Politics Election category, Page 208
Trump rescinds Mo Brooks endorsement in Senate race in Alabama
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday rescinded his endorsement of U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks in Alabama’s Republican primary for Senate, dealing a major blow to the congressman’s campaign. In a statement, Trump cited Brooks’ languishing performance in the race and his attempt to move Republicans beyond Trump’s...
High court won’t say whether Clarence Thomas remains hospitalized
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court declined to say Wednesday whether 73-year-old Justice Clarence Thomas remains in the hospital, though he had been expected to be released by Tuesday evening. The court said Sunday that Thomas had been admitted to Sibley Memorial Hospital in Washington on Friday after experiencing “flu-like symptoms,”...
Supreme Court tosses Wisconsin legislative voting maps
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Wednesday threw out Wisconsin state legislative maps that were preferred by the state’s Democratic governor and selected by Wisconsin’s top court, making it unclear what the boundaries will be for the fall election. But while the justices in an unsigned opinion threw out voting...
Oklahoma House passes Texas-style bill to ban all abortions
OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma House late Tuesday passed a bill that would prohibit doctors from performing abortions in the state, one of several anti-abortion bills working its way to the Republican governor — who has indicated he’ll sign it. The ban on abortions would be enforced through private civil...
Steve Irwin’s congressional campaign admits some petition signatures were forged
A federal judge said last week that she never signed a petition for local congressional candidate and attorney Steve Irwin, and more forgery allegations related to Irwin’s candidacy have surfaced since. Irwin is running in Pennsylvania’s 12th Congressional District, which includes the city of Pittsburgh, eastern and southern Allegheny County...
4 GOP candidates for Pa. governor set rules to join a debate
HARRISBURG — Four Republican candidates for governor in the party’s crowded primary race say they will not join a debate before the primary election unless it is moderated by a Republican who lives in Pennsylvania, eliciting criticism that they are afraid of hard questions. The four — Lou Barletta, Jake...
What to expect in Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s confirmation hearings
Legal experts expect Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson’s confirmation hearings to go smoothly this week, based on her credentials and the fact that her appointment wouldn’t shift the ideological makeup of the high court. “She is clearly one of the most qualified candidates to come before the Senate in...
White House press secretary Jen Psaki positive for covid
WASHINGTON — White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Tuesday that she has tested positive again for covid-19 and will not accompany President Joe Biden to Europe for meetings on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Psaki tweeted that she took a test in preparation for Wednesday’s trip and it came back...
Michigan Republicans delay absentee ballot signature rules
LANSING, Mich. — Republican lawmakers on Tuesday delayed until after the November election rules that will tell Michigan election clerks how to match the signatures of people applying for and submitting absentee ballots. The GOP-led Joint Committee on Administrative Rules’ maneuver to propose bills keeps the regulations from taking effect...
Ketanji Brown Jackson pushes back at GOP critics, defends judicial recordVideo
WASHINGTON — Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson forcefully defended her record as a judge Tuesday, pushing back against Republican assertions that she was soft on crime and declaring she would rule as an “independent jurist” if confirmed as the first Black woman on the high court. In a marathon...
Missouri’s Eric Greitens faces calls to end U.S. Senate bidVideo
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens, now a leading Republican Senate candidate, was physically abusive and demonstrated such “unstable and coercive behavior” that steps were taken to limit his access to firearms, according to new allegations from his ex-wife revealed in court records on Monday. A sworn...
Fight in Ohio GOP Senate debate leads to demand for apologyVideo
COLUMBUS — A near-physical altercation in the nasty Republican primary for U.S. Senate in Ohio led to a demand Monday from some military veterans that one candidate apologize for saying a rival who did two tours in Iraq never served in the private sector and didn’t know anything about business....
Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson vows to defend the Constitution and equal justice under lawVideo
WASHINGTON — Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, President Joe Biden’s historic nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court, promised Monday that if confirmed, she would seek to make the words “equal justice under law” a reality for all Americans. She called herself an independent jurist who follows the law and pledged to...
