Wow, you know, looking at the calendar, April
2nd tomorrow, feels like we're at a turning point.
Elections popping up everywhere and all this
against, well, economic news that's kind of all
over the place and some political moves that
make you scratch your head. Yeah, no, it's a
wild time for sure. I think what makes this moment,
you know, this particular moment so fascinating
is just how much is happening at the state and
local levels. We're not talking about just some
minor down -ballot races here. This is like a
real -time look at what voters are thinking and
feeling right now. Exactly. And that's precisely
what we're diving into today. You shared the
electoral vote news briefing for March 31st.
And let me tell you, it is packed with information.
It's our mission today to kind of sift through
all of that and pull out those really key insights,
those nuggets that help us help you understand
what's happening in these elections, in the economy,
in the broader political landscape. We're giving
you a shortcut, basically. Yeah, the briefing
is pretty comprehensive. It covers, like you
said, these crucial elections, what's going on
with the economy, numbers wise. And even some,
well, some pretty interesting stuff happening
within the parties themselves, you know, behind
the scenes. Absolutely. We're going to be covering
a lot of ground from those super important judicial
races. And you know how school board elections
always get heated all the way up to the national
economic picture and even some, well, some town
hall meetings that you wouldn't believe. So let's
jump right in. Tomorrow's elections. Wisconsin,
well, Wisconsin seems like the place to watch,
wouldn't you say? Oh, absolutely. Wisconsin always
keeps things interesting, politically speaking.
And this Supreme Court race, this one's a biggie,
with Justice Ann Walsh Bradley retiring, the
court split right down the middle, ideologically
liberal and conservative. And with the winner
getting a 10 -year term, yeah, this election
is monumental. Huge, absolutely huge. And the
candidates, well, they're pretty clear cut. You've
got Dane County Judge Susan Crawford. She's got
the Democrats behind her and even an endorsement
from Obama. And then you've got former State
Attorney General Brad Schimel. He's the Republican
pick with Trump's endorsement. But here's where
things get really interesting. Elon Musk has
reportedly pumped over 20 million dollars into
Schiml's campaign. Wow, 20 million? Yeah, 20
million into what's supposed to be a nonpartisan
race. Makes you wonder about that nonpartisan
label, doesn't it? It certainly highlights the
power of, well, you know, big money in these
elections, even judicial ones. And while Musk's
spending is definitely grabbing headlines, It's
worth remembering that Crawford has been doing
her own fundraising, too, at a grassroots level.
Very different approaches, for sure. And it feels
like this race is being viewed as much more than
just, well, picking a judge. It's almost like
a test, a proxy vote on what some are calling
the Musk -Trump administration, if that makes
sense. If Crawford pulls off a big win, like
how Janet Protosewicz did back in 23, it'll be
seen as a pretty big blow to Trump. And even
more so to Musk, considering how much he's put
into it, trying to influence things with his
money. This much outside money in a judicial
race, it does raise some serious questions about
the whole idea of nonpartisan elections. It suggests
a trend where super wealthy individuals could
basically try to shape the courts to fit their
own political agendas. That kind of undermines
the whole trust in the justice system. And then
you have Musk. He's very out there with his tactics,
very public, trying to boost Republican turnout.
a hundred bucks for petition signers against
activist judges and then that whole million dollar
lottery thing that definitely got people talking
and it even got him a legal challenge from the
Wisconsin Attorney General. Oh yeah the AG tried
to shut that lottery down said it was illegal
but Musk's lawyers fought back hard and they
won not just once but twice. Those million dollar
checks actually went out. The briefing suggests
we might see Musk using this kind of Well, playbook
again in future elections, you know, where he
has a horse in the race, so to speak. It definitely
sparks a bigger conversation about, well, how
much influence should billionaires have on our
elections? You know, and with the Wisconsin Supreme
Court likely to deal with some pretty weighty
issues, you know, things like abortion rights,
gerrymandering, union power, and even the state's
election rules. This race has consequences that
reach far beyond just, you know, one seat on
the court. Absolutely. And the drama in Wisconsin
doesn't end there. the race for superintendent
of schools, and that one has gotten pretty heated,
too. It has. You have Jill Underly, the incumbent.
She's got the support of the teachers union and
the Democratic Party. She's very much against
school vouchers. And then on the other side,
you have Brittany Kinzer. She's got a background
in charter schools and the backing of the Republicans.
And she's all about expanding those voucher programs.
