RandySF
RandySF's JournalMike Johnson's red alert on members quitting Congress
Members of the House of Representatives are quitting Congress at a record rate, with Republican retirements and resignations outpacing Democrats by a nearly 2-to-1 ratio in the first 11 months of the year.
Why it matters: In previous cycles, the party with more departures tends to lose seats — if not the majority.
Call it the congressional JOLTS rate. Like its BLS counterpart, a high reading for one party doesn't predict a House flip any more than a bad JOLTS number calls a recession.
But it's not a great sign for Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), who needs to worry that early GOP retirements could strip him of his gavel this year.
https://www.axios.com/2025/12/02/congress-retirements-mike-johnson-republicans
Elections Commission modifies Madison missing ballot order
The Wisconsin Elections Commission voted unanimously Monday to modify its order imposing a number of requirements on the Madison city clerk’s office due to the loss of nearly 200 absentee ballots in the 2024 election.
In August, the commission ordered the city to make a number of changes to its election practices in an effort to prevent the loss of future ballots.
The original order requires the city to develop an internal plan delineating which employee is responsible for statutorily required tasks, change the absentee ballot processing system so bags and envelopes aren’t lost, update instructional materials for poll workers and complete a full inspection of all materials before the scheduled board of canvassers meeting after an election.
In a special meeting on Monday, the commission voted 6-0 to approve a request from newly appointed clerk Clerk Lydia McComas to modify a section of the order about the timing of printing and preparing poll books.
https://wisconsinexaminer.com/briefs/elections-commission-modifies-madison-missing-ballot-order/
Republicans push to bar foreign donors to Michigan ballot committees
LANSING — A Republican bill moving through the state House is seeking to clamp down on alleged foreign influence in Michigan ballot proposals by banning foreign sources from giving to the efforts — without giving state officials any way to tell if the law is being followed.
The legislation would amend Michigan’s campaign finance law to require ballot questions committees to submit an “affirmation” that the committee hasn’t knowingly received donations from foreign nationals, and require the committees to get similar assurances from dark money sources that they’ve not been funded by foreign sources, either.
If the donation is from a foreign-owned company in the U.S., funds could only be donated if raised in the US and contributed by US-based employees.
Rep. Rachelle Smit, the Martin Republican who’s sponsoring the legislation, said in committee testimony that the possibility of foreign funding behind Michigan ballot proposals is a “critical loophole that exposes state and local initiatives and referenda to otherwise illegal contributions.
https://bridgemi.com/michigan-government/republicans-push-to-bar-foreign-donors-to-michigan-ballot-committees/
PA-GOV: Garrity (R) downplays affordability while campaigning for Pa. governor
Affordability issues may have delivered Democrats important election victories in New York, New Jersey, and Virginia earlier this month, but that’s not stopping Pennsylvania Treasurer Stacy Garrity—Republican candidate for governors—from downplaying the importance of rising prices on the campaign trail.
Garrity is still a bit of a newcomer to the political scene in Pennsylvania after being elected as state treasurer in 2020. Earlier this year, Pennsylvania Republicans endorsed Garrity to challenge Gov. Josh Shapiro in order to prevent a 2022 repeat between him and State Sen. Doug Mastriano.
Last week, Garrity campaigned in Southwestern Pennsylvania when she was asked about affordability issues on Dom Giordano’s conservative talk radio program. Instead, she pivoted to talking about commercial drivers licenses (CDL) going to immigrants who cannot speak English.
“ Honestly, the talk is all about the CDL,” Garrity told Giordano. “It seems like this is an issue all over the place, but the buzz right now is CDLs. It’s not so much affordability.”
https://keystonenewsroom.com/2025/11/25/garrity-downplays-affordability/
NJ-11: Analilia Mejia tells Democratic bosses to remain neutral
Saying that Democrats are “exhausted by insider politics,” congressional candidate Analilia Mejia has asked Democratic party leaders in New Jersey’s 11th district to stay neutral in the February 4 special primary to fill the seat of Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill in New Jersey’s 11th district.
“A compressed timeline already makes it difficult for voters to learn about all of the incredibly qualified candidates running. The last thing we need is a rushed process that puts a finger on the scale,” Mejia said in a letter to Democratic county committee members. “We can’t tell people we’re fighting for democracy in Washington while participating in processes here at home that feel rigged from the start.”
Mejia, a veteran labor organizer and Glen Ridge resident, served as the national political director for Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign in 2020; Sanders has endorsed her to replace Sherrill.
Essex and Morris Democrats have scheduled an endorsement convention to award the use of the organization’s slogan in a contest that includes no other offices. Passaic Democrats typically hold a screening committee, but the party has not indicated whether it will endorse for the special primary.
https://newjerseyglobe.com/campaigns/analilia-mejia-tells-democratic-bosses-to-remain-neutral-in-nj-11-primary/
NJ-11: Joe D (D) endorses Brendan G (D) in special election
Essex County Commissioner Brendan Gill (D-Montclair) continues to consolidate support in his home of Essex County ahead of next year’s special election for New Jersey’s 11th congressional district, picking up a major endorsement today from Essex County Executive Joe DiVincenzo.
