Mediaboss Marketing

SMITHFIELD Five Republican candidates in the Sept. 13 primary are running for a chance at three seats in Smithfield.

The five-member School Committee has four-year staggered terms, with two members not up for election again until 2024. Members Anthony Torregrossa and Benjamin Caisse, both Democrats, are not up for election.

Chairperson Virginia Harnois, a Democrat, is not seeking re-election this year after 40 years on the School Committee, and School Committee Secretary Rose Marie Cipriano, a Republican, is also not seeking re-election after eight years serving the district.

The three top vote-earners from the Republican primary will face off against three endorsed Democrat candidates in the Nov. 8 election. Democrats include Aaron Bishop, Elizabeth Worthley and Kristina Fox. An independent, Edward Quattrini, is also running for School Committee.

Three of the five Republicans running for School Committee are endorsed, including incumbent Richard Iannitelli, Amanda Fafard and Jessica Sala. Unendorsed candidates are John Fabiano and Gary Alix.

Alix did not respond to calls for an interview.

Iannitelli, 65, previously served on the School Committee from 1994 to 2014, and returned to serve on the committee in 2018 wanting to contribute to the elementary school renovation project. He said he feels he still has something to contribute to the district, and hopes to serve another term.

With the bond project completed on time and within budget, Iannitelli said he is proud of the new learning capabilities at the fingertips of teachers and students.

50, 60 years takes a toll on structures. We cleaned up a lot of stuff while looking to the future, he said. Theres better lighting, better technology, new libraries, maker spaces and other rooms where teachers can bring kids to try out ideas.

All while in a pandemic, he added.

Iannitelli highlighted updated art rooms at the middle and high school, and said work will continue in those buildings, including the high school auditorium, with the same results.

It is another area where my experience will come in handy, he said.

Iannitelli said the elementary project beat back all the problems of a labor shortage and supply chain issues with very few snags. He said he does not anticipate many difficulties with the Boyle Athletic Complex project.

On education, Iannitelli said he wants to get back to the basics. He said he is concerned about COVID loss, after students have lost time in school over the past three years.

That has me concerned. Weve taken steps over the summer to make sure we continue to get kids back up to where they should be, he said.

He said education gaps are seen in all fields of study, though compared to the state, Smithfield is doing well on test scores. He said he wants to ensure no student is left behind, particularly those who are continually missing the mark.

I want to keep pressing on and moving forward for all the kids, he said.

Iannitelli, who is the president of Iannitelli Insurance Agency, said he brings experience and a reputation for listening to people no matter who they are or their position. He said he would like to restore the relationship and trust between the district and parents after a few difficult years.

Now is a really important time to set things straight again after a few crazy years. A lot of parents feel they have not been listened to, and a lot of parents are upset with the state of education, he said.

Iannitelli said he brings institutional knowledge to the school board after two incumbents retired . He said he knows how to run meetings, how the rules work, and has shared his knowledge with committee members and the public many times over the years.

When you know the ropes, you can get better at it, he said.

Fafard, 35, is a lifelong Smithfield resident and 2005 SHS graduate. She has three children who attend three schools in the district, including LaPerche and Pleasant View Elementary Schools and Gallagher Middle School. She is the co-chairperson of Smithfields Special Education Advisory Committee, Pleasant View PTO president, and also coached Smithfield girls basketball and softball.

Ive been around the town for a while. I take pride in saying Im from Smithfield, Fafard said.

She said as a School Committee member, she would like to improve relationships between faculty, staff and teachers while trying to give families back a voice. She said she would advocate for every child and parent and help to boost morale in town.

Parents feel they go to the School Committee and theyre not being heard, she said.

Fafard said she has a passion for special education, and in 2020, she gave up her career to go back to school to pursue a degree in special education to help implement programs and support services in Smithfield. She said it is important to work with children who have a range of learning abilities, much like her children, knowing that not every child fits into a square box.

Its important that, as a district, we expand that box, she said.

After working with administrators in the district, Fafard said Smithfields phenomenal teachers have not always felt their worth.

Its time to get our scores up, get children and staff mental health up, and improve buildings and programs, she said.

