Category Archives: Republican

WASHINGTON (AP) A congressional candidate whose compelling personal story of military valor and tragic loss helped him win former President Donald Trumps support has connections to right-wing extremists, including a campaign consultant who was a member of the Proud Boys.

Republican Joe Kent, who is challenging U.S. Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler of Washington state in the Aug. 2 primary, has also courted prominent white nationalists and posed recently for a photograph with a media personality who has previously described Adolf Hitler as a complicated historical figure who many people misunderstand.

An Associated Press review of internet postings, court records and campaign finance disclosures depict a candidate with a more complicated biography than the compelling personal story that turned the 42-year-old Kent into a favorite of conservative media.

Square-jawed with wavy black hair and sleeve tattoos, the former Green Beret served 11 combat deployments before retiring from Special Forces to join the CIA. He also endured unspeakable tragedy: His wife, Shannon, a Navy cryptologist, was killed by a suicide bomber in 2019 while fighting the Islamic State group in Syria, leaving him to raise their two young sons alone.

Many [Republican] politicians play footsie with [right-wing extremist]. Kent is just unabashed.

But taken broadly, Kents recent relationships and activities reinforce concerns about the GOPs ties to extremist groups. The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol has drawn attention to the role such organizations, particularly the Proud Boys, played in the effort to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power after Trumps re-election loss in 2020.

Theres a through line, said Dave Neiwert, an author and journalist who has covered right-wing extremism in the Pacific Northwest for decades. Many [Republican] politicians play footsie with it. Kent is just unabashed.

Kents campaign declined to make him available for an interview.

Joe Kents platform of inclusive populism rejects racism and bigotry and invites all Americans to support his aggressive America First agenda of rebuilding our industries, ending illegal immigration, and stopping stupid military interventions that dont directly support our national interest, Matt Braynard, a Kent strategist, said in a statement.

Ahead of the final slate of primaries that unfold in August, Kent is not the only House candidate worrying some Republicans who fear an otherwise favorable political climate to regain control of the House could be threatened by candidates seen as too extreme.

From the archives (December 2020): We just have to limit the damage that hes causing: Republican governor on risk Trump poses to a party that otherwise teems with 2022 confidence

In Michigan, John Gibbs, a former Trump administration official challenging Republican Rep. Peter Meijer, once spread false claims that Hillary Clintons 2016 campaign chairman participated in a satanic ritual that involved bodily fluids.

In New York, Carl Paladino, a former GOP candidate for governor now running for the House, praised Hitler last year as the kind of leader we need today and once emailed racist comments about Michelle Obama to a Buffalo newspaper for publication. And former Trump administration official Max Miller, the Republican nominee for an Ohio congressional seat, was accused of physical abuse by his ex-girlfriend, Trump White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham. Miller denies the allegations and has sued Grisham for defamation.

A representative for the National Republican Congressional Committee, the organization responsible for helping the GOP regain control of the House, declined to comment, citing a policy of not interfering in primaries. A Trump spokesman did not respond to a request for comment.

Of those soon facing elections, Kent stands out for the breadth of his ties to a deep-seated extremist fringe that has long existed in the Pacific Northwest but is often obscured by the regions overwhelming liberal politics.

Campaign-finance disclosures reveal Kent recently paid $11,375 for consulting over the past four months to Graham Jorgensen, who was identified as a Proud Boy in a law enforcement report and was charged with cyber stalking his ex-girlfriend in 2018. The charges were dismissed in late 2019. But a judge in Vancouver, Wash., issued an order of protection requiring Jorgensen to stay away from her, records show.

Kents campaign said Jorgensen was a low-level worker who hands out literature and puts up signs and denied he has any current affiliation with outside organizations. They declined to make Jorgensen available for an interview.

Kent is also a close political ally of Joey Gibson, the founder of the Christian nationalist group Patriot Prayer. Since establishing the group in 2016, Gibson has organized demonstrations in Portland, as well as the citys Washington state suburbs, where he and his followers have clashed with left-wing groups. Many of the demonstrations were coordinated with the Proud Boys.

The often violent rallies organized by Gibson drew anti-government activists, extremists as well as white supremacists to unite in common cause namely fighting left-wing activists.

Photos from the events archived online by the group Rose City Antifa demonstrate how in some cases Kents allies have associated with people who have expressed white supremacist views. In numerous instances, Gibson as well as Jorgensen, the Proud Boy on Kents payroll, were recorded standing next to Jacob Von Ott, who has posted racist and antisemitic views online and expressed admiration for the founder of the American Nazi Party.

Von Ott did not respond to a request for comment sent to an email address listed to him, but he has previously denied that hes a white supremacist.

The danger with these groups is it can be an initial foray into this extremist space. And once youre in this extremist space, you can become further radicalized, said Emily Kaufman, an Anti-Defamation League researcher who tracks extremist activity in the Pacific Northwest.

Gibson regularly promotes Kents campaign on social media and spoke at a Kent fundraiser last year. When it was Kents turn to speak at the event, he lavished Gibson with praise, explaining that Gibson defended this community when our community was under assault from antifa.

Gibson was acquitted last week on felony riot charges after an altercation with left-wing activists at a Portland bar.

Kents ties to extremism arent limited to the Pacific Northwest.

Braynard, one of Kents top advisers, was the architect of a Washington, D.C., rally last year that sought to build sympathy for those arrested during the insurrection by rebranding them as political prisoners. Kent spoke at the rally, which was poorly attended.

And his candidacy is endorsed by far-right Arizona state lawmaker Wendy Rogers, who has identified herself as a member of the Oath Keepers, a far-right militia group that played an outsize role in the storming of the U.S. Capitol. Kent publicly thanked Rogers for her endorsement and has raised doubts about the circumstances that led to the arrest of Oath Keepers over their role in the attack.

Kent has also sought support from figures associated with the white nationalist Groyper Army movement led by Nick Fuentes, an internet personality who has promoted white supremacist beliefs and attended the 2017 white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Va., as well as the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol.

Kent has acknowledged that a political consultant set up a call early in his campaign that Fuentes was part of, where expanding his campaigns reach on social media was discussed. But he denied that there was any sort of formal arrangement and distanced himself from Fuentes in March after their affiliation became broadly known. Kent tweeted at the time that he did not want want Fuentess endorsement due his focus on race/religion.

After the rebuke, however, Kent appeared on a far-right YouTube channel where he echoed sentiments similar to those held by many white nationalists.

I dont think theres anything wrong with there being a white people special interest group, Kent said during the YouTube interview with a group called the American Populist Union. He also said the immigration situation between the U.S. and Mexico wasnt as bad as in Europe because their version of Mexico is Africa and the Middle East.

In April, Kent was photographed at a fundraiser giving a thumbs-up with Greyson Arnold, a Groyper-aligned commentator who identifies as a Christian American Nationalist. Like Fuentes, Arnold was also at the U.S. Capitol during the insurrection.

Arnold has shared memes online that refer to Nazis as a pure race and has called Hitler a complicated and misunderstood historical figure. He also hosted a White Boy Summer celebration in Lake Havasu, Arizona, in June 2021, drawing the events title from a popular meme that was circulating among white nationalists and racist groups.

Arnold did not respond to an email seeking comment.

Braynard, the Kent strategist, said the candidate does not know Arnold and the campaign does not do background checks on the thousands of people whove asked to take selfies with Joe.

Tom Davis, a former Virginia congressman who led House Republicans campaign arm during George W. Bushs first term, said GOP leadership in Washington, D.C., faces a difficult set of choices when deciding what to do about candidates like Kent.

