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James Devine via JamesDevine.org

RAHWAY A longtime Democratic operative from Union County has responded to the Wednesday shooting of a congressman by calling for a hunt of Republicans.

James Devine posted several messages on Facebook and Twitter following the Alexandra, Virginia, shooting of U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise and several others by a gunman with a history of violence and of making online rantings against Republican officials and their policies.

We are in a war with selfish, foolish & narcissistic rich people. Why is it a shock when things turn violent? Devine posted on social media, ending the message with the hashtag: #HuntRepublicanCongressmen

Devine used the hashtag #HuntRepublicans in another message about Scalise speaking at a event hosted by a group founded by racist David Duke.

I have little sympathy for the Republican Congressman who got shot today because he viciously opposed President Obamas effort to reduce gun violence and instead, he accepted more gun lobby money than all but 15 other members of the House of Representatives, he said on Facebook.

The comments drew criticism from others who follow Devine on Facebook and Twitter.

But Devine told New Jersey 101.5 that he is not backing down, although he insists his comments were meant to shock but not advocate violence.

It is insensitive and I dont care. You want me to be politically correct? I dont have time for that anymore, he said.

Devine said his tweets were inspired by 2016 tweet by Tea Party-backed U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., who repeated a quotation about the 2nd Amendment being about shoot[ing] at the government when it becomes tyrannical!

Devine said Republican policies to take away peoples healthcare, enact voter ID laws, and oppose gun regulations are his idea of tyrannical government.

Im not going to shy away from harsh rhetoric. We have a president elected largely by people who were tired of politicians who shied away from harsh rhetoric. I dont think its appropriate; Id much rather have a rational and reasonable debate. But we cant have that.

Im not apologizing if it offended snowflake Republicans, he added.

But other local Democrats did not agree with Devines attention-seeking tactics.

Union County Democratic Chairman Jerry Green on Thursday condemned the comments after a reporter read them to him.

In this day and age, we have to be very careful in what we say or how we say it, Green said. I do not support the hunting of any people Democrat or Republican.

Ive had Republican friends that I have developed over the 25-plus years in Trenton. I consider them to be good human beings, said Green, who is an assemblyman from Plainfield.

Devine is not an elected committeeman with the citys Democratic committee, nor is he a member of the citys Democratic club, municipal Chairman Kevin OBrien said Thursday.

I abhor all political violence. It has no place in our American democracy, he told New Jersey 101.5. And my prayers go out to the congressman, to the police officers and the other people who were wounded. It was a terrible, terrible tragedy, as are all senseless acts of violence.

Rahway Republican Chairman Patrick Cassio said that what Devine is saying is no different than what the shooter was saying.

This could have been a massacre and this nut is going to say that?

Devines website notes that he has been working on Democratic campaigns for three decades. Among the elected officials he has worked for are Carteret Mayor Dan Reiman, former Rahway Mayor James Kenned, former Hillside Mayor Joseph Menza, and Perth Amboy Mayor Wilda Diaz before he had a falling out with her.

In 2014, he ran against now-Mayor Sampson Steinman in his hometown of Rahway.

His partner, Lisa McCormick, this year raised money for an abortive campaign for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, but she dropped out before the June primary after not submitting a nominating petition with 1,000 signatures.

Devines website also includes a 2006 photo of him standing with U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J. A spokesman for the senator on Thursday forcibly condemned Devines comments, adding that Menendez has absolutely no connection with Mr. Devine.

As for his comments on social media, the senator believes they are irresponsible, reckless, and only serve to fan the flames of division in this country, Steven Sandberg said. The senator is disturbed and appalled by his hateful, dangerous rhetoric.

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Scalise on Thursday remained in critical condition after undergoing a third surgery.

As when U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords was shot in 2011 in Tucson, Arizona, Wednesdays shooting has drawn attention to heated and divisive political rhetoric.

The gunman, 66-year-old James T. Hodgkinson, who was shot and killed by police, left a trail of online comments excoriating Republicans.

