After the Election, a 'Whole Foods Democrat' Returns to Church New York Times The morning of Nov. 9, the first text I got was from my younger teenage daughter. She was at her dad's (I am divorced). It read: Mother dear, although I know you are in legitimate mourning right now, I must ask if there's any way I can get my computer ... |
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After the Election, a 'Whole Foods Democrat' Returns to Church - New York Times
Before Kelly D. Standley decided to run as a Democrat in Kansas for U.S. Congress, he ran as a Republican in Colorado for Congress.
Standley, 47, a former Tea Party activist, is running as a Democrat for the 2nd District seat now held by U.S. Rep. Lynn Jenkins, R-Topeka. She is not seeking re-election.
When I moved back to Kansas I saw that the Republicans here had a hold over this state and it really bothered me that the rich keep getting richer and the working class continues to struggle in paying their bills. I did switch parties to the Democratic Party since majority of the people struggling here that I have met are Democrats or unaffiliated, Standley told The News in an email response.
Voter registration rolls in Neosho County reveal the Kansas native voted there in the 1990s before he moved to Colorado in 1999. He ran in 2010 for Colorados 1st Congressional District seat but did not become the Republican nominee. He returned to Kansas and became an active voter in Neosho County in 2016.
When he became active in the party, he was appointed Neosho County Democratic Party chairman, he told The News. We worked on the Chuck Schmidt campaign and continue to always help support Adam Lusker, our State Representative for this area, he wrote. Schmidt is a Democrat who failed to win a State Senate seat in 2016. Lusker is a Frontenac Democrat in the State House.
Jenkins announced Jan. 25 she would return to the private sector after her current term in Congress ends in January 2019. Standley filled out his statement of candidacy for the Federal Election Commission on Feb. 14. On the FEC website, there appear two active through 2018 campaign listings for Standley. One shows Kelly D. Standley, Aurora, Colorado, as a Republican campaigning for the House of Representatives, and the other lists Kelly Don Standley, St. Paul, Kansas, as a Democrat for the U.S. House.
While Republicans tossed their hats into the ring after Jenkins deicison Basehor City Councilman Vernon Fields and State Sen. Steve Fitzgerald, Leavenworth Standley has had the Democratic race to himself.
However, former Kansas House Minority Leader Paul Davis, D-Lawrence, announced Thursday he is exploring a bid for the 2nd District seat.
I do understand that people in my party will rally behind Paul Davis and give him their support, my hope is that as time goes on I will also have people rally with me and support someone who will be stronger for the people of Kansas and not just the Democratic or Republican parties, Standley wrote.
Davis challenged Gov. Sam Brownback in 2014 and lost. The position of governor also will be on the 2018 ballot. I personally would rather see him as our next Governor, Standley wrote about Davis on Facebook.
Standley said hes a single father raising a son, and his educational background includes criminal justice studies. He lists on Facebook that hes a Christian minister.
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Republican-turned-Democrat running in 2nd District - Hutchinson News
Earlier this month, as Ivanka Trump strolled around the Kushner familys new tony Washington home for her first post-inauguration TV interview with CBSs Gayle King, the presidents eldest daughter was caught by the paparazzi.
Standing by Ivankas side was a key public relations adviser that any New York City Democrat would recognize: Risa Heller.
A well-known crisis communications expert, Heller has been working in recent months to shape Ivankas public image as she assumes a controversial official White House role. But Hellers position has raised some eyebrows among her former Democratic colleagues in New York political circles.
Within an administration already chockful of shrewd operators, Hellers influence offers a glimpse into the ideological gap between the administrations Jared Kushner wing and the Steve Bannon red-meat fever swamp wing that supported Trump throughout the campaign. It also comes during a time of serious infighting between the two factions over the direction of the Trump agenda, with reports detailing how Bannons populist cohort has dubbed Kushner, Ivankas husband, a globalist, and a Democrat.
Risa is incredibly talented, driven and passionate. She is a formidable advocate and respected by all as a trustworthy and honest broker of facts, Ivanka Trump said in a statement to BuzzFeed News.
Like many top New York City flacks, Heller, 37, cut her teeth in Democratic Senator Chuck Schumers notoriously scrappy office. She is well-respected, and has a reputation as a hard worker who knows how to maneuver in a challenging environment. Heller is described by reporters and political operatives as sharp, experienced, and one of the most well-informed gossips in the city.
Shes one of the toughest and most tenacious people youll ever meet, Schumer said in a statement.
Shes also beloved by a media Trump has said is his enemy. Two reporters who deal with Heller regularly said that they would call her for advice if they ever found themselves in PR trouble.
