Latest news with #2025Election
CTV News
3 days ago
- General
- CTV News
Conservatives had a ‘leader problem,' not a ‘strategy problem': Liberal campaign director
Former Liberal national campaign co-director Andrew Bevan talks about when it became clear that the Liberals had a chance to win the 2025 federal election.
News.com.au
21-05-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
Anthony Albanese attends ALP national secretary Paul Erickson address at the National Press Club
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is sitting in the front row of the National Press Club as his campaign guru Paul Erickson delivers a behind-the-scenes look at how Labor secured its stomping victory in the 2025 election. The campaign architect and ALP national secretary spoke for the first time on Wednesday about why he thinks the campaign ended with Mr Albanese in a position of historic power and left the conservative side of Australian politics in what has been dubbed a 'smoking ruin'. Mr Erickson credited the Prime Minister's 'exemplary' campaigning and leadership at three crucial moments for his massive win over rival Peter Dutton. 'From the first Monday of January through to election day, the Prime Minister was in the form of a lifetime,' Mr Erickson said on Wednesday to a packed room of reporters and political leaders, including Mr Albanese. 'And while the Prime Minister was telling a positive story about who we are and where we're going, Peter Dutton was gloomy about the country, downcast about the future, and most animated when magnifying the problems facing Australia … The prime minister and the opposition leader were confronted by some critical leadership tests … Tropical Cyclone Alfred. Liberation Day. The disruption of Anzac Day commemorations by a neo-Nazi. 'The contrast was as clear as night and day. The Prime Minister offered authentic, measured and firm leadership and Peter Dutton never missed an opportunity to miss an opportunity.' Labor now holds 93 seats in parliament, while the Liberal Party has dropped from 57 seats to just 28 and the Nationals hold 15. Tuesday's shock Coalition blow-up means the two conservative parties are now splintered and will not form a combined opposition to Labor's wall of red seats. Mr Erickson then cited the government's cost-of-living policies, its strategy to reduce inflation without triggering a recession or sharp jump in unemployment, Labor's embrace of renewable energy over nuclear power and reform in healthcare and housing for the triumphant election win. 'Labor has one energy policy and we're delivering it – driving private sector investment in renewables, backed by gas, hydro and batteries,' Mr Erickson said. 'This policy is working. Australia is producing record renewable energy, our emissions are lower than when Labor was elected, and we're on track to achieve our emissions reduction goals. 'After a chaotic decade pushing 23 different energy policies without landing one, Peter Dutton, David Littleproud and Ted O'Brien spent the last three years plugging nuclear energy and then running away from any detail, as exemplified by Mr Dutton's failure to visit any of his proposed sites during the campaign.'
CBS News
19-05-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Who are the Philadelphia district attorney candidates? Meet incumbent Larry Krasner and Pat Dugan
Democrats in Philadelphia will decide on Tuesday in the 2025 Pennsylvania primary election whether District Attorney Larry Krasner, seeking a third term, or former Municipal Court judge Patrick Dugan will be their party's nominee to serve as the city's top prosecutor. No Republicans are running for Philadelphia district attorney, meaning whoever wins Tuesday's primary will likely also win November's general election. In Pennsylvania, the term for a district attorney is four years. Philadelphia hasn't had a Republican DA since Ronald Castille, who served from 1986 through 1991 before stepping down for an unsuccessful run for mayor. Who is Larry Krasner (incumbent)? Krasner was first elected as district attorney in 2017 after spending years as a civil rights lawyer in Philadelphia, defending the likes of Black Lives Matter, DACA Dreamers, and Occupy Philadelphia protesters, among others, and suing the police department dozens of times. He won re-election in 2021, beating Republican Chuck Peruto in the general election with 71.8% of the vote and Carlos Vega in the Democratic primary. According to Krasner's campaign website, Krasner has focused on victim support, exonerating innocent people, reducing incarceration, and holding the Philadelphia Police Department accountable during his first two terms as DA. "We've done a lot. It's gone in the right direction. We are safer," Krasner told CBS News Philadelphia. "We are freer than we used to be, and the system is fairer, and we should want that to go on longer." During his second term, Republicans who controlled Pennsylvania's House of Representatives impeached Krasner in 2022. He sued, and the state Supreme Court later ruled that the lawmakers improperly tried to stretch the impeachment process. Krasner, known as a progressive prosecutor, has faced years of criticism from President Trump and other Republicans. Krasner's political opponents and critics claim he should be tougher on crime. Crime rates in Philadelphia are dropping. PPD data shows homicides and violent crimes are down year over year. Since Philadelphia's homicide rate began spiking to record levels in 2020 and peaking in 2021, amid the pandemic, homicides have fallen each of the last three years. In 2024, the city saw its lowest homicide rate in a decade. "We have the lowest number of homicides on the day that you're interviewing me that we have