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  1. #1
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    2022 US Mid-term elections

    Colorado GOP senator becomes Democrat, cites vote falsehoods


    DENVER (AP) — Citing alarm toward the Republican Party’s widespread embrace of 2020 election conspiracies, a moderate GOP Colorado state senator has switched his affiliation to Democrat, enhancing that party’s prospects to retain its majority in the chamber in the November midterms.

    Kevin Priola, who represents Adams County in Denver’s suburbs, said in a letter Monday he was horrified by the Jan. 6 insurrection on the U.S. Capitol and had waited in vain for his party to repudiate it as well as former President Donald Trump, who continues to insist that it was stolen.

    “It never came,” Priola said. “To my dismay, brave and honorable Republicans like Mike Pence, Liz Cheney, Mitt Romney and Adam Kinzinger have fought to defend the Constitution and the rule of law only to be met with ridicule and threats.”

    “I cannot continue to be part of a political party that is okay with a violent attempt to overturn a free and fair election and continues to peddle claims that the 2020 election was stolen,” Priola said.

    Numerous assertions that the presidential election was stolen have been proven false.

    Pence, the former vice president, has been vilified in the GOP for certifying the results of the 2020 presidential race in the hours after the insurrection. Romney has been a target of Trump-aligned Republicans hostile toward the Utah senator who have used his name to derisively brand their rivals “Mitt Romney Republicans.” Kinzinger, an Illinois congressman, has been one of Trump’s fiercest critics. Cheney, who is leading the investigation into the insurrection as vice chair of the 1/6 committee, lost her Wyoming primary bid for reelection to Congress to a Trump-endorsed candidate last week.

    Priola is in his second term as a state senator and is not up for reelection in November. But his switch increases the party’s chances of keeping control of the chamber in the midterms, with Democrats now holding a 21-14 majority. Seventeen of the chamber’s 35 seats are up for election this year.

    Priola also cited what he called the GOP’s refusal to address climate change. “Today, my Republican colleagues would rather deny the existence of human-caused climate change than take action,” he wrote.

    Priola has often voted with Democrats on legislation intended to address climate change and other issues. He said he will caucus with Senate Democrats but continue an independent streak that includes strong opposition to abortion.

    Democratic Senate President Steve Fenberg and Gov. Jared Polis welcomed Priola’s decision. State GOP reaction was swift, with party chair Kristi Burton Brown accusing Priola in a statement of “lying to his constituents” and saying: “Priola will regret this decision when he is in the minority come January 2023.”

    https://apnews.com/article/2022-midt...39bf9e196f94c1

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    NBC News survey finds 2022 midterms have entered uncharted territory

    WASHINGTON — If it’s Monday ... A new NBC News poll finds 57% of voters want the Trump investigations to continue. ... Democrats’ Senate campaign arm outraises Republicans’ for fourth-straight month, NBC’s Natasha Korecki reports. ... NBC News’ Henry Gomez and Allan Smith wrap Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ campaign swing through Ohio and Pennsylvania. ... And the Florida and New York primaries are just a day away.

    But first: With the midterms now less than three months away, our latest NBC News poll finds that it’s shaping up to be a midterm election unlike any we’ve ever seen before.

    The traditional measurements — presidential job approval, the country’s direction, generic ballot — all point to a rough election season for the power controlling the White House and Congress, akin to what we saw in 1994, 2006, 2010, 2014 and 2018.

    Per our poll, President Biden’s job rating is at 42% (even after some big wins); more than 70% believe the country is headed in the wrong direction for a fifth-straight NBC News survey (a record in our poll); and Republicans lead in congressional preference by 2 points (after being tied in May).

    All three measurements would be pointing to shellacking for the president’s party in our Midterm Meter.

    Yet other numbers in our poll make it clear this doesn’t look like 1994/2006/2010/2014/2018.

    For starters, Democrats have now drawn even with Republicans on enthusiasm, with 66% of Democratic voters expressing high interest in the upcoming midterms, versus 68% for Republicans.
    In past shellackings, the party out of power has enjoyed double-digit leads (or close to it) on this question in our poll (using either October or merged data from previous years).


    • 2006: D+13
    • 2010: R+17
    • 2014: R+11
    • 2018: D+9
    • Now: R+2


    The main driver of that uptick in Democratic enthusiasm is the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade, and the poll finds 58% of voters disapproving of that decision, versus 38% who approve.

    In addition, “threats to democracy” has overtaken cost of living as voters’ top issue facing the country — after months of cost of living being No. 1 in the poll. (Still, cost of living and jobs/economy are two of the Top 3 issues in the poll.)

    And then there’s the Trump factor, with the NBC News survey showing 57% of voters believing the investigations into Trump should continue.

    Add them all up, and it sure looks like we’re headed for a much more unpredictable November than we had previously thought.

    What’s also unpredictable is that we’re still in August with plenty of big weeks to go until the election.

    Data Download: The number of the day is … 21%

    That’s the share of registered voters in a new national NBC News poll who say the most important issue facing the country is “threats to democracy.” That surpasses cost of living (16%); jobs and the economy (14%); immigration and the situation at the border (13%); climate change (9%); guns (8%); abortion (8%); and crime (6%). Just 1% of voters list the coronavirus as the most important issue.

    A plurality of Democrats (29%) say threats to democracy was the most important issue facing the country, while 17% of independents and 17% of Republicans agree. A slightly higher percentage of independents (21%) list cost of living as the No. 1 issue, while a plurality of Republicans (26%) say immigration is the most important issue.

    While voters express a concern about threats to democracy, it appears so far that Democrats haven’t leaned into the issue in the midterm elections. A Politico analysis of AdImpact data found that less than 4% of the $300 million Democrats have spent on ads were on spots that mentioned the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol, democracy or stolen elections.

    Other numbers to know:

    $2.2 million: How much the National Republican Senatorial Committee spent on ads in Wisconsin and Arizona following a New York Times report that the committee was cutting ad spending in battlegrounds, per Fox News.

    $1.6 billion: The size of a new donation to a new political group helmed by Leonard Leo, the longtime conservative legal activist, per new reporting from The New York Times about the unique and possibly record-breaking donation.

    2: How many bills House Oversight Committee Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., introduced on Friday aimed at the firearm industry.

    $3.90: The average price of a gallon of unleaded gas in America, per AAA, a decline the White House is celebrating but one experts say could be short-lived.

