In Colorado Gabe Evans Flips 8th Congressional District for Republicans as Representative Yadira Caraveo Concedes Race by Lauren Penington
November 10, 2024
Introduction:
(Denver Post) With less than a percentage-point difference in votes, Democratic U.S. Rep. Yadira Caraveo on Sunday conceded her bid to continue representing Colorado’s 8th Congressional District to Republican state Rep. Gabe Evans.
“It’s been the honor of a lifetime to serve the people of Colorado’s 8th District,” Caraveo said in a statement. “I came to Congress to get things done, and have spent the last two years working to find common ground and bipartisan solutions to the most pressing issues facing our community. … While this isn’t the outcome we had hoped for, the work is not over.”
Additional Extract:
Evans, 38, an Army veteran and former Arvada police officer, campaigned on hot-topic issues including free speech, gun rights and American security. In millions of dollars of campaign and outside TV ads, his and Caraveo’s race also turned on abortion access, border security and other issues that played out across the country.
Despite previously opposing abortion in all cases, except when the life of the mother was at risk, Evans said he now supports exceptions for rape and incest and will not support a national ban if it comes to a vote in Congress.
His campaign also focused heavily on immigration and securing U.S. borders, combatting the “Colorado crime wave” and fentanyl, school choice and increased education funding, accessible health care, and promoting the domestic production of food and energy.
Republican David Schweikert Wins Reelection in Affluent Arizona Congressional District by Jacques Billeaud
November 11, 2024
Introduction:
(Arizona Capitol Times) Republican David Schweikert has won an eighth term in an affluent congressional district in the Phoenix area by fending off a challenge from a Democratic former state lawmaker.
Schweikert defeated Amish Shah, an emergency room doctor, Sunday in Arizona’s 1st Congressional District that includes north Phoenix, Scottsdale, Fountain Hills and Paradise Valley.
While Republicans hold a voter registration advantage in the district, it started to trend toward the center after Donald Trump’s 2016 victory as some voters who historically backed Republicans reluctantly voted for Democrats or left their ballots blank.
Redistricting ahead of the 2022 midterms accelerated the trend, fueling hopes among Democrats that Schweikert could be defeated and the district flipped. Schweikert is known for railing against government debt.
“Congressman Schweikert is pleased to have the support from the voters of Arizona’s 1st Congressional district,” said Chris Baker, a spokesperson for Schweikert, in a statement late Sunday. He said voters showed they want a representative committed to the economy, lower taxes and border security.
caltrek wrote: ↑Tue Nov 12, 2024 12:03 amIn Colorado Gabe Evans Flips 8th Congressional District for Republicans as Representative Yadira Caraveo Concedes Race by Lauren Penington
November 10, 2024
Introduction:
(Denver Post) With less than a percentage-point difference in votes, Democratic U.S. Rep. Yadira Caraveo on Sunday conceded her bid to continue representing Colorado’s 8th Congressional District to Republican state Rep. Gabe Evans.
“It’s been the honor of a lifetime to serve the people of Colorado’s 8th District,” Caraveo said in a statement. “I came to Congress to get things done, and have spent the last two years working to find common ground and bipartisan solutions to the most pressing issues facing our community. … While this isn’t the outcome we had hoped for, the work is not over.”
Additional Extract:
Evans, 38, an Army veteran and former Arvada police officer, campaigned on hot-topic issues including free speech, gun rights and American security. In millions of dollars of campaign and outside TV ads, his and Caraveo’s race also turned on abortion access, border security and other issues that played out across the country.
Despite previously opposing abortion in all cases, except when the life of the mother was at risk, Evans said he now supports exceptions for rape and incest and will not support a national ban if it comes to a vote in Congress.
His campaign also focused heavily on immigration and securing U.S. borders, combatting the “Colorado crime wave” and fentanyl, school choice and increased education funding, accessible health care, and promoting the domestic production of food and energy.
The Media Want to Blame Kamala Harris -They Should Know Better by Mary Trump
November 11, 2024
Introduction:
(MaryTrump.org) After reading Maureen Dowd’s column in The New York Times, Morning Joe co-host Mika Brzezinski came to this profound conclusion: “[S]ome Democrats are waking up and realizing that woke is broke,” Brzezinksi said. Yes, Democrats who either don’t know what “woke” means, or those who haven’t had their fingers on the pulse of what drives American culture since the Age of Reagan—or both, actually think the problem is that Democrats engaged in too much identity politics (because, as mentioned, they don’t know what “woke” means).
Yes, the Democrats lost touch with the working class because they talked too much about transgender rights. It was Joe Biden’s fault. It was Kamala Harris’ fault. But apparently the bleak permanence of American racism and misogyny, the almost unimpeded rise of fascism, and a system so broken the Republican Party actually nominated, and America elected, an insurrectionist in direct violation of Article 3 of the 14th Amendment had nothing at all to do with the dark turn we’ve taken
…
According to those who should know better—because it is their job to know better—Harris’ loss had nothing to do with the waning influence of legacy media, and the corruption of corporate media, or the siloing of information, or the fact that an oligarch hijacked one of our major social media platforms and turned it into machine that churns out a continuous stream disinformation.