While the elementary schools look incredible, Fafard noted, she would also like to see the secondary education buildings in the district improved. She said the middle and high school remain pretty much the same since her father graduated from high school, and are outdated.

Its time to bring the other schools up to match, she said.

Updating schools will keep students and faculty in the district, she added. For those who do not have children in the schools and feel that investing in the school does not apply to them, she said a good district keeps house values high.

Everyone in town benefits from it, she said.

Sala, 41, has lived in Smithfield for 35 years and works at Fidelity Investments. Her three sons all attend Smithfield schools, and she said she became interested in serving on the school board after attending meetings the last couple of years.

She said there is room for improvement, and she would continue to bring transparency, and oversight to the curriculum, and get parents more involved than in the past.

Sala said she is excited for upcoming projects, such as the Boyle Athletic Complex, to be completed. She said the district did great work on the elementary schools, but the high and middle schools are also in need of repair. After graduating from Smithfield High School in 1998, she said much looks the same in the high school.

A big amount of money comes from the town budget and taxpayer dollars to our schools. I want to ensure the best use for our taxpayers, Sala said.

Sala said she wants to ensure the district focuses on the fundamentals of education, and does not remove any critical programming. She also wants Smithfield schools to focus on career opportunities in addition to college planning.

I want to put confidence in kids that there is nothing wrong in taking that path after high school. We need a focused effort in career planning as well. It is equally needed and valued as when you graduate to go off into a trade, she said.

Sala said she loves Smithfield, and has a vested interest in seeing the schools do well.

I think people really value and have pride in the town. I think thats really important, she said.

Fabiano, 39, is a recent graduate of the Police Academy, working at the Warren Police Department. A lifelong Smithfield resident and SHS graduate, he said he and his wife want to see the education in Smithfield improve.

Over the past few years, he said, the district has stumbled on education, and needs to get back to the basics. All three of his children are in the Smithfield school system.

Its best to stick to reading, writing and arithmetic, Fabiano said.

He said hes looking for students to have more freedom in school, and said students are getting pushed toward an agenda that the country was not founded on.

I think we should be a free society, and special interest groups are getting ahold of things and pushing their agenda, forcing their role on things and I dont think that is right, he said.

Fabiano said parents are not happy with the state of education, and said he is disappointed in how the $45 million elementary school project was done. Particularly, he said, he wanted to see air conditioning added in schools.

Supt. Dawn Bartz said each elementary school has air conditioning in the libraries, maker spaces, learning labs and main offices, while some classrooms, like rooms without windows, have units. She said central air throughout the buildings is not part of the project.

Read more here:
Meet the candidates of the Republican primary for School Committee - Valley Breeze

Things appear to be looking up for Democratic Senate candidates.

As recently as a few months ago, Republicans were widely viewed as the favorites to take control of the Senate after the crucial US midterm elections this November. Given the current 50-50 split, Republicans only need to flip one seat to regain the majority in the upper chamber.

But now, the nomination of several controversial Republican candidates and a recent string of Democratic legislative victories have many election forecasters reconsidering their predictions. Democrats appear better positioned to keep the Senate now than at any other point of this election cycle, although experts emphasize that the outlook could significantly shift again before November.

Democrats have the benefit of a favorable Senate map this year, as they are not defending any seats in states carried by Donald Trump in 2020.

Democrats prospects have also been aided by Republicans failure to recruit top candidates in several states, including incumbent governors Doug Ducey of Arizona and Chris Sununu of New Hampshire. Instead, vulnerable Republicans were able to secure nominations in a number of key battleground states, often with the help of Trumps endorsement.

In Georgia, the former professional football player Herschel Walker has attracted scandal for failing to acknowledge the existence of two secret children and abusing his ex-wife. Walker has acknowledged the abuse, saying he was suffering from mental illness at the time.

In Pennsylvania, celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz has alienated voters because of his past dubious health claims and his longtime residency in New Jersey before deciding to run for office.

In Ohio, author JD Vance has struggled to gain his footing, most recently being criticized because his now-shuttered non-profit dedicated to combating opioid addiction promoted the work of a doctor with ties to the pharmaceutical industry.

