Republicans

Salon reports: Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., on Thursday told a virtual town hall audience that he believed the 200,000 deaths attributed to COVID-19 in the U.S. had been inflated in order to “encourage people to use social distancing.” “When the final accounting is done,” the actual COVID-19 death count will be lower, Tillis claimed. The response echoes a false conspiracy …

Axios reports: A number of prominent Republican lawmakers addressed President Trump’s refusal on Wednesday to commit to a peaceful transfer of power if he loses November’s presidential election. Worth noting: None of the statements issued so far directly mention Trump by name — or why they’re speaking out on the issue now. The big picture: Trump has baselessly claimed that …

The Daily Beast reports: A leading congressional ally of President Donald Trump alleged last week that Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-GA) threatened to withhold financial support for the president’s re-election effort unless he helped get her top primary opponent out of the race. According to Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), Loeffler or her representatives approached the Trump campaign and offered to spend …

The Hill reports: Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) pushed back on Wednesday against President Trump, who refused to commit to a peaceful transition of power should he lose the election in November. Romney, who is one of the GOP senators most willing to publicly criticize Trump, is the first Republican lawmaker to weigh in on the president’s comments made from the …

NBC News reports: Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody on Wednesday called for an investigation into an effort backed by Mike Bloomberg to help restore the voting rights of thousands of felons ahead of the November election. “Today, I sent a letter to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Federal Bureau of Investigation into potential violations of election laws,” …

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports: Gov. Mike Parson postponed an event in St. Louis Wednesday and a debate on Friday after First Lady Teresa Parson tested positive for COVID-19. Later Wednesday, in a brief statement, Parson said he also has tested positive, but was awaiting the results of a second test to confirm that result. Earlier Wednesday, Kelli Jones, a …

The Texas Tribune reports: Republican Gov. Greg Abbott is facing a lawsuit over his extension of early voting for the November election from prominent members of his own party — including state party Chair Allen West, Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller and members of the Texas Legislature. In July, Abbott added six days to the early voting period, moving the start …

The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports: Voting-rights advocates say it could take some Cuyahoga County residents as long as 90 minutes in travel time to cast an absentee ballot at the county’s only drop box. Attorneys for the League of Women Voters and the NAACP of Ohio this week cited the difficulties of low-income residents as part of a filing in …

The Texas Tribune reports: A ceremonial resolution honoring the life of the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg failed in the Senate on Tuesday after U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz objected to language his Democratic counterparts added noting her dying wish that a successor not be chosen until after the presidential inauguration early next year. “Unfortunately, the Democratic leader …

From the hate group Family Policy Alliance: The nationwide movement to #SaveGirlsSports has never been stronger, and today there’s a big development. Family Policy Alliance is excited to stand with Senator Kelly Loeffler (R-GA) in her effort to #SaveGirlsSports by introducing new federal legislation that would make sure schools keep girls’ sports for girls if they receive federal funds. The …

Roll Call reports: Republicans plan to ask the Supreme Court to review a major Pennsylvania state court ruling that extended the due date for mail ballots in the key battleground state, teeing up the first test for the Supreme Court since the death of its liberal leader Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. The GOP legal strategy, which was revealed in a …

The Associated Press reports: Ranked choice voting will be used for the first time in a presidential race in the U.S. under a ruling Tuesday by the Maine Supreme Court, which concluded a GOP petition drive intended to stymie its use this November came up short. The Supreme Judicial Court concluded that the Maine Republican Party failed to reach the …

Politico reports: Sen. Mitt Romney said he would support a floor vote on President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court, essentially clinching consideration of Trump’s nominee this year despite the impending election. Just two Republican senators have asked for the party to put the brakes on the confirmation. And with a 53-seat majority, Senate Majority Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) now has the votes …

Denver’s CBS News affiliate reports: Colorado Sen. Cory Gardner released a statement about his position on the U.S. Supreme Court vacancy left by the late-Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Gardner had avoided answering questions from journalists until Monday evening. “When a President exercises constitutional authority to nominate a judge for the Supreme Court vacancy, the Senate must decide how to best …

The Des Moines Register reports: U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley said Monday that he will not oppose holding hearings or taking a vote on President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nomination if the proceedings move forward. “Over the years, and as recently as July, I’ve consistently said that taking up and evaluating a nominee in 2020 would be a decision for the …

Via press release from Sen. Lindsey Graham: Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) today sent a letter to committee Democrats regarding the recent Supreme Court vacancy. Graham wrote, “When the American people elected a Republican Senate majority in 2014, Americans did so because we committed to checking and balancing the end of President Obama’s lame duck presidency. We …

The Tennessean reports: Former Nashville Council Member Tony Tenpenny has died due to complications from COVID-19, Vice Mayor Jim Shulman confirmed Sunday. Tenpenny was hospitalized for more than a month at one of the St. Thomas hospitals and was placed on a ventilator earlier in September. He died overnight, Shulman said on Sunday afternoon. Tenpenny shared social media posts questioning …

Raw Story reports: A small group of protesters came to one of Lindsey Graham’s latest campaign events, and they were quickly attacked by supporters of President Donald Trump chanting “four more years.” Graham’s event seemed to have more support for Trump than for Graham at his own weekend event. It’s unknown why the Trump supporters were not chanting for Graham. …

CNN reports: Speaking on the Senate floor, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said President Trump’s nominee to replace Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg “will receive a vote on the floor of the Senate.” McConnell said the same individuals who “tried every conceivable dirty trick to obstruct Justice Gorsuch and Justice Kavanaugh are lining up, lining up to proclaim the …

The Washington Post reports: Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), among the GOP senators who Democrats hope will help block a Trump nominee from being confirmed to the Supreme Court before the election, has no immediate plans to talk about the issue, a spokeswoman indicated Monday. Liz Johnson said that the senator is waiting to hear the views of his colleagues and …