USAPP Managing Editor, Chris Gilson, looks at the week in US state blogging

Gilson, Christopher

LSE Research Online

State	of	the	States	for	2	February:	The	war	ondemocracy	in	Virginia,	Cuomo’s	war	chest,	andIdaho’s	‘Kansas-style’	tax	cutUSAPP	Managing	Editor,	Chris	Gilson,	looks	at	the	week	in	US	state	blogging.		Northeast	In	New	Hampshire	this	week,	NH	Labor	News	reports	that	the	state	Senate	has	voted	to	kill	a	bill	which	would	banbump	stocks	in	the	state,	similar	to	those	used	in	last	year’s	mass	shooting	in	Las	Vegas.	Heading	south,	RIPR	says	that	Rhode	Island	Governor	has	kept	up	her	large	financial	advantage	in	the	state’sgubernatorial	contest,	with	over	$3.3	million	on	hand,	compared	to	the	$240,000	raised	by	her	closest	competitor.Raimondo	is	also	currently	enjoying	a	40	percent	approval	rating.Continuing	on	to	New	York,	State	of	Politics	writes	this	week	that	Deputy	State	Senate	Majority	Leader,	JohnDeFrancisco	has	stated	that	he	will	run	for	the	GOP’s	gubernatorial	nomination	to	take	on	incumbent	DemocraticGovernor,	Andrew	Cuomo	this	fall.	The	race	won’t	be	easy	–	Cuomo	reportedly	has	a	$30	million	war	chest	and	isrelatively	popular.Save	Jersey	comments	Monday	that	the	announcement	by	GOP	Congressmen,	Rodney	Frelinghuysen	that	he	willnot	be	seeking	another	term	has	already	set	off	a	frenzied	behind	the	scenes	contest	for	his	replacement.	The	11thCongressional	district	leans	Republican,	so	a	busy	primary	field	is	to	be	expected.	Staying	in	the	Garden	State,Observer	has	the	news	that	Governor	Phil	Murphy	is	beginning	his	term	with	a	35	percent	approval	rating,	which	islower	than	that	of	his	last	two	predecessors	at	the	same	point	in	their	terms.Down	in	Pennsylvania,	Raging	Chicken	Press	says	that	Rick	Saccone	–	who	is	contesting	the	special	election	for	thestate’s	18th	Congressional	district	–	has	done	everything	he	can	to	suck	up	to	Donald	Trump	and	would	be	thestate’s	own	version	of	the	volatile	president.	South	Blue	Virginia	writes	Friday	that	there	seems	to	be	a	“war”	on	Democracy	in	the	state’s	General	Assembly	byRepublicans,	after	the	state	House	Finance	Committee	moved	forward	a	bill	which	would	reinstate	the	expired	coaltax	credit	after	voting	down	similar	credits	for	solar	power	and	electric	vehicles.	They	comment	that	some	of	theRepublican	legislators	involved	have	received	tens	of	thousands	of	dollars	from	coal	and	coal	related	companies.NC	Capitol	Connection	reports	this	week	that	the	state’s	Supreme	Court	has	thrown	out	a	law	which	would	create	abipartisan	board	over	elections	and	ethics,	citing	that	it	is	unconstitutional.	The	ruling	will	put	power	back	in	theGovernor’s	hands	to	determine	the	size	and	structure	of	state	administrative	bodies.	Staying	in	North	Carolina,Wataugawatch	says	that	state	Republicans	currently	have	no	announced	candidates	for	46	state	House	seats.	StateDemocrats	are	doing	a	little	better,	only	lacking	42.Heading	south	to	the	Peach	State,	GeorgiaPol	has	the	news	that	under	Governor	Nathan	Deal,	the	African-Americanprison	rate	dropped	by	30	percent.On	Monday,	Florida	Politics	looks	at	three	scenarios	facing	state	Democrats	in	two	upcoming	special	elections	thisyear.	They	say	that	the	most	likely	outcome	is	a	win	and	a	loss	for	the	party.Yellowhammer	gives	an	update	in	what’s	been	going	on	in	the	state	legislature.	Bills	making	their	way	through	theprocess	include	one	which	would	authorize	county	commissioners	to	hold	voter	referendums	to	approve	gas	taxincreases	to	fund	road	projects,	a	law	to	extend	the	state’s	Stand	Your	Ground	law	to	churches,	and	one	which	wouldcriminalize	voyeurism.USApp – American Politics and Policy Blog: State of the States for 2 February: The war on democracy in Virginia, Cuomo’s war chest, and Idaho’s ‘Kansas-style’ tax cutPage 1 of 2		Date originally posted: 2018-02-02Permalink: http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/usappblog/2018/02/02/state-of-the-states-for-2-february-the-war-on-democracy-in-virginia-cuomos-war-chest-and-idahos-kansas-style-tax-cut/Blog homepage: http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/usappblog/In	Texas,	Juanita	Jean	lets	us	know	that	despite	his	December	guarantee	that	he	would,	Congressman	BlakeFarenthold	has	not	yet	repaid	$84,000	of	taxpayer	dollars	he	used	to	pay	off	a	woman	he	sexually	harassed.	