Pennsylvania Senate Race Called for Republican David McCormick by Peter Aiken
Updated November 8, 2024
Introduction:
(Newsweek) Republicans continued to grow their majority in the Senate after news outlets projected challenger Dave McCormick to unseat Democratic Senator Bob Casey, flipping another seat even as the race remains close enough to possibly trigger a recount.
The Associated Press called the race for McCormick at around 4:09 p.m. ET on November 7 after earlier saying that Casey still had a "narrow path to victory" with 97 percent of the vote counted.
McCormick's communications director, Elizabeth Gregory, said in a press release that he has a lead of just over 30,000 votes and that the remaining votes to count will not break strongly enough for Casey to make up the difference.
"While votes continue to be counted, any way you slice it, Dave McCormick will be the next United States Senator from Pennsylvania," Gregory said, pointing to Cambria County as one area that could provide a firewall against a last-minute surge from Casey.
Cambria County suffered an Election Day setback because of a voting system malfunction, resulting in a necessary hand count, according to The Tribune-Democrat in Johnstown.
Why Did Trump Really Win? It’s Simple, Actually. by Michale Mechanic
November 7, 2024
Introduction:
(Mother Jones) In the coming days, you will hear every imaginable take on why Americans voted to put Donald Trump back in office.
Pundits will say toxic masculinity was to blame—and men feeling usurped by women. They’ll say it was the Christian nationalism movement. A surprising shift in Latino voting patterns. Sexism. Racism. Transphobia. Elon Musk. Crypto bros. “Theo bros.” Housing prices. Gaza! Propaganda from Fox News and Newsmax. Misinformation on X.
Perhaps it was the cowardice of powerful men like Jeff Bezos and Jamie Dimon. The anti-immigrant frenzy—Trump’s incessant false claims about vicious murderers and rapists and mental patients swarming across the border like locusts. Property crime. Inflation. Interest rates. Lingering malaise from the pandemic. The Democrats’ failure to sell their economic wins. Kamala Harris’ inability to distance herself from an unpopular president.
Or maybe a combination of all these things. Gender and Gaza clearly made a difference. Inflation is a notorious regime killer—it was high inflation that underpinned the rise of fascism in Europe in the last century—and rising wages haven’t kept pace. When the Dems say, “Look, inflation is back to normal,” well, the price of groceries sure ain’t.
But I’m talking here about something even more basic, something that undergirds so much of America’s discontent. The best explanation, after all, is often the simplest:
The Debate Over Why Harris Lost is in Full Swing. Here’s a guide. by Andrew Prokop
November 9, 2024
Introduction:
(Vox) Democrats have faced a bitterly disappointing defeat, and the debate is on about why that happened.
Amid the opportunistic finger-pointing and evidence-free assertions that Vice President Kamala Harris could have won if only she had done this or that, there is a genuine search for explanations about what happened. The answer Democrats find most persuasive could greatly influence the party’s direction as it tries to win again.
This debate will clearly go on for some time, and disentangling causality is difficult. But one way to think about it is to break up the question.
How much of the defeat was about Harris’s weakness as a candidate or her campaign strategy? How much was about Donald Trump’s strengths? How much was about Joe Biden’s record? How much was the Democratic Party brand generally? And how much was due to larger structural factors like a global anti-incumbent trend?
It’s possible that all of these played some role in the outcome, especially because issues like inflation can resonate across them all. But let’s go through them.
Democrat April McClain Delaney wins a U.S. House Seat in a Competitive Maryland Race by Lea Skene
November 9, 2024
Introduction:
(ABC) BALTIMORE -- Democrat April McClain Delaney narrowly won a U.S. House seat in Maryland’s most competitive congressional races that came to focus on reproductive rights and the economy.
The state’s sprawling 6th Congressional District covers a wide swath of rural Maryland as well as more affluent liberal suburbs of Washington, D.C. The close race wasn’t called until Saturday, four days after Election Day.
