Category Archives: Democrats

A change of Democratic leadership in the House

Fierce Planet Posted on by

The entire top tier of Democratic leadership will turn over soon. Nancy Pelosi and Steny Hoyer have both announced they will not run for leadership positions again. And Jim Clyburn, who would otherwise move up, announced he is instead stepping down into the fourth place position. This makes way for an entire team of new, younger leaders. As ever Nancy has perfect timing, and I’m very glad that she and Hoyer plan to remain in Congress for now. I haven’t heard a lot about Hakeem Jeffries, who they’ve recommended for Leader, though I knew he was sort of “in training” … Continue reading →

Where we stand

Fierce Planet Posted on by

I still feel good about the election this week, though the Congressional side of things will remain unsettled for a while longer. But democracy has survived to fight another day, and that matters a lot. Women in particular turned out in defense of abortion rights and every state that had a vote on the issue upheld the right to choose. There is also a strong likelihood that Democrats will continue to hold the Senate, and there was no red wave in the House or anywhere else. The Secretary of State positions have been kept out of the hands of the … Continue reading →

I feel lighter

Fierce Planet Posted on by

We did good, my friends. Still some races to call, and likely Republicans will take an extremely thin majority in the House. Still hopeful we hold the Senate and if we do, we can definitely work with that. The red wave did not materialize. We held the line for now, for our country, for democracy, for all that is right in the world. Let’s go forward and push for more.

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A red mirage

Fierce Planet Posted on by

This illusion is deliberately formed when mail-in and early votes are held back to be counted after votes placed on election day. Since mail-in votes tend to be heavily Democratic, in practice this looks as if Republicans are winning early in the evening, then slowly Democratic votes are counted into the majority. Then Republicans claim that the later count was fraudulent, even though the mail-in votes are as valid as any. Expect to see a lot of this tonight and tomorrow, alongside other efforts to claim fraud where there is none. Will the GQP prime their base for action by … Continue reading →

Who is likely to vote?

Fierce Planet Posted on by

I’m not sure we know. Don’t let anyone tell you young people don’t show up to vote. We are — and we will continue to show up these last five days until Election Day, including on campus at UT Austin! pic.twitter.com/h2AW1JDIRb — NextGen America (@NextGenAmerica) November 3, 2022 ETA: This report: Women under 25 could be the MVPs of the midterms Why more young women are registered to vote in the midterms — and why polling is ignoring them.

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Voter turnout remains high

Fierce Planet Posted on by

Early voting and mail-in voting numbers seem to be matching 2018 levels, and you might recall that was a very good year for Democrats. But of course there’s no way of knowing who all those votes are for, and let’s face it, Republicans are also really juiced to vote this year. So no complacency, okay? Keep voting and make sure your friends and family vote too. Wave of early voting across nation could signal high turnout for 2022 Colorado’s early ballot returns reach over 440,000, hitting double-digit turnout   Still our best public speaker, President Obama. Wow pic.twitter.com/0EabEDaau6 — Acyn … Continue reading →

“Margin of Effort”

Fierce Planet Posted on by

And this is exactly right, just as we’ve been talking about. The House is 100% "within the margin of effort." Great way to put it! https://t.co/cltuPmEDrb — Rachel Bitecofer 📈🔭🇺🇲🇺🇦 (@RachelBitecofer) October 19, 2022 I have to admit to a strange experience last night. My ballot arrived, as expected (because Colorado’s system emailed to say it was on the way). And when I opened the envelope and held the ballot in my hands, I felt a fierceness beyond what I’ve ever felt for an election before, not even in 2016 and 2020. I want 2022 to go well, for the … Continue reading →

Beware the GOP

Fierce Planet Posted on by

At this point in the cycle, we pretty much expect election polling to tighten. Wandering voters come back to their original party preference as everyone becomes more engaged. And sure enough, that’s what recent polls show. Given how close this election has been all along, you can assume most races are toss-ups right now. With that in mind, it’s important to remember what Republicans plan to do if they take control of Congress next month. They haven’t said much about their plans, knowing that what they want is not particularly popular with American voters. This Washington Post report teases out … Continue reading →

Checking on those critical Senate seats

Fierce Planet Posted on by

I’m still cautiously optimistic about Democrats holding the Senate. Here are updated predictions from establishment groups who assess elections. Three are listed in the table below: the Cook Political Report (C), Larry Sabato of UVA (S), and Inside Elections (IE). As we’ve noted before, these organizations tend to be conservative in their predictions, relying on known data such as voter registration numbers, continuing polls, and structural effects such as traditional gains or losses for the various parties. It is much harder to predict how enthusiasm among the voters, or anger among the voters, will affect the election. It is hard … Continue reading →