Politics Election category, Page 213
Sarah Palin resumes court battle with Times after covid illness
NEW YORK — Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin was back in a New York City courtroom Thursday, more than a week after the start of a trial in her libel lawsuit against The New York Times was postponed because she tested positive for covid-19. The trial was to begin in...
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem’s abortion ban stifled by Republican lawmakers
PIERRE, S.D. — A Republican-controlled South Dakota House committee declined Wednesday to consider a proposal from Gov. Kristi Noem aimed at banning nearly all abortions, stifling a top item on the governor’s agenda. The Republican governor loudly trumpeted her proposal this year, which would have mimicked the private enforcement of...
Pennsylvania Supreme Court takes control of redrawing state’s congressional map
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 — The Pennsylvania Supreme Court took control of the high-stakes selection...
State Rep. Carrie DelRosso announces run for lieutenant governor
Another Pittsburgh-area politician is entering the crowded race for Pennsylvania lieutenant governor as state Rep. Carrie DelRosso, R-Oakmont, announced Wednesday that she is seeking the Republican nomination. A Scranton native who settled in the Pittsburgh region after attending the University of Pittsburgh, DelRosso won an upset victory in 2020 when...
Trump attacks spur Congress to bolster electoral count law
WASHINGTON — Donald Trump’s relentless, false claims about the 2020 presidential election have sparked fresh urgency in Congress — and in both parties — for changing the Electoral Count Act to ensure no one can undo a future presidential election. Lawmakers are working furiously to update the 135-year-old law that...
Joe Manchin: Build Back Better bill is ‘dead’
WASHINGTON — Sen. Joe Manchin declared Tuesday that President Biden’s vast social and environment bill is “dead,” using his strongest language to date to underscore that any revival of Democrats’ top domestic priorities would have to arise from negotiations that are now moribund. The remarks by the West Virginia Democrat...
Special election date set to fill seat vacated by former state Rep. Jake Wheatley
Pennsylvania House Speaker Bryan Cutler on Tuesday ordered a special election to fill the state House seat vacated by Jake Wheatley, who stepped down to become Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey’s chief of staff. The special election to fill his seat in the 19th State House District will be held April...
Congressional candidate Summer Lee picks up SEIU endorsement after unions split last year
State Rep. Summer Lee, D-Swissvale, has united two of Pennsylvania’s largest service workers unions in her bid for U.S. Congress. A year after SEIU 32BJ (Service Employees International Union) and SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania split their endorsements in Pittsburgh’s mayoral race, the two large unions have come together to endorse Lee...
Ted Cruz calls Biden pledge to put Black woman on Supreme Court ‘offensive’
WASHINGTON — Sen. Ted Cruz, calling it “offensive” that President Joe Biden has promised to choose a Black woman for a new Supreme Court vacancy, speculated that Vice President Kamala Harris might get the nod because Democrats want her out of office so badly. “I think there is a chance...
Millions follow rich candidates in Pennsylvania Senate race
HARRISBURG — Cash is pouring in to Pennsylvania’s hotly contested race for U.S. Senate, as wealthy and well-connected candidates moved in from out of state, followed by millions of dollars going into TV ads and super PACs. Filings posted online by the Federal Election Commission before Monday night’s deadline showed...
Former state Rep. Jeff Coleman running for lieutenant governor
Former state Rep. Jeff Coleman is running for lieutenant governor, campaigning on promises of bipartisanship and civility at a time when politics are harshly divided. The Republican formerly lived in Apollo and represented Western Pennsylvania in the state House for two terms. He now lives in Lemoyne, a Harrisburg suburb....
California Gov. Gavin Newsom criticized again for not wearing a mask
LOS ANGELES — California Gov. Gavin Newsom is facing new criticism for shedding his face mask, rekindling a politically sensitive issue that has shadowed the Democratic governor since he was caught without a face covering at a private 2020 party that defied his own pandemic safety orders. The latest scrutiny...
