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Local members of the Jefferson County Democratic Party gathered Saturday for their annual dinner and reception and heard from both state and local leaders concerning the partys plans for the future.

Standing before a portrait of Franklin D. Roosevelt, Indiana Democratic Party Chairman Mike Schmuhl said the party wants to bring people together to achieve real solutions to problems, and have less of the division that he said is harmful to politics.

People will shoot to one side and they dont really listen to the detail. They dont really get the facts. They dont really get the context, Schmuhl said. It feels like people are so pushed to the edges. Youre either on this side or on that side.

Schmuhl said the Democratic party, with its policies and issues, is seeking to deliver for people ... Were focusing on issues that are less partisan, and about solving problems for people.

He noted that Joe Kernan was the last Democratic Governor in Indiana, losing in 2004 to Republican Mitch Daniels. What I have been telling people all over the state is we need to have a conversation about the last 20 years in Indiana, and whether we like what were getting out of our government.

Cami Keltch, one of the leaders of the newly created Jefferson County Democratic Alliance, formerly the Jefferson County Democratic Womens Club, said shes working to get more women involved in the political process locally, statewide and nationally through the Democratic Party.

I am eager to find ways to get more women involved in our local Democratic party, state and nationally. As it currently stands 52% of our countys population is comprised of women, yet only 35% of our elected positions are held by women, Keltch said, noting that rather than resurrect a womens club we wanted a group thats all inclusive and thats the reason for the new name for the organization whose mission will be to support the county Democratic party candidates through fundraising, canvassing, education, mentorship and the recruitment of members and future candidates. We have a lot of big ideas on how to make our local party stronger.

Keltch said although she is a baby to the political arena she decided to become active in the Democratic party because she realized that showing up to the ballot box every year is no longer enough and she wants to be a part of being a changemaker.

Adam Dickey, chair of the Ninth District Democratic Party, said this time and moment in history demands that Democrats be part of the change. It will be what defines us to future generations and makes all the difference for our communities moving forward.

In an election year when voters will focus on municipal elections in the city of Madison, the top local race for will be for mayor where Councilman Dan Dattilo will carry the Democratic Partys banner against incumbent Republican Bob Courtney.

Im passionate about this city, said Dan Dattilo, a third generation Madisonian who has been an at-large member on city council since 2016. My wife and I chose to raise our children here, and outside my college career Ive been here in Madison my whole life.

Dattilo said he plans to bring bold leadership to the office. When I say bold leadership, I mean making decisions that arent always easy, but are right, which can involve taking risks and be willing to make mistakes.

Bold leadership requires transparency and its important that Im honest with the public and with all the decisions I make, Dattilo added. Transparency builds trust and trust will build a foundation in my time as Mayor. And when Im transparent, Ill show the public that I respect them and I am committed to serving their interests.

Dattilo said he will oppose wasteful spending and provide clear and regular updates about planned spending and expenditures as well as require all city employees to sign statements of ethics.

He said he plans to foster a good working relationship with Jefferson County Commissioners and all nearby cities and value diversity within the administration and on city boards. Those are my promises.

A guidance counselor at Southwestern High School, Dattilo said he listens to people often. I hear good and bad. Im not here to judge. Im here to listen. I will do the same as your Mayor, the same as I have done as your councilman because your ideas will impact my decisions. I need to hear from all of you. That is important to me.

I love the diverse people of Madison. Its a wonderful place to be. It has great architecture, a beautiful setting, amazing people its a great place to work, play and live. Im so proud of this community and I want to make it even better, Dattilo said.

Schmuhl said the Indiana Democratic Party stands for strong and safe communities, stronger public education for kids, more pay for teachers in Indiana and more programming for workforce development in Indiana. He said Democrats want to create opportunities for keeping young people in Indiana so they have a future in the state and protect the environment and natural resources.

Jefferson County is a beautiful county, and we should be protecting those natural resources for generations to come, Schmuhl said. He noted the Democratic party will always stand up for organized labor and working people, lower healthcare costs for Hoosiers, and always protecting Social Security and Medicare.

Although the Democratic Party is currently the minority party in Indiana, Schmuhl said hes optimistic about the partys future because of our policies and our values. I think were transparent. I think were open. I think were honest.

He noted that President Joe Biden talks a lot about respect. Its about dignity, its about the soul of our nation. Thats why I am hopeful for the future of the Democratic Party in Indiana. I dont think those are just Democratic Party values, I think those are American values, and I think if we do a better job of getting our message out there, I think more and more Hoosiers will agree with us.

