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HOUSTON As he began his closing statement at a forum here Tuesday night, Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Chris Bell seemed to sum up well the mood around the long-uncertain primary.

I thought we were going to wake up to sunshine this morning since the cloud of Beto ORourke had been lifted off of this race," Bell said to some knowing chuckles in the crowd, which had gathered in a Houston church on a rainy evening. "That was not to be, but in all seriousness, the filing deadline has passed, the field is set, and I think its time that we get down to business."

The forum, hosted by Indivisible, fell just about 24 hours after the filing period ended for the 2020 elections and with it, the speculation that O'Rourke could make a late entry into the Senate primary after his exit from the presidential race last month. Democrats now officially have their work cut out for them as a dozen candidates some more serious than others but no clear frontrunners vie for the chance to face U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, despite universally low name ID and modest fundraising at best.

Tensions in the field have run mostly low, but that is beginning to change. At least one candidate, Latina organizer Cristina Tzintzn Ramirez, has started moving more aggressively to distinguish herself, while additional areas of potential scrutiny have begun to emerge around other candidates. Tzintzn Ramirez has increasingly found a foil in rival MJ Hegar, who is holding firm on a general election-focused campaign while resisting the progressive impulses that Tzintzn Ramirez and some others have shown.

To that end, Tzintzn Ramirez's credentials are getting a boost Friday with the endorsement of the Working Families Party, a labor-aligned third party that backed Bernie Sanders for president in 2016 and is supporting Elizabeth Warren for 2020. The group, which has an increasingly active Texas chapter, shared the endorsement first with The Texas Tribune.

"We think she's the true progressive in the race, and that's why we're getting behind her," said Jorge Contreras, the party's Texas state director. "We've worked with Workers Defense and Jolt" two organizing groups that Tzintzn Ramirez helped start "and we see that she's actually been throwing down for a long time in the state."

Tzintzn Ramirez is campaigning on "Medicare for All," a Green New Deal and a mandatory buyback program for assault weapons all proposals that Hegar has not embraced or has even overtly rejected. Hegar, an Air Force veteran, is touting herself as neither a moderate nor a progressive but an "ass-kicking" working mom with broad appeal. For months, she has talked openly about training her campaign exclusively on beating Cornyn, ignoring primary rivals and declining opportunities to criticize them.

On a conference call with reporters after filing Monday, Hegar said she had no plans to change that approach as the primary gets closer and the field remains muddled, saying, "This is who I am, and who I am is not interested in taking shots at people who share my values" and are also trying to "move the needle."

Still, Hegar's strategy ran into some controversy a couple of days later when she was asked about Tzintzn Ramirez suggesting the primary was coming down to her and Hegar and Hegar replied, "Well, it is a two-person race. It's me and John Cornyn." While Hegar added that she was not taking the primary for granted, Tzintzn Ramirez's campaign fired back in a fundraising email hours later that said it "seems like MJ forgot that Cristina was most recently shown to be leading this primary, or that theres a diverse crowd of other incredible Democratic candidates running too." (The campaign was apparently referring to a November poll that had Tzintzn Ramirez in the No. 1 spot but within the margin of error of other candidates clustered in the single digits.)

It was not the first time there was friction between the two in recent weeks. After Hegar reiterated to The Dallas Morning News in late October that she does not support mandatory buybacks for assault weapons an idea that O'Rourke championed in his White House bid Tzintzn Ramirez pushed back in a pointed tweet that said, "Our children's lives are on the line. This isn't a time for political caution." So did Bell, the former Houston congressman, who released a straight-to-camera video saying he was "incredibly disappointed" by Hegar's stance and tweeted that he is "100% with Beto on this one."

To be sure, other contenders, such as state Sen. Royce West of Dallas and Houston City Councilwoman Amanda Edwards, have stopped short of backing mandatory buybacks, only going as far as to support an assault weapons ban. And Bell and Tzintzn Ramirez are not the only candidates in favor of mandatory buybacks so is Sema Hernandez, ORourkes 2018 primary opponent, who is a vocal advocate of many of the same issues that top Tzintzn Ramirezs platform.

