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    Kevin McCarthy Makes Key Concession in House Speaker Battle

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    15
    House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy delivers remarks at the 2021 Capitol Christmas Tree lighting ceremony in Washington DC, December 1, 2021. USDA Forest Service photo by Tanya E. Flores.

    Current House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy just made a key concession in what has become an uphill battle to become Speaker of the House once the GOP takes control of Congress on Jan. 3rd.

    Six Republican sources familiar with internal discussions told CNN that McCarthy conceded to reducing the threshold that is required to force a floor vote on ousting the sitting speaker in an effort to win over holdouts.

    One of the numbers that has come up in recent conversations between McCarthy and GOP lawmakers – and which has not been previously reported – is a five-person threshold, according to two of the Republican sources.

    Currently, the majority of the House GOP is required to call for the so-called motion to vacate the speaker’s chair. However, some conservatives such as Reps. Matt Gaetz (FL) and Ralph Norman (S.C.) are pushing for a single member to be able to call for such a vote, which they see as an important mechanism to hold the speaker accountable.

    A five-person threshold, however, may be too low for the moderate wing of the party, some of whom have privately suggested they would be willing to agree on a 50-person threshold.

    The compromise which McCarthy previously said he would not budge on could be key to unlocking the votes he needs to secure the speakership. But his willingness to negotiate on the issue also shows how desperate McCarthy is to seal the deal, even if it means giving away some of his power.

    “The ‘devil is in the details’ as far as threshold & other rule concessions,” Norman said. “Until the details are spelled out, in writing and sealed with social media posts, people will not move on votes.”

    Mike Pence Team Refutes Presidential Campaign Rumors

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    0
    Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

    Former Vice President Mike Pence did not file campaign paperwork for a 2024 White House run.

    On Monday, Pence spokesperson Devin O’Malley quickly tried to dispel reports after a Statement of Candidacy form was submitted to the Federal Election Commission in Pence’s name.

    “Former Vice President Mike Pence did not file to run for President today,” O’Malley said in response to a reporter who tweeted Pence had entered the race.

    “Someone filed a Pence filing. But it wasn’t Pence, his spokesman says, suggesting it was a prank,” tweeted New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman.

    Despite the Pence team’s attempts to contain the fake news story, it wasn’t long before multiple outlets mistakenly reported the FEC submission.

    While Pence is not responsible for the latest 2024 rumor the former Vice President has hinted at a presidential run in the near future. Last month, Pence told reporters he’s giving “prayerful consideration” to a 2024 bid.

    If Pence ultimately does announce a 2024 White House run he would be facing off against his old boss on the debate stage, teeing up an intense primary battle.

    Florida GOP Seriously Considers Backing Effort to Oust RNC Chair

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    7
    Ronna McDaniel via Gage Skidmore Flickr

    The Florida Republican Party is seriously considering turning its back on current Republican National Committee chair Ronna McDaniel, who is currently seeking re-election.

    According to Politico, Former state Rep. Anthony Sabatini, the newly-elected chair of the Lake County Republican Party and an avid Trump supporter, secured enough signatures from party officials to call a special meeting to decide whether McDaniel should be terminated as RNC chair.

    “Ronna McDaniel failed in her position as RNC Chair in the 2022 election cycle and has yielded extremely unimpressive election results for the GOP in the last 3 election cycles,” read the petition for a special meeting.

    Republican Party of Florida Chair Joe Gruters is now obligated to at least call a special meeting because 30 members of the executive committee signed onto the petition. It does not guarantee a vote would be taken. Gruters on Wednesday endorsed McDaniel in a letter to party officials, calling her a “successful RNC Chair & the party would be well served by her continued leadership.”

    Sabatini previously served in the state House before losing this year’s bid to represent Florida’s 7th Congressional District.

    The RNC’s leadership election is scheduled for Jan. 27.

    So far Trump has stayed away from commenting on the RNC leadership contest, however, some of his top advisers have announced their support for McDaniel serving for another two-year term.

