NC-9 Special Election Today Is A Bellwether

Ken AshfordElection 2018, Local InterestLeave a Comment

Remember North Carolina 9th District? They are having a special election today. Remember why? If not, here’s what happened… Essentially, there was a  a ballot fraud scandal which led the state elections board earlier this year to invalidate the 2018 results and overturn what had appeared to be a Republican victory In February, the state election board, after hearing four days … Read More

NC-09 Scandal Leads To Indictments

Ken AshfordCrime, Election 2018, Local Interest, Voter Suppression & Voter SecurityLeave a Comment

From the New York Times: The North Carolina political operative who oversaw a fraud-ridden voter-turnout effort on behalf of a Republican congressional candidate was arrested on Wednesday, a prosecutor said, after a grand jury accused him of a series of felonies. The campaign contractor, L. McCrae Dowless Jr., was among five people charged in Wake County, N.C., in connection with … Read More

NC09 Follies

Ken AshfordCourts/Law, Election 2018, Local Interest, Voter Suppression & Voter SecurityLeave a Comment

It is hard to describe the craziness going on in the Ninth District of North Carolina. But I will try. We really need to start in December 2016. Following a bitter gubernatorial campaign where incumbent Republican Pat McCrory is defeated by Democrat Roy Cooper, the GOP NC General Assembly holds special sessions before the new Democratic governor comes into office. … Read More

NC-09 Update

Ken AshfordCongress, Election 2018, Local Interest, Voter Suppression & Voter SecurityLeave a Comment

So many political scandals, but this one is local (although making national headlines). And it get more bizarre as time goes on. The man at the center of the obvious election fraud is as guy named Leslie McCrae Dowless.  He recruited and paid an army of workers to go door-to-door in minority neighborhoods and collect absentee ballots.  Many of the ballots … Read More

“Shaken Us To The Core”

Ken AshfordElection 2018, Local Interest, Voter Suppression & Voter SecurityLeave a Comment

What is happening in NC-9 even has Republicans upset. Yesterday, Dallas Woodhouse, Executive Director of the North Carolina Republican Party,  and the North Carolina GOP were calling for the results to be certified. But that’s different now…. Breaking: Executive Director of NC Republicans says he’s open to new election in NC-9 Congressional race. Dallas Woodhouse told CNN’s Drew Griffin he was … Read More

Yup. There IS Such A Thing As Voter Fraud In NC

Ken AshfordElection 2018, Local Interest, Republicans, Voter Suppression & Voter SecurityLeave a Comment

TheWe may have to do a “do-over” in the North Carolina 9th Congressional District. It is alleged that – shock! – Republicans cheated in order to prevent black voters from casting their ballots. But the cheating goes far beyond the everyday voter suppression rampant in red states. It is alleged that those who wanted the Republican in the race to … Read More

Facebook’s Attempt To Clean Up “Fake News” Was a Huge Fail

Ken AshfordElection 2018, Social Media & NetworkingLeave a Comment

The Guardian sums it up: Facebook hired a PR firm that attempted to discredit the company’s critics by claiming they were agents of billionaire George Soros, the New York Times reported Tuesday. Soros is a Jewish philanthropist who is the frequent subject of antisemitic conspiracy theories. At the same time, the social media company urged the Anti-Defamation League to object to a cartoon … Read More

Democrats Are Still Winning the 2018 Election

Ken AshfordElection 2018Leave a Comment

Testy Trump is tweeting about criticisms that he didn’t attend an event in Paris to honor WWI fallen soldiers.  He didn’t go because of rain — yet all the other world leaders somehow managed to make it. “Cemetery” is a hard work to spell. Why is Trump so testy?  Probably because Democrats are still winning the 2018 elections, which were … Read More

It Really Looks Like The Elections Hit Trump Hard

Ken AshfordElection 2018, Trump & AdministrationLeave a Comment

Either that, or he is not well. It is worth noticing this series of events over the last week: Trump held a news conference after the midterm elections in which his affect was clearly depressed, until he engaged in a confrontation with CNN’s Jim Acosta. The president traveled to Paris to take part in the commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the … Read More

Election 2018 Ain’t Over

Ken AshfordElection 2018Leave a Comment

Fucking Florida.  Fucking Palm Breach County. Fucking Broward County. Fucking Recounts. Fuck Fuck Fuck. On the one hand, there is a process that has to be followed for close races, so those procedures need to be followed. But already, just like in the Bush-Gore race, the lawsuits are flying faster than a wet cat in the shower. At issue are … Read More

What The New Dem-Controlled House Should Do Out Of The Gate

Ken AshfordCongress, Democrats, Election 2018, Immigration and Xenophobia, Infrastructure, Political Scandals, Trump & Administration, Voter Suppression & Voter SecurityLeave a Comment

Dear Dem-Controlled House and Nancy Pelosi: Don’t let Trump bait you into go whole hog on investigations of him. That’ll come in time. No talk of impeachment. And let Mueller do his thing.  In the meantime, act for the American people. The new Democratic House majority should devote its first 100 days to passing five pieces of legislation, then dare … Read More

Election Night Results

Ken AshfordElection 2018Leave a Comment

A blue wave, as predicted. Democrats took back the House, as predicted. GOP gained a few seats in the Senate, as predicted. Dems flipped several governorships, as predicted. And there were a few surprises, as predicted. Almost nothing happened last night that was outside the margin of error. I like what Claire Malone wrote at 538 — Election Night Defied A … Read More