Inside Kevin McCarthy's math problem to becoming Speaker
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) has a math problem. He won the House GOP’s nomination to be speaker of the House this week in a 188 to 31 vote. But far more GOP members voted against him than he can afford to lose on the floor Jan. 3 in a vote that would officially elect him Speaker. A vocal faction of Republicans who have the potential to make or break his Speakership continue to withhold support. Recent 2022 election projections put Republicans on track to win up to 222 seats, a much slimmer majority tha
Read MoreLawmakers seek to end slavery for the incarcerated, which is legal in most states
Story at a glance A 1835 treaty, signed by President Andrew Jackson, promised federal representation for the Cherokee Nation after thousands were relocated from their homeland, an ugly history remembered as the Trail of Tears. A House committee heard testimony Wednesday on the prospect of seating a Cherokee delegate. “The Cherokee Nation has in fac
Read MoreTrump White House bid has hardly any Senate GOP support
Only one Republican senator has announced publicly that he will support former-President Trump’s 2024 reelection bid, a sign of the uphill battle Trump faces in his quest to win the Republican presidential nomination and a second term in the White House. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) told reporters this week that he will support Trump’s candidacy for president and praised his track record in the Oval Office. The rest of the Senate GOP conference is holding back, skeptical he can win the 2024 presidential election or even beat Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in the pr
Read MoreJuan Williams: McConnell wins Round One over Trump
Let’s get ready to rumble. The fight for the future of the broken Republican Party now comes down to a cage match between Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and former President Trump. Well, last week McConnell won Round One. That was good news. Don’t get me wrong. I’ve seen McConnell do serious harm to American democracy. In fact, the damage he has done is second only to Trump. In my mind, McConnell will go down as one of the great villains of American history for stealing a Supreme Court nomina
Read MoreTrump’s record in governor races: a near-even split
Former President Trump’s nearly two dozen endorsements in gubernatorial races this election season showed a near dead-even split in wins and losses in races across the U.S. Of the 21 gubernatorial candidates who ran in the general election with Trump’s backing, nine won their races while 11 lost, following a tally of the latest governor’s race to be called in Arizona late Monday that saw Democrat Katie Hobbs defeat Republican nominee Kari Lake, a Trump-backed election denier. One governor’s race remains outstanding in Alaska, where Republican incumbent Mike Dunleavy, who the forme
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