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Aug 21, 2025Edited
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JanusIanitos's avatar

The party wide national committee always has more fundraising for the party holding the presidency. That disparity does look a decent bit larger than typical to me but that's a hazy recollection, so I could be wrong. We should expect the RNC to outraise the DNC the entire time we're out of power. Holding the presidency does a lot to enable big ticket national party fundraising.

Techno00's avatar

How will this affect 2026? Should we be concerned?

I’ll note that a fear I have is that Martin will be thrown out, but that instead of Wikler being the replacement, it will be some neoliberal hack who tries to screw over progressives. Notably, a lot of opposition to Martin has been from the business lobby.

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Aug 21, 2025Edited
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michaelflutist's avatar

When we've discussed R+ districts in California before, it's been stated that support for Republicans tends to be pretty inflexible in Republican areas of the state, so I'm guessing that safe-R is the correct opening rating in such a district.

Zack from the SFV's avatar

Ken Calvert vs Young Kim. Kevin Kiley is in a NorCal seat east of Sacramento. While I like to say that "Young Kim is getting old fast", I think she would be favored against the ancient and corrupt GOP backbencher Ken Calvert. He has been in Congress since 1993 but is still most famous for getting a blowjob from a sex worker in his car. He didn't even get a room, which would have stimulated the local tourist hospitality industry. The other thing he is known for is securing funding for a freeway exit that would increase the value of some land he owned nearby. He is a complete waste of a seat in Congress...

the lurking ecologist's avatar

Social media ad from Young Kim: Ken Calvert doesn't even support the hospitality industry by getting a room. IYKYK. Lol Not sure Gen Z/Millennials would care, but it cracks me up.

Jay's avatar

Ok, so if every republican state that has threatened to re-gerrymander follows through (TX, IN, MO, FL, OH) but CA responds, dems would need to win nearly all of the remaining toss up seats to get to 218. But if the VRA is destroyed, southern states like LA, MS, AL, and SC could eliminate their black majority seats. GA might eliminate Bishop Jr's seat as well, maybe more. Then dems would need to win every toss up seat and a handful of "reach" seats (Whittman VA-1, Huizenga MI-4, maybe Gonzalez TX-34 can hang on etc.) to have a chance at 218. Very difficult, but possible.

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Aug 21, 2025Edited
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Jay's avatar

Right I just wanted to figure out if dems could still win in the worst case scenario.

John Carr's avatar

If the VRA is destroyed and Republicans eliminate Dem seats in the states you mention, Dems would have to make every district in Illinois (except maybe one)spindle into Chicago. Dems would also have to go for 8-0 in Maryland. And if they can do NY redistricting in 2028, draw all four LI districts into NYC and of course pair SI with Lower Manhattan rather than the Bay Ridge/Bensonhurst area (this should have been done in 2024 and it wouldn’t have even looked particularly bad). They’d also have to pair the most R parts of Rockland county with the Bronx in order to make NY-17 unwinnable for Lawler or any Republican.

Mark's avatar

Yep. It will require a D+10 electorate for the Dems to win the House if only one-sided redrawing of district lines occurs.

Anonymous's avatar

I'm sure Nina Turner's general strike will fix that

Diogenes's avatar

In an attempt at vote rigging as brazen as gerrymandering, Governor Ron DeSantis and Attorney General James Uthmeier are insisting that Florida's population was undercounted by the Census and that the state now be given an additional seat in Congress. https://floridaphoenix.com/2025/08/20/florida-to-feds-give-us-another-congressional-seat-or-more-federal-funds/

Paleo's avatar

Just using it as an excuse to gain support for DeSantismander II.

Ethan (KingofSpades)'s avatar

And if they don't get it? Why are they so caught up in something that can't be granted? The law is clear, with no "silence is consent" BS: https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/13/141

Ethan (KingofSpades)'s avatar

Furthermore, any "recounts" (a special census in this case) are very narrow in scope and don't revise the decennial counts: https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/specialcensus.html

The only possible relief (though it would still be a stretch) would be a Count Question Resolution, which closed off new applications 2 years ago: https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census/decade/2020/planning-management/evaluate/cqr.html

brendan fka HoosierD42's avatar

People get missed in the count every Census. Sucks to suck.

Diogenes's avatar

And in every state. Is an undercount more likely in Florida than in, say, New York or California?

MPC's avatar

Didn't RDS burn bridges with the FL legislature last year? Some of the stuff he tried this year got killed in committee or didn't make it to a vote.

