RandySF
RandySF's JournalMeet the candidates for Miami Shores village council. Here's what they have to say
Miami Shores residents will elect three at-large council members on Tuesday, April 8.
Earlier this month, the race had four candidates, but one of them — Stephanie Roberts Darring — withdrew her candidacy.
Although there are now only three candidates for the three open positions, two of the seats are for four-year terms, while the third seat has just a two-year term. The top two vote-getters in the race will earn four-year terms, and historically have served as mayor and vice mayor. The third-place candidate will take the seat with the two-year term.
We asked the three candidates where they stood on key issues facing the village. Here is how they responded:
https://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/election/article302212694.html#storylink=cpy
Why the Wisconsin Supreme Court race matters, and more about the April election
Voting is underway in the April election that will decide whether liberals or conservatives hold the Wisconsin Supreme Court majority and whether the state’s photo ID law will be written into the constitution.
There are plenty of local races, too, including school funding proposals. This election is likely to see high turnout, and the Supreme Court contest has already seen unprecedented rates of spending that will almost certainly make it the most expensive judicial election in U.S. history.
The race to fill the seat of a retiring justice on the Wisconsin Supreme Court is between Dane County Circuit Court Judge Susan Crawford and Waukesha County Circuit Court Judge Brad Schimel. The race is nominally nonpartisan, but in effect Crawford is running as a liberal, and Schimel, a Republican former attorney general, is running as a conservative.
Partisan and activist groups have pegged the Wisconsin Supreme Court race as one of the most consequential off-year elections.
https://www.votebeat.org/wisconsin/2025/03/21/2025-spring-primary-election-supreme-court-voter-id-amendment/
FL-06: Early voting begins Saturday for Florida's special election in Congressional District 6
Election officials in Central Florida are making final preparations as early voting begins Saturday for the special election in Congressional District 6, which will determine who replaces Mike Waltz in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Voters in Volusia, Flagler, Lake, and Marion Counties will cast their ballots to fill the seat left vacant after Waltz stepped down to serve as former President Donald Trump’s national security advisor.
Not all voters in these four counties are eligible to participate. Volusia County Supervisor of Elections Lisa Lewis urges residents to check their eligibility before heading to the polls.
Voters can visit their county’s elections website to use an interactive map and enter their address to confirm if they are eligible to vote.
https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2025/03/21/early-voting-begins-saturday-for-floridas-special-election-in-congressional-district-6/
Ballot secrecy could be jeopardized by recent Pa. court rulings, officials say
Recent decisions from a Pennsylvania state court could create a new route to pierce the secrecy of some mail ballots and reveal the private choices made by thousands of voters.
While a very small percentage of cast ballots would be at risk, according to a pair of analyses, some state and county officials are concerned about the potential for any voter’s choices to be exposed.
In two cases last year, the Commonwealth Court ruled that voted mail ballots were public records under the state’s open-records laws, meaning Erie and Allegheny counties, where the records requests were filed, would have to release them.
These ballots are already separated from their envelopes, so they would not include the voters’ names or other directly identifying information.
https://www.spotlightpa.org/news/2025/03/commonwealth-court-rulings-compromise-secret-ballots-transparency-elections/
Bucks County Democrats Endorse County Row Candidates to Challenge GOP Incumbents
Five Democrats will challenge GOP incumbents for top Bucks County offices in November.
Municipal and county primary elections will be held May 20, 2025; general elections will be held Nov. 4, 2025, according to Bucks County.gov.
The Bucks County Democratic Committee has unanimously endorsed its slate of county row candidates.
They are Joe Khan for district attorney, Danny Ceisler for sheriff, Neale Dougherty for controller, Robin Robinson for recorder of deeds and Donna Petrecco for prothonotary (a principal clerk of a court), a press release said.
“At a time when the very foundations of our democracy are being challenged, it’s more important now than ever that we elect people who are dedicated to upholding the rule of law and the rights of all Bucks Countians. I am proud to stand with this slate of candidates who will do just that,” said Steve Santarsiero, State Senator and Bucks County Committee Chair in a press release.
https://buckscountybeacon.com/2025/03/bucks-county-democrats-endorse-county-row-candidates-to-challenge-gop-incumbents/
Did Lack of "Early Voting" Affect Pennsylvania's 2024 Vote?
From the time the 2020 presidential election was decided, it was clear that Pennsylvania would once again be “The Battleground State” in 2024.
With the passage of Act 77 in 2019, no-excuse mail balloting finally came to the Commonwealth and none to soon, as the COVID-19 crisis severely limited those who wanted to go to their polls in person.
Even with the wearing of masks, Pennsylvanians still turned out to the polls and many opted for the state’s version of “early voting” – going to their county election office, requesting and completing an application for a mail ballot, and completing the ballot onsite.
The nonpartisan, multistate organization, “All Voting Is Local,” released a report on Wednesday, analyzing data that showed how the addition of an in-person early voting option made a major difference in early voter turnout in 2024.
