Zach Montellaro

@zachmontellaro.bsky.social

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Covering democracy and state politics for POLITICO. Nothing you say will upset me more than the Mets. Email me at zmontellaro(at)politico(dot)com

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Louisiana has a new congressional map. The Legislature passed lines that will add a second majority-Black district in the state, sacrificing GOP Rep. Garret Graves' home base in the process. Democrats will almost assuredly net one seat. More from me www.politico.com/live-updates...

Louisiana Legislature spurns Johnson, enacts new House map he opposedwww.politico.com The new map means an all-but-certain pickup for House Democrats.

Millions of Americans will be heading to the polls this year. And with 2023 serving as the set-up, it was a "very, very" good year for voter access. A first look at the Institute for Responsive Government's 50 state (and D.C.) scorecard from me, in tonight's Nightly www.politico.com/newsletters/...

Why 2023 was a ‘very, very’ good year for voter accesswww.politico.com

Regular voters were asked about the health of American democracy. To say they were discouraged would be an understatement. My report from a focus group in Northampton County, Pa., on Americans' fears of political violence (and more) in 2024 www.politico.com/news/2024/01...

These voters will pick the next president. They’re frightened about American democracy.www.politico.com “I almost feel numb to it,” one focus group participant said of the violence on Jan. 6.

Louisiana could be getting a new congressional map. But we get some fun parochial fights between Gov. Jeff Landry and Bayou State native Speaker Mike Johnson first. A little explainer for what comes next from me, in our Inside Congress newsletter! www.politico.com/newsletters/...

The problem with the caucuses is there's no polls closing time, and the state party started releasing results. Kinda like how some states with multiple timezones will release results before last polls close. (That being said, I am Team Wait here.) More: www.politico.com/live-updates...

Republican state parties in several battlegrounds are besieged by leadership fights, from a battle in Michigan over who actually is in charge to Nevada's chair being charged for being a fake elector. Madison Fernandez and I round up what's been going down www.politico.com/news/2024/01...

‘We just hit rock bottom on chaos’: Battleground state GOPs besieged with leadership fightswww.politico.com Michigan, Florida, and Nevada are facing leadership crises heading into the 2024 elections.

We're just weeks away from some congressional primaries, but the House battleground is far from set. Here's a guide from me on all the redistricting changes that have happened since the midterms — and where to watch before November www.politico.com/news/2024/01...

The changing congressional map is shifting the fight for control of the Housewww.politico.com With primaries in some states just weeks away, there are still big unresolved questions of what some districts will look like.

The 14th Amendment ball is really in SCOTUS' court now. Trump has appealed the Colorado decision declaring him ineligible for the presidency to the nation's top court. It is unclear on when they'll act. More from the team www.politico.com/news/2024/01...

Trump asks Supreme Court to keep him on Colorado ballotwww.politico.com The petition asks the justices to reverse last month's decision from Colorado that deemed him ineligible to return to office under the 14th Amendment.

Trump has filed an appeal in Maine state court after the state's top election official deemed him ineligible to run for president because of Jan. 6. But in reality, everyone's just waiting for SCOTUS. More from me on the day's filings www.politico.com/news/2024/01...

Trump appeals Maine decision deeming him ineligible to run for presidentwww.politico.com He is contesting last week's ruling from the Maine secretary of state. A similar case out of Colorado has already reached the U.S. Supreme Court.

I spoke with Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows about her decision finding Trump ineligible to run for president under the 14th Amendment. She said it was her duty to do so, and that she doesn't get an out because it is complex. Read more here www.politico.com/news/2023/12...

BREAKING: Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows has determined that Trump is ineligible to be on the ballot in the state, saying he engaged in an insurrection on Jan. 6 and was disqualified under the 14th Amendment. More from me soon www.politico.com/news/2023/12...

Maine kicks Trump off ballot under 14th Amendmentwww.politico.com Bellows, a Democrat, made the call in Maine because state law requires the secretary to adjudicate ballot challenges to candidates’ eligibility. Her decision can be appealed through the state judici...

A federal court approved Georgia's new congressional lines, which creates another majority Black district by drawing out Lucy McBath's coalition district. (Same partisan balance: 9R, 5D.) Challenges will continue, but this may be it for 2024. More from me www.politico.com/news/2023/12...

Court locks in Georgia's new map that draws Rep. Lucy McBath out of her districtwww.politico.com The map carved up her "coalition district" to create a majority Black district to Atlanta's west.

Eleven states will elect a governor next year. Can the historic ticket-splitting survive another Trump-Biden rematch? A Christmas dispatch from me and Lisa Kashinsky on all the big state chief executive races in 2024 www.politico.com/news/2023/12...

Can ticket-splitting governor races survive a Trump-Biden rematch in 2024?www.politico.com Here are the big races to watch in 2024.

Can Dave Reichert lead the Washington GOP out of the wilderness? The former congressman is back and running for the state's open governorship. If he's the nominee, Dems and Republicans think it could be competitive. My latest from Bellevue www.politico.com/news/2023/12...

For real this time: Can a Republican win the Washington governor’s race?www.politico.com The former battleground member of Congress is running for Washington state’s open governor’s seat next year — and early indicators show he has a real shot to win.

Democrats are suing in N.H. to overturn a law that requires those that register to vote on Election Day, but don't have a photo ID, to cast an "affidavit ballot" that could be thrown out after initial tabulation. A lil exclusive from Holly Otterbein and me www.politico.com/news/2023/12...

Democrats sue New Hampshire over GOP-backed election lawwww.politico.com President Joe Biden’s campaign is supporting the legal challenge, which was first shared with POLITICO.

