Latest news with #DemocraticCandidates
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Two Democrats will compete for House District 97 seat during a special election
Voters in northeast Oklahoma City will decide between two Democratic candidates to serve in the state House during a special election after the former representative resigned. Legislative assistant JeKia Harrison and former District Judge Aletia Haynes Timmons will compete in the special primary election on Tuesday, June 10, for House District 97. No Republican or independent candidate filed for the seat, meaning the winner of the June 10 race will become the district's next representative. The district encompasses a large swath of northeast Oklahoma City, Spencer, Forest Park and parts of Jones and Midwest City. The seat became vacant after the district's former representative, Jason Lowe, D-Oklahoma City, resigned in April after his election as an Oklahoma County commissioner. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday. Harrison, 35, works in the Oklahoma state Capitol as a legislative assistant for Rep. Meloyde Blancett, D-Tulsa. She also owns a campaign consulting and management firm called Pen 2 Paper Consulting. Previously, Harrison worked as a child welfare specialist for the Oklahoma Department of Human Services. She's a graduate of Millwood High School in House District 97 and earned a bachelor's degree in psychology from Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee. Timmons, 64, previously served as a district judge in Oklahoma County before she retired in March. Before her 2014 judicial election, she worked in the Oklahoma County District Attorney's office, as well as two separate firms working in civil rights and employment law. Timmons graduated from John Marshall High School in north Oklahoma City before earning a bachelor's degree in political science from Oklahoma State University. She obtained her law degree from the University of Oklahoma College of Law. Here's what Harrison and Timmons had to say about why voters should choose them on the ballot: Harrison told The Oklahoman that one of her top priorities is education, especially public education. She said the state hasn't done enough to properly fund public schools, and instead, has chosen to spend millions on private education through tax credits. "We have to go back and adjust our priorities and where we are, especially when 92% of the private school vouchers that were given out went to students who are currently in private schools or were beforehand," she said. "I think that does a disservice because what was being sold to Oklahomans was that a lot more people would get the opportunity to actually be a part of the private school system with the voucher." According to a report from the Oklahoma Tax Commission, more than 40% of the tax credits issued as part of Oklahoma's Parental Choice Tax Credit program for the 2025-26 school year went to families with an annual income of $150,000 or more. Of the recipients, about 8.2% were previously public school students. Harrison added that the Legislature needs to ensure teachers are adequately paid, and that classrooms are equipped with proper infrastructure, books and technology. Folks in Harrison's district, along with Oklahomans across the state, need more access to affordable housing, she said. Specifically, the state needs more single-family dwellings to sustain families long-term, Harrison added. "In order to have grocery stores and shopping and retail and all of the things we really want in our area, the restaurants to come in, all of that, we can't do that without having the rooftops in the area to actually show that we can sustain it," she said. Oklahoma City will host the canoeing and softball competitions during the 2028 Olympics, putting the city on the world stage, Harrison said. This means House District 97 needs more development to happen faster, as softball players will compete at Devon Park, she added. "I am dedicating the time and effort into making sure I have those relationships with people within the Adventure District and within the development community, whether that be business retail, housing or whatever we need in our community," Harrison said. Harrison said she's worked alongside legislators for almost four years as an assistant to Blancett, so she knows how to build relationships with lawmakers to achieve common goals. She said she looks forward to continuing to be part of the community through service. "I'm ready to work with others," Harrison said. "I'm ready to get the job done and use all of the tools that I have." During a debate on June 3, Timmons said one of the biggest issues facing Oklahoma and House District 97 is the lack of affordable housing. She attributed part of the state's growing homeless population to the number of out-of-state people moving to Oklahoma. "That has increased the rents of the places that people normally were able to live in," Timmons said during the debate hosted by NonDoc and News 9. She did not immediately respond to an interview request from The Oklahoman. Older constituents in House District 97 are worried about property taxes, Timmons said during the debate. When legislators talk about funding public schools, that tax burden will be on seniors, she added. "They're concerned about losing their houses," she said. "We're going to have to find another way to fund the schools. Not through property taxes, but another way to fund them so that we don't have seniors, especially in House District 97, whose demographic is older, losing those homes they fought their whole life