Category Archives: Democrat

Why this Democratic Party official attend a Republican-leaning conference: I wanted to help

Matt Grodsky| Arizona Republic

By Matt Grodsky

With the threat of authoritarianism looming and a hostile faction threatening a democratic nation, it is incumbent upon us to support and coordinate with the insurgency.

Im not talking about Ukraine. I am describing Democrats supporting Republican refugees within the insurgency of the GOP, people who belonged to the party of Reagan and now find themselves impressed into the party of Trump.

Thats why I traveled to Washington, D.C., to take part in the Principles First conference, a gathering of moderate Republicans many of whom are actively working to restore the GOP and cleanse it of Trumpism.

Some of my Democratic colleagues might wonder why this was a worthwhile endeavor for someone working to elect Democrats?

Shouldnt I be enjoying the implosion of the GOP?

No.Our democracy works best with a two-party system, in which both bodies operate in good-faith for the best of our nation. One-party dominance is not the answer. So while I work to elect Democrats, I also want to help eliminate extremists from the GOP.

Both parties have their bad eggs, but only one has been hijacked by them. Yes, there has been political warfare since the founding of America. Political parties have shifted and evolved throughout our history, but members of both sides ultimately always worked together for our common interests.

We have never had one party with such blatant anti-American sentiment as the modern GOP. The party of George H.W. Bush has been overrun by Putinites, insurrectionists and conspirators.

They have isolated the moderates in their ranks who still believe in our democratic-republic. This has led to the Democratic Party being the only safe option for voters. This is not sustainable for our government.

It impairs our ability to legislate and puts us on a burning high-wire every election cycle, repeatedly presenting the stark choice between authoritarianism and democracy.

You wouldnt want a professional basketball team to play in the finals against a team of suicide bombers. Yet thats what we have been seeing in our elections one party endeared to our democratic norms, the other overrun by fanatics.

One bad performance for Democrats could send us into the abyss. In that scenario, we had better be sure the right kind of Republican is holding key elected offices when democracy is threatened.

Had someone like Arizonastate Rep. Mark Finchem been handling things in Georgia, 2020 would have ended with substantially more drama.

The reality is the GOP is not a monolith. Many Republicans are being held hostage within their party by radical elements. It should not be assumed that they identify with them.

Most of these hostages are willing and able to build a coalition. In fact, when I was the director of communications for the Arizona Democratic Party in 2020, speaking to this audience,was a key component of our strategy and it paid off.

It is not inevitable that the Republicans of yore will reclaim their party without help. So I went to engage with Republicans in hopes of identifying collaborative ways to elevate moderates in their party primaries - funding PACs, working together to dismantle radical candidates and elected officials, establishing sound communications strategies, nationwide candidate recruitment, and more.

There were many like-minded people at Principles First.

Several voiced support for President Joe Biden and democratic policies. The event included Rep. Adam Kinzinger, David Frum, Bill Kristol, Charlie Sykes, Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer, and it honored heroes like U.S. Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn and Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman.

Most of the people I interacted with identified themselves as being lost in the political wilderness, cut out of todays GOP but still beholden to the traditional principles of their pre-Trump party.

Most notably, they recognized the value of a strong two-party system. When I asked people why they didnt just leave their party to become Democrats or independents, many of them, like my Republican colleague Adrian Bakke, answered Because I was here first. This is my party, I cant abandon it to this.

I had plenty of disagreements with attendees on a myriad of issues. But our most concrete areas of common ground were that Jan. 6 was an insurrection, Trumpism is bad, Putin is evil, and Lets go Brandon is a dumb slogan.

In the event the Trump fever doesnt break before 2024, forgotten Republicans in their party should reach out to Democrats. I encourage Democrats to reach back across the chasm.

We need to help them reclaim their party so that we can get back to competing against people we disagree with, not people hell bent on upending democracy. Coalitions are what bring change, not one-party messaging.

Trust me, I want Democrats to win. Im not doing this because I support the policies of the traditional Republican Party, nor am I doing this because I want more obstructionists in moderate clothing (see our senior senator).

I want us to have a voter registration advantage in Arizona, I want our commonsense policies adopted at the state and federal level. But I also want whats best for our republic in the long term.

Matt Grodsky is vice president and director of public affairs at Matters of State Strategies. He previously served as the director of communications for the Arizona Democratic Party from 2019 to 2021. He is a Democratic precinct committeeman in Legislative District 28 and an Arizona Democratic Party state committee member. Follow him Twitter: @mattgrodsky.

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I'm a Democrat who infiltrated the Republicans - The Arizona Republic

In recent weeks, President Joe Biden has tried to resurrect the legislation formerly known as Build Back Better, the social spending and climate bill Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) effectively killed in December when he said he wouldnt support it.

So far, not much has changed. Bidens efforts include ditching the name and rebranding the policies as measures to curb inflation. Senate Democrats are also holding hearings on issues like prescription drug prices to try to keep talks going. And Democrats, on the whole, have signaled a willingness and political motivation to get something done while they remain in control of Congress.

Few lawmakers, however, seem to have any clue how to actually move it forward. The answer is I dont have the foggiest idea, Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) told Vox.

Because no Republicans support the bill and because Democrats have a very narrow Senate majority, all 50 members of the caucus need to be on board to pass it via a process known as budget reconciliation. And Democrats are still struggling to piece together a bill that could get this degree of support, given longstanding opposition from holdouts like Manchin.

Earlier this month, Manchin indicated that there were provisions hed potentially be open to including reducing prescription drug prices, reforming the tax code, and addressing climate policy but theres no explicit agreement yet about what a plan could look like.

I hope that we will do some of the bill and that well get some key investments in, said Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA). Look, folks ought to get in the room and figure out what that is.

