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Toronto Star
28-05-2025
- Politics
- Toronto Star
California opens track-and-field finals to more girls after success of trans athlete
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The governing board for California high school sports is changing its competition rules at this weekend's state track-and-field championships to allow more girls to take part amid controversy over the participation of a trans student-athlete. The California Interscholastic Federation said it was extending access for more 'biological female' athletes to participate in the championship meet. The group announced the change Tuesday after President Donald Trump posted on his social media site about the participation of a trans athlete in the competition. 'Under this pilot entry process, any biological female student-athlete who would have earned the next qualifying mark for one of their Section's automatic qualifying entries in the CIF State meet, and did not achieve the CIF State at-large mark in the finals at their Section meet, was extended an opportunity to participate in the 2025 CIF State Track and Field Championships,' the federation said in a statement. 'The CIF believes this pilot entry process achieves the participation opportunities we seek to afford our student-athletes.' ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW The move comes amid a nationwide battle over the rights of transgender youth in which states have limited transgender girls from participating on girls sports teams, barred gender-affirming surgeries for minors and required parents to be notified if a child changes their pronouns at school. At least 24 states have laws barring transgender women and girls from participating in certain sports competitions. Some of the policies have been blocked in court. A recent AP-NORC poll found that about 7 in 10 U.S. adults think transgender female athletes should not be allowed to participate in girls and women's sports at the high school, college or professional level. That view was shared by about 9 in 10 Republicans and roughly half of Democrats. The federation didn't specify whether the change applies to all events or only events where a trans athlete has qualified for the final. The change only applies to this weekend's competition. The organization didn't say how many students will be affected by the change. The rule change may be the first attempt nationally by a high school sports governing body to expand competition when trans athletes are participating. Trump threat to withdraw federal funding Trump threatened Tuesday to pull federal funding in California if the state did not bar trans students from participating in girls sports. The post referenced AB Hernandez, a trans athlete who is scheduled to compete in the girls varsity triple jump, high jump and long jump in the state finals. She won the Division 3 girls long jump and girls triple jump and placed seventh in the high jump at the Southern Section Division Finals on May 19, according to CIF results. 'THIS IS NOT FAIR, AND TOTALLY DEMEANING TO WOMEN AND GIRLS,' Trump wrote on Truth Social. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Trump also criticized Maine's Democratic governor after she said the state would take the president to court over his effort to keep trans girls from competing in girls sports. The Trump administration launched an investigation earlier this year over a California law that says districts can't force teachers and staff to notify parents if a student changes their gender identity at school. Newsom praises change California Gov. Gavin Newsom recently said on his podcast that it's 'deeply unfair' for transgender girls to participate in girls sports. Charlie Kirk, the conservative commentator and podcast guest, referenced Hernandez when asking Newsom about the issue. Trump said he planned to talk to Newsom about it Tuesday. The governor's office did not confirm the call but said the California Interscholastic Federation rule change was a 'thoughtful approach.' 'CIF's proposed pilot is a reasonable, respectful way to navigate a complex issue without compromising competitive fairness — a model worth pursuing,' Newsom's spokesperson Izzy Gardon said. Sophia Lorey with the conservative California Family Council, which has protested Hernandez competing in girls sports, said the rule change was 'damage control.' ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW 'Girls who were unfairly eliminated are suddenly back in for State this weekend,' Lorey said. 'This is a step in the right direction, but let's be real: this never should've happened. Boys don't belong in girls sports.' Democratic state lawmakers blocked bills last month that would have barred transgender girls from participating in girls sports. Equality California, an LGBTQ+ advocacy organization, said the Trump administration was 'bullying a child' and called on CIF to uphold its 'inclusive, evidence-based policies.' 'Our community is watching, and we are counting on the CIF to uphold its policies, adhere to California law, protect its athletes, and reaffirm that everyone deserves to compete safely and authentically,' the group said in a joint statement with several other organizations. Athletes' and district's responses Parents and conservative advocates opposed to transgender girls competing in girls sports have criticized Hernandez's participation and heckled her during postseason meets. After losing to Hernandez in long jump at the sectional final, student Katie McGuinness urged the CIF to change its policy during an interview on Fox News. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW 'I have nothing against this athlete as a person and I have nothing against the trans community,' McGuinness said. 'My message today is really specifically to CIF and for them to act quickly and in a timely manner, because this is a really time-sensitive issue.' Hernandez told the publication Capital & Main earlier this month in response to verbal attacks from adults that 'there's nothing I can do about people's actions,' so she is focused on what she can control. 'I'm still a child, you're an adult, and for you to act like a child shows how you are as a person,' she said. In an email, Hernandez's mother declined to comment on Tuesday's rule change. The Jurupa Unified School District, which includes Hernandez's high school in Southern California, said it would continue to follow state law allowing trans student-athletes to compete on sports teams that align with their gender identity. ___ Associated Press journalists Janie Har in San Francisco and Darlene Superville in Washington contributed. ___ Austin is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow Austin on X: @sophieadanna
Observer
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Observer
Democrats who championed Biden's reelection bid seek atonement
In February 2024, when quizzed on President Joe Biden's ability to communicate his reelection message, Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., quickly vouched for him. 'I know that he is ready for this campaign,' he said. 'I have seen how effective he has been up close and personal.' But five months into 2025, Murphy is on the leading edge of top Democrats aiming to Etch A Sketch away their past endorsements of Biden's acuity. Murphy told Politico this week that he had 'no doubt' Biden suffered cognitive decline while in office. Murphy, who declined to be interviewed for this article, is not alone in trying to reposition himself from a top Biden surrogate who sat on the campaign's national advisory board to a truth-teller about what really happened in the 2024 campaign. His pivot is illustrative of a wide swath of the party that is hoping to atone for having fallen lockstep behind Biden. Rep Ro Khanna, D-Calif, another Biden advisory board member who travelled the country as a surrogate to progressives, said this week that it was 'obvious now' that Biden 'was not in a condition to run for reelection.' Khanna had vouched for Biden up until the president ended his campaign. A speech in Detroit that proved to be Biden's last as a candidate 'broke through' the political noise, Khanna said five days before Biden dropped out. Khanna on Friday acknowledged, 'Our party made a mistake, including the dozens of us who campaigned for him for reelection.' But he said that he 'was a surrogate based on information that the president gave' and that he had no reason to apologise for his actions in that role. As the Democratic Party faces record low approval ratings, many party strategists and officials believe it must rebuild trust in its brand. That process, some argue, must begin with confronting how the party handled the 2024 race. For most of Biden's term, many Democrats lived a bifurcated political life. In public, they remained staunchly behind the president, lauding him as sharp and fit to serve. But in private conversations, they fretted about his shaky gait, rambling speech and tendency to forget key details, such as the names of foreign leaders. As recently as a year ago, Democrats saw publicly vouching for Biden and dismissing concerns about his age as the best path to holding the White House and safeguarding their own political futures. The power of incumbency, Democratic officials argued, outweighed well-documented concerns from their voters about his fitness for the job. In a poll from The New York Times and Siena College published in March 2024, for example, a majority of voters who supported him in 2020 said he was too old to lead the country effectively. Now, as Democrats jostle for influence in a demoralised party, their incentives have changed. And those who were closest to Biden appear to be in the trickiest position. Pete Buttigieg, who served as the transportation secretary in the Biden administration, told reporters in Iowa this week that 'maybe' Democrats could have done better without Biden at the top of the ticket. Few Democrats were more forceful in vouching for Biden than Buttigieg, who four years earlier had run a primary campaign against him arguing the party needed generational change. And Pennsylvania Gov Josh Shapiro now says that he began warning Biden directly about his standing in his home state shortly after Shapiro was elected as governor in 2022. 'I was very clear with the president privately about some of the risks that I saw in Pennsylvania,' Shapiro said. 'I communicated that to him and to his staff. And they made the judgment that they made to continue on with their campaign.' Still, some of the country's most prominent Democratic governors, many of whom are said to be considering their own presidential runs, refused to engage in the round of second-guessing. 'I was busy working,' Michigan Gov Gretchen Whitmer, who was a co-chair of Biden's campaign, said on CNN. 'I didn't see the president frequently. I can't speak to that directly.' Govs JB Pritzker of Illinois, Andy Beshear of Kentucky and Tim Walz of Minnesota have largely dodged questions about the former president's fitness, saying in interviews only that Biden should have dropped out before the primaries began. 'If we'd have had more time, could we have had a better shot? Yeah, I think probably,' Walz, whom former Vice President Kamala Harris eventually chose as her running mate, said in a recent interview. 