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Pennsylvania state employee files class-action lawsuit for refund of agency fees

By Jerrick Adams
In Newsletters
August 23, 2019 at 8:14 PM

On Aug. 7, Pennsylvania state employee Catherine Kioussis filed a class-action lawsuit against the Service Employees International Union Local 668 seeking restitution for agency fees paid to the union in 2017 and 2018.

Who are the parties to the suit?

Kioussis, the plaintiff, works for the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services. She is represented by the Liberty Justice Center, a nonprofit public-interest law firm that represented Mark Janus in Janus v. AFSCME (2018). The defendant is the Service Employees International Union Local 668, which represents public- and private-sector social service workers at both the state and municipal levels of government. According to a federal disclosure report, SEIU Local 668 comprised 16,507 dues-paying members and 361 agency fee payers as of Dec. 31, 2018.

What’s at issue?

Kioussiss alleges “SEIU should have known that its seizure of [agency fees] from non-consenting employees likely violated the First Amendment.” Kioussiss seeks a refund of all agency fees she and other non-member employees paid to the union from Aug. 7, 2017, to June 27, 2018, the period permitted under Pennsylvania’s statute of limitations. According to the Liberty Justice Center, should the case be decided in Kioussiss’ favor, approximately 2,000 workers could receive as much as $1 million in restitution.

What are the reactions?

  • Brian Kelsey, an attorney with the Liberty Justice Center, said, “It’s unfortunate [Kioussiss’] constitutional rights were violated. We’re going to make sure she can get her money back now, or at least as much as we can gather that she paid over the last couple years.”
  • SEIU Local 669 President Steve Catanese said, “The Liberty Justice Center, along with other anti-union organizations such as the Fairness Center, is being funded by millions of dollars in dark money donations from billionaires and corporations. The sole purpose of these organizations and investments in them is to file frivolous litigation against labor unions and undermine the ability of workers to have a voice at the workplace.”

What comes next?

The case is pending before Judge John E. Jones III of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. President George W. Bush (R) appointed Jones in 2002. The case name and number are Kioussis v. Service Employees International Union Local 668, 1:19-cv-01367.

The big picture

Number of relevant bills by state

We are currently tracking 102 pieces of legislation dealing with public-sector employee union policy. On the map below, a darker shade of green indicates a greater number of relevant bills. Click here for a complete list of all the bills we’re tracking.

Union Station map August 23, 2019.png

Number of relevant bills by current legislative status

Union Station status chart August 23, 2019.png

Number of relevant bills by partisan status of sponsor(s)

Union Station partisan chart August 23, 2019.png

Recent legislative actions

No legislative actions have occurred since our last issue.



Ballotpedia launches comprehensive coverage of North Carolina local elections

By Daniel Anderson
In Local
August 23, 2019 at 5:19 PM
There are 503 cities, towns, and villages across North Carolina holding elections for 1,900 positions this year, and for the first time ever, Ballotpedia’s sample ballot is expanding to encompass every election in a state, even in the smallest villages. In addition to the municipal races, there are nine school districts holding elections for 23 school board seats and 17 special districts holding elections for 52 seats; no counties are holding elections. This adds up to 529 localities holding elections for 1,975 positions in North Carolina this year.
 
Local elections in North Carolina can follow four different methods during odd-numbered years:
 
1.) In partisan elections where runoffs are possible, the primary is on September 10, the primary runoff is on October 8, and the general election is on November 5. Primary runoffs may be held if no candidate receives at least 30% of the primary vote; however, the primary runoff is only held if the second-place candidate requests it. In 2019, only Charlotte and Sanford are following this method.
 
2.) In nonpartisan elections where runoffs are possible, the general election is on October 8 and the general runoff election is on November 5. General runoffs may be held if no candidate receives at least 50% of the general election vote; however, the general runoff is only held if the second-place candidate requests it. In 2019, only Atlantic Beach, Cary, Dobbins Heights, Dunn, Elizabeth City, Erwin, Henderson, Monroe, Raleigh, Rocky Mount, and Statesville are following this method.
 
