Wiley Nickel

In this year’s Senate elections, Democrats won over 2 million more votes than Republicans but still lost their majority. So much for democracy. The Senate is famously biased toward the GOP, and with less ticket-splitting these days, that leaves Democrats with quite the hole to climb out of.But there is a ladder back to the majority, even if it’s a tall one.

For moderate House Democrats, the post-mortem conclusions about what happened Nov. 5 come down to being humble, authentic and willing to listen.

In North Carolina, Republicans managed to flip three congressional seats from Democrat to Republican. This success was partly due to redrawn district maps.

The venerable British institution of the opposition would serve America well today.

Across the country on Tuesday, November 5, Americans cast their ballots in one of the most closely contested elections in recent history.In the Old North State, voters came out in droves beginning with the early voting period, and by early Wednesday morning, it had become clear that the turnout record of 2020 would be bested in 2024.At the top of the ticket, former President Donald Trump once again won North Carolina, his third time in as many election cycles, while once again, North Carolinians split their ballots and elected a Democratic Governor in current Attorney General Josh Stein.Stein was the highest vote-getter on the ballot as of Wednesday, garnering over three million votes of the 5.6 million votes cast, although final totals will not be available until after the ten-day canvass period. Stein's 15-percentage point win over Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson is the widest margin in a North Carolina Governor's race in recent history.Ticket-splitting the North Carolina... Read the complete article here...© 2024 Ward and Smith, P.A.. All Rights Reserved.

Five states redrew their district lines and the changes could impact who wins the House in the 2024 election.

The Democrats' Biden-Harris switch shows that the strong political party may be making a comeback.

At least three of Vice President Kamala Harris' prospective running mates already have members of their state's congressional delegation pressing their cases from Capitol Hill.Why it matters: Several lawmakers, eager to see their states represented at the top of the ticket, told Axios they are privately making their argument to the Harris campaign or plan to do so.Pennsylvania Gov. Josh ShapiroRep. Matt Cartwright said he is "just getting started" in urging the Harris campaign to pick Shapiro, saying he has "mentioned it to a few people, I think, low down in the Harris campaign."Rep. Susan Wild said in a statement Shapiro would be a "phenomenal" choice, adding: "I have communicated this to the Harris campaign. I do not know if the Governor is interested in the role, but I hope he is for the sake of our country."And Rep. Madeleine Dean said she doesn't think it is appropriate to make an endorsement but said Shapiro has been a "superb leader" who often outperforms other Democrats on the same ballot.North Carolina Gov. Roy CooperRep. Kathy Manning said Cooper "would be a great choice," and that "if anybody [from the Harris campaign] asks me, I'm happy to tell them."Rep. Jeff Jackson said Cooper is "awesome" and that he is "planning on" making that view known to the Harris campaign.Rep. Wiley Nickel said Cooper is "absolutely the best choice that Vice President Harris could make, a very popular governor in a swing state," but suggested he is not actively pushing Cooper to the campaign.Arizona Sen. Mark KellyRep. Greg Stanton (D-Ariz.) touted Kelly's record, popularity with independents and Republicans and his ability to raise money, but declined to say whether he would make that case privately to the Harris campaign."Obviously, Arizona is a critical battleground state, so if he were to be selected that would immediately put ... Arizona in a likely winning position," Stanton told Axios in a phone interview.Between the lines: One other prospective pick, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, is at a disadvantage on this front as his deep red state has just one Democrat, Rep. Morgan McGarvey, in its congressional delegation.McGarvey's spokesperson told Axios that the congressman, like his contemporaries in other states, has advocated for Beshear in local media interviewsThe other side: Several Republican lawmakers argued that VP picks from their states wouldn't help Democrats the way the party is hoping."I think, no matter what, Trump and Vance are going to win [Pennsylvania] no matter who Democrats put on the ticket, because at this point it's all about the platform," said Rep. Guy Reschenthaler (R-Pa.).Rep. Richard Hudson (R-N.C.) said of Cooper: "He's going to try and claim credit for bills that he vetoed for years. And once people learn that record, I think he'll be very unpopular."Go deeper: Where VP Kamala Harris stands on hot-button issues