Free Republic

The presidential race may be the big story this year, but control of the House and Senate are also at stake. Many believe that Democrats are favored to win control of the House, but Republicans have their best shot of not only winning control of the U.S. Senate but also winning a majority that is likely to last for several cycles. And recent developments suggest that Republicans could flip a few more seats than expected. The first seat is in Nevada—a state I'd pretty much given up on, even though Trump had only barely lost it in 2020 and 2016....

Nebraska State Sen. Mike McDonnell (R-5) announced he is fleeing the Democrat party to become a Republican, giving the GOP what U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-NE) calls a “filibuster-proof majority” in Nebraska’s unicameral legislature. McDonnell’s party change bears major implications for local and national politics as the state is on the verge of moving to a winner-take-all electoral vote allocation system for presidential elections. The state currently has a split electoral vote awarding system that gives “two electoral votes to the state popular vote winner, and then one electoral vote to the popular vote winner in each congressional district,” as...

CNN’s Manu Raju reported over the weekend from Appomattox, Virginia on the effort inside the House GOP to oust one of its own, Rep. Bob Good (R-VA), who is the chairman of the House Freedom Caucus. Raju both aired his report on CNN’s Inside Politics Sunday and published an article on CNN.com detailing the various House Republicans openly campaigning in support of Good’s GOP primary opponent, state Sen. John McGuire. Raju noted that campaigning openly against a House colleague is “a tactic long viewed as a serious breach of protocol but one that underscores the bad blood within the House...

Senators are fighting back against rumblings that the US government will stop classifying potatoes as a vegetable. Fourteen lawmakers have written to the federal agencies who could influence the change, warning it would confuse Americans and cause chaos for supply chains. It comes amid reports that the 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee is 'considering changes to food groups,' including a proposal to lump starchy vegetables in the same category as grains, which would put it in the same bracket as bread and rice. The panel is tasked with providing independent, science-based advice to the Departments of Agriculture (USDA) and Health...

President Joe Biden has reportedly used the ‘Bidenomics’ slogan only three times in 2024 after Republicans successfully redefined it with a negative connotation. In contrast, Biden reportedly used the term 100 times in 2023. Biden’s aides originally adopted the term for voters to readily identify Biden’s economic policies and alleged successes. But after data continued to show that prices rose and remained about 20 percent higher across the board under Biden’s leadership, Republicans effectively hijacked the term, turning it into a slogan to depict Biden’s failed economic policies.

During portions of an interview with Fox News Senior Congressional Correspondent Chad Pergram on Friday that were aired on Friday’s broadcast of “Fox News @ Night,” Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) stated that the push by Republicans to have votes on amendments to the government funding bill on the Laken Riley Act and banning charter flights for illegal immigrants “is all politics,” and “a waste of time, it’s a waste of money, and I think it’s really irresponsible.” Pergram said the amendments involve “the Laken Riley Act and the plan to bar charter flights for illegal immigrants, but Democrats said no....

Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., chairman of the House select committee on China, announced he's leaving Congress on April 19, which will temporarily leave House Republicans with just a one-seat majority. Gallagher revealed in February that he would not be running for a fifth term in the House, a shocking announcement for someone long considered a rising star within the Republican Party. His early departure will mean that Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., can only afford to lose one GOP lawmaker on any vote that falls along party lines. That will likely remain the case until June, when there's a special election...

WASHINGTON — Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., who announced last month he would not run for re-election, will resign from Congress early, he confirmed in a statement Friday. Gallagher’s departure before the end of his term in January is another blow to Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and House Republicans, who have been struggling to govern and demonstrate stability this Congress. Two sources familiar with the matter told NBC News of Gallagher's plan to resign early on Friday. The Wisconsin Republican then released a statement announcing that he will depart on April 19. The speaker's office confirmed that Gallagher informed Johnson of...

A conservative political action committee billed as Fix Jersey Now is looking to do what Republicans have long been loathe to do: Beat the left at its own ballot game. The PAC, affiliated with New Jersey conservative icon Dominick “Mick” Spadea, aims to fund and implement a ballot-gathering initiative to bring back the GOP from the brink of oblivion in the Democrat-dominated Garden State. Third-party collection of ballots has been part of the Democrats’ blueprint to electoral success. Every so often they get caught breaking the law. “We need your support to get boots on the ground,” the organization urges...

West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin on Wednesday indicated that he would not support President Joe Biden's judicial nominees if they could not secure the support of at least one upper chamber Republican. "Just one Republican. That’s all I'm asking for. Give me something bipartisan. This is my own little filibuster. If they can't get one Republican, I vote for none. I've told [Democrats] that. I said, 'I'm sick and tired of it, I can't take it anymore," he said, according to Politico. The moderate senator, who is retiring at the end of his current term, has long taken positions...

