'It's just tragic': Former Iowa state senator mourns loss of Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman
'It's just tragic': Former Iowa state senator mourns loss of Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman
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Yahoo
30 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Paterson Dems ready to vote for new party leaders for first time in more than a decade
PATERSON — For the first time in more than a decade, the leadership of the Paterson Democratic Committee will be changing hands in a contest that emerged less than a week before the voting. In an internal party election on June 23, two slates of women prominent in Paterson political circles will be vying for the chairperson and co-chairperson positions. On one side are Oshin Castillo Cruz, a former Paterson Board of Education member, and Della McCall, who currently serves on the school board. Competing against them are two city council members, Maritza Davila and Lilisa Mimms, both of whom are up for reelection next four of them work in government jobs — Castillo Cruz at the Passaic County Board of Social Services, McCall in municipal government, Davila at Passaic County Community College, and Mimms in the Paterson School District. Both slates are using much of the same language — including references to unity and community — to explain why city Democrats should pick them. 'I feel this is an opportunity to unify the party with a different flair than what we've been used to, with a different way of running things,' said McCall. Davila said, 'We want to unite the party so it can come together to show the greatness of our city.' Mayor Andre Sayegh did not respond when asked which ticket he would be supporting. Senator Benjie Wimberly said he has not yet made up his mind. Political insiders said the winners will be asked to play key roles as the Passaic County Democratic organization tries to rebound from recent setbacks. Twice in the past six months, party leaders backed candidates for the state Legislature who fell short, including the recent Assembly primary in which self-described 'nontraditional candidate' Kenyatta Stewart won by more than 1,000 votes. Al Abdelaziz and John Givens, who have served as co-chairmen of the city Democratic committee for more than 10 years, decided not to continue in those roles, political insiders said. Neither Abdelaziz nor Givens responded to messages seeking their comments for this story. Several Democratic committee members said they only learned during the past several weeks that Abdelaziz and Givens would not try to retain the leadership posts. Abdelaziz in June survived a strong primary challenge to emerge as one of the Democratic candidates for state Assembly in the 35th legislative district. In January, Abdelaziz had been picked to fill an unexpired term in the Assembly. The only people allowed to vote in the June 23 contest for local party leadership will be members of the city Democratic committee, which is composed of two representatives for each of the 68 election districts in Paterson. At present about 20 of those spots are vacant. Davila said she didn't know Castillo Cruz and McCall were seeking the chairperson posts when she and Mimms decided to run for the spots. Castillo Cruz said she and McCall already had sent out letters asking Democratic committee members for support when she found out Davila and Mimms were also running. Political operatives said the behind-the-scenes alliances forged in the Democratic leadership contest likely will impact the Paterson City Council's vote on July 1 for president of the government body. Traditionally, the council presidency — which comes with the power to set meeting agendas — becomes more heavily coveted in the year before a mayoral election, which this is. 'Paterson deserves great leadership that will unify, strengthen, empower, and progressively move our city, state, county, and nation forward,' said Mimms. 'Our Democratic Party needs to grow,' said Castillo Cruz. 'It needs to move forward and educate our community and involve the younger generation.' This article originally appeared on Paterson Dems ready to vote for new party leaders
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Exclusive-Democrats want new leaders, focus on pocketbook issues, Reuters/Ipsos poll finds
By James Oliphant and Jason Lange WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Democrats want new leaders for their party, which many feel isn't focusing enough on economic issues and is over-emphasizing issues like transgender rights and electric vehicles, a Reuters/Ipsos poll found. The poll identified a deep disconnect between what Democrats say their priorities are and the issues they believe party leaders care about most ahead of next year's midterm elections, when they hope to crack Republican control of Congress. They see their elected officials as not focused on helping families make ends meet and reducing corporate influence. Democrat Kamala Harris' November loss to Republican Donald Trump has left the party rudderless and sparked a round of soul-searching about the path forward. The poll shows that party leaders have work to do in recruiting candidates for Congress in 2026 -- and for the White House in 2028. Some 62% of self-identified Democrats in the poll agreed with a statement that "the leadership of the Democratic Party should be replaced with new people." Only 24% disagreed and the rest said they weren't sure or didn't answer. Just 30% of Republicans polled said they thought their party leadership should be replaced. Democrats' dissatisfaction is also playing out in leadership changes, including this week's resignation of Randi Weingarten, the influential president of the American Federation of Teachers, from the Democratic National Committee -- which followed the ouster of progressive activist David Hogg. The Reuters/Ipsos poll surveyed 4,258 people nationwide and online June 11 through 16, including 1,293 Democrats. It had a margin of error of about 3 percentage points for Democrats. It found that Democrats want the party to focus on their day-to-day needs and want wealthier Americans to pay more in taxes. California Governor Gavin Newsom, who is viewed as a potential Democratic presidential candidate in 2028, agrees. "People don't trust us, they don't think we have their backs on issues that are core to them, which are these kitchen table issues," Newsom said on his podcast in April. DEMOCRATS 'IMPATIENT' Democratic strategists who reviewed the poll's findings said they send a clear message. "Voters are very impatient right now," said Mark Riddle, who heads Future Majority, a Democratic research firm. "They want elected officials at all levels to address the cost of living, kitchen-table issues and affordability." The poll found a gap between what voters say they care about and what they think the party's leaders prioritize. It was particularly wide on the issue of reducing corporate spending in political campaigns, where 73% of Democrats said they viewed putting limits on contributions to political groups like Super PACs a priority, but only 58% believed party leaders prioritize that. That issue matters to Sam Boland, 29, a Democrat in Minneapolis, who views Super PAC money as a way to 'legally bribe' candidates. 