Integrity

“How well we survive this time of creative destruction, it really is, depends on each of us, on each of us fighting our individual battles of integrity, for integrity.

Maria Rossa*

Thank you for your strength, perseverance and integrity. Your battles made all the difference.

Inform

I published the final results of the 2022 Midterm Races we have been following over the last seven months in the updated prior post of We Are Here.

Democrats held onto control of the Senate (50 to 49 as of 11/28) while Republicans narrowly won the House (220 to 213 as of 11/28). In the House, the Republican ranks grew more extreme and slightly more diverse, while Democrats added several young liberals to their caucus.

This ended two years of unified Democratic control in Washington. Many believe that in the first major election post-Roe, Democrats tied abortion rights to everyday economics and tapped into fears about the rise of right-wing Republicans. Young voters helped Democrats, but experts differ on just how much. Others blamed Trump for dragging down his party’s candidates.

Democrats had a strong election in the states. This is important because the winners could have significant implications for the next presidential election, as close to 20 gubernatorial candidates backed false claims of election fraud in 2020. Researchers who study disinformation said most efforts to stoke doubt about results had failed to spread widely.

One of the greatest upsets of the election happened in New York where a “red wave” did materialize. Democrats lost almost every single closely contested congressional seat in the state. Kathy Hochul, the incumbent governor, was elected by just six points. Inflation, crime, and redistricting tinted a blue state red.

It still might be too soon to know what effect the 2022 midterm elections will have on 2024. Some “takeaways” include a belief that Trump is more vulnerable, the difficulty the Leader of the House will have in legislating, the importance of Democrats holding the Senate, creating spectacles in the House and new Democratic leadership. Another analysis includes DeSantis’s landslide — and what it portends for 2024, the latest on abortion rights, independent voters favored Democrats 49 percent to 47 percent, and voters shunned election-denier secretary of state candidates. Stanford scholars found the midterm elections surprising and explained why.

Respond

We are one week away from December 6 runoff election for the U.S. Senate seat in Georgia. Incumbent Democrat Incumbent Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock could always use your support.

Stay involved at your local level by attending school board, library and other civic meetings. Let your voice be heard. Stay in communication with your representatives on all levels. They need to hear from their constituents regardless of whether you voted for them or not. Continue to be involved in issues that are important you including gun reform, reproductive rights, social spending including child care, expanded pre-K, paid leave, and health care. Let your representatives know your thoughts on legislation affecting climate change, inflation, criminal justice reform, job training, small businesses, and affordable housing. This is your Democracy.

*2021 Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Rossa is an investigative journalist who distinguished herself as a fearless defender of freedom of expression and has exposed the abuse of power, use of violence and increasing authoritarianism of the regime of former Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte. She sees authoritarian governments and weaponized social media as dual threats to democracy.

” If you want to rip the heart out of a democracy, you go after the facts. That’s what modern authoritarians do. You lie. All the time. Then you say it’s your opponents and the journalists who lie.”

Posted in 2022 Midterm Elections, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Integrity

We Are Here

“We’re not here to curse the darkness, but to light a candle that can guide us through that darkness to a safe and sane future.

John F. Kennedy

We are here in the final weeks of the contest for control of Congress. After months showing the Democrats running very well for a midterm year, the polls now offer pretty strong evidence that the party can’t overcome political gravity — at least not entirely. Democrats are being dragged back to earth. Now, the question is whether Democrats can survive the landing — especially in the Senate, but also in a large chunk of Democratic-leaning House districts.

After Labor Day, polls suggested Republican gains in key Senate races where Democrats had shown important summer strength. President Biden’s approval rating stopped increasing. Then the favorable news environment that seemed to give Democrats an opportunity just vanished, perhaps in no small part because of bad inflation news and a falling stock market. In the end, both parties are focusing on independent and undecided voters who will carry the election.

The most recent polls indicate that the midterm races are being shaped by larger, surprising forces beyond the traditional red and blue divide. These forces that reflect the country’s ethnic, economic and educational realignment. In other words, economic issues such as jobs, taxes and the cost of living have are prioritized more over societal issues like abortion, guns or democracy. Across four swing districts, voters with a college degree were 11 to 15 percentage points more likely to prioritize social issues than those who did not graduate from college.

Attacks on Democracy

Threats against Democracy have darkened the election process. Domestic disinformation campaigns and homegrown threats to poll workers are emerging as bigger concerns before the Nov. 8 midterm elections. The Department of Justice and other law enforcement agencies are cracking down on the escalation of violent threats against election workers . In addition election workers in battleground states face a surge of cyberattacks. Lastly the New York City Police Department is warning that amid a “complex” threat environment, both racially motivated and anti-government extremists could target poll workers, political rallies, political officials and voting sites. The bulletin urges that this assessment requires “elevated vigilance as the US midterm elections begin.”

A majority of GOP nominees deny or question the 2020 election results. Experts say their dominance in the party poses a threat to the country’s democratic principles and jeopardizes the integrity of future votes. Election deniers will hold enormous sway over the choice of the nation’s next speaker, who in turn could preside over the House in a future contested presidential election. The winners of all the races — those for governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney general, Senate and House — will hold some measure of power overseeing American elections.

Respond

What you can do

Get Out The Vote – Many Democrats don’t vote in midterm elections.
League of Women Voters
Rock The Vote
Vote Forward
Postcard to Voters
Postcards to Swing States

Join Grassroots Movements
Indivisible
Move On

Volunteer in a local campaign or a campaign in another state. This includes, but not limited to, , canvassing, phone banking, text banking, post card and letter writing. Donate as little as $5 or as much as you can.

The Senate Races (updated Nov 28)

Each campaign offers opportunities for support. Ratings of Toss Up or Leans Democrat or Republican are from Cooks Political Report, and University of Virginia’s Sabatos Crystal Ball.

Toss Up Races Either party has a good chance of winning. 
Georgia – Support Democrat Senator Raphael Warnock (considered Leans Republican by Sabatos)
Final Results: Runoff Tuesday Dec 6
Nevada – Support Democrat Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (considered Leans Democrat by Sabatos)
Final Results: Democrat Senator Cortez Masto won
Arizona – Support Democrat Senator Mark Kelly  (considered Leans Democrat by Sabatos)
Final Results: Democrat Senator Mark Kelly won
Pennsylvania – Support Democrat John Fetterman (considered Leans Republican by Sabatos)
Final Results: Democrat John Fetterman won

Leans Republican These are considered competitive races, but one party has an advantage.

North Carolina – Support Democrat Cheri Beasley
Final Results: Republican Ted Bud won.
Ohio – Support Democrat Tim Ryan 
Final Results: Republican J. D. Vance won.
Wisconsin – Support Democrat Mandela Barnes 
Final Results: Republican Ron Johnson won.

Leans Democrat These are considered competitive races, but one party has an advantage.
 
New Hampshire – Support Democrat Senator Maggie Hassan
Final Results: Democrat Senator Maggie Hassan won.
Colorado – Support Democrat Senator Michael Bennet (considered Likely Democrat by Sabatos)
Final Results: Democrat Senator Michael Bennet won.

Likely Republican 

Florida – Support Democrat Val B Demmings
Final Results:  Republican Senator Marco Rubio won.

The House Races (updated Nov 28)

Each campaign offers opportunities for support. Ratings of Toss Up or Leans Democrat or Republican are from Cooks Political Report, and University of Virginia’s Sabatos Crystal Ball

23 Toss Up Races Either party has a good chance of winning  

California 22 Support Democrat Rudy Salas (considered Leans Republican by Sabatos)
Final Results: The Republican candidate won.
California 27 Support Democrat Christy Smith (considered Leans Republican by Sabatos)
Final Results: The Republican candidate won.
Colorado 8 Support Democrat Yadira Caraveo (considered Leans Republican by Sabatos)
Final Results: Democrat Yadira Caraveo won.
Illinois 17 Support Democrat Eric Sorensen (considered Leans Republican by Sabatos)
Final Results: Democrat Eric Sorensen won.
Maine 2 Support Democrat Representative Jared Golden  (considered Leans Democrat by Sabatos)
Final Results: Democrat Representative Jared Golden won.
Michigan 7 Support Democrat Representative Elissa Slotkin  (considered Leans Republican by Sabatos)
Final Results: Democrat Representative Elissa Slotkin won.
Minnesota 2 Support Democrat Representative Angie Craig (considered Leans Democrat by Sabatos)
Final Results: Democrat Representative Angie Craig won.
Nebraska 2 Support Democrat Tony Vargas (considered Leans Republican by Sabatos)
Final Results: The Republican candidate won.
Nevada 1 Support Democrat Representative Dina Titus  (considered Leans Democrat by Sabatos)
Final Results: Democrat Representative Dina Titus won.
Nevada 3 Support Democrat Representative Susie Lee (considered Leans Republican by Sabatos)
Final Results: Democrat Representative Susie Lee won.
New Hampshire 1 Support Democrat Representative Chris Pappas (Leans Democrat by Sabatos)
Final Results: Democrat Representative Chris Pappas won.
New Mexico 2 Support Democrat Gabriel Vasquez (considered Leans Republican by Sabatos)
Final Results: Democrat Gabriel Vasquez won.
New York 19 Support Democrat Josh Riley (considered Leans Republican by Sabatos)
Final Results: The Republican candidate won.
New York 22 Support Democrat Francis Conole (considered Leans Republican by Sabatos)
Final Results: The Republican candidate won.
North Carolina 13 Support Democrat Wiley Nickel (considered Leans Republican by Sabatos)
Final Results: Democrat Wiley Nickel won.
Ohio 1 Support Democrat Greg Landsman (considered Leans Republican by Sabatos)
Final Results: Democrat Greg Landsman won.
Ohio 13 Support Democrat Emilia Strong Sykes (considered Leans Republican by Sabatos)
Final Results: Democrat Emilia Strong Sykes won.
Pennsylvania 7 Support Democrat Representative Susan WildLeans Republican by Sabatos)
Final Results: Democrat Representative Susan Wild won.
Pennsylvania 8 Support Democrat Representative Matt CartwrightLeans Republican by Sabatos)
Final Results: Democrat Representative Matt Cartwright won.
Pennsylvania 17 Support Democrat Chris Deluzio (considered Leans Republican by Sabatos)
Final Results: Democrat Chris Delusion won.
Texas 28 Support Democrat Representative Henry Cuellar  (considered Leans Democrat by Sabatos)
Final Results: Democrat Representative Henry Cuellar won.
Virginia 2 Support Democrat Representative Elaine Luria (considered Leans Republican by Sabatos)
Final Results: The Republican candidate won.
Virginia 7 Support Democrat Representative Abigail Spanberger ( Leans Democrat by Sabatos)
Final Results: Democrat Representative Abigail Spanberger won.
Washington 8 Support Democrat Representative Kim Schrier ( Leans Republican by Sabatos)
Final Results: Democrat Representative Kim Schrier won.

