Democrats trying to unseat each other

[lpetrich]

The results of the primaries in AZ, KS, MI, MO, WA:

MO-01: Cori Bush 48.6%, William Lacy Clay 45.5%, Katherine Bruckner 5.9%

Activist Cori Bush has unseated longtime incumbent William Lacy Clay. She got into politics as a response to the militarized response to the Ferguson protests and riots provoked by the killing in 2014 of Michael Brown by police officer Darren Wilson. She ran for US Senate in 2016 and US House seat MO-01 in 2018 against WLC, losing both times. Her 2018 run was documented in "Knock Down The House".

In the 2018 MO-01 Democratic primary, the votes were WLC 56.7%, CB 36.9%, others 3.4%, 2.9%

In the 2016 MO-SEN Democratic primary, the votes were Roy Blunt 72.6%, CB 13.3%, others 9.5%, 7.3%

In previous MO-01 general elections, WLC won by 70% - 80%, and it is likely that CB will do likewise.

From William Lacy Clay - Ballotpedia:

Biography

Clay was born in St. Louis, MO. He attended the University of Maryland, College Park, from which he earned a degree in political science and certification to be a paralegal.[2]

Career

Below is an abbreviated outline of Clay's academic, professional, and political career:[1]

• 2001-Present: U.S. Representative from Missouri's 1st Congressional District
• 1991-2001: Missouri State Senate
• 1986-2000: Agent at W.A. Thomas Realty
• 1983-1990: Missouri House of Representatives
• 1983: Graduated from University of Maryland
• 1976-1983: Assistant doorkeeper, U.S. House

 

[lpetrich]

The margin, 3.1%, is rather small, and WLC may not concede. But here are some more articles about CB:

Cori Bush Poses A Fierce Congressional Challenge In Missouri - Essence

Cori Bush has been here before. As a repeat challenger to Congressman William Lacy Clay, the determined activist hoping to pull out a win in today’s Missouri primary knows she’s in for a fight. But what makes the battle worth it, the hours fought, fruitful, and the return, whether win or lose, valuable, is that standing up for people and doing what’s right is what Bush says she always aims to do.

“I fight for [progressive] values just because it’s right,” Bush tells ESSENCE days before Tuesday’s election. “I always think that ‘I am the people I serve.’ I did not coin the phrase, but I always say that because I have lived low-wage. I’ve been unhoused, living out of a car with two children. I have lived uninsured… I’m a victim of violent crime. I’m a survivor of sexual assault and domestic violence. So I’ve been through so many things that have happened here in this community that haven’t really been addressed by our congressperson even though he’s been in that seat for 20 years.”

Down Goes Clay: Cori Bush Knocks Off Half-Century Dynasty

In an upset that will rock the House Democratic caucus, Ferguson activist Cori Bush on Tuesday unseated Rep. Lacy Clay, whose family has represented the St. Louis-area congressional district for more than 50 years.

Clay dominated Bush among mail-in and absentee ballots, leading some outlets to prematurely call the race, but Bush surged back with a commanding election day lead, narrowly topping Clay by three points when all were counted.

The mail-in and absentee ballots were for WLC over CB by 2 to 1.

Bush was among the original Justice Democrat recruits in 2018, but lost her first challenge by 20 points. A registered nurse and pastor, she made a second run this cycle, again with the backing of Justice Democrats, the progressive group best known for recruiting Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. “It is historic that this year, of all the years, we are sending a Black, working-class, single mother, who’s been fighting for Black lives since Ferguson, all the way to the halls of Congress,” Bush said in a victory speech.

Bush’s win follows the upset of veteran Rep. Eliot Engel at the hands of Jamaal Bowman in New York, and longtime Rep. Daniel Lipinski in Illinois, who fell to Marie Newman. Justice Democrats also supported a challenge against Rep. Henry Cuellar, who narrowly fended off Jessica Cisneros in Texas.

She was also endorsed by Brand New Congress, Matriarch PAC, and the Sunrise Movement, and her campaign outspent WLC's.

Her 2018 campaign was very limited. "Ocasio-Cortez traveled to St. Louis to rally for Bush two years ago, but her cash-strapped campaign wasn’t able to get the word out to voters, managing just about two weeks of paid radio ads."

“She ran on Defund the Police, the Green New Deal, and Medicare for All and defeated a multi-generational political dynasty who got too close to corporate donors and too far from the needs of his district,” said Evan Weber, political director of Sunrise.

Yet Ocasio-Cortez declined to endorse Bush in her second run, as did many of the progressive groups that make up the institutional left. Clay has played a leading role in casting Justice Democrats as flatly racist in its willingness to challenge members of the Congressional Black Caucus, and Ocasio-Cortez, as an incumbent, has been under intense pressure not to get behind primary challengers to her colleagues, and only backed Bowman after Engel’s hot-mic moment. No sitting member of the House backed Bush.

Jamaal Bowman, however, rallied for her.