Hegar's supporters brush off the growing scrutiny, noting she is the fundraising leader in the primary $2.1 million raised as of last quarter and arguing she will be the strongest Democrat against Cornyn with her resources and ability to appeal to independent voters and even Republicans. They point to her military background as well as her stronger-than-expected performance in a traditionally red congressional district last year, losing by fewer than 3 percentage points to Rep. John Carter, R-Round Rock.

"I think she's the frontrunner I thought that before, and I think that now," said Jon Soltz, chairman of VoteVets, Hegar's earliest national endorser. "When you have a huge state with a lot of media markets, it's gonna come down to who voters get to know first. MJ's raised more than anybody else."

Soltz said his group considers Hegar a progressive and argued such distinctions are irrelevant if a candidate does not have the resources to compete. "If no one knows who you are," he said, "you're not a progressive."

Tzintzn Ramirez's campaign is unwilling to cede the viability mantle to Hegar. Noting she had a monthslong "head start on us," Tzintzn Ramirez campaign manager David Sanchez said the campaign is on its way to surpassing $1 million total raised by the end of this quarter. If the primary comes down to money, he added, "we're gonna be extremely competitive."

Despite the recent action centering on Hegar and Tzintzn Ramirez, polls show the primary remains wide open, with no candidate well known to Texas Democrats and large shares of primary voters unsure of whom they would vote for. A University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll released last month found no candidate had higher than 24% name ID among Democratic voters, and 57% said they do not know who they will support or have an opinion yet.

The filing deadline was 6 p.m. Monday, and the field was anything but finalized in the days leading up to it. One of the candidates, Midland City Councilman John Love, dropped out three days before the deadline, saying he has "concluded that I lack the time and financial resources to compete as effectively as I would like." A new candidate, Houston nonprofit leader Annie Garcia, jumped in with days to spare, promising to bring the perspective of "one fed-up mama." And with a week until the deadline, O'Rourke supporters released a poll showing he would be the strongest candidate against Cornyn, reviving speculation about an 11th-hour run.

O'Rourke reiterated a few days later he would not run and never filed, but he still looms large over the race, both when it comes to policy mandatory buybacks and politics. About two hours before the filing deadline, Tzintzn Ramirez announced endorsements from 21 former staffers from O'Rourke's 2020 and 2018 campaigns including 2018 campaign manager Jody Casey seven of which are on Tzintzn Ramirez's staff.

O'Rourke said in September he would not consider endorsing in the primary, though he is not entirely receding from the fray. Hegar spoke with him Tuesday night, she revealed at a Tribune event the next morning, quickly making clear that he appears willing to help any candidate who wants it.

"I want to make sure that I'm not painting it like I have access to him or support for from him that other candidates don't," she said. "I think he's the type of servant leader that would answer the phone for anybody on the ticket and would give any of them advice."

In addition to swiping at Hegar over mandatory buybacks, Bell has questioned her commitment to the Democratic Party, suggesting in the same video that she has made a "recent entrance" into the party. It appeared to be a reference to her participation in the 2016 Republican primary, which she has explained as a protest vote against Donald Trump.

Tzintzn Ramirez, meanwhile, could tempt criticism with her acknowledgment last month that she narrowed her campaign's initial pledge against accepting all PAC money a promise that O'Rourke famously adhered to to just corporate PAC money. She said she dialed back the pledge after hearing from labor unions who wanted to have the option to give to her through their political arms.

Other candidates are largely staying out of the fray, driving messages that date to their campaign launches. West is continuing to stress his long record on Democratic issues since he first got to the Senate in 1993. "I've been there" is a common refrain of his stump speech and so are reminders of his support from large majorities of his colleagues in the Senate and Texas House.

Edwards is continuing to lean on her experience in municipal government, while Bell is also pressing his experience specifically his time in Congress that saw him file the ethics complaint that helped lead to the downfall of former U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Sugar Land. Last month, Bell sought to further highlight that achievement when he released an anti-corruption plan after a Cornyn donor admitted to coordinating illegal campaign contributions in 2017.

