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CHICAGO By Fourth of July, Illinois drivers likely will be greeted at the gas pump by 4-by-8-inch signs informing them that as they fill their tanks, theyre actually saving money, courtesy of their elected leaders in Springfield.

Legislation pushed through in the closing hours of the General Assemblys truncated spring session this month freezes a scheduled hike in the states gas tax for six months. The measure, now awaiting Gov. J.B. Pritzkers signature, includes a stipulation that every gas station in the state post a notice informing drivers about the gas tax freeze.

That requirement, laid out in a single paragraph in the Democrats 923-page election-year tax relief plan, has gas station owners grumbling and Republicans howling. Democrats have responded by calling their GOP colleagues hypocrites because their party pushed a similar election-year proposal two decades ago.

The fact that the law requires gas stations to pay for the signs or be fined and that the placards be in place when the hike would have taken effect on July 1, as the state budget year begins and just days after the June 28 primary, has emboldened critics to say the effort is little more than the latest example of old-school, gas-pump politics.

But Democrats, who correctly note that while Republicans complained they nevertheless voted for the measure, are defending the sign requirement.

In addition to the gas-tax freeze, the $1.8 billion package approved by lawmakers in the early morning hours April 9 also includes a one-year suspension of the 1% sales tax on groceries, direct payments to taxpayers and a property tax rebate.

Democratic lawmakers say the package is a sharing of the wealth with residents who are struggling with record inflation as the state enjoys its strongest financial performance in decades.

We want our citizens to know that Illinois government is on the mend, were in the best fiscal health in a generation, and weve done this for them, sponsoring state Rep. Mike Zalewski, a Riverside Democrat, said when the plan was debated on the House floor in the middle of the night on the final day of the legislative session.

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Still, none of the Democratic leaders who negotiated the proposal neither Pritzker, House Speaker Emanuel Chris Welch of Hillside nor Senate President Don Harmon of Oak Park would claim credit for the gas pump sticker requirement that was included in the final package.

The state gas tax, currently 39.2 cents per gallon, is set to increase by 2.4 cents on July 1, according to the state Department of Revenue. But with Pritzkers signature, that bump will be pushed off until Jan. 1, with the exact amount to be determined by where inflation stands at the end of September. Drivers will be hit with another increase on July 1, 2023.

Consumers across the state need to realize: The states going to get their money, said Josh Sharp, CEO of the Illinois Fuel and Retail Association. Theyre not putting this off indefinitely or forever. Theyre just putting it off until after an election.

The association, which represents gas station owners, has threatened to file a lawsuit over the sticker requirement, arguing that it violates businesses free-speech rights.

Our members just do not like being told that they have to engage in and participate in speech that they dont want to have anything to do with, Sharp said. The state of Illinois doesnt get to tell our members what they have to say at the pump. Thats not their job, and doing so, we feel, is unconstitutional.

Once the measure becomes law, gas stations who fail to post the notice would be subject to a fine of $500 per day.

Sharp and other critics note that Pritzker and the Democratic-controlled legislature didnt require service stations to post a notice at the pump when they doubled the gas tax to 38 cents per gallon in 2019 and tied future increases to the rate of inflation. The extra revenue is being used to fund road and bridge upgrades through Pritzkers $45 billion Rebuild Illinois infrastructure program another theme voters will be hearing a lot about this year.

Gas station owners arent the only ones griping.

Republican lawmakers, who voted for the plan stickers and all to avoid going on the record against tax breaks, say the savings will be paltry. A driver who fills up a 15-gallon tank each week, for example, would save less than $10 over six months.

Whats more, they argue the mandate for gas stations to post the notice smacks of electioneering.

That sounds like something that somebody would do that pushes the line on campaign ethics, retiring GOP Rep. Mark Batinick of Plainfield said during the House debate.

Republicans already are making it a campaign issue, with both the state GOP and one of the partys governor candidates referencing the stickers in fundraising emails in recent days.

The Democrats response? We got the idea from your side of the aisle.

In 2000, Republican Gov. George Ryan called lawmakers back to Springfield to address skyrocketing gas prices. Along with GOP Senate President James Pate Philip of Wood Dale, Ryan pushed a plan to suspend the state sales tax on gasoline, then 5%, for six months.

At the time, gas in the Chicago area was averaging above $2 per gallon more than $3.30 per gallon in todays dollars, still well below the average of nearly $4.46 cents per gallon as of Wednesday.

While 2000 wasnt a year for statewide elections, it was a presidential election year and the GOP-backed plan required gas stations to place a sign on their pumps informing those at the pump about the tax freeze. It was sold as a way to make sure the temporary tax savings, estimated at about 10 cents per gallon, was passed along to consumers rather than pocketed by businesses.

