Libertarian Party of Alabama sues state for discrimination against third parties
The Libertarian Party of Alabama has sued the state, claiming they discriminate against third parties trying to get ballot access. According to the Alabama Political Reporter, the federal lawsuit was filed Thursday against Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill. For both the Republican and Democrat parties, obtaining a list of registered voters is free. For other parties, the cost is one cent per name which, Alabama Political Reporter calculates, comes out to about $34,000 plus an additional $850 fee if a credit card is used. The lawsuit reads, “Having a copy of Alabama’s statewide voter registration list provides a distinct advantage to any political party trying to obtain access to the ballot in Alabama and trying to transmit its political message to Alabama voters in order to obtain their support for ballot access, increase their ability to associate with others who share their political philosophy and goals and, ultimately to obtain additional votes.” It continues, saying that Alabama law “unconstitutionally discriminates between major political parties and minor political parties, in an effort to, and with the direct effect of … creating obstacles which make it more difficult for a minor political party like the LPA to establish itself and grow, garner support, gain access to the ballot in Alabama, and obtain votes in order to grow and have its members and followers hold public elective office.” In addition to needing more than 50,000 signatures to get on the ballot, the lawsuit says that this is “just one more obstacle Alabama places in the way of minor parties to try to prevent them from growing and to gaining access to the ballot.” Ballot access barriers have been ruled unconstitutional in both Michigan and Georgia, according to Alabama Political Reporter, decisions which give Alabama libertarians hope for success in federal court. Currently, Libertarian candidates have to run on write-in campaigns. Ron Bishop ran against Roy Moore and Doug Jones in 2017. “The two choices that we have now, they don’t conform to what I think America needs to be,” Bishop told AL.com, “I’m hoping we that we can give voters out there a third option.” In Alabama, nearly two-thirds of voters cast straight party tickets. In the 2018 election, about 1.1 of the 1.7 million ballots cast were straight-ticket votes, in which voters checked one box to vote for every candidate one party ran. In some cases, a third-party candidate can split the vote from a major party’s base, clearing the way for their opponent to win. The Libertarian Party is the third largest party in the United States according to the Libertarian Party of Alabama. They believe “the answer to America’s political problems is the same commitment to freedom that earned America its greatness: a free-market economy and the abundance and prosperity it brings; a dedication to civil liberties and personal freedom; and a foreign policy of non-intervention, peace, and free trade as prescribed by America’s founders. We are the only political organization which respects you as a unique and competent individual.”
Senate rejects rival Dem, GOP plans for reopening government
A splintered Senate swatted down competing Democratic and Republican plans for ending the 34-day partial government shutdown on Thursday, leaving President Donald Trump and Congress with no obvious formula for halting the longest-ever closure of federal agencies and the damage it is inflicting around the country. In an embarrassment to Trump that could weaken his position whenever negotiations get serious, the Democratic proposal got two more votes than the GOP plan. There were six Republican defectors, including freshman Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, who’s clashed periodically with the president. There were signs lawmakers on both sides were seeking ways to resolve their vitriolic stalemate, if only temporarily. Moments after the votes, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., spent a half-hour in the office of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and a parade of senators from both parties took to the Senate floor to advocate reopening agencies for three weeks while bargainers seek a solution. “We’re talking,” Schumer told reporters, one of the most encouraging statements either side has made since the shutdown began Dec. 22. At the White House, spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Trump would consider signing a short-term bill “only if it includes a down payment on the wall.” For most of Thursday, both parties in conflicting ways to showed their sympathy for unpaid federal workers while yielding no ground in their fight over Trump’s demand to build a border wall with Mexico. The Senate first rejected a Republican plan reopening government through September and giving Trump the $5.7 billion he’s demanded for building segments of that wall, a project that he’d long promised Mexico would finance. The 50-47 vote for the measure fell 10 shy of the 60 votes needed to succeed. Minutes later, senators voted 52-44 for a Democratic alternative that sought to open padlocked agencies through Feb. 8 with no wall money. That was eight votes short. It was aimed at giving bargainers time to seek an accord while getting paychecks to 800,000 beleaguered government workers who are a day from going unpaid for a second consecutive pay period. Flustered lawmakers said the results could be a reality check that would prod the start of talks. Throughout, the two sides have issued mutually exclusive demands that have blocked negotiations from even starting: Trump has refused to reopen government until Congress gives him the wall money, and congressional Democrats have rejected bargaining until he reopens government. Thursday’s votes could “teach us that the leaders are going to have to get together and figure out how to resolve this,” said Sen. John Thune of South Dakota, the No. 2 Senate GOP leader. He added, “One way or another we’ve got to get out of this. This is no win for anybody.” For now, partisan potshots flowed freely. