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Why Arizona Senators Can Clash With The Democrats Who Elected Them

Why Arizona Senators Can Clash With The Democrats Who Elected Them

Democrats control the US Senate with a single vote. President Biden has made bipartisanship a top priority. Republican senators are pushing for deals, including on Covid-19 during a meeting Monday with the president. On the economy, on immigration, on health care – the Biden administration will need the votes of every senator it can get.

This is where Kyrsten Sinema and Mark Kelly come in.

The two Democratic senators from Arizona, both moderate, have assumed an unusual stature amid all the talk of bipartisanship. Ms Sinema made waves and frustrated progressives last month when she aligned with Republicans to maintain the filibuster, which gives power to the minority party. Mr Kelly was part of a bipartisan group of 16 senators who recently met with White House officials to discuss Covid relief. The pair represent a state Mr. Biden narrowly reversed in November; Pleasing Arizona is a new Democratic priority.

But if Ms. Sinema and Mr. Kelly emerge as actors in Washington, politics here is more complicated. Arizona Democratic Party officials and activists have jumped into the two senators’ race, despite the fact that many of those Democrats are more progressive than Ms. Sinema or Mr. Kelly. Now, they are eager for their senators not only to embrace the middle, but also to embrace the policies the left is pushing for. Many view senators’ openness to Republicans with skepticism.

“There was so much in Kelly and Sinema’s victory that no effort can take the credit, but also everything was needed so nothing can be sacrificed,” said Ian Danley, Executive Director of Arizona Wins, who helped coordinate voter education among dozens of liberal organizations last year. “They are both in a difficult situation. These different strategies from a political point of view can be in conflict. “

Ms Sinema, who was elected in 2018, and Mr Kelly, who won last year, both ran for office on bipartisan approaches from the government. And given the tight democratic control in the Senate, the two senators are likely to prove essential to Biden’s agenda as well as any major legislative agreement on issues central to the state, including immigration, health care. health and Covid relief.

Their importance was made clear last week when Vice President Kamala Harris included Phoenix ABC affiliate and The Arizona Republic editorial board in a series of interviews as she promoted the Covid relief program. administration. Although Ms Harris did not mention Ms Sinema’s or Mr Kelly’s name, she left no doubt that their loyalty was paramount.

“If we do not pass this bill, I will be very frank with you: we know that more people are going to die in our country,” Ms. Harris said in the interview with The Republic. “More people will lose their jobs and our children will miss more school. We have to be here collectively to say that is not an option in America. “

On the same day, Ms Harris made similar comments to a West Virginia television station and newspaper. Later, Senator Joe Manchin III, a Democrat who has represented the state since 2010 and enjoys his reputation as an independent, expressed his own frustration, saying his interview was “no way of working together.”

Ms Sinema and Mr Kelly made no such comment and some progressives viewed their silence as disturbing.

“We need to be able to count on these senators we worked so hard to elect,” said Tomás Robles, executive director of LUCHA, a civil rights group that has knocked on tens of thousands of doors in Arizona for them. Democrats last year. “If they act like a moderate Republican, we will remember that at election time. We expect them to recognize that Latinos voted overwhelmingly for these two, and we expect them to repay us for our loyalty.

For many immigration activists, a feeling of pessimism has already started to set in. They fear Democrats are trying to strike a deal with Republicans who are unlikely to approve of the sweeping changes proposed by Mr. Biden – similar to the strategy that failed during the Obama administration.

Erika Andiola, a Phoenix-based immigration activist, became the first known undocumented congressional assistant when she worked for Ms Sinema in 2013, drawn by what she saw as Ms intense interest and engagement. Sinema for the question. Now Ms Andiola has said she sees her former boss as taking a more conservative stance on immigration – more often focusing on border security than creating a path to citizenship for the roughly 11 million people. undocumented immigrants living in the United States.

“There is a window of time now and there is a way for Democrats to do something about immigration – and they can do it themselves,” Ms. Andiola said. “At the time of the crisis you have to choose your battles, you have to choose what you can win. Choose the right strategy. Compromising with Republicans will get us nowhere.

Ms Sinema and Mr Kelly declined to be interviewed for this article, but statements from their offices emphasized bipartisanship and border security, as well as support for the Dreamers, who were brought to the states. -United as children of unauthorized immigrants and were threatened. sometimes with expulsion.

