This Week In Research: January 8th - January 12th, 2024

Highlights from the Week

1. On January 4th, 2024, a 17-year-old student opened fire at Perry High School possessing a pump-action shotgun and a small-caliber handgun early hours Thursday morning. Perry High School Principal Dan Marburger and six others were severely injured and one sixth-grader was found dead. The principal acted selflessly to protect his students and is in a critical condition. The 17-year-old student who opened fire also died of a self-inflicted gunshot. A law enforcement official stated that federal and state investigators were interviewing the shooter's friends and analyzing social media to gauge for possible motive. Prior to the shooting, the shooter posted a photo on Tiktok inside a bathroom at Perry High School which stated “now we wait”.  The Perry community mourns their losses, fellow Iowan’s and Representatives show their support. To read a statement from Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa, click here. To read a statement from Senator Joni Ernst of Iowa, click here. To read a statement from Representative Zach Nunn of Iowa, click here. To read a statement from Governor Kim Reynolds of Iowa, click here. 

2. On January 15th, 2024, the Iowa Republican Party will hold the first contest of the 2024 presidential election cycle. This is the opportunity for Republican candidates who are seeking their party’s nomination for president will be able to win the first slate of delegates that will meet at the Republican National Convention this July. As a reminder, voters will need to go to their precinct location by 7pm and could expect to caucus from anytime from 30 minutes to over an hour. We wrote a post on our blog with more information, which you can find here. You can also look at the candidates that are participating in the Iowa Caucuses here. We will also be discussing the results of the caucuses in our Research Report next week.

Elections

By the Elections Research team: Nick, Zachary, Caleb, Seth, Jessica, and Max

Biographies & Elections:

Want to learn about some of the elections that happened this week? Click on the state below to view the results:

• Alabama State Legislative Special Election

• Virginia State Legislative Special Election

Want to learn more about candidates running for elected office in 2024? Click on the states below to see the full list:

• North Carolina Congressional Candidates

• Texas Congressional Candidates

Want to learn more about elected officials in your state? You can see the full list here:

• Congressional Officials

• Hawaii Statewide Officials

• Idaho Statewide Officials

Want to learn more about the leadership in each state legislature? You can see the full leadership rosters here:

• Legislative Leadership

Want to learn more about which committees elected officials are a part of? You can see the full list of committees for each state here:

• State Legislative Committees

Officials

By the Officials Research team: Sam, Johanan, Neal, Thomas, and Quinn

Public Statements: 36 statements were added this week. See highlights from the week for notable statements.

Key Votes: 

States: 32 new votes were added. 

• Pennsylvania Governor signed HB 863 - Reduces Physical Fitness Standards for Police Training

• Pennsylvania Governor signed SB 140 - Authorizes the State Attorney General to Appoint a Special Prosecutor for South Eastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) Crimes

• Pennsylvania Governor signed HB 301 - Appropriates Millions for Various State Education Funding Costs

• Washington House passed HB 1508 - Establishes the Healthcare Transparency Board

• Maine Governor signed LD 1703 - Expands the Equal Pay Act to Include Race

• U.S. Congress: 0 new votes were added.

   Special Interest Groups (SIGs)

• This year to date, the SIGs team has entered 56,353 ratings and 15,105 endorsements for candidates.