GA-07: Ocasio-Cortez endorses progressive Democrat in TOSSUP district.

[RandySF]

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) endorsed a progressive first-time candidate seeking an open House seat in Georgia.

Ocasio-Cortez endorsed Nabilah Islam in the Democratic primary on Tuesday, praising the candidate for petitioning the Federal Election Commission to let her use campaign funds to purchase health insurance.

“When I first heard Nabilah’s story it resonated with me deeply,” Ocasio-Cortez said in the endorsement. “Nabilah’s working-class background provides her with unique insight into what Americans go through on a regular basis.”

Ocasio-Cortez said her Courage to Change PAC will also support Islam in her campaign for Georgia’s 7th Congressional District seat.

“Her commitment to lifting working people and communities of color is what inspired our Courage to Change PAC to support her,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “Nabilah is not afraid to fight against the status quo. We need more voices like Nabilah’s in Congress.”



https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/498484-ocasio-cortez-endorses-progressive-democrat-in-georgia-congressional

[The Magistrate]

1. Probably Better if Ms. Bourdeaux Takes The Nomination, Sir

Name recognition on a second time around helps.

[Hortensis]

12. Yes. She came within 0.15% of flipping the district blue in 2018,

and this time the Republican incumbent who barely carried it is not running.

[Celerity]

2. it is an open seat, she can endorse whomever she sees fit, she endorsed ZERO candidates

who were primarying frontline (ie in a shaky districts) incumbent Democrats. Hell, she endorsed only 2 overall who were primarying incumbents, and those two were running against the 2 worst Dems in Congress (Cuellar and Lipinski, both of whom are in safe Blue seats, both of whom are rabid pro lifers, anti-LGBTQ bigots, Cuellar is A - rated by the NRA, he campaigns and fundraises for a Rethug racist, climate change denier, Lipinski voted against the ACA and refused to endorse Obama, etc etc.) EMILY's List endorsed their opponents as well,as did many other mainstream Dems and orgs.

[Demsrule86]

4. Um...we want to win the seat...so wish she would not do this.

[Celerity]

7. I am sure that districts voters will choose whom they think is the best candidate to represent them.

I do not support a mandate that says House members cannot endorse whom they want, other than they should not endorse the primarying of vulnerable sitting Democrat incumbents, which AOC is abiding by.

[Demsrule86]

15. It is Georgia...I hope you are correct. But sometimes primary voters do choose candidates who

can't win a general. I hope we get the seat.

[Celerity]

19. I think Carolyn Bourdeaux wins the primary easily, and has a great shot to flip it.

[RandySF]

5. She's endorsing a weak candidate.

[Celerity]

8. Well then, her endorsement means little, other than to have the usual kick-about that occurs

every time her name comes up from certain groups on here.

[Bettie]

6. Apparently, she's never, ever supposed to

endorse anyone...you know, because she's uppity.

[Hortensis]

14. The problem is when big outside money floods in in an

attempt to subvert the will of the people the congressman is supposed to represent.

This is a very flippable district, and unfortunately some may see that as an opportunity to be able to claim a victory for their outside faction instead of seeing that the will of that district's people is served.

Big outside money bad, and unrepresentative "reps" who thus need to serve and seek support for their reelection from their outsider donors bad. But hopefully it won't come to that and this candidate will be able to run an honorably local campaign uncorrupted by outside interests.

[Celerity]

23. I am NOT advocating for Islam, I think Boudreaux easily wins the primary, but in 2018

Boudreaux was the one with a large 'outside money' lead, receiving around 1.2 million USD.

https://www.opensecrets.org/races/outside-spending?cycle=2018&id=GA07&spec=N

[Hortensis]

26. Sure. And good point. But we can't get away from the reality

that Bourdreaux is very representative of Democrats of her district and that the super PAC that donated most of that money is a solid Democratic-supporting organization committed to electing Democrats. It was donated to flip GA-7, which used to be a forever-Republican stronghold. It is no longer, but its unfortunate people could be locked into corrupt Republican control again for another decade if we lose it in this critical census/redistricting election.

[Celerity]

27. I already said I think she wins.

My 2 main issues (not saying with you) are simple.

1. I think when if comes to open seats or SAFE Blue seats (anyone who takes issue with this (safe Blue) had better start condemning Kennedy for primarying Markey for instance), then House Reps can endorse whomever they want. In this particular case, AOC's endorsement looks to be overall in vain. We are a supposed to be a big tent party. again, I think AOC's endorsement in this case is, however, in vain, but I do not begrudge her it at all.

