Washington Post columnist E.J. Dionne Jr. claims the guilty plea of suspected Russian spy Maria Butina and the outcome of the 2018 congressional elections mark the “beginning of the end” for the “gun lobby” in the U.S. Dionne believes Butina’s plea keeps Americans focused on the still-unproven claims of Russian collusion in the 2016 election, and he thinks the midterm elections indicate a shift in the electorate that favors the gun control lobby.He writes: “Taken together, the events of 2016 and the results of the 2018 election will be remembered as the beginning of the end of the gun lobby’s power. Dionne hedges his bets by admitting his frustration that the overthrow of the “gun lobby” may not be complete as quickly as leftists would like because of the “vast over-representation of rural states in the Senate [which] tilts the system, undemocratically, toward those who claim that government is powerless to take meaningful … [Read more...] about WashPost Columnist: 2018 Elections Mark ‘Beginning of the End’ of ‘Gun Lobby’
2018 elections
‘Pop-up’ super PACs spent millions on the 2018 election without disclosing donors, FEC filings show
Michelle Ye Hee Lee and Anu Narayanswamy, The Washington Post Published 1:51 am PST, Friday, December 7, 2018 Rep. Beto O'Rourke, D-Texas, during a concession speech at an election night rally in El Paso, Texas, on Nov. 6, 2018. Rep. Beto O'Rourke, D-Texas, during a concession speech at an election night rally in El Paso, Texas, on Nov. 6, 2018. Photo: Bloomberg Photo By Sergio Flores. Photo: Bloomberg Photo By Sergio Flores. Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Image 1 of 1 Rep. Beto O'Rourke, D-Texas, during a concession speech at an election night rally in El Paso, Texas, on Nov. 6, 2018. Rep. Beto O'Rourke, D-Texas, during a concession speech at an election night rally in El Paso, Texas, on Nov. 6, 2018. Photo: Bloomberg … [Read more...] about ‘Pop-up’ super PACs spent millions on the 2018 election without disclosing donors, FEC filings show
House GOP says it was hacked during 2018 election
By The Washington Post | December 4, 2018 at 10:55 am By Ellen Nakashima and Shane Harris | Washington Post WASHINGTON – The campaign organization for House Republicans was the victim of a cyberattack that exposed email accounts to an unknown intruder during the 2018 election cycle, people familiar with the matter said. It wasn’t known if a foreign government was behind the intrusion into the computer networks of the National Republican Congressional Committee, a person familiar with the case said. But the intruder was “sophisticated, based on their tactics and methods,” and the intrusion “was clearly designed to hide the tracks of who it was,” this person said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because the matter is under investigation. The intrusion was first reported by Politico, which said senior House Republicans, including Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., as well as rank-and-file members weren’t told of the breach until the news … [Read more...] about House GOP says it was hacked during 2018 election
Skelton: 2018 elections a dream for Dems and nightmare for GOP
By George Skelton, columnist | PUBLISHED: November 29, 2018 at 12:15 pm | UPDATED: November 29, 2018 at 12:18 pm By George SkeltonLos Angeles Times Even in this bluest of states, the one-party control of California just won by Democrats is phenomenal. The 2018 elections fulfilled a best-scenario dream for the party and became a worst nightmare for Republicans. The last time Democrats came this close to completely dominating the state Capitol was after the post-Watergate election of 1976. Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown was an ambitious young hotshot in his first term. Democrats won 57 Assembly and 26 Senate seats. The numbers needed for two-thirds supermajorities were 54 and 27 respectively. There’s a valuable lesson for Democrats to learn from that 1977-78 legislative session. They ruled the roost. And what did they do? They blew it. Brown and the Legislature disastrously fumbled property tax relief as home assessments were soaring. They bickered over what kind of tax breaks to … [Read more...] about Skelton: 2018 elections a dream for Dems and nightmare for GOP
Broward Finishes Machine Recount of 2018 Election Votes Ahead of Thursday Deadline
After days of being in the national spotlight – and being criticized by everyone from candidates to protesters from both major political parties – Broward County completed their machine recount of votes for three offices in the 2018 election ahead of Thursday’s deadline. Workers put the last ballots to be counted through machines at election headquarters in Lauderhill around 11:30 p.m. Wednesday night. Officials will spend the remaining time before the 3 p.m. deadline Thursday going through ballots that were not able to be read by the machines. At the same time, the county’s elections supervisor Dr. Brenda Snipes will be the subject of two court hearings Thursday – one from current Florida Gov. Rick Scott, who holds a razor thin lead in the race for U.S. Senate. Scott was in Washington D.C. on Wednesday with other Republicans who had been elected to the chamber, even though he has not been declared the winner over incumbent Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson. The … [Read more...] about Broward Finishes Machine Recount of 2018 Election Votes Ahead of Thursday Deadline