<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0" xmlns:itunes="http://www.itunes.com/dtds/podcast-1.0.dtd" xmlns:googleplay="http://www.google.com/schemas/play-podcasts/1.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Blue on the Ballot]]></title><description><![CDATA[Highlighting great democrats running for office at all levels across the country]]></description><link>https://blueontheballot.substack.com</link><image><url>https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2zw8!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F710e0383-74d3-48d1-ab77-c8c2d99ad20a_476x476.png</url><title>Blue on the Ballot</title><link>https://blueontheballot.substack.com</link></image><generator>Substack</generator><lastBuildDate>Wed, 26 Aug 2026 09:22:52 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://blueontheballot.substack.com/feed" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><copyright><![CDATA[Blue On the Ballot]]></copyright><language><![CDATA[en]]></language><webMaster><![CDATA[blueontheballot@substack.com]]></webMaster><itunes:owner><itunes:email><![CDATA[blueontheballot@substack.com]]></itunes:email><itunes:name><![CDATA[Blue On the Ballot]]></itunes:name></itunes:owner><itunes:author><![CDATA[Blue On the Ballot]]></itunes:author><googleplay:owner><![CDATA[blueontheballot@substack.com]]></googleplay:owner><googleplay:email><![CDATA[blueontheballot@substack.com]]></googleplay:email><googleplay:author><![CDATA[Blue On the Ballot]]></googleplay:author><itunes:block><![CDATA[Yes]]></itunes:block><item><title><![CDATA[Shot by ICE. Cleared by a Judge. Still Inside.]]></title><description><![CDATA[Carlitos Ricardo Parias has been in an ICE cell for nine months with no charges against him and no doctor. Sydney Kamlager-Dove is the congresswoman fighting for him.]]></description><link>https://blueontheballot.substack.com/p/shot-by-ice-cleared-by-a-judge-still</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://blueontheballot.substack.com/p/shot-by-ice-cleared-by-a-judge-still</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Blue On the Ballot]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 26 Aug 2026 00:20:40 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/d82af5b8-423f-4927-91a1-34c7ab722ad1_1500x1000.webp" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Carlitos Ricardo Parias films the news in South Los Angeles.</p><p>He posts in Spanish. More than a hundred thousand people follow him. A lot of what he filmed was ICE.</p><p>In October a federal agent shot him in the arm during a traffic stop.</p><p>A federal judge threw out every charge against him in December. The government is still fighting to bring them back.</p><p>He is still in a cell in the desert.</p><h2>Nine Months of Asking</h2><p>Pain. Swelling. Fevers. Headaches.</p><p>There are concerns the bone is infected.</p><p>His son Ulises is eighteen years old. Ulises has visited him there again and again.</p><p>His dad is in an orange jumpsuit, Ulises says. His arm is badly injured. It is the only thing he can talk about.</p><p>Nine months. No charges. Still no real medical care.</p><p><a href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/skd_3pb_kl">Click Here! Back the congresswoman fighting for him!</a></p><h2>Sydney Kamlager-Dove Did Not Wait</h2><p>In April the family called Sydney Kamlager-Dove&#8217;s office. Her caseworkers started filing.</p><p>In May she went out to the facility herself and pressed the staff to treat him.</p><p>She calls those places warehouses that are housing our people and medically mistreating them.</p><p>Then she went back to Washington and wrote a bill.</p><p>Any detainee, any lawyer, any family member can file a medical complaint. A real doctor has to look at it. Somebody has to answer.</p><p>She said it plainly. Our humanity does not end at the doors of an ICE detention center.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://secure.actblue.com/donate/skd_3pb_kl&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Donate $25: Fun the Fight&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/skd_3pb_kl"><span>Donate $25: Fun the Fight</span></a></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2" target="_blank" href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/skd_3pb_kl" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!M4xZ!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fef0637ca-bd6d-4506-83d4-a1da589b86f8_600x400.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!M4xZ!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fef0637ca-bd6d-4506-83d4-a1da589b86f8_600x400.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!M4xZ!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fef0637ca-bd6d-4506-83d4-a1da589b86f8_600x400.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!M4xZ!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fef0637ca-bd6d-4506-83d4-a1da589b86f8_600x400.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!M4xZ!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fef0637ca-bd6d-4506-83d4-a1da589b86f8_600x400.jpeg" width="344" height="229.33333333333334" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/ef0637ca-bd6d-4506-83d4-a1da589b86f8_600x400.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:400,&quot;width&quot;:600,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:344,&quot;bytes&quot;:204722,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;https://secure.actblue.com/donate/skd_3pb_kl&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://blueontheballot.substack.com/i/212774708?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fef0637ca-bd6d-4506-83d4-a1da589b86f8_600x400.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!M4xZ!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fef0637ca-bd6d-4506-83d4-a1da589b86f8_600x400.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!M4xZ!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fef0637ca-bd6d-4506-83d4-a1da589b86f8_600x400.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!M4xZ!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fef0637ca-bd6d-4506-83d4-a1da589b86f8_600x400.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!M4xZ!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fef0637ca-bd6d-4506-83d4-a1da589b86f8_600x400.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div></div></div></a></figure></div><h2>What the Government Says</h2><p>A reporter asked DHS about that facility.</p><p>Any claim of poor conditions there is false, they said. Detainees get proper meals, water, and medical treatment.</p><p>No investigation. No review. A flat denial in capital letters.</p><p>MAGA handed ICE a $70 billion blank check this June. Kamlager-Dove voted no.</p><h2>They Only Moved When She Made Them</h2><p>Last month a federal judge ordered sweeping changes at that facility.</p><p>Better conditions for everybody held there. Not just Parias.</p><p>Five months of her office filing. One trip to the desert. One bill.</p><p>And Parias finally started getting treatment.</p><p>Kamlager-Dove is not celebrating.</p><p>She wants to know why now, all of a sudden, after months of her office demanding it.</p><p>She thinks it is a quiet way to keep him from his lawyer.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://secure.actblue.com/donate/skd_3pb_kl&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Donate $25: Help Keep Her FIghting&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/skd_3pb_kl"><span>Donate $25: Help Keep Her FIghting</span></a></p><h2>Fighting Back</h2><p>She sat across from Kristi Noem in a hearing and asked about the man Noem put on the government payroll. Noem was gone within weeks.</p><p>She subpoenaed Pam Bondi over the Epstein files. Bondi was gone by April.</p><p>Now she has put her name on a man nobody in Washington was ever going to notice.</p><p>She already holds the seat. That is not what this is for.</p><p>This is so that when she puts her name on the next one, somebody has her back.</p><p><a href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/skd_3pb_kl">Donate Today! Help her fight back!</a></p><div><hr></div><h2>A judge threw out the charges in December. Kamlager-Dove is still asking about him.</h2><p><strong>&#8594; <a href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/skd_3pb_kl">Click to Donate to Kamlager-Dove!</a></strong></p><p>Nine months. No charges. Still no doctor.</p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Eighteen Miles Before Sunrise. Eighteen Veterans a Day.]]></title><description><![CDATA[Christian Urrutia walked from Manchester to Concord carrying a rucksack and an American flag. He picked the number on purpose. New Hampshire votes in fifteen days.]]></description><link>https://blueontheballot.substack.com/p/eighteen-miles-before-sunrise-eighteen</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://blueontheballot.substack.com/p/eighteen-miles-before-sunrise-eighteen</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Blue On the Ballot]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 25 Aug 2026 00:20:43 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!LlIE!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fecf6e0f4-9e8d-4e24-b776-08077b815aba_3396x2549.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Christian Urrutia got up before the sun and started walking.</p><p>He carried a rucksack on his back and an American flag. He walked out of Manchester and kept going until he reached Concord.</p><p>Eighteen miles later he filed his papers to run for Congress.</p><p>He picked the number on purpose.</p><p>Eighteen veterans a day die by suicide in this country.</p><h2>His Day Job</h2><p>Urrutia is an officer in the New Hampshire Army National Guard.</p><p>His actual job is defending soldiers. He works through the military&#8217;s Trial Defense Services.</p><p>When a service member is in trouble, he is the lawyer standing next to them.</p><p>He is also a human rights lawyer, and he served as a senior national security official at the Pentagon.</p><p><a href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/cu_3pb_kl">Click Here! Back a soldier and lawyer for Congress!</a></p><h2>The Man Congress Is Supposed to Stop</h2><p>Doug Collins is Trump&#8217;s Secretary of Veterans Affairs. He was a MAGA congressman before Trump handed him the department.</p><p>Congress is the only body that oversees him. Urrutia is running for a seat on that side of the table.</p><p>He floated firing 80,000 people from the VA. He settled on 30,000. A quarter of the people who work there are veterans themselves.</p><p>When people warned that would hurt veterans, Collins called it false rumors and disinformation.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!j9NS!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F71c2a297-a377-426c-8e29-76a8e5df368b_1160x773.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!j9NS!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F71c2a297-a377-426c-8e29-76a8e5df368b_1160x773.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!j9NS!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F71c2a297-a377-426c-8e29-76a8e5df368b_1160x773.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!j9NS!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F71c2a297-a377-426c-8e29-76a8e5df368b_1160x773.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!j9NS!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F71c2a297-a377-426c-8e29-76a8e5df368b_1160x773.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!j9NS!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F71c2a297-a377-426c-8e29-76a8e5df368b_1160x773.jpeg" width="306" height="203.91206896551725" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/71c2a297-a377-426c-8e29-76a8e5df368b_1160x773.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:773,&quot;width&quot;:1160,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:306,&quot;bytes&quot;:188270,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://blueontheballot.substack.com/i/212629917?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F71c2a297-a377-426c-8e29-76a8e5df368b_1160x773.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!j9NS!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F71c2a297-a377-426c-8e29-76a8e5df368b_1160x773.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!j9NS!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F71c2a297-a377-426c-8e29-76a8e5df368b_1160x773.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!j9NS!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F71c2a297-a377-426c-8e29-76a8e5df368b_1160x773.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!j9NS!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F71c2a297-a377-426c-8e29-76a8e5df368b_1160x773.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>Then in February his department put out a new rule. If a veteran&#8217;s medication was working, the examiner could hold that against his disability rating.</p><p>Get better, lose the benefit.</p><p>Veterans came after him. Collins called the coverage fake news.</p><p>Two days later he killed the rule and promised it would never be enforced.</p><p>Veterans stopped him. It took a revolt to do it.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://secure.actblue.com/donate/cu_3pb_kl&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Donate $25: Help Stop Him!&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/cu_3pb_kl"><span>Donate $25: Help Stop Him!</span></a></p><h2>Where He Comes From</h2><p>Urrutia pushed carts at a grocery store in New Hampshire and graduated high school in 2002.</p><p>He is the son of immigrants and the first person in his family born in this country.</p><p>His mother Beatriz worked nights in a Manchester ICU for more than twenty years. His father Alejandro organized for the Red Cross.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/cu_3pb_kl" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!LlIE!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fecf6e0f4-9e8d-4e24-b776-08077b815aba_3396x2549.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!LlIE!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fecf6e0f4-9e8d-4e24-b776-08077b815aba_3396x2549.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!LlIE!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fecf6e0f4-9e8d-4e24-b776-08077b815aba_3396x2549.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!LlIE!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fecf6e0f4-9e8d-4e24-b776-08077b815aba_3396x2549.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!LlIE!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fecf6e0f4-9e8d-4e24-b776-08077b815aba_3396x2549.jpeg" width="380" height="285.260989010989" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/ecf6e0f4-9e8d-4e24-b776-08077b815aba_3396x2549.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1093,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:380,&quot;bytes&quot;:2218830,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;https://secure.actblue.com/donate/cu_3pb_kl&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://blueontheballot.substack.com/i/212629917?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fecf6e0f4-9e8d-4e24-b776-08077b815aba_3396x2549.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!LlIE!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fecf6e0f4-9e8d-4e24-b776-08077b815aba_3396x2549.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!LlIE!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fecf6e0f4-9e8d-4e24-b776-08077b815aba_3396x2549.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!LlIE!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fecf6e0f4-9e8d-4e24-b776-08077b815aba_3396x2549.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!LlIE!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fecf6e0f4-9e8d-4e24-b776-08077b815aba_3396x2549.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>He went to law school at Michigan.</p><p>As a pro bono lawyer he helped take a man to court for torturing and killing a Chilean folk singer. The killer had been living quietly in Florida for years. </p><p>Urrutia goes after people who assume nobody is ever going to make them answer.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://secure.actblue.com/donate/cu_3pb_kl&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Donate $25: Help Urrutia Win!&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/cu_3pb_kl"><span>Donate $25: Help Urrutia Win!</span></a></p><h2>What He Would Do With the Seat</h2><p>His health plan is called Fair Shake For All. Medicare for All with no premiums and no deductibles. Lower drug prices.</p><p>And an end to medical debt in this country.</p><p>He wants money out of politics and private equity out of housing. He put it plainly. The billionaire class already has enough people fighting for it in Washington.</p><h2>Fifteen Days</h2><p>New Hampshire votes September 8.</p><p>Nobody is defending this seat. Republicans hold the House by three, and they are spending everywhere.</p><p>Urrutia has no billionaire behind him. Our Revolution endorsed him. So did the state Progressive Caucus, the Youth Movement, and Latino Victory Fund.</p><p>He has been walking this district since the day he filed. Every dollar is another mile of it covered. Another town, another door, another voter who has not heard his name.</p><p><a href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/cu_3pb_kl">Donate Today! Support Christian Urruita for Congress!</a></p><div><hr></div><h2>Urrutia walked eighteen miles for eighteen veterans a day. Help him reach more voters.</h2><p><strong>&#8594; <a href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/cu_3pb_kl">Click to Donate to Christian Urrutia!</a></strong></p><p>Twenty days. Help Christian Urrutia win!</p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[$50,000 From a Gunmaker. One Job: Licensing Guns.]]></title><description><![CDATA[Wilton Simpson runs the Florida agency that issues concealed weapons permits. Sig Sauer wrote his committee a check. Joey Atkins just won the Democratic nomination to run against him.]]></description><link>https://blueontheballot.substack.com/p/50000-from-a-gunmaker-one-job-licensing</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://blueontheballot.substack.com/p/50000-from-a-gunmaker-one-job-licensing</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Blue On the Ballot]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 24 Aug 2026 00:20:38 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mb32!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7e558649-c29e-458e-8cdd-1eebd4b690bb_600x400.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Sig Sauer makes guns.</p><p>Wilton Simpson runs the Florida agency that decides who gets a concealed weapons license.</p><p>Ahead of a vote in Tallahassee this February, Sig Sauer gave $50,000 to Simpson&#8217;s political committee. It gave another $270,000 to state legislators.</p><p>The bill would have shielded gun manufacturers from being sued when their products hurt somebody.</p><h2>Thirty Three Million Dollars</h2><p>Simpson entered this race in April with $33 million stashed across four political committees he controls.</p><p>He has pulled in $4.8 million more just this year.</p><p>Farmers, ranchers, food distributors, lobbyists. People with business in front of his department.</p><p>Sugar growers gave. As Senate president, Simpson championed a law that shields sugar growers from air pollution lawsuits.</p><p>The power companies gave. Simpson also oversees the state office that sets energy policy.</p><p>A watchdog group put it plainly. The utilities want to stay on his good side.</p><p><a href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/ja_3pb_kl">Click Here! Help take this office back from the special interests that own it!</a></p><h2>What This Office Actually Controls</h2><p>Most people have never heard of the Florida Agriculture Commissioner.</p><p>It runs food safety for the entire state. It licenses concealed weapons.</p><p>It manages state forests and wildfire response. It sets energy policy.</p><p>It oversees a thirteen billion dollar farm economy.</p><p>Trump endorsed Simpson. DeSantis endorsed Simpson. So did the Florida Chamber of Commerce.</p><p></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mb32!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7e558649-c29e-458e-8cdd-1eebd4b690bb_600x400.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mb32!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7e558649-c29e-458e-8cdd-1eebd4b690bb_600x400.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mb32!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7e558649-c29e-458e-8cdd-1eebd4b690bb_600x400.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mb32!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7e558649-c29e-458e-8cdd-1eebd4b690bb_600x400.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mb32!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7e558649-c29e-458e-8cdd-1eebd4b690bb_600x400.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mb32!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7e558649-c29e-458e-8cdd-1eebd4b690bb_600x400.jpeg" width="312" height="208" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/7e558649-c29e-458e-8cdd-1eebd4b690bb_600x400.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:400,&quot;width&quot;:600,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:312,&quot;bytes&quot;:226471,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://blueontheballot.substack.com/i/212447931?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7e558649-c29e-458e-8cdd-1eebd4b690bb_600x400.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mb32!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7e558649-c29e-458e-8cdd-1eebd4b690bb_600x400.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mb32!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7e558649-c29e-458e-8cdd-1eebd4b690bb_600x400.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mb32!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7e558649-c29e-458e-8cdd-1eebd4b690bb_600x400.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mb32!