Rick Scott

Both major parties are contesting all 14 of Georgia’s congressional districts, where Republicans currently hold a 9-5 majority

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) has tried to mend his relationship with former President Trump, but newly reported comments reveal how deeply his personal animosity toward Trump ran after the 2020 election and signal the challenges GOP senators could have in working with Trump if he is elected again. Many Republican senators who have [...]

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) — an ally of Minority Leader Mitch McConnell — hit back at conservatives' demands for a new brand of leadership once McConnell steps down in a letter to colleagues Tuesday morning.Why it matters: The leader race between Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.), John Cornyn (R-Tex.) and Rick Scott (R-Fla.) is heating up, with the general election three weeks away. Some conservative senators are hoping to leverage a tight race for big changes in how the chamber operates. Sen. Mike Lee's (R-Utah) proposals, which he outlined in a letter to colleagues last week, include assurances of more amendment votes and delaying the timeline for picking McConnell's replacement.And Lee has taken new public shots at McConnell's leadership approach.Tills responded Tuesday, saying he believes Lee's concerns are "sincere," but that delaying the leadership election is a bad idea. He said Lee's proposals would "substantially weaken the republican leader."Between the lines: The only leadership candidate to clearly embrace the changes conservatives are pushing is Scott — who Senators and Hill sources have said doesn't have much of a shot.What they're saying: Tillis then made a dig at Republican House chaos. "We are witnessing the downside of a weak-leader model in the House today," he wrote."Two Speakers during a single congress and self-imposed gridlock on legislation hardly seems like a model we want to adopt in the Senate.""I believe delaying the election and creating more hurdles for the republican leader to navigate are unwise, and they will impede our work on behalf of the American people," Tillis said.The other side: "Why would a Republican senator continue to support a system where legislation can be presented for passage without the approval of the majority of the conference? Or one that denies our ability to do our jobs as representatives of our states," Lee responded in a statement to Axios.Catch up quick: This isn't the first back-and-forth between Tillis and Lee over the leadership race. Back in June, Lee and other conservatives were pushing for a new leadership structure — including imposing term limits. Tillis blasted those ideas in a letter, which then prompted a response from Lee.McConnell has also been adamantly against term limits.E

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz (R) vented his frustration with the Senate Leadership Fund, a super PAC aligned with Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.), for not spending any money in his competitive reelection race, accusing McConnell of using the group to “punish” his critics in the Senate GOP conference. “Mitch McConnell runs the largest Republican [...]

Politico got its hands on a memo from the Senate Leadership Fund, a super PAC allied with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. Somehow the memo contains some of the best polling for Democrats we’ve seen in ages.

Every vote matters—more than ever. The latest poll from Siena College for The New York Times suggests Republicans are on track to retake the Senate, with their candidates leading in Montana—which is held by Democratic Sen. Jon Tester—as well as in Florida and Texas, Democrats’ two best pickup opportunities. With the retirement of Sen. Joe Manchin, Republicans are all but sure to nab his seat in dark-red West Virginia. If this poll’s results bear out, Democrats’ 51-49 Senate majority would slip to a 49-51 minority, assuming they win in every other contested Senate seat they currently hold.This should energize every Democrat to get out to vote and drive turnout to record levels. And there’s some evidence that may already be happening.

President Joe Biden, joined virtually by Vice President Kamala Harris, was briefed by his homeland security aides and federal emergency management officials in the White House’s South Court Auditorium on Wednesday. (Tom Brenner for The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Welcome to At the Races! Each week we bring you news and analysis from the CQ Roll Call campaign team. Know someone who’d like to get this newsletter? They can subscribe here. By Mary Ellen McIntire, Daniela Altimari and Niels Lesniewski With Southern states like Florida, Georgia and North Carolina still reeling, it’s not clear how [...]The post At the Races: Weary of the storm appeared first on Roll Call.

Ethel Kennedy, who lost her husband Sen. Robert Kennedy to assassination, has died. She was 96.

Florida was the future. The weather's balmy in winter, the beaches are divine and there's no personal income tax. All that and a lower cost of living had set off a sizeable migration of companies from New York, Chicago and...

Biden administration and congressional sources worry that funding to help small businesses recover from hurricane damage will dry up by the end of October.

Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) has a 6-point lead against former Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (D-Fla.) in the Florida Senate race, according to a new poll by Napolitan News Service. The same poll shows former President Trump leading Vice President Harris by 2 points, 50 percent to 48 percent, in the Sunshine State. The survey of 774 [...]

