Politics Election category, Page 207
More Republicans have died of covid-19. Does that mean the polls are off?
WASHINGTON — Doctors and demographers recently noticed another tragic example of how polarization shapes America: The pandemic has killed more people in the nation’s Republican enclaves than its Democratic strongholds. They explain the gap by pointing to Republican resistance to vaccines and the GOP’s more cavalier approach to combating the...
Forum gets tense in GOP’s sharp-elbowed U.S. Senate primaryVideo
HARRISBURG — The first public appearance between the highest-profile Republicans running for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania quickly became chippy Wednesday, as themes playing out in millions of dollars in sharp-elbowed TV attack ads played out on a small forum stage. The campaign is one of this year’s premier Senate contests...
With at least 1 GOP vote, Ketanji Brown Jackson likely to be confirmed
WASHINGTON — Maine Sen. Susan Collins said Wednesday she will vote to confirm Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, giving Democrats at least one Republican vote and all but assuring that Jackson will become the first Black woman on the Supreme Court. Collins met with Jackson a second time this week after...
The public could gain easy access to info about how Pa. lawmakers spend taxpayer money on perks
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 — A long-awaited transparency bill that would make legislative expenses accessible online for easy public viewing unanimously cleared a key...
What the law says about presidential records
WASHINGTON — Revelations of a roughly eight-hour gap in official records of then-President Donald Trump’s phone calls on the day of last year’s insurrection at the U.S. Capitol are raising fresh questions about the diligence — or lack thereof — of his record keeping. The committee investigating the Jan. 6,...
GOP’s Senate campaign chief won’t back down from party fight
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Rick Scott likes to think of himself as Gen. Ulysses S. Grant during the Civil War. Barely halfway through his first Senate term, the Florida Republican is already leaning into a fight against his own party’s leadership as he navigates a delicate alliance with former President Donald...
Census Bureau looking at adjusting for undercounts in some numbers
The U.S. Census Bureau is going to look at ways to possibly adjust its annual population estimates to account for the undercounts of some minority groups in the 2020 census numbers, a top official at the statistical agency said Tuesday. A technical research team within the Census Bureau is looking...
Pa. Republicans eye greater control over redistricting in response to new political maps
This article is part of a yearlong reporting project focused on redistricting and gerrymandering in Pennsylvania. It is made possible by the support of Spotlight PA members and Votebeat, a project focused on election integrity and voting access. HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania Republicans are moving to change how the state’s political...
Busch beer heiress enters Missouri U.S. Senate race
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Anheuser-Busch beer heiress Trudy Busch Valentine on Tuesday announced her candidacy for U.S. Senate, shaking up what has been a low-profile Democratic primary in a solidly red state. Busch Valentine’s entrance into the race comes amid widespread calls from fellow Republicans for former Gov. Eric Greitens...
All about Florida’s ‘Don’t say gay’ bill
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Gov. Ron DeSantis signed House Bill 1557, officially named the “Parental Rights in Education” bill, into law on Monday. Critics of the measure, dubbed by opponents as the “Don’t say gay” bill, range from state Democrats to Hollywood celebrities to President Joe Biden. It’s been mentioned on...
Trump suit against Clinton part of longtime legal strategy
NEW YORK — When a Pulitzer Prize-winning architecture critic panned Donald Trump’s plans for a new Manhattan skyscraper, Trump responded by suing. When the tenants of a building he was trying to clear sued to halt their evictions, Trump slapped back by filing suit against the law firm representing the...
Nebraska lawmaker Bruce Bostelman apologizes for debunked litter box claimVideo
LINCOLN, Neb. — A Nebraska state lawmaker apologized on Monday after he publicly cited a persistent but debunked rumor alleging that schools are placing litter boxes in school bathrooms to accommodate children who self-identify as cats. Sen. Bruce Bostelman, a conservative Republican, repeated the false claim during a public, televised...
Gov. Ron DeSantis signs Florida ‘don’t say gay’ bill into lawVideo
ORLANDO, Fla. — Rejecting criticism that it would harm the LGBTQ community, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law Monday the controversial measure derided as the “don’t say gay” bill. “We will make sure that parents can send their kids to school to get an education, not an indoctrination,” DeSantis said...
