Republicans

“I don’t think he [Trump] should pardon Hunter. I think we need to be very careful about having a dual system of justice where, you know, the powerful or the sons and daughters of the powerful get off scot-free. “I could see possibly commuting the sentence, reducing it, and it wouldn’t surprise me if President Trump would do that. I …

The Associated Press reports: The Arizona Supreme Court has declined to hear Republican Kari Lake’s latest appeal over her defeat in the 2022 governor’s race, marking yet another loss in her attempt to overturn the race’s outcome. The court made its refusal to take up the former TV anchor’s appeal public on Thursday without explaining its decision. Lake, now locked …

The New York Times reports: A wave of racist text messages summoning Black people to report for slavery showed up on phones across the United States, prompting the scrutiny of the F.B.I. The N.A.A.C.P. said that messages were received in dozens of states, and attorneys general in two other states reported the same on Thursday. The F.B.I. said in a …

The Hill reports: Senate Republican Whip John Thune (S.D.) is urging President-elect Trump not to put his thumb on the scale in the race to elect a successor to outgoing Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.), putting a new wrinkle in the high-stakes contest. Thune in recent days has declared his preference that Trump give Republican senators space to make …

NPR reports: A federal judge on Thursday struck down a Biden administration policy that aimed to ease a path to citizenship for some undocumented immigrants who are married to U.S. citizens. The program, lauded as one of the biggest presidential actions to help immigrant families in years, allowed undocumented spouses and stepchildren of U.S. citizens to apply for a green …

Politico reports: One of President-elect Donald Trump’s most vocal supporters in the House is on the short list to become his next ambassador to the United Nations, according to five people familiar with the potential appointment. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) tops the list of people the Trump transition team is considering for the influential diplomatic post. Stefanik has repeatedly attacked the …

Hampton Roads’ ABC affiliate reports: On Wednesday, the Virginia Attorney General’s Office condemned racist text messages from an unknown source sent to people across the state. The text message asked people to report to a plantation to pick cotton. It arrived on people’s phones a day after Election Day. Greetings, Samuel, You have been selected to pick cotton at the …

The Associated Press reports: Republican Dave McCormick defeated incumbent Democratic Sen. Bob Casey in Pennsylvania’s Senate race, The Associated Press projected, marking the 53rd Senate seat Republicans have captured in winning back the majority. Pennsylvania saw one of the most expensive Senate races in the country this cycle — and McCormick had early backing from national Republican operatives during the …

NOTUS reports: Wisconsin’s GOP senate candidate, Eric Hovde, is, at this point, refusing to concede to Sen. Tammy Baldwin and blaming a third-party candidate who netted a vote count of almost exactly Hovde’s loss margin. “We’re certainly disappointed that the Democrats’ effort to siphon votes with a fraudulent candidate had a significant impact on the race, with those votes making …

From the South Florida Sun-Sentinel editorial board: DeSantis became the first Florida governor to swipe millions from lawsuit settlement money intended to help victims of opioid addiction just so he could push an anti-pot agenda. Credit him for erasing reality from the financial impact statement accompanying Amendment 4 and using Heritage Foundation supplicants to instead produce a horror movie screenplay …

Florida Politics reports: After getting 10 votes in his last bid for leadership of the Republican Senate Caucus, Rick Scott says he will be more successful with the GOP majority during next Wednesday’s vote. “I’m going to win. And here’s why. I’ve been talking to my Republican colleagues, Guess what? They want change. They know that Donald Trump has a …

CNN reports: President-elect Donald Trump’s allies are quickly jockeying for positions in a new Trump administration on the heels of his decisive victory, sources familiar with the matter told CNN, pitting loyalists against each other to land top roles in the new government. Secretary of state and national security adviser will be among the most hard-fought positions to stand at …

Fox News reports: With Republicans projected to win the Senate majority in the 2024 election, “the filibuster will stand,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell noted on Wednesday. Even when one party controls a slim majority of Senate seats, the other party can still block legislation from advancing due to the significant threshold required for overcoming the filibuster. Fox News Media …

“I am deeply honored and humbled to have earned your trust, your vote, and the opportunity to represent you in the United States Congress. “This victory is not just mine; it is ours. It belongs to every hard-working family, every farmer, every rancher, every small business owner, and every patriot in our district who believes in the principles that built …

The Associated Press reports: Republican Tim Sheehy won the U.S. Senate seat in Montana on Wednesday, defeating three-term incumbent Jon Tester and flipping a closely watched Senate seat. Tester was the only Democrat holding statewide office in Montana, which has voted for the Republican candidate in every presidential contest since 1992. Sheehy, a former U.S. Navy SEAL, ran as a …

The Hill reports: Republican businessman Bernie Moreno has defeated incumbent Sen. Sherrod Brown (Ohio), the chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, boosting Republican chances of taking back control of the Senate. Moreno, 57, who built up a successful network of car dealerships in Ohio, had trailed Brown, who is completing his third Senate term, in the polls for much of …

NBC News reports: GOP Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas is headed back to Washington after he turned back a challenge from Democratic Rep. Colin Allred, NBC News projects. Cruz was expected to win a third term in the deep-red state, but the race tightened in recent weeks, drawing national attention and scrutiny as Allred, a prolific fundraiser, spent millions of …

The Pensacola News Journal reports: U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz has won another term in Congress. Gaetz easily defeated Democratic challenger Gay Valimont on Tuesday. The Associated Press called the race for Gaetz at 7:14 p.m Central. As of 7:21 p.m., Gaetz had 195,418 votes, 65.64%, while Valimont had 102,283 votes, 34.36%, with only the early vote and mail-in votes counted. …

The Hill reports: Florida’s abortion-rights ballot initiative fell short of passing on Tuesday, leaving in place a six-week abortion ban that has helped restrict access across almost all of the Southern U.S. The measure’s defeat is a significant victory for Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), who engaged multiple levers of state-sponsored power to oppose it. The measure needed a 60 percent …

Florida Politics reports: Republican U.S. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna has secured re-election to Florida’s 13th Congressional District, narrowly avoiding becoming a one-term Representative in a district that favors the GOP. With 58% precincts reporting, Luna secured 54% of the vote, edging out Democratic challenger Whitney Fox, who posted a performance no one would have expected just one year ago. A …