Primaries delayed due to Coronavirus, compounded by delays in results out of New York’s June 23rd primary, have me climbing the walls! We still do not know who our candidates are!!
Losses in New Jersey last week, particulary Arati Kreibich losing to DINO Jeff Gottheimer, with the party fully supportive (gag me), are a blow. Lindsey Blylan came close to beating Jerrold Nadler ~ amazing! ~ and Lauren Ashcraft is still in the hunt against ready-to-retire Carolyn Maloney. NY-15 Is also still TCTC, help!!
Upcoming races to watch are by and large candidates from the Brand New Congress movement. Some are also Justice Democrats, endorsed by Our Revolution, Sunrise, National Women’s Political Caucus, etc. Check their websites for endorsements.
The first primaries are in MO-01 on August 1 and WA-06 on August 4. Cori Bush is back at it in a St. Louis area district, a young progressive woman of color running against an older, ready-to-retire esteemed member of the Congressional Black Caucus, Lacy Clay. Thank you for your service, Lacy. In the Tacoma, WA (“take Appalachia and replace coal with timber”1) area a 35 year-old queer democratic socialist is up against a right-leaning Democratic incumbent (how is that even possible?), Derek Kilmer. Rebecca Parson is running on a fully progressive platform: Medicare for All, Green New Deal, etc. Watch those two closely.
www.coribush.org
www.rebeccaforwa.com
The next two most interesting primaries to focus on are in FL-23 on August 18 and AZ-01 on August 20. Jen Perelman, another Brand New Congress (also Our Revolution) candidate, is taking on Democratic heavyweight and woman many people love to hate, Debbie Wasserman Schultz in a district between Miami and Fort Lauderdale that is very Hispanic. Jen wants to focus on the service part of being a public servant. And in yet another match-up between a progressive woman against an establishment Dem, progressive powerhouse Eva Putzova is running against Tom O’Halleran in the Flagstaff area, where she has had a positive impact via her work on the city council. Eva grew up in Slovakia and moved to Flagstaff in 2000. O’Halleran just signed a letter supporting cuts to Social Security and Medicare during COVID-19, ugh.
www.jen2020.com
www.evaforcongress.com
Finally, a race I am fascinated by is in TN-05. The Indivisible Movement has had a lot of influence in Tennessee since the Trump era. Our Comeback Candidate from TN, Renee Hoyos, is endorsed by Indivisible, as is public defender Keeda Haynes, who is challenging incumbent Dem Jim Cooper in a Nashville district where the primary on August 6 will likely decide the outcome. Keeda spent amost four years in prison for a crime she did not commit. Cooper is just another white man in Congress.
www.indivisible.org