Latest news with #MondaireJones
New York Post
3 days ago
- Politics
- New York Post
NYS rushes bill to give state party bosses power to kick out members as rivals rail ‘when Democrats can't compete, they cheat'
ALBANY – State Democrats are shoving through a bill to give political party bosses more power to kick out members – a move that had Republicans railing 'when Democrats can't compete, they cheat.' The bill, which would give state parties the authority to boot members at will, was cooked up after Democrat Mondaire Jones embarrassingly lost the liberal Working Families Party line to a spoiler candidate during the former congressman's failed comeback 2024 bid against Republican Rep. Mike Lawler. WFP member and former Republican Anthony Frascone did not campaign but still snagged the WFP line from Jones — sparking accusations he was urged to run as a spoiler by Lawler and prompting WFP leaders to urge their own members not to support the spoiler. Advertisement Frascone ended up netting 2% of the vote in a race that Jones lost by 6% for New York's 17th congressional district, a swing district that includes parts of Westchester and Rockland counties. Ex-Rep. Mondaire Jones lost his race to Rep. Mike Lawler in 2024 by about 6%. Anthony Frascone, a candidate who secured the Working Families Party line as an apparent spoiler candidate ended up receiving 2% of the vote in the highly competitive race. Getty Images 'Frascone did not run a campaign for the Congressional seat,' a memo accompanying the bill sponsored by Hudson Valley state Sen. Pete Harckham (D-Westchester) reads. 'There was no fundraising or significant outreach to gather any additional support, and Frascone did not have any previous affiliation with the party. It appears there was no genuine intent to truly represent the people of NY-17.' Advertisement A spokesperson for Harckham didn't return a request for comment. Under existing law, only local county party committees can initiate 'disenrollment' of a voter. The WFP, however, doesn't have local county parties. 'There was this gray area, this ambiguous area where they might want to throw someone out of the party for allegedly being a party raider, but were not able to without a county organization or a county chair,' Joe Burns, a partner specializing in election law at Holtzman Vogel, told The Post. The state Senate is expected to vote on the bill Tuesday, though its unclear whether it will make it through the Assembly by the end of the legislative session. Hans Pennink Advertisement 'I think it's obvious that it was done at the behest of the Working Families Party,' he added. A WFP spokesperson said it would allow 'all parties to perform key functions without the costly and burdensome requirement' of building and maintaining county-level committees. 'This key change will help ensure a level playing field for all political parties,' the spokesperson told The Post. The bill is expected to pass the state Senate, though its future in the state Assembly is unclear before the end of the legislative session this week. Democrats control both chambers of the state legislature. Advertisement Critics from other parties blasted the move as a power grab by the WFP. 'Well, well, well, how about that? The party of democracy disenfranchising voters who don't agree with them… how democratic,' Lawler wrote in a statement. David Laska, a spokesperson for the state Republican Party, blasted the provision as sour grapes. 'After years of pearl-clutching about 'defending democracy,' Albany Democrats now want to hand party bosses the power to silence voters and purge party rolls at will,' Laska said in a statement. 'This is voter suppression disguised as party reform – when Democrats can't compete, they cheat.' The leader of the state Conservative Party was left confused by the proposed change. 'I don't see the value of giving the political party more power over its enrolled membership,' Conservative Party Chairman Gerald Kassar told The Post.
Yahoo
10-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Matt Gaetz Gets Blunt Reminder After His Super Bowl Slam Of Kendrick Lamar Goes Viral
Critics are giving Matt Gaetz a lesson in recent music history, after the former Republican congressman from Florida tweeted about Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl halftime show. 'The halftime show you just watched is clearly the regime's response to Trump's historic gains with black men,' Gaetz, who was briefly President Donald Trump's selection for attorney general, wrote on X. Gaetz's message got saddled with a community note pointing out that the decision to book Lamar for the gig couldn't have been a response to Trump winning the presidency, given that it was announced about two months before the election. But social media users also made reference to something else: A House Ethics Committee investigation that found Gaetz paid a 17-year-old for sex and took illicit drugs while in office. Gaetz has denied the allegations, but critics were quick to remind him of that report ― and they did it by using lines from Lamar's hit song 'Not Like Us,' which the rapper performed on Sunday. The song is a diss track aimed at arch-rival Drake, who has sued, calling it 'false and malicious.' The lyrics contain lines such as 'Say, Drake, I hear you like 'em young' and 'tryna strike a chord and it's probably A minor.' In case Gaetz wasn't familiar with the song, critics let him know: Say, Matt. I hear you like 'em young! — W. Kamau Bell (@wkamaubell) February 10, 2025 There were a few lines I thought would strike a chord with you — Alex Jewell 🧢 (@bestfoodalex) February 10, 2025 Tryna strike a chord and it's prolly a minorrrrr. — @ (@MondaireJones) February 10, 2025 Hey, Matt, I hear you like 'em young. — Franklin Leonard (@franklinleonard) February 10, 2025 A MINORRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR — Tony Webster (@webster) February 10, 2025 You're trying to strike a chord… — Jason Selvig (@jasonselvig) February 10, 2025 🎶 I hear you like 'em young 🎶 — TDMcClellan (@TorranceMcClell) February 10, 2025 Why you trollin' like a bitch? Ain't you tired?Tryna strike a chord and it's probably A minor — Kate Neuens (@kateneuens) February 10, 2025 Did Kendrick strike a chord, bud? A minor one, perhaps? — Thomas Winslow (@thomas_winslow) February 10, 2025 Kendrick Lamar Gets In An Extra Diss At Drake With Surprise Halftime Show Guest Kendrick Lamar Appears To Take Patriotic Swipe At President Trump Kendrick Lamar Shuts Down Super Bowl Halftime Show With Electrifying Set — And A Final Blow To Drake