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., accused Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross of a “let them eat cake kind of attitude” after he said on television that he didn’t understand why unpaid civil servants were resorting to homeless shelters for food. Even as Pelosi offered to meet the president “anytime,” Trump stood firm, tweeting, “Without a Wall it all doesn’t work…. We will not Cave!” and no meetings were scheduled. As the Senate debated the two dueling proposals, McConnell said the Democratic plan would let that party’s lawmakers “make political points and nothing else” because Trump wouldn’t sign it. He called Pelosi’s stance “unreasonable” and said, “Senate Democrats are not obligated to go down with her ship.” Schumer criticized the GOP plan for endorsing Trump’s proposal to keep the government closed until he got what he wants. “A vote for the president’s plan is an endorsement of government by extortion,” Schumer said. “If we let him do it today, he’ll do it tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow.′ The White House closely monitored the Senate votes and Trump spoke with lawmakers throughout the day. He was waiting to see if many Democrats crossed over to back his plan, but West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin proved to be the only one. In one indication the lawmakers were reaching a breaking point, Vice President Mike Pence attended a pre-vote lunch with GOP senators and heard eagerness for the standoff to end, participants said. Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., said their message to Pence was “Find a way forward.” In consultation with their Senate counterparts, House Democrats were preparing a new border security package they planned to roll out Friday. Despite their pledge to not negotiate until agencies reopened, their forthcoming proposal was widely seen as a counteroffer to Trump. Pelosi expressed “some optimism that things could break loose pretty soon” in a closed-door meeting with other Democrats Wednesday evening, said Rep. John Yarmuth, D-Ky. The Democratic package was expected to include $5.7 billion, the same amount Trump wants for his wall, but use it instead for fencing, technology, personnel and other measures. In a plan the rejected Senate GOP plan mirrored, Trump on Saturday proposed to reopen government if he got his wall money. He also proposed to revamp immigration laws, including new restrictions on Central American minors seeking asylum in the U.S. and temporary protections for immigrants who entered the country illegally as children. In another sign of hope, Thursday’s vote on the Democratic plan represented movement by McConnell. For weeks, he’d refused to allow a Senate vote on anything Trump wouldn’t sign and has let Trump and Democrats try reaching an accord. McConnell has a history of helping resolve past partisan standoffs, and his agreement to allow Thursday’s vote was seen by some as a sign he would become more forcefully engaged. At a panel discussion held by House Democrats on the effects of the shutdown, union leaders and former Homeland Security officials said they worried about the long-term effects. “I fear we are rolling the dice,” said Tim Manning, a former Federal Emergency Management Agency official. “We will be lucky to get everybody back on the job without a crisis to respond to.” Reprinted with permission from the Associated Press
Walt Maddox has more cash on hand, more individual donors than Kay Ivey
Campaign finance reports filed this week with the Secretary of State’s office show gubernatorial candidates Walt Maddox and Kay Ivey very close to one another in campaign fundraising; with Maddox showing more cash on hand. This week, benefiting from individual donations from across the state, Maddox closed the gap between himself and Ivey garnering almost $246,000 in campaign contributions. Ivey raised just a hair more than Maddox, reporting $248,523 in campaign contributions. The real difference is in the cash on hand totals. Last month Maddox reported $222,442 in cash on hand after receiving numerous donations from a plethora of individuals, while Ivey’s report revealed she had $458,674 in cash on hand. After this week’s filings, Ivey showed $271,477 in cash on hand while Maddox reported $313,249 in cash leftover from the month’s expenditures. “We are very encouraged by the latest fundraising report. Not only are we neck and neck with Kay Ivey in this month’s total, we have more cash on hand. Most exciting is the fact that we had over 40 pages of individual donors and Kay only had 12,” said Maddox’s Communications Director Chip HIll. “This continues to be a great indicator of the popular support that’s out there for Walt Maddox as more and more voters, Republicans and Democrats, respond to Walt’s vision for Alabama. While we certainly feel momentum is in our favor, we know that Kay Ivey is a formidable opponent who after 30 plus years in Montgomery knows how to find money.” Kay Ivey Campaign finance report – July: Kay Ivey Monthly Campaign Finance Report – July 2018 Walt Maddox Campaign finance report – July: Walt Maddox Monthly Campaign Finance Report – July 2018
2018 statewide general election ad roundup: August 3 edition
The November 6 general election is less than 100 days away and Alabama’s candidates have taken to the internet and the airwaves with campaign ads in hopes of swaying Yellowhammer State voters to their side. This week, both gubernatorial candidates rolled out the big guns introducing their first tv ads for the general election to voters across the state and displaying qualities they believe make them excellent candidates for the position. In Governor Kay Ivey‘s new ad she highlights her success in preparing students today for the jobs of tomorrow by praising her own “Strong Start, Strong Finish” education initiative to integrate Alabama’s early childhood education, K-12 education, and workforce development into a seamless educational experience for Alabama students. Democratic candidate Walt Maddox used a bit of word play in his new ad “Running.” In the ad, Maddox comments on the different types of “running” he’s done in his lifetime: running as a football player, running one of the state’s largest cities, running as a way to improve mental clarity, and stay in shape; and running for governor. Gubernatorial ads Republican Kay Ivey: Title: Strong Start, Strong Finish Published: August 2, 2018 Tone: Optimistic Democrat Walt Maddox: Title: Running Published: July 31, 2018 Tone: Thoughtful
