Era of the New Majority

[KingSweden]

United States elections, 2018

Florida

FL-Gov: Rubio, with an eye on 2020, does not run for Governor, leaving Adam Putnam and Jeff Atwater to duke it out in the primaries. Putnam advances after a hard-fought primary campaign. Democrats coalesce early around Gwen Graham, who taps Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer as her running mate to create a "super-ticket" and remove her most potent potential challenger. Bob Buckhorn takes over as Florida Democratic Chairman rather than try to run for another elective office and sets about disciplining the notoriously cruddy party.

Though Putnam starts out with an advantage, Graham is buoyed by voter fatigue after 20 years of GOP rule and several high-profile scandals from the Rick Scott administration. Putnam leads for much of the spring, but the race becomes a toss-up late in late August and Graham emphasizes her North Florida roots, her popular ex-Governor/Senator father Bob and runs as a centrist pragmatist. In the Democrats' biggest 2018 pickup, they claim the Florida Governorship for the first time in two decades with Graham defeating Putnam 49-47, with a third-party candidate taking the rest of the vote. D+1.

FL-Sen: Bill Nelson retires, as was widely expected, creating a prime pickup opportunity for Republicans. Ron DeSantis runs against State Senator Jeff Brandes in a conservative vs. moderate race, with Tom Rooney electing to sit out and focus on rising through the ranks in the House. DeSantis defeats Brandes in the primary and advances to face Patrick Murphy, the consensus Democratic choice who faced little to no serious opposition in the primary. The very right-wing DeSantis finds it a hard slog against Murphy, who as a former Republican and moderate figure and energetic campaign operation has the advantage for most of the cycle. Murphy wins by a surprisingly comfortable 53-46 margin over DeSantis, defeating a Republican rising star and entering the conversation of future Democratic (think 2024/2028) national candidates.

FL-02: Graham vacating her seat does not bode well for Democrats downballot - former State Rep. Alan Williams of Tallahassee is unable to defeat Halsey Beshears, who runs to try to seize the seat he was unable to gain in 2016. R+1.

FL-06: With DeSantis retiring, the winner of a wide-open Republican primary is State Rep. Travis Hutson, who wins in a landslide in the general in the safe R district. R hold.

FL-07: In a rematch from two years earlier, this time GOP candidate Jason Brodeur defeats US Rep. Randolph Bracy in one of the GOP's best nationwide pickup opportunities. R+1.

FL-13: David Jolly tries to win his old seat back, but is dispatched by Charlie Justice 51-47. D hold.

FL-18: With Patrick Murphy retiring, Democrats fail to field a candidate nearly as competitive as the likable, moderate Murphy. GOP State Sen. Joe Negron picks up this seat with disheartening ease. R+1.

FL-26: Carlos Curbelo elects not to pursue his old seat, and Dwight Bullard cruises to a surprisingly comfortable reelection in what should have been a potential GOP pickup.

Florida Row Officers: Democratic victories at the top of the ticket do not necessarily reflect downballot. Bill Galvano is elected Attorney General of Florida, Greg Evers is elected Agriculture Commissioner and Carlos Curbelo is elected Chief Financial Officer.

Florida Legislature: The Senate remains 23-17, with no gains on either side. In the House, Republicans pick up four seats lost in 2016 to go to 74-46.

[KingSweden]

United States elections, 2018

Arizona

AZ-Gov: Greg Stanton challenges incumbent Doug Ducey. Despite indications early in 2018 that the very conservative Ducey might be vulnerable, Stanton runs a surprisingly dull campaign and Ducey moves to the middle over the course of the last year of his first term. Despite being viewed as a tossup for much of the race, Ducey pulls ahead late in the fall despite a mediocre economy nationwide and a full-blown recession in Arizona and Stanton is defeated 54-45.

AZ-Sen: Jeff Flake faces talk show host Laura Ingraham in the primary, with Ingraham running against Flake for his perceived heresies on immigration and other issues where he has sought consensus with Democrats. Flake is hurt in some Republican quarters when Vice President Heinrich refers to him as "my friend Jeff." However, Flake recovers by the late primary in August to defeat Ingraham by a surprisingly comfortable 56-40 margin, with some gadfly candidates taking the rest of the vote. Flake cruises to reelection against former Tempe Mayor Neil Giuliano, who suspends most campaign activities after Flake wins in the primary (Democratic investment in this race was mostly contingent on Ingraham winning the primary).

AZ House: All incumbents elected, with Democratic attempts to pick up AZ-02 and GOP attempts to grab AZ-01 and AZ-09 failing.

