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Democrat Jones officially declared winner over Roy Moore

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MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Democrat Doug Jones’ historic victory over Republican Roy Moore was declared official Thursday as Alabama election officials certified him the winner of the special Senate election earlier this month, despite claims of voter irregularities from his opponent.

Jones defeated Moore on Dec. 12 by about 22,000 votes in a stunning victory in a deeply red state. It was the first Democratic Senate victory in a quarter-century in Alabama. Moore was dogged by accusations of sexual misconduct involving teenage girls that occurred decades ago.

The state’s former chief justice refused to concede and even filed a last-ditch lawsuit hours before the certification, but a judge rejected his claims. Alabama election officials also found no evidence of voting irregularities.

A spokesman for Jones earlier called Moore’s lawsuit a “desperate attempt … to subvert the will of the people.”

“The election is over. It’s time to move on,” Sam Coleman wrote in an email.

Jones will be sworn in on Jan. 3, narrowing the GOP’s advantage in the U.S. Senate to 51-49. He takes over the seat previously held by Attorney General Jeff Sessions. The term expires in January 2021.

Jones is a former U.S. attorney best known for prosecuting two Ku Klux Klansmen responsible for Birmingham’s infamous 1963 church bombing.

Moore’s campaign was deeply wounded by the sexual misconduct accusations. Moore denied the accusations and said in the lawsuit that he had passed a polygraph test to prove they are false.

Moore’s attorney wrote in the wide-ranging complaint that he believed there were irregularities during the election, including that voters may have been brought in from other states. He attached a statement from a poll worker that she had noticed licenses from Georgia and North Carolina as people signed in to vote.

The complaint also noted the higher-than-expected turnout in the race, particularly in Jefferson County, and said Moore’s numbers were suspiciously lower than straight-ticket Republican voting in about 20 Jefferson County precincts. The complaint asked for a fraud investigation and eventually a new election.

“This is not a Republican or Democrat issue as election integrity should matter to everyone,” Moore said in a statement Wednesday.

Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill said he had not found any evidence of voter fraud, but that his office will investigate any complaint Moore submits.

Rick Hasen, an election law expert and professor at the University of California, Irvine, said Moore’s complaint did not raise the sort of issues that lead courts to overturn an election. He said Moore’s complaint might just be a way for him to fundraise and throw “red meat to his loyal supporters.”

Moore has sent several fundraising emails to supporters asking for donations to investigate claims of voter fraud.

Politics

Puerto Rico Republicans award Trump all 23 of their delegates

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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Puerto Rico’s Republican Party held a district assembly on Sunday and awarded former President Donald Trump all 23 of their national delegates.

About 77% of the 1,340 members that make up the U.S. territory’s Republican Party participated, according to Angel Cintron, who heads the GOP there.

He said they held a caucus-style vote that decided how Puerto Rico’s delegates to the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in July will pledge their votes. Twenty delegates and 20 alternates were chosen.

Trump effectively clinched his party’s nomination earlier this year.

As a U.S. territory, Puerto Rico does not participate in the presidential elections but does vote in primaries for the eventual nominees.

Politics in Puerto Rico is dictated by the political status people believe the island should have: statehood, independence or the territorial status quo. Several prominent members of the island’s Republican Party had announced ahead of the district assembly that they do not support Trump.

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Politics

Special Advisor on International Disability Rights Minkara Travel to Kenya

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Special Advisor on International Disability Rights (SAIDR) Sara Minkara is traveling to Kenya April 22 to 26 to meet with host government officials to support continued U.S.-Kenyan relations on the development of assistive technology, inclusive education, and employment opportunities for persons with disabilities.

Additionally, SAIDR Minkara will meet with civil society to learn about the challenges and opportunities to participation for persons with disabilities in society. She will also participate in the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) Business Summit in Nairobi, where she will discuss the importance of investing in disability-inclusive entrepreneurship and integrating disability rights into trading partnerships.

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Suspended Democratic State Attorney Andrew Warren Seeks Re-Election

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TAMPA, Fla. – In a video released Tuesday morning, State Attorney Andrew Warren announces he will seek re-election to a third term as State Attorney for Hillsborough County, Florida. Warren, a Democrat, points to his proven record of reduced crime, increased public safety, and improvements to the justice system as he declares his candidacy in the race, which will appear on the November 2024 general election ballot.

“Today, I’m running for election as State Attorney to serve the people—all the people—of Hillsborough County. I’m running to keep our neighborhoods safe. I’m running to fight for victims and to make our criminal justice system better,” Warren declares in the video.

Warren has twice been elected by Hillsborough County voters, in 2016 and 2020.

During his first 5 1/2 years in office, before he was illegally suspended by Gov. Ron DeSantis, Warren worked with prosecutors, law enforcement, and community partners to:

· Reduce crime in Hillsborough County by more than 30%

· Make Hillsborough the safest large county in Florida, according to state statistics

· Invest in safety through prevention and rehabilitation, and by addressing mental health and addiction

· Target child predators, convicting an average of one predator every four days the courthouse was open

· Create and expand civil citation programs, disrupting the school-to-prison pipeline

· Establish a Community Council and a Racial Justice Work Group

· Become a national leader in transparency, launching a groundbreaking public Data Dashboard

· Reduce the criminalization of poverty

· Pursue drunk drivers with aggressive sanctions to reduce repeat offenses

· Adopt the Disarming Domestic Abusers policy to protect victims of domestic violence

A native Floridian and former federal prosecutor, Warren and his wife Alex are parents of three children—their daughters Elliot and Lucy, and their late son Zack.

The announcement video is now live on Warren’s Facebook and X/Twitter pages. It encourages supporters to visit Warren’s website, AndrewWarrenFL.com, to sign up for updates or contribute to the campaign.

While outlining his successes in office, Warren also highlights the suspension that installed an unelected political appointee into his position last year—an appointment that is illegitimate, according to prominent Florida legal experts, including a former Attorney General and Supreme Court Justice.

“On August 4, 2022, Ron DeSantis threw out your vote. He illegally forced me from office under armed guard,” Warren says in the video. “My late son. My beautiful daughters. My strong wife. They inspire me to serve others—to do good. That’s why I took DeSantis to court.”

As an image in the video quotes federal Judge Robert Hinkle’s January 20, 2023 ruling that Warren “was diligently and competently performing the job he was elected to perform,” Warren says, “The judge ruled that I did my job and the suspension was unconstitutional. But our fight is not over”—referring to Judge Hinkle’s conclusion that he lacked the authority to reinstate Warren. On January 11, 2024, the appellate court affirmed Judge Hinkle’s findings regarding the constitutional violation while clearly stating that Judge Hinkle has the authority to reinstate Warren.

Even as Warren awaits reinstatement, his announcement Tuesday affirms that in addition to winning in court, Warren intends to be back on the ballot so voters can emphatically make it clear that they decide who represents them—not a governor who broke the law and abused his power for a political stunt.

“I’m running to protect our values, for a woman’s right to choose, for a fair and just system, and—above all—for freedom and democracy,” Warren says. “I’m running to do what’s right. It’s what I’ve always done, as a former federal prosecutor, as a father, and as your State Attorney. I’m Andrew Warren, and together, it’s time we reclaim the future of this community—our community. Join us in this fight.”

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