As Heller has taken on Ivankas personal PR, Trumps daughters sway with the president is coming into sharper focus. Eric Trump recently told the Daily Telegraph that his sisters outrage over the use of chemical weapons in Syria helped spur the USs strike, a factor that press secretary Sean Spicer acknowledged in a press conference.
Reports have also detailed how Jared and Ivanka have worked behind the scenes to cool the administrations conservatism on left-leaning issues like LGBT rights. A Politico story described a meeting shortly after the inauguration between Ivanka and Cecile Richards, the head of Planned Parenthood, who has since publicly reprimanded the presidents daughter.
Anyone who works in this White House is responsible for addressing why women are in the crosshairs of basically every single policy weve seen in this administration, Richards said at a conference this month. During the CBS interview, Ivanka fought back on criticism immortalized in a Saturday Night Live sketch that she has become complicit in her fathers hard-line conservative agenda.
The situation looks unusual from the outside: a Democratic operative working for the family of a president who many New York Democrats loathe. Shes not alone in this regard: Jamie Gorelick, an attorney and longtime Clinton ally, helped with the Kushners transition into the White House.
Heller, who was less than thrilled to learn that a story about her was in the works, said in a statement: I fight tirelessly for my clients, period. Thats what I am in business to do. I am proud of what I do and who I do it for.
Prior to the last few years, the Kushners were an extremely prominent northeast Democratic family; before his legal problems in the 2000s, Kushners father, Charles, was a significant donor to major Democratic efforts. Heller had existing relationships with members of Trumps extended family: Kushner and his family real estate company are longtime clients of her eponymous PR shop. Until Kushner assumed a formal White House role and separated himself from the family business, Heller flacked for Trumps son-in-law directly, defending him in a January New York Times report, for instance, on his dealings with a Chinese businessman that raised questions about conflicts of interest.
Shes the best fighter in the business, is universally respected, and most importantly has always told me what she really thinks, good or bad, Jared Kushner said in a statement.
New York City political observers say that one of Hellers most striking traits is her fierce loyalty, clearly evidenced by her steadfast aid to Anthony Weiner. Heller has for years provided free counsel to the scandal-prone former member of Congress, from his first tweeted dick pic to his failed mayoral run to the most recent episode, which involved sending sexually explicit messages to a 15-year-old girl.
If I had taken her advice at critical junctures even 5% of the time, I would have been infinitely better off. It doesnt surprise me that people like the Kushners would gravitate toward her, Weiner told BuzzFeed News. This may sound ironic coming from me, but she never advocates for not telling the truth. I repeatedly didnt take that kind of advice where I should have.
Weiner said that he declined to attend a screening of a documentary about his mayoral campaign, but that the straight-talking Heller went and then gave him a synopsis. If you want someone to hold your hand, make you a cup of tea, and make you calm down on a tough day, thats not her, Weiner said.
Those close to Heller describe the genuine care she has for her friends and clients. According to people familiar with the matter, Heller encouraged Weiner to get help throughout his many struggles, as a means to rehabilitate rather than just to get through a scandal. He entered treatment after tabloids published a series of reports about him sexting with the minor with his sleeping son nearby.
One political reporter said that, even during that unsavory episode, Heller argued passionately that Weiner was a good person and father who just needed help.
Weiner became emotional while discussing Heller, saying that while he doesnt tend to talk to reporters these days, he wanted to do so in order to praise her and to make clear that his PR damage was self-inflicted.
Heller became a rising star in New York political circles in the mid-2000s, when she arrived in Schumers office after communications guru Stu Loeser left for Michael Bloombergs mayoral reelection campaign. She stood out both for her aggressiveness even by Schumers intense standards; as a rare woman in a long line of aggressive young men who came up under the senator; and a fashionable figure in a schlumpy world.
According to Loeser, Heller nabbed her first big win in competitive Schumerland when she advised the senator in 2006 to fight an under-the-radar issue: the obscure sale of the operator of several US ports to a Dubai company. Schumers denunciation garnered little attention before gaining steam with strange bedfellows in conservative talk radio. Eventually, the deal blew up and dealt President George W. Bush a major political blow.
Heres this person who really just arrived in New York, who grew up in Michigan, who harnessed the national media, beat back an issue, and presented it in a way that made it untenable for the Bush administration to continue, Loeser said. It was this extraordinary moment in which she clearly had an eye and ear for issues.
An alum of David Patersons short-lived and rocky New York governorship, Hellers political leanings are no secret to those that know her. She donated to Hillary Clintons campaign, and one reporter noted that she has a Clinton pillow on a couch in her office near New York City Hall.
Still, Heller is known as a professional who works with a diverse array of clients. Glen Caplin, a senior adviser to Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and former communications director for Weiner, called her an honest broker and straightforward.
