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Eyes on 2018, Democrats salivate over GOP health plan Sacramento Bee The attacks are ready. Democrats just need Republicans to go ahead and pass the bill. Republicans in the House of Representatives have been racing to a vote on President Donald Trump's health care overhaul, and on a parallel track, Democratic ... GOP looks to wrest public access issue from DemocratsGreat Falls Tribune The Democrats' ditch is only getting deeperWashington Post (blog) all 15 news articles »

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Eyes on 2018, Democrats salivate over GOP health plan - Sacramento Bee

Money is flooding into Democrat Jon Ossoffs campaign. The national party has started running focus groups on his behalf. Thousands of volunteers have flocked to his team to help him win his April special election for a vacant Atlanta-area congressional seat.

The race for Georgias 6th District has suddenly become a focal point, viewed as a chance to send Donald Trump a message by channeling the partys grass-roots rage, energy and frustration into a single contest. But party leaders are growing increasingly frustrated by the nationalization of this race and another in Montana and worried about unrealistic expectations in Republican-friendly seats where the Democrats are at a decided disadvantage.

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Just a few high-profile losses in races framed as referendums on the Trump agenda, Democrats fear, and the currently heightened level of engagement and hope might fall off the cliff.

I would caution heavily against resting the entire future of a party on the outcome of a special election, warned Rebecca DeHart, the Georgia Democratic Partys executive director.

You can make two mistakes with special elections. One is to over-read and assume that because you won or lost, that is a predictor of the midterms. The flip side is that you can under-read, said strategist Jesse Ferguson, a former top official at the House Democrats campaign wing.

The polarizing nature of the presidential election and the early months of the Trump administration are already amplifying the noise surrounding not just the Georgia special election but a handful of congressional special elections slated in coming months. The national press, and activists and officials in both parties, are looking for clues to understand Trumps newly refashioned political landscape in places like Montana, where theres a contest to replace Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke; in South Carolina, where Budget Director Mick Mulvaneys former seat is vacant; in Kansas, where CIA Director Mike Pompeos seat is open; and in California, where theres a crowded contest to succeed Xavier Becerra, now the states attorney general.

Nowhere is grass-roots Democratic optimism more acute than in Georgia, where Ossoff, a 30-year-old documentary filmmaker, is vying to capture the suburban Atlanta seat left vacant by Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price. The state is trending toward battleground status, and Trump won the district in question by a single percentage point.

Ossoff has raised millions of dollars online from angry activists, and he spent Thursday night at a fundraiser hosted for him by party bigwigs like Reps. Nancy Pelosi, Steny Hoyer, James Clyburn and John Lewis at Democratic National Committee headquarters.

A Pelosi-signed fundraising email for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee claimed on Thursday that the energy surrounding the race has Republicans terrified.

But local and national Democrats alike see risk in raising expectations too high. Trump may have underperformed there in November, but Price typically won the seat by landslide margins. At best, Ossoff is a long shot and local party officials fear even a narrow Ossoff loss could create the impression that Georgia is still too red to warrant attention from the national party.

Special elections are indicators, not prognosticators. They are testing grounds, but not conclusive proof-points, [so] it can be a mistake to read into a special election as giving the party a perfect road map for where to invest in the future. But at the same time, ignoring the consequences of these testing grounds comes at your peril," said Ferguson.

The Georgia race will feature an April primary with candidates of all parties, and assuming none reaches 50 percent, there will be a June runoff thats widely expected to pit Ossoff against a Republican who will likely be the favorite.

If Jon Ossoff is the future of the Democratic Party, the future is very bright for Republicans. Jon Ossoff has a better chance of being cast as Han Solo in the next 'Star Wars' movie than becoming a member of Congress, said Corry Bliss, executive director of the American Action Network and Congressional Leadership Fund, groups tied to GOP House leadership which has run anti-Ossoff ads. He was alluding to clips that have circulated of Ossoff dressed as that character in college.

Not all of the special elections are viewed as Trump-era barometers. The South Carolina and Kansas seats are expected to remain in GOP hands, while the Los Angeles-area seat is almost certain to remain in Democratic control. But along with the Georgia contest, the May special election for Montanas at-large House seat is being watched closely, and some Democrats see it as a promising if slightly more difficult pick-up opportunity.

In its endorsement of Rob Quist, the Democratic nominee, the popular liberal website Daily Kos described the race as "the perfect test, then, of a populist outsider versus an out-of-touch one-percenter.

But the conventional wisdom in Montana is that in order to win statewide, a Democrat needs exceedingly high name recognition. That doesnt describe Quist, a musician who is running against Greg Gianforte, a businessman who waged an unsuccessful challenge against Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock in 2016.

There are some people on the national level who are saying this is the referendum of whatll happen with Trump, because our state went for Trump. But the reality is its local. Our state is unique: We elected Steve Bullock and Trump by a wide margin, said Jim Larson, chairman of the state Democratic Party.

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Bullock himself warned against attempts to nationalize the race.

We havent really seen what this election is going to look like, he said. Its hard to say its going to be one thing or another until it starts to be a little more defined.

