GOP Presidential Hopeful Doug Burgum Rises in New Granite State Poll, Celebrates Donation Count

North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum sees his presidential prospects rising following the release of a new Granite State poll.

The GOP presidential hopeful, who is barely showing up in national polls, garnered 6 percent support in the University of New Hampshire’s latest poll of likely Granite State primary voters. That’s good for a fourth-place showing.

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‘The Only Way to Get Rid of Donald Trump Is to Make Him President:’ McCabe

One America News reporter and former national political editor for The Star News Network Neil W. McCabe joined The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy Wednesday to discuss the state of the 2024 GOP nomination contest, the prosecution of Donald Trump and the realization he says the Establishment elites on both sides of the aisle may well come to as the election cycle plays out.

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DeSantis’ Polling Firm Says Most Iowa Republican Caucusgoers Disagree with Trump on His Criticisms of Governor Kim Reynolds

As Donald Trump met with voters Tuesday in Iowa’s second-largest city, a new poll found Hawkeye State Republicans aren’t happy about the former president’s recent criticisms of their popular governor. 

But the poll, it should be noted, was conducted by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ polling firm — an organization that has failed to provide background information on other positive DeSantis polls.

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Commentary: Who’s Up, Who’s Down, and Who’s Out After Tucker Carlson’s Blow-Out Interviews in Iowa

Who won the Republican blow-out interview lalapalooza with Tucker Carlson in Iowa Friday night? Besides Tucker himself—who was on the Q side of this extended Q & A—the participants were South Carolina Senator Tim Scott, former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, former Vice President Mike Pence, former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

Let me say straight off that the biggest beneficiary was probably Tucker himself. He is a master interviewer, outgoing and friendly in manner, informed about the issues, unrelenting in his questioning. Some of his hosts at the Family Leadership Summit, which with Blaze Media sponsored the event, were so impressed with his performance that they suggested to the audience that Tucker himself should run for president. It’s an idea that has been in circulation for a while and it got a notable “trending” uptick as the evening unfolded. Tucker himself has dismissed the idea in no uncertain terms, but it is worth noting how widespread his support is among the politically mature.

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Commentary: Don’t Believe the Leftist Media Narrative About the State of the 2024 Race

To the surprise of no one, the leftist corporate media’s coverage of the 2024 presidential race has been abysmal. Predictably, their reporting is full of omissions, half truths, and wishful thinking. Once again, they only report their preferred narratives, in a desperate attempt to persuade stupid people and gullible news outlets into believing them, including Conservative Inc.

As usual the leftist coastal elites are attempting to shape their perceptions into reality.

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DeSantis and Haley Well Received by Evangelical Christians at Iowa Faith and Leadership Summit

In closing the nationally watched Family Leadership Summit late Friday afternoon, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis ratcheted up the political rhetoric and sounded more fired up than he’s been at some of his previous campaign trips to Iowa.

“With me, on Day 1, you get a new FBI director,” the top tier candidate for the Republican Party presidential nomination told the crowd of 1,700-plus attendees at the 12th evangelical Christian conference.

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Pence Battles Boos, Tucker Carlson’s Tough Questions at Iowa Family Leadership Summit

Former Vice President Mike Pence has long been a standard bearer for the evangelical Christian movement in American politics.

On Friday, before a gathering of hundreds of Christian faithful at the 12th Annual Family Leadership Summit in downtown Des Moines, it felt, to some degree, that the GOP candidate for president had lost a good portion of that faithful base.

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Tucker Carlson Grills GOP Candidate Senator Tim Scott on War in Ukraine, Biden’s Cluster Bombs

U.S Senator Tim Scott said there shouldn’t be American military “boots on the ground” in Ukraine. But the South Carolina Republican campaigning for president  remains supportive in the U.S. providing the weapons and resources Ukraine needs to push back Russia’s invasion. 

Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson hit Scott with tough questions on Ukraine, the border and more at Friday’s Family Leadership Summit, which included a cattle call of GOP presidential candidates. 

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Republican-Led States Rally to Florida’s Defense in Chinese Land Ownership Lawsuit

Twelve Republican-led states have joined an amicus brief in support of Florida, which is being sued in federal court over a law that bans Chinese citizens from owning land in the state.

