Mike Garcia

Rep. Kay Granger, Republican of Texas, has missed four months of votes in Congress after "having some dementia issues late in the year," her son Brandon Granger told The Dallas Morning News. “It’s been a hard year,” said the 52-year-old Brandon, who also shared that his mother is living in Traditions Senior Living in Fort Worth, Texas. Questions regarding Granger’s deteriorating health were raised when The Dallas Express reported that she had been seen wandering the neighborhood “lost and confused.”Granger, who is 81 years old, cast her last vote on Capitol Hill in July. She was chair of the House Appropriations Committee until she stepped down in April. She did not run for reelection in November, and her days in Congress are waning with her term ending in January. Her absence was felt last week during the chaotic negotiations as House Republicans tried to legislate their way out of a government shutdown.Even her Republican colleagues decried her running for office despite the first signs of decline, calling the government a “congressional gerontocracy.” “The fact that Kay Granger is unable to leave her nursing home to participate in the most important congressional vote of the year suggests she was already in visible decline when she ran for re-election in 2022,” State Republican Executive Committeeman Rolando Garcia said on X on Friday. “A sad and humiliating way to end her political career. Sad that nobody cared enough to ‘take away the keys’ before she reached this moment. And a sad commentary on the congressional gerontocracy.”Granger’s absence reignites a debate on age and term limits in Congress and the White House, including whether public officials should be required to pass a cognitive test to serve. Americans have witnessed the inevitable slowing that comes with age among other elected officials such as the late Dianne Feinstein; 91-year-old Chuck Grassley; 84-year-old Nancy Pelosi; and Mitch McConnell and President Joe Biden, both 82. This past month, Democrats, forced to map out a new agenda after their defeat in November, have been clinging to long-held government positions and committee roles even as younger, more progressive candidates and officials vie for their roles. In a backroom deal reportedly led by Pelosi, 35-year-old Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was passed over for 74-year-old Rep. Gerry Connolly for ranking member of the House Oversight Committee last week.While candidates must be at least 25 years old to be elected to the House, 30 to be elected to the Senate, and 35 to become president, there are currently no term or age limits for members of Congress despite being backed by the majority of Americans across party lines. Senator Mike Lee, Republican of Utah, says the lack of term or age limits reflects the self-interest of members of Congress.“The incentives are all wrong: Stay too long, spend too much, serve The Firm & you’ll find yourself in powerful positions ... for far too long. Meanwhile, staffers wielding power in your name will hide your declining mental and physical condition,” Lee said on X on Sunday. For many, Granger’s case underscores the risks of allowing career politicians to remain in power for decades, even when they’re no longer capable of performing their duties. It also raises an uncomfortable question: Is the political system doing enough to protect the interests of voters when their representatives no longer can?Right now, Daily Kos is falling short of our 2024 goal. Your donations are how we make ends meet. Can you please donate $5 right now so we can close the books on 2024?

Elon Musk’s role in taking down a bipartisan budget deal shows his ascendance as a political force.

Elon Musk’s role in taking down a bipartisan budget deal shows his ascendance as a political force. The social media warnings from the world’s wealthiest man preceded President-elect Donald Trump’s condemnation of the measure negotiated by GOP House Speaker Mike...

'I think somebody has to find out. If you go back 25 years ago, you had very little autism. Now you have it,' Trump said.

The state Commission of Correction criticized the Erie County Holding Center's staff this month over the deaths of two inmates, saying one "may have been preventable" but there were "serious deficiencies" in the medical care provided.

Democrats and Republicans agreed on at least one thing before November's election: California would play a central role in determining which party controls the U.S. House