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7e558649-c29e-458e-8cdd-1eebd4b690bb_600x400.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>The MAGA machine wants this office because of everything it touches.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://secure.actblue.com/donate/ja_3pb_kl&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Donate $25: Break Their Grip&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/ja_3pb_kl"><span>Donate $25: Break Their Grip</span></a></p><h2>The Man Who Won Tuesday</h2><p>Joey Atkins is 41. He is a trial attorney in Tampa.</p><p>He grew up in West Palm Beach. He went to Florida Atlantic, then law school, then took a master&#8217;s in international affairs.</p><p>He has spent his career representing people in civil court. Regular families going up against somebody bigger.</p><p>He has also given free legal help to migrant farmworkers and to DACA recipients. The people who actually pick Florida&#8217;s food.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/ja_3pb_kl" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hj6H!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F67d53b8d-3508-40af-8e63-77b8eecec327_480x974.webp 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hj6H!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F67d53b8d-3508-40af-8e63-77b8eecec327_480x974.webp 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hj6H!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F67d53b8d-3508-40af-8e63-77b8eecec327_480x974.webp 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hj6H!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F67d53b8d-3508-40af-8e63-77b8eecec327_480x974.webp 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hj6H!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F67d53b8d-3508-40af-8e63-77b8eecec327_480x974.webp" width="148" height="300.31666666666666" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/67d53b8d-3508-40af-8e63-77b8eecec327_480x974.webp&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:974,&quot;width&quot;:480,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:148,&quot;bytes&quot;:30148,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/webp&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;https://secure.actblue.com/donate/ja_3pb_kl&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://blueontheballot.substack.com/i/212447931?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F88b59ccf-b6b3-4aba-a310-2453117dcb05_1000x1250.webp&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hj6H!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F67d53b8d-3508-40af-8e63-77b8eecec327_480x974.webp 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hj6H!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F67d53b8d-3508-40af-8e63-77b8eecec327_480x974.webp 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hj6H!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F67d53b8d-3508-40af-8e63-77b8eecec327_480x974.webp 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hj6H!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F67d53b8d-3508-40af-8e63-77b8eecec327_480x974.webp 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>He says government should protect the people and not special interests. He wants to root out corruption in our government.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://secure.actblue.com/donate/ja_3pb_kl&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Donate $50: Help Atkins Win!&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/ja_3pb_kl"><span>Donate $50: Help Atkins Win!</span></a></p><h2>Why This Race Matters Everywhere</h2><p>The Agriculture Commissioner gets a seat on Florida&#8217;s clemency board. Four people sit on it.</p><p>That board decides whether Floridians with a felony conviction ever get to vote again. Under the state constitution the governor cannot restore anybody&#8217;s rights without two of those four agreeing.</p><p>Florida locks more people out of voting than almost any state in the country. Whoever wins this office gets a vote on letting them back in.</p><p>Nikki Fried held this exact seat from 2019 to 2023. She is the last Democrat to win anything statewide in Florida.</p><p>Atkins raised $1,685 and put $8,480 of his own money in. His website calls it David versus Goliath.</p><p>That is why this one is different. In a campaign that size, twenty five dollars is not a drop in a bucket. It is a real percentage of everything he has.</p><p>Every dollar here is a door knocked. A text to a voter who has never heard of this office. A canvasser with gas in the tank.</p><p><a href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/ja_3pb_kl">Donate Today! Joey Atkins Needs Our Support!</a></p><div><hr></div><h2>Sig Sauer gave Simpson&#8217;s committee $50,000. Simpson decides who carries a gun in Florida.</h2><p><strong>&#8594; <a href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/ja_3pb_kl">Click to Donate to Joey Atkins!</a></strong></p><p>November 3. Help Joey Atkins knock on one more door.</p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[He Controls the Money. Trump Controls Him.]]></title><description><![CDATA[Mario Diaz-Balart is vice chair of House Appropriations. He wrote a rule to stop the White House from seizing money Congress had approved. Then he took it back out.]]></description><link>https://blueontheballot.substack.com/p/he-controls-the-money-trump-controls</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://blueontheballot.substack.com/p/he-controls-the-money-trump-controls</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Blue On the Ballot]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 23 Aug 2026 00:20:38 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/c78329f4-7dd1-4802-bbfa-edf6ee125ae5_800x450.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Congress holds the purse. The Constitution does not give that power to the president.</p><p>Mario Diaz-Balart is vice chair of the committee that holds it.</p><p>Congress votes to spend money. Then Trump refuses to spend it, and the money quietly disappears.</p><p>Last year Diaz-Balart wrote a rule to stop that.</p><p>The White House did not like it. Republicans leaned on him. One of them said it was not supported, so it came out.</p><p>He took it out. Another Trump puppet doing whatever he wants</p><h2>What He Uses the Power For</h2><p>Diaz-Balart wrote the bill that funds the State Department and American foreign aid.</p><p>He cut it by 16 percent. He said it delivers on Trump&#8217;s America First agenda. Trump signed it into law.</p><p>So he will use the purse when MAGA wants something cut. He will not use it when the White House wants something taken.</p><p><a href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/nf_3pb_kl">Click Here! Help take this seat from a man who hands Trump the checkbook!</a></p><h2>The People Who Live in His District</h2><p>Diaz-Balart represents Hialeah and much of Miami-Dade.</p><p>Cubans. Venezuelans. Nicaraguans. Haitians.</p><p>ICE is at their doors right now with deportation orders.</p><p>Diaz-Balart says that is Biden&#8217;s fault. He says those families believed a false promise.</p><p>About Trump, the man actually deporting them, he said this. The best ally we have had.</p><p>This summer a nonprofit put billboards up across Miami-Dade.</p><p>They asked why he has said nothing about what happens inside the Everglades detention camp people call Alligator Alcatraz.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mIr3!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Feae17b92-fe92-4d69-af16-6ceca9178ba1_1200x630.webp" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mIr3!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Feae17b92-fe92-4d69-af16-6ceca9178ba1_1200x630.webp 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mIr3!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Feae17b92-fe92-4d69-af16-6ceca9178ba1_1200x630.webp 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mIr3!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Feae17b92-fe92-4d69-af16-6ceca9178ba1_1200x630.webp 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mIr3!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Feae17b92-fe92-4d69-af16-6ceca9178ba1_1200x630.webp 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mIr3!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Feae17b92-fe92-4d69-af16-6ceca9178ba1_1200x630.webp" width="372" height="195.3" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/eae17b92-fe92-4d69-af16-6ceca9178ba1_1200x630.webp&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:630,&quot;width&quot;:1200,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:372,&quot;bytes&quot;:36624,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/webp&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://blueontheballot.substack.com/i/212329031?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Feae17b92-fe92-4d69-af16-6ceca9178ba1_1200x630.webp&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mIr3!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Feae17b92-fe92-4d69-af16-6ceca9178ba1_1200x630.webp 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mIr3!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Feae17b92-fe92-4d69-af16-6ceca9178ba1_1200x630.webp 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mIr3!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Feae17b92-fe92-4d69-af16-6ceca9178ba1_1200x630.webp 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mIr3!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Feae17b92-fe92-4d69-af16-6ceca9178ba1_1200x630.webp 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>He called the billboards a radical left move.</p><p>He has been in Congress for 23 years. Nobody ran against him in his primary this month.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://secure.actblue.com/donate/nf_3pb_kl&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Donate $25: Help His Democrat Opponent!&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/nf_3pb_kl"><span>Donate $25: Help His Democrat Opponent!</span></a></p><h2>The Woman Running Against Him</h2><p>Nicole Locklin is running on one thing. Corruption.</p><p>She spent a decade as a lawyer reading corporate fine print. She knows how the loopholes work and how to close them.</p><p>She takes no corporate PAC money and no foreign PAC money. </p><p>She wants an end to government corruption. To help build a system that works for the people.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2" target="_blank" href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/nf_3pb_kl" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!5vpi!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4adcea15-e58a-4253-98fd-b779aa11b50e_2560x1707.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!5vpi!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4adcea15-e58a-4253-98fd-b779aa11b50e_2560x1707.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!5vpi!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4adcea15-e58a-4253-98fd-b779aa11b50e_2560x1707.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!5vpi!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4adcea15-e58a-4253-98fd-b779aa11b50e_2560x1707.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!5vpi!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4adcea15-e58a-4253-98fd-b779aa11b50e_2560x1707.jpeg" width="354" height="236.08104395604394" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/4adcea15-e58a-4253-98fd-b779aa11b50e_2560x1707.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:971,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:354,&quot;bytes&quot;:1929304,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;https://secure.actblue.com/donate/nf_3pb_kl&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://blueontheballot.substack.com/i/212329031?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4adcea15-e58a-4253-98fd-b779aa11b50e_2560x1707.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!5vpi!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4adcea15-e58a-4253-98fd-b779aa11b50e_2560x1707.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!5vpi!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4adcea15-e58a-4253-98fd-b779aa11b50e_2560x1707.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!5vpi!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4adcea15-e58a-4253-98fd-b779aa11b50e_2560x1707.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!5vpi!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4adcea15-e58a-4253-98fd-b779aa11b50e_2560x1707.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>No slogans. No dodging. No press releases asking for credit. Real governing.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://secure.actblue.com/donate/nf_3pb_kl&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Donate $25: Help Locklin Win!&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/nf_3pb_kl"><span>Donate $25: Help Locklin Win!</span></a></p><h2>This Race Is Bigger Than One Seat</h2><p>Republicans hold the House by three seats.</p><p>Diaz-Balart has $2.5 million in the bank and 23 years in Congress. Locklin has people.</p><p>Every dollar here is a door knocked, a phone call made, a voter reached who has never heard her name. That is the core of this grassroots campaign.</p><p>He is counting on this district never making him work for it. We can make him work for it.</p><p><a href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/nf_3pb_kl">Donate Today! Nicole Locklin Needs Our Support!</a></p><div><hr></div><h2>Diaz-Balart holds the purse. He hands it to Trump anyway. Help Locklin beat him.</h2><p><strong>&#8594; <a href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/nf_3pb_kl">Click to Donate to Nicole Locklin!</a></strong></p><p>November 3. Help Nicole Locklin win!-*&#8212;</p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[She Brags That Trump's Agenda Runs Through Her.]]></title><description><![CDATA[Virginia Foxx told Fifth District voters that every significant bill Trump signed had to come through her committee first. Chuck Hubbard is running against her.]]></description><link>https://blueontheballot.substack.com/p/she-brags-that-trumps-agenda-runs</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://blueontheballot.substack.com/p/she-brags-that-trumps-agenda-runs</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Blue On the Ballot]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 22 Aug 2026 00:20:35 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yW2n!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fee157016-19d1-45d8-a2d2-577ef67b8956_664x693.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Last month a local paper asked Virginia Foxx why voters should keep her.</p><p>She told them she chairs the House Rules Committee. Every bill has to stop there before the full House can vote on it.</p><p>Then she said the quiet part.</p><p>Every significant bill that reached &#8220;President Trump&#8217;s desk had to come through my committee.&#8221;</p><p>She is proud of that. She said Trump endorsed her because of it, and she is proud of that too.</p><h2>What She Does it For</h2><p>A gate does two things. It lets things through, and it keeps things out.</p><p>When Democrats tried to force a vote on releasing the Epstein files, Foxx&#8217;s committee voted it down. Then it stopped meeting entirely rather than take the vote again.</p><p>She explained it herself. The files come out when the president decides it is time.</p><p>Donald Trump&#8217;s name appears in those files thousands of times.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://secure.actblue.com/donate/ch_3pb_kl&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Donate $25: Take Foxx's Gavel Away!&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/ch_3pb_kl"><span>Donate $25: Take Foxx's Gavel Away!</span></a></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yW2n!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fee157016-19d1-45d8-a2d2-577ef67b8956_664x693.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yW2n!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fee157016-19d1-45d8-a2d2-577ef67b8956_664x693.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yW2n!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fee157016-19d1-45d8-a2d2-577ef67b8956_664x693.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yW2n!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fee157016-19d1-45d8-a2d2-577ef67b8956_664x693.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yW2n!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fee157016-19d1-45d8-a2d2-577ef67b8956_664x693.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yW2n!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fee157016-19d1-45d8-a2d2-577ef67b8956_664x693.jpeg" width="316" height="329.80120481927713" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/ee157016-19d1-45d8-a2d2-577ef67b8956_664x693.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:693,&quot;width&quot;:664,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:316,&quot;bytes&quot;:73216,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://blueontheballot.substack.com/i/212219612?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff5f99816-6999-4d33-9120-c0f35dc4c082_664x1000.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yW2n!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fee157016-19d1-45d8-a2d2-577ef67b8956_664x693.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yW2n!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fee157016-19d1-45d8-a2d2-577ef67b8956_664x693.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yW2n!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fee157016-19d1-45d8-a2d2-577ef67b8956_664x693.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yW2n!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fee157016-19d1-45d8-a2d2-577ef67b8956_664x693.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><h2>This Is Not a Local Race</h2><p>Republicans hold the House by three seats.</p><p>Foxx is 83 years old and running for a twelfth term. She has held this seat since 2005.</p><p>Every MAGA bill in Congress runs through her hands before it reaches the floor.</p><p>Medicaid cuts. Voter restrictions. All of it.</p><p>Beat Foxx and you do not just take a seat. You take the gate.</p><p><a href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/ch_3pb_kl">Click Here! Help take the gavel away from Trump&#8217;s gatekeeper in Congress!</a></p><h2>The Man Running Against Her</h2><p>Chuck Hubbard spent forty years as a newspaper reporter and publisher in northwestern North Carolina.</p><p>His job was finding out what powerful people wanted kept quiet. Then he printed it anyway.</p><p>He says he started reading the news every morning and getting angry. Angry about the world his grandchildren will inherit.</p><p>Foxx has not held a public town hall in over ten years.</p><p>Somebody asked her why once. She said town halls are just a chance for people to yell at their member of Congress.</p><p>Hubbard has spent this year holding them anyway, in whatever room he can book, in whatever town will have him.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/ch_3pb_kl" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!x3Th!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0ae15784-cfda-40fb-b627-af0de1a5d85f_1247x1001.webp 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!x3Th!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0ae15784-cfda-40fb-b627-af0de1a5d85f_1247x1001.webp 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!x3Th!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0ae15784-cfda-40fb-b627-af0de1a5d85f_1247x1001.webp 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!x3Th!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0ae15784-cfda-40fb-b627-af0de1a5d85f_1247x1001.webp 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!x3Th!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0ae15784-cfda-40fb-b627-af0de1a5d85f_1247x1001.webp" width="340" height="272.9270248596632" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/0ae15784-cfda-40fb-b627-af0de1a5d85f_1247x1001.webp&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1001,&quot;width&quot;:1247,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:340,&quot;bytes&quot;:59054,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/webp&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;https://secure.actblue.com/donate/ch_3pb_kl&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://blueontheballot.substack.com/i/212219612?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F716c0f7e-c047-406d-bef8-2495b3b577a1_1247x1663.webp&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!x3Th!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0ae15784-cfda-40fb-b627-af0de1a5d85f_1247x1001.webp 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!x3Th!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0ae15784-cfda-40fb-b627-af0de1a5d85f_1247x1001.webp 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!x3Th!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0ae15784-cfda-40fb-b627-af0de1a5d85f_1247x1001.webp 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!x3Th!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0ae15784-cfda-40fb-b627-af0de1a5d85f_1247x1001.webp 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>He takes no corporate PAC money and no AIPAC money. No company gets to tell him how to vote. Hubbard is running for the people.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://secure.actblue.com/donate/ch_3pb_kl&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Donate $25: Get Hubbard 4 Yard Signs!&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/ch_3pb_kl"><span>Donate $25: Get Hubbard 4 Yard Signs!</span></a></p><h2>What the Money Actually Does</h2><p>This campaign has no super PAC and no billionaire behind it. It has people.</p><p>Twenty five dollars books a room for another town hall. It puts a canvasser on a doorstep. It pays for the gas to get there.</p><p>That is the whole operation. A grassroots movement of real people.