Dawn of the Final Day

[rpryor03]

HIGH PLAINS RESULTS

Missouri

President
Biden/Duckworth: 1,151,528 (41.00%)
Trump/Pence: 1,598,377 (56.91%)

House District 1 - Lacy Clay (D-inc) def. Anthony Rogers (R)
House District 2 - Jill Schupp def. Ann Wagner (R-inc) (DNC GAIN)
House District 3 - Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-inc) def. Dennis Oglesby (D)
House District 4 - Vicky Hartzler (R-inc) def. Erich Arvidson (D)
House District 5 - Emmanuel Cleaver (D-inc) def. RH Hess (R)
House District 6 - Sam Graves (R-inc) def. Henry Martin (D)
House District 7 - Billy Long (R-inc) def. Teresa Montseny (D)
House District 8 - Jason Smith (R-inc) def. Kathryn Ellis (D)

Governor - Nicole Galloway (D) def. Mike Parson (R-inc) (DNC GAIN)


Iowa

President
Biden/Duckworth: 702,991 (44.89%)
Trump/Pence: 798,676 (51.00%)

Senate - Joni Ernst (R-inc) def. Theresa Greenfield (D)

House District 1 - Abby Finkenauer (D-inc) def. Ashley Hinson (R)
House District 2 - Rita Hart (D) def. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R)
House District 3 - David Young (R) def. Cindy Axne (D-inc) (GOP GAIN)
House District 4 - Randy Feenstra (R) def. J.D. Scholten (D)


Minnesota

President
Biden/Duckworth: 1,477,413 (50.17%)
Trump/Pence: 1,301,313 (44.19%)

Senate - Tina Smith (D-inc) def. Jason Smith (R)

House District 1 - Jim Hagedorn (R-inc) def. Dan Feehan (D)
House District 2 - Angie Craig (D-inc) def. Tyler Kistner (R)
House District 3 - Dean Phillips (D-inc) def. Kendall Qualls (R)
House District 4 - Betty McCollum (D-inc) def. Greg Ryan (R)
House District 5 - Ilhan Omar (D-inc) def. Lacy Johnson (R)
House District 6 - Tom Emmer (R-inc) def. Ian Todd (D)
House District 7 - Michelle Fischbach (R) def. Collin Peterson (D-inc) (GOP GAIN)
House District 8 - Pete Stauber (R-inc) def. Quinn Nystrom (D)

State Legislature - DEMOCRATS GAIN STATE SENATE


North Dakota

President
Biden/Duckworth: 103,928 (30.18%)
Trump/Pence: 216,981 (63.01%)

House At-Large - Kelly Armstrong (R-inc) def. Steven Peterson (D)

Governor - Doug Burgum (R-inc) def. Shelly Lenz (D)


South Dakota

President
Biden/Duckworth: 130,902 (35.37%)
Trump/Pence: 225,387 (60.90%)

Senate - Mike Rounds (R-inc) def. Dan Ahlers (D)

House At-Large - Dusty Johnson (R-inc) def. Randy Luallin (L)


Nebraska

President - At-Large
Biden/Duckworth: 310,493 (36.78%)
Trump/Pence: 495,102 (58.65%)

President - 1st District
Biden/Duckworth: 108,305 (38.36%)
Trump/Pence: 158,900 (56.28%)

President - 2nd District
Biden/Duckworth: 138,577 (47.51%)
Trump/Pence: 138,752 (47.57%)

President - 3rd District
Biden/Duckworth: 63,611 (23.55%)
Trump/Pence: 197,450 (73.10%)

Senate - Ben Sasse (R-inc) def. Chris Janicek (D)

House District 1 - Jeff Fortenberry (R-inc) def. Kate Bolz (D)
House District 2 - Don Bacon (R-inc) def. Kara Eastman (D)
House District 3 - Adrian Smith (R-inc) def. Mark Elworth (D)


Kansas

President
Biden/Duckworth: 467,010 (39.43%)
Trump/Pence: 666,463 (56.27%)

Senate - Barbara Bollier (D) def. Kris Kobach (R) (DNC GAIN)

House District 1 - Tracey Mann (R) def. Kali Barnett (D)
House District 2 - Jake LaTurner (R) def. Michelle De La Isla (D)
House District 3 - Sharice Davids (D) def. Amanda Atkins (R)
House District 4 - Ron Estes (R-inc) def. Laura Lombard (D)

PRESIDENT

Biden/Duckworth - 218 EVs
Trump/Pence - 192 EVs

SENATE

Democratic Caucus - 46 (+2)
Republican Conference - 44 (-3)
Runoff - 1 (+1)

HOUSE
Democratic Caucus - 164 (+7)
Republican Conference - 167 (-6)
Independent Libertarian - 0 (-1)

[rpryor03]

ROCKY MOUNTAINS RESULTS

Montana

President
Biden/Duckworth: 192,893 (38.80%)
Trump/Pence: 278,999 (56.12%)

Senate - Steve Bullock (D) def. Steve Daines (R-inc) (DNC GAIN)

House At-Large - Matt Rosendale (R) def. Kathleen Williams (D)

Governor - Mike Cooney (D) def. Greg Gianforte (R)


