2023-2024 Presidential, senate, house, state and city election thread

[weatheriscool]

Stabenow's retirement scrambles Michigan Senate race in 2024

Source: AP

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan Sen. Debbie Stabenow, a member of the Democratic leadership, announced Thursday that she will not run for a fifth term in 2024, a surprise decision that opens up a seat in the key battleground state. The news shocked many Democrats in the state because the 72-year-old Stabenow had not previously indicated that she would not seek reelection.

Stabenow’s impending retirement turns Michigan’s next Senate race into one of the most competitive in the country as Democrats try to preserve their slim majority. “Inspired by a new generation of leaders, I have decided to pass the torch in the U.S. Senate. I am announcing today that I will not seek reelection and will leave the U.S. Senate at the end of my term on January 3, 2025,” Stabenow said in a statement.

Democrats will face a test to find a candidate with Stabenow’s broad support. On the GOP side, the National Republican Senatorial Committee, which works to elect Republicans, said in a statement after Stabenow’s announcement that it would “aggressively target this seat in 2024.”

While the current political climate in Michigan favors Democrats following a midterm election where they flipped the state House and Senate, the state is still expected to be one of the nation’s premier battlegrounds in the 2024 presidential election. Only one Michigan Republican, has held a seat in the Senate in the past 40 years.

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm ... b701ae1297

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John Bolton Announces 2024's Most Ridiculous Presidential Bid
Source: New York Magazine

Earlier today, John Bolton officially entered the 2024 U.S. presidential race with an announcement to the British media. Bolton, who was George W. Bush’s ambassador to the United Nations during the Iraq War and Donald Trump’s national security adviser until he was fired via Twitter, insisted in his Good Morning Britain interview that this is not a joke or a shameless attempt to sell more books and boost his speaker fees. “I wouldn’t run as a vanity candidate,” he said. “If I didn’t think I could run seriously, then I wouldn’t get in the race.”

The two-and-a-half minute GMB clip captures the oddness of his run:
* Bolton is making this announcement on a television show that doesn’t air in the U.S. (Just consider that for a moment.)
* He says he’d run “primarily on the basis that we need a much stronger foreign policy.” That feels a little on the nose, as being a warmonger is the only thing Bolton is known for: He has admitted to planning foreign coups on national TV, and he was fired as national security adviser because he kept trying to start wars after promising Trump that he wouldn’t.
* Bolton suggested that he could beat Trump in 2024, because “Trump’s support within the party itself is in terminal decline.” But Bolton skips over the fact that he has essentially zero support in the GOP. Beating Trump sounds fine — it’s getting people to vote for Bolton that’s the issue. As GMB interviewer Noel Phillips noted, “His opponents say he lacks in popularity, but a defiant John Bolton is preparing for a fight.”
* Bolton seems set on alienating British people too. He spent part of the interview defending former U.K. prime minister Liz Truss, who was ousted after 44 days, and her wildly unpopular economic policies.

Read more: https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2023/01 ... l-run.html

[caltrek]

As Newsom Kicks Off Second Term, Speculation About White House Run Grows
by Natalie Hanson
January 6, 2023

Introduction:

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Courthouse News) — As California Governor Gavin Newsom officially began his second term Friday surrounded by his family, political experts predicted he may look to the national stage for his political future.

Newsom's swearing-in took place at the state Capitol and opened with first partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom.

“As the most populous and culturally diverse state in the nation, we’ve seen our shared belief in the power of empathy, care and inclusivity bringing us together as one California family,” she said. She read the poem “Together We Go California” in Spanish, by Juan Felipe Herrera, former poet laureate of the United States.

In his speech, Newsom reminisced about how much the state has changed since his Irish family arrived 170 years ago, with the population growing from 93,000 then to nearly 40 million residents today.

“I hear the echoes in the stories of migrants that cross our southern border seeking something better,” he said. “In people who come from every continent on Earth to flee political persecution. Or from other states to educate themselves in our world-class universities.”

Read more here: https://www.courthousenews.com/as-news ... un-grows/

caltrek’s comment: In a general election, Newsom would have to overcome fierce prejudices against a left coast California and against “fanatical” multi-pluralism. As if the good old days of racially (and gender, etc.) based hierarchies can be brought back and the LGBT+ types forced back into their closets.

[weatheriscool]

Senate Dems tap Peters again as campaign chief in hopes of 2022 repeat
Source: Politico

Michigan Sen. Gary Peters will once again lead his caucus’ campaign arm, according to two people familiar with the matter and confirmed by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.

The second-term senator successfully defended Democrats’ majority last cycle under difficult circumstances, with the party even picking up one more seat in the chamber. Still, Peters had initially turned down entreaties to do the job again.