GOP running out of time for legislative achievements
President Donald Trump and his GOP allies on Capitol Hill have made it through nearly half their first year in power without a single major legislative achievement. If that’s going to change, it will have to start soon, a reality that Republican lawmakers will confront when they return to the Capitol on Monday from a weeklong break. “We just need to work harder,” the second-ranking Republican senator, John Cornyn of Texas, said in an interview with KFYO radio in Lubbock, Texas, over the recess. For now, the party’s marquee agenda items remain undone, their fate uncertain. The long-promised effort to overturn former President Barack Obama‘s health law hangs in limbo in the Senate after barely passing the House. A tax overhaul that’s a top Trump priority is unwritten and in dispute, despite his recent claim on Twitter that it’s ahead of schedule. “The president keeps saying the tax bill is moving through Congress. It doesn’t exist,” House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said mockingly on Friday. “It doesn’t exist. There is no tax bill moving through Congress.” Lawmakers will deal with those issues and more as Congress comes back into session, and realistically the window for action is closing fast. Seven legislative weeks are left before Congress scatters for a five-week August recess, a period when lawmakers are likely to lose momentum if they have failed to act on health care or taxes, and face GOP voters frustrated that they haven’t delivered. Both issues are enormously difficult challenges, and the tax legislation must follow, for procedural reasons, passage of a budget, no small task on its own. On top of it all, lawmakers are way behind on the annual spending legislation needed to keep the lights on in government. They were recently informed by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin that they will have to raise the federal government’s borrowing limit before August, a daunting task ripe for brinkmanship. Looming over everything is the investigation into allegations of Russian meddling in the 2016 campaign and connections with the Trump campaign. That investigation is in the hands of a special prosecutor and Congress’ intelligence committees. Former FBI Director James Comey, who was fired by Trump, is scheduled to testify before the Senate committee on Thursday. “The Russia investigation takes a lot of oxygen, it takes a lot of attention,” said Republican Rep. Tom Cole of Oklahoma, a veteran lawmaker. Cole argued that Republicans have not gotten the credit they deserve to date for what they have accomplished: voting to overturn a series of Obama regulations, as well as reaching compromise last month on spending legislation for the remainder of the 2017 budget year that included a big increase for defense. The biggest bright spot for the party and for Trump remains Senate confirmation in early April of Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch, whose elevation goes far to placate conservatives frustrated with inaction on other fronts. “I think we’ve done more than we’ve gotten credit for, but the big ones are ahead,” Cole said. “It’s certainly an ambitious agenda we’ve got, there’s no question about it, it has been all along and I wouldn’t have it any other way.” Historically, Capitol Hill has been at its busiest and most productive in the early days of a new president’s administration, during the traditional honeymoon. But with his approval ratings hovering around 40 percent, Trump never got that grace period, and although his core supporters show no signs of abandoning him, he is not providing the focused leadership usually essential to helping pass major legislation. Within Obama’s first 100 days in office, he had signed a large stimulus package as well as equal pay legislation and other bills. An active Congress under President George W. Bush had made progress on campaign finance legislation and bankruptcy changes, among other issues. In the Senate, Republicans’ slim 52-48 majority gives them little room for error on health care and taxes, issues where they are using complicated procedural rules to move ahead with simple majorities and no Democratic support. Trump’s apparent disengagement from the legislative process was evident this past week when he demanded on Twitter that the Senate “should switch to 51 votes, immediately, and get Healthcare and TAX CUTS approved, fast and easy.” In fact, that’s exactly how Republicans are already moving. But the trouble is within their own ranks as Senate Republicans disagree over how quickly to unwind the Medicaid expansion under Obama’s health law, as well as other elements of the GOP bill. Addressing the health legislation, Cornyn pledged on KFYO, “We’ll get it done by the end of July at the latest.” Despite that show of optimism, there’s uncertainty aplenty over whether the Senate will be able to pass a health bill, and whether a complicated tax overhaul or even a simple set of tax cuts will advance. For some Republicans, their sights are set on the more immediate and necessary tasks of completing the annual spending bills that are needed to avert a government shutdown when the budget year ends Sept. 30, and on raising the debt ceiling to avert a first-ever default. “It’ll be more difficult than it should be,” said GOP Rep. Charlie Dent of Pennsylvania, a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee. “Because Congress is what it is.” Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
What the new Republican health care plan means for you
