*By Christian Smith*
Former Obama campaign staffer Suraj Patel is hoping to use some unusual campaign tactics to boost voter turnout in New York's 12th congressional district to oust 25-year incumbent Rep. Carolyn Maloney in next week's Democratic primary.
"One candidate in this race is just going to send mail over and over and over like a Bed, Bath & Beyond mailer to the twenty to thirty thousand people that consistently may vote," Patel said in an interview on Cheddar Monday. "We, on the other hand, are out there every single day talking to voters."
Patel isn't just talking to people. The NYU professor's campaign has teamed up with 50 coffee carts across New York City to hand out 200,000 coffee cups with Patel's name on it. Six of those coffee carts are also actively registering voters.
It's part of an effort to bring in those residents who haven't been active at the ballot box for primaries before. In the 2016 primary, only 8 percent of the district's eligible voters participated in the primary. Maloney beat challenger Peter Lindner by an 80-point margin, but only about 15,000 voters cast a ballot. That compares to the nearly 250,000 people who voted for her in the general election.
Patel also has to contend with the fact that Maloney has the support of the Democratic Party and its large pool of donors. While going against the party's coffers is difficult, Patel says he is pleased with his campaign's fundraising efforts so far.
The primary is one of eight Congressional primary races in New York next week. Voting for the New York primaries gets underway Tuesday, June 26.
For the full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/former-obama-staffer-takes-on-25-year-incumbent-democratic-congresswoman-in-new-york-primary).
Dr. Caitlin Bernard is facing disciplinary action after she spoke publicly about providing an abortion to a 10-year-old rape victim.
Oath Keepers extremist group founder Stewart Rhodes was sentenced on Thursday to 18 years in prison for orchestrating a weekslong plot that culminated in his followers attacking the U.S. Capitol in a bid to keep President Joe Biden out of the White House after winning the 2020 election.
Lawmakers in several states are embracing legislation to let children work in more hazardous occupations, longer hours on school nights and in expanded roles including serving alcohol in bars and restaurants as young as 14.
An Arkansas man who propped his feet on a desk in then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office in a widely circulated photo from the U.S. Capitol riot was sentenced Wednesday to more than four years in prison.
The rollout of his campaign Wednesday made clear that, at least for the time being, DeSantis intends to leave the dirty work of attacking Trump to his allies.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has accused House Speaker Dade Phelan of being intoxicated during a legislative session and called for his resignation.
State attorneys general from around the country are teaming up to stop a company that's accused of making billions of robocalls.
Families are marking the one-year anniversary of the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas that left 19 children and two teachers.
Montana has become the first state to specifically ban people dressed in drag from reading books to children at public schools and libraries, part of a host of legislation aimed at the rights the LGBTQ+ community in Montana and other states.
Politicians in Washington may be offering assurance that the government will figure out a way to avert default, but around the country, economic anxiety is rising and some people already are adjusting their routines.