You dont want to go too heavy on this guy because if hes nominated you want to hold the seat, said Davis. The problem for Republicans is you can probably get away with this in 50 districts in the country. But this does not strike me as the kind of district where you dont pay a price.

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Links to extremism moving out of the shadows in these Republican primaries - MarketWatch

Republican election officials in at least three states have refused to certify primary votes, in a sign of things to come amid the party's baseless election fraud crusade.

Numerous allies of former President Donald Trump have echoed his lies about voter fraud on the campaign trail. Trump-backed Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake and Nevada U.S. Senate candidate Adam Laxalt both claimed evidence of "election stealing" before any votes were cast. Colorado secretary of state candidate Tina Peters has twice demanded recounts of her Republican primary race after losing by double digits. Nevada gubernatorial candidate Joey Gilbert filed a lawsuit alleging that his GOP primary loss was a "mathematical impossibility," even after a recount he requested confirmed the results.

While candidates are free to challenge the results of their elections under various state guidelines, Trump-allied election officials pose a more insidious threat. Echoing the same false narratives as Trump and his endorsed candidates, county officials in New Mexico, Nevada and Pennsylvania have tried to circumvent state laws and refused to sign off on primary results.

Republican commissioners in Otero County, New Mexico last month refused to certify primary results in their GOP-dominated jurisdiction, citing unspecified concerns about Dominion voting machines. These apparently stem from TrumpWorld's crusade to stoke baseless allegations that the machines had "flipped" votes from Trump to Joe Biden. The Otero County commissioners ultimately relented and certified the votes amid concerns that they could go to jail after state officials took them to court.

Republican commissioners in rural Esmeralda County, Nevada, likewise refused to certify the 317 votes cast in the county last month, citing unspecified concerns about the election from residents. County officials ultimately relented after spending more than seven hours counting the 317 ballots by hand.

Three Republican-led counties in Pennsylvania Berks, Fayette and Lancaster have refused to count all valid votes from the May 17 primary election for Senate, Congress, governor and the state legislature for weeks over opposition to the state's rules regarding undated mail-in ballots.

Officials in all three counties informed the state last month that they would not count mail-in votes that had not been properly dated, according to the Associated Press.

Pennsylvania mail ballots instruct voters to write a date next to their signature on the outside of mail-in return envelopes, although these dates do not determine whether voters are eligible or if votes were cast on time. A federal appeals court ruled in May that undated mail-in ballots must be counted, ruling that the dates are "immaterial." The U.S. Supreme Court, even with three Trump-appointed justices,allowed the ruling to stand last month. A state court similarly ruled in the Republican Senate primary that undated ballots should be counted.

The Pennsylvania Department of State earlier this month sued the three counties, asking a state court to order them to include all valid ballots "even if the voter failed to write a date on the declaration printed on the ballot's return envelope."

The department said in the lawsuit that the handwritten date "is not necessary for any purpose, does not remedy any mischief and does not advance any other objective," and that "allowing just three county boards to exclude votes that all other county boards have included in their returns creates impermissible discrepancies in the administration of Pennsylvania's 2022 primary election."

"Interpreting Pennsylvania law to allow a county board of election to exclude a ballot from its final certified results because of a minor and meaningless irregularity, such as a voter omitting a date from the declaration on a timely received ballot, would fail to fulfill the purpose of the Pennsylvania Election Code and would risk a conflict with both the Pennsylvania Constitution and federal law," the lawsuit said.

"It is imperative that every legal vote cast by a qualified voter is counted," Molly Stieber, a spokeswoman for state Attorney General Josh Shapiro, told theNew York Times. "The 64 other counties in Pennsylvania have complied and accurately certified their election results. Counties cannot abuse their responsibility for running elections as an excuse to unlawfully disenfranchise voters."

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Berks County Commissioner Christian Leinbach said during an appearance in court on Thursday that he does not have "discretion to determine whether a date is material or immaterial."

"I simply am obligated to look at the clear language of the law that says undated and/or unsigned ballots will not be counted," he said during a hearing, claiming that rulings on the ballots have been "anything but clear."

Leinbach said he "could not in good conscience vote to certify undated ballots," adding that "this type of issue is what is causing a lack of trust in the system."

Lancaster County officials told the Philadelphia Inquirer the county had "properly certified" its results in accordance with state law and court orders.

"The Commonwealth's demand is contrary to the law or any existing court order," the county said. "The County will vigorously defend its position to follow the law to ensure the integrity of elections in Lancaster County."

Fayette County officials argued in a court filing that the state did not have the authority to force it to count the undated ballots, according to the AP, adding that the state had missed a deadline to appeal a county board decision. The county also cited ongoing litigation before the Supreme Court, which has yet to rule on the merits of the appellate court ruling.

It's unclear which way the Supreme Court may rule. Only Justices Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch dissented in the earlier emergency order, arguing that the lower court ruling was "very likely wrong."

The American Civil Liberties Union defended the appellate court ruling after Alito's dissent.

"Every vote matters, and every valid vote should be counted. Voters may not be disenfranchised for a minor paperwork error like this one," ACLU attorney Ari Savitzky said in a statement. "The Third Circuit was correct in unanimously reaching that conclusion. We are thrilled for these voters that their ballots can finally now be counted, consistent with the requirements of federal law."

The dates on the absentee ballot envelopes neither help determine whether a voter is eligible nor whether the ballot was cast by the deadline, Matthew Weil, the director of the Elections Project at the Bipartisan Policy Center, said in a statement.

"Exploiting inconsequential errors or omissions to invalidate otherwise eligible ballots received by the deadline is poor policy and bad for democracy," he said. "The fact that the state already accepts ballots with incorrect or invalid dates only demonstrates how inconsequential this requirement is to determine the voter's and the ballot's eligibility."

Democratic election lawyer Marc Elias warned that the situation in Pennsylvania is "far more disturbing than those we have seen elsewhere."

The three counties have a combined population of over 1 million people, he noted, and the issue causing the counties to contest the results has "been fully litigated in both federal and state courts."

"Most importantly, these counties did not refuse to submit any election results at all. Worse, they submitted results that intentionally exclude lawful votes," he said, adding that "this is how Republicans are planning to steal elections in the future."

Nonpartisan election law experts agreed that the trend could cause chaos on a larger scale.

"Had this unfolded on this kind of timeline in 2020, it really could have created problems, because there would have been questions about whether the state could have actually named a slate of electors," Robert Yablon, a law professor at the University of Wisconsin Law School, told the Times. "You could imagine there being disputed slates of electors that were sent to Congress, and it could have been a big mess."

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about the GOP's election crusade

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GOP officials refuse to certify primaries: This is how Republicans are planning to steal elections - Salon

One is a school choice activist who worked in the steel industry. Another is a chiropractor who led protests against the pandemic lockdown. A third is a business executive whose campaign is largely self-financed .

Each hopes to challenge incumbent Democrat Gretchen Whitmer in the November gubernatorial election, but first will face each other and two other candidates in the primary election Tuesday that pollsters are calling a complete tossup.

Here is where Republicans Tudor Dixon, Kevin Rinke, and Garrett Soldano stand on key education issues. Soldano provided written responses while Dixon and Rinke responded by phone. Some of their responses have been trimmed for length.

Ryan D. Kelley declined to be interviewed or to provide written responses to questions. Ralph Rebandt, who is trailing far behind the other candidates in recent polls, did not respond to inquiries from Chalkbeat Detroit and Bridge Michigan.

What are the biggest threats to school safety? How would you address them?

Dixon: We have a safety plan from our state police that we never implemented. We need to look at the measures that are in that safety plan from 2018. There are measures to harden schools, but there are also measures to help mental health.

