INSIDER
Senate primaries set up a marquee race in Maryland and a likely Republican flip in West Virginia
Read full article: Senate primaries set up a marquee race in Maryland and a likely Republican flip in West VirginiaRepublican voters have advanced strong Senate contenders in Maryland and West Virginia, giving the GOP a big boost in its push to claim control of Congress’ upper chamber.
Disgraced coal CEO lost races as GOP and third party candidate. He's trying again as a Democrat
Read full article: Disgraced coal CEO lost races as GOP and third party candidate. He's trying again as a DemocratFormer West Virginia coal executive Don Blankenship is making another attempt to win a U.S. Senate seat, this time as a Democrat.
Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin says he's been thinking seriously about becoming an independent
Read full article: Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin says he's been thinking seriously about becoming an independentU.S. Senator Joe Manchin says he has been thinking “seriously” about leaving the Democratic Party and becoming an independent.
Ousters, upsets halfway through 2022 primary election season
Read full article: Ousters, upsets halfway through 2022 primary election seasonMore than halfway through a tumultuous primary season, voters have rendered verdicts in a number of contests, many of which featured candidates arguing they best represented a continuation of policies favored by former President Donald Trump.
From 'sister' to rival: Dem rising stars fight for Ga. seat
Read full article: From 'sister' to rival: Dem rising stars fight for Ga. seatReps. Lucy McBath and Carolyn Bourdeaux flipped two longtime Republican congressional districts in Atlanta’s northern suburbs with a common strategy of appealing to voters repelled by then-President Donald Trump’s divisive politics.
Pa. Rep. Kelly faces ethics scrutiny over stock purchase
Read full article: Pa. Rep. Kelly faces ethics scrutiny over stock purchaseA congressional ethics watchdog has concluded there is “substantial reason to believe” that the wife of Pennsylvania Rep. Mike Kelly used nonpublic information gained through her husband’s position in Congress to purchase stock last year.
House urges Pence to help oust Trump; impeachment next
Read full article: House urges Pence to help oust Trump; impeachment nextThe House is trying to push the vice president and Cabinet to act even more quickly to remove President Donald Trump from office. Democrats are set to pass a resolution calling on Vice President Mike Pence to invoke constitutional authority under the 25th Amendment to oust Trump. Trump, meanwhile, warned the lawmakers off impeachment and suggested it was the drive to oust him that was dividing the country. Trump faces a single charge — “incitement of insurrection” — in the impeachment resolution after the most serious and deadly domestic incursion at the Capitol in the nation’s history. Trump was impeached by the House in 2019 over dealings with Ukraine and acquitted in 2020 by the Senate.
McConnell warns GOP off Electoral College brawl in Congress
Read full article: McConnell warns GOP off Electoral College brawl in CongressThen he pivoted, privately warning Republican senators away from disputing the Electoral College tally when Congress convenes in a joint session Jan. 6 to confirm the results. “I want to congratulate President-elect Joe Biden,” McConnell said as he opened the Senate. Some GOP lawmakers have vowed to carry the fight to Jan. 6 when Congress votes to accept or reject the Electoral College results. One House Republican, Rep. Mo Brooks of Alabama, is planning to challenge the Electoral College results when Congress convenes for the joint session. The GOP leaders further warned senators that forcing their colleagues into a vote on Electoral College challenges would prove difficult, especially for those facing their own reelections in 2022.
In a first, leading Republicans call Biden president-elect
Read full article: In a first, leading Republicans call Biden president-electHe said Monday’s Electoral College vote “was significant.”Texas GOP Sen. John Cornyn said barring further legal challenges it appears Biden will be president. Others have said Trump's legal battles should continue toward resolution by inauguration day, Jan. 20. "Once the Electoral College has voted, most people are going to recognize Joe Biden as the president-elect." "Although I supported President Trump, the Electoral College vote today makes clear that Joe Biden is now President-Elect,” said Sen. Many Republicans are unwilling to declare Biden the winner for the same reasons they avoided standing up to Trump during his presidency.
President-elect? GOP may wait for January to say Biden won
Read full article: President-elect? GOP may wait for January to say Biden wonPresident-elect Joe Biden speaks during an event at The Queen theater in Wilmington, Del., Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2020, to announce his health care team. Next week’s Dec. 14 Electoral College deadline may produce just a few more congratulatory GOP calls to Biden. Increasingly, GOP lawmakers say the Jan. 6 vote in Congress to accept the Electoral College outcome may be when the presidential winner becomes official. They're relying on Trump voters to power the Georgia runoff elections Jan. 5 that will determine control of the Senate. Until then, his group is trying to push Georgia's Trump voters to the polls, even as the president disputes Biden's win of the state.
Biden: Trump diagnosis is 'bracing reminder' of virus stakes
Read full article: Biden: Trump diagnosis is 'bracing reminder' of virus stakesMeanwhile, Trump has proceeded with large in-person rallies where attendees often go maskless, and he regularly mocks Biden’s decision to wear a mask in public. The Biden campaign just began launching in-person canvassing, after largely focusing on virtual events because of the pandemic. The Biden campaign declined to comment on whether those plans would change in the days ahead. Trump campaign spokesperson Tim Murtaugh slammed Biden for his campaign’s decision to begin in-person campaigning after expressing concern for volunteers’ safety for months. “Biden’s been hiding in his basement for months — but now he’s coming out to do in-person rallies,” he said.