Minnesota’s DFL Party launched a new “money blizzard” fundraising campaign this week and admitted in an announcement that it “just can’t keep up” with President Donald Trump’s campaign efforts in the state.
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President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign released a statement Wednesday morning calling the impeachment efforts “just another hoax from Democrats and the media.”
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A new poll released last week by the public affairs firm Firehouse Strategies shows President Donald Trump either statistically tied or behind three top Democratic candidates in key Midwest states.
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It is now clearer than ever that the whole Trump-Russia collusion argument, as many of us have been loudly proclaiming since it began, is a monstrous hoax, “a conspiracy so immense”—to use Senator Joseph R. McCarthy’s infamous words in his attack upon General George C. Marshall in 1951—that it has been hard for the public to take it on board.
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Former Ohio Gov. John Kasich said on CNN this week that he doesn’t “see the path right now” for mounting a successful challenge against President Donald Trump in the Republican primary.
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The Judy Ford Wason Center for Public Policy, a research institute at Christopher Newport University, accurately predicted that Democrats would pick up more than 40 seats in the U.S. House in the 2018 midterm elections. Now they believe President Donald Trump will lose key battleground states like Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania in 2020.
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Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren brought her free-college message Monday evening to Macalester College, a progressive haven located in St. Paul, Minnesota that costs up to $68,000 a year to attend.
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The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew at an inflation-adjusted 2.1 percent in the second quarter of 2019, upping the ante for the remaining quarters in order to get to 3 percent growth for the year, according to data compiled by the Bureau of Economic Analysis.
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CNN hosted the second round of Democratic debates, which kicked of Tuesday night and will continue Wednesday night in Detroit, Michigan.
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An internal poll reportedly “making the rounds of some of the most influential Democrats in America” shows that Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05) has a nine percent approval rating among swing-state voters. The poll was obtained exclusively by Axios, which reports that the poll was conducted in May by Democratic leadership to assess the approval ratings of progressive Democrats among likely voters in swing states. The poll found that 22 percent of respondents had a favorable view of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY-14), while just nine percent had a favorable view of Omar. “If all voters hear about is AOC, it could put the majority at risk,” a top Democrat involved in the 2020 congressional races told Axios. “She’s getting all the news and defining everyone else’s races.” According to Axios, the group that conducted the poll shared it with the outlet on the condition of anonymity because it has to work with all members of the Democratic Party. The poll surveyed 1,003 likely general-election voters who are white and have two years or less of college education. The survey also found that only 18 percent of swing-state voters had a positive view of socialism, compared to 56 percent who viewed…
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Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has endorsed (again) Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont for president, straying from a pack of Minnesota politicians who are supporting hometown candidate Sen. Amy Klobuchar in the race. “Kamala, Julien [sic] and Pete all did very well. Elizabeth showed why she is a true leader; champion of working families everywhere. But Bernie Sanders dominated both nights with the force of ideas, which have been consistent throughout his service. I support him—like I did last time,” Ellison wrote on Twitter early Friday morning after the second night of Democratic debates. Kamala, Julien & Pete all did very well. Elizabeth showed why she is a true leader; champion of working families everywhere. But @BernieSanders dominated both nights with the force of ideas, which have been consistent throughout his service. I support him – like I did last time. — Keith Ellison (@keithellison) June 28, 2019 Ellison was one of the first members of Congress to support Sanders’ 2016 bid for the presidency. Sanders, in turn, supported Ellison in his run for DNC chair in 2017, and his 2018 campaign for his current role as Minnesota’s attorney general. Ellison told The Star Tribune that his endorsement of…
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Ten Democratic presidential candidates took to the debate stage in Miami, Florida Wednesday night for the first of a two-night event. President Donald Trump weighed in on the debate with just one word: “BORING!” BORING! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 27, 2019 He later criticized NBC News after moderators Chuck Todd and Rachel Maddow had to cut to a commercial break to deal with microphone difficulties. “NBC News and MSNBC should be ashamed of themselves for having such a horrible technical breakdown in the middle of the debate,” Trump wrote on Twitter. “Truly unprofessional and only worthy of a FAKE NEWS organization, which they are!” .@NBCNews and @MSNBC should be ashamed of themselves for having such a horrible technical breakdown in the middle of the debate. Truly unprofessional and only worthy of a FAKE NEWS Organization, which they are! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 27, 2019 Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH-13) represented the Midwest during the first round of debates. Klobuchar highlights Early on in the debate, Klobuchar earned a round of applause after taking a shot at Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, who said he was the only candidate on stage who had…
