Written By: Christopher Busby
@cwbusbyhouston

Coming up on December 14th is the City of Houston municipal runoffs. On the ballot will be the Mayor’s race, several city council races, and several school board races. I will be focusing on the city council races which have gone to a runoff as well as the Mayor’s race. All races are technically non-partisan but I’m including their party affiliation for ease of the reader.

Mayor’s race: Democratic Mayor Sylvester Turner was narrowly forced into a runoff with wealthy Businessman and Trump clone Tony Buzbee. Buzbee spent election night giving an embarrassing election night speech where he was very obviously intoxicated. Buzbee is showing little evidence of consolidating the anti-Turner vote. Turner is likely to carry the runoff quite safely.

At-Large 1: The runoff will be between incumbent Republican Mike Knox and challenger Democrat Raj Salhotra. Salhotra is a young, Democratic, Asian-American challenger who has done a good job of consolidating Democratic support in the first round. However, the two other Democratic challengers from the first round have endorsed the incumbent, giving Knox a bit of life in his campaign when he was looking otherwise written off. Salhotra has both out organized and out fund-raised Knox and the runoff race leans in his favor though, the lead is likely, not prohibitive.

At-Large 2: Democratic incumbent David Robinson was carried into a runoff against Republican Willie Davis. Davis, who is African American hopes to put together a coalition of conservative Republicans and the city’s black population. Davis previously challenged Robinson 4 years ago and lost the runoff. The result is likely to be the same as last time as Robinson has not made any major missteps.

At-Large 3: Republican incumbent Michael Kubosh was narrowly carried into a runoff with Democratic challenger Janaeya Carmouche. Kubosh won 4 years ago with 60 percent of the vote and many were expecting a similar margin this time around. Carmouche has raised very little money but is starting to pick up more support in the runoff. This will be a close one which Kubosh is still favored, but Democrats can win if they consolidate behind Carmouche.

At-Large 4: This is an open seat race between Democrat Dr. Letitia Plummer and Republican Anthony Dolcefino. Dolcefino has a history of racist and alt-right affiliations and his family has a history of engaging in conspiracy theories around Mayor Turner and other local Democratic figures. Plummer should be favored in the runoff.

At-Large 5: This is an open seat race between Democrat Sallie Alcorn and Republican Eric Dick. Dick amounts to a perennial candidate who boasts that his only reason for running is to promote his law office. Alcorn is a long time city worker who has been involved in local politics for decades. She is very well funded and should easily win this race.

District A: This open seat went for a Republican vs. Republican runoff and will be between Amy Peck, chief of staff to the incumbent and George Zoes, community businessman. Peck got 45 percent in the first round and is favored to win. There is no substantive difference in ideology between the two.

District B: This open seat went for a Democrat vs. Democrat runoff and will be between Tarsha Jackson and Cynthia Bailey. While not ideologically divergent Bailey is noted for her served felony conviction which according to state law might disqualify her from serving in office. Jackson is favored but not prohibitively so.

District C: This open seat went for a Democrat vs. Democrat runoff and will be between attorney Abbie Kamin and activist Shelley Kennedy. Kamin finished a strong first place and should be favored for the runoff but many of the first-round losers have consolidated behind Kennedy giving her an outside chance of pulling off the victory.

District D: This open seat went for a Democrat vs. Democrat runoff and will be between NAACP member Carolyn Evans-Shabazz and rapper Brad “Scarface” Jordan. Shabazz should be favored but the idea of Council member Scarface has many local pundits highly amused.

District F: This open seat is between Democrat Tiffany Thomas and Republican Van Huynh. This district is overwhelmingly Democratic on the federal and state level but has a strong history of electing Vietnamese Republicans to the council. Thomas is likely to win but there is an outside chance that Huynh could pull off an upset.

District H: Incumbent Democrat Karla Cisneros has been forced into a runoff against Democrat Isabel Longoria. Cisneros has struggled with popularity over time for reasons I’ve never really understood why. There is no clear favorite to win the runoff and no serious ideological difference between the two candidates. I suspect that Longoria pulls off an upset.

District J: This open seat went for a Democrat vs. Democrat runoff between Edward Pollard and Sandra Rodriguez. This district was designed to be a Latino opportunity district but has never been represented by a Latino community member. Pollard, who is African American, is a self-described conservative Democrat while Rodriguez is more progressive. The two pulled an almost equal vote share in the first round so there is no clear favorite though I suspect Rodriguez pulls it off in the end.

Overview: With so many seats up there is a wide variety of outcomes. Currently, Republicans hold 7 of the city’s 16 city council seats including Districts A, E, F, G and At-Large 1,3, and 5. District F and At-Large 5 are likely to flip Democrat. At-Large 2, At-Large 4, and the Mayor’s race are the only defense local Democrats will be playing though they will probably hold all three. That only leaves At-Large 1 and 3 as the true battleground seats. Likely Democrats will pick up at least 2 but could pick up as many as 4 of the Republicans 7 seats putting them in a deep minority.

Written By: Tyler Yeargain
@Yeargain ‏

Fun fact: If we won every district won by Crist, Hillary, or Obama, we’d have a 66-54 majority in the State House. Part of that is due to Crist’s overperformance in Tampa Bay, but certainly not all of it.

I can imagine a scenario in which we win a bare-bones 61-59 majority. It’s not overwhelmingly likely, but if it were to happen, here's what it would look like.

As an initial matter, we hold all of our current seats, including the two Democrats in Trump seats - Good (72) and Lee (84) - and we win the May special election to keep 114. That puts us as 42 seats, meaning we’d need 19 gains.

So where do those gains come from?

• 4 SEATS were won by Crist, Hillary, and Obama: 47 (open), 63 (Harrison), 103 (open), and 120 (Raschein). Let’s say we win all 4 of these 4 seats. Raschein is the least likely of the four to lose, given that she’s a talented politician with a moderate profile in a district that trended against us in 2016...but those things may not be enough to save her in a wave. GAIN 47, 63, 103 and 120, putting us at 46 seats.
   

• 4 SEATS were won by Hillary: 21 (Clemons), 44 (Olszewski), 111 (Avila), 116 (Perez). Let's say we win 2 of those 4 seats, specifically HD-21 and HD-44. Alachua County, where HD-21 is located, is where we might expect a wave to be felt in Florida, and this district trended toward us from 2012-2016. Same is true of Orange County, where HD-44 is located. Olszewski was elected in a 2017 special election following a massive debacle surrounding our original nominee’s ineligibility. We have some strong candidates running there now. Avila and Perez are relatively untouchable. They both represent districts that Obama narrowly lost, that Crist lost in a landslide and that Hillary narrowly won. Perez was also elected to the House in a 2017 special election, the same day that Annette Taddeo won her Senate election, and he won handily. It’s possible that they could fall in a wave, but I wouldn't bank on it. GAIN 21 and 44, putting us at 48 seats.
   

• 2 SEATS were won by Crist and Hillary: 89 (open) and 115 (open). Let's say we win both. They’re both prime pickup opportunities, though 89 is likelier than 115 due to the strength of our recruits there. 89 is in Palm Beach, while 115 is in Miami-Dade. Both are the kinds of diverse, well-educated suburban districts where a backlash this year would be felt. GAIN 89 and 115, putting us at 50 seats. Isn't this exciting? We’ve broken 50 seats for the first time since 1998.
   

• 4 SEATS were won by Hillary and Obama: 30 (Cortes), 105 (open), 110 (Oliva), 119 (open). Let's say we win 2 of these 4 seats, specifically HD-30 and HD-105.
  
  HD-30 is located in Orange and Seminole Counties and was represented by Democrat Karen Castor Dentel from 2012-2014. Cortes narrowly won re-election in 2016 as Hillary was handily winning this suburban district. We don’t have a strong recruit lined up yet, but we will, and this is an area that'll be heavily targeted by our statewide campaigns.
  
  HD-105 is in Miami-Dade, and it's also the kind of district where you’d expect a backlash this year. Our candidates in Miami-Dade usually file really close to the deadline, so we don't have a candidate yet, but I’m not worried at the moment.
  
  HD-110 and HD-119 are likely untouchable. HD-110 is held by Jose Oliva, the Speaker-designate for the 2018-2020 term and it and HD-119 are slightly friendlier versions of HD-116, mentioned above: Obama narrowly won them, Crist lost them by a solid margin, and Hillary narrowly won them. I doubt they go anywhere unless the wave comes crashing down. GAIN 30 and 105, putting us at 52 seats.
   

• 3 SEATS were won by Obama: 27 (Santiago), 42 (La Rosa), 59 (open). Let’s say we win 2 of these 3 seats, specifically HD-42 and HD-59.
  
