Republicans

The Washington Post reports: The main super PAC supporting the election of Democrats to the Senate is preparing to invest millions in South Carolina — a fresh signal that Democrats see the race against Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) as winnable. Senate Majority PAC will launch a new, $6.5 million ad campaign in South Carolina on Monday, marking the first …

Fort Lauderdale’s ABC News affiliate reports: On Fort Lauderdale Beach, those with months of quarantine-driven bar withdrawal showed up, showed off and toasted each other back to some semblance of normal life. “I’m healthy, I’m strong and I feel comfortable with all my friends,” Dan Gibby, who was out enjoying his Saturday at the Elbo Room, said. In an unexpected …

Politico reports: Sen. Tom Cotton was unfazed by President Donald Trump’s refusal to a commit to a peaceful transfer of power should Joe Biden win the election and supported the president’s decision not to accept the results unless the winner is clear. “We’ve been transferring the office of the presidency from one person to the next since 1796,” Cotton (R-Ark.) …

Mediaite reports: The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), the organization that helps fundraise to elect Republicans to the United States Senate, posted a fundraising tweet in the moments after Amy Coney Barrett‘s nomination to the Supreme Court that immediately drew harshly critical reactions for attempting to co-opt Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg‘s legacy. At 5:07 pm ET, and then again at …

From an op-ed published today by the Philadelphia Inquirer: I will cast my vote for Joe Biden on Nov. 3. It will be my first vote for a Democratic candidate for president of the United States. But it is not the first time I have said “no” to Donald Trump. I urge my fellow Pennsylvanians to join me. I actually …

The Hill reports: The Senate Judiciary Committee will start a four-day hearing for President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee on Oct. 12, two people familiar with the schedule confirmed to The Hill. Though other nominees have been confirmed in fewer days, they were further away from the presidential election. Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) is expected to announce the committee’s schedule later …

The Hill reports: The Lincoln Project, a conservative super PAC opposed to President Trump and several incumbent GOP lawmakers, released a new ad Friday mocking Sen. Lindsey Graham after the South Carolina Republican said he was “getting killed financially” by his Democratic challenger, Jaime Harrison. “Every single hour in South Carolina, Lindsey Graham is violently out-fundraised,” the ad states, playing …

The Jerusalem Post reports: Florida will now be issuing specialty “Florida Stands with Israel” license plates for those who wish to support the Jewish state throughout the Sunshine State. Gov.  Ron DeSantis signed legislation (HB 1135) on Friday which authorized the creation of the special license plate. The Israeli-American Council (IAC) lauded the “heartwarming expression of solidarity,” saying that it …

Florida Politics reports: Gov. Ron DeSantis continues to move the state away from coronavirus restrictions, and even Friday’s decision to move the state into Phase 3 reopening doesn’t represent the end. Addressing reporters Friday in St. Petersburg, the Governor urged NFL stadiums to move toward filling their seats as the season progresses. DeSantis wants “to be able to show that …

The Washington Examiner reports: Former Texas Rep. Ron Paul has been hospitalized for “precautionary” reasons after he appeared to suffer a stroke during a live episode of his political show Liberty Report. Paul, an 85-year-old former obstetrician who twice ran for president as a Republican, was in the middle of a conversation on his show on Friday when he began …

Miami’s ABC News affiliate reports: Gov. Ron DeSantis lifted all restrictions on restaurants and other businesses in Florida on Friday in a move to reopen the state’s economy despite the spread of the coronavirus. Local governments, however, may still impose restrictions for their areas, although they are not allowed to limit restaurants to reopen at less than 50% capacity. Local …

The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports: A conservative group has asked a federal judge to block Wisconsin’s five largest cities from accepting $6.3 million in grants to help stage November’s elections, calling the money bribes to increase turnout in Democratic strongholds. The nonprofit Center for Tech and Civic Life announced the grants in July. But in a lawsuit filed Thursday in federal …

The Charleston Post & Courier reports: South Carolina voters will need to get a witness signature for absentee ballots after a federal appeals court on Thursday put a halt on a lower court ruling that lifted the requirement. When the General Assembly temporarily allowed all South Carolina voters to cast absentee ballots for any reason this year because of the …

Politico reports: Gov. Ron DeSantis suggested on Thursday that Florida could create a “bill of rights” to protect college students who face expulsion for attending parties under the strict Covid-19 guidelines schools are attempting to enforce. Calling the policies “incredibly draconian” at a public health event, the Republican governor said the state is exploring its options for students without going …

The Hill reports: Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said on Fox News Thursday that he was “getting killed financially” by his Democratic opponent Jamie Harrison. “My opponent will raise $100 million in the state of South Carolina,” Graham said. “The most money ever spent in the history of the state on a Senate race in this state was by me in …

Salon reports: Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., on Thursday told a virtual town hall audience that he believed the 200,000 deaths attributed to COVID-19 in the U.S. had been inflated in order to “encourage people to use social distancing.” “When the final accounting is done,” the actual COVID-19 death count will be lower, Tillis claimed. The response echoes a false conspiracy …

Axios reports: A number of prominent Republican lawmakers addressed President Trump’s refusal on Wednesday to commit to a peaceful transfer of power if he loses November’s presidential election. Worth noting: None of the statements issued so far directly mention Trump by name — or why they’re speaking out on the issue now. The big picture: Trump has baselessly claimed that …

The Daily Beast reports: A leading congressional ally of President Donald Trump alleged last week that Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-GA) threatened to withhold financial support for the president’s re-election effort unless he helped get her top primary opponent out of the race. According to Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), Loeffler or her representatives approached the Trump campaign and offered to spend …

The Hill reports: Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) pushed back on Wednesday against President Trump, who refused to commit to a peaceful transition of power should he lose the election in November. Romney, who is one of the GOP senators most willing to publicly criticize Trump, is the first Republican lawmaker to weigh in on the president’s comments made from the …

NBC News reports: Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody on Wednesday called for an investigation into an effort backed by Mike Bloomberg to help restore the voting rights of thousands of felons ahead of the November election. “Today, I sent a letter to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Federal Bureau of Investigation into potential violations of election laws,” …