Republican Party

Two Former Republicans Running As Democrats In Gubernatorial Races In Georgia And Florida

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In the highly significant states of Georgia and Florida, with Republican Governors retiring, there is a hopeful opportunity for two former Republicans who have switched to the Democratic Party due to Donald Trump’s abuses, to compete for their states’ governorships.

In Georgia, Governor Brian Kemp is term limited, and Democrats are seen as having a good chance to gain the Governorship, even though the state legislature is heavily Republican.

The Georgia Secretary of State, Brad Raffensperger, is a possible Republican choice, who had to deal with Donald Trump’s attempt to try to fix the Georgia Presidential election results in 2020, and refused to cooperate with Trump.

But Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones, in office in the present term, is favored in public opinion polls and in endorsements, having succeeded former Lieutenant Governor Geoff Duncan, who repudiated his Republican ties and has become a Democrat. He is one of two most likely Democratic choices, with the other being former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, with Bottoms at this point way ahead in endorsements and polling.

In the state of Florida, Governor Ron DeSantis is term limited, and the Republican Party has two major competitors to succeed him as the party nominee. They are Northern Florida Congressman Byron Donalds, and former State Speaker of the House Paul Renner, but with present short term Lieutenant Governor Jay Collins possibly entering the race, supposedly with the backing of Governor DeSantis.

Donalds is, at this point, way ahead in polling and endorsements, but subject to possible changes

The Democrats, who have not won the governorship since 1994, see their best chance with former Republican Congressman David Jolly, who has heavy polling and endorsement support, but will have a challenge from Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings.

Sadly, in both Georgia and Florida, it will be a major accomplishment if the Democrats win either race, with the odds in Florida a bit better, as polls indicate a tight race between Donalds and Jolly at this point.

The Upcoming California Gubernatorial Race In 2026

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California, the largest state in population, with 39 million people, will have a new Governor elected in 2026, as two term Governor Gavin Newsom, is term limited, but will certainly be pursuing the Democratic nomination for President in 2028, with many early polls indicating he is the frontrunner at this point.

California has been a reliably Democratic state since the 1990s, so although Republicans will contest the election, the odds are very heavy against any opportunity for success.

There are a multitude of potential candidates in both parties, with the Republicans’ most likely choice seen as probably Steve Hilton, a political commentator for Fox News Channel, and who in the past, worked for the British government.

Former Vice President Kamala Harris, the losing Presidential nominee in 2024, decided NOT to seek the Governorship, and is still considering a Presidential campaign for 2028.

The Democrats have many potential candidates, but the two that stick out the most are former Congresswoman Katie Porter, former candidate for the US Senate in 2024, and Congressman Eric Swalwell, with Swalwell at this point in the lead in public opinion polls.

But Xavier Becerra, former Secretary of Health and Human Services under President Joe Biden, and former California Attorney General; and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, cannot be ignored.

The view of this author and blogger is that Eric Swalwell would be the best, most electable Democrat, although before his entrance into the race, Katie Porter was seen as the frontrunner.

The Upcoming Alabama Gubernatorial Race In 2026

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The first in a series of articles analyzing 2026 races for Governor and the US Senate will be on the Alabama Gubernatorial Race.

With Republican Governor Kay Ivey ineligible to run for a third term, the Republican nominee will be present US Senator Tommy Tuberville, with his Democratic opponent being former three year Senator Doug Jones.

Tuberville, a former renowned football coach, most notably at Auburn University, but also at three other institutions, ran for the Senate in 2020, and defeated Doug Jones, who had won the seat to finish the term of former Senator Jeff Sessions, who had become Attorney General under Donald Trump in 2017.

Jones had a distinguished background as a federal prosecutor, who became most noted for successful prosecution of two Ku Klux Klan members for the infamous Birmingham Church Bombing in 1963, which caused the death of four African American girls, accomplishing this nearly four decades later. He was the only recent Democrat to hold office in recent times, as Alabama had become highly Republican, and remains so.

So this is a second time of these two men opposing each other, with Tuberville gaining a reputation of being an extreme MAGA Republican, supportive of everything Donald Trump espouses. He has often uttered outrageous statements and beliefs, and shocked many by his persona.

It will be difficult for Jones to triumph in this Senate race, but if anyone can be perceived as having the potential to do so, it is Doug Jones, who this author and blogger highly respects!

