Politics, Parties, Candidates
Here's a look at documents from politicians, candidates and interested parties
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Statement: Michigan Dems on the 16th Anniversary of the Affordable Care Act
LANSING, Michigan, March 24 -- The Michigan Democratic Party issued the following news release on March 23, 2026:
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STATEMENT: Michigan Dems on the 16th Anniversary of the Affordable Care Act
On the 16th anniversary of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) being signed into law, amid skyrocketing health care costs due to GOP-backed premium hikes, Michigan Democratic Party Chair Curtis Hertel released the following statement:
"Sixteen years ago, the Affordable Care Act expanded health care coverage to millions of Americans. Today, that progress is under attack--health care costs are skyrocketing
... Show Full Article
LANSING, Michigan, March 24 -- The Michigan Democratic Party issued the following news release on March 23, 2026:
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STATEMENT: Michigan Dems on the 16th Anniversary of the Affordable Care Act
On the 16th anniversary of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) being signed into law, amid skyrocketing health care costs due to GOP-backed premium hikes, Michigan Democratic Party Chair Curtis Hertel released the following statement:
"Sixteen years ago, the Affordable Care Act expanded health care coverage to millions of Americans. Today, that progress is under attack--health care costs are skyrocketingacross our state because Republicans are forcing ACA premium hikes, pricing hardworking Michiganders out of coverage.
"Mike Rogers, the GOP candidates for governor, and Michigan Republicans in Congress are all backing these devastating premium hikes while pushing tax handouts for billionaires. This November, Michiganders will hold them accountable for the health care crisis they created."
Health care costs are skyrocketing in Michigan, and more people are going uninsured because of GOP-backed premium hikes.
* Health care premium payments have more than doubled on average for hundreds of thousands of Michiganders because Republicans in Congress forced ACA premium subsidies to expire at the end of last year.
* About 34,000 fewer Michiganders enrolled in ACA plans as of late January compared to last year, as costs skyrocketed. Nationwide, nearly a tenth of ACA enrollees have dropped their health care coverage after subsidies expired due to rising costs.
Michigan Republicans opposed extending ACA subsidies, forcing health care premiums to skyrocket for middle-class Michiganders.
* GOP Senate candidate Mike Rogers, a multi-millionaire Florida resident, opposed an extension of ACA premium tax credits. While in Congress, Rogers voted against the Affordable Care Act, labeled it a "disastrous law," voted repeatedly for its repeal, and vowed to "redouble" efforts to gut the legislation.
* Every Michigan Republican in the U.S. House--John James, Tom Barrett, Bill Huizenga, Jack Bergman, John Moolenaar, Tim Walberg, and Lisa McClain--voted against extending ACA premium tax credits.
* Each of the Republican candidates for governor have also supported the disastrous GOP budget law that failed to extend ACA tax credits. John James cast one of the deciding votes, has since dodged questions while keeping the door open to ending Medicaid expansion entirely in Michigan, and previously called for repealing the ACA entirely while labeling it a "monstrosity." Perry Johnson praised Trump's tax law and called it "a win for America and a big win for Michigan," even as it's caused prices to rise and gutted Medicaid. Aric Nesbitt called the law a "win," Tom Leonard said "Yes, I support that. 100%" when asked about cuts to Medicaid, and Mike Cox cheered the tax law's passage after he previously "led the fight" against the ACA.
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Original text here: https://michigandems.com/statement-michigan-dems-on-the-16th-anniversary-of-the-affordable-care-act/
On the 16th Anniversary of the ACA, Anna Paulina Luna, Cory Mills, and Laurel Lee Are To Blame For Florida Families Facing Rising Health Care Costs
WASHINGTON, March 24 -- The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee posted the following news release:
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On the 16th Anniversary of the ACA, Anna Paulina Luna, Cory Mills, and Laurel Lee Are To Blame For Florida Families Facing Rising Health Care Costs
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On the sixteenth anniversary of the Affordable Care Act, hardworking Florida families are reeling from skyrocketing health care costs after Luna, Mills, and Lee voted against extending ACA tax credits.