Health insurance shoppers may wind up with more options to choose from but less help buying a policy under a new Republican proposal to replace the Affordable Care Act. A plan unveiled Monday in the House of Representatives shifts more responsibility for finding affordable coverage to the individual, and away from the government. Whether the plan becomes law is far from a sure thing — it immediately drew criticism across the political spectrum, and it could change or fail as it makes its way through Congress. “This is just a first step in what is likely going to be an intense and noisy process,” Stifel health insurance analyst Thomas Carroll said in a research note. And neither the government’s current plan nor the plan offered by Republicans seems capable of addressing the larger problem, the rising cost of health care that is translating into higher insurance rates, experts say. “No politician can save you from that,” said Dan Mendelson, CEO of the consulting firm Avalere Health. But the draft offers the first look at how Republicans want to change the government’s role in delivering health care. Here’s a look at the possible impact: WILL I PAY MORE FOR INSURANCE? You might, because you could receive less help from the government. The Affordable Care Act provides tax credits based on how much money you make to help take the sting out of paying for insurance. The new proposal provides tax credits that are based mainly on your age. These may offer less support for people with low incomes than the current system. On the other hand, because the new proposal allows for a broader range of insurance plans, it could mean that people may have a better chance of finding a plan they can afford. WHO WILL THIS HELP OR HURT THE MOST? Younger, healthier people may have cheaper coverage options, but costs could climb for older patients with chronic conditions and people with low incomes. The ACA provided subsidies that helped many people with chronic conditions pay out-of-pocket expenses like deductibles, the amount a person has to pay toward care before most insurance coverage starts. Those subsidies could be eliminated under the Republican plan. There’s an option for states to provide such subsidies, but it’s not yet clear how those would work. And lower-income people may struggle to pay their premiums, the amount due each month for care, because they would get less help from the government. For example, under the Republican plan, a 41-year-old customer of the insurer Molina Healthcare who earns $20,000 would receive a $3,000 tax credit toward a $4,300 annual premium for one of the company’s plans. That would leave the customer with a bill of $1,300 if there were no cheaper plan available. Under the current system, the government would cover nearly the entire cost of that plan. WILL THERE BE MORE PLANS TO CHOOSE FROM? The Republican proposal loosens restrictions on the coverage insurers can offer. That could mean a wider variety of plans, including options with lower prices. But customers would need to read closely: Plans may come with high out-of-pocket costs like deductibles or narrow networks that exclude the family doctor. The plan may also have less robust coverage of things like mental health care. Those particulars remain far from settled and will probably vary depending on state requirements. WHAT’S THE PENALTY IF I DON’T SIGN UP? The Republican plan ends the fines that people have to pay under the ACA if they don’t buy coverage, the so-called individual mandate. But there’s a catch. If people let their insurance lapse for 63 days in the year before they sign up for coverage, insurers could charge these customers 30 percent more for coverage. WILL MORE INSURERS PARTICIPATE? That depends on whether lawmakers can fix the insurance exchanges that are leading to large losses for some insurers. The Republican plan does give insurers something high on their wish list: the chance to offer a wider variety of plans, which might attract younger and healthier customers. But insurers also are worried that removing the mandate means people will only buy coverage when they are sick, and that makes it very hard for insurers to make money. J. Mario Molina, CEO of Molina Healthcare, said he doesn’t think the 30 percent surcharge is enough of a penalty to entice healthy people to buy insurance. “I don’t think there’s anything in the bill that makes the market more attractive (for insurers),” Molina said. Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
Speaker Paul Ryan tells GOP colleagues: ‘We must deliver’
House Speaker Paul Ryan told Republican lawmakers Monday that it’s time to “hit the ground running as we join forces with the new Trump administration.” “We need to seize this moment, and come together like never before,” Ryan told fellow House GOP lawmakers in a letter seeking their support in his re-election for speaker. The Wisconsin Republican circulated the letter as Congress reconvened for a lame-duck session following Republican Donald Trump‘s election as president. House Republicans were widely expecting to return to Washington this week to plan for life under a Democratic administration and possibly a Democratic-controlled Senate. Instead they find themselves in full control of Washington and are elated at the opportunity to get their pent-up legislative goals signed into law. House Republicans will hold closed-door leadership elections on Tuesday and Ryan is expected to be re-elected as speaker – despite mumblings of discontent from a few conservative lawmakers. He has served in the job for a year. “Serving as speaker is a tremendous honor, and one I do not take for granted,” Ryan wrote. “I am running for re-election so that we can continue what we have started and make 2017 a year of action. I ask for your vote, and I ask for your support at the start of this great undertaking.” Ryan had clashed with Trump in the course of the campaign, including initially withholding his endorsement, which angered some conservative House members and appeared to irritate Trump. But since the election Ryan has been effusive in his praise for Trump and enthusiasm over their potential joint agenda, even though Trump has shown no enthusiasm for the large-scale overhauls of Medicare and Social Security that Ryan has pushed for years. As the House was coming back into session Monday, some 50 newly elected House members were arriving in the capital to learn the ropes of their new jobs – much like college freshmen. Republished with permission of the Associated Press.
