Voter registration surges in Georgia ahead of 2020 elections

New voters have registered in droves in Georgia since last year’s midterms, expanding the electorate ahead of the 2020 presidential election year when the state is expected to be a key political battleground.

More than 352,000 people signed up to vote in the past 11 months, the vast majority of them automatically registering when they obtain a driver’s license, according to data from the secretary of state’s office. The influx has boosted Georgia’s voter rolls to a record high of nearly 7.4 million.

Many of the new voters are racial minorities or under age 30, both groups that are more likely to support Democrats than Republicans, according to a Pew Research Center poll.

About 47% of the new voters who identified their race are minorities and 45% are age 30 or younger, according to an analysis by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution of a list of voters registered from Nov. 6 to Aug. 12. By comparison, 40% of all Georgia voters are minorities and 14% are age 30 or younger. The voter list was obtained from the secretary of state’s office and provided to the AJC by Fair Fight PAC, a political action committee that supports Democratic parties nationwide.



https://www.ajc.com/news/state--regional-govt--politics/voter-registration-surges-georgia-ahead-2020-elections/NVKOTit4KEtsTHoXtd6ddN/#

The DNC Is Sending Organizers To 8 Battleground States

The Democratic National Committee announced Monday that it is funding full-time staff in eight presidential election battleground states, showing its commitment to state-level investment early in the election cycle.

The central party body, which oversees the presidential nominating process and provides support for general-election efforts across the country, is financing the hiring in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Texas and Wisconsin. Though the DNC is funding the new personnel, the Democratic Party in each of the individual states will employ them.

The funding for those states’ organizers, which will be responsible for outreach to voters in key constituencies, comes from the DNC’s State Party Innovation Fund. The DNC did not provide a dollar figure for the investment, but said it was larger than comparable investments at this stage in the 2016 election cycle.

“Organizing at the community level is our highest priority as the DNC,” Muthoni Wambu Kraal, the DNC’s national political and organizing director, said in a statement. “People are our most powerful resource in this election ― from rural and urban communities, to secular and nonsecular communities, to voters of every ethnicity, age, and background.”

The investment, which the DNC emphasized is the first of several rounds of funding, provides a look at states that national Democrats believe can propel them to victory against President Donald Trump in November 2020. In particular, the funding for Texas, a historically conservative state where Democrats have been gaining, is likely to raise some eyebrows.



https://www.huffpost.com/entry/tom-perez-dnc-funding-organizers-eight-battleground-states-2020-presidential-election_n_5d91342ae4b0ac3cddaa82c9

Marianne Faithfull - As Tears Go By

Bonus Tweet of the Day

Tweet of the Day

Election 2919: County Republicans kick Virginia state senator out of organization.

tate Sen. Amanda Chase (R-SD11) – so bad, even her own party wants nothing to do with her! See below for the press release from the Democratic Party of Virginia, per the breaking story in the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Also, for more information on Chase and her deplorable behavior, see Audio: Sen. Amanda Chase (R) Says “I Wish [NRA] Would Write *Me* a Check for $200,000”, Right-Wing Republican Virginia State Senator Amanda Chase: “It’s those who are naive and unprepared that end up raped”, “I Call My Revolver My Little Equal Rights Amendment”; State Senator Amanda Chase (R-11th) Claims Capitol Police Are Partisan Liars; Far-Right, Pistol-Packing Virginia State Sen. Amanda Chase Praises “Make Bang Bang” Gun Guy’s “great group who believe in our constitution and rights as Americans.” and Far-Right Virginia Sen. Amanda Chase: “The ERA Amendment is nothing more than a ploy by the left to eliminate gender altogether.”

Update: The Richmond Times-Dispatch has just reported that the Chesterfield County GOP HAS KICKED SENATOR AMANDA CHASE OUT OF THE COUNTY REPUBLICAN PARTY.

