Last night’s Democratic primaries ended with victory for Sanders in Oregon, and for Clinton in Kentucky–although she finished that primary with only half a percentage point more than Sanders. The fact that Sanders keeps winning some states points, according to some, to weaknesses in Clinton’s strategy. But more importantly, it indicates that a big group of voters still want Sanders in the White House and agree with his ideas, so maybe it’s not over quite yet. And in a speech in California, Sanders once again asserted that he would not give up until the last vote is cast, saying “Don’t tell Secretary Clinton, she might get nervous–I think we’re going to win California.”

As of now, Clinton has a total count of 2,291 delegates compared to Sanders’ 1,528–this count includes superdelegates. There are 946 delegates still up for grabs. It has long been seen as a matter of course that Clinton will be the Democratic nominee, but as Sanders keeps going strong and party unification seems far away, tensions have increased between the two sides. Last Saturday it boiled over for some Sanders supporters, who started revolting after a number of Sanders delegates were deemed ineligible by throwing chairs and yelling at the Democratic convention in Nevada. They claimed that the elections are rigged and expressed death threats aimed at the chairwoman of the Nevada Democratic Party, Roberta Lange.

Sanders’ seemingly mellow response to the violence has surprised and upset many. He only spent one sentence on it in a press release on Tuesday, but focused mainly on the same thing the angry supporters had been saying, namely how the party interfered with a fair and Democratic process. He was urged by some Senators and party leaders to take control of his supporters. Some voices in the Democratic Party also asked the Bernie supporters themselves to be sensible and support the candidate who gets the most votes and delegates, since it is more important that the party stands united against the Republicans.

After all, the results in Kentucky and Oregon do show that Clinton still is the probable nominee. To have an actual chance to win the whole thing, Bernie would have needed a much bigger margin in Oregon–over four times bigger than it was. But the fact that he is still running means that Clinton needs to divide her focus between beating Sanders in the remaining states, unifying the Democratic Party, and fighting Trump–all tasks that will certainly continue to take some extra effort.

Emma Von Zeipel

Emma Von Zeipel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. She is originally from one of the islands of Stockholm, Sweden. After working for Democratic Voice of Burma in Thailand, she ended up in New York City. She has a BA in journalism from Stockholm University and is passionate about human rights, good books, horses, and European chocolate. Contact Emma at EVonZeipel@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Sanders Wins Oregon, Clinton Wins Kentucky: Party Struggles with Unity appeared first on Law Street.

The primaries in West Virginia last night ended with victories for Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump. Even though Hillary Clinton leads with a pretty much insurmountable margin, Sanders’s recent victories show that he still has strong support from voters, and he has pledged to not give up until the nomination is officially decided.

This means Clinton has to divide her focus between winning the Democratic nomination on the one hand, and on the other, defeating Donald Trump in the general election. For Trump, it was an easy win in both West Virginia and Nebraska last night–winning more than 75 and  60 percent of the vote respectively. His success comes despite rumors that Ted Cruz might get back into the race if the results turned in his favor. Which they didn’t.

Here’s a recap of what went on last night:

• In West Virginia, Sanders won almost every demographic. One big reason is concern about the economy and the state’s large population of working class households and coal workers. Some argue that Clinton alienated coal workers in March when she commented that her climate policies would put many coal miners out of business.

• Even though Sanders won big last night, he now needs more delegates than remain in the coming elections to have a chance to beat Clinton in pledged delegates alone. Otherwise, he will need to win two-thirds of the remaining pledged delegates and also win over some superdelegates.

• About three-quarters of Democrats in West Virginia said they did not want the next president to continue Obama’s policies, and four in 10 want less liberal policies, two groups that did not favor Clinton.

• Trump’s victories do not mean everything is under control for the GOP. Polls show concern from Republican voters–with 58 percent of voters in West Virginia feeling that the party is divided but will be able to unify later on, while only half of the voters in Nebraska believed that it will be able to do so.

Next up is the Kentucky primary for the Democrats and the Oregon primary for both parties, which will take place on May 17.

