2018 Elections

Fortune reports: As the first Democratic presidential debate on Wednesday may be seen in boxing parlance as the undercard match, Thursday’s highly anticipated matchup will definitely be the main event. Four of the 10 leading Democratic candidates in the polls will face off in Miami to these posing issues: Will Bernie Sanders waste no time and go all-in on former …

Pete Buttigieg writes on his Facebook page: I never would have guessed how this morning would begin for me. Unstructured time is rare especially these days, but I got to the Mayor’s office early today after my morning run, and took a few minutes to read the news and answer text messages before my first meeting. After going out into …

Politico reports: “Senator Franken was entitled to whatever type of review or process he wanted,” Gillibrand said. “He could’ve stuck it out, stayed in the Senate, gone through [the] Ethics Committee’s investigation. Those were his choices, but I had to make my choice.” Some major Democratic donors, including Susie Tompkins Buell, have expressed frustration about Gillibrand’s decision to call for …

“I’d always known that as a child, Tulsi had been deeply affected by the conflict between myself and the gay community. But after seeing her video the other day, what she said broke my heart. I never realized how much trauma I put her through because of my overly aggressive advocacy for traditional marriage. We continue to have a very …

Another action-packed year has come and gone for this here website thingy, which in a few months will mark its 15th anniversary. (Wow!) I want to sincerely thank all of you, longtime JMG flying monkeys and newbies alike, for coming along on the endless Trump-zaster that 2018 has been. While the last year has seemed like nothing but an infinite …

The Independent reports: Hillary Clinton has branded 2018 a “dark time” for America in a New Year’s Instagram post. The Democrat former presidential candidate said she was “grateful to everyone who brought light into it” – including activists, journalists, election organisers, candidates and protesters. The former secretary of state called for more light in the coming year and a shared …

The Hill reports: Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) dropped the prefix for the state she represents in the handle for her official Twitter account over the weekend, fueling speculation that she may announce a run for president in 2020. Warren changed her official campaign account name from “@elizabethforma” to “@ewarren.” The name change was initially recorded by Changes of Congress, a …

Via press release from Merriam-Webster: Our Word of the Year for 2018 is justice. It was a top lookup throughout the year at Merriam-Webster.com, with the entry being consulted 74% more than in 2017. The concept of justice was at the center of many of our national debates in the past year: racial justice, social justice, criminal justice, economic justice. …

NBC News reports: It’s that time of year. TIME has narrowed down its shortlist of finalists for the magazine’s of 2018 Person of the Year. The title is not necessarily an honor or award, but representative of the influence the person — or idea — has had on the news within the past year, for better or worse. TIME has …

Axios reports: Billionaire and media mogul Michael Bloomberg said in an interview with Radio Iowa that he will likely sell his media company, or put it in a blind trust if he runs for president in 2020. Bloomberg cited his age as one of the prevailing reasons why selling the company makes sense. In doing so, he would also be …

The Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel reports: The supervisor of elections for Broward County, Florida — Brenda Snipes — who has faced national scrutiny in recent days for her county’s chaotic performance during the recount in the Florida Senate and gubernatorial races, resigned on Sunday. Her county’s performance during the most recent recount — which was delayed by faulty machines and missing …

Axios reports: Democrats have won at least 33 seats, but they look poised to win closer to 40 — there are 13 races that are either not called or too close to call, and Democrats have a solid chance of winning seven of those. Why it matters: We’re officially in “blue wave” territory. Even if Democrats didn’t win any additional …

Polls will begin to close in a few minutes in a couple of East Coast states although most won’t close until 7PM or later, in some cases due to long lines caused by various snafus. Use this post to weigh in on exit polls, turnout reports, and called races. As the night goes on I’ll devote individual posts to the …

The Hill reports: Google’s top trending search term in the U.S. on the morning of Election Day was the Spanish translation of “where to vote,” which could suggest a number of Hispanic-Americans were looking to get out the vote in Tuesday’s midterm elections. The company’s GoogleTrends Twitter account wrote Tuesday morning that “Dónde votar” had surged to the top of …

New York state unfortunately is one of only 13 states without early voting so I arrived at my polling place at 6:30AM today to find the longest line I’ve seen since 2008. For a midterms election. Use this post today to let us know your own voting experience and alert us to any issues you may have encountered. It’s going …

The Associated Press reports: In his final pitch to voters, President Donald Trump implored Republicans on Monday to help preserve “fragile” GOP victories that could be erased by Democrats as he closes out a midterm campaign that has been defined by his racially charged rhetoric, hard-line immigration moves and scattershot policy proposals. “It’s all fragile. Everything I told you about, …

Viral YouTube star Randy Rainbow is back today with his own take on a “get out the vote” message, this time riffing on What Is This Feeling? from Wicked. Special appearances by Hair Furor and Sarah Huckleberry Sanders. As always, no spoilers, just watch and enjoy.

Adult film star Bruce Beckham has rounded up some fellow gay porn pals for a “get out the vote” clip featuring Austin Wolfe, Chi Chi LaRue, Marc MacNamara, Alex Mecum, Adam Ramzi, Jason Vario, and others. Beckham recently starred in Titan Media’s Cauke For Free, which was the sequel to Cauke For President, in which JMG makes an appearance. So …

USA Today reports: The economy added a healthy 250,000 jobs in October, the Labor Department said Friday in the last employment report before midterm elections that President Trump has cast as a critical referendum on his stewardship of the economy. The unemployment rate was unchanged at a near 50-year low of 3.7 percent. Annual wage growth topped 3 percent for …

Axios reports: Nearly half of college students say they’ll “definitely” vote this year, according to a survey by College Reaction, a group that measures public opinion among college students. If true, that kind of turnout could help Democrats, since Republican students are more lukewarm about whether they’ll vote. But in reality, young voters aren’t exactly known for rushing to the …