Wyoming

President
Biden/Duckworth: 65,037 (25.42%)
Trump/Pence: 170,421 (66.61%)

Senate - Cynthia Lummis (R) def. Nathan Wendt (D)

House At-Large - Liz Cheney (R-inc) def. Carl Beach (D)


Colorado

President
Biden/Duckworth: 1,429,881 (51.43%)
Trump/Pence: 1,194,950 (42.98%)

Senate - John Hickenlooper (D) def. Cory Gardner (R-inc) (DNC GAIN)

House District 1 - Diana DeGette (D-inc) def. Shane Bolling (R)
House District 2 - Joe Neguse (D-inc) def. Charles Winn (R)
House District 3 - Diane Mitsch Bush (D) def. Lauren Boebert (R) (DNC GAIN)
House District 4 - Ken Buck (R-inc) def. Ike McCorkle (D)
House District 5 - Doug Lamborn (R-inc) def. Jillian Freeland (D)
House District 6 - Jason Crow (D-inc) def. Steve House (R)
House District 7 - Ed Perlmutter (D-inc) def. Casper Stockham (R)


New Mexico

President
Biden/Duckworth: 453,445 (56.80%)
Trump/Pence: 331,302 (41.50%)

Senate - Ben Ray Lujan (D) def. Mark Ronchetti (R)

House District 1 - Deb Haaland (D-inc) def. Michelle Garcia Holmes (R)
House District 2 - Xochitl Torres Small (D-inc) def. Yvette Herrell (R)
House District 3 - Teresa Leger Fernandez (D) def. Alexis Johnson (R)


Arizona

President
Biden/Duckworth: 1,255,190 (48.78%)
Trump/Pence: 1,235,634 (48.02%)

Senate (Special) - Mark Kelly (D) def. Martha McSally (R-inc) (DNC GAIN)

House District 1 - Tom O'Halleran (D-inc) def. Tiffany Shedd (R)
House District 2 - Ann Kirkpatrick (D-inc) def. Brandon Martin (R)
House District 3 - Raul Grijalva (D-inc) def. Daniel Wood (R)
House District 4 - Paul Gosar (R-inc) def. Stu Starky (D)
House District 5 - Andy Biggs (R-inc) def. Joan Greene (D)
House District 6 - David Schweikert (R-inc) def. Anita Malik (D)
House District 7 - Ruben Gallego (D-inc) def. Josh Barnett (R)
House District 8 - Debbie Lesko (R-inc) def. Bob Olsen (D)
House District 9 - Greg Stanton (D-inc) def. Sam Huang (R)

State Legislature - DEMOCRATS GAIN STATE HOUSE


Utah

President
Biden/Duckworth: 349,499 (30.89%)
Trump/Pence: 510,388 (45.11%)

House District 1 - Blake Moore (R) def. Darren Parry (D)
House District 2 - Chris Stewart (R-inc) def. Kael Weston (D)
House District 3 - John Curtis (R-inc) def. Devin Thorpe (D)
House District 4 - Ben McAdams (D-inc) def. Burgess Owens (R)

Governor - Spencer Cox (R) def. Chris Peterson


Idaho

President
Biden/Duckworth: 211,218 (39.60%)
Trump/Pence: 408,286 (59.15%)

Senate - Jim Risch (R-inc) def. Paulette Jordan (D)

House District 1 - Russ Fulcher (R-inc) def. Randy Soto (D)
House District 2 - Mike Simpson (R-inc) def. C. Aaron Swisher (D)


Nevada

President
Biden/Duckworth: 571,808 (50.81%)
Trump/Pence: 513,963 (45.67%)

House District 1 - Dina Titus (D-inc) def. Joyce Bentley (R)
House District 2 - Mark Amodei (R-inc) def. Patricia Ackerman (D)
House District 3 - Susie Lee (D-inc) def. Dan Rodimer (R)
House District 4 - Steven Horsford (D-inc) def. Jim Marchant (R)

PRESIDENT

Biden/Duckworth - 240 EVs
Trump/Pence - 217 EVs

SENATE

Democratic Caucus - 50 (+5)
Republican Conference - 46 (-6)
Runoff - 1 (+1)

DEMOCRATS GAIN SENATE MAJORITY

HOUSE
Democratic Caucus - 181 (+8)
Republican Conference - 181 (-7)
Independent Libertarian - 0 (-1)

[America Needs R'hllor]

I'd be happy with the results.

[rpryor03]

PACIFIC STATES RESULTS

Alaska

President
Biden/Duckworth: 128,335 (40.28%)
Trump/Pence: 161,056 (50.55%)

Senate - Dan Sullivan (R-inc) def. Al Gross (I)

House At-Large - Don Young (R-inc) def. Alyse Gavin (D)


Hawaii

President
Biden/Duckworth: 281,254 (65.57%)
Trump/Pence: 127,309 (29.68%)

House District 1 - Ed Case (D-inc) def. Ron Curtis (R)
House District 2 - Kai Kahele (D) def. Bart Gottschalk (R)


Washington

President
Biden/Duckworth: 1,864,496 (56.21%)
Trump/Pence: 1,199,434 (36.16%)