It's that classic battle over how we fund education,
public versus private. Then you look at the local
races in Dane County, which is pretty solidly
Democratic. You have the county executive race,
and it's a stark choice. Melissa Algard, the
Democrat, she's pushing for a bigger safety net
to counter those potential federal cuts under
a Trump administration. And then Steven Ratzlaff,
he's running as an independent, and he actually
wants to cut the safety net even more. Plus,
he's all about cooperating with ICE. Very different
visions for the county. Yeah, no doubt about
that. And then in Winnebago County, which is
more politically divided, the county executive
race is between Joe Dommel the Republican incumbent,
and Gordon Hintz, who used to be the Democratic
leader in the state house, that one could be
influenced by those, what are they calling them,
DOGE cuts? Right, the DOGE cuts. Those are budget
cuts at the state level that have become a big
issue in this race. Hintz is trying to tie them
to his Republican opponent. And to round out
Wisconsin, we have that ballot measure, you know,
the one that wants to put the state's voter ID
law right into the Constitution. Democrats are
saying that this is going to disenfranchise certain
voters, make it harder for them to vote. But
Schiml, well, he's been a big supporter of those
stricter voter ID laws. Crawford, on the other
hand, she's got a history of opposing them. So
the results from all these races in Wisconsin
tomorrow, well, they're going to tell us a lot
about where the state's headed politically, you
know, as we look ahead to the next big election.
cycle. Let's shift gears a bit and head down
to Florida. We have a couple of special elections
for the U .S. House of Representatives happening
there. Worth keeping an eye on. First, there's
Florida's first congressional district that was
Representative Gates's old seat. It's considered
a safe Republican district. The Democrat who
ran in 2024, Jennifer Gaye Valamant, she's running
again, this time against Jimmy Patronus. Given
how strongly Republican that district is, It's
interesting that she's running with her full
name, you know, given the current political climate.
It does kind of jump out at you, like the briefing
pointed out. Yeah. And then there's the race
in Florida's sixth congressional district, formerly
held by Representative Walz. This one surprisingly
seems to be a pretty tight race. There was a
recent poll that showed the Democratic candidate,
Josh Weil, he's a teacher. He's actually outspending
his Republican opponent, state Senator Randy
Fine, but he's only trailing by three points.
If fine only wins by a small margin, well, that
would be a big upset considering that district
usually goes Republican by a comfortable margin.
Yeah, a real male biter. And if fine does squeak
out a win, even a small one, it's going to be
seen as a sign that the Republicans maybe aren't
doing as well as they used to in Florida. Could
mean things are shifting politically down there.
For sure. And then we have a bunch of mayoral
elections happening tomorrow all over the country.
In Aurora, Illinois, you've got the incumbent
mayor. Richard Ervin, a Republican, described
as Trumpy in the briefing. He's facing a challenge
from John Lash, a Democrat who's running on a
platform of protecting immigrants from ICE. Then
just across the state line, still in Illinois,
there's another interesting mayoral race in Evanston.
Daniel Bliss, the current mayor, he's a progressive
and he's got the support of Governor Pritzker.
He's being challenged by Jeff Borini, a Republican.
That race is focusing on local issues, you know,
things like housing and zoning. Out West in Nebraska.
Omaha is holding a mayoral election. The incumbent,
Jean Stalder, she's a Republican, and she's trying
to get re -elected. But she's facing a primary
challenge, and it includes a former Democrat,
Mike McDonnell, who switched parties. Plus, there
are two other Democrats in the race, John Ewing
and Jasmine Harris. The top two vote getters
in that primary are going to go on to a runoff
election. Down in Mississippi, the city of Jackson
is holding its mayoral election as well. Chekwe
Antar Lumumba, he's the incumbent, identifies
as a socialist and he's facing a primary challenge
from a pretty big field of 11 other Democrats.
And this race is even more complicated because
you've got Republicans at the state level trying
to take more control over the city. Plus, the
mayor was recently indicted on corruption charges.
