Shades of 2006 loom large two months out from Election Day
ANALYSIS — Despite adverse political conditions, Republicans still have an opportunity to hold both the House and the Senate this fall. But it’s also possible that the bottom will fall out from under them, leading to heavy GOP losses reminiscent of an election 20 years ago. Back in 2006, there was an unpopular Republican president […]
The big-money bust may be a game changer
Kamala Harris spent well over $1 billion in her abbreviated 107-day presidential campaign two years ago, a huge sum. But on Election Day, the sitting vice president found her image was underwater. According to exit polls, her favorables were at 46 percent and her unfavorables were at 52 percent, virtually the same as Donald Trump’s […]
Rep. Chuck Edwards censured by House after harassment probe
House members on Tuesday censured Rep. Chuck Edwards for sexual harassment of two former staffers, even as he insisted that poetry he wrote and gifts he gave were not intended to be romantic. They voted overwhelmingly, 413-2, to censure Edwards and adopt a report from the Ethics Committee detailing “persistent unprofessional and inappropriate conduct.” Speaking […]
Markey coasts to victory over Moulton in Massachusetts primary
Sen. Edward J. Markey, the 80-year-old progressive stalwart from Massachusetts, sailed to victory in his Democratic primary Tuesday as a pair of septuagenarian House Democrats turned back younger challengers. With their victories, Reps. Stephen F. Lynch and Richard E. Neal avoided joining the seven House Democrats to lose primary challenges this year, mostly to progressive […]
‘Socialism in all its forms’ denounced by the House
The House on Tuesday adopted a resolution denouncing “socialism in all its forms,” boosting a Republican messaging push just two months before the midterm elections. It also calls for passage of a GOP-backed voter ID bill — language that further diminished Democratic support for the measure, even among lawmakers who otherwise agreed with its underlying […]
Funding extension clears House, avoiding shutdown threat
The House easily cleared a stopgap spending bill Tuesday that would keep federal agencies funded through Dec. 11, avoiding the risk of a partial government shutdown this fall. On a lopsided vote of 370-48, the House sent to President Donald Trump’s desk a short-term funding patch despite objections from hard-right conservatives over various policy concerns. […]
Hawks lament Pentagon ‘churn’ after Army secretary’s resignation
Defense-minded lawmakers are growing concerned about leadership vacuums in the military following the resignation of Army Secretary Dan Driscoll. “I’m tired of all the churn. I want to see some stability,” House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike D. Rogers, R-Ala., told reporters Tuesday. Pressed on if he’s concerned about a leadership vacuum in the Army now, […]
Panel punts kids’ social media ban for data consent mandate
Legislation that would require parental consent for social media platforms to process data for users under 16 advanced out of a House panel on Tuesday, after it was amended to remove a proposed ban on social media accounts for kids. The bill, as amended, won approval by voice vote in the House Energy and Commerce […]
Foes gear up to counter Trump’s possible election moves
President Donald Trump was nonchalant last week when asked about a contested administration rule that would use the U.S. Postal Service to weed out allegedly illegal midterm election ballots. His foes say that’s all part of a broader plan, even as they offered few sure-fire ways to stop it. Trump was asked last Thursday specifically […]
House finds Cherfilus-McCormick associates in contempt
Lawmakers voted to hold two associates of former Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick in contempt of Congress, accusing them of failing to comply with multiple subpoenas. The House adopted the resolutions by voice vote Tuesday, referring the matter to the Justice Department for possible criminal prosecution. While the Florida Democrat resigned from Congress months ago amid a […]