He doesn't have that pull like he did in 2022, pushing those 13 week and 6-week abortion bans through as well as his failed culture war on Disney and making voters renew their VBM mail request after every federal election (instead of every 4 years).

Henrik's avatar

https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2025/02/26/decline-of-christianity-in-the-us-has-slowed-may-have-leveled-off/

Pew’s religiosity survey from earlier in the year finds the demographic decline of Christianity still occurring, if at a slower pace than previously. One interesting aspect that seems anecdotally correct to me is the narrowing of the traditional aspect of women being more religious than men

Techno00's avatar

I'm actually not sure how to feel about this, as a left-wing Lutheran Christian who despises what has become of my religion. On one hand, a lot of contemporary Christians have effectively brought it upon themselves, but on the other, there are still a lot of liberal Christians out there -- I know several.

MPC's avatar

I'm conflicted about it too. I grew up going to white evangelical churches and it never took. One of the big reasons why were the flyers I saw in the church lobby post 9/11, saying that we should pray for Muslim people and gay people. And I'm like, why and for what? And when I was sitting through sermons, I didn't like how long they were and the political undertones some of the older pastors were pushing (especially post 2008 election).

I went to a liberal arts college in Virginia that was affiliated with UMC -- and it was much better. There was a stronger emphasis on service and community and less on "saving" people. But I was still pretty agnostic up until I went to a Greek Orthodox service two years ago. It was a spiritual awakening, it was beautiful, and it felt completely aligned with my progressive views.

I feel grateful to UMC and the Greek Orthodox Church for my spiritual awakening. The Christian nationalist movement can go to hell as far I'm concerned.

Henrik's avatar

I grew up attending Eastern Orthodox services and while I wouldn’t quite say I found it progressive it was definitely spiritual and apolitical in a very profound way, and also inoculated me sufficiently to detect how much of American evangelicalism is nonsensical bullshit

MPC's avatar

I'll grant that the Orthodox Church is not progressive, but it's more of a moderate mentality. It's also more evenly split politically, so you have elected officials like former Dem House Rep Mary Petola-AK (Russian Orthodox), Dem House Rep Chris Pappas- NH (gay and Greek Orthodox), his fellow NH Rep Maggie Goodlander (GO) and Rep House Rep Nicole Malliotakis (NY, also GO).

With that kind of composition, there's not much incentive for Orthodox leadership to entertain unpopular culture wars.

Brad Warren's avatar

Churches that emphasize liturgy over preaching tend to be less overtly political.

MPC's avatar

I agree. I find it hilarious that evangelical leaders whine about less people going to church -- well, they should look in a mirror to see why.

Henrik's avatar

I’d never have guessed NH has two GO members in the House!

Brad Warren's avatar

As someone who moonlights as an ELCA church organist and is drawn toward liturgical Protestantism (son of a Catholic and a Methodist, so I guess that was a logical place to land!), I too have very mixed feelings.

I fear that the future of "denominational" churches (especially those of a liberal bent) is that they will be clustered in large cities and their moneyed suburbs, and all but die everywhere else.

MPC's avatar

On a related note, the infamous fundamentalist James Dobson kicked the bucket today. I would place him and the equally reviled Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson and John MacArthur as the main reasons why people are leaving religion entirely or going to a more affirming sect.

Religion and politics should never mix. And our country is all the worse for the unholy Republican and Christian nationalism/Opus Dei alliance that started under Reagan.

Henrik's avatar

Well, all I’ll say re: Dobson is he is in for one “Hell” of a surprise when he arrives at a different destination than he thought

Zack from the SFV's avatar

Yeah, if those places exist he is going to the one with the New Jersey hockey players and not the Anaheim baseball players. (NJ has the Devils; Anaheim has the Angels.)

michaelflutist's avatar

I haven't finished reading the Pew report, but the trend had been for mainline religions to lose adherents while extreme right-wing religions gained adherents. Have evangelical forms of Christianity lost adherents in the U.S. on net?

Henrik's avatar

Since 2007, as a proportion of population, yes. Mainlines have simply shed members faster

MPC's avatar

What's interesting is that upwards of 75% of people who identified as Muslim, Jewish or Hindu during childhood still identify with it as adults. Compared to 66% of Orthodox Christians or 57% of Roman Catholics.