    Among the biggest names who signed onto Sabatini’s push for a special meeting is Rep. Matt Gaetzone of Trump’s biggest congressional allies.

    “Look what we’ve got from Ronna McDaniel?” Gaetz said last weekend at Turning Point USA’s Americafest 2022 conference in Arizona. “Someone who probably spent more of their time promoting their own podcast.”

    ‘If I Run, I Win’ Romney Teases Re-election Bid

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    12
    Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

    First-term Utah Senator Mitt Romney (R) isn’t ready to announce his re-election bid yet but he’s confident in the outcome.

    During an interview with Politico, Sen. Romney wouldn’t reveal if he plans to seek another term in the Senate in 2024 but expressed his confidence in leading another successful campaign.

    “I’ve faced long odds: Getting the nomination in 2012 was a long shot, becoming a Republican governor in one of the most liberal states in America, Massachusetts. … So I’m convinced that if I run, I win. But that’s a decision I’ll make,” the first-term Utah senator told the news outlet.

    Romney previously served as the Massachusetts governor and 2012 GOP presidential nominee. However, the Republican has made a name for himself by bucking his own party and his repeated criticism of former President Trump.

    Romney voted to convict the former president in both impeachment trials, the single GOP senator to do so in the first trial and among one of seven GOP senators the second time around. Trump was ultimately acquitted in both trials.

    High-profile Republicans have stayed quiet over Romney’s potential re-election bid but have signaled they plan to support his next campaign.

    “He’s been a really important part of our conference. People respect his intelligence, his assessment of the era we find ourselves in. And I think his running for reelection would be very important,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) told Politico. “It’s important for the Republican Party and the country that he runs again.”

    January 6th Panel Votes to Recommend DOJ Prosecute Trump

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    17
    Gage Skidmore Flickr

    On Monday, the House Select Committee investigating the events surrounding the January 6th, 2021 Capitol riot voted to recommend the Department of Justice criminally prosecute former President Donald Trump.

    The committee voted 9-0.

    According to Fox News, the first referral recommended by the committee is for Trump’s obstruction an official proceeding of Congress. The committee will also refer Trump to DOJ for conspiracy to defraud the federal government, making a false statement and inciting, assisting, or aiding and comforting an insurrection.

    In what is expected to be its final meeting on Monday, the House Select Committee to Investigate January 6 said it will formally ask the DOJ to pursue charges after a nearly 18-month probe into the former president’s involvement in the activities that lead to the Capitol breach on January 6, 2021.

    The committee’s unprecedented criminal referral holds no official legal weight, and a final determination in whether to pursue the charges will be up to Attorney General Merrick Garland and the Justice Department.

    At Monday’s meeting, the committee’s members, seven Democrats and two anti-Trump Republicans, each presented a portion of their findings against Trump before taking the vote to issue criminal referrals. 

    The committee will also refer four Republican members of Congress to the House Committee on Ethics for defying the committee’s subpoenas. One of the Republicans who defied their subpoena was then-House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, (R-Calif.)

    The committee also subpoenaed:

    • Jim Jordan, R-Ohio
    • Mo Brooks, R-Ala.
    • Scott Perry, R-Pa.
    • Andy Biggs, R-Ariz.

    According to The Hill, It’s unclear if the Ethics panel will launch an investigation based on the select committee’s new recommendations. Unlike most other standing committees, membership on the Ethics panel is evenly divided between the parties. And the committee strives — at least rhetorically — to avoid the divisive partisan politicking that practically defines some of the other panels. 

    Yet with just weeks left in the 117th Congress, there’s a small and closing window for the committee to launch any new probes while Democrats are still in the House majority. And it’s unlikely that a GOP-led Ethics Committee would take the remarkable step of investigating the role of sitting Republicans in an event as polarizing as the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. 

    GOP Lawmakers Turn up the Intensity in House Speaker Battle

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
    -
    14
    House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy delivers remarks at the 2021 Capitol Christmas Tree lighting ceremony in Washington DC, December 1, 2021. USDA Forest Service photo by Tanya E. Flores.

