DAGA Download – July 12
July 12, 2019
Here is what happened last week for DAGA and our Democratic Attorneys General:
TUNE IN TODAY TO NETROOTS NATION 2019
Today at 1:30pm ET Delaware AG Kathy Jennings, Minnesota AG Keith Ellison and Pennsylvania AG Josh Shapiro will join DAGA for a panel at Netroots Nation 2019 to talk about what it means to be a Democratic AG and fight for progress. If you’re in Philly, stop by! If not, no worries, catch the live stream here.
DEM AGS FIGHT TO SAVE HEALTH CARE
This week, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals heard oral arguments in Texas v. US, the Republican-led lawsuit to dismantle the ACA. 21 Democratic AGs led by California AG Xavier Becerra fought to defend healthcare for millions of Americans from the attack by Republican AGs (and one Governor) and the Trump administration.
- As part of an effort to drive attention to the role state AGs play in the future of health care, DAGA launched a print and digital ad blitz targeting five “health care hypocrite” AGs who are part of the GOP coalition attempting to gut the Affordable Care Act. “The health care debate is often limited to what is happening in Congress when the real action is happening at the state AG level,” Farah Melendez, DAGA Political Director, highlighted. Check out the coverage of this campaign in the Washington Post, The Hill, Cheddar, Salt Lake Tribune and The Advocate!
- Democratic AGs were front and center (and on prime time) this week discussing their work to save lives and protect health care for the people in their states.
AG ELECTIONS UPDATE: MISSISSIPPI AD DROP FOR JENNIFER RILEY COLLINS
Democratic candidate for Mississippi Attorney General Jennifer Riley Collins just launched the FIRST video of her historic campaign to become Mississippi’s next Attorney General. Riley Collins is a native of Meridian, MS, a 32-year army veteran, a mother, and the former Executive Director for the ACLU in Jackson, Mississippi. If elected, she will be the first African American woman to hold statewide office in Mississippi. For more on Jennifer Riley Collins, read her Q&A with the Jackson Free Press here and visit her website here to learn more about her historic campaign!
(TOP)-EDS
- THE FIGHT FOR 51 STATES: As the fight for DC statehood continues, DAGA Co-Chair District of Columbia AG Karl Racine shared a new perspective on the intersection between DC statehood and the fight to protect reproductive rights. “For the District of Columbia, our ability to protect the fundamental rights of our residents faces unique obstacles. Our residents suffer an unequal impact of federal efforts to restrict access to abortion because we are not a state” AG Racine Read the full op-ed in The Hill here!
- CREDIT EARNED ON CJR: Delaware AG Kathy Jennings’ leadership on criminal justice reform led to legislative success on several reform initiatives this state legislative session. Delaware Online noted, “Top leaders within the criminal justice system have become vocal about the need for change — most notably Attorney General Kathy Jennings.” You can read more about AG Jennings’ leadership and success in the full op-ed here!
NO HIDDEN HOTEL FEES WITH THIS AG
This week, DAGA Co-Chair District of Columbia AG Karl Racine filed a lawsuit against Marriott International, INC. for charging hidden fees saying, “Marriott reaped hundreds of millions of dollars in profit by deceiving consumers about the true price of its hotel rooms.” AG Racine went on to say, “With this lawsuit, we are seeking monetary relief for tens of thousands of District consumers who paid hidden resort fees and to force Marriott to be fully transparent about their prices so consumers can make informed decisions when booking hotel rooms.” Read more about this first-of-its-kind lawsuit here!