Category Archives: political parties

“‘A real fight for our existence’: Massachusetts GOP spirals in Baker exit”

December 5, 2021, 6:27 pmpolitical parties, political polarization, primariesTabatha Abu El-Haj

Moderate Republicans struggling to stay in office given party primary dynamics is not exactly news. Still, this Politico article on the Republican Party in Massachusetts is worthwhile. “Republicans [in Massachusetts] have clung to relevancy in this bluest of blue state… Continue reading

“How the GOP threatens harm to red state residents, as revealed in a new study”

December 1, 2021, 4:47 pmpolitical parties, political polarizationdemocracy deficit, governance, policy responsivenessTabatha Abu El-Haj

This new Op Ed by Greg Sargent in the Washington Post, highlights, once more, deficits in policy responsiveness that arises out of hyper-polarization, among other things. Sargent highlights a new study from the Third Way–a centrist Democratic-leaning group–that analyzes the… Continue reading

“Politics is still local. When incumbents face off in redrawn districts, community ties make a big difference.”

November 30, 2021, 6:33 ampolitical partiesTabatha Abu El-Haj

Charles Hunt shares on Monkey Cage his new research arguing that “Yes, party matters. But so do incumbents’ deep ties to their districts.” The article resonates with my experience listening to voters at public meetings here in Pennsylvania talk about… Continue reading

“A plurality of Republicans think they’re more moderate than their party”

November 18, 2021, 8:50 ampolitical parties, political polarizationTabatha Abu El-Haj

Phillip Bump, Washington Post New polling from YouGov/Economist reaffirms, once again, the degree to which the ideologies of our political parties (mostly just the Republican Party) and their legislative (in)action do not align with the preferences of ordinary voters. This… Continue reading

“House Democrats Have New Strategy for Voters of Color”

November 17, 2021, 1:57 pmcampaigns, political partiesTabatha Abu El-Haj

All Things Considered, NPR The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has launched a new, multimillion-dollar initiative “to engage and mobilize voters of color ahead of the midterm elections, including investments in local organizing” and in strategies to stymie “Republican efforts to… Continue reading

“The Desperate Scramble to Stop an Insider Election Threat”

November 15, 2021, 7:15 amelection administration, election subversion risk, political parties, political polarizationTabatha Abu El-Haj

The Atlantic Judge of elections and inspector of elections are elected positions in Pennsylvania. The question of the day is how many Trump loyalists were elected to those positions in the recent election. The fear is that Trump loyalists, primed… Continue reading

“GOP roars back to life in Trump-resistant Pennsylvania suburbs”

November 14, 2021, 7:25 pmpolitical parties, votingTabatha Abu El-Haj

Politico I am skeptical that the wins in Bucks County amount to the GOP roaring back to life in the Pennsylvania suburbs. No one ever seriously discusses turnout. Compare Municipal 2021 with General 2020 and Midterm 2018. We would… Continue reading

“Can ‘community centers’ help GOP court voters of color?”

November 14, 2021, 6:09 pmpolitical parties, Uncategorized, voter initiativesTabatha Abu El-Haj

National Journal RNC, under Ronna McDaniel, is opening community centers around the county to court voters of color. For the moment, centers are focused on “firing up already-involved activists and local politicians,” more than “finding new votes,” and their hours… Continue reading

The Problem with Plurality-Winner Elections

November 3, 2021, 5:21 pmalternative voting systems, political parties, political polarization, primariesranked choice votingNed Foley

Election Law at Ohio State is pleased to present a one-hour webinar on the issue of electoral system design: The Problem with Plurality-Winner Elections – And Can Requiring Majority Winners Help Save Democracy? It’s scheduled for Friday, November 19, at… Continue reading

How best to safeguard democracy? Two conflicting views on recent display.

October 17, 2021, 11:01 amelection subversion risk, political parties, political polarizationNed Foley

I am struck by how forcefully two very different strategies for defending democracy have been advocated this past week. First, Ian Bassin on The Bulwark podcast emphasized (and I’m paraphrasing here) that the advice he heard from Europeans combatting rising… Continue reading

Democrats, democracy, and “the Portman problem”

September 16, 2021, 9:40 amalternative voting systems, election subversion risk, political parties, primaries, theoryNed Foley

Can one party save democracy by itself? I don’t think so, but that seems to be the view of some, as nicely captured by Ed Kilgore in responding to my blog post How Best to End “Electoral McCarthyism”? Kilgore acknowledges:… Continue reading

How best to end “Electoral McCarthyism”?

September 13, 2021, 8:49 amelection subversion risk, political parties, political polarizationNed Foley

As regular ELB readers know, I’ve characterized the problem of Trump’s “Big Lie” about a “stolen” 2020 election as an electoral version of the kind of “paranoid” strain of American politics that Hofstadter classified the Red Scare version of McCarthyism… Continue reading

Details on the RNC’s future election litigation strategy

August 12, 2021, 5:38 amelection administration, political parties, The Voting WarsDerek Muller

Breitbart (ed.: not often linked on the pages of ELB?) interviews Justin Riemer, chief counsel at the Republican National Committee: The Republican Party has built a “permanent” structure to battle the left nationwide on election integrity over the last eight… Continue reading

Gerrymandering the Presidency Without a Coup

August 5, 2021, 9:47 pmelection subversion risk, electoral college, political parties, political polarizationNed Foley

As much as I’m concerned about the risk that on January 6, 2025 there will a successful subversion of the popular vote caused by an abuse of the procedures set forth in the Electoral Count Act, I’m concerned about other… Continue reading