4 tickets atop the Indiana ballot are set

Posted on by Brian A. Howey

With Vice President Kamala Harris officially securing the Democratic presidential nomination on Monday and selecting Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate the next day, the tickets atop the Indiana ballot have been forged.

Harris and Walz will take on Republicans Donald J. Trump and Ohio U.S. Sen. JD Vance in the presidential race. Independent Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will also be on the Indiana ballot. 

The Indiana gubernatorial tickets have Republican U.S. Sen. Mike Braun and running mate Micah Beckwith taking on Democrat Jennifer McCormick and running mate Terry Goodin, and Libertarian nominee Donald Rainwater and running mate Tonya Hudson.

Here is our analysis of the four tickets:

Trump-Vance, Republican presidential

From July 7 through July 21, Trump had a RealClearPolitics composite polling lead of 47.9%-44.8% over President Joe Biden. Biden led in only one poll in July after his disastrous June 27 debate with Trump. The president dropped out of the race on July 21 and immediately endorsed Vice President Harris. Up to that point, the Trump campaign was designed to take on the 81-year-old Biden. Now, Trump has become the oldest presidential nominee in American history.

The RealClearPolitics polling composite from July 22 through Aug. 4 reads like the proverbial “Tale of Two Cities.” Since July 22, Harris has led in seven of 11 national surveys and forged a composite 47.4%-46.9% lead.

When it comes to battleground states, Trump still has a 4% lead in Nevada, 2.8% lead in Arizona, 0.2% in Wisconsin, 1.8% in Pennsylvania, 3% in North Carolina and 0.8% lead in Georgia (where at his Saturday rally in Atlanta he bashed the state’s popular Republican governor, Brian Kemp). Harris has a 2% lead in Michigan. All of those Trump margins are in atrophy.

When it comes to traditional politics, the Trump-Vance ticket didn’t get a post-Republican National Convention bump. There was no positive polling increase when Vance was selected. In fact, CNN election analyst Harry Enten explained that since 2000, the veep nominee’s net favorable ratings have been +19%, while Vance is at -6%. 

“I have gone back all the way to 1980 and he is the first guy immediately after the convention who actually had a net negative. Vance is under water,” Enten told CNN. “JD Vance is making history in completely the wrong way. Usually VP picks are popular. In this case he’s dragging Trump down.” 

For historical context, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and Indiana U.S. Sen. Dan Quayle, two of the most heavily criticized running mate selections in history, held double-digit positive approval scores in 2008 and 1988, according to Enten.

The Trump campaign hasn’t figured out how to deal with Harris or Walz. Last week at the National Association of Black Journalists convention, Trump attempted to redefine Harris’ ethnicity from Black to Indian. He is now opting out of the Sept. 10 ABC debate despite having made the “anytime, anyplace, anywhere” challenge.

On Tuesday, Trump suggested Biden would make a comeback at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago later this month.

“What are the chances that Crooked Joe Biden, the WORST President in the history of the U.S., whose Presidency was Unconstitutionally STOLEN from him by Kamabla, Barrack HUSSEIN Obama, Crazy Nancy Pelosi, Shifty Adam Schiff, Cryin’ Chuck Schumer, and others on the Lunatic Left, CRASHES the Democrat National Convention and tries to take back the Nomination, beginning with challenging me to another DEBATE,” Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social. “He feels that he made a historically tragic mistake by handing over the U.S. Presidency, a COUP, to the people in the World he most hates, and he wants it back, NOW!!!”

What’s more unhinged, Trump bashing the Republican governor of a crucial battleground state, or the Biden return scenario?

And Trump is trying to put distance between his campaign and the Heritage Foundation’s vastly unpopular Project 2025, the so-called Republican governing blueprint. The problem there is that Vance wrote the foreword for the accompanying book. 

Harris-Walz, Democratic presidential

Republican pollster Frank Luntz declared on Wednesday that the new Democratic ticket “is now the front-runner and has the momentum.”

Luntz added in a post on X: “Walz is a good speaker, very presentable, knows the issues and mirrors her [Harris’] point of view. Kamala has the wind at her back and will get another bounce after the DNC. Voters who simply weren’t going to vote at all (for Biden because of his age) are now energized to vote for Harris.”

The crucial momentum phase now comes into focus between now and Sept. 10. The Trump campaign will seek to define Harris and Walz. If she can deflect the attacks, including the current TV ad on her portfolio role in the southern border situation, she could be in an advantageous position to withstand the inevitable “October surprise.”

Gov. Walz is credited with dubbing Trump and Vance “weird,” adding that the former “never laughs, unless he’s making fun of someone.”

FiveThirtyEight analyst Nathaniel Rakich called Walz “the safe choice” for Harris, adding, “Walz seems to offer something for everyone in the Democratic coalition and little to alienate key segments of the party’s base. That’s not to say Walz doesn’t have potential weaknesses. Republicans have already begun to criticize him for his handling of the 2020 protests over George Floyd’s murder in Minnesota, when he did not deploy the National Guard until the day after local leaders asked him to. And there’s a danger that such criticisms could stick.”