Republicans will have a narrow majority in the House next year with Democrats flipping one final seat in California, leaving GOP leaders with even less margin for error as they try to advance President-elect Donald Trump’s agenda.Democrat Adam Gray has defeated GOP Rep. John Duarte in a rematch in California’s 13th District in the Central Valley following weeks of ballot counting, NBC News projects, meaning Republicans won 220 House seats in the 2024 elections to Democrats’ 215. The GOP can lose just two votes on legislation in the House in the next Congress if Democrats all vote in opposition, giving them little wiggle room for absences, internal fighting and vacancies.Duarte told the Turlock Journal that he had called Gray to concede on Tuesday evening.Thanks to Gray’s victory, Democrats netted one seat in the House elections, flipping nine Republican-held seats, mainly in blue states, as Republicans flipped eight Democratic-held seats.The 13th District is one of three Democratic pickups in California alone, with Democrats Derek Tran and George Whitesides defeating GOP Reps. Michelle Steel and Mike Garcia. Democrats also flipped three seats in New York and one in Oregon, and they gained one seat each in Alabama and Louisiana because of new congressional maps in those states.Republicans, meanwhile, picked up three seats in North Carolina because of the state’s new congressional map. They also defeated two Pennsylvania Democrats, Reps. Susan Wild and Matt Cartwright, as well as Democratic lawmakers in Alaska and Colorado, and they flipped an open seat in Michigan.Campaigns and outside groups spent hundreds of millions of dollars on House races, with more than $1.1 billion alone spent on ads from September through Election Day, according to the ad-tracking firm AdImpact.Democratic campaigns and groups outspent their GOP rivals in the fall, dropping $662 million on ads in House races to Republicans’ $485 million.The slim GOP majority underscores the close fight for the House this year, with operatives in both parties acknowledging that the recent redistricting process narrowed the battlefield by creating fewer competitive races. Just over 40 seats — around 10% of the chamber — were decided by less than 5 percentage points, according to data from the NBC News Decision Desk.And while Democrats lost the House, the Senate and the White House, they found their down-ballot candidates performed better than Vice President Kamala Harris.Vulnerable Democratic incumbents in House races outperformed Harris by an average of 2.7 points, according to an initial Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee analysis of county data shared with NBC News. The analysis also found Democratic candidates in competitive districts overperformed Harris in counties with lower levels of education and where the majority of registered voters are people of color.Johnson’s challengesControlling all the levers of power in Washington, Republicans in the new year will have a rare opportunity to pass major policy priorities through budget “reconciliation” — an arcane process that allows the GOP to bypass filibusters and fast-track legislation without any Democratic votes in the Senate.But because of how fragile their House majority is, Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. — who is expected to be re-elected to the top job by his colleagues next month — and Republicans will face hurdles in getting their reconciliation package to the finish line.Trump and Republicans are eyeing the reconciliation package as a vehicle to renew tax cuts that Trump signed into law in 2017 and that are set to expire next year. Other provisions that could be included are a tax exemption for income earned from tips — what Trump calls “no tax on tips” — and lifting the cap on the state and local tax deduction.Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a Trump ally who is on the Appropriations and Judiciary committees, has been urging colleagues to use reconciliation to pass border security legislation as Trump has vowed to launch “the largest deportation program in American history.”Further complicating Johnson’s math problem is the fact that Trump has chosen two sitting House Republicans for his Cabinet: Elise Stefanik of New York as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and Mike Waltz of Florida as national security adviser.Republicans are also expected to start the new Congress short one more lawmaker.Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., resigned from the House last month after Trump selected him to be the next attorney general; Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration amid allegations of sexual misconduct. Gaetz has said he does not plan to join the next Congress even though he won re-election.If the Stefanik and Walz resignations happen simultaneously, Johnson could be operating with just a one-seat majority: 217 to 215. The Florida State Department has already announced the special election schedule to replace Gaetz and Waltz, with primaries in the deep-red seats set for Jan. 28, followed by special elections on April 1.Once Stefanik resigns from Congress, Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul has 10 days to declare a special election in New York, which must occur 70 to 80 days after the proclamation, according to state law.This story first appeared on NBCNews.com. More from NBC News:Texas is offering land for Trump mass deportation facilitiesTrump’s children won’t have White House roles in his second termTrump’s pick for FBI director promoted bogus supplements to ‘reverse’ vaccines

Thanksgiving holds a special place in my heart, as it is a holiday about gratitude and food. As if we didn’t eat like it’s Thanksgiving every day in America, November 28 is a time for feasting and fellowship.

We can provide tax relief to hostages without assaulting civil liberties. It's not that complicated.

Critics believe he is a danger to public health while supporters are hopeful for far-reaching improvements to Americans' well-being.

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Richard Hudson, R-N.C., walk down the House steps for the House Republican leadership post-election news conference outside the Capitol on Tuesday.

