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☆ CNN Exclusive: Conservative bigwig Matt Schlapp agreed to hefty settlement to end sexual assault lawsuit
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-27 | by ( Jamie Gangel | Gregory Krieg | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —The Republican operative who accused American Conservative Union chairman Matt Schlapp of sexual assault last year received a significant financial settlement in exchange for dropping his lawsuit against Schlapp, multiple sources familiar with the case told CNN. The $480,000 settlement was paid to Carlton Huffman through an insurance policy, according to a source familiar with the details. The original lawsuit filed by Huffman against Schlapp asked for more than $9 million in damages. Huffman told CNN that Schlapp made unwanted sexual advances, including groping and fondling his groin without consent, on the ride back from two Atlanta-area bars on October 19, 2022. A former official on the Walker campaign told CNN he does not believe the settlement exonerates Schlapp.

Persons: Matt Schlapp, Schlapp, Carlton Huffman, Huffman, “, ” Schlapp, ”, ” Huffman, Tim Hyland, Mark Corallo, Donald Trump, George W, Bush, Mercedes Schlapp, Republican Herschel Walker’s, Charlie Gerow, Walker, Carlton, Huffman’s, ” “ Organizations: CNN, Republican, American Conservative, ACU, Washington Examiner, Political, Conference, House, Georgia GOP, Republican Herschel Walker’s Senate Locations: Atlanta, CPAC, Walker’s, Raleigh , North Carolina

☆ Nikki Haley received roughly 20,000 Election Day votes over Trump in the Georgia GOP primary after dropping her White House bid. Why it matters.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-14 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

With no major GOP opponents, ex-President Donald Trump easily won the Georgia primary on Tuesday. But Nikki Haley still won roughly 20,000 Election Day votes despite her exit from the WH race. Statewide, Haley won about 78,000 votes in the GOP primary. And roughly 20,000 of those votes were cast on Election day, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. AdvertisementThe ghost of the 2020 election still lingersIn the 2020 election, Biden won Georgia by a 0.23% margin, or roughly 12,000 votes out of roughly 5 million ballots cast.

Persons: Donald Trump, Nikki Haley, —, Donald Trump romped, Trump, Haley, Joe Biden, Raphael Warnock, Jon Ossoff, Warnock, Republican Herschel Walker, Brian Kemp's, Stacey Abrams, Kemp, Brian Kemp, Georgia, Brynn Anderson, Fulton, Biden, Cobb, Brad Raffensperger, Trump's, Raffensperger Organizations: GOP, Georgia, WH, Service, Georgia Republican, South Carolina Gov, Trump, Super, The Atlanta, UN, Georgia Republicans, Republican, Independents, Gov, AP, Peach State Republicans, Biden, Georgia . College Locations: Atlanta, Georgia, Cobb , DeKalb, Fulton, Gwinnett, Atlanta ,, —, DeKalb, Cobb, Fulton County, Trump

☆ If Bob Menendez wanted to legally get rich while being a senator, he could've just written a more popular book
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Sen. Bob Menendez took bribes of cash, gold, and other luxury items, according to a new indictment. But there's a way more legal way to make money as a senator — just write a best-selling book! AdvertisementAdvertisementBut there's a totally legal way to make extra money — sometimes way more money than the $174,000 salary — as a sitting member of Congress. That would seem to indicate that Menendez's book wasn't exactly a cash cow for him. Perhaps if he had run for president, as many of the top book-sellers in the Senate have, he could've written another book and made more money, the legal way.

Persons: Sen, Bob Menendez, —, Menendez, hasn't, Nadine, Mercedes, It's, Democratic Sen, Raphael Warnock of, Republican Herschel Walker, Bernie Sanders, Eva Longoria, Kris Connor, Peter Eisner Organizations: Service, New, New Jersey Democrat, Benz, Democratic, Republican, Capitol, National Museum of Locations: Wall, Silicon, New Jersey, Egypt

☆ Six battleground states will hold the key to the White House in 2024
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-24 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

AP Photo/Andrew HarnikGeorgia2012 margin: Romney +7.8%2016 margin: Trump +5.1%2020 margin: Biden +0.2%For decades, Republicans could easily depend on the Peach State's electoral votes falling into their column. Two years later, Biden won the state by roughly 12,000 votes over Trump, followed by the dual 2021 runoff victories of Sens. AP Photo/Matt RourkePennsylvania2012 margin: Obama +5.4%2016 margin: Trump +0.7%2020 margin: Biden +1.2%Biden's hometown of Scranton is dear to his heart so Pennsylvania was always going to be a key state for the party in 2024. AP Photo/Andy Manis, FileWisconsin2012 margin: Obama +6.9%2016 margin: Trump +0.8%2020 margin: Biden +0.6%Wisconsin is one of the most politically-divided states in the country. But Trump flipped Wisconsin to the GOP in 2016, the first time it had supported a Republican presidential nominee since 1984.

