Does living in a safe district mean boring politics?

[they don't love you like i love you]

I've realized this. My State Senator was only 29 when she was first elected to the State House. She is eligible for Social Security now and is still in office. And the woman who ran to replace her when she left the State House for Senate is still my State Rep. Since 1980. So if I lived here my whole life, I would've had the same state legislative delegation my whole life, and the same State Rep until I was 23. It was kind of exciting having semi-competitive elections in the Mankato area.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

California livens things up with term limits, so you get musical chairs every so often.

[Associate Justice PiT]

     More or less, that's the case. Fortunately city-level elections in San Francisco are non-partisan, so competitive races are still possible on the local level here. It's quite fortunate, given that state & federal elections are pure formalities that are just won by the Democrat with 80%+.

[memphis]

You can get some good primary races, in which both candidates are often trying to be more nutty than the other to pander to the base. We've got a fun primary season underway in TN-9.

[they don't love you like i love you]

No primaries here even. The only way one can lose their primary in Minnesota because of the convention system is by scandal or not being extremist enough.

[Free Palestine]

All the districts have been subjected to a bi-partisan gerrymander, we have a tiny legislature in proportion to our state population, and even the Republicans are liberal (here, anyways).

[segwaystyle2012]

All the districts have been subjected to a bi-partisan gerrymander, we have a tiny legislature in proportion to our state population, and even the Republicans are liberal (here, anyways).

California's Republicans are by far more conservative than any state GOP. Maine, on the other hand, is a party of liberal Republicans.

[Free Palestine]

All the districts have been subjected to a bi-partisan gerrymander, we have a tiny legislature in proportion to our state population, and even the Republicans are liberal (here, anyways).

California's Republicans are by far more conservative than any state GOP. Maine, on the other hand, is a party of liberal Republicans.

By liberal, I meant supportive of big government.  So, you might be right.

[Obnoxiously Slutty Girly Girl]

Yes. That's why I just changed my voter registration.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

     More or less, that's the case. Fortunately city-level elections in San Francisco are non-partisan, so competitive races are still possible on the local level here. It's quite fortunate, given that state & federal elections are pure formalities that are just won by the Democrat with 80%+.

Local elections in all of California are all non-partisan. And boy, are there are lot of them, with various park, transit, education, and so on boards.

[Lunar]

It just means that the action is in the primaries, however often they occur.

[Obnoxiously Slutty Girly Girl]

It just means that the action is in the primaries, however often they occur.

A lot of uncompetitive elections have uncompetitive primaries.

[Lunar]

I guess I should have said "it occurs" instead of "they occur" to reference the action rather than the primaries.

[Ban my account ffs!]

My congressional district has been very uneventful... if a decent Democrat ran against Colin Peterson, I'd vote for the other guy... but during the general election, it pretty much turns out to be Colin Peterson being a agri-whore and the Republicans are like "we want to screw the little guy and the family farmer.. BUT WE HATE ABORTION!!! A LOT!!!! OMGZ!!!!" and they get like 30%.

State and local elections are pretty competitive here.

[dead0man]

I don't know how "safe" my district is since it went Obama, but yeah, it's pretty boring most of the time.  It's not like it would take a world beater to knock out Lee Terry.  He is still on his first hair style for sh**ts sake.

[they don't love you like i love you]

I'm pretty confident we haven't had a real primary since 1980 either. Anyone who filed is probably just doing so because they want their name on the ballot. At the convention last time all candidates (including both House seats) were endorsed unanimously, no one moved to run against them. And note that the other House seat is held by a freshman, so while there was obviously a competitive convention/primary last time, he's completely safe now (Not that I care, he's a great guy, really charismatic likable black guy like Keith Ellison or Obama. He gave a great speech in favor of Margaret Anderson Kelliher for Governor too, whom I don't support, but I'll admit it was a great speech.)

[Small Business Owner of Any Repute]

The most interesting politics I know happen in some of the "safest" districts I know. Have you ever seen Street Fight?

[they don't love you like i love you]

I have, but that sort of challenge never happens here. Minneapolis isn't big on competitive primaries either, the only time they happen is if the seat is open. There was a fight for the endorsement in the open seat 60A (incumbent Speaker of the House is running for Governor), but now that that's done the winner is basically the State Rep-elect and she has that seat as long as she wants. And since she is a young woman under 40 that could be a very very long time.

[Хahar 🤔]

All the districts have been subjected to a bi-partisan gerrymander, we have a tiny legislature in proportion to our state population, and even the Republicans are liberal (here, anyways).

California's Republicans are by far more conservative than any state GOP. Maine, on the other hand, is a party of liberal Republicans.

By liberal, I meant supportive of big government.  So, you might be right.

What kind of definition is that?

     More or less, that's the case. Fortunately city-level elections in San Francisco are non-partisan, so competitive races are still possible on the local level here. It's quite fortunate, given that state & federal elections are pure formalities that are just won by the Democrat with 80%+.

Nah, you have fun primaries in the City.

[Brittain33]

Scott Brown says hi.

[they don't love you like i love you]

Scott Brown says hi.

Oh yeah I forgot about him. I guess my legislators better watch out in November or THEY'RE GOING DOWN! NO SEAT IS SAFE! SCOTT BROWN SCOTT BROWN SCOTT BROWN!

[Brittain33]

Scott Brown says hi.

Oh yeah I forgot about him. I guess my legislators better watch out in November or THEY'RE GOING DOWN! NO SEAT IS SAFE! SCOTT BROWN SCOTT BROWN SCOTT BROWN!

I was being serious. Politics in my part of the country was very boring for the reasons you said, and then suddenly it really wasn't!

[they don't love you like i love you]

My district is more like MA-08 than the whole state. Obama got almost 88% in the House seat and over 88% in the Senate seat. We're the most Democratic Senate seat in the state and second most Democratic House seat, the only one moreso is our sister district 61B.

[Vepres]

We have term limits in Colorado, so you get exciting primaries even if the general sucks (my district has a strong Dem lean).

[Obnoxiously Slutty Girly Girl]

My district is more like MA-08 than the whole state. Obama got almost 88% in the House seat and over 88% in the Senate seat. We're the most Democratic Senate seat in the state and second most Democratic House seat, the only one moreso is our sister district 61B.

Must suck to live in such a hackish environment.