AOC backed only three challengers of incumbents: Jessica Cisneros, Marie Newman, and Jamaal Bowman. WLC was in her committees: Oversight and Financial Services.

I'll let CB have the last word here:
Cori Bush on Twitter: "Not me, US." / Twitter

 

[lpetrich]

Elsewhere, in MO-05, Maite Salazar lost to incumbent Emanuel Cleaver, 14.7% to 85.3%.

In Michigan, Jon Hoadley MI-06 and Kelly Noland MI-10 are losing by a hair, and in MI-13, Rashida Tlaib leads Brenda Jones 65.8% to 34.2$ with 74% of precincts reporting. The total votes so far in MI-13 are 19,199, meaning that a lot of absentee and mail-in votes may still need to be counted.

In Kansas, Kris Kobach is losing his Senate bid: Roger Marshall 40.3%, KK 26.3%, others 18.8%, 6.5%, 1.9%, 1.6%, 1.5%, 1.0%, 0.9%, 0.9%, 0.2%

RM will be up against Barbara Bollier, who defeated rival Robert Tillman 85.6% to 14.4%.

In Arizona, Eva Putzova is losing to incumbent Tom O'Halleran 41.3% to 58.7%

Rather disappointing, since she is an immigrant from Slovakia, back when it was Communist.

In Washington, Democratic incumbent Jay Inslee and Republican challenger Loren Culp won the top-two primary with 51.9% and 16.8% respectively. The remaining 31.3% of the vote was divided among a large number of candidates.

In WA-06, Rebecca Parson lost to incumbent Democrat Derek Kilmer and his Republican opponent Elizabeth Kreiselmaier 49.6% to 25.7% to 12.1% (55% reporting)

But in WA-07, Pramila Jayapal is winning by 80.3%, with Republican Craig Keller likely to come in second place at 8.2% (51% reporting)


About Cori Bush's run in 2018: Insurgent Candidate Cori Bush Wants to End the Dynastic Rule of a Missouri Congressional District
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "This is my sister [MENTION=990]CO[/MENTION]riBush in St. Louis tonight.
She is one of the most inspiring people I know. https://t.co/xpuXH6ebC6" / Twitter
back in 2018 Jul 21

 

[lpetrich]

Rashida Tlaib's precinct-reporting count has been reset to 13%. She's 66.0% vs. BJ 34.0% at 41,014 votes, however.

Cori Bush Defeats William Lacy Clay in a Show of Progressive Might - The New York Times - "The upset of the veteran congressman from St. Louis sent tremors though the Democratic establishment in Missouri and Washington, D.C."

Mr. Clay, the scion of a storied Black Missouri political dynasty in his 10th term in Congress, had tried to make the campaign a referendum on not only Ms. Bush’s suitability for elected office but also the progressive movement behind her. He carried out a series of dark, personal attacks in the campaign’s final days to try to halt Ms. Bush’s momentum and described her as a “prop” of out-of-town interests seeking to divide the Democratic Party along racial lines.

Mr. Clay highlighted his own ties to the Democratic power structure, earning endorsements from Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senator Kamala Harris of California and groups like Planned Parenthood.

noting
In St. Louis, Testing Liberal Might Against a Democratic Fixture - The New York Times - "Cori Bush, an activist backed by the progressive group Justice Democrats, is trying to unseat 10-term Representative William Lacy Clay in a bid to turn protest-movement fervor into hard political power."

The contest has grown exceedingly bitter, and Mr. Clay, 64, has come to view it not only as a fight for his own survival, but a chance to snuff out an upstart movement he sees as dangerously divisive. In an interview last week, the congressman suggested that the effort to unseat him by Ms. Bush, who is also Black, rests on a racist premise.

“The easy, racist way to lay it out is, ‘Look at Clay — what has he done for his district?’” he said, adding, “I fight for that district every single day.”

Mr. Clay accused the groups like Justice Democrats and Brand New Congress that have helped groom progressive primary challengers of targeting members of the Congressional Black Caucus specifically because “they think we are easy targets.”

“She’s a prop,” Mr. Clay said of Ms. Bush. “They use her to raise money to support their infrastructure.”

Racial self-pity.

Mr. Clay is not bashful about his seniority in the Black Caucus and among the intensely hierarchical House Democratic Caucus, arguing that his easy access to the levers of power helps his district. He has the backing of Speaker Nancy Pelosi and many of the party’s establishment pillars, like the Planned Parenthood Action Fund.

“There is no substitute in life for substance,” he said. “Substance is so relevant to people. That’s why there’s been a Clay there for the last 52 years.”

But as AOC and Jamaal Bowman have asked, what has all this seniority done for his district?

At campaign events, Ms. Bush speaks vividly about her own battle with the coronavirus this spring — how her fingertips turned blue as she was deprived of oxygen, and her fear of the medical bills that would follow her two hospital stays — to bolster her arguments.

