The following political story of the year has been the 270-day long speakership of Representative Kevin McCarthy, whose slim majority in the House of Representatives has enabled a far-right rebellion to exert more weight over the lower chamber. The battle between the Freedom Caucus and McCarthy has been at the heart of an averted debt-ceiling crisis and the annual budget debate nearly devolving into a government shutdown, all culminating in the removal of McCarthy on October 3. The debate over abortion has further continued, with numerous laws being passed by state legislatures and court decisions issued at all levels over the issue with last year's overturning of Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey with Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization. Political and media attention also has focused on a series of alleged Chinese spy balloons entering US airspace, various candidates entering the race for the following year's presidential election, legal issues surrounding former president Donald Trump and to a lesser extent Representative George Santos, and the continued intensity of a culture war most notably escalated by an ongoing feud between Florida governor Ron DeSantis and the Walt Disney Company over the state's Parental Rights in Education Act.

2023 also saw the roots of a global banking crisis arise out of four American regional banks, the two largest being Silicon Valley Bank and First Republic Bank. 2021's inflation surge moderated in 2023, while the Federal Reserve continued to raise its interest rates in the first half of the year. The rise of artificial intelligence and large language models dominated not only the economy but has also been at the root of a Hollywood "double strike" conducted by Writers Guild of America and a SAG-AFTRA strike; these were part of a larger phenomenon of labor strikes across the country, in which such large diverse groups, such as teamsters and autoworkers won new contracts. Additionally, the latter half of the year saw many large mergers and acquisitions; some of the largest announcements being in oil and gas with ExxonMobil's purchase of Pioneer Natural Resources for nearly $60 billion and Chevron's acquisition of Hess Corporation for $50 billion, both in October and pending regulatory approval prior to closure. Mass shootings in 2023 have also continued in high numbers, with 528 occurring as of October 2 according to Gun Violence Archive. Additionally in 2023, as of November 8, the US experienced 25 weather and climate disasters which caused at least $1 billion in damage each.

Incumbents Federal government President: Joe Biden (D-Delaware) Vice President: Kamala Harris (D-California) Chief Justice: John Roberts (Maryland) Speaker of the House: Nancy Pelosi (D-California) (until January 3) Kevin McCarthy (R-California) (January 7 – October 3) vacant (October 3–25), Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) (since October 25) Senate Majority Leader: Chuck Schumer (D-New York) Congress: 117th (until January 3), 118th (starting January 3)

State governments Governors and lieutenant governors Governors

Lieutenant governors

Elections

Elections were held on November 7, 2023. This was an off-year election where neither the president or vice president were on the ballot. Seats in the US Congress were not up for election either, save for special elections. One vacancy in the Senate opened up this year due to the death of Dianne Feinstein; California governor Gavin Newsom appointed Laphonza Butler to serve the remainder of Feinstein's term.

Kentucky, Louisiana, and Mississippi held elections for their governors, lieutenant governors, state treasurers, attorney generals, and state agriculture commissioners. The cities of Chicago, Columbus, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Memphis, Nashville, Philadelphia, and Salt Lake City elected their mayors.

State and local elections

April 4 2023 Chicago mayoral election: Democrat Brandon Johnson is elected as mayor of Chicago. 2023 Wisconsin Supreme Court election: Liberal candidate Janet Protasiewicz defeats conservative candidate Daniel Kelly, providing liberals with control of the state's highest court for the first time in fifteen years. June 6 – 2023 Denver mayoral election: Democrat Mike Johnston is elected as mayor of Denver. October 14 – 2023 Louisiana gubernatorial election: Republican Jeff Landry is elected Governor of Louisiana, defeating Democratic front-runner Shawn Wilson and several other candidates in a jungle primary. Republican Jeff Landry wins the Louisiana governor’s race, reclaims office for GOP AP News, October 15, 2023 November 7 2023 Kentucky gubernatorial election – Democratic Governor Andy Beshear is re-elected, defeating Republican state Attorney General Daniel Cameron.Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, a Democrat, has won reelection NPR, November 7, 2023 2023 Mississippi gubernatorial election – Republican Governor Tate Reeves is re-elected, defeating Democratic Mississippi Public Service Commission member Brandon Presley.Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves projected to beat Brandon Presley ABC News, November 8, 2023

Special elections February 21 – A special election was held to fill the vacancy in left by Democrat Donald McEachin, who died on November 28, 2022. Democrat Jennifer McClellan wins the election to serve out the remainder of McEachin's term. November 7 – Democrat David Cicilline of resigned from Congress to become the president and CEO of the Rhode Island Foundation. He was succeeded by Democrat Gabe Amo, who defeated Republican Gerry Leonard Jr. in a special election, becoming the first African American to represent Rhode Island in Congress. November 21 – Republican Chris Stewart resigned as representative of to focus on his wife's ongoing health issues. Republican Celeste Maloy, Stewart's former legal counsel, won the special election to succeed him, defeating Democrat Kathleen Riebe and other third party candidates.

