RandySF
RandySF's JournalMI-SEN: A Rising Democratic Star Is Ready for New Leadership -- Without Chuck Schumer
Mallory McMorrow doesn’t claim to have all the answers for the Democratic Party. But as the 38-year-old Michigan Democrat gears up for a likely Senate run next month, she says generational change is needed — including at the leadership level.
In an interview with POLITICO Magazine, McMorrow, a state senator, said it wasn’t clear to her that Chuck Schumer could continue in his role as Senate minority leader, and that she would not vote for him as leader should she ultimately win a highly-contested primary and general election.
“I think it is” time for Schumer to step back, McMorrow said. “There’s still this idea that Democrats and Republicans are still abiding by the same rules and still believe in the same norms and systems and structure. There seems to be a lack of recognition that this is no longer the Republican Party. This is a MAGA party. And the same approach is not going to work.” (A Schumer spokesperson declined to comment.)
It’s not the first time McMorrow delivered a difficult message to someone she respected.
https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2025/03/25/mallory-mcmorrow-michigan-senate-chuck-schumer-00246369
Voters approve majority of school referendums in 2026 Spring Election
MADISON, Wis. (WMDX) – Dozens of school districts saw ballot measures approved by voters during the 2026 Spring Election in Wisconsin.
According to unofficial results posted Tuesday night by county clerks across the state, 46 of 75 referendum questions passed, while 29 failed.
Margins for passing a referendum were tight, as 11 were approved by 83 or fewer votes. Four rural northern Wisconsin districts saw passage by under three dozen “yes” votes: Gilman (+30), Crandon (+19), Shell Lake (+2), and Butternut (+1).
On the flip side, four more districts saw their measures fail by fewer than two dozen votes: Twin Lakes #4 (-23), Montello (-23), Markesan (-19), and Lena (-17).
https://civicmedia.us/news/2026/04/08/voters-approve-majority-of-school-referendums-in-2026-spring-election
Wisconsin city passes nation's first anti-data center referendum
A small Wisconsin city home to a data center project backed by President Donald Trump voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to restrict future data centers, in a first-of-its-kind referendum that backers said could offer a blueprint for AI infrastructure opponents around the country.
Voters in the Milwaukee suburb of Port Washington approved the measure by a roughly 2-to-1 margin, according to unofficial results.
City residents who sponsored the voter initiative said it marks an escalation of tactics to oppose the massive facilities needed to power artificial intelligence and could inspire activists in other towns to follow suit.
“This is really setting a precedent,” Christine Le Jeune, founder of the nonprofit Great Lakes Neighbors United, said in an interview Tuesday evening. “This is something that other communities can look to.”
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/04/08/wisconsin-city-passes-nations-first-anti-data-center-referendum-00863432
SF: Stakes are high in contest for the Sunset's supervisorial seat
The June supervisorial election in District 4 will inevitably be a public judgment on Mayor Daniel Lurie’s appointment of Supervisor Alan Wong to fill a vacancy.
In addition, the vote could determine whether the Board of Supervisors will remain as receptive as it has been to the popular mayor’s policies.
That is, at least until the November election, when a full four-year term will be up for grabs. Wong is running against four other candidates to finish out the remainder of former Supervisor Joel Engardio’s term.
Dramatically illustrating the stakes, the organization GrowSF collected $297,000 as of March 31 for an independent committee to support Wong, city records show. That war chest — which includes $250,000 from billionaire venture capitalist Michael Moritz — is part of a broader effort by GrowSF to preserve a more "pragmatic" Board of Supervisors majority.
https://www.sfexaminer.com/news/politics/district-4-supervisor-election-could-shift-city-direction/article_f467846a-5971-4730-8087-7324470e1be3.html
St. Louis voters decide to keep 1% earnings tax for another 5 years
Voters in St. Louis have retained a 1% tax that makes up more than a third of the city’s general revenue fund.
Proposition E passed 85% to 15% on Tuesday in final unofficial results. The earnings tax is paid by people who live or work in the city. The every-five-years retention vote is required by state law.
Tuesday’s results marked the fourth time voters have retained the tax. It is the largest margin of victory for the tax since an initial vote in 2011.
Mayor Cara Spencer has said she knows the city must look for alternate sources of revenue. State lawmakers regularly introduce legislation that limits who would have to pay the earnings tax or makes other changes that would reduce the amount of revenue it generates.
https://www.stlpr.org/government-politics-issues/2026-04-07/st-louis-voters-pass-earnings-tax
St. Charles County voters reject expanding property tax freeze to all homeowners
ST. CHARLES, Mo. (First Alert 4) - St. Charles County voters have rejected Proposition RT, a proposal that would have expanded the senior property tax freeze to all homeowners.
The vote failed 59-41 percent.
Supporters say it would help seniors on fixed incomes stay in their homes amid rising property values. Opponents say it would have led to cuts in schools and other programs.
A similar proposal was on the ballot in Jefferson County; that plan passed.
https://www.firstalert4.com/2026/04/08/st-charles-county-voters-reject-expanding-property-tax-freeze-all-homeowners/
Left-of-center candidates lead initial Anchorage election results; school bond and levy failing by slim margins
The Anchorage Assembly is set to have three new members after preliminary election results were released Tuesday night. Meanwhile, two school-related propositions -- a bond package for capital improvements and a one-time tax hike intended to hire more teachers, are both failing by razor-thin margins.
Incumbent Assembly members Anna Brawley, representing West Anchorage, South Anchorage’s Zac Johnson and East Anchorage’s George Martinez are currently leading their challengers. All three faced opponents with more conservative political leanings.
