Politics Election category, Page 162
DeSantis stacks conservative agenda; presidential run looms
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — From the death penalty to gender identity to abortion, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has cemented himself as a conservative standard bearer as he prepares to launch a presidential campaign sometime after the legislative session ends this week. With the help of GOP supermajorities in the statehouse, the...
Philadelphia mayoral race hones in on crime policies
In Philadelphia’s first mayoral race since crime spiked during the coronavirus pandemic, the crowded Democratic field is trying to make public safety a campaign cornerstone, advocating approaches that range from mental health interventions and cleaner streets to echoes of “tough-on-crime” Republican rhetoric. Six Democrats are considered serious contenders to succeed...
Florida Republicans pass school bills on pronouns, diversity
TALLAHASSEE — Florida Republicans on Wednesday approved bills to ban diversity programs in colleges and prevent students and teachers from being required to use pronouns that don’t correspond to someone’s sex, building on top priorities of Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. The two proposals were given final passage by the Republican...
GOP subpoenas FBI for Biden records; White House denounces ‘innuendo’
WASHINGTON — A House Republican subpoenaed FBI Director Chris Wray on Wednesday for what he claimed are bureau records related to President Joe Biden and his family, basing the demand on newly surfaced allegations he said an unnamed whistleblower made to Congress. The White House said it was the latest...
Pa. House committee approves bill tightening railroad regulations after East Palestine derailment
A bill that would expand Pennsylvania’s role in railroad safety enforcement passed a House committee vote with broad bipartisan support Wednesday, three months after East Palestine, Ohio rail disaster near the state border. The House Consumer Protection, Technology, and Utilities Committee approved House Bill 1028 Wednesday on a 19-2 vote....
Bernie Sanders endorses Sara Innamorato in race for Allegheny County executive
The country’s most prominent progressive politician is endorsing state Rep. Sara Innamorato in the race for Allegheny County’s highest elected office. The endorsement from U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., came Tuesday as a poll in the race for county executive showed Innamorato surging into the lead among Democratic candidates. Sanders,...
Voters oust Michigan clerk who doubts election results
ADAMS TOWNSHIP, Mich. — Voters in one of Michigan’s most conservative counties have ousted a small-town clerk accused of improperly handling voting equipment after casting doubt on President Joe Biden’s election victory. Stephanie Scott lost Tuesday’s recall election in Hillsdale County’s Adams Township to Suzy Roberts, who got 406 votes...
Judge rejects Zooey Zephyr bid to return to Montana House
HELENA, Mont. — Rep. Zooey Zephyr, the transgender Montana lawmaker silenced after telling Republicans they would have blood on their hands for opposing gender-affirming health care for kids, cannot return to the statehouse House floor and participate in debate, a judge ruled Tuesday. District Court Judge Mike Menahan said it...
Bill to broaden LGBTQ+ protections passes Pennsylvania House
HARRISBURG — A bill to broaden protections for LGBTQ+ people passed the Pennsylvania state House of Representatives on Tuesday — the first to advance this far after yearslong efforts by Democrats — though it faces strong headwinds in the Republican-controlled Senate. The bill passed 102-98 in the House where Democrats...
Debt deadline: White House meeting set, but no solution yet
WASHINGTON — Facing the risk of a an unprecedented U.S. government default by month’s end, President Joe Biden has invited the top four congressional leaders to face-to-face talks at the White House next week. It’s the first concrete step toward negotiations on averting a potential economic catastrophe, but there’s a...
U.S. Rep. Summer Lee votes against resolution honoring U.S.-Israel relationship
The U.S. House passed a resolution last week honoring America’s relationship with Israel on the 75th anniversary of its independence, but U.S. Rep. Summer Lee, D-Swissvale, was part of a small group of representatives to vote against the bill. House Resolution 311 passed with bipartisan support on a 401-19 vote....
Trump PAC complaint against DeSantis rejected in Florida
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — A Florida ethics board has dismissed a complaint that allies of former President Donald Trump filed against Republican rival Gov. Ron DeSantis, finding no legal basis for allegations that the governor violated campaign finance laws with a “shadow” run for the White House. The Florida Commission on...