</p><p><a href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/ch_3pb_kl">Donate Today! Chuck Hubbard Needs Our Support!</a></p><div><hr></div><h2>Foxx says Trump&#8217;s agenda runs through her. Take the gate away from her.</h2><p><strong>&#8594; <a href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/ch_3pb_kl">Click to Donate to Chuck Hubbard!</a></strong></p><p>November 3. Help Chuck Hubbard knock on one more door.</p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA["Where Democrats Come to Die"]]></title><description><![CDATA[Jimmy Patronis said that about his own district. 71,668 people there had just voted for Gay Valimont. She won her primary Tuesday and is coming for his seat.]]></description><link>https://blueontheballot.substack.com/p/where-democrats-come-to-die</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://blueontheballot.substack.com/p/where-democrats-come-to-die</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Blue On the Ballot]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 21 Aug 2026 00:20:38 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vDlI!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F94e938ab-d7e6-4b54-a498-611e8ef7f024_599x401.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Jimmy Patronis stood up at a Pensacola restaurant on election night last year. He told the room what he thought of the people who voted against him.</p><p>CD1, he said, is where the hopes and dreams of the Democratic Party come to die.</p><p>He is wrong.</p><p>71,668 people in that district had just voted for Gay Valimont.</p><h2>What He Ran On This Week</h2><p>Patronis won his primary Tuesday with 73 percent. Then he told supporters what November is about.</p><p>Defeating the woke agenda. Radical gender ideology in schools. Socialism.</p><p>Not the shipyard. Not the bases. Not one veteran.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://secure.actblue.com/donate/gay_3pb_kl&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Donate $25: Help Beat Him!&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/gay_3pb_kl"><span>Donate $25: Help Beat Him!</span></a></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vDlI!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F94e938ab-d7e6-4b54-a498-611e8ef7f024_599x401.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vDlI!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F94e938ab-d7e6-4b54-a498-611e8ef7f024_599x401.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vDlI!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F94e938ab-d7e6-4b54-a498-611e8ef7f024_599x401.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vDlI!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F94e938ab-d7e6-4b54-a498-611e8ef7f024_599x401.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vDlI!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F94e938ab-d7e6-4b54-a498-611e8ef7f024_599x401.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vDlI!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F94e938ab-d7e6-4b54-a498-611e8ef7f024_599x401.jpeg" width="413" height="276.48247078464107" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/94e938ab-d7e6-4b54-a498-611e8ef7f024_599x401.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:401,&quot;width&quot;:599,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:413,&quot;bytes&quot;:43355,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://blueontheballot.substack.com/i/212065622?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F94e938ab-d7e6-4b54-a498-611e8ef7f024_599x401.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vDlI!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F94e938ab-d7e6-4b54-a498-611e8ef7f024_599x401.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vDlI!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F94e938ab-d7e6-4b54-a498-611e8ef7f024_599x401.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vDlI!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F94e938ab-d7e6-4b54-a498-611e8ef7f024_599x401.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vDlI!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F94e938ab-d7e6-4b54-a498-611e8ef7f024_599x401.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><h2>The Record Underneath It</h2><p>In February, Patronis voted to require proof of citizenship before anybody can register to vote.</p><p>He filed a bill to make civilian ownership of machine guns legal for the first time since 1986. The NRA gave him an A+.</p><p>As Florida&#8217;s Chief Financial Officer, he took $2 million from the insurance industry he was regulating. He took $25,000 from a financial adviser his own office was investigating. The investigator was forced out.</p><p>The Orlando Sentinel called it a malodorous campaign contribution.</p><p><a href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/gay_3pb_kl">Click Here! Help take Partonis&#8217; seat away from him!</a></p><h2>The Democrat He Was Talking About</h2><p>Gay Valimont joined Moms Demand Action after Sandy Hook. Under her leadership, Florida&#8217;s chapter grew by more than 400 percent.</p><p>She lost her husband Brian to ALS.</p><p>She lost her son Eli at eight years old to a brain tumor.</p><p>Both taught her what it costs a family when nobody comes to help.</p><p>Last year she raised more than $6 million from donors in all fifty states. She won precincts that had not gone Democratic in thirty years.</p><p>Tuesday she won her primary and started over.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://secure.actblue.com/donate/gay_3pb_kl&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Donate $25: Help Valimont Win!&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/gay_3pb_kl"><span>Donate $25: Help Valimont Win!</span></a></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/gay_3pb_kl" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!1uFl!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd45f5b90-e85b-4720-bc1d-326aa1c5cb51_1000x750.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!1uFl!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd45f5b90-e85b-4720-bc1d-326aa1c5cb51_1000x750.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!1uFl!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd45f5b90-e85b-4720-bc1d-326aa1c5cb51_1000x750.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!1uFl!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd45f5b90-e85b-4720-bc1d-326aa1c5cb51_1000x750.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!1uFl!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd45f5b90-e85b-4720-bc1d-326aa1c5cb51_1000x750.jpeg" width="368" height="276" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/d45f5b90-e85b-4720-bc1d-326aa1c5cb51_1000x750.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:750,&quot;width&quot;:1000,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:368,&quot;bytes&quot;:127215,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;https://secure.actblue.com/donate/gay_3pb_kl&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://blueontheballot.substack.com/i/212065622?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd45f5b90-e85b-4720-bc1d-326aa1c5cb51_1000x750.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!1uFl!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd45f5b90-e85b-4720-bc1d-326aa1c5cb51_1000x750.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!1uFl!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd45f5b90-e85b-4720-bc1d-326aa1c5cb51_1000x750.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!1uFl!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd45f5b90-e85b-4720-bc1d-326aa1c5cb51_1000x750.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!1uFl!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd45f5b90-e85b-4720-bc1d-326aa1c5cb51_1000x750.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><h2>Seventy Six Days</h2><p>The general election is November 3.</p><p>Republicans hold the House by three seats. Patronis is counting on this district doing what it has always done.</p><p>He already told us what he thinks happens to people like us here.</p><p>We can make him wrong about that in seventy six days.</p><p><a href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/gay_3pb_kl">Donate Today! Gay Valimont Needs Our Support!</a></p><div><hr></div><h2>Patronis said this is where Democrats come to die. Gay Valimont is still fighting back.</h2><p><strong>&#8594; <a href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/gay_3pb_kl">Click to Donate to Gay Valimont!</a></strong></p><p>Seventy six days. Help Gay Valimont take this seat.</p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[One Family Has Held It Since 1983.]]></title><description><![CDATA[Ron DeSantis redrew Tampa to protect Gus Bilirakis. Kimberly Overman won her primary last night. She actually lives in the district.]]></description><link>https://blueontheballot.substack.com/p/one-family-has-held-it-since-1983</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://blueontheballot.substack.com/p/one-family-has-held-it-since-1983</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Blue On the Ballot]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 20 Aug 2026 00:20:19 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!E_Dc!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe4613716-70f6-4bf5-9091-12186df8c585_1060x600.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Ron DeSantis redrew Florida&#8217;s congressional map this year.</p><p>He cracked Tampa apart. The point was to protect Republicans like Gus Bilirakis.</p><p>Here is the thing about the district they built for Billrakis.</p><p>Bilirakis does not live in it.</p><h2>Forty Years, One Family</h2><p>Gus Bilirakis is running for an eleventh term armed with a Trump endorsement. He had no primary opponent at all.</p><p>His father took this seat in 1983. Gus ran his father&#8217;s campaigns, then inherited it.</p><p>Between the two of them, one family has held this corner of Florida for more than forty years.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://secure.actblue.com/donate/overman_3pb_kl&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Donate $25: Help Overman End the Dynasty&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/overman_3pb_kl"><span>Donate $25: Help Overman End the Dynasty</span></a></p><h2>What He Does With It</h2><p>In one quarter Bilirakis took more than $201,000 from PACs.</p><p>CoalPAC. Defense contractors. A billionaire venture capitalist.</p><p>AIPAC has given him more than $27,000.</p><p>After the 2020 election he signed onto the Supreme Court case trying to throw out votes in four states.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!E_Dc!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe4613716-70f6-4bf5-9091-12186df8c585_1060x600.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!E_Dc!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe4613716-70f6-4bf5-9091-12186df8c585_1060x600.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!E_Dc!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe4613716-70f6-4bf5-9091-12186df8c585_1060x600.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!E_Dc!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe4613716-70f6-4bf5-9091-12186df8c585_1060x600.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!E_Dc!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe4613716-70f6-4bf5-9091-12186df8c585_1060x600.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!E_Dc!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe4613716-70f6-4bf5-9091-12186df8c585_1060x600.jpeg" width="352" height="199.24528301886792" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/e4613716-70f6-4bf5-9091-12186df8c585_1060x600.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:600,&quot;width&quot;:1060,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:352,&quot;bytes&quot;:138300,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://blueontheballot.substack.com/i/211931922?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe4613716-70f6-4bf5-9091-12186df8c585_1060x600.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!E_Dc!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe4613716-70f6-4bf5-9091-12186df8c585_1060x600.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!E_Dc!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe4613716-70f6-4bf5-9091-12186df8c585_1060x600.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!E_Dc!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe4613716-70f6-4bf5-9091-12186df8c585_1060x600.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!E_Dc!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe4613716-70f6-4bf5-9091-12186df8c585_1060x600.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>He ran a campaign ad taking credit for an opioid bill he did not sponsor. Fox News and the Tampa Bay Times both caught him.</p><p>He has not faced a serious challenge in years. Kimberly Overman is that challenge.</p><p><a href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/overman_3pb_kl">Click Here! Help Overman take this seat back from a forty year Republican family dynasty!</a></p><h2>It Backfired</h2><p>Here is the part DeSantis did not plan for.</p><p>In March, Democrats flipped a Florida House seat in Palm Beach County. Republicans had won it by nineteen points.</p><p>Trump personally endorsed the Republican who lost. That district contains Mar-a-Lago.</p><p>The same night, Democrats flipped a state Senate seat in Hillsborough County. That is Tampa. That is Overman&#8217;s backyard.</p><p>Thirty red seats have gone blue since Trump came back. Not one blue seat has gone red.</p><p>The map did not save them. It just moved the fight.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://secure.actblue.com/donate/overman_3pb_kl&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Donate $25: Keep Fighting!&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/overman_3pb_kl"><span>Donate $25: Keep Fighting!</span></a></p><h2>The Woman Who Lives There</h2><p>Kimberly Overman won her primary last night.</p><p>She is a mom and a grandmother, and she has called Tampa Bay home for more than forty years.</p><p>She spent her career as a certified financial planner and ran her own small business. She sat on the Hillsborough County Commission and chaired it.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!fssn!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fba5b9ee7-16d7-4d3f-a4a6-b883d40dd408_300x300.webp" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!fssn!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fba5b9ee7-16d7-4d3f-a4a6-b883d40dd408_300x300.webp 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!fssn!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fba5b9ee7-16d7-4d3f-a4a6-b883d40dd408_300x300.webp 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!fssn!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fba5b9ee7-16d7-4d3f-a4a6-b883d40dd408_300x300.webp 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!fssn!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fba5b9ee7-16d7-4d3f-a4a6-b883d40dd408_300x300.webp 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!fssn!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fba5b9ee7-16d7-4d3f-a4a6-b883d40dd408_300x300.webp" width="300" height="300" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/ba5b9ee7-16d7-4d3f-a4a6-b883d40dd408_300x300.webp&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:300,&quot;width&quot;:300,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:11410,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/webp&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://blueontheballot.substack.com/i/211931922?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fba5b9ee7-16d7-4d3f-a4a6-b883d40dd408_300x300.webp&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!fssn!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fba5b9ee7-16d7-4d3f-a4a6-b883d40dd408_300x300.webp 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!fssn!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fba5b9ee7-16d7-4d3f-a4a6-b883d40dd408_300x300.webp 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!fssn!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fba5b9ee7-16d7-4d3f-a4a6-b883d40dd408_300x300.webp 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!fssn!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fba5b9ee7-16d7-4d3f-a4a6-b883d40dd408_300x300.webp 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>When they moved the lines, she moved with them. She filed in the new district within days.</p><p>She takes no corporate PAC money. In one quarter she raised $52,000, every dollar of it from individual donors.</p><p><a href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/overman_3pb_kl">Donate Today! Kimberly Overman Needs Our Support!</a></p><h2>Seventy Six Days</h2><p>The general election is November 3.</p><p>Republicans hold the House by three seats. This is one of the seats they were counting on never having to defend.</p><p>They cracked a city apart to keep it. We can take it anyway.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://secure.actblue.com/donate/overman_3pb_kl&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Donate $25: Help Overman Win!&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/overman_3pb_kl"><span>Donate $25: Help Overman Win!</span></a></p><div><hr></div><h2>They drew the map to protect Bilirakis. Overman lives there. He does not.</h2><p><strong>&#8594; <a href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/overman_3pb_kl">Click to Donate to Kimberly Overman!</a></strong></p><p>Seventy six days. Help Kimberly Overman take this seat.</p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[They Won. Now Look Who Is Waiting.]]></title><description><![CDATA[Gay Valimont, Seth Harp, Eric Yonce, Kimberly Overman, and Nicole Locklin all won yesterday. Every one of them now has 76 days to beat their Republican opponent.]]></description><link>https://blueontheballot.substack.com/p/they-won-now-look-who-is-waiting</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://blueontheballot.substack.com/p/they-won-now-look-who-is-waiting</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Blue On the Ballot]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 19 Aug 2026 14:02:19 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!0IJh!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F66e38433-e5ce-46bd-af11-af06c5b9bb6f_689x445.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Florida voted yesterday.</p><p>Five candidates we have covered this summer are now their party&#8217;s nominee. The general election is next.</p><p>Here is what each of them is walking into.</p><div><hr></div><h2>Democrat Nominee for FL-01: Gay Valimont</h2><p>Gay Valimont spent her career as an athletic trainer. She worked in sports medicine in Atlanta, with high schools and with the Falcons. That was long before she thought about running for anything.</p><p>She got into politics through gun safety, organizing with Moms Demand Action.</p><p>She wants veterans taken care of first. Healthcare, education, and term limits are the rest of it.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/gay_3pb_kl" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!0IJh!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F66e38433-e5ce-46bd-af11-af06c5b9bb6f_689x445.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!0IJh!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F66e38433-e5ce-46bd-af11-af06c5b9bb6f_689x445.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!0IJh!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F66e38433-e5ce-46bd-af11-af06c5b9bb6f_689x445.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!0IJh!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F66e38433-e5ce-46bd-af11-af06c5b9bb6f_689x445.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!0IJh!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F66e38433-e5ce-46bd-af11-af06c5b9bb6f_689x445.jpeg" width="383" height="247.36574746008708" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/66e38433-e5ce-46bd-af11-af06c5b9bb6f_689x445.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:445,&quot;width&quot;:689,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:383,&quot;bytes&quot;:42351,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;https://secure.actblue.com/donate/gay_3pb_kl&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://blueontheballot.substack.com/i/211818838?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F66e38433-e5ce-46bd-af11-af06c5b9bb6f_689x445.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!0IJh!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F66e38433-e5ce-46bd-af11-af06c5b9bb6f_689x445.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!0IJh!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F66e38433-e5ce-46bd-af11-af06c5b9bb6f_689x445.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!0IJh!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F66e38433-e5ce-46bd-af11-af06c5b9bb6f_689x445.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!0IJh!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F66e38433-e5ce-46bd-af11-af06c5b9bb6f_689x445.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>FL-01 belongs to Jimmy Patronis. He won his primary yesterday, backed by Trump.</p><p>Patronis said out loud that he wants to abolish the health care law. He added that Republicans just do not have the votes for it yet.</p><p>That is a district packed with veterans, retirees, and military families.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://secure.actblue.com/donate/gay_3pb_kl&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Donate $25: Back Gay Valimont&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/gay_3pb_kl"><span>Donate $25: Back Gay Valimont</span></a></p><h2>Democrat Nominee for FL-03: Seth Harp</h2><p>Seth Harp is a teacher. He works for Alachua County Public Schools.</p><p>Before that he spent years in radio, running stations and hosting shows, then years as operations manager at ESPN Gainesville. He has taught journalism at the University of Florida.