AIPAC Goes In For The Kill-- Their Members And Allies Will Spend Anything To Defeat Ilhan Omar

Most of the freshmen from 2018 have terrible voting records. In fact most of them have been rated "F" by ProgressivePunch. The half dozen worst Democrats in Congress-- at least in terms of this metric, several of them voting more conservatively than some Republicans:

• Jared Golden (Blue Dog-ME)- 38.03
• Ben McAdams (Blue Dog-UT)- 30.99
• Kendra Horn (Blue Dog-OK)- 29.58
• Abigail Spanberger (Blue Dog-VA)- 29.58
• Anthony Brindisi (Blue Dog-NY)- 26.76
• Joe Cunningham (Blue Dog-SC)- 25.35

Only 11 freshmen have been rated "A" by Progressive Punch:

• Andy Levin (D-MI)- 100
• Joe Neguse (D-CO)- 97.18
• Ayanna Pressley (D-MA)- 97.18
• AOC (D-NY)- 95.77
• Rashida Tlaib (D-MI)- 95.77
• Chuy Garcia (D-IL)- 95.77
• Ilhan Omar (D-MN)- 92.96
• Veronica Escobar (D-TX)- 92.96
• Lori Trahan (D-MA)- 92.96
• Sylvia Garcia (D-TX)- 91.55
• Debra Haaland (D-NM)- 91.55

Of course voting records aren't the only way to judge a member of Congress Voting is just one function-- at least for some of them. For example, I would argue that even though Cunningham has the lowest score of any Democrat, Brindisi is much worse. He runs around whining and blustering every time anything remotely progressive comes up. "Are you trying to make me lose my seat?" is his constant refrain. Many members would very much like to see him lose his seat. On the other side of the coin, AOC has arguably had more impact on Congress and the country than any other freshman and more than the vast majority of members. Same with Ilhan Omar, who we're here to say a few words about today.

First though, let me note that she has been a good fundraiser, although she takes nothing from corporate PACs. But she's made some real enemies by speaking her mind and by organizing around positions not appreciated by Big Money status quo interests, especially AIPAC who is 100% out to destroy her. As are Republicans who know they can't win the seat (PVI is D+26 and Trump only took 18.5% of the vote and is expected to do even worse this year). In 2018, Ilhan was elected 78.0 to 21.7%, after winning a 6-way primary with an astounding 48.2% of the vote, her closest challenger at 30.4%. But because they can't win the seat they have a star candidate they're backing Antone Melton-Meaux, an unknown who popped up out of nowhere late last year. Please consider contributing to Ilhan's campaign by clicking on the 2020 Blue America Worthy Incumbents thermometer on the right.

Yesterday, Briana Bierschbach, a reporter of the Minneapolis Star Tribune noted that "Millions of dollars are pouring into the primary race for Minnesota’s Fifth Congressional District, where opposition to Minneapolis U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar is fueling an unprecedented surge in donations to her top Democratic opponent, political newcomer Antone Melton-Meaux. Melton-Meaux, a mediation lawyer who emerged on the DFL scene late last year to challenge Omar, told the Star Tribune he raised a staggering $3.2 million between April and the end of June, with $2 million cash left in the bank before the Aug. 11 primary. He dramatically outraised Omar, who took in $471,624 during the same time period. Omar’s campaign said she has $1,111,861 left on hand ahead of the primary election."

The fundraising gap would be striking for any newcomer challenging an incumbent, but it’s especially notable in a race against Omar, a freshman Democrat and member of “The Squad” who has risen to prominence as one of the first Muslim women elected to Congress. Omar herself is a prolific fundraiser, fueled in part by her national profile and her unabashed criticism of President Donald Trump.

But Omar’s policy positions and not infrequent Twitter flaps with the president have made her a popular target for conservatives, and she has faced criticism from Jewish leaders and some fellow Democrats for several past tweets and remarks about the political influence of Israel. Omar apologized after criticism that she was using anti-Semitic tropes in her comments, but she reaffirmed her criticism of the “problematic role of lobbyists in our politics.”

It’s a dramatic surge for Melton-Meaux, who reported raising nearly $400,000 between December and the end of March. The influx of money came, in part, from some conservative donors and pro-Israel groups like nonpartisan NORPAC, which held a virtual fundraiser for Melton-Meaux in May. According to data from ActBlue, an online fundraising tool, a number of individual donors outside of the district contributed the maximum amount allowed in May. He’s also received donations from prominent Minnesota Democratic fundraisers such as Sam and Sylvia Kaplan.

“It’s about the residents who live there, but they’ve certainly invited in enough outside money that now it’s become more of a regional or national battle,” said Todd Rapp, a longtime veteran of DFL campaigns. He said he’s never seen so much money flood in a single intraparty contest. “It’s kind of moved beyond our borders.”

Melton-Meaux said he’s gotten support from nonpartisan groups that have contributed to members of both parties. He said Omar’s past comments have diminished her trust with the Jewish community and fueled support for his campaign.

“We started at a time when people really believed we had no shot at this,” said Melton-Meaux. “We were told by most that we couldn’t do it. Our strategy has been really simple, being honest and transparent and going right to the public with a message that may be kind of cultural right now, and that is that people want leadership that shows up.”

In a statement, Omar’s campaign said an “overwhelming majority” of her constituents approve of the job she’s doing in Congress and her donations were a result of grassroots organizing, with her average contribution coming in at $18.

“Rep. Omar has been fighting for big structural changes to address systematic inequalities in education, health, environment, and the economy at home and across the nation. That’s why Wall Street and GOP donors are threatened by her,” said Deputy Communications Director Isi Kirshner-Breen. “Our campaign is about organizing people. That’s what progressives do. And organized people will always beat organized money.”

Melton-Meaux has emerged as the most prominent of four DFL primary challengers to Omar, running on a message of focusing on the needs of the Fifth District, which includes Minneapolis, St. Louis Park, Richfield, Crystal, Robbinsdale, Golden Valley, New Hope, Fridley and parts of Edina.

