washingtontimes--2020-11-05--Trump Hispanic support growth befuddles Democrats, activists

Hispanic activists had promised that President Trump ‘ s immigration policy , insulting rhetoric and handling of the coronavirus — with a disproportionate impact on Hispanics — would earn him the lowest share of their votes in modern American history .
They were wrong .
The main news media consortium ’ s exit polling showed Mr. Trump expanding his share of the Hispanic vote from 28 % in 2016 to 32 % this year .
A separate exit poll for The Associated Press and Fox News showed Mr. Trump winning 35 % , which would be the second-best performance for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ success has set off a round of soul-searching among those who insisted that Hispanics would punish this president .
From venerable publications to Twitter , the discussion divided into those who blamed racism and those who sought deeper explanations .
Among that latter group , conclusion No .
1 was that politicians and the press bungled by seeing Hispanics as a monolith .
“ The reason the ‘ Latino vote ’ befuddles is because it doesn ’ t exist , nor do ‘ Latino issues , ’ ” Isvett Verde , an opinion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wrote in an election postmortem .
Mr. Trump ‘ s team was quick to home in on that and made specific pitches to different segments .
Cuban Americans were reminded of the administration ’ s get-tough stance on the island nation ’ s dictatorial government .
Venezuelan Americans were told the socialism ravaging their country could reach the U.S. under Democratic nominee Joseph R. Biden .
“ He made inroads with a very good campaign that really targeted different groups within the Hispanic community , ” said Alfonso Aguilar , a Bush administration @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for Conservative Principles .
“ He understood it ’ s not monolithic and went to each group — Cubans , Venezuelans , Mexicans — with a specific message that resonated with them.
” Mr. Aguilar also said the support showed that the president ’ s immigration message wasn ’ t the killer Democrats had predicted .
“ They tried to portray the president as a monster , and what [ Hispanics ] saw was the president actually tried to get something done on DACA , and the Democrats didn ’ t budge , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ president ’ s 2018 offer of a pathway to citizenship for some Dreamers in exchange for border wall funding .
Mr. Trump did better than 2012 Republican nominee Mitt Romney , who had the stiffest immigration policy of any major-party nominee before Mr. Trump , and better than 2008 nominee John McCain , whose record on immigration was among the most lenient .
Even Democrats ’ reminders of Mr. Trump ‘ s harsh words , such as calling Mexican migrants “ rapists ” or using a derogatory term to refer to some Central @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the electorate .
“ This kind of support shows many Hispanics across the spectrum were able to separate the rhetoric from the policies , ” Mr. Aguilar said .
Mr. Trump ‘ s victory in Florida , where the AP/Fox survey showed he won 45 % of the Hispanic vote , has spurred much of the conversation .
But Hispanic activists said the bigger story should be the vote in places like Nevada and Arizona , where Mr. Trump was trailing Mr. Biden as the votes were being tabulated .
Polling shows Hispanics @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ Yes , there was a decline in Latino support in Miami-Dade County , but Miami-Dade County is 3.1 % of the national Latino population , and I look forward to receiving a press call about the other 97 % , ” tweeted Gary Segura , a professor at the University of California , Los Angeles , and one of the founders of the polling firm Latino Decisions .
Chuck Rocha , founder of Nuestro Political Action Committee , which focused on turning out Hispanic voters for Mr. Biden , said Democrats @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the back of Latino votes.
” But he said Democratic interest groups left winnable votes on the table by not investing more in the community .
“ These folks spent a billion dollars talking to White people because it ’ s smart politics , ” Mr. Rocha said .
“ Then why don ’ t you do that with Latinos ?
” Attempts to reach Hispanic voters have grown more sophisticated over the years .
Two decades ago , campaigns took English-language ads , translated them and ran them on Spanish-language stations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ads specifically targeted to young Hispanic supporters of Sen. Bernard Sanders , with digital ads telling them about Mr. Biden ’ s plans for climate change and the cost of college .
Hispanic community leaders did cheer the overall level of turnout .
The news media consortium ’ s exit polling said Hispanics represented 13 % of the vote , up from about 11 % in 2016 and 10 % in 2012 .
“ While there are still many ballots to be counted in the presidential election and races across the country , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the Latinos turned out to vote in record numbers in 2020 , ” said Arturo Vargas , CEO of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials .
But even that was tough to pin down .
The Associated Press/Fox election survey showed just 9 % of the voters it polled were Hispanic .
Some Hispanic rights groups have questioned the accuracy of exit polls when it comes to counting the community .
In 2004 , they challenged exit polling showing President George W. Bush winning 44 % of the vote @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at 40 % or so .
In 2016 , a debate erupted after polls showed Mr. Trump at 28 % , better than Mr. Romney ’ s 27 % , despite his rhetoric and policies .
The same questions raged this year .
Latino Decisions , which specializes in Hispanic polling for liberal-leaning groups , said its election eve surveys showed Mr. Trump winning 27 % of the Hispanic vote nationally and 38 % in Florida — significantly lower than other polling .
Latino Decisions ’ findings did back up the conclusion that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Nationally , Mr. Trump won 52 % of the Cuban American vote but just 23 % of Mexican American voters in their surveys .
He won 29 % from voters with Central American heritage and 40 % from those with roots in South America .
For Republicans , the question is whether Mr. Trump ‘ s success is transferable to other party candidates .
Mr. Aguilar said it is : “ A candidate who has an optimistic view , is affable , but still strong — can ’ t be a weak leader @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I think Hispanics would respond very well to that .
”

Hispanic activists had promised that President Trump’s immigration policy, insulting rhetoric and handling of the coronavirus pandemic — with a disproportionate impact on Hispanics — would earn him the lowest share of their votes in modern American history. They were wrong.
The main news media consortium’s exit polling showed Mr. Trump expanding his share of the Hispanic vote from 28% in 2016 to 32% this year. A separate exit poll for The Associated Press and Fox News showed Mr. Trump winning 35%, which would be the second-best performance for any Republican since Ronald Reagan.
That success has set off a round of soul-searching among those who insisted that Hispanics would punish this president.
From venerable publications to Twitter, the discussion divided into those who blamed racism and those who sought deeper explanations.
Among that latter group, conclusion No. 1 was that politicians and the press bungled by seeing Hispanics as a monolith.
“The reason the ‘Latino vote’ befuddles is because it doesn’t exist, nor do ‘Latino issues,’” Isvett Verde, an opinion editor at The New York Times, wrote in an election postmortem.
Mr. Trump’s team was quick to home in on that and made specific pitches to different segments. Cuban Americans were reminded of the administration’s get-tough stance on the island nation’s dictatorial government. Venezuelan Americans were told the socialism ravaging their country could reach the U.S. under Democratic nominee Joseph R. Biden.
“He made inroads with a very good campaign that really targeted different groups within the Hispanic community,” said Alfonso Aguilar, a Bush administration official who now runs the Latino Partnership for Conservative Principles. “He understood it’s not monolithic and went to each group — Cubans, Venezuelans, Mexicans — with a specific message that resonated with them.”
Mr. Aguilar also said the support showed that the president’s immigration message wasn’t the killer Democrats had predicted.
“They tried to portray the president as a monster, and what [Hispanics] saw was the president actually tried to get something done on DACA, and the Democrats didn’t budge,” he said in reference to the president’s 2018 offer of a pathway to citizenship for some Dreamers in exchange for border wall funding.
Mr. Trump did better than 2012 Republican nominee Mitt Romney, who had the stiffest immigration policy of any major-party nominee before Mr. Trump, and better than 2008 nominee John McCain, whose record on immigration was among the most lenient.
Even Democrats’ reminders of Mr. Trump’s harsh words, such as calling Mexican migrants “rapists” or using a derogatory term to refer to some Central American nations, didn’t poison the electorate.
“This kind of support shows many Hispanics across the spectrum were able to separate the rhetoric from the policies,” Mr. Aguilar said.
Florida vs. the country
Mr. Trump’s victory in Florida, where the AP/Fox survey showed he won 45% of the Hispanic vote, has spurred much of the conversation.
But Hispanic activists said the bigger story should be the vote in places like Nevada and Arizona, where Mr. Trump was trailing Mr. Biden as the votes were being tabulated. Polling shows Hispanics there were overwhelmingly supportive of Mr. Biden.
“Yes, there was a decline in Latino support in Miami-Dade County, but Miami-Dade County is 3.1% of the national Latino population, and I look forward to receiving a press call about the other 97%,” tweeted Gary Segura, a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, and one of the founders of the polling firm Latino Decisions.
Chuck Rocha, founder of Nuestro Political Action Committee, which focused on turning out Hispanic voters for Mr. Biden, said Democrats’ wins in close states came “on the back of Latino votes.”
But he said Democratic interest groups left winnable votes on the table by not investing more in the community.
“These folks spent a billion dollars talking to White people because it’s smart politics,” Mr. Rocha said. “Then why don’t you do that with Latinos?”
Attempts to reach Hispanic voters have grown more sophisticated over the years.
Two decades ago, campaigns took English-language ads, translated them and ran them on Spanish-language stations. This year, Nuestro PAC cut ads specifically targeted to young Hispanic supporters of Sen. Bernard Sanders, with digital ads telling them about Mr. Biden’s plans for climate change and the cost of college.
How high?
Hispanic community leaders did cheer the overall level of turnout.
The news media consortium’s exit polling said Hispanics represented 13% of the vote, up from about 11% in 2016 and 10% in 2012.
“While there are still many ballots to be counted in the presidential election and races across the country, no matter their results, we know that the Latinos turned out to vote in record numbers in 2020,” said Arturo Vargas, CEO of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials.
But even that was tough to pin down.
The Associated Press/Fox election survey showed just 9% of the voters it polled were Hispanic.
Some Hispanic rights groups have questioned the accuracy of exit polls when it comes to counting the community.
In 2004, they challenged exit polling showing President George W. Bush winning 44% of the vote. Other academic work put the number at 40% or so.
In 2016, a debate erupted after polls showed Mr. Trump at 28%, better than Mr. Romney’s 27%, despite his rhetoric and policies.
The same questions raged this year.
Latino Decisions, which specializes in Hispanic polling for liberal-leaning groups, said its election eve surveys showed Mr. Trump winning 27% of the Hispanic vote nationally and 38% in Florida — significantly lower than other polling.
Latino Decisions’ findings did back up the conclusion that the Hispanic vote is not monolithic.
Nationally, Mr. Trump won 52% of the Cuban American vote but just 23% of Mexican American voters in their surveys. He won 29% from voters with Central American heritage and 40% from those with roots in South America.
For Republicans, the question is whether Mr. Trump’s success is transferable to other party candidates.
Mr. Aguilar said it is: “A candidate who has an optimistic view, is affable, but still strong — can’t be a weak leader but still has the same views — I think Hispanics would respond very well to that.”
• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.


