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Michael McDonald

@electproject.bsky.social
133K followers 269 following 8.6K posts

Professor of Political Science at the University of Florida specializing in American elections

PostsRepliesMedia
Reposted by Michael McDonald
Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 2h
Four-byline alert: “.. Meta claimed that $4.1 billion of stock options exercised by Mr. Zuckerberg counted as a research expense ..” @nytimes.com $META www.nytimes.com/2026/09/30/t...
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Reposted by Michael McDonald
Craig Pittman @craigtimes.bsky.social · 2h
Folks in #Florida who would be under the new flightpath are fighting this tooth and nail.
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Michael McDonald @electproject.bsky.social · 4h
#earlyvote morning update 9/30: at least 600,000 people have voted in the 2026 general election 🥳https://election.lab.ufl.edu/early-vote/2026-early-voting/
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Michael McDonald @electproject.bsky.social · 4h
Might as well blame Andrew Jackson
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Michael McDonald @electproject.bsky.social · 4h
This is the way
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Michael McDonald @electproject.bsky.social · 5h
I had to explain to my students there used to be many Ohio election lawsuits in the early 2000's because Ohio was THE battleground state
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Matt Novak @paleofuture.bsky.social · 15h
The White House accord on AI that was signed by all the big tech oligarchs today misspells United States as “Unites States.”
Document signed by Trump, Sundar Pichai
Google
Dario Amodei
Anthropic
Mark Zuckerberg
Meta