    6,800:
    How many times drivers in Kinney County, Texas, have received citations from Texas Department of Public Safety officers looking for smugglers and illegal immigrants, the most of any county in the state, per an NBC news analysis of Texas DPS data that showed increased citations in Latino-majority and border counties.

    1,043: The number of LGBTQ elected officials in office 2022, a 6% increase from 2021, per a new report from the LGBTQ Victory Institute.

    206: The number of full-time statehouse reporters in America, per Pew Research, down from 369 in 2003.

    Midterm roundup: Running with Ron

    Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., hit the campaign trail over the weekend to boost GOP candidates for Senate and governor in Ohio and Pennsylvania, following an earlier stop in Arizona. The events, sponsored by Turning Point Action, offered a preview of a potential DeSantis presidential run in 2024 as he railed against “woke ideology,” NBC News’ Henry Gomez and Allan Smith report.

    DeSantis stumped for Senate hopeful J.D. Vance in Ohio and controversial gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano in Pennsylvania. Ohio GOP Gov. Mike DeWine, who is up for re-election, as well as Republican Senate nominee Mehmet Oz, did not attend the events (Oz, Smith reported last week, has mainly avoided Mastriano on the campaign trail).

    But Oz and Mastriano are expected to appear at a Trump rally in Wilkes-Barre on Sept. 5, which, Gomez and Smith note, was announced during DeSantis’ Pennsylvania speech.

    Elsewhere on the campaign trail:

    Arizona Senate: Arizona Republican Blake Masters is up with a new spot that criticizes the “Democrats in charge” for failing on the border, the supply chain and crime, arguing that his bid for Senate is motivated by the same frustrations about those issues felt by many Americans.

    Georgia Senate: Republican Herschel Walker has declined an invitation to appear at a debate co-sponsored by 3WMAZ, Atlanta station 11Alive, Georgia Public Broadcasting, The Telegraph and Mercer’s Center for Collaborative Journalism at Mercer University. In his refusal, Walker said he didn’t want to do a debate seen by only a handful of people and on a Sunday, although the debate is actually scheduled for Thursday and will be televised statewide and held in front of a live audience.

    Nevada Senate: Club for Growth Action launched a new ad over the weekend that slams Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez-Masto for supporting a sweeping package that includes more funding for IRS agents. The spot is part of a $2 million buy, per a press release from the group.

    Pennsylvania Senate: Senate Leadership Fund, a super PAC aligned with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, launched its first negative ad targeting Democrat John Fetterman.
    Wisconsin Senate: Republican Sen. Ron Johnson said that Social Security “was set up improperly” and would have been better as an investment in the stock market, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

    Arizona Governor: It’s an open question whether Arizona’s gubernatorial nominees will debate, with Democratic Sec. State Katie Hobbs’ campaign saying they have concerns about how the Citizens Clean Elections ran its GOP primary debate this cycle, per 3TV/CBS5, and Republican Kari Lake responding by challenging Hobbs to a debate at the time and place of her choosing.

    Georgia Governor: Democrat Stacey Abrams once opposed abortion rights, but is now making protecting them central to her gubernatorial run, per the New York Times, which delved into her “evolution” on the issue. Her campaign is out with a new spot with women attacking the state’s laws on abortion that they say leads to “forced pregnancy” and “criminaliz[ing] women.”
    Michigan Governor: Republican nominee Tudor Dixon tapped Shane Hernandez, a former state representative, as her running mate.

    Indiana-02: Republican precinct committee members picked Rudy Yakym to be their nominee in the special election to replace the late GOP Rep. Jackie Walorski. Yakym, a businessman who once worked as Walorski’s finance director and was endorsed by Walorski’s husband, is also running for a full term.

    New York-12: A new, last-minute ad ahead of Tuesday’s Democratic primaries accuses Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler of wanting to defund the police and includes violent videos of shootings. The group responsible for the ad doesn’t appear to have filed with the FEC yet.

    Ad watch: Florida Dems duel on women’s rights

    In a closing ad, Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried is making one last appeal to voters ahead of the Democratic gubernatorial primary. The ad features scenes of women marching for their rights throughout history and ends with a clip of Fried at an abortion-rights protest.

    There, she tells attendees, “We have got to be standing on the shoulders of the women that came before us, to show every little girl in Florida and across the country, ‘We are doing this for you.’”

    Fried echoed this sentiment on Friday, when she told Chuck Todd on Meet the Press NOW the nominee “has got to be a female, especially one who has been a staunch supporter of pro-choice and the biggest advocate for our issues.”

    Fried’s opponent, a former Republican governor and current Democratic Rep. Charlie Crist, countered the notion in his Meet the Press NOW appearance moments later.

    “I am the only candidate in this race, that as governor of Florida, even as a Republican, vetoed an anti-abortion bill. And, as a member of the Congress for the past six years, almost, have a 100% rating by Planned Parenthood, a 100% rating by NARAL,” Crist said.

    ICYMI: What else is happening in the world

    NBC News’ Mike Memoli reports on how President Joe Biden’s decision on 2024 threatens to put the party in limbo for the third cycle in a row.

    Trump believes the FBI search at his Mar-a-Lago home could boost his presidential prospects for 2024, but some of his allies aren’t so sure, NBC News’​​ Marc Caputo, Carol E. Lee, Peter Nicholas and Courtney Kube report.

    NBC News’ Julia Ainsley is reporting on new video obtained by NBC News that shows “an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent putting his foot on the neck of a migrant lying face down on the floor of a poultry plant.”

    https://www.nbcnews.com/meet-the-pre...tory-rcna44172

  3. #3
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    Glad we did not have to find out what would have happened if Mike Pence had not done his constitutional duty.

  4. #4
    Guest Member S Landreth's Avatar
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    Spoiler alert.

    Democrats will maintain their hold on the Senate and might pick up one extra seat giving Mrs. Harris a break. Not that she’ll need it because the House will flip and for the next two years the Republicans will be busy voting to repeal Joe Biden’s IRA law.
    Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.

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    As good a Thread as any ...

    ---

    The Koch network and other Trump allies are quietly backing his biggest GOP critic: Rep. Liz Cheney

    Key Points
    • Two PACs backing Liz Cheney hired i360, a data and technology company financed by billionaire Charles Koch, according to Federal Election Commission filings.
    • People close to Donald Trump told CNBC that the former president and his allies could try to get people to stop working with Cheney.


    The Koch network and other Trump allies are quietly backing his biggest GOP critic: Rep. Liz Cheney
    Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago ...


  6. #6
    Guest Member S Landreth's Avatar
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    Florida might be sending one of the youngest reps to the House

    Maxwell Alejandro Frost won.