3.) In nonpartisan elections with primaries where runoffs aren’t possible, the primary is on October 8 and the general election is on November 5. If only two or fewer candidates file to run per seat, the primary is not held and the candidates who filed advance automatically to the general election. In 2019, only Asheboro (and Asheboro City Schools), Bermuda Run, Burlington, Durham, Fayetteville, Flat Rock, Fletcher, Goldsboro, Hendersonville, Hickory, High Point, Jamestown, Matthews, Mooresville, Mount Airy, Pleasant Garden, Powellsville, Ramseur, Shelby, Southern Pines, and Windsor are following this method.
 
4.) In nonpartisan elections without primaries where runoffs aren’t possible, the general election is on November 5. These are plurality elections in which the candidate who receives the most votes wins; the winner does not need to meet a certain threshold of the overall vote to avoid a runoff. All other North Carolina local elections in 2019 are following this method.
 
Across the state, there are 65 local positions where no candidates filed to run. This includes the mayor’s office in 19 municipalities, the city or town council in 43 municipalities, and board positions in two special districts. These positions will be filled by write-in candidates who have been certified by their county board of elections.
 
Three of the state’s largest cities—Charlotte, Durham, and Raleigh—are among those holding elections in 2019. The mayor’s office is on the ballot in all three cities, and so are all 11 city council seats in Charlotte, three of seven city council seats in Durham, and all seven city council seats in Raleigh.
 
North Carolina’s local filing deadline passed on July 19, 2019. However, municipalities were permitted by the state government to extend their filing deadline by one week. There are also some exceptions to the statewide filing deadline; in Catawba County, Hickory Public Schools and Newton-Conover City Schools both have their filing deadline on September 6.
 


Mississippi Republican gubernatorial runoff between Tate Reeves and Bill Waller Jr. takes place Tuesday

By David Luchs
In State
August 23, 2019 at 5:19 PM
The Republican nomination for governor of Mississippi will be decided by a primary runoff between Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves and former state Supreme Court Chief Justice Bill Waller Jr. Tuesday. Reeves and Waller were the top two finishers in the August 6 primary but neither won the majority of the vote necessary to win outright.
 
Reeves, who is in his second term as lieutenant governor after serving two terms as state treasurer, says that his experience in state government would make him an effective chief executive. He says that he is the more conservative of the two, and has criticized Waller for supporting Medicaid expansion and an increase in the state gas tax.
 
Waller calls himself a conservative Republican but says that he would win more support from Democratic and independent voters than Reeves would in the general election. He has criticized the tone of Reeves’ campaign, saying that Reeves is more focused on attacking him than on proposing policies to address the problems Mississippi faces.
 
Both candidates have secured new endorsements since the August 6 primary. Reeves, who already had the endorsement of term-limited incumbent Phil Bryant (R), was endorsed by a series of state officials including former Gov. Haley Barbour (R) and state Sen. Chris McDaniel (R). Waller was endorsed by third-place primary finisher Robert Foster (R). Foster and Waller received a combined 51.1% of the primary vote to Reeves’ 48.9%.
 
Campaign finance reports filed Tuesday show that Reeves spent $1.9 million and Waller spent $315,000 between July 28 and August 17. During the same period, Waller raised $550,000 to Reeves’ $300,000. The two met for a final debate Wednesday night.
 
Mississippi has open primaries, so the runoff is open to registered Democrats and independents who did not vote in the Democratic primary on August 6. The winner will face Attorney General Jim Hood (D) in the November 5 general election. In order to win the general election, a candidate must both win the statewide vote and carry a majority of the 122 state House districts. If no candidate does both, the state House will decide the winner. No Democrat has won election as governor of Mississippi since Ronnie Musgrove (D) in 1999.
 


Tucson Democrats vie for spot on general election ballot in partisan primary for mayor

By Mandy Gillip
In Local
August 23, 2019 at 5:14 PM
Tucson is holding partisan primary elections for mayor and three of seven city council seats on Tuesday. Six of the city council seats are elected at large, and the mayor occupies the seventh seat. The general election is scheduled for November 5, and the filing deadline passed on May 29.
 