- Brawley currently has a 13% lead over challenger Brian Flynn.
- Martinez leads challenger Cody Anderson by 15%.
- Johnson has 47% of the vote while challengers Bruce Vergason and Janelle Sharp, have about 38% and 11% respectively.
Johnson, who identifies as a moderate and typically votes with the Assembly’s left-of-center majority and Mayor Suzanne LaFrance, said he sees the results as voters affirming the way the city has been run recently.
https://alaskapublic.org/news/anchorage/2026-04-07/left-of-center-candidates-lead-initial-anchorage-election-results-school-bond-and-levy-failing-by-slim-margins
Incumbents Sweep Milwaukee County Board Elections
The Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors will begin their next term with little change in the makeup of the legislative body. Only three incumbents faced competitive races Tuesday, and all won reelection.
However, the board will have one new member.
n District 5, after nearly a decade on the board, Sup. Sequanna Taylor did not run for reelection. She won election to the Wisconsin State Assembly in 2024. Taking her place on the board is Leevan Roundtree Jr., who ran unopposed for the empty seat.
Supervisors are elected to two-year terms and paid $32,819 annually. The County Board is the county’s legislative body in charge of financial oversight and approval of the county’s $1.3 billion annual budget. The new board will be sworn in on April 20.
https://urbanmilwaukee.com/2026/04/07/mke-county-incumbents-sweep-county-board-elections/
Voters reject conservative candidates for Francis Howell school board
ara Dillard, Jason Adams and Kevin McGuire are the projected winners of seats on the Francis Howell School District Board of Education — marking a sweeping rebuttal of conservatives who dominated after the pandemic and protests for racial justice in 2020.
Each of the three candidates received about 19% of the vote.
The candidates were endorsed by the Francis Howell Education Association, the district’s teacher union, and the progressive political action committee, Francis Howell Forward.
“I'm just so excited that our community has decided to finally put the hate and the divisiveness that has existed on our board to rest so we can concentrate on the serious matters instead of the manufactured noise that's taken place over the last few years,” Adams said in an interview Tuesday night.
https://www.stlpr.org/government-politics-issues/2026-04-07/francis-howell-school-board-election-st-charles
Vote YES Campaign Manager Briefing on "Super Saturdays" Early Voting Expansion, Campaign Update
“Before I get into Super Saturday, I do want to start with where things stand right now. I feel very confident about where we are. But we always knew this was always going to be a fight across the Commonwealth. The data is clear – Virginians are showing up. They are voting early and they are voting YES. Right now, we are seeing a consistent advantage in early vote. Our projections have us leading in early vote and we just need to keep that momentum going. Pedal to the metal here. As of yesterday, we’ve already seen a staggering 740,000 early votes cast in this referendum. What that is telling me is that Virginians understand what’s at stake. They aren’t distracted by Trump-aligned billionaires dumping millions of dollars to mislead voters. They see this referendum as stopping MAGA Republicans from rigging the the system and imposing their harmful policies on Virginians and on Americans. If Virginians pass this temporary measure, this emergency measure, they can level the playing field, protect Virginia’s independent redistricting process long term, and meet this moment right now. and we’re confident that Virginians will do just that.
Now, let’s talk about Super Saturday. Saturday, April 11th, and again, Saturday, April 18th, Virginia voters will have more access to early voting than at any point in this election cycle. There will be major expansions in key localities like Fairfax County, Prince William County, Loudoun County, Richmond and Norfolk that are opening up. And we’re coming out swinging. We are activating across the state with major events and doing all that we can to build towards Super Saturday. Just this week, we have SEIU tomorrow, our SEIU labor brothers and sisters are endorsing, and we have them at a major event in Tyson’s Corner. On Thursday and on Friday, national and statewide leaders are joining Roland Martin for two live stream vote YES town halls at Virginia State University and Norfolk State University. Also on Friday, we’re kicking off the weekend with a press conference with some of our Virginia Democratic leaders, urging Virginians to come out and vote early to make their voices heard on Saturday in Richmond. Throughout the week, we’ll have over 50 grassroots activations statewide that’ll include canvassing, phone banking, text banking.
On Super Saturday, you’ll see our leaders across the Commonwealth barnstorming. They will be launching canvasses, casting their own votes, greeting voters, driving out turnout, and encouraging our Virginia voters throughout the Commonwealth. From Norfolk to Charlottesville to Arlington, and everywhere in between and all across the Commonwealth, you’re going to see major activation as we kick off the Super Saturdays featuring our state and federal leaders. That energy is going to be replicated and continued all the way from this weekend to April 21st. Vote YES on the referendum. That is our message and that’s what we’re doing. So, Super Saturdays once again, April 11th, Saturday, April 18th, Virginians have a chance to show up, show out, and vote YES. It is the opportunity to stop the Trump power grab. It is the opportunity to level the playing field. It is the opportunity to enact a very responsible, temporary emergency measure to ensure that voters have the final say. Not Trump, not MAGA Republicans, not Florida, not Texas. So, Virginians, to get your information about where to cast your ballot, please go to iwillvote.com/va – that is iwillvote.com/va. This is an important moment. We are early voting from now to April 21st. Vote YES.”
https://bluevirginia.us/2026/04/video-vote-yes-campaign-manager-briefing-on-super-saturdays-early-voting-expansion-campaign-update/
Profile Information
Gender: MaleHometown: Detroit Area, MI
Home country: USA
Current location: San Francisco, CA
Member since: Wed Oct 29, 2008, 02:53 PM
Number of posts: 84,646