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The Next Generation of Democrats Don’t Plan to Wait Their Turn

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The Next Generation of Democrats Don’t Plan to Wait Their Turn

George Hornedo, a liberal activist and Democratic Party strategist in Indianapolis, had already been weighing a primary challenge to the local congressman when he was confronted last month by a senior Indiana Democrat.

Asked whether he was planning a run, Mr. Hornedo, 34, acknowledged he was considering it. The woman, he recalled, told him he was “going to get hurt.” He posted his recounting of the interaction on TikTok, where it quickly went viral. “Don’t let them scare you off,” one commenter wrote.

On Wednesday, Mr. Hornedo announced his campaign against the nine-term incumbent, Representative André Carson, while deriding him and those like him as “do-nothing Democrats” and promising a new generation of leadership for Washington. “The Democratic Party cannot win the future with a leadership structure that is built for the past,” he said in an interview.

A small but growing group of young Democrats are being propelled to act by outrage among rank-and-file voters, and especially among young people. Infuriated by the early months of President Trump’s second term, impatient with the status quo and frustrated with party leadership, they are mounting bids for office.

In California, Jake Rakov, 37, a onetime Capitol Hill aide to Representative Brad Sherman, 70, is challenging his former boss. And even Representative Nancy Pelosi, 85, the California Democrat who stepped down from her two-decade leadership role in 2023, faces a primary challenge, from Saikat Chakrabarti, 39, the former campaign manager for Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, who ran a similar playbook in her first race for Congress.

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Some of these efforts look like long shots against well-funded and better-known incumbents. But they amount to a manifestation of the anger felt by voters toward the Democratic Party — after President Joseph R. Biden Jr., ignoring their concerns, waited until late in the game to abandon his attempt at re-election — and the sentiment that a younger generation might be better equipped to oppose Mr. Trump.

“They’re looking to build a Democratic Party that will fight instead of fold,” said Amanda Litman, the leader of Run for Something, a progressive group that pushes young Democrats to run for office. Young people, Ms. Litman said, were essentially saying: “It’s time to pass the torch. And if they’re not going to pass it, we’re going to take it.”

Here’s a look at three young Democrats who recently announced runs for office.

A member of the Indiana Democratic Party representing the Latino caucus, Mr. Hornedo (rhymes with tornado) has a résumé that does not quite qualify him as a party outsider. He held a communications role in the Obama administration’s Justice Department and has worked for a range of prominent Democrats, including Pete Buttigieg, the former transportation secretary, who has had presidential ambitions.

But Mr. Hornedo said he rejected any labels like “progressive” or “establishment,” arguing instead that the split in the party is between those like himself who feel a sense of urgency to shake up the status quo and those “who believe that our system and institutions are largely working for people, and we simply have to protect them and manage them in this decline.”

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Mr. Hornedo said that he planned to take a more active role than Mr. Carson in building up the Democrats’ bench in Indiana and that he was especially interested in pushing for more affordable housing in Indianapolis, which Mr. Carson has represented since 2008. In a statement, Mr. Carson said he was a lifelong progressive and invited “all voices to join me to defeat far-right extremism.”

Kat Abughazaleh, a 26-year-old former researcher for Media Matters, a liberal advocacy organization, first gained online attention for her social media posts and videos skewering conservative media personalities.

Last month, she entered the political arena herself, announcing a primary challenge against Representative Jan Schakowsky, an Illinois Democrat first elected the year Ms. Abughazaleh was born, with an unusual tagline: “What if we didn’t suck?”

Ms. Abughazaleh (pronounced AH-boo-guh-ZAH-lay) said she had grown tired of watching Democrats compromise and work with Mr. Trump, and had been dismayed to see Democratic leaders who had called Mr. Trump a fascist and a threat to democracy show up to his inauguration.

