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Candidates for Mississippis four congressional seats are now set as the qualifying deadline was 5 p.m. Tuesday, March 1.

Once eligibility is confirmed by the Mississippi Secretary of States office, candidates will be placed on either the November 8 general election ballot or a party-held primary race, which will be on June 7.

Below, you can find a rundown of candidates for each district.

Trent Kelly (Republican)

Incumbent Trent Kelly is seeking a fifth term after winning a special election runoff in 2015. Kelly has spent 36 years in the Mississippi Army National Guard, currently serving as Major General. In Congress, the Union native serves on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, the House Agriculture Committee, and the House Budget Committee.

Mark D. Strauss (Republican)

Mark Strauss moved to Olive Branch after losing in Iowas 2nd Congressional District race in 2018. He ran as a Libertarian then but has now switched over to the Republican party. Strauss is a Donald Trump supporter, who firmly believes the 2020 U.S. presidential election was stolen. He says he is running for Rep. Trent Kellys seat as he does not believe Kelly has stood up for Trump.

Hunter Avery (Democrat)

Hunter Avery of Belmont is running to truly Make America Great Again by cutting poverty and expanding the middle class, as well as focusing more on climate change.

Dianne Black (Democrat)

Dianne Black has run her own hair salon in Olive Branch for 40 years. She is now the first Black woman to run for Mississippis 1st congressional district and is seeking an endorsement from the Biden-Harris Administration. Black lost to Kevin Blackwell in the general election for Mississippi State Senate District 19 in 2019.

Bennie Thompson (Democrat)

Incumbent Bennie Thompson is the states longest-serving member of Congress at 29 years. Since being elected in 1993, Thompsons congressional achievements include authoring legislation to create the National Center for Minority Health and Health Care Disparities, being selected as the first Democratic chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, as well as serving as a member on the on the Agriculture, Budget, and Small Business Committees. The former Bolton mayor will be seeking his 14th term this year.

Jerry Kerner (Democrat)

Jerry Kerner is slated to be Thompsons primary challenger on the Democratic side. The small business owner from California who now lives in Clinton is running on the promise to keep [America] governed by the Constitution, instead of being attacked by the hoity-toity wannabe tyrants that think they are in charge now.

Michael Carson (Republican)

Michael Carson does not have a congressional website as of now. However, a post on his personal Facebook says he is against government mandates and believes all borders should be secure.

Brian Flowers (Republican)

Brian Flowers, a veteran of the Navy, describes himself as a fiscal and social conservative. The North Carolina native who now lives in Clinton is running on the notions that the Constitution should be upheld, congressional members should maintain fiscal responsibility, and overall government should be limited with a strong military. He also promises to never sway in the fight to protect and defend the unborn.

Ronald Eller (Republican)

Like Flowers, Ronald Eller is a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces. Following his time in the Army, Eller and his wife moved to Mississippi, where he began working in the medical field. Eller currently works as a cardiothoracic physician assistant at St. Dominics Hospital in Jackson. He is also the founder of a manufacturing company called Buck Warrior Enterprises. Eller is running on what he calls the E-3 Plan.

Stanford Johnson (Republican)

Stanford Johnson does not have a congressional website or Facebook set up currently.

Michael Guest (Republican)

Incumbent Michael Guest will be seeking reelection to the position he has held since 2018. Since being elected, Guests congressional achievements include authoring the Terrorist and Foreign Fighter Travel Exercise Act of 2019, as well as serving as Vice Ranking Member of the House Homeland Security Committee. Additionally, Guest serves on the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and the House Committee on Ethics.

Michael Cassidy (Republican)

Michael Cassidy, a veteran of the Navy, describes himself as a pro-Trump and pro-American worker who wants to create a nation in which citizens can raise a family on a single income. Cassidy is also against any COVID-19 mandates and restrictions.

Thomas Griffin (Republican)

Thomas Griffin of Pearl does not have a congressional website as of now. However, a post on his personal Facebook says that he is running on common sense values such as implementing Christian teachings in all public schools, banning courses that teach critical race theory, and securing all borders.

Rahim Talley (Democrat)

Rahim Talley is a small business owner in Ridgeland who has 20 years of service in the United States Army and National Guard. Talley wants every Mississippian to have access to affordable healthcare. He also wants to restore the pre-COVID status of small businesses.

Shuwaski A. Young (Democrat)

After serving in President Barack Obamas campaign, Shuwaski Young was appointed to the position of external engagement coordinator by former Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson. In this position, Young managed the If You See Something, Say Something campaign. Some of Youngs goals if he were to be elected include investing more in underserved communities, providing funds for social advancement programs that focus on racial equality, and creating a diversity pipeline for increased investment in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) and agricultural growth.

