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☆ Where New York’s Asian Neighborhoods Shifted to the Right
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-05 | by ( Jason Kao | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +15 min

In last year’s governor’s election, voters in Asian neighborhoods across New York City sharply increased their support for Republicans. And predominantly Asian areas — precincts with a majority of eligible Asian voters — have undergone a pivotal shift. Detail area Detail area Detail area Detail area Detail area Detail area Note: The precinct in Kensington is mostly Indian and Bangladeshi. Detail area Detail area Detail area Detail area Detail area Detail area Flushing, 2022 Murray Hill Bayside Flushing Northern Blvd. Detail area Detail area Detail area Detail area Detail area Detail area state senate race Bensonhurst Sunset Park McDonald Ave. 65th St. New Utrecht Ave. 8th Ave.

Michigan Democratic Rep. Elissa Slotkin's decision to run for Senate gives her party a top recruit as it looks to defend a key seat in that chamber next fall. But the move also leaves the party forced to compete in an open House seat instead of leaning on one of their top incumbents — all in one of the nation's most evenly divided districts. After redistricting created new congressional lines for the 2022 election, Slotkin won her seat over Republican state Sen. Tom Barrett by more than 5%. That's one main reason why the race drew about $37 million in ad spending, more than every House race in the country except one, per the ad-tracking firm AdImpact. And despite the virtually even political divide in Michigan's 7th, at least according to 2020 presidential numbers, Slotkin was able to defeat Barrett by that 5-point margin.

☆ New York Senate rejects Governor Hochul's pick for top state judge
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] New York Governor Kathy Hochul celebrates at her U.S. midterm election night party after winning re-election in New York, New York, U.S. November 8, 2022. REUTERS/Brendan McDermidNEW YORK, Feb 15 (Reuters) - New York's state Senate on Wednesday rejected Governor Kathy Hochul's choice to become the state's highest-ranking judge, a defeat for the state's top Democrat who failed to overcome opposition from her own party to the nomination. Hochul's choice, Hector LaSalle, is the presiding justice of a midlevel state appeals court in Brooklyn, and would have been the first Hispanic chief judge of the state's highest court, the Court of Appeals. Many had hoped Hochul would replace former Chief Judge Janet DiFiore with a more liberal judge. "But it was not a vote on the merits of Justice LaSalle, who is an overwhelmingly qualified and talented jurist.

The tumult that broke out last month during the election of Kevin McCarthy for speaker illustrated the potential for profound dysfunction in the new House Republican majority. Here is a closer look at the fractious House Republican caucus. Chart of House Republicans highlights members who denied the 2020 election results, were supported by the House Freedom Fund, or both. Representative Harriet Hageman of Wyoming, who has also denied the 2020 election results, defeated Representative Liz Cheney in the primary. A Venn diagram shows the Republican newcomers in the House who either denied the 2020 election results, were supported by the House Freedom Fund, or both.

☆ DeSantis seeks wins on guns, abortion before facing Trump in 2024
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( James Oliphant | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

Griffin also noted the support DeSantis' proposals receive from lawmakers. If DeSantis does enter the race for the Republican nomination, he will join a field still dominated by Trump. "We have articulated a vision for a free and prosperous state," DeSantis said at his second inauguration last month. In a brief interview, Collins called DeSantis’ support “a blessing.” He resisted the suggestion that the legislature was a rubber stamp for the governor. DeSantis' hard-right stance on issues such as guns and abortion risks alienating the suburban voters he eventually would need to win the presidency in 2024.

☆ Before facing Trump in 2024, DeSantis seeks wins on guns, abortion
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( James Oliphant | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

☆ Democrats win control of Pennsylvania House, end GOP rule in competitive swing state
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Reading, PA - May 10: Pennsylvania State Rep and Democratic Leader Joanna E. McClinton speaks in front of Reading City Hall. Democrats won control of the Pennsylvania House in special elections Tuesday, wresting partial power from Republicans for the first time in a dozen years in the competitive swing state. Three of those Democratic seats quickly became vacant, casting uncertainty over who actually controlled the chamber. Democrats had been expected to win Tuesday's special elections, because they had easily won the same seats last fall. That's because Republican Rep. Lynda Schlegel Culver won a special election Jan. 31 to fill a vacant state Senate seat.

