2023-2024 Presidential, senate, house, state and city election thread

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IN-SEN: Trump endorses Jim Banks for Indiana Senate seat

Former President Trump on Wednesday officially endorsed Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) in the Indiana Senate primary, another sign that the GOP is coalescing around his candidacy in the race.

“Jim Banks is running for the United States Senate from the Great State of Indiana. I know Jim well, have seen him tested at the highest and most difficult levels, and WIN!” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Strong on the Border, Crime, our Military and our Vets, Jim will fight for low taxes and regulations, Sanity in Government, and our under siege 2nd Amendment.”

“Jim Banks is respected by all, will never let you down, and has my Complete & Total Endorsement!” he added.

The move comes a day after former Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels (R) announced that he would not run for the seat and the National Republican Senatorial Committee officially endorsed him.

https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/383 ... nate-seat/

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Hogan giving 'very serious consideration' to White House bid, says Trump won't be GOP nominee

Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) on Wednesday said he is giving “very serious consideration” to running for president in 2024 and added that he does not expect former President Trump to become the Republican nominee.

Hogan said in an interview on Fox News Channel’s “Your World with Neil Cavuto” that he was willing to “stand up” and say when he disagreed with actions Trump took as president. He said he agrees with many of Trump’s policies but does not believe the former president would be the GOP’s strongest nominee to win the general election in 2024.

Hogan said the Republican Party needs a candidate who can appeal to a “broader audience of people” and win swing voters after the party suffered defeats in the 2018 midterms, the 2020 presidential race and the 2022 midterms.

Many in the Republican Party blamed Trump for the party’s performance in the November 2022 midterms, in which many of the candidates he endorsed during the primaries went on to lose in key races for the House and Senate and in gubernatorial contests.

https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/3 ... p-nominee/

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Nancy Pelosi backs Adam Schiff's bid for Dianne Feinstein's Senate seat
Source: Los Angeles Times/SEEMA MEHTA

Democratic stalwart and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi endorsed Rep. Adam B. Schiff's bid for the U.S. Senate on Thursday, as long as incumbent Dianne Feinstein doesn't seek reelection.

"If she decides not to run, I will be supporting House Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff, who knows well the nexus between a strong Democracy and a strong economy," Pelosi, of San Francisco, said in a statement. "In his service in the House, he has focused on strengthening our Democracy with justice and on building an economy that works for all."

Schiff chaired the Intelligence Committee until Republicans took control of the House in the 2022 election.

Pelosi's support comes as California Democrats are increasingly eyeing the Senate seat Feinstein was elected to in 1992. While the incumbent has said she will announce her plans later this year, the 89-year-old is not expected to seek another term. The former San Francisco mayor has faced mounting questions about her mental acuity and frailty in recent years.

Read more: https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/ ... enate-seat

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Democrats Overhaul Party's Primary Calendar, Upending a Political Tradition
Source: New York Times

… The proposal radically reshapes the way the party picks its presidential nominees, putting more racially diverse states at the front of the line.


By Katie Glueck
Feb. 4, 2023
Updated 12:27 p.m. ET

PHILADELPHIA — Upending decades of political tradition, members of the Democratic National Committee voted on Saturday to approve a sweeping overhaul of the Democratic primary process, a critical step in President Biden’s effort to transform the way the party picks its presidential nominees.

For years, Democratic nominating contests have begun with the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary, a matter of immense pride in those states, and a source of political identity for many highly engaged residents.

But amid forceful calls for a calendar that better reflects the racial diversity of the Democratic Party and the country — and after Iowa’s 2020 meltdown led to a major delay in results — Democrats endorsed a proposal that would start the 2024 Democratic presidential primary circuit on Feb. 3 in South Carolina, the state that resuscitated Mr. Biden’s once-flailing candidacy. It would be followed by New Hampshire and Nevada on Feb. 6, Georgia on Feb. 13 and then Michigan on Feb. 27.

“This is a significant effort to make the presidential primary nominating process more reflective of the diversity of this country, and to have issues that will determine the outcome of the November election part of the early process,” said Representative Debbie Dingell, a Michigan Democrat who has vigorously pushed for moving up her state’s primary.

Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/04/us/p ... ticleShare

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The Billionaire Koch Network Wants to Defeat Trump in 2024
by Pema Levy
February 5, 2023

Introduction:

(Mother Jones) Koch world is over Donald Trump. Americans for Prosperity Action, the group that spends millions on conservative candidates in American elections, backed by the billionaire Charles Koch, announced Sunday that it would take sides in the GOP presidential primary after sitting out the last few cycles—vowing to support a candidate who is not Trump.

