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It wasnt all that long ago that Erich Reimer, 26, was an active member of the Democratic Party. Today, hes a conservative Republican.

As early as in high school, Reimer was a member of his schools High School Democrats in his hometown ofAlbany, New York. After high school, Reimer spent two years at Johns Hopkins University, where he majored in international studies. He then transferred to the University of Pennsylvania, where he studied economics. At both colleges, Reimer was involved with College Democrats.

In 2008, Reimer worked as an unpaid staffer for former President Barack Obamas re-election campaign. Four years later, as Reimer watched the 2012 Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, he said there was one particular moment that began his personal journey from a Democratic activist to a staunch Republican ally.

Specifically, Reimer told TheBlaze that the jaw dropping moment that would shift his politics forever was when the Democratic Party held a vote to reinsert the mention of God back into the partys platform and recognize Jerusalem as the official capital of Israel, a proposal that garnered loud boos in the convention hall after the attendees voted three times, due to the first two voice votes being too close to call.

It was that moment that the party Reimer had been actively involved with more than four years was no longer recognizable to him.

It felt like traditional Democrats, traditional liberals simply were not the dominant force anymore, let alone the centrist moderates, Reimer said. It was definitely a noticeable hard shift to the left. It was very disappointing, shocking, as well as bad for the country as a whole to have that become normalized.

This year, the Democratic Party has lost its way. An ideologically progressive agenda has replaced the diversity of viewpoints that previously reflected the partys composition and style for so many years, Reimer wrote in a September 2012 opinion editorial for the Daily Pennsylvanian newspaper.

Reimer said the moment was not just a stunning moment for him politically, but also personally.

Faith is definitely a very important foundation of my life, said Reimer, a devout Lutheran.

He also added that faith is a very important foundation of our American civil society, since our founding, essentially.

Reimer said it was the God moment at the 2012 DNC, combined with the Lefts increasing acceptance of progressively liberal positions that eventually led him to seriously ponder his future with the party.

As the Obama era went on and especially as became evident during the 2012 election, the Democrats became both more tolerant as well as embracing more hard-left positions that I felt were beyond simple, liberal things, Reimer told TheBlaze. They were more like, instead of say, like a liberal who might advocate raising the minimum wage a little, to a vengeful, justice against Wall Street and corporations.

So in 2013, Reimer officially switched his party affiliation from Democrat to Republican.

This was no easy decision, Reimer wrote in a February 2016 opinion editorial for the Hill. I had spent years in the Democratic Party. I had always been passionate about politics and had given the Democratic Party my all. By switching, I was putting on the line not only much of my lifes work but also the connections with countless thousands of comrades-in-arms I had met through this work.

Switching parties wasnt the only major event of Reimers life in 2013. It was also the year that he graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a political science degree. He went on to enroll at the University of Virginia School of Law, where he is currently a J.D. candidate scheduled to graduate in May 2017.

In Virginia, Reimer has continued his political activism. He was one of two statewide electors in the 2016 presidential campaign. He was one of the first prominent Republicans in Virginia to endorse Donald Trump as the partys nominee, even though he supported Ohio Gov. John Kasich throughout the primaries.

In May 2016, when it became clear that Trump would be the nominee, Reimer wrote in an opinion editorial for the Richmond Times-Dispatch:

Its time for Republicans to unite behind our nominee. Trump won it fair and square, and the voters have spoken. Trump has re-energized many disillusioned and apathetic Americans in a way that can do a lot of good for the publics trust in our institutions and help us build a healthier republic. We have a Supreme Court vacancy to fill, executive branch departments to staff, policies to correct, and laws to be enacted. Its going to be tough, thats for sure. But our party will be better off with the renewal Trump has brought to it.

Despite the fact that he disagreed with many of Trumps policies, not to mention Trumps unique style of speaking, Reimer made the case for Trump in a piece for the Loudoun Tribune newspaper in Loudoun County, Virginia, in September 2016, urging his fellow Republicans to not get bogged down in ultimately irrelevant, even if distasteful, distractions.

Trumps rhetoric and actions over the course of the primary and general campaign have been at many times disappointing, Reimer wrote.

However, he added that over the course of the campaign, Trump improved greatly when it came to making fewer controversial comments.

That, Reimer concluded, was enough to give Republicans enough hope that a President Trump would act appropriately.Reimer then urged his fellow Virginians in swing Loudoun County, just outside Washington, D.C., to vote for Trump on Election Day.

Even the most liberal among us certainly must agree that a revolving door of power is something naturally American and beneficial in keeping the excesses of one party in check, Reimer wrote.