As for the incumbent, there has been no shortage of colorful attacks from the Democrats as they seek to portray him as a toady of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and President Donald Trump. Hegar has referred to Cornyn as a "spineless, pantywaist, bootlicking ass-kisser," while Hernandez gave a closing statement Tuesday night that was similarly unvarnished.

"Going forward, I invite you to join me," she said, "so we can get bitch-ass Cornyn out of office."

Disclosure: The University of Texas at Austin has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here.

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Texas Democratic primary for Senate gets "down to business" without O'Rourke - The Texas Tribune

Does that seem fair?

Bret: Mine would be a little different: Kamala in 20/20 hindsight: She failed to be bold and sounded like a scold. In the meantime, I have a foreboding that Trump is going to win.

Gail: Stop! Stop! We havent even gotten to Iowa yet. Rudy Giuliani hasnt shown us the documentary hes been shooting on his version of the Ukraine scandal. (Hope it includes at least a couple of Martians.) Before the election, we may very well get to see the Trump taxes. Don Jr. and Eric may announce theyve sold the rights to a Trump hotel to a wealthy war criminal. Cheer up. Its the holiday season. Peace on earth and good will to everybody who isnt a member of the Trump administration. Or his personal lawyer.

Bret: I have a bad feeling that Trump is to political scandal what Typhoid Mary Mallon was to typhoid fever: He spreads it widely but is somehow immune to it himself.

Gail: Hey, I like that analogy.

Bret: Trump will be impeached and we will no doubt learn all sorts of scuzzy details regarding his family, his associates, their associates, and all of their associations. But at the end of the day, hell be acquitted in the Senate, possibly without a single Republican voting in favor of conviction, and maybe even with a Democrat or two voting for acquittal. And hell herald it as his most triumphant vindication yet.

In the meantime, unemployment is at 3.5 percent and may go even lower. And Democrats strike me as nearly as hostile to one another as they are to Trump. Thats no way to beat an incumbent who already enjoys a huge fund-raising advantage.

Gail: Well get over our hostilities when its down to Trump vs. X. Dont you think? I predict even your worse-case-scenario Elizabeth Warren would start looking good to you if shes the only alternative.

Bret: Not to me! And Im the kind of reasonable (well, semi-reasonable) party-switching voter the Democratic nominee, whoever it ends up being, is going to need to attract in order to beat Trump. Please, Democrats, dont make me wind up voting for Bill Weld just to salve my conscience and save my wallet. Nominate a moderate!

The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. Wed like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Here are some tips. And heres our email: letters@nytimes.com.

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Can Any of the Democratic Candidates Save the Party From Itself? - The New York Times

More than 180 House Democrats joined a nearly united Republican caucus Wednesday night to pass a sweeping $738 billion military spending bill that gives President Donald Trump his long-sought "Space Force," free rein to wage endless wars, and a green light to continue fueling the humanitarian catastrophe in Yemen.

"Every member of Congress who voted to give the most corrupt, unhinged, and unstable president in history $738 billion to fight endless wars...must never tell us that we cannot afford Medicare for All or a Green New Deal." Warren Gunnels, Sanders senior adviser

Just 48 members of the House, including 41 Democrats, voted against the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which increases the Pentagon budget by $22 billion. The final vote was 377-48.

"This NDAA is atrocious, and it's very depressing that only 48 members of congress voted against it," tweeted anti-war group CodePink.

In a floor speech ahead of Wednesday's vote, Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), the most vocal opponent of the NDAA in the House, said "there are many things you can call the bill, but it's Orwellian to call it progressive." Khanna was standing across the aisle from Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.), who hailed the measure as "the most progressive defense bill we have passed in decades."

"Let's speak in facts," said Khanna. "This defense budget is $120 billion more than what Obama left us with. That could fund free public college for every American. It could fund access to high-speed, affordable internet for every American. But it's worse. The bipartisan amendment to stop the war in Yemen: stripped by the White House. The bipartisan amendment to stop the war in Iran: stripped by the White House."

My friend @RepRoKhanna is right: it is Orwellian for Congress to hand over billions of dollars worth of weapons and bombs to a president waging a horrific, unconstitutional war in Yemenand call that progressive. pic.twitter.com/6SUmUUhv3q

Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) December 11, 2019

According to the New York Times, Smithchairman of the House Armed Services Committeenegotiated several provisions of the NDAA directly with Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser.