    U.S. House District 10, an open district spanning much of northern Orange County, is much different from the district Democratic U.S. Rep. Val Demings has represented for the past six years. Thanks to redistricting, U.S. House District 10 is far more diverse.

    But it’s no less Democratic.

    That means Frost, a Black Latino Democratic community organizer and progressive issues activist, is a heavy favorite going into November.

    25-Year-Old Gun Control Advocate Could Be First Gen Z Member of Congress
    Last edited by S Landreth; 24-08-2022 at 08:54 AM.

  7. #7
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by S Landreth View Post
    ^She doesn’t have a snowball’s chance in hell.
    Maybe not, but I'm pretty sure she'd tear baldy orange cunto a new one if given the opportunity to stand on a debate platform with him - which he'd most likely chicken out of if she had the opportunity.

  8. #8
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    Democrat Pat Ryan on Tuesday won the special election for the U.S. House seat in New York's 19th district after it was vacated by Democrat Antonio Delgado, according to the AP.

    Why it matters: The result is an upset for Republicans, who were seen as slight favorites to flip the seat. It's also validation of Democrats' strategy of hammering the issue of abortion in the aftermath of Roe v. Wade being overturned.

    The race was seen as a key test for the two parties' messaging strategies, with Ryan focused on abortion and Republican Marc Molinaro hammering on inflation and crime, as Axios previously reported.

    The context: The Hudson Valley-based 19th district has been a critical building block in Democrats' recent majorities. Delgado, who stepped down in May to serve as New York lieutenant governor, won it by 11 points in 2020, while Biden won it by 2 points.

    Both national parties invested in the race, hoping a win there would provide a burst of enthusiasm heading into November.

    Ryan cast the race as a referendum on abortion after the Supreme Court's decision overturning Roe vs. Wade, while Molinaro stuck to GOP talking points on inflation and crime.

    Ryan and Molinaro, both electorally proven county executives with cross-party appeal, were roughly evenly matched in terms of fundraising.

    The context: Ryan, an Iraq veteran and former business owner, previously ran for the seat in 2018, narrowly losing to Delgado in the primary.

    The following year he won election as executive of Ulster County – the district's population center – in a landslide.

    What we're watching: Ryan shied away from the progressive label in an interview with Axios last month, noting he "increased funding to ... law enforcement" as county executive.

    "I characterize myself as someone who's trying to level some of the foundational inequities we've allowed to be built in our country," he said. "Whatever label we want to apply to that, I think it's more about actually delivering on those results."

    Still, he also positioned himself as a staunch advocate for major judicial and political reforms, indicating openness to expanding the Supreme Court and nuking the filibuster.

    In addition to abortion, he made gun control and voting rights key issues of his campaign.

    What they're saying: Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chair Sean Patrick Maloney (D-N.Y.) said Ryan's win "sends a clear message that voters are fighting back against Republicans’ extreme attacks on abortion rights and their fundamental freedoms."

    The other side: Molinaro did not concede the election in a speech Tuesday night, telling supporters "spend the night with us as we wait for every vote to come in ... we're going to make sure every voice is heard and every vote is counted."

    "We are not going anywhere," he said. "Whether it's tonight or it's Nov. 8, we are going to win the 19th congressional district."

    What's next: Molinaro's run in November will not be against Ryan, who's contesting the general election in an adjacent district being vacated by Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (D-N.Y.).

    Ryan is set to face Republican state Assemblyman Colin Schmitt, while Molinaro will go up against Democratic attorney Josh Riley.

    __________




    _______________

    14 Democratic Senate seats are up for reelection. Democrats have to keep all 14 and have to take one Republican seat away to get to 51.

    Safe Dem seats:

    CA-Padilla
    CO-Bennet
    CT-Blumenthal
    HI-Schatz
    IL-Duckworth
    MD-Van Hollen
    NH-Hassan
    NY-Schumer
    OR-Wyden
    VT-Welch
    WA-Murray

    Ones to watch:

    AZ-Kelly
    GA-Warnock
    NV-Cortez Masto

    One that will be taken away from the Republicans to make it 51 Dem seats

    PA-Oz

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by S Landreth View Post
    One that will be taken away from the Republicans to make it 51 Dem seats
    I think Kelly is close to being called a safe seat at this point.

  10. #10
    Guest Member S Landreth's Avatar
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    An update.

    Of course, AZ - Kelly will win


    So will NV - Cortez Masto and PA - Fetterman



    Safe Dem seats (50):

    AZ-Kelly
    CA-Padilla
    CO-Bennet
    CT-Blumenthal
    HI-Schatz
    IL-Duckworth
    MD-Van Hollen
    NH-Hassan
    NV-Cortez Masto
    NY-Schumer
    OR-Wyden
    PA-Fetterman (flipped from R to D)
    VT-Welch
    WA-Murray

    One to watch (51):

    GA-Warnock


    ___________

    Looking ahead

    • Maybe a Democratic Attorney General for Arizona as opposed to the Republican there now


    Trump’s endorsed GOP’s nominee for Arizona attorney general, Abraham Hamadeh. He won his primary and will face Kris Mayes (D), an attorney and university professor who served for seven years on the Arizona Corporation Commission and supports abortion rights.

    Time: Today

    Abraham Hamadeh - “As Attorney General, I will rebuild the confidence of our elections by prosecuting election fraud to the fullest extent of the law,” the political newcomer from Scottsdale said in a statement. “Confidence in our elections is the cornerstone to our country. We must restore voters’ trust.”

    Years past

    In June 2007, Hamadeh, then 16 years old, became an active member of the online message board Ron Paul Forums, a virtual gathering space for supporters of Ron Paul, a Libertarian, former member of Congress and three-time presidential candidate.

    The most recent archived version of Hamadeh’s profile on the site shows that by October 3, 2010, he had posted 4,163 times. His posts quoted in this story include their original typos, misspellings and grammatical errors.

    Many of the posts are attached to discussions about radical ideas for election reform. They include Hamadeh’s own eugenics-reminiscent proposition that only college-educated Americans who passed intelligence tests should be allowed to vote by law, “not people who just go to a DMV and sign up to vote.”

    In a series of posts that started on October 5, 2008, the 17-year-old aspiring professional wrestler claimed that he altered and then cast his mother’s absentee ballot for Barack Obama, a then-U.S. senator who was running for president.