4 Lean Republican These are considered competitive races, but one party has an advantage. 

California 45 Support Democrat Jay Che
Final Results: The Republican candidate won.
Iowa 3 Support Democrat Representative CindyAxne
Final Results: The Republican candidate won.
New Jersey 7 Support Democrat Representative Tom Malinowski PLEASE SUPPORT
Final Results: The Republican candidate won.
Oregon 5 Support Democrat Jamie McLeod-Skinner
Final Results: The Republican candidate won.

4 Lean Democrat

Kansas 3 Support Democrat Representative Sharice Davids 
Final Results: Democrat Representative Sharice Davids won.
Michigan 8 Support Democrat Representative Dan Kildee  
Final Results: Democrat Representative Dan Kildee won.
Nevada 4 Support Democrat Representative Steven Horsford 
Final Results: Democrat Representative Steven Horsford won.
New Hampshire 2 Support Democrat Representative Annie Kuster ( Likely Democrat by Sabatos)
Final Results: Democrat Representative Annie Kuster won.

1 Likely Republican

New York 2 Support Democrat Jackie Gordon Exceptional endorsements, including Planned Parenthood and my family members who reside in this district.
Final Results: The Republican candidate won.

The Governor Races (updated Nov 28)

Governors in battleground states are at the frontline in a fight over American Democracy. Each campaign offers opportunities for support.Ratings of Toss Up or Leans Democrat or Republican are from Cooks Political Report, and University of Virginia’s Sabatos Crystal Ball.. 

Toss Up Races

Arizona Support Democrat Secretary of State Katie Hobbs (considered Leans Republican by Sabatos)
Final Results: Democrat Katie Hobbs won.
Kansas Support Democrat Governor Laura Kelly (considered Leans Republican by Sabatos)
Final Results: Democrat Laura Kelly won.
Nevada Support Democrat Governor Steve Sisolak (considered Leans Republican by Sabatos)
Final Results: Republican Joe Lombardo won.
Oregon Support Democrat Tina Kotek (considered Leans Democrat by Sabatos)
Final Results: Democrat Tina Kotek won.
Wisconsin Support Democrat Governor Tony Evers (considered Leans Republican by Sabatos)
Final Results: Democrat Governor Tony Evers won.

Leans Republican

Georgia Support Democrat Stacy Adams (considered Likely Republican by Sabatos)
Final Results: Republican Governor Brian Kemp won.

Leans Democrat

Michigan Support Democrat Governor Gretchen Whitmer
Final Results: Democrat Governor Gretchen Whitmer won.

Likely Democrat
Pennsylvania Support Democrat Josh Shapiro
Final Results: Democrat Josh Shapiro won.

Likely Republican

Florida Support Democrat Representative Charlie Crist
Final Results: Republican Governor Ron DeSantis won.
Texas Support Democrat Beto O’Rourke
Final Results: Republican Governor Gregg Abbott won.

Vote

Absentee Ballot Deadlines and Ballot Tracker by State

Absentee Ballots in New York State.
Absentee Ballots in New Jersey.

Early Voting Start and End Dates by State

Early voting in New York State
Early voting in New Jersey

Voting on Election Day, November 8, 2022

The League of Women Voters provides you with information by State

Election Day Voting in New York State
Election Day Voting in New Jersey

Next Post: Integrity

Posted in Congress, State Elections, The House Race, The Senate Race, Uncategorized, Voter Suppression, Voting | Tagged | Comments Off on We Are Here

Upholding The Common Good

A nation is formed by the willingness of each of us to share in the responsibility for upholding the common good.

Barbara Jordan

Inform

We are now a month away from the United States Midterm Elections on November 8 2022. Will Biden have a Democratic-controlled Congress for the remainder of his first term? Or will Republicans pick up one or both chambers of Congress, which will empower them to block Biden’s agenda?

Republicans need to flip just five Democratic seats to retake the House majority. Plus House Republicans may have already secured their majority through redistricting. Every 10 years, states must redraw their congressional and state legislative districts based on new census data. It’s supposed to reflect population changes, but many state politicians use the opportunity to affirm their party’s grip on power in state legislative and congressional districts.

Democrats’ majority in the Senate is even more precarious than in the House — at least on paper. Republicans need to win just one Democratic seat to take back control of the Senate for at least the next two years. But some of the most competitive Senate races are in states that voted for Biden in 2020, and Republican voters nominated arguably some of the most extreme candidates in recent memory.

I recently read a disturbing article about Spain’s fascist regime. “Up to the early 1930s, Spain had been among Europe’s most progressive countries, allowing for married couples to divorce and women to seek abortions. Under Franco, those rights were swiftly rescinded. Contraception was outlawed, adultery was criminalized and women lost the right to vote. Newspapers were censored, and many books were banned.” Does any of this sound familiar?

There have been assaults on school boards and libraries. Extreme candidates are running for local, state and national positions. We have had attacks on election officials and have seen efforts to infiltrate and cast doubt on the 2022 midterm results. False and cynical claims of voter fraud threaten our democracy as much as Trump himself. The US Supreme Court’s decision to remove constitutional protections on access to abortions will have significant effects on women and their families. Research shows that the reproductive, social and economic lives of those who are poor, young and/or black are likely to be most damaged. Most abortions are now banned in at least 13 states. In addition, many in the anti abortion movement have a new target: hormonal birth control. They claim that hormonal contraceptives like IUDs and the pill can actually cause abortions.

Christian nationalism, a belief that the United States was founded as a white, Christian nation and that there is no separation between church and state, is gaining steam on the right. Prominent Republican politicians have made the themes critical to their message to voters in the run up to the 2022 midterm elections. These similar nationalist movements in Europe has impacted Italy, France, Sweden and other western democracies.

Midterm Election

Tuesday November 8, 2022

Registration: The deadline to register to vote varies by state.

Registration by state.

Register to Vote in New York State.

Register to Vote in New Jersey.

Absentee Ballot Deadlines and Ballot Tracker by State

Absentee Ballots in New York State.

Absentee Ballots in New Jersey.

Early Voting Start and End Dates by State

Early voting in New York State

Early voting in New Jersey

Respond

Donate to the Senate and House races that could determine who controls Congress.

Donate to governor races as we grapple with state laws that control our own bodies, gun reform, elections, health care and education.

Volunteer in local campaigns by canvassing, phone banking, text banking, letter and postcard writing.

Join national networks in getting out the vote and/or registration drives.

Contact your local election office and become a poll worker. This job was never as important as today.

Become involved. On any day, in any way. Let your voice be heard agains those who are choosing to dismantle this democracy and its freedoms brick by brick. Let’s share in the responsibility of upholding the common good.

Next post: We are Here



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Every Moment

Every moment is an organizing opportunity, every person a potential activist,
every minute a chance to change the world

Dolores Huerta
Farm Workers Labor Leader.Civil Rights Activist

We are less than two months away from the Midterm Elections. Every moment gives us a chance to affect its outcome.

Inform

After Roe’s end, women surged in signing up to vote in some states. In the first few months of this year, more than half of Kansans who registered to vote were men. In the week after the court’s decision, more than 70 percent of newly registered voters in Kansas were women, An unusually high level of new female registrants persisted all the way until the Kansas primary that month, when a strong Democratic turnout helped defeat a referendum that would have effectively ended abortion rights in the state. Registration drives work.

President Biden signed The Inflation Reduction Act, an expansive health, climate and tax law. It passed the House and Senate entirely along party lines, as Democrats employed a legislative process to bypass a Republican filibuster. It includes nearly $370 billion for climate and energy priorities, provisions allowing the health secretary to negotiate the cost of the prices of certain drugs covered under Medicare and sets a cap on out-of-pocket Medicare costs of $2,000 a year. Also included is a 3-year Affordable Care Act subsidies extension, $5 billion in drought funding, a 15% minimum tax on corporations making $1 billion or more and a a 1% excise tax on stock buybacks. This is in addition to winning bipartisan victories on funding for infrastructure — including roads, bridges, water systems and high-speed internet — and an industrial policy bill meant to counter China. Will Biden’s recent wins give Democrats a boost heading into the midterms? It remains to be seen, but it does give Democrats a chance to explain how their legislation improved the lives of their constituents.

In the end, inflation and abortion emerge as top issues in the midterm elections. Independents, who are so key in swing districts and purple states, are saying, yes, they are most concerned about inflation, but abortion rights are also a motivating issue. That makes for a tricky line for both parties to walk in how they try to appeal to the group.

The Supreme Court decision and redistricting has had an enormous impact on a local race. The New Jersey Democrats sacrificed Representative Tom Malinowski by re- drawing his 7th Congressional District to be more friendly to Republicans in order to shore up other potentially vulnerable Democratic incumbents. The result is a highly competitive race.

Recently, Congressman Malinowski has taken the abortion issue front and center in his bid for a third term in Congress. His Republican opponent, Tom Kean, Jr. voted against the codification of Roe v. Wade and voted for defunding Planned Parenthood. In addition to his pro-choice position, Malinowski has been an effective representative in supporting legislation for affordable health care, fair taxes, jobs, small businesses, gun reform, and protecting the environment. Tom Malinowski needs your support in any way possible. Your support in competitive races is crucial.

Republicans are favored to win back control of the House. Historically speaking, the party not in the White House does better in midterm elections. Things have improved for Democrats following the Supreme Court decision and an expected move by some Republican lawmakers to pursue a national-level abortion ban. The questions now are whether that shift will last, and can polls can be trusted.

