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Trump Snaps Over DeSantis’ Endorsement of Colorado Senate Candidate

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Donald Trump via Gage Skidmore Flickr

Has Florida Governor Ron DeSantis inadvertently sparked a feud with Donald Trump?

DeSantis’ decision to endorse Colorado Republican Senate candidate Joe O’Dea has sparked Trump’s fury, calling the endorsement a “huge mistake.”

“Hello this is Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. America needs strong leadership and desperately,” said DeSantis in a robocall. “That’s why I’m endorsing Joe O’Dea for U.S. Senate. Colorado, please vote for Joe O’Dea.”

Trump later shared The Washington Examiner piece on his social media site TRUTH Social and wrote, “A BIG MISTAKE!”

Over the summer, Trump opted to support state Rep. Ron Hanks during the primary and since then has traded insults with the Republican candidate. O’Dea has publicly derided Trump as a “black eye” for the United States and has said he plans to actively campaign against him if he launches a presidential campaign in 2024.

“There’s this RINO character in the Great State of Colorado, Joe O’Dea, that is running against the incumbent Democrat for the United States Senate, who is having a good old time saying that he wants to “distance” himself from President Trump, and other slightly nasty things. He should look at the Economy, Inflation, Energy Independence, defeating ISIS, the Strongest EVER Border, Great Trade Deals, & much more, before he speaks. MAGA doesn’t Vote for stupid people with big mouths. Good luck Joe!” Trump shared in a TRUTH Social message.

 “President Trump is entitled to his opinion, but I’m my own man and I’ll call it like I see it,” O’Dea responded. “Another Biden-Trump election will tear this country apart. DeSantis, Scott, Pompeo or Haley would be better choices. These elections should be focused on Joe Biden’s failures supercharged inflation, a broken border, rampant crime, a war on American energy, not a rehash of 2020.”

Trump has all but confirmed his 2024 plans but has stopped of making any formal announcement that would tie him to specific campaign finance laws. DeSantis has also been named an early presidential contender but has maintained his only focus is winning his gubernatorial re-election.

Fox News Proposes Presidential Debate

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Looking east towards 6th Avenue along north (48th Street) side of Fox News building on a snowy afternoon. [Photo Credit: Jim.henderson, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons]

Fox News has invited Donald Trump and Kamala Harris to participate in another debate before Americans cast their ballots.

Fox has offered the candidates the opportunity to debate each other in Pennsylvania on two potential dates: Thursday, Oct. 24 or Sunday, Oct. 27. Fox News anchors Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum would moderate the proposed debate.

The network claimed in a statement addressed to the Trump and Harris campaign that the final debate would be an “opportunity for each candidate to make his or her closing arguments” before November. And they referenced a New York Times op-ed which called for Harris to debate on Fox News.

“As made clear in The New York Times on Monday: ‘Harris Should Offer to Debate Trump Again – On Fox’ — this would present an opportunity for each candidate to make his or her closing argument,” said Fox News Media president and executive editor Jay Wallace in a statement.

Wallace added, “We’re including proposed criteria and format, which mirror those of the CNN & ABC debates; as well as data on our broad audience reach. We appreciate your consideration and look forward to the opportunity to foster informed political dialogue at this pivotal moment for our nation.”

The rules proposed by Fox states that it will mute a candidate’s microphone when the time belongs to the another candidate. Moreover, Trump and Harris will not be permitted to interact with their campaign staff during commercial breaks

CNN has offered to host another debate on Oct. 23 — with the Harris campaign accepting the offer. 

Sununu Eyes New Campaign Seat After New Hampshire Senate Seat Opens Up

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Photo of Chris Sununu via Gage Skidmore Flckr

All eyes are on New Hampshire…

Former New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R) said he is considering running for Senate after previously rejecting the possibility.

“I have not ruled it out completely, but folks in Washington have asked me to think about it and to consider it, and that is just kind of where I am,” Sununu said Tuesday about a possible Senate run, according to The Washington Times.

