Politics Election category, Page 220
Big Bird announced he got his covid-19 vaccine. Ted Cruz called it ‘government propaganda.’
Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz appears to think Big Bird is a government plant. The “Sesame Street” staple announced Saturday that he had gotten his covid-19 vaccine, just days after the FDA approved the Pfizer shot for children ages 5-11. “My wing is feeling a little sore, but it’ll give...
Democrats facing tough slog in 2022 governor’s races
WASHINGTON — Republicans are increasingly optimistic about flipping governor’s offices in key battleground states next year, buoyed by President Joe Biden’s sagging approval ratings, Democratic infighting in Congress and better-than-expected results in elections in Virginia and New Jersey. Democrats were already steeled for tough races, but the upset loss in...
Biden’s big bill on brink of House votes, but fights remainVideo
WASHINGTON — Democrats in the House appear on the verge of advancing President Joe Biden’s $1.85 trillion-and-growing domestic policy package alongside a companion $1 trillion infrastructure bill in what would be a dramatic political accomplishment — if they can push it to passage. The House scrapped votes late Thursday but...
Biden administration sues Texas over new voting restrictions
AUSTIN — The Biden administration on Thursday sued Texas over new voting laws that outlasted a summer of dramatic protests by Democrats, who face fading hopes of overhauling the nation’s elections in response to a wave of restrictive new rules in Republican-led states. The lawsuit does not challenge the entirety...
Analysis: After tough election, Biden dismisses danger signs
WASHINGTON — The hazard lights are blinking for President Joe Biden after Democratic setbacks in this week’s elections, but the president professes to see no reason for panic. Just one year after he rode to the White House with a record 81 million votes, Biden saw Democratic stalwart Terry McAuliffe...
Senate Democrats push new voting bill, again hit GOP wallVideo
WASHINGTON — If at first you don’t succeed, make Republicans vote again. That’s the strategy Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer appears to be pursuing as the New York Democrat forced another test vote Wednesday on legislation to overhaul the nation’s election laws. For the fourth time since June, Republicans blocked...
Republican Kevin Brobson wins seat on Pennsylvania Supreme Court as GOP appears poised to sweep appellate races
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 — Republican Kevin Brobson edged out Democrat Maria McLaughlin to win a spot on Pennsylvania’s highest court, ending a contentious...
5 takeaways from Election Day in Western Pa.
Tuesday’s election didn’t produce any of the drama or tumult that we saw in 2020, but it turned out to be historically significant in other ways. Republicans shined in countywide races in Westmoreland County and races for the state’s appellate courts, while Black and women candidates came up big in...
Democrats reach drug price deal, Biden upbeat on Manchin
WASHINGTON — Democrats reached agreement on a plan to lower prescription drug costs for most older people, capping out-of-pocket Medicare costs at $2,000 and reducing the price of insulin, salvaging a campaign promise as part of President Joe Biden’s $1.75 trillion domestic policy proposal. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on...
Youngkin’s Virginia win jolts Democrats, tight race in N.J.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Glenn Youngkin won the Virginia governor’s race early Wednesday, tapping into culture war fights over schools and race to unite former President Donald Trump’s most fervent supporters with enough suburban voters to become the first Republican to win statewide office in a dozen years. The 54-year-old...
Brad Raffensperger book details Trump’s pressure to alter Georgia electionVideo
ATLANTA — Brad Raffensperger, Georgia’s secretary of state, was sitting at his kitchen table with his wife when President Donald Trump called with an urgent demand: Change the election results. Details of that famous call in January are the centerpiece of Raffensperger’s book published Tuesday, “Integrity Counts.” Raffensperger refused Trump...
Democrats announce deal for lower drug prices in Biden billVideo
WASHINGTON — Democrats reached agreement Tuesday on a deal to lower prescription drug costs for older people, capping out-of-pocket Medicare costs at $2,000 and reducing the price of insulin, salvaging a campaign promise as part of President Joe Biden’s $1.75 trillion domestic policy proposal. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced...
