Year: 2025
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Trump announces first judicial nominees
President Donald Trump (R) on May 1, 2025, announced that he would nominate Whitney Hermandorfer for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. This marks his first federal judicial nomination since taking office on January 20, 2025. During his first term, Trump issued his first nomination 11 days after he took office: Justice…
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Seven candidates are running in the nonpartisan general elections for the Conway School Board in Arkansas
Seven candidates are running in the nonpartisan general elections for Conway School Board in Arkansas on May 13. Three of the board’s seven seats are up for election. The Conway School District consists of seven members serving five-year terms. During the 2023 school year, 10,251 students attended one of the district’s 16 schools. This is…
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President Donald Trump ends April with 44% approval, 53% disapproval
At the end of April, approval polling averages showed President Donald Trump (R) at 44% approval. Fifty-three percent of voters disapproved of his performance. The lowest approval rating he’s received during his presidency is 44%, last seen on April 30, 2025. The highest approval rating Trump has received is 54%, last seen on Jan. 22,…
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Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi announces 2026 run for the U.S. Senate in Illinois
Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.) announced on May 7, 2026, that he will run for the U.S. Senate in Illinois in 2026 rather than another term in the U.S. House of Representatives. The seat is open since incumbent Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) announced he would not seek re-election. As of May 6, 2025, independent race forecasters…
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Virginia sees fewest state legislative open seats since 2011
Four of Virginia’s 100 state legislative seats up for election in 2025 are open, meaning no incumbent filed to run in the election. This is the fewest for the state since Ballotpedia began tracking these figures in 2011, and newcomers are guaranteed at least 3% of the legislature. The average number of open state legislative…
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Rep. Robin Kelly announces 2026 run for the U.S. Senate in Illinois
Rep. Robin Kelly (D-Ill.) announced on May 6, 2025, that she will run for the U.S. Senate in Illinois in 2026 rather than another term in the U.S. House of Representatives. The seat is open since incumbent Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) announced he would not seek re-election. As of May 6, 2025, independent race forecasters…
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Ballotpedia releases federal judicial vacancy count for May 2025
In this month’s federal judicial vacancy count, Ballotpedia tracked nominations, confirmations, and vacancies from April 2, 2025, to May 1, 2025. Ballotpedia publishes the federal judicial vacancy count at the start of each month. HIGHLIGHTS New vacancies There were 45 vacancies out of 870 active Article III judicial positions, a total vacancy percentage of 5.2,…
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House subcommittee addresses proxy advisory firms
The House Financial Services Subcommittee on Capital Markets held a hearing last week on proxy advisory firms, which guide institutional investors on how to vote their shares. Opponents say proxy firms promote ESG priorities in shareholder votes—especially Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) and Glass Lewis, which control a combined 90% of the proxy advisory market. Critics…