Category: LEAD

Arizona Parents Want New DCS Unit to Track Missing Children After Five Children Disappear from Foster Care

Tom Pappert
Barbara Parker

Parents and foster parents urged reform during a Wednesday committee meeting in the Arizona House of Representatives led by State Representative Barbara Parker (R-Mesa), who successfully passed a 2022 bill to address missing children in the foster care system. 

In a press release published ahead of the meeting, Parker acknowledged “the heart-wrenching disappearance of five children from foster homes” in her district, identifying the missing children as “an issue that strikes at the very core of our commitment to the welfare of vulnerable children.”

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Georgia Sec of State Raffensperger Sounds Alarm on Border Crisis’ Impact on Election Integrity

Just the News
Georgia Sec State Brad Raffensperger

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger is sounding an alarm that the crisis at the southern U.S. border may eventually cause an election integrity crisis in America, imploring lawmakers in Congress and his state Legislature to pursue constitutional amendments to permanently ban noncitizen voting before liberal activists try to secure voting rights for the millions flooding into the county under President Joe Biden.

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Virginia Republicans in Rep. Bob Good’s District Prefer Trump Despite DeSantis Endorsement, Could Flip to John McGuire in 2024: Poll

Tom Pappert

A new poll conducted by Battleground Connect, provided to The Virginia Star by the congressional campaign of Delegate John McGuire (R-Goochland), indicates the majority of Republicans in Virginia’s 5th Congressional District will support former President Donald Trump over Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in March 2024, and may choose McGuire over Representative Bob Good (R-VA-05) when voters return to the polls in June.

The survey reported that 71 percent of Republicans in Virginia’s 5th district hold a favorable opinion of Trump, compared to just 15 percent who hold an unfavorable opinion. Just 43 percent of those respondents reported a favorable opinion of DeSantis, while 34 percent had no opinion.

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Gov. Brian Kemp Announces $1,000 Bonus for Georgia Teachers, New Funding For School Safety

Tom Pappert

Governor Brian Kemp (R) announced a $1,000 bonus on Monday for those who work in Georgia’s schools, and introduce legislation to provide Georgia with more school funding and fund a permanent, annual bonus.

In a joint announcement with Georgia House Speaker Jon Burns (R-Newington), and State Representative Matt Hatchett (R-Dublin), Kemp announced a $1,000 “state employee retention pay supplement” for more than 300,000 Georgia teachers and state employees who work in education.

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YoungkinWatch: Governor Promises Bills Banning TikTok for Minors, Restricting Social Media Data Gathering for Kids

Tom Pappert
Gov. Glenn Youngkin

Governor Glenn Youngkin (R) said in a Friday news conference that he will introduce legislation to the Virginia General Assembly to ban TikTok for minors, restrict other social media from gathering data about children, and expand state-funded mental health initiatives in public schools and colleges.

Youngkin revealed four new legislative efforts he intends to champion during the upcoming legislative session, after first calling for an additional $500 million to address youth mental health in a Friday press release.

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YoungkinWatch: Governor Denies Campaigning on Abortion Was Mistake, Acknowledges Americans ‘Living Paycheck to Paycheck’

Tom Pappert
Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin

Governor Glenn Youngkin (R) denied that Virginia Republicans suffered from his political action committee’s heavy campaigning to restrict abortion during the November elections during a Monday interview. However, the governor also acknowledged the majority of Americans are “living paycheck to paycheck” in remarks that follow a leadership challenge against his allies in the House of Delegates, which was reportedly orchestrated due to frustrations over Republicans’ failure to campaign on the economy.

Responding to criticisms that Virginia Republicans may have suffered due to Youngkin’s Spirit of Virginia PAC spending heavily in favor of restricting abortion during the 2023 elections, the governor told Bloomberg that campaigning on abortion “was not a mistake.” He seemed to argue the issue gave Republicans something to run on, telling the outlet, “I firmly believe that one of the challenges that we have had as Republicans is we haven’t been clear on what we’re going to do.”

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Trump Expands Lead in Georgia as Poll Shows Biden Struggles with Young People

Tom Pappert

Former President Donald Trump has expanded his lead over President Joe Biden in Georgia, according to a new CNN-SRSS poll, which suggests the current president is struggling with voters in key demographics.

The poll showed Trump winning with 49 percent of the vote, while just 44 percent of voters said they would vote for Biden. The polling was conducted between November 30 and December 7, and pollsters reported a margin of error of plus or minus 3.3 percent.