  HD-42 is based in Osceola County, which largely trended toward us in 2016. La Rosa represents a more conservative, rural part of the county, but he has a good challenger raising decent money, and this is the kind of place where—if Hispanic turnout is good—you’d expect a sizable backlash.
  
  HD-59 is based in suburban Hillsborough County. The incumbent, Ross Spano, is vacating it for a quixotic campaign for Attorney General. We don't yet have a nominee lined up, but this is a district known for close races up and down the ballot, so I’m not worried yet. This flipped from a 0.19% Obama win to a 0.40% Trump win, and it was a 1.94% Crist loss, so it’s a marginal seat you’d expect to fall in a wave.
  
  HD-27 is based in Volusia County and lurched to the right in 2016. We used to have down ballot strength in places like this, but it’s weakening. If Nancy Soderberg runs a good campaign in FL-06, you could perhaps expect a trickle-down effect. But as of now, we don’t have a strong candidate, so I don't think we’re winning here. GAIN 42 and 59, putting us at 54 seats.
   

• 3 SEATS were won by Obama and Crist: 36 (Mariano), 67 (Latvala), 69 (open). This is where the math gets tricky. All three seats trended against us in 2016, but they have residual Democratic strength. Assuming that 2016 was a fluke and that we can perform at Obama 2012-type levels in the kinds of places we lost in 2016 (and special election results seem to bear that out), let’s say we win all 3.
  
  HD-36 flipped from a 5% Obama win to a 20% Trump win. It's based in Pasco County and is represented by freshman Republican Amber Mariano, who’s 22 years old and narrowly unseated Amanda Murphy, who won here in a 2013 special and was easily reelected in 2014. Mariano has a good challenger running against her this year. It’s not unfathomable that this district would snapback. It’s a similar story in HD-67 and HD-69, both of which are in Pinellas. Both were narrow Obama wins, solid Crist wins, and narrow Hillary losses.
  
  HD-67 is represented by Chris Latvala, son of disgraced former Senator Jack Latvala. Though Chris had nothing to do with his father's actions, he might feel a backlash this year. He doesn’t have an opponent lined up yet, but I’d bet someone strong steps forward.
  
  HD-69 is represented by Kathleen Peters, perhaps best known to DKE readers as an unsuccessful Republican candidate in 2014’s FL-13 special election. She’s pretty moderate and is retiring to run for County Commission. We have two strong candidates who have stepped up, including our 2016 nominee, and winning here wouldn't be a surprise. GAIN 36, 67, and 69, putting us at 57 seats.
   

• 4 SEATS were won by Crist: 66 (open), 83 (open), 85 (Roth), 93 (open). Let’s say we win one of these four, specifically HD-93, represented by term-limited Republican George Moraitis.
  
  HD-93 is based in Broward County, and it’s the only Republican-held seat in the county. Moraitis has won a number of close races, which isn’t surprising, given the marginal nature of this seat: it was a 4.45% win for Romney, a 2.97% win for Crist, and a 1.11% win for Trump. That is to say, it swung toward us in 2016, and is the kind of place where we’d expect to do well this year. A number of strong Democratic candidates have stepped forward, but so has a strong Republican candidate. Still, in the end, I think we win here.
  
  The other HDs are probably out of reach. HD-83 is based in Martin and St. Lucie Counties, which swung against us in 2016. This was a narrow Obama loss, narrow Crist win, and more solid Trump win. If we were going to win another of these districts, it’d be this one. Incumbent Gayle Harrell, who’s represented this district for 16 (non-continuous) years, is term-limited. HD-66 is based in far north Pinellas County, and though it was a narrow Obama loss and a narrow Crist win, it’s not friendly to voting for Democrats down-ballot. If we do really well in SD-16, which has a similar geographic makeup and an almost identical trendline, we might do well here, too, but I wouldn’t bank on it. Finally, HD-85, represented by Republican Rick Roth, is based in northern Palm Beach County. It voted for Crist by the barest of margins—0.68%—but was more decisively lost by Hillary and Obama. We could see a wave crash on HD-85’s shores, but I wouldn’t count on it. GAIN 93, putting us at 58 seats.
   

• 6 SEATS were narrowly won by Romney, Scott, and Trump, but were either won by consistently narrow margins or are trending toward us: 15 (open), 28 (open), 29 (Plakon), 41 (Killebrew), 50 (Plasencia), 60 (Toledo). Let’s say we win three of these six seats, specifically HD-41, HD-50, and HD-60.
  
  HD-41 is based in Polk County and was narrowly lost by Crist, Hillary, and Obama, though Nelson won it in 2012, 55-42. Freshman Republican Sam Killebrew was only narrowly elected in 2016, beating his opponent 53-47. A strong candidate hasn't stepped forward yet, but Polk County is a place where changing demographics will eventually work in our favor. A win here is possible.
  
  HD-50 is based in Brevard and Orange Counties. The Brevard portions of the district trended toward Trump, while the Orange portions trended toward Hillary. Overall, the district swung from 53-46 Romney to 50-46 Trump. The Orange portions are parts of suburban Orlando and have seen massive population growth in the last few years. This is a place where the Hispanic population also continues to increase, especially as Puerto Ricans resettle in metro Orlando. Democrat Sean Ashby kept this district close in 2012, losing only 53-47 to the Republican incumbent. He wasn’t so lucky in 2016, though, losing to Rene Plasencia 57-43. With a strong candidate and a wave on our side, we can win here.
  
  Finally, HD-60 is located in Tampa. It’s represented by freshman Republican Jackie Toledo, who unsuccessfully ran for Tampa City Council in 2015. This is ordinarily a more conservative district, given the wealthy population that lives here, but it flipped from a 7.54% Romney win to only a 1.34% Trump win. We have a strong candidate running, and, to sound like a broken record, this is the kind of place where we'd expect to win this year.
  
  HD-15, based in Jacksonville, trended toward us in 2016 pretty sharply, and we have a strong candidate, but a 53-44 Trump district is still relatively out of reach. HD-28 and HD-29, based in Seminole County are reach targets, and they also trended toward us. HD-28 has a strong Democratic candidate, and HD-29 was represented by Democrat Mike Clelland from 2012-14, but they don’t seem like likely gains as of now. GAIN 41, 50, and 60, putting us at 61 seats.

We did it!

Again, this isn’t necessarily the likeliest outcome of this year’s elections. In fact, all things considered, I’d say that it’s quite unlikely to happen. Still, it's a viable, albeit narrow, path to a majority. While the Florida House is much less friendly than the Virginia House, I guess I’d say that no one thought that a majority in Virginia was possible, and we only fell short by 1 seat. Regardless of whether we win a majority or not, major, major gains are possible in all of the seats I mentioned here.

ACTION ITEMS:

Hold Opportunity!
Florida House of Representatives District 114 Special Election |
Democrat Javier Fernández - javierforflorida.com
Click Here to Donate to Javier Fernández
Click Here to Volunteer for Javier Fernández
*Election Date: May 1st, 2018

Flip Opportunity!
Florida House of Representatives District 39 Special Election |
Democrat Ricky Shirah - www.facebook.com/ElectRickyShirah
*Election Date: May 1st, 2018

Written by: James W. Newton
The candidate is married to a friend of mine, and I’d like to help her get to the finish line. I’m hoping you will, too, because she’s running against a Trump sycophant.

Erie County, in very-upstate western New York, has a population of close to a million people and includes the city of Buffalo and the surrounding region. It has a County Executive, currently a Democrat, and an eleven-person county legislature, each member of which is elected by district biennially. Right now, there’s a 6-5 split in the legislature favoring Republicans, and the elections are this coming Tuesday for all 11 seats.

While most of the races are non-competitive, one race, in particular, has the potential to flip the majority to the Democrats. And the Republicans, or the “Conservative Party” as they are known there, just went all Ed Gillespie-nasty on the challenger, Michelle Schoeneman.

"A County Legislature race? In up-up-state New York? I can't possibly have to care about that, can I?"

Yes. Yes, you can. And you should. First, about Michelle.

Michelle Schoeneman is a mother of two, a wife, a schoolteacher. Disgusted with the corrupt nature of her representative to Congress, Republican Chris Collins, who has been and is currently under investigation by the Office of Congressional Ethics and the House Ethics Committee, she started a grassroots group, Citizens Against Collins, before the 2016 elections. Then, after the elections, the group grew significantly.

Despite not being a political insider in the region, or directly involved in politics previously, her group, and she caught the eye of the local Democratic party. Well, to be honest, a couple roadside billboards for which she raised money, calling Collins to account, may have helped catch the party’s eye as well.