Democrat Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire announced Wednesday she will not seek reelection to the United States Senate next year, concluding a historic political career that includes being the first woman elected as both a governor and U.S. senator in the United States. Shaheen, who turned 78 in January, has been a significant figure in New Hampshire politics for decades, serving three terms as governor before her election to the Senate in 2008.

Sununu has previously said he is not interested in representing his state in Washington.

“I would rule myself completely out of a U.S. Senate race, to be sure,” Sununu said last year, according to a local news outlet.

“Politically, we’ll see what happens down the road. But in terms of Senate or Congress, nothing I have any interest in whatsoever,” he added.

The Washington Times reported, however, that Sununu is now saying that Trump’s focus on making government more accountable and efficient has prompted him to reconsider.

“That makes me think, OK, maybe things are changing,” he said, according to The Washington Times. “Maybe there’s a path here.”

Arizona Democrat Reaffirms Interest in Sinema Challenge

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Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America

Arizona Democrat Representative Ruben Gallego says that he’s seriously considering mounting a challenge against Senator Kyrsten Sinema after she announced she was leaving the Democrat Party.

According to The Washington Examiner, Gallego isn’t deterred by the potential challenge of facing Sinema in the general election in a three-way race with a Republican. Despite the fact Sinema has not declared for reelection.

However, Sinema’s decision to register as an independent frees herself from the burden of having to win renomination in a Democrat primary, a task that looked increasingly difficult.

“Whether in the Marine Corps or in Congress, I have never backed down from fighting for Arizonans,” Gallego said in a statement issued Friday morning after Sinema revealed she was disaffiliating with the Democratic Party. “At a time when our nation needs leadership the most, Arizona deserves a voice that won’t back down in the face of the struggle.”

“Unfortunately,” Gallego added, “Sen. Sinema is once again putting her own interests ahead of getting things done for Arizonans.”

“Last month, the voters of Arizona made their voices heard loud and clear,” Gallego said in his statement. “They want people who put the people of Arizona first. We need senators who will put Arizonans ahead of big drug companies and Wall Street bankers.”

“In a natural extension of my service since I was first elected to Congress, I have joined the growing numbers of Arizonans who reject party politics by declaring my independence from the broken partisan system in Washington and formally registering as an Arizona Independent.”

Nancy Mace Jumps Into Race For South Carolina Governor

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It’s on…

South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace announced she is entering the race to become South Carolina’s next governor.

Mace made her official announcement at her alma mater, The Citadel, a senior military college, on Monday. The congresswoman was the first woman to graduate from the college in 1999. 

“This morning I am making it official. I am running to be your governor of the great state of South Carolina,” Mace said, speaking from the school. “I didn’t come to join the club. They don’t want me and I don’t want them. I came to hold the line.”

“South Carolina is tired of the politicians who smile for the cameras, lie to your face, and then vanish when it’s time to lead,” she said. 

On Sunday, Mace posted a video that concludes with a graphic that reads “Nancy Mace For Governor.”

“Do you like our X header?” she asked in a post on the social media site with the same image.

The firebrand South Carolina congresswoman had teased a potential run for weeks. Last Monday, she released a video highlighting the governor’s race and President Trump’s praise for her. The video included the caption “Coming soon.” 

According to Fox News, Mace told a crowd at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics over the previous weekend that “not only do you pick presidents, maybe you can pick the next South Carolina governor too while we’re here today, because we’re going to be announcing a run very shortly potentially for that as well.”

Mace joins fellow Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), state Attorney General Alan Wilson (R), Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette and state Sen. Josh Kimbrell (R) in the primary. 

Since February, Mace has been at odds with South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson, criticizing his perceived inaction on prosecuting sex crimes — particularly in relation to video recordings she says were taken of her and other women without their consent by her ex-fiancé.

Mace told Fox News that if she launched a gubernatorial bid, it would be a “two-man race” between her and Wilson. 

