Politics Election category, Page 159
‘X-date’ calculations aim to zero in on when the U.S. may run short of cash
WASHINGTON — For all the concern over just when the government might run short of money to pay its bills, it turns out that no one can be absolutely sure exactly when the country will default — what officials are calling the “X-date” — if there’s no deal to raise...
Aide: North Dakota Gov. Burgum planning run for GOP presidential nomination
Two-term North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, a former computer software entrepreneur, is expected to run for the Republican presidential nomination, a political aide familiar with the plans told The Associated Press on Friday, putting him in an already crowded field dominated by ex-President Donald Trump. The aide said Burgum plans...
Iowa law limits gender identity instruction, removes books depicting sex acts from school libraries
DES MOINES, Iowa — Iowa teachers will be banned from raising gender identity and sexual orientation issues with students through grade six, and all books depicting sex acts will be removed from school libraries, under a bill Republican Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signed Friday. The new law is among similar...
Latest GOP 2024 hopeful DeSantis ‘blazing a trail’ on book bans in Republican-controlled states
TALLAHASSEE, Florida— As he vies for the Republican presidential nomination, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is touting a series of measures he has pushed that have led to an upswing in banned or restricted books — not just in Florida schools but in an increasing number of other conservative states. Florida...
Judge halts South Carolina’s new stricter abortion law until state Supreme Court review
COLUMBIA, S.C. — A judge on Friday put a temporary halt to South Carolina’s new law banning most abortions around six weeks of pregnancy until the state Supreme Court can review the measure. The ruling by Judge Clifton Newman came just about 24 hours after Gov. Henry McMaster signed the...
Disney opposes DeSantis request to disqualify judge in free speech lawsuit
ORLANDO, Fla. — Disney is opposing a request by Gov. Ron DeSantis to disqualify a judge overseeing the company’s First Amendment lawsuit against the Florida governor and others in which Disney says it was punished for speaking out against Florida legislation that critics have dubbed “Don’t Say Gay.” Disney said...
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick refuses to say if Texas Senate has votes to convict AG Ken Paxton
AUSTIN — Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick declined to say if enough senators would vote to remove Attorney General Ken Paxton from office should the Capitol’s high chamber hold an impeachment trial. The Texas House is poised to vote on articles of impeachment for Paxton, which include allegations of bribery...
GOP field in Pennsylvania Senate race still wide open as Doug Mastriano says he won’t run
HARRISBURG — A hard-right Pennsylvania state lawmaker said Thursday night that he will not challenge Democratic Sen. Bob Casey, leaving the GOP field wide open as Republican Party officials try to recruit a strong candidate in the moderate battleground state to help capture a Senate majority in 2024. Doug Mastriano,...
Texas lawmakers issue 20 articles of impeachment against state Attorney General Ken Paxton
AUSTIN — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton teetered on the brink of impeachment Thursday after years of scandal, criminal charges and corruption accusations that the state’s Republican majority had largely met with silence for years until now. In an unanimous decision, a Republican-led investigative committee that spent months quietly looking...
DeSantis launches GOP presidential campaign in Twitter announcement plagued by glitchesVideo
MIAMI — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis launched his 2024 presidential campaign on Wednesday with a Twitter announcement plagued by technical glitches, stepping into a crowded Republican primary contest that will test his strength against former President Donald Trump and criticism that he’s not ready for the national stage. The 44-year-old...
Debt ceiling explained: Why it’s a struggle in Washington and how the impasse could end
WASHINGTON — Pushing to strike a debt ceiling deal, the Republican negotiating team headed Wednesday to the White House for more discussions with the sides still far apart. Time is short: There are just days left before the government could run out of cash to pay its bills. The White...
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton likely broke laws, Republican investigation findsVideo
AUSTIN — A Republican-led investigation on Wednesday accused Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton of committing multiple crimes in office — including felonies — during an extraordinary public airing of scandal and alleged lawbreaking that plunged one of the GOP’s conservative stars into new political and legal risk. For more than...
Haley commits to federal abortion ban but says it’s unlikely without more Republicans in Congress
MANCHESTER, N.H. — Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley on Wednesday pledged to sign a federal ban on abortion but noted that passing one would be highly unlikely without more Republicans in Congress. Although Haley didn’t say how many weeks a federal ban should encompass, her commitment to signing one is...
