The Week In Politics Nov. 4-Nov. 10
Hello everyone and welcome to another week of Politics Explained! Happy Veterans Day to everyone celebrating it! If you’ve been here awhile you know the deal. For those of you that are new here, we’ve built this website for people who are hungry to learn about politics. We cover the major happenings on Capitol Hill in compact weekly blogs, creating an easy way for you to stay in the loop. Lots about the election this week, so let's dive right into it.
On Tuesday, elections were held for various offices in many of the states. In Rhode Island, Gabe Amo (D-), a former Biden staffer, won a seat in Congress with 64.9% of the vote. In Kentucky, a state that voted for Donald Trump in 2020, Governor Andy Beshear (D) was reelected with 52.5% of the vote. In Mississippi, Tate Reeves (R) was reelected as Governor with 51.6% of the vote. In Virginia, all Delegates and State Senators were up for reelection. Democrats held onto the State Senate 21-19 and flipped the State House 51-48, limiting Governor Glenn Youngkin’s legislative priorities such as a 15-week abortion ban. In Pennsylvania, the Democrats picked up an additional Supreme Court seat, giving them a 5-2 majority.
This week continues the second week of former President Donald Trump’s trial on civil fraud charges. Back in 2020, the Manhattan District Attorney opened a case to determine if The Trump Organization committed financial fraud. Two years later, in December 2022, a judge in New York found the organization guilty of 17 charges, with some of them being tax fraud. The court ruled that Mr. Trump overvalued his assets so that he could demonstrate to banks and other third parties that his financial situation was far more favorable than it was in reality. Now the case has been reopened and NY State Attorney General Letitia James (D) is suing Trump for $250 million in damages and the revocation of his business license in New York. Trump claims that everyone involved in the negotiations had a good result and there was no real damage. Later this week Ivanka Trump was brought to the witness stand and was asked point blank about her knowledge about her father's business practices. She said, “Not that I am aware of.” The NY Attorney General then rested its case. The defense gets its turn next. Stay tuned!
West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin who is a centrist* Democrat said he will not seek re-election in 2024. He stated that he had accomplished everything he set out to do and said his time in office had come to an end. West Virginia is a very red state, so a Republican candidate will probably take his place in office. Some of the candidates who have stated they will run are Governor Jim Justice (R) and Rep. Alex Mooney (R). With the Senate currently 51-49 in favor of the Democrats, losing this seat could set up a tied Senate starting in 2025.
Stay tuned for next week's blog about the looming government shutdown!
*Possessing moderate political beliefs or policies