Midwest	On	Thursday,	Michigan’s	eclecta	blog	reports	that	gubernatorial	candidate,	Abdul	El-Sayed,	has	gone	negative	in	hiscampaign,	calling	his	rival	and	fellow	Democrat,	Gretchen	Whitmer	a	“sub-standard	candidate”	and	comparing	her	toDonald	Trump-style	Birthers.Moving	on	to	Illinois,	Capitol	Fax	rounds	up	coverage	of	Governor	Bruce	Rauner’s	State	of	the	State	includingcomments	that	he	was	vague	in	his	proposals	for	achieving	economic	development	in	the	state	as	well	as	in	hisplans	to	roll	back	income	taxes.Right	Wisconsin	takes	a	look	at	state	conservatives’	spring	legislative	agenda;	they	argue	that	they	should	be	lookingat	measures	to	reduce	red	tape	in	occupational	licensing,	ending	the	practice	of	civil	asset	forfeiture,	and	allowingterminal	patients	the	‘Right	to	Try’.	Staying	in	the	Badger	State,	The	Political	Environment	comments	that	GovernorScott	Walker	has	moved	from	“divide-and-conquer”	to	“unify-and-collect”	tactics,	after	a	number	of	big-dollarcampaign	contributions.In	North	Dakota	this	week,	Say	Anything	blog	writes	that	state	Democrats	are	continuing	to	struggle	with	candidaterecruitment,	with	low	attendance	levels	for	conventions	covering	several	legislative	districts.Dakota	Free	Press	talks	poop	on	Friday,	or	more	precisely,	Republican	state	legislators’	obsession	with	it,	in	thecontext	of	two	new	bathroom	bills	which	have	been	floated.	These	measures	would	require	warning	labels	on	multi-person	or	unisex	restrooms	and	for	public	school	districts	to	have	a	policy	regarding	the	use	of	bathrooms	and	loverrooms	by	the	transgendered.	West	and	Pacific	On	Wednesday,	The	Montana	Post	reckons	that	Congressman	Greg	Gianforte	is	now	trolling	voters	as	he	has	beenselected	as	a	speaker	at	an	upcoming	communications	workshop	for	the	National	Republican	CongressionalCommittee,	despite	generally	eschewing	public	town	hall	meetings.Moving	on	to	Idaho,	The	Spokesman	Review	reports	that	state	House	Democrats	have	decried	a	proposal	to	cut$202	million	in	state	taxes	as	“reckless”,	and	have	argued	that	it	could	make	the	state	more	like	Kansas,	which	sawits	revenues	shrink	and	major	budget	cuts	made	following	similar	tax	decreases.In	the	Golden	State	this	week,	Fox	&	Hounds	says	that	despite	what	some	in	the	media	have	been	claiming,	USSenator,	Dianne	Feinstein	has	no	Democratic	primary	challenger.	In	fact,	there	is	no	primary	at	all.	CALMatters	talksthe	state’s	gubernatorial	election	on	Wednesday,	commenting	that	in	a	recent	candidates’	event,	four	Democratswho	are	running	to	replace	Governor	Jerry	Brown	struggled	to	disagree	on	anything	much	at	all.	Over	in	Alaska,	The	Mudflats	says	that	state	Senator	Senator	David	Wilson	from	Wasilla	has	given	an	“epic	non-apology”	of	a	press	conference	following	accusations	of	inappropriate	conduct	towards	a	high-level	staffer.Heading	out	to	Hawaii,	Honolulu	Civil	Beat	writes	that	the	state’s	Attorney	General,	Doug	Chin,	will	be	stepping	downto	serve	as	Lieutenant	Governor	after	the	state’s	Senate	President	and	House	Speaker	both	declined	to	take	theposition.	Featured	image	credit:	J.	Stephen	Conn	(Flickr,	CC-BY-NC-2.0)Please	read	our	comments	policy	before	commenting.Note:		This	article	gives	the	views	of	the	author,	and	not	the	position	of	USAPP–	American	Politics	and	Policy,	nor	ofthe	London	School	of	Economics.Shortened	URL	for	this	post:	http://bit.ly/2BZWRqOUSApp – American Politics and Policy Blog: State of the States for 2 February: The war on democracy in Virginia, Cuomo’s war chest, and Idaho’s ‘Kansas-style’ tax cutPage 2 of 2		Date originally posted: 2018-02-02Permalink: http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/usappblog/2018/02/02/state-of-the-states-for-2-february-the-war-on-democracy-in-virginia-cuomos-war-chest-and-idahos-kansas-style-tax-cut/Blog homepage: http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/usappblog/

State of the States for 2 February: the war on democracy in Virginia, Cuomo's war chest, and Idaho's 'Kansas-style' tax cut

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State of the States for 2 February: the war on democracy in Virginia, Cuomo's war chest, and Idaho's 'Kansas-style' tax cut

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