Four candidates filed in the mayoral race. Three of the four candidates—Randi Dorman, Steve Farley, and Regina Romero—are competing in the Democratic primary. The fourth candidate, independent Edward Ackerley, will face the Democratic primary winner on the general election ballot. No Republican candidates filed to run. Incumbent Jonathan Rothschild (D) announced in December 2018 that he would not seek re-election, ensuring a newcomer will take the office. Rothschild was first elected mayor in 2011 and re-elected in 2015.
 
Tucson City Council Wards 1, 2, and 4 are also on the ballot. In Ward 1, incumbent Regina Romero chose to run for mayor rather than for re-election. Four Democrats filed to run for her seat. In Ward 2, Democratic incumbent Paul Cunningham is running for re-election against Republican Ewart Williams Jr. Ward 4 incumbent Shirley Scott did not file to run for re-election. Democrat Nikki Lee and Republican Michael Hicks are running for that open seat.
 
Tucson is the second-largest city in Arizona and the 32nd-largest city in the U.S. by population.
 


Primary results certified in Seattle races

By Kate Carsella
In Local
August 23, 2019 at 5:14 PM
In Washington state, vote totals for Seattle and King County’s nonpartisan primaries were certified on August 20. The primaries were held on August 6, but the state uses a vote-by-mail system that delayed when the results would be counted and finalized.
 
The primaries included seven of Seattle’s nine city council seats, two of nine King County Council seats, and two of five Port of Seattle Commission positions. The general election is scheduled for November 5, 2019.
 
Here are the results of the Seattle City Council primaries:
 
• District 1: Incumbent Lisa Herbold, first elected in 2015, advanced to the general election with 50.6% of the vote. Attorney Phil Tavel advanced with 32.3%.
• District 2: Community organizer Tammy Morales and Seattle Police Department crime prevention coordinator Mark Solomon advanced to the general election with 50.1% and 23.2% of the vote, respectively. Incumbent and council president Bruce Harrell did not file to run for re-election.
• District 3: Incumbent Kshama Sawant, first elected in 2013, advanced to the general election with 36.7% of the vote, as did Capitol Hill Chamber of Commerce director Egan Orion, who received 21.5% of the vote.
• District 4: Alex Pedersen, who previously worked as a legislative aide for former councilmember Tim Burgess, and journalist Shaun Scott advanced to the general election with 40.4% and 23.3% of the vote, respectively. Incumbent Abel Pacheco did not file to run for a full term on the council.
• District 5: Incumbent Debora Juarez, first elected in 2015, advanced to the general election with 45.1% of the vote, and attorney Ann Davison Sattler advanced with 26.7% of the vote.
• District 6: Dan Strauss, policy advisor to councilmember Sally Bagshaw, advanced to the general with 34.1% of the vote, and former councilmember Heidi Wills advanced with 21.2%. Incumbent Mike O’Brien did not file to run for re-election.
• District 7: Assistant City Attorney Andrew Lewis advanced to the general with 31.7% of the vote, as did former Police Chief Jim Pugel with 24.8% of the vote. Incumbent Sally Bagshaw did not file to run for re-election.
 
Here are the results of the other four primaries:
 
• King County Council District 2: Incumbent Larry Gossett, last elected in 2015, advanced to the general election with 36.7% of the vote, as did Girmay Zahilay with 56.1% of the vote.
• King County Council District 8: Incumbent Joe McDermott, last elected in 2015, advanced with 83.9% of the vote, along with Michael Robert Neher, with 11.0%.
• Port of Seattle Commission Position 2: Sam Cho advanced to the general with 31.1% of the vote, and Grant Degginger advanced with 24.5%. Incumbent Courtney Gregoire did not file to run for re-election.
• Port of Seattle Commission Position 5: Incumbent Fred Felleman, last elected in 2015, advanced to the general with 72.4% of the vote, as did Garth Jacobson with 20.0% of the vote.
 