[KingSweden]

United States elections, 2018

Washington

WA-Sen: Maria Cantwell decides to seek a fourth (and what she promises is final) term in office. The best potential Republican nominee, Cathy McMorris-Rodgers, elects not to run to absolutely nobody's surprise. Instead, Republicans are left with running former US Rep. Jamie Herrera Beutler, who decides not to seek her old seat. Cantwell faces her best opponent in years, but still wins 56-44, likely ending the career of the once-promising Herrera Beutler and securing her seat for another six years.

WA-3: State Senator Ann Rivers challenges US Rep. Tim Leavitt. It is expected to be a close race in the right-leaning suburban/rural district, but despite Rivers' advantage early in the campaign Leavitt manages to pull through and win 52-48, an improvement on his pickup from two years earlier.

WA-8: Mark Mullet is reelected in this once-Republican district over Rep. Brad Hawkins as even the Seattle outer suburbs continue their D trend. D hold.

WA Legislature: Democrats pick up one seat in the Senate to go to 28-21, and Republicans pick up two seats in the House to go to 57-41.

[KingSweden]

United States elections, 2018

Oregon

OR-Gov: Incumbent Kate Brown is comfortably reelected to a full term of her own right over State Sen. Brian Boquist, 56-43, with the Kitzhaber scandal having faded from memory by this point.

OR-3: Earl Blumenauer retires after over two decades in Congress, leaving a wide-open Democratic primary for his open seat. House Speaker Tina Kotek, with the most resources and establishment support in the primary, wins the primary and cruises to election nearly uncontested in Oregon's most liberal district to become the state's first openly lesbian Congresswoman.

OR Legislature: In the Senate, Democrats maintain their 18-12 advantage and lose one seat in the House to drop to a still-commanding 36-24.

[KingSweden]

United States elections, 2018

California

CA-Gov: Gavin Newsom emerges out of the top two to face Kevin Faulconer in one of the best matchups in California in years. Though there are initially concerns about deflated enthusiasm on the part of partisans on both sides with two such moderate candidates, Democrats come home in the end and Newsom defeats the impressive Faulconer 54-46.

CA-Sen: DiFi retires and a free-for-all emerges, with Alex Padilla advancing to face former State Senator Mark Leno. No US Reps. enter the race, although Eric Swalwell nearly jumps in. In an all-D general election (Leno edged out the nearest Republican with only 1,200 votes), Padilla, the more centrist option and the one from southern CA, handily defeats the liberal Leno 62-38, with many Republicans voting for Padilla rather than voting blank and some outside liberal groups, despite supporting Padilla in the past, running ads against him as the "GOP's preferred Democrat."

CA-Sen (special): To reaffirm Eric Garcetti as Senator, Garcetti defeats former US Rep. Jeff Denham 56-44 in a surprisingly close race. Denham announces his retirement from politics afterwards.

CA-Row Officers: Ben Allen is elected Attorney General after Kamala Harris' replacement opts not to seek a second term. Dave Jones is elected Lieutenant Governor, John Chiang is reelected as Treasurer while Betty Yee is reelected as Controller. For open seats of Secretary of Public Instruction and Secretary of State, Tony Mendoza and 37-year old Matt Dababneh are elected. For State Insurance Commissioner, term-limited State Assembly Speaker and former social worker Susan Eggman is elected to become the first openly gay statewide office holder in California history.

CA-7: A Republican businessman becomes the third straight politician to fail to unseat Ami Bera, who wins 52-48 in his evenly-split district.

CA-10: Cathleen Gagliani is initially thought safe when Denham announces his run in the Senate special against Garcetti, but scandals over expenses, issues with constituent services and tardiness and missed votes in Congress add to her already-lingering residency controversies from two years earlier. In a surprisingly easy win, Republican Senator Anthony Cannella defeats Gagliani 53-47. R+1.

CA-16: Jim Costa's luck runs out in his R-trending district as former Fresno Mayor Ashley Swearengin seeks a rematch and this time wins over the hapless, tired Costa 51-49. The narrow margin of victory and recognition that Costa's time had run out make Swearengin the most vulnerable new Republican in California. R+1.

CA-24: Lois Capps retires after twenty years in Congress after suffering a severe stroke in late 2017 that incapacitates her. State Rep. Das Williams is elected to replace her over State Rep. Katcho Achadjian, 55-45.

CA-25: The never-ending adventure/saga of the three men who really, really want to represent CA-25: US Rep. Lee Rogers is challenged by both his opponents from the last two elections, former US Rep. Steve Knight and Tony Strickland. Strickland finally advances to the top two over the polarizing Knight and defeats Rogers 54-46. R+1.

CA-39: The easiest pickup for Republicans in the country comes as Ed Royce comes back to defeat "the accidental Congresswoman," former racecar driver Ashley Force Hood, no. 2 on Roll Call's Most Vulnerable list. Despite cutting a moderate profile and flying back to LA every weekend for constituent outreach, Force Hood is taken down 58-42 by Royce, a surprisingly large margin for the incumbent freshman. R+1.

