Free Republic

A week or so ago two conservative writers we admire greatly, Rich Lowry, editor of National Review and Ramesh Ponnuru, a senior editor for National Review, published an interesting article entitled “Establishment Tea, The GOP is coming together, not apart.” In their piece Lowry and Ponnuru posit that a synthesis between the “tea party” and “establishment” wings of the Republican Party is emerging and they cite as examples of this synthesis the victories or defeats of various candidates supported or opposed by the two “wings” of the Republican Party. We think one of the flaws in the analysis put forth...

GRAND RAPIDS, MI — Former U.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra has said he'll back U.S. Rep. Justin Amash's opponent in the upcoming August primary. Hoekstra is endorsing local businessman Brian Ellis in the Third District race. Hoekstra, who served in the House from 1993-2011 and was chair of the House Intelligence Committee, in a statement said Ellis will be a "strong partner" with other Michigan Republicans to promote conservative ideas. "Bottom line, I strongly endorse Brian Ellis because he will be an effective conservative voice and a consistent conservative vote for solutions that will help hardworking Michigan taxpayers," Hokestra said. "Brian...

In what was clearly intended to be a snarky, hip rebuke of former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, Tea Party supporters, and other limited government advocates, the Washington Post's domesticated, in-house “conservative” Michael Gerson inadvertently exposed his true colors. By so doing, he articulated the gaping divide in the Republican ranks. After a string of juvenile insults of various leaders of the limited government movement, Gerson bottom lined it, approvingly quoting from a recent National Affairs piece by Phillip Wallach and Justus Myers: Tea Partiers and other limited government advocates "seek to break with the past in a very different manner...

Breitbart News has learned that conservative talk radio host Laura Ingraham will campaign for Joe Carr, who is challenging Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) in an August primary, at a "Restore America" rally on July 22 in Nashville. After she helped propel Dave Brat to a shocking upset over House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) last month, Ingraham has been focused on toppling Alexander, whom she has referred to as a stale establishment Republican. Ingraham endorsed Carr on Monday, and she is hoping to give Carr the type of momentum she gave to Brat, who shockingly ousted Cantor and effectively derailed...

Republican U.S. Senate candidate and tea party favorite Rob Maness pledged Monday to stick to a two-term limit, keep his home in Louisiana and reduce the budget for his congressional office if elected. Maness is waging a long-shot campaign against the better-funded Republican contender, U.S. Rep. Bill Cassidy, who is running with support of the GOP establishment. Both will face incumbent Democrat Mary Landrieu in the Nov. 4 primary. A retired Air Force colonel who has never run for office, Maness is seeking to position himself as the more conservative candidate than Cassidy. In an appearance Monday before the Press...

GOP leaders say they won't appeal ruling that found Florida congressional map unconstitutional.

Two new polls hold good news for Democrats in the blue-leaning swing states of Colorado and Michigan, both key to the party’s hopes of protecting their fragile Senate majority. The NBC/Marist polls released Tuesday show Democratic Sen. Mark Udall (Colo.) and Rep. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) leading their Republican challengers, though their races remain tight. In Colorado, Udall posts his strongest lead in months against Rep. Cory Gardner (R), taking 48 percent support among registered voters to Gardner’s 41 percent support, with 10 percent undecided. The actual margin of the race is likely somewhat tighter, as nearly every survey has shown...

Ask Sen. Tom Harkin about his committee’s work this Congress and he’s ready to rattle off a key statistic. “Fourteen bills. More than any other committee in the Congress. Fourteen bills signed into law.” The retiring five-term senator might seem at first blush an unlikely candidate to break through in the most dysfunctional Congress ever. Harkin is an unabashed Midwestern liberal. But he’s also proved adept at reaching across the aisle on issues that don’t always make the front pages — such as the Workforce Investment Act reauthorization — a major overhaul heading to the president’s desk. To hear Harkin...

Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg gave $250,000 to the super PAC supporting Sen. Lindsey Graham, (R-S.C.) in the primary battle he won by a wide margin last month, a source familiar with the donation told POLITICO. The donation is set to be revealed in financial filings made public Tuesday by the West Main Street Values PAC, the source said. The donation is the second Bloomberg has made in recent months to a Republican incumbent facing tea party unrest. Last month, filings showed that Bloomberg donated $250,000 to a super PAC supporting Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) in the rancorous...

A conservative Tennessee lawmaker running against Sen. Lamar Alexander told Newsmax TV on Monday that the incumbent is siding with the Republican Party's big-business wing in the debate over illegal immigration — and that means promoting amnesty for millions of illegal aliens. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, working in conjunction with Alexander and other Republican senators, "has determined that we need an oversupply of labor so we can suppress wages," state Rep. Joe Carr, a candidate with tea party support, told "MidPoint" host Ed Berliner. Congress is debating the president's emergency $3.7 billion request to cope with illegal immigrants who...