Primaries were canceled for two King County Council seats, assessor, elections director, superior court judgeships, and special district races since two or fewer candidates filed to run per position.
 
Seattle is the largest city in Washington state and the 22nd-largest city in the U.S. by population. King County had a population of 2,149,970 in 2013, according to the United States Census Bureau.
 
 


10th Circuit Court of Appeals rules Colorado signature distribution requirements constitutional

By Jackie Mitchell
In State
August 23, 2019 at 5:09 PM
Colorado voters approved Amendment 71 (sometimes referred to as the Raise the Bar initiative) in 2016. Amendment 71 required initiative petitioners to spread out signature gathering efforts across all of the state’s 35 senate districts, making it more difficult to collect enough signatures to qualify a constitutional amendment for the ballot.
 
Amendment 71 also enacted a 55% supermajority requirement for any constitutional amendment other than those designed to only delete language.
 
ColoradoCareYes and the Coalition for Colorado Universal Health Care, proponents of the defeated Amendment 69 of 2016, filed litigation against Amendment 71 in U.S. District Court on April 24, 2017. Secretary of State Wayne Williams (R) was named as the defendant.
 
Plaintiffs argued that the distribution requirement provisions of Amendment 71 violate the First Amendment and Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The lawsuit stated, “Voters in one district can thwart the will of a far greater number of voters in another, and prevent a popular initiative that might win majority support in the general election from appearing on the ballot.” Specifically, plaintiffs argued that Amendment 71 gives greater weight to rural voters than urban voters and therefore violates the one-person-one-vote principle.
 
On March 27, 2018, a federal judge ruled in favor of plaintiffs and overturned the provisions of Amendment 71 that established a distribution requirement for initiated constitutional amendment petitions. That ruling was appealed, and the distribution requirement was left in effect for the 2018 election cycle.
 
On August 20, 2019, the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 to reverse the U.S. District Court’s ruling, leaving the distribution requirement in place. The majority wrote that “[n]o equal protection problem exists if votes are cast in state legislative districts that were drawn based on Census population data.” The majority based its decision on U.S. Supreme Court Case Evenwel v. Abbot in which justices ruled unanimously that a state or local government could draw legislative districts based on population.


Alabama House special primary runoff on Tuesday

By Tyler King
In State
August 23, 2019 at 5:09 PM
On August 27, a special primary runoff is being held in District 74 of the Alabama House of Representatives. Republicans Charlotte Meadows and Michael Fritz are competing in the primary runoff after advancing from the June 11 primary with 46.7% and 19.1% of the vote, respectively. Rayford Mack ran unopposed in the Democratic primary. The general election is scheduled for November 12.
 
The seat was vacated when Dimitri Polizos (R) died of a heart attack on March 27. Polizos had represented the district since 2013. He last won re-election in 2018 with 60.5% of the vote.
 
Heading into the election, Republicans have a 75-28 majority in the Alabama House with two vacancies. Alabama has a Republican state government trifecta. A trifecta exists when one political party simultaneously holds the governor’s office and majorities in both state legislative chambers.
 
As of August, 73 state legislative special elections have been scheduled or held in 24 states. Between 2011 and 2018, an average of 77 special elections took place each year.
 


Michigan GOP sues to block Proposal 2, arguing the member-selection process violates the party’s associational rights

By Ryan Byrne
In State
August 23, 2019 at 5:04 PM
On August 22, 2019, the Michigan Republican Party filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for Western Michigan seeking to block Proposal 2, which transferred the power to draw the state’s congressional and legislative districts from the state legislature to a 13-member independent redistricting commission. Voters approved Proposal 2, with 61 percent voting in favor of the constitutional amendment.
 
Laura Cox, chairperson of the state Republican Party, said Proposal 2 violated the party’s freedom of association as the amendment prevented parties from selecting their own members to serve on the redistricting commission.
 
Proposal 2 requires applicants for the redistricting commission to attest under oath regarding their partisan affiliation. However, Proposal 2 does not require the state department to confirm individuals’ partisan affiliation. As of 2019, voters in Michigan do not have an option to declare their partisan affiliation on voter registration forms.
 
Proposal 2 was designed to allow the legislative leaders from the two major parties to strike up to five applicants each (between the leaders, 20 strikeouts total) from the pool of 60 Republicans, 60 Democrats, and 80 non-affiliated applicants. Thereafter, a random selection from each partisan pool takes place, with four Republicans, four Democrats, and five non-affiliated applicants being selected.
 
The Michigan GOP’s legal complaint said applicants could self-affiliate with the Republican Party “without any involvement or consent of the applicable political party and without any specific consideration of the applicants’ past or current political activity, expression, or involvement.” The process, according to attorneys Gary Gordon and Charlie Spies, could allow Democrats to self-affiliate as Republicans “in an effort to alter the party’s selection process and weaken its representation on the commission by individuals who genuinely affiliate with MRP.” Stu Sandler, general counsel for the Michigan GOP, said, “In every other system that’s been created like this, political parties or legislative leaders have had the ability to select, or there’s been a strong history of voter registration so that you can tell who’s been a part of the party and who hasn’t.”
 
As of August 2019, six states have enacted laws for independent redistricting commissions for congressional districts. In Arizona, California, Colorado, and Idaho, registered voters can select to affiliate with a political party on their voter registration forms. Like Michigan, Washington does not have a party-affiliation option on voter registrations. The Washington process involves legislative leaders of the two major parties each selecting a member of the redistricting commission, and the four leader-appointed members appointing a fifth member.
 
Responding to the Michigan GOP filing the lawsuit, Attorney General Dana Nessel (D) said, “Our position on this matter has not changed. Our office will continue to vigorously defend Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and the legality of the redistricting commission, preserving the will of the people and their right to adopt amendments to Michigan’s Constitution at the polls.”
 
The Michigan GOP’s lawsuit is the second to be filed against Proposal 2. Another—Daunt v. Benson—argues that Proposal 2 unconstitutionally restricts who can serve on the commission by prohibiting individuals who, during the six years prior, were partisan candidates; partisan elected officials; officers of political parties; paid consultants or employees of candidates, officials, campaigns, or political action committees; state legislative employees; lobbyists; other specified state employees; and the parents and children of aforementioned persons from serving on the commission.
 


Ballotpedia’s Weekly Presidential News Briefing: August 17-23, 2019

By Emily Aubert
In Newsletters
August 23, 2019 at 3:14 PM
 Ballotpedia's Weekly Presidential News Briefing

Every weekday, Ballotpedia tracks the events that matter in the 2020 presidential election. 

Now, we’re bringing you the highlights from our daily briefings in a new weekly format so you can stay up-to-date on the 2020 election with one weekly email.   

Here’s the latest from the campaign trail.

Candidates by the Number 

There are seven new candidates running since last week, including one Democrat, two Republicans, and one Libertarian. In total, 823 individuals are currently filed with the FEC to run for president.

Notable Quotes of the Week
“There’s a fundamental values gap between the mainstream Democratic Party, which tends to be more socially liberal and cosmopolitan in its outlook, and rural and small-town voters. Unless a candidate can build bridges across that gap on the basis of values, it’s very difficult to make any policy proposal matter.

Right now, no one is building those bridges … [but] if you can move rural voters, even a few points, it becomes possible to win in states you can’t otherwise win.”

– Mark Mellman, Democratic pollster

“If our economic growth falters, the president will blame the Federal Reserve Board for its bungling of interest rates, and he’ll claim that he bravely jeopardized his reelection bid by taking on the Chinese – something that had to be done. He will be right on both counts and he will be forgiven by his supporters.”

– Liz Peek, Fox News

“A recession between now and the 2020 election would likely put a dagger in the heart of President Trump’s reelection chances. The president has argued that the currently low unemployment and high stock prices are the product of his economic policies. If unemployment rises and stock prices fall, as they would in a recession, it is hard to see how he won’t own these failures in the minds of voters.