...
Antonio French, a former alderman and mayoral candidate from St. Louis’s North Side, said he had noticed a “disconnect” between the progressive politics of many white voters and young activists of color rallying behind Ms. Bush and those of Black voters in his neighborhood.

“Defund and get rid of the police is not a message I hear from average voters in my ward or districts like mine,” Mr. French said. “It’s quite the opposite. If you go to a Black neighborhood ward meeting, primarily you are hearing people complain about the lack of police in that neighborhood.”

WLC has signed on to the Green New Deal, something that has apparently appeased AOC.

Justice Democrats backed only two challengers to Black incumbents this cycle. Both were Black themselves.

“No one is targeting C.B.C. members,” Ms. Bush said. “What they are targeting is people who are not doing the work of the communities — and communities are suffering.”

 

[lpetrich]

Eliot Engel, Jamaal Bowman, and the CBC - June 4, 2020 5:30 AM

Discussing how the Congressional Black Caucus often seems to prefer centrist white politicians to progressive black ones.

Rep. James Clyburn SC-06 boosted Joe Biden's candidacy by endorsing him ahead of the South Carolina primary.

The CBC also supported incumbent Michael Capuano MA-07 against Ayanna Pressley in 2018, though when AP won, she joined the CBC.

Earlier this year, the CBC threw its weight behind incumbent caucus member Joyce Beatty in Ohio’s Third District, against another black, female challenger, Morgan Harper. According to reporting in Politico in April, the CBC was seeking “to squash liberal insurgents.” That they did. Harper lost, and CBC member Hakeem Jeffries responded by tweeting, “Congrats @ JoyceBeatty on a decisive 36 point victory in Ohio’s democratic congressional primary!” “They started this fight,” he continued, in reference to progressives. “We will finish it.”

One black politician besting another shouldn’t yield Michael Jordan–level trash-talking unless there are other factors at play. Indeed, the CBC has shown itself to be focused primarily on the all-important job of incumbent protection. They endorse incumbents of Nancy Pelosi’s choosing, and in turn, she endorses them. Their elevation of Engel was recompensed yesterday by the Speaker pledging to let the caucus handle the party’s response to the protests of the past two weeks: “We will be guided by the experiences & expertise of @RepKarenBass and @TheBlackCaucus as we seek to achieve progress & secure justice for Americans nationwide,” she tweeted.

Jamaal Bowman is now joined by Cori Bush.

 

[lpetrich]

AOC campaigned for Cori Bush in 2018, but she laid low this year, likely because William Lacy Clay has a heck of a lot of seniority over her in the committees she is in: Oversight and Financial Services.

Protest leader Bush ousts 20-year US Rep. Clay in Missouri

Cori Bush, a onetime homeless woman who led protests following a white police officer’s fatal shooting of a Black 18-year-old in Ferguson, ousted longtime Rep. William Lacy Clay Tuesday in Missouri’s Democratic primary, ending a political dynasty that has spanned more than a half-century.

...
An emotional Bush, speaking to supporters while wearing a mask, said few people expected her to win.

“They counted us out,” she said. “They called me — I’m just the protester, I’m just the activist with no name, no title and no real money. That’s all they said that I was. But St. Louis showed up today.”

Bush’s campaign spokeswoman, Keenan Korth, said voters in the district were “galvanized.”

“They’re ready to turn the page on decades of failed leadership,” Korth said.

AP Central U.S. on Twitter: "Ferguson protest leader Cori Bush ousts William Lacy Clay from Missouri congressional seat his family held for half-century. https://t.co/JznCdulYWv" / Twitter
then
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "Absolutely incredible.
Congratulations, [MENTION=990]CO[/MENTION]riBush - YOU accomplished this w/ the people of Ferguson & #MO1.
You‘ve shown that the power of grassroots, mass-movement politics is stronger than gatekeepers & big money - it’s about advancing the tide of justice whose time has come." / Twitter

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
then
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "" / Twitter

 

[lpetrich]

Ayanna Pressley on Twitter: "Congresswoman, you are going to be exceptional.
Looking forward to serving with you [MENTION=990]CO[/MENTION]riBush" / Twitter

Rashida Tlaib also won, and won big against Brenda Jones. With 107,654 votes counted and 98% of precincts reporting, it was

RT 66.3%, BJ 33.7%

A crushing victory, almost as big as AOC vs. MCC.

Rashida Tlaib on Twitter: "Headlines said I was the most vulnerable member of the Squad.
My community responded last night and said our Squad is big. It includes all who believe we must show up for each other and prioritize people over profits. It’s here to stay, and it’s only getting bigger." / Twitter
then
Rashida Tlaib on Twitter: "Thank you to every neighbor, community member, voter, volunteer, door-knocker, friend, staff, and family member. Thank you for believing in me and my team as we serve you. Thank you for showing up for each other and for this movement.
The work continues. Onward." / Twitter

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "Please put some respect on @RashidaTlaib’s victory last night.
She didn’t “survive” - she *overwhelmed* at the polls.
Throughout our first term, we‘ve been told our advocacy is “too much” to be re-elected.
Instead, voters supported her in huge margins. https://t.co/ckF1I9zSBr" / Twitter
noting
Rep. Rashida Tlaib Wins Democratic Primary Challenge In Michigan | HuffPost

“I’m confident in the movement that we started,” Tlaib told supporters on a video livestream as results came in Tuesday night. “Our country is ready ― is ready for someone like me and others that are saying, enough, enough with corporate greed, enough with the assault on our families.”

