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Colorado Republican Rep. Ken Buck
won't run for re-election
In a video announcing his retirement, Buck criticized the GOP for focusing on 'self-serving lies'
Fox News | Houston Keene
November 1, 2023
Colorado Republican Rep. Ken Buck won't run for re-election to the U.S. House in 2024, he announced Wednesday.
In a video to constituents, Buck criticized the GOP for what he called the "insidious narratives" that the 2020 presidential election was stolen, and prosecutions following amounted to weaponization of the Justice Department. Read more
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Gov. Pritzker's abortion rights group
spends $15 million in Ohio, Virginia, and Nevada to fight 'extremism at every level'
Think Big America's contribution of $25,000 each to four state Senate Democratic candidates in Virginia, and an additional $150,000 to the state's Democratic Party, comes ahead of a pivotal Nov. 7 election that may reshape abortion restrictions there.
Chicago Sun Times | Tina Sfondeles
November 1, 2023
Gov. J.B. Pritzker's newly created nonprofit to combat anti-abortion efforts has already contributed $1.5 million to the movement, including a share in the next big abortion rights battleground state: Virginia.
Think Big America's contribution of $25,000 each to four state Senate Democratic candidates in Virginia, and an additional $150,000 to the state Democratic party, comes ahead of a pivotal Nov. 7 election that may reshape abortion restrictions in the state.
While Pritzker's group is aimed at helping states fight their own battles, abortion ballot questions will also likely boost Democratic turnout in next year's presidential election. Read more
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WG Economy: The Road To Solving Our Debt
Crisis Runs Through Health Care
WG Economy | David Winston
November 1, 2023
In last week's WG Economy, we talked about how health care is re-emerging as a difficult cost of living expense in household budgets. In addition to the personal impact of health care costs, the impact is increasingly felt at the federal level. As a driver of the nation's debt, healthcare costs pose a threat to the economy and entitlement programs. Congressional Republicans are looking for spending cuts, but they should start looking at the impact of chronic diseases and conditions as major areas for finding savings as well as positive improvements for the workforce and quality of life. WG Economy, November 1, 2023.pdf
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Longtime Republican U.S. Rep. Kay Granger of Fort Worth won't seek reelection
The chair of the powerful Appropriations Committee has held her seat since 1997. She was the first Republican woman
from Texas elected to the U.S. House.
The Texas Tribune | Patrick Svitek
October 31, 2023
U.S Rep. Kay Granger, R-Fort Worth, announced Wednesday she will not seek reelection after nearly three decades in Congress.
"Serving my community has been the greatest honor, and I have always fought to improve the lives of my constituents," Granger said in a statement.
Granger, 80, chairs the powerful House Appropriations Committee and has represented Texas' 12th Congressional District since 1997. Read more
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Legislative spending tops $40 million,
with clear edge for Democrats
Around $12 million in spending has come
from a variety of outside groups
New Jersey Globe | Joey Fox
October 31, 2023
Spending on New Jersey legislative races has exceeded $40 million, with a significant majority of that spending being used to aid Democrats retain their legislative majorities in next week's election, according to an analysis released today by the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission (ELEC).
In total, Democratic candidates have spent $22,179,422, while Republican candidates have spent $8,498,992. Democrats also have a 3-to-1 advantage in cash-on-hand for the home stretch of the campaign, $13,458,880 to $4,457,190. (ELEC's analysis covers raising and spending through October 24, the end of the most recent filing period; some money might also be double-counted in cases where cash was transferred from one campaign account to another.) Read more
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Poll: Trump skipping GOP debates doesn't
concern most Iowa Republicans
NBC News | Meet the Press Blog | Mark Murray
October 31, 2023
A majority of likely Iowa Republican caucusgoers - 57% - say former President Donald Trump skipping GOP presidential debates doesn't matter to them, according to new results from the latest NBC News/DesMoines Register/Mediacom poll.
By contrast, 42% of likely GOP caucusgoers believe Trump should participate in at least one debate before the Jan. 15 Iowa caucuses.
These numbers come as Trump is expected to skip the third GOP primary debate, which NBC News will host on Nov. 8, after not attending either of the first two Republican presidential debates, either. Read more
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As election day approaches, Pa. Republicans change tune on mail-in balloting
The chair of the Pa. Republican Party says even former president Donald Trump, a longtime opponent of mail-in balloting, has come around.
NBC Philadelphia | Hayden Mitman & Lauren Mayk
October 31, 2023
For years, Pennsylvania Republicans have pushed against mail-in ballots being used in elections -- even seeing a challenge to mail-in ballots thrown out of court earlier this year -- but, the party is singing a different tune in the run-up to the Nov. 7 elections.
."After last year's experience, where the mail-in ballots just overwhelmed our votes at the polls, our party has really wrapped around this and is taking it on very strongly," Lawrence Tabas, chairman of the Pennsylvania Republican Party, told NBC10's Lauren Mayk in the most recent episode of her Battleground Politics podcast.
Republican candidates across the state took losses across the board in recent elections, with Democrats flipping 12 House Districts along with winning key seats in the U.S. Senate and in the Governor's office. Read more
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Utility clerk appointed to Legislature
as GOP House member
Rep. Gov. Jim Justice has appointed a city administrative clerk from central West Virginia to the state Legislature
The Associated Press
October 31, 2023
A city administrative clerk from central West Virginia has been appointed to the state Legislature, Republican Gov. Jim Justice announced Tuesday.