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U.S. Rep. Dr. Mark Green (R-TN-07) voted “no” on H.R. 3351, the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act, 2020. He released the following statement explaining his vote: “Congressional Democrats must not be able to help themselves. They love spending taxpayer money,” said Rep. Mark Green. “The president requested lower spending via the budget he submitted to Congress. Yet again, Democrats proposed yet another spending bill that is $400 million above the President’s request and $1.8 billion more than last year’s levels. Just as I explained last week when I voted NO on the last spending package, Tennessee’s 7th District did not send me to Washington to grow the size of government. That’s why I voted NO.” Green also wrote a series of tweets laying out his position and linking to his statement. Just as I explained last week when I voted NO on the last spending package, Tennessee's 7th District did not send me to Washington to grow the size of government. That’s why I voted NO on this one too. More info here: https://t.co/NRAcHOU8Lb — Rep. Mark Green (@RepMarkGreen) June 26, 2019 On June 20, The Tennessee Star reported on Green’s “no” vote on a nearly $1 trillion…
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Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH-13) said that if he’s elected president he would make sure “every aspect of society” is focused on curbing climate change. Ryan recently sat down with The New York Times for its “Meet the Candidates” series where he answered a number of questions about his presidential platform. “I do. Yes. We have to marshal every aspect of our society, our government, our free enterprise system, our educational institutions, our venture capital—all has to be pointing in the direction of reversing climate change,” Ryan said in response to whether he thinks it’s possible for the next president to stop climate change. “I think if we do it right, if we engage the free enterprise system, if we align the environmental incentives with the financial incentives, that we can actually do it a lot quick than most people think,” he added. On the issue of health care, Ryan reiterated his belief that the country needs to “move towards a single-payer system.” “We need to move towards a single-payer system,” he told The Times. “I think the natural next step is to have some public option for people to be able to buy affordable, accessible, quality health care. We…
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2020 hopeful Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH-13) wants to introduce social-emotional learning standards to every public school in the country. The Ohio Star’s Beth Lear recently did a deep dive on the Ohio State Board of Education’s efforts to bring social-emotional learning to the state. “This is part of a national movement to psychologize education falsely advertised as improving academic achievement and preventing violence and suicide,” said Dr. Karen Effrem of Eagle Forum. Effrem said she was concerned that social-emotional learning standards would lead to an erosion of parental rights, over-medication of vulnerable students, and inaccurate mental health assessments from personnel not trained as mental health experts. “Many of us on the state board of education are concerned about the state getting involved in social and emotional learning for a variety of reasons,” State School Board Member Kirsten Hill told The Ohio Star. “Measuring children’s feelings, values, attitudes, dispositions and behaviors is difficult to do and then sharing this highly sensitive and personal information with parties beyond the teacher and the school breaches privacy. There are student surveys being conducted that parents aren’t aware of. Is the school role going to expand into mental health treatment?” If it’s up to…
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Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH-13) said during a Thursday night appearance on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah that President Donald Trump “hasn’t done a damn thing” for the economy. Noah began the interview by congratulating Ryan for making the first Democratic debate, scheduled for June 26 and 27 in Miami. “Most people would’ve never given me a chance to get on the debate stage, and here we are. And that’s kind of the beginning of the game. We’re in the game and we’re excited to get our message out,” Ryan said. “Do you really believe you have a shot in this game?” Noah responded. “I know you don’t believe you’re out of it, but why?” “Where I come from—I represent the forgotten communities of the country, and I think if you look at the history of these races—Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, Donald Trump—the winner usually comes out of nowhere,” Ryan said, emphasizing throughout the interview that he represents “the forgotten people.” “I think the shine’s coming off the apple,” Ryan said in regards to Trump’s economic policies. “I think people are saying you made all these promises and you haven’t delivered. And so my argument to the…
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A new poll shows Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) leading the field in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary in Minnesota. According to the recent Change Research poll, Warren attracted the support of 21 percent of respondents, while former Vice President Joe Biden came in second with 20 percent of the vote, and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) placed third with 19 percent. Sixteen percent of respondents said they would vote for Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) in Minnesota’s Democratic primary, putting her in fourth place in her home state. That puts her in front of South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA), who polled at 11 percent and four percent, respectively. Younger voters between 18 and 49 preferred Sanders over Warren, while voters between the ages of 50 and 64 preferred Biden as the nominee. Klobuchar polled stronger among older voters as well, receiving 19 percent of the vote among respondents aged 50 to 64. Female voters selected Warren, Biden, and Klobuchar as their top candidates, while male voters preferred Sanders, Biden, and Buttigieg. Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH-13) polled at zero percent in Change Research’s poll, along with Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI-02) and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY). “Polling…
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Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH-13) said the House “must begin impeachment proceedings” in a statement released Tuesday morning. Republicans criticized Ryan, a 2020 hopeful, for using the impeachment issue to “breakthrough in a crowded primary field” and “satiate his radical base.” But Ryan claims he came to the decision “after much thought and consideration and after both reading the Mueller report and hearing directly from the Special Counsel.” “In America, no one is above the law. In America, we have an elected president, not a king. In America, the people govern,” Ryan began his statement. “We must fully expose the lawlessness which has already occurred and prevent additional lawlessness from occurring. While it is unlikely that we will see a conviction in the Senate with its present Republican leadership more concerned with power and party than their constitutional duties and the rule of law, we can no longer sit by while a lawless president remains unchecked,” he continued. Statement on Impeachment pic.twitter.com/8pzx1zQnhC — Tim Ryan (@TimRyan) June 4, 2019 Ryan went on to suggest that avoiding impeachment would enable “this kind of lawless behavior to continue and to metastasize.” “Our republic cannot survive if we acquiesce to the view held…