...
Womack, who does not live in Tlaib’s district and counts both Tlaib and Jones as friends, noted that local Democratic Party institutions, including the 13th Congressional District Democratic Party, rallied to Tlaib’s side.

“Clearly they feel she’s served the community in a capacity that would allow them to endorse her reelection,” he said.

 

[lpetrich]

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "Two years ago, three out of the four women running grassroots campaigns in @knockdownmovie lost their primary election.
Today, 3 out of 4 won.
If you haven’t seen it yet, you can find @ CoriBush’s story in Knock Down the House on YouTube (& Netflix): (links)" / Twitter
noting
Knock Down The House | FULL FEATURE | Netflix - YouTube

Of the four, Amy Vilela isn't running this time around, but campaigning for others. The other three, AOC, CB, and Paula Jean Swearengin, all won primaries. AOC and CB will likely have easy wins in the upcoming general elections, but PJS will have a much more difficult time.


All the members of Congress who have lost their primaries in 2020 so far, and why - The Washington Post

1. William Lacy Clay, D-MO-01, from 2001. Beaten by Cori Bush.

2. Steve Watkins, R-KS-02, from 2019. Charged with vote fraud by registering with the location of a UPS store rather than his home address. He claimed that it was an innocent mistake and that the charges were "hyperpolitical". "Even before the charges, Republican elites, including in the Trump campaign, wanted Watkins out because they viewed him as a weak candidate with a history of controversy, including inflating his résumé." Beaten by Jake LaTurner.

3. Eliot Engel, D-NY-16, from 1989. Beaten by Jamaal Bowman.

4. Daniel Lipinski D-IL-03, from 2005. Beaten by Marie Newman.

5. Steve King, R-IA-04, from 2003. A history of bigoted remarks and white-nationalist sympathies. Beaten by Randy Feenstra.

6. Denver Riggleman, R-VA-05, from 2019. Not conservative enough, including officiating at a same-sex wedding. Beaten by Bob Good.

7. Scott Tipton, R-CO-03, from 2011. Not conservative enough. Beaten by Lauren Boebert. "She proudly talked about keeping her gun-themed restaurant, Shooters Grill, open in the middle of the pandemic. She has also said she hopes the QAnon conspiracy theory is real — one of a couple of adherents who have won congressional primaries recently."

 

[lpetrich]

The next primaries are:

• Thu 6-Aug - TN
• Sat 8-Aug - HI
• Tue 11-Aug - CT, MN, VT, WI
• Tue 18-Aug - AK, FL, WY

and some September ones, the last ones in this national election season.

Minnesota is the home of

Inspiring
Leadership
Has
A
Name

and she has her primary next week.

Ilhan Omar’s August Day of Action - she had a lot of guests.
AOC mocks "mediocre Republican freshmen" - YouTube
AOC says Rep. Ilhan Omar facing tough primary challenge because she's 'damn effective' | Fox News - "'Because when you speak truth to power, power fights back,' Ocasio-Cortez said" - Like financing AOC primary opponent Michelle Caruso-Cabrera.

act.tv - "We’re a progressive media company specializing in live streaming and digital strategy ... We create news and opinion content for our network of social media channels every day."

 

[lpetrich]

"Send her back... to Congress!"

IO had some guests, starting out with MN Attorney General Keith Ellison, the previous occupant of her Congressional seat.

KE talked about elections as a way of reaching out to people, of getting feedback from them about what issues are important. Mailers and ads are not enough, because their recipients can't do feedback. Door knocking and phone calls and social-media livestreams are important.

Then Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, D-NJ. She wants fewer cops in schools on the ground that they tend to overreact and get aggressive, and she also wants less concern about dress codes and hairstyles in schools.

Then AOC (IO: "my sister in service", "I call her Alex") IO: what it was like to live paycheck to paycheck. Then on how policies like the Green New Deal and Housing for All are "aspirational" because not much of Congress has signed on to them. AOC responded that it implies "So you shouldn't try." Then how she thinks that many people's standards are much higher for her and like-minded Congresspeople than for mediocre Republican freshmen.

AOC: We are leaders in housing because we pay rent (laughs). We bring an urgency to the process because of what many people have to go through. A lot of people act as if AOC's and IO's and like-minded congresspeople had dropped in from an alien spaceship, when a lot of other countries have done similar things.