Greg Brockman
OpenAl

Elon Musk
XAI

Jensen Huang
nvidia “Unites States”
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Reposted by Michael McDonald
WIRED @wired.com · 5h
Lost time. Lost jobs. Lost friends. Lost family. Lost lives. Checkpoints are suffocating Palestinian life in the occupied West Bank. Over 18 months, WIRED and our reporting partners investigated the full scope of the system that has carved the West Bank up. www.wired.com/story/how-is...
wired.com
How Israeli Checkpoints Choke Palestinian Life in the Occupied West Bank
Lost time. Lost jobs. Lost friends. Lost family. Lost lives. Our joint investigation reveals the system that has divided the West Bank and measures what it cost people to move through it.
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Annie Waldman @anniewaldman.bsky.social · 6h
NEW: As Trump’s White House and influencers keep touting the unproven benefits of raw milk, hundreds across the country are falling ill from outbreaks. Some people get severe indigestion. And some nearly die. Here's the story of one toddler who drank it. 🧵👇 www.propublica.org/article/cali...
propublica.org
A Girl Nearly Died After Drinking Raw Milk. The State Did Little to Punish the Unlicensed Farmer Who Sold It.
California is teeming with black-market dairies, propped up by consumer demand fueled by misinformation. With evidence against one raw goat milk farm, regulators could have sought punitive action. But...
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Reposted by Michael McDonald
David R. Brockman, Ph.D. @drdrbrockman.bsky.social · 6h
Update: The America.gov chatbot now refuses to answer "political" questions or offer "judgments about past elections" 🤔
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Michael McDonald @electproject.bsky.social · 7h
"Everybody's numbers dropped" after the Trumpapaloser convention Not everybody, buddy. Democrats' numbers went up www.nytimes.com/2026/09/30/u...
nytimes.com
Ken Paxton, G.O.P. Nominee in Texas, Privately Said Trump’s Convention Hurt Him
Ken Paxton, one of the party’s top Senate candidates and a Trump loyalist, said that “everybody’s numbers dropped” after the event, according to audio obtained by The Times.
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Michael McDonald @electproject.bsky.social · 18h
Usually House Speakers don't campaign for the opposing party
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Michael McDonald @electproject.bsky.social · 18h
#earlyvote evening update 9/29: at least 537,311 people have voted in the 2026 general election 🥳 election.lab.ufl.edu/early-vote/2...
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Michael McDonald @electproject.bsky.social · 19h
One is excessively loud and annoying, takes up a lot of space, and steals resources from you and your community And the other one also smells
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Reposted by Michael McDonald
The New Republic @newrepublic.com · 29/09/2026
Conservatives are pissed at Sarah Huckabee Sanders for choosing a young white man to portray welfare recipients. trib.al/WfBh0ib
trib.al
MAGA Furious Over Republican Ad Featuring White Man as Face of Welfare
Conservatives are pissed at Sarah Huckabee Sanders for choosing a young white man to portray welfare recipients.
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Reposted by Michael McDonald
Kyle Griffin @kylegriffin1.bsky.social · 20h
WSJ Exclusive: The Trump admin used federal funds from the Department of Homeland Security to finance those controversial pro-Trump ads that started airing on TV. The taxpayer money used to fund the ads came from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
wsj.com
Exclusive | Homeland Security Money Financed Pro-Trump Television Ads
White House calls the spots public-service ads, but critics argue using taxpayer money for campaign-like messaging may violate federal law.
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Michael McDonald @electproject.bsky.social · 23h
Which is more popular? Trump or data centers?
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Reposted by Michael McDonald
Marc Elias @marcelias.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
🚨BREAKING: A federal judge Tuesday allowed a pro-voting challenge to Louisiana’s proof-of-citizenship voter registration law to move forward, including claims that the law discriminates against voters based on national origin. www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/...
democracydocket.com
Judge greenlights challenge to Louisiana anti-voting law, citing discrimination claims
The judge found that the pro-voting plaintiffs had plausibly alleged that officials in Lafayette Parish discriminated against some registration applicants based on national origin.
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Michael McDonald @electproject.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Why would anyone watch Alan Alda play a game? Check. Mate.
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Michael McDonald @electproject.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
#earlyvote morning update 9/29: over half a million people have voted in the 2026 general election 🥳🎉 election.lab.ufl.edu/early-vote/2...
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Reposted by Michael McDonald
Craig Pittman @craigtimes.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
#Florida CFO Blaise "The Blatherer" Ingoglia is spending millions in taxpayer $$$ on ads to promote himself. An appointee of Gov. Ron DeSastrous now running for election, he's ordered up a barrage of pre-election PSAs. jasongarcia.substack.com/p/blaise-ing... via @jasongarcia.bsky.social
jasongarcia.substack.com
Blaise Ingoglia is spending millions in taxpayer money on advertising as he runs for election
Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia, an interim appointee of Ron DeSantis who is now running for election to a full term, has ordered up a barrage of pre-election “public service announcements.”
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Team Talarico @teamtalaricohq.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Ken Paxton: The only thing that really saves us is that the Supreme Court came along and allowed Super PACs. Otherwise... I would be sitting here and never have a chance...
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Reposted by Michael McDonald
Judd Legum @juddlegum.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
1. How has MAGA Inc. raised an unprecedented amount of money? Let’s review:
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Michael McDonald @electproject.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Musk managed to get it up this time, but it sputtered, and then fell back down prematurely
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Michael McDonald @electproject.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
As the world burns this is all they got
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Michael McDonald @electproject.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Much better if Trump steals Cuba's money. Just ask Venezuela
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Reposted by Michael McDonald
Team Talarico @teamtalaricohq.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
John Oliver lists off just some of Ken Paxton’s scandals: “Paxton spent nearly 9 years under indictment for securities fraud... He was also accused of bribery and abuse of office by eight of his own top deputies... But wait, because I'm still not done.”
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Michael McDonald @electproject.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
#earlyvote evening update 9/28: at least 400,020 people have voted in the 2026 general election 🥳 election.lab.ufl.edu/early-vote/2...
