Georgia loss fuels GOP divisions over Trump
Herschel Walker's loss in the Georgia Senate runoff is setting off a fresh round of recriminations among Senate Republicans, with allies of Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) pointing the finger at former President Trump's involvement in Senate GOP primaries and discontented conservatives blaming their leadership for lacking an agenda. Tuesday’s loss in Georgia reopened the Election Day wound of failing to defeat a single Senate Democratic incumbent or hold onto retiring Sen. Pat Toomey’s (R-Pa.) seat. It’s the first time in recent memory that no incumbent from th
Read MoreJan. 6 committee's referrals may 'stiffen the spine' of prosecutors
Plans from the House Jan. 6 committee to imminently release its list of criminal referrals is raising questions over how far the panel will go in implicating former President Trump and his allies in a plot that culminated in the deadly attack on the Capitol. Chair Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) told reporters Tuesday that the co
Read MoreFrustration swirls in House GOP over McCarthy Speakership opposition
Frustration and anxiety are bubbling up among House Republicans over opposition to House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) for Speaker from a small group of hardline conservative GOP members that threatens to keep him from the gavel. McCarthy allies lined up at the mics to voice support for him at an internal House GOP Conference meeting on Tuesday. And they are starting to trade barbs with the McCarthy opponents: “We're not gonna be held hostage,” said Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.). Both the Republican Governance Group, a caucus of more center-leaning members formerly
Read MoreLawmakers face closing window to pass landmark bipartisan marijuana bill
Lawmakers are facing a rapidly closing window to get key marijuana legislation across the finish line in the lame-duck session. Despite fetching broad bipartisan support in the House and Senate, opposition from GOP leadership and a tightening timeline is chipping away at the bill’s chances of passage. The measure, called the SAFE Banking Act, would undo federal restrictions that discourage banks and other financial institutions from offering services to legally operating cannabis businesses. Supporters say the bill is desperately needed to crack down on persis
Read MoreBruised Republicans point fingers after failure to capture Senate
Senate Republicans, fresh off their loss in the Georgia runoff, began their post-mortem Wednesday after a dreadful midterm cycle that saw every Democratic incumbent win and resigned them to at least two more years in the minority. Nearly a dozen Senate GOP members who talked to The Hill laid out a troubling picture for the party following Herschel Walker’s loss to Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), as it prepares to fight the 2024 battle on what is expected to be friendlier terrain. Most cited three preeminent reasons for the poor midterm performance: Candidate quality, the inability t
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