The district is one of the safest Democratic seats in the nation, meaning the winner of the August primary is all but certain to head to Congress next year. Republicans have endorsed north Minneapolis businessman Lacy Johnson, who also has cashed in on donations from around the nation, raising more than $1.1 million by March.

Melton-Meaux has picked up prominent endorsements in the primary race from civil rights activists Josie Johnson and Nekima Levy Armstrong, Golden Valley Mayor Shep Harris, former U.S. Attorney Andy Luger and others.

But Omar secured the DFL Party’s endorsement in the race in May and the backing of prominent Democrats such as Attorney General Keith Ellison, who previously held the Fifth District seat in Congress, and unions like the AFL-CIO and Education Minnesota. On Monday, Omar’s campaign announced endorsements from Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman, who served with Omar during her one term in the Legislature, and U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Will Kentucky Democrats Shut Down Boss Hogg-- I Mean Boss Schumer?

Schumer picked a slate of miserable status quo Democratic Senate candidates for 2020. Not one of them stands for any change except the superficial change of replacing a corporate Republican with a corporate Democrat. If there's an anti-red wave, some of them will win. They define why there is no blue wave. There's nothing to vote for-- just a series of less-of-two evils races:

• Arizona- Mark Kelly (a recent Democrat)
• Alaska- Al Gross (not even a Democrat)
• Arkansas- Schumer neglected to recruit a candidate against Tom Cotton
• Colorado- Frackenlooper
• Georgia- Jon Ossoff*
• Iowa- Theresa Greenfield*
• Kansas- Barbara Bollier (a recent "Democrat")
• Maine- Sara Gideon
• Montana- Steve Daines (even a clock is right twice a day; Schumer got it right once)
• New Mexico- Ben Ray Luján*
• North Carolina- Cal Cunningham*
• South Carolina- Jaime Harrison (a lobbyist)
• Texas- MJ Heger*

The asterisk (*) denotes candidates whose photos could be in the dictionary next to the phrase "born loser." and then, at least symbolically, there's the most important Senate race of the cycle: Kentucky, where majority leader and professional impediment Mitch McConnell-- the most hated man in poll after poll-- in American politics. Schumer picked a "born loser" candidate and the media, obediently accepted her as THE candidate and treated it as a fait accompli... until last week, when, despite Schumer's attempt to pretend his candidate, Amy McGrath, was the candidate Kentucky Democrats started asking themselves who some lug from Brooklyn, fully owned and operated by Wall Street, gets to pick their nominee. Especially since there's a better candidate in the race, Charles Booker.

As of June 3rd, Booker had raised $788,270, almost entirely from grassroots donors. The Schumer candidate-- with lots of help from Schumer-- brought in $40,825,989. A consultant for Schumer's candidate persuaded her to come off as a pro-Trump Democrat, something that hasn't exactly impressed Kentucky Democrats. Booker's vibrant, progressive grassroots coalition helps explain his growing appeal-- and why the state's two most important newspapers, the Louisville Courier Journal and the Lexington Herald Leader endorsed him so effusively last week.

Schumer must have been going crazy on Wednesday when someone told him the Courier Journal endorsement was going to make much harder for him to quietly slip his nothing candidate into the nomination, the way he had already done in North Carolina, Georgia, Iowa and Texas. "This," wrote the editorial board, "is a historic time in our state and nation. A time when young and old, black, white and brown are calling for change-- not just incremental change, but sweeping reform that will usher in true equality and justice for all. To get there, we need political leaders with insight and vision, who understand the challenges of our times and are willing to put forth bold ideas and fight for everyday people. Voters in Kentucky and around the country deserve the chance to consider candidates who have strident beliefs and the courage to go beyond scripted, milquetoast politics." Schumer is all about pickinging "scripted, milquetoast" hacks. "Political leaders with insight and vision" scares the hell out of him and infuriates him. They wrote that Booker "is the kind of political leader and change agent that our commonwealth needs" but that the Schumer candidate-- doing exactly what Schumer directed her to do-- "has not shown the progressive ideas and bold leadership necessary to move our state forward. She has been overly moderate, measured and cautious throughout this campaign, focusing more on her military service (which we applaud and sincerely respect) or her motherhood than offering a sweeping vision for the commonwealth-- especially in these turbulent times. Unfortunately, her message to voters has been unimaginative and uninspiring."

The Herald-Leader described her as Schumer's "anointed front-runner with a war chest of donations that might even rival McConnell’s usual corporate haul," but Kentucky Democrats have been unimpressed by a campaign that has entirely ignored them and been focussed on appealing to Republicans and independents, once even saying she would have voted to confirm Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court!

By February, Blue America was convinced that Booker is the candidate to beat McConnell and we endorsed him in early March. Since then, AOC and Bernie weighed in for him, as did a whole slew of progressive organizations. The headline at Politico yesterday isn't what Schumer wanted to see: Insurgent threatens to derail McGrath-McConnell showdown in Kentucky. "State Rep. Charles Booker has captured late momentum in the June 23 primary, fueled by prominent endorsements and Amy McGrath's stumbles," wrote Jim Arkin and Burgess Everett. Booker, they wrote "now has all the momentum in the closing days of the election," which takes place June 23. You can contribute to his campaign by clicking on the Blue America Senate 2020 thermometer on the right.

McGrath is the favorite of the Senate Democrats’ campaign arm and many sitting senators, and it’s hard to imagine she could lose a primary in which she’s outspent her opponents combined by a nearly 30-1 margin through early June. But there are signs it's turning into a real race: Booker is panning McGrath as a bland national Democrat who is predictably tacking to the center, while McGrath is biting back at Booker, accusing him of talking a big game on health care and voting rights but not backing it up.

"I don't really know what position Amy McGrath takes because she goes back and forth on everything depending on what consultants seem to say,” Booker said in an interview. “I know that Kentuckians can smell BS from miles away.”