washingtontimes--2020-11-05--Donald Trump alleges voter fraud as late counts favor Joe Biden

Democratic challenger Joseph R. Biden ate into President Trump ’ s leads in key battleground states Thursday as Mr. Trump seized on allegations of fraud in jurisdictions from coast to coast to argue that the 2020 election was essentially being stolen from him .
Mr. Trump ’ s team continued a flurry of legal challenges and insisted he would emerge the winner as soon as Friday as Mr. Biden appeared on the cusp of clinching the presidency if just one additional state broke his way .
“ They ’ re trying to rig an election , ” Mr. Trump said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ We can ’ t allow anybody to silence our voters and manufacture results .
We want an honest election and an honest count.
” Mr. Biden ’ s projected 264-214 lead in the Electoral College didn ’ t change Thursday , but he clawed away at the president ’ s once-substantial leads in Georgia and Pennsylvania in the hunt for just one more state to get the 270 electoral votes needed to win .
Mr. Trump gained on Mr. Biden ’ s lead in Arizona , a state that the Associated Press @ @ @ @ @ @ @ slow-moving vote count showed a thinning margin .
Mr. Trump trailed by 2 percentage points , or 57,000 votes , with an estimated 13 % of the ballots still uncounted .
“ We have no doubt that when the count is finished Sen. [ Kamala ] Harris and I will be declared the winners , ” Mr. Biden said in brief remarks in Delaware earlier in the day .
“ So I ask everyone to stay calm … the process is working .
The count is being completed and we ’ ll know @ @ @ @ @ @ @ soon be president-elect , Mr. Biden set up a transition website and participated in economic and COVID-19 briefings in his home state .
The president ’ s team , meanwhile , stepped up accusations of voter fraud as more and more ballots rolled in .
“ We have been getting countless incoming calls from people all over the country reporting the fraud and the abuse , ” said Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien .
“ The Democrats ’ lying , cheating and stealing is running rampant all over this country.
” Biden campaign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Trump team was grasping at straws because they know the math is not in their favor .
She said the Trump team ’ s “ meritless ” legal challenges in various states are meant to “ delay what is now inevitable : Joe Biden will be the next president of the United States.
” In Georgia , Mr. Trump led Mr. Biden by a 49.4 % to 49.3 % margin , or less than 4,000 votes , with about 98 % of the expected votes reported .
Mr. Biden cut into the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ votes from the solidly Democratic Atlanta area were tabulated .
In Pennsylvania , Mr. Trump was leading by about a 49.8 % to 48.9 % margin , or less than 65,000 votes , with 94 % of the estimated votes in .
The president had been leading by about 600,000 votes on Election Night , but Mr. Biden gained ground as more votes from the Democratic-leaning Philadelphia area were counted .
Officials in Arizona continued to tabulate ballots in populous Maricopa County and elsewhere , though a final count wasn ’ t expected @ @ @ @ @ @ @ held a 50.3 % to 48.3 % lead , a margin of about 59,000 votes , with about 86 % of the estimated votes reported .
The AP and Fox News projected Mr. Biden as the winner , but Team Trump said the president was on track to overtake Mr. Biden .
Trump campaign officials and others in the president ’ s orbit were increasingly venting their fury at Fox News on Thursday for calling Arizona for Mr. Biden on Election Night .
They have said the state was obviously too close to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ held a 49.4 % to 48.5 % lead , a margin of about 11,400 votes , with an estimated 89 % of the total vote in , gaining a bit of ground from his overnight lead of about 7,600 votes .
Joe Gloria , the Clark County registrar of voters , said he anticipated having “ the bulk ” of the mail ballots they ’ ve gotten into the system by Saturday or Sunday .
The Nevada state legislature passed a law this year to send all active registered voters in the state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Nov. 10 will be counted as long as they had been postmarked by Nov. 3 .
Ms. O ’ Malley Dillon of the Biden campaign said the margins in Arizona and Nevada could well bounce around depending on the order in which the remaining votes were announced but that Mr. Biden would win both states .
“ We are absolutely confident Joe Biden will be the next president of the United States , ” Ms. O ’ Malley Dillon said .
Mr. Trump held a 50 % to 48.6 % lead in North @ @ @ @ @ @ @ votes , with 95 % of the estimated total reported .
Officials there indicated that the final tabulations might not be finished until Nov. 12 or Nov. 13 .
Mail-in ballots are accepted in North Carolina until Nov. 12 as long as they ’ re postmarked by Nov. 3 .
The president ’ s team expressed absolute confidence as they took new legal action , or threatened to do the same , in Nevada and Pennsylvania .
“ We believe President Trump will win the race , ” Trump campaign senior adviser Jason @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be clear to the American public that President Trump and Vice President [ Mike ] Pence will serve another four years in the White House.
” The Trump campaign threatened legal action in Nevada on Wednesday , accusing the state of counting the votes of non-residents , which is illegal .
The lawsuit added to a flurry of court challenges the Trump campaign launched in Pennsylvania , Georgia and Michigan .
They also vowed to pursue a recount in Wisconsin , where Mr. Biden was declared the victor Wednesday and where he held @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a margin of about 20,500 votes , according to unofficial tallies .
A Georgia judge on Thursday threw out the Trump campaign ’ s challenge that about 50 late absentee ballots might have been improperly mixed with other ballots .
A judge in Michigan also tossed aside a complaint that the Trump campaign was not being given sufficient access to witness the vote count .
A Pennsylvania court did rule in favor of the Trump campaign in granting poll observers more access to observe the vote count .
The Trump campaign went @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Philadelphia Democrats to comply with the state ruling .
The president ’ s sons Donald Jr. and Eric expressed their anger at GOP elected officials on Thursday for abandoning their father in his fight , saying only Florida Gov .
Ron DeSantis and Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri have stepped up publicly .
Disgraced former Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale tweeted Thursday night , “ If you want to win in 2024 as a Republican .
I would probably start saying something .
Just saying.
” With the entire world casting its gaze @ @ @ @ @ @ @ election officials said their workers were doing a commendable job under high-pressure and trying circumstances .
“ Like many of y ’ all during this election cycle , they are tired .
Sometimes they ’ re going to forget to press the upload button , ” said Gabriel Sterling , voting system implementation manager for Georgia .
“ Fast is great .
We appreciate fast .
We more appreciate accuracy.
” Mr. Gloria said that workers were adjusting to the new rules on mail-in ballots as best they could .
“ I think @ @ @ @ @ @ @ country to understand that mail ballots on this scale are very new to the state of Nevada , ” he said .
“ We made a decision here to provide as much access as we could as a result of the pandemic , and so our process has run a little bit slower .
”