Sam Stein and Andrew Egger, writing for The Bulwark on Wednesday, added, “In an era where vibes rule everything around us, Walz by the end was the guy riding the zeitgeist. Walz was most assuredly not a front-runner when this process started. He wasn’t even among the top three midwestern governors in the mix. But his quick ability to brand the Republican ticket as ‘weird’ earned him immediate plaudits among the Democratic faithful. His economic populist pitch, his non-coastal elite résumé, and his mockery of JD Vance kept adding to the momentum.”

Tuesday’s opening Harris-Walz rally was one of joy for Democrats. On July 20, they were looking at a developing worst-case scenario with Biden as the nominee. Two days later, the clouds parted and the fog lifted, and their new ticket could become the best-case scenario. 

Braun-Beckwith, Republican gubernatorial

Braun’s property tax proposal has been revised since it was released in late July. It was his first major policy rollout since winning the nomination in May. 

“As Governor, I will introduce a bold agenda to deliver historic property tax relief for all Indiana residents,” Braun said in a statement. “My plan focuses on capping property tax increases, updating deductions, increasing transparency, and reforming the referendum process. My commitment to this agenda stems from my dedication to protecting the financial stability and well-being of Hoosier families.” 

Republican House Speaker Todd Huston told State Affairs that Braun’s revised plan was a “great proposal to start from” but that he had not yet closely studied its impact.

The proposal for rolling back the past few years’ worth of homestead property tax increases begs questions about its consequences for other taxpayers and local governments. Echoing the concerns of some public schools advocates, officials from groups representing Indiana businesses, farmers and local governments at the Statehouse say they understand the aim of stemming the double-digit increases in homeowners’ property taxes but worry about tax burden shifts and possible big hits to county and city budgets.

Braun said his plan was focused on giving tax relief to homeowners and was “based on the principle that government can never grow faster than the underlying economy and the taxpayers’ ability to pay.”

“Everybody wants an assessed value break or decrease,” Association of Indiana Counties Executive Director David Bottorff told State Affairs. “Every class or property wants that, and every time that a single class or property gets that, it just shifts that burden.”

Katrina Hall, senior director of policy strategy and advocacy for Indiana Farm Bureau, said that farmers have also been hit hard by property tax increases and that Braun’s proposal could make the situation worse. 

“Our policy really doesn’t support expanding the homestead deduction, just because what it does is reduce the tax base, and so in doing that, there are shifts to farmland,” Hall said.

And David Ober, senior vice president for the Indiana Chamber of Commerce, added, “Anytime that you deal with the assessed value of a home, it’s going to reduce the net assessed value of a taxing unit, and that’s going to increase tax rates, which will be felt by other property owners. That means commercial and agricultural properties are going to see higher tax rates.”

Matthew Greller, CEO of Accelerate Indiana Municipalities, said any changes to the property tax system must include the recognition that between 45% and 65% of the general fund budgets for cities and towns comes from those taxes. 

“Of their general fund budgets, 70% usually, at least, goes to public safety,” Greller said. “So anytime you start talking about property taxes and reductions and caps and all those kinds of things, it’s a direct impact to services that cities and towns provide.”

As for Beckwith, he is still not mentioned on the Mike Braun for Indiana website. The campaign appears to be content on having Beckwith work his base on behalf of the ticket.

A key moment will come at the Indiana State Fair at 2 p.m. Tuesday when Beckwith debates Democratic nominee Terry Goodin on agricultural policy.

McCormick-Goodin, Democratic gubernatorial

While this campaign says it is focused on the “small donor,” the breaking news here is that it is finding little traction among traditional Democratic Party constituencies, particularly labor unions. 

McCormick posted a mere $700,000 cash on hand on her midyear report, compared with $1.68 million for Braun. The Republican had a $6.185 million-to-$781,690 advantage for the first half of the year. He outspent her $8.58 million to $290,000 during that same period. The midyear quarterly financial reports through June 30 also revealed Braun holds a $1.68 million-to-$700,013 cash-on-hand advantage over McCormick.

McCormick received a $10,000 donation from Local 157 PAC Fund on July 25, the only large donation posted by her in the past two weeks. The Indiana State Teachers Association’s Indiana Political Action Committee for Education endorsed her on July 1 and gave her a $250,000 cash infusion. UniServ Director Rick Scalf has been temporarily assigned to coordinate the association’s statewide plan for its members’ involvement and activities in their campaign. 

The McCormick campaign is attempting to stitch together the coalition that Glenda Ritz won in the 2012 superintendent of public instruction race with teachers and their families, educators, retired educators and suburban women angered by Indiana’s abortion law restrictions. Ritz was outspent 10 to 1 that year, so anything is possible. If the Harris-Walz ticket becomes a movement, that could help McCormick, but if that were a realistic option, you would likely see more traditional Democratic constituencies stepping up.

McCormick said of Braun’s property tax plan in a statement: “Mike Braun claims to support cutting property taxes, but his record shows he’s voted to increase Hoosiers’ property tax bills. Hoosiers are sick and tired of politicians who will say anything to get elected. Mike Braun voted for higher Hoosier property taxes when he had the chance and is now only talking about a tax cut because he’s another politician Hoosiers are sick of.”

Governor

Large donations

Braun: Indiana Association of Beverage Retailers, $25,000 (July 31); Wine and Spirits Wholesalers of Indiana PAC $10,000 (July 29).

