Jonathan Zhang's AP U.S. Government Blog

1. How much has Trump spent advertising on Facebook about the impeachment process? $1.6 million 2. Which voters is he targeting his ads towards? He is targeting his voter base instead of the deciding votes. He wants to assure them that the impeachment is a plot by the Democrats, not a nonpartisan political process. 3. What are the ads about? They build the conspiracy instead of addressing the actual issues of impeachment. These ads are meant to keep voters from switching sides and rile them up against Democrats. 4. How much did political groups spend on advertising on Facebook in the 2018 elections? $284 million 5. What percentage of Trump's advertising is about the impeachment? 30% 6. What age groups is Trump targeting with this advertising? 90% aimed at >35 year olds 30% of that 90% aimed at 65+ 7. Where is Trump avoiding using these ads? He isn't focusing on the states that won him the 2016 election. This allows him to test what ads are th...

​1. What changed about Virginia's government in last week's elections? The Democrats now control the House and Senate in Virginia's state legislature. They want to become the last state needed to ratify the ERA. 2. What would the Equal Rights Amendment proposed in 1972 do? It would give equal rights to everyone regardless of sex. Congress can pass legislation to enforce the legislation, and it would take effect two years after ratification. 3. How many states ratified the amendment when it was originally proposed?  What states have ratified it recently? 22 states ratified within first year, and 35 states initially ratified it during the first attempt to pass the ERA. 2 other states, Nevada and Illinois, ratified it in 2017 and 2018, respectively.  4. According to the constitution, why is it necessary to have a 38th state ratify the amendment? 3/4 majority has to be reached in the 50 state legislatures to ratify an amendment, so that is why the 38th state is crucial to c...

1. Why is the Liberty and Justice Celebration dinner important to candidates? It is the largest gathering of Iowa voters and represents a chance to change the voters' opinions before the Iowa caucus. Undecided voters can be swayed. 2. What percentage of voters still consider themselves undecided?  What percentage of voters are currently certain of their choice in candidates? 29% are undecided. 20% are certain. This leaves lots of rooms for candidates to get support. 3. Which candidates are seeing an increase in support? Which candidates are seeing a decrease in support? Buttigieg was able to gather lots of support and has the third position in the polls. Biden was supposed to be the frontrunner but is now fourth. Bernie and Biden aren't doing as well as Buttigieg and Warren. 4. What message does Pete Buttigieg use to try to stand out to voters? Buttigieg wishes to contrast himself with Warren as a centrist and Obama supporter. He rides Obama's coattails and wants to ach...