The Economist explains

Why have so few American presidents been from the West?

Kamala Harris’s nomination would be a milestone for the region

Vice President Kamala Harris stands clapping her hands in front of the USA flag in the House of Representatives, Washington, DC, USA.
Photograph: Getty Images

WHEN KAMALA HARRIS secures the Democratic nomination for president it will mark a number of firsts. She will be the first black woman, and the first Asian-American, to be a major party’s nominee for president. But she will also achieve a lesser-known first. Ms Harris will be the first presidential nominee in the Democratic Party’s nearly 200-year history to hail from a western state.

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Is RFK junior right to say America allows more toxins than the EU?

He is, but things are slowly beginning to change

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The price of shutting down coal power, and what would be gained


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Should America ban fluoride in its drinking water?

The idea by Robert F. Kennedy junior—nominated by Donald Trump as health secretary—may have teeth


Why is Donald Trump keen to use “recess appointments”?

The president-elect is testing the loyalty of the Senate’s next majority leader

Will Donald Trump’s power be unchecked if Republicans win the House?

A “trifecta” of presidency, Senate and House of Representatives would provide a huge opportunity

Why The Economist endorses political candidates

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