Biden’s Lead Widens Over Trump In A Head
Enthusiasm for Trump’s third bid for the White House within the GOP has significantly ebbed in recent months, the USA TODAY/Suffolk survey finds.
In July, 60% of Republicans wanted Trump to run again. In October, that number had dipped to 56%. Now it has fallen to 47%, an almost-even split with the 45% who don’t want him to run for a third time.
The polls taken in July and December were of registered voters. The poll in October was of likely midterm voters.
Trump is viewed less favorably by his partisans as well. The percentage of Republicans who see him favorably has dropped from 75% in October to 64% in December. His unfavorable rating has risen to 23% from 18%.
Among all voters, Trump has fallen further behind President Joe Biden in a hypothetical head-to-head rematch. Now, Biden would win a general election matchup by 47% to 40%. In October, Biden also led but by a narrower margin, 46%-42%.
Rep Jim Jordan Was Nominated For Speaker By Conservative Hardliners During Second And Third Ballots
From CNN’s Sonnet Swire
Conservative hardliners nominated Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio on Tuesday to be speaker of the House during the chambers second and third votes amid the floor fight for House leadership.
Jordan, in an effort to show party unity, nominated GOP leader Kevin McCarthy in the second round of voting. Speaking on the House floor Tuesday, Jordan said the differences among Republican lawmakers pale in comparison to the differences between Republicans and Democrats.
We need to rally around him, Jordan said of McCarthy.
Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida nominated Jordan in the second round where he earned 19 votes. Republican Rep. Chip Roy of Texas, who already voted twice against McCarthy, nominated Jordan for speaker in the third round.
Jordans nomination by another member marks a new layer of leadership drama as Republicans take control of the House.
The first order of House business as the 118th Congress convenes is the selection of a new speaker, but McCarthy is being stonewalled by a group of conservative hardliners. Because the GOP holds only a narrow majority, those hardliners hold more influence in the conference and have already denied McCarthy the votes necessary to secure the gavel on initial rounds of balloting.
Trumps False Election Fraud Claims Fuel Michigan Gop Meltdown
The ex-presidents refusal to accept defeat is taking a toll on the party in a key battleground state.
Republican National Committee chair Ronna McDaniel a former Michigan GOP chair herself speaks during a news conference at the Republican National Committee in Washington. | AP Photo/Alex Brandon
Joe Biden defeated Donald Trump by more than 150,000 votes in Michigan last November.
Trump and the Michigan Republican Party still arent over it.
The outcome and the former presidents obsessive efforts to dispute it has left the state party in disarray, raising questions about the GOPs focus as it looks to unseat Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in a top battleground state next year.
From a staff and leadership perspective, I dont know that top-notch professionals would want to go into this quagmire, said Jeff Timmer, a former Michigan GOP executive director who opposed Trump. Unless youre going to talk crazy talk, they dont want you there.
Much of the trouble can be traced to the 2020 presidential election results, which Trump and his allies have alleged were marked by fraud without providing evidence.
But some party officials and conservative activists continue to press for a forensic audit of the election results, encouraged by Trump, who has called on American Republican Patriots to run primary challenges against RINO State Senators in Michigan who refuse to properly look into the election irregularities and fraud.
You May Like: Patriot Chevrolet In Ardmore Oklahoma
If Kevin Mccarthy Pulls It Out Dissension Deepens If They Move Toward Steve Scalise Theyve Elevated David Duke Without The Baggage
The House will reconvene at noon Tuesday to try again to elect a speaker for the new Congress, and heres what could happen:
1. Somehow, Kevin McCarthy will prevail. This seems unlikely. Consider: During Mondays three votes, his people were surely begging, pleading with at least some of the 19, then 20 Republicans voting against McCarthy to switch back to supporting him or at least to vote present. They would have wanted to see that 19 go down to 17 on round two and 15 on round three. Instead, it went slightly up, to 20.