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by Evie Fordham President Donald Trump revealed a major detail about his 2020 presidential run announcement in a tweet Friday afternoon. “I will be announcing my Second Term Presidential Run with First Lady Melania, Vice President Mike Pence, and Second Lady Karen Pence on June 18th in Orlando, Florida, at the 20,000 seat Amway Center. Join us for this Historic Rally!” Trump wrote on Twitter Friday with a link to register to attend. I will be announcing my Second Term Presidential Run with First Lady Melania, Vice President Mike Pence, and Second Lady Karen Pence on June 18th in Orlando, Florida, at the 20,000 seat Amway Center. Join us for this Historic Rally! Tickets: https://t.co/1krDP2oQvG — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 31, 2019 The rally will likely be a far cry from his 2015 announcement. After declaring his candidacy, “Rockin’ In The Free World” by Neil Young briefly played before Trump continued speaking, vowing to be “the greatest jobs president that God ever created.” Now, he has been in office for more than two years and is contending with a wide swath of Democratic candidates — and a few challengers from the right and center. More than 20 candidates…
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Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH-13) has missed 70 votes since the start of the 116th Congress, putting him near the top of the pack in this category among his fellow 2020 Democratic contenders. According to a project from ProPublica, Ryan missed 31.6 percent of all votes in the House as of last week, making him the third most absent member of the House. For comparison, Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA-15) has missed 48 votes, or 22.1 percent, while Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI-02) has missed 18.9 percent at 41 votes skipped. According to The San Francisco Chronicle, Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) leads the field among 2020 Democrats in the Senate. The New Jersey senator has missed 37 votes, which is 31.9 percent of all votes. Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) has missed 27 votes, or 23.3 percent of all votes in the Senate. ProPublica points out that Ryan has cast zero votes against party lines during this Congress. Out of the 433 members of Congress, Ryan ranks at 373 in bipartisanship. “It’s no secret that Ryan has long been angling to leave his constituents behind with musings for higher office,” Mandi Merritt, Ohio spokeswoman for the Republican National Committee, told The Ohio Star.…
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Sen. Amy Klobuchar jumped from one percent to three percent between April and May in Monmouth University’s monthly polling, which her campaign called “huge news.” “There’s huge news in a new Monmouth poll. As more people learn more about Amy, her bold plans for our country, and how she’ll address the problems Americans face, they’re putting their support behind her,” a recent fundraising email from Klobuchar’s campaign said. “Polls go up and down, but this new Monmouth data confirms what we’re seeing on the ground: big crowds, great enthusiasm, and a surge of grassroots donations from Americans who want Amy to be our next president,” the email added. The poll, conducted by Monmouth University’s Polling Institute between May 16 and May 20, had Klobuchar polling at three percent overall. The poll, however, did show significant gains for female candidates, who received a combined 27 percent of support among Democratic voters, up from the 16 percent they received in April. “Women are commanding a larger slice of Democratic support than they were a few weeks ago and we are seeing bumps in their individual voter ratings,” said Patrick Murray, director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute. “We can’t parse out…
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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi spoke Friday night at the DFL’s annual Humphrey-Mondale Dinner in Minneapolis, continuing her swing through key Midwest states. “The House Democratic Majority in Washington has been hard at work tackling the toughest issues facing our country, just as the DFL has been doing in Minnesota,” Pelosi said in a press release. “Democrats have led the way on everything from job-creating infrastructure investments to lowering the prices of prescription drugs. Republicans have responded with division, obfuscation and theatrics.” Pelosi said it was “an honor to celebrate our accomplishments, both legislative and electoral, with so many fine Minnesota Democrats.” “I’m proud of our record of fighting for the American people and I’m confident that record will carry us to victory in 2020,” she added. Both President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence have visited Minnesota in recent months. Trump has gone on record saying he believes he could have won Minnesota in 2016 had he made one more visit to the state. “Right now, the DFL is in one of the strongest positions in our party’s storied 75-year history,” DFL Chairman Ken Martin said. “We are offering Minnesotans great schools, fair wages, and affordable health care,…
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The We the People Convention, an Ohio-based tea party organization, urged President Donald Trump to move more federal agencies out of Washington, D.C. after news broke that his administration was planning to move offices for the U.S. Department of Agriculture out of the swamp. “I have long believed that President Trump should make a campaign pledge for his 2020 re-election campaign that would really ‘Drain the Swamp.’ That pledge would be to move nearly all federal agencies out of D.C.,” said Tom Zawistowski, president of the We the People Convention. The comments came in response to Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue’s plan to move two department offices outside the beltway, which caused staffers to quit en masse. “Why are we taxpayers paying ridiculous Washington, D.C. inflated salaries to these bureaucrats most of whom we don’t even need? It’s because the D.C. swamp is all about growing and concentrating its power within our government not to serve us, but to rule over us,” Zawistowski said. He suggested that the only federal agencies that should remain in Washington are “the military and perhaps intelligence agencies.” “Every other agency, Education, FBI, Treasury, Labor, DOJ, HUD, etc., all need to be dispersed into…
