful and important group in the progressive movement by a significant margin. In a sane world, they would be showered with 10,000,000s of $$$.

If we had proportional representation, Justice Dems would hold 15-30% of seats in Congress.

If a group was this effective on the conservative side, billionaires would ply them with money.

But, liberal billionaires and funders haven’t given them the $$$ their success deserves.

It’s truly unfortunate to live in a society and a political system that’s entirely privatized, but given the constraints, it would be very helpful if more big funders figured out a way to give money to the most effective progressive organization in the country.

It's an open secret in the progressive left that @JusticeDems annual budget is 1/10th of its other progressive counterparts and 1/50th of it's establishment counterparts.

The press doesn't cover this stuff, but it's just incredible how much they punch above their weight.

Paul Reverse on Twitter: "@maxberger @justicedems The #JusticeDemocrats have identified a winning formula: 1) Refuse to take corporate $; 2) Fight for policies that help the working and middle class; 3) Fight against racist policies; 4) Talk to voters directly and don't shy away from frankness." / Twitter

I'd like to see the numbers before I can take such claims seriously. How does Justice Democrats compare with Brand New Congress, Our Revolution, Progressive Democrats of America, Blue America, Warren Democrats, Bold Progressives, ...?

But in any case, I appreciate the new wave of progressive candidates who eschew corporate support.

 

[lpetrich]

So I went to the Wikipedia articles on BNC and JD; those articles list their candidates' performance.
BNC:

• 2018: inc 0, new 30, new primary win 11, new general win 1 -- AOC
• 2020: inc 2 (all win), new 44, new primary win 8, new general win 2 -- Jamaal Bowman, Cori Bush
• 2022 (so far): new 10, new primary runoff 1, new primary win 1

JD:

• 2018: inc 3 (all win), new 79, new primary win 26, new general win 4 -- AOC, Ayanna Pressley, Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar
• 2020: inc 7 (all win), new 10, new primary win 5, new general win 3 -- Jamaal Bowman, Cori Bush, Marie Newman
• 2022 (so far): new 3, new primary runoff 1, new primary win 2

Good performance for a PAC that was once described as:
Brooke Singman on Twitter: "NEW: on @justicedems plans to primary members, a senior Democratic source said: " “No one is afraid of those nerds. They don't have the ability to primary anyone.”" / Twitter - back in 2019

 

[lpetrich]

In Oregon, it looks like 2 out of 3 progressive wins.

• OR-04: Val Hoyle 65.1%, Doyle Canning 15.5%, others 6.0%, 5.3%, 4.8%, 1.4%, 0.6%, 0.3% (80% reported)
• OR-05: Jamie McLeod-Skinner 60.5%, Kurt Schrader* 39.5% (54% reported)
• OR-06: Andrea Salinas 36.9%, Carrick Flynn 18.7%, others 11.7%, 9.7%, 8.3%, 7.7%, 6.3%, 0.4%, 0.3% (85% reported)

One of the OR-04 others was Andrew Kalloch, and he placed 5th with 4.8%. I got a lot of online ads for him, and also for Val Hoyle. I also got some mailers from VH, and I overheard some of her TV ads. I'm annoyed that DC was a no-show there.

From an Election-Day interview with Cenk Uygur of The Young Turks,
The Young Turks on Twitter: ".@CenkUygur asks Congressional candidate @Canning4Oregon if #CryptoBros entered dark money in #PrimaryElections, “For the first time, we have a dark money coming in, in a democratic primary - this is a playbook to crush #Progressives & protect #Billionaires." (vid link)" / Twitter

DC has conceded.
Doyle Canning on Twitter: "Thank you to everyone in this movement. Your hard work, sacrifices, contributions, and faith in our vision of progressive change, was met with a wall of billionaire Super PAC cash, and you took a stand because you know we can't wait, our climate can’t wait, change #cantwait. (pic link)" / Twitter

Progressive Democrat Doyle Canning Election Night Results Statement

"Elections are Won and Lost. but a Movement Marches Forward.*

Eugene, Oregon - Doyle Canning conceded the election tonight to fellow Democrat Val Hoyle, Oregon's Commissioner of Labor and Industry, in the primary election for Oregon's newly redrawn and Democratic leaning Fourth District. In a private phone call, Canning congratulated Hoyle on her win.

Canning had this to say to her supporters:

"Make no mistake, while this wasn't the result we wanted, our movement is strong. I want to start tonight by thanking everyone in this movement. Your hard work, sacrifices, contributions, and faith in our vision of progressive change, was met with a wall of billionaire Super PAC cash, and you did not cower. You did not turn your back on the promise of people powered change. You took a stand because you know we can't wait, our climate can't wait, change can't wait - and together we kept on putting in the work to win. We didn't, but if I had to do it all again, I would not hesitate. I am so grateful to each and every one of you.