Dave Boyer, David Sherfinski and David Sherfinski, Seth McLaughlin

Democratic challenger Joseph R. Biden ate into President Trump’s leads in key battleground states Thursday as Mr. Trump seized on allegations of fraud in jurisdictions from coast to coast to argue that the election was essentially being stolen from him.
Mr. Trump’s team continued a flurry of legal challenges and insisted he would emerge the winner as soon as Friday as Mr. Biden appeared on the cusp of clinching the presidency if just one additional state broke his way.
“They’re trying to rig an election,” Mr. Trump said Thursday evening at the White House. “We can’t allow anybody to silence our voters and manufacture results. We want an honest election and an honest count.”
Mr. Biden’s projected 264-214 lead in the Electoral College didn’t change Thursday, but he clawed away at the president’s once-substantial leads in Georgia and Pennsylvania in the hunt for just one more state to get the 270 electoral votes needed to win.
Mr. Trump gained on Mr. Biden’s lead in Arizona, a state that The Associated Press called for Mr. Biden but where a slow-moving vote count showed a thinning margin. Mr. Trump trailed by 1.6 percentage points, or 46,000 votes, with an estimated 10% of the ballots still uncounted.
“We have no doubt that when the count is finished Sen. [Kamala] D. Harris and I will be declared the winners,” Mr. Biden said in brief remarks in Delaware earlier in the day. “So I ask everyone to stay calm. … The process is working. The count is being completed, and we’ll know very soon.”
Anticipating that he will soon be president-elect, Mr. Biden set up a transition website and participated in economic and COVID-19 briefings in his home state.
The president’s team, meanwhile, stepped up accusations of voter fraud as more and more ballots rolled in.
“We have been getting countless incoming calls from people all over the country reporting the fraud and the abuse,” said Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien. “The Democrats’ lying, cheating and stealing is running rampant all over this country.”
Biden campaign manager Jen O’Malley Dillon said the Trump team was grasping at straws because they know the math is not in their favor.
She said the Trump team’s “meritless” legal challenges in various states are meant to “delay what is now inevitable: Joe Biden will be the next president of the United States.”
Some Republicans also rebuked Mr. Trump for his remarks at the White House.
“There is no defense for the President’s comments tonight undermining our Democratic process,” Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said in a post on Twitter. “America is counting the votes, and we must respect the results as we always have before. No election or person is more important than our Democracy.”
In Georgia, Mr. Trump led Mr. Biden by less than 2,000 votes out of close to 5 million ballots cast for the two candidates, with about 99% of the expected votes counted.
Mr. Biden cut into the president’s margin there as more votes from the solidly Democratic Atlanta area were tabulated.
In Pennsylvania, Mr. Trump was leading by about a 49.7% to 49.0% margin, or fewer than 50,000 votes, with 94% of the estimated votes in.
The president was leading by about 600,000 votes on election night, but Mr. Biden gained ground as more votes from the Democratic-leaning Philadelphia area were counted.
Officials in Arizona continued to tabulate ballots in populous Maricopa County and elsewhere, though a final count wasn’t expected until at least Friday. Mr. Biden held a 50.1% to 48.5% lead, a margin of about 46,000 votes, with about 90% of the estimated votes reported.
The AP and Fox News projected Mr. Biden as the winner, but Team Trump said the president was on track to overtake Mr. Biden.
Trump campaign officials and others in the president’s orbit were increasingly venting their fury at Fox News on Thursday for calling Arizona for Mr. Biden on election night. They have said the state was obviously too close to call.
In Nevada, Mr. Biden held a 49.4% to 48.5% lead, a margin of about 11,400 votes, with an estimated 89% of the total vote in, gaining a bit of ground from his overnight lead of about 7,600 votes.
Joe Gloria, the Clark County registrar of voters, said he anticipated having “the bulk” of the mail ballots they have received into the system by Saturday or Sunday.
The Nevada Legislature enacted a law this year to send a mail ballot to all active registered voters in the state. Ballots received by Nov. 10 will be counted as long as they are postmarked by Nov. 3.
Ms. O’Malley Dillon of the Biden campaign said the margins in Arizona and Nevada could well bounce around depending on the order in which the remaining votes are announced but that Mr. Biden would win both states.
“We are absolutely confident Joe Biden will be the next president of the United States,” Ms. O’Malley Dillon said.
Mr. Trump held a 50% to 48.6% lead in North Carolina, a margin of about 77,000 votes, with 95% of the estimated total reported.
Officials there indicated that the final tabulations might not be finished until Nov. 12 or Nov. 13. Mail-in ballots are accepted in North Carolina until Nov. 12 as long as they are postmarked by Nov. 3.
The president’s team expressed absolute confidence as they took new legal action, or threatened to do the same, in Nevada and Pennsylvania.
“We believe President Trump will win the race,” Trump campaign senior adviser Jason Miller said. “Soon it will be clear to the American public that President Trump and Vice President [Mike] Pence will serve another four years in the White House.”
The Trump campaign threatened legal action in Nevada on Wednesday, accusing the state of counting the votes of nonresidents, which is illegal.
The lawsuit added to a flurry of court challenges the Trump campaign launched in Pennsylvania, Georgia and Michigan.
They also vowed to pursue a recount in Wisconsin, where Mr. Biden was declared the victor Wednesday and where he held a 49.4% to 48.8% lead, a margin of about 20,500 votes, according to unofficial tallies.
A Georgia judge on Thursday threw out the Trump campaign’s challenge that about 50 late absentee ballots might have been improperly mixed with other ballots.
A judge in Michigan tossed aside a complaint that the Trump campaign was not being given sufficient access to witness the vote count.
A Pennsylvania court did rule in favor of the Trump campaign by granting poll observers more access to observe the vote count.
The Trump campaign went to federal court to try to force Philadelphia Democrats to comply with the state ruling.
The president’s sons Donald Jr. and Eric expressed their anger at Republican elected officials for abandoning their father in his fight. They said only Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri have stepped up publicly.
Disgraced former Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale tweeted Thursday night, “If you want to win in 2024 as a Republican. I would probably start saying something. Just saying.”
With the entire world casting its gaze on a handful of U.S. states, election officials said their workers were doing a commendable job under high pressure and trying circumstances.
“Like many of y’all during this election cycle, they are tired. Sometimes they’re going to forget to press the upload button,” said Gabriel Sterling, voting system implementation manager for Georgia. “Fast is great. We appreciate fast. We more appreciate accuracy.”
Mr. Gloria said workers were adjusting to new rules on mail-in ballots as best they could.
“I think it’s important for the entire country to understand that mail ballots on this scale are very new to the state of Nevada,” he said. “We made a decision here to provide as much access as we could as a result of the pandemic, and so our process has run a little bit slower.”
• Alex Swoyer contributed to this report.
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com. • Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com. • David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.


washingtontimes--2020-11-05--Final votes confirm New Zealand won't legalize marijuana

WELLINGTON , New Zealand ( AP ) - New Zealand won ’ t be legalizing marijuana after the final votes counted Friday in a referendum failed to overturn the result from election night - although it got close .
The referendum to legalize the drug ended up with 48 % in support and 51 % opposed , a tightening from the election night split of 46 % in favor and 53 % against .
The special votes tallied after the Oct. 17 election included those cast overseas and accounted for about 17 % of the total vote .
The special @ @ @ @ @ @ @ liberal Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and her Labour Party , which ended up with just over 50 % of the total vote , and 65 of Parliament ’ s 120 seats .
It is the first time any single party has commanded a majority in Parliament since New Zealand introduced a proportional voting system 24 years ago .
And it ’ s the first time any single party has won a majority of all votes since 1951 .
The landslide victory reflected widespread approval of Ardern ’ s handling of the coronavirus pandemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ main opposition , ended up with just 26 % of the vote and 33 seats in Parliament .
Ardern and top lawmakers in her Cabinet were sworn in Friday in a ceremony conducted by Governor-General Patsy Reddy .
Ardern warned her colleagues about the difficulties they faced with the virus and economic downturn .
“ You will govern thorough one of the most difficult times in New Zealand history , ” Ardern said .
New Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson will be the first openly gay man to hold the role .
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ finance minister .
Ardern has also assigned a number of indigenous Maori lawmakers to top positions , including Nanaia Mahuta , who will take on the role of foreign minister , and Kelvin Davis , who will be minister for children .
The final vote count barely changed the level of support for a second referendum to allow euthanasia , which won with 65 % approval .
Almost 3 million people voted in the election , and the turnout of 82 % was the highest in more than 20 years .
As well @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the 33 by National , the liberal Green Party won 10 seats , the libertarian ACT Party won 10 and the indigenous Maori Party won two .
Although the Labour Party could govern alone , it has signed an agreement with the Green Party to work together on climate , environment and child well-being issues .
Two Green Party lawmakers have also been given ministerial roles outside of the Cabinet .

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) - New Zealand won’t be legalizing marijuana after the final votes counted Friday in a referendum failed to overturn the result from election night - although it got close.
The referendum to legalize the drug ended up with 48% in support and 51% opposed, a tightening from the election night split of 46% in favor and 53% against. The special votes tallied after the Oct. 17 election included those cast overseas and accounted for about 17% of the total vote.
The special votes also slightly increased the majority of liberal Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and her Labour Party, which ended up with just over 50% of the total vote, and 65 of Parliament’s 120 seats.
It is the first time any single party has commanded a majority in Parliament since New Zealand introduced a proportional voting system 24 years ago. And it’s the first time any single party has won a majority of all votes since 1951.
The landslide victory reflected widespread approval of Ardern’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic. The conservative National Party, the main opposition, ended up with just 26% of the vote and 33 seats in Parliament.
Ardern and top lawmakers in her Cabinet were sworn in Friday in a ceremony conducted by Governor-General Patsy Reddy. Ardern warned her colleagues about the difficulties they faced with the virus and economic downturn.
“You will govern thorough one of the most difficult times in New Zealand history,” Ardern said.
New Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson will be the first openly gay man to hold the role. He will also continue his previous job as finance minister.
Ardern has also assigned a number of indigenous Maori lawmakers to top positions, including Nanaia Mahuta, who will take on the role of foreign minister, and Kelvin Davis, who will be minister for children.
The final vote count barely changed the level of support for a second referendum to allow euthanasia, which won with 65% approval.
Almost 3 million people voted in the election, and the turnout of 82% was the highest in more than 20 years. As well as the 65 seats won by Labour and the 33 by National, the liberal Green Party won 10 seats, the libertarian ACT Party won 10 and the indigenous Maori Party won two.
Although the Labour Party could govern alone, it has signed an agreement with the Green Party to work together on climate, environment and child well-being issues. Two Green Party lawmakers have also been given ministerial roles outside of the Cabinet.