    “Obama is getting all of this crap simply cause hes black, he has an Arab name, hes the only senator who is black in the Senate, he is successful, and he is a Harvard Law graduate, they're scared they might have a smart man in the white house,” Hamadeh wrote. “Based on Barack Obama's intelligence I casted my vote for him yesterday through absentee.”

    In the same discussion thread, Hamadeh claimed that then-Republican presidential nominee John McCain, who lived in Phoenix, was a “radical fascist.”

    In a subsequent post, Hamadeh wrote this: “No I cannot vote, I just submitted my mothers absentee ballot, she votes who I vote for, she voted for Ron Paul, and I’m saddened that I had to vote for Barack Obama, but it was the right thing I had to do."

    Under Arizona law, it's a felony for a person to knowingly mark a ballot "with the intent to fix an election for that person's own benefit or for that of another person" or to possess anyone’s early ballot other than your own. It's also illegal for anyone younger than 18 to cast a ballot.

    Abe Hamadeh Wants to be Arizona’s Top Cop. As a Teen, He Bragged About Voter Fraud

    ___________

    Just for fun. Tears


    • Laura Loomer speaks to supporters Aug. 23 after her defeat to incumbent Congressman Daniel Webster.



  11. #11
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
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    So the botox-filled harpy has been beaten twice and still doesn't get it?

  12. #12
    Guest Member S Landreth's Avatar
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    I was listening to Mr. Crist a couple days ago. He has to move away from this Christian crap. When he left office as the governor, he had a high approval rating and I’ll vote for him again, but I think his chances of winning are slim.




    California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) on Thursday announced a $100,000 donation to the campaign of Rep. Charlie Crist, who earlier this week secured the Democratic nomination to take on Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) in November’s general election.

    “Time to make Ron DeSantis a one-term governor. I’m pledging $100k right now to @CharlieCrist. Who will join me in helping Charlie become the next Governor of Florida?” Newsom tweeted.

    Crist on Tuesday won Florida’s Democratic gubernatorial primary to take on DeSantis, who is seeking a second term. The Cook Political Report rates the race “likely Republican,” meaning the election analysis site predicts DeSantis is likely to win reelection.

    The donation is the latest shot at Florida by Newsom, who has in recent months taken on a more national profile and spurred speculation about potential White House aspirations.

    Newsom in July launched a new ad, which aired on Fox News, targeting DeSantis and GOP lawmakers over a wave of legislation in the state targeting LGBTQ rights, voting rights, “critical race theory” and abortion.

    “I urge all of you living in Florida to join the fight, or join us in California, where we still believe in freedom — freedom of speech, freedom to choose, freedom from hate and the freedom to love,” Newsom says in the ad.

    DeSantis is widely viewed as a potential presidential candidate in 2024, and he has polled particularly well in instances where former President Trump is taken out of the prospective field. He has earned plenty of media attention and praise from conservatives with legislation targeting discussion of sexual orientation in the classroom and most recently suspended a local prosecutor who did not enforce the state’s abortion ban.

    __________



    Passion about abortion rights has fueled a stunning turnaround in Democrats’ midterm fortunes.

    Why it matters: The inflation slowdown and lower gas prices also are big factors. But officials in both parties tell us abortion has animated Democratic engagement like no other issue since President Trump left office.


    • The result: A reset for a party that was defensive and disillusioned before the Supreme Court ruling in June that overturned Roe v. Wade.
    • 75 days from election day, Democrats now have a good chance of keeping the Senate.
    • And keeping the GOP to a narrow win in the House is now a realistic possibility.


    What’s happening: Abortion has helped drive primary-season triumphs for Democrats both in fundraising and in turnout approaching, and in some cases exceeding, historic 2018 levels.


    • Now, officials in both parties see signs that it could blunt a red wave of GOP midterm gains that once looked inevitable.


    Driving the news: Tuesday night's primaries in New York and Florida offer the latest evidence.


    • Democrat Pat Ryan's unexpected victory in a House special election (NY-19) was driven by a message centered on abortion. “Choice was on the ballot. Freedom was on the ballot, and tonight choice and freedom won," Ryan declared in a post-election victory statement.
    • Ryan's ads focused on protecting abortion rights, while his GOP opponent Marc Molinaro hammered Democrats over the economy and crime. Ryan won by two points in a district Biden carried by the same margin.
    • In Florida's gubernatorial primary, more Democrats showed up to vote (1,513,180) than in 2018 (1,509,960). Given that 2018 was a historically favorable year for Democrats and 2022 recently looked like a Democratic wipeout, the similar level of Democratic engagement is surprising.


    The big picture: An Axios analysis found that Democratic primary turnout for governors' races increased between 2018 and 2022 in five of the eight states holding contested primaries after June, in the aftermath of the Supreme Court's Dobbs decision.




    But, but, but... Republicans have also been turning out at historically high levels throughout the primary calendar.


    • In battleground states like Arizona and Florida, where Democratic primary turnout increased from 2018, Republican turnout in those states was even higher — driven by issues including the economy, immigration and competitive primaries where former President Trump was involved.
    • Democrats may not be able to control that, but if they can give their own base a reason to turn out, they can at least remain competitive.


    Recent polling confirms the growing significance of abortion rights in the midterm dynamic.


    • A Pew Research Center poll conducted Aug. 1-14 found 56% of voters said the issue of abortion would be "very important" in their midterm decision. That's up 13 percentage points from Pew's March survey. The increased interest in abortion was entirely driven by Democratic voters.
    • A new NBC News poll found Democrats closing in on Republican enthusiasm for voting in the midterms, driven by partisans citing abortion as a top issue. Only 38% said they supported the Dobbs decision, while 58% opposed it.
    • Abortion rated as a top issue in last week's Fox News polls in Arizona and Wisconsin, moving closer to economic concerns.
    • In Arizona, 20% of respondents said inflation was the most important issue in the Senate race, with 16% naming abortion rights. In Wisconsin, 28% named economic concerns as the top issue while abortion came in second at 17%.


    The bottom line: The economy is still the dominant issue for voters. But lower gas prices in recent week are helping improve the mood for persuadable voters — and signaling to base voters that they can afford to let themselves be mobilized by issues like reproductive rights rather than pure pocketbook needs.


    • "Gas prices coming down is such a powerful mood enhancement," said one Democratic strategist after witnessing a focus group in a Midwestern battleground race. "People complained about prices and general economic stuff, but there was some optimism that things were improving."
    • "That allows people to focus on the social issue dynamics and divisiveness they don't like."


    ____________

    A little strange.


