Former US ambassador to Ukraine who resigned in protest launches run for Congress in Michigan
The longtime diplomat, who previously held high-ranking State Department roles in other former Soviet and Eastern European countries, is casting herself as a public servant as she runs in next year's midterm elections , when her Democrats hope to win control of the House.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
2 minutes ago
- USA Today
Texas Republicans set to approve Trump-backed new congressional map after lengthy fight
Aug 20 (Reuters) - Texas Republicans on Wednesday will take up a new state congressional map intended to flip five Democratic-held U.S. House seats in next year's midterm elections, after dozens of Democratic lawmakers ended a two-week walkout that had temporarily blocked its passage. Republican state legislators have undertaken a rare mid-decade redistricting at the behest of President Donald Trump, who is seeking to improve his party's odds of preserving its narrow U.S. House of Representatives majority despite political headwinds. The gambit has triggered a national redistricting war, with governors of both parties threatening to initiate similar efforts in other states. Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom is advancing an effort to neutralize Texas' move by redrawing his state's map to flip five Republican seats, pitting the nation's most populous Democratic state against Texas, its most populous Republican one. The Texas map aims to flip five Democratic seats. Other Republican states including Ohio, Florida, Indiana and Missouri are moving forward with or considering their own redistricting efforts, as are Democratic states such as Maryland and Illinois. Redistricting typically occurs every 10 years after the U.S. Census to account for population changes, and mid-decade redistricting has historically been unusual. In many states, lawmakers manipulate the lines to favor their party over the opposition, a practice known as gerrymandering. Texas' new map was listed on Wednesday's schedule for the state House, though it was not clear how quickly Republicans could move to approve it. The bill is still subject to debate on the floor, and Democrats can also introduce amendments to be voted upon. Democrats fled the state earlier this month to deny the Texas House a quorum. In response, Republicans undertook extraordinary measures to try to force them home, including filing lawsuits to remove them from office and issuing arrest warrants. The walkout ended when Democrats voluntarily returned on Monday, saying they had accomplished their goals of blocking a vote during a first special legislative session and persuading Democrats in other states to take retaliatory steps. Republican House leadership assigned state law enforcement officers to monitor Democrats to ensure they would not leave the state again. One Democratic representative, Nicole Collier, slept in the Capitol building on Monday night rather than accept a police escort. Republicans, including Trump, have openly acknowledged that the new map is aimed at increasing their political power. The party currently controls 25 of the state's 38 districts under a Republican-drawn map that was passed four years ago. Democrats and civil rights groups have said the new map dilutes the voting power of racial minorities in violation of federal law and have vowed to sue. Nationally, Republicans captured the 435-seat House in 2024 by only three seats. The party of the president historically loses House seats in the first midterm election, and Trump's approval ratings have sagged since he took office in January. (Reporting by Joseph Ax; Editing by Daniel Wallis)
The Hill
2 minutes ago
- The Hill
Kinzinger: Trump claiming to be war hero ‘just nuts'
Former Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger (Ill.) criticized President Trump for claiming to be a war hero in the wake of the Iran strikes, arguing it is offensive to those who have served in combat. 'Yeah. I mean, look, this is just nuts. This is nuts. And they're going to find — his people are going to find a way to justify this,' Kinzinger, a frequent Trump critic, told CNN's Erin Burnett on Tuesday. 'Listen, when they were putting out something honoring the Army's 250th anniversary, they put out a picture of Donald Trump in his military academy uniform, which has nothing to do with the military except they drill you.' Kinzinger, who retired from Congress in 2021 and is now a senior contributor on CNN, was asked to weigh in on Trump's recent remarks on 'The Mark Levin Show.' 'He's a war hero because we work together. He's a war hero,' Trump told conservative radio host Mark Levin, referring to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. 'I guess I am too.' 'Nobody cares, but I am too. I mean, I sent those planes,' he added, just months after the U.S. bombed three nuclear facilities near Tehran in defense of Israel. Kinzinger, who served in the Air Force and was deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, pressed back against the rhetoric but added that he hopes the president is able to facilitate a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine. 'You can like what he's done. That's fine. I hope he gets a resolution in Ukraine,' he said. 'But to put himself on the same level of people that have actually gone out and served this country, not claimed bone spurs, is an offense to anybody who served.' 'And frankly, you just take somebody that served, calling themselves a war hero, even that would be inappropriate,' the former GOP lawmaker, who said recently that he feels closer to a Democrat nowadays, told CNN. 'For a guy that never served to say it, it's nuts.' Kinzinger added, 'But somebody, they'll defend it, they'll find a way.' The comments come as Trump is looking to facilitate a Russia-Ukraine peace deal after meeting with both leaders and seeking another ceasefire in the Middle East between Isreal and Hamas.
Axios
2 minutes ago
- Axios
Minnesota Rep. Kristin Robbins announces run for governor
Minnesota state Rep. Kristin Robbins (R-Maple Grove) is running for governor. The big picture: Robbins, who announced her bid Wednesday morning, joins a GOP primary field that already includes 2022 gubernatorial candidates Scott Jensen and Kendall Qualls. DFL Gov. Tim Walz is expected to announce whether he'll seek an unprecedented third consecutive term after Labor Day. State of play: Republicans haven't won a statewide office in Minnesota since 2006, and top election forecasters rate the 2026 race as "likely Democratic." But recent polls have found voters split on whether Walz should run again, raising the prospect that the state's highest elected office could be in play. Bio in brief: Robbins, a four-term legislator from the north metro, has made headlines this year as chair of the House's new Fraud Prevention and State Agency Oversight Committee. She won a district that was essentially evenly split between President Trump and Kamala Harris by 14 points in 2024. Zoom in: Robbins' role as the new fraud committee chair has given her a platform to interrogate and criticize the Walz administration on one of his most vulnerable issues. The issue featured prominently in her campaign launch video, with Robbins saying, "mismanagement of our state has created an epidemic of fraud" in government-run programs. The intrigue: Robbins' support for Nikki Haley over President Trump in the 2024 GOP primary could complicate any effort to win the Minnesota Republican Party endorsement — and subsequent GOP primary. Her announcement release didn't say whether she'll agree to abide by the endorsement and end her campaign if GOP delegates pick someone else next spring. What we're watching: Whether Walz runs again— and how that influences who else jumps in the race. Walz, who won by over 7 percentage points in 2022, told reporters Tuesday that he is "still assessing" his decision. Other Democrats seen as likely to run if he doesn't seek another term include Attorney General Keith Ellison and Secretary of State Steve Simon.
