Results Of State Legislative Races Were Generally Disastrous For Democrats

 

Democrats expected to flip at least a few state legislative chambers and stop the Republican Party gerrymandering steam roller. Unlike Florida-- which didn't even try and where this afternoon the 3 biggest chapters of the Florida College Democrats jointly called for the resignations of party chair Terri Rizzo, party executive director Juan Peñalosa, and saboteur Rosie Gonzales Spears-- parties in Texas, Arizona, North Carolina, Michigan, Georgia, Iowa and several other states worked hard and believed they had a chance... until the votes started being counted. It was pretty bad across the map. In 19 states the GOP can draw the congressional maps any ole way they please without any input from Democrats. The only chambers that have changed hands were both the House and Senate in New Hampshire which went from blue to red. There may be party flips in 2 states still counting ballots, Alaska and Arizona.

Washington Post reporter Amber Phillips wrote this morning that "Republicans controlled the mapmaking process in most states after a stellar 2010 election and were able to draw state and congressional districts that made it harder for Democrats to regain power at all levels. It won't be as bad this time-- but almost.

Here are some of the states where Democrats still have a foot in the door in redistricting despite their poor 2020 election-- and states where they won’t but could really use one.

States where Democrats have a foot in the door

Michigan: Michigan is one of a growing number of states with an independent redistricting commission. Voters overwhelmingly approved a constitutional amendment in 2018 to assign the map-drawing duties to a group of citizens rather than leave it to politicians.

But some Michigan Republicans have tried to argue that the commission is unconstitutional and want to defund it. So Democrats wanted to win even more control of state government to brace for the political fight they know is coming over these maps, no matter who draws them.

They tried this November to flip the Michigan state House (the state Senate is so far in Republican control it wasn’t in contention for them.) But they didn’t. They’ll still have the governor’s mansion to push back on any GOP-led changes to the independent commission.

Still, Democrats are hopeful that the independent commission will draw fairer lines, and then they’ll have a new map for state and congressional districts in time for 2022 elections.

Pennsylvania: Like Michigan, Pennsylvania is a swing state with divided control: a Democratic governor and Republican legislature. Democrats had hoped to flip the state House-- and maybe the state Senate in a really good year-- but didn’t flip either.

Still, Democrats may have more of a cushion here than in other states. Pennsylvania had been known as one of the most extremely gerrymandered states until 2018, when the state Supreme Court declared GOP maps unconstitutional because they were so partisan and forced the drawing of new ones. That played a huge role in helping Democrats win back the majority in Congress in 2018. Democrats are probably hoping that the state court can play a backstop to any map-drawing battles they lose this year.

Wisconsin:

Democrats control the governor’s mansion and had no hope of trying to get the legislature in their control. But they did manage to stop Republicans from winning a veto-proof majority in the state legislature that would have given the GOP near-absolute control over the mapmaking process.

The likeliest outcome in Wisconsin is that Democrats and Republicans can’t agree on maps, and it gets booted to the courts. That could help Democrats, who tend to believe that the courts order fairer-drawn maps than Republicans would if left to their own devices.

States where Democrats will have no foot in the door-- and could really use one

  Florida:

This swing state at the presidential level is dominated by Republicans at the state level, who have controlled the governor’s mansion and state legislature for two decades. And that means Republicans have had control over state and congressional district boundaries for two all-important redistricting opportunities as Florida grows in population and changes in demographics. They are about to start their third. (Some Democrats thought a really strong Democratic wave could have flipped a chamber here, but others never thought it was in play. And no Democratic wave manifested anyway.)

You can see the results of Republican power at the state level on Florida’s congressional delegation. Democrats will control just 11 of Florida’s 27 congressional districts next year, and that’s before Republicans get to draw new maps.

Georgia:

Georgia Democrats proved themselves a force at the presidential and U.S. Senate level this November. (Democrats managed to push two GOP-held Senate seats to runoffs in January. In the battle for the White House, we’re still waiting on results, but Democrats have a chance to win Georgia for the first time in nearly three decades.)

Like Florida, some Democrats were hopeful that a blue tsunami in November had the potential to flip the state House. But that didn’t happen. Which means that like Florida, the state is controlled by Republicans, and they will get to decide state legislative and congressional districts for the next decade.

Texas:

Democrats picked up zero congressional seats in Texas, despite hoping to pick up several. They had hoped to pick up an entire state legislative chamber, the state House, which would go a long way toward helping House Democrats keep control of Congress by giving them a say in the map-drawing process for this major state. They won’t have such a foot in the door now; the state government remains entirely controlled by Republicans.

Still, Democrats protected about a dozen state legislative incumbents who won in 2018 in tough seats. At least they didn’t go backward in their foothold in the state legislature, one Democrat put it.

Iowa:

Iowa has an independent redistricting commission, but the state legislature has influence over approving those maps. And Democrats are worried that Iowa Republicans could make the map-drawing process more partisan.

Democrats were trying to flip the state House to protect against such changes. They were four seats away from taking control, but instead, Republicans gained six state legislative seats there, strengthening their majority.

North Carolina:

The governor of North Carolina will remain a Democrat after November’s elections. But unlike in many other states, he doesn’t have the authority to veto a legislature’s electoral maps. Democrats made it a big priority to try to flip both chambers and ended up flipping neither. Republicans actually strengthened their majorities in both.

Ohio:

Ohio voters recently approved a constitutional amendment to try to reduce gerrymandering, but the Republican-controlled state legislature still controls much of the process. Republican state lawmakers also have an opening in the new commission to try to tweak their districts mid-decade.

Democrats wanted to flip the partisan control of the state Supreme Court so they could have power to change Republican-drawn maps via the courts. They ended up falling one seat short.

Kansas:

Kansas has a Democratic governor who could veto maps. But Republicans have a supermajority in the state legislature to override her veto. Democrats tried to break that supermajority in November but weren’t able to.

 

The Mississippi state legislature must be a wild place

Missouri is close to being a one-party state. The Republicans control it all-- the governorship, which pro-COVID incumbent Mike Parson was elected 1,713,153 (57.2%) to 1,216,392 (40.6%), the state Senate (which the GOP controls 23-8) and the state House (which the GOP controls 113-48). Yesterday, the Kansas City Star reported that the 3 adult children of Missouri Rep-elect Rick Roeber (R) have implored the next speaker of the House not to seat him, saying they all suffered some combination of physical, mental and sexual abuse by him. Roeber, a pastor, narrowly beat Chris Hager, 10,779 (50.8%) to 10,434 (49.2%) to represent an open red seat southeast of Kansas City (HD-34). The seat was open because the incumbent, Roeber's wife died in office. Note: Not every Republican state legislator rapes his children.