I just called Commissioner Hoyle to congratulate her, and I know that our voices have been heard. Across our district and the state of Oregon and the United States, elected officials have been put a notice: Progressives are building power. Together, we've put bold climate action, Medicare for All, and ending big money in politics on the table, forcing the attention in this race onto the bold agenda of action we need and deserve.

Running this race has been the honor of my life. Thank you."

Background - Canning, 42, of Eugene, is an environmentalist, attorney, and 20 year veteran community organizer. Doyle Canning ran in the Democratic primary for Congress in the newly redrawn and Democratic leaning Fourth Congressional District of Oregon. Canning is committed to taking no campaign funds from the fossil fuel industry or corporate PACs, and legislating for bold climate action, a Medicare for All system that guarantees healthcare to all Americans, ending poverty, and advancing the rights of workers.

 

[lpetrich]

I'll now compare DC's and VH's stated positions.

Issues - Doyle Canning for Congress OR-04
Priorities | Val Hoyle for Congress

I've abridged both platforms.

DC:

• OUR CLIMATE CAN’T WAIT - Climate Change is an Emergency, and Clean Energy is our Opportunity to Create Good-paying Union Jobs on the Coast.
• MEDICARE FOR ALL CAN’T WAIT - Health care is a human right. It's time to pass Medicare for All.
• CARE AND KIDS CAN’T WAIT - Parental Leave, Early Learning, Great Schools, Quality Jobs and Care We Can Count On
• HOUSING CAN’T WAIT - Everyone deserves a safe, stable place to live. Canning has been in the fight, and she’ll stay in the fight, as our voice for housing solutions in Congress.
• RACIAL JUSTICE CAN’T WAIT - Our country must reckon with the harms of racism, and we must move forward together.
• WORKING FAMILIES CAN’T WAIT - The pandemic has only worsened economic inequality, and shown us the power of the labor movement to fight for working people.
• REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE CAN’T WAIT - Abortion care is health care, and health care is a human right. Exercise of these rights must be available to all, no matter where we live or how much money we make. We Choose What’s Best for Us and Our Lives. Period.
• STUDENT DEBT CAN’T WAIT - No one should start their life in debt. Canceling student debt will secure economic opportunity for millions of borrowers as well as advance racial justice. We need debt forgiveness and free public college now.
• RURAL OREGON CAN’T WAIT - It's time to take care of our rural communities as much as our cities.
• LGBTQ+ RIGHTS & EQUALITY CAN’T WAIT - Canning embraces all families, affirms all genders, and will fight hard for all people to secure your right to love who you love and be who you are, wherever you are. No exceptions.
• PEACE & DIPLOMACY CAN’T WAIT - Representing those who fight and suffer from war - Not those who profit from war.

VH:

• Climate and Environment
  • Moving America to a 100% Clean Electricity standard.
  • Fighting for a just transition to a renewable energy future that provides good jobs for Oregonians and protects families from high energy costs.
  • Halting new fossil fuel leasing on our federal public lands.
  • Pushing for the federal investments necessary to make Oregon a leader in renewable energy generation.
• Housing and Homelessness
  • Fight for major investments in new public housing in the communities hardest hit by the affordable housing shortage, including workforce housing.
  • Shift tax policies that subsidize the wealthy toward creating more opportunities for first-time home ownership.
  • Get the federal government to recognize homelessness as a crisis to mobilize resources.
  • Strengthen the enforcement of fair housing laws.
• Working Families
  • Increasing the federal minimum wage to $15/hour and eliminating the tipped minimum wage.
  • Universal preschool and federal support to ensure affordable child care costs for working families.
  • Comprehensive paid family and medical leave for all workers.
  • Strong enforcement of protections against discrimination and harassment in the workplace.
  • Federal investments in workforce training and expanding the apprenticeship model so all Oregonians have the opportunity to “earn while they learn” a skilled trade.
  • Passage of the PRO Act to make it easier for workers to form unions and collectively bargain.
• Health Care
  • Passing universal health care legislation to ensure that every American has access to affordable, quality care when they need it.
  • Finally allowing Medicaid and Medicare to bargain with Big Pharma on prescription costs, and ensuring those savings are available to all Americans.
  • Lowering unaffordable deductibles so that health insurance is an actual benefit, instead of a shell game.
  • Protecting the integrity of Medicare and Social Security, so we can keep our promises to older Americans.
  • Safeguarding abortion access and reproductive healthcare for all Americans.
• Education
  • Canceling crippling student loan debt and reforming the predatory student loan industry.
  • Direct federal investment in public education at all levels, including funding to support free community college for all.
  • Full federal funding of IDEA to finally fulfill the promise of a free and appropriate public education for students with disabilities.
  • Ensuring that the federal government keeps its commitment to fund Title I so that all students have equal access to quality public education.
• Voting Rights
  • Passage of the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.
  • Ending Citizens United and cracking down on corporate dark money in our elections.
  • Passage of the For the People Act to protect voting rights and reduce the influence of money in politics.