One never knows what goes on behind closed doors, and maybe there are some setup carrots McCarthy can offer the hard-liners to win enough of them over. But look at the math. At a minimum, he needs to flip 10 deniers to vote for him and nine to vote present. The nine voting present would reduce the overall number of votes to 425 from 434 . Half plus one of 425 is 213, 10 more than McCarthy won yesterday.
Looking down the list, its awfully hard to see 10 wholl flip to McCarthy. Nothings impossible. But the reward-and-punishment system that exists on todays radical right will reward continued resistance and punish capitulation. They bring McCarthy down, theyre heroes to Tucker Carlson and Steve Bannon and the rest they cave, theyre ninnies. Anger and dissension on the far right just deepen.
Lalee Ibssa
Former Speaker Paul Ryan
In this Oct. 17, 2018 photo, then-U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan speaks during a campaign event in Hanover, N.J.
Ryan on Sunday said the GOP will probably lose the White House with Trump, citing the partys loss of the House in 2018 and both the Senate and presidency in 2020.
And if theres someone not named Trump, my guess is we win the White House, Ryan told co-anchor Jonathan Karl on ABCs This Week.
The former Speaker called himself a Never-Again-Trumper.
Also Check: What Were The Reconstruction Goals Of The Radical Republicans
Trump Didn’t Care That Rally Attendees Had Weapons Because He Wanted A Larger Crowd Size
At the rally held prior to the attempted insurrection, Trump gave a speech to supporters imploring them to “march to the Capitol” and “fight” to overturn the election results. The committee played police scanner recordings that showed that some attendees at the rally were seen carrying Glock handguns and automatic weapons.
She said the former president was told that morning that many of the attendees had weapons and could not get closer to the stage due to magnetometers being used by security at the event.
But Trump was undeterred, she testified.
In a text message exchange shown at the hearing, she described Trump as “f—— furious” due to the crowd size â “because he wanted the arena to be maxed out at capacity,” she said.
Hutchinson further testified that she overhead Trump say, “I don’t f—— care that they have weapons. They aren’t here to hurt me ⦠Take the f—— away.”
Outgoing Gov Larry Hogan Of Maryland
Even before the bruising 2022 midterms, Hogan, 66, was warning that Republicans couldn’t continue down the path they are on. “I am not about to give up on the Republican party or America,” he wrote on Twitter in early December. “None of us can. It’s too important.”
The two-term governor who beat a 2015 cancer scare has been fired up about plotting his next act.
Hogan, a centrist Republican, is already making the rounds in early primary states such as Iowa and New Hampshire. A nonprofit group aligned with him reported raising $2 million in 2021, some of which was spent on “supporter acquisition” and “audience building.”
And Hogan recently scored some face time with GOP mega donors at this year’s Republican Jewish Coalition leadership meeting mentioning to political reporters covering the event that he and other potential 2024 hopefuls were there because “maybe there’s a little blood in the water.” Trump was notably absent at the event, but did video-conference in.
As governor, Hogan signed a gun control bill into law and has said that while he opposed abortion, he wouldn’t move to gut the state’s guarantee on reproductive rights. During the COVID-19 pandemic he instituted a statewide mask mandate, then lifted restrictions in May 2021.
While he has yet to formally declare a 2024 run, Hogan has begun billing himself as a “commonsense conservative” who GOP voters sick of losing may want to consider.
Read Also: What Are Trump’s Approval Ratings Now
Get Our Free Inside Washington Email
Former green beret Joe Kent has surged past a Republican who voted for Donald Trumps impeachment in a hotly-contested battle for a congressional seat.
Almost a week after voters in Washington third congressional district went to the polls, it was revealed that Mr Kent had now passed Jaime Herrera Beutler, and led her by 813 votes.
10-15k ballots remain to be counted in Clark County. Its still mathematically possible for JHB to retake the lead, but theres no reason to think she will, tweeted Phil Gardner, Chief of Staff for Washingtons Lieutenant Governor.
