Virtually the only certain political outcome of 2016 is that voters will select a new president to enter the White House in 2017. Against this backdrop, the legislative and electoral outlook in Washington, DC, remains steeped in political maneuvering. President Obama has made clear that he plans to fight the "lame duck" narrative and complete many of the initiatives his administration has advanced, including moves on environmental policy, labor, tax and trade—even as newly installed House Speaker Paul Ryan seeks to find his footing with an increasingly complex Republican caucus. Democratic minorities in the House and Senate will seek to bolster their election day chances. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky looks to protect a vulnerable Republican majority, while Democratic Leader Harry Reid of Nevada and leader-in-waiting Charles Schumer of New York still work to make vulnerable GOP members buck their party.
Outside the beltway, after a summer and fall of heated debates and barnstorming across early primary states, GOP frontrunner Donald Trump and the other leading candidates in the Republican field will face voters during the Iowa Caucus. A crowded Republican field will fight for one of the, historically, four tickets out of Iowa. A more muted contest for the Democratic nomination, while far from a coronation, certainly seems to point to a Clinton on the national ballot again.
Dentons' bipartisan group of Public Policy and Regulation professionals offers you our US Policy Scan 2016, a detailed analysis to capture what you need to know about the legislative and electoral outlook over these next 12 months. Our team highlights the potential legislative action for policy issues across the spectrum, and looks at an increasingly unsettled electorate and the implications on election day.
Download the US Policy Scan 2016 Report
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