“I was hoping that someone would do something in the chambers or legislatively, or speak out,” she said. “And instead, there were a lot of headlines of, ‘Oh, we want to work with DOGE’ — compromising on basic human rights, rolling over almost immediately,” she added, referring to Elon Musk’s effort to slash the federal government, known as the Department of Government Efficiency. Eventually, she said she realized that “we’re all we’ve got — no one else is coming to save us.”

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Ms. Abughazaleh, a progressive who is making the cost of living a major part of her platform, is taking on a fellow progressive in Ms. Schakowsky. But she argues that it is time for Ms. Schakowsky, who is 80, to give way to a new generation.

In a statement, Ms. Schakowsky said that she had not yet decided whether to retire or run for re-election but that she welcomed “new faces getting involved as we stand up against the Trump administration.”

Deja Foxx’s upbringing would stand out among members of the House. Growing up in Tucson, Ariz., Ms. Foxx was homeless at one point as a teenager, and she worked at a gas station to help make ends meet.

While in high school in 2017, she confronted Senator Jeff Flake of Arizona, a Republican, at a town hall, asking him about his support for a bill that allowed states to direct funding away from Planned Parenthood, an exchange that went viral. Since then, Ms. Foxx has worked on Democratic campaigns, including on former Vice President Kamala Harris’s run last year.

But last November left her disheartened. And Ms. Foxx, 24, was alarmed by the relatively staid reactions from Democrats to Mr. Trump’s joint address to Congress in March, which she attended in person.

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“I left balancing both a feeling of disappointment and a sense of urgency,” she said, adding later, “These cannot be the people who are standing between Donald Trump and Elon Musk and your grandmother’s Social Security checks.” She went on, “These cannot be our strongest fighters.”

Ms. Foxx announced a run for an open House seat in southern Arizona this month, joining a crowded special election field vying to replace Representative Raúl Grijalva, who died of complications from lung cancer in March. She said she was representing young people and members of the working class who want to see a fiercer resistance to Mr. Trump.

“For the people who tell me to sit down and wait my turn, I have nothing to say to them other than, ‘We don’t have time to waste,’” she said.

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Zohran Mamdani tells 1M social media followers to boycott Starbucks amid ongoing worker strike

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Zohran Mamdani tells 1M social media followers to boycott Starbucks amid ongoing worker strike

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New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani encouraged his more than 1 million X followers this week to boycott Starbucks.

“Starbucks workers across the country are on an Unfair Labor Practices strike, fighting for a fair contract,” the 34-year-old wrote on Thursday. “While workers are on strike, I won’t be buying any Starbucks, and I’m asking you to join us. Together, we can send a powerful message: No contract, no coffee.”

On the same day, Starbucks Workers United, a union representing workers at the coffee giant, announced it was going on an open-ended strike in what is being dubbed the “Red Cup Rebellion.”

1K UNIONIZED STARBUCKS BARISTAS LAUNCH LABOR STRIKE AT 65 STORES

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New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani encouraged his more than 1 million X followers this week to boycott Starbucks. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

“As of today, Starbucks workers across the country are officially ON STRIKE,” the union wrote on social media. “And we’re prepared for this to become the biggest and longest ULP strike in Starbucks history. Say #NoContractNoCoffee with us: DON’T BUY STARBUCKS for the duration of our open-ended ULP strike! $SBUX.”

Thursday was also Starbucks’ Red Cup Day, during which customers can pick up a free reusable festive red cup for the holidays.

CHICAGO BARISTA SAYS STARBUCKS WORKERS ARE BEING ‘ABUSED VERBALLY’ UNDER NEW CEO POLICIES

Starbucks employees and supporters strike in Seattle, where the company was founded, on Thursday.  (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

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Red Cup Day is typically one of the company’s busiest days.

Mamdani was elected mayor on Nov. 4 following a shock win in the Democratic primary last June due to him being a Democratic socialist. Both times he handily beat former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who ran as an Independent in the general election.

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Mamdani’s office and Starbucks didn’t immediately return requests for comment.