Brian A. Howey is senior writer and columnist for Howey Politics Indiana/State Affairs. Find Howey on Facebook and X @hwypol.

State Affairs Statehouse reporters Tom Davies and Jarred Meeks contributed to this article.

Don’t forget the down-ballot races

Posted on by Lee Hamilton

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — We’re less than 100 days away from a presidential election that many Americans consider the most consequential of their lifetimes. So, it’s hardly surprising that most of the attention in the runup to November is focused there. 

But I’m here today to make a plea: Pay attention to congressional and legislative contests, too. 

I say this not out of some civic do-gooder belief that all public offices matter, but because what happens in this year’s congressional and legislative races will have very real consequences for this nation’s direction. It matters who gets elected president and governor. But it matters just as much who controls the legislative bodies they have to work with.

Let me draw from my own career to explain. I first went to Congress nearly 60 years ago, in 1965. The 89th Congress was controlled by Democrats in both chambers, and there was a Democratic president, Lyndon Johnson. Together, they produced what’s been hailed as possibly the most successful Congress ever. In all, 810 bills were enacted, including the creation of Medicare and Medicaid, the Voting Rights Act, the Older Americans Act, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the Higher Education Act, the Water Quality Act, the Freedom of Information Act, the Highway Safety Act, the Financial Institutions Supervisory Act and more. It’s fair to say the U.S. was a safer, more equitable, more opportunity-laden place when we got done than before we started. 

The last Congress I served in was the 105th, which ended in early January 1999. The contrast couldn’t have been starker. A Democratic president, Bill Clinton, spent the years of the 105th confronting a Republican-controlled House and a Republican-controlled Senate. Not surprisingly, much less got done. There were 394 bills enacted — fewer than half the number of the 89th. 

In a newsletter to constituents at the time, I wrote, “The 105th Congress did have some significant accomplishments” but overall “the legislative record of the 105th Congress was meager. Only a limited number of important measures passed, many key initiatives died, and the leisurely pace meant fewer legislative days this year than any in memory. Most agree that Congress left town with a lot of America’s business unfinished.” 

You don’t even have to tally legislative accomplishments to understand how House and Senate elections matter. Eight years ago, after the death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, President Barack Obama tapped a centrist, Merrick Garland, as his choice to replace Scalia. But Republicans controlled the Senate, and Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced the Senate would not confirm any appointment by Obama; instead, it would wait until the next president put forth a nominee. You know what happened: Donald Trump won the presidency and filled the seat with a conservative, Neil Gorsuch. The course of the past eight years would likely have been quite different had Garland been seated. 

Which brings us to state legislative elections. One obvious consequence of the conservative majority on the Supreme Court has been a sharp decline in the availability of abortions and reproductive health care nationwide in the wake of the Court’s 2022 Dobbs decision undoing Roe v. Wade. In all, 22 states now completely ban or severely restrict abortions. Meanwhile, 20 other state legislatures have acted to add new protections to abortion rights. This is a function of who controls the legislatures (and governorships) in those states. You may be pleased or alarmed by the direction your state has moved in the two years since the Dobbs decision, but it would be hard to argue that state legislative elections don’t matter. 

So, before you go to the polls this year, pay attention to the candidates who are running for Congress and the Legislature: what they stand for, the policies they want to pursue, how serious they are about governing. And pay attention, too, to what you want to see happen: If you want our next president or your next governor to get a lot done, you’ll want to see a congressional or legislative majority of the same party. If you don’t want much to get accomplished, you’ll favor an executive dealing with a Congress or Legislature of the opposite party. Either way, your down-ballot vote will matter.

Lee Hamilton is a senior adviser for the Indiana University Center on Representative Government, a distinguished scholar at the IU Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies and a professor of practice at the IU O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs. He was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for 34 years.

Camp revises her 2nd CD odds

Posted on by Jack Colwell

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — When Lori Camp filed for Congress at the last minute at the February deadline, she acknowledged having a “one-in-a-million shot” in a race against Congressman Rudy Yakym, the entrenched 2nd Congressional District Republican incumbent.

Camp hadn’t planned to run. She did so only because no Democrat had filed. She didn’t think Yakym should run unopposed.

Now, she has revised those odds.

“When we win,” Camp began hopefully, talking about striving in Congress “to restore and protect women’s rights” in reproductive health care and to protect democracy against “dictator” threats of Donald Trump.

She would like to think the race is moving “more into 50-50 at this point.”

But the odds are still stacked against Camp, with not a cent raised, no organization and no political name recognition. Yakym won in all 11 counties of the district in 2022 and started this year with overflowing campaign finance coffers.

But in one sense, Camp already has won.

She is winning praise from St. Joseph County Democrats, who found that lack of an effective congressional challenger in 2022 — no ticket leader to voice issues and build enthusiasm — was a factor in losing control of county government. They had been wondering if this unknown Camp would be any better. She is.

St. Joseph County Democratic Party Chair Diana Hess said Camp is “very much a solid Democrat” and is “working hard and going everywhere.”

Camp said she has put over 42,000 miles on her car, traveling throughout the 11-county district, with most of the campaigning at nights or on weekends. She still is a full-time operations and training manager at Donnell Systems, a South Bend software firm, where her husband also works.