Steven Palazzo (Republican)

Steven Palazzo is the current representative of Mississippis 4th congressional district and has been for more than 11 years. Palazzo has been under fire during his most recent term as it was revealed that he had used $61,000 of campaign funds in December 2020 to pay for legal expenses to the Watkins & Eager firm. The legal fees came from an ethics investigation into whether Palazzo used campaign money to pay for personal expenses. During his time in Congress, Palazzo has served on the House Appropriations Committee, the House Armed Services Committee, and the House Homeland Security Committee.

Brice Wiggins (Republican)

The Mississippi Senator for District 52, Brice Wiggins, has held his position since 2012 and is now running for Congress. Wiggins has also recently been under fire for using campaign funds improperly in December 2021 when it was revealed that the senator used his state office campaign account to pay for congressional ads. This is prohibited by Federal Election Commission regulators, and the $1,180 Wiggins used was reported to be reimbursed back to the state in December. Wiggins is running on a long list of conservative principles, all of which can be viewed here.

Raymond N. Brooks (Republican)

Raymond Brooks is a veteran of the Gulfport Police Department and announced his running in 2021 during Palazzos ethics investigation. In addition to his tenure with Gulfport PD, Raymond has previously served as a School Resource Officer, Warrants Officer, Marine Patrol Officer, S.W.A.T. Sniper, and Patrol Rifle Instructor. Notions that Brooks is running on include finishing the Mexico-United States barrier, putting a halt to taxes going towards abortion, as well as the implementation of term limits.

Mike Ezell (Republican)

Mike Ezell, who has served as the Jackson County Sheriff for the last 14 years, has over 40 years of law enforcement experience. Ezell is running to ensure that our families live in a country that still believes in public safety, law and order, individual rights and liberties, ethics and integrity, and a free market economy that rewards hard work.

Clay Wagner (Republican)

With his platform containing numerous conservative principles, Clay Wagner is running for Congress without prior political background. Wagner has expressed that he does not support critical race theory in Mississippi schools, but that STEM should be emphasized instead. He also supports increased border patrol and the implementation of a simpler legal immigration process.

Kidron Peterson (Republican)

Kidron Peterson does not have a political website or Facebook set up currently.

Carl Boyanton (Republican)

Carl Boyanton, the owner of Farmer Fresh Produce, LLC, ran for the representative position of Mississippis 4th congressional district in 2020. In recent years, Boyanton sparked the allegations of Palazzos improper spending of both Congressional funds and campaign funds and asked for the congressmans resignation in 2021. Boyantons campaign pushes changes to the term limits of Congress and the Senate, better sex education to eliminate the need for abortion, elimination of federal departments, and changing the cost of college loans.

Johnny L. Dupree (Democrat)

A previous candidate for governor and secretary of state, Johnny L. DuPree, the former mayor of Hattiesburg, is running for the position of Mississippis 4th congressional district representative. DuPree was the mayor of Hattiesburg from 2001 to 2017 and is running to ensure that every Mississippian has a fair shot at the American Dream, to rebuild our economy, make government more accessible as well as more accountable to the people of our state.

David Sellers (Democrat)

A Hattiesburg associate pastor atParkway Heights and the spiritual director of Pine Grove Behavioral Health & Addiction Services, David Sellers is running on a platform that supports increasing the minimum wage, equal pay, paid leave, and supporting police. Sellers also supports increasing awareness on mental health and the impact it has on drug addiction in the state.

Alden Patrick Johnson (Libertarian)

Alden Patrick Johnson is a lieutenant firefighter and a nationally registered EMT from Petal, who is running for the legalization of marijuana in Mississippi, decreasing taxes, and the removal of regulations on firearms. Johnson is also running on the belief that we have people incarcerated whose only crime was possessing cannabis. We are taxed at every turn. Our government prints billions of dollars, while simultaneously saying there is a coin shortage. Elected representatives vote yes on bills they dont even bother reading.

Updated congressional map finalized by Mississippi lawmakers

More:
Here are the candidates running for Mississippi's congressional seats - SuperTalk Mississippi

By Thomas L. Knapp

As part of the western response to Vladimir Putins invasion of Ukraine, several regimes acted on February 26 to exclude certain Russian banks from the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) network. As of March 1, Reuters reports, SWIFT says its awaiting a list of the sanctioned banks so that it can cut them off. SWIFT is a messaging service that connects banks worldwide. Its not a bank itself. Its not even, strictly speaking, a payment network. It carries instructions for transfers, but the transfers take place via other networks. Its just one moving part in the worlds complex finance and trade system.

As with most such measures, giving Russian banks the boot from SWIFT is certain to hurt the sanctioners along with the sanctioned. In this case, the potential victims with the most to lose are the issuers and holders of US dollars.

