Republicans

CNBC reports: Sen. David Perdue of Georgia is quarantining after contact with someone who tested positive for Covid-19, his campaign said Thursday, less than a week before the Republican’s runoff election against Jon Ossoff. His runoff against Ossoff is one of two runoffs in Georgia that will determine whether Republicans or Democrats have majority control over the U.S. Senate in …

The Tampa Bay Times reports: Fred Piccolo, Gov. Ron DeSantis’ communications director, has resigned from the governor’s office, a move he said was planned before he deleted his Twitter account shortly after his controversial Christmas Eve tweet about COVID-19 victims. Piccolo, who was named DeSantis’s chief spokesman in July, said he will move over to the state Department of Education …

Politico reports: Sen. Lindsey Graham on Thursday urged Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to allow a stand-alone vote on $2,000 stimulus checks after the new Congress is sworn in next week. The remarks from the South Carolina Republican break with the public posture of his party’s top Washington lawmaker and come just a day after McConnell rejected the proposed payment …

The Texas Tribune reports: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said Wednesday that he has sued the City of Austin and Travis County, a declaration that came a day after local leaders declared new restrictions for when restaurants and bars can serve customers during New Year’s weekend. Paxton filed a petition for temporary injunction and a temporary restraining order in Travis …

NBC News reports: Congresswoman-elect María Elvira Salazar of Florida announced Thursday that she will miss the swearing-in ceremony for new members of Congress on Sunday in Washington after testing positive for the coronavirus. Salazar, a Republican from the Miami area who defeated Democratic Rep. Donna Shalala in one of the biggest House upsets of the election year, was admitted to …

Politico reports: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell attacked the House-passed bill increasing stimulus checks to $2,000 on Wednesday afternoon, likely dooming the prospects of boosting direct payments as the 116th Congress comes to an end. The Kentucky Republican said the House’s proposal is too generous for higher earners and “does not align with what President [Donald] Trump has suggested, which …

The Associated Press reports: New Hampshire’s Republican governor said Wednesday that he is canceling his outdoor inauguration ceremony next month because of public safety concerns — namely, armed protesters who have been gathering outside his home in the weeks since he issued a mask order. “My first responsibility is ensuring the safety of my family and our citizens” Gov. Chris …

The Atlantic City Press reports: Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-2nd, will raise objections to accepting the Electoral College’s vote counts from states that did not follow their own laws in setting rules for the Nov. 3 election, he said Wednesday. “I won’t be voting to certify the electors,” Van Drew said in a phone interview Wednesday. “It’s what I’ve talked …

The Queens Eagle reports: At least one person has been hospitalized for COVID-19 after attending an indoor Christmas dance party hosted by the Whitestone Republican Club earlier this month, the Eagle has learned. James Trent, chair of the affiliated Queens Village Republican Club, was admitted to North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset where he is recovering from COVID-19, he said …

The New York Post reports: Louisiana Rep.-elect Luke Letlow, who died while battling COVID-19, suffered a heart attack following a procedure, a hospital official said. The 41-year-old was receiving treatment in the intensive care unit at Ochsner LSU Health in Shreveport when he died Tuesday, the Monroe News-Star reported. LSU Health Shreveport Chancellor G.E. Ghali confirmed Letlow underwent an operation …

Politico explains the process: The least-understood aspect of Congress’ electoral vote certification occurs days before the main event. On Jan. 3, the first day of the new congressional session, the House and Senate will adopt a set of rules that govern the Jan. 6 meeting. The so-called “concurrent resolution” usually originates in the Senate, where the rules committee — chaired …

Axios reports: Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) said in a statement Wednesday that he will object to the certification of President-elect Joe Biden’s Electoral College victory during the joint session of Congress on Jan. 6, alleging that some states failed to follow their election laws and that Big Tech interfered on behalf of Biden. Hawley is the first senator to say …

The Daily Beast reports: Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) needs your help to keep the U.S. Senate in Republican hands. So blared a handful of Facebook’s ads that Cruz’s campaign committee purchased this month. But none of them were actually raising money for the Republican candidates in Georgia. Instead, every penny donated went directly to…Cruz. The Cruz campaign bought 15 separate …

The Associated Press reports: Luke Letlow, Louisiana’s incoming Republican member of the U.S. House, died Tuesday night from complications related to COVID-19 only days before he would have been sworn into office. He was 41. Letlow spokesman Andrew Bautsch confirmed the congressman-elect’s death at Ochsner-LSU Health Shreveport. “The family appreciates the numerous prayers and support over the past days but …

The Hill reports: Republican Sen. Pat Toomey (Pa.) on Tuesday evening announced he would object to a request to swiftly pass House-approved legislation to increase the amount of direct stimulus checks to $2,000. Toomey is one of several Republican senators who would object to such a request, including Sens. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) and Rand Paul (R-Ky.), according to a Senate …

“That has been discussed. I know that has been a concern. Gee, there may be riots and things. Look, there’s going to be trouble no matter what. “And so why should not we be about defending the Constitution and putting down trouble by those who want to destroy our Constitution instead of just saying let’s just let these people do …

Axios reports: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Tuesday blocked Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s (D-N.Y.) request to hold a vote on a House standalone measure that would boost the size of stimulus checks from $600 to $2,000 per person. President Trump has demanded that the payments be increased, creating a rift between him and Senate GOP leadership ahead of …

CNBC reports: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell blocked Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s Tuesday attempt to increase direct payments in the year-end coronavirus relief bill to $2,000. The House — with nearly all Democrats and a few dozen Republicans on board — voted Monday to boost the cash deposits to $2,000 from $600. Now, Senate Republicans wary of spending more …

The Washington Post reports: Earlier this month, Tom Mountain, a Massachusetts Republican Party leader, posed for a maskless photo in front of a silver menorah as dozens of other guests without face coverings mingled nearby at a White House Hanukkah party. Three days later, the vice chairman of the Massachusetts Republican State Committee was rushed to the hospital with a …

Via press release from GOP Rep. Louie Gohmert: The 2020 presidential election was one we’d expect to see in a banana republic, not the United States of America. In fact, the rampant fraud and unconstitutional actions that took place were so egregious that seven contested states– Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, New Mexico, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin all sent dueling slates of …