Not that he won’t try to pin the economy’s problems on others, most notably the Federal Reserve and the conduct of monetary policy, but I doubt most voters will be duped.”

– Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics

Week in Review

Inslee and Moulton end 2020 bids, 21 Democrats remain

Jay Inslee and Seth Moulton suspended their presidential campaigns this week.

Inslee entered the race with climate change as his top priority. “Many of the campaigns started with little attention to climate, but since our campaign began, we’ve seen almost every serious candidate put out a climate plan; we’ve seen climate come up in both debates; and we now have two networks hosting nationally-televised climate forums in September,” he said.

Inslee will run for a third term as governor of Washington.

In an interview with The New York Times Friday, Moulton said, “I think it’s evident that this is now a three-way race between Biden, Warren, and Sanders, and really it’s a debate about how far left the party should go.”

Inslee and Moulton are the fifth and six elected officials or notable public figures—after Richard Ojeda, Eric Swalwell, Mike Gravel, and John Hickenlooper—to exit the Democratic presidential primary. 

Other low-polling candidates have been asked about the future of their campaigns this week. Kirsten Gillibrand said she was open to running for vice president if her campaign did not succeed. “I will do public service in all its forms,” she said.

John Delaney did not rule out a possible gubernatorial run in Maryland. “I’ve always believed in the Lincoln expression, which is, ‘You can only paddle to the next bend in the river.’ And so, I’m just paddling towards this bend,” Delaney said Thursday.

Castro becomes 10th candidate to qualify for the September and October primary debates

Julián Castro became the 10th candidate to qualify for the September and October presidential primary debates.

Unlike the first two debates this summer, candidates must reach both a grassroots fundraising threshold and a polling threshold. They need 130,000 unique contributors with 400 unique donors per state in at least 20 states. Candidates also need to receive 2 percent support or more in four national or early-state polls—Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, and/or Nevada—publicly released between June 28 and Aug. 28.

The following nine candidates also reached both thresholds: Joe Biden, Cory Booker, Pete Buttigieg, Kamala Harris, Amy Klobuchar, Beto O’Rourke, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, and Andrew Yang.

Three candidates have crossed the fundraising bar only: Tulsi Gabbard, Tom Steyer, and Marianne Williamson. To make the stage, Steyer needs one more qualifying poll and Gabbard two. Williamson does not have a single qualifying polling.

The debate will take place in Houston, Texas, on Sept. 12-13, 2019, with the second night scheduled if the field exceeds 10 participants.  If more than 10 candidates qualify, a selection event will take place on Aug. 29, and the candidates will be randomly distributed across both nights.

ABC News announced this week that George Stephonapolus, David Muir, Jorge Ramos, and Linsey Davis will moderate the debate. Texas Southern University will host the event.

Candidates congregate in Iowa and California this week

Several multi-candidate forums were held this week, beginning with the Frank LaMere Native American Presidential Forum in Sioux City, Iowa.

More than a dozen candidates also spoke at the Iowa Federation of Labor’s annual convention in Altoona Wednesday.

This weekend, Michael Bennet, Cory Booker, Julián Castro, Kamala Harris, Amy Klobuchar, Tim Ryan, Bernie Sanders, Joe Sestak, Tom Steyer, Elizabeth Warren, Marianne Williamson, and Andrew Yang are attending the summer meetingof the Democratic National Convention in San Francisco.

Trump on the trail

Donald Trump confirmed Sunday that he would keep Mike Pence as his running mate in 2020.

While he did not hold any campaign rallies this week, Trump headlined a fundraiser for Matt Bevin’s gubernatorial reelection campaign in Kentucky Wednesday.

The Trump campaign also announced its Iowa leadership team Thursday with Gov. Kim Reynolds and Chuck Grassley as honorary state chairs, Carly Miller as state director, and Stephanie Alexander as regional political director. 

Republican primary could soon get another contender

Conservative radio show host and former Rep. Joe Walsh is considering entering the Republican primary.

