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Democrats scored two surprising electoral wins on Tuesday night by flipping statehouse seats in one of the more unlikely locations: Oklahoma.

Michael Brooks-Jimenez, a local immigration attorney, was elected as a new state senator for District 44, an area that encompasses southwest Oklahoma City. And in Tulsas House District 75, Karen Gaddis, a retired school teacher, won a seat that had been in Republican clutches for over two decades.

The wins were owed, in part, to scandal that has beset the Republican Party in Oklahoma, where a number of state officials have been forced to resign because of sexual harassment claims and, in one instance, child prostitution allegations. Additionally, an ongoing budget crisis, which has led to four-day weeks at many Oklahoma schools, has spurred dissatisfaction with Republican leadership.

But the victories also underscore a growing backlash against the GOP that has elevated Democrats in various contests across the country.

The senate seat won by Brooks-Jimenez had been held by Ralph Shortey who resigned this year due to child prostitution allegations. Similarly, representative Dan Kirby, who held the Tulsa House seat, resigned following an investigation into sexual harassment claims made by a previous assistant.

Despite that context, Anna Langthorn, the newly elected chair of the Oklahoma Democratic Party, told The Daily Beast on Wednesday that both wins were pleasantly unexpected.

I will say that when youre in Oklahoma and we win, its always somewhat of a surprise, she said. You prepare yourself for any result.

Langthorn said that while both Democratic candidates were uniquely tailored to win in their specific districts, they also benefited from the publics souring on the states conservative political bend. Brooks-Jimenezs district has the largest Hispanic population in the state, she said, making him an appealing choice given his work in the community as an immigration attorney and his ability to connect with voters in both Spanish and English. As for Gaddis, Langthorn said that the states budget crisis -- and specifically its effects on education, paring down many five-day school weeks to four -- paved the way for the victory.

Though Democrats have failed to flip a single congressional seat in the series of national special elections that have taken place since Donald Trumps victory in November, they have made conspicuous gains both there and on the state level. Of the 29 special elections that have taken place, four seats (all of them state-based) have been flipped from Republican to Democrat. None have gone in the opposite direction. Those contests have seen an average voter swing of 11 percentage points towards Democratic candidates compared to the 2016 cycle, according to data compiled by the liberal website Daily Kos.

Langthorn was reluctant to chalk up Tuesdays wins to national politics, only conceding that it helped us more than it hurt us."

Gaddis' campaign manager, Sarah Baker, agreed with that assessment while also acknowledging that the victory came as a surprise.

"I've seen a number of stories since last night trying to make that connection [to national politics] but what we heard while knocking doors and talking to voters across the district never gave me that impression," Gaddis told The Daily Beast. "Very few people made mention of Trump and instead talked about what was going on in our own state. They talked about how voting for the Republican in this race was just going to give us more of the same in Oklahoma."

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But Carolyn Fiddler, a former top official with the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee who recently joined Kos as political editor and senior communications advisor, told The Daily Beast that Democrats were in a unique position to win statewide due to a combination of national resentment with the Republican Party and local backlash to conservative governance.

These successes are not a complete shock in light of the overall trend of strong Democratic performances in special elections this cycle, but they're certainly a surprise, considering [the] conservative nature of Oklahoma's electorate generally and in these districts specifically, Fiddler said. These Democratic pickups are two more data points in a growing set indicating nationwide Democratic electoral strength and enthusiasm this cycle.

See more here:
Democratic Candidates Just Pulled Off Surprise Wins In Two Oklahoma Statehouse Races - Daily Beast

In an early morning tweet, President Trump slammed Democrats for spreading Russian propaganda, namely the broadcast of the controversial British dossier. Trump levied the accusation in response to the media firestorm over his sons admission of meeting with a Russian lawyer during the 2016 campaign.

Trump is correct to say that many of my fellow Democrats have used the document as proof of Trumps collusion with the Russian government. For example, Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., assured Americans that the document was absolutely true while Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., announced that he hoped to talk to the British spy who wrote it.

But is Trump right to say that its propaganda? Or are Democrats correct in believing that its absolutely true?

Heres what we know for certain.

But the most important, undisputed assessment comes from our former commander in chief and his intelligence leadership. Their view? The dossier wasnt and isnt worth our consideration. Yet why then did our intelligence community brief the document at all?

-- The nations intelligence leadership briefed both Obama and Trump on the dossier but made no judgment as to whether it was reliable.

-- When the intel chiefs briefed Obama on the document, he offered a skeptical response: What does this have anything to do with anything?

-- Obama took this suspicious view despite knowing that an investigation was being or had already been conducted on the dossiers contents.

