Republicans

The Hill reports: Sen. Lindsey Graham — during an interview with Fox News Radio’s “The Brian Kilmeade Show” — did not acknowledge that Trump lost this year’s election and instead said that if the president “falls short” he should “not let his movement die” and should “consider running again.” “I would encourage him to think about doing it,” Graham said, …

The Hill reports: Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) warned that President Trump should not concede defeat in the 2020 presidential election in part because Republicans will “never” be able to elect another president from their party again. “If Republicans don’t challenge and change the U.S. election system, there will never be another Republican president elected again,” Graham said Sunday on Fox …

The Tampa Bay Times reports: The Florida Department of Health reported 6,820 coronavirus infections on Sunday and 22 deaths, bringing the state’s overall death toll throughout the pandemic to 17,333 lives lost. Since March 1, the day health officials recorded the first known coronavirus infection in Florida, the state has reported a total of 843,897 cases. About 25 percent of …

The Hill reports: Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) said Sunday that the U.S. shouldn’t “expect” President Trump “to go off quietly in the night” after Trump has spent the days after the election spreading false claims about victory and questioning the integrity of mail-in ballots. Romney told CNN’s “State of the Union” that Trump will “keep on fighting until the very …

The Hill reports: ABC’s George Stephanopoulos pressed South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) on Sunday when she suggested that President-elect Joe Biden was the beneficiary of “illegal activities” in the election. Noem during an appearance on ABC’s “This Week” said “people have signed legal documents stating that they saw illegal activities” and cited New York Times reports of “clerical errors.” …

Politico reports: Bloomberg’s Jen Jacobs scooped Friday night that White House chief of staff Mark Meadows had the novel coronavirus. We were poking around on this story much of Friday, and we bring that up only to make this point: Several people who had been in direct contact with Meadows were not told he had the virus. Another high-profile member …

Mediaite reports: In a roughly four-minute-long, incredibly bizarre video, Rep. Clay Higgins (R-LA) claimed he had “insider data” that proved the 2020 presidential election had been rigged. “Our nation, right now, and I have inside data, this election is compromised. Our president is not compromised. I stand with him, if anybody likes it or not. I’m telling you right now,” …

Mediaite reports: On the Friday morning when Biden took a likely insurmountable lead in Pennsylvania and all but secured his victory over Trump, Santorum told a CNN panel not to rush Trump and his fans into conceding.  Santorum declared “Give people time!” “You know he’s just found out that he’s probably not going to be the president of the United …

The Associated Press reports: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton had an extramarital affair with a woman whom he later recommended for a job with the wealthy donor now at the center of criminal allegations against him, according to two people who said Paxton told them about the relationship. The two people, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of …

NPR reports: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., says “every legal vote should be counted” and “any illegal ballots must not,” as President Trump continues to make baseless claims alleging fraud in the election. “Here’s how this must work in our great country: Every legal vote should be counted. Any illegally-submitted ballots must not. All sides must get to observe …

Click On Detroit reports: In a statement Thursday, James said, “While Senator Peters is currently ahead, I have deep concerns that millions of Michiganders may have been disenfranchised by a dishonest few who cheat.” James also said he will accept the results and the will of the people, “but at this time there is enough credible evidence to warrant an …

Axios reports: A source close to McConnell tells Axios a Republican Senate would work with Biden on centrist nominees but no “radical progressives” or ones who are controversial with conservatives. The Biden agenda would be severely restricted by GOP control, the source added: “It’s going to be armed camps.” The state of play: The process is in its early stages …

The Daily Beast reports: Republicans hunting for votes in Arizona have become fixated on ballots that were marked with felt-tipped pens, alleging that poll workers tricked Trump supporters into invalidating their ballots by giving them Sharpies. But election officials in the state say that ballots marked with felt-tipped pens—a favorite writing implement of the president—will still count. The pen controversy …

The Portland Press Herald reports: Republican Sen. Susan Collins won Maine’s high-profile U.S. Senate race on Wednesday, defeating Democrat Sara Gideon in a contest that saw unprecedented spending as part of the national battle for control in Washington. In a speech to supporters outside of a Bangor hotel, Collins said Gideon had called her to concede the hard-fought race. Unofficial …

Bismarck’s Fox News affiliate reports: A Republican candidate for the state legislature in North Dakota who died from COVID-19 in October won his election Tuesday night. Election results in North Dakota showed the Bismarck-area district going to David Andahl and Dave Nehring. The district chooses two representatives. According to the Associated Press, Andahl died due to complications from COVID-19 at …

The Iowa Gazette reports: Republican Joni Ernst, the first woman elected to the U.S. Senate in Iowa, on Tuesday became the first woman reelected to that federal post after surviving a scare by edging out Democrat Theresa Greenfield in a hard-fought and expensive 2020 political slugfest. With 86 percent of 1,661 precincts reporting, Ernst, 50, a retired soldier who previously …

The New York Times reports: Senator Doug Jones is the most vulnerable Democratic incumbent in the chamber. He won a special election in 2017 against Roy S. Moore, a Republican accused of sexual abuse and child molestation. Mr. Jones, who has cast himself as a moderate, is running against the former football coach Tommy Tuberville, a Republican who has pledged …

Bloomberg News reports: Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina was elected to a fourth term, the Associated Press projected, overcoming Democrat Jaime Harrison’s record-setting fund-raising campaign. Graham, a close ally of President Donald Trump, played a key role in the confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett, Trump’s pick for the Supreme Court, in October. Democrats need a net gain of …

The New York Times reports: Senator Mitch McConnell, the Kentucky Republican and majority leader known for his take-no-prisoners tactics, was elected to a seventh term Tuesday, defeating Amy McGrath, a Democrat who struggled to gain ground despite an outpouring of financial support from her party’s supporters around the nation. Mr. McConnell campaigned back home on how he had used his …

The Hill reports: GOP Sen. Susan Collins, who is locked in a close reelection race with Democrat Sara Gideon, warned on Tuesday that it could take a week to determine who won the Maine Senate race if no candidate gets an outright majority on election night. “If neither of us gets 50 percent of the vote, then we get into …