Republicans

Florida Politics reports: A bill that would place a constitutional amendment on the ballot expanding Florida’s recall law to include county officers in all Florida counties, passed the House Public Integrity and Elections Committee with only two dissenting votes. Under Florida law, “county officers” include each county’s Clerk of Courts, Property Appraiser, Sheriff, Supervisor of Elections, and Tax Collector. If …

The Hill reports: Former State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus is jumping into the race for Tennessee’s 5th congressional district after winning a preemptive endorsement from former President Donald Trump. That endorsement was front and center in a video announcing Ortagus’s campaign on Monday that highlighted her ties to Trump. “Morgan worked with President Trump to not just make America great …

The Week reports: The Republican Party’s official Twitter feed celebrated Black History Month on Sunday by touting the “record number of Black Republicans running for office and winning at all levels.” That number was “over 40,” and those races were “GOP primaries for local and federal office.” This tweet presumably was meant to showcase the GOP’s inroads with Black voters, …

The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports: Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson said Saturday he won’t try to persuade a Wisconsin manufacturer to place more than 1,000 new jobs in his hometown. “It’s not like we don’t have enough jobs here in Wisconsin. The biggest problem we have in Wisconsin right now is employers not being able to find enough workers,” Johnson said …

NBC News reports: Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia on Sunday endorsed the reelection campaign of his Republican colleague Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, who is facing a tough challenger this year supported by former President Donald Trump. “I’m endorsing my dear friend Lisa Murkowski,” Manchin said on CNN’s “State of the Union” Sunday. “Alaska could only be so …

“I believe as a Christian, that frustration we feel on the inside of us sometimes is really just God’s motivation to send us to where we need to be part of the solution. “You know, I think people would love if I would tone it down. But, you know, we had our Lord Jesus certainly didn’t tone it down for …

The New York Times reports: The House select committee scrutinizing the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol is borrowing techniques from federal prosecutions, employing aggressive tactics typically used against mobsters and terrorists as it seeks to break through stonewalling from former President Donald J. Trump and his allies and develop evidence that could prompt a criminal case. Faced with at …

Axios reports: At the moment the late Sen. John McCain green-lit Sarah Palin as his presidential running mate in 2008, he told top advisers: “F— it. Let’s do it.” McCain balled up a fist and shook it as if rolling dice, N.Y. Times political reporter Jeremy W. Peters reveals in his forthcoming book, “Insurgency: How Republicans Lost Their Party and …

Florida Politics reports: On Sunday’s Fox and Friends, Florida’s Attorney General stood with supporters of the Canadian anti-vax “Freedom Convoy” against the GoFundMe service, suggesting that what the fundraising platform contemplated this weekend could have been illegal. Ashley Moody told a Fox News audience that she and Gov. Ron DeSantis will not tolerate threats, such as that made by GoFundMe, …

The Hill reports: Asked by moderator Margaret Brennan on CBS’s “Face the Nation” if he agreed with Pence — who on Friday said he had “no right to overturn the election” — Rubio said that after examining the matter, he concluded that vice presidents do not have the power to not certify an election. “Well, if President Trump runs for …

The Omaha World-Herald reports: In a blizzard of pretrial briefs Friday, Rep. Jeff Fortenberry’s attorneys are seeking to have the congressman’s full statement to the FBI played for jurors — both to show the repetitive questioning of government agents and the idea that Fortenberry was simply confused, rather than lying to agents. Attorneys for the embattled Fortenberry, 60, also want …

Reuters reports: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said on Saturday it was fraud for GoFundMe to “commandeer” $9 million in donations sent to the Freedom Convoy in support of the truckdrivers and said he would work with his state’s attorney general, Ashley Moody, to investigate. “(T)hese donors should be given a refund.” But hours before DeSantis posted his statement on Twitter, …

The Daily Beast reports: There are a few key reasons why the twice-impeached former president hasn’t yet endorsed Josh Mandel or anybody else in that race. One reason for the hold-up is that Trump—who has long been addicted to dishing tabloid-style gossip and dirt—has for months told people close to him that he thinks Mandel is a charisma-free weirdo and …

The New York Times reports: Missouri’s top health official, a Republican who opposes mask and vaccine mandates but spoke approvingly of the Covid vaccine, was supposed to have been confirmed by State Senate by Friday. Instead, conservative state legislators stonewalled the process earlier this week and Donald Kauerauf resigned on Tuesday, becoming the latest public health leader to be forced …

From the St. Louis Dispatch‘s editorial board: Something serious appears to have prompted Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., to label a fellow Republican, Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley, a “con artist” and “one of the worst human beings.” Perhaps it was Hawley’s public questioning of the need to defend Ukraine from a Russian invasion. Maybe it was when Hawley this week urged …

Mediaite reports: “Wow,” Bannon said after taking a moment to collect himself. “That’s not what President Trump said. What President Trump said is you had the full right to revert back to the states.” Bannon continued, saying, “Pence, you’re going to carry this thing, eventually, to your grave, Okay? Because it is a mark of shame, and you are a …

The New York Times last night published an excerpt from the coming book, “Insurgency: How Republicans Lost Their Party and Got Everything They Ever Wanted.” This bit about Sarah Palin jumps out: The network’s relationship with another one of its stars was also changing: Mr. Ailes expressed concern about some of Ms. Palin’s public statements, including engagement with critics. She …

Mediaite reports: The chair of the Republican National Committee called out the New York Times on Friday after the publication quoted her organization accurately. McDaniel herself used the language in a statement. “Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger crossed a line,” she said. “They chose to join Nancy Pelosi in a Democrat-led persecution of ordinary citizens who engaged in legitimate political …

Raleigh’s NBC News affiliate reports: The North Carolina Supreme Court on Friday night voted to strike down new voting maps Republicans passed in November. The high court issued a 4-3 decision split along ideological lines. The voting maps passed in November strongly favored the GOP, with the party slated to win 10 or 11 of the 14 U.S. House seats …

The Washington Post reports: An Arlington judge has issued a temporary restraining order barring enforcement of Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s mask-optional order for schools — a major victory for the seven school boards that sued to stop the order, and a sharp rebuke for the new governor. “Having addressed all aspects of whether a temporary restraining order should issue, the Court …