Politics

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports: Republican Brian Kemp on Thursday resigned as secretary of state, saying he needs to start the work of transitioning to the state’s top office after earning a “clear and convincing victory” at the ballot box. But Stacey Abrams is not conceding anything yet, hopeful that a trove of provisional ballots could be enough to swing the …

Atlanta’s NBC affiliate reports: Karen Handel has conceded the Georgia’s 6th Congressional District race to Lucy McBath Thursday morning. In a letter to Channel 2 Action News, Handel said, “After carefully reviewing all of the election results data, it is clear that I came up a bit short on Tuesday. Congratulations to Representative-Elect Lucy McBath and send her only good …

The Associated Press reports: A bitter and expensive clash between Florida’s Republican Gov. Rick Scott and Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson appears to be heading to a recount, despite Scott’s declaration of victory. Nelson has not conceded. His campaign says it’s preparing for a recount and will have observers in every one of the state’s 67 counties to monitor the process. …

USA Today reports: Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is in the hospital after falling in her office Wednesday night, the Court announced in a statement on Thursday. Ginsburg, 85, went home after the fall but continued to experience “discomfort overnight” and went to George Washington Hospital early Thursday. Tests revealed she fractured three ribs and she “was admitted for …

The Daily Beast reports: Our new acting attorney general was listed on the advisory board of a patent marketing company that federal authorities shut down as a fraudulent scheme that bilked aspiring inventors of millions of dollars and intimated that those who publicly complained might have to deal with a “security team” of Israeli ex-special forces operators schooled in Krav …

Politico reports: Chuck Schumer charged Wednesday that President Donald Trump is “delusional” for claiming victory in the midterm elections, insisting that the Democratic Party is poised to compete for the Senate and presidency in 2020 despite losses in key Senate races. Trump cast the election as vindication for his campaign strategy, emphasizing the GOP’s gains in the Senate and claiming …

Time Magazine reports: Republican Brian Kemp’s campaign declared victory Wednesday in the Georgia governor’s race, though Democrat Stacey Abrams insists that enough ballots remain to leave open the possibility of a runoff. The Associated Press has not called the contest. Ryan Mahoney, a top Kemp campaign adviser, told reporters in a conference call that the numbers show Abrams can’t win …

CNBC reports: Shares of major marijuana companies rallied after Attorney General Jeff Sessions resigned Wednesday after months of public criticism from his boss, President Donald Trump. Canada-based Tilray closed up 30 percent while Canopy Growth and Aurora Cannabis rose 8.1 percent and 9 percent respectively. Cronos Group added 8.4 percent. “You’re happy if you’re long the cannabis stocks. He was …

The Houston Chronicle reports: Former Congressman Steve Stockman, a Tea Party stalwart who represented East Texas during two non-consecutive terms, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison on Wednesday for his role in a wide-ranging scheme that included a spy operation aimed a fellow Republican challenger and $1.25 million in campaign funds pilfered from conservative megadonors. Stockman, who was …

Politico reports: Democratic Sen. Jon Tester has won reelection narrowly in Montana, defeating Republican Matt Rosendale after a fiery campaign marked by Tester’s clashes with President Donald Trump. Tester had 49 percent of the vote to 48 percent for Rosendale, the Montana state auditor, when the Associated Press called the race on Wednesday afternoon with 92 percent of precincts reporting. …

Called this morning. Detroit’s ABC affiliate reports: Republican incumbent Mike Bishop has conceded the race for Michigan’s 8th Congressional District to Democrat Elissa Slotkin. Slotkin, from Holly, previously worked in both the George W. Bush and Obama presidential administrations and unseated the two-term Republican. Bishop, who is from Rochester, served in both the State House and State Senate before being …

The Hartford Courant reports: Ned Lamont will be the next governor of Connecticut. Republican Bob Stefanowski conceded the race for governor Wednesday morning after late returns from the state’s cities pushed Lamont to victory. In conceding, Stefanowski said “the margin was big enough” to hand victory to Lamont. Problems with same-day voter registration are not significant enough to change the …

Just called. Click On Detroit reports: Democrat Dana Nessel beat Republican Tom Leonard in the race for Michigan Attorney General. Leonard conceded the race to Nessel on Wednesday morning. Dana Nessel is best known for successfully fighting to overturn Michigan’s ban on gay marriage. Nessel, 49, has been a Detroit-area prosecutor and defense attorney but made headlines as co-counsel in …

The Associated Press reports: A Nevada brothel owner and reality TV star who died last month after fashioning himself as a Donald Trump-style Republican candidate has won a heavily GOP state legislative district. Dennis Hof defeated Democratic educator Lesia Romanov on Tuesday in the race for Nevada’s 36th Assembly District, which includes rural communities and large stretches of desert in …

The Daily Iowan reports: After Tuesday’s victory in the race for the District 37 state Senate seat, Democratic candidate Zach Wahls becomes one of the youngest faces in that body at 26. At his election night watch party at Big Grove Brewery, Wahls said he was pleased with voter turnout, particularly from young people. “We smashed voter turnout from 2014,” …

The Kansas City Star reports: Kansas voters made history Tuesday when they selected Sharice Davids to be their next congresswoman. Davids, a member of the Ho-Chunk Nation, will be the first Native American woman to serve in Congress — a distinction she shared with New Mexico’s Deb Haaland, who also won Tuesday — and the first openly LGBT person to …

Homocon Pete Holmberg, who championed a Russian troll farm’s idiotic #walkaway campaign and defended the Proud Boys, lost his very long shot bid for the New York Senate by 64 points as Democrats seized control of the chamber for the first time in a decade. The New York Times reports: The Senate had been the Republican Party’s last foothold of …

The Huffington Post reports: Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) on Tuesday edged out Democratic challenger Ammar Campa-Najjar in the race for his California House seat despite charges against Hunter involving the misuse of campaign funds. The race in the Golden State’s 50th Congressional District — traditionally a Republican stronghold — was put into play after Hunter and his wife being were …

New Hampshire’s WBUR reports: Democrat Chris Pappas will become New Hampshire’s first openly gay member of Congress after defeating Republican Eddie Edwards in the 1st Congressional District. While both candidates said they want to bring integrity and decency to Washington, Pappas argued only he had the experience to back that up. In addition to running a family restaurant, he is …

Chris Johnson reports at the Washington Blade: A lesbian candidate running for a U.S. House seat in Minnesota has unseated an anti-LGBT lawmaker from the U.S. House, making her poised to become the first openly gay mother in Congress. At a around 8:15 local time, major media outlets declared Angie Craig, a business executive who’s also mother, the winner in …