Referendums

March 7 – Oklahoma voters rejected State Question 820, which if passed, would have legalized recreational cannabis for adults 21 and over, given a 15% excise tax on cannabis sales. The margin against State Question 820 was an overwhelming 62% against. April 4 – Wisconsin voters approved Question 1, Question 2, and Question 3, all by landslides. Questions 1 and 2 were binding votes ratifying amendments to the Constitution of Wisconsin, Question 3 was a nonbinding referendum. Question 1 raised the conditions necessary for pretrial release from jail; Question 2 inserted an additional paragraph allowing judges wider latitude for when to apply cash bail for people accused of violent crimes; Question 3 posed the question "Shall able-bodied, childless adults be required to look for work in order to receive taxpayer-funded welfare benefits?" Question 3 had no legal effect, and Wisconsin law already has work requirements for all welfare programs in the state. August 8 – Ohioans voted to reject Issue 1 by a margin of 57% against to 43% in favor. If passed, the ballot measure would have required future constitutional amendments to be passed by a 60% margin among other changes, as opposed to the existing 50% margin for approval. The ballot measure was widely seen as a litmus test for a November vote to codify abortion rights in the Republican-led state. November 7 Ohio voters approve proposals to codify abortion rights in the state's constitution and legalize marijuana for recreational use.Ohio voters enshrine abortion access in constitution in latest statewide win for reproductive rights AP News, November 8, 2023Ohio votes to legalize marijuana for adult recreational use, becoming 24th state to do so AP News, November 8, 2023 Texas voters approve 13 out of 14 amendments to the Constitution of Texas.

Ongoing events COVID-19 pandemic in the United States (until May 11) United States racial unrest (2020–2023) (until September 26) Indictments against Donald Trump

Events January January 1 Public Domain Day: Books, films, and other works published in 1927 enter the public domain. The FDA designates sesame seeds as one of the major food allergens. January 2 – 2022 NFL season: Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin collapses from cardiac arrest after a tackle, causing the Bills' game against the Cincinnati Bengals to be cancelled and deemed as a no contest. January 3 The 118th United States Congress convenes following the 2022 midterm elections. For the next four days, fifteen sessions transpire to determine the Speaker of the House of Representatives. This is the first time that a House speaker was not determined by an initial vote in over 99 years. The final of several related shootings which allegedly target Democrats occurs at the home of a Democratic politician in Albuquerque, New Mexico. There are no deaths or injuries. Amber McLaughlin becomes the first transgender death row inmate to be executed in the United States. January 4 European Union regulators issue a $414 million fine against Meta Platforms for violating the General Data Protection Regulation on Facebook and Instagram. A mass shooting occurs inside a house in Enoch, Utah. Eight members of a single family, consisting of three adults and five children, are killed, with their bodies being found by police during a welfare check. January 5 The South Carolina Supreme Court strikes down the state's six-week abortion ban, ruling it violates the state's constitution. The Idaho Supreme Court upholds the state's ban on abortion in a 3–2 ruling. January 6 – A sixteen-judge panel on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit blocks a federal ban on bump stocks. January 7 After four days and fifteen ballots, Representative Kevin McCarthy is elected the 55th Speaker of the House of Representatives. San Francisco's Central Subway enters full revenue service. Five black police officers of the Memphis Police Department, severely beat Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man, during a traffic stop. Nichols dies due to his injuries on January 10, and his death causes outrage and protests across the country. January 8 Immigration policy of the Joe Biden administration: President Biden visits the Mexico–United States border for the first time during his presidency. Senator Ben Sasse resigns to become the president-designate of the University of Florida. January 9 – The University of Georgia Bulldogs win the 2023 College Football Playoff National Championship at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. Georgia defeats Texas Christian University by a score of 65–7, the largest victory in college bowl game history. January 10 Allen Weisselberg is sentenced to five months in jail for a decade-long tax fraud scheme involving the Trump Organization. The 80th Golden Globe Awards ceremony takes place in Beverly Hills. Recreational cannabis sales begin in Connecticut. January 11 – 2023 FAA system outage: For the first time since 9/11, the Federal Aviation Administration issues a nationwide ground stop following the failure of the FAA's NOTAM system. January 12 – Joe Biden classified documents incident: Attorney general Merrick Garland appoints Robert Hur to investigate mishandling of classified documents by President Biden. January 12–22 – The 2023 Winter World University Games are held in Lake Placid, New York. January 16 – A baby, a teenager, and four others are killed in a mass shooting at a home in Goshen, California, by alleged cartel members. January 18 – The US Virgin Islands legalizes marijuana, becoming the third US territory and 25th US jurisdiction overall to do so. January 19 – Trade union membership hits an all-time low in US dropping from 10.3% to 10.1%. January 21 – A mass shooting occurs at a dance studio in Monterey Park, California, after a Lunar New Year celebration. Eleven people are killed, and nine more are injured; the perpetrator commits suicide the following day. January 23