JanusIanitos's avatar

That makes some sense to me. Those religions have substantial overlap with specific minority groups in the US. For them, religious activity will play double duty as ways to maintain association with people of a similar ethnic background. That's far less applicable to christianity in the US.

the lurking ecologist's avatar

This tracks with my experience. Growing up in the Upper Midwest all my friends who were religious/church-going Catholics have since dropped out and shifted from R to D except for my friend who is a priest (ha!). Those who were Muslim or Jewish remain. My protestant friends were mostly like me and quit church in college.

Now living in the South, the local Catholic church appears to be thriving and their community service is excellent. The discord in the UMC is tearing it apart and we refuse to attend the local one anymore even on holidays with inlaws. But the Baptists seem to be staying the course.

JanusIanitos's avatar

Well, with all of those people going non-religious, that probably isn't who they're thanking!

michaelflutist's avatar

I don't usually say "Thank God", but it seemed appropriate in this context. :-)

Toiler On the Sea's avatar

Doesn't really matter when a lot of folks are not secularizing into humanism a la northern Europe but MAGA-ism.

michaelflutist's avatar

What percentage of Trump supporters are non-religious?

michaelflutist's avatar

That's a really interesting and comprehensive survey and report, as usual.

Henrik's avatar

This’ll be a good test of how much juice Trump and the Wilks/Dunn machine have to destroy him in a primary

Diogenes's avatar

Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) has announced his candidacy for state attorney general to succeed Ken Paxton, who is running for the Senate. Although Roy voted to certify the 2020 election, criticized the January 6 insurrection, and called for Paxton's resignation, he generally represents the far-right reaches of MAGA, as demonstrated by his candidacy statement: "Texas is under assault — from open-border politicians, radical leftists and faceless foreign corporations that threaten our sovereignty, safety and our way of life. . . . No more Soros-funded judges and [district attorneys] putting criminals on our streets. No more judge-made mandates that Texas pay for illegals in our public schools. No more communities built on Sharia law." https://www.texastribune.org/2025/08/21/chip-roy-attorney-general-republican-primary-2026-paxton/

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Aug 21, 2025
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Diogenes's avatar

But if the environment is bad for Republicans nationally, why would a Republican member of Congress give up incumbency to run for a state office (as a Republican)?

Brad Warren's avatar

Longer terms, more independence, not having to serve in the minority if Democrats win the House, clearer path to higher office (Abbott can't live forever), not based in DC, etc.

Henrik's avatar

Roy is probably betting he’d have a leg up on Patrick in 2030 as a “fresher” face and he may not be wrong

Brad Warren's avatar

Short of successfully running for POTUS (ugh), I'm not convinced that Abbott will ever voluntarily give up the governorship.

Anonymous's avatar

Patrick will be 80 in 2030. His chance to be Governor probably passed when Abbott announced he was running again. The winner of the AG's race will be in a really good spot to succeed Abbott since Patrick won't run.

Diogenes's avatar

Those are cogent reasons for running for state office, but not necessarily signs of an impending blue wave. If there is a Democratic wave, it is likely to affect candidates at the state level at least as much as those on the national level.

Brad Warren's avatar

Well, 2018 was a very good year for Democrats, and we failed to flip a single statewide office in Texas.

Diogenes's avatar

Did Democrats flip any Congressional seats in Texas in 2018?

Anonymous's avatar

And Paxton and Patrick would both lose before Roy does.

the lurking ecologist's avatar

You are practically promised a win at the state level if you make it out of the primary in, say, SC (Norman and Mace). Appearances are you'll be in the minority in DC and except for Bacon you may have no relationship with the future majority to get anything done/mediated.

sacman701's avatar

"No more communities built on Sharia law" seems like an easy promise to keep seeing as Texas doesn't have any in the first place.

Henrik's avatar

Problems are easy to claim to have been fixed if they were already nonexistent!

Brad Warren's avatar

Get some new bogeymen, people! Shari'a panic is so 2010.

stevk's avatar

Right? Haven't we moved onto "groomers" or "illegal aliens" or some other such nonsense at this point?

RainDog2's avatar

There is a planned "Muslim-themed" purpose built community in North Texas that the right wing is currently having a freakout about.

Zero Cool's avatar

Chip Roy succeeding Ken Paxton?

Oh god….

PollJunkie's avatar

https://www.axios.com/2025/08/21/trump-redistricting-republican-100-seats-mail-voting

"Trump lays out his redistricting endgame: A 100 seat Republican majority"

Too high on his own supply (and Truth Social feed).

User's avatar
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Aug 21, 2025Edited
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Paleo's avatar

A majority did not vote for him.