Harris' campaign was laser-focused on the working class and the policies that would most benefit them; she pushed back or deflected every single effort the media made to push her into a fight about identity politics. When Harris was asked about Donald’s offensive comments about her blackness, she called it a distraction from issues that really mattered.
The press claimed, falsely, that Harris didn’t have any policy proposals. When she unveiled them, as with her plan to expand Medicare to cover extended home-health care for the elderly (which would have helped tens of millions of Americans), she was ignored.
Democrat Ruben Gallego Wins Arizona Senate Seat, Beating Kari Lake by Liz Skalka
November 11, 2024
Introduction:
(Huffington Post via MSN) Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego is projected to beat Republican rabble-rouser Kari Lake in the race to become Arizona’s next U.S. senator after Lake seemed to struggle to win over moderate and independent voters.
Gallego, a congressman since 2015, succeeds Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, a former Democrat who became an independent and then opted not to run for reelection.
Lake’s loss marks the second time the former newscaster failed to clinch a statewide office in Arizona after she fell short in the 2022 governor’s race. She technically never conceded to Democrat Katie Hobbs two years ago and, following Trump’s playbook, tried unsuccessfully to challenge her loss in court.
“She will do anything and say anything to gain power, including lying,” Gallego said during their debate last month.
Both Gallego and Lake tried to modulate to the middle to win over Arizona’s sizable contingent of unaffiliated voters. Gallego, a military veteran who left the House Progressive Caucus as he ramped up his campaign, leaned into border security — a tough issue for Democrats. At their only scheduled debate, Lake blamed him for the dysfunction at the U.S.-Mexico border and accused him of conducting an “extreme makeover” of his progressive record.
Democrat Cleo Fields Wins Re-drawn Louisiana Congressional District, Flipping Red Seat Blue November 11, 2024
Introduction:
(AP via ABC) BATON ROUGE, La. -- Democrat Cleo Fields has won Louisiana’s congressional race in a recently redrawn second majority-Black district, flipping a once reliably Republican seat blue.
Fields' win means Democrats will hold two congressional seats in the state for the first time in a decade. This is only the second time in nearly 50 years that a Democrat has won in Louisiana’s 6th Congressional District, where new political boundaries were drawn by lawmakers earlier this year.
Fields’ victory returns him to the U.S. House, which he was elected to in 1992, serving two terms. Since then, the 61-year-old state Senator has been a fixture in Louisiana state politics.
Under Louisiana’s open primary system — in which candidates of all parties appear on the Election Day ballot — Fields was able to avoid a runoff by getting more than 50% of the vote. He faced four other candidates, including Elbert Guillory, an 80-year-old Republican and former state senator. Incumbent GOP Congressman, Garret Graves did not seek reelection.
The new congressional map used for the election was crafted by the Republican-dominated Legislature earlier this year with support from new Republican Gov. Jeff Landry after a Supreme Court decision that upheld a new majority Black district in Alabama. The new Louisiana map restored a second majority-Black district to the state, a win for Democrats and civil rights groups after a nearly two-year legal and political battle. It also greatly reduced chances for reelection of Graves, who had supported another Republican instead of Landry in last year's governor's race.
Democrat George Whitesides wins election to US House, beating incumbent Mike Garcia
Source: AP
Updated 8:18 PM EST, November 12, 2024
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Democrat George Whitesides, a former NASA chief of staff who had the support of national Democrats, has won a tough race to unseat Republican incumbent Rep. Mike Garcia in California’s 27 Congressional District.
The Associated Press called the race for Whitesides on Tuesday evening. The previous day Garcia conceded, saying he had congratulated Whitesides and would ensure a smooth handoff.
Whitesides said Monday in a statement that he had spoken with Garcia and thanked him for his service to the district and the nation. He said he would fight in Congress for good jobs and lower household costs. Whitesides, who is also a former CEO of Virgin Galactic, said during the campaign that he would use his business experience to solve problems. He spotlighted Garcia’s opposition to abortion rights, calling him an extremist.
The last Republican congressman anchored in heavily Democratic Los Angeles County, Garcia, a former Navy pilot who flew over 30 combat missions during Operation Iraqi Freedom, had displayed a surprising ability to beat the odds in a district with an 11-point Democratic registration edge.
Iowa Recount Requested by Dan Gooding
November 14, 2024
Introduction:
(Newsweek) A Democratic House candidate is calling for a recount in her Iowa district after losing to her Republican opponent by around 800 votes.
Christina Bohannan said that a recount in Iowa's 1st Congressional District was expected because of the narrow margin, raising questions over the potential impact on the GOP's narrow majority in the House.
Despite the potential recount, Representative Mariannette Miller-Meeks, who has held the seat since 2021, announced her candidacy for a senior leadership role as GOP Conference Secretary in the House on Tuesday.