Ingraham compared Alexander to Sen. Thad Cochran (R-MS), saying Alexander "has big money support behind him... just like we had with Thad Cochran, another septuagenarian, who wanted your vote." "So old Thad got the big money to come in and Old Plaid," she continued. "Thad and Plaid. Thad and Plaid, the amnesty twins." Ingraham reiterated that Carr was "terrific on immigration" and was "way ahead of the curve on the effect that [unbridled mass immigration would have] on our infrastructure, our public schools, and STEM worker falsehoods." "You can't be returned to the Senate, term after term, when the only...

Conservative talk radio host Laura Ingraham said that pro-amnesty Republicans like Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) who voted for the Senate's amnesty bill are also to blame for the current border crisis. On Fox News Sunday, Ingraham said the message from many pro-amnesty Republicans has been, "you will be able to stay here." "Republicans are not off the hook," she said. "If John Boehner had taken this comprehensive reform off the table early on, I don't think he probably would have had as many unaccompanied minors coming here now." Ingraham emphasized that the "the general sense of that is deportation won't...

<p>Conservative radio show host Laura Ingraham said Monday she's "all in" for state Tennessee state Rep. Joe Carr (R) in his long-shot bid to unseat Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) in next month's primary.</p> <p>"I'm all in for Joe Carr. Look, he's no nonsense, he's a citizen legislator, he'll be. And he'll be someone who will actually listen to the people," Ingraham said on her radio program.</p>

We are moving the Minnesota Senate race from Safe Democrat to Democrat Favored, but readers should not make too much of the changed rating. The change reflects the broad national environment and Minnesota’s generally competitive nature. A national anti-President Barack Obama wave certainly could threaten incumbent Democratic Sen. Al Franken, and Franken’s 2008 victory — in a good political environment for Democrats — was razor-close. The new rating says little about Republican challenger Mike McFadden’s candidacy, other than the fact that the wealthy businessman appears to have considerable personal resources that he can sink into the race if he wishes....

Ace political analyst Michael Barone scans the political landscape and thinks that the fallout from the border crisis will be severe and will hit Democrats especially hard. The picture of thousands of illegal youngsters streaming over the border is disquieting and seems likely to hurt the president's standing with voters--even despite his refusal to submit to a “photo-op” on the border. Democrats are trying to blame the situation on House Republicans' refusal to pass comprehensive immigration legislation. That seems pretty lame: There's nothing in the bill the Senate passed in June 2013 that addressed this particular situation. As this article...

Whereas, it is the responsibility and right of this Executive Committee, and of all Republicans, to speak in support of, and to act in the defense of, the long-established and fundamental principles of the Republican party as contained in the South Carolina Republican Party Platform; and; Whereas, when any official elected to any position as a Republican repeatedly acts in contravention of these principles, it is the duty of all South Carolina Republicans, including this body, to protect and defend these principles by stating publicly its disapproval of that official’s actions, especially where the matters involved are fundamental and not...

The radio host says she's for Carr: Nationally syndicated conservative talk radio show host Laura Ingraham today announced that she was "all in for Joe Carr" in his campaign to defeat Tennessee incumbent Senator Lamar Alexander. “Lamar Alexander, the August primary is coming up, Joe Carr is his challenger. I’m all in for Joe Carr," Ingraham said on her show today. "I think he’s, look, he’s no nonsense, a citizen legislator he’ll be and he’ll be someone who will actually listen to the people, politicians at some point do have to listen to the concerns of the people, not just...

It wasn’t a friendly meeting between Rep. Jack Kingston (R-Ga.) and businessman David Perdue on Sunday evening as they faced off in the only debate of the Georgia GOP Senate runoff. Both used the lone opportunity ahead of next Tuesday’s vote to wage personal attacks against their opponent. Kingston targeted Perdue, a former Fortune 500 CEO, as an out of touch businessman only concerned with his own profit. Perdue fired back, accusing the congressman of being a "career politician" who has accomplished little in his 11 terms in office. Hosted by the Atlanta Press Club and televised on Georgia Public...

Louisiana state Rep. Paul Hollis (R) dropped out of the Louisiana Senate race Monday. "After prayer and thoughtful consideration, I have decided to withdraw from the U.S. Senate race in Louisiana," Hollis said in a statement. "I am thankful for the outpouring of support from voters throughout the state and truly appreciate the tireless efforts of our campaign's staff and volunteers." The businessman had framed himself as a conservative alternative to Rep. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), the GOP establishment pick to take on Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) in the race. But that title was already largely secured by retired Air Force...

COLUMBIA — Reality TV-star and former S.C. Treasurer Thomas Ravenel filed his petition to run for U.S. Senate as an independent. Ravenel, of Charleston, submitted 16,469 signatures to the S.C. Election Commission on Monday. He needs 10,000 certified signatures to make the ballot. The certification process will take about a month, an election official said. If certified, Ravenel will face U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-Seneca, S.C. Sen. Brad Hutto, D-Orangeburg, and Columbia Libertarian Victor Kocher in November’s general election. Ravenel recently was the star of Southern Charm, a Bravo reality-television show filmed in Charleston. The former state treasurer left office...