Emma Von Zeipel

Emma Von Zeipel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. She is originally from one of the islands of Stockholm, Sweden. After working for Democratic Voice of Burma in Thailand, she ended up in New York City. She has a BA in journalism from Stockholm University and is passionate about human rights, good books, horses, and European chocolate. Contact Emma at EVonZeipel@LawStreetMedia.com.

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Tis the season of funny campaign videos and delightful candidate gifs as everyone gears up for the elections this November. As usual, “Saturday Night Live” has been churning out some good content. Whether it was the Bernie Sanders and Larry David sketches from a few weeks ago, or this week’s nominee-centered cold open, “SNL” always seems to be right on target with its narrowly tailored critiques of the presidential candidates.

This weekend’s funniest video was a satirical political advertisement about people supporting Donald Trump and it was spectacular; definitely worth the one minute and 25 seconds of your life.

The comedic genius of this video is that you can’t even tell if it’s a joke or not until half way in. What starts as a pretty typical campaign video quickly spirals into a real statement on Donald Trump’s racist views and attitudes. You see a man in his office, a woman ironing, another man painting, and a man carrying some wood–seems normal, right? About halfway in, the characters are revealed to be nazi sympathizers, KKK affiliates, and white supremacists–all very topical characters given some of Trump’s recent political moves.

First off, Trump has been accused of being similar to Hitler this week after videos from one of his rallies surfaced in which he had everyone pledging to vote for him with salutes that almost mimicked Nazi Germany.

Donald Trump makes members of his Orlando crowd raise their right hands and swear to vote in the primary. pic.twitter.com/EVenRilJrV

— Jenna Johnson (@wpjenna) March 5, 2016

Obviously nobody is quite contending that Trump would actually be like Hitler, but this rally certainly doesn’t make anyone feel too comfortable either.

The second “SNL” characters, the KKK affiliates, were also timely, as it has been about a week since Trump refused to publicly denounce the head of the KKK, David Duke. Trump had a lot of excuses for why he wouldn’t denounce the group and seemed to talk around the issue when asked directly about why he refused to disavow Duke. That seems suspicious at best, Trump.

Finally, the white supremacist painter. Along with Trump’s KKK battle this week, there were three white supremacist leaders who have joined together to create a group to support Trump. Although Trump has not commissioned this group or asked for their help, the implicit connection between this white “advocacy” group and Trump’s policies on banning muslim immigration and building a wall between Mexico and the U.S. is impossible to ignore. Jared Taylor, one of the white supremacists supporting Trump, claims that because white people feel more comfortable in schools and neighborhoods with other white people:

When Donald Trump talks about sending out all the illegals, building a wall and a moratorium on Islamic immigration, that’s very appealing to a lot of ordinary white people.

“SNL‘s” video was outright and unapologetic in calling Donald Trump out on the racist and bigoted policies he has been promoting nationwide during his campaign. That kind of direct hit may be just what the country needs to start realizing that some of Trump’s policies aren’t so rosy after all–they’re hateful. When it comes down to it, with some of the things Trump has been saying about immigrants and diversity in our country, an ad like the one “SNL” made may be an almost accurate reflection of his campaign. Are we really going to rally behind Donald Trump, America? Instead, let’s fight for diversity, equality, and liberty and put our faith in someone who can actually make America great.

Alexandra Simone

Alex Simone is an Editorial Senior Fellow at Law Street and a student at The George Washington University, studying Political Science. She is passionate about law and government, but also enjoys the finer things in life like watching crime dramas and enjoying a nice DC brunch. Contact Alex at ASimone@LawStreetmedia.com

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Jeb! Bush makes me sad. He’s trying oh so hard, and failing oh so miserably to win the 2016 Republican nomination. Now, he’s done some truly awkward and bizarre things over the course of this election cycle–check out fellow Law Streeter Sean Simon’s roundup of the best Jeb! Bush moments–but one of the most bizarre ones actually happened last night. Jeb! tweeted out this photo:

America. pic.twitter.com/TeduJkwQF3

— Jeb Bush (@JebBush) February 16, 2016

Obviously, we all know what Jeb! was getting at here–he’s a real, tough gun owner, just like the voters in South Carolina he’s trying to woo! He stands for the Second Amendment! He gets his name engraved on his gun, because nothing says tough like making sure your firearm matches your monogrammed bathrobe! He’s just like you! But, once the internet got its hands on the meme-worthy potential of this tweet, that message was utterly lost. Check out some of my favorite responses–some funny, some poignant–to Jeb!’s weird gun tweet in the slideshow below:

Yes @JebBush. America. pic.twitter.com/4Yhtdl2ygY — Éoin (@LabourEoin) February 16, 2016

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post The Best Twitter Responses to Jeb! Bush’s Gun Tweet appeared first on Law Street.

