Mackout

Press release #1 Senator Nick Kowalski defends Judge Watford from the attacks of the Freedom Caucus. Senator Kowalski of North Dakota firmly dismisses the outrageous attempts of Freedom Caucus members to attribute Judge Watford's nomination to "affirmative actions" in the name of "racial diversion." Judge Watford is a qualified and experienced professional with a good record as a 9th Circuit judge. The American Bar Association gave him a "well-qualified" rating by an unanimous vote — if that's not an argument for my fellow Republicans, then what is? Is it the opinion of the American people, 63% of whom support his nomination (according to a Gallup poll)? Or maybe the joining of those prudent Republicans who are not afraid to go against the party line and vote the way their constituents demand them to? My Republican colleagues have always favored well-organised and powerful Judiciary Branch. Well, the President has nominated a Supreme Court nominee, a nominee with a stellar record. In former times, such a judge would have been appointed by an overwhelming majority solely on his merit. Judge Watford is neither conservative nor liberal, and that's what we need in these divided times. At the Senate hearing, the Judge stated that he is willing to put the good of the country and the principles of the Constitution above his personal beliefs. I quote him verbatim: Instead of uniting and enforcing Law and Order they so vigorously promote, members of the Freedom Caucus are trying to cause obstruction in the time of hard challenges. A large part of citizens see our government as a useless and inactive body, and the actions of the Freedom Caucus members only confirm those views in their eyes. Besides, by their actions they discredit themselves. They need to think about their party's standing in the next election cycle: what will they tell voters if all they did was voting against the will of the people? This is certainly not the best voting record. Today I urge the Republican Senators to join the majority of the country and vote in favojr of the nomination of Judge Paul J. Watford to the Supreme Court. -- Senator Nick Kowalski Q2, 2017

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Name: Nicholas Martin Kowalski Seat: Heidi Heitkamp (D-NPL) Party: Democratic Non-Partisan League of North Dakota Avatar: Kelly Armstrong Caucus: Blue Dog Coalition Gender: Male (0) Age: 41 (10) Sexuality: Straight, married with < 3 children: -5 Points Race/Ancestry: White with Polish roots (0) Religion: Roman Catholic (0) Educational history: University of North Dakota, College of Business (0) Socioeconomic history: Upper Class (-5) Career history: Business Associate in a local company (10), Activist (10) Awards and extras: none Political experience history: State Senator (one term, 2008-2012) (2) Key votes: 1. Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization — YEA 2. Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013 — YEA 3. Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act of 2015 — YEA Nicholas Martin Kowalski was born March 16, 1976, in Fargo, North Dakota. He was fascinated from childhood by the vastness of North Dakota, its grain fields of the east and Indian reservations of the north. He graduated from the University of North Dakota with a degree in Supply Chain Engineering and worked for a logistics company. In 2008, he defeated his Republican opponent by a narrow margin for a State Senate seat. Nick was known in the local community as a compassionate and religious yet entrepreneurial businessman. One of his projects was the opening of a city charity to help stray animals. Nick's major accomplishment in the state senate was to increase penalties for drunk driving. During the oil boom of 2008, Nick promoted bills ensuring rural rental assistance, need-based preschool and infrastructure funding. He authored an amendment that increased funding for local road service by 3 million a year. Nick won the primary for the U.S. Senate seat of outgoing Senator Kent Conrad (D) in 2012. He ran as a moderate Democrat, emphasizing his Christian faith. He was one of the few pro-life Democrats (as a member of DFLA) who oppose abortion, the death penalty, and promote gun control. However, Nick promised voters that he would not pass any bill restricting guns at the federal level. He won narrowly thanks to rural and working-class workers in a state that Romney and, later, McConey won. Nick is married to Elizabeth and has a teenage son named Rufus and a young daughter named Magdalene. Total Points: 22/100