Michael D. McDonald

Michael McDonald

@electproject.bsky.social

130K followers 240 following 5.5K posts

Professor of Political Science at the University of Florida specializing in American elections

Videos

Michael P. McDonald is an American political scientist. He is a Professor of Political Science at the University of Florida where he focuses on the United States elections.

Source: Wikipedia

Political science 57%

Economics 20%

Posts Replies Media Videos

Michael McDonald @electproject.bsky.social · 1h

Today is the day we’re told not to panic. Should be fun!

Reuters @reuters.com · 1h

🎧 Payrolls land on a Wednesday — and the data isn’t looking great. Layoffs are rising and retail sales just stumbled. We break down what it means for the economy on this week’s Reuters Morning Bid podcast reut.rs/4bODxS7

Job jitters

Main Street is wobbling, from layoffs to weak retail sales.

reut.rs

Michael McDonald @electproject.bsky.social · 1h

Departure from traditions and norms = Crimes

NPR @npr.org · 1h

The attorney general's appearance before the House Judiciary Committee comes one year into her tenure, a period marked by a striking departure from traditions and norms at the Justice Department. n.pr/4qxOivM

Pam Bondi to face questions from House lawmakers about her helm of the DOJ

The attorney general's appearance before the House Judiciary Committee comes one year into her tenure, a period marked by a striking departure from traditions and norms at the Justice Department.

n.pr

Reposted by Michael D. McDonald

Reuters @reuters.com · 1h

Job jitters

Main Street is wobbling, from layoffs to weak retail sales.

reut.rs

Reposted by Michael D. McDonald

NPR @npr.org · 1h

Pam Bondi to face questions from House lawmakers about her helm of the DOJ

The attorney general's appearance before the House Judiciary Committee comes one year into her tenure, a period marked by a striking departure from traditions and norms at the Justice Department.

n.pr

Michael McDonald @electproject.bsky.social · 1h

His handlers manage Dotard Trump by giving him shiny objects to play with

The Wall Street Journal @wsj.com · 1h

Overhauling the Kennedy Center has become a fixation for President Trump—and no detail is too small for the real-estate-developer-turned-president.

Behind Trump’s Push to Remake the Kennedy Center in His Own Image

The venerated cultural institution is facing falling ticket sales and canceled performances.

on.wsj.com

Reposted by Michael D. McDonald

The Associated Press @apnews.com · 1h

At least two dozen U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement employees and contractors have been charged with crimes since 2020 and the wrongdoing includes patterns of violence, sexual abuse and corruption, a review by The Associated Press found.

As ICE expands, an AP review of crimes committed by agents shows how their powers can be abused

Investigators say one immigration official abused his girlfriend for years. Another admitted he sexually abused a woman in his custody.

bit.ly

Reposted by Michael D. McDonald

The Wall Street Journal @wsj.com · 1h

Overhauling the Kennedy Center has become a fixation for President Trump—and no detail is too small for the real-estate-developer-turned-president.

Behind Trump’s Push to Remake the Kennedy Center in His Own Image

The venerated cultural institution is facing falling ticket sales and canceled performances.

on.wsj.com

Michael McDonald @electproject.bsky.social · 12h

The only way Republicans have even a remote chance of winning in November is if they distract and gin up false outrage about cultural issues

Like Bad Bunny's halftime performance

This is their playbook. It's all they got

Reposted by Michael D. McDonald, David Darmofal

Opinion Today @opiniontoday.bsky.social · 13h

American Optimism Slumps to Record Low.
(Gallup)
More, via Opinion Today:
opiniontoday.substack.com/p/260210-top...

Reposted by Michael D. McDonald

Michael J. Stern @michaeljstern.bsky.social · 13h

If you are a wealthy buddy of Trump’s, he uses American policy to help you out… to the detriment of the American public.

www.nytimes.com/2026/02/10/w...

Bridge Owner Lobbied Administration Before Trump Blasted Competing Span to Canada

www.nytimes.com

Reposted by Joshua S. Weitz, Michael D. McDonald

CNN @cnn.com · 13h

The FDA has refused to accept an application from Moderna to review its first mRNA seasonal flu vaccine, the company said, in another setback for the technology that’s been a target of some Trump administration health officials. https://cnn.it/4kt8iyn

Reposted by Brendan Nyhan, John Horgan, Michael D. McDonald , and 1 more Brendan Nyhan, John Horgan, Michael D. McDonald, Prokla Redaktion

Minnesota House DFL @mnhousedfl.bsky.social · 16h

Police in Bloomington, MN just announced that one of the guys they arrested in an underage sex trafficking sting was a **background checker for ICE agents.**

He had a high security clearance in the Trump administration... and he was caught trying to abuse children. Sickening.

