Author: Rob Oldham
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Former U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) passes away
Thad Cochran, a Republican senator from Mississippi from 1979 to 2018, passed away on May 30, 2019. He was 81 years old. Cochran resigned from the Senate on April 1, 2018, citing health concerns. He was replaced by interim Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R), who later won a November 2018 special election to serve the…
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Mississippi gubernatorial candidates report fundraising totals from first quarter of 2019
Candidates running in the Democratic and Republican primaries for Mississippi governor submitted campaign finance reports for the first quarter of 2019 (Jan. 1 through April 30). Lieutenant Gov. Tate Reeves $1 million, the most of the Republican candidates, and reported $6.7 million in cash on hand. Former state Supreme Court Chief Justice Bill Waller…
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Sen. Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.) announces retirement after nearly three decades in Congress
U.S. Senator Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.) announced on May 4 that he would retire at the end of his term in 2020. Enzi was first elected to the Senate in 1996 and previously served in the U.S. House (1991-1996) and the Wyoming House of Representatives (1987-1991). He last won re-election in 2014, defeating his Democratic opponent…
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Maryland House of Delegates selects Adrienne Jones (D) as speaker
The Maryland House of Delegates voted 139-1 to make Adrienne Jones (D) the speaker of the house in a special session on Wednesday. She replaces Michael Busch (D), who passed away on April 7 after developing pneumonia. Busch had served as speaker since 2003 and was the longest serving speaker in Maryland history. Jones,…
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Tate Reeves launches first campaign ad in Mississippi Republican gubernatorial primary
Lieutenant Gov. Tate Reeves released the first campaign ad in Mississippi’s Republican gubernatorial primary. In the ad, Reeves said that he would help Mississippi reach its full potential by cutting regulations, lowering taxes, and training the workforce. He said Attorney General Jim Hood (D), who is running in the Democratic primary, would not help the…
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Former state GOP chairs split endorsements in Mississippi gubernatorial primary
Six former chairmen of the Mississippi Republican Party have endorsed a candidate ahead of the August 6 Republican gubernatorial primary. Two former chairmen support Lieutenant Gov. Tate Reeves, who media outlets call the front runner due to his fundraising advantage and 15 years in statewide office. Four past chairmen support former state Supreme Court Chief…
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94 state legislative seats have flipped in special elections since 2010
Ninety-four state legislative seats have changed partisan control, or flipped, in special elections since 2010. Democrats have won 51 of these special elections, Republicans have won 37, and independent and third-party candidates have won six. So far, six partisan flips have occurred in 2019—four Republican wins, one Democratic win, and one independent win. …
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Update on the Alaska House power-sharing arrangement
Members of the Alaska House ended a month-long leadership deadlock by electing Rep. Bryce Edgmon as speaker on February 14, 2019. Edgmon was elected by a bipartisan coalition under the condition that he establish a power-sharing arrangement where both Democrats and Republicans held positions of power. The coalition that elected Edgmon speaker included all…
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In 2018, 105 state legislative races were decided by less than 100 votes
One-hundred and five of the 6,073 state legislative races in 2018 were decided by fewer than 100 votes. Ninety-eight of these races were in state house races, and seven were in state senate races. Fifty-four of the races resulted in a change in partisan control—36 favoring Democrats and 18 favoring Republicans. In the seats…
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President Trump issues first veto of presidency
President Trump issued the first veto of his presidency Friday when he blocked Congress’ resolution of disapproval of his declaration of a national emergency at the U.S.-Mexico border. Trump declared the national emergency on February 15 after Congress did not meet his request for border wall funding in a government funding deal. The resolution…