Flipping A Suburban State Senate Seat That Trump Won In Missouri

Recently, Missouri state Senator Maria Chappelle-Nadal introduced me to a state Rep from a nearby district, Deb Lavender, who she described as very strong and as "the one elected person the Senate's Black caucus can count on to carry our justice and equity issues in the House. She asked me to speak with her and I did and was impressed enough to add her to the Blue America 2020 list of state legislative candidates, which you will find by clicking on the ActBlue thermometer below.

Deb is running for a state Senate seat (SD-15) southwest of St. Louis, a suburban area from Kirkwood and Sunset Hills through Fenton, Ballwin and Twin Oaks to Sherman and Clarkson Valley. 91% white, well-off and well-educated, it's a swing district that has swung away from Trump this year. The Trump-Republican incumbent, Andrew Koenig, was reelected with Trump in 2016, beating Stephen Eagleton 62,988 (61%) to 40,193 (39%). Deb was reelected to her house seat (HD-90)-- which is entirely within the boundaries of the senate district-- in 2016 56-44% and in 2018 the Republicans didn't bother putting up a candidate against her. Two polls show Deb running slightly ahead of Koenig, a Republican poll showing her beating him by 5 points and a Democratic poll showing her beating him by 6 points. This is a very flippable seat, one Trump won in 2016 and then Claire McCaskill won in 2018.

I asked Deb to share a guest post with us about what issues are motivating her run for the state Senate against a fairly entrenched very conservative Republican. Below is what she had to say; please read it and consider clicking the 2020 legislative thermometer on contributing to a campaign that rreallyis very likely to come out ahead in November in a state where progressive Democrats don't always have such good news.


Early this year, the COVID-19 pandemic swept across the nation, not like a heavy winter snow that covers everything in sight, but like a hurricane whose wind ravages everything it encounters. The deadly virus has brought into bight floodlights the stark contrast of economic and health disparities across our nation. For too many decades, with continued regularity, we have seen a lower life expectancy in zip codes of poverty, we have seen our young black men and women killed at the hands of the police, always with an excuse that the officer felt threatened in one way or another. These videos seen on the nightly news and all social media platforms have penetrated into the lives of society so powerfully, that we can no longer overlook or ignore the structural inequities baked into our society. As we watched the virus devastate communities of color due to long standing health issues, we also watched the economic devastation hit these same communities, and then we watch a police officer kill George Floyd. The convergence of three distinctly tragic time episodes has created great upheaval in our country. The large protests, the horrible demonstration of brutality on so many videos, the destruction of communities has happened before. Will this time be different?

It feels as if our society has shifted, but time will tell. Will this be one more incident that is a horrible moment in America’s history or will it be the landmark in the road that alters our path and produces alterations in society that are long needed for a nation that works for everyone.

Getting the virus under control will tax us all in ways we have not encountered before. The pandemic of 1918 ravaged the nation and left millions dead in its path, yet moved with speed across the nation. Six months into the pandemic we are being told we have not seen the worst of what is still to come. Today (August 14, 2020) over 162,000 thousand lives have been lost in our nation and more than 1,325 in Missouri a state where I serve as a State Representative.

Missouri’s Governor Mike Parson (who inherited the job when previous Governor Greitens resigned from a sex/ethics scandal) has not taken actions that have helped our State control the virus. Today, as thousands of people get sick in our state and hundreds of people die, Governor Parson has called a special session for ‘law and order’ because people are dying from gun violence. Nowhere in his preferred actions for the special session calling for a decrease in this violence, is an admission that Missouri’s own lack guns laws are to blame for children having easier access to guns, nowhere in his preferred actions for the special session calling for a decrease in this violence, does he address inadequate, expensive and scarce housing, healthcare, food insecurities, education, or transportation for our communities. Instead he wants to impose more felonies and demand higher levels of incarceration. His most recent request of the General Assembly is to allow the Attorney General of Missouri to have concurrent jurisdiction in the City of St. Louis to prosecute cases the sitting Prosecutor has declined to prosecute. He specifically singles out and targets St. Louis City. There is no loss on the community and people of this state that this is the only Black women prosecutor in Missouri. Instead of looking to resolve the fundamental causes of violence, adding another layer of ‘law and order’ is just putting icing on a mud pie. More police and longer prison sentences will never be the solution to problems that has existed for hundreds of years.

I have served as a State Representative for Missouri’s District 90, representing a near west county suburb of St. Louis, since being elected in 2014. I have worked for healthcare since my first day on the House floor. Missouri has been one of the Republican states that have not expanded Medicaid and I have consistently asked, and worked for expansion. Voters in our state finally had enough of the inertia from the legislature and signed petitions to put expansion before the voters and the measure passed earlier this month (August 2020) by 53%-47%. We have cleared one hurdle to expand healthcare, but in a super majority Republican state that has never expanded the measure, the second hurdle is implementation. Having served on the House Budget Committee for the past four years I know Missouri has the capacity and financial ability to expand healthcare for our hard working families, and I know how to get that job done. My opponent has consistently voted against expanding healthcare.

There is always the same ongoing issues that are important to people living in all states (and again, the significant disparity of these issues has been further highlighted during the coronavirus), are affordable and accessible housing, free access to a good public education with tools for the global economy for all our students, accessible transportation, access to fresh foods, clean air, and water.

We must as a people, shake the foundation this nation was built upon. The 1619 Project championed by Nikole Hannah-Jones has taught so many Americans the importance of this date in history and how our nation’s foundation was built upon the original sin of slavery. We have yet to extract this nation from the structure of racism that was started in 1619 and continues to exist today. We need good people to want to serve for the betterment of society. We need people to be passionate and tireless, as the work never stops.

I love my job as a State Rep working for the people in my community and the state. As a Democrat in a super-minority in Missouri I am often on the losing side of votes. I have an analogy of what it means to serve in a super-minority. Every morning 48 Democrats get up, shower, dress and go to a tug of war contest. The 48 of us stand on one side of the line and the 115 in the Republican majority stand on the other side. We lose every day; we get pulled over, dirty, bruised and sometime bloody. Our bills don’t get referred to committee so we don’t get to talk about the housing crisis, upgrading our public education with tools for the global economy for all our students, accessible transportation, access to fresh foods, clean air, or for clean water. I was never able to pass Medicaid expansion and fortunately, through the voters of our state, we now have a chance to do that. It can be frustrating and yet, this is the time I get to serve in the Missouri’s legislature. We have term limits so our time is limited and this is the time I get to serve, in a super minority, when often all I have is my voice for the people I represent.

