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Democratic committee chairs in the three communities in the 8th House of Delegates District have taken the unusual step of throwing their support behind one candidate in next weeks party primary, Bryan Keele.

The move followed a May 26 Roanoke Times news story outlining how his opponent, Steve McBride, offered Keele a $1,500 campaign contribution to exit the race. Keele refused.

The winner of the June 13 House of Delegates primary will face Del. Greg Habeeb, R-Salem, in the general election.

The three Democratic leaders said McBrides actions do not reflect Democratic Party values, said Susan Cloeter, chairwoman of the Roanoke County Democratic Committee.

For this reason, the Chairs of the Democratic committees in the Roanoke and New River Valleys are taking the unusual action of endorsing a candidate prior to a primary, Cloeter wrote in a news release. She was joined by Jenni Gallagher, Montgomery County committee chair, and Nathan Auldridge, Salem chair.

The Democratic Party of Virginia forbids local committees from endorsing, but allows party chairs to endorse.

McBride, a Salem resident, offered Keele $1,500 in campaign funds to exit the House race and run for a board of supervisors seat. Keele lives in Roanoke Countys Windsor Hills District, where voters will choose a member of the board of supervisors in the November election.

While offering bribes to candidates or elected officials is illegal, McBrides actions were likely lawful because neither he nor his opponent have secured their partys nomination.

I am not concerned about a few individuals who endorsed my opponent without speaking to me first, McBride said in a statement. The teacher and doctoral candidate at Virginia Tech cited his fundraising totals and an endorsement from Represent Roanoke Valley as signs of a successful campaign. The anti-corruption group understood the offer of campaign funds was an attempt at teamwork, McBride said, while calling himself a team player.

The party chairs did talk to McBride prior to the endorsement, Cloeter said.

Keele, an accountant and small business owner, said the endorsements were unexpected, but he had hoped the Democratic Party would have a strong response to McBrides offer.

The party chairs, theyve been neutral up to this point, but this is obviously a violation of ethics so they felt it necessary to speak out, he said.

A similar situation occurred in a Norfolk House of Delegates race this spring wherein party officials offered a House candidate $10,000 to exit the race and run for school board instead. A special prosecutor who reviewed the case decided last week not to press charges.

McBride and Keele will meet for their third and final debate Tuesday. The candidates will debate at 7 p.m. at the South County Library auditorium. Democrat and former congressional candidate Kai Degner will offer opening and closing statements at the event hosted by the Roanoke County Democratic Committee.

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Party chairs endorse Roanoke County Democrat after pay-to-go-away controversy - Roanoke Times

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RANDI ROSSMANN

THE PRESS DEMOCRAT | June 6, 2017, 10:03AM

| Updated 21 minutes ago.

Clearing tall bushes, reeds and shrubs from along Highway 37, a Caltrans crew Monday uncovered a submerged motorcycle and a dead rider, according to the CHP.

The victim was identified Tuesday as Dailey Sparks, a 51-year-old Vallejo man.

When the crash occurred wasnt clear and the CHP is seeking witnesses. Sparks ran off the road on the north side and was thrown from his bike.

The body was found about 12:20 p.m. by a road crew clearing foliage along the twolane highway, which runs along the northern end of the San Pablo Bay. Workers called the CHP after uncovering the partially submerged body and a 2005 Harley Davidson.

CHP officials asked anyone with information to contact officers at 7074282100 or on the non-emergency line, 1800TELLCHP.

You can reach Staff Writer Randi Rossmann at 707521-5412 or randi.rossmann@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter@rossmannreport.

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Road crew finds body, motorcycle along Highway 37 - Santa Rosa Press Democrat

WASHINGTON The top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee said there was no proof so far of collusion between Russia and Donald Trumps campaign, as Congress geared up for a week of high drama highlighted by the testimony of former Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James Comey.

Listen, theres a lot of smoke. We have no smoking gun at this point, Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia said on CNN. But there is a lot of smoke.

As congressional Republican leaders begin a push to produce a legislative accomplishment before an August recess knowing the window of opportunity is closing, a series of hearings into possible Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and other challenges that have beset the Trump administration threaten to derail their plans.

On Wednesday, the director of national intelligence, Dan Coats, and the director of the National Security Agency, Adm. Mike Rogers, will appear before Warners committee. On Thursday, Comey is expected to tell the same panel that Trump asked him to back off an investigation of former national-security adviser Michael Flynn.

An expanded version of this report appears on WSJ.com.

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Top Democrat says there's smoke, but 'no smoking gun' yet in Russia probe - MarketWatch

The next election is more than a year away, but Maryland's Democrats are trying to convert current discontent about the Trump administration into an organization that can reverse Democratic party losses next year.