Before too long, she announced her candidacy for the Erie County District 10 legislative seat and hasn’t looked back since. You should watch her introductory video for yourself, but it’s safe to say she’s a natural, and she’s gotten up and running in an incredibly professional way in no time flat. She’s personally knocked on over 8,000 doors in a district of 80,000 people, and  she’s gotten endorsements from just about everybody:

• Erie County Democratic Party
• Erie County Working Families Party
• Women’s Equality Party
• WNY Area Labor Federation, AFL-CIO
• United Auto Workers
• Buffalo Building and Construction Trades Council
• International Union of Operating Engineers
• Women’s Tap Fund
• Painters and Allied Trades District Council #4
• Schoolhouse Democrats
• Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation Workers Local Union No. 71
• New York State Nurses Association
• Communications Workers of America
• International Union of Elevator Constructors Local 14
• Springville Faculty Association
• CSEA Local 815
• Stonewall Democrats of Western New York
• Teamsters Joint Council #46
• I.B.E.W Local #41
• Buffalo Teachers Federation
• Eleanor’s Legacy

Moreover, she has the full support of the current County Executive, Mark C. Poloncarz (D), who says she is the kind of “citizen legislator” needed in Erie County. 

Like everything in politics, however, there is another side to the story, in this case in the form of her opponent, Joseph Lorigo. Lorigo is an attorney who is the majority leader in the legislature, a political insider, and he and his family are Trump sycophants.

In January 2014, for example, Lorigo’s daddy, Ralph C. Lorigo, the long-running chairman of the Erie County Conservative Party, and a group of political operatives met with Trump at Trump Tower and tried to convince him to run for Governor of New York. Trump demurred, obviously, but his nastiness rubbed off.

In terms of the present campaign, Lorigo, a two-time incumbent, has said, without substantiation but certainly with arrogance, “that Schoeneman's campaign from "day one" has been a personal attack on him, while he has talked about his accomplishments” because his record is “so strong.” Sadly, this assertion defies all credulity. 

On the one hand, he asserts that he is a small government, low tax conservative, but patronage appointments and cronyism seem to be part of his staffing modus operandi. Moreover, he and his daddy’s hand-picked supervisor at the town level, in West Seneca, have proposed a 12% local tax hike on top of other recent tax increases. I mean, the salaries for all those crony jobs in their “small government” aren’t going to pay themselves, right? When a community meeting was held with the West Seneca Town Supervisor, to talk about the tax hike, Lorigo was, by some accounts, spotted at Target doing a little shopping instead of facing his constituents. Coward.

On the other hand — and this is just delicious in its hypocrisy, the pièce de résistance if you will  — after so boldly whining claiming that Schoeneman was making personal attacks against him, he and his gang recently sent out this mailer:

So who’s the one making personal attacks? Good grief. And then the schmuck followed this up with robocalls throughout the district filled with outright lies about Michelle’s position on the opioid crisis in the region. Just flat-out lies. In short, this guy and his daddy are nothing but county-level mini-mes of Trump. 

Snark aside, however, what her opponent’s actions show is that she has them scared, or they wouldn’t be pulling this kind of crap. The election is this Tuesday. Michelle has done an amazing job making it a race. She’s met all the fundraising goals the local party asked of her. She’s gotten the endorsements. She’s personally knocked on more doors than any of us will ever knock on in our lives. Can you help to make sure her get-out-of-the-vote efforts next week are everything they need to be. $1? $3? More? Please? In any case, thank you for listening. And remember. Every. Election. Matters.

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Written By: Michael Straw
Edited By: Annie Phan

This year, Democratic parties across the country grow and rebuild after Republican shellacking in 2010, 2014, 2016. Yet in Georgia, Democrats have yet to score a victory in recent special elections following defeat in Georgia’s 6th Congressional District and a loss in State Senate District 22. However, all is not lost for Georgia Democrats as there are not one, not two, but three special elections on November 7th where GA Democrats could pick up seats in the State Senate and the State House of Representatives.

Democrats field Deborah Gonzalez in the special election for Georgia House of Representative District 117, an open Republican-held seat in Athens, GA. Gonzalez, an attorney who has practiced for 19 years, created a DG4GA platform that includes support for a living wage, anti-discrimination reform, net neutrality support, women’s reproductive rights, and a change to partisan gerrymandering along with healthcare and education reforms.

In an exclusive interview with Deborah Gonzalez, Ready2Vote got to know the candidate.

Ready2Vote: What got you into this race?

Deborah Gonzalez: There were a number of reasons for why I got into this race at this time. First, was the recognition that a number of rights I and many around me were taking for granted could be lost if not fought for – examples include healthcare, women’s reproductive rights, protection for children, etc.  Second, was the personal reflection that those rights were in jeopardy because of voices like mine – minority and female – were not in positions of power to make sure all people in the district were being represented in the Capitol Dome.  Last, was the acceptance of the duty my father, a military veteran, has instilled in me – when there is something to be done and you are the only one who can do it, you have the responsibility to do so.

R2V: What are the main three issues you see facing the district and how will you tackle them in the state legislature?

Gonzalez: Three important challenges facing people in my district are making sure people have healthcare at affordable rates, making sure our children are safe (for me that includes ensuring quality public education and resources to help students against cyber-bullying, etc.) and making sure there are new pathways to prosperity for all District 117 residents.  My proposal on health care is to push for expansion of Medicaid on the state level and support Medicare for All on the federal level.  Keeping our children safe can be accomplished with providing resources to schools (and not cutting funding from the state budget every year for it) and to families.  Access to prosperity means to look beyond the standard definition of economic development (just manufacturing jobs) to a definition that is broad enough to include innovations in technology, renewable energy, agribusiness, and the entertainment industries.

R2V: How are you reaching out to the community during this campaign?

Gonzalez: I love being with the people of District 117.  Whether it is a community forum, canvassing and knocking on their doors, sharing a bite at a festival, interacting on social media, or speaking to them on the phone, listening and learning their stories keep me going.  From these interactions, I’ve learned a few things: 1. Everyone has a story and most stories contain some struggle or heartbreak, 2. No one story invalidates another, but in truth, all these stories together make us stronger. 3.  We have so much more in common than what sets us apart.  Part of our commonality is the desire to protect our children, provide for our families, and help each other succeed – by making sure we are healthy, have quality education, and access to livable paying jobs and opportunity.  We are neighbors, colleagues, friends, and family.  We are in this together and together we make this is a great District to live, work and play in.

The GOP’s candidate, Houston Gaines consults at Lighthouse Counsel, an Athens-based company that partners with nonprofits.

This district is particularly interesting. HD-117 consists of four counties - Clark, Barrow, Jackson, and Oconee counties. In 2016, Donald Trump won the district 49.44% to 46.06%, however, he did not carry Clark County, the population anchor of the district. If Gonzalez wins, she will need to outperform Hillary Clinton in Clark County or keep her performance on par with the 2016 Clark County margin. Additionally, Gonzales would need to carry a higher percentage in Oconee, Jackson, and Barrow counties as seen below.

Data from DailyKos

In order to win a seat such as this, we need to galvanize support from Democrats across the country. If states such as Georgia are going to be open to voting for Democrats, then funds and support must go to races such as these in order to help gain Democratic influence. Let’s help Deborah Gonzalez succeed in this battle to take another Trump seat away from the GOP! Donate $5 to her campaign today!

Donate to Deborah Gonzalez HERE
Volunteer for Deborah Gonzalez HERE
Check out her Campaign Page HERE
Like her Facebook Page HERE
Follower her on Twitter HERE

Comment on the race below!

Written By: Michael Straw
Edited By: Annie Phan

On Oct. 3rd we have an excellent shot at winning Albuquerque, New Mexico’s mayoral seat with Democratic State Auditor Tim Keller. Prior to his election to State Auditor in 2014, Keller served as State Senator from 2009-2015. Many believe that Keller will be one of two candidates to advance to a nonpartisan runoff election on Nov. 7th. The question is who will be Keller’s opponent. We could see a Democratic or a Republican opponent this year. If Keller faces a Democrat, team blue will already have a pickup secured.

The Democratic Party held this seat for nine years until Republican Richard Berry won in 2009. However, Mayor Berry will not seek re-election in 2017, creating the first Albuquerque mayoral election without an incumbent in 20 years.

On the Republican side, there are two prime candidates in the race for mayor - City Councilor Dan Lewis and County Commissioner Wayne Johnson. Lewis has been a city councilor for as long as Richard Berry was elected mayor in 2009. Lewis could be Keller’s most favorable opponent due Legacy Church Pastor Steve Smothermon’s endorsement of Lewis. Smothermon stated, “I wholeheartedly support Dan Lewis for mayor. He's the one true believer in the race, and would never in anyway support the homosexual agenda," alienating many voters in Albuquerque's electorate. The other conceivable Republican, Wayne Johnson, who serves as a county commissioner since 2011 in district 5. Johnson seems to be the establishment Republican of the race, however, he faces ethical complaints that he took money from associates that do business with the county.