</p><p>Finding out what people are not being told, and saying it out loud. That is the only work he has ever done.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/sh_3pb_kl" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!dQm2!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1de94218-1ada-432b-bd83-b41cccd63a3a_447x447.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!dQm2!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1de94218-1ada-432b-bd83-b41cccd63a3a_447x447.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!dQm2!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1de94218-1ada-432b-bd83-b41cccd63a3a_447x447.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!dQm2!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1de94218-1ada-432b-bd83-b41cccd63a3a_447x447.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!dQm2!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1de94218-1ada-432b-bd83-b41cccd63a3a_447x447.jpeg" width="265" height="265" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/1de94218-1ada-432b-bd83-b41cccd63a3a_447x447.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:447,&quot;width&quot;:447,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:265,&quot;bytes&quot;:35664,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;https://secure.actblue.com/donate/sh_3pb_kl&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://blueontheballot.substack.com/i/211818838?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1de94218-1ada-432b-bd83-b41cccd63a3a_447x447.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!dQm2!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1de94218-1ada-432b-bd83-b41cccd63a3a_447x447.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!dQm2!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1de94218-1ada-432b-bd83-b41cccd63a3a_447x447.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!dQm2!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1de94218-1ada-432b-bd83-b41cccd63a3a_447x447.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!dQm2!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1de94218-1ada-432b-bd83-b41cccd63a3a_447x447.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>FL-03 belongs to Kat Cammack, who was unopposed in her own primary. She co-chairs the House Pro-Life Caucus.</p><p>In 2024 Cammack had an ectopic pregnancy. Her doctors were afraid to treat her. They thought they could be prosecuted under Florida&#8217;s abortion ban.</p><p>She nearly died waiting.</p><p>Florida&#8217;s law actually allows that treatment. The doctors were too frightened of the law to use the exception written for exactly her situation.</p><p>Cammack survived and told the story herself. Then she blamed abortion rights advocates for &#8220;fearmongering.&#8221;</p><p>She still co-chairs the Pro-Life Caucus. She still supports the ban.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://secure.actblue.com/donate/sh_3pb_kl&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Donate $25: Help Seth Harp Defeat Her!&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/sh_3pb_kl"><span>Donate $25: Help Seth Harp Defeat Her!</span></a></p><h2>Democrat Nominee for FL-06: Eric Yonce</h2><p>Eric Yonce grew up in FL-06 and never left. He spent twenty years working in big box retail and now rebuilds old Airstream trailers.</p><p>In 2022 he walked the Appalachian Trail. All two thousand miles of it.</p><p>He wants Social Security and Medicare protected. He says nobody gets taken out of this country without a hearing first.</p><p>He has never held office. His average donation is nineteen dollars.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/yonce_3pb_kl" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Q4_S!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F206fc71a-96d7-46dc-aece-90ca74df9b1d_698x823.webp 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Q4_S!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F206fc71a-96d7-46dc-aece-90ca74df9b1d_698x823.webp 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Q4_S!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F206fc71a-96d7-46dc-aece-90ca74df9b1d_698x823.webp 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Q4_S!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F206fc71a-96d7-46dc-aece-90ca74df9b1d_698x823.webp 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Q4_S!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F206fc71a-96d7-46dc-aece-90ca74df9b1d_698x823.webp" width="250" height="294.7707736389685" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/206fc71a-96d7-46dc-aece-90ca74df9b1d_698x823.webp&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:823,&quot;width&quot;:698,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:250,&quot;bytes&quot;:339974,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/webp&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;https://secure.actblue.com/donate/yonce_3pb_kl&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://blueontheballot.substack.com/i/211818838?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F206fc71a-96d7-46dc-aece-90ca74df9b1d_698x823.webp&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Q4_S!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F206fc71a-96d7-46dc-aece-90ca74df9b1d_698x823.webp 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Q4_S!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F206fc71a-96d7-46dc-aece-90ca74df9b1d_698x823.webp 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Q4_S!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F206fc71a-96d7-46dc-aece-90ca74df9b1d_698x823.webp 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Q4_S!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F206fc71a-96d7-46dc-aece-90ca74df9b1d_698x823.webp 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>FL-06 belongs to Randy Fine, who took 57% of his primary yesterday.</p><p>In February Fine posted that if he had to choose between dogs and Muslims, the choice would not be hard. It went out from his official House account.</p><p>People asked him to take it down. He posted pictures of his dog instead.</p><p>A report said fifteen people in Gaza starved to death in one day. Four were children.</p><p>Fine called it propaganda and wrote: &#8220;Release the hostages. Until then, starve away.&#8221;</p><p>An American activist was shot dead by Israeli soldiers in the West Bank. Fine posted: &#8220;Throw rocks, get shot. One less #MuslimTerrorist.&#8221;</p><p>A judge found he spent at least 33 minutes of a court hearing flipping off the other side. Fine filed impeachment charges against the judge.</p><p><strong><a href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/yonce_3pb_kl">Help Beat Randy Fine! Click Here!</a></strong></p><h2>Democrat Nominee for FL-12: Kimberly Overman </h2><p>Kimberly Overman is a retired certified financial planner and a former small business owner.</p><p>She sat on the Hillsborough County Commission from 2018 to 2022, and chaired it.</p><p>She raised her campaign money entirely from individual donors. Not one corporate PAC.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/overman_3pb_kl" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!65nY!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8ba2cd40-118a-480f-9052-1210c47dd401_678x452.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!65nY!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8ba2cd40-118a-480f-9052-1210c47dd401_678x452.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!65nY!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8ba2cd40-118a-480f-9052-1210c47dd401_678x452.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!65nY!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8ba2cd40-118a-480f-9052-1210c47dd401_678x452.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!65nY!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8ba2cd40-118a-480f-9052-1210c47dd401_678x452.jpeg" width="376" height="250.66666666666666" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/8ba2cd40-118a-480f-9052-1210c47dd401_678x452.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:452,&quot;width&quot;:678,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:376,&quot;bytes&quot;:32860,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;https://secure.actblue.com/donate/overman_3pb_kl&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://blueontheballot.substack.com/i/211818838?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8ba2cd40-118a-480f-9052-1210c47dd401_678x452.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!65nY!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8ba2cd40-118a-480f-9052-1210c47dd401_678x452.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!65nY!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8ba2cd40-118a-480f-9052-1210c47dd401_678x452.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!65nY!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8ba2cd40-118a-480f-9052-1210c47dd401_678x452.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!65nY!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8ba2cd40-118a-480f-9052-1210c47dd401_678x452.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>FL-12 belongs to Gus Bilirakis, who had no primary opponent at all. He is running for an eleventh term.</p><p>He and his father have held this corner of Florida for forty years between them. Twenty and twenty.</p><p>In one quarter he took more than $201,000 from PACs.</p><p>CoalPAC. Defense contractors. A venture capitalist who co-founded Netscape.</p><p>AIPAC has given him more than $27,000.</p><p>He has not faced a serious challenge in years.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://secure.actblue.com/donate/overman_3pb_kl&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Donate Here! Help Overman Win!&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/overman_3pb_kl"><span>Donate Here! Help Overman Win!</span></a></p><h2>Democrat Nominee for FL-26: Nicole Locklin</h2><p>Nicole Locklin is a lawyer. She spent a decade reading corporate fine print, so she knows exactly how a bad rule gets written.</p><p>Her older brother Greg had Marfan syndrome. Open-heart surgery, then more surgeries, on and off for ten years. He died at 37.</p><p>She is running on ending corruption. No corporate PAC money and no foreign PAC money.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/nf_3pb_kl" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!IkRy!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3ecafe9b-2a5f-4529-9b85-ddd6fa798c15_2560x1707.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!IkRy!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3ecafe9b-2a5f-4529-9b85-ddd6fa798c15_2560x1707.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!IkRy!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3ecafe9b-2a5f-4529-9b85-ddd6fa798c15_2560x1707.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!IkRy!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3ecafe9b-2a5f-4529-9b85-ddd6fa798c15_2560x1707.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!IkRy!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3ecafe9b-2a5f-4529-9b85-ddd6fa798c15_2560x1707.jpeg" width="418" height="278.7623626373626" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/3ecafe9b-2a5f-4529-9b85-ddd6fa798c15_2560x1707.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:971,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:418,&quot;bytes&quot;:1929304,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;https://secure.actblue.com/donate/nf_3pb_kl&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://blueontheballot.substack.com/i/211818838?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3ecafe9b-2a5f-4529-9b85-ddd6fa798c15_2560x1707.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!IkRy!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3ecafe9b-2a5f-4529-9b85-ddd6fa798c15_2560x1707.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!IkRy!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3ecafe9b-2a5f-4529-9b85-ddd6fa798c15_2560x1707.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!IkRy!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3ecafe9b-2a5f-4529-9b85-ddd6fa798c15_2560x1707.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!IkRy!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3ecafe9b-2a5f-4529-9b85-ddd6fa798c15_2560x1707.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>FL-26 belongs to Mario Diaz-Balart, who was unopposed yesterday and has held the seat for 23 years.</p><p>He voted to let states throw out a rule. The rule caps what insurance companies can charge people who are already sick.</p><p>Not deny them coverage. Coverage would still be offered. There would just be no limit on the price.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://secure.actblue.com/donate/nf_3pb_kl&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Donate $25: Back Nicole Locklin!&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/nf_3pb_kl"><span>Donate $25: Back Nicole Locklin!</span></a></p><div><hr></div><h2>Five nominees. Seventy six days.</h2><p>Republicans hold the House by three seats. Every candiate above is one they have to face to protect their seats. Donate to one or all of them by clicking their links below!</p><p><strong>&#8594; <a href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/gay_3pb_kl">Gay Valimont</a></strong></p><p><strong>&#8594; <a href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/sh_3pb_kl">Seth Harp</a></strong></p><p><strong>&#8594; <a href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/yonce_3pb_kl">Eric Yonce</a></strong></p><p><strong>&#8594; <a href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/overman_3pb_kl">Kimberly Overman</a></strong></p><p><strong>&#8594; <a href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/nf_3pb_kl">Nicole Locklin</a></strong></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[After October 5, It Is Too Late.]]></title><description><![CDATA[Voter registration closes state by state starting October 4. Anyone Field Team 6 does not reach before then cannot vote in November.]]></description><link>https://blueontheballot.substack.com/p/after-october-5-it-is-too-late</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://blueontheballot.substack.com/p/after-october-5-it-is-too-late</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Blue On the Ballot]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 19 Aug 2026 00:20:17 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/a570f7e4-cd2d-4c6f-a8bb-47129328987c_653x428.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Registration closes October 5th in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Ohio, and Texas.</p><p>Not the election. The registration.</p><p>After that day, anybody in those states who is not already on the list cannot vote in November. No appeal. No exception.</p><p>That is 48 days from today.</p><p>Field Team 6 is the only group in the country still going out to find those people. Every one they reach before the deadline votes. Every one they miss does not.</p><h2>The States That Close First Decide Congress</h2><p>Georgia. Texas. Ohio. Arizona. Florida.</p><p>Those five are where the Senate and the House get won or lost this year. They also shut their doors earlier than anybody else.</p><p>Most of the rest close over the three weeks after that.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://secure.actblue.com/donate/ft6i_3pb_kl&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Donate $20.26: Beat the Deadline&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/ft6i_3pb_kl"><span>Donate $20.26: Beat the Deadline</span></a></p><h2>What Has to Happen in 48 Days</h2><p>Field Team 6 does one thing. It registers Democrats.</p><p>It runs on volunteers with clipboards and phones. Tens of thousands of them, in every state that matters.</p><p>Sixty percent of unregistered voters have never been asked. Not asked and refused. Never asked.</p><p>Somebody has to go ask them. There are 48 days left to do it.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://secure.actblue.com/donate/ft6i_3pb_kl&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Click Here: Add a Voter&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/ft6i_3pb_kl"><span>Click Here: Add a Voter</span></a></p><h2>Why Today and Not Later</h2><p>A dollar today pays somebody to go find a voter and sign them up before the door shuts.</p><p>A dollar on October 5 buys nothing in those five states. The list is already closed.</p><p>Every name added before the deadline votes in November. Then 2028. Then 2030.</p><p>Every name missed does not vote at all.</p><p><a href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/ft6i_3pb_kl">Click Here! Help Field Team 6 Register More Voters Today!</a></p><h2>The Math</h2><p>A hundred dollars turns into a hundred new Democratic voters. That is Field Team 6&#8217;s own number, and they have the receipts. 8.3 million of them since 2019.</p><p>Nothing else in politics costs that little. And nothing else has a deadline this hard.</p><div><hr></div><h2>48 days to help Field Team 6 register voters.</h2><p><strong>&#8594; <a href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/ft6i_3pb_kl">Click to Donate to Field Team 6!</a></strong></p><p><em><strong><a href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/ft6i_3pb_kl?amount=100">&#8226; $100 means Field Team 6 can email 10,000 people</a></strong></em></p><p><em><strong><a href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/ft6i_3pb_kl?amount=600">&#8226; $600 buys 10 free voter drive kits for volunteers</a></strong></em></p><p><em><strong><a href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/ft6i_3pb_kl?amount=3000">&#8226; $3k allows Field Team 6 to text 50,000 people</a></strong></em></p><p>Vote in numbers too big to suppress. Win by margins too big to contest.</p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[They Cut Him Off at "Pedophile President."]]></title><description><![CDATA[Oliver Larkin said it about Donald Trump, live, on Fox News. Nobody on that set argued with him. He is on the ballot tomorrow.]]></description><link>https://blueontheballot.substack.com/p/they-cut-him-off-at-pedophile-president</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://blueontheballot.substack.com/p/they-cut-him-off-at-pedophile-president</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Blue On the Ballot]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 18 Aug 2026 00:20:24 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3gT7!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbe18b64b-ea6b-4b49-98cb-ca99af281e01_706x434.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Oliver Larkin went on Fox News.</p><p>The anchor asked him a question built to end him. How many children have to be assaulted, he asked, before Larkin changes his mind on immigration.</p><p>Larkin did not flinch.</p><p>If the subject was children being raped, he said, then start with the &#8220;pedophile president.&#8221;</p><p>Start with everyone in the Epstein files the Justice Department still will not hand over.</p><p>Then he named Thomas Massie. The Republican who pushed to release the files and got a primary opponent funded against him for it.</p><p>The anchor cut in. Got it, thanks.</p><p>The interview was over.</p><p><a href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/ol_3pb_kl">Click Here! Back someone who&#8217;s not afraid to call Trump a pedophile!</a></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8bVL!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F740265c9-1c49-409c-a4a7-055b85827a01_480x290.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8bVL!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F740265c9-1c49-409c-a4a7-055b85827a01_480x290.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8bVL!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F740265c9-1c49-409c-a4a7-055b85827a01_480x290.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8bVL!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F740265c9-1c49-409c-a4a7-055b85827a01_480x290.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8bVL!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F740265c9-1c49-409c-a4a7-055b85827a01_480x290.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8bVL!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F740265c9-1c49-409c-a4a7-055b85827a01_480x290.jpeg" width="410" height="247.70833333333334" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/740265c9-1c49-409c-a4a7-055b85827a01_480x290.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:290,&quot;width&quot;:480,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:410,&quot;bytes&quot;:50735,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://blueontheballot.substack.com/i/211628417?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F740265c9-1c49-409c-a4a7-055b85827a01_480x290.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8bVL!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F740265c9-1c49-409c-a4a7-055b85827a01_480x290.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8bVL!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F740265c9-1c49-409c-a4a7-055b85827a01_480x290.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8bVL!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F740265c9-1c49-409c-a4a7-055b85827a01_480x290.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8bVL!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F740265c9-1c49-409c-a4a7-055b85827a01_480x290.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><h2>Watch What Fox News Did Not Do</h2><p>Fox News did not correct him.</p><p>They did not call it false. They did not defend the president. They did not bring up a denial, a document, a fact, anything.</p><p>Fox News had a live camera and a national audience. They had a man on their own network calling the president a pedophile.</p><p>They cut the feed.</p><p>That is not what a network does when a guest says something untrue. That is what a network does when a guest says something they cannot afford to have discussed.