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Pacific Northwest could decide which party controls the House

Published

1 year ago

October 22, 2024

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Pacific Northwest could decide which party controls the House

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Washington and Oregon voters find themselves in an unusual position in the deeply blue states: they could play a pivotal role in determining Republican control of the House, placing these traditionally predictable states under the spotlight.

As usual, voter turnout will be the deciding factor. But it’s low Democratic enthusiasm, partially driven by the unpopularity of Vice President Kamala Harris at the top of the ticket, and backlash against Democratic support of Israel could potentially swing two seats to Republicans and help the party hold onto a third in these competitive districts.

Another upset in OR-5?

Republican Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer’s reelection campaign in Oregon’s 5th Congressional District is one of the most closely watched races this cycle, thanks to the district’s unique political landscape.

FOX NEWS POWER RANKINGS: HARRIS LOSES HER LEAD AND A NEW ELECTORATE EMERGES

In 2022, Chavez-DeRemer won the seat by just two points over her far-left challenger, flipping it from blue to red, thanks to her appeal to rural voters in places like Marion and Linn counties, even as she lost in more liberal areas like Clackamas and Multnomah counties. The district remains a toss-up, with more than 40% of voters identifying as independents or unaffiliated.

Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer is in a close congressional race with Democrat Janelle Bynum, a state representative. FILE: Chavez-DeRemer, a Republican from Oregon, speaks during a news conference in Washington, DC, on Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2023. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Chavez-DeRemer has focused on local issues like crime, inflation and homelessness, positioning herself as a pragmatic, bipartisan voice. But the challenge this time is steeper. Democrat Janelle Bynum, a state representative, has significant name recognition and support from key Democratic leaders who see this seat as critical for their path to regaining control of the House.

Plus, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) has spent big on attack ads to brand Chavez-DeRemer as a partisan, MAGA extremist. They’re even funding activists from San Francisco to doorbell for Bynum.

Bynum has historically performed well among independents when running for the state legislature. Chavez-DeRemer’s strong fundraising advantage might allow her to out-communicate Bynum, but she’s navigating a district that is trending more purple, and perhaps even blue, as the national political climate continues to polarize voters.

But the district is shifting demographically. As younger, more liberal voters move into Clackamas County, it is becoming harder for Republicans to maintain their foothold in a district that includes part of far-left Portland.

Is the second time a charm for Joe Kent?

Republican Joe Kent is again challenging Democrat incumbent Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez in Washington’s 3rd Congressional District, a rematch that is shaping up to be one of the most competitive House races of 2024. The district, which includes Vancouver, Battle Ground, and Kelso, has a history of supporting Republicans, but Gluesenkamp Perez flipped the seat in 2022, defeating Kent by less than 1% of the vote.

Kent, a former Green Beret, Gold Star husband and Trump-endorsed candidate, was hindered by Republican infighting during that race after defeating moderate incumbent Jaime Herrera Beutler in the primary, and, at the time, former President Donald Trump was a drag on Republicans statewide.

This time around, Kent has refined his campaign strategy, focusing less on controversial issues like election integrity and abortion, and more on economic concerns, the fentanyl crisis, immigration, and local infrastructure needs like replacing the aging I-5 bridge. He has also learned from previous mistakes, emphasizing early voting and outreach to a broader voter base.

Rep.-elect Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Wash., reacts after drawing her number in the House new member room lottery in the Cannon House Office Building on Friday, December 2, 2022. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Gluesenkamp Perez, for her part, is running as a moderate, presenting herself as willing to buck her party for the good of the district. She has taken high-profile votes against President Joe Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan and supported more bipartisan issues like infrastructure and agricultural policies that benefit rural communities.

But Kent argues that the incumbent is far more aligned with the Biden administration than her voting record suggests. He points to her support for transgender females to share locker rooms and sports leagues with biological girls and to her vote against impeaching Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

In turn, Glusenkamp Perez claims Kent is an extremist who will support a nationwide abortion ban (a position Kent says he doesn’t hold). Both candidates are locked in a dead heat according to recent polls, with voters split nearly evenly.

Is an upset coming in WA-08?

There’s always a surprise House result or two: Former New York Republican Rep. George Santos in 2022, Florida Republican Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar in 2020, and New York Democrat Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in 2018. Could the next sleeper race be in Washington?

On paper, Democrat Rep. Kim Schrier is a safe bet for reelection in Washington’s 8th Congressional District, but beneath the surface, the race against Republican Carmen Goers may be heating up.

Schrier, a pediatrician, is running for her fourth term in a district that spans parts of King, Pierce and Snohomish counties and extends into more rural areas like Ellensburg and Wenatchee. The very large district’s political makeup has become more diverse, with urban and suburban voters balancing out the more conservative rural areas.

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Goers, a commercial banker, positioned herself as a fresh face for the district. Her campaign is focusing on crime and inflation, two issues she says hit everyone in the district hard. She also criticized Schrier’s voting record, painting her as a Seattle-style progressive who supports a natural gas energy ban and opposes efforts to check citizenship status of voters.

