Tag: 2022 midterms

Dark Money Carpetbagger PAC Spends $100,000 on Radio Supporting Morgan Ortagus in TN-5

Aaron Gulbransen

A new dark money super PAC spent $100,000 in radio ads on Wednesday in support of carpetbagger Morgan Ortagus in the race for Tennessee’s 5th Congressional district seat, according to Federal Election Commission records released on Friday.

The PAC’s name is Tennessee Conservatives PAC and the expenditure was made on April 6. Saturation-level radio ads – at least 20 spots per day – began running on Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC in Nashville and 99.7 WTN in Nashville beginning on Wednesday.

The PAC, which was organized on February 22, 2022 according to FEC records, has yet to release its funding sources. The group’s report for the period ending March 31 will not be made filed with the FEC until April 15. It is common practice for dark money PACs to hide their sources of funding until the latest possible date.

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Exclusive: TN-5 Republican Candidate Beth Harwell Raises Nearly $350,000 in Five Weeks

Aaron Gulbransen

In an exclusive statement provided to The Tennessee Star, Beth Harwell, former Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives and candidate in the Republican primary for Tennessee’s Fifth Congressional district seat, announced that she has raised nearly $350,000 in the five weeks since entering the race.

“I am proud to have the support of so many Tennesseans as we campaign to bring some common sense to Washington.” she said. “We need someone in Congress who knows the needs of Tennessee and will fight to bring back American greatness. I intend to do just that.”

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Republicans Are Lining Up in Arizona’s 2nd Congressional District to Challenge Vulnerable Democrat Incumbent

Aaron Gulbransen

As Democrat incumbent U.S. Representative Tom O’Halleran continues to look vulnerable, Republicans are lining up to challenge him in the GOP primary for Arizona’s Second Congressional district.

The Arizona Sun Times previously reported that O’Halleran is considered one of the most vulnerable Democrat incumbents in the country and at least five candidates have declared against him.

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IL-11 Republican Challenger Jerry Evans Responds to National Republican Congressional Committee Adding District to Target List

Aaron Gulbransen

Illinois Eleventh Congressional district challenger Jerry Evans responded to the news that the National Republican Congressional Committee has added the district to the Democrat incumbent target list.

In a statement issued to The Star News Network, Evans said “The NRCC adding Illinois’ 11th Congressional District to their list confirms what we have seen all along. Illinoisans have had enough of Joe Biden’s dismal economy, catastrophic foreign policy, and undeniable incompetence.” he said. “They no longer wish to be represented by Biden yes-men like Bill Foster. They want a Representative who will go to Washington and fight for them, not kowtow to Nancy Pelosi and the far-left fringes of the Democratic Party. With a strong fundraising record, significant national press, and an elite team, my campaign is well positioned to finally retire Bill Foster.” 

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Missouri State House of Representatives Rejects Senate Redistricting Plan, Asks for Conference Committee

Aaron Gulbransen

The Republican-controlled Missouri State House of Representatives overwhelmingly voted on Tuesday to reject the Senate-passed redistricting plan and requested that the two chambers resolve their differences via a conference committee.

By voting to reject the Senate-passed plan, the Missouri state House also ignored the 5pm, March 29 candidate filing deadline.

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Democrat State Senator Heidi Campbell Enters Race for TN-5

Aaron Gulbransen

Democrat State Senator Heidi Campbell (D-Nashville) filed papers with the Federal Election Commission establishing her as a candidate for Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District.

Democrat political consultant Chip Forrester is her campaign treasurer.

Campbell, the former mayor of Oak Hill in Davidson County, was first elected to the Tennessee State Senate in 2020, defeating then-incumbent Republican State Senator Steve Dickerson.

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Report: New Dark Money Group with Possible Connections to Morgan Ortagus Targeting Tennessee Residency Legislation

Aaron Gulbransen

Jake Sherman of Punchbowl News and MSNBC is reporting that a well-funded new super PAC named Tennessee Conservative PAC says they intend to file a lawsuit challenging the General Assembly-passed three-year residency requirement legislation for candidates in federal primaries.