to keep." Timmons said during the debate that the quarter-point income tax cut signed by Gov. Kevin Stitt didn't go far enough. She added that the tax cut should have provided more targeted relief for low-income Oklahomans. "The bill I would file would be one that dealt with the income tax burden on middle-class Americans and middle-class folks in House District 97, the older folks who are seeing increasing costs," Timmons said. "The governor has instituted a tax decrease for folks who are at the lower echelon. I don't think it's enough. I don't think it's enough to do any real good when we're looking at inflation, the cost of housing, the cost of food, gas and those things." Through her professional career, Timmons said she's navigated difficult situations and spoken truth to power. She added that people who know her know she's been doing that her whole life. "I'm ready on Day One," she said. "I ask for your vote, the honor of your vote, on June 10 for state representative for House District 97." This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma elections: What to know about House District 97 candidates
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Who is ahead in the NJ governor race? Polls, candidates, updates
The Brief New Jersey voters will select Democratic and Republican candidates for governor on June 10, with polls closing at 8 p.m. The race is closely watched for insights into voter responses to President Trump's second term. Leading Democratic candidates include U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop, and U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer, with Sherrill slightly ahead in polls and fundraising. Former state assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli, endorsed by President Trump, leads the Republican field, which also includes conservative talk radio host Bill Spadea and State Senator Jon Bramnick. New Jersey voters will have the chance to choose the Democrat and Republican candidates who will fight to succeed Phil Murphy as governor, a race that will be closely watched for signs of how voters respond to President Donald Trump's second term. With the New Jersey primary election on the horizon, here's a look at who's ahead for each party, who the candidates are and when we can expect results. Primary election day is June 10, three days away. Polls close at 8 p.m. What we know In the 2024 presidential election in New Jersey, the first results the AP reported came from Hudson County at 8:01 p.m. ET, one minute after polls closed. Vote tabulation ended for the night at 4:21 a.m. ET in Burlington County with about 95% of votes counted. Emerson College Polling/PIX11/The Hill survey: According to a May survey, 28% of registered New Jersey Democratic voters said they would vote for U.S. Rep, Mikie Sherrill, as Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, and U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer each had 11% of Democratic responders' support. A month ahead of the primary, 24% of Dem voters said they were undecided. SurveyUSA: According to a poll conducted in May, voters showed slightly more favorable options for Sherrill compared to the rest of the field. Gottheimer was a close second. Fundraising numbers: Gottheimer has had a slight edge in fundraising, with about $9.1 million in contributions, followed by Sherrill and Fulop, each with about $8.9 million raised for their campaigns, according to the Associated Press. Emerson College Polling/PIX11/The Hill survey: According to a May survey, 44% of registered New Jersey Republican voters said they would vote for former state Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli, while 18% support talk radio host Bill Spadea. A month ahead of the primary, 23% of GOP voters said they were undecided. SurveyUSA: The poll conducted in May only asked voters about Ciattarelli, who "has favorability ratings of 40%-36% among the broader electorate and 63%-19% among Trump voters," accordin gto the New Jersey Globe. Trump endorsement: President Trump has endorsed Ciattarelli in May and campaigned for him in a virtual rally Dig deeper The race for governor features a crowded field of prominent current and former officeholders. U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer Newark Mayor Ras Baraka Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop Teachers' union president Sean Spiller Former state Senate president Steve Sweeney Former state assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli Conservative talk radio host Bill Spadea State Senator Jon Bramnick Former Englewood Cliffs mayor Mario Kranjac Real estate developer Justin Barbera Tuesday is the primaries for governor, state General Assembly and the uncontested special primaries in state Senate District 35.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump warns Musk of ‘very serious consequences' if he backs Democrats
