Read the incredible composite of this administration’s accomplishments on our Biden page. You can skim a few high points of the week below, or go deeper into the great economic news and outreach of the Biden campaign with Friday’s entry from Heather Cox Richardson’s newsletter.
GOOD NEWS FOR DEMOCRATS
A Florida House of Representatives seat flips blue. Democrat Tom Keen’s victory in a seat that should have been in the bag for Republicans causes a political earthquake, according to quotes in Newsweek. Because we believe special elections are better predictors than polls, this is heartening.
Turning Texas blue. The Texas Majority PAC and George Soros are laser-focused on flippable counties, looking to turn out voters on a scale “never seen before.” Ted Cruz is up for re-election and Biden only lost the state by 6 points in 2020. The Texas Tribune
Louisiana passes a new congressional map with a second black-majority district. The deed is done, this week, after a two year legal tug-of-war. PBS
If we follow the money, Biden continues to rake it in, keeping pace with record hauls at this stage in the campaign. CNN
On the other hand, the Michigan GOP ran out of money months ago, defaulted on a $500,000 loan and is trying to sell their headquarters. Bridge Michigan
Older voters have been moving towards Biden for some time—Quinnipiac Poll: Biden 60%, Trump 37%. People dependent on their retirement portfolios are concerned about Trump and his legal troubles. Morning Joe; “Nobody expected this, but traditional conservative voters are moving towards Biden.” And they show up to vote. “A remarkable tectonic shift that has gone… underappreciated.” Listen to this panel on January 11: MSNBC
GOP is an internal mess of strife in 3 key swing states and worried that it will jeopardize their candidates. In Nevada, top officials have been indicted as fake electors, Florida’s chairman was ousted after a rape accusation. and Michigan ousted their chairwoman, who then refused to go. NBC News
More 2020 votes were found for Biden. In Virginia, contradicting continued, baseless claims, Biden has gained 1,648 votes from 2020 and Trump has lost 2,327. The Guardian
BIDEN, MAKING LIFE BETTER
Biden is going after bank overdraft fees. HuffPost
Another week, more student loan debt forgiven. In June, the Supreme Court squashed Biden’s authority to cancel $400 billion in student loan debt. So he’s been chipping away as he can, this week with debt aid to public service workers and correcting errors in income-driven payment plans. To date, $136 billion in aid has been allotted to almost 4 million Americans. CNBC
AND BAD NEWS FOR TRUMP
“No, Trump Did Not Conquer Iowa.” Trump only got half the votes in a primary, a dismal showing for a past president, where 8% of voters turned up to vote. And no, it wasn’t the weather. Instead of “Trump Trounces Iowa,” try “Trump Falters As Half of Republicans Turn Against Him.” Newsweek
Morning Joe agrees Iowa was bad news for the GOP. MSNBC
Having insulted the judge and all the players in a closing statement on his financial trial this week, Trump did himself no favors when he appeals. The Messenger
Texas Governor Greg Abbott and AG Ken Paxton must relinquish their emails, including possible communications around January 6th, and with the NRA. They lost their appeal this week. Texas Tribune
AND FINALLY…
The stock market hit record highs Friday as the Fed signals interest rates will be coming down. All dare to hope for a perfect landing after recent economic troubles with inflation and supply. PBS
“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving.” Albert Einstein.