House District 1 - Suzan DelBene (D-inc) def. Jeffrey Beeler (R)
House District 2 - Rick Larsen (D-inc) def. James Golder (R)
House District 3 - Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-inc) def. Carolyn Long (D)
House District 4 - Dan Newhouse (R-inc) def. Doug McKinley (D)
House District 5 - Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-inc) def. Dave Wilson (I)
House District 6 - Derek Kilmer (D-inc) def. Chris Welton (R)
House District 7 - Pramila Jayapal (D-inc) def. Craig Keller (R)
House District 8 - Kim Schrier (D-inc) def. Keith Swank (R)
House District 9 - Adam Smith (D-inc) def. Doug Basler (R)
House District 10 - Beth Doglio (D) def. Marilyn Strickland (D)

Governor - Jay Inslee (D-inc) def. Phil Fortunato (R)


Oregon

President
Biden/Duckworth: 1,067,312 (53.33%)
Trump/Pence: 777,119 (38.83%)

Senate - Jeff Merkley (D-inc) def. Jo Rae Perkins (R)

House District 1 - Suzanne Bonamici (D-inc) def. Christopher Christensen (R)
House District 2 - Cliff Bentz (R) def. Alex Spenser (D)
House District 3 - Earl Blumenauer (D-inc) def. Joanna Harbour (R)
House District 4 - Peter DeFazio (D-inc) def. Alek Skarlatos (R)
House District 5 - Kurt Schrader (D-inc) def. Amy Ryan Courser (R)


California

President
Biden/Duckworth: 9,288,945 (65.50%)
Trump/Pence: 4,375,022 (30.85%)

House District 1 - Doug LaMalfa (R-inc) def. Audrey Denney (D)
House District 2 - Jared Huffman (D-inc) def. Dale Mensing (R)
House District 3 - John Garamendi (D-inc) def. Tamika Hamilton (R)
House District 4 - Tom McClintock (R-inc) def. Brynne Kennedy (D)
House District 5 - Mike Thompson (D-inc) def. Scott Giblin (R)
House District 6 - Doris Matsui (D-inc) def. Chris Bish (R)
House District 7 - Ami Bera (D-inc) def. Buzz Patterson (R)
House District 8 - Jay Obernolte (R) def. Christine Bubser (D)
House District 9 - Jerry McNerney (D-inc) def. Tony Amador (R)
House District 10 - Josh Harder (D-inc) def. Ted Howze (R)
House District 11 - Mark DeSaulnier (D-inc) def. Nisha Sharma (R)
House District 12 - Nancy Pelosi (D-inc) def. Shahid Buttar (D)
House District 13 - Barbara Lee (D-inc) def. Nikka Piterman (R)
House District 14 - Jackie Speier (D-inc) def. Ran Petel (R)
House District 15 - Eric Swalwell (D-inc) def. Alison Hayden (R)
House District 16 - Jim Costa (D-inc) def. Kevin Cookingham (R)
House District 17 - Ro Khanna (D-inc) def. Ritesh Tandon (R)
House District 18 - Anna Eshoo (D-inc) def. Rishi Kumar (D)
House District 19 - Zoe Lofgren (D-inc) def. Justin Aguilera (R)
House District 20 - Jimmy Panetta (D-inc) def. Jeff Gorman (R)
House District 21 - TJ Cox (D-inc) def. David Valadao (R)
House District 22 - Phil Arballo (D) def. Devin Nunes (R-inc) (DNC GAIN)
House District 23 - Kevin McCarthy (R-inc) def. Kim Mangone (D)
House District 24 - Salud Carbajal (D-inc) def. Andy Caldwell (R)
House District 25 - Christy Smith (D) def. Mike Garcia (R-inc) (DNC GAIN)
House District 26 - Julia Brownley (D-inc) def. Ronda Baldwin-Kennedy (R)
House District 27 - Judy Chu (D-inc) def. Johnny Nalbandian (R)
House District 28 - Adam Schiff (D-inc) def. Eric Early (R)
House District 29 - Tony Cardenas (D-inc) def. Angelica Marie Duenas (D)
House District 30 - Brad Sherman (D-inc) def. Mark Reed (R)
House District 31 - Pete Aguilar (D-inc) def. Agnes Gibboney (R)
House District 32 - Grace Napolitano (D-inc) def. Joshua Scott (R)
House District 33 - Ted Lieu (D-inc) def. James Bradley (R)
House District 34 - Jimmy Gomez (D-inc) def. David Kim (D)
House District 35 - Norma Torres (D-inc) def. Mike Cargile (R)
House District 36 - Raul Ruiz (D-inc) def. Erin Cruz (R)
House District 37 - Karen Bass (D-inc) def. Errol Webber (R)
House District 38 - Linda Sanchez (D-inc) def. Michael Tolar (D)
House District 39 - Gil Cisernos (D-inc) def. Young Kim (R)
House District 40 - Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-inc) def. Antonio Delgado (R)
House District 41 - Mark Takano (D-inc) def. Aja Smith (R)
House District 42 - Ken Calvert (R-inc) def. Liam O'Mara (D)
House District 43 - Maxine Waters (D-inc) def. Joe Collins (R)
House District 44 - Nanette Barragan (D-inc) def. Analilia Joya (D)
House District 45 - Katie Porter (D-inc) def. Greg Raths (R)
House District 46 - Lou Correa (D-inc) def. James Waters (R)
House District 47 - Alan Lowenthal (D-inc) def. John Briscoe (R)
House District 48 - Harley Rouda (D-inc) def. Michelle Steel (R)
House District 49 - Mike Levin (D-inc) def. Brian Maryott (R)
House District 50 - Darrell Issa (R) def. Ammar Campa-Najjar (D)
House District 51 - Juan Vargas (D-inc) def. Juan Hidalgo (R)
House District 52 - Scott Peters (D-inc) def. Jim DeBello (R)
House District 53 - Georgette Gomez (D) def. Sara Jacobs (D)

