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Following the victory of former state Reps. Kevin Coleman (D-Westland) and Lori Stone (D-Warren) in their respective mayoral campaigns, the Michigan House has been split evenly with 54 Democrats and 54 Republicans.

However, Tuesdays special election could bring an end to the split and determine party control of the House.

In Michigans 13th House District, which covers parts of Macomb and Wayne County, including Warren and a small part of Detroit, Democrat Mai Xiong and Republican Ronald Singer each seek to fill Stones vacant seat.

Democrat Peter Herzberg and Republican Josh Powell are vying to fill Colemans vacant seat in Michigans 25th House District in Wayne County.

Democrats are favored to win in each election, as both districts are considered Democratic strongholds.

Since Stone and Colemans resignation, Republicans have argued for shared power in the House, while the rules put in place by both parties at the beginning of session note that a 55-55 split would be needed to demand a shared power agreement.

With 55 votes needed to pass legislation, interparty arguments over power sharing have led to standoffs in the House, and conflict over bipartisan policies.

While the Advance reached out to House Republican Campaign Committee Chair Rep. Bill G. Schuette (R-Midland) and Michigan House Democrats Campaign Chair Regina Weiss (D-Oak Park), neither could be reached for comment.

The two special elections in Michigan will be a referendum on the accomplishments of the Democratic trifecta in Michigan. While Republicans in state legislatures across the country are rolling back progress, Michigan Democrats are propelling the state forward. Theyve used their Democratic trifecta to safeguard freedoms and make Michigan work for everyone, said Abhi Rahman, the communications director for the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC), the arm of the national Democratic Party aimed at electing Democrats in state Legislatures. Electing DLCC Spotlight candidates Peter Herzberg and Mai Xiong to protect the majority is essential to ensure that Michigan remains a shining example of the impact of Democrats leading state legislatures, Rahman said.

The Republican State Leadership Committee, which focuses on electing Republicans to state office, did not respond to a request for comment.

In the 13th District, Xiong lists living wages and workers rights, reducing prescription drug costs for seniors, tax cuts for working families, common-sense gun safety laws, investing in education and public transportation, roads and infrastructure and protecting reproductive rights among her priorities. Xiong has also been endorsed by Governor Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat.

Singer listed lower taxes, creating job opportunities, improving wages and ensuring affordable energy as his priorities. He promised to reduce regulation on business if elected and supported local zoning for energy projects.

In the 25th district, Herzberg, who was also endorsed by Whitmer, is committed to public resources like schools and parks, and will advocate for sustainable waste and energy management, according to a profile from the DLCC.

In an email to the Advance, Herzberg said he would work to ensure his office could receive adequate funding for projects in his district such as:

Herzberg also said he would plan to tackle environmental issues in the 25th district, such as growing landfills, and would work to improve oversight and prevent hazardous waste from being shipped to Michigan.

On his website Powell pledged to support Less government, less regulation, [and] lower taxes. He listed economic growth, education and public safety among his priorities, saying he would reduce regulatory hurdles and lower taxes if elected.

I am dedicated to improving our education system by ensuring all kids in Michigan have the opportunity to go to a school of their choice. Ensuring the safety and security of our communities is also a top priority. I served 6 years as a Military Police officer and I have a degree in criminal justice so I know what our officers need and I will support them, Powells website reads.

In a recording of a Feb. 12 Valentines Day dance hosted by the 6th Congressional District Republican Committee, Powell said he is 100% pro life and that he opposed abortion without exception.

When asked his stance on abortion, Herzberg said I cant support going against the will of the voters, referencing Michigan voters approval of Proposal 3, which enshrines the right to abortion and other forms of reproductive healthcare within the state Constitution.

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Tuesday's special election is set to determine control of the Michigan House Michigan Advance - Michigan Advance

Arrest of a man who was smoking fentanyl, Portland, Oregon, February 7, 2024. DEBORAH BLOOM/REUTERS

Alongside San Francisco, Portland, the economic capital of Oregon, has long been a favorite target of Republicans for its criminal justice policies, which they consider too liberal. With less than seven months to go before a presidential election marked by the theme of crime, local Democrats have just given the American right something to crow about.

