Republicans

The New York Daily News reports: You can go to Disney World now — if you dare. Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) on Thursday finally rescinded coronavirus quarantine rules on people coming to Florida from New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, months after the tri-state area tamed the pandemic. DeSantis, who is facing harsh criticism for allowing the pandemic to rage …

The Texas Tribune reports: Five of the Texas Legislature’s most conservative members are suing Gov. Greg Abbott and state health officials, claiming Texas leaders overstepped their bounds when they awarded a major contract for tracking Texas’ coronavirus outbreak to a little-known technology firm. In a lawsuit filed Monday, Republican state Reps. Mike Lang, Kyle Biedermann, Bill Zedler, Steve Toth and …

The Cincinnati Enquirer reports: Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine tested positive for the coronavirus on Thursday before he was supposed to greet President Donald Trump. DeWine took a COVID-19 test as part of the protocol to meet Trump on the tarmac at Burke Lakefront Airport in Cleveland. Trump planned to tour the Whirlpool plant in Clyde, Ohio, before attending a private …

Chicago’s WBBM reports: Illinois Congressman Rodney Davis said Wednesday he has tested positive for the novel coronavirus. The Taylorville Republican said he has a mild fever but no other symptoms and plans to self-quarantine. Davis said he received the positive test result Wednesday morning. His wife and the staff members he has worked with in-person have all tested negative, he …

The Minnesota Pioneer Press reports: A group of Republican lawmakers and voters on Tuesday said it plans to bring a federal lawsuit against the Walz administration contending the governor’s mandate of face masks in public places, including polling places, violates state law and Minnesotans’ constitutional rights. A handful of voters along with the watchdog Minnesota Voters Alliance brought the action …

NBC News reports: Republicans in at least four states, including a crucial swing state, appear to be helping music superstar Kanye West gain ballot access for November’s election, actions that raise new questions about the hip-hop star’s presidential bid. West’s bid has been marred by missed deadlines and faulty filings that have frustrated his efforts to make the ballot in …

The Washington Post reports: The chairman of the Arlington County Republican Committee was kicked out of a Facebook group Sunday for posting personal information of people who complained about county businesses not enforcing rules on masks and physical distancing. Andrew Loposser posted a set of names with contact information he obtained from the Virginia Department of Health to the more …

Kansas City’s ABC News affiliate reports: Freshman Kansas Rep. Steve Watkins lost his Republican primary Tuesday after being charged with felony election fraud and other crimes. State Treasurer Jake LaTurner unseated Watkins after arguing that the criminal charges against Watkins made an already vulnerable incumbent an even worse bet with Democrats sensing an opportunity to pick up the 2nd District …

NPR reports: Kansas Rep. Roger Marshall [photo] has defeated former Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach in the Republican Senate primary, according to The Associated Press, calming Republicans’ worst fears about putting a seat in a deep red state in play this fall with the Senate majority contested. Marshall was the favored candidate of many party leaders to take on …

The Kentucky Herald-Ledger reports: Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said Tuesday that he’s setting a statewide order for people to wear masks in public amid a recent surge in cases of the new coronavirus. The Republican also delayed the start of the school year for upper grades in eight counties that are hard-hit by COVID-19. Reeves also said he will sign …

Roll Call reports: Former Rep. Chris Collins, who was sentenced to over two years in federal prison for insider trading and lying to the FBI, is asking Judge Vernon S. Broderick to push his report date back to Oct. 13, marking the fourth time the New York Republican has asked to delay his reporting date amid the coronavirus pandemic. Collins, …

“Voting ought to be a privilege reserved for informed, grown-up, contributing members of society. If you aren’t paying taxes, then you shouldn’t have any say in where tax money, other people’s money, goes. “And if you are woefully ignorant of even the most basic facts of our system, then you shouldn’t be able to — by wandering into a voting …

The Birmingham News reports: Republican U.S. Senate candidate Tommy Tuberville has a 17-point lead over incumbent Democratic Sen. Doug Jones in Alabama, according to a Morning Consult poll released Tuesday. The survey of 650 likely Alabama voters shows Tuberville ahead of Jones, 52 percent to 35 percent. Four percent said they would vote for someone else and 9 percent had …

The Lexington Courier-Journal reports: A new survey by independent polling firm Morning Consult shows Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell with a commanding lead in his bid for a seventh term in Kentucky, leading 53% to 36% over his Democratic challenger Amy McGrath. About 700 likely voters in Kentucky were surveyed online from July 24 to Aug. 2 by Morning Consult, …

The Tampa Bay Times reports: Five people who attended a Florida Sheriffs Association meeting last week have tested positive for COVID-19, and top state elected officials who appeared at the meeting have received a warning about their potential exposure to the virus. The July 27 meeting at a Bonita Springs hotel brought together 60 people from across the state, including …

Mediaite reports: One top Republican senator publicly appealed to President Donald Trump on Twitter over his very public swipe at one of his own coronavirus task force members. Over the weekend, Birx — who was also criticized by Speaker Nancy Pelosi — warned that the U.S. is in a “new phase” of the coronavirus pandemic. Trump tweeted Monday morning, “In …

The Daily Beast reports: Claiming that the novel coronavirus that’s killed roughly 157,000 Americans isn’t “that much worse” than the flu, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) blasted the media on Monday for supposedly peddling COVID-19 “panic porn” and downplaying the so-called effectiveness of unproven anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine. Johnson, who last month insisted that the nation “overreacted” to the coronavirus pandemic,” appeared …

Politico reports: The maneuvering for power in a possible post-Trump world has already broken out among House Republicans — a worrisome preview for the GOP of potentially chaotic leadership fights this fall. The party’s long-simmering divides were largely papered over after Donald Trump won the White House in 2016. But members expect the truce among the GOP’s warring factions to …

The Detroit News reports: A Michigan senator who has been a vocal critic of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s handling of COVID-19 says he tested positive for the virus after going through a screening process because of his service in the Army National Guard. Sen. Tom Barrett, R-Charlotte, who is viewed as a rising star in the Republican Party, sponsored a bill …

The South Florida SunSentinel reports: Florida clocked in with 7,104 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday and another 62 more deaths among residents. The state has tallied 487,132 cases and 7,206 deaths since the pandemic began, according to the Florida Department of Health. The one-day peak for new cases was July 12, with 15,300 infections. On Friday, the state reported yet …