The legislation has yet to be transmitted to Governor Lee for his signature.

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NV-1 Democrat Incumbent Dina Titus Says She’s Stunned by New Lines Turning Congressional District to a ‘Tossup’

Aaron Gulbransen

Nevada’s 1st Congressional District Democrat incumbent Dina Titus says she is feeling vulnerable for her re-election and that she hates her new district lines.

Titus clearly feels that the race for her seat is highly competitive.

Titus has strong words for the Democrat-controlled redistricting process, saying “I totally got f****d by the Legislature on my district,” she said in December when the new boundaries were announced. “I’m sorry to say it like that, but I don’t know any other way to say it.”

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General Assembly Three-Year Residency Requirement Legislation for Federal Candidates in Primaries on March 28 House Message Calendar

Aaron Gulbransen
Tennessee Senate Chamber

Tennessee legislation establishing three-year residency requirements for candidates in federal primaries is on the House message calendar for floor consideration on Monday, March 28.

According to Tennessee state House staff, the House message calendar is for bills that went over to the Senate, were non-concurred, and came back.

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Former Williamson County GOP Chair Omar Hamada Endorses Andy Ogles for TN-5

Aaron Gulbransen

Former Williamson County Republican Chair Omar Hamada has endorsed Maury County Mayor Andy Ogles in the GOP primary for Tennessee’s Fifth Congressional district seat.

Hamada had previously considered running for TN-5 himself, but had declared that he would not run if Ogles jumped in. Hamada told The Tennessee Star prior to Ogles’ official announcement that he was against running if Ogles ran because in his view, he did not want to split the conservative vote. “Basically, I think we are the old two true solid conservatives and I don’t want to split the vote and have a moderate win.”

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CT-5 Democrat Incumbent Jahana Hayes Intimates Black GOP Opponent Only Running Because of Race

Aaron Gulbransen

Democrat Incumbent U.S. Representative Jahana Hayes recently intimated to supporters in a Zoom call that her Black GOP opponent was only in the campaign because of his race.

Hayes also recently told supporters that if she loses her race in November, then Democrats all around the country are in trouble. Sources tell The Connecticut Star that Hayes is feeling the pressure in Connecticut’s highly competitive Fifth Congressional district contest.

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Robby Starbuck Gave No Contributions to Donald Trump or Republicans Prior to Congressional Run

Aaron Gulbransen

Records show that California native and candidate for TN-5 Robby Starbuck has given no financial contributions to President Trump or Republican candidates prior to his run for Tennessee’s 5th Congressional district.

The Tennessee Star was able to verify that Starbuck gave $40 to WINRED on 10/15/20, $250 to the Williamson County GOP on 7/21/21, $500 to the Williamson County GOP on 2/3/2022, $100 to the Tennessee GOP on 2/28/2022, and an additional donation to the Davidson County GOP last month.

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Senate Noncurs with House on Residency Bill for Primary Eligibility

Aaron Gulbransen

The Tennessee Senate has non-concurred, essentially rejecting the House-passed version of the three-year residency requirement bill for federal candidates in primary.

The bill now goes back to the House, where they have the option to conform to the Senate version, or else the legislation goes to conference committee. The state House is expected to consider the legislation again this week.

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TN-5 Republican Hopeful David Vitalli Addresses Candidacy, New York Carpetbagger Status

Aaron Gulbransen

New York native David Vitalli, one of three carpetbagger candidates in the Republican primary for Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District along with Morgan Ortagus and Robby Starbuck, addressed his candidacy and relocation to Tennessee.

“My wife and I fell in love with Tennessee in 2013 and spent a lot of time here. We knew that we would move here as soon as our first visit. I may not be a long-time resident of Tennessee, but I got here as soon as I could. I am invested in Tennessee’s 5th district. My home is here. I operate my business here. I didn’t come here looking for a job or to punch another notch on my move up the D.C. social ladder.” said Vitalli.

