2023-2024 Presidential, senate, house, state and city election thread

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Gov. Shapiro, top Biden surrogate, acknowledges close race with Trump: 'Stop worrying and start working'

Source: ABC News

February 18, 2024, 12:51 PM

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, one of Joe Biden's top Democratic surrogates, on Sunday urged the president's other supporters to start putting in the work to reelect him amid worries over his prospects at the ballot box.

"Well, the race is close. But understand, the campaign hasn't really even joined yet," Shapiro told ABC News "This Week" co-anchor Jonathan Karl when asked why the early polls are so tight between Biden and former President Donald Trump in Pennsylvania, which is likely to be a key swing state in the election.

"This is the reason why we run races," Shapiro said. "And I would say to folks who are worried about the numbers: Stop worrying and start working."

Shapiro's comments come as some Democrats privately and publicly voice concerns over Biden's political future -- both because of the polls and his unpopularity as well as the public's well-established unease about his age and fitness for office. Biden has acknowledged those issues but said his record proves his qualifications. "My memory -- take a look at what I've done since I've become president. None of you thought I could pass any of the things I got passed. How'd that happen?" he told reporters earlier this month.

Read more: https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/gov-sha ... =107320339

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"I’m not going anywhere"...

The thing is that is what all politicians say just before they throw in the towel. As I have written before, a lot depends on whether the stream of financial support to Haley continues. Trump may have so alienated the old establishment elite types that they are willing to fund a Haley, even if it means negatively affecting Trump's chances in November. Kind of pay back for all the times Trump supported wingnuts to take on incumbents that were not sufficiently deferential to Trump. So, it will be interesting to see if Haley stays in the race after an expected drubbing in South Carolina.

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The Long Era of Republican Gerrymandering in Wisconsin May Finally Be Over
by Ari Berman
February 20, 2024

Introduction:

(Mother Jones) The long era of Republican gerrymandering in Wisconsin may finally be coming to an end.

Last week, the Republican-controlled legislature approved new maps submitted by Democratic Governor Tony Evers that will significantly reduce GOP majorities in both chambers. Evers signed the legislation on Monday.

“It is a new day in Wisconsin, and today is a beautiful day for democracy,” Evers said at the state Capitol.

Republicans considered Evers’ maps the least bad option for them after the Wisconsin Supreme Court struck down the existing GOP-drawn lines in December and ordered new maps created. Some of the proposals before the court, which hired two independent experts to evaluate the submissions, could have given Democrats a majority in both chambers of the legislature.

“Republicans were not stuck between a rock and hard place,” said Republican state senator Van Wanggaard. “It was a matter of choosing to be stabbed, shot, poisoned, or led to the guillotine. We chose to be stabbed, so we can live to fight another day.”

Read more here: https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2 ... y-evers/

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Weirdly enough. Trump's strategy seems to be to take advantage of all of his legal problems to gain media attention and to make the argument that he has become some sort of martyr to the right-wing cause. Still, political campaigns also consist of on the ground door knocking, leaflet distribution, and related get out the vote efforts. Somewhat surprisingly, Trump does seem to have a lot of (unpaid?) volunteers that make his campaign stronger than it looks as measured by dollars on hand. Still, Biden's war chest has yet to be fully deployed. So, a lot depends on how effectively it is used. An ad campaign could be easily launched that backfires.

Here in California, Adam Schiff is running what I consider a very unorthodox ad campaign. He is violating one of the rules of good tactics in that his campaign continually mentions, by name, Steve Garvey, his Republican opponent. This, in the primary. California's so-called jungle primary means that the top two vote getters will go onto the general election. Perhaps he is afraid that one of the other Democrats will finish second and would prefer Garvey as his "Trump supporting" opponent in the general election. I would think that his campaign is actually aiding Garvey in gaining name recognition. Garvey is already well known as a baseball player. Still, that is among fans of a certain generation who for the most part would be unaware of his political orientation. Voters not following baseball in the era that he played would presumably need to be introduced to Garvey. Something Schiff's ads actually accomplish.

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Delegate count as of this writing:

Donald Trump 110

Nikki Haley 20

Ron DeSantis (DROPPED OUT) 9

Vivek Ramaswamy (DROPPED OUT) 3

Source:https://www.270towin.com/2024-republica ... candidate

Edit: Updated to reflect outcome of all congressional districts in South Carolina. Final outcome there: 47 delegates for Trump and 3 for Haley

[firestar464]

https://sl.bing.net/cAvPCY8QgH6

Me: Who is Trump most likely to pick as vice president?
Bing: Based on recent news, there are several potential candidates for Donald Trump's Vice Presidential pick. In a straw poll at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), Vivek Ramaswamy and Kristi Noem tied for first place. Additionally, Trump confirmed a shortlist that includes Ron DeSantis, Byron Donalds, Tulsi Gabbard, Kristi Noem, Vivek Ramaswamy, and Tim Scott. However, the final decision has not been announced yet. Please note that this information is current as of the last update and may change over time.
Me: Which candidate is Trump most likely to pick- Noem or Ramaswamy?
Bing: Based on the latest information, both Kristi Noem and Vivek Ramaswamy tied for first place as the preferred choice for Trump's Vice Presidential pick in a straw poll at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). However, it's important to note that a top advisor of Donald Trump has virtually ruled out the possibility that Vivek Ramaswamy would be the Vice President pick. Please note that this information is current as of the last update and may change over time. Ultimately, the final decision lies with Donald Trump.

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