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☆ Analysis: Four takeaways from the U.S. midterm elections
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( James Oliphant | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

[1/5] Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is showered with confetti as he celebrates onstage with his wife Casey and family during his 2022 U.S. midterm elections night party in Tampa, Florida, November 8, 2022. Oz, the TV physician who was Trump's hand-picked candidate for the race, had questioned his fitness for office. During Fetterman's campaign, he made much of visiting the state's rural regions with talk of creating working-class jobs. Meanwhile, a race in the state’s 10th district, situated even closer to Washington, ended with incumbent Democrat Jennifer Wexton keeping her seat. The win moved Republicans closer to the five seats they needed to take over the House.

In the House of Representatives, Republicans remained favored to win a majority that would allow them to halt Biden's legislative agenda. By early Wednesday, the party had flipped six Democratic House seats, Edison Research projected, one more than the minimum they need to take over the chamber. But Republican hopes for a "red wave" of victories faded as Democrats showed surprising resilience in several key races. The Democratic speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, said in a statement, "It is clear that House Democratic members and candidates are strongly outperforming expectations around the country." Voter anger over the Supreme Court's June decision to overturn the nationwide right to abortion helped Democrats to curb their losses.

SummarySummary Companies Key House, Senate races still too close to callRepublican-controlled Congress would stymie Biden agendaPHOENIX, Ariz./BIRMINGHAM, Mich., Nov 8 (Reuters) - Control of Congress was up for grabs after Tuesday's U.S. midterm elections with many of the most competitive races uncalled, leaving it unclear whether Republicans would seize control from President Joe Biden's Democrats. In the House of Representatives, Republicans had been favored to win a majority that would allow them to halt Biden's legislative agenda. By early Wednesday, the party had flipped four Democratic House seats, Edison Research projected, one short of the number they need to take over the chamber. The Georgia Senate race could end up in a Dec. 6 runoff, possibly with Senate control at stake. Democrats currently control the 50-50 Senate with Vice President Kamala Harris able to break any ties.

☆ Analysis: Three takeaways from the U.S. midterm elections
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( James Oliphant | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

REUTERS/Marco BelloWASHINGTON, Nov 8 (Reuters) - Tuesday's U.S. midterm elections will determine whether Republicans seize control of Congress from Democrats. Early exit polls from Edison Research, however, showed reason for concern as Democrats appeared to be losing support from crucial voting blocs. The exit polls showed 54% of voters with college degrees picking Democrats while 45% voted for Republicans. Exit polls showed Republicans were winning 40% of the Hispanic vote, compared to 32% won by Trump in 2020. Now all eyes will be on his next move — and whether he has the guts to take on Trump for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.

Share this -Link copiedWisconsin Senate race too close to call Wisconsin's Senate race between GOP Sen. Ron Johnson and Democrat Mandela Barnes is too close to call, NBC News says. Vance wins Ohio Senate race, defeating Democrat Tim Ryan, NBC News projects COLUMBUS, Ohio — J.D. Ohio Republican Senate candidate J.D. Vance is leading The Senate race in Ohio is too early to call, NBC News says, but Republican candidate J.D. Share this -Link copiedGeorgia Senate race too close to call Georgia's Senate race is too close to call about three hours after polls closed at 7 p.m.

☆ Spanberger narrowly defeats GOP challenger in closely watched House race in Virginia
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Jonathan-Allen-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Jonathan Allen | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger narrowly held onto her seat in Virginia on Tuesday, defeating Republican Yesli Vega in a contest both parties saw as an early bellwether in the battle for the House. NBC News has not yet projected the outcome in a second closely watched Virginia race, where Democratic Rep. Elaine Luria was battling Republican state Sen. Jen Kiggans. But the political survival of Spanberger, a prominent player among the small band of moderate Blue Dog Democrats, counted as a welcome burst of good news for Democrats relatively early on election night. She made waves after the 2020 election when she blamed her party’s left flank for losses in the House, arguing that calls to “defund” law enforcement cost seats. Vega, a member of the Prince William board of county supervisors, served as a police officer before entering politics.

