Today is Election Day in Kansas, Michigan, and Missouri and Washington, with some New Jerseyans watching key races.
Brooklynne Mosely, whose unpropitious year as a New Jersey political operative in 2021 still has Democrats resentful, is seeking an open seat in the Kansas State House of Representatives.
Democrats celebrated Mosely’s arrival as the director of the state party’s coordinated campaign to win a second term for Gov. Phil Murphy. Instead, they regretted her hiring and were left wondering how previous employers in Texas and Kansas even came to recommend her—unless they planned to sabotage New Jersey.
Democrats told the New Jersey Globe that Mosely was a walking disaster who left votes on the table for a Democratic governor who wound up with few to spare.
In a move that left political veterans scratching their heads, Mosely encouraged a group of mostly young operations without much experience to unionize, suggested an affiliation with the Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU), and helped to formulate some of the demands made by the union members. That came despite what appeared to be a fair salary and benefits they agreed to before their hiring. As a result, the Democratic State Committee agreed to keep the young field staffers on the payroll for a while after the campaign ended to compensate them for long hours during the campaign.
Still, some Team Mosely members had the day off on the Monday before Election Day after working a long weekend. The members of the Children’s Union all ended their very brief stay in New Jersey with union cards, but without recommendations for their next gig.
Twice last week, the Kansas Secretary of State sent warning letters to Mosely after she failed to file her last campaign finance report. She was given two days to comply – she did not – and faces a fine of $50 per day until she files.
Mosely, who worked for Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, may be the favorite in a Democratic primary against political newcomer Brittany Kathleen Hall and Logan Ginavan, a 21-year-old college student who works as a master model builder at Legoland Discover Center in Kansas City.
The incumbent, Dennis “Boog” Highberger, is stepping down from the Lawrence-based seat he’s held for nearly a decade. Highberger has never fallen below 83.6%, and the district hasn’t seen a competitive race since Democrats won it by nine points in 1994. In 2020, Joe Biden won the 46th district with 84% of the vote.
MICHIGAN
In Michigan, Rep. Elissa Slotkin is the favorite to win the Democratic nomination for an open U.S. Senate seat. A former CIA agent and Obama administration official, Slotkin was part of a group of defense-oriented Democratic women elected to the House in 2018; she is one of Rep. Mikie Sherrill’s closest friends in Congress. Slotkin was born in New York and her grandfather founded Ballpark Franks.
Slotkin has raised $174,776 from New Jersey donors out of over $24 million so far, including $6,600 from Ben Newhouse, an Advance Publications executive whose family owns the Star-Ledger.
She is expected to face Rep. Mike Rogers for the seat of retiring Senator Debbie Stabenow.
MISSOURI
A candidate in the GOP primary for Missouri Secretary of State spent most of Monday in Twitter/X war with Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop. Fulop’s aide, Jonathan Gomez, lost his job on Monday for backing up his sister’s anti-gay views. Fulop told Valentine Gomez that her brother “no longer works there because he doesn’t reflect the values of the city.”
After Hudson Pride Center executive director Elizabeth Schedl left Fulop’s LGBTQ+ Task Force until Gomez either condemned his sister’s public statements – he contributed to her campaign and backed her up on social media – or was removed from the panel. Hudson County Executive Craig Guy called for Gomez’s ouster.
In a closely-watched Democratic congressional primary, incumbent Cori Bush faces a prosecutor, Wesley Bell. Bell has raised $39,210 from New Jersey donors, while Bush has brought in $19,443 from the Garden State. That’s a pittance compared to the $8 million AIPAC, and other groups have pumped into the district in a bid to oust Bush.