Now premiums are higher and affordable options are shrinking, leaving many families in Florida paying more each month or forgoing
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, March 24 -- The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee posted the following news release:
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On the 16th Anniversary of the ACA, Anna Paulina Luna, Cory Mills, and Laurel Lee Are To Blame For Florida Families Facing Rising Health Care Costs
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On the sixteenth anniversary of the Affordable Care Act, hardworking Florida families are reeling from skyrocketing health care costs after Luna, Mills, and Lee voted against extending ACA tax credits.
Now premiums are higher and affordable options are shrinking, leaving many families in Florida paying more each month or forgoingcoverage entirely.
A majority of Americans blame Republicans for rising health care costs, and many families are already feeling the impact in their day to day lives. According to recent reporting, ACA enrollees are cutting back on basics like food and utilities just to keep up with their monthly health care costs.
DCCC Spokesperson Madison Andrus:
"Today's anniversary is a reminder that Anna Paulina Luna, Cory Mills, and Laurel Lee handed a massive health care tax hike to hardworking families across Florida. By failing to extend the ACA tax credits, Luna, Mills, and Lee have effectively forced people to choose between paying for basic needs like rent or groceries or going to see a doctor. Floridians are being priced out of being able to get the health care they need; Voters will remember how these vulnerable Republicans betrayed and lied to them when they head to the polls this November."
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Original text here: https://dccc.org/on-the-16th-anniversary-of-the-aca-anna-paulina-luna-cory-mills-and-laurel-lee-are-to-blame-for-florida-families-facing-rising-health-care-costs/
N.C. Democratic Party: "Michael Whatley's Longstanding Ties To A Convicted Sex Offender Raise Questions"
RALEIGH, North Carolina, March 24 -- The North Carolina Democratic Party issued the following news on March 23, 2026:
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"Michael Whatley's Longstanding Ties To A Convicted Sex Offender Raise Questions"
DC insider Michael Whatley is facing growing scrutiny for knowingly "championing the rise to power" of convicted child sex predator Harvey Lee West while serving as NCGOP Chair.
MeidasTouch News: "Even as West's past was publicly known and previously reported, there is no indication that Whatley distanced himself or raised concerns about West's continued role within the party. In 2024, Harvey
... Show Full Article
RALEIGH, North Carolina, March 24 -- The North Carolina Democratic Party issued the following news on March 23, 2026:
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"Michael Whatley's Longstanding Ties To A Convicted Sex Offender Raise Questions"
DC insider Michael Whatley is facing growing scrutiny for knowingly "championing the rise to power" of convicted child sex predator Harvey Lee West while serving as NCGOP Chair.
MeidasTouch News: "Even as West's past was publicly known and previously reported, there is no indication that Whatley distanced himself or raised concerns about West's continued role within the party. In 2024, HarveyWest shared a photo with Michael Whatley from the RNC Convention, describing the experience as emotional and unifying, and noting it brought members of the North Carolina delegation closer together."
13 days after being exposed for elevating and protecting a child predator, Whatley still hasn't answered questions from reporters about his record.
Read More:
MeidasTouch News: Michael Whatley's Longstanding Ties to a Convicted Sex Offender Raise Questions (https://meidasnews.com/news/michael-whatleys-longstanding-ties-to-a-convicted-sex-offender-raise-questions)
Aaron Parnas | March 23, 2026
* For years, Whatley worked alongside Harvey Lee West Jr., a Republican Party official in North Carolina with a criminal record involving offenses against children.
* From 2019 to 2024, Whatley served as chair of the North Carolina Republican Party. During that same period, West held a leadership role as chair of the party's First Congressional District. Their overlap was not incidental or brief. It spanned multiple election cycles and party activities.
* Public records and event documentation show that Whatley and West appeared together at numerous Republican gatherings. Whatley spoke at a district convention where West was re elected as chair. Photographs from party events over several years show the two interacting openly, including smiling together, posing for pictures, and embracing on stage.