The Republican field is about to have its fifth (but feels like 275th) debate of the 2016 primary season, hosted by CNN. Given that the field is still depressingly crowded, the last debate of 2015 promises to be a contentious one. Here’s a rundown of what you need to know before tomorrow night’s debate:

Participants:

It’s no secret that the Republican field has been so crowded this time around that we’ve needed two debate stages to hold them all. CNN is following the format of the first four debates, with a “JV” table consisting of Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham ,and former New York Gov. George Pataki.

The main debate will feature nine presidential hopefuls–according to CNN:

Businessman Donald Trump, the front-runner for the nomination, will again be center stage flanked by retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson on his right and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz on his left, CNN announced Sunday. The six remaining participants in the prime-time contest will be Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, businesswoman Carly Fiorina, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, and Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul.

The moderator will be Wolf Blitzer, with CNN’s Chief Political Correspondent Dana Bash joining Salem Radio Network talk show host Hugh Hewitt as questioners.

Seating Arrangements

The podium arrangement, which places higher-polling candidates front and center, will look like this:

.@CNNPolitics releases lineup, podium arrangement for final GOP debate of 2015 https://t.co/flm7OnriN0pic.twitter.com/ke1uPuRo2s

— Allison Wisk (@allisonwisk) December 13, 2015

Where’s the debate?

It’s going to be held in Las Vegas, at the Venetian hotel. It’s hosted by CNN, so if you want to stream it from the comfort of your own living room while playing a drinking game (no judgment) check out CNN.com’s live stream.

Will there be any feuds?

Given that we’re getting closer and closer to primary votes–the Iowa caucuses will be held in February–candidates are starting to get a bit nastier with each other. For example, Senators Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz–two of the frontrunners, are almost certain to attack each other, most likely on foreign affairs issues. Cruz is painting Rubio as a centrist who can’t be trusted, while Rubio’s gripe with Cruz is that he’s weak on security-adjacent concepts like surveillance.

We may also see some squabbles between Cruz and Donald Trump. Trump has gone after Cruz hard in recent days. On “Fox News Sunday” Trump called Cruz a “little bit of a maniac” when discussing his career in the Senate. Cruz’s response was surprisingly even-tempered, as he tweeted a reference to “Flashdance” at Donald Trump:

In honor of my friend @realDonaldTrump and good-hearted #Maniacs everywhere: https://t.co/KOPIi4XTVt

— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) December 13, 2015

Whether or not Cruz will take the bait on the stage remains to be seen. 

What will they talk about?

Unlike the last few debates, tomorrow’s doesn’t have a specified theme. So, what the candidates will talk about could encompass a wide range of issues, but there are a few topics that it’s very safe to bet will be discussed. For starters, national security will be a hot topic. A lot has happened since the last debate on November 10, most visibly the horrific terrorist attack in Paris, France, that sparked conversations about the fight against ISIS, Syrian refugees, terrorism, and the status of Muslims in the United States. Additionally, the shooting in San Bernardino, California set many Americans even more on edge, leading to calls from Trump to stop allowing Muslims into the United States. Questions about gun control may also come up, as well as the economy and Planned Parenthood. 

Law Street readers: are there any topics you want to see discussed? Let us know the in the poll below:

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post What Do You Want to Hear About in the Next Republican Debate? appeared first on Law Street.

Bernie Sanders, presidential hopeful and Independent senator from Vermont, just won Time’s poll for “Person of the Year.” The poll is a separate feature from the magazine’s own choice, but does shed a light–although an imperfect one–on current American opinion and zeitgeist.