Brian Colón, a former Chairman of the New Mexico Democratic Party, is the other main Democratic candidate in the race. If Colón and Keller advance into a runoff, the Democratic Party would automatically pick up the seat. However, if Colon advances into the runoff as the sole Democratic nominee, he may be more likely to lose as a result of the baggage he brings with his law firm’s activities in defending police officers that are involved in shootings. Consequently, the chairman of the Hispano Round Table of New Mexico stated he will not support Colón over these activities. A recent survey predicts a runoff election: 25% of respondents support Keller, 14% for Colon, and 13% for Lewis.

Keller, as mentioned above, currently serves as State Auditor of New Mexico. Despite the GOP mini-wave of 2014, most of New Mexico’s row-offices remained Democratic, including Keller’s win for the State Auditor position.

If Keller wins the mayoral race, he would resign from his office, meaning Republican Governor Susana Martinez would have a chance to put a Republican in the position. However, considering how elections are going in 2017, New Mexico Democratic Party should have confidence in retaking the Auditor’s office next year if need be. Keller centers his campaign on revitalizing Albuquerque's economy, stopping crime, and rejecting BIG MONEY in politics.

In the 2016 Presidential election, Bernalillo County (which includes the City of Albuquerque) voted for Hillary Clinton by a 52.2%-34.5% with former Governor Gary Johnson taking 10.8%. In 2012, the county voted 55.6%-39.4%-4.5% for Barack Obama. In between these two presidential elections, Mayor Richard Berry won his second term 67.9%-28.7%, evidence of Republican voter devotion in off-year elections. Thus, the Democratic Party needs to rally its base during this off-year election.

Let’s win this mayoral election and lock the GOP out of the largest city in New Mexico. SHARE this post with your friends in New Mexico and remind them to VOTE EARLY, VOTE ABSENTEE, or VOTE IN PERSON! Democrat Tim Keller is our best shot at taking the Albuquerque's mayoral mansion from the GOP!

Follow Tim Keller on Twitter HERE
LIKE Tim Keller’s Facebook Page HERE
Learn more about Tim Keller’s Campaign HERE

Written By: Michael Straw
Edited By: Josh Broder

Democrats across America should be rejoicing after a string of major special election victories tonight in New Hampshire, Oklahoma, and a runoff advancement in Mississippi. In New Hampshire, Democrat Charlie St. Clair defeated Republican Steven Whalley 1,267-1009, 56%-44%, in Belknap 9 State House district. In 2016 this district went for President Trump by a 55.61% - 39.17% margin. Making it a huge victory for New Hampshire Democrats as they gained another seat in the State House of Representatives after an earlier pickup in 2017 in the Carroll 6 District State House seat.

Democrat Jacob Rosecrants in Oklahoma House of Representative District 46 special election stunned Oklahoma’s dominate Republican Party with a 3rd special election defeat. Rosecrants won 3,176 - 2,081, 60.4% - 39.6%, this is a complete reversal of his 2014 loss. Rosecrants did this despite the fact that President Trump won this Norman based seat 51.65% - 41.33% last November. The Oklahoma House of Representatives is almost back to its pre-2016 composition with Democrats now controlling 28 seats to the Republicans 73. With this major win, Democrats in Oklahoma will now have won six out of the last seven state special elections since 2015, including two in July of this year. The Republicans will now need Democratic votes during the special session to raise taxes, bringing the Democratic party to the bargaining table.

Finally, in Mississippi’s 102nd State House seat, Kathryn Rehner advanced into a runoff election after competing with three other GOP challengers for a spot. President Trump barely won this seat in 2016, by less than a percentage point, making it a ripe target that the DLCC couldn’t refuse. If Kathryn Rehner wins this seat in the ensuing runoff election the Mississippi Republican Party will LOSE their supermajority in the State House of Representatives.

These victories may be huge for the Democratic Party in rebuilding our presence in state-level politics and in rural America we cannot lose sight of other elections to come. Currently, on Sept. 26th there are four special elections up for grabs, one will be in Florida’s 40th State Senate District, this is a seat that Hillary Clinton won by a large margin, 57.64% - 39.78%, yet the Florida GOP managed to capture the seat. We need to help our Democratic candidate Annette Taddeo and continue our momentum from tonight’s wins. Celebrate this momentous victory for the Democratic Party by sending Annette Taddeo $5 and help her pick up Florida Senate Seat 40!

Flip Opportunity!
Florida State Senate District 40 Special Election |
Democrat Annette Taddeo - www.annettetaddeo.com
Click Here to Donate to Annette Taddeo
*Election Date: September 26th 2017

Flip Opportunity!
Florida House of Representatives District 116 Special Election
Democrat Gabriela Mayaudon - gabrielamayaudon.com
*Election Date: September 26th, 2017

Flip Opportunity!
New Hampshire House of Representatives District Rockingham 4 Special Election |
Democrat Kari Lerner - karilernerfornh.com
Click Here to Donate to Kari Lerner
*Election Date: September 26th 2017

Hold Opportunity!
South Carolina House of Representatives District 31 Special Election |
Democrat Rosalyn Henderson Myers - votehendersonmyers.com
*Election Date: September 26th, 2017

Written by: Michael Straw
Edited by: Annie Phan

Oklahoma Democrats have the wind at their back. Last month, they won Oklahoma's 44th State Senate seat and Oklahoma’s 75th State House seat with decisive margins. Both Democrat victors, Senator-Elect Brooks-Jimenez and Representative-elect Gaddis centered their platforms on Oklahoma’s growing education crisis.

Continuing with the platform theme, Democrats rally behind Jacob Rosecrants, an educator and contender for House District 46.

A native Oklahoman, Rosecrants currently teaches at Roosevelt Middle school and has spent the past years advocating for better public education. Rosecrants faces Republican Darin Chambers, a former naval officer, and entrepreneur.

There are stark differences between the candidates. While Rosecrants has four main platform points - education reform, new strategies to address Oklahoma’s budget shortfall, criminal justice reform, and fighting ALEC/corporate influence over Oklahoma’s state legislature. On the other side, Chambers’ platform has three points that literally mean NOTHING, calling for vague entreaties like “responsible leadership,” “right motivations,” and “reasonable actions,” without addressing a single issue facing Oklahoma at this present time.

When Ready2Vote reached out to Rosecrants’ campaign, a spokesperson expressed Rosecrants’ motivation for running in this special election:

“Jacob is running because he’s tired of being a teacher that gets ignored. Legislators don’t really care about what’s going on in our schools and the proof is all over. They make cuts to lunch and after school programs and at times it feels like they’d just rather everyone go away.”

Rosecrants and Chambers are running to represent Oklahoma’s 46th State House district. The district is open since former State Rep. Scott Martin (R) resigned to head up Norman’s Chamber of Commerce. For once, a seat in Oklahoma isn’t open due to sexual harassment or illegal activities with minors.

Last year, the district voted for President Trump (R) 51.65% to Hillary Clinton’s (D) 41.33%. This is a significant downward shift for Republicans since 2012 when Mitt Romney (R) won the seat 59.73% to President Obama’s 40.27%. Compared to Oklahoma’s 75th State House district, a seat picked up by Democrats last month and went 58-36 for Trump, the shift in HD-46 bodes well for Rosecrants.

Jacob Rosecrants is the perfect candidate to fight for the educational needs of all Oklahomans. Democrats CAN win this special election on September 12th. Send him $5 to help continue the Democratic momentum in Oklahoma and help Team Blue retake the Plains!

Learn More about Jacob Rosecrants HERE
Follow Jacob Rosecrants on FACEBOOK
Follow Jacob Rosecrants on TWITTER
DONATE to Jacob Rosecrants!

Written by: Rylie C. Cooper
Edited by: Josh Broder

Lancaster, Pennsylvania is known for its rolling fields and farmers markets. It’s also known for being just another one of the Republican controlled rural areas of Pennsylvania. Lancaster happens to be a part of the extremely gerrymandered PA-16 Congressional district; a district that notoriously went for Trump in the 2016 presidential election 51.03% - 44.22%. This Congressional district has been under Republican congressional control since 1945. 

In 2016, current Republican Representative Lloyd Smucker faced off against rising Democratic star Christina M. Hartman. As one of the most watched congressional races in 2016, Hartman almost flipped PA-16 blue with 43% of the vote to Smucker’s 54%. 

This notably R+5 district is going to be up for grabs again in the upcoming 2018 midterm election cycle. Among those who have announced that they are vying for the Democratic nomination are Charles Klein, pharmacist and former democratic candidate for a PA house seat, John George, a Warwick Superintendent, Jess King, who runs Lancaster area nonprofit Assets, and Christina Hartman, the 2016 Democratic nominee who almost defeated Smucker. 

With U.S. politics leaving many disillusioned, PA-16 is primed for a change. Who is going to bring that change and defeat Lloyd Smucker in November 2018? 