    • Local Proud Boy Worked Miami-Dade Polling Station for August 23 Primary


    Over the past several years, members of the far-right Proud Boys have sought to make their presence felt in many an avenue of civic life.


    Local school boards. Police departments. Political committees (including one in Miami's own backyard).


    And, as of Florida's August 23 midterm primary elections, the polls. That's right, it seems at least one applicant to work at an election site in Miami-Dade took the county’s encouraging words to "Be a Proud Poll Worker" literally.


    According to a photo posted online by the Twitter account Miami Against Fascism (@MIAAgainstFash), purported Proud Boy member Nowell Salgueiro was one of the many workers who helped voters across Miami-Dade on Florida's primary election day. An image shows him sporting a polling sticker on his plaid button-up shirt with his first name and the word "clerk" scribbled in black Sharpie, posing next to a box labeled "official elections material."

    "So proud of my brother from another mother who is managing one of the voting locations assuring there is election integrity," reads an Instagram post from the far-right group Moms for Liberty. "Lets go!!"

    Suzy Trutie, deputy supervisor of elections for the Miami-Dade County Elections Department, confirmed in an email to New Times that the county hired Salgueiro as a poll worker for Precinct 434 at Banyan Elementary School in Westchester.


    According to Trutie, the requirements to serve as a poll worker include being respectful of all voters, remaining nonpartisan while at the polls, being able to read and write the English language, and being a registered or pre-registered voter in Miami-Dade County. Polling clerks are tasked with supervising the election board, completing required paperwork before the polls open and after they close, and reporting "specified supplies" to the collection center after the polls close.


    "All poll workers attest to remain unbiased, nonpartisan, respectful and professional while performing assigned election duties," Trutie wrote. "Miami-Dade County does not discriminate on the basis of race, gender, orientation, age, disability, religious or political beliefs."


    Since the photo of Salgueiro was posted last night, people across the nation have flooded the tweet with comments.


    "So @MDCElections is now hiring Proud Boys as poll workers @MayorDaniella?" asked Miami-based documentary producer Alfred Spellman, tagging Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine-Cava.

    "Perfectly functional 'democratic” system,'" commented another person.


    "Cool cool cool cool cool cool cool," quipped a third.


    Salgueiro, one of at least six current or former Proud Boys who are reportedly members of the Miami-Dade Republican Executive Committee, has been identified as a Proud Boy by the New York Times and in photos shared on Twitter by Miami Against Fascism. According to public records, he owned a Florida company called Deplorable Troll USA LLC until last year and still owns two others: Strategem Kings Inc. and Cold Concepts Refrigeration & Air Conditioning Corp.


    Court records show Salgueiro was arrested for battery on an Orlando police officer in 2007 and for trespassing after a warning in Miami-Dade in 2010 and pleaded not guilty in both incidents. Records in Orlando do not show any result other than "closed"; the local case was never prosecuted. Two restraining orders were served against him in April involving "dating violence" cases, both of which were later dismissed. A third April restraining order stemming from a stalking case remains open, with a hearing scheduled for Friday, August 26.


    Salgueiro did not answer his phone or respond to a text message from New Times requesting comment.


    https://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/m...imary-15135257

  13. #13
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
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    2022 US Mid-term elections-266280_768_rgb-jpg

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    Once unthinkable, Democrats now see narrow path to keeping the House

    Democrats are voicing growing confidence about limiting losses in the House and potentially even salvaging their majority in the midterm elections, with candidates and allied groups making moves to capitalize on a backlash to abortion restrictions, signs of improvements in the economy and opposition to Donald Trump.

    After months of gloomy predictions, Democrats are investing anew in flipping Republican seats. They are also directing more money to protect a roster of their own endangered incumbents — a list party officials said noticeably shrank since the spring. And they are trying to frame contests around abortion rights, putting Republicans on the defensive for strict opposition to the procedure in the wake of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade.

    Democratic fundraisers have reported an uptick in donations over the last month, and at least one of the party’s biggest donors is considering pouring more money into House races, according to people with knowledge of the situation.

    Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is privately voicing more confidence about the House landscape and opportunities to go on offense, people familiar with the conversations said, while President Biden’s White House has grown more optimistic in its outlook. One Biden adviser reacted with umbrage at a private meeting with reporters this month to the suggestion that Republicans were likely to win back control of Congress.

    While Democrats acknowledge they still face major hurdles, there has been an unmistakable mood shift, according to interviews with candidates, strategists and officials. What was once a party privately bracing for dozens of losses is now one reassessing the House landscape and shifting to a more offensive posture with about 10 weeks left before Election Day.

    “I definitely feel a different energy than even three months ago, but certainly six months ago,” said Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) one of the year’s most vulnerable incumbents. Seeing a “narrow” path to keeping the majority, Slotkin added: “Six months ago I think people were putting safe bets on a real blowout. And I don’t see that happening.”

    One House Democratic strategist, who like others interviewed for this story spoke on the condition of anonymity to speak candidly, was blunter in assessing what it would take to win the 218 seats required to control the House, in a chamber of 435 members. “The range has shifted. The world we were living in before, if we ended up in the 200s that was pretty good,” said the strategist. “Now it is much more that the majority is in play. We have a path. It is there.”

    Democrats are defending only a five-seat majority in the House, putting Republicans well within reach of winning back control. Nonpartisan analysts still regard the GOP as the favorites and history shows the president’s party does not tend to do well in a first midterm. Republican strategists pointed to continued opportunities to make gains where Democrats are on defense and questioned whether recent indicators portend much for the fall, particularly if prices rise again on Democrats’ watch.

    “Every great team experiences some adversity,” Rep. Tom Emmer (Minn.), the chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee, wrote in a memo after a special election loss this past week in New York’s 19th Congressional District. Trying to calm Republican nerves, much as Democrats had been doing last year, he added: “This will only make us stronger heading into Election Day.”

    Yet several Republican strategists have expressed concern about winning the House with only single-digit margins, which would make it harder for Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) to easily ascend to speaker and could complicate the party’s ability to rally for even routine partisan votes. Those same strategists had hoped earlier this year to win a margin of 20 or more on the backs of a soured national mood and rising inflation.

    In the battle for the Senate, Democrats started seeing signs of encouragement earlier this summer, due to unsteady Republican candidates and other factors that are also starting to show up in House races, party strategists said. Abortion has been a major driver of the improved Democratic outlook, they noted, with the Supreme Court decision in June to strike down the constitutional right to abortion as a key inflection point that angered many voters.

