Democrats trying to unseat each other III

[Derec]

Well, if by "we" you mean "people who are not prepared to look past the fact that they are a drag queen", absolute nothing.

I mean the opposite. I want to look beyond the "drag queen" persona. The writeups focus on that, as does the wiki page. No word about xir education or any career outside drag and running for office. Hence my question.

Same as any candidate, really; If you don't care to find out, you're never gonna know.

I care to find out, hence me asking the question.

Wikipedia has answers to all of your questions, in a brief and easy to read format. Your ignorance is therefore either wilful, or performative, and therefore says a lot more about you than about them.

It doesn't really. The article is pretty short and lacking in details I was asking about.

 

[Derec]

I know, right? Who ever heard of an actor becoming a successful politician?
It would never have happened back when good old Ronnie Reagan was President.

 

[blastula]

Could be a new Democrat in Jersey soon.

 

[Derec]

Could be a new Democrat in Jersey soon.

Maybe Bob Jr.?

It's a 2024 election, so anybody Murphy might appoint will have to face reelection soon. Or will he go for a caretaker?

 

[lpetrich]

Sad to say, Aaron Regunberg lost, though he placed second. Rhode Island's 1st Congressional District special election, 2023 (September 5 Democratic primary) - Ballotpedia

Gabe Amo 32.5, J. Aaron Regunberg 24.9, Sandra Cano 13.9, Sabina Matos 8.0, Stephen Casey 5.9, Walter Berbrick 3.6, Ana Quezada 3.4, John Goncalves 2.8, Don Carlson (unofficially withdrew) 1.8, Allen Waters 1.3, Stephanie Beauté 1.1, Spencer Dickinson 0.9

Seems like this election could have used ranked-choice voting.

From Ballotpedia,

The Boston Globe's Edward Fitzpatrick said, "In a traditional congressional race, such support [endorsements] might be merely routine. But political observers say that in a low-turnout special election such as this one, when fewer than 10,000 votes could decide the winner, these types of endorsements carry extra value, especially when they come with on-the-ground support."[3] While most candidates had similar platforms, according to The Cook Political Report, the race "could ripen into a traditional Democratic primary battle between Matos, the mainstream Democrat, and Regunberg, the progressive."[4]

The winner?

Amo was a special assistant to President Joe Biden (D) and deputy director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs.[5] Amo said, "I know how to work together to deliver results on what really matters, including housing, health care, reproductive freedom, and safety from gun violence."[6] The Congressional Black Caucus PAC endorsed Amo.[7]

Second,

Regunberg represented Rhode Island House of Representatives District 4 from 2015 to 2018. He then attended law school and worked as a judicial clerk in the U.S. District Courts.[16] Regunberg said, "I know that, together, our communities can take on these dangerous forces – the gun industry, fossil fuel companies, Big Pharma, and their Republican allies – and win. That’s why I’m running for Congress."[17] U.S. Reps. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), and Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) endorsed Regunberg.[18]

Third,

Cano represented Rhode Island State Senate District 8 since 2018. Cano said, "Throughout my time in public service, I’ve worked hard to enact policies that truly make a difference – from stronger gun safety laws, to the codification of Roe v. Wade in Rhode Island, to income tax exemptions on retirement and Social Security income, and more."[8] The National Education Association Rhode Island and United Nurses & Allied Professionals endorsed Cano.[3]

Fourth,

Matos was Rhode Island's lieutenant governor and was the only statewide elected official in the race. Matos said, "I’m ready to roll up my sleeves and continue fighting for the things that matter: addressing the cost of housing, reproductive freedom, working to solve our climate crisis, and protecting our democracy."[13] Emily's List, the Latino Victory Fund, and Elect Democratic Women endorsed Matos.[14][15]

 

[lpetrich]

Upset House Loss Is a Major Progressive Disappointment in Rhode Island - The American Prospect - "Aaron Regunberg, the front-runner as recently as two weeks ago, lost to Biden administration official Gabe Amo. What went wrong?"

IN SOME WAYS, REGUNBERG was a victim of his own success. Other candidates lit into him in the race’s final weeks with a barrage of attacks, just as they did to take down the previous front-runner, Matos, after she submitted forged signatures to qualify her for the ballot.

The attacks were less about policy priorities than a campaign finance issue involving Regunberg’s family members. Regunberg received support from a super PAC, Progress RI, bearing a $5,000 contribution from his mother and $125,000 from his father-in-law, an executive at a global investment firm. The funds for mailers and digital ads were relatively paltry, but since Regunberg pledged to not take money from corporate PACs, it opened him up to criticism, even though other candidates had far more assistance from corporate PACs. Whatever benefits the super PAC might have been able to deliver Regunberg, it also compromised his anti-corporate image.