☆ Fact Check-Shifting figures in Georgia runoff race caused by human error, not fraud
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A sudden change in the vote tallies during a live TV broadcast of the Georgia runoff race was not proof of fraud, as some social media users have suggested. #1776AlloverAgain,” a caption on one of the social media posts read. The incorrect figures (1,417,926 for Walker and 1,429,004 for Warnock) can then be seen at timestamp 1:42s. An apparent surge in votes for Walker and Warnock occurred due to human error when the Associated Press was compiling unofficial tallies on election night in Georgia. Read more about our work to fact-check social media posts here.

☆ Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger calls on state legislators to eliminate runoff elections
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger called for an end to general election runoffs. "Georgia is one of the only states in the country with a General Election Runoff. I'm calling on the General Assembly to visit the topic of the General Election Runoff and consider reforms," Raffensperger said in a statement. In the November general election, Warnock edged out Walker 49.4%-48.5%, but since neither candidate met the 50 percent threshold, the race was extended for an additional four weeks. State courts sided with the plaintiffs and voting took place on November 26 in select jurisdictions across the state.

☆ Kellyanne Conway slams GOP senators who didn't stump for Herschel Walker ahead of the Senate runoff: 'Why weren't you in Georgia?'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-11 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Kellyanne Conway last week criticized GOP senators who didn't stump for Republican Herschel Walker. "Where were the other senators to say, 'I want Herschel Walker, not Raphael Warnock in the Senate with me?'" In last month's general election, Warnock edged out Walker 49.4%-48.5% statewide, which triggered a runoff as neither candidate hit the requisite 50% of the vote to declare victory. Warnock on Tuesday won the runoff over Walker 51.4%-48.6%. I don't like it because it's not Election Day, it's election season, election trimester.

☆ Herschel Walker's wife had an 'obsessive focus' on her husband winning over more Black voters and felt he should have been receiving up to 50% of the Black vote: report
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Herschel Walker and his wife wanted to court Black voters in the Georgia Senate race, per Politico. Julie Blanchard Walker said Walker should've been getting robust Black support, per the report. An individual close to the campaign told Politico that her idea morphed into an "obsessive focus." The biggest complication in the efforts by the Walkers to engage with Black voters? And he campaigned extensively in those areas throughout the entire campaign, while Walker's overall campaign strategy targeted conservatives and the state's rural evangelical community.

☆ Ronna McDaniel locked down votes for RNC chair despite the midterm debacle. Here's how she did it.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Jonathan-Allen-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Jonathan Allen | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +9 min

An ally, Richard Porter, an RNC member from Illinois, met with her in Washington to make sure she wanted to run for another two-year term. And the most ardent Trump critics among RNC members say McDaniel, Trump's pick for the post six years ago, is too close to him. Bill Palatucci, an RNC member from New Jersey, said he opposes McDaniel's re-election for that reason. For McDaniel to lose, an opponent would have to win the remaining undecided RNC members and swipe nearly two dozen avowed McDaniel backers. Lori Klein Corbin, an RNC member from Arizona who hasn’t committed to any candidate, said McDaniel hasn’t asked for her vote yet.

☆ White House says it has 'every reason to expect' Kyrsten Sinema will keep working with Biden as she leaves the Democratic party
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Kayla Gallagher | Nicole Gaudiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Arizona Sen. Krysten Sinema announced Friday that she's leaving the Democratic Party to be an independent. The White House said that even with Sinema's party change, it expects to keep working closely with her. A White House spokesperson did not respond when asked whether the White House received advance warning about her decision and whether Biden has spoken with her. As Vice President, Biden was credited with playing an outsized role in persuading then-Sen. Arlen Specter to switch parties from Republican to Democrat in 2009. Sinema told Politico that her departure from the Democratic Party stems from her feeling like she "never really fit into a box of any political party.

☆ Young voters propelled Raphael Warnock to victory in the Georgia Senate runoff, but the work to boost their political engagement continues: 'We're not stopping here'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Sen. Raphael Warnock's runoff victory was driven in large part by his support among young voters. But young voters — with Gen Z and younger millennials flexing their political power — emerged as a critical demographic in the Georgia Senate race. Looking at the Georgia Senate runoff results, what actually happened to get more young voters to the polls? Heightened voter engagementVoters of Tomorrow, a Gen Z-led voter-engagement nonprofit organization, sent 2.5 million calls and texts to young Georgia voters urging them to participate. But it will take continued engagement with young voters to ensure robust participation in the future, especially in non-presidential election cycles.