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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called on Democrats to “turn Ohio blue” in a passionate speech at the Ohio Democratic Party’s annual Legacy Dinner in Columbus Friday night. Pelosi spent the early portions of her speech touting the new Democratic majority in the House of Representatives and the legislation new members are pushing, including the Equality Act, which passed Friday morning. “Today is not just a victory, though, for the LGBTQ community. That would be important enough to have done that. But it’s also a victory for the right of every American to live and love openly. It was a victory for America,” she said of the bill. On the issue of health care, Pelosi called it the Democratic Party’s “first principle” and said the party’s goal is “health care for all Americans.” “House Democrats are taking bold action honoring this fundamental belief: that health care must be a right, not a privilege, and it is a right for every American,” Pelosi said. The latter half of her speech, however, took on a more ominous tone when she recalled the words of Thomas Paine during the American Revolution and told the crowd that “we are in a battle to save…
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Sen. Amy Klobuchar spent the weekend visiting with leaders in Puerto Rico and repeatedly attacked President Donald Trump for his response to Hurricane Maria ahead of her visit to the U.S. territory. “A lot of it has to do with this president, who continually wants to look at Puerto Rico in a different way when in fact there are citizens there, there are people, this is a U.S. territory. And he’s someone who just wants to look at them and let them go, I guess,” Klobuchar said on Rachel Maddow’s show Thursday night. Joined @maddow last night to talk about what it's like to run for president and why I'm headed to Puerto Rico pic.twitter.com/HSSl6zZUq3 — Amy Klobuchar (@amyklobuchar) May 10, 2019 “You have people that need so much help, that lost everything—that lost their homes, that lost their hospitals, that lost their schools,” she continued. “We respond. We don’t just let them out. We did it when New Jersey needed help, we helped them. When North Dakota needed help with Grand Forks and that flood, we helped them. We come together as a nation.” “This president just looks for divides,” Klobuchar concluded. “He wants to blame people in…
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2020 Democrat Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH-13) was on Real Time with Bill Maher Friday night where the host suggested that “it’s kind of hard to run against the economy in Ohio.” “The reality of it is most people are still struggling to make ends meet. I’ve been living that for the last 45 years outside of Youngstown, Ohio,” Ryan said. “I’ve been studying and trying to figure out how do we get this economy working for working class people.” “But aren’t they all saying that? I’m asking you why you’re different. You’re telling me what everyone of them has said,” Maher replied. “Here’s where I’m different: I know what direction we need to go in,” Ryan said. “I know where the economy’s going.” “Where? What do you know they don’t know?” Maher interjected. “Well, right now, nowhere,” Ryan suggested. “Well, come on. The economy is not horrible. 4.4 percent is the unemployment rate in Ohio. It’s kind of hard to run against the economy in Ohio, isn’t it?” Maher asked. “No, because the average wage has only gone up 20 bucks a week,” Ryan responded. “Wages did finally rise. We have to admit. Trump is president for two years.…
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Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), a 2020 contender, hosted a campaign rally in Columbus, Ohio Friday night where she received thunderous applause while discussing her controversial wealth tax. “I’m tired of freeloading billionaires,” Warren said Friday night after campaigning across West Virginia earlier in the day. In January, Warren floated the idea of introducing a two percent incremental wealth tax on those who are worth more than $50 million. A Forbes analysis found that the tax would cost the country’s wealthiest $85 billion a year. Warren discussed the proposal Friday night and provided a laundry list of the kinds of programs she would pay for with the new taxes. “Here’s what you can get: universal child care every baby age zero to five. But that’s not all. Universal pre-k for every three-year-old and four-year-old in this country. Raise the wages of every child care worker and pre-school worker to a professional wage level like they’re entitled to. But I’m not through yet,” she said. “We can do all of that and we can make every technical school, two-year college, and four-year college tuition and fee free in America.” “Tuition and fee free on all of our public colleges and universities—think…
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Sen. Amy Klobuchar joined Fox News Wednesday night for a town hall in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, a state Hillary Clinton famously skipped during the 2016 election. According to Fox News, the network allows candidates to select the location for their town halls and Klobuchar picked Milwaukee, which will also host the 2020 Democratic National Convention. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) was the first to join Fox News for one of its town halls, and it was later reported that candidates were “flocking” to the network, even after the DNC announced in March that Fox News would not “serve as a media partner for the 2020 Democratic primary debates.” Moderators Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum covered a number of topics, but began by asking Klobuchar if she agrees with the House Democrats’ vote to hold Attorney General William Barr in contempt. “Yes, the Attorney General is the people’s lawyer,” Klobuchar responded, saying “he should be showing up and answering questions.” Klobuchar said that although the economy is doing well, when “you go out there and talk to real people, they feel like they’re not sharing in this prosperity.” “There are jobs out there, we know that,” she said. “But it’s become harder…
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Ohio Democratic Party Chairman David Pepper recently claimed that “Ohio could very well be the state that ends the Trump presidency.” The comment was made during an interview on “The State of Ohio,” Statehouse News Bureau’s television program. He appeared on the show with Republican Party Chairwoman Jane Timken. The two discussed everything from Ohio’s Congressional map to the recent Lordstown plant closure, but they focused much of their attention on President Donald Trump’s chances of winning the state in 2020. “No, not at all,” Timken said in response to whether she thinks a Democrat can beat Trump in Ohio. “Donald Trump’s popularity is very high in Ohio. You think about the booming economy we’ve had. Ohio’s unemployment rate, I think it’s 4.4 percent. I travel around the state of Ohio and the biggest complaint from small and big businesses is not that they need to layoff workers—it’s that they can’t find enough workers.” “I think Ohio is doing very well under President Trump’s leadership,” she said, while arguing that the Democrats are “lurching further and further to the left” with policy initiatives like the Green New Deal and Medicare for All. “All of those things are not what…