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Aug 21, 2025Edited
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MPC's avatar

He’s so stupid.

Guy Cohen's avatar

That is virtually impossible.

Anonymous's avatar

No I think if he can push inflation north of 4% for no reason Republicans will definitely start winning House seats in Honolulu and Atlanta.

Henrik's avatar

I’m struggling to see how mail voting has anything to do with this when the GOP regularly cleans up in heavy mail states like Utah, Arizona and Florida

PollJunkie's avatar

Putin gave him the idea and told him that Democrats commit mail in fraud. Yes, it's true.

michaelflutist's avatar

It's not like Trump hasn't ranted about it before.

MPC's avatar

Utah is scrapping their all-mail voting after 2028 -- come 2029, voters have to request and provide voter ID information to get VBM ballots. We can thank Project 2025 for that.

Brad Warren's avatar

Because he's still fixated on the "big massive dumps" (his words) that sealed Biden's swing-state victories in 2020.

Marcus Graly's avatar

The "logic" is that it "explains" his 2020 loss, since Democrats disproportionately used mail ballots in that election. Doesn't matter than evidence doesn't otherwise support claims that mail ballots favor one side or the other. It's all about his own internal narrative around 2020.

Brad Warren's avatar

God, that's even more bonkers than Kevin McCarthy's prediction of 70 seats flipping Republican in 2022.

PollJunkie's avatar

NEW JERSEY poll (Rutgers-Eagleton) 1650 LV from July 31-Aug 11

🔵 Mikie Sherrill 47%

🔴 Jack Ciattarelli 37%

White voters: Ciattarelli 44-38

Black voters: Sherrill 69-4

Hispanic voters: Sherrill 56-22

Asian voters: Sherrill 47-18

https://x.com/umichvoter/status/1958482952267989395

Welcome back Biden coalition! Minorities voted Trump for a secure border and lower prices but he gave them tariffs, inflation, mass deportations and blood and soil racism instead.

Burt Kloner's avatar

Loads of comments on x ripping the pollster...probably just a bunch of mental defectives looking for an excuse...is there anything to the ranting that this pollster sux?

Paleo's avatar

Rutgers Eagleton is the leading pollster in New Jersey and has been polling the state for decades. Except for the Christie Whitman races where they first underestimated and then overestimated her, they have a good track record.

Burt Kloner's avatar

thanks, that is what I thought. Those ripping Rutgers Eagleton are looking for something to help them get through the day and sleep better tonight.

bpfish's avatar

Anyone who expects something different from New Jersey in this political climate is probably not politically astute enough to judge a pollster's credibility.

michaelflutist's avatar

As was obvious to anyone who remembered his first term or listened to what he said. Fucking morons!

sacman701's avatar

You love to see that Hispanic number, especially considering that Harris *lost* Nellie Pou's district.

Brad Warren's avatar

Hopefully we're seeing LIFO (Last In, First Out) in action.

PollJunkie's avatar

She's potentially facing a primary challenge from Mayor Sayegh BTW.

michaelflutist's avatar

I wish they'd make the redistricting tougher...

Kevin H.'s avatar

Yea allowing Valadao a fighters chance is ridiculous in light of other Republican states also redistricting.

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Aug 22, 2025Edited
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brendan fka HoosierD42's avatar

As pointed out in the Downballot podcast, Lofgren has been doing media hits backing the redistricting effort, I wonder if it's more Assembly Speaker Rivas keeping the district bluer so he can run.

Paleo's avatar

Trump says free felon Tina Peters or he’s going to take “harsh measures.”

https://x.com/mehdirhasan/status/1958549835730100486

MPC's avatar

More hot air from FDJT's fanny to distract from the Epstein files.

Henrik's avatar

It is depressing how much we shrug off his bonkers statements as hot air, though

MPC's avatar

I get through each day by reminding myself "he's termed out and he can't change it."

Brad Warren's avatar

Oh, he'll try to change it. (I have no doubt there will be another attempted autogolpe in 2028 or early 2029, unless his cult is over him and/or he's shuffled off this mortal coil by that point.)

Toiler On the Sea's avatar

Hegseth is trying but I think he carries so little respect that attempts to convert the military into a loyalist brigade for Trump will fail.

Henrik's avatar

You need a Mattis or Kelly type for that and Hegseth is definitely not a Mattis or a Kelly

michaelflutist's avatar

You're counting on military personnel to disobey orders? I'd be very cautious about that! By the way, how well behaved have the National Guard been in L.A.?