The two platforms are hard to distinguish. Environment, housing, labor issues, student debt, abortion access, ... I'll look for differences.

Healthcare: DC supports Medicare for All, while VH doesn't quite go that far, though she does mention "universal health care legislation" and "lowering unaffordable deductibles".

What one mentions but the other doesn't. DC: rural Oregonians, VH: voting rights.

 

[lpetrich]

KISS OF DEATH: Biden’s First Endorsement of 2022 Is Down Big in Oregon Primary - "Democrat Kurt Schrader trails liberal challenger by more than 20 points"

"Kurt Schrader has had my back from early on and played an important part in the progress we have made as a nation," Biden said at the time. "That's why I'm proud to endorse Kurt in his reelection campaign for Congress."

The White House did not return a request for comment.

Schrader drew progressive ire in February 2021 when he voted against Biden's American Rescue Plan. Months later, as he worked to separate Biden's $2 trillion social spending plan from a bipartisan infrastructure package, he reportedly called House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) a "terrible person."

Still, Schrader secured both Biden's and Pelosi's endorsements, which helped him massively outspend McLeod-Skinner. Schrader has spent $3.5 million to McLeod-Skinner's $580,000, and the incumbent also benefited from $2 million in outside group support.

McLeod-Skinner ran far to Schrader's left—the challenger backs both the Green New Deal and Medicare for All.

So Kurt Schrader is going the way of Joe Crowley and Eliot Engel - an arrogant, clueless incumbent.

From govtrack.us 2020 ideology score, KS is at 0.45 making him one of the most conservative Democrats in the House (0 = liberal, 1 = conservative)

 

[lpetrich]

Rep. Kurt Schrader of Oregon helps kill drug pricing bill, endangering Biden infrastructure plan - oregonlive.com - Published: Sep. 15, 2021, 6:34 p.m

U.S. Rep. Kurt Schrader of Oregon cast one of the key Democratic votes against the drug pricing plan.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee vote to drop the proposal from its piece of Biden’s signature 10-year, $3.5 trillion spending plan was not necessarily fatal. The separate House Ways and Means Committee kept it alive by approving nearly identical drug-pricing language.

Even so, the provision’s rejection by one committee underscores the clout that moderates looking to curb new spending — or any small group of Democrats — have as Biden and party leaders try pushing the entire package through the narrowly divided Congress.

...
The Energy and Commerce vote on the drug-pricing language was 29-29, with three moderate Democrats joining Republicans to oppose it: Reps. Scott Peters of California, Kathleen Rice of New York and Oregon’s Schrader. Tie votes in Congress are usually insufficient to keep legislative provisions alive.

Schrader, who inherited a fortune from his grandfather who was a top executive at pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, has accepted large donations from big pharma during his seven terms in Congress.

If this election's vote holds up, then good riddance to someone so grossly corrupt.

 

[lpetrich]

The Little Red Boxes Making a Mockery of Campaign Finance Laws - The New York Times - "Democratic candidates are all-but scripting ads for super PACs and dark-money groups to do their bidding — in plain sight."

Starting with Rep. Kurt Schrader's red box.

On April 29, Mr. Schrader issued a not-quite-private directive inside a red-bordered box on an obscure corner of his website, sketching out a three-pronged takedown of what he called his “toxic” challenger, Jamie McLeod-Skinner — helpfully including a link to a two-page, opposition-research document about her tenure as a city manager.

The message was received.

On May 3, a super PAC that has received all its money from a secret-money group with ties to the pharmaceutical industry began running television ads that did little more than copy, paste and reorder the precise three lines of attack Mr. Schrader had outlined.

...
The boxes highlight the aspects of candidates’ biographies that they want amplified and the skeletons in their opponents’ closets that they want exposed. Then, they add instructions that can be extremely detailed: Steering advertising spending to particular cities or counties, asking for different types of advertising and even slicing who should be targeted by age, gender and ethnicity.

Then some examples of redboxing, noting that it's done by Democrats across the political spectrum, from Kurt Schrader to Jessica Cisneros. Also discussing Republicans' ways of coordinating.

Adav Noti, the legal director of the watchdog group the Campaign Legal Center ...

“It’s a joke,” he said. “The coordination of super PACs and candidates is the primary mechanism for corruption of federal campaigns in 2022.”

Then noting the $3 million spent on Valerie Foushee's campaign in NC-04 -- mainly by a super PAC run by AIPAC, and by a super PAC called "Protect Our Future" founded by 30-year-old cryptocurrency billionaire Sam Bankman-Fried.

Ms. Foushee is running against, among others, Nida Allam, a Durham County commissioner who promotes herself as the first Muslim woman elected in North Carolina, and who has been critical of U.S. military aid to Israel “being used to oppress the Palestinian people.”

A red flag to AIPAC, I'm sure.

