2022

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Utah Democrats pulling hard to defeat Republican Sen. Mike Lee took the unusual step Saturday of spurning a party hopeful to instead get behind an independent, former presidential candidate Evan McMullin.

Democrats were swayed by calls from prominent members who said McMullin, a conservative who captured a significant share of the vote in Utah in 2016, was the best chance to beat Lee in the deeply conservative state that hasn’t elected a Democratic U.S. senator for more than 50 years.

“I want to represent you. I’m committed to that. I will maintain my independence,” McMullin told Democratic delegates.

Lee also faced two GOP challengers at his party’s nominating conventions. He handily won in front of the right-leaning crowd with over 70% of the vote. But those candidates will still appear on the primary ballot because they used the state’s other path to the primary ballot and gathered signatures.

Former state lawmaker Becky Edwards garnered about 12% of the vote Saturday. Former gubernatorial deputy chief of staff Ally Isom came in third.

Lee’s relationship with former president Donald Trump has been front and center since CNN reported on text messages showing that the senator was involved in early efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election, though Lee later pivoted and voted to confirm the election results after no widespread fraud emerged.

“I did my job,” Lee said about the messages. “I did my job the way that I’ve always promised I would go about doing my job.”

McMullin is a former CIA officer ran for president in 2016 and made inroads in the deeply conservative state where where many GOP voters had reservations about then-candidate Trump. Lee himself cast a protest vote for McMullin, though he later became as staunch Trump ally, and the former president has endorsed him.

A Democrat ran for the nomination, Kael Weston, but the pro-McMullin camp ultimately convinced party delegates to nominate no one, clearing the path for the independent as much as possible. His supporters included prominent Democrats like former Congressman Ben McAdams.

“I know Evan. I trust Evan,” McAdams told delegates during the contentious debate, framing McMullin as the best possible chance to unseat Lee in a state where Republicans outnumber Democrats 4-to-1.

Republican Party Chair Carson Jorgensen took aim at the Democrats’ decision, arguing it showed a weakness in the other party’s platform. “We as Republicans, now’s our time to shine,” he said. “I don’t know if everyone quite understands the gravity of this.”

Also Saturday, moderate Republican Congressman John Curtis was forced into a primary, coming in second in a crowded field that included a challenger who brought in longtime Trump confidant Roger Stone. The effort didn’t carry candidate Jason Preston beyond the first round of voting, however.

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(Reuters) – Republican U.S. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene on Friday told a lawyer for voters seeking to disqualify her from running for re-election that she did not know how to answer a question about whether she advocates violence against people with whom she disagrees.

Greene testified in a Georgia state court in Atlanta in a novel legal challenge to her candidacy accusing her of violating a U.S. Constitution provision called the “Insurrectionist Disqualification Clause” by supporting an incendiary rally that preceded last year’s attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Andrew Celli, a lawyer for the voters, asked Greene during the hearing before administrative law judge Charles Beaudrot whether she has advocates political violence against people with whom she disagrees.

“I don’t think so,” Greene replied. “I don’t know how to answer that.”

Greene is a prominent supporter of former President Donald Trump. In comments to the media, she has downplayed and justified the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol assault by Trump supporters in their failed bid to block congressional certification of President Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory.

Trump at the preceding rally told his supporters to march to the Capitol and “fight like hell,” repeating his false claims that the election was stolen through widespread voter fraud. The Trump supporters attacked police, ransacked parts of the Capitol and send lawmakers into hiding for their own safety.

“I was asking people to come for a peaceful march, which everyone is entitled to do,” Greene told the hearing. “I was not asking them to actively engage in violence.”

The constitutional clause, added after the U.S. Civil War of the 1860s, prohibits politicians from running for Congress if they have engaged in “insurrection or rebellion” or “given aid or comfort” to the nation’s enemies.

Greene, who represents a Georgia district in the U.S. House of Representatives, is seeking re-election this year, with the Republican primary scheduled on May 24 and the general election on Nov. 8.

Celli also questioned Greene about a video she recorded in 2019, before she took office, calling U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi a “traitor.” Greene at first denied making the statement, but then admitted to it under questioning by the Celli and the judge.

Greene’s lawyer argued that the statement was “hyperbole” and irrelevant to the case.

The voter challenge is being spearheaded by a group called Free Speech for People that advocates for campaign finance reform. A similar challenge backed by the same group against Republican U.S. Representative Madison Cawthorn failed when a federal judge in North Carolina dismissed that suit on March 4.