New York City beat reporters past and present seem to all have a Risa Heller story or have been on the receiving end of one of her passion projects. One reporter described how Heller made a personal crusade out of New York City Mayor Bill de Blasios controversial late-morning habit of going to a Park Slope gym. De Blasios often late arrival time to City Hall (particularly in comparison to Bloomberg) has received plenty of gleeful coverage from the New York press corps.
In recent years, Hellers corporate clients have included companies such as Airbnb and New York City Football Club, a Major League Soccer team part-owned by the Yankees. She was aggressive without being overly aggressive, which is sort of the sweet spot among New York PR professionals, said Howard Wolfson, a former deputy mayor under Michael Bloomberg, who worked with Heller on the citys unsuccessful attempt to land a new stadium for the soccer team.
But when it comes to working for Ivanka, Hellers cohort of largely left-leaning New York political contemporaries are split.
I have a very dim view of the administration, but I have a very high regard for Risa. If she thinks that she can make a positive difference at this moment in this way, I think that she certainly deserves the benefit of the doubt, Wolfson said.
Some cant forgive Heller for working for a Trump. I think theres a big difference between representing business interest and essentially helping to advance an agenda that is completely antithetical to everything that Democrats stand for, said one longtime New York City political operative.
Risa is never going to pull her punches, even with her boss, said another Democratic operative. I have no doubt that she is brutally honest with Jared and Ivanka on whatever the issue may be.
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Meet The New York City Democrat Flacking For Ivanka Trump - BuzzFeed News
MARY CALLAHAN
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT | April 15, 2017, 10:29AM
| Updated 2 hours ago.
A 17-year-old Santa Rosa girl who ran away from home in February reached out to her parents for help Friday, saying her 28-year-old boyfriend had been beating her and holding her against her will in a southwest Santa Rosa apartment, police said.
The boyfriend, Norman Alejandro Tapia, already had a warrant out for his arrest for suspicion of forcible rape involving the same girl, stemming from an incident in Scotts Valley, police said.
On Friday evening, the girl texted her parents with photos of her injuries, authorities said. She said her boyfriend had been preventing her from leaving and threatened to kill her if police showed up.
When officers responded to the Billie Jean Street address that she provided her parents, they knocked on the apartment door and heard a female voice inside, but no one answered the door or responded, authorities said.
The victim eventually fled through the front door and said two men were inside, including Tapia.
The girl had numerous visible injuries that she said were inflicted by Tapia and said she had tried repeatedly to leave, police said.
Both men were detained, but one, a roommate, was found not to have been involved, police said.
Tapia was arrested on suspicion of false imprisonment, domestic battery and unlawful sex with a minor, police said.
He was being held at the Sonoma County Jail with bail set at $375,000, which includes the amount on the earlier warrant and a $250,000 bail enhancement, authorities said.
Tapia is to make his first appearance in Sonoma County court on Tuesday.
You can reach Staff Writer Mary Callahan at 707-521-5249 or mary.callahan@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @MaryCallahanB.
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Santa Rosa teen rescued from boyfriend - Santa Rosa Press Democrat
Democrat Jon Ossoff introduced himself to voters by asking them to help him Make Trump furious, a pitch thats drawn grassroots support from all over the country for his upstart bid to replace former Congressman Tom Price. But if Ossoff succeeds in winning a majority of votes in the first round of the special election on April 18, it wont be because of the liberal anti-Trump vote. It will because he was able to appeal to the right-of-center, educated white voters in this suburban Atlanta House district. Thats also a voting bloc Democrats, as a whole, are hoping to win over as they seek to claw back seats after a disastrous string of state and congressional losses. To that end, they may want to listen to Ossoffs message.
RELATED:How the #Resistance Is Tapping the Tea Party's Playbook
He actually sounds a little bitlike Donald Trump, thoughwithout the divisiveness or bluster. Ossoffs two top priorities, he tells Newsweek, are local economic development, i.e. jobs, and accountability in Washington. He may not use the words drain the swamp, as Trump did on the 2016 campaign trail, but Ossoff talks plenty about corruption, pointing back to his work over the last three years as CEO of the London-based investigative film production company, Insight TWI. Much of the companys recent work has focused on documentaries and series on corruption and conflict in Africa. Ossoff says he can apply those same skills in Washington. There is plenty of corruption, waste and fraud in the federal government and in federal contracting, he says, adding that hed set up a dedicated investigative unit in his office.
