Republicans made significant gains with women and Hispanic voters in last year's midterm elections, despite falling short of their expected "red wave," according to a new report on validated general election voters.
Why it matters: Turnout — not voters switching parties — was the biggest factor driving GOP gains. Still, Republicans' slow, steady progress in winning over these voting blocs is raising alarms for Democrats.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' positions on LGBTQ issues aren't landing with a group of Minnesota swing voters, with several describing him as a "wannabe dictator" in our latest Engagious/Sago focus groups.
Why it matters: The culture wars that have boosted DeSantis' popularity in Florida (and now, he hopes, nationally) are already souring his image with some voters in a key Midwestern state.
Why it matters: The twin determinations from team Biden — one political and one legal — will raise the temperature on Su’s confirmation, potentially complicating her path to winning 50 votes on the Senate floor.
Why it matters: The "poison" amendments, as one member described them, mean Democrats will likely vote against the National Defense Authorization Act en masse. That will require nearly all House Republicans to vote "yes" to salvage the historically bipartisan bill.
Justice Brett Kavanaugh lauded the operations of the current Supreme Court as "government at its finest" in public remarks on Thursday, despite ethical and political controversies facing the court, the Washington Post reports.
Why it matters: Kavanaugh's remarks at the annual 8th Circuit Judicial Conference in Bloomington, Minnesota, were the first public appearance of a justice since the court ended its latest highly charged session.
The U.S. Department of Justice is opening a civil rights investigation into an Atlanta jail after an inmate with mental illness was found dead and covered in bug bites inside a cell last September.
Driving the news: The DOJ said Thursday that the department found "significant justification" to launch an investigation, including allegations of deplorable living conditions, excessive force and failure to provide adequate care to detainees.
A briefing from the Secret Service on Thursday about the discovery of cocaine at the White House prompted some Republican lawmakers to decry alleged security flaws and call for reforms.
Driving the news: The Secret Service said they are closing their investigation into the matter after failing to find a suspect.
U.S. Rep. Rául Grijalva, the Arizona Democrat, knows his bills to improve public education and increase access for English language learners don't have much of a chance in this Congress — but he tells Axios Latino he's still willing to try.
The big picture: Grijalva, who has served in Congress since 2003, sits on the House Education and Labor Committee and is a ranking member of the House Natural Resources Committee.
House Republicans are preparing for a precarious tightrope walk on a must-pass defense bill as they try to balance hardliners demands for controversial amendment votes with a narrow margin for error.
Why it matters: It doesn’t just put passage of the defense legislation in jeopardy – it also highlights the difficult dynamic the House will face in just a few months in trying to avert a government shutdown.
Why it matters: DeSantis has struggled to gain ground on Trump, but his comments suggest that he is hitting back against the Republican frontrunner to distinguish himself in the crowded primary.
Cassidy Hutchinson — the former Trump aide who was a pivotal witness at the House's Jan. 6 hearings — will be out Sept. 26 with a memoir, "Enough."
Why it matters: The book is billed as the "saga of a woman whose fierce determination helped her overcome difficult childhood challenges to get her dream job" — only to face a crisis of conscience after being privy to West Wing meetings and conversations amid the Capitol attack.
Ron DeSantis’ campaign is blitzing Iowa at a frantic pace six months before the Republican caucuses there, trying to boost his flagging challenge of former President Trump, the GOP front-runner.
Why it matters: DeSantis' push comes as polls suggest the more voters know about the Florida governor, the less they like him — and amid reports that GOP influencer Rupert Murdoch, an early DeSantis supporter who owns Fox News, is losing faith.
Driving the news: Sen. Scott's campaign manager said in a memo released Wednesday that he raised $6.1 million from over 53,000 unique donors in the second quarter of this year, while former New Jersey Gov. Christie told CNN in the evening "last night, we went past 40,000 unique donors in just 35 days."