...McGrath had a bumpy rollout last year, saying in one of her first interviews that she would have supported Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination, only to reverse herself later that day. More recently, Republican governors and Cindy McCain, the late Sen. John McCain’s widow, condemned ads of hers using their images to attack McConnell.

And McGrath has few substantial in-state endorsements, while Booker has been endorsed by prominent Kentucky media and close to two-dozen elected officials.

...McGrath is positioning herself somewhere in the realm of Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), a moderate Democrat [a values-free conservative opportunist] elected in 2018 who works with Republicans more than her own party leaders. McConnell himself declined to pinpoint whom he would rather face.

Sanders' and Ocasio-Cortez’s backing helped boost fundraising for Booker, and he raised nearly $1 million in nine days, three times his entire first-quarter haul. Newspaper endorsements and backing from sports radio host Matt Jones gives Booker legitimate in-state boosters outside his base in Louisville.

After coronavirus stalled any effort at toppling McGrath, the protests against police brutality are sparking newfound momentum for Booker.

“How do you run your campaign when you can't go anywhere? And then these protests come around, and I think it helped Charles find his footing and find his voice,” said Jones, who considered running for the seat and criticizes the DSCC. He acknowledged that McGrath remains the favorite but predicted a close finish.

“I don't know that I’ve ever seen a race where somebody has this much money and seems to be struggling,” he added.

Most Democrats declined to criticize McGrath on the record. Even Sanders gave a guarded response when asked why he felt the need to weigh in.

“We’re going to support progressive candidates who are fighting for the issues that we believe in,” Sanders said this week.

Democratic leaders were perplexed by Sanders’ intervention. As Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) put it: “Bernie may have made some promise to someone along the way.”

“She is in the mainstream of Democratic thinking, and I think is very electable in the commonwealth of Kentucky,” said Durbin, who is from neighboring Illinois.

Despite the intrigue in the primary, Kentucky is not central to Democrats’ campaign for the majority. Party officials say that it’s one of the longest shots to flip this election, and the money soaked up by McGrath would arguably go much further in North Carolina, Montana and Iowa.

“Those polls that show it tied are real. But the composition of the undecideds should give us great pause. I am more bullish on South Carolina, Texas-- I mean, almost every other race,” said one Democratic senator familiar with party strategy.

McGrath has been squeezed on both sides down the stretch: Booker is running an ad claiming she’s not a “real Democrat” and suggesting she’s too pro-Trump, while McConnell’s campaign released a new ad attacking her support for Trump’s impeachment and calling her “extreme.”

“You can’t run against McConnell from a defensive crouch with a playbook that was obviously cooked up by consultants. You have to perform every day, drive a message and keep him on his back foot,” said Adam Jentleson, who was a top aide to former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV). "Only Charles will be able to do that."

Republicans Oppose The Green New Deal-- But So Does My Blue Dog Opponent

by Tom Guild
Democratic candidate, OK-05

A report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) says that humans can still prevent the worst effects of climate change, but that we have less time than previously thought to undertake a dramatic and speedy transformation of the global economy. Every day, there is more concerning news about rising sea levels and climate-fueled disasters. The task ahead of us is urgent. We must fight for the ecological well-being of the planet we call home. The climate change crisis is an existential threat to humans and to the animals and plants with which we share planet Earth. We must redouble our efforts to reduce greenhouse gasses and to institute sustainable energy practices.

My June 30 primary opponent Kendra Horn has refused to sign onto the Green New Deal proposal. There is scant evidence that she considers climate change important enough to take the steps needed to protect our environmental future. One of my goals when elected to the U.S. House is to support bold action to fight climate change. The principles of the GND will be a good guidepost to help us reverse the damage done by excessive use of and dependence on fossil fuels. We will create tens of millions of good paying green jobs as we transition to an environmentally friendly renewable energy policy. According to a consensus of the scientific community, time is running short to effectively deal with climate change. We must not fail to act and thereby help create an irreversible situation that leads to the destruction of our environment that scientists say may in the foreseeable future render planet earth unsustainable for human life.
   
Rep. Alan Lowenthal (D-CA) is a current Democratic member of Congress. He is fighting to make sure the Trump administration does not destroy our environment in the name of saving our health when it is primarily concerned with saving the investments of the top 1%. Lowenthal recently said, "The Trump Administration has spent years rolling back decades of hard-fought environmental progress. The White House has worked to undermine science, accelerate climate change, undo decades of work to protect our air, water, and health, and compromise the health of our planet." Lowenthal is doing the hard work it takes to protect the environment by working to stop Trump and protect the future of our planet--something Trump does not spend any time thinking about, while claiming the climate crisis is a "Chinese hoax."

The Paris Climate Accord was negotiated by representatives of 196 nations in Le Bourget, France, and adopted by consensus on December 12, 2015. The previous U.S. Administration of President Barack Obama took a leading role in pushing for the climate treaty. As of February 2020, 189 countries had become party to the agreement. The Paris Agreement's goal is to pursue efforts to limit and substantially reduce the risks and impacts of climate change. This is to be achieved by reducing emissions as soon as possible, to "achieve a balance between anthropogenic emissions by sources and removals by sinks of greenhouse gases" in the second half of the 21st century. The accord also aims to increase the ability of parties to adapt to the adverse impacts of climate change and make "finance flows consistent with a pathway towards low greenhouse gas emissions and climate-resilient development."


 Under the Paris Agreement, each country must determine, plan, and regularly report on the contribution that it undertakes to mitigate climate change. No mechanism forces a country to set specific emissions targets by a specific date, but each target should go beyond previously set targets. In June 2017, U.S. President Donald Trump announced his intention to withdraw the United States from the agreement. Under the compact, the earliest effective date of withdrawal for the U.S. is November 2020, shortly before the end of President Trump's current presidential term. The American threat to withdraw from the treaty is a giant setback for the global effort to reduce climate change and to protect our planet.

We need to break down the corrupt corporate and establishment walls that are holding back progress on the environment and climate change. If you agree that we need bold action to effectively address the crisis, we invite you to join our campaign. If you would like to donate you can do that by clicking on the Blue America 2020 congressional thermometer on the right.