“If I’m to do it, it’s going to happen soon,” Walsh said Wednesday. “I think if there is an alternative out there, the money will follow.”

“While Walsh would not confirm he would enter the primary, two sources who spoke to him said he was privately confirming he would announce his presidential bid this weekend,” Politico reported.

Want more? Find the daily details here:

Poll Spotlight

Staff Spotlight

Each Friday, we highlight a presidential candidate’s key campaign staffer.

Heather Hargreaves is a staffer with experience managing the NextGen America issue group, which Steyer founded. She graduated from Stanford University with a degree in economics and political science in 2003.

Previous campaign work:

  • 2008 Barack Obama presidential campaign, field organizer and Campaign for Change Nevada director
  • 2006 Steve Westly California gubernatorial campaign, field director

Other experience:

  • 2017-2019: NextGen America, executive vice president and executive director
  • 2015-2017: NextGen Climate, national advocacy director and national program vice president
  • 2010-2015: Mercury Public Affairs, vice president
  • 2009-2010: Alliance for Climate Protection, deputy field director

What she says about Steyer:

“Tom is the only candidate with the experience to call out Trump as a fraud, beat him on the economy, and start putting the American people before corporations.”

What We’re Reading

Flashback: August 19-23, 2015

August 19, 2015: Martin O’Malley held a press conference in front of Trump International Hotel Las Vegas on labor issues and the 2016 election.

August 20, 2015: TIME published its cover story interview with Donald Trump about presidential temperament, immigration, tax policy, and other issues.

August 21, 2015: Donald Trump held a rally in Mobile, Alabama, attended by an estimated 20,000 people.

August 22, 2015: The Kentucky Republican Party approved holding a presidential caucus rather than primary, which would allow Rand Paul to simultaneously run for president and U.S. Senate.

August 23, 2015: Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump won their respective party’s Cast Your Kernel poll at the Iowa State Fair.

Trivia

Since 1824, how many winning presidential candidates have lost their home state?


Moulton ends 2020 presidential campaign

By Emily Aubert
In Newsletters
August 23, 2019 at 10:44 AM

 

 

Ballotpedia's Daily Presidential News Briefing

August 23, 2019: Seth Moulton becomes sixth notable Democrat to suspend his presidential campaign. More than a dozen 2020 Democrats are in California for the party’s summer meeting. Bernie Sanders released a $16.3 trillion climate change plan.
  

     Each Friday, we’ll highlight a presidential candidate’s key campaign staffer.

Daily Presidential News Briefing - Staffer Spotlight - Heather Hargreaves

Heather Hargreaves is a staffer with experience managing the NextGen America issue group, which Steyer founded. She graduated from Stanford University with a degree in economics and political science in 2003.

Previous campaign work:

  • 2008 Barack Obama presidential campaign, field organizer and Campaign for Change Nevada director
  • 2006 Steve Westly California gubernatorial campaign, field director

Other experience:

  • 2017-2019: NextGen America, executive vice president and executive director
  • 2015-2017: NextGen Climate, national advocacy director and national program vice president
  • 2010-2015: Mercury Public Affairs, vice president
  • 2009-2010: Alliance for Climate Protection, deputy field director

What she says about Steyer:

“Tom is the only candidate with the experience to call out Trump as a fraud, beat him on the economy, and start putting the American people before corporations.”

Notable Quote of the Day

“Governors’ mansions are no longer an obvious stepping stone to the White House. Modern presidential campaigns require name ID, a broad donor base and national platform — none of which you get by being a successful small state governor. Governors have executive experience and outsider credentials that look great on paper, but it’s really hard to translate that into nationwide support in modern politics.”

– Alex Conant, Republican strategist

Democrats

Republicans

  • The Donald Trump campaign announced its Iowa leadership team Thursday with Gov. Kim Reynolds and Chuck Grassley as honorary state chairs, Carly Miller as state director, and Stephanie Alexander as regional political director. 

What We’re Reading

Flashback: August 23, 2015

Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump won their respective party’s Cast Your Kernel poll at the Iowa State Fair.

 



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