Jennifer McClellan Becomes First Black Woman in Congress
By Chandelis Duster Virginia state Sen. Jennifer McClellan will win the special election for Virginia’s 4th Congressional District and will become the first Black woman to represent the commonwealth in Congress, CNN projected Tuesday. McClellan will defeat Republican Leon Benjamin, a pastor and Navy veteran, to succeed the late Democratic Rep. Donald McEachin, who died in November. McClellan, who was introduced at her Tuesday night victory party by Virginia Rep. Bobby Scott and walked out to Alicia Keys’ “Girl on Fire,” hailed the pathbreaking figures, including McEachin, who paved the way for her historic ascent and promised to bring their spirit to Capitol
Biden’s State of the Union Sets 2024 Tone Amid GOP Clashes
By Kevin Liptak When President Joe Biden took to the House Chamber on Tuesday for his annual State of the Union address, his message was one of unadulterated optimism – even in the face of open hostility. The spectacle of Biden smiling and offering a pointed riposte through multiple rounds of heckling from some House Republicans was, in many ways, an apt illustration of his presidency and a useful preview of his likely 2024 candidacy. A majority of Americans say he hasn’t accomplished much, many Democrats aren’t thrilled at the prospect of him running for reelection and he faces clear disdain from
Black Voter Turnout Crisis: Democrats Rethink 2024 Strategy
By Edward-Isaac Dovere An informal group of Black elected officials has lit up over phone calls and texts since Election Day. They’re worried about Black turnout that continues to underperform and talking ideas about how to turn it around before the next presidential election. Black voters didn’t go for Republicans in significant numbers, but in many places, they just didn’t show up to vote at the rate they used to, underperforming when compared to other voter groups in this year’s midterms. If former President Donald Trump and extremist candidates aren’t on the ballot in two years driving suburban and independent voters to vote
Divided Government: Gridlock or Bipartisan Opportunity?
By Matt Harris In the wake of the 2022 U.S. midterm elections, a general sense of the political landscape in the upcoming 118th Congress has taken shape. With Sen. Kyrsten Sinema’s announcement that she is leaving the Democratic Party and Sen. Raphael Warnock’s victory in Georgia’s runoff, Democrats will maintain control in the Senate, while Republicans will take control of the House. Divided government sparks fears of gridlock, a legislative standstill. At face value, this makes sense. Given the different policy priorities of the two major parties, you might expect to see each party passing legislation out of the chamber it controls that has little
Democrats Hold 2024 Edge in Key Battleground States
By Ronald Brownstein Democrats hold a key advantage in the five states that will decide the next presidential election. Senator raphael warnock’s win in yesterday’s Georgia Senate runoff capped a commanding show of strength by Democrats in the states that decided the 2020 race for the White House—and will likely pick the winner again in 2024. With Warnock’s victory over Republican Herschel Walker, Democrats have defeated every GOP Senate and gubernatorial candidate endorsed by Donald Trump this year in the five states that flipped from supporting him in 2016 to backing Joe Biden in 2020: Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Georgia, and Arizona.
Raphael Warnock Wins Georgia Senate Runoff Over Walker
By Bruce C.T. Wright Sen. Raphael Warnock is projected to win the Georgia senate runoff with a narrow election victory over Herschel Walker in a contest that was close until the very end. The runoff election victory was Warnock’s second in as many years and paves the way for him to serve a full six-year term in the U.S. Senate. It also solidifies the Democrats’ advantage in the Senate. The Associated Press called the race late Tuesday night, less than a month after neither candidate could garner 50% of the general election’s votes, sparking the runoff. At the time the race was called, most estimates
Hakeem Jeffries Elected as New House Democratic Leader
By Scott Wong and Ali Vitali House Democrats elected their new leadership team Wednesday, ushering in a younger generation of leaders after Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer decided to step aside after Democrats narrowly lost the majority this month. Pelosi, 82, of California, the first female speaker of the House, will pass the torch to Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., 52, who ran unopposed for minority leader and will make history as the first Black lawmaker to lead a political party’s caucus in either chamber. “Today, with immense pride, I stood in front of the House Democratic Caucus as a candidate for Democratic Leader,
Louisiana Fails to Ban Slavery Clause, Voters Confused
By Curtis Bunn Black voters in Louisiana are confused. Many are embarrassed. Some are angry. All seem to be concerned about how their state is being perceived after a constitutional amendment to eliminate slavery and forced indentured servitude failed to pass in the November election. That may be, in part, because the lawmaker who authored the bill to allow the vote switched direction and worked to kill it. Four other states — Alabama, Oregon, Tennessee and Vermont — passed similar legislation, effectively ending “slave labor” in prisons. Louisiana, however, did not vote for the constitutional amendment, which had been introduced by Rep.
Hakeem Jeffries to Succeed Pelosi as House Democratic Leader
By Scott Wong New York Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, the fourth-ranking House Democrat, said Friday that he will run to replace House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as the party’s leader after Republicans took back control of the chamber in last week’s midterm elections. His announcement in a letter to colleagues came a day after Pelosi said in a powerful floor speech that she is stepping down after a two-decade reign as the top leader of House Democrats. If Jeffries is successful, it would represent a historic passing of the torch: Pelosi made history as the first female speaker of the House, while Jeffries, the current Democratic Caucus chairman,
Black Candidates Make Historic Midterm Election Wins
By Char Adams A record number of Black candidates from major parties ran for high office in this year’s midterm elections. While it’s still too soon to determine which party will control the House and the Senate, some states are already celebrating Black historic wins for jobs from governor to secretary of state. “There’s an electorate, Black people are the center of it, who are understanding our political power,” said DaMareo Cooper, a co-executive director of the Center for Popular Democracy, a progressive advocacy group. “People are thinking about how their voice, and people who come from our community, should be the