Be safe. Love Your Neighbor. Engage in Random Acts of Kindness. Peace.

Striving for A Future We Can All Believe In.

Blue America Endorsement Alert: Mondaire Jones (NY-17) For Congress

New York’s 17th congressional district-- northern and western Westchester County plus, across the Hudson, Rockland County-- represents one of the best chance in the country to send a true progressive to Congress. After 16 terms, Nit Lowey is retiring in this D+7 district where Trump got only 38.4% of the vote. A recent poll released by Data for Progress shows a statistical dead heat among four candidates.

One of those is attorney and activist Mondaire Jones. Mondaire is a progressive champion running on a platform of Medicare for All, a Green New Deal, and student loan forgiveness. In fact, he is the only candidate in his race running on these issues. If elected, he would be the first openly gay, black member of Congress in U.S. history.

Mondaire’s chief rivals in the campaign are David Carlucci, Adam Schleifer, and Evelyn Farkas. Carlucci is infamous for being a founding member of the reactionary Independent Democratic Conference (IDC), a group of state senators in New York who were elected as Democrats but caucused with Republicans, denying Democrats a majority in the State Senate. Carlucci was just endorsed by the very right-wing NYC police union, which also endorsed the make-believe Democrat running against AOC. Schleifer is the son of a pharmaceutical billionaire and has spent millions of dollars of his family wealth on the campaign. Evelyn Farkas is a former Defense Department official who has taken hundreds of thousands of dollars from the defense lobby and prominent Republicans, including Ronald Reagan’s chief of staff and George W. Bush’s Director of National Intelligence.

Mondaire’s campaign has enormous momentum. Without accepting corporate PAC money, he has raised well over a million dollars and has been endorsed by Elizabeth Warren, Julián Castro, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ayanna Pressley, Pramila Jayapal, Barbara Lee, the Congressional Progressive Caucus PAC, Working Families Party, United Auto Workers, and many more, including, today, Blue America. Additionally, the poll taken by Data for Progress was conducted just as Mondaire was beginning his advertising campaign, showing that Mondaire has significantly more room to grow than his opponents.

This is a safely blue district where the Republicans have not run a candidate in the past two cycles. If Democrats want to form a true progressive majority, it is essential we elect progressive candidates in safely blue seats like this one. This election could come down to only a few hundred votes and every bit of support helps immensely. Please help Mondaire win on June 23rd by making a contribution at the Blue America thermometer on the right.



A Chance To Make History
-by Mondaire Jones





Growing up poor, black, and gay, I never imagined that someone like me could make it to the halls of Congress. I grew up in Section 8 housing and on food stamps, raised by a young, single mom who still had to work multiple jobs for us to get by.

Thanks to the support of a community and a quality public school education that is unavailable to students in that same school district today, I was able to make it to Stanford University, work in the Obama administration, and graduate from Harvard Law School. But stories like mine are the exception, not the rule. I’m running for Congress to change that.

I’m fighting for bold, structural solutions that will ensure we can build a future that works for everyone, not just a subset of the American population. I know what it’s like to feel left behind and to not see yourself represented. In fact, if elected, I would be the first openly gay, black member of Congress in United States history.

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve seen just how precarious our economy is for millions of people. I don’t think any American should lose their health insurance just because they’ve lost their job. I don’t think anyone should have to go into work sick because they can’t afford to stay home. I don’t think we should let an entire generation be crippled by massive student loan debt, preventing young people from meaningfully participating in our economy.

This is a message that resonates not just with people here in New York’s 17th Congressional District, covering parts of Westchester and Rockland Counties, but all across the country. Our campaign has been endorsed by Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Julián Castro, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rep. Ayanna Pressley, Rep. Pramila Jayapal, Barbara Lee, Working Families Party, United Auto Workers, the Congressional Progressive Caucus PAC, Equality PAC, the LGBT Victory Fund, and so many more.

Our campaign is a grassroots, people-powered movement. Unlike many of our opponents, we’re not taking money from corporations and we’re not self-funding with millions of dollars. We rely on contributions from everyday people, like delivery drivers, nurses, and teachers who chip in $10 or $25 when they can. We’ve been outraising most of our competition, but we’ve got to pick up the pace.

Right now, our election is less than 3 weeks away. We’re fighting for real change for working people, but we’re up against the pharmaceutical industry and the defense lobby and we need your help. Join us.

I Wonder Where Eliot Engel Is Today-- And So Do His Constituents!

Old school New Dem Eliot Engel has been weathering the pandemic in the wealthy suburban neighborhood where he lives-- in Maryland-- and leaving the residents of his hard hit district-- which includes part of the Bronx and the three cities in Westchester with the highest number of COVID cases-- on their own. Last week Edward-Issac Dovere blew the whistle on Engel in an embarrassing piece at The Atlantic,, Why This Democrat Won’t Go Home

A member of Congress since 1989, Engel is facing his first serious primary challenge in years, in a district next door to the one where Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez defeated another longtime incumbent in a primary two years ago. Yet Engel hasn’t been in his district since at least the end of March, according to his communications director, Bryant Daniels. The congressman himself told me that he has been in New York, after I covered my nose and mouth and rang his doorbell in Potomac, Maryland.

“I’m in both places,” Engel said.

“You are?” I asked.

“I sure am,” he said.

“You’ve been quarantined in both places?”

“Sure have.”

Daniels later told me, “He’s remained in Washington since passage of the CARES Act.” The CARES Act passed on March 27. When I pressed for when Engel was last in the district, Daniels stopped responding.

Few congressional districts in America have seen more COVID-19 infections and deaths than Engel’s.

Yesterday, the Bronx had 109 new cases and Westchester had 81 . The day before that the Bronx had 108 new cases and Westchester had 71. Not good news. Does Engel even care? Or does he just concern himself with what's going on in internal Israeli politics and how that impacts his one and only real constituent, Benjamin Netanyahu? (Israel had 116 new cases yesterday and 98 the day before.)

