Republicans

Playbook reports: The race to replace Mitch McConnell as Senate GOP leader has been sleepy all summer, with the two frontrunners — John Thune and John Cornyn — keeping their pitches to colleagues mostly private. But behind the scenes, jockeying is heating up as the leadership election nears. Thune (R-S.D.) has been busy trying to shore up his previously fraught …

“It’s all true. I can put up another controversial post tomorrow if you want me to. I mean, we do have freedom of speech. I’ll say what I want.  It’s not a big deal to me. It’s like something stuck to the bottom of my boot. Just scrape it off and move on with my life.” – GOP Rep. Clay …

“Clay Higgins is a dear friend of mine and a colleague from Louisiana, and a very frank and outspoken person. He’s also a very principled man. “I didn’t even see it but he tweeted something today about Haitians. He was approached on the floor by colleagues who said that was offensive. “He said he went to the back and he …

The Hill reports: The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) on Wednesday called for Rep. Clay Higgins (R-La.) to be censured for a since-deleted social media post criticizing Haitian migrants as “thugs.” CBC Chair Steven Horsford (D-Nev.) and other Democrats took to the House floor to call for a censure in an extensive and at times heated back-and-forth with Republicans. Horsford on …

CBS News reports: The House and Senate approved a stopgap measure to keep the government funded for three months on Wednesday, sending the legislation to President Biden to stave off a shutdown. The legislation keeps the government funded through Dec. 20 and also includes around $230 million in additional funding for the Secret Service following the second assassination attempt against …

The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports: Acadiana U.S. Rep. Clay Higgins on Wednesday called Haiti the “nastiest country” in the Western Hemisphere, adding that immigrants to Springfield, Ohio, who are largely employed and legally allowed to be in the United States, need to get “their a** out of our country before January 20th.” That’s the day the president elected on Nov. …

NBC News reports: The House on Wednesday approved a temporary spending bill that would keep federal agencies funded when the new fiscal year begins next Tuesday, avoiding a potential shutdown showdown just weeks before the Nov. 5 election. The stopgap measure generally funds agencies at current levels through Dec. 20, but an additional $231 million was included to bolster the …

Courthouse News reports: During a hearing with a panel of prospective federal judges, GOP members of the Senate Judiciary Committee dialed in on Anthony Brindisi, tapped by the White House for a position in the Northern District of New York. Brindisi had previously represented the Empire State’s 22nd Congressional District in the House — he was narrowly defeated in 2020 …

The Washington Post reports: Three Democrats have asked a state court to force Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) to take up their ethics complaints accusing three members of the State Election Board of holding an illegal meeting and overstepping their legal authority by passing rules that critics say will sow chaos and uncertainty in the presidential race. The Democrats filed …

“As down-ballot Republicans approach the homestretch of this election, they should promise to deliver peace through strength, not isolationism and the abandonment of American leadership. “Republicans should pledge to deliver better trade deals that increase prosperity, not protectionist tariffs that make products more expensive. “Republicans should commit to tackling the growing debt that threatens to bankrupt the nation, pledging to …

Politico reports: House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer launched an investigation on Wednesday into Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s recent visit to an ammunition factory in Pennsylvania. House Republicans have already cried foul on the visit, which Zelenskyy took to thank the workers at a factory that has supplied critical munitions in Ukraine’s war with Russia, because several Democrats joined him …

The Texas Tribune reports: A newly created state appeals court denied Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton request to temporarily block the State Fair of Texas’ policy banning all firearms from its fairgrounds as the event is set to start Friday. The ruling comes after a Dallas County District Court struck down a similar request from Paxton on the new policy. …

CNN reports: US House candidate Laurie Buckhout, who is running in a competitive race in North Carolina’s 1st Congressional District, deleted at least nine photos of herself with Robinson on X, according to screenshots and a Google cache of her tweets. She also deleted a post calling Robinson “North Carolina’s next governor.” Other candidates appeared to delete photos with themselves …

“While he was leading the charge against me and calling me all these things, [D’Esposito] was actually stealing money from the American people and giving it to benefit his mistress in a no-show job ploy at the expense of taxpayer dollars. Tell me what that speaks about his character or the sheer hypocrisy of it all. “This shouldn’t be deemed …

NBC News reports: The House on Wednesday is poised to pass a funding bill to avert a government shutdown next week after it removed a proposal demanded by Donald Trump that would require Americans nationwide to show proof of citizenship to register to vote. House Republican leaders, facing defections within their ranks, plan to rely heavily on Democratic votes to …

The New Republic reports: Despite spending months trying to distance themselves from Project 2025, the top of the Republican presidential ticket seems committed to bringing the Christian nationalist manifesto closer to the White House. Republican vice presidential pick J.D. Vance has enlisted key allies, including a Project 2025 contributor, in his debate prep sessions ahead of his first face-off against …

The Washington Post reports: A panel of federal judges heard arguments Tuesday in a case that could upend the rules for counting a sliver of mail ballots in Mississippi just weeks before Election Day, with possible ramifications for all states. At issue is a Mississippi law that allows mail ballots to be counted if they arrive up to five days …

The Associated Press reports: North Carolina Republican gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson said Tuesday his campaign has hired a law firm to help investigate a CNN report stating he made explicit racial and sexual posts on a pornography website’s message board. The lawyers will look at how what Robinson calls “false smears” originated. The announcement comes as more North Carolina Republicans …

Bloomberg News reports: North Carolina gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson will need to prove his innocence against allegations he made crude and racist remarks on an adult website if he wants to stay in the race, Republican National Committee co-chair Michael Whatley said Tuesday. “Those comments are absolutely antithetical to Republican values, and if Mark Robinson is going to continue in …

Axios reports: Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen put the effort to reform the Cornhusker state’s allocation of electoral votes to rest Tuesday, confirming he has no plans to call a special session before the November election. ointing to state Sen. Mike McDonnell’s (R) announcement that he would not join the Republican push, Pillen said the effort could not reach the 33-member …