Mr Kelly is already part of the group of 16 senators tasked with reaching a bipartisan agreement on the relief plan. Ms Sinema has been one of the most vocal critics of Arizona’s response to the pandemic, and some Arizona Democrats believe she will back the Biden administration’s package.

Raquel Terán, newly elected president of the Arizona Democratic Party and state representative, admitted that the two senators “had not campaigned on the progressive end of the spectrum.” But she said that while there may be disagreements, she expected the two to side with Mr Biden on the relief program, health care and immigration.

“They will vote for the Democratic agenda, the agenda that Joe Biden proposed – they supported it in the election and what they put on the table, so I have high hopes,” Ms. Terán. “I hope they will do anything so that his agenda is not blocked.”

Arizona has a long history with high-profile, independent senators willing to counter party lines, and others who have amassed political power – John McCain and Jon Kyl have long been considered two of the most influential senators during their tenure, and Jeff Flake became one of the first Senate Republicans to openly criticize former President Donald J. Trump.

“There is no state in America that will play a more central role in directing congressional legislation over the next two years,” said Glenn Hamer, president of the Arizona Chamber of Commerce. “Every major piece of legislation is going to go through Arizona, and the role that many of us want our senators to play is that of someone crossing the aisle.”

Many Democrats point out that the state’s political atmosphere has changed dramatically since 2018, with voters reversing both Senate seats and a Democratic presidential candidate winning in Arizona in November for just the second time in five decades. And since the riot in Washington last month, more than 5,000 Republicans have abandoned party affiliation.

Still, Mr Hamer warned that the two senators were in a precarious political position, particularly Mr Kelly, who won a special election and is due for re-election in 2022. (The Chamber of Commerce has endorsed his opponent in the elections of l last year, and did not approve of Ms. Sinema’s race.)

Approving major changes like a minimum wage of $ 15 an hour or an immigration program that does not include more enforcement, Mr Hamer said, would deflect moderate voters who also helped propel the pair in Washington. .

“I don’t believe you can have unity in America without bipartisan legislation, and I truly believe that both have a role to play in that regard,” he said. “It would be much better and more lasting than trying to blow up the filibuster.”

Mr Danley, a longtime Liberal activist, also warned the two senators could not take new voters in the state for granted.

“If we want to produce voters who support you, we need ammunition, we need to have something real and legitimate,” Danley said. “We can’t keep saying they’re better than the bad guys – that’s too low of a bar. What about really being good to those people who have come forward and have expectations? “

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After Capitol Riot, elected officials under pressure return home

After Capitol Riot, elected officials under pressure return home

WASHINGTON – In a video posted to Facebook, Couy Griffin, the founder of a group called Cowboys for Trump, boasted of having had a “front row seat” for the riot on Capitol Hill on January 6 and considered to return for another rally in which he imagined “blood flowing from this building,” the FBI said. He later told the FBI that he hoped the next protest would be nonviolent but that there was “no option that was not on the table for freedom.”

He was arrested before he could organize another rally on inauguration day as he had planned. But first, he returned to his post as Otero County commissioner in southern New Mexico, where an effort to oust him has now gained momentum.

Mr. Griffin “jumped right into sedition,” said Paul Sanchez, a Republican who heads a committee that hopes to recall him. “He’s not focusing on Otero County at all.”

Mr. Griffin, who was charged with trespassing on Capitol Hill, was reminiscent of many others there that day: he had a deep allegiance to former President Donald J. Trump and believed that the he election had been rigged. He is also among at least 19 elected officials from across the country who are now subject to increased political control in their countries because they attended the president’s rally and in some cases stormed the Capitol building with a crowd that turned violent in its efforts to stop the vote. this would make the official elections for President Joseph R. Biden Jr.

Critics say government officials had a special duty not to endorse Mr. Trump’s baseless claim that the election was stolen.

In the weeks following the riot, state and local politicians, including some supporters of former President Trump, struggled to distance themselves from the local officials involved. In some cases, local Republican organizations have condemned the participants. Many elected officials, some of whom gathered in Washington that day but never entered Capitol Hill, are under pressure to resign. At least one state lawmaker has apologized for his involvement and resigned.

“The problem is, how do you support someone who demonstrates the kind of judgment” to participate in the events of January 6, asked Nick Corcodilos, a former Republican mayor of Clinton Township, NJ, who left the party around 2014. “How do you judge someone who attends a rally where a president urges his supporters, his audience, to go to the Capitol building and commit violence?”