Adds a whole other layer of intrigue, doesn't
it? Definitely a lot going on down there. And
the briefing also mentions a few other mayoral
elections coming up later in April. St. Louis
is going to have a rematch election just a week
from now. Two Democrats are facing off. And there's
been some real tension with the state legislature,
which is controlled by Republicans. And then
in Oakland, California, their election is on
April 15th. And Barbara Lee, while she's a prominent
candidate, a key issue in that race is a proposal
for a universal basic income program specifically
for homeless individuals. And let's not forget
about those school board elections happening
tomorrow. These races, they've become so much
more political in recent years and it's kind
of alarming. In Anchorage, Alaska, you have candidates
like Alexander Rosales. He's running on a very
openly anti -transgender platform. His slogan
is literally ban trans kids. And then there's
Mark Cox. He's also against inclusive policies.
They're challenging the incumbents, Margot Bellamy
and Kelly Lessens. And this is all happening
against a backdrop of debates about how schools
should be funded and what their priorities should
be. Yeah. Back in Wisconsin, both Kenosha and
Green Bay have school board elections where you
have slates of candidates, Democrats and Republicans,
who have very different views on things like,
well, should LGBTQ plus books be in school libraries?
Should we be using DEI language? you know diversity
equity and inclusion. in the curriculum. And
with all the voters expected to turn out for
the Supreme Court race, these school board elections
could see a pretty big impact as well. So when
you look at all these elections happening tomorrow,
the big question is, what's going to be more
important? Those big national political trends,
maybe a sign of support for the Musk Trump administration,
or people going to be more focused on local issues,
you know, things that directly affect their communities.
It'll be interesting to see how it all plays
out. And speaking of interesting, we've got to
talk about what happened in Louisiana this past
Saturday. Voters there, they went to the polls
and rejected all four of the constitutional amendments
that were on the ballot. And these were all backed
by Republicans. It was a pretty big defeat, wouldn't
you say? I mean, all four amendments going down,
even with the Koch network putting money behind
them, suggests that maybe the Republican governor
isn't quite in sync with what the voters in Louisiana
want. This could be a sign that voters in general
are starting to push back against what they see
as politicians overreaching, you know, trying
to push through policies that don't really benefit
the majority of people. Yeah, it's definitely
a blow to Governor Jeff Landry who was really
pushing for these amendments. For all four to
fail, and by pretty sizable margins too, it suggests
that maybe he's not quite on the same page as
a lot of Louisiana voters. And these amendments,
they covered some pretty big topics. One was
about the Louisiana Supreme Court, you know,
how much power they have over lawyers from out
of state who practice in Louisiana. Another one
was about taxes and the budget basically trying
to overhaul the whole system. Then there was
one about trying minors as adults in the criminal
justice system. And the last one was about when
those special elections should be held. Right.
And each one had people actively working against
it. For example, the ACLU, they had Sarah Whittington
arguing against that amendment about out -of
-state lawyers. She said it could really mess
up the judicial system, lead to what she called
kangaroo courts. And that tax and budget amendment,
well, people were criticizing that one for possibly
benefiting the rich at the expense of the poor
and middle class. There were also concerns about
limiting voter input on legal settlements, especially
when it came to the teacher's retirement fund.
And that proposal about trying more minors as
adults, well that one got a lot of pushback.
People were worried that the legislature was
too eager to try more kids as adults, especially
black kids. The strong no vote in Orleans Parish
kind of shows that. And then... That last amendment
about the timing of special elections. Well,
most people thought that should be decided by
the legislature, not written to the Constitution.
What's really interesting is that there was this
no to them all coalition and they were really
effective at getting people to vote against all
four amendments. Governor Landry, well, he was
not happy about it and he kind of did what we've
seen him do before. He blamed George Soros and
the far left. Yeah, classic move. But the briefing
suggests that. Maybe Soros wasn't as involved
as Landry made it seem. But the Coq network,
they were definitely putting money behind the
yes campaign for these amendments. It just goes
to show, you know, money doesn't always buy you
victory. This whole thing could really weaken
Landry's influence, make it harder for him to
get things done going forward. Let's turn to
the economy now. On Friday, the stock market
took a bit of a tumble. The Dow Jones, the S
&P 500, the Nasdaq Q all down. What spooked the
markets this time? The big news was a report
from the Department of Commerce that showed that
inflation is higher than expected. It wasn't
just the overall year -over -year increase in
prices, it was also the month -to -month increase
in what's called core personal consumption expenditures.
That's the PCE, which takes out the food and
energy prices because those tend to jump around
a lot. That core PCE going up, that's what really
worries economists because it shows that inflation
is a deeper problem. And the briefing points
out that the S &P 500 has dropped over 9 % since
it hit its high point at the end of February.
