General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsGA-07: Ocasio-Cortez endorses progressive Democrat in TOSSUP district.
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 Nabilahs story it resonated with me deeply, Ocasio-Cortez said in the endorsement. Nabilahs 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 Georgias 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 Nabilahs in Congress.
https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/498484-ocasio-cortez-endorses-progressive-democrat-in-georgia-congressional
The Magistrate
(95,237 posts)Name recognition on a second time around helps.
Hortensis
(58,785 posts)and this time the Republican incumbent who barely carried it is not running.
Celerity
(42,645 posts)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
(68,347 posts)Celerity
(42,645 posts)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
(68,347 posts)can't win a general. I hope we get the seat.
Celerity
(42,645 posts)RandySF
(57,618 posts)Celerity
(42,645 posts)every time her name comes up from certain groups on here.
Bettie
(15,997 posts)endorse anyone...you know, because she's uppity.
Hortensis
(58,785 posts)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
(42,645 posts)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
(58,785 posts)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
(42,645 posts)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
(68,347 posts)Moderates win elections in Georgia.
crickets
(25,896 posts)Jose Garcia
(2,551 posts)Yet elsewhere Democrats managed to turn 43 seats from red to blue.
empedocles
(15,751 posts)Hortensis
(58,785 posts)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
(295,899 posts)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
(295,899 posts)Hortensis
(58,785 posts)ibegurpard
(16,685 posts)Hortensis
(58,785 posts)ibegurpard
(16,685 posts)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
(58,785 posts)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
(42,645 posts)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
(16,685 posts)I'm totally fine with primaries in safe seats however... i just like to see candidates that match their districts