Written by Mike Bloomberg Press, Brandon Weathersby
Friday, 24 January 2020 18:00
Wisconsin gun violence survivor Khary Penebaker says Bloomberg is “committed to saving lives”.
MILWAUKEE, WI - Wisconsin-based gun violence prevention advocate and DNC Representative Khary Penebaker endorsed Democratic presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg today, praising his progressive track record and agenda on common-sense gun safety laws.
“Mike Bloomberg stood on the front lines of gun violence prevention long before it became a leading Democratic issue. He knew the impact that gun violence inflicts on families and dedicated himself to ending the crisis,” said Penebaker. “Thanks to Mike’s leadership in establishing Everytown for Gun Safety, I was able to transform the heartache of my mother’s gun suicide into meaningful advocacy.”
Penebaker lost his mother Joyce to suicide in 1979 — she was only 27 years old. The experience moved Penebaker to volunteer as a spokesperson for various gun violence prevention organizations including Moms Demand Action and Everytown for Gun Safety, where he is currently a Wisconsin Survivor Fellow. He also serves on the board of Wisconsin Anti-Violence Effort (WAVE).
Penebaker continued, “My mother’s voice was silenced by a bullet, fired from a gun that she should have never possessed. She won’t have the opportunity to meet her grandchildren or see the man that I grew up to be, but I continue to carry her legacy with me. Moved by my mother's spirit, I am proud to endorse my friend Mike Bloomberg for president. None of the current candidates understand the pain gun violence survivors and their families endure like Mike does — he is committed to saving lives.”
More than 36,000 people are killed with guns in an average year, including over 22,000 suicides. Further, America’s gun suicide rate is 10 times higher than other high-income countries. Despite these facts, Donald Trump has remained a steadfast friend to the National Rifle Association. Trump expanded access to assault weapons and high-capacity magazines to groups, like those who may be suicidal, previously prohibited from ownership.
“Khary Penebaker is a household name in Wisconsin progressive politics and we are fortunate to have him on our team. We will certainly harness his passion to convey the urgency for common-sense gun safety laws,” said Jorna Taylor, Wisconsin State Director for Mike Bloomberg 2020. “Khary’s support will play a major role in rebuilding the Blue Wall and defeating Trump.”
Mike has proposed a gun safety policy that treats the gun violence crisis like a true national emergency: creating an effective background checks system, keeping guns away from people who pose a danger to themselves or others, protecting young people in schools and Americans in their homes, tackling daily gun violence in the hardest-hit communities, and confronting the gun industry head-on.
MILWAUKEE, WI - DNC Chairman Tom Perez blasted Donald Trump for his broken promises on health care to Wisconsinites at a roundtable at Coffee Makes You Black in Milwaukee yesterday. Trump has repeatedly tried to take protections away from Wisconsinites with pre-existing conditions and has fought against legislation that would lower prescription drug costs, despite promising to do just the opposite.
See some of the coverage from the event below.
WISN: DNC chairman: Wisconsin 'the tipping point state'
WPR: “During a visit to Milwaukee Thursday, Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez called out President Donald Trump and Congressional Republicans for breaking their promise to offer people better, more affordable health care coverage. ‘There are 2.4 million Wisconsin residents with a pit in their stomach because their health care is in danger,’ Perez said during a round table discussion at Coffee Makes You Black, a coffee shop on Milwaukee’s north side…The events were part of a tour Perez is on across battleground states to discuss health care following last month's passage in the House of Representatives of a bill that would allow the government to negotiate lower prescription drug prices. The bill, HR 3, is titled the Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act, is not expected to get through the U.S. Senate, and the White House has announced that Trump would veto it if it came to his desk, according to NPR.
Says he no longer has the resources to continue his bid for the Democratic nomination.
WASHINGTON, DC - Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) announced on Monday that he would suspend his presidential campaign, acknowledging that he no longer saw a path to the Democratic nomination.
"I will carry this fight forward -- I just won’t be doing it as a candidate for president this year," Booker said in an email to supporters.
"It’s with a full heart that I share this news -- I’ve made the decision to suspend my campaign for president."
Ed Fallone is running for the Wisconsin Supreme Court this spring.
STATEWIDE - This spring, we have a chance to make a real difference on the Wisconsin Supreme Court. We don’t have to settle for the same type of judicial candidate, from the same mold as our current Justices. The voters have a choice on February 18.