Here are three possible routes Democrats could take as they try to salvage the legislation.

Much like the previous bill, any potential agreement hinges on Manchin.

In early March, Manchin effectively put a new offer on the table, saying hed be willing to consider legislation that focuses on prescription drug prices, tax reforms, and climate investments as long as half the revenue it raises is targeted to paying down the deficit.

Half of that money should be dedicated to fighting inflation and reducing the deficit, he told reporters. The other half you can pick for a 10-year program, whatever you think is the highest priority. Right now, it seems to be the environment.

If Manchin is serious about his proposal, its possible that Democrats could come together on a plan that counters the deficit and funds a smaller slate of new policies.

Thus far, however, Manchin has only outlined this plan in broad strokes stopping short of offering details regarding changes to the tax code that hed like to see and declining to say whether hed back the House bills approach to reducing prescription drug prices.

In the House bill, the prescription drug and tax provisions would raise $1.5 trillion over 10 years, according to the Joint Committee on Taxation. Were half this revenue dedicated to deficit reduction and combating inflation, there would still be $750 billion left over to cover new spending. This funding would be sufficient to pay for the $555 billion in clean energy tax credits and job investments that were previously part of BBB.

Already, Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), the chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, has said shes willing to engage in negotiations on this proposal, though she wants specifics before moving forward.

Senate Finance Chair Ron Wyden (D-OR) echoed this support. I think we can work with it, he told Vox regarding Manchins plan.

The big question, however, is whether Manchin will stick by this position. Previously, Manchin had offered his own proposal to the White House, only to retract it when negotiations got dicey. Last summer, too, he laid out certain provisions hed consider including support for opioid addiction treatment and authority over a clean electricity standard but found other problems once several of those conditions were met.

And even if Manchin is actually on board with this approach, there are questions about whether Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) would be willing to support it since the provisions shes previously pushed back on were those addressing prescription drug prices and corporate taxes.

Unlike Manchin, however, Sinema backed both the prescription drug policies in the House bill and the White Houses framework on BBB, which included many of the tax provisions that made it into the final bill.

We need to get together on the parts we agree on and pass it, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) told Vox. We have a lot that we still need to pass before the midterms.

If Democrats arent able to reach a deal on a reconciliation bill, its possible they turn to bipartisan alternatives on some of the issues they hoped to address, like lowering prescription drug prices.

Previously, Sens. Wyden and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) had reached an agreement on legislation that would limit the out-of-pocket prices seniors on Medicare would have to pay for drugs. Warnock is also leading a bill that could cap the monthly price of insulin at $35, a proposal that has gotten positive feedback from some Republicans, according to Kaiser Health News. And Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) has expressed an interest in working on the expanded child tax credit and bringing back direct monthly payments for families.

There are major risks, however, to going this route.

For one, the policies that Democrats will be able to pass will likely be much narrower. Wyden and Grassleys bill did not enable Medicare to negotiate drug prices like the budget bill would, for example. Thats a major reform that could significantly curb drug prices given the bodys negotiating power. Romneys child tax credit policy would also impose more work requirements for people to receive the benefit, which Democrats proposal did not.

Additionally, theres no guarantee any bipartisan bills would be able to secure the 60 votes they need to advance in the Senate. Even though several of these bills have Republican support, getting 10 GOP members to sign on in the Senate will still be a challenge.

The follow-up to voting rights legislation has underscored these hurdles.

Because Democrats werent able to pass a voting rights bill on their own, the focus has shifted toward bipartisan talks to reform the Electoral Count Act. That measure is expected to be far more limited than the bill Democrats proposed, and it has yet to move forward in either the House or the Senate.

The darkest scenario for Democrats is that no version of Build Back Better, or any of the policies it includes, is able to pass.

This option could be the most likely one given how the party has struggled to agree on a bill since talks began last June. After expressing his opposition to the previous version of the bill, Manchin has yet to support another concrete proposal, meaning any new discussions could have the same outcome as the ones that took place last year.

Democrats also have a packed spring schedule and a limited window to get legislation done before this falls elections.

In the coming weeks, the Senate will be focused on the confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson, so it probably wont revisit BBB until mid-April at least. Congress also has to work out the differences between the House and Senate versions of the US Innovation and Competition Act, a bipartisan bill aimed at investing in the US supply chain. And lawmakers are still weighing additional action sanctioning Russia for its invasion of Ukraine along with a standalone bill that provides more pandemic relief.

That doesnt leave much time for Democrats to work out their differences on BBB.

With BBB in flux, Democrats increasingly appear to be pointing to their other achievements like the American Rescue Plan and the bipartisan infrastructure bill as they try to make their case to voters ahead of the midterms.

Weve already passed the huge infrastructure bill and notice that it was not with the support of the majority of Republicans and, of course, the Rescue bill, which did not get a single Republican, Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HI) said.

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Three ways Democrats Build Back Better bill could go from here - Vox.com

The Democratic Party is perceived by voters as being both ineffective and out of touch and, as a result, stands to suffer substantive seat losses in the midterm elections,new pollingby Schoen Cooperman Research indicates.

Indeed, the findings of our survey which was conducted among likely 2022 midterm election voters show that the electorate is increasingly pessimistic about the direction in which President BidenJoe BidenUngar-Sargon: Working class hit hardest by inflation Nevada county to consider counting all ballots by hand Biden to announce B in Ukraine military aid: report MORE and Democrats are steering the country and feel that the partys priorities do not align with their own.

In order to have a fighting chance in the midterms as well as a shot at holding on to the presidency in 2024 Democrats need to embark on a broader course correction back to the center. The party needs to show voters that they are focused on solving problems and addressing quality-of-life issues and that they reject the progressive lefts embrace of big government spending and identity politics.