In June, Mace went toe-to-toe with failed vice presidential hopeful and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as he struggled to define what a woman is during a House Oversight Committee hearing.

“What is a woman?” Mace asked Walz after several minutes of the two officials going back and forth over various topics. Mace peppered Walz with questions about comparing immigration officials to the Gestapo, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, his time in China in the late 1980s, his time in the military, and other topics.

Walz paused to gather himself before responding.

“I’m not sure I understand the question here,” Walz told Mace. “What do you want me to say?”

Mace then ripped into Walz. 

“I want you to say that a woman like me is an adult human female. That men can’t become women,” Mace shot back. “You guys are the party of violence, and you’re the party erasing women. You don’t respect us. You’re a bigot. You’re a misogynist. You’re a sexist. Mr. Chairman, I yield back.”

“Tampon Tim Walz couldn’t define a woman today in GOP Oversight when I had him in the pressure cooker,” Mace said on social media with a video of the exchange. “He was speechless.

WATCH:

West Virginia Democrat Senator Already Has a 2024 Challenger

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Joe Manchin via Wikimedia Commons

Republicans are looking forward to 2024 now that official projections reveal the GOP fell short of its goal to re-take the Senate this year.

While the expected “red wave” turned out to be more of a “red ripple” conservatives refuse to be knocked down for long. Republicans are already setting their sights on which vulnerable Democrats to target during the next election cycle in hopes of turning the upper chamber red.

Early reports indicate West Virginia Democrat Sen. Joe Manchin should expect to find himself within the GOP’s crosshairs in 2024.

Despite the fact Sen. Manchin has sided with Republicans more than any other Democrat lawmaker, strategists are predicting that won’t stop Mitch McConnell from pouring millions of dollars into West Virginia next cycle to flip Manchin’s seat.

West Virginia Attorney General and failed 2018 Senate hopeful Patrick Morrisey has already been named a likely challenger to seek Manchin’s seat.

While speaking to The Hill, Morrisey said Manchin lost significant political capital when he voted in favor of President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, which included major components of President Biden’s agenda.

Manchin stonewalled President Joe Biden’s original Build Back Better plan but ultimately was the deciding vote for the renegotiated Inflation Reduction Act.

“Sen. Manchin deeply disappointed West Virginians and let them down tremendously when he supported the ‘Build Back Broke’ bill last summer. That legislation really hit our state very hard. You can dress up the pig any way you want but most people in West Virginia understand that that bill is going to hurt us,” Morrisey told the outlet.

“He let the air out of his balloon and it’s not going to be so easy to pump it back up,” he said.  

Morrisey, who is “evaluating options” about what to do in 2024, said “we’re looking very closely at the Senate race.”  

Morrisey and his team estimated they will have at least $12 million to spend on a Senate Republican primary alone.  

“I learned a lot from a past experience in a terrible political environment. The environment in 2024 is going to be much, much stronger” for Republicans, he predicted.

Morrisey narrowly lost his bid to unseat Manchin in 2018 by 3 percentage points or about 19,000 votes, which turned out to be closer than what the polls indicated before Election Day.

The Hill also lists Gov. Jim Justice (R) and Rep. Alex Mooney (R) as other potential challengers to Manchin.

However, on Tuesday Rep. Alex Mooney, R, W.Va., announced that he will run for Senate in 2024 in a bid to unseat Sen. Joe Manchin.

Mooney announced his challenge in a radio interview on MetroNews Talkline on Tuesday morning. 

This story is developing. Stay with Great America News Desk for updates.

Ilhan Omar Reportedly Defended Trump Abroad, Shocking GOP Colleagues

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U.S. Rep Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley, Rashida Tlaib, and Cori Bush speak at the Mississippi River in Minneapolis asking for President Biden to stop Line 3 pipeline construction.

“You will respect our president!”

