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Mad about the 500+ elected Republicans who aided and abetted the deadly Jan. 6 Capitol riot? The organization Run For Something is looking for young progressives to step up and unseat them in upcoming elections.

The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC), which is focused on electing Democrats to state legislatures, has so far identified 508 GOP lawmakers who it says contributed to violence in the Capitol or otherwise supported attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Run For Something, which works with DLCC and other Democratic or left-leaning groups, is trying to find young, diverse progressives to run against those 508 because we have to hold them accountable, the organizations co-founder Amanda Litman said in an interview with NowThis.

I think accountability looks like continuing to call for their censures and their resignations, Litman said. At least one of the 57 state and local Republicans who have been identified by news outlets as in attendance at the Stop the Steal rally that led to the riot. has been arrested and resigned. But other state lawmakers who attended continue to serve. Republicans control some 62% of state chambers and legislatures as of February 2021, according to data from the National Conference of State Legislatures.

She added: I think accountability looks like making sure that they cannot hold another term that people remember what they did and what theyve called for that they do not get to run another campaign without being reminded every single day of the way they betrayed their oath of office.

Some of those same GOP lawmakers are pushing the Big Lie, or false claim of nonexistent fraud in the 2020 presidential election, to attempt passing laws that will severely restrict voting rights another reason Litman is focused on recruiting pro-democracy progressive candidates.

The DLCC categorized the 508 GOP officials accused of aiding and abetting into three categories: the insurrectionists, who went to D.C. themselves and attended the rally where former President Donald Trump spoke and/or the riot afterward; the seditious signatories, who signed onto state resolutions or letters calling to overturn the results of the 2020 election; and the Stop The Steal superspreaders, who helped spread lies about Joe Bidens victory, entertaining the fantasy of rigged elections that inspired so many hard-core supporters to storm the Capitol.

So far, the four-year-old Run For Something has seen an incredible amount of interest from potential candidates. Litman says January 2021 was the organizations best recruitment month yet, and that so far in 2021, nearly 10,000 young people have signed up. About 95 percent of people who sign up with RFS are under the age of 40.

And many, many of them have pointed to the insurrection and the Big Lie the Republicans are spreading as the reason why theyre ready to show up and run for office themselves, she told NowThis.

Litman said the organization helps prospective candidates figure out how to actually get on the ballot and then build a campaign.

I think its really worth noting we can keep these people out of office, Litman said, referring to anti-democratic candidates and lawmakers. She cites the example of Rep. Adrian Tam (D-HI), an out gay Asian American and RFS candidate who ran against the far-right Proud Boys Hawaii chapter leader Nicholas Ochs in the 2020 election. Tam defeated Ochs handily, winning 63 percent of the vote and becoming the first out LGBTQ+ person in Hawaiis state legislature.

A couple months later, Ochs was allegedly illegally entering the Capitol building with fellow rioters, and has since been indicted by a federal grand jury. Ochs has pleaded not guilty to the charges, but local outlet KHON2 reported that a tweet from his now-suspended Twitter account indicates he was among the people who had entered the building during the riot.

This is the Republican Party. It is Trumpism and seditionism all the way down, Litman said. And so Im really glad that Adrian threw his name into the ring and decided to jump in against Nick.

RFS is focused on recruiting for state and local races, like statehouses, state Senates, school boards, and more, rather than federal campaigns. Organizers point out that state and local offices can more directly impact peoples daily lives, from school boards that control education budgets and COVID-related reopenings to officials working on police accountability, affordable housing, and public transit. (One of the things that the last year has shown us is that it really matters who's in charge on the school boards, Litman said.)

Other organizations are recruiting or supporting candidates to run against incumbent U.S. senators such as Josh Hawley (R-MO), seen by many as the leading insurrectionist in the U.S. Senate. But Litman says the two can go hand in hand.

If you want to run for a local office in Missouri to help gin up turnout against the Missouri senator, or in Texas, in any of these other states, Wisconsin, were excited to help you because we know that more local candidates running for office, talking to voters, and getting them to show up at the polls will help increase Democratic turnout across the ticket, she explained.

Out of 525 RFS-endorsed candidates on the ballot in November 2020, about 45%, or a total of 225 candidates, won. Since its inception, Run for Something has elected nearly 500 young people to local offices across 45 states, Litman said, adding that 55% of those elected are women, 56% are Black, brown, or Indigenous people, and 21% are LGBTQ+.

They really look like the American people and they are remarkable, she said. We try to make sure that everyone feels part of this incredible nationwide movement of young people who are not just voting and not just volunteering, but really taking ownership of our democracy."

