Political Quick Hits: June 11th Edition
Here’s your weekly quick look at few developing stories in the political arena:
- In Wisconsin on Tuesday, Republican Governor Scott Walker won the state recall election over Democratic challenger, Milwaukee mayor, Tom Barrett. Walker who received 54 percent of the votes compared to Barrett’s 45 percent, becomes the first governor in U.S. history to survive a recall election. This was the most expensive election in the history of Wisconsin with $63 million being spent in the recall election. Walker and his Republican allies spent $45.6 million on the race as of May 21, while Barrett and his allies spent $17.9 million. (CBS)
- The issue of same-sex marriage in California may be another landmark case headed to the Supreme Court after federal appeals court judges refused on Tuesday to revisit an earlier ruling. In February, a three-judge panel ruled Prop 8 unconstitutional, saying Prop 8 “works a meaningful harm to gays and lesbians” by denying their right to civil marriage in violation of the 14th Amendment. A stay on same-sex marriage in California will remain in place until the issue is solved in court. (CNN)
- In the Senate on Tuesday, Senate Republicans blocked a pay equality bill that would pave the way for women to more easily litigate their way to pay equality. This is the second time in two years that Republicans have united to block the measure. Republicans said that the bill would basically reward trial lawyers at the expense of employers. Democrats argued that the bill would require employers to prove that differences in pay were related to job performance, not gender, and would allow women who believe they were discriminated against to sue for damages. Based on median hourly pay, women make 86 percent as much as men, according to recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. (NY Times)
- Interested in keeping up with the electoral map heading into November’s presidential election? CNN has a pretty interesting interactive map that shows you all the states in the country and which candidate they’re leaning toward, including which states are toss-ups. You can also use the map to see how the candidates can get to the 270 electoral votes needed to win the election. The race to 270 is on!
- And finally, are you currently not registered to vote? Have you moved since you last voted? Or have you gotten married and your last name changed? If you’ve answered yes to any of these, you can sign up to vote online below. It’s quick & easy – make sure you are prepared for the 2012 election before it’s too late!