washingtontimes--2020-11-05--Democrats unable to deliver House, Senate wins despite raising more money than Republicans

The Democrats ’ enormous cash advantage in the 2020 elections failed to translate into equally massive House and Senate wins as the financially outgunned Republicans delivered more bang for their political buck .
Republican House and Senate candidates outperformed expectations despite a significant fundraising deficit , spending $ 3.8 billion versus $ 6.9 billion for the Democrats , according to an Oct. 28 analysis by the Center for Responsive Politics .
House Republicans picked up at least six seats — with more expected as uncalled races are decided — while Senate Republicans were poised to retain their majority as most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ face of a fierce Democratic financial headwind .
“ It is amazing that with the leadership of almost every major institution in America arrayed against conservatives that Republicans were basically able to battle establishment Democrats to a tie , ” said Richard Viguerie , political direct-mail pioneer and founder of ConservativeHQ , on a call with reporters .
“ The massive establishment forces against the president and the GOP including entertainment , Hollywood , the mainstream media , Big Tech billionaires and their companies , academia and unions , ” Mr. Viguerie said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ % more money from 500 % more donors in the last two years than conservatives and Republicans did.
” Former Vice President Joseph R. Biden , who was ahead of President Trump on Thursday in the electoral vote count , also outraised the Trump campaign on his way to becoming the second $ 1 billion candidate in history , after Michael R. Bloomberg , who spent 10 figures in the 2020 Democratic primary .
The Democrats ’ fundraising supremacy , fueled by megadonors such as Mr. Bloomberg , Tom Steyer and George Soros @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Wall Street giving , is starting to look more like a feature of political campaigns than a blip .
“ Driven by their supporters ’ strong opposition to Trump , Democrats are continuing their fundraising prowess that helped them dominate the money race in the 2018 election cycle , ” said the Center for Responsive Politics .
“ Their money machine is more powerful than ever in 2020.
” There were several explanations in play as to why Democratic money failed to produce equally big wins .
For one , Democrats threw @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Senate races in red states against entrenched incumbents , including Republican Sens .
Lindsey Graham in South Carolina and Mitch McConnell in Kentucky .
“ Increasingly , when Dem donors see a shiny object in a red/purple state , they flood the zone w/ out-of-state $ $ .
And in combing through Tuesday ’ s down-ballot wreckage , it ’ s not clear that $ $ did more good than harm , ” tweeted David Wasserman , House editor of the Cook Political Report .
A record $ 8.15 billion was spent on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ billion for Democratic candidates , parties and political-action committees versus $ 2.6 billion for Republicans .
Another $ 907 million was spent by independents , according to Advertising Analytics .
That spending had Democrats predicting another blue wave that would result in additional House seats and a Senate takeover , but as of Thursday , it appeared that Republicans had locked up at least 48 seats and would keep their majority .
In addition , Republicans led in the uncalled races in Alaska and North Carolina .
Runoff elections for the two Georgia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The meager Democratic showing came in spite of some lopsided spending .
In North Carolina , Democratic Senate challenger Cal Cunningham raised $ 47 million as of Oct. 14 versus $ 21 million for Republican Sen. Thom Tillis , according to the center .
In Iowa , Democrat Theresa Greenfield raised $ 47 million to GOP Sen. Joni Ernst ’ s $ 23.5 million .
In Kentucky , Mr. McConnell raised $ 55.5 million to Democrat Amy McGrath ’ s $ 88 million .
It wasn ’ t enough .
Mr. McConnell @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 58 % to 38 % , while Ms. Ernst won by 52 % to 45 % .
The North Carolina race has not been called , but Mr. Tillis holds a 48.7 % to 46.9 % lead with 94 % of the vote counted .
In South Carolina , Mr. Graham won by 10 percentage points despite being heavily outraised by Democratic challenger Jaime Harrison , who amassed a mind-boggling $ 107.6 million versus $ 72.7 million for Mr. Graham .
“ There is a law of diminishing returns based on a couple @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , director of the Crossley Center for Public Opinion Research at the University of Denver .
“ One is that the number of voters who are actually persuadable toward the end gets smaller and smaller , so you ’ re spending this immense amount of money on television or digital advertising for just a tiny electorate.
” In addition , there are only so many places to spend that cash , given that television and radio advertising space is finite .
“ In some states , you can ’ t buy that much @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ I mean , what do you do with $ 100 million in South Carolina ?
You could buy the station.
” Democratic fundraising soared after the Sept. 18 death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg , a relatively late infusion of cash that encouraged advertising to the point of overkill .
“ The other thing that happens is that the public simply gets not only immune to it , they get disgusted , ” Mr. Ciruli said .
“ At a certain point the nonstop advertising becomes too much , and that was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so in South Carolina.
” Conservatives offered another explanation : They had the better message .
“ The best way to kill a bad product is to advertise it heavily , ” said Americans for Tax Reform President Grover Norquist .
“ If you spend the money selling higher energy prices , and less production of energy , and higher taxes , that won ’ t do well .
”

The Democrats’ enormous cash advantage in the 2020 elections failed to translate into equally massive House and Senate wins as the financially outgunned Republicans delivered more bang for their political buck.
Republican House and Senate candidates outperformed expectations despite a significant fundraising deficit, spending $3.8 billion versus $6.9 billion for the Democrats, according to an Oct. 28 analysis by the Center for Responsive Politics.
House Republicans picked up at least six seats — with more expected as uncalled races are decided — while Senate Republicans were poised to retain their majority as most incumbents hung onto their seats in the face of a fierce Democratic financial headwind.
“It is amazing that with the leadership of almost every major institution in America arrayed against conservatives that Republicans were basically able to battle establishment Democrats to a tie,” said Richard Viguerie, political direct-mail pioneer and founder of ConservativeHQ, on a call with reporters.
“The massive establishment forces against the president and the GOP including entertainment, Hollywood, the mainstream media, Big Tech billionaires and their companies, academia and unions,” Mr. Viguerie said. “Liberals raised at least 500% more money from 500% more donors in the last two years than conservatives and Republicans did.”
Former Vice President Joseph R. Biden, who was ahead of President Trump on Thursday in the electoral vote count, also outraised the Trump campaign on his way to becoming the second $1 billion candidate in history, after Michael R. Bloomberg, who spent 10 figures in the 2020 Democratic primary.
The Democrats’ fundraising supremacy, fueled by megadonors such as Mr. Bloomberg, Tom Steyer and George Soros as well as Hollywood, Silicon Valley and Wall Street giving, is starting to look more like a feature of political campaigns than a blip.
“Driven by their supporters’ strong opposition to Trump, Democrats are continuing their fundraising prowess that helped them dominate the money race in the 2018 election cycle,” said the Center for Responsive Politics. “Their money machine is more powerful than ever in 2020.”
There were several explanations in play as to why Democratic money failed to produce equally big wins.
For one, Democrats threw hundreds of millions of dollars into long-shot Senate races in red states against entrenched incumbents, including Republican Sens. Lindsey Graham in South Carolina and Mitch McConnell in Kentucky.
“Increasingly, when Dem donors see a shiny object in a red/purple state, they flood the zone w/ out-of-state $$. And in combing through Tuesday’s down-ballot wreckage, it’s not clear that $$ did more good than harm,” tweeted David Wasserman, House editor of the Cook Political Report.
A record $8.15 billion was spent on 2020 campaign advertising, with $4.6 billion for Democratic candidates, parties and political-action committees versus $2.6 billion for Republicans. Another $907 million was spent by independents, according to Advertising Analytics.
That spending had Democrats predicting another blue wave that would result in additional House seats and a Senate takeover, but as of Thursday, it appeared that Republicans had locked up at least 48 seats and would keep their majority.
In addition, Republicans led in the uncalled races in Alaska and North Carolina. Runoff elections for the two Georgia Senate seats will be held Jan. 5.
The meager Democratic showing came in spite of some lopsided spending. In North Carolina, Democratic Senate challenger Cal Cunningham raised $47 million as of Oct. 14 versus $21 million for Republican Sen. Thom Tillis, according to the center.
In Iowa, Democrat Theresa Greenfield raised $47 million to GOP Sen. Joni Ernst’s $23.5 million. In Kentucky, Mr. McConnell raised $55.5 million to Democrat Amy McGrath’s $88 million.
It wasn’t enough. Mr. McConnell coasted to victory by a margin of 58% to 38%, while Ms. Ernst won by 52% to 45%. The North Carolina race has not been called, but Mr. Tillis holds a 48.7% to 46.9% lead with 94% of the vote counted.
In South Carolina, Mr. Graham won by 10 percentage points despite being heavily outraised by Democratic challenger Jaime Harrison, who amassed a mind-boggling $107.6 million versus $72.7 million for Mr. Graham.
“There is a law of diminishing returns based on a couple of things,” said Floyd Ciruli, director of the Crossley Center for Public Opinion Research at the University of Denver. “One is that the number of voters who are actually persuadable toward the end gets smaller and smaller, so you’re spending this immense amount of money on television or digital advertising for just a tiny electorate.”
In addition, there are only so many places to spend that cash, given that television and radio advertising space is finite.
“In some states, you can’t buy that much television,” Mr. Ciruli said. “I mean, what do you do with $100 million in South Carolina? You could buy the station.”
Democratic fundraising soared after the Sept. 18 death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a relatively late infusion of cash that encouraged advertising to the point of overkill.
“The other thing that happens is that the public simply gets not only immune to it, they get disgusted,” Mr. Ciruli said. “At a certain point the nonstop advertising becomes too much, and that was a frequent comment the last week or so in South Carolina.”
Conservatives offered another explanation: They had the better message.
“The best way to kill a bad product is to advertise it heavily,” said Americans for Tax Reform President Grover Norquist. “If you spend the money selling higher energy prices, and less production of energy, and higher taxes, that won’t do well.”
• Valerie Richardson can be reached at vrichardson@washingtontimes.com.