SBF's PAC also spent some $11 million on Carrick Smith in OR-06. Crypto gets its first big political test - POLITICO

Red boxes are typically hidden in plain sight in “Media Center” or “Media Resources” sections of campaign websites that operatives know how to find, and often use thinly veiled terms to convey their instructions: Saying voters need to “hear” something is a request for radio ads, “see” means television, “read” means direct mail, and “see while on the go” usually means digital ads.

...
While political reformers question the legality of these wink-and-nod arrangements, past complaints to the Federal Election Commission about illegal coordination involving public materials posted online have mostly gone nowhere. A complaint about a top adviser to Pete Buttigieg’s 2020 campaign tweeting a request for specific television ads, which a super PAC then produced, was recently dismissed.

...
Red boxes aren’t static. Candidates update their messaging guidance, essentially scripting super PAC ads for different stages of the campaign.

The article concludes with some redboxing by both Kurt Schrader and his main opponent, Jamie McLeod-Skinner.

 

[lpetrich]

Pennsylvania 12th Congressional District Primary Election Results 2022 - The New York Times
An update, with SL continuing to beat SI by 446 votes.

From estimated uncounted votes, about 97% of the votes have been counted, with most of the uncounted ones in Allegheny County, where SL beat SI by 4%.

Summer Lee on Twitter: "Our victory shows that we can overcome the billionaire class that wants to divide and conquer us all with fear and lies-for-profit, if only we come together across our differences for a positive vision of multiracial democracy. We can have nice things, if we fight. #PA12" / Twitter


No updates in Oregon.

 

[lpetrich]

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

He was in NY-18, and he will now compete with Rep. Mondaire Jones. He's the head of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

Sahil Kapur on Twitter: "News -> @AOC tells me @spmaloney should not be DCCC chair if he runs against a fellow Democratic lawmaker in a New York primary.

“if he's going to enter in a primary and challenge another Democratic member, then he should step aside from his responsibilities of the DCCC.” (pic link)" / Twitter

SK: Should he step aside from the DCCC he's running in a primary against another member?

Rep. Ocasio-Cortez: "I think so. I think so. Because, given the resources that he has at his helm, it creates a conflict of interest. And even if he is acting in complete propriety - completely properly, which I would believe he would - it still creates an appearance of a conflict of interest. And I believe that if he's going to enter in a primary and challenge another Democratic member, then he should step aside from his responsibilities of the DCCC."

Max Berger on Twitter: "It's really disappointing how poorly ..." / Twitter

It's really disappointing how poorly the establishment of the Democratic Party is responding to the crisis of democracy.

Pelosi, Hoyer and Clyburn are still endorsing Cuellar, and the head of the DCCC abandoned his district to run against a young, black progressive incumbent.

It's to be expected that the Democratic establishment would treat the rise of the left as a threat to their position.

It's so deeply cynical and a dereliction of duty to fight the left harder than authoritarian Republicans. History will not judge them kindly.

I'll be incredibly disappointed if Mondaire Jones runs in Jamaal Bowman's district. I think it's politically and morally wrong.

But, I'm just aghast the head of the DCCC put him in that position. If the republic is really on the line - and it is - how can you be so selfish?

These districts are in Westchester County or nearby. From south to north:

• NY-16 -- Jamaal Bowman (includes north Bronx)
• NY-17 -- Mondaire Jones
• NY-18 -- Sean Patrick Maloney (before he moved to NY-17)

 

[lpetrich]

Out of the ~113,000 votes, Summer Lee is now beating Steve Irwin by 682 votes. There are about 2,000 votes left to count, mostly in Allegheny County, where SL beats SI by 5%. That means a likely 100 votes more.

So it looks like AIPAC is going to lose here.

Ryan Grim on Twitter: "“Are you by any chance aware that Fetterman has been hospitalized?”
Lamb volunteer making the hard sell to a Fetterman supporter (who had already called Lamb the “bran cereal” of the Democratic Party) (pic link)" / Twitter

David Kantrowitz on Twitter: "@ryangrim Conor Lamb is a perfect, central-casting candidate but for 2002, not 2022." / Twitter

R. Suleiman on Twitter: "Conor Lamb is a political candidate in PA directly from central casting. I think that he is too clean-cut. Fetterman is who most blue-collar white & Black PA people are(in terms of their look-w/ work shirts(Dickies) and jeans). He got my vote b/c of this." / Twitter

R. Suleiman on Twitter: "Kenyatta is a good communicator, but he needs more experience as a politician before he can possibly make a real run at an office like U.S. Senator. It isn't fair, but his sexual orientation will be a hindrance to him in a state like PA." / Twitter

R. Suleiman on Twitter: "Austin Davis may become a real contender if Shapiro wins the Gov.'s office, and he becomes a valuable Lt. Gov. He may springboard that experience to become the 1st Black Gov. of PA." / Twitter

 

[lpetrich]

Dave Wasserman on Twitter: "I've seen enough: state Rep. Summer Lee (D) wins the #PA12 Dem primary, defeating Steve Irwin (D)." / Twitter
then
Summer Lee on Twitter: "$4.5 mill 🗑" / Twitter

Burned and gone to waste.