Donald Trump’s campaign investment tops $43 million
Donald Trump poured more than $7.5 million of his own money into his presidential campaign in April, bringing his total personal investment to more than $43 million since he declared his candidacy, new campaign finance reports filed late Friday show. The billionaire businessman, who swatted away 16 Republican rivals and relied heavily on wall-to-wall media coverage of his outsized personality and often inflammatory remarks, reported spending about $56 million during the primary, which lasted until his final two rivals, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Ohio Gov. John Kasich, dropped out of the race at the beginning of May. In April alone, Trump spent nearly $9.4 million, according to his monthly filing with the Federal Election Commission. Trump’s largest expense in April, about $2.6 million, was for advertisements. The campaign also spent more than $930,000 on direct mail. Other big-ticket items included roughly $585,000 in airfare paid to Trump’s TAG Air Inc. While much of Trump’s money has come from his own pocket, he reported about $1.7 million in donations last month. Those contributions have come largely from people buying Trump’s campaign merchandise, including the red “Make America Great Again” ball caps, and giving online through his campaign website. Trump didn’t begin developing a team of fundraisers until recently, after he became the presumptive GOP nominee. Almost all of Trump’s personal investment has come in the form of loans. That leaves open the possibility that he can repay himself now that he’s aggressively seeking donations. A new fundraising agreement he struck with the Republican National Committee and 11 state parties explicitly seeks contributions for his primary campaign. Yet Trump said in a statement this week that he has “absolutely no intention” of paying himself back. Instead, he will be able to use any primary money he raises, in increments of up to $2,700 per donor, on expenses such as salaries, advertising and voter outreach over the next nine weeks. After the GOP convention in late July, Trump will officially become the nominee and be restricted to spending money that’s earmarked for the general election. His likely rival, Democrat Hillary Clinton, has a head start on building a war chest for the November election. She partnered with Democratic parties months ago and has been raising millions of dollars for them. In April alone, she collected almost $800,000 in campaign money for the general election. By contrast, Trump will hold his first campaign fundraiser next week, an event in Los Angeles where the minimum price of admission is $25,000, according to the invitation. Those donations are to be split among Trump’s campaign and his Republican Party allies. In addition to the Trump campaign’s financial health, the filings also show that when Cruz dropped out, money wasn’t the issue: He had $9.4 million in his campaign coffers at the end of April, just days before his defeat May 3 in the Indiana primary prompted him to end his bid. At the time, Cruz said he left the race because he saw no path forward. Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
Republican 2016 hopefuls get emotional on eve of SC primary
The Republican battle for South Carolina turned deeply personal on the eve of Saturday’s high-stakes presidential primary, as New York businessman Donald Trump eyed a delegate sweep and his Republican rivals fought for a southern surprise. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, the son of a pastor, evoked “the body of Christ” in his closing message while fending off allegations of campaign misconduct in a state where most Republicans identify as evangelical Christians. At the same time, Trump allies took subtle shots at Pope Francis for questioning the Republican front-runner’s devotion to Christian principles. Ohio Gov. John Kasich opened up about the death of his parents. And Jeb Bush turned to his mother to help revive his underdog campaign. Friday marked an emotionally charged day in the campaign, with 50 delegates up for grabs in Saturday’s primary contest. Candidates were also trying to stoke some badly needed momentum heading into the next phase of the campaign: March 1’s Super Tuesday. Trump appeared to hold a commanding lead less than 24 hours before voting began in South Carolina. With a big win, the billionaire businessman could take home most, if not all, of the state’s 50 delegates. Such a victory would mark a particularly painful blow to Cruz, whose consistent focus on Christian values and southern roots should have given him a distinct advantage here. As the undisputed Republican front-runner, Trump was a popular target in the final-hours’ scramble for votes. “Trump values are not South Carolina values,” the state’s senior senator, Lindsey Graham, charged during a Charleston rally for Bush. Former first lady Barbara Bush offered a positive contrast with her son’s values: “He’s steady. He’s honest. He is modest. He is kind, and he is good.” Trump’s campaign continued trying to brush off an extraordinary criticism from Pope Francis the day before. When asked about Trump’s call to build a massive wall on the U.S.