From: Grant Fox (DPVA)
Date: Mon, Sep 30, 2019 at 1:15 PM
Subject: Amanda Chase’s Offensive Behavior Is Pushing Away Fellow Republicans, Swing Voters

Amanda Chase’s Offensive Behavior Is Pushing Away Fellow Republicans, Swing Voters

GOP Senator Amanda Chase likes to think that her public fights with Virginia Capitol Police, inflammatory ads that call for violence against gun violence prevention groups, and Trump-like offensive behavior endear her to Republicans. But the cracks are starting to show in the 11th District where she is facing a tough challenge from Democrat Amanda Pohl, who outraised Chase by $50,000 in the last quarter. New reporting from the Richmond Times-Dispatch shows local Republicans are sick and tired of Chase’s combative behavior that gets nothing done for their district, and some are refusing to vote for her in November.




https://bluevirginia.us/2019/09/amanda-chases-offensive-behavior-is-pushing-away-fellow-republicans-swing-voters

Gabbard calls out 2020 opponents fundraising off impeachment

Presidential hopeful Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) called out her Democratic opponents for fundraising off of impeachment on Monday, accusing them of undermining the credibility of the inquiry.

"Candidates for POTUS who are fundraising off 'impeachment' are undermining credibility of inquiry in eyes of American people, further dividing our already fractured country," Gabbard said in a tweet.

"Please stop. We need responsible, patriotic leaders who put the interests of our country before their own," she continued.

Democrats have used the issue to shore up fundraising support from donors after Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) announced on Tuesday that the House would launch a formal impeachment inquiry into President Trump amid allegations from a whistleblower that Trump sought to persuade Ukraine to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden, the front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination.




https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/463696-gabbard-calls-out-2020-opponents-fundraising-off-impeachment

House Ethics Committee reviewing two GOP lawmakers over campaign finance

The House Ethics Committee revealed Monday that it is reviewing allegations of campaign finance violations against two GOP lawmakers.

The committee announced that it is extending reviews of Reps. Ross Spano (R-Fla.) and Bill Huizenga (R-Mich.) and would announce next steps, such as deciding to open formal investigations, by Nov. 14.

Spano is under scrutiny for accepting about $180,000 in loans from friends and using it for his congressional campaign as if it were his own money. Campaign finance law allows candidates to loan their campaigns any amount of personal funds, but loans from others are considered campaign contributions and are therefore subject to limits of $2,700 per cycle.

Spano has said he has since repaid the loans.

Huizenga, meanwhile, faced a Federal Election Commission (FEC) complaint from the Michigan Democratic Party alleging that he misused campaign funds for personal expenses.

The FEC later recommended a dismissal of the allegations after finding no "reasonable inference" that Huizenga's campaign used campaign funds for personal use, according to The Detroit News.

Huizenga has denied any wrongdoing.

"We have cooperated fully in this process and will continue to do so. This matter is the continuation of a partisan and politically motivated complaint filed by the Michigan Democratic Party prior to the 2018 election that has already been resolved by the Federal Election Commission," said Brian Patrick, a spokesman for Huizenga.




https://thehill.com/homenews/house/463722-house-ethics-committee-reviewing-two-gop-lawmakers-over-campaign-finance

Ukraine whistleblower coverage hasn't impacted Biden favorability

A recent poll found former Vice President Joe Biden's favorability has not been affected by the ongoing fallout from media coverage concerning President Trump asking the president of Ukraine to "look into" the 2020 Democratic presidential candidate.

A Morning Consult poll found Biden's favorability has remained stable after the news broke last week.

The poll was conducted from Sept. 23 to 29, starting after the Ukraine story broke and continuing amidst the announcement of an impeachment inquiry and the releases of Trump's conversation with Zelensky and the whistleblower complaint.

Biden's favorability has stabilized in the low-70s since the first debate in June.

The former vice president maintains the lead in the Morning Consult Democratic primary poll at 32 percent support, which is unchanged from the previous week. When narrowed to voters in early primary states, Biden dropped 3 percentage points from last week to 31 percent.

Biden tied for the highest favorability overall at 73 percent with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).

The president and his supporters have urged people to take a closer look at Biden's connections to Ukraine. Biden's son previously served on a Ukrainian gas company's board.



https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/463743-ukraine-whistleblower-coverage-hasnt-impacted-biden-favorability-poll

Giuliani Suggests He Might Not Comply with Subpoena

Rudy Giuliani signaled in a tweet he may not comply with an impeachment subpoena issued by the House, saying it “raises significant issues concerning legitimacy.”




https://politicalwire.com/2019/09/30/giuliani-suggests-he-might-not-comply-with-subpoena/