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Local Democrats hoping to bring voters back to the party - Madison Courier

Republican Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Dan Kelly saluted the crowd as he took the stage Sunday in Mt. Plesant, Wis., which was quickly preceded by the Republican mantra of we are at war. (Staff Photo: Steve Schuster)

Wisconsin Republicans said they are at war with Democrats, the mainstream news media and federal government control at a Wisconsin Supreme Court campaign event for Dan Kelly on Sunday in Mount Pleasant.

There has been a stark difference among the campaign events Democrats and Republicans have been holding across the Badger State in anticipation of April 4s election.

On Saturday, former Attorney General Eric Holder, who was stumping for Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Janet Protasiewicz, made it clear why the election was so important, discussing collective bargaining, abortion, gerrymandering, voters rights and more.

On Sunday, several Wisconsin Republican officials from local, state and federal offices stumped for Wisconsin Supreme Court Candidate Dan Kelly.

At Sundays event, Wisconsin GOP party chair and former lobbyist Brian Schimming showed off his conceal and carry card. The next speaker, Andrew Docksey, another Racine GOP official, said Republicans are at war with Democrats, the news media and the federal government who exert too much control.

We need volunteers to help us fight this war, said a GOP official.

In his opening remarks, Republican Rep Brian Steil said, And so the good news is we took away the speakers gavel from Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Rep. Steil talked about his interview on FOX News discussing Trumps indictment, arguing that the federal tax dollars used in the investigation should instead be used to keep the streets of New York safe.

However, in the wake of Trumps indictment, more law enforcement have been called to the street in anticipation of protests creating a strain on resources.

There are more police out there today because they are getting ready for the rivals of Trump, said Johns Hopkins Political Science Professor Matthew Crenson during an interview with the Wisconsin Law Journal on Monday.

Trumps arrival has preoccupied a large amount of police resources. This may reduce police protection in other areas of New York, so perhaps its Trump who is contributing to decline in safety in our streets, Crenson added.

The Manhattan District Attorneys office said in a written response to Congress that as you are no doubt aware, former President Trump has directed harsh invective against District Attorney Bragg and threatened on social media that his arrest or indictment in New York may unleash death & destruction.

Additionally, District Attorney Braggs office has spoken up against Republican congressional interference with a local prosecution. In the past, Republicans have complained about federal government interference with local matters.

Congress has no warrant for interfering with individual criminal investigations, The Manhattan District Attorneys said in the written statement provided to the Wisconsin Law Journal.

The statement also made clear that Manhattan District Attorneys office only uses limited federal funds to effectively fight crime and help victims. In the case of Trumps prosecution, only around $5,000 in federal money was used, according to the district attorneys statement.

Our review of the Offices records reflect that, of the federal forfeiture money that the Office helped collect, approximately $5,000 was spent on expenses incurred relating to the investigation of Donald J. Trump or the Trump Organization, the statement said.

Rep. Steil said Democrats want to radicalize the judicial system and are not interested in equal treatment under the law.

If you look back at DA Bragg what you will see its the far left radical people that support the man and youll look see its the same cast of characters that are pouring money into the state of Wisconsin in what the far left wants to do. They want to radicalize the judicial system to implement their goals and objectives, Steil said.

In response, a Protasiewicz campaign spokesperson said, We know what kind of justice Dan Kelly will be, because weve already seen it. Instead of following the law, he brought corruption and extremism to the bench, ruling in favor of his special interests friends in case after case. This is a someone who even un-recused himself after receiving $20,000 in campaign contributions from a litigant and his family. Dan Kelly will manipulate the law and the court to fit his own political agenda. Judge Janet Protasiewicz is the only candidate who has spent three decades upholding our laws and following the constitution, and shes the best choice to bring fairness and impartiality back to the court.

A Wisconsin Law Journal investigation also revealed that a significant amount of out-of-state money has been added to Kellys campaign war chest, including $20,000 from Northern Virginia attorney Leonard Leo, who served as past vice president of the Federalist Society and was instrumental in the overturning of Roe v. Wade.

Additionally, Steil said that Republicans core objectives are to treat everyone equally. However, the Republican-controlled state Legislature has Wisconsin ranked as one of the most gerrymandered states in the nation.

Republicans took issue with a comment allegedly made by Protasiewicz that if elected to the state Supreme Court she would be open to reviewing gerrymandered maps to determine if they were fair and balanced.

Janet Protasiewicz admitted she wanted to get another look at the maps. Thats why I was saying to the media the more Janet Protasiewicz talks, the better it is, because she keeps talking about what she is going to do unethically, said Schimming, the Wisconsin GOP chair.

He said that it would unethical for the Supreme Court to review the legality of gerrymandered maps. Those maps were created by former Gov. Scott Walker and implemented in 2011. Kelly defended the maps when the Republican party was his client.