In a moment few expected, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) allegedly came to the defense of President Donald Trump during a diplomatic trip to Europe earlier this year, according to Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL).

Luna recounted the incident on the PBD Podcast last week, describing a tense exchange between a Belgian official and a U.S. congressional delegation. Luna claimed the official mocked Trump, calling him disrespectful and treating the U.S. delegation as a joke.

That’s when, Luna said, Omar cut in and forcefully told the diplomat, “You might not like what our president is doing, and you might not agree with our foreign policy. But when we’re here, you will respect our president!”

The exchange reportedly occurred during an April meeting with European Union representatives. Luna described Omar’s comments as “surprising,” but said it was important for Americans to present a unified front when traveling abroad — especially, she added, against “jerks.”

The episode stands out, given Omar’s long track record of harsh criticism toward Trump. Just weeks ago, she referred to him as a “racist, corrupt liar.”

Trump has also lashed out at Omar, calling her a “disgrace” over her reaction to the assassination of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk.

Omar has not yet confirmed or commented publicly on Luna’s account.

Along with the clip of Luna discussing her conversation with Omar, viewers can also watch her complete 170-minute interview on the PBD Podcast below:

Report: Trump Aide Indicted In Classified Documents Investigation

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Donald Trump via Gage Skidmore Flickr

A close aide for former president Donald Trump has been indicted in Justice Department Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into the former president’s alleged mishandling of classified information.

Fox News has reported that Walt Nauta, who served as a Trump personal aide and valet in the White House and later at Mar-a-Lago, has been indicted. It’s unclear what exact charges Nauta is facing.

Sources told Fox News that Nauta was seen on surveillance video moving boxes of sensitive material from a storage area at a time when the government had sought information about those documents. At some point, he reportedly had stopped speaking with investigators.    

Nauta’s indictment comes after a Miami grand jury indicted Donald Trump on Thursday.

During an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital Thursday night, Trump said the case is “election interference” and “the greatest witch hunt of all time.” Trump said he will “of course” plead not guilty to charges in federal court on Tuesday, and said he is “totally innocent.”

“This is the most corrupt administration in history—there has never been an administration so corrupt, and they’re just starting to find it right now,” Trump told Fox News Digital. “They are trying to deflect all of their dishonesty by bringing this ridiculous boxes hoax case.”

This is a breaking news story. Click refresh for the latest updates.

Stacey Abrams’ Group Gave Millions to Law Firm Run by Her Campaign Chair

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Office of U.S. House Speaker, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams is in hot water once again.

New reports indicate Abrams’ voting rights group Fair Fight Action has funneled millions of dollars to a law firm led by the chairwoman for Abrams’s gubernatorial campaign.

According to The Washington Examiner, Fair Fight Action spent $9.4 million in 2019 and 2020 with Lawrence & Bundy, a boutique Atlanta law firm that counts Abrams’s campaign Chairwoman Allegra Lawrence-Hardy, a close friend of the candidate, as one of its two partners, according to the nonprofit group’s 2019 and 2020 IRS tax filings.

There are no definitive reports to show how much Lawrence-Hardy’s firm has received from Fair Fight Action in 2021 and 2022. The organization has been involved in a legal fight against Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R) for the past years. Fair Fight Action filed the lawsuit after Abrams lost her 2018 gubernatorial bid to Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, whom she is currently running against, claiming the secretary of state engaged in voter suppression. In September, U.S. district judge Steve Jones ruled against Abrams and found no evidence of voter suppression.

“This is a win for all Georgia election officials who dedicate their lives to safe, secure and accessible elections,” Raffensperger said at the time. “Stolen election and voter suppression claims by Stacey Abrams were nothing but poll-tested rhetoric not supported by facts and evidence.”

“Judge Jones’ ruling exposes this legal effort for what it really is: a tool wielded by a politician hoping to wrongfully weaponize the legal system to further her own political goals,” Kemp said in a statement celebrating the ruling.

