On Monday, Indiana Rep. Victoria Spartz (R) announced she would seek another term in Congress after all.
“Deciding where your duty lies — family, work, or country, is never an easy task. Earlier last year, I decided to take some time off from running for public office to recharge and spend more time in Indiana with my family,” Spartz said in a statement.
Rep. Victoria Spartz R-IN, who initially said she would not run for reelection, and even threatened to resign from Congress early, now says she will run again in 2024 pic.twitter.com/yPakOttfLG
“However, looking where we are today, and urged by many of my constituents, I do not believe I would be able to deliver this Congress, with the current failed leadership in Washington, D.C., on the important issues for our nation that I have worked very hard on,” she continued.
Last year, Spartz announced that she would not be running for another term, saying in a statement at the time “being a working mom is tough” and that she wanted to spend more time with her daughters.
However Spartz seemed to signal she would reconsider her decision in recent months, saying on NewsNation’s “The Hill” in September, “I do need to regroup because I think my party is failing the people.”
The solidly red district in Indiana’s Fifth Congressional District went for former President Trump in 2020 by 16 points.
According to Axios, former Trump adviser Steve Bannon is “laying the groundwork” for a possible campaign by discussing staffing with allies and setting up a political action committee.
Bannon has also been making appearances at GOP events in key early-primary organizing circles. Axios pointed to his attendance at Colorado and Georgia Republican Party events as a sign he may be building relationships with local activists who play a major role in primary politics.
Still, Axios framed the effort as something bigger than one candidate’s ambitions.
“The MAGA godfather isn’t serious about becoming president — that’s not the point,” Axios reported.
Instead, the outlet said Bannon has told allies he wants to pressure Republicans to embrace a clearer “America First” vision — including non-interventionist foreign policy, economic populism, and opposition to Big Tech.
Matt Gaetz weighs in
Former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) described Bannon’s political brand in blunt terms, telling Axios:
“The Bannon campaign will merge the foreign policy of Rand Paul with the tax policy of Elizabeth Warren.”
A “nontraditional” campaign model
Axios also reported that Bannon’s associates “envision a nontraditional campaign” that could be run largely from his Capitol Hill podcast studio, avoiding the typical early-state grind of rallies in Iowa and New Hampshire.
Bannon denies it — and says his focus is Trump
Bannon isn’t publicly embracing the idea. He reportedly told Axios the entire notion was:
“bullsh*t,”
and said he’s focused on supporting a third term for Trump — “despite the Constitution’s two-term limit on presidents.”
Meanwhile, Trump is already signaling 2028 succession plans
While Bannon talks about “America First” leverage in 2028, President Donald Trump has also been dropping hints about what he wants the post-Trump Republican bench to look like.
In recent comments reported by multiple outlets, Trump has pointed to Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio as the next generation of Republican leadership — and suggested they could be a dominant force heading into 2028.
On Tuesday, President-elect Donald Trump nominated celebrity Doctor Mehmet Oz to serve as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator.
Read Trump’s full statement:
I am very pleased to nominate Dr. Mehmet Oz to serve as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator. America is facing a Healthcare Crisis, and there may be no Physician more qualified and capable than Dr. Oz to Make America Healthy Again. He is an eminent Physician, Heart Surgeon, Inventor, and World-Class Communicator, who has been at the forefront of healthy living for decades. Dr. Oz will work closely with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to take on the illness industrial complex, and all the horrible chronic diseases left in its wake.
Our broken Healthcare System harms everyday Americans, and crushes our Country’s budget. Dr. Oz will be a leader in incentivizing Disease Prevention, so we get the best results in the World for every dollar we spend on Healthcare in our Great Country. He will also cut waste and fraud within our Country’s most expensive Government Agency, which is a third of our Nation’s Healthcare spend, and a quarter of our entire National Budget.
Dr. Oz graduated from Harvard College, and earned a joint MD and MBA degree at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and Wharton Business School, my powerful alma mater. He rose to become a Professor of Surgery at Columbia University, while receiving numerous patents on his medical inventions, authoring more than 400 original publications, and publishing numerous New York Times Best Selling books.