-- Once the press leaked the unvetted document, Trumps angry response led then-CIA Director John Brennan to clarify that the dossier wasnt intelligence community information and gave it no particular credence.

There are many rumors about the report, of course. Some question the author and the dubious sources that he used to draft the document. Still others highlight that the dossier was allegedly paid for by Republican and Democratic politicians opposed to the idea of a President Trump.

But the most important, undisputed assessment comes from our former commander in chief and his intelligence leadership.

Their view? The dossier wasnt and isnt worth our consideration.

Yet why then did our intelligence community brief the document at all?

Former intelligence chief James Clapper claimed that he did so to give policymakers the fullest possible picture of any matters that might affect national security. After all, he continued, Americas politicians may hear about it.

To former intelligence officials like me, his statement simply doesnt add up.

Spies are trained in several core competences, with one of them being how to properly vet raw information before it gets published or briefed as intelligence. This process is incredibly important because the finished product goes to policymakers who in turn use it to decide issues of war and peace.

People live or die based on the quality of finished intelligence.

So what vetting was done regarding the dossiers allegations when Clapper and Brennan made their statements? The facts show that there had been some degree of investigation, resulting in no judgment.

Meanwhile, President Obamas reaction 'What does this have anything to do with anything? suggests that the proof was either inconclusive or nonexistent.

And yet the nations intelligence leadership thought it appropriate to brief an uncorroborated set of rumors that our current commander in chief was a secret Russian traitor.

Whats more, my former colleagues felt it appropriate to brief the alleged crimes to the alleged traitor himself Donald Trump.

If this leaves you scratching your head, it should. Its as though a district attorney decided to brief a criminal on the case against him because he may hear about it.

Ridiculous.

Its obvious that Clappers statement was a lie.

So whats the truth? The most charitable explanation is that he and others were deeply concerned by Trumps connections to Russia and felt it their duty to expose it. After all, a guilty Trump would never have let the facts get a fair hearing. That seems to be the rationale given by former FBI Director James Comey, who admitted to leaking FBI evidence in hopes of forcing the selection of a special prosecutor.

This explanation takes on greater weight given the avalanche of unauthorized disclosures of classified information in the past six months targeting President Trump and his advisors. A smart observer will recognize that these leaks are not coincidental but instead part of an organized effort exposed by the New York Times.

That suggests another possible explanation: partisanship. My Democratic party knew that its legacy and key legislative victories like ObamaCare were both at grave risk with a Republican-controlled Congress and White House.

Finally, many Americans Democrats and Republicans simply found Trump to be a distasteful person. The infamous locker room comments were a breaking point for many voters, including spies and law enforcement officials.

These three explanations are much more honest appraisals for why Clapper, Brennan, and Comey briefed the dossier. In short, they knew that by briefing the document, they would give life to allegations that otherwise had no or little support.

They also knew that, when their efforts eventually leaked, the smear of the dossiers allegations would leave the new president hobbled. He would struggle to move his agenda forward.

And they knew that politicians like Rep. Waters and Rep. Schiff would cling to the dossier and spread its uncorroborated accusations. It doesnt take a spy to understand that Capitol Hill cant help itself. Politicians need to make headlines to raise their profile and re-election cash.

In short, Trump is right that some Democrats have embraced the unfounded allegations of the British dossier. But theres a much bigger concern: Americas senior spies and law enforcement officers have used the dossier as a part of their own covert influence campaign.

Their reasons for doing so are irrelevant. No one Democrat or Republican should be allowed to subvert American democracy and rule of law. Thats most especially true of our intelligence and law enforcement communities. As Ive written previously, our spies and G-men cannot decide the nations political winners and losers.

Let me be clear: the investigation of President Trump and his associates must continue. Indeed, Donald Trump Jrs release of campaign emails should rightfully be of interest to Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller and his team. Trump Jr. was transparent of his behavior only after he got caught by the Times, adding suspicion to the fears of Trump / Russia collusion.

But as Mueller wrestles with Trumps behavior and that of his team, he must also address the actions of senior officials like Clapper, Brennan, and Comey. Their sin is no less grave than that which is alleged of Trump.

Bryan Dean Wright is a former CIA ops officer and member of the Democratic Party. He contributes on issues of politics, national security, and the economy. Follow him on Twitter @BryanDeanWright.

More:
Democrat (and ex-CIA): Trump is right, Democrats did spread the 'British dossier' - so did the intel community - Fox News

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Vote of no-confidence for Rohnert Park chief

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CHRISTI WARREN

THE PRESS DEMOCRAT | July 12, 2017, 6:09PM

| Updated 3 hours ago.