Respond

Donate/Fundraising Recommendations
Donate a small amount ($5) to many campaigns or a larger amount to a few campaigns. If funds are limited, donate to Toss Up Races (with the exception of CongressmanTom Malinowski who also needs your support). Choose to support within your own state or expand to adjoining states. Support the candidates in the states your friends and relatives live in.
Act Blue is a portal for most campaigns and is an easier way to donate. Fundraising drives usually involve meeting the candidate in person or by Zoom.
Volunteer in a local campaign or a campaign in another state. This includes, but not limited to, registration drives, canvassing, phone banking, text banking, post card and letter writing
Join National Networks whose focus is on getting out the vote:
League of Women Voters
Rock The Vote
Vote Forward
Postcard to Voters
Postcards to Swing States
Join National Networks whose focus is on electing local politicians:
Indivisible
Move On

Support These Senate Races (updated October 27)

Each campaign offers opportunities for support. Ratings of Toss Up or Leans Democrat or Republican are from Cooks Political Report, and University of Virginia’s Sabatos Crystal Ball.
More information can be found on my earlier post We Shall Fight

Toss Up Races Either party has a good chance of winning. 
Georgia – Support Democrat Senator Raphael Warnock
Nevada – Support Democrat Senator Catherine Cortez Masto
Arizona – Support Democrat Senator Mark Kelly  (considered Leans Democrat by Sabatos)
Pennsylvania – Support Democrat John Fetterman (considered Leans Democrat by Sabatos)
Wisconsin – Support Democrat Mandela Barnes (considered Leans Republican by Sabatos)


Leans Republican These are considered competitive races, but one party has an advantage.
North Carolina – Support Democrat Cheri Beasley
Ohio – Support Democrat Tim Ryan 

Leans Democrat These are considered competitive races, but one party has an advantage. 
New Hampshire – Support Democrat Senator Maggie Hassan
Colorado – Support Democrat Senator Michael Bennet (considered Likely Democrat by Sabatos)

Likely Republican
Florida – Support Democrat Val B Demmings (moved from Leans Republican )

Support These House Races (updated October 27)

Each campaign offers opportunities for support. Ratings of Toss Up or Leans Democrat or Republican are from Cooks Political Report, and University of Virginia’s Sabatos Crystal Ball.
More information can be found on my earlier post We Shall Fight

24 Toss Up Races Either party has a good chance of winning  

California 22 Support Democrat Rudy Salas
California 27 Support Democrat Christy Smith (considered Leans Republican by Sabatos)
Colorado 8 Support Democrat Yadira Caraveo 
Illinois 17 Support Democrat Eric Sorensen
Maine 2 Support Democrat Representative Jared Golden 
Michigan 7 Support Democrat Representative Elissa Slotkin
Minnesota 2 Support Democrat Representative Angie Craig
Nebraska 2 Support Democrat Tony Vargas (considered Leans Republican by Sabatos)
Nevada 1 Support Democrat Representative Dina Titus  (considered Leans Democrat by Sabatos)
Nevada 3 Support Democrat Representative Susie Lee
New Hampshire 1 Support Democrat Representative Chris Pappas (Leans Democrat by Sabatos)
New Mexico 2 Support Democrat Gabriel Vasquez (considered Leans Republican by Sabatos)
New York 19 Support Democrat Josh Riley
New York 22 Support Democrat Francis Conole (considered Leans Republican by Sabatos)
North Carolina 13 Support Democrat Wiley Nickel (considered Leans Republican by Sabatos)
Ohio 1 Support Democrat Greg Landsman
Ohio 13 Support Democrat Emilia Strong Sykes
Oregon 5 Support  Democrat Jamie McLeod-Skinner (considered Leans Republican by Sabatos)
Pennsylvania 7 Support Democrat Representative Susan Wild
Pennsylvania 8 Support Democrat Representative Matt Cartwright
Pennsylvania 17 Support Democrat Chris Deluzio
Virginia 2 Support Democrat Representative Elaine Luria
Virginia 7 Support Democrat Representative Abigail Spanberger ( Leans Democrat by Sabatos)
Washington 8 Support Democrat Representative Kim Schrier (considered Leans Democrat by Sabatos)

3 Lean Republican These are considered competitive races, but one party has an advantage. 

California 45 Support Democrat Jay Chen
Iowa 3 Support Democrat Representative CindyAxne
New Jersey 7 Support Democrat Representative Tom Malinowski PLEASE SUPPORT

5 Lean Democrat

Kansas 3 Support Democrat Representative Sharice Davids (considered Toss Up by Sabatos)
Michigan 8 Support Democrat Representative Dan Kildee (considered Toss Up by Sabatos)
Nevada 4 Support Democrat Representative Steven Horsford
New Hampshire 2 Support Democrat Representative Annie Kuster ( Likely Democrat by Sabatos)
Texas 28 Support Democrat Representative Henry Cuellar (considered Toss Up by Sabatos)


Support These Governor Races (updated October 27)

Governors in battleground states are at the frontline in a fight over American Democracy. Each campaign offers opportunities for support. Ratings of Toss Up or Leans Democrat
or Republican are from University of Virginia’s Sabato Crystal Ball.
More information can be found on my earlier post The Power of Statehouse Elections

Toss Up Races
Arizona Support Democrat Secretary of State Katie Hobbs
Kansas Support Democrat Governor Laura Kelly
Nevada Support Democrat Governor Steve Sisolak
Oregon Support Democrat Tina Kotek
Wisconsin Support Democrat Governor Tony Evers

Leans Republican
Georgia Support Democrat Stacy Adams

Likely Democrat
Michigan Support Democrat Governor Gretchen Whitmer
Pennsylvania Support Democrat Josh Shapiro

Likely Republican
Florida Support Democrat Representative Charlie Crist
Texas Support Democrat Beto O’Rourke

Next Post: Upholding The Common Good

Posted in 2022 Midterm Elections, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Every Moment

Stronger Than The Bullet

The ballot is stronger than the bullet.

Abraham Lincoln

Party primaries are now the most consequential elections in American politics, especially when one party controls both the governor’s office and the legislative chamber (a trifecta) . This is true whether it is the Republican Party in Texas or the Democratic Party in New York. Primary results tell us what is happening within each political party. What fractions within each party dominate at the poll? Who are voters drawn to? Neither Republican nor Democratic candidates for Congress are seen by most voters as having the right priorities, according to a recent poll. Where do your Congressional candidates stand on the issues that matter to you?

Never have state elections been more important than today. The Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade will create two Americas when it comes to abortion access — the mostly red states where abortion is illegal in most circumstances, and the mostly blue states where it is mostly available with restrictions. But this sudden cleaving in the United States will go far beyond abortion access, affecting healthcare, the criminal legal system and politics, at all levels, in the coming years. What are the ideas, policies and focus of your state senate candidates?

As political scientist Larry Sabato states, every election is determined by the people who show up. It remains to be seen if abortion rights, reproductive freedom and privacy will drive voters to the polls in the primaries and the general election. Get involved at all levels for GOTV campaigns.

The New York Congressional and State Senate Primary
August 23, 2022

Deadlines 

Friday, July 29 2022 
Voter Registration Deadline
Monday, August 8 2022
Absentee Ballot Request deadline
Saturday August 13 – Sunday August 21 2022
Early Voting

Registration, Absentee Ballots, Early Voting and Election Sites

New York City Register To Vote
New York City Absentee Ballot,
New York City Early Voting
New York City Election Day Voting Sites

Nassau County Board of Elections (for all information)

Suffolk County Board of Elections (for all information)

New York State’s Second Primary August 23

As stated in an earlier post, a court released final maps after Democratic drawn congressional and state maps were tossed by the states highest court. My Congressional District number changed , and my present State Senator is not running again in my State Senate District. Use this link to confirm  what your Congressional, State Senate and State Assembly districts are now.

Congressional Races

New York State has 26 Congressional Districts. Find out who is running in your Congressional District


City & State New York has done an extensive analysis of who is running for Congress throughout New York State . We have some of the country’s hottest primaries, including an open seat on Wall Street, a career veteran showdown in Central Park and three open seats on Long Island. At the same time, two Aug. 23 special elections, in the Hudson Valley and Western New York, could serve as a preview for November.

State Senate Races

New York has 63 re-drawn State Senate Districts. Find out who is running in your State Senate District. Another source lists the status of incumbents and confirmed candidates.

 There are several competitive State Senate races taking place for New York State Senate. Several incumbents are facing tough primary challenges while others have had to adjust to newly drawn district lines encompassing neighborhoods they did not previously represent. Some sitting senators even had to decide whether to shift their residence to continue running in familiar territory or face the unpredictability of their new districts. These races include those in New York City, Nassau and Suffolk County, in addition to upstate counties.

Decision Making Time

I encourage each voter to gather information on the candidates in their district as I did below for my candidates. Explore their social media pages, in addition to public media coverage. Ask questions at public meetings and fund raising events. Research what’s in the news, candidate websites, past history, endorsements, and listen to primary debates to help you decide who would best represent you in the upcoming August 23 Primary.

My Congressional District 10 Candidates (Updated September 12)

Primary Results

Dan Goldman won with 25.8% of the votes He will be facing Republican Benine Hamdan on November 8


Luh-Line Niou was second with 23.7% of the votes
Mondaire Jones came in third with 18.2%

History of this race

There were 10 people running for this position. 

Nine candidates appeared before several Brooklyn political clubs answering questions about pressing issues in the district, their policy platforms, and more. Former Rep Elizabeth Holzman was not in attendance. Attorney Maud Maron was not invited by the political clubs. I’ve linked the candidates below to their campaign sites for more information about their experience and platforms. 

Rep. Mondaire Jones (who currently represents a Hudson Valley district but recently moved to Brooklyn to run in NY-10)
Former small business owner Brian Robinson
Former certified teacher Jimmy Jiang Li
Data Analyst Quanda Francis
Assemblymembers Yuh-Line Niou 
Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon 
City Council Member Carlina Rivera
Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Dan Goldman
Former Rep. Elizabeth Holtzman
Attorney Maud Maron

Endorsements: Find out who’s backing who in the competitive open seat race to represent parts of lower Manhattan and Brooklyn in the House of Representatives.