FINAL RESULTS
PRESIDENT

Biden/Duckworth - 318 EVs - 70,540,435 (51.61%)
Trump/Pence - 220 EVs - 62,453,868 (45.70%)

SENATE

Democratic Caucus - 52 (+6)
Republican Conference - 47 (-7)
Runoff - 1 (+1)

GOVERNORS

Democratic Governors Association - 27 (+3)
Republican Governors Association - 23 (-3)

HOUSE
Democratic Caucus - 243 (+11)
Republican Conference - 192 (-6)
Independent Libertarian - 0 (-1)
Vacant - 0 (-4)

Because this result was, ahem, predictable, I'll have another piece of news later tonight for your enjoyment and pleasure.

[rpryor03]

BIDEN BREAKS TRADITION, ANNOUNCES ENVIRONMENTAL TEAM FIRST

Photo from Pintrest.

November 19, 2020 - Normally, the first Cabinet members announced come from the "big four" positions - Secretaries of State, Treasury, Defense, or Attorney General. However, disregarding that convention, President-elect Joe Biden announced his first Cabinet appointments today, all in positions focused around the environment.

The most important appointment made was Washington Governor Jay Inslee as Senior Advisor to the President for Climate Change. While it is believed that Inslee was initially offered the position of Secretary of the Interior, Inslee instead opted for this position, which will be focused on coordinating environmental and energy policy across the government.

In his place, Biden nominated Bill McKibben as Secretary of the Interior. An environmentalist and author, McKibben has written a number of books on the environment, and currently serves as Schumann Distinguished Scholar at Middlebury College. A member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, McKibben will be joined by former Bureau of Land Management Director Neil Kornze as his deputy.

Biden's Secretary of Agriculture will be Heidi Heitkamp, a former Senator from North Dakota. An attorney who worked for the EPA, she served as North Dakota's Tax Commissioner, and later as it's Attorney General, before running for Governor. Losing that race in 2000 to her later Senate colleague John Hoeven, she became involved with alternative energy before running for Senate in 2012. During her term in the Senate, she served on the Committee on Agriculture and advocated against President Trump's cuts to agriculture. Her deputy-designate, John Boyd, is the founder of the National Black Farmers Association.

Phillip Washington, CEO of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (a/k/a Metro), is the nominee for Secretary of Transportation. A 24-year veteran of the Army, Washington has led two major city transport systems, serving in Denver before moving to California. His experience includes public-private partnerships, light rail, commuter rail, voter levies, and finishing projects early. He has been the recipient of a number of awards from various organizations, including from the Obama Administration. His deputy, Janette Sadik-Khan, is a former commissioner of the New York City Department of Transportation, and currently works as an advisor for Bloomberg Associates.

One of the more recognizable politicians in America today, former Secretary of State John Kerry will serve as Secretary of Energy. A Navy veteran-turned-attorney, Kerry was Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts before joining the Senate, where he served for 28 years, chairing the Small Business and Foreign Relations committees. The failed Democratic nominee for President in 2004, he joined President Barack Obama's cabinet in 2013. A staunch environmentalist, Kerry is believed to have accepted this appointment to restore two of his signature achievements - the Iran Nuclear Deal and the Paris Climate Accords. Additionally, he, alongside Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, chaired the Climate Change committee for the Biden Campaign. His deputy, Dr. Daniel Kammen, is a fellow State Department alum, Nobel Peace Prize winner, and currently is a Professor at the University of California, Berkeley.

Catherine Flowers, founder of the Center for Rural Enterprise and Environmental Justice (CREEJ), is Biden's appointee for EPA Director. An internationally recognized advocate for water and sanitation, her book Waste: One Woman's Fight Against America's Dirty Secret, covers her story of fighting against raw sewage in rural communities.

These appointees join Biden's previously announced Executive Office team - Ron Klain as Chief of Staff, retired General John Allen as National Security Advisor, Anita Dunn as Communications Director, Ted Kaufman and Jen O'Malley Dillon as Counselors to the President, Cathy Russell as Chief of Staff to the First Lady, and three other Senior Advisors to the President - Steve Ricchetti for Policy, Mike Donilon for Political Affairs, and Susan Rice for Strategic Planning.

HOUSE ARCH-CONSERVATIVES GAIN GROUND IN CAUCUS ELECTIONS

Photo from The Hill.

