Politics Election category, Page 180
GOP stumbles with independents contributed to midterm woes
EAGAN, Minn. — As Republican Tyler Kistner’s closing ad aired last month in one of the most competitive congressional districts in the U.S., Vickie Klang felt that something was missing. The 58-year-old veterinary technician and self-described independent voter watched as the 30-second spot showed grainy black-and-white images of President Joe...
Josh Shapiro’s win is high note amid antisemitism surge
PITTSBURGH — Josh Shapiro will be taking office as Pennsylvania’s next governor in January after running a campaign in which he spoke early and often about his Jewish religious heritage. At a time of rising concern about overt expressions of antisemitism, some observers are seeing a bright spot in his...
Rep. Conor Lamb reflects on Capitol riot and aftermath as he departs office
As U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb’s tenure comes to a close, he has not been able to shake the memory of the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riot. “On that day, it just felt like an attack on our country,” he said. The Democrat from Mt. Lebanon will be leaving office come...
What Josh Shapiro’s transition team says about how he’ll govern, and why some picks are raising eyebrows
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 — The transition team helping Gov.-elect Josh Shapiro prepare for office is wide-ranging and, in some cases, controversial, offering a...
Jan. 6 panel releases report, describes Trump ‘conspiracy’
WASHINGTON — The House Jan. 6 committee’s final report asserts that Donald Trump criminally engaged in a “multi-part conspiracy” to overturn the lawful results of the 2020 presidential election and failed to act to stop his supporters from attacking the Capitol, concluding an extraordinary 18-month investigation into the former president...
Pittsburgh controller candidate calls out Elon Musk after moving drag campaign event following online harassment
A Democratic candidate for Pittsburgh city controller said she moved a recent campaign event to a private location after being harassed following a post by a controversial, right-wing Twitter account. In response, Rachael Heisler is criticizing Twitter CEO Elon Musk and questioning why a new safety policy on the social...
Rep.-elect George Santos says he’ll address questions
NEW YORK — A newly elected New York Republican whose life story has come under question since his election to the U.S. House of Representatives said Thursday that he plans to respond to the concerns. In a statement on Twitter, Rep.-elect George Santos said, “I have my story to tell...
Senate passes $1.7 trillion bill to fund goverment, aid UkraineVideo
WASHINGTON — The Senate passed a massive $1.7 trillion spending bill Thursday that finances federal agencies through September and provides another significant round of military and economic aid to Ukraine one day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s dramatic address to a joint meeting of Congress. The bill, which runs for...
Key Jan. 6 witness Cassidy Hutchinson says lawyer sought to influence testimony
WASHINGTON — Former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson described to the House Jan. 6 committee a wide-ranging pressure campaign from Donald Trump’s allies aimed at influencing her cooperation with Congress and stifling potentially damaging testimony about him. In extraordinary closed-door testimony made public Thursday, Hutchinson recounted how those in the...
House OKs bill on IRS audits of presidents
WASHINGON — The House took action Thursday after disclosures that the IRS never fully reviewed Donald Trump’s tax returns during his presidency, passing a bill that would require audits of any president’s income tax filings. The legislation would turn what had been a long-standing post-Watergate norm into established federal policy....
Newspaper: Georgia congressman may have illegally voted
ATLANTA — A Georgia congressman voted three times this year in a county where he no longer lives, possibly violating state law, state records show. Republican U.S. Rep. Drew Ferguson’s congressional website shows he lives with his wife in The Rock, 63 miles away from his former home in West...
Jan. 6 panel prepares to release final report on insurrectionVideo
WASHINGTON — An 800-page report set to be released by House investigators will conclude that then-President Donald Trump criminally plotted to overturn his 2020 election defeat and “provoked his supporters to violence” at the Capitol with false claims of widespread voter fraud. The resulting Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection of Trump’s...
Losing candidate calls for ethics probe of New York Rep.-elect George Santos over fake résumé reports
NEW YORK — The Democratic candidate who lost a Long Island congressional seat to Rep.-elect George Santos says the incoming GOP lawmaker should face major investigations over shocking reports he faked big chunks of his résumé. Robert Zimmerman, who lost the blue-leaning 3rd District seat to Santos in an upset,...
