Free Republic

THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN All the votes have been counted, the counties have certified their votes, and Dr. Dan Benishek is the winner IRON MOUNTAIN, MI - Seven days of certification meetings across the 1st District have resulted in the final lead for Republican grassroots candidate Dr. Dan Benishek rising from 1 to 15. One of the largest districts in the United States, the 1st Congressional District consists of 31 counties. Boards of Canvassers were required to meet and verify the numbers submitted to the Secretary of State by the 17th, but all have completed certifying their tallies as of...

The comprehensive immigration reform bill that has dodged attacks from the left and right for weeks, survived “poison pill” amendments, and was once pulled from the Senate schedule failed its most important test Thursday. Passage of the legislation now appears unlikely. The bipartisan coalition that had shepherded the measure through so many obstacles failed to get the 60 votes necessary to end debate. The final vote was 46-53 Until Thursday morning, it was unclear whether the bill would survive the cloture vote. But in the end, opponents of the measure from both sides of the political spectrum gained enough support...

Rep. Joe Schwarz campaigned personally with Sen. John McCain and had the support of President Bush -- but what the incumbent didn't have was the right positions on issues for a conservative Republican district in Michigan. His loss in last week's primary to conservative state lawmaker Tim Walberg is being read in Washington as a message to other Republicans about the need to control spending and listen to the conservative base on issues such as immigration and abortion. Although the defeat of Sen. Joe Lieberman in Connecticut's Democratic primary has garnered the most attention, Mr. Schwarz's loss indicates that Republican...