Who is in the lead? As of August 8, two women with local bona fides but little national stature have surged toward the front of the pack, upending early conventional wisdom and scrambling the race. In recent public and internal polling for the Democratic primary, Carlina Rivera, a councilwoman from Manhattan, and Yuh-Line Niou, a Manhattan assemblywoman, are running neck-and-neck with the two well-resourced men considered heavyweights: Representative Mondaire Jones, a recent transplant to the district, and Daniel Goldman, the impeachment investigator, who has never held elective office.

Primary Debates Candidates Mondaire Jones, Carlina Rivera, Brian Robinson, Dan Goldman, Yuh-Line Niou, Liz Holtzman, Maud Maron, Jo Anne Simon, Quanda Francis, and Jimmy Li participated in PoliticsNY’s Democratic primary debate in the race to represent New York’s tenth congressional district. This offers a good opportunity to hear where the candidates stand on important issues.

NY1/WNYC 10th Congressional District Debate was aired on August 10. The top six candidates were able to articulate why they believe their experience and strengths would serve our district well.

“The pandemic put leaders to the test, and voters should take note of who stepped up.” POLITICO asked the top six NY-10’s Democratic primary candidates where they spent 2020 while Covid was shaking the lives of New Yorkers.

NY State Senate District 26 Candidates (updated September 12)

Primary Results

Andrew Gounardes won with 64.15% of the votes He will be facing Republican Brian Fox on November 8


David Yassky came in second with 32.6%

History of this race

Redistricting put two veteran politicians head to head in an uncertain primary race in this newly drawn 26th District. David Yassky had represented the 33rd City Council for seven years and it had included Greenpoint, Williamsburg, DUMBO, Boerum Hill, Brooklyn Heights and Park Slope. Andrew Gounardes has represented the neighborhoods of Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, Bensonhurst, Bath Beach, Manhattan Beach and Marine Park.

State Senator Andrew Gounardes Here are his community leaders and organizations’ endorsements.

Former City Council Member David Yassky He received the endorsement of Independent Neighborhood Democrats. I’m unable to find a list of endorsements from community leaders and organizations on his website. Will update when I do. Yassky was called out for fake endorsements in July.

Both candidates have shared their vision, priorities, and plans in the Gotham Gazette, an online publication covering New York policy and politics.

A primary debate for the State Senate District 26 was sponsored by Politics NY. Each candidate was able to express their point of view on issues such as public safety, property taxation and affordability, education, jobs, health care affordability, water front challenges, and child care crisis.

Next Post: Every Moment

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We Shall Fight

We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender…
Winston Churchill

The 49 year crusade to overturn Roe v Wade was a movement that succeeded by mobilizing a determined minority of Americans. They transformed religious interpretations of prenatal life, embraced medical advancements that gave new understanding of the fetus and helped to build an academic legal movement in the Ivy League universities. A group of law students at Yale, Harvard and the University of Chicago began meeting under the auspices of the Federalist Society in 1982. They were united by the idea that American law had strayed too far from the original intent of the nation’s founders.Most importantly, they nurtured a generation of political and legal leaders who saw in the setbacks of the 1970s to 1990s a defining cause.

How overturning Roe could backfire for Republicans. The party was making headway with suburban women on crime, schools and inflation. Now the abortion debate is front and center. How will the midterm elections reflect how Americans feel about having their rights to abortion, contraception and same sex marriages taken away?

Kansas’s consequential vote on abortion rights

The nation’s first statewide vote on abortion rights, after Roe v. Wade was overturned in June, has upended traditional wisdom about the politics of abortion. Advocates on both sides were looking for lessons as they prepare for similar votes on abortion rights measures this fall. In a Republican-leaning state that preferred President Donald Trump by 15 points in 2020, the outcome was landslide that few expected: Nearly 60% of voters chose to support abortion rights.

Among the states with ballot measures scheduled for November is Kentucky, where voters will consider a constitutional amendment similar to the one that failed in Kansas. Kentucky is more conservative than Kansas — it went for Trump by 26 points — but some dynamics are similar, with a small number of blue counties set in a sea of red.

RESPOND

Act with ACLU to Defend Abortion Access For All.
Center For Reproductive Rights – Seven things you can do right now for Abortion Rights
Become Involved with Planned Parenthood
National Network of Abortion Fund
The Brigid Alliance
Apiary for Practical Support
If, When, How, Lawyering For Reproductive Justice

What message will Americans send on Election Day 2022?

Midterm elections historically favor the party that is not in the White House. Will this devastating decision impacting a woman’s personal freedom and public health invigorate disaffected base voters? Will the moderate suburban swing voters help to keep the Democratic majority in both the Senate and House of Representatives? Will you surrender or will you fight?

Focus on these races. Donate (no amount is too small) Volunteer. Become involved.

The U.S. House of Representatives Races (updated October 7)

Republicans are favored to win back the majority in the lower chamber given both the national mood and historical precedent of a first-term president’s party losing seats in the midterm elections. 

The New York Times #, Washington Post@, Washington Examiner +, Politico* and The Hill% have identified these 33 Congressional House races as the most vulnerable and likely to flip. All ratings of Toss Up or Leans Democrat or Republican are from Cooks Political Report, and University of Virginia’s Sabatos Crystal Ball

28 Toss Up Races Either party has a good chance of winning These Democrats need your help

*+California 22 Support Democrat Rudy Salas
+California 27 Support Democrat Christy Smith
#+Colorado 8 Support Democrat Yadira Caraveo (considered Leans Republican by Sabatos)
+Illinois 17 Support Democrat Eric Sorensen
@+Kansas 3 Support Democrat Representative Sharice Davids
+Maine 2 Support Democrat Representative Jared Golden
 #+Michigan 7 Support Democrat Representative Elissa Slotkin
  #+Michigan 8 Support Democrat Representative Dan Kildee (considered Leans Democrat by Cook)
@Minnesota 2 Support Democrat Representative Angie Craig
*Nebraska 2 Support Democrat Tony Vargas (considered Leans Republican by Sabatos)
+Nevada 1 Support Democrat Representative Dina Titus (considered Leans Democrat by Sabatos)
%+Nevada 3 Support Democrat Representative Susie Lee
+Nevada 4 Support Democrat Representative Steven Horsford
+New Hampshire 1 Support Democrat Representative Chris Pappas
+New Hampshire 2 Support Democrat Representative Annie Kuster (listed Leans Democrat by Cook)
+New Mexico 2 Support Democrat Gabriel Vasquez
+New York 19 Support Democrat Josh Riley
New York 22 Support Democrat Francis Conole
#+North Carolina 13 Support Democrat Wiley Nickel (considered Leans Republican by Sabatos)
*+Ohio 1 Support Democrat Greg Landsman
#%+Ohio 13 Support Democrat Emilia Strong Sykes
%Oregon 5 Support  Democrat Jamie McLeod-Skinner
@Pennsylvania 7 Support Democrat Representative Susan Wild
Pennsylvania 8 Support Democrat Representative Matt Cartwright
%Pennsylvania 17 Support Democrat Chris Deluzio
#%Texas 28 Support Democrat Representative Henry Cuellar (considered Leans Democrat by Cook)
%+Virginia 2 Support Democrat Representative Elaine Luria
+Washington 8 Support Democrat Representative Kim Schrier (listed as Leans Democrat by Sabatos)

3 Lean Republican These are considered competitive races, but one party has an advantage. These Democrats need your help.

 #*+California 45 Support Democrat Jay Chen (considered Likely Republican by Sabatos)
+Iowa 3 Support Democrat Representative CindyAxne
@+New Jersey 7 Support Democrat Representative Tom Malinowski PLEASE SUPPORT

The Senate Races (updated October 7 )

Democrats are fighting tooth and nail to hold on to their ultra-narrow Senate majority this year in a midterm election cycle that has several of the party’s most vulnerable incumbents facing voters amid rising inflation and surging gas prices.

The New York Times #, Washington Post@, Politico* and The Hill% have identified these crucial races . ^A competitive Colorado Senate race evolved in August. These 10 Senate Races are the most vulnerable and likely to flip. All ratings of Toss Up or Leans Democrat or Republican are from Cooks Political Report, and University of Virginia’s Sabatos Crystal Ball

Focus on these races. Donate (no amount is too small) Volunteer. Become involved.

Toss Up Races Either party has a good chance of winning.
These Democrats need your help.

*@#% Georgia – Support Democrat Senator Raphael Warnock
*@#%Nevada – Support Democrat Senator Catherine Cortez Masto
*#%Wisconsin – Support Democrat Mandela Barnes (considered Leans Republican by Sabatos)
*#%Pennsylvania – Support Democrat John Fetterman (considered Likely Democrat by Sabatos)

Leans Republican These are considered competitive races, but one party has an advantage. These Democrats need your help.

#Florida – Support Democrat Val B Demmings (considered Likely Republican by Sabatos)
*#%North Carolina – Support Democrat Cheri Beasley
#Ohio – Support Democrat Tim Ryan

Leans Democrat These are considered competitive races, but one party has an advantage.

*#@%New Hampshire – Support Democrat Senator Maggie Hassan
^Colorado – Support Democrat Senator Michael Bennet
*@#%Arizona – Support Democrat Senator Mark Kelly (considered Leans Democrat by Sabatos)

Next Post : The New York August 23 Primary for newly drawn State Senate and Congressional Districts

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The Power of Statehouse Elections

Politics means trying to share power or striving to influence the distribution of power, either among states or among groups within a state.
Max Weber

Inform

As I stated back in 2018 post This Land Is Your Land, never underestimate the importance of state elections. A governor and state legislature make numerous policy decisions affecting health care, education, infrastructure and immigration. In addition, state legislation addresses Medicaid, job training, criminal justice reform, and family leave. Sexual harassment and assault policy, income inequality, and a woman’s right to choose falls under their jurisdiction. Lastly, marriage equality, discrimination on the basis of gender identity, and climate change legislation happens at the statehouse.

Then there is gun reform

The majority of U.S. states have passed laws preserving state authority over firearms policies—and preventing local communities from passing their own—but at the same time have refrained from enacting statewide gun-control policies. Gun violence is a substantial public health problem in the U.S., killing more than 38,000 people each year.