This week's population estimates from the Census Bureau is setting a trend for the rising political power of the South — at the expense of California, New York and Illinois. Some (way too early) 2030 apportionment analysis from me www.politico.com/news/2023/12...

What the South’s population boom means for 2030 redistrictingwww.politico.com The Census Bureau released its annual population estimates on Tuesday.

The pandemic feels like it is in the rear view mirror. But America's mayors still bear the scars. I traveled to Tacoma, Washington, for the final edition of POLITICO's Mayors Club to find out how the job of mayor has been permanently changed www.politico.com/news/2023/12...

Mayors got their cities through the pandemic. Now they're paying the price.www.politico.com Pissed off constituents. Nonstop work weeks. And deteriorating quality of life.

BREAKING: The Colorado Supreme Court rules that Trump is ineligible to run for president under the 14th Amendment, saying he engaged in insurrection on Jan. 6. Much more from us soon www.politico.com/news/2023/12...

Colorado Supreme Court says Trump is ineligible to run againwww.politico.com It ruled that Trump engaged in an insurrection by stoking the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021.

Maine's secretary of state publicly grappled with the attempts to have Trump disqualified under the 14th Amendment today, in a hearing that stretched on for hours. It is a rare situation of an election official, not a court, overseeing this. More from me www.politico.com/news/2023/12...

Maine’s elections chief publicly grapples with whether 14th Amendment disqualifies Trumpwww.politico.com Election officials across the country have had those very same deliberations, but behind closed doors.

Georgia has a new congressional map that obliterates Lucy McBath's district. She says she isn't going anywhere. The latest on the country's newest congressional map, and a redistricting process that's probably not done, from me and Brittany Gibson www.politico.com/news/2023/12...

Georgia just obliterated Lucy McBath’s district. She says she’s not going anywhere.www.politico.com Democratic-backed groups have vowed to challenge the new map in court again.

Colorado's Supreme Court gave little indication how it would rule on if Trump is ineligible to run under 14A. But the justices seemingly disagreed with the Trump attorney assertion that Jan. 6 wasn't an insurrection. More from us www.politico.com/news/2023/12...

Colorado’s top court offers few hints on whether it will remove Trump from ballotwww.politico.com The court's seven justices, all Democratic appointees, heard two hours of arguments on Trump's eligibility under the 14th Amendment's insurrection clause.

The most prominent effort to have Trump disqualified under the 14th Amendment lands in front of Colorado's Supreme Court today. Next stop, SCOTUS? We dig in www.politico.com/news/2023/12...

‘Test case’ for America: Colorado’s top court poised to weigh Trump’s eligibility to run aga...www.politico.com A Wednesday argument brings the question of Trump’s eligibility under the 14th Amendment one step closer to the Supreme Court.

Terry McAuliffe is back. He's wading into Virginia's Democratic gubernatorial primary and backing his protégé, Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney. An interview with Terry and a lil scoop from me www.politico.com/news/2023/12...

McAuliffe backs Richmond Mayor Stoney in 2025 Virginia governor racewww.politico.com While his endorsement will not come as a surprise to many in the commonwealth, it may be a significant boost.

NEW: A federal appeals court issued a ruling that could gut the Voting Rights Act, saying only the federal government — not private citizens or civil rights groups — is allowed to sue under a crucial section of the landmark civil rights law. More soon www.politico.com/news/2023/11...

Federal court deals devastating blow to Voting Rights Actwww.politico.com The decision out of the 8th Circuit will almost certainly be appealed to the Supreme Court.

A Colorado judge ruled that Trump has engaged in an insurrection on Jan. 6, but can still run for president. We have the latest on the push to have Trump disqualified under an interpretation of the 14th Amendment www.politico.com/news/2023/11...

Colorado judge rules Trump ‘engaged in an insurrection’ — but can still run for presidentwww.politico.com The ruling came in a case brought by progressive activists who sued the state, arguing that Trump was barred from returning to the office.

I talked to Max Rose about the program he is advising to turn out young New Yorkers, the state's redistricting case and more. POLITICO Pro subscribers can read more in this morning's Score! subscriber.politicopro.com/newsletter/2...

NewDEAL and the New Democrat Coalition are out with their 2024 agenda, a good preview of what battleground Democrats want to run on next year. A scoop from me in Huddle www.politico.com/newsletters/...

News: The Biden campaign is testing alternatives to ActBlue, Holly Otterbein and I report. Regular donors probably won't notice anything, but this could be the beginning of a major shift in the permanent Democratic campaign infrastructure www.politico.com/news/2023/11...

Biden campaign considers changing digital fundraising platformswww.politico.com The Biden campaign is testing alternatives to ActBlue, the small-dollar behemoth that powered much of Democrats’ anti-Trump fundraising machine.

Election officials are on edge after what appears to be another round of physical threats — this time involving envelopes of fentanyl. “I see this as a prelude to 2024, and I also view this as a domestic terrorist event," Washington's Steve Hobbs told me. My latest www.politico.com/news/2023/11...

Election officials fear escalating threats after suspicious envelopeswww.politico.com The FBI said initial testing “indicated the presence of fentanyl” in envelopes sent to at least five states.

The POLITICO debate tracker is up and running for the Dec. 6 debate! According to our analysis, four candidates qualify: Trump (who already said he is skipping), DeSantis, Ramaswamy and Haley www.politico.com/2024-electio...

GOP Debates: Who’s in, who’s outwww.politico.com We’re tracking every presidential candidate who qualifies for the 2024 Republican primary debates — and who will be watching from home.