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Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH-13) called former Vice President Joe Biden’s opinion on the economic threat posed by China “stunningly out of touch” during an appearance Saturday night on CNN’s “The Van Jones Show.” “China is going to eat our lunch? Come on, man,” Biden said during a campaign stop in Iowa last week. “I mean, you know, they’re not bad folks, folks. But guess what, they’re not, they’re not competition for us.” “No one can compete with us. Nobody can compete with us around the world,” he added. President Donald Trump called the comments “dumb” and “naive,” and Ryan, a Democratic 2020 contender, seems to agree. “You know, I actually think that’s stunning. And I love Joe Biden, but I think that’s stunningly out of touch with where we are right now,” Ryan said in response to Biden’s comments. Joe Biden’s comments that China’s economy is “not competition” for the United States is “stunningly out of touch,” 2020 candidate @RepTimRyan tells @VanJones68. Watch the full interview tonight on “The Van Jones Show” at 7 p.m. ET on CNN. https://t.co/FsRpn5BaZs pic.twitter.com/u5oYZEIfGT — CNN (@CNN) May 4, 2019 “I mean, if you look at what China’s doing, they’ve got a five year…
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The City Club of Cleveland recently released an archived recording of a May 1973 address then Sen. Joe Biden gave to the city’s popular free speech forum. The recording reveals Biden, who was then a 30-year-old, first-term senator from Delaware, making sexist jokes, using the word “Negro,” and defending his Republican colleagues against criticisms surrounding the Watergate scandal. According to the City Club of Cleveland, the remarks were delivered on May 18, 1973, just as the Senate was beginning its televised hearings on Watergate. An audio clip of Biden’s address is now available on City Club’s website. Biden began his speech with several self-deprecating jokes about his lowly position in the U.S. Senate since he was then the youngest senator in office. “It should be noted and I hope you all are duly impressed with the fact that I am one of the most powerful men in the United States. And you ladies, are you aware of that, just how powerful I am? I am number 100 in seniority and don’t forget it,” Biden said. “This young lady knows I’m so powerful she wants to get close to me. She just moved right up front here. She probably has…
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A DFL state representative revealed during a recent debate on the Minnesota House floor that he supports allowing incarcerated individuals to vote from prison. “I actually am looking forward to a bill or amendment … that would put Minnesota in line with states like Vermont and Maine that actually allow individuals who are locked up to vote. So I look forward to the day when we have that bill on the floor to debate it,” said Rep. Raymond Dehn (DFL-Minneapolis), who chairs the House Subcommittee on Elections. The comments were made during a Tuesday debate on the omnibus state government and veterans and military affairs finance bill, a massive spending bill that would draw $1.2 billion from the state’s general fund during the next biennium. Specifically, the House was debating an amendment put forward by Rep. Jim Nash (R-Waconia) that would have removed language on elections from the omnibus bill. He argued that election measures typically receive their own bill. “We have one of the most hyper-partisan elections bills you have ever seen,” Nash added. Dehn’s position that prisoners should be granted the right to vote is supported by some Democratic presidential candidates, including Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT). Sanders…
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Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) headlined the Cuyahoga County Democratic Party’s annual fundraising dinner Sunday night. Harris’ appearance at the event was called into question earlier this month after a dispute between union leaders and the Cuyahoga County Council. As The Cleveland Plain Dealer explains, the council voted to transfer control of three county jails to MetroHealth, and as a result placed the jobs of nurses at the jails in jeopardy. Shontel Brown, a county councilwoman and the chair of the county’s Democratic Party, voted in favor of the move. The local chapter of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) planned to protest Sunday night’s event. “Kamala Harris is a longstanding friend of labor and if there is a dispute that leads to a picket line, she will not cross it,” a spokesperson for Harris’ campaign said in response. The dispute, however, was resolved last week, allowing Harris’ appearance to move forward as planned. “These hardworking and dedicated nurses are guaranteed employment through the transition to MetroHealth. Individuals not retained, or those who decline employment, will be offered jobs elsewhere in the county or placement services to assist in seeking employment,” Brown said in a statement.…
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Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH-13) was on the road Friday morning after former Vice President Joe Biden officially declared candidacy, but he sat down with local media in New Hampshire to discuss the announcement. “Obviously he’s from Scranton, I’m from just outside of Youngstown—very similar communities. I think similar approaches to how we talk about these issues and recognize kind of the anxiety people are going through,” Ryan said of Biden’s announcement on the New Hampshire Now radio program. “I think the ultimate question is going to be: what’s the plan? How do you win the future? We’re divided. Who can bring the country together to win the future?” Ryan added. “People want solutions. They want answers. They want a plan. It’s not hope and change, and it’s not Make America Great Again. It’s like: tell me what you’re going to do.” The hosts then asked Ryan about Biden’s announcement video, which explicitly targeted President Donald Trump. “I don’t think people are looking for a superstar, I don’ think they’re looking for a savior. I don’t think they’re looking for a miracle. I think they’re looking for somebody who can roll their sleeves up and just grind this thing out,” Ryan…
