VA-HD05: Four Candidates for the Democratic "Firehouse Primary" THIS Tuesday

This Tuesday, per the Alexandria Democratic Committee (see below for a screenshot of their Facebook post), there will be a Democratic “firehouse primary” in HD5 (Alexandria) for the seat being vacated by Del. Elizabeth Bennett-Parker, who will almost certainly (given that it’s a deep-blue seat; went 78%-19% for Kamala Harris over Donald Trump) be moving to the State Senate (specifically, the seat currently held by Adam Ebbin, who’s moving into the Spanberger administration to work on cannabis issues). The special election for the HD5 seat will be on February 10, which is why Democrats are selecting their nominee so quickly.

According to the Alexandria Democrats, there are four Democratic candidates for this seat – former Alexandria City School Board member, “award-winning communications strategist, author, and policy leader” Eileen Cassidy Rivera; Alexandria City Council member “since 2022, where he has been a leading advocate for housing construction, climate change action, and sound budgetary policies,” Kirk McPike; criminal defense attorney Chris Leibig; and Greg Darrall.Also, check out the interviews Sunday late afternoon by The Alexandria Brief, starting at 4:30 pm with Kirk McPike, followed by Eileen Cassidy Rivera at 5:30 pm and Chris Leibig at 6:30 pm.






https://bluevirginia.us/2026/01/four-candidates-for-the-democratic-firehouse-primary-this-tuesday-for-hd5-the-seat-being-vacated-by-del-elizabeth-bennett-parker-who-will-be-moving-to-the-state-senate/

NJ-11: Murphy stumps for Gill (D) as special primary nears

In 2017, Essex County Commissioner Brendan Gill (D-Montclair) helped Gov. Phil Murphy reach the statehouse. Eight years later, Murphy is returning the favor.

At a Parsippany event on Sunday morning, Murphy pushed Gill’s campaign to succeed Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill in Congress. Gill is one of 11 Democrats seeking the 11th congressional district’s seat; voters have already begun submitting mail-in ballots ahead of the Feb. 5 special primary election.

The two go way back: Gill managed Murphy’s victorious 2017 gubernatorial campaign and has remained close to the governor since. Before a few dozen elected officials and volunteers in Parsippany, the governor lauded Gill, saying he knows the district well and will be capable of delivering results when arriving in Washington.

“[Gill]’s on the right side of history in terms of the stuff that we all care about as Democrats: immigration, affordable housing, affordable health care, sucking as many federal dollars up to New Jersey as possible,” Murphy said. “As [Rep.] Josh Gottheimer says, and I love the phrase, they treat us like a ‘moocher state.’ Brendan could go in and turn that narrative around.”


https://newjerseyglobe.com/campaigns/murphy-stumps-for-gill-as-nj-11-special-primary-nears/

NJ-11: AIPAC goes to war against Tom Malinowski

The American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a tremendously powerful and well-funded pro-Israel lobbying group, has decided there’s one candidate in the special election for New Jersey’s 11th congressional district that it really doesn’t want to see win: former Rep. Tom Malinowski.

Yesterday morning, the United Democratic Project, AIPAC’s political spending arm, began airing a harsh attack ad against Malinowski, with $350,000 spent so far and more likely still to come. And as has been typical for the PAC when it’s gotten involved in other races around the country, the ads have nothing to do with Israel; instead, they focus on an immigration-related vote Malinowski took nearly seven years ago.

UDP did not respond to questions on why the group has decided to oppose Malinowski, or on which of Malinowski’s ten opponents it would prefer to see win the February 5 Democratic primary. There are some signs, though, that Lieutenant Gov. Tahesha Way may be AIPAC’s preferred candidate in the race.

After this story was initially published, UDP sent a brief statement to the New Jersey Globe: “There are several candidates in this race that are far more supportive of the US-Israel relationship than Tom Malinowski,” UDP spokesperson Patrick Dorton said.


https://newjerseyglobe.com/congress/aipac-goes-to-war-against-tom-malinowski/

GOP spent $2.9 million to stop Missourians from voting on gerrymander

When opponents of Missouri’s new, GOP-backed congressional map began gathering signatures to advance a ballot measure to veto the map, they faced an onslaught of opposition from Republicans.

GOP officials filed lawsuits, attempted to get signatures disqualified, wrote biased ballot language to confuse voters, sent out intimidating text messages to Missourians, and even threatened to sic immigration officers on signature gatherers.

Now, a new ethics report has revealed that the Republican Party spent $2.9 million on efforts to defeat the signature drive.

It’s an “astronomical amount of money,” said Richard von Glahn, executive director of People Not Politicians, which has led the signature drive.




https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/gop-spent-2-9-million-to-stop-missourians-from-voting-on-gerrymander/

This week at Democracy Docket: A good week for fair elections

From California to Virginia, this was a good week for voting rights and fair elections. And we kept you up to date on all of it.

As Democracy Docket’s Yunior Rivas reported, Democrats in the Old Dominion struck another major blow against President Donald Trump’s bid to rig the midterms, quickly moving a constitutional amendment on redistricting through the legislature. If now approved by voters, the measure will allow lawmakers to draw a new congressional map to counter GOP gerrymanders in Texas and other states. Dems are signalling that they may go for a map that would give them as many as four new seats.