McClain Delaney, who declared victory Friday, said in a statement that she is “deeply honored and humbled” by the trust the voters have placed in her.
“Since the beginning of this campaign, our message has been clear: it’s time for common sense, common ground leadership that puts people over politics, defends our freedoms and values, and builds a future centered on unity,” she said.
A mother of four daughters whose husband previously represented the district, McClain Delaney campaigned heavily on issues impacting women. She pledged to protect reproductive freedoms in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 decision to end the constitutional right to an abortion and leave those decisions to individual states.
In Colorado Gabe Evans Flips 8th Congressional District for Republicans as Representative Yadira Caraveo Concedes Race by Lauren Penington
November 10, 2024
Introduction:
(Denver Post) With less than a percentage-point difference in votes, Democratic U.S. Rep. Yadira Caraveo on Sunday conceded her bid to continue representing Colorado’s 8th Congressional District to Republican state Rep. Gabe Evans.
“It’s been the honor of a lifetime to serve the people of Colorado’s 8th District,” Caraveo said in a statement. “I came to Congress to get things done, and have spent the last two years working to find common ground and bipartisan solutions to the most pressing issues facing our community. … While this isn’t the outcome we had hoped for, the work is not over.”
Additional Extract:
Evans, 38, an Army veteran and former Arvada police officer, campaigned on hot-topic issues including free speech, gun rights and American security. In millions of dollars of campaign and outside TV ads, his and Caraveo’s race also turned on abortion access, border security and other issues that played out across the country.
Despite previously opposing abortion in all cases, except when the life of the mother was at risk, Evans said he now supports exceptions for rape and incest and will not support a national ban if it comes to a vote in Congress.
His campaign also focused heavily on immigration and securing U.S. borders, combatting the “Colorado crime wave” and fentanyl, school choice and increased education funding, accessible health care, and promoting the domestic production of food and energy.
Republican David Schweikert Wins Reelection in Affluent Arizona Congressional District by Jacques Billeaud
November 11, 2024
Introduction:
(Arizona Capitol Times) Republican David Schweikert has won an eighth term in an affluent congressional district in the Phoenix area by fending off a challenge from a Democratic former state lawmaker.
Schweikert defeated Amish Shah, an emergency room doctor, Sunday in Arizona’s 1st Congressional District that includes north Phoenix, Scottsdale, Fountain Hills and Paradise Valley.
While Republicans hold a voter registration advantage in the district, it started to trend toward the center after Donald Trump’s 2016 victory as some voters who historically backed Republicans reluctantly voted for Democrats or left their ballots blank.
Redistricting ahead of the 2022 midterms accelerated the trend, fueling hopes among Democrats that Schweikert could be defeated and the district flipped. Schweikert is known for railing against government debt.
“Congressman Schweikert is pleased to have the support from the voters of Arizona’s 1st Congressional district,” said Chris Baker, a spokesperson for Schweikert, in a statement late Sunday. He said voters showed they want a representative committed to the economy, lower taxes and border security.
caltrek wrote: ↑Tue Nov 12, 2024 12:03 amIn Colorado Gabe Evans Flips 8th Congressional District for Republicans as Representative Yadira Caraveo Concedes Race by Lauren Penington
November 10, 2024
Introduction:
(Denver Post) With less than a percentage-point difference in votes, Democratic U.S. Rep. Yadira Caraveo on Sunday conceded her bid to continue representing Colorado’s 8th Congressional District to Republican state Rep. Gabe Evans.
“It’s been the honor of a lifetime to serve the people of Colorado’s 8th District,” Caraveo said in a statement. “I came to Congress to get things done, and have spent the last two years working to find common ground and bipartisan solutions to the most pressing issues facing our community. … While this isn’t the outcome we had hoped for, the work is not over.”
Additional Extract:
Evans, 38, an Army veteran and former Arvada police officer, campaigned on hot-topic issues including free speech, gun rights and American security. In millions of dollars of campaign and outside TV ads, his and Caraveo’s race also turned on abortion access, border security and other issues that played out across the country.