☆ Lindsey Graham says it's 'definitely not a Republican wave — that's for darn sure' as Democrats win in competitive races
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Oma Seddiq | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham said it's "definitely not a Republican wave" on Tuesday evening. "It's not a wave for sure, but I think it'll be a very good night," he said. "If you run that far behind your governor candidate, you probably made a mistake," Graham said of Bolduc, referring to the state's Republican Gov. "Hats off to the Democrats, they performed well in a lot of these swing districts," Graham said. "It's not a wave, for sure, but I think it'll be a very good night," he added.

Democrats bucked dire forecasts in national races, clinched governors' races in states seen as crucial to the next election in 2024, and passed left-leaning measures like codifying abortion rights in Michigan. "Amazing," said one stunned Biden aide as results results trickled in at the White House overnight. Donald Trump saw Republicans lose 40 House seats in his first midterms, and Barack Obama more than 60. Aides and allies believe his efforts to cast the election in terms of abortion rights, right-wing political extremism and healthcare staved off a Republican "wave." While Republicans cited high inflation and crime as top voting issues, Democrats said they were more motivated by abortion rights and gun violence, exit polls show.

In the House, Republicans have 212 members and need to add six to guarantee a majority. Here’s a guide to some of the competitive races in which polls close early, which election forecasters say will carry a larger significance in reading the direction of the political environment. Virginia's three crystal ballsThe fates of three House Democrats first elected in the 2018 blue wave will tell a bigger story when Virginia’s polls close at 7 p.m. And in Florida, where polls close at at 7 p.m. Red wave sirensNew Hampshire is one of the earliest competitive Senate contests where polls close at 8 p.m.

☆ Democrat Abigail Spanberger wins reelection in bellwether Virginia district, NBC News projects
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Christina Wilkie | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) during a press conference with Moore Hallmark, Vice President of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and Brian Lam, a local business owner, outside of Collage Spa on November 3, 2022 in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger has been reelected to the House in Virginia's 7th District, defeating Republican Yesli Vega, NBC News projected. The central Virginia district was widely considered a litmus test for how Democrats might fare in swing districts during an election cycle that historically favors Republicans. The GOP came into Election Day heavily favored to win House control, but Spanberger's swing district was seen as a crucial one for Democrats to hold in order to curb their losses. But redistricting in 2020 shifted Spanberger's district north to the outer suburbs of Washington D.C., where the electorate is 20% Latino and voters are more socially conservative than in her current district.

☆ Live Results: Rep. Abigail Spanberger, a moderate Democrat from the battleground state of Virginia, faces off against first-time House hopeful Yesli Vega
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Warren Rojas | April Joyner | Nov | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Rep. Abigail Spanberger is running against Republican Yesli Vega in Virginia's 7th Congressional District. VA-02VA-07 HouseTwo-term Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger faces off against Republican Yesli Vega in Virginia's 7th Congressional District. Vega is one of the conservative candidates backed by E-PAC, the women-centric recruiting effort run by Trump-aligned House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik. Voting history for Virginia's 7th Congressional DistrictThe Old Dominion's 7th Congressional District includes a big chunk of central Virginia, stretching from the exurbs of the nation's capital to the outskirts of the state capital, Richmond. The National Republican Congressional Committee has so far spent more than any other group.

☆ Voters in one of the most competitive House races in the country sound off on abortion, inflation, January 6, and 2024
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( Eliza Relman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

One of this year's most competitive House races is in Virginia's 7th district, just southwest of DC. Some GOP voters insisted Trump won the 2020 election, while Democrats said they want younger leaders. Martin Cevala, a construction superintendent, thinks Trump won the 2020 election. Jill and James Sherk want a full ban on abortion with no exceptions except for the life of the mother. She said she voted for Trump with her "nose held" and that she doesn't know whether he won the 2020 election.

