Winsome Earle-Sears, John Reid speak to each other for first time in weeks
Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears, the Republican nominee for Virginia's governor, spoke to John Reid, the Republican nominee for lieutenant governor, on Wednesday after eight weeks since they last spoke, according to a source familiar with the situation.
The Republican Party of Virginia posted to X on Wednesday, the day after the primaries, that Virginia Republicans are 'UNITED behind our ticket and ready to FIGHT and WIN this November,' with photos of Earle-Sears, Reid and Republican Attorney General Jason Miyares.
Earle-Sears is facing Democrat Abigail Spanberger in the race for governor, and Reid is facing state Sen. Ghazala Hashmi, the Democratic nominee, in the race for lieutenant governor.
This follows controversy surrounding Reid and a call by Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) urging him to step down after Youngkin learned that Reid may be connected to a Tumblr account that previously shared sexually explicit images. Reid said the account isn't his.
This week's primaries were a historic moment for Virginia, with Reid being the first openly gay man to receive a major party's endorsement for statewide office in the state.
In addition, Virginia is set to get its first female governor. Further, Hashmi is the first Muslim and the first Indian-American to be nominated to appear on the ballot for a Virginia statewide office.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
4 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Texas, California race to redraw electoral maps ahead of US midterms
Republican-controlled Texas and Democratic-run California were set Thursday to forge ahead on creating new congressional maps, in a cutthroat struggle to tilt the outcome of next year's US midterm elections before voters even cast a ballot. The fierce battle between the country's two largest states has been set off by President Donald Trump's drive to protect the thin Republican majority in the US House of Representatives and avoid becoming mired in Democratic investigations from 2027. Under pressure from Trump, Texas fired the starting gun in a tussle that pro-democracy activists warn could spread nationwide. Its state house on Wednesday approved new congressional boundaries that would likely eke out five extra Republican districts. The state senate was scheduled to green-light the bill later Thursday and send it to Governor Greg Abbott for a signature -- just as California's assembly and senate rush to respond. The Golden State's Governor Gavin Newsom -- an early frontrunner for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination -- has been pushing a map that would likely cancel out Texas by adding five Democratic seats. Its legislature will vote on a trio of bills allowing for a special election to change the constitution, clearing the way for Newsom to replace the state's existing congressional maps through 2030. The Texas House approved its new district boundaries after a two-week drama sparked by Democrats fleeing the state in an effort to block the vote and draw nationwide attention to the issue of partisan redistricting, known as "gerrymandering." The Senate Special Committee on Congressional Redistricting passed the new map in a 5-3 vote Thursday lunchtime, teeing up an evening vote of the full chamber. Redistricting usually occurs once every decade, taking into account population changes registered in the latest census. - 'Clinging to power' - The unusual mid-decade effort in Texas is expected to spark a tit-for-tat battle, potentially dragging in liberal-leaning Illinois and New York, and conservative Florida, Louisiana, Ohio, Indiana and Missouri. "The Great State of Missouri is now IN," Trump announced Thursday on social media, in a post understood to be referring to redistricting. "I'm not surprised. It is a great State with fabulous people. I won it, all 3 times, in a landslide. We're going to win the Midterms in Missouri again, bigger and better than ever before!" But New York's Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul called the push the "last gasp of a desperate party clinging to power," warning Trump in a statement that she would "meet him on the same field and beat him at his own game." Former president Barack Obama endorsed California's retaliation as a "smart and measured" response to anti-democratic moves by Trump. "(Since) Texas is taking direction from a partisan White House and gerrymandering in the middle of a decade to try and maintain the House despite their unpopular policies, I have tremendous respect for how Governor Newsom has approached this," he said. Newsom has a tougher task than Abbott in pushing through the redistricting plans, as California voters must first agree in a referendum in November to bypass the independent commission that normally controls the process. Californians have traditionally been deeply wary of partisan redistricting, and while Democrats have called for independent commissions nationwide, a new Politico-UC Berkeley Citrin Center poll shows they would make an exception for the pushback against Texas. Republicans are suing Democrats, alleging that November's vote would be unlawful, although the California Supreme Court rejected an initial challenge late Wednesday. "Yes, we'll fight fire with fire. Yes, we will push back. It's not about whether we play hardball anymore -- it's about how we play hardball," Newsom said in a call with reporters. ft/des
Yahoo
4 minutes ago
- Yahoo
When the White House calls, do state lawmakers listen?
