It's TWISA's 10th anniversary!
It’s true! On Oct. 10, 2012, I sent out the very first edition of this missive.
For several years, it lived only on email, so I had to dig back through my sent folder to find it. (TWISA eventually found a home here, and then here.)
Just for funsies, I’ve pasted that first newsletter below.
Hello!
Just thought I’d take advantage of the lull before the VP debate (and the unrelated lull in my travel schedule) to send a statehouse update. So many statehouses up for grabs, so much action. Some highlights:
· In Montana, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has just reinstated the state’s campaign finance limits for state elections, pending review of the federal judge’s reasoning behind his ruling. In a related matter, on November 6 Montanans will vote on a ballot measure pertaining to the SCOTUS decision to strike down the state’s ban on corporate contributions.
· You've likely heard that in Ohio, Secretary of State John Husted is continuing his crusade to reduce access to the ballot box by appealing the 6th Circuit’s ruling to reopen polling places the three days just prior to the election. You may not, however, have heard about Ohio’s new Issue 2, a ballot measure that would take redistricting out of the hands of politicians and give the responsibility to a bipartisan citizens' commission.
· Last Thursday, a judge in Florida ruled that the state’s problematic purging of alleged noncitizens from its voter rolls – a month before the election, no less – can continue.
Meanwhile, battles for state legislative seats burble away under most folks’ radar as Democrats play mostly offense in the fight for statehouse majorities this fall. After all, as Abby Rapoport correctly noted in an excellent piece she penned last month (what? You missed it? Read it, already!), “of all election outcomes, state legislative races are the likeliest to have a direct impact on the lives of voters.” They’ve also produced a certain amount of crazy since 2010, but that’s another matter entirely.
Anyway, some noteworthy bits from here and there:
· New ad in Nevada: DLCC, AFSCME and SEIU have jointly released a new ad in a race crucial for maintaining the Democratic majority in the state Senate. The ad, “Nuts,” takes GOP state Sen. Greg Brower to task for his support of policies revealing how out of touch he is with the values and priorities of voters in the Reno-area district (SD15). (Fun fact: Brower lost to Sharron Angle in a 2002 GOP primary for the Assembly seat into which both incumbents were drawn.)
· Dirty tricks in Pennsylvania: GOP state House candidate tied to group responsible for disgusting mailers falsely tying Democratic incumbent to the horror of the Sandusky sex abuse scandal.
· Desperation in Maine: The state GOP launched a pathetic attack on a state Senate candidate by attempting to use her persona in the popular and widely-played MMORPG World of Warcraft against her. Seriously, you guys? Look for a possible chamber pickup here. (Another, less comic act of desperation: possible GOP flouting of Maine’s Clean Election Act.)
· Crazy in Arkansas: The loathsome views of three GOP lawmakers have been uncovered in the past week. Republican Rep. Jon Hubbard doubled down today on his published view that slavery was “a blessing” for African Americans. His colleague Rep. Loy Mauch has defended slavery in a series of letters to the editor over the past several years. GOP state House candidate and former state Rep. Charlie Fuqua has written his own book, in which he asserts that he wants to deport all Muslims and establish the death penalty for rebellious children.
As always, please don’t hesitate to reach out with thoughts or questions!
Best,
Carolyn
Simpler times, yeah?
I’m grateful to both new and long-time readers of This Week in Statehouse Action, and I’m excited to continue the journey with you.
Thanks for being awesome!