Politics
Polarized politics has changed the dynamics of legislation and policymaking at the state and local level. Political parties with supermajorities are increasingly in control in many states and cities. These stories explain what that means for legislators, governors and mayors and how politicians can navigate this new political landscape.
The California city has evolved over and over but not always for the better. A new mayor promises to be a uniter, but that's going to require some adjustments on her part.
Matt Privratsky was appointed to serve as an interim city council member in St. Paul after the previous member resigned. He’ll cast some consequential votes.
What happened in a Milwaukee courthouse is an escalation of the Trump administration’s assault on the rule of law. And it won’t keep us safer.
Jurors deadlocked in a bribery case involving Democratic state Sen. Emil Jones III, the third high-profile Illinois public corruption case to end inconclusively over the last several months.
Letitia James and other Democratic attorneys general have emerged as Trump’s leading antagonists, with lawsuits that have been essentially relentless.
These programs align with core American values. Democrats shouldn’t be the only ones defending them.
Its electoral system, bolstered by strong economic and social institutions, enables lawmakers to vote their consciences in bipartisan coalitions.
Last year, 6.2 million fewer Democrats showed up to vote than in 2020. Nine hundred thousand stayed home in Los Angeles and Cook counties alone.
Cody Balmer said he would have beaten Gov. Josh Shapiro with a hammer if he’d gotten the chance.
People want more political choices but end up defeating independent candidates. In Mississippi, single-party rule has not ended division.
The SAVE Act threatens to block millions of Americans from voting while also imposing significant burdens on state and local election officials.
Cubans have been granted special status since the Cold War. That's suddenly changed, leading to a sense of betrayal among a staunchly Republican group.
The field is now set for the governor's race, with both Democrats and Republicans nominating women. GOP Gov. Glenn Youngkin is term-limited.
In local elections Tuesday, 79 percent of the candidates backed by the Illinois Democratic Party won. Several Republican mayors were unseated, pointing to problems for the GOP in the suburbs.
The race for mayor in Mississippi’s capital features a dozen Democrats in Tuesday’s primary. Some complain there are too many candidates and too little information about them.
Non-citizen voting is rare but a number of states and Congress are considering laws requiring proof of citizenship.
Democrats are not enjoying their time in the wilderness — or seeing a way out. At the same time, Wisconsin is now hosting the most expensive judicial race in the nation's history.
The Democrat is expected to announce a run for a third term in the coming weeks. In the meantime, he is devoting much of his energy to attacks on the administration in Washington.
Next month, voters will replace ex-Mayor Sheng Thao, who was recalled and then indicted. The two leading candidates both accuse the other of ties to Thao.
The Maryland legislature is considering dozens of proposals to make energy cheaper, more reliable and more abundant. Meanwhile, residents’ utility costs are rising.
With the federal law eroded by court decisions, about a half-dozen states want to enshrine protections for non-white voters. But it’s a tough sell even in Democratic states.
The Legislature once gave Gov. Ron DeSantis nearly everything he wanted, but now are pushing back in areas such as immigration and spending.
A suite of changes passed by the legislature toughen signature requirements and raise the vote threshold for changing the state constitution to 60 percent.
Cutting this unloved levy has again become a flashpoint in some states, once more raising difficult issues of fairness. Here’s what we can learn from decades of tax-limitation laws.
A report tallies 400 allegations of harassment against 145 lawmakers over the past decade, including 11 new allegations last year. Due to underreporting, the actual figure is probably three times as high.
The impending defeats of three big-city mayors tell us a lot about how politics have changed over the past four years. Also, Utah is giving up on universal mail voting.
Republican presidents used to talk enthusiastically about empowering states and localities. That isn’t happening now.
Legislators have gone so far as to claim it’s “a myth” that courts have the power to strike down laws. So far, however, the most aggressive proposals to strip power from judges have been defeated.
The Republican has made addressing law enforcement response to mass shootings a top priority, but he does not favor stricter gun control measures.
Citizens in half the states have the power to place initiatives or referendums on the ballot. That process is under threat, but in an era of partisan gerrymandering and unresponsive legislatures we must keep it viable.
They can call attention to important social causes, and they can invest in their communities. They might even hold public office themselves.