-Mexican border, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church said those who seek to build walls instead of bridges are not Christian. “I say only that this man is not Christian if he has said things like that,” Francis said aboard the Papal plane. Trump called the Pope’s words “disgraceful” on Thursday, but offered a distinctly softer jab as he courted South Carolina voters on Friday. “Yesterday, the Pope was great,” Trump told an audience in Myrtle Beach. “They had him convinced that illegal immigration was like a wonderful thing. Not wonderful for us. It’s wonderful for Mexico.” Added Trump supporter, pastor Mark Burns: “We respect and honor the Pope. But I don’t know … The walls that are around the Vatican are pretty big walls.” Campaigning in the same city, Cruz tried to take advantage of the spiritual spat by highlighting his own religious devotion. “Every minute that you’re not on the phone calling friends and loved ones, spend beseeching God, praying for this country, that this spirit of revival that is sweeping this country continue and grow, and that we awaken the body of Christ,” the Texas senator said. Cruz also took a veiled shot at Trump’s campaign motto, featured on hats, T-shirts and bumper stickers. “It’s easy to say, ‘Let’s Make America Great Again,’” he said. But, he asked, “Do you understand what made America great in the first place?” While Cruz wanted to be on offense, his campaign faced new questions about a website it created this week attacking Rubio’s record. The site features a photo of Rubio shaking hands with President Barack Obama. After Rubio’s team complained, Cruz’s campaign acknowledged that the photo was manufactured using a computer program. “Every picture in a political campaign is photoshopped,” Cruz spokesman Rick Tyler told FOX News when pressed to explain the tactic. Meanwhile, the lesser-known Kasich continued to highlight his compassionate side. In a television ad broadcast across the state, he spoke of his parents’ deaths at the hands of a drunk driver. “I was transformed. I discovered my purpose by discovering the Lord,” Kasich says in the ad. The day before, the Ohio governor hugged for several moments a teary supporter who opened up about his own personal struggles. Speaking to reporters Friday, Kasich recalled a New Hampshire woman who told him about her child’s fight for sobriety and another in South Carolina who talked about her medical problems. “For some reason people feel safe in telling me stuff,” Kasich said. “There’s a bigger message than about me. Forget me, it’s about all of us having to pay more attention to some other people.” The personal and religious appeals come in a state where religious conservatives typically play an outsized role. In South Carolina’s 2012 Republican primary election, two-thirds of the voters identified themselves as born-again or evangelical Christian. Republished with permission of the Associated Press.
Donald Trump draws bevy of Pensacola-area endorsements before rally
Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump‘s rally in Pensacola not only is expected to draw more than 10,000 participants Wednesday, it brought him six endorsements from area activists including the brother of “Morning Joe” co-host Joe Scarborough, his campaign announced Wednesday. The rally’s warm-up speakers represent endorsements from the likes of businessman George Scarborough; the Rev. Carl Gallups; Second Amendment activist Clover Lawson; and veterans Terry Busbee Sr., Gary O’Neal and Capt. Allen Brady, in addition to Kathryn ‘Kat’ Gates-Skipper the first female Marine in combat operations. She had announced her endorsement previously “It is my great honor to receive endorsements from each of these incredible people,” Trump said in a news release issued by his campaign. “Their support for my message and endorsement of my candidacy for President of the United States means so much to me, and with their help, and the help of so many great people in Florida and all over the country, we will make America great again!” George Scarborough, a Pensacola resident and brother of former congressman and MSNBC “Morning Joe” co-host Joe Scarborough, is the owner of Scarborough Consulting and regional director of The Studer Group. Joe Scarborough has often commented during his show about his brother’s support for Trump. Gallups is an author, radio and television talk show host and senior pastor of Hickory Hammock Baptist Church in Milton. Lawson is a founding partner of Lawson & Palmer LLC. The campaign described as one of the foremost women in the firearms industry, who represents world-class competitive shooters, as well as some of the best manufacturers in tactical gear. Brady served 32 years in the Navy including four years at the Naval Academy, and spent six years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam’s infamous “Hanoi Hilton” prison camp. Busbee served multiple tours in Vietnam before moving into politics. He is leaving the Democratic Party to endorse Trump for president because “he’s the smartest man for the job,” according to the campaign release. Retired Chief Warrant Officer Gary O’Neal was an Army Ranger and president of the Worldwide Army Rangers Association. A biography titled “American Warrior: The True Story of A Legendary Ranger” detailing O’Neal’s extraordinary service was released in 2013.
