The Choice is Ours

The cretins on the right are restricting ballot access for select groups of voters -- the poor, people of color, LGBTQ, transgender, women -- those who generally don't vote for the GOP. Some on the left are still mired in the 2016 right-wing created lies that, "your vote doesn't matter: and "both parties are the same." If that were actually the case, the GOP wouldn't be trying to restrict voting access, working to steal the midterms, and telling The Big Lie.

Herschel Walker

Senate, Georgia

Herschel Walker is running to unseat Democrat Raphael Warnock:

• Supports banning abortion, without exception for rape or incest, in all 50 states
• Violent history with women, including his ex-wife and former girlfriend.
• Doesn't want the left to fool you all on this "racism thing."
• Claims to have 12 different personalities.

Blake Masters

Senate, Arizona

Blake Masters, a total nightmare for democracy, is running to unseat Democrat Mark Kelly:

• Supports national abortion ban.
• Will also target the right to contraception, marital privacy, same-sex marriage and privacy if elected.
• Among those he respects are Ted Kaczynski (The Unabomber) and Lee Kuan Yew, the late dictator of Singapore who transformed the country's economic system while crushing civil liberties.
• Wants to make the country safe for capitalism, like his benefactor, Peter Thiel.

Chuck Grassley

Senate, Iowa

Chuck Grassley is the incumbent in Iowa and is being challenged by Admiral Mike Franken. Grassley's positions include:

• Defunding Planned Parenthood but investigating them using taxpayer dollars.
• Instrumental in overturning Roe v. Wade.
• As Judiciary Chairman, blocked Merrick Garland's nomination during Obama's term, while ramming through Amy Coney Barrett's during Trump's term.

Eric Schmitt

Senate, Missouri

Eric Greitens collapsed under the weight of his scandals, paving the way for Eric Schmitt, who is far from being a "moderate" Republican.

• In 2020, he led nine other GOP attorneys general in filing an amicus brief encouraging the SCOTUS to overturn President Biden's victory in Pennsylvania.
• He sued to overturn the Affordable Care Act.
• He fought to stop school districts and municipalities from imposing mask mandates during the pandemic.
• He also joined other members of the GOP in arguing that LGBTQ+ Americans are not protected by workplace discrimination bans.

Ron Johnson

Senate, Wisconsin

Ron Johnson is the incumbent. The Democratic challenger is Mandela Barnes, who currently holds a 7-point lead. Johnson's resume is legendary:

• Is not pro-choice and favors a national restriction on abortion.
• Is the poster boy for medical misinformation relative to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Has suggested ending Medicare and Social Security as mandatory spending programs.
• Voted against the American Rescue Plan of 2021 and against protecting Medicare and American farmers from cuts.
• Was prepared to hand over fake elector ballots to Mike Pence in order to subvert democracy.
• Claims there was no violence on January 6, 2021.

Marco Rubio

Senate, Florida

Marco Rubio is a Tea Party leftover who is being challenged by current Democratic representative Val Demmings. Among other things, Rubio's resume includes:

• Being anti-abortion, even in the case of rape or incest.
• Voted against the Violence Against Women Act.
• Although he believes that same-sex marriage should be defined by the states, he believes that it should be defined as being "between a man and a woman."
• He is a climate change denier.
• Has an A+ rating from the NRA and believes that the Second Amendment is the cornerstone of American Democracy.

J. D. Vance

Senate, Ohio

J.D. Vance has been endorsed by Donald Trump and is backed by Marjorie Taylor Greene and Josh Hawley. That should be enough to turn rational thinkers off. Vance is a long-time venture capitalist and author of Hillbilly Elegy and has rebranded himself along Trump's lines.

• Vance touts 'energy independence' through the continued burning of fossil fuels.
• He is anti-immigrant and a vocal promoter of the "great replacement theory"
• He is anti-abortion and compared abortion to slavery.
• He is an advocate for Second Amendment rights and is, of course, promoting the "they're taking our guns away" rhetoric,
• Vance is big on the 'election integrity' train, advocating for an end to mail-in voting and voter I.D. laws.
• Vance is also big on lumping COVID-19 mask mandates and remote learning together with CRT to blame the left for the decline in our schools. 
• He is backed by Peter Thiel, who has donated at least $10 million to a PAC supporting Vance and is a fascist who believes that freedom and democracy cannot exist together.

Mehmet Oz

Senate, Pennsylvania

Mehmet Oz is an opportunist. He always has been. He's also a pseudoscientist who promoted his supplement line with false claims and was taken to task by John Oliver in a brilliant show. Oz also promoted hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19 even though he's a bona fide medical doctor and knows better. Then there were miracle diet concoctions, for which he was taken to task.

