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Massachusetts Democratic Rep. Seth Moulton plans to offer an amendment that puts the House on record supporting Special Counsel Robert Mueller's probe and committing that it will provide any resources it needs for the team of lawyers at the Justice Department. The proposal would be attached to the House GOP crafted budget resolution.

CNN obtained a copy of the amendment, which states, "It is the policy of the resolution that to restore confidence in our government and to preserve the sanctity of our electoral process Congress must ensure adequate funding for the Special Counsel appointed by the Department of Justice so that he can perform a thorough and nonpartisan investigation of Russian's campaign to affect the 2016 US presidential election and any individuals in the United States that may have colluded in those efforts."

Moulton, a former Marine who served multiple tours in Iraq, plans to argue at Wednesday's budget markup that one thing that both parties can agree on is the importance of democratic elections, essentially daring Republicans on the committee to oppose the amendment.

House Republicans unveiled their budget proposal Tuesday, and Wednesday's committee markup is expected to last late into the night, with Democrats attempting to attach a variety of amendments that are expected to be rejected on party line votes. It's unclear whether Democrats will press for other amendments related to Russia.

House GOP leaders are still determining whether they have the support to bring the budget to the floor for a full House vote if it clears the committee this week.

According to prepared remarks Moulton will also ask, "Did you ever ask what your father or grandfather did in World War II? Our grandchildren will ask us, 'Where did we stand when Russia attacked the United States?' That's how serious this is. Think about what your grandson will say when he reads about you someday. Did you have the courage to stand up for our country, our Constitution, and our values, or did you vote this down because your party bosses told you to?"

Congressional Republicans have been publicly supportive of Mueller. House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell both praised his appointment as special counsel, and there has been no indication on Capitol Hill that the GOP-controlled Congress would attempt to undermine his efforts or withhold any resources for his team.

Bipartisan investigations by both the House and Senate intelligence committees are ramping up, with both panels bringing in witnesses and holding hearings, including the public hearing with former FBI Director James Comey, who testified before the Senate in June.

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First on CNN: House Democrat to try to force GOP to go on record supporting Russia probe - CNN

TROY The Democratic candidate for Rensselaer County executive has raised $27,200 for the race, according to records on the state Board of Elections website.

Andrea Smyth entered the race about a month after the two Republican candidates. Her treasury draws on personal contributions; family support; donations by elected Democrats and a loan.

Smyth's initial treasury of $27,212 falls between Deputy County Executive Christopher Meyer receiving $80,720 and the $14,750 taken in by state Assemblyman Steven McLaughlin. Meyer and McLaughlin are trying to win the Republican, Conservative and Independence lines for the November election.

County Democrats had not planned to run a campaign for county executive, a job with a $121,300 salary. But when Republican County Executive Kathleen Jimino opted not to run for a fifth term, the Democrats looked for a candidate before finding Smyth, who is executive director of the New York State Coalition for Children's Behavioral Health.

Democratic leaders said they hope to see Meyer and McLaughlin both appear on the November ballot, possibly splitting Republican support. Democrats said they believe this would allow the party to take advantage of its enrollment edge over the Republicans. The Democrats enjoy an enrollment advantage over the Republicans in the county by 32,463 to 26,128. There are 31,469 unaffiliated voters in the county. Republicans have relied on a strategy of obtaining minor party lines to cut into Democratic support.

Smyth has not yet held any fund raising events. She gave her campaign $4,500; family members provided $2,810; Democratic committees contributed $5,250; the campaign committee received a $9,000 loan; and the remaining $5,662 came from other donations.

The only campaign expense for Smyth so far is $11.95 for bank fees, according to the statement. Meyer has spent $10,676 and McLaughlin, $3,088.

The campaign disclosure forms show that Meyer has $70,043 on hand; Smyth has $27,200; and McLaughlin has $11,661.

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Rensselaer County Democrat raises $27212 in executive race - Albany Times Union

Republican Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona has come to the defense of a Democratic challenger who is hoping to unseat him in his bid for re-election.

Deedra Abboud, a Phoenix-based lawyer and Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate who is Muslim, started to receive disturbing messages online Tuesday after posting this message on her Facebook page:

"Almost 250 years ago a group of dreamers came together and sketched out a revolutionary vision. No longer would they be shackled to the whims of a distant government, nor bound to the religion of an idiosyncratic king. They set out to forge their own futures, determine their own destinies, and follow their own faith. In their infinite wisdom, the Founding Fathers decreed that this nation would separate church and state, and in doing so protect both institutions. Government would be free from religious overreach, and religion would be free from government interference."

Nice try but your first love is Satan (AKA Allah) and your second love is to a litter box your people come from, one person wrote. You are as American as Chinese checkers.

BAN ISLAM IN THE USAWE HATE YOUR FILTHY DEATH CULT, another said.

I bet youll be a BLAST with constituents, one user posted.

Flake, the 54-year-old Republican incumbent who has somewhat strained relations with the White House, came to her defense on Twitter.

Abboud has been subjected to hateful rhetoric and backlash ever since she launched her campaign in the spring, her spokeswoman told The Arizona Republic. We make sure to have police escorts at our events because, yes, we have received a lot of hate, Jaclyn Freedman said.

Abboud, a 45-year-old community activist, thanked Flake for his leadership.

Neither Abboud nor Flake's campaign has responded to ABC News request for comment.

