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Tuesday, April 11, 2017 8:55 p.m. CDT by Mike Leischner

Chris Martian. Submitted photo.

Rapid City, S.D. (KELO AM) - Chris Martian knows that the blue party usually has an uphill climb in deeply red South Dakota. But he's hoping his unique viewpoint and the fact that he isn't a career politician will help him buck that trend.

The former IT professional turned stay-at-home dad says politics has always been on his radar, and after observing what he calls some troubling trends in the current climate he decided to do something about it. "These representatives work for us. Their job is not to tell us what to think, their job is not to cherry-pick information, their job is to give us all the information and let us decide."

One particular tipping point for Martian was the passage of a bill that wiped out the FCC's internet privacy laws, allowing Internet Service Providers to sell their customer's browser histories and other personal data. "I thought, 'they'll at least explain to us why they voted that way,' [but] I haven't found anything from anybody. It's almost as if they are disavowing knowledge of that."

Related: Bill allows sale of browsing histories

Martian confirmed he is running as a Democrat; however he hopes voters will see his platform before his party affiliation. "We need to look at whomever ends up going and say - that's the kind of person that we want there, is that the kind of person that will give us information, or is that the kind of person who will give us propaganda?" He went on to say that if elected he refuses to be controlled by one party or another; instead he will work for the people of South Dakota.

Despite his lack of prior political experience and name recognition, Martian says he'd at least like to get people thinking. "Even if somebody else wins or if someone is more recognized than I am, maybe [by my running] the public attitude can change and we'll be better off for it."

Recent elections have been less than kind to unknowns such as Martian. Last year Yankton Democrat Jay Williams was soundly defeated by longtime incumbent John Thune. Williams won just three counties and 29% of the popular vote, however after conceding to Thune said that he was proud of his effort to go from zero name recognition to 50% in just under a year and run a positive, issues-based campaign.

No matter how the votes fall in November 2018, it seems Martian is ready for the adventure. "What could you do if you weren't afraid? That's the motto to live by."

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Rapid City Democrat emerges as US House candidate - KELO AM-FM

When most people think of Nebraska politics, they think of a conservative state, one that is mostly made up of Republican supporters. Forty-eight percent of registered Nebraska voters are Republican compared to 26 percent nationally. The membership of the Democratic party in Nebraska has also been on the decline. But these numbers arent stopping Democratic party members from including Nebraska on the list of states theyll visit in the month of April.

The newly-elected Democratic National Committee Chair Tom Perez, state Democratic Party Chair Jane Kleeb and Sen. Bernie Sanders will be at Baxter Arena in Omaha on April 20 to campaign for Democrat Heath Mello. Mello is running against the incumbent Mayor Jean Stothert, a Republican, in the May 9 general election. Mello, a Democrat, may seem to have no chance of winning a conservative state like Nebraska, but he served in the state legislature for eight years before reaching his term limit. He also came within three percent of Stothert in the April 4 primary.

While this may be only one city-wide election, the fact that these important figures in Democratic party politics are giving their support for Mello shows theres more to this election than meets the eye. Sen. Sanders was recently voted as the most popular politician in America and began a call for change in the way the Democratic party operates during his run for the partys presidential nomination last year. He has frequently spoken out against the way the party has ignored rural and conservative parts of the country and has advocated for a new strategy that stops conceding states and neglecting the people living in these states.

The states that Sen. Sanders and Perez will visit include Utah, Arizona, Florida and Kentucky, all states that handed their electoral votes off to President Donald Trump in last falls election. This tour is the first step in healing the wounds of the Democratic party. The defeat Hillary Clinton suffered was embarrassing to the party and, for many, a sign that the party needed new leadership and a new way of connecting with voters across America. Since then, Sen. Sanders has become one of the new faces of the party, even though hes an Independent, and has played a large role in reshaping the party and its agenda since President Trumps November victory.

Touring these states to campaign for one set of elections wont change the way the Democratic party is viewed in conservative states. But it can serve as the base layer for a renewed effort to connect with people from all walks of life on a grassroots level. By listening to people in areas Democrats normally dont win, the party can open a dialogue with people they had appeared to have forgotten. This can help build support for Democrats in these areas and begin the long, hard process of reforming Democratic politics.

