For years, Republicans drew maps so they could never lose their statehouses. Trump has spent more than a year pushing them to rig even more. Last week, everyone saw them lose Congress anyway. That’s only half the story. This edition is about the other half.
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Fifteen years ago, Wisconsin Republicans rigged the state’s voting maps so they’d keep control of the legislature no matter how people voted. It worked. In 2018, Democrats running for the state Assembly won 53% of the votes across Wisconsin. They got just 36 of the 99 seats.
Republicans used that power to keep working people from getting health coverage. Gov. Tony Evers kept trying to expand Medicaid, and the GOP killed it every time. Wisconsin is still one of just 10 states that haven’t expanded it.
Then, in December of 2023, the state Supreme Court threw the rigged maps out. With fair maps in 2024, Democrats gained 14 seats. Last Tuesday, they finished the job. They flipped three seats in the Senate and eight in the Assembly, and won both chambers.
They won the governor’s race too. Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley beat Republican Rep. Tom Tiffany 54% to 46%. Trump had endorsed Tiffany, saying, “He has always been at my side.” In January, Crowley will become the first Black governor in Wisconsin history, with a Democratic legislature behind him for the first time since 2010. And Republicans won’t be able to block Medicaid expansion anymore.
Republicans had to cheat to “win” in Wisconsin. Once the maps were fair, it took voters two elections to throw them out. As they should.
Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver has represented the Kansas City area in Missouri since 2005. Last year, Republicans chopped the city into three pieces to push Cleaver out and add one seat to the GOP.
Missourians fought back, led by a group called People Not Politicians. They gathered more than 300,000 signatures to put the map on the ballot. Donald Trump Jr. called the group’s leader, Richard von Glahn, a “leftist nut job.” But von Glahn didn’t back down, saying: “We’re not going to be bullied by these people.”
For most of the last year, Republicans were in court trying to stop that vote. They took it all the way to the US Supreme Court—and lost.
Last Tuesday, voters in the state finally got to choose. They threw the gerrymandered map in the trash—62% voting against.
Cleaver keeps his seat, and across the state, Democrat Fred Wellman beat Republican Rep. Ann Wagner, who’d been in Congress for seven terms. Trump wanted one more Republican seat from Missouri. He ended up with one less.
Last Wednesday, Gov. Brian Kemp gave up on rigging Georgia’s maps. Republicans had been working on it since May, but one election night made them quit.
On May 13, Kemp called lawmakers back to the Capitol to redraw the maps for 2028. The likely target was Rep. Sanford Bishop, who represents one of the last rural Black-majority districts in the Deep South. Hundreds of Georgians packed the Capitol on June 17, the day the special session was set to begin. Less than an hour before lawmakers gaveled in, Republicans dropped the plan.
State Rep. Michelle Au warned that day, “Don’t get comfortable. If the GOP is too scared to redo maps now, they’ll call a lame duck redistricting session AFTER elections in November.”
Then Georgia voted. Keisha Lance Bottoms beat billionaire Rick Jackson, who dumped more than $200 million of his own money into the race. Bottoms became the first Black woman ever elected governor of any state.
Democrats also won the state House for the first time since 2004. Lt. Gov.-elect Josh McLaurin said the “resounding rejection of MAGA politics” killed Republicans’ appetite to keep fighting for the maps.
Starting in January, a Republican-rigged map would have to get past a Democratic House and Gov. Bottoms. That’s not going to happen. The people who packed that Capitol in June got the last word.
On Election Day, North Carolina’s Republican House Speaker Destin Hall told a reporter, “I’m confident that we’re going to maintain the majority.” That night, Democrats flipped the House for the first time in 16 years. Unofficial results give them 71 of the 120 seats.
One of the sweetest wins belonged to Democrat Ken McCool, who beat Tricia Cotham by 14 points. Cotham was elected as a Democrat, then switched parties in 2023 and handed Republicans a supermajority.
They put it to work right after Democrat Josh Stein won the governor’s race in 2024. While western North Carolina was still digging out from Hurricane Helene, Republicans passed a bill of more than 130 pages and called it hurricane relief. Only the first 13 pages dealt with the hurricane. Much of the rest stripped power from Stein, including his power to appoint the state elections board. Stein’s predecessor, Gov. Roy Cooper, vetoed it, and Republicans overrode him. Stein called it “a power grab, not hurricane relief.”
