“Why so many women are on the way out after making historic gains in N.J. Legislature”
Redistricting and the “party line” in New Jersey primaries receive some (but not all) of the blame.
Category Archives: primaries
“Iowa Democrats’ plan: Hold 1st caucuses, report votes later”
Huh?
Iowa Democrats are proposing a novel way to get around their demotion from the leadoff spot on the party’s presidential nominating calendar: They would still put on the first-in-the-nation caucuses but would be open to withholding the results until… Continue reading
“Party affiliation can be misleading in local Pa. elections. Here’s why”
Spotlight PA has a feature on Pennsylvania school board elections with closed primaries (you’ve got to be a member of the party to vote in that party’s primary) and cross-filing (in which candidates can appear on multiple parties’ ballots).
I’m… Continue reading
Ranked choice on the menu
There must be something in the water today.
The Philadelphia Inquirer’s editorial board decries a “two-party system in a one-party town,” in advocating a switch from splintered partisan primaries to a nonpartisan primary with ranked-choice voting.
Illinois state Rep. Kam… Continue reading
“Montana shelves GOP proposal to alter US Senate primary”
AP:
A proposed change to next year’s Montana U.S. Senate primary that could have hurt Democratic Sen. Jon Tester’s reelection chances is likely dead after a state legislative committee shelved the GOP-backed measure Wednesday.
Some Republican lawmakers urged on… Continue reading
Better Parties? Are they possible and how will SCOTUS shape that project?
I recently had the pleasure of talking about both of these questions with Lee Drutman on Politics in Question. As I have been spending more time talking to others about prospects for party reform–including this past week at More … Continue reading
NY trial court finds constitutional right to cast primary write-in for candidate who’s not a member of the party
Friday’s decision is here, with a little more illumination from the earlier hearing transcript here.
“Democrats Overhaul Party’s Primary Calendar, Upending a Political Tradition”
NYT:
Upending decades of political tradition, the Democratic National Committee on Saturday approved 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,… Continue reading
Does Michigan’s decision to move up its presidential primary violate the state’s new constitutional right to vote?
The Democratic National Committee recently approved changes to the presidential primary calendar. One of those changes permits Michigan to move into February for its presidential primary. Michigan just changed its primary to February. But the Republican National Committee… Continue reading
“What a first-in-the-nation SC primary could mean: Hope, money and amplifying Black voters”
Caitlin Byrd at the Post and Courier.
And in other news on the DNC calendar shuffle, Brianne Pfannenstiel at the Des Moines Register has this piece, “Democrats’ new presidential calendar may invite chaos. Iowa, New Hampshire vow to … Continue reading
The messy legal and practical issues behind a DNC primary calendar shuffle
This weekend, the Democratic National Committee’s Rules and Bylaws Committee will recommend changes to the party’s delegate selection rules and primary calendar for the 2024 election. On the topic, I strongly recommend Josh Putnam’s FrontloadingHQ for all the details.
There… Continue reading
“A QAnon Democrat? Fierce 2022 Warfare Erupts in Deep-Blue California”
NYT:
The mailers and online ads vividly paint David Kim as a right-wing extremist, accusing him of running for a House seat in California “with QAnon-MAGA support” from “QAnon Republicans.”But Mr. Kim is not a Republican. He’s a progressive Democrat… Continue reading
Party Leaders Seek to Rein in Extremists through Spending–But Quietly
A new Washington Post report suggests that Kevin McCarthy and Liz Cheney, as party leaders, are both working to bringing order back to the Republican Party. It is only their methods and interests that differ. McCarthy’s interests appear to be… Continue reading
Lawsuit Challenging New Jersey’s Obfuscating Primary Ballot Design to Proceed
U.S. District Court denied seven motions to dismiss a lawsuit challenging the design of New Jersey’s primary ballots yesterday. The case seeks to end the influence county party leaders exert over ballot placement. Among other things, the suit challenges a… Continue reading