'I don't think we'd have been in a worse spot, that's for sure.' Many Democratic officials have complained that the White House aides kept Biden cloistered as his condition worsened. A book set to be released next week, 'Original Sin,' details those efforts. Biden's spokesperson declined to comment for this article. Rep Jim Himes, D-Conn., one of the first lawmakers to call for Biden to step aside as the Democratic nominee after his disastrous debate performance in June 2024, said lawmakers had not fully known Biden's mental and physical state. But, he said, Democrats must now openly admit that Biden was unfit for a second term and should not have run. 'If you don't say it, you don't self-reflect,' Himes said at an event hosted by Politico this week. 'Why is it hard for us to be more honest?' And then there are the Democrats who think fingers are being pointed in the wrong direction. Biden himself said on 'The View' that most Democrats wanted him to stay in the race, an assertion that runs counter to reality. Former Rep Max Rose, D-N Y, said the focus on Biden's condition was misplaced. After all, he said, it was Harris who ultimately lost the election. 'People seem to be forgetting that the Harris campaign are the ones that lost,' Rose said on Friday. 'There are people involved in doing this who are trying to implicitly send the message that if Vice President Harris had another three months, she would have won, which is patently false.' Some Democrats are already warning that this issue could emerge as a dividing line in the 2028 presidential primary, as candidates try to distinguish themselves in what strategists widely expect to be a crowded contest. On Wednesday, former Rep Joe Cunningham, D-S C, offered a bit of 'unsolicited advice' to Democrats aspiring to become their party's next presidential nominee. 'Before attending the BBQs, Lowcountry boils and picnics, cleanse yourself of any culpability you may have had when you stayed silent while so much was at stake,' Cunningham, who first suggested that Biden should not seek reelection in 2022, wrote in an opinion essay. He added, 'As my mother would say: Wash your hands before you come to the meal.' — The New York Times. By Reid J Epstein and Lisa Lerer
New York Post
06-05-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Newark mayor tries to ‘shut down' ICE detention center in his city, claiming it doesn't have permit to operate
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka showed up to at an ICE detention center that reopened in his city on Tuesday morning, claiming the facility does not have the valid permits to operate. The Democrat and his supporters were outside Delaney Hall, where he accused the facility of turning away local fire inspectors following a judge's order to allow city officials to examine the site. 'We want them to follow our rules, follow our laws,' said Baraka, who vowed to shut down the facility, according to The New York Times. 6 Newark Mayor Ras Baraka accused the ICE detention center at Delaney Hall of operating without valid permits. Luiz C. Ribeiro for New York Post 6 The mayor and his supporters held a demonstration outside the facility on Tuesday. Robert Mecea The mayor — who is a frontrunner for the Democratic nomination for this year's New Jersey governor's race, said he would return to Delaney Hall to protest its use every day after Newark fire inspectors issued three code violations against the facility. Baraka is demanding full fire, safety and health inspections at the site following a previous inspection that found 'violations that put first responders at risk, violations that put detainees and workers that are there at risk.' In February, ICE awarded the GEO Group with a 15-year, $1 billion contract to hold migrants facing deportation at Delaney Hall, which can house around 1,000 people. The city is currently suing the facility for more inspections while accusing ICE of failing to indicate exactly how many detainees are being held in the building. 6 Baraka vowed to return to the detention center every day to protest its use. Robert Mecea 6 Protesters held signs calling for ICE to be abolished and for the Trump administration's deportation flights to be halted. Robert Mecea The center does not yet have a valid certificate of occupancy, according to Newark officials. GEO Group spokesperson Christopher Ferreira, however, said the company does have a valid certificate and that the facility is complying with 'all the contracted health and safety requirements.' Ferreira slammed Baraka's office of launching a 'politicized campaign' against the company, accusing the mayor of trying to 'interfere with the federal government's efforts to arrest, detain, and deport dangerous criminal illegal aliens in accordance with established federal law,' Gothamist reported. 6 Demonstrators also held signs calling for the release of Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, the man wrongly sent to an El Salvadorian prison by the Trump administration. 6 Newark fire officials issued three violations against the detention center on Tuesday. Robert Mecea The GEO Group and the Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to requests for comment over Tuesday's protest. Baraka has been leading the fight against the reopening of Delaney Hall, which was shutdown in 2017 before President Trump's immigration overhaul. Recent polls show that Baraka is a favorite in the Democratic gubernatorial primary, coming in third place behind Rep. Rep. Mikie Sherrill and Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop, according to The New Jersey Globe.