☆ Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger says she sought out Liz Cheney's endorsement in her nail-biter race against Yesli Vega
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-06 | by ( Bryan Metzger | Eliza Relman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger told Insider she sought out GOP Rep. Liz Cheney's endorsement. Spanberger faces a tight race against Yesli Vega, who has sympathized with January 6 rioters. "People are enthusiastic about it," Spanberger said of the high-profile endorsement in a phone interview with Insider on Saturday. In her statement announcing the Spanberger endorsement, Cheney said Vega was "promoting conspiracy theories, denying election outcomes she disagrees with, and defending the indefensible." "I have spent almost my entire adult life in service to this nation," Spanberger told the crowd of volunteers.

☆ Democrats aim to hold the line against heavy U.S. midterm election losses
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( James Oliphant | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

REUTERS/Kevin LamarqueThat was why Spanberger was at a winery this week imploring volunteers to hit the phones. Polls continue to show voters frustrated over high consumer prices and blaming the party in power from President Joe Biden on down. A former CIA officer, Spanberger has criticized her party’s progressive wing and has attempted to appeal to independent voters. To Republican Heye, the reason Spanberger and other once-safe Democrats are struggling in the final days of the campaign is simple. “The American people are really pissed off in general,” he said, “and are looking to punish those in charge.”

☆ Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin flippantly addressed the violent attack on Nancy Pelosi's husband, saying it succeeded in getting her 'back to be with him in California'
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( Lauren Frias | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Glenn Youngkin made light of a violent break-in to Nancy Pelosi's home. Early Friday morning, an attacker broke into her home and violently assaulted her husband Paul. "We're gonna send her back to be with him in California," Youngkin said. Glenn Youngkin made light of the violent assault on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband, who was attacked in an early-morning break-in at their California home on Friday. "There's no room for violence anywhere, but we're gonna send her [Nancy Pelosi] back to be with him in California," Youngkin said.

IllinoisIn Illinois, two candidates are looking to make history as the state's first Latina congresswoman: Democratic state Rep. Delia Ramirez in the state's 3rd Congressional District, and Republican newcomer Catalina Lauf in the 11th Congressional District. OregonIn Oregon, two candidates are looking to become the state’s first Latina congresswoman: Democratic state Rep. Andrea Salinas and Republican Lori Chavez-DeRemer, the former mayor of Happy Valley. Flores is on the ballot again in November to defend her newly won seat representing Texas’ 34th Congressional District. Among them are Jenny Garcia Sharon in the 37th Congressional District and Carmen Maria Montiel in the 18th District. Justin Sullivan / Getty Images fileSen. Catherine Cortez Masto, a Democrat, made history as the first Latina elected to the U.S. Senate and the first woman elected to the Senate from Nevada.

☆ Rep. Abigail Spanberger, a moderate Democrat from the battleground state of Virginia, faces off against first-time House hopeful Yesli Vega
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-21 | by ( Warren Rojas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Rep. Abigail Spanberger is running against Republican Yesli Vega in Virginia's 7th Congressional District. Virginia's 7th Congressional District candidatesSpanberger, who previously worked for the Central Intelligence Agency and the US Postal Inspection Service, currently serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and House Agriculture Committee. Vega is one of the conservative candidates backed by E-PAC, the women-centric recruiting effort run by Trump-aligned House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik. Voting history for Virginia's 7th Congressional DistrictThe Old Dominion's 7th Congressional District includes a big chunk of central Virginia, stretching from the exurbs of the nation's capital to the outskirts of the state capital, Richmond. The National Republican Congressional Committee has so far spent more than any other group.

☆ Josh Hawley says Republicans should ban congressional stock trading as their top priority in 2023 after Democratic efforts falter
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( Warren Rojas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Hawley says GOP leaders should make banning congressional stock trading their top priority. Congressional Democrats have floated various trading bans but haven't found a unifying fix. How about Congress pass an actual stock trading ban?" Fellow stock trading ban advocate Sen. Jeff Merkley announced a few weeks earlier that Senate Democrats were punting their own compromise bundle into the lame-duck session. Hawley's stock trading proposal, which only applies to congressional members and their spouses, currently has no cosponsors and is less comprehensive than many of the languishing Democratic proposals.