Erica J. Moore, a Roane County Republican who works as a city of Spencer utility clerk, will represent the 15th District in the state House of Delegates serving Roane and Wirt counties.
Moore will serve the remainder of the term vacated by former Del. Riley Keaton, who announced earlier this month he was departing to take a state government job in the Department of Health and Human Services. Keaton, who was the GOP's assistant majority whip in the House, had served in the Legislature since 2020. There's currently just over a year remaining of Keaton's term. Read more
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Battle for control of Virginia Legislature may hinge on a state senate race with independent streak
Redistricting has mobilized voters and shifted the political landscape, offering opportunities for new leaders to emerge - and for new control of the General Assembly.
WTOP News | The Associated Press
October 30, 2023
A race that could determine control of Virginia's Legislature will not be a standard battle between a Democrat and a Republican but also features a wild-card independent candidate with a history of electoral success who happens to be a former stripper.
Oh, and then there's the write-in campaign of a right-wing restauranteur who specializes in grilled cheese sandwiches. Read more
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Not just Jeff Landry. Louisiana Legislature will also take a hard turn to the right.
'We can't undo everything John Bel did, but we're going to try'
Lousiana Illuminator | Julie O'Donoghue
October 30, 2023
In 2015, when Republican U.S. Sen. David Vitter was the early favorite to win the governor's race, then-Rep. Cameron Henry was considered the chosen candidate for Louisiana House Speaker.
But Democrat John Bel Edwards beat Vitter in an upset election, and Henry's hopes for the position were dashed. The House ended up selecting more moderate Taylor Barras, a Democrat-turned-Republican from New Iberia, to be speaker - in part because centrist House Republicans deemed Henry too conservative.
Eight years later though, Henry is all but assured to ascend to one of the top jobs in the Louisiana Legislature. Now a state senator, the Metairie Republican is presumed to be the chamber's next president. No other candidate is running for the job, and Henry is closely aligned with incoming governor Jeff Landry. Read more
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House Republicans aim to pay for Israel aid
with cuts to IRS funds
NPR | Rachel Treisman
October 31, 2023
After three weeks without a speaker, the House is back in business and putting aid to Israel at the top of its to-do list.
On the same day House Speaker Mike Johnson took office last week, the Republican-led House passed a resolution declaring solidarity with Israel and pledging to give its government the funding needed to defeat Hamas.
Now they've introduced a bill aiming to do just that - but not without controversy.
The bill would send $14.3 billion to Israel without addressing funding requests for the war in Ukraine. Johnson's new bill would pay for the spending with $14.5 billion in cuts to the long-understaffed Internal Revenue Service. Read more
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House Republican seeks to change motion-to-vacate rule that brought down McCarthy
CBS News | Caitlin Yilek
October 30, 2023
A House Republican lawmaker has moved to make it harder to oust the House Speaker, weeks after Rep. Kevin McCarthy was forced out of the role earlier this month in a historic vote.
On Monday, Rep. Max Miller of Ohio introduced a resolution to change the threshold needed to bring a vote of no confidence in the House speaker, known as a motion to vacate the chair. Miller's resolution would require the support of at least 112 members from either the majority or the minority party to force a no-confidence vote.
"After being paralyzed for three weeks, one thing is crystal clear: We cannot be beholden to the whims and personal grudges of a handful of people. Americans want us to work hard to advance commonsense, conservative politics, not play petty politics," Miller said in a statement. "Changing this rule is a simple step toward accomplishing that goal and keeping the House on track." Read more
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Moore to face Carl in GOP primary
after Alabama lines drawn
Court ruling led to redrawing 2nd District
to boost Black voters' influence
Roll Call | Mary Ellen McIntire
October 30, 2023
Rep. Barry Moore will challenge fellow GOP Rep. Jerry Carl in Alabama's 1st District next year.
Shana Teehan, Moore's chief of staff, confirmed that Moore planned to seek reelection in the 1st District after a court-ordered redraw of the state map moved his hometown of Enterprise from the 2nd District he now represents.
A federal court earlier this month ordered the state to use a new map for the 2024 elections, following years of litigation over the map drawn for the 2022 cycle. The Supreme Court found that the prior map violated the Voting Rights Act and denied opportunities to Black voters to elect candidates of their choice.
The new map gives Democrats a chance to pick up a second seat in Alabama, joining Rep. Terri Sewell, currently the state's only Democratic member of Congress. Joe Biden in 2020 won the new 2nd District by 13 percentage points, whereas Biden lost the existing 2nd District by 29 points. Read more
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WG Discussion Points:
Three Things House Republicans Should Know
WG Discussion Points | David Winston
October 27, 2023
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The House of Representatives finally has a new Speaker, and Republicans are ready to start afresh with one year to go until the election. The past month of chaos has done some damage to Republicans. As they move forward, here are three things they should know.
- Hit to the Congressional GOP Brand Image:
- Slippage on economic issue handling.
- Challenges with independents.
WG Discussion Points, October 27, 2023.pdf
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