California Legislature: It is not all bad news for Democrats, despite losing four House seats statewide. Republicans only net one Assembly seat for a total change to 57-23 in favor of Democrats, and the Senate remains 27-13, a still-commanding majority in both chambers.

[KingSweden]

United States elections, 2018

Hawai'i

HI-Governor: David Ige is reelected in a 60-40 landslide over Mufi Hanneman, who has now bit the bullet and gone fully Republican.

HI-Sen: Mazie Hirono cruises to a 66-30-3 win over Duke Aiona and an independent Navy officer to win a second term with ease.

Both Reps are easily reelected.

No change in composition in the Hawaii Legislature.

Alaska

AK-Gov: Bill Walker, once again on a fusion ticket with Democrats, wins a second term after a competent, uncontroversial first term in which he focused on priorities from both parties and he defeats Mead Treadwell 53-47.

AK-At Large: A special election is pegged for January to elect late Rep. Don Young's successor. Lance Pruitt is appointed to the seat, and he is heavily favored to win the seat outright. Some older AK Republicans, such as Treadwell, the "other" Dan Sullivan, and Sean Parnell grate at not being appointed, and some Democrats are furious that Walker doesn't tap one of his political allies, but Walker responds in a statement that, "Don Young was a Republican, the people voted for a Republican when they elected him, and I will appoint a Republican to replace him." He also notes that Pruitt's age can help Alaska gain back some of the clout lost with Young's sudden death and the loss of Ted Stevens a decade earlier.

AK Legislature: Republicans gain two seats in the Assembly and one seat in the Senate.

[KingSweden]

2018 FIFA World Cup

Final

At the final at Luzhinski Stadium in Moscow, Germany and Colombia face off with the scoring started by Thomas Müller at 51' after a scoreless first half. The goal gives Müller 7 goals in the tournament and pushes him past Miroslav Klose for most goals in World Cup history with 17. With the clock ticking down, Cuadrado heads the ball to Quintero, who shoots it on a cross to Falcao who kicks it into goal with a sliding strike to equalize at 84'. The game heads into extra minutes when David Ospina deflects Ozil's attempt at 90+1.

In extra time, the game becomes wild. At 100', Draxler scores his third goal of the tournament to take a 2-1 lead, heading the ball past Ospina. Just when it seems like Germany has finally taken over control of the game, Cuadrado gets the ball in isolation in midfield, shoots it on a cross to James Rodriguez who gets it into goal at 116'. At 2-2 with only minutes left before penalties, Germany's Mario Götze takes a cross from Müller and shoots it off of the crossbar at 120'. However, as it ricochets, it bounces to Toni Kroos who thinks fast and rifles it into goal past Ospina, who is still in the other end of goal scrambling to find the ball. With only two minutes of stoppage time, Germany's Draxler intercepts a long cross from Quintero and dribbles the ball away as the clock runs out and Germany has won the 2018 FIFA World Cup!

They become the first team since Brazil in 1958/1962 to win consecutive tournaments and only the third ever. They cement themselves along with the Spain side of 2008-2012, Brazil from 1958-1970 and 1994-2002, and Italy in the 1930s and Uruguay in the 1920s as one of the greatest teams in world footballing history.

Golden Ball: James Rodriguez, Colombia
Silver Ball: Thomas Müller, Germany
Bronze Ball: Diego Fagundez, Uruguay

Golden Boot: James Rodriguez (Colombia) and Thomas Müller (Germany), 7 each
Silver Boot: Neymar (BRA), 6
Bronze Boot: Ciro Immobile (Italy), Eden Hazard (Belgium), Diego Fagundez (Uruguay), 5 each

Golden Glove: David Ospina, Colombia
Best Young Player: José Morales, Uruguay (only player to ever win this award after playing only one game)

Major achievements: Thomas Müller has 17 goals in three World Cups, the most of any player. James Rodriguez has 13 goals in two World Cups, the second-fastest player to that mark after Just Fontaine. Neymar joins fellow Brazilians Pele and Ronaldo in the 10-goal club of players.

A bit late for this, but after much thought and consideration I determined that Colombia simply do not have the talent to defeat Germany in an extra-time game in the World Cup in Europe. From here on out, assume Germany won this game and that Colombia came heartbreakingly close to a major international title in Moscow two years in a row.