“It’s amazing to watch her grow and get a real handle on issues,” Hess said. “Now if she could just get some money.”

Campaign finance reports at the end of June showed:

  • Yakym raised $2,068,157 and had $692,164 cash on hand.
  • Camp raised $47,721 and had $23,812 cash on hand.

Money isn’t everything, but it is vital in a sprawling district like the 2nd to have at least enough to build vital name recognition, particularly through television.

Camp said she hopes to raise $150,000, providing enough for some planned television buys.

But she won’t get any money from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. It helps fund races in districts where it finds Democrats have a chance to win competitive races important in trying to win back control of the House. Nothing against Camp — they just don’t find the 2nd, rated strongly Republican, to be competitive.

Brian Smith, 2nd District Democratic chair, who carried Camp’s last-minute filing for the Democratic nomination to Indianapolis, said he sees fundraising improving in the district, with enthusiasm growing for Camp. He said she received an ovation when she spoke to district delegates at the Indiana Democratic Convention.

“I couldn’t be more proud of her,” Smith said.

Camp expresses no regrets about her surprise candidacy, even with all the travel and realization of the nastiness of politics, brought home by insults shouted at her “by people with Trump hats” during parades.

“We should be lifting people up, not belittling or putting people down,” Camp said.

She cited surprise at two aspects of the campaign.

One is that she is receiving support from Republicans who don’t like Trump or Yakym’s full-throated support of Trump. Her largest contributor is a Republican lawyer.

The other surprise is that Yakym no longer seems to her to be such a dominating opponent.

In campaigning, Camp said, she frequently is asked, “Who’s your opponent?” Or if they know, others say they haven’t seen him and ask, “Where’s Rudy?”

Well, Yakym is on the ballot, still expected to win. Camp, too, with her last-minute filing, is on the ballot, doing better than expected. 

Jack Colwell has covered Indiana politics for over five decades for the South Bend Tribune. Email him at [email protected].

How coaches sell tickets — in the political arena

Posted on by Brian A. Howey

INDIANAPOLIS — Back in the days when I was a Chicago White Sox fan, I remember walking through Comiskey Park before the opening pitch and hearing shouts of “Coach! Coach! Coach!”

And sure enough, walking toward me was legendary DePaul University basketball coach Ray Meyer. At any Chicago sports stadium, Super Bowl-winning Bears Coach Mike Ditka would generate a similar outpouring of affection.

Coaches hold a special status in American culture, and it translates into politics.

I write this after Kamala Harris added Tim Walz to her Democratic presidential ticket on Tuesday. His résumé brings a plethora of titles to the effort: governor, congressman, Army major, social studies teacher … and coach.

It was as if Ted Lasso had jumped from a streaming service into the America body politic.

Harris introduced her running mate as “Coach Walz,” not as the governor of Minnesota, adding, “In 91 days the nation will know Coach Walz by another name: vice president of the United States.” 

He responded by telling Harris: “Thank you for bringing back the joy.”

He added, “Those same values I learned on the family farm and tried to instill in my students, Vice President Harris and I are running to take those very values to the White House.” 

Walz’s political career began in 2006 after his students urged him to run for Congress. He represented a rural congressional district that would vote for Donald Trump a decade later. He understands the rural vernacular, outlook and priorities. As a football coach, he became faculty adviser for a gay/straight alliance at his high school.

A fist-pumping Walz took the stage, patting his heart in an expression of love, and joined the political fray. Trump allies quickly jumped on Gov. Walz for signing legislation into law allowing some convicted criminals to regain the right to vote. He observed that violent crime was up during the Trump administration, adding, “That’s not even counting the crimes he committed!”

U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who was in the Democratic veepstakes himself, observed on X: “Being a teacher, a coach, a senior noncommissioned officer. What they all have in common is supporting other people. The Trump Campaign can’t figure out what to do with this ticket. They can’t fathom a campaign, or any leaders, who are not about themselves. Seeing the contrast between him [Walz] and Vance — who has contorted himself repeatedly from a never Trumper, Silicon Valley investor, to now trying to be a voice of the working class Midwest – it is just going to be an extraordinary contrast.”

The selection of Coach Walz comes eight years after a group of legendary Indiana coaches helped elevate Trump to the White House. Indiana University’s Bobby Knight, Purdue’s Gene Keady and Notre Dame’s Lou Holtz ardently endorsed Trump in 2016.

Coach Knight, speaking at a late-April 2016 Trump rally at the Indiana State Fairgrounds, said, “There has never been a more honest politician than Donald Trump. You folks are taking a look at the most prepared man in history to step in as president, that man. There has never been a presidential candidate prepared to the length this man is. I am not here to represent the Republican Party. And I’m not here to represent any organization that deals with politics. I think the most important thing in the world is that we vote for the best man there is for this job.”

Knight encouraged the crowd to “throw Donald over the top” by voting for him, saying it would be “a first step toward what every one of us wants America to be like.”

Trump responded, “When I get endorsed by the tough ones, I like it. If I win Indiana, it’s over. It’s over.”

And it was. Trump clinched his first GOP presidential nomination in Indiana.

That win came as the GOP establishment in Indiana was not behind Trump. Gov. Mike Pence had endorsed Sen. Ted Cruz. When the primary dust settled, Trump won with 53% of the vote.

