Politics - Parties, Candidates
News releases, reports, statements and associated documents from politicians, candidates and interested parties - covering the U.S. political arena including state and national political parties.
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Three PA Greens on the Ballot for General Election, November 5
PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania, Aug. 20 -- The Green Party issued the following news release:
Nomination papers for three Green Party of Pennsylvania candidates have been filed. None of those candidates were challenged, and they will be listed on the ballot for the General Election, November 5. The three candidates are Nicholas Prete, running for Methacton School Board in Montgomery County; Riley Mahon, running for Upper Saint Clair School Board in Allegheny County; and Charles Michael (Mike) Farley, running for Latimore Township Supervisor in Adams County.
When asked why he is running for school
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PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania, Aug. 20 -- The Green Party issued the following news release:
Nomination papers for three Green Party of Pennsylvania candidates have been filed. None of those candidates were challenged, and they will be listed on the ballot for the General Election, November 5. The three candidates are Nicholas Prete, running for Methacton School Board in Montgomery County; Riley Mahon, running for Upper Saint Clair School Board in Allegheny County; and Charles Michael (Mike) Farley, running for Latimore Township Supervisor in Adams County.
When asked why he is running for schoolboard, Nick Prete responded, "I'm running for school board because it's time for a change. As a recent graduate, I'm the only candidate positioned to recognize the effect the board's actions have on students, teachers, and all of us. I know what it's like when the board privatizes busing, misleads their constituents, and doesn't listen. I'll be an advocate for recorded committee meetings, I'll promote ecology, I'll hold community town halls listening to the issues we all care about, and I'll be open and transparent with taxpayers. I want to get up every day and help create a better future. Methacton took a chance on me as a new kid six years ago -- and now I'm asking them to take a chance on me and vote November 5."
Mike Farley stated he is running for township supervisor because "I believe in the Green Party's 10 Key Values that no other party properly represents. We have been subject to a two party system for too long -- dominated by two parties that don't represent the interests of 99% of the population."
Riley Mahon stated he is running for school board because "there is an epidemic that is not being addressed. That epidemic is students' poor mental health. I believe that by pushing the start times back and by teaching students healthy coping skills, we can begin to address this situation."
This ensures that the people in three Pennsylvania localities will have an opportunity to vote for candidates who will promote public policy based on the four pillars of the Green Party: grassroots democracy, social justice, nonviolence, and ecological wisdom.Thanks go to these candidates and to their many dedicated volunteers for bringing Green Party values to Pennsylvania politics.
Co-chair Sheri Miller of the Green Party of Pennsylvania (GPPA) said, "I'm pleased that the hard work of these three candidates has paid off. I'm also grateful for the efforts of those Green candidates who did not succeed in collecting enough signatures to meet the onerous requirements for ballot access for anyone running outside of the establishment parties. Their efforts paved the way for future races. Now our candidates need support. If you believe that we need new voices and more choices in politics at all levels, then be sure to follow and share their campaigns on social media, volunteer directly to help their campaigns, or donate when you can."
The Green Party of Pennsylvania (GPPA) is an independent political party that stands in opposition to the two corporate parties. GPPA candidates promote public policy based on the Green Party four pillars: grassroots democracy, nonviolence, ecological wisdom, and social justice/equal opportunity. For further information about GPPA, please visit http://www.gpofpa.org. Follow GPPA on social media: Facebook and Twitter.
New Hampshire Republican Party Issues Statement on Epping Special Election
CONCORD, New Hampshire, Aug. 20 -- The New Hampshire Republican Party issued the following statement by Chairman Stephen Stepanek on the special election for the Epping state representative seat:
"Congratulations to Michael Vose on his victory tonight in Epping! New Hampshire Republicans are eager to get behind our candidate and do everything we can to secure victory in October.
"Michael's agenda of lowering taxes, cutting regulations, and responsible budgeting stands in stark contrast with his Democrat opponent, Naomi Andrews.
"Naomi is a failed D.C. insider who is just looking for her next
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CONCORD, New Hampshire, Aug. 20 -- The New Hampshire Republican Party issued the following statement by Chairman Stephen Stepanek on the special election for the Epping state representative seat:
"Congratulations to Michael Vose on his victory tonight in Epping! New Hampshire Republicans are eager to get behind our candidate and do everything we can to secure victory in October.
"Michael's agenda of lowering taxes, cutting regulations, and responsible budgeting stands in stark contrast with his Democrat opponent, Naomi Andrews.
"Naomi is a failed D.C. insider who is just looking for her nextpolitical move.
"After failing in her bid for Congress last year, Naomi wants to bring her D.C. values to the New Hampshire House - and we're confident Epping voters will reject the D.C. Democrat agenda on October 8th."
Maine Democratic Party: Portland Press Herald Editorial Debunks Collins Claim That GOP Tax Law Would Pay for Itself
AUGUSTA, Maine, Aug. 20 -- The Maine Democratic Party issued the following news release:
In case you missed it, yesterday the Portland Press Herald published a scathing editorial on the Republican tax law that Senator Susan Collins helped pass, which is ballooning the deficit to pay for tax cuts for corporations and the wealthy.