Last June 2021, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law seven measures to expand gun rights, one of which allows people to legally carry handguns without licenses. In sharp contrast to Texas, Governor Kathy Hochul of New York signed stronger gun control measures into law. They are intended to strengthen the state’s gun laws and protect people from gun violence by prohibiting the sale of semiautomatic weapons to those under 21 and banning most body armor sales for civilians. The bills also expand the eligibility for an Extreme Risk Protection Order petition, a court order that prevents someone who has been deemed a danger to themselves or others from purchasing new guns and seizes firearms currently in their possession. This is part of an effort to strengthen New York’s pre-existing red flag laws, which are meant as deterrents to mass shootings and incidents of gun violence.

Recently, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a New York law limiting guns in public. The Supreme Court ruled on Thursday, June 23, that Americans have a broad right to arm themselves in public, striking down a New York law that placed strict limits on carrying guns outside the home and setting off a scramble in other states that have similar restrictions.

The decision is expected to spur a wave of lawsuits seeking to loosen existing state and federal restrictions and will force five states — California, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts and New Jersey, home to a quarter of all Americans — to rewrite their laws.

New York lawmakers convened a special session in Albany on June 30 to pass measures that would prohibit concealed weapons in many public places deemed “sensitive”. The ban would apply to places like colleges, hospitals, subways, parks and stadiums.may be an early test of how far a state can go to limit the spread of handguns without violating the Supreme Court’s ruling.

Gun Reform At The Federal Level

On June 23, the Senate passed a bipartisan gun bill with 15 Republicans, including the minority leader, Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky after a mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas, left at least 19 children and two adults dead, 10 days after another massacre killed 10 people at a supermarket in Buffalo.

It would enhance background checks for prospective gun buyers ages 18 to 21, requiring for the first time that juvenile records, including mental health records beginning at age 16, be vetted for potentially disqualifying material. The bill would provide incentives for states to pass “red flag” laws that allow guns to be temporarily confiscated from people deemed by a judge to be too dangerous to possess them. And it would tighten a federal ban on domestic abusers buying firearms, and strengthen laws against straw purchasing and trafficking of guns. It also includes hundreds of millions of dollars in funding for mental health programs and to beef up security in schools.

The House passed a wide-ranging package of gun control legislation called the “Protecting Our Kids Act,” . The legislation that passed in the House includes a series of individual bills aimed at preventing gun violence. The measure would raise the legal age to buy certain semiautomatic centerfire rifles from 18 to 21 years old, establish new federal offenses for gun trafficking and for selling large-capacity magazines, and allow local governments to compensate individuals who surrender such magazines through a buyback program. It would create a tax incentive for retail sales of safe storage devices and criminal penalties for breaking new requirements regulating firearm storage on residential premises. The measure would also take steps to strengthen existing federal regulations on bump stocks and ghost guns. The measure is not expected to pass the Senate.

The Red Wave
How Republicans at the State Level
helped to overturn Roe v Wade

The beginning of the end of Roe v. Wade arrived on election night in November 2010. That night, control of state houses across the country flipped from Democrat to Republican, almost to the number: Democrats had controlled 27 state legislatures going in and ended up with 16; Republicans started with 14 and ended up controlling 25. Republicans swept not only the South but Democratic strongholds in the Midwest, picking up more seats nationwide than either party had in four decades. By the time the votes had been counted, they held their biggest margin since the Great Depression.

That year swept in a different breed of Republican, powered by Tea Party supporters, that locked in a new conservatism. While Tea Party-backed candidates had campaigned on fiscal discipline and promised indifference to social issues, and a well-established network was waiting with model anti-abortion laws

The Status of Statehouses Today

Prior to the elections, Democrats hold 14 trifectas (control of the governor’s office and legislative chambers), Republicans hold 23 trifectas, and 13 states have a divided government. These will be the first elections affected by the 2020 redistricting cycle, which reapportioned state legislatures based on data from the 2020 United States census.

As of May 12, 2022, Republicans controlled 54.35% of all state legislative seats nationally, while Democrats held 44.37%. Republicans held a majority in 62 chambers, and Democrats held the majority in 36 chambers. One chamber (Alaska House) was organized under a multipartisan, power-sharing coalition.[1]

On November 8, 2022, 88 of the country’s 99 state legislative chambers will hold regularly-scheduled elections. New Jersey, Louisiana, Mississippi and Virginia do not.

10 Governor Races To Watch (updated October 7)

In some of the most competitive races, the outcome has implications far beyond the governor’s mansion. With many Republican voters embracing debunked theories about former President Donald J. Trump’s loss in the 2020 election and pushing for new voting restrictions, governors in battleground states are at the front line in a fight over American democracy. Many believe the midterms will test former President Donald J. Trump’s role as a G.O.P. kingmaker. Trump endorsed candidates are labeled (t).

Texas – Primary Results
Democrat Congressman Beto O’Rourke will be running against Republican Incumbent Gov. Greg Abbot (t)

Pennsylvania– Primary Results
Democrat Josh Shapiro will be running against Republican Doug Mastriano (t)

Georgia Primary Results
Democrat Stacy Adams will be running against Republican Incumbent Governor Brian Kemp

Nevada Primary Results
Democrat Incumbent Governor Steve Sisolak will be running against Republican Joe Lombardo (t)

Illinois Primary Results
Democrat Incumbent Governor J.B. Pritzker will be running against Republican Darren Bailey

Kansas Primary Results
Democrat Incumbent Governor Laura Kelly will be running against Republican Primary Candidate Derek Schmidt

Arizona Primary Results
Democrat Secretary of State Katie Hobbs will be running against Republican Kari Lake (t)

Michigan Primary Results
Democrat Incumbent Governor Gretchen Whitmer will be running against Republican Tudor Dixon (t)

Wisconsin Primary Results
Democrat Incumbent Governor Tony Evers will be running against Republican Tim Michels (t)

Florida August 23
Democrat Representative Charlie Crist will be running against Republican Incumbent Governor Ron DeSantis

New York State Primary Results
for Governor and Assembly

Your Newly Drawn Districts

A court released final maps for New York’s 26 congressional and 63 state Senate districts in the midnight hour on Saturday morning, setting in motion a flurry of campaign activity as candidates quickly jockeyed for position in critical seats. Have you been redistricted? Use this link to confirm your NYS Senate District, NYS Assembly District and your Congressional District.

Race For Governor and Lieutenant Governor

Democrat Incumbent Governor Kathy Hochul will be facing Republican Lee Zeldin

Democrat Incumbent Lieutenant Governor Antonio Delgado will be running against Republican Alison Esposito

New York State Assembly Races

The June 28 Primary results have been finalized. See who has won the Primary in your NYS Assembly district.

Response

Join/donate/volunteer for Gun Control Advocacy groups:

Sandy Hook Promise

Everytown For Gun Safety

Moms Demand Action For Gun Sense In America

Coalition To Stop Gun Violence

Volunteer, Donate & Support Candidates

Get to know the candidates running in the primaries and decide who you would support. I’ve linked campaign websites to leading Democratic candidates and will continue to do so as the primary results pour in. Attend virtual and public town halls, street fairs, and fundraisers. Ask questions. Find out how you can help. Set up a free account with Act Blue which coordinates donations for candidates and causes throughout the nation. 

There are multiple voter registration drives, in addition to Get Out The Vote (GOTV) initiatives to become involved in:

League of Women Voters

Rock The Vote

Here are more top rated organizations protecting voting rights in America.

Helping nationwide. 

Many organizations are asking for support in preparation for the midterm elections, with postcard & letter writing, phone banking, texting and canvassing. 

Vote Forward

Postcard to Voters

Postcards to Swing States

Indivisible

Next Post :

We Shall Fight – The Overturning of Roe v Wade and the Midterm Elections to focus on.

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A Pivotal Point For America

The state controlling a woman would mean denying her full autonomy and full equality.

Ruth Bader Ginsberg

Inform

The Supreme Court Overturns Roe vs Wade

The Supreme Court has overturned Roe v Wade, the landmark 1973 decision that established the constitutional right to abortion.

In the leaked draft majority opinion overturning Roe v. Wade, Supreme Court Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. presents what he sees as his most convincing arguments for permitting legislatures to ban abortion. He does so by repeatedly quoting Sir Matthew Hale, a judge who believed women could be witches, assumed women were liars and thought husbands owned their wives’ bodies. Echoes of Hale’s suspicion of women still reverberate in American law and culture, helping rapists avoid punishment.

The question is whether this decision, as Justice Sonia Sotomayor predicted, will produce a jurisprudential tsunami that could sweep away other precedents, too. The Courts’ reasoning was wrapped around the argument that ” a right to abortion cannot be found in the Constitution or inferred from its provisions.” The same could be said for contraception, gay intimacy and same-sex marriage, rights established by three Supreme Court decisions

The decision eliminating the constitutional right to an abortion after almost 50 years was met with celebration and anger across the country. It could lead to all but total bans on the procedure in about half of the states.

Few Americans support making abortions illegal.

The majority of Americans don’t want to overturn Roe. Americans’ feelings about abortion vary, though. Support for abortion in very Republican-leaning states, especially in the South, is low. Polls have found that support for abortion can change depending on the situation, too. Support for the right to abortion drops after the first trimester. In addition, there’s far more support for legal abortions in the cases of rape, incest or to save the life of the mother.

The Senate failed to advance bill to protect abortion rights. Democrats control 50 seats in the Senate.This will mark the second time the Senate has attempted to move legislation forward protecting abortion access nationwide. In February, the upper chamber took up the House-passed Women’s Health Protection Act, but failed to advance the measure in a 46 to 48 vote, well short of the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster.

Republican Senators have begun discussing federal legislation to ban abortion nationwide if they win Senate control in the midterms as they’ll be under intense pressure to end abortion even in blue states.

The overturn of Roe v Wade and its effect over key primary and general elections

Democrats, looking to hold on to their slim control of Congress, are hoping that abortion will galvanize their voters in an otherwise tough year for the party — one that has been characterized by low approval ratings for President Biden and frustrations over the economy and inflation.