Supreme Court hearings put spotlight on Ketanji Brown Jackson — and 2024 presidential hopefuls
WASHINGTON — Republicans know they’re not likely to keep Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson off the Supreme Court — but that won’t stop 2024 presidential hopefuls who sit on the Senate’s judiciary panel from trying to create ad-worthy moments for themselves this week at her confirmation hearing. Some of the most...
Democratic gains in legislative maps might not last long
DENVER — The surprising advantage Democrats gained during the torturous process of rewriting the nation’s congressional maps may be short-lived, creating the potential for more frequent clashes over how political power should be distributed across the United States. As the once-a-decade scramble to draw new legislative lines, a process known...
Westmoreland’s clout in Harrisburg cut through redistricting
For the past decade, state Rep. George Dunbar’s 56th District local office has operated in a building just south of Clay Pike, near the Circleville Volunteer Fire Hall in North Huntingdon. For a while last week it was unclear whether the veteran state lawmaker would be able keep his office...
Republican U.S. Senate candidate Dave McCormick greets potential voters in Murrysville
David Painter pushed back from his table at North Park Lounge in Murrysville satisfied. He had just spent about an hour listening to Republican U.S. Senate candidate Dave McCormick as he addressed several dozen people in a private room, talking about his qualifications and what separates him from the rest...
Carla Sands returns to her roots, speaks to Hempfield students as she stumps to be GOP’s Senate candidate
Carla Sands, former President Trump’s ambassador to Denmark who is vying for Pennsylvania’s open U.S. Senate seat, took her campaign to a local high school Thursday where she pitched her views to a group of seniors while digging into her Westmoreland County ties. Speaking to a class of about 100...
Republican gubernatorial candidate Jake Corman talks energy and gas taxes in Carnegie
Pennsylvania state Senator and candidate for governor Jake Corman visited Bob’s Diner in Carnegie Thursday to meet and greet potential voters. The diner in the former mill town and Pittsburgh suburb is a well-known political stop for Pennsylvania candidates. Bob’s was full with a hungry lunch crowd, and Corman, a...
Pa. Supreme Court rejects legal challenges to state’s new legislative 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’s highest court has affirmed the state’s new legislative district...
Senate votes to overturn mask mandate on airplanes, transit
WASHINGTON — The Senate on Tuesday voted 57-40 to overturn a federal requirement that passengers on U.S. airplanes and other modes of public transportation wear masks. The Congressional Review Act measure, introduced by Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., is the latest salvo in a fight between congressional Republicans and the Biden...
Embattled Federal Reserve pick Sarah Bloom Raskin withdraws nominationVideo
WASHINGTON — Sarah Bloom Raskin withdrew her nomination Tuesday to a position on the Federal Reserve’s Board of Governors after a key Democrat had joined with all Senate Republicans to oppose her confirmation. West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin announced Monday that he opposed Raskin’s confirmation, and all Republicans in the...
Allegheny County GOP Chairman Sam DeMarco opts against congressional run
Allegheny County Republican Chairman Sam DeMarco said Tuesday he will not run for Congress this year in Pennsylvania’s 17th District. DeMarco, a county councilman from North Fayette, said last week that he was mulling a run and gathering petition signatures required to formally enter the race. But on Tuesday he...
Senate approves bill to make daylight saving time permanentVideo
WASHINGTON — The Senate unanimously approved a measure Tuesday that would make daylight saving time permanent across the United States next year. The bipartisan bill, named the Sunshine Protection Act, would ensure Americans would no longer have to change their clocks twice a year. But the bill still needs approval...
Lawmakers send Texas-styled abortion bill to Idaho governorVideo
BOISE — Legislation aimed at banning abortions in Idaho after six weeks of pregnancy by allowing potential family members to sue a doctor who performs one headed to the governor. The House voted 51-14 late Monday with no Democratic support to approve the legislation modeled after a Texas law that...
