Free Republic

Former White House press secretary Sarah Sanders is expected to announce a run for governor of Arkansas on Monday, according to two people familiar with her plans.Sanders has toyed with launching a campaign since leaving her post in 2019 and has been quietly planning for the bid over the last year. Current Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson cannot seek re-election in 2022 because of term limits.Sanders, whose father, Mike Huckabee, was governor of the state from 1996 to 2007, is expected to launch her candidacy Monday.

SAN DIEGO (KUSI) – It’s not uncommon in California for residents to seek recalls but they rarely get on the ballot - and even fewer succeed. Several launched against Newsom faded but another attempt is drawing greater attention as his fortunes change while he enters a critical stretch in his governorship. Recall organizers say they have collected have reached 1.2 million signatures toward the 1.5 million petition signatures needed to place the recall on the ballot, and they have until mid-March to hit the required threshold. Rescue CA has a goal of getting in enough signatures to help the effort...

MADISON, Wis. — Gov. Tony Evers has authorized the Wisconsin National Guard to support the state’s Capitol Police. National Guard members will mobilize to help with security efforts at the Wisconsin State Capitol, according to a news release Monday. The announcement comes hours after the FBI warned of plans for armed protests at all 50 state capitals and in Washington, D.C. ahead of President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration. Less than a week has passed since a mob of pro-Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday afternoon. Crews in Madison have boarded up windows at the State Capitol building as a...

They sat close together — hundreds of them — holding candles in the cavernous sanctuary of Legacy Church on Christmas Day, few of them appearing to wear masks. Photos and video of that gathering and a Christmas Eve service at Calvary Church have drawn public outrage on social media and on Monday the state Department of Health notified the two churches that they were each being fined $5,000 for violating New Mexico’s public health orders. Those orders, aimed at stopping the spread of COVID-19, limit occupancy of churches and other public spaces, mandate the wearing of masks and urge social...

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) urged residents on Monday to refrain from ringing in the new year with individuals outside of their household, pressing New Jerseyans to reduce celebrations and strictly adhere to coronavirus protocols, including masking up and practicing social distancing. “IMPORTANT: This New Year’s Eve, we urge you to keep to a small gathering of only your immediate household,” Murphy began, stating that the new year should begin with residents “staying vigilant” regarding the Chinese coronavirus by practicing social distancing, masking up, and handwashing:

Michigan Republicans come to the side of the capital building and request entrance. State police stop themhttps://twitter.com/rbeggin/status/1338563433520902147

The percentage of New Jersey residents refusing to cooperate with contact tracers continues to rise, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) announced on Monday. “Contact Tracing Update: We now have more than 30 contact tracers on the ground for every 100,000 residents,” Murphy said. “The rate of non-cooperation is now up to a whopping 74%.”

ATLANTA — Georgia’s governor is again telling lawmakers that he won’t call a special session to overturn Georgia’s election results and appoint 16 presidential electors who would support Republican President Donald Trump instead of Democratic president-elect Joe Biden. Republican Brian Kemp issued a joint statement Sunday with Republican Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, saying it would violate state law for the General Assembly to name electors instead of following the current state law that calls for the governor to certify electors after results are certified. “Any attempt by the legislature to retroactively change that process for the Nov. 3rd election would...

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger certified the election results in November, giving Joe Biden the state’s 16 electoral votes. “Working as an engineer throughout my life, I live by that numbers don’t lie. As secretary of state, I believe that the numbers that we have presented today are correct,” Raffensperger said during a news conference. “The numbers reflect the verdict of the people, not a decision by the secretary of state’s office or our courts, or of either campaigns.” Raffensperger then took no questions. Even at that time the recount appeared to be rigged because elections officials were not...

Kevin Faulconer may not be your typical Republican, but he might be just the guy to help the GOP retake the governor's mansion in California for the first time in a decade.

