Friday's Campaign Round-Up, 2.7.25: Another DeSantis eyes the governor's office
* It took a while, but Democratic and Republican legislators in Minnesota's state House worked out a power-sharing agreement, allowing the chamber to begin functioning again.
* Politico reported on Arab American voters in Michigan, many of whom helped Donald Trump win the state, who are now feeling regrets. One leader in Dearborn was quoted as saying that many in the community who voted for the Republican or sat out the election now think 'we screwed up.'
* Speaking of Michigan, Chris Swanson, the sheriff of Genesee County, launched a Democratic gubernatorial campaign this week, though the primary field is expected to be large.
* In Wisconsin's closely watched state Supreme Court race, the Koch-backed Americans for Prosperity Wisconsin this week launched new ads in support of Brad Schimel's conservative candidacy.
* Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia said this week that she's 'considering' a bid for statewide office in 2026. The right-wing congresswoman did not indicate whether she'd run for governor or the U.S. Senate.
* California's Democratic attorney general, Rob Bonta, announced this week that he will seek re-election to his current office, rather than run for governor next year. He added that he hopes former Vice President Kamala Harris runs instead to succeed Gov. Gavin Newsom.
* And in Florida, NBC News reported that Casey DeSantis, best known to the public as Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis' wife, is considering a 2026 campaign to succeed her husband, who cannot seek a third term. Florida's first lady has never before held or sought elected office.
This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
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13 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Democratic U.S. Senate candidate eager to broaden Kansas voice in D.C. politics
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She said their service wasn't easy, but they did it because they 'understood the importance of right and wrong, and they believed that it was an American value.' Davis said her sister was a physician who died while advocating for the Affordable Care Act, the landmark law signed by President Barack Obama that reshaped health care in the United States. 'I tell people I've survived 36 hours of labor, and I've survived a double mastectomy, and after that, it doesn't seem so hard to fight, to fight for what's right,' Davis said. Davis ran for the U.S. House in 2020 but lost the Democratic primary. That 1st District campaign was won by U.S. Rep. Tracey Mann, a Republican who still serves a district stretching from Dodge City to Lawrence. The last time Kansas elected a Democratic candidate to the U.S. Senate was in 1932. Both of the state's Senate seats have been held by Republicans since 1939. 'Sometimes there are other factors at play besides who the best candidate is,' Davis said. 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Los Angeles Times
14 minutes ago
- Los Angeles Times
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The Hill
14 minutes ago
- The Hill
The plot to destroy Black political power
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Those white-majority, Trump-backing state legislatures aim to bring an end to the careers of several Black Democrats in Congress, such as Reps. Cleo Fields (D-La.), Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.), Terri Sewell (D-Ala.) and Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.). As a purely political exercise, Trump and his Republican allies have wanted to eliminate these districts for years, because Black voters are key to the Democratic Party's congressional strength. The Voting Rights Act allows for federal courts to look for racial damage done by gerrymandering districts. In the case now before the high court, involving redistricting in Louisiana, the state was forced to add a second Black-majority district. A federal court ruled that, with 33 percent of the state being Black, it was wrong for only one of its six congressional districts to be majority Black. But that led to a lawsuit over the new map. 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The 1965 Voting Rights Act was written in response to the nation's long history of keeping political power in white hands. Even after Black men gained the right to vote, it was common for that vote to be suppressed through violence. For perspective, South Carolina is 26 percent Black and 67 percent white. But white-majority Republican congressional districts are 86 percent of South Carolina's seven congressional districts. Only one of seven districts has a majority of Democrats and Black voters — Clyburn's district. The Supreme Court plans to hear arguments on racial redistricting on Oct. 15 — early enough for a decision that could affect the 2026 midterms. If the Black vote is diluted, the Democratic Party's ability to win seats in Congress shrinks, increasing Republican chances of retaining majorities in the House and Senate in 2026. That would keep Trump from becoming a lame duck facing a divided Congress. The Republicans' goal is to maintain majorities in Congress for Trump's last two years in the White House. Then Republicans can appoint more judges to issue more rulings that further weaken Democrats. The downward spiral for Black political power will go on and on. Trump is not hiding his interest in the outcome of gerrymandering efforts in Texas. 'We have an opportunity in Texas to pick up five seats,' Trump told CNBC earlier this month. 'We have a really good governor, and we have good people in Texas. I got the highest vote in the history of Texas … and we are entitled to five more seats.' Excuse me, Mr. President? Neither you nor the Republican Party is entitled to any seats. Those seats belong to Americans of all colors and parties. Texas Republicans' threats to send law enforcement to forcibly return Texas Democratic legislators to the state capitol to provide a quorum for passing gerrymandered maps are a sideshow. They distract from the real effect that racially-designed gerrymandering can have on race relations and politics for decades to come. Comedian Dave Chappelle famously called Trump 'an honest liar.' In the fight over Texas redistricting, the 'honest liar' is saying that the people looking at redistricting's racial impact are themselves racist. Don't let Trump or his partisans on the high court fool you. Racial justice in Congress is at stake. Democrats will have to fight fire with fire to prevent Trump from diminishing Black voting power. Democrats owe that much to Black voters, who have carried them to electoral victories over the last 60 years. They owe it to the memory of the brave people who marched, were beaten and even died to demand voting rights only 60 years ago.