As Republican candidates have stumbled, Democrats have enjoyed a wave of wins on Capitol Hill.

Last week, Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act, a sweeping spending package that includes hundreds of billions of dollars in investments aimed at reducing the countrys planet-heating emissions and lowering Americans healthcare costs.

The supreme courts decision to overturn Roe v Wade, ending the federal right to abortion access, appears to be driving voters to the polls as well. On Tuesday, Democrat Pat Ryan won a hotly contested special congressional race in New York after running a campaign focused on protecting abortion rights.

Republican Senate candidates have indicated that abortion rights could be a weakness for them in the November elections. Blake Masters, who is running against Democratic Senator Mark Kelly in Arizona, altered his campaign website this week to delete some language expressing support for severe abortion restrictions.

All of those developments seem to be resonating in several key Senate races. According to FiveThirtyEight, Democrats have pulled slightly ahead in Ohio and Georgia, while the partys candidates in Pennsylvania and Arizona have opened larger leads of eight to nine points.

Retirements, recruitment failures and vicious primaries coupled with Trumps endorsements have left Republicans with a roster of flawed and deeply damaged candidates, while Democrats are running strong, battle-tested incumbents and challengers who are backed by their own unique coalition of voters, Christie Roberts, the executive director of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, said in a memo late last month.

Even senior Republicans have acknowledged that the tide has turned against them in the battle for the Senate. The Senate Republican leader, Mitch McConnell, said on Monday that the partys chances of regaining control of the chamber were 50-50.

Weve got a 50-50 Senate right now. Weve got a 50-50 nation, McConnell said at a business luncheon in Kentucky. And I think the outcome is likely to be very, very close either way.

Election forecasters have similarly picked up on this shift in momentum. FiveThirtyEights forecast model now says that Democrats are slightly favored to maintain control of the Senate, while the Cook Political Report updated its Senate prediction to toss-up last week.

I would have said, before primaries began in earnest at the start of May, that Republicans had at least a 60% shot of flipping Senate control, said Jessica Taylor, Cooks Senate and governors editor. We now see it as a pure toss-up, and I can see anywhere between Democrats picking up one seat to Republicans picking up three.

Democrats are not throwing away this new advantage, instead making a point to highlight their opponents weaknesses. One anti-Trump group aired an ad featuring Walkers ex-wife, Cindy Grossman, describing how he once held a gun to her head and threatened to kill her.

The Ohio Democratic party bought the abandoned website of Vances defunct non-profit, adding a greeting to the homepage reading, This site no longer exists because JD Vance is a fraud.

Democrat John Fetterman in Pennsylvania has gone to increasingly humorous lengths to troll his opponent. At one point, Fettermans campaign circulated a petition calling for Oz to be inducted into New Jerseys Hall of Fame. Fetterman has even gone so far as to enlist the help of celebrities like Nicole Snooki Polizzi, from the reality television show Jersey Shore, to film ads encouraging Oz to come home to New Jersey.

Senate Democratic candidates have also enjoyed somewhat of a cash advantage in recent months. The DSCC reported a $10m haul in July, marking the fourth month in a row that the group outraised its counterpart, the National Republican Senatorial Committee. The NRSC recently cut its ad buys in three battleground states, sparking questions about potential financial difficulties, although the committee fiercely pushed back against that speculation.

Weve invested in building our grassroots fundraising program, which has paid dividends this cycle and will benefit the NRSC and the party as a whole for cycles to come, Chris Hartline, the NRSCs communications director, said on Monday. We work closely with every one of our campaigns and will continue to do so.

But even if Democrats do manage to keep control of the Senate, Republicans are still favored to take back the House, partly because of their success in redistricting. If Congress is divided after the midterms, Democrats will face severe hurdles in trying to advance their legislative agenda.

Under that scenario, I expect [House] Republicans to overreach week in and week out, passing one form of extreme legislation after another when theyre not trying to investigate the Biden administration. All of which is going to die a quick, painful death in the Senate, said Jim Manley, who served as a senior adviser to Harry Reid, the late Senate Democratic leader.