Sen. Sanders built his campaign around small-dollar donations and a sense of people power rather than the power of large donations. This approach can be seen in this tour. By going to states that normally vote Republican, the top brass of the party on the national level can help the party on the state level. Large rallies can energize the Democrats already living in these states and create an enthusiasm that can transition into real grassroots efforts for change. This approach makes politics a more community-oriented, people-driven approach to gaining electoral power in states that have been tougher for Democrats to compete in traditionally.

If the rally helps propel Mello to a win next month, it will be a big win for Nebraska Democrats. While it may not transform our state into a Democratic stronghold, it will send a message that the Democratic party can win elections in conservative states. If the party can find a way to energize people and appeal to a wider base through outreach efforts like this multi-state tour, then the new strategy of the Democratic party may be born.

Sen. Sanders and Perez wont completely change the way the Democratic party operates, but they are laying the groundwork for a new way forward. It may be a crazy concept, but Nebraska can actually be part of the foundation for this new 50-state strategy. The goal isnt simply to turn people who normally vote Republican into Democrats, but to create a sense of excitement and optimism around the party. This effort to put time and resources into every state is one way to transform the hangover of the 2016 elections into a chance to rejuvenate the party going forward.

Riley Slezak is a junior journalism and political science major. Reach him at opinion@dailynebraskan.com or via @DNOpinion.

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SLEZAK: Democrat state tour is a chance to revitalize party - Daily Nebraskan

Sacramento Bee

Gas tax vote prompts recall campaign against Southern California Democrat Sacramento Bee In the first political fallout from last week's vote to raise the gas tax in California, opponents are trying to recall a rookie lawmaker who voted for it. Carl DeMaio, a talk radio host and former city councilman in San Diego, said Tuesday that plans ...

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Gas tax vote prompts recall campaign against Southern California Democrat - Sacramento Bee

Dan Helmer, a Fairfax County Army veteran and Rhodes Scholar, on Tuesday became the second Democrat to announce plans to challenge incumbent Congresswoman Barbara Comstock (R) in Virginia's 10th District in the 2018 midterm election.

Helmer, who served tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, said he has raised $120,000 for the campaign in just three weeks. The 35-year-old West Point formally filed his candidacy on March 31, his campaign said.

Our community deserves leaders who can rise above the dysfunction of Washington, bring people together, and get things done for the people of this district," Helmer said in a statement. "We need a new kind of leadership to ensure that we have a thriving economy, schools that provide a great education to all of our children, and a foreign policy that reflects our values and keeps us safe. We will need to roll up our sleeves and work together, and that requires first that we listen. I look forward to spending the coming weeks and months hearing from members of the community about what they want for our district and for our country.

Fairfax County school teacher Kimberly Adams has already announced her intentions to challenge Comstock.

Several more well-established Democrats, including state Sen. Jennifer Wexton of Leesburg, are also considering running for the 10th District seat in 2018. The district's Democrats won't select a nominee until until 2018.

Comstock won her first congressional race in 2014 by 16 percent over the vote over Fairfax County Supervisor John Foust. In last November's race, she defeated real estate developer LuAnn Bennett by six points.

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Second Fairfax County Democrat launches campaign to challenge Comstock - Loudoun Times-Mirror

April 11, 2017, 7:29 a.m.

A retired Navy SEAL is running against Rep. Duncan Hunter(R-Alpine),the fourth Democrat to enter next years race.

Josh Butner, a member of the Jamul-Dulzura Union School District Board of Education, said he believes representing the 50th Congressional District would help fulfill a commitment to public service that started in his childhood, through his career in the Navy, and now with his position at the school district.

I still feel this intense need to serve and give back to my country, he said. Throughout my entire life, my country has given me so much that I cannot possibly give back enough.

Hunter, who has represented his Alipinedistrict since 2009, is running for another term against not only Butner, but rancher Pierre Pete Beauregard, Grossmont Healthcare District Trustee Gloria Chadwick, and his opponent from 2016, Patrick Malloy.

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Former Navy SEAL the latest Democrat to take on GOP Rep. Duncan Hunter - Los Angeles Times