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Former Gov. John Kasich was on CNN Wednesday to discuss former Vice President Joe Biden’s anticipated presidential bid, which was made official Thursday. “Well, listen. There will be no intimidation factor if he were to go head-to-head against Donald Trump. I think he’s rearing for this fight,” Kasich said, noting that “age means less today than it did.” “I mean, you can be older as long as you’re vigorous and you can generate some new ideas. Do I think Joe can do it? Absolutely,” he continued. “He was a vital part of the Obama administration, and he led in a number of areas when he became frustrated with the president. So, look, I know the guy really well, and he’s a lot of fun, but I got to tell you, he does talk a lot.” Kasich said that he expects Biden’s campaign will be “full of life,” and said the former vice president is “going to hug.” “He does that. He talks a lot. But, you know, he’s going to connect, and he’s going to hug, and he’s going to shake hands. You know, he’s just going to be full of life,” Kasich said. I've known @JoeBiden for many…
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The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) began targeting Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN) and other swing-state Democrats Monday with a new billboard campaign. “Ask Tina Smith about the 430,478 Minnesota jobs at risk under the Green New Deal,” the NRSC’s new Minnesota billboard states. Smith has expressed support for the Green New Deal, but voted “present” along with Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) when the measure was put up for a vote in the Senate. Great new billboard here in MN by @NRSC. It’s time @TinaSmithMN answer for why she wants to crush jobs in Minnesota. #mnsen pic.twitter.com/ETvO9Da6p3 — Kevin Poindexter (@Kdpoindexter) April 22, 2019 State Sen. Karin Housley (R-St. Mary’s Point), Smith’s 2018 opponent, tweeted a picture of the billboard Monday along with the contact information for Smith’s office. “Yep, you should ask Sen. Tina Smith. I saved you the search,” Housley said. Smith defeated Housley in the 2018 special election to finish the remainder of former Sen. Al Franken’s term, but she will be up for reelection again in 2020. Yep, you should ask @SenTinaSmith. I saved you the search: (202) 224-5641 or https://t.co/TE6oaflnIq #mnsen pic.twitter.com/mbEeMywZ3U — Karin Housley (@KarinHousley) April 22, 2019 It’s been rumored that Housley may run…
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by Bill Wilson The rising chorus of the leftist meme reveals the legitimate fear they have for the move by the Trump Administration to ask one simple question on the upcoming Census; are you a citizen of the United States? To hear the horde of so-called “progressive” mouthpieces you would think the act of asking this question is tantamount to renouncing both the Magna Carta and the Declaration of Independence. The hyper-ventilating was on full display on April 15 by Catherine Rampell in the Pravda (Washington) Post in her piece, “The Trump administration’s census question degrades our data — and our democracy.” According to Comrade Rampell, asking if a person is a citizen will accomplish two vile goals of the Trump dystopia. It will degrade the data collected by the Census and, of course, it will be a spike into the heart of our cherished mythological democracy. Unfortunately, on both counts the radical anti-American Left are dead wrong. In fact, they are aggressively demonstrating their long-term goals on destroying both honest data analytics and any semblance of representative government. In the 15 Censuses conducted since 1870, the question has been asked in all but three cases. So, far from…
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Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH-13), a 2020 presidential hopeful, said on CNN Wednesday that he’s “concerned” about the rise of socialism within the Democratic Party. “I’m concerned about it because if we are going to de-carbonize the American economy it’s not going to be some centralized bureaucracy in Washington, D.C. that’s going to make it happen. It’s going to be part targeted government investments that do need to be robust, but it’s going to be the free market that’s, at the end of the day, going to make that happen,” Ryan said on CNN’s New Day. Ryan said that only the “innovation” and “creativity” of the free market will allow for America’s economy to go carbon free. “You can be hostile to concentration of wealth. You can be hostile to income inequality. You can be hostile to greed. We can’t be hostile to the free-enterprise system. That’s how we get past China,” Ryan continued. 2020 hopeful @RepTimRyan says he’s “concerned” about socialism and the Democratic Party. “You can be hostile to concentration of wealth, you can be hostile to income inequality … We can't be hostile to the free-enterprise system. That’s how we get past China.” pic.twitter.com/ahlwI09rqb — CNN This Morning…
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2020 Democrats are reportedly “flocking” to Fox News to participate in the network’s town hall events, the next of which will feature Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), the network announced Wednesday. Sen. Bernie Sanders’ (I-VT) Monday night town hall event on Fox News was the most-watched town hall of the 2020 campaign thus far, according to The Daily Beast. More than 2.5 million viewers tuned in for the event, compared to CNN’s recent town hall with Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA), which attracted 1.95 million viewers. On the night of the town hall, rival network MSNBC had 1.44 million viewers, while CNN had just 913,000. The event was described as a “ratings smash,” but that isn’t stopping the Democratic National Committee from refusing to partner with Fox News for any 2020 debates. In fact, during a Monday morning interview on Fox News, DNC Chairman Tom Perez said he wouldn’t reconsider the decision. “Here is why we won’t do that. Because I don’t have faith in your leadership at Fox News at the senior levels,” Perez told anchor Bill Hemmer. “I have great respect for Bret and for Chris and for you, but you’ve demonstrated, above your pay grade, they don’t trust…
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Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH-13), now a 2020 presidential hopeful, placed the fault for the current migrant crisis squarely on the shoulders of President Donald Trump Sunday, stating that “the president has caused it” by being “lazy.” The nine-term congressman made the statement during a wide-ranging interview with Kasie Hunt on MSNBC. Hunt asked specifically if there was a migrant “crisis” on the border, and Ryan replied by stating: It is [a crisis], and I think that the president has caused it, to be quite honest with you. He has failed to address the issues in Central America. Quite frankly, the president is lazy. He doesn’t read his presidential daily briefing. He ignored this problem. We want presidents to deal with the root of problems. Central America is a mess, and we are doing nothing to stabilize that region. Other Democratic legislators have been hesitant to label the current issues at the Mexico-U.S. border a “crisis,” opting instead to call it a “challenge.” "Quite frankly the president is lazy"@TimRyan says the president helped cause the humanitarian crisis at the border with Mexico. pic.twitter.com/nT95qXxho7 — Way Too Early with Jonathan Lemire (@WayTooEarly) April 15, 2019 Ryan went on to state that issues such as…