He’s the first Democrat since Chuck Schumer, now the majority leader, to run the DSCC two cycles in a row. The Michigander will also have two vice chairs assisting him: Sens. Tina Smith of Minnesota and Alex Padilla of California.

Peters’ personal record includes winning close House races and a tight Senate election in 2020. Then, in the 2022 midterms, he helped Democrats buck historical trends as DSCC chair — leading the party to pick up a seat despite a Democratic president in office. Schumer called Peters a “battle tested, proven winner whose hard work led Senate Democrats to defy the political odds and to one of our best midterm results in recent history.”

Read more: https://www.politico.com/news/2023/01/0 ... t-00077011

[caltrek]

Porter Announces 2024 Run for Feinstein Seat in Senate
by Niels Lesniewski and Kate Ackley
January 10, 2023

Introduction:

(Roll Call) California Democratic Rep. Katie Porter is jumping into the state’s 2024 Senate race, not waiting for Sen. Dianne Feinstein to decide whether to retire.

“The threat from so-called leaders like Mitch McConnell has too often made the United States Senate the place where rights get revoked, special interests get rewarded and our democracy gets rigged,” Porter said in a video message announcing her candidacy. “California needs a warrior in Washington.”

Porter, who won her third term in November by just 4 percentage points, gained national attention during the two years she served during the Trump administration with sharp questions during hearings of the Financial Services Committee, frequently skewering not only administration officials but also banking industry executives.

She then moved to the Oversight and Reform Committee, which is being renamed the Oversight and Accountability panel with the Republican majority in the new Congress.

If Feinstein, who turns 90 later this year, does in fact announce plans to retire, there will a hot contest among Democrats to replace her in a seldom-open, safely Democratic seat. Feinstein is the longest-serving Democrat in the Senate and passed on the opportunity to be the chamber’s president pro tempore.

Read more here: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politic ... msnnews11

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[PineappleDuckCurry]

caltrek’s comment: In a general election, Newsom would have to overcome fierce prejudices against a left coast California and against “fanatical” multi-pluralism. As if the good old days of racially (and gender, etc.) based hierarchies can be brought back and the LGBT+ types forced back into their closets.

I agree with this, and I think it applies to Kamala Harris as well. I am from California btw. What do you think of Bernie Sanders running again (perhaps in 2028 after Biden in 2024)? I would really hope so, but I feel he has lost a lot of people from his peak in 2016.

[Nicknano]

caltrek’s comment: In a general election, Newsom would have to overcome fierce prejudices against a left coast California and against “fanatical” multi-pluralism. As if the good old days of racially (and gender, etc.) based hierarchies can be brought back and the LGBT+ types forced back into their closets.

I agree with this, and I think it applies to Kamala Harris as well. I am from California btw. What do you think of Bernie Sanders running again (perhaps in 2028 after Biden in 2024)? I would really hope so, but I feel he has lost a lot of people from his peak in 2016.

You didn't ask me but when I a see Bernie's name in a post, I jump in!
Years ago I used to be a hardcore right wing supporter, I voted for Trump and anyone repeating his nonsense. Then I met a Bernie supporter who absolutely destroyed my view on medicare for all. I was taken a bit back since I was in an echo chamber for so many years. After that, I started looking into him and man, that man is a saint. All those years fighting by himself and never backed down. If he runs again, I will campaign for him again, door knock again, only this time I will bringing out all the stops, cookouts, more community engagements.
However, the only thing holding Bernie back is Bernie. If that man went on the attack with ads and in his debates a lot of his competition would back off. Im also glad to see Katie Porter running for Senate next year.

[caltrek]

Re: Trump's chances in 2024:

Trump Organization Fined $1.6 Million in Criminal Tax Fraud Case
by Russ Choma
January 13, 2023

Introduction:

(Mother Jones) A New York judge has imposed a $1.6 million fine—the maximum allowed by law—on two of Donald Trump’s companies for their role in a criminal tax fraud scheme. Last month, a jury convicted both companies following a trial that featured testimony from Trump’s longtime chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg. Weisselberg admitted that he and other executives had taken lower salaries in exchange for off-the-books benefits like free apartments, Mercedes cars, and private school tuition. While the total fine is a small fraction of the Trump Organization’s annual revenues, it represents a significant legal setback.

Following Friday’s sentencing, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg—who inherited the case from his predecessor, Cy Vance Jr.—hinted that despite his past reluctance to prosecute Trump personally, he may be gearing up for additional charges in the future.

“The sentencing today closes this important chapter of our ongoing investigation into the former president and his businesses,” Bragg told reporters. “We now move on to the next chapter.”

Bragg left without further explanation of what he is planning.

