David Nir

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Publisher, @the-downballot.com. davidnir (at) the-downballot (dot) com Our site: https://the-downballot.com

Why it matters: Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.) was a staunch progressive, not a moderate, these members are privately fuming. So why did she become a target of the left? "One more case in the growing dynamic of performative politics," one House Democrat, speaking on the condition of anonymity to share candid analysis on the results, told Axios. "Diana was an excellent representative with seniority — but the style of someone younger and more outspoken has become more attractive to that cohort of motivated urban left voters." A senior House Democrat called the result a "wake-up call" for members of Congress
BREAKING: Rosen Applauds Supreme Court Decision Protecting Birthright Citizenship WASHINGTON, DC - Today, U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) issued a statement applauding the Supreme Court’s decision in the Trump vs. Barbara case, striking down Donald Trump’s unconstitutional attempt to take away citizenship from children born in the U.S. “It has always been clear: a child born in the United States is an American citizen,” said Senator Rosen. “I applaud the Supreme Court’s decision today to defend the U.S. Constitution and honor the right to automatic citizenship for all U.S.-born children. Today’s decision also makes clear that Donald Trump is not above the law, and he cannot unilaterally take away anyone’s constitutional rights.” Senator Rosen has led Congressional efforts to protect citizenship for children born in the U.S. In February, Senator Rosen led an amicus brief in Trump vs. Barbara, demanding the protection of birthright citizenship as guaranteed by the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Last year, she led Senate colleagues in introducing the Born in the USA Act, which would effectively block the implementation of President Trump’s unconstitutional Executive Order attempting to end automatic citizenship for children born in the United States.
And Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, the president of the Senate who lost the Republican nomination for governor Tuesday, added that “we owe it to the voters that elected us to deliver on this critical issue.” “I stand behind the governor’s plan to redraw the maps during this special session,” Jones said. “Failure to deliver is not an outcome I am willing to accept. We need to do our jobs and get this done.”
It’s not dead enough that top Democrats will go on the record. But when I asked a very influential Democratic insider if they thought Democrats would go through with it, their response was “I don’t think so.” Here’s the reasoning: Democrats are increasingly confident they can go from a 9-3 Democratic delegation to 10-2 without having to redraw the map. They won’t be able to get anything beyond 11-1 through redistricting. And even getting there would likely require uncomfortable votes and maybe court fights. “Lawyers are the ones who will make money. And we’ll be subject to whatever the courts decide, and they’ll probably say this is a little bit of a stretch,” the Democrat told me.
9:32 PM]bkhipsterball: @Quinn Yeargain Are there merits to single subject requirements, or are they simply mechanisms to suppress direct democracy? [9:41 PM]Quinn Yeargain: I have a three-part answer: in theory, yes. it does make sense to say that unrelated measures should not be included with each other. preventing logrolling and allowing voters a legitimate choice makes sense. if there's going to be a broader revision to a constitution that includes a ton of changes, many of which are unrelated, it should be presented as a new constitution. I don't know that there's any particular remedy for a violation of single subject for, say, a statute or something. in practice, there is no objective way to police what a "subject" is or when there is more than one of them. I have found this quote from a legendary Oregon Supreme Court justice helpful when teaching the concept: I question whether characterizing the "one subject" of a measure is a usable legal test for its constitutionality, or whether it simply compels endless conceptual manipulation, controversy, and litigation unless it is refined. The Linnean system of classifying plants and animals offers a familiar illustration. A measure to control the anopheles mosquito deals with a particular genus. Try to control gypsy moths as well as mosquitos, and your "subject" skips past families and orders to the class of insects. Add rattlesnakes and ragwort, and the measure simply vaults past the separate plant and animal kingdoms to the "subject" of controlling "dangerous organisms," or perhaps "pests." Measures to preserve "endangered species," "the environment," or "public health," or to prevent "pollution" are similar examples. so, as a voter I would always vote against it, and when teaching it, I take a super cynical/realistic position and make a point of basically saying "learn what your jurisdiction says because there are no universal rules."
The California gubernatorial primary is a so-called “jungle” primary, meaning that all candidates, from any party, run against one another in a single election. If one candidate receives more than fifty per cent of the vote, they immediately win the election. Otherwise, the two candidates who receive the most votes face each other in the general election in November.
I called two Democratic senators I saw express skepticism about redistricting before Scutari’s comments: Vin Gopal and Andrew Zwicker. Neither’s opinion has changed. “I still have strong concerns on any type of redistricting,” Gopal said. “I understand that it’s happening all over the country. It’s hard for me to stomach this one. I still believe in a system of fairness, and I don’t think two wrongs make a right.” Democrats just aren’t sure the effort is worth the payoff. They’ve never been more bullish on ousting Rep. Tom Kean Jr. The potential of gaining one addition seat doesn’t seem worth a gargantuan effort.
Patrick Ruffini @PatrickRuffini This path to a not-terrible midterm now seems more plausible: - Some kind of successful resolution on Iran - Trump then goes to the Artemis splashdown - America 250 good vibes - Midterm convention - Actually force Dems to take bad votes on things like deporting criminals 7:38 AM · Apr 8, 2026 ·Twitter for iPhone