On April 1, Governor Tina Kotek signed a bill that recriminalizes the possession of hard drugs, reversing the decriminalization that had been approved by more than 58% of the state's voters in November 2020 amid the euphoria of anti-racist protests. The non-repressive policy "failed," admitted Portland's Democratic mayor Ted Wheeler. The admission has given grist to the mill for Republicans, who have made security particularly at the Mexican border, where they have no qualms about conflating crime and immigration their preferred line of attack for the November 5 elections.

Oregon's decriminalization in 2020 an unprecedented measure in the country had been hailed as the vanguard of a new approach. America was acknowledging the failure of Richard Nixon's "war on drugs" in June 1971. Among Democrats and Republicans alike, many were sympathetic to the argument African American intellectuals had been making for years: The all-out crackdown had led to a phenomenon of "mass incarceration," disproportionately hitting young Black people.

The measure, passed in 2020, limited possession of drugs such as fentanyl, heroin and methamphetamine to a $100 fine, and endorsed the creation of a detoxification program, funded by taxes on cannabis sales and savings in prison budgets. During arrests, police officers were supposed to hand addicts a card with the hotline number of a treatment center and inform them that the fine would be waived if they called. In 15 months, only 119 people called the number. No fines were paid. The cost of running the hotline was $7,000 per call.

The backlash was not long in coming. At the end of 2023, business figures including Phil Knight, co-founder of Nike, one of Oregon's flagship companies, invested $700,000 in a campaign to recriminalize drug possession. Democrats rallied behind the cause. In March, legislators in the state House of Representatives and Senate passed the reform by a large majority. The new legislation continues to prioritize detoxification treatment, but it re-imposes prison sentences (of up to 18 months).

"What Oregon did was a bold experiment, and it failed," Wheeler explained to the New York Times on Monday, April 1. "Let's just be honest about that. The timing was wrong, and frankly, the politics were wrong." The mayor blamed inadequate treatment services, which should have been in place long before decriminalization. Above all, he added, American cities were unprepared for the epidemic of overdoses due to synthetic opioids.

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With fear of crime on the rise, Democrat US cities introduce harsher policies - Le Monde

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WASHINGTON Six months ago, U.S. House Democrats united with a sliver of far-right Republicans to oust former Speaker Kevin McCarthy of California. Now, as history is poised to repeat itself, some Texas Democrats say theyre open to letting Speaker Mike Johnson off the hook.

U.S. Rep. Marc Veasey, D- Fort Worth, said he would not vote to oust Johnson without good reason.

Its my personal opinion that whoever the Republicans pick as speaker, barring the opportunity for a Democrat to be speaker, then that person should stay in there and we should all have a vested interest in making sure that this system runs smoothly and that we do stuff for the American public, Veasey said in an interview. If hes willing to help out on Ukraine, and if hes willing to do fair up and down votes on keeping the government open, then theres no real reason why we would just oust.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Georgia, filed a motion to vacate last month the same tactic Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Florida, used to oust McCarthy. Greene opposes Johnson's plans to put Ukraine aid on the floor for a vote, which he is currently negotiating with the White House after months of stalling the package. Greene has not yet brought the motion up for a vote.

McCarthy was ousted after failing to appease hardline conservatives in a chamber with only a slim majority. Democrats voted in lockstep for Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, ensuring McCarthys demise. Despite inheriting the same dynamics in the House, Johnson has had to grapple with an even tighter GOP majority, forcing him to reach across the aisle.

Jeffries told reporters that a reasonable number of Democrats would not want to see Johnson fall as a result of doing the right thing regarding Ukraine aid.

Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-El Paso, and Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio, indicated that they might allow Johnson to keep his throne at the direction of Jeffries.

If there is any direction by [Jeffries] to make space for Speaker Johnson in the face of a motion to vacate, strictly because he is doing the right thing on Ukraine, I think it's important for the caucus to get direction from leader Jeffries, Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-El Paso, said.

Democratic Reps. Jasmine Crockett of Dallas said at this point shed vote to vacate Johnson. Rep. Lloyd Doggett of Austin said he would vote for Jeffries.

