All posts tagged: Congressional

Texas’ 15th Congressional District provides clues to state’s Latino vote : NPR

Texas’ 15th Congressional District provides clues to state’s Latino vote : NPR

Published by Sam Flores

The 15th Congressional District runs from the east of San Antonio all the way down into the Rio Grande Valley. This majority-Latino district provides a window into the Latino vote in Texas. Transcript MICHEL MARTIN, HOST: Latino voters helped elect Republicans two years ago. A congressional race in south Texas is a test of whether that support holds. Republican Representative Monica De La Cruz is trying for a third term. Her challenger is Democrat Bobby Pulido, a singer, making his first run for office. Texas Public Radio’s David Martin Davies takes us to the state’s 15th District. (SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) DAVID MARTIN DAVIES, BYLINE: Friday night at an Alice, Texas, block party, Pulido takes to the stage – not to deliver a campaign speech, but to sing. BOBBY PULIDO: (Singing in Spanish). DAVIES: Pulido is a Latin Grammy winner who is well known for his music. This swing district stretches about 300 miles across south Texas. Hispanics make up about 80% of the population. Pulido says although he’s lived the life of a Tejano musician, …

DraftKings VIP Program Congressional Questions

DraftKings VIP Program Congressional Questions

Published by skeptic

Sen. Richard Blumenthal plans to seek information from DraftKings and prediction-market platforms including Kalshi and Polymarket, while continuing to press FanDuel for details about its VIP bettor program, Front Office Sports reported. The comments signal broader congressional questioning, not a filed enforcement action or an established violation. The inquiry could touch both DraftKings’ sportsbook VIP practices and its expansion into prediction markets. Its VIP program has drawn attention amid wider concerns about how sportsbooks engage high-volume bettors. Lawmakers want details on VIP promotions Blumenthal, Rep. Paul Tonko and Rep. Valerie Foushee said in a letter that FanDuel had not adequately addressed their questions. They want to know which other athletes and celebrities sent personalized videos to VIP bettors and what safeguards the company uses to avoid encouraging people with gambling problems to keep betting. Blumenthal told Front Office Sports he intends to ask DraftKings the same questions, and to raise them with prediction-market platforms. That brings the inquiry beyond FanDuel’s handling of celebrity videos and into a debate about whether customer loyalty programs and promotions …

California Congressional District 27 election guide: Irwin v. Gallucci

California Congressional District 27 election guide: Irwin v. Gallucci

Published by Sam Flores

p]:text-cms-story-body-color-text”> Democratic State Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin is facing off against Republican candidate and nonprofit leader Samuel Gallucci in the race for California’s 26th Congressional District. They are seeking to claim the open seat created by the retirement of Rep. Julia Brownley, who has represented the region for the last 12 years. The district stretches from the the Pacific Ocean through the foothills of the Santa Monica mountains, encompassing most of Ventura County and the L.A. County communities of Calabasas and Agoura Hills. It includes the communities of Oxnard, Thousand Oaks, Simi Valley, Ventura and Camarillo as well as wide swaths of vineyards and agricultural land. As with most Californians, the rising cost of living and especially the price of housing are major concerns for constituents. Many communities sit at the wildland-urban interface, making wildfire prevention and response another essential issue. The district is home to a significant immigrant community in agricultural areas such as Oxnard and Camarillo, which have been the site of Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids and protests. The seat is ranked as …

California Congressional District 48 election guide: Von Wilpert v. Desmond

California Congressional District 48 election guide: Von Wilpert v. Desmond

Published by Sam Flores

p]:text-cms-story-body-color-text”> Von Wilpert, 43, has served as a member of the San Diego City Council since 2020, representing District 5. Before her foray into politics, she was an attorney who founded a legal health clinic in Mississippi to combat discrimination in housing, employment and medical care against HIV/AIDS patients. She later served as counsel on the House Education and Labor Committee and focused on labor rights during the second Obama administration. As a council member, Von Wilpert authored bills to ban untraceable guns and launched housing grant initiatives for educators. She focused much of her tenure working to update labor laws to allow federal workers to organize, bargain with employers and establish monetary penalties for labor violations. Desmond, 70, has served as a member of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors since 2019. Desmond is a Navy veteran and former Delta Air Lines pilot and served as the mayor of San Marcos from 2006 to 2018. As mayor, he worked to reform the pension system in order to balance the city’s budget, growing $40 …

California Congressional District 45 election guide: Tran vs. Vo

California Congressional District 45 election guide: Tran vs. Vo

Published by Sam Flores

p]:text-cms-story-body-color-text”> Tran, 45, is an attorney and U.S. Army veteran who served in the U.S. Operations Noble Eagle and Enduring Freedom. He runs a pharmacy with his wife, Michelle. He is the son of refugees who fled communist Vietnam and grew up in the San Gabriel Valley, graduating from Rosemead High School. Tran’s first term included small victories for his constituents, including helping trim processing time in the social security system for small businesses and individuals and small business loan payouts totaling $5 million this year, his office reported. He also delivered $1 million to the city of Cypress for flood prevention infrastructure. He also has championed bills, such as the WARRIOR Act, which codifies a woman’s ability to serve in combat in the Armed Forces. He and Republican Rep. Don Bacon (Neb.) also teamed to author the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Foreign Interference Safeguard Act, which aims to protect such entities against hacking and cyberwarfare. Tran is endorsed by the unions for Orange and Los Angeles counties’ deputy sheriffs, the International Assn. of …