washingtontimes--2020-11-05--Court orders FDA to assess environmental impact of GM salmon

NEW YORK ( AP ) - A federal court judge ordered the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday to conduct an environmental assessment of genetically modified salmon that he said was required for the agency ’ s approval of the fish .
But the judge did not vacate the FDA ’ s approval of the salmon for human consumption in the meantime , because he said the risk for near-term environmental harm is low .
“ The FDA has to go back to the drawing board and do its homework , ” said George Kimbrell , legal director for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the groups that filed suit challenging the agency ’ s approval of the genetically modified salmon .
The ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Vince Chhabria in San Francisco centers on AquaBounty ’ s salmon , which are genetically modified to grow faster than normal salmon .
In 2015 , the fish became the first genetically modified animal approved for human consumption in the U.S. After clearing other regulatory hurdles .
AquaBounty began growing the fish in indoor tanks at an Indiana plant last year .
In an email Thursday , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ covered the potential environmental impact of the fish , and not the health and safety of eating them .
The company said the salmon are not yet being sold in the U.S. ; it had previously said the fish could be in the market by late this year .
The FDA said in a statement that its approval of the salmon remains in place but did not address the judges ruling on the adequacy of its environmental assessment .
To ensure the fish do not escape and breed with wild fish , Massachusetts-based @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tanks and bred to be female and sterile .
But advocacy groups maintain the company ’ s own tests have shown it ’ s not 100 % certain the fish would be sterile , and that the risk of fish escaping into waters could grow if the company were to expand operations .
In his ruling , Judge Chhabria noted that the FDA determined the probability of the salmon escaping and surviving in the wild to be quite low .
But he said the company ’ s production could expand , and that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the possibility of exposure grows.
” And even if it ’ s unlikely the fish could get into the wild , he said the FDA was still required to assess the consequences of the possibility .
AquaBounty fish are Atlantic salmon injected with DNA from other fish species that makes them grow faster .
The salmon already has been sold in limited quantities in Canada , where it doesn ’ t have to be labeled as genetically modified , the company has said .
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s Department of Science Education .
The AP is solely responsible for all content .

NEW YORK (AP) - A federal court judge ordered the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday to conduct an environmental assessment of genetically modified salmon that he said was required for the agency’s approval of the fish.
But the judge did not vacate the FDA’s approval of the salmon for human consumption in the meantime, because he said the risk for near-term environmental harm is low.
“The FDA has to go back to the drawing board and do its homework,” said George Kimbrell, legal director for the Center for Food Safety, one of the groups that filed suit challenging the agency’s approval of the genetically modified salmon.
The ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Vince Chhabria in San Francisco centers on AquaBounty’s salmon, which are genetically modified to grow faster than normal salmon. In 2015, the fish became the first genetically modified animal approved for human consumption in the U.S. After clearing other regulatory hurdles. AquaBounty began growing the fish in indoor tanks at an Indiana plant last year.
In an email Thursday, a representative for AquaBounty noted that the ruling covered the potential environmental impact of the fish, and not the health and safety of eating them. The company said the salmon are not yet being sold in the U.S.; it had previously said the fish could be in the market by late this year.
The FDA said in a statement that its approval of the salmon remains in place but did not address the judges ruling on the adequacy of its environmental assessment.
To ensure the fish do not escape and breed with wild fish, Massachusetts-based AquaBounty says its salmon are raised in tanks and bred to be female and sterile.
But advocacy groups maintain the company’s own tests have shown it’s not 100% certain the fish would be sterile, and that the risk of fish escaping into waters could grow if the company were to expand operations.
In his ruling, Judge Chhabria noted that the FDA determined the probability of the salmon escaping and surviving in the wild to be quite low. But he said the company’s production could expand, and that “with every new facility built, the possibility of exposure grows.” And even if it’s unlikely the fish could get into the wild, he said the FDA was still required to assess the consequences of the possibility.
AquaBounty fish are Atlantic salmon injected with DNA from other fish species that makes them grow faster. The salmon already has been sold in limited quantities in Canada, where it doesn’t have to be labeled as genetically modified, the company has said.
___
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.


washingtontimes--2020-11-05--3 dead in Oceanside sport utility vehicle crash

OCEANSIDE , Calif. ( AP ) - Three people were killed Thursday when their sport utility vehicle crashed into a @ @ @ @ @ in Oceanside , authorities said .
The Mitsubishi Outlander was heading westbound on State Route @ @ @ @ @ when it veered off the road , went down an embankment , hit a fence @ @ @ @ @ surface streets before bursting into flames , California Highway Patrol Officer Mark Latulippe said .
@ @ @ @ @ doused the blaze .
The male driver , another man and a woman were found @ @ @ @ @ They apparently died from the crash and not from the fire , Latulippe said .
@ @ @ @ @ on the identities of the victims .

OCEANSIDE, Calif. (AP) - Three people were killed Thursday when their sport utility vehicle crashed into a traffic pole and caught fire in Oceanside, authorities said.
The Mitsubishi Outlander was heading westbound on State Route 78 at about 2 p.m. when it veered off the road, went down an embankment, hit a fence and struck the pole on surface streets before bursting into flames, California Highway Patrol Officer Mark Latulippe said.
CHP officers quickly arrived and doused the blaze. The male driver, another man and a woman were found dead in the SUV. They apparently died from the crash and not from the fire, Latulippe said.
There was no immediate word on the identities of the victims.


washingtontimes--2020-11-05--Outlook of balance in Senate hazy, but GOP appears to hold 48 seats

The GOP challenger in Michigan ’ s Senate race demanded an investigation into the vote in that state , while in Georgia the Democratic challenger made up enough ground to force a January runoff with incumbent Republican Sen. David Perdue .
Days after the election , control of the Senate remains unclear , with races still uncalled in Alaska and North Carolina , a disputed result in Arizona , and now new questions in Michigan , where GOP challenger John James watched his election-night lead evaporate , and now trails incumbent Democratic Sen. Gary Peters by about 1.5 percentage points @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ While Senator Peters is currently ahead , I have deep concerns that millions of Michiganders may have been disenfranchised by a dishonest few who cheat , ” Mr. James said in a statement .
“ When this process is complete , I will of course accept the results and the will of the people , but at this time there is enough credible evidence to warrant an investigation to ensure that elections were conducted in a transparent , legal and fair manner.
” His statement did not say what evidence he was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sad and it ’ s pathetic .
They lost , it ’ s very clear , ” the Democrat said .
As it stands , Republicans appear to have 48 seats .
GOP candidates are also leading in Alaska and North Carolina , where vote-counting is moving slowly .
Republicans are also holding out hope that Sen. Martha McSally can close the gap as Arizona continues its counting , though some news organizations have projected Democrat Mark Kelly as the winner .
Whatever happens elsewhere , the final makeup of the Senate won @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when the two Georgia races are settled .
One will pit Mr. Perdue against Jon Ossoff , who managed to hold the Republican incumbent to less than 50 % of the vote on Tuesday .
Under Georgia ’ s rules , if nobody crosses that threshold it means a run-off of the top two candidates .
“ David Perdue won this race in regular time and will do the same in overtime , ” said Kevin McLaughlin , executive director of the National Republican Senatorial Committee .
As of Thursday evening Mr. Perdue @ @ @ @ @ @ @ while Mr. Ossoff had 47.74 % .
Ben Fry , the Perdue campaign manager , said Mr. Perdue will end up with more votes than Mr. Ossoff , even if the senator drops below the 50 % mark .
That , the campaign said , leaves Mr. Perdue in solid shape for a runoff .
“ It is clear that more Georgians believe that David Perdue ’ s positive vision for the future direction of our country is better than Chuck Schumer ’ s radical , socialist agenda , ” said Ben Fry @ @ @ @ @ @ @ There ’ s only one candidate in this race who has ever lost a runoff , and it isn ’ t David Perdue.
” That was a reference to Mr. Ossoff ’ s 2017 run for a House seat , where he failed to crack the 50 % mark on Election Day , then lost a runoff .
The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee countered that Mr. Perdue is “ scandal-plagued , ” and said the tight presidential race shows that Georgia is now a swing state .
“ We ’ re ready to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said Scott Fairchild , executive director of the DSCC .
Georgia ’ s other runoff has Sen. Kelly Loeffler facing off against Democrat Raphael Warnock .
Mr. Warnock won the most votes on Election Day , but the GOP vote was split between two candidates .
Republicans argue in a head-to-head matchup Ms. Loeffler will easily prevail .
In Arizona , Ms. McSally trailed by more than 4 points behind Mr. Kelly , though more than 10 % of the vote was still outstanding as of Thursday afternoon .
North Carolina Sen. Thom @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nearly 2 points , or about 100,000 votes out of about 5.5 million .
In Alaska , a state where Republicans have only lost one .
Senate election since 1980 , Sen. Dan Sullivan held a massive 62 % -32 % lead over Al Gross , an independent who was backed by Democrats .
The Gross campaign manager , David Keith , insisted the race was still “ in a state of flux.
” “ Sullivan is benefitting from an early lead , but with approximately 44.6 % of the ballots not yet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we believe will — be overcome once every vote has been counted in the state , ” Mr. Keith said .
Alaska won ’ t start counting early-vote or mail-in ballots until next week .