Democrat Christina M. Hartman. 

Lancaster native, she has already pulled key Democratic endorsements, including current Lancaster city Mayor Rick Gray, multiple Lancaster city council members, state Rep. Mike Sturla, and county Commissioner Craig Lehman, along with many others. Although off to a great start, Hartman is going to have to watch out for fellow Democrat John George. With a lengthy resume including the Lancaster County Children & Adolescent Service Systems Policy Committee, Right to Education Task Force, and Association of Education Service Agencies, along with many other education policy related boards, George seems to have a recognizable reputation in PA-16. 

While George has an impressive background in education, Hartman’s background in international affairs and community advocacy certainly is an important asset that voters will find reassuring. With the surge to the left in a majority of the 2017 special elections, it is clear Rep. Smucker is in for the fight of his political life. And Christina Hartman is ready to turn PA-16 blue.

Learn More about Christina Hartman HERE
Follow Christina Hartman FACEBOOK
Follow Christina Hartman on TWITTER

Written by: Doug Tuttle

Past Tuesday’s [7/25/2017] election results in New Hampshire’s 16th senate district are not only a signal of where Democrats are nationally but also offer a look into Manchester municipal elections.  Come November, our 2015 nominee Joyce Craig will take on Incumbent Mayor Ted Gatsas.  So far, five of Manchester’s 12 wards have had special elections and with this data, we can get an idea of where the vote is shifting.

Of the five wards which have voted, 1, 2, 8, 9 and 12, all but one has shown an improvement over 2016.  Wards 1, 2 and 12 are the most recent, as they voted in Tuesday’s District 16 special election.   Democrat Kevin Cavanaugh improved over Hillary Clinton by an average of 8 points in these wards. This may seem like a lot, but it's smaller than the 11 point victory in the district as a whole. 

This is notable due to the fact that Ward One of Manchester is the ward that Cavanaugh has represented as an Alderman since 2015.  If there was any area where he could have improved over his district total, his home ward is the obvious choice, but apparently not.  It may be that these wards are essentially maxed out in their Democratic support, at least until the Republicans lose motivation.  Given how Democratic the Manchester wards were, this seems likely.  Wards 1, 2 and 12 went from a 14, 10, 5 margin of victory for Hillary, to 25, 27, 14 for Cavanaugh, respectively.  

The remaining two wards, 8 and 9, voted in the Hillsborough 44 special election for the State House back on May 23rd, 2017.  This was one of the few special elections nationally where the Democrat did worse than Hillary and it shows in Ward 8.  This is the ward where we slipped, going from 43% of the vote in 2016 to 40% in 2017.  Worse still, because the special election was a 2 person race, the margin went from losing by 10 to losing by 20.  Yet in Ward 9, which voted on the same day, went from 49% of the vote in 2016 to 60% in 2017 and the margin of victory increased from 3 to 20.  Turnout between the two wards was also similar with Ward 8 at around 10% and Ward 9 at 8%.  Whatever caused our problems in Ward 8 is unique to that ward.

After going through district data from statisicalatlas.com, working with 4 variables, median household income, percent with a college degree or higher, unemployment and percentage of white people, no single variable showed any kind of correlation.  In Ward 8, Household income was in the median of the examined wards at 67K per year, its educational attainment was on the low side at 36% with college or higher, but Ward 9 had 33% and Ward 12 had 38% without a similar drop in Democratic support.  Unemployment was high at 5.7, but nowhere near as bad as Ward 9’s 7.5%. Finally, the only variable where Ward 8 really stood out was its share of white people, at 93% of the total population. Still, this was at most, 10% points higher than the ward with the smallest percentage of white people, Ward 9 at 83%.    

The answer may lie in the combined variables, specifically, race, unemployment and educational attainment.  Of all the wards, Ward 8 is the only one with high unemployment, low educational attainment and with very few nonwhite voters. This is a district comprised almost entirely of the “White Working Class” so concerned with “economic anxiety” and according to the numbers they haven’t budged from Trump and the Republicans yet.  In fact, we’ve been losing them since 2012, going from 48% of the vote to 42% in 2013’s mayoral election, 44% in 2015, 43% in 2016 and finally 40% in 2017.   We’ll have more data come November as there is also a special election in that ward for State House in Hillsborough 15.  If Democrats improve or even win the district, it may suggest that the issue was turn-out or that the Republicans are finally losing motivation, if trends hold, then this ward may be out of reach.

While that may be concerning overall, in terms of Manchester politics, everything else is looking good for Democrats.  Ward 1 has seen a massive upswing, going from 51% Democratic in 2012 to 62% in 2017.  This district also has the highest income, $89K and highest educational attainment, 61% with college degrees or higher.  This is the kind of wealthy, educated, district that Democrats have been improving upon since 2012 and really swung our way in 2016 and these numbers suggest it isn’t a fluke.  It’s especially important given how it tends to have some of the highest turn-outs in the city.  

The improvements over the 2016 numbers are crucial for this November’s mayoral election.  The difference between the Democrats vote percentage in 2015’s mayoral election and the 2016 General Election was only about 1-5% (the 5% was Ward 12, which was an outlier).  When Hillary Clinton improved over Joyce Craig’s performance by about 3% she turned Craig's 64 vote loss in the city, into a win.  If Craig can match or even come close to the numbers we’ve seen thus far in 2017, she should win the mayoralty solidly.

We encourage you to DONATE to Joyce Craig's campaign and help clinch a much-needed win for Democrats.

Follow Joyce Craig on Twitter
Learn more about Joyce Craig HERE
Volunteer for Joyce Craig HERE
Donate to Joyce Craig HERE 

Written by: Michael Straw
Edited by: Annie Phan

On the heels of winning four seats in July, Democrats are poised to seize more seats as we enter August and the second half of the year.

A Look Back at July: Four Special Elections Sweeps

Our first victories sprouted in Oklahoma with a one-two combo: Michael Brooks-Jimenez winning Oklahoma Senate seat 44 and Karen Gaddis winning Oklahoma House seat 75 on July 11th. With these wins, Oklahoma Democrats and Democrats nationally started to see momentum.

Then, on the following week on July 18th, Democrat Kris Schultz won the New Hampshire 18th State House seat in Merrimack by a landslide, clocking her GOP opponent 78%-22%.

Just before the end of this month, Kevin Cavanaugh defeated former Republican State Senator David Boutin (R) 55%-44%, once again validated the party’s increasing voter enthusiasm. To put Cavanaugh’s win in perspective, Hillary Clinton previously won the district by only 100 votes.

July has been an amazing month. As we look at the month ahead, Democrats are poised to pick up more seats from the GOP.

Important Events in August

Mark your calendars for August 8 - this is a big day for Democrats with three special elections - two flip opportunities and one hold opportunity.

Flips: Democrats Michela Skelton runs for Missouri’s 50th State House seat and Al Schalicky runs for Missouri’s 28th State Senate. Currently, the Missouri State House is controlled by the Republicans 115-45 with 3 vacancies. While the State Senate is also controlled by Republicans 24-9 with 1 vacancy.

Hold: Phil Miller runs for Iowa’s 82nd State House seat. This Iowa special election is a major HOLD opportunity - Democrats have a fight on their hands to main control of this seat in a red district. President Trump won this district 58%-37% last year.

On August 22nd, four candidates contend for Rhode Island State Senate District 13 special election. Our candidate, Democrat Dawn Euer faces Republican Michael Smith, Green Party candidate Gregory Larson, and Independent candidate Kimberly Ripoli.

Additionally, special election primaries and mayoral elections in Mobile & Birmingham Alabama, Oklahoma, New Hampshire, and Michigan are scheduled throughout the month.

Lastly, a major school board election in Fairfax County, VA on August 29th, rounds out the month ahead. Democrat Karen Keys-Gamarra competes for another school board seat in hopes of further isolating Republicans in this once Red/Purple state.

Democrats nationwide are energized as seen by the recent wins in New Hampshire and Oklahoma. Join us in building momentum for the Democrat party! Ready2Vote will be there reporting and supporting our candidates along the way throughout the month!

Written by: Michael Straw
Edited by: Annie Phan

In the upcoming August 8th special election for the Missouri House of Representatives District 50 seat, Democrat Michela Skelton leads the charge in hopes of ending a Republican stronghold. 

Skelton holds a law degree from Washington University in St. Louis and conducted nonpartisan research analysis for the Missouri State Senate. As a candidate, Skelton has received high endorsements across the Democratic party, from State Auditor Nicole Galloway to former SOS Jason Kander. 