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://secure.actblue.com/donate/ol_3pb_kl&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Donate $25: Say It Louder&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/ol_3pb_kl"><span>Donate $25: Say It Louder</span></a></p><h2>Who They Cut Off</h2><p>Larkin is a union organizer. He ran field for Bernie Sanders in 2016.</p><p>He is a Democratic Socialist.</p><p>Medicare for All. A Green New Deal. A twenty five dollar minimum wage.</p><p>No corporate PAC money. No AIPAC money.</p><p>More than 600 volunteers knocking doors.</p><p>When two Black Caucuses held the first debate of this race, Larkin talked for fifteen minutes and took every question. The other chair stayed empty all night.</p><p>The other side is scared.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://secure.actblue.com/donate/ol_3pb_kl&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Donate $25: Help Larkin Win!&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/ol_3pb_kl"><span>Donate $25: Help Larkin Win!</span></a></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3gT7!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbe18b64b-ea6b-4b49-98cb-ca99af281e01_706x434.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3gT7!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbe18b64b-ea6b-4b49-98cb-ca99af281e01_706x434.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3gT7!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbe18b64b-ea6b-4b49-98cb-ca99af281e01_706x434.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3gT7!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbe18b64b-ea6b-4b49-98cb-ca99af281e01_706x434.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3gT7!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbe18b64b-ea6b-4b49-98cb-ca99af281e01_706x434.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3gT7!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbe18b64b-ea6b-4b49-98cb-ca99af281e01_706x434.jpeg" width="462" height="284.0056657223796" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/be18b64b-ea6b-4b49-98cb-ca99af281e01_706x434.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:434,&quot;width&quot;:706,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:462,&quot;bytes&quot;:53870,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://blueontheballot.substack.com/i/211628417?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbe18b64b-ea6b-4b49-98cb-ca99af281e01_706x434.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3gT7!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbe18b64b-ea6b-4b49-98cb-ca99af281e01_706x434.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3gT7!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbe18b64b-ea6b-4b49-98cb-ca99af281e01_706x434.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3gT7!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbe18b64b-ea6b-4b49-98cb-ca99af281e01_706x434.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3gT7!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbe18b64b-ea6b-4b49-98cb-ca99af281e01_706x434.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><h2>Tomorrow</h2><p>Four days ago this campaign crossed a million dollars in grassroots money. More than 200,000 voter contacts.</p><p>A poll released the same week has Larkin in a virtual tie.</p><p>Here is the part nobody expected. The incumbent&#8217;s own poll has him beating the Republican by a single point. Forty to thirty nine.</p><p>Separate polling has Larkin beating that same Republican by nine.</p><p>The momentum is real. What is missing is people who have not heard his name yet.</p><p>Florida votes August 18. That is tomorrow. Every dollar tonight is one more voter who finds out before the polls close.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://secure.actblue.com/donate/ol_3pb_kl&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Donate Today! Larkin Needs Your Support!&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/ol_3pb_kl"><span>Donate Today! Larkin Needs Your Support!</span></a></p><div><hr></div><h2>Fox pulled the plug rather than answer Larkin. Answer for them.</h2><p><strong>&#8594; <a href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/ol_3pb_kl">Click to Donate to Oliver Larkin!</a></strong></p><p>Ballots close tomorrow. Fund the man not afraid to call Trump a pedophile.</p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA["I Run the Protection Program."]]></title><description><![CDATA[Mike Johnson said that to a room full of Republicans. He is the reason nothing Donald Trump does ever reaches a vote. Conrad Cable is a farmer running against him.]]></description><link>https://blueontheballot.substack.com/p/i-run-the-protection-program</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://blueontheballot.substack.com/p/i-run-the-protection-program</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Blue On the Ballot]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 17 Aug 2026 00:20:40 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PxIb!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbec891b1-679e-4fd7-a19d-dc3762419f1b_1200x800.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Mike Johnson stood in front of a room of Republicans this summer.</p><p>He warned them that if Democrats win, half the people in that room get targeted.</p><p>Then he told them not to worry. &#8220;I run the protection program,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I&#8217;ll take care of you.&#8221;</p><p>Donald Trump has no bigger asset in the United States government than Mike Johnson.</p><h2>What the Program Looks Like</h2><p>A reporter asked Johnson why two of his members were still in Congress. Both were facing domestic violence allegations.</p><p>Johnson did not blink. The key word there, he said, is allegation.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PxIb!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbec891b1-679e-4fd7-a19d-dc3762419f1b_1200x800.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PxIb!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbec891b1-679e-4fd7-a19d-dc3762419f1b_1200x800.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PxIb!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbec891b1-679e-4fd7-a19d-dc3762419f1b_1200x800.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PxIb!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbec891b1-679e-4fd7-a19d-dc3762419f1b_1200x800.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PxIb!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbec891b1-679e-4fd7-a19d-dc3762419f1b_1200x800.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PxIb!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbec891b1-679e-4fd7-a19d-dc3762419f1b_1200x800.jpeg" width="406" height="270.6666666666667" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/bec891b1-679e-4fd7-a19d-dc3762419f1b_1200x800.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:800,&quot;width&quot;:1200,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:406,&quot;bytes&quot;:81611,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://blueontheballot.substack.com/i/211486954?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbec891b1-679e-4fd7-a19d-dc3762419f1b_1200x800.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PxIb!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbec891b1-679e-4fd7-a19d-dc3762419f1b_1200x800.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PxIb!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbec891b1-679e-4fd7-a19d-dc3762419f1b_1200x800.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PxIb!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbec891b1-679e-4fd7-a19d-dc3762419f1b_1200x800.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PxIb!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbec891b1-679e-4fd7-a19d-dc3762419f1b_1200x800.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>Then there are the Epstein files.</p><p>Nothing in the House gets a vote unless Mike Johnson allows it.</p><p>Democrats kept trying to force a vote to make the Justice Department hand the files over. Johnson&#8217;s committee killed it. Then it shut down entirely rather than take the vote again.</p><p>His chairwoman said the quiet part out loud. The files come out when the president decides it is time.</p><p>Donald Trump&#8217;s name appears in those files thousands of times.</p><p>Johnson does all of this for one reason. He is certain nobody can make him stop.</p><p>So far he has been right.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://secure.actblue.com/donate/cc_3pb_kl&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Donate $25: Prove Him Wrong&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/cc_3pb_kl"><span>Donate $25: Prove Him Wrong</span></a></p><h2>Why He Does It</h2><p>Johnson raised $19 million for his own campaign in one cycle. He raised $8 million more for other Republicans.</p><p>That is how they stay in line. He is the one holding the checkbook.</p><p>Johnson cares about two things. His own power, and the MAGA billionaires who pay for it.</p><p>Everything else is negotiable. Everything.</p><p>None of it has ever cost him anything. Not a vote, not a seat, not one hard question at home.</p><p><a href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/cc_3pb_kl">Click Here! Donate to the farmer trying to take away Johnson&#8217;s seat!</a></p><h2>Why This Seat Is Worth Ten</h2><p>Every district sends one person to Congress. This one sends the man who runs the entire Republican conference.</p><p>House Republicans do what Johnson tells them. That is not an insult. That is his job description.</p><p>So a dollar here is not worth a dollar. If Johnson has to spend money and time defending his own seat, every Republican in the country feels it.</p><p>Nobody has ever made him do that. In 2024, Democrats did not even put a candidate on the ballot against him.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://secure.actblue.com/donate/cc_3pb_kl&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Donate $25: Help Oust Johnson&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/cc_3pb_kl"><span>Donate $25: Help Oust Johnson</span></a></p><h2>The Farmer</h2><p>Conrad Cable is a fifth-generation vegetable farmer from Farmerville.</p><p>He grew up around his grandmother&#8217;s caf&#233;, the Dairy Bar. He learned the fields on summer breaks.</p><p>He can tell you what happened to Louisiana soybeans. In 2017 it was a billion dollar crop. Today it is not half that largely due to the Trump administration</p><p>Nobody has bought him. No lobbyists, no billionaires. He is running to serve the people.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/cc_3pb_kl" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!KaTN!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F30069c6d-c8de-45f8-8f7f-a510955fd1c9_2500x1667.webp 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!KaTN!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F30069c6d-c8de-45f8-8f7f-a510955fd1c9_2500x1667.webp 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!KaTN!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F30069c6d-c8de-45f8-8f7f-a510955fd1c9_2500x1667.webp 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!KaTN!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F30069c6d-c8de-45f8-8f7f-a510955fd1c9_2500x1667.webp 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!KaTN!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F30069c6d-c8de-45f8-8f7f-a510955fd1c9_2500x1667.webp" width="444" height="296.10164835164835" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/30069c6d-c8de-45f8-8f7f-a510955fd1c9_2500x1667.webp&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:971,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:444,&quot;bytes&quot;:467914,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/webp&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;https://secure.actblue.com/donate/cc_3pb_kl&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://blueontheballot.substack.com/i/211486954?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F30069c6d-c8de-45f8-8f7f-a510955fd1c9_2500x1667.webp&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!KaTN!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F30069c6d-c8de-45f8-8f7f-a510955fd1c9_2500x1667.webp 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!KaTN!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F30069c6d-c8de-45f8-8f7f-a510955fd1c9_2500x1667.webp 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!KaTN!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F30069c6d-c8de-45f8-8f7f-a510955fd1c9_2500x1667.webp 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!KaTN!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F30069c6d-c8de-45f8-8f7f-a510955fd1c9_2500x1667.webp 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>Cable is not going to outspend the Speaker of the House. He does not have to.</p><p>He only has to make Johnson wrong about one thing. That nobody can touch him.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://secure.actblue.com/donate/cc_3pb_kl&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Donate Here! Help Cable Win!&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/cc_3pb_kl"><span>Donate Here! Help Cable Win!</span></a></p><div><hr></div><h2>Johnson says he runs the protection program. Make him have to protect his own seat.</h2><p><strong>&#8594; <a href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/cc_3pb_kl">Click to Donate to Conrad Cable!</a></strong></p><p>A dollar in this race is worth ten anywhere else.</p><div><hr></div><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://blueontheballot.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for reading Blue on the Ballot! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[She Said It Protects Rural Hospitals.]]></title><description><![CDATA[Kat Cammack voted for the biggest Medicaid cut in American history and called it a win for rural hospitals. Rural hospitals are losing $50 billion and shutting down. Seth Harp is running against her.]]></description><link>https://blueontheballot.substack.com/p/she-said-it-protects-rural-hospitals</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://blueontheballot.substack.com/p/she-said-it-protects-rural-hospitals</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Blue On the Ballot]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 16 Aug 2026 00:21:23 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!lUAE!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7b916ec9-1b34-4d1e-bcb8-1037a9f0f34e_1440x1291.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The statement is still on Kat Cammack&#8217;s website.</p><p>She voted for the One Big Beautiful Bill. Then she put out a release explaining why.</p><p>The bill &#8220;protects rural hospitals,&#8221; she wrote. She was proud to support it.</p><h2>What It Actually Did</h2><p>That law cut close to a trillion dollars out of Medicaid. The largest cut Congress has ever passed.</p><p>The American Hospital Association ran the numbers on rural hospitals. They lose $50.4 billion over ten years.</p><p>1.8 million people in rural America lose their coverage.</p><p>More than 150 rural hospitals have already closed since 2015. Six closed last year.</p><h2>The Part She Was Counting On</h2><p>Republicans knew rural members would balk. So they put a $50 billion fund in the same bill to hand back later.</p><p>Fifty billion against a trillion. Five cents on the dollar.</p><p>It does not start paying out until 2027. And the agency running it will only let a small slice reach hospitals that are actually failing.</p><p>That fund is why the bill passed. It bought the votes of people who represent places like North Central Florida.</p><p>Cammack was one of them.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://secure.actblue.com/donate/sh_3pb_kl&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Donate $25: Help Replace Her&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/sh_3pb_kl"><span>Donate $25: Help Replace Her</span></a></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!lUAE!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7b916ec9-1b34-4d1e-bcb8-1037a9f0f34e_1440x1291.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!lUAE!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7b916ec9-1b34-4d1e-bcb8-1037a9f0f34e_1440x1291.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!lUAE!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7b916ec9-1b34-4d1e-bcb8-1037a9f0f34e_1440x1291.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!lUAE!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7b916ec9-1b34-4d1e-bcb8-1037a9f0f34e_1440x1291.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!lUAE!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7b916ec9-1b34-4d1e-bcb8-1037a9f0f34e_1440x1291.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!lUAE!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7b916ec9-1b34-4d1e-bcb8-1037a9f0f34e_1440x1291.png" width="372" height="333.5083333333333" 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class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><h2>The Solution</h2><p>Seth Harp is a teacher.</p><p>He spent years in radio, running stations and hosting shows, then years as operations manager at ESPN Gainesville. He has taught journalism at the University of Florida. He works for Alachua County Public Schools.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/sh_3pb_kl" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GQaX!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc19f8623-6078-45a0-af54-a2265d990044_447x447.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GQaX!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc19f8623-6078-45a0-af54-a2265d990044_447x447.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GQaX!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc19f8623-6078-45a0-af54-a2265d990044_447x447.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GQaX!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc19f8623-6078-45a0-af54-a2265d990044_447x447.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GQaX!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc19f8623-6078-45a0-af54-a2265d990044_447x447.jpeg" width="299" height="299" 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srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GQaX!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc19f8623-6078-45a0-af54-a2265d990044_447x447.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GQaX!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc19f8623-6078-45a0-af54-a2265d990044_447x447.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GQaX!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc19f8623-6078-45a0-af54-a2265d990044_447x447.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GQaX!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc19f8623-6078-45a0-af54-a2265d990044_447x447.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>Listening to people and telling them the truth is the only job he has ever had.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://secure.actblue.com/donate/sh_3pb_kl&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Donate $25: 5 Yard Signs for Seth Harp&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/sh_3pb_kl"><span>Donate $25: 5 Yard Signs for Seth Harp</span></a></p><h2>Three Seats</h2><p>That bill passed the House by four votes. 218 to 214.</p><p>Republicans hold the House by three seats now. Three, out of 435.</p><p>Flip three and every gavel changes hands. Every bill that gets a vote, and every bill that dies instead.</p><p>Florida votes on August 18. That in three days. The time to support is now.</p><div><hr></div><h2>She said it protects rural hospitals. They are losing $50 billion. Help Seth Harp replace her.</h2><p><strong>&#8594; <a href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/sh_3pb_kl">Click to Donate to Seth Harp!</a></strong></p><p>Five days until Florida votes. Help send a teacher instead.</p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Four Days Left]]></title><description><![CDATA[Marialana Kinter, Eric Yonce, Bernard Taylor, and Elijah Manley are all on the ballot Tuesday. Every one of them is in a real fight, the time to support them is now.]]></description><link>https://blueontheballot.substack.com/p/four-days-left</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://blueontheballot.substack.com/p/four-days-left</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Blue On the Ballot]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 15 Aug 2026 00:21:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!moBG!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffe25b6f8-4cd5-4bb3-a68e-8359337e338d_2500x2500.webp" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Three states vote on August 18.</p><p>That is in four days. So we thought we&#8217;d take the opportunity to highlight four exceptional candidates fighting for real change for all of us.</p><div><hr></div><h2>Marialana Kinter (FL-07)</h2><p>Marialana Kinter joined the Navy at seventeen. By twenty she qualified as a Nuclear Reactor Plant Supervisor, running the reactors that power aircraft carriers. She did that for eight years.</p><p>She wants to get corporate money out of politics. She wants the Pentagon audited and the VA claims system fixed so veterans stop waiting on benefits they earned.</p><p>She takes no corporate PAC money and no AIPAC money.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/mk_3pb_kl" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!moBG!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffe25b6f8-4cd5-4bb3-a68e-8359337e338d_2500x2500.webp 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!moBG!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffe25b6f8-4cd5-4bb3-a68e-8359337e338d_2500x2500.webp 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!moBG!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffe25b6f8-4cd5-4bb3-a68e-8359337e338d_2500x2500.webp 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!moBG!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffe25b6f8-4cd5-4bb3-a68e-8359337e338d_2500x2500.webp 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!moBG!