“For the last 14 years, Brendan and I have worked together in county government to revitalize our parks, preserve open spaces like the Essex-Hudson Greenway, modernize our infrastructure and stabilize county taxes,” DiVincenzo said in a statement. “I know Brendan will bring the same passion and determination to Congress that he has given to Essex as a commissioner.”
The endorsement comes one day before the Essex County Democratic organization meets for a special convention to endorse a candidate and award its ballot slogan; support from DiVincenzo and other top Essex Democrats likely makes Gill the candidate to beat.
A resident of Roseland, DiVincenzo is an 11th district voter himself, and as Essex County Executive he represents nearly half of the district’s Democrats.
https://newjerseyglobe.com/congress/joe-d-endorses-brendan-g-in-nj-11-special-election/
N.J. Democrats gained more new voters than GOP in November
New Jersey gained 2,492 Democrats and 1,402 Republicans during the month of November, ending a recent trend of Republican voter registration gains in a state that elected a Democratic governor, Mikie Sherrill, by fifteen points on November 4.
Republicans added 46,166 new registrants to the voter rolls since the November 2024 general election, while Democrats lost 5,579. In total, New Jersey added 9,722 new voters last month, but lost 85,376 voters since the ’24 election.
The state has 854,554 more Democrats than Republicans – a massive advantage, but still down from the one-million edge it had in 2020. The number began to decrease after Democrat Joe Biden defeated Republican Donald Trump later that year.
New Jersey has not elected a Republican governor in twelve years and has not elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate since 1972. Democrats have controlled the State Assembly since 2002 and the State Senate since 2004; from 2002 to 2004, the upper house had 20 Democrats and 20 Republicans, leading to shared control of the Senate.
https://newjerseyglobe.com/campaigns/n-j-democrats-gained-more-new-voters-than-gop-in-november/
NJ-12: Middlesex state senator (D) endorses Brad Cohen (D)
As he campaigns to replace Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-Ewing) in the 12th congressional district, East Brunswick Mayor Brad Cohen has picked up an endorsement from his local state senator and fellow Middlesex Democrat, State Sen. Patrick Diegnan (D-South Plainfield).
Diegnan’s early endorsement is notable, given that the 12th district Democratic field is still taking shape and could grow to include other candidates who hail from the powerful Middlesex County Democratic organization – among them Diegnan’s own Senate colleague, State Sen. Andrew Zwicker (D-South Brunswick).
“In the present political climate, it is essential that the 12th congressional district be represented by a leader who will continue Congresswoman Watson Coleman’s legacy,” Diegnan said. “Mayor Brad Cohen has proven that he is that kind of a leader.”
There are likely to be some strong geographical dimensions to the 12th district’s Democratic primary, as there were when Watson Coleman first won in a 2014 contest that pit Mercer, Somerset, and Middlesex Democrats against one another. The diverse, deep-blue district is divided across four counties, and all four counties already have at least one candidate running in next year’s primary.
https://newjerseyglobe.com/congress/middlesex-state-senator-endorses-brad-cohen-in-nj-12/
NJ-11: Thirteen Democrats, one Republican file to make NJ-11 special election ballot
The field for the special election in New Jersey’s 11th congressional district, vacant since Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill resigned from the House last month, is now largely set.
A whopping 13 Democrats have filed for the seat, the largest primary field for a single New Jersey House seat in years. Only one Republican, Randolph Mayor Joe Hathaway, filed to run for the Democratic-leaning district, essentially making him the GOP nominee by default.
All candidates had to file with a minimum of 500 signatures, a threshold that most of them easily surpassed despite the shortened timeframe for circulating petitions. (The threshold was increased from 200 to 500 at the beginning of this year; this special election will be the first time the heightened requirements will be in force for a congressional race.)
The deadline for filing an objection to any candidate’s petition signatures is on December 5, and all challenges must be resolved by December 10.
https://newjerseyglobe.com/congress/fourteen-democrats-one-republican-file-to-make-nj-11-special-election-ballot/
Several of Schumer's N.Y. offices targeted with email bomb threats
U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said his New York offices were the target of multiple bomb threats made by email, the Democratic lawmaker said Monday.
“This morning, I was informed by law enforcement entities throughout New York of multiple bomb threats that were made at my offices in Rochester, Binghamton, and Long Island with the email subject line ‘MAGA’ and from an email address alleging the ‘2020 election was rigged,’” Schumer said in a statement. “Local and federal law enforcement responded immediately and are conducting full security sweeps. Everyone is safe, and I am grateful for their quick and professional response to ensure these offices remain safe and secure for all New Yorkers.”
The state’s senior senator is the latest target of recent cases of political violence or threats against New York members of Congress. A man who was pardoned for crimes committed during the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol was charged in October with threatening to kill U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. In November, Republican Rep. Claudia Tenney had police respond to her private residence in Washington for a report of a broken window. Tenney’s district offices were also targeted with threats of violence and intimidation against staff earlier this year.
“As I have said many times, these kinds of violent threats have absolutely no place in our political system,” Schumer said. “No one—no public servant, no staff member, no constituent, no citizen—should ever be targeted for simply doing their job.”
https://ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/politics/2025/12/01/schumer-n-y--offices-target-of-email-bomb-threats
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