Last week, Stein admitted he didn’t see a win this big coming. “Did I think they would get to 71 or 72 seats? Never did I think that was possible,” he said. He told Republicans to skip a lame duck this year, because “the voters spoke pretty daggum loud last night.”
Starting in January, a Republican power grab can’t even make it out of the House.
We only have 54 days left of a Republican majority in Congress, and Trump is already trying to rush through judges before Democrats take over.
But our Lame Duck Watch is on every move they make. We’re running an enormous pressure campaign against anything they try this month or next. Over the last two years we organized countless calls and sent more than 918,000 letters from constituents to their Reps and Senators.
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Onward!
Scott
What win in your state do you think should be getting more attention?
The House is expected to vote today on impeaching Pete Hegseth. More than 17,000 of you have already written your members of Congress. Hegseth says, “They will fail again.” If you haven’t sent this one yet, send it now, before the vote. If you have, send it to one person who hasn’t. It takes 30 seconds:
Impeach Pete Hegseth: https://actionnetwork.org/letters/tell-congress-impeach-pete-hegseth/
Then hit our three newest pages:
Impeach Clarence Thomas, who took more than $2.4 million in gifts: https://actionnetwork.org/letters/tell-congress-impeach-clarence-thomas-3/
Investigate the $620 million Pentagon loan to a company Don Jr.’s firm bought into: https://actionnetwork.org/letters/tell-congress-investigate-the-trump-familys-pentagon-deals/
Put Trump’s pardons under oath: https://actionnetwork.org/letters/tell-congress-put-trumps-pardons-under-oath
Tell me below which ones you sent.
JUST A FEW COMMENTS:
Another thing that gets conveniently ignored by the media about that “hurricanes relief” bill theNCGA passed in the 2024 lame duck session is that even in those 13 pages that actually mentioned Helene, the number of appropriations to actually put dollars into use for relief efforts was ZERO. Not one dollar was applied — they just shifted money from one account to another. A legislative shell game to provide cover for what the bill was actually about — Phil Berger and Destin Hall stripping the few shreds of power off the bones of the governor’s office because the stood up possibly the most flawed candidate for governor in the entire state.
The NC Constitution intentionally created a weak executive, but there was an unrelenting effort to grind away as powers as possible from the governor from the time Berger and Tim Moore (and later Hall) took control. And honestly, it probably went back as far as Thom Tillis when he was Speaker, but he only had a couple of terms before ALEC got him promoted and Moore took over.
Speaking of Moore, his loss to Lakesha Womack, whose name I keep having to look up because where did SHE come from? in a district he drew bespoke for himself at the last reapportionment when NC got a 14th seat is probably the result that should have gotten more attention. There were other stunners in the US House races, but that one was especially sweet.
Gabe Vasquez in New Mexico should get more attention.
YES! The entire NEW MEXICO DELEGATION deserves more attention!
NEW MEXICO in forced to fight DOJ COVER-UP of information regarding EPSTEIN'S ZORRO RANCH!
WHAT ARE THEY HIDING?
Didn't last long-DonOld's “work with Democrats” line; he’s back to voter fraud again on TACO Tuesday of all days. Now we wait for him to TACO on Hogsbreath.
Thank you, Scott, for the good news and continuing the hard work to keep the regime from straying from the rule of law and the Constitution.
We need to stay together in solidarity and continue the process to return to sane government. 54 days!
None in Bama. Like Arkansas, we are still very much red. Our new Governor is the illustrious Tommy Tubberville. When running for Congress he made a promise. He promised that every dime he made in DC would be donated to Bama Vets. They never received one red cent. He lied. And now he’s our new lying Governor.
BUT - please allow me to point out our neighbor, GEORGIA. Of the 7 top political positions in Georgia, 6 of them went to black women!! Let’s all watch what wonderful things are being planned by Gov-Elect Keisha Lance Bottoms and her team. Viva Georgia !!
SORRY! He was a CLOWN in D.C.....voters clearly didn't pay attention!
I always called him Tommy TUPPERWARE! Useless!
It is extremely frustrating for me as my state is controlled by Republicans in the state House and Senate. Democrats did win some, but not nearly enough to stop the destructive policies the governor and legislature have passed. I truly do not know if we will ever turn the tide here in Florida. They have gerrymandered the maps to ensure they never lose!