Although it may be difficult to pass bills, a Democratic Senate majority could still reap significant rewards for Biden, particularly when it comes to presidential nominations. If another supreme court seat opens up between now and 2024, a Democratic Senate would help Biden add another liberal justice to the bench.

While there might not be much of a chance for legislating because the House will be dominated by extremists, it doesnt mean nothing can get done, Manley said. Maybe theres going to be a chance or two to try and work on a bipartisan basis after some negotiation, but the Senate I think would spend most of their time under such a scenario confirming judicial nominees.

Although things are looking up for Democrats now, experts caution that November is still a political eternity away, and Republicans have historical trends working in their favor. The presidents party usually loses seats in midterm elections, and Bidens approval rating has now been underwater for roughly a year, which could be enough for Republicans to flip the Senate.

While things are better for Democrats, it could swing back. This could just be a blip on the radar. I would not be shocked if thats the case and we sort of returned to a midterm stasis, where the party out of power has the momentum, Taylor said. But even if Democrats can cut into that some, it could mean keeping the Senate.

Visit link:
As Republicans stumble could Democrats really hold on to the Senate? - The Guardian US

Here are five takeaways from a key primary night in Florida and New York:

It would have been easy to write Nebraska off as a fluke, after Democrats ran better than expected in a House race there last month. But then came Minnesota, where Democrats again beat expectations. And then, in New York on Tuesday, the dam broke.

Well, shit, one Republican strategist texted late Tuesday, as results from a Hudson Valley special election filtered in.

It would have been a victory for Democrats if theyd even kept it close. Instead, Democrat Pat Ryan beat Republican Marc Molinaro in a district that Joe Biden narrowly won in 2020, but that would have appeared to favor Republicans in a normal midterm climate.

Overall, on the last major primary night of the year, the winds appeared to be shifting in Democrats favor.

It can be tempting to read too much into special elections. Theyre not always predictive of results in the fall, and Republicans this year have overperformed in some places, too. In June, the GOP won a South Texas House seat that had been held by a Democrat.

But that was before Roe shook the political landscape. Ever since, its been nothing but one sign after another that Democrats while still widely expected to lose the House in November might not be in for the all-out drubbing once predicted.

The New York race to succeed Democrat Antonio Delgado in a New York House district is likely a better indicator than the House races in Minnesota or Nebraska. For one thing, its the most current data we have. But more than that, its a competitive district where both parties spent real money and tested their general election messaging abortion for Democrats, the economy for Republicans. It was about as close to a November test run as were going to get.

This is a Republican versus a Democrat. Theyre not crazy. No ones off the wall, said Hank Sheinkopf, a longtime Democratic strategist based in New York. Thats why its a good test.

Democrats passed and then some.

If Pat Ryan out-and-out wins, or even comes within 5 points of beating Molinaro, all projections of a red wave are completely overblown, said New York-based Democratic strategist Jon Reinish, a former aide to Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.). This race is really a canary in a coal mine.

In a midterm cycle dominated by Donald Trump, it was a House race in Florida on Tuesday that laid bare more clearly than anywhere just how much Republicans are willing to stomach in their service to the former president and his fiercest allies.

Not even a federal investigation into whether Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) had sex with a 17-year-old girl and paid her for it (Gaetz has denied any wrongdoing) was enough to dent his MAGA celebrity. Not even close.

Gaetz, a Trump favorite, beat his closest opponent by more than 40 percentage points.

With the primaries all but finished now, Trumps midterm record is not without blemishes. There was his humiliation in Georgia in May. His preferred candidates lost gubernatorial races in Idaho and Nebraska. And in New Hampshire, Trump-world failed to find any prominent Republican to run against the incumbent governor, Chris Sununu. Sununu, who called Trump fucking crazy at the roast-style Gridiron Club dinner this year, is likely to easily win re-nomination in his primary next month.

But for the most part from J.D. Vances victory in the Ohio Senate primary in May to Rep. Liz Cheneys (R-Wyo.) ouster in Wyoming last week the midterms belonged to the former president.

Gaetz was the icing on the cake.

In general, probably the former president has maybe even a better win-loss record than some people would have expected, said Mark Graul, a Republican strategist who worked on George W. Bushs 2004 campaign.