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffe25b6f8-4cd5-4bb3-a68e-8359337e338d_2500x2500.webp" width="294" height="294" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/fe25b6f8-4cd5-4bb3-a68e-8359337e338d_2500x2500.webp&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1456,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:294,&quot;bytes&quot;:319262,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/webp&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;https://secure.actblue.com/donate/mk_3pb_kl&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://blueontheballot.substack.com/i/211248713?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffe25b6f8-4cd5-4bb3-a68e-8359337e338d_2500x2500.webp&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!moBG!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffe25b6f8-4cd5-4bb3-a68e-8359337e338d_2500x2500.webp 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!moBG!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffe25b6f8-4cd5-4bb3-a68e-8359337e338d_2500x2500.webp 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!moBG!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffe25b6f8-4cd5-4bb3-a68e-8359337e338d_2500x2500.webp 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!moBG!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffe25b6f8-4cd5-4bb3-a68e-8359337e338d_2500x2500.webp 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>FL-07 currently belongs to Cory Mills, a sitting Republican congressman.</p><p>An ex-girlfriend told a court he threatened to release sex videos of her. She had asked him eleven times to leave her alone. The judge read the messages and ordered Mills to stay 500 feet away from her.</p><p>Police found a different woman in his apartment, shaking, with fresh bruises on her arms. Officers wrote an arrest warrant. Trump&#8217;s prosecutor refused to sign it.</p><p>Twenty subpoenas. A House Ethics investigation. A Republican colleague moved to censure him and strip his committees.</p><p>Trump endorsed him anyway.</p><p><a href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/mk_3pb_kl">Click Here to help Marialana Kinter Win in FL-07!</a></p><h2>Eric Yonce (FL-06)</h2><p>Eric Yonce grew up in FL-06 and never left. He spent twenty years working in big box retail.</p><p>He wants Social Security and Medicare protected. He says nobody gets taken out of this country without a hearing first.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/yonce_3pb_kl" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kKfi!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbcb1f815-c43f-42e7-8601-2358e2f1080c_200x300.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kKfi!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbcb1f815-c43f-42e7-8601-2358e2f1080c_200x300.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kKfi!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbcb1f815-c43f-42e7-8601-2358e2f1080c_200x300.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kKfi!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbcb1f815-c43f-42e7-8601-2358e2f1080c_200x300.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kKfi!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbcb1f815-c43f-42e7-8601-2358e2f1080c_200x300.jpeg" width="200" height="300" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/bcb1f815-c43f-42e7-8601-2358e2f1080c_200x300.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:300,&quot;width&quot;:200,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:11667,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;https://secure.actblue.com/donate/yonce_3pb_kl&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://blueontheballot.substack.com/i/211248713?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbcb1f815-c43f-42e7-8601-2358e2f1080c_200x300.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kKfi!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbcb1f815-c43f-42e7-8601-2358e2f1080c_200x300.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kKfi!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbcb1f815-c43f-42e7-8601-2358e2f1080c_200x300.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kKfi!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbcb1f815-c43f-42e7-8601-2358e2f1080c_200x300.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kKfi!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbcb1f815-c43f-42e7-8601-2358e2f1080c_200x300.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>He has never held office. He takes no corporate PAC money. His average donation is nineteen dollars.</p><p>FL-06 currently belongs to Randy Fine, by far the most evil and vile person in Congress.</p><p>In February Fine posted that if he had to choose between dogs and Muslims, the choice would not be hard. It went out from his official House account. People asked him to take it down, and he posted pictures of his dog instead.</p><p>He has called sitting members of Congress Muslim terrorists. He said the mayor of New York should lose his citizenship and be deported.</p><p>A report said fifteen people in Gaza starved to death in one day. Four were children. Fine called the report propaganda and wrote: "Release the hostages. Until then, starve away."</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://secure.actblue.com/donate/yonce_3pb_kl&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Donate $25: Help Yonce Win!&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/yonce_3pb_kl"><span>Donate $25: Help Yonce Win!</span></a></p><h2>Bernard Taylor (FL-21)</h2><p>Bernard Taylor is a firefighter and a paramedic. Fourth-generation Floridian, husband, father of five.</p><p>He decided to run after a diabetic patient died from rationing insulin the patient could not pay for.</p><p>Taylor wants universal healthcare so nobody goes broke getting treated. He wants ten billion dollars a year put into career and technical education. He wants Florida&#8217;s water protected.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2" target="_blank" href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/bt_3pb_kl" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Rs0f!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F681ac350-87ed-4906-9a9a-67683458f37e_225x225.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Rs0f!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F681ac350-87ed-4906-9a9a-67683458f37e_225x225.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Rs0f!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F681ac350-87ed-4906-9a9a-67683458f37e_225x225.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Rs0f!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F681ac350-87ed-4906-9a9a-67683458f37e_225x225.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Rs0f!,w_2400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F681ac350-87ed-4906-9a9a-67683458f37e_225x225.jpeg" width="302" height="302" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/681ac350-87ed-4906-9a9a-67683458f37e_225x225.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:false,&quot;imageSize&quot;:&quot;large&quot;,&quot;height&quot;:225,&quot;width&quot;:225,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:302,&quot;bytes&quot;:12257,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;https://secure.actblue.com/donate/bt_3pb_kl&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://blueontheballot.substack.com/i/211248713?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F681ac350-87ed-4906-9a9a-67683458f37e_225x225.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:&quot;center&quot;,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-large" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Rs0f!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F681ac350-87ed-4906-9a9a-67683458f37e_225x225.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Rs0f!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F681ac350-87ed-4906-9a9a-67683458f37e_225x225.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Rs0f!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F681ac350-87ed-4906-9a9a-67683458f37e_225x225.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Rs0f!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F681ac350-87ed-4906-9a9a-67683458f37e_225x225.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>He takes no corporate PAC money and no AIPAC money.</p><p>FL-21 currently belongs to Brian Mast, who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee. He decides what gets a hearing and what dies in a drawer.</p><p>In 2023 Mast walked into the United States Capitol wearing an IDF uniform.</p><p>He wrote a bill to sanction Hamas. Then he amended his own bill to strip out the food and medicine for civilians. He said the aid should be slowed down.</p><p>Protesters asked him about pictures of Palestinian babies killed in the strikes.</p><p>&#8220;These are not innocent Palestinian civilians,&#8221; Mast said. &#8220;The babies?&#8221; one of them asked.</p><p>Mast has taken nearly $700,000 from AIPAC and the Israel lobby. </p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://secure.actblue.com/donate/bt_3pb_kl&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Click Here to Support Bernard Taylor&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/bt_3pb_kl"><span>Click Here to Support Bernard Taylor</span></a></p><h2>Elijah Manley (FL-20)</h2><p>Elijah Manley is 27. He grew up in FL-20 and has never lived anywhere else. He first ran for office there at nineteen.</p><p>He takes no corporate PAC money and no AIPAC money.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/em_3pb_kl" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PMnz!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F216b1633-1a9c-41c8-90a2-26a1d5a91251_387x397.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PMnz!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F216b1633-1a9c-41c8-90a2-26a1d5a91251_387x397.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PMnz!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F216b1633-1a9c-41c8-90a2-26a1d5a91251_387x397.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PMnz!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F216b1633-1a9c-41c8-90a2-26a1d5a91251_387x397.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PMnz!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F216b1633-1a9c-41c8-90a2-26a1d5a91251_387x397.jpeg" width="309" height="316.984496124031" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/216b1633-1a9c-41c8-90a2-26a1d5a91251_387x397.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:397,&quot;width&quot;:387,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:309,&quot;bytes&quot;:33830,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;https://secure.actblue.com/donate/em_3pb_kl&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://blueontheballot.substack.com/i/211248713?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0572641d-7fa1-499d-bad2-b9d10ef80af5_387x516.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PMnz!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F216b1633-1a9c-41c8-90a2-26a1d5a91251_387x397.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PMnz!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F216b1633-1a9c-41c8-90a2-26a1d5a91251_387x397.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PMnz!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F216b1633-1a9c-41c8-90a2-26a1d5a91251_387x397.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PMnz!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F216b1633-1a9c-41c8-90a2-26a1d5a91251_387x397.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>FL-20 was drawn to fix decades of shutting Black voters out. A Black lawmaker has held it since 1993.</p><p>Republicans redrew Florida and made Debbie Wasserman Schultz&#8217;s seat competitive. So she moved into this one.</p><p>A white congresswoman attempting to steal away a Black district&#8217;s representation despite being specifically asked not to.</p><p><a href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/em_3pb_kl">Click Here to help Elijah Manley keep representation for his community</a></p><div><hr></div><h2>Four Days.</h2><p>All these candidates are in tightly contested primaries, and every dollar helps them knock another door to turn out another vote. Donate to one or all of them by clicking their links below!</p><p><strong>&#8594; <a href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/mk_3pb_kl">Marialana Kinter</a></strong></p><p><strong>&#8594; <a href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/yonce_3pb_kl">Eric Yonce</a></strong></p><p><strong>&#8594; <a href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/bt_3pb_kl">Bernard Taylor</a></strong></p><p><strong>&#8594; <a href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/em_3pb_kl">Elijah Manley</a></strong></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[They Put Her Face Next to Trump's.]]></title><description><![CDATA[A committee funded by data center money is mailing flyers that call Michele Rayner a Republican. She is a Democrat and the first openly queer Black woman ever elected to the Florida Legislature.]]></description><link>https://blueontheballot.substack.com/p/they-put-her-face-next-to-trumps</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://blueontheballot.substack.com/p/they-put-her-face-next-to-trumps</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Blue On the Ballot]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 14 Aug 2026 00:20:19 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!W5DM!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6402c727-b7ab-4d23-ae44-6b26022883ef_1024x768.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>A mailer went out to Democratic voters in Tampa Bay this month.</p><p>Michele Rayner&#8217;s picture is on it. Next to her are Donald Trump, Marco Rubio, and Ron DeSantis.</p><p>It says she votes like a Republican.</p><p>Rayner spent four years calling DeSantis a tyrant to his face. She did it in his own Capitol, while his party held every lever of power.</p><h2>Who Paid For It</h2><p>A committee called People For Honor Project. It was created weeks ago. It has almost no history.</p><p>It raised about $75,000. It spent nearly $32,000 on those mailers.</p><p>$31,500 came from a company trying to build a data center in Polk County.</p><p>That is three times what the same company gave Byron Donalds for governor.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://secure.actblue.com/donate/mr-web?refcode=Blog&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Donate $25: Fight the Data Center Money&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/mr-web?refcode=Blog"><span>Donate $25: Fight the Data Center Money</span></a></p><h2>Why They Want Her Gone</h2><p>Last session Rayner voted against a data center bill. Even DeSantis said that bill had been watered down.</p><p>She would not go along with it.</p><p>Weeks later her face turned up on a flyer next to Donald Trump&#8217;s.</p><h2>This Is Not About One Seat</h2><p>Meta is spending more than $65 million on state legislature races this year.</p><p>The company built committees in Texas, South Dakota, Alabama, and Georgia to elect lawmakers friendly to AI and data centers. It has already put $1.36 million into Texas alone.</p><p>Last week Meta cut a check in this race too.</p><p>They are not buying a seat. They are buying the people who write the rules for data centers, one state at a time.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://secure.actblue.com/donate/mr-web?refcode=Blog&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Donate $25: Help Stop Them!&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/mr-web?refcode=Blog"><span>Donate $25: Help Stop Them!</span></a></p><h2>Who She Actually Is</h2><p>Before she was a lawmaker, Rayner was a civil rights attorney.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/mr-web?refcode=Blog" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!W5DM!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6402c727-b7ab-4d23-ae44-6b26022883ef_1024x768.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!W5DM!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6402c727-b7ab-4d23-ae44-6b26022883ef_1024x768.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!W5DM!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6402c727-b7ab-4d23-ae44-6b26022883ef_1024x768.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!W5DM!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6402c727-b7ab-4d23-ae44-6b26022883ef_1024x768.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!W5DM!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6402c727-b7ab-4d23-ae44-6b26022883ef_1024x768.jpeg" width="362" height="271.5" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/6402c727-b7ab-4d23-ae44-6b26022883ef_1024x768.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:768,&quot;width&quot;:1024,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:362,&quot;bytes&quot;:102569,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;https://secure.actblue.com/donate/mr-web?refcode=Blog&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://blueontheballot.substack.com/i/211093261?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6402c727-b7ab-4d23-ae44-6b26022883ef_1024x768.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!W5DM!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6402c727-b7ab-4d23-ae44-6b26022883ef_1024x768.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!W5DM!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6402c727-b7ab-4d23-ae44-6b26022883ef_1024x768.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!W5DM!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6402c727-b7ab-4d23-ae44-6b26022883ef_1024x768.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!W5DM!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6402c727-b7ab-4d23-ae44-6b26022883ef_1024x768.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>In 2018 a man named Markeis McGlockton was shot and killed in a parking lot in front of his family. No charges were filed. The shooter walked free under Stand Your Ground.</p><p>Rayner took the case. She fought for that family. The shooter was charged, tried, and convicted.</p><p>Then she ran for the Florida House and won. She was the first openly queer Black woman ever elected to the Florida Legislature.</p><p><a href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/mr-web?refcode=Blog">Click Here! Help Michele Rayner Win!</a></p><h2>What She Has Left</h2><p>The committee attacking her spent $32,000 on mailers.</p><p>Rayner has under $7,000 in the bank.</p><p>Data centers are taking over all across the country. This can be different. We can keep someone who fights back against AI data center money in office. Rayner has people or she has nothing.</p><p>The seat is decided on August 18. Rayner needs our support now.</p><div><hr></div><h2>A data center company gave $31,500 to the group calling her a Republican. Help Rayner fight back.</h2><p><strong>&#8594; <a href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/mr-web?refcode=Blog">Click to Donate to Michele Rayner!</a></strong></p><p>Five days. Back Rayner now.</p><div><hr></div><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://blueontheballot.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for reading Blue on the Ballot! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[ICE Shot Him. Then They Ignored Him.]]></title><description><![CDATA[A federal agent shot Carlitos Ricardo Parias in the arm. A judge threw out every charge. He is still locked up, still asking for a doctor. Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove is fighting for him.]]></description><link>https://blueontheballot.substack.com/p/ice-shot-him-then-they-ignored-him</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://blueontheballot.substack.com/p/ice-shot-him-then-they-ignored-him</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Blue On the Ballot]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 13 Aug 2026 00:20:32 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/ca6ce17f-7de3-4dfc-bb51-5a2736e60066_560x373.webp" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Carlitos Ricardo Parias films the news in South Los Angeles.</p><p>He posts in Spanish. He has 340,000 followers. Last August the city council gave him an award for it.</p><p>A lot of what he filmed was ICE.</p><p>On October 21, federal agents boxed his car in and shot him in the arm. Then they charged him with assaulting an officer.</p><h2>A Judge Threw It Out</h2><p>In December a federal judge dismissed the whole case.</p><p>With prejudice. Prosecutors can never bring it back.</p><p>ICE had moved him two hours away from his lawyers. His attorneys could not get a single visit before trial.</p><p>The government also sat on the body camera footage.</p><p>His rights were violated. Not could have been. Were.</p><p><a href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/skd_3pb_kl">Click Here! Back the Congresswoman Fighting for Ricardo!</a></p><h2>He Is Still In There</h2><p>Nine months at Adelanto. He keeps asking for a doctor for the bullet wound. Nobody comes.</p><p>No charges. None. A judge erased them all.</p><p>He is still inside.</p><p>Thirty-three people have died in immigration detention this year.What She Did</p><p>Sydney Kamlager-Dove is his congresswoman.</p><p>Right now, a man asks for a doctor and gets nothing, and that is the end of it. Nobody writes it down. Nobody answers.</p><p>She wrote a bill to change that.</p><p>A complaint gets filed. A real doctor reviews it. Somebody answers for it.</p><p>She introduced it eight days ago.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://secure.actblue.com/donate/skd_3pb_kl&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Donate $25: Keep Her In the Fight!&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/skd_3pb_kl"><span>Donate $25: Keep Her In the Fight!</span></a></p><h2>The Last Two She Confronted</h2><p>Sydney Kamlager-Dove asked Kristi Noem about the man Noem put on the government payroll. Noem was gone in weeks.