November 23, 2020 - The House Freedom Caucus, the most conservative grouping of Republican Representatives, gained further power in today's caucus-wide elections. With eight ranking member positions open for the next Congress, two elections were won by either a member of the caucus or someone closely aligned with it. Representative Louie Gohmert of Texas and Representative Barry Loudermilk of Georgia will serve as Ranking Members of the Natural Resources Committee and the House Administration Committee, respectively, joining Freedom Caucus founder Jim Jordan as Ranking Members, as Jordan remains as Ranking Member of the Judiciary Committee. However, their other major challenge failed, as Representative Matt Gaetz of Florida failed to dethrone Liz Cheney of Wyoming as House Republican Conference Chair.

In other elections, the following Republicans were elected Ranking Members - Glenn Thompson (Agriculture), Cathy McMorris Rodgers (Energy and Commerce), Jackie Walorski (Ethics), Gus Bilirakis (Veterans Affairs), Brad Wenstrup (Intelligence), and Dan Newhouse (Modernization of Congress). The following Democrats were elected Committee Chairs for the next Congress - David Scott (Agriculture), Marcy Kaptur (Appropriations), Joaquin Castro (Foreign Affairs), and Eleanor Holmes Norton (Oversight and Reform).

In other House leadership elections, Elise Stefanik was named Republican Conference Vice Chair, Greg Pence was named Chair of the NRCC, and Cheri Bustos was returned for another term as DCCC Chair.

On the other side of the Capitol Building, the following new appointments were made: John Boozman as Agriculture Ranking Member, Jerry Moran as Banking Ranking Member, Lindsey Graham as Budget Ranking Member, Mike Crapo as Finance Ranking Member, Rand Paul as HELP Ranking Member, Chuck Grassley as Judiciary Ranking Member, Bill Cassidy as Veterans' Affairs Ranking Member, Richard Burr as Aging Ranking Member, Jeanne Shaheen as Ethics Chair, Brian Schatz as Indian Affairs Chair, and John Cornyn as Intelligence Ranking Member.

[Left Wing]

Who is the new Washington governor?

[Tekken_Guy]

Do you have margins for down ballot races?

[GM Team Member and Deputy PPT WB]

Who is the new Washington governor?

Gonna assume its Denny Heck since he seems to be a shoo-in for Lt gov

[Roll Roons]

Who is the new Washington governor?

Gonna assume its Denny Heck since he seems to be a shoo-in for Lt gov

Apparently he's running for Lt Gov because he assumes Inslee will get something in a Biden admin. And I think he's very likely to if they're going to take serious action on climate change.

[rpryor03]

HABIB TO RESIGN AND HECK TO SWEAR-IN EARLY

Photo from ShiftWA.

November 24, 2020 - As previously announced, Washington Lieutenant Governor Cyrus Habib and US Representative Denny Heck resigned from their positions today. With Governor Jay Inslee planning to resign in January to serve in the Biden Administration, Habib agreed to resign early, rather than finish the full term, so that Heck, the Lieutenant Governor-elect, may serve alongside Inslee for a month and a half before assuming the Governorship. Habib, a former State Senator, announced his retirement in March of this year, saying that he would be entering the formation process to become a Jesuit priest. Heck has served in the House since 2013 and was previously Chief of Staff to Governor Booth Gardner and Majority Leader of the State House.

BIDEN ANNOUNCES DOMESTIC POLICY TEAM

Photo from Mic.

November 30, 2020 - In a post-Thanksgiving surprise, President-elect Joe Bidden announced his second set of Cabinet appointments - to positions focusing on domestic policy. The main appointment was that of Tom Perez as Attorney General. Perez, the Democratic National Committee Chair, previously served as Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division and Secretary of Labor in the Obama Administration. Prior to that, he served as Martin O'Malley's Secretary of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation in Maryland. His Deputy will be Barbara Underwood, the current Solicitor General of New York, who previously served as Attorney General in between the tenures of Eric Schneiderman and Leticia James. Having served as an Assistant District Attorney in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens, she served in the Clinton and Bush Administrations as Principal Deputy Solicitor General and later, Acting Solicitor General.

One of Perez's successors at the Civil Rights Division, Vanita Gupta, will serve as Secretary of Homeland Security. A graduate of Yale and New York University, Gupta has been a staff lawyer at the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and the ACLU, where she was Deputy Legal Director. During her tenure at the ACLU, Gupta successfully argued a case against Immigration and Customs Enforcement, an agency she will soon be in charge of, which resulted in improved conditions for those detained in the T. Don Hutto Detention Center in Taylor, Texas. Her Deputy, Vice Admiral (ret.) Peter Neffenger, is the former Administrator of the Transportation Security Administration.

Two leading progressives will serve as Secretary and Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services - Dr. Don Berwick KBE and Dr. Abdul El-Sayed. Berwick, the former Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, has an MPP in addition to his MD and has spent his career in health care policy. Previously the CEO of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, he served as the lead author of the Berwick Report, which detailed patient safety issues in England's National Health Service. For this and other work, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth in 2005. He is currently a Senior Fellow of the Center for American Progress. El-Sayed is best known for his failed 2018 run for Governor of Michigan, but his resume includes a stint as Health Director for Detroit, and as Assistant Professor of Epidemiology at Columbia, as well as a Ph.D. in Public Health from Oriel College, Oxford. Both served on the Biden-Sanders Unity Task Force on Health Care.