Summer Lee, Declaring Victory in Pennsylvania, Puts Dark Money Democrats on Notice | Vanity Fair

"The United Democracy Project, a super PAC for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, poured millions to defeat Lee in a Pennsylvania House primary. Similar dark money groups have targeted several progressives."

Around seven weeks before Pennsylvania’s primary elections, Summer Lee commanded a lead of 25 points over rival Steve Irwin in the race for Pennsylvania’s 12th District, a blue stronghold encompassing Pittsburgh and its surrounding suburbs. It appeared that Lee, 34, a Black woman and progressive activist who currently serves as a Pennsylvania state representative, would make history. Then came the outside money. By election day, Democratic groups had dumped more than $2 million into the primary race to defeat Lee—dwarfing the outside money spent attacking Irwin, a mere $2,400. Specifically, the United Democracy Project (UDP)—a political action committee for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC)—spent $2,025,297 against Lee and $660,317 in support of Irwin, 62, a Pittsburgh lawyer and county Democratic Party organizer. The ads painted Lee as anti-Israel and claimed she was “not a real Democrat,” following a playbook that moderate groups have run against other progressives nationwide, including against Pennsylvania’s Democratic Senate nominee John Fetterman.

After noting that Summer Lee is a likely Squad candidate,

Endorsed by Sanders, Lee’s platform is rooted in key progressive policies such as the Green New Deal, Medicare for All, and expanding the Supreme Court. Lee has supported setting conditions on U.S. aid to Israel and condemned Israel’s actions against Palestinians. Irwin, conversely, adopted a more moderate platform, stressing bipartisanship and building broad coalitions. Irwin, who is Jewish, said in an interview with Jewish Insider that statements from Lee, “do not indicate a strong conviction that Israel has a right to exist.” (Lee dismissed this claim, saying she “absolutely” believes in Israel’s right to be an independent Jewish state and, “What’s more is that I also understand and really, truly believe the need that we have for Jewish folks globally to have a safe haven.”)

"All said, nearly $4.8 million was poured into the race—a staggering figure for a primary."

 

[Derec]

Out of the ~113,000 votes, Summer Lee is now beating Steve Irwin by 682 votes. There are about 2,000 votes left to count, mostly in Allegheny County, where SL beats SI by 5%. That means a likely 100 votes more.

So it looks like AIPAC is going to lose here.

And it's a win for Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
Funny how fauxgressives like Lee never want to like aid to Palestinians to conditions like cracking down on terrorism and certainly ending the absolutely evil "pay for slay" schemes. Hmm.

Still, there is a chance that Irwin might pull it off. Unfortunately a slim chance, but a chance.

Ryan Grim on Twitter: "“Are you by any chance aware that Fetterman has been hospitalized?”
Lamb volunteer making the hard sell to a Fetterman supporter (who had already called Lamb the “bran cereal” of the Democratic Party) (pic link)" / Twitter

This could prove a tough break for Democrats. They are stuck with a popular, but unhealthy, candidate. Will he be able to do what he did in the primary, i.e. visit all of Pennsylvania's 67 counties? And if he is forced to drop out in the middle of campaign, what then? To the runner-up go the spoils or what?

R. Suleiman on Twitter: "Conor Lamb is a political candidate in PA directly from central casting. I think that he is too clean-cut. Fetterman is who most blue-collar white & Black PA people are(in terms of their look-w/ work shirts(Dickies) and jeans). He got my vote b/c of this." / Twitter

Fetterman's popularity seems to be more about personality rather than policies per se. I like his stance on weed, and that should be popular across partisan divides.

 

[Derec]

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

I do not understand this "drama lama" around this.
All the districts had to be redrawn, and there is one less of them because NY lost a seat. The old 18th is no more, and the new 18th is a brand new district, no more a successor to the old 18th than the new 17th. If Maloney lives in the new 17th, it is natural that he would run there, and not in the new 18th. The numbers really mean nothing.

He was in NY-18, and he will now compete with Rep. Mondaire Jones. He's the head of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

Again, the 18th Maloney was in is no more. The new 18th is a different district altogether.
Mondaire Jones lives in the 16th. He should run there, even if it means going against Jamaal Bowman.
The "drama lama" is ridiculous and really damaging to the Democratic brand. Rep. RItchie Torres even accused Maloney of "racism", as if black congresscritters should automatically be given deference and right of first refusal as to what district to run in, unopposed by fellow Dem incumbents.

