National
As President Joe Biden (D-DE) has made the historic decision to suspend his campaign, the question now circles around the Democratic nominee just four months out from Election Day.
Biden and many others, including Governor Kathy Hochul (D), Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D, NY-08) have thrown their support behind Vice President Kamala Harris (D-CA) (pictured right), who reports indicate has support from enough Democratic delegates to secure the nomination.
Harris has also raked in a historic $100 million after earning Biden’s endorsement, an expected move after a large aspect of Biden’s suspension revolved around donors withholding funds until a more viable candidate was put forward.
However, some reports are swirling around possible contenders as a contested convention looms just a month away. 2020 and 2024 candidate and self-help author Marianne Williamson (D-CA) seems interested in putting herself up for consideration, stating that the convention needs to be “open,” and setting a stark contrast between herself and party stalwarts.
“The nomination of a new Democratic candidate must be opened to a genuinely democratic process at an open convention,” Williamson said on X, formerly known as Twitter. “No one should simply be anointed to the position of nominee; all candidates must be heard and their agendas explored. Our party’s basic first principle is democracy. We cannot save our democracy without practicing it ourselves.”
Interestingly, another notable Democratic name, and arguably one of the powerful “Joes” in the country, Senator Joe Manchin (I-WV) (pictured right), is reportedly considering a presidential bid, an idea he’s toyed with for years, which culminates in a moment he says his party needs to attract Democrats like him that “left” the party.
Manchin has served as Governor of West Virginia and in the Senate since 2010. A notable maverick, Manchin is one of the last remnants of a more centrist Democratic Party, one that was especially vibrant in West Virginia until the last decade. Manchin narrowly survived re-election in 2018, albeit with an underperformance of the national environment, and passed on seeking a third full term this year, as he would have required an unparalleled amount of crossover support in a state Donald Trump (R-FL) is almost certain to carry by more than forty points.
Manchin’s retirement casts aside virtually any hopes Democrats had of retaining one of their last red-state seats, and with control of the razor-thin Senate majority on the line, Democrats have no margin for error.
But Manchin’s decision not to run for Senate and his fraternization with the No Labels movement sparked some rumors he was mulling over a third-party bid as a conservative-moderate Democrat. Such a candidacy never materialized, but Manchin did leave the Democratic Party in May and joined three Senate Independents who caucus with the Democrats. Manchin had been a life-long registered Democrat.
A Manchin candidacy would be a curveball in an election of already-historic proportions. A more moderate candidate representing the classical working-class face of the Democratic Party, Manchin would certainly swing Independents and blue-dog Democrats, but it would be a question of where the progressive sect of the party would go. A likelihood would be a mass exodus to the progressive candidacies of Jill Stein on the Green Party ticket or Cornel West on his own Independent ticket.
In presidential news, Independent Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., has submitted signatures for ballot access in Louisiana, worth eight electoral votes. In 2016 and 2020, Trump delivered the strongest results for a Republican in Louisiana since the 1980s. A highly-partisan state, Kennedy would have to find significant crossover support to earn more than 5% of the vote here.
Kennedy now has ballot access or has submitted signatures in twenty-nine states, collectively worth 392 Electoral Votes. His ballot access in Mississippi on the We the People line is under scrutiny, as the We the People party has not filed all documents to be recognized as a party in the Magnolia State. The party has also not received all documents from the Kennedy-Shanahan campaign to receive access under their line.
In congressional news, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee (D, TX-18) passed away Friday at the age of 74 from cancer. Lee represented Houston from 1994 until her death. Governor Greg Abbott (R-TX) can now call a special election or the seat will remain vacant until the regularly-scheduled election in November.
The partisan breakdown of the U.S. House now sits at 220 Republicans and 212 Democrats with three vacancies. A special election will be held September 18 to fill NJ-10 after Donald Payne, Jr., (D) died in April, and a new member will be elected to WI-08 in November after Mike Gallagher (R) resigned in April.
In other national news, following the assassination attempt of Donald Trump at his Pennsylvania rally last weekend, Secret Service Director Kim Cheatle has officially resigned after a contentious hearing in front of the House Oversight Committee on Monday.
Cheatle conceded that there were “colossal” problems with security at the Trump rally, but asserted that she was the “best person” to lead the Secret Service. Cheatle came under heavy bipartisan fire for the lax security measures that almost resulted in Trump’s death, and faced even more calls to resign after she refused to answer questions during her hearing.
Cheatle started her work in the Secret Service in 1995, with a hiatus from 2019 to 2022 to serve as Senior Director of Global Security at PepsiCo.
Deputy Director Ronald Lowe succeeded her as acting director.
California has recently become the first state in the nation to ban policies that force educators and school districts to notify parents’ of students’ gender transition or preferred pronoun usage.
Over a dozen California school boards have passed policies forcing parents to be notified of such changes in the aftermath of the COVID-19 Pandemic, which saw conservatives elected to school boards in the wake of the learning disruptions. Enacted policies required parents to be notified if their children requested names or pronouns different from the ones in school records.
Governor Gavin Newsom (D-CA) and California Attorney General Rob Bonta (D) have fought the school districts in court, as plaintiffs claim that such policies forcibly “out” kids to parents who may or may not be supportive of their newfound identities.
After school boards like that of Chino Valley Unified School District passed their policies, the State quickly intervened with their lawsuits, alleging that deeply personal family matters should not be forced by a government entity. Newsom’s bill, passed by the Democratic-supermajority state legislature, however, does not end the legal battles. Chino Valley has argued that parents have a constitutional right to their children’s upbringing.
State
Linda Sun, former Deputy Chief of Staff to Governor Kathy Hochul (D), has had her Manhasset home raided by the FBI.
While the specifics of the investigation remain publicly unclear, Sun and her husband have not been accused of any crimes or malfeasance as of press time. No arrests were made.
The FBI has confirmed that the bureau has conducted “court-authorized law enforcement activity” at the five-bedroom, gated-community residence in Nassau County. The U.S. attorney’s Brooklyn office obtained the search warrant.
The only notable change in the property’s ownership came earlier this year, as Sun and her husband transferred from their ownership to a trust.
Sun began her governmental career as Chief of Staff to Congresswoman Grace Meng (D, NY-06), at the time an Assemblywoman, and later worked in various positions under Governors Andrew Cuomo (D) and Hochul. Sun’s employment included Asian Americans Affairs; Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; and Business Development on the State level. She departed the Governor’s office in early 2023 to serve as campaign manager for Austin Cheng (D-Glen Cove) in his failed bid for the Democratic nomination for New York’s Third Congressional District against Congressman Tom Suozzi (D-Glen Cove) this year.
Local
The Suffolk County Legislature has scheduled a date for its Next Generation Advisory Council Meeting.
The Council’s purpose is to give the “next generation” a literal seat at the table. The meeting provides residents aged 20-34 the opportunity to sit down with Legislators to discuss and help craft proposed legislation that could impact the future of Suffolk County.
The first meeting will be held at the William H. Rogers Building at 725 Veterans Memorial Highway in Hauppauge on Wednesday, August 14 at 6:30p.m.
Legislative offices can be consulted with questions about the event and applicable residents can RSVP at nextgen@suffolkcountyny.gov.
