Is This Gun-Toting Businesswoman the Republican AOC?

www.ozy.com Sponsored by Thursday, August 06, 2020 It’s easy to forget sometimes, but at the heart of it, politics is all about people — what motivates them, what challenges them and what they choose to do with their opportunities to make a difference. Some perform beautifully, some screw it up — just like the rest of us. This insane year has unleashed a slew of new, unlikely political faces. Today we’re introducing you to a sampling of them. Reply to this email or [tag us on Twitter]( to let us know the rising stars we missed. Nick Fouriezos, Senior Reporter statewide contenders [1. Nicole Galloway (MO-GOV)]( The 38-year-old auditor general is the only Missouri Democrat to hold statewide office after Republicans scored big in the past few elections, but the former college soccer player and down-to-earth mom of three boys has a great shot at upsetting incumbent Gov. Mike Parson. It is a positive sign for Galloway’s campaign that voters backed one of her key planks — Medicaid expansion — in a ballot initiative vote on Tuesday. [Read more on OZY]( [2. Greg Gianforte (MT-GOV)]( A congressman most famous for [body-slamming a reporter]( has the inside track to become governor of Montana, one of the few states where Republicans might see gains in 2020. (Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock is running for Senate in a tight race.) One of the wealthiest members of Congress, the Bozeman tech entrepreneur (he began his career at the famed Bell Laboratories) has drawn parallels between his business background and that of President Trump. Gianforte, 59, also donates to Young Earth creationism causes that push the anti-scientific evangelical Christian belief that the Earth was created less than 10,000 years ago and humanity once walked with dinosaurs. [Read OZY's 2016 profile]( 3. Theresa Greenfield (IA-SEN) The 56-year-old Iowa urban planner is a key part of Democratic dreams to retake the Senate, campaigning on an aspirational career built from overcoming tragedy. Growing up on a farm, where she helped with the family crop-dusting business, she raised the funds to attend college despite the farm crisis of the ’80s. She married and was pregnant with her second child at age 24, when her husband was killed while working as a union electrical worker. The young widow picked up the pieces, with help from Social Security survivor benefits, and links her campaign against incumbent GOP Sen. Joni Ernst to preserving the social safety net. [4. John James (MI-SEN)]( If Republicans stand a chance to keep their Senate majority despite Trump’s low approval ratings, they will need to surprise in some states. James, a 39-year-old Black Army vet, is [vying to be that surprise]( while taking on Democratic Sen. Gary Peters. He has played on both his military bona fides and his business career, as president of a global supply chain management company. And he has received the imprimatur of Trump, amid the president’s efforts to make inroads in the Black community. [Read more about Trump’s courtship of Black voters on OZY]( Quiz time: Which of the above candidates has a dog named Ringo who became a viral fundraising star? Answer at the bottom. [time to learn]( [¿quieres aprender español? learn for free!]( Use your time at home to pick up a new skill, like learning Spanish! Our partners at [The Great Courses Plus]( are offering OZY readers an exclusive [month free]( when you sign up for at-home classes like [Learning Spanish. Sign Up Now!]( [Start Free Trial]( behind-the-scenes players [Sean Spicer]( The ex-White House press secretary has gone from toe-tapping on Dancing With the Stars to TV host, with his new Newsmax show Spicer & Co. He sat down with OZY’s CEO and co-founder for the most recent episode of The Carlos Watson Show to reflect on his trials at the illustrious podium — “Oh my God, I look like an angry leprechaun!” — and the outlook for his former boss in November. When it comes to Trump’s racial rhetoric, Spicer says, “what's missing is the outreach,” though he contends the president has delivered for Black Americans on various fronts. But will Spicer say “Black Lives Matter”? [Watch Now]( [1. Julie Chávez Rodríguez]( The granddaughter of legendary farmworker organizer César Chávez was a key adviser in Kamala Harris’ run for president, and she [joined the Biden team in May]( to bolster the (presumed) Democratic nominee’s Latino outreach. It’s a critical area, considering that Biden is currently holding only about 60 percent of the Latino vote, a number that would lag behind that of Democratic nominees from the past three election cycles. [Read more about Biden's Latino push on OZY]( 2. Ariana Pekary The former MSNBC producer [penned a scathing letter]( excoriating the channel — and cable news as a whole — for a business model that values ratings above integrity and consistently chases clicks over meaningful content. Calling the news industry a “cancer,” Pekary’s departure letter, posted on her personal website, was shared widely and resonated with readers who are demanding a better, fairer media environment. And her influence may just be getting started, given how she says she’ll be seeking out “any of you who also may sense that the news is fundamentally flawed.” 20 [3. Gaston Mooney](20) As conservatives look for alternatives to Fox News, given how Trump frequently takes aim at any skepticism of him voiced on the network (not to mention his [turbulent interview with Chris Wallace](), Blaze Media will look to scoop them up. And under this former Chick-fil-A manager’s leadership, Blaze has been willing to take on pundits that even Fox won’t touch. [Read more on OZY]( live curiously Display your curiosity in history's disastrous turning points, dangerous ideas, crazy coincidences, unsung heroes and forgotten villains with [this bold Flashback poster](. Place great art for your interior decor with this durable wood-framed poster, only at [the OZY Store](. [Buy now]( the battle for the house 1. Cameron Webb (VA-5) Running to become [the first Black physician]( in Congress, the 37-year-old completed his medical residency at Cornell University before joining the Obama administration as a White House fellow … until, halfway through his fellowship, Trump won. While Webb continued to work on drug pricing with congressional members, including the late Elijah Cummings, he was motivated to run for Congress because of his belief that health care should be more accessible through Medicare for All. He will take on Republican Bob Good, the former athletics director at Liberty University, in a seat that leans GOP. 2. Lauren Boebert (CO-3) The gun-toting owner of Shooters Grill in Rifle, Colorado, pulled a primary upset over incumbent GOP Rep. Scott Tipton this summer, riding a grassroots wave of Trump supporters and Second Amendment lovers into political stardom. While she has flirted with conspiracy theories at times — expressing openness to QAnon, for example — the 33-year-old businesswoman could easily become [an AOC-like figure for conservatives](. 