Archive by Author

Zeldin wins New York GOP gubernatorial primary

New York Rep. Lee Zeldin is projected to win the state’s Republican gubernatorial nomination on Tuesday, setting up a match-up with incumbent Gov. Kathy Hochul (D). 

The Associated Press called the race at 10:30 p.m. EDT.

Zeldin defeated Andrew Giuliani, son of former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani; former Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino; and businessman Harry Wilson in the GOP primary. 

The congressman will likely face an uphill battle against Hochul, who is seen as having a significant cash and incumbency advantage.

The nonpartisan Cook Political Report rates the race for the state’s governor’s mansion as “solid Democratic.” 

Source: TEST FEED1

Anderson wins Colorado GOP secretary of state nomination in rejection of Trump election claims

Republican Pam Anderson is projected to capture her party’s nomination for Colorado secretary of state on Tuesday in a primary that will likely be seen as a rejection of former President Trump’s false claim that the 2020 election was stolen, according to The Associated Press.

Anderson, a former Jefferson County clerk and recorder, has repeatedly pushed back against the baseless notion that widespread voter fraud robbed Trump of a second term in the White House. 

That message set her apart from her two primary opponents, including Tina Peters, who echoed Trump’s false claims about the last presidential election. 

Another candidate, Mike O’Donnell, straddled the line between the two, saying he did not have enough information to say whether he believes the election was stolen or not.

The secretary of state role has long taken second billing in statewide elections. But given the role’s outsize importance in election administration, secretary of state races have become highly politicized since 2020. 

Anderson’s win, however, suggests that even Republican voters in Colorado may be ready to move on from Trump’s efforts to relitigate and question the 2020 election. 

With the nomination locked up, Anderson is set to face incumbent Democratic Secretary of State Jena Griswold in November. 

Source: TEST FEED1

Mulvaney: 'Things could get very dark' for Trump after Hutchinson testimony

Former White House acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney predicted “things could get very dark” for former President Trump after the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 rioting held an explosive hearing on Tuesday that showed Trump intimidated witnesses who testified before the panel.

Mulvaney, who resigned from the Trump administration on Jan. 6, 2021, wrote in an opinion piece for USA Today that if Trump or members of his team did intimidate witnesses, they’d have a strong case for criminal prosecution.

“The implication was crystal clear: The Jan. 6 committee members believe they have evidence
that people within the Trump operation attempted to intimidate witnesses,” Mulvaney wrote in his opinion piece. “And that, anyway you slice it, is obstruction of justice.”

Tuesday’s hearing saw surprise testimony from Cassidy Hutchinson, a former White House aide, who told the House panel that Trump encouraged armed rioters to head toward the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.

She also said the former president physically assaulted a member of his security detail and lunged for the steering wheel when the guard refused to drive him to the U.S. Capitol.

The House panel also showed statements from unnamed witnesses who described a pressure campaign from Trump’s team ahead of their testimony to the committee.

Before Hutchinson’s testimony, Mulvaney said he did not believe Trump was criminally liable for the attempted insurrection, even if he was morally wrong. That changed immediately for him after the hearing on Tuesday.

“I found her testimony imminently credible,” Mulvaney wrote. “After some of the bombshells that got dropped in that hearing, my guess is that things could get very dark for the former president.”

But the former White House staffer said while the “press is most likely to focus on the most sensational allegations” of the hearing, such as Cassidy’s testimony, he did not believe that was the most compelling part.

Allegations that members of Trump’s team intimidated witnesses who testified to the House panel is the most troubling complication for Trump, Mulvaney added.

“Even if Donald Trump were as innocent as the virgin snow [on] Jan. 6, even if he didn’t know about the guns, or didn’t assault his agent, or had absolutely no clue what the Proud Boys were up to,” Mulvaney wrote, “If he obstructed justice related to the Jan. 6 hearings, then he could well become just the next politician to learn the hard lesson that it usually isn’t the crime. It’s the cover-up.”

Source: TEST FEED1

GOP Rep. Palazzo ousted in Mississippi runoff

Jackson County Sheriff Mike Ezell was projected to have unseated incumbent Rep. Steve Palazzo (R) in the GOP primary runoff for Mississippi’s 4th Congressional District on Tuesday. 

The Associated Press called the race at 9:55 p.m. EDT.

During the primary earlier this month, a total of six Republicans lined up to challenge Palazzo after he faced an ethics controversy last year.

An ethics watchdog group found last year there was “substantial” evidence the Mississippi congressman had misused campaign funds to improve a riverfront home before a sale and unethically used his office to help his brother reenlist in the Navy.

Palazzo is a military veteran who first won election to represent Mississippi’s 4th District in 2010.

Source: TEST FEED1

Rep. Casten defeats fellow Democratic Rep. Newman in Illinois primary

Rep. Sean Casten (D-Ill.) was projected to defeat fellow incumbent Rep. Marie Newman (D-Ill.) in the Democratic primary in Illinois’ 6th congressional district.

ABC and NBC News both called the race around 9:55 p.m. EDT.

Casten and Newman found themselves in an incumbent-vs.-incumbent primary as a result of the decennial redistricting process.

