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

[weatheriscool]

Manchin will decide in early 2024 if he runs for President on a centrist ticket.
Chuck Todd NBC

[lechwall]

Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson announces 2024 presidential run
Source: ABC News

Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson made his 2024 White House bid official on Sunday in an exclusive sit-down interview with ABC "This Week" co-anchor Jonathan Karl.

Ahead of his presidential announcement, Hutchinson, a Republican, spent several days in the first-in-the nation caucus state of Iowa, stirring speculation that he intended to enter into what he acknowledged is a tense national political landscape.

"I have made a decision, and my decision is I'm going to run for president of the United States," Hutchinson told Karl. "While the formal announcement will be later in April, in Bentonville [Arkansas], I want to make it clear to you, Jonathan, I am going to be running. And the reason is, I've traveled the country for six months, I hear people talk about the leadership of our country. I'm convinced that people want leaders that appeal to the best of America, and not simply appeal to our worst instincts."

The former governor told Karl he is inspired by his travels around the country over the last six months and acknowledged it would take "a lot of hard work and good messaging" to raise his national profile and break through a crowded primary field.

Read more: https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/abc-new ... d=98238115

Has he suffered a knock to the head? He has a 0% chance of winning, if anyone other than Trump or De Santis wins the GOP nomination I will permanently stop talking about politics. If Trump wins which seems most likely, Trump is not going to give a Cabinet position to anyone who runs against him the man only values slavish loyalty. Is Hutchinson hoping to boost his profile for a '28 run? Well dropping out before Iowa will almost certainly doom him as a future candidate forever. I have about as much chance of winning the presidency as this joker and I'm constitutionally ineligible to be president on multiple counts!

[weatheriscool]

Democrats target 31 GOP-held seats in aggressive campaign for House majority
NBC News exclusive
April 3, 2023, 8:00 AM EDT
By Sahil Kapur

WASHINGTON — Democrats have targeted 31 Republican-held districts in their fight to retake control of the House in 2024, laying out an aggressive map and signaling early plans to go on offense.

The list, first reported by NBC News, is a blend of ultra-competitive districts in places like New York’s Hudson Valley and Long Island, including the seat held by Rep. George Santos; areas President Joe Biden won, like the Omaha-core seat held by Rep. Don Bacon; and conservative-leaning districts where the party sees an extreme and vulnerable GOP incumbent, such as Rep. Lauren Boebert in Colorado.

Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee executive director Julie Merz said in an interview that the party’s strategy is to present Biden and the Democrats as “team normal” against a chaotic band of “MAGA extremists” they say have taken over the House Republican conference.

They will contrast Biden’s legislative wins — mainly the $35 monthly insulin cost cap and lower drug prices for Medicare, manufacturing and new infrastructure projects — with a Republican majority Merz says is “all hat and no cattle” when it comes to delivering results.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-e ... -rcna77401

[caltrek]

^^^ I think that it is important that a candidate or candidates come forward that at least attempt to recapture the Republican party form the wing nuts that support DeSantis and/or Trump. That such a quest is highly Quixotic is almost beside the point. Somebody needs to try and talk some common sense into the party.

[weatheriscool]

NY-SEN: Ocasio-Cortez Could Challenge Kirsten Gillibrand
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) teased a potential challenge to Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Politico reports.



https://politicalwire.com/2023/04/03/al ... illibrand/

[weatheriscool]

Donald Trump Favorable Rating:

Favorable 29%
Unfavorable 55%

.@Ipsos
/@ABC
, 593 Adults, 3/31-4/1
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/poll-

[weatheriscool]

Dave Wasserman
@Redistrict
·
2m
New: w/ 476,538 votes counted in Chicago, Paul Vallas's lead over Johnson shrinks to 370 (!) votes (50.04%-49.96%). Vallas needs a miracle now.

[weatheriscool]

BRANDON JOHNSON
242,970

50.11%

PAUL VALLAS
241,859

49.89%

Total Votes
484,829

[weatheriscool]

Progressive Brandon Johnson wins Chicago mayor's race
Source: NBC News

Brandon Johnson will be the next mayor of Chicago, NBC News projected Tuesday, marking a stunning turn for a staunch progressive and former teacher whose campaign leaned into messages of racial and economic disparities and who overcame blowback over past comments about decreasing police funding.

Johnson defeated the well-financed, tough-on-crime moderate Paul Vallas, a former CEO of the Chicago Public Schools who promised to immediately bulk up the Chicago police ranks to curb a crisis of gun violence in the city.

The victory caps a meteoric rise for Johnson, 46, the Cook County commissioner, an activist and a member of the Chicago Teachers Union, who in the first round of the mayoral race, held Feb. 28, had been polling in fifth place before finishing second, behind Vallas.

Johnson ran on a platform of taxing the wealthy to boost citywide services and investing in neighborhoods and schools across the city. He walked back past comments about slashing funding to police departments, saying he wanted to bolster the ranks of detectives but also wanted to invest in mental health response services.

Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/electi ... -rcna77196

[caltrek]

Progressives Win a Majority on the Wisconsin Supreme Court
by Ari Berman
April 4, 2023

Introduction:

(Mother Jones) Liberal judge Janet Protasiewicz won a critical seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court on Tuesday, giving progressives their first majority on the court since 2008 and a pathway to challenging the GOP’s decade-plus stranglehold on power in the Badger State.

Occurring on the same day as Donald Trump’s arrest in Manhattan, Protasiewicz’s victory over former conservative justice Daniel Kelly has huge state and national significance. A new progressive majority on the Wisconsin Supreme Court could strike down the heavily gerrymandered maps that have locked in enormous Republican majorities in the legislature and a series of laws that have made it harder to vote. The court could also reverse unpopular laws – like an 1849 abortion ban – that the legislature refuses to repeal. A shift in the court removes the threat that conservatives could use their majority to overturn the 2024 election; Donald Trump’s attempt to nullify Joe Biden’s victory in the state failed by just one vote.

The race was the most expensive supreme court contest ever, topping $45 million, which triples the previous amount. Protasiewicz outraised Kelly, but conservative groups outspent liberal ones. Kelly was backed by prominent election deniers and funders of the insurrection who wanted to see a MAGA takeover of one of the nation’s most important state courts. In an angry election night speech, Kelly, while acknowledging his loss, called Protasiewicz a “serial liar” and said, “I do not have a worthy opponent to which I can concede.”

Since Republicans took over the legislature and governor’s mansion in 2011, the Wisconsin Supreme Court has been a key driver of GOP efforts to make their majorities voter-proof and turn the state into what Ben Wikler, chair of the Wisconsin Democratic Party, calls “a democracy-free zone.” But Wikler predicted that Protasiewicz’s election, which was driven by voter disgust with the state’s abortion ban and gerrymandered maps, would lead to “a new era of democracy,” restoring checks and balances and majority rule. Protasiewicz told the Associated Press that her victory was “really about saving our democracy, getting away from extremism.”

Read more here: https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2 ... el-kelly/

[weatheriscool]

Dan Kelly Throws Emotional Tantrum After Losing Wisconsin Supreme Court Race

Dan Kelly, the former Wisconsin Supreme Court justice who lost a second race for the bench Tuesday night, delivered less of a concession speech and more of a lengthy, emotional whine.

Milwaukee County Judge Janet Protasiewicz defeated Kelly easily, by 11 points. It’s a similar margin of loss to the one Kelly faced in 2020, when he was beaten by now-Justice Jill Karofsky.

“Now this didn’t turn out the way we were looking for. And I think there are a couple of reasons for it and I think we need to address them head on. It brings me no joy to say this,” he said, haltingly. “I wish that in a circumstance like this I would be able to concede to a worthy opponent. But I do not have a worthy opponent to which I can concede.”

“This was the most deeply deceitful, dishonorable, despicable campaign I have ever seen run for the courts,” he added. “It was truly beneath contempt.”

Kelly only got more personal from there, railing against the “rancid slanders that were launched against me,” calling Protasiewicz a “serial liar” who “disregarded judicial ethics” and “demeaned the judiciary with her behavior.

”

https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/dan- ... reme-court

[weatheriscool]

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. running for president in 2024
Source: Politico

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., nephew of President John F. Kennedy and son of former U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, is running for president as a Democrat, according to a statement of candidacy filed with the Federal Election Commission on Wednesday.

Kennedy, an outspoken anti-vaccine activist and the chair of the anti-vaccine nonprofit group Children’s Health Defense, is the second Democrat to officially enter the 2024 race. Self-help author Marianne Williamson launched her second White House bid in March.

Both Kennedy’s and Williamson’s bids are seen as long-shots in a Democratic primary that will likely pit them against President Joe Biden. Though Biden has yet to officially enter the race, he has repeatedly said he plans to run for reelection.

Kennedy, a former environmental lawyer, has long led the charge in the anti-vaccine movement, spreading conspiracy theories about the dangers they pose to children. During the Covid-19 pandemic, he was among those who attacked vaccine requirements, accusing Anthony Fauci, the leading infectious disease doctor, of orchestrating “fascism” during the pandemic.

Read more: https://www.politico.com/news/2023/04/0 ... 4-00090706

[caltrek]

I use to like and admire RFK Jr. The first sign of his departure from the liberal fold was his opposition to windmill installation in one of those not-in-my-backyard type occurrences. Then he was further derailed by the anti-vaccine campaign. Somehow, I doubt his father would have approved. RFK Jr. never really new his father as he was assassinated when RFK Jr. was still in his early childhood.

[caltrek]

Progressive Brandon Johnson wins Chicago mayor's race
Source: NBC News

Brandon Johnson will be the next mayor of Chicago, NBC News projected Tuesday, marking a stunning turn for a staunch progressive and former teacher whose campaign leaned into messages of racial and economic disparities and who overcame blowback over past comments about decreasing police funding.