The Democratic Party has been able to deeply shape the course of this nation over the past decade. Maybe now its time to give the Republican Party a turn, Reimer said.

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Millenial opens up about his remarkable journey from Democratic activist to Republican stalwart - TheBlaze.com

Jim Siegel The Columbus Dispatch @phrontpage

State Rep. Candice Keller compared Planned Parenthood to Nazis on her Facebook page last week, drawing fire on social media from supporters of the organization and others who felt it was inappropriate.

Keller, R-Middletown, posted a meme that included the statement, One day we will look back at this with an arrow pointing to the Planned Parenthood logo, and then the same way we look back at this, with an arrow pointing to the Nazi swastika.

Keller, who is in her first full term, is defending the post.

Just as the Nazis took the lives of millions of innocent people and sold their valuables for profit, Planned Parenthood has done likewise as we have seen in hidden camera videos, she said in a written statement. Planned Parenthood is a horrific industry that profits from the innocent and the American people should be appalled at their unconscionable activities.

Kellers Facebook page has been placed into an unpublished status. She said Facebook is investigating violations of its community standards policy by others.

The Republican-controlled legislature have taken steps in recent years to block Planned Parenthood from certain funding, based on objections to the abortions it provides along with other health care services for women. But House Speaker Cliff Rosenberger, R-Clarksville, did not support Kellers comparison.

Speaker Rosenberger understands that there is a lot of passion around the issue of protecting the unborn and Planned Parenthood, said spokesman Brad Miller. That being said, he does not believe that using such comparisons is an appropriate way to convey that passion or to advance the public discourse.

Keller tweeted on Monday: I support Life from Conception to Natural Death. I ran on that platform as a Republican and I'll never be sorry.

Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio declined to comment.

A group called TWW (Together We Will) East Cincy tweeted at Keller that it donated to Planned Parenthood in her honor. She replied: How much did you give? We have donors that will dbl. match it to Pro-Life Org.

jsiegel@dispatch.com

@phrontpage

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Republican lawmaker compares Planned Parenthood to Nazis - The Columbus Dispatch

Here is a quick look at the people who want to be mayor of Rochester. Brian Sharp, Carlos Ortiz

Tony Micciche(Photo: Provided)

Monroe County Legislator Tony Micciche announced his mayoral bid on Monday the first Republican to officially campaign for the office in more than a decade.

Miccichekicked off his campaign in a parking lot of the former Piehler Pontiac at Lake Avenue and West Ridge Road, highlighting the loss of business and jobs in that corridor and challenging what he called the "legacy of failed progressive Democrat philosophy."Citing the city's rising poverty, failing schools, crime, high taxes and what he said was overregulation by a Democratic-run City Hall, Micciche asked: "Had enough yet?"

The 59-year-old property investor ran a write-in campaign for mayor in 2009, andfirst was elected to the county Legislature in 2011, unseating Democratic incumbent legislator Stephen Eckel. His district covers portions of Gates, Greece andin Rochester; the Charlotte and Maplewood areas.He was re-elected in 2015, winning 51 percent of the city vote; 53.5 percent of the district vote overall.

His is a compelling story, having come from a poor family andgrown up in foster care. He was on his own atage 13, he said, "sleeping in cars, working full-time." As an adult, he worked 25 years at a General Motors plant, only to be "downsized" and forced to reinvent himself. Thus he began buying, flipping or holding properties. He has been a union member for more than 40 years.

"I am one of you," he told the more than two dozen supporters gathered Monday. "And I am the American Dream."

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But he is a Republican, running for the top office in a city where enrolled Democrats outnumber Republicans 6-to-1. The last time Miccichereported his campaign finances, in January 2016, he had just more than $500 on hand, records show. He has reported no activity since.

Mayor Lovely Warren, by comparison, had nearly $240,000 in her campaign account to start the year. Warren, along with Democratic challengers James Sheppard and Rachel Barnhart; even Green Party candidate Alex White, all have a head-start in the campaign. Lori Thomas, an independent, has also announced a run.

I'm trying to put a fire under their butt.

"I don't underestimate Tony," said Monroe County GOP chairman Bill Reilich, who joined Miccichefor his announcement and, in a later interview, touted the candidate'scity campaign wins. "He is going to be dedicated to this race."

Lawyer John Parrinello was the last GOP candidate on the ballot, back in 2005. He received at least $50,000 from the party and got16 percent of the voteto Robert Duffy's 72 percent.Reilich said all candidates must meet certain benchmarks to trigger party support, including their own fundraising, the work and commitment shown and other measures.