Sanders garnered just over 10 percent of the vote, the only choice to make double digits. Malala Yousefi came in second, at just over five percent. Pope Francis, President Obama, and Stephen Colbert received 3.7, 3.5, and 3.1 percent respectively–“refugees” were at three percent.

Sanders’ win is impressive, and it’s representative of the fact that he’s certainly had an amazingly influential year. His entrance into the 2016 Democratic primary shook up what many thought was going to be an open-and-shut victory for Hillary Clinton. Although Sanders still trails Clinton in the polls, his campaign is going strong, and he continues to attract fans.

In addition to Sanders’ win, there were some other noteworthy facets of the Time poll. One of the strangest options on the list was American Pharaoh, the first horse to win the Triple Crown since 1978, with 1.4 percent of the vote. But that’s actually a pretty strong showing compared to most of our presidential candidates. Carly Fiorina had .6 percent of the vote, and Ted Cruz and Jeb Bush each had .5 percent. Ben Carson fared a little better at 1.1 percent, as did Marco Rubio. Hillary Clinton was at 1.4 percent. That’s right, a horse either beat or tied six of our presidential candidates in Time’s poll for most influential person of the year.

But, despite the fact that Bernie Sanders won the poll, he’s not actually in contention to be Time’s person of the year. That short list has been disclosed by Time, and includes Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, the ISIS leader; Black Lives Matter activists; Caitlyn Jenner; Travis Kalanick, Uber’s CEO; Angela Merkel, Vladimir Putin, Hassan Rouhani, and Donald Trump. It should be noted that Donald Trump is particularly qualified, given that he beat American Pharaoh by an impressive .4 percent on the online poll.

Time defines its criteria for choosing the person of the year as “the person TIME believes most influenced the news this year, for better or worse.” Time won’t disclose its choice until Wednesday morning, and it will be from that short list. Meanwhile, I’ll be rooting for #AmericanPharaoh2016

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

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Is Vice President Joe Biden going to be a candidate for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination? It’s a question that’s been bouncing around for a while now. Despite widespread speculation, a multitude of op-eds commenting on his chances, and an emotional ad released by a Super PAC dedicated to his potential candidacy, no one really seems to have any idea whether he’ll join the race.

The Democratic field right now is remarkably thin, especially in comparison to the current Republican array of candidates, which is so large that they can’t all fit on the stage at the same time. Currently there’s heavily criticized frontrunner Hillary Clinton, who despite having a commanding lead in the polls has gotten bogged down by email servers and gefilte fish. Then there’s Senator Bernie Sanders, who has a remarkable pull among young people, but is lacking necessary national visibility. People keep forgetting about Governor Martin O’Malley, and Senator Lincoln Chaffee is best known for really liking the metric system. So, the field is ripe for another valid contender–and Joe Biden supporters are hoping that he’ll be it.

America seems like it might be open to a Biden candidacy as well. Currently, he’s polling as the most trustworthy of the possible candidates in the crucial swing states of Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Florida. Other polls have him beating most of the Republican candidates in head-to-head match-ups. While those numbers may not stay so cheery if Biden does join the race and he’s subjected to negative media attention and attack ads from the other candidates, they are solid evidence that he’d be a strong contender to beat Clinton in the primaries.

There was also a particularly heavy commercial just released by a group called “Draft Biden”–a Super PAC that aims to get Biden to run.

The ad featured photos of Biden from when he and his children were younger, and audio from the commencement speech he gave at Yale University earlier this year. In it, Biden reflects on the tragic car crash that killed his first wife and his daughter. The speech’s poignancy is magnified by the fact that his oldest son, Beau Biden, passed away just a few days later after a battle with brain cancer. The ad is touching, but also ties into the fact that some of Biden’s struggle over whether or not to run for President comes from his grief over his son’s death.

But all of those reasons to run come from other people. What is Biden actually saying and doing? Some speculation has been born out of the fact that he himself leaked to Maureen Dowd that Beau told him to run while he was on his deathbed. It’s a sign that Biden may have been testing the waters–although there’s been speculation about a possible 2016 bid from the VP for a while, the piece that Dowd released on August 1 really added fuel to that fire. But at the end of the day, it’s really not certain what Biden is going to do. While it seems likely that he’s certainly considering a race, right now nothing is certain.

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

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