Read more here: [urlhttps://www.motherjones.com/politics/2023/01/tr ... raud-case/] [/url]

[wjfox]

[caltrek]

Why Ron DeSantis Won’t—or Shouldn’t—Run for President
by David Corn
January 17, 2023

Introduction:

(Mother Jones) Donald Trump cannot accept rejection. Donald Trump is fueled by vengeance. And this is why, as of now, it would be foolish for Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis to run for president in 2024.

It is fashionable these days for pundits to guffaw about Trump’s declining influence within the GOP. In polls asking Republican voters to state their preference for next year, DeSantis often beats the former guy, occasionally by a hefty margin. Last month, Trump, who in November announced his third White House bid, hit record lows for his approval rating among all voters (31 percent) and GOP voters (70 percent). Axios noted, “A raft of new polls shows former President Trump is losing juice among core Republican voters—a rare but unmistakable drop in base support that would jeopardize his 2024 comeback bid.” Trump’s own supporters and allies mocked and scorned him for his grifty NFT trading card venture.

(Fortune reported this week, “The trading volume of Donald Trump’s Digital Trading Cards, which feature images of the former president dressed as a superhero and as an astronaut, has fallen off a cliff, according to data from CryptoSlam.”) Trump is “fading fast,” former GOP House Speaker Paul Ryan told CNN on Thursday. “He is a proven loser.” Yes, Rep. Kevin McCarthy fulsomely hailed Trump for helping him (barely) prevail in the chaotic House speakership contest. Even with that, the conventional wisdom is that Trump is trending in the wrong direction. With a touch of glee, New York Times columnist Charles Blow observed days ago, “Donald Trump is essentially being put out to pasture” by the GOP.

Yes, but. And this is the but: Trump remains dangerous. To the nation, to the GOP, and to DeSantis and other potential Republican rivals. That is because, as January 6 demonstrated, if Trump cannot be king, he will burn down the palace— with everyone in it, especially those who denied him the crown.

No matter what the polls say now, DeSantis or any other GOP aspirant who enters the race against Trump will have a tough time. Hitting below the belt is what Trump does best. He is not bound by rules or decency. He demonstrated this during the 2016 GOP sweepstakes.

Read more here: https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2 ... resident/

[caltrek]

As Governor DeSantis is emerging as likely presidential candidate in 2024:

Scholars and Lawmakers Outraged Over DeSantis' Rejection of Advanced Placement African-American Curriculum
by Brett Wilkins
January 20, 2023

Introduction:

(Common Dreams) Academics and Democratic lawmakers reacted angrily Thursday after the administration of Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis rejected a new high school Advanced Placement African-American studies course—without even seeing its syllabus—claiming it violates the state's ban on "woke" education and "lacks educational value."

Some Republican Florida officials said they believe the African-American studies course offered by the College Board—which approves AP courses and runs SAT testing—violates the state's Stop WOKE Act by promoting critical race theory (CRT), a graduate-level academic framework positing that systemic racism is inherent in U.S. society.

DeSantis said the Stop WOKE Act, which applies to schools from the primary through university level and businesses, is meant to combat "wokeness as a form of cultural Marxism."

The law was partially blocked last year by a federal judge who rejected the state's "authority to muzzle its professors in the name of 'freedom.'"
Marvin Dunn, a prolific author and former Florida International University professor who has dedicated his career to preserving and sharing Florida's Black history, told the Daily Beast that the state's rejection of the AP African-American studies course "means an insult to me, it means an injury to me."

Read more here: https://www.commondreams.org/news/ap-african-american

[weatheriscool]

Va. Sen. Tim Kaine says he will seek another term
Source: Washington Post

Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) announced Friday he plans to seek a third term, sending a wave of relief through the Democratic Party amid worries that he would retire and create a potential opening for Republicans.

Kaine said he made the decision after consulting for some time with his family, friends and Democratic colleagues — many of whom were hoping Kaine would seek reelection considering next year’s tough races for Democrats, but whom Kaine said appreciated he needed time to come to a firm decision himself.

He said he’d been grappling with the decision but finds it “energizing” to travel the state and serve its people. Even those who don’t vote for him, he said, tell him “ ‘preciate ya.” Kaine added that the Senate is frustrating, but they do get some things done. “Man, I’ve got more I wanna do," he said.

Kaine will be seeking reelection under a decidedly different environment than in his last race, when a Democrat was in the executive mansion and his opponent, Corey Stewart, turned off moderate Virginians with hard-right positions and staunch support for Confederate statues. Kaine won by 16 points. He won by 6 in 2012 against former Virginia governor and senator George Allen.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va ... hird-term/

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Arizona Democrat Ruben Gallego announces Senate bid in challenge to Kyrsten Sinema
Source: CNN

Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego of Arizona on Monday announced his campaign for US Senate, setting up a potential 2024 clash with Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, who recently switched her party affiliation from Democrat to independent.