As for one of the local commissioners of Mr. Cordocilos’ county who posed in front of the Capitol on January 6: “This is not someone I want to lead my county or represent myself.”

Besides Mr. Griffin, a West Virginia state legislator and a member of the Massachusetts town hall were among those who stormed the Capitol. Earlier in the day, at rallies urging Congress to overturn the Electoral College vote, the crowd included a representative from the state of Missouri, a member of the California City Council, a Senator from the State of Virginia and a new member of Parliament from Nevada.

In New Mexico, the Democratic attorney general has now vowed to call for Mr. Griffin’s impeachment, and his fellow county commissioners – two Republicans – have called on him to step down. The Republican state president said Griffin “did not represent” the state party.

Still, it doesn’t appear that Griffin, who has been held in solitary confinement after refusing to take a coronavirus test in a Washington prison, has any intention of voluntarily leaving his post. His lawyer, David Smith, said in an interview that he had “no reason to believe he was going to resign from the commission.”

Among the most prominent participants in the riot was Derrick Evans, a newly elected member of the West Virginia House of Delegates who videotaped himself entering the Capitol. Governor Jim Justice, a Republican, called Mr. Evans is an “absolute idiot” and his actions “shameful”. Roger Hanshaw, Republican President of West Virginia House, said Mr. Evans “would need to respond to his constituents and colleagues about his involvement in what happened.”

Three days later, he resigned.

“I take full responsibility for my actions and deeply regret any injury, pain or embarrassment I may have caused to my family, friends, constituents and compatriots in West Virginia,” Evans said in a written statement.

Some Republicans have been careful to balance their continued support for Mr. Trump with the condemnation of those who entered Capitol Hill. Roman Stauffer, interim president of the West Virginia Republican Party, said state leaders condemned Mr Evans’ actions. He also said his office had received “a tremendous amount” of messages calling on the State party to affirm its support for Mr. Trump, but had not received any about Mr. Evans.

“There are Western Virginians who care deeply about President Trump, and President Trump will continue to be an influential voice in our party here in West Virginia,” Stauffer said. He said he hoped “Mr. Evans’ actions did not reflect the thousands of other Western Virginians who support the president.”

In Natick, Mass., A petition that has collected approximately 1,700 signatures calls for the ouster of Suzanne Ianni, an elected member of the municipal assembly, for her participation in the riot. But in a statement on behalf of the city’s board of directors, Jonathan Freedman, the president, said Ms Ianni could not be recalled unless she was sentenced to jail for a felony conviction. In an interview, he said the board would not take a position on whether she should resign.

Even some elected officials who did not enter Capitol Hill on January 6 are angry for their role in the events of that day. Justin Hill, a Missouri state lawmaker, said he traveled to Washington to hear Mr. Trump speak and meet with Rep. Jason Smith, a Republican from Missouri, about the rejection of the Electoral College results . In the process, Mr. Hill skipped his own swearing-in ceremony.

He said he was frustrated the media gave the impression that he was ‘in a riot’ – when, he said, he only attended the speech of the former president. . “It was absurd,” he said.

Mr. Hill, a Republican, also noted that some protesters marched from President Trump’s rally on Capitol Hill but did not enter the building. “It is their right to petition their government,” he said. “It’s their right to go for a walk on the Capitol. I think those who broke the law have to pay the price for their bad decisions.

The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, which backs Democratic candidates for state legislatures across the country, called for his resignation – along with that of at least 16 other lawmakers or elected lawmakers from the Republican state, including including Amanda Chase of Virginia, a state senator who is also running for governor.

Ms Chase was recently censored by the Virginia Senate, in part for her remarks on those who stormed the Capitol.

“They were not rioters and looters,” she told the state Senate floor earlier this month. “They were patriots who love their country and do not want to see our great Republic turn into a socialist country.”

Among other provisions, the resolution passed by the Senate noted that Ms. Chase expressed support for the rioters, “spreading unsubstantiated allegations regarding the nature of the events, the identity of those who took part and the validity of the election. presidential ”. In a statement, Republican Senate leaders in Virginia blamed his “selfishness and constant need for media attention.” She has also been removed from her only assignment on the committee since the Capitol Riot.