So, Coach Walz joining the Harris ticket brings a Midwestern voice to the fray. 

Former Indiana Democratic Party Chairman Kip Tew observed on X: “Hoosier Democrats, I see a lot of Joe Kernan in Tim Walz. Similar looks, similar demeanor, military background, sports, likable, happy warrior, straight shooter.”

That comment was in reference to Joe Kernan the Notre Dame baseball catcher, Navy pilot, Vietnam POW, South Bend mayor, lieutenant governor and, finally, Hoosier governor.

Kernan lost the only race he ran for governor to Mitch Daniels in 2004. The Republican had co-opted the 1954 Milan state basketball champions theme in that campaign, which underscores how pliable the addition of sports to politics can be.

As a reporter for The Elkhart Truth, I had the opportunity to cover a General Assembly campaign by Coach Marv Wood, who had moved to Mishawaka in 1969 after coaching the “Milan miracle” basketball team to the 1954 IHSAA championship, inspiring the movie “Hoosiers.” In that classic, actor Gene Hackman played Wood, measuring the rim 10 feet above the Hinkle Fieldhouse floor to reassure his team.

Wood lost that political race, but Mishawaka Mayor Dave Wood (no relation) said at an unveiling of a sculpture of the coach: “Marv was a simple, decent man with a servant’s heart, strong work ethic and impeccable values, and that not only impacted his family and his friends but legendary teams, multitudes of kids and communities here and around the State of Indiana.”

If Coach Walz can break through in rural areas and red states and be heard as a trusted voice, his addition to the ticket just might pay off.

At Tuesday’s rally in Philadelphia, Coach Walz threw haymakers at Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance: “I can’t wait to debate the guy. That is, if he’s willing to get off the couch and show up.”

Brian A. Howey is senior writer and columnist for Howey Politics Indiana/State Affairs. Find Howey on Facebook and X @hwypol.

School superintendent reverses decision to drop AP African American Studies class

Posted on by Tammy Joyner

After weeks of controversy, Georgia School Superintendent Richard Woods announced Wednesday he had reversed his decision to drop a college-level African American studies high school class, saying the state will now fund the class and include it on the state’s list of course offerings.

The about-face comes a day after Attorney General Chris Carr said the advanced placement African American Studies course does not violate Georgia’s “divisive concepts” law. The law governs what can be taught in K-12 classes about race, gender, history and other sensitive topics.

“Communication from the attorney general’s office completed the clarification process surrounding the adoption and instructional expectation for all AP, IB [International Baccalaureate], and dual enrollment courses and curriculum,” Woods said in a statement posted on the Georgia Department of Education website Wednesday. “It has been determined that this law shall not restrict local school systems from adopting any AP, IB, or dual enrollment course. Each such course will be exempted from the provisions of the divisive concepts legislation, so long as these courses are implemented in a professionally and academically appropriate manner and without espousing personal political beliefs.”

Woods’ initial decision not to recommend the class for the 2024-25 school year drew heavy criticism from teachers, students, lawmakers, clergy and civil rights groups. Critics called Woods’ decision an attack on students’ rights. They also said students who had signed up for the course would have to scramble to find another AP class to fulfill college requirements.

Continue reading “School superintendent reverses decision to drop AP African American Studies class”

NCSL: States urged to start building 2030 redistricting checklists now

Posted on by Krista Kano

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The next redistricting cycle is several years away, but those involved with various states’ processes are imploring lawmakers to begin preparing now.

Their message was delivered at a National Conference of State Legislatures summit session intended to preempt challenges states may face when it comes to inmate data reallocation, commissions, map criteria, public input and remedial mapmaking. 

Karin Mac Donald, director of the California Statewide Database, said that when it comes to inmate data reallocation — the process of adjusting the residency record of inmates — “start early and make a plan.” 

California’s process took several years and required collaboration between her office, lawmakers, the department of corrections and the Census Bureau. 

She advised thinking about whether new legislation is required, if technical changes are needed, and whether the funding, software, staff or training is in place to execute the process. 

She also suggested becoming familiar with the data sets and securing a test file from the department of corrections in advance to learn how to clean addresses manually or with the help of software tools, set thresholds for minimum acceptable level of confidences and more. 

Jonathan Cervas, an assistant teaching professor at Carnegie Mellon Institute for Strategy and Technology, said states also need to think about who is making their maps. 

While most states enact maps through their legislatures, some use commissions that can include legislators, citizens or both and whose maps may or may not require legislative approval. Membership across the country ranges from four members to 16. 

Arizona’s commission consists of four citizens appointed by legislators and a fifth citizen commission chair who may not be a member of either major political party. Its maps become law without legislative intervention, Cervas said. 

In developing the commissions, Cervas said several items need to be considered including the number of members, whether that number is odd or even, how maps are approved, the level of involvement by the legislature, and the overriding criteria for developing a map.

There are also the “functional problems,” he said, like how commissions are budgeted, how staff are hired, how long it should exist, and how members are compensated. 

“I don’t think anyone has a good answer on the proper way to construct a commission,” he said. 

Because each state operates so differently, Cervas said there is not a reliable study on best practices as it is difficult to pinpoint which aspects of each plan works best. 

