Category Archives: political parties

“The road from the GOP’s antislavery founding to Trump’s MAGA convention”

July 15, 2024, 4:53 ampolitical partiesDan Tokaji

The Washington Post has this piece by the incomparable David Maraniss on the Republican Party’s roots in Ripon, Wisconsin. It begins: The distance between Ripon 1854 and Milwaukee 2024 seems far greater than 86 miles or 170 years. It was… Continue reading

“Democrats back off Biden after Trump shooting, but clock still ticking”

July 15, 2024, 4:45 amcampaign finance, political partiesDan Tokaji

The Hill: [T]he debate around Biden’s age and mental acuity was on hold, according to more than a dozen Democratic sources who requested anonymity to speak openly about a sensitive topic, which no one wanted to touch in the… Continue reading

“Donors to Pro-Biden Super PAC Are Said to Withhold Roughly $90 Million”

July 13, 2024, 5:42 amcampaign finance, political partiesDan Tokaji

NYT : Some major Democratic donors have told the largest pro-Biden super PAC, Future Forward, that pledges worth roughly $90 million are now on hold if President Biden remains atop the ticket, according to two people who have been briefed… Continue reading

“Why There is No Ballot Access Problem for the Ohio Democratic Party Presidential Ticket”

July 12, 2024, 1:10 pmballot access, political partiesDan Tokaji

Richard Winger of BAN reviews the caselaw and concludes: “Even though they are no precedents from Ohio, this uncontradicted list of precedents from other states is convincing evidence that when a ballot access law is eased, but the new law… Continue reading

“No, State Laws Haven’t Locked Biden Onto the Ballot”

July 11, 2024, 3:30 pmballot access, political partiesDan Tokaji

The Atlantic has more on this subject … with the subtitle, “In a few weeks, however, his party’s own rules just might.”

“How late would be too late to replace Biden on the November ballot?”

July 11, 2024, 3:26 pmballot access, political partiesDan Tokaji

Great analysis by Jessica Huseman at Votebeat, digging into the state laws in several key states. A snippet: Other news media so far have amply covered the question of how, under the Democratic Party’s rules, Biden could be replaced before… Continue reading

What’s the Real Biden Decision Deadline?

July 11, 2024, 4:45 amballot access, political partiesDan Tokaji

The Washington Post reports: Should Biden bow out now — before he officially becomes the party’s nominee — legal experts say replacing him on the ballot would be relatively straightforward. The process would become significantly more complex and legally… Continue reading

“How best to prepare for a brokered convention”

July 11, 2024, 4:23 amalternative voting systems, political partiesDan Tokaji

Rob Richie in the Fulcrum, advocating ranked-choice voting and concluding: “Out of crisis comes opportunity. If forced to pick a new nominee, Democrats have real options for doing it well. Looking to 2028 and beyond, parties can adapt lessons… Continue reading

Who Says Democrats and Republicans Never Agree?

July 10, 2024, 6:04 pmballot access, political partiesDan Tokaji

NOTUS has this from an anonymous House Democrat: “It’s pretty wild when Biden loyalists and the Heritage Foundation are circulating the same narratives about how hard it would be for Dems to replace Biden at the top of the ticket,… Continue reading

Biden’s Plan to Run Out the Clock

July 10, 2024, 5:07 amballot access, political partiesDan Tokaji

NYT’s analysis finds that time is on the President’s side, in his effort to resist pressure to step aside. As noted here, he’s aided by the DNC’s plan to have a pre-convention “virtual roll call,” originally hatched to address… Continue reading

“Here’s how the process to replace Biden would work if he withdraws”

July 8, 2024, 5:32 amballot access, political partiesDan Tokaji

From The Hill, with this on the impact of the pre-convention “virtual roll call,” originally planned in response to the Ohio ballot access problem: Typically, the Democratic presidential candidate is officially selected at the Democratic National Convention, but this… Continue reading

“Top House Dem super PAC raised $51M in past three months”

July 8, 2024, 4:48 amcampaign finance, political partiesDan Tokaji

Politico: House Majority PAC, the super PAC affiliated with the chamber’s Democratic leadership, and House Majority Forward, an associated nonprofit group, raised a combined $51 million in the second quarter of 2024. That total is more than double what the… Continue reading

The Election Law Issues Surrounding a Potential Biden Withdrawal from the Presidential Race

June 28, 2024, 6:36 amCandidate replacement, political partiesRick Hasen

I think after last night’s dismal debate performance, the odds that Joe Biden will drop out of the presidential race are now greater than 50 percent. Just look at where the columnists in the New York Times are. How would… Continue reading

“The Ground Is Shifting Under Biden and Trump”

June 26, 2024, 8:18 ampolitical parties, political polarizationRick Hasen

Tom Edsall NYT column: How has the ascendance of well-educated, relatively affluent liberals among Democrats, alongside the dominance of non-college voters in the Republican coalition, altered the agendas of the two parties? Are low-turnout elections and laws designed to… Continue reading