Free Republic

Madison — Senate Republicans Tuesday narrowly passed Gov. Scott Walker's $541 million tax cut proposal in a vote that guaranteed the cuts will become law. The tax decreases — the third round of cuts by Republicans in less than a year — passed 17-15 with GOP Sen. Dale Schultz of Richland Center joining all Democrats in voting against the proposal. The proposal now goes to the Assembly, which passed a different version of the tax cuts last month with two Democrats joining all Republicans in supporting it. With growing tax collections now expected to give the state a $1 billion...

Sandra Fluke, the controversial birth control advocate who became an icon of women's rights during the 2012 presidential election, has pulled out of the race to replace retiring Rep. Henry Waxman in California's 33rd congressional district. The Los Angeles Times reports that Fluke will be running for the state Senate instead, adopting the district being vacated by Democrat Ted Lieu, who joins others in the race for the 33rd district.

Democratic attorney and activist Sandra Fluke has decided against running for retiring Rep. Henry A. Waxman’s congressional seat, instead planning a bid for the state Senate. “I am extremely moved by the outpouring of local and national support I have received since I announced that I was considering running for office. My entire career has been devoted to the public interest, whether representing victims of human trafficking or advocating for working families,” Fluke said late Tuesday night. “I am committed to continuing that fight in Sacramento, working to protect our environment, ensure our access to health care, and create the...

<p>SACRAMENTO, Calif.—A Republican has won a hotly contested state Senate contest in the southern San Joaquin Valley, with his top Democratic rival conceding Wednesday that the race will not go to a runoff.</p> <p>The special election victory by Hanford cherry farmer Andy Vidak will have no practical effect on the state Senate, where Democrats retain a supermajority, but serves as a psychological boost for the party after massive GOP losses in recent election cycles.</p>

This thread is directed primarily at Minnesota Freepers - but obviously your support (at any level) is encouraged. This is a GOP primary taking place in state Senate District 33 in Minnesota. Geographically, it includes a number of the western and northwestern suburbs of Minneapolis. This is a good GOP district. The incumbent state senator is retiring. David Osmek, a member of the Mound City Council won the GOP endorsement with 81% of the vote - but he's being challenged by state rep Connie Doepke. As I'll point out to you, Doepke's record is decidedly a un-conservative one. Click on...

Wisconsin state GOP. Sen. Van Wanggaard asked elections officials Friday for a recount in his recall race, the outcome of which will decide the majority party in the state Senate. An official canvass this week showed the Racine Republican trailing his Democratic challenger by 834 votes, or 1.2 percent. Democrats had called on Wanggaard to concede, saying a recount would only delay their inevitable and waste taxpayer money. But Wanggaard's campaign said it was concerned about possible reports of voting irregularities, and said it wanted to ensure the outcome was accurate. Given how many votes were cast in the election...

MADISON — Someone, it appears, thinks Terry Moulton might lose, or at least is willing to commit $227,000 toward making that happen. The buzz for a while has been that Democrats’ best chance of winning one of the four Senate seats up for recall on June 5 is in Senate District 21, where Sen. Van Wanggaard, R-Racine, is trying to fend off a challenge from his Democratic predecessor, John Lehman. But spending this month — from liberals and conservatives alike — indicates they aren’t quite certain that Moulton, facing former Democratic Rep. Kristen Dexter, can hold onto the District 23...

New polls showing Republicans with healthy leads in three of the four state Senate recall fights are sobering for Democrats for a few reasons. One, they're a reminder that these races are being fought on Republican-leaning turf, as were last year’s Senate recalls. Two, the Democratic pollster who did the surveys argues that a small portion of voters unhappy with GOP Gov. Scott Walker don’t approve of the recalls, creating an extra hurdle for Democrats to overcome in flipping these Senate seats. Three, Walker leads in his own recall fight in these particular districts, according to the polls. Here’s a...

When Republican Assemblyman Cameron Smyth decided to leave the Legislature rather than run for the state Senate this year, it virtually guaranteed that Democrats will achieve a two-thirds supermajority in the Senate, changing the Capitol's political dynamics. Having already won – via a 2010 ballot measure – the right to pass budgets by simple majority votes, Democrats would gain more power in the Senate over other issues, such as taxes. That would, in turn, isolate Republicans in the Assembly, who are likely to retain more than a third of the lower house's 80 seats this year, and could even gain...

Watch Wisconsin: Recall Day By Michelle Malkin • August 9, 2011 11:23 AM Just a reminder: Today’s the day the big-spending public employee unions hope to oust 6 GOP Wisconsin state senators — not for any corruption, malfeasance, or criminal actions, but for making the tough decisions and supporting the fiscally responsible measures spearheaded by GOP Gov. Scott Walker. Tea Party activists across the country stood with Walker. Don’t forget to stand with the legislators who stood with Walker and stood against Big Labor. Much more than state GOP control of the legislature is at stake. It’s a critical chance...