Several decades ago, when Republicans had rough parity with Democrats as they dueled over California’s presidential electoral votes and other offices high and low, GOP strategists counted on what they called “the fishhook.” The elongated shank of the Republican-heavy territory consisted of the interior counties from the Oregon border to Mexico, and its hook were [...]The post Dems Still Dominate California, but Their Voters Have Drifted to the Right appeared first on GV Wire.

LOS ANGELES — Republican Rep. David Valadao has won reelection in California’s 22nd Congressional District in the state’s Central Valley farm belt, defeating Democrat Rudy Salas for the second time. Valadao is an anomaly — an elected Republican in a heavily Democratic district in a heavily Democratic state. Democrats hold a 14-point registration edge in [...]The post Republican David Valadao, Democrat George Whitesides Win US House Races in California appeared first on GV Wire.

The race for control of the House is still going, with Republicans slightly favored to capture a narrow majority that will give the party no room for error to pass Donald Trump’s destructive and cruel Project 2025 agenda.As of Wednesday morning, the Associated Press has currently called 216 seats for Republicans, with ballots still being counted in critical races in California and Arizona. Democrats already picked off California GOP Rep. Mike Garcia, who conceded defeat on Monday night to Democratic Rep.-elect George Whitesides. And Democrats are on track to pick up a handful of other seats in California, with Republican Reps. John Duarte and Michelle Steel watching their leads evaporate as mail-in ballots are counted and provisional ballots are cured.The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is working with campaigns to host ballot curing events, ensuring voters are given the opportunity to correct their ballots and make sure they count. Most ballots that need curing require voters to sign their ballot, match their signature from their voter registration, or provide a form of identification. You can find events to volunteer on ballot curing efforts here.After all is said and done, when the new Congress is sworn in on Jan. 3, Republicans could have as few as 220 seats or a max of 222—an extremely narrow majority by all stretches of the imagination. That is virtually unchanged from the 2022 election, when Republicans won 222 seats.What’s more, even if Republicans keep the House, Trump is set to make the GOP majority smaller by pulling sycophantic members for his Cabinet, creating vacancies for at least a few months that will give Republican leadership even less room for error.