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Louisiana considers ‘homelessness courts' as housing advocates stress lack of resources
A relocation notice is posted in front of a makeshift shelter at the Earhart Boulevard homeless encampment Jan. 13, 2025. Those living near the corridor were take to a state-operated transitional center in Gentilly. (John Gray/Verite News) A bill to criminalize public camping and create 'homelessness courts' in Louisiana passed its first hurdle Tuesday, despite objections from housing advocates and religious groups. Senate Bill 196, sponsored by Rep. Robert Owen, R-Slidell, would make 'unauthorized public camping' a crime punishable by six months in jail, a $500 fine or both for the first offense. The second offense imposes a sentence of one to two years in jail and a $1,000 fine. A Senate committee advanced the bill in a 4-3 vote along party lines, with Republicans prevailing. Republican Gov. Jeff Landry supports the legislation. The proposal would also allow parishes to establish a court program for unhoused people, versions of which already exist in other states. They would give defendants the option to have their conviction set aside if they agreed to be placed on supervised probation and enter into long-term substance or mental health treatment. If the person failed to complete the program, they would face criminal sentencing. The defendant would be responsible for paying program costs, unless a judge waives them. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Prosecutors and judges would have the authority to decide whether homeless defendants, facing a misdemeanor or felony charge, could be diverted to the homelessness court program. People charged with a violent crime or sex offense, or with a past homicide or sex crime conviction, would not be eligible to take part. Owen's bill also excludes persons accused of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs that resulted in someone's death. Disagreement over the bill came down to views on housing solutions. Its supporters argued enough resources exist for homeless people, but they need to be convinced to accept assistance. 'We need to have some kind of stick and carrot, essentially, attached to the bill that gives it a little teeth,' Owen told the Illuminator after the hearing. He added that amendments to his proposal are likely. Organizations against the bill are those that advocate and support people without housing. They include the Travelers Aid Society and Unity of Greater New Orleans. Representatives with the Louisiana Interchurch Conference and the Louisiana Conference of Catholic Bishops also testified against the proposal. They argued the bill criminalizes homelessness without offering housing solutions, funding or support services. Sufficient affordable housing and needed treatment programs simply don't exist in Louisiana, they said. 'Housing costs have doubled in the last 10 years. Sending these people to jail is a travesty,' said David Larsen, 50, who told lawmakers on the committee he was homeless for seven years. Sens. Joe Bouie and Royce Duplessis, both Democrats from New Orleans, expressed skepticism about the expense of setting up homelessness courts falling on state and local governments and lack of housing support for people as they go through addiction or mental health treatment. Bouie specifically took issue with the bill's requirement for a 12-month treatment plan. 'What're they doing during that time if they don't have housing?' Bouie asked. 'Where do they go? Back on the streets?' Duplessis noted he lives near encampments in New Orleans, where he often sees homeless people who are not suffering from behavioral health issues and would benefit from simple financial support. According to federal data, 40% to 60% of homeless people in the U.S. have a job, but their wages have not kept up with the cost of housing. 'They literally can't afford a place to live,' he said. Meghan Garvey of the Louisiana Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys said Owen's bill would only exacerbate homelessness in the state. 'This isn't informed by any of the best practices' the American Bar Association recommends for homelessness courts, Garvey said, stressing the bill is 'creating a whole new crime.' Will Harrell of the Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office, which operates the city jail, testified against opposed the bill. He warned it would worsen chronic capacity issues there. 'There is no more room in the inn,' he said. According to Orleans Sheriff Susan Hutson, it costs $53,000 to keep someone in jail for a year. Permanent supportive housing costs about $16,000 annually, said Angela Owczarek with the New Orleans housing advocacy organization Jane's Place. Christopher Walters, the governor's deputy general counsel, appeared before the committee to support Owen's bill and rejected opponents' framing of it. 'I don't believe this is criminalizing homelessness,' he said. 