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Gallego Silent After Harvard President Refuses to Condemn Antisemitism and Genocide, Despite Bragging About Attending in 2020

Tom Pappert

U.S. Representative Ruben Gallego (D-AZ-03) is holding his silence following an Arizona Sun Times press inquiry on Sunday about the refusal of Harvard University President Claudine Gay to state whether calling for the genocide of Jewish people is considered a violation of the university’s code of conduct.

Gay refused to state whether calls to commit violence and genocide against the Jewish people violated the university’s code of conduct during a five-minute exchange with Representative Elise Stefanik (R-NY-21). Gay repeatedly told Stefanik she finds such remarks and calls to action “personally abhorrent,” but said such language would receive First Amendment protections at Harvard.

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Ohio’s Kent State University Rebrands DEI Efforts as Lawmakers Debate Bill to Outlaw It

Admin

Kent State University has embedded DEI efforts throughout its academics and programming in recent years, creating a new Division of People, Culture and Belonging and adding administrators, faculty, and projects centered around the ideology, a College Fix analysis found.

The new division, established in September, merged the Human Resources department and the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion offices. The rebranding came as Buckeye State lawmakers considered legislation to ban mandatory DEI in higher education.

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YoungkinWatch: Governor Urges Biden Admin to End Remote Work for Federal Workers to Save Metro Transit

Tom Pappert

Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin sent a letter to two federal agencies within the Biden administration, urging them to require federal employees to return to the office in order to save the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) from a budget deficit he claims threatens the future of public transportation in Virginia and Washington, D.C.

Youngkin urged the federal Office of Personnel Management (OPM)and Office of Management and Budget to order its employees back to their offices “to infuse needed energy into the Greater DC regional economy and provide WMATA with a sustaining ridership level.”

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YoungkinWatch: Virginia’s RNC Committee Woman Calls for Trump to Oust Chair Ronna McDaniel as Governor Keeps Silence

Tom Pappert

Former President Donald Trump was urged to call for a replacement for Republican National Committee (RNC) chairwoman Ronna McDaniel on Monday by Patti Lyman, a Republican National Committeewoman representing Virginia. Lyman’s remarks follow claims from McDaniel that Governor Glenn Youngkin, or his representatives, told her that Virginia did not need additional funding prior to the Republicans’ electoral losses in November.

During an appearance on “The John Fredericks Show,” Lyman suggested Trump could be a deciding factor to determine new leadership at the RNC. She told host John Fredericks, who is publisher of The Virginia Star, Trump is the “one man” who could take “necessary” actions to “get new leadership at the RNC.”

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Gov. Kemp Pitches Legislation to ‘Accelerate’ Georgia Tax Cuts Next Year

Tom Pappert

Governor Brian Kemp (R) pitched new legislation on Monday that he said will “accelerate” Georgia’s new income tax cuts. Beginning in 2024, the Kemp’s plan would steadily increase income taxes annually until the tax rate falls to 4.99 percent.

Kemp announced the move to expand on HB 1437, which established a flat income tax in Georgia by which all income earners are taxed equally at 5.49 percent. While HB 1437 called for the tax rate to eventually decrease to 4.99 percent, Kemp said in a Monday statement that his changes to the law will mean Georgians pay less taxes sooner.

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Honest Elections Project Meets With State Legislators at ALEC’s Annual Convention in Scottsdale, Proposes Agenda Including Stopping Ranked Choice Voting

Rachel Alexander

The American Legislative Exchange Council held their national annual conference in Scottsdale last week, which included a pre-session for legislators with the Honest Elections Project (HEP). HEP is focusing on three issues relating to elections currently, and is proposing draft model legislation that legislators can introduce on a few issues. One is Ranked Choice Voting (RCV), which is gearing up to be a huge fight on the 2024 ballot in Arizona.

Three progressive groups are pushing RCV in Arizona. However, the Arizona Legislature has also referred a proposition to the ballot in 2024 that would stop RCV. HEP has extensively looked into how RCV works, and determined that it ends up putting far left Democrats into office, not moderates as some would expect. HEP’s fact sheet went over several races where it was used and showed how it facilitates this, undermining the Constitution’s principle of one person, one vote.