This post makes clear that something must be done to rationalize redistricting in this country.
I’m excited about the millionaires tax. They tried to repeal it but it didn’t pass the smell test.
Wow... those people were mad and they acted upon it and it got them their freedom and truer representation.
What a surprise, right ? not really ... That is what happens when you piss off enough people and think they don't notice that you have basically tried to kill their chances for a fair shake and stop them from gaining healthcare, hurricane relief and anything else that people should be getting but are not ... all that will be changing ... YES !
Sent letters about making sure the Pardons are made public and under oath. The Majority have spoken and we are not backing down. 🗳️💙🌊
Sent them all! I’m not sure being under oath makes a whit of difference to trump, but legally, it gives us traction. He’s got no idea what the truth is because truth means nothing to him. But we do know and we care!
YES!
Every letter you sent, every restack you made, every person you pulled into this fight got us here. They’re counting on us getting tired. We won’t.
Absolutely right Ms Jonington! This Blue Wave has boosted my energy! And the GOP .. not so much. They are slogging through their own mud holes of disgrace and corruption! Our win has them running for the exits and trying to find cover. Let's keep cleaning this administration right out the door! :-)
You didn’t just win the House. You made real change possible. Now we finish the job they were hoping nobody would still be watching for.
When we fight, we win. 👊
When we field good candidates, we win.👊
When we support our universal rights, we win.👊
South Carolinas wins weren’t huge but the most remarkable was rejecting Darline Graham and replacing her with Dr. Annie Andrews (D). We also picked up a second Dem in the House and are now 5-2. To me Texas is the huge story and worth a celebration.
Go Blue Poems
Go Blue Poems
The dam in Congress has sprung a big leak
The one holding back Republicans willingness to speak
It started with a brave Senator from Kentucky
The first shot fired was at Hegseth, the unlucky
The Senator fired 8 shots of articles of impeachment
Aimed at Pete's mismanagement of the War Department
He is gunning for Hegseth for not being very wise
Pete's arrogance is no longer working as a disguise
Hegseth is looking for Trump to save his job
Donald acts tough but will give in to the angry mob
Even Pete's ass kissing won't save his position
He will be fired shortly after the first deposition
Arrogance only works when your side is in charge
The blue tsunami that swept it away was too large
Don't worry Pete you won't be lonely for too long
America wants change of the things that went wrong
Donald doubled down by appointing Steve Miller
The backlash was loud in this Republican thriller
We are tired of Trump's roller coaster of a ride
We can't wait for the end and our nausea to subside
America is sick of illegal wars and the corruption
We want to live our lives without all the disruption
The ICE cruelties don't represent our American values
We demand officials are charged for their abusive issues
The lawlessness and the killing of civilians
Unmask the agents and reveal these reptilians
We are better than this and we demand change
We don't recognize our nation acting this strange
Donald, it may have been different if you kept your promise
But we don't reward presidents for being dishonest
Our costs of living have gone through the roof
Stop evading our questions and stop being aloof
America wants answers from your administration
Gas prices are too high and need your consideration
Tariffs and wars have made everything more expensive
Our bank accounts are now leaking like a sieve
We are paying more for groceries and at the pump
All while your family's wealth has made a big jump
All the corruption and now a Chinese spy
Your ignoring the problem caught our eye
This Trump circus has gone on for way too long
Too much vulgarity and too many things went wrong
Please restack and share my poems on FB and elsewhere. Thanks, Packy Paules
From COMMON DREAMS NEWS ALERT:
Days After Midterm Blowout, 22 Democrats Join GOP to Advance ‘Massive Giveaway’ to Big Oil
“It’s exactly what the fossil fuel industry wants,” one critic said of the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act.
The US Senate on Monday voted in bipartisan fashion to advance a fossil fuel industry-backed permitting reform bill that would weaken the Clean Water Act and other key environmental protections to make it easier for the federal government to streamline energy projects—including climate-wrecking gas pipelines.
The legislation, said one lawmaker who voted in opposition “is not a compromise—it’s exactly what the fossil fuel industry wants.”
excerpt:
The US Senate on Monday voted in bipartisan fashion to advance a fossil fuel industry-backed permitting reform bill that would weaken the Clean Water Act and other key environmental protections to make it easier for the federal government to streamline energy projects—including climate-wrecking gas pipelines.