Indeed, a majority of voters (54 percent) including 56 percent of independents explicitly say that they want Biden and Democrats to move closer to the center and embrace more moderate policies versus embracing more liberal policies (18 percent) or staying where they are politically (13 percent).

Most voters (61 percent) also agree that Biden and Democrats are out of touch with hardworking Americans and have been so focused on catering to the far-left wing of the party that theyre ignoring Americans day to day concerns such as rising prices and combatting violent crime.

Equally concerning for Democrats, there is a clear sense among the 2022 electorate that the state of the country has deteriorated since Biden became president and that he has not lived up to expectations.

Bidens net approval rating is 9 points underwater (54 percent disapprove, 45 percent approve), which marks a 4-point drop since our December poll (51 percent disapprove, 46 percent approve). A plurality of voters (43 percent) also say that Biden has done worse as president than they expected, rather than better (19 percent).

As inflation has risen, the economy has become a particular area of vulnerability for Democrats. Indeed, voters growing economic pessimism is one of the driving forces behind their dissatisfaction both with the current state of the country as well as with Biden.

Bidens approval rating on handling the nations economic recovery is 21 points underwater (59 percent disapprove, 38 percent approve). This marks a notable 17-point decline from our December polling, when Bidens approval rating on the recovery was negative 4 points, 50 percent to 46 percent.

In addition to harboring negative views about the economy generally, two-thirds of voters (68 percent) blame the Biden administrations policies for inflation either fully or partially.

Indeed, inflation which is at its highest level in 40 years is the top issue (51 percent) for voters, followed by the economy and creating jobs (32 percent). Yet only 16 percent of voters believe that Bidens main focus is on the economy. Thus, voters trust Republicans over Democrats to manage the economy (47 percent to 41 percent) and control inflation (48 percent to 36 percent).

In addition to the economy, voters see Biden and Democrats as underperforming on other important issues and in key roles, notably on policing and crime.

As violent crime surges across the country a trend that voters are nearly universally concerned about (85 percent) by a 2-to-1 margin, voters blame Democrats over Republicans for rising crime rates (52 percent to 25 percent). Further, Republicans are trusted over Democrats to reduce crime (49 percent to 34 percent).

Despite Bidens more moderate rhetoric on law enforcement and policing lately, most voters still agree that Biden and Democrats are soft on crime (56 percent) and a plurality agree that Democrats in Congress support the radical defund the police movement (46 percent).

Notwithstanding Democrats weaknesses on the economy and crime, our data on the COVID-19 pandemic is relatively encouraging for the party. Indeed, a majority of voters (53 percent) approve of the way Biden is addressing the pandemic.

To be sure, Democrats success in the midterms hinges partly on Americans feeling like COVID-19 is under control by Novemberand, positively, nearly one-half of voters (46 percent) now say that the pandemic is either completely or mostly under control, while just 12 percent say it is not under control.

Voters are also notably less concerned about the pandemic now than they were in December. Currently, voters are concerned, rather than not concerned, about the pandemic by a 24-point margin compared to December, when voters were concerned by a 50-point margin.

That being said, these improving dynamics vis--vis the COVID-19 pandemic will likely not be enough to tip the scales in Democrats favor, given the enormity of the challenges Biden faces at home and of course, the crisis hes facing in Eastern Europe.

Collectively, our data paints a picture of a Democratic Party that is unable to connect with voters on basic "kitchen table" issues, namely the economy and crime.

In his State of the Union address, Biden attempted to refashion his economic agenda in light of the Build Back Better plans failure and tried to sell some of the same big-spending proposals as anti-inflationary and deficit-reducing measures.

Instead of repackaging a failed progressive spending bill one that most voters either dont prioritize or oppose the president should make a commitment to reducing inflation by practicing fiscal discipline while also ruling out any new spending initiatives that lack bipartisan support.

At the same time, though it was encouraging to hear Biden call to fund the police, rhetoric is just a first step. Absent a Democratic effort to approach criminal justice legislation in a bipartisan manner, the GOP will be able to weaponize the issue against Democrats in the midterms.

Ultimately, if Democrats do not embrace a strategic shift to the political center, they risk historic defeats worse than 1994 or 2010 in this years midterm elections.

Douglas E. Schoen and Carly Cooperman are pollsters and partners with the public opinion company Schoen Cooperman Research based in New York. They are co-authors of the book, America: Unite or Die.

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New polling confirms Democrats' left-leaning policies are out of touch | TheHill - The Hill

But Democrats can respond in a way that at least doesnt sound tone deaf, Lake added. One is to acknowledge that it exists, she said. All that language about its transitional, its temporary, that doesnt work at all because people think, Well, Im not getting a temporary raise to make up for my temporary inflation. And to say that it didnt really exist, that it wasnt that bad, that wages were keeping upits just not peoples real-world experience. So [its] very, very important to have the kind of language that the president had during the State of the Union, where he said, Families are struggling, inflation is serious. Were very concerned about it, were doing everything we can.

Polling that Lakes firm has done found that the best ways to ease Americans worries about inflation is negotiating prescription drug prices, making big corporations pay their fair share in taxes, bringing American jobs back to America, and pushing buy American, along with reiterating that nobody whose income is under $400,000 a year is going to receive a tax increase. Because people are worried that their taxes, as well as their cost of living, [are] going up.

Democrats have been introducing bills aimed at fighting inflation. Representative Jan Schakowsky introduced a bill to fight price-gouging in relation to Covid-19. Arizona Senator Mark Kellys first reelection campaign ad featured him talking about families experiences during times of economic hardship. Congressional Democrats have held hearings on supply bottlenecks and corporate profiteering related to inflation. Senator Elizabeth Warren has targeted big corporations and their role in leveraging prices during a high inflationary period to make profits.