* Even as West's past was publicly known and previously reported, there is no indication that Whatley distanced himself or raised concerns about West's continued role within the party. In 2024, Harvey West shared a photo with Michael Whatley from the RNC Convention, describing the experience as emotional and unifying, and noting it brought members of the North Carolina delegation closer together.
* Harvey West's criminal history is not ambiguous. In 2000, he pleaded guilty to multiple counts of taking indecent liberties with children. The charges stemmed from incidents involving minors, with original allegations that also included statutory rape.
* More recently, his involvement in local political events has continued to generate concern. In 2026, residents in Dare County raised alarms after West was selected to moderate a school board candidate forum, highlighting ongoing unease about his presence in positions connected to public trust and youth related issues.
* Despite the seriousness of West's past, Whatley did not publicly address or condemn his role within the party. Instead, the two continued to appear together at official functions.
* Whatley's past comments on other high profile issues further complicate the picture. In a 2025 radio appearance, he characterized renewed attention on the Jeffrey Epstein case as a political distraction rather than a matter warranting focus. Critics argue that such remarks, combined with his continued association with West, suggest a pattern of minimizing or deflecting concerns related to sexual misconduct when they are politically inconvenient.
* Whatley's record presents a clear contradiction. While publicly condemning alleged associations between his opponents and dangerous criminals, he maintained a years long professional relationship with a convicted child predator within his own party and did so without public objection.
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Original text here: https://www.ncdp.org/media/new-michael-whatleys-longstanding-ties-to-a-convicted-sex-offender-raise-questions/
Mich. Democratic Party: Chair Hertel - "Mike Duggan Refuses to Stand Up to Donald Trump"
LANSING, Michigan, March 24 -- The Michigan Democratic Party issued the following news release on March 23, 2026:
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Chair Hertel: "Mike Duggan Refuses to Stand Up to Donald Trump"
DETROIT -- On the Mildred Gaddis Show on 105.9 Kiss-FM in Detroit yesterday, Michigan Democratic Party Chair Curtis Hertel outlined how Mike Duggan can't be trusted to fight for Michiganders, including how Duggan refuses to stand up to Donald Trump during his campaign for governor and how Duggan allowed toxic, cancerous dirt to be dumped across Detroit.
Mildred Gaddis noted how Republicans have been contributing
... Show Full Article
LANSING, Michigan, March 24 -- The Michigan Democratic Party issued the following news release on March 23, 2026:
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Chair Hertel: "Mike Duggan Refuses to Stand Up to Donald Trump"
DETROIT -- On the Mildred Gaddis Show on 105.9 Kiss-FM in Detroit yesterday, Michigan Democratic Party Chair Curtis Hertel outlined how Mike Duggan can't be trusted to fight for Michiganders, including how Duggan refuses to stand up to Donald Trump during his campaign for governor and how Duggan allowed toxic, cancerous dirt to be dumped across Detroit.
Mildred Gaddis noted how Republicans have been contributingheavily to Duggan's campaign, and on Duggan's refusal to stand up to Trump, Chair Hertel said, "In this situation, we have Mike Duggan, who has left who he was and now refuses to stand up to Donald Trump, refuses to talk about the things that are actually affecting families here. When you look at what's happening in Medicaid cuts, that he refuses to stand up to; ICE in our communities, that he refuses to stand up to; what's happening with all these things across the country, these attacks that are happening on our basic foundations of democracy. They talked about taking over elections in Detroit and Mike Duggan said nothing. So if you're not willing to stand up for the people you represent now, or that you did represent, how are you going to be as governor?"
Duggan's campaign strategy has left people "scratching their heads" as he's defended Trump's Medicaid cuts, continually launched one-sided attacks towards Democrats, complained about Rick Snyder's harmful policies being repealed, deflected questions about Trump's toxic tax law while his campaign is being funded by MAGA donors and prominent Republicans, even refused to condemn Trump's execution threats against U.S. Sen. Elissa Slotkin.
