Republicans

“Voting ought to be a privilege reserved for informed, grown-up, contributing members of society. If you aren’t paying taxes, then you shouldn’t have any say in where tax money, other people’s money, goes. “And if you are woefully ignorant of even the most basic facts of our system, then you shouldn’t be able to — by wandering into a voting …

The Birmingham News reports: Republican U.S. Senate candidate Tommy Tuberville has a 17-point lead over incumbent Democratic Sen. Doug Jones in Alabama, according to a Morning Consult poll released Tuesday. The survey of 650 likely Alabama voters shows Tuberville ahead of Jones, 52 percent to 35 percent. Four percent said they would vote for someone else and 9 percent had …

The Lexington Courier-Journal reports: A new survey by independent polling firm Morning Consult shows Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell with a commanding lead in his bid for a seventh term in Kentucky, leading 53% to 36% over his Democratic challenger Amy McGrath. About 700 likely voters in Kentucky were surveyed online from July 24 to Aug. 2 by Morning Consult, …

The Tampa Bay Times reports: Five people who attended a Florida Sheriffs Association meeting last week have tested positive for COVID-19, and top state elected officials who appeared at the meeting have received a warning about their potential exposure to the virus. The July 27 meeting at a Bonita Springs hotel brought together 60 people from across the state, including …

Mediaite reports: One top Republican senator publicly appealed to President Donald Trump on Twitter over his very public swipe at one of his own coronavirus task force members. Over the weekend, Birx — who was also criticized by Speaker Nancy Pelosi — warned that the U.S. is in a “new phase” of the coronavirus pandemic. Trump tweeted Monday morning, “In …

The Daily Beast reports: Claiming that the novel coronavirus that’s killed roughly 157,000 Americans isn’t “that much worse” than the flu, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) blasted the media on Monday for supposedly peddling COVID-19 “panic porn” and downplaying the so-called effectiveness of unproven anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine. Johnson, who last month insisted that the nation “overreacted” to the coronavirus pandemic,” appeared …

Politico reports: The maneuvering for power in a possible post-Trump world has already broken out among House Republicans — a worrisome preview for the GOP of potentially chaotic leadership fights this fall. The party’s long-simmering divides were largely papered over after Donald Trump won the White House in 2016. But members expect the truce among the GOP’s warring factions to …

The Detroit News reports: A Michigan senator who has been a vocal critic of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s handling of COVID-19 says he tested positive for the virus after going through a screening process because of his service in the Army National Guard. Sen. Tom Barrett, R-Charlotte, who is viewed as a rising star in the Republican Party, sponsored a bill …

The South Florida SunSentinel reports: Florida clocked in with 7,104 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday and another 62 more deaths among residents. The state has tallied 487,132 cases and 7,206 deaths since the pandemic began, according to the Florida Department of Health. The one-day peak for new cases was July 12, with 15,300 infections. On Friday, the state reported yet …

The Texas Tribune reports: Gov. Greg Abbott will skip the Republican National Convention later this month in North Carolina as he continues to respond to the coronavirus pandemic in Texas, and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick will instead chair the state’s delegation to the scaled-down gathering. Abbott announced the plan in a letter dated Friday to the national GOP chairwoman, Ronna …

Yahoo Sports reports: Oklahoma City Thunder players did not heed a lawmaker’s threat about kneeling during the national anthem. All the Thunder players knelt on Saturday alongside Utah Jazz players during their NBA bubble debut. The social justice protest arrived a day after an Oklahoma state lawmaker attempted to pressure Thunder players to his will. Rep. Sean Roberts (R-Hominy) issued …

The Guardian reports: The media will be barred from the Republican national convention where Donald Trump is set to be renominated as presidential candidate later this month, a spokeswoman said on Saturday, citing coronavirus restrictions. While Trump called off the public components of the convention in Florida last month, citing spiking cases of the virus across the country, 336 delegates …

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports: U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler granted an interview to a TV pundit associated with white supremacy and Nazism. The interview aired on One America News Network on Thursday and Loeffler promoted it heavily on her Facebook and Twitter accounts Friday, tagging the controversial host. Jewish groups and media observers pointed out that Posobiec promotes conspiracy theories and …

NBC News reports: In the aftermath of Rep. Louie Gohmert’s positive COVID-19 test, the debate around sending rapid test machines to the Capitol is back in full force. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell don’t agree on much, but they are on the same page about not bringing rapid testing to Capitol Hill — and there …

Salon reports: Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, a Republican facing a tough re-election race, has run numerous ads over the last three months featuring testimonials from more than 20 people who were presented as ordinary Mainers — but in fact had close ties to the state’s Republican Party or to Collins herself. While such deception is not obviously illegal, it’s …

CNN reports: Sen. Mitch McConnell is allowing Republican Senate candidates to do whatever it takes to salvage their campaigns ahead of what Republicans increasingly fear could be a devastating election for their party. In recent weeks, the Senate majority leader has become so concerned over Republicans losing control of the Senate that he has signaled to vulnerable GOP senators in …

“While I’m out there talking to folks about these Paycheck Protection Program opportunities when I’m talking to them about supports needed in our rural health care system, when I’m talking about supports necessary for child care so that moms and dads can get back to work, she’s been hiding in her basement taking selfies with her dog Ringo. So, you …

The Insider reports: Dr. Anthony Fauci and Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan got into a heated back-and-forth during a House subcommittee hearing on the novel coronavirus Friday morning. It began when Jordan, one of President Donald Trump’s biggest attack dogs on Capitol Hill, repeatedly asked Fauci to weigh in on whether widespread protests increase the spread of COVID-19. Fauci said that …

The Birmingham News reports: State Rep. Will Dismukes has stepped down as pastor of a Baptist church after the controversy over his speaking appearance at a birthday party for the founder of the Ku Klux Klan. Dismukes resigned as pastor of Pleasant Hill Baptist Church in Prattville on July 29 following three days of backlash resulting from a Facebook post …

Via press release from Democratic Rep. Jackie Speier: Congressman Gohmert’s behavior is not only irresponsible, it’s dangerous and reckless. He berated his staff for wearing masks and not wanting to be equally reckless. He tested positive the day after he sat in a committee hearing without wearing a mask, endangering others. Even worse, after he knew he had the virus, …