The 500-mile-long path of destruction cut by Hurricane Helene has scrambled the politics of three battleground states that could determine control of the White House and Senate: North Carolina, Georgia and Florida.

Republican Sen. Rick Scott is set to place roughly $10 million in new TV ads in the homestretch of a Florida Senate race where he is widely seen as the favorite but Democrats have continued to make noise.

This week, there’s a certain irony to our newsletter being called “At the Races.” And no, it’s not because Pete Rose, Major League Baseball’s all-time hits leader who was banned from baseball for betting on the Cincinnati Reds, died​ Monday at age 83. Betting on the outcome of the congressional elections next month by individuals [...]The post At the Races: Please bet responsibly appeared first on Roll Call.

The justices so far have agreed to decide 28 cases.

Senators are privately (and publicly) saying they hope Donald Trump stays out of the internal election to replace Mitch McConnell as Senate GOP leader.Why it matters: None of them know — or it's a damn good secret — whether the former president will make an endorsement. But senators and advisors fear a Trump intervention could turn the secret ballot leader election into a public feud."I said, 'Sir, if I was you, I would stay out of the race, because there's no win for you in this,'" Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) told us about a recent call with Trump."I hope not," said Sen. Thom Tillis, when asked if he thinks Trump will weigh in. "I think outside influence could be problematic.""He's offered some views on it to me," Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) told us. "It's safe to say he has a pretty consistent prediction of who he thinks it'll be." Hawley said he did not know if Trump would weigh in.Between the lines: This the first real competitive Senate GOP leadership race of the Trump-era, and his endorsement carries a lot of weight with a growing segment of the conference.McConnell has had a tumultuous relationship with the former president.The top two candidates — Sens. John Thune and John Cornyn — each have had rocky relationships with Trump. However, they have worked to make amends.After Jan. 6, Thune denounced Trump and initially endorsed Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) for president. Cornyn has said the GOP needed to move on from Trump.Senate sources do not talk about Sen. Rick Scott's (R-Fla.) bid as seriously as Thune's or Cornyn's, though he has a good relationship with Trump. "Sen. Scott is focused on dramatically changing the way the Senate operates and creating a member-driven process," according to spokesperson McKinley Lewis.Sources often describe Thune as the likely favorite, though they say not to discount how much Cornyn's long history of hard-dollar fundraising for Senate campaigns means to people.Cornyn told us it's been a few weeks since he spoke with Trump about the leadership race. But he visited Mar-a-Lago a couple months ago "to talk about planning for the future," adding they've been "visiting with some of the transition folks."Mullin said Trump "likes" Thune despite their rocky past. The Oklahoma Republican has publicly backed Thune.Some sources suspect there could be a late entry: NRSC Chair Steve Daines (R-Mont.) is the most-floated name.The bottom line: There's not a lot of incentive for senators benefiting from both Thune and Cornyn's aggressive fundraising efforts to commit too early."If one of them felt that they really had a majority, I think they would not be shy about saying that, but I don't think anybody does," Hawley said.

Democrats are fighting to hold on to their 51-49 majority in the Senate—and the latest polling shows they’re the underdogs in this election. But there is hope.Republicans lead Democrats in enough Senate races to flip the chamber, according to 538’s polling averages as of Sept. 27 at 12 PM ET. Democrats’ slim majority is under threat for two main reasons.First, Democrat-turned-independent Joe Manchin is retiring, and his West Virginia seat will undoubtedly flip. And second, Democratic incumbent Jon Tester of Montana trails his Republican opponent.But these are polls, not election results, and because of that, they can be changed by donating, mobilizing, and voting for Democratic candidates.There is just over a month until Nov. 5. Here are the races that need your help.

WASHINGTON — Democrats looking to preserve their Senate majority in the face of a difficult election cycle announced Thursday they were making a “multi-million dollar investment” in television advertising in Texas and Florida races with the chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee saying he’s “very confident there’s going to be more coming.”

Republican candidates in key races like Ohio's Bernie Moreno have not been able to find their message on the abortion issue.

Democrats slammed the timing of the event, which was held at a lakefront home on Lake Virginia.

The bill would require the Secret Service to use the same standards for assessing protection requirements for candidates as it does for the President.