Fire crews responded to a 25-acre wildfire in the hills southwest of Petaluma Wednesday, just over the Marin County line.

No evacuations were ordered and no structures were threatened by the blaze, dubbed the Spaletta Fire after the name of a nearby ranch.

Petaluma firefighters noticed a column of smoke, but werent called to the scene, said Mike Medeiros, battalion chief for the Petaluma Fire Department.

The fire, first reported around 4:15 p.m., burned grassy oak woodland off of Point Reyes-Petaluma Road, with winds between 7 and 12 miles per hour, according to Marin County Fire. CalFire assisted, and as of 7 p.m., about 45 personnel remained on scene with containment at 80 percent.

You can reach Staff Writer Christi Warren at 707-521-5205 or christi.warren@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @SeaWarren.

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Originally posted here:
Wildfire burning hills southwest of Petaluma - Santa Rosa Press Democrat

A Plano Democrat is raising eyebrows for an unusual reason.

His name is Sam Johnson the same name as the Republican he hopes to replace.

U.S. Rep. Sam Johnson has served in Congressional District 3, which covers Collin and Dallas counties, since 1991.

The 86-year-old decorated veteran announced earlier this year he'll retire when his term expires in 2018.

On June 5, a Plano attorney, father and Democrat with the same name announced he will seek the vacant seat.

"It is a unique situation," candidate Johnson said.

Since announcing his candidacy online, he says reaction has been mixed.

"Well this is confusing," one person commented on Facebook.

"How did they find the candidate with the same name as the current congressman?" questioned another.

"I was not recruited by anyone except for my conscience," candidate Johnson said.

He says he always wanted to run for office.

"I would be running if my name was any other name," he said.

"I got a good chuckle out of it when I first saw it. I said, 'Wow, what a coincidence,'" said Neal Katz, executive director of the Collin County Democratic Party.

Katz says Johnson will have an advantage with name recognition but says the Republican Party and opponents must make a distinction during the upcoming election season.

"His opponents in the primary will just have to make it clear who he is. He is a new person to politics, and he is not the Sam Johnson," Katz said.

"I can't help my name," said candidate Johnson, who added that he hopes the conversation moves past the same-name coincidence.

In a statement, Mike Rawlins, chairman of the Collin County Democratic Party, said:

"The Collin County Democratic Party did not recruit Sam Johnson to run for office. He approached us, and as far as we know his decision to announce for our nomination for the 3rd Congressional District is entirely his own."

So far, four Democrats and one Republican have announced they will run for Congressional District 3.

The window to officially file begins in November.

The primaries are in March, and the election is in November 2018.

Published at 10:51 PM CDT on Jul 12, 2017

Read the rest here:
Plano Democrat Wants to Replace Republican With Same Name - NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth

White House deputy press secretary Sarah Sanders called the article of impeachment filed against President Trump by a Democratic congressman a "political game at its worst."

"I think that is utterly and completely ridiculous," Sanders said at the press briefing Wednesday, "and a political game at its worst."

Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Calif., introduced an article of impeachment earlier Wednesday accusing Trump of obstruction of justice.

"Donald John Trump has acted in a manner contrary to his trust as president and subversive of constitutional government, to the great prejudice of the case of law and justice and to the manifest injury of people of the United States," Sherman's bill reads.

The California Democrat was joined by Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, in introducing the article of impeachment.

The two Democratic lawmakers argue the president obstructed justice when he asked former FBI Director James Comey to curtail the bureau's investigation into Mike Flynn, his former national security adviser, and subsequently fired Comey in May in what they said was an attempt to slow the investigation into ties between Trump campaign associates and Russia.

Sherman said in early June that Trump should be impeached, but he renewed his call for impeachment after emails from Donald Trump Jr. were published Tuesday.

The president's eldest son posted an email exchange to his Twitter account before the New York Times published the contents of the exchange in which Trump Jr. said he was interested in receiving damaging information about Hillary Clinton from a "Russian government lawyer."

The meeting was orchestrated by an intermediary, Rob Goldstone, who told Trump Jr. the information was part of the Russian government's efforts to help his father in the campaign.

"Recent disclosures by Donald Trump Jr. indicate that Trump's campaign was eager to receive assistance from Russia," Sherman said in a statement. "It now seems likely that the president had something to hide when he tried to curtail the investigation of National Security Adviser Michael Flynn and the wider Russia probe."

Originally posted here:
White House: Democrat's Trump impeachment bid a 'political game at its worst' - Washington Examiner