CO-06: Our Revolution candidate records himself getting pepper sprayed.

In a graphic new campaign video that’s prompting criticism, one of the two Democrats running in Colorado’s most competitive congressional race this year gets pepper sprayed to underline a proposal to halt school shootings.

Levi Tillemann, who is vying for a chance to unseat U.S. Rep. Mike Coffman, R-Aurora, in the 6th Congressional District wants to place pepper spray and other nonlethal weapons in schools to thwart active shooters and other potential threats.

It’s his alternative to calls from some conservatives to arm teachers with guns to protect their students.

“Wow, that’s intense,” Tillemann says in the video, as he douses his face in soapy water and sprays his intensely red eyes with a garden hose after being hit in the face with pepper spray.

The roughly 2-minute spot features an Aurora Public School board member, Kevin Cox, saying “common-sense” gun regulations aren’t enough to keep students safe as he endorses the proposal.

But the video is raising a lot of questions across social media and in Colorado political circles, as Tillemann faces a well-funded and establishment-backed Democratic primary opponent in Denver attorney Jason Crow. And at least one school-safety group that’s pro-gun control — along with the state’s largest teachers organization — aren’t fully embracing Tillemann’s idea.

Ken Toltz, who co-founded the organization Safe Campus Colorado, called the video “a mad-cap stunt” and said he couldn’t really take the idea seriously.


https://www.denverpost.com/2018/06/12/levi-tillemann-pepper-spray-video/

Maryland early voting is up 55 percent over 2014 turnout.

Marylanders have cast early primary votes at a record clip so far this year. Three times as many Democrats as Republicans have turned out.

Democrats see the increase as a sign of blue wave of opposition to President Donald Trump that they hope will defeat Gov. Larry Hogan and sweep the country in November.

“Democrats are energized and they’re ready to send a message,” said Fabion Seaton, a spokesman for the Maryland Democratic Party.

But analysts warn that predictions based on early voting patterns are fraught with risk. After all, if early voting reliably predicted final results, Anthony G. Brown would be governor, and Hillary Clinton would be president.

“It turned out early voting didn’t predict anything,” said Todd Eberly, a political scientist at St. Mary’s College.

Nevertheless, the numbers are striking. Through Wednesday, after seven days of early voting, turnout was up 55 percent over the last gubernatorial primary election in 2014 — 6 percent of registered Democrats and 4 percent of registered Republicans had gone to the polls.

Eberly said he doesn’t see signs of unusual enthusiasm in the numbers.

Early voting was pushed by Maryland Democrats and resisted by Republicans, who have been slow to embrace the practice. And three of Maryland’s larger jurisdictions, Baltimore and Montgomery and Prince George’s counties, are dominated by Democrats; races for local offices or the General Assembly are almost always decided by the primary.

This year brings a different dynamic than 2014. Gov. Martin O’Malley was leaving office, and both parties held competitive primaries for the open seat. Hogan faces no opposition this year.

This year, some early voters have said down-ballot races in Baltimore and Baltimore, Montgomery and Prince George’s counties are more compelling than the governor’s race.


http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/politics/bs-md-early-voting-increase-20180620-story.html

Ohio special election emerges as Democrats' next best chance to stun GOP

In the dead of the summer, a wave test looms.

The venue is Ohio's 12th Congressional District, where a special election to fill the seat vacated by Republican Rep. Pat Tiberi is scheduled for Aug. 7. Taking in all or part of seven counties around Columbus, the district backed Donald Trump by 11 points in 2016 and Mitt Romney by 10 before that.

Normally, it would be a lock for the GOP.

But Democrats are hoping 2018 will prove to be a wave year, and there's already plenty of evidence to support their optimism. A tight contest here — or an outright Democratic victory — would significantly reinforce the idea that the party is in for big gains in November. A solid Republican win, on the other hand, would provide a fresh dose of optimism for the GOP that its 23-seat House majority can be saved.

Just consider the House special elections already held since Trump took office. So far, there have been seven that pitted a Democrat against a Republican (a June 2017 special election in California's heavily Democratic 34th Congressional District did not include a Republican in the runoff), and five of them have featured sizable movement toward the Democrats relative to the Trump-Hillary Clinton result.

