Scott Bradford: Off on a Tangent

President of the United States, 2024

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Seal of the President

In the race for President of the United States, Vice President Kamala Harris (D) faces former President Donald Trump (R). The Virginia ballot also includes two minor candidates—Chase Oliver (L) and Jill Stein (G). Two nonviable candidates and one withdrawn candidate are excluded from consideration.

The United States has a unique system for electing presidents. The citizens of the fifty states and the District of Columbia vote for electors pledged to a particular candidate, and those electors choose the president. Each state has the same number of electors as it has representatives in the two houses of Congress combined. The District of Columbia also has three electors.

Most states and the District of Columbia award all their electors as a “slate” to the candidate who won the most votes in the state or district. Maine and Nebraska allot two of their electors to the statewide winner and divide the rest based on who wins the most votes in each congressional district.

There are 538 electors; a candidate must win an outright majority of at least 270 to win. If no candidate wins an electoral majority, the House of Representatives chooses a president by a ‘majority of the states’ vote. Presidents are elected to four-year terms and may serve up-to two terms.

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Posted

In each presidential election, I score the candidates according to their level of support for the Bill of Rights. Points are awarded based on the answers to weighted questions about how the candidates interpret and apply its provisions. They receive a score out of ten for each amendment, and a cumulative score out of one hundred for the entire Bill of Rights.

Because the President of the United States swears to protect and defend the constitution, he or she must understand it and comply with it. The only acceptable score is A+ (100%).

When possible, I base scores on a candidate’s public statements, campaign materials, and political record. If this information is not available, I attempt to infer a position from the candidate’s political party by looking at its platform and its prominent members’ votes and statements on the issue. If even this is not available, I make my “best guess.” You can contact me to complain about a rating if you want, but please provide evidence supporting your argument.

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U.S. Senate, Virginia, 2024

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Seal of the U.S. Senate
Seal of the U.S. Senate

In the race to represent the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States Senate, incumbent Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) is challenged by Hung Cao (R). Kaine was first elected to the Senate in 2012 and is in his second term.

Each of the fifty states have two seats in the Senate for a total of one hundred seats. There is no representation, voting or non-voting, for U.S. territories or the District of Columbia. Senators serve six-year terms, and elections are held on a staggered schedule with classes of roughly one-third of the Senate up for election every two years. This year, the thirty-three seats of the first class are in contention.

The Republican Party holds forty-nine seats, the Democratic Party holds forty-seven, and independents hold four. Three independents caucus with the Democratic Party, and another is “formally aligned with the Democrats for committee purposes,” giving the Democratic Party an effective 51-49 majority. Both of Virginia’s Senate seats are currently held by Democrats.

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U.S. House, Virginia, 2024

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Seal of the U.S. House of Representatives
Seal of the U.S. House

All seats in the U.S. House of Representatives are up for election every two years. There are 435 seats, representing each of the fifty states in rough proportion to their population as recorded in the most recent national census. There are six non-voting delegate seats representing U.S. territories and the District of Columbia.

The Republican Party currently holds a 220-211 majority over the Democratic Party in the House. Four seats are vacant. Virginia has eleven seats, with six held by Democrats and five by Republicans.

Tenth District

In the race to represent Virginia’s Tenth District in the United States House of Representatives, Mike Clancy (R) and Virginia Senator Suhas Subramanyam (D-32nd) are vying for an open seat. Incumbent Representative Jennifer Wexton (D-VA 10th) is not seeking reelection for health reasons.

The Tenth District encompasses Fauquier County, Loudoun County, Rappahannock County, the cities of Manassas and Manassas Park, and parts of Fairfax and Prince William counties.

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Scott Bradford is a writer and technologist who has been putting his opinions online since 1995. He believes in three inviolable human rights: life, liberty, and property. He is a Catholic Christian who worships the trinitarian God described in the Nicene Creed. Scott is a husband, nerd, pet lover, and AMC/Jeep enthusiast with a B.S. degree in public administration from George Mason University.