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Foul-mouthed, brash and savvy: What to know about ex-Newsom aide tangled in a corruption probe

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Foul-mouthed, brash and savvy: What to know about ex-Newsom aide tangled in a corruption probe

The FBI was secretly listening last year when a high-ranking advisor to Gov. Gavin Newsom unleashed a stream of profanities as she vented about a public records request from an unnamed individual.

“Double f— her!” said Dana Williamson, Newsom’s chief of staff, repeating the f word throughout the conversation. She also called another person an “a—,” according to federal court documents made public this week.

Before Wednesday, few people outside of California’s political bubble likely knew Williamson’s name.

Now she’s engulfed in a scandal involving political consultants and illicit payments that threatens to haunt her former boss, Newsom, as he challenges President Trump and looks toward the 2028 presidential race.

A smart and savvy negotiator who bridged Sacramento’s overlapping worlds of government, business and labor, Williamson is also someone who picked unnecessary fights and launched cruel missives, political consultants and friends said this week.

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Federal agents arrested Williamson Wednesday at her home in Carmichael, a Sacramento suburb. Her lawyer, former U.S. Atty. McGregor Scott, was furious about how the arrest was handled, saying she was seriously ill and in need of a liver transplant.

Federal prosecutors allege that she conspired to funnel money out of one of her one-time client’s state campaign accounts for bogus services, and falsified documents related to her COVID loan.

She also is accused of lying on her tax returns about luxury items and services, including a $150,000 birthday trip to Mexico, that she allegedly sought to pass off as business expenses, according to the government.

Williamson, who pleaded not guilty to the charges this week, appeared in a courtroom in Sacramento. She appeared solemn during the hearing, at one point reportedly lifting her cuffed hand to wipe away a tear, and left without talking to reporters.

Court documents filed this week paint an image of both a conniving player and a fragile individual. “I’m scared,” she wrote in a February 2022 text message to a colleague as they discussed the alleged money-laundering scheme, which was allegedly in the early planning stages.

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Public affairs consultant Steven Maviglio has known her since the two worked in President Clinton’s administration — and then later the administration of Gov. Gray Davis. He is now trying to put together a legal defense fund for her.

He described Williamson as a “no nonsense, no BS, get it done” person who was “straight-talking, sometimes to the point of offensive to people.”

She regularly dropped f-bombs, he added.

In another recording captured by the FBI, Williamson joined two colleagues last year in a restaurant near the state Capitol in Sacramento. The government was asking questions about money she received through her COVID loan.

She complained about the “f—” drama and said her Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan got “popped” — before adding another swear word. According to federal officials, she created false contracts in an attempt to show the COVID money was appropriately used.

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There is little sympathy from her detractors. Gil Duran, the former press secretary to Gov. Jerry Brown, who worked alongside Williamson, likened her to a “mafia boss” in an interview with CNN. She also has numerous defenders in Sacramento, many of them women, who view her as a tough and inspiring figure.

The details in the federal filings sent shock waves beyond Sacramento and the state Capitol this week.

“I’m stunned about the allegation and find it hard to believe,” said Alison Gaulden, who supervised Williamson when she worked as an associate vice president of public affairs for Planned Parenthood Mar Monte from 2002 to 2004.

Gaulden described her as “incredibly bright and well versed in policy. I’ve admired how she grew in her career.”

Williamson, who grew up in Santa Rosa, moved between the private and public sectors, and was employed by three governors, Davis, Jerry Brown and Newsom.

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At Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E), she worked alongside two other women who would be remarkably influential in her life: Nancy McFadden, the late advisor to Brown and Alexis Podesta, a longtime California political insider who also appears in the federal court documents filed this week.

Podesta is the person identified as “Co-Conspirator 2,” but has not been charged and is cooperating with investigators, according to her attorney.

Williamson was hired as a senior advisor for Brown and was later promoted to Cabinet secretary.

While working for Brown, Williamson publicly advocated for children’s health, testifying in favor of legislation that would eliminate the state’s personal-belief exemption for childhood vaccines. She said the issue was meaningful to her because she was a mother of four.

