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☆ Ken Paxton's impeachment revealed how divided far-right and moderate Republicans in Texas have become, political scientist says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton was impeached from office Saturday. Many of the Texas House members who voted to impeach him were Republicans themselves. Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan, a moderate Republican who later helped impeach Paxton, was vocally opposed, calling it an improper use of taxpayer dollars. For Texas House Republicans, it was more about strategy. This GOP-on-GOP conflict in Texas reflects a national struggle between Republicans that rarely, if ever, plays out the way it did in Texas, Jillson said.

Persons: Ken Paxton, —, MAGA, Nate Paul —, Paxton, Paul, Cal Jillson, Jillson, Dade Phelan, Paxton —, Ken Paxton's, you've, Dan Patrick, Donald Trump, Phelan, It's, Kevin McCarthy, McCarthy, emasculating, Joe Biden Organizations: Texas House, GOP, Service, Southern Methodist University, Trump, Republican Party, Texas, Republican, New York Times, Texas House Republicans, Tea Party, The New York Times, Republicans, Caucus, Texas Republicans, Texas Republican Locations: Texas

☆ Biden and McCarthy's bumpy journey to a debt ceiling deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( Steve Holland | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

During months of tense exchanges over the U.S. debt ceiling, McCarthy has also taken some swipes at Biden. Arguing that Biden should meet him to discuss his demands for lifting the debt ceiling in March, McCarthy made fun of the 80-year-old president's advanced age. "I would bring lunch to the White House. But it also preserves much of Biden's Inflation Reduction Act and punts the next debt ceiling showdown into 2025, which Republicans hate. Although he initially called for the debt ceiling to be raised without negotiations, he ended up making compromises.

☆ Long Before Impeachment, G.O.P. Rifts Were Growing in Texas
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-28 | by ( J. David Goodman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The impeachment of the Texas attorney general, Ken Paxton, by a majority of his fellow Republicans has exposed an undercurrent of division and discontent that is roiling the Republican Party in the most populous state where it still enjoys near total political control. While the vote in the House of Representatives on Saturday tore suddenly through the heart of Texas politics, the underlying resentments had been gathering force for months, if not years, not over individual personalities but over how Republicans should use their power and what shape the party should take in the future. The fight over Mr. Paxton’s impeachment, which drew in national Republican figures including former President Donald J. Trump, offered a stark demonstration of two increasingly warring currents in Republican politics. Though the eruption was unexpected — as of a week ago there was little public indication that an impeachment could be imminent — it was the culmination of a session of the Texas Legislature, where Republicans dominate both chambers, that was defined by steadily increasing intraparty acrimony.

☆ DeSantis campaign tells nervous donors in leaked audio that voters will care more about a recession and Biden's age than the governor's anti-abortion record
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-27 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Leaked audio from FloridaPolitics.com revealed that donors were concerned about DeSantis' abortion ban. The DeSantis campaign shared talking points with fundraisers over how to discuss the issue. Ron DeSantis campaign strategy as he kicks off his early state voting tour next week. Toward the end of the conversation, however, he acknowledged, "I totally understand how difficult that is when you're talking to a pro-choice donor." "I don't think if you're talking to a pro-choice voter you skip over it," he said.

But he'll stay home on Election Day should Trump win his party's nomination to take on Joe Biden in 2024. In Pennsylvania and Michigan, the size of the Ukrainian-American community outstrips Trump's margin of victory in 2016, according to the analysis. During a CNN town hall last week, Trump refused to say if he wanted Ukraine to win its war with Russia, when questioned about the conflict. Neither politician responded to requests for comments about the Ukraine war, nor did the Republican National Committee. Democratic U.S. Representative Susan Wild, who won Stawnyczyj's district by less than 5,000 votes in 2022, said that courting the Ukrainian-American vote would be crucial.

☆ Montana's House just voted to censure its first openly transgender lawmaker after protests and days of not letting her speak
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Madison Hall | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The Montana House of Representatives voted to censure its first transgender legislator. State Rep. Zooey Zephyr was censured days after protestors interrupted the legislature because the House speaker wouldn't recognize her on the floor. In doing so, Zephyr will not be allowed on the House floor or gallery for the remainder of the legislative session. State Rep. SJ Howell, a Democratic legislator who is nonbinary, spoke in support of Zephyr on Wednesday and said the protests on Monday were unsurprising. Now, after Zephyr's censure, a similar problem could occur for Montana Republicans as Zephyr increasingly gets placed into the spotlight.