Yesterday, Shane Golmacher reporting for the NY Times wrote that at a press conference Tuesday Engel was caught on a live mic twice saying what plenty of people in his district have known for years: "If I didn’t have a primary, I wouldn’t care."  

[B]efore the news conference began, Ruben Diaz Jr., the Bronx borough president and organizer of the event, ran through the list of planned speakers to the assembled politicians. The microphone was already broadcasting.

“I cannot have all the electeds talk because we will never get out of here,” Mr. Diaz said.

Mr. Engel pressed his case for a turn. “If I didn’t have a primary, I wouldn’t care,” he said, repeating, “If I didn’t have a primary, I wouldn’t care.”

First elected to Congress in 1988, Mr. Engel, who is the chairman of the powerful House Foreign Affairs Committee, will face voters again in New York’s primary elections on June 23. His opposition began to consolidate this week as one of his leading rivals, Andom Ghebreghiorgis, dropped out and endorsed Jamaal Bowman, a Bronx school principal.

Jamaal has also been endorsed by Blue America and you can contribute to his campaign by clicking on the 2020 congressional thermometer on the right. Questioned by Goldmacher, Jamaal said Engel's comments were "painful to watch.... We need to be taking care of our communities right now-- whether it's election season or not. It's clear that we need new leadership in NY-16." A Bowman staffer told him Tuesday had been its single biggest fund-raising day of the campaign, with more than 1,000 donations in about three hours.




I bet Engel wishes he had stayed home in Maryland! I wonder if he voted in the Maryland primary yesterday; probably not.

New Blue America Congressional Endorsement-- In Nashville, Tennessee

People seem surprised when they find out that Nashville is a Democratic city and that Tennessee's 5th congressional district is safely blue. Obama won the district both times he ran. In 2016 Trump took just 38.2% of the vote- and in Davidson County (Nashville), he only got 34.3%). In 2018, Davidson County backed Democrats in both the gubernatorial race and the U.S. Senate race-- and performed at a D+43 level to reelect longtime incumbent Jim Cooper 177,923 (67.8%) to 84,317 (32.2%). Virtually all of Nashville's elected officials are Democrats including the mayor (John Cooper-- Jim Cooper's brother and their father was a former Tennessee governor) and the 10 state Reps.

TN-05 has a solid PVI of D+7, but Cooper is a Blue Dog, best known for his conservative politics. When he was first elected, in 1982, Nashville wasn't part of his rural district but he gave up that district to run, unsuccessfully, for the U.S. Senate and when the Nashville district opened up, he spent nearly a million dollars of his family's money to buy the seat. He's never had a serious challenger since then. Republicans are happy with his conservative politics and Democrats have been afraid to challenge him in a primary.

Until now! Meet Keeda Haynes, a top-notch progressive reformer who vigorously backs Medicare-For-All, the Green New Deal, a $15 living wage, a national cap on rent and home price increases, top to bottom student loan reform, H.R. 40 (Sheila Jackson Lee's bill to set up a reparations commission), marijuana legalization, a path to citizenship for the 11 million undocumented individuals currently living in the U.S., competitive prescription drug costs and a whole platform built on solid progressive positions. This week, Blue America has endorsed Keeda and I asked her to introduce herself with a guest post-- and the brand new video directly below-- in the hope that everyone else would be as impressed as I was when I've been speaking with her by phone over the last couple of weeks. Please consider contributing to her campaign by clicking on the 2020 Blue America Primary-A-Blue-Dog thermometer on the right. This is a very special candidate who would make an extraordinary member of Congress. Please dig as deep as you feel comfortable digging!





I Am That Change
-by Keeda Haynes

Many Americans recently have recoiled in horror at the filmed slaying of 25-year-old, African-American Ahmaud Arbery by two vigilantes in Glynn County, Georgia. Another tragedy of epic proportions also occurred in Louisville when police officers-- without knocking and announcing their presence-- fatally shot 26-year-old Breonna Taylor, an emergency room tech, to death. Sadly, the cases of Ahmaud Armery and Breonna Taylor are not isolated incidents in the United States of America. They are pristine examples of a criminal justice system that too often disrespects and devalues the lives of African-Americans and other persons of color.

But, beyond these high-profile killings of African-Americans, countless millions languish away in prison, shackled by a criminal justice system that locks them away and throws away the key. It’s what Michelle Alexander has called the New Jim Crow-- the systematic oppression of entire groups of people. The human toll of mass incarceration takes on many shapes and forms and no longer can we turn a blind eye to it.

Many care little for our prisoners, assuming a person is in prison because of their criminal conduct. But a prison sentence should not be a death sentence…but that is what it has turned into for the hundreds of inmates that have died in custody due to the coronavirus. They were someone’s father, mother, sister, brother, daughter or son and their lives had value. Our prison population is one of the most vulnerable and they deserve to be protected.

When I sat on the top bunk of my 3x8 prison cubicle in Alderson, West Virginia, looking back over the range at 100 other women, recently sentenced to seven years in prison for a crime I didn’t commit, I thought to myself” what if I die here.” The possibility of that happened back in 2003 wasn’t nearly as possible as it is today. Having served nearly four years in federal prison for a crime I did not commit, I know that fear, confusion and frustration that many incarcerated individuals are feeling right now. Only through my faith did I persevere and emerge from prison an even stronger individual, hell-bent on devoting my life to public service and fighting for those in need.

After my release in 2006, I went to law school, passed the bar exam, and became a public defender in Nashville, Tennessee. I advocated in the trenches for those society has considered the least of these amongst us. Every day in the courtroom, I knew the difficulties my clients faced because I had sat in their shoes and felt those same feelings of desperation.

Now, my public service has taken a different direction after working as a public defender for the past six and a half years, but my fight, passion and determination remain. I am running for Congress in TN-05 and I will take the same level of passion and determination to Washington to advocate on behalf of the community of District 5. I will stand alongside the community, fighting daily for access to quality health care, affordable housing and criminal justice reform. I will provide them with equitable access in government decision making and will make sure their voices are heard.

