Democrats

mickeyrat

https://twitter.com/AdamParkhomenko/status/1720244199252209705?t=UU4P6xZVWZMYIL4Dc96-YA&s=19

mickeyrat

https://twitter.com/TheRickWilson/status/1720447081377059201?t=Qw3C60TtZjNNOTE98sIdeg&s=19

mickeyrat

https://twitter.com/MuellerSheWrote/status/1721745907560190320?t=FngTYqvaHEDlsnsjgdr-8g&s=19

mickeyrat

https://twitter.com/allenanalysis/status/1722070978690208095?t=E7FrVuIPqPTgBcqIZvFGjw&s=19

brianlux

Great, so Democrats make some good headway in the recent elections and Joe Manchin decided not to run again in a highly red state, threatening to give the Senate over to the Republicans, and also is considering running as a third party candidate next year threatening to nix Biden's chances for re-election.  Coincidental timing?  I doubt it.

I've heard of "You can't win for losing", now is it "You can't win for winning"?

mickeyrat

this seems smart....

https://twitter.com/MuellerSheWrote/status/1727057137002787241?t=S27jxnsXwE2qEfv0wDn0rA&s=19

Gern Blansten

mickeyrat said:

this seems smart....

https://twitter.com/MuellerSheWrote/status/1727057137002787241?t=S27jxnsXwE2qEfv0wDn0rA&s=19

Yeah that's bad...

mickeyrat

https://twitter.com/CREWcrew/status/1729152566230233572?t=tClboR1S_5hS8xayJVJYeg&s=19

mickeyrat

about fucking time

https://twitter.com/Victorshi2020/status/1728966345428193669?t=0ZjSaNsK61el7JpEdU-oRw&s=19

gimmesometruth27

mickeyrat said:

about fucking time

https://twitter.com/Victorshi2020/status/1728966345428193669?t=0ZjSaNsK61el7JpEdU-oRw&s=19

only took them, what, 3 months or something?

mickeyrat

gimmesometruth27 said:

mickeyrat said:

about fucking time

https://twitter.com/Victorshi2020/status/1728966345428193669?t=0ZjSaNsK61el7JpEdU-oRw&s=19

only took them, what, 3 months or something?

8 I think.

mickeyrat

hard ball....

https://twitter.com/MuellerSheWrote/status/1730282164011298978?t=utiGeb5rxM86g4y-RqpBIg&s=19

mickeyrat

https://twitter.com/jp262/status/1744942621938655453?t=LOc91p5xOd_qB3YgYgJ4jg&s=19

OnWis97

Dean Phillips district borders the district I live in. I really liked him when he first ran for the seat he currently holds.

I don't necessarily disagree with him that the party should open the process up (both in general and because in this case they have a candidate that's floundering). But he's become such a petulant whiner and he's drifting into some dangerous rhetoric. After saying we need to defeat Trump to save the republic, he asked the difference between the party not opening it up and "Iran’s tactics to guarantee the outcome of elections." Uh, because a party is not a government, Dean. And if he's going to say the Dem party is just like Iran, then the logical conclusion is not to vote for it either. Hope he enjoys Trump's second term.

mickeyrat

https://apnews.com/article/new-jersey-senate-kim-fetterman-menendez-murphy-9ae0aa78144789aa2fb657c544de5514   Fetterman backs Andy Kim as Democrats scramble to keep Menendez's Senate seat in New Jersey

Washington news

Fetterman backs Andy Kim as Democrats scramble to keep Menendez's Senate seat in New Jersey

By MIKE CATALINI

19 Jan 2024

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Pennsylvania U.S. Sen. John Fetterman has backed Rep. Andy Kim in the congressman's bid to win a contested primary for New Jersey's Senate seat, as Democrats jockey to push indicted Sen. Bob Menendez out of office.

Fetterman was an early proponent of calling for Menendez's ouster from Congress after federal prosecutors charged Menendez, his wife and business associates with taking bribes in cash and gold bars in exchange for helping the government of Egypt — and, in a later indictment, Qatar as well.

