First Draft on Politics: Groundbreaking Democratic Candidates

Christine Hallquist's win was a remarkable milestone, even for an election year already dominated by a record number of candidates who identify as lesbian, gay, transgender or queer. View in [Browser]( | Add nytdirect@nytimes.com to your address book. [The New York Times]( [The New York Times]( Wednesday, August 15, 2018 [NYTimes.com/Politics »]( [With her primary win on Tuesday, Christine Hallquist, a Vermont Democrat, became the first transgender candidate to be nominated for a governorship by a major party.]( With her primary win on Tuesday, Christine Hallquist, a Vermont Democrat, became the first transgender candidate to be nominated for a governorship by a major party. Hilary Swift for The New York Times Good Wednesday morning, Here are some of the stories making news in Washington and politics today: - Democrats [delivered groundbreaking victories]( in Tuesday’s primaries for a transgender female candidate in Vermont, a Muslim woman in Minnesota and an African-American woman in Connecticut. Christine Hallquist, the Vermont Democrat, could [become the nation’s first transgender governor]( [See what’s coming up next on the primary calendar »]( - Tim Pawlenty, the former governor of Minnesota and a critic of President Trump, [lost his bid]( to reclaim the Republican nomination for the office in a remarkable upset. - Mr. Trump added his former White House aide, Omarosa Manigault Newman, to the growing list of African-Americans he has [publicly denigrated on Twitter]( calling her “that dog” and a “crazed, crying lowlife” after her allegations against him of mental deterioration and racism. - Paul Manafort’s lawyers [declined to call any witnesses]( to defend him against charges of bank and tax fraud. Mr. Manafort also told the judge that he did not want to testify, clearing the way for closing arguments from both sides and the start of jury deliberations. - Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh’s confirmation to the Supreme Court [could advance efforts]( to make publicly funded vouchers available to students attending religious schools. School voucher champions see him as a critical vote in overturning longstanding constitutional prohibitions that outlaw government funding of religious institutions in more than three dozen states. - China’s leaders have [sought to project confidence]( in the face of Mr. Trump’s tariffs and trade threats. But as it becomes clear that a protracted trade war with the United States may be unavoidable, there are growing signs of unease inside the Communist political establishment. — The First Draft Team HAVE A CONFIDENTIAL NEWS TIP? Do you have the next big story? Want to share it with The New York Times? We offer several ways to get in touch with and provide materials to our journalists. [Learn More »]( ADVERTISEMENT OTTAWA | SEPTEMBER 5 [Canada and the U.S. Midterm Elections]( New York Times journalists will discuss one of the United States’ most consequential congressional elections in a generation. The White House correspondent Julie Hirschfeld Davis will join the political reporters Jonathan Martin and Astead Herndon for a conversation about the midterms. Ian Austen, a Times reporter and author of the Canada Letter newsletter, will moderate the conversation. [• Get tickets here »]( [Trump’s Endorsements: The Loyalists, Rising Stars and Safe Bets He’s Picked]( By AUDREY CARLSEN AND ISABELLA GRULLÓN PAZ President Trump has bucked the tradition set by previous presidents by endorsing many candidates during primary season, adding his influence to races while Republicans are still facing off against other Republicans. He has picked candidates he sees as the most electable, or the most loyal, or the ones preferred by Republican leaders in Congress. “That’s what makes what he’s doing unusual,” said Jennifer Duffy, a senior editor for the Cook Political Report. “Usually you don’t see a president heavily invested until after Labor Day,” she added. So far, most of Mr. Trump’s endorsed candidates have won. That’s in part because many of them did not face serious primary challenges or were running in heavily Republican districts, but it is also because he remains very popular among Republican voters. The few losses have all come in general or special elections. [Read more »](  [Supporters of Ilhan Omar gathered in Minneapolis on Tuesday. Ms. Omar won the Democratic primary for the state’s Fifth District.]( [4 Takeaways From Tuesday’s Primaries]( By ASTEAD W. HERNDON AND JONATHAN MARTIN On another night of primaries leading up to November’s midterm elections, Democrats embraced diversity (with some notable exceptions) and Republicans rewarded loyalty to President Trump. [Gov. Jeff Colyer of Kansas conceded the Republican primary for governor on Tuesday, one week after voters cast their ballots.]( [Colyer Concedes in Kansas, Handing Governor’s Nomination to Kobach]( By MITCH SMITH Kris Kobach, a lightning rod for his views on voting rights and immigration, had raised concerns among Republicans that he would alienate moderate voters. [Jahana Hayes spoke after winning the Democratic primary for Connecticut’s Fifth Congressional District in Waterbury, Conn., on Tuesday.]