had on that day for 50 years. That is truly remarkable," Krasner told CBS News Philadelphia on May 15. "Philly remains the poorest of the 10 largest cities. We still have way too many guns, but we have succeeded. By we, I mean the mayor, the police commissioner, the DA's office and a whole lot of nonprofits, have succeeded in improving public safety in ways we haven't seen in decades." Among some of the platforms Krasner's running on for a third term are protecting democracy and immigrants, expanding alternatives to prosecution, stopping wrongful convictions and increasing justice for juveniles, among other reforms. Who is Patrick Dugan? Dugan, a U.S. Army veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, served as a judge in the Philadelphia Municipal Court for 17 years after former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell appointed him in 2007. He served as President Judge from 2019 through 2024, when he resigned to run against Krasner for DA. He unsuccessfully ran for judge of the Pennsylvania Superior Court in 2023. In an interview with CBS News Philadelphia's Natasha Brown earlier this month, Dugan said he's running for district attorney because he wants to make the city safer, criticizing Krasner for taking what he claimed was a "non-prosecution role" as DA. "Seventeen years on the bench, a job that I absolutely love, but what I've seen the last seven years as a citizen, again, living in Philadelphia his whole life," Dugan said. "But what I saw for the past seven years was enough to make me get off the steps to go try and make a difference in our city." On his campaign website, Dugan says he would take a localized approach as DA and would divide the office into six geographical divisions. Under Dugan, violent criminals would face the maximum penalties allowed by the law while low-level offenders would enter diversionary programs, his campaign website claims. Dugan also says he would restore community programs, hold prosecutors accountable for failures, and prioritize high-impact crimes. He also says he wants to hire more assistant district attorneys from local law schools. "I'm also going to bring back hiring local attorneys instead of going all over the country to Stanford and Harvard. They're more than welcome to come and apply," Dugan said. "I want folks from Temple, Villanova, Penn, Widener, Drexel, Rutgers-Camden, our historically Black colleges and universities with the law schools, I want them to come and be invested in our city." Tom Dougherty Tom Dougherty is a digital content producer for CBS Philadelphia. Before joining CBS Philadelphia, Tom covered sports for NBC Sports Philadelphia. He currently covers breaking news and sports. and contributed to this report.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Voters head to the polls to elect mayoral primary candidates in Pennsylvania's biggest cities
The Pennsylvania state flag flies outside the Chester County Government Center on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (Capital-Star/Peter Hall) Pennsylvania voters head to the polls on Tuesday for the 2025 primary election. In the first election since Donald Trump won back the White House, Democratic voters across Pennsylvania are selecting who they want to be their mayoral candidates in several of the state's biggest cities. After suffering significant defeats in 2024, which included losing a U.S. Senate seat, all three statewide row offices and two congressional districts, the primary races may indicate which direction the Democratic Party will be taking over the next few years. Most of the state's largest cities have contested primary elections, with the exception of York, an outlier in this cycle, with only one candidate being on the ballot for mayor. Since most of these cities are Democratic strongholds, the winner of the primary election will likely have an easy path to victory in November. (In Pennsylvania's closed primary system, only registered Democrats and Republicans can vote in their party's primaries.) Here are a few cities where voters will select nominees for mayor on Tuesday. Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey made history four years ago by defeating incumbent Bill Peduto – becoming the city's first Black mayor and the first challenger to defeat a sitting mayor since 1933. Now, he is trying to avoid becoming the second incumbent mayor in a row to lose a re-election bid. Gainey faces a strong challenge from Allegheny County Controller Corey O'Connor in tomorrow's Democratic primary, which will likely determine the next mayor in the heavily blue city. (Pittsburgh hasn't had a Republican mayor since 1934). O'Connor, a former city councilman and the son of former Mayor Bob O'Connor, has out-raised Gainey, received big support from developers and has been endorsed by the city's trade unions. He has drawn some heat for accepting support from mega-donors to Donald Trump. In ads, O'Connor has targeted Gainey over blight and crime. He's also gone after the police chief's sudden decision to retire after public controversy because he was working part-time on the side as NCAA basketball referee. 'Our city needs stable, dedicated leadership, not revolving door appointments or part-time commitments,' O'Connor told WESA last month. 