Here's the backstory on why Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) was just able to announce a fast-track vote Wednesday on the government funding bill: Republican senators emerged from their weekly lunch Tuesday ready to move it along.Why it matters: Lawmakers were eager to get home — especially those facing tough re-election races or whose states may be hit by an approaching hurricane.Zoom in: National Republican Senatorial Committee chair Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) led the charge against pushing for politically hot amendments that would delay the process, multiple sources familiar with what happened at lunch tell Axios.Even some of the usuals who tend to embrace stalling tactics — such as Sens. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) and Mike Lee (R-Utah) — did not object.Republicans were concerned about giving vulnerable Democrats like Sens. Jon Tester (Mont.), Sherrod Brown (Ohio) and Bob Casey (Pa.) free votes that could win them political points on amendments that won't pass anyway.The bottom line: Even if Republicans had managed to reach an agreement to vote on an amendment with a 50-vote threshold, they were looking at an attendance problem. Florida Sens. Marco Rubio and Rick Scott needed to get back to their state ahead of an expected hurricane and Sen. JD Vance was still out on the campaign trail with former President Trump.

The Senate unanimously passed a bill to bolster presidential candidates’ Secret Service protection following the back-to-back assassination attempts against Trump.

Sen. Cornyn is highlighting his fundraising ability as he and others battle to fill Minority Leader McConnell's shoes in the next Congress.

538 has released U.S. Senate polling averages for the 2024 general election.

Feeling good about some other initially competitive races, rank-and-file Democrats want to challenge Republicans in states that once seemed like too much of a reach.

Democrats roundly condemned political violence on Thursday after news that a suspect had been arrested for threatening to hurt and kill six of the Supreme Court's nine Justices and some of their family members.

Secret Service personnel will face disciplinary action over their failure to secure the Butler, Pennsylvania, rally site where a would-be assassin opened fire on former President Trump, Acting Director Ronald Rowe said during a Friday news briefing.Why it matters: The Secret Service has been under bipartisan scrutiny after two apparent attempts on Trump's life this election. Rowe did not provide specifics on staff details or potential punishments as the investigation enters its "accountability phase." He said he has not asked anyone to retire. Zoom in: Rowe detailed the various communications failures between the Secret Service and local law enforcement that allowed attempted assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks to take position on a nearby roof with a clear line of sight to Trump."Line of sight issues were acknowledged but not properly mitigated," Rowe said of the July incident.The Secret Service did not give clear guidance or direction to local law enforcement, he said. The Secret Service cannot abdicate building site plan responsibility to other agencies moving forward, he said. Context: Trump's personal safety has been vulnerable during the recent stretch of his campaign.In July, a bullet grazed his ear during a Pennsylvania rally. The Secret Service had been aware of suspicious person reports at least nine minutes before Trump took the stage. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned in July after facing criticism for what she called the "most significant operational failure of the Secret Service in decades."Recently, Trump was again apparently targeted while on his golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida. A Secret Service agent saw a rifle barrel sticking out of a fence and "immediately engaged" with the person aiming it. State of play: The Secret Service has already begun to "significantly increase" its protective footprint, Rowe said. Bipartisan lawmakers have called for more resources to the Secret Service. Trump has been receiving the highest levels of Secret Service protection, Rowe said. "We have finite resources and we are stretching those resources to their maximum right now," he said. Catch up quick: Biden on Monday said the agency "needs more help," suggesting that might include more personnel. He and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer want to increase its budget.Some Republican lawmakers, though, said Trump needs increased coverage, and that funding wouldn't solve the threats. The House unanimously passed a bill on Friday that would bolster Secret Service protection for presidential and vice presidential candidates. Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) introduced a similar bill in the Senate.Go deeper: Secret Service probing Musk's post about Biden, Harris assassination attemptsSecret Service funding scores Senate boostersLawmakers' own security fears drive Secret Service pushTrump shooting incident sparks bipartisan push to boost his securityEditor's note: The story has been updated with additional details from the press conference.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Lawmakers are scrambling to ensure that the U.S. Secret Service has enough money and resources to keep the nation’s presidential candidates safe amid repeated threats of violence. It’s unclear, though, how much they can do with only weeks before the election, or if additional dollars would make an immediate difference.

The House unanimously passed a bill on Friday that seeks to bolster former President Trump’s security, the first legislative move the chamber has made in response to the second apparent assassination attempt against the Republican presidential nominee. The House cleared the legislation — titled the Enhanced Presidential Security Act — in a bipartisan 405-0 vote, sending it [...]

Republicans have blocked for a second time this year legislation to establish a nationwide right to in vitro fertilization, arguing that the vote is an election-year stunt after Democrats forced a vote on the issue. The Senate vote was Democrats’...