Republicans will maintain control of the House of Representatives by the thinnest of margins, NBC News projected Wednesday, handing President-elect Donald Trump and his party all the levers of power in Washington.A Republican-controlled Congress will allow Trump to quickly fill out his Cabinet and other top administration roles and advance his agenda for at least the next two years. Last week, Republicans flipped three Democratic Senate seats to win control of the upper chamber.House Republicans’ razor-thin victory was propelled by Trump’s decisive win over Vice President Kamala Harris in both the Electoral College and the popular vote. It represents a stinging blow to Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and the Democrats, who now will have virtually no check on Trump, a man they warned on the campaign trail is a threat to democracy, an extremist and a fascist.“It is a beautiful morning in Washington. It is a new day in America,” a celebratory Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said on the steps of the Capitol, flanked by his leadership team, as the House returned to Washington on Tuesday. “The sun is shining, and that is a reflection about how we all feel.”How Republicans wonDemocrats had believed they were in a good position to win back the majority they lost just two years ago. They needed a net gain of only four seats to flip control of the House given that Republicans now hold 220 seats to the Democrats’ 212 — one of the smallest majorities in modern history.But the two parties basically have fought to a draw in the House, preserving a status quo that favored Republicans.In New York, Democrats were able to knock off a trio of vulnerable freshman GOP incumbents: Rep. Brandon Williams in the Syracuse region, Rep. Anthony D’Esposito on Long Island, and Rep. Marc Molinaro, whose district includes parts of the Hudson Valley and the Catskills. They were among the 18 GOP House districts that President Joe Biden carried in 2020.Democratic challenger George Whitesides also ousted vulnerable GOP Rep. Mike Garcia in Southern California.But Trump’s triumph — including wins in battlegrounds like Pennsylvania and Michigan where there were key House races — helped buoy GOP incumbents and new candidates in the places that mattered.Two of the biggest GOP prizes came in the Keystone State. Republicans unseated two vulnerable, veteran Democrats in neighboring districts in eastern Pennsylvania. GOP businessman Rob Bresnahan ousted six-term Rep. Matt Cartwright, a former member of leadership, in the 8th District, which Trump carried in 2020. In the neighboring 7th District based in Allentown, GOP state Rep. Ryan Mackenzie upset Democratic Rep. Susan Wild, the top Democrat on the House Ethics Committee.Meanwhile, In the capital of Harrisburg, Democrats believed they had a good chance to knock off former Freedom Caucus Chairman Scott Perry, a Trump ally who played a role in the effort to overturn the 2020 election. But the six-term incumbent beat back a strong challenge from former local TV anchor Janelle Stelson, who attacked Perry on everything from the Jan. 6 Capitol attack and abortion rights to his votes on veterans issues.Republicans also captured a Michigan seat that had been held by Democratic Rep. Elissa Slotkin, who successfully ran for an open Senate seat. And GOP challenger Gabe Evans narrowly defeated freshman Rep. Yadira Caraveo, D-Colo., by less than 1 percentage point in a heavily Hispanic district north of Denver.The task of governingThe tiny House victory is hugely consequential as Republicans turn to the task of governing. When Trump and his congressional allies take the reins in January, they will have another rare opportunity to push through major policy initiatives through “reconciliation” — an arcane process that would allow the GOP to fast-track legislation without Democratic support.Discussions about what reforms to pursue began even before the election, with some Republicans pushing to use reconciliation to renew expiring Trump tax cuts and others like Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a Trump ally, calling for Republicans to take up border security legislation. It’s not yet clear what would be in that border bill, but Trump has said repeatedly that he will “seal” the southern border on day one as president and launch “the largest deportation program in American history.”In the closing days of the campaign, Johnson told supporters a “massive” reform of the Affordable Care Act would be part of the GOP’s first 100-day agenda, though he has since denied that Republicans would try to repeal Obamacare as they failed to do in 2017.With very little wiggle room, Republicans are sure to run into challenges. And Trump has already selected two members of the new majority to serve in his administration, Reps. Elise Stefanik of New York and Mike Waltz of Florida. Both are in solidly Republican districts the party will likely carry in special elections to replace them, but vacancies following their departures could be an issue for Johnson.Decision 20243 hours agoTrump returns to White House, thanks Biden for ‘smooth transition'Donald Trump4 hours agoSpecial counsel Jack Smith and team to resign before Trump takes officeThe GOP had a minuscule majority in this Congress, and it struggled to push its agenda forward. Instead, the past two years were defined by a successful conservative coup against Speaker Kevin McCarthy of California, the expulsion of a New York Republican congressman and intraparty squabbling over GOP spending bills.Johnson and Republicans will now have partners in a Senate majority and the White House, which they hope will allow them to rally behind Trump and put some of that infighting behind them. Johnson and his top lieutenants — Majority Leader Steve Scalise, a fellow Louisiana Republican, and Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn. — are all running unopposed for re-election in their top jobs on Wednesday.Johnson will still need to secure 218 votes on the House floor on the first day of the new Congress, in early January, to win his first full term as speaker.“If there’s unified government ... if we have a bicameral approach — Republicans in both chambers working together to develop that agenda and implement it, and President Trump is guiding the way — I think you will certainly have a lot less dissension in the ranks on our side,” Johnson said in an interview with NBC News at a Pennsylvania campaign stop before the election.“I think everybody’s going to want to be a part of that majority that is solving the problems of the country,” the speaker added. “And I think governing is going to be a whole lot easier come January.”This story first appeared on NBCNews.com. More from NBC News:Senate Republicans choose John Thune as their new leaderElon Musk may already be overstaying his welcome in Trump’s orbitHouse Democrat to introduce resolution reiterating that Trump can only serve two terms as president

The seat, vacated when three-term incumbent Rep. Katie Porter ran for U.S. Senate, quickly became one of the most closely watched races in the nation.

Republican Rep. David Valadao has won reelection in California’s 22nd Congressional District, defeating Democrat Rudy Salas for the second time. Valadao is an anomaly — an elected Republican in a heavily Democratic district in a heavily Democratic state. Democrats hold...

Democrat George Whitesides has won a tough race to unseat Republican incumbent Rep. Mike Garcia in California’s 27th Congressional District

Democrat George Whitesides wins election to U.S. House in California's 27th Congressional District, beating incumbent Mike Garcia

Colorado House Republicans elected their leadership team for the 2025 legislative session on Friday.