IO mentioned tent cities of homeless people in parks and the like. Very triggering because she had once lived very similarly in a refugee camp. Why let such things happen when one can afford to fix such things? IO: nobody calls economic-elite tax cuts "aspirational". AOC then said that it isn't an accident that she had a Wall-Street-funded primary challenger, that Rashida Tlaib had a challenger, that IO has one, because "when you speak truth to power, power fights back." AOC: $3M spent against her + dark-money super PAC + self-loan of $1M some 72 - 90 hours before Election Day. $M's dumped in blue districts to primary strong voices - not normal, unprecedented - because campaign financiers usually direct their money to whatever they think will get a good payback, like flipping a seat. When big-money lobbyists dump a lot of money into an IO challenger's campaign, that shows how threatening she is to them. Big Real Estate, the military-industrial complex, etc.

AOC: we succeeded because we stayed the course and not be pressured by big-money lobbyists. Lots of organizing, including remote organizing with phonebanks. "Show the strength of this movement". We won by "working our butts off" during COVID-19 and BLM protests. We out-hustled them. "We out-worked and out-hustled", because that's what defeats big money spent against us.

IO then said that it was an honor to be on this journey with AOC. Mentioned "relational organizing" with family and friends, getting people involved. Nice weather that day, makes it easier to go door-to-door. Then congratulated AOC and said that the two would be meeting the next week in Congress. AOC concluded that everybody must ensure that IO is well-fed and well-watered. Bring snacks for her. IO: AOC, Rashida, Ayanna do that to her all the time.

 

[lpetrich]

Then Maurice Mitchel, Working Families Party director. He talked about inside-outside activism. That's politicians, the ones on the inside, working with activists, the ones on the outside. IO talked about bringing her lived experiences to committee hearings - Budget, Foreign Affairs, Education and Labor.

IO and MM addressed the question of successes like IO and AOC and Rashida Tlaib and Ayanna Pressley, but they agreed that such successes aren't typical.

Finally Ayanna Pressley. At one point, IO and AP joked about how AOC was stuck in some plain sort of room.

IO says if one is living long-term somewhere, then one should take care of it and act like it's one's home. Which she has been doing as a US citizen.

AP mentioned how it took a LONG time to get a vote on DC statehood, something that happened very recently. Then how Medicare for All support is increasing.

Then they got into student debt and how it is a great burden. Like what many teachers suffer from.

 

[lpetrich]

Ilhan Omar takes heat from Democratic primary rivals, who claim she’s ‘Trump’s best dream’ | Fox News - IO was up against challengers Antone Melton-Meaux and John Mason.
Noting
Omar, Melton-Meaux, Mason debate Friday on WCCO radio | WCCO

Omar, who just completed her first term, opened the debate by saying, "I have been able to think big and fight for progressive values of Minnesota's 5th."

One of her two main challengers in the DFL primary, John Mason, said he holds true Midwestern values. "I know people of the 5th want to be part of a more united Minnesota. When we have controversy on one end and big money on the other. We need someone in the middle."

Antone Melton-Meaux said, "I have a calling to solve big problems. The toxic nature of Washington won't end, and I have the right experience and capability to get things done."

Omar added, "I don't have the support of people because they like me. I have their support because I get things done."

...
Mason talked about how how uncomfortable he is with where those donations come from. "That was a very good spin by Antone, and I don't believe it. As an openly gay black man, I'm very aware of where these donations, and dark money, comes from. Many of them are xenophobic, anti-Muslim, and very homophobic. I feel like Antone has sold us out."

Omar fought back against Melton-Meaux's statements on where his donations come from. "I appreciate John Mason and what he said. The Republican running in this district has raised more money than anyone has raised collectively. That money is based on that chant from the president and supporters to send me back to where I came from. They would support Mickey Mouse if he was running against me. They are invested in creating a toxic environment.

Back to Fox News.

“Her quote is she's Trump's ‘worst nightmare,’ but really in actuality, in many ways she's Trump's best dream,” primary challenger John Mason said in a WCCO radio debate, “And Trump is a racist, but really the only one benefiting from Omar is Omar in lots of things.”

...
“I am called to solve big problems, and we have to be honest, the toxic nature in Washington has kept us from getting to solutions in education and healthcare, climate, because we don't need more dividers -- we need more uniters,” Melton-Meaux said.

About paying her husband's company over $1M, and over the 1st 3 wks of July, $600 K,

“I don't pay my husband. I pay the firm to do work and that 600 really is an example of that work,” she said in response. ‘It was the first time we placed a TV ad, which is surprising to me because that's not something we're used to in the fifth, and that money went to place that ad and to make sure we have digital ads, to make sure we have literature that's being sent to our constituents, because it is get out the vote efforts for us.”

AMM:

“The cold hard truth is the congresswoman has one of the worst voter attendance records in the U.S. House in 2019, she missed 40 votes. That's just the truth,” he said. “And these are important votes for the residents, she has silenced us on these issues, she's frankly, disenfranchised us on these issues. And when she does vote, she's not voting consistent with the values of this district.”