Texas Republicans largely appear unlikely to vote for Johnsons removal, however, many are still keeping their cards close to the vest.

Rep. Nathaniel Moran, R-Tyler, and Rep. Pat Fallon, R-Sherman, voted to save McCarthy, and said they would do the same for Johnson. Rep. Chip Roy, R-Austin, a leader of the hard-right Freedom Caucus declined to state if he would save Johnson. Roy told the Washington Post that it would be a complete failure to put Ukraine on the floor without dealing with the border.

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Texas Democrats open to saving U.S. Speaker Mike Johnson from motion to vacate - The Texas Tribune

For the first time, the lead consultant to Florida Senate Republicans has admitted to hiring a disgraced ex-senator and approving a dirty trick to recruit a third-party candidate to siphon votes from a South Florida Democrat.

The scheme succeeded. In 2020, Jose Javier Rodriguez, the Democrat targeted by the GOP and by Florida Power & Light, lost by 32 votes to Ileana Garcia, the founder of Latinas for Trump. A third-party candidate who didnt campaign and who shared the same last name as Rodriguez drew over 6,000 votes.

Patrick Bainter, the Senate GOPs chief consultant, told Miamis chief public corruption prosecutor in a December deposition that he was the one who gave the green light to former state Sen. Frank Artiles to find third-party candidates to help defeat two Democrats.

He said he thought that was something he could do and do well, Bainter said. Great. Go knock yourself out. Bainter then had $100,000 transferred to a dark money nonprofit Artiles controlled.

In March 2021, Artiles was arrested and charged with making over $45,000 in illegal and undeclared campaign contributions to Alex Rodriguez, the ghost candidate. Bainter said in the deposition that he did not direct how the money he sent Artiles was to be spent and was unaware of how Artiles used it.

But he did admit for the first time in the deposition that the District 37 ghost candidate was part of his 2020 campaign strategy on behalf of Senate Republicans. And Bainter acknowledged that Artiles had been seeking a consulting agreement with the Senate Republicans campaign arm shortly before signing on with Bainter.

Bainters description of his involvement in the scheme came in a deposition released by the Miami-Dade State Attorneys Office earlier this year in response to a public records request from Floodlight, a nonprofit newsroom that investigates the powerful interests stalling climate action.

It, along with other released documents, draws an increasingly strong line from the ghost candidate scandal of 2020 to Florida Senate Republicans. Rodriguez, the South Florida Democrat, also had other enemies. FPL, the nations largest utility, which had vowed to make his life a living hell, has been accused in a lawsuit by its shareholders of orchestrating the scheme.

The suit alleges that political consultants who worked closely with the utilitys CEO and lobbying staff plowed FPL funds through a series of dark money groups to prop up the ghost candidates. The company has repeatedly denied the allegations and has moved to dismiss the suit.

I supported the Republican Party who I knew was targeting this race, former Florida Power & Light CEO Eric Silagy said in a June 2022 interview with Floodlight and other news outlets. Silagy resigned in January 2023, due, in part, to negative media coverage about FPLs involvement in the scandal.

The plot was sprawling. In all, three spoiler candidates ran in three districts, benefiting from over $730,000 in secret political funds moved by more than a dozen consultants. Artiles recruited the two ghost candidates who ran in South Florida races. A third candidate, who ran in a central Florida race, was recruited by a pair of GOP political operatives from Seminole County.

The scheme helped Floridas GOP further solidify its Senate majority. That margin also helped fulfill the legislative wish list of FPL, one of the most powerful interests in Florida politics.

Five people including Artiles were indicted for allegedly violating campaign finance laws. Artiles trial is scheduled for June. Bainter, the GOP operative, finally sat for a deposition nearly four years after hiring Artiles.

Bainter has never been charged with any crime, nor is he expected to be. He and the other political operatives who participated in the sprawling scandal, including those who worked for FPL, appear blameless in the eyes of federal and Florida election laws.

Bainter ignored multiple requests to comment for this article. The Florida Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee and its then-chairman, Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson, who was incoming Senate president at the time, did not respond to detailed written questions.