A year ago I made the decision to run for State Senate against one of the most conservative Republicans in our state, Andrew Koenig. Being in the State Senate will allow me the opportunity to have a larger platform in order to make the changes we want to see in this state and the nation. Senate District 15 is a typical suburban district that has trended Democrat over the last decade and so much more these last 4 years. Our early polling shows we can win the race, and of course I need to get my message out to the district. My team and I have worked hard over the last year and have made great in-roads, especially during this challenging time. Please check out my web-site and Facebook page to see what we have been up to this year. As we get closer to this election there is terrific excitement in our ability to flip a long held male Republican seat for a Democrat woman.

For Progressives-- Wins, Losses And The Road Forward

Start calling her Congresswoman Bush

Last night there were two gigantic progressive wins-- both in Missouri. After a decade of dogged and vicious Republican opposition in the state legislature and from the governors, the state's voters passed a Constitutional Amendment to give health care to nearly a quarter million of the state's poorest citizens (people earning less than $18,000 annually) through Obamacare Medicaid expansion, making Missouri the 38th state to adopt it. Thanks to massive popularity in St Louis, the amendment passed 52-48% statewide, with right-wing governor Mike Parson continuing to lie that the state can't afford it-- even after a credible study from the Institute for Public Health at Washington University, found that providing health care for more people would actually save the state money. Since the federal government will match 90% of the costs of the newly eligible-- down from 100% had Missouri decided to be part of the program from the beginning-- that state will save about half a billion dollars a year in federal income taxes because residents pay into the system that funds Medicaid expansion without getting the benefits of that expansion."

The other huge progressive win in Missouri was Cori Bush defeating corrupt Congressman Lacy Clay in their St. Louis congressional race:

Cori, a nurse, a Black Lives Matter activist and Berniecrat was great news on a night when other movement activists didn't around the country didn't fare as well. Clay raised $740,525 compared to Bush's $562,309 but a massive $150,000 I.E. on her behalf from Justice Democrats evened the playing field.

The biggest disappointment was that Blue Dog and "ex"-Republican Tom O'Halleran in Arizona managed to avoid being ousted by another Berniecrat and movement activist, Eva Putzova, who won the districts's biggest and bluest county, Coconino, but was dragged down by the more conservative counties that backed O'Halleran. With 94% of the votes counted, he won 34,095 (58.65%) to 24,037 (41.35%). This was Cori's second try against Clay-- and Eva's first try against O'Halleran. I expect she will try again.

In Michigan, Rashida Tlaib handily beat back a challenge from corporate shill Brenda Jones, with a 2-1 landslide. And in the southwest district, with all precincts now counted, voters have chosen the progressive state legislator, Jon Hoadley over garden variety Democrat Jen Richardson-- 52.3% to 47.7%. Hoadley is in a good position to beat Trump enabler Fred Upton in November.

In Washington state, progressives lost their congressional runs against right-of-center incumbents Rick Larsen and Derek Kilmer and in WA-10, conservative Marilyn Strickland seems to be beating progressive Beth Doglio for first place for the seat opening up after Denny Heck's retirement. It looks like they will square off in November-- with a sharp contrast between a progressive and a conservative.

This morning, Roots Action, led by Berniecrat Norman Solomon, announced that his group has launched a grassroots campaign aimed at "swing voters on the left," to persuade Bernie supporters and other progressives in swing states to "Vote Trump Out-- and Then Challenge Biden."

The Vote Trump Out swing-states initiative will include a highly-targeted social-media program and other digital outreach, utilizing messages from national and state progressive luminaries-- people who are widely respected on the left in ways that establishment Democrats are not. The campaign will urge progressives in the dozen battleground states to vote for Joe Biden rather than sit out the election or cast a third-party protest vote. Directed heavily toward young people, the effort will be entirely independent of-- and often in opposition to-- corporate Democratic leaders.

The RootsAction campaign has assembled a group of national endorsers who are likely to be persuasive to progressives on the fence about voting for Biden. They include: Ady Barkan, Medea Benjamin, Leslie Cagan, Noam Chomsky, Marjorie Cohn, RoseAnn DeMoro, Barbara Ehrenreich, Daniel Ellsberg, Bill Fletcher Jr., Jim Hightower, Rep. Ro Khanna, Jamie Margolin, Annabel Park, Linda Sarsour, Winnie Wong and James Zogby.

The #VoteTrumpOut campaign will assert that-- while President Trump is unfailingly immune to progressive persuasion or protest-- the fight for a full progressive agenda (ranging from major climate initiatives and anti-racism to universal healthcare, free public college and taxing the wealthy) would have the potential to win some victories with Biden in the White House.

The campaign’s mission statement declares: "We are not going to minimize our disagreements with Joe Biden. But we’re also clear-eyed about where things stand: supporting the Democratic nominee in swing states is the only way to defeat Trump... If Biden wins, we’ll be at his door on day one, demanding the kinds of structural reforms that advance racial, economic and environmental justice."

Renowned linguist, author and political activist Noam Chomsky contributed this comment to the initiative: "I live in the swing state of Arizona, and I’d vote for a lamp post to get Trump out." Chomsky is featured in a campaign-launch video [above].

"Our organization fought fiercely in the primaries for Bernie and against Biden," said RootsAction.org cofounders Jeff Cohen and Norman Solomon. "But the general election is far less about Biden than it is about Trump-- the most dangerous president in modern U.S. history, who opposes virtually every policy and principle that progressives are fighting for."

   

Trump Has Misled The Americans Who Take What He Says Seriously-- A Disaster In The Making For Missouri

Re-Opening by Nancy Ohanian

Missouri is no longer a swing state; it's an ugly, garden variety Republican Trump state. The governor and both senators are right-wing Republicans. The state's congressional delegation consists of two establishment Democrats-- one in St. Louis and one in Kansas City-- and 6 entrenched right-wing Republicans. The state Senate has 24 Republicans and 10 Democrats and the state House has 114 Republicans and 46 Democrats (+3 vacant seats). In 2016, Trump won 111 of Missouri's 114 counties and the final vote was 1,585,753 (57.1%) to 1,054,889 (38.0%). Two years later-- the so-called "blue wave"-- and Josh Hawley ousted conservative Democratic Senator Claire McCaskill 1,254,927 (51.4%) to 1,112,935 (45.6%) despite being outspent $38,715,517 to $11,377,636. All that money-- and McCaskill won only 4 counties. In the 6 red congressional seats, only one (MO-02 in the St. Louis suburbs) had a vaguely competitive race-- defined as one in which the Democrat did better than a third the vote.