But Ms Chase, who spoke at a rally at the Capitol on the morning of Jan.6, appeared to take the criticism as a mark of pride.

“They are not going to muzzle me,” she said in an interview. “I will wear it as a badge of honor, I will collect a shipment of money, and I will remove the Democratic nominee who wins the nomination, and I will be the next governor of Virginia.”

In a blog post, Annie Black, an elected official from the State Assembly of Nevada who met on the Capitol grounds on January 6 but said she never entered the building or did not enter the building. ‘had never passed the barricades, called for his resignation “NUTS!” “I’m not going anywhere,” she said.

Still others found support from their elected colleagues and like-minded constituents.

Credit…Hunterdon County

Susan Soloway, a Commissioner for Hunterdon County, NJ, posted a selfie, smiling outside the Capitol on January 6. A flood of voters summoned to a recent committee meeting to complain about her participation – but it also drew supporters, including her fellow commissioners, one of whom decried the criticism as “canceling the culture.”

“We all need to come together as Americans, united in the idea that we can have differences of opinion, but ultimately still be friends and neighbors,” said Soloway, director of the council. meeting. “Let’s reduce hatred and division, and instead try to find ways to get along.”

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Marjorie Taylor Greene is said to have approved the execution of Democrats on Facebook before being elected to Congress.

Marjorie Taylor Greene is said to have approved the execution of Democrats on Facebook before being elected to Congress.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a first-term Georgian Republican, has repeatedly endorsed the execution of senior Democratic politicians on social media before being elected to Congress, including telling a follower who asked if they could hang former President Barack Obama that “the scene was brewing.” “

A review of Ms Greene’s social media accounts, first reported by CNN, found that she repeatedly liked Facebook posts dealing with the prospect of violence against Democratic lawmakers and federal government employees. Ms Greene liked a Facebook comment in January 2019 that “a bullet in the head would be faster” to fire President Nancy Pelosi, and liked another about the execution of FBI agents.

After a Facebook follower asked Ms. Greene “Now can we hang them,” referring to Mr. Obama and Hillary Clinton, the former Secretary of State and Democratic presidential candidate, Ms. Greene responded. : “The decor is being set. The players fall into place. You have to be patient. It has to be done perfectly, otherwise Liberal judges will let them go.

In one long statement posted on Twitter On Tuesday, before CNN released its report, Ms Greene did not disown the posts, but accused CNN of “coming after” her for political reasons and noted that several people had managed her social media accounts.

“Over the years, teams of people manage my pages,” Ms. Greene wrote. “Many messages have been liked. Many messages were shared. Some did not represent my views. “

Ms Greene has been previously scrutinized for promoting conspiracy theories, including QAnon, the pro-Trump fringe group that falsely claims the existence of a satanic pedophile cult led by top Democrats and for mistakenly suggesting that the Fatal school shooting in Parkland, Florida. , was staged.

She has repeatedly suggested that Ms Pelosi stand on trial for treason for her refusal to support the immigration policies of former President Donald J. Trump, stressing that treason is a crime punishable by death.

In the days leading up to the storming of the Capitol by pro-Trump insurgents on January 6, Greene called the day the Republicans’ “1776 moment”. After the riot, she vowed that Mr. Trump would “stay in office” and that attempts to remove him from the White House were “an attack on all Americans who voted for him,” even though he lost the votes. elections.

Ms Greene’s inflammatory rhetoric drew scolding from some members of her own party. But since she joined Congress, Republican House leaders have refused to condemn her. Before being elected, Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, Republican No. 3 in the House, disowned her comments as “offensive and bigoted,” and Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana, Republican No. 2, went so far. ‘to support Mrs Greene. main opponent.

After Ms Greene arrived at Capitol Hill in November, Representative Kevin McCarthy of California, the minority leader, claimed Ms Greene had distanced herself from QAnon.

“So the only thing I would ask you in the press – these are new members,” Mr. McCarthy said. “Give them a chance before claiming what you think you’ve done and what they’re going to do.”

A spokesperson for Mr McCarthy told Axios that Ms Greene’s new Facebook posts were “deeply disturbing” and that he planned to “have a conversation” with Ms Greene about them.

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The rioters intended to “capture and murder” elected officials, prosecutors say.

The rioters intended to "capture and murder" elected officials, prosecutors say.

In an alarming assessment of the Capitol rampage last week, federal prosecutors said the rioters intended to “capture and murder elected officials,” according to a memo filed in court.