Artiles had been talking to Bainter about the District 37 race since at least October 2019, according to newly released emails. In the deposition, Bainter told prosecutors that he merely wanted Artiles to give him independent information about the critical race.

But then the two men signed a contract to manage state legislative campaign assignments after Artiles recruited a down-on-his-luck salesman of truck parts with the same last name as Rodriguez to challenge him.

Attached to the email in which Artiles attempted to land the lucrative $15,000-a month contract with Bainter is the first draft of a proposed contract between the ex-senator and the Florida Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee for direction and assistance in developing the necessary programs to promote the Republican candidate for senator for District 37.

The correspondence does not show whether that contract with the committee was executed, and it is not mentioned in the arrest warrant against Artiles. No Senate Republicans have been charged in the scandal.

Artiles would end up signing up with Bainter directly. As previously reported, the ex-senator billed Bainters firm, Data Targeting, for the cost of flying from Miami to Tallahassee to register Alex Rodriguez, the District 37 ghost candidate, in person.

Then Data Targeting wired $100,000 from a dark money tax-exempt group the company controlled to another dark money group, Florida Stronger, controlled by Artiles.

But over time, Bainter says he began distancing himself from Artiles, according to his deposition. The reason? Artiles now infamous inability to keep quiet.

I learned from other people on the ground in Miami that Mr. Artiles was suggesting to people that he had been hired to, quote, run the campaigns down there, Bainter said.

Bainter felt Artiles had violated their contracts confidentiality clause, according to the deposition. In an effort to avoid drama, Bainter said he kept paying Artiles but started keeping him at arms length.

The plaintive tone of one undated email appears to show Artiles distress at being iced out. After giving Bainter pinpoint advice on the election, he signed the email, Put me in coach.

Then, on at least four separate occasions as the election approached, police reports indicate that Alex Rodriguez asked Artiles for money. Artiles gave him some $45,000 even paying for the private school tuition of Rodriguezs children with his credit card. Prosecutors say these payments were illegal campaign donations from Artiles group, Florida Stronger.

This defendant, Artiles, had a contract with Data Targeting, Tim VanderGiesen told Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Miguel De La O on Jan. 12 during a motion hearing about expert witnesses. Thats where we intend to show the money came from. Artiles resigned from the Florida Senate in disgrace in 2017 after drunkenly using racial slurs in front of two Black colleagues, He pleaded not guilty to the 2021 charges. If convicted, Artiles faces up to five years in prison.

Rodriguez, the ghost candidate, pleaded guilty in August 2021. He received three years probation and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors. Two others indicted for alleged ghost candidate-related campaign finance violations await trial in central Florida.

According to a shareholder lawsuit filed against NextEra, the power companys parent company, the CEO of Florida Power & Light and its in-house lobbying team worked closely with Alabama-based political consultants at Matrix LLC to promote the ghost candidates.

The consultants helped move $630,000 from a 501(c)(4) group controlled by the Florida Chamber of Commerce, a trade organization with close ties to FPL, through a daisy-chain of dark money groups and out to political committees that printed mail advertisements for the ghost candidates.

Though FPL insists that it did nothing more than support candidates aligned with its interests, the scandal contributed to the abrupt resignation of its CEO in January 2023. NextEra has moved to dismiss the shareholder suit. In another lawsuit, the founder of Matrix LLC charged that his CEO was operating as a rogue employee during this period.

Similar scenarios played out in 2018.

Matrix LLC had worked closely with Data Targeting in the 2018 South Miami mayoral race, operating as agents of an FPL-funded vendetta brought on by the incumbent mayors support of rooftop solar and his activism against a local nuclear power plant.

Both Matrix and Data Targeting also worked against 2018 Democratic Gainesville Senate candidate Kayser Enneking. In that race, Matrix used FPL funds to run a third-party candidate against Enneking. That candidate split the districts Democratic vote, ensuring Ennekings defeat.

These are types of allegations and scandals that shatter the belief that this publicly regulated utility is a safe, secure, and non-volatile investment, the shareholder lawsuit reads.