From New York Magazine/Intelligencer:
A Lot of Democrats Are Mad at Sean Patrick Maloney

The new maps place Jones in a similar predicament to Maloney’s. Under the draft map, his home of White Plains would now be considered part of the 16th District, which is currently represented by Jamaal Bowman, a fellow first-term Democratic representative. Jones hasn’t announced a decision on where he intends to run yet, but Bowman issued a statement of his own, saying that he and Jones “should not be pitted against each other all because Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney wants to have a slightly easier district for himself.”
“Congressman Maloney should run in his own district. I’ll be running in mine,” Bowman said.

What kind of chicanery is that?
17th is Maloney's "own district". He lives there. Mondaire Jones does not live in the 17th, so it is not his own district.
That he used to live in a district that shares the same number as the new district should be beside the point.

Sahil Kapur on Twitter: "News -> @AOC tells me @spmaloney should not be DCCC chair if he runs against a fellow Democratic lawmaker in a New York primary.

Why? Maloney would be running in the district he lives in. Jones should do the same.

It's to be expected that the Democratic establishment would treat the rise of the left as a threat to their position.

It is a threat to the country. Both parties becoming more extreme is bad news.

I'll be incredibly disappointed if Mondaire Jones runs in Jamaal Bowman's district. I think it's politically and morally wrong.

Why? Because they are both black? Because they are both on the leftist fringe of the Dem party?
They both live in the same district. So why should one of them get to push out an actual resident of the 17th district so he has an easy cruise to reelection there? THAT is politically and morally wrong!

But, I'm just aghast the head of the DCCC put him in that position. If the republic is really on the line - and it is - how can you be so selfish?

Please! The republic is not on the line because two radical freshmen might go against each other in the primary because they both live in the same district.

These districts are in Westchester County or nearby. From south to north:

• NY-16 -- Jamaal Bowman (includes north Bronx)
• NY-17 -- Mondaire Jones
• NY-18 -- Sean Patrick Maloney (before he moved to NY-17)

I am trying to find a good map zoomed on the relevant area of old and new 16th-18th districts to show the changes in territory, but alas, could not find one.
Edited to add: The interactive map on the 538 site is not too bad. You can zoom in, but I am missing overlay information such as shorelines and county boundaries which would help orient district boundaries vs. say where Manhattan and Bronx are.

P.S.: Maloney did not move. The district boundary did.

 

[lpetrich]

The war in the 12th District: Both wings of Democratic party collide as Bernie Sanders comes to Pittsburgh to tout Summer Lee | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Ms. Lee, who famously got her start in state politics a few years ago by ousting a longtime Democratic incumbent, has pitched a vision for the party that’s focused more on movement-building and systemic change than it is status quo pragmatism. She’s organized around the issues of racial, environmental and economic justice and has talked of lifting up the most vulnerable.

To Mr. Irwin and his powerful surrogates on Thursday, it comes down to the ability to get things done in Washington at a time the Democratic agenda needs allies, not critics, they said. Mr. Doyle and Mr. Fitzgerald pointed to Mr. Irwin as someone who would immediately work as a partner with President Joe Biden’s administration and Democrats in Congress.

It seems like SI's platform is being a good Democratic apparatchik, rather than SL's wanting to do things.

Ms. Lee likened the attacks against her to the establishment throwing everything it can at her to stop the movement she’s helping to cultivate. She said it didn’t work when she took down the long-term Democratic state House incumbent Paul Costa in the 2018 primary, and it hasn’t worked since.

“Instead of going along to get along, we decided that there is more that we can do — that there are more people that we are going to empower and lift up,” Ms. Lee said. “We kept on coming back, cycle after cycle.”

She said the movement resulted in Pittsburgh electing its first Black mayor, Ed Gainey. Mr. Gainey, speaking at the rally, criticized super PACs for spending so heavily against Ms. Lee’s candidacy.

“The beauty of this is to show special interests that when the will of the people comes together, your money is only cents,” Mr. Gainey said.

So SL got started by primarying a long-time incumbent, like AOC and Ayanna Pressley and Cori Bush and Jamaal Bowman.

 

[Derec]

So Mondaire Jones is running in NY10 now.



NY needs an anti-carpetbagger law, where anybody running must reside in the district for a certain amount of time before the election.
Otherwise it's just district shopping.

 

[lpetrich]

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "People over money. You absolutely love to see it.
So proud of you, @SummerForPA!
Meanwhile, it is well beyond time for the Democratic Party to practice what we preach and ban super PAC spending from our primaries. Dark money should have no role in deciding elections." / Twitter

Responding to
Summer Lee on Twitter: "$4.5 mill 🗑" / Twitter


Lara Putnam on Twitter: "So it's ironic ..." / Twitter

So it's ironic because folks in PA 12 got like 50,000 mailers telling us that all Joe Biden supporters should vote against Summer Lee: but it turned kind of the opposite happened

(Yes I know. What the chart really shows is that registered Dems in pro-Trump precincts were Steve Irwin's strongest supporters: not how they individually voted in 2020. Still—Biden vote was a stronger predictor of precinct-level support for Lee than even, eg, % Black pop. fwiw!)

