Outside the Beltway

Some examples from 2018 of the problems with single seat districts.

Sherrod Brown pulled off the only statewide Democratic victory in Ohio on November 6th. Because of that, he’s being looked at as a potential 2020 candidate for President.

Once again, Republicans in California find themselves looking up and seeing a lot of desolation. They need to find a way to bounce back.

In what seems like another effort at a cover-up, the Vatican vetoed a plan by American Bishops to address the Catholic Church’s abuse scandal.

Donald Trump is engaging in another round of baseless and bizarre conspiracy theories about alleged voter fraud.

In addition to winning back the House, Democrats also made gains in Governor’s races.

For better or worse, here are my projections for the midterm elections.

With less than forty-eight hours to go until voters head to the polls, the odds are pointing to a Democratic House and a Republican Senate.

To the surprise of absolutely nobody, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders hints that he’s thinking of running for President in 2020.

With one week to go before Election Day, Democrats seem well-positioned to gain control of the House while Republicans seem likely to hold on to the Senate.

In the wake of attempted bombing attacks on people he has criticized, the President is blaming the media for poisonous political rhetoric. He needs to look in the mirror.

Nearly two years into Republican control of Washington, the budget deficit is headed back up.

With three weeks to go until Election Day, it’s looking like we’ll end up with a Congress divided between Democrats in the House and Republicans in the Senate.

After passing on the opportunity in 2016, Elizabeth Warren is leaving the door open to a run for President in 2020.

President Trump is once again threatening to lower the tariff hammer on one of America’s most reliable allies and biggest trading partners.

A new round of Congressional Ballot polls seems to put Democrats in a strong position for the ‘blue wave’ they’ve been hoping for all year.

For the second time this year, a three-judge panel of Federal Judges has struck down North Carolina’s Congressional District map. The immediate question is what impact, if any, this will have on November’s election.

A new study claims voter ID laws may disenfranchise the demographic, potentially swinging several Congressional races.

Another Federal Judge has ruled in favor of a transgender student seeking the right to use the gender that conforms to the gender they identify with.

In a rare red-state victory for labor unions, Missouri voters rejected a right to work initiative by an overwhelming margin.

A Federal Judge in Oregon has rejected an efforts by a parent’s group to block a school district policy that allows transgender students to use the restroom facilities that conform to their gender identity.

A new poll suggests that Governor Scott Walker could be in trouble as he seeks a third term as Governor of Wisconsin, but he’s been counted out before only bounce back and confound the doubters.

Notwithstanding his dismissive public rhetoric about the former Vice-President, Donald Trump apparently sees Joe Biden as his biggest potential threat in 2020.

The ill-advised move is sure to raise costs for businesses and consumers and roil global stock markets.

Jim Jordan, who heads the powerful House Freedom Caucus, is being accused of ignoring reports of sexual abuse by a team doctor while he was a coach at The Ohio State University.

In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court has ruled that public sector unions cannot force employees to pay membership fees.

The Supreme Court term began with hopes that the Justices would shake up the redistricting process with rulings against partisan gerrymandering. It has ended with three whimpers.

Once touted as an example of his deal-making prowess, Harley-Davidson sent a rebuke to President Trump by announcing it was moving some manufacturing to Europe to counteract the impact of his ongoing trade war.

Donald Trump continues to demonstrate that he has nothing but utter contempt for the Rule of Law. At some point, he will either be called to account for this or our nation’s institutions will suffer as a result.

The Supreme Court has largely rejected a challenge to state and Federal redistricting maps in the State of Texas.

The odds of an immigration bill passing the House were already low. This morning, President Trump pretty much guaranteed failure.

The Supreme Court avoided ruling on the merits of two partisan gerrymandering cases, but the issue will be back before them sooner rather than later.

A 9-0 ruling side-stepped the broader issue of to what extent purely political considerations may be applied.

The President continues to enjoy enthusiastic support from the over-65 set.

With two more weeks to go, there are plenty of “big” cases still awaiting the release of a decision.

A Trump Administration policy announced in April has resulted in roughly 2,000 children being taken from their parents at the border.

Republicans are at least a bit more confident that they’ll hold on to the Senate this year.

President Trump is setting off another trade war, this time with some of America’s closest and most important allies.

With one month to go in its term, there’s still a lot on the Supreme Court’s plate.

Three Executive Orders signed ahead of the Memorial Day holiday has government employees scrambling.

A Federal Judge in Virginia has handed a significant legal victory to a student who sued their school district because they were barred form using the bathroom of the gender they identify with.

Republicans are trying to fight back against efforts to limit their ability to gerrymander Congressional and State Legislative Districts. It’s a fight they deserve to lose.

Ohio voters have approved a referendum designed to reform the manner in which district lines are drawn.

The Supreme Court heard oral argument yesterday in a case alleging that Texas’s Congressional and state legislative districts were drawn with the intent to discriminate based on race.

With just over six months to go before the 2018 elections, the storm clouds are starting to gather for the Republican Party.

A longtime “Hillary Beat” reporter ruminates on what she and her candidate could have done differently in 2016.

In addition to opening up the Speakership, there’s a legitimate possibility that Wisconsin-11 flips to the other party.

Paul Ryan won’t be running for re-election this year, opening up both a Congressional seat and a leadership spot.

Yet more troubling news about the proposed citizenship question on the 2020 Census.

The Supreme Court heard oral argument in the second partisan gerrymandering case of the term, and once again they appear to be divided.