☆ North Carolina Republicans reap reward of judicial wins in redistricting ruling
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Joseph Ax | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

'RAW PARTISANSHIP'In North Carolina, Republican candidates in November won two seats held by Democrats, wresting away the majority. The office of the Republican state Senate leader, Phil Berger, did not respond to a request for comment on the ruling on Monday. That decision led North Carolina Republican lawmakers to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court in what has become one of the year's most momentous cases. The North Carolina Supreme Court – whose previous decision gave rise to the U.S. Supreme Court case – could now choose to embrace the notion regardless of what the U.S. Supreme Court eventually rules. "We either get Moore v. Harper and it's the Wild West everywhere, or we get a Republican state Supreme Court to overturn it and it's just the Wild West in North Carolina," Hildebrand said.

"It’s a direct hit to the Mexican population of Boyle Heights and Lincoln Heights," Villalobos added. L.A. City Councilman Arthur Snyder during opening day ceremonies at Parque de Mexico in Los Angeles in 1978. A bust of Venustiano Carranza is among the missing sculptures at Parque de Mexico in Los Angeles. But only a few pieces remain today at the park, which is an extension of Lincoln Park in Lincoln Heights, one of the city's oldest neighborhoods and predominantly Latino. "Everyone goes and spends time ... at Lincoln Park, but Parque Mexico is kind of left alone especially as it’s gone into worse shape.

☆ South Carolina congressional map deliberately hurt Black voters, judges rule
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Joseph Ax | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Jan 6 (Reuters) - South Carolina's Republican-created congressional map deliberately split up Black neighborhoods in Charleston to diminish their voting power and must be redrawn, a three-judge federal panel ruled on Friday. The Republican-controlled legislature adopted the map last year after the 2020 U.S. Census as part of the once-a-decade redistricting process that all states complete. Friday's decision focused on the state's 1st congressional district, which has long been anchored in Charleston County. The judges – all three appointed by Democratic presidents – gave the state legislature until the end of March to submit a new map. No elections can take place in the 1st district until it has been redrawn, the panel said.

There's still not an exact picture of how much Bankman-Fried spent on politics this cycle. But based on what's already public, Bankman-Fried was one of the more prolific campaign donors this cycle, and his spending had a significant effect on midterm races. And his donations to the Protect Our Future super PAC helped shape some key Democratic primaries. The group spent $1.4 million to boost her in her Democratic primary, and then she cruised to victory in the less competitive November general election. Other top racesThe group spent at least $500,000 in support of Democratic candidates in nine other races (parenthesis indicate whether they won the general election, even if the spending happened in the primary):

☆ The Year in Pictures 2022
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( The New York Times | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +57 min

Every year, starting in early fall, photo editors at The New York Times begin sifting through the year’s work in an effort to pick out the most startling, most moving, most memorable pictures. But 2022 undoubtedly belongs to the war in Ukraine, a conflict now settling into a worryingly predictable rhythm. Erin Schaff/The New York Times “When you’re standing on the ground, you can’t visualize the scope of the destruction. Jim Huylebroek for The New York Times Kyiv, Ukraine, Feb. 25. We see the same images over and over, and it’s really hard to make anything different.” Kyiv, Ukraine, Feb 26.

News of the FTX's fall first prompted questions to lawmakers about Bankman-Fried's political donations. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and John Boozman of Arkansas said they would donate Bankman-Fried’s campaign contributions, though they did not specify the charities they intended to donate the money to. Bankman-Fried also poured millions into super PACs that support candidates outside of their campaigns, including the Senate Majority PAC, or SMP, a super PAC supporting Democratic Senate candidates. The disclosed sums likely don't capture the full breadth of Bankman-Fried's political spending. "The candidates who received money from dark money organizations don't really have to answer for it," Sherman said.