    In four special elections for House seats since that decision — including in New York’s 19th District, where the party’s candidate centered his campaign on abortion — Democrats outperformed Biden’s 2020 showing. The resounding defeat of an antiabortion ballot measure in conservative Kansas was more evidence of the galvanizing effect of the court’s decision and subsequent attempts to curtail abortion rights, especially in states where the laws are in limbo. Democrats in recent days have launched ads in several battleground House races attacking Republicans for embracing strict antiabortion stances.

    “Showing a fighting spirit is absolutely critical,” said Democrat Pat Ryan, who was victorious in the New York’s 19th District after running heavily on abortion. “A lot of people rallied around just strong, clear, unequivocal positions on issues that in the past, a lot of people would say ‘You should be much more delicate or nuanced.'”

    Ryan’s victory came in a district Biden won by under two percentage points — giving Democrats hope of performing well in the 222 seats where Biden did better, party strategists said. But analysts have noted that the recent special elections, including Ryan’s, saw high turnout in hubs for college-educated voters. Ryan tempered the outlook for others. “I don’t know if it’s replicable,” he said of his win.

    Beyond abortion, Democratic strategists said they have found the reduction of gas prices and the slowing of inflation as helpful to their chances. Democratic strategists said they have come to feel, for the moment, that they can fight Republicans to something of a draw on the economy, in part because Republicans have not put forward any clear policy alternatives.

    Party leaders have sought to channel these developments — along with recent legislative accomplishments on health-care and climate change as well as the high-profile House committee hearings about the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol by a pro-Trump mob — into a simple argument they are putting before voters: Republicans are extreme and Democrats have delivered.

    They are betting that such a platform will break through, particularly in the suburban battleground areas where the fight for control of the House is expected to heavily run through this fall. Such places swung sharply toward Democrats during Trump’s presidency but are seen as ripe targets for Republicans amid economic malaise and dissatisfaction with Biden.

    Democrats’ newfound confidence about the overall map is evident in some of the recent spending decisions the party has made.

    House Majority PAC, an outside group charged with helping Democrats hold on to the chamber, is investing in three GOP-held seats, according to data from the commercial tracking company AdImpact. The new buys are intended to boost Democratic challengers in California’s 22nd Congressional District, Ohio’s 1st Congressional District and New Mexico’s 2nd Congressional District. All are Republican-held seats where Biden won in 2020.

    The House Democratic strategist who said the majority was in play said the shifts in the national mood had not yet resulted in expanding the Democratic battlefield. But they had reduced concern about some safer incumbents who appeared vulnerable at the beginning of the summer, allowing for more resources to be devoted to borderline seats.

    A Democrat familiar with the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s strategy, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to share internal deliberations, listed several Democratic lawmakers in the DCCC’s “Frontline” incumbent protection program who no longer worry party leadership. They include Democratic Reps. Chrissy Houlahan (Pa.); Bill Foster (Ill); Mikie Sherrill (N.J.); Jennifer Wexton (Va.) and Kathy E. Manning (N.C.), according to this person. Biden won handily in each district, taking between 55-58 percent of the vote there.

    “With 80 days to go, we like very much the way this is going,” said Sean Patrick Maloney (D-N.Y.), chair of the DCCC, in an interview. Reinforcing the limits of Democrats’ outlook, Maloney, when pressed, specified that he feels better now about “a certain layer of seats that wouldn’t normally trouble us.”

    Republicans still feel like they are on offense, putting pressure on Democrats, said Republican strategist Matt Gorman. He cautioned against overreading special election results. “It’s almost like the scene from ‘I Love Lucy’ with the chocolates coming down the conveyor belt: you can eat one, but you can’t eat all of them at the same time,” Gorman said. “So Democrats can tweak one but you can’t do that in 25 races.”

    Following a string of Democratic retirements and the decennial redistricting process, Republicans were left with an open path to the majority, which GOP officials said still exists — even if it doesn’t extend as deeply into Democratic turf as many hoped. The NRCC recently circulated a list of 74 seats they’ve targeted, including nine pickup opportunities in districts that Trump won by more than five points. Democrats are also eying several pickup opportunities in districts Biden won comfortably.

    On Friday, the DCCC independent expenditure arm announced another $24 million in new reservations for ad buys. Some of the new reservations are to bolster the party’s efforts to go on offense, including about $1.2 million to help Democrats take a GOP held seat in California and about $1.6 million to help the party flip a GOP-held seat in Michigan. But most of the new money is aimed at defending seats that Democrats already hold.

    “If they’re feeling so confident, why are they spending millions of dollars to defend seats deep in Democratic territory,” said NRCC communications director Michael McAdams.

    A new round of Democratic outside money will also fund TV ads in a Pennsylvania for the seat held by Rep. Matthew Cartwright (D), according to the AdImpact data, helping to shore up one of the most vulnerable members of the House. Biden is set to appear in coming days with Cartwright.

    Cartwright, whose district was won by Trump in 2020, explained the presidential visit as a measure of loyalty more than anything else. “I’ve been friends with Joe Biden for thirty years, what kind of person distances themselves from their friends just because their friends are a few points down in the polls? What kind of person does that? Nobody I want to know,” Cartwright said in an interview.

    In an encouraging sign for Cartwright and other Democrats, Biden’s job approval ratings, while still negative, have shown signs of improvement. A recent Gallup poll showed it ticking up six points from July to August, rising from 38 percent to 44 percent, boosted by gains among independents.

    When asked whether the electoral landscape has improved for House Democrats, Cartwright sounded notes of caution. “Well it seems like it,” Cartwright said. “But how often have we been burned by the pollsters?”

    At the White House and in Biden’s inner circle, top aides have become more bullish about the House. “Look, the generic data on the House side is in our favor right now,” a Biden adviser said at an Aug. 11 meeting with reporters. “I can tell you, this thing is very competitive across the country. You guys have not caught up to this yet.”

    But there have been tensions between the White House and House Democratic leaders. Recently, Pelosi confronted Biden at a signing ceremony for legislation to help veterans exposed to toxic burn pits, according to two people familiar with the situation, to express disappointment that House members didn’t receive recognition she felt they deserved. Biden only briefly mentioned the bill’s main sponsor, Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.), chairman of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee.