The US Senate: Highly Undemocratic, And More So In Future With 15 States Having 70 Percent Of Population, But Only 30 Seats In Senate

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The future of American democracy is in danger from more than Donald Trump and an extremist right wing majority on the US Supreme Court.

The US Senate, considered the greatest legislative institution in the world, has, from its inception, been highly undemocratic in nature, with its idea of states rights, and every state having the same amount of representation.

So in a nation that now has 340 million people, we have the 15 smallest states in population, all tending to be Republican for a long term, have about 41 million people combined, and have 30 seats in the Senate.

At the same time, California, the largest populated state with about 39 million people, has 2 seats in the Senate.

So the estimate is that by 2040, only 15 years from now, 70 percent of the United States will be represented by just 30 US Senators, while the remaining Americans, disproportionately whiter, older, and more rural, will have 70 US Senators.

This will make progress and revival of policies and programs, that are now rapidly being demolished, ever the harder to achieve.

This means the great advances of American democracy from the time of Democratic and Republican Presidents, including Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter, George H W Bush, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, and Joe Biden will, in many cases, be permanently impossible to revive, due to the deleterious effect of Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush, and Donald Trump on American democracy and the rule of law.

First Session Of 119th Congress Ends, Leaving Millions Without Health Care Coverage!

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The 119th Congress, First Session, has ended with the reality that the Affordable Care Act (Obama Care) has been gutted, with up to 22 million Americans left without health care coverage, a major tragedy.

Many of these Americans have serious health conditions, and now are in an impossible situation, leading to the reality that many will die as a result.

What the Republican dominated Congress has perpetrated is to abandon millions of Americans in their mad quest to give further tax cuts to people who do not need them.

Even Mitt Romney, the 2012 Presidential nominee of the Republican Party, has now come out for taxing millionaires, reversing his campaign back in 2012 against President Barack Obama, which contributed to his defeat.

With a growing oligarchy of super wealthy people, the nation is in dire financial straits that denies people a basic human right to health care.

European countries and Canada, and many other nations elsewhere, provide national health insurance, and yet, Republicans and Donald Trump have no concern about the welfare of those less fortunate, who are dependent on what was passed into law in 2010.

If it was up to the mean, nasty Republicans, they would look to eliminate Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security over time, goals the party has had since the 1930s and 1960s.

So this is a time where Americans have to come to grips that the Republican Party is only concerned about the elite top ten percent, and every effort has to be made to insure Democrats take over Congress, and start to take action against the evils of Donald Trump and his Cabinet Officers!

Brown University Massacre Reminds Us Of Sandy Hook 2012 And Marjorie Stoneman Douglas 2018 Mass Murders: Dire Need For Stronger Gun Regulations Revives!

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The Brown University Massacre this past weekend reminds us of the Sandy Hook Elementary School Massacre of December 14, 2012 in Newtown, Connecticut, and the Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School Massacre in Parkland, Florida on February 14, 2018.

The Sandy Hook Massacre resulted in the deaths of 20 children and 6 staff members, and the Marjorie Stoneman Douglas Massacre led to the death of 17 people and wounding of 18 others.

Also, the Uvalde, Texas Robb Elementary School Massacre on May 24, 2022 led to the deaths of 19 students and 2 teachers, and the wounding of 21 others.

And the worst disaster ever at an educational institution was at Virginia Tech University in Blacksburg, Virginia on Aprl 16, 2007, when 32 people were killed and 17 others wounded, the worst ever on a college or university campus.

One would think these horrendous tragedies, and the fact that there are many smaller incidents of gun violence that students have to deal with, would finally lead to substantial gun regulation, as existed from 1994-2004, motivated by the support of President Ronald Reagan, who had been a victim of an assassination attempt, being seriously wounded on March 30, 1981.

But instead, the gun lobby has continued to have power over Republicans, who have prevented any further, substantial action on the threat that has caused so much harm and death over the decades!

Likely Republican Governor Nominees In 2026 State Elections

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As attention starts to be paid to the upcoming midterm Gubernatorial elections, the prospect of many states having new Republican governors brings a sense of foreboding.

Many likely Republican nominees, and in most cases, likely winners over Democrats, is enough to cause sadness.