By comparison,

Matos, who was endorsed by the New Democrat Coalition, received over $800,000 in super PAC funding affiliated with Emily’s List, the Bold PAC (an arm of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus), and Elect Democratic Women, according to campaign finance reports.

Despite such financing, she finished a distant fourth.

 

[lpetrich]

Late in the race, Regunberg’s backers tried to target Amo’s corporate ties. A memo released by the Working Families Party, Regunberg’s main backer, revealed that Amo had received $21,126 in corporate lobbyist money over the course of the campaign. The donations came from lobbyists representing the tobacco industry, financial behemoths such as Blackstone, pharma firms, and Big Tech (Amazon and Google). Amo himself also worked as a registered lobbyist for Home Depot, which has consistently contributed to Republicans over the years.

Gabe Amo responded with some swipes at Aaron Regunberg's campaign finances.

“I refuse to be lectured by the Working Families Party,” Amo told The Boston Globe. “My father works behind the counter at his own liquor store, and my mother is recovering from her second knee replacement surgery, having spent her career as an SEIU nurse, while the WFP’s endorsed candidate’s Super PAC gets checks of $5,000 and $125,000, respectively, from his mother and father-in-law.”

It's surprising that some Bidenite bureaucrat was able to do so well.

DESPITE LOW NAME RECOGNITION in the district, Amo’s service in the Biden White House as deputy director of the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, where he mainly oversaw coordination between state and local governments for disaster preparedness and COVID-19, enabled him to win high-profile endorsements—like former chief of staff Ron Klain—and connect to the Democratic mainstream.

He also had the help of Patrick Kennedy, the district's Rep until 2011, a member of the Kennedy family who invoked Camelot nostalgia for John, Robert, and Ted.

But in the final days before the election, Kennedy went on a tirade against Regunberg, painting him as “too extreme” for the district. Kennedy in particular took issue with the progressive hopeful’s promise to cut defense spending, which he claimed would hurt defense industry jobs in the state.

 Kennedy family

But a Kennedy recently flopped: Joe Kennedy III
Why Joe Kennedy’s Senate campaign flopped - POLITICO back in 2020, when he ran against incumbent Ed Markey

The question seemed to trail him everywhere, from the day Joe Kennedy announced he’d challenge Sen. Ed Markey in the Democratic primary to the final hours of the campaign: Why are you running?

In a year of campaigning across Massachusetts, Kennedy never seemed to come up with a satisfactory answer. In the end, he simply gave up trying.

RFK Jr. looks like he will go that way also.

 

[lpetrich]

Aaron Regunberg got endorsements not only from Bernie Sanders, but also from AOC, Rosa DeLauro D-CT, and Jamie Raskin D-MD. Departing Rep David Cicilline named RdL and JR as his two favorite Congresspeople. AR was also endorsed by the Congressional Progressive Caucus.

But the event also highlighted an intra-left skirmish that had dogged the campaign since the beginning. The local chapter of the DSA in Providence objected to Sanders’s “compromise endorsement” and stumping for a “wealthy Super PAC candidate.” The local DSA issued an anti-endorsement of Regunberg along with another local left-wing group, largely for his support for state party leadership while he sat in the legislature. They did not endorse an alternative candidate instead.

Left-wingers squabbling among themselves -- so common.

The far left wages an internal fight: Help Democrats or reject the establishment?

The Rhode Island chapter of Democratic Socialists of America called on members to "reject" a candidate backed by Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

...
The Rhode Island chapter is unusually aggressive, but the local split reflects a larger divide among Democratic Socialists of America and other far-left groups as they debate their forced marriage with the Democratic Party several years after a surge in membership spurred by Sanders’ presidential campaigns made socialism politically relevant in America for the first time in decades.

...
Some on the left worry infighting in the name of purity like that in Rhode Island could lead to a vicious cycle and help return the left to the wilderness of the pre-Sanders era.

 

[lpetrich]

House Democrats face possible primary headaches

In OR-05,

Jamie McLeod-Skinner, a progressive attorney who lost an Oregon district that Biden carried by nine points in 2022, is planning to seek a rematch against Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-Ore.).

But Democratic state Rep. Janelle Bynum is already in the race — and said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) encouraged her to run.

A co-owner of McDonald's franchises, Bynum is seen by party leaders as a more business-friendly candidate better positioned to win swing voters.

In NJ-07,

Sue Altman, the leader of the progressive Working Families Party in New Jersey, was the first Democrat to enter the race and announced raising over $200,000 in the recent fundraising quarter.