☆ Raphael Warnock’s Win in Senate Runoff Cements Georgia’s Battleground Status, Marks Another Setback for Donald Trump
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Aaron Zitner | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Sen. Raphael Warnock ’s victory in Georgia’s runoff Senate election on Tuesday cemented the state’s status as one of the few battlegrounds of the 2024 presidential election and underscored the risk the Republican Party runs by embracing former President Donald Trump and his endorsed candidates. In defeating Republican Herschel Walker , by nearly 3 percentage points in almost complete results, Mr. Warnock brought his party its fourth statewide win since 2020, when President Biden became the first Democrat in 28 years to carry Georgia in a presidential election. The next year, Mr. Warnock was one of two Democrats who won runoff elections for the Senate, which gave him a partial term.

We’re going to win Georgia,” Biden said in response to questions regarding his outlook on the Georgia Senate runoff contest as he exited Air Force One Tuesday night. Share this -Link copiedWarnock defeats Walker in Georgia Senate runoff, NBC News projects Sen. Raphael Warnock has won his second statewide runoff election in the last two years, defeating Republican Herschel Walker in the increasingly purple state of Georgia to capture a six-year term in the Senate, NBC News projected. Share this -Link copiedThe Senate runoff election is still too close to call, but Warnock leads The Senate runoff election between Warnock and Walker is still too close to call, but Warnock leads, NBC News' Decision Desk said just before 10 p.m. Share this -Link copiedPolls close soon in critical Georgia Senate runoff Polls are closing at 7 p.m. ET in the Senate runoff election in Georgia, where Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock is hoping to fend off a challenge from Republican Herschel Walker.

The turnout in the Senate runoff was nearly 75% to 80% of the entire turnout for the midterm election in November. Share this -Link copiedPolls close soon in critical Georgia Senate runoff Polls are closing at 7 p.m. ET in the Senate runoff election in Georgia, where Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock is hoping to fend off a challenge from Republican Herschel Walker. Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock has a massive ad-spending and fundraising advantage over Republican Herschel Walker in the runoff election. In the 2022 general election, Warnock grew his advantage in Henry County, winning it by just over 31 points.

Share this -Link copiedGroups work to mobilize Latino voters in Georgia Senate runoff From giving away bingo-like Mexican lotería cards to Taco Tuesdays and World Cup watch parties, Latino voting mobilization efforts ramped up in Georgia leading into the Senate runoff election. Share this -Link copiedPolls close soon in critical Georgia Senate runoff Polls are closing at 7 p.m. ET in the Senate runoff election in Georgia, where Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock is hoping to fend off a challenge from Republican Herschel Walker. Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock has a massive ad-spending and fundraising advantage over Republican Herschel Walker in the runoff election. In the 2022 general election, Warnock grew his advantage in Henry County, winning it by just over 31 points.

WASHINGTON — Polls have closed in the Senate runoff election in Georgia, where Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock is hoping to fend off a challenge from Republican Herschel Walker. Democrats are feeling confident about their chances thanks to a massive spending advantage and because more Democrats opted to vote early. The extra seat could also be critical to Democrats’ chances of retaining the majority in 2024, when the electoral map heavily favors Republicans. Walker has warned Republicans that they need to turn out to stop national Democrats from gaining more power. “If you don’t vote, you’re going to get more of Chuck Schumer and Joe Biden,” he told Fox News’ Sean Hannity Monday night.

☆ Herschel Walker didn't call Raphael Warnock to concede the Georgia Senate race, leaving the task to a staffer: AJC
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Herschel Walker didn't personally call Raphael Warnock to concede the Georgia Senate race, per the AJC. Warnock defeated Walker in the runoff election, giving Democrats a 51-49 majority in the Senate. With nearly all votes in statewide, Warnock leads Walker 51.4%-48.6%. In the November general election, Warnock led Walker 49.4%-48.5%, but because no candidate reached the 50% threshold, a December runoff election was triggered, which gave the candidates four additional weeks to campaign across the state. I want you to believe in America and continue to believe in the Constitution and believe in our elected officials.

☆ Chuck Schumer says the January 6 committee's hearings had an 'important effect' on Senate Democrats' history-defying midterm victory
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

With victory in Georgia, Democrats defied historical odds and will increase their Senate majority. Chuck Schumer, the Senate Democratic leader, says the January 6 hearings played a role in that. "There were the January 6 hearings — I think they had an important effect," Schumer told reporters at a press conference at the Capitol. Schumer spoke alongside Democratic Sen. Gary Peters of Michigan, the chairman of Senate Democrats' campaign arm, following Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock's victory against Republican Herschel Walker in a runoff election in Georgia on Tuesday. In July, one Republican senator said that the hearings had significantly weakened Trump's chances of winning his party's nomination for the presidency in 2024.