 

[lpetrich]

Maite Salazar for MO-5 on Twitter: "Why Missouri Congress races are important to the entire country! ..." / Twitter - this was late last year.

Why Missouri Congress races are important to the entire country! [THREAD]
👁👁

We have *8* districts in Missouri. SIX of those districts have Republicans. Our two senators are Republican. That means Democrats only control 2/10 seats. And both are centrists.

BUT

(I'm re-doing this because I got ahead of myself) We have six Democratic challengers. Four of which I know of, are progressives. Which would mean that four out of the 10 total federal seats would be held by progressives. Can you imagine that?

It would be a huge tipping point if Missouri could have that many progressives in office. In a state that passes barbaric abortion bans, denies workers rights, our right to vote on issues, lets farmers pay back FEMA without a fuss, and is considered one of the most dangerous states to travel to? Can you imagine if MO had half of the Congress seats filled by progressives? It would show the world that the Midwest is not afraid of the #GreenNewDeal or #MedicareForAll . It would flip a solidly red state. And we would be able to connect the country in a way that is new, and beneficial to all of us. It would allow us to make inclusive policies like never before. Missouri is important to all of us, and I encourage you to: Follow/RT/ and PLEASE DONATE to these people. (Again, if I left anyone out, please let me know)

They are:
MO-1: @ CoriBush
MO-3 @ForOglesby
MO-5 @MaiteSalazar4MO
MO-8 @ellis4congress

I've been told to add:
MO-4: @LynzforCongress !!!
Everyone Follow/RT/Donate Because this means we would have a Progressive majority in the House seats.

HOLY CRAP

I've corrected a typo and removed some of the spacing. Someone mentioned MO-2 @JillSchupp

She got only 14.3% of the vote, while Emanuel Cleaver, the centrist incumbent that she was challenging, got 85.7%. EC got into the House on 2005. Of the other MO Dem Reps, MO-1 Cori Bush made big news for bumping off Lacy Clay, MO-2 Jill Schupp is unopposed, MO-3 Dennis Oglesby got 33.1% with opponent Megan Rezabek getting 66.9%, MO-8 Kathy Ellis is unopposed.

 

[lpetrich]

Cori Bush Knocks Off Half-Century Dynasty of Rep. Lacy Clay
notes
Gabe Fleisher on Twitter: "SCOOP: I've obtained the first comment from the Clay family since the longtime dynasty was defeated last night.
"The Clays' years of elected public service...has ended," says frmr Rep. Bill Clay (father of Lacy), blaming "outside money from sources associated w/ Bernie Sanders" https://t.co/43Rvwr1fcb" / Twitter

"Bad news....My son Lacy lost.... Outside money from sources associated with Bernie Sanders spent $250,000 in television ads the last week."

"The Clays' years of elected public service Alderman Iriving Clay (12 years), Lacy Clay (state legislative 17 years & Congress 20 years), and my 42 years (10 years local & 32 years Congress) - has ended...."

"But we are extremely proud of our more than 91 years of representing the people and thank the millions of combined votes cast expressing approval of our representation." former Rep. Bill Clay

About William Lacy Clay father and son:
Emery Cox on Twitter: "@jacquiredner @WakeUp2Politics They're both named William Lacy Clay (Sr. goes by "Bill" and Jr. goes by "Lacy"), apparently after Bill's grandfather, who was named after his father, Squire Lacy Clay. Beyond that, I can't figure it out." / Twitter

Jake Griffin on Twitter: "@WakeUp2Politics @ScottCharton As a former constituent of both Clays, I look at the district today and wonder what public service did they do." / Twitter

Joyce DiGuglielmo on Twitter: "@DHJakeGriffin @WakeUp2Politics @ScottCharton Indeed. After 20 years in Congress, the rest of us ask, "Lacy who?"." / Twitter

Like Joe Crowley.
In Tuesday’s primary, four New York Democrats face challenges on their left - The Washington Post

Ocasio Cortez has never run for office before, but she has proved adept at outflanking Crowley in the media. While Crowley said that ICE had engaged in “fascist” tactics, Ocasio Cortez called for it to be abolished. When Crowley skipped a forum with the Pan-American Democratic Association in Queens, the club endorsed her.

“The only people who know who Joe Crowley is are machine insiders, Beltway insiders, and prolific fundraisers. When I tell people that Joe Crowley may be the next speaker of the House, they say: Joe, who?”

