RandySF
RandySF's JournalTX-01: Wouldn't you love to see this guy replace Gohmert?
Hank Gilbert grew up just outside Tyler, TX. on a farm in the district. After being inspired by his high school agriculture teacher to himself teach high school agriculture, Hank attended Texas A&M University and earned a degree in Agricultural Education.
He became a high school agriculture teacher and taught for 13 years in two schools in East Texas. Several of Hank's former students are themselves high school agriculture teachers. continuing a tradition of caring about the land and those who work it.
Hank and his late wife, Karla Murphy Gilbert. settled in Whitehouse after Hank left education to dedicate his time to the small service business he and Karla founded, Professional Keepers. and his ranching operations. Together they raised two boys, Peyton and Cody, both of whom are studying pharmacy at the University of Texas at Tyler. Peyton followed in his father's footsteps, becoming active in Future Farmers of America, and was elected state president of the organization in Texas.
In 2008. at the urging of Texas Democrats. Hank ran for the open Texas Agriculture Commissioner seat. During that race, Hank earned more media and attention than any other statewide candidate for office in Texas by helping Democratic voters understand the issue of the Trans-Texas Corridor System-a network of ID-lane highways planned to run through much of the state. built through the seizure of private lands by eminent domain and without any thought to the tremendous environmental problems it would cause all over the state.
Although Hank fell short in 2008. having raised only SBB.000 versus his Republican opponent who spent more than 12,000.000. he outperformed every other Democrat on the ticket. coming in at 43 percent in a race during a cycle where the gubernatorial nominee did not break 30 percent. Hank visited all the state's 254 counties-more than once-and was the first statewide Democratic candidate since Ann Richards to mount a serious campaign in East Texas, West Texas, and the Texas Panhandle.
Hank's campaign showed other Democrats that statewide races could be won, and that Texas Democrats could crack 40 percent statewide. Four years later, in 2010, a full slate of Democrats sought offices up and down the ballot. and Hank was again encouraged to run for Texas Agriculture Commissioner.
Following the 2010 cycle, Hank returned to his ranch, watched his sons graduate high school and college, and worked with his wife, Karla, on what would eventually become the non-profit Karla's Joy. Karla had a passion for women in crisis, and founded, with Hank. a charity to help raise funds to outfit the homes of women who were being assisted by the East Texas Crisis Center, an agency assisting battered and abused women.
Karla suffered from cancer and passed away in 2017. Following her passing, Hank re-named the family charity, a 501[c][3] non-profit. Karla's Joy. To date. Karla's Joy has helped furnish homes or apartments for more than 825 East Texas women in crisis.
Hank. throughout his life, was impacted by the service his older brother gave to our country during Vietnam. While watching the Muller hearings last summer, Hank became enraged at the behavior of Louie Gohmert toward Robert Muller, a decorated Vietnam-era veteran. While watching that hearing, Hank realized it was time to honor Karla's wishes and do everything he could to defeat Louie Gohmert. That day, he called his longtime campaign consultants. and began the process of putting his campaign together.
https://www.hankfortexas.com
KS-02: Detective alleges Watkins falsely claimed he didn't vote in Topeka city council race
Kansas Congressman Steve Watkins falsely told a detective he didn’t vote in a 2019 Topeka city council election, according to allegations made in an affidavit in support of criminal charges against Watkins.
The document also alleges Watkins told the Shawnee County Sheriff’s detective he didn’t sign an advance ballot application ahead of the election but that he would have directed an employee to complete it.
Watkins is charged with illegally voting in the 2019 election, as well as lying to law enforcement. In total, he faces three felony charges and a misdemeanor.
The affidavit paints the fullest picture yet of the criminal case against Watkins filed by Shawnee County District Attorney Mike Kagay and the evidence prosecutors are relying on. It details, for the first time, the false statement Watkins is alleged to have made and outlines how the detective conducted her investigation.
The release of the affidavit, requested by The Kansas City Star and other news outlets, comes less than a week before the first-term GOP congressman faces State Treasurer Jake LaTurner and Dennis Taylor in the Republican primary for the Kansas 2nd Congressional District.
https://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/article244568207.html#storylink=cpy
Planned Parenthood PAC Launches $1.25M Effort in PA
The push to promote pro-choice Democrats in Pennsylvania from this organization is set to be underway with a seven figure electoral program.
Planned Parenthood Votes, the super PAC branch of Planned Parenthood, announced that Thursday will be the official virtual launch for the Pennsylvania effort of its electoral program as part of its “We Decide 2020” campaign to “elect champions for reproductive rights.”
The group’s $1.25 million program in Pennsylvania is aiming to boost Planned Parenthood Action Fund-endorsed federal candidates including former Vice President Joe Biden, congressional hopefuls Christina Finello in the 1st District, Eugene DePasquale in the 10th District, plus assisting Attorney General Josh Shapiro in his reelection bid, and other down ballot candidates for the state legislature.
