Aug 11 Koch-funded initiatives reach out to Hispanic voters for the GOP By Will Weissert, Philip Elliott, Associated Press The billionaire industrialists are working to patch a gaping hole in the GOP coalition that could spell a generation of irrelevance if Republicans cannot build some credibility with Hispanic voters, who typically shun the GOP. The fast-growing group could have… Continue reading
Aug 04 Republicans struggle to nail down a platform on immigration By Charles Babington, Associated Press While often a flashpoint issue among Republicans in their primaries this year, the party could get a grace period of sorts in November. Immigration appears likely to have only a modest impact on the roughly 10 Senate races that will… Continue reading
Jul 31 Boehner pulls House border bill amid conservative revolt By Erica Werner, Associated Press Minutes from a vote on legislation to deal with the immigration surge on the U.S.-Mexico border, and hours from scheduled adjournment for the summer, a conservative revolt left the speaker with no choice but to pull his border bill from… Continue reading
Jul 02 Mitt Romney returns to the campaign trail in New Hampshire By Steve Peoples, Associated Press The former Republican presidential nominee is set to endorse Senate candidate Scott Brown on Wednesday, campaigning publicly in New Hampshire for the first time since the early hours of Election Day 2012 as he continues a larger effort to re-emerge… Continue reading
Jun 11 Tea party supporters rejoice in Eric Cantor’s defeat By David Espo, Associated Press Republican tea party forces are rejoicing and the party establishment is somber or altogether silent in the wake of House Majority Leader Eric Cantor's primary defeat at the hands of political neophyte David Brat, an unflinching foe of loosening immigration… Continue reading
Jun 10 House Majority Leader Eric Cantor defeated in Virginia primary By Alan Suderman, Associated Press House Majority Leader Eric Cantor was defeated Tuesday by a little-known economics professor in Virginia's Republican primary, a stunning upset and major victory for the tea party. Continue reading
May 16 Hundreds of millions spent to attack new health care law, little to defend By Carla K. Johnson, Associated Press The report, released Friday by nonpartisan analysts Kantar Media CMAG, estimates that $445 million was spent on political TV ads mentioning the law since the enactment of the Affordable Care Act in 2010. Spending on negative ads outpaced positive ones… Continue reading
May 12 Elites gather behind closed doors to discuss the public’s business By Associated Press Organizers and participants say the closed sessions allow public and private sector titans to discuss candidly topics ranging from foreign affairs and intelligence gathering to tax policy and elections strategy. But some open-government advocates say the events reduce confidence in… Continue reading
May 08 Republican data strategy for 2014: community organizing By Ellen Rolfes At its annual spring meeting in Memphis, the Republican National Committee formally launched a grassroots field program called Victory 365, which is designed to enable Republican campaigns to better use voter data across their efforts. Continue reading
Mar 22 Michigan issues first marriage licenses to same-sex couples By Kayla Ruble Same-sex couples lined up outside courthouses in Michigan on Saturday to receive the first gay marriage licenses issued by the state, fresh off of a U.S. District court judge's decision on Friday to overturn the state’s 10-year ban on gay… Continue reading