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Tennessee State Senate Aide Tres Wittum Anticipates TN-5 Announcement the First Week of April

Aaron Gulbransen

Tennessee state Senate aide Tres Wittum is anticipating announcing his entry into the Tennessee 5th Congressional district Republican primary during the first week of April.

Tres Wittum told The Tennessee Star, “I’ve been in the exploratory phase. I’m meeting with business leaders and voters. The discussions have been overwhelmingly positive. It’s coming. I anticipate making an announcement concerning my entry into the race during the first week of April.”

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Democrat Incumbent Switches Districts, Leaving Texas 15th Congressional District an Open Target

Aaron Gulbransen

Incumbent Democrat U.S. Representative Vicente Gonzalez (D-TX-15) has elected to run for reelection in TX-34, leaving Texas’ Fifteenth Congressional district an open seat.

Redistricting changed the district lines and made an already competitive TX-15 an even more appetizing target for Republicans, who already have a nominee while the Democrats are scheduled to have a run-off in late May.

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Democrats Sue to Keep Three Incumbent Wisconsin Republicans Off 2022 Ballot for Alleged Insurrection Roles

Admin

Democratic Party activists in Wisconsin on Thursday filed a lawsuit in federal court demanding that Wisconsin Republicans Sen. Ron Johnson and Reps. Tom Tiffany and Scott Fitzgerald be barred from the 2022 ballot for highlighting abnormalities in the 2020 election process and their alleged attempts to interfere with the congressional certification of the results.

The plaintiffs allege the Republicans “used their public positions of authority to illegally foment an atmosphere meant to intimidate and pressure Vice President [Mike] Pence and Congress to take actions inconsistent with the facts and with their duties under the Electoral Count Act and the U.S. Constitution,” according to a report from the Epoch Times.

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Michigan Redistricting Places Incumbent Democrat U.S. Representative Dan Kildee in Competitive New 8th District

Aaron Gulbransen

Michigan’s redistricting process has placed incumbent Democrat U.S. Representative Dan Kildee in a competitive new 8th Congressional District.

Prior to redistricting changing the numbers and lines, Kildee was running in the old 5th district, a district he has represented since 2013. Kildee is the Chief Deputy Whip of the House Democrat Caucus.

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National Conservative Women’s PAC Maggie’s List Endorses Beth Harwell for TN-5

Aaron Gulbransen

Former Speaker of the Tennessee House Beth Harwell has earned the endorsement of Maggie’s List in the race for Tennessee’s Fifth Congressional District. Maggie’s List is a federal political action committee (PAC) dedicated to electing fiscally conservative women.

In a release, Harwell said of the endorsement, “I’m honored to have the backing of such a prominent group, like Maggie’s List, that’s leading the way to get conservative women elected to Congress. We can restore America’s greatness by securing our border, lowering taxes, and ending the reckless spending that’s causing inflation.”

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National Republican Congressional Committee Targets Georgia’s 2nd Congressional District for Republican Takeover

Aaron Gulbransen
Sanford Bishop and Arthur Wayne Johnson

The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) is targeting GA-2 Democrat incumbent U.S. Representative Sanford Bishop for defeat.

In a release, NRCC Spokeswoman Camille Gallo said “Sanford Bishop is one of the most vulnerable Democrats in the country because he supports Biden’s failed agenda that Georgians are soundly rejecting.”

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Tennessee House Overwhelmingly Approves Legislation Creating Three-Year Residency Requirement for Federal Candidates in Primaries

Aaron Gulbransen
Tennessee Capitol building

The Tennessee House has approved legislation creating a three-year residency requirement for federal candidates in primaries. The final vote was 86 to 0 to approve HB2764, as 6 members voted “present” on the legislation.