It's interesting that this downturn is happening
right as the Musk -Trump administration is ramping
up its rhetoric and policy proposals. Yeah. And
some economists, like James Knightley from AIG,
he's quoted in the briefing, they're worried
that those new tariffs could make inflation even
worse. That would really tie the Federal Reserve's
hands, make it harder for them to lower interest
rates. And regular people are feeling this, too,
you know, those anxieties about the economy.
The University of Michigan does a survey and
their latest one shows that consumers expect
inflation to hit five percent in the next year.
That's the highest it's been since twenty twenty
two. That kind of thinking could really affect
how much people spend and consumer spending.
Well, that's a big part of what keeps the economy
growing. Absolutely. So the Federal Reserve,
they're in a tough spot. Inflation is sticking
around. And then you have Trump saying he wants
to replace Jerome Powell as Fed. chair. If he
actually tries to do that, well, the markets
are probably going to freak out. And that just
adds even more uncertainty to the whole economic
outlook. Let's move on to something a little
more, well, theatrical. There was a town hall
meeting in Indiana with Representative Victoria
Spartz. She's a Republican. And her district
leans Republican pretty heavily. But from the
sounds of it, that town hall was pretty lively.
You could say that again. Lively might be an
understatement. Even though her district is rated
R plus 11, that town hall was packed with Democrats
and independents who were there to give her a
piece of their mind. The main thing they were
upset about was something called Signalgate.
Signalgate. Yeah, you mentioned Signalgate was
a big deal at the town hall. For those of us
who aren't totally up to speed on that, can you
give us a quick rundown of what Signalgate is
all about? Well, the briefing doesn't really
go into detail about what Signalgate actually
is. Yeah. But it's clear. that it's got her constituents
pretty riled up. It was the main reason why things
got so heated at that town hall. Sounds like
there was a lot of yelling back and forth, Representative
Spartz and the people who showed up. At one point,
she even told them that if they were just going
to yell, well, they couldn't really have a conversation.
But what I find interesting is that even though
it was a hostile crowd, Representative Spartz
stayed. She kept talking to her constituents
even after the town hall was officially over.
You got to give her credit for facing those people
head on. even when they were angry. And she also
defended Elon Musk, which was kind of surprising.
And she doubled down on her vote against aid
to Ukraine, which is where she's originally from.
She also said something that was factually wrong
about resignations and the Senate, which makes
you wonder if she's got all the details straight
about how the government works. Yeah, that raises
some eyebrows for sure. Yeah. But regardless
of the specifics, I think that town hall in a
district that's usually solidly Republican, it
shows just how divided things are politically
and how much people are holding their elected
officials accountable even within their own party.
Absolutely. It's a sign of the times for sure.
Let's move on to a different kind of political
fight. Donald Trump tried to shut down the Voice
of America, but the VOA just won the first round
in court. Yeah, a U .S. district judge blocked
the shutdown, said it was arbitrary and capricious.
The Voice of America It's got a long history,
goes all the way back to World War II. It broadcasts
news and information about the United States
all over the world in over 50 languages. They
reach something like 350 million people every
week with a budget of about 270 million dollars.
It's a big deal globally speaking. And as the
briefing points out, Trump has a history of not
liking media outlets that don't, well, report
things the way he wants them to. She used to
be the VOA White House bureau chief. She made
a good point. She said the VOA is supposed to
tell America's story, not just the president's
story. And remember, when Trump got upset with
the VOA for reporting the facts about the COVID
-19 pandemic, that probably played a role in
him wanting to shut them down. This court ruling
is a big win for the voice of America, keeps
them broadcasting for now. Another big story.
Katrina Armstrong, the president of Columbia
University, just resigned. That's the second
president to resign from Columbia in just 12
months. And this one seems to be tied directly
to pressure from Trump. That's what it looks
like. Trump was threatening to pull a lot of
funding from Columbia, something like $400 million
in federal contracts and grants. He was doing
this because there were pro -Palestinian demonstrations
happening on campus. The briefing suggests this
is part of a pattern with Trump, you know, trying
to silence anyone who disagrees with him politically.
It puts those university presidents in a really
tough spot. If they give in to Trump, they risk
alienating faculty and students who believe in
free speech. But if they stand up to him, they
could lose a ton of money. It's a no -win situation,
almost. And the briefing asks whether universities
should fight back in court when this kind of
thing happens. But they also point out that it's
risky. given the way the courts are right now.
