The Debate and the Headline Primaries
Hello everyone and welcome back to Politics Explained. We hope everyone had a great week and hope many of you tuned into the recent Presidential Debate, but if you couldn’t, hopefully you followed along with the live tweets on our X account (@PoliticsExp1776)! Additionally, If anyone has any questions or confusion about the debate, please reach out to us either through our email (politicsexplained1776@gmail.com) or our website's contact page! With that being said, there was so much said during the debate that we want to cover so stick around to learn more. While the debate was a big event of the week, we will also talk about Jamaal Bowman of New York’s 16th district losing the primary election and a close primary for Bob Good in Virginia's 5th district. Let's dive right into it.
On Thursday, the rematch between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump began as they faced off in the first presidential debate since 2020. It was a very interesting debate from both sides as they discussed abortion, immigration, and even golf. Let's delve into the specific parts of the debate. To start, let's talk about the debate on abortion. When Donald Trump was asked about blocking abortions, he stated that he will not block it but instead give states the right to decide if it is legal or not. He also stated that he believes there should be exceptions for cases such as rape, incest, and when the life of the mother is in danger. Biden said he fully supports Roe v. Wade, which allows for abortions during the three trimesters, and said states should not get the right to decide a woman's personal health. When the two were asked about immigration, Mr. Biden said that he has been trying to pass bipartisan legislation, increase asylum officers, and increase border patrol. Trump criticized Biden’s attempts at controlling the Southern border during his presidency and said that all the illegal immigrants in America are killing Americans. He also said that immigrants are living in better places than some veterans. After the debate, many news sources and other accounts shared their opinions. Many felt that the debate went to Mr. Trump and that he had won this first debate. They said that President Biden's age was showing as he stumbled over some words and paused at times. Some Democrats even said that Mr. Biden should step down as the nominee for the Democrats. The following day, Mr. Biden held a rally and stated, “I may not debate as well as I used to, but I know how to tell the truth. I know right from wrong. I know how to do this job.” There is another debate scheduled for September 10th. Stay tuned for everything that happens from now until the inauguration.
In New York’s 16th district, primary elections have taken place with significant shifts. Current House Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) lost his primary, becoming the first squad member* to be ousted from the group. This primary election was the most expensive primary race in history, with a total of $24.8 million spent by both sides. As we covered in an earlier blog, when Jamaal Bowman pulled the fire alarm and was censured for it, it did not help his re-election campaign. Bowman has shown significant support for giving Palestine aid and helping the small area survive. Since a majority of this district is Jewish, many of the Jewish residents did not support his ideologies and sided with George Latimer, who is a defender of Israel. In Virginia’s 5th district, the Republican primary election appears to be heading for a revote. In the initial vote, John McGuire, backed by former President Donald Trump, claimed victory over Chairman of the House Freedom Caucus Bob Good (R-VA). Since the vote was decided by a 0.6% margin and not under the 0.5% difference required for an automatic recount, the revote will have to be financed by Bob Good and not the state. Bob Good will now be trying to acquire the funds to do so.
*Definition of the Week (The Squad): The Squad is an informal left-wing group composed of nine Democratic members of the United States House of Representatives.