The 18-page document was submitted Thursday as part of the federal criminal case against Jacob Anthony Chansley, who is called Jake Angeli and is a well-known conspiracy theorist known as “Q Shaman.”

Mr. Chansley, a member of the QAnon conspiracy movement, has become one of the most notable figures in the Capitol Riot. He was pictured in the building shirtless, his face painted red, white and blue, and wearing a fur headdress with horns, holding a spear draped in an American flag.

Prosecutors said Mr Chansley approached a Capitol Police officer and shouted that members of the crowd “were there to take the Capitol and get the leaders of Congress”. In the Senate Chamber, he ran to the dais where Vice President Mike Pence had presided a few minutes earlier and began to pose for other rioters to photograph.

He wrote a note for Mr Pence, reading: “It’s only a matter of time, justice is coming.”

The next day, Mr. Chansley called the FBI and confessed to his actions, admitting that he had been able to enter the Senate “by the grace of God”. Prosecutors are pleading for Mr Chansley to be held until his trial begins, noting that he wants to return to Washington for the inauguration of President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr.

“I’m still going, you better believe it,” he told the FBI

In Texas, a federal prosecutor said another rioter, Lt. Col. Rendall Brock Jr., was planning to take hostages in zippered handcuffs when he stormed the Capitol last week and pointed out an array of violent online threats Mr. Brock has made. preparing for the mob attack.

Mr Brock, a former Air Force officer with multiple tours in Afghanistan and Iraq, was pictured in chaos in handcuffs and clothing bearing the 706th Fighter Squadron badge, in which he formerly served.

He was arrested in Texas on Sunday after his ex-wife contacted the FBI after recognizing him in a photo. He was charged with violent entry and disorderly conduct on the Capitol grounds and knowingly entering or remaining in a building or restricted land without legal authorization.

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A North Dakotan died of Covid-19 and was posthumously elected to the state legislature.

A North Dakotan died of Covid-19 and was posthumously elected to the state legislature.

Known as “Dakota Dave,” David Dean Andahl was a traveling and speaking billboard for his home state of North Dakota.

He was president of Dakota Sports Marketing, where he promoted the state’s economic and tourism opportunities.

At the end of September, he fell ill and was hospitalized in Bismarck. Shortly after, he died, following a “short battle with Covid-19,” his family said. He was 55 years old.

Mr. Andahl was also interested in politics.

This year, he decided to run for the State House of Representatives. He cleared the first hurdle, winning a heated Republican primary in June against a long-time incumbent President State Representative Jeff Delzer, chairman of the powerful Credit Committee.

Mr. Andahl won the approval of two of the state’s most influential Republicans, Gov. Doug Burgum and Senator Kevin Cramer, with Mr. Cramer telling the Minneapolis Star Tribune that he supported Mr. Andahl “because we have need more Trump Republicans in the state legislature. . “

But at the same time, the coronavirus was on the rise across the country, particularly in North Dakota. The state now has a critical number of understaffed hospitals, and its rates of new cases and death per person are among the highest in the country. Mr Andahl, who already had unspecified health concerns, was cautious of the virus, his family wrote on Facebook.

On October 5, when he died, the elections were a month away. At that point, it was too late to remove his name from the ballot. On November 3, residents of District 8, a large rural area north of Bismarck, posthumously elected him to the legislature.

A political row ensued over how to fill the seat. The governor tried to make an appointment but was blocked by the attorney general. The case has not been resolved and is in court.

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David Andahl, 55, dies; Posthumously elected in North Dakota

David Andahl, 55, dies; Posthumously elected in North Dakota

This obituary is part of a series on people who died in the coronavirus pandemic. Learn more about the others here.

He was known as “Dakota Dave,” a traveling and speaking billboard for his home state of North Dakota.

David Dean Andahl was passionate about farming, raising cattle and driving racing cars, a sport he played on circuits around the world. He was also president of Dakota Sports Marketing, where he promoted the state’s economic and tourism opportunities.

And he was interested in politics. A member of the Burleigh County Planning and Zoning Commission for 16 years, he served as chair for eight years.

This year he has sought to take a step forward by running for the state House of Representatives. Mr Andahl cleared the first hurdle, winning a heated Republican primary in June against a long-time incumbent President, State Representative Jeff Delzer, chairman of the powerful Credit Committee.