[KingSweden]

After the 2018 elections, here are the freshman House classes of the 116th Congress for the Republicans and the Democrats:

Republicans:

AK-AL: Lance Pruitt (appointed)
CA-10: Anthony Cannella*
CA-16: Ashley Swearengin*
CA-25: Tony Strickland*
CA-39: Ed Royce*
DE-AL: Brian Pettyjohn*
FL-2: Halsey Beshears*
FL-7: Jason Brodeur*
FL-18: Joe Negron*
GA-10: Mike Collins
GA-14: John Deffenbaugh
IL-10: Bob Dold*
IL-12: Mike Bost*
IN-4: Randy Truitt
KS-4: Mike Petersen
MD-6: David Brinkley*
MI-7: Tim Walberg*
MI-11: David Trott*
MN-7: Torrey Westrom*
MO-2: Mike Talent
MT-AL: Chas Vincent
NE-2: Jean Stothert*
NY-2: Phillip Boyle
NY-19: Peter Lopez*
NY-22: Richard Hanna*
OH-8: Chris Widener
OH-10: Mike Turner*
OK-1: Dave Brumbaugh
OK-2: Josh Brecheen
PA-6: Ryan Costello*
SC-5: Greg Gregory
SD-AL: Marty Jackley
TX-3: Van Taylor
TX-10: Lois Kolkhorst
VA-2: Will Sessoms
WI-6: Michael Schraa*
WV-3: Daniel Hall
WY-AL: Cynthia Cloud

Democrats:

CA-24: Das Williams
IA-2: Jim Lykam
IL-1: Kwame Raoul
MD-4: Anthony Muse
MD-6: Kumar Barve
ME-1: Hannah Pingree
MI-9: Steve Bieda
NC-4: Valerie Foushee
NC-12: Malcolm Graham
NV-1: Ruben Kihuen
OR-3: Tina Kotek

Republicans have picked up 20 seats from Democrats to seize a 227-208 majority in the House of Representatives, a mirror image of the Democratic majority from the 115th Congress.

[KingSweden]

Meet your Senate freshman class of 2018 (116th Congress):

Republicans:

William Haslam (TN)
Jon Huntsman (UT)
Evan Jenkins (WV)*
Todd Rokita (IN)*
Kelly Schmidt (ND)*
Ann Wagner (MO)*

Democrats:

John Carney (DE)
Timothy Keller (NM)*
Patrick Murphy (FL)
Alex Padilla (CA)
Peter Shumlin (VT)*
Christopher Van Hollen (MD)

Democrats pick up one independent (who caucused with them, so no net gain there) and one Republican seat to offset the 4 seats won by Republicans. The GOP has retaken the Senate with a precariously narrow 51-49 majority for the 116th Congress.

[KingSweden]

The new governors, class of 2018:

Maine: Chellie Pingree, Democrat*
Vermont: Phil Scott, Republican*
Connecticut: William Tong, Democrat
New York: Preet Bharara, Democrat
Maryland: John Delaney, Democrat*
South Carolina: Mick Mulvaney, Republican
Georgia: Jason Carter, Democrat*
Florida: Gwen Graham, Democrat*
Alabama: Luther Strange, Republican
Tennessee: Bob Corker, Republican
Ohio: Jon Husted, Republican
Michigan: Gretchen Whitmer, Democrat*
Illinois: Tom Dart, Democrat*
Iowa: Bill Northey, Republican
Wisconsin: Russ Feingold, Democrat*
Minnesota: Lori Swanson, Democrat
South Dakota: Kristi Noem, Republican
Kansas: Kris Kobach, Republican
Oklahoma: Mick Cornett
Arkansas: Tim Griffin, Republican
New Mexico: Hector Balderas, Democrat*
Colorado: Walker Stapleton, Republican*
Wyoming: Cynthia Lummis, Republican
California: Gavin Newsom, Democrat

With these results, Republicans now hold 24 Governorships, Democrats hold 25, and there is one Independent governor. Many more states now also have split control, with either a Democrat Governor facing a Republican legislature or vice versa.

[Türkisblau]

Great updates! I can't wait for 2020.

[Free Bird]

No way Vermont gets a Republican governor but Connecticut doesn't, but Florida and Georgia go Democrat, especially in a Dem midterm year.

[The Other Castro]

No way Vermont gets a Republican governor but Connecticut doesn't, but Florida and Georgia go Democrat, especially in a Dem midterm year.

Given the individual unique circumstances of each governor race, it could be entirely plausible

[KingSweden]

No way Vermont gets a Republican governor but Connecticut doesn't, but Florida and Georgia go Democrat, especially in a Dem midterm year.

Given the individual unique circumstances of each governor race, it could be entirely plausible

I don't know of any Phil Scott-caliber candidate in Connecticut. Besides, if Jim Douglas can win in 2006 and 2008, then the popular and competent Scott could win in a neutral-to-lean-GOP year like 2018 in this TL.

[Maxwell]

I feel like Connecticut will follow the example of Oregon and Washington - nearly elect GOP Governors, but won't.