Menendez and the other defendants have pleaded not guilty, and the senator has vowed to fight the charges. Unlike the first time he was indicted — charges that ultimately led to a hung jury in 2017 — Menendez has lost support within the Democratic Party in his home state, where his influence was once virtually unassailable.

Fetterman called Kim, a three-term congressman from southern New Jersey's 3rd District, a man of integrity and “deep honor." Without mentioning Menendez by name, Fetterman drew an implied contrast with him.

---

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“I feel very secure knowing that he has no gold bars underneath his mattress and won’t ever be accused of being a foreign agent for Egypt or Qatar,” he said.

It's unclear the extent to which endorsements will resonate with voters, but they can help campaigns with fundraising, generate a sense of momentum or inevitability and project strength.

Fetterman's endorsement comes amid a pitched internal struggle among New Jersey Democrats who have called for Menendez's ouster and are competing to succeed him.

Menendez hasn't said if he'll run again and has so far withstood calls for his resignation.

The June primary is shaping up as a battle, so far, between Kim and the state's first lady, Tammy Murphy. Other Democrats are also campaigning in the race, though Murphy and Kim have gone tit-for-tat with a number of high-profile endorsements, and each has raised millions so far.

Murphy unveiled the backing this week of officials in the Democratic stronghold of Atlantic City as well as the state trooper's union. She's already received backing from influential county party chairmen whose support is key to how the ballot is drafted, with preferred candidates getting favorable placement.

Fetterman's backing on Thursday seemed to come in response.

“To have someone who is a sitting senator, who knows the job, knows the role of a legislator at this moment, and also just understands the crazy, chaotic moment that we live in right now, that’s something that stands out, and I’m glad to have his support,” Kim said in an emailed statement.

Murphy's campaign said in an emailed statement that she's traveling the state to earn support from voters. She will “stand up for key Democratic values in DC,” said campaign spokesperson Alexandra Altman.

Fetterman joins fellow Pennsylvanian Gov. Josh Shapiro in wading into the race. Shapiro has raised money for Murphy, according to her campaign.

Also seeking or considering a run on the Democratic side are long-time civil rights organizer Lawrence Hamm and labor leader Patricia Campos-Medina.

“This race for U.S. Senate is very contentious now,” Hamm said, referring to Murphy and Kim. “We know at least two of these candidates are expected to spend millions.”

The GOP primary is also still shaping up. Mendham Mayor Christine Serrano Glassner, a declared candidate, said through a spokesperson on Friday that the Democratic Party “enabled” corruption by supporting Menendez for years.

Keeping New Jersey's Senate seat in Democratic hands is crucial for the party, which has narrow control of the chamber heading into this fall's election. New Jersey hasn't elected a Republican to the Senate since 1972.

mickeyrat

https://twitter.com/JamesFLoveIV/status/1757025195594748277?t=H1Ez5aWGyXhsrLdN6kQrXw&s=19

mickeyrat

https://apnews.com/article/george-santos-suozzi-pilip-special-election-be0140979ca3050921579e90507bfe1f   Democrat Tom Suozzi wins New York race to succeed George Santos in Congress

 

Democrat Tom Suozzi wins New York race to succeed George Santos in Congress

By ANTHONY IZAGUIRRE

15 mins ago

Democrat Tom Suozzi won a special election for a U.S. House seat in New York on Tuesday, coming out on top in a politically mixed suburban district in a victory that could lift his party’s hopes heading into a fiercely contested presidential election later this year.

Suozzi defeated Republican Mazi Pilip to take the seat that was left vacant when George Santos, also a Republican, was expelled from Congress. The victory marks a return to Washington for Suozzi, who represented the district for three terms before giving it up to run, unsuccessfully, for governor.

It’s unclear how long his next stint on Capitol Hill will last, as a redistricting process unfolds that could reshape the district. But for now the result narrows the already slim Republican majority in the House. And it provides Democrats a much-needed win in New York City’s Long Island suburbs, where the GOP showed surprising strength in recent elections.

