California Gov. Gavin Newsom to Stump for Biden Campaign in Pennsylvania amid Rumored Effort to Replace President

Gavin Newsom and Joe Biden

The campaign to reelect President Joe Biden confirmed on Wednesday that Governor Gavin Newsom (D-CA) will appear at two events to stump for the 81-year-old president. The campaign stops come amid a rumored push to replace Biden following his poor debate performance against former President Donald Trump.

Newsom is first expected to travel to Pittsburgh when the Pennsylvania Capital-Star reported the Biden campaign confirmed “he’ll be stumping for the president” on Thursday.

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Dave McCormick Slams Bob Casey for ‘Lying to Pennsylvanians’ About Joe Biden’s Fitness, Drops Ad Highlighting Senator’s Friendship with President

Senator Bob Casey (D-PA)

Following the poor debate performance by President Joe Biden last Thursday, Pennsylvania U.S. Senate nominee Dave McCormick accused Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) of “lying to Pennsylvanians” about the mental and physical fitness of President Joe Biden on Friday and released a new advertisement highlighting their purported friendship on Sunday.

“Bob Casey has been protecting Joe Biden for years and lying to Pennsylvanians about his ability to serve as Commander-in-Chief,” wrote McCormick in a Friday post to the social media platform X.

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Swing State Election Boards Engaged in Legal Battles over Election Certification Ahead of November

County election boards in swing states across the country are engaged in legal battles over election certification ahead of the November elections, while others were threatened with legal action if they didn’t certify election results.

With the presidential election less than five months away, county election board members are either initiating or find themselves the subject of legal actions over the certification of elections. That process occurs before the state can certify election results.

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Political Fissures Lead to the Rise of Trump-Aligned Activist Associations in Arizona

National Freedom Coalition meeting

In the wake of years-long friction between independent Right-of-center activists and Republican Party veterans, some Arizonans are forming stand-alone political groups. One recent clash in May gained national attention when a video recording surfaced of a Legislative District 2 (LD2) meeting that devolved into a physical altercation.

Interviews by The Arizona Sun Times of several of the individuals at that meeting revealed that the conflict was more about the discord between hundreds of newly-recruited, pro-Trump precinct committeemen (PCs) and the establishment PCs that have participated in and run the Republican party in the area for years.

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Release from Gasoline Reserve Raises Doubts Biden will Replenish the Strategic Petroleum Reserve

U.S. Oil and Gas Reserves

The Biden Administration announced Tuesday that it would release 42 million gallons of gasoline from the Northeast Gasoline Supply Reserve. The release, the Department of Energy explained, is “strategically timed and structured to maximize its impact on gas prices.” This will, according to the DOE, help lower prices at the pump during the summer months when prices tend to go up along with demand.

The Northeast Gasoline Supply Reserve was created in 2012 following Superstorm Sandy, which damaged two refineries and shut down 40 terminals in New York Harbor. Some New York gas stations went as long as 30 days without a supply of gasoline as a result of the supply disruption. The Obama administration established the gas reserve to prevent such a shock from happening again.

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Analysis: Trump Says Biden Is ‘So Bad’ That Every State Could Be Competitive

Donald Trump

“As you can see today, we’re expanding the electoral map because we are going to officially play in the state of New Jersey—we’re going to win the state of New Jersey… We’re also looking… at the state of Minnesota, which hasn’t been won [by the GOP] since 1952 and we’re leading in the polls, and the state of Virginia and actually many other states, I don’t know, it could be all of them.”

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Influential Liberal Donor Organizes Massive Coalition to Throw Cash Behind Voter Mobilization

Pierre Omidyar

An influential left-of-center donor’s charity launched an initiative compelling other philanthropies to pour money into voter mobilization efforts ahead of the 2024 elections.

Democracy Fund, which was founded and is funded by liberal philanthropist Pierre Omidyar, has rallied a group of 174 organizations and individuals pledging to expedite their disbursement of grants related to efforts including get-out-the-vote operations. The pledge calls on its signatories to either make the bulk of their election-related donations by the end of April, to “move up” disbursements scheduled for later in the year or to streamline their grant approval processes.

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Commentary: Are Trump’s Polls Understating His Lead?

