🚨 MAJOR UPDATE amid redistricting battle in Maryland

I'm joined now by candidate for Maryland. State Senate District 46, Bobby LaPin. Bobby, I wanted to talk to you today. because we have just seen the Supreme. Court gut the Voting Rights Act. Obviously, in the immediate aftermath of. that move, we saw a cavalcade of deep. South red states begin the process of. redrawing their maps. And I presume that. the end result of this is going to be. that every black district in the deep. South will ultimately be eliminated. And. so that that raises the importance of.

making sure that Democrats can actually. fight back, given the fact that this is. already happening. Whether or not. Democrats respond, this is already. happening. And in your state of. Maryland, there is the opportunity to. redraw the maps, and yet there's one. person standing in the way of all of. that, and that's the State Senate. President Bill Ferguson, who you're. running against. And so I want to ask. first and foremost, has this Supreme. Court decision and these subsequent. moves by all these Republican states, Louisiana, Alabama, uh Tennessee, South Carolina, has that.

moved Bill Ferguson at all? No, I have to be honest, I don't think. it has. Although so many folks here in. Maryland are calling. on the governor and both the speaker of. the house and the Senate president, who. Bill Ferguson is, to to. to call for a special session to. actually get redistricting across the. line. I mean, at the end of the day, if you look at South Carolina, they're. going to redistrict one seat. North. Carolina already redistricted one seat.

I mean, this is basically a tactical. defense of democracy. for Maryland to to to follow suit in. protecting American freedoms. What a lot. of people don't realize is what the game. here is. The game is this, and it's Project 2025. And I spoken about this before. We have seen what Project 2025 has done. so far. We've seen armed police in our. streets terrorizing our neighbors, killing American citizens. We've seen. the federal government just gutted.

We've seen money taken away from the. Department of Education. We've seen. witch hunts against the press and. Trump's political opponents. In the end, this redistricting thing, which was started by Texas, let's. remember Texas started this, it's literally a power grab. It's a. power grab for a president who's. literally putting his face on everything. he can possibly touch to include a. passport. We have never been in this. situation in the history of this. country. And redistricting, while. in a perfect world, it would be good to.

have an independent redistricting. commission for the entire country, for. each state, we do not live in a perfect. world, new nor do we live in ordinary. times. And extraordinary times require. extraordinary measures. And while every. other state is redistricting, so they can take away reproductive. rights from women, to to privatize social security, so. working people won't have a nest egg. when we retire, to define marriage as. one man and one woman. While every red.

state is redistricting to give this. president that power, the Senate President of Maryland, a Democrat, well, he just didn't understand the. assignment, I guess. And so there has been no movement here, even in light of the fact that, frankly, it's not that this is just the morally. right thing to do. This is actually. existential for for Democrats right. here, because what Republicans want is. to engineer themselves permanent. majorities by not only gerrymandering,

but gerrymandering knowing full well. that there's going to be Democrats who. rely on this this kind of archaic idea. of of good government, of just good. governmenting ourselves into obscurity, because God forbid. we we don't, you know, always take the. high road, even as Republicans are. basically just running roughshod over. the left. You know, and I I agree with you. I. agree with you, Brian. But to be honest. with you, I don't honestly believe this. is a Democrat first Republican issue. And and here's why I say that. I believe.

this is really a battle for the soul of. our nation. It really is a battle for. the freedoms and the liberties that for. decades and decades civil rights. organizations, women's rights. organizations, LGBTQ organizations have. fought for. This is literally we're. fighting for that. And I believe the. reason why the Republicans are so apt to. follow the strongman in the White House. is because here is a person who has made. the wealthy more wealthy than they've. ever been in the history of this.

country. And for him to lose power, for. the Democrats to have power, we would. fight to end that wealth. So in the end. of the day, I think this is really a. fight between the haves and the. have-nots, a fight for the soul of this. country. And. that power, the power, whoever has power in. Congress, is so very important to fight this. person who is. the cause of the rise of. authoritarianism in this country, the. rise of white nationalism in this. country. Literally, we are losing.

America. The very little bit of America. that's good, we are losing it. And every. state, regardless of party, should fight. to protect that. Bobby, we have been talking a lot about. not just fighters versus those who. decide to run, not just kind of like the old guard. versus the new, but the establishment. versus like this these these grassroots. populist upstarts. And that's exactly. what this campaign is. And so I'm. curious, as you run against, you know, this is not just any any any.

State Senate. State Senator, this is the president of. the State Senate. I'm sure if if ever. there was a machine behind somebody, it's probably behind Bill Ferguson. And. so what what is it what is it like to. run against the State Senate President. as as someone who, you know, you're. you're a regular guy? Like you you. um. you haven't run for political office. before. And so what has been thrown at. you from Bill Ferguson? Well, I think every working person out. there will understand this when I say I.

feel like I'm being beat down every. single day from every single direction. You know, I have corporations who are. just funneling money into his campaign. so he wins. The establishment has. circled the wagons to make sure that he. wins and keeps power. keeps power in the State Senate. We have randomly we have Republican dark. money that is flowing in from some. pollster in Florida that we can't seem. to track down. Um.