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500+ Republicans Have Ties To The Capitol Riot. Young People Are Signing Up To Unseat Them - NowThis

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Election works perform duties at the Central Count location for the city of Green Bay on Nov. 3, 2020.(Photo: Sarah Kloepping/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin)

MADISON - Republican lawmakers and election observers went after Green Bay leaders in a hearing Wednesday, arguing the city improperly allowed a consultant with Democratic ties to play a central role in planning for the November election.

The meeting of the Assembly Committee on Campaigns and Elections came one day after the conservative Wisconsin Spotlight website, citing hundreds of emails,published an article that claimed Mayor Eric Genrich and his staff pushed the clerk's office aside, allowed "former Democratic operative" Michael Spitzer-Rubenstein to run the election and gave him improper access to absentee ballots.

The report followed an investigation by the Green Bay Press-Gazette that found former City Clerk Kris Teskecomplained for months before she resigned that the mayor's office had overtaken election planning. City officials disputed her account.

Assembly Republicans raised similar issues Wednesday as they heard testimony from former Brown County Clerk Sandy Juno, election observers and an attorney who possibly facesdisciplinefor making baseless claims in a lawsuit challenging Wisconsin's election results.

"In Green Bay, theres no trust," saidMatt Roeser, a resident who volunteered as an election observer."Theres no trust in our government."

RELATED:Democrats, Green Bay mayor accuse conservative website of false report on city election, say Republicans 'scapegoating'

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Wednesday's hearing centered on Spitzer-Rubenstein's work in Green Bay throughthe National Vote at Home Institute. The city hired himas a consultant with grant money from the Center for Tech and Civic Life, which used donations fromFacebook chief executiveMark Zuckerberg to help cities across the country conduct elections during the pandemic.

According to his LinkedIn page, Spitzer-Rubensteinspent seven months in 2012 "runningemail campaigns" for two Democratic congressional campaigns and Bermudas Progressive Labour Party.

Election observers at Wednesday's hearing saidthey had uncomfortable interactions with city staff on Election Day andsaw Spitzer-Rubenstein answer questions for poll workers at the KI Convention Center, where the city tallied absentee ballots. Juno, a Republican, accused poll workers of processing ballots inconsistently and not properly curing them, or fixing problems such as a mismatched or missing signature.

"With this money, there was no accountability. ... I just felt like we're going down the wrong road with where we want to be with elections," Juno said.

Genrich dismissed the Wisconsin Spotlight report,which prompted Republicans to call for his resignation,and said in a statement Tuesday that it "made egregious and false allegations." City officials weren't called to testifyin Madison Wednesday and declined an interview request from the Press-Gazette.

Democrats on the committee did not attend in person or question the witnesses. In a statement after the hearing, Reps. Mark Spreitzer, D-Beloit, Lisa Subeck, D-Madison, and Jodi Emerson, D-Eau Claire, said Republicans were fueling "conspiracies and falsehoods" about the November election.

The statement also contended that the committee relied on testimony from "Republican activists" who backed former President Donald Trump.

"It seems Republicans are scared of having an open conversation where it will be clear that their conspiracy theories are just that innuendo, misunderstandings, and lies," the Democrats said.

Doug Schneider of the Green Bay Press-Gazette contributed to this report.

Contact Haley BeMiller at hbemiller@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @haleybemiller.

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Republicans, former Brown County clerk blast Green Bay election in Assembly hearing - Green Bay Press Gazette

The cannabis legalization measure is sponsored by the House speaker, Judiciary Committee chairman and other GOP lawmakers.

By Angus M. Thuermer Jr., WyoFile.com

Supporters of a sweeping bill to legalize and regulate marijuana anticipate a hearing before the House Judiciary Committee on Friday, where they hope to dispel myths and stereotypes held by resistant lawmakers.

Twelve representatives and two senators co-sponsored House Bill 209Regulation of marijuana, which would license the cultivation and sale of marijuana and tax cannabis products, including edibles and infused drinks. Chief sponsor Rep. Jared Olsen (R-Cheyenne), chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, brought the bill only months after a majority of state residents said they support allowing adults to use marijuana without penalty.

The bill would impose a 30 percent levy on marijuana sales and generate about $47 million a year in taxes, a state analysis of the measure says. Two thirds of the tax revenue generated annually$30.7 millionwould go to the school foundation fund. The other third$15.35 million a yearwould go to the local government of the jurisdiction in which the sales took place.

The bill would license marijuana establishments that grow, test, manufacture, transport or sell marijuana. A microbusiness license would allow its holder to both grow and sell marijuana but have no more than 150 pot plants.