Over the Memorial Day weekend, Missouri-- a state that hasn't taken the pandemic all that seriously-- crossed the 2,000 cases per million line. Today, that caseload stands at 12,616 (2,056 cases per million). "Only" 696 Missorians have died, so people don't see the pandemic as much of a problem and social distancing rules are frequently ignored, especially in small towns.

Early yesterday, Associated Press reported that even in as red a state as Missouri, the state health director "issued a dire warning after photos and video showed Memorial Day weekend revelers partying close together: The coronavirus is still here, and the spreading of illnesses could have 'long-lasting and tragic' results." That's not a popular message with many people.

The Lake [of the Ozarks] draws people not only from as far away as Arkansas and Iowa. It's an especially popular spot for travelers from St. Louis city and county, which combined account for more than half of Missouri's 12,167 confirmed cases of COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus, and more than two-thirds of the state's 685 deaths.

The St. Louis County Public Health Department urged anyone who did not socially distance at the lake to self-quarantine. "Any person who has travelled and engaged in this behavior should self-quarantine for 14 days or until they receive a negative test result for COVID-19," the travel advisory said.

Bars, restaurants and hotels at Lake of the Ozarks also had big crowds, and they weren't alone. In Hannibal, Mark Twain's hometown and a popular regional tourist attraction, people could be seen sitting shoulder-to-shoulder inside and out at downtown bars and restaurants over the weekend.

Republican Gov. Mike Parson allowed Missouri businesses and attractions to reopen May 4, but the state order requires 6-foot social distancing through at least the end of May. The order leaves it up to local and state health officials to enforce social distancing.

The sheriff of Camden County, the area of the lake that attracts the most visitors, said in a statement that there is no crime related to social distancing "and therefore the sheriff's office has no authority to enforce actions in that regard."

"We expect residents and visitors alike to exhibit personal responsibility when at the lake," Sheriff Tony Helms said. "We also respect the right of citizens to move freely around the lake and take responsibility to protect themselves from any expected dangers related to COVID-19."

But the images clearly caught the eye of other public officials.

"This Memorial Day, we caution that COVID-19 is still here, and social distancing needs to continue to prevent further spread of infections," Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services Director Randall Williams said in a statement.

Video from the Lake of the Ozarks typically showed younger people. Williams said close contact, even in the outdoors, can lead to more infections, even among the young and healthy who may not experience symptoms.

"When they then carry the virus and transmit it to a more vulnerable person, this is when we tend to see the long-lasting and tragic impact of these decisions that are being made," Williams said.

The video from the Lake of the Ozarks prompted a stern warning from St. Louis County.

"This reckless behavior endangers countless people and risks setting us back substantially from the progress we have made in slowing the spread of COVID-19," Dr. Sam Page, the county executive, said in a statement.

St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson, in a statement, called it "irresponsible and dangerous" to engage in such high-risk behavior.

"Now, these folks will be coming home to St. Louis and counties all over Missouri and the Midwest, raising concerns about the potential of more positive cases, hospitalizations, and tragically, deaths," Krewson said in a statement. "It's just deeply disturbing."

St. Louis Health Department spokesman Harold Bailey said officials are "greatly concerned" that city residents will return from large gatherings and bring the virus back with them.

"That could negate, or even set back the mitigation efforts we have accomplished up to this point in the pandemic," Bailey said in an email.

According to the last-- albeit pre-pandemic-- Morning Consult Trump tracker, his net approval for Missouri had decreased by 11 points. 52% approved of the job he was doing and 44% disapproved. Nationally, a polling average today shows Trump with a 53.7% disapproval and 42.7% approval on the job he's doing handling the pandemic.

Despite that, right-wing fringe media asserts that Trump is winning the lockdown wars. Presumably, the greater the number of people who contract COVID-19 (followed first by hospitalizations and then by deaths), the bigger Trump's "victory." From Monday to Tuesday there were 19,790 new cases (the biggest number, by far, of any country the world)-- and that was without any report from badly spiking states, Rhode Island, Kentucky and Idaho. Yesterday another 18,908 cases were added nationally, as the country officially passed the 100,000 death mark. I predict it will take a million deaths before enough Americans start taking social distancing seriously enough to turn the pandemic back.

Free Case Of COVID-19 With Your Haircut or Manicure?

Bartlesville is a small city (population- 36,423, 80% white) in Oklahoma, near Tulsa. The county seat of Washington County, is probably best known for having been the longtime corporate headquarters of Phillips Petroleum. In 2016, Trump beat Hillary in Washington County by a landslide-- 15,810 (71.2%) to 5,047 (22.7%). In 2018, it wasn't touched by the so-called "blue wave." The open congressional seat was won by right-wing lunatic Kevin Hern and Washington County gave him an R+41 performance.

Oklahoma will have crossed the 6,000 case mark by Memorial Day. There were 111 more reported cases from Friday to Saturday. So far just 311 deaths in the state. Washington County has the 5th most cases-- 304 (and the 4th most deaths-- 32). On Tuesday, the day after Memorial Day, the Nailspot is due to reopen. Reopen again. The first time it reopened ended badly with the owners having to warn all their clients that an employee tested positive for COVID-19. The Washington County Health Department recommended that clients who visited the salon between May 5 (reopening day) and 7 (re-closing day) to quarantine for 14 days.

It's a hop, skip and a jump from Bartlesville to the Missouri border border and a drive from Bartlesville up the I-44 will get you to Springfield in less the three hours. They had a little grooming problem up there too. The Kansas City Star reported that a Great Clips hairstylist exposed dozens of clients to coronavirus while showing symptoms. Famous for lynchings and Wild Bill Hickok, Springfield-- "Queen City of the Ozarks"-- is a much bigger city than Bartlesville (168,000 people); it's by far the biggest town in Greene County, which is a comfortably red bastion. Trump beat Hillary there 77,387 (60.6%) to 42,400 (33.2%). It's the main county on the 7th congressional district, a red hellhole, where the Democrat running against Trumpist incumbent Billy Long in 2018 only garnered 30.1% of the vote.

With a reactionary Republican governor working in tandem with an even more reactionary Republican-controlled state legislature that is trying to kill as many people as they can, "the stylist at a salon franchise in Springfield served 84 clients and exposed seven coworkers, the Springfield-Greene County Health Department said Friday. The hairstylist also visited a Dairy Queen, Walmart and fitness center, officials said."

The announcement comes as barbers and salon operators and their customers across the U.S. fight to reopen during the COVID-19 pandemic. Missouri state leaders allowed these businesses to reopen May 4. 
“I’m very frustrated to be up here,” Springfield-Greene County Health Department Director Clay Goddard said. “And maybe more so, I’m disappointed.”