Mr. Andahl has secured the endorsement of two of the state’s most influential Republicans, Governor Doug Burgum and Senator Kevin Cramer, with Senator Cramer telling the Minneapolis Star Tribune that he is supporting Mr. Andahl “because we have need more Trump Republicans in the state legislature. “

But at the same time, the deadly coronavirus was on the rise across the country, particularly in North Dakota. Mr Andahl, who already had unspecified health concerns, was cautious of the virus, his family wrote on Facebook. But at the end of September, he fell ill and was hospitalized in Bismarck. On October 5, one month before the election, he died after “a short battle with Covid-19,” the family said. He was 55 years old.

At that point, it was too late to remove his name from the ballot. On November 3, residents of District 8, a large rural area north of Bismarck, posthumously elected him to the legislature.

A political row ensued over how to fill the seat. The governor tried to make an appointment but was blocked by the attorney general. The case has not been resolved and is in court, Loren DeWitz, chairman of the District 8 Republican Party, said in a telephone interview.

At an outdoor memorial service for Mr. Andahl, he was remembered for being a man of his word; for his love for his dogs, Bear, Zeus and Hank; and for his willingness to lend a helping hand, whether it be, as a friend said, “building a patio, borrowing a tool, hauling a lot of trash, or just being there to drink and listen.” His drink of choice was Glenlivet single malt.

Mr. Andahl was born on October 30, 1964 in Bismarck. He received his associate degree from Bismarck State College and studied animal science at North Dakota State University. Her survivors include her parents, Ronald and Patricia Andahl; his sister, Darcy; and his son, Charles (Tia) Lacy.

Mr. Andahl was also a partner and general manager of 4T Ranch, which has been part of the Andahl family for three generations. As Bismarck grew, the developers expressed interest in purchasing parts from 4T Ranch. Instead of selling, the family started their own business, 4T Ranch Developers, Inc., with Mr. Andahl as president, and built a rural development called “The Ranch”.

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Woman who says she was fired for being a lesbian is elected sheriff

Woman who says she was fired for being a lesbian is elected sheriff

After rising through the ranks for 33 years, winning awards and becoming the first woman of full age in the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office in Ohio, Charmaine McGuffey was ousted in 2017, she said.

She said she was fired for being a lesbian and for calling attention to the use of excessive force against inmates. Her then boss Sheriff Jim Neil said she refused to agree to a demotion after an internal affairs investigation found it created a hostile work environment, court records show .

Now Ms McGuffey, 63, is set to return to office, this time as sheriff-elect after defeating Sheriff Neil in a Democratic primary in April and a Republican challenger in Tuesday’s general election.

Ms McGuffey said she was not motivated by a desire for revenge against the sheriff.

“I decided that I could do a better job than him and that I needed to be back in this office to be able to complete the job that I started, which is to bring real criminal justice reform to the system,” she said on Saturday. “No one who knows what it’s like to go through the ordeal, the odyssey that I went through, would ever do that for revenge.

Ms. McGuffey will assume control of a staff of 800 who supervise an average of 1,500 inmates in Hamilton County, which includes Cincinnati. During her campaign, she described herself as a progressive who would focus on “rehabilitative rather than punitive strategies” to reduce recidivism.

Sheriff Neil declined to comment through a spokesperson.

After losing in the primary, he endorsed Republican challenger Bruce Hoffbauer, former Hamilton County Deputy Sheriff and Cincinnati Police Relief Commander. Sheriff Neil called Ms McGuffey a political activist who would turn the city and county into another Chicago, Portland or Seattle.

“You have to decide whether you want someone like Charmaine McGuffey, who would use the sheriff’s office to be a political activist, pushing an anti-law enforcement agenda, or Bruce Hoffbauer, a proven law enforcement leader. and dedicated to public safety, “he wrote in an opinion piece in The Cincinnati Enquirer in August.

On Tuesday, Ms McGuffey won 52% of the nearly 405,000 votes cast in the sheriff’s race in Hamilton, a Democratic-leaning county where Joseph R. Biden Jr. won 57% of the vote, according to unofficial results.

Her victory was the culmination of a fierce campaign and an unresolved federal lawsuit she filed in May 2018 against Sheriff Neil and the county.

She said he used a biased internal affairs investigation on her to fire her. In a 108-page memo, investigators said she “used intimidating techniques such as belittling, insulting, yelling and yelling” to intimidate officers.