“The best thing for the country would be to have a president in 2025 who represents a new chapter,” Emily Seidel, CEO of Americans for Prosperity and a senior adviser to AFP Action, the group’s chief political arm, wrote in a memo to the group’s staff and activists. She added: “AFP Action is prepared to support a candidate in the Republican presidential primary who can lead our country forward, and who can win.”

The memo doesn’t mention Trump by name, but it’s clear that the group does not see him as a winning candidate. According to the Washington Post, the group plans to back a single alternative to Trump by the end of the summer. After sitting out the last two Republican primaries, the entry of AFP Action—along with likely the rest of the network of groups and donors led by fossil fuel tycoon—represents perhaps the greatest indication yet of a strong, moneyed effort among some on the right to sideline Trump.

The Koch’s libertarian conservatism sometimes clashed with Trump’s nationalistic, anti-immigration brand. But the memo doesn’t discuss policy and instead focuses on the GOP’s poor track record in recent elections. Trump twice lost the popular vote. Then in the 2022 midterm elections, he frustrated the GOP by backing extreme candidates who went on to lose to Democrats in what was supposed to be a triumphant year for Republicans. Seidel’s memo specifically mentions frustration over “bad candidates.”

In addition to its money, AFP holds significant organizing infrastructure. On its website, AFP Action boasts placing 8.5 million telephone calls, knocking on 1.5 million doors, and sending 49 million pieces of mail in the 2020 election for hundreds of candidates.

Read more here: https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2 ... -in-2024/

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^^^More on that from a highly conservative (actually reactionary) source:

Multibillionaire Koch Brothers to Back Single GOP Candidate Not Named Trump in 2024 Presidential Primary
by Mike Miller
Febuary 5, 2023

Introduction:

(Red State) The multibillionaire Koch brothers, who arguably fuel the most powerful donor network in conservative politics, are vowing to support a single presidential candidate in the 2024 Republican primaries as part of a concerted effort to deny former President Donald Trump a third nomination.

As reported by The New York Times, the Koch Network, created by industrial brothers Charles G. and David H. Koch, plans to “turn the page on the past.” While Trump’s name isn’t mentioned — nor is an alternative candidate — an internal memo contains a thinly veiled rebuke of the former president.

• The Republican Party is nominating bad candidates who are advocating for things that go against core American principles. And the American people are rejecting them. [Democrats are responding with] policies that also go against our core American principles.
  
  Our country must move past the current political situation—we’ve got to turn the page on the past several years. If we want to elect better people, we need better candidates. And if we want better candidates, we’ve got to get involved in elections earlier and in more primaries.

Regardless of the political figures involved in any election, Einstein’s definition of insanity — “doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results” — is at play, here.

Read more here: https://redstate.com/mike_miller/2023/ ... -n6989 53

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IBD/TIPP: Feb. 1-3, 1358 adults (1-month change)

Approve 46 (+2)
Disapprove 44 (-2)

December was 40/49.

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Pa. Democrats win 3 Allegheny County special elections -- and control of the state House
Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Democrats declared victory in three special elections for the state House on Tuesday, putting the party on the brink of controlling the lower chamber of the legislature for the first time since 2010.

While votes were still being counted late Tuesday night, initial returns showed all three Democrats enjoying commanding leads that would be almost impossible for Republicans to overcome — in one case by more than 85 percentage points.

“Our caucus has never been more unified. We have never had an agenda that we have been in control of," said state Rep. Joanna McClinton, the Philadelphia Democrat who could soon become House Speaker, referring to the GOP’s long control of the chamber.

"We look forward to the privilege of leading and serving in every corner of this commonwealth,” Ms. McClinton told supporters at a union hall in Wilkins.

Read more: https://www.post-gazette.com/news/polit ... 2302070094

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Tim Scott Prepares for Presidential Run

Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) “is taking steps to run for president, adding to the stable of Republicans looking to wrest the party mantle from former President Donald Trump,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“Mr. Scott, the only Black Republican in the Senate, is testing a message with GOP voters in key early states focused on unity and optimism as some Republicans say it is time to move on from the Trump era. Mr. Trump has announced a bid for president in the 2024 election.”

https://politicalwire.com/2023/02/13/ti ... ntial-run/

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Dianne Feinstein announces she won't run for reelection in 2024
Source: CNN Politics

CNN — Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein announced on Tuesday that she will not run for reelection in 2024, a major moment for a historic political career as the fight to succeed her is already under way.

