Email from Vote Smart This Week's Research Today   Vote Smart Weekly Digest The Vote Smart Weekly Digest brings you timely, non-partisan insights straight to your inbox, helping you stay informed on key political facts and developments.   Research Highlights: President-Elect Trump Cabinet Appointments: Since his election, President-Elect Donald Trump has made a variety of high-profile cabinet appointments, mostly in the national security and foreign policy space. Among them, for Secretary of State, he chose Senator Marco Rubio of Florida; Fox New host Pete Hegseth for Secretary of Defense; Florida Representative Matt Gaetz for Attorney General; South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem for Secretary of Homeland Security; and New York Representative Elise Stefanik for Ambassador to the United Nations. All of these positions will require confirmation by the United States Senate. Republican Senate Leadership Election: On Wednesday, Senate Republicans met to elect their new leadership after regaining the majority after last week’s elections. With Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky retiring from his longtime role of Republican Leader, the party selected his deputy, Senator John Thune of South Dakota, to take the role of Majority Leader when the new Congress convenes on January 3rd, 2025. Alongside Thune, Republicans elected Senator John Barasso of Wyoming as Majority Whip and Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas as Republican Conference Chair. As of now, Senate Democrats have no plans to change up their leadership team, and both parties in the House are meeting to hold their own leadership elections. Supreme Court Declines Mark Meadows' Appeal: The U.S. Supreme Court has refused to hear an appeal from former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, who sought to move his Georgia election interference case to federal court. This decision means that Meadows will face charges in state court related to alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia.    President-Elect Trump Cabinet Appointments Republican Senate Leadership Election Supreme Court Declines Mark Meadows' Appeal   Key Votes: Congressional and State No Congressional legislation updates this week Colorado (SB 24-182): Amends the ID Requirement for the Colorado Road and Community Safety Act New Jersey (A 1848): Prohibits Certain Weight Loss and Dietary Supplements for Persons Under 18 Years of Age Iowa (SF 2109): Amends Driving Privileges for Student Licenses from 50 to 25 Miles     Political Highlights: Elections: Our team is hard at work processing the election results! Click on the links below to view the winners of each race! 2024 Presidential Election 2024 Congressional Elections 2024 Gubernational (Governor) Elections 2024 Statewide Elections 2024 State Judicial Elections 2024 State Legislative Elections Biographies of Candidates and Officials: Click on the links below to view the profiles of each person Senator John Thune of South Dakota will be the next Senate Majority Leader Senator Marco Rubio of Florida was appointed to be the next Secretary of State starting at the beginning of Donald Trump’s second term, pending confirmation by the U.S. Senate Tiawana Brown is the District 3 Representative for the Charlotte City Council. A lifelong native of Charlotte, she has worked in telecommunications management as a consultant for Fortune 500 companies and, after serving a federal sentence, started a nonprofit that aims to prevent the incarceration of women and girls. Yusuf Salaam is the District 9 Representative for the New York City Council. A poet and inspirational speaker before his election, he was also a member of the “Central Park Five,” who were convicted of crimes they did not commit in 1989. Candidates who have recently filled out our Political Courage Test (PCT):  The PCT won't be sent out again until Fall 2025, but click here to view responses for your state's Political Courage Test   Staff Shoutout! Thomas is one of Vote Smart's Research Associates under the Officials team! Outside of the office, Thomas enjoys watching sports, kayaking, biking, hiking, and camping when the weather is nice.   Donate to keep us running on facts.   Share This Email Share This Email Share This Email Vote Smart | 1153 24TH ST | DES MOINES, IA 50311-4308 US Unsubscribe | Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice