DeSantis picks state Sen. Jay Collins to be Florida's lieutenant governor
If Collins, an Army combat veteran and nonprofit executive, decides to launch a bid to succeed DeSantis, the move could tee up another proxy fight between the popular GOP governor and President Donald Trump, who has already endorsed Republican Congressman Byron Donalds for the job.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Winnipeg Free Press
a minute ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Sen. McConnell and wife join Kentucky ceremony marking expansion of their archives
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Mitch McConnell and Elaine Chao's enduring status as a powerhouse couple was on display Tuesday as they reflected on their shared lives at a ceremony for the archives that will catalogue their careers. The Kentuckians marked the expansion of the McConnell Chao Archives at McConnell's alma mater, the University of Louisville. McConnell, the longest-serving Senate party leader in U.S. history, is in his final term after the Republican senator revealed in February that he won't seek reelection in 2026. Chao, his wife, is a former U.S. labor and transportation secretary for Republican administrations. 'I didn't get into this line of work to put my name on a building,' McConnell said during the campus ceremony. 'We needed an archive largely because I never threw anything away.' The collection will span their decades of public life and offer a 'front-row view of how our government and institutions operate,' McConnell said in a news release. The couple — a formidable duo on the campaign trail for decades in the Bluegrass State — praised one another during the campus ceremony. McConnell, 83, is Kentucky's longest-serving senator. He was first elected to the Senate in 1984 and was elected to his seventh term in 2020. His tenure as Senate party leader ended at the start of 2025. He is serving out his current term and has focused on national defense and international issues, including his strong support for Ukraine in its war with Russia. At Tuesday's event, Chao referred to McConnell as her 'best friend and teammate and also the man who is at the center of my life, the man who supported my career in public service.' She called her husband the 'most prolific' Senate party leader in history and said Kentucky continues to 'reap the benefits' from his tenure. 'With the expansion of this archive, his extraordinary accomplishments will continue to inform and inspire leaders for generations to come,' she said. McConnell returned the compliments, saying: 'Spending life with Elaine has been a blessing. Sharing this archive is an honor.' Reflecting on his storied career, McConnell said of his wife: 'She's been my most effective advocate every step of the way. And thank you, again.' UofL President Gerry Bradley said the archives will be an 'invaluable source' for scholars and historians by offering insights into the careers of McConnell and Chao. 'It's not just a record of political history — it's a living resource for students, scholars and citizens who seek to understand and engage with the democratic process,' he said. Originally installed in 2009, the McConnell Chao Archives include a permanent gallery open to the public in UofL's Ekstrom Library. It features exhibits, films and interactive displays about U.S. government, history and politics. The expansion enhanced the facility's capacity and functionality with a newly constructed archive storage room to house the couple's collections. The vast volumes of archived materials are being processed and are not yet available for research. McConnell quipped that his political enemies 'have been deterred from seeing any of this.' Another campus initiative close to McConnell's heart has been the McConnell Center, a nonpartisan academic program at the university that aims to prepare students for future leadership roles. 'The idea here was to try to provide an Ivy League-type experience in a Kentucky place,' McConnell said Tuesday. 'The point being, so many of our sharpest kids go off to the East and never come back.' For years, the center has lured a long list of U.S. and international leaders to Louisville to give speeches. The program's graduates have pursued a variety of professions — including public service, business and medicine — and many have returned to make their lives and careers in Kentucky, McConnell said.
Winnipeg Free Press
a minute ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Sherrod Brown, Ohio's highest-profile Democrat, expected to seek a return to the US Senate in 2026
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Former U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, Ohio's best-known Democrat, is expected to make another run for the U.S. Senate next year, giving Democrats a likely boost as they wage an uphill fight to win control of the chamber. Brown has not yet made a formal announcement, but people familiar with his plans who were not authorized to speak publicly about them said he plans to run. One person said an announcement could come by the end of next week. The decision was first reported by Brown, 72, seeks the Senate seat currently held by Republican U.S. Sen. Jon Husted, 57, a former Ohio lieutenant governor, state senator and secretary of state who has been endorsed by President Donald Trump. Democrats view Brown, a three-term former senator and champion of the working class, as among their most formidable candidates despite his 2024 reelection defeat to Republican Bernie Moreno. His entry into the race would mark another major recruiting win for the party. While Democrats face a daunting Senate map in next year's midterm elections, they have been buoyed by the decisions of well known candidates to run in high-profile races. That includes in North Carolina, where former Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper announced that he will be running for an open Senate seat, giving Democrats a proven statewide winner in a race that is expected to be one of the most competitive 2026 contests. Republicans, meanwhile, have struggled to line up candidates in key battleground states like Georgia, where term-limited Brian Kemp passed on challenging Democratic incumbent Sen. Jon Ossoff, whom Republican leaders have made their biggest target in next year's midterm elections. In Ohio, numerous fellow Democrats had been deferring to Brown before announcing their own plans for 2026, when every statewide executive office in Ohio is up for grabs due to term limits. Besides Senate, Brown was also weighing a run for governor. He immediately becomes the front-runner for the Democratic Senate nomination. Husted was appointed to succeed then-Sen. JD Vance after Vance won the 2024 election alongside Trump. Husted's appointment to the seat expires next year. The winner of a fall 2026 special election will serve the remainder of Vance's unexpired six-year term, which runs through 2028, and then would need to run again for a full term. It's unclear how Brown's usual electoral advantage in name recognition might play against Husted, who spent more than 20 years as a statewide officeholder and state lawmaker. But Democratic strategists said Tuesday that a Husted-Brown race would be more centered on Ohio themes, an advantage for Brown over last year's nationally focused contest against Moreno. Trump's endorsement has been a winning formula in Senate bids by both Moreno and Vance before him, who both scored wins as political newcomers even amid fields that included more experienced rivals. Husted's campaign spokesman Tyson Shepherd said in a statement, 'Should Brown enter the race as (Senate Democratic Leader Chuck) Schumer's handpicked candidate he will be starting in the biggest hole of his political career. He has never faced a candidate like Jon Husted.' Ahead of his decision, Schumer visited Ohio to meet with Brown at least twice, as first reported by Axios. Schumer's deep-pocketed Senate Majority PAC helped make Brown's race against Moreno the most expensive in U.S. history. Brown launched a pro-worker organization called the Dignity of Work Institute in March, as he weighed his own — and his party's — future in the wake of 2024's losses. ___ Associated Press writers Jill Colvin and Joey Cappelletti contributed to this report.
Toronto Star
17 minutes ago
- Toronto Star
National Guard members arrive as Washington's new law-enforcement reality starts taking shape
WASHINGTON (AP) — The new picture of law enforcement in the nation's capital began taking shape Tuesday as some of the 800 National Guard members deployed by the Trump administration began arriving. The city's police and federal officials, projecting cooperation, took the first steps in an uneasy partnership to reduce crime in what President Donald Trump called — without substantiation — a lawless city. The influx came the morning after the Republican president announced he would be activating the guard members and taking over the District's police department, something the law allows him to do temporarily. He cited a crime emergency — but referred to the same crime that city officials stress is already falling noticeably.