---

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Suozzi stressed his campaign trail theme of bipartisan cooperation in a victory speech that was briefly interrupted by protestors criticizing his support of Israel.

“There are divisions in our country where people can’t even talk to each other. All they can do is yell and scream at each other,” he said, acknowledging the demonstrators. “That’s not the answer to the problems we face in our country. The answer is to try and bring people together to try and find common ground.”

“The way to make our country a better place is to try and find common ground. It is not easy to do. It is hard to do,” Suozzi told supporters at his election night party in Woodbury.

Suozzi’s win will likely reassure Democrats that they can perform well in suburban communities across the nation, which will be critical to the party’s efforts to retake control of the U.S. House and reelect President Joe Biden.

Still, forecasting for November could be complicated given that turnout, already expected to be low given the abbreviated race, was potentially hampered by a storm that dumped several inches of snow on the district on election day. Both campaigns offered voters free rides to the polls as plows cleared wet slush from the roads.

In the short term, the result could be a factor in ultratight votes in the House, where Republicans hold just a 219-212 majority. In an example of how important one seat can be, House Republicans voted Tuesday night to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas by a single vote, punishing the Biden administration over its border policies.

At a polling place on Long Island earlier in the day, 59-year-old Eliezer Sarrias said he cast a ballot for Suozzi because the former congressman appeared more able to work with the opposing party to reach agreements and end congressional gridlock.

“The constituents elect our officials to perform a certain job, and we’ve really had a very stagnant congressional year,” Sarrias said after voting at a middle school in Levittown. “Even with the migrants now, we had bipartisan deal in Congress and suddenly it evaporated, like, why? Do we really need to wait for another president to come, or aren’t the issues that are pressing to everyone important at the moment?”

On the campaign trail, Suozzi, a political centrist, leaned into some of the same issues that Republicans have used to bash Democrats, calling for tougher U.S. border policies and a rollback of New York laws that made it tougher for judges to detain criminal suspects awaiting trial.

The unusual midwinter election became necessary after Santos was ousted by his colleagues in December, partway through his first term.

Santos won office in what had been a reliably Democratic district partly by falsely portraying himself as an American success story — a son of working class immigrants who made himself into a wealthy Wall Street dealmaker. But many elements of Santos’ life story were later exposed as fabrications, and he was indicted on multiple charges including allegations he stole money from Republican donors. He has pleaded not guilty.

With no time for a primary before the special election, Democrats nominated Suozzi, a political centrist well known to voters in the district.

Republican leaders turned to Pilip, a relatively unknown candidate with a unique personal backstory. Born in Ethiopia, she migrated to Israel as part of Operation Solomon and served in Israel's defense forces before eventually moving to the U.S. and winning a seat in Nassau County’s legislature in 2021.

Pilip conceded the race and said she congratulated Suozzi in a phone call Tuesday night.

“Yes we lost, but it doesn’t mean we are going to end here,” Pilip told supporters at her election watch party.

Biden’s campaign manager was quick to link the victory to the upcoming presidential race: “Donald Trump lost again tonight. When Republicans run on Trump’s extreme agenda – even in a Republican-held seat — voters reject them,” Julie Chavez Rodriguez said.

Trump responded to the result in a post on his social media site Truth Social, calling Pilip a “very foolish woman” who was “running in a race where she didn’t endorse me and tried to ‘straddle the fence,’ when she would have easily WON if she understood anything about MODERN DAY politics in America.”

The short campaign was dominated by issues — abortion, immigration and crime — that are expected to shape crucial suburban races nationwide in this year’s battle for control of Congress.

Despite being an international migrant once herself, Pilip hammered Suozzi over an influx of asylum-seekers into New York City, accusing Democrats and Biden of failing to secure the U.S. southern border.