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Nguyen Outlines Possible Legislation Tackling Free Speech Issues at Arizona Universities

The Center Square

Arizona State Rep. Quang Nguyen, R-Prescott Valley, told an audience in Scottsdale on Wednesday about what actions Republican lawmakers may take in the next session targeting public universities on free speech issues.

“We actually drafted quite a few things, including changes to ABOR – Arizona Board of Regents – to sort of make things a little tighter,” he said on a panel at the conservative American Legislative Exchange Council’s annual summit. 

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YoungkinWatch: UVA Did Not Promote, Advertise ‘Summit on Free Speech’ Governor Reportedly Spent Over a Year Planning

Tom Pappert

The University of Virginia (UVA) did little to promote Governor Glenn Youngkin (R) on Wednesday, even as he gathered officials from every public college in the commonwealth at for his “Higher Education Summit on Free Speech and Intellectual Diversity” at the school’s Newcomb Hall to discuss the importance of differing opinions in higher education.

Youngkin told attendees that, “when it comes to freedom of expression, we have to create an environment that protects the ability to challenge conventional thinking,” according to UVA Today. The governor added, “Challenging beliefs and fostering an environment for these debates is exactly why we all exist.”

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Tucson Border Patrol Chief Stops Social Media Posts: ‘Unprecedented Flow’ of Migrants Needs ‘All Available Personnel’

Tom Pappert
Chief Patrol Agent John Modlin

The U.S. Border Patrol’s Tucson Sector paused most of its social media presence on Sunday, with Chief Patrol Agent John R. Modlin posting the policy change to social media on Sunday.

In posts that have since been deleted from X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, Modlin wrote that his agents would no longer be posting updates to social media. In one post that remains, Modlin wrote that “all Tucson Sector Border Patrol social media accounts will be temporarily reduced to maximize our available staffing,” attributing the change to “the ongoing migration surge.” He added, “[t]he social media team will return once the situation permits.”

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Georgia Supreme Court Pauses Commission Created to Check Prosecutors, Stalling Senate Effort to Rein in Fani Willis

Tom Pappert
Georgia Supreme Court

The Georgia Supreme Court refused to accept the proposed rules for the state’s new Prosecuting Attorneys Qualification Commission (PAQC) in a ruling made Wednesday, effectively pausing the Republican effort to provide oversight for the state’s attorneys.

Georgia lawmakers passed SB 92 last year, creating the PAQC to provide oversight of elected district attorneys across the state. While independent, the legislation requires the Georgia Supreme Court to accept the PAQC’s draft standards and rules before the committee can enforce its decisions.

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YoungkinWatch: Virginia Health Agency Cuts Deputy Commissioner in Push for Youngkin’s ‘Right Help, Right Now’ Program

Tom Pappert

Commissioner Nelson Smith, who was selected by Governor Glenn Youngkin (R) to oversee the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, announced in November that a deputy commissioner’s position is being eliminated from the agency in a bid for the agency to meet to the governor’s expectations.

Nelson told employees across the agency’s departments at some point in November that the position of deputy commissioner for administrative services was being eliminated as part of a broadcer reorganization effort, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch. The job cut will apparently help the agency enact Youngkin’s Right Help, Right Now reforms, which the governor stated will help those suffering from mental health crises in Virginia.

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Governor Hints GOP Will Revive Democrat-Thwarted Legislation, Target Fentanyl Dealers with Murder Charges

Tom Pappert

Governor Glenn Youngkin indicated to local media on Friday that Virginia Republicans will reintroduce a bill to charge fentanyl dealers and distributors with murder if their drugs result in a lethal overdose. Virginia Democrats successfully defeated the legislation in February.

Youngkin told 7 News on Friday, “if you’re a drug dealer and you do drugs and someone dies, you should be charged with felony homicide.” He stressed to the outlet, “[w]e cannot coddle drug dealers.”

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Mohave County Supervisors Vote 3-2 Against Conducting Hand Count in 2024 Election After Arizona AG Threatens Them with Prosecution

Rachel Alexander
Mohave County Board of Supervisors meeting Nov 20 2023

In a close 3-2 vote, the Mohave County Supervisors vetoed a move to conduct a hand count during the 2024 election on Monday. State Senator Sonny Borrelli (R-Lake Havasu) told The Arizona Sun Times prior to the vote that there were enough votes to approve it, but after the supervisors received a threat to prosecute them from Democratic Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes at the last minute, one of the supervisors, Chair Travis Lingenfelter, switched his vote.

