Highlights from the Week
1. On Sunday, October 22, 2022, Xi Jinping was reelected as the General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party. This is President Xi’s third term, and he was elected by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, which is made up of the party's leadership. Xi Jinping was first elected as the leader of China in 2007 and has faced international criticism that he has pushed the Chinese government further toward authoritarianism during his tenure. Click here to read statements from members of Congress that mention President Xi, click here to read statements from President Biden mentioning China, or click here to read statements from members of Congress regarding foreign affairs.
2. Following the resignation of Liz Truss as the United Kingdom’s prime minister, Rishi Sunak has been elected as the new leader of the Conservative Party and will be the next prime minister. In the event of a prime minister’s resignation, the responsibility to select a new head of state falls to the party in power, as opposed to the United States where the vice-president automatically becomes the new head of state. Click here to see statements from Congress mentioning the United Kingdom, or click here to see President Biden’s statement welcoming Prime Minister Sunak.
3. The perpetrator of a mass shooting last year at Oxford High School in Michigan plead guilty this week to terrorism and first-degree murder. Sixteen-year-old Ethan Crumbley killed four people and injured seven at his high school in a case that has garnered national attention over the prosecution’s choice to charge Crumbley’s parents with involuntary manslaughter for their assistance in procuring the weapon for their son and alleged negligence surrounding his mental state. Click here to see statements from members of Congress regarding guns, or click here to read Michigan Representative Elissa Slotkin’s floor speech recognizing the town of Oxford following the shooting in 2021.
Elections
By the Elections Research team (Noah, Anthony, Courtney, Seth, Nick, and Caleb) and Elections Research interns (Torin, Tayelon, Juvencio, Maggie, Francesca, and Joelle)
Elections:
Want to learn more about your local election office information ahead of the general election? Click here to select your state to view your local election office's contact information by county.
Want to learn more about where to register to vote? Click here to select your state to view your voter registration deadlines, qualifications, and requirements ahead of the general election.
Biographies:
Want to learn more about the candidates running in the congressional general election? You can see the full list of candidates running nationally here. If you want to learn more about a candidate, click on a candidate and go to their ‘Bio’ tab to learn more.
Want to learn more about the candidates running in the gubernatorial general election? You can see the full list of candidates running nationally here. If you want to learn more about a candidate, click on a candidate and go to their ‘Bio’ tab to learn more.
Want to learn more about the candidates running in the statewide general election? You can see the full list of candidates running nationally here. If you want to learn more about a candidate, click on a candidate and go to their ‘Bio’ tab to learn more.
Want to learn more about the candidates running in the state judicial general election? You can see the full list of candidates running nationally here. If you want to learn more about a candidate, click on a candidate and go to their ‘Bio’ tab to learn more.
Issue Positions/Political Courage Test:
Want to learn more about the candidates who are currently being tested and their responses to the Political Courage Test ahead of the general election? You can see the full list of candidates, their responses, and response rates running in various states by office below:
Officials
By the Officials Research team: Thomas, Bibi, Johanan, Neal, Jake, Craig, Israel, and Katie
Public Statements: 1,632 statements were added this week. See highlights from the week for notable statements.
Key Votes:
States: 21 new votes were added.
Iowa's governor signed SF 2363 into law, relaxing requirements for requests to be removed from the sex offender registry. Under previous law, offenders had to be on probation, parole, work release, or conditional release to request a modification, but this bill allows any sex offender to apply.
The governor of Missouri vetoed HB 1667, which established preparation and labeling requirements for Kratom dealers. The bill also established the legal age to buy Kratom in Missouri as 18.
In North Carolina HB 674 was signed into law by the governor, prohibiting medical billing of rape victims. This law will guarentee that rape victims do no have to pay medical bills related to rape kits or immediate treatment.
Federal Legislation: 0 new votes
Special Interest Groups:
There were 184 endorsements and 21 rating scorecards released to the live web this week, which can be viewed here (organized by group). This year to date, the SIGs team has rated 101,750 candidates and entered endorsements for 37,579 candidates.