The group is aiming to connect with more than 65,000 voters across the commonwealth by Election Day through a “voter contact and relational organizing program, paid digital advertising, and a robust direct mail program,” according to a release from the group.
https://www.politicspa.com/planned-parenthood-pac-launches-1-25m-effort-in-pa/95258/
Gohmert says he will take hydroxychloroquine as COVID-19 treatment
Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) said Wednesday he will take an anti-malaria drug that experts have warned doesn’t treat the coronavirus after he tested positive for the virus.
"My doctor and I are all in," Gohmert said about hydroxychloroquine during a Wednesday evening interview with Fox News, according to Newsweek.
"I got a text before I came on from a friend doctor who just found out he had it, and he started the regimen too — zinc and hydroxychloroquine. And that will start in a day or two, so thank you," the congressman added.
Congressional aides confirmed Wednesday that Gohmert, who has largely opted against wearing a mask around the Capitol, tested positive for COVID-19.
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/509719-gohmert-says-he-will-take-hydroxychloroquine-as-covid-19-treatment
TX-06: Upset alert? A Look into Rapidly-Changing TX-06
One such sleeper suburban district that can become emblematic of this overarching trend is TX-06, held by first-term Republican incumbent Ron Wright. TX-06 contains most of the city Arlington as well as the smaller towns of Mansfield, Waxahachie, Eureka, and the Cedar Hill suburbs. A reliably conservative district, TX-06 voted for George W. Bush in 2000 and 2004 by 32 points. It voted for John McCain and Mitt Romney in 2008 and 2012 by 15 and 17 points, respectively, even as Barack Obama won the presidency. However, in recent years, the district has seen a continued leftward trend. Hillary Clinton lost the district by 12 points (the best performance for a national Democrat in the century) and Wright won by a measly seven points against communications professional Jana Lynne Sanchez.
While the district is becoming more liberal-favored in recent elections, elections analysts have largely shifted from describing this race as potentially competitive in 2020. This was due to factors such as presidential preference in Texas and the divesting of Democratic resources into more flippable Texas congressional districts such as TX-23 (held by Will Hurd in the Rio Grande Valley region) and TX-24 (held by Kenny Marchant in the Dallas-Fort Worth region). However, the Democratic Party have a few factors up their sleeve which can make this Trump+12 district a potential flip at the House level, even if President Trump carries the district again in 2020.
In 2018, many congressional candidates in Texas, primarily those surrounding big cities such as Dallas, Fort Worth, and Houston were boosted by Rep. Beto O’Rourke’s 2018 bid for US Senate. As a first-time candidate with considerable monetary funding as well as charisma, O’Rourke was able to come close to Ted Cruz, losing by a two-point margin in a state that voted for Donald Trump by nine points.
In addition, his statewide blitz of advertisements and campaign events helped congressional candidates such as Colin Allred and Lizzie Fletcher get over the hump and defeat long-entrenched Republicans in previously Republican-safe territory. This effect helped Lynne Sanchez come within seven points in a district where previous Republican representative Joe Barton won by 19 points in 2016. In the 2020 elections, Democrats are bearish on capturing additional congressional districts in Texas, a state that has not voted for a Democrat since Jimmy Carter.
https://elections-daily.com/2020/07/08/upset-alert-a-look-into-rapidly-changing-tx-06/
NC-08: New numbers show the 8th District could be NC's most competitive congressional race
In what’s widely considered North Carolina’s most competitive congressional race, Republican Rep. Richard Hudson holds a sizable financial edge over his Democratic opponent — though she outraised him nearly 3-1 in the most recent quarter.
Hudson faces Democrat Pat Timmons-Goodson in the 8th District, which stretches from Cabarrus County to Cumberland.
This week he reported nearly $1.8 million in cash on hand to Timmons-Goodson’s $619,000. But fueled by online donations, she outraised Hudson over the past three months $846,000 to $329,000.
In a state where most congressional districts are considered safe for one party or the other, the 8th looms as a possible exception.
On Friday the non-partisan Cook Political Report changed the district’s rating from “likely Republican” to “lean Republican,” a move prompted by Timmons-Goodson’s recent fundraising performance.
https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/politics-government/article244256707.html#storylink=cpy
AL-SEN: Tuberville breaks DC self-quarantine policy to campaign
Alabama Republican Senate candidate Tommy Tuberville appears to have broken the D.C. policy requiring visitors from states with high coronavirus cases to self-quarantine for 14 days.
Tuberville defied the District’s requirement during a fundraising trip in D.C. this week, The Washington Post reported Wednesday.
The Post cited a photo Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) posted to Facebook on Tuesday of the two men, neither in masks, in the lobby of the Trump International Hotel.
