Prepare for 2024’s presidential election by looking back at 2016/2020

By

Samuel Wonacott

Welcome to the Thursday, December 22, Brew. 

By: Samuel Wonacott

Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day:

  1. Here’s the timeline of presidential campaign announcements from 2020 and 2016
  2. Reminder: Polls close tonight in the official Holiday Cookie general election!  
  3. SCOTUS January 2023 preview

Here’s the timeline of presidential campaign announcements from 2020 and 2016

The year after the midterms brings with it many things in politics—including a renewed interest in presidential elections. 

Over 500 individuals have already filed to run for president with the Federal Elections Commission (FEC) in 2024 (for comparison, a combined 2,998 individuals filed in 2016 and 2020—1,786 in the former and 1,212 in the latter). 

The 2024 presidential election has already gained at least one noteworthy campaign—see more below on how we define that term—after former President Donald Trump (R) declared his candidacy in November. President Joe Biden (D) hasn’t released an official announcement yet, but says he plans to make his intentions public after the holidays. As we wait on more candidates to jump into the race, here’s a look at how presidential campaign launches played out in 2020 and 2016.

In the 2020 cycle, Trump was also the first noteworthy candidate to declare, filing for re-election the day of his inauguration in 2017. Michael Bloomberg (D), the final noteworthy candidate to declare, launched his campaign on Nov. 24, 2019. January and April 2019 tied for the most noteworthy candidate declarations, both at six.

Biden announced his candidacy on April 25, 2019, making him the 23rd noteworthy candidate to declare.

We define noteworthy candidates as individuals who met one or more of the following criteria: 

  • Previously held office as a member of Congress, governor, state executive, state legislator, or mayor of a city with a population of 100,000 or more, 
  • Met a polling or fundraising threshold for inclusion in debates, 
  • Was set to appear on at least 15 state ballots.

In the 2016 cycle, Ted Cruz (R) made the first noteworthy presidential declaration of the cycle on March 23, 2015. The final noteworthy declaration came from Lawrence Lessig (D) on Sept. 6, 2015. June 2015 had the most noteworthy presidential declarations with 6, followed by May 2015 which had five.

Trump declared on June 16, 2015, making him the 16th noteworthy candidate to declare. The Democratic nominee for president, Hillary Clinton (D), declared on April 12, 2015, making her the 3rd noteworthy candidate to declare.

To learn more about the 2024 presidential election, click—and bookmark!—the link below. 

Keep reading

Reminder: Polls close tonight in the official Holiday Cookie general election!  

Here at Ballotpedia, we don’t sugarcoat politics—we bring you the facts. And the facts are that, last week, Chocolate chip cookie, the winner of the 2021 Holiday Cookie election who had at one point made a sweet impression on voters, lost in the Holiday Cookie primary. “Batter” luck next time, Chocolate Chip cookie. 

The three top primary vote-getters—gingerbread (16.9%), sugar (15.2%, and snickerdoodle (12.7%)—advanced to the general election as your “nom-nominees.” You can see the primary results below. 

If you haven’t voted, then you have a few more hours to help decide the 2022 Official Holiday Cookie. Polls close at 5:00pm E.T. Check out the candidate profiles as you prepare to cast your vote! 

Crumb Friday, Dec. 23, we’ll have a new Official Holiday Cookie. 

Cast your vote today!  

SCOTUS January 2023 preview

The U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) will begin hearing arguments for its January 2023 argument sitting on Jan. 9. The court will hear seven cases, concluding on Jan. 18. Here’s a look at what you can expect. To date, the court has heard arguments in a little over half of the 51 cases it has taken up this term (so far). 

Click the links below to learn more about these cases: 

Jan. 9

  1. In re Grand Jury concerns protected documents related to grand jury subpoenas. The case originated from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. To date, 13 of the 50 cases accepted to SCOTUS’ merits docket for the term have originated from the Ninth Circuit, the most of all courts of origination this term. 
  2. The Ohio Adjutant General’s Department v. Federal Labor Relations Authority raises administrative state issues and questions whether the Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA) can regulate the labor practices of state militias in addition to those of federal agencies. The case came on a writ of certiorari to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.

Jan. 10

  1. Glacier Northwest, Inc. v. International Brotherhood of Teamsters, originating from the Washington Supreme Court, involves a labor dispute and whether federal law overrides state tort claims. A tort claim alleges one party’s act harms another, and the harmed party seeks restitution, often through monetary compensation. The parties at issue in this case are Glacier Northwest Inc. (“Glacier”), also known as CalPortland, which sells and transfers ready-mix concrete to businesses in Washington, and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 174, which is the labor union representative for for Glacier’s truck drivers in King County.

Jan. 11

  1. Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico v. Centro de Periodismo Investigativo, Inc. case came on a writ of certiorari to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit and concerns sovereign immunity claims under the Eleventh Amendment and the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability Act (“PROMESA”). Sovereign immunity is the legal doctrine stating that a government is protected from lawsuits.

Jan. 17

  1. Santos-Zacaria v. Garland concerns the administrative state and asks whether federal immigration law prohibits a U.S. appeals court from reviewing an immigrant’s claim that the Board of Immigration Appeals erred when the claimant did not file a motion to reconsider. The case originated from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. 
  2. Turkiye Halk Bankasi A.S. v. United States involves the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act (FSIA), a law which outlines instances where sovereign nations may be sued under U.S. law. The case came on a writ of certiorari to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. 

Jan. 18

  1. Perez v. Sturgis Public Schools originated from the Sixth Circuit and concerns lawsuits brought under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and the failure to exhaust, meaning the failure to exhaust legal remedies available during administrative proceedings before settling a case with the other party. 

To date, the court has heard arguments in 27 cases. Nine cases have not yet been scheduled for argument. 

On Dec. 19, 2022, the court released its February argument calendar, scheduling seven cases for argument from Feb. 21 to March 1.

  1. Gonzalez v. Google LLC
  2. Twitter, Inc. v. Taamneh
  3. Dubin v. United States
  4. New York v. New Jersey
  5. Biden v. Nebraska
  6. Department of Education v. Brown
  7. Abitron Austria GmbH v. Hetronic International, Inc.

SCOTUS has heard an average of 65 cases since 2016. In its 2022-2023 term, the court agreed to hear 51 cases, though that number could still change.

Click below to learn more about the 2022-2023 term.

Keep reading