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi chastised sanctimonious Republicans for suggesting that rhetoric from liberals and progressives in the wake of President Donald Trumps election may have been partially responsible for the shooting.

How dare they say such a thing, how dare they, said Pelosi, who noted that shes been getting calls to her home and has been the target of attack ads in her latest re-election campaign.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Also on New Jersey 101.5:

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Sergio Bichao is deputy digital editor at New Jersey 101.5. Send him news tips: Call 609-359-5348 or email sergio.bichao@townsquaremedia.com.

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'Hunt' Republicans, says Union County Democrat in response to shooting - New Jersey 101.5 FM Radio

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NICK RAHAIM

THE PRESS DEMOCRAT | June 16, 2017, 8:57AM

| Updated 17 minutes ago.

A Santa Rosa man was pulled from his car Tuesday night and beaten by at least four teenagers who then drove off in his vehicle in a gang-related carjacking, Santa Rosa police said.

Around 10:10 p.m. Santa Rosa police found a man, who is not being identified, bleeding with significant injuries to his head and face in the 2300 block of Amethyst Way, police said.

The man claimed to have been pulled from his car and repeatedly punched and kicked by four teens while laying on the ground, police said.

Shortly after, a police officer spotted the mans vehicle at the Renaissance apartment complex on Kawana Springs Road, police said. The driver quickly parked and walked away from the vehicle, leaving the engine running.

The officer detained the 16-year-old Santa Rosa boy, who has known gang ties, police said. Over the next day detectives with the Gang Crime Team identified three additional suspects, two 16-year-old boys and a 15-year-old.

Police served a search warrant Thursday and arrested the three boys. The four teens, who are not being identified because of their age, were booked at the Juvenile Justice Center for carjacking, assault with a deadly weapon, battery with serious bodily injury with gang enhancements.

Detectives believe the four boys are active gang participants and committed the carjacking and assault in association with other criminal street gang participants. A reward of up to $2,500 is being offered by the Sonoma County Alliance Take Back Our Community Program for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the suspects.

You can reach Staff Writer Nick Rahaim at 707-521-5203 or nick.rahaim@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @nrahaim.

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Four teens suspected in beating, Santa Rosa carjacking - Santa Rosa Press Democrat

Belleville News-Democrat

Belleville man killed in Virginia shootout 'seemed like a normal guy, a regular guy' Belleville News-Democrat He was a Democrat, and I was a Republican, so we didn't have too much to talk about. Another of Hodgkinson's neighbors, Fred Widel, said Hodgkinson told him he was planning to retire soon. He asked Widel if he wanted to buy his tools, and Widel said ... Neighbor says he rarely talked to James Hodgkinson: 'He was a Democrat, and I was a Republican'Chicago Tribune Belleville, IL Congressional gunman letters to the editor | Belleville News-DemocratBelleville News-Democrat Shooter identified by law enforcement officials as James T. HodgkinsonWashington Post Washington Post all 1,435 news articles »

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Belleville man killed in Virginia shootout 'seemed like a normal guy, a regular guy' - Belleville News-Democrat

James T. Hodgkinson, the man who shot up a congressional baseball practice Wednesday morning, was allegedly a strong Democratic partisan who was outraged over the election of Donald Trump.

The Belleville News-Democrat, the paper in Hodgkinson's home town of Belleville, Illinois, interviewed a few of Hodgkinson's neighbors. One of the neighbors offered up a quote that speaks volumes about political culture in the United States.

"I didn't really talk to him too much," said neighbor Aaron Meurer. "He was a Democrat, and I was a Republican, so we didn't have too much to talk about."

In one sentence, Meurer offers up a snapshot of American partisanship: For many Americans, their political affiliation is a central component of their identity. Meurer's statement suggests that he and Hodgkinson saw themselves as partisans first and neighbors second.

This isn't to pick on Meurer - this sort of worldview is widespread and becoming more common in the United States. Recent data from the Pew Research Center speaks to the phenomenon directly. More than 4 in 10 Democrats and Republicans told Pew it would be easier to get along with a new neighbor if they were members of the same political party.