Democrats privately worry that her profile — she led protests against neighboring Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) for his moderate record — makes it harder for them to win the seat, but no obvious alternative has emerged.

In NY-17,

Former Rep. Mondaire Jones and local school board trustee Liz Gereghty (better known as the sister of Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer) are running in a primary to face Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.), one of Democrats' top targets.

In WA-03,

The other side: Republicans have a few primary red flags of their own. Joe Kent, the right-wing candidate who lost to Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-Wash.) in a district Trump carried, is running again for Congress.

 

[Derec]

Jamie McLeod-Skinner, a progressive attorney who lost an Oregon district that Biden carried by nine points in 2022, is planning to seek a rematch against Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-Ore.).
But Democratic state Rep. Janelle Bynum is already in the race — and said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) encouraged her to run.

JMS lost a Dem-friendly seat for Dems by primarying Shrader. She also lost the election in a different Oregon district in 2018. Why should she get another bite at the apple?

Sue Altman, the leader of the progressive Working Families Party in New Jersey, was the first Democrat to enter the race and announced raising over $200,000 in the recent fundraising quarter.
Democrats privately worry that her profile — she led protests against neighboring Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) for his moderate record — makes it harder for them to win the seat, but no obvious alternative has emerged.

A far left activist is not a smart choice for an R+1 district like NJ-7. Besides, she is already attacking and alienating her fellow Dems.

Former Rep. Mondaire Jones and local school board trustee Liz Gereghty (better known as the sister of Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer) are running in a primary to face Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.), one of Democrats' top targets.

Mondaire Jones should be running in his own district - NY16 - against the police defunder Jamaal Bowman.
,

The other side: Republicans have a few primary red flags of their own. Joe Kent, the right-wing candidate who lost to Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-Wash.) in a district Trump carried, is running again for Congress.

Kent came close, but Reps too would be well advised to go with a moderate choice, even if the district nominally favor Republicans (R+5).

Btw, WA has blanket primaries - top two advance to general election regardless of the party.

 

[Derec]

Left-wingers squabbling among themselves -- so common.

"Brothers, we should be struggling together!"
"We are!"

 

[Derec]

Sad to say, Aaron Regunberg lost, though he placed second. Rhode Island's 1st Congressional District special election, 2023 (September 5 Democratic primary) - Ballotpedia

Is he much further left than Amo? What's his politics?

Seems like this election could have used ranked-choice voting.

A jungle/blanket primary would be better. Esp. in lopsided districts (RI-1 is D+12) such a primary gives a voice to the minority party and the outcome thus better reflects the will of the electorate at large and not just the majority party.

Amo was a special assistant to President Joe Biden (D) and deputy director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs.[5] Amo said, "I know how to work together to deliver results on what really matters, including housing, health care, reproductive freedom, and safety from gun violence."[6] The Congressional Black Caucus PAC endorsed Amo.[7]

I do not see anything objectionable here from the Democratic point of view.

Regunberg said, "I know that, together, our communities can take on these dangerous forces – the gun industry, fossil fuel companies, Big Pharma, and their Republican allies – and win. That’s why I’m running for Congress."[17] U.S. Reps. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), and Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) endorsed Regunberg.[18]

It is a problem when a candidate sees fossil fuel companies - that develop energy that we still need and will need for two to three decades more at least - as enemies to be defeated and not as partners to work with. Same goes for pharmaceutical companies that develop drugs we need. And the irrational hatred of the "gun Industry" on the far Left - instead of focusing on gun criminals - is also a problem.

 

[Derec]

To get back to Senator Menendez mentioned originally by blastula, he already has one challenger.

Menendez unravels: Andy Kim will run against him

 

[Derec]

Squad Private 2nd class Jamaal Bowman is in some trouble.

Rep. Bowman under investigation for pulling fire alarm before government funding vote

Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) pulled a fire alarm in the Cannon House Office Building on Saturday ahead of the House passing a stopgap measure to fund the government ahead of the midnight deadline, causing the building to be evacuated.
Republicans are accusing Bowman of intentionally trying to sabotage the vote, launching an investigation into the incident and preparing legislation to expel him from the House.
But Bowman says it was an accident.
“Congressman Bowman did not realize he would trigger a building alarm as he was rushing to make an urgent vote,” a Bowman spokesperson said in a statement to The Hill. “The Congressman regrets any confusion.”
Bowman later said that he thought pulling the alarm would open the door, Axios and other outlets reported.

So he either did it on purpose or he is a huge idiot.