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Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) stopped in Lordstown, Ohio Sunday afternoon during his campaign swing through key battleground states, including Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. “Together, we are going to make sure that does not happen again. We’re going to win here in Wisconsin. We’re going to win in Indiana, We’re going to win in Ohio. We’re going to win in Michigan. We’re going to win in Pennsylvania and together we’re going to win this election,” Sanders said during a Saturday rally in Madison, Wisconsin. On Sunday, the Vermont senator and 2020 hopeful participated in a town hall with the American Federation of Teachers in Lordstown, Ohio, a community that has received significant national attention after the recent closure of its General Motors plant. “This is a really important meeting, and it’s an important meeting not just to discuss the horrific impact on this small town, this community, about GM preferring to give billions of dollars in stock buybacks to make the very rich even richer while they chose to close down this plant and other plants around the country, but the discussion that we are having here today, right here, is a discussion that impacts virtually every state in this…
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Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH-13), now a candidate for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, said in a recent CNN interview that he doesn’t support the elimination of private health insurance. Ryan, however, is cosponsoring a bill that would eliminate most private insurance, which is one of the explicit goals of the bill’s lead sponsor. Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA-07) introduced her “Medicare for All” bill in late February, and explicitly states in the bill that starting on “the effective date described in section 106(a), it shall be unlawful for a private health insurer to sell health insurance coverage that duplicates the benefits provided under this Act.” While speaking with reporters, Jayapal said that her bill “really makes it clear what we mean by ‘Medicare for All.’” “We mean a complete transformation of our health care system, we mean a system where there are no private insurance companies that provide these core comprehensive benefits that will be covered through the government,” she said, according to NBC News. Jayapal’s staffers told Roll Call that the bill would eliminate most private insurance under its prohibition on duplicate coverage. Ryan joined the bill as a cosponsor on February 27 along with 107 of his Democratic colleagues…
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President Donald Trump plans to visit Minnesota Monday for an event celebrating the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act on the April 15 tax filing deadline. Details of the event are still unclear, but White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders confirmed that the trip will happen while speaking with reporters aboard Air Force One on Wednesday. The Star Tribune reports that the event will be held in the Twin Cities area, and points out that the Federal Aviation Administration has posted a “VIP Movement Notification” for Minneapolis on April 15. Trump visited Duluth and Rochester in 2018 for rallies to bolster Republican candidates, and claimed during both events that he would flip Minnesota red in 2020. Both districts Trump visited (Minnesota’s First Congressional District and Eighth Congressional District) ended up going to Republicans in the 2018 midterms. Trump narrowly lost to Democrat Hillary Clinton in Minnesota in 2016 by just 1.5 percent, or 44,593 votes. DFL Party Chairman Ken Martin said in a statement that “if Donald Trump expects a warm welcome in Minnesota, he’ll be sorely disappointed.” “He’s here to sell a record of broken promises, lies, and attacks of families across our great state. It won’t work,” Martin…
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A push to amend the Ohio State Constitution to negate the electoral college came to an end after just nine days on Tuesday. On March 21, the law firm McTigue & Colombo LLC filed two petitions with Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost to create a new constitutional amendment. The two petitions were for the same amendment, but contained different summaries, officially titled the “Presidential Election Popular Vote.” The proposed constitutional Amendment “would add Article XX, Section 1 to the Ohio Constitution to: Express the will of the people that every vote for President be valued equally and that the candidate who wins the most votes nationally becomes President. Require the General Assembly, within sixty days of the Amendment’s adoption, take all necessary legislative action so that the winner of the national popular vote is elected president. This Amendment may result in Ohio President Electors voting for the Presidential candidate who won the national popular vote but not Ohio’s popular vote. The amendment would ensure that in every future presidential election, the winner of the national popular vote would be guaranteed all of Ohio’s electoral votes, regardless of how the state voted. In the 2016 presidential election, President Donald Trump won 306…
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Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) revealed Monday that her presidential campaign raised $5.2 million in the first fundraising quarter of 2019, which ended Friday. The Minnesota senator currently has $7 million in cash on hand after transferring some funds from her Senate campaign account. Klobuchar announced her candidacy on February 11, meaning she was able to raise the $5.2 million in roughly seven weeks, but the figure pales in comparison to some of her more high-profile competitors. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), for instance, raised $6 million in just the first 24 hours of his campaign. Former Texas Congressman Beto O’Rourke, meanwhile, raised $9.4 million in the 18 days between announcing candidacy and the close of the quarter, according to Business Insider, which reports that O’Rourke raised $6.1 million in the first 24 hours. Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA), who declared candidacy in January, raised a total of $12 million, while Sanders led the pack with $18.2 million in total donations. Klobuchar does have a slight lead over Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), who raised $5 million since launching his campaign. Dark-horse candidate Pete Buttigieg, mayor of South Bend, Indiana, raised $7 million in the first quarter of 2019. Klobuchar’s campaign said it had nearly…