Florida Democrats chose to award President Joe Biden the state’s delegates in November instead of holding a presidential primary vote, presumably to protect the unpopular incumbent. But it appears the move backfired and led to a wipeout of Democrats in local races. Florida Democrat Party leaders awarded Biden the state’s 224 delegates months ago and cancelled the primary, in a move Biden’s Democrat challengers called “intentional disenfranchisement” and said was “done obviously in secret, obviously to help the incumbent Joe Biden.” The lack of a statewide Democrat primary meant registered Democrats had less reason to turn out on Tuesday than...

When Colorado Republican Representative Ken Buck abruptly resigned from the House last week, he created more than a little turmoil. The GOP's nine-seat majority (222 R - 213 D) was always tenuous. Since then, the margin of control has been reduced by the expulsion of George Santos (NY-03) and the resignation of former Speaker Kevin McCarty (CA-20). When Ohio Republican Bill Johnson (OH-06) submitted his resignation effective January 21, the GOP majority dropped to 219-213. Ken Buck's resignation makes matters worse. Losing two votes means Republicans cede control to a Democrat Caucus moving in lockstep. On his way out, Buck...

President Biden’s former ghostwriter, who become a key figure in Special Counsel Robert Hur’s investigation into Biden’s handling of classified documents, was spotted on the street in New York City shortly after Hur testified before Congress. In photos first reported by New York Post and obtained by Fox News Digital, Biden ghostwriter Mark Zwonitzer was seen walking the streets of Manhattan’s Upper West Side wearing sneakers, a button-down shirt, and jacket alongside an unidentified woman around 7 p.m. Tuesday night. The pair dined at Bustan NYC on Amsterdam Ave before returning home around 8:15 p.m., according to the Post. Zwonitzer’s...

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Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.) said Tuesday he will resign from Congress later this month rather than serve out the remainder of his term through 2024. Why it matters: The surprise announcement will cause House Republicans' already razor thin majority to dwindle even further

The man charged with murder after the Madison County Sheriff’s Office found a body in Harvest Thursday has apparent ties to the Alabama and Madison County GOP including working in Senator Tom Butler’s office. Kyle Lewter was charged with the murder of 54-year-old Derek Walls after the Madison County Sheriff’s Office found a body at a home on Capshaw Road. Campaign finance records and social media posts show Lewter has ties to the Alabama GOP and was in a paid position for Sen. Butler’s campaign office. A social media post by Sen. Butler in May 2022 identifies “Kyle Lewter” as...

Senator Raphael Warnock (D-GA) said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union” that it is “craven” some Republicans who stopped the bipartisan border bill are pointing to the murder of Laken Riley “to score cheap political points.” Anchor Jake Tapper said, “A horrible tragedy in your state, I don’t have to tell you, Laken Riley, a 22-year-old Augusta University nursing student, was bludgeoned to death last month while on a run on the UGA campus. The suspect is an undocumented immigrant from Venezuela, who was released after crossing the border illegally, had a criminal record in New York, was still...

Expelled former Rep. George Santos made a surprising return to Congress on Thursday night to witness President Biden’s State of the Union address. Santos, who was kicked out of the House late last year with bipartisan support, expressed that it was his first time back in the Capitol since his expulsion. Despite his removal from office, Santos still retains certain privileges, including entry to the House floor when in session, due to his former membership. Speaking to reporters, Santos mentioned that he came to watch the primetime address and described his interactions with colleagues as “very bipartisan.” He acknowledged that...

Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) criticized President Biden for taking “cheap shots” against Republicans during his State of the Union address Thursday night. Romney praised the bits of Biden’s speech that covered foreign policy, when the president spoke about the importance of helping Ukraine and getting humanitarian aid into Gaza. But the Utah senator was not a fan of the way the president addressed domestic policy and his criticism of GOP lawmakers. Romney pointed to “promises” that Biden will not be able to deliver on since he won’t have Republican backing in Congress, and accused the commander in chief of falsely...

A North Carolina college junior is heading for the general election after defeating a 10-term incumbent state representative. Wyatt Gable, 21, joined “FOX & Friends” on Thursday after beating 81-year-old incumbent state Rep. George Cleveland in North Carolina’s Super Tuesday election by 95 votes. Cleveland has represented the district for two decades. When asked how he won, Gable said it was “just a lot of hard work.” “A lot of doors knocked, a lot of phone calls made, and just a lot of people that were helping me out, and I really appreciate it,” he said. Gable said he is...