Janelle Bynum is a Democrat running for Congress in Oregon against Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer. (Janelle Bynum for Congress)

In return, Schrier has all but ignored Goers and hasn’t run a very active re-election campaign, raising millions less than she did in 2022.

Schrier is acting like she has this in the bag. But working against her are four voter-backed initiatives, backlash against Democrat support for Israel and apathy around Harris.

Washington voters put four issues on the November ballot, all repealing major Democratic legislative wins. They would end the capital gains tax, Climate Commitment Act (which added roughly $0.50 per gallon of gas), a government-run long-term care insurance mandate, and the first steps to banning natural gas in the state. These are expected to drive up voter participation.

Bynum has historically performed well among independents when running for the state legislature. Chavez-DeRemer’s strong fundraising advantage might allow her to out-communicate Bynum, but she’s navigating a district that is trending more purple, and perhaps even blue, as the national political climate continues to polarize voters.

Schrier, a supporter of Israel, also faced a primary challenge by Imraan Siddiqi, president of the Washington Chapter of the Council on Islamic-American Relations (CAIR). Though he picked up just a little over 3% of the vote, Scrier barely made it to 50%. The district has both a large Muslim population and politically active younger voters, thanks to Central Washington University. Both groups may snub Schrier (or Harris) because of anger over support for Israel.

In the primary, Goers outperformed in five of the district’s six counties and came close to 40% in King County, that magic number Republicans generally need to overcome the Democrats voter advantage. It won’t be easy by any stretch, but apathy towards Harris, and more enthusiasm in the rural areas for Trump, could give Goers the boost she needs to flip the district against an opponent who is barely running a re-election campaign.

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West

Firm behind climate lawsuits faces DOJ referral after court finds ‘misconduct bordering on criminal’

Published

14 minutes ago

December 23, 2025

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Firm behind climate lawsuits faces DOJ referral after court finds ‘misconduct bordering on criminal’

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A federal judge’s extraordinary decision to refer Hagens Berman to the Department of Justice for possible unlawful conduct escalated to an appeals court this week, marking one of the toughest challenges yet for a high-profile law firm known, in part, for its aggressive climate litigation.

The referral came as part of a lawsuit that Hagens Berman brought related to a separate topic, alleged drug-related injuries, and involved Judge Paul Diamond taking the rare step of asking the DOJ to review whether Hagens Berman acted unlawfully.

Diamond noted in an order on Dec. 2 that a court-appointed lawyer, known as a special master, found Hagens Berman engaged in a yearslong effort to bring “fraudulent” complaints in the case in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Hagens Berman also obstructed discovery and “doctored evidence,” the special master found. The order noted that the firm’s apparent “misconduct bordering on criminal” warranted the DOJ’s involvement.

TOP ENERGY GROUP CALLS FOR PROBE INTO SECRETIVE ‘NATIONAL LAWFARE CAMPAIGN’ TO INFLUENCE JUDGES ON CLIMATE

The Department of Justice headquarters on Feb. 19, 2020, in Washington, D.C. (Drew Angerer)

Hagens Berman has aggressively pushed back on the allegations and turned to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit for relief. The firm accused the judge of bias, noting it had recently sought Diamond’s recusal from the case and claiming the judge could be retaliating.

“To rebut the charge in the court below would risk fomenting even greater ire of the district judge—ire that would be calamitous for petitioners’ clients,” Hagens Berman lawyers wrote. “To remain silent is to permit a baseless accusation leveled by an Article III judge no less, to hang like a dark, ignominious cloud over petitioners’ professional reputation.”

The clash comes as Hagens Berman continues positioning itself as a go-to firm for high-risk litigation, including environmental cases, even as its track record in that arena shows mixed results.

Last month, the firm filed a class-action lawsuit on behalf of Washington state homeowners against ExxonMobil, Shell, Chevron and other fossil fuel companies. The suit alleges the companies sparked a rise in natural disasters that has driven up homeowners’ insurance premiums and claims they mounted a “coordinated and deliberate scheme to hide the truth about climate change and the effects of burning fossil fuels.”

Fuel prices at a Shell gas station in Burien, Washington, on Wednesday, March 9, 2022. (Chona Kasinger/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

But in addition to the DOJ referral, Hagens Berman has thus far struggled to secure clear victories or settlements in its climate cases and was dealt some legal blows in that realm in recent years.

Efforts to reach a Hagens Berman representative for comment were unsuccessful by press time.

In 2018, Judge William Alsup, a Clinton appointee, tossed out San Francisco and Oakland’s case, which was brought by Hagens Berman against fossil fuel companies over the alleged effects of climate change. Alsup called the scope of the cities’ claims in that case “breathtaking.”

“It would reach the sale of fossil fuels anywhere in the world, including all past and otherwise lawful sales, where the seller knew that the combustion of fossil fuels contributed to the phenomenon of global warming,” Alsup wrote.

The cities dropped Hagens Berman as their representation after a series of adverse decisions in that case.