Also notable that Irwin allies just spent ~ $3 million pounding the Pgh media market w/the message that the nominee Democrats have embraced is a radical extremist. Centrist suburban state leg candidates & statewide Dems are now left dealng w/that brand damage for Nov.
Worth it?

Anyway, there's an instructive contrast btwn the ideological/identitarian clarity clearly generated by the PA-12 race & local results in the GOP senate primary: where despite $$$ in attack ads, GOP voters seem to have decided they're all more or less the same & just thrown darts

Looping back to PA-12 to close this out: Given that the Allegheny County Dem establishment—electeds, allied unions, & all—went all in to oppose Summer Lee, the fact that Irwin only managed to win in the set of precincts that are 97% or more white is a pretty remarkable benchmark

The numbers:

• 40% Biden - SL 20% SI 60%
• 100% Biden - SL 80% SI 10%

 

[lpetrich]

Summer Lee on Twitter: "I am so grateful ..." / Twitter

I am so grateful for every single person who helped this campaign deliver a victory for our movement in #PA12.

They told us we couldn't take on corporate power and win. That it wasn't our turn yet. That we couldn't change the way we build power.

But we proved them wrong.

This was never about any one person. This was about building a movement that reflected our community & delivered for us all.

Thank you to every voter, organizer, staffer & endorser who believed in us.

To every person that used this election to get involved for the first time.

And thank you to every person who ran alongside me to share our visions for #PA12, Jerry Dickinson, Steve Irwin, Will Parker, & Jeff Woodard.

Our democracy demands we give voters a choice to build the future they want for themselves.

Together, we can and will build it in #PA12.

Now, it's on to November.

The fight in #PA12 may be over, but the fight for the future of our fundamental rights & reproductive justice depends on delivering a Democratic Governor and Senator for our Commonwealth in 6 months.

Today, we celebrate. Tomorrow, we we keep fighting.

Seems a bit like AOC, with her crediting of all those who campaigned for her.

 

[lpetrich]

SL is now ahead of SI by 737 votes, about 0.7% ahead. The Associated Press has called this race as a SL victory.

Steve Irwin on Twitter: "Thank you, #PA12. (pic link)" / Twitter

"As more votes have been tallied over the last few days and nearly every vote except some provisional and overseas ballots have been counted, it is clear to me that the math is not on our side.

I want to congratulate Summer Lee for winning the Democratic nomination for Congress in PA-12. She ran a formidable campaign, one that reflected her determination to make progress for people and give a voice to the voiceless. She will be an outstanding member of Congress and an inspirational leader for our region.

Thank you to my team and supporters, who have given this campaign everything they have, including the working women and men of organized labor. I also want to thank my family - especially my wife, Andi, for being by my side every step of the way, and my kids, who are the light of my life."

At least he's a good loser.

 

[lpetrich]

Potential candidates flood incumbent-free New York House race — including de Blasio - POLITICO - "Hours after former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on MSNBC that he would compete for the newly-created 10th Congressional District, potential challengers piled up."

BdB: “It’s a homecoming. It’s my old Council district.”

Bill de Blasio and other New York Democrats eye rare, open congressional seat - POLITICO - "The rare open seat has prompted a scramble from potential candidates, including the former mayor."

Possible candidates:

1. Bill de Blasio
2. Mondaire Jones
3. Dawn Smalls
4. Jarrod Bernstein
5. Daniel Goldman
6. Carlina Rivera
7. Simcha Felder
8. Brad Hoylman
9. Robert Carroll
10. Jo Anne Simon
11. Waleed Shahid

Looking at #NY10 at Twitter, I quickly found
Mondaire Jones on Twitter: "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." / Twitter

among many other announcements.

 

[ZiprHead]

NY needs an anti-carpetbagger law, where anybody running must reside in the district for a certain amount of time before the election.
Otherwise it's just district shopping.

You should tell that to Dr. Oz.

 

[lpetrich]

Turning to Oregon, in OR-06, Andrea Salinas has beaten Carrick Flynn, that crypto-billionaire-supported candidate. At 81% reported, AS 36.5%, CF 18.4%, others 11.5%, 9.9%, 8.2%, 8.0%, 6.7%, 0.4%, 0.3%

Issues | Andrea Salinas for Congress - Andrea’s Experience, Economic Justice, Environment, Affordable Health Care, Women's Right to Choose, Democracy, Gun Safety, Equity and Justice

But OR-05 is still stuck at 51% reported, from difficulty in reading some of the ballots. Jamie McLeod-Skinner is at 60% and Kurt Schrader at 40.0%, a difference of nearly 10,000 out of nearly 50,000 votes. So KS might be able to hold on to his seat with the rest of the ballots.