Newman, who previously represented the 3rd District and who’s home is in the new 4th District, ultimately decided to run in the new 6th District because a majority of her current constituents were drawn into that district.

Casten lives in the 6th District, but only about 23 percent of his old constituents currently live in that district.

Casten, who was first elected to the House in 2018, has established himself as a wonk on climate policy. 

But Newman, a first-term congresswoman who ousted former Rep. Dan Lipinski (D-Ill.) in a 2020 primary, sought to challenge him from his left, casting herself as a more progressive candidate and hammering him over his opposition to liberal policy priorities like the Green New Deal.

While he may have the power of incumbency, Illinois’ 6th District is still considered competitive this year and is among the Democratic-held districts being targeted by the National Republican Congress Committee (NRCC).

Source: TEST FEED1

GOP Rep. Michael Guest wins Mississippi runoff

Incumbent Rep. Michael Guest (R-Miss.) was projected to win his district’s Republican runoff on Tuesday, fending off a primary challenge from former Navy Pilot Michael Cassidy.

The Associated Press called the race at 9:46 p.m. EDT.

Guest’s win comes after he narrowly trailed Cassidy in the district’s GOP primary earlier this month. According to the Associated Press, Cassidy received 47.7 percent of the vote in the primary, while Guest garnered 46.8 percent.

Cassidy has zeroed in one accusing Guest of not being loyal enough to former President Trump.

Guest was one of 35 House Republicans who voted last year for the creation of an independent commission to investigate the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.

Source: TEST FEED1

O'Dea wins GOP primary to challenge Bennet

Construction company executive Joe O’Dea is projected to win the Republican Senate primary in Colorado on Tuesday, setting him up to take on Sen. Michael Bennet (D) in November. 

The Associated Press called the race at 9:35 EDT.

O’Dea beat out state Rep. Ron Hanks, branding himself as a political outsider. The construction company executive ran on conservative bread-and-butter issues like inflation, backing law enforcement and reducing the national debt. 

Unlike his opponent, O’Dea did not question the integrity of the last presidential election, saying during a debate hosted by CBS4 and The Colorado Sun earlier this month that “Biden’s our president” while adding “He’s lousy,” The Colorado Sun reported.

Hanks, meanwhile, had not only raised questions about the 2020 election results but had also been seen near the Capitol on the day of the Jan. 6, 2021, riot. But he said during a debate that it was “very ill-advised for anybody to go into the Capitol. I wouldn’t even go up the steps.”

O’Dea and Hanks have also both said they would vote for former President Trump again in 2024 should he choose to make another bid.

“There’s a lot of really good candidates that can serve an eight-year term,” O’Dea said, according to The Colorado Sun. “I really like (Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis), I like some of the other Republicans that are coming through. But if Donald Trump happens to be the Republican nominee, then I definitely won’t vote for Biden.”

O’Dea is likely to face an uphill battle against Bennet. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report rates the seat as “likely Democratic.”

Source: TEST FEED1

Hochul sails to primary victory

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) is projected to sail to victory in her primary on Tuesday, defeating Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-N.Y.) and New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams. 

The Associated Press called the race at 9:25 p.m. EDT.

Hochul, who would be the first woman elected to the governor’s office if she wins the general election, is heavily favored to win in November. She enters the general election in the blue state with a large cash and incumbency advantage. 

Hochul took office last year after former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) resigned amid sexual misconduct allegations and questions about COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes. Despite leaving his office in disgrace, Cuomo continuously floated the idea of a comeback. However, he has yet to launch any bid for political office. 

Source: TEST FEED1

2 charged in connection with Texas tractor-trailer deaths

Police charged two undocumented Mexicans on Tuesday with firearm offenses after finding the pair were connected to the 51 migrants who died from heat exhaustion in the back of a tractor-trailer truck found in Texas.

Federal prosecutors charged Juan Francisco D’Luna-Bilbao and Juan Claudio D’Luna-Mendez separately as illegal aliens in possession of firearms, according to court documents filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court in the Western District of Texas.

Prosecutors are requesting both D’Luna-Bilbao and D’Luna-Mendez be held without bond. They both face up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Forty-six migrants were found dead in the back of a sweltering hot 18-wheeler truck parked next to a set of train tracks on a major road near San Antonio, Texas, on Monday night. Another five later died at local hospitals and 11 more are receiving treatment.

San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg called the incident “nothing short of a horrific human tragedy” during a press conference.

The U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations team is handling the case for a federal investigation.

According to court documents, San Antonio officers tracked the Texas registration plate of the semi-truck to a residence in San Antonio on Monday night.

There, police observed D’Luna-Bilbao leaving the residence inside an F-250 truck and pulled him over. During questioning, police found a handgun inside the truck.

Around the same time, police saw D’Luna-Mendez leave the residence in another vehicle, prosecutors said in additional court documents. Officers obtained a search warrant for the residence and found several firearms, including a 9mm handgun, a multi-caliber rifle and a 12-gauge shotgun.

Both suspects have Mexican citizenship and admitted they were undocumented during police questioning.

Source: TEST FEED1