( [In Connecticut, Lamont Scores a Decisive Win, and Hayes Moves Closer to History]( By LISA W. FODERARO Ned Lamont won the Democratic primary for governor, while Jahana Hayes’s win moved her closer to being the state’s first black Democrat in Congress. [Jahana Hayes is running to represent Connecticut’s Fifth District in Congress.]( [This Former ‘Teacher of the Year’ Wants to Be Connecticut’s First Black Democrat in Congress]( By ASTEAD W. HERNDON A conversation with Jahana Hayes, whose grass-roots campaign has made her a formidable challenger in Tuesday’s close primary race. [Rashida Tlaib, the Democratic nominee for Congress in Michigan’s 13th District, spoke during a protest outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement center in Detroit on Friday.]( [Candidate’s Palestinian Heritage Infuses Sense of Community in Detroit]( By ELIZABETH DIAS Rashida Tlaib, who won a Democratic primary in Michigan, may become the first Muslim woman in Congress. She said her upbringing shaped her political vision. [Melissa Howard campaigning in July for the Florida Legislature. She dropped out of the race on Tuesday after it was discovered that she falsely claimed she had a college degree from Miami University of Ohio.]( [Florida State House Candidate Who Posted Photo of Fake Diploma Drops Out of Race]( By LAURA M. HOLSON AND SARAH MERVOSH Melissa Howard had rebuffed calls for her to drop out of the race until Tuesday, when she conceded that withdrawing was “the right thing to do.” [Sunday’s alt-right rally in Washington was dwarfed by thousands of counterdemonstrators.]( [A Year After Charlottesville, Disarray in the White Supremacist Movement]( By RICHARD FAUSSET, SERGE F. KOVALESKI AND ALAN FEUER “It was a dead-enders event from the get-go.” The alt-right’s sparse turnout at a Washington rally on Sunday illustrated a fracturing within the movement. [The Facebook page Black Elevation was part of a complex influence campaign that organized real-world events before it was spotted and taken down by Facebook.]( [How a Fake Group on Facebook Created Real Protests]( By SHEERA FRENKEL The Black Elevation page held rallies, posted videos and encouraged the fight against racism. Whoever ran it even interviewed a job applicant. [Dana W. White, the Pentagon’s chief spokeswoman. In recent months, several Defense Department officials have complained about a toxic environment and low morale in the public affairs office.]( [Pentagon Spokeswoman Is Under Investigation Over Staff Complaints of Retaliation]( By THOMAS GIBBONS-NEFF The inquiry centers on Dana White’s decision to transfer aides after they filed complaints about her. She also used her staff to fetch dry cleaning and run other errands, according to a news report. [President Trump during the bill’s signing ceremony on Monday. He deemed 51 of the law’s statutes to be unconstitutional intrusions on his presidential powers.]( [Trump Claims Power to Bypass Limits Set by Congress in Defense Bill]( By CHARLIE SAVAGE In the latest example of his broad vision of executive power, President Trump used a signing statement to challenge dozens of provisions, including limits on Russia and North Korea. Fact Check of the Day [White House Falsely Claims Trump Has Created More Jobs for Black Americans Than Obama Did]( By LINDA QIU Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House press secretary, said the economy added only 195,000 jobs for African-Americans under President Barack Obama. In fact, it added about three million. [The West Virginia House of Delegates convened to consider articles of impeachment against the state’s Supreme Court Justices in Charleston, W. Va. on Aug. 13.]( [What’s Behind the Impeachment of West Virginia’s Supreme Court]( By CAMPBELL ROBERTSON Republicans said the justices’ lavish spending merited an extraordinary response. But Democrats called the move a partisan power grab. [Letitia James, the New York City public advocate who is running for state attorney general, shown earlier this month. Of the “Sheriff of Wall Street” nickname, Ms. James said, “I will be laser-focused on taking on Wall Street abuses — I don’t need a moniker for that.”]( [Wanted: ‘Sheriff of Wall Street.’ Letitia James Says No Thanks, and Her Rivals Pounce.]( By JEFFERY C. MAYS Ms. James, a New York attorney general hopeful, said she did not want to be known as the “Sheriff on Wall Street,” drawing criticism from Democratic opponents. [Newspapers from New York to North Dakota have agreed to publish editorials on Thursday in response to the president’s anti-press rhetoric.]( [The New York Times Joins Effort to Combat Trump’s Anti-Press Rhetoric]( By JACLYN PEISER An initiative started by The Boston Globe has enlisted more than 200 newspapers nationwide to publish editorials on Thursday in favor of the news media. LIKE THIS EMAIL? Forward it to your friends, and let them know they can sign up [here](. And consider [subscribing to get unlimited access to nytimes.com and our apps.]( ADVERTISEMENT HOW ARE WE DOING? We’d love your feedback on this newsletter. Please email thoughts and suggestions to [washington-newsletter@nytimes.com](mailto:washington-newsletter@nytimes.com?subject=Newsletter%20Feedback). 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