A dozen grocery stores around the state have been forced to close for two weeks because of a public health order issued by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham at a time when the state’s residents are suffering from record high unemployment and food insecurity, critics say.The order requires businesses with four or more rapid responses of COVID-19 cases reported within in a 14-day period to close for two weeks.More than 25 essential businesses were shut down as of Monday afternoon, including a number of grocery stores and major retailers.The closures include two Walmarts in Albuquerque and one in Santa Fe, an...

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — For months, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine steered cleared of second-guessing President Donald Trump, a fellow Republican, despite their polar-opposite responses to the pandemic. The governor’s reward? A suggestion by the president that another Republican should challenge him in Ohio’s 2022 election. Trump’s warning came after DeWine said it was time to realize Joe Biden had won the presidential race. That was just the start of a rough few days last week for the Ohio governor, who is dealing with a state he says “is on fire” with skyrocketing coronavirus cases, and now finds himself fending off...

 Watch a lived feed as it updates with votes get reversing.  The Democrat gains and the Republican loses votes.  It appears to be close to the same number as the Democrat gains. This is what you call vote switching right in front of your eyes. https://youtu.be/tY_yFQKl43g?t=66   

Gov. JB Pritzker is ordering bars and restaurants in Chicago to halt indoor service and to limit gatherings in the city at 25 people starting Friday as COVID-19 cases continue to rise. “Region 11 [the city of Chicago] is now averaging more than twice as many COVID-related hospital admissions per day as it was a month ago, with a positivity rate that has almost doubled since the beginning of October,” Pritzker said in a written statement Tuesday. According to the latest data from the Illinois Department of Public Health, Chicago has seen eight straight days of increasing cases and seven...

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Monday warned that "there seems to be a COVID storm coming" and urged residents to be prepared as the state's metrics continue rising. "No matter where in Illinois you call home: as you go about your daily life, remember that this is not over," Pritzker said as he delivered his daily coronavirus press briefing. The governor warned that six of the state's 11 healthcare regions will be under stricter mitigations this week, but more could soon follow.

Thirteen people, including seven men associated with the Wolverine Watchmen militia group, have been arrested in alleged plots to kidnap the Michigan governor and attack the state capitol building, prosecutors said on Thursday.

Yesterday, Governor Mike DeWine signed House Bill 614 into law, legislation that should help to relax the concerns of law-abiding Ohio gun owners whose CHLs are expiring soon. An amendment to HB 614 extends all CHL expiration dates through at least June 30, 2021. In addition, if a license expires between April 1, 2021 and June 30, 2021, the license is further extended an additional 90 days past the expiration date. The amendment also removes the contiguous county requirement during the time of Ohio's “emergency order” related to the COVID virus.  So, a licensee may renew at ANY sheriff’s​ office in...

Will he run again? Is this the start of his comeback? These are questions that will be answered in due time. Former Florida Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum lost a nail-biter race to Gov. Ron DeSantis. It was a punch to the gut to Democrats in the state that pretty much forced them to reconsider if the state was indeed trending blue. The political environment for Democrats during the 2018 elections was excellent and they couldnÂ’t take back the governorÂ’s mansion? Furthermore, term-limited GOP Governor Rick Scott ran for Senate and beat incumbent Democrat Bill Nelson. Time passes and then...

Idaho Legislature Advances Resolution to End Governors' Emergency Covid Orders On August 25, lawmakers in Idaho’s House voted to advance a resolution that ends Idaho Governor Brad Little’s Coronavirus Emergency Declaration. Idaho is now the first state where it’s constituents have voted to remove the insane coronavirus regulations put on by their governor in overwhelming fashion. https://bit.ly/3hBjLKN

CHICAGO, Ill. (WTVO) — Former Illinois Governor Jim Edgar said he’ll be voting for Democrat Joe Biden during an interview this week, breaking ranks with President Donald Trump. Edgar, former U.S. Rep. Ray LaHood, and ex-Illinois Republican Party chair Pat Brady said they would be voting for Biden the week of the Republican National Convention. “He’s been more of a disappointment than I thought he’d be,” Edgar said in an interview with WBEZ. “I think he bungled the pandemic thing. He undercuts our allies. I don’t understand his relationship with [Russian President Vladmir] Putin. The list goes on and on....