The GOP proposal, which like this years plan was approved on overwhelming bipartisan votes in the House and Senate, was characterized by one of its few opponents, Chicago Democrat and then-House Majority Leader Barbara Flynn Currie, as the incumbent reelection plan of the year 2000.

I would urge you all to take a careful look at the policy, not the political implications, Currie said before the House voted to approve the plan on a 106-5 vote.

The handful of Democrats who opposed the plan included then-House Speaker Michael Madigan and then-Rep. Sara Feigenholtz, a Chicago Democrat who now serves in the Senate and voted in favor of this years plan. They raised concerns that it would put a strain on other areas of the state budget. A spokeswoman for Feigenholtz did not respond to a request for comment.

Earlier in the week, a Pritzker spokeswoman said it was Republicans, not Democrats, who are playing politics with the price at the pump.

Alongside Democrats in the General Assembly, we will continue to put working families first, no matter how much Republicans want to manufacture phony political complaints, Pritzker spokeswoman Emily Bittner said in a statement. Informing people of the gas tax relief mirrors the same exact effort that Republicans made in 2000.

Two decades ago, a lobbyist for the industry hailed the move to freeze the sales tax on gas as the greatest thing since canned beer and didnt oppose placing the stickers at the pump. In fact, when the tax holiday ended at the start of 2001, the trade group sent out its own stickers to members, pointing the finger at Springfield for the price increase.

This time around, station owners supported a stalled Republican proposal to permanently cap the 6.25% sales tax on gas a separate charge levied in addition to the gas tax at 18 cents per gallon.

The industry also argues that its being treated differently than other businesses whose customers will enjoy tax breaks as a result of the Democrats plan.

Supermarkets will be required, to the extent feasible, to print a notice on their receipts that the 1% sales tax on groceries has been waived for one year. If it cant be printed on the receipt, then the retailer shall post the statement on a sign that is clearly visible to customers.

But unlike gas stations, grocery stores wont face a fine if they fail to comply.

The disparate treatment of different retailers is all about politics, said Sharp, of the Illinois Fuel and Retail Association.

I think that theres several legislators and constitutional officers that are very scared of wearing the jacket heading into the election season for high gas prices, Sharp said. And they should be scared. Theyre the ones that doubled the gas tax just in 2019.

See the original post here:
Politics at the pump: Illinois Democrats election-year plan to pause gas tax hike sparks backlash from station owners - Yahoo News

Four Warren County municipalities have contested races in New Jerseys 2022 primary election, according to the countys candidates list released last week.

In addition, one county-level race is contested with two Republican candidates vying for the nomination for sheriff.

Republican and Democratic voters go to the polls, or can vote by mail-in ballot, in the primary set for June 7 to lock in candidates for the Nov. 8 general election.

Some deadlines for voters to keep in mind are:

May 17: Voter registration deadline for primary election (21 days before election).

May 31: Deadline to apply for a mail-in ballot by mail for primary election (not less than 7 days prior to election).

June 3: Deadline for application to receive primary election mail-in ballots by electronic means for qualified overseas civilian and military voters (4th day before election).

June 6 (by 3 p.m.): Deadline for in-person mail-in ballot applications for primary election (up to 3 p.m. on the day before election).

June 7: Deadline for post office receipt of mail-in ballots from the primary election.

June 7: Deadline for in-person submission of primary election mail-in ballots to county boards of election (by 8 p.m. on the day of election).

In the contested primary races, according to the countys list:

For Warren County sheriff, incumbent James McDonald Sr. faces a Republican primary challenge from Todd Pantuso. No Democrats filed petitions to seek the office.

In Belvidere, three Republicans are vying for two nominations for Belvidere Town Council, with Frank Tootle challenging incumbents Glen Matlock and Don Mitchell. No Democrats filed.

In Blairstown Township, Republicans G. Eric Lohman and Karen Lance are vying for one nomination to succeed Committeewoman Giovanna Joanne Van Valkenburg, whose term expires at the end of this year. No Democrats filed.

In Hackettstown, vying for two Republican nominations for town council are incumbents Matt Engelau and Jim Lambo, plus challenger Gus Bordi. No Democrats filed.

Washington Borough has two contested races on the Republican side. Dale Parichuk and Councilman DeWayne Keith Norris are seeking the nomination to run against Democrat Ethel Conry, who is deputy mayor, for the vacant office of the mayor. For council, four seats are open with six Republicans seeking nominations: Joseph Kresefsky, Yael Kresefsky, Cassandra Gorshkov, Edward France, Sherri Musick and Jerry Brown; the Democratic primary is uncontested with incumbents Josephine Noone and Sonia Ron on the ballot along with Chris Bauknight and Scott McDonald.

