Political Note #74 Michele Rylands WA SD 31

She is endorsed by the local sheriff. She is a 911 Operator and was an MP in the military. Her husband is a federal law enforcement official. She shut down her small oil and vinegar business to run for office. As close as she is to law enforcement, her focus has been education since her children entered school. President of the City of Auburn Council of PTAs, Michelle Ryland says. “Our schools should not be funded by raffles or carnivals or box tops...."

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Political Note #69 Laura Curran NY Executive Nassau County

If a Democrat is elected Nassau County Executive, that would be another sign from Long Island that Democrats can gain a majority in the New York State Senate. Laura Curran knows her way around. She has been a school board member or a county legislator. More important she was a reporter for the NY Daily News and NY Post. She also learned a lot working in Tom Suozzi's press office when he was County Executive.

Continue ReadingPolitical Note #69 Laura Curran NY Executive Nassau County

Political Note #69 Laura Curran NY Executive Nassau County

If a Democrat is elected Nassau County Executive, that would be another sign from Long Island about Democrats chances to take the New York Senate. Laura Curran knows her way around. She has been a school board member and a county legislator. More important, she was a reporter for the NY Daily News and NY Post. She also learned a lot working in Tom Suozzi's press office when he was County Executive.

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Political Note #68 Mike Mullin VA HD 93

Mike Mullin is a law and order liberal -- a politically effective position. He is running against the candidate he beat in the special election to win this seat. He continues to serve as a Commonwealth's Attorney for the City of Suffolk. He stresses his commitment to opposing gang violence and has been certified by the Virginia Gang Investigator's Association as a Gang Investigator.

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Political Note #67 Mark Herring VA Attorney General

Mark Herring s running for reelection as Virginia’s Attorney General. A state Senator, he was the first Democrat elected as Attorney General in over twenty years. He won that race by less than 1,000 votes. He has been different from past Republican Attorneys General. As a result, he has found himself in conflict with those who oppose same sex marriage, with anti-abortion groups, with the NRA, and with Trump supporters.

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Political Note #66 Justin Fairfax VA Lt. Governor

Justin Fairfax is the Democratic candidate for Lt. Governor in Virginia. A graduate of Duke and Columbia Law School, he served as an assistant US Attorney, then worked for a large law firm. He worked in the Al Gore campaign and in Senator John Edwards office. He co-chaired Senator Mark Warner's re-election campaign. He lost in the primary to the current Attorney General and is the favorite for Lt. Governor.

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Political Note #63 Schuyler VanValkenburg VA HD 72

Originally from New York, Schuyler VanValkenburg went to the University of Richmond. He married and stayed in Virginia. He has been teaching school. National Board Certified, he is good at it. Much as he may love to teach, but is now a politician -- running for an open House of Delegates seat. His first few issues include infrastructure spending, fixing the tax code, and adopting the medicaid expansion that is part of the ACA. He concludes with education spending.

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Political Note #62 Dawn Adams VA HD 68

Dawn Adams is a six foot tall athlete. She joined the US Coast Guard when she was 17 and left as a Captain. She served as a search and rescue pilot. An extremely hard worker, she made her way through college and graduate school. She became an RN, a nurse practitioner, and earned a doctorate. Now she is Head of the Office of Integrated Health for the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services. She is no bureaucrat. She is an inspiration.

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Political Note #61 Karrie Delaney VA HD 67

Karrie Delaney is the Democratic candidate for Virginia's House of Delegates District 67. She is originally from Florida and was originally a Republican. Having moved to Virginia, she became involved in the nonprofit world there. She chaired the County Citizen Corps Council and was appointed to the Fairfax County Library Board of Trustees. She chaired that board, too. Governor McAuliffe appointed her to the to the Virginia Commission on Youth. One of her projects has been work with Voices for Vaccines, which provides parents with scientific information about vaccines and vaccine-preventable disease.

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