Estranged wife of GOP U.S. Senate candidate Sean Parnell testifies he abused her and children
The estranged wife of Republican U.S. Senate candidate Sean Parnell testified during a child custody hearing Monday that his fits of rage toward her began within the first few months of their relationship, and the rage later turned into abuse. But she said under oath that it wasn’t until early...
W.Va. Sen. Joe Manchin wavers on Biden’s plan, rebuffs progressivesVideo
WASHINGTON — Sen. Joe Manchin wavered Monday on his support for President Joe Biden’s sweeping $1.75 trillion domestic policy proposal, saying instead it’s “time to vote” on a slimmer $1 trillion infrastructure package that has stalled amid talks. The West Virginia Democrat’s announcement comes as Democrats want a signal from...
Alabama judge booted for racist, inappropriate behavior
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — A judge who oversees elections in an Alabama county was removed from office after being accused of racist, sexually inappropriate behavior that included demeaning comments about women and saying George Floyd “got what he deserved” when an officer in Minnesota murdered him. Talladega County Probate Judge Randy...
Glenn Youngkin, Terry McAuliffe in last-minute scramble to rally votersVideo
RICHMOND, Va. — Democrat Terry McAuliffe and Republican Glenn Youngkin were making last-minute pushes Sunday to energize voters across Virginia in the final days of the competitive and closely watched governor’s race. With the state’s early voting period finished, the campaigns turned their attention to Tuesday’s contest, each trying to...
New framework bolsters Biden’s hand as climate summit begins
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden heads to a United Nations climate conference Monday energized by a new legislative framework that, if enacted, would be the largest action ever taken by the United States to address climate change. The $555 billion plan for climate spending is the centerpiece of a sweeping...
Poll: Economy, mistrust of government, covid-19 continue to drive voters’ decisions
Lewis McClain vividly remembers the double-digit mortgage rates of the early 1980s, and the 83-year-old Edinboro Democrat is afraid the country is headed in that direction again. “I don’t agree with all this stimulus money giveaway,” McClain said. “All of this is going to be very inflationary. It has been...
How ‘Let’s Go Brandon’ became code for insulting Joe Biden
WASHINGTON — When Republican Rep. Bill Posey of Florida ended an Oct. 21 House floor speech with a fist pump and the phrase “Let’s go, Brandon!” it may have seemed cryptic and weird to many who were listening. But the phrase was already growing in right-wing circles, and now the...
A full guide to Pa.’s Supreme Court election and other appellate judicial races
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 — On Tuesday, voters statewide will have the opportunity to choose a new justice for the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, as...
Michigan governor vetoes stricter voter ID, election bills
LANSING, Mich. — As promised, Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Friday vetoed Republican-sponsored legislation that would toughen in-person voter identification rules and require people to include additional information such as their driver’s license number on absentee ballot applications. The governor said the bills would disproportionately hurt minority voters who are...
Biden at Vatican to talk climate, poverty with Pope Francis
VATICAN CITY — Declaring it’s “good to be back,” President Joe Biden on Friday opened a five-day European trip at the Vatican, where he and Pope Francis — the world’s two most prominent Roman Catholics — planned to discuss the covid-19 pandemic, climate change and poverty. A dozen Swiss Guards...
Biden announces ‘historic’ deal — but still must win votes
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden announced Thursday that he and Democrats in Congress have reached a “historic” framework for his sweeping domestic policy package. But he still needs to lock down votes from key colleagues for what’s now a dramatically scaled-back bill. Eager to have a deal in hand before...
Powerful special interests are pouring millions into Pa. Supreme Court race
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 — Labor unions, lawyers, and a political committee with ties to a billionaire advocate for school choice are underwriting the...
Josh Shapiro breaks with Gov. Wolf over strategy on climate changeVideo
HARRISBURG — Josh Shapiro, the Democratic candidate for governor, is breaking with Gov. Tom Wolf on the centerpiece of Wolf’s plan to fight climate change amid the strong and sustained pushback it has received from building trades unions that have long backed the party’s candidates for governor. Wolf — a...