Mildred Gaddis and Chair Hertel also discussed Duggan's dirty dirt scandal, which has left hundreds of lots across Detroit filled with toxic and cancerous dirt that poses serious health risks to children.
"[Mike Duggan] promised neighborhoods that the dirt that was put in, that those projects, would be tested and clean. And now he's trying to blame everyone, and trying to come back and blame everybody else for the fact that under his administration, arsenic, lead, needles, all things put in the ground in people's neighborhoods, that our kids are playing in," said Chair Hertel. "For somebody who runs basically on being a 'great administrator,' how could you do that to people's families? And how could you try to blame anybody else for that?"
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Original text here: https://michigandems.com/new-report-mike-duggans-campaign-strategy-has-many-scratching-their-heads-2/
Marking The ACA Anniversary, NCDP Highlights Stories From North Carolinians Facing Rising Health Care Costs
RALEIGH, North Carolina, March 24 -- The North Carolina Democratic Party issued the following news on March 23, 2026:
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Marking The ACA Anniversary, NCDP Highlights Stories from North Carolinians Facing Rising Health Care Costs
Today, the North Carolina Democratic Party is marking the 16th anniversary of the Affordable Care Act being signed into law by highlighting stories from North Carolinians who are facing skyrocketing health care costs.
DonnaMarie Woodson: "I'm passionate about protecting affordable health care because I know firsthand that it saves lives... Every time Michael Whatley
... Show Full Article
RALEIGH, North Carolina, March 24 -- The North Carolina Democratic Party issued the following news on March 23, 2026:
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Marking The ACA Anniversary, NCDP Highlights Stories from North Carolinians Facing Rising Health Care Costs
Today, the North Carolina Democratic Party is marking the 16th anniversary of the Affordable Care Act being signed into law by highlighting stories from North Carolinians who are facing skyrocketing health care costs.
DonnaMarie Woodson: "I'm passionate about protecting affordable health care because I know firsthand that it saves lives... Every time Michael Whatleyhas the chance to support higher health care costs, he takes it. We deserve better."
As Washington Republicans send health costs skyrocketing, DC insider Michael Whatley has cheered them on at every step, from letting the ACA subsidies expire and driving up premiums for nearly 1 million North Carolinians, to gutting Medicaid. Whatley has also called for the repeal of the ACA.
"As North Carolinians struggle to afford rising health care costs, they have Michael Whatley and his DC buddies to thank," said Mallory Payne, senior communications advisor at the North Carolina Democratic Party. "16 years since Democrats expanded affordable health care for nearly a million North Carolinians, Whatley is championing every effort to drive up costs and put health care out of reach for middle class families. Meanwhile, Roy Cooper has a proven record of expanding health care as governor and will fight to make health care cost less in the United States Senate."
Throughout the day, the North Carolina Democratic Party will continue highlighting the impact of rising health care costs on North Carolina families across the state.
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Original text here: https://www.ncdp.org/media/new-marking-the-aca-anniversary-ncdp-highlights-stories-from-north-carolinians-facing-rising-health-care-costs/
MDP Endorses No Votes on Con-Con and Voter Suppression Ballot Measures
LANSING, Michigan, March 24 -- The Michigan Democratic Party issued the following news release on March 23, 2026:
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MDP Endorses No Votes on Con-Con and Voter Suppression Ballot Measures
On Saturday in Saginaw, the Michigan Democratic Party's State Central Committee voted to endorse no votes on Proposal 1, the ballot measure to call a Constitutional Convention (Con-Con), and the pending voter suppression ballot measure.
Michigan Democratic Party Chair Curtis Hertel released the following statement:
"A constitutional convention would be a long and drawn-out process where wealthy insiders
... Show Full Article
LANSING, Michigan, March 24 -- The Michigan Democratic Party issued the following news release on March 23, 2026:
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MDP Endorses No Votes on Con-Con and Voter Suppression Ballot Measures
On Saturday in Saginaw, the Michigan Democratic Party's State Central Committee voted to endorse no votes on Proposal 1, the ballot measure to call a Constitutional Convention (Con-Con), and the pending voter suppression ballot measure.