However, the Wisconsin Supreme Court could be faced with deciding if a lower court erred in a prior ruling pertaining to legislative maps.

At the Kelly campaign event in Mount Pleasant on Sunday, the topics of abortion, voter rights, education, the environment, gerrymandering, the environment were not discussed much, a stark contrast to Protasiewiczs event Saturday.

Instead on Sunday, Republican elected officials continued their attacks against the media, Democrats and the federal government.

As Kelly took the stage on Sunday and began discussing how his opponent would take away liberties, at the same time Wisconsin Republicans began to censor the press. Andrew Docksey, a Racine Republican Party executive board member told the Wisconsin Law Journal that photography and videography were no longer allowed, despite several others in the room taking pictures and recording video.

After the Wisconsin Law Journal ceased taking photos and video Docksey then told the Wisconsin Law Journal to stop sending text messages and stop taking notes, as this was not permissible during the public event.

A GOP audience member recorded video of Dan Kelly speaking Sunday as Wisconsin Republicans told The Wisconsin Law Journal that no photos, video, note taking, or texting was allowed. (Staff photo: Steve Schuster)

In contrast to Saturdays event for the Wisconsin Democrats attended by Holder, the media was allowed to record video, take photographs send text messages, and take notes without issue.

At the Democrats event Saturday, voter rights and voter suppression were key topics of discussion.

Wisconsin is probably the most gerrymandered state in the country, Holder said, noting that Democrats only have about 35% of the Wisconsin Legislature, which Holder said is a direct result of the gerrymandering political lines that were redrawn in 2011 under Walker and defended by Kelly.

In the last 20 minutes of Sundays GOP event, Kelly took his opponent to task on many of her views.

And there Protasiewicz was asked about the scales of justice. Youve probably heard about that before, right?

Kelly added that Protasiewicz will be making decisions for the people because she doesnt trust you.

Meanwhile, Holder said during Saturdays event, People around the country looked to Wisconsin for how democracy should be perfected. And now, people are looking at Wisconsin yet again, to see how democracy can be saved.

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Wisconsin GOP: 'We are at war' with Democrats, news media and ... - Wisconsin Law Journal

Two candidates representing opposite ends of the Democratic party are on the ballot in the highly-watched Chicago mayoral runoff on Tuesday.

Paul Vallas, the former CEO of the Chicago school system, and Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson, a former teacher who is heavily backed by the Chicago Teachers Union, were the top two vote-getters in the February general election. Incumbent Mayor Lori Lightfoot came in third, so she will not be on the ballot on Tuesday.

Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET.

"In general, the race is too close to call," said Dick Simpson, a former Chicago alderman and professor emeritus at the University of Illinois-Chicago. "It depends on turnout that each candidate is able to produce their voters the voters are literally torn."

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Vallas, who is White, has focused his campaign mainly on crime while Johnson, who is Black, has focused on education.

Vallas led in the general election, taking 32.9% of the vote, and Johnson came in second with 21.6%, but Johnson has closed the gap since then. A recent poll from Northwestern University's Center for the Study of Diversity and Democracy (CSDD) and various nonprofit organizations found the race in a dead heat, with both Vallas and Johnson having 44% of the vote.

Despite that Vallas formerly has described himself as "more Republican than Democrat," he has received the backing from several high-profile Illinois Democrats. Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin, the senior senator from Illinois, has backed him, as well as former President Obama's Education Secretary Arne Duncan. He also has the support of Republican donor Kenneth Griffin, who has previously backed divisive former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel.

Johnson, meanwhile, has received the backing of influential national Democrats like Sens. Bernie Sanders who held a rally with Johnson last week and Elizabeth Warren, Jesse Jackson and Rep. Jim Clyburn. At the rally for Johnson, Sanders categorized the race as being between the interest of the "powerful and greedy" and "the son of the working class," according to the Chicago Tribune.

Despite the national interest in the race Chicago is, after all, America's third largest city Christopher Mooney, a political science professor at the University of Illinois-Chicago, noted the biggest issues are local issues crime and education and not broader cultural war issues.

"The culture war issues and the weird national polarization that we've got now and Donald Trump those culture wars and Donald Trump, those things are irrelevant in the city of Chicago," Mooney said.

According to the Chicago Tribune, the candidates brought in about $17 million in the month between the general election and the end of March. Vallas brought in just under $11 million and Johnson brought in $5.8 million, according to the Tribune.

More than half of Johnson's fundraising haul has come from the Chicago Teachers Union, where he was once an organizer. Since he announced his candidacy, he has also received support from other influential teachers' unions, including the American Federation of Teachers and the Illinois Federation of Teachers.

