In red and blue states, Democrats are consolidating their hold on the most economically productive places. Metropolitan areas won by President Joe Biden in 2020 generated more of the total economic output than metros won by Donald Trump in 35 of the 50 states, according to new research by Brookings […] Read more »
Los Angeles strongly approves of Mayor Bass but skeptical about fixing homelessness, poll shows
On the eve of her 100th day in office, Mayor Karen Bass enjoys strong approval ratings among Angelenos — a reservoir of goodwill that will be crucial for the new mayor during uphill battles ahead. Half of Angelenos approve of the job Bass is doing so far, while just 14% […] Read more »
How crime is igniting new conflicts between red states and blue cities
Republican-controlled state governments are opening an explosive new front in their decadelong drive to exert more control over the decisions — and decision makers — in Democratic-run cities and counties. From Florida and Mississippi to Georgia, Texas and Missouri, an array of red states are taking aggressive new steps to […] Read more »
Why Joe Biden is playing defense on crime
The Senate this week passed a Republican-led resolution to overturn a Washington, DC, crime law, which critics have argued is soft on violent criminals. Almost two-thirds of Senate Democrats backed the measure after President Joe Biden announced an about-face by saying he wouldn’t veto the legislation to nullify that law. […] Read more »
Democratic mayoral control in big cities is new ‘blue wall’
One group was noticeably absent among the biggest players in Washington, D.C. this week for the U.S. Conference of Mayors: Republicans. There are many ways to measure the much-discussed urban and rural divide in American politics, but one area with the steepest divide, at least on the urban side, is […] Read more »
Scandal-plagued L.A. City Council deeply unpopular; voters have faith in Bass, poll finds
If the last week was any indication, Mayor Karen Bass starts her tenure with the wind at her back. A clear indicator came when her campaign promise to declare a state of emergency on homelessness made its way through the City Council and was embraced by a body normally reluctant […] Read more »