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Republican Sen. Jeff Flake comes to the defense of Muslim Democrat hoping to unseat him - ABC News

Wednesday, July 19, 2017 4:25 a.m. EDT by Mary Ellen Murphy

KALAMAZOO, MI (WHTC-AM/FM) - The race for the Democratic nomination against Congressman Fred Upton now has another Democratic throwing his hat into the ring.

Former YMCA National Health Officer Dr. Matt Longjohn has announced he is going to challenge the 16-term incumbent from St. Joseph.

Longjohn is the fifth Democrat to run and is the only Democrat planning to enlist the services of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. According to his website, Longjohnstrongly believes that fighting disease is only part of a doctors job.

"To truly be successful, physicians need to help patients have a high quality of life, which means ensuring people have access to health care, a safe and healthy environment, a good education and the opportunity for jobs that pay a living wage. Matt will take this same comprehensive approach to Congress, where he will fight for affordable health care, clean air and water, strong early childhood programs, public schools, community colleges and good-paying job"

Upton told WHTC News that he is focused on his day job and his family. He has not said what at his plans are for 2018.

"These campaigns always come third and you never like to start a campaign prematurely. No we've not made a decision as to what we're gonna do in 2018, particularly if we run for the Senate or not. I continue to be flattered by people who have reached out suggesting that I would be a strong candidate. We're gonna do some due diligence and figure this out in the next couple weeks or so. We don't have any fixed time table, but campaigns do start early, like it or not."

Kid Rock released a statement last week that he is running for the U.S. Senate, but has yet filed the necessary paperwork.

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Democrat doctor challenges Fred Upton in 2018 - Midwest Communication

Yet Mr. Bullock already has the makings of a national stump speech. He boasts about his progressive accomplishments with a Republican-dominated legislature: He expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, cutting the rate of the states uninsured by over half, implemented stricter campaign finance laws and made Montana one of the few states to increase support for higher education.

While appealing to the Democratic heart, Mr. Bullock also has a message for the Democratic head. He talks of the partys need to broaden its appeal beyond the coasts Mr. Bullock won re-election as Donald J. Trump captured Montana by over 20 points while implying they cannot turn to a septuagenarian as their nominee.

Theres a lot of folks out there talking that are a lot older than middle-aged guys like me, said Mr. Bullock, 51, alluding to some of the partys best-known figures.

And if the contrast with the likes of Mr. Sanders, 75, were not obvious enough, the governor held up one of his accomplishments against one of Mr. Sanderss calling cards.

We can talk free college for all all we want, but theres a whole lot of people that can get a darn good job, like in Montana, out of an apprenticeship, Mr. Bullock said, citing programs he has supported as governor. Sixty-thousand-dollar average salary, and theyre making money while theyre getting there.

He also said he was uneasy about immediately implementing another of Mr. Sanderss signature promises, Medicare for all.

He may be more overt about his ambitions, but Mr. Bullock was by no means the only Democratic governor here eyeing the White House.

Gov. Terry McAuliffe of Virginia, the chairman of the National Governors Association, exuberantly led a panel that drew Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada and the Tesla entrepreneur Elon Musk, with an eye toward raising his profile. The host governor, Gina Raimondo of Rhode Island, may also be open to a presidential run.

And while each is from a decidedly more Democratic state than Mr. Bullock, both are also unapologetic, business-friendly pragmatists with a focus on economic development that borders on obsessive.

Mr. McAuliffe will not retreat from his support for free trade pacts, slyly noting that he stands with the president (as in: Barack Obama) on the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

And Ms. Raimondo, noting that all Im doing is jobs, recalled with a touch of incredulity how she recently gave an economic speech and was told afterward by attendees that it was risky to have that pro-growth, pro-job message as a Democrat.

Recounting her efforts to promote apprenticeships in Rhode Islands shipyards, Ms. Raimondo echoed Mr. Bullock on free college for all. I dont care if they ever go and get a four-year degree or not, she said, warning her party not to be snobby about higher education.

The challenge for the would-be presidential contenders on the center left, however, can be found in how Mr. Trump found success.

Unlike Republican nominees before him, the president ran on a platform of racially tinged nationalism, vowing to tear up trade deals and protect entitlements while using language rarely heard from mainstream politicians about minority communities.

In attempting to explain Mr. Trumps victory, many Democrats have therefore chalked it up to his racial demagogy and rhetorical populism. They find the first of these tactics reprehensible, but many have an impulse to counter the president with their own, more robust brand of populism.

This reaction does not point toward budget-balancing governors preaching pragmatism.

Yet the whims of political fate can be fickle.

After the 2004 election, Democrats second consecutive presidential loss, some in the party believed that they could win in 2008 only by nominating a red-state centrist. They won with an African-American Chicagoan named Barack Hussein Obama.

And after their own back-to-back presidential defeats, Republicans said after 2012 that the path back to the White House could be found in nominating a candidate better able to connect with the younger and more diverse rising American electorate. Enter Mr. Trump.

So there may be hope yet for Mr. Bullock, a former state attorney general whose down-home boosterism about Montanas natural wonders belies a Columbia Law degree and stint as a Washington lawyer at Steptoe & Johnson. He has already started on the Democratic speaking circuit, appearing before a Center for American Progress forum in May. Next week, he will attend another donor-filled gathering on the Divided States of America at the Aspen Institute.

To the barricades it is not.

The values folks want is for government to run its own budgets and be as careful with their money as a family is with their own, Mr. Bullock said.

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A version of this article appears in print on July 18, 2017, on Page A12 of the New York edition with the headline: Democratic Governors Seek a Middle Path To the White House.

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As Party Drifts Left, Pragmatic Democratic Governors Have Eye on White House - New York Times