Search query: new jersey

2016 presidential candidates seeking support from the Republican establishment previously faced only one issue, a crowded field vying for the same group of donors and supporters. Now they face two: a crowded field and a disapproving primary base. According to a December 2015 NBC/WSJ poll of New Hampshire Republican primary voters, establishment candidates have, for the most part, been viewed unfavorably: * 64% said they could see themselves supporting Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, while 29% could

The spirit of America is strong; the state of our union is fragile. That is my conclusion after 100 days driving 14,128 miles through 34 states as an independent candidate for President of the United States. I met with over 1,000 people individually and in small groups. I mostly stayed away from big cities and college campuses. I had learned on two short campaign trips before this long one that very few Americans understand there are independent candidates running for office so I got in the ha

The fact that Virginia’s Republican Party wants voters to take a Party loyalty oath as a condition of voting in the publicly-funded and administered presidential primary shouldn’t surprise anyone. In Utah, the Republican Party recently closed their previously open primary through a legal challenge. In doing so, the Republicans relied on precedent set by the Democratic Party in the Jones case from California 15 years ago. It's the same precedent that is being argued in Montana, Hawaii, New Mex

The United States is often celebrated as the world’s leading example of representative government. However, we as a nation barely inspire half of our voters to show up for a national election—leaving U.S. voter participation among the lowest in the developed world. Americans don’t vote for a variety of reasons; however, one of the most common reasons is the growing frustration with our obtuse electoral process. From the arbitrary scheduling of primaries to the antiquated use of the Electoral Co

KXLH, a local news station in central Montana, reported Monday that the Montana Republican Party's lawsuit to close its taxpayer-funded primary elections is headed to trial after a ruling from a federal judge. The judge, however, refused to block the use of open primaries in June until the issue is resolved. KXLH reports: th The party argues that its constitutional right of association is being violated because non-Republican voters "cross over" and try to influence the outcome in legislative

The Republican presidential debate at the Venetian Casino and Hotel in Las Vegas showcased most candidates' hawkish tendencies. Although there were numerous belligerent statements made at a venue owned by lavish GOP donor Sheldon Adelson, surveillance and Middle East strategy sparked heated debate between various candidates. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie made his case for continued surveillance by citing two prominent terrorist plots as rationale for such policies: Fort Dix in 2007 and Los

The primary system suppresses the democratic process and it’s important that we take a look at fixing this. Despite what we get from the media coverage, we must remember that the primary election functions as more than a selector for each party’s candidate for president. We qualify candidates for both chambers of the U.S. Congress, state Assembly, state Senate, and most city and state offices to the general election through our primary system. Our current system: * Makes some voters more impor

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) and supporters have now spent roughly $20 million toward assaulting the airwaves thus far in the 2016 presidential race -- more than twice as much as any other candidate or outside group -- according to data from media and communications agency SMG Delta. The campaign committee itself has spent $438,000 on TV ads in early primary states Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina, dwarfed by the $19.5 million sum spent by the pro-Bush Super PAC, Right to Rise. By c

The terrorist attacks in Paris evoked sympathy from Americans of all stripes. Numerous politicians also used the incident to connect the Paris attacks and surveillance to score political points, including against NSA leaker Edward Snowden. ISIS immediately claimed responsibility for the attack and issued a statement. No public information about the coordination of the attacks has been released, but a theory that the attackers communicated through the Playstation 4 is circulating. Earlier this

On November 9, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie vetoed "The Democracy Act," a law that would expand early voting, establish online voter registration, implement election day registration and provisional voting, and automatically register citizens to vote that apply for a driver’s license. The Democracy Act (A-4613) was introduced in June, led by Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto (D) and Majority Leader Lou Greenwald (D). The proponents of the bill, including the League of Women Voters argue tha