 

[lpetrich]

Sean Biehle on Twitter: "@WakeUp2Politics While @ CoriBush was on the front lines, @LacyClayMO1 seemed to forget the role his father had in the Civil Rights movement spending more than 100 days in jail from the Jefferson Bank Demonstration in 1963." / Twitter

Going to fec.gov I find:

[TABLE="class: grid"]
[TR]
[TD]Amount[/TD]
[TD]LC[/TD]
[TD]CB[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]$200 and under [/TD]
[TD]$7,250.22[/TD]
[TD]$392,306.62[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]$200.01—$499 [/TD]
[TD]$6,877.00[/TD]
[TD]$36,397.25[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]$500—$999 [/TD]
[TD]$20,975.00[/TD]
[TD]$18,521.20[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]$1,000—$1,999 [/TD]
[TD]$61,600.00[/TD]
[TD]$31,225.00[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]$2,000 and over [/TD]
[TD]$82,700.00[/TD]
[TD]$59,090.00
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Total
[/TD]
[TD]$743,124.84
[/TD]
[TD]$569,051.83
[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
CB got a LOT more in small contributions than LC did.

Here are the three biggest contributor states to each:

• LC: MO $46,893.25, CA $17,250.00, NY $16,800.00
• CB: CA $42,759.07, MO $24,983.79, NY $17,804.23

California is also AOC's biggest contributor state, even more than New York.

 

[lpetrich]

"Justice Democrats was born out of the group Brand New Congress, which had initially launched with the plan to oust all 435 members of Congress, but that ambitious objective looked to be going zero for 435 heading into the spring. So Justice Democrats, after it split from BNC, chose one race to go all-in on — Ocasio-Cortez’s — and followed that with a win by Ayanna Pressley in Boston."

Waleed Shahid on Twitter: ".@ CoriBush started out her victory speech with shoutouts to: @JusticeDems, @BrandNew535, @sunrisemvmt, @DemSocialists, @BernieSanders, and many others.
Also, I love her dad! https://t.co/73afhkLd1l" / Twitter

Brand New Congress, Justice Democrats, the Democratic Socialists of America, Matriarch PAC, the Sunrise Movement, Bernie Sanders, Jamaal Bowman, ...

Eva Putzova on Twitter: "We are changing the rules of politics with the wins but also with the loses. This is no sprint but marathon. From a supporter today: "I am 86 and you are the first candidate that I contributed to. We’ll get him next time."" / Twitter


Marianne Williamson | Join the Evolution
with
Marianne's Down-Ballot Progressive Candidate Summit - July 30 and August 2 |

So she's joined Bernie Sanders and Andrew Yang in endorsing Congressional candidates.

 

[lpetrich]

Also Elizabeth Warren and Katie Hill and Katie Porter.


Becky Zosia Dernbach on Twitter: "While Ilhan's opponents have tried to paint her as ineffective and out of touch with constituents, immigration experts and advocates say "she's the strongest advocate on immigration issues in Congress." Must-read pre-election story from @IHirsi. https://t.co/X4codTQp8N" / Twitter
noting
Ilhan Omar has an immigration agenda—and it’s the opposite of Trump’s. - "Ilhan Omar, the only refugee in Congress, talks to Sahan Journal about putting immigration at the front of her agenda—and why some people want her out of office."

The ban was a controversial executive order that Trump signed on January 27, 2017, just a week after he came to power. The order, as Ilhan and others see it, fulfilled a promise Trump had made as a candidate in 2015, when he called for “a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States.”

Citing national security concerns, the initial executive order put a temporary halt to the arrival of immigrants and refugees from several Muslim-majority countries—including Ilhan’s native country, Somalia. Later versions expanded the list to include non-Muslim nations like Venezuela and North Korea.

But Ilhan, speaking on the House floor on that day, said that the decision to suspend the arrival of Muslims from certain Muslim countries is just another attempt by Trump and his administration “to wrap their hateful policy up in a false story about national security.”

...
For Ilhan, immigration issues—the travel ban, the deportation raids, the arbitrary detentions of undocumented residents, the barring of people from Muslim-majority countries, the separation of migrant children from their parents—these aren’t obscure subjects for legislative debate. They’re personal.

Then about her being a refugee from Somalia, her coming to the US, and her career in public office.

For the better part of Ilhan’s first term, Trump and right-wing activists have often targeted her as a foreign enemy, through Fox News, speeches, campaign mailers, and on social media.

Last summer, for instance, Trump falsely claimed that Ilhan “hates” America and that she often sympathizes with extremist groups such as al Qaeda. A couple of months later, in September, he retweeted a post that Ilhan “partied” in celebration of the terrorist attacks on September 11.

...
Ilhan said she isn’t surprised that politicians and racist social media trolls have been targeting her for being Black, Muslim and an immigrant. “I’m a complete unicorn,” she said. “Here in Congress, anyone who has any of the marginalized identities that I represent would face a hostile environment, let alone someone who has all of them at the same time.”

‘We don’t need someone distracted with Twitter’: Ilhan Omar fights off tough primary challenge - POLITICO

“We don't need someone distracted with Twitter fights,” said primary challenger Antone Melton-Meaux, who pledges to focus on local issues and avoid the spotlight. “I don't want to be a celebrity. I want to serve the people, and people are tired of the politics of division and distraction.”

