If you value articles like this, sign up for our daily email newsletter and support us with a donation.
PRESIDENT
Biden Drops Out, Harris Endorsed
As we know, President Biden withdrew from the presidential race yesterday and now the Democrats must choose a new nominee. The most logical selection is Vice President Kamala Harris, for three reasons.
First, President Biden has already endorsed her, strengthening her claim.
Second, one of the President's main points in favor of staying on the ticket was that more than 14 million people voted for him throughout the primary. Vice President Harris is the only person who can claim, with some legitimacy, that the people voting for Biden also approved of her.
Third, and perhaps most important, the money transfer is a critical factor in the
transition to a new nominee. The current Biden campaign treasury, some $91.5 million
according to the June 30 Federal Election Commission campaign disclosure report, can
only be transferred to Vice President Harris.
For any other candidate, the Biden money would have to be refunded to donors and then re-contributed to the new nominee.
Harris' Possible Running Mates
Vice President Kamala Harris is reported to be considering four elected officials as possible vice president candidates as she ascends to the presidential nomination.
The first cut of potential running mates appears to feature Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ), and three Governors: Andy Beshear (KY), Roy Cooper (NC), and Josh Shapiro (PA).
HOUSE
Nebraska's 2nd District (NE-2): Republicans Lead in Critical Constituency
A Torchlight Strategies poll (7/8-11; 300 NE-2 likely voters) found four-term US Rep. Don Bacon (R-Papillion/Omaha) leading state Sen. Tony Vargas (D-Omaha) 46-43% in his bid for a fifth term.
NE-2 is a swing congressional district that carries its own electoral college vote in the presidential election. Because it can vote opposite of the state total, the district is one of two seats in the country — Maine's 2nd District (ME-2) being the other — that could cause a tie in the Electoral College.
Both Maine and Nebraska employ a system where the presidential candidate is awarded two electoral votes for winning the statewide count, and one each for the congressional districts that they carry.
The FiveThirtyEight data organization rates NE-2 as R+3, which is different than the 2020
configuration that gave Joe Biden the win over then-President Donald Trump. The previous rating was even. In 2022, Rep. Bacon defeated Sen. Vargas, 51-49%, and
another tight race between the two men is forecast for November.
Texas' 18th District (TX-18): Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee Passes Away
On Friday, 15-term Texas Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Houston) passed away only weeks after she had announced that she was fighting pancreatic cancer.
Representative Jackson Lee was 74 years of age, and the third member of the House to pass away during this Congress. The other two were Reps. Donald McEachin (D-VA) and Donald Payne, Jr. (D-NJ).
The local Democratic Party committee will choose a nominee to replace Ms. Jackson Lee on the November ballot by August 26. It is unclear at this writing whether Gov. Greg Abbott (R) will call a special election for an individual to serve the balance of the current term.
Texas’ 18th District is heavily Democratic. The FiveThirtyEight data organization rates it as
D+43. The Daily Kos Elections site statisticians rank the seat as the 46th safest seat in the
House Democratic Conference.
Jim Ellis is a 35-year veteran of politics at the state and national levels. He has served ss executive director for two national political action committees, as well as a consultant to the three national Republican Party organizations in DC, the National Federation of Independent Business, and various national conservative groups.
Born and raised in Sacramento, California, he earned a B. A. in Political Science from the University of California at Davis in 1979. Jim raised his daughter, Jacqueline, alone after his wife died following a tragic car accident. He helped establish the Joan Ellis Victims Assistance Network in Rochester, NH. Jim also is a member of the Northern Virginia Football Officials Association, which officiates high school games throughout the region.
Comments