Texas governor sent bill abolishing position of Harris County elections chief
AUSTIN — Shaking up elections in Texas’ largest county, the GOP-controlled Legislature on Tuesday approved abolishing a position in Harris County that oversees more than 2 million voters around Houston months before the city chooses a new mayor. At the same time, Republicans advanced a separate plan that would also...
AP: DeSantis to announce 2024 presidential bid Wednesday on Twitter with Elon Musk
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will announce his 2024 presidential campaign in a Twitter Spaces event with Elon Musk on Wednesday, according to two people with knowledge of his plans. DeSantis, who has long been seen as Donald Trump’s leading rival for the Republican nomination, will reveal his plans in an...
Pa. Sen. Doug Mastriano on GOP opposition to his U.S. Senate bid: ‘It’s irrelevant to me’
Republican state Sen. Doug Mastriano on Monday shrugged off calls from inside his party to oppose his potential U.S. Senate bid, including one from a current legislative colleague. “Of any of the detractors, none have had the cojones to look me in the eye and have a conversation,” Mastriano told...
Judge dismisses Kari Lake’s final claim in election loss for Arizona governor
PHOENIX — A judge on Monday dismissed the only remaining legal claim in Republican Kari Lake’s challenge of her loss in last year’s race for Arizona governor, affirming the election of Democrat Katie Hobbs. Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Peter A. Thompson said Lake failed to prove her claim that...
No debt ceiling agreement in White House meeting, though Biden, McCarthy call talks productiveVideo
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy both said they had a productive debt ceiling discussion late Monday at the White House, but there was no agreement as negotiators strained to raise the nation’s borrowing limit in time to avert a potentially chaotic federal default. It’s a...
TikTok files lawsuit to overturn Montana’s 1st-in-nation ban on the video sharing app
HELENA, Mont. — Social media company TikTok Inc. filed a lawsuit Monday seeking to overturn Montana’s first-in-the-nation ban on the video sharing app, arguing the law is an unconstitutional violation of free speech rights and is based on “unfounded speculation” that the Chinese government could access users’ data. The lawsuit...
Bill to boost funding for road and bridge project advances in Pa. House
HARRISBURG — Legislation designed use the state’s gas tax revenue in its entirety for road and bridge work is advancing in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. The House Transportation Committee on Monday unanimously approved a bill that aligns with Gov. Josh Shapiro’s proposal to gradually reduce the annual appropriation taken...
Nebraska governor signs 12-week abortion ban, limits on gender-affirming care for minorsVideo
LINCOLN, Neb. — Republican Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen signed a bill Monday that bans abortion at 12 weeks of pregnancy and restricts gender-affirming medical care for people younger than 19. The abortion ban takes effect immediately, while the ban on gender-affirming care takes effect on Oct. 1. The hybrid measure...
Tim Scott launches 2024 presidential bid seeking optimistic contrast with other top rivals
NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. — South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott launched his presidential campaign on Monday, offering an optimistic and compassionate message he’s hoping can contrast the two figures who have used political combativeness to dominate the early GOP primary field: former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. The...
Why Biden is wary of using the 14th Amendment to address the debt limit crisis
WASHINGTON — If the fight with Congress over raising the government’s debt limit is such a dire threat, why doesn’t President Joe Biden just raise the borrowing ceiling himself? It’s theoretically possible, but he’s all but ruled it out for now. The administration has been searching for possible ways to...
Progressive shift in Allegheny County Democratic politics years in making, observers say
Three high-profile wins by progressive candidates in last week’s Democratic primary punctuated a shift in the party in Allegheny County that has been years in the making, political observers say. In recent years, progressive candidates have increased the county’s delegation of women in elected office and broken barriers by bringing...
Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s return to Capitol has been closely watched. Can she still do her job?
WASHINGTON — For seven months in 1988, Joe Biden was absent from the Senate, recovering from operations to repair brain aneurysms. The first lasted eight hours. Three months later, a second aneurysm sent him back to surgery. The Delaware senator’s convalescence was so guarded that he wouldn’t take phone calls...