Conversely, 27 percent of Democrats and 31 percent of Republicans said it would be harder to get along with a new neighbor of the opposite party. In both parties, people who were highly engaged with politics were more likely to hold this view.

This intraparty antipathy is rising rapidly. In 1994, according to Pew, 21 percent of Republicans, and 17 percent of Democrats, rated the other party as "very unfavorable." By 2016 those numbers had shot up to 58 percent and 55 percent, respectively.

But "very unfavorable" is just the tip of the partisan iceberg. Fully 45 percent of Republicans, and 41 percent of Democrats, view the other party as "a threat to the nation's well-being." Those numbers rose significantly between 2014 and 2016.

This level of hostility is stunning. You can see how a certain type of person could get from a belief that the other party is a threat to the country, to a belief that it's up to them to do something about it - even something extreme. This viewpoint was explicitly articulated by Hodgkinson in a Facebook post in which he wrote, "Trump is a Traitor. Trump Has Destroyed Our Democracy. It's Time to Destroy Trump & Co."

Several decades ago, the polling suggests that for most Americans, their political party was part of who they were but not necessarily a core part of their personal identity, as it is for many people today.

Christy Gutowski, David Heinzmann and Jeff Coen

One line of questioning illustrates that shift starkly: In 1960, roughly 5 percent of Democrats and Republicans told pollsters that they would be upset if their child married someone from a different political party. By 2010, those proportions stood at nearly 50 percent for Republicans and more than 30 percent for Democrats.

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Neighbor says he rarely talked to James Hodgkinson: 'He was a Democrat, and I was a Republican' - Chicago Tribune

Momentum by Democrat Jon Ossoff in his bid for Georgias 6th congressional district has led some party members to believe Democrats can take the House of Representatives seat in the 7th congressional district. This district contains parts of Forsyth and Gwinnet Counties,and islocated northeast of Atlanta.

Democrat David Kim announced on June 7 that he would be running against Rob Woodall, the incumbent representative of Georgias 7th district, for the 2018 House seat district primary. An Asian-American Harvard University graduate, Kim is known primarily as the CEO and founder ofC2 Education, an exam-prep and personal tutoring program with over 180 centers across the nation.

David Kim (Photo/Courtesy David Kim campaign website)

Kims campaign announcement follows a recent statement by The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in a document titled Charging Forward, DCCC Announces Battlefield Expansion, issued on May 22. This document lists district 7 as one of the targeted districts for potential investment and recruitment.

According toGaPundit, Kim expressed that he feels Georgia voters want a candidate who is less partisan, stating that Woodall has been more interested in partisan purity than getting things done for the people.

In afundraising email sent to his supporters, Kim expressed that he wants to be a voice thats independent minded and focused on important long-term decisions.

Woodall has been serving since he was elected in 2011,and is on the House Budget Committee, House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the House Committee, according to theGeorgia Secretary of State. The Republican representative defended his House seat in May 2016, defeating Democrat Rashid Malik by nearly 60,000 votes in the 7th congressional district election.

Rob Woodall (Photo/Courtesy Rob Woodall campaign website)

Were David Kim to take the congressional seat in the 7th district this would be the first time that a Democrat hasheld that position in over 20 years.

According to coverage from the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Woodall said that the layout of the 7th district, and the fact that it contains a large part of conservative Forsyth County, has helped protect him in previous years from electoral pressure.

Kim will not run unopposed in his bid for the 2018 House seat, and will face fellow Democrat Kathleen Allen.

Kathleen Allen (Photo/Courtesy Kathleen Allen campaign website)

On her campaign website Allen highlights her 20+ years of experience in both not-for-profit and for-profit healthcare organizations as the driving force behind her desire to balance the health and well-being of Americans with our nations financial interests.

In recent years Allen has served as the CEO and Founder of Paid in America, INC., a nonprofit that helps promote establishments that pay their employees a living wage. Allen is slated to formally start her campaign in Norcross on June 22.

Elections for the GA House of Representatives seat will begin on November 6, 2018.

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Democrat David Kim joins race for GA's 7th congressional district - Red and Black