Added Democratic state Sen. Shevrin Jones: Ever since Donald Trump lost, Republicans have been talking about election integrity. But when you look at this here, this is everything but election integrity.

Floodlight is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates the powerful interests stalling climate action.

Link:
Florida GOP operative admits role in 'ghost' candidate scheme that defeated utility-targeted Democrat - South Florida Sun Sentinel

Democrats in Pennsylvanias 14th Congressional District know there is a steep hill to climb.

Businessman Ken Bach of Smithton or retired U.S. Navy veteran Christopher Dziados of South Strabane will attempt in November to oust three-term Republican incumbent Guy Rescenthaler, who has represented the six-county district since 2019.

Both Bach and Dziados concede the task ahead is difficult. But they insist that although Democrats account for about 37% of registered voters in the district that includes all or part Westmoreland, Washington, Fayette, Greene Indiana and Somerset counties, the current political environment gives the minority party a chance to succeed in 2024.

Redistricting altered the the district prior to the 2022 election and, according to national experts, is now solidly Republican. Its one where former President Donald Trump won by more than 40 percentage points four years ago, based on 202o vote totals.

Rescenthaler is unopposed in the Republican primary.

Rescenthaler hasnt done a lot to endear himself to the constituents, Dziados said. He doesnt show up, he doesnt come back (home), and he aligns himself very much with Trump. There are moderate Republicans not happy with the public image he has.

Bach said Rescenthaler, who is the chief deputy House Republican whip and who has taken on a growing leadership role among the GOP delegation, has focused more on political ambition in Washington and less on his districts needs back at home.

Republicans see Guy Rescenthaler wants to go up the chain of command, and its not what they want, Bach said.

Bach, 56, owns an auto repair business. He has twice run unsuccessfully for a seat in the state House. He served 14 years as a member of the Yough School Board, including four years as its president.

He pledged to represent the district and not his own political views.

The big issue I see in whats wrong with Congress is many there dont represent their district, Bach said. I will represent the people of this district. Im talking about listening and talking to everyday people.

Rescenthaler doesnt have town halls, and he doesnt communicate with the people. He is pushing his own agenda.

Bach described himself as a pro-choice Democrat and said a solution to the abortion issue is improving economic conditions that makes it easier for woman and families to decide to continue rather than terminate pregnancies.

Bach said he supports the bi-partisan immigration bill negotiated earlier this year in the Senate and backs aid for Ukraine and Israel.

The biggest issue I see is that the ultra wealthy are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer, Bach said. We have to address that. No one piece of legislation is going to fix that. We have to lift everyone up. Its a long process but it has to be done.

Dziados, 43, retired late last year after a more than two-decade career in the U.S. Army. He served multiple deployments to Iraq, served on staff for the under secretary of Defense and for the last year as a member of the U.S. Space Force staff. A native of Indiana County, Dziados returned to Southwestern Pennsylvania earlier this year after he decided to run for Congress.

He said his political aspirations fomented following the Jan. 6, 2021 storming of the Capitol.

Guy Rescenthaler voted not to certify the election, and not recognize what the voters wanted in Pennsylvania. It was a call to action, Dziados said. I absolutely wanted to come back home and make Congress my full-time job.

He said he his is a full-throated supporter of President Joe Bidens agenda, is pro-choice, favors increasing security along the U.S. southern border and backs financial aide for Ukraine and Israel.

Dziados said he is positioned to run a successful campaign against Rescenthaler this fall.

Both he and Bach would enter the fall race at a significant financial deficit with the incumbent. According to federal campaign figures, Rescenthaler had raised more than $1.3 million for his re-election campaign heading into this year. Bachs campaign listed just more than $2,000 in the bank and while Dziados had yet to file a campaign finance statement.

Dziados said the race will be a referendum Reschenthalers conservative politics.

I think the country wants to get through this period, Dziados said. There are a lot of moderates who remember Jan. 6. They want a steady hand.

Rich Cholodofsky is a TribLive reporter covering Westmoreland County government, politics and courts. He can be reached at rcholodofsky@triblive.com.

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Democrats Bach, Dziados seek opportunity for fall race to unseat Reschenthaler in Congress - TribLIVE