Anonymous's avatar

Fwiw my fiance's brother is stationed at Bragg/Liberty and was required to go stand behind Trump for his weird ass speech and 90% of his (pretty conservative paratrooper friends) thought it was gross and weird. I don't think the rank and file military are hardcore MAGA and wouldn't en masse be down for a coup.

Brad Warren's avatar

Maybe he can spring George Santos next. (It just doesn't seem fair that the Ravishing Ravache has already spent more time behind bars than Trump likely ever will.)

Anonymous's avatar

George Santos and Eric Adams should get to hang around the Capitol and City Hall, respectively, as court jesters.

Ethan (KingofSpades)'s avatar

It's times like this I'm glad Sirhan Sirhan is incarcerated for the rest of his miserable life under state charges and James Earl Ray is long dead.

homerun1's avatar

Sirhan Sirhan was actually granted parole by his parole board in 2021. Thankfully, Gov. Newsom overrode that decision.

Ethan (KingofSpades)'s avatar

Ugh, and he was without remorse. If one of his cell mates (Carman Falzone) in the 1970s told it true, Sirhan was a Gaddafi fanboy who proudly embraced his role in changing history.

michaelflutist's avatar

He ought to have kept the rancor private. Thanks for your decades of service, Lloyd.

Henrik's avatar

How much VRA juice (at least in the black seats) is there in challenging these maps (for now)

Anonymous's avatar

They're VRA compliant

Paleo's avatar

Biden got 49% in the revised CD 35 and Allred 48%? Plus it’s majority Latino? Doggett has a point.

Henrik's avatar

I agree. If the Biden coalition re-asserts itself then it’s a plain dummymander.

Brad Warren's avatar

Which would hardly be a surprising outcome of trying to gerrymander a map that was already a pretty egregious gerrymander in the first place! (The media often neglect to point that out.)

Mike Johnson's avatar

I thought only 10 percent of Casar's old district would be in this new CD35? He would hardly be a true incumbent in such a district.

Kevin H.'s avatar

I mean Doggett would have defeated Casar if he ran so people should thank him for his sacrifice.

Kevin H.'s avatar

In Austin? Doggetts not losing to Casar.

Zero Cool's avatar

CA-40:

Who do you think would advance to the general election if they face off against each other in the top two primary?

Ken Calvert or Young Kim?

Zero Cool's avatar

I concur.

Also, Kim is one of the least controversial House Republicans and has projects a more moderate image than Calvert, which is appealing to independents.

michaelflutist's avatar

How did she get that reputation?

Zero Cool's avatar

I took out “reputation” and mentioned “projects more of a moderate image” instead to better explain my argument.

Because of taking more of a middle of the road approach to issues like the Defund the Police issue instead of being an ideologue like Ken Calvert.

Not arguing she’s got a great track record on issues in general but in my observation, Young Kim hasn’t got the issues that Ken Calvert does. There’s certainly plenty to scrutinize Kim for as far as her record is concerned but she’s also gotten re-elected by double digits. Calvert has not in his last two elections.

Kim was against Defunding the Police but supported efforts to reform the police so they don’t do commit excessive police brutality. Would Calvert even try this while in office? No he wouldn’t.

Kim btw has been criticized by Democrats, at least by the DCCC, as helping support the House GOP in defunding the FBI. Again, she’s not great but she’s also no Michelle Steele either.

https://www.ocregister.com/2020/06/17/change-is-necessary-defunding-the-police-is-not-young-kim/?noamp=mobile

https://dccc.org/young-kims-republican-national-convention-day-2-defunding-law-enforcement-again/

Zero Cool's avatar

I also took a closer look:

Young Kim worked with Abigail Spanberger on law enforcement legislation as far as police staffing and such.

michaelflutist's avatar

Calvert should care about suspects' rights, considering that he was one...

Zero Cool's avatar

True. Calvert’s got quite the history!

Burt Kloner's avatar

Kim, and it probably would not be real close.

D S's avatar

New to commenting here, but I'll note that the maps used for the Mississippi Supreme Court are the same ones as the Public Service Commission and Transportation Commission, and I don't have 2024 numbers, but the 2nd district did vote for Biden 52.6-46.2, and the members for both the Public Service Commission and Transportation Commission are Democrats, don't know what way the supreme court justices lean, though

https://davesredistricting.org/maps#viewmap::28f274c5-ebdb-4a60-8d6b-52ac12cb46f5