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The Democrats Can't Ignore Inflation in the Midterm Elections - The New Republic

I dont think it's too much to ask to say, if youre running our elections you cant lie about our elections, said Democratic Senate President Steve Fenberg who is the main sponsor of SB22-153.

While the measure had been in the works for a while, it was officially introduced just two days after Peters was charged with breaching the security of her countys voting equipment.

In the words of the grand jurys indictment, Peters and her deputy Belinda Knisley allegedly devised and executed a deceptive scheme to give an unauthorized person access to the county's voting machine hard drives and to sit in on a software update. Photos of passwords and copies of data were later leaked online by election conspiracy theorists.

The sweeping new bill requires counties to store all voting equipment in a secure area only accessible by key card and under constant, year-round video surveillance. It also bans anyone, even election office employees, from going into that area alone.

Currently, cameras only have to be on for a set number of days around each election, and only on certain pieces of election equipment.

The proposal also aims to speed up the legal process when a potential security breach occurs and increases the penalty if found guilty. It would make it a felony to tamper with voting equipment or publish information like passwords, and adds whistleblower protections for employees who reveal misbehavior.

Its important for Coloradans to hear that we wont stand for this kind of thing. Insider threats have no place in our elections, said Matt Crane, the head of the Colorado County Clerks Association and a former Republican county clerk.

Clerks from both parties overwhelmingly support the legislation, according to Crane. He noted it would expand training and certification requirements for election workers, clerks and certain employees within the secretary of states office, everything from election security and misinformation to risk-limiting audits, and accessibility and voter registration.

I think what we saw in Mesa County was a low-information clerk, which made her susceptible to grifters and bad actors, said Crane. Peters did not have experience in elections administration before being elected clerk in 2018.

Pueblo Clerk and Recorder Gilbert Bo Ortiz is the current chair of the clerks association. The Democrat called Peters alleged actions a breach of public trust and said clerks across the state have since pushed for more accountability for election officials.

The bill also budgets a half-million dollars for grants to help countys comply with the new security measures.

But despite broad support in the election world, in the world of politics, SB-153 has been met with some partisan skepticism. It passed its first hearing on a party-line vote Tuesday evening.

Seeing a bill like this being run immediately, in response to what happened in Mesa County, is troubling, said Republican Rep. Matt Soper, who represents most of the county in the House. Quite frankly (it) angers me because I don't think we ought to be writing legislation for just one particular element that has occurred out in society, knowing that the law that's currently on the books has been playing out.

Soper said hes open to voting for the bill, if its amended to address some of his concerns. But he also noted that its hard for Republicans to embrace a proposal when Democratic Secretary of State Jena Griswold is championing it.

She's made the office incredibly partisan, and it didn't have to be that way, he said. It makes the politics around this very difficult to vote for, even if reading through the bill theres a lot of things that Republicans and Democrats could agree with here.

Griswold is running for reelection and her fundraising emails have routinely highlighted her investigation of Peters, who also recently entered the race. She has also developed a national profile as a critic of Republican-led voting policies.

The Colorado GOP is already organizing against the bill. Hours before the measures first hearing, the Party emailed its members with an action alert urging Republicans lawmakers to oppose it.

Jena Griswold not only wants to be the Secretary of State; she wants to become judge and jury as well. The extreme portions of this bill are a transparent attempt to stoke fear and distrust in local elections and center all the power with Jena -- all without checks or balances, said GOP State Party Chair Kristi Burton Brown in the message.

At the same time the party leaders have asked Peters to suspend her campaign for Secretary of State in the wake of the criminal charges.

Whats shaping up to be the most controversial element of the bill is a section that would ban those who oversee elections from knowingly or recklessly disseminating misinformation or disinformation about elections.

Peters has long maintained she was well within her authority to investigate what she came to believe was voter fraud in the 2020 election, doubts which she said started with simply trying to answer questions many of her constituents had.

They just kept bringing it to me and bringing it to me, Peters told CPR last November. I get emails and people wanting to meet with me. I tried to defend that we were, we had pure and fair elections.

Peters said she could no longer defend the system. I can't unsee what I've seen and it's disturbing to me.

Peters has also participated in events and broadcasts hosted by prominent purveyors of false claims about the 2020 election, including Trump associates Steve Bannon and Mike Lindell.

Thats the kind of misinformation bill sponsors want to prevent in the future. Lawsuits and hand recounts in other states, as well as Colorados required post-election audits have consistently shown that the 2020 election results were accurate.

But for one prominent first amendment attorney, this aspect of the bill is problematic, no matter what the motives of its backers are.

Steve Zansberg heads the Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition. He also provides legal representation to members of the Colorado Broadcasters Association, including CPR. He said he wonders who gets to decide whether a statement was knowingly or recklessly false.

It raises serious constitutional questions because of the ambiguity in how it could be enforced, said Zansberg. He added that its incredibly disconcerting for the state to potentially use the things someone says as a condition and qualification for overseeing elections.

He said if lawmakers do pass this provision, it should require a high standard of evidence and a clear process for determining whether someone actually broke the law.

For supporters, though, the idea is just common sense. Sen. Fenberg told members of the Senates State Veterans and Military Affairs Committee that he is fully aware that false information about election fraud will continue to spread on social media, talk radio and other platforms. He said his bill isnt trying to curtail that kind of speech.

That's why, in a lot of ways, our democracy is so great and frustrating and messy. But for people who administer the elections, there should be some basic standards, said Fenberg.

And I don't think this bill does anything above and beyond what is a normal, basic security protocol that should be followed for any sensitive information, especially for something as important as our elections and our democracy.