If Trump-ism is ever going to flush its way through the Republican Party, he said, the lesson of this years primaries is that its going to take more than one election cycle.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis political muscle was on full display Tuesday night, as candidates he endorsed won a handful of key state legislative races and a wave of school board seats, which were a main focus for the governor in the final weeks of the 2022 midterm.

DeSantis biggest legislative win was Republican Kiyan Michael, who is running for a Jacksonville state House seat. Michael was running against more established and better funded politicians, including a former state representative.

DeSantis did not endorse until late in the race, but his support gave Michael immediate momentum to overcome her Republican rivals. She ended up securing 47 percent of the vote in a three-way primary.

DeSantis also backed Florida Senate candidate Blaise Ingoglia and Jonathan Martin, both Republicans. The impact of the governors endorsement was felt long before Election Day because it cleared a potentially crowded field in both races.

For the final weeks of primary season, DeSantis put an outsized effort, including contributions from his personal political committee, into local school boards across the state. Its part of his broader agenda to reshape Floridas education system.

It worked. Of the 30 school board candidates that got DeSantis formal support, 21 won their election bids Tuesday night.

Florida Republicans, with DeSantis taking the lead, have poured thousands of dollars into school board races this election cycle, elevating those generally sleepy races into top midterm targets for the GOP, and putting at times surprised Democrats on underfunded defense.

Defense contractor Cory Mills boasted that he would make the media shed real tears after news accounts reported on how his company sold tear gas used on Black Lives Matters demonstrators. Mills has also questioned the legitimacy of President Joe Bidens win in 2020.

Anna Paulina Luna, who was endorsed by former President Donald Trump, alleged last year that a handful of her rivals were engaged in a conspiracy to kill her.

Both are poised to join the Republican caucus in Congress after winning their respective primaries for Floridas 7th and Floridas 13th congressional districts. The contests in both races were noisy, bitter and expensive.

The GOP candidates are likely to win in November because the districts were reshaped to favor Republican candidates under a controversial new congressional map championed by Gov. Ron DeSantis. Currently Republicans hold a 16-11 edge in Floridas congressional delegation. After adding one seat due to population growth, the new map is projected to give the GOP a 20-8 margin in the next session of Congress.

The result was that Republicans vying for the new seats shifted even further to the right.

It didnt work for all candidates. Laura Loomer, a far-right activist who has been kicked off social media platforms for anti-Islamic posts, came close to knocking off longtime GOP incumbent Rep. Dan Webster. But Webster buoyed by votes in his home county managed to beat her by a few thousand votes in the race for Floridas 11th congressional district. Another candidate Martin Hyde said FBI agents would have wound up in a body bag if they had searched his home like they did Mar-a-Lago. But longtime incumbent Rep. Vern Buchanan soundly thrashed Hyde in the GOP primary for Floridas 16th congressional district.

Everything we know about the overturning of Roe v. Wade is that it will likely be a major motivator for Democrats in the fall.

What abortion does not appear to be given Nikki Frieds wipeout in the Florida gubernatorial primary on Tuesday night is singularly determinative.

Fried, the state agriculture commissioner once heavily promoted as the future of the Democratic Party in the state had spent much of the primary campaign casting her opponent, Rep. Charlie Crist (D-Fla.), as at best untrustworthy on the issue. Crist, a former Republican governor of the state before morphing into an independent and, eventually, a Democrat, said during his U.S. Senate run in 2010 that he would advocate for pro-life legislative efforts.

Even days before this years primary, when asked if he was pro-life, Crist responded, Im for life, arent you? before adding, Ive been pro-choice in every single decision Ive made that affects a womens right to choose.

So, whats more important to Democrats than Roe?

Electability, it seems.

I think the litmus test question in this race is who is the candidate who can best defeat DeSantis, which is a strategic question that I think most Democratic voters are applying, said Fernand Amandi, a veteran Democratic pollster and consultant in Florida.

Crist is widely considered an extreme longshot in the general election against DeSantis, even among Democrats.

But paradoxically, while Crist needed to survive the politics of abortion to win on Tuesday, its that same thing that he will need to be competitive at all in November.