“Usually, staff doesn’t speak on bills, the great thing about the governor is that he respects that we are people first,” Williamson told the San Francisco Chronicle. “This was important to me.”

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Business advocates appreciated her direct approach when she worked for Brown.

“She was very straightforward, she was a good person to work with,” said Stuart Waldman, president of Valley Industry and Commerce Assn. He said he hadn’t dealt with her in years.

She flip-flopped between private and government work, drawing criticism from groups like Consumer Watchdog for her “revolving door” career.

In one episode, she was allegedly seen negotiating for her energy clients in Brown’s office as the state hammered out details over a grid deal, drawing outrage from the watchdog group.

She started her own government relations firm, Grace Public Affairs, which handled an array of campaigns, including the online sports betting initiative Proposition 27, which appeared on the 2022 ballot, but failed to pass.

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Her clients included California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara, and former Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra, whose campaign fund was allegedly raided by Williamson, and others.

By 2017, she had a close group of female friends, who had also risen to the top of their professions. But to those who weren’t in her inner circle, she was all elbows, one political insider said this week.

At the California Democratic Party headquarters in downtown Sacramento, a bronze statue of Williamson’s then-5-year-old daughter was installed as part of a campaign to promote female empowerment following Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s 2016 loss.

Those behind the statue included Williamson’s friends Robin Swanson, a Democratic communications consultant, and Angie Tate, then a chief fundraiser for the California Democratic Party.

The installation was intended to mimic the “Fearless Girl” statue at New York’s Wall Street, which shows a 4-foot young woman looking defiantly at the famous charging bull statue.

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In 2022, Newsom’s office announced Williamson was joining his office as chief of staff. Though the two weren’t particularly close when she joined, she quickly became part of his inner circle, Politico reported at the time.

Anthony York, Newsom’s former communications director and a former L.A. Times reporter, told Politico at the time that Williamson was not intimidated by the governor’s celebrity status. “She gives zero f—s, which is part of what makes her so great,” York said.

During her time in Newsom’s office, she worked with former Senate leader Darrell Steinberg on the successful passage of Proposition 1, which borrows billions of dollars for mental health services, and was a personal issue for her family.

“I had a particularly tough experience with my husband that I learned a lot from… when the incident happened with him, I learned about all the holes in the system,” she told KQED.

She moved from Elk Grove last year to Carmichael, purchasing a home for $1.695 million, according to property records. The records show her linked to several homes in Elk Grove, including one that went into foreclosure in 2012.

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Williamson would send off combative messages, including social media posts or texts, often at night. Among her targets: California Labor Federation President Lorena Gonzalez and U.S. Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-Rocklin), whom she called an “entertaining idiot” on X.

She took aim at former Assemblymember Kevin McCarty during his campaign last year for Sacramento mayor. She called him a “devil” on X and urged others not to vote for him, before her comment was taken down a few days later.

Newsom placed Williamson on leave when she informed him last year she was under criminal investigation. Her last day in office was in November 2024. At the time, the governor said in a statement that “her insight, tenacity, and big heart will be missed.”

This week, a spokesperson for the governor struck a different tone: “Ms. Williamson no longer serves in this administration. While we are still learning details of the allegations, the Governor expects all public servants to uphold the highest standards of integrity.”

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Video: Kristi Noem Hands $10,000 Bonuses to Some T.S.A. Agents

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Video: Kristi Noem Hands ,000 Bonuses to Some T.S.A. Agents

new video loaded: Kristi Noem Hands $10,000 Bonuses to Some T.S.A. Agents

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Kristi Noem Hands $10,000 Bonuses to Some T.S.A. Agents

The secretary for Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, awarded $10,000 checks to Transportation Security Administration workers who “went above and beyond” during the shutdown.

Every single one of these individuals served with exemplary service. They went above and beyond. They helped individuals. They served extra shifts.

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The secretary for Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, awarded $10,000 checks to Transportation Security Administration workers who “went above and beyond” during the shutdown.

By Shawn Paik

November 13, 2025

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