by Joey Derrico

The special election in Montana to replace the congressional seat of newly appointed Secretary of Interior Ryan Zinke turned out to be much closer than expected. Montana was a state President Trump won by 20 percentage points and, furthermore, no Democrat had held the at-large congressional seat in two decades. The Republican candidate was Greg Gianforte, a billionaire who made his earnings by selling his company RightNow Technologies to Oracle in 2012 for $1.8 billion. The Democratic candidate was Rob Quist, a small business owner and folk singer with significant name recognition in Montana.

On the eve of election night, a reporter for the Guardian was pressing Gianforte for a comment on the newly released CBO (Congressional Budget Office) score for the Republican-led American Healthcare Act. Gianforte, in his own campaign office at the time, quickly became agitated with the Guardian reporter, saying, “I’m sick and tired of you guys [reporters]!” When the Guardian reporter, Ben Jacobs,  persisted with his question, Gianforte grabbed Jacobs by the neck and slammed him to the ground, breaking Jacob’s glasses through the force of impact. Jacobs notified police of the incident and turned over his audio tapes to support his account. Local authorities charged Gianforte with a misdemeanor assault, who has until June 7 to appear in court.

Nevertheless, Gianforte won the special election with fifty percent of the vote compared to Quist’s forty-three percent. Many experts believe this outcome is due to Montana’s high rate of early and absentee voting. In fact, pollsters had estimated that seven out of ten likely voters had voted before election day. During his victory speech, Gianforte directly apologized to Jacobs, saying, “I should not have responded the way I did, for that I’m sorry. I should not have treated that reporter that way, and for that, I’m sorry, Mr. Ben Jacobs.”

By: Meghan Malas

The clash over philosophy, ideology, and the identity of America has been ever present in the debate over health care policy. Since the new healthcare bill passed the House of Representatives May 4, questions of morality and consequence have set forth among the public. Politifact reports the new bill proposes rolling back the expansion of Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, major cuts to Planned Parenthood (which under current law, can’t use money for abortions except those in cases of rape, incest, or risk of mother’s life), loss of specific protection for veterans, less of protection of those with pre-existing conditions, and more power given to insurance companies over their insurance policy owners. Many Republicans have longed to rid the U.S. since it was in planning stage, but after more than seven years the bill has provided coverage for millions.

According to The New York Times, it is predicted that if the new bill passes, 23 million more people will be left uninsured in a decade. This is considered the wrong direction by many representatives, including Republicans. While Democrats will vote unanimously against the bill, Republicans have fallen onto both sides of the debate. Even Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is unsure whether the Senate can obtain the newly required 50 votes to pass the bill if Republicans are not united behind it. Recently, public outrage has diminished support for the bill further.

So, it is not looking optimistic for the leaders behind the new plan. But this is not to say that it will not pass, or a staggered version of it will not. Some Republicans may not like the current implications of the “Trumpcare” plan, but they are eager to get rid of the Affordable Care Act. It will be fascinating to see how members of Congress will vote given the bill’s unpopularity, and even more interesting to see how their votes might play a role in the results of the Congressional elections next year.

by Joey Derrico

Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley announced on Monday, May 8, that she will run for the Democratic party nomination for governor in 2018.

Whaley, a forty-one-year-old Democrat from Indiana, has been connected to Ohio politics since she was an undergraduate. While at the University of Dayton for undergraduate studies, Whaley headed the UD College Democrats and eventually climbed the ladder to become state chair of the College Democrats of Ohio. Whaley then received a Master’s degree from Wright State University; she later went on to work as an assistant to the Montgomery County Auditor. Subsequently, during the 2004 election cycle, Whaley became the Montgomery County press secretary for John Kerry’s presidential campaign. At age 29, Whaley made history when she became the youngest female to ever be elected to the Dayton City Commission. She served two terms on the city commission before being elected mayor in 2013. Whaley also made history when it was announced she will run unopposed during November’s election, a feat never accomplished before.

As mayor of Dayton, Whaley has spearheaded multiple initiatives. Dayton has become more bike-friendly and the number of local manufacturers has increased. Downtown Dayton has seen a rise in residential and commercial development, drawing in revenue for the city. Whaley also swiftly declared a state of emergency in response to Ohio’s opiate crisis.

The field of contenders for governor in 2018 grows even larger with Whaley’s announcement. On the Republican side, Ohio Secretary of State John Husted, Lieutenant Governor Mary Taylor, Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine, and US Rep. Jim Renacci have all announced bids for the governor’s office. On the Democratic side, Whaley joins former US Rep. Betty Sutton, former State Rep. Connie Pillich, and State Senator Joe Schiavoni. Many experts believe Ohio is trending toward a Republican candidate. Current Governor John Kasich won his reelection bid in 2014 by thirty points and President Trump won Ohio by an eight-point margin.

The primaries for the governor’s race, where each major party pick their nominee, will take place on May 8, 2018 while the general election to decide the next Ohio governor will take place on November 6, 2018.

by Jaimie Franz

France has recently elected a new president, Emmanuel Macron. Macron won the election by a landslide of 66% of the votes, compared to his running mate, Marine Le Pen, with only 34%. The young 39 year old president, the youngest leader in France since Napoleon, has promised to unify the country of France and revise the economy, two promises throughout his campaign, stating, “I am terrible optimistic… because I know when I see you, when I see our movement, I know we will succeed…We will succeed in unifying the French and reconciling France.”

This ambitious President also has quite a bit of publicity to his name with the 24 yr age gap between him and his wife. They met when she directed his high school play, he was 16 and she was 40, married with kids. He went away for university but returned to marry her when he was 30. Throughout his campaign for Presidency, they have been very public about their relationship, despite their unconventional love story. He told Vanity Fair “She will be there, with a role and a place.”

Macron is setting the example that France will stand out and will be different then any other country. America’s President Donald Trump has publicly tweeted that he looks forward to working with Macron, the only real question is, is how the two men will work together with their conflicting views and ages.

by Joey Derrico

New-found jobs in the Trump administration have led to vacant seats in the House of Representatives and other legislative bodies, and Republicans and Democrats alike want to capitalize on the opportunity, creating special elections in Kansas and Georgia. 

One special election in Kansas replaces the newly appointed CIA Director and former Congressman Mike Pompeo. Pompeo was a Republican who served the fourth congressional district of Kansas. During the general election in November, Trump won the district by 27 points, a huge margin in polling terms. The race between Republican nominee Ron Estes and Democratic nominee James Thompson was expected to be a Republican blowout, but the contest turned out to be much closer than expected. Political experts contribute this competitiveness to the early struggles of the Trump administration. Estes won the special election by a mere 7 percentage points. The Republican party also had to send surrogate Ted Cruz to the district on behalf of Estes. President Trump and Vice President Pence recorded robo-calls as well.

Another special election obtaining significant attention is taking place in Georgia’s 6th congressional district, a predominantly Republican district. Thirty-year-old John Ossoff, a Democrat, is taking on a fleet of Republican candidates in the first round of voting. A winner can only be declared if a candidate receives more than fifty percent of the vote. If nobody passes this threshold, a runoff election will be held between the top two-vote getters. Ossoff fell just short of the threshold, receiving 48.1% of the vote, the highest of any candidate. Republican Karen Handel finished second with 19.78% of the vote. Ossoff has raised more than 8.3 million dollars so far, partially with the assistance of celebrity surrogates such as Samuel L. Jackson. The runoff election between Ossoff and Handel will take place in June.