Still, he said, citizen commissions are “seen as the gold standard if your goal is to take politics out of it.” 

Helen Brewer, an NCSL policy specialist, said states must determine not only the criteria by which they draw maps, but also how those criteria rank. 

Michigan, for example, requires contiguity above all, followed by preservation of communities of interest, avoiding intentionally favoring a political party, avoiding intentionally favoring an incumbent or candidate, preserving political subdivisions, and lastly, compactness. 

In contrast, Missouri prioritizes compactness first, followed by contiguity, preservation of political subdivisions, proportionality and competitiveness. 

They are among five states that rank criteria either in statute or in the constitution, while others set criteria more informally.

Brewer said a strict ranking provides map makers with clear instructions, but cautioned that “mapmakers are dealing with infinite and sometimes conflicting data points, so they may need more flexibility.” 

Quyen Do, deputy research director of the Oklahoma legislature, said her state implemented several measures to facilitate public input. 

Some were “low-hanging fruit,” like setting up an email and dedicated website with an online feedback form. 

Others required more planning, like holding 30 regional town halls that were recorded and live streamed, providing public training on how to use Dave’s Redistricting and allowing public map submissions.

Lawmakers should also consider whether hearings are held before or after draft maps are created and how public input is collected, stored, collated and reviewed, she said. 

Jeff Wice, special counsel for the New York legislature, explained that remedial mapmaking occurs when there is a legislative impasse, if a commission implodes, as was the case in New York and Virginia, or if a court finds a violation and requires a new map.

In those situations, a court may hire a “special master” to take the lead in drawing remedial maps, he said. 

NCSL advised states to consider whether political parties may submit nominees for the special masters, what rules they must follow, whether states or redistricting commissions will have to provide staffing and facilities for remedial processes and whether they will have to cover the cost of remedial mapmaking.

Krista Kano is a staff writer for Gongwer Ohio/State Affairs. Reach her at [email protected] or on X @krista_kano. 


Tennessee’s new AI Advisory Council seeks ‘very best solutions’

Posted on by Andy Sher

Tennessee’s new Artificial Intelligence Advisory Council members held an organizational meeting this week for two dozen members from state government and the private sector to discuss their mission and the technology’s promise and potential pitfalls.

State Finance Commissioner Jim Bryson, the panel’s co-chair, described to fellow members the joint effort by the General Assembly and Gov. Bill Lee’s office to create the body as “recognition of the dramatic and disruptive impact that Generative AI is having on our society, our economy and government.”

“This is a journey we’re on. We don’t know exactly where we’re going to end up, to be honest with you, in a lot of ways,” Bryson said. “And that’s why we’re all here. It’s a new technology. So we’re going to learn. We’re going to adapt and we’re going to come out with the very best solutions that we can possibly come up with.”

Also serving on the panel are two Tennessee-based experts with renown in the field of AI, which uses deep-learning models capable of generating high-quality text, images and other content based on the data they are trained on.

One of them is Lynne Parker, a recently retired University of Tennessee-Knoxville associate vice chancellor and director of the AI Tennessee Initiative. The other is Prasana Balaprakash, director of AI programs at the federal government’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory. 

The council’s other co-chair is state Chief Information Officer Stephanie Dedmon with the state’s Strategic Technologies Solutions office.

One of the council’s purposes is to adopt a strategy supporting the state’s vision, operational priorities and that creates enterprise-wide opportunities, Dedmon said.

“There’s a lot of work at hand we have to do as a council, but we look forward to working with everyone,” Dedmon said, emphasizing the scope of efforts goes beyond state operations. “This is really about workforce, impact on the labor market, education, training, strategic initiatives. How do we implement it in a responsible and secure way both for our state agencies and other areas of the state?” 

Ryan Allen, an assistant commissioner with the state’s Labor of Workforce Development whose responsibilities include areas such as data analytics, said the department is tasked with bringing a “huge trained workforce” to Tennessee “and how we can use AI to make that a more efficient process.” But he noted the department has some eligibility-based programs where officials want to ensure the process is “safe and unbiased” in use of AI.

Ann Marie Walp, president of the Tennessee Cable and Broadband Association, said for her industry, an issue is how to focus best on customer service issues, increasing efficiency and how best to “harness such a powerful tool to make Tennessee better. I know there’s a lot of fear surrounding the issue, but I think more excitement than anything.”

Callie Cook, global director for research and development with the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development. She said as a statewide recruiter she was particularly interested in its effects on the workforce and learning how to use AI to continue recruiting “great companies” to the state.

Fellow member Lang Wiseman, an attorney with the Baker Donelson law firm who previously served as Gov. Bill Lee’s deputy and legal adviser, said he was most interested in the intersection of private industry and government but also the “tremendous” production of data and how to use it effectively for more efficiency in government and the private sector — “but also recognizing the dangers that come from that.”

Patrick Sabatani, senior vice president of business and legal affairs for Warner Music Nashville, said he was representing the private concerns of the music industry. Earlier this year the recording industry joined Lee’s effort to protect musicians and songwriters from artificial intelligence exploitation. The Ensuring Likeness Voice and Image Security (ELVIS) Act added voice as a protected personal right to existing state law. The new law eventually passed following weeks of fighting in the Legislature over balancing the First Amendment rights of the news and film industry as well as others.