The hairstylist exhibited symptoms while working on eight days between May 12 and May 20, health officials said. The health department is providing testing to all people “directly exposed” to the hairstylist. The stylist and clients wore masks during the appointments, officials said.

Goddard said people not already contacted by the health department are considered to be “low risk.”

In a statement, the Great Clips franchise owners told McClatchy News the location is closed to undergo sanitizing and “deep cleaning” under guidelines provided by the county health department and CDC.

“The well-being of Great Clips customers and stylists in the salon is our top priority and proper sanitization has always been an important cosmetology industry practice for Great Clips salons,” the owners said.

Goddard commended Great Clips’ actions and deemed the location safe to customers during a news conference Friday.

“We are hopeful that their strictly-enforced policy of masking will prevent any future spread from this case. They also kept detailed records that have made contact tracing a speedy process,” Goddard said.

The health department director said the incident does not affect the community’s “recovery plan” but warned of similar scenarios as the reopening phases turn from mandates to personal responsibility.


“I’m going to be honest with you. We can’t have many more of these. We can’t make this a regular habit or our capability as a community will be strained and we will have to re-evaluate what things look like going forward,” Goddard said. “Each of us owns just how this will go forward in our community.”

About 10 days ago, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that Jessica Netzel, the owner of Kingdom Kuts in Appleton, Wisconsin, is suing Gov. Tony Evers over his stay at home order, claiming her constitutional right to idiocy was being violated. Actually what her lawsuit says is that "The orders violate her ability to practice her religion because she cannot attend in-person services or operate Kingdom Kuts, her Christian-based children’s hair salon."

Most Americans think this whole early opening thing is a complete mess-- and they blame Trump. NORC's new poll for the Associated Press found that "When restrictions are lifted... many are apprehensive about re-engaging in activities that draw a crowd, like attending movies, concerts, or sporting events, using public transportation, or even going out to bars and restaurants. People's post shutdown plans depend on what they did before the outbreak. Overall, 38% say they would attend religious services. But among people who attended services at least once a month before the coronavirus outbreak, 67% say they would return to their church, synagogue, or mosque if restrictions were lifted. Fifty-two percent of those who ate out at least once a month before the outbreak say they expect to head to a restaurant or bar. Still, even among those that regularly engaged in activities that draw a crowd, like sporting events, concerts and movies, or using public transportation, fewer than half plan to return to them in the short term once restrictions are lifted."

Blue America Endorsement-- Cori Bush For Congress (MO-01)

Missouri's first congressional district-- the entire city of St. Louis and the mostly black northern suburbs-- Ferguson, Florissant, Black Jack, Spanish Lake-- is the 385th poorest congressional district of 435 nationally and the poorest in the state. It borders the second congressional district which is one of the richest in the country. MO-01 is a minority majority district (42.9% white) and MO-02 is 88.1% white. The district lines have been carefully drawn to pack as many likely Democratic voters into a single district and keep the second CD as Republican as possible. MO-01 has a PVI of D+28 and next door the PVI is R+8. MO-01 is poorly represented by William "Lacy" Clay (D), who provides a clear reminder of why progressive voters need to organize around fresh, new voices who will upend Capitol Hill, stiff-arm corporate interests, and take back the Democratic Party from the corporate special interests. A ten-term incumbent he long ago sold out to big banks, payday lenders and other financial parasites that depend on Washington to look the other way while they continue preying on poor and underrepresented communities.

Despite representing a district with high concentrations of poverty-- half of the public school students receive free and reduced lunch-- Clay has used his position in Washington to carry water for industries like rent-to-own stores, which target minorities and charge usurious interest rates for basic household appliances, such as refrigerators, ovens and washing machines. Clay actually told a room full of rent-to-own operators assembled at an industry convention, "I’ll always do my best to protect what really matters to you."

In the words of respected investigative journalists Zach Carter and Ryan Grim, Clay is one of a handful of Congressional Black Caucus members who have "pushed for a host of seemingly arcane measures that would undermine Dodd-Frank’s rules on financial derivatives, the complex contracts at the heart of the 2008 meltdown."

Don't expect to see the DCCC or EMILY's List endorse Cori Bush. She's way too real and way too progressive for them. Expect instead to see groups like Matriarch.org and Justice Democrats. And, as of today, Blue America has endorsed her campaign. Cori intends to finish what she began last cycle, when she took on Clay. Progressive icon Ro Khanna endorsed her last cycle and it's worth listening to what he had to say about her:





I asked Cori to introduce herself to DWT readers and Blue America members. Please read what she had to say about her campaign and consider contributing by clicking on the 2020 Blue America congressional thermometer below.


St Louis Needs Real Representation
-by Cori Bush

What comes to mind when you think of St. Louis? Maybe you've seen headlines declaring that our crime rates make us the "most dangerous city" in America. Perhaps you watched protests ignite in Ferguson and spread around the world after 18 year-old Michael Brown Jr. was killed. You might know us for our Arch, a landmark intended to signal success and prosperity for those who settled St. Louis.

  For me, I think of all the mothers I've held in my arms, too many to count, as we grieve for the children they lost to gun violence. I think of soul food cooked in small, unassuming neighborhood joints that are better than any Michelin star restaurant you could find. I think about my years as a nurse, caring for the most vulnerable people in our communities, who are suffering from preventable ailments. I think of our history here as a city of protest, of resistance, of resilience; and the legacy we continued every day that we took to the streets in Ferguson.

The people of St. Louis are fighters. I, too, am a fighter.

But for too long, we've been fighting and getting nowhere fast because the one person we've entrusted with our welfare refuses to take action. Here in Missouri-01, Lacy Clay & his father before him have together held our seat in Congress for over half a century. Rep. Clay assures us that everything is fine, while people in my community are forced to make decisions every day that can mean the difference between making ends meet and living in poverty, hunger, or unhoused on our streets.

I started my campaign for Congress as a mother, nurse, activist, and proud St. Louisan, and that's exactly how I will lead in Congress. The people of St. Louis need a Congress-person and deserve a representative, not a career politician. Because I've faced homelessness and being uninsured; because I am a strong single mother who worked for years as a low-wage worker; because I've survived violence; because I come from a proud military family; I could never forget who I was and how I lived, before taking office. Voters across America know that we are facing a turning point in the battle for the soul of our nation. We have nothing to lose, and everything at stake, and that is why we must be vocal, authentic, and unapologetic in our leadership. For St. Louis, and for America, it's the only way.