...

Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/electi ... -rcna77196

More on that:

Crime Mattered in Chicago’s Mayoral Race—Just Not How Pundits Implied It Would
by Samantha Michaels
April 5, 2023

Extract:

(Mother Jones) In the weeks leading up to Chicago’s mayoral election, polls showed that voters were especially concerned about crime. This led plenty of journalists and political pundits to suggest that the candidate with a tougher, police-centric approach to public safety would have an advantage. They were wrong.
…
Every election is unique, and Chicago’s mayoral race won’t tell us how voters might lean in other places. But Johnson’s victory does show that progressives can have a persuasive response to gun violence—one that neither denies it exists nor claims “law and order” as the only solution.
…
Johnson, who is Black, did not shy away from the problem of crime. He lives in a neighborhood on Chicago’s West Side that is no stranger to shootings, and said in his victory speech that he’s had to protect his kids “from bullets that fly right outside our front door.” Johnson argued during his campaign that the city needed to take a new approach to violence by focusing on community development and hiring more social workers, while also being smarter about police resources. He wants to promote cops internally and to increase the number of detectives by about 200, so the department can focus on closing cases.
…
Still, Johnson does want to rethink how the department spends its money. He has argued that about $150 million of the police budget was allocated wastefully. One likely reform: Johnson opposes the police’s use of ShotSpotter, a gunfire detection technology that has been criticized for poor accuracy and for fueling police discrimination against communities of color.
…
If polling is to be believed, Johnson didn’t win despite crime. In fact, he may have won at least partly because of it. Like many cities, Chicago experienced a drastic increase in gun violence during the early pandemic. Though the number of shootings began to ebb last year, Chicago still recorded 697 murders in 2022. One election survey conducted for the conservative Manhattan Institute found that 57 percent of Chicagoans (and 61 percent of Black Chicagoans) believe the city is unsafe.

Read more here: https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2 ... yor-race/

caltrek’s comment:

[weatheriscool]

2024 National Republican Primary:

Trump 55% (+24)
DeSantis 31%

.@YouGovAmerica
, 267 Adults, 4/4-6
https://docs.cdn.yougov.com/057z3pbz5x/res

[weatheriscool]

Trump widens lead in 2024 Republican presidential primary: Reuters/Ipsos poll
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump- ... reddit.com

WASHINGTON, April 3 (Reuters) - Former U.S. President Donald Trump has widened his lead over his rivals in the 2024 Republican presidential nominating contest, even as he faces criminal charges in New York, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Monday.

Some 48% of self-described Republicans say they want Trump to be their party's presidential nominee, up from 44% in a March 14-20 poll.

Some 19% back his closest rival, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, down from 30% last month. Other likely rivals polled in the single digits.

[weatheriscool]

[weatheriscool]

Donald Trump Favorable Rating:

Favorable 25%
Unfavorable 61%

.@Ipsos
/@ABC
, 566 Adults, 4/6-7
https://ipsos.com/en-us/news-pol

[weatheriscool]

Democrats choose Chicago as the site of the 2024 convention

Source: NBC News

The Democratic Party has chosen Chicago as the site of its 2024 convention. President Joe Biden called Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker to tell him about Chicago’s selection Tuesday morning before leaving for Ireland.

"Chicago is a great choice to host the 2024 Democratic National Convention," Biden said in a statement. "Democrats will gather to showcase our historic progress including building an economy from the middle out and bottom up, not from the top down."

The City of Big Shoulders last hosted a convention in 1996, when then-President Bill Clinton ran for re-election and Democrats helped make famous the “Macarena” dance.

“The last Chicago convention was a huge success. It makes sense to put the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in 2024. Every facility where it will be located will be a union facility. Every hotel is a union hotel,” Sen. Tammy Duckworth told NBC News Thursday. “We are a state that guaranteed in multiple ways the right of women to have reproductive choice. And in fact, we are a beacon of hope and security for women’s health care from all of the states around us.”

Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-e ... -rcna79044

[weatheriscool]

SC Sen. Tim Scott takes another White House step: Launching 2024 exploratory committee
Source: Post & Courier

Tim Scott, the South Carolina senator who has built a national profile pushing a message of hope and unity in a divisive Republican Party, is taking his biggest step so far toward running for president in 2024, The Post and Courier has learned.

According to two sources with knowledge of his plans, Scott plans to launch a presidential exploratory committee on April 12 — the same day he plans to be in Iowa, the leadoff state in the presidential nominating process.

He will travel to New Hampshire the very next day before returning to South Carolina on April 14 to meet with voters in Goose Creek ahead of his Faith in America Summit in Charleston that night and the next day.

Scott, 57, is the first could-be 2024 Republican candidate to create a formal committee devoted to raising money to explore a presidential bid even as other GOP contenders have filed into the race.

Read more: https://www.postandcourier.com/politics ... d6675.html