Following is a table listing all of the Warren County candidates for municipal office in the 2022 primary election, according to the county elections office. Click here to view it, since it may not display on all platforms, or to view it fullscreen.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to lehighvalleylive.com.

Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com.

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Here are the candidates in Warren Countys June 7 primary election - lehighvalleylive.com

Arizona has a history of producing lightning-rod members of Congress, like Representative Paul Gosar. But the Arizona politician you should be paying attention to and who can potentially tell us a great deal about Democrats hopes of avoiding a 2022 wipeout in the House probably isnt on your radar.

That would be Representative Tom OHalleran, a Democrat who has been in office since 2017 and who started out his political career as something few Democrats can claim a Republican.

OHallerans district was redrawn in 2020 and became tougher and Trumpier. Many say hes doomed to fail, but OHalleran is unfazed. Despite all the challenges Democrats face in the midterms this year President Bidens low approval ratings, historical precedent for the party in power, overheating inflation OHalleran believes old-fashioned retail politics will come through for him. His approach is an example of the stubborn yet necessary hope that Democrats can both localize and personalize their races in order to overcome a punishing national environment.

Im not somebody that stokes the fire, OHalleran, 76, said in an interview last week. Im somebody that tries to keep it in the area where its contained so that we can continue to use it effectively.

Even before it was redrawn, OHallerans district, which includes most of eastern Arizona, was highly competitive. Donald Trump carried it in 2016, the year OHalleran won his seat. He has held it since then thanks in part to recruiting problems by Republicans, who have put forward an array of over-the-top and underwhelming candidates.

This year, the Republican primary field includes a former contender on the reality TV show Shark Tank and a QAnon conspiracy theorist.

But now the district is even friendlier to Republicans: Trump won 53 percent of its voters in 2020. Some Republicans argue that in this political environment, any conservative candidate who wins the primary will win the general election, so its less important for the party than it has been in the past to find a superstar candidate.

Theres a limit to how far you can outrun your party before political gravity eventually catches up with you, especially in a year like this, said Calvin Moore, a spokesman for the Congressional Leadership Fund, House Republicans super PAC.

OHalleran has only so much control over his electoral fate, with the political world anticipating a Republican wave that flips the House. Some Democrats merely hope that OHalleran and a few of the partys other candidates in tough races can hold on and deny Republicans an overwhelming majority.

In that scenario, OHalleran is at the front lines of Democrats defense, defying the partisanship of his district as he has done multiple times before. And the way the Republican primary is shaking out, its very possible that OHalleran could end up with another weak opponent in the general election.

He feels confident either way.

I was a Republican, remember? he said. Im the same person then as I am now. And so I think people will remember that.

You wont find OHalleran talking about progressive policies on cable news or criticizing his Republican colleagues in the newspaper. Its all part of his political strategy.

A former police officer in Chicago, he was first elected to the Arizona Legislature as a Republican in 2000, and served in both chambers through 2009. After losing his State Senate seat to a more conservative candidate, he unsuccessfully ran to return to the state Legislature as an independent, then ran for the U.S. House as a Democrat in 2016.

He claims to do more town hall events than anybody else in Arizona. And while he acknowledges that fame allows some members of Congress to fill their campaign coffers and help build enthusiasm, he says thats not for him.

When asked how hed respond to concerns from voters about gas prices and inflation, he launched into an explanation that included a description of a chart presented at a House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing, sprinkled with mentions of supply and demand. When asked how hed fit that message into a 30-second ad, he responded, What will be in the 30-second campaign ad is my sincerity.

He said this race would come down to how much his constituents trust him, the same as in past races. Thats one reason hes not changing his approach, even though he now has new constituents.

I am who I am, he said, adding, If I start changing because of that, thats going to say to them Im willing to make changes based on my ability to get elected versus my ability to help lead.

OHalleran also dismisses the idea that hes been lucky with his Republican competition over the years.

In 2016, he was challenged by a former sheriff who had stepped down from Mitt Romneys presidential campaign after being accused of threatening to deport his ex-boyfriend. In 2018, OHalleran faced an Air Force veteran who had already lost a few House contests. In 2020, a challenger who struggled with fund-raising in 2018 struggled once again.

This year, the crowded Republican primary includes Ron Watkins, a former website administrator who is widely believed to have played a major role in writing the anonymous QAnon posts. Republicans doubt that Watkins will make it far. He last reported having raised just over $50,000, behind three other Republicans who have made federal campaign filings.