Donald Trump warned Elon Musk on Saturday that he faces 'very serious consequences' if he funds Democratic candidates following the pair's epic public bust-up this week. The warning, delivered in an interview with NBC News scheduled to broadcast on Sunday, follows days of feuding and threats after Musk called Republicans' budget legislation an 'abomination'. Trump told interviewer Kristen Welker his relationship with the tech mogul was over and warned Musk against choosing to fund Democrats after spending close to $300m in support of Trump's re-election last year. Related: The Trump-Musk feud shows danger of handing the keys of power to one person 'If he does, he'll have to pay the consequences for that,' Trump told NBC News. 'He'll have to pay very serious consequences if he does that,' he added. Trump was also asked whether he had any wish to repair his relationship with Musk. 'No,' he said. Asked whether he thought their relationship was over, he said: 'I would assume so, yeah,' and said he had no plans to speak with his erstwhile sidekick. 'I'm too busy doing other things,' Trump said, adding: 'I have no intention of speaking to him.' But he predicted that the spat had helped to unify the Republican party around him, saying the 'party has never been united like this before. It's never been. It's actually more so than it was three days ago.' Musk's opposition to the Republican budget bill, formally the 'one big beautiful bill act', would not, he predicted, affect its passage through Congress. The bill narrowly passed the House and is now under consideration in the Senate. However, some conservative Republicans share Musk's concerns about the need for significant spending cuts and are considering making changes. The bill extends Trump's 2017 tax cuts and includes new spending for border security and the military. Republicans aimed to offset these costs with cuts to programmes such as Medicaid, food stamps and green-energy tax credits. Projections from the congressional budget office and independent analysts indicate that the bill would add between $2.3tn and $5tn to the deficit over the next 10 years. White House officials contend that the economic growth generated by tax cuts will offset the increased spending. Still, Trump told NBC he is 'very confident' that the bill will pass the Senate before 4 July. 'I think, actually, Elon brought out the strengths of the bill because people that weren't as focused started focusing on it, and they see how good it is,' Trump said. 'So in that sense, there was a big favor. But I think Elon, really, I think it's a shame that he's so depressed and so heartbroken.' He also accused Musk of being 'disrespectful to the office of the president'. 'I think it's a very bad thing, because he's very disrespectful. You could not disrespect the office of the president,' he said. Earlier, Musk deleted a post from X, the social media platform he owns, that asserted links between Trump and disgraced US financier Jeffrey Epstein. Questioned about the inflammatory post, Trump said: 'That's called 'old news', that's been old news, that has been talked about for years. Even Epstein's lawyer said I had nothing to do with it. It's old news.' Musk has also retracted a threat to begin 'decommissioning' SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft used by Nasa to ferry astronauts and supplies to the International Space Station. The original threat came after Trump suggested he might cancel SpaceX's federal contracts. On Saturday, the president said he hadn't given the subject any more thought. 'I'd be allowed to do that,' he said, 'but I haven't given it any thought.' Earlier on Saturday, JD Vance told interviewer and comedian Theo Von that Musk was making a 'huge mistake' going after Trump, but downplayed Musk's attacks as being made by an 'emotional guy' who got frustrated. 'I hope that eventually Elon comes back into the fold. Maybe that's not possible now because he's gone so nuclear,' the vice-president said. But he added: 'Look, it happens to everybody. I've flown off the handle way worse than Elon Musk did in the last 24 hours.' 'I actually think if Elon chilled out a little bit, everything would be fine,' Vance said. David Smith contributed reporting
Irish Times
2 days ago
- Business
- Irish Times
Trump warns Musk of ‘very serious consequences' if he backs Democrats
Donald Trump warned Elon Musk that he faces 'very serious consequences' if he funds Democratic candidates following the pair's epic public bust-up this week. The warning, delivered in an interview with NBC News set to broadcast on Sunday, follows days of feuding and threats after Musk called Republicans' budget legislation an 'abomination'. Mr Trump told interviewer Kristen Welker his relationship with the tech mogul was over and warned Mr Musk against choosing to fund Democrats after spending close to $300 million (€355 million) in support of Mr Trump's re-election last year. 'If he does, he'll have to pay the consequences for that,' Trump told NBC News. 'He'll have to pay very serious consequences if he does that,' he said. READ MORE [ Keith Duggan: Bromance descends into jaw-dropping feud Opens in new window ] Mr Trump was also asked if he had any wish to repair his relationship with Musk. 'No,' he said. Asked if he thought their relationship was over, he said, 'I would assume so, yeah,' and had no plans to speak with his erstwhile sidekick. 'I'm too busy doing other things,' Mr Trump said. 'I have no intention of speaking to him.' Elon Musk with President Donald Trump during a joint news conference in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, in May. Photograph: Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times But he predicted that the spat had helped to unify the Republican Party around him, saying the 'party has never been united like this before. It's never been. It's actually more so than it was three days ago.' Mr Musk's opposition to the Republican budget bill, formally the 'one big beautiful bill act', would not, he predicted affect its passage through Congress. The bill narrowly passed the House and is now under consideration in the Senate. However, some conservative Republicans share Musk's concerns about the need for significant spending cuts and are considering making changes. The bill extends Trump's 2017 tax cuts and includes new spending for border security and the military. Republicans aimed to offset these costs with cuts to programmes such as Medicaid, food stamps and green-energy tax credits. Projections from the Congressional Budget Office and independent analysts indicate that the bill would add between $2.3tn and $5tn to the deficit over the next 10 years. White House officials contend that the economic growth generated by tax cuts will offset the increased spending. [ How Trump spat threatens Elon Musk's business empire: 'Nobody on the right or left is gonna buy a Tesla' Opens in new window ] Still, Mr Trump told NBC he is 'very confident' that the bill will pass the Senate before July 4th. 