Democrats

The Hill reports: President Biden on Thursday mocked former President Trump for teasing a “major announcement” that turned out to be a new line of digital Trump trading cards. “I had some MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENTS the last couple of weeks, too…” Biden tweeted from his personal account. Biden’s tweet was a swipe at his predecessor, who earlier Thursday unveiled a line …

NBC News reports: Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, beaming with confidence after having proved his doubters wrong and expanded his majority in the midterm elections, vowed without hesitation that the Democratic Party will keep control again in two years. “Yes, I absolutely do [believe it will] if we stick to our North Star, which is: help people with things that …

The New York Times reports: It has been 15 years since Nancy Pelosi made history as the first woman to be elected speaker of the House. On Wednesday, that history was placed on display on the walls of the Capitol, when Ms. Pelosi’s official portrait was unveiled and set to be hung in the Speaker’s Lobby, adorned until now only …

The Oregonian reports: Gov. Kate Brown announced Tuesday that she would commute the sentences of all 17 individuals on Oregon’s death row to life in prison without the possibility of parole, the latest in her end-of-term string of clemency decisions. “I have long believed that justice is not advanced by taking a life, and the state should not be in …

From the United States Postal Service: This stamp celebrates the life and legacy of civil rights leader and U.S. Rep. John Lewis (1940-2020) of Georgia. Devoted to equality and justice for all Americans, Lewis spent more than 30 years in Congress steadfastly defending and building on key civil rights gains that he had helped achieve in the 1960s. Even in …

Politico reports: Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) has taken another step toward launching a 2024 challenge of newly independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema. Gallego has signed up the Democratic polling firm GBAO Strategies for a “leadership role” for a potential Senate bid. GBAO Strategies is fresh off a slate of victories in the general election, after working for Democratic Pennsylvania Sen.-elect John …

Los Angeles’s ABC affiliate reports: Los Angeles’ newest mayor has already announced she will take action to fulfill one of her campaign promises in her first day in office. Former U.S. Representative Karen Bass was sworn in as the 43rd mayor of Los Angeles Sunday. In doing so, she became the first woman and second Black person to lead the …

Axios reports: A pair of newly elected governors — both potential Democratic rising stars — want to steal the GOP’s thunder on patriotism and freedom. Democratic governors-elect Wes Moore of Maryland and Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania both made this messaging central to their campaigns against Trump-backed election deniers. While addressing reporters at a Democratic Governors Association press conference in New …

The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports: Progressive policy advocate Davante Lewis defeated three-term Public Service Commissioner Lambert Boissiere III on Saturday, handing the incumbent and utilities that backed him a stunning loss with the help of big money from environmental groups who want to shake up the commission. Lewis, 30, who lives in Baton Rouge and works for the left-leaning Louisiana …

Axios reports: Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) is “thinking of running” for U.S. Senate, according to a fundraising text his campaign sent out on Friday. The text comes just hours after Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema announced she is leaving the Democratic Party to sit as an independent, which roiled Arizona Democrats already infuriated with the centrist senator. “Ruben Gallego here, humbly …

The Hill reports: Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Friday announced he will let Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (Ariz.) keep her committee assignments after she dropped her affiliation with the Democratic Party and said she would identify as an Independent. Schumer added Sinema’s decision will not affect Democratic control of the Senate’s committees, including the power to issue subpoenas and …

Yahoo News reports: Pennsylvania formalized nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ people after a regulatory board approved new definitions of sex, race and religious creed in the commonwealth’s anti-discrimination regulations. The new regulatory changes provide a more comprehensive definition of the terms “sex,” “religious creed” and “race” as protected classes so that victims of discrimination can better understand how they are protected …

The Hill reports: Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) was reelected Thursday morning to serve another term as Senate majority leader, capping a successful two years for the veteran lawmaker, who was just reelected to a fifth Senate term. Senate Democrats also reelected the rest of Schumer’s leadership team, giving Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) another term as Senate Democratic whip, Sen. Debbie …

Speaker Nancy Pelosi writes for the Washington Post: In my first speech on the House floor, I declared that “we must take leadership of course in the crisis of AIDS.” During my first speakership, we erased the egregious “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy from the books — ensuring gay and lesbian Americans can openly serve their country. We advanced justice …

Atlanta’s Fox affiliate reports: Sen. Raphael Warnock claimed victory late Tuesday night in a tight runoff race for U.S. Senate. Warnock beat out Republican challenger Herschel Walker, a Georgia football legend. “After a hard-fought campaign — or should I say campaigns — it is my honor to utter the four most powerful words ever spoken in a democracy: The people …

The Arizona Republic reports: Secretary of State Katie Hobbs officially certified the Nov. 8 election results in a ceremony at the Capitol on Monday morning, a routine step in the election process and one that clears the way for lawsuits and recounts in three races to begin. Seated alongside Gov. Doug Ducey, Attorney General Mark Brnovich and Supreme Court Chief …

The New York Times reports: A federal judge in Manhattan dismissed bribery and corruption charges against former Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin of New York on Monday, saying prosecutors had failed to demonstrate an explicit quid pro quo in what they had asserted was a scheme to funnel $50,000 in state money to a developer in exchange for campaign contributions. He …

The Washington Post reports: Second gentleman Doug Emhoff will host a roundtable with Jewish leaders and White House officials Wednesday to discuss the rise of antisemitism in the United States and efforts to combat hate in the country. Emhoff, the husband of Vice President Harris, is the first Jewish spouse of a vice president. The event has been in the …

The Associated Press reports: In 2022, some 22% of voters claimed no religious affiliation, according to AP VoteCast, an expansive survey of more than 94,000 voters nationwide. They contributed to voting coalitions that gave Democrats victories in battleground states such as Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Arizona. The unaffiliated — often nicknamed the “nones” — voted for Democratic House candidates nationwide over …

The Associated Press reports: Democrats voted Friday to remove Iowa as the leadoff state on the presidential nominating calendar and replace it with South Carolina starting in 2024, a dramatic shakeup championed by President Joe Biden to better reflect the party’s deeply diverse electorate. The Democratic National Committee’s rule-making arm made the move to strip Iowa from the position it …