7. Defund the police, but let me keep my personal security
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Many politicians who previously encouraged and supported the “Defund the Police” movement have now spent large amounts on personal security, particularly members of the “Squad,” with U.S. Representative Cori Bush (D-MO) spending more than $325,000 on security throughout 2021.
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Others, such as U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) spent considerably less than Bush, with about $75,000 all year. U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar (D-MN) spent more than $30,000 last year on private security, and U.S. Representative Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) spent less than $3,000 last year on personal security.
6. Majority of people getting abortions in the U.S. are people of color
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A new report released by the Associated Press shows that most people receiving abortions in conservative states are black and Hispanic people, according to data from the Kaiser Family Foundation. Alabama has similar statistics to Mississippi, with 35% of the population receiving 70% of the abortions.
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In Texas, 59% of the population are people of color but comprise 74% of those receiving abortions. In Mississippi, 44% of the population are people of color, but 80% of those who receive abortions are people of color. Confusingly, this has led some, such as the organizer for a pro-choice Texas foundation that pays for women’s abortions Cathy Torres to conclude, “Abortion restrictions are racist. They directly impact people of color, Black, brown, Indigenous people…people who are trying to make ends meet.”
5. Merrill responds to concerns over voter information program
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State Representative Wes Allen (R-Troy) recently said in his bid for Alabama Secretary of State that he would remove the state’s membership with the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC) due to its ties to George Soros, Democratic states and information practices. Secretary of State John Merrill responded to Allen’s statements and asserted this is not the issue Allen believes it is.
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Merrill said ERIC is the “only organization capable of providing the necessary data for proper voter list maintenance,” and added that the program has used driver’s license records to report about 19,000 voters who were potentially deceased, and 98% of those have been removed from the voter rolls. Merrill also advised that there were about 222,000 individuals reported for potentially being voters in other states, and 90% of those have been removed from the voter rolls.
4. The U.S. Constitution is just changing all the time, according to Biden
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President Joe Biden is continuing to reason his way around why he wants to pick a black female and only consider black female candidates for his first U.S. Supreme Court nominee. This idea has been called discriminatory, unconstitutional and racist. Biden responded by saying that the U.S. Constitution is “always evolving slightly.”
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Biden said, “You know, there’s always a renewed national debate, every time we nominate, any president, nominates a justice, because the Constitution is always evolving slightly in terms of attentional rights, or curtailing rights. And it’s always an issue.”
3. Doug Jones will return to help Biden pick a Supreme Court nominee
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Former U.S. Senator Doug Jones (D-Ala.) has been chosen as one of the individuals to lead the search for President Joe Biden’s first U.S. Supreme Court pick to replace outgoing-Justice Stephen Breyer.
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Jones will work as the guide for the process. Biden has said that he plans to nominate the first black female to the court, but recent data has shown that the majority of people want him to actually consider all candidates. Jones has not commented on his position.
2. Britt third in the polls but leading in funding
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Recent polling data has shown that U.S. Representative Mo Brooks (R-Huntsville) is in first place in the U.S. Senate race, closely followed by Mike Durant and Katie Britt. However, financial reports show that Britt has raised more funds during the final quarter of 2021 than Brooks and Durant.
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Britt brought her campaign funds total to $5 million at the end of 2021 by adding $1.2 million in fundraising. According to the data, 87% of those contributions are from individuals within Alabama. Brooks raised about $382,000 in the same timeframe, bringing his total to $2.2 million. Durant raised $165,000 in the final quarter.
1. Motion filed with Supreme Court to challenge court decision on redistricting, 14 states are helping
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Attorney General Steve Marshall has already filed a motion with the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene on the decision ordered by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama for their order to redistrict the congressional districts, and now the Alabama Republican Party (ALGOP) has filed a motion to support Marshall’s.
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ALGOP chairman John Wahl said, “The federal court has created uncertainty at this late hour in the primary election calendar.” He went on to say, “The ALGOP has a long history of defending civil liberties and minorities, from our days as the party of Lincoln to the Civil Rights Movement. Under my leadership, the Alabama Republican Party will continue to fight for free and fair elections for all the people of Alabama.” Fourteen other states have sided with Alabama, stating the original ruling “improperly held Alabama violated Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act by not using race as a predominant feature of its maps. This Court should grant the stay and end this Court-created injury.”
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