Michigan Democratic Party Chair Curtis Hertel released the following statement:
"A constitutional convention would be a long and drawn-out process where wealthy insidersand special interests would attempt to re-write Michigan's constitution and put at risk the progress that voters have passed in recent years, including protecting abortion rights and establishing a nonpartisan redistricting process. Voters have rejected previous constitutional conventions by large margins, and it's crucial that Michiganders once again reject a constitutional convention this November.
"The voter suppression ballot measure, that submitted petition signatures earlier this month with the hope of getting on the November ballot, is a blatant attempt from Michigan Republicans to make it harder to vote and disenfranchise hundreds of thousands of Michiganders. This measure would put in place burdensome requirements for voters, force many to re-register to vote, and only make the voting process more difficult. Michigan's elections are safe and secure, and this is just a power-grab attempt from Michigan Republicans who are desperate to limit access to the ballot box."
"Both of these ballot measures would have disastrous effects on our state, and Michigan families cannot afford either one. The Michigan Democratic Party is urging voters to vote no on both measures."
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Original text here: https://michigandems.com/mdp-endorses-no-votes-on-con-con-and-voter-suppression-ballot-measures/
DNC: Vance Rubs Elbows With Billionaires at $100k-Per-Plate Fundraisers, While Economy Spirals and War With Iran Rages on
WASHINGTON, March 24 -- The Democratic National Committee posted the following news release on March 23, 2026:
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Vance Rubs Elbows With Billionaires at $100k-Per-Plate Fundraisers, While Economy Spirals and War with Iran Rages on
This week, JD Vance will attend three $100,000-per-plate fundraisers in Texas and Tennessee, as Donald Trump and Vance's deadly and costly war of choice with Iran rages on. While Vance dines with billionaire donors, Americans are struggling to get by in the Trump-Vance economy as prices on everything from gas to groceries soar and working families dip into their
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, March 24 -- The Democratic National Committee posted the following news release on March 23, 2026:
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Vance Rubs Elbows With Billionaires at $100k-Per-Plate Fundraisers, While Economy Spirals and War with Iran Rages on
This week, JD Vance will attend three $100,000-per-plate fundraisers in Texas and Tennessee, as Donald Trump and Vance's deadly and costly war of choice with Iran rages on. While Vance dines with billionaire donors, Americans are struggling to get by in the Trump-Vance economy as prices on everything from gas to groceries soar and working families dip into theirsavings to make ends meet.
Trump and Vance's war with Iran has already claimed the lives of 13 U.S. service members and injured over 230, while driving up global oil prices and gas prices for Americans back home. According to AAA, the average price for a gallon of gas is $3.96 nationwide, up from $2.94 just one month ago.
In response, DNC Chair Ken Martin released the following statement:
"Prices on everything from gas to groceries to rent are soaring because of the Trump-Vance agenda, and what is JD Vance up to? He's rubbing elbows with billionaires and special interests while working families struggle to make ends meet. Everyday Americans are stretching every dollar just to get by, and Vance is worried about lining his own pockets."
Inflation is also up nearly 3% compared to one year ago, while U.S. mortgage rates rose above 6%. Electricity costs have increased in nearly every state under Trump and Vance, and even Energy Secretary Chris Wright admitted that "high electricity prices are a political choice. They are not required."
Meanwhile, the job market continues to shed jobs at record pace as hiring stagnates. Just last week, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said the Fed is deeply "concerned about the very, very low level of job creation" and that there's been "effectively zero net job creation in the private sector" over the past six months.
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Original text here: https://democrats.org/news/vance-rubs-elbows-with-billionaires-at-100k-per-plate-fundraisers-while-economy-spirals-and-war-with-iran-rages-on/