    When asked for comment, Pelosi’s deputy chief of staff Drew Hammill said: “This is a silly leak. The Speaker is well known for her advocacy for House Democrats’ role in passing legislation. Obviously, the Speaker wanted the main author, Chairman Takano, and therefore the House, appropriately recognized.”
    Freeman/The Washington Post)
    Separately, Pelosi complained that the White House scheduled a ceremony to celebrate the enactment of the Inflation Reduction Act on a day that the House is scheduled to be in recess, making it difficult for Democratic members to share credit for the landmark climate and health-care law that many of them hope to campaign on in the fall, according to the two people familiar with the situation. The White House heeded Pelosi’s concerns, and moved the event to accommodate the House schedule.

    Officials familiar with the disputes between Biden and Pelosi downplayed them as scheduling snags and standard efforts to get members recognized. But the friction underlines a larger and long-standing concern among some House Democrats that Biden and his staff are far more focused on the Senate, where Biden served for decades.

    “It’s routine to have scheduling discussions like this with either chamber any time a major piece of our shared agenda passes,” said White House spokesman Andrew Bates.

    Democratic fundraisers have also reported more interest in the House, as deep pocketed donors, motivated by issues like guns, abortion and the threats to democracy, see Congress as being once again on the table after a brutal winter and fall.

    “There is a big difference between having a zero chance of success and a 30 percent chance of success,” said Steve Elmendorf, a Democratic lobbyist who previously worked in House leadership staff. “And if we do the right things over the next month, and go out and sell the accomplishments of the last year, we could have a 50 percent chance. Certainly everything is moving in the right direction, and there is room for it to move more.”

    He added, “People are looking very closely at where they can spend their money.”

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/polit...ouse-midterms/

  15. #15
    Thailand Expat tomcat's Avatar
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    Predictions...Sen: 52-48 Dem; House: 220-215 Dem (I do my own research)...tRump indicted and pardoned, Sec Pete tries another presidential run to test the waters, Cheney causes all sorts of headaches for McCarthy et al. in general and tRump cultists in particular, Biden will run again after his last 2 years in office successful...all tRump choices in AZ lose their elections, tRump cult begins to fade around the edges as elderly white supremacists die off...

    Prove me wrong...
    Majestically enthroned amid the vulgar herd

  16. #16
    Excommunicated baldrick's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by bsnub View Post
    investing in three GOP-held seats, according to data from the commercial tracking company AdImpact
    A sad indictment of democracy that it relies on advertising so heavily because people are so passive when determining their future

  17. #17
    Excommunicated baldrick's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by tomcat View Post
    .tRump indicted and pardoned,
    What about Georgia ?

  18. #18
    Thailand Expat tomcat's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by baldrick View Post
    What about Georgia ?
    ...indicted and pardoned...

  19. #19
    Guest Member S Landreth's Avatar
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    The republicans are getting nervous




    The super PAC aligned with House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy has reserved another $37 million in TV time for the last two months before midterms — with $9 of every $10 targeting seats carried by President Biden in 2020 — Axios has learned.

    Why it matters: The aggressive buy from the Congressional Leadership Fund is a rejoinder to growing talk about Democrats finding a shot to retain the House.

    The big picture: Democrats hope to harness voter energy around protecting abortion rights to motivate their base and appeal to independents in an election Republicans had hoped would focus on economic anxiety.

    In the Senate, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has been tempering expectations, warning that his party may not win back the majority.

    But Republicans remain confident they can retake the House, and CLF is doubling down on offensive spending, even in places where Biden won by double digits two years ago.

    “Republicans are in great position to win the House and we’re adding more firepower to the arsenal we need to make it a reality,” CLF president Dan Conston told Axios.

    Details: The $37 million in new CLF reservations come on top of $125 million the group announced in April. New investments include:

    Texas' 34th Congressional District, where Rep. Mayra Flores (R) flipped control in a special election but where redistricting now makes the seat more favorable to her Democratic rival, Rep. Vicente Gonzalez.

    Indiana's 1st Congressional District, where Republican Jennifer-Ruth Green, a Black veteran, faces first-term Democratic Rep. Frank Mrvan.

    New York's 17th Congressional District, where Republican Mike Lawler is seeking to unseat Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chair Sean Patrick Maloney.

    CLF is also going on defense in four districts in California, Iowa and Nebraska.

    House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s PAC plans an additional $20 million ad buy for the campaign’s final weeks, Axios has reported. It's already spent more than $100 million on TV and digital ads for Democrats this cycle.

    The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee on Friday reserved $24 million for their latest ad buys. Some of the new reservations are to bolster the party’s efforts to go on offense, with a small portion of the spending aimed at flipping Republican seats.

    What we're watching: Biden’s approval ratings are still low, but show signs of creeping up amid Democratic legislative wins on clean energy, prescription drug prices, manufacturing, semiconductors and veterans.

    Biden's recent student loan forgiveness decision also could impact voter sentiment.

    Inflation remains a major concern, but its pace has slowed.

    Recent decreases in high gas prices are giving Americans some late summer relief.

    _________

    My last post has vanished again. Seems fvck off david has an issue.

    Quote Originally Posted by David48atTD View Post
    The Koch network and other Trump allies are quietly backing his biggest GOP critic: Rep. Liz Cheney
    Try to stay on topic. The title to this thread is “2022 US Mid-term elections” not what has-been republicans are going to do now that they’re out of a job.

    Liz Cheney lost her primary bid by 37.4 percentage points.

  20. #20
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    The amount of money spent is simply staggering, this really has nothing to do with democratic elections anymore

  21. #21
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by panama hat View Post
    The amount of money spent is simply staggering, this really has nothing to do with democratic elections anymore
    It is. But it just illustrates how the trumpanzees are so easily fed red meat and how much it costs both to do it and counteract it.

  22. #22
    Guest Member S Landreth's Avatar
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    Georgia’s - 51st Dem senate seat is at 51 (D) – 49 (R). Forecast vote: 49.5% - Warnock (D) - 48.9% Walker (R)

    Two recent polls have Walker ahead by 1 and 2 points

    ______________




    Abortion has become a huge issue

    The Trump Wars have resumed

    Gas prices have dipped

    Biden has hit a hot streak

    Earlier crises are easing

    ____________



    With the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, Democrats are spending millions to tout its climate and clean energy provisions — aiming to turn out 2 million environmentally-driven voters across 17 states in November.

    Driving the news: Climate Power Action and League of Conservation Voters (LCV) Victory Fund, two of Dems' biggest outside climate groups, on Tuesday are launching a $12 million digital ad and direct mail campaign targeted largely to younger, college-educated women.

    Details: Their "Climate Voters Mobilization" 2022 program is modeled in part after the success they found targeting swing voters over environmental issues in 2020, and part of a larger $100 million campaign.