The $9.4 million that Lawrence & Bundy received accounts for over 37% of the roughly $25 million in legal fees that Fair Fight Action has racked up in the past two years, according to Politico, which first reported on the payments to Lawrence-Hardy’s law firm.

Fair Fight Action raised over $61 million in 2019 and 2020 after being founded in 2018. At least one-third of that money has gone toward the lawsuit against Raffensperger, while $20 million has been put in cash reserves, tax records show. While there are eight separate law firms that worked on the case against the secretary of state, Lawrence & Bundy has earned the most in fees.

Abrams and Lawrence-Hardy were classmates together at Georgia’s Spelman College, and Abrams graduated from Yale Law School three years after Lawrence-Hardy.

Craig Holman, a government affairs lobbyist for the left-wing think tank Public Citizen, says that Abrams’s years-long friendship with Lawrence-Hardy represents a clear conflict of interest.

Despite Abrams’s accusations of rampant voter suppression in the Peach State early voting data reports Georgians to have already broken records for early turnout. According to The Hill, Saturday’s turnout surpassed the 2020 election’s sixth day of early voting by 20 percent.

The 79,682 voters who cast ballots on Saturday also marked a 159 percent increase from the first Saturday of early voting in the 2018 midterm elections, according to the Georgia secretary of state’s office.

Georgia also smashed early voting on the first day polls opened last week, when 131,318 ballots were cast in-person, far above the 70,849 reported in 2018 and close to the 136,739 mark in 2020.

“Early Voting is strong because Georgia’s voter registration system is strong,” said Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in a statement. “Every eligible Georgian who wants to be registered to vote is registered to vote.”

However, despite the record-breaking data Abrams is still claiming voter suppression is underway in Georgia.

“In 2018, we had record turnout,” Abrams said in a press conference Monday. “We had record turnout that shattered records for Democrats among communities of color and in that same election … we know that 85,000 Georgians were denied their right to vote due to voter suppression tactics that shut down their precincts. We know that 50,000 voters had their right to vote held hostage by the exact match process which was proven to be voter suppression tactics. We know that thousands of people stood in lines for hours because of voter suppression tactics.”

Trump-Backed Candidate Vows To Pardon Cop Convicted Of Manslaughter In Death Of Fleeing Suspect

A Trump-endorsed Republican running for New York governor is making a bold promise: he’ll pardon an NYPD sergeant sent to prison over a split-second decision that turned deadly.

Bruce Blakeman made the pledge outside City Hall, throwing his support behind former Sgt. Erik Duran—now facing three to nine years behind bars for the 2023 death of a fleeing suspect.

“I took this job to save lives,” Duran told a judge at sentencing. “I felt terrible once I saw Eric Duprey crash.”

Duprey, 30, had just sold drugs to an undercover officer and sped off on a motorized scooter when Duran—working in plainclothes—grabbed a nearby cooler and hurled it.

The cooler struck Duprey. He lost control. Moments later, he was dead.

Prosecutors wanted even more time—pushing for a five- to 15-year sentence—but Bronx Judge Guy Mitchell said the case should send a message.

“They had enough to investigate and catch him on a different day,” Mitchell said. “The distinction is that the deceased will no longer be seen again by his family.”

The ruling stunned police advocates, who say the conviction punishes a cop for making a high-pressure call in the line of duty.

“It wasn’t only Sgt. Duran… Every law enforcement officer who makes a split-second decision… was also on trial,” said Vincent Vallelong, head of the NYPD Sergeants Benevolent Association, calling it “one of the darkest days” for the force.

Duran—believed to be the first NYPD officer in decades imprisoned over a duty-related death—has already been fired and is expected to appeal.

Blakeman, currently Nassau County executive and a former Port Authority official during 9/11, is now turning the case into a campaign flashpoint as he takes on Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul.

With Trump’s backing and a law-and-order message, the race is quickly becoming a referendum on policing, prosecution—and where New York draws the line.

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