Senate Republicans blocked a bill to ensure federal protections for access to in vitro fertilization treatments, calling it a "show" vote by Democrats. Republican leaders and Former President Trump, the GOP nominee for president, say they back IVF but not the legislation proposed by Democrats.

Democrats brought the bill back to the Senate floor after Republicans previously blocked the measure from advancing in June.

A second attempt to pass legislation guaranteeing access to in vitro fertilization for women who need it failed after Republican senators filibustered it on Tuesday.

As Michigan looks to avoid this list, who are the least satisfying title defenses since 1990?

House Speaker Mike Johnson announced Tuesday that the House will vote Wednesday on a six-month continuing resolution with the SAVE Act attached.

Republican senators are trying to highlight Vice President Harris' shifting policy positions this week as they seek to counter Majority Leader Chuck Schumer's (D-N.Y.) summer of "show votes." Why it matters: They will force Democrats to block bills on hot political topics like IVF, the border and fracking — drawing attention to some issues where Harris has flip-flopped, Axios has learned.First up: Republicans aim to de-fang Schumer's bid to paint Republicans as anti-IVF by pointing to their own plans to boost access to the treatment.The measures won't pass, requiring just one Democrat to object. But the effort could provide fodder for campaign ads. Two Republican Senate aides familiar with the plan described it as giving an opportunity for Democrats to stand with or abandon Harris' "radical" agenda. Harris has backed off key policy stances from her 2020 presidential run, including her support for bans on fracking, mandatory buy-back programs for assault weapons, and decriminalizing illegal border crossings. Driving the news: Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), a leadership contender also running for re-election this year, kicked things off Monday night by calling for unanimous consent on a bill that aims to help people save and pay for expensive IVF treatments.Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) will aim to pass his IVF bill with Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.) on Tuesday afternoon.The move comes ahead of an afternoon vote where Republicans are expected to kill a separate IVF bill backed by Democrats — the second time Schumer has forced a vote on the measure.GOP senators will also seek to pass bills addressing immigration and energy policies through unanimous agreement, four Senate sources familiar with the plans told Axios.The big picture: Schumer has spent the summer forcing messaging votes on IVF access, the child tax credit and a bipartisan border bill.Republican leaders have repeatedly slammed his "show vote" strategy.Now, they're trying to use what little power they have over the floor to notch some political points themselves.

WASHINGTON — The Senate will vote for the second time this year on whether to consider legislation that would establish a nationwide right to in vitro fertilization — Democrats’ latest election-year attempt to force Republicans into a defensive stance on women’s health issues.

Republican senators are calling on Secret Service to increase security for former President Donald Trump in the wake of a second assassination attempt.

The party may need an upset in one of the two Senate races to win a majority.

Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are heading to swing states they hope to win, both of them trying to expand their narrow paths to victory in a closely fought presidential campaign. Harris has her sights set...

Allies of former President Trump are urging him to accept a second debate with Vice President Harris after she turned in a strong performance Tuesday night, effectively putting the ball in Trump’s court for a second meeting. Harris’s team wasted no time calling for another debate, while Trump refused to commit. Some Senate Republicans believe [...]

Marquee toss-up races and high-profile candidates have dominated the political conversation as both parties battle for the House and Senate, but some potential sleeper contests could offer political observers a surprise. Democrats’ razor-thin edge in the Senate is at risk this fall, and observers are eyeing a small handful of races that could deliver surprise [...]

Two 25th Ward aldermen illustrate how intractable graft is in Chicago’s City Council, a legislative body always vying to be most corrupt in America.

WASHINGTON — The race for control of Congress is as close as ever, with barely two dozen House seats and a handful in the Senate likely to determine the majority this November and whether a single party sweeps to power with the White House.

WASHINGTON — House Speaker Mike Johnson is heeding the demands of the more conservative wing of his Republican conference and has teed up a vote this week on a bill that would keep the federal government funded for six more months and require states to obtain proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate or passport, when registering a person to vote.

The first night of the Republican Jewish Coalition’s Leadership Summit in Las Vegas underscored top GOP leaders’ support for Israel as they seek to boost former President Donald Trump’s chances in the upcoming presidential election. The Sept. 4 dinner also showcased the lasting legacy of the late Sheldon Adelson, the major pro-Israel Republican donor who [...]

🎧 The hosts also share some of their favorite productivity tips.

Democrats have a narrow edge nationwide—but a bigger advantage in closely watched Senate races.