Sabatini said members of Nashville’s creative industry “encounter [AI] every day in both the good and the bad. It has the potential and the peril.” He noted the community remains engaged in litigation with some AI companies that are using Generative AI in ways that “we find to be unethical.” On the “flip side of the coin,” he said, the creative community worked to “give Randy Travis his voice back” after being left unable to speak or sing following a stroke.

State Education Commissioner Lizzette Reynolds said she is “really curious” to see how AI will change practices to “operationalize it” in areas ranging from teaching and learning to helping families. But she said children still need to learn how to read and do math. Reynolds asked how the technology can be employed to advance with “the fact that we still have to do some of the hard things so our kids are still learning” skills by flesh-and-blood teachers.

ORNL’s AI initiative chief Balapraska said the operation rests on “secure, trustworthy and energy efficient AI” for scientific discovery and national security. “We are really working on the cutting edge AI, frontier AI models, bringing trustworthy AI models.”  Areas where it is used include material discovery and climate risk, he said.

Parker, the former UT official, said she comes to the committee as “really a champion” for how the state and Tennessee can become a “leader in the data-intensive, data-driven AI economy.”

She looks at the issue from the perspective of research, education, workforce development and infrastructure for research in education. “How we can work together with our communities to help us all be able to not only make sure we experience the benefits of AI. But also do it in a responsible manner, managing the risks.”

The statute requires the finance chairs to submit a status report on the council’s activities by May 1. The chairs will then submit to the governor and speakers reports for the end of 2025, 2026 and 2027. 

Artificial Intelligence Advisory Council members are:

  • Finance and Administration Commissioner Jim Bryson, co-chair
  • Finance and Administration CIO Stephanie Dedmon, co-chair
  • Finance and Administration Deputy COO Grant Minchew
  • Commerce and Insurance Commissioner Carter Lawrence
  • Education Commissioner Lizzettee Reynolds
  • Economic and Community Development Director Callie Cook
  • Human Resources Commissioner Juan Willliams
  • Labor and Workforce Assistant Commissioner Ryan Allen
  • Safety and Homeland Security Deputy Commissioner Gregory Mays
  • Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti
  • Office of Legislative Information Services Vinay Dattu
  • Senate Finance Chair Bo Watson
  • Senate Commerce Chair Paul Bailey
  • House Finance Chair Patsy Hazlewood
  • House Commerce Chair Kevin Vaughan
  • Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Assistant Director Richard Littlehale 
  • Lynne Parker, University of Tennessee-Knoxville (retired)
  • Prasana Balaprakash, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
  • Lang Wisemen, Baker Donelson law firm
  • Patrick Sabatini, Warner Music Nashville
  • Cody York, CIO-Rutherford County
  • Joe Baker, Ole Smoky Mountain Distillery
  • Ann Marie Walp, Tennessee Cable and Broadband Association

Yellow Sheet Report for Wednesday, August 8, 2024

Posted on by Yellow Sheet Report Staff
Parts of state’s voter procedures illegal, judge rules Arizona Capitol Times The Elections Procedures Manual treaded on free speech when prohibiting behavior in and around voting locations, a Maricopa County Superior Court judge ruled Monday.  Court allows legislative ballot referral on tipped workers to go to vote Capitol Media Services A judge has rejected a bid to block a public vote on a plan by restaurants to pay their tipped workers even less than they do now. Trump-aligned group sues Richer over voter roll Capitol Media Services A group with links to Republican interests has filed what is likely to be the first of a series of lawsuits against county officials over what it claims is the failure to check for and purge voter rolls of those who are not citizens. State argues case against so-called fake electors not political Capitol Media Services Attorney General Kris Mayes says that her staffers asked the state grand jury not to indict Donald Trump as part of the fake elector scheme. Arizona Republican becomes first fake elector to plead guilty for role in Trump scheme Politico An Arizona Republican who falsely claimed to be a legitimate presidential elector for former President Donald Trump — part of a sweeping effort by Trump and his allies to subvert the 2020 election — has pleaded guilty for her role in the scheme. Arizona grand jury was interested in indicting Trump in fake electors criminal case, attorney general says CNBC An Arizona grand jury that indicted 18 allies of former President Donald Trump on criminal charges related to trying to overturn his 2020 election loss in the state was interested in indicting Trump as well, but was asked not to do so by the state attorney general’s office, according to a new court filing. Arizona Board of Regents names new Executive Director KVOA Today, the Arizona Board of Regents announced Chad Sampson as executive director of the board. Sampson has served as interim executive director of the board since March. Two justices are killing the Arizona Supreme Court's credibility Arizona Republic Former Gov. Doug Ducey stacked the Arizona Supreme Court with partisan cronies, and now we’re paying the price with a court as ethically challenged and morally compromised as the U.S. Supreme Court. When it comes to the U.S.-Mexico border, can people think beyond politics? Los Angeles Times I was not breaking any laws when I set out on foot to leave gallons of water on Bureau of Land Management lands in the Sonoran Desert in Arizona. Why a Swing State Republican Mayor Backs Kamala Harris for President – and Says Others Should Too US News n the two weeks since President Joe Biden dropped his presidential reelection campaign, support for Vice President Kamala Harris is growing – even among some Republicans. 