The first Black Muslim woman to serve in Congress, Omar has built an image as a progressive champion who isn’t afraid to stand up to Trump. The president, in turn, has frequently singled out the freshman lawmaker, disparaging her as an anti-Semite, an “America-hating socialist” and falsely claiming that she publicly supports al Qaeda.

Her primary election is coming up on Tuesday.

 

[lpetrich]

'People are ready to see Black women lead': US sees wave of progressive victories by people of color | US news | The Guardian

I looked for anything new on Jen Perelman, and I couldn't find anything. She is running against Debbie Wasserman Schultz of FL-23, and her primary comes up on August 18.

But in September 1, we have some big ones in Massachusetts.

For whatever curious reason, nobody is opposing Ayanna Pressley. The right-wing moneybags who finance opposition to AOC, RT, and IO might also want to defeat AP, but for whatever reason, they haven't tried. Who might they choose? Someone who checks off some identity checkboxes?

Identity resemblance is what MCC seems like. Who better to run against a white-looking Caribbean Latin American woman with a hyphenated last name than another white-looking Caribbean Latin American woman with a hyphenated last name?

 

[lpetrich]

The biggest one coming up is Alex Morse vs. Richard Neal in MA-01. RN has been in the House for AM's whole life, and he is now head of the Ways and Means Committee. But AM is now caught up in a sex scandal.

Justice Democrats candidate accused of inappropriate sexual behavior - POLITICO

Three groups of college Democrats in Massachusetts disinvited left-wing congressional primary challenger and Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse from all future events alleging that he showed a pattern of using “his platform and taking advantage of his position of power for romantic or sexual gain, specifically toward young students.”

The email, sent on Thursday and signed by College Democrats of Massachusetts, U-Mass.-Amherst Democrats, and Amherst College Democrats alleged that Morse, who is challenging House Ways and Means Chairman Richie Neal, had “sexual contact” with students at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, where he was a lecturer on political science.

“Numerous incidents over the course of several years have shown that it is no longer appropriate to encourage interaction between College Democrats and Alex Morse,” they wrote.

In a letter sent back to the groups on Thursday and obtained by POLITICO, Morse wrote, “I want to be clear that every relationship I’ve had has been consensual. However, I also recognize that I have to be cognizant of my position of power.” He continued: “Navigating life as both a young gay man and an elected official can be difficult, but that doesn’t excuse poor judgment.”

In a statement, Morse acknowledged relationships with college students and said the relationships were consensual. Asked if the allegations of “sexual contact” with students at the college where he taught, Morse’s campaign did not respond.

From
College Democrats allege inappropriate behavior between Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse and college students – Massachusetts Daily Collegian

In the statement, Morse referenced the difficulties of growing up gay and closeted, and how he struggled with accepting his identity throughout high school.

“As I’ve become more comfortable with myself and my sexuality, like any young, single, openly gay man, I have had consensual adult relationships, including some with college students,” Morse said. “Navigating life as both a young gay man and an elected official can be difficult, but that doesn’t excuse poor judgment.”

 

[lpetrich]

UMass College Democrats allege Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse acted inappropriately toward college students - masslive.com

According to the student-run newspaper, Morse, 31, who teaches political science at UMass, matched with students as young as 18 on dating apps like Tinder and Grindr.

In a written statement, Morse apologized saying he needs to be more mindful of his own position of power.

Grindr is a dating app that caters to gay men.

The Recorder - I believe in Alex Morse - someone who likes him.

Meet Alex Morse, the gay progressive mayor taking on a 30-year Democratic incumbent | Salon.com

At age 22, Alex Morse was elected mayor of Holyoke, Massachusetts, while still a senior at Brown University, becoming the youngest openly gay mayor in America. It's the only job he's known for his adult working life.

...
Morse comes across as thoughtful and self-assured, with an irrepressible lifelong love for, of all things, local civics, which he's been engaged with since middle school.

Working Families Party endorses Massachusetts progressives Ed Markey and House challenger Alex Morse - CNNPolitics

Morse is challenging Rep. Richard Neal, the chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, who has come under fire from the left -- and other more moderate factions of the party -- for not pursuing oversight efforts into President Donald Trump and his administration with sufficient urgency.

Richard Neal is also a big acceptor of corporate money, one of the biggest in either party. He also opposes Medicare for All.

Defending Markey's seat will be a formidable test for the progressives, who are working in 2020 to both grow their presence in Congress and consolidate the gains of two years ago. That the challenge, in this contest, comes from a Kennedy -- in Massachusetts -- further complicates the task, but offers the movement an opportunity to show its strength and potentially embolden other incumbent legislators to buck leadership and advocate more aggressively for left-wing priorities.

"The message (to other liberal lawmakers) is that if you're a real partner and truly accountable and demonstrate that, not in a transactional way, but in a way where you really have skin in the game, then that partnership extends throughout the year and during election time," Mitchell said.

In effect, an inside-outside strategy.