On average in these races, Democrats have slashed the Trump-Clinton margin by 10.5 points — almost exactly the spread by which Trump carried Ohio's 12th District in 2016. So it's not hard to imagine the Aug. 7 contest becoming a barnburner.



https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/elections/ohio-special-election-emerges-democrats-next-best-chance-stun-gop-n883916

Everyone step back, take a breath and watch this. It can be like this again one day (VIDEO)

California bill would give free postage for mail ballots

SACRAMENTO — California lawmakers are considering providing free postage for vote-by-mail ballots statewide.

A measure that cleared the Senate Thursday would require return ballot envelopes to have prepaid postage. Currently, some counties pay for return postage while others don’t.

Democratic Sen. Ricardo Lara says voting should be free for every person in California. Had the measure — AB216 — been in place for the 2016 general election it would have cost $5.5 million. The cost would be borne by counties, but they may be able to claim reimbursement from the state.

The Assembly has already approved the plan but must sign off on changes made in the Senate before the bill goes to Gov. Jerry Brown.

The bill was written by Democratic Assembly members Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher and Evan Low.


https://www.dailynews.com/2018/06/21/california-bill-would-give-free-postage-for-mail-ballots/

Corey Lewandowski dropped by speakers bureau after 'womp womp' comment

Former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski has been dropped by his speakers bureau after dismissing the story of a 10-year-old girl with Down syndrome who was reportedly separated from her mother after crossing the border illegally, CNN has learned.

Leading Authorities, Inc., one of Washington DC's top speakers bureaus, severed ties with Lewandowski on Wednesday, a source familiar with the matter said. His name no longer appears on the bureau's website.

Speakers bureaus like LAI handle speaking gigs for notable political and media personalities, which can be a lucrative business. Speakers can net five- or even six-figure checks for one engagement.

Matthew Jones, the bureau's chief operating officer, did not respond to phone calls requesting comment. Lewandowski also did not respond to several phone calls.

Lewandowski has drawn widespread criticism for remarks he made on Fox News on Tuesday. When former senior Democratic National Committee adviser Zac Petkanas talked about "a 10-year-old girl with Down syndrome" who had been "taken from her mother and put in a cage," Lewandowski dismissed the anecdote, saying, "Womp womp."



http://money.cnn.com/2018/06/21/media/corey-lewandowski-speakers-bureau/index.html?utm_content=2018-06-24T06%3A15%3A05&utm_term=image&utm_source=twCNNi&utm_medium=social

Massachusetts governor's son being investigated for incident on JetBlue flight

The son of Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker (R) was reportedly accused of sexual assault by a woman traveling on his JetBlue flight this week.

ABC News reports that the incident allegedly occurred on Wednesday's flight 1354 from Washington, D.C., to Boston, during which a woman accused Andrew "A.J." Baker, the governor's adult son, of repeatedly groping her despite her requests that he stop.

"On June 20, the crew of flight 1354 were notified of an incident between customers shortly before landing in Boston. The aircraft landed at approximately 11 p.m. local time where it was met by local authorities," JetBlue told ABC in a statement.

A statement from the governor's office said only that the younger Baker would cooperate with authorities, echoing a statement from his attorney.

"This is a personal matter for the Baker Family and A.J. will cooperate with any request from authorities," the governor's office said.



http://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/393784-massachusetts-governors-son-being-investigated-for-incident-on-jetblue

HI-GOV: Unite Here Local 5 endorses Ige for governor

Unite Here Local 5, which represents about 11,000 Hawaii hospitality, health and food service workers, endorsed Gov. David Ige for re-election Thursday during its annual delegate convention at the Hale Koa Hotel.

Eric Gill, the union’s financial secretary-treasurer, cited Ige’s support of the union’s concerns about illegal vacation rentals, in particular, in announcing the endorsement.

In 2016, Ige vetoed a bill that would have allowed short-term accommodations brokers, such as Airbnb, to act as tax collection agents for the state. Critics, including Ige, said it would have shielded owners of unpermitted vacation rentals, allowing the units to continue to proliferate.

“Airbnb is bad for our community,” Ige said to cheers from union members, citing the impact illegal vacation rentals are having on the the affordability and availability of housing for residents. Ige said there is a place for Airbnb rentals, but they need to comply with laws and be appropriately zoned.


http://www.staradvertiser.com/2018/06/22/hawaii-news/unite-here-local-5-endorses-ige-for-governor/

Betsy DeVos is warehousing immigrant children separated from families.

CA-48: Harley Rouda claims spot to challenge Dana Rohrabacher in November