Florida’s Senate Bill 264, which was signed into law by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis on May 8 and went into effect on July 1, bans all Chinese citizens who are domiciled in China from buying, inheriting or receiving land in the state, while nationals of other “countries of concern” face land ownership restrictions. After the American Civil Liberties Union sued Florida on behalf of Chinese plaintiffs, Republican-led states have rallied to Florida’s defense.

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New Morning Consult Poll Shows Trump Dominating, Ramaswamy Rising

Former President Donald Trump continues to crush the competition, but political outsider Vivek Ramaswamy is swiftly rising in the crowded field of Republican presidential candidates, according to a new Morning Consult poll.

Trump is polling at 56 percent, distantly followed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, at 17 percent, according to the poll of more than 3,600 potential Republican primary voters.

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Commentary: GOP Field Braces for Tucker Carlson Iowa Inquisition

More than one Republican presidential campaign expressed surprise, even trepidation, when RealClearPolitics broke the news in March that Tucker Carlson would moderate a presidential forum hosted by the Family Leader.

In the spring, several candidates accepted Bob Vander Plaats’s invitation to address his influential group of social and religious conservatives. None knew Carlson would be waiting for them on stage in the summer. “This isn’t prepping for an interview,” said a senior aide to one presidential candidate. “It’s an interrogation.”

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GOP Presidential Candidate Vivek Ramaswamy Stands with Iowa Conservative Lawmakers Poised to Pass ‘Heartbeat Bill’

GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy took his campaign to the steps of the Iowa State Capitol Tuesday, throwing his support behind a swiftly moving “heartbeat bill” that would limit most abortions in the Hawkeye State after six weeks of pregnancy. 

The Ohio biotech entrepreneur met with Republican state legislators and Governor Kim Reynolds, as a special legislative session to take up the bill got underway amid loud opposition from hundreds of pro-abortion activists.

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New Politico Mag Poll Skews the Numbers to Come Up with Another Anti-Trump Narrative, Trump Pollster Says

A poll published last week by German-owned Politico Magazine insists that “most Americans —  including a large number of Republicans … “ agree that the former President Donald  Trump’s trial on federal charges he mishandled classified documents should take place before the Republican Party primary. 

And nearly half, according to the Ipsos poll of more than 1,000 “adults,” believe Trump is guilty. 

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Nation’s Largest Teachers’ Union Vows to Embrace Radical LGBTQ Agenda in Government Schools

Delegates at the National Education Association’s (NEA) annual representative assembly in Orlando, Florida, passed a measure this week that pledges the union will organize against what it perceives as anti-LGBTQ legislation and so-called “book banning,” as it also bolsters protections for LGBTQ teachers.

The measure addresses “the prevalence of discrimination and violence targeted” at LGBTQ individuals, reported Education Week, and includes “mobilizing against legislative attacks, providing professional development on LGBTQ+ issues for educators, and strengthening contract protections for LGBTQ+ educators.”

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Stumping in Iowa, Trump Calls the 2024 Presidential Race ‘The Final Battle’

Calling the 2024 presidential race the “final battle,” former President Donald Trump pledged to “expel the war mongers” and “demolish the Deep State” during a campaign rally Friday afternoon in western Iowa.

Campaigning in the shadow of a federal indictment and mounting legal troubles, the Republican Party frontrunner sounded as defiant as he takes on the political fight of his life.

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Pence Says Trump and DeSantis Are Wrong on Ukraine and America’s Role as Arsenal of Democracy

Former Vice President Mike Pence says his “former running mate,” among others in the Republican Party presidential nomination chase, are missing the significance of the U.S. coming to the aid of Ukraine.

Pence said he recently paid a call on the war-torn European nation and its president to see firsthand “the results of the extraordinary, unprovoked invasion by Russia” as well as the “tenacity and toughness” of the Ukrainian military.