Alexandra Kendrick, president of High Cotton Consulting, a D.C- based fundraising operation, also offered in-person meetings with Tuberville while he was in D.C. from early afternoon Tuesday through Thursday, the Post reported. She reportedly emailed contacts shortly after Tuberville’s win earlier this month when he defeated former Trump administration Attorney General Jeff Sessions in a GOP run-off.
“We are accepting in-person meetings during that time frame. Let me know if you and your group are interested in sitting down with the NEXT Senator from Alabama. Just let me know and we will put you on the schedule,” Kendrick wrote, the Post reported citing a copy of the email.
https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/509718-tuberville-breaks-dc-self-quarantine-policy-to-campaign
Video shows Arkansas police saying 'If you can talk, you can breathe' before man dies in custody
An Arkansas police officer during a February arrest told a man who later died in police custody, "If you can talk, you can breathe," according to newly released footage.
The police department in Conway, Ark., released edited footage of the arrest Wednesday, according to a local CBS affiliate. During the incident, police placed Lionel Morris, 39, and a second man under arrest after a call reporting they had removed a drone from its packaging in a Harp’s store.
Morris fled from officers, who tackled him in a different part of the store, tasing him several times while trying to subdue him. Conway Police Chief William Tapley has claimed Morris reached for a knife clipped to his pocket, but at that point, the footage cuts to a security camera in a corner of the store.
As an officer places his knee against Morris’s back, Morris can be heard saying he is unable to breathe, while the officer responds, “If you can talk, you can breathe.” Prosecuting attorney Carol Crews has said Morris was placed in a “recovery position” and rolled onto his side, but that is not visible in the video.
https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/509707-video-shows-ark-police-saying-if-you-can-talk-you-can-breathe-before-man
Pelosi endorses Rep. Tlaib in primary fight, moves to help members of the 'Squad'
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is moving to help two members of the so-called “Squad” who suddenly find themselves facing difficult primaries.
Pelosi endorsed freshman Rep. Rashida Tlaib on Wednesday, praising the Michigan Democrat after an outside group supporting her opponent, Brenda Jones, distributed a leaflet of Jones standing next to Pelosi, smiling.
The campaign flier suggested, without explicitly saying it, that Pelosi supported Jones. Pelosi wanted to ensure the district knows she stands behind Tlaib — public support that Tlaib allies believe could help her maintain her seat.
“Representative Rashida Tlaib is a tireless advocate for the residents of Michigan’s 13th Congressional District,” Pelosi said in the statement. “Rep. Tlaib never stops fighting for her district, which she is proud to represent. And I am proud to endorse her for reelection.”
The statement comes two weeks after Pelosi did something similar for Rep. Ilhan Omar, who also finds herself in a suddenly competitive primary. The speaker is currently in the process of filming a video endorsing the Minnesota Democrat, whose challenger, Antone Melton-Meaux, has been raising money from Omar critics around the nation, highlighting what he calls her history of divisive comments.
Omar faced a nationwide backlash from a series of remarks she made in early 2019 about American Jews that were widely considered anti-Semitic. She apologized for suggesting that Israel’s allies in American politics were motivated by money rather than principle.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/pelosi-endorses-rep-tlaib-in-primary-fight-moves-to-help-members-of-the-squad/2020/07/29/028b5692-d1c6-11ea-9038-af089b63ac21_story.html
MN-02: Fundraising prowess may not be enough for GOP House challenger Tyler Kistner
ANALYSIS — Marine veteran Tyler Kistner is one of the few Republican challengers to outraise a Democratic incumbent in the second quarter of the year. But his difficult path to election in the Twin Cities suburbs in Minnesota is a microcosm of the House GOP’s struggle nationwide as President Donald Trump labors to repeat his 2016 performance.
On paper, Minnesota’s 2nd District should be one of Republicans’ top takeover opportunities anywhere in the country. In the GOP’s quest for a net gain of 17 seats, Republican politicians and strategists cite the 30 districts Trump carried in 2016 that are currently represented by a Democrat as empirical proof of the party’s legitimate chance of taking back the majority.
And after losing 41 seats and their House majority in 2018, most Republicans believed Trump would be an asset in 2020 by turning out his supporters who didn’t vote in the midterms, thus boosting down-ballot candidates. Yet with his slumping job approval rating due to his response to the coronavirus and race relations, the president has become a liability in many districts, and he’s on pace to win just a fraction of those 30 seats he won four years ago.
As a 32-year-old military veteran with a credible outsider message and a proven ability to raise money, Kistner is the type of challenger Republicans need to run in competitive districts. Yet Kistner could become a casualty of a tough district and a difficult cycle for his party.
https://www.rollcall.com/2020/07/29/fundraising-prowess-may-not-be-enough-for-gop-house-challenger-tyler-kistner/
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Gender: MaleHometown: Detroit Area, MI
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Current location: San Francisco, CA
Member since: Wed Oct 29, 2008, 02:53 PM
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