Wyoming lawmakers have long resisted legalization of marijuana, but the people they represent last year showed a change of heart. Since 2014, when only 37 percent of residents supported allowing adults to possess marijuana for personal use, attitudes have shifted. By December last year more than half the state54 percentwere behind legal adult use.

Its time, Sen. Cale Case (R-Lander) said.

Im pretty conservative, but also a strong libertarian, Case said. Ive decided Rep. Olsen has really done his homework and Im going to support him. I want it to get serious attention.

Tax and fee revenue projections are based on Department of Agriculture estimates of 100 cultivation facilities, 50 for manufacturing, 25 for transport, five for testing plus 200 retail stores and 50 microbusinesses.

The bill would allow any adult resident to grow limited amounts of pot and consume it, but not in public.

The Department of Agriculture would oversee much of marijuana administration, according to the proposed legislation. It would adopt rules for licenses allowing use of retail marijuana at special events in limited areas for a limited time.

Cities, towns and counties could issue licenses for establishments and limit their number. Local governments also could prohibit marijuana establishments if 10 percent of registered voters petition for a ban.

Towns and counties could not prohibit the transport of marijuana through their jurisdictions. Numerous other provisions would prohibit establishments near schools and such.

Sponsors hope the hearing will set parameters for debate, amendments and adoption.

Im not under a lot of illusions its going to pass, Case said of the pretty comprehensive regulatory package. Olsens bill, however, may be the most serious framework anybody has done in Wyoming regarding marijuana legalization and regulation.

Rep. Landon Brown (R-Cheyenne), another co-sponsor, was similarly tempered in his expectations. Unfortunately, I have no higher belief that this bill will become law than [in] any other year, he said.

We have far too many in our Legislature that choose to continue to do business the old-fashioned way, he said. Our body refuses to acknowledge the changing world and admit that change is coming whether we like it or not.

The hearing could open the door for deep consideration of the measure, education and advocacy, plus the dismissal of stereotypes and long-held misinformation, supporters said.

The bill has no chance of getting through the entire process in the next four weeks, Rep. Dan Zwonitzer (R-Cheyenne) wrote in an email. I believe it will be used as a starting place for a year-long conversation on understanding the issue, the funding structures, and how Wyoming could regulate [marijuana] within our borders.

Rep. Mark Baker (R-Green River), another co-sponsor, is not willing to count the legislation out this year. After a fair hearing in Olsens committee, well have to see what happens after that, he said.

The Legislative Service Office based its revenue estimates on the FY 2020 marijuana sales in Colorado, adjusted for the population of Wyoming. Rep. Landon Brown (R-Cheyenne) thinks theyre overblown.

It is a concern to me that the development and growth of government needed to implement this law would likely barely break even in my books, he wrote. The increase in local permitting and oversight of a substance similar to alcohol and tobacco is new and foreign to us as a state.

[B]ut I also believe the people of Wyoming have spoken for long enough about this issue and I believe its time to hear them and act.

People shouldnt solely focus on the revenue side of the legislation, co-sponsor Baker said. The taxes are just a small portion of it, he said.

Not criminalizing citizens, saving court expenses, allowing residents local access to something theyre going to get anyway would be very attractiveabove and beyond any revenue, he said. We need to take [marijuana] out of the unregulated market and into the regulated market.

There has been a stigma associated with the cannabis conversationpeople are apprehensive about contacting their legislator, Baker said. Its important to let their legislators know theyre not Cheech and Chong.

Baker has personal testimony. He suffered digestive disorders that required three surgeries and nine transfusions, but found a way to endure in medical marijuana. My life is much more comfortable with cannabis than without it, he said.

In addition to Brown, Baker, Olsen, Zwonitzer and Case, co-sponsors are Speaker of the House Eric Barlow (R-Gillette), Sen. Chris Rothfuss (D-Laramie) and Reps. Michael Yin, (D-Jackson), Cyrus Western (R-Big Horn), Pat Sweeney (R-Casper), John Romero-Martinez (R-Cheyenne), Karlee Provenza (D-Laramie), Cathy Connolly (D-Laramie) and Marshall Burt (L-Green River).

Pro-legalization lobbyist Christine Stenquist acknowledges that Olsens measure takes a stride beyond the usual decriminalization approach, which is to start with a baby-step of medical authorization.

It definitely has an adult-use feel, she said of the measure. Its a retail bill.

Conservative types are upset, to say the least, she said. They dont want Colorado, she said, referring to legalization and its impacts there. Criticism will envision all sorts of woes, including invasion of the Equality State by homeless potheads and other undesirables, she predicted.

I understand their fears, she said of lawmakers. Im hoping to address those in committee.

WyoFileis an independent nonprofit news organization focused on Wyoming people, places and policy.