CLIMATE LAWFARE CAMPAIGN DEALT BLOW IN SOUTH CAROLINA

People march as they take part in a strike to demand action on the global climate crisis on Sept. 20, 2019, in New York City. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

The law firm also lost in a similar case that same year in New York. In that dismissal, the late Judge John Keenan, a Reagan appointee, again found Hagens Berman’s lawsuit was far too expansive.

“The City has not sued under New York law for claims related to the production of fossil fuels in New York,” Keenan wrote. “The City brings claims for damages caused by global greenhouse gas emissions resulting from the combustion of Defendants’ fossil fuels, which are produced and used ‘worldwide.’”

The DOJ review, if upheld by the 3rd Circuit, could now overshadow the firm’s more recent endeavors and raises the stakes for the practice as it continues to take on ambitious cases.

Ashley Oliver is a reporter for Fox News Digital and FOX Business, covering the Justice Department and legal affairs. Email story tips to ashley.oliver@fox.com.

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San Francisco, CA

Executive chef of new buzzy San Francisco restaurant Bourbon Steak visits ABC7

Published

2 hours ago

December 23, 2025

Press Room

Executive chef of new buzzy San Francisco restaurant Bourbon Steak visits ABC7

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — ABC7 got in the holiday spirit Monday with the executive chef of San Francisco’s buzziest restaurants that just opened in October — to a lot of fanfare.

We’re talking about Bourbon Steak, inside the Westin St. Francis Hotel.

Legendary celebrity chef Michael Mina’s latest opening brings him back to San Francisco, and everyone came to celebrate: a cable car, Mayor Daniel Lurie, and Warriors superstar Stephen Curry — a partner in this venture who created the bourbon bar Eighth Rule inside the restaurant.

But they’re not just about style. They are first and foremost about steaks.

Because they are on the menu for so many holiday gatherings, we are delighted that Bourbon Steak executive chef Kevin Schantz joined us on ABC7’s “Midday Live.”

Watch the full interview in the player above.

If you’re on the ABC7 News app, click here to watch live

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Denver, CO

Where To Get Chinese Food In And around Denver On Christmas Day – 303 Magazine

Published

3 hours ago

December 23, 2025

Press Room

Where To Get Chinese Food In And around Denver On Christmas Day – 303 Magazine

Chinese food became popular on Christmas Day primarily because Chinese restaurants were among the few businesses open, offering a convenient, affordable, and culturally neutral dining option.

Several excellent Chinese restaurants in the Denver area that will be open on Christmas Day, continuing a holiday tradition. Many of these locations offer both dine-in and takeout options.

We recommend calling ahead to confirm their holiday hours and placing any takeout orders in advance, as availability may change.

We hope this list of our favorite Chinese restaurants is helpful!

Central Denver

Peter’s Chinese Cafe

A local Chinese-American favorite since 1985, famous for its sesame chicken and loyal clientele

Directions: 2609 E 12th Ave

Great Wall Chinese Restaurant

Offering takeout and delivery from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
You can order online at cogreatwalltogo.com.

Directions: 440 E Colfax Ave

Pepper Asian Bistro

This spot has locations in City Park and the Lower Highlands, providing a mix of Chinese and Thai options for dine-in or takeout.

Directions: 2831 E Colfax Ave

Chinatown Bistro

A cozy uptown option located at 1789 Ogden St., serving classic dishes like sesame chicken and Mongolian beef with easy takeout/delivery options.

Directions: 1789 Ogden St

Little Ollie’s

Open for dine-in, takeout, and delivery from 3 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Christmas Day.
Order online at littleollies.com.

Directions: 2360 E 3rd Ave

South & West Denver/Englewood

Golden Shanghai Restaurant(USHI)

A beloved establishment open from noon to 9 p.m., offering Chinese, Thai, and Vietnamese fare.
Order online at goldenshanghai-denver.com.

Directions: 1412 S Parker Rd

Star Kitchen

A large Chinese fixture known for its dim sum and seafood dishes.

Directions: 2917 W Mississippi

Bistro King Asian Restaurant

This family-owned restaurant in Englewood is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Order online via their website bistrokingonline.com.

Directions: 3542 S Fox St

Chopstix Fusion

A highly-praised, small Denver-area restaurant known for authentic Hong Kong-style cuisine, especially clay pots, noodles (like Beef Chow Fun), and incredible house-made Asian desserts.

Directions: 2020 S Parker Rd

Aurora & Nearby Areas

Chef Liu’s Kitchen

Known for its bold Szechuan and Northern Chinese dishes, available for dine-in or takeout.

Directions: 2222 S Havana St

Dillon’s Dumpling House

Open from 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Christmas Day for takeout, delivery, and dine-in.
Order online at dillonsdumplinghouse.com.

Directions: 3571 S Tower Rd

Nana’s Dim Sum & Dumplings

The Aurora location is open from noon to 9 p.m. for dine-in, takeout, and delivery.
You can order via their website nanasdimsumanddumplings.com.

Directions: 2495 S Havana St

Shanghai Kitchen