This measure is part of a package of voting bills Democrats have introduced this session that they say are needed to respond to the upheaval around the 2020 election. Those include a bill to ban the open carry of firearms within 100 feet of voting locations, and a bill that would increase penalties for threatening and harassing election workers.

But Secretary Griswold said Colorado is the first state she knows of to propose this latest type of action. She said she recently briefed other Secretaries of State on the bill and hopes states across the country follow Colorados lead.

I do believe that we'll see further insider attacks, as a way to destabilize American elections and push disinformation. So every state should be getting ready for this evolving threat, she said.

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What if the threat is coming from inside? Democrats push for tighter rules for Colorado's election officials - Colorado Public Radio

Do Utah Democrats send a candidate to Novembers ballot in the U.S. Senate race, which most likely extends the partys five-decade-long losing streak? Or, should they compromise their values to make an uneasy alliance with a conservative candidate in hopes of denying Sen. Mike Lee another term in Washington?

Its certainly not the most exciting Choose your own adventure book on the shelf, but its on the spring syllabus for Utahs Democrats.

Distilled to its essence, it is a choice between principles and practicality, and neither are particularly great choices for Utahs minority party.

Kael Weston is unopposed in the Democratic Party, so giving him the nomination should be nothing more than a formality. Traditionally, lone candidates are nominated by acclamation at the partys convention without the need for a formal vote by delegates.

Not this year, though.

A group of prominent Democrats, fronted by former Rep. Ben McAdams and Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson, say the party should withhold its nomination to increase the chances for independent Evan McMullin to defeat Lee.

Wilson admits its a gamble, but Democrats havent won a U.S. Senate election in Utah for 50 years, and she would like to try something different, even if it results in electing someone who is much farther to the right on the political spectrum.

Im well aware Evan McMullin would not be as good as a Democrat in terms of my values and what I believe. But I expect he would invite us into the room when hes making tough decisions. Thats not an opportunity Mike Lee is affording me right now, Wilson says.

Its a brutally pragmatic argument and one you dont often see in todays hyperpolarized political culture. Even if Democrats decide to kick party politics aside, there is no guarantee McMullin can beat Lee in November.

McAdams also says he would willingly trade McMullin for Lee, even if their politics rarely align.

Youll never have a candidate who agrees with you 100% of the time, and losing accomplishes nothing, McAdams says.

McAdams says he is on board with the plan because he believes Lee is an obstructionist who is unwilling to compromise.

Washington, D.C., is a dumpster fire. I personally know how broken and dysfunctional it is, and Mike Lee is the ringleader of that dysfunction. He cant even find his way to bipartisanship on things like roads and bridges, McAdams says. We have got to start sending people to Washington who are going to be constructive and work to fix whats broken.

But what of Weston? Doesnt he deserve the opportunity to represent the Democratic party? This clinical assessment of the race shoves him and his political ambitions aside.

Longtime Utah Democrat Quang Dang, who is helping Weston plot his political strategy, says the gambit put forward by McAdams and Wilson will do lasting damage to the party.

This whole plot to not have a Democratic candidate on the ballot is absurd. Never in the history of this party has this been done, Dang says. We have to deal with this gimmick, and gimmicks dont work in politics, especially Utah politics.

Weston is not a rookie candidate. He ran against Rep. Chris Stewart in 2020, losing to the Republican by 22 points in Utahs 2nd Congressional District.

Dang says Democrats who want to push Weston aside for McMullin are making many assumptions. First, Lee likely faces a primary against one or two other Republicans. Both Becky Edwards and Ally Isom are gathering signatures to avoid elimination at the GOP convention. Although Lee is the presumptive favorite, Dang says thats not a fait accompli, and the political winds could shift.

Politics is not sports betting. We ought to vote for the candidate that best represents our values and principles, not on who we think is most likely to win, Dang says.

The problem for Weston or any Democrat running statewide in Utah is simple math. You have to get more votes than your opponent.

Longtime political strategist Reed Galen says the numbers are more favorable for McMullin than Weston, but its still a long shot.

Are there enough Democrats or Democratic-leaning independents in Utah to beat Mike Lee? Are there enough Republican voters who dont like Mike Lee to cross over and vote for a Democrat? I think the answer to all of those questions is an unequivocal no, Galen says.

The former Republican and Park City resident helped form the Lincoln Project in 2020 as part of the effort to prevent Donald Trump from winning another term in the White House. He says Democrats are not known for looking at politics pragmatically.

They lead with their hearts a lot, not with their heads. When it comes to cold calculations, theyre not very good at it. For Democrats who dont like Mike Lee, there are only two choices in this race: Mike Lee or Evan McMullin, Galen says.

While this strategy is very rare, it is not unprecedented. In the 2014 Kansas U.S. Senate race, the Democratic nominee, Chad Taylor, dropped out to clear the way for independent businessman Greg Orman. According to Smart Politics, Orman lost by nearly 11 points to Pat Roberts, but the race was much closer than in the past as Republicans won the previous nine U.S. Senate races by an average of 37 points.

The United Utah Party has already thrown its weight behind McMullin, endorsing his candidacy against Lee.

How this plays out will depend on the whims of Democratic delegates who will be selected at the Democratic caucus meetings next week. All of this culminates at the state convention at the end of April.

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Utah Democrats face dilemma: help an independent to try to beat Sen. Mike Lee or stand with the party - Salt Lake Tribune

Some lawmakers, like Norton and D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson, still lay the blame solely at Republicans feet. Clearly the dysfunction that exists in Congress means that they need Republicans on board to move spending bills, says Mendelson, adding that he doesnt blame Democrats for trying to move legislation. Norton notes that the House was able to easily eliminate the budget riders in its draft spending bill because the chamber has a more comfortable Democratic majority; it was a tougher sell in the Senate, where the party has less leverage.