Diane Yentel, President and CEO of the National Low Income Housing Coalition, will be the Secretary for Housing and Urban Development. Yentel's experience includes stints at Enterprise Community Partners, Oxfam America, the Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless, and the Peace Corps. She previously served at HUD as the director of the Public Housing Management and Occupancy Division.  Jamal Watkins, the NAACP's Vice President of Civic Engagement, will be her deputy.

Senator Michael Bennet is the nominee for Secretary of Education. With a wide range of political and corporate experience, he was Chief of Staff to John Hickenlooper before being selected as Superintendent of Denver Public Schools, where his tenure was highly-touted. In 2009, he was appointed to the Senate to replace Ken Salazar. In the Senate, Bennet has been active on a number of issues and has advised both President Obama and President-elect Biden on education policy. He ran an unsuccessful campaign for the presidency in 2020. His Deputy, Dr. Zakiya Smith Ellis, is New Jersey's Secretary of Higher Education.

In other appointments, Dr. Carolyn Clancy, current Deputy Under Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Discovery, Education, and Affiliate Networks will serve as Secretary of Veterans Affairs. Margot Dorfman, CEO and Co-Founder of the US Women's Chamber of Commerce, will be Administrator of the Small Business Administration. Heather McGhee, former president of Demos, will direct the Domestic Policy Council.

[rpryor03]

Do you have margins for down ballot races?

None specifically, although I could make some educated guesses if you have two or three in particular you wanted info on.

[Tekken_Guy]

Do you have margins for down ballot races?

None specifically, although I could make some educated guesses if you have two or three in particular you wanted info on.

Do all the flips and the races that were decided by less then 2%

[rpryor03]

FOREIGN POLICY TEAM REVEALED

Photo from Politico.

December 7, 2020 - In his third set of eagerly awaited nominations, President-elect Joe Biden announced his foreign policy team. While many had expected the announcement to be his economic policy team, transition team sources revealed that notable Biden endorsers had prepared a list of acceptable leaders that, due to being received late, were still being vetted. These leaders, Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Ed Markey (D-MA), and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) have all promised to vote down any nominee seen as insufficiently progressive, reminiscent of Warren's jesting charge in 2016 to Hillary Clinton that she would "vote them down if they've ever talked with [Larry, former Harvard President and Obama advisor] Summers."

Biden's choice for Secretary of State is his successor in the Senate, Chris Coons. A lawyer with a master's in ethics from Yale Divinity School, Coons did humanitarian work in Africa and in New York before attending law school. After a career in corporate and humanitarian law, he served on the New Castle County Council and as New Castle County Executive before being elected to the Senate in 2010. In the Senate, Coons has served on the Committee on Appropriations (and it's subcommittee on the Department of State), the Committee on Foreign Relations, and the Committee on the Judiciary (and it's subcommittee on crime and terrorism). Coons has experience in the Senate on championing issues relating to civil rights, Africa, the Middle East, and South America. His Deputy, Tom Perriello, is a former US Representative who served in the State Department as Special Representative for the Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review and then as Special Envoy for the African Great Lakes. After a failed run for Governor of Virginia in 2017, he currently works the Open Society Foundations.

Michèle Flournoy will be the first female Secretary of Defense, breaking her own record of "highest-ranking woman in the DoD" which she set by serving as Under Secretary of Defense for Policy from 2009 to 2012. Flournoy began her career as a Research Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School before serving as a Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense in the Clinton Administration. In between the Clinton and Obama Administrations, she was a researcher at the National Defense University, the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and the Center for a New American Security. Her Deputy, Thomas Countryman, is a career diplomat who was the Assistant Secretary of State for International Security and Nonproliferation and Acting Under Secretary of State for International Security Affairs.

In other Cabinet-level positions, former Mayor Pete Buttigieg will be Ambassador to the United Nations, former Biden National Security Advisor and Deputy Secretary of State Tony Blinken will serve as Director of National Intelligence, former National Security Advisor Tom Donilon will serve as CIA Director, and former Senator Doug Jones will direct the FBI. Additionally, Biden has announced that his former campaign advisor Symone Sanders will serve as Press Secretary.

UNDERWOOD AND BLUNT ROCHESTER TO BE APPOINTED TO SENATE

Photo from NBC News.

December 10, 2020 - With each of their states junior Senators needing to resign to serve in the Biden Administration, Governors J. B. Pritzker of Illinois and John Carney of Delaware have announced their planned appointees today to replace Tammy Duckworth and Chris Coons, respectively.

Pritzker has appointed Lauren Underwood, the current Representative from Illinois's 14th District. A registered nurse with a Master of Public Health degree, she previously served as a senior advisor in the Obama Administration. In 2018, she defeated incumbent Representative Randy Hultgren and is the Committee on Homeland Security's Vice Chair. Additionally, she founded the Black Maternal Health Caucus alongside Alma Adams of North Carolina.

Carney's appointee is Representative Lisa Blunt Rochester. She previously served in the Delaware state government before becoming CEO of the Wilmington Urban League. When Carney ran for Governor in 2016, Blunt Rochester successfully ran to succeed him in the House. In 2020, she was a co-chair of Joe Biden's successful presidential campaign and was a member of the vetting committee that helped select Duckworth as his Vice Presidential nominee. Blunt Rochester will serve alongside her former boss, Tom Carper, having worked for him as a caseworker when he was in the House, and then serving in his Cabinet when he was Governor.