Dollars arent the only currency that gets moved using SWIFT, but the dollar is the de facto global reserve currency and thus the most affected by such moves. Nearly everyone accepts the dollar. Nearly everyone wants to have a fat stack of dollars on hand. In particular, global trade in oil has been powered by the petrodollar for nearly 50 years. If you want to buy a barrel of Brent crude from most sellers, you need to be able to plunk down (as I write this) 105.46 US dollars. Not 395.72 Saudi riyals. Not 7,983.35 Indian rupees. Not 665.78 Chinese yuan. $105.46 or no sale.

What happens when one of the worlds largest oil producers is 1) cut off from SWIFT; 2) doesnt want US dollars as much as it used to because other sanctions make those dollars difficult to spend; and 3) has trading partners who are watching these sanctions and fear they could be the next victims? Well, this:

A rupee-rouble trade arrangement may get a push now that Russia is out of SWIFT, reports The Times of India. China will presumably likewise increase its yuan-ruble trade with Russia. The Times of India article reveals that this isnt a sudden development: India had entered into a rupee-rouble trade arrangement with Russia earlier to shield the two nations from unilateral sanctions from the United States.

What makes the dollar valuable? The same thing that makes anything valuable: People wanting it. Between China and India, more than a quarter of the worlds population are in the process of wanting the dollar less than they used to. That, in turn, makes every dollar in your pocket worth less than it once was.

In the short term, the SWIFT kick and other sanctions may hurt Russia more than they hurt you. But the uncontested reign of the US dollar among global currencies seems to be nearing its end, in part because the US government is driving the world away from it with the constant threat of sanctions.

The smart move for Americans? Hold as few dollars as you can get by on. Trade your dollars for gold, silver, and cryptocurrency while theyre still worth something, to someone, somewhere.

Thomas L. Knapp (Twitter: @thomaslknapp) is director and senior news analyst at the William Lloyd Garrison Center for Libertarian Advocacy Journalism (thegarrisoncenter.org). He lives and works in north central Florida.

Go here to see the original:
The West's SWIFT kick is aimed at Russia, but it will also hit the US dollar The Kansan - Newton Kansan

ROCKINGHAM Before Rep. Richard Hudson can face off against state Sen. Ben Clark, a former Air Force officer, for the 9th Congressional district seat, hell have to make it past two challengers including another veteran in a Republican primary.

Records with the N.C. State Board of Elections show Francisco Rios, of Charlotte, filed to run as a Republican on Dec. 8, 2021.

At the time, the 9th District was contained to Mecklenburg County.

However, a three-judge panel including Richmond County Superior Court Judge Dawn Layton rejected a second map from state legislators and opted for one drawn by special masters.

The district now comprises Scotland, Hoke, Lee, Chatham and Randolph counties in addition to northwest Cumberland, western Harnett and a sliver of eastern Richmond.

The RO has attempted to contact Rios campaign to clarify if he was changing districts because of the new map.

Further confusing matters, a post on Rios website states that the campaign would be going door to door in District 5 on Feb. 5.

Either way, Rios could still run for the 9th District as the Constitution doesnt require members of the U.S. House of Representatives to live in the districts they represent.

According to his campaign website, Rios is an Army veteran who served with the 82nd Airborne Division based at Fort Bragg, has lived in North Carolina for more than 20 years, and started his own electronics business in 2019.

Rios has never held public office and is not burdened with the maladies that many representatives suffer from once they reach office.

The top four issues listed on his website are supporting veterans, curbing governmental spending, stopping illegal immigration, and accountablity and refrom in Congress, including setting term limits.

Another candidate, Jen Bucardo of Asheboro, entered the race on Monday, state records show.

According to Bucardos campaign website, she was born in California but raised in North Carolina. Her LinkedIn page shows Bucardo obtained a bachelors degree in healthcare management from Winston-Salem State University and has worked as a legal assistant, substitute teacher in Randolph County Schools and is currently self-employed with A Fresh Coat of Paint, which has the same address as her home listed with elections records.

It appears Bucardo had originally planned to run in District 7, which, under the original map, included Randolph, Chatham, Lee, Alamance, eastern Guilford, eastern Davidson, southwestern Wake and the northern tip of Harnett.

Bucardo, according to her website, appears to be pro-gun, pro-life, in favor of Voter ID and against critical race theory. She is also interested in immigration, education and foster care, and environmental reform.

Hudson, who has represented Richmond County in the past, filed on Feb. 25.

Clark filed to run as a Democrat on Monday and no one from the Libertarian Party has filed.

As of Wednesday, no one had filed to challenge Rep. Dan Bishop for the District 8 seat, either from his own party or the Democratic or Libertarian parties.

