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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsBernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez will campaign together in Kansas
WaPoIve believed for years that the Democratic Party has committed political malpractice by writing off half the states in this country, said Sanders in an interview, as he campaigned in Minnesota for Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.). Theyve got to fight for every state in this country.
Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez will head to Kansas on July 20. Theyll begin in Wichita, where James Thompson, who narrowly lost a special election in 2017, wants another chance to win the 4th Congressional District. Theyll continue with an event in the Kansas City suburbs for Brent Welder, a former Sanders delegate now seeking the Democratic nomination in the 3rd Congressional District.
Both districts are now held by Republicans whove voted reliably with their party Reps. Kevin Yoder and Ron Estes. The 3rd District voted narrowly for Hillary Clinton in 2016; the 4th District, which is strongly Republican outside of Wichita, voted for Trump. In a short interview, Thompson said he would relish it if Estes and Republicans criticized him for campaigning with self-identified Democratic Socialists.
RandySF
(59,614 posts)joshcryer
(62,287 posts)Which makes it a non-starter in that state, unfortunately.
RandySF
(59,614 posts)Because the Intercept is trashing her all over Twitter.
joshcryer
(62,287 posts)She is a vet so she is poised to actually push for gun reform. If you look at her twitter she bashes the Republicans for their blocking the CDC from looking at the mental health aspect of gun violence (Yoder actually skipped an event to go vote on it). None of the other candidates come close to being as outspoken about this issue.
Sidie and Welder are virtually identical on all the issues. Welder likes to post the PPP poll as proof of him unseating Yoder but the poll is a push poll, it doesn't mention any other democrats in the race and mentions him as a Democrat specifically. At this juncture of course any Democrat will beat Yoder.
This is such a cynical move it's kinda disgusting.
But I'm fine with Welder winning I think Sidie has a better chance at defeating Yoder.
RandySF
(59,614 posts)- A native American
- Daughter of a single-mother and Army vet
- MMA Fighter
- White House Fellow
- Strong on guns
- Supports Medicare for all
But she's not good enough for the Intercept.
joshcryer
(62,287 posts)Can't find it.
I suspect it's also because Emily's List is backing Davids in this race.
This really is one seat that is flippable so everyone's putting a lot in to it.
joshcryer
(62,287 posts)Of course Emily's List is going to give money to a woman in district race in which the Democratic Primary winner has a good chance of flipping. There's another woman running as well, Sylvia Williams, but they can't donate to both and they chose the better candidate.
RandySF
(59,614 posts)But I hate publications like the Intercept that assassinate people to help their favorite political figures.
joshcryer
(62,287 posts)It can be one of the few House seats "Our Revolution" can win.
It's also necessary to put more resources in the nomination to stop Jay Sidie from winning. To send a message to the "Democratic establishment" that "Our Revolution" has power to wield.
Jay Sidie will almost certainly win the seat. Brent Welder may or may not, given that he's an outsider (wasn't even born in Kansas) and the entirety of his campaign is narrative building. Having more "outsiders" meddle with the nomination process will not look good for him.
If Welder loses the nomination it would put a big damper on the "Our Revolution" handpicked candidates. Most of the House picks that they have endorsed who won the nomination are in deep red areas and are very likely to lose, Ocasio-Cortez being the exception.
As far as policies are concerned Sidie is as progressive as Welder. They are literally meddling in this primary nomination to unseat the DCCC pick. It has nothing to do with better on the issues. It's all about narrative building. Ocasio-Cortez is their rising star and they need more wins to be relevant.
Response to joshcryer (Reply #2)
RandySF This message was self-deleted by its author.
TomCADem
(17,390 posts)Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's win came largely due to the support of latinos in her district, which is about 50 percent Latino, 40 percent Spanish-speaking, and about three-quarters people of color. However, Bernie Sanders has long scapegoated immigrants for the economic challenges faced by the working class and has opposed immigration as "amnesty":
For all this talk about Bernie and Alexandria being cut from the same cloth, Bernie has gain prominence by scapegoating immigrants and foreign trade while Alexandria's win came in large part from the increased participation of immigrant communities in the electoral process.
https://www.politico.com/story/2015/06/bernie-sanders-and-immigration-its-complicated-119190
For all his rhetoric in 2007, Sanders didnt oppose a pathway to citizenship or efforts to boost border security. That chapter in Sanders immigration record reflects less on his support for the issue and more on his alliance to labor and key unions also opposed the 2007 legislation.
Sanders was basically one of our only allies especially for low-skilled workers in 2007, said Ana Avendano, a former top immigration official at the AFL-CIO. He adamantly put his foot down and said these kinds of programs [allow] employers to bring in more and more vulnerable workers.
For some overhaul supporters, Sanders stance was a blow in 2007.
I wasnt happy when he voted against the bill and I wasnt happy we lost. It hurt, said Frank Sharry, a longtime veteran of Washingtons immigration battles. In retrospect, we realized that the only way we can proceed is that progressive forces are united behind the bill, and then you negotiate from strength with the business community and conservatives on employment and business immigration.