Welcome to the Thursday, Aug. 28, Brew.
By: Briana Ryan
Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day:
- Almost 200 candidates have filed to run in the 2028 presidential election
- The U.S. Supreme Court reversed 74.6% of cases it reviewed last term
- Collectively, Democratic and Republican trifecta states have both averaged 19 ballot initiatives per cycle since 2010
Almost 200 candidates have filed to run in the 2028 presidential election
With 1,166 days to go until the next presidential election, some candidates have already filed to run.
As of Aug. 25, 175 candidates have filed with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to run in the 2028 presidential election. The FEC is responsible for disclosing campaign finance information, enforcing limits and prohibitions on contributions, and overseeing the public funding of presidential elections.
Of the candidates who have filed so far, 39 are Democrats, 44 are Republicans, and 92 are independent or minor party candidates.
Hundreds of individuals will file with the FEC to run for president during the next presidential election cycle. Recent election cycles have seen a sharp uptick in the total number of filed candidates. One reason for this increase is likely due to the 2015 introduction of e-filing at the FEC, which allows individuals to submit candidacy forms online rather than by mail.
In the 2016 election cycle, 1,762 individuals filed to run for president with the FEC—the most since e-filing became an option. In 2020, 1,212 individuals filed to run, and 1,336 filed in 2024. The most Democrats—323—filed to run in 2020, and the most Republicans—312—filed in 2024.
To file to run for president with the FEC, an individual needs to submit a form to the agency either by mail or online. They may declare their candidacy at any time, but once they receive contributions or make expenditures of more than $5,000, they must register with the FEC within 15 days.
An individual must meet the following constitutional requirements to serve as president:
- Be a natural-born U.S. citizen
- Be at least 35 years old
- Have been a resident of the U.S. for at least 14 years
As of August 2025, we have not identified any noteworthy presidential campaign announcements for the 2028 presidential election. At this point in the 2020 election cycle, one noteworthy candidate—Donald Trump (R)—had announced his campaign. No noteworthy candidates had announced their campaigns at this point in the 2024 or the 2016 election cycles.
Click here to view the full list of the 175 candidates who have filed to run for president in 2028. Also, check out our list of potential noteworthy 2028 presidential candidates here.
The U.S. Supreme Court reversed 74.6% of cases it reviewed last term
With 39 days to go until the U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) begins its next term on Oct. 6, we are looking back at the case reversal rate from the 2024 term and how it compares to previous terms.
During the 2024 term, SCOTUS issued opinions in 67 cases. SCOTUS reversed 47 lower court decisions (74.6%) and affirmed 16 decisions (25.4%). That’s the highest reversal rate since the 2021 term, when SCOTUS reversed 54 lower court decisions (81.8%) and affirmed 12 decisions (18.2%).
Since 2007, SCOTUS has issued opinions on 1,313 cases. During that period, SCOTUS reversed 938 lower court decisions and affirmed 363 decisions, an average reversal rate of 71.4%.
In the 2024 term, 13 cases that SCOTUS decided came from the Fifth Circuit, the most from any federal circuit or state court. SCOTUS reversed 10 Fifth Circuit decisions (76.9%) and affirmed three decisions (23.1%). That’s the most reversals per circuit in the 2024 term.
Since 2007, SCOTUS has decided more cases from the Ninth Circuit (247) than any other circuit. The second-highest number of cases came from the Fifth Circuit (118). SCOTUS has overturned a greater number and percentage of cases originating from the Ninth Circuit (196, or 79%) than any other circuit.
Click here for a closer look at SCOTUS case reversal rates since 2007. Also, if you want to keep up with what’s happening in the federal courts, sign up for Robe & Gavel. In this monthly newsletter, we tell you which cases SCOTUS heard, which federal judges retired, which were nominated, and what important rulings came from other federal courts.
Collectively, Democratic and Republican trifecta states have both averaged 19 ballot initiatives per cycle since 2010
From 2010 to 2024, voters in the 26 states with a statewide ballot initiative process, where citizens put constitutional amendments, statutes, or veto referendums on the ballot, decided on 427 initiatives.
Today, we’ll examine that figure by the trifecta status of each state at the time voters decided on each initiative.
A state government trifecta is a single-party government in which one political party holds the governorship and majorities in both state legislative chambers.
From 2010 to 2024, Democratic trifecta states and Republican trifecta states, collectively, both averaged 19 ballot initiatives for even-numbered-year elections. States with divided governments, collectively, averaged 15 initiatives during that period.
- Among Democratic trifecta states, California voters decided on the most initiatives, with 59. From 2010 to 2024, California had a Democratic trifecta for all but one year—2010—when it had a divided government.
- Among Republican trifecta states, South Dakota voters decided on the most initiatives, with 28. From 2010 to 2024, South Dakota had a Republican trifecta.
- Among states with divided governments, Colorado voters decided on the most initiatives, with 17. Between 2010 and 2024, Colorado had a divided government for six years.
The years with the most initiatives in Democratic trifecta states were 2012 and 2024, with 24 initiatives each. The year with the most initiatives in Republican trifecta states was 2018, with 32 initiatives. The year with the most initiatives in states with a divided government was 2016, with 31 initiatives.
The chart below shows the number of initiatives certified for even-numbered year elections between 2010 and 2024 by state trifecta status.
Click here to learn more about the trifecta status of the 26 initiative and referendum states.