State party leaders launched what it called "The Summer of Resistance and Renewal" Saturday with a small rally in Annapolis, shifting ahead by a full year the traditional timeline to organize volunteers for the 2018 election.

Maryland Democrats hold a supermajority in both chambers of the State House, all but one spot in the state's 10-member congressional delegation and a 2-to-1 voter registration advantage.

But despite their dominance in statewide politics, Maryland's Democrats say they lack the infrastructure and organization to prevent another round of big losses like those in 2014, when Republican Gov. Larry Hogan's upset win put him in the governor's mansion and GOP politicians made gains in local offices across the state.

Democratic Party Chair Kathleen Matthews said the early organizing effort "comes from a place of humility."

"The Democrats have learned their lesson from 2014," she said. "The Democratic Party was taking its registration advantage for granted and, to be honest, allowed its party apparatus to atrophy."

The party is banking on outrage against President Donald Trump to help Democrats refocus and rebuild.

Trump's first few months in office have sparked increased civic engagement among many in Maryland, which Hillary Clinton won in November by 26 percentage points. Democratic party leaders say the type of energy that prompted the Women's March in Washington and spontaneous protests at airports after Trump's travel ban won't translate into political victories unless they organize now.

"We can't take for granted that the so-called Donald Trump effect is going to bring people out," Democrat Rep. John P. Sarbanes told a crowd of about 200 people gathered in front of the State House. "We have to make it happen."

Maryland Republican Party Chairman Dirk Haire said the state's minority party suffered decades of losses when it relied on angry conservatives. Haire welcomed what he described as Democrats trying the same failed approach.

"As we've learned on the Republican side of aisle, anger is not a strategy," Haire said. "It's never worked for Republicans. I don't see why it would work for Democrats."

Although Democrats far outnumber the state's Republicans, unaffiliated voters make up the fastest-growing group of voters in the state. Haire said Republicans intend to rely on data and focusing on specific races, and he said early Democratic efforts won't affect those plans.

"We're going about our business in a smart and strategic way," Haire said. "We'll leave the screaming to the Democrats."

The GOP wants to make Hogan Maryland's first two-term Republican governor in a half-century, as well as end the Democrats' supermajority in the legislature. The next governor will oversee how congressional and state legislative districts are redrawn after the 2020 census, so the person at the helm of state goverment could be able to tip the balance of political power for a decade.

Maryland Democrats are also dealing with the same schism that divided the party nationally after the prolonged primary between Clinton and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, activists said. Matthews said the party was also in store for a vigorous primary contest up and down the ballot. At least eight Democrats have expressed interest in challenging Hogan, for example.

"The important thing is to stay true to who our real enemy is," Matthews told the crowd. "We need to bring progressives into our pary, and have their voices be part of the exuberance."

Already, Matthews has held summits with progressive groups from across the state, urging their leaders to join forces.

On Saturday, Sheila Ruth with Progressive Democrats of Baltimore County joined the rally. She warned the crowd that the if the party did not come together to address the social and economic concerns that prompted people to vote for the president, "then Trump will be followed by another Trump."

Joseph Kitchen, president of the Young Democrats of Maryland, said that even though Maryland is widely considered a blue state, rank-and-file Democrats need to realize that they're losing local races in areas that were once Democratic strongholds. He pointed to the mayoral races in Annapolis and Frederick, and to the county executive race in Howard County all jurisdictions rich with Democrats but led by a Republican.

Hogan spokesman Doug Mayer downplayed the significance of a Democratic rally held right outside the governor's home.

"We don't pay a lot of attention to partisan politics and politicians," he said. "The governor will remain focused on doing what's best for Maryland,"

Rep. John Delaney, a Potomac Democrat weighing a bid against Hogan, told the crowd the must do more, and the must do more in local races.

"We're not going to take back the country and advance the policies we care about by complaining about Trump," he said.

ecox@baltsun.com

twitter.com/ErinatTheSun

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Maryland Democrats organize a year early for 2018 election - Baltimore Sun

Wall Street Journal (subscription)

Top Democrat Sees 'Smoke' but No 'Smoking Gun' Showing Russia-Trump Campaign Collusion Wall Street Journal (subscription) WASHINGTONThe top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee said Sunday there is no smoking gun so far showing collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign in an effort to influence the 2016 election, adding that hearings this week will ... and more »

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Top Democrat Sees 'Smoke' but No 'Smoking Gun' Showing Russia-Trump Campaign Collusion - Wall Street Journal (subscription)