COVID was harsh for our students. Our students were out of school in some cases for more than a year. That, in some cases, causes anxiety. We have all these consultants on DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion), but isnt it more important to keep our kids safe and put that money toward hardening our schools?

Rinke: From a military perspective, your perimeter needs to be safe when you look at access to schools. Access points (need to be) restricted for people coming into the building.

I believe in having what we used to call Youth Services Bureau representatives, which were undercover police officers at the schools on a daily basis. Or I propose we look at former military [personnel] as an option. The strongest step thats going to eliminate the vast majority of [problems is to] let people know that school zones are protected.

Soldano: As a result of Gretchen Whitmer's disastrous policies, our great state is suffering from a mental health crisis that is threatening our schools and students. Under a Soldano administration, funding will be directed to address the mental health crisis created by Gretchen Whitmer. I will ensure that a mental health professional is on every campus and our counselors have the resources they need to address this crisis.

What role should the state play in addressing pandemic-related learning loss and mental health?

Dixon: The state should play a big role. On learning loss, Gretchen Whitmer already had the opportunity to provide reading scholarships and she [vetoed] them.

We have to figure out how to get everybody back on track. Its going to take funding, its going to take resources, and its going to take people.

Weve talked to parents across the state who have children who are stressed. Weve had suicides because when you take kids out of school thats where they have structure. We took them out of school and we didnt tell them what we thought was going to happen because we didnt know.

Rinke: We should require that the schools take the appropriate actions to get their students up to speed. The school system and the teachers the Michigan Education Association ultimately created [a problem] by refusing to go to in-person learning when we knew that children were not at high risk of serious consequences of COVID.

Id love to hear how theyre going to fix it instead of looking back at the state and saying, Send money our way, or You need to fix this.

Soldano: Gretchen Whitmer effectively stole two crucial years of education from our next generation. I will launch a Back in the Game initiative, consisting of extracurricular opportunities for students, who were left behind due to mandated virtual learning.

What role should the state play in helping schools attract and retain enough teachers?

Dixon: We really need to start treating teachers like valued professionals. We need to be funding the teachers and making sure they are getting the salaries they need so they dont have to go out of the teaching profession to get the salaries they deserve.

We could have master teachers.. At a certain level they [should be able to] make the same kind of money as an administrator. If youre great in the classroom, wed like to keep you in the classroom.

Rinke: The cost structure within our school districts and how it filters down to teachers needs to be looked at.

Whats gone up unbelievably is the cost of administration. When we talk about how teachers are compensated, it seems to me that maybe some of those administrative funds could and should be used to reward teachers who are getting results, and to respread some of that funding and ensure that those teachers that get great results and those schools that get great results have an incentive system that rewards them for that.

Soldano: The state needs to do everything it can to attract the best talent in the union, instead of pandering to teachers unions.

How do you differentiate yourself from the other primary candidates on education issues?

Dixon: Ive got a policy-based platform. We hear the other candidates talk about education being important, but were not seeing the level of policy that were talking about.

Rinke: Im the only candidate that brought up literacy right at the inception of my campaign and identified what the core problem is. We have an education proposal and we have solutions that will bring our kids to literacy.

We will reintroduce skilled labor options into our public education system and well have very unique private business partnerships that we will introduce to the public school systems in an attempt to offer kids learning opportunities and internship opportunities that can be paid as well as unpaid. Those internships will increase kids' desires to enter certain fields.

Soldano: I have pledged to not only ban CRT (critical race theory), but withhold funding from schools who would continue to teach these radical Marxist ideologies.

As governor, what steps would you take to ensure Michigan schools are funded sufficiently to provide a high quality education for all students?

Dixon: We should fund the students and not necessarily the schools. Michigan spending on education has gone up year after year but the achievement levels are not there.

Even though were spending all this money, why are kids still not able to read? We have this third-grade reading law. Weve got to enforce it. We need to make sure they dont get passed on. From kindergarten to third grade theyre learning to read, and after fourth theyre reading to learn. They cant miss that skill.

Rinke: I dont think we have a funding problem in Michigan. We have record spending. What we have is an accountability problem within that. Thats the area I want to focus on.

The third-grade reading law appears to be a failure. The premise is great but theres a problem. Theres an appropriate way to ensure that kids are literate. We (should) baseline test them in kindergarten, then do a third-grade standard test, and if they are deficient in third grade, we simply apply a process that gets them up to literacy.

Soldano: Our schools absolutely need sufficient funding, however the funding must be directed towards benefitting the student, not towards teaching inherently racist and Marxist topics such as critical race theory, which I will ban on my first day in office.

What would you do to ensure that state funding is equitable across all Michigan schools?

Dixon: Weve been in the midst of a slow-moving education crisis for decades, and Im taking a full-view approach to how were getting our education system back on track. Dollars need to follow the child. Parents need to be making those decisions about what they need to get their kids out of this crisis.

When you make sure we have equity in education, parents get to say, My kid is really struggling here, but if Im able to get them tutoring here or into this specialized school there then they would have the same level of education as the neighbor.

Rinke: Candidly, I am not an expert on the process for how they break down the amount thats applied for children, but it seems to me that funding needs to be equitable for all children. Some peoples definition of equity is I pay more where I live and so my kid should get more but the government has got to represent all the people and not pick winners and losers.

We have a system that supports a government-sponsored school program, and if we are going to allocate funds to children, it seems to me those dollar funds should be equal.

Soldano: I will ensure that school funding is fair to our students as a whole, including withholding funding from schools that violate my ban on teaching radical gender theory and Marxist belief systems such as critical race theory.

Do you support vouchers? If so, how would you ensure public schools are still sufficiently funded?

Dixon: My program is different than a voucher system. Its dollars following the child. If theres a mass exodus from our public schools, if we allow dollars to follow the student, we need to be concerned about what it is about our public schools that parents dont want to be there anymore. We need to take corrective action to make sure we dont have failing public schools.

Rinke: I dont like the term vouchers because theres connotations to them. I prefer to say our children are our customers, and the money should follow the customers. The school system needs to look at those kids as customers and say, We need to be able to provide quality for those folks that come to us. They need to earn the childs business, not be given it because of where they live.

Soldano: I 100% support school vouchers. As governor, I will ensure that our public schools receive the funds they need to provide a quality education for Michigan's next generation.

Tracie Mauriello covers state education policy for Chalkbeat Detroit and Bridge Michigan. Reach her at tmauriello@chalkbeat.org.

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Here is where Michigan Republican governor candidates stand on education - Bridge Michigan

Only peace can offer a solution to all aspects of the tragic situation that developed as a consequence of the war in Ukraine, Foreign Minister Pter Szijjrt told an event organised by Mathias Corvinus Collegium (MCC) in Esztergom on Saturday.

Szijjrt told MCC Feszt in a speech broadcast on Facebook that the war had a profound effect on the maneuvering space, the domestic policy and the foreign policy of every country, including Hungary. Hungary condemns military aggression and stands on the side of the victims, also supporting Ukraines territorial integrity, he added.

At the same time, Szijjrt said the Hungarian government had the greatest responsibility for the Hungarian people and must by all means prevent the country from getting involved in the war. The cabinet must not allow Hungarian people getting forced to pay for the price of the war, he added.

Relations with Russia must be maintained even in the current situation partly because the vicinity of Russia is a reality in central Europe and also because cutting communications channels would only hinder the possibility of finding a diplomatic settlement, he said. In the long term, only a Russian-American agreement could guarantee the end of the war, he added.

Szijjrt said that energy supplies were not an ideological-philosophical matter but hardcore physical reality. Europes annual natural gas demand is 170 billion cubic metres and within that Hungarys demand is 8.5 billion cubic metres a year, he said. Acquiring this volume is impossible without the involvement of Russian energy sources, he added.