Mr Kent, who reveived the endorsement and encouragemet of Mr Trump, had 47,357 votes as of Monday evening, with Ms Herrera Beutler, on 46,544.
Washington state is one of two places that use an open, top-two primary system, in which the top two candidates proceed to the general election showdown regardless of party.
Ms Herrera Beutler was first elected to Washingtons third congressional district in 2010 and reelected five times.
Jaime Herrera Beutler was one of ten Republicans Trump pursued
But she was one of just 10 Republicans in the House who voted for Mr Trumps impeachment after the Jan 6 riots and the establishment of a committee to investigate what happened.
Mr Trump denounced the 10 as traitors and vowed to oust them all.
And last week, Michigan congressman Peter Meijer lost to challenger John Gibbs, who had the support of Mr Trump.
A Bunch Of New Yorkers In Addition To George Soros: Greg Abbott Accused Of Antisemitism
Texas GOP Governor Greg Abbott is facing a challenging re-election fight against Beto ORourke, the popular and charismatic former U.S,. Congressman and Democratic presidential candidate who is now his partys gubernatorial nominee.
Texas voters have had to face mismanagement of the states electric grid, with hundreds of Texans dying in winter after the snowstorm that sent Senator Ted Cruz to Cancun, the horrific elementary school mass shooting in Uvalde, and Abbott spending millions of taxpayer dollars on anti-immigrant programs, including bussing migrants to Democratic-controlled cities like Washington, D.C. and New York City. Not to mention his support of the vigilante abortion ban and a Dont Say Gay bill, his failed promise to end rape, and the fact that Texas leads the nation in mass shootings.
But none of that has stopped the 64-year old from doubling down on his conservative bonafides.
On Wednesday over at Fox News, Abbott engaged in what many are calling some old-fashioned antisemitism.
We will explain to our fellow Texans that the Beto campaign is being aided by a bunch of New Yorkers in addition to George Soros, and that will do nothing but harm his campaign, Abbott told Fox News host Harris Faulkner.
Also Check: How Many People Have Left The Trump Administration
Also Check: How To Listen To Patriots Game On Radio
Former Ambassador To The United Nations Nikki Haley
Haley has changed her tone when it comes to Trump. After saying he let us down and lost any sort of political viability he was going to have following Jan. 6, Haley is, at least publicly, a fan again. During her remarks at the Iowa Republican Party dinner on June 24, Haley praised Trump and told a story about him asking if he should call Kim Jong Un little rocket man during his speech at the U.N. Haley said she cautioned him to treat the audience like church instead of a rally, but he went ahead and used the term.
Haley even sounded kind of Trumpian during her speech, telling Republicans they were too nice. We have to be tough about how we fight, she said. We keep getting steamrolled and then whine and complain about it. The days of being nice should be over.
She also didnt shy away from her gender, opening the speech by saying, America needs more strong conservative women leaders and less of Nancy Pelosi and Kamala Harris, and praising female Iowa Republicans like U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst and Gov. Kim Reynolds. I wear heels, Haley said. Its not for a fashion statement. I use it for kicking. But I always kick with a smile.
Field Quickly Narrowing To Trump Vs Desantis
Trumps early announcement for president which he almost made before the midterm elections last week followed nearly two years of planning, fundraising and speeches. His interest in announcing a presidential bid intensified last year when President Joe Bidens approval ratings dropped amid the souring economy and chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Aides say his desire to run became even more earnest as he increasingly saw DeSantis as a threat and, then, as the Department of Justice opened two separate criminal investigations into him over his role in the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol and his possession and storage of sensitive documents that the federal government says he improperly handled in his post-presidency.
But others arent feeling Trumps urgency.
Since Trumps Tuesday speech, there have been more signs of movement in the invisible primary the behind-the-scenes battle to line up donors, endorsers and top staff than a rush to launch.
