Shontel Brown wins US House seat in Ohio

OHIO-Shontel Brown, 46, a Cuyahoga County Council member who also chairs the county Democratic Party, won the Cleveland-area House seat formerly held by Marcia Fudge, who stepped down to become housing and urban development secretary in the Biden administration.

Brown defeated Republican Laverne Gore, a business owner and activist, in the heavily Democratic district that stretches from Cleveland to Akron. She said she is ready to get to work.

“I am committed to going to Washington as a unifier, and will work with President Biden and Democratic leaders in Congress to lead a swift health and economic recovery from the pandemic for Ohioans,” Brown said in a statement.

Brown will fill the remainder of her predecessors’ term, which runs until January 2023. She must face reelection again next year under a congressional map that’s being redrawn to hold onto the seat.

Pittsburgh elects Ed Gainey as its first Black mayor

Pittsburgh voters on Tuesday elected state Rep. Ed Gainey (D) as the city’s 61st mayor — and the first Black man to lead a city that has grown more diverse in recent decades as the economy has diversified.

Gainey, 51, will succeed Mayor Bill Peduto, a fellow Democrat he defeated in the May primary.

The Associated Press projected Gainey would defeat Republican Tony Moreno, a retired police officer. Gainey led Moreno 71 percent to 29 percent.

Rep. Cori Bush slams Sen. Joe Manchin on spending bill opposition

Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) released the following statement criticizing Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) on Monday hours after he publicly refused to sign off on the latest iteration of a $1.75 social spending package that House Democrats hoped to vote on this week.

"Joe Manchin does not get to dictate the future of our country.

I do not trust his assessment of what our communities need the most. I trust the parents in my district who can’t get to their shift without childcare. "I trust the scientists who have shown us what our future will look like if we fail to meaningfully address the climate crisis. I trust the patients and doctors crying out for comprehensive health coverage for every person in America.

"When I promised St. Louis a historic investment in children, in our seniors, in housing, and in our schools, I said that I would do everything I can to actually deliver change that our community can feel. "We cannot spend the next year saying, ‘the House did its part, and now it’s the Senate’s turn.’ We need the Senate to actually get this done.

"Joe Manchin’s opposition to the Build Back Better Act is anti-Black, anti-child, anti-woman, and anti-immigrant. When we talk about transformative change, we are talking about a bill that will benefit Black, brown and Indigenous communities.

"Those same communities are overwhelmingly excluded from the bipartisan infrastructure bill. We cannot leave anyone behind.

Senator Manchin must support the Build Back Better Act."

FBI investigating racial slur, fire at Black council member's home

The FBI is conducting a hate crime investigation in Connersville Indiana after the city's only Black council member's home caught fire Oct. 29. Investigators said they found a racial slur spray painted in black letters on the back porch of the home.

Schumer to force vote on John Lewis voting rights bill

Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said on Monday that he will force a vote this week on a voting rights bill named after the late Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.)

Schumer will force a vote on Wednesday on whether to debate the bill. It is expected to fail to get the 60 votes needed to advance.

"I will file cloture on the motion to proceed to the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, setting up a vote to take place on Wednesday," Schumer said from the Senate floor.

"If there's anything that merits debate here in the Senate, it's protecting the precious right of Americans to participate in our elections," Schumer added.

The voting rights bill named after Lewis would update the Voting Rights Act (VRA) to strengthen sections of the 1965 law that were gutted by the Supreme Court's 2013 Shelby County v. Holder decision, which focused on Section 5 of the VRA that required Justice Department preclearance before some states could change voting laws, and the 2021 Brnovich v. Democratic National Committee decision, which advocates believe weakened Section 2 of the 1965 law focused on racially targeted voting policies.

Schumer pledged that if Republicans help start debate on the bill, which is unlikely, that they would have a chance to offer amendments. Even if Republicans allowed a debate on the bill, they could still block it from passing because it will need to overcome a second 60-vote hurdle.

"I am prepared to offer a full-fledged debate befitting this great chamber. Republicans will be given the chance to raise their objections, to offer amendments and make changes to the bill," Schumer said.

"I know that both parties have serious disagreements on this important issue, so we want to hear from the other side what they propose. But for that to happen, we need to start debate first. We need to vote to allow the Senate to work through its process," Schumer added.

[MSN]