"I know it's a different race," Miccichesaid of the mayoral campaign. "And I know the odds are that I probably won't win."

But he has come out firingwith a litany of proposals, taking stances counter to prevailing Democratic positions, and painting himself as a common man with common-sense ideas. Said Micciche: "I'm not hiding behind fancy words like 'collaborative' and 'transparency.'"

His issues include:

Schools: He would give the City School District one year to restructure, cut the ratio of administrative to instructional staff, raise graduation rates to 65 percent and take other actions, including the creation of a "detention school" to remove troublemakers. If those conditions are not met, he pledged toput the entire $119 million in city aid to the district in escrow until matters improved. Pressed on whether such a move is legal, he answered: "I will try."

"Why are we paying for failure?" he asked. "It would force the school district to start to perform. I'm trying to put a fire under their butt."

Public safety: He would establish the planned but yet-to-be-located police precincts in the former Charlotte, Franklin, Wilson Magnet (the old West High), and East High schools. This, he said, would save money not having to rent new facilities, while improving school safety, truancy enforcement and support neighborhoods as well as police-community relations.

He pledged a realreduction in crime, noting the city is boasting of a 30-year-low in the crime rate while the number of murders, robberies and rapes are up year-over-year.

Business: He would "unshackle" property and business owners from "redundant, expensive, wasteful and unneeded regulations," citing complications faced by Nick Tahou Hots, L&M Lanes and others. He pledged to install a "business hot line" in the mayor's office, resurrect the late Jake Kemp's urban enterprise zones to fight poverty, encouraging reuse of existing buildings in exchange for expedited approvals, reduced property taxes and fees.

He would dump the city's sanctuary city policy, seek to cut taxes by 10 percent and said in prepared remarks that he would "advocate for drug testing and DNA testing to hold accountable those that misuse taxpayers money." Asked to clarify, he said he was referring to those who repeatedly seek drug rehabilitation services, and the children of mothers on public assistance who do not or cannot identify the father, who could then be held accountable for assistance.

"Most of the people who are committing crimes tend I won't say all tend to be on some kind of assistance," he said, noting similar measures have been pushed at the county level and that the matter would be a county and state issue, primarily.

"Some of these proposals are just that, they are things to look at, to throw on the table," he said.

In the legislature, Miccicheserves as chairman of the public safety committee and vice chairman of the transportation committee.

BDSHARP@Gannett.com

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Republican Tony Micciche to run for Rochester mayor - Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

Kansas state Treasurer Ron Estes held off a stronger-than-expected challenge from Democratic civil rights attorney James Thompson Tuesday night as the GOP won the first special congressional election since President Trump's inauguration.

The election was held to fill the House seat vacated by CIA Director Mike Pompeo, a former three-term representative of Kansas' 4th district.

Estes won 53 percent of the vote to 46 percent for Thompson. The Republican's margin of victory was just over 8,000 votes. By contrast, Pompeo won re-election in November by 31 percentage points and 85,000 votes.

In a speech to supporters in Wichita, Thompson vowed that he would run for the seat again in 2018 and argued that the result was evidence that no Republican district is safe.

The race had been closely watched nationally for signs of a backlash against Republicans or waning support from Trump voters in a reliably GOP district. Trump won 60 percent of the votes cast in the 17-county congressional district this past November.

The president himself entered the fray Monday with a recorded get-out-the-vote call on Estes' behalf and tweeted his support on Tuesday morning.

Other nationally known Republicans pitched in over the final days of the race. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas campaigned for Estes Monday in Wichita, while Vice President Mike Pence also recorded a get-out-the-vote call. The National Republican Congressional Committee spent roughly $90,000 in last-minute TV and digital ads.

Thompson reckoned that the high-profile support for Estes helped push him over the top, and claimed he could have won had national Democrats rallied to him sooner.Readers of the liberal blog Daily Kos donated more than $200,000 to Thompson in the final days of the race. Thompson was also backed by Our Revolution, the group that grew out of Sen. Bernie Sanders' 2016 presidential campaign.

"You fight," Thompson said when asked what the results should show Democrats. "You play every game."

All those GOP calls prompted Charlene Health, a 52-year-old homemaker and Republican in Belle Plaine, to cast a ballot for Estes.

"I wasn't even going to vote," she said as she left her polling site Tuesday morning. "I finally did. I realized this was important."

Alan Branum, 64, a retired construction worker is a Wichita Democrat who voted for Estes and plans to change his party affiliation to Republican since he leans more conservative. He thinks Trump has been been doing fine so far.