Despite previously opposing abortion in all cases, except when the life of the mother was at risk, Evans said he now supports exceptions for rape and incest and will not support a national ban if it comes to a vote in Congress.
His campaign also focused heavily on immigration and securing U.S. borders, combatting the “Colorado crime wave” and fentanyl, school choice and increased education funding, accessible health care, and promoting the domestic production of food and energy.
The Media Want to Blame Kamala Harris -They Should Know Better by Mary Trump
November 11, 2024
Introduction:
(MaryTrump.org) After reading Maureen Dowd’s column in The New York Times, Morning Joe co-host Mika Brzezinski came to this profound conclusion: “[S]ome Democrats are waking up and realizing that woke is broke,” Brzezinksi said. Yes, Democrats who either don’t know what “woke” means, or those who haven’t had their fingers on the pulse of what drives American culture since the Age of Reagan—or both, actually think the problem is that Democrats engaged in too much identity politics (because, as mentioned, they don’t know what “woke” means).
Yes, the Democrats lost touch with the working class because they talked too much about transgender rights. It was Joe Biden’s fault. It was Kamala Harris’ fault. But apparently the bleak permanence of American racism and misogyny, the almost unimpeded rise of fascism, and a system so broken the Republican Party actually nominated, and America elected, an insurrectionist in direct violation of Article 3 of the 14th Amendment had nothing at all to do with the dark turn we’ve taken
…
According to those who should know better—because it is their job to know better—Harris’ loss had nothing to do with the waning influence of legacy media, and the corruption of corporate media, or the siloing of information, or the fact that an oligarch hijacked one of our major social media platforms and turned it into machine that churns out a continuous stream disinformation.
Harris' campaign was laser-focused on the working class and the policies that would most benefit them; she pushed back or deflected every single effort the media made to push her into a fight about identity politics. When Harris was asked about Donald’s offensive comments about her blackness, she called it a distraction from issues that really mattered.
The press claimed, falsely, that Harris didn’t have any policy proposals. When she unveiled them, as with her plan to expand Medicare to cover extended home-health care for the elderly (which would have helped tens of millions of Americans), she was ignored.
Democrat Ruben Gallego Wins Arizona Senate Seat, Beating Kari Lake by Liz Skalka
November 11, 2024
Introduction:
(Huffington Post via MSN) Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego is projected to beat Republican rabble-rouser Kari Lake in the race to become Arizona’s next U.S. senator after Lake seemed to struggle to win over moderate and independent voters.
Gallego, a congressman since 2015, succeeds Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, a former Democrat who became an independent and then opted not to run for reelection.
Lake’s loss marks the second time the former newscaster failed to clinch a statewide office in Arizona after she fell short in the 2022 governor’s race. She technically never conceded to Democrat Katie Hobbs two years ago and, following Trump’s playbook, tried unsuccessfully to challenge her loss in court.
“She will do anything and say anything to gain power, including lying,” Gallego said during their debate last month.
Both Gallego and Lake tried to modulate to the middle to win over Arizona’s sizable contingent of unaffiliated voters. Gallego, a military veteran who left the House Progressive Caucus as he ramped up his campaign, leaned into border security — a tough issue for Democrats. At their only scheduled debate, Lake blamed him for the dysfunction at the U.S.-Mexico border and accused him of conducting an “extreme makeover” of his progressive record.
Democrat Cleo Fields Wins Re-drawn Louisiana Congressional District, Flipping Red Seat Blue November 11, 2024
Introduction:
(AP via ABC) BATON ROUGE, La. -- Democrat Cleo Fields has won Louisiana’s congressional race in a recently redrawn second majority-Black district, flipping a once reliably Republican seat blue.
Fields' win means Democrats will hold two congressional seats in the state for the first time in a decade. This is only the second time in nearly 50 years that a Democrat has won in Louisiana’s 6th Congressional District, where new political boundaries were drawn by lawmakers earlier this year.