Szijjrt said his response to opposition journalists accusing him of being friendly with Russia was what are we going to use for heating in the winter if I dont buy gas from the Russians?

He said that Hungarian gas storage capacities were 30 percent full which was better than the European average but the cabinet must buy an additional 732 million cubic metres of gas. Szijjrt added that Hungary will have no problem with natural gas supplies in the winter.

Hungary is getting 89 percent of the contracted volume of gas thanks to the fact that three-quarters arrive from Serbia and only one quarter from Austria. From the southern direction, Hungary will receive every molecule of gas, he added.

Szijjrt condemned the European Unions sanctions policy, saying that it had caused more harm to European countries than to Russia.

He reiterated that instead of sanctions, the EU should be focusing on peace and welcomed recent talks between the American and the Russian foreign ministers. Szijjrt criticised plans for the EUs common foreign policy to change the rule that instead of unanimity, majority support should be sufficient.

Commenting on Hungarys refusal to support the introduction of a global minimum tax, he said that by introducing it Europe would kill off its own continental economy and take away Hungarys advantage in the competition. He added that tax policy belonged to national competence and we must not allow impairing this.

Commenting on Transcarpathia, he said the issue of past Ukrainian decisions that had a negative effect on the ethnic Hungarian community and were condemned by Hungary has been put on hold during the war. Hungary must continue supporting Transcarpathia and Ukraine as a whole, he added. He noted that 860,000 refugees had arrived from Ukraine so far in the largest humanitarian scheme in Hungarian history and praised good relations with the governor of Transcarpathia Viktor Mikita.

Commenting on Hungarian-US relations, he said relations were always qualitatively different between Hungary and the US when the latter had a Republican president. Relations were best during the presidency of Donald Trump, he said and added that the Republican majority victory expected at the US midterm election in November will bring a new era in bilateral relations.

He expressed resentment about remarks by US ambassador nominee David Pressman made at his hearing in front of Senate stating that democracy was in decline in Hungary.

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Republican midterm victory will bring new era in US-Hungary relations? - dailynewshungary.com

Republicans tried to overturn the 2020 election results, butthe guardrails held, if just barely. As a result of Donald Trumps relentlessattacks on the outcome, roughly 70 percent of Republicans did not believe that JoeBiden won legitimately, and still do not. The January 6, 2021, insurrection was adirect attempt to invalidate a legitimate election result, yet Republicanslargely went along with it: Roughly two-thirds of House Republicans voted to give the insurrectionistswhat they wanted mere hours after they stormed the Capitol.

The GOP isnt even bothering to hide its goals to seizepermanent minoritarian power anymore. Republican candidates for various stateoffices in all the swing states are promising to deliver their Electoral College votes to the GOP presidential nominee in2024, regardless of whom people in the state cast their ballots for. Republicanleadership also isnt even bothering to hide its ambition to turn the U.S. into a competitive authoritarian theocracy: The 2022Conservative Political Action Conferencewas heldin Hungary to celebrate and learn what can begained by killing democracy as Viktor Orbn has.

Republicans brazenness can be attributed to the knowledge thatthere is a vanishingly small chance Democrats can prevent them from achievingtheir goals. The path to avoiding this is extremely narrow and requires black swans toaccomplish. First, Democrats must retain the House and win all five toss-upseats in the Senate. This is highly unlikely given thatoff-year elections are usually wipeouts for whichever party holds the WhiteHouse. Bidens approval ratings are as bad as Trumps were at the same point,or worse. Democrats have gained on generic ballots since the hideous Dobbsdecision overturning Roe v. Wade, but they still have an uphill climb.After the 2020 census and another round of gerrymandering, the House tiltsabout 3.4 points toward the GOP. The Senate has a seven-point lean. To break the filibuster with 60votes in the Senate, Democrats would need to win the national vote by at least16 points three times in a row. Its true that if Democrats win every toss-up Senaterace in 2022, they might have the 50 votes to eliminate the filibuster withoutManchins and Sinemas support, though this only matters if they hold onto theHouse as well, which right now is a long shot.

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Its Going to Take Several Miracles to Stop the Republican Party From Turning America Into Hungary - The New Republic

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WASHINGTON The U.S. House on Thursday passed a bill backed by leading Republicans in Texas to encourage domestic semiconductor production, even as most Texas Republicans in the chamber voted against the measure.

U.S. Reps. Michael McCaul of Austin and Kay Granger of Fort Worth were the only Texas Republicans to vote for the bill, along with all the chambers Texas Democrats. The bill passed the House by a vote of 243-187-1 after winning U.S. Senate approval earlier this week. It now awaits final approval from President Joe Biden, who supports the bill.

The legislation incentivizes companies that produce semiconductors chips that power anything from a car to a cellphone to work in the United States, as concerns mount over China and other countries growing influence over the industry. The U.S., once considered a leader in global semiconductor production, has seen its share of chip production wane over the past few decades.

The bill provides $52 billion in subsidies for domestic semiconductor manufacturers and provides a tax credit for investments in semiconductor manufacturing.

The bill had the support of leading Texas Republicans, including Gov. Greg Abbott and House Speaker Dade Phelan, who lauded the bill as an opportunity for job creation in the state. Its a rare point of agreement between Republicans in Texas and the Biden administration, which has been pushing for months to combat foreign domination of chip production.

This legislation will assist the United States in cementing a secure semiconductor supply chain, which is vital to our nations economy and national security, and better equip Texas to compete for investment in this industry, Abbott said in a statement last week.

Texas is a hub for semiconductor production, leading the country in semiconductor exports for 11 straight years. Samsung, a leader in semiconductor production, recently filed paperwork suggesting plans to expand its presence in the state by building 11 chip-making facilities in the next two decades. The technology giant announced plans last year to build a $17 billion semiconductor facility in Taylor.

House GOP leadership decided on Wednesday evening to encourage their members to vote against the legislation that had long been considered a bipartisan agreement. The effort failed, as 24 Republicans defied their leadership to vote for the bill, including McCaul and Granger.

That came after Senate Democrats surprised lawmakers when they introduced a sweeping piece of legislation intended to lower health care costs and combat climate change just hours after the U.S. Senate passed the legislation on Wednesday on a bipartisan vote of 64-33.

U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, helped lead the effort to pass the semiconductors legislation. Ted Cruz, Texas junior Republican senator, voted against the bill because of the money distributed to massive corporations.

Im all for using the tax code to incentivize manufacturers to build semiconductors in America, but when the federal government simply gives billions of taxpayer dollars directly to massive corporations, it invites cronyism and corruption, Cruz said in a statement after the bills passage.

The bill also faced opposition from progressives who, like Cruz, derided it as a form of corporate welfare. Progressive U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, also voted against the bill.

When you join us at The Texas Tribune Festival Sept. 22-24 in downtown Austin, youll hear from changemakers who are driving innovation, lawmakers who are taking charge with new policies, industry leaders who are pushing Texas forward and so many others. See the growing speaker list and buy tickets.

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Semiconductor subsidies bill backed by top Texas Republicans passes in U.S. House and heads to Biden for final approval - The Texas Tribune

Its true that a GOP-led investigative committee in the Missouri House found Greitens former girlfriend, who also alleged she once felt she had to perform oral sex on him to escape his basement, to be an overall credible witness, and true she testified to the events under oath, which Greitens never has. But no one ever produced the alleged nude photo at the center of the criminal case against him. Greitens has used this to blame political rivals, including RINOs in the state Legislature, many of whom really didnt like the guy, and the St. Louis prosecutor, who really is quite liberal, for hounding him out of office based on unproven charges.