☆ Recount reconfirms GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert’s victory in Colorado’s 3rd District
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-13 | by ( Shania Shelton | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —A recount reconfirmed that GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert defeated Democrat Adam Frisch in Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District, the Colorado secretary of state said this week. Boebert received 50.06% of the final vote total, while Frisch received 49.89%, Secretary of State Jena Griswold said in a news release Monday. The net change in votes gave Frisch an additional vote, while Boebert lost three votes. Frisch conceded the race last month, but there was an automatic recount done by the Colorado secretary of state’s office. Boebert, a political newcomer in 2020, upset Rep. Scott Tipton in a GOP primary that year.

The councilman has defied demands for his resignation and attended last week’s meeting, amid vociferous protests, “to get back to work,” he told CNN’s Kate Bolduan before the meeting. Calls for de León’s resignation have continued since October, when audio of a year-old conversation between de Léon and fellow council members was posted anonymously on Reddit and obtained by the Los Angeles Times. Much of the conversation focused on maps proposed by the city’s redistricting commission and the council members’ frustration with them, but it also featured racist remarks about a fellow council member’s Black son and about Oaxacans. “I shouldn’t have said what I said,” de León told CNN on Tuesday, clarifying his remarks comparing White colleague Mike Bonin’s Black child to a designer handbag. De León pointed to his body of work, including his work on environmental issues and advocacy on behalf of undocumented immigrants.

☆ Kevin de Leon: Video shows LA city councimember involved in a physical altercation months after involvement in racist conversation
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( Shawna Mizelle | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Washington CNN —Los Angeles city council member Kevin de León is facing renewed scrutiny after a video surfaced online Friday night of him engaged in a physical altercation with a community activist during a holiday event. De León said in a statement Saturday that he was acting in self-defense after being headbutted by Reedy. “Video footage clearly shows him and his supporters initiating this assault while Mr. Reedy stands with his hands up. Calls for de León’s resignation have continued since October when audio of a year-old conversation between de Léon and fellow council members was posted anonymously on Reddit and obtained by the Los Angeles Times. Much of the conversation focused on maps proposed by the city’s redistricting commission and the council members’ frustration with them, but it also featured racist remarks about a fellow council member’s Black son and about Oaxacans.

☆ Sam Bankman-Fried gave $2.5 million to a leading political ethics watchdog. The group says it can't give the money back because officials already spent it.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Dave Levinthal | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

The Campaign Legal Center fights against lawlessness and unethical behavior in politics. Brendan Quinn, a spokesperson for the Campaign Legal Center, says the nonprofit organization cannot return or give away Bankman-Fried's money because the money is already spent. Asked whether the Campaign Legal Center would consider disgorging an amount of money equivalent to what Bankman-Fried contributed, Quinn noted that the Campaign Legal Center is not a political candidate or committee. The Campaign Legal Center has not yet provided Insider a copy, first requested December 2, of the most recent IRS 990 tax document filed by Campaign Legal Center Action, its advocacy arm. Former President Donald Trump has been a frequent target of the Campaign Legal Center's legal and ethics efforts.

☆ Trump isn’t the only thing that could rock American democracy
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Zachary B. Wolf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

In a rare bright spot for democracy in the wake of the US Capitol insurrection, Walker – unlike Trump after 2020 – conceded his loss. But looking to the next election, there’s a brewing fight over which states should have the first say in the presidential primary process. The most core question raised this week is being put to Supreme Court justices. Removing a check from the systemThe leap from Trump’s call to end the Constitution to the independent state legislature theory isn’t that far. Under the map approved by the state Supreme Court and after last month’s midterm elections, the delegation will be an even 7-7 when the new Congress is seated in January.

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Wednesday will hear a major case that could upend election law as the justices consider whether to reinstate Republican-drawn congressional districts in North Carolina. The case, which could have a broad impact on an array of election issues, is being closely watched for its potential impact on the 2024 presidential election. Republicans led by Tim Moore, the Republican speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives, invoked the theory after the state Supreme Court in February struck down the congressional district map. Activists protest partisan gerrymandering at the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. on Mar. Moore and other Republicans immediately asked the Supreme Court to reinstate the maps, saying the state court had overstepped its authority.

