Category Archives: political parties

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

“The Ballot Measures Aim to Reduce Partisanship. Can They Fix American Politics?”

June 25, 2024, 6:46 amalternative voting systems, political parties, primariesRick Hasen

Michael Wines for the NYT: Americans of both parties routinely express deep concern about the state of the country’s democracy. This fall, many voters may have a chance to do something about it, by voting on state ballot measures related… Continue reading

“Advocacy group finds one-fifth of Latino voters leaning towards third-party presidential candidates”

June 11, 2024, 5:19 pmpolitical parties, third partiesJustin Levitt

Voto Latino finds a hefty amount of support for third-party options.

Parties in the process of closing up shop

June 11, 2024, 7:14 ampolitical parties, primariesJustin Levitt

Not all the news is bipartisan. Out of Texas and Arkansas, GOP efforts to close the primary process.

“Far-right gains in EU election deal stunning defeats to France’s Macron and Germany’s Scholz”

June 10, 2024, 7:46 ampolitical parties, political polarizationJustin Levitt

EU parliamentary elections took place yesterday, with some significant wins by “far-right” parties — sufficiently significant in France to drive President Macron to dissolve the parliament and call a snap national election. (Counterpart: in Hungary, Prime Minister Orbán’s… Continue reading

Republican Party of Nebraska Fails to Oust Incumbents

May 15, 2024, 5:47 ampolitical parties, political polarization, primariesTabatha Abu El-Haj

AP News reported recently that after being taken over by loyalists to Trump, “[t]he Nebraska GOP . . . refused to endorse any of the Republican incumbents who hold all five of the state’s congressional seats.” In three instances, it… Continue reading

Candidate-Centered Top-Two Non-Partisan Primary Vulnerable to Manipulation

May 14, 2024, 7:50 ampolitical parties, primariesTabatha Abu El-Haj

UPDATE: Two of the three Bob Fergusons have since withdrawn their papers. This obscure but fascinating story from the Seattle Times reveals the vulnerability of top-two non-partisan primaries to partisan manipulation. Democratic Governor Jay Inslee is stepping down, leaving Washington’s… Continue reading