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Florida State Guard Graduates First Class of over 100 Soldiers

by Bethany Blankley   The Florida State Guard welcomed its first graduating class of more than 100 soldiers who recently completed their training program and requirements. They are the first class of members of the Florida State Guard since 1947. Gov. Ron DeSantis first proposed reestablishing the State Guard in December 2021. Within months, he reestablished it to lessen the burden of an understaffed and over-stretched Florida National Guard and to hire servicemen and women being forced out of the U.S. military over the federal vaccine mandate, he said. By June of last year, over 1,200 people applied to join the new state guard – three times the amount of open positions. One of its newest recruits was a former New York resident who said he moved to the lower-taxed and less regulated “free state of Florida.” “I am proud to welcome the first class of Florida State Guard members since 1947,” DeSantis said in a statement. “Even though the federal government has underfunded our National Guard, we are ensuring that we have the manpower needed to respond during emergencies. I’m proud of these men and women who answered the call to take on this important mission. When the need is greatest in their…

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Florida’s First Lady, Republican Presidential Hopefuls Mike Pence and Doug Burgum Campaign in Iowa This Week

Florida’s first lady is scheduled to launch her “Mamas for DeSantis” effort as she campaigns Thursday in Iowa for her husband and Republican presidential hopeful Governor Ron DeSantis.

Casey DeSantis’ stop is part of a busy Fourth of July holiday week for presidential campaigns in the Hawkeye State, with former Vice President Mike Pence and North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum returning to Iowa, as well. 

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Trump, Biden Dominate Latest Granite State Poll, but Many Don’t Want to See a Re-Match

Former President Donald Trump has upped his support over Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in the Granite State and President Joe Biden leads his Democratic Party challengers by more than 50 percentage points, according to a new poll conducted by the Saint Anselm College Survey Center at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics.

But the latest poll also finds that a majority of New Hampshire voters believe a repeat of 2020 presidential candidates in 2024 would mark a “broken” U.S. political system.  

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Presidential Campaigns Push Fundraising Appeals Ahead of Critical Filing Deadline

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s campaign reminded supporters on Wednesday that the Democrat challenger to President Joe Biden is facing a “crucial deadline” on Friday. It will be the first time the presidential hopeful’s campaign donations will be made public.

In an urgent appeal for contributions, the Kennedy campaign disabused the notion that the Kennedy Family scion is running a “$100 million campaign.”

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Trump’s Lead Expanding, Ramaswamy Rising in Latest Morning Consult Poll

A new Morning Consult poll shows former President Donald Trump widening the gap against his closest competitors, while former Vice President Mike Pence and Ohio entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy make some noise among the crowded field of Republican Party presidential hopefuls. 

The poll, conducted June 23-25, finds frontrunner Trump at 57 percent, nearly 40 percentage points up on Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (19%), his closest rival. 

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New Florida Law Will Prohibit Direct-to-Consumer Auto Sales

Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill last week that will expand prohibitions on direct-to-consumer auto sales in Florida while exempting electric car manufacturers such as Tesla.

House Bill 637, sponsored by state Rep. Jason Shoaf, R-Port St. Joe, prohibits legacy automakers from offering online sales or direct-to-consumer options if the licensee has existing dealerships that sell its vehicles in the Sunshine State.

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New National Coalition of Sheriffs Forms to Address Border Crisis

Following through on a pledge he made during his first border security summit in Arizona and ahead of his next border trip to Texas on Monday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday announced the creation of a new national coalition of sheriffs committed to working together to combat crime stemming from the border crisis.

More than 90 sheriffs from 24 states are part of the coalition. Notably absent from the list are Texas border sheriffs who’ve been combating border-related crime for years.

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Florida Sues Federal Government over School Accreditation Collaboration

The state of Florida filed a lawsuit this week to challenge federal collaboration with accreditation organizations to usurp recent reforms to the Sunshine State’s higher education system.

Gov. Ron DeSantis announced the lawsuit, which was filed in the U.S. District Court of the Southern District of Florida on Thursday with Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody.

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Poll: Trump Maintains Double-Digit Lead over DeSantis in South Carolina

Among likely South Carolina primary voters, Former President Donald Trump has maintained his lead over Florida Governor Ron DeSantis 41 percent to 18 percent in the multi-candidate ballot, according to the latest National Research poll commissioned by American Greatness.