Launched into the spotlight by the Queen of Pseudoscience, Oprah Winfrey, he used to be pro-choice, but now he's not. He's also suddenly pro Second Amendment and is okay with fracking. In other words, he's done a complete turnaround so he can run for Senate in a state where he doesn't even live. That would also make him a carpetbagger (who gleefully accepted Trump's endorsement).

This guy has flip flopped on so many issues so many times that I can't even make bullet points for him. His self-serving nature makes him perfect for the GOP except for one thing: The true believer MAGAts aren't buying his suddenly conservative stance. This guy is about as fit for office as my goldfish. John Fetterman, the current Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania, is running against Oz. Vote for Fetterman. He's not your typical politician.

Adam Laxalt

Senate, Nevada

Trump-endorsed Adam Laxalt is the ultimate "Big Lie" participant, filing multiple lawsuits in his state to overturn Joe Biden's win. Every one of them was rejected by the courts. He's already threatening to file lawsuits in his own Senate race even though votes haven't even been cast yet. That's the GOP's game plan when they don't win. His positions are what you'd expect of a Trumpet.

• In spite of the fact that 60% of Nevadans support a woman's right to choose, Laxalt will look to overturn the current abortion law, and also supports crisis pregnancy centers to help mothers choose life.
• He has held anti-LGBTQ+ positions for most of his career, praising Ron DeSantis' bigoted stance in the state of Florida.
• Laxalt has received an A+ rating and plenty of money from the National Rifle Association (NRA). He opposed gun laws after the 2017 mass shooting in Las Vegas and has rejected voter-supported universal background checks. He has also defended armor-piercing bullets.
• Laxalt is a promoter of the racist "great replacement theory" which falsely claims that a cabal is replacing white people with people of color. He has invested money in radio ads against protections for "Dreamers."

 Pro-Choice Women Up for Reelection

In addition to challenging GOP incumbents, we must protect these Senate women.

Kathy Hochul

Governor, New York

Kathy Hochul took over when Andrew Cuomo crashed and burned of his own doing. Since then, she has done a masterful job responding to two egregious Supreme Court decisions, one overturning Roe v. Wade and the other ruling against New York's concealed carry law.

She called a special session to initiate enshrining abortion rights into the state's Constitution, and also fought back against the SCOTUS decision on concealed carry by signing legislation that will significantly curtail the carrying of handguns.

In honor of Pride Week, Hochul also responded with protections for LGBTQ+ New Yorkers in a nation that continues to marginalize them. It is critical that Kathy Hochul win her election against Republican Lee Zeldin, who recently stated that Hochul has accomplished nothing except being someone's wife. A true misogynist at heart.

Maura Healey 

Governor, Massachusetts

Maura Healey, currently the state's Attorney General, is running to replace outgoing Republican governor Charlie Baker, who has chosen not to run for a third term. Baker would never get Trump's endorsement as the two butted heads quite a bit, but that doesn't stop Trump from claiming that he got rid of Baker (let's add that to his ever-burgeoning list of lies).

Instead, Trump has endorsed Geoff Diehl, a far-right wingnut. While Massachusetts is generally considered "safe" from such extremists, I can tell you that turning Massachusetts blood red is the far right's wet dream. The election of anti-abortion Geoff Diehl would remove Massachusetts as a safe haven for the right to choose.

It is critical that the Massachusetts voters not underestimate the GOP. This is not the GOP of Charlie Baker any longer. Maura Healey won the primary and will face Trump-backed Geoff Diehl in the general election.

Stacey Abrams

Governor, Georgia

In Georgia, Democrat Stacey Abrams is hoping to unseat incumbent Brian Kemp. In 2019, Kemp signed a six-week abortion ban bill into law which was, at the time, the most restrictive bill in the nation. It does offer exceptions for cases of rape and incest where a police report has been filed, as well as protection of the mother's life and if the fetus has a “profound and irremediable congenital or chromosomal anomaly that is incompatible with sustaining life after birth.”

It also allows prosecution of those who get abortions, as well as targeting those who miscarry. Kemp has made it known that he is open to further restrictions. Abrams has vowed to work on repealing the law.

Abrams has a chance in a close race, as nearly two-thirds of Georgia voters opposed the overturn of Roe v. Wade including at least half of the Republican voters. Kemp is also against the use of birth control.

Josh Shapiro

Governor, Pennsylvania

There is no governor candidate that defines 'extremist' quite like Doug Mastriano, Donald Trump's anointed fascist to lead Pennsylvania down the highway to hell. He not only calls women's body autonomy "ridiculous nonsense," but he's a Trump election denier, compares the Democrats' desire to enact gun reform as what Hitler did in Nazi Germany, and has displayed a Christian nationalist streak.