The seat opened after Republican State Representative Caleb Jones left to join Gov. Eric Greitens’ office as deputy chief of staff. The region is traditionally Republican and District 50 hasn’t had a Democratic candidate run for the seat since it was formerly the 117th district in 2006 and a Democrat hasn’t cracked 40% of the vote since 1996. To date, the GOP holds an 115 to 45 lead in the Missouri State House of Representatives with three vacancies. Skelton faces Republican candidate Sara Walsh, a committeewoman from Boone County.

However, Skelton is poised to deliver an upset on Election Day. Read on to learn more from Ready2Vote’s interview with candidate Skelton.

Ready2Vote: Why are you running?

Michela Skelton: I’m running because I got mad at our state government. I used to work for the Missouri Senate in the nonpartisan research office and I had to watch up close our future getting auctioned off to the highest bidder, a future that rightly belongs to our communities and our children. I have two small kids, age 2 and 4, and it made me worried what kind of life would be left for them and all of the other young people if things kept going the same way and I didn’t stand up and do something.

R2V: What problems do you want to tackle when you get to the state legislature?

MS: I want to ensure that the minimum wage is a living wage and find ways to expand access to healthcare in Missouri. I want to ensure that our state is investing in the education of our children and the much-needed infrastructure in our communities. Finally, I want to ensure that our state is making corporations pay their fair share of the costs of operating in our state and stop giving out special interest tax credits.

Recent financial reports reveal Skelton's sizable lead over Walsh in this special election, a big indicator that there could be an upset brewing.

AMENDED April Quarterly Report - 2017
Ending Money On Hand:
Michela Skelton (D) - $27,935.88

April Quarterly Report - 2017
Ending Money On Hand:
Sara Walsh (R) - $18,661.87

R2V: What do you think has helped you beat out your Republican opponent in fundraising?

MS: People are just really ready for something different and for someone to stand up and acknowledge that our system of government is broken. The national level political environment has also woken up a lot of people to the fact that if they want something different they are going to have to put in some of the work. I’m proud to be a part of the giant group of dedicated volunteers helping me with my campaign.

Skelton’s fundraising numbers and influential endorsements fuel a high-powered campaign. Meanwhile, Walsh has drawn backlash for her lack of communication with potential constituents by “...blocking all new followers to her Twitter account (@saraformissouri). The majority of these new followers were curious to hear why [she] sought to represent them in the State Legislature.” 

On June 20th, 2017 the Missouri House passed anti-abortion legislation that “...tighten state abortion regulations, ... and give the state attorney general new authority to prosecute violations of abortion laws.” Bills like these are the reason we need to elect Democrats like Michela Skelton to the State Legislative. 

Democrat Michela Skelton has earned Ready2Vote's endorsement and we encourage you to DONATE to her campaign and help clinch a much-needed win for Democrats.

Follow Michela Skelton on Twitter
Learn more about Michela Skelton HERE
Donate to Michela Skelton HERE 

Written by: Michael Straw
Edited by: Annie Phan

New Hampshire state Senate District 16 is a fiercely contended territory; last year, Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton won the district by a mere 100 votes and meanwhile at the state Senate level, Democrat Sen. Scott McGilvray won the seat by 615 votes. Following McGilvrav’s death on March 21st, 2017, the seat has once again opened with a special election on July 25th.

This race has three candidates - the Republican nominee is former state Senator David Boutin, the senator that held the seat from 2010-2016. The Democrats nominated Kevin Cavanaugh after a June 6th primary where he defeated fellow Democrat Jim Normand. Finally, a wildcard, Libertarian Jason Dubrow threw his hat in the ring, further complicating the electoral outcome for both major parties.

The spotlight is on Kevin Cavanaugh, who currently holds a Manchester Alderman (city-council-like) position. Cavanaugh’s priorities include curbing the opioid crisis, expanding voting rights, and increasing environmental protections. A spokesperson for Cavanaugh’s campaign told Ready2Vote that Cavanaugh fights to bring a “blue-collar perspective to the state Senate.” He is endorsed by New Hampshire Senator Jeanne Shaheen and seven labor unions. 

Opponent former state Senator David Boutin (R) was known as a moderate Republican during his state Senate tenure. State Republicans already expressed concerns over the lack of support for Boutin from prominent conservative organizations, such as American’s for Prosperity and "right-to-life, right-to-work and pro-Second Amendment groups". However, Boutin is making up for the losses with the backing of the local SEIU chapter.

The stakes could not be higher for Democrats and Republicans in the state. Republicans currently control the State Senate by a 14-9 margin with the one seat vacant. If the Republicans gain the seat, they would halt momentum from last month’s upset win by Democrat Edie DesMarais. They would also increase their majority to 15-9, making the Democrats’ job of retaking the state legislature even more difficult. On the other hand, if Democrats retain the seat, we gain steam going into the next series of state House special elections. In such a tight jostle for the state Senate seat, any and all contributions to Cavanaugh’s campaign could make a key difference between winning and losing.

If you can, DONATE to Kevin Cavanaugh and help NH Democrats retain this seat.
To get involved with Kevin Cavanaugh’s campaign click HERE. 

Prior to the July 25th special election for New Hampshire state Senate District 16, New Hampshire’s Merrimack-18 state House district will have a special election on July 18th to select its newest representative. The seat opened after Democratic State Representative Andrew deTreville resigned to pursue a new career. The Republican candidate for this seat is their 2016 nominee, Michael Feeley. In the 2016 election, State Rep deTreville dispatched Feeley 957 – 761 (56%-44%). However, in a lower turnout situation, if the GOP can rally a majority of that 761 base, anything could happen.

Democratic nominee, Kris Schultz, competed in a primary on May 30th to win the Democratic nomination -  she defeated Marc Lacroix 119-68 (64%-36%). Schultz is a consultant who has advised many organizations and campaigns. As of June 7th, Schultz has raised $5,930 with  $1,663.40 cash on hand Feeley’s fundraised $1,538.87, with $0 cash on hand. The district voted for Hillary Clinton by a 59% - 37% margin (1,136 – 721). With the numbers in this district favoring Democrats and Schultz’s primary win, we can say that she is favored but not out of the woods in this election.

If you can, DONATE to Kris Schultz and help NH Democrats retain this seat.
To get involved with Kris Schultz’s campaign click HERE.

Written by: Cornell L. Martin
Edited by: Annie Phan 

It's A Scandal! It's An Outrage!
If you haven’t tuned into the news in Oklahoma, you may be surprised by the string of unforeseen political events, the majority of which are obscene scandals. These unrelated matters have prompted 6 special elections this year in the state.

We wrote about the sex scandal that re-opened Oklahoma’s HD-75 seat. Later, an arguably more nefarious disgrace opened another seat - the state Senate seat for District 44. Ralph Shortey, a Republican and former Incumbent state Senator for District 44, was charged in March 2017 with three felonies, which included engaging in child prostitution. He was caught secretly meeting with and soliciting sex from a seventeen-year-old boy while smoking weed. Shortey subsequently resigned. Ironically, he voted for numerous anti-LGBTQ bills and tried to undo the voter-supported loosening of restrictions on state drug laws by sponsoring a bill that would increase the punishment for possession. 

Fighting for Oklahomans in District 44
The resolute Michael Brooks-Jimenez, an Oklahoma native, and immigration lawyer returns to contend for District 44 state Senate seat following his loss to former state Senator Ralph Shortey (R) three years ago. MBJ faces Republican Joe Griffin in the July 11th special election.

What does MBJ care about? He’s a collaborator. He wants to work across the aisle in support of stronger policies that will provide Oklahomans with a living wage, more resources for education and infrastructure initiatives, and support for economic growth through improved relationships with companies providing well-paying, skilled jobs. MBJ stated during his 2014 campaign, “[t]he No. 1 issue for people is education,” and that, “people are frustrated by a lack of consistent education policy. They want adequate funding.” MBJ believes “... restoring trust starts with paying our teachers a living wage, improving our schools, and creating high-paying jobs.” He also supports closing loopholes and tax breaks for the wealthy. 

District 44: By the Numbers
Historically, voter turnout has been quite low for District 44, floating around 13% between the 2010 to 2014 state elections, and nearly half that in the 2003 election.

The 2014 race also saw the entry of an Independent candidate, Constance Fawcett (I), who garnered 6.5% of votes, with retention of Republican-leaning voters supporting Senator Ralph Shortey falling -5.64% and Democrat-leaning voters supporting Michael Brooks-Jimenez falling -.86% compared to 2010 results. All said, Shortey got 51.7% of votes, Brooks-Jimenez got 41.8% of votes, and Oklahomans re-elected Shortey. On the positIve side, Democratic voter retention was pretty good.

Yet, there are more than 79,000 residents in District 44, but only 10,000 or so voted in 2014. The difference between winning and losing in this district comes down to just a few hundred votes, so voter turnout matters ‘bigly’. I have more friends than that on Facebook. And, yes, that bit of comparison does make my brain cry. Especially because of Democrats, albeit centrist, once enjoyed top positions in Oklahoma until recently.