☆ Warnock, Walker Close Out in Senate Runoff as Georgia Voters Head to Polls
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Cameron Mcwhirter | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

On the eve of Georgia’s senate runoff election, Sen. Raphael Warnock, a Democrat, attended get-out-the-vote events in Atlanta, while Republican Herschel Walker attended suburban rallies. ATLANTA—Georgia voters head to the polls Tuesday in a runoff election that will determine whether incumbent Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock goes back to Washington or he is replaced by GOP challenger Herschel Walker . Mr. Warnock spent election eve holding various get-out-the-vote events with younger people in Democratic-leaning Atlanta, while Mr. Walker spent much of the day at rallies in Republican areas of the northern suburbs.

But first: The results from five counties will help tell us if Democrat Raphael Warnock is on track to win tonight’s Senate runoff in Georgia. Warnock got 56.9% of the vote in Cobb when he won the Jan. 2021 runoff, and he got just under that last November (56.8%). And in Gwinnett, Warnock got 60.6% of the vote in the 2021 runoff, compared with 58.9% last month against Walker. In rural Chattooga — one of NBC News’ “County to County” counties — Warnock got just 20.5% when he won the 2021 runoff, and he got less than that in the November general election (19.8%). Data Download: The number of the day is … $7.79 billionThat’s how much money was spent on political television, radio and digital ads this entire cycle (starting the day after the 2021 Georgia Senate runoff through today’s runoff), per AdImpact.

☆ Live Results: Democrat Raphael Warnock and Republican Herschel Walker face off in the Georgia Senate runoff
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Raphael Warnock and Herschel Walker are fighting to the finish in Georgia's Senate runoff. Warnock is seeking a full 6-year term, while Walker hopes to knock off the incumbent Democrat. Both parties see the Senate runoff as a proving ground in advance of the 2024 presidential election. Before Warnock and Ossoff won their races last year, a Democrat hadn't won a US Senate seat in Georgia since Zell Miller in 2000. Walker has raised $58.3 million, spent $48.5 million, and has $9.8 million left to spend, as of November 16.

☆ How Trump’s legacy became ‘pure poison’ for independents
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Ronald Brownstein | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +16 min

Among female independents, Trump’s ratings were even worse: just 23% favorable and 72% unfavorable, according to previously unpublished exit poll results provided by the CNN polling unit. Trump’s unfavorable rating hit a comparable 69% among independents with at least a four-year college degree. That was a significantly smaller advantage than the double-digit lead among independents Democrats enjoyed in both the 2020 presidential race and the 2018 contest for the House. While Democrats held the presidency, Republicans won independents by double-digits in House elections in the midterms of 2014, 2010 and 1994. Gretchen Whitmer won 59% of the independents with degrees and 56% of women independents.

☆ Warnock gains early voting edge as both candidates barnstorm Georgia in final day before Senate runoff
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Sahil-Kapur-Headshot.Jpg | Sahil Kapur | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

An early vote that topped 1.85 million showed other positive signs for Warnock, with Democrats enjoying a 13-point edge — larger than the party’s 8-point lead in November’s early vote, according to TargetSmart’s model. But Walker is widely expected to win more of the votes cast on Election Day. Residents wait in line to vote early outside a polling station on Nov. 29 in Atlanta. Walker “needs to win Election Day by double digits,” said Cody Hall, an adviser to Kemp, who said the Republican candidate will have to outperform his advantage from November's Election Day. “But I would just caution everyone that base Republican voters in the last couple of cycles have liked turning out on Election Day.

WASHINGTON — If it’s Monday ... It’s the last day of campaigning before tomorrow’s Georgia Senate runoff. ... NBC’s Vaughn Hillyard covers the closing messages by Democrat Raphael Warnock and Republican Herschel Walker. And just looking at the campaigns, which get the biggest bang per advertising buck, it’s Warnock at $25.2 million, versus Walker at $10.1 million. But now it’s $11.8 million — behind Warnock’s $25 million and the $20.3 million from Georgia Honor, a Democratic Super PAC. Runoff watch: Walker accuser speaks to NBC NewsDays after she first revealed an allegation of domestic abuse against Georgia Republican Senate hopeful Herschel Walker, a former girlfriend of his sat down with NBC News to detail those allegations.

☆ Georgia Runoff Propels Atlanta TV Station to Ad Cash Crown
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-04 | by ( John Mccormick | Cameron Mcwhirter | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

ATLANTA—Georgia voters have suffered through an extra dose of political ads because of Tuesday’s U.S. Senate runoff, and their pain has meant extra profit for WSB-TV, the station that has seen more money pass through it in 2022 than any other in the nation. More than $86 million in political advertising flowed into the ABC affiliate so far this year, according to data from the ad tracker AdImpact. It is a windfall generated by a confluence of high-profile races for governor and U.S. Senate, including the bonus of the runoff between Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock and Republican Herschel Walker . “Not only did they have multiple competitive races, but then they got a whole extra bite at the apple” with the runoff race, said Ken Goldstein , a polling and political analyst who has done academic research on campaign advertising.

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