Pennsylvania Senate panel advances bill that would ban supervised injection site
A state Senate bill that would ban what are often called “supervised injection sites” has elicited a divide among Democratic lawmakers and potentially opened a new front in Republicans’ repeated efforts to circumvent the power of Philadelphia’s district attorney. The Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday discussed and ultimately approved Senate...
CNN says Trump to appear in New Hampshire town hall
NEW YORK — As president, Donald Trump frequently derided CNN as “fake news.” Now that he’s running again, Trump has agreed to appear on a live town hall forum from New Hampshire next week for CNN viewers. The event, scheduled for May 10 at St. Anselm’s College in Goffstown, N.H.,...
Treasury’s Yellen says U.S. could default as soon as June 1
WASHINGTON — Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen notified Congress on Monday that the U.S. could default on its debt as early as June 1, if legislators do not raise or suspend the nation’s borrowing authority before then and avert what could potentially become a global financial crisis. In a letter to...
The Pa. legislature appears to have met a tax break it doesn’t like: one for teachers, nurses, and cops
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — Harrisburg policymakers appear unlikely to embrace a signature selling point in Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro’s first budget: a tax...
Trump accuser says many in her generation didn’t report rape
NEW YORK — A magazine columnist who says Donald Trump raped her in a department store’s dressing room two decades before he became president acknowledged Monday that she never followed her own advice to readers that they report sexual attacks to police. E. Jean Carroll told a Manhattan federal court...
Florida Gov. DeSantis board approves suing Disney in latest tug-of-war
ORLANDO, Fla. — Days after Disney sued Florida’s governor in federal court for what it described as retaliation for opposing the state’s so-called “Don’t Say Gay” bill, members of Disney World’s governing board — made up of Gov. Ron DeSantis appointees — authorized a lawsuit Monday against the entertainment giant....
Biden’s diverse coalition of support risks fraying in 2024
WASHINGTON — Former Sen. Joe Lieberman, the Connecticut Democrat-turned-Independent long known for his centrist views, voted for Joe Biden in 2020. But as Biden’s reelection campaign begins, Lieberman is preparing to recruit a third-party candidate capable of defeating the Democratic president. “Centrists and moderates feel that he’s governed more from...
Westmoreland again expected to be major factor in 2024 presidential race
Eyes could once again be on Westmoreland County as a key indicator ahead of the 2024 presidential election. With President Joe Biden’s announcement last week that he will seek a second term in office, political observers said the county is expected to play an outsized role in determining who wins...
Biden to huddle with top donors as 2024 effort kicks off
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden thanked some of his top donors Friday night as he launches a reelection campaign that is expected to need to raise well over $1 billion to secure his second term. “It’s because of you, I’m standing here,” Biden said in the ballroom of a Washington...
Rising GOP star embroiled in tough Kentucky primary fight
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Flagged as a rising Republican star who worked for Mitch McConnell and pitched Donald Trump’s campaign to Black voters, Daniel Cameron could have taken a cautious approach and run for reelection as attorney general. Instead, he took a career-defining risk by plunging into Kentucky’s competitive race for...
Pence testifies before election probe grand jury
WASHINGTON — Former Vice President Mike Pence testified Thursday before a federal grand jury investigating efforts by then-President Donald Trump and his allies to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, according to a person familiar with the matter. The person requested anonymity to discuss the private appearance before...
Trump back in New Hampshire, 1st event since Biden launch
MANCHESTER, N.H. — Former President Donald Trump is returning to New Hampshire on Thursday for his first campaign appearance since President Joe Biden launched his own reelection bid, heading for a potential 2024 rematch. The appearance at a downtown Manchester hotel, expected to be a smaller event than Trump’s typical...
Florida Gov. DeSantis says Disney lawsuit is political
JERUSALEM — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday shrugged off Disney’s lawsuit against him as politically motivated, and said that it was time for the iconic company to stop enjoying favorable treatment in his state. Disney sued DeSantis on Wednesday over the Republican’s appointment of a board of supervisors in...