This year, there are no Independent candidates running, so it will be Democrat versus Republican, no spoiler candidates to contend with.

The Republican Opponent - Joe Griffin
Republican Joe Griffin, a former loser in the Oklahoma House of Representatives, District 92, 2016 General Election, is a former communications director for two Oklahoma Speakers of the House. Griffin runs on a “pro-business” platform, including fewer regulations that protect consumers and workers, and he is in favor of reducing taxes for the rich. Sound familiar? It’s called trickle-down economics, which we have yet to see success with.

He also wants to curtail citizens’ rights by eliminating channels to hold government and law enforcement officials accountable, he thinks social programs are “handouts,” and according to Griffin, “[t]axpayer benefits like government welfare programs for illegals must stop, and our laws must be enforced.”

What Winning This Seat Will Mean for Democrats
We urge Oklahomans to vote for Michael Brooks-Jimenez! Why? Because he’s honestly the only sensible choice. Plus, he loves exclamation points, and he’s not afraid to use them...in tweets.

Everyone can help out by donating to his campaign or volunteering. By galvanizing behind state and local campaigns like these, Democrats can take the crucial next steps to turn red states blue across the country.

So, get out there and campaign and vote for Michael Brooks-Jimenez. And if you’re not a resident of the district, but know a sensible person who is, convince them to vote Michael Brooks-Jimenez. They can add “saved the world from doom” to their resume. Kidding, not kidding.

To learn more about Michael Brooks-Jimenez and to DONATE to his campaign, check out his website.

Written by: Michael Straw
Edited by: Annie Phan

A lifelong Oklahoman and educator with more than 40 years of public service, Karen Gaddis (D) runs for Oklahoma’s 75th State House seat for the second time on July 11th, 2017, following her 2016 loss to former state Representative Dan Kirby (R).  The sexual misconduct scandal that shook Kirby’s brief tenure resulted in his resignation and the re-opening of the HD-75 seat. 

The scandal, coupled with an economic downturn, has left Oklahomans hungry for change and Gaddis could be the face of reform. Gaddis’ platform is built on three main pillars: education, healthcare, and the state economy. She faces the Republican candidate, Tressa Nunley (R), a realtor and 4-way primary winner with 64% of the vote. Gaddis won a two-way primary with 64% as well on May 9th, 2017.

When Ready2Vote asked Gaddis why she wanted to run again, she told us, “I decided to run in the special election based on the fact that I garnered over 5,000 votes in my first election, demonstrating that I had name recognition in the district.”

Flip Opportunity - Factors at Play

This seat is a prime pickup opportunity for Team Blue. Lately, Democrats seem to have an advantage in special election participation in Oklahoma. Of the past three special elections, Democrats picked up a state House seat and a state Senate seat. Democrats nearly picked up another state House seat that went under the radar earlier this year. In this special election, Steven Barnes (D) was badly outspent by his Republican opponent Zach Taylor (R) and yet only lost 50%-48%-2% with a Libertarian in the race for Oklahoma’s 28th state House seat on May 9th, 2017. That 2% loss was only 56 votes. Meaning that if Barnes was able to get merely 57 more Democrats to the polls, he would have won. The Barnes (D) vs. Taylor (R) special election results offer evidence of the continuing blue shift.

One huge factor aiding Democrats in predominantly red states is economics - Oklahoma now operates under a budget crisis that is underfunding many government services to the point where some schools are operating under 4-day weeks. Republicans in the state government have failed to alleviate the financial decline from reduced oil prices and the budget crisis that ensued, thus allowing Democrats to pick up a few seats in past special elections.

Additionally, Gaddis has an advantage in this race in terms of cash on hand. Yes, you read that correctly! Democrat Karen Gaddis currently leads Republican Tressa Nunley in cash on hand in red Oklahoma:

Karen Gaddis CoH: $6,039.59
Tressa Nunley CoH: $3,745.10
*period ending 4/24/2017

This slight fundraising advantage is further proof that this is a very winnable situation for the Democrats in Oklahoma. In 2016, Democrats picked up one open Republican-held seat in Oklahoma while the only seats Republicans picked up were open Democratic seats; incumbents have had a much better chance at holding their seats. That is why it is so important that Gaddis wins this special election - incumbency will be a big benefit for her in future elections. Even the Democrat, Cyndi Munson, who won OK-HD-85 in a special election in 2015 won her seat again in 2016 with 54% of the vote. Investing in these seats will help rebuild the Democratic Party in Oklahoma over time.

As of now, the standing of the Oklahoma Democratic Party is quite weak. Democrats do not hold a single statewide nor a federal office. The current state legislative breakdown is as follows:

Oklahoma House of Representatives
Republicans 72 - Democrats 26 - Vacancies - 3

Oklahoma State Senate
Republicans 40 - Democrats 6 - Vacancies - 2

Help Karen Gaddis (D) Cinch the Win

This is a seat Democrats MUST win. Tulsa County is one of the few counties that swayed towards Clinton in 2016. If Democrats take and hold this seat, it will be pivotal in developing a bench for the Democratic Party. Democrats have three noteworthy candidates running for Governor, but first, we need to see if seats such as OK-HD-75 are winnable in these special elections. Good luck to Karen Gaddis.

To learn more about Karen Gaddis and to DONATE to her campaign, check out www.karengaddis.com

Democrat Steve Barnes is running in the May 9th, 2017 special election for the Oklahoma House of Representatives District 28 seat. This seat became vacant when Republican Tom Newell resignation to take a position in the private sector. Along with Barnes Republican Zack Taylor and with Libertarian Cody Presley will also be on the special election ballot.

Typically this is a traditionally Republican-held seat that in the past hasn’t even been in play. But 2017 is showing to be anything but traditional. The primary results showed only a 140 vote total difference in favor of Republicans and with this election probably having a low turn out anything can happen.

Steve served in law enforcement after high school with the Wewoka Police Department and went on to work as a state trooper with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol. Upon graduating from the University of Tulsa, he worked as a Public Defender and then as Assistant District Attorney.

“Steve is also committed to accountability and transparency in the legislature. In speaking with OKJC [Oklahoma Justice Coalition], he raised his special concern with the decision by former Republican leadership in the House to use taxpayer funds to pay a confidential settlement of a sexual-harassment suit against former Representative Dan Kirby. ‘The most troubling aspect of this situation,’ Steve told us, ‘is the fact that they tried to hide the payments as ‘house-keeping expenses.’ Even after those allegations became public, the Republican Party still didn’t condemn the actions of their party member.’” (Source)

Education is one of Steve’s top priorities. “Addressing jobs and education together is essential, Steve argues, ‘to meet the demands of a changing world.’ Steve emphasized his desire to see educators and business leaders work together. He understands that funding education through recurring sources that won’t subject our budget to wild fluctuations year-by-year means ‘our children are better prepared to enter the workforce and our communities will grow.’” (Source)

Steve’s Republican opponent Zack Taylor part owns and works in the oil & gas company RKR Exploration Inc. and has donated to Republicans in the past. Right now Steve Barnes is getting out-fundraised by all the oil and gas money that is flowing to Zack Taylor. As of the last filing, Zack Taylor has and End Balance of $19,495.60 while Steve Barnes is at $1,520.99. We need to help balance this out now.

Recently we have seen the power of the Progressive Left in coming together to help a candidate out. In Georgia, Jon Ossoff has raised over 8 million dollars and in Kansas of all places Army veteran and Democratic candidate James Thompson for the KS04 special election received a 200K+ boost in funds in just a few days. Imagine what we could do for this seemingly smaller race.

These are the races that matter, these are the races that start to build back our party base across the nation.

April 4th is a busy day in Illinois as many cities, towns and villages have their municipal elections. Four of the largest cities in the state have mayoral races that day; Aurora (200,661 pop), Rockford City (148,278 pop), Peoria City (115,070 pop), and Waukegan City (88,475 pop). I have blogged about the Peoria City race in which Democrat Couri Thomas is challenging the incumbent, which you can find here. So now let us take a look at the other three cities.

In the 2nd largest city, Aurora, the race features an open mayor's seat as Tom Weisner decided not to run for reelection. This lead to a four-way primary race which on February 28th the voters voted for Rick Guzman and Richard Irvin to move on to the April 4th general election. 

From Rick's campaign website:
"Rick Guzman has served as Assistant Chief of Staff for the City of Aurora since 2011, working on issues like housing, development and neighborhood planning for the office of Mayor Tom Weisner during a time of substantial growth and change. Rick spent 8 years working for the State of Illinois as both a Policy Advisor to the Governor and as the Governor-appointed director of the state’s prisoner re-entry reform efforts."