On the eve of the Texas House voting on a new congressional map, President Donald Trump ordered his 'Republican friends' in the state legislature to get it to Gov. Greg Abbott's desk 'ASAP.' They're taking heed — the state House passed the map on Wednesday and the state Senate is expected to do so this evening, just days after Democrats ended their out-of-state protest and returned to Austin — clearing the way for passage by the end of the week. Trump's direct message to Texas Republicans is the president applying his standard pressure campaign playbook that has worked on Capitol Hill to a new audience: state lawmakers. When Trump wants something, he'll often directly ask for it himself. And the president really wants to see GOP states take up mid-decade redistricting to carve out more Republican seats. Texas Republicans, including Abbott, initially didn't want to take on the gambit. But the White House forced their hand, setting off a redistricting arms race across the country that Republicans are well-positioned to win. Should states like Indiana, Missouri and Florida move forward with mid-decade mapmaking, Republicans could pick up as many as 10 new seats ahead of the midterms, and it's unclear at this point if any Democratic-led states beyond California will jump in to blunt the GOP advantages. Indiana is the latest target of the White House's political operation, and Trump's allies are even making the unusual consideration of backing primaries to Indiana state lawmakers who won't accept the mission — an unusually direct involvement from a president in a state legislature. Some Indiana Republicans have expressed public resistance to falling in line — like state Rep. Ed Clere, who told POLITICO that 'under no circumstances will I vote for a new map.' Clere, a longtime member from Southern Indiana, said he doesn't want to see emergency special sessions called unnecessarily, and he believes too many procedural and legal hurdles stand in the way. 'What Texas and California are doing is simply wrong for America,' he said. 'It is the political equivalent of the cold war concept of MAD — mutually assured destruction. Indiana needs to take the high road.' Democrats are mostly powerless to respond to the White House's intrusion into state legislatures. 'I cannot recall another time that this has happened,' said Heather Williams, president of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, which works to elect Democrats to state legislatures. 'At the core here, the president is pressuring these lawmakers to change the maps, because that is the only way that Republicans can win.' Indiana Gov. Mike Braun has put the onus on the legislature to take up redistricting. While legislative leaders have not revealed their plans, the pressure campaign is working on the congressional delegation, which one by one has come forward in support. And state lawmakers have been summoned to a White House meeting Aug. 26, according to invitations reviewed by POLITICO, where redistricting will likely be top of the agenda. Another state that is surely on the White House's radar: Ohio, which — unlike the handful of states choosing to remake their maps — is required under state law to redraw its map ahead of 2026. The White House may apply similar pressure to Buckeye Republicans to go for a maximalist approach, as Republicans there debate whether to carve out two or three seats during their process. 'You have to appreciate the hands-on engagement,' said Indiana Republican strategist Marty Obst, who predicted that Indiana will convene a special session on redistricting. 'If [state lawmakers] know that the White House is active, and they know for the president himself this is a top priority, it's going to be very hard for them not to carry that out.' Like this content? Consider signing up for POLITICO's West Wing Playbook: Remaking Government newsletter.
Newsweek
7 minutes ago
- Newsweek
GOP Judge Declares Alina Habba's Actions 'Void,' NJ Appointment Unlawful
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A federal judge ruled Thursday that President Donald Trump's former personal lawyer, Alina Habba, has been unlawfully serving as the top federal prosecutor in New Jersey, declaring that her continued role as U.S. attorney after July violated federal law. The decision, handed down by U.S. District Judge Matthew Brann, a Republican, concluded that Habba's statutory term as interim U.S. attorney expired on July 26, 2025, and that subsequent efforts by the Trump administration to keep her in office without Senate confirmation did not comply with governing procedures. "I conclude that she is not statutorily eligible to perform the functions and duties of the office of the United States Attorney and has therefore unlawfully held the role since July 24, 2025," Brann wrote. While issuing the ruling, Brann, who was nominated to his post by former Democratic President Barack Obama in 2012, said he would put the order on hold pending an appeal. Alina Habba speaks after being sworn in as interim US Attorney General for New Jersey, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, on March 28, 2025. Alina Habba speaks after being sworn in as interim US Attorney General for New Jersey, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, on March 28, 2025. Associated Press The ruling came in response to a filing brought on behalf of defendants in New Jersey, who argued that Habba lacked legal authority to prosecute them after her 120-day interim appointment lapsed in July. The defendants sought to block the charges against them entirely, contending that any case brought under her authority should not stand. Habba's tenure has been marked by controversy since her appointment. Once a White House adviser and longtime defense attorney for Trump, she was named interim U.S. attorney for New Jersey in March. At the time, she raised eyebrows by proclaiming that New Jersey could "turn red," an unusual political remark for a federal prosecutor. She also pledged to investigate the state's Democratic governor and attorney general, further fueling concerns that her office would pursue overtly partisan cases. Those concerns deepened when Habba's office brought a trespassing charge against Newark Mayor Ras Baraka over his visit to a federal immigration detention facility. Though the charge was ultimately dropped, Habba followed by indicting Democratic Rep. LaMonica McIver on assault charges stemming from the same incident—an exceedingly rare instance of federal prosecutors bringing a criminal case against a sitting member of Congress outside of corruption allegations. McIver has denied the charges and entered a not guilty plea. The instability surrounding Habba's role came to a head in late July, as her four-month appointment was about to expire. With no backing from New Jersey's Democratic Sens. Cory Booker and Andy Kim, her chances for Senate confirmation were effectively dead under the long-standing practice of "senatorial courtesy," in which home-state senators can block judicial and prosecutorial nominees. Trump formally nominated her on July 1, but opposition from Booker and Kim sealed her fate. The president subsequently withdrew her nomination. At that point, federal judges in New Jersey exercised their statutory authority to name a career prosecutor to replace Habba after her temporary term expired. But Attorney General Pam Bondi quickly fired that appointee and reinstalled Habba as acting U.S. attorney, asserting that the executive branch retained authority over federal prosecutorial appointments. The Justice Department, backing Bondi's move, argued in court filings that the judges had acted prematurely and that the administration had the power to keep Habba in place. Judge Brann's decision directly challenges that position, siding with the defendants who argued that Habba had overstayed her lawful authority. His ruling now casts doubt on cases she initiated during her disputed tenure and leaves open questions about how prosecutions handled by her office will proceed. Brann's stay of his order pending appeal means Habba can continue in the role temporarily, but the legal and political fight over her appointment is far from over. Habba is not alone in this predicament. Several of Trump's other picks for U.S. attorney across the country are facing similar opposition and procedural hurdles, highlighting the broader tensions between the White House, the Senate, and the judiciary over federal prosecutorial appointments. This is a breaking news story. Updates to follow. This article includes reporting by the Associated Press.