“The Effects of Early In-Person Voting in Michigan vs. Pennsylvania,” displayed how Michigan’s addition of an in-person early voting option made a major difference in early voter turnout compared to the Keystone State, a demographically similar state where no such option exists.
https://www.politicspa.com/did-lack-of-early-voting-affect-pennsylvanias-2024-vote/140985/
UFCW local endorses McGreevey for Jersey City mayor
A food and commercial workers union endorsed Jim McGreevey for Jersey City mayor.
The United Food and Commercial Workers Local 360 endorsed McGreevey on Wednesday afternoon, arguing he is the candidate who will best support unions and workers in the city.
“As you know, the vast majority of UFCW Local 360 members work in essential industries,” said union President Sam Ferraino Jr. “These everyday heroes continued to show up and work, at real risk to themselves and their loved ones, throughout the pandemic so that their communities did not go without. They stood up and met the challenge, and they deserve someone who recognizes that all workers have the right to a safe and healthy work environment, and all employers have the duty to provide a safe workplace.”
McGreevey is one of several Democrats seeking to succeed Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop, who is running for governor. McGreevey served as governor from 2002 until his resignation in 2004 amid a sex scandal.
https://newjerseyglobe.com/local/ufcw-local-endorses-mcgreevey-for-jersey-city-mayor/
NJ-GOV: Plainfield mayor endorses Baraka (D) for governor
Plainfield Mayor Adrian Mapp today endorsed Ras Baraka, the three-term mayor of Newark, for the Democratic nomination for governor, saying he has witnessed “firsthand his courage and his vision for a better New Jersey.”
“Cities like Plainfield stand to benefit from a Baraka administration like never before,” said Mapp. Governor Baraka would be an inspirational fighter against the Trump agenda that targets marginalized and vulnerable communities, and Ras is fully prepared to defend our residents from an agenda that bolsters the ultra-wealthy and corporate interests that do not have their best interests at heart.”
Mapp’s endorsement came just before Union County Democrats voted to endorse Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-Montclair) for governor. Mapp said he would still run with the county organization slogan in his bid for re-election to a fourth term in the June 10 Democratic primary.
“A Ras Baraka administration would be a stark contrast to the current Trump administration,” said Mapp. “Unlike Trump, Ras has the working class at the forefront of his mind, he is going to fight every day for a more equitable, more just, and more affordable New Jersey for all residents.”
https://newjerseyglobe.com/governor/plainfield-mayor-endorses-baraka-for-governor/
Zohran Mamdani, mayoral candidate who confronted Trump border czar, flooded with racist abuse and threats
It’s a cycle that’s become all too common in modern politics: An outspoken politician of color uses their voice to speak up and is then flooded with racist abuse, harassment and death threats.
On Wednesday, Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani attempted to confront President Donald Trump’s “border czar” Tom Homan during his visit to the state Capitol. Video of the encounter between Mamdani, who is running for New York City mayor, and Homan has since gone viral, making the rounds on conservative media and driving charged discourse online.
In response, Mamdani has faced a deluge of threats and hate speech, which have inundated his office’s phone lines, inboxes and social media accounts – shaking up his staff and prompting him to temporarily disconnect the phones in both his Albany and district offices. Many callers have attacked Mamdani’s identity; he is a Muslim who was born in Uganda to parents from India.
Mamdani's office shared transcripts of some of the voicemails it has received with City & State.
https://www.cityandstateny.com/politics/2025/03/zohran-mamdani-mayoral-candidate-who-confronted-trump-border-czar-flooded-racist-abuse-and-threats/403748/?oref=csny-category-lander-river
NYC-CC39: Progressive group calls on Democratic City Council candidate (D) to return money from Republican donors
A progressive group supporting Democratic New York City Council Member Shahana Hanif’s campaign in a heated Brooklyn primary is calling on her rival to return contributions from donors who have also donated to President Donald Trump and other Republicans.
The letter, authored by Indivisible Brooklyn, which has endorsed Hanif’s campaign, also notes that one of those donors has a much closer connection to Democratic candidate Maya Kornberg than she previously disclosed.
Kornberg, a senior research fellow at New York University’s Brennan Center for Justice, told City & State during a December interview that she had “no relationship” with donor Leonard Blavatnik. The Ukrainian-born billionaire has given prolifically to Republicans – and also to Democrats, though the letter focuses on his donations to Trump’s first inauguration committee and legal defense fund, as well as to congressional Republicans last election cycle and in years past.
But in that interview, Kornberg shaded over a close relationship between Blavatnik and her family. According to a 2019 press report included in the Indivisible letter, Blavatnik jointly owned a biotechnology company with Kornberg’s father, Nobel prize-winning chemist Roger Kornberg, seeded with a $20 million investment agreement by Blavatnik’s medical investment company. The new company, which later became Interna Therapeutics, currently lists Roger as its scientific president and Maya Kornberg’s brother as serving as its chief operating officer. Blavatnik and his wife each gave the $1,050 to Kornberg’s campaign last year – the maximum for council campaigns participating in the city’s matching funds program.
https://www.cityandstateny.com/politics/2025/03/progressive-group-calls-democratic-city-council-candidate-return-money-republican-donors/403860/?oref=csny-category-lander-river
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