The GOP challenger in Michigan’s Senate race demanded an investigation into the vote in that state, while in Georgia the Democratic challenger made up enough ground to force a January runoff with incumbent Republican Sen. David Perdue.
Days after the election, control of the Senate remains unclear, with races still uncalled in Alaska and North Carolina, a disputed result in Arizona, and now new questions in Michigan, where GOP challenger John James watched his election-night lead evaporate, and now trails incumbent Democratic Sen. Gary Peters by about 1.5 percentage points out of about 5.5 million votes.
“While Senator Peters is currently ahead, I have deep concerns that millions of Michiganders may have been disenfranchised by a dishonest few who cheat,” Mr. James said in a statement. “When this process is complete, I will of course accept the results and the will of the people, but at this time there is enough credible evidence to warrant an investigation to ensure that elections were conducted in a transparent, legal and fair manner.”
His statement did not say what evidence he was talking about.
Mr. Peters mocked the suggestion.
“It’s sad and it’s pathetic. They lost, it’s very clear,” the Democrat said.
As it stands, Republicans appear to have 48 seats. GOP candidates are also leading in Alaska and North Carolina, where vote-counting is moving slowly.
Republicans are also holding out hope that Sen. Martha McSally can close the gap as Arizona continues its counting, though some news organizations have projected Democrat Mark Kelly as the winner.
Whatever happens elsewhere, the final makeup of the Senate won’t be known until January, when the two Georgia races are settled.
One will pit Mr. Perdue against Jon Ossoff, who managed to hold the Republican incumbent to less than 50% of the vote on Tuesday. Under Georgia’s rules, if nobody crosses that threshold it means a run-off of the top two candidates.
Republicans expressed confidence.
“David Perdue won this race in regular time and will do the same in overtime,” said Kevin McLaughlin, executive director of the National Republican Senatorial Committee.
As of Thursday evening Mr. Perdue had 49.95% of the vote, while Mr. Ossoff had 47.74%.
Ben Fry, the Perdue campaign manager, said Mr. Perdue will end up with more votes than Mr. Ossoff, even if the senator drops below the 50% mark. That, the campaign said, leaves Mr. Perdue in solid shape for a runoff.
“It is clear that more Georgians believe that David Perdue’s positive vision for the future direction of our country is better than Chuck Schumer’s radical, socialist agenda,” said Ben Fry, the Perdue campaign manager. “There’s only one candidate in this race who has ever lost a runoff, and it isn’t David Perdue.”
That was a reference to Mr. Ossoff’s 2017 run for a House seat, where he failed to crack the 50% mark on Election Day, then lost a runoff.
The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee countered that Mr. Perdue is “scandal-plagued,” and said the tight presidential race shows that Georgia is now a swing state.
“We’re ready to help Jon flip this seat,” said Scott Fairchild, executive director of the DSCC.
Georgia’s other runoff has Sen. Kelly Loeffler facing off against Democrat Raphael Warnock. Mr. Warnock won the most votes on Election Day, but the GOP vote was split between two candidates. Republicans argue in a head-to-head matchup Ms. Loeffler will easily prevail.
In Arizona, Ms. McSally trailed by more than 4 points behind Mr. Kelly, though more than 10% of the vote was still outstanding as of Thursday afternoon.
North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis leads Democratic challenger Cal Cunningham by nearly 2 points, or about 100,000 votes out of about 5.5 million.
In Alaska, a state where Republicans have only lost one. Senate election since 1980, Sen. Dan Sullivan held a massive 62%-32% lead over Al Gross, an independent who was backed by Democrats.
The Gross campaign manager, David Keith, insisted the race was still “in a state of flux.”
“Sullivan is benefitting from an early lead, but with approximately 44.6% of the ballots not yet counted, his lead can — and we believe will — be overcome once every vote has been counted in the state,” Mr. Keith said.
Alaska won’t start counting early-vote or mail-in ballots until next week.
• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.


washingtontimes--2020-11-05--Support growing to mail all ballots in California elections

SACRAMENTO , Calif. ( AP ) - When Henry Brown got his ballot in the mail last month , the 74-year-old California musician didn ’ t agonize over his decision .
He filled it out and mailed it back on the same day .
“ It ’ s more convenient , less stressful , ” he said .
And it could soon become a permanent part of elections in the nation ’ s most populous state .
This year , because of the coronavirus pandemic , all of California ’ s more than 22 million registered voters got a ballot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ before Election Day along with a postage-paid envelope to send it back .
Most counties offered fewer in-person polling places , but they opened them earlier , at least three days before Nov. 3 .
When the polls opened on Tuesday , more than 12.7 million people - nearly 60 % of the state ’ s registered voters - had already voted .
The result was shorter lines on Election Day in most places and more votes counted on Election night in a state notorious for its slow return of results .
Now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ weighing whether to make those changes permanent .
Gov .
Gavin Newsom called the idea “ fabulous ” in an interview with Politico .
Toni Atkins , president pro tempore of the California Senate , said the election made it “ crystal clear ” that “ providing every voter with the ability to choose whether to vote from home or in person should be California ’ s new normal.
” “ I think that ’ s going to become a permanent feature , ” said state Sen. Tom Umberg , a Democrat from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Elections and Constitutional Amendments Committee .
California already allowed voters to select voting by mail for any reason .
The percentage of California ballots cast by mail has been steadily increasing since 2001 , when a state law let people opt to permanently receive their ballots in the mail ahead of elections .
Vote-by-mail ballots have accounted for more than half of all votes in every statewide election since 2012 .
Until recently , it ’ s been an option embraced by both major political parties .
But Republican President Donald Trump ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that voting by mail increases fraud seems to have soured some Republicans .
“ Unsurprisingly Democrats now want that to be the norm for all future elections .
Why ?
Probably because it ’ s much easier to control the outcome of an election , ” said state Sen. Melissa Melendez , a Republican from Lake Elsinore .
Five states conduct all elections entirely by mail , and at least 21 others allow smaller elections to happen by mail , according to the National Conference of State Legislatures .
Twelve states expanded vote-by-mail @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with more than 25 million eligible voters , mailing ballots in California is more expensive .
The Department of Finance said it cost $ 65 million just to mail ballots to all of the voters this year who don ’ t normally receive one - about 5.6 million people .
The state could do that this year , in part , because it had millions of dollars in coronavirus aid form the federal government .
The state budget included $ 111.6 million for the election , with more than half of that coming @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that money won ’ t be available for future elections .
Local governments typically pay for elections , but they get reimbursed for things the state requires them to do .
The state had a $ 54.3 billion budget shortfall this year because of the economic downturn caused by the pandemic , and Gov .
Gavin Newsom ’ s administration is projecting an $ 8.7 billion shortfall next year .
Its likely the state will still be recovering from budget cuts when the next statewide election happens in 2022 .
That doesn ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ another Democrat , who said the Legislature views voting by mail as “ the wave of the future.
” “ I personally believe the benefits would outweigh the costs , ” he said .
Assemblyman Phil Ting , the Democratic chair of the Assembly Budget Committee , said cost would be an issue .
But he said mailing ballots could save money by resulting in fewer in-person polling locations and the people to staff them .
It ’ s unclear what California ’ s final voter turnout will look like .
The state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ total ballots cast .
But the percentage of registered voters who cast ballots could be lower because the state has more people registered than ever before .
Three small counties - Alpine , Plumas and Sierra - already conduct all-mail elections .
Fifteen counties , including big ones like Los Angeles , Orange and Fresno , chose to begin sending ballots to all registered voters under the Voters Choice Act , a state law passed in 2016 .
That makes the process more flexible for voters , and it helps election officials process @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Fresno County ’ s registrar of voters and president of the California Association of Clerks and Election Officials .
“ We basically provided them four different ways to return a ballot , ” she said .