[KingSweden]

Some quick analysis of the 2018 electoral results:

Good for Republicans, but not as good as they wanted: Republicans achieved their primary goal - to make Kevin McCarthy Speaker of the House and John Thune Senate Majority Leader. They took back both houses of Congress two years after losing them, which was the explicit goal from the beginning. However, the NRCC, led by Pete Roskam, made reaching 240 seats its goal. By only picking up 20 seats to reach 227, it came nowhere near its goal and makes for a very tenuous majority, one in which conservatives, primarily in the South, can and will cause Speaker McCarthy considerable headache. It was even more frustrating in the Senate, where Republicans picked off three red (Atlas blue)-state Senators in IN, MO and ND and took an open seat in WV, but fumbled away NM with an incompetent incumbent and failed to pick up the open seat in Florida and came heartbreakingly close to defeating Democratic incumbents in MT, PA, OH and VA. The Democrats protected the incumbents they knew they absolutely could not lose and thus kept the incoming Republican majority at only 51-49, one of the most tenuous in decades.

Rise of the Moderates: The good news for McCarthy and Thune, two men who want to prove that the GOP can govern after a frustrating 10-year period starting with the 2008 landslide loss, is that many of the freshman Republicans coming in are people with executive or statewide experience, or who are known as politicians interested in getting to work. Replacing staunch conservatives like Mick Mulvaney, Jim Bridenstine, Markwayne Mullin, Ryan Zinke, Tom Graves and Jody Hice will only serve to help leadership, and replacing Democratic votes with new GOP faces like David Brinkley, Brian Pettyjohn, Ashley Swearengin and Anthony Cannella only helps bolster the ranks of the center-right of the party.

The silver lining for Democrats: The governor's races bode well for redistricting, giving Democrats hope that a strong year in 2020 can lead to success in 2022 to flip the house back and give Xavier Becerra the Speaker's gavel once again. Keeping Pennsylvania and New York while picking up Maine, Georgia (by, as most Democrats admit, a lucky stroke of Hice being the opposing candidate), Florida, Wisconsin, Illinois and Michigan will help the map. However, most Dems are quick to admit that losing Ohio hurts tremendously moving into the next decade and that results in Iowa, Colorado and Nevada are unhelpful with an eye on redistricting, even though all three produce divided government.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Hoping for Rand Paul in 2020!

[KingSweden]

Leadership teams for the 116th Congress:

House:

Speaker of the House: Kevin McCarthy, R-CA, is easily elected as leader of the House GOP caucus.
House Majority Leader: Cathy McMorris-Rodgers, R-WA (and KingSweden's Congresswoman) leapfrogs Steve Scalise, who lacks the support caucus-wide to leave his Whip post in a party desiring to have a prominent female figure to juxtapose against Hillary Clinton. CMR beats out Jeb Hensarling, who also wants the position.
House Majority Whip: Steve Scalise, R-LA, who as mentioned above stays in the Whip slot he has held since 2014 amid a caucus with an emboldened new moderate wing.
Republican Caucus Chair: Tom Price, a figure widely respected by House conservatives, finally gets his chance to enter leadership after beating out Mark Meadows and Pete Roskam for the slot.
Republican Caucus Vice-Chair: Luke Messer, R-IN, regarded as a rising star who can bridge the gap between the conservative wing and leadership, is tapped to be Price's protege and right-hand-man.
Chief Deputy Whip: Patrick McHenry, R-NC, an ally of both McCarthy and Scalise, stays in this plum slot.
Policy Committee Chair: Lynn Jenkins, R-KS, keeps her spot in leadership.
NRCC Chair: With Pete Roskam seeking Caucus Chair after his success in leading the Republicans back to the majority, the position for NRCC Chairman is open. With his proximity to Florida donors, Tom Rooney, R-FL, is tapped to head the NRCC over Texas Rep. Brian Babin, who was known to be hoping to attain the spot.
NRCC Vice Chair: Chris Collins, R-NY, tapped to connect Republicans to well-heeled Northeastern donors.

House Minority Leader: Xavier Becerra, D-CA, keeps his spot after House leadership keeps losses to a relative minimum and what is regarded as a successful 115th Congress under his Speakership.
House Minority Whip: Joseph Crowley, D-NY, sticks under under similar auspices.
Democratic Caucus Chair: Jared Polis, D-CO, replaces Donna Edwards following her retirement from Congress in her failed Senatorial run. He becomes the first openly gay person to enter Congressional leadership in history.
Democratic Caucus Vice-Chair: Terri Sewell, D-AL, to add a black and female voice to the leadership team, and add a member from the Deep South.
Chief Deputy Whip: Tom Bakk, D-MN, to add a Midwesterner from a white, working-class district that is moderately Democratic.
House Democratic Policy Chair: A new role created by Becerra and Crowley to keep the promising Ben Ray Lujan in leadership.
DCCC: Joseph Kennedy III, D-MA, takes over for Ben Ray Lujan, and former DCCC Chair Steve Israel becomes Senior Adviser to the DCCC.
DCCC Vice Chair: Evan Low, D-CA, adding somebody with connections to Silicon Valley to leadership and who is both gay and Asian.