He won nine Daytime Emmy Awards hosting “The Dr. Oz Show,” where he taught millions of Americans how to make healthier lifestyle choices, and gave a strong voice to the key pillars of the MAHA Movement. Dr. Oz and his wife, Lisa, expanded this effort by founding HealthCorps, a non-profit that has improved the lives of millions of underserved teens Nationwide over the past two decades.
I have known Dr. Oz for many years, and I am confident he will fight to ensure everyone in America receives the best possible Healthcare, so our Country can be Great and Healthy Again!
This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.
The most closely-watched state of the 2024 election cycle…
Former President Donald Trump won Pennsylvania on Wednesday, defeating Democrat Kamala Harris in the critical battleground state.
Trump won Pennsylvania’s 19 electoral votes four years after Democrat Joe Biden carried the state, flipping it from Trump’s column in 2016 on his way to capturing the “blue wall.” No Democrat has won the White House without also winning Pennsylvania since 1948.
The Associated Press declared Trump the winner at 2:24 a.m. EST.
The Keystone State experienced its fair share of issues on Election Day.
A Pennsylvania judge approved a petition to extend voting hours until 10 p.m. ET after a “malfunction” prevented voters in Cambria County from scanning their ballots.
“The Cambria County Board of Election learned early [Tuesday] morning that a software malfunction in the County’s Electronic Voting System has prevented voters from scanning their ballots,” County Solicitor Ron Repak said in a statement. “This should not discourage voters from voting at their precincts.”
“All completed ballots will be accepted, secured, and counted by the Board of Elections. The County Board of Elections has express voting machine [sic] at precinct locations to continue to allow voting electronically, while still allowing hand ballots to be cast,” said Repak.
Prior to the court granting the extension, Whatley had assured voters that the Republican Party’s lawyers were “all over” the issue.
TO VOTERS IN CAMBRIA COUNTY, PA:
We understand that there are some line delays on the ground. We need you to stay in line. We need you to fill out your ballot in full and deliver it. Our Pennsylvania lawyers are all over this issue and will ensure fairness and accuracy in the…
“We understand that there are some line delays on the ground,” Whatley wrote on X. “We need you to stay in line. We need you to fill out your ballot in full and deliver it. Our Pennsylvania lawyers are all over this issue and will ensure fairness and accuracy in the process.”
This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.
Casa Rosada (Argentina Presidency of the Nation), CC BY 2.5 AR via Wikimedia Commons
Democrats are chomping at the bit to announce their campaign for president but there seems to be one obstacle, President Joe Biden.
Biden, who is currently the oldest president in history, will be 81 years old when the next election occurs and some Democrats say he isn’t the best candidate to lead the country or stand a chance of defeating Trump who has all-but-confirmed his own 2024 plans. (RELATED:New Report Indicates Trump Will Postpone 2024 Campaign Announcement)
One Democrat desperately vying for the presidency is none other than California Governor Gavin Newsom. According to sources close to the politician, Newsom is “absolutely” planning to run for president in 2024 if Biden opts out.
“After this midterm election is over, he absolutely is going to announce that he is running for the presidency once Biden announces that he is not running,” a top California fundraiser close to the Newsom family told the Wrap. “No ifs, ands or buts. He will run if Biden does not.”
Governor Newsom’s political ambitions have been the subject of scrutiny over the past few months as he has sought to distinguish himself early on as a presidential contender by meeting with prominent donors, sparring with Republican lawmakers, and calling out his party’s inaction on hot-button issues like abortion and climate change.
One of the Wrap’s sources, a Los Angeles philanthropist who backed Vice President Kamala Harris’s presidential bid in 2020 and supported her during her time as district attorney in San Francisco, said some in the party have questioned whether she will be the automatic forerunner if Biden chooses to step aside.
“There’s going to be a ton of people coming out against Kamala if Biden doesn’t run,” the source said.
President Biden recently called his own 2024 campaign into question during an interview with CBS’ “60 Minutes” when he declined to say if he absolutely planned to run for a second term.
“In terms of election laws,” Biden said, “it’s much too early to make that kind of decision.”
“Look, my intention, as I said to begin with, is that I would run again,” Biden responded to CBS anchor Scott Pelley. “But it’s just an intention. But is it a firm decision that I run again? That remains to be seen.”
