September 2020 - Newshacker

The Key Battleground State of Florida

Florida has always been a key battleground state in virtually every election cycle in modern history. The Sunshine State has a slight Republican tilt, but its 29 electoral votes, the third-biggest electoral prize, is always sought after by candidates on both sides. This year, none of its Senate seats are up for reelection.

NYT Reveals Trump Paid Just $750 In Taxes

For what seems to be the hundredth time since becoming president, there has been another revelation about President Trump Sunday: The New York Times has found out that the President had paid zero dollars in federal income tax in 10 out of 15 years beginning in 2015, and that in two of the years in which he did pay, he paid just $750 in 2016 and 2017. Could this be the “October surprise” that may result in Trump losing the election this November, just as Hillary Clinton’s email allegations brought about her downfall in 2016?

SCOTUS Opening Shakes Up the Senate Race (Late Sept.)

^{Disclaimer: As this article was written before the new revelations on President Trump’s tax returns, the information in this article may not fully reflect the political landscape that has developed because of these revelations.}

Since I last covered the Senate race earlier this month, a lot has changed due to the sudden passing of Justice Ginsburg. With Democrats adamant on not replacing Ginsburg’s seat until a new president is elected in November, the Democratic Party is sure to come out in full force to vote this November. This has shaken up the Senate race by quite a lot, so let’s take a look.

Trump & GOP Threatening to Undermine Election Legitimacy

Donald Trump and the Republican Party are trying to undermine election legitimacy and the integrity of the election, particularly in key battleground states. His words and actions indicate a total disregard of current election systems, which have worked well for decades, as well as a blatant disregard of American democracy.

SCOTUS: Ensuring Gender Equality (US v. Virginia)

In commemoration of Justice Ruth Ginsburg’s death, today, we are going to look at the landmark 1996 Supreme Court case of United States v. Virginia, a landmark case regarding women’s rights, of which Justice Ginsburg wrote the majority statement and played a huge role in deciding.

The Fast-Changing Presidential Race (Mid-Sept)

Welcome back to another 2020 presidential prediction. As we near the election, the dynamic of the presidential race is fast-changing, and there will be an update every two weeks on the races up until Election Day. Since the last prediction early this month, the national landscape has changed drastically, including the extremely unfortunate and saddening passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

A Race to Fill the Supreme Court Ensues After Justice Ginsburg’s Death

In the late afternoon of Friday, September 18, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg passed away at the age of 87 due to complications from pancreatic cancer in her home in Washington, D.C. This came just 45 days away from the general elections in November. With a Supreme Court justice death so close to the election, the fight to fill her seat will have a number of political implications.

The Races In Montana Are Tightening Up

In most people’s eyes, Montana is a solidly Republican state, having voted for the Republican president every election since 1992 (and prior to that, 1964). But just dig slightly deeper, and you will find that Montana is not actually that solid for the Republicans at all.

The Races In Arizona Are Moving In Democrats’ Favor

Arizona, once a ruby-red state that has voted the Republican nominee for president since 1996 (and before that, 1948!) is no longer. It isn’t even just a swing state, like Texas or North Carolina. Rather, it is now a state that is favored for the Democrats to win. Let’s take a look at some of the data coming out from Arizona.

The Election Is Moving In Joe Biden’s Favor

As November’s general election draws closer with just 47 days to go, neither the Senate nor the Presidential races are tightening up. Rather, just about every swing state is moving in the Democrats’ favor. Let’s take a look at how the races stand today, based on forecasts and polling averages.

Wildfires and Hurricanes: It’s Time For a Green New Deal

Wildfires are tearing through the West Coast at rates never seen before. The smoke from wildfires is causing places like Seattle, Portland, and the Bay Area to experience some of the worst air qualities in the entire world. Hurricanes are hitting the Gulf Coast and many areas of the East Coast hard in recent years. It’s undeniable that climate change has become a real threat to human life, but hardly anything is being done about it.