Armaud Arbery shouldn’t have been killed while jogging. Breonna Stewart shouldn’t have been killed in her sleep. Hundreds should not have died in jails and prisons. I shouldn’t have served nearly four years in prison for a crime I did not commit.

It is time that we in TN-05 have someone in Congress that understands that the United States has the highest incarceration rate in the world; that mass incarceration disproportionally affects black, brown and low- income communities; and, that we need to address the racist policies and procedures that have caused this large disparity.

It is time for change in Congress. I am that change.

Over The Weekend, Colorado Democrats Told Schumer To Keep His Nose Out Of Their Senate Race

Colorado Democrats will pick their Senate candidate in a primary on June 30. But the party had caucuses on Saturday, caucuses that were swept by the progressive in the race, Andrew Romanoff. I'll get into Andrew's big win in a moment but first let's take a look at an explanation of what the caucuses were all about aside from a popularity contest free of DSCC interference. Jay Bouchard wrote it up a few days ago for a local newspaper. He explained that at the over 3,000 precinct caucuses, registered Democrats elect committee members who will go to the county, district, and state assemblies to decide which candidates make the ballot. Candidates decide if they want to participate in the caucuses or not. If they don't, they can still get on the ballot by collecting at least 10,500 signatures statewide, including 1,500 from each of the state’s seven congressional districts. If a candidate gets 15% they move on to the county and state assemblies and if they get at least 30% of the vote at the state assembly, they make the June ballot. Candidates can gather signatures and go through the caucus process. However, there is some risk to doing that. If a candidate gathers enough valid signatures but fails to get at least 10 percent of the vote at the state assembly, he or she will not make the ballot. Aside from Romanoff-- Saturday's big winner, the other candidates who opted to participate in the caucuses was Schumer's candidate Frackenlooper, plus Stephany Rose Spaulding, Erik Underwood, and Trish Zornio. Diana Bray, Lorena Garcia, David Goldfisher, and Michelle Ferrigno Warren are only gathering signatures. Both Frackenlooper and Underwood decided to gather signatures and caucus.

No one but Romanoff and Frackenlooper hit the needed 15% to move forward. These were the results, with Alamosa, Hinsdale, Costilla, Yuma, Adams, Larimer and Custer counties still counting. No one showed up for the Cheyenne County caucuses.

• Andrew Romanoff- 7,450 (54.70%)
• Frackenlooper- 4,166 (30.59%)
• Trish Zorino- 894 (6.56%)
• Stephany Rose Spaulding- 723 (5.30%)
• Erik Underwood- 31 (0.22%)

Frackenlooper lost decisively in all the big blue counties that elect Democrats statewide-- and was especially embarrassed by the walloping he took in Denver, where he served as mayor for two terms:

• Arapahoe- Romanoff 56.42%, Frackenlooper 27.54%
• Boulder- Romanoff 64.11%, Frackenlooper 20.54%
• Denver- Romanoff 60.50%, Frackenlooper 22.30%
• Jefferson- Romanoff 61.88%, Frackenlooper 24.64%

As of the December 31 FEC reporting deadline, Frackenlooper had raised $4,882,372 and Romanoff had raised $1,744,993. None of the other 8 Democrats still running had raised any significant money. The two who managed to win delegates, Trish Zornio and Stephany Rose Spaulding are both credible progressives who now should realize that neither has any kind of a path to victory and should team up with Romanoff now to stop the DSCC and Frackenlooper.

Frackenlooper, the decidedly anti-progressive candidate told reporters that it didn't matter that he did so badly. "It’s mostly the very progressive part of the party, but you get to hear what their concerns are… I’ll join a long line of successful Democratic primary (winners) who didn’t do well in the caucuses." He was at the Denver caucuses begging voters to back him. They didn't.

Please consider contributing to Romanoff's campaign by clicking on the Blue America 2020 Senate thermometer above. He'll never raise the kind of money the DSCC is directing towards Frackenlooper, but he doesn't have to-- just as long as he has enough to get his progressive message out to Democratic voters.

This morning, Romanoff sent out a message to his supporters, reminding them that "The party bosses and powerbrokers in Washington who are bankrolling Hick’s campaign bragged about 'kicking some serious butt' a few days ago. Now that they ended up on the receiving end, the DC crowd is dismissing their defeat and doubling down on a losing hand. Can they buy the Democratic nomination for a candidate who ducks the press and dodges debates? That’s a risky bet-- especially when the Republicans have all the footage they need to undermine his candidacy. Telling voters you’d hate the job and aren’t cut out for it, as Hick did, is bad enough. Doing so on camera for months on end makes the opposition’s task too easy."

Romanoff is best-equipped to beat Gardner. Frackenlooper is a very risky bet-- and one with no real reason to take.

Bland Moderates Are Not What We Need In The White House Or In The Senate-- Let's Replace Mitch McConnell With Charles Booker

If Bernie wins in November, a hostile McConnell-led Senate will be pretty deadly for all his plans. And with the Democrats very likely to lose their accidental Alabama seat, they have to win five seats for a majority. Or, one seat-- Kentucky's-- to knock out McConnell. Schumer's DSCC has picked Amy McGrath, a bland moderate who doesn't stand for much and who couldn't win a House seat in 2018 that is significantly more open to Democrats than the state as a whole is. McGrath has little to offer beyond McConnell-hatred. Democrats have been trying that for decades-- unsuccessfully. This time, many Democrats in the state are telling Schumer and the DSCC to take a walk and they'll pick their own Senate candidate. Charles Booker seems like a better option and not just because he endorsed Bernie for president.

Blue America has been far more impressed with state Rep. Charles Booker than we have been with McGrath, whose confused and ever-changing positions in 2018 kept us from getting behind her. Booker's platform is crystal clear: Universal Basic Income and Economic Justice, Medicare for All and a Kentucky-specific version of the Green New Deal. McGrath is running on nothing but bullshit: pie-in-the-sky, cynical "bipartisan solutions." On guns, she's calling for "a conversation about guns"-- no solutions, no policies... a "conversation." This is exactly the kind of neither-here-nor-there candidates Schumer hunts for, a perfect explanation of why the Democrats are in the minority. His district runs along the Ohio River from Chickasaw Park, through Louisville and east as far as Woodlawn Park.