The 73-25 vote to advance the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act (BAAJA) sets the stage for what’s expected to be a contentious amendment process. The bill’s Democratic supporters—including Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, Martin Heinrich of New Mexico, and Chuck Schumer of New York—argue it is a necessary compromise to accelerate construction of clean energy projects. Environmentalists, tribal organizations, and progressive lawmakers say the legislation is a gift to fossil fuel companies, tech giants, and other corporate interests at the expense of local communities and the planet.
The 22 members of the Senate Democratic Caucus who voted with Republicans for passage were:
Blumenthal (D-CT)
Coons (D-DE)
Cortez Masto (D-NV)
Fetterman (D-PA)
Gallego (D-AZ)
Gillibrand (D-NY)
Heinrich (D-NM)
Hickenlooper (D-CO)
Kim (D-NJ)
King (I-ME)
Klobuchar (D-MN)
Ossoff (D-GA)
Peters (D-MI)
Reed (D-RI)
Rosen (D-NV)
Schatz (D-HI)
Schumer (D-NY)
Shaheen (D-NH)
Slotkin (D-MI)
Warner (D-VA)
Warnock (D-GA)
Whitehouse (D-RI)
“The Senate’s supporters of BAAJA just cleared an initial hurdle towards offering Big Oil and Big Tech a massive giveaway at the expense of our clean air, clean water, and communities’ right to protect themselves from polluting projects,” said Elizabeth Bast, executive director of Oil Change International. “Just days after voters demanded accountability and relief from soaring costs, 73 senators chose Trump’s energy policies over the American people.”
https://www.commondreams.org/news/senate-advances-permitting-reform?utm_source=Common+Dreams&utm_campaign=8d63073ab2-Top+News+%7C+Fri.+4%2F10%2F26_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-998917937b-600713157&mc_cid=8d63073ab2&mc_eid=766c895bd8
FROM LEV PARNAS:
URGENT: They're Destroying the Paper Trail. Now They're Coming for the People Who Kept It.
Whistleblowers say records are disappearing before Democrats take power. What I'm hearing about what comes next is far more dangerous.
Overnight, House Democrats got news that should alarm every American. Several whistleblowers have gone to the House Natural Resources Committee with a warning: key records tied to Donald Trump’s construction projects around Washington have already been destroyed, before the new Congress can see them.
These are the projects Trump has been pushing through on our public land. The triumphal arch. The East Potomac golf course. The fencing at Lafayette Square. The Tidal Basin plan with his Garden of American Heroes. And the White House ballroom, where Trump signed the last steel beam the day after he lost the midterms. According to the whistleblowers, the Interior Department, the agency that oversees much of that land, is getting rid of paperwork because it knows scrutiny is coming.
Today, Rep. Jared Huffman, the committee’s top Democrat and its incoming chairman, is sending letters to the Interior Department, the National Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the Agriculture Department, and corporate donors like Lockheed Martin and John Deere. The letters demand that they preserve every record and stop any destruction. “Everything is coming,” Huffman said. “It’s all coming.” Meanwhile, the administration is rushing approvals so these projects can move forward over the next sixty days, before Democrats take the gavel.
As I always tell you: watch what they do, not what they say. People with nothing to hide don’t race the clock.
This isn’t the only fight Trump is picking. Since voters handed Democrats both chambers of Congress, he has called their requests for investigations “extortion at the highest level.” He says he is ordering the Justice Department to look into Democrats’ threats to impeach members of his administration. His Attorney General, Todd Blanche, says he is not ruling out criminal charges against Democratic lawmakers. On Monday, Stephen Miller became White House chief of staff, now free to sit in on every meeting and every policy decision. And when Republican Thomas Massie read articles of impeachment against Pete Hegseth on the House floor, Trump walked into the briefing room and called him a “stone-cold loser.”
This is not a joke anymore, folks. Trump is a cornered rat, and a cornered rat lashes out. He is capable of doing anything.
A lot of what you end up reading in the major papers starts with people like me talking on background.
Now let me tell you what I’m hearing behind the scenes: who is giving the orders, what they’re destroying, and who they’re coming for next...