OTHER HEADLINES
RBG to retire in 2021, sources say - The New York Times
"Threading the needle between Kelton and Summers": the search for the next Secretary of the Treasuty - Politico
Athletics to wait until February for White House visit - ESPN
In post-Covid Cabinet reshuffle, Sharma moves to health, Dowden and Hancock sacked and Business Department gets dismantled - The Guardian
"There is light at the end of the tunnel": Biden convenes transition committee on ending pandemic - NBC News

[America Needs a 13-6 Progressive SCOTUS]

Ugh please not Chris Coons as SoS. That would be awful.

[😥]

Chris Coons would be great SoS

[mjwatts1983]

Who replaces Bennett in CO? Probably someone in the state legislature

[rpryor03]

MCSALLY 2.0.: POLIS APPOINTS ROMANOFF TO SENATE

Photo from 7News Denver.

December 14, 2020 - Weeks after the announcement of Michael Bennet as Secretary of Education, Colorado Governor Jared Polis has finally appointed his replacement for the Senate - former State House Speaker Andrew Romanoff. Romanoff, who spent four years as Speaker of the Colorado House, unsuccessfully attempted to primary Bennet in 2010, lost to Mike Coffman in the 6th district in 2014, and lost the 2020 Senate primary to John Hickenlooper. "Andrew knows and loves the people of Colorado," Polis said in a statement. "We can all trust him to represent our values well in the Senate."

According to sources close to Polis and other Colorado Democrats, Romanoff was not Polis's first choice. With redistricting on the horizon, all current Democratic members of the House of Representatives - Diana DeGette, Joe Neguse, Jason Crow, and Ed Perlmutter - feel safe in their seats and would like to remain in the House. He got similar reactions from state legislature leaders and is supposedly wanting to keep his current executive team in place. Additionally, Denver Mayor Michael Hancock has sexual harassment allegations, Crisanta Duran is out of favor due to attempting to primary DeGette, and there were no viable statewide candidates elsewhere in Polis's mind. Romanoff, an avowed progressive, will be up for re-election in 2022.

BIDEN REVEALS FINAL CABINET APPOINTMENTS

Photo from Daily Kos.

December 18, 2020 - Almost a month and a half after his election victory, President-elect Joe Biden has announced his final appointments to the Cabinet after a drawn-out and protracted discussion between the Biden camp and influential progressives in the Senate. Former Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Sarah Bloom Raskin will serve as the first female Secretary of the Treasury. An attorney and regulator who served on the Federal Reserve Board, Raskin made a name for herself as a sharp mind with a clear focus on consumer protection and income inequality. Married to Representative Jamie Raskin of Maryland, she currently is a fellow at Duke University. Her deputy will be Benjamin Harris, Executive Director of the Kellog Public-Private Interface at Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management and former Chief Economist and Economic Policy Advisor to Biden during a portion of his vice presidency and on the 2020 campaign.

Former Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Richard Cordray will serve as Secretary of Commerce. A lawyer who clerked for Robert Bork and Anthony Kennedy, Cordray served in a number of positions in Ohio, including Solicitor General, Treasurer, and Attorney General. He was appointed to the CFPB in 2011 and served until the end of 2017, resigning to embark on a failed run for Governor of Ohio. Close with the "mother of the CFPB," Elizabeth Warren, it is believed that she supported this appointment. In addition to all that, he is a Jeopardy! champion. His deputy, Sam Jammal, is an attorney who previously served in the Commerce Department during the Obama administration.

Marty Walsh, the Mayor of Boston, is the nominee from Secretary of Labor. A member of the Laborers' Union and it's President of Local 223 for over 20 years, he served in the State House from 1997 until 2013, when he was elected Mayor. He has served as Co-Chair of the Massachusetts Democratic Labor Party Caucus, Secretary-Treasurer of the Boston Metropolitan District Building Trades Council, and head of the Boston Building Trades. Jenny Yang, former Chair of the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and current Urban Institute fellow, will serve as his deputy.

Other appointments include Dr. Susan Helper as Trade Representative, Federal Trade Commissioner and former CFPB Assistant Director Rohit Chopra as CFPB Director, Nobel Prize winner Dr. Joseph Stiglitz as Director of the National Economic Council, and Dr. Heather Boushey as Chair of the Council of Economic Advisors.

OTHER HEADLINES FROM DECEMBER 2020
Will Wu run? Handicapping the field for our next Mayor - The Boston Globe
Aurora Mayor declares run for Underwood's seat - Chicago Sun-Times
Will any Trump want to save New York City? - Breitbart
Matthew Denn's campaign machine revs back up - The News Journal
Anthony Davis named Sportsman of the Year, LeBron James wins Muhammad Ali Legacy Award - Sports Illustrated

[NewYorkExpress]

I've got two quibbles about that Biden cabinet.

One is Kerry as Secretary of Energy. I'm not sure it's a cabinet position he'd be particularly good at (then again, I'd rather have Al Gore in the position).

