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Taylor defeated conservative Judge Maria Lazar in the race to replace outgoing Justice Rebecca Bradley.

Wisconsin voters Tuesday elected Madison-based Appeals Court Judge Chris Taylor to a seat on the state Supreme Court, a decision that expands the high court’s liberal majority to five justices and cements liberal control until at least 2030.

Taylor, a former Democratic state lawmaker and former policy director for Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin, defeated conservative Waukesha-based Appeals Court Judge Maria Lazar in the race to replace outgoing Justice Rebecca Bradley, a member of the court’s conservative wing. Wisconsin Supreme Court justices are elected to 10-year terms.

The Associated Press called the election only 36 minutes after polls closed as early returns showed Taylor dominating the liberal bastions of Dane and Milwaukee counties, while leading or running close behind Lazar in rural counties.

Chris Taylor won by 20 points, an overperformance of 21 points compared to 2024’s Democratic presidential results. And that’s 10 points over the last Supreme Court race, which was also won by the Democratic-backed candidate.

Shawn Harris lost by 11.8 points, but pulled off the largest Democratic overperformance in a House special election since President Trump took office. Harris outperformed the Democratic 2024 presidential results by 25 points.

Shawn Harris was running to take Majorie Taylor Greene’s seta in the most heavily Republican seat in Georgia. In 2024, President Donald Trump won this district by 37 points. Marjorie Taylor Greene won this seat by 29 points.

**We have the power and are claiming it together. No Thrones. No Crowns. No Kings.**

Crowds of people protested Saturday against the war in Iran and President Trump’s actions, in “No Kings” rallies across the U.S. and in Europe. Minnesota took center stage, in what organizers said were mass demonstrations involving more than 8 million of people.

U.S. organizers had estimated that the first two rounds of No Kings rallies drew more than 5 million people in June and 7 million in October. On Saturday, they estimated that more than 8 million participants took part in more than 3,300 events worldwide.

Massachusetts hosted 169 events across the entire state.

Around 180,000 people packed the Boston Common on Saturday for the “No Kings” rally, protesting the Trump administration, according to organizers.

The rally lasted over two hours despite the frigid temperatures, with speakers like Senator Ed Markey and Governor Maura Healey calling on rally-goers to make their voice heard at the polls. 

“Bottom line here is that for 250 years we haven’t had kings in Massachusetts, and we’re not going backward,” Healey said. “Donald Trump is a walking, talking constitutional crisis every minute that he is inside the Oval Office,” Markey said.  The Dropkick Murphys performed at the event and lead singer Ken Casey got the crowd fired up. “Taking back the meaning of patriotism. You know it’s been so co-opted by the MAGA movement, which has really twisted the meaning of patriotism. This is patriotism standing up for what’s right,” Casey said to the crowd. 

Here in Danvers, the No Kings Rally was at the 114 Bridge. The bridge was packed as were both sides of the street. There was a lot of energy in the crowd fed by the constant sound of honking cars and thumbs up from the passing cars.

Similar experience in Middleton, with people lining the both sides of the street in front of the library.

The experience in both Danvers and Middleton was the same as occurs at all rallies across the country. They are peaceful, joyful, energetic, hopeful and determined.

There was a person who walked thru the crowd in Middleton wearing his Trump shirt. Everyone gave the appropriate response which was to ignore him and in some cases to smile and wish him well. Nice job. Of course, I cannot understand why people support Trump, likely the worst human being in the country, and what would drive a person to dig out his Trump shirt and walk around the rally. But we support everyone’s first amendment rights even of those who are trying to take them away from people they do not approve of.

Florida Democrats flipped two legislative seats Tuesday night in their biggest election night in years.

In the shocker of the night, Democrat Brian Nathan defeated Republican Josie Tomkow in the Senate District 14 race by 408 votes.

In the only state Senate election on the ballot, Democrat Brian Nathan, a Navy veteran, union organizer, and first-time candidate, shocked Republican state Rep. Josie Tomkow in the Hillsborough County Senate District 14 contest, winning by just 408 votes, taking 50.25% of the vote to Tomkow’s 49.75%.