☆ The Supreme Court’s Elections Opening in Moore v. Harper
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( The Editorial Board | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The Supreme Court’s argument Wednesday in Moore v. Harper is being called a case that will determine the fate of democracy. Or can state courts do it? The dispute in Moore v. Harper involves a House redistricting plan passed in 2021 by the North Carolina Legislature. That map was invalidated by the state Supreme Court, which said it was a partisan gerrymander and therefore prohibited under the state constitution. The North Carolina constitution says nary a word about partisan gerrymandering.

On its face, Moore v. Harper, the case being considered by the Supreme Court on Wednesday, deals with whether the North Carolina Supreme Court acted within its rights last year. In 2021, the state's highest court overturned the congressional redistricting maps drawn by the GOP-controlled state Legislature for being gerrymandered along partisan lines. The Independent State Legislature doctrine could open the door to giving state legislators the power to decide, for example, which presidential candidate will receive their state’s Electoral College votes. With the Supreme Court potentially lending their imprimatur to ISL this spring, each state legislative election could put the integrity of our democracy at risk. For those of us who believe in democracy, that means only one thing: We cannot rest on our laurels.

The nation’s oldest Latino civil rights organization accused the city of Houston in a federal lawsuit of denying Latinos fair representation by allowing voters citywide to elect five council members. Elections in the city are deeply, racially polarized and Latinos' voting strength is diluted through the at-large election process, the lawsuit states. "Houston's the only major city in Texas where five council members are elected at large and in essence, disenfranchising the Latino community," Domingo Garcia, LULAC president, said in a phone interview. Houston only has one Latino on City Council." Since then, only 11 Latinos have been elected or appointed to a single member district and only two have been elected to an at-large district, according to the LULAC lawsuit.

☆ Congress is about to get a little bit younger, with lawmakers' median age dropping by two-and-a-half years
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-04 | by ( Walt Hickey | Annie Fu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

On January 2, the median member of Congress will be 61.7 years old. On January 3, when the 118th Congress takes over, the median member will be 59.2 years old. Indeed, on the last day of the current 117th Congress, the median member will be 61.7 years of age, the oldest on record. On the first day of the 118th Congress, there will be 107 members over the age of 70. Assuming current membership holds, the median age of Congress will be 61.1, as of December 1, 2024 — just short of the current Congress' advanced age.

☆ Dispute over North Carolina congressional districts tees up major elections case at Supreme Court
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Lawrencehurley_Pic.Jpg | Lawrence Hurley | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +9 min

WASHINGTON — When the North Carolina Supreme Court struck down the Republican-drawn congressional district maps in February, Rep. Tim Moore, the Republican speaker of the state’s House of Representatives, reached for some potent ammunition. Moore said in an interview that he backed the theory because it is the only way to challenge a state court ruling that he believes was not based on law or precedent. Republicans, led by Moore, immediately asked the Supreme Court to reinstate the maps. Gary D. Robertson / AP fileThe independent state legislature theory claims state legislatures have the final say over election laws, potentially shielding their actions from state courts. He also said he believed that the governor had the power to veto elections legislation, a procedure cast into doubt by at least one interpretation of the independent state legislature theory.

☆ Live Results: Mary Peltola defeats Sarah Palin and others: Alaska's at-large district US House election
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( Hanna Kang | Katie Balevic | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola won against three others — including Sarah Palin — in Alaska's at-large congressional district. Alaska has only one congressional district and therefore does not go through a redistricting process. Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola of Alaska has defeated three challengers in Alaska's at-large congressional district general election — most notably former Gov. Palin, the former governor of Alaska, has known Peltola for years and served alongside her in the Alaska state house. Although Alaska's 2022 general election, much like the special election, will largely be centered around Peltola and Palin, Alaska's ranked choice voting system makes this a four-way race.

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