"It was Mr. Kushner who helped broker a deal to create the Space Force, a chief priority of the president's, in exchange for the paid parental leave [for federal employees]," the Times reported Wednesday. "It was also Mr. Kushner who intervened on measures targeting Saudi Arabia that would have prohibited arms sales or military assistance to the Saudi-led intervention in Yemen. He said they were nonstarters for the White House."

Sen. Bernie Sanders' (I-Vt.) foreign policy adviser Matt Duss expressed outrage that Democrats allowed Kushnerwho has close ties to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salmanto kill an amendment that would have helped end U.S. complicity in the world's worst humanitarian crisis.

Congrats to Democratic leadership on getting outnegotiated by JARED KUSHNER. On a provision that was already passed by bipartisan majorities in Congress. To end US support for a war that has created to the world's worst humanitarian catastrophe.

Great goddam job. https://t.co/JmYd57lgds

Matt Duss (@mattduss) December 11, 2019

Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), who voted against the NDAA, noted in a statement that the final version also stripped out her House-passed amendment that would have repealed the 2002 Iraq Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF).

"With the release of the Afghanistan Papers, it is especially imperative that we take a hard look at our military spending and authorizations," said Lee, the only member of Congress to vote against the war in Afghanistan in 2001. "I can tell you: it is an appalling, but not shocking read for those of us who have been working to stop endless war. It's past time to end the longest war in United States history, withdraw our troops, and bring our servicemembers home."

The 2020 NDAA now heads to the Republican-controlled Senate, where it is expected to pass. In a tweet ahead of the House vote on Wednesday, Trump praised the bill and said he would sign it into law "immediately."

"New rule: Every member of Congress who voted to give the most corrupt, unhinged, and unstable president in history $738 billion to fight endless wars, fund a bogus space force, and put our troops at risk must never tell us that we cannot afford Medicare for All or a Green New Deal," Warren Gunnels, Sanders' senior adviser, tweeted Wednesday night. "Ever."

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'Atrocious': 188 Democrats Join GOP to Hand Trump $738 Billion Military Budget That Includes 'Space Force' - Common Dreams

Bang the gavel harder still doesnt make it right, said Representative Doug Collins of Georgia, the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee.

They have talked about everything else, but they have offered not one substantive word in the presidents defense, Mr. Nadler said of the Republicans in his closing remarks. In a letter sent during the hearing, he rejected Republicans requests to call witnesses including Mr. Schiff, Mr. Bidens son Hunter and the anonymous C.I.A. whistle-blower whose complaint helped start the inquiry. Republicans could demand a vote on the matter at a later date.

Republican lawmakers fumed when Mr. Berke, who appeared at a witness table at the start of the hearing to deliver his argument against Mr. Trump, later climbed onto the dais and led the cross-examination of Mr. Castor, who was also representing the Intelligence Committee lawyer. It is highly unusual for House lawyers to testify in hearings, for Mr. Castor to be testifying on behalf of two committees and for one lawyer to question another in that way, but all were allowed under the rules.

Hes badgering the witness, Representative Jim Sensenbrenner, Republican of Wisconsin, shot out as Mr. Berke pressed Mr. Castor.

He is not, Mr. Nadler fired back.

Republicans seized on a small subset of evidence in the report to accuse Democrats of what Mr. Collins called a gratuitous drive-by targeting a conservative journalist and a Republican lawmaker.

At issue were a half-dozen subpoenas issued by Democrats that turned up call records between the journalist, John Solomon of The Hill; Representative Devin Nunes of California, the top Republican on the Intelligence Committee; and subjects of the investigation, including Mr. Giuliani. Mr. Collins said he had no problem with the subpoenas, but demanded to know who decided to name Mr. Nunes and Mr. Solomon in the report.

Folks, you have made Joe McCarthy look like a piker, Mr. Sensenbrenner said.

Mr. Goldman declined to discuss investigative decisions, but said such identifications were typical when examining phone records in an inquiry like this. The calls noted in the report all took place around key events under scrutiny.