But even the candidate perceived to be most appealing to the establishment Eli Crane, the top Republican fund-raiser has positions that would be tough to defend with moderates. Hes a former member of the Navy SEALs, former contender on Shark Tank and has boasted that he supported decertifying the 2020 election. His top competition for the nomination might be State Representative Walt Blackman, a decorated veteran who once praised the Proud Boys.

When asked about the primary field, Republican strategists did not express much excitement, but they were also confident their party would win the seat anyway. And even if a candidate who is underwhelming at fund-raising wins the nomination, they expect outside groups to help out.

The expensive Phoenix media market might not have seemed worth the investment in previous years, but with such a promising national environment and the districts new partisan composition, Republicans expect itll be worth the effort this time.

Candidates and campaigns always matter, said Brian Seitchik, an Arizona-based Republican consultant. Having said that, with the redraw of that congressional district and a hyper-favorable environment for Republicans, Id say that race is going to be the Republicans race to lose in November.

But OHallerans team remains optimistic. Rodd McLeod, a Democratic consultant who is working with OHalleran, maintains that the congressmans relationships with constituents run deeper than partisanship.

He could be the guy, McLeod said, who outlasted the wave.

at issue

For the last 50 years, Nebraskas role in presidential primaries has largely been as a place with a good airport for traveling to western Iowa.

Now, with Iowas first-in-the-nation spot in grave peril after the last two Democratic caucuses were flubbed, Nebraska is ready to enter the contest to knock its neighbor off the beginning of the Democratic presidential nominating calendar.

Nebraska is going to go for it, Jane Kleeb, the states Democratic Party chairwoman, told me.

She will lobby her fellow Democratic National Committee members to back Nebraska in jumping to the front of the nominating line, she said. Republicans, meanwhile, remain committed so far to keeping Iowa first.

Among the Democrats, Nebraska will have competition. New Jersey offered itself last month to the D.N.C., and Michigans Democratic officials are also lobbying to go first.

Both are big states dominated by urban areas in expensive media markets. The appeal of the traditional early states Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada is that they in theory are small enough to build grass-roots campaigns that arent just television productions.

Kleebs pitch is that Nebraska has inexpensive media markets in Omaha, Lincoln and Grand Island; a recent record, unlike Iowa, of sending one of its electoral votes to Democratic presidential candidates; a mix of urban, suburban and rural voters; a significant Latino population at 11 percent; and plenty of Fortune 500 companies and Warren Buffett to help underwrite party-building in the state.

We know that we will be going up against a big Midwest state like Michigan, she said. What we have going for us is that we are small small but mighty.

A shift from Iowa to Nebraska would keep rural issues front and center for an increasingly urban Democratic Party. Candidates would have to become fluent in pipeline and eminent domain politics, where Kleeb got her political start, and learn to embrace the runza, the unofficial state sandwich of Nebraska.

Leah (Blake is on vacation)

Is there anything you think were missing? Anything you want to see more of? Wed love to hear from you. Email us at onpolitics@nytimes.com.

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An Arizona Democrat Tries to Hang On in a Trump-Tilting District - The New York Times

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Democrat, WFP, whatever: Hochul's on board with fusion voting musical chairs - City & State

The deadline to file petitions to run for New York governor as a Democrat passed Monday without any documents being sent in from former Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D).

The deadlines passing marks good news for New York Democrats who had feared that Cuomo could run in a Democratic primary and turn it from an easy contest for Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) into a bloody intraparty brawl. However, Cuomo could still opt to run as an independent.

To run as an independent, Cuomo would not have to file any petitions until the end of May. He could also choose to wage a write-in campaign, an effort he could start as late as October.

The state Board of Elections shows that six people in total filed the necessary paperwork to run as a Democrat, including Hochul, New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams and Rep. Thomas Suozzi.

Democrats have been biting their nails over Cuomo, who resigned in disgrace over allegations of sexual misconduct last year, a move that elevated Hochul, his then-lieutenant governor, into the top executive role.

Polls had shown that Cuomo would only trail Hochul by single digits in a primary, raising the stakes of a contentious nominating contest. Those polls show Hochul with yawning leads in the primary without Cuomo in the race.

However, Cuomo has said people are asking him if hell run again and that hes weighing his options. Democrats have warned that an independent bid could take a chunk out of Hochuls vote total in November and potentially even pave the way for a Republican to win the general election with a plurality of the vote.

See the article here:
Deadline to run for NY governor as a Democrat passes without Cuomo petitions - The Hill