People are either waiting or scrambling to get as close to DeSantis inner circle as possible or theyre with Trump, Eberhart said of the donor class.
In the world of GOP elites, the field is quickly narrowing to Trump and DeSantis, and the Florida Republican source said there is something unique about their rivalry.
DeSantis continued to fundraise after the election but has no immediately known plans to convert the state political committee into a federal super PAC that could support his federal candidacy.
You May Like: Jeep Patriot Years To Avoid
Kevin Mccarthys Bid For House Speaker Continues
Kevin McCarthy cannot catch a break, losing his fifth consecutive vote for speaker of the House on Wednesday.
The California representative has been open about hoping to seize the gavel, but not only has he repeatedly lost the rounds of voting, he has lost individual votes in the process. In round five, he won just 201 votes out of his partys 222 seats.
Democratic challenger Hakeem Jeffries again won 212 votes, making him the lead vote-getter in each round, as noted by Representative Pete Aguilar, who has officially nominated Jeffries for multiple ballots.
Congress cannot move forward until someone is elected speaker, so the proceedings will continue until someone wins. In Congresss 200-year history, there have only been 14 instances in which it took more than two ballots to confirm the House speaker. The last one was exactly 100 years ago. It took nine rounds of votes to resolve that battle.
Hopefully it does not take that long this time.
This post has been updated.
More: Trump Announces He’s Running For President Again Amid Election Backlash
“He was subdued, he was on topic, he stayed on teleprompter. As far as what I would consider a dynamic announcement, I didn’t see much there,” said the person, who, like others, agreed to be interviewed for this story on the condition of anonymity so as to not direct ire to their professional relationships.
In roughly hour-long remarks, Trump portrayed his one term in office as a “golden age” and periodically alluded to a message of teamwork while contending that successor Joe Biden, whom Trump had sought to prevent from taking office, had brought “pain, hardship, anxiety and despair.”
Trump also occasionally veered into conspiracy theories, including about China, while returning to some frequent topics like what he called the scourge of drug dealers, widespread immigration and “rotting” cities turned into “cesspools of blood.” He touted his own style of international relations and his handling of the economy compared to Biden.
“If you were a pro-Trump person, you loved it. And if you were an undecided, it didn’t move you,” the strategist said. “And if you were somebody that didn’t like him, that didn’t change your mind.”
The setting, at a ballroom at his club, marked a departure from Trump’s typically boisterous campaign rallies that often toggle between prepared remarks on policy and stream-of-consciousness comments on the controversy du jour.
Other potential contenders have also indicated their plans aren’t being adjusted in light of Trump’s launch.
Also Check: When Is The Next Trump Rally In Florida
Republicans On The Ballot Who Were At Or Near The Capitol On Jan 6 2021
At least 10 Republican candidates who won primaries for statewide or federal office this year have claimed they were in Washington, D.C., on , when supporters of former President Donald Trump marched to the Capitol to interrupt the peaceful transition of power and the ensuing riot eventually turned violent. Five people died in connection with the riot, including a police officer. Another four officers died by suicide in the days, weeks and months after the assault on the Capitol.
All 10 non-incumbent candidates have denied or cast doubt on the 2020 election results. Three of the 10 candidates could win congressional seats in November, which would take them from election-denying protesters to sitting members of Congress. Another stands to become the chief election official in Arizona.
Democrats have spent little time or money focused on ads highlighting the Jan. 6 activities of these candidates. According to the ad-tracking firm, AdImpact, just $2.7 million out of $163 million of broadcast TV ad dollars went to House races where a candidate was at or near the Capitol on Jan. 6. In many cases, Democratic groups actually tried to boost some of the election-denying candidates during the primary season, calculating that they would be weaker opponents for Democrats in the general election.
Heres a list of 10 candidates who were at or near the Capitolon Jan. 6:
You May Like: What Republicans Are Voting Against Trump