The 8th District includes the western two-thirds of Richmond, Anson, Union, Montgomery, Stanly, Davidson, Rowan and eastern Cabarrus.

Filing ends at noon Friday.

Note: This story has been edited to add Rowan County to the 8th District. 10:36 p.m. 3-2-22.

View post:
Hudson to face challengers in Republican primary for 9th District seat - The Richmond Observer

Former U.S intelligence consultant Edward Snowden,on Sunday, laid out the cause of his silence over Russias invasion of Ukraine.

What Happened: Snowden said he has lost confidence that sharing his thinking on this particular topic continues to be useful because he "called it wrong."

Snowden also took aim at people he described as "concern-trolling ghouls" in his tweet.

Why It Matters: On Feb. 19, Snowden had tweeted that the possibility of an attack on Kyiv was difficult for him to contemplate. Snowdens comments were made in response to President Joe Biden saying that an attack on the Ukrainian capital was days away.

At the time, he pointed out that Kyiv is bigger than Sarajevo, Grozny and Fallujah all cities that have experienced war in the preceding years.

President Vladimir Putin of Russia announced a Special Military Operation in Ukraine on Feb. 23, shortly after which explosions were heard in Kyiv.

Some commentators on Twitter called out Snowden for misreading the situationbut he receive word of support from the Libertarian Party of Tennessee.

Despite the relative silence of some like Snowdenon the Russia-Ukraine war, companies like Apple Inc (NASDAQ: AAPL), Facebook parent Meta Platforms Inc (NASDAQ: FB), and Tesla Inc (NASDAQ: TSLA) have been responding to Russias aggression against its neighbor.

Several Russian-born personalities like Ethereum (CRYPTO: ETH) co-creator Vitalik Buterin and Chess grandmaster Gary Kasparov have also voiced their opposition against the ongoing conflict.

Read Next: As Ukraine's Wealthy Scrambled To Buy Crypto Ahead Of Russian Invasion, Tether Became More Valuable Than Dollar

Photo: Courtesy of Gage Skidmore via Wikimedia

2022 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

Read more:
Edward Snowden Sends Out First Tweet Since Russia's Ukraine Invasion Says This Is Why He Has Been Silent - Benzinga

At a Flathead County Library Board of Trustees meeting last week, it was made clear that the board members recent actions, led by a three-person majority, continue to hurt the bedrock institution this time, in the form of funding.

The ImagineIF Library Foundation Board, the fundraising arm of the local public library system, presented a letter to the trustees that read, in part: In the past six months, the Foundation Board has been increasingly disappointed by a series of non-unanimous board decisions, and individual board conduct has damaged the reputation and capacity of ImagineIF Libraries.

For those who havent been following the various actions taken by these trustees appointed by the Flathead County commissioners, heres a refresher: They have plotted to censure queer-themed books; drove out two library directors; slashed pay for potential employees; discussed privately whether they should temporarily close the libraries and lay off the entire staff; and hired an unqualified director, which resulted in the library system no longer meeting Montana State Library certification standards and losing $35,000 in funding.

Now, according to the Foundation Board, it is beginning to lose other types of funding. Some of those who considered giving philanthropically to the foundation out of support for our countys award-winning library system are having second thoughts.

The foundations letter continued: Reputational damage to ImagineIF harms our ability to effectively fundraise and promote the positive impact of public libraries, and were already feeling the fallout.

That fallout includes a handful of donors who said they were canceling or holding back their year-end gifts because theyre troubled by some of the Trustee behaviors. Other donors, according to the foundation, who had pledged their support for a new Bigfork library have expressed an unwillingness to fulfill their pledge commitment until Trustee mismanagement ceases.

This is unsurprising considering the trustees slashed library funding while trying to reshape it to align with their own ideologies. If the board tasked with supporting the local library system wont do it, why would potential donors?

And the Board of Trustees continues to double down on its disingenuous actions, making public a letter drafted for circulation among ImagineIF staff that includes this passage: The county commissioners have indicated that there is a perception that the library isnt welcoming to all, and that the library has a strong liberal bent The Board is still working through what it means to be more balanced.

That work has already begun and was laid bare in a story we previously published where trustees were discussing censoring books they didnt like over emails and text messages before any member of the public had even filed a formal complaint about them. Now this letter makes clear that the trustees work to fundamentally change the library in the name of the crises it created has only begun.

Allowing local residents to check out any book on any range of thoughts and ideas, some of which may be controversial, isnt liberal. Its libertarian, which once was a unifying characteristic in Montana, where we may not always agree with each other, but we stayed out of each others business.

The county commissioners and board of trustees concocted fake controversaries to fan a useless culture war and our libraries are collateral damage. And now those people want to decide what we should read.

Read more:
A Concocted Controversy - Flathead Beacon