Hes not a disgraced former governor, said Jane Cunningham, a Republican former state senator who served during Greitens governorship. Hes an exonerated former governor, is more correct. (In a separate campaign-finance case, the Missouri Ethics Commission fined his campaign for concealing donors but did not find that Greitens had personal knowledge of the violations. He was never tried on the other charges.) Cunningham was representing West St. Louis County when Greitens first burst onto the states political scene, and she recalled him filling up a Doubletree in Chesterfield with maybe a thousand people for an event. I knew very few people there, she told me, and this was my district. She recalled thinking that this guy is expanding the Republican tent bigger than I have, ever. I have never seen anything like that before. Cunningham hasnt endorsed anyone in the race yet; she said shes watching and waiting.

Disgraced or not, hes legislatively the most conservative governor weve ever had, said John Lamping, a former Missouri state senator who helped Greitens prepare for his gubernatorial run. Lamping said that he wont endorse Greitens, because hes a serious Catholic and finds the personal scandals disqualifying. But he likes the populist-nationalist message. Lamping has said that such a message would probably net Greitens 10 or 20 percent in the primary on its own. On the upper end, that could put the candidate a few points shy of enough to prevail in a crowded field. (Greitens won his 2016 gubernatorial primary with 35 percent.) Missouri is primed for populism, Lamping told me. When you drive out to central Missouri somewhere, there used to be factories, there used to be softball fields and public schools, and now the population is diminished and theres all kinds of problems.

Greitens supporters I spoke to all shared a distaste for the political powers that be, and not just Democrats. One of Greitenss biggest applause lines at the Arnold event was a repeat of his vow, if elected, not to vote for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell to lead the party in the Senate. A vote for McConnell, he said, would be a vote for politics as usual, and for the lobbyist class. I was the first guy in the country to say were going to take him on, Greitens said. And you know what? Theyve come after us. And I tell them, Guys, youre going to have to get in line.

Especially here in Missouri, we have a problem with RINOs, said Roger Dix, 70, who lives in Missouris Ozarks and is retired from a career in the health care industry. Cunningham introduced me to him as a leading area Republican. He cited a Republican-dominated legislature that this session failed to defund Planned Parenthood or ban transgender girls from female sports in state universities. You want to set my wife off? That did. Dix also feels outgoing Republican Sen. Roy Blunt of Missouri turned his back on people like him; Dix sent a letter to Blunts office demanding answers about his concerns the 2020 elections were fraudulent, only to get no response and then see Blunt proudly chair Joe Bidens inaugural committee. We have lost our democracy at this point in time, with regard to fair and honest elections, Dix said.

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The Republican Hoping to Ride Trump's Scandal Strategy to Victory - POLITICO

A group of five conservative Republicans hasintroduced legislation to make the federal government an at-will employer, eviscerating civil service protections, chilling whistleblower activity and abolishing the Merit Systems Protection Board.

Reps. Chip Roy, R-Texas, Mary Miller, R-Ill., Troy Nehls, R-Texas, Bob Good, R-Va., and Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., on Thursday introduced the Public Service Reform Act (H.R. 8550), which would make federal workers at-will employees and strip them of many of the avenues currently at their disposal to appeal adverse personnel actions. It would abolish the MSPB, sending all complaints of whistleblower retaliation to the Office of Special Counsel, albeit only for 14 days, after which all appeals would go directly to federal appellate courts.

Most career civil servants do their jobs faithfully day in and day out, but there are still too many federal employees actively undermining Americathrough their blatant contempt for our nation, the rule of law, and the American people, Roy said in a statement. That is because policies meant to insulate the government from politics have instead created a dense web of red tape that rewards laziness and noncompliance and enables hostile partisans to entrench themselves within federal agencies. Former President Trump is absolutely right about this: there needs to be a reckoning, and bureaucrats actually need to be fireable.

Although the bill stands nearly zero chance of passing in the current Congress, experts say that it, combined with recent news that conservative political operatives with Trumps endorsementhave devised plans to revive Schedule F, a proposalto strip the civil service protections fromtens of thousands of federal employees in policy-related positions, indicates the civil service system as we have known it for the last 150 yearswill be under attack under the next Republican administration.

This is obviously a huge and major change, an effort to gear up a major assault on the federal employment system, said Don Kettl, professor emeritus and former dean of the University of Maryland School of Public Policy. This is being helped and aided unquestionably by a set of groups like America First Works, Heritage Action for America, FreedomWorks and Citizens for Renewing America, who have endorsed the bill . . . Much of the debate has largely been about if Trump is reelected, but what this makes clear is the efforts to try to change the civil service arent just Trump necessarily, and if Republicans take control of Congress following the midterms, this may very well go from idea to specific action.

Under the bill, the only way a federal employee would be able to fight their termination aside from through the Equal Employment Opportunity Commissionin instances of discriminationor OSC and the judiciary if they are whistleblowers is by appealing to the very manager who has proposed firing them. Only an agency head has the power to overrule the official who has proposed firing someone.

Roy said in a statement that his bill preserves protections against discrimination and whistleblower retaliation. But in the case of discrimination, EEOC would be required to toss all of its policies regarding complaints that originate from federal agencies and apply the same standards it uses in private sector cases.

My bill would make all federal bureaucrats at-will employeesjust like private sector workersand claw back the inordinate protections some federal employees grossly abuse while helping legitimate whistleblowers and victims ofdiscrimination get the justice they deserve, Roy said.

However, the bills purported whistleblower protections suggest just the opposite, Kettl said. OSC only has a 14-day window in which to make nonbinding recommendations on whether an adverse personnel action constitutes retaliation. Another provision requires the deduction of 25% of a federal employees retirement annuity if a court finds their appeal to be in bad faith or frivolous.

This dramatically limits the amount of whistleblowing activity thats possible, he said. Going to court is extremely expensive and time consuming. In addition, it creates a disincentive to blow the whistle because your retirement benefits could be reduced. When you put it together, its a very big deal. It would dramatically change the incentives for individuals who are being dismissed because of whistleblowing.

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'There Needs to Be a Reckoning': Republicans Introduce a Bill to Make Feds At-Will Employees - GovExec.com

Six candidates will face off in this summer's RepublicanParty primary for Assembly District 6.

The winner will gain the GOP nomination in the race to succeed Republican Gary Tauchen, 68, of Hartland, in Shawano County.

Tauchen announced in January that he plans to retire when he completes this term. He won a four-way primary to gain the Republican nomination in 2006, then was reelected seven times in the heavily Republican district.

The district includes much of rural Shawano County, as well as someof northwestern Outagamie County, and small parts of Waupaca and Brown counties.

Candidates were asked to adhere to word limits 50 words for biographical questions, 100 for issue questions. Answers were gently edited for grammar, style and accuracy.

The primary winner will face DemocratWilliam Switalla.

Age: 35

Address: 123 Givens Road,, Hortonville

Occupation: Yard coordinator at Fabick Rents, a Caterpillar-rental businessfor construction equipment.

Highest education level achieved: Lawrence University graduate. Majored in government (philosophy), and minored in history (Russian).

Relevant experience: Intern with the Republican Party of Wisconsin (RPW),Northeast region,2015;Outagamie field director for RPW, 2016;events chair, Republican Party of Outagamie County (RPOC) for approximately twoyears;chairman of RPOC approximately fouryears. Served twoterms as an8th Congressional District representativeto the RPW Platform Committee. Decade of farming experience in Shawano County. Raised in a family of small business owners (Larry and Nancys Drive In, Marion, 5-A businesses, Marion, Tigerton, New London).