Borrelli said Lingenfelter is part of the powerful establishment in the county, with deep family roots in the area. “They all caved to a radical leftist attorney general’s abuse of authority,” he told The Sun Times. “I’m disappointed they didn’t have enough courage to stand up against the tyrannical left. If you don’t go along, we’ll put you in the Gulag.”

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YoungkinWatch: Democrats Release Plan to Put Abortion in Virginia Constitution, Ban Guns after Governor Promises Bipartisan Agenda

Tom Pappert
Gov. Glenn Youngkin

Democrats in the Virginia General Assembly announced joint legislative plans on Monday to enshrine abortion access into the state’s constitution, raise the minimum wage, automatically restore voting rights for felons, and ban AR-15 rifles. The plans were released after Governor Glenn Youngkin (R) said he would pursue bipartisan legislation in the Democrat-controlled General Assembly.

Virginia Democrats in both chambers of the legislature say they submitted four bills on Monday, the first day of prefiling for the 2024 General Assembly Session, which seek to make good on the party’s campaign partisan campaign promises.

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NRSC Launches Arizona Ad Campaign, Labels Rep. Gallego, Sen. Sinema ‘Deadbeat Dad’ and ‘Liberal Democrat’

Tom Pappert

The influential National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) released a new advertisement targeting Arizona voters on Monday that labels Representative Ruben Gallego (D-AZ-03) a “deadbeat dad” and Senator Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) a “liberal Democrat.” The ad is the latest indication the political action committee will support Lake, should she secure the Republican nomination.

In a 30-second ad, the narrator bemoaned “Rotten Ruben Gallego” for being “a spokesman for a crooked bank that targeting immigrants,” referencing a March report exposing a bank he founded that was meant to cater to illegal immigrants. Federal regulators eventually determined the bank’s founder illegally sold shares.

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YoungkinWatch: Sen. Tim Kaine Reportedly Claims Governor May Mount Senate Bid in Fundraising Email

Tom Pappert

Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) reportedly warned donors that Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin (R) could launch a campaign for his U.S. Senate seat in 2024 in a fundraising email on Friday. Youngkin is term limited, and cannot seek another term as the commonwealth’s governor.

In a fundraising email, Kaine reportedly stressed the importance of maintaining the Democrats’ current Senate majority, citing the decision of Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) to retire, before addressing “speculation” about Youngkin’s future political ambitions, according to The Washington Examiner.

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Poll Shows Widespread Support for Education Tax Credits in Georgia

The Center Square

An education choice advocacy group says personal education tax credits are popular with parents nationwide, and Georgia lawmakers could soon move on education reform.

With education tax credits, an alternative to Education Savings Accounts, parents or guardians receive a credit when they choose a non-public school for their dependent’s education. According to the group yes. every kid., states can use existing tax mechanisms for these policies, and parents or guardians receive a tax refund by indicating on a tax form or an application their dependent isn’t enrolled in public school.

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State Bar of Arizona Under Fire as Complaints and Action Against Republican Attorneys Increase

Rachel Alexander

Considerable scrutiny has been placed on the State Bar of Arizona recently following its decision to pursue investigations and disciplinary actions against attorneys representing clients and causes associated with the Republican Party – particularly election attorneys. The Arizona bar is investigating and has found probable cause against Kari Lake’s attorney Bryan Blehm, and he expects they will disbar him. Former Maricopa County prosecutor April Sponsel recently underwent a disciplinary trial for charging violent Antifa rioters with gang charges, and is waiting to find out if the bar’s disciplinary judge will suspend her license for two years.

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Schumer Called Sinema ‘Extremely Helpful’ Before Vote to Thwart Tuberville’s Pentagon Abortion Protest

Tom Pappert
Senator Chuck Schumer

Senator Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) received high praise from Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) prior to the successful vote of a bill she championed that is aimed at thwarting the effort of Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL). Tuberville is stalling promotions of high ranking military officials until the Pentagon ends its new policy of funding abortion travel for its employees.

Sinema successfully passed legislation last week that will allow the U.S. Senate to vote to confirm the promotions of more than 300 high ranking military officials at once, which she said is necessary because the Senate would otherwise struggle to handle the volume once Tuberville’s protest ends or is bypassed.

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Turning Point Action’s Tyler Bowyer Warns Arizona GOP Getting ‘Zero Support’ from RNC

Tom Pappert

Tyler Bowyer, the Chief Operating Officer for Turning Point Action, warned the Arizona Republican Party (AZGOP) is receiving “zero support” from the Republican National Committee (RNC) in a social media post on Monday.