2. When it comes to outside money (which I have ZERO problem with due to the current law, although I am completely for publicly funded elections, as money is close to the most corrosive of all agents on our Democracy), I often see hypocrisy (again, NOT saying from you) when people whinge on about a prog candidate getting a lot (or even a smaller amount)of primary cash (usually in tiny donations) from people all over the nation, and that is deemed 'interlopers, fake, how dare they!', YET when an OUTSIDE 'Billy Big Bollocks the Super Pac' or giant national organisations dump in millions (I am speaking of primary elections only) then that is basically framed by some as doing god's work IF the candidate is far enough away from the left 3/4ers of the party (or even centre right, like the forced birther, anti-LGBTQ, Rethug-supporting, Rethug often voting (almost 70% of the time in the last full Congress) NRA-loved Cuellar), even if it is a safe Blue district.

[Demsrule86]

3. AOC's endorsement carries little weight in Georgia...it might even hurt the candidate.

Moderates win elections in Georgia.

[crickets]

28. This is true. nt

[Jose Garcia]

9. In 2018 Justice Democrats endorsed 45 candidates in GOP-held districts. Zero won.

Yet elsewhere Democrats managed to turn 43 seats from red to blue.

[empedocles]

10. One would think, 0 wins 45 LOSSES, would . . . , nah, . . . apparently . . .

[Hortensis]

11. GA's John Lewis endorses Dem frontrunner Carolyn Bourdeaux,

along with GA Congressman Hank Johnson and Hakeem Jeffries -- House Democratic Caucus Chair who's working ceaselessly to retain Democratic control of the house. In 2018 Bourdeaux lost to the incumbent Republican, who is not running again, by just a little over 400 votes, or 0.15%.

Californian Ro Khanna, Minnesotan Ilhan Omar, and NY's Ocasio-Cortez, along with Occupy Democrats, endorse Nabilah Islam.

As for the other Democratic candidates: "VoteVets.org, the Second Service Coalition, former Senator Max Cleland of Georgia, and former congressman Buddy Darden of Georgia endorsed Karinshak, a member of the Georgia State Senate. Lopez Romero, a member of the Georgia House of Representatives, has received endorsements from a number of state representatives, including House Minority Leader Robert Trammell (D) and House Democratic Chair James Beverly (D). Also running in the primary are John Eaves and Rashid Malik.

Anyone reading through this will see that a few good Democratic candidates are endorsed by their fellow Georgians, while Islam's endorsers are unrepresentative outsiders trying to stimulate outside donations.

This is our son and DIL's district, btw. It's well positioned in Atlanta metro and nicely diverse with decent schools, but the only anti-Democratic fervor comes from its trumpsters. It's fine if Ocasio and company endorse someone they like as long as that doesn't generate a flood of outside money meant to subvert the choice of Democrats in this district and possibly throw a very flippable district to the Republicans.

[Cha]

13. Good on John Lewis.. TY, Hortensis!

[Hortensis]

16. :)

Our kids already know who they're voting for: Carolyn Bourdeaux and retaining Democratic control of the house are a double no-brainer. Bourdeaux has long-time policy expertise and commitment to expanding healthcare to all.

Notably, Republican-serving local media are giving Islam a big media boost as "Atlanta's AOC" for obvious reasons.

[Cha]

17. Let's hope it happens!

[Hortensis]

20. For sure. Retaining control of the house is critical.

[ibegurpard]

18. Open seat who cares

[Hortensis]

21. The Republicans. Russia. Other bad actors.

[ibegurpard]

22. Sounds like Boudreaux is a better fit for the district

And will likely win the primary and, with her previous name recognition, stands a good shot of winning in an open seat this time. Non-ncumbents are not entitled to no primaries however... personally i prefer we avoid them as much as possible and those that fall closer on the spectrum to Occasio Cortez need to do a better job of figuring out the areas their candidates resonate best. But we cant condemn people for trying.

[Hortensis]

24. Depending on what's being tried. Forgot to say REDISTRICTING.

A spoiler this time could potentially lock in the district for the Republicans for the next decade. There's a reason Atlanta's strongly conservative-serving media are promoting Islam big time and mostly burying Bourdreaux's name.

[Celerity]

25. IF they do this:

Occasio Cortez need to do a better job of figuring out the areas their candidates resonate best.

Then they are going to get SMASHED on here for primarying incumbents in safe Blue seats, as those are the districts they can actually win in. A huge reason that they lose almost every race is that they almost always end up running as the general election Dem candidate in massively Red districts where no other serious Dem candidate even tried.

They are damned if they do, damned if they don't.

[ibegurpard]

29. Yes they will... which is dumb

I'm totally fine with primaries in safe seats however... i just like to see candidates that match their districts