2021 Sees Republican Lawmakers Take Lead On Marijuana Legalization In More U.S. States

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Wyoming Marijuana Legalization Bill Sponsored By Top Republicans Expected To Get Hearing This Week - Marijuana Moment

Ocean County Republicans voted by a margin of 124-91 to certify a new Republican club in Toms River made up of those loyal to GOP Chairman Frank B. Holman III, handing the sitting party leader a win over former longtime chair George Gilmore.

Theres been too much division there for too long, so Im very pleased with the result, and well take it from there, Holman said. Well try to get everybody back together. I think well encourage people in the old club to come over to the new club and see if we can get that done.

The intra-party fight over the future of the Toms River GOP was the latest in a series of bouts between Holman and the former chair since the incumbent party leader defeated Gilmores hand-picked successor, Frank Sadeghi, in 2018.

Republicans for Toms River, the new club whose members are loyal to Holman sought to wrest control from the Toms River Regular Republican Club, a group controlled by Gilmore that has been the recognized club for at least 35 years.

With the vote done, Holman is looking to move on, but the battle may yet continue. Gilmore said he did not believe the margins for Wednesday evenings vote were sufficient to replace the existing Republican organization.

Its liars poker, he said. I said the interpretation of the bylaws would require a two-thirds vote. The parliamentarian ruled it only required 50% plus one vote. I disagree with the ruling.

Some Ocean County GOP insiders expect hell pursue legal avenues to block the move, though Gilmore himself said it was too early to make a decision on next steps.

But Holman believes his side is in the clear.

You cant swing a dead cat without hitting a lawyer around here. Its all been studied by our credentials committee and our parliamentarian, he said. If George wants to invoke something, he has every right to do that. I think weve been very thorough.

The committee handed Holman other victories Wednesday night.

His chosen candidate won the party line in the race to fill a rare vacancy on the countys board of commissioners created by the retirement of six-term County Commissioner Gerry Little.

Bobbi Jo Crea, a Little Egg Harbor township committeewoman and former mayor, defeated Berkeley Township Councilman John Bacchione, Gilmores pick for the seat, in a 127-73 vote.

A third candidate, longtime Surf City Republican Chairwoman Lisa Hodgson Henson, won 15 votes.

Geri Ambrosio, a Gilmore ally and president of the existing Toms River GOP club, lost the contest for the party line in the 10th legislative district to incumbent Assemblymen Greg McGuckin (R-Toms River) and John Catalano (R-Brick).

McGuckin, who sided with Holman in the battle over the Republican clubs, ran first there with 63 votes. Catalano won 55, and Ambrosio got 21.

County Commissioner Jack Kelly won the vote to fill a GOP State Committee seat left vacant by the death of former Toms River Mayor Thomas Kelaher, who died last month. He was 88.

Kelly defeated former Point Pleasant Council President Michael Thulen Jr. by a margin of 114-78.

Gilmore chair has remained active in Ocean County politics since resigning amid a federal criminal probe, often to Holmans chagrin. He resigned after he was convicted of federal tax charges in 2019, but President Donald Trump pardoned him in a wave of clemencies on his last day in office.

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Ocean Republicans certify Holman-backed Republican club in Toms River - New Jersey Globe | New Jersey Politics

Sergio Arellano of Phoenix, Ariz., said he had a story he liked to tell about the moment he registered as a Republican. When he was an 18-year-old Army infantryman on home leave, he went to a July 4 event and spotted the voter registration table. He asked the woman sitting there: Whats the difference between Republicans and Democrats?

Democrats, he recalled her saying, are for the poor. Republicans are for the rich.

Well that made it easy I didnt want to be poor, I wanted to be rich, so I chose Republican, Mr. Arellano said. Obviously she figured I would identify with the poor. Theres an assumption that youre starting out in this country, you dont have any money, you will identify with the poor. But what I wanted was to make my own money.

Last fall, Mr. Arellano campaigned for Mr. Trump in Arizona, and this year, he narrowly lost his bid for chairman of the state Republican Party. Still, he does not fit the Trumpian conservative mold, often urging politicians to soften their political rhetoric against immigrants.

Trump is not the party, the party is what we make it a pro-business, pro-family values, he said. People who understand we want to make it as something here.

All of this sounds familiar to Mike Madrid, a Republican strategist who is deeply critical of the party under Mr. Trump, and who has worked for decades to push the party to do more to attract Hispanic voters.

Paying rent is more important than fighting social injustice in their minds, Mr. Madrid said. The Democratic Party has always been proud to be a working-class party, but they do not have a working-class message. The central question is going to be, Who can convince these voters their concerns are being heard?

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What Drives Latino Men to Republicans? - The New York Times