 


Here's how I will show up and show out for my constituents in 2020:

• Leading and campaigning with integrity

◦ Using campaign funds to campaign--not for any other purpose
◦ NO corporate money, ever. Our campaign is 100% people-powered, which means I don't and won't respond to corporate pressure
◦ Commitment to a living wage for our canvassing team 

• In Congress, I will be present & meaningfully involved in my constituency

◦ At least one town hall with constituents every quarter 
◦ A listening tour around Missouri-01 within my first 100 days of office
◦ Accessible campaign offices around the district, well-staffed to ensure folks' concerns are communicated to our D.C. office
◦ Satellite offices will double as community centers, with a #CoriCares session open to the public once a month
◦ Have a physical presence in schools, prisons, and on district streets to be a resource to community members
◦ Attending neighborhood meetings & community events when possible and staying up-to-date on local organizations' progress
◦ Shelter visits, group home visits, and host pop-up shelters for neighborhoods in need
◦ Strong relationships with local political leaders
◦ Commitment to joining local protests to stand with communities under attack
◦ Ensure engagement with our many diverse communities across MO-1, so no one is left out or left behind

• I will be a Congresswoman for the community

◦ I will publicize the issues we face here in St. Louis in national press outlets, so that our stories don't go untold and unheard any longer
◦ We will form reasonable relationships with well-funded local business to finance job training and career days in our local schools
◦ We will support job training with placement guarantees, including programs specifically focused on employing our formerly incarcerated residents
◦ We will find creative ways to support our unhoused population while advocating for federal funding for homelessness here and across the US
◦ We will host skill sessions for the real world, including financial literacy
◦ We will work to raise awareness surrounding the effects of trauma from sexual assault and domestic violence
◦ We will proactively advocate for environmental justice, reproductive health, more educational funding, and humane prison & criminal justice reform
◦ We will host community events that highlight the district’s diversity so that we can be invested in each other's concerns, offer political education, and connect constituents to resources

I see it as my moral obligation to run for Congress and fight for a better future we all need. But, it is also a serious responsibility with real-life impacts. We deserve better than a representative who can't be pinned down. There should be no room for doubt-- we must know where our leaders stand. The plan I've laid out above is just a taste of what we can build together, and I hope to see you join us.

Are you in?

Another Gay Hater Caught With The Meat-- Almost-- In His Mouth

Evangelicals must believe that Satan sent Grindr to test them-- and what a test it is! I remember the first time I ever experienced it. I was driving through Hollywood and my friend was in the passenger seat. His cell phone kept going off every 30-40 seconds. What the hell is that, I asked. "Oh, it's Grindr," he said. "It buzzes whenever we pass a gay guy." For a typical evangelical pastor that must be like the First Temptation of Christ writ large.

Barry Poyner is an elder at the Kirksville Church of Christ, an anti-LGBTQ hate group, where Poyner gives rapidly anti-gay sermons that are unrelated to Jesus or his message. You might think anti-Jesus "Christians" deserve this but, unfortunately, Poyner is also a communications professor at Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri and he's been using Grindr to offer your boys money to allow him to blow them. Some complained and the police set up a fake "would love to have a sugar daddy relationship" account on Grindr. Poyner told an undercover officer he would buy him a tank of gas and "might throw in an Arby’s gift card" in exchange for sex. They agreed to meet at the gas station on December 3 but when the cops showed up, Poyner sped away.

The cops caught him and Poyner claimed he doesn't so anything with minors and that he wasn't going to really have sex with the "kid," just give him some gas to help him out. He's not allowed on the campus and could wind up serving 6 months in prison if found guilty.

Kirksville is the county seat of Adair County in northeastern Missouri and is home to around 17,500 people, including a relatively large population of Congolese refugees. The county is part of Sam Graves' very backward, very red 6th congressional district (R+16).Obama lost it both times he ran and Trump beat Hillary 63.1% to 31.7% district-wide. In Adair County Trump's victory was 59.4% to 34.5%. The primary however, showed people were looking for change. And Bernie beat the Democratic Party establishment's status quo candidate 58.8% to 40.7%. Last year Adair's performance in the congressional race was R+31.

His rate my professor page didn't report him trying to rape anyone, but it does sound kind of creepy; lots of stuff like this:

Not that it matters. He's fired-- from the university. Not sure how the anti-Jesus church is handling the whole sticky wicket.

How Long Before The Missouri GOP Cult Passes A Law Forbidding Women To Drive? Or Wear Shoes?

Last May, when Missouri's unelected governor, Mike Parson, signed a law banning abortion after the eighth week of pregnancy with no exceptions for cases of rape and incest-- just one of a whole slew of anti-Choice laws passed by state's with GOP governors and Republican-controled legislatures that passed since Trump appointed two anti-Choice Supreme Court judges. The states are competing to see which case overturns Roe v. Wade. In Missouri's case, though, a federal judge blocked Parson from enforcing the obviously unconstitutional law 2 months ago. The Republicans struck back by refusing to renew the license for Missouri’s last remaining abortion clinic, which could make Missouri the first state to win the "we have no abortion providers" sweepstakes. Earlier this week, Robert Langellier, reporting for Reuters, noted that the state of that clinic is in the hands of an arbiter. The hearing began Monday and are expected to continue for a few more days.

Missouri health officials earlier this year declined to renew the clinic’s license on the grounds that it failed to meet their standards, which included mandatory interviews with several physicians involved in what the health department said were multiple life-threatening abortions at the clinic.

Planned Parenthood officials have said they do not directly employ all the clinic’s staff and cannot force them to give interviews. The organization has said the state’s effort to close the clinic is politically motivated, which the state denies.

Abortion is one of the most divisive issues in the United States, with opponents citing religious beliefs to declare it immoral, while abortion-rights activists say the procedure is legally protected and that bans rob women of control over their bodies and futures.

Missouri is one of 12 states to pass laws restricting abortion access this year, some aimed at provoking a U.S. Supreme Court review of the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that recognized a woman’s constitutional right to terminate her pregnancy.

Last week, Planned Parenthood opened an abortion clinic just 13 miles (21 km) from the St. Louis clinic in Fairview Heights, Illinois, capable of treating up to 11,000 patients per year.

“While we continue the fight to maintain access in Missouri, we are excited to expand our abortion services in Illinois,” Colleen McNicholas, chief medical officer of Planned Parenthood’s southwest regional chapter, said in a statement.

Blue America has just one candidate so far this cycle, Kathy Ellis and we asked her for a perspective from her rural southeast district which is already very far from the state's one clinic-- and very red. Below is her guest post. If you'd like to help her campaign, please consider contributing by clicking on the 2020 congressional thermometer on the right.

Missouri is a crumbling state. From the Republican supermajority state legislature’s refusal to expand Medicaid to the constant attacks on working people at the local, state, and federal levels, the only hope for our state is new leadership.