Madison-- A Wisconsin judge is set to hear more arguments on whether signatures on recall petitions against nine state senators were gathered improperly. Six Republican senators and three Democratic senators face recalls over their positions on Gov. Scott Walker's contentious collective bargaining law. But both sides argue the recall petitions against them are invalid. The Republicans maintain signature gatherers didn't properly submit their initial paperwork. The Democrats contend there was widespread fraud in signature collection against them. The first round of primaries for the Republicans' challengers is set for Tuesday. Dane County Circuit Judge Richard Niess is set to hear...

The Wisconsin state senate has passed legislation limiting collective bargaining for state employees. This was accomplished via legislation that did not involve fiscal matters, thus lowering the threshold for a quorum. The remainder of the current dispute, involving wages and benefits, have already been agreed to by the unions, who can be expected to withdraw the offer. There is talk of a recall campaign to punish Republican legislators, and unions have access to millions of dollars and large numbers of people. But the facts on the ground have changed in Wisconsin tonight, as the GOP in effect called the Democrats'...

The Republican majority of the Wisconsin State Senate has at hand the tools to end its stalemate now. The Wisconsin Constitution requires that to vote on a law dealing with taxing or spending or borrowing, a "quorum" is needed, and the minimum number to constitute a "quorum" is sixty percent of the elected members of the legislature: ARTICLE VIII FINANCE Vote on fiscal bills; quorum. SECTION 8. On the passage in either house of the legislature of any law which imposes, continues or renews a tax, or creates a debt or charge, or makes, continues or renews an appropriation of...

Assemblyman Ted Gaines won the Senate District 1 special election race with 63.2 percent of the vote as reported by the California Secretary of State’s office at 11 p.m. Tuesday. The Associated Press called the race for Gaines, R-Roseville, as he led over Mayor Ken Cooley, D-Rancho Cordova. The pair emerged as the top vote-getters in their parties after the special primary Nov. 2. Cooley had 36.8 percent of the vote as of 11 p.m. The seat was formerly held by Sen. Dave Cox, R-Fair Oaks, who died last summer.

The last time Republicans controlled a statehouse chamber in Alabama, Ulysses S. Grant was president and Thomas Edison still hadn’t perfected electric lighting.But if the GOP’s gains are as big as many predict this election, Alabama could be one of many states that will see one or both statehouse chambers go from Democratic blue to Republican red. Democrats currently enjoy a 5-seat advantage in the Alabama Senate and a 15-seat advantage in the Alabama House. However, Tim Storey, an elections expert at the National Conference of State Legislatures, says that hold may not last. “If Alabama were to move to...

In the Lansing area, the 23rd district state senate seat, Michigan Democrats have been in control for so long, that a sacrificial lamb is usually placed on the ballot by the GOP, in the hopes of achieving at most, a strong showing against whatever Liberal is chosen to sit in the Senate; 37% support for a Republican is considered pretty darn good. 2010 is a very different year, apparently with different rules, and Republican Kyle Haubrich is ready to play.

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I received a call on Wednesday night for a candidate for New York State senate called Mike Kaplowitz. I politely listened to the man tell me that Mike was a fiscal conservative. I had not heard of the guy before this so I let the caller continue. He invited me to a rally for him just down the block. He then asked me what I thought of Mike. I told him I had not formed an opinion but I am still on the phone so it means something. He thanked me and said a lot of people just screamed at...

KTLK's Sue Jeffers emceed a campaign kick-off event in Plymouth for Norann Dillon on Saturday. Dillon is the Republican endorsed candidate for state senate in SD43. A group of enthusiastic supporters applauded remarks from Congressman Erik Paulsen, Hennepin County Commissioner and recent Minnesota GOP convention co-chair Jeff Johnson, and local small business owner and Tea Party activist Toni Backdahl.Common among remarks was genuine respect for and familiarity with Dillon, who has made a name for herself within the party as an independent open-minded advocate of liberty. Jeff Johnson observed, just when he thinks he has Dillon "boxed in" to a...

How bad do the Democrats want to win the Senate seat vacated by newly crowned Lt. Gov. Abel Maldonado?First they strung out Republican Maldo's confirmation in the Assembly to force – they thought – Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to make the special election for the Senate seat the same day as the general election in November. That, the Dems figured, would let them take advantage of the largest possible voter turnout and give them the best chance to capture the Central Coast Senate seat.But the Republican governor is still a Republican, and he called for a special election in the dead...