    Republican lawmakers are turning up the intensity in the halls of Congress over the fight for the next Speaker.

    Supporters for Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) are signaling where they stand by wearing custom “O.K” buttons, meaning “only Kevin.”

    According to The Washington Examiner, the conservative House Freedom Caucus has lined up against McCarthy’s bid, with the most militant members dubbed the “Never Kevin” faction. Now, a group of centrist Republicans is continuing the riff on “Never Trump” by turning the label on its head, vowing to support “Only Kevin” on Jan. 3, when the House will elect a new speaker.

    McCarthy won the speaker nomination from his conference last month with 31 Republican holdouts.

    McCarthy will need a majority of votes — 218 if all lawmakers cast their ballot — but with Republicans commanding only a four-vote majority next year, McCarthy and his surrogates have the daunting task of chipping away at nearly all the GOP opposition in time for the vote. If he can’t, there could be a floor fight and multiple rounds of voting.

    Members of the Republican Governance Group were seen sporting the “O.K.” pins around the Capitol this week in support of the minority leader. The centrist caucus, formerly known as the Tuesday Group, has urged Freedom Caucus members to drop their opposition, penning a letter earlier this month likening the intraparty fighting to the conference “handcuffing itself to a burning building before” the next Congress even begins.

    Freedom Caucus members are demanding a number of concessions from McCarthy in exchange for their vote, most controversially a change to the “motion to vacate the chair,” a procedure that can be used to oust a sitting speaker. The lawmakers want to enable any single member to offer the motion.

    Arizona Congressman and Freedom Caucus chairman Andy Biggs is planning to challenge McCarthy for the Speaker’s gavel in a floor vote in January.

    Arizona Democrat Reaffirms Interest in Sinema Challenge

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    1
    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.”

    Georgia Republican Lt. Gov. Blames Senate Loss on Trump

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
    -
    13
    Tech. Sgt. Samuel King Jr., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

    Following the disappointing results in Georgia’s Senate runoff election, the state’s Lieutenant Governor is voicing what he thinks happened.

    Geoff Duncan, Georgia’s No. 2 Republican official, told CBS that Herschel Walker “will go down in history as probably one of the worst candidates in our party’s history” and said Republicans should unequivocally blame Donald Trump for the GOP’s disappointing midterm results.

    “The only way to explain this is candidate quality,” Duncan added, alluding to Walker’s numerous controversies, including, but not limited to, claims he paid and pressured two women to have abortions despite running on a strict no-abortion platform and lied about his education, ties to law enforcement, and family.

    Duncan said Warnock’s victory in a once-red state should serve as a wake-up call for Republicans and force the GOP to face some hard truths about the former president and his pull among the electorate.

    “If we don’t take our medicine here, it’s our fault. … Every Republican in this country ought to hold Donald Trump accountable for this,” he said.

    Walker’s defeat hands Democrats an outright majority in the upper chamber of Congress, 51-49.

    Democrat State Senator Announces Switch to GOP

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
    -
    1
    Democrats via Pixabay images

    As the Democrat Party steadily inches leftward toward outright disaster members are seeking to distance themselves from increasingly radical values by any means necessary.

    A prominent West Virginia Democrat state senator officially flipped his registration to Republican this week. State Senator Glenn Jeffries submitted paperwork to join the Republican caucus after being elected in 2016 to serve as a Democrat. 

    According to The Daily Wire, Republicans now hold a majority in the state senate of 31 senators. 

    “I have the greatest respect for the many friends and supporters I have been blessed with during my time in public office,” Jeffries said in his announcement. “I hope to continue and strengthen those relationships going forward.”

    “Our politics have gotten so personal and difficult. I want to make sure that I serve constituents and our state in a respectful, thoughtful way that leads to a better life for all West Virginians,” he added. 

