Politics

"Gabbard Gabs Good-Bye" – It didn't make huge headlines, but Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, (D-HI), finally dropped out of the Democratic nomination contest this week. Why she hung on so long amazes me, as she passed on her chance to file for re-election to a safe House seat. A military veteran, still in her 30s, she has a bright future ahead of her and we'll hear from her again down the road. Had I been an advisor, I would have told her to fold her tent long ago and run for Congress again. Now, that platform is gone, which I think is a mistake. She's an impressive young lady. Keep an eye on her! … [Read more...] about “Does Anyone Care About Politics Right Now?”

"Oh, By the Way, There's an Election Soon" – While many states have delayed or postponed primary elections, West Virginia is going full speed ahead. It has a primary election on May 12, with in person early voting set for a 10-day period from April 29 to May 9. But the state now has a legal opinion saying that people who merely fear contracting coronavirus, can check the box for a medical exemption, which will allow them to vote by absentee ballot. Secretary of State Mac Warner (R) West Virginia told me in past elections, about 5-percent of people voted absentee, but he believes upwards of 50 percent will vote that way this year. … [Read more...] about “The Politics of Coronavirus”

"Here's Who Matters" – A Gallup Poll published this year shows that 29 percent of Americans self-identified as Democrats, while 30 percent said they were Republicans. Fully 39 percent of people said they were registered or voted as independent. I say this – and justify my above analysis – because these are the people who elect presidents. There are not enough voters in either party to win an election outright. The independents are the ones most turned off by partisan politics as usual, and the ones most inclined to be turned off by negative attacks. … [Read more...] about “The Politics of Coronavirus: Chapter Two”

Moreover, Trump was already underperforming where the economy indicates he should have been. Views of the economy often converge to how voters feel about a president overall. Because Trump was unpopular, history would have suggested that economic views were likely to dim going into the fall even before any economic downturn. Once you control for Trump's net approval (approve-disapprove) rating, the strong economic ratings in early March would still have pegged him as a 3 point underdog in the fall. … [Read more...] about How job losses could affect Trump and the 2020 election

Hogan, in addition to being the Republican governor of Maryland, also works as the head of the National Governors Association. He has been hesitant to call out any of his less aggressive governors, but the Maryland Republican has also touted those who acted swiftly, like in a recent CBS interview where he said governors had "been on the front lines" and "stepped up to make those tough decisions" to "push for more action from the federal level." … [Read more...] about Governors step into national spotlight as they combat coronavirus