Pro-life and Pro-choice language is now working its way into campaigns. Some believe the midterms biggest abortion battleground is Pennsylvania where the leading Republicans running for governor want to outlaw abortion. Across the nation abortion is starting to reshape notable midterm campaigns. The Pennsylvania Republican primary race for Governor and U.S. Senate, a Democratic rematch in Texas, and the Arizona Republican primary race for U.S Senate are now generating language and positions in what Arizona Senator Kelly has framed as a “generational fight for freedoms”.

The Midterm Primaries (Updated October 7)

The Trump Variable

The day after F.B.I. agents searched his home in Mar-a-Lago, former President Donald J. Trump yet again illustrated his electoral pull on the Republican Party.
In a series of primaries in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Vermont and Connecticut on Tuesday — and in a newly conceded race from last week’s election in Washington State — Mr. Trump’s candidates scored victories and his enemies drew defeats, with a notable exception.

10 U.S. Senate Races To Watch (Updated October 7)

A single state could shift power in the Senate, where Democrats maintain a tenuous advantage by virtue of having the tiebreaking vote of Vice President Kamala Harris. Thirty-five Senate seats are at stake in 2022, but the list of races considered competitive is much smaller. Most are in states that President Biden and former President Donald J. Trump contested fiercely in 2020. I will update final results, and link campaign sites to the Democrats who prevail.

Ohio – Primary Results
Democrat Representative Tim Ryan will be running against Republican J.D. Vance (t)

Pennsylvania – Primary Results
Democrat Lt. Gov. John Fetterman will be running against Republican Dr. Mehmet Oz (t),

North Carolina – Primary Result
Democrat Cheri Beasley will be running against Republican Representative Ted Budd (t)

Georgia – Primary Results
Democrat Incumbent Senator Ralphael Warnock will be running against Republican Herschel Walker (t)

Nevada – Primary Results
Democrat Incumbent Senator Catherine Cortez Masto will be running against Republican Adam Laxalt (t)

Arizona – Primary Results
Democrat Incumbent Senator Mark Kelly will be running against Republican Blake Masters (t)

Wisconsin – Primary Results
Democratic Mandela Barnes will be running against Republican Senator Ronald Johnson (t)

Alaska – Primary Results
Republican Incumbent Senator Lisa Murkowski had the lead (45%) followed by Republican candidate Kelly Tshibaka (t) (38.6%) , Democrat Patricia Chesbro (6.8%) and Republican Buzz Kelley (2.1%). These top four vote-getters will compete on a ranked-choice ballot in November.

Florida – Primary Results
Democrat Representative Val B. Demmings will be running against Republican Incumbent Senator Marco Rubio (t)

New Hampshire– Sept 13
Democrat Incumbent Senator Maggie Hassan will be running against Republican Donald Bolduc

9 Critical House Races To Watch (Updated October 7)

Only a handful of races in November will determine if Democrats hold onto their slim majority over Republicans in the House of Representatives — an outcome that is critical to the political fate of President Biden.

Ohio’s 13th District – Primary Results
Democrat Emilia Strong Sykes will be running against Republican Madison Gesiotto Gilbert (t)

North Carolina’s 13th District – Primary Results
Democrat State Senator Wiley Nickel will be running against Republican Representative Bo Hines (t)

Texas’s 15th District – Primary Results
Democrat Michelle Vallejo, will be running against Republican Monica De La Cruz(t)

Texas’s 28th District – Primary Results
Democrat Incumbent Representative Henry Cuellar will be running against Republican Candidate Cassy Garcia

California’s 45 District – Primary Results
Democrat Primary Candidate Jay Chen will be running against Republican Michele Steel

New Jersey’s 7th District – Primary Results
Democrat Incumbent Tom Malinowski will be running against Republican Thomas Kean

Colorado’s 8th District – Primary Results
Democrat Dr. Yadira Caraveo will be running against Republican Barb Kirkmeyer

Michigan’s 7th District – Primary Results
Democrat Incumbent Representative Elissa Slotkin will be running against Republican Tom Barrett

Michigan’s 8th District – Primary Results
Democrat Incumbent Representative Dan Kildee is facing Republican Paul Junge

4 Critical New York House Races To Watch (Updated Oct 7)

New York – Primary Results

New York 3rd District
Democrat Candidates include Robert Zimmerman will be running against Republican George Devolder-Santos

New York 18th District
Democrat Candidates Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan will be running against Republican Colin J. Schmitt


New York 19th District
Democrat Candidate Jaime Cheney will be running against Republican Marcus Molinaro


New York 22nd District
Democrat Candidate Francis Conole will be running against Republican Candidate Brandon Williams



The Cook Political Report 2022

What races are worth supporting? The “toss up” races are the most competitive; so either party has a good chance of winning in either the 2022 House Races or the 2022 Senate Races. The new ratings on this site will be issued on a rolling basis as states finalize new redistricting maps. I’ll focus on these races in the posts ahead.

Respond

The overturning of Roe v Wade and its fallout across the nation.

Support, Donate & Rally

Donations go beyond funding abortions, helping patients in other ways
Naral Pro Choice America
The Abortion Care Network
Planned Parenthood
Here are 19 more funds to consider donating to.

Find a local rally location in your state and join.

Midterm Elections: Confirm where your candidate stands in regard to the right to an abortion as established in Roe v. Wade.

Critical Senate and House Races

Volunteer, Donate & Support

Get to know the candidates running in the primaries and decide who you would support. I’ve linked campaign websites to leading Democratic candidates and will continue to do so as the primary results pour in. Attend virtual and public town halls, street fairs, and fundraisers. Ask questions. Find out how you can help. Set up a free account with Act Blue which coordinates donations for candidates and causes throughout the nation.

There are multiple voter registration drives, in addition to Get Out The Vote initiatives to become involved in:

League of Women Voters

Rock The Vote

Here are more top rated organizations protecting voting rights in America.

Helping nationwide.

Many organizations are asking for support in preparation for the midterm elections, with postcard & letter writing, phone banking, texting and canvassing.

Vote Forward

Postcard to Voters

Postcards to Swing States

Indivisible

Next Post

The Power of Statehouse Elections

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The Road To The 2022 Midterm Elections

“When you see wrong or inequality or injustice, speak out, because this is your country. This is your democracy. Make it. Protect it. Pass it on.”
Thurgood Marshall

We are coming upon the important midterm 2022 primaries and elections against a landscape of COVID recovery, the war in Ukraine, inflation, voting restrictions and political division.  All campaigns will also be addressing infrastructure, the rise in crime, criminal justice reform, the climate crisis, social spending, and taxes.

INFORM

How far have we come since the historic 2020 elections, and where do we need to go from here?

The American Rescue Plan Act (March 2021)

The American Rescue Plan Act included a third economic impact payment, additional unemployment benefits, a child tax credit and a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) for small businesses. These programs have since expired. Money also went to state educational agencies, support for low income families, public health, rental assistance and transportation.

Did the $1.9 trillion bill do what Congress and the president intended?  According to financial experts at Moody’s, the Rescue Plan added four million new jobs. In addition, the nation is “currently on track to recover all the jobs lost in the pandemic by the second quarter of 2022.” The $350 billion investment, championed by federal partners, gave state and local leaders a unique opportunity to solve immediate and long-term challenges.   A new report from NewDEAL, provides a repository of how state and local governments are investing in a wide array of initiatives that best meet their needs: from infrastructure to health care, to housing, to workforce development, and small businesses. Other cities used the funds to address the digital divide. Overall, local governments have initiated more than 2,300 projects through the American Rescue Plan, according to the Brookings Institute.

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act  

This bipartisan package was signed into law in November 2021 and focused on investments in roads, railways, bridges and broadband internet. The price tag came in at roughly $1 trillion, with $550 billion in new spending over five years. Included are roads, bridges, passenger and freight rail, public transportation, port infrastructure, electric vehicles, power, drinking water, and pollution remediation. The legislation attracted support from 19 Senate Republicans and 13 House GOP members, despite strong opposition from Trump and some GOP leaders.

The final version was a disappointment to many as crucial parts were excluded in the end including investments in housing and education; child care and Medicare expansions; research and development; manufacturing; climate research; and clean energy.

The Build Back Better Act

The Original Version (Oct 2021)

The plan focused on a long list of social policies and programs ranging from education to healthcare to housing to climate.
Social Spending
Included was universal preschool for children, free community college, expanded Medicare services and Medicaid, lower prescription drug costs, tax cuts for families with children and childcare support, 12 weeks of paid family leave, housing investments.
Climate
There would be tax cuts for electric vehicles and other climate incentives. Biden’s bill also included tax credits and grants for businesses and communities working towards clean energy initiatives.  The Civilian Climate Corps, a government workforce dedicated to environment protection and conservation would be launched and funded. Additionally, utility companies would be subject to a system of payments and fines to clean up emissions from fossil fuels. Over time, these companies would be required to phase in renewable energy to replace fossil fuels.
Taxes
New tax plans that will cover its cost. Some of the tax changes include repeals on Trump-era tax cuts for wealthy individuals and corporations, such as: restoring the estate tax and raising the corporate tax rate from 21% to 26% (before Trump, the rate was 35%). Additionally, capital gains taxes will be raised from 20% to 25%.

The House Bill (Nov 2021)

Most of the bill’s spending was to help families with children and health care.
Social Spending
The Child Care Plan
Families with children under age 6 get affordable child care for the first time, subsidizing most or all of the cost of their care at licensed providers. The catch here is that the bill only fully funds this plan for three years — 2025 to 2027.
Expanded Pre-K
The bill also devotes about $109 billion to funding state expansions of pre-K programs — though here too, the federal money will vanish after six years, in 2028
Paid Leave
The federal government, working through private insurers, would help fund paid leave for workers who become new parents or who are seriously ill.
Health care
The biggest-ticket item is about $146 billion for in-home care for seniors and the disabled through Medicaid. Medicare would  expand to cover hearing benefits.
The bill would fund the subsidies that help people pay for Obamacare individual insurance plans for a few more years This would allow the federal government to negotiate some prescription drug prices in the hopes of driving those prices down. Lastly it would pay for coverage for low-income individuals in states that did not expand Medicaid.
There will be also be more money for existing affordable housing programs, and measures to give unauthorized immigrants temporary work permits and increase legal immigration. It would also spend billions on public health, higher education and transportation projects.
Climate
Green Energy
Nearly $500 billion over 10 years (about a quarter of the bill’s spending) is devoted to green energy or other measures meant to fight climate change. The bulk of that money goes to tax credits meant to incentivize clean electricity and transportation as well as energy efficiency for property owners. Unlike social policy programs, Democrats are not setting their new clean energy tax credits to expire after just a few years.
Dirty Energy
The major punitive policy toward dirty energy that remains in the bill is a fee on methane emissions associated with oil and gas production and transmission. They abandoned a carbon tax or a payment system for utilities using clean energy.
Taxes
New tax changes that are projected to raise much more money from the very wealthy and corporations but also a large tax cut for well-off people in high-tax (mostly blue) states. The Build Back Better Act would raise a great deal of revenue from higher taxes on some of the wealthiest people in the country and on corporations.
Trumps tax cut bill made a significant change limiting how much state and local taxes were deductible on federal tax returns. House Democrats representing  high-tax areas demanded a significant portion of the bill’s spending be devoted to rolling back the change of the SALT deduction over the next five years.

