Recent Elections & Politics Posts
Recent Elections & Politics Posts
The Future of the Republican Party, Part 1
Brief #17—Elections and Politics
By William Bourque
On January 20th, 2021, a large part of the country collectively sighed relief. After days of tumult and chaos, President Trump had finally left office, and for what felt like the first time in months, we could see a light at the end of the tunnel. However, we were quickly reminded that just because President Trump was out of office didn’t mean that his influence and rhetoric would disappear. However, throughout the past several months it has been made abundantly clear that the “Trumpism” is here to stay, at least for now. With that in mind we will begin an in-depth series on our predictions for the future of the Republican Party, whether that includes former President Trump or not.
Both Sides of the Aisle Want to Preserve the Filibuster
Brief #16—Elections and Politics
By Zack Huffman
The Democrats now have slight control of the 50-50 Senate with Vice President Kamala Harris’ tiebreaker vote. Much like the former time the Democrats held the Senate, there is some discussion about whether or not to remove the filibuster, which allows the minority party to block votes on bills they are fighting. The fact that the Democrats failed to move the John Lewis Civil Rights Act past a filibuster in 2020 has further compelled some legislators to favor an end to the filibuster before the GOP can block future Senate bills. The longest filibuster to date is still the one Sen. Strom Thurmond preformed in his failed attempt to block passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1957. The late Dixiecrat spoke for 24 hours and 18 minutes before the law was finally passed 72-18. Thurmond would later switch parties from Democrat to Republican in protest over the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
Upcoming Run-Off Elections
Brief #15—Election Campaign News
By William Bourque
As we enter this post-Trump world, we now switch focus to runoff elections being held in the wake of cabinet appointments and other events that have taken place. Several runoff elections are being held in several districts, such as LA-02, LA-05, NM-01, and OH-11.
In LA-02, we will be seeing a special election due to the appointment of Cedric Richmond as Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement. The district, which includes parts of Baton Rouge and New Orleans is a strong democratic seat. Several candidates have already announced their intention to run, with the frontrunners being state senators Karen Carter Peterson and Troy Carter, who will first have to face a primary on March 20, 2021. Senator Carter Peterson has served 20 years in Louisiana’s Congress, splitting evenly 10 years in the House and 10 in the Senate. Senator Carter has spent 30 years in public service, ranging from State House of Rep. to New Orleans City council to State Senate. Needless to say, the primary on March 20 is likely to decide who will ultimately win the seat.
The Georgia Runoff Election: Who Will Win?
Brief #14—Election News
By William Borque
Early voting for the Senate runoffs has finished in Georgia, and the races are closer than ever. As candidates and their colleagues in the senate clash over stimulus checks and Covid restrictions, democrats, republicans, and independents alike have begun to cast their ballots.
Martial Law Is Not in the Cards
Brief #13—Election News
By Zach Huffman
After weeks of refusing to accept the results of last November’s election, President Donald Trump has reportedly discussed the possibility of declaring martial law as the latest in a series of attempts to retain power despite losing the election to President-elect Joe Biden.
Georgia Senate Race 1
Brief #12—Congressional Campaign Update
By William Borque
In Georgia, the battle for the United States Senate rages on, with both races going to a runoff in January.
Update Election Legal Challenges #3: Wisconsin, Nevada, Georgia
Brief #3—Update on Election Legal Challenges
By Zack Huffman
Biden won Wisconsin’s 10 electoral votes, reclaiming a state that Hillary Clinton narrowly lost in 2016.Biden held a slim 20,000-vote margin against Trump as of November 16.
Election Legal Challenges # 2 Nevada, Georgia, Wisconsin
Brief #2—Election Legal Challenges
By Zack Huffman
On Thursday, November 5, The Trump Campaign filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Nevada. The suit seeks an emergency order to halt the use of an optical scanning machine to process ballots and validate voter signatures
Democrats Missed Opportunities with Latino Voters
Brief #2—Campaign News
By Linda F. Hersey
Neither Joe Biden nor Donald Trump addressed adequately the most significant issues facing Latinos in the United States is the blunt assessment of Kristina Sosa, a bilingual caseworker in California, about Election 2020.