GOP lawmakers call out Trump on pardons for Jan. 6 riotersVideo
WASHINGTON — Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham forcefully disagreed with former President Donald Trump for saying he might pardon people convicted in the U.S. Capitol riot if reelected, saying they should be jailed “and get the book thrown at them.” Sen. Susan Collins of Maine and New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu...
Trump dangles prospect of pardons for Jan. 6 defendants
CONROE, Texas — Former President Donald Trump is dangling the prospect of pardons for supporters who participated in the deadly Jan. 6 storming of the U.S. Capitol if he returns to the White House. “If I run and if I win, we will treat those people from January 6th fairly,”...
Trump facing legal, political headwinds as he eyes comeback
CONROE, Texas — As he prepared to tee off at one of his Florida golf courses, a fellow player introduced Donald Trump as the “45th president of the United States.” “45th and 47th,” Trump responded matter-of-factly, before hitting his drive. The quip — a moment of levity on the links...
GOP’s Hutchinson tells fellow governors to shun 2020 vote fraud claims
WASHINGTON — Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson said that elected officials shouldn’t focus on untrue claims about the 2020 election and instead look ahead. Speaking at the National Governors Association winter meeting on Saturday, Hutchinson rejected unsubstantiated claims about widespread fraud in the 2020 election that have been made by former...
Pennsylvania Democrats deadlock on endorsing in Senate race
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s Democratic Party committee members deadlocked Saturday in suburban Harrisburg on a vote to endorse in the party’s hotly contested primary race for U.S. Senate, giving Conor Lamb by far the most votes, but not enough for the party’s backing. Winning an endorsement was a high hurdle to...
Jan. 6 committee subpoenas fake Trump electors in 7 states
WASHINGTON — The House committee investigating the U.S. Capitol insurrection subpoenaed more than a dozen individuals Friday who it says falsely tried to declare Donald Trump the winner of the 2020 election in seven swing states. The panel is demanding information and testimony from 14 people who it says allegedly...
Key Pennsylvania Dems to miss Biden visit, cite scheduling conflicts
HARRISBURG — President Joe Biden will appear Friday in Pittsburgh as an opening step in a broader campaign to promote the White House’s achievements in key states before the midterm elections. But two of the three leading Democrats on Pennsylvania’s statewide ballot this spring who were invited to appear with...
What to expect from President Biden’s Pittsburgh visit
President Joe Biden will visit Pittsburgh on Friday to tout the recently passed $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill with a stop planned at Carnegie Mellon University’s Mill 19 research and development center in Hazelwood. Pittsburgh Public Safety said Thursday that motorists should expect some delays and road closures because of the...
Kellyanne Conway memoir ‘Here’s the Deal’ coming out in May
Former White House counselor Kellyanne Conway has a memoir out May 24: “Here’s the Deal” is billed by her publisher as a look beyond the headlines of the Trump administration and her family life, including her husband and prominent Trump detractor, George Conway. “Not just the story of the White...
Gov. Wolf vetoes Pa. congressional map sent to him by Republicans
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 — Gov. Tom Wolf has vetoed a congressional map sent to...
Democrats eye Supreme Court pick to revive 2022 prospects
Democrats stung by a series of election year failures to deliver legislative wins for their most loyal voters hope they’ll be buoyed by the prospect that President Joe Biden will name the first Black woman to serve on the Supreme Court. Justice Stephen Breyer’s pending retirement, confirmed by numerous sources...
Dr. Mehmet Oz stumps in Westmoreland County in quest for U.S. SenateVideo
Dr. Mehmet Oz enthralled a room full of potential Westmoreland County voters Wednesday as he works to make his mark in a crowded field of candidates vying to represent Pennsylvania in the U.S. Senate. The meet-and-greet event, held in a small room at Giannilli’s II in Unity where few attendees...
Democrats walk out of hearing with Florida’s surgeon generalVideo
TALLAHASSEE — Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo moved closer to Senate confirmation Wednesday after a tense hearing where Democrats accused the state’s top doctor of evading questions on his coronavirus policies and stormed out before casting their votes. Ladapo, appointed in September by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, has drawn...