SCOTUS: How Interracial Marriage Was Legalized (Loving v. Virginia)

Believe it or not, as late as 1967, interracial marriage (marriage between a Black and a White) was illegal in much of the South. Interracial marriage bans were only ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in the very fittingly-named case Loving v. Virginia of 1967. We will take a closer look at this case in today’s post.

The Different Electoral Maps of the Presidential Election

In today’s post, we are going to take a look at various forecast models and possible electoral map outcomes and discuss what each could mean for the 2020 election. Many swing states have been rated differently by each forecaster, so it will be interesting to see how various states are rated. As many forecasts are updated numerous times a day, all characterizations are correct as of writing.

The 2020 Presidential Map Based On Polling

In today’s post, we are going to take a deeper look at the 2020 Presidential electoral map based on FiveThirtyEight weighted polling data, as well as RealClearPolitics (RCP) averages and a few other compilers. Note that this isn’t a prediction, but rather a discussion of the data available.

Pres. Trump Admits Downplaying COVID-19 Severity & DHS Leaks

President Trump has admitted to intentionally downplaying the severity of COVID-19 in a series of new tapes released by Watergate reporter Bob Woodward. Separately, Brian Murphy, a whistleblower who was formally the head of the intelligence division at the Department of Homeland Security, accused the department of serving the president’s political interests.

The House Elections as of September 2020

In this post, we are going to take a look at the most competitive House of Representatives races and how they stand about 55 days out from the November general election. We will only discuss the most competitive house races, because otherwise, we would be here until tomorrow morning if we were to discuss all 435 House seats.

The Gubernatorial Elections as of September 2020

The 2020 Governor Race cycle is perhaps less exciting than in other years, for example, the midterm cycle, where over 30 states hold gubernatorial elections, but there are a few interesting races to talk about. Only 11 governor seats are up for grabs this year, that being of Delaware, Indiana, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, North Carolina, North Dakota, Utah, Vermont, and West Virginia.

Who Is Winning the Race For the White House? (Early Sept.)

Welcome to another 2020 Presidential Election prediction, updated for early September. Since the last prediction in mid-August, there have been a number of changes on the national scale, most notably a bombshell story from The Atlantic about Trump’s comments to veterans. (In case you’re not familiar with how the U.S. presidential election process works, click here for a more detailed explanation.)

Trump Down in Military Polls and Calls Servicemen ‘Losers’

(NEWSHACKER) – In a poll conducted by the Military Times before the conventions, more and more servicemen are turning away from President Trump and choosing to support Joe Biden instead. In an exclusive scoop from The Atlantic (and confirmed by the Associated Press), the President has repeatedly disparaged the intelligence of service members, called Americans who died in war “suckers” and “losers,” and lots more.

Which Party is Winning the Race For the Senate? (Sept. 2020)

Since we last discussed the race for the U.S. Senate in August, a lot has changed on the national landscape. The DNC and RNC have both taken place, and as we head into the presidential debates, the race for the Senate is undoubtedly going to narrow up. Let’s take a look at where things stand for each party exactly two months out from the November general election.

Why Is Mass Transit So Bad in America?

Mass transit networks are fast, ubiquitous, and cheap in many cities in places like Asia and Europe. Trains, buses, subway lines, streetcars…you name it, plow through the streets of busy cities like Tokyo, Hong Kong, London, and Paris. But in the U.S., with the exception of a few cities like New York and Washington D.C., mass transit sucks. It’s expensive, infrequent, and coverage is extremely limited. Just why is mass transit so bad in America? Well, it has to do with history, culture, and city planning.

The States That Will Decide Who Becomes President

Due to the Electoral College system, many people that live in safe states do not get their voices heard on the presidential level. For instance, a Republican in California or a Democrat in Mississippi are not represented in the Electoral College, because those states are safe for the Democratic and Republican parties respectively. This basically means that a handful of states decide the election. Let’s take a look at them in this post.