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Democrats Signal Abuse of Power and Obstruction of Congress Charges Against Trump - The New York Times

TRENTON, N.J. The confrontation was brief but explosive, and it laid bare the deepening fault lines within the Democratic Party in one of Americas bluest states.

New Jersey state troopers singled out Sue Altman, the leader of the left-leaning Working Families Alliance, grabbed her by the arms and forcibly removed her from a standing-room-only State Senate hearing on corporate tax breaks.

She was led past her main political rival, George E. Norcross III, a Democratic power broker who was at the hearing to testify in support of an $11 billion economic incentive program that Ms. Altman had criticized harshly and that is the subject of state investigations and subpoenas.

The imagery and its aftermath have roiled Trenton, exposing a generational and philosophical rift between progressive and mainstream Democrats that is mirrored nationwide.

The clash thrust Ms. Altman into the limelight and offered a vivid example of how the grass-roots energy in New Jersey that helped Democrats flip four seats in Congress last year has spilled into the State House.

It was not fun, Ms. Altman, 37, said of the confrontation. But, she added, it had underscored the current volatility in Trenton a perfect storm that she believes has created an opportunity to reshape New Jerseys political system.

Saily Avelenda, a lawyer from Essex County who worked to elect one of the four new Democrats, Representative Mikie Sherrill, said that New Jerseys progressive activists had deliberately shifted their focus from Washington to the state capital.

We created a conversation that wasnt there before, and, boy, do we need to have it, she said. It culminated in that one picture of Sue.

Images of the clash were shared widely on social media including by Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, a Democratic presidential candidate amplifying tensions between the Democratic factions that control the state government: lawmakers aligned with the progressive first-term governor, Philip D. Murphy, and those, including the powerful State Senate president, who are linked to Mr. Norcross.

Mr. Norcross, an insurance executive whose company and business associates benefited significantly from tax breaks passed under Mr. Murphys predecessor, Gov. Chris Christie, is widely regarded as the states most powerful unelected official.

His influence extends well beyond New Jersey. He is a member of both President Trumps Mar-a-Lago club and the Democratic National Committee. His brother, Representative Donald Norcross, is a Democrat who represents a South Jersey district.

Ms. Altmans ejection from the November hearing is being reviewed by the attorney general, and it is coloring the discussion of a range of issues, including the renewal of the corporate tax-break program and the fight for control of the Democratic State Committee.

The whole atmosphere here has changed somewhat, said Senator Loretta Weinberg, a Democrat who initially called Ms. Altmans removal one of the hearings disruptions, but later acknowledged that it was improper and embarrassing.

Ms. Altman became the leader of the Working Families Alliance in May, after the previous director left to help run Senator Bernie Sanderss presidential campaign.

A former prep-school history teacher with an M.B.A. from Oxford University, she speaks in rapid-fire sentences that pivot quickly in tone from policy wonk to street-savvy organizer.

She is at home in front of a power-point presentation, holding forth on what she sees as the ultimate prize: dismantling established political structures to make it viable for outsiders to run and win without the blessing of county bosses who still rule with tight fists in many parts of the state.

I want the whole thing to be rethought, she said in an interview at the rowhouse she rents in Camden.

To some people, Ms. Altmans background makes her an unlikely champion of Camden, one of the poorest cities in the United States. She is an Ivy-League educated former basketball star who was raised in Hunterdon County, an affluent enclave known for its horse farms.

Critics have said that Ms. Altman, who earns $75,000 in her new role, has been reluctant to speak out on issues that might upset the governor.

She was a registered Republican until 2008. My parents were, so I just signed up as them, she said. She later registered without a party affiliation before becoming a Democrat.

Her outspokenness about corporate tax breaks and her decision to live in Camden, a city seen as the Norcross familys inviolable power base, made her a ready target for opponents long before the contentious Senate hearing.

Felisha Reyes-Morton, a Camden councilwoman, said that she was tired of hearing Ms. Altman blame George Norcross and the tax breaks for everything that was wrong with the city.

I think she uses it to her advantage, not that shes a caring Camden resident, Ms. Reyes-Morton said.