Guzman continues to gain high-level endorsements as we move ever closer to election day. "Kane County Board Chairman Chris Lauzen, the staunch Republican former state senator, stood next to equally staunch Democrat Tom Weisner to endorse the man Weisner recruited as his assistant chief of staff and who is now trying to replace him as mayor of Aurora." (Denise Crosby, Aurora Beacon-News) Gaining the endorsement from Republican Lauzen could be just the thing for Guzman's campaign to achieve victory. Guzman winning this race would be a major hold for Democrats.

In Rockford, Democrat Tom McNamara is looking to replace Independent Lawrence Morrissey who decided not to seek reelection this year. McNamara will face three other opponents on April 4th; Republican Brian Leggero, Independent Rudy Valdez, and Independent Ronnie Manns. Currently, McNamara is serving as 3rd Ward Alderman, which covers downtown as well as Rockford’s  east and west sides.  A victory here will flip the mayor to the Democrats.

Over in Waukegan, Democrat Sam Cunningham defeated incumbent Mayor Wayne Motley in the Democratic primary and will face Independent Lisa May who is currently Alderman for the 7th ward. The outcome of the April 4th general election will produce either the first African-American Mayor for Waukegan or the first female mayor. A win by Cunningham will keep this seat in Democratic hands for the near future.

April 4th brings another round of municipal elections in Illinois, Wisconsin, and Missouri. You can find these races and more information over on the Mayoral Races page. But one race, in particular, I want to turn all our attention to, that is Couri Thomas running for Mayor in Peoria City, Illinois.

Couri is a political newcomer but he came in second in the February 28th primary and is now facing current Mayor Jim Ardis on April 4th, 2017. Jim Ardis, you may remember cost the city of Peoria $125,000 after a lawsuit was brought against the city after police raided the home of Jon Daniel's who was running a parody twitter account of the mayor. Yes the current Mayor of Peoria City, Jim Ardis, had the police raid a citizen's home because of a parody twitter account.

Some background numbers on Peoria city and county.

Peoria County - 2016 Presidential Race:
*Hillary Clinton - 38,060
Donald Trump - 35,633

Congressional District 17 (pres-by-cd):
*Hillary Clinton - 18,061
Donald Trump - 9,356

Congressional District 18 (pres-by-cd):
Hillary Clinton - 19,999
*Donald Trump - 26,277

Peoria County - 2012 Presidential Race:
*Barack Obama - 40,209
Mitt Romney - 36,774

Peoria City - 2012 Presidential Race:
*Barack Obama - 25,721
Mitt Romney - 19,193

Peoria City and County does vote democratic but Jim Ardis has either not faced an opponent or has easily won. This is the year we need to change that. This is the election we can flip the Mayor's seat blue.

Couri Thomas is the son of Rev. Cleveland Thomas, pastor of the New Morning Star in Peoria and works as the Peoria Area Food Bank Warehouse Supervisor. 

Peoria County Democrats are supporting Couri Thomas and people are starting wake up to the potential of this race. This race needs to be all hands on deck. Let's donate and if you live there start knocking on doors for the campaign. You can contact the campaign through his website which is linked down below. 

Couri Thomas Campaign Site
Donate to Couri Thomas
 

In the past few days, multiple special elections have been given election dates. This will now allow us to track and update when candidates qualify and Ready2Vote can promote out any and all Democratic candidates. 

To start off Montana's special election for their At-Large congressional seat that was vacated when Ryan Zinke became Secretary of the Interior has been scheduled for May 25th, 2017. Democrats have nominated musician Rob Quist to run for this U.S. House seat. This seat went 35.94% (D) - 56.47% (R) in the 2016 presidential elections (pres-by-cd) but with the current "trumpocalypse" happening we could see some tightening here. The race between Ryan Zinke and Democrat Denise Juneau was tighter than the presidential numbers at 56.2% (R) - 40.5% (D).  This one will require all hands on deck to help Rob Quist. Click to donation and volunteer.

There are three Louisiana state special elections on March 25th, 2017 but only one has a democrat running. This is a huge disappointment as one of the open seats was previously held by a Democrat and now will automatically flip to Republican since no Dems are running. Louisiana House of Representatives District 92 has Democrat Chuck Toney running against  Gisela Chevalier (R), and Joe Stagni (R).

New York Governor has scheduled two special elections for May 23rd, 2017, State Senate District 30 and State Assembly District 9. State Senate District 30 was previously held by Democrat Bill Perkins this should be an easy hold as this district went 95.32% (D) - 3.84% (R) in the 2012 presidential elections (pres-by-sd). On the other hand, State Assembly District 9 looks to be a pickup opportunity, Republican Joseph Saladino vacated the seat when he was appointed town supervisor of Oyster Bay, New York. This district went 43.39% (D) - 55.49% (R) in the 2012 presidential elections (pres-by-hd) this should be a prime target for Democrats in New York.

Tennessee officials have finally set a date for House of Representatives District 95 following the resignation of Republican Mark Lovell who was being investigated for violating the legislative sexual harassment policy. This seat will hold a primary election on April 27, 2017, and the general election on June 15th, 2017. Numbers wise (23.35% (D) - 75.79% (R) during 2012 presidential election (pres-by-hd)) this district is a longshot for Democrats but with Mark Lovell resigning from a scandal there might be an opening here. Either way, Democrats need to run a candidate and fight for every vote.

This coming Tuesday, March 7th, Chattanooga, Tennessee and Tuscaloosa, Alabama both have their municipal elections. Incumbent Mayor Andy Berke of Chattanooga faces three opponents (Larry Grohn, David Crockett, and Chris Long) while incumbent Mayor Walter Maddox faces off with activist Stepfon Lewis. Both incumbents should have no problem winning another term.

Two other large cities have primary elections on March 7th, Los Angeles, and St. Louis. In Los Angeles, incumbent Mayor Eric Garcetti faces off against ten opponents, if no one gets 50%+1 then there will be a general election on May 6th, 2017. If Mayor Garcetti can secure 50%+1 then he will be declared the winner. 

With incumbent Francis Slay not seek reelection in St. Louis the battle for the democrat spot features seven people. This includes;  Antonio French, Alderman Ward 21,  Lewis Reed, Alderman President,  Jeffrey L. Boyd, Alderman Ward 22,  Tishaura Jones, former state representative for District 63,  Lyda Krewson, Alderman Ward 28,  Bill Haas, St. Louis Elected Board of Education member and Jimmie Matthews. Whoever wins the primary will face the winner of the republican primary and be a strong favorite to win the mayorship during the general election on April 4th, 2017.

Multiple cities in California will also be holding their municipal elections March 7th, 2017 including the city of La Verne, where incumbent Don Kendrick faces Tim Hepburn who is endorsed by the Los Angeles Democratic Party. South El Monte will also be electing a new mayor since the former mayor Luis Aguinaga resigned after admitting to bribery. Democrat City Councilman Joseph Gonzales is running against Mayor Pro Tem Gloria Olmos for the open Mayor seat. Gonzales also is endorsed by the Los Angeles Democratic Party

More Mayor Races Information

March 20th, 2017 is the last day to register to vote for the April 18th special elections. This deadline is for both Congressional District 6 (GA-6) where Democrat Jon Ossoff is running and also for State Senate District 32 where three democrats have qualified for the ballot.

Jon Ossoff is running with the backing of Civil Rights icon and Georgia Congressman John Lewis. Daily Kos has raised an insane amount of money for a candidate in a special election, over 1 million dollars. There are 16 candidates running for this special election if no candidate gets over 50%+1 a runoff election will be held on June 20th, 2017 between the top two vote-getters regardless of party.

With State Senator Judson Hill leaving his state seat (district 32) to run in the congression election there are eight candidates running to replace him. If no candidate receives 50%+1 of the vote then there will be a runoff election May 16th, 2017 between the top two vote-getters regardless of party. 

The Congressional District 6 normally is a Republican stronghold but in the 2016 presidential election is swung sharply towards Hillary Clinton, 46.82%(D) - 48.31%(R) from 37.45%(D) - 60.83%(R) in 2012. This race will be a big indicator of if the "Trump Effect" is real. Leading up to this we have seen democrats win or tighten races for special elections. 

HUGE Flip Opportunity!
Georgia 6th Congressional District Special Election |
Democrat Jon Ossoff - electjon.com
Click here to volunteer for Jon Ossoff
Click here to donate to Jon Ossoff
*Election Date: April 18th, 2017 | Runoff Date: June 20th, 2017

Flip Opportunity!
Georgia 32nd District State Senate Special Election
5 Republicans qualified along with 3 Democrats.
Democrat Christine Triebsch - Attorney
Democrat Exton Howard -Television Director
Democrat Bob Wiskind - Physician
*Election Date: April 18th, 2017 | Runoff Date: May 16th, 2017 (if needed)