Term Limits

The President of the United States is limited to two four-year terms according to the 22nd Amendment.  After two terms, that President can no longer run again.  There are no term limits for members of Congress.  You can stay in office for as long as you are re-elected to that seat.  (Yes, I know.  Members of Congress can also resign, die, or be expelled from the House and Senate.)

No Congress For Young Men (or Women)

The average age of members from the 113th Congress (2013-2014) were as follows:

House:  57.0 years
Senate:  62.0 years

In order to be elected to the House of Representatives, you must be 25 years of age when the newly inducted Congress is seated.  For the United States Senate, you must be 30 years old.  With voter turnout so low amongst younger voters, do you believe that it has something to do with the age of the candidates?

Source:  Calculations based on CQ Roll Call Member Profiles

Clip from the Past: Alben Barkley

United States Senator Alben Barkley of Kentucky died on April 30, 1956.  He was a Congressman, United States Senator, and Vice President.  After his term as VP under President Harry S. Truman ended in 1953, he ran for the Senate once again and won.  Most Presidents and Vice Presidents slowly fade away into private life.  There are exceptions, however.  John Quincy Adams became a member of the House of Representatives  in 1831 after his defeat to Andrew Jackson in 1828.  After losing a re-election bid in 1912, President William H. Taft became the Chief Justice of United States Supreme Court in 1921.

In Lexington, Virginia, at a convention, Senator Barkley’s last words were recorded.

Why do you believe it is rare to see Presidents and Vice Presidents run for or serve in other national offices (other than President)?

Predicting the Midterms

The midterm elections are less than 30 days away.  Control of the United States Senate and House of Representatives hangs in the balance.  The Democratic Party controls the United States Senate with 53 members.  The Republican Party has 45.  There are two Independents in the Senate who caucus, or work with, the Democrats.  In order to win the Senate, the Republican Party needs a net gain of six Senate seats this November.  The current makeup of the House of Representatives favors the Republican Party as they 233 seats to the Democrats, 199.  In order for the Democrats to retake the House, they would need a net gain of 17 seats.

Are You Paying Attention?

This November 2014, all 435 seats in the House, 36 seats in the Senate and 36 seats for Governor will be up for election.  In the House of Representatives, 234 seats are held by Republicans.  Democrats hold 199 seats.  Two seats are vacant.  In the United States Senate, 21 of the 36 seats are held by Democrats.  The other 15 are held by Republicans.  For Governor, Republicans find themselves defended 22 seats, while the Democrats will defend 14.  As the days slowly ease their way into the Fall months, men and women of all shapes and sizes will be bombarded by campaign advertisements.  Your attention will be drawn to the elections held in your state.

The question is:  Have you been paying attention to the 2014 midterm election already?  What is your interest level when it comes to elections in your area?

 

 

 

2012 Congressional Results

According to results posted by the Clerk of the House of Representatives, the voting results for Congress in 2012 were as follows:

Democratic Party candidates – 59,626,252 votes
Republican Party candidates – 58,212,650 votes
Libertarian Party candidates – 1,365,721 votes
Independent candidates – 486,887 votes
Green Party candidates – 369,221 votes
Others – 2,285,289 votes

Yet, even with the Democratic candidates receiving more votes than Republican candidates on a nationwide basis, the Republicans still held the House of Representatives by a 234 to 201 seat count.  What matters more:  The number of votes on a nationwide basis or the number of seats won by a party?

Can You Be Overqualified To Run For President?

Bill Richardson was the Governor of New Mexico from 2003-2011.  Before that, he was the US Secretary of Energy, the US Ambassador to the United Nations, and a member of the House of Representatives.  During his tenure as Governor, Richardson ran for the Democratic nomination for President in 2008.  Despite his credentials, Richardson finished fourth in the Iowa Caucus and fourth in the New Hampshire Primary.  Soon after, Richardson dropped his bid for the Presidency.  Then US Senator Barack Obama won the party’s nomination.  Here are two commercials from his 2008 campaign.  Can you actually be overqualified to run for President?

The “Fiscal Cliff”

What was most surprising to you? (Election Edition)