Montana GOP chairman Jeff Essmann, a local legislator and former state Senate president, said hes skeptical about Democratic chances in a state where Trump won easily.

If they want a laboratory for that, they need to do it in a state where Trump didnt win by 20 percent, like Montana, said Essmann. Hes very popular, his policies are, and I think this race is going to simply come down to a race between one experienced candidate who will support the Trump agenda and one who will oppose it."

Even local Democrats are hesitant to use their race as a potential piece of evidence regarding Trumps standing among voters.

For Democrats and Republicans to [look at the results and] say, Oh, America hates Trump, or America loves Trump? Well, both of that is true, said Larson. Can there be lessons learned on elections that we win? Well, what worked in Delaware isnt necessarily going to work in Montana."

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Democrats gripped by special election performance anxiety - Politico

The Democratic Party has a leadership vacuum at the top, with many registered voters eager to see someone who is not currently on the scene become the partys standard-bearer in 2020, according to a new Harvard-Harris Poll survey provided exclusively to The Hill.

When registered voters were asked whom they view as the leader of the Democratic Party, 40 percent said it has no leader.

Eleven percent view Sen. Elizabeth WarrenElizabeth WarrenSenate nixes Obama-era workplace safety rule Five takeaways from Labor picks confirmation hearing Warren: 'No confidence' in Trump's Labor pick MORE (D-Mass.) as the partys leader, and 10 percent answered with former Secretary of State Hillary ClintonHillary Rodham ClintonObama and Trump havent talked since inauguration Perez, Ellison start multistate turnaround tour for Dems Watergate reporter on Russia: 'Ive been saying for a while theres a coverup going on' MORE, the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee.

On the question of who should be a Democratic presidential candidate in 2020, Sanders led the field, at 14 percent, followed by former first lady Michelle ObamaMichelle ObamaObama and Trump havent talked since inauguration For Democrats, no clear leader Obama reportedly spending a month in French Polynesia MORE at 11 percent, Warren at 9 percent, Clinton at 8 percent, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo each at 4 percent, and television personality Oprah Winfrey and Sen. Cory Booker (N.J.) each at 3 percent.

Forty-five percent said they want to see someone not on the list of possible candidates in the survey.

There is a vacuum now in the Democratic Party in terms of leadership and a 2020 candidate, so its the Democrats who might have a raft of candidates next time, especially if the voters are searching for someone new, said Harvard-Harris co-director Mark Penn.

When Clinton was taken out of the list of potential 2020 candidates, Sanderss support went up to 18 percent, followed by Michelle Obama at 14 percent and Warren at 10 percent. No other candidate received more than 4 percent support, and 44 percent of respondents said they want someone not on the list.

Michelle Obama has some potential as a future candidate if she was interested in politics, Penn said.

Barack ObamaBarack ObamaDem rep: Nunes betrayed Intel panels independence Why Trump should support CBC priority Trump defends several unsubstantiated claims in interview MORE has said his wife will never run for office, though she remains hugely popular among Democrats.

The party is in the midst of a full-scale rebuilding project after the 2016 elections, in which it lost control of the White House and failed to win majorities in either the House or Senate.

Democratic ranks have also faced serious defeats at the state level, where the party has lost about 1,000 legislative seats since Obama took office. Republicans control 69 of 99 legislative chambers across the country and 33 of 50 governor mansions.

Democrats took the first step in setting a new path forward last month when former Obama administration Labor Secretary Tom Perez defeated Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), a Sanders acolyte, to become chairman of the Democratic National Committee.

Still, the party lacks a consensus leader at a time when there are deep and lingering divisions between grassroots liberals and mainstream establishment Democrats.

The partisan breakdown of the Harvard-Harris survey is 37 percent Democratic, 30 percent Republican, 28 percent independent and 5 percent other.

When only Democrats are taken into account, the figures shift slightly.

Thirty-five percent of Democrats said their party has no leader. Sixteen percent picked Barack Obama or Warren as the leader, followed by Sanders at 14 percent and Clinton at 8 percent.

Twenty-five percent of Democrats said they want someone not on the polls list of possibilities to be their presidential candidate in 2020. Twenty percent said Sanders should be the nominee, followed by Michelle Obama at 17 percent, Warren at 15 percent, Clinton at 10 percent, Cuomo and Booker each at 4 percent, Winfrey at 3 percent and Cuban at 2 percent.

Overall, 40 percent of respondents had a favorable view of the Democratic Party, compared with 60 percent who viewed it negatively. Republicans were seen similarly, 41 percent favorable to 59 percent unfavorable.

But Republicans had a far more positive view of their own party, with 79 percent saying they had a favorable view of the GOP. Only 65 percent of Democrats had a favorable view of their own party.

Among all the registered voters surveyed, 46 percent said the Democratic Party is becoming more liberal, 43 percent said it is staying the same, and 11 percent said it is moving to the right. A majority of Democrats, 56 percent, said the party is staying the same, while 30 percent said it is becoming more liberal and 14 said it is becoming more conservative.

Forty-nine percent of all those surveyed said the GOP is becoming more conservative, while 36 percent said it is staying the same and 16 percent said it is becoming more liberal. Among just Republicans, 43 percent said their party is staying the same, 39 percent said it is becoming more conservative, and 19 said it is becoming more liberal.