'I think, actually, Elon brought out the strengths of the bill because people that weren't as focused started focusing on it, and they see how good it is,' Mr Trump said. 'So in that sense, there was a big favour. But I think Elon, really, I think it's a shame that he's so depressed and so heartbroken.' And he accused Mr Musk of being 'disrespectful to the office of the president'. 'I think it's a very bad thing, because he's very disrespectful. You could not disrespect the office of the president,' he said. Earlier, Musk deleted a post from X, the social media platform he owns, that asserted links between Trump and disgraced US financier Jeffrey Epstein . Probed on the inflammatory post, Mr Trump said: 'That's called 'old news', that's been old news, that has been talked about for years. Even Epstein's lawyer said I had nothing to do with it. It's old news.' Musk has also retracted a threat to begin 'decommissioning' SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft used by Nasa to ferry astronauts and supplies to the International Space Station. That came after Mr Trump suggested he might cancel SpaceX's federal contracts. On Saturday, the president said he hadn't given the subject any more thought. 'I'd be allowed to do that,' he said, 'but I haven't given it any thought.' Earlier on Saturday, JD Vance told interviewer and comedian Theo Von that Mr Musk was making a 'huge mistake' going after Mr Trump, but downplayed Mr Musk's attacks as being made by an 'emotional guy' who got frustrated.' I hope that eventually Elon comes back into the fold. Maybe that's not possible now because he's gone so nuclear,' the vice-president said. But he reasoned: 'Look, it happens to everybody. I've flown off the handle way worse than Elon Musk did in the last 24 hours.' 'I actually think if Elon chilled out a little bit, everything would be fine,' Vance said. – Guardian
Al Jazeera
2 days ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Trump warns Musk of ‘serious consequences' if he funds Democrats
United States President Donald Trump has warned billionaire former ally Elon Musk against funding Democratic candidates in the country's 2026 midterm elections as the pair's volcanic break-up continued to play out on the world stage. 'He'll have to pay very serious consequences if he does that,' Trump told US network NBC News in an interview published Saturday, without spelling out what the repercussions might be for the tech mogul, whose businesses benefit from lucrative US federal contracts. Trump aides, various Republicans, and key wealthy donors to the GOP have urged the two to temper the bitter feud and make peace, fearing irreparable political and economic fallout. But, asked whether he thought his relationship with the Tesla and SpaceX CEO was over, Trump said, 'I would assume so, yeah'. The interview featured Trump's most extensive comments yet on the spectacular bust-up that saw Musk criticising his signature tax and spending bill as an 'abomination', tensions escalating after he went on to highlight one-time links between the president and the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. By Saturday morning, Musk had deleted his 'big bomb' allegation that Trump featured in unreleased government files on former associates of Epstein, who died by suicide in 2019 while facing sex trafficking charges. 'That is the real reason they have not been made public,' he said in Thursday's post on X. The Trump administration has acknowledged it is reviewing tens of thousands of documents, videos, and investigative material that his 'MAGA' movement says will unmask public figures complicit in Epstein's crimes. Trump was named in a trove of deposition and statements linked to Epstein that were unsealed by a New York judge in early 2024. The president has not been accused of any wrongdoing, but he had a long and well-publicised friendship with Epstein. Trump has denied spending time on Little Saint James, the private redoubt in the US Virgin Islands where prosecutors alleged Epstein trafficked underage girls for sex. Just last week, Trump had given Musk a glowing send-off as he left his cost-cutting role at the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Vice President JD Vance said Musk was making a 'huge mistake' going after Trump, though he also tried to downplay his attacks as the frustrations of an 'emotional guy'. 'I hope that eventually Elon comes back into the fold. Maybe that's not possible now because he's gone so nuclear,' he said in the interview with comedian Theo Von, released Friday. Trump also told NBC that it was the Department of Justice, rather than he, that had decided to return Salvadoran immigrant Kilmar Abrego Garcia to the US, where he faces charges of transporting undocumented migrants inside the country. Trump added that he had not spoken to El Salvador President Nayib Bukele about Abrego Garcia's return.
