JANE KIM BECOMES VOTE LEADER IN CALIFORNIA SENATE RACE FOR DISTRICT 11



Progressive Icon Zephyr Teachout Wins Democratic Primary In New York

Two transgender candidates, both named ‘Misty,’ win congressional primaries

Bernie Sanders may have fallen short in the Presidential Primary, but two of his endorsed candidates have won their primaries and two of his supporters-turned-candidates have won as well!, surpassing her opponent Supervisor Scott Wiener, according to latest updated tally.Kim had consistently trailed Wiener since the early returns on election night, but has gained ground on Wiener as more votes have been counted, adding more suspense to the race and indicating the closeness of the contest.“I am excited about the updated results and that our work over the last six years and our message speaks to the priorities of the Senate District 11 voters,” Kim wrote in a text message. “I am deeply thankful to our supporters and volunteers who helped to deliver our message on the ground and that money alone does not win elections. I look forward to the ongoing fight to November and proving that our city is not for sale.”“This was an extremely close primary and we are moving on to November,” Wiener wrote in a text message. “We look forward to the November results that will actually decide the race.”He also said that “these next few months give us the opportunity to more effectively communicate my work and vision and ensure voters know who Jane is.”The Department of Elections has about 1,500 ballots remaining to count.Zephyr Teachout on Tuesday breezed to victory in the Democratic primary for New York’s 19th Congressional District, setting the stage for a November face-off against John Faso, a Republican and former member of the New York state Assembly.“I am running for Congress to break down those doors in Washington, D.C.; the doors that are keeping the people of America — the real people, the citizens of America — locked out,” Teachout said in an email to supporters after her win. “I’ve been fighting well-paid lobbyists on behalf of working families my entire life. I will fight until we win — for the people of NY 19. For the American people.”Teachout’s campaign has focused on money in politics, denouncing the ease with which big business is able to distort both consumer markets and the political process. She garnered national attention with her 2014 primary challenge to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D), a race in which she secured over a third of the vote with a shoestring operation.Gibson is stepping down this year to consider a gubernatorial run of his own, making the district one of the best opportunities for Democrats to pick up a seat from Republicans in November.In early June, Teachout held a commanding polling lead over Ivy League-educated farmer Will Yandik in the Democratic primary. Teachout is very popular with the progressive wing of the party, and is one of only a handful of House candidates whomShe relies heavily on small donors, with an average contribution of less than $50 in the first quarter of this year.The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the official House recruitment arm of the Democratic Party, did not formally endorse a candidate in the Teachout-Yandik primary, but held extensive conversations with Yandik. Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand and Chuck Schumer, both New York Democrats, have endorsed Teachout.Misty Snow and Misty Plowright became the first transgender people to be nominated to Congress by a major political party on Tuesday, when they won their respective Democratic primary races in Utah and Colorado.The transgender woman will now face-off against incumbent Republican Sen. Mike Lee in November. Mr. Lee ran unopposed in the Republican primary.Ms. Snow ran on a platform of increasing the minimum wage and criticized her opponent for supporting restrictions on abortion rights. She played up the historic nature of her candidacy on Tuesday.In an interview with a local CBS station in April, Ms. Snow called Mr. Lee “one of the most loathsome people in the Senate” and said he “needs to be removed from office.”Mr. Martinez ran his campaign on a platform of reforming the Department of Veterans Affairs, citing his own difficulties receiving medical care through the embattled agency.