☆ Democrats try to pre-empt the GOP's 'soft on crime' attacks. It may not work.
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-09 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Jonathan-Allen-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Jonathan Allen | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

The rush to flash pro-cop credentials shows that Democrats anticipated a fresh wave of Republican attacks on crime and policing that are landing in House, Senate and state-level races. During the 2020 election, then-President Donald Trump warned voters that Democrats would be soft on crime and endanger communities. His aides said that the line of attack motivated base Republican voters and helped swing voters — particularly Latino voters in Florida and Texas — in the GOP’s direction. But some Democrats have decided the best answer this year is silence: Polls show crime just isn't a good issue for their party. Many Democratic candidates continue to focus on policy areas where more voters trust Democrats than Republicans to do a better job, including abortion, education and protecting democracy.

☆ Nancy Pelosi's congressional stock trading ban has a massive blind trust loophole and is too broad, ethics experts warn
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-29 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

But ethics experts say the bill has a major loophole when it comes to blind trusts, and is too broad. Broadly speaking, a blind trust is a financial arrangement wherein people turn over their assets to be managed by an independent entity to prevent a conflict of interest. Several previously-introduced bills to ban stock trading allow for lawmakers to place their stocks into a blind trust, rather than fully selling off existing stock holdings. "You'd be able to create any kind of a trust you want to, put anything you want into it, and call it a blind trust, even though there wouldn't actually be any way to prove that it is, in fact, a blind trust." Payne also said the blind trust loophole was a "small risk," but that in an optimistic scenario, "that language allows this law to grow for future circumstances that you just can't be prepared for."

WASHINGTON — Moderate and progressive House Democrats struck a deal Wednesday on a long-awaited policing and public safety package, a breakthrough they hope will unify the party on a key issue weeks before the midterm election. The package includes four bills written by moderate Democrats. Another by Rep. Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey would provide grants to local police departments with fewer than 125 sworn officers. A third, by Rep. Katie Porter of California, would provide grants for mental health professionals and other resources. Two other policing bills, written by moderate Reps. Abigail Spanberger, D-Va., and Dean Phillips, D-Minn., that had previously been a part of the negotiations were removed from the package announced Wednesday.

☆ Nancy Pelosi says a congressional stock trading ban is coming this month, but skepticism abounds among key advocates: 'I can't say I'm confident'
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-20 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Nancy Pelosi says that a bill to ban members of Congress from trading stocks is coming this month. "I'm concerned about the lack of detail as to what is being planned," said Democratic Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois. Democratic Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois is urging vigilance amid the potential rollout of legislation from Democratic leadership. "I think that coalescing is a very real internal dynamic," Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York told Insider last week. "We have not heard exactly what's happening," said Democratic Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington, the chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.

☆ A House Republican and Democrat are introducing a bill that would require members of Congress to file financial disclosures electronically
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-20 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Some members of Congress file financial disclosures that are basically illegible. Dusty Johnson of South Dakota are introducing the Easy to Read Electronic and Accessible Disclosures (READ) Act, which would allow users to search, sort, and download financial disclosure data filed by House members, Senators, and candidates for both chambers. "This means that government records, including financial disclosures filed by elected officials, must be easy to find and easy to understand." "These requirements will help bring critical transparency to the financial situation of members of Congress and more opportunity to spot potential conflicts of interest," added Hedtler-Gaudette. The bill comes amid a broader push to ban members of Congress from trading stocks.

☆ Democrats in Congress are supporting another huge defense budget while ignoring a threat they've warned about for decades
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-13 | by ( Yint Hmu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

In debates about defense spending and foreign policy, Democrats have failed to deliver on climate. The depth and scope of the IRA's approach to confronting climate change is unparalleled. Yet 180 House Democrats voted for the bill, which expanded our budget for conducting a polluting, militaristic foreign policy to nearly $850 billion. US foreign policy, militarism, and climate policy must go together. The national security community is acutely aware of the effects of climate change — they've been thinking, planning, and gaming out scenarios since the late 2000s.

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