Control of the House has yet to be determined, as a number of critical races remain too close to call, leaving lawmakers — and voters — waiting to see which party will hold the majority next year. The sprint to 218 seats, however, is nearing the final stretch, after a handful of additional races were called [...]

Long lines of people — overwhelmingly Republicans — who exercised their right to vote in person and even register to vote all day and night Tuesday delayed the release of election votes past midnight Wednesday, the longest delay in Hawaii voting history, said Hawaii Elections Chief Scott Nago.

Latest on LAUSD District 3 and council races in Burbank, Malibu, San Fernando, Santa Clarita and West Hollywood.

With Republicans reclaiming control of the U.S. Senate, Democrats pin hopes on House races as a check on the GOP.

'These twelve are the most important to watch on Election Day'

Election Day Voting — What to KnowElection Day Voter Guide: Learn where and when you can vote on Election Day, what’s on your ballot, and what you’ll need to bring to the polls.When is Election Day? Tuesday, Nov. 5, is Election Day. On that day, polls will be open in Texas from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. You will be allowed to vote if you’re in line by 7 p.m. on Election Day.Who or what is on the ballot? Click the links to filter races by category or county: Federal races | State races | Collin County | Dallas County | Denton County | Tarrant County | ISD props | City propsHow many people voted early? More than 1 million people voted early in North Texas. Click here to see daily early voting totals from Collin, Dallas, Denton and Tarrant counties and compare them to those from previous years.How can I vote by mail? The deadline to request a mail-in ballot has passed. Mail-in ballots must be received or postmarked by 7 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 5. More information on voting by mail in Texas is here.Results will be available on this page on election night.North Texas voters will decide on 48 races in the Texas House on Tuesday, though about one-third of the contests are unopposed.The Texas House is carved up into 150 districts, dozens of which are in North Texas. All seats in the Texas House are up for reelection every two years. See the House district map here.Below are the 48 districts represented in North Texas. Race results will not be embedded for candidates running unopposed or facing write-in candidates. The Texas Representatives elected on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024 will assume office at the start of the 89th Regular Session on Jan. 14, 2025.NORTH TEXAS HOUSE RACESTexas House – District 1Gary Vandeaver (I)(Rep)unopposedTexas House – District 2Brent A. Money (Rep)Kristen Washington (Dem)Texas House – District 4Keith Bell (I)(Rep)Alex Bar-Sela (Dem)Texas House – District 5Cole Hefner (I)(Rep)Texas House – District 8Cody Harris (I)(Rep)Carolyn F. Salter (Dem)Texas House – District 10Brian Harrison (I)(Rep)Texas House – District 13Angelia Orr (I)(Rep)Albert Hunter (Dem)Texas House – District 33Katrina Pierson (Rep)unopposedTexas House – District 57Richard Hayes (I)(Rep)Collin Johnson (Dem)Darren Hamilton (Lib)Texas House – District 58Helen Kerwin (Rep)Texas House – District 59Shelby Slawson (I)(Rep)Hannah Bohm (Dem)Texas House – District 60Mike Olcott (Rep)unopposedTexas House – District 61Tony Adams (Dem)Keresa Richardson (Rep)Texas House – District 62Shelley Luther (Rep)Tiffany Drake (Dem)Texas House – District 63Ben Baumgarner (I)(Rep)Michelle Beckley (Dem)Texas House – District 64Andy Hopper (Rep)Angela Brewer (Dem)Texas House – District 65Mitch Little (Rep)Detrick DeBurr (Dem)Texas House – District 66Matt Shaheen (I)(Rep)David Carstens (Dem)Texas House – District 67Jeff Leach (I)(Rep)Makala Washington (Dem)Texas House – District 68David Spiller (I)(Rep)Stacey Swann (Dem)Texas House – District 70Mihaela Plesa (I)(Dem)Steve Kinard (Rep)Texas House – District 89Candy Noble (I)(Rep)Darrel Evans (Dem)Texas House – District 90Ramon Romero Jr (I)(Dem)unopposedTexas House – District 91David Lowe (Rep)unopposedTexas House – District 92Salman Bhojani (I)(Dem)unopposedTexas House – District 93Nate Schatzline (I)(Rep)Perla Bojorquez (Dem)Texas House – District 94Tony Tinderholt (I)(Rep)Denise Wilkerson (Dem)Texas House – District 95Nicole Collier (I)(Dem)unopposedTexas House – District 96David Cook (I)(Rep)Ebony Turner (Dem)Texas House – District 97John McQuenney (Rep)Carlos Walker (Dem)Texas House – District 98Giovanni Capriglione (I)(Rep)Scott White (Dem)Texas House – District 99Charlie Geren (I)(Rep)Mimi Coffey (Dem)Texas House – District 100Venton Jones (I)(Dem)unopposedTexas House – District 101Chris Turner (I)(Dem)Clint Burgess (Rep)Texas House – District 102Ana-Maria Ramos (I)(Dem)unopposedTexas House – District 103Rafael Anchia (I)(Dem)unopposedTexas House – District 104Jessica Gonzalez (I)(Dem)unopposedTexas House – District 105Terry Meza (I)(Dem)Rose Cannaday (Rep)Texas House – District 106Jared Patterson (I)(Rep)Hava Johnston (Dem)Texas House – District 107Linda Garcia (Dem)unopposedTexas House – District 108Morgan Meyer (I)(Rep)Elizabeth Ginsberg (Dem)Texas House – District 109Aicha Davis (Dem)unopposedTexas House – District 110Toni Rose (I)(Dem)unopposedTexas House – District 111Yvonne Davis (I)(Dem)unopposedTexas House – District 112Angie Chen Button (I)(Rep)Averie Bishop (Dem)Texas House – District 113Rhetta Bowers (I)(Dem)Stephen Stanley (Rep)Texas House – District 114John Bryant (I)(Dem)Aimee Ramsey (Rep)Texas House – District 115Cassandra Hernandez (Dem)John Jun (Rep)ALL TEXAS HOUSE RACE RESULTSTo see results from the other 128 Texas House races, click here.DECISION 2024Decision 2024Oct 18Voter Guide: Nov. 5, 2024 general electionDecision 2024Oct 18See all races North Texans are voting for in the Nov. 5 electionDecision 2024Oct 18What federal races are on the ballot in Texas for the Nov. 5 election?Decision 2024Oct 18What state races are on the ballot in Texas for the Nov. 5 election?Decision 2024Oct 18What's on the ballot in Dallas County for the Nov. 5 election?Decision 2024Oct 18What's on the ballot in Denton County for the Nov. 5 election?Decision 2024Oct 18What's on the ballot in Collin County for the Nov. 5 election?Decision 2024Oct 18What's on the ballot in Tarrant County for the Nov. 5 election?