"I don't think it is fair people condemn him," he said of the president. "He hasn't been in long enough to make a judgment. People need to give him some time."

Estes supported Trump last year and backs the president's policies. He supports the repeal and replacement of the Affordable Care Act, backs funding for a wall on the border with Mexico, opposes funding for Planned Parenthood, and does not believe an independent investigation into Russian hacking of the election is needed.

Lucy Jones-Phillips, a 31-year-old insurance representative and Democrat, acknowledged she doesn't vote in every election, but said she voted for Thompson because she wanted to ensure supporters of Gov. Sam Brownback are not in office. She was especially upset when the Republican governor recently vetoed Medicaid expansion.

"I can't stand Brownback," she said as she left her polling site in Belle Plaine.

Thompson tried to tap into voter frustration with Brownback throughout the campaign, tying the state treasurer to the unpopular Republican governor. Thompson has called the Kansas congressional election more of a referendum on Brownback than on Trump.

But Thomas Hauser, 67, of Belle Plaine, a Republican who works in the information technology industry, said he crossed party lines in Tuesday's election to vote for Thompson. He also didn't vote for Trump in the last year's general election. Thompson appealed to Hauser in part because both men are ex-military but also because "I don't believe in the (GOP) line."

Republicans have represented the south-central Kansas district since 1994. The district has been hard hit by the downturn in the agricultural economy and the loss of hundreds of well-paying, blue-collar jobs in aircraft manufacturing plants.

With Estes' victory, Republicans are now defending three GOP-leaning seats in upcoming special elections in Georgia, Montana and South Carolina. Democrats are protecting a seat in a liberal California district.

Fox News' Lee Ross and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Republican holds on in closely-watched Kansas special House ...

BILLINGS, Mont. Rob Quist, the Democratic candidate for Montanas sole U.S. House seat, had a problem. Big Sky Rising, the local progressive group one of many that grew out of the National Womens March had filled a room for his speech.

But the room didnt have a sound system for Quist, a 69-year-old folk musician, to strum and sing his campaign theme song.

Let me just recite a poem for you about how I feel about our public lands, said Quist. Her gown is luscious green when she attends the annual springtime ball. And she fancies orange and gold and harvest moon in the fall. Her wild and natural beauty it will take away your breath. Oh, but take her for granted? It could easily mean your death.

It had been just 48 hours since a surprisingly close special election in Kansas kicked off Republican hand-wringing about forfeiting Montanas May 25 special election to replace ex-Rep. Ryan Zinke (R), now President Trumps interior secretary.

The Democratic candidate in Montana is a mustachioed 6-foot-3 poet who appears everywhere churches, fundraisers, and television interviews in a white cowboy hat and black Ariat boots.

That cowboy-poet has raised $1.3 million so far and was competitive with a self-funding Republican contender Greg Gianforte, who jumped into the race after a near-miss 2016 gubernatorial run. President Trump easily won Montana, but Democrats still compete strongly for statewide offices.

Republicans, flush with cash but facing unbridled Democratic enthusiasm, are taking Quist a bit more seriously. On Thursday, the National Republican Congressional Committee began a $273,000 digital and TV ad buy, accusing Quist of singing in harmony with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). The GOP-allied Congressional Leadership Fund is committing at least $1 million to the race, though Executive Director Corey Bliss said last week that Quist had no chance to win.

Rob Quist is such a pathetic candidate that we almost feel bad running ads against him, said Bliss. At the end of the day hell lose by double-digits.

Montana is one of five special elections this year in open House seats four of them vacated when Trump plucked Republican lawmakers to become part of his administration. So far, Democrats are doing better than anticipated in conservatives seats including Kansas, where the Democrat came within seven points last Tuesday of a winning a seat Trump nabbed by 27 points.

But while the Georgia race is seen as a test for the rising electorate of minority voters and highly educated white voters, the Montana race is a test for populism. Quist, who backed Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) for president, portrays Gianforte as a plutocrat who will work only for his class. Its the argument Democrats failed to stick to Trump, and one they want to see working in the places where working-class white voters bolted their party.

Gianforte, whos been criticized for holding few public events, plans to welcome Donald Trump Jr. an avid hunter who argued for Zinke at Interior to the state next week. The first son will swing into Montana for rallies and fundraisers, $25 a pop.

Quist, who won the Democratic nomination at a January convention, professes to be thrilled with the GOP attention. On Thursday, at two public events in Billings, he told Big Sky Rising and a separate room of union members that he could smell the fear coming from the right.

