Daily Brew: November 30, 2018

November 30, 2018

Today's Brew reviews 2018's competitive congressional races + looks back on this day in presidential politics     Welcome to the Friday, November 30 Brew. Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day: 103 Congressional races were decided by less than 10 percent, double 2016 and 2014 average Looking back at this day in the 2016 presidential race The GAO recommended improved federal employee performance management Number of close Congressional elections is double the average between 2014 and 2016 In 103 Congressional races, the winning candidate's margin of victory was less than 10 percent. In 50 races, the margin of victory was less than 5 percent. In other words, winning by 10 percent means a 55 to 45 percent spread or closer. A 5 percent win would be 52 to 47 percent. Of the 103 races with a margin of victory less than 10 percent, 13 were for U.S. Senate and 90 were for the U.S. House. The Democratic candidate won 52 of these elections, while the Republican candidate won 50. The outcome of the election in California's 21st Congressional District remains uncalled. The 103 races is more than double the average number of races decided by less than 10 percent in 2016 and 2014. In 2016, there were 42 races where the margin of victory was 10 percent or less of the total votes cast. In 2014, there were 56. The results were split evenly between the major parties in 2016. In 2014, the Democratic candidate won 32 of these elections, while the Republican candidate won 24. In the 50 races decided by less than 5 percent this year, five were for the U.S. Senate, while 45 were for the U.S. House. The Democratic candidate won 26 of these elections, while the Republican candidate won 23. Again, one race remains undecided. In 2016, there were 22 races where the margin of victory was 5 percent or less of the total votes cast. In 2014, there were 31. In 2016, the Democratic candidate won 14 of these elections, while the Republican candidate won eight. In 2014, the Democratic candidate won 17 of these elections, while the Republican candidate won 14. Get all the numbers and races here On this day three years ago, the presidential race was heating up November was all about the midterms, but at this time just three years ago, the 2016 presidential election was in full swing. As we get ready for the 2020 cycle, our team of writers and editors has been browsing Ballotpedia's 2016 Daily Presidential News Briefing, which provided a curated account of the most important news in the election. The encyclopedic content makes it easy to reminisce on this day in history. On November 30, 2015, 238 Republicans and 188 Democrats had filed to run for president. Through the middle of this month, 55 Republicans and 118 Democrats had filed (though we've counted at least 55 more potential Democratic candidates). The election was in high-gear with 16 notable candidates on the trail across the country. Three Democrats were preparing to participate in a December 19 debate: Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, and Martin O'Malley. Thirteen Republicans were preparing to participate in two December 15 debates: Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, Ben Carson, Marco Rubio, Chris Christie, Jeb Bush, Carly Fiorina, John Kasich, Rand Paul, Mike Huckabee, Rick Santorum, George Pataki, and Lindsey Graham.  We can't wait to start curating stories on the 2020 presidential race in the same neutral, encyclopedic style. Stay tuned for more. Click here to find out what happened on this day in 2015→ Federal employee survey prompts GAO call for improved employee performance management The Government Accountability Office (GAO) recommended improvements to federal agency performance management practices after a survey found low levels of satisfaction among high-performing federal employees. The GAO's November 20 report called upon the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to update its performance management website on a more regular basis, share its research into private sector performance management innovations, and assist agencies in sharing their performance management practices. GAO is an independent federal agency that aims to improve the performance and accountability of the federal government, among other responsibilities. OPM is an independent federal agency that functions as the chief human resources manager for the federal government. Click here to read more about the GAO→