'I will ensure we have a chief who is focused on rebuilding trust, strengthening Pittsburgh's public safety and delivering real results for our community.' O'Connor did not respond to requests for comment. Gainey supporters have shot back that homicides and nonfatal shootings have dropped due to Gainey's use of more community-based violence prevention programs. Several prominent African-American groups have accused O'Connor and his allies of using 'racist tactics' by focusing heavily on crime in his attacks against the Black mayor. The city is about 22% Black. They've also sparred over development, with O'Connor saying Gainey has slowed housing growth in the city. O'Connor disagrees with Gainey's push for citywide 'inclusionary zoning,' which creates affordable housing requirements for developments in the city, in favor of a more neighborhood-by-neighborhood approach. Noting developers have supported O'Connor by a margin of 4-to-1, Gainey said attacks on his zoning initiatives are yet another sign that O'Connor is the candidate of the developers. 'For decades, the rich and developers have ruled things in this city and now with Corey O'Connor, they want to take back that power because I am trying to help poor people,' Gainey told the Capital-Star. The conflict between Israel and Palestine has also played a role in the race. In August, Gainey's communication director, Maria Montaño, resigned after blowback stemming from her signature on a petition calling on the city to avoid firms with ties to Israel. Gainey also apologized for 'mistakes' in a statement he signed onto on the anniversary of the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Hamas that was criticized as 'victim blaming' by the Jewish Federation of Pittsburgh. 'We have asked time and time again for (Gainey) to be our ally and to stand up for us — and unfortunately, we have been met with great disappointment,' Jeremy Kazzaz, executive director of the local Beacon Coalition, a pro-Israel Jewish advocacy group, told Jewish Insider earlier this year. Voters in the state's third largest city will also cast their ballots to determine if their incumbent mayor will serve a second term. Allentown Mayor Matt Tuerk and Allentown City Councilmember Ed Zucal are both vying for the Democratic Party nomination. Tuerk, seeking a second term, made history in 2021 when he became the first Latino mayor in the city's history. He writes on his campaign website that he 'will continue to bring a fresh voice to City Hall, maintaining a focus on the power of partnerships and building coalitions, not tearing it down and trying to build it back up.' 'Our government will continue to be run effectively and efficiently, serving all of Allentown's residents and reflecting the incredible diversity of the city,' the site says. Zucal, a two-term city council member, says on his campaign website that he's 'tired of seeing our residents get ignored.' 'It's time to get back to basics, put residents first, and deliver results for the people of Allentown,' he said. Tuerk has a fundraising advantage over Zucal, according to Armchair Lehigh Valley. The incumbent has raised $50,970 from January through May 5, while Zucal raised $21,279 in that same time period. Tuerk's campaign had $32,981 on hand at the end of the filing period on April 30, while Zucal's campaign had $31,022. In 2021, Tuerk, a longtime economic development official, unseated incumbent Mayor Ray O'Connell in the Democratic Party primary by a narrow margin in the six-candidate race for the nomination. He cruised to victory in the general election over Republican Tim Ramos. Depending on Tuesday's outcome, it may not be the only time Tuerk and Zucal face off this year. No Republicans have filed to run for mayor, although Zucal is also actively seeking Republican write-in votes, which may pit the two candidates against each other in the general election. Erie Mayor Joe Schember, who is seeking a third and final term, is facing two challengers in the Democratic primary. 'Despite the pandemic, despite the societal issues, and despite the financial challenges facing the city, my administration has made significant progress in positioning Erie for a more prosperous future,' Schember writes on his campaign website. 'I remain committed to my mission: build opportunity, restore hope, transform Erie. In my first six-plus years, I have remained open, honest, transparent, and accessible, and that will continue as long as I am mayor.' Daria Devlin, an Erie School Board member, and Sheila Woeger, a retired teacher, are also both hoping to lead the northwest Pennsylvania city. Devlin said in a campaign video that it's 'time for change' in Erie. 'For too long, we've been sleeping on our potential as a city, and the time to act is now,' Devlin said. 'Working families can't wait four more years to find affordable housing. Can't wait for jobs to come back. Can't wait for the safe streets our kids deserve.' Woeger told Erie News-Now that her top priority is to 'look at the books and go over the budget line-by-line to see how the money is being spent and that it's going to the appropriate places,' adding she also wants to meet with city employees one-on-one to see what Erie can do better. According to Erie News-Now, the race is believed to be the first time two mayoral candidates in Erie have raised more than $200,000. Schember raised $203,841 from Jan. 1 to May 5, while Devlin's campaign has raised $217,840 since launching her candidacy last year. The Erie County Democratic Party endorsed Devlin over Schember and Woeger. During his successful 2021 campaign, Schember cruised to victory over Democratic challengers Tom Spagel and Sydney Zimmerman. In 2017, he was first elected to the office after winning a crowded seven candidate race for the Democratic Party nomination. The Erie-Times News notes that the winner of the Democratic Party primary will be a 'huge favorite' given the party's registration advantage and that no Republican has been elected mayor since 1961. The winner of the Democratic primary will likely face Republican Matthew Thomas, an attorney and sole GOP candidate, in the general election. The race to lead the Electric City includes several