Reposted by Jason Mittell, Amanda Lotz, Mary Bosworth , and 26 more Jason Mittell, Amanda Lotz, Mary Bosworth, Nandita Sharma, Margaret Mitchell, Will Jennings, Steven French, David Feldman, Martin Tomko, Peter Campbell, Jacob Montgomery, Joseph Schafer, Paul E. Smaldino, Linda Martín Alcoff, Melanie C. Green, Michael Zimmer, Stephen D. Murphy, Graham Webster, Juan Moreno‐Cruz, Samantha Brennan, Michael D. McDonald, Jessica Vitak, Woodrow Hartzog, Sam Kamin, Meredith Farkas, Magda Teter, Evan Roberts, David Neilson, Kevin Grant

WeRateDogs @weratedogs.com · 16h

we need to talk about that Ring Super Bowl ad

Reposted by Michael D. McDonald

Mediaite @mediaite.com · 17h

Jamie Raskin Reveals Trump’s Name Shows Up in Unredacted Epstein Files ‘More Than a Million Times’

Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) revealed on Tuesday that President Donald Trump's name appears in the unredacted Epstein files “more than a million times.” The post Jamie Raskin Reveals Trump’s Name Shows Up in Unredacted Epstein Files ‘More Than a Million Times’ first appeared on Mediaite.

dlvr.it

Jen Bendery @jbendery.bsky.social · 17h

A stunning detail the ICE chief shared in this hearing that was supposed to be a brag, except it isn't: ICE has arrested 379,000 people between Jan. 2025-Jan. 2026 -- but only 8,700 were suspected gang members or known suspected terrorists.

That's 2%! www.huffpost.com/entry/latest...

Congresswoman Uses Simple Math To Show How Broken ICE Is

www.huffpost.com

Reposted by Anna O. Law, Iain Davidson, Robert B. Reich , and 4 more Anna O. Law, Iain Davidson, Robert B. Reich, Michael D. McDonald, Joanna L. Grossman, Daxton R. Stewart, Nathan P. Kalmoe

Ken Schwencke @schwanksta.com · 1d

Habeas cases filed by immigrants claiming their detention is illegal have taken off to levels we have never seen before. Just look at that chart.

www.propublica.org/article/habe...

A line chart going from Jan 2009 to Jan 2026 showing very few cases until Trump’s second term, where the line takes off nearly vertically, showing more than 6,600 cases in Jan 2026 alone.

Reposted by Jonathan A. Eisen, Brendan Nyhan, Mark D. White , and 7 more Jonathan A. Eisen, Brendan Nyhan, Mark D. White, Eric Goldman, David R. Miller, Michael D. McDonald, Jason Lyall, Susan Strasser, Matthew Bodie, Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò

Patrick De Klotz @patdeklotz.bsky.social · 1d

We are murdering people and it is basically just background noise at this point. www.nytimes.com/2026/02/09/u...

U.S. Boat Strike Kills 2 in Pacific, With One Survivor

www.nytimes.com

Reposted by Michael D. McDonald

The Tennessee Holler @thetnholler.bsky.social · 1d

WATCH — @balint.house.gov on the unredacted Epstein files: “There’s a bunch of sick fucks… so many people knew…. Trump never kicked Epstein out of Mar-A-Lago. That’s a lie.”

(From @dropsitenews.com )

Michael McDonald @electproject.bsky.social · 1d

Yes, that is what is happening. Musk doesn't look like he's going to be able to deliver the moon lander for Artemis III bsky.app/profile/elec...

Michael McDonald @electproject.bsky.social · 2d

The real backstory is that SpaceX has fallen so far behind schedule on their Artemis III lander that NASA invited Blue Origin to compete www.orlandosentinel.com/2026/02/02/i...

In race with SpaceX, Blue Origin refocuses efforts on Artemis moon lander

Blue Origin is pausing its space tourism New Shepard flights to focus on competing with SpaceX to be the moon lander for the Artemis III mission.

www.orlandosentinel.com

Michael McDonald @electproject.bsky.social · 1d

Unfortunately it's been given permission to shoot fireworks over my home

Michael McDonald @electproject.bsky.social · 1d

Why is Pete Hegseth squeezing Acting Venezuelan President Donald Trump?

PBS News @pbsnews.org · 1d

U.S. military forces boarded a sanctioned tanker in the Indian Ocean after tracking the ship from the Caribbean Sea as part of an oil quarantine meant to squeeze Venezuela, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Monday. https://to.pbs.org/4r7gxCy

U.S. military boards sanctioned oil tanker after pursuit from Caribbean to Indian Ocean

Following the U.S. raid to apprehend then-President Nicolás Maduro in early January, several sanctioned tankers fled the Venezuelan coast, including the ship that was boarded in the Indian Ocean overn...

www.pbs.org

Reposted by Michael D. McDonald

PBS News @pbsnews.org · 1d

U.S. military boards sanctioned oil tanker after pursuit from Caribbean to Indian Ocean

www.pbs.org

Michael McDonald @electproject.bsky.social · 1d

Also unfair to sinking ships to compare them to Trump

Michael McDonald @electproject.bsky.social · 1d

Exactly. And it is so obvious to NASA that Musk cannot deliver they've had to move on to Blue Origin

Reposted by Michael D. McDonald

Chicago Sun-Times @chicago.suntimes.com · 1d

Prosecutors have dropped charges against nearly two dozen people arrested during a clergy-led protest outside the Broadview ICE facility last fall.

Cook County prosecutors drop charges against 19 arrested during clergy-led protest at Broadview ICE facility

chicago.suntimes.com

Michael McDonald @electproject.bsky.social · 1d

Prediction: adding voting burdens will depress turnout more among those least excited to vote, which is clearly Republicans right now. I don’t support making it harder for anyone to vote, but this could backfire spectacularly

Sahil Kapur @sahilkapur.bsky.social · 1d

Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., tells me Senate Republicans are having a "big meeting tomorrow" to discuss the path forward for SAVE Act. He predicts the Senate won't nuke the filibuster but adds that he's "willing to listen" to ideas on how to proceed.