Bowyer’s post on X, formerly Twitter, was in response to 92.3 KTAR FM host Barry Markson’s claim that former President Donald Trump’s Make America Great Again platform “is killing the GOP” in the state, citing a report from The Washington Post which claimed AZGOP Chairman Jeff DeWit was rebuffed by the RNC and its chair, Ronna McDaniel, when repeatedly requesting national funds for the AZGOP since February.

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Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones Releases Attack Ad Against ‘Missing’ Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger

Tom Pappert

Georgia Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones (R) released a new advertisement on Monday which attacks Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R) over his attendance record over his tenure in his elected position. The advertisement came just days after a federal judge ordered a January trial for a lawsuit against Raffensperger and his office, which are accused of failing to implement a secure electronic voting system.

Jones revealed the video in a post on X, formerly Twitter, and wrote that he is “tired of having a Secretary of State who has shown up to work 42 days this year and his behind his staff to do his job while showboating on liberal TV shows.”

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YoungkinWatch: Democrat Speaker Nominee Wants Relationship ‘Reset’ as Governor Promises Bipartisan Legislation

Tom Pappert

Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin (R) appeared to receive an olive branch from Delegate Don Scott Jr. (D-Portsmouth), who the Virginia Democrats elected as their Speaker-designee for the Virginia House of Delegates following Republican losses in last week’s elections, after Scott stated he wants “a reset” between the men during a Friday interview.

In Friday remarks to The Washington Post, the Speaker-designee described himself as a “pragmatic progressive” who is ready for “a reset” with Youngkin. The outlet reported Scott believes Democrats and Youngkin “can find common ground on areas such as education, mental health funding and creating good jobs,” and the publication noted Youngkin made similar promises in a press conference shortly after the electoral defeats of November 7.

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Florida School District Audits Reveal Numerous Oversight Issues: Report

The Center Square

The Florida Auditor General examined significant findings and financial trends in district school board audit reports and found issues needing correction, such as weaknesses in financial oversight and information technology security.

The report covered audits for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2022, and found several weaknesses in internal controls, for example, audits found instances of noncompliance with laws, rules or regulations. These were found in 43 of the 67 audit reports.

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‘Squad’ Member Ilhan Omar Draws a Competitive Primary Challenger

Admin

Former Democratic Minneapolis City Council member Don Samuels announced Sunday that he will attempt to unseat Democratic Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar, according to The Associated Press.

Samuels previously challenged Omar in August 2022, a race in which he was narrowly defeated, garnering 48.2 percent support to Omar’s 50.3 percent. Samuels called Omar, a member of the ‘Squad,’ divisive and believes a more moderate option is needed, according to the AP.

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Federal Judge Orders January Trial, Cites Report Stating Georgia’s 2020 Election Was Not Secure

Tom Pappert

Ninth District Court Judge Amy Totenberg on Friday ordered a January 7 trial for a lawsuit against Georgia state officials which claims their administration of the 2020 election was not secure due to the state’s adoption of new ballot imaging devices (BMDs), which it continues to use less than one year before the 2024 election.

Totenberg ordered the January 9 trial for Curling v. Raffensperger, a lawsuit that has been ongoing since 2017, and maintains Georgia’s electronic voting equipment is not secure. Though Georgia modified its election equipment ahead of the 2020 election, a report for the plaintiffs by University of Michigan computer science professor Alex Halderman asserted that the state’s voting equipment, as it is being used, is vulnerable to hacking and manipulation.

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YoungkinWatch: Virginia Republicans Reportedly Sought to Punish Governor’s House Ally over GOP Losses

Tom Pappert

Republicans in the Virginia House of Delegates reportedly sought to strip the leadership position of Speaker Todd Gilbert (R-Shenandowoah) on Sunday for his failure to caution Governor Glenn Youngkin against fiercely campaigning on abortion, and for demanding Virginia legislators appear at political events they reportedly said were part of a last minute presidential bid for the governor.

At least three Republican delegates anonymously told The Washington Post they planned to punish Gilbert, who was described as a “key ally” of Youngkin in 2022, for pushing legislators to comply with Youngkin’s demands”to appear at Youngkin-led rallies and other events,” which the legislators told the Post “were primarily meant to promote his last-minute bid for president.”

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