Politics Election category, Page 294
GOP’s Murkowski says she’s struggling with supporting Trump
WASHINGTON — Alaska Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski acknowledged Thursday that she’s “struggling” over whether she can support President Donald Trump given his handling of the virus and race crises shaking the United States. Murkowski, long a critic of the president’s, told reporters in Washington that she was thankful for the...
West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice says he welcomes all, except Obama
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice on Wednesday said he would welcome any president to the state besides former President Barack Obama. The unprompted comment came during a coronavirus news conference in which the Republican governor took a phone call from President Donald Trump and sought to highlight...
At 40% participation, Tuesday’s primary turnout exceeded Allegheny County’s expectations
Forty percent of Allegheny County’s registered Democrats and Republicans voted in Tuesday’s primary election, one of the highest turnouts for a primary in recent years and one that exceeded county expectations, officials said Wednesday. A little more than 311,000 of Allegheny County’s 770,000 registered Democrats and Republicans voted, according to...
Casey, Toomey weigh in as Trump threatens military force
Pennsylvania’s U.S. senators are weighing in on President Trump’s threat to invoke the Insurrection Act in response to protests following the death of George Floyd. On Wednesday, U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Scranton, joined 20 other senators in sending a letter to Defense Secretary Mark Esper urging him to refrain from...
Obama steps out as nation confronts confluence of crisesVideo
Former President Barack Obama is taking on an increasingly public role as the nation confronts a confluence of historic crises that has exposed deep racial and socioeconomic inequalities in America and reshaped the November election. In doing so, Obama is signaling a willingness to sharply critique his successor, President Donald...
White House: Trump church visit akin to Churchill WWII roleVideo
WASHINGTON — The White House said Wednesday that President Donald Trump’s visit to a nearby church where he held up a Bible was a “leadership moment” akin to Winston Churchill’s inspection of bomb-damaged London during World War II, a comparison that drew swift condemnation from the author of a new...
Rod Rosenstein says he wouldn’t approve Russia warrant nowVideo
WASHINGTON — Former Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein told lawmakers Wednesday that he would not have approved an FBI surveillance application for a former Trump campaign aide during the Russia investigation had he known at the time about the problems that have since been revealed. Rosenstein’s comments amounted to a...
Gov. Wolf joins protesters; Philadelphia under curfew againVideo
HARRISBURG — Philadelphia will be under curfew again for a fifth straight night Wednesday, as Gov. Tom Wolf marched in Harrisburg with demonstrators protesting police violence against black people and racial injustice following the killing of George Floyd. Wolf, with officials from Harrisburg, marched from the Capitol steps to a...
New Mexico close to historic all-female U.S. House delegation
RIO RANCHO, N.M. — New Mexico has moved closer to possibly sending a historic delegation of all women of color to the U.S. House. According to unofficial results from Tuesday’s primary, Democrat Teresa Leger Fernandez, a Latina, won a seven-way race to capture her party’s nomination for the Democratic-leaning seat...
Army: Defense Secretary Mark Esper reverses plan to send active-duty troops home
WASHINGTON — In an abrupt reversal, Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Wednesday overturned an earlier Pentagon decision to send a couple hundred active-duty soldiers home from the Washington, D.C., region, amid growing tensions with the White House over the military response to the protests. Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy told The...
Trump, chafing at oversight, takes aim at inspectors general
WASHINGTON — Steve Linick irritated powerful Democrats and Republicans alike in his seven years as the independent watchdog investigating waste and mismanagement at the State Department. Still, he was stunned by a Friday night phone call saying President Donald Trump had fired him. Linick’s access to the computer system, and...
With wins in 7 states and D.C., Biden closes in on nominationVideo
Joe Biden is on the cusp of formally securing the Democratic presidential nomination after winning hundreds more delegates in primary contests that tested the nation’s ability to run elections while balancing a pandemic and sweeping social unrest. Biden could lock down the nomination within the next week as West Virginia...
Emily Kinkead leads incumbent state Rep. Adam Ravenstahl in primary challenge
Pittsburgh attorney Emily Kinkead led incumbent state Rep. Adam Ravenstahl early Wednesday in a Democratic primary race for state House, according to unofficial election returns. As of 6 a.m., Kinkead had collected 53% of the votes counted, while Ravenstahl had 47%, the unofficial tallies showed. Allegheny County officials were continuing...