The editorial specifically calls out Senator Collins for promising the tax law would pay for itself through economic growth, "an argument made by ... Collins" that "turned out to be wrong." The editorial also points out that the tax bill has put Medicare and Social Security
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AUGUSTA, Maine, Aug. 20 -- The Maine Democratic Party issued the following news release:
In case you missed it, yesterday the Portland Press Herald published a scathing editorial on the Republican tax law that Senator Susan Collins helped pass, which is ballooning the deficit to pay for tax cuts for corporations and the wealthy.
The editorial specifically calls out Senator Collins for promising the tax law would pay for itself through economic growth, "an argument made by ... Collins" that "turned out to be wrong." The editorial also points out that the tax bill has put Medicare and Social Security"in danger," programs that Republicans have consistently proven they're intent on cutting in order to pay for these reckless tax cuts.
The editorial comes as Senator Collins faces the lowest approval ratings of her entire career in Washington, has become an increasingly reliable vote for special interests in Washington, threatened health care and protections for pre-existing conditions, and raised more than 97 percent of her campaign cash from special interests and out-of-state donors in 2019.
"Predictions that cutting taxes on corporations, wealthy families and individuals would spur enough economic growth to increase tax collections - an argument made by Maine Sen. Susan Collins and others - turned out to be wrong."
"[R]unning the government with insufficient revenue puts pressure on mandatory spending programs like Social Security and Medicare, which make up about two-thirds of federal spending. ... Those mandatory programs are in danger"
Florida Democratic Party Issues Statement on Call for Special Session on Gun Violence
TALLAHASSEE, Florida, Aug. 20 -- The Florida Democratic Party issued the following statement by Florida State Rep. Javier Fernandez:
Florida House Democrats today sent a letter to Florida Secretary of State Laurel M. Lee calling for a special session to address gun violence in the state of Florida.
The effort, led by State Representative Javier Fernandez, is requesting a special session to consider proposals from universal background checks to establishing a Task Force focused on reducing day-to-day violence.
"The people of Florida deserve better. They deserve to live in cities free from the
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TALLAHASSEE, Florida, Aug. 20 -- The Florida Democratic Party issued the following statement by Florida State Rep. Javier Fernandez:
Florida House Democrats today sent a letter to Florida Secretary of State Laurel M. Lee calling for a special session to address gun violence in the state of Florida.
The effort, led by State Representative Javier Fernandez, is requesting a special session to consider proposals from universal background checks to establishing a Task Force focused on reducing day-to-day violence.
"The people of Florida deserve better. They deserve to live in cities free from theplague of daily gun violence.
"They deserve to attend gatherings, schools, and houses of worship without a looming fear for their lives and the lives of their loved ones.
"And they deserve a legislature who will do all it can to protect them. It's too late for those impacted by gun violence yesterday, but if we act quickly we can stem this tide and save lives."
A copy of the letter can be found here (https://nmcdn.io/e186d21f8c7946a19faed23c3da2f0da/b1b96861a2534eba8191fd2315c6a596/files/media-center/House-Democrats-Calling-for-Special-Session-on-Gun-Reform.pdf).
Democratic Governors Association: Bevin Kicks Off New School Year by Insulting Teachers
WASHINGTON, Aug. 20 -- The Democratic Governors Association issued the following news:
It's a new school year, and Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin kicked it off by insulting teachers...again. In a radio interview this morning, Bevin suggested that teachers protested his anti-education agenda as a way to get paid time off work.
Um... what?
This comes just a few days after Bevin's administration controversially ruled that over 1,000 Kentucky teachers broke the law.
For Bevin, insulting teachers is a pastime. In April last year during the teacher 'sickout' protests, he called teachers "selfish," "short-sighted,"
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WASHINGTON, Aug. 20 -- The Democratic Governors Association issued the following news:
It's a new school year, and Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin kicked it off by insulting teachers...again. In a radio interview this morning, Bevin suggested that teachers protested his anti-education agenda as a way to get paid time off work.
Um... what?
This comes just a few days after Bevin's administration controversially ruled that over 1,000 Kentucky teachers broke the law.
For Bevin, insulting teachers is a pastime. In April last year during the teacher 'sickout' protests, he called teachers "selfish," "short-sighted,""ignorant," and said they were "throwing a temper tantrum." Bevin even linked the rally to child abuse.
Insulting teachers is nothing new for Bevin...he's just at it again.
"Matt Bevin constantly insults Kentucky's public school teachers, and it's one of the main reasons he's the country's most unpopular governor," said DGA Communications Director David Turner. "Instead of working with Kentucky's teachers to improve public education, Bevin demeans and attacks them. Kentuckians are sick of seeing their neighbors, friends, and family insulted, and it's going to cost Bevin in November."
Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee: After Contentious Town Hall, Constituents Frustrated by Hagedorn's Refusal to Listen
WASHINGTON, Aug. 20 -- The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee issued the following news release:
Town halls are designed for members of Congress to hear from their constituents in order to better represent them... or so thought the Minnesotans attending a meeting hosted by Congressman Jim Hagedorn on Friday night. Instead, participants left the event disappointed, saying their representative "played the party puppet," "declined to learn more about issues," and "votes in a very hard-right manner" that does not represent the purple district.
Hagedorn's refusal to engage with those who
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WASHINGTON, Aug. 20 -- The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee issued the following news release:
Town halls are designed for members of Congress to hear from their constituents in order to better represent them... or so thought the Minnesotans attending a meeting hosted by Congressman Jim Hagedorn on Friday night. Instead, participants left the event disappointed, saying their representative "played the party puppet," "declined to learn more about issues," and "votes in a very hard-right manner" that does not represent the purple district.
Hagedorn's refusal to engage with those whodisagree with him is nothing new. Last week he chided a constituent on Facebook, saying, "Go post your opinions on your own page. I'm using my campaign page to express my views..."
From The Alberta Lea Tribune: https://www.albertleatribune.com/2019/08/hagedorn-hosts-town-hall-in-albert-lea/
[...]
Sandy Kvenvold, who walked out of the meeting at one point after Hagedorn's response to her question, said she was disappointed to see that the congressman seemed to have what she described as "padded answers" already prepared that he responded to questions with.
"Instead of being a legislator, he played the party puppet," Kvenvold said.
..."I really expected this to be a give and take," she said. "I know there were going to be differences of opinions, but there was no give."
Lynne Lent, who moved to Albert Lea in December, said she was disappointed Hagedorn declined to learn more about issues such as climate change when she went up to him after the meeting and offered to provide him more information.
"He said, 'No, I believe what I believe,'" Lent said.
"That's really not what a representative should do," she added.
[...]
From KIMT News: http://mms.tveyes.com/MediaCenterPlayer.aspx?u=aHR0cDovL21lZGlhY2VudGVyLnR2ZXllcy5jb20vZG93bmxvYWRnYXRld2F5LmFzcHg%2FVXNlcklEPTc3OTMwMiZNRElEPTEyMTIwMjgzJk1EU2VlZD01MTkzJlR5cGU9TWVkaWE%3D
ANCHOR: Minnesota state representative, Jim Hagedorn, is making waves on his town hall tour. The lawmaker did not shy away from sharing his hard-right views on topics ranging from gun control to immigration and climate change at a town hall in Albert Lea last night. Constituents of all views and opinions are coming out to make their voices heard to their representative. This is what some had to say.
CONSTITUENT: He barely won this election. He represents at most 50 percent. 50 percent of the people did not vote for him and don't agree with him and yet he votes in a very hard-right manner.
90 Percent of Ohioans Say Yes To Universal Background Checks
COLUMBUS, Ohio, Aug. 20 -- The Ohio Democratic Party issued the following news:
* * *
- Matt Dolan Says Ehh, Maybe Not
* * *
While a recent Quinnipiac poll found that 90 percent of Ohioans -- including 87 percent of gun owners -- support universal background checks, Republican state Sen. Matt Dolan this weekend seemed to voice his opposition to this common-sense measure to prevent gun violence.
"Any issue where 90 percent of Ohioans agree should be a no-brainer, but Matt Dolan cares more about maintaining his 93 percent rating from the National Rifle Association, rather than listening to the
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COLUMBUS, Ohio, Aug. 20 -- The Ohio Democratic Party issued the following news:
* * *
- Matt Dolan Says Ehh, Maybe Not
* * *
While a recent Quinnipiac poll found that 90 percent of Ohioans -- including 87 percent of gun owners -- support universal background checks, Republican state Sen. Matt Dolan this weekend seemed to voice his opposition to this common-sense measure to prevent gun violence.
"Any issue where 90 percent of Ohioans agree should be a no-brainer, but Matt Dolan cares more about maintaining his 93 percent rating from the National Rifle Association, rather than listening to thevast majority of his constituents who support universal background checks for all gun purchases," said Ohio Democratic Party Chairman David Pepper. "It's time to do something -- and do something substantive -- to keep Ohio families safe in our communities. If Matt Dolan refuses to support universal background checks, he's part of the problem in Columbus and must be voted out."
Talking with WEWS in a story published Saturday, Dolan said, "A background check, while it's going to be helpful, is not necessarily going to address the real problem. That is someone having a gun in their hands with malintent. And that's what we have to get to."
In 2006, when Dolan was in the Ohio House, he voted to overturn Republican Gov. Bob Taft's veto of legislation that took away home-rule control for local communities to pass their own gun violence prevention laws.
"When it comes to giving special tax breaks to wealthy communities -- that just happen to have large numbers of GOP donors -- Matt Dolan is the first one to lend a helping hand," said Pepper. "But when it comes to respecting home rule and local communities' right to govern themselves, Dolan puts the priorities of extremist gun groups first."
