Republicans

The Associated Press reports: Sen. Mitt Romney said Friday that politicians attacking the vote by mail system are threatening global democracy but stopped short of criticizing President Donald Trump, who has been openly against an expected surge of mail-in ballots. The United States must stand as an example to more fragile democratic nations to show that elections can be held …

“They need to start breaking the bond that we have with each other. And they can do that by making us wear a mask. By telling us to stay at least six feet away from another human being. Because we don’t want to get too close, because they could be bad for us. “See, this is all about de-socialization. Love …

From the editorial board of the National Review: Party leaders can’t stop Greene from being elected in a district that routinely backs Republicans over Democrats by a 3-1 margin, but congressional Republicans would be wise to follow the lead of Illinois Republican Adam Kinzinger in repudiating Greene. House Republicans should go further and deny Greene committee assignments when she arrives …

The Hill reports: Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) broke with President Trump on Friday by saying there is no debate over whether Sen. Kamala Harris is a U.S. citizen, remarks that came after the president encouraged a conspiracy theory that the California Democrat may not be eligible to serve as vice president because her parents are immigrants. In a pair of …

The Bangor Daily News reports: Sen. Susan Collins said Thursday that efforts by the U.S. Postal Service to cut costs could backfire amid reported mail delays in Maine and across the country and reiterated support to increase funding to the embattled agency. The Maine senator, who is facing the most competitive re-election campaign of her career this year and has …

Politico reports: Sen. Ron Johnson this week said his probe of Obama-era intelligence agencies would help President Donald Trump win reelection, igniting fury from Democrats who say it was an explicit admission he’s using his committee to damage Joe Biden’s candidacy for president. “The more that we expose of the corruption of the transition process between Obama and Trump, the …

The Washington Post reports: The RNC and Trump campaign advisers are now mapping out their post-election strategy, including how to challenge mail ballots without postmarks, as they anticipate weeks-long legal fights in an array of states, according to people familiar with the plans, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe internal discussions. The campaign plans to have lawyers …

The Texas Tribune reports: During a press conference on Thursday afternoon, Gov. Greg Abbott expressed his sympathy for Texans who are now unemployed following his order closing bars, but stressed that those areas are one of the most “prolific spreading events.” On Thursday, he said bars could potentially reopen once coronavirus metrics improve more significantly. He said he would need …

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports: Gov. Brian Kemp on Thursday withdrew his lawsuit challenging the city of Atlanta’s mask mandate and coronavirus restrictions, ending a legal feud between the Republican governor and the Democratic leader of the state’s capital city over how to contain the pandemic. Kemp said he will instead sign an executive order Saturday that is expected to specify …

Media Matters reports: Republican-backed congressional candidate and right-wing commentator Marjorie Taylor Greene is both a QAnon supporter and a 9/11 conspiracy theorist. In previously unreported remarks, Greene discussed the September 11 attacks and said that there was “the so-called plane that crashed into the Pentagon. It’s odd there’s never any evidence shown for a plane in the Pentagon.” She also …

Reuters reports: The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday left in place a lower-court ruling that relaxes voting restrictions in Rhode Island during the coronavirus pandemic. The justices rejected an emergency request made by the Republican National Committee and the state’s Republican Party. The decision means that mail-in ballots will not, as usual, have to be accompanied by the signatures of …

Mediaite reports: With anxious parents around the state of Florida debating whether or not to send their children back to school in the next few weeks, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) shared a metaphor which is unlikely to provide much reassurance. Speaking at a news conference on Wednesday, the Florida governor relayed comments made to him by Martin County Superintendent Laurie …

The Hill reports: President Trump on Thursday warned that GOP Senate candidates who don’t fully embrace him will lose their elections, a warning shot to some moderates who have kept their distance from the president. Trump called into Maria Bartiromo’s show on Fox Business Network, where he predicted Republicans would take back control of the House despite little polling to …

Mediaite reports: After President Donald Trump praised a QAnon acolyte on winning a House primary election in Georgia, a Republican congressman emphatically condemned the wacky conspiracy theory group on Wednesday. Kinzinger was almost certainly referring to Marjorie Taylor Greene, the Republican candidate for Georgia’s 14th Congressional District, who Trump congratulated earlier in the day as “a real WINNER” and “future …

Cleveland.com reports: Secretary of State Frank LaRose said Wednesday he is banning county boards of elections from offering more than one drop box for completed absentee ballots this November, saying it’s grown too late to make changes to how Ohio will administer this year’s presidential election. LaRose, a Republican, more than three weeks ago formally asked Ohio Attorney General Dave …

Take it away, Fox News: Marjorie Taylor Greene, a businesswoman who has expressed support for the far-right conspiracy theory QAnon and been criticized for a series of racist comments, has won the Republican nomination for Georgia’s 14th Congressional District. In a series of videos unearthed just after Greene placed first in the initial June 9 Republican primary, she complains of …

Courthouse News reports: A group of Illinois Republicans sued the state’s Democratic governor and others in federal court Monday over a law they claim is designed to expand voting by mail to dilute Republican votes and tilt elections in favor of Democrats, while also risking a spike in voter fraud. The Cook County Republican Party targeted Governor J.B. Pritzker in …

The Hartford Courant reports: A Republican running for Congress in Connecticut’s 2nd District abruptly dropped his bid on the day of the primary following his arrest. Thomas Gilmer of Madison was arrested by Wethersfield police late Monday, a department official confirmed. He was charged on a warrant with first-degree unlawful restraint and second-degree strangulation and posted a $5,000 bond. Sources …

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports: Gov. Brian Kemp on Monday ruled out ordering public school systems to impose mask mandates for returning students and teachers, echoing his preference that local education officials decide whether to require face coverings to contain the spread of the coronavirus. Kemp, speaking at the opening of a testing site at Hartsfield-Jackson airport, said he was confident …

The Associated Press reports: Republican Sen. Ron Johnson said Monday that he has subpoenaed the FBI to produce documents to his committee related to the Trump-Russia investigation. The Wisconsin senator also defended a separate investigation he is leading into Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and Ukraine, even as Democrats say the probe has the effect of amplifying Russian propaganda and …