Abrasive Ted Cruz tries to use personality to his advantage
Ted Cruz‘s reputation as an arrogant, grating, in-your-face ideologue has dogged him throughout the Republican presidential race. But it hasn’t stopped the Texas senator’s rise. Cruz is increasingly embracing his irascible persona, trying to turn what could be a liability into an asset. “If you want someone to grab a beer with, I may not be that guy,” Cruz said at a Republican debate this fall when asked to describe his biggest weakness. “But if you want someone to drive you home, I will get the job done and I will get you home.” Cruz and his supporters relish his outsider status, highlighting his conflicts with fellow Republican senators. Not one has endorsed him for president. A group backing Cruz’s candidacy sent out a fundraising email plea in December with the subject line “Washington hates Ted Cruz.” Cruz frequently rails against the “Washington cartel,” which he argues is scared that conservatives are uniting behind him, and says he’s glad that “Washington elites” despise him. Cruz supporters, including some who turned up for a large rally at an evangelical church near Richmond, Virginia, in December, are embracing the abrasiveness that’s caused Cruz to clash with other Republicans. “They view him as a renegade in the GOP,” said Carter Cobb, 56 and retired from the Navy, from Mechanicsville, Virginia. “He doesn’t toe the party line. That’s what we’re trying to get away from.” To Cobb and others, Cruz is the only candidate willing to make anyone angry and stand up for what he believes in. “It makes me like him all the more. I’ve always liked people who were on the outside,” said Daniel Daehlin, 51, from Richfield, Minnesota. “Ronald Reagan never got along with the establishment. They hated him in 1976 and ’80. I like Mr. Smith Goes to Washington — someone who goes there, speaks his mind and doesn’t try to cater to the inside-the-Beltway crowd.” Myra Simons, a Cruz backer from Murfreesboro, Tennessee, agrees. “Are we going to elect someone just because you can’t sit across the table and have dinner with them?” Simons said. “Or are you going to stand with someone who stands with the Constitution and is serious about the trouble our country is in?” Cruz made his reputation in the Senate by refusing to compromise. He filibustered for 21 hours against President Barack Obama‘s health care law. The confrontational strategy he championed resulted in a 16-day partial government shutdown and alienated GOP leaders. But his reading of “Green Eggs and Ham” during that filibuster became a seminal moment for Cruz. He frequently refers to it, including in a recent television ad he ran in Iowa where he reads to his two daughters from reimagined holiday stories with a conservative bent such as “The Grinch Who Lost Her Emails.” While the ad was designed to be funny, Cruz is not known for his sense of humor. Foreign Policy magazine once described him as “the human equivalent of one of those flower-squirters that clowns wear on their lapels.” The national collegiate debating champion has shown his brusque side in the presidential debates, including the most recent one in Las Vegas when he refused to stop talking even as moderator Wolf Blitzer of CNN tried to shut him down. Craig Mazin, who was Cruz’s freshman roommate at Princeton, went so far as to tell the Daily Beast in a 2013 interview that he would be happier with anyone other than Cruz as president. “I would rather pick somebody from the phone book,” Mazin said. But Cruz has shown a lighter side that his campaign says demonstrates he’s not as unlikable as his reputation suggests. Cruz acted out scenes from “The Princess Bride” during a November interview at WMUR in New Hampshire, and that clip has been watched more than 250,000 times on YouTube. After rival Donald Trump referred to Cruz as “a little bit of a maniac,” the Cruz campaign tried to laugh it off by posting a video on Twitter of the song “Maniac” from the film “Flashdance.” Research shows that the importance of a candidates’ likability may be overrated anyway, said David Redlawsk, a Rutgers University expert in Iowa electoral politics who is spending the fall at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. “Voters are looking for a whole range of things,” Redlawsk said, “and likability is just one small part of that.” Republished with permission of the Associated Press.