Ask yourself: “What sort of Justice would you like to see sitting on our state’s highest court?” Chances are, you would like to see a Justice with a wide range of legal experience … someone who is highly respected in the legal community … someone who is committed to defending our civil rights … and someone who is a staunch defender of the public’s right to know the workings of our government. Chances are, you would like to elect a Justice who will follow in the footsteps of Justice Shirley Abrahamson, who was a law professor before her appointment to the Court.
You can measure a person by the stands they took - even when no one was paying attention. Just last week, the GOP resurrected a bill to make English the official language of Wisconsin. Ed was fighting against English Only legislation in 1996. You know what you’re getting when you vote for Ed.
With Ed Fallone, we have a chance to elect a constitutional law professor, an outspoken advocate of our right to vote and our right to equal protection under the law, and someone who has spent decades helping working families navigate the justice system. This is our chance to add Ed’s experience and perspective to the Court. We can’t miss this opportunity! The next election for the Wisconsin Supreme Court won’t occur until 2023.
Donate today, and let’s make sure that we put Ed’s voice on the Court.
Trailed by another progressive, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, then Pete Buttigieg.
DES MOINES, IOWA - Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) has taken in the lead in Iowa, according to a Des Moines Register/CNN poll released on Friday that shows the Vermont senator jumping past his top rivals after a third-place finish in the poll in November.
HOWARD, WI - AJ Walker from Leeds Castle Drive has announced his candidacy for Brown County Board Supervisor in District 24. The district covers western wards in Howard and parts of Hobart-Oneida.
Plan to vote for AJ Walker if you live in the District on April 7, 2020. We need more local leaders like AJ.
WASHINGTON, D.C. - When Joe Biden was asked last week at an Iowa town hall if he was running a better campaign than Hillary Clinton had in 2016, it highlighted a question on the minds of some Democrats: Is Biden this cycle’s Clinton?
The question is becoming more significant as Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) gains traction.
It Is Time for Change says Milwaukee Representative.
MILWAUKEE, WI - This week, the Delaware Supreme Court added the first African-American Justice in that state’s history.
This month also saw the swearing in of the first Native American Justice ever to serve on the Washington State Supreme Court.
But in Wisconsin, the story is very different. The Hispanic National Bar Association recently noted that it was “alarmed by a recent study . . . that found that twenty-four states in the U.S. currently have an all-white supreme court bench, including Wisconsin.”
The disparity between an all-white supreme court and the growing diversity of the Wisconsin population as a whole undermines the community’s faith in the justice system. In the words of former Ohio Supreme Court Justice Yvette McGee Brown, “The public’s perception of justice suffers . . . when the only people of color in a courthouse are in handcuffs.”
It is past time for Wisconsin to embrace diversity in our court system. If elected, Ed Fallone will become the first Latino to serve on our state’s Supreme Court. His qualifications as a constitutional law professor, criminal defense lawyer, and leader in the provision of legal services to working families should be obvious. Ed not only brings a diverse life experience to the Court, he will also bring a different legal perspective.
In this election, let’s make history together. And let’s make sure that Wisconsin lives up to its motto to continue moving “Forward.”
Ben Wikler, Chairman of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, comments on how none of the problems and hardships Trump has manufactured for Wisconsinites are going away anytime soon.
Wisconsin gun violence survivor Khary Penebaker says Bloomberg is “committed to saving lives”.
Penebaker continued, “My mother’s voice was silenced by a bullet, fired from a gun that she should have never possessed. She won’t have the opportunity to meet her grandchildren or see the man that I grew up to be, but I continue to carry her legacy with me. Moved by my mother's spirit, I am proud to endorse my friend Mike Bloomberg for president. None of the current candidates understand the pain gun violence survivors and their families endure like Mike does — he is committed to saving lives.”
MILWAUKEE, WI - DNC Chairman Tom Perez blasted Donald Trump for his broken promises on health care to Wisconsinites at a roundtable at Coffee Makes You Black in Milwaukee yesterday. Trump has repeatedly tried to take protections away from Wisconsinites with pre-existing conditions and has fought against legislation that would lower prescription drug costs, despite promising to do just the opposite. 
Says he no longer has the resources to continue his bid for the Democratic nomination.
Ed Fallone is running for the Wisconsin Supreme Court this spring.
Trailed by another progressive, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, then Pete Buttigieg.
Progressives ask "Is Biden this cycle’s Clinton?"
It Is Time for Change says Milwaukee Representative.
Ben Wikler, Chairman of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, comments on how none of the problems and hardships Trump has manufactured for Wisconsinites are going away anytime soon.
Klobuchar shines, Biden brings a new sharpness.