Offering asides, recommended links, blogworthy quotations, and more, In Brief is the Northwest Progressive Institute's microblog of world, national, and local politics.
“A Florida redistricting plan pushed by Republican Governor Ron DeSantis violates the state constitution and is prohibited from being used for any future U.S. congressional elections since it diminishes the ability of Black voters in north Florida to pick a representative of their choice.”
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“Facebook and YouTube are receding from their role as watchdogs against conspiracy theories ahead of the 2024 presidential election,” The Washington Post’s report.
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“The campaign of the Florida governor, who is known to be reliant on rich donors, worked with a Republican fund-raising powerhouse to prevent the disclosure of information on small contributors,” The New York Times reports.
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“Growing population in America’s highly educated enclaves has led to huge gains for the Democratic Party. And Republicans are scrambling for answers,” Politico’s Charlie Mahtesian and Madi Alexander write.
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Pew’s Stateline: “With their eyes on the 2024 presidential election, state lawmakers around the country are preparing to reshape voting rules in what election experts expect will be another busy legislative season.”
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“Something was ‘proved without a shadow of doubt’ in Kari Lake’s election trial, all right. And it should be followed up with sanctions, for bringing sour grapes instead of evidence,” Laurie Roberts writes.
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A survey conducted by Public Policy Polling shows as the 2024 election cycle begins, renegade Senator Kyrsten Sinema is “broadly unpopular and trails United States Representative Ruben Gallego significantly in a three-way race.”
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“You kind of had to watch it squinting through one eye between your fingers,” Dan Lagan told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
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Read The Times of Israel’s completed liveblog on the 2022 national elections, a victory for Benjmain Netanyahu and the extreme right.
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“Experts say their dominance in the party poses a threat to the country’s democratic principles and jeopardizes the integrity of future votes,” Amy Gardner reports for The Washington Post.
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This featured column from The New York Times’ Michelle Goldberg on the 3rd District contest between ultra MAGA Republican Joe Kent and Democratic hopeful Marie Gluesenkamp Perez — which cites NPI’s congressional district polling — is a must-read.
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Via The New York Times: “Voters in New Hampshire and Mississippi face the highest personal cost in the country in terms of the time and effort required to cast a ballot, according to a new academic study. Voters in Oregon and Washington have it the easiest.”
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Washington and Oregon are by far the easiest states in the country to vote in, a new study featured in The New York Times has found. Meanwhile, voters in New Hampshire and Mississippi “face the highest personal cost in the country in terms of the time and effort required to cast a ballot.”
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The Association of Washington Business, the state’s best known business group, has thrown its backing behind Democratic incumbent Steve Hobbs to be retained as Washington’s Secretary of State, it announced today.
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Today, during an interview with CNN’s Dana Bash on State of the Union, Republican Senate candidate Tiffany Smiley refused to admit that President Joe Biden was legitimately selected. She chose instead to engage in false equivalency rhetoric.
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Read Seattle Times columnist Danny Westneat’s first take on the August 2022 Top Two election results, in which he credits NPI for having correctly assessed for months that the available data didn’t support Republicans’ claims that a red tsunami was on its way.
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The Commonwealth of Australia has a new leader: Anthony Albanese. Following Labor’s victory in the 2022 Australian federal election, Albanese has assumed office along with several top ministers. Watch the swearing-in ceremony and the press conference that followed.
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“Australian voters have delivered a sharp rebuke to the center-right government, ending nine years of conservative rule, in favor of the center-left opposition that promised stronger action on climate change,” Hilary Whiteman writes in CNN’s assessment of the 2022 Australian federal election.
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A former Labor strategist Kos Samaras offers up some analysis of the initial results to the Australian Financial Review after Labor’s victory in the 2022 Australian election.
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“Tuesday’s results showed that money isn’t all that counts in elections,” Alexander Sammon writes. “Big spending matters, but the progressive policy vision continues to excite voters enough to overcome major fundraising deficits, and with just two major primary days in the books, the Squad already looks poised to add two members. Progressives look competitive both in open seats and in primaries, both of which will be critical to shaping the Democratic caucus for years to come.”
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“Energized by their fight against government coronavirus restrictions, far-right activists are rallying supporters to engage in politics and show up to vote,” Hannah Allam reports.
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