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gavinbena.bsky.social
your local neighborhood elections nerd & democratic committeeman for jefferson township Linktree: https://linktr.ee/gavinbena
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we discovered Rocket is absolutely fascinated by our local amphibians :)

I’m working on building long-term organizing power across Missouri as ED of AmplifyMO Actions. In 2024—our first year—we helped county committees open 6 offices, hire staff & reach over 90,000 voters. I'm looking for 1,000 sustaining donors to keep investing in democratic county committees.👇🏾 1/2

unfortunately Kalyn Free’s objection to the DNC Vice Chair election results is very convincing. it was severely flawed. but parliamentary procedure is boring and the media has turned this into a story about the Democratic Establishment trying to censor David Hogg, so who cares

we discovered Rocket is absolutely fascinated by our local amphibians :)

flowers and wine on the passenger side yeah, it’s mother’s day :)

personally i think political corruption should result in prison sentences, not just dramatic headlines

I mapped Missouri's Presidential & US Senate election results by our current state House districts: In 2008, Obama received 49.3% of the popular vote and would win 56 house seats on our current map. In 2024, Harris received just 40.1% and wins... 57 seats. More than Obama, despite a strong loss.

2022 US Senate election Eric Schmitt: 55.4% Trudy Busch-Valentine: 42.2% R+13.3% 2024 US Senate election Josh Hawley: 55.6% Lucas Kunce: 41.8% R+13.7%

according to the Missouri Office of Administration Division of Facilities Management rules regarding Public Use of State Facilities: activities that violate federal, state, or local law are *NOT* allowed inside the Capitol building !! good to know they have their bases covered

relistening to the McCaskill-Hawley debate tonight while I work, for no particular reason

today Rocket put his bunny chew toy in his food bowl and just left it there I uh think he’s trying to tell me something about the creatures he watches outside

> stand out on the porch to take a call > turn around > > :)

one of those weeks in politics where your entire body just feels like rubber bands

he found a stick :p

Once ironclad Republican territory, the suburbs included within Missouri's 24th Senate district have rapidly grown more Democratic over the years. Kirkwood & Creve Coeur swung from Romney to Clinton, Biden flipped Ladue and Frontenac, and even Des Peres only voted for Trump by 129 votes in 2024.

this guy ran for US Senate in Missouri and placed second to Josh Hawley

a side of the Show Me State the woke establishment deep state media doesn't want you to see:

> receives 33.7% of the vote > wins 63.2% of the seats > can easily govern alone without respect to the will of a vast majority of voters > government becomes unpopular with only 29% approving of his premiership well. who could have seen that coming.

I’ve caught a glimpse of a future where we all turn out okay:

With Jeanne Kirkton’s 579-vote win in 2008, she shattered a Republican streak that had persisted for decades and became the first Democrat to represent me at any level below statewide. But she maintained the seat’s streak of electing women, which has lasted from 1976 to today.

the black vs white smoke conclave election announcements were only introduced in 1914, to elect the 258th Pope. that’s relatively new! I’d like to suggest a few improvements: blue smoke: woke pope red smoke: non-woke pope green smoke: green pope yellow smoke: libertarian pope

alternate timeline where Biden picks Doug Jones as his attorney general

to become Pope, you need to win a 2/3rds supermajority of votes cast by eligible electors of the college of cardinals the last U.S. President to win a 2/3rds supermajority of votes cast by eligible electors of the U.S. electoral college? Barack Obama.

unpopular opinion but there should still be mass spontaneous parties out on the street in every city celebrating the occasion, even if it’s 80 years later

…did we just end up with a moderate traditionalist anti-Trump/Vance Pope who occasionally very carefully comments on American politics? I might fall to my knees in prayer thanking the Lord our God most high

as a St. Louisan, I applaud our eternal rivals on the other end of Illinois on their momentous honor today

> the Pope is an American from Chicago yeah, it’s all coming together

Yesterday, St. Louis, Missouri, inaugurated a new Mayor. Alderwoman Cara Spencer (caraspencer.bsky.social) won our April 8th general election with 64% of the vote, defeating incumbent Mayor Tishaura Jones (tishaura.bsky.social) in a rematch from 2021. Here's my map of the final precinct results:

The most recent new candidate to win a House election as an Independent? Jo Ann Emerson of Southeast Missouri, in 1996. Congressman Bill Emerson (R), her husband, passed that June - after the filing deadline. But she won handily, and rejoined the Republican Party in January '97.

praying they make the right choice 🙏

this is just what it’s like to live under the boot of a Trump presidency, where it feels like millions of people could die overnight in a flash of atomic fire and that would just be another headline.

average text with my sister couldn’t stop giggling lol

enjoying the authentic Columbia experience

learning!

one of these days I need to set aside some time to figure out how to deal with my hair and casually dress well. really just never been good at those kinds of lifestyle things.