Ron Fein, a lawyer for the voters seeking Greene’s disqualification, said in his opening remarks that the congresswoman played an “important role” in instigating the attack on the U.S. Capitol.

“In some cases, the mask falls and she shows us exactly what she intended,” Fein said.

Greene’s lawyer, James Bopp, argued during his opening remarks that removing her from the ballot would be both unfair to her and to voters in her conservative-leaning district. Greene is expected to appeal any ruling against her, and has already brought parallel litigation in U.S. federal court seeking to halt the administrative proceeding.

In a recent court filing, Greene’s lawyers said she “vigorously denies that she aided and engaged in insurrection to obstruct the peaceful transfer of presidential power.”

“Fundamentally, First Amendment rights are at stake, not only the right to vote, as I’ve mentioned, or the right to run for office,” Bopp said during the hearing, referring to the Constitution’s free speech protections.

Absentee ballots will start to be mailed on April 25.

(Reporting by Jan Wolfe; Editing by Will Dunham, Scott Malone and Daniel Wallis)

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By Joseph Ax

LAWRENCE, N.J. (Reuters) -Last year, Xavier Rodriguez got two convictions for marijuana possession expunged from his record, thanks to a new law legalizing the drug in New Jersey.

On Thursday, the 28-year-old was among the initial wave of New Jerseyans waiting in long lines to buy marijuana lawfully, as 13 dispensaries around the state began selling to all residents 21 and older for the first time.

“No more being hassled and having to hide out,” said Rodriguez, standing outside the Zen Leaf dispensary in Lawrence, New Jersey, with his 60-year-old mother, Debra, who uses marijuana for pain caused by rheumatoid arthritis.

Thursday’s debut marked the culmination of a decade-long effort by advocates in the state to legalize recreational use and end years of racially unbalanced criminal prosecution. New Jersey is one of 18 states and the District of Columbia to have legalized adult marijuana use.

“We see it as the end of Prohibition 2.0,” said Ben Kovler, chief executive of Green Thumb Industries, which operates dispensaries in Paterson and Bloomfield.

The 13 locations are owned by Ascend Wellness Holdings Inc, Columbia Care Inc, Acreage Holdings Inc, Green Thumb Industries Inc, Curaleaf Holdings Inc, Terrascend Corp and Verano Holdings Corp.

Industry executives and analysts expect the market will eventually exceed $2 billion. Governor Phil Murphy’s proposed budget anticipates $121 million in cannabis revenue, mostly from taxes and fees, in fiscal year 2023.

There are currently 130,000 medical marijuana patients in New Jersey, and the state’s Cannabis Regulatory Commission estimates there are roughly 800,000 potential recreational customers.

“The goal here is to take people away from the black market and bring them into the safe, legal market,” said George Archos, chief executive of Verano, which owns the Zen Leaf in Lawrence.

More than 100 people stood in a line snaking around Zen Leaf’s building on Thursday morning. Employees with tablets offered advice on choosing from a menu of products ranging from Ethos Cookies (“frosty and delicious”) to Chemlatto 33 (“earthy and rich”) – both hybrid strains of smokable cannabis.

Dean Miller, 39, said he has a medical card for marijuana but chose to wait in the adult-use line to show support for what he called “a big day for New Jersey.”

He said he hoped legalization would help educate people on marijuana’s therapeutic effects, without the downsides of substances such as alcohol.

“I’m not just looking to get high,” said Miller, who relies on daily marijuana to cope with pain from six surgeries.

‘PURSUING EQUITY’

Only medical marijuana dispensaries can sell to adults for now, but the commission is weighing hundreds of applications from start-up businesses. Those owned by people with marijuana convictions, as well as minorities, women and disabled veterans, receive priority consideration under the law.

The law requires much of the state’s cannabis revenue to be invested in communities most harmed by the “war on drugs.”

In 2018, Black people were arrested more than three times as often as white people for marijuana offenses despite similar usage rates, according to the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey.

“That’s the whole point here: making sure we’re pursuing equity every step of the way and ending our reliance on a criminal response for something that people consume all over the country,” said Amol Sinha, the group’s executive director.

Cannabis executives hope a successful launch in New Jersey will spur other East Coast states to take action, noting that polls show a majority of Americans support legalizing marijuana.

“It’s time for legislators to catch up with the American consumer,” said Joe Bayern, the chief executive of Curaleaf.

(Reporting by Joseph AxEditing by Bill Berkrot)

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