In response, Suozzi spent much of the campaign talking about the need to strengthen border policy, pointing out times when he bucked his own party on the issue while in Congress. In the final stretch, Suozzi said he would support a temporary closure of the border to slow the number of arrivals, similar to comments that Biden has made.

Suozzi counterattacked Pilip on abortion, saying she couldn’t be trusted to protect abortion rights in places like New York where it remains legal.

Pilip said she is personally against abortion but wouldn’t force her beliefs others and would oppose any attempt by Congress to impose a nationwide ban. She has also said mifepristone, an abortion medication, should be available nationally.

Both candidates expressed unwavering support for Israel in its conflict with Hamas, even appearing side-by-side in an unusual joint event intended to convey solidarity.

Democrats and Republicans will get a chance to fight over the congressional seat again in November’s general election, though the battleground may look different.

That’s because the state’s congressional districts are set to be redrawn again in the next few months because of a court order. Democrats, who dominate state government, are widely expected to try to craft more favorable lines for their candidates.

New York is expected to play an outsize role in determining control of Congress this year, with competitive races in multiple contests in the suburban and exurban rings around New York City.

___

AP reporter Philip Marcelo in Levittown contributed.

xavier mcdaniel

mickeyrat said:

https://apnews.com/article/george-santos-suozzi-pilip-special-election-be0140979ca3050921579e90507bfe1f   Democrat Tom Suozzi wins New York race to succeed George Santos in Congress

 

Democrat Tom Suozzi wins New York race to succeed George Santos in Congress

By ANTHONY IZAGUIRRE

15 mins ago

Democrat Tom Suozzi won a special election for a U.S. House seat in New York on Tuesday, coming out on top in a politically mixed suburban district in a victory that could lift his party’s hopes heading into a fiercely contested presidential election later this year.

Suozzi defeated Republican Mazi Pilip to take the seat that was left vacant when George Santos, also a Republican, was expelled from Congress. The victory marks a return to Washington for Suozzi, who represented the district for three terms before giving it up to run, unsuccessfully, for governor.

It’s unclear how long his next stint on Capitol Hill will last, as a redistricting process unfolds that could reshape the district. But for now the result narrows the already slim Republican majority in the House. And it provides Democrats a much-needed win in New York City’s Long Island suburbs, where the GOP showed surprising strength in recent elections.

---

POLITICS

GOP-led House impeaches Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas — by one vote — over border management

Trump's pick to lead the RNC is facing skepticism from some Republicans

Biden warns opposing Ukraine funding plays 'into Putin's hands,' but faces resistance in House

Illegal border crossings from Mexico plunge after a record-high December, with fewer from Venezuela

Suozzi stressed his campaign trail theme of bipartisan cooperation in a victory speech that was briefly interrupted by protestors criticizing his support of Israel.

“There are divisions in our country where people can’t even talk to each other. All they can do is yell and scream at each other,” he said, acknowledging the demonstrators. “That’s not the answer to the problems we face in our country. The answer is to try and bring people together to try and find common ground.”

“The way to make our country a better place is to try and find common ground. It is not easy to do. It is hard to do,” Suozzi told supporters at his election night party in Woodbury.

Suozzi’s win will likely reassure Democrats that they can perform well in suburban communities across the nation, which will be critical to the party’s efforts to retake control of the U.S. House and reelect President Joe Biden.

Still, forecasting for November could be complicated given that turnout, already expected to be low given the abbreviated race, was potentially hampered by a storm that dumped several inches of snow on the district on election day. Both campaigns offered voters free rides to the polls as plows cleared wet slush from the roads.

In the short term, the result could be a factor in ultratight votes in the House, where Republicans hold just a 219-212 majority. In an example of how important one seat can be, House Republicans voted Tuesday night to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas by a single vote, punishing the Biden administration over its border policies.

At a polling place on Long Island earlier in the day, 59-year-old Eliezer Sarrias said he cast a ballot for Suozzi because the former congressman appeared more able to work with the opposing party to reach agreements and end congressional gridlock.