“I am announcing today I will not run for reelection in 2024 but intend to accomplish as much for California as I can through the end of next year when my term ends,” Feinstein said in a statement.

Feinstein, 89, has been a fixture of California politics for decades and was first elected to the US Senate in 1992. Feinstein broke a series of glass ceilings throughout her life, and left her fingerprints on some of Capitol Hill’s most consequential works in recent history – including the since-lapsed federal assault weapons ban in 1994 and the 2014 CIA torture report.

In her statement, Feinstein said, “Even with a divided Congress, we can still pass bills that will improve lives. Each of us was sent here to solve problems. That’s what I’ve done for the last 30 years, and that’s what I plan to do for the next two years. My thanks to the people of California for allowing me to serve them.”

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/14/politics ... ot-running

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Haley announces 2024 Republican presidential bid in first challenge to Trump

Source: Reuters

WASHINGTON, Feb 14 (Reuters) - Former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley said on Tuesday that she will seek the Republican presidential nomination in 2024, putting her at odds with one-time boss Donald Trump, the ex-president also seeking to win back the White House.

"I'm Nikki Haley and I'm running for president," Haley said in a video that her team sent out by email.

Haley, a former South Carolina governor who served as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations under Trump, will lay out her campaign plans in a speech in Charleston, South Carolina, on Wednesday. She became Trump's first direct challenger in a Republican field expected to grow in coming weeks and months. Her announcement was a sign the Republican nomination race is picking up steam.

Other high-profile Republicans looking at a 2024 run include Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, former Vice President Mike Pence, U.S. Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina, New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu and former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, among others.

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/haley- ... 023-02-14/

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It looks like Governor DeSantis is continuing to throw red meat at the hard right to prove he is the “most conservative” candidate in the field.

“Slander”: College Board Blasts DeSantis Attacks on African American Course
by Ali Breland
February 12, 2023

Introduction:

(Mother Jones) Late on Saturday evening, the College Board responded to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ wave of attacks on education in Florida accusing the state’s Department of Education of criticizing the Advanced Placement African American studies course, and its use in the state of Florida, as a vehicle for the governor’s far-right politics.

The College Board said that it welcomes discourse around its curriculums but said that discussions about AP African American studies had “moved from healthy debate to misinformation.” The letter followed a previous one that the organization sent on Tuesday which was more tepid and less confrontational.

“We deeply regret not immediately denouncing the Florida Department of Education’s slander, magnified by the DeSantis administration’s subsequent comments, that African American Studies ‘lacks educational value,’” the College Board said in their new letter published on Saturday night.
DeSantis has criticized the new AP course in his continued tirades against social causes championing marginalized and historically victimized groups like LGBTQ people and racial minorities. He has called the program “woke” and said that it wouldn’t be accepted without revisions.

In their letter, College Board clarified that “[w]e had no negotiations about the content of this course with Florida or any other state, nor did we receive any requests, suggestions, or feedback,” despite Florida officials claiming credit for changes to the course.

Read more here: https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2 ... -slander/

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Right-wingers freak out after longtime Trump MAGA ally defects to support Nikki Haley
by Areeba Shah
February 15, 2023

Introduction:

(Salon) Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., who encouraged former President Donald Trump to declare martial law in order to remain in power, endorsed former United Nations ambassador and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley for president on Wednesday.

"We are at a pivotal point in our nation," Norman said in a tweet. "While the Republican candidates, values, and messages have done very well here in South Carolina, that hasn't been the case everywhere across our great nation."

He added that it's "time for a reset and a new chapter in national Republican politics" and there's no better person to take on that responsibility than Haley.

Norman is the first South Carolina lawmaker to publicly back Haley's bid for presidency. They both served in the South Carolina State House starting in 2005, and Norman was the first public official to endorse her 2010 run for governor.

He has also been a supporter of Trump and voted against certifying the 2020 Electoral College results from Pennsylvania on Jan. 6, 2021.

Read more here: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politic ... f1754604

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AZ Senate: Gallego Leads in All Head-To-Head Matchups

Ruben Gallego is leading all his potential competitors (a good sign for Gallego) but in no matchup does he exceed the 50% mark (a good sign for the GOP and Kyrsten Sinema).