The Bill Hits A Wall in the Senate (Dec 2021)

A month after the House passed a version of Build Back Better last fall, Sen. Joe Manchin III (D-W.Va.) came out against the package. With the Senate divided 50-50 between Democrats and Republicans and the GOP united against the package, Manchin’s support was, and remains, critical to any deal. In addition, Senator Krysten Sinema refused to commit to the plan. Discussions between the White House and key senators on what was once a massive climate and social spending package virtually evaporated.

The Status of Build Back Better (March 2022)

Sen. Joe Manchin’s (D-W.Va.) latest proposal on a scaled-down version of President Biden’s Build Back Better agenda that would leave out big social spending initiatives like expanded child care, universal pre-kindergarten, national paid family leave and long-term home health care. He is suggesting limiting new spending to climate programs instead of an array of social spending initiatives.  Some Democrats say they are growing tired of the back-and-forth with Manchin, which has dragged on for months, leaving them deeply frustrated over their inability to strike a deal.  
President Biden has tried to resurrect the legislation. Biden’s efforts include ditching the name and rebranding the policies as measures to curb inflation. Senate Democrats are also holding hearings on issues like prescription drug prices to try to keep talks going.

Here are three possible routes Democrats could take as they try to salvage the BBB legislation.

1. A Deficit Reducing Deal – In early March, Manchin effectively put a new offer on the table, saying he’d be willing to consider legislation that focuses on prescription drug prices, tax reforms, and climate investments as long as half the revenue it raises is targeted to paying down the deficit.

Presently, in late March, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) told a group of climate activists and energy executives he’s open to supporting revised Build Back Better legislation narrowly addressing three issues: climate change, prescription drug prices and deficit reduction. Now Administration officials are weighing which policies boosting domestic energy production could help win support from Sen. Joe Manchin III (D-W.Va.) for climate legislation.

2. Lawmakers turn to BiPartisan Bills – Previously, Sens. Wyden and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) had reached an agreement on legislation that would limit the out-of-pocket prices seniors on Medicare would have to pay for drugs. Senator Warnock is also leading a bill that could cap the monthly price of insulin at $35, a proposal that has gotten positive feedback from some Republicans. These agreements, however, are inferior to the original proposals. Wyden and Grassley’s bill did not enable Medicare to negotiate drug prices like the budget bill would, for example. Romney’s child tax credit policy would also impose more work requirements for people to receive the benefit, which Democrats’ proposal did not. In the end, though several of these bills have Republican support, getting 10 GOP members to sign on in the Senate will still be a challenge.

3. No Version of Build Back Better Passes – the darkest scenario. Democrats  have a packed spring schedule and a limited window to get legislation done before this fall’s elections.

Inflation and The War in Ukraine

The global implications of the war in Europe has forced candidates in both parties to adjust their political playbooks to account for a rapidly evolving new issue that, at its core, has united voters in support of aiding the Ukrainian resistance to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s aggression, but also underscored the rigid partisan divide that defines modern American politics. While Democrats see vindication for Biden, Trump’s influence looms over the Republican response. 

Soaring consumer prices are undermining President Biden’s economic approval ratings, making inflation a critical topic for the White House headed into midterm elections — and making fighting it a focus of the administration’s budget, even though the Federal Reserve plays the primary role in countering rapid price increases. Mr. Biden’s administration, in its budget proposal released Monday, emphasized that some of the investments it is making or proposing could lower costs for families. Fed policymakers are hoping that their policy changes, paired with further supply chain and labor market healing, will help them to return annual inflation to 4.3 percent by the end of the year.

House Democrats’ political fate is tied to Biden, whose administration faces record-high inflation and drastically increasing gas prices as the U.S. works to damage Russia’s economy over its invasion of Ukraine. The rise in consumer goods is so challenging that Representative Axne has made combatting inflation a priority. She’s releasing agendas geared towards addressing supply chain bottlenecks, joining working groups in Congress that aim to advance policy solutions to lower inflation, and conceding that rising prices are not so much a blip on the radar as they are a persistent problem that requires multifaceted legislative solutions.

Crime and Criminal Justice Reform

Even as the upcoming midterm elections make for a rocky path to bipartisan reforms, there are plenty of opportunities in 2022 for federal, state, and local leaders to make a more fair and accountable criminal justice system. They include #1 Policing: Responding to a spike in homicides with evidence-based strategies, #2 Pretrial: Bipartisan state-level bail reform, #3 Fines and Fees: Abolishing juvenile fines and fees, #4 Community Supervision: Piloting innovative solutions to reduce probation revocations and #5 Corrections: New standards and practices for the first time in 40 years.

With violent crime rates rising and elections looming, progressive prosecutors are facing resistance to their plans to roll back stricter crime policies of the 1990s. Rising homicide and violent crime rates have even Democrats in liberal cities calling for more law enforcement, not less — forcing prosecutors to defend their policies against their own allies. The criticisms from two prominent Black mayors are particularly biting. These mayors have argued that the minority communities that want racism rooted from the justice system also want more robust policing and prosecutions. 

President Biden will propose more that $32 billion in new spending to fight crime. His budget proposal will include $20.6 billion for the next fiscal year for Department of Justice discretionary spending on federal law enforcement, crime prevention and intervention. The expanded discretionary spending would increase resources for federal prosecutors and give additional resources to state and local law enforcement to put more police on the beat

The Wealth Tax

President Biden proposed raising taxes on the wealthiest Americans and corporations, outlining several initiatives in his 2023 budget aimed at bringing down the federal budget deficit and closing loopholes that allow the rich to lower their tax bills. The “Billionaire Minimum Income Tax” would apply only to the top one-hundredth of 1 percent of American households, and over half of the revenue would come from those worth more than $1 billion. The proposal focuses on taxing unrealized capital gains that are built up over years but are taxed only when sold for a profit. The White House estimates that the new tax would raise about $360 billion in revenue over a decade.

The Voting Rights Bill

History:
The 1965 Voting Rights Act was the most success­ful civil rights legis­la­tion in our coun­try’s history until the Supreme Court gutted the law in Shelby County v. Holder in 2013. Section 4 of the VRA had jurisdictions “preclear” changes to the election rules with the federal gov’t. This step was massively successful at improving voting access. The 2013 Supreme Court decision declared that coverage formal was out of date. The decision in Shelby County opened the floodgates to laws restrict­ing voting through­out the United States.

The Assault on Voting Rights Today:

The Court further weakened the law’s protec­tions against voting discrim­in­a­tion in another case in 2022 in Brnovich v. Demo­cratic National Commit­tee. The decision held that Arizona laws discounting ballots cast out of precinct and banning non-relative neighbors or friends to deliver mail-in ballots did not violate Section 2 of the VRA , despite these laws’ negative effects on Black and brown voters.

The John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the Freedom to Vote Act, were  approved by the House in Fall 2021. The Freedom to Vote Act would expand voter registration, expand voting access with guidelines for mail-in voting and early voting, establish Election Day as a federal holiday, and prevent state lawmakers from redrawing districts so as to disadvantage Black and Brown voters. Additionally, the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act would restore the Justice Department’s authority to police election laws in states with a history of discrimination.

These measures were blocked by the Senate in January 2022 when Democrats tailed to overcome a Republican blockade or unite their own members behind a change in filibuster rules to pass it. Now Democrats face an electoral landscape in which they will need to spend heavily to register and mobilize voters if they are to overcome the hodgepodge of new voting restrictions enacted by Republicans across the country.

Covid

Democrats could enter the 2022 midterms as the responsible grown-ups who finally tamed a deadly scourge. Or, if Republicans succeed in branding mask and vaccine mandates as nanny-state overreach, voters could punish them in the fall. Most likely, both narratives will compete for attention as the virus itself casts the determining vote.

Governors up for re-election must weigh two uncertainties: how much the public will tolerate the kinds of restrictions they imposed in the pandemic’s early days, and to what extent the shield wall provided by the vaccine will hold. Republican strategists see mandates as increasingly unpopular with suburban women, among other key segments of the electorate.

RESPOND

  1. All House seats are up for re-election. Determine if a Senator is up for re-election in your state.  Donate, volunteer and support your Representatives and/or Senator campaign(s).  Attend town halls, fundraisers, and all outreach opportunities.
  2. There are 36 gubernatorial seats on the ballot, in addition to 88 state legislative chambers in 46 states.
  3. Confirm when primaries are held in your state. Become informed, ask questions and become involved.
  4. Get involved with all GOTV (Get Out The Vote) campaigns nation wide. They often involve writing letters, postcards, text messages, and phone banks. Volunteer for local registration drives.

Vote Forward
Rock The Vote
Contact your local Indivisible group to see what drives they have begun on the federal and state levels.

Next Post:

A Pivotal Point For America

Posted in 2022 Midterm Elections, Criminal Justice Reform, Governorships, The Climate Crisis, The House Race, The Senate Race, Voter Suppression, Voting | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The Road To The 2022 Midterm Elections

New Jersey’s Crucial Executive & Legislative Elections

“The state comes into existence for the sake of life, and continues to exist for the sake of good life”

Aristotle

Date & Times To Remember

Election Day
Tuesday November 2, 2021
6 am – 8 pm

In-Person Early Voting
Saturday Oct 23, 2021 – Sunday Oct 31, 2021
10 am – 8 pm
Poll Locations By County

New Jersey will open its first true statewide early voting period, with voters able to cast ballots in person on machines. Gov. Phil Murphy enacted a law mandating this system, which requires between three and 10 polling locations open daily in each county, depending on its population.