Donald Trump

During the two months since President Biden delivered his State of the Union address, a wide variety of legacy news outlets have been at pains to portray an infinitesimal improvement in his polling as a shift of momentum in the presidential race. Last week, for example, USA Today breathlessly reported that “Trump and Biden are ‘darn near even’ in the 2024 election.” If this was meant to provide moral sustenance for worried Democrats it was thin gruel indeed. Biden is an incumbent president struggling to keep up with a challenger most of whose time and money has been devoted to fighting off a ruthless lawfare campaign. Moreover, if history is any guide, it’s probable that the polls understate the strength of Trump’s support.

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Pennsylvania State Senator Doug Mastriano Says GOP Needs to ‘Stop Sabotaging’ Each Other, ‘Come Together’ to Elect Donald Trump in November

Doug Mastriano

Pennsylvania State Senator Doug Mastriano (R-Franklin County) said that establishment Republicans need to come together during this election cycle to support and elect grassroots candidates and former President Donald Trump to office.

Mastriano, who recently detailed his personal experience of betrayal by establishment Republican organizations during his 2022 gubernatorial campaign, said “it’s going to take a lot of effort, energy, and unity” to elect strong Republicans into office this November—especially in the toss up state of Pennsylvania.

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Kari Lake, Ruben Gallego Statistically Tied in First Poll of Arizona U.S. Senate Race Since Abortion Law Decision

Kari Lake and Ruben Gallego

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Kari Lake is statistically tied with Representative Ruben Gallego (D-AZ-03) in the first New Emerson College poll of the contest since the Arizona Supreme Court enacted a 19th century law that bans abortion without exceptions for rape or incest.

The pollsters found Lake has the support of 43.1 percent of Arizonans, leaving her just behind Gallego, who polled at 45.3 percent. In the wake of the confirmation Senator Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) will not seek another term, an additional 11.6 percent of respondents told pollsters they remain undecided.

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James Carville Viciously Mocks Young People Who Don’t Just Roll Over and Vote for Democrats

James Carville

Democratic strategist James Carville on Sunday mocked young voters who are struggling with whether they will vote for the Democratic Party.

President Joe Biden’s support among young voters has been declining since even before the Israel-Hamas war commenced in October. Carville on an episode of “James Carville Explains” chided young voters for not committing to vote for Democrats, asserting that Republican and conservative control of the country will lead to them not having any rights for the remainder of their lives.

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Arizona Election Officials Report 2,000 Vote Discrepancy in Recent Primary, Predict Delays in November

People in Line to Vote

Maricopa County executive director Zach Schira claimed on Tuesday that recent changes to the state’s elections as a result of a “landmark” election integrity bill that enjoyed overwhelming support in the Arizona Legislature.

Schira told The Arizona Republic that complying with a provision in HB 2785 which requires election workers to count the number of early ballots at each polling location required an average of 30 to 45 minutes at polling locations across the state for the March 19 presidential preference election.

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Key Democrats Endorse Gallego After Sinema Retirement

Rep. Ruben Gallego

U.S. Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., now has the backing on Gov. Katie Hobbs and U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly in his bid for U.S. Senate.

The endorsements come after Independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema announced last week she’s retiring at the end of the year and not seeking re-election. If she decided to run, it would have set up an unusual three-way race between two major parties and an incumbent. Sinema left the Democratic Party in December 2022.

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Trump Pays Tribute to Laken Riley, Blasts Biden Border Policies as ‘Crime Against Humanity’

Donald Trump met with Laken Riley’s family and unleashed a blistering attack Saturday on President Joe Biden’s border policies as a “crime against humanity” as the two likely general candidates staged dueling events in the battleground state of Georgia. “Joe Biden has no remorse, no regret, no empathy, no compassion, and worst of all, he has no intention of stopping the deadly invasion that stole precious Laken’s beautiful American life,” Trump told a rally in Rome, Ga., the home district of close ally Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene.

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Commentary: ‘Russia Forever’ Is an Anatomy of a Left-Wing Obsession

The more candidate Trump in 2016 trolled the Clinton campaign (e.g., “Russia, if you’re listening, I hope you’re able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing, I think you will probably be rewarded mightily by our press”), the more the irate left bought into hysterical conspiracy theories.