Last month, Trump led DeSantis 43 percent to 18 percent among likely South Carolina primary voters. This change is well within the survey’s margin of error (+/- 4.38 percent), so it is not considered to be statistically significant.

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Clinton-Appointed Judge Strikes Down Florida Ban on Medicaid Payments for Sex Changes

A federal judge struck down Florida’s prohibition on Medicaid coverage for sex-change treatments, a rule previously set up by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Robert Hinkle, a U.S. District Judge appointed by former President Bill Clinton, ruled that Florida’s ban on Affordable Care Act coverage for puberty blockers and hormone therapy for people in Florida violated equal protection rights guaranteed by the Constitution. Hinkle called the rule “purposeful discrimination” and said the ban was instituted by DeSantis and the Republican-controlled legislature “for political reasons.”

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Wisconsin U.S. Senator Ron Johnson on Hunter Biden Plea Deals: ‘This Stinks to High Heaven’

U.S. Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) joined a chorus of Republicans blasting plea deals that would keep the president’s ne’er-do-well son out of prison.  

“Well first of all, this stinks to high heaven. It certainly proves we do not have equal application of justice under the law,” Johnson said this week on Fox News’ Jesse Waters Prime Time. 

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GOP Presidential Hopefuls Commit to Family Leadership Summit, Important Faith-Based Stop on the Road to the Iowa Caucuses

After a bit of a lull in Iowa’s parade of presidential candidates, the summer campaign season will soon start to heat up again in the kick-off caucus state. 

U.S. Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) on Tuesday announced he’ll speak at next month’s FAMILY Leadership Summit in Des Moines, billed as “the Midwest’s largest gathering of Christians seeking cultural transformation in the family, Church, government, and more.” 

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Florida Pays $100 Million to ‘Hometown Heroes’ Who Relocate to State

Florida has provided over $100 million in down payment and closing cost assistance for nearly 7,000 veterans, active-duty service members, nurses, teachers, first responders and law enforcement officers as more Americans continue to relocate to the Sunshine State.

Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida legislature created the Hometown Heroes Housing Program to help those who serve their country and their communities to be able to afford to live where they serve.

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Florida’s DeSantis Signs State Record $117 Billion Budget

Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the state’s record-setting budget on Thursday which will increase state employee salaries, spend $1.6 billion on restoring the Everglades ecosystem and speed up infrastructure projects across the Sunshine State.

House Bill 2500 is the General Appropriations Act and the state budget for fiscal year 2023-24. Dubbed the “Framework For Freedom Budget” by the DeSantis administration, the bill provides $117 billion in state funding for projects across the state, including increases in education funding, teacher salaries and recruitment bonuses to attract more law enforcement officers.

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New Polls Show Trump with Significant Lead over DeSantis, Republican Presidential Field in Iowa, Nationally, Despite Latest Indictment

The federal indictment against former President Donald Trump doesn’t seem to be eroding his support among conservatives. New polling shows “Teflon Don” continues to hold a substantial lead over his closest Republican presidential nomination rival, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, in Iowa — the first-in-the-nation caucus state — and the rest of the nation.

A poll by Victory Insights shows Trump leading DeSantis by 23 points in Iowa, 44.3 percent to 21.3 percent in a full-ballot contest. When the field is narrowed to just Trump and DeSantis, the spread between the two candidates decreases, but not by much.

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Commentary: DeSantis’ Plan to Tear Down the DOJ Is What All the Candidates Need

This is, on the surface and even a little below it, a column about Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis and the 2024 GOP primary. But it’s about more than that, and if you’ll leave the partisan preferences at the door for a bit, hopefully we can come to some sort of larger understanding that we’ll need as the next presidential race looms.

All we’re really talking about this week is the indictment of Trump down in Miami and its political ramifications — none of which are good. Is this a pristine example of weaponized government? Did Trump put himself in the position to get indicted? Is this actually a good thing for him? Does it force Republican voters to rally around Trump in a way they might otherwise not do, and is that the design of the Machine that controls our institutions of power? Is the Pump-and-Dump-Trump strategy real? Is it inevitable? 

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