Putting out push polls saying that Bill. Ferguson is the greatest thing since. sliced bread and calling me a criminal, a communist. Chinese sympathizer, a former chair of a. an extremist anti-abortion. organization, of which I am the. pro-choice I've been endorsed I am the. pro-choice candidate in this race. It. just feels like every single day. the powers. that be are trying to beat us down in. this campaign. But what's amazing about. people power is that the people can see.

through that. When people have taken. this, you know, this survey, whether on. the phone or or it was via text, they've. come up to us, they've emailed us, they. see me on the street cuz I'm always out. here. Obviously, I'm out here right now. today, and said, "Man, you won't believe the. survey I just got from Bill Ferguson, and what it really did it made me. angry." And this is what people are. tired of in America, you know? We're. tired of politicians saying one thing. and doing another. We're tired of. politicians that go into office simply.

to serve the rich. Bill Ferguson, right now in Maryland, we are facing. rising utility costs, which is probably. most of America. I'm already, because of. Donald Trump, we're facing rising fuel. costs and rising grocery costs. And for. years and years and years of all these. costs have risen, Bill Ferguson was. taking tens of thousands of dollars in. in campaign contributions from. corporations while doing little to. nothing to protect, you know, working. people in this state. And redistricting.

is yet another example of that. He. dragged his feet on protecting. the reproductive rights of women when. literally the National Organization of. Women came to him and said, "Look, Roe. v. Wade is going to be overturned. The. State of Maryland needs a constitutional. amendment to protect our rights." And he. dragged his feet. Roe v. Wade was overturned, and the. women in the state went almost an entire. year without protections. He dragged his feet on protecting our. our neighbors from ICE and from the the.

the terrorizing of our streets. For 5. years, more than 130 civil rights. organizations have been asking him to. pass the Community Trust Act, which. would which would cut any relationship. or cooperation between Maryland law. enforcement and ICE. And he dragged his. feet until this year when he has a. challenger. And redistricting is yet. another thing where he dragged his feet. And now, when for months I've been begging him to. do it, for months people have been. begging him to do it, for months we've. warned him, Bill Ferguson, if you do not.

redistrict, voting rights could be. crippled by the Supreme Court, and. people will be left defenseless, and it. happened. And here we are. I just got. out of a press conference earlier this. morning where I was calling again for a. special session so we can not just. protect the people of Maryland, but. protect every American in this country. We are a United States of America. And. in a perfect world, like I said, we. would have independent redistricting. commissions. In a perfect world, we. wouldn't have to be fighting ICE in our.

streets. In a perfect world, we wouldn't. have military occupying American cities. I mean, heck, in a perfect world, the. Orioles would go to the World Series. But we do not live in a perfect world. We live in a reality, in a reality where. if we do not act, fundamental civil liberties could just. be erased in this country. And that's. not what I fought for as a soldier. That's not what I fought for as an. activist. That's not why I'm I'm running. this race, to protect those freedoms and to protect. my neighbors. And I have no clue what.

the hell Bill Ferguson is doing because. he's definitely not doing that. Bobby, Bill Ferguson aside, what is your. priority? Like what do you want to see. different that that isn't happening. right now that would be your priority if. you were to win this race? Man, just like every other American out. there, get the corporate money out of. politics. Can we please just for once. have elected officials that just answer. to the people and not answer to the. corporations? Have elected people that.

actually make choices that support small. businesses, that support families, that. support those who are struggling. Like. there is a dream in America, right? This. American dream where everyone can own a. home and they can work hard and they can. you know, raise a family and be safe in. their possessions and their person. Um the dream is gone. I mean, I'm sure. everyone watching this feels that way, too. We might look back in the in the. past or when we talk to our parents or. our grandparents about what America was.

Look, we have never been perfect, but. this dream that we all share of the. greatness America can be when we start. treating people with equality, when we. start taxing. the rich properly so we can fix our. potholes, fix our schools, lower our. bills, lower, you know, fuel prices. You know, as a veteran. looking at just the war in Iran right. now, it's yet another example where poor.

kids are being sent off to a foreign. country to kill other poor kids. We have. poor kids in this in our own country, in. my city of Baltimore, that we need to. take care of. And that's what I think I. truly want. That's what I'm fighting. for. I'm fighting for a legislature, the politicians to actually be. responsive to the people. not to the corporations or to the. special interests or all those who for. too long. have held a boot on the neck of working. people. I. you know. to bring up a quote, I am just sick and.

tired of being sick and tired. And I. think that most Americans feel the same. way. We obviously are seeing a lot of. races come to the forefront. Everyone's. got limited resources. Everybody's. asking for money. Talk about what a. dollar gets you in in the the state. Senate District 46. that's different from these larger. national races, these gubernatorial. races, whatever it may be. Well, I mean, if the redistricting is. any sign, um all politics is local, you know?