Recently, one area of our state that has garnered national attention is its treatment of those seeking abortions. Let’s lay the groundwork: there is currently only one facility providing abortions in Missouri, and it’s in St. Louis. The state is constantly trying to close it by implementing absurd regulations and laws, such as hallway width laws and a requirement that providers have admitting privileges to local hospitals, most of which are religiously-run. Its most recent attack is even more sinister: earlier this year, the Missouri Department of Health claimed they found “deficient practices” at the only abortion clinic in the state, Reproductive Health Services of Missouri which is in a Planned Parenthood affiliate. These claims were never backed up with evidence, but as a result, the clinic is currently-- as we speak-- involved in a hearing that will determine the fate of the clinic’s license. As a part of this hearing, it came to light that the Director of the Health Department [Randall Williams] has been using a spreadsheet to track patients’ menstrual cycles. It’s all very disturbing, to say the least.





But let’s expand this conversation. As mentioned, there is one clinic who provides abortions in the entire state, and it’s located in St. Louis. I am running for Missouri’s 8th Congressional District, a 30-county district south of St. Louis. The District is massive. It takes 4.5 hours to get across it, and 3 hours to get to its southernmost point. While Missouri has an abortion clinic, it is almost completely inaccessible to the people in the 8th District. With the strict restrictions at the state level, including a 72-hour waiting period, in-person, medically inaccurate abortion “counseling,” and a same provider consent rule, it’s almost impossible for a person in the 8th District to receive an abortion in this state. Not to mention-- the 8th has one of the highest maternal and infant mortality rates in the country, and rural hospitals are rapidly closing. Not only is there not abortion access in the 8th, there is also not basic healthcare access.

The only hope for the 8th, and for our state, is new leadership at every level. We must expand Medicaid at the state level. We must repeal the Hyde Amendment at the federal level. When elected, I’ll do everything to protect Roe v. Wade and a person’s right to choose. I’m a proud, pro-choice candidate, and I’ve never shied away from that, despite the red, rural District that I’m running in. It’s time to change the narrative: everyone, regardless of zip code, gender, age, or income should have access to the healthcare they need, when they need it. This includes abortion access.

And, yes, this is very much related; just think about it for a minute:

How To Write A Good Campaign E-Mail, II: Kathy Ellis

This is the second episode of our series about writing a good campaign e-mail. This one is by Kathy Ellis, running in a horrifyingly red district in southeast Missouri. Trump beat Hillary there 75.4% to 21.0%, her worst result in the state. Kathy is working to build a collaborative progressive infrastructure as well as a congressional campaign. Here last two e-mails, one last week and one yesterday, are about as far as you can drift from standard DCCC fare. Last week's started with a caveat: "[Please note: This is not a fundraising email. But my hope is that when you read about what is happening in our state, you will consider pitching in to some nonprofits that are working tirelessly every day to help.]"

I am fed up. So I will speak bluntly and candidly.

America is at a breaking point. Over the last few decades, the economy in Southeastern Missouri has experienced a severe shrinking in manufacturing, skilled trades, and an all-out assault on family farms. A disturbing trend of annually increasing deaths by suicide, opioid overdose, and preventable illnesses has become a full-blown public health crisis. Now, we stand to lose another of the district's scant rural hospitals, which would leave multiple counties without access to care even in times of emergency.

When working people do seek medical care, too often they are left holding an outrageous bill. I was heartbroken, yet not surprised, when I read a recent article in the Washington Post that detailed the choice many rural and poor Americans make between healthcare, medical bankruptcy, and in many cases imprisonment for failure to pay those bills. The article featured residents in Poplar Bluff-- part of Missouri’s 8th Congressional District. These are my neighbors, my friends, and the people I wish to represent in Congress.

Our broken political system allows do-nothing “representatives” like Jason Smith to hoover up millions of dollars in campaign contributions, enrich himself and promote his family’s interests, and stand idly by while thousands of his constituents die. People die, people suffer, and Jason Smith returns to Washington, D.C. every year. When this happens, something is wrong with the system.

I believe that healthcare is a basic human right. The United States can and should ensure every American has health care at an affordable cost. Doing so would not ruin our economic prosperity. It would strengthen it.

Normally, when a candidate talks about an issue, they explain their positions, followed by a call for donations to help run their campaigns. I’m not a normal candidate. I’m a person, just like you, and I’m frustrated by what’s happening in our state.

Today, I’m asking that if you feel angry or sad about what’s happening in our poorest communities--in our very backyards-- that you consider supporting the efforts of Missouri Healthcare for All or Physicians for a National Health Program-Missouri Chapter, two fantastic organizations fighting for Missourians every day, with a financial donation. Consider volunteering if you have the time, too.

I can promise you that I am in this fight with every fiber of my being. People are senselessly dying in my county, my district, and my state. We can fix this, and people want us to fix it.  Thank you for reading, and thank you for doing everything you can to lend a hand to our neighbors, our brothers and sisters, and our fellow Americans.

Sincerely,

The e-mail she sent yesterday stayed with the same collaborative theme. It isn't about her or even her campaign. It's about the people who live in her district and about why combatting the Climate Crisis, one of the top planks in her platform, is so important:

Dear Howie,

The place I call home has a deep connection to our natural world.

Southeast Missouri is a land of breathtaking natural beauty-- boasting the rolling hills of the Ozark Plateau, vast, green expanses of Mark Twain National Forest, and the banks of over two hundred miles of the muddy Mississippi. Fertile soil, swimming holes, and some of the best scenic views in the Midwest can be found in my District.

Appropriately, people here have an intimate understanding of the environment as a part of our daily lives. Generational family farmers rely on a strong harvest, so they know what effects destructive floods and hotter summers will have on their crops. Small towns know how large-scale CAFO operations have decimated their local economy, and they know all about the groundwater pollution these operations produce. And parents, grandparents, and young people here understand the looming threat of climate change that, left unchallenged, threatens to upend our way of life.

I believe we must take on that challenge. I believe in conserving our cherished landscapes, developing good, local, green jobs, and protecting our right to clean air, clean water, and clean soil.

Today, I’m asking you to consider making a contribution to support The Sierra Club in their efforts to protect sustainable local economies and our earth.

We are all rooted in this district, so we deserve elected leaders who understand what’s happening to the land we live on, and are willing to act on it. I can promise you that I’m ready to do just that.

Sincerely,

And by the way, you can contribute to Kathy's campaign by clicking on this link to the 2020 Blue America endorsed congressional candidates list. And, remember, there's no such thing as a contribution that's too small. Please consider donating what you can. We need women like Kathy to do the hard work in "impossible" districts like Missouri's 8th.

