Two first thoughts on PA’s GOP Senate primary

May 18, 2022, 4:06 amUncategorizedNed Foley

At 6am ET, Oz leads McCormick by 2672 votes, as reported by both the New York Times and the Washington Post. The tightness of the race at this hour prompts these observations: First, this preliminary tally is yet another… Continue reading

Commentary–FEC v. Cruz

May 17, 2022, 3:41 pmUncategorizedTabatha Abu El-Haj

Ciara Torres-Spelliscy reacts to FEC v. Cruz at TPM Cafe: “Predictably, Roberts Supreme Court continues its deregulation of money in politics.”

“Printing error affects mailed ballots in Lancaster County”

May 17, 2022, 3:26 pmabsentee ballots, election administration2022 Election CycleTabatha Abu El-Haj

Philadelphia Inquirer reports that a printing error has caused problems with the processing of a not insignificant number of mail-in ballots in Lancaster County. Too bad, however, that this is being used as an excuse to oppose the 2019 expansion… Continue reading

Primary Roundup

May 17, 2022, 5:46 amUncategorizedTabatha Abu El-Haj

Primaries will be held today in several states, including a number with competitive Senate (Pennsylvania and North Carolina) and gubernatorial (Pennsylvania) races. All involve intra-party ideological fights. The following are useful roundups from Politico, Vox, Fox,… Continue reading

Tom Daschle and Trent Lott Advocate for Reforms to the Electoral Count Act of 1887

May 17, 2022, 5:41 amelection subversion risk, legislation and legislaturesTabatha Abu El-Haj

Former Senate majority leaders Tom Daschle (D) and Trent Lott (R) have published an Op Ed in the WSJ endorsing the need for swift bi-partisan action to reform the Electoral Count Act of 1887 in advance of the next presidential… Continue reading

FEC Deadlocks, Again

May 16, 2022, 4:14 pmcampaign finance, federal election commission2020 Election CycleTabatha Abu El-Haj

Dave Levinthal and C. Ryan Barber at Business Insider report that the Federal Election Commission has deadlocked over a “complaint that Donald Trump’s 2020 White House campaign laundered hundreds of millions of dollars in spending through corporate entities closely tied… Continue reading

Intraparty Fights Taken to Court

May 16, 2022, 4:02 pmcourt decisions, political parties, political polarization, primariesTabatha Abu El-Haj

Just a few days before Idaho’s May 17 primaries, Republicans took their internal fights to court. “In the virtual hearing [last] Friday afternoon, Fourth District Court Judge Jason Scott heard arguments from intertwined Republican organizations — one suing the… Continue reading

Dramatic Increase in Competitive Districts in Special Master’s NY Map

May 16, 2022, 12:12 pmUncategorizedRichard Pildes

As a proponent of competitive districts, I’m often asked how much the decline in competitive districts is due to intentional gerrymandering versus the realities of political geography, in which metro areas have become highly Democratic and rural areas highly Republican.… Continue reading

“Where megadonors are spending big money to shape the Democratic Party’s future”

May 16, 2022, 11:22 amUncategorizedRichard Pildes

When the main elections that matter are the primaries — from Politico: House Democratic primaries are drawing record cash — even as they’re almost guaranteed to lose their majority. Super PACs and other organizations have already dropped more than… Continue reading

Breaking News: Preliminary N.Y. Maps Released

May 16, 2022, 9:34 amredistrictingTabatha Abu El-Haj

Michael Li of Brennan Center notes: “Special master Jonathan Cervas has released his initial draft of a replacement New York congressional map. Interested parties have until Wed, 5/18 to submit comments. Final maps will be released Fri, 5/20.” Analysis on… Continue reading

Secretary of State websites routinely list incorrect information about qualifications for federal office

May 16, 2022, 9:14 amlegislation and legislaturesDerek Muller

On the heels challenges to federal candidates’ qualifications in places like Tennessee and North Carolina, I took a look at how states describe the qualifications for federal office. The results were quite disheartening. Secretaries of State routinely present erroneous… Continue reading

Breaking and Analysis: Dividing on Ideological Lines and Breaking Little New Ground in FEC v. Cruz, Supreme Court Strikes Down Another Part of McCain-Feingold law

May 16, 2022, 7:49 amcampaign finance, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

The result and lineup in today’s Supreme Court decision in FEC v. Cruz is no surprise: all the conservatives on the Court signed onto Chief Justice Roberts’ opinion holding that a loan repayment provision of the McCain-Feingold law is unconstitutional;… Continue reading

Coordinating Publicly to Get Around Campaign Finance Laws–2022 cycle

May 16, 2022, 5:44 amcampaign finance2022 Election CycleTabatha Abu El-Haj

Shane Goldmacher at N.Y. Times reports on the “Little Red Boxes” appearing on many Democratic primary candidates’ websites to direct their Super PACs’ messaging strategies. The basic principle is not new, but the details are interesting. Republicans this… Continue reading

“Primaries spotlight coming battles over state supreme courts”

May 16, 2022, 5:13 amcampaign finance, judicial electionsTabatha Abu El-Haj

AP News “[A]cross the country this year, . . . state judicial races become increasingly politicized over issues such as partisan gerrymandering, abortion and gun rights. Voters in 32 states this year will cast ballots on state supreme court seats,… Continue reading