Gallego, a Phoenix-area congressman and retired Marine who served in Iraq, released a video of him telling a group of fellow veterans about his decision to run.

“You’re the first group of people that are hearing this besides my family. I will be challenging Kyrsten Sinema for the United States Senate, and I need all of your support,” Gallego, 43, told the group at a veterans organization in Guadalupe, Arizona.

...snip...

“Most families feel that they are one or two paychecks away from going under. That is not the way that we should be living in this country,” Gallego said in his announcement video. “The rich and the powerful, they don’t need more advocates. It’s the people that are still trying to decide between groceries and utilities that need a fighter for them.”

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/23/politics ... ten-sinema

[caltrek]

Marjorie Taylor Greene Wants to Be Trump’s VP
by Inae Oh
January 25, 2023

Entire Article (Less a Photograph):

(Mother Jones) “Marjorie Taylor Greene is having a moment,” a recent headline declared, one of a host of news reports wondering why the Georgia congresswoman—whose endorsement of the execution of prominent Democrats got her kicked off two congressional committees—is suddenly, sort of, cleaning up her act.

But as with everything in politics, it seems that unadulterated, DC-brain ambition is at the core of Greene’s curious pivot—and she’s hoping to manifest “Madam Vice President” into reality.

“She sees herself on the shortlist for Trump’s VP,” Steve Bannon told NBC News, later praising Greene as both “strategic and disciplined.” Another source told NBC that Greene has a “whole vision” to get on Trump’s ticket, and it involves fashioning herself into something of a liaison between the GOP’s worst creatures and what passes for the party’s mainstream these days.

There’s no word from Mar-a-Lago on whether Trump is seriously considering the far-right congresswoman to be his running mate. For now, he seems mostly occupied with lawsuits and drafting his first tweet for his inevitable return to Elon Musk’s platform. But it’s a strange thing witnessing the ongoing elevation of Greene, with everyone from new BFF Kevin McCarthy to Steve Bannon padding her ascent. Now, will it take her all the way to the Naval Observatory? In a universe where Greene is getting tapped to investigate the government’s Covid response, well, anything’s possible; tomorrow will surely be worse.

Read more here: https://www.motherjones.com/mojo-wire/ ... rumps-vp/

[weatheriscool]

Rep. Adam Schiff announces run for U.S. Senate in California
Source: Washington Post

Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Calif.) has announced he is running for U.S. Senate in 2024, joining a growing field of Democrats who are seeking to replace Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), who has not explicitly said she would run for reelection.

“"We’re in the fight of our lives for the future of our country," Schiff said in a statement Thursday. Our democracy is under assault from MAGA extremists, who care only about gaining power and keeping it. And our economy is simply not working for millions of Americans, who are working harder than ever just to get by.”

Schiff has drawn ridicule from Donald Trump for his fierce criticism of the former president from various posts: as Trump impeachment manager in 2020, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee and a member of the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 2021, attack on the Capitol. In his campaign announcement, he harked back to all of those roles.

“The fight for our democracy and working families is part of the same struggle," Schiff said. “Because if our democracy isn’t delivering for Americans, they’ll look for alternatives, like a dangerous demagogue who promises that he alone can fix it.”

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics ... alifornia/

[weatheriscool]

Donald Trump hits New Hampshire in first campaign stop of 2024 race
Source: New York Post

Former President Donald Trump plunged back into campaign mode Saturday, stumping in New Hampshire with state Republican Party activists as he hit the road for the first public events of his 2024 bid for the White House.

“We stopped the communists, we stopped the Marxists,” Trump said of his single term in office. “And if we don’t stop them next time, I think this will be the end,” he told 413 party officials gathered at Salem High School in Salem, NH for the state GOP’s annual meeting.

A second campaign appearance Saturday was scheduled for Columbia, South Carolina.

Since declaring in November his plans to run for a second non-consecutive term, Trump has stuck to video-released policy statements — rather than his raucous trademark rallies — to win back the loyalty of Republicans disillusioned by his bombastic style and his fixation on his 2020 loss to President Joe Biden.

Read more: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics ... r-AA16Qx3Y

[weatheriscool]

New polls from NBC and CBS today

NBC has adults at 45/50 and RV at 46/50

CBS has adults at 44/56

[weatheriscool]

Nikki Haley plans to challenge Donald Trump with 2024 White House bid
Source: Bloomberg News

Nikki Haley, a former South Carolina Governor and Donald Trump’s ambassador to the United Nations, plans to announce that she’s running for president.

She’d become the first Republican to officially challenge her former boss for the 2024 GOP nomination.

Read more: https://english.alarabiya.net/News/worl ... -House-bid

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