They are nevertheless frustrated by what the Harris Rider means in practice for the city, where a robust market of cannabis gifting and delivery services has developed in the wake of residents 2014 vote to legalize weeda market that the Harris Rider makes it illegal to regulate in any way, from banking to quality control and public safety. And that says nothing of the fact that residents can hop over the D.C. border to Maryland, home of Andy Harris and Republican Governor Larry Hogan, where lawmakers are in the middle of passing a framework to create a recreational weed market. In the citys other neighbor, Republican Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin, while skeptical of legalizing weed sales, has conceded that he isnt interested in recriminalizing the drug.

Democrats need to just get real clear and real serious. What is the partys policy when it comes to cannabis? Because we have been nibbling around the edges with this hodgepodge patchwork system amongst the states, and all it takes, really, is one presidential administration with an overzealous attorney general who disagrees, Henderson says. This is incoherent. The Democratic Party has an incoherent message when it comes to cannabis policy. (Mendelson is more blunt in his assessment: Congress is dealing with this half-assed. Make it legal, make it illegalnot that I want them to make it illegalbut do something rather than this purgatory.)

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The Democrats Betrayed the People of D.C. - The New Republic

Democratic group Opportunity Wisconsin launched a new ad hitting incumbent Sen. Ron JohnsonRonald (Ron) Harold JohnsonDemocratic group runs ad hitting Ron Johnson over Trump 2017 tax bill Juan Williams: Biden must rebut GOP attacks on war Lawmakers fear Ukraine could spiral into US-Russian war MORE (R-Wis.) over his support for former President TrumpDonald TrumpNevada county to consider counting all ballots by hand Omarosa hit with K penalty over failure to file financial disclosure Trump says he's 'surprised' Putin ordered Ukraine invasion MORE's 2017 tax legislation.

The group, which spent $4.5 million on ads hitting Johnson last year, specifically takes issue with changeshe championed for the legislation that would enact lower tax rates for businesses whose owners report their profits on their individual tax returns.

The ad,first viewed by The Hill, alleges the changes to the legislation that were pushed by Johnson benefited his own family business.

It will air on broadcast, cable and digital platforms in the Milwaukee, Madison, Green Bay and Wausau media markets.

Everything seems to be more expensive these days. Everything costs more. Ron Johnson should be helping families like us, but he seems to have helped himself instead, the 30-second ad's narrator, a mother from the Madison area, says.

An investigation found that Ron Johnson pushed through a special tax loophole that benefited his own familys business," she continued. "Then he cashed out of the company for 5 million dollars. Hes doubled his wealth since taking office."

The investigation referred to in the ad was conducted by the Congressional Integrity Project, which suggested in 2020 that Johnson's changes to the 2017 tax legislation would have benefited businesses likePacur LLC, which Johnsonpreviously owned and held a financial stake in until 2020.

Last week, Johnson hit back against claims that he tried to carve out a tax deal, calling it "absurd and false."

"My actions were not targeted to benefit a few, but designed to help the many, the roughly 95% of all Wisconsin and U.S. businesses and the tens of millions of hard working people they employ," Johnson wrote on WisFacts.com, a website powered by his reelection campaign.

"Had it not been for me, Main Street businesses would have been left behind and found it very difficult to compete with the big guys," Johnson continued.

The ad is the latest to hit the Wisconsin airwaves ahead of November's midterm elections. Last week, Johnson released two new ads touting his work with a Milwaukee-based faith initiative. And on Monday, Democratic Senate candidate Sarah Godlewski released her first television ad of the campaign.

Johnson is facing whatstands to be a competitive reelection bid in Wisconsin. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report rates the race as a "toss-up." AMarquette University surveyreleased last week showed Johnson with a 33 percent favorable rating and a 45 percent unfavorable rating.

However, Johnson has a strong support baseamong the state's conservative grassroots, and the crowdedSenate Democratic primary, which is set to take place in August, could leave the incumbent in a stronger position.

The same Marquette survey showed Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes (D) leading that primary field with 23 percent support,withMilwaukee Bucks executive Alex Lasry trailing at 13 percent support, Outagamie County Executive Tom Nelson garnering 5 percent support and state Treasurer Sarah Godlewski 3 percent.

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Democratic group runs ad hitting Ron Johnson over Trump 2017 tax bill | TheHill - The Hill

Holding a blue seat in a red-tinged place like Iowas Third Congressional District takes discipline. It takes a relentless focus on the folks back home, which is why you wont see Cindy Axne yukking it up on Morning Joe or rubbing elbows with Jake Tapper on CNN. It takes doing who-knows-how-many hits on rural radio stations that might reach just a few hundred people at a time.

Axne is a living case study in political survival. Donald Trump carried her district in both of his presidential runs. In 2020, a bad year for House Democrats, she hung on to her seat by fewer than 7,000 votes.

This year, Axne has one of the hardest re-election tasks of any member of Congress. Shes the lone Democrat in Iowas delegation to Washington, representing a state that has moved sharply rightward. Thanks to redistricting, she just inherited nine additional counties that voted for Trump in 2020. At town hall meetings, she proudly tells constituents that hers is the No. 1 targeted race in the nation. Forecasters rate it a tossup, but privately, Democratic strategists acknowledge she might be doomed.

Whats her strategy for survival? Although Axne doesnt articulate them explicitly, we culled these unspoken rules from an interview in her office on Capitol Hill. Its the kind of advice President Biden could use as he tries to reverse drooping poll numbers that threaten to bring down his entire party:

Struggling to explain your policies? Visualize the voter you want to reach: Take these big things and bring it down to that one individual. If that moms not sitting in the audience, put that mom in your head.