This far ahead of the 2024 U.S. Senate elections, a temperature check on Arizona’s electorate is useful in determining the best-case scenario for each potential candidate before the race truly begins to take shape. As of now, Ruben Gallego’s best bet would be the GOP nominating a Trump-style Republican and Kyrsten Sinema opting out of the race. However, if Republicans nominate a more moderate candidate, Republicans will be in a better position for a more competitive race with Sinema on the ticket. If Sinema is not in the race, there is a difference between a more moderate Republican such as Ducey or Taylor Robson and a more Trump-style candidate like Masters or Lake when matching up against Gallego.

Sinema stands a better chance if Gallego does not run. However, assuming that is not likely, her best bet is that Ducey opts out of the race. Regardless, as the Arizona electorate stands now, it’s going to be an uphill climb for Sinema.

The best-case scenario for Trump-style Republicans is having Sinema on the ticket. For Ducey-style Republicans, their best bet is Sinema not running.

https://blog.ohpredictive.com/press-rel ... =136755346

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Barbara Lee launches Senate campaign to replace Feinstein
Source: KRON TV

OAKLAND, Calif. (KRON) — Tuesday, U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) announced her bid for Senate to fill the seat of retiring Senator Dianne Feinstein.

“To do nothing has never been an option for me. When my high school said cheerleaders couldn’t be Black, I took them on. I worked with the NAACP, and earned my spot as the school’s first black cheerleader,” Lee said in a video released Tuesday morning. “When there weren’t protections for survivors of domestic violence, I wrote California’s first Violence Against Women Act. When it was legal to discriminate against the LGBTQ+ community, I wrote the Hate Crimes Reduction Act…I don’t quit. I don’t give up. That’s not in my DNA…When you stand on the side of justice, you don’t quit if they don’t give you a seat at the table. You bring a folding chair for everyone, and they are here to stay.”

Lee, 76, has served as California’s 12th Congressional District representative for the past 13 years and is an ally of Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) She attended Mills College in Oakland and UC Berkeley.

“I’m running for US Senate because Californians deserve a strong, progressive leader who has accomplished real things and delivered real change,” Lee said. “Californians have my word that, whether it’s the climate crisis, solutions to homelessness, lifting people out of poverty, easing the burden on the middle class, protecting our Democracy, standing up for reproductive freedom, or ensuring our civil and human rights, I will never back down from fighting for what’s right.”

Read more: https://www.kron4.com/news/your-local-e ... feinstein/

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McClellan wins special election for Virginia's 4th District
Source: AP

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Democrat Jennifer McClellan defeated her Republican opponent in a special election Tuesday to win a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, where she will be the first Black woman to represent Virginia in Congress.

McClellan, a veteran state legislator from Richmond, prevailed over pastor and Navy veteran Leon Benjamin in the race for the blue-leaning 4th District, which has its population center in the capital city and stretches south to the North Carolina border. The seat was open after the death of Democratic Rep. Donald McEachin in November. McEachin died weeks after being elected to a fourth term after a long fight with the secondary efforts of colorectal cancer.

A 50-year-old corporate attorney, McClellan has represented parts of the Richmond area in the General Assembly since 2006, when she joined the House of Delegates. In December, she handily secured the Democratic nomination for the 4th District race in a four-way firehouse primary. A native of central Virginia, McClellan said in an interview ahead of the election that the history she will make as the first Black woman to represent the state in Congress carries extra weight because of her family’s history in the Jim Crow South.

Her father’s grandfather had to take a literacy test and find three white people to vouch for him just to be able to register to vote, she said. Her dad and his father paid poll taxes and her mother, now 90, didn’t vote until after the Voting Rights Act of 1965. “It’s a huge honor, and responsibility, to ensure that I’m not the last,” she said.

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukrai ... e1e5b5f72f

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Liberal candidate Janet Protasiewicz advances in Wisconsin Supreme Court race
Source: MSN

Milwaukee County Judge Janet Protasiewicz, a liberal candidate, is projected to advance to the April 4 general election in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race after she became the top vote-getter on Tuesday, according to The Associated Press.

Protasiewicz was one of two liberal candidates vying for a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, which was left open after conservative Justice Patience Roggensack announced she would not be seeking another term. Protasiewicz will be going head to head against a conservative candidate — wither Jennifer Dorow or Daniel Kelly — for the open seat in April.

The state Supreme Court race has drawn national attention given that Roggensack’s retirement leaves an even 3-3 partisan split on the court, meaning that whoever wins the open seat will tilt its ideological makeup. Among some of the issues that the new state Supreme Court could weigh in on could include abortion rights, redistricting and even possible future election result disputes.

Read more: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics ... 1512005552