Despite Donald Trump’s landslide victory, Democrat Governors are already planning ways to hinder the incoming administration.
In a Q&A following President-elect Trump’s victory, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy warned he will “fight to the death” against the administration if he detects behavior “contrary to our values.”
“[A]s we respect the peaceful transition of power, if there is any attack on the Garden State or any of its communities from Washington, I will fight back with every fiber of my being,” Murphy said.
“If there’s an opportunity for common ground, we will seize that as fast as anybody,” he conversely added.
Watch:
New Jersey Governor, Phil Murphy, steps forward as the 4th Marxist TODAY to Spew Unprovoked Hate Filled Rhetoric Toward Donald Trump‼️ I'm adding him to the #CommiesAgainstOurRepublic List pic.twitter.com/BEqPkNacTL
State Assembly Minority Leader John DiMaio (R-Hackettstown) told Fox News Digital that Murphy is “missing the message” voters sent Tuesday with the initial rhetoric.
“It’s time for the governor to recognize that his values may not reflect the values of New Jerseyans as widely as he assumes,” he said.
“While Murphy is prepared to spend resources on political battles with Trump, it’s hard to see how that aligns with the priorities of struggling families, working taxpayers and business owners who want more focus on their needs,” DiMaio said.
Oscar-winning actor George Clooney is weighing in on who he believes should take the reins of the Democrat Party next after helping push out Joe Biden ahead of the 2024 election.
In a candid interview with CNN anchor Jake Tapper on Wednesday, Clooney offered an unexpected endorsement for one Democrat he said was “levitating above” the rest: Maryland Governor Wes Moore.
He began: “I really … there’s one person in particular I think is spectacular. There are a few: I like [Kentucky Governor] Andy Beshear.”
“I’m a Kentucky guy, I like him, he’s a good guy. And they’re smart. And he’s won in a red state. He’s a Democrat. I like [Michigan Governor] Gretchen [Whitmer], I think is very good.”
He continued: “But who I think is who I think is levitating above that is Wes Moore. I think he is the guy that has handled this tragedy in Baltimore beautifully. He has two tours of duty in Afghanistan, active duty. He speaks sort of beautifully. He’s smart. He ran a hedge fund. He ran the Robin Hood Foundation. He’s a proper leader.”
Watch:
“He’s a proper leader.” George Clooney reveals his choice for the 2028 Democratic presidential nominee: Maryland Governor Wes Moore. pic.twitter.com/j8yiNw0b3V
Circling back to Moore, Clooney added, “I like him a lot. I think he could be someone we could all join in behind. We have to find somebody rather soon, you know, because we need to redo… Look, the other side, the side that I don’t support, they are, you know, running through government and doing their thing. So it’s our job now to put together a proper team to stand up because we’re right now polling very poorly.”
Statistician and FiveThirtyEight founder Nate Silver is predicting that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) would become the presidential nominee for the Democratic Party in 2028.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez @ Women’s March NYC, 2019 [Photo Credit: Dimitri Rodriguez, CC BY 2.0, AOC]
In a video published to his Silver Bulletin newsletter on Wednesday, Silver and former FiveThirtyEight podcast host Galen Druke both chose Ocasio-Cortez as their No. 1 pick for likely 2028 Democratic presidential nominee.
“I think there’s a lot of points in her favor at this very moment,” said Druke. “In a Yale poll just out this week, AOC has the highest net favorability rating of any of the Democrats that they asked about.”
He argued:
So that means that Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has broad appeal across the Democratic Party and there’s a lot of people who could potentially get on board with her. But I think equally important is the fact that she has very fervent support. I think a lot of people are gonna run in 2028 and it’s going to be a contest for attention and getting those sort of people who might be in your boat to turn out and stay with you through thick and thin, and I think that’s Ocasio-Cortez. Like, the media is kind of obsessed with her, and they’re going to follow her every move, which means she will be able to keep the attention on her throughout the primary process.
