Republicans

The Hill reports: Longtime GOP strategist Steve Schmidt announced that he is registering as a Democrat after nearly 30 years with the Republican Party. Schmidt made the announcement during an episode of the “Battleground” podcast published Monday. “I spent 29 years as a Republican, I’ve spent two and a half as an independent, and later this afternoon I will register …

The Daily Beast reports: As states loosely align their own vaccine-distribution policies with broad guidance from the CDC, four highly vulnerable groups are competing for the first batches of vaccine: frontline health workers, elderly nursing home residents, workers in essential industries, and people of color. The problem: Florida health officials under the leadership of Gov. Ron DeSantis are putting them …

Reuters reports: Georgia’s GOP senators are refusing to acknowledge Joe Biden as president-elect a day after Electoral College voters met to cast their ballots and officially name him the winner over President Trump. But Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.) on Tuesday tweeted that she would keep fighting for Trump, and otherwise did not acknowledge the Electoral College vote. Georgia senators aren’t …

The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports: One day after the Electoral College affirmed Democrat Joe Biden’s presidential victory, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wisconsin, said in an interview that he acknowledged Biden as the president-elect and believed the election was legitimate. At the same time, Johnson plans to hold a Senate hearing Wednesday on election “irregularities,” saying there are “legitimate questions” about the …

Axios reports: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and his leadership team urged fellow Republicans on a conference call today not to participate in any efforts to object to certifying Joe Biden’s presidential election win in the Jan. 6 joint session. This is about politics as much as about doing the right thing. McConnell expressed concern about such a vote, because …

USA Today reports: A Pinal County Superior Court judge on Tuesday jettisoned a lawsuit claiming widespread election fraud in Arizona, saying the plaintiff had no standing to challenge the state’s election results because she was not registered to vote. Judge Kevin White also said former Gilbert Public Schools Board President Staci Burk had waited too long to file her complaint, …

From the far-right Charisma News: Amidst media reports from major outlets confirming Joe Biden’s victory in the Nevada electoral college vote for president of the United States, six Republican electors met outside the Nevada State Legislature Monday to cast their symbolic votes for Donald J. Trump to retain the nation’s highest office. In a video from the Right Side Broadcasting …

Knoxville’s NBC News affiliate reports: Family and friends of Tennessee State Representative David Byrd are asking for prayers after he was placed on a ventilator Monday in his fight against COVID-19. The 63-year-old was taken to the hospital more than a week ago with COVID-19 pneumonia. On Monday morning before being placed on a ventilator, he continued to ask for …

The Hill reports: Texas Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R) has released a movie thriller-style ad in support of Georgia GOP Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler in which he pretends to fight against antifa activists. The ad, titled “Georgia Reloaded” and released by the GOP congressman and former Navy SEAL, includes footage of prominent Democrats such as Sen. Chuck Schumer, Rep. …

“Not my President and never will be. The American people aren’t fools. We know you cheated to win and we’ll never accept these results. “Fair elections we can accept but cheating to win; never. It’s not over yet. So thankful President Trump has a backbone and refuses to concede. “President Trump should declare martial law as recommended by General Flynn.” …

“So I have a choice, I can either sit back and surrender and be a part of the surrender caucus, or I can fight for our country. And that’s what I’m going to do. “So on January 6, I’m going to object to the submissions of Electoral College votes from various states that, in my judgment, have such flawed election …

Politico reports: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell recognized Joe Biden as the president-elect of the United States for the first time on Tuesday, after declining to do so while President Donald Trump contested the election results. “Our country has officially a president-elect and a vice-president elect,” the Kentucky Republican said. McConnell’s recognition of Biden came at the tail end of …

The Texas Tribune reports: The Electoral College on Monday affirmed former Vice President Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 presidential election, but not before Texas’ 38 electors delivered their votes for Donald Trump and defiantly urged the legislatures of four swing states to overrule the will of their voters and appoint their own electors. The call from the Texas electors …

The Week reports: There are still Senate Republicans who refuse to publicly acknowledged that President-elect Joe Biden defeated President Trump in the Nov. 3 election, but that number shrank Monday after the Electoral College cast its votes, formalizing Biden’s 306-232 win. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) had still not publicly acknowledged Biden’s victory, but his top deputy, Sen. John …

The Hill reports: A Hail-Mary bid by House Republicans to flip the election results in favor of President Trump is sowing deep divisions in the GOP ranks. Those forces may be set to collide on Jan. 6, when Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.) is vowing to launch an improbable effort to force votes in both chambers designed to block President-elect Joe …

The Independent reports: Two newspapers are suing Florida for allegedly suppressing information about the coronavirus pandemic in the Sunshine State. The Orlando Sentinel and its sister publication, the South Florida Sentinel, accuse the Ron DeSantis-led administration of violating freedom of information laws. Both titles claim officials have been burying weekly reports by the White House Coronavirus Task Force, which make …

CNN reports: In an exclusive interview, Rep. Paul Mitchell, Republican of Michigan, told CNN that his disgust and disappointment with President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the results of the election have led him to request that the Clerk of the House change his party affiliation to “independent,” and to notify GOP leaders in a letter that he is withdrawing …

The Orlando Sentinel reports: Florida Senate President Wilton Simpson has tested positive for COVID-19, his spokeswoman said Monday. Simpson, 56, was slated to be an elector in the Electoral College vote Monday afternoon in the Senate chambers and took a test ahead of the event. But because of his positive test, he didn’t attend the ceremony and an alternate took …

The Detroit Free Press reports: Michigan Republican legislative leaders pulled a GOP lawmaker from his committee assignments Monday after the lawmaker hinted he was part of a group that sought to disrupt or otherwise undermine the Electoral College vote slated to happen at the Capitol this afternoon. Rep. Gary Eisen made the comments Monday morning during an interview with radio …

USA Today reports: Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich drew social media backlash Sunday after posting a tweet that criticized Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger for facilitating absentee voting. Several critics jumped on Gingrich’s tweet as an admission that Republicans rely on voter suppression to win elections, as voting rights advocate Abrams has alleged. “You’re busted Newt,” said former Attorney …