 

[lpetrich]

Waleed Shahid on Twitter: "AN ANNOUNCEMENT TO ALL MY SUPPORTERS AND @billdeblasio. I NEED TO SPEND MORE TIME WITH MY FAMILY. BILL, I WILL SEE YOU SO SOON. #TALEOFTHREECITIES #NY10 (pic link)" / Twitter

WALEED SHAHID SUSPENDS CAMPAIGN IN NY-10
THE TALE OF THREE CITIES COMES TO AN END

Twelve hours after launching a barrier-smashing and record-breaking campaign, Bill de Blasio adversary, Kenyan-born Muslim socialist, and Democratic candidate Waleed Shahid has announced that he is suspending his campaign until further notice. On early Saturday morning, the campaign's Field Director Lis Smith announced she was departing the campaign due to creative differences.

"ASSALAMUALAIKUM. DEAR BILL, I'M SUSPENDING MY CAMPAIGN UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE TO SPEND TIME WITH MY FAMILY.

THANK YOU FOR ALL THE RUPEES. I CANNOT GIVE THEM BACK.

THIS TALE OF THREE CITIES IS NOT GOING AWAY. BUT PEOPLE TELL ME WE ARE IN A TALE OF TWO-STATE SOLUTIONS.

WE WILL FIGHT AND KEEP OUR MOVEMENT STRONG.

I NEEDED WAY MORE MONEY.

I AM SO SORRY.

AIPAC, YOU THE REAL MVP."

I don't know if this is serious or satire.

His Twitter bio: Very Senior Democratic Strategist. Spox, @JusticeDems. Fmr: @AOC, @JamaalBowmanNY, @BernieSanders. #YNWA. tweets are my own

 

[lpetrich]

Vote-counting trouble in Clackamas County, Oregon: Oregon Fifth Congressional District Primary Election Results 2022 - The New York Times

Clackamas County vote tally will likely stretch until at least next week, could leave key race for Congress hanging - oregonlive.com
noting
Clackamas County ballot counting could stretch to mid-June, unapologetic county elections head says - oregonlive.com

Two-thirds of Clackamas County ballots will need to be duplicated by hand due to printing error - oregonlive.com

The vast majority of ballots that Clackamas County election officials sent to voters have defective barcodes making them unreadable by voting counting machines, an error that will cost the county extra money and delay election results.

County Clerk Sherry Hall said Wednesday that about two-thirds of the ballots that have been returned to the county so far are marred by the error and require that the voter’s choice in each race be duplicated by hand. The county is preparing for a similar percentage of ballots returned in the coming days to have the same issue, she said. Election officials didn’t notice the error before ballots were sent out.

noting
Printing error affecting many Clackamas County ballots will require copying votes by hand, raising county costs and delaying election results - oregonlive.com


Of the parts of the counties in that district, only 9% of Clackamas County's roughly 45,000 votes have been counted (uncounted: 40,000). The next worst is Linn County at 76% of 12,000 votes (uncounted: 3,000), then Deschutes County at 91% of 23,000 votes (uncounted: 2,000), Multnomah County at 93% of 11,000 votes (uncounted: 1,000), Marion County at 92% of 4,500 votes (uncounted: 400), and Jefferson County at 0% of 100 votes (uncounted: 100). Note that Congressional districts often include only parts of counties.

The current total is JMLS 60% - KS 40%, and I extrapolate from the ballots counted so far a final score of JMLS 53% - KS 47%.

KS would need 63% of the remaining Clackamas County votes to win, and that seems unlikely.

 

[lpetrich]

Primary election dates for which states, with maximum number of endorsements from the PAC's that I am tracking. Progressive incumbents have a * or **. A - means no candidates, and a -R means a runoff election. Updated with the new New York primary date: June 28 -> August 23

Date	States w/ Max Endorse
Mar 1	TX 15
May 3	IN 1, OH 9
May 10	NE 2, WV -
May 17	ID -, KY 4, NC 11, OR 7, PA 7
May 24	AL 1, AR 0, GA 2, TX-R 15
Jun 7	CA 5*, IA -, MS -, MT 2, NJ 3, NM 1, SD -
Jun 14	ME -, NV 2, ND -, SC -
Jun 21	DC 1, VA 3, AL-R 1, AR-R 0, GA-R 2
Jun 28	CO 4, IL 6**, OK 0, UT 0, MS-R -, SC-R -
Jul 19	MD 3*
Jul 26	NC-R 11
Aug 2	AZ 2, KS -, MI 7**, MO 7**, WA 5*
Aug 4	TN 6
Aug 9	CT 1, MN 6**, VT 1, WI 8*
Aug 13	HI 2
Aug 16	AK -, WY -
Aug 23	FL 4*, NY 9**, OK-R 0
Sep 6	MA 4*
Sep 13	DE -, NH -, RI 1
Nov 8	LA -

As I write this, Georgia and Texas are coming up.