If not for Roe, Amandi said, Im not certain that the Democrat would have a chance.

Follow this link:
Democrats gain momentum: 5 takeaways from the last big primary night of 2022 - POLITICO

Florida voters cite high stakes of primary electon

Voters trickled into the Fort Lauderdale community center Tuesday morning to vote in the primary elections of their respective parties. (Aug. 23)(AP video: Daniel Kozin)

AP

PANAMA CITY Former state Rep. Jay Trumbull wonthe Republican primaryfor the District 2 seat of the Florida Senate in Tuesday's election.

According to the Bay County Supervisor of Elections, Trumbull won ina landslidewith 79% of the voteagainstAir Force veteran and Destin local Regina Piazza, who received 21% of the vote.

Trumbull will now face sole Democratic candidate Carolynn Zoniain the Nov. 8 general election to represent District 2 which consists of Bay, Holmes, Jackson, Walton, Washington countiesand partsof Okaloosa County.

All 2022 primary election candidates: The 2022 primary elections in Bay County are Tuesday. Here's who is on the ballot

More election coverage: Two Bay County residents to battle for state House District 6 seat. What are their goals?

Live: Bay County Election results 2022

The seatwas formerly held by George Gainer, a former Bay County Commissioner and Panama City businessman, who announced his retirement June 6.

Trumbull, who representedDistrict 6 in the Florida House,announced his campaign for the District 2 state Senate seat June 7, saying he would be fighting for "the small businesses and working families of Florida."

"Our Panhandle values of faith, family, and freedom are the key to Florida's present economic boom. To sustain that prosperity long term, Ill fight to lower taxes, protect our environment, and fight for the lives of the unborn," Trumbull saidina press release. "I have and will continue to stand with Gov.(Ron) DeSantis to push back against the federal overreach that threatens our Constitutional rights and preserve our focus on freedom in our great State."

Trumbull added that his time and experiencein the Florida House will aid him, saying he helped to cut taxes, alleviate government burdens for small businesses, promote veteran-friendly initiatives and help Bay County with Hurricane Michael recovery.

He has received the endorsements of incoming state Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, R-Naples, and state Rep. Brad Drake, R-Marianna, as well as DeSantis.

"Jay Trumbull has been a strong ally for my agenda in the Legislature and a great champion for the people of NW Florida," DeSantis said."Senator Gainerleaves big shoes to fill, but I believe Jay will be a great Senator and I am happy to support him for Senate District 2."

The Panama City native attended Auburn University and received a bachelor'sdegree in small business management and entrepreneurship. Hestarted his political career in 2014,elected to the Florida House of Representatives for District 6 and served eight consecutive years.

Continue reading here:
Trumbull wins Republican nomination for District 2 of Florida Senate - The News Herald

A registered Republican in Maines 1st Congressional District, I recently received a solicitation letter and survey from the Republican National Committee.

Each is an affront to truth and the American way. They are culture war documents designed to seed fear, hate and division. Each ignores Jan 6. Republicans use AR-15s in their advertising, resort to personal threats and issue calls for armed rebellion. They deliberately spread conspiracy theories to stir the pot of MAGA hatred.

There were no proposals to lift up those left behind or unheard, address affordable health care and drug prices, well-paying jobs, affordable housing, improve public education, a healthy economy, fair taxation, responsible gun control, our environment or being a responsible global citizen. The documents are designed to spread falsehoods and generate fear, division and money.

Donald Trump is an affront to decency, truth and moral order, a bully and a coward driven by personal interests, greed and power. We have witnessed the vitriol, hate and uninterrupted lies as he attacks anyone with courage to call him out.

You can paint every elected Republican who fails to hold him accountable for his actions and words or supports the big lie with the same brush, especially those now attacking the Department of Justice, the FBI and the IRS. They dishonor their country and oath of office. I cannot believe this is happening in America. Then I see former Gov. Paul LePage casting doubt over voting in our towns and cities.

Ed Moser IIIFreeport

Invalid username/password.

Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.

Previous

Next

Read the original here:
Letter to the editor: Republican Party campaigning on message of fear, division - Press Herald