Free Republic

Josh Mandel, once the flamboyant conservative frontrunner for the nomination who now looks threatened by the Trump-endorsed J.D. Vance, dished to GOPers in Washington that at least part of his absurd, extreme campaign rhetoric … is an act.From the book:Mandel, acknowledged to Republicans in Washington that he was parroting absurd rhetoric in the primary campaign out of a desire to court Trump and his supporters — but that was simply what he believed it would take to win.”In fact even as he publicly mimicked Trump’s incendiary rhetoric, Mandel would privately reach out to McConnell’s top lieutenants to alert them each...

'Trump basically turned me into a Democrat': Working-class white women drifting away from the president DUBUQUE, Iowa — One of the essential storylines of the 2016 presidential election was the hidden Donald Trump voter: the person who wasn’t surveyed by pollsters or comfortable telling friends or family about who they thought was best to lead the country. Three years ago, thousands of these Americans — many working class, residing in the middle of the country — helped deliver the most astounding electoral surprise in modern history. Now, as they review the Trump presidency a year before his reelection, some are...

Fueled by his defiance of political norms, Andrew Gillum is on the cusp of history in Florida.... ....Gillum's underdog campaign for governor of Florida was always predicated on the same unsatisfied defiance that fueled his earliest days as an activist. To those who have known and watched him closely, his gift of personal magnetism, commitment to advocacy.... "There's something Kennedyesque about Andrew. People don't really know why – they just feel good," says Gary Yordon, a television producer who helped film Gillum's first campaign commercial for Tallahassee city commissioner 15 years ago. "The last five or six candidates...

The familiar Washington narrative on the scrum for the U.S. Senate has been rinsed, recycled and delivered once again: Republicans are primed to pick up the six seats necessary to capture control of the upper chamber. The midterm atmosphere sure looks ripe, the polling appears favorable but, as it did in 2010 and 2012, the most competitive batch of races will likely come down to candidate quality. It’s the key component that stifled GOP chances before, and could very well again. .... .... A closer look at the most competitive contests demonstrates why a Senate majority in 2014 is again...

By pulling off arguably the biggest upset of the primary election season Tuesday, Christine O'Donnell shocked the Republican establishment and political pundits who didn’t think her campaign for the Delaware GOP Senate nomination had a chance. But none were more surprised then the staffers who worked for O’Donnell in 2008, when she made the second of two prior unsuccessful bids for the Senate. Continue Reading Text Size * - * + * reset Listen to this article. Powered by Odiogo.com Listen VIDEO: O'Donnell on media Latest on POLITICO * Dean: 'I actually approve' of tea party * Pelosi keeps losing...