☆ Opinion | Tim Scott Faces Long Odds
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-22 | by ( Jamelle Bouie | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Scott is obviously not the first Black person to vie for the Republican presidential nomination. That distinction goes to Frederick Douglass, who received one vote at the 1888 Republican convention. Alan Keyes ran for the Republican nomination in 1996, 2000 and 2008; Herman Cain ran and withdrew in 2011; and Ben Carson ran in 2016. Tim Scott, however, would be the first Black Republican officeholder to run for the party’s presidential nomination, should he move past the exploratory phase. Even then, there were few Black people elected to national office, with a total of eight serving between 1914 and 1965.

☆ Tennessee G.O.P. Cuts Session Short With No Action on Gun Control
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-22 | by ( Emily Cochrane | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

NASHVILLE — Hundreds of students, parents and teachers marched to the Tennessee State Capitol, day after day, demanding a ban on assault weapons and action on gun control. Their calls were echoed by musicians like Amy Grant and Sheryl Crow, who trekked to the legislature to personally lobby lawmakers after a mass shooting at a Nashville Christian school. Several faith leaders joined the effort, writing to Republican leaders to urge them to support a proposal that would help temporarily restrict access to guns for people found by a court to be a danger to themselves or others. But on Friday, just under a month after the attack at the school, Republicans instead cut short the year’s legislative session and punted on any measure dealing explicitly with guns, capping a whirlwind three months of lawmaking that underscored the power of the far-right flank of the Republican Party in Tennessee and saw the brief expulsion of two Black Democratic lawmakers. “We’re not going anywhere,” she added.

☆ Wisconsin Voters to Decide on State Supreme Court Swing Seat Tuesday
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Ben Kesling | Laura Kusisto | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

Elections for the seven-member Wisconsin Supreme Court, located in the State Capitol in Madison, have attracted an unusual amount of attention from national groups. Wisconsin voters head to the polls Tuesday in a high-stakes election for a swing seat on the state’s supreme court that has become the most expensive such judicial contest in U.S. history, demonstrating how state courts have become the focus of increasingly partisan politics. The candidates in the technically-nonpartisan race, which will affect control of the legislature and abortion law in Wisconsin, are Judge Janet Protasiewicz and Daniel Kelly . Judge Protasiewicz currently serves on a lower court and is heavily backed by the Democratic Party. Mr. Kelly was appointed to fill a vacancy on the Wisconsin Supreme Court in 2016 but lost an election in 2020 to retain his seat and has worked as a lawyer for the Republican Party in the time since he left the bench.

☆ Janet Protasiewicz, Backed by Democrats, Wins Crucial Swing Seat on Wisconsin Supreme Court
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Ben Kesling | Laura Kusisto | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Wisconsin voters elected Judge Janet Protasiewicz as the new state Supreme Court justice after a contentious election for the critical swing seat, setting the stage for challenges to the state’s 1849 law banning most abortions and a potential redrawing of its current electoral maps. The race was the most expensive such judicial contest in U.S. history, demonstrating how state courts have become the focus of increasingly partisan politics. Judge Protasiewicz currently serves on a lower court and was heavily backed by the Democratic Party. Her opponent, Daniel Kelly, was appointed to fill a vacancy on the Wisconsin Supreme Court in 2016 but lost an election in 2020 to retain his seat and has worked as a lawyer for the Republican Party in the time since he left the bench.

Biden was continuing a strategy his White House has honed on Trump over two years - silence is golden. As president, Biden has lambasted the former president's "Make America Great Again" (MAGA) allies and policies, but rarely Trump himself. "They've been smart to stay out of it," Democratic strategist Lis Smith said of the White House strategy on Trump. The split screen of President Biden focused on doing his job well versus Trump and the Republican Party in chaos will only help him." The White House has said it will not comment on Trump because his actions are being investigated by Biden's own Justice Department, which the president has pledged to leave independent.