As of Thursday afternoon, all 20 counties in the district had reported their results, giving Bohannan 49.79 percent of the vote against Miller-Meeks' 49.98 percent.
"To be absolutely certain that every voter is heard, the Bohannan campaign will request a recount in all 20 counties across the district, as permitted by Iowa law," Bohannan for Congress campaign manager Jindalae Suh said in a statement to Newsweek.
^^^These sorts of things should definitely be investigated, but let's not jump to conclusions.
What I came here to post:
Representative Golden Retains Seat in Maine’s Second Congressional District Updated November 15, 2024
Introduction:
AUGUSTA, Maine (WABI) - Democratic incumbent Jared Golden has beaten Republican challenger Austin Theriault in a ranked choice vote for the seat in Maine’s Second Congressional District.
After the runoff, Golden defeated Theriault, 50.35% - 49.65%.
Golden released this statement Friday evening:
“Last week, I congratulated my opponent for being a fierce challenger and for his serious, well-run campaign. But today’s result reaffirms what we have known for more than a week: The people have chosen me to continue as their representative for another term in Congress. I am grateful for their confidence.
“State Rep. Austin Theriault is within his rights to force a third accounting of ballots with a taxpayer-funded recount, but the votes have been counted twice now and my lead has been in the thousands of votes both times.
Better but Not Stellar: Pollsters Faced Familiar Complaints, Difficulties in Assessing Trump-Harris Race by W. Jospeh Campbell
November, 2024
Introduction:
(The Conversation) An oracle erred badly. The most impressive results were turned in by a little-known company in Brazil. A nagging problem reemerged, and some media critics turned profane in their assessments.
So it went for pollsters in the 2024 presidential election. Their collective performance, while not stellar, was improved from that of four years earlier. Overall, polls signaled a close outcome in the race between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris.
That is what the election produced: a modest win for Trump.
With votes still being counted in California and a few other states more than a week after Election Day, Trump had received 50.1% of the popular vote to Harris’ 48.1%, a difference of 2 points. That margin was closer than Joe Biden’s win by 4.5 points over Trump in 2020. It was closer than Hillary Clinton’s popular vote victory in 2016, closer than Barack Obama’s wins in 2008 and 2012.
There were, moreover, no errors among national pollsters quite as dramatic as CNN’s estimate in 2020 that Biden led Trump by 12 points.
Also discussed in the article was the inaccuracy of the survey conducted for the Des Moines Register by J. Ann Selzer and the relative accuracy of Atlas Intel.
Donald Trump Has NOT Won a Majority of the Votes Cast for President by John Nichols
November 18, 2024
Introduction:
(The Nation via MSN) Politics /
Donald Trump’s popular vote total has fallen below 50 percent, and his margin over Kamala Harris has narrowed considerably as all the votes are counted.
John Nichols
“America has given us an unprecedented and powerful mandate,” Donald Trump declared in the early morning hours of November 6, 2024, after all the polls had closed. Indeed, he claimed that he had won “a political victory that our country has never seen before, nothing like this.” Trump was excited by the numbers showing him with well over 50 percent of the popular vote and establishing a wide lead over his Democratic rival, Vice President Kamala Harris.
Unfortunately, for the president-elect, the United States takes time to count 155,000,000 million votes—give or take a million—and the actual result will rob Trump of his bragging points.
Trump can no longer claim that powerful mandate. By most reasonable measures, the beginning point for such a claim in a system with two major parties is an overwhelming majority vote in favor of your candidacy. Trump no longer has that.
Over the weekend, as California, Oregon, Washington, and other western states moved closer to completing their counts, Trump’s percentage of the popular vote fell below 50 percent. And his margin of victory looks to be much smaller than initially anticipated. In fact, of all the 59 presidential elections since the nation’s founding, it appears that—after all of the 2024 votes are counted—only five popular vote winners in history will have prevailed by smaller percentage margins than Trump.
Trump-backed Republican Nick Begich Beats Democratic Representative Mary Peltola for Alaska’s Only House Seat by Becky Bohrer
November 20, 2024
Introduction:
(ABC) JUNEAU, Alaska -- Republican Nick Begich has won Alaska’s U.S. House race, defeating Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola to claim the seat once held by his grandfather.
Begich was among the opponents Peltola defeated during her special and regular election wins in 2022, following the death of Republican Rep. Don Young. Young had held the seat for 49 years. Peltola, who is Yup’ik, was the first Alaska Native in Congress.
Republicans, seeking to maintain control of the House, eagerly sought to win back the seat.
Wednesday marked the deadline for elections officials to receive ballots mailed from overseas for the Nov. 5 election, and it was also when ranked choice vote tabulations were done. State officials were targeting Nov. 30 to certify the general election.
Begich, in a statement on social media, said Alaska has great potential, “but much work remains for Alaskans to fully realize that potential. I am committed to fighting for our jobs and economy, protecting our unique way of life, and ensuring that our voices are heard loud and clear in Washington.”