California Congressional District 47 election guide: Min vs. Le Roux

California Congressional District 47 election guide: Min vs. Le Roux

Published by Sam Flores

p]:text-cms-story-body-color-text”> Min said Trump’s attacks on voting by mail and his attempts to get the U.S. Postal Service to refuse to deliver mail-in ballots, combined with his attempts in 2020 to overturn the election, “should worry every American who cares about our country, our Constitution, and the values of our nation.” Min added that all of this has happened despite no evidence of widespread voter fraud. In 2024, Min authored a bill which passed that prohibits local governments from forcing voters to present identification before they cast a ballot at a polling place. “I will continue to do all I can to stand up against these anti-democratic and un-American attacks on the sanctity of our elections,” Min said. Le Roux told The Times she supports the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility or SAVE America Act, which would require voters to provide documents proving their citizenship at the time of registration and a photo ID at the time they vote. In California, people are required to provide a driver’s license number or a portion of their social …

California Congressional District 27 election guide: George Whitesides vs. Jason Gibbs

California Congressional District 27 election guide: George Whitesides vs. Jason Gibbs

Published by Sam Flores

p]:text-cms-story-body-color-text”> Whitesides was the first chief executive of Virgin Galactic, which employed hundreds of people in Antelope Valley. Previously, he worked on President Obama’s 2008 transition team and was chief of staff for NASA in the Obama administration. Whitesides co-founded nonprofit organization Megafire Action to advocate for policy solutions to prevent massive wildfires and served as a member of the Antelope Valley Economic Development and Growth Enterprise board of directors. He was elected to Congress in 2024 and is running for reelection to continue creating jobs and expanding opportunity in California’s 27th District. Gibbs was elected to Santa Clarita City Council in 2020 and chosen by his fellow council members to serve as mayor in 2023. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering from Cal Poly and, according to his campaign website, worked on the the Delta II, Delta IV and Atlas V rocket launch systems in the local aerospace industry. Gibbs has served on the board of the Boys and Girls Club, the Valley Industry Assn. and the Salvation Army, according …

California Congressional District 40 election guide: Young Kim vs. Ken Calvert

California Congressional District 40 election guide: Young Kim vs. Ken Calvert

Published by Sam Flores

p]:text-cms-story-body-color-text”> Last year, Kim was one of the sponsors of the Community Investment and Prosperity Act, a proposed law that later was encompassed in another piece of legislation that expanded banks’ ability to invest in communities in a way that promotes economic development and the public good. The law allows national and state member banks to invest up to 20% of their capital and surplus in affordable housing, small business lending and community revitalization. “Families across California have felt the effects of rising costs for years. From delivering meaningful tax relief to supporting commonsense housing and energy reforms, I remain committed to fighting for opportunity and economic security that put Californians first,” Kim said in a press release issued by Americans for Prosperity in May. Calvert sees affordability as the biggest challenge facing families and blames Sacramento for the rising costs and “driving businesses out of the state.” He points to his vote in support of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which maintained many of the tax cuts in the Tax Cuts and Jobs …

Supreme Court blocks Trump-backed Missouri congressional map : NPR

Supreme Court blocks Trump-backed Missouri congressional map : NPR

Published by Sam Flores

People opposed to a congressional redistricting plan rally outside the Missouri Capitol in Jefferson City, Mo., earlier this month. David A. Lieb/AP hide caption toggle caption David A. Lieb/AP In a case watched across the country and as voting begins in the midterm elections, the Supreme Court blocked a congressional map in Missouri that was aimed at netting Republicans another seat in the U.S. House. This is the third time the high court has blocked the redistricting plan that could have helped oust Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver by increasing the number of Republican voters in his district. The court warned that changing maps now would cause “electoral chaos.” The decision requires the state use the same districts provided to voters in 2022 and 2024. That’s even though a different map was used in the primaries there last month. It comes after weeks of conflicting rulings in state courts and federal courts. Elections officials in Missouri already started mailing some absentee ballots last week using the old districts and some argued it would be too late …

Democrats hold 11-point lead over GOP on congressional ballot: Poll 

Democrats hold 11-point lead over GOP on congressional ballot: Poll 

Published by Sam Flores

Democrats hold a comfortable 11-point lead over Republicans on a generic congressional ballot, according to new poll — the latest survey showing enduring Democratic momentum ahead of November.   An Emerson College Polling survey released Thursday found Democrats led Republicans with 53 percent support to the GOP’s 42 percent on a generic congressional ballot. A… Source link