Education has become one of the driving local issues in this race. While Vallas served as CEO of Chicago Public Schools under former Mayor Richard Daley from 1995-2001 and later in similar positions in other cities around the country, he was a strong proponent of charter schools.

As Mooney noted, the teachers union and charter schools have "conflicting interests," but Vallas appeals to people who think that Johnson is too controlled by the CTU.

Although Vallas has received significant funding from charter school advocates, he has not highlighted it as an issue in this campaign. Rather, Vallas has focused heavily on being tough on crime.

Vallas has campaigned on adding police officers on patrol and on public transit, Johnson has taken a more progressive route of tackling the root causes of crime.

In big cities throughout the country, tough-on-crime messaging has proven popular for Democrats. In New York, former cop-turned-politician and more conservative Democrat in the race Eric Adams won the mayor's race in 2021 and progressive district attorney Chesa Boudin was successfully recalled in San Francisco in 2022.

Vallas has received significant support both financial and personal from the Fraternal Order of Police, the police union. Chicago FOP president John Catanzara said last week that 800 to 1,000 police officers would resign if Johnson was elected, predicting that there would be "blood in the streets as a result."

At a debate last week, Johnson blasted Catanzara, saying "has said a lot of disturbing, ridiculous things," highlighting Catanzara's comments supporting the rioters at the Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol, criticizing Black Lives Matter and other controversial statements.

"It actually speaks to the type of candidacy that my opponent is running," Johnson said of Vallas' ties to the FOP and Catanzara. Vallas, for his part, said he would not be beholden to the FOP.

Most of the city's Black community appeared to be lining up behind Johnson, according to recent polls. Vallas has also tried to reach more conservative Black voters as well as assembling a coalition of Republicans, wealthier residents and Latinos. The Latino community has so far remained split, which could be a huge deciding factor in the race.

Lightfoot, meanwhile, the first incumbent Chicago mayor to lose reelection in over 40 years has not endorsed a candidate, although it's unlikely either candidate would welcome it. Her leadership style amid the COVID-19 pandemic, crime surges and clashes with the teachers' union has left her with high unpopularity both within the city and nationally.

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Chicago mayor's race runoff: Voters go to the polls in race that highlights Democrats' divide - CBS News

The Baltimore County Democratic Party on Monday called on the Maryland attorney general and the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate reports of squalid conditions for minors held at the Baltimore County Detention Center.

The Democratic Partys statement followed accusations from the Maryland Public Defenders Office that the Towson jail is violating state and federal laws by holding children under 18 in solitary confinement for up to 23 hours a day in rodent-infested, flood-prone cells; by failing to separate them from adult inmates; and by not providing them with adequate schooling or medical care.

[We are] steadfast in our commitment to the protection of the children of Baltimore County and recognize that it is a moral imperative to safeguard our youngest residents from harm, Baltimore County Democratic Party chairperson Jason Garber wrote in the statement. We condemn the cruel practice of housing children in adult facilities with full knowledge of these conditions.

The statement called for Baltimore County States Attorney Scott Shellenberger, also a Democrat, to immediately transfer the youth inmates to a juvenile facility and to enter into a memorandum of understanding with the Maryland Public Defender to hold all youth inmates who are charged as adults in juvenile facilities.

[Youth at Baltimore County jail kept in cells for 23 hours a day in poor conditions, state public defender says]

Last month, Deborah St. Jean, the director of the public defenders juvenile protection division, made those accusations public in a letter to Shellenberger, Democratic County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr. and state lawmakers. The county Department of Corrections is investigating the jail, according to a March 16 letter to St. Jean from Director Walt Pesterfield.

As of Monday, the jail held five boys, according to county spokesperson Erica Palmisano.

Minors who commit crimes and are automatically charged as adults under Maryland law can be held in youth facilities, according to Maryland law, though judges can send them to adult facilities.

The Baltimore County States Attorneys Office reviews every case that is subject to a bail review and makes recommendations to assure Baltimore County residents are safe, Shellenberger said. If that means a 17-year-old charged with murder stays in an adult facility because theyre charged as an adult, then thats the appropriate place for them to be housed.

It really strikes a chord of how concerned and disturbed the Democratic Party grassroots [base] is, said Ian Miller, a Baltimore County Democratic Central Committee member who was speaking as an individual. Miller said the committee passed the statement unanimously at a March 28 meeting.

The county executives office has been Democratically controlled since December 1994, when Dutch Ruppersberger won the election against then-County Executive Roger Hayden, a Republican.