'It's criminalizing actions like erecting tents on public property.' Walters and Owen suggested sufficient housing vouchers and nonprofit services already exist to help people. Owen also rejected the idea that housing is the solution to homelessness. 'I just don't think building more housing is the way out of this,' the senator told the committee. Housing advocates provided data in the meeting to contradict Owen's statement. Jennifer Carlyle of East Baton Rouge's Continuum of Care said her homelessness service provider coalition has 2,000 people on its waiting list for housing vouchers, many of whom have waited for months or years for rental assistance. Louisiana is short 117,000 affordable housing units, according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition. 'We're asking people to get housed without having housing to put them in,' Carlyle said. Some bill opponents also stressed that a person's homelessness does not reflect a lack of desire to be housed. Donna Paramore of Travelers Aid said 98% of the people her nonprofit places in homes stay housed. Detox and treatment centers often have weeks-long waitlists for beds, according to Owczarek. 'These resources don't exist in our state,' she said. Detractors of the bill also said it would likely disproportionately affect people of color, noting that more than 55% of tenants facing eviction in New Orleans are Black women. 'Just weeks ago, a single mom with five kids was sleeping in a van on my corner because no family shelter spaces were available,' Owczarek told the committee. 'There's nothing to stop this bill from leading to her arrest.' Owen's bill comes in the wake of a 2023 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that asserted it is not cruel and unusual punishment to arrest people who are sleeping outside when no shelter space is available. The bill is similar to model legislation supported by the Cicero Institute, a public policy group whose backers include Elon Musk. Cicero has two lobbyists registered in Louisiana. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Schatz, Klobuchar, Murray in competition to succeed Durbin
Sens. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.) are viewed by Senate insiders as the three lawmakers competing to succeed retiring Sen. Dick Durbin (Ill.) as Senate Democratic whip, the No. 2-ranking member the Senate Democratic leadership. Schatz, the chief deputy whip, appears to be a strong frontrunner for the job as he's already performing some of the whip's duties in helping to manage the floor, according to Democratic sources. But the 52-year-old Schatz could face stiff composition from Klobuchar, 64, if she decides to aim to become the next Senate Democratic leader instead of running again for president in 2028. He could face another formidable opponent in Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chair Patty Murray (D-Wash.), 74, who previously held the No. 3-ranking job in the Senate Democratic caucus. Senate Democratic sources whisper that Klobuchar is less popular than Schatz among colleagues, but they acknowledge she's a 'talented' leader and has an edge over her colleague from Hawaii when it comes to speaking at press conferences and putting together bipartisan legislation. 'Schatz, Klobuchar and Murray are the ones that are angling for whip,' said one person close to the Senate Democratic conference. 'Schatz is really well liked and has a group of five or six young guns, Murphy, Booker, Heinrich and others … who are trying to get more say and get younger [leadership] in the caucus,' the source said, referring to Sens. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.). 'Schatz has got the money and the youth behind him,' the source added. Senate sources say any leadership race is tough to predict because it often comes down to the interpersonal relationships within the caucus and campaigning is done privately senator to senator. 'You never can tell with leadership elections because it's all done behind closed doors and the vote itself is private, but as far as I can tell, Sen. Schatz seems to be in a pretty good position if he wants to take the leap,' said Jim Manley, who served as a senior aide to former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and former Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.). 'He's good on the issues. He's articulate. He thinks well on his feet. He's good interviews. A good solid, substantive senator,' Manley said of Schatz. 