Age: 42

Address: 216 S. Smalley St., Shawano.

Occupation: Legislative aide for Rep. Gary Tauchen, R-Hartland, 2006-22.

Highest education level achieved: Masters of science in sports analytics and management, American University, Washington, D.C.,2022

Relevant experience: Former legislative staffer for Rep. Gary Tauchen, R-Hartland. Clerk for these Assembly committees: 2011-13, Campaign and Elections;2013-20,Rural Affairs and Small Business;2017-22, Agriculture.

Age: 43

Address:N3832 County F, Bonduel

Employment: Owns Big Sky Pet Transport, LLC.Founded Angels to HeroesLLC, anorganization that uses the outdoors to combat PTSD amongmilitary veterans and first-responders with the ultimate goal of preventing suicides. The groupalso donates trained service dogs.

Education: Attended Fox Valley Technical College to study diesel technology, and Northeast Wisconsin Technical College to study criminal justice/law enforcement.

Relevantexperience: FVTC Diesel Club treasurer and president. Served in the U.S. Coast Guard, 1997, 2003. Member, National Rifle Association,Wisconsin Gun Owners Association, AMVETS Post 10, American Legion Post 217 member.

Age: 33

Address: W14874 County M,Tigerton.

Occupation: Heating, ventilating and air-conditioningcontractor

Highest education level: High-school equivalent. Homeschooled

Relevant experience: Started and own a successful business with no debt. Raising three children whoare "socially desirable." Managing hisown campaign.

Age: 40

Occupation: President of A-1 Professional Supply, a maintenance and janitorialsupplier/Neubert LLC

Highest grade completed: Hortonville High School graduate

Related experience: Coach and coordinatorof several youth sports teams in the Fox Valley.Campaign volunteer for several school board, city council and county board conservative candidates.

Age: 30

Address: W3847 Old Dump Road, Bonduel.

Education: Bachelor's degree with adouble major in political science and Spanish

Occupation: Dairy farmer; co-owner and operator of Schmidt Farm.

Relevant experience: Former Shawano County Board member, Town of Hartland caucus chairman, planning commission member, poll worker.

ALBERT: I'm running for the state Assembly because too many times I have seen politicians make big promises to rural and working-class voters and then disappear until they need our votes again. Im an experienced leader who has taken on the elite as chairman of the Outagamie County Republican Party.

ARROWOOD:I am running to be the next representative to the Wisconsin Assembly, fighting to uphold the Constitution, protecting your individual rights and freedoms, and standing up against government overreach.

KOHN:I'm running for this office because I'm simply unhappy with the direction of our country and state are heading. Change needs to begin at the state level. I have a history of being someone who is wiling to speak out against wrongs and the ability to listen to ideas that create a positive change for all.

MICHAEL:There is a quote that says, "the only way for evil to succeed is that good men do nothing."I have seen evil in the past two years and I have seen men and women who should have done their duty to stop it and didn't. I'm running to change that.

NEUBERT:I am a father of three and I cant stand the thought of my kids looking at me in 20 years and asking, why didnt I do more? I will bring my conservative values and find common sense solutions that workfor everyone.

SCHMIDT:Im running for the state Assembly to fight for life, liberty and happiness as our founding fathers outlined: Life: Treat all life with respect and dignity. Liberty: Individual responsibility over bigger government. Happiness: The freedom to pursue your Wisconsin dream. Its time, "we, the people" restore our rights and freedoms.

ALBERT: I am a worker. I wake up every day and put my steel toes on one foot at a time like so many of you and get to work. That is what I have done on the farm, as chairman, and will continue to do if elected.

ARROWOOD:Experience.I have nearly 17 years of legislative experience and on-the-job training while working for the 6th Assembly District as the lead staffer for Republican Representative Gary Tauchen. My experience and knowledge of the legislative process make me the ideal candidate to succeed Rep. Tauchen in 2022.

KOHN: I'm the best candidate because of my life experience of being someone who has represented others. Whether it's operating an organization that combats the effects of PTSD and prevents suicides of military veterans and first responders or it's transporting pets across the country, I've always put others needs ahead of my own.

MICHAEL:I do not fear men. I fear only God. And at the end of the day I will give an account to him for everything that I have done. My integrity rests on that.

NEUBERT:I am a business owner and volunteer in several youth sports programs in the district. I am proud of the young athletes I work with teaching them dedication and teamwork. My years of experience running a successful business is the leadership we need representing us in Madison right now.

SCHMIDT: Im a constitutional conservative who is pro-life, pro-economic freedoms, and pro-Second Amendment, who will take our northeastern Wisconsin values to Madison. Scrap the Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC). Pass a Parents Bill of Rights for transparency. Oppose any defunding of our law enforcement. Prevent future economic shutdowns.

ALBERT: The economy, election integrity, and inflation are the most discussed. A common issue I have heard at the door is the training requirements of volunteer fire departments and the stress it puts on them. Madison one-size-fits-all policies often work against rural communities, and this is no exception. Requirements should be tailored to the needs that rural departments have. We need to make Wisconsin business friendly again by phasing out the personal property tax business are burdened with as well as the state income tax which hurts all Wisconsin families. We must continue to address the deficiencies in our elections.

ARROWOOD:Biden's failures have led to the highest inflation rates in decades, impacting everything from the economy to crime to education to a general sense of malaise amongst voters.Making meaningful change for the better will require a course correction in policy, attitude, and embracing American exceptionalism as a strength rather than a sin.Wisconsinites need to keep more money from their hard work and believe their children will have a better life than they do now.Unfortunately, far too many have lost this optimism.Our rights and freedoms make this country the envy of others.

KOHN:I'm hearing the regular conservative issues (election integrity, inflation, gas prices, Second Amendment), but I'm hearing about a local issue of not enough volunteer fire department personnel. As a former volunteer firefighter and EMT, I understand the struggles of balancing training, employment, family life, and unexpected scheduling conflicts that all too often affect the required training. I will work with the Assembly and technical colleges to develop legislation that creates a volunteer certification for our rural volunteer fire and EMS departments to allow flexibility to get new recruits certified without compromising the effectiveness of the department.

MICHAEL: The majority of concerns I get from people involvea yearning for justice. If someone commits a crime, they want to perpetrators of the crime to be punished. Whether it's stealing an election, illegal lock downs, innocent J6 victims. They want the lion of the law to have teeth and to prosecute injustice.

NEUBERT:The economy and inflation are by far the biggest concerns of District 6. Every day we see people struggle to make if paycheck-to-paycheck in this economic environment.I will fight for a conservative agenda that promotes economic development while cutting the red tapethat creates a barrier for so many of us every day. Providing the common sense solutions that represent northeast Wisconsin in Madison.

SCHMIDT:My residents greatest concernis election integrity. I believe we need to hold the Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC) accountable for breaking the law regarding ballot harvesting, election bribery, and third parties running our elections. We need to scrap the WEC and give the elections back to the local governments. Ban third party money entering our elections.

ALBERT: The economy and inflation. We must strengthen Wisconsins economy to weather the storm that Joe Biden and his policies have unleashed. With the tax policies outlined above, a pro-growth pro-employment agenda focused on training workers for the jobs that are readily available, reducing burdensome regulation, and limiting and shrinking the size of administrative government we can prosper through the economic storm churned out by Washington liberals.

ARROWOOD:Mental-health crisis is affecting children.The response to COVID-19 had numerous detrimental impacts on our schools and our children.Children of all ages need stability, opportunities, and, now more than ever, mental health support. Unfortunately, we may have inadvertently created another in response to one crisis. This is a personal issue for me, as I lost my mother to suicide at the height of the COVID-19 lockdown.The impact of suicide on families is genuinely horrible, and if, as a state legislator, I could prevent one family from that pain, it would be worth it.