They even mentioned Judge Aileen Cannon as an
example of how unpredictable things can be. OK,
let's switch gears again and talk about Colorado.
Senator Michael Bennett, a Democrat, is apparently
thinking about running for governor in 2026.
It's not every day you see a sitting U .S. senator
wanting to be governor, is it? It's a bit unusual.
Usually it's the other way around. governors
trying to become senators. But Bennett's situation
is a little different. His current Senate term
runs through 2028, and the current governor of
Colorado, Jared Polis, he can't run again in
2026 because of term limits. So Bennett could
try for the governorship, and if he loses, he
still gets to keep his Senate seat. But if he
wins, well then the current governor gets to
appoint someone to fill his Senate seat. The
briefing mentions a few reasons why Bennett might
be thinking about this. He's reportedly frustrated
with all the gridlock in the Senate, you know,
how nothing seems to get done because of all
the partisan fighting. And there are whispers
that he's not happy with some of Biden's policies.
Plus, there's a feeling that being a U .S. senator
just isn't as powerful as it used to be. And
his dad, you know, Senator Bennett's father,
he had a similar career change. He moved away
from a behind the scenes role in the Senate.
So maybe that's playing a role in his thinking.
It's interesting to compare Bennett to his colleague
from Colorado, John Hickenlooper. He went the
traditional route from governor to the Senate.
The briefing points out that if Bennett does
run for governor, he'd be the favorite to win
right out of the gate. That might discourage
other big -name Democrats from even trying. Okay,
last but not least, we've got to talk about what's
happening within the Democratic Party. Greg Cesar,
a representative from Texas. He's the new chair
of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. He's
only 35, so he represents a new generation of
leadership. And it sounds like he's got some
definite ideas about where he wants to take the
caucus. He does. He wants to get the Democratic
Party back to its roots, you know, connecting
with working class voters. And he wants to move
away from some of the positions that haven't
been popular with voters. He thinks the party's
been too cautious sometimes. He specifically
said they need to drop slogans like defund the
police and abolish IC. He knows those haven't
gone over well with a lot of voters. He wants
to focus on economic issues, bread and butter
stuff that most people can agree on, things like
making Social Security stronger, creating jobs
that pay a decent wage, making sure the wealthy
pay their fair share of taxes, and tackling poverty.
And his strategy is interesting. He wants to
engage with Republicans on issues like Social
Security, even going into districts that usually
vote Republican to talk about it. He says Republicans
have been good at making those niche social issues,
you know, the really divisive ones, seem like
the most important thing. But most voters, he
says, they're worried about making ends meet,
about putting food on the table. He even called
out Elon Musk for his stance on Social Security.
Use that as part of his economic argument. And
the briefing quotes Mark Langebaugh. He worked
as a strategist for Bernie Sanders, and he agrees
with Caesar. He says Democrats need to focus
on those core economic issues instead of the
social issues that divide people. He specifically
mentioned bathrooms as an example of an issue
that doesn't really unite people. A lot of people
are saying Caesar could be the next big leader
for the working class within the Democratic Party,
you know, kind of like AOC. The briefing even
quotes a consultant who says Caesar doesn't come
across as a typical college professor type, which
I guess is a good thing in politics. He says
Caesar's focus on survival, you know, the cost
of living. That's what resonates with voters
right now. Yeah, he's got that Bernie Sanders
vibe for sure, you know, focusing on again. economic
inequality and shaking things up. If Cesar can
get the progressive caucus to focus on those
core economic issues, it could really change
how the Democrats talk to voters and maybe even
help them connect with more people in the next
election. So to wrap things up, it's clear that
tomorrow's elections, especially in Wisconsin,
are really important. We saw those Republican
amendments get shot down in Louisiana, and there's
a lot of anxiety about where the economy's headed.
Plus, there are some potentially big shifts happening
within the Democratic Party. All of this adds
up to a really complex and constantly changing
political landscape. It does. And all these things,
even though they seem separate, they're all connected.
You know, they show the tension and the changes
that are happening in politics right now. So
here's a final thought for you to chew on. How
do you think tomorrow's election results are
going to affect these trends we've been talking
about? Will they reinforce them or will they
shake things up? And what do you think all this,
you know, the economy, the political maneuvering,
what's it all going to mean for the country in
the long run? Definitely something to keep in
mind as those results start coming in. Thanks
for joining us for this deep dive. We encourage
you to keep following these stories and form
your own opinions.