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April 18 at 8pm ET:
April 19 at 8pm ET:
April 24 at 8pm ET:
April 25 at 8pm ET:
April 27 at 8pm ET:
AND IN CASE YOU MISSED IT...
Last week, we worked with our
Montana State Chapter to produce a national campfire with over 22,000
people tuning in. The Montana Chapter leaders, former state
legislators Joel Krautter and Bruce Grubbs, interviewed former Montana
Governors Steve Bullock (D) and Marc Racicot (R) to discuss the
importance of good, reasonable people -- no matter their party --
uniting to defeat extreme attacks on our institutions and
Constitution.
Here are some highlights and
inspiring words from our speakers:
- Gov.
Racicot charged us: "We as citizens have an obligation to become
involved in supporting, examining, and building strong institutions in
concert with people from across the political spectrum."
- Gov.
Bullock encouraged us: "When you can sit down and actually openly and
earnestly try to learn from others who disagree with you, you’re going
to be a better person."
Click here to watch the replay of
Country
First's Uniting States Campfire!
ELECTION REFORM
Axios:
Colorado group pushes for ranked choice voting in Denver
Denver's mayoral election has been
whittled down from 16 candidates to just two, but not before leaving
voters overwhelmed with choices. Now, some activists are pushing for a
simpler way to conduct elections — ranked choice voting.
Driving the news: Ranked Choice
Voting for Colorado, a grassroots advocacy group founded in 2017,
announced Wednesday it formed a committee to advocate for the new
voting system in the state's largest city.
The
Minnesota Daily: Minnesota elections could
see ranked-choice voting by 2026
A new bill in the Minnesota
Legislature, introduced on March 1, would implement ranked-choice
voting (RCV) for federal and state elections. The bill most recently
had hearings in the House Elections, Finance and Policy Committee and
the Senate Committee on State and Local Government and Veterans on
March 17. Both committees
amended the bill and re-referred it to committees, where it now waits.
While Minneapolis, St. Paul, St.
Louis Park, Bloomington and Minnetonka voters use RCV for local
elections, RCV would extend to state and federal elections if passed.
Local jurisdictions would still decide whether to implement RCV for
local elections.
AZ Mirror:
Lawmakers to ask AZ voters to block ranked-choice voting in
2024
Far-right lawmakers are hoping
Arizonans will vote to prohibit ranked-choice voting in 2024, aiming
to cripple the efforts of voter organizations to put the system up for
consideration on the same ballot.
Last week, House Concurrent
Resolution 2033 was approved via a party line vote, with the staunch
opposition of Democrats, and sent to the Secretary of State for
placement on the 2024 ballot. If voters approve, it would modify the
Arizona Constitution by forcing all partisan state, county and city
positions to be determined with a direct primary model. In a direct
primary, voters choose one candidate from each political party to
advance to the general election.
The
Times Tribune: Supporters hope Pa.’s new
legislature will embrace open primaries, but at least one big hurdle
remains
Lawmakers and advocates who support
opening Pennsylvania’s primary elections to over a million independent
voters hope the Legislature will take action this year, but at least
one key senator stands in their way.
Pennsylvania is one of nine states
that has closed primaries, meaning only registered Democrats and
Republicans can vote for candidates during partisan primary elections.
This means only those voters have a say in which candidates from those
parties will face off in the November election, excluding the 1.2
million people in Pennsylvania who are registered to a third party or
who are unaffiliated.
There have been repeated bipartisan
attempts to change Pennsylvania’s primary process dating to at least
1995. In recent years, an open primaries measure came closest to
succeeding in 2019, when one passed the state Senate 42 to 8. The
measure was sponsored by former state Sen. Joe Scarnati, R-Jefferson,
who was then the chamber’s president pro tempore and held considerable
power.
2024 ELECTION WATCH
Politico:
Asa Hutchinson announces presidential bid, says Trump should withdraw
from race
Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson
is running for president in 2024, he said Sunday. "I am going to be
running. And the reason, as I’ve traveled the country for six months,
I hear people talk about the leadership of our country, and I’m
convinced that people want leaders that appeal to the best of America,
and not simply appeal to our worst instincts," Hutchinson said during
an interview with Jonathan Karl on ABC’s This Week. "I
believe I can be that kind of leader for the people of
America."
Washington
Examiner: Liz Cheney 2024 chances jump
after Trump indictment
Republican support for former Rep.
Liz Cheney (R-WY) has doubled in the wake of former President Donald
Trump’s hush money indictment, making her the new threat to Gov. Ron
DeSantis (R-FL) and could shake up the 2024 GOP race.
Support for Cheney, at 5% before
the indictment news, has surged to 10%, putting the Trump foe and GOP
face of the House Jan. 6 committee in a solid third place behind Trump
and DeSantis, who has fallen from 32% to 22% in the latest Trafalgar
Group survey of Republican voters.
BIPARTISANSHIP
The Tennessean:
One TN Republican didn't vote for lawmakers' expulsion. Here's who and
why.
Rep. Charlie Baum's votes Thursday
on the expulsion of three representatives were unique. Baum,
R-Murfreesboro, was the only Republican representative to vote against
expulsion for all three: Justin Jones, D-Nashville; Rep. Justin
Pearson, D-Memphis; and Rep. Gloria Johnson, D-Knoxville.
Baum said his Republican colleagues
had concerns about the rules not being followed by the “Tennessee
Three” representatives in the days following the Covenant School
shooting in Nashville.
"I know my constituents, the vast
majority of them didn't want these representatives expelled," said
Baum, who is in his fifth year as state representative for District
37.
Politico:
Bennie Thompson: "I chose Liz Cheney over party"
Rep. Bennie Thompson, the man who
for nearly 18 months anchored the House investigation into the events
that led to the violent attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021,
says he sees parallels between the attacks on his committee’s work and
the skepticism levied at the Manhattan district attorney.
"What happened on Jan. 6 was that
sole reminder that, even though we are the greatest country in the
world, we have to maintain vigilance in keeping it. … Otherwise, the
potential for what occurred on Jan. 6 could very well happen again. So
I wanted to frame it [in that context and] I chose Liz Cheney as my
vice chair. I didn’t have to. I could have picked anyone, but I think
it was for the country. I chose Liz Cheney over party."
Actions you can take right now to
help make a difference!
WATCH
our newest advertisement focusing on
the lies Tucker Carlson and Fox News have continued to spread and
share it with a friend using your unique recruiter
link!
SIGN
the petition demanding Fox News and
Tucker Carlson to stop amplifying dishonest, distorted, and damaging
lies regarding the January 6th Attack on the U.S.
Capitol.
SHOP the cause and wear your values.
YOU + TWO
Reach out directly to friends and family, regardless of their
political party, who are tired of our leaders who put politics before
what's best for the country.
Your unique recruiter
link: https://www.country1st.com/sandlot?recruiter_id=?recruiter_id=2
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