BOSTON — Voters on Tuesday will decide on a new president and end one of the most unruly, contentious campaigns for the White House in recent history.

Rep. Richard Hudson, who chairs the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), explained the road to the House majority in an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital.

Representatives are elected to two-year terms without term limits, so they're on your ballot a lot. Here's a look the candidates in Los Angeles and Orange counties.

There are two battleground races touching L.A. County that could determine which party controls the House.

WASHINGTON — While California may be solidly Democratic in presidential contests, a handful of competitive races in the state could determine whether Republicans keep control of the U.S. House. Voters also will cast ballots in a U.S. Senate contest and 10 statewide propositions, in addition to the presidency and the state Legislature. At the top [...]The post What to Expect in California on Election Day appeared first on GV Wire.

While California may be solidly Democratic in presidential contests, a handful of competitive races in November could determine whether Republicans keep control of the U.S. House

GOP candidates in critical Senate races have misrepresented their record on abortion, evading questions about exceptions and extreme state bans since the fall of Roe v. Wade.

With the GOP's eight-seat majority at stake, Golden State voters will decide 52 congressional races, 40 of which are currently held by Democrats.

After months of dodging the question, Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance finally came out and said it: He believes the proven lie that Donald Trump won the 2020 election. And while it’s easy to ridicule Vance for finally falling in line with the desperate GOP nominee, his willingness to do Trump’s bidding is no laughing matter.Vance’s admission came during a campaign event in Pennsylvania on Wednesday, after a reporter asked the Ohio senator what message it sends to independent voters when he repeatedly refuses to answer questions about whether he believes Trump’s lie that the 2020 election was stolen and that Trump was the rightful winner.“I’ve answered this question directly a million times,” Vance replied. “No, I think there are serious problems in 2020. So did Donald Trump lose the election? Not by the words that I would use.”xxYouTube VideoVance for weeks has been dancing around the question of who he believes won the last election.

Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries crisscrossed Southern California over the weekend as his party works to wrest control of the U.S. House from Republicans

Democrats have a fair shot at flipping control of the House — largely because of the boost provided by Vice President Harris at the top of the ticket — but the battle is a horse race that is too close to call heading into the final weeks of the campaign, according to a host of [...]

Aurora’s crime rate has followed a downward trend seen across the country. That’s despite the influx of Venezuelans fleeing their country who have funneled into Colorado and other cities nationwide.

Former President Donald Trump is coming to a Colorado city where crime is down to warn about the danger he says criminal migrants pose to voters

As Election Day approaches, Democratic hopefuls are doing all they can to tie Republican opponents in contested congressional districts to their anti-abortion records.

Taken together, the lack of big-ticket accomplishments is underscoring a volatile November election season, with control of Congress a toss-up.

WASHINGTON — California has several of the most 2024 competitive races for the U.S. House of Representatives, races crucial to deciding who wins control of the chamber..

The DNC said the money is earmarked for additional staff to target key House races, including several in Southern California.

Democrats say House Republicans' ads touting their support of VAWA is deceptive given their record of voting against reauthorizing it.

Former President Trump's latest inflammatory remarks about Jewish voters have Republicans in Congress again trying to perform a careful balancing act.Why it matters: It is a dynamic with which GOP lawmakers will have to familiarize themselves if Trump is elected president in November.Driving the news: Trump said Thursday during an Israeli American Council event on combatting antisemitism, "If I don't win this election — and Jewish people would have a lot to do with that, 60% are voting for the enemy — Israel will cease to exist in two years."He also said that any Jewish voter who supports Vice President Harris "should have their head examined."It's the latest in a series of critical remarks the former president has made towards Jewish voters who support Democrats.What they're saying: A handful of Republicans, asked about Trump's comments, offered what amounted to light pushback against their party's nominee."During this difficult time for Israel, we have to remain focused on supporting our democratic ally and combating all forms of antisemitism to protect our Jewish community," said swing-district Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-Ore.).Another vulnerable House Republican, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said Trump is "not as smooth as we want," but added that "Jewish voters are supporting him in record numbers."Zoom in: One House Republican close to Trump offered more blistering criticism of the former president's comments, but declined to go on the record."I'm not going to justify his comments," the lawmaker said, arguing that Jewish voters make up a relatively small portion of the electorate and would not be responsible for a Trump loss.Jewish people made up about 2.4% of the U.S. population as of 2020, according to the Pew Research Center.The House Republican added that they "don't like this rhetoric," also citing Trump's comments about Haitian immigrants: "I think it's awful ... I think it's disgusting."Zoom out: Several House Republicans, including those in swing-districts or those with large Jewish populations, simply declined to weigh in."No comment," said Rep. John Duarte (R-Calif.)."I didn't hear him say that," said Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-N.Y.)."I don't even know what you're talking about. No comment," said Rep. Mike Garcia (R-Calif.).The other side: Several other Republicans leapt to Trump's defense or argued that his comments won't hurt Republicans with Jewish voters. Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) argued that Trump was "talking about the fact that the Jewish community is going to have a big voice in this election."Rep. Nick LaLota (R-N.Y.) said that he hasn't seen Trump's comments, but "the Republican Conference, and President Trump when he was in office, have stood by Israel every step of the way."Rep. Marc Molinaro (R-N.Y.) said Democrats "have abided antisemitism on our campuses and helped fuel a surge in hate crimes - no matter [what] your religion is, I don't know how you vote for it."

Representatives are elected to two-year terms without term limits, so they're on your ballot a lot. Here's a look the candidates in Los Angeles and Orange counties.

The Senate, scrambling to protect benefits for veterans, on Thursday passed a $3 billion emergency spending bill to plug part of a looming budget shortfall at the VA.

Here are the races and candidates on Palm Beach County ballots for the November 2024 general election, including federal, state and local races.

Rep. Mike Garcia, R-Calif., walks down the House steps after the final vote of the week on Thursday.