Big spending expected for state legislative races in 2016
While the presidential campaign commands the public’s attention, political parties and financial contributors are quietly preparing for another less glitzy yet significant set of elections a year from now — battles to determine control of dozens of state legislative chambers. National Republican and Democratic groups have set record-high fundraising goals as they try to influence the outcome of 2016 state legislative races. Independent political committees appear likely to join the fray. With Congress frequently paralyzed by partisanship, legislative elections are gaining attention because states are the ones pushing change. In recent years, state legislatures have been addressing gun control, infrastructure, education standards, renewable energy, marijuana and transgender rights. The races also are critical to political parties because legislatures in most states are responsible for drawing the boundaries for congressional and state legislative districts. The party in charge can help ensure favorable districts — and thus potentially remain in power — for a decade to come. In the 2012 elections, for example, Democratic candidates for the U.S. House received about 1.4 million more votes than their Republican opponents, yet the GOP won a 33-seat majority in that chamber, partly because GOP-dominated state legislatures drew political maps to favor their party. While the next round of redistricting in 2021 may seem far away, it often takes several elections for parties to build a majority or chip away at one. That’s why some Democrats have described next year’s state legislative elections as vital if they are to begin reversing recent Republican gains. The GOP controls 69 of the nation’s 99 state legislative chambers, its most ever. “We are definitely looking at all of this in a multicycle way,” said Missouri Democratic Party Chairman Roy Temple. “That’s something that Democrats — not just in Missouri, but nationally — have not been particularly very good at historically.” The Democrats’ attempt to roll back GOP supermajorities in the Missouri Legislature is expected to be countered by heavy Republican spending, after both parties combined to spend more than $6 million on legislative races two years ago. Winning just a handful of seats, Temple said, can make a difference in the redistricting process and, ultimately, in enacting or blocking new laws. Nationally, the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee hopes to raise $20 million for the 2016 state legislative races, which would set a record for the group. An additional $20 million is expected to be spent by an affiliated super political action committee, Advantage 2020, which is focused on gaining Democratic state legislative majorities ahead of the next round of redistricting. The rival Republican State Leadership Committee has its own record fundraising goal of $40 million. The Republican and Democratic groups each are targeting more than two dozen state legislative chambers, including 19 listed as priorities by both parties. Republicans will be trying to flip Democratic-led House chambers in Colorado, Kentucky and Washington as well as Senate chambers in Iowa, Minnesota and New Mexico. Democrats will be trying to reverse Republican control of 13 chambers, including one-seat Senate margins in such states as Colorado, Nevada and Washington. In Illinois and Massachusetts, Republicans are hoping to cut into Democratic supermajorities that can override the vetoes of Republican governors. The Democrats’ Advantage 2020 PAC is hoping to chip away at Republican legislative majorities in a half-dozen states won at least once by President Barack Obama — Florida, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. The parties’ national efforts will be supplemented by state political parties and like-minded groups. Independent expenditures on state legislative races have been on the rise since the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2010 ruling in the Citizens United case, which allowed unions and corporations to spend unlimited amounts on political campaigns. From 2010 to 2012, the total amount of independent expenditures on state legislative races shot up 75 percent to $94 million, according to data compiled by the National Institute on Money in State Politics, a Helena, Montana-based nonprofit. It is still compiling nationwide figures for the 2014 elections. Outside interest groups already were spending big in this fall’s legislative races in New Jersey and Virginia, a potential sign of things to come. The Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund, backed by former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, spent at least $2.2 million to help two Democratic candidates in a battle for control of the closely divided Virginia state Senate. One candidate won while the other lost. The Republican State Leadership Committee also poured more than $1 million into the Virginia Senate races. All told, more than $43 million had been spent on Virginia state Senate races a week before the election, surpassing the high mark set four years earlier, according to the Virginia Public Access Project, which tracks campaign spending. The result was the status quo, with Republicans maintaining the same 21-19 majority they held before Tuesday’s elections. In New Jersey, outside groups spent at least $8.5 million on this year’s state Assembly elections. That was nearly five times what groups spent during the state’s last non-gubernatorial elections in 2011. Most of that money came from two Democratic-leaning groups, the General Majority PAC and Garden State Forward, a political arm of the New Jersey Education Association. Democrats gained several seats in Tuesday’s elections, achieving the party’s largest Assembly majority in almost four decades. Other groups already have been raising money with an eye on 2016. “You have what will be a highly contentious presidential election cycle,” said Matt Walter, president of the Republican State Leadership Committee. So the group set a record-high fundraising goal, he said, “to make sure we cut through the clutter and make sure that these state-level races get the attention that they deserve.”