The companion bill, SB2616, had already passed the Tennessee Senate. The bills were originally markedly different in terms of the effective date, but that conflict was resolved.

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Two U.S. House Races to Watch: New Hampshire’s 1st and New Mexico’s 3rd Congressional Districts

Aaron Gulbransen

The campaigns for New Hampshire’s 1st Congressional District and New Mexico’s 3rd Congressional District are two races that are important to the GOP’s chances at taking control of the U.S. House of Representatives.

U.S. Representatives Chris Pappas of NH-1 and Teresa Leger-Fernández of NM-3 are two Democrat incumbents that could find themselves out of a job in November if their Republican challengers have their way.

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Republicans Take Aim at New Hampshire’s 1st Congressional District Seat

Aaron Gulbransen

Republicans are taking aim at New Hampshire’s 1st Congressional District seat, which is currently occupied by Democrat U.S. Representative Chris Pappas.

The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) has announced that they are targeting Pappas for defeat and there are four candidates in the Republican primary that are listed on their website as participating in the Young Guns program.

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Alexis Martinez Johnson Is Effectively the Republican Nominee for New Mexico’s 3rd Congressional District

Aaron Gulbransen
Alexis Martinez Johnson

Engineer and mom Alexis Martinez Johnson is effectively the Republican nominee for New Mexico’s 3rd Congressional District.

Martinez Johnson achieved over 87 percent of the vote in the recent 3rd-district GOP pre-primary convention. While Martinez Johnson still technically has to run in primary, because of her strong showing at the pre-primary convention, no other candidate is on the ballot.

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Legislation Establishing Residency Requirements for Federal Candidates Scheduled for House Floor Vote

Aaron Gulbransen
Dave Wright

Tennessee House legislation establishing residency requirements for federal candidates is scheduled for a floor vote on Monday, March 14.

The companion bill, SB2616, has already passed the Tennessee Senate and is sitting on the House desk. The bills are currently markedly different in terms of effective date, but that conflict is expected to change when HB2764 comes to the floor.

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Democrats Currently Lead in National Redistricting Efforts with Four States Still Completing Process

Aaron Gulbransen

Democrats currently have the lead in redistricting efforts with four states still working on new maps.

Forty states, 46 if the states that have one congressional district are included, have finished the process of drawing new maps for U.S. House of Representatives districts. Only Florida, Missouri, Louisiana, and New Hampshire have yet to finish their redistricting process.

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Justice Democrat Odessa Kelly Announces Run for Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District

Aaron Gulbransen

Far-Left Justice Democrat Odessa Kelly has announced her bid in the Democrat primary for Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District, where Republican U.S. Representative Mark Green is the incumbent.

Kelly had been previously running in the 5th Congressional district primary against retiring Rep. Jim Cooper, who dropped out of the race due to redistricting.

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GOP Primary for Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District Attracts Another Carpetbagger

Aaron Gulbransen

Recent New York transplant David M. Vitalli, who told a magazine that he’s a JFK Democrat and will run for President of the United States in 2024, has joined fellow carpetbaggers Morgan Ortagus and Robby Starbuck in the Republican primary for Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District.

Vitalli is listed as collecting petitions for the TN-5 GOP primary by the Tennessee Secretary of State’s office and he has filed FEC paperwork. Twelve other individuals are currently collecting petitions for the TN-5 GOP primary.

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House Sponsor of Legislation Establishing Tennessee Federal Candidate Residency Requirements Says He’ll Conform His Bill to Senate-Passed Version

Aaron Gulbransen

State Rep. David Wright, the House sponsor of the bill that establishes residency requirements for federal candidates, told The Tennessee Star that he plans to make the language in his version match Senator Frank Niceley’s Senate-passed version.

“All I’m trying to do is to get a bill to the floor in the House so I can motion to substitute and conform to the Senate version.” said Wright. “I would hope that I can get this to Calendar and Rules on Thursday morning for it to be on the floor next week.”

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