Free Republic

Grand Old Popey. Pope Leo XIV was an active voter who participated in several Republican primaries in recent years and voted in the most recent presidential election, according to a report. Then-Cardinal Robert Prevost, a Chicago native, pulled the lever in Republican primaries in 2012, 2014, and 2016, the Washington Free Beacon reported, citing election records. The Dolton, Illinois, born pontifex also voted in general elections in 2012, 2014, 2018, and 2024, the report stated.

Grammy-nominated musician and former OneRepublic bassist Tim Myers is making the leap from the stage to the political arena with a high-profile challenge to long-serving Republican Rep. Ken Calvert in California’s 41st Congressional District. Myers, a Corona native turned music industry entrepreneur, announced his candidacy Thursday in a video posted on Instagram, setting the stage for one of the most closely watched House races in the 2026 election cycle. “Ken Calvert has been in Washington for 30 years, and all he’s done is make himself millions,” Myers says in the campaign video, filmed in a recording studio. “The status quo...

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) announced on Friday morning that she will not seek reelection in 2026. In a video posted on social media, Gov. Reynolds told voters, “Serving as your governor has been the greatest honor of my life — an opportunity that, not so long ago, I never could have imagined.” The politician expressed gratitude for the trust fellow Iowans placed in her before saying that she wanted to share a “personal decision” with her constituents.

Representative Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) claimed Friday on CNN’s “Anderson Cooper 360” that Republican lawmakers and President Donald Trump’s voters are panicking over tariffs. Gottheimer said, “I think you’re going to see a lot of people panic and start to say, this is not what we signed up for. I did hear that from a Trump voter today who said, I did not sign up for higher costs, higher taxes. What’s going on here with all this chaos? And I think that’s what you’re going to see more of.”

A single Republican senator — Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) — voted against the nomination of Harmeet Dhillon to serve as assistant attorney general, veering away from the rest of her GOP colleagues who voted in favor. After her nomination in December, lawmakers finally held a formal vote Thursday and Dhillon was approved in a 52-45 vote. However, Murkowski opposed the nomination and sided with Democrats. President Donald Trump announced in December the nomination of Dhillon to work as Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Justice. “Throughout her career, Harmeet has stood up consistently to protect our...

Republicans Randy Fine and Jimmy Patronis secured victories in two special congressional elections in Florida on Tuesday, overcoming significant fundraising disadvantages to maintain GOP control of seats vacated by prominent party members. The wins bolster the Republican Party’s slim majority in the U.S. House, despite a strong financial push from Democratic opponents. Fine, a former state senator, won Florida’s 6th Congressional District, defeating Democrat Josh Weil, an Orlando school teacher who outraised Fine by more than $9 million between January and March, according to Federal Election Commission reports. In the 1st Congressional District, Patronis, Florida’s outgoing chief financial officer, bested...

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) claimed Tuesday on MSNBC’s “The Last Word” that voters were rejecting the “rapidly deteriorating Republican brand” while discussing two special elections in Florida that the Republicans won and one race for a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court that the Democrats won. Host Lawrence O’Donnell said, “Let’s begin as we wait for a victory speech in Wisconsin with your reaction to what you’re seeing in those special elections in Florida for two House seats.” Jeffries said, “It was an incredible over performance by the two Democratic candidates into two ruby red districts.”

Florida state Sen. Randy Fine (R) was projected to win the special election for Florida’s 6th Congressional District on Tuesday, according to Decision Desk HQ, defeating Democrat Josh Weil in what became a closely contested race in the deep-red district. Fine’s win will come as a relief for Republicans, who grew increasingly worried about the race as Weil overperformed Fine in fundraising and some polling going into Election Day. A Democratic victory in the district, which stretches from South Daytona to St. Augustine, would have been a political earthquake. President Trump and national security adviser Michael Waltz, who previously held...

The entrance to the Republican Party of New Mexico’s headquarters was set on fire and defaced with graffiti in an alleged arson attack Sunday morning, authorities and Republican officials said. The Albuquerque Fire Department has opened an arson investigation after flames broke out at the site just before 6 a.m. near where anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement graffiti was discovered. The words ‘ICE = KKK’ were sprayed onto the side of the building in red paint, leading many GOP members to believe the fire was a politically motivated arson attack. “We are deeply relieved that no one was harmed in what...

[Caption] The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) headquarters in Washington, D.C., U.S. on March 5, 2025. Wall Street’s top regulator said on Thursday it had voted to cease legal efforts to defend regulations that require companies to disclose climate-related emissions, risks and spending, and had been hotly contested by industrial lobby groups. The decision by the Republican-dominated U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission had been widely expected following public remarks last month by its acting chairman, Mark Uyeda. Since taking office, President Donald Trump has acted to roll back virtually all of the prior administration’s efforts to address climate change....

