Bhatnagar becomes new Sierra Club director
The Montgomery County chapter of the Sierra Club, an environmental advocacy organization elected Shruti Bhatnagar its president on July 22, according to a press release.
Bhatnagar, 47, was one of 33 who ran for four County Council at-large seats during the 2018 Democratic primary.
Bhatnagar has served in a variety of community advocacy roles, including as board president of the Takoma Foundation and with the Montgomery Commission on Children and Youth.
Bhatnagar finished with 2.1% of the vote.
Bhatnagar replaces Dave Sears, the chair of the Sierra Club chapter for the past four years.
“It is an honor to have this great opportunity and bring to Sierra Club my extensive experience in advocacy in a variety of MoCo issue areas. I am excited to bring my skills and experience to bear on helping the county more effectively address climate change. I am looking forward to working with the amazing SC team” she said in a press release.
Jawando discusses Democratic debate on CNN
Montgomery County Council member Will Jawando recently took to the national airwaves, appearing on CNN to discuss to discuss the second Democratic presidential debate on a show hosted by Christiane Amanpour.
Jawando, a former member of President Barack Obama’s administration, has been a frequent guest on cable networks such as CNN, MSNBC and Fox News to discuss national issues.
During the appearance last week, which was unpaid, Jawando said he was particularly impressed with Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Bernie Sanders of Vermont, the latter of whom he credited for championing liberal causes such as Medicare for all and free college tuition.
“No one in the last two election cycles has had more influence on the Democratic Party then Bernie Sanders,” Jawando said.
Jawando said he also thought some of the more moderate candidates looked strong, including former Vice President Joe Biden, who has consistently led in the polls.
“You would be a fool not to associate yourself with an administration for that for eight years did many good things, and that I was proud to be a part of, for the country,” he said.
Jawando, a Democrat, appeared alongside Republican strategist Mark McKinnon.
While the two often found themselves in agreement, they split on the question of whether President Donald Trump should be impeached. McKinnon called the matter a “distraction” and Jawando said Congress needed to move forward on impeachment.
Delaney solicits donations in preparation for third round of debates
Democratic presidential candidate John Delaney of Potomac appears to be asking for donations in a last-ditch effort to qualify for the third round of debates, scheduled for Sept. 12 and 13 in Houston.
Candidates must poll at 2% and have received donations from 130,000 unique donors across 20 states to qualify. Those requirements are slightly stricter than the first two debates, which required candidates to poll at 1% or have received money from 65,000 donors.
In a campaign email sent earlier this week, Delaney asks supporters to contribute to help achieve the donor threshold.
“April and I have been and will continue to be strong supporters of MD Democrats, but now we need your help in getting the 130,000 donors needed to qualify for the fall debate stage,” he wrote.
Donors can split their contributions between the Delaney campaign and the Maryland Democratic Party.
Based on a series of polls posted to the site realclearpolitics.com between Tuesday and Thursday, Delaney had not hit the 2% mark in any. Campaign representatives could not immediately be reached for comment.
Dan Schere can be reached at Daniel.schere@moco360.media