Maybe now Mondaire Jones can actually run in his own district (NY-16).

 

[lpetrich]

Progressive Democrats in Congress Have Had Our Backs. Now We Need to Have Theirs. | The Nation - "One of our biggest jobs in 2024 is to protect our progressive champions from the array of right-wing forces trying to remove them from office." - Alexandra Rojas, executive director of Justice Democrats

Noting
AIPAC steps up efforts to oust anti-Israel lawmakers - "After focusing on open primaries in 2022, the pro-Israel PAC is targeting several left-wing Squad members for 2024"

Targeting Ilhan Omar, Jamaal Bowman, and Summer Lee.

While AIPAC quietly opposed Omar last cycle by contributing $350,000 to a separate group created to boost a top Democratic primary challenger, its latest efforts point to a new and potentially more expansive direction for the group, whose affiliated super PAC, launched in late 2021, has largely engaged in open-seat races rather than challenging incumbents.

IO barely won against Don Samuels, a former Minneapolis councilman.

Samuels, who after the election expressed frustration that pro-Israel groups hadn’t unified behind his campaign, is now considering a rematch against Omar, according to a Democratic operative in Minnesota familiar with his thinking.

But AIPAC, for its part, is instead eyeing a Minneapolis councilmember, LaTrisha Vetaw, who is actively weighing a bid of her own, according to the operative.

...
Tim Peterson, a former National Guard recruiter, is also considering a challenge to Omar, the political operative told JI.

It would be fun to watch all three run and put AIPAC into agonies over which one to support.

Even as she is more likely to face a credible challenger from the moderate wing of the Democratic Party, Omar, whose campaign entered July with $540,000 on hand, is also now fielding opposition from the left. Last month, she drew her first primary opponent, Sarah Gad, a Minneapolis attorney who unsuccessfully ran against Rep. Bobby Rush (D-IL) in 2020.

Might AIPAC consider supporting that one also?

 

[lpetrich]

More from that Jewish Insider article:

Jamaal Bowman:

In New York, meanwhile, AIPAC has been courting George Latimer, the Westchester County executive, to challenge Bowman, who will be seeking his third term in 2024.

...
Michael Gerald, a pastor and corrections official in Westchester who briefly entered the race last cycle, filed to run against Bowman last month. And Chance Mullen, the mayor of Pelham, is also weighing a primary bid.

Summer Lee:

Meanwhile, the pro-Israel community in Pittsburgh is also rallying behind a potential challenger to Rep. Summer Lee (D-PA), a freshman incumbent and Justice Democrats endorsee who withstood nearly $4 million in spending from AIPAC’s super PAC in 2022. Bhavini Patel, an Edgewood councilmember who ran a short-lived campaign for the seat before dropping out last cycle, is planning to challenge Lee and has been raising money to mount a bid in the heavily Jewish district, according to two people familiar with her efforts who asked to remain anonymous because they were not authorized to speak on the record.

Then mentioning progressive candidates Kina Collins, Qasim Rashid, and Pervez Agwan.

 

[lpetrich]

Progressive Democrats in Congress Have Had Our Backs. Now We Need to Have Theirs. | The Nation

Alexandra Rojas again:

Expanding our ranks to 20 or 30 members of unwavering progressives in Congress is possible if we protect the infrastructure we have already built.

After stating that the Democratic leadership and caucuses stayed out as AIPAC attacked progressives in 2022, she called on them

to stop abdicating their role in Congress and protect the fiercest defenders of poor and working families in Washington. Otherwise, they are allowing a small group of Republican donors to dictate our party’s membership and agenda in Congress.

That's a lot to ask of politicians who are hungry for big-donor money, it must be noted.

Working-class candidates who refuse to take corporate PAC dollars are no competition for the right-wing corporate super PACs that exemplify our elections post–Citizens United. It takes a movement to elect leaders like these, and it is going to take a movement to keep them in office. Now is the time to invest in the future of our progressive movement by protecting its most frontline candidates.

When, at the end of this cycle, our most crucial progressive voters, supporters, and the press ask us “What happened?,” we should be able to tell them we worked together to protect each other and what we’ve built together over the last five years. The alternative is a new class of right-wing-funded corporate Democrats representing the bluest corners of our country. And we already have enough of those.

 

[lpetrich]

From Progressive Democrats in Congress Have Had Our Backs. Now We Need to Have Theirs. | One of our biggest jobs in 2024 is to protect our progressive champions from the array of right-wing forces trying to remove them from office. : TheMajorityReport

Progressives Are Trying to Make 2024 the Year of the Rematch : politics
noting
Progressives Are Trying to Make 2024 the Year of the Rematch - "The last election cycle was a disappointment for progressives. They think they can change that this time around."