Nate Silver reveals his top picks for the most likely 2028 Democratic presidential nominee:
Silver replied, “I agree with everything. She was going to be my first pick, and I can’t conceal that now, right? Because of some of the polling; because she has this kind of progressive lane, probably not to herself; because she is younger and media savvy. I mean, look, in polls, if she were to try to primary Chuck Schumer, she is now ahead in those polls and New York Democrats are actually a pretty moderate bloc.”
After Silver added, however, that he was not yet sure whether Ocasio-Cortez would even run, Druke said, “I think she’s gonna run. If you’ve been following her moves in terms of her ‘Fight Oligarchy’ tour, in terms of the kind of content she’s putting out on social media.”
By Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America - Drea de Matteo, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=132661983
Sopranos actress Drea de Matteo told Fox News host Jesse Watters there are “a lot” of “quiet” Donald Trump supporters in Hollywood despite liberal media’s portrayal otherwise.
The actress, who played Adriana La Cerva on the critically acclaimed Sopranos, joined Watters on Monday and reacted to President Joe Biden’s recent Hollywood fundraiser where he raised $30 million and celebrities like Jack Black and Jimmy Kimmel took to the stage. Watters aired footage from the event, as well as a clip of Robert De Niro ranting against Donald Trump outside his hush money trial in Manhattan.
“Is there a quiet Trump voter out there in Hollywood?” Watters asked.
“Hello there, first of all. And I think there is a lot of them. I think there are a lot of — that was a hard intro to watch. I’m sorry,” de Matteo said.
“Was it Jack Black’s legs?” Watters asked.
“No, it’s the Italian, man. We’re talking about [Anthony] Fauci, we’re talking about De Niro. I am mortified right now by my people,” de Matteo said. “I don’t understand what we’re doing here.”
“There are a lot of quiet Trump supporters, there are a lot of Kennedy supporters. And wow, I wonder how much the actors got paid to endorse Biden at this point. I’m curious, because that seems — I wonder if De Niro got paid a locations fee because he had to travel to the courtroom to do that,” she said.
The actress appeared to be joking as she said doesn’t know the specifics of celebrities working with campaigns, calling herself and other Sopranos actors “outcasts.”
“I don’t really maneuver inside that industry. I never have. First of all, Sopranos, we were the outcasts, even though we were critically acclaimed, we still were outcasts. So I’m still an outcast, here I am. They’re going to take me out into the woods and shoot me for not endorsing Biden,” she said.
Michigan, part of the so-called “Blue Wall” states that includes Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, was one of the most valuable targets for both candidates in this year’s race. Trump is projected to win the presidential election, and adds the pickup in Michigan to his total.
Long known as a Democratic stronghold, Michigan had not gone to a Republican candidate since the late former President George H.W. Bush won the state in 1988. Trump ended that streak in 2016, narrowly defeating former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton by less than one percentage point on his way to the White House.
This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.
A Kentucky state Senator Robin Webb, who represents Kentucky’s rural 18th Senate district, revealed she is switching her party affiliation to Republican.
“First and foremost, I’m a mother, a rancher and a lawyer with deep personal and professional roots in Kentucky’s coal country,” Webb said while explaining the switch. “As the Democratic Party continues its lurch to the left and its hyperfocus on policies that hurt workforce and economic development in my region, I no longer feel it represents my values.”
“It has become untenable and counterproductive to the best interests of my constituents for me to remain a Democrat.”
“While it’s cliché, it’s true: I didn’t leave the party — the party left me,” Webb said.
This comes as a major blow to Kentucky Democrats, who have historically held a stronghold in rural regions of the state largely due to union workers and the coal industry.
“Like countless other Kentuckians, [Webb] has recognized that the policies and objectives of today’s Democratic Party are simply not what they once were, and do not align with the vast majority of Kentuckians,” Republican Party of Kentucky Chairman Robert Benvenuti added.
“I always respected that [Webb] approached issues in a very thoughtful and commonsense manner, and that she never failed to keenly focus on what was best for her constituents,” Benvenuti added. “It is my pleasure to welcome Sen. Robin Webb to the Republican Party.”
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear told a local Louisville news outlet that he “would consider” a run as the Democrat nominee for president in 2028.
Beshear is among a handful of Democratic governors who have been floated as 2028 White House potentials, which also include Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, Gavin Newsom of California, JB Pritzker of Illinois, and Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania.
