Publisher, The Downballot. davidnir (at) the-downballot (dot) com Find me on Bluesky: https://xitter.cf/t.co/St2Z40rh6d

New York, NY
Joined March 2009
It's been quite a year for us, leaving our old home to launch a brand-new site. I'm so grateful to everyone who believed in us & made it all possible. We still have a ways to go before we're sustainable, so if you support our mission, I hope you'll consider a donation. Thank you.
As we wrap up 2024, we wanted to express our deepest gratitude to our readers. Launching The Downballot was a momentous step for us, and your support is why we're here today. We hope you'll consider donating to our end-of-year fundraiser. the-downballot.com/p/morning…
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On our final podcast of the year, we're presenting a very special ceremony: the Second Annual Downballot Awards! Categories include: • Best Performance by a Losing Candidate • Most Embarrassing Use of AI • The Iron Bladder Award And many more! the-downballot.com/p/the-sec…
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Going live at 2 PM ET: My video chat with @atrupar.com of Public Notice! We'll be taking your Q&A on all topics political and electoral. You'll need the (free) Substack app to participate. Grab it here! substack.com/app
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It's been a good news/bad news week for Dems and democracy in North Carolina: Allison Riggs was confirmed as the winner of a *second* recount, but the GOP just passed a flagrant power grab. We discuss it all on this week's episode of The Downballot podcast the-downballot.com/p/the-nc-…
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A second recount has confirmed Allison Riggs won the North Carolina Supreme Court race, but Democrats have reason to fear the GOP could overturn the result. We explain why in our newest Digest the-downballot.com/p/morning…
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David Nir on Bluesky: @davidnir.com retweeted
For swearing-in w/ Kamala Harris, Sen Adam Schiff uses 1490 edition of Maimonides Mishneh Torah -“a monumental legal code and one of the most organized, comprehensive, and influential works of Jewish law.” The edition was published by Gershom ben Mosheh ish Sontsino (h/t @kampeas
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Some top Qs on the gov front: • Will Kathy Hochul survive a likely primary challenge? Will Katie Hobbs face one? • Will GA Dems go with a new face, or will a previous candidate try again? • Will Tony Evers seek a 3rd term? How about Tim Walz? We explore all these & more
Leading today's Morning Digest newsletter: The coming cycle will host no fewer than *38* elections for governor, and a huge number will be competitive. We preview 16 top contests that will determine how power is wielded in America the-downballot.com/p/morning…
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Ron DeSantis just made sure Matt Gaetz's seat will be vacant for only 139 days. But when a Democratic congressman in a dark blue (and majority-Black) district died in 2021, DeSantis kept it vacant for *twice* as long—280 days.
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Of course, if Gaetz tries this maneuver, there's the little matter of that Ethics Committee report...
As we've noted, Gaetz could still try to take his seat on Jan. 3. He resigned from the *current* Congress and said he would not serve in the *next* Congress, but there's no mechanism to stop him from changing his mind—short of two-thirds of the House voting to expel him
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Joining us on The Downballot podcast this week is one of our favorite reporters, @abbyliv817 of @PuckNews, who helps us answer a major question: Why did so many Republicans run behind Trump this year? Listen here! the-downballot.com/p/a-come-…
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David Nir on Bluesky: @davidnir.com retweeted
SCOOP: House Dems say their messaging against GOP’s anti-trans bill — to say it’s a “distraction” — was advised by Sarah McBride herself “‘We got work we need to to do, don’t forget that,’ and that’s what she’s telling a lot of members,” one Dem told me notus.org/congress/democrats…
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David Nir on Bluesky: @davidnir.com retweeted
Is the Sergeant at Arms going to be doing chromosomal tests at the door? Or are they just going to follow Sarah McBride around? Presumably there are trans staff members who have been using the bathroom of their choice without issue for a while and Johnson’s been Speaker a year…
NEW: Mike Johnson says trans women will be restricted from using the women's bathrooms on the House side of the Capitol complex.
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A crucial race for the North Carolina Supreme Court is going to a recount. Our newest Morning Digest looks at what's next in the race between Democratic incumbent Allison Riggs, who leads by 625 votes, and GOP opponent Jefferson Griffin. the-downballot.com/p/morning…
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David Nir on Bluesky: @davidnir.com retweeted
New in PN: @DavidNir on how Mike Johnson could make Trump's recess appointments a reality "Even if a few Republican senators stand up for themselves and resist Trump's recess appointments scheme, no one should assume the speaker would do the same." publicnotice.co/p/mike-johns…
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David Nir on Bluesky: @davidnir.com retweeted
NEW: Rep. Jared Golden D-ME wins in ME-2 after ranked choice voting review. Golden finishes with 50.35 percent to 49.65 percent for his GOP opponent. A hand recount is still possible.
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Since folks have asked: Yes, we will be calculating the results of the presidential election for all 435 House districts! There are a lot of wonky estimates out there, but we value accuracy over being first. We're waiting for final results and will run the numbers carefully.
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