Category Archives: political parties

“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

“Judge kills NJ’s controversial ballot design for Senate primary”

March 29, 2024, 10:10 amballot access, political partiesRick Hasen

Politico: New Jersey’s controversial ballot design that gives party-backed candidates an advantage will be scrapped in the June primary, a federal judge ruled on Friday. U.S. District Judge Zahid Quraishi granted the preliminary injunction sought by Rep. Andy Kim and two Congressional… Continue reading

“Murkowski Won’t Vote for Trump and Declines Ruling Out Leaving the G.O.P.”

March 26, 2024, 7:00 ampolitical parties, political polarizationRick Hasen

NYT: Senator Lisa Murkowski, Republican of Alaska, said in an interview released on Sunday that she would not vote for former President Donald J. Trump. She also did not rule out the possibility of leaving the Republican Party. In the… Continue reading

“Share of Democratic Registrations Is Declining, but What Does It Mean?”

March 16, 2024, 9:48 ampolitical partiesRick Hasen

Nate Cohn for NYT’s “The Tilt:” Newly registered voters, who are disproportionately young and nonwhite, have tended to lean Democratic. That’s been less and less true during the Biden era. A majority of states ask people to select a party… Continue reading

“Bloodbath at RNC: Trump team slashes staff at committee”

March 12, 2024, 6:54 ampolitical partiesRick Hasen

Politico: Donald Trump’s newly installed leadership team at the Republican National Committee on Monday began the process of pushing out dozens of officials, according to two people close to the Trump campaign and the RNC. All told, the expectation is… Continue reading

“Michigan Republicans vote to remove chair Kristina Karamo as she promises not to accept result”

January 7, 2024, 12:13 pmchicanery, political partiesRick Hasen

Politico: Michigan Republicans have voted to remove state GOP Chair Kristina Karamo during a meeting Saturday after many of the party’s leaders called for her resignation following a year of leadership plagued by debt and infighting. A large majority of… Continue reading