Selling your infrastructure bill? Talk about convenience, not how many program dollars you allocated: That doesnt resonate. It resonates that I gave you 40 minutes of extra time when this bridge is repaired. Thats huge.

You wont hear much soaring rhetoric about saving American democracy from Axne, either. The voters are her customers, reflecting her business background. Ive been a manager my whole life, she said. Ive run customer service departments and retail.

And the way she figures it, the burden is on her to earn the customers approval. Its my job to go to them, to show them that they can trust me and that I deserve their vote, she said.

She urges the president to adopt that same retail mentality: Leave the mess in Washington behind, go into local communities and bring politics to a human scale.

As she put it, Come out and say, Folks, heres where were at.

And where her customers are at right now, Axne said, can be summed up with one word: Tired.

Theyre tired of the pandemic. Tired of the disruptions it has brought to their families. Tired of their packages not being delivered on time. Its the thread running through all the complaints she hears about, whether the issue is education or jobs or masks.

Ive never seen anything impact our psyche so much like this, right? she said. Theres just a lot that families are coping with. Its just hard for them to see some of the benefits that Democrats have delivered because honestly, Democrats have delivered, Ive delivered but its hard to see when things still arent back to normal.

If and when they are, Axne said, Weve got to be really loud about it and make people feel comfortable and understand: Go back to normal, folks.

Axne has had to think a lot about how to explain the major legislative packages she has helped to pass and urges the White House to break them down into relatable pieces.

She comes back to her infrastructure example, referring to bridges in Iowa that are so poorly maintained that they cant bear the weight of a bus full of schoolchildren, leading to lengthy detours. You know, ask any parent what their mornings are like, and would they like 40 minutes more? Heck, yeah.

Axne was first elected to Congress in 2018, as part of that years anti-Trump wave.

She was a longtime Iowa state government official, an M.B.A. holder who started a consulting firm before running for Congress. If you ask her whats on the minds of Iowa farmers, be prepared for an impromptu seminar on the intricacies of soybean processing.

In 2019, when flooding devastated communities in her district along the Missouri River, Axne was everywhere: touring busted levees, lobbying for federal aid. It earned her some credit in the suburban areas around Council Bluffs and Indianola, helping her eke out that win in 2020.

In a stroke of bad luck for Axne, those areas along the river are no longer her responsibility. After Iowas latest round of nonpartisan redistricting, theyve become part of the district of Representative Randy Feenstra, a Republican.

Her first task this year was to visit her new counties, which together voted for Trump by nearly 19,000 votes. She doesnt have to win them just keep the margins small enough while pumping up votes in her stronghold of Des Moines, the Iowa capital. But she does have to create some distance from national Democrats, which she tries to accomplish through humor.

I am not Nancy Pelosi, she joked at a recent town-hall-style meeting in Ottumwa, one of 74 shes held since her first election. Im a foot taller. Im from a different state. I dont wear five-inch heels.

Axne would like to see Democrats break the Build Back Better Act, their stalled social policy bill, into chunks of coordinated policy. And in the meantime, she wants Biden to get out there and hear from his disaffected customers directly.

Its not that he doesnt understand it, she said. Its just that theres so much happening at this high level that sometimes its really hard to just bring it down to that very micro level. But that micro level is whats adding up across the country.

Ryan Mac and Lisa Lerer profiled Peter Thiel, the Silicon Valley investor who is seeking to become the rights would-be kingmaker.

Trumps longtime accounting firm has cut ties with his family business amid an investigation into the Trump Organizations financial practices, Ben Protess and William K. Rashbaum report.

Ukraines president hinted at a major concession on Monday and Russias foreign minister said talks would continue, suggesting room for a peaceful resolution of the crisis. For more, go here for the latest updates on the diplomatic efforts to avert a Russian invasion.

In Opinion, J. Michael Luttig, a retired judge, called on his fellow conservatives to embrace reform of the Electoral Count Act, the 1887 law that governs how Congress counts the votes of the Electoral College.

As Republicans gear up for midterm elections that they hope will give them control of both chambers of Congress, Representative Kevin McCarthy of California, the man who hopes to become their House speaker, is set to speak in Palm Beach, Fla. this week to some of the megadonors expected to finance the partys efforts this fall and in 2024.

The occasion is the semiannual gathering of the American Opportunity Alliance, a coalition of major donors spearheaded by the New York hedge fund billionaire Paul Singer that has worked mostly behind the scenes to shape the Republican Party.

Also expected to speak is Mike Pompeo, who served as secretary of state under President Donald Trump and is said to be considering seeking the Republican presidential nomination in 2024, which could pit him against Trump.

Other prospective 2024 Republican candidates attended a meeting of the alliance last year in Colorado, including Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, former Vice President Mike Pence and Nikki Haley, the former United Nations ambassador. Senator Rick Scott of Florida, who heads the Republican Partys Senate campaign arm, also spoke to the alliances donors last year.

The Palm Beach gathering is expected to draw candidates vying for Republican congressional nominations, including Herschel Walker (who is running for Senate in Georgia), Katie Britt (Senate in Alabama), Jane Timken (Senate in Ohio) and Morgan Ortagus (House in Tennessee).

The donors in the alliance are likely to be assiduously courted by Republican candidates for a range of offices and to be solicited for donations to super PACs and party committees.

Their giving and associations will be closely watched as the party and its donor class grapple with whether and how to move on from Trump.

Singer was among the most aggressive Republican donors in seeking to block Trump from winning the Republican nomination in 2016. A conservative website he financed paid for early research into Trumps ties to Russia. But Singer later donated $1 million to Trumps inaugural fund and visited the Trump White House on multiple occasions.