'Anyone thinking about jumping in is going to be in a good position. Sen. Durbin has years of experience, which is going to be tough to replicate, but those that are being talked about should handle themselves quite well,' he said. Schatz would be helped in whip's race by his chief of staff, Reema Dodin, who previously served in President Biden's office of legislative affairs, and before that as deputy chief of staff and floor director for Durbin. A Senate Democratic aide told The Hill that Schatz has been calling colleagues about replacing Durbin following his announcement Wednesday that he would not run for re-election next year. The aide said Democratic senators view Schatz 'as very engaged, very savvy with social media' and a good fit for the spot given his role as chief deputy whip. Klobuchar, however, outranks Schatz in the Democratic leadership. She currently holds the No. 3 position as chair of the Democratic Steering and Policy Committee after succeeding Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), who retired at the end of 2024. Murray right now is focused on this year's government funding fights with Republicans but she's not ruling out a future leadership run. One Democratic aide described Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), the fourth-ranking member of the Senate Democratic leadership, as having a lot of 'strength' within the Democratic caucus. But Booker is a good friend of Schatz's and therefore viewed as unlikely to challenge the Hawaii Democrat. That leaves Klobuchar as Schatz's toughest likely competitor. Some Democrats view Klobuchar as a possible successor to Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) as Democratic leader. Klobuchar has kept her plans close to the vest but one longtime Democratic aide said the Minnesota senator has thought carefully about her potential path to becoming the next leader. But that path would get more complicated if Schatz is elected to the whip's position after the 2026 election. Schumer's fifth Senate term doesn't end until 2028, and the 74-year-old leader hasn't given any indication he would consider retirement. Klobuchar has several big advantages heading into any Senate leadership race. She is the previous chair of the powerful Senate Rules Committee and played a key role in passing the Electoral Count Reform and Presidential Transition Improvement Act, an important accomplishment of the 117th Congress. Congress passed the law to ensure future electoral votes for president reflect the will of the people in each state and to improve the process for certifying the Electoral College vote. It was passed to prevent another Jan. 6-style attack on the Capitol. She now serves as the top Democrat on Senate Agriculture Committee, which has jurisdiction over the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), a top Democratic priority. And she is viewed by Democratic insiders as having more of a connection with voters than Schatz. They cite the surprising traction she gained with voters during her 2020 presidential campaign, which she memorably launched in the middle of a Minnesota snowstorm. Klobuchar showed her toughness and determination as a candidate right at the start of her campaign by speaking while bareheaded to a warmly-bundled-up crowd in Minneapolis as the snowdrifts collected. Her best showing came in the 2020 New Hampshire primary, where she won nearly 20 percent of the vote, finishing third behind Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Pete Buttigieg. Now, she has a tough decision to make. Should she challenge Schatz to become the next Democratic whip, which would put her in the poll position to someday succeed Schumer as Senate Democratic leader? Or should she make another run for the presidency against a crowded Democratic field that is likely to include political heavyweights such as California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Senate colleagues such as Sens. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.). Rodell Mollineau, a Democratic strategist and former Senate leadership aide, said Klobuchar did well in the 2020 presidential race but it's hard to predict how she would fare against a different field in 2028. Heading into the 2020 Democratic primary, Klobuchar had carved out a lane for herself as the Midwestern pragmatist who knew how to get things done, he said. But she might have more competition in that lane if other Midwesterners such as Whitmer or Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, 60, jump into the race. 'She did better than anyone expected in 2020. But I think part of that is the circumstance of who you're running against,' Mollineau said. 'There was a lane for her. She was the pragmatic, Midwestern, get-stuff-done United States senator,' he added. 'It could certainly happen again but she' s not going to be the only person in' that lane. If Klobuchar decides to run for whip, that could be a tough race as well. Schatz has strong relationships with rising stars within the Democratic caucus and has already earned good grades from some Senate Democratic colleagues for helping to manage whip counts and letting vulnerable senators know when their votes are needed or not needed on critical amendments or nominees. He has a strong relationship with K Street as an approachable and 'nice' senator and is expected to be able to be a strong fundraiser for the Democratic leadership if he moves up the ladder. 'He's very popular with a lot of people,' a Democratic strategist said of Schatz. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