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/skd_3pb_kl" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8anM!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F37254f89-88a2-4609-9a58-7eb2610da550_1486x1035.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8anM!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F37254f89-88a2-4609-9a58-7eb2610da550_1486x1035.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8anM!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F37254f89-88a2-4609-9a58-7eb2610da550_1486x1035.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8anM!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F37254f89-88a2-4609-9a58-7eb2610da550_1486x1035.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8anM!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F37254f89-88a2-4609-9a58-7eb2610da550_1486x1035.jpeg" width="374" height="260.4642857142857" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/37254f89-88a2-4609-9a58-7eb2610da550_1486x1035.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1014,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:374,&quot;bytes&quot;:126874,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;https://secure.actblue.com/donate/skd_3pb_kl&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://blueontheballot.substack.com/i/210965637?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F37254f89-88a2-4609-9a58-7eb2610da550_1486x1035.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8anM!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F37254f89-88a2-4609-9a58-7eb2610da550_1486x1035.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8anM!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F37254f89-88a2-4609-9a58-7eb2610da550_1486x1035.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8anM!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F37254f89-88a2-4609-9a58-7eb2610da550_1486x1035.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8anM!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F37254f89-88a2-4609-9a58-7eb2610da550_1486x1035.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>She subpoenaed Pam Bondi over the Epstein files. Bondi was gone by April.</p><p>Now she has put her support behind a man in a cell with no charges and no doctor. Forcing them to take accountability.</p><p>That is what a donation is for. Keeping a fighter in congress.</p><p>The next hearing. The next subpoena. Fighting against the current administration.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://secure.actblue.com/donate/skd_3pb_kl&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Click Here! Back a Fighter&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/skd_3pb_kl"><span>Click Here! Back a Fighter</span></a></p><div><hr></div><h2>A judge cleared him in December. He is still locked up, still waiting for a doctor. Help support the congresswoman fighting for him.</h2><p><strong>&#8594; <a href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/skd_3pb_kl">Click to Donate to Kamlager-Dove!</a></strong></p><p>Nine months. No charges. Still no doctor.</p><div><hr></div><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://blueontheballot.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for reading Blue on the Ballot! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[A Perfect Score. An Empty Chair.]]></title><description><![CDATA[Heritage Action rates Aaron Bean 100%. When voters in his hometown filled a room to ask him questions, he called it a "fake town hall" and stayed home.]]></description><link>https://blueontheballot.substack.com/p/a-perfect-score-an-empty-chair</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://blueontheballot.substack.com/p/a-perfect-score-an-empty-chair</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Blue On the Ballot]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 12 Aug 2026 00:20:36 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gNxT!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4353b659-592c-44ca-8552-c0f6f463836f_2560x1707.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>In April of last year, voters booked a rec center in Aaron Bean&#8217;s hometown. They sat down to ask him questions.</p><p>A large crowd showed up.</p><p>Hours before it started, Bean emailed out a statement. He called it a &#8220;fake town hall.&#8221;</p><p>He would not be attending any of them, he said. Not that day and not the next one.</p><p>He did not come. They asked their questions to an empty spot.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://secure.actblue.com/donate/brob_3pb_kl&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Donate $25: Help Beat Him!&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/brob_3pb_kl"><span>Donate $25: Help Beat Him!</span></a></p><h2>He Did Not Come Back</h2><p>By then Bean had not sat down with those voters once since Trump took office.</p><p>Voters said he had left a private event through a side door. He did not take their questions.</p><p>Bean said he works for all voters. People should stop playing &#8220;performative politics,&#8221; he said.</p><p>He said that about a full room in the town where he used to be mayor that he refused to talk to.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gNxT!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4353b659-592c-44ca-8552-c0f6f463836f_2560x1707.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gNxT!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4353b659-592c-44ca-8552-c0f6f463836f_2560x1707.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gNxT!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4353b659-592c-44ca-8552-c0f6f463836f_2560x1707.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gNxT!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4353b659-592c-44ca-8552-c0f6f463836f_2560x1707.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gNxT!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4353b659-592c-44ca-8552-c0f6f463836f_2560x1707.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gNxT!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4353b659-592c-44ca-8552-c0f6f463836f_2560x1707.jpeg" width="368" height="245.41758241758242" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/4353b659-592c-44ca-8552-c0f6f463836f_2560x1707.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:971,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:368,&quot;bytes&quot;:1385271,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://blueontheballot.substack.com/i/210826939?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4353b659-592c-44ca-8552-c0f6f463836f_2560x1707.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gNxT!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4353b659-592c-44ca-8552-c0f6f463836f_2560x1707.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gNxT!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4353b659-592c-44ca-8552-c0f6f463836f_2560x1707.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gNxT!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4353b659-592c-44ca-8552-c0f6f463836f_2560x1707.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gNxT!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4353b659-592c-44ca-8552-c0f6f463836f_2560x1707.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><h2>Who He Does Answer To</h2><p>There is a group in Washington called Heritage Action. It is run by the Heritage Foundation. They are the people who wrote Project 2025.</p><p>They keep a scorecard. Every vote in Congress gets a mark, right or wrong, based on what they wanted.</p><p>Aaron Bean scores 100%.</p><p>Not most of the time. Every time. He has never once broken from them.</p><p>The Family Research Council gave him a perfect score too. He put out a press release celebrating it.</p><p>He will not walk into a rec center in Fernandina Beach. He has never missed what Washington told him to do.</p><p>Bean also wrote a part of last year&#8217;s budget bill. His part put work requirements on Medicaid. He sent out a press release taking credit for that one as well.</p><p>He runs the House committee on grade school and high school. He decides what gets a vote and what does not.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://secure.actblue.com/donate/brob_3pb_kl&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Donate $25: Take His Gavel&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/brob_3pb_kl"><span>Donate $25: Take His Gavel</span></a></p><h2>She Tells You What She Is</h2><p>Brit Robinson is a Democratic Socialist. She says it in every room she walks into.</p><p>She does not soften it for one crowd and sharpen it for another. She has never emailed out a statement explaining which rooms she will enter.</p><p>She is queer. She has a biracial family. She has never hidden any of it for a day.</p><p>She has never held office. She would never allow a group like Project 2025 tell her how to vote.</p><p><strong><a href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/brob_3pb_kl">Click Here: Back Brit Robinson</a></strong></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!XBmZ!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe9a10907-bd17-4fe2-bf8c-008a5c423bac_1536x2048.webp" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!XBmZ!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe9a10907-bd17-4fe2-bf8c-008a5c423bac_1536x2048.webp 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!XBmZ!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe9a10907-bd17-4fe2-bf8c-008a5c423bac_1536x2048.webp 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!XBmZ!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe9a10907-bd17-4fe2-bf8c-008a5c423bac_1536x2048.webp 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!XBmZ!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe9a10907-bd17-4fe2-bf8c-008a5c423bac_1536x2048.webp 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!XBmZ!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe9a10907-bd17-4fe2-bf8c-008a5c423bac_1536x2048.webp" width="272" height="362.6043956043956" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/e9a10907-bd17-4fe2-bf8c-008a5c423bac_1536x2048.webp&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1941,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:272,&quot;bytes&quot;:364538,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/webp&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://blueontheballot.substack.com/i/210826939?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe9a10907-bd17-4fe2-bf8c-008a5c423bac_1536x2048.webp&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!XBmZ!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe9a10907-bd17-4fe2-bf8c-008a5c423bac_1536x2048.webp 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!XBmZ!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe9a10907-bd17-4fe2-bf8c-008a5c423bac_1536x2048.webp 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!XBmZ!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe9a10907-bd17-4fe2-bf8c-008a5c423bac_1536x2048.webp 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!XBmZ!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe9a10907-bd17-4fe2-bf8c-008a5c423bac_1536x2048.webp 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><h2>Why She Believes It</h2><p>Robinson was born on a Marine Corps base. Her family served in four branches.</p><p>The summer before high school, her mother got sick. This was before the health care law passed. Her mother had no insurance.</p><p>The family went on food stamps and Medicaid. They lost the house anyway.</p><p>Her father&#8217;s military health care covered her when nothing else would have. His GI Bill sent her to college.</p><p>That net caught her. It did not catch her mother.</p><p>She wants it to catch everybody. That is the whole argument, and she has never once needed to dress it up.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://secure.actblue.com/donate/brob_3pb_kl&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Donate $25: Get Robinson 5 Yard Signs&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/brob_3pb_kl"><span>Donate $25: Get Robinson 5 Yard Signs</span></a></p><h2>Three Seats</h2><p>Republicans hold the House by three seats.</p><p>Three. Out of 435.</p><p>Flip three and every committee changes hands. Every gavel. Every bill that gets a vote, and every bill that dies instead.</p><p>That margin only holds if seats like this one stay quiet. Bean is counting on it. He has been counting on it since the day he skipped that room.</p><div><hr></div><h2>He scores 100% with Heritage Action. He would not walk into a room with his neighbors.</h2><p><strong>&#8594; <a href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/brob_3pb_kl">Click to Donate to Brit Robinson!</a></strong></p><p>Seven days. Every dollar has to land before August 18.</p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Eighteen Miles. One for Each One.]]></title><description><![CDATA[Christian Urrutia left before sunrise and walked from Manchester to Concord carrying a weighted pack and an American flag to register for Congress. He picked the number on purpose.]]></description><link>https://blueontheballot.substack.com/p/eighteen-miles-one-for-each-one</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://blueontheballot.substack.com/p/eighteen-miles-one-for-each-one</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Blue On the Ballot]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 11 Aug 2026 00:20:26 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!h_fH!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4bb749cc-8c3e-4097-a281-3ba0da1de1ec_391x332.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Christian Urrutia got up before the sun and started walking.</p><p>He carried a rucksack on his back and an American flag. He walked out of Manchester in Army boots.</p><p>Eighteen miles later he reached Concord and filed his papers to run for Congress.</p><p>Eighteen veterans a day die by suicide in this country.</p><p>Urrutia wants to do something about it.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/cu_3pb_kl" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!h_fH!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4bb749cc-8c3e-4097-a281-3ba0da1de1ec_391x332.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!h_fH!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4bb749cc-8c3e-4097-a281-3ba0da1de1ec_391x332.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!h_fH!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4bb749cc-8c3e-4097-a281-3ba0da1de1ec_391x332.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!h_fH!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4bb749cc-8c3e-4097-a281-3ba0da1de1ec_391x332.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!h_fH!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4bb749cc-8c3e-4097-a281-3ba0da1de1ec_391x332.jpeg" width="391" height="332" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/4bb749cc-8c3e-4097-a281-3ba0da1de1ec_391x332.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:332,&quot;width&quot;:391,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:42506,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;https://secure.actblue.com/donate/cu_3pb_kl&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://blueontheballot.substack.com/i/210683491?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4bb749cc-8c3e-4097-a281-3ba0da1de1ec_391x332.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!h_fH!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4bb749cc-8c3e-4097-a281-3ba0da1de1ec_391x332.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!h_fH!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4bb749cc-8c3e-4097-a281-3ba0da1de1ec_391x332.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!h_fH!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4bb749cc-8c3e-4097-a281-3ba0da1de1ec_391x332.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!h_fH!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4bb749cc-8c3e-4097-a281-3ba0da1de1ec_391x332.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><h2>What Washington Does About It</h2><p>Everyone says we owe veterans better. It costs nothing to say.</p><p>The Trump administration drew up a plan to cut 83,000 jobs out of the Department of Veterans Affairs.</p><p>They backed off that number and took tens of thousands anyway.</p><p>Last year the VA ended with fewer people working there than it started with. That had never happened before. The top Democrat on the committee called it the biggest staff cut the VA has ever taken.</p><p>Then in December they moved to wipe out up to 35,000 more jobs. Doctors and nurses among them.</p><p>The number of people applying to work there fell by more than half.</p><p>Fewer doctors. Longer waits. Appointments canceled.</p><p>Less mental health care, at exactly the moment more of it is needed.</p><p>Men and women came home from serving. Then they had to fight one more time to get what they already earned.</p><p><strong><a href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/cu_3pb_kl">Click Here: Send Someone to Washington Who Will Fight for Our Veterans</a></strong></p><h2>He Is Still in Uniform</h2><p>Urrutia is a captain in the New Hampshire Army National Guard.</p><p>He is a public defender for service members. When a soldier is in trouble, he is the lawyer standing next to them.</p><p>He did not have to enlist. He was a lawyer with a career already.</p><p>He went through basic training as a regular soldier first. He earned his rank the long way.</p><p>Before that, he helped take a man to court for torturing and killing a Chilean singer in 1973. The man had been living quietly in Florida for years. A jury ruled against him in 2016.</p><p>He goes after people who think nobody is ever going to make them answer.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://secure.actblue.com/donate/cu_3pb_kl&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Donate $20.26: Help Him WIn!&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/cu_3pb_kl"><span>Donate $20.26: Help Him WIn!</span></a></p><h2>Thirty-One Days</h2><p>Every district in this country has veterans living in it. The people cutting their care answer to whoever wins seats like this one. The House comes down to a handful of them.</p><p>The election is September 8.</p><p>Urrutia has no billionaires behind him. What shows up on his report is people, one at a time.</p><p>Anything that arrives after September 8 arrives too late.</p><p>He walked eighteen miles carrying a pack because our veterans are not getting help that they need. He would like to go fix that in Congress.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://secure.actblue.com/donate/cu_3pb_kl&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Donate $20.26: Back Urrutia in 2026&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/cu_3pb_kl"><span>Donate $20.26: Back Urrutia in 2026</span></a></p><div><hr></div><h2>Christian Urrutia defends soldiers for a living. Trump's VA cut tens of thousands of jobs.</h2><p><strong>&#8594; <a href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/cu_3pb_kl">Click to Donate to Christian Urrutia!</a></strong></p><p>Thirty-one days. Be one of the people backing Urrutia.</p><div><hr></div><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://blueontheballot.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for reading Blue on the Ballot! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[He Voted to Let Them Charge Anything.]]></title><description><![CDATA[Mario Diaz-Balart voted to scrap the rule that caps what insurance companies can charge people who are already sick. Nicole Locklin is running to take his seat.]]></description><link>https://blueontheballot.substack.com/p/he-voted-to-let-them-charge-anything</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://blueontheballot.substack.com/p/he-voted-to-let-them-charge-anything</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Blue On the Ballot]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 10 Aug 2026 00:20:31 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DOwa!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F826e2740-406a-4c07-9c4a-16d843b8b0fe_2560x1442.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>There is a rule that says an insurance company cannot charge you more because you are sick.</p><p>Mario Diaz-Balart voted to let states throw that rule out.</p><p>Not to deny sick people coverage. Coverage would still be offered. There would just be no limit on the price.</p><p>Diabetes. Cancer. A bad heart.</p><p>Any of it, and the company picks the number. The number can be whatever they want.</p><p>He voted yes.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://secure.actblue.com/donate/nf_3pb_kl&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Donate $26: Help Replace Him in FL-26&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/nf_3pb_kl"><span>Donate $26: Help Replace Him in FL-26</span></a></p><h2>Somebody This Would Have Happened To</h2><p>Nicole Locklin&#8217;s older brother Greg had Marfan syndrome.</p><p>He had open-heart surgery, and then more surgeries, on and off for ten years. He died at 37.</p><p>Under the bill Diaz-Balart voted for, a company could have looked at Greg and named its price. Any price.</p><p>That was the impact of Diaz-Balart&#8217;s vote. That is what it would&#8217;ve done to families across the country.</p><h2>Twenty-Three Years</h2><p>Diaz-Balart has held that seat since 2003.</p><p>He also voted last year for the bill that cut about a trillion dollars out of Medicaid.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DOwa!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F826e2740-406a-4c07-9c4a-16d843b8b0fe_2560x1442.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DOwa!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F826e2740-406a-4c07-9c4a-16d843b8b0fe_2560x1442.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DOwa!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F826e2740-406a-4c07-9c4a-16d843b8b0fe_2560x1442.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DOwa!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F826e2740-406a-4c07-9c4a-16d843b8b0fe_2560x1442.