[KingSweden]

Senate:

Senate Majority Leader: John Thune, R-SD, making this the first time that the same Senate seat has produced two majority leaders from opposite parties.
Senate Majority Whip: John Barrasso, R-WY, after Cornyn announces his intention to leave leadership and signals that he might retire in 2020. Barrasso, with broad support in the party, easily steps up to take the spot.
Republican Caucus Chair: Roger Wicker, to keep a Deep South Senator in leadership but keep rabble-rousers like Jeff Sessions out.
Republican Caucus Co-Chair: Jerry Moran, R-KS, same as last Congress.
Republican Policy Chair: Shelley Moore Capito, R-WV, to add a well-regarded moderate woman to leadership and indicating the Thune majority's intention to move to the center.
NRSC Chair: Marco Rubio decides not to maintain the chairmanship for a second term, in anticipation of a run for President in 2020. Instead, Thune taps Dean Heller, R-NV, bringing another Westerner aboard. NRSC Vice Chair goes to Tim Scott, R-SC, to add another Southern figure to the team.

Senate Minority Leader/Caucus Chairman: Chuck Schumer, D-NY, maintains the confidence of his caucus and stays on for another term after Democrats nearly hold the Senate (though they also nearly lost it by even more seats).
Senate Minority Whip: Patty Murray, D-WA, after Dick Durbin decides against staying in leadership (a clear signal he intends to retire). Murray beats out Tim Kaine for the spot.
Senate Minority Chief Deputy Whip: Michael Bennet, D-CO, this new position is made separate from Vice-Chair to add more diverse voices to the Senate leadership.
Democratic Caucus Vice-Chair: Amy Klobuchar, D-MN, adding another woman to a high-ranking leadership post after Klobuchar wins yet another reelection in a breeze.
Democratic Caucus Secretary: Bob Casey, D-PA, to bring a moderate voice into the leadership from outside the ranks of the previous leadership team.
Democratic Caucus Deputy Secretary: Chris Murphy, D-CT, a new position created to beef up the leadership team.
Democratic Policy Committee Chair: Elizabeth Warren, D-MA, stays in this spot.
Democratic Chair of Steering and Outreach: Jeff Merkley, D-OR, stays in this spot once again.
DSCC Chair: Jon Tester, D-MT, after his successful stewardship of the office in the 2016 landslide, is given this role again. For Vice Chair of DSCC, he taps Kirsten Gillibrand, D-NY, as his chief fundraiser and outreach coordinator to liberal groups and donors.

[KingSweden]

November 2018: A rough week for President Clinton gets worse, as two days after Democrats' poor midterm showing, an unemployed, disgruntled Syrian refugee sets off a backpack bomb on a New York subway during rush hour in Midtown. It is the first terrorist attack in the United States since the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing. Four people are killed in addition to the bomber and over thirty wounded, though by some miracle the train does not derail, since the bomb was poorly assembled and only part of its explosive payload detonated. Clinton, along with Senators Schumer and Gillibrand, Governor Cuomo and Governor-elect Preet Bharara, and Mayor de Blasio, speak at a vigil in Central Park attended by over 200,000 people. After much investigation, the man is found to have no formal connection to any overseas terror groups and it is described as a "lone-wolf attack" by the FBI, CIA and DHS, though conspiracy theories emerge on the fringes of the right that there is a cover-up of IS or al-Qaeda involvement.

More bad news for the administration as revised figures show that the economy contracted for the first time in four years in Q3 of 2018, and that the economy is likely in recession with economic growth not expected to do much more in Q4. The unemployment rate hovers around 7% with the pre-election jobs report showing only 77,000 new jobs created. Clinton's approval rating, post-election, hovers around 46%, its lowest of her Presidency. Record snowfall in Maine at the end of the month is abetted by historically low snow levels in much of the Rockies.

November 2018 (continued): Mariano Rajoy calls snap elections for the second weekend of December after his constitutional reform fails to pass the Spanish Parliament after several rounds of negotiations. In his televised address, he says, "I cannot in good conscience continue to form a government on the precipice of a constitutional crisis. Only the people can end this standoff now." Massive protests begin in Barcelona and Bilbao and Podemos organizes a 100,000 person rally in central Madrid. The stakes for who gets to negotiate the next Spanish constitution are enormous.