The Harvard-Harris survey of 2,092 registered voters was conducted online between March 14 and 16.

The Hill will be working with Harvard-Harris throughout 2017. Full poll results will be posted online later this week.

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For Democrats, no clear leader - The Hill

JERSEY CITY The Hudson County Democratic Organization on Wednesday officially announced the candidates the organization is supporting in the upcoming June primary. According the HCDO Chairman/Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto, the slew of candidates will fight to represent the interests of the heavily blue county. The HCDO also formally endorsed former U.S. Ambassador to Germany Phil Murphy in his pursuit of the governorship.

The announcement included few surprises with the majority of primary support favoring incumbent candidates. The decision of Hudson County Clerk Barbara Netchert to not pursue re-election did create a bit of a shakeup, however. Current Freeholder Junior Maldonado will run with HCDO support to replace Netchert. Joel Torres will run for Maldonados current freeholder position.

The Wednesday announcement also put to rest rumors that state Senator Sandra Cunningham was mulling a challenge against incumbent Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop for his position. Her endorsement by the HCDO as well as Fulops presence at the event suggests that the county party organization has avoided discord ahead of the June election.

This team is going to do something that it always does we are going to win, Cunningham said.

According to Hudson County Executive Tom DeGise, the county party is completely united.

We are at peace again, we are going to stay at peace, DeGise said of the HCDO as he credited Prieto with successfully navigating the political waters in the county.

In June, the entirety of the New Jersey state legislature will be up for election. In Hudson County and around the state, there will also be county and municipal elections. While the announcement only focused on state and county candidates, a number of mayors including Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer, Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop, West New York Mayor Felix Roque and Weehawken Mayor Richard Turner were also present.

See the list of endorsements below:

Phil Murphy for Governor

Senator Sandra Cunningham for District 31 senator

Senator Nick Sacco for District 32 senator

Senator Brian Stack for District 33 senator

Assemblywoman Angela McKnight and Assemblyman Nick Chiaravalloti for District 31 Assembly

Assembly Speaker Prieto and Assemblywoman Angelica Jimenez for District 32 Assembly,

Assemblyman Raj Mukerji and Assemblywoman Annette Chaparro for District 33 Assembly

Junior Maldonado for County Clerk

Kenneth Kopacz, William ODea, Jerry Walker, Joel Torres, Anthony Romano, Tilo Rivas, Caridad Rodriguez, Anthony Vainieri and Al Cifelli for freeholder

Original post:
Hudson County Democrats Announce Primary Candidates - Observer

Hawaii lawmaker Beth Fukumoto, ousted last month as Republican leader of the state's House of Representatives after publicly criticizing President Donald Trump, resigned on Wednesday from her party to seek membership as a Democrat.

Fukumoto, 33, the youngest Hawaii legislator to serve as House minority leader, said divisive campaign rhetoric during the 2016 elections convinced her the Republican Party no longer reflected her political values or the interests of her state's diverse population.

"This election, I saw members of my party marginalizing and condemning minorities, ethnic or otherwise, and making demeaning comments towards women," she said in an open letter of resignation to the Republican Party.

Fukumoto, who is of mixed Japanese and Irish ancestry, said she found Trump's comments about banning Muslim immigrants and the possibility of establishing a registry of Muslim-Americans to be especially troubling.

"I wanted very badly to see the Republican Party denounce his comments, and that didn't happen," she told Reuters, saying a Muslim registry struck her as "one step away" from internment camps.

"That for me was the issue that really changed how I felt."

A self-described political moderate, Fukumoto was the first Republican in 26 years to represent the largely middle-class central Oahu district outside Honolulu, capital of the predominantly Democratic state.

She said she originally joined the Republicans out of a sense that Democrats were the status quo party, but she grew gradually disillusioned with the Republicans.

She recounted a fellow Republican caucus member admonishing her last year that they should be considered the "party of middle America" despite Hawaii's diverse demographics.

Before making the switch, Fukumoto sent out a questionnaire to constituents seeking their opinions. Of those who replied, 76 percent said they would support her regardless, while most of the remainder opposed her changing parties, she said.

First elected to the state legislature in 2012, Fukumoto became leader of the state's tiny House Republican caucus two years later, only to be removed by her peers in February of this year after she spoke out against Trump during the Women's March in Hawaii the day after his inauguration.

As of Wednesday, Fukumoto, became the lone independent among 45 Democrats and five remaining Republicans in the state's lower House, as she launches a process of applying for membership in the state's majority party.

(Reporting by Steve Gorman; Editing by Joseph Radford)

WASHINGTON The Republican chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives intelligence committee set off a political firestorm on Wednesday when he said the communications of members of Donald Trump's transition team were caught up in incidental surveillance targeting foreigners.

WASHINGTON Jay Clayton, the Wall Street attorney tapped by President Donald Trump to lead the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, will face questions on his vision for the agency at his confirmation hearing on Thursday before the Senate Banking Committee.

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Hawaii lawmaker resigns from Republican Party to join Democrats - Reuters