Fields’ victory returns him to the U.S. House, which he was elected to in 1992, serving two terms. Since then, the 61-year-old state Senator has been a fixture in Louisiana state politics.
Under Louisiana’s open primary system — in which candidates of all parties appear on the Election Day ballot — Fields was able to avoid a runoff by getting more than 50% of the vote. He faced four other candidates, including Elbert Guillory, an 80-year-old Republican and former state senator. Incumbent GOP Congressman, Garret Graves did not seek reelection.
The new congressional map used for the election was crafted by the Republican-dominated Legislature earlier this year with support from new Republican Gov. Jeff Landry after a Supreme Court decision that upheld a new majority Black district in Alabama. The new Louisiana map restored a second majority-Black district to the state, a win for Democrats and civil rights groups after a nearly two-year legal and political battle. It also greatly reduced chances for reelection of Graves, who had supported another Republican instead of Landry in last year's governor's race.
Democrat George Whitesides wins election to US House, beating incumbent Mike Garcia
Source: AP
Updated 8:18 PM EST, November 12, 2024
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Democrat George Whitesides, a former NASA chief of staff who had the support of national Democrats, has won a tough race to unseat Republican incumbent Rep. Mike Garcia in California’s 27 Congressional District.
The Associated Press called the race for Whitesides on Tuesday evening. The previous day Garcia conceded, saying he had congratulated Whitesides and would ensure a smooth handoff.
Whitesides said Monday in a statement that he had spoken with Garcia and thanked him for his service to the district and the nation. He said he would fight in Congress for good jobs and lower household costs. Whitesides, who is also a former CEO of Virgin Galactic, said during the campaign that he would use his business experience to solve problems. He spotlighted Garcia’s opposition to abortion rights, calling him an extremist.
The last Republican congressman anchored in heavily Democratic Los Angeles County, Garcia, a former Navy pilot who flew over 30 combat missions during Operation Iraqi Freedom, had displayed a surprising ability to beat the odds in a district with an 11-point Democratic registration edge.
Iowa Recount Requested by Dan Gooding
November 14, 2024
Introduction:
(Newsweek) A Democratic House candidate is calling for a recount in her Iowa district after losing to her Republican opponent by around 800 votes.
Christina Bohannan said that a recount in Iowa's 1st Congressional District was expected because of the narrow margin, raising questions over the potential impact on the GOP's narrow majority in the House.
Despite the potential recount, Representative Mariannette Miller-Meeks, who has held the seat since 2021, announced her candidacy for a senior leadership role as GOP Conference Secretary in the House on Tuesday.
As of Thursday afternoon, all 20 counties in the district had reported their results, giving Bohannan 49.79 percent of the vote against Miller-Meeks' 49.98 percent.
"To be absolutely certain that every voter is heard, the Bohannan campaign will request a recount in all 20 counties across the district, as permitted by Iowa law," Bohannan for Congress campaign manager Jindalae Suh said in a statement to Newsweek.
^^^These sorts of things should definitely be investigated, but let's not jump to conclusions.
What I came here to post:
Representative Golden Retains Seat in Maine’s Second Congressional District Updated November 15, 2024
Introduction:
AUGUSTA, Maine (WABI) - Democratic incumbent Jared Golden has beaten Republican challenger Austin Theriault in a ranked choice vote for the seat in Maine’s Second Congressional District.
After the runoff, Golden defeated Theriault, 50.35% - 49.65%.
Golden released this statement Friday evening:
“Last week, I congratulated my opponent for being a fierce challenger and for his serious, well-run campaign. But today’s result reaffirms what we have known for more than a week: The people have chosen me to continue as their representative for another term in Congress. I am grateful for their confidence.
“State Rep. Austin Theriault is within his rights to force a third accounting of ballots with a taxpayer-funded recount, but the votes have been counted twice now and my lead has been in the thousands of votes both times.
