Author: David Luchs

  • Control of 508 state legislative seats changed in the 2018 elections

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    On November 6, 2018, elections were held for 6,073 state legislative seats across 87 of the nation’s 99 state legislative chambers. Five hundred and eight elections (8.3%) resulted in control of a seat changing to a new party. Of the 508 flips, 391 (77.0%) were Republican seats that flipped to Democrats and 93 (18.2%) were…

  • Incumbent Michael Hancock and urban development consultant Jamie Giellis advance to runoff in Denver mayoral election

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    Incumbent Michael Hancock and former River North Art District President Jamie Giellis advanced to a June 4 runoff for mayor of Denver. Hancock led with 39.1% of the vote to Giellis’ 25.7%. The third-place candidate, criminal justice professor Lisa Calderón, had 17.4%. A candidate must receive more than 50% of the vote in order to…

  • Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh (D) resigns

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    Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh (D) resigned from her office Thursday. Her resignation came the week after federal investigators raided Pugh’s home and city office as part of an investigation into sales of her “Healthy Holly” children’s’ book series. In a statement read by her attorney, she said, “I am sorry for the harm that I…

  • Trifecta control in five states at stake in the 2019 elections

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    Gubernatorial and state legislative elections are taking place in five states in 2019. These elections could affect existing Republican trifectas in Kentucky and Mississippi and the Democratic trifecta in New Jersey. New trifectas could potentially form in Louisiana and Virginia.   A trifecta, which describes when one party holds the governorship, a majority in the state senate,…

  • National Democratic and Republican party committees report March fundraising figures

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    Campaign committees associated the Democratic and Republican parties reported increased fundraising in March, according to reports filed with the Federal Election Commission Saturday.   The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) raised $13.0 million in March, an 86% increase over the $7.0 million it raised in February. It spent $11.5 million, including paying off all $5.75…

  • President Donald Trump issues second veto of his presidency

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    President Donald Trump (R) vetoed a Congressional resolution directing the removal of U.S. troops from Yemen Tuesday. It was his second veto since taking office.   The measure, which had been proposed by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), passed 54-46 in the Senate, with seven Republicans joining Democrats to vote in favor. It passed the House…

  • Gov. Tom Wolf (D) and former Mayor John Street (D) endorse in Philadelphia mayoral primary

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    Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney (D) and challenger Anthony Williams (D) each picked up noteworthy endorsements Thursday in Philadelphia’s Democratic mayoral primary election.   Kenney, who was first elected in 2015, was endorsed by seven political figures including Gov. Tom Wolf (D) and all three of Philadelphia’s representatives to the U.S. House.   Williams, who was…

  • In 2018, 143 third party candidates received more votes than the margin deciding the election

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    While third party and independent candidates win fewer elections than members of the two major parties, they can often affect an election, especially if their supporters would have voted for a different candidate had they not been in the race.   In 2018, 143 third party or independent candidates received more votes than the margin…

  • Party fundraising update: Republican committees raise $54.4 million, Democratic committees raise $39.6 million

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    Republican Party Congressional party committees outraised their Democratic counterparts in the first two months of 2019 $54.4 million to $39.6 million, in line with trends from the 2018 campaign cycle.   The committees are the Republican National Committee (RNC), National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), and National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), along with the Democratic National…

  • Sen. Tom Udall (D) and Rep. Jose Serrano (D) not running for re-election

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    Sen. Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and Rep. Jose Serrano (D-N.Y.) announced Monday that they would not seek re-election in 2020. Udall and Serrano are the fifth and sixth members of the 116th Congress, and the first Democrats, to announce they will not run for re-election.   Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) and Reps.…