Democrats

That doesn’t mean she won’t become speaker. She’s the heavy favorite to do so. But she may have to make some more promises to flip individual members, or vow that this will be her last term in order to flip a large chunk. At this point, signaling that this is her last term looks like it would swing a crucial number of her detractors. It just isn’t clear whether Pelosi is interested in making any such announcement ― or that she has to. … [Read more...] about Nancy Pelosi Wins Democratic Speaker Nomination

And Van Drew took steps earlier this year to inoculate himself from at least some progressive criticism. He withdrew his sponsorship from the amendment requiring parental notification for abortion and from legislation reinstating New Jersey’s death penalty for certain cases.  … [Read more...] about Conservative Democrat Wins Primary In New Jersey House Seat

Although New York is, on the whole, a solidly Democratic state, the more moderate and conservative parts of the state ― in Long Island, Staten Island and the vast regions beyond metropolitan New York City ― are often major battlegrounds in the House of Representatives. … [Read more...] about Nationally Backed Democrat Falls Short In New York Primary For Congress

Some Democrats still harbor regrets over the decision in 2013 to unilaterally end the filibuster for executive and judicial nominees. Democratic leaders said at the time they were forced to take the step to confirm a number of President Barack Obama’s nominees given unprecedented GOP obstruction from people like McConnell. Reid, who pulled the trigger on the rule change, still maintains that it was the right thing to do. But now that Republicans are confirming young, conservative judicial nominees at a historic pace under the Trump administration, some Democrats say there is reason for caution about going even further. … [Read more...] about If Progressives Want To Nuke The Filibuster, They’re Going To Have To Convince A Bunch Of Democrats First

The report lays out more than 30 possible scenarios for upcoming elections. In several, voting patterns stay the same as in past elections, with the only change coming from the overall makeup of the electorate. Generally, as the electorate becomes more diverse, that would shift the momentum increasingly toward Democrats in future years. But especially in the short term, there’s still room for variance. For instance, if the unusually high share of third-party voters in the last election “return home” to their parties in the next presidential contest, but 2016′s voting patterns are otherwise repeated by the 2020 electorate, the country could end with an Electoral College tie. … [Read more...] about America’s Electorate Is Getting More Diverse. That’s No Guarantee For Democrats.