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Former Ohio Gov. John Kasich discussed his differences with the president in a recent interview ahead of a speaking appearance at Drew University in New Jersey. After leaving office, Kasich joined CNN as a political commentator and has announced his sixth book, which will be released in the fall. As The Ohio Star reported, he’s also started a new non-profit with several prominent Trump critics, but Kasich claims that his feuds with the president aren’t personal. “Not personally. Go back and take a look at the things I’ve done. It’s been very issue-based. My difference with President Trump is he has been in a position where he’s appealed to his base,” Kasich told USA Today in a recent interview. “I’m more of a uniter than a divider. I don’t like to fight with other people. That’s kind of where our differences are. But as far as calling him names and things like that, I’ve never done.” Kasich said he’s only critical of the president when he “deserves it,” and pointed to the recent controversy surrounding federal funding for the Special Olympics as an example. “I’m not setting myself up to be a Trump critic. But if I have a voice…
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Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH-13) hosted his first campaign rally in Youngstown, Ohio Saturday after officially declaring candidacy for president earlier this week. Ryan made the announcement during an appearance on The View Thursday, but returned to his home district Saturday for his first official campaign rally “First, thank my family for allowing me to do this. I’m Tim Ryan and I’m running for President of the United States of America,” Ryan said to cheers from the crowd gathered outside. “We stand here today on April 6 2019 a divided country, as you know. And we’ve been divided for a long time, and that division has prevented us from being able to be the best that we can possibly be,” Ryan said, and continued to emphasize throughout his speech that he wants to work on bringing the country back together. “Things go up and things go down, but if we’re not united we are not going to be able to fix these structural problems that we have in the United States, and I’m running for president first and foremost to try to bring this country back together, because a divided country is a weak country. We have politicians and leaders in…
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In an appearance on The View, Ohio Democratic Congressman Tim Ryan (OH-17), announced Thursday his candidacy for the 2020 presidential election. The nine-term representative from Ohio’s 13th district (formerly 17th) pointed to the recent closure of the Lordstown Assembly Complex in his district as evidence that President Donald Trump is failing in his central campaign promise to revive and renew America’s economy and manufacturing sector. When Co-Host Abby Huntsman cited a poll that found 70% percent of Americans were optimistic about America’s economy, Rep. Ryan replied “Not in my district.” Throughout his appearance, Ryan articulated his appeal with the midwest and blue-collar voters as his chief competitive advantage over other candidates. Republican National Committee (RNC) Communications Director Michael Ahrens, however, wasted no time in blasting the candidate in a message stating: Tim Ryan is a Congressional backbencher who has no chance of becoming president. You can just add him to the long list of liberal candidates demanding government-run health care, and it underscores how radical and out-of-touch this Democratic field truly is. Rep. Ryan has just concluded a multi-state tour of key battleground states including Iowa and New Hampshire. This left little doubt for most that the Ohio native was considering running…
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Former Gov. John Kasich has launched a new non-profit with several fellow never-Trumpers and is planning to release his fifth book amid endless speculation that he may make another run for the White House. Almost immediately after leaving the Ohio Governor’s Residence, Kasich announced that he was joining CNN as a senior political commentator. Now he has launched a non-profit with several prominent Trump critics called “Two Paths America,” based on the title of his 2017 book “Two Paths: America Divided or United.” “A dozen of America’s most prominent thought leaders have been named as members of a new National Advisory Committee for Two Paths America, helping to promote center-right solutions to some of the major issues facing our nation,” the non-profit’s website states. Among those who have joined the effort are Bill Kristol, former editor-at-large of the now-defunct Weekly Standard, former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder, and former New Jersey Gov. Christine Todd Whitman. “Two Paths America is a non-profit 501(c)4 organization created to promote reasonable and proven solutions to America’s challenges,” the group’s website states. “Two Paths America is focused broadly on public policy that encourages a Balanced Budget Amendment to the United States…
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Doug Wardlow, the Minnesota Republican Party’s 2018 nominee for attorney general, is reportedly considering a run against Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN) in 2020. The National Journal claims a “Republican source with knowledge” said Wardlow is being encouraged to run for the seat by party officials and activists. Wardlow lost his 2018 race against Attorney General Keith Ellison, but only by four points—a closer margin than any other Republican running for statewide office. Ellison’s campaign, however, was nearly derailed by domestic-abuse allegations leveled against the Democrat. The anonymous source also pointed out that Wardlow outperformed President Donald Trump’s numbers in the Twin Cities area and Rochester, and that he managed to raise more than $1 million during his campaign. Smith, who was appointed by former Gov. Mark Dayton to fill in for Al Franken, defeated State Sen. Karin Housley (R-St. Mary’s Point) with 53 percent of the vote, compared to Housley’s 42 percent. But Smith will be up again for reelection in 2020, since the 2018 race was a special election called for the remaining two years of Franken’s six-year term. A look at Wardlow’s Twitter feed from the last several weeks shows that he’s had his eye on Smith. In…
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