Also, a bomb is detonated in central Bogota by chavista guerillas at a supermarket, killing fifteen people, Ursula von der Leyen organizes a major Cabinet reshuffle after less than a month on the job, and European markets continue their decline due to the Spanish crisis.

[KingSweden]

Spanish general elections, 2018

A disaster for the two major parties, as Podemos wins 170 seats in a landslide to become the largest party in Spain and forms a rare coalition in Spain by inviting the Catalonian nationalist ERC and Basque-nationalist Amaiur into new constitutional negotiations and in an effort to prop it up as it is just shy of a majority. The PSOE, beset by corruption scandals, manages only 50 seats in the Cortes, and many smaller left-wing parties are swallowed up by Podemos. Mariano Rajoy, whose party collapses to only 87 seats, announces he will resign as leader of the People's Party.

European equity indices collapse the day after the election, with the Financial Times describing Podemos and their new leader Pablo Iglesias a "Syriza times 1000." Catalonian separatists, including those on the right wary of some of Podemos' began plotting an independence referendum should Podemos present an insufficiently federalized and decentralized constitution by the deadline of January of 2020.

[KingSweden]

December 2018: John Thune presents his top priorities in a joint press conference with Kevin McCarthy - a two year budget, entitlement reform, a complete overhaul of the federal bureaucracy to modernize its functions and purposes, the continued consolidation and attrition of government positions, the passage of new free trade agreements, and tax reform. Though some of these proposals - like a major overhaul of entitlements or tax reform - are regarded as DOA, Clinton praises the idea of a two-year budget. A plane is forced to land early in Phoenix on an LA-Houston route after a suspected hijacking - it later turns out that a passenger was simply arguing with the waitress over using the bathroom.

December 2018 (continued): European analysts are more concerned that Podemos, like Syriza before it, will talk tough but fail to do much without jeopardizing Spain's position in the EU. However, the broader concern is in late December when Iglesias muses that, "If Catalonia and the Basque Country want a rearrangement of the federal agreement, we must consider the popular will." He also proposes unbanning the batasuna Basque nationalist groups, threatening the ceasefire with the ETA. A major flood in Bangladesh kills thousands. China announces it has reached a tentative deal with the Philippines over a maritime border that suits both parties.

And now, for Sports: In American college football, Ole Miss QB Shea Patterson wins the Heisman over UCLA QB Josh Rosen, Baylor QB Jarrett Stidham and freshman Texas RB Kenny Shines, who rushed for 2,100 yards in his first season. Patterson is credited with running the best offense in SEC history and leading the Rebels to their first undefeated season since 1962. They are the top seed in the CFP.

In American MLS soccer, the defending champions of the last two seasons, 2016's Seattle Sounders and 2017's Orlando City, face off in Seattle for the MLS Cup. The Sounders, having already won the US Open Cup, the Supporter's Shield and the CONCACAF Champions' League, are heavily favored, yet the game ends in a 1-1 draw in final time and then becomes a 2-2 draw thanks to Cyle Larin's equalizing goal in extra time at 119' after Sounders pulled ahead in the early part of extra time. City's luck runs out in penalty kicks, however, as Seattle goalkeeper Stefan Frei keeps a clean sheet, defending all four penalty kicks made by Orlando City to earn Seattle their fourth trophy of the year and ending one of the best seasons in North American soccer history.

Seattle's luck runs out a few weeks later at the FIFA Club Worlds in India, however, as they lose 2-0 to Uruguayan side Penarol in the semifinals after beating Algerian club ES Setif in the prior round. Paris St. Germain defeats Pohang Steelers in their semifinal and then defeats Penarol 2-1 in the final to win their first Club World Cup. Steelers defeats Sounders to take third place.

[KingSweden]

College Football Playoff: 2018-19

The Non-Playoff Bowls

2018 Peach Bowl: 11-2 ACC Champion Clemson is placed in the Peach Bowl to face the Pac-12's USC, which enters 11-1 having only lost to UCLA the whole season. USC paces the Tigers for most of the game before freshman running back Chris Williams breaks out on a 87-yard TD run late in the fourth quarter to cement USC's 34-30 win, particularly when senior CB Iman Marshall picks off Clemson's Kelly Bryant in the endzone with 0:18 remaining in the game as the Tigers try a desperation heave late in the game. It is Steve Sarkisian's first New Year's Six win in four appearances, including two playoff flameouts in 2016 and 2017.

2018 Fiesta Bowl: UCLA, humbled after its disastrous loss in the Pac-12 championship game, faces the undefeated SMU Mustangs - riding a 30-game winning streak - in Glendale. Much is made of SMU's landmark upset of Baylor in the 2017 Cotton Bowl and whether they can replicate the feat. Heisman runner up Josh Rosen goes off on the Mustangs in his final collegiate game, carving them up for 417 yards and five touchdowns as UCLA rolls 50-17 and hands SMU its first loss since the middle of the 2016 season.