    • The campaign supports pro-climate U.S. Senate and House candidates in Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Ohio, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.
    • Like other climate groups, they had been anticipating how to sell the IRA to voters this fall even before it had even passed, as Axios' Ben Geman reports.
    • Their goal is to reach Biden voters who aren't excited about participating in the 2022 cycle, but are highly interested in climate and environmental issues.


    What they're saying: Pete Maysmith of LCV Victory Fund called the IRA "monumental and important climate legislation," telling Axios: "We know we need to motivate people and increase enthusiasm."


    • Heather Hargreaves, senior advisor for Climate Power Action, told Axios their modeling in coordination with Blue Labs, a Democratic data science company, showed messaging around lower energy costs, job creation, clean energy and consequences of failing to take climate action is most effective with their target demo. Many of these voters "are just not aware of what’s happened with the IRA... but when people learn, they move to Democrats."


    By the numbers: Voter enthusiasm for the midterms has reached its highest points in the last month, per Morning Consult, but other polls have shown the president steadily losing support with young voters.

    What to watch: Democrat senators and candidates getting a boost from this initiative include Sens. Mark Kelly (Arizona), Michael Bennet (Colorado), Raphael Warnock (Georgia), Maggie Hassan (New Hampshire), Catherine Cortez-Masto (Nevada), John Fetterman (Pennsylvania), and Mandela Barnes (Wisconsin.).


    • Democratic House members and candidates getting a boost include Reps. Katie Porter and Mike Levin in California; Jahana Hayes in Connecticut; Lauren Underwood in Illinois; Cindy Axne in Iowa; Sharice Davids in Kansas; Elissa Slotkin and Dan Kildee in Michigan; Marcy Kaptur in Ohio; Chris Pappas and Ann Kuster in New Hampshire; Andy Kim in New Jersey; Dina Titus, Susie Lee and Steven Horsford in Nevada; Susan Wild and Matt Cartwright in Pennsylvania; Elaine Luria and Abigail Spanberger in Virginia; and Kim Schrier in Washington.
    Last edited by S Landreth; 31-08-2022 at 08:20 AM.

  23. #23
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    Younger voters are notoriously hard to turn out, especially in midterms. But motivation to vote among registered voters aged 18-35 in key battleground states has shot up since the Dobbs decision, according to a polling memo shared first with POLITICO by the liberal group NextGen America.

    Forty-seven percent of those surveyed said they were very motivated to vote in November, while 44 percent fell into the “somewhat motivated” category. That is a jump up in motivation from a March NextGen poll, in which just 38 percent were very motivated and 51 percent were somewhat motivated to cast a 2022 ballot.

    It also found that young female voters were overwhelmingly opposed to the Dobbs decision. Just 18 percent of those polled supported it, while 76 percent opposed it. That was even true among young Republican women: In that subset, 36 percent supported the Dobbs ruling and 57 percent opposed it, with NextGen arguing that the Dobbs “decision is a massive wedge for the GOP when it comes to the youth vote.”

    _____________




    Election forecaster Sabato’s Crystal Ball on Wednesday shifted closely watched Senate races in Arizona and Pennsylvania from “toss ups” to “lean Democratic.”

    Sabato’s Crystal Ball editors Kyle Kondik and J. Miles Coleman said they made the changes based on an improving political environment for Democrats and weaknesses of the Republican candidates in both races.

    Democrats see new glimmers of hope for their chances in November’s midterm elections after a string of legislative victories, easing inflation and an increased emphasis on abortion following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. They are particularly hopeful about keeping the Senate.

    Kondik and Coleman write that they have been skeptical of Arizona Republican Senate nominee Blake Masters and noted the significant funding advantage his opponent, Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), has.

    In the race for Pennsylvania’s open Senate race, Kondik and Coleman said ad spending between Democratic nominee John Fetterman and Republican nominee Mehmet Oz is closer to parity. But they similarly moved the race from a toss up to lean Democrat.

    “Oz does seem to be putting in the legwork by keeping an active schedule, but some of his self-inflicted wounds have often enabled the Fetterman campaign to control the narrative,” they wrote in their analysis.

    _____________


    • Charlie Crist is resigning from Congress to focus on his bid for Florida governor, a move that was expected after his huge primary victory over Democratic Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried.


    The seat will remain vacant until the November election.

    Crist (D-Fla.) was first elected to the St. Petersburg-based seat in 2016 and has since been re-elected twice. He is now running against Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has more than $130 million in the bank and is seen as a heavy favorite in the race.

  24. #24
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    Former Alaska state Rep. Mary Peltola (D) was projected to defeat former Gov. Sarah Palin (R) to win the special election to fill the remainder of the late Rep. Don Young’s (R-Alaska) term in the House, a stunning upset that makes her the first Alaska Native in Congress.

    Peltola, a Yup’ik Eskimo, will also be the first Democrat to hold the seat in decades. The last time a member of her party was was elected to represent the state’s at-large congressional district was in 1971.

    Her apparent victory came after votes were tabulated late Wednesday as part of the state’s new ranked-choice voting system.

    Prior to her congressional run to fill Young’s seat, Peltola represented the southwestern Bethel region as a state lawmaker for a decade and has also served on the Bethel City Council and Orutsararmiut Native Council Tribal Court.

    Peltola also ran in the primary for the same seat but whose term would begin in 2023. She advanced in the primary as she was one of the top four vote-getters in Alaska’s open primary system.

    Other candidates who also advanced in that primary included not just Palin but also Nick Begich (R), the former co–chair for Young’s 2020 reelection campaign.

    In the general election, which is slated for November, the state will also use ranked choice voting, where the candidate to receive more than 50 percent of the vote prevails in the election.

    But if no one gets more than half of the votes, the candidate with the fewest votes gets knocked out and any voters who chose that eliminated candidate as their first pick has their second choice votes applied to the applicable candidates. The process continues until one candidate receives more than half of the votes.


    Trump endorses Sarah Palin for Congress
    Last edited by S Landreth; 01-09-2022 at 07:57 AM.

  25. #25
    Thailand Expat Storekeeper's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by panama hat View Post
    The amount of money spent is simply staggering, this really has nothing to do with democratic elections anymore
    Think I’m done with voting. Haven’t even bothered to research how it works for a WA resident living in Thailand. Last time living in Thailand had an APO mail box at JUSMAGTHAI so it was all good. But that privilege has been taken away from US military retirees living in Thailand sometime in the last couple years. Either way can still “vote” via donations to my preferred candidates.

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