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When most people think of Nebraska politics, they think of a conservative state, one that is mostly made up of Republican supporters. Forty-eight percent of registered Nebraska voters are Republican compared to 26 percent nationally. The membership of the Democratic party in Nebraska has also been on the decline. But these numbers arent stopping Democratic party members from including Nebraska on the list of states theyll visit in the month of April.

The newly-elected Democratic National Committee Chair Tom Perez, state Democratic Party Chair Jane Kleeb and Sen. Bernie Sanders will be at Baxter Arena in Omaha on April 20 to campaign for Democrat Heath Mello. Mello is running against the incumbent Mayor Jean Stothert, a Republican, in the May 9 general election. Mello, a Democrat, may seem to have no chance of winning a conservative state like Nebraska, but he served in the state legislature for eight years before reaching his term limit. He also came within three percent of Stothert in the April 4 primary.

While this may be only one city-wide election, the fact that these important figures in Democratic party politics are giving their support for Mello shows theres more to this election than meets the eye. Sen. Sanders was recently voted as the most popular politician in America and began a call for change in the way the Democratic party operates during his run for the partys presidential nomination last year. He has frequently spoken out against the way the party has ignored rural and conservative parts of the country and has advocated for a new strategy that stops conceding states and neglecting the people living in these states.

The states that Sen. Sanders and Perez will visit include Utah, Arizona, Florida and Kentucky, all states that handed their electoral votes off to President Donald Trump in last falls election. This tour is the first step in healing the wounds of the Democratic party. The defeat Hillary Clinton suffered was embarrassing to the party and, for many, a sign that the party needed new leadership and a new way of connecting with voters across America. Since then, Sen. Sanders has become one of the new faces of the party, even though hes an Independent, and has played a large role in reshaping the party and its agenda since President Trumps November victory.

Touring these states to campaign for one set of elections wont change the way the Democratic party is viewed in conservative states. But it can serve as the base layer for a renewed effort to connect with people from all walks of life on a grassroots level. By listening to people in areas Democrats normally dont win, the party can open a dialogue with people they had appeared to have forgotten. This can help build support for Democrats in these areas and begin the long, hard process of reforming Democratic politics.

Sen. Sanders built his campaign around small-dollar donations and a sense of people power rather than the power of large donations. This approach can be seen in this tour. By going to states that normally vote Republican, the top brass of the party on the national level can help the party on the state level. Large rallies can energize the Democrats already living in these states and create an enthusiasm that can transition into real grassroots efforts for change. This approach makes politics a more community-oriented, people-driven approach to gaining electoral power in states that have been tougher for Democrats to compete in traditionally.

If the rally helps propel Mello to a win next month, it will be a big win for Nebraska Democrats. While it may not transform our state into a Democratic stronghold, it will send a message that the Democratic party can win elections in conservative states. If the party can find a way to energize people and appeal to a wider base through outreach efforts like this multi-state tour, then the new strategy of the Democratic party may be born.

Sen. Sanders and Perez wont completely change the way the Democratic party operates, but they are laying the groundwork for a new way forward. It may be a crazy concept, but Nebraska can actually be part of the foundation for this new 50-state strategy. The goal isnt simply to turn people who normally vote Republican into Democrats, but to create a sense of excitement and optimism around the party. This effort to put time and resources into every state is one way to transform the hangover of the 2016 elections into a chance to rejuvenate the party going forward.

Riley Slezak is a junior journalism and political science major. Reach him at opinion@dailynebraskan.com or via @DNOpinion.

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SLEZAK: Democrat state tour is a chance to revitalize party - Daily Nebraskan

Sacramento Bee

Gas tax vote prompts recall campaign against Southern California Democrat Sacramento Bee In the first political fallout from last week's vote to raise the gas tax in California, opponents are trying to recall a rookie lawmaker who voted for it. Carl DeMaio, a talk radio host and former city councilman in San Diego, said Tuesday that plans ...

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Gas tax vote prompts recall campaign against Southern California Democrat - Sacramento Bee

Dan Helmer, a Fairfax County Army veteran and Rhodes Scholar, on Tuesday became the second Democrat to announce plans to challenge incumbent Congresswoman Barbara Comstock (R) in Virginia's 10th District in the 2018 midterm election.

Helmer, who served tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, said he has raised $120,000 for the campaign in just three weeks. The 35-year-old West Point formally filed his candidacy on March 31, his campaign said.

Our community deserves leaders who can rise above the dysfunction of Washington, bring people together, and get things done for the people of this district," Helmer said in a statement. "We need a new kind of leadership to ensure that we have a thriving economy, schools that provide a great education to all of our children, and a foreign policy that reflects our values and keeps us safe. We will need to roll up our sleeves and work together, and that requires first that we listen. I look forward to spending the coming weeks and months hearing from members of the community about what they want for our district and for our country.

Fairfax County school teacher Kimberly Adams has already announced her intentions to challenge Comstock.