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As our administration has consistently said, BCDC houses juvenile offenders charged as adults who are ordered by the Court to be held there. While the county conducts an evaluation of the facility, officials have noted that it appears that in many cases, conditions were not found to be as described; however, the county is identifying areas for improvement and will provide a response following completion of their investigation, Palmisano said in a statement.

Meanwhile, the county continues to explore opportunities to work with partners to identify alternative options for housing juveniles charged as adults.

The Democratic Party statement also called on the U.S. Department of Justice and Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown to investigate the policies, practices and conditions of the county Department of Corrections and Shellenbergers office.

A spokesperson for the DOJ did not immediately have a comment Monday.

Aleithea Warmack, a spokesperson for Browns office, declined to comment, citing a policy of neither confirming nor denying the existence of any ongoing investigations.

Pesterfield said in meetings with the Baltimore County Council and Baltimore County legislative delegation that some of the accusations were inaccurate or only partially true.

Public Defender Natasha Dartigue and members of her office reiterated the claims of squalid conditions in a briefing last Friday with lawmakers and asked Pesterfield to enter into an agreement with the state Department of Public Safety and Corrections that would send youth inmates charged as adults to the Youth Detention Center on Greenmount Avenue in Baltimore City instead of the Towson adult detention center.

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Baltimore County Democrats call for state and federal investigation ... - Baltimore Sun

Almost all political donations from University of Maryland salaried employees in 2021 and 2022 went to Democrats, according to a Diamondback analysis of federal and state data.

Of the more than 7,200 donations made in the two years, just 55 went to Republican candidates and groups.

Some Democratic donations came from this universitys highest ranking employees. University President Darryll Pines donated $1,300 over the two years, with $1,000 going toward Maryland Gov. Wes Moores campaign. Maryland football coach Mike Locksley donated $500 to a Democrat running for Maryland lieutenant governor, and Gregory Ball, the former dean of this universitys behavioral and social sciences college and current research vice president, gave $675 to top Democratic groups.

The data, which included more than 43,000 donations since 2013, indicates employees are becoming more politically active and lean heavily Democratic. Last year marked the second most amount of money donated for a midterm election year, only behind 2018. 2020 saw the most money donated of any year, surpassing 2018 by more than $600,000.

Since 2013, employees have donated more than $715,000 to ActBlue, a main Democratic Party fundraising organization. WinRed, a key GOP fundraising platform, received just more than $7,100.

Employees donated more than $290,000 in 2021 and 2022, with just more than $7,000 going toward Republican candidates and groups.

That any location in the country is that lopsided in terms of the engaged, contributing, electorate, is quite eye-opening, James Gimpel, a professor in the government and politics department, wrote in an email.

[Key takeaways from UMDs salaries report]

Few university departments donated in large numbers to Republican causes. Employees in the public policy school gave $3,900 to Republican candidates and groups in 2021 and 2022, the only department that donated more than $500 to GOP groups.

We live in such a blue bubble, Gimpel said.

Four colleges made up more than half of all the donations since 2013: the arts and humanities college, computer, mathematical and natural sciences college, engineering school and behavioral and social sciences college.

Sixteen employees have each donated more than $20,000 in the past decade. Norbert Hornstein, a professor emeritus in the linguistics department, donated more than $284,000 the most of any university employee.

The strong Democratic lean surprised political science professors at this university. Political contributions nationwide are generally even between the two parties. In the 2021-22 cycle, Democrats received 51.5 percent of federal political donations from individuals, while Republicans received 48 percent. Other parties received just 0.5 percent of donations from individuals.

Stella Rouse, a government and politics professor at this university, said she thinks the gap could be due to the GOPs rightward shift in recent years.

Youre talking about conservatives in Maryland. Most of them are likely not MAGA conservatives, Rouse said. That distribution there kind of shows me that there is likely not something that the Republican Party is presenting to more moderate or traditional Republicans that they see as a value in contributing their money to support.

[UMD sees record high in sexual misconduct reports during 2021-2022]

The analysis included donors who listed this university as their employer and whose names matched in university records and their donation. The Diamondback has obtained the universitys list of all salaried employees since 2013 for its annual salary guides.

Matt Johnson, the president of this universitys College Republicans, thinks there is more political diversity among students than employees.

I dont think thats good for a college campus, the senior finance major said. A college campus should have political diversity, not just in terms of its student body but in terms of its faculty and staff. Its a shame.

In an interview last month, Pines said he found the data somewhat surprising, but that the university does not seek out any political ideology among its employees.

We look for the best hires for all positions, Pines said. So were inclusive of all people who think in many different ways politically.

Learn more about The Diamondbacks analysis here.

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More than 99% of UMD employee political donations went to ... - The Diamondback