Kina Collins is trying again for IL-07, for a third time against Rep. Danny Davis, D-IL. She lost by 46% in 2020 and 6% in 2022.

Jamie McLeod Skinner is trying again for OR-05. She defeated Rep. Kurt Schrader D-BigPharma in the 2022 primaries, but lost to Republican Lori Chavez-DeRemer by 2% in the general election.

“She’s built a strong grassroots base of support in the district and came incredibly close last year,” a McLeod Skinner spokesperson said in a statement, adding that “with a strong team and energized base, she raised $100k in the first 24-hours of her launch.”

For him part, KS claimed that he was a better fit for the district than JMLS, as if the people of his district admire politicians who are in the pay of big businesses. But more seriously, are there any centrist or conservative Democrats who pride themselves on not accepting any corporate PAC money? Any Republicans?

 

[lpetrich]

Michelle Vallejo ran as a progressive for TX-15, losing to Monica De La Cruz in the general election by 9%.

Vallejo re-launched in May this year, telling The Daily Beast there’s “a very clear path to victory here.”

“We were able to show impressive gains last cycle in our short fight against Monica De La Cruz. And now we have more time, more support,” Vallejo said.

Mondaire Jones is also running again, for NY-17, as is Lucas Kunce, for MO-Senate.

Odessa Kelly is considering running again, but Tennessee's districts are heavy gerrymandered, which would give her an uphill fight.

Morgan Harper ran for OH-Senate in 2022, and while she's “definitely still open to running again”, she does not have any plans for the moment. Nina Turner, however, has turned to organized-labor activism.

Nina Turner-Led Workers' Rights Group Launches in Cleveland | Cleveland News | Cleveland | Cleveland Scene

We Are Somebody, a newly launched Cleveland-based organization founded by Nina Turner and dedicated to labor justice, aims to harness the momentum of a summer of collective bargaining victories to support workers through grassroots organizing.

“Workers are finally fed up and they're making it known that they're not going to take it anymore and there is a moral inequality that is going on in this economy right now,” said Turner. “It's not even subtle. It's like a gulf–a Grand Canyon, if you will–between a worker’s wages and what we see happening to the moneyed class.”

Nina Turner launches national worker organization in Cleveland - Axios Cleveland

The goal of Turner's organization is to accelerate that momentum by supporting union strike funds, providing resources to workers on the front lines, and spotlighting narratives to amplify workers' struggles and demands.

We Are Somebody expects to raise funds from a combination of grassroots donations, foundations and institutional donors, a spokesperson told Axios.

Nina Turner Launches Organization to Support Striking Workers - "The former Ohio state senator and Bernie Sanders surrogate said she was inspired by the nearly two-yearlong Alabama coal miners strike."

We Are Somebody adds to a steadily growing network of progressive organizations working in and outside of Washington, including labor-oriented outlets like More Perfect Union and Labor Notes and political organizations like Justice Democrats.

“In this country, the battle for workers and everyday people is so immense that you need a variety of organizations to come at the challenge from different angles. And We Are Somebody is a part of that larger coalition to come at this conundrum of inequality from a different angle,” Turner told The Intercept. She describes her new venture as “a capacity-building organization for the working class,” for which she drew inspiration from President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Economic Bill of Rights and the nearly two-yearlong Alabama coal miner strike.

The coal workers’ “heroic” sacrifices got her thinking about how to help labor unions sustain such long-term efforts, whether they have a strike fund or not, she said.

 

[lpetrich]

Jessica Cisneros barely lost in 2020 and 2022 for TX-28. Will she run in 2024?

“She’s been busy working as an immigration attorney again, so that’s been her focus for now,” said Alejandro Garcia, Cisneros’ former spokesperson who still keeps in touch with the former candidate. “I think she’ll let people know if/when she’s ready.”

Maybe if Henry Cuellar D-Azerbaijan drops out of the race.

Imani Oakley lost to Donald Payne for NJ-10 by a huge margin last year, and she's keeping her plans “close to the vest.”

“I think 2024 is going to be a particularly difficult year for grassroots candidates given the economic climate as well as the overall feeling from more centrist voters that the focus should be on getting rid of Republicans this time around,” Oakley said.

Justice Democrats and the Congressional Progressive Caucus PAC have still not made endorsements.

Collins, however, who’s in her third round, says she’s not tired.

“I feel confident. I don’t feel, I don’t feel like, ‘Oh, I have to do this again.’ I feel like we need to finish what we started,” Collins said.