Other donors who have been involved in the American Opportunity Alliance include the brokerage titan Charles Schwab, the hedge fund manager Kenneth Griffin and Todd Ricketts, who served as finance chairman for the Republican National Committee under Trump.

Among the donors expected in Palm Beach are the former Trump cabinet officials Wilbur Ross, who served as commerce secretary, and Linda McMahon, who was administrator of the Small Business Administration.

Is there anything you think were missing? Anything you want to see more of? Wed love to hear from you. Email us at onpolitics@nytimes.com.

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How One of the Most At-Risk Democrats in Congress Hangs On - The New York Times

Now, even as Bidens approval ratings crater and incumbent Democrats publicly sweat over inflation, Peters is setting a high bar for success this fall. He doesnt want to just hold the Senate majority a task that probably means protecting every single incumbent in states like Arizona and Georgia he wants to make Majority Leader Chuck Schumers job a hell of a lot easier: Its a sense of mission for me to get to 52 or more Senate seats, Peters said.

Picking up two seats might not sound like a herculean task, but it would make him a near-legend in Democratic Party lore. Its vanishingly rare for the party in power to pick up seats in the first midterm election after a new president takes over, and Bidens current approval slump isnt helping. Senate Republicans managed to do it with a favorable battleground map in 2018 even as they lost the House a formula Democrats may have to replicate this year.

Peters own resume of racking up wins in Michigan is giving Democrats hope for a fighting chance. The former Michigan lottery commissioners probably gotten a little luck along the way, but his personal political story is one of survival by any means necessary.

He swept into office in 2008 by knocking off a House GOP incumbent, survived the tea party wave of 2010, beat fellow Democratic incumbent Hansen Clarke in a redistricting-stoked primary in 2012 and was the only new Democratic senator to take office after the 2014 shellacking.

In 2020, Republicans mocked Peters, a bespectacled and laid-back former Navy officer, as Jerry Peters so anonymous voters didnt even know his name. He won in 2020 by less than two points against John James, one of the best GOP recruits in years.

Ive got a lot of respect for the senator. And he worked really hard, Ive got to credit that. So that paid dividends come Election Day, said Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.) who ran the GOPs 2020 campaign arm. Still, Young said Peters historically Democratic state helped him personally, and he advised that translating personal electoral success across the Senate map is tricky: Theyre very different jobs.

Then-President Barack Obama during a campaign event for U.S. Senate candidate Gary Peters and gubernatorial candidate Mark Schauer at Wayne State University on Nov. 1, 2014, in Detroit, Mich.|Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP Photo

Peters isnt afraid to take on risks; he opened up during his latest reelection campaign about his and his wifes decision to pursue an abortion in the 1980s, a rare move for a male politician. And he was one of the few candidates to embrace former President Barack Obama and campaign with him down the stretch in 2014, an election that saw Democrats blown out of red states theyd held for years.

Even as Biden struggles to raise his approval ratings and Republicans revel in his unpopularity, Peters sees little value in running away from a president of his own party. The two met recently to discuss Senate races, and Peters came away satisfied with Bidens level of involvement.

Well be working really closely with the president. He cares deeply about the Senate, Peters said. To me, the presidents always an asset.

Republicans scoff at that sentiment. Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), the chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, said matter-of-factly, Bidens helping us quite a bit. He also noted the NRSCs outraised Peters committee over the past 12 months.

With one of the hardest jobs in Washington, Peters has room to try out his own style of politics on a larger scale. He says Schumer, a total political animal, has such a demanding job as majority leader in a 50-50 Senate that the New Yorker has given Peters complete freedom to run campaigns his way.

Hes really got the right temperament for a job that is such a high level, said Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.). Hes in control of the situation.

Peters DSCC is not endorsing in any contested primaries at this point, letting candidates for open seats in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania slug it out for the right to face Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) and the GOP nominee in the Keystone State. Its a shift from past election cycles, when Democrats were more eager to throw their weight behind their favored candidates.

At the moment, Peters says he has no problem letting things play out between, say, Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, Rep. Conor Lamb and state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta in Pennsylvania.

Right now were not making any endorsements. That could change, Peters said.

His Midwestern Nice style translates to his bid to take back Wisconsin from Johnson, the only Republican to win a Senate seat in the Badger State since the 1980s. Peters and Johnson clashed in 2020 over allegations of malfeasance in the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

I expect Gary to do better than I did.

Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.)

As chair at the time, Johnson used the committee to try to probe Hunter Biden during the presidential election, prompting major pushback from Peters, who chairs the committee now. Peters said in an interview that he was confident we can win in Wisconsin but declined to take a shot at Johnson, whom most Senate Democrats loathe: I dont take any of this personally; to me its just business. I work with my colleagues here.

Its fair to say the feeling isnt mutual. Johnson is still steaming.

He totally lied about me. Hes never publicly apologized for lying and screaming about me, Johnson said of Peters. So no, Im not happy with the man.

If Democrats can pick up Wisconsin and any other GOP-held states, people in both parties will see it as a miracle. Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) said Republicans are certain to net the one seat they need to flip the chamber unless we give it to them, referencing an ever-present worry that GOP voters could nominate lackluster general election candidates in battleground states. Senate Democrats are defending five battleground seats in states Biden won and have pick-up opportunities in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and perhaps Florida and Ohio.

Peters was basically the partys only bright spot in 2014, the last time the party defended a majority, when Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) chaired the DSCC. Peters cruised by a 13-point margin even as GOP Gov. Rick Snyder was reelected with relative ease.

Now its Bennet whos facing the voters in a tough year. He offered a prediction: I expect Gary to do better than I did.

Democrats had better hope so: They lost nine seats in 2014.

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The low-key Democrat with the unenviable task of defending a 50-50 Senate - POLITICO