NY Times: “Florida will not allow a new Advanced Placement course on African American studies to be offered in its high schools, stating that the course is not “historically accurate” and violates state law. In a letter last week, the Florida Department of Education informed the College Board, which administers A.P. exams, that it would not include…
“Va. Sen. Tim Kaine says he will seek another term”
WaPo: “Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) announced Friday he plans to seek a third term, sending a wave of relief through the Democratic Party amid worries that he would retire and create a potential opening for Republicans. Kaine saidit was not a decision he reached lightly. He consulted for some time with his family, friends and…
“Did Arkansas’s new voting restrictions affect turnout?”
AR Times: “To get at an answer to whether restrictive voting laws, like those passed in Arkansas, are driving turnout down or increasing it, we can look at all the states that had gubernatorial races in 2022 (36 in total) and compare the turnout in those same states to gubernatorial turnout in 2018. In total,…
“Alabama Democratic Party to consider bylaw changes Saturday”
AL Political Wire: “The Alabama Democratic Party is scheduled to consider significant changes to its party bylaws, including how members of the party’s executive committee are selected and the terminology used for diversity caucuses, during its upcoming meeting in Montgomery on Saturday, according to a copy of the proposed bylaws obtained by APR. Additionally, the proposed…
NC Attorney General Stein Announces Run for Governor
The Assembly: “In a drab conference room at the North Carolina Department of Justice last Friday, Attorney General Josh Stein—shirt sleeves, no tie—was relaxed and confident. He seemed too at ease for a man on the precipice of launching a nearly two-year campaign for the state’s most high-profile office. But he was keen to take his…
“Republicans Are Getting It Wrong About DeSantis and Florida”
NY Times: “The case for Mr. DeSantis, according to them, isn’t just that he looks comparatively sage next to Mr. Trump. It’s also that he spoke out early against lockdowns and has overseen a growing economy. Florida now has the fastest-growing population in the country, a factoid that Mr. DeSantis’s spokesman, Jeremy Redfern, immediately touted…
“On the ballot in 2023: Southern governors, big-city mayors”
North State Journal: “While much of the political focus in 2023 is on the emerging presidential race, voters in some states will be weighing in on lower-profile contests that will nonetheless provide fresh insight into their priorities and views on the direction of the country. Republicans are expected to try to tie Kentucky Democratic Gov….
“Poll: 80% of Mississippians favor Medicaid expansion”
MS Today: “A wide majority of Mississippians across partisan and demographic lines supports expanding Medicaid to provide health coverage for the working poor, according to a newly released Mississippi Today/Siena College poll. The poll showed 80% of respondents — including 70% of Republicans — either strongly agree or somewhat agree the state should “accept federal…
“Biden becomes the first sitting president to deliver a Sunday sermon at MLK’s church”
NPR: “Joe Biden delivered a sermon on Sunday at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, becoming the first sitting president to do so at the church where Martin Luther King Jr. was a pastor. “I’ve spoken before Parliament, kings, queens, leaders of the world — I’ve been doing this for a long time,” Biden said. “But…
“On Martin Luther King Day, nine facts about him that may surprise you”
WaPo: “The United States honors the most prominent figure in its civil rights movement, Martin Luther King Jr., on Monday. The national holiday was hard won by his family and activists in 1983 and has been marked on the third Monday of January ever since. It’s a day to remember King’s life and legacy. He championed nonviolent…