candidates, although just two are featured in the Democratic Party primary: incumbent Mayor Paige Cognetti and Robert Sheridan, a former Scranton School Board member. Cognetti is seeking her second full term in office. She was first elected to the office as an independent in 2019 in a seven-candidate special election to fill the seat previously held by Mayor Bill Courtwright, who was sentenced to prison on public corruption charges. She ran as a Democrat in 2021 and coasted to victory in the primary election over Scranton City Controller John Murray. Cognetti went on to defeat Republican Darwin Lee Shaw II in the general election. Prior to winning a school board seat in 2009, Sheridan ran for multiple offices in the past, including the Republican nomination for mayor in 2001, although he lost in the primary election. Sheridan is also the Scranton Democratic Party chairman. Former U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, a lifelong Scranton resident, has backed Cognetti's campaign. Patricia Beynon, an accounting executive, and Lynn Labrosky, a business owner, are vying for the Republican Party nomination, while Scranton Councilman Gene Barrett is running as an independent. William Reynolds, seeking a second term in office, is going up against city Councilwoman Grace Crampsie Smith in the Democratic Party mayoral primary. According to Armchair Lehigh Valley, the incumbent has the fundraising edge. Reynolds had $123,379 in total funds from Feb. 1 to May 5, while Crampsie Smith's campaign had $73,945. Armchair Lehigh Valley has also reported the two 'have often clashed on city issues, especially when it comes to creating more affordable housing.' In 2021, Reynolds, then a Bethlehem City Councilman, won the Democratic party nomination for mayor over former city administrative employee Dana Grubb and later won the general election. In that same year, Crampsie Smith was the top vote getter for the four open seats on Bethlehem City Council, per Armchair Lehigh Valley. No Republicans have filed for the race, meaning the winner of the Democratic Party primary will likely be elected to the office for the next four years. The race for mayor of Lancaster is one of the contests that is an open race after Mayor Danene Sorace announced in July 2024 that she would not seek a third term. City Council Vice President Jaime Arroyo and Councilwoman Janet Diaz are seeking the Democratic Party nod, while no Republican challengers have filed for the race. Arroyo has been endorsed by the Lancaster City Democratic Committee, the Pennsylvania Working Families Party, and Planned Parenthood Pennsylvania PAC, and several local elected officials, including Sorace. Diaz's campaign website lists endorsements from two Philadelphia City Council members, plus an attorney and a cardiologist in Lancaster. The state's capital also features an incumbent Democrat running for a second term. Wanda Williams, then Harrisburg City Council president, won the Democratic Party nomination in 2021 over incumbent Mayor Eric Papenfuse. On Tuesday, Williams is facing Harrisburg's City Treasurer Dan Miller, Harrisburg City Councilman Lamont Jones and community activists Lewis Butts Jr. and Tone Cook Jr. PennLive reports that Miller is significantly outraising and outspending the rest of the field. There are no Republican candidates that have filed for the primary election. Cherelle Parker made history in 2023 when she was elected to become Philadelphia's 100th mayor and the first woman to hold the position. Although Parker isn't up for reelection until 2027, the state's largest city will be voting on a few citywide races on Tuesday, including district attorney. Democratic primary voters will decide between incumbent Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner and former Philadelphia Municipal Court Judge Pat Dugan. Krasner is seeking a third term and has been endorsed by the Working Families Party, Our Revolution, a progressive political organization, U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans (D-2nd District), and several other Philadelphia lawmakers aligned with the progressive wing of the Democratic Party. Dugan, who is more moderate, has been largely backed by influential building trades labor unions, as well as multiple elected officials, mostly representing Northeast Philadelphia. For the second election in a row, the Philadelphia Democratic Party decided to not issue an endorsement in the district attorney race, which the Philadelphia Inquirer described as a 'snub' for Krasner. Instead, the party is leaving it up to the individual ward leaders to determine who they want to support in their respective wards. Both candidates have raised more than most of the mayoral primary candidates across the state, although Dugan has outpaced Krasner since he declared his candidacy. WHYY reports that between November 2024 and May 2025, Dugan raised about $900,700, while Krasner's campaign raised more than $499,900 during the same time period. In 2021, Krasner coasted in the Democratic primary, securing a roughly 30 point victory over challenger Carlos Vega. He won by more than 40 points in the general election over Republican candidate Chuck Peruto, to formally secure a second term. Running as the progressive outsider, Krasner was first elected in 2017 after winning a seven candidate primary and later defeating Republican Beth Grossman in the general election. No Republican candidates have filed to run for district attorney. While Tuesday's primary election will likely be decisive, Republicans have started a write-in campaign to nominate Dugan for the general election despite his commitment to not run as a Republican. Freelance writer Mike Elk contributed reporting from Pittsburgh.