They Said It (08.08.24)

Posted on by David Jacobs

“I’m concerned that some of the changes are based upon politics rather than based upon merit and science.” —Congressman Garret Graves, on Gov. Jeff Landry’s changes to the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority, in The Advocate

“Louisiana is ready to move past our days of listening to plantation owners, but it seems our federal government is not.” —Landry’s statement following the cancellation of the $800 million Wallace Grain Export Facility project, which the company blamed on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, in The Illuminator

“Tell your child not to look at them.” —Landry’s message to parents who don’t support posting the Ten Commandments in public schools, reported by various outlets

“If it’s got the word insurance in it, and you’re buying it, it’s some of the highest premiums, the highest rates you’ve ever seen, we’ve ever seen in our state.” —Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple speaking at the Petroleum Club in Morgan City, reported by KQKI

“I get the governor on the phone faster than anybody other than his wife…We’re two Coonasses who like to have a good time.” —Shane Guidry on his relationship with Landry, in The Advocate

“You just can’t make up law.” —Terry Ryder, who served as a senior attorney to three former Louisiana governors, on Landry’s administration claiming public record exemptions that are not in the law, in The Advocate

“Just a normal guy and such a contrast with the weird guys on the other side.” —Mitch Landrieu on Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz following his selection as Kamala Harris’ running mate, on X

Our History: Edwin Edwards

Posted on by David Jacobs

The man who defined late-20th-century Louisiana politics, for better or worse, was born in Avoyelles Parish on yesterday’s date in 1927. 

Edwin Washington Edwards’ gift for public speaking was evident early. He preached in the Church of the Nazarene as a teen but returned to his family’s Roman Catholic faith. 

Edwards didn’t smoke or drink; his vices famously were gambling and womanizing, along with loose political ethics. He rose from the Crowley City Council to the state Senate to Congress and the governor’s mansion in 17 years.

In his first race for governor in 1971, Edwards’ record of racial tolerance attracted Black voters recently enfranchised by the 1965 Voting Rights Act, while the French-speaking son of Acadiana also counted on Cajun voters. The state’s two most prominent minority groups formed a solid political base that supported an unprecedented four terms as governor. 

His first term was marked by structural reform, as he helped usher in the 1974 Constitution and reshaped how Louisiana collects oil revenue. He promised help “to the poor, the elderly, the unemployed, the thousands of Black Louisianans who have not yet enjoyed the full bounty of the American dream,” and appointed women and minorities to key state positions. 

The 1970s oil boom, along with changing the severance tax from 25 cents a barrel to 12.5 percent of value, filled state coffers and boosted Edwards’ popularity. Constitutionally barred from a third consecutive term, he left office in 1980 only to return four years later, easily defeating incumbent Dave Treen, the state’s first Republican governor since Reconstruction. 

But the oil boom went bust during the 1980s, and a third-term fiscal crisis coincided with federal indictments, though not convictions, for mail fraud, obstruction of justice and public bribery stemming from the sale of hospital certificates. Bowing out of the 1987 runoff when he faced likely defeat against then-Congressman Buddy Roemer, Edwards’ political career appeared to be over. 

But once again, Edwards returned four years later, outpacing the politically wounded Roemer—voters rejected his tax overhaul package and disliked his switch to the Republican Party—and toxic former Klansman David Duke to win his final term. 

“Vote for the crook. It’s important,” read the famous bumper sticker.

As it turned out, both Duke and Edwards were found to be crooks. While Duke served a year in prison in 2003 and 2004 for bilking his supporters, Edwards was convicted in 2000 on racketeering, extortion and fraud charges for selling casino licenses. 

Edwards was sentenced to 10 years and went to prison in 2002, gaining release in 2011. While serving his sentence, he divorced his second wife and started a relationship with Trina Grimes, who would become his third. 

After prison, he and Trina had a child and co-starred in a short-lived reality television show, “The Governor’s Wife.” He attempted one more political comeback in 2014, losing to Congressman Garret Graves by a 62-38 percent margin, only the second defeat of his long political career. 

Edwards died of respiratory failure in 2021 at his home in Gonzales. He was 93. 

Reactions to his death reflected his complicated legacy.

“Edwin was a larger than life figure known for his wit and charm, but he will be equally remembered for being a compassionate leader who cared for the plight of all Louisianans,” then-Gov. John Bel Edwards said. “Our state has lost a giant, and we will miss him dearly.”

LSU journalism professor Robert Mann, who worked for some of Louisiana’s most prominent recent Democrats, said Edwards “had eloquence, creativity, a razor-sharp mind, executive abilities that many lacked, and leadership skills that many envied…He had everything, and yet squandered it by devoting much of his time to enriching his friends. I’ve rarely seen a wider chasm between the promise for greatness and reality.”

Rodney Kennedy, writing this year for Baptist News Global, found parallels between Edwards and Donald Trump following the latter’s recent conviction. 

“For my money, Edwards was smarter, slicker, savvier and funnier than Trump, but Edwards and Louisiana taught Trump and MAGA how to dance with the devil,” Kennedy says.

Editor’s note: The information in this piece came from Baptist News Global, The Associated Press, The New York Times and the Secretary of State’s office. 

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