The person that has the most impact on. your life is your city council person or. your state senator or state delegate. I. mean, I'm up against a guy that has. almost $2 million in his bank account. Um unlimited amount of money. He can. spend up to a thousand dollars per vote. to beat me the working person to to. quiet our voice. I can maybe spend three. bucks a vote, you know, with yard signs. and mailers and so on and so forth. When. I started this race, I promised I would. never take corporate money because I. believe in that. I believe it's almost.

impossible to overturn Citizens United, so we just need to have people that. you know, stand up and say, "Well, I'm. not going to take corporate money. I'm. only going to ask for the people." Um. and that puts me at a deficit, not just. at a deficit against, you know, fighting. the machine, but at a deficit of how I. can raise money. Most of my campaign. contributions, the over 4,000 individual. contributions that we've had have come. from working people across Baltimore, across Maryland, and across this. country. Our average. donation size, I believe, is $26.80.

My opponent's average. donation size is more than $1,300. Um. we're proving something here. This isn't. just a race between Bobby LaPin and Bill. Ferguson. This is the same type of race that Zoran. ran in New York. This is the same type. of race that that Graham is running in. Maine. This is the people standing up. saying, "We demand our voice to be heard. and we're not going to take it anymore.". I fear.

if I lose this race. obviously redistricting won't happen in. Maryland. There'll be more of the same. and working people are kind of used to. more of the same. We're used to. being on the losing end of of the. battle. We're used to the powerful. always trying to squeeze us. as hard as they can. But if we win, which it looks like we. have a real possibility of doing. um. it's the same movement that is happening. all across America where we're holding. those in power accountable and we hold.

those. who are wealthy. who have been. beating us down all the time. We're. holding them accountable, too, and we're. going to make them pay up. Um. I can't tell you how important it is. just for this race that that happens. because it sends a message not only to. the people in Baltimore, the people in. Maryland, but across this country. I. mean, this has become a national race. simply because of redistricting. Yeah, because I'm going against the most. powerful politician in Maryland for all. of his sins and all of his faults. And.

um. you know, when people ask me. just real quick, what's the difference. between you and Bill Ferguson? And I. say, "Well, have you ever heard of Chuck. Schumer?" And they'll say, "Oh, yeah, of. course." I'm like, "Well, I'm Well, you. know, he's Chuck Schumer and I'm a. Bernie Sanders." And um. and that pretty much is is the reality. of the case. You know, I am a a veteran. a former firefighter, a former school. teacher going door-to-door, thousands of. doors I knocked on, all the community.

events, and I'm running against a guy. that writes strongly worded letters to a. dictator. Yeah. I mean, nothing is going to change if we. don't change it ourselves. No one is. coming to help us, but the good thing. about that is that there's no one. standing in our way. If we really want to prove that working. people matter, if we really want to. prove that our voice matters. we're going to win this race. And I'm. hoping folks out there if you believe. it, too. chip in some money because I obviously. I'm going against a Goliath and I'm a.

David with a slingshot and I need more. rocks. Bobby, what website can people go to to. donate? makegoodchange.com. makegoodchange.com. Great. >> If everybody, if a thousand people. on this, I mean, all the people that. watch this. And this is a real This is. not just, "Hey, I need money. I have a. deadline." I'm telling you this is real. We need to raise another. $85,000. between now and two weeks, $85,000. And if everyone on here just goes and. chips in 25 bucks, 27 bucks, whatever.

they can we can win this and we can show. the powerful that their days are. numbered. Well, look, I I I don't speak with many. state legislative candidates just. because of the sheer number of. candidates who are running across the. country, but Bobby, I I believe deeply in your campaign. I. believe in you as a candidate. Highly, highly, highly recommend for anybody. looking to donate, to contribute to a. campaign, I'm telling you your dollar. goes far in a state legislative race.

like this. And it will have a huge. impact because there is one person in a. Democratic state that is standing in the. way of redistricting and that could be. the difference between a Democratic. Speaker of the House and Mike Johnson as. Speaker of the House. So this this race. matters. a ton. And so I'm going to put that link. right here on the screen and also in the. post description. If you're watching on. on video, if you're listening on the. podcast, I'm going to throw it in the. show notes. And again, highly recommend. that everybody who's watching right now. contribute what they can to this. campaign. Bobby,

as always, best luck in the campaign. trail. Thanks for taking the time today. Hey Brian, thank you. Thanks for all. that you do. And to everyone out there, don't lose hope. Remember, we're in this. together and we can win. >> [music].