    Jeffries didn’t disclose what exactly led up to his decision to abandon the Democrat Party however in a release, the West Virginia Democrats said the change was because of “discomfort with Democratic Party values.”

    His change in party status was first announced by the Putnam County Republican Executive Committee. 

    “I warmly welcome Senator Glenn Jeffries into the West Virginia Republican Party,” Tony Hodge, the Putnam County Republican Party Chairman and the Co-Chairman of the West Virginia Republican Party, said. “Senator Jeffries has proven himself to be a very hard worker for Putnam County. His efforts to improve infrastructure such as water and sewer services as well as road maintenance have been exemplary.”

    Senate President Craig Blair welcomed Jeffries to the GOP in a statement this week.

    “With Senator Jeffries as a member of our caucus, we stand at 31 members strong. Glenn has been a leader in the minority caucus with his work in economic development and infrastructure,” Blair said. “As a successful small business owner, he knows what meeting a payroll, hard work, responsibility, and teamwork mean. I know he has been – and will continue to be – an incredibly valuable member of the West Virginia Senate.”

    As progressive Democrats continue to push the party towards insanity will moderate Dems make the eventual switch to the GOP? Tell us what you think in the comments below!

    Nikki Haley Reveals New Timeline for 2024 Decision

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
    -
    2
    The White House from Washington, DC, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

    Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley is taking some time to mull her options before making any hasty decisions about 2024.

    Haley, who served as Ambassador to the United Nations during the Trump administration, has been named a potential contender to seek the 2024 Republican presidential nomination but says no final decision will come until after the holidays, according to The Hill.

    “We are taking the holidays to kind of look at what the situation is,” the former South Carolina governor said at an event at Clemson University. “If we decide to get into it, we’ll put 1,000 percent in, and we’ll finish it.”

    “A lot of people have asked if I’m going to run for president. Now that the midterms are over, I’ll look at it in a serious way, and I’ll have more to say soon,” Hayley said at a Las Vegas meeting of the Republican Jewish Coalition earlier this month.

    “For now, I’ll say this. I’ve won tough primaries and tough general elections. I’ve been the underdog every single time. When people underestimate me, it’s always fun,” she added. “But I’ve never lost an election. And I’m not going to start now.”

    Earlier this fall, Haley told reporters that she would not launch her own bid for the White House if Donald Trump runs for president in 2024 but it seems she’s reconsidering.

    Trump announced his own bid for the presidency earlier this month but has been met with a lukewarm response from high-profile Republicans- and donors.

    Veteran Republican strategist John Thomas, who backed Trump during the 2016 and 2020 elections, recently told The Washington Examiner that he will not be supporting Trump a third time saying the bombastic Republican isn’t a viable candidate to defeat Democrats and take back the White House.

    Thomas recently created the Ron to the Rescue super PAC and says he’s committed to spending at least $50 million in the next six to 12 months to ensure the governor earns the GOP nomination over Trump. However, DeSantis has not even announced his presidential campaign.

    “The problem is, for Trump, is he needed to announce and pretty much steamroll everybody. He needed all the donors to capitulate his way. He needed all the party leaders to come his way, and while he’s had some success, it’s not been unanimous, and he needed it to almost be unanimous because the cracks that are appearing are going to turn into canyons very soon,” he explained. “He’s going to be constantly trying to, like, plug these leaks. I think his legal challenges, whether they have merit or not, I would think are going to turn his operation into more of a sclerotic beast.”

    “I still like the guy. I just think he should move from a party leader to a party elder. That’s kind of the nuanced dynamic here that I want to make sure it’s not lost in the media, and also voters are reminded that it’s OK to vote for somebody else. It doesn’t mean you don’t like Trump,” Thomas continued. “I think at the end of the day, particularly primary voters want to get excited about their nominee, but it really is a sport about winning. If you don’t win, you can’t enact your legislative agenda. It’s not just about rallies and having a good time. It’s about winning, and Trump has kind of called into question at best his ability to do that anymore.”

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