Democratic candidate Jon Ossoff greets supporters after the League of Women Voters' candidate forum for Georgia's 6th Congressional District special election to replace Tom Price, who is now the secretary of Health and Human Services, in Marietta, Georgia, U.S. April 3, 2017. Bita Honarvar/REUTERS
At the same time, Ossoff talks a lot about shared values and uniting people, a rebuff to the current president, even if he doesnt regularly call out Trump by name. He turned up at the Atlanta airport with his former boss, Democratic Rep. Hank Johnson and Congressman John Lewis, the civil rights legend, to protest Trumps travel ban in early February. Folks here recognize that extremism is bad for business, Ossoff says. Extremism anywhere in politics and gridlock in our nations capital.
Its hardly the impeach Trump talk that many on the progressive left are craving from Democrats right now. But Ossoffs anti-Washington rhetoric, as well as his focus on bread-and-butter economic issues, offers a way to walk thetightrope between the angry corps of #Resistance activists and moderate Republicans who may have voted for Trump in November, but now feel uneasy about his extreme stances and flailing administration. Its something plenty of other Democrats in swing districts and purple states will be trying to pull off a year-and-a-half from now.
The activists class, meanwhile, doesnt seem bothered by Ossoffs lack of fire-breathing rhetoric. Hes become a cause celebre in liberal circles in recent months, less for what he stands for than what kind of a message his victory in this traditionally Republican House seat would send. Price represented the 6th District for more than a decade before Trump tapped him to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. But despite Prices easy, 24-point-margin re-election in Novemberpart of a Republican winning streak in the district that dates back to the 70s Ossoff has a legitimate shot. Trump barely beat Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton in the district, part of a gradual narrowing of the gap between Republican and Democrat presidential contenders here since 2000, as the Atlanta Journal-Constitution recently highlighted.
Ossoff also benefits mightily from a fragmented Republican field11 are running in the open primary, including at least four top-tier candidates. Four other Democrats are also running, although Ossoff is far and away the partys top choice. If any candidate, regardless of party, wins more than 50 percent of the vote in the first round, he or she wins the election. If not, the top two finishers advance to a runoff on June 20. The GOPs cannibalization gives Ossoff a chance of winning the seat outright next week (going up one-on-one against a sole Republican in the second round is a taller order). Coming on the heels of a near-miss in a special election in Kansas last week, where an underfunded Democrat lost by single digits in a heavily Republican district, progressives are eager to frame Ossoff's success as another warning shot against Republicans in Washington.
Thats drawn a host of support from the lefts netroots community. Websites like Daily Kos and groups like MoveOn.org have been cheering on the Ossoff campaign and helping channel donations since early in 2017. Thanks largely to those efforts, Ossoff, who started out with virtually no name recognition or any experience in elected office, has raised a staggering $8-plus million for the race, most of it online from small dollar, out-of-state donors.
Republicans are now pouring money into the race, as well, not behind any one particular candidate but to attack Ossoff and keep him from crossing the 50 percent vote tally. Since March, the Republican party and outside groups aligned with it have spent more than $5 million attacking Ossoff. Their top critiques: hes too inexperienced and hes a stooge of liberal donors, not someone who represents the district. A recent email from the Republican National Committee, signed by Team Trump, labeled Ossoff an out-of-state, Nancy Pelosi-backed candidate, a reference to House Democrats liberal leader from San Francisco.
Democratic candidate Jon Ossoff greets supporters after the League of Women Voters' candidate forum for Georgia's 6th Congressional District special election to replace Tom Price, who is now the secretary of Health and Human Services, in Marietta, Georgia, April 3. Bita Honarvar/Reuters
Should Ossoff win on Tuesdayor down the road in Junethe victory would be largely psychological for national Democrats. Flipping the seat from Republican hands would only make a tiny dent in the 40-plus seat deficit with the GOP in the House. And the unique dynamics of a special election, where turnout is typically low and organization is lacking, mean its unlikely to be a good bellwether for other races down the line, something The New Republic underscored this week.
The affluent suburbs north of Atlanta, meanwhile, present a whole different political environment than Rust Belt states where Democrats also need to win back white voters. With its rapidly growing tech sector, cities like Roswell and Alpharetta quickly bounced back after the last decades recession. More than half of residents in the district have a college degree. Thats a far cry from economically depressed regions of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Ohio, where a significant number of voters swung from Democrat Barack Obama to Trump in the 2016 presidential election.
Democrats are, however, gunning for plenty of Republican House seats that do have profiles relatively similar to Georgia 6relatively affluent suburban districts outside of major metropolises in states like New York, New Jersey, California and Virginia. Democrats vying for those seats will need to pull off the same sort of balancing act Ossoff is attempting, firing up the base while not alienating middle-of-the-road suburban voters. This special election offers a test of one such approach.
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In Georgia Special Election, Democrat Jon Ossoff Offers Message to the Middle - Newsweek