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - When Henry Brown got his ballot in the mail last month, the 74-year-old California musician didn’t agonize over his decision. He filled it out and mailed it back on the same day.
“It’s more convenient, less stressful,” he said.
And it could soon become a permanent part of elections in the nation’s most populous state. This year, because of the coronavirus pandemic, all of California’s more than 22 million registered voters got a ballot in the mail at least 29 days before Election Day along with a postage-paid envelope to send it back. Most counties offered fewer in-person polling places, but they opened them earlier, at least three days before Nov. 3.
When the polls opened on Tuesday, more than 12.7 million people - nearly 60% of the state’s registered voters - had already voted. The result was shorter lines on Election Day in most places and more votes counted on Election night in a state notorious for its slow return of results.
Now, California’s Democratic leaders are weighing whether to make those changes permanent. Gov. Gavin Newsom called the idea “fabulous” in an interview with Politico. Toni Atkins, president pro tempore of the California Senate, said the election made it “crystal clear” that “providing every voter with the ability to choose whether to vote from home or in person should be California’s new normal.”
“I think that’s going to become a permanent feature,” said state Sen. Tom Umberg, a Democrat from Santa Ana and chair of the Senate Elections and Constitutional Amendments Committee.
California already allowed voters to select voting by mail for any reason. The percentage of California ballots cast by mail has been steadily increasing since 2001, when a state law let people opt to permanently receive their ballots in the mail ahead of elections. Vote-by-mail ballots have accounted for more than half of all votes in every statewide election since 2012.
Until recently, it’s been an option embraced by both major political parties. But Republican President Donald Trump’s frequent claims - without evidence - that voting by mail increases fraud seems to have soured some Republicans.
“Unsurprisingly Democrats now want that to be the norm for all future elections. Why? Probably because it’s much easier to control the outcome of an election,” said state Sen. Melissa Melendez, a Republican from Lake Elsinore.
Five states conduct all elections entirely by mail, and at least 21 others allow smaller elections to happen by mail, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Twelve states expanded vote-by-mail options for the 2020 election.
But with more than 25 million eligible voters, mailing ballots in California is more expensive. The Department of Finance said it cost $65 million just to mail ballots to all of the voters this year who don’t normally receive one - about 5.6 million people.
The state could do that this year, in part, because it had millions of dollars in coronavirus aid form the federal government. The state budget included $111.6 million for the election, with more than half of that coming from the federal government. Most of that money won’t be available for future elections.
Local governments typically pay for elections, but they get reimbursed for things the state requires them to do. The state had a $54.3 billion budget shortfall this year because of the economic downturn caused by the pandemic, and Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration is projecting an $8.7 billion shortfall next year. Its likely the state will still be recovering from budget cuts when the next statewide election happens in 2022.
That doesn’t deter Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, another Democrat, who said the Legislature views voting by mail as “the wave of the future.”
“I personally believe the benefits would outweigh the costs,” he said.
Assemblyman Phil Ting, the Democratic chair of the Assembly Budget Committee, said cost would be an issue. But he said mailing ballots could save money by resulting in fewer in-person polling locations and the people to staff them.
It’s unclear what California’s final voter turnout will look like. The state is likely to set a record for total ballots cast. But the percentage of registered voters who cast ballots could be lower because the state has more people registered than ever before.
Three small counties - Alpine, Plumas and Sierra - already conduct all-mail elections. Fifteen counties, including big ones like Los Angeles, Orange and Fresno, chose to begin sending ballots to all registered voters under the Voters Choice Act, a state law passed in 2016.
That makes the process more flexible for voters, and it helps election officials process votes faster, said Brandi Orth, Fresno County’s registrar of voters and president of the California Association of Clerks and Election Officials.
“We basically provided them four different ways to return a ballot,” she said.


washingtontimes--2020-11-05--Donald Trump Evangelical support slipped in Michigan

White evangelicals labored in the vineyards again for President Trump on Tuesday , casting votes in overwhelming numbers for the Republican president who counts them among his staunchest allies and for pro-life , socially conservative Republican candidates in down-ballot races as well .
But early data from exit polls and turnout reveals a small but potentially fatal slippage from Mr. Trump ’ s 2016 massive support from Christian evangelicals in key states , even as Democratic rival Joseph R. Biden appeared to be moving closer to a win in both the popular vote and the Electoral College .
Surveys of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Election Poll found that Mr. Trump thumped his Democratic rival with 76 % to 78 % of white , born-again Christians casting ballots for the president this year .
But this strong lean would mark a slight decline from the totals in 2016 , when an estimated 81 % of these voters threw support to Mr. Trump and proved critical to his upset win .
Mr. Trump ’ s deeply loyal evangelical base has always proved something of a conundrum — a brash , thrice-married New York City billionaire developer and reality TV @ @ @ @ @ @ @ non-coastal voting bloc that puts a strong premium on personal character .
But Mr. Trump delivered again and again for evangelical Christians with his strong pro-life stance , Supreme Court nominees , focus on religious freedom and strong backing for Israel .
With small margins in a few swing states likely to decide the election , some of Mr. Trump ’ s opponents say the small erosion in evangelical support after 2016 could have played a critical role in the result .
“ The counties that moved most in Michigan are counties that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pagitt , executive director of Vote Common Good , a Christian group opposed to Mr. Trump ’ s reelection .
Mr. Pagitt , a pastor in Minneapolis , told The Washington Times on Thursday that his organization campaigned heavily in and around Grand Rapids , a region he described as “ the Silicon Valley of the evangelical sub-culture , ” given the prevalence of Christian colleges and publishers .
His group paid for billboards in Kent County highlighting biblical phrases such as “ Turn the other cheek ” with a silhouette of Jesus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as “ I ’ d like to punch him in the face , ” which candidate Trump said about a protester at a 2016 Las Vegas rally .
Mr. Trump won Michigan ’ s Kent County with over 48 % of the vote in 2016 , but his support dropped to 46 % this year , according to results on the county ’ s website .
Mr. Biden appears to have gained over 52 % of ballots cast , so far .
Mr. Pagitt doesn ’ t attribute every shift in votes to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s behavior while in office , but he noted that the region voted to send Republican Peter Meijer to Congress to replace the seat vacated by conservative Rep. Justin Amash .
“ These people voted for [ Mr. Meijer ] as a Republican but didn ’ t vote for Donald Trump , ” Mr. Pagitt said .
Data from exit polling , especially on evangelicals , is far from conclusive .
An exit poll by the Faith & Freedom Coalition , a social conservative group , found “ self-identified evangelicals ” voted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2016 — for Mr. Trump .
They note that , aside from the White House race , Republicans did far better than the polls had forecast by holding off a “ blue wave ” and securing millions of more votes for the Trump-Pence ticket than four years ago .
“ Our ground game worked .
Republicans can not win without these voters , and Democrats continue to suffer for failing to appeal in a substantive way to these voters of faith , ” Tim Head , executive director of the Faith & Freedom @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In Florida , where Mr. Trump shocked pundits by handily defeating Mr. Biden despite polls showing him consistently trailing , leaders in the Hispanic evangelical Christian community said their turnout for the president could make the bloc one of the country ’ s new sought-after swing demographics — and one Republicans can target in other states .
The Hispanic vote for Mr. Trump jumped nationally by 3 percentage points and even more in Florida and Texas , according to some exit polls .
The Rev .
Samuel Rodriguez , president of the National @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an interview Thursday that he hopes to replicate Mr. Trump ’ s strong performance in deep-blue California , with the aim of flipping Democratic-held congressional seats in 2022 .
“ For the first time in American history , ” said Mr. Rodriguez , “ White and Latino evangelicals are now marching in lockstop as it pertains to an agenda that is 100 % pro-life , [ supportive of ] religious liberty and now with an additional item … fighting socialism as a Christian , biblically-sustained agenda.
” Christian conservatives also point to a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ where at least 13 pro-life women won seats .
They included Republicans Ashley Hinson in northeastern Iowa and Michelle Fischbach in western Minnesota , who unseated conservative 15-term Democrat Collin Peterson , a reliably pro-life vote .
“ The surge of victorious pro-life women candidates in the U.S. House is a stunning blow to Nancy Pelosi and her pro-abortion agenda , ” Marjorie Dannenfelser , president of the pro-life Susan B. Anthony List , said Tuesday evening .
But the presidential election , along with counting still underway Thursday in tight races in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ being a sore spot for conservative evangelicals who fought to give their president another four years .
Since exit polling started tracking the evangelical vote in 2004 , never has the group supported a single candidate like they have Mr. Trump .
But coming into 2020 , a full three years into his presidency , Mr. Trump ’ s support within white evangelicals began to show small fissures , if not cracks .
During the impeachment battle in December , Mark Galli , the outgoing editor of Christianity Today , wrote in an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from office .
He cited what he called the president ’ s “ grossly immoral character.
” The editorial sparked a sharp and at times divisive debate within the evangelical community .
During the pandemic , while Mr. Trump showed support for churches filing lawsuits against Democratic governors to lift what critics saw as draconian social distancing limits on worship , polling numbers from Pew Research Center suggested that the president also faced backlash from many Christians — particularly Roman Catholics — for his response in the face of the novel coronavirus .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Christian detractors of the president continually brought up one word : “ kindness.
” “ If a voter said they saw a voter as unkind on a Christian virtue level , there was an 80 % chance they weren ’ t going to vote for him , ” said Mr. Paggit .
“ It ’ s never been about policy .
It ’ s always been about the person .
”