One of my top priorities in Congress will be to stop these corporate interests from dictating policy, Quist told pipefitters at their Billings union hall. When I was younger, there was a graph that showed the distribution of wealth across the classes. Now, if you look at the same graph, its flat across the bottom, and when you get to the super-rich, they have so much of the wealth that it flies off the page.

Soft-spoken left-wing populism like that helped Quist become the nominee. Our Revolution, the group founded by Sanders, has endorsed Quist and in an interview last week, Sanders said he was looking for an opportunity to stump for him.

If you look up Montana in the dictionary, you see a picture of Rob Quist, said Rep. Denny Heck (D-Wash.), who chairs the Democratic Congressional Committees recruitment program.

Rob Quists as Montana as Montana can get, said Gov. Steve Bullock (D-Mont.), who defeated Gianforte, Quists opponent, just five months ago. Hes been in all these small communities. Hes working hard. He reflects our values.

The implication is that none of those kinds of words apply to Gianforte. Crisp and confident, the Republican moved to Montana 24 years ago and grew a software company, RightNow Technologies, out of Bozeman. (He was 33, having sold his first company for $10 million.) In Quists TV ads, he argues there are enough millionaires in Congress and brands Gianforte as an East Coast arriviste.

At the same time, Montanans elected a New York real-estate businessman to the presidency a leap of faith that informs how Gianforte now campaigns. In his TV ads, he promises to drain the swamp and stick it to political elites.

On Thursday, as Quist stumped in Billings, Gianforte met with local business and political leaders seven hours away in Kalispell in conservative Flathead County.

Gianforte, wearing a flag-pinned blazer over a checked shirt, shared the gospel of free markets. We got here with a series of steps over a period of time, and I think thats how we dig ourselves out, he said. I am encouraged that we have President Trump in the White House because for the first time we have an opportunity to effect change. And I want to be a part of it because I dont want to see our country squander it.

In an interview, Gianforte paused when asked why outside groups were investing in the race. I do believe and we saw this recently with the health-care conversation that went on for the administration to advance their agenda, they need the votes in the House, he said. National groups have gotten involved because they want to help. Ill always be on Montanas side, but Im going to help Donald Trump advance his agenda.

At a Quist fundraiser last week, attendees grabbed lawn signs using the same stylized signature as his album cover as they left. They said there was energy they didnt feel when Hillary Clinton was running for president.

Its an opportunity to kick the Republicans in the butt, said Steve Griswold, 67, a retiree from Wisconsin.

Becky Weed, a 57-year old sheep rancher, pointed out that the event was less than a mile from Gianfortes home. Democrats cut into the Republicans support by publicizing his 2009 legal battle to stop public access to the part of a stream that ran through his property.

Im immersed in the ranch culture, and people I know generally vote Republican, Weed said. But theyre willing to go for something different, especially when youve got public lands at stake.

The Republican plan is to brand Quist as a liberal in cowboy clothing, more Willie Nelson than Hank Williams Jr. Its doomsday weapon is an interview Quist gave to the Bozeman Daily Chronicle. After talking about his guns and his luck as a hunter, he mused that assault weapons, no good for hunting, might need to be registered.

Theyre only meant to kill people, he said, so maybe there should be some legislation to register those types of things. You register your car to drive, why not register guns?

It was the gaffe of a novice candidate, and Republicans pounced. The NRCCs first ad tells voters that Quist wants a national gun registry. The National Rifle Association is expected to swing into the race with the same message. On the stump, Gianforte never misses a swing at the gun issue. Im a strong supporter of the Second Amendment he believes in gun registration, he said in Kalispell. The next day, he warned a Republican crowd in Missoula that registration is the first step toward confiscation.

Quist said in an interview that hed been ripped out of context.

I was talking about fully automatic assault rifles, he said. I was taught that if it takes you more than one shot to bring big game down, you shouldnt be in the woods.

Quist advised anyone campaigning for him to point out the gun attack was coming from special interests. There were guns in the Quist home, he said, that had been there longer than Gianforte had been in Montana.

All these sports groups know this is a smoke screen, said Quist. The number-one reason that people no longer hunt or fish is loss of access to public lands.

Quist was more relaxed when it came to attacks on his finances. It was true, he said, that hed faced $15,000 tax liens and settled in 2016. But he has a multi-millionaire to defeat.

I probably should have declared bankruptcy, he said. But thats not the Montana way.

Margaret Grayson contributed reporting from Missoula.

Read more at PowerPost

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This cowboy-poet is trying to steal a Republican House seat in Montana - Washington Post