KOHN:I believe the most pressing issue facing Wisconsin is the price of gas. As a small business owner, in the transportation industry,I know all too well how fuel prices are hurting our families.Fuel prices are driving up the cost of everything. There's not much the state can do for a downward economy,but we could look at reducing or eliminating the state income tax and state gas tax. That would help Wisconsin workers keep a little money in their pockets.

MICHAEL:Right now, it's fixing our elections. We still have machines that can be hacked. That means we will still have rigged elections in Wisconsin.

NEUBERT:Its critical we give people more of their paychecks back instead of sending their hard-earned money to Madison. Rising costs of food and energy are having profound impact on families. As a businessman, I know something about managing budgets and doing whats right for the taxpayer.

SCHMIDT:Wisconsins most pressing issue is election integrity. Why have we allowed third parties to administer the elections? Why do we allow the political elites to tell us what to do and buy ourcandidates and elections? When will "wethe people"rise up and push back against 2020s stolen elections?We need to scrap the WEC. Ban third-party money entering our elections. (Editor's note: Congress has certified Joe Biden as the winner in the 2020 presidential election.State and federal courts have ruled against former President Donald Trump in lawsuits over how the election was conducted, including rulings by the U.S. Supreme Court, the state Supreme Court and two federal judges.)

ALBERT: I am proud to be the only candidate endorsed by Wisconsin Right to Life. I will vote to keep as restrictive an abortion ban as can pass the Legislature. I will also fight to make sure we fund adoption. Why anyone who wants to open their home, their heart, and their family to a child in need should have to pay for the privilege baffles me. We should be funding support clinics to help mothers navigate any unexpected pregnancies. The pro-life issue goes way beyond the abortion debate. We support children and families, too.

ARROWOOD:I would not vote to repeal 940.04 (which makes abortions illegal in Wisconsin)from Wisconsin statutes. However, I would support adding exemptions for victims of rape or incest.

KOHN: I would not support repealing Wisconsin's ban on abortion and I would definitely support legislation that includes rape and incest as exceptions to the law. I believe life begins with a heartbeat. I believe in the values of Right to Life. I have a plan that fixes the family court and child support systems and giving equal rights to fathers. Child support needs to be based on the cost of raising a child, not a penalty on income.

MICHAEL:No. I believe that God created every human with intent and purpose and therefore holds infinite value at every stage of life. To murder a baby at twomonths gestation is to murder a baby at two years. Two wrongs don't make a right, and killing a baby in the womb that was conceived by rape is not fixing a problem, but creating another one.

NEUBERT:As a pro-life candidate I will be a defender of the unborn. I was very disappointed to read Gov. Evers and AG Kaul playing politics with the life of the most vulnerable among us. The recent Supreme Court decision hasnt changed current state law on the books. I have yet to see legislation to expand abortion I would vote to support, and I doubt we will in the future.

SCHMIDT:I will not vote to repeal Wisconsins ban on abortions, nor add exemptions to the law.Wisconsin has been a pro-life state since 1849. Roe v. Wade was wrongly decided and it should be up to the states to determine this issue. I am proud to continue to support and defend a culture of life in Wisconsin.

ALBERT: Violence in general needs to be addressed whether it's someone driving their car through a parade or someone suffering spousal abuse. Lax practices by certaindistrict attorneysin this statehave allowed violent offenders back into communities to hurt others again. This needs to stop. Mental health clinics and mental health reform should be a priority so those that are unwell can seek help and be supported. The weapons used to commit crimes are a symptom not a cause. I am proud to be AQ rated by the NRA and would support constitutional carry in Wisconsin.

ARROWOOD:The Second Amendment is an individual right that empowers citizens to arm themselves and protect themselves and their families from threats. Recently, surveillance video from the Uvalde, Texas,school shooting demonstrated the peril of outsourcing your protection. From my perspective, the stunning and sickening profiles of cowardice by local law enforcement in Uvalde make any effort to curtail the SecondAmendment a non-starter.Mental health and counseling must address some citizens' underlying issues, but not at the expense of due process.

KOHN:As the only military veteran running for this office, an NRA member, Wisconsin Gun Owners Association member,and someone who holds concealed carry permits from four different states, I would not support another senseless gun law. I support constitutional carry and I would vote to eliminate "gun free zones."I would support arming our educators as long as they are required to go through training similar to that of a law enforcement officer. I would oppose the "red flag laws" proposed by Tony Evers. We need to invest in mental health care reform,not more gun laws.

MICHAEL:There are more laws against guns now then there were 100 years ago, yet there are more shootings now than 100 years ago. It's not banning guns or creating more law. It's teaching moral laws. If children are taught that all mankind came from nothing, then mankind is worth nothing. But if children are taught that all mankind was created by God, then mankind has a code by which to operate.

NEUBERT:The random acts of violence that have impacted our communities in this country have been devastating. The disturbed individual who ran over those children and parents in Waukesha last year should have us asking, "What triggers this type of behavior to violently act out?" When individuals are in a mental-health crisis there have been opportunities to stop many of them. We need to assess why ourjudicial system, health care system and our culture that glorifies violence doesnt prevent this violence before they pick up a gun or start that vehicle. The Second Amendment shall not be

infringed.

SCHMIDT:I believe gun violence is a matter of the mind. No law nor regulation will end gun violence. It is an issue regarding morality. Having a strong, reliable support system keeps people accountable and strengthens social bonds in the community.I believe the Legislature needs to pass permit-less carry make Wisconsina Second Amendment sanctuary state. Eliminate gun-free zones and educate its citizens regarding firearm safety. Encouraging firearm ownership and establishing community ties with law enforcement is the best approach to address gun violence. Supporting and defending the Second Amendment is the peoples last defense against future tyranny.

ALBERT: Wisconsin election law is already very accommodating to voters. We have in-person voting for weeks in large municipalities and an absentee voting system that allows no questions asked mail in voting. We need to help rural clerks who cannot offer the same hours to their citizens for early voting like their big city counterparts. We need a uniform set timeframe for early voting and absentee voting, and we need to have a serious discussion about those timeframes. We need to get back closer to election day instead of election weeks or month.

ARROWOOD:Election security and reform are paramount issues to me. I support the recent Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling on ballot boxes, and the Legislature should strongly consider the recommendations by the Legislative Audit Bureau.Also, ending ballot harvesting, banning "Zucker-Bucks" from influencing local election policies, and other common-sense reforms would improve voter confidence in our election system.

KOHN:I would vote to eliminate the special voting deputies and support legislation that allows early in-person voting for those with disabilities to take place in the clerks'offices. I would like to see a transportation program set up, similar to what most counties have for elderly citizens to get to medical appointments,which would provide transportation to and from polling places during elections.

MICHAEL:Voting deputies. Nursing homes have voting deputies that get sent to them to assist the residents with voting. I believe that to be "definitely confined" should have very stringent rules to be allowed to be labeled as such, and then voting deputies can be sent to their residence.

NEUBERT:I believe everyone has the right to vote wholegally can do so. We need to make it easy for our seniors and those with a disability to proudly cast their vote legally. We need to tighten up our indefinitely confided laws so we do protect that process for those with disabilities versus seeing it abused as we witnessed by former state Sen. Patty Schachtnerin western Wisconsin.

SCHMIDT:Our current election process for disabilities and transportation challenges satisfies state standards. We dont need any more regulations nor new laws at this moment. Current law already mandates that all polling locations accommodate people with disabilities and absentee ballots eliminate those with transportation challenges.