White evangelicals labored in the vineyards again for President Trump on Tuesday, casting votes in overwhelming numbers for the Republican president who counts them among his staunchest allies and for pro-life, socially conservative Republican candidates in down-ballot races as well.
But early data from exit polls and turnout reveals a small but potentially fatal slippage from Mr. Trump’s 2016 massive support from Christian evangelicals in key states, even as Democratic rival Joseph R. Biden appeared to be moving closer to a win in both the popular vote and the Electoral College.
Surveys of voters by The Associated Press and National Election Poll found that Mr. Trump thumped his Democratic rival with 76% to 78% of white, born-again Christians casting ballots for the president this year.
But this strong lean would mark a slight decline from the totals in 2016, when an estimated 81% of these voters threw support to Mr. Trump and proved critical to his upset win.
Mr. Trump’s deeply loyal evangelical base has always proved something of a conundrum — a brash, thrice-married New York City billionaire developer and reality TV star tied to a largely non-urban, non-coastal voting bloc that puts a strong premium on personal character. But Mr. Trump delivered again and again for evangelical Christians with his strong pro-life stance, Supreme Court nominees, focus on religious freedom and strong backing for Israel.
With small margins in a few swing states likely to decide the election, some of Mr. Trump’s opponents say the small erosion in evangelical support after 2016 could have played a critical role in the result.
“The counties that moved most in Michigan are counties that are predominantly evangelical,” said Doug Pagitt, executive director of Vote Common Good, a Christian group opposed to Mr. Trump’s reelection.
Mr. Pagitt, a pastor in Minneapolis, told The Washington Times on Thursday that his organization campaigned heavily in and around Grand Rapids, a region he described as “the Silicon Valley of the evangelical sub-culture,” given the prevalence of Christian colleges and publishers.
His group paid for billboards in Kent County highlighting biblical phrases such as “Turn the other cheek” with a silhouette of Jesus, against phrases from Mr. Trump such as “I’d like to punch him in the face,” which candidate Trump said about a protester at a 2016 Las Vegas rally.
Mr. Trump won Michigan’s Kent County with over 48% of the vote in 2016, but his support dropped to 46% this year, according to results on the county’s website. Mr. Biden appears to have gained over 52% of ballots cast, so far.
Mr. Pagitt doesn’t attribute every shift in votes to religious beliefs or reactions to Mr. Trump’s behavior while in office, but he noted that the region voted to send Republican Peter Meijer to Congress to replace the seat vacated by conservative Rep. Justin Amash.
“These people voted for [Mr. Meijer] as a Republican but didn’t vote for Donald Trump,” Mr. Pagitt said.
Sinking the blue wave
Data from exit polling, especially on evangelicals, is far from conclusive. An exit poll by the Faith & Freedom Coalition, a social conservative group, found “self-identified evangelicals” voted at 81% — the same as 2016 — for Mr. Trump.
They note that, aside from the White House race, Republicans did far better than the polls had forecast by holding off a “blue wave” and securing millions of more votes for the Trump-Pence ticket than four years ago.
“Our ground game worked. Republicans cannot win without these voters, and Democrats continue to suffer for failing to appeal in a substantive way to these voters of faith,” Tim Head, executive director of the Faith & Freedom Coalition, said in a statement.
In Florida, where Mr. Trump shocked pundits by handily defeating Mr. Biden despite polls showing him consistently trailing, leaders in the Hispanic evangelical Christian community said their turnout for the president could make the bloc one of the country’s new sought-after swing demographics — and one Republicans can target in other states.
The Hispanic vote for Mr. Trump jumped nationally by 3 percentage points and even more in Florida and Texas, according to some exit polls.
The Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, said in an interview Thursday that he hopes to replicate Mr. Trump’s strong performance in deep-blue California, with the aim of flipping Democratic-held congressional seats in 2022.
“For the first time in American history,” said Mr. Rodriguez, “White and Latino evangelicals are now marching in lockstop as it pertains to an agenda that is 100% pro-life, [supportive of] religious liberty and now with an additional item … fighting socialism as a Christian, biblically-sustained agenda.”
Christian conservatives also point to a swing in the House of Representatives, where at least 13 pro-life women won seats. They included Republicans Ashley Hinson in northeastern Iowa and Michelle Fischbach in western Minnesota, who unseated conservative 15-term Democrat Collin Peterson, a reliably pro-life vote.
“The surge of victorious pro-life women candidates in the U.S. House is a stunning blow to Nancy Pelosi and her pro-abortion agenda,” Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the pro-life Susan B. Anthony List, said Tuesday evening.
But the presidential election, along with counting still underway Thursday in tight races in several battleground states, could end up being a sore spot for conservative evangelicals who fought to give their president another four years.
Since exit polling started tracking the evangelical vote in 2004, never has the group supported a single candidate like they have Mr. Trump. But coming into 2020, a full three years into his presidency, Mr. Trump’s support within white evangelicals began to show small fissures, if not cracks.
During the impeachment battle in December, Mark Galli, the outgoing editor of Christianity Today, wrote in an editorial that the president should be removed from office. He cited what he called the president’s “grossly immoral character.”
The editorial sparked a sharp and at times divisive debate within the evangelical community.
During the pandemic, while Mr. Trump showed support for churches filing lawsuits against Democratic governors to lift what critics saw as draconian social distancing limits on worship, polling numbers from Pew Research Center suggested that the president also faced backlash from many Christians — particularly Roman Catholics — for his response in the face of the novel coronavirus.
In internal polling, Mr. Pagitt said Christian detractors of the president continually brought up one word: “kindness.”
“If a voter said they saw a voter as unkind on a Christian virtue level, there was an 80% chance they weren’t going to vote for him,” said Mr. Pagitt. “It’s never been about policy. It’s always been about the person.”
• Christopher Vondracek can be reached at cvondracek@washingtontimes.com.


washingtontimes--2020-11-05--NYPD's anti-discrimination chief linked to hateful messages

NEW YORK ( AP ) - The head of the New York Police Department ‘ s workplace discrimination office has been relieved of his command while officials investigate allegations that he posted hateful messages to a website where officers air grievances anonymously , the police commissioner said Thursday .
Deputy Inspector James Kobel is accused of penning attacks on Black and Jewish people , women , members of the LGBTQ community and others for more than a year using the pseudonym “ Clouseau , ” a reference to the bumbling French detective in the “ Pink Panther ” films .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Clouseau ” referred to Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark as a “ gap-tooth wildebeest , ” ridiculed Public Advocate Jumaane Williams for having Tourette ’ s syndrome , called former President Barack Obama a “ Muslim savage ” and Mayor Bill de Blasio ’ s son , Dante , a “ brillohead.
” All of them are Black .
Commissioner Dermot Shea called the postings “ abhorrent ” and “ utterly disgusting.
” Kobel , the commanding officer of the Equal Employment Opportunity Division , could be fired after an internal investigation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , did not immediately respond to an email sent to his department address seeking comment .
No one answered a home telephone number listed for him .
He denied being “ Clouseau ” in an interview with The New York Times , which first reported on the allegations .
“ Nonetheless , despite my denial , it will likely end my career , ” Kobel told the Times .
“ Where do I go to get my reputation back ?
” The allegations against Kobel were detailed in a report that a City @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
City Council investigators linked the messages to Kobel by matching information in the “ Clouseau ” messages to publicly available details about Kobel ‘ s life and career .
The NYPD said it received a draft of the report on Oct. 14 and immediately started an internal probe .
Kobel has cooperated with the investigation , Shea said .
Kobel was relieved of command and placed on modified assignment this week .
“ That is a drastic step , but we thought it would be an appropriate step due to the nature @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the allegations and what we have learned so far , ” Shea told reporters .
Kobel , a 28-year member of the department , was the second-in-command in the Equal Employment Opportunity office for four years before being elevated to commanding officer in May .
The office is responsible for preventing and investigating employment and harassment claims and has implemented policy changes in recent years providing for lactation rooms , enabling officers to wear religious head coverings and making accommodations for transgender officers .

NEW YORK (AP) - The head of the New York Police Department’s workplace discrimination office has been relieved of his command while officials investigate allegations that he posted hateful messages to a website where officers air grievances anonymously, the police commissioner said Thursday.
Deputy Inspector James Kobel is accused of penning attacks on Black and Jewish people, women, members of the LGBTQ community and others for more than a year using the pseudonym “Clouseau,” a reference to the bumbling French detective in the “Pink Panther” films.
In messages posted on the website, “Clouseau” referred to Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark as a “gap-tooth wildebeest,” ridiculed Public Advocate Jumaane Williams for having Tourette’s syndrome, called former President Barack Obama a “Muslim savage” and Mayor Bill de Blasio’s son, Dante, a “brillohead.” All of them are Black.
Commissioner Dermot Shea called the postings “abhorrent” and “utterly disgusting.” Kobel, the commanding officer of the Equal Employment Opportunity Division, could be fired after an internal investigation, Shea said.
Kobel, 50, did not immediately respond to an email sent to his department address seeking comment. No one answered a home telephone number listed for him. He denied being “Clouseau” in an interview with The New York Times, which first reported on the allegations.
“Nonetheless, despite my denial, it will likely end my career,” Kobel told the Times. “Where do I go to get my reputation back?”
The allegations against Kobel were detailed in a report that a City Council oversight panel will make public Friday. City Council investigators linked the messages to Kobel by matching information in the “Clouseau” messages to publicly available details about Kobel’s life and career.
The NYPD said it received a draft of the report on Oct. 14 and immediately started an internal probe. Kobel has cooperated with the investigation, Shea said.
Kobel was relieved of command and placed on modified assignment this week.
“That is a drastic step, but we thought it would be an appropriate step due to the nature of his assignment, as well as the allegations and what we have learned so far,” Shea told reporters.
Kobel, a 28-year member of the department, was the second-in-command in the Equal Employment Opportunity office for four years before being elevated to commanding officer in May.
The office is responsible for preventing and investigating employment and harassment claims and has implemented policy changes in recent years providing for lactation rooms, enabling officers to wear religious head coverings and making accommodations for transgender officers.
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Follow Michael Sisak on Twitter at twitter.com/mikesisak