Nov 6, 2019

Woman who gave middle finger to Trump's motorcade wins Virginia election bid

Photos: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images

Juli Briskman, who was fired from her job after a photo of her giving the middle finger to President Trump's motorcade went viral in 2017, won a seat on the board of supervisors for Loudon County, Va., on Tuesday night, per the AP.

The big picture: Briskman's new seat includes the Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Va.

Go deeper: Democrats capture Virginia Senate

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Axios

Women's Trump-era power surge

Illustration: Axios Visuals

A surge of female winners in this week's state elections — most of them Democrats, and many of them women of color — reflect women's rising political power since the 2016 election, AP reports.

Why it matters: Tuesday's results mean women will hold majorities in places like the Boston City Council, long seen by many as a "boys' club," and lead communities such as Scranton, Pa., where voters elected the city's first female mayor just weeks before she's due to give birth.

Go deeperNov 9, 2019

Marisa Fernandez, Ursula Perano

Former AG Jeff Sessions announces bid for Alabama Senate seat

Former Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Photo: Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images

Former Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced Thursday that he will challenge Alabama Sen. Doug Jones in 2020 for Sessions' previously held Senate seat.

The big picture: Sessions' launch comes exactly one year to the day after he submitted his resignation at the request of President Trump. Sessions, who held the Senate seat from 1997-2017, is entering a crowded primary, as several Republican candidates vie to turn the Alabama seat red again.

Go deeperUpdated Nov 8, 2019

Rashaan Ayesh

Jeff Sessions' Alabama Senate run triggers GOP schism

Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Former Attorney General Jeff Sessions' announcement that he attempt to reclaim his Alabama Senate seat in 2020 is driving a wedge among Republicans.

The big picture: The congressional GOP's unity has been continually tested during the Trump administration, but maintaining a united front has become more important than ever for the party as it angles to flip the House and hang onto the Senate in 2020.

Go deeperNov 8, 2019