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7 Things: Alabama Democrats debate, Gov. Ivey and her chief rival go to Japan, Republicans look for silver lining on a series of cloudy days, and more

1. Ugly Alabama Democrat debate continues to highlight rejected ideas and portray them as profound

Lottery, gambling, Medicaid, and more spending continue to be the main argument for Alabama Democrats even though there is no evidence they have any appeal among voters.

— Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox went at former Chief Justice Sue Bell Cobb for abandoning her post when she was the last statewide elected Democrat and she attacked him for “commercial capitalism“.

2. Gov. Ivey is in Japan building her “job creator” cred

— Ivey is planning on meeting Toyota-Mazda officials, automakers, and government officials.

— Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle is on the trip as well and he is also positioning himself as a job creator and a key to the state’s economic development (very little daylight between the two here).

3. Republicans protect a Republican seat in Arizona but the Democrats continue to overperform, Dems flip 40th seat

— Republican Debbie Lesko won a special election in Arizona’s 8th Congressional District, a district Trump won by 21.1 points while Lesko won by five.

— New York Democrats flipped a red seat to the blue column and took over the State House, this is a big deal because state legislatures draw Congressional districts and the trend is bad.

4. The Attorney General race will be a crowded field with known candidates; the current and former AGs lead the pack 

— Of the four individuals vying for the Attorney General’s nomination, two of them have done the job, and they are leading in a recent poll.

— Attorney General Steve Marshall currently holds the job, former AG Troy King was appointed to the position in 2004, won re-election in 2006, and then lost the job to Luther Strange in 2010.

5. Toronto’s motor terrorist may have been motivated by resentment for women

— In a now-deleted post, Alek Minassian praised Elliot Rodger — the University of California shooter who killed six people and wounded 13 in shooting and stabbing attacks near the University of California.

— Minassian wrote, “The Incel (involuntarily celibate) Rebellion has already begun! We will overthrow all the Chads and Stacys”, but police say all avenues of investigation are open.

6. Anti-NRA movement seems to be helping the NRA raise money; they had the largest month in 15 years

— Whenever America’s media and the left go nuts on gun control, gun sales go up and the NRA gets more donations, every time.

— The NRA’s Political Victory Fund brought in $2.4 million during the month of March, marking the most money raised by the fund since June 2003. It is also $1.5 million more than in February.

7. VA nominee Ronny Jackson had no negative things said about him, until he was deferential to President Trump

— Complaints from subordinates about a power struggle in 2012 and claims of drunkenness might have derailed his nomination to serve as the Secretary of Veterans Affairs.

— The claims, which never surfaced in the decade-plus Jackson served as the White House physician have led to a postponement of his confirmation process and a statement by the president that he may withdraw his name from nomination.

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