The memo stated that Ms McGuffey had made comments such as “you should be fired” and “you are incompetent”. Investigators also accused her of being dishonest during the investigation.

In her trial, Ms McGuffey said the allegations were unfounded and “a false pretext” to discriminate against her “because of her gender, her inability to conform to traditional female stereotypes, her sexual orientation and her open criticism of her. excessive use of force by the HCSD. against inmates.

Ms McGuffey was promoted to Major of Courts and Corrections in 2013, becoming the first woman to hold that rank in the history of the Sheriff’s Office. During her tenure, Ms McGuffey led a series of improvements to the prison, according to her trial.

She said the only time she was sanctioned was in 2010, when police arrested her and her friends as they walked out of a gay bar in Covington, Ky. She said they wrote him a quote after accusing them of bothering them because they were gay. The citations were dismissed, but the sheriff’s office suspended her for “improper conduct”.

As a major, Ms McGuffey said she was treated differently from her male counterparts, who could choose junior captains and had multiple administrative assistants.

She said she was banned from command staff meetings and reprimanded in front of her colleagues, and was told not to let The Cincinnati Enquirer publish a story about her upcoming marriage to her partner because “it could be. used against her, ”according to her trial.

The lawsuit also said she “had repeatedly raised concerns about multiple serious incidents of the use of force at the sheriff.” Ms McGuffey’s concerns were ignored, she said in an interview. Sheriff Neil has denied the allegations, court records show.

Ms McGuffey said tensions rose after seeing a recording of a deputy throwing a 62-year-old inmate into a jail cell. The inmate suffered a concussion and a broken hip, and needed 12 staples to close a head injury, she said.

She showed the tape to Sheriff Neil and the internal affairs officers, she said, and told them the deputy had to be suspended and face criminal charges.

Shortly after, in January 2017, an internal complaint was filed against her “alleging a hostile work environment” and the Internal Affairs division opened an investigation, questioning 30 employees.

She was fired six months later. Ms McGuffey said she was devastated.

“I literally couldn’t bear to leave the house,” she said. “It was horrible. I couldn’t eat.

In August 2018, she was working in her backyard when she received a call from a Democratic county agent who asked her if she would consider running against Sheriff Neil in the primary.

“I’m actually very motivated by the prospect of wearing this uniform and making a difference,” she said. “There are so many good men and women in this department who wear this uniform and they do it for a good reason.”

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Madison Cawthorn wins in North Carolina, becoming youngest Republican elected to the House

Madison Cawthorn wins in North Carolina, becoming youngest Republican elected to the House

Madison Cawthorn won North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District on Tuesday, defeating former Air Force Col. Moe Davis and retaining the Tory seat in Republicans after a race that unexpectedly turned competitive when Mr. Cawthorn was charged with racism and sexual misconduct.

Mr. Cawthorn, whose victory was announced by The Associated Press, is the youngest Republican ever to be elected to Congress, and the youngest person of any party elected in more than 50 years. He turned 25, the minimum age to serve in the House, in August.

When he won the Republican primary in June – upsetting the candidate endorsed by the Republican establishment and former Rep. Mark Meadows, who had left the seat to become President Trump’s chief of staff – Mr Cawthorn was seen as a lockdown to win in November. . The neighborhood, after all, is solidly conservative, and his personal story was compelling: he was partially paralyzed in a car crash at the age of 18, and he presented himself as a new face that could bring some news. generational perspective in the Republican Party.

But reports quickly revealed a false statement in the way he told his story: He said his dream of attending the United States Naval Academy was derailed by his car crash, but the academy had in fact rejected it before the accident.

Other reports referred to social media posts he had made in which he referred to Hitler as “the Führer” and claimed that visiting Hitler’s holiday home in Germany was on his “to-do list. do ”and that it“ does not disappoint ”. Several women accused him of sexual misconduct. And last month he set up a website attacking a reporter for working “for non-white men like Cory Booker who aims to ruin white men who run for office.”

In an interview with The New York Times shortly after winning his primary, Mr Cawthorn said, “I believe I can deliver the message of conservatism in a way that doesn’t seem so abrasive – that has better packaging. , I would say, better messaging. “

But his first tweet after the race was called for him on Tuesday night fit well with the Republican Party’s message by and large during the Trump era.

“Cry more, lib,” he said.