“The constituents elect our officials to perform a certain job, and we’ve really had a very stagnant congressional year,” Sarrias said after voting at a middle school in Levittown. “Even with the migrants now, we had bipartisan deal in Congress and suddenly it evaporated, like, why? Do we really need to wait for another president to come, or aren’t the issues that are pressing to everyone important at the moment?”

On the campaign trail, Suozzi, a political centrist, leaned into some of the same issues that Republicans have used to bash Democrats, calling for tougher U.S. border policies and a rollback of New York laws that made it tougher for judges to detain criminal suspects awaiting trial.

The unusual midwinter election became necessary after Santos was ousted by his colleagues in December, partway through his first term.

Santos won office in what had been a reliably Democratic district partly by falsely portraying himself as an American success story — a son of working class immigrants who made himself into a wealthy Wall Street dealmaker. But many elements of Santos’ life story were later exposed as fabrications, and he was indicted on multiple charges including allegations he stole money from Republican donors. He has pleaded not guilty.

With no time for a primary before the special election, Democrats nominated Suozzi, a political centrist well known to voters in the district.

Republican leaders turned to Pilip, a relatively unknown candidate with a unique personal backstory. Born in Ethiopia, she migrated to Israel as part of Operation Solomon and served in Israel's defense forces before eventually moving to the U.S. and winning a seat in Nassau County’s legislature in 2021.

Pilip conceded the race and said she congratulated Suozzi in a phone call Tuesday night.

“Yes we lost, but it doesn’t mean we are going to end here,” Pilip told supporters at her election watch party.

Biden’s campaign manager was quick to link the victory to the upcoming presidential race: “Donald Trump lost again tonight. When Republicans run on Trump’s extreme agenda – even in a Republican-held seat — voters reject them,” Julie Chavez Rodriguez said.

Trump responded to the result in a post on his social media site Truth Social, calling Pilip a “very foolish woman” who was “running in a race where she didn’t endorse me and tried to ‘straddle the fence,’ when she would have easily WON if she understood anything about MODERN DAY politics in America.”

The short campaign was dominated by issues — abortion, immigration and crime — that are expected to shape crucial suburban races nationwide in this year’s battle for control of Congress.

Despite being an international migrant once herself, Pilip hammered Suozzi over an influx of asylum-seekers into New York City, accusing Democrats and Biden of failing to secure the U.S. southern border.

In response, Suozzi spent much of the campaign talking about the need to strengthen border policy, pointing out times when he bucked his own party on the issue while in Congress. In the final stretch, Suozzi said he would support a temporary closure of the border to slow the number of arrivals, similar to comments that Biden has made.

Suozzi counterattacked Pilip on abortion, saying she couldn’t be trusted to protect abortion rights in places like New York where it remains legal.

Pilip said she is personally against abortion but wouldn’t force her beliefs others and would oppose any attempt by Congress to impose a nationwide ban. She has also said mifepristone, an abortion medication, should be available nationally.

Both candidates expressed unwavering support for Israel in its conflict with Hamas, even appearing side-by-side in an unusual joint event intended to convey solidarity.

Democrats and Republicans will get a chance to fight over the congressional seat again in November’s general election, though the battleground may look different.

That’s because the state’s congressional districts are set to be redrawn again in the next few months because of a court order. Democrats, who dominate state government, are widely expected to try to craft more favorable lines for their candidates.

New York is expected to play an outsize role in determining control of Congress this year, with competitive races in multiple contests in the suburban and exurban rings around New York City.

___

AP reporter Philip Marcelo in Levittown contributed.

I live in this district and was not surprised he won. Suozzi is a well known quantity on Long Island and in Queens. Even if I considered voting for his opponent, there was not much evidence to why I should. Virtually none of her ads had her talking and in the rare instance she did talk, it sounded pre-programmed or something that took five takes to get correct.

mickeyrat

good move..

https://twitter.com/torxie/status/1762144975695777851?s=19

mickeyrat

superceding indictment.....

https://twitter.com/MuellerSheWrote/status/1765120365678735714?s=19