All counties have had to buy new voting equipment — including ballot printers, machines and electronic poll books — and are now setting them up and starting to train poll workers how to use them. An estimate from the New Jersey Association of Counties put the additional cost of this first year of early voting at $83 million. An excellent investment in guaranteeing access to the right to vote.

Vote By Mail
Steps, Links & Deadlines

Step One : Complete a Vote-by-Mail Ballot Application.

Then choose either
A. Mail it to your New Jersey County Clerk. If you mail it to your county clerk, a Vote By Mail Ballot will be mailed to your address. 
Residents interested in voting by mail need to make sure their mailed-in application is received by Tuesday, Oct. 26 (no less than seven days before the election). Please note that once you apply for a Mail in Ballot, you will not be permitted to vote by machine at your polling place in the same election. 

OR

B. Deliver your application to your New Jersey County Clerk. It  will be processed and a ballot issued while you wait . You may choose to vote at the time you receive your ballot or take the ballot with you.

Step Two:  How To Complete Your Ballot

1. Look inside the envelope you receive in the mail for these items:
The ballot
An inner envelope with an attached certificate
A mailing envelope


2. Completely fill in the oval next to each of your selections in blue or black ink.
3. Fill in and sign the certificate, keeping it attached to the inner envelope.
4. Place the ballot into the certificate envelope.
5. Then, place the certificate envelope into the mailing envelope.

Step Three  Choose one of three ways to return your ballot:

Mail: It must be postmarked on or before 8:00 p.m. November 2 and be received by your county’s Board of Elections on or before November 8.

Secure Ballot Drop Box: Place it in one of your county’s secure ballot drop boxes by 8:00 p.m. on November 2. Secure Ballot Drop Box locations

Board of Elections Office: Deliver it in person to your county’s Board of Elections Office by 8:00 p.m. on November 2.

Step Four Track Your Ballot

You can check on the status of your vote-by-mail ballot using the Track My Ballot Portal online or you can contact your County Clerk.

First time users have to create an account and will need either a Voter ID, a Driver’s License Number, or the last 4 digits of their SSN Number to validate voter registration status. (If you don’t know your Voter ID number, you can obtain it by going to “Voter Search” or contact your Superintendent of Elections or Commissioner of Registration)

The Two New Jersey Statewide Ballot Proposals

Public Question #1: Allows wagering on postseason college sport competitions held in N.J. and competitions in which a N.J.-based college team participates.

The Assembly approved a resolution, SCR-133, asking voters if they want to allow gamblers to bet on college sports involving New Jersey teams, as well as any collegiate games played within the state. These are currently prohibited under the state’s three-year old sports betting law and would need voter approval. Public Television’s New Jersey Spotlight profiles the public’s opinion on this.

Public Question #2: Allows organizations to use raffle money to raise money for their own organization.

There are a multitude of organizations that use raffles in the state of New Jersey.  Of these organizations, only veterans and senior citizen organizations are allowed to use proceeds from bingo or raffles to support their groups. The other organizations are prohibited from doing so. This would change that limitation.

The League of Women Voters of NJ has done an extensive analysis on the two public questions with reasons to vote “yes” and reasons to vote “no”.

Individualized Election Information

The League of Women Voters Education Fund is a national resource of voter information customized to your exact location. It includes information provided by all candidates for local, state and national races. Divisive politics have entered school board decisions , and it’s important to know where your school candidates stand. Use their resource before entering the polls. https://www.vote411.org

New Jersey Candidates

Governor

Democrat: Phil Murphy

Republican: Jack Ciattarelli

New Jersey’s contest, which along with Virginia’s is one of just two governor’s races in the country before next year’s midterm elections, is seen by some as an early barometer of voter sentiment. The New Jersey governor election is one of the first statewide contests to measure how voters feel about strict coronavirus mandates.  As of today, Oct 13, Gov. Phil Murphy has picked up the first newspaper endorsement of the 2021 governor’s race, winning the backing of the New York Daily News. Jack Ciattarelli has yet to receive a newspaper endorsement.

The last debate between these two candidates was Tuesday October 13. They fought  over COVID masks, school funding, abortion, and white privilege. Another heated argument involved the state budget. Ciattarelli has attacked Murphy for adding $11 billion in state spending over the last four years. And Ciattarelli has vowed to cut $10 billion in spending and reduce property taxes by revamping the state school funding formula.

Lieutenant Governor

Democrat: Sheila Oliver

Republican: Diane Allen

The only debate between these two candidates was Tuesday October 5. The two women seeking to be New Jersey’s lieutenant governor made the policy differences of their tickets clear. They disagreed on issues ranging from vaccine mandates to gun control. Another topic over which they sparred was the Murphy administration’s record on women. Both candidates said they support the bipartisan infrastructure deal, but disagreed over the larger spending package that Democrats are currently debating in Washington, with Oliver in favor of spending more on “human infrastructure” like programs for expanded child and day care.

There are other candidates for these two executive offices that represent the Green, Liberal and Socialist Work Parties .

New Jersey State Senate and Assembly Races

The New Jersey Senate has 40 members, and the New Jersey General Assembly has 80 members. One Senator and two Assembly Members will be elected from each of the 40 districts of New Jersey. Assembly members hold two year terms, while Senators hold four year terms.

These are the legislative districts profiled in the last Primary Post.  If your district is not listed below, check who is running in your State Senate and Assembly races. Research what candidate(s) support your values and concerns. Become involved with their political campaigns and donate, volunteer and support in any way you can. 

State Senate Races: Voters pick 1

Assembly Races: Voters pick 2

District 2

State Senate
Democrat: Vincent Mazzeo

Republican: Vincent Polistina (defeated one conservative Republican candidate)

State Assembly
Democrats John Armato & Caren Fitzpatrick

Republicans Don Guardian & Clair Swift

District 10

State Senate
Democrat: Emma Mammano

Republican: James Holzapfel

State Assembly
Democrats: Garitt Tony Kono & Mary Sharon Quilter

Republican:  John Catalano & Gregory McGuckin (Defeated two conservative Republican candidates)

District 16 For friends and family:
These are the general election candidates for both the Assembly and Senate
in the 16th District, which spans parts of Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex and Somerset counties.

State Senate
Democrat: Andrew Zwicker

Republican: Mike Pappas

Note: Mike Pappas defeated Conservative Republican Jeffrey Grant in the Republican Primary.
According to Grant’s website, he gained the following Republican votes in District 16:
Hunterdon County 1,753 votes 40%
Middlesex County 425 votes 46%
Mercer County 219 votes 63%
Somerset County 1,632 votes 30%
Total: 4,029 votes 36%

State Assembly
Democrats: Roy Freiman & Sadaf Jaffer

Republicans: Joseph Lukac & Vincent Panico

District 18

State Senate
Democrat: Patrick Diegnan Jr.

Republican: Vihal Patel

State Assembly
Democrats: Robert Karabinchak & Sterley Stanley

Republicans: Angela Fam & Melanie McCann Mott

District 20

State Senate
Democrat: Joseph Cryan

Republican: None

State Assembly
Democrats: Annette Quijano & Reginald Atkins

Republicans: None

District 21

State Senate
Democrat: Joseph Signorello

Republican: Jon Bramnick

State Assembly

Democrats:  Elizabeth Graner & Anjali Mehrotra
Republican: Nancy Munoz & Michele Matsikoudis

District 26

State Senate
Democrat: Christine Clarke

Republican: Joseph Pennachio

State Assembly
Democrats: Melissa Brown Blaeuer & Pamela Fadden

Republicans: Jay Weber & Christian Barranco

District 30

State Senate
Democrat: Dan Stinger

Republican: Robert Singer

State Assembly
Democrats: Stephen DobbinsMatthew Filosa

Republicans: Sean KeanEdward Thomson

District 37

State Senate
Democrat: Gordon Johnson

Republican: Michael Koontz

State Assembly
Democrats: Shama Haider & Ellen Park

Republicans: Edward DurfeePerley Patrick

Local Elections

For friends and family:
There are the general election candidates for specific areas of Hunterdon County

If you don’t live in Hunterdon County, find out which candidates are running in your County’s Board of Elections.  Some websites will list all candidates, while others will provide pdfs of your actual ballot. Research what candidate(s) support your values and concerns. Become involved with their political campaigns and donate, volunteer and support in any way you can. 

Hunterdon County

County Clerk (vote for 1)
Democrat: None
Republican: Mary Melfi

Board of County Commissioners (vote for 2)
Democrats: Patrick Heller, Mark Pomykacz

Republicans:  J. Matthew Holt, Susan Soloway

Clinton Town

Common Council (vote for 2)
Democrats: John Kashwick, Sherry Dineen


Republicans: Nicholas Bruno, Kyle Perloff

Clinton Township

Council (vote for 2)
Democrats: None
Republicans:Tom Kochanowksi, Marc Strauss

Council (vote for 1)
Democrat: None
Republican: William Glaser Jr. I could not find any information about this candidate. 

An opinion about the lock the present Republicans have on Clinton Township.

Flemington Borough

Council (vote for 2)
Democrats: Caitlin Giles McCormick, Elizabeth Rosetti

Republican: Alan Brewer, Betty Jane Czap

Lambertville

Mayor (vote for 1)

Democrat: Andrew Nowick  – I highly recommend this exceptional candidate whom I’ve known for many years as a brilliant, compassionate and outstanding problem solver.

Independent: Michael Menche

Raritan Township

Township Committee (vote for 2)
Democrats: Barbara Simoncelli, Hope Cohen

Republicans: Jeff Kuhl, Scott Sipos

Readington Township

Township Committee (vote for 2)
Democrats: Marvin Fields, Alan Harwick

Republicans: R. Juergen Huelsebusch, Adam Mueller

Next Post:

The Build Better Back Act – $3.5 Trillion Spending Plan and

The $1 Trillion Infrastructure Plan

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