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Reposted by Michael McDonald
The Washington Sun @washingtonsun.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
The DOJ spent $1.1 million on an unusually large security detail for Lindsey Halligan during her four-month stint as a White House-appointed federal prosecutor last year, according to records shared with The Washington Sun.
washingtonsun.com
DOJ Spent $1.1 Million on Lindsey Halligan’s Security Detail
The former personal defense attorney for President Donald Trump got extra protection in her 120-day stint as interim U.S. attorney.
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Reposted by Michael McDonald
Kyle Griffin @kylegriffin1.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
The Trump White House official app is fraught with trackers. The White House app covertly collects excessive user data and shares it with third-party trackers while sidestepping federal security rules. For example, the app includes scripts to monitor a user's location several times per minute.
washingtonsun.com
White House Drove Users to Official App Fraught With Trackers
The White House app became the App Store’s most downloaded news app after the president barred three news outlets.
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Michael McDonald @electproject.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
#earlyvote midday update 9/28: at least 383,781 people have voted in the 2026 general election 🥳 election.lab.ufl.edu/early-vote/2...
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Reposted by Michael McDonald
Jake Grumbach @jakemgrumbach.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Whenever you see a pollster or consultant give a take like this, it’s always worth following the money. In this case, Emanuel has paid Anzalone’s firm nearly $300k (maybe more but that’s what I found so far). A consultant class is devouring the Dem Party www.elections.il.gov/CampaignDisc...
John Anzalone &
@JohnAnzo
X.com
Underestimate @RahmEmanuel at your own risk.
He knows how to win. He knows how to fight.
And he knows how to message.
And no one will out work him. Regardless of whether he wins the Democratic nomination in 2028 he will make an impact on the race. You can be sure of that. Don't take your eyes off of him. At the minimum, learn from him.
Rahm Emanuel Makes His 2026 Play
Rahm Emanuel Makes His 2026 Play
From nytimes.com
6:47 AM • 9/26/26 • 274K Views
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Michael McDonald @electproject.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
There will be a concept of a plan ready in two weeks
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Reposted by Michael McDonald
MeidasTouch @meidastouch.com · 28/09/2026
NEW: Food banks across America are being overwhelmed by surging demand. Scott MacFarlane went inside to see the crisis firsthand. Here’s what he found:
meidasnews.com
“They don’t understand the scale of the hunger!”- An unfolding crisis at the nation’s food banks
Weeks before the midterm elections, the cost crisis is hammering food pantries in red and blue states
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Michael McDonald @electproject.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Getting sympathetic profiles in major media outlets?
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Michael McDonald @electproject.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
That's like the cost of one GPU
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Reposted by Michael McDonald
Xela Hart @xelahart.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
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Eric Lipton NYT @ericlipton.nytimes.com · 27/09/2026
What an odd moment in United States history. A U.S. president is running an overtly political camaign advertisement, right before midterm elections, paid for by the U.S. government. Trump appears to believe he is immune from any kind of legal limit. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/27/u...
nytimes.com
A Trump 2024 Campaign Ad Returns, Now Brought to You by the Government (Gift Article)
The ad, which ethics experts said could violate federal law, shows Mr. Trump vowing to “expel the warmongers” from the government and fight the “deep state,” even as he wages a war with Iran.
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Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Your taxpayer dollars are being illegally spent to air a literal Trump 2024 campaign ad.
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Michael McDonald @electproject.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
An “error” affecting 200K registered Texas voters. A new partisan gerrymander. In the state with one of the lowest turnout rates and some of the most competitive elections. Coincidence?
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Reposted by Michael McDonald
Nathaniel Rakich @baseballot.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
After further reporting by @nataliaecm.bsky.social, we now know this error affected at least 200,000 should-be Texas voters. What a mess.
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Michael McDonald @electproject.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Epstein's ghost lives on. The appetites of the rich and powerful did not magically disappear nypost.com/2026/09/24/t...
nypost.com
Silicon Valley ‘sex assault list’ with ‘over 100’ names circulated, warning female tech workers of predators to avoid
“Some of them were very prominent names, you know? People who were famous investors. Businessmen who were in the scene”
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Michael McDonald @electproject.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Jake Tapper took this to a new low this morning. He’s already sucking up to Bari Weiss
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Michael McDonald @electproject.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Some things will never change
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Michael McDonald @electproject.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Trump banning CNN raises questions about Biden’s cognitive functions - by Jake Tapper
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Michael McDonald @electproject.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
I've posted an analysis of what we can learn from early voting so far michaelmcdonald.substack.com/p/early-voti...
michaelmcdonald.substack.com
Early Voting Underway
And what might you draw from it?
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Michael McDonald @electproject.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
MLB, you don't need to defile the Grand Tetons to tell your story. This will do just fine
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Michael McDonald @electproject.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Will be fun to watch Trump turn on every Republican in a close race who tries to distance themself from him. A Republican's greatest sin is Trump disloyalty www.nytimes.com/2026/09/26/u...
static.klipy.com
Bill Hader as Keith Morrison Eating Popcorn
ALT: Bill Hader as Keith Morrison Eating Popcorn
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Michael McDonald @electproject.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
#earlyvote update 9/27: at least 334,753 people have voted in the 2026 general election election.lab.ufl.edu/early-vote/2...
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Michael McDonald @electproject.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
“You are fated to fuck your mother”
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