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DOwa!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F826e2740-406a-4c07-9c4a-16d843b8b0fe_2560x1442.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DOwa!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F826e2740-406a-4c07-9c4a-16d843b8b0fe_2560x1442.jpeg" width="394" height="221.8956043956044" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/826e2740-406a-4c07-9c4a-16d843b8b0fe_2560x1442.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:820,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:394,&quot;bytes&quot;:313095,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://blueontheballot.substack.com/i/210533767?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F826e2740-406a-4c07-9c4a-16d843b8b0fe_2560x1442.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DOwa!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F826e2740-406a-4c07-9c4a-16d843b8b0fe_2560x1442.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DOwa!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F826e2740-406a-4c07-9c4a-16d843b8b0fe_2560x1442.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DOwa!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F826e2740-406a-4c07-9c4a-16d843b8b0fe_2560x1442.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DOwa!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F826e2740-406a-4c07-9c4a-16d843b8b0fe_2560x1442.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>He does not have to explain any of it. Nobody has made him in twenty-three years.</p><p><strong><a href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/nf_3pb_kl">Click Here: Help Nicole Locklin Win in FL-26</a></strong></p><h2>The Woman Running Against Him</h2><p>Nicole Locklin is running on one thing. Corruption.</p><p>She spent a decade as a lawyer reading corporate fine print, so she already knows how a rule like the one Diaz-Balart backed gets written.</p><p>She takes no corporate PAC money and no foreign PAC money. She wants a government that answers to voters instead of PAC money, and she says it in plain words without hedging.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2" target="_blank" href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/nf_3pb_kl" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Lo61!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe53dddff-c6d9-47f1-86ca-e0f5139db26e_2560x1707.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Lo61!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe53dddff-c6d9-47f1-86ca-e0f5139db26e_2560x1707.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Lo61!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe53dddff-c6d9-47f1-86ca-e0f5139db26e_2560x1707.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Lo61!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe53dddff-c6d9-47f1-86ca-e0f5139db26e_2560x1707.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Lo61!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe53dddff-c6d9-47f1-86ca-e0f5139db26e_2560x1707.jpeg" width="330" height="220.07554945054946" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/e53dddff-c6d9-47f1-86ca-e0f5139db26e_2560x1707.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:971,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:330,&quot;bytes&quot;:1929304,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;https://secure.actblue.com/donate/nf_3pb_kl&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://blueontheballot.substack.com/i/210533767?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe53dddff-c6d9-47f1-86ca-e0f5139db26e_2560x1707.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Lo61!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe53dddff-c6d9-47f1-86ca-e0f5139db26e_2560x1707.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Lo61!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe53dddff-c6d9-47f1-86ca-e0f5139db26e_2560x1707.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Lo61!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe53dddff-c6d9-47f1-86ca-e0f5139db26e_2560x1707.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Lo61!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe53dddff-c6d9-47f1-86ca-e0f5139db26e_2560x1707.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>That is the whole pitch. No slogans, no dodging, no press releases asking for credit.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://secure.actblue.com/donate/nf_3pb_kl&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Donate $26: Back Locklin for FL-26!&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/nf_3pb_kl"><span>Donate $26: Back Locklin for FL-26!</span></a></p><div><hr></div><h2>Diaz-Balart voted to let insurance companies charge sick people anything they want.</h2><p><strong>&#8594; <a href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/nf_3pb_kl">Click to Donate to Nicole Locklin!</a></strong></p><p>Twenty-three years is long enough.</p><div><hr></div><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://blueontheballot.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for reading Blue on the Ballot! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[He Tried to Impeach the Judge.]]></title><description><![CDATA[Randy Fine said he would choose dogs over Muslims. Nothing happened. When one judge did try to hold him to something, Fine filed impeachment charges against him.]]></description><link>https://blueontheballot.substack.com/p/he-tried-to-impeach-the-judge</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://blueontheballot.substack.com/p/he-tried-to-impeach-the-judge</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Blue On the Ballot]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 09 Aug 2026 00:20:47 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/697a2cc7-a00d-4178-92c1-ed382caa62cd_1200x768.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Randy Fine posted that if forced to choose between dogs and Muslims, the choice would not be a difficult one.</p><p>It went out from his official account. The one linked to his page on the House website.</p><p>People asked him to take it down. He posted pictures of his dog instead.</p><p>He has called sitting members of Congress Muslim terrorists. He said the mayor of New York should have his citizenship revoked and be deported. He went on television and called for nuking Gaza.</p><h2>Nothing Happened</h2><p>The governor of California posted five words at him. &#8220;Resign now, you racist slob.&#8221;</p><p>The Democratic leader of the House called him a disgrace and an unrepentant bigot. Megyn Kelly, on the right, wrote three words. &#8220;wtf is this.&#8221;</p><p>Exactly one elected Republican said anything at all.</p><p>The Speaker of the House said nothing. Fine kept every committee assignment he had. He is still there today, drawing $174,000 a year.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://secure.actblue.com/donate/yonce_3pb_kl&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Donate $25: Help Replace Fine&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/yonce_3pb_kl"><span>Donate $25: Help Replace Fine</span></a></p><h2>One Person Tried</h2><p>In 2024, Randy Fine attended a court hearing over video.</p><p>The judge wrote afterward that Fine spent at least 33 minutes flipping off the other side. Middle finger. The letter L for loser.</p><p>He held Fine in contempt and sent him to eight hours of anger management.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!oGgV!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc2e3a0b9-b3fb-4a20-a579-8eac2b476702_275x183.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!oGgV!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc2e3a0b9-b3fb-4a20-a579-8eac2b476702_275x183.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!oGgV!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc2e3a0b9-b3fb-4a20-a579-8eac2b476702_275x183.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!oGgV!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc2e3a0b9-b3fb-4a20-a579-8eac2b476702_275x183.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!oGgV!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc2e3a0b9-b3fb-4a20-a579-8eac2b476702_275x183.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!oGgV!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc2e3a0b9-b3fb-4a20-a579-8eac2b476702_275x183.jpeg" width="275" height="183" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/c2e3a0b9-b3fb-4a20-a579-8eac2b476702_275x183.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:183,&quot;width&quot;:275,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:8778,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://blueontheballot.substack.com/i/210410917?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc2e3a0b9-b3fb-4a20-a579-8eac2b476702_275x183.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!oGgV!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc2e3a0b9-b3fb-4a20-a579-8eac2b476702_275x183.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!oGgV!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc2e3a0b9-b3fb-4a20-a579-8eac2b476702_275x183.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!oGgV!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc2e3a0b9-b3fb-4a20-a579-8eac2b476702_275x183.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!oGgV!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc2e3a0b9-b3fb-4a20-a579-8eac2b476702_275x183.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>Fine called it a clown show and said he would not comply. Then he filed impeachment charges against the judge.</p><p>An appeals court erased the ruling in June. It never decided whether he did it.</p><p>Two days ago, Randy Fine posted that no one is above the law. He was talking about Fauci. While hes spent his entire career sucking up to Trump, a man who has always put himself above the law.</p><p><strong><a href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/yonce_3pb_kl">Click Here: Help Eric Yonce End It in November</a></strong></p><h2>The Man Running Against Him</h2><p>Eric Yonce has lived in that part of Florida his entire life.</p><p>He is not famous. Nobody has ever had to explain away something he posted.</p><p>Randy Fine wants the mayor of New York stripped of his citizenship and thrown out of the country. Yonce says nobody gets taken out of this country without a hearing first.</p><p>His campaign runs on small donations. The average one is nineteen dollars.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2" target="_blank" href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/yonce_3pb_kl" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!X5Ki!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F48c7be30-eeac-4790-977b-cae4064d46f3_210x240.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!X5Ki!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F48c7be30-eeac-4790-977b-cae4064d46f3_210x240.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!X5Ki!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F48c7be30-eeac-4790-977b-cae4064d46f3_210x240.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!X5Ki!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F48c7be30-eeac-4790-977b-cae4064d46f3_210x240.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!X5Ki!,w_2400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F48c7be30-eeac-4790-977b-cae4064d46f3_210x240.jpeg" width="236" height="269.7142857142857" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/48c7be30-eeac-4790-977b-cae4064d46f3_210x240.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:false,&quot;imageSize&quot;:&quot;large&quot;,&quot;height&quot;:240,&quot;width&quot;:210,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:236,&quot;bytes&quot;:9912,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;https://secure.actblue.com/donate/yonce_3pb_kl&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://blueontheballot.substack.com/i/210410917?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F48c7be30-eeac-4790-977b-cae4064d46f3_210x240.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:&quot;center&quot;,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-large" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!X5Ki!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F48c7be30-eeac-4790-977b-cae4064d46f3_210x240.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!X5Ki!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F48c7be30-eeac-4790-977b-cae4064d46f3_210x240.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!X5Ki!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F48c7be30-eeac-4790-977b-cae4064d46f3_210x240.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!X5Ki!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F48c7be30-eeac-4790-977b-cae4064d46f3_210x240.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>Randy Fine went to Harvard, gets paid $174,000 a year, and spends it posting. Eric Yonce walked two thousand miles and is raising nineteen dollars at a time to take the job away from him.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://secure.actblue.com/donate/yonce_3pb_kl&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Donate $25: Help Yonce Win!&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/yonce_3pb_kl"><span>Donate $25: Help Yonce Win!</span></a></p><h2>What It Takes</h2><p>Republicans hold the House by a handful of seats.</p><p>Nobody in Washington has ever made Randy Fine pay for anything he said. We can help Yonce make him pay by taking his seat.</p><div><hr></div><h2>Nothing happened to Fine. Then he went after the one judge who tried.</h2><p><strong>&#8594; <a href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/yonce_3pb_kl">Click to Donate to Eric Yonce!</a></strong></p><div><hr></div><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://blueontheballot.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for reading Blue on the Ballot! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Her Job Was Speaking for Kids in Court.]]></title><description><![CDATA[Yen Bailey spoke for children in court and enforced ethics rules for The Florida Bar. Evan Power chairs the Florida GOP, and a federal complaint says he used it to elect himself.]]></description><link>https://blueontheballot.substack.com/p/her-job-was-speaking-for-kids-in</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://blueontheballot.substack.com/p/her-job-was-speaking-for-kids-in</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Blue On the Ballot]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 08 Aug 2026 14:01:04 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!KGuu!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F736d6933-f12a-4115-9ac6-306adcd7083b_1024x787.webp" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Yen Bailey&#8217;s job was holding lawyers to the rules.</p><p>She served as assistant ethics counsel for The Florida Bar. When a lawyer in Florida crossed a line, that office is who decided what happened next.</p><p>Before that, courts appointed her as a Guardian Ad Litem. That means a judge picked her to speak for a child who could not speak for herself in a courtroom full of adults.</p><p>That is the whole r&#233;sum&#233;. Rules, and the people with nobody else in the room.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/yen_kl_3pb" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!KGuu!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F736d6933-f12a-4115-9ac6-306adcd7083b_1024x787.webp 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!KGuu!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F736d6933-f12a-4115-9ac6-306adcd7083b_1024x787.webp 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!KGuu!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F736d6933-f12a-4115-9ac6-306adcd7083b_1024x787.webp 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!KGuu!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F736d6933-f12a-4115-9ac6-306adcd7083b_1024x787.webp 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!KGuu!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F736d6933-f12a-4115-9ac6-306adcd7083b_1024x787.webp" width="326" height="250.548828125" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/736d6933-f12a-4115-9ac6-306adcd7083b_1024x787.webp&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:787,&quot;width&quot;:1024,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:326,&quot;bytes&quot;:138522,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/webp&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;https://secure.actblue.com/donate/yen_kl_3pb&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://blueontheballot.substack.com/i/210318152?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F736d6933-f12a-4115-9ac6-306adcd7083b_1024x787.webp&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!KGuu!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F736d6933-f12a-4115-9ac6-306adcd7083b_1024x787.webp 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!KGuu!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F736d6933-f12a-4115-9ac6-306adcd7083b_1024x787.webp 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!KGuu!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F736d6933-f12a-4115-9ac6-306adcd7083b_1024x787.webp 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!KGuu!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F736d6933-f12a-4115-9ac6-306adcd7083b_1024x787.webp 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><h2>The Man Who Wants This Seat</h2><p>Evan Power is the chairman of the Republican Party of Florida.</p><p>He got that job after the last chairman was removed following a sexual assault investigation.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hqU5!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4df08716-13cc-4ac5-afcc-d95d455779fc_1280x720.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hqU5!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4df08716-13cc-4ac5-afcc-d95d455779fc_1280x720.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hqU5!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4df08716-13cc-4ac5-afcc-d95d455779fc_1280x720.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hqU5!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4df08716-13cc-4ac5-afcc-d95d455779fc_1280x720.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hqU5!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4df08716-13cc-4ac5-afcc-d95d455779fc_1280x720.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hqU5!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4df08716-13cc-4ac5-afcc-d95d455779fc_1280x720.jpeg" width="386" height="217.125" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/4df08716-13cc-4ac5-afcc-d95d455779fc_1280x720.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:720,&quot;width&quot;:1280,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:386,&quot;bytes&quot;:142480,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://blueontheballot.substack.com/i/210318152?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4df08716-13cc-4ac5-afcc-d95d455779fc_1280x720.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hqU5!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4df08716-13cc-4ac5-afcc-d95d455779fc_1280x720.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hqU5!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4df08716-13cc-4ac5-afcc-d95d455779fc_1280x720.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hqU5!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4df08716-13cc-4ac5-afcc-d95d455779fc_1280x720.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hqU5!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4df08716-13cc-4ac5-afcc-d95d455779fc_1280x720.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"></picture><div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>A federal complaint says Power used the party&#8217;s own machinery to help elect himself to Congress. He is asking voters to promote him from running the party to holding the seat.</p><p>He was also arrested for driving under the influence. There was a loaded revolver in the car.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://secure.actblue.com/donate/yen_kl_3pb&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Donate $25: Help Beat Him&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/yen_kl_3pb"><span>Donate $25: Help Beat Him</span></a></p><h2>What Bailey Is Running On</h2><p>Term limits for Congress and for the Supreme Court.</p><p>A five-year ban on members of Congress becoming lobbyists.</p><p>Stronger ethics rules across federal agencies, and watchdogs with the power to actually investigate.</p><p>She is not guessing at any of that. Enforcing ethics rules is the job she already had.</p><p><strong><a href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/yen_kl_3pb">Click Here: Back Yen Bailey</a></strong></p><h2>Ten Days</h2><p>Republicans hold the House by a handful of seats. This is one of them.</p><p>Bailey qualified for the ballot with more than 4,000 signatures gathered across all sixteen counties. Her volunteers were out collecting them through a tornado warning.</p><p>People start voting today. Every dollar has to land before August 18.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://secure.actblue.com/donate/yen_kl_3pb&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Donate $25: Ten Days Left to Win&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/yen_kl_3pb"><span>Donate $25: Ten Days Left to Win</span></a></p><p>She spent her career deciding what happens to people who break the rules. He is running to write them.</p><div><hr></div><h2>She was the ethics counsel. He is the party boss.</h2><p><strong>&#8594; <a href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/yen_kl_3pb">Click to Donate to Yen Bailey!</a></strong></p><p>People are voting today. Ten days to fund it.</p><div><hr></div><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://blueontheballot.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for reading this Saturday Special Edition of Blue on the Ballot! 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