Taniel
@taniel.bsky.social
210K followers 380 following 7.4K posts
Daniel Nichanian. Editor in chief of @boltsmag.org (follow us!). Elections, (local) politics, voting rights, criminal justice, and drag race.
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Reposted by Taniel
suha1001.bsky.social
This is a great source for directing your funds to individual races.
taniel.bsky.social
need Sunday reading? explore what's on the ballot next month!

I put together the 180+ key races you should know about, across 32 states.

so explore, & find the ones that interest you the most, here: boltsmag.org/whats-on-the...

and let me highlight three under-radar races, in 🧵 below. ⬇️
taniel.bsky.social
No one thinks the far right may be weaker today than in 2024; the left has a chance to flip back the district, for sure, but the fact that the anti-far-right front didn’t get worse since last year is nothing to spit at…
taniel.bsky.social
For anyone who needs more election results: there was a much-watched parliamentary special election in France today, for a seat the far-right had won in something of an upset over the left in 2024. The far-right won again by the same margin, 52/48.
taniel.bsky.social
And who also waited until Trump got into power to retire.
mikesacks.bsky.social
Justice Anthony Kennedy tells @npr.org's @ninatotenberg.bsky.social "very worried" about our country, and that "Democracy is not guaranteed to survive."

Kennedy wrote Citizens United and was the fifth vote in the rest of the Roberts Court's anti-democratic decisions.

www.npr.org/2025/09/27/n...
taniel.bsky.social
we just received a surprise generous donation to bolts today so I want to say thank you to everyone who reads us and everyone who has decided to support us—we love that you see our value and sustain us!
Reposted by Taniel
guyoron.net
NEW: In the hotly contested Seattle mayoral race, homelessness has become a fault line. Challenger Katie Wilson criticizes incumbent Bruce Harrell’s record, which includes carrying out more than 6,000 sweeps of homeless encampments.
Read my full article in @boltsmag.org:
boltsmag.org/seattle-mayo...
In Seattle Mayoral Race, Tensions Between Crackdown and Compassion on Homelessness - Bolts
Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell has ramped up sweeps of homeless encampments in his first term. In his reelection bid, he faces a progressive challenger who wants to curb them.
boltsmag.org
Reposted by Taniel
boltsmag.org
Voting advocates have launched a campaign to protect direct democracy in Missouri. “We have to proactively lock in the people’s power to have a check on the government when it goes off the rails.”
Under this GOP Measure, All of Missouri’s Recent Popular Initiatives Would Have Failed
Lawmakers just advanced a constitutional amendment to drastically raise the bar for approving citizen ballot measures. Voters get to weigh in on the scheme next year.
boltsmag.org
taniel.bsky.social
4️⃣ OK, I'll do a fourth because why not: There's a ballot measure in Olympia, Washington, to enshrine a worker's "bill of rights" into local law — including increasing the minimum wage and setting up new labor protections.
taniel.bsky.social
3⃣ There's a ballot measure in New York City to change the timing of future mayoral elections — to even-years. That could also change the timing *of the mayoral term being elected next month,* which is to say Mamdani's if he wins. I explained here: boltsmag.org/new-york-cit...
taniel.bsky.social
2️⃣ Every seat is up in VA & NJ's lower chambers, but there's also a 3rd chamber with majority at play, at least on paper: Minnesota's Senate is now 34-33 Dem with 2 vacancies to be filled in November. Democrats favored to defend a blue-leaning seat and keep chamber, but still worth watching.
taniel.bsky.social
1️⃣ We don't talk much about COUNTY EXECUTIVE races, but a bunch of swing counties in Pennsylvania are holding theirs.

In 2021, the GOP flipped the executive’s office in Erie County for the first time in decades; Dems now competing to flip it back. Meanwhile Dems defending Lehigh & Northampton.
taniel.bsky.social
need Sunday reading? explore what's on the ballot next month!

I put together the 180+ key races you should know about, across 32 states.

so explore, & find the ones that interest you the most, here: boltsmag.org/whats-on-the...

and let me highlight three under-radar races, in 🧵 below. ⬇️
taniel.bsky.social
That organization is linked to the billionaire Jeffrey Yass. More info in the piece above!
taniel.bsky.social
Thanks for reading !
taniel.bsky.social
This was among the 180+ races on my cheat sheet of elections to watch this fall. Nearly all are coming up in early November… so save this page for when you can explore it! boltsmag.org/whats-on-the...
taniel.bsky.social
RESULT: New Orleans has a new mayor. Helena Moreno, a Democrat known as a progressive member of the city council, easily won today’s mayoral race and cleared the 50 percent threshold to avoid a runoff. She’ll replace the retiring Democratic Mayor, Cantrell.
taniel.bsky.social
With roughly a third reporting, Helena Moreno and Michelle Woodfork are above the 50% threshold they’ll need to win without heading to a runoff. (Both are Dems, as is most everyone else in race.) More later!
taniel.bsky.social
It’s actually Election Day tomorrow… in Louisiana!

I’m watching: the New Orleans sheriff race, and the New Orleans mayor’s race.

Both in my cheat sheet of elections to watch this fall!

boltsmag.org/whats-on-the...
taniel.bsky.social
Thanks: and yes New Jersey is definitely a bit of a twist in there! (Why it’s not on the map.)
taniel.bsky.social
*Today. Polls close at 8pm local time; check this space after.
taniel.bsky.social
It’s actually Election Day tomorrow… in Louisiana!

I’m watching: the New Orleans sheriff race, and the New Orleans mayor’s race.

Both in my cheat sheet of elections to watch this fall!

boltsmag.org/whats-on-the...
taniel.bsky.social
A new poll of France has Macron’s approval rating at 19% and Prime Minister Lecornu’s approval rating at 27%, and that’s considered an improvement for both.
taniel.bsky.social
No news, is good news.
taniel.bsky.social
My biggest pet peeve with the movie is that it should have ended there, not with the final Woody monologue. He wanted-needed to have the last word.