There was more good news on the redistricting front from California. As Democracy Docket’s Jen Rice reported, a panel of federal judges rejected a GOP effort to block the Golden State’s new Democratic-drawn map, which was overwhelmingly approved by voters last fall. Republicans have appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Beyond the redistricting wars, Yunior and Democracy Docket’s Jim Saksa brought us news of the first two rulings in the slew of lawsuits filed by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) seeking access to state voter rolls. In a powerful decision that could reverberate nationwide, a federal judge in California rejected DOJ’s demand, finding that it “threatens the right to vote, which is the cornerstone of American democracy.” Another judge likewise dismissed the department’s claim against Oregon.



https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/this-week-at-democracy-docket-a-good-week-for-fair-elections/

Kristi Noem: Don't Say ICE Agent Jonathan Ross' Name

Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent Jonathan Ross’ name should no longer be said.

On Sunday, when Margaret Brennan, the host of “Face The Nation,” asked Noem about Ross’ medical status, Noem told Brennan not to say his name.

“Don’t say his name,” Noem said Sunday on “Face The Nation.” “I mean for heaven’s sakes, we shouldn’t have people continue to dox law enforcement when they have an 8,000% increase in death threats against them.” Noem was seemingly referencing a stat that Homeland Security put out in October, claiming ICE agents are “facing an 8,000% increase in death threats.”

Brennan responded to Noem by saying Ross’ name is public and clarified she was asking about the CBS report that claimed Ross had experienced internal bleeding in the torso, something that drew skepticism from CBS staffers.



https://www.huffpost.com/entry/kristi-noem-dont-say-ice-agent-jonathan-ross-name_n_696d0428e4b0dbbab17412af

NJ-01: Progressive challenger emerges against Donald Norcross (D)

Rep. Donald Norcross (D-Camden) is set to face a Democratic primary challenge once again this year, with cannabis dispensary owner and Cherry Hill native Lonnie Affrime announcing that he will take on the congressman from the left.

Affrime, a first-time candidate and Bernie 2016 delegate who said he previously worked on policy and opposition research for campaigns and elected officials, argued that Norcross’s 1st district in South Jersey should be represented by more of a committed progressive in Congress.

“I’m not going to pretend that Donald Norcross is the worst person,” Affrime said. “He certainly votes mostly with the Democratic Party… But the truth is that my opponent still represents the corporate-captured interests that really are the problem with the Democratic Party.”

Norcross, the brother of South Jersey Democratic boss George Norcross, is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and is a reliably liberal vote in the House on all but a handful of issues. But he’s nonetheless drawn the frequent ire of local progressives, most notably the South Jersey Progressive Democrats, a coalition of anti-establishment Democrats with which Affrime said he’s affiliated.



https://newjerseyglobe.com/congress/progressive-challenger-emerges-against-donald-norcross-in-nj-1/

NJ-11: Lieutenant governors group spending $590k on ads boosting Way (D)

Lieutenant Gov. Tahesha Way’s bid for New Jersey’s 11th congressional district will start getting some major outside help this weekend, courtesy of the Democratic Lieutenant Governors Association.

The DLGA announced today that it is spending $590,000 on a new broadcast and cable TV ad that promotes Way, who is also the New Jersey Secretary of State, as a defender of democracy against President Donald Trump; the spot echoes similar messages put out by Way’s own campaign in recent days. That investment, the DLGA said, may represent only the first wave of support for Way, with “further spending announcements forthcoming.”

“Lt. Governor Way has led New Jersey’s response to Trump’s attacks on our democracy – and won again and again,” DLGA executive director Kevin Holst said in a statement. “Now, as Trump pushes his cost-raising agenda and unleashes violent ICE raids and lawless attacks on our communities, we need leaders in Congress who have shown they won’t back down.”

The DLGA’s investment – which comes on top of the approximately $78,000 the group has reported spending on pro-Way direct mail – gives Way a massive boost in a truncated race where few candidates have had much time to put together a fundraising and advertising apparatus. Fundraising reports won’t be due for another week, but the $670,000 or so that the DLGA has spent on Way will likely dwarf what many candidates have raised throughout their entire campaigns.


https://newjerseyglobe.com/congress/lieutenant-governors-group-spending-590k-on-ads-boosting-way/

Paddle Boarder Gets SMASHED by Dolphin (VIDEO)

Federal officials investigating Renee Good's widow in shooting probe, sources say

WASHINGTON — Federal officials are investigating the widow of Renee Nicole Good to determine whether she may have impeded a federal officer moments before he shot and killed her wife in Minneapolis, according to two people familiar with the investigation who spoke to NBC News.

The federal investigation into the shooting by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer Jonathan Ross is focusing more on Becca Good, including what officials said were her possible ties to activist groups, and less on Ross’ actions when he fired into Renee Good’s vehicle during an immigration operation last week, the people said.

The fatal encounter has touched off protests in Minneapolis and calls for accountability for immigration officers, whose tactics have resulted in at least 10 other shootings since September.

Antonio Romanucci, Becca Good’s lawyer, said in a statement Saturday that “there has been no contact from the FBI or federal officials indicating Becca Good is the subject of an investigation.”



https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/federal-officials-investigating-renee-goods-widow-shooting-probe-sourc-rcna254038