Booker won the House seat by placing first in a crowded primary and then defeating Republican Everett Corley 76.5% to 21.3%. Please read his guest post below and consider contributing to his campaign by clicking on the Blue America 2020 Senate thermometer on the right.

I’m The Candidate Who Can Beat Mitch McConnell
by Charles Booker

When you’re running for office, you get a lot of advice. Some of it is helpful; other pieces, not so much. Nonetheless, I appreciate it all.

But one piece of advice stands out from the rest. They are words of wisdom that never leave my head: “It takes a movement to beat a machine.”

That’s the whole idea behind my campaign for the U.S. Senate. I am running against Mitch McConnell, the second most powerful person in Washington. Even though he is the most unpopular Senator in the country, and proudly brags about stopping legislation that would improve the lives of everyday Kentuckians, he has proven difficult for Democrats to beat.

Until now.

This time, we are going to do this differently. Mitch wins because he plays into people’s fears. We are going to win because we listen to their hopes.

We are building a grassroots movement based around an economic populist agenda. We are fighting for the issues that matter most to the people I meet in every corner of the Commonwealth: Medicare for All, a Kentucky New Deal, universal basic income, and an end to generational poverty.

Some people think that you can’t run on those issues and win in Kentucky. In fact, it’s the only way we are going to win. Kentuckians are tired of the rich and powerful making decisions without everyday folks in the room. They want someone who will fight to make sure that every Kentuckian has clean water in their tap, a good job and access to prescription drugs that don’t bankrupt them.

I know there are some Democratic Party leaders who still believe that the way to beat Mitch is by running to the soft center, by saying nothing and taking no positions. But we’ve tried it their way, and we’ve lost. Over and over and over.

It’s time to try something new. It’s time to run against Mitch while fighting for the things we actually believe in, not the things pollsters tell us people allegedly want to hear.

We are not some cookie cutter campaign that could be run in any state. And I am not a cookie cutter candidate who speaks in sound bites approved by focus groups.

I am a Kentuckian, running for Kentucky. I speak from the heart, and I speak about the issues that impact the people who live in the Commonwealth, and I’m rooting my campaign in the ideas that will actually improve lives for working people.

This is not the first time I have been told to wait my turn, and I am sure it will not be the last. I became the youngest Black state legislator in Kentucky in nearly 90 years because I did not listen to the naysayers. Come November, I am going to be the first person of color to serve in federal office from Kentucky because, again, I am not going to listen.

As someone who comes from generations of Kentuckians, some of whom were enslaved and lynched in Kentucky, and others who broke racial barriers during the Civil Rights Movement, I owe it to my ancestors to fight for this next step toward equity, as well. I also owe it to the people of Kentucky who want a government of the people, for the people.

Winning these sorts of races is possible when you build diverse coalitions of passionate people. I saw that in my work as the director of Fish and Wildlife, in my leadership statewide and nationally, and as a state Representative.

I believe that the only way to defeat Mitch McConnell is to actually run against Mitch McConnell. Dancing around him isn’t going to get us anywhere. We have to take the fight directly to him.

It’s just common sense! You don’t beat the most unpopular Senator in America by running away from him, or trying to be like him. You win by putting him on the defensive, and holding him accountable for all of the wrongs he’s done since he became a Senator in 1984. There are over 30 years worth of cruel, self-centered, anti-democratic decisions. We need to keep calling them out. We need to make sure he has to answer for what he’s done to us, and for what he’s done to Kentucky. We need to remind everyone how he’s done those things at our expense, all for himself. We can’t stop talking about all the ways he’s profited from our pain.

We will win this race by building a movement.

The movement is made up of the people taking on the powerful and corrupt. The powers that be want us to give up, because they know what I know: the power is really in us.

The movement is growing every day, more and more Kentuckians whose voices haven’t been heard join us.

This is a movement of regular folks coming together to say we’re not going to be lied to, ignored, and robbed by Mitch McConnell any longer.

I am honored to be a part of that movement, and can’t wait to take it over the finish line.

We are going to beat the machine. We are going to win for Kentuckians.

Mike Siegel Heads To A TX-10 Runoff

As of the last FEC filing deadline in the TX-10 3-way primary-- February 12-- about $2 million had been spent by the Democrats' campaigns.

• Shannon Hutcheson- $915,411, of which $361,550 was self-funded
• Pritesh Gandhi- $772,486
• Mike Siegel- $348,908

The only outside sewer money that seeped into the race was $364,440-- much of it used to smear Hutcheson on behalf of Gandhi-- from the 314 Action PAC, a sham outfit pretending to care about Science while really devoted almost exclusively to lining the pockets of their principles. But as you can see, votes went to candidates inversely from money spent:

Mike Siegel's haul at the ballotbox Tuesday was significantly ahead of the 314 runner up-- but not enough to avoid a May 26th runoff. This isn't good. Siegel should be spending the next 3 months hammering Trump ally Michael McCaul, not being drawn into a battle with 314 and its anti-Medicare-for-All, anti-Green New Deal candidate. Please consider contributing what you can to Mike's campaign, which you can do by clicking on the Turning Texas Blue thermometer on the right.

"This campaign, Mike told me today, "continues to show how Democrats win in Texas: with people power! In 2018, we shocked countless observers when we held ultra-wealthy GOP incumbent Michael McCaul to 51% of the vote and turned the Texas 10th into a battleground district. And on Election Day we did the same: facing two well-funded opponents and an outside 'super PAC' who, together, spent over $2.5 million, we claimed a resounding victory. This is campaign is the only one that can beat the wealth and gerrymandered advantage of Rep. McCaul. We will keep working the district, knocking doors, and building an unstoppable coalition to demand real political change here in TX-10."