'Politicians want to keep their jobs and are afraid of the impact that publicly funded elections might have,' Boland said. Along that line, 86% of Democrats said changing the federal tax code so wealthy Americans and large corporations pay more in taxes should be a priority, more than the 72% of those surveyed think party leaders make it a top concern. The Republican-controlled Congress is currently pushing forward with Trump's sweeping tax-cut bill that would provide greater benefits to the wealthy than working-class Americans. Anthony Rentsch, 29, of Baltimore, said he believes Democratic leaders are afraid to embrace more progressive policies such as higher taxes on the wealthy. 'A lot of Trump's success has been with populist messages, and I think there's similar populist message Democrats can have,' Rentsch said. Democrats' own priorities appeared more in line with party leaders on abortion rights - which 77% cited as a priority. NEW BLOOD Dissatisfaction over the party's priorities on several economic policies was stronger among younger Democrats like Boland and Rentsch. For example, only 55% of Democrats aged 18-39 thought the party prioritized paid family leave that would allow workers to care for sick family members and bond with a new baby, but 73% said it was a priority for them. Among older Democrats, the same share - 68% - that said the issue was a priority for them said it was a priority for party leaders. Rentsch said that criticizing Trump over his conduct won't be enough to win over skeptical voters. 'That can't be it,' Rentsch said. 'It has to be owning those issues that have an impact on their economic well-being and their physical and mental well-being.' Democratic respondents said the party should be doing more to promote affordable childcare, reduce the price of prescription drugs, make health insurance more readily available and support mass transit. They view party leaders as less passionate about those issues than they are, the poll found. Even so, some Democrats argue the party also needs to stand toe-to-toe with Trump. 'They gotta get mean,' said Dave Silvester, 37, of Phoenix. Other Democrats said the party sometimes over-emphasizes issues that they view as less critical such as transgender rights. Just 17% of Democrats said allowing transgender people to compete in women and girls' sports should be a priority, but 28% of Democrats think party leaders see it as such. Benjamin Villagomez, 33, of Austin, Texas said that while trans rights are important, the issue too easily lends itself to Republican attacks. 'There are more important things to be moving the needle on,' said Villagomez, who is trans. 'There are more pressing issues, things that actually matter to people's livelihoods.' Democratic strategists say that if Trump's trade and tax policies lead to higher prices and an increased budget deficit, the party needs to be ready to take full advantage in next year's elections, which will decide control of Congress. 'This recent polling data indicates Democrats have room for improvement on criticizing Trump on the economy and making it clear to voters that Democrats are the ones standing up for working people,' said Ben Tulchin, who served as U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders' pollster for his two presidential campaigns. The party needs to get beyond portraying itself 'as the lesser of two evils," Boland, the Minneapolis Democrat, said. 'It needs to transform itself into a party that everyday people can get excited about,' he said. 'That requires a changing of the guard.'
CBS News
an hour ago
- CBS News
Abandoned apartment buildings in Beverly Grove could be demolished after removing hazardous materials
A Beverly Grove neighborhood that has been dealing with squatters living in three abandoned apartment buildings was given a glimpse of hope that their problems would be solved on Friday. The residents say that their usually quiet street has been hit with a rash of fights, fires and people using drugs because of the nearly 20 people squatting in the vacant buildings. "I just feel like we are going in a circle calling the cops," resident Anita Cavallo said. "We called the cops, I don't know, about 20 times, 25 times." After residents raised their concerns on CBS News Los Angeles on Wednesday, the property owner said that he's doing everything he can to secure the buildings and push forward with construction. He said he's tried everything from securing the property to turning off the utilities, but the squatters keep coming back. "I don't believe anything he says," Cavallo said about the property owner. "It's been too long. We've been asking, requesting for signs up for protection, security, and he just finds excuses or he just doesn't answer." While there has been some progress, the neighbors called the Los Angeles Police Department twice on Friday to handle squatters and check out a disturbance at the vacant buildings. "I personally think that the owner only had the cops here to save face, but he refuses to put the property city trespassing signs up," resident Caron Feldmen said. The property manager said crews were removing hazardous materials on Friday but would have to wait two weeks before demolition could start. "Since you guys and the other media showed up, it looks like something's finally happening," one resident said. "They came the next day to start removing asbestos and taking down part of the roof." But with an alleged arsonist and a string of unsettling behavior, neighbors believe a little progress just isn't enough. "We wake up to screaming, drugs, violence, all of it," Cavallo said. "I have to keep my windows closed and my daughter is traumatized to sleep at home. She doesn't even like to come home." The property owner also said he plans to take the doors and windows off the units to speed things up.