Biden was continuing a strategy his White House has honed on Trump over two years - silence is golden. Now that Trump has been indicted in a New York hush money case, White House officials indicate they plan to follow the same "keep quiet and carry on" playbook. As president, Biden has lambasted the former president's "Make America Great Again" (MAGA) allies and policies, but rarely Trump himself. "They've been smart to stay out of it," Democratic strategist Lis Smith said of the White House strategy on Trump. The split screen of President Biden focused on doing his job well versus Trump and the Republican Party in chaos will only help him."

"They've done nothing but harass this guy," said Gregg Hough, chair of the Republican party in Belknap County, New Hampshire, predicting the prosecution will boost Trump support "to the moon" if it fails to deliver a convincing conviction. In a statement on Thursday, Trump called the indictment "Political Persecution and Election Interference at the highest level in history," without providing evidence. John Feehery, a Republican strategist, described the Manhattan case as "silly" compared to the other probes hanging over Trump's campaign. At a campaign rally in Waco, Texas on Saturday, Trump likened the criminal investigations against him to a "Stalinist Russia horror show." Trump remains the front-runner in the 2024 Republican field, with the support of 44% of Republicans in a March Reuters/Ipsos, ahead of DeSantis' 30% support.

☆ No Trump bump in New Hampshire as possible criminal charges loom
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( Nathan Layne | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

LACONIA, New Hampshire, March 24 (Reuters) - Longtime Donald Trump supporter Doug Lambert agrees with the former president that the potential criminal charges he faces in New York are being cooked up by his enemies on the left. But, Lambert worries about the "messiness" of a Trump presidential candidacy and is leaning towards voting for someone else. In a University of New Hampshire poll in January, likely Republican voters preferred DeSantis over Trump by a 12-point margin, 42% to 30%, with Sununu at 4%. "The more indictments, the more points of leverage a DeSantis or whoever can use to make the case against Trump." Reporting by Nathan Layne in Laconia, New Hampshire Editing by Ross Colvin and Alistair BellOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Trump has denied having an affair with Daniels, whose legal name is Stephanie Clifford. "I think this will strengthen the resolve of his supporters," said Ford O'Connell, a Republican strategist who represented Trump in many media appearances during the 2020 presidential campaign. "It’s not good for Trump, the question is how bad for Trump it is," said Sabato. Trump has defied predictions of his demise numerous times since he launched his bid for the White House in 2015. Trump remains the front-runner in the 2024 Republican field, with the support of 44% of Republicans in a Reuters/Ipsos poll completed on Monday, ahead of DeSantis' 30% support.

In North Carolina, party activists are seeking to punish Republican Senator Thom Tillis for his support for same-sex marriage rights. North Carolina State Representative Mark Brody, who supports censuring Sen. Tillis, says it is better to address differences directly. Law, who served as a senior member of Trump's 2016 and 2020 campaigns in Nevada, and the county party did not respond to requests for comment. Although Tillis retains support among the party establishment, Jim Womack, a county party chair, says the Senator’s critics are gaining strength. “The North Carolina Republican party will eventually be decentralized to the point where the grassroots will actually run the party,” Womack said.

☆ Former House Speaker Paul Ryan says he won't attend the 2024 Republican National Convention if Trump is the party's presidential nominee: 'I'm not interested in participating in that'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-26 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Paul Ryan said he won't attend the RNC in 2024 if Donald Trump is the party's presidential nominee. Ryan told WISN-TV that he the convention being held in his home state didn't affect his decision. "I think some people would like me to start a civil war in our party and achieve nothing," Ryan told Leibovich. During an October 2022 interview on the Fox Business Network, Ryan reiterated his opposition to a third Trump White House campaign. "I think anybody not named Trump, I think is so much more likely to win the White House for us.

☆ Indiana's Senate race will show the depths of the fault lines within the GOP. Early signs show it's still Trump's party.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-04 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Mitch Daniels would have been an ideal GOP Senate candidate. Daniels' decision offers a look at the obstacles that the party continues to face headed in 2024. Mitch Daniels would have been seen by most traditional conservatives as an ideal candidate to run for the Senate. Eric Holcomb is a potential candidate in the 2024 Indiana Republican Senate primary. AP Photo/Manuel Balce CenetaIndiana could drive the GOP Senate roadmapAhead of the 2022 midterm elections, Republicans anticipated making major gains in Congress, which eventually didn't come to pass.

Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), at the South Carolina State House in Columbia, South Carolina, U.S., January 28, 2023. In Columbia, Trump spoke to about 200 people in the state's capitol building, with Governor Henry McMaster and U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina flanking him. There were several conspicuous absences in South Carolina, including the state party chairman, five Republican U.S. representatives from the state and South Carolina U.S. Reporting by Gram Slattery in Columbia, South Carolina and Ted Hesson in Washington; Editing by Ross Colvin, Daniel Wallis and Cynthia OstermanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ 'Trump fatigue' in New Hampshire complicates 2024 White House bid
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Tim Reid | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

"Donald Trump right now is a distraction for the Republican Party in trying to go forward. Yet the willingness of Republican party members to criticize Trump in conversations with Reuters is striking. She worked on his New Hampshire primary campaign, knocked on doors for him, urged anybody she met to vote for him. Despite signs of weariness with Trump, he will still be a formidable candidate in the New Hampshire primary, some party strategists said. His influence is still fairly significant," said Jim Merrill, a veteran New Hampshire Republican strategist.

☆ Trump advisors are shocked that they can't get Republicans to show up to his events, NYT reporter says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Aides to Donald Trump are surprised that few allies are coming to his events, Maggie Haberman said. Some former allies have turned against Trump, and his 2024 campaign has struggled to gain momentum. Trump is planning to gear up his campaign at an event in South Carolina this week. Speaking on CNN Tuesday, Haberman discussed how Trump's 2024 campaign has gotten off to a slow start, and his plans to gear it up at a campaign event in South Carolina on Saturday. Some former allies, including Bill Barr, the former Attorney General, have called on Trump to step aside and allow a new generation of Republicans to take power.

☆ George Santos told Brazilian media that he survived an assassination attempt, MSNBC reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Hannah Getahun | Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

NY Rep. George Santos claimed to Brazilian media that he was the victim of an attempted murder. We go back to our house, it was vandalized because we were at a Republican Party in Florida in December 2020," Santos told the hosts, according to the Rachel Maddow Show translation. Santos did not elaborate on his claim in the clip, according to host Rachel Maddow. interjected podcast interviewer João Batista Jr., per a translation of the clip by the Rachel Maddow show. The clip comes as Santos faces growing controversy over apparent falsehoods in his resume, campaign biography, family history, and religious background.

☆ Drag artist says George Santos was a left-wing Lula supporter in Brazil before going to the US and turning into 'this crazy thing'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Nicole Gaudiano | Virginia Alves | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A drag artist who knew him in the mid-2000s told Insider Santos supported Brazil's left-wing president then. Rochard said Santos supported Lula and then "goes to the US and turns into this crazy thing there. They were all Lulistas and Anthony was too because he hung out with us," Rochard told Insider, using the name Rochard says Santos used in Brazil, "Anthony." Brazilian drag artist Eula Rochard holds a newspaper from 2008 that she says shows GOP Rep. George Santos in drag attire. Rochard met Santos when he was about 17 years old and said she used to catch Santos in "little white lies."

Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind., on Tuesday announced his campaign for the Senate seat held by GOP Sen. Mike Braun, who decided against running for re-election in 2024 and will run for Indiana governor instead. Banks, a staunch ally of former President Trump, is the first candidate to enter the Senate race. Mitch Daniels if he jumps into the Senate race. Banks’ Senate campaign is endorsed by Rep. Larry Buschon, R-Ind., Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., state Rep. Michelle Davis and state Sen. Justin Busch. After Pelosi rejected Banks and Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, McCarthy ultimately withdrew all five names.

☆ Republicans ignored Rep. George Santos' red flags as he propelled himself to a House victory deceiving voters, NYT reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-14 | by ( Taiyler Simone Mitchell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

An NYT report revealed that at least some of the GOP knew of Rep. George Santos' lies. "I guess unfortunately we rely on the person to be truthful to us," the GOP Nassau County chairman told The Times. According to the Times, Santos hired an unnamed Washington research firm to conduct a vulnerability study in connection to his campaign towards the end of 2021. But the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee failed to follow up on red flags when looking into Rep. George Santos because researchers were encumbered with other researching dozens of other candidates, per the Times. Santos has faced multiple calls to resign but has remained steadfast in his conviction to complete his term despite deceiving 142,000 voters.

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