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The Federal Tap: O’Rourke ends presidential campaign
From Ballotpedia
November 2, 2019Issue No. 182
THE WEEK IN REVIEW
Saturday, October 26
Biden leads Democratic presidential candidates in Ballotpedia pageviews
- Joe Biden's campaign page on Ballotpedia received 3,100 views for the week of October 20-26. Biden's pageview figure represents 9.7% of the pageviews for the week. Elizabeth Warren had 8.8% of the pageviews for the week, followed by Andrew Yang with 8.4%. This is Biden's first time leading in pageviews since the week of August 4-10.
- Each week, we report the number of pageviews received by 2020 presidential campaigns on Ballotpedia. These numbers show which candidates are getting our readers' attention.
- Every Democratic campaign other than Beto O'Rourke's received fewer pageviews last week than the week before. O'Rourke's page received 5.4% more pageviews.
- Andrew Yang remains the leader in overall pageviews this year with 133,701. He is followed by Pete Buttigieg with 126,649 and by Biden with 117,736.
Monday, October 28
Rep. Walden (R-Ore.) announces he's not running for re-election in 2020
- Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore.) announced that he would not seek re-election to the U.S. House in 2020. He said in a statement, “[F]or me, the time has come to pursue new challenges and opportunities. So, I will not seek re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives, nor election to any other office.” Walden was first elected to represent Oregon’s 2nd Congressional District in 1998 and most recently won re-election in 2018 with 56 percent of the vote.
- Walden is the 19th Republican member of the U.S. House to announce he will not seek re-election in 2020 and is the second one to do so in October. Seven Democratic members of the U.S. House have announced 2020 retirements so far. In the 2018 election cycle, 52 members of the U.S. House—18 Democrats and 34 Republicans—did not seek re-election.
- Currently, Democrats hold a 234-197 majority in the U.S. House with one independent member of the chamber and three vacancies. In November 2020, all 435 seats will be up for election.
North Carolina court blocks use of state's congressional maps in 2020
- On October 28, 2019, a three-judge panel of North Carolina's superior court temporarily blocked the use of the state's congressional district maps in the 2020 election cycle. Opponents of the maps had filed a lawsuit alleging that the plan constituted a partisan gerrymander in violation of state law. The panel did not issue a full decision, instead writing that "disruptions to the election process need not occur, nor may an expedited schedule for summary judgment or trial even be needed, should the General Assembly, on its own initiative, act immediately and with all due haste to enact new congressional districts."
- On the same day, the same panel approved new state legislative district maps. These remedial maps were adopted by the state legislature after the panel had struck down the existing district plan as an impermissible partisan gerrymander under the state constitution. The panel comprises Judges Paul C. Ridgeway, Joseph N. Crosswhite, and Alma L. Hinton.
- Democrats praised the court's order. Eric Holder, former U.S. Attorney General and chair of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, said, "For nearly a decade, Republicans have forced the people of North Carolina to vote in districts that were manipulated for their own partisan advantage. Now – finally – the era of Republican gerrymandering in the state is coming to an end." State Republicans were critical of the court's order, although it is not yet clear whether they will appeal. State Senate Majority Leader Phil Berger (R) said, "With judges deciding behind closed doors how many Members of Congress from each party is acceptable, judicial elections have become the most consequential in America."
- Political context: In 2020, North Carolina will hold elections for its 13 U.S. representatives. Currently, North Carolina's congressional delegation comprises 10 Republicans and three Democrats. The primary election is slated for March 3, 2020, and the filing deadline for major party candidates is currently set for December 20, 2019.
Tuesday, October 29
Four candidates have qualified for December’s sixth Democratic presidential debate
- South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg gained his fourth and final poll to qualify for the Democratic presidential primary debate on Dec. 19. He joins former Vice President Joe Biden and Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren.
- Four candidates have reached the fundraising threshold of 200,000 donors or more: Sens. Kamala Harris and Amy Klobuchar, former Rep. Beto O’Rourke, and entrepreneur Andrew Yang. Harris needs one more qualifying poll to make the debate stage, Klobuchar and Yang need three each, and O’Rourke needs four.
- Candidates have until Dec. 12 to reach the polling and fundraising thresholds.
Thursday, October 31
House approves resolution establishing presidential impeachment inquiry procedures
- The U.S. House of Representatives approved a resolution establishing procedures for the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump (R), marking the first impeachment-related congressional vote. The 232-196 vote ran along party lines with no Republicans supporting the measure and only two Democrats opposing it. One independent, Rep. Justin Amash (Mich.), supported the resolution.
- The resolution includes specific instructions for the Intelligence Committee and the Judiciary Committee on the release of deposition transcripts, the length of questioning, and subpoena requests.
Friday, November 1
O’Rourke ends presidential campaign
- Former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-Texas) announced Friday that he was ending his presidential campaign.
- In a tweet announcing his withdrawal, O’Rourke said, “Our campaign has always been about seeing clearly, speaking honestly, and acting decisively. In that spirit: I am announcing that my service to the country will not be as a candidate or as the nominee.”
- O’Rourke is the tenth noteworthy Democratic candidate to suspend his bid for the presidency this year. The last candidate to do so was Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) on October 24.
- O’Rourke’s withdrawal leaves 17 noteworthy Democrats in the running. As of Monday, there were 286 Democratic presidential candidates registered with the Federal Election Commission.
- O’Rourke was first elected to represent Texas’ 16th Congressional District in 2012 after defeating incumbent Silvestre Reyes (D) in the Democratic primary. He had earlier served six years on the El Paso City Council. O’Rourke challenged Sen. Ted Cruz (R) in 2018 rather than seek re-election, losing by a margin of 2.6 percentage points.
Rep. Katie Hill (D-Calif.) resigns
- Democratic Rep. Katie Hill (CA-25) resigned from Congress. Hill announced her resignation on October 27, following her acknowledgment that she had been involved in an intimate relationship with a campaign staffer. Hill was first elected to Congress in 2018.
- Hill is the seventh member of the 116th Congress to leave office early. Of those seven, six were members of the U.S. House (two Democrats and four Republicans), and the other was a Republican U.S. Senator.
- Hill’s resignation leaves Democrats with a 233-197 majority in the U.S. House, with one independent member and four vacancies. In November 2020, all 435 seats will be up for election. Ballotpedia has identified 71 U.S. House races as general election battlegrounds. Of the 71 seats, 42 are held by Democrats and 29 are held by Republicans heading into the election.
Congress is in session
The Senate will be in session next week, while the House will not be. Click here to see the full calendar for the first session of the 116th Congress.
SCOTUS is in session
The Supreme Court will hear arguments in six cases this week. To learn about the current 2019-2020 term, click here.
WHAT'S ON TAP NEXT WEEK
Where was the president last week?
- On Monday, Trump spoke and signed an executive order at the International Association of Chiefs of Police Annual Conference and Exposition in Chicago.
- On Tuesday, Trump participated in a roundtable with supporters in Washington, D.C.
- On Wednesday, Trump had lunch with the vice president and presented a Medal of Honor.
- On Thursday, Trump did not have any public events scheduled.
- On Friday, Trump spoke at a Keep America Great Rally in Mississippi.
Federal Judiciary
- 103 federal judicial vacancies
- 48 pending nominations
- 18 future federal judicial vacancies
About
The Tap covered election news, public policy, and other noteworthy events from February 2016 to February 2022.