The Australian
18-05-2025
- Politics
- The Australian
Net zero: ‘I can't support a policy that demands a blank cheque'
Garth Hamilton. Picture: David Beach You can now listen to The Australian's articles. Give us your feedback. You can now listen to The Australian's articles. 'Authority forgets a dying king.' Tennyson's reflection on the last days of Camelot rings as true for King Arthur as it does for Peter Dutton. In the chaos of the last weeks of the campaign the one constant was Liberal supporters wanting my acknowledgment that something had gone wrong. Anthony Albanese hadn't claimed ground on the right. The nation's mood had not swung to the left. The principles of conservatism had not been found suddenly wanting and the long, proud history of the Liberal Party rewritten as a series of unfortunate events. What people could see clearly was that we had lost our way. Losing one's way rarely has a single point of misstep but rather a series of landmarks that reveal to you the growing suspicion that you are not where you were supposed to be. What is certain for the Liberal Party in our coming review of the 2025 election is that before Christmas we were headed in the right direction. Within a few weeks of the new year it was clear that we were not. Peter Dutton was engulfed by the chaos in the last weeks of the campaign. Picture: Martin Ollman My purpose is not to identify those mistakes, to trace back breadcrumbs in the forest, but rather to highlight the difference between a political party and the values it is built upon. Values don't make mistakes, people do. As surely as we have made mistakes in the past, we will do so again in the future. It would be a mistake now to think the current issues that plague the Liberal Party are the result of mistakes made only in the last term. Before Christmas voters could see something of our values but when they came to those polling booths they could see so much that was unreconciled within us, the tangled webs that three terms of government under three different leaders had left us in. We were still carrying on, somewhat valiantly, shouldering policies and counter-policies out of obligation to long-lost causes. The best thing about Peter Dutton was that he brought peace and stability to our party. The worst thing about Peter Dutton was that he brought peace and stability to our party. No one knows why former PM Scott Morrison agreed to the net-zero plan. Picture: Richard Dobson We needed to rid ourselves of some of that baggage. We needed to have a few internal policy fights to test our resolve. Thomas Jefferson believed every generation needs a new revolution, and I believe the new generation of Liberals needs that too. I didn't enter politics to carry the crosses of previous iterations of the Liberal Party but rather to apply its values to the problems of today. It's the values that bind me, not their application. I'm not sure why Scott Morrison decided to agree to net zero. I have no interest in tracing back the steps or committing to memory the logic that took him to that outcome. What I do know is that I cannot support any policy that demands a blank cheque and defers the costs of today on to the taxpayers of tomorrow. No matter how righteous a cause, even in war, there is a horizon beyond which a civilised nation cannot allow itself to drift. Our economy cannot be funded by the labours of our children. The Liberal Party has been the safe harbour Australians have sought when their thoughts turn to the troubled waters of tomorrow. We've been that because our economic credentials have been excellent for generations. However, our relatively recent support of blank-cheque policies such as net zero have not gone unnoticed by the Australian voting public. To round out the narrative, turn to our support of the ever-growing NDIS, a funding model that is so totally flawed and yet has an assured growth profile well off into the future. I could include defence spending on helicopters we've decommissioned and submarines we've cancelled. I could speak to our management of the federation that sees the states compete only for budget blowouts, new taxes, bureaucratic latency and record low housing approvals. The point is that we've changed, we've lost the economic argument. That's the hard truth. The Liberals under Sussan Ley and Ted O'Brien need to follow their values to rediscover favour with voters. Picture: AFP The good news is that we don't have to turn backwards, to chase those breadcrumbs, to find our way again. Just as you can follow the morning sun to head east, we can follow our values to head home. We're a centre-right party. If we move towards smaller government, balanced budgets, the individual above the state, we will always be headed in the right direction, and Australians with a mind to tomorrow will follow us. This won't be an easy path and I've no doubt we've many policy fights ahead. But it's time to acknowledge the peace the Liberal Party enjoyed in the last term, the unity and stability we praised ourselves for, came at a cost. Like all bad politics, that cost has been passed on to the next generation. We now have to deal with it. Garth Hamilton is an LNP member of the House of Representatives