Finally, the left became completely unhinged after the 2016 victory. An Obama-era Pentagon lawyer published an essay exploring the chance for a military coup. Retired lieutenant colonels called for a Pentagon intervention. Retired four-stars could not decide whether he was Hitler-like, Mussolini, or the architect of Auschwitz. Celebrities competed to find the most savage image of eliminating Trump—whether by combustion, incineration, decapitation, lethal shooting, or stabbing.

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Analysis: Trump Widens Lead in New Hampshire Primary Polls After DeSantis Withdraws from GOP Presidential Race

Trump AF1

As Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis withdrew from the presidential race on Jan. 21, leaving a two-way race between former President Donald Trump and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley for the Republican nomination, new polling out shows a significant jump in favor of Trump in the New Hampshire primary scheduled for Jan. 23.

In the latest Boston Globe-Suffolk poll taken Jan. 20 and Jan. 21, Trump’s support in New Hampshire rose to 57 percent and Haley at 38 percent. And an Insider Advantage poll taken Jan. 21 showed Trump up to 62 percent to Haley’s 35 percent.

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Commentary: Only Trump Can Save America

I believed that Republican voters were ready for a new post-Trump chapter of the America First movement. I now believe I was wrong. Those of us who backed Ron DeSantis – or the other Republican candidates – should read the room. Former President Trump winnowed the field effortlessly and then crushed the remaining three candidates in Iowa. He leads in the polls everywhere else. It is time to coalesce and unite behind the clear preference of the GOP grassroots, Donald John Trump.

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Commentary: Lawfare Against Trump Is Running Out of Gas

We should dispense with the tired narrative that four conscientious state and federal prosecutors — independently and without contact with the Biden White House or the radical Democrats in Congress — all came to the same disinterested conclusions that Donald Trump should be indicted for various crimes and put on trial during the campaign season of 2024.

The prosecutors began accelerating their indictments only once Trump started to lead incumbent Joe Biden by sizable margins in head-to-head polls. Moreover, had Trump not run for the presidency, or had he been of the same party as most of the four prosecutors, he would have never been indicted by any of them.

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Iowa’s Republican Caucusgoers Set to Make Their Pick for 2024 Presidential Nominee

The Hawkeye state has held a caucus every four years since the 1970s and is one of only nine states that still implement the practice, according to WQUAD8, a local ACB News affiliate. Eligible voters who are registered with the party and over the age of 18 will meet at 7 p.m. Central Time on Jan. 15 in schools, churches and event centers across the state after weeks of aggressive campaigning by Republican candidates.

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Top-Ranked Political Advisor Ward Baker Delivers Four-Part Master Class on 2024 Election Cycle

Ward Baker

Political consultant Ward Baker joined Wednesday’s episode of The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy in-studio to discuss his insights to the state of the 2024 election cycle across the 50 states.

With the Iowa caucuses less than two weeks away and Super Tuesday a scant nine weeks after that on March 5, Baker takes listeners inside the campaigns as he shares the polling, players and places that matter most in 2024.

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Stephen K. Bannon and John Fredericks Call for Ronna Romney McDaniel to Resign as RNC Chair

Ronna McDaniel

WarRoom host Stephen K. Bannon made an appearance on The John Fredericks Show Tuesday morning, where he joined Fredericks in calling on former President Donald Trump to demand the immediate resignation of Republican National Committee Chair Ronna Romney McDaniel.

Bannon criticized the current state of the RNC, citing a substantial list of failures, including financial issues, lack of focus, and questionable priorities such as organizing debates that foment anti-Trump sentiment.

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Ballot Battles, Impeachment Inquiry, Indictments Disrupt Election Cycle

The Republican primary’s Iowa caucuses are scheduled for January 15, the first chance for voters to determine who they want to represent their party in November’s presidential election.

Iowa’s January caucuses are a regular tradition for a presidential primary season that – this time around – has been unusually enshrouded in indictments, impeachment inquiries and lawsuits heading into election year.