Several more well-established Democrats, including state Sen. Jennifer Wexton of Leesburg, are also considering running for the 10th District seat in 2018. The district's Democrats won't select a nominee until until 2018.

Comstock won her first congressional race in 2014 by 16 percent over the vote over Fairfax County Supervisor John Foust. In last November's race, she defeated real estate developer LuAnn Bennett by six points.

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Second Fairfax County Democrat launches campaign to challenge Comstock - Loudoun Times-Mirror

April 11, 2017, 7:29 a.m.

A retired Navy SEAL is running against Rep. Duncan Hunter(R-Alpine),the fourth Democrat to enter next years race.

Josh Butner, a member of the Jamul-Dulzura Union School District Board of Education, said he believes representing the 50th Congressional District would help fulfill a commitment to public service that started in his childhood, through his career in the Navy, and now with his position at the school district.

I still feel this intense need to serve and give back to my country, he said. Throughout my entire life, my country has given me so much that I cannot possibly give back enough.

Hunter, who has represented his Alipinedistrict since 2009, is running for another term against not only Butner, but rancher Pierre Pete Beauregard, Grossmont Healthcare District Trustee Gloria Chadwick, and his opponent from 2016, Patrick Malloy.

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Former Navy SEAL the latest Democrat to take on GOP Rep. Duncan Hunter - Los Angeles Times

A north suburban state representative who briefly hinted at challenging Michael Madigan for House speaker now says he's exploring a run for the Democratic nomination for governor.

Rep. Scott Drury, a Highwood Democrat in his third term representing a Lake County district, attacked the leaders of both Illinois political parties in his announcement.

"The public feels helpless against a billionaire governor and Democratic machine that refuse to prioritize people's needs over political gain. Gov. (Bruce) Rauner's approval rating is dreadful, and Mike Madigan's is even worse. The public believes Republicans and Democrats share the blame for the state's problems and knows that long-term solutions are needed," Drury said.

"Since taking office, my goal has been to usher in a new era of government in Illinois one defined by credibility and responsibility," Drury said in an email to supporters. "The public does not trust Illinois government. If Illinois is to change course and move forward, it first must establish a strong foundation of trust upon which it can build."

If he enters the race, Drury would have to give up running for re-election to his House seat and would join a field of candidates that includes Northwest Side Ald. Ameya Pawar, state Sen. Daniel Biss of Evanston and wealthy businessmen Chris Kennedy and J.B. Pritzker.

An attorney, a former assistant federal prosecutor and adjunct professor at Northwestern University's law school, Drury's efforts to portray independence from Madigan have served to isolate him from Democratic colleagues. In January, he was the only Democrat to refuse to support Madigan for re-election as speaker, a post Madigan has held for all but two years since 1983.

Drury contended Madigan retaliated for the move by not giving him a gift clock that was handed out in gift bags to the 66 House Democrats who supported the speaker's re-election. Drury also said he was not given a House committee chairmanship and was removed from his previous spot on the House Judiciary Committee. Committee chairmen and ranking members get a stipend to supplement their salaries.

Drury also is unlikely to gain much support from traditional Democratic allies in organized labor, where he has opposed legislation pushed by other Democrats to counter Rauner's efforts to weaken public employee unions.

In addition, Drury opposed a Madigan-backed proposed constitutional amendment to ask voters if a surcharge should be imposed on incomes of more than $1 million for schools. The four Democrats in the race to take on Rauner say they support a graduated tax rate based on income to replace the state constitution's mandated flat tax.

Last week, Drury sought to highlight his independence from Madigan during debate over a stopgap budget to fund social services and higher education. The lawmaker criticized Republicans for failing to stand up to Rauner, who opposed the measure, saying it was time for GOP members to "grow a spine" and "do what you think is right."

"There is no one on that side of the aisle, no one, in that side of the aisle in the last two years has shown the spine to stand up to your leader. All right? There is one person on this side who has. And I can commiserate with you, I can tell you what it's like, if you want to know what is going to happen, but in a lot of ways it's like the shackles being off," Drury said.

Following the heated attack, Drury did not vote on the proposal. He had opposed earlier stopgap spending measures.

Drury has accepted more than $36,000 in help from the Democratic Majority, a campaign fund headed by Madigan, largely for voter lists and campaign staff. He had $280,155 in his campaign fund to begin this year and raised another $4,500 in large donations, including $1,500 from the Democratic Majority and $2,000 from investment trader Blair Hull, who lost a 2004 primary bid for the U.S. Senate to Barack Obama.

"I recognize the enormity of trying to change the status quo in Illinois and the resistance the establishment will put forth to stop the effort," Drury told supporters. "However, as Bob Dylan famously wrote, "the first one now will later be last, for the times they are a-changin'." The purpose of this exploration is to determine whether Illinois is ready for such change."

Also running for the Democratic governor nomination is Bob Daiber, regional schools superintendent from Downstate Madison County.

Chicago Tribune's Monique Garcia contributed from Springfield.

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Democrat who bucked Speaker Madigan mulling governor bid - Chicago Tribune