Author: David Mark

MIAMI — Former Maine Gov. Paul LePage and ex-Rep. Mike Rogers of Michigan hardly stood out among Florida residents. The Republican pair had joined many former constituents who bolted those cold-winter states for the Sunshine State’s balmier environs. But political ambition beckoned. So, LePage and Rogers returned to their home states to run for office…

With the 2026 midterm elections about 16 months off, specifics of congressional churn are becoming clearer. Per the chart below, a swath of House members is giving up their seats in bids for statewide offices. So far, only one representative is set to retire after the November 2026 elections, though more lawmakers almost certainly will…

LANSING, Michigan — An enduringly popular social media meme depicts a Return of the Jedi rebel alliance leader, squid species Adm. Ackbar, warning of the Galactic Empire’s new-and-improved planet-destroying Death Star. “It’s a trap!” utters Akbar, in a frantic space battle scene from the third and final installment of the original Star Wars trilogy, released in…

Hours before the NBA’s recent trade deadline, the Los Angeles Lakers agreed to swap players Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish, and a future first-round draft pick to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for center Mark Williams. However, the Feb. 6 trade was rescinded two days later after Williams failed his physical with the Lakers. By that…

SAN FRANCISCO — Democrats know they need to escape political purgatory. Finding a leader to steer the way is the party’s most daunting challenge after President Donald Trump won a second, nonconsecutive term. Ambitious Democrats are positioning themselves to seek their party’s 2028 presidential nomination. By then, Trump will be winding down his cumulative eight years…

In an early 1940s scene from The Years of Lyndon Johnson: The Path to Power, the first book of Robert Caro’s four-volume (so far) biography about the late president, the then-House member vents frustration early at the chamber’s strict seniority system. The stodgy tradition, after all, allowed committee chairmen, usually southern Democratic (and segregationist) House…

NEW YORK — It’s an open question whether the biggest looming political headache for Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY) is a strong Republican challenger or a Democratic primary rival.  Either way, the governor is in a New York state of (political) bind. Hochul, heading into her 2026 reelection bid, could face a Democratic primary rival who would…

ORANGE, California — Southern California voters in the eastern Orange County 40th Congressional District like President Donald Trump well enough, with one major policy exception. The district backed Trump in 2024, giving him 49.50% of the vote to 47.18% for his Democratic rival, then-Vice President Kamala Harris. At the same time, Rep. Young Kim (R-CA)…

CORAL GABLES, Florida — Political punditry cognoscenti let out a collective gasp when, a month out from Election Day 2024, a top-tier polling outfit showed Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump set to win Florida by 13 points. Sure, Florida had long ago shed its swing-state status, social media posts and cable television comments declared. But…

Once again, world events predicted a Donald Trump White House win. In 2016, the United Kingdom’s Brexit vote for the nation to exit the European Union was a harbinger of populist national attitudes espoused by Trump and embraced by many Americans. Trump that year won the presidency in his first bid for public office by…