3. Mondaire Jones (NY-17) He will likely join Ritchie Torres as the second [openly gay Black congressman]( come January, but unlike his South Bronx colleague, Jones, 33, will represent tony Westchester County, home to Hillary Clinton. The Obama administration Department of Justice alum has run on one of the most progressive platforms in the country, touting the Green New Deal and Medicare for All, while saying he didn’t run merely to win office but to be “a transformational figure in American politics.” 4. Cori Bush (MO-1) A progressive activist who broke through as a Black Lives Matter organizer in the Ferguson protests against police violence, Bush, 44, upset a 20-year incumbent in Rep. William Lacy Clay this week, setting her up to join Congress’ [growing batch of anti-establishment liberal Democrats](. A single mother, nurse and pastor, Bush will bring extensive experience in street activism to the halls of power. Join OZY and our partners at [Cariuma]( in their mission to help replant the Brazilian rainforest. For each email sign-up, Cariuma will [plant a tree in your name](. Just [click here]( to do your part. let's get local 1. Ruth Buffalo (ND House) A citizen of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation, this public health advocate and mom has worked to fight a problem that most lawmakers still choose not to give attention to: the trafficking of, and violence against, Indigenous women and girls. In 2018, Buffalo ran against the Republican sponsor of a racially discriminatory voter ID law, [and won]( … becoming the first Native Democrat woman to join the North Dakota state Legislature. Since then, she has made health care and food access a priority. [2. Julie Emerson (LA House)]( The 32-year-old Republican has tackled criminal justice reform in Louisiana, one of the most incarcerated states not just in America, but in the world. Appealing to her colleagues on both sides of the aisle, she has helped lead initiatives to reduce penalties for low-level offenders and “Ban the Box” that requires ex-convicts to disclose their criminal past on job applications, an attempt to level the field as they reenter the workforce. [Read more on OZY]( 3. Brandon Scott (Baltimore mayor) The president of the Baltimore City Council will likely soon be mayor of one of America’s most historic (and complicated) cities, after winning the Democratic primary in June by just 2 percentage points. Buoyed by younger voters who appreciated his story of rising out of a troubled childhood in Park Heights, the 36-year-old represents a new generation and was [one of the more progressive candidates]( in the field — though he’s struck a deliberative note. For example, he recently called for a study of police force spending amid the “defund the police” movement. At OZY, we know a good newsletter when we see one. To supplement your morning update from OZY, give your brain an end-of-day post-work [boost with KnowThis](. Every Monday-Friday evening our friends over at NowThis will bring you the top 5 news stories from the day to help you be the smartest person at happy hour. You won't regret it! So [click here to sign up now](. global players [1. Svetlana Tikhanovskaya]( She started as a place holder for her imprisoned husband, but the 37-year-old former schoolteacher has grown into her own as a legitimate candidate against Europe’s last dictator, [Alexander Lukashenko](, ahead of Sunday’s election in Belarus. She has drawn record-breaking crowds in Minsk, Brest and a dozen smaller cities, and while Lukashenko might find a way to rig the outcome in his favor, Tikhanovskaya has punctured the notion that he’s all-powerful. [Read more on OZY]( 2. Ibrahim Gambari The Columbia University–educated economist and diplomat is now Nigeria's second-most powerful figure, as [chief of staff to President Muhammadu Buhari.]( He took office in May, after the previous chief of staff — who was widely considered Nigeria's de facto leader — died of the coronavirus. As the president's most trusted aide in Africa's largest economy, he will also wield broader influence across the continent, especially at a time when Africa is trying to form a European Union–style regional trade bloc. 3. María Eugenia Vidal The 46-year-old is widely seen as a [future leader of Argentina's major conservative party](, the Republican Proposal Party of former President Mauricio Macri. In 2015, she became the first non-Peronist to be elected governor of Buenos Aires since 1987. She has been dubbed [Argentina's Margaret Thatcher]( for taking on unions while in office. She supports gay rights but [opposes legalized abortion](. 4. Sajith Premadasa Sri Lanka's top opposition leader [knows the risks involved in politics](. His father, Ranasinghe Premadasa, the then-president of Sri Lanka, was assassinated by Tamil rebels in 1993, when Sajith was studying at the University of Maryland. He returned home and jumped into politics. Now, he's emerging as the biggest challenger to another dynasty: the Rajapaksas who have run Sri Lanka for 11 of the last 15 years. The Rajapaksas are heading for a landslide win in parliamentary elections held Wednesday. But as Premadasa showed 27 years ago, he doesn't run away from challenges — he races toward them. Quiz Answer: Iowa U.S. Senate hopeful Theresa Greenfield raised $132,000 in donations after her dog, Ringo, [went viral](. [TV]( | [Podcasts]( | [News]( | [FESTIVALS]( Modern Media Company OZY Media, 800 West El Camino Mountain View, California 94040 This email was sent to {EMAIL} [Manage Subscriptions]( | [Privacy Policy]( | [Read Online](