Special election candidates selected for 3 state House races in Allegheny County
The fields have been set in three pivotal special elections in Allegheny County, with the local branches of the Democratic and Republican parties selecting their candidates in the races. The Allegheny County GOP on Saturday selected its three candidates for the upcoming special elections in the 32nd, 34th, and 35th...
Proud Boys Capitol trial begins as Jan. 6 panel report looms
WASHINGTON — Jury selection in the seditious conspiracy case against former Proud Boys national chairman Enrique Tarrio and four others charged in the attack on the U.S. Capitol began Monday after the judge denied defense attorneys’ last-minute bid to delay over expected congressional action related to Jan. 6, 2021. Defense...
Jan. 6 panel urges Trump prosecution with criminal referralVideo
WASHINGTON — The House Jan. 6 committee urged the Justice Department on Monday to bring criminal charges against Donald Trump for the violent 2021 Capitol insurrection, calling for accountability for the former president and “a time of reflection and reckoning.” After one of the most exhaustive and aggressive congressional probes...
McCarthy’s race for speaker risks upending House on Day One
WASHINGTON — In his quest to rise to House speaker, Kevin McCarthy is charging straight into history — potentially becoming the first nominee in 100 years unable to win the job on a first-round floor vote. The increasingly real prospect of a messy fight over the speaker’s gavel on Day...
What to watch as Jan. 6 committee wraps up its investigation
WASHINGTON — The House committee investigating the Capitol riot will make its final public presentation Monday about the unprecedented effort by Donald Trump to overturn the results of the presidential election he lost in 2020. The committee has called it an “attempted coup” that warrants criminal prosecution from the Justice...
Senate passes defense bill rescinding covid vaccine mandate
WASHINGTON — A bill to rescind the covid-19 vaccine mandate for members of the U.S. military and provide nearly $858 billion for national defense passed the Senate on Thursday and now goes to President Joe Biden to be signed into law. The bill provides for about $45 billion more for...
GOP seeks vote in May on Dem vacancies in House power struggle
HARRISBURG — The Pennsylvania House’s Republican leader on Thursday submitted paperwork seeking to wait until the May primary before holding special elections in two vacant districts, the latest move in a power struggle over control of the nearly evenly divided chamber. Republican Leader Bryan Cutler of Lancaster County sent Allegheny...
New York bans pet stores from selling cats, dogs, rabbits
ALBANY, N.Y. — New York on Thursday became the latest state to ban the sale of cats, dogs and rabbits in pet stores in an attempt to target commercial breeding operations decried by critics as “puppy mills.” The new law, which was signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul and takes effect...
Ohio education bill, transgender athlete ban die in House
COLUMBUS — The latest proposal to give Ohio’s governor more power overseeing K-12 education cleared the state Senate with a ban on transgender student-athletes in girls sports — but hit a roadblock hours later when the legislation fell several votes short of passage in the House early Thursday. The bill...
Rep. Sara Innamorato joins crowded field of Allegheny County executive candidates
A fifth Democratic candidate for Allegheny County executive has entered the field, and one with arguably the largest base of progressive support. State Rep. Sara Innamorato, D-Lawrenceville, announced her candidacy Thursday at an event in Millvale. She was flanked by more than 60 supporters inside the Millvale Food + Energy...
House approves referendum to ‘decolonize’ Puerto RicoVideo
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House passed a bill Thursday that would allow Puerto Rico to hold the first-ever binding referendum on whether to become a state or gain some sort of independence, in a last-ditch effort that stands little chance of passing the Senate. The bill, which passed 233-191 with...
Democrat Dave Fawcett announces run for Allegheny County Executive
A former Allegheny County councilman said Thursday that he is running to replace outgoing County Executive Rich Fitzgerald. Attorney Dave Fawcett, 64, of Oakmont, said he is seeking the Democratic nomination in next year’s race. He joins a growing Democratic field, which already includes Allegheny County Councilwoman Liv Bennett, Pittsburgh...