Nebraska Republican Mike Flood was heckled at a town hall event he hosted on Tuesday in Columbus, with a section of the crowd at one point chanting "tax the rich" at the House representative. Newsweek contacted Flood for comment on Wednesday outside of regular office hours via telephone and voicemail message. Why It Matters Flood is the latest in a succession of Republican politicians to receive a rough reception at town hall meetings across the U.S. since President Donald Trump's inauguration, with House Speaker Mike Johnson advising his GOP colleagues to stop hosting the in-person events earlier this month. Criticism...

Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) said there’s “no doubt” that Russia and China were monitoring the U.S. officials’ devices used for a war plan text chat. “I will guarantee you, 99.99 percent with confidence, Russia and China are monitoring those two phones,” Bacon told CNN’s Manu Raju. “So I just think it’s a security violation, and there’s no doubt that Russia and China saw this stuff within hours of the actual attacks on Yemen or the Houthis.” National security adviser Mike Waltz reportedly invited The Atlantic’s top editor, Jeffrey Goldberg, into the Signal group, in which Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth shared...

Everyone is talking about Republicans’ proposed Medicaid cuts, but hardly anyone is calling this what it really is: the strategy by Elon Musk, President Trump, and the Republican Party to dismantle the Affordable Care Act, one piece at a time. The ACA, a historic piece of legislation that extended health coverage to millions of Americans, celebrated its 15th anniversary on March 23. Signed by President Barack Obama in 2010, the ACA expanded Medicaid and provided subsidies so that more working and middle-class Americans could have access to our expensive and complicated health care system. The law also made it illegal...

Former GOP Rep. Adam Kinzinger has accused MAGA of brazen hypocrisy over its fury at attacks on Tesla. Kinzinger, who served as a representative for Illinois from 2011 to 2023 and is vehemently anti-Donald Trump, contrasted the fury at Tesla being boycotted and its cars being vandalized with how Budweiser’s work with transgender social media creator Dylan Mulvaney set conservatives alight with anger in 2023. snip “So, here’s an interesting question. Why is it that whenever Republicans decide to boycott a company like Bud Light or Disney, they’re doing it because they’re victims of that company?” he said. “Yet when...

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) claimed Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that in 2026, congressional Republicans “will feel like rats on a sinking ship.” Host Kristen Welker said, “Some Democrats are saying they want leadership to show more fight in this moment. They think that’s what’s required and you were instrumental in urging President Biden out of the 2024 race when he wasn’t convinced. I’ve had conversations with Democrats who says this moment feels similar. Are you making the same mistake that President Biden did?”

Terry Bradshaw has changed political parties and he's refusing to apologize for it. The legendary NFL quarterback, who won four Super Bowls during his time with the Pittsburgh Steelers, hasn't shied away from discussing politics. In fact, he's been pretty open about it. The iconic Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback, like some other athletes - Danica Patrick, Charles Barkley - has actually switched political parties during his career. Bradshaw, 76, was a longtime Republican. However, he ultimately decided to switch political parties, becoming a registered Independent voter. He has been with the Independent party for the past several years. The former NFL...

Delaware Democratic Rep. Sarah McBride is the first transgender lawmaker elected to Congress. Democratic Masschusetts Rep. Bill Keating had a meltdown on Tuesday, during a House Foreign Affairs subcommittee hearing, after the subcommittee's chairman called transgender Delaware Rep. Sarah McBride "mister." The exchange occurred during a hearing on arms control and U.S. assistance to Europe. The committee's chairman Keith Self cited a Trump administration order that only recognizes and identifies two genders, which is the person's biological gender. Self, a Texas Republican, introduced McBride, who was the first transgender lawmaker elected to Congress, as "the representative from Delaware, Mister McBride."...

A Maine Republican says that her state’s transgender athlete policy is so “extreme” that it will cost the state millions in federal funding. Maine Republican state Rep. Laurel Libby is blasting Democrat Governor Janet Mills for refusing to obey President Donald Trump’s Title IX rules banning transgender athletes in girl’s sports or risk a loss of federal education funding. Maine’s Principals’ Association maintains that its state rules take precedence over the new rules written by Donald Trump’s administration, and the state’s schools will continue to allow transgender athletes to compete in girl’s and women’s sports, Fox News reported.

Friday, February 21, 2025 Walberg: People who can't afford a $200 Passport, "they shouldn't be voting" (audio) Link to Audio: https://youtu.be/0nyXqHWegxs A constituent provided me raw audio of Walberg's event in Bedford Township yesterday, and gave me permission to share it publicly. I have posted it unedited to YouTube (link above) against a background photo that was also taken at that event, with a portion of my transcript of a standout moment from that event. I think Walberg is getting worse. He's incredibly rude to constituents throughout that audio. Walberg says grotesque, divisive, and cruel things constantly. He says nonsensical...

The Christian Right is a powerful political force in the U.S., and it’s no coincidence that its members believe in a Jesus who aligns with their political views. Right-wing influencers have weaponized the Bible as a political tool, according to a new book by UBC’s Tony Keddie. The Christian Right is a powerful political force in the U.S., and it’s no coincidence that its members believe in a Jesus who aligns with their political views. Right-wing influencers have weaponized the Bible as a political tool, according to a new book by UBC’s Tony Keddie, an assistant professor of early Christian...