The seat has been vacant since August, when Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed GOP incumbent Jay Collins to serve as his lieutenant governor.

Tomkow had a huge fundraising lead over Nathan and was a heavy favorite in a district that Collins won by 10 points in 2022, the last time the seat was on the ballot. Donald Trump won it by more than 7 points in 2024.

In the Palm Beach County House District 87 race that includes Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence, Democrat Emily Gregory, a first-time candidate with a public-health background, defeated Republican financial adviser Jon Maples, 51%-49%, in a district that Trump won by more than 10 points in 2024.

The third race was in House District 51 in very red northern Polk County, a seat made vacant after Tomkow resigned early to run for the state Senate District 14 seat.

There was little drama there, as Republican Hilary Holley, executive director of an agriculture nonprofit organization, defeated Democrat Edwin Pérez by eight percentage points, 54%-46%. That district went for Donald Trump in 2024 by more than 13 percentage points.

In an upset, Democrat Bobbi Boudman defeated Republican Dale Fincher to win a seat in the New Hampshire House on Tuesday.

The special election for a seat representing Ossipee, Tuftonboro, and Wofleboro offers an early electoral result ahead of this year’s midterm elections, with Democrats hoping to make gains in the Legislature and governor’s office, and Republicans looking to maintain their State House majorities.

Tuesday’s result was notable in part given the district’s traditional Republican tilt. In 2024, Boudman lost the same race by nearly 14%

Tuesday’s race was one that both parties were desperate to win.

Republicans raised more than $60,000 to boost Fincher, who has a background in finance and Christian non-profit work. Boudman, who has worked in music publishing, raised more than $12,000.

Democrat Alex Holladay won the special election to represent Arkansas’s House District 70, beating Republican Bo Renshaw. Holladay won with 57% of the vote flipping the seat previous held by Republican Carlton Wing.

Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chair Ken Martin touted Holladay’s “exceptional” campaign and said in a statement Wednesday that his win “is a sign that voters are ready to put their trust in Democrats, even in districts where Republicans have held office for years.”

Danvers Democrats convened on Thursday, February 26 at the Delegate Caucus to elect 14 delegates and 4 alternates to represent Danvers at the State Convention in Worcester on May 29 and May 30. The delegation consists of 9 men and 9 women. In addition to our 18 delegates, we will also have 4 ex-officio delegates that are invited to the convention due to their office. This includes our State Rep, State Committee members and the DTC Chair.

More than 80 Democrats attended the caucus in person or virtually to nominate and cast their ballot for Democrats in our community,

State officials Senator Markey, Congressman Moulton, Attorney General Campbell and Auditor DiZoglio addressed the caucus on line. Governor Healey and Kim Driscoll provided a video message.

Candidates running for Congress 6th District Jamie Belsito, Daniel Koh and Mariah Lancaster appeared in person and spoke to the caucus. Senator Joan Lovely spoke to the caucus virtually and then came to join us staying until late in the evening. We missed State Rep Sally Kerans and candidate Tram Nguyen who had planned to attend but the State House was in session voting on the important Energy Bill late into the evening. Spokespeople for candidate John Beccia, Mariah Lancaster and Tram Nguyen addressed the caucus.

Thank you to everyone for attended and participated in our democracy. The caucus process is slow and deliberate and I appreciate everyones understanding and patience in what was a very successful caucus resulting in a great group of experienced and first time delegates.

Democrat Jennifer Mazzocco cruises to victory in Pennsylvania special election for State House 42 district. In a district that has voted 2-to-1 for Democrats in recent years, Jennifer Mazzocco won with 81.7% of the vote.

Ana Tiburcio defeated Republican former school board member Robert E. Smith Jr. in the 22nd Legislative District election. She won more than 67% of the vote.

These victories help maintain the Democrats’ slim 102 -98 majority in the state House.