Democratic congressional candidate Chris Deluzio nabs labor endorsements in 17th District
Democratic congressional candidate Chris Deluzio said he has solidified labor support with several key endorsements in Pennsylvania’s 17th District race. Last week, Deluzio nabbed the endorsement of Allegheny-Fayette Central Labor Council, the largest labor coalition in the region with 135 unions and 100,000 workers. On Friday, three more local labor...
Biden’s budget plan: Higher taxes on rich, lower deficits
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden announced a budget blueprint Monday that calls for higher taxes on the wealthy, lower federal deficits, more money for police and greater funding for education, public health and housing. In essence, it tries to tell voters what a diverse and at times fractured Democratic Party...
Biscuits or bratwurst: GOP weighs its convention choices
In Milwaukee, one of two cities vying to host the Republican presidential convention in 2024, Democrats were pilloried by the potential visitors after predawn election results delivered Wisconsin for Joe Biden in the 2020 White House race. Rival Nashville, Tennessee, is run by a mayor whose Democratic brother was effectively...
Explainer: Why the 14th Amendment has surfaced in midterms
RALEIGH, N.C. — An 1868 amendment to the U.S. Constitution best known for protecting the due process rights of previously enslaved Americans has resurfaced in certain congressional races this year. Some attorneys and voters believe a rarely cited section of the 14th Amendment dealing with insurrection can disqualify a handful...
House leaders call on Nebraska Rep. Fortenberry to resign
LINCOLN, Neb. — Republican U.S. Rep. Jeff Fortenberry on Friday faced growing pressure from congressional leaders and Nebraska’s GOP governor to resign after a California jury found him guilty of lying to federal authorities about an illegal $30,000 campaign donation from a Nigerian billionaire. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House...
Democrats seek SEC action on foreign influence in elections
WASHINGTON — The Securities and Exchange Commission should adopt regulations to identify foreign-owned companies that spend corporate funds to influence elections, Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin and more than a dozen other House Democrats say in a letter they plan to send Thursday. The letter, shared first with CQ Roll Call,...
Trump sues Hillary Clinton, DNC over ‘Russia hoax’
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Former President Donald Trump is taking Hillary Clinton and the Democratic National Committee to court over what he has called “the Russia hoax,” allegations that his successful 2016 campaign for the presidency was aided by collusion with Russia. In a lawsuit filed Thursday in Florida, Trump...
Arizona GOP votes to restrict transgender sports, surgeries
PHOENIX — The Arizona Legislature passed bills Thursday to prohibit gender reassignment surgery for minors and ban transgender athletes from playing on girls sports teams, joining a growing list of Republican-controlled states attempting to restrict transgender rights as they gain more visibility in culture and society. Republican Gov. Doug Ducey...
What makes a political map fair? Here’s what we learned during Pa.’s recent redistricting cycle
This article is part of a yearlong reporting project focused on redistricting and gerrymandering in Pennsylvania. It is made possible by the support of Spotlight PA members and Votebeat, a project focused on election integrity and voting access. HARRISBURG — What makes a political map fair? It’s a question the...
Congressional candidate Steve Irwin endorsed by Western Pa. building trades group
The Laborers’ District Council of Western PA said Thursday it is endorsing Pittsburgh attorney Steve Irwin in the Democratic primary race in Pennsylvania’s 12th Congressional District. “There’s only one candidate in this race who has shown a commitment to protecting blue-collar jobs and growing the middle class, and that candidate...
Herschel Walker, Dr. Oz removed from Biden’s sports councilVideo
HARRISBURG — The White House has removed Dr. Mehmet Oz — best known as daytime TV’s host of “The Dr. Oz Show” — and former football star Herschel Walker from the President’s Council on Sports, Nutrition and Fitness as both men run for U.S. Senate. Oz and Walker — both...
Ketanji Brown Jackson on track for confirmation, but GOP votes in doubt
WASHINGTON — After more than 30 hours of hearings, the Senate is on track to confirm Ketanji Brown Jackson as the first Black woman on the Supreme Court. But Democrats seem unlikely to confirm her with a robust bipartisan vote, dashing President Joe Biden’s hopes for a grand reset after...
