Voting and Elections
Friday, December 2, 2022

House Panel Debates Whether a Delegate from the Cherokee Nation Should Be Seated 

A House committee recently debated on a proposal to seat a delegate from the Cherokee Nation in Congress. Doing so would uphold a 200-year-old treaty that has yet to be fulfilled. The hearing was part of a push to allow Kim Teehee, a longtime Cherokee Nation official, to be seated as a nonvoting delegate in the House of Representatives, the first delegate from a tribal nation to serve there. 

The Treaty of New Echota forced the Cherokee Nation to relinquish its lands in the South and forced 16,000 members westward on the Trail of Tears to what is now Oklahoma. A quarter of those forced to leave died along the way. However, the treaty also promised that the Cherokee Nation would be entitled to a delegate in the House of Representatives; Congress has never done so. The meetings come against a background of increased mobilization of Indigenous voters and funds from the Infrastructure Bill set aside specifically for tribal healthcare, broadband internet, housing, and transportation. 

If seated, Teehee will join Amata Radewagen, Eleanor Norton, Michael Nicholas, Gregorio Sablan, Jenniffer Gonzalez, and Stacey Plaskett as delegates in the House of Representatives who are able to serve in committees and participate in debates but are unable to vote on bills presented on the House floor. These delegates represent American Samoa, Washington, D.C., Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, respectively, which constitute the five United States territories and the federal district. None of these areas possess representation in the Senate and, except for D.C., are unable to vote for the President of the United States, the leader of the country that otherwise controls them, despite all residents of the territories and federal district being U.S. citizens from birth (except for American Samoa, whose residents are considered “non-citizen nationals”).  

 

The Election Season Dust Settles and the Lame Duck Congress Begins 

Now that most of the dust has settled from a consequential midterm election cycle, pundits have begun analyzing the new representatives for the upcoming Congress. Congressional analysts have paid particular attention to the incoming class of freshmen Republicans, whose party will hold a slight majority in the next Congress. The new members range from moderates to far-right, Trump-ordained, legislators. To learn more about the impending dynamics in the next Congress,
click here.  

 

Kari Lake to File Election Lawsuit in Arizona 

Defeated Arizona gubernatorial candidate, Kari Lake, has filed a lawsuit against Maricopa County, Arizona in an effort to overturn her election loss. Lake lost the election by less than one percentage point (by approximately 17,000 votes) and has yet to concede, nearly a month after Election Day. Top Arizona officials, including the current governor, chief justice of the state supreme court, secretary of state, and attorney general are scheduled to certify the results on December 5. After that time, Lake is expected to officially file her suit. To learn more about the impending lawsuit, click here.  

 

The Democrats in the PA House Will Lose Their Majority Temporarily 

Though Democrats have regained the Pennsylvania House of Representatives chamber following the midterm elections, they are expected to lose their majority temporarily while a special election is held for the seat of a recently deceased lawmaker. Republicans will hold a 101-99 majority due to two other vacancies from former Democratic representatives who ran for higher office in Pennsylvania including the incoming Lieutenant Governor-elect, Austin Davis. To learn more,
click here. 

 

Councilmember Helen Gym Resigns to Run for Mayor 

In an expected move, at-large Councilmember Helen Gym has resigned her seat to pursue a run for mayor of Philadelphia. Gym, a former educator, has been a popular Councilmember for the last six years and vocally called for changes in education and gun control in a distinct and informal style in-person and on social media. An activist-minded politician, Gym is favored by many left-leaning organizations who have recently gained a foothold in the city’s Democratic infrastructure. To learn more about Gym’s candidacy, click here.  

 

Judge Jimmy DeLeon Announces Run for Mayor 

Former judge James “Jimmy” DeLeon has announced his candidacy in the Philadelphia mayor’s race. Judge DeLeon served on the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas after working as an attorney for the Philadelphia Housing Authority and engaging in private practice. DeLeon has pushed for a law-and-order agenda, calling for more police on the streets and the creation of a Local Incident Management System in the face of rising gun violence in Philadelphia. To learn more about Judge DeLeon’s background and platform, click here.  

 

1. Milton Street Dead at 83

Longtime Philadelphia activist and politician Thomas Milton Street, Sr. has died at the age of 83. Street began his career as an activist and later was elected to both the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and Senate. As a young activist, Street famously verbally sparred with then Philadelphia Mayor Frank Rizzo. A part of the Street political family, Milton Street’s brother John served as a two-term mayor of Philadelphia. A bipartisan figure at times, Street changed his party affiliation from Democrat to Republican in an effort to gain more power. To learn more about his colorful political career in Philadelphia, click here.