These cases of what this blogger and author considers “disasters” includes:

Alabama–Tommy Tuberville, presently Senator, and former football coach

Arizona—Congressman Andy Biggs

Florida–Congressman Byron Donalds

Michigan—Congressman John James

Minnesota—lunatic and conspiracy theorist businessman Mike Lindell

New York–Congresswoman Elise Stefanik

Ohio—Corporate leader and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy

South Carolina—Congresswoman Nancy Mace

Tennessee—Senator Marsha Blackburn

Additionally, there are incumbent Governors who are horrendous, including:

Arkansas—Sarah Huckabee Sanders

Texas—Greg Abbott

At this point, Republicans would be favored in 7 of these 11 states, with Democrats having the advantage in Arizona, Michigan, Minnesota, and New York.

Additionally, polls in Ohio indicate Amy Acton is gaining women’s support and those who believe in science, against Ramaswamy, so there is growing hope for Democrats to win the Governorship in that state.

And in Florida, former Republican Congressman turned Democrat David Jolly is also polling well, and has a decent chance to win over Donalds or any other potential Republican nominee, although it will be a difficult battle in the Sunshine State.

IF Democrats can indeed keep the Governorship in states that now have Democrats—Arizona, Michigan, Minnesota, and New York—and somehow gain Ohio and Florida, it would be a great midterm gubernatorial election triumph!

One can assume at this point, that the other five states–Alabama, Arkansas, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas–are lost causes for Democrats!

Female Republican Revolt Against Speaker Of The House Mike Johnson!

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Speaker of the House Mike Johnson is confronted with a revolt by Republican women in the House of Representatives.

Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, who has broken with Trump and is leaving Congress after five years in early January, has also been highly critical of the leadership of Johnson.

But also, Nancy Mace of South Carolina, who is leaving the House to run for Governor of her state, has also bitterly complained that Johnson is ignoring women Republicans in how he operates the House of Representatives.

And additionally, Elise Stefanik of New York, who is also leaving the House to run for Governor of her state, has been highly critical of the way Johnson operates.

The fact that Greene is leaving next month, and Mace and Stefanik, possibly before the end of the two year House term as they compete for the Governorships of their states, could endanger Republican control of the House before the elections in 2026, possibly putting Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries in the Speakership sometime in 2026.

This anger could also affect how women look at the Republican leadership in the House of Representatives, and conceivably, sway many women to vote against the Republican Party in House and Senate races in 2026 and beyond!

Texas Democratic Senate Race Gets Interesting!

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Texas has been heavily “Red” since the early 1990s, and yet, there is a growing feeling that for the first time in all those years, a Democrat might be able to win the Senate seat of Senator John Cornyn, who has two opponents, corrupt state Attorney General Ken Paxton, and African American Congressman Wesley Hunt.

The Democrats had former African American Congressman Colin Allred, the Senate losing candidate to Ted Cruz in 2024, planning to run again, but now, at the last minute, he has decided to run for a House seat instead.

So it now seems that the battle for the Democrats is with two exciting and dynamic candidates, 36 year old state House member James Talarico, and 44 year old African American Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett.

Crockett is a late comer to the race, and apparently, convinced Allred to leave the race, but Crockett should not think that Talarico will be a slouch, as he is very dynamic, charismatic, and preaches religion in a different way, arguing against extremist Christian propaganda, and seeing Christianity as liberal, as he contends, and the record shows, Jesus Christ preached two thousand years ago.

Talarico is an example of an inspiring young man who is representative of the future, and this blogger and author is very impressed with him.

Crockett is highly controversial in her rhetoric, so it will be an interesting race against Talarico, and the winner will have a better shot if Paxton, who seems to be favored in polls right now, ends up defeating John Cornyn for the nomination.

Texas Politics will be the center of attention, and could decide the balance of power in the US Senate for the 120th Congress (2027-2029)!

Pete Hegseth Becomes Heavy Burden For Trump, But Seems More A Threat To Republicans In Upcoming Midterm Elections Of 2026!

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Secretary of Defense (NOT War as Trump claims) Pete Hegseth is becoming a heavy burden, as the Signal Gate (Signal Chat Leak Crisis) Scandal in the spring, and now the murder of survivors of what are seen as illegal attacks on so called drug boats in the Caribbean and Pacific by the US military, supposedly coming from Venezuela, are causing major problems, with many Republicans finally speaking out in outrage.

Trump was willing to “sacrifice” people around him in his first term, but it seems as if he is trying to continue to back controversial Cabinet members, of which there are many, this round in the White House.

Republicans in Congress are, clearly, running scared, as the projection now is that Democrats have a real shot at regaining control of the Congress, after the special Tennessee Congressional race was won by the Republican nominee only by 9 points, compared to when Trump won the district by 22 points in 2024!