Political Crumbs

The next high profile electoral battle (for a technically nonpartisan office) will take place in two months for Wisconsin’s open Supreme Court seat. Over the last 100 years, Wisconsin has held 77 elections to its Supreme Court. Just 16 of these were open seat contests – in 1925, 1949, 1956, 1961, 1963, 1977, 1978, 1979,…

At this point during the 2020 cycle, eight Democrats had already jumped into the race for president: Maryland U.S. Representative John Delaney (July 28, 2017), New York businessman Andrew Yang (November 6, 2017), West Virginia State Senator Richard Ojeda (November 11, 2018), former HUD Secretary Julian Castro of Texas (January 12, 2019), California U.S. Senator…

By getting swept for a third straight cycle in the states’ four constitutional elections this week, Minnesota Republicans have now failed to win a majority of the vote in 46 consecutive statewide contests dating back to 1996. [Republicans were plurality winners in seven]. The DFL has won exactly half of these 46 elections with a…

Since the Election of 1990, no political party in Minnesota had enjoyed unified control of the executive and legislative branches save for a 2-year DFL stint following the Election of 2012 during the 88th legislative session. By flipping the state senate, holding the state house, and sweeping the four elections for constitutional offices for a…

For the first time since 1990, Minnesota voters will have just two choices on the ballot in a state constitutional office election. In fact, two contests – those for Secretary of State and Attorney General – have only DFL and GOP nominees this November. The most recent cycle to feature two candidates on the ballot…

Wisconsin’s highly-watched GOP gubernatorial primary last week resulted in the closest race for the Republican nomination and first plurality winner in more than 75 years in the state. Tim Michels defeated Rebecca Kleefisch by 3.9 points with 47.0 percent of the vote – the tightest contest since Governor Walter Goodland edged former state adjutant-general Ralph…

On this day four years ago, Maryland Democratic U.S. Representative John Delaney was already 205 days deep into his 2020 presidential campaign – by far the earliest campaign launch by a bona fide major party candidate during the primary era. Delaney announced his campaign on July 28, 2017 – some 1,194 days prior to the…

New York Democrats’ gerrymander of its forthcoming 26 congressional districts puts the party in a strong position to carry 22 of them this November, or 84.6 percent. If executed at the ballot box, that would give New York its second-largest Democratic U.S. House delegation in state history following the election of 2008 when Democrats won…

Wisconsin businessman Kevin Nicholson’s entrance into the Republican gubernatorial nomination race against former Lieutenant Governor Rebecca Kleefisch raises the prospect of the GOP holding its first competitive primary election for the office in more than 75 years. The last GOP primary to be decided by single digits was in 1946 when two-term incumbent Walter Goodland…

Three prominent Minnesota politicians running for reelection took part in Twin Cities Marathon day events last Sunday. Governor Tim Walz toed the line first in the 10-mile race from downtown Minneapolis to the Capitol. The 57-year old DFLer finished the hilly course in 1:32:38, averaging 9:16 per mile. Forty-year old Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, a…