The white rural voters who helped propel Donald Trump to his stunning victory in the presidential race and enabled Republicans to keep their majorities in both houses of Congress on Nov. 8 may have helped some GOP candidates further down-ticket too, with...
Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker said he stuck to his plan to not cast a vote for president last week. As the Boston Herald reports, it was a first for Baker, which he noted left him “disappointed.” Here’s guessing it wasn’t half...
Health In Mississippi A federal judge in MISSISSIPPI temporarily blocks a new rule from the Obama administration that gives patients at federally funded nursing homes the right to settle disputes in court. The rule issued by the Centers for Medicare...
North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory (R) filed paperwork last Thursday to establish a legal defense fund in preparation for an expected legal battle over Tuesday’s election. Democratic challenger Attorney General Roy Cooper, who now holds a slight lead...
A week after deeming Atlantic City’s proposed five-year turnaround plan insufficient to return the struggling resort city to financial stability, the state of New Jersey took over control of the city’s main governmental functions. The state...
The most significant recommendation this month from a consulting firm hired by Oklahoma to review the hundreds of millions of dollars in business incentives it doles out every year was to limit an income tax credit for wind-power electric generating plants...
Oregon Elects First LGBTQ Governor OREGON Gov. Kate Brown’s (D) re-election marks the first time an openly LGBTQ person has been elected governor in any state. Brown is bi-sexual. She was looking to fill out the remainder of former Gov. John...
HI Senate to be Controlled Exclusively by Dems HAWAII’s sole Senate Republican Sam Slom was defeated by Democrat Stanley Chang on Nov. 8. As a result, the state’s 25-member Senate will become the nation’s first single-party chamber...
AR Gov Outlines State Budget ARKANSAS Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R) outlined a budget proposal for state lawmakers last week that includes a $50 million tax cut and increased funding for education and foster care but no money for executive and legislative...
The race is tight, so coloring in the electoral map has proven to be an arduous task. Media monitoring and social media analysis may help to color in some of those states by providing a glimpse into voter sentiment and enthusiasm that polls might not...
Texas state House candidate Kyle Biedermann isn’t wasting any time living down to the shady stereotype many folks have of elected officials. As the Texas Tribune reports , Biedermann recently took great pains to invite a host of Lone Star State...
Crime In Montana The MONTANA Supreme Court rules that citizens have a right to trial by jury before the state can take private property in civil forfeiture cases. The ruling brings the Treasure State in line with the majority of other states that have...
Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton (D) and legislative leaders laid the groundwork for a post-election special session aimed at helping Gopher State residents deal with dramatic health insurance premium hikes set to go into effect in January. Dayton met privately...
More than $14 million has been spent on state Supreme Court races this election cycle by individuals and groups acting independently of the candidates, according to the Brennan Center for Justice. That total has already surpassed the record $13.5 million...
A local ballot measure that will be contested on Nov. 8 could open the door for a statewide income tax in Washington. The citizen initiative on the ballot in Olympia, which would tax household incomes over $200,000, will likely face a legal challenge...
State spending on higher education nationwide is down nearly $10 billion - an average of $1,598, or 18 percent, per student - from where it was before the Great Recession began in 2008, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Per-student...
When voters head to the polls this week, many will cast votes based on who they think will be better on critical economic issues like job creation. While much of the conversation has centered on jobs being shipped overseas or raising the minimum wage...
A request to place an early voting site on the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay campus recently met with a pretty interesting reason for rejection: a city clerk feared it would aid a Democratic state representative’s reelection campaign because...
Education In Georgia The GEORGIA Supreme Court rules that a law prohibiting guns on school property supersedes one passed at the same time that allowed firearms inside school safety zones. Gov. Nathan Deal (R) signed both bills into law in 2014. The...
Scott Asks Feds to Speed Up Zika Funds FLORIDA Gov. Rick Scott (R) urged the Obama administration to expedite federal funds to help the Sunshine State battle the growth of the Zika virus. Congress approved $1.1 billion in emergency funds in September...
San Jose, California’s third-largest city by population, and dozens of other cities and counties across the state, have banned sales of marijuana ahead of a Nov. 8 vote on whether to legalize pot for recreational use. If passed - which appears likely...
For 45 states and over 10,000 local jurisdictions, sales taxes provide a key source of revenue. But those taxes apply mainly to goods in most states. As the nation has shifted to a service-based economy, however, states have sought to expand their sales...
Singer, actor, producer...felon! Yep, that’s what the headlines screamed recently after entertainer Justin Timberlake posted a selfie from inside a Memphis voting booth to his Instagram account. Seemingly within minutes the Hollywood Reporter posted...
Environment In New York NEW YORK Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) announces the finalization of more stringent emission limits for diesel generators and natural gas-fired engines commonly used to supply backup power in large buildings like hospitals and offices...
The budget woes in Kansas that have come since the enactment of major tax cuts by Gov. Sam Brownback (R) and the state’s GOP-controlled Legislature have drawn a lot of attention recently. But, in general, the 22 states where Republicans hold both...