Ms. Altman regularly spars with the powers-that-be on Twitter and seems to revel in the role of outside agitator. Barely a week into her job as the alliances director, she participated in a demonstration where protesters stood near an inflatable pig handing out fake million-dollar bills stamped with Mr. Norcrosss face.

She credits her years on the basketball court with making her comfortable in the political scrum. After leading her college team at Columbia University in scoring, she played professionally in Ireland and Germany. She went on to teach and coach at Blair Academy before studying at Oxford, where she also played basketball.

Youre going to get booed, she said. You still have to make your foul shots.

She is flirting with the possibility of making a primary run against Donald Norcross. I havent ruled it out, she said, despite taking no concrete steps toward a campaign.

A spokesman for the congressman declined to comment, but provided a list of re-election endorsements that include House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Planned Parenthood.

The alliance, a wing of a national labor-backed umbrella organization, cites New Jerseys adoption of a $15 minimum wage in February as a key victory. The groups legislative agenda syncs closely with the governors, and includes approving drivers licenses for undocumented immigrants, a so-called millionaires tax and the legalization of recreational marijuana.

When the Democratic Party is not fighting for progressive values, were going to fight the Democratic Party, said Kevin Brown, a vice president of the 32BJ Service Employees International Union, an alliance member.

A senior Murphy administration official who was not authorized to speak publicly said that in the past year Ms. Altman had influenced the debate in Trenton more than any other person, calling her a game changer.

A fellow Camden activist described her as fierce.

She doesnt have to stay here, said Ronsha Dickerson, 42, an African-American mother of six who works for an organization that has called for a moratorium on new charter schools in Camden. But shes chosen this space to really be committed to making change.

In college, Ms. Altman took up boxing to stay in shape. She picked it up again this past fall, parrying punches with the ease of a lifelong athlete during a recent workout.

As she left the gym, Wayne Shareef Jr., a boxing coach and trainer, jokingly cautioned her not to get in trouble.

I cant guarantee that, she said, chuckling.

A spokesman for George Norcross, Daniel Fee, bristled at the depiction of Ms. Altman as an independent reformer. He pointed to a $100,000 donation to the Working Families Alliance from New Direction New Jersey, a group aligned with Mr. Murphy, as evidence of her financial dependence on the governor.

The alliance is not required to disclose its donors, but Ms. Altman has been criticized for not doing so voluntarily.

I wouldnt ascribe to them any success other than getting media coverage, Mr. Fee said. The way to make change is to win elections, and so far they havent.

The well-oiled political organizations in New Jerseys 21 counties are skilled at nurturing obedience, in large part by controlling which candidates share the ballot line with incumbents. The structure makes it almost impossible for an insurgent to win a primary, as Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez did in New York.

Its a self-fulfilling prophecy, said Patrick Murray, director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute. Once youve got the line, you hold the power to keep the line.

Perhaps nowhere is the schism within the Democratic Party clearer than in the fight over who will lead the state committee. The victor controls the partys purse strings, and the true prize: command over selecting a committee that will redraw the legislative map, a power that can make or break candidates and is a potent bargaining chip.

Ms. Avelenda was hired two weeks ago to be the campaign manager for Mr. Murphys choice, John Currie, the current state party chairman. Mr. Currie is locked in an uphill race against LeRoy Jones, who has the support of George Norcross and the Senate president, Stephen M. Sweeney.

If Mr. Currie loses, the governor will face re-election in 2021 with a party chairman he did not select, or want.

Ms. Altman welcomed the choice of Ms. Avelenda, who may be best known from a 2017 episode involving Rodney Frelinghuysen, to run Mr. Curries campaign.

That year, Mr. Frelinghuysen, New Jerseys most powerful member of Congress at the time, highlighted Ms. Avelendas political activism in a personal note attached to a fund-raising letter sent to a member of the board at the bank where she worked.

She resigned from the bank and devoted herself to electing a Democrat; Mr. Frelinghuysen decided not to seek re-election.

Love seeing the Dems recognize the talents of progressive women, Ms. Altman wrote on Twitter. Plus, we need a win.

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Why a Progressive Democrat Was Dragged Out of the N.J. Senate - The New York Times