The other is Coons as Secretary of State. Don't get me wrong, I like Chris Coons, but I don't think he's a good choice for this position.

I would have gone with Marie Yovanovitch, as, Biden's Secretary of State-designate.

Did Yovanovitch get some other position in the Biden State Department?

[Mike Thick]

It's a TL y'all. Chill

[NewYorkExpress]

It's a TL y'all. Chill

I am quite chill. Did you see anything that sounded like an insult in that post?

[mjwatts1983]

Colorado Senate appointment: ooof...

That’s also going to be interesting with Hickenlooper in the Senate. The D primary between those two kinda turned ugly in the end but the Gardner campaign ran ads to try to influence the campaign

Some names I could see Polis filling that seat: Reneé Zenzinger, Leslie Herod, Daneya Esgar, Kerry Donovan, Brittany Petersen

Crisanta Duran was part of Dems for Ed Reform in NY. She pretty much sunk her political future by trying to primarying DeGette. Rumor mill has it that she wanted to run for Senate but got some bad advice from her inner circle. When DeGette retires, expect a very wide open D primary in that very D district.

What new US House seats did the Census spit out? CO is on pace to get a new CD. It will be done by an independent commission as approved by the voters in... I think 2018.

Currently
CO-1: Denver
CO-2: Boulder-Fort Collins
CO-3: Western Slope
CO-4: Eastern Plains
CO-5: Colorado Springs
CO-6: Aurora-Eastern Denver Metro Suburbs
CO-7: Jefferson County-Western Suburbs

As some of y’all can tell, I’m versed in CO politics, but my eyes are on TX where I grew up. I hear TX could be a big winner in congressional representation, question is: did Ds flip the state House to have some say in redistributing, where are the seats going to be located, what is Abbott-Patrick going to do to try to keep a blue/red for this site TX from emerging, and could TX be NC & PA redux in redistributing?

I have an interest in VA too. I was in the Navy when George Allen set his political future on fire with remarks that eventually hit YouTube in its early days.

Also, love the other news headlines. Kinda curious about the international scene. How is Trudeau doing in minority up in Canada?

I see the As won the World Series. Are folks placing * since the season was 60 games? How did I they get in (win AL West, 2nd place, or one of the two best 3rd place division teams in the 16-team tournament).

How is the NFL season going? CFB? Who won the Stanley Cup? NBA Finals?

I know so many questions about the possible future....

[rpryor03]

Colorado Senate appointment: ooof...

That’s also going to be interesting with Hickenlooper in the Senate. The D primary between those two kinda turned ugly in the end but the Gardner campaign ran ads to try to influence the campaign

Some names I could see Polis filling that seat: Reneé Zenzinger, Leslie Herod, Daneya Esgar, Kerry Donovan, Brittany Petersen

Crisanta Duran was part of Dems for Ed Reform in NY. She pretty much sunk her political future by trying to primarying DeGette. Rumor mill has it that she wanted to run for Senate but got some bad advice from her inner circle. When DeGette retires, expect a very wide open D primary in that very D district.

What new US House seats did the Census spit out? CO is on pace to get a new CD. It will be done by an independent commission as approved by the voters in... I think 2018.

Currently
CO-1: Denver
CO-2: Boulder-Fort Collins
CO-3: Western Slope
CO-4: Eastern Plains
CO-5: Colorado Springs
CO-6: Aurora-Eastern Denver Metro Suburbs
CO-7: Jefferson County-Western Suburbs

As some of y’all can tell, I’m versed in CO politics, but my eyes are on TX where I grew up. I hear TX could be a big winner in congressional representation, question is: did Ds flip the state House to have some say in redistributing, where are the seats going to be located, what is Abbott-Patrick going to do to try to keep a blue/red for this site TX from emerging, and could TX be NC & PA redux in redistributing?

I have an interest in VA too. I was in the Navy when George Allen set his political future on fire with remarks that eventually hit YouTube in its early days.

Also, love the other news headlines. Kinda curious about the international scene. How is Trudeau doing in minority up in Canada?

I see the As won the World Series. Are folks placing * since the season was 60 games? How did I they get in (win AL West, 2nd place, or one of the two best 3rd place division teams in the 16-team tournament).

How is the NFL season going? CFB? Who won the Stanley Cup? NBA Finals?

I know so many questions about the possible future....

Wow, thank you for these thoughts. Information on redistricting overall will come out in the next few months. Again, following KingSweden's lead, you'll get full info on the districts during the 2022 elections with a potential for some noteworthy seats discussed in the lead up to it. The Texas Republicans, unfortunately, still hold the trifecta so they will, no doubt, be up to their usual shenanigans. However, I can confirm that there will be some redistricting shenanigans even crazier than that (including a map that I believe is one of the best I've ever made).

Sports-wise, the As win the AL West and are seeded second in the playoffs, defeating the Twins, Rays, Yankees, and the Braves. College football ends us being canceled for the year due to Covid, the Lakers win the NBA Finals, and most people in America still don't care about hockey.

[America Needs R'hllor]

Underwood and Blunt Rochester are great! Oof about Romanoff, though. Nice TL!

[Left Wing]

Phil HAS to get his revenge in 2022