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Unmasking DeWine: Ohio Journalist Jack Windsor Dissects Shocking Veto and Its Potential Ripple Effect on 2024 Senate Race

Ohio journalist and entrepreneur Jack Windsor joined host Michael Patrick Leahy on Monday’s episode of The Tennessee Star Report to discuss the connections and divides behind the shocking decision by Governor Mike DeWine to veto measure that would prohibit genital mutilation of children and transgender males competing in girls’ sports. Windsor unveils the deep ties between the Buckeye State governor and the “medical industrial complex,” and how this particular veto – perhaps unbeknownst to DeWine – could influence the 2024 elections in Ohio. The Ohio Press Network journalist then breaks down the hotly contested republican nomination race for U.S. Senate to see who will face long time incumbent Sherrod Brown. TRANSCRIPT Michael Patrick Leahy: 12:33 p.m., broadcasting live from our studios in downtown Nashville on Monday, January 1st, 2024. We are broadcasting live. We’re the only talk station talk show in Nashville broadcasting live today. Another hard worker is our very good friend formerly with The Ohio Star now with the Ohio Press Network and the host of his own program in Columbus Ohio, our good friend, Mr. Jack Windsor. Jack, thanks for joining us. Jack Windsor: Michael, it’s great to be with you. Happy New Year. And thanks for allowing…

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DeSantis Super PAC Loses Top Strategist Jeff Roe: ‘I Cannot in Good Conscience Stay Affiliated’

Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’ 2024 presidential campaign strategist Jeff Roe departed the governor’s super PAC following multiple other departures from the organization.

“I cannot in good conscience stay affiliated with Never Back Down (NBD) given the statements in the Washington Post today. They are not true and an unwanted distraction at a critical time for Governor DeSantis. I am resigning my position effective immediately,” Roe posted late Saturday evening on X, formerly Twitter.

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Trump Vows to Secure, Revitalize Violence-Weary Cities as He Stumps in New Hampshire

With the nation’s first primary state as a backdrop, former President Donald Trump took aim Saturday at Democrats’ urban strongholds, vowing to both secure and revitalize blue cities weary from years of violence and economic decay.

“We’re going to rebuild our cities into beacons of hope, safety, and beauty. It will be the greatest investment ever made,” Trump told a large, enthusiastic crowd in Durham, N.H. 

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

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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Analysis: The Clock Is Ticking for Vivek Ramaswamy’s Campaign to Make a Move

Vivek Ramaswamy is currently polling fourth among Republican presidential candidates and, with the Iowa caucus fast approaching, will need to rapidly make up ground for a strong early showing. Yet in early primary contests where candidates are spending big on political advertising, his campaign is so far keeping its powder dry.

The businessman has spent significantly less on political advertisements than his chief political rivals, and has only reserved just over $100,000 on future ad buys, a figure dwarfed by the campaigns of Trump, DeSantis and Haley. While his campaign has instead opted for local engagement in the key early nominating states, Republican operatives in Iowa and New Hampshire warn that time is running out for a major push.

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Poll Shows Trump with Enormous Lead Over Biden in Crucial Battleground State

Former President Donald Trump is leading President Joe Biden by a whopping 10 points in Michigan, a state Biden won in 2020, according to a Monday poll.

Trump leads Biden by 10 points among registered voters in Michigan and by 5 points in Georgia, according to a CNN/SSRS poll. Majorities of registered voters in both the swing states hold negative views of Biden’s job performance, policies and mental acuity ahead of a potential 2024 rematch with Trump.

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Longshot GOP Candidate Doug Burgum Suspends Presidential Campaign

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum announced Monday that he is suspending his 2024 presidential campaign.

Burgum jumped in the growing GOP primary field in early June and has spent his campaign largely focused on the economy, energy and national security. The governor criticized the Republican National Committee’s (RNC’s) upped debate requirements, which left Burgum off the last debate stage, during his announcement, accusing them of “nationalizing the primary system,” according to a press release.

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Professor Raises Concerns over the Effect AI Could Have on 2024 Elections

A University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy professor is waving a red flag on the impact that artificial intelligence could have on next year’s elections.  

Ethan Bueno de Mesquita has written a white paper which he said provides an overview of the potential impact of generative AI on the electoral process. The paper offers specific recommendations for voters, journalists, civil society, tech leaders and other stakeholders to help manage the risks and capitalize on the promise of AI for electoral democracy in the hope of fostering a more productive public discussion of these issues.  

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