Mastriano met with the J6 Committee, and it lasted only 15 minutes, ending with a fight over whether the Committee has the right to compel testimony. He has decided to challenge that in court.

That's why Pennsylvania needs Josh Shapiro, the state's current Attorney General. Shapiro supports abortion, LGBTQ+, worker, and voting rights, and has made a commitment to black economic equity. The last thing we need is another extremist in Pennsylvania, or anywhere else in this nation for that matter.

Gretchen Whitmer

Governor, Michigan

I have no idea why Gretchen Whitmer even wants her job, but we're grateful that she does. She's the last bastion of protection for abortion rights in a state that boasts an extreme GOP legislature. She has absolutely no hope of passing any kind of legislation that will help women, and she has openly stated that.

Michigan women already live with a 1931 abortion ban with no exception for rape or incest. So, in April, Whitmer asked the state Supreme Court to strike it down and affirm that the state constitution protects a woman's right to abortion. Pending a lawsuit, the law was temporarily blocked in May. On August 19, Oakland County Circuit Judge Jacob Cunningham issued a temporary injunction blocking the state's 1931 abortion ban.

Polls have found that the SCOTUS decision is a catalyst for voting in the state. Let's hope so because Whitmer's GOP opponent, Tudor Dixon, is about as anti-choice as you can get. Whitmer is the last line of defense for the women in Michigan.

Laura Kelly

Governor, Kansas

In 2019, the Kansas Supreme Court ruled that the state's Constitution protects a woman's right to abortion. However, due to the efforts of the Catholic Church, voters will consider an amendment to the Constitution on August 2 that states that women in Kansas have no right to abortion. Laura Kelly, a Democrat, is running for reelection and has stated her opposition to the amendment.

Clearly, so did the Kansas voters. They have made themselves heard by voting to block an amendment to the state constitution that would allow the legislature to strip abortion protections.

This state is a tough one to call, since it's a 50-50 on the topic of abortion among the voters. No clear-cut favorite. Derek Schmidt, the current Attorney General and candidate in the lead on the GOP side, is anti-abortion.  We need all Kansas women on deck, Let's hope they respond again in November and reelect Laura Kelly as Governor.

Tony Evers

Governor, Wisconsin

Democratic Governor Tony Evers is running for reelection and is another of those governors dealing with a Republican legislature. He called for a special legislative session to repeal the state's 173-year-old abortion ban, but the session was rejected by the legislature.

The ban does not make any exceptions for rape or incest, only if the mother's life is in danger. Also under the ban, doctors who perform abortions can face up to six years in prison and a $10,000 fine. Evers has granted those doctors clemency. Josh Kaul, the Wisconsin attorney general, has refused to enforce the ban.

The GOP candidates face off on August 9, and all support the abortion ban. The Wisconsin voters oppose it, with 58% stating that abortion should remain legal in most or all cases. Let's hope they all show up for the final vote.

Steve Sisolak

Governor, Nevada

Steve Sisolak is a Democrat running for reelection in a state where polls show that 62% of Nevadans support abortion rights under certain circumstances. Right now, it remains legal up to 24 weeks. Sisolak has vowed to keep abortion legal there, especially since the state expects an influx of patients from Arizona, Idaho, and Utah, three states that have banned abortion.

His GOP opponent, Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo, lives in that GOP alternate universe has vowed to be a "pro-life governor" because he believes that Nevadans want less abortion...despite the polls. He has also taken the heat from Sisolak over comments made about limiting contraception, which he decided to try to walk back. Never trust a politician who does that. Still, the race is considered a toss-up, and we need Nevada's voters to keep abortion legal there.

Katie Hobbs

Governor, Arizona

Here we have the most right-wing extremist state in the union. Arizona's GOP legislature passed legislation earlier in 2022 banning abortion after 15 weeks with no exception for rape or incest. However, the state also has a 121-year-old total abortion ban law on the books with exception only if the mother's life is in danger. That is the ban that went into effect after the SCOTUS overturned Roe v. Wade.

Doug Ducey is out due to term limits, and Hobbs will have to face lunatic fringe Kari Lake, a Trump acolyte who believes that candidates should be banned from running unless they state that the 2020 election was stolen. In a May poll, 87% of Arizona voters wanted abortion to remain legal in some or all cases.

In addition, a February poll indicated that 60% of voters would vote for a candidate who will overturn Arizona's Pre-Roe ban. Katie Hobbs, the state's current Secretary of State, is running for governor and has called for the repeal of both bans.

Kari Lake is dangerous and must be defeated. There is no question about it.