Iowa voters oust Rep. King, shunned for insensitive remarks
DES MOINES, Iowa — Republicans in northwest Iowa ousted Rep. Steve King in Tuesday’s primary, deciding they’ve had enough of the conservative lightning rod known for making incendiary comments about immigrants and white supremacy throughout his nearly two decades in Congress. The nine-term congressman, shunned by his party leadership in...
Rob Mercuri in line for GOP nod to seek House Speaker Mike Turzai’s seat
A Republican from Pine held a wide lead late Tuesday in a three-way race for the GOP nomination to seek the seat of retiring House Speaker Mike Turzai, according to unofficial election returns. As of around 6 a.m. Wednesday, Rob Mercuri had collected 60% of the votes counted in the...
Benham leading in race to replace state Rep. Harry Readshaw
A community activist who co-founded an autistic advocacy group was leading a four-way Democratic primary race in a state House district that has been represented by Rep. Harry Readshaw for the past quarter-century, according to unofficial election returns. As of 6 a.m., Jessica Benham, 29, of Pittsburgh’s South Side Slopes...
Doyle declares victory with large primary lead; Dickinson concedes WednesdayVideo
U.S. Rep. Mike Doyle beat back a challenge Tuesday from a University of Pittsburgh law professor for a Democratic nomination to seek a 14th term in Washington, according to unofficial election returns. Doyle, 66, of Forest Hills, declared victory at 10 p.m. His opponent, Jerry S. Dickinson, 33, of Swissvale,...
Bridgeville businessman Devlin Robinson leads Sewickley councilman in state Senate race
Bridgeville businessman and military veteran Devlin Robinson held a commanding lead late Tuesday in a Republican primary race for state Senate, according to unofficial tallies. As of 6 a.m., Robinson had collected 58.1% of the votes counted in the 37th State Senate District race, compared to 41.9% for his opponent,...
Trump says GOP is pulling convention from North Carolina
RALEIGH — President Donald Trump announced Tuesday night that he is seeking a new state to host this summer’s Republican National Convention after North Carolina refused to guarantee the event could be held in Charlotte without restrictions because of ongoing concerns over the coronavirus. Trump announced the news via tweet,...
Final election results in Westmoreland delayed as mail-in ballot count continuesVideo
Election night victory parties now might have to be multiday affairs. Final results of votes cast during Tuesday’s primary in Westmoreland County won’t be available for several days as the elections bureau adjusts to a new time-consuming process of counting tens of thousands of mail-in votes. “We don’t expect final...
Trump, Biden win Pennsylvania primary contests amid unrest, pandemic
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania held a primary election Tuesday amid civil unrest, a pandemic, the introduction of new voting machines in some counties and the debut of mail-in balloting that pushed county election bureaus to their limits. The result of the highest-profile contest on the ballot was a foregone conclusion: President...
GOP criticism muted on Trump’s handling of protestsVideo
WASHINGTON — Most Republicans continued Tuesday to avoid any criticism of President Donald Trump, though a handful of GOP senators spoke out against police use of tear gas to clear peaceful demonstrators from a park near the White House so Trump could walk to a nearby church and pose with...
Nadler seeks to punish Attorney General William Barr for not testifying
WASHINGTON — The House Judiciary Committee squared off against Attorney General William Barr on Tuesday to counter what Democrats say is continued defiance of Congress for refusing to testify at a Justice Department oversight hearing. Chairman Jerrold Nadler announced that he would introduce legislation this week to slash the budget...
Trump tries religious gestures to hike support amid protestsVideo
WASHINGTON — Cloaking himself in religion for the second day in a row, President Donald Trump sought Tuesday to seize the moral authority to justify his hard line against demonstrators protesting the killing of another black man in police custody and at the same time mobilize his religious conservative base....
Trump’s actions render Trudeau speechless for 21 secondsVideo
TORONTO — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday that Canadians are watching what’s unfolding in the United States with “horror and consternation” and he paused for 21 seconds when asked about U.S. President Donald Trump and the use of tear gas against protesters to clear the way for a...