On Wednesday, Intercept politics editor Ryan Grim noted that "In 2018, the 10th Congressional District-- which stretches from the Austin suburbs to the Houston suburbs-- was written off by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, having gone to incumbent Michael McCaul in 2016 by 19 points. But Siegel, with a focus on organizing a major field operation, closed it to within 5 points. That drew the attention of deep-pocketed donors, who fielded corporate management lawyer Shannon Hutcheson to challenge Siegel for the nomination. Pritesh Gandhi, a doctor who is running to the left of Hutcheson but to the right of Siegel, also jumped into the race, setting up what looked like it could be a rerun of a knockdown, drag-out primary in California that followed a similar trajectory... The two other candidates spent the final weeks of the race attacking each other. A hybrid Super PAC backing Gandhi spent big attacking Hutcheson. Hutcheson, meanwhile, was the clear Washington favorite. She has been dogged in the primary by her corporate law work, particularly her defense of a prison guard accused of assaulting migrants, among other controversial cases. She voted in the 2010 Republican primary, the year of the tea party backlash to President Barack Obama, and has the strong support of her husband’s law firm, which is connected to the Texas GOP machinery."

Blue America Congressional Endorsement In Oklahoma: Tom Guild

You may remember our old Oklahoma friend, Tom Guild, from the yeoman's work he did in the past to flip the Oklahoma City congressional district blue. He tilled that field assiduously for years, while the DCCC laughed and ignored him. Then, suddenly when it looked possible, the status quo Democratic Party  establishment stepped in and handed the blue wave nomination to one of their own, Kendra Horn. Horn immediately joined the Blue Dogs and New Dems-- the congressional manifestations of the Republican wing of the Democratic Party. And her voting record has been excruciating. Only 2 House Democrats have worse voting records, Anthony Brindisi (Blue Dog-NY) and Joe Cunningham (Blue Dog-OK). 231 Democrats + Independent Justin Amash have been voting consistently than Horn! She's been a waste-of-a-seat conservative backbencher and doesn't deserve reelection. The DC Democratic establishment freaks out if anyone challenges any of their coddled Blue Dog/New Dem freshmen. But Tom Guild just did exactly that. I asked him how he came to the decision to primary Horn. Here's his response. Please consider contributing to his campaign by clicking on the thermometer below.

A Bridge Too Far
by Tom Guild

To run or not to run for Congress, that is the question. These are the times that try men’s souls. I wish I could support Kendra Horn’s (D-OK) re-election, but there is a bridge too far between her conservative corporate voting record and my own progressive leanings. There is a gulf wider than the Gulf of Mexico between the way she finances her campaigns and the way I finance mine in an effort to rid the current system of big corporate and PAC money and massive out of control campaign spending for a job that pays $285,000 in salary and benefits Horn’s conservative corporate record

• Horn opposes Medicare for All and the gradual elimination of the private profit-driven health care insurance industry. I favor MFA and am deeply concerned about the many millions of Americans who have no health care coverage or are grossly underinsured. The overhead of the private insurance industry too often supports a bureaucracy that is rewarded for denying claims and leaving often desperate policy holders in severe economic and physical distress. Reducing administrative red tape and going to a single payer universal health care system is the right thing to do. It will save trillions of dollars in short order and prevent the heinous prospect of millions of Americans going bankrupt if they face a costly medical emergency. Since the United States pays more than twice as much per capita for health care than any other leading developed country in the world, the savings in treasure, lives, and the increased peace of mind MFA brings is literally priceless for millions of ordinary Americans.

• Horn opposes the Green New Deal. I favor the principles of the GND which in short order will reduce carbon emissions by transitioning to renewable energy and literally save Planet Earth from becoming a dead and uninhabitable planet where life can no longer exist. The scientific community has by consensus determined that if we don’t act quickly the damage to our planet will soon be irreversible. To think that all life on earth will become extinct like the Dodo bird and the dinosaurs is chilling. We must forsake big contributions from the fossil fuels industry and not embrace short term political advantage that will ultimately destroy all life on earth.

• Horn voted against raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour. I support a $15 minimum wage and more importantly will work to ensure that wages for all Americans keep pace and will always be at or above the level necessary to constitute a living wage. It’s easy to be hard when you make $285,000 a year on the backs of hard-working American taxpayers, but a living wage is the compassionate and reasonable path to follow. Americans shouldn’t work full time and still fall below the poverty level. A living wage is the right course of action and will strengthen American families and add rocket fuel to the U.S. economy.

• Horn and I disagree on many other important issues such as her recent vote against labor when she voted no on the PRO Act (Protecting the Right to Organize Act). The Act that passed the U.S. House in early February of 2020 gives workers more power during disputes at work, adds penalties for companies that retaliate against workers who organize and grants hundreds of thousands of workers collective bargaining rights they don’t currently have. It would also weaken right-to-work laws that in 27 states allow employees to benefit by union representation but forgo paying union dues.

• Horn solicits PAC contributions and benefits by “Leadership” PAC money, and Super PAC assistance, including from Dark Money sources. I refuse all PAC contributions and accept only individual contributions from Americans investing in our country’s future. I favor outlawing PAC contributions and transitioning to publicly financed campaigns for Congress. Horn took $422,000 from a single Super PAC in her last general election campaign. Her campaign kitty is chock full of millions of dollars in PAC and special interest money. She is milking the current corrupt campaign finance system for all its worth.

Because of her very conservative corporate positions on major issues and her dependence on PAC, Leadership PAC, Super PAC, including from dark money sources, and big special interest money, I cannot in good conscience fail to give the voters in the Fifth Congressional District of Oklahoma another option in the June 2020 primary. Sometimes duty calls and an obligation to serve your state and nation seeks you. Life does not always conform itself to our convenience. Because I love my state and nation, I have decided to challenge a very conservative corporate incumbent. If not me, who? If not now, when? Your support is not only welcomed but is essential to support this important mutual undertaking. Join us!