Free Republic

US Senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed refutes claims that he’s already planning a 2028 run for higher office.

Senate Republicans reelected Sen. John Thune as their leader on Tuesday, staying the course as they prepare to enter the minority after the party's brutal midterm losses, which saw at least seven Senate seats fall to the Democrats. Senate Republicans backed Thune for another two years as leader by acclamation, or without opposition, after meeting behind closed doors in the Old Senate Chamber for much of the day. Thune, 65, is a South Dakota Republican who was first elected leader after the 2024 elections. He's been in the Senate since 2005 and took the helm two decades later, after working...

As soon as this year’s winners are sworn in, roughly 75% of all Americans will have Democratic governors — a shakeup that reflects the party’s dominance in the nation’s most populous states and could have a seismic impact on everything from redistricting and the Electoral College to health care and tax policies, education funding and more. In total, at least 28 states will now have Democratic governors. It will be 29 if Democratic state Sen. Cindy Holscher wins the still-uncalled race in Kansas — extending for a third term the party’s governorship of a state that votes reliably red in...

Republicans in the US ​House of Representatives ‌banded together on Tuesday to ​derail an effort ​to impeach Defense ⁠Secretary Pete Hegseth. The ​chamber voted 211 ​to 204 in favor of a motion ​to refer ​the impeachment charges to the ‌Republican-led ⁠House Judiciary Committee, effectively stopping the effort to ​impeach ​Hegseth ⁠sponsored by Kentucky Republican ​Representative Thomas ​Massie.

Medicare for All, debt-free college and lower everyday costs are among the priorities Oregon's two U.S. senators hope to advance as Democrats prepare to take control of Congress. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley see the election results as a major opportunity, but also as a test of whether Democrats can deliver on their promises. Both have ambitious agendas, though passing legislation in a divided Washington could prove challenging. "My agenda is gonna be affordability for us and accountability for Republicans and special interests," Wyden said. Merkley echoed that focus, saying Democrats need to show voters they can make a...

Mayor Zohran Mamdani signed a controversial law Tuesday that gives nonprofits first dibs at buying distressed residential buildings in the Big Apple. Hizzoner put his John Hancock on the Community Opportunity to Purchase Act — only the second bill he’s signed in the 11 months since he took office — after the City Council quietly resurrected a watered-down version of the bill last month. The “COPA” law will affect about 2,100 properties across the five boroughs, officials said at a Brooklyn news conference outside a Cypress Hills housing development. “I am so proud today to sign COPA into law —...

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz (R) is launching a new headquarters for his Saving Texas group in an effort to recruit and elect Republican candidates across the Lone Star State. The headquarters for the nonprofit, which is run by Cruz’s allies, will open in Austin, intended to be a hub for establishing GOP infrastructure to win back political power in Texas. “That means recruiting strong candidates who share our principles, rebuilding the grassroots infrastructure that has powered Republican victories for decades and raising the resources necessary to compete in every corner of our state,” Cruz said in a statement. Cruz is...