2019 Rose Bowl: Coming off of their huge upset of undefeated UCLA in the Pac-12 title game, the Pac-12 champion Washington Huskies advance to their first Rose Bowl in 18 years where they face B1G runner-up Wisconsin, the first bowl meeting between the schools since 1960, also in the Rose Bowl. Like in the 1960 game, the Huskies dominate the Badgers, with quarterback Jake Browning throwing for 317 yards and four touchdowns while running back Brandon Wellington adds another two touchdowns to pace the Huskies to a 42-14 Rose Bowl rout.

2019 Sugar Bowl: Two-time SEC East winners - and two-time SEC championship losers - Tennessee Volunteers are placed in the Sugar Bowl to face Big 12 runner-up Texas, led by true freshman phenom Kenny Shines. Shines is bottled up by the No. 1 defense in the country and Quinten Dormady quarterbacks his Vols to a second-straight New Year's Six bowl win by defeating the Texas Longhorns 27-7.

[KingSweden]

College Football Playoff 2018-19

The Playoff Bowls

2018 Cotton Bowl: No. 2 Michigan is pitted against No. 3 Baylor, with both teams undefeated. Baylor, returning to the stadium where a year before it blew an 18-point lead to SMU and where four years earlier it blew a more than 20-point lead to Michigan State, flounders early as Michigan's defense harasses and harangues Baylor QB Jarrett Stidham, who despite throwing for nearly 300 yards does not throw a touchdown until late in the third quarter. Forced to settle for five field goals, including on four red zone trips, Baylor falls behind the efficient, hard-charging Wolverines to drop the game 38-29. Michigan wins its first New Years' Six bowl and is headed to the CFP final in New Orleans. Baylor still "can't win the big one."

2018 Orange Bowl: No. 1 Ole Miss faces No. 4 Ohio State, which was the best team in the country until a late reception and field goal by Michigan in The Big Game in Columbus led to a 34-31 upset loss. Ohio State enters a slight favorite, but Ole Miss' defense, one of the top five in the country, slows down the Buckeyes enough to allow the Rebels to play an efficient game behind Heisman-winning QB Shea Patterson, who throws for 280 yards, two touchdowns, and runs for one more to lead the undefeated Rebels into the championship game 28-17, continuing their storybook season.

2019 CFP Championship Game (New Orleans, LA): It is the first championship in the CFP era to feature two undefeated teams, as the No. 1 Ole Miss Rebels face the No. 2 Michigan Wolverines. The Rebels fall behind 10-0 early, but battle back to take a 14-10 lead going into halftime behind two Patterson touchdown passes. Michigan jumps out to a 24-14 lead midway through the third thanks to a returned Patterson interception and then a three-and-out leading to a punt return TD, but the Rebels march down the field three times to take a 35-24 lead midway through the fourth. The Wolverines return fire by scoring on their next possession, cutting the score to 35-31, but the Rebels recover the ensuing onside kick with a minute and a half left and run out the clock before punting back to the Wolverines, who are unable to convert on Alex Malzone's two Hail Mary attempts with less than 0:20 left. The thriller of a game results in the first undefeated CFP Champion, Ole Miss' first completely undefeated season since 1962, with their Heisman-winning QB leading them to their first consensus national championship in history and first-ever No. 1 finish.

[KingSweden]

January 2019: One of the coldest winters on record, with major snowfall throughout the United States. Planes are grounded for days in much of the Midwest and Northeast. A blizzard in Billings, Montana kills 40 people, mostly in collapsed roofs and roadside accidents, making it the most deadly blizzard in decades and one of the worst natural disasters in Montana history. The new Congress is seated amid the grim, snowy weather, with most aides and federal employees unable to get to work due to seven-foot snowdrifts throughout the DC area. Economic numbers show a smaller contraction than expected in Q4 of 2018, though the back-to-back quarters of decline show an economy in recession. The jobs report is stagnant, too.

January 2019 (continued): Pablo Iglesias convenes the new Spanish constitutional committee, and the world is keeping a close eye, particularly irredentists in Albania and separatists in places like Serbia, Scotland and Quebec. A violent terrorist attack in Saudi Arabia kills 21 people when gunmen open fire in an open-air market. The Libyan ceasefire goes into effect. Posturing begins for general elections in South Africa, India, Indonesia and the European elections, with anti-EU populists expected to do well once again.

And now, for Sports: Liverpool FC signs highly-touted Uruguayan striker José Morales of Penarol a few days after his 18th birthday, giving them a new goalscoring threat.