ALBERT: I do support dismantling the WEC. We have seen that WEC as it is currently construed doesnt work. They deadlock on nearly everything and then staff writes their own guidance not supported by statute. I would put the power back in the hands of the peoples representatives elected at regular intervals. We have an election committee in both the state Assembly and the state Senate. They should be the decision-making body that the commission was. The secretary of state should act like the administrator to carry out the decisions of the committee and the administration of the elections.

ARROWOOD:The Wisconsin elections board made numerous controversial and incorrect decisions not based on the law or legal standing. These actions by WEC have led to a crisis of confidence in a large swath of Wisconsin voters. Restoring confidence in our elections must be a priority for the next Legislative session.Reform and accountability may require a of shift election administration to another office, such as the secretary of state. However, any change should have accountability via voters.

KOHN:Yes, I support dismantling the Wisconsin Elections Commission.I believe election oversight could be handled by the secretary of state, an elected official. Election certifications should be done by the state Assembly and the state Senate. This would give the power back to the people of Wisconsin and their elected officials, not a commission appointed by the governor.

MICHAEL:Absolutely,And the reason for that is: the Wisconsin Elections Commission is not an elected entity. It is assigned by the Legislature. So they cannot be voted in by the people. WEC should be abolished and the responsibilities for running elections should go to an elected official such as a secretary of state. An elected official holds the interest of the people more so than bureaucrats.

NEUBERT:We need a system that can manage our election process. We found that during the 2020 pandemic laws, rules andsystems in business and in government were tested. The Wisconsin Election Commission was unable to live up to the needs of the voters in 2020. We need to look at creating a new office managed by asecretary with term limits who has enforcement authority and oversight by the Legislature.

SCHMIDT:I support scrapping the Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC). I believe we need to hold WEC accountable for breaking the law regarding ballot harvesting, election bribery, and third parties running our elections. We need to scrap the WEC and give the elections back to the local governments. Keeping our elections decentralized will make it harder for the political elites to cheat and steal another election.

Editor's note:President Joe Biden won the 2020 election, which has been called "the most secure in American history" by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, adding, "There is no evidence that any voting system deleted or lost votes, changed votes or was in any way compromised." In Wisconsin, Biden won by 21,000 votes, or 0.6 percentage points. Recounts in Dane and Milwaukee counties upheld the win. State and federal courts have ruled against Trump in lawsuits over how the election was conducted, including rulings by the U.S. Supreme Court, the state Supreme Court and two federal judges.

ALBERT: I believe it is likely Joe Biden did not win the 2020 election. I was the only county party chairman in northeastern Wisconsin to hold a "stop the steal" rally. There has been doubt cast on our elections for decades from both sides, we must get a handle on how our elections are conducted to ensure we all have faith in the outcome. I worked hard in Outagamie County to create a poll-worker program where we ensure that our Republican poll-worker positions are filled with actual Republicans. Having both parties present at the polls ensures honesty and transparency.

ARROWOOD:In 2011, I was the clerk of the Assembly Committee on Campaign and Elections.During that session, we passed 2011 Act 23, "Voter ID." I know the complexity of election policy.I am a strong advocate and proponent of election security.Unfortunately, some claim we can recall our electors and "decertify" the previous election.However, we cannot "un-ring the bell" of the 2020 election.Wisconsin voters want safe and secure elections, which should be the Legislature's priority. The only ways to remove a sitting president are resignation, impeachment, deathor invoking the 25th Amendment.

KOHN:I believe the 2020 election has shown us that voter fraud is real and it raised many issues with how insecure our electionsare. It left many Americans less confident than ever, with our election integrity.We need legislation that outlaws ballot drop boxes, ballot harvesting,and the use of private money in our elections. Voter ID became a requirement,and a voter law agency formed to address election laws.

MICHAEL:I would have to be living under a rock to believe that. And I don't. No, Biden did not win the 2020 election. I have made it my goal to find out how Trump "lost" the 2020 election in Wisconsin. Call me if you havequestions.

NEUBERT:Joe Biden is the president unless the 2024 voters say otherwise. The 2020 election restricted transparency in the name of COVID. This lack of transparency rightfully fueled speculation of fraud. This could have been prevented by simply following the law in places like Green Bay, Racine and Milwaukee. As I look forward, we need to make serious reforms to our election laws to restore integrity so voters can feel confident that their vote will count. That leadership and those reforms wont happen under Governor Evers. We need a Republican governor who will lead with common sense reforms.

SCHMIDT:I believeJoe Biden didnt win the 2020 presidential election legitimately. I believe Mark Zuckerberg spent $416 million to buy the election for Biden. (Editor's note: The money was used to hire election workers and there's been no proof that the donation was used illegally. Grants were given to more than 200 cities in Wisconsin, including many Republican ones.)

Contact Doug Schneider at (920) 431-8333, or DSchneid@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @PGDougSchneider.

Originally posted here:

With Rep. Tauchen retiring, six candidates will meet in Republican primary in Assembly District 6 - Post-Crescent

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The New York Times published an op-ed Thursday that praised Republican governors for delivering positive economic results for the people of their states despite challenging national conditions. The article, titled "These Republican Governors Are Delivering Results, and Many Voters Like Them for It," was written by Republican strategist Liz Mair.

While Mair is a Republican, she is an anti-Trump Republican and has also been critical of Florida Republican Ron DeSantis in his fight with Disney. However, she noted a majority of the most popular governors across the country are Republicans.

"In states across the country, Republican governors are delivering real results for people they are physically more proximate to than federal officials," Mair wrote.

SUPER SPENDERS: INSIDE THE DEMS' NEW $433,000,000,000 TAX HIKE AND CLIMATE CHANGE BILL

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, front right, signs Senate Bill 1, also known as the election integrity bill, into law with state Sen. Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola, front left, looking on with others in the background in Tyler, Texas, Sept. 7, 2021. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

"Now, its true that the party that controls the presidency nearly always gets whipped in midterm elections, and inflation would be a huge drag on any party in power," she wrote. "And its also true that among those governors are culture warriors like Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida and Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas."

"But people too often overlook the idea that actual results, especially ones related to pocketbook issues, can often be as important as rhetoric. Looked at that way, lots of Republicans some with high public profiles, and some who fly below the radar are excelling," Mair argued.

Earlier this month, the Wall Street Journal reported that red states like Florida and Texas are doing better in the post-pandemic economy than blue states.

WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM CALLS TO REDUCE PRIVATE VEHICLES BY ELIMINATING OWNERSHIP

Ron DeSantis with Donald Trump. (Getty Images)

"Across the country, 13 of the 15 most popular governors are Republicans," Mair wrote. She also pointed to Republican governors in blue states being very popular.

She argued that policy choices governors made during the COVID-19 pandemic made a difference for many of them.

"For example, take a look at the most recent Bureau of Labor Statistics data on unemployment. In the 10 states with the lowest rates as of June, eight were led by Republican governors," she wrote. "In our federalist system, a lot of power still sits with states and not the federal government and determines much about citizens live."

Former President Donald Trump and Kari Lake, whom Trump is supporting in the Arizona gubernatorial race, attend a rally at the Canyon Moon Ranch festival grounds in Florence, Arizona, southeast of Phoenix, on Jan. 15, 2022. (Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images)

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Mair argued that "sound economic policy and focusing on the job, not theatrics, are delivering basic day-to-day results Americans want, need and will reward."

New York Times' podcast, "The Ezra Klein Show," noted how in Republican states housing is much more affordable compared to blue states.

Joe Silverstein is a production assistant for Fox News Digital.

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New York Times op-ed: Republican governors are popular because they deliver for their states - Fox News