You Don't Beat Blood Red With Lighter Red-- You Win By Espousing Strong Blue Values... Meet Proud Missourian Kathy Ellis

Sometimes you find the best Democrats in the least likely places. When Taylor Jackson e-mailed me to ask me about the Blue America endorsement procedure, we started a chat. She is working for a candidate, Kathy Ellis, is southeast Missouri's sprawling rural 8th district, currently represented by right-wing nut Jason Smith. The PVI is an eye-popping R+24. Obama lost both times-- with about a third of the vote-- and in 2016 Trump beat Hillary 75.4% to 21%. In 2018, Claire McCaskill, in her doomed Senate reelection bid, lost every single one of the 30 counties in the district. Why would a Democrat even waste her time in an area like this, I asked Taylor. She asked me to speak with Kathy about it.

Of the 30 counties, only 5 have most of the voters. In 2016 they led the district's Democrats into a great showing for Bernie Sanders:

• Cape Girardeau--Bernie- 52.4%, Hillary 46.6%
• Jefferson-- Bernie- 54.3%, Hillary- 44.2%
• St Francois-- Bernie- 53.0%, Hillary- 45.3%
• Phelps-- Bernie- 58.9%, Hillary- 38.4%
• Howell-- Bernie- 58.4%, Hillary- 40.2%

That's where establishment Democrats make their big mistake about Democrats in parts of the country like MO-08. These people are as Democratic, especially when it comes to economic populism, as are the Democrats in the AOC's Bronx district or Jimmy Gomez's East L.A. district. MO-08 is the 11th poorest congressional district in the country. How could be voting so Republican? [Tangent: Saturday night I had dinner at a cool hole-in-the-wall ramen restaurant in Highland Park in Gomez's district and walking from car to the restaurant and then back again, literally everyone smiled, gave me a thumbs up or said something nice. Eventually I realized it was because I was wearing my Feel The Bern hoodie and that I had wandered into Planet Bernie.] Cape Girardeau may have spawned Limbaugh, but Cape Girardeau Democrats are not a bunch of Hillary-Biden-Claire McCaskill conservatives; most of them are Democrats because of where FDR brought the party, not because Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton dragged it in the other direction.

I was impressed with Ellis' website even before I talked with Kathy herself. Aside from being a progressive Democrat and a candidate for Congress, Kathy's a clinical social worker and an addictions counselor. The district is in the midst of a severe opioid and methamphetamine crisis, lacking in basic medical care, high paying jobs, quality education, and a variety of other serious issues that we see in many "red districts" that Trump carried in 2016. Following that election, Kathy travelled to Washington to take part in the 2017 Women’s March, an event, she told me that became life-changing for her. That's when she decided to get into politics by running in the 2018 election for the 8th District. She lost. She picked herself up off the floor, talked with her team about what they had experienced and what they had learned and how they could go forward and... she's back, stronger and more determined than the first time. I asked her how it's even possible to run a campaign in a district that "red" and I asked her to share that with a guest post. If you like what she has to say, please consider contributing what you can by clicking on the Blue America 2020 congressional thermometer above.

I Am Running For The People In My District
-by Kathy Ellis
Candidate for Congress, MO-08

Why would I run in such a conservative area? My belief is that if someone does not show-up in these areas by running for office, we will never make any inroads to progressive change. Some things that you might want to know about the district: In 2018, Missouri voted by a margin of 64% to defeat the “Right to Work” initiative that was being pushed by the Republicans. The 8th was the district that made the defeat of this occur. The 8th supported the change in the Missouri Constitution to have a “Clean Missouri” amendment to deal with the corruption in government, an initiative for medical marijuana, and a raise to the minimum wage. Nicole Galloway, our Democratic State Auditor, was greatly assisted by the 8th District to become the only Democrat to win a major state office in Missouri.

When I began my congressional campaign in 2017, the first place that I went to was Mountain View, Missouri, near the larger town of West Plains. I was surprised to find 75-80 people gathered in the town’s small community center. I listened to their views, frustrations, and suggestions, and found an extremely progressive group. These folks had been involved in Bernie’s campaign, in Stand and Resist, Indivisible, Moms Demand, and various environmental groups. Their network allowed me to have contact with a network of progressives throughout the southwestern edge of the district and beyond. I continued my travels throughout the district and was pleased to find that many progressives were activated by our campaign. We decided to place our main office in Cape Girardeau, the largest city in the district, but decidedly conservative. This is true of most of Southeast Missouri (Cape is Rush Limbaugh’s hometown-- I’m sure that you get the picture with that!). Despite that impediment, we were pleased to see that more Democrats voted in Cape County than in previous years.

I worked with a lot of state candidates in the 8th and got to know them very well. The majority were progressive and even though there were few victories, we helped to support one another. Many candidates, including myself, felt isolated and ignored by the Democratic party in the state, and we did not receive the help that the more “establishment” candidates had received. We conducted our campaign by raising individual donations, along with a couple of union contributions. We did the best we could, traveling over 65,000 miles and visiting each county multiple times.

So, you might ask, why is this woman running again? The answer is that we “moved the needle.” After losing in 2018, I was unsure of whether I would run again in the 2020 cycle. One of my biggest struggles was the question of how to raise the money needed to run a competitive campaign. And then the calls started… I had people who called to tell me how much they admired our campaign, how excited they were about how the District was activated for the first time in a long time, asking questions about how to deal with various issues in the district, and top-notch professional who wanted to work with me. Since I am a social worker, I know how to organize and network, and I think this helped pull the district together. I was pleased to see that the alliances that were formed throughout the District had held together and that they were ready to fight again. I met with my compliance person, and we identified a sum of money that we needed to raise during April of this year in order to consider a run. We surpassed that… from the 11th poorest District in the country.

I am running for the people in my District. I grew up here, and I live here today. I know they consistently vote against their best economic interests, but the conventional wisdom in Missouri is that the “pendulum always swings back.” I know there is a strong pro-gun, anti-abortion, and anti-gay consitutuency in the 8th. The current state legislature recently passed an extremely harsh anti-abortion law, but there is pushback throughout the state. There is a progressive streak in this red state that thrives on the ideas of helping your neighbor and fixing the ills of democracy in chaos. We desperately need Universal Healthcare, Universal Pre-K and a quality education for every child followed by an opportunity for debt-free college or technical school education, a job and infrastructure plan for rural areas that includes new technology and clean energy developments, legislation necessary to deal with the corruption in our government, and policies and laws that truly protect all people of our country. By running a bold progressive campaign in a red state, we can continue to move the needle and lay the groundwork for future Democratic candidates. As a progressive, I know this is a marathon and not a sprint. I also know that we need leaders to get us to that finish line.