Latest news with #Republican-endorsed
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
At WisGOP convention, top Republicans call on party to mend divisions
Wisconsin Republican Party Chair Brian Schimming called on Wisconsin Republicans to focus and move forward to elections next year, saying they "won the country last November and saved America. Next year, we can save Wisconsin." Schimming and state Treasurer John Leiber speak to reporters at the RNC in 2024. (Baylor Spears | Wisconsin Examiner) Wisconsin's Republicans urged party members to put aside their differences over the weekend, saying that unity will be necessary if they want to win the 2026 elections for governor, Congress and the state Legislature. The state party reflected on recent elections as they met in Rothschild, Wisconsin. Many of the state's top Republicans delivered glowing reviews of Trump's first few months in office and celebrated Wisconsin's role in helping reelect him. 'We are seeing President Trump honor the promises he made,' U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson said. 'That was made possible because of people like you that delivered the 10 electoral votes to President Trump of Wisconsin.' Despite Trump carrying the state in November, the state party is reeling from recent losses. Johnson called the April Wisconsin Supreme Court election 'stinging' and a 'crushing defeat.' Republicans' preferred candidate Brad Schimel lost his bid for a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court by nearly 10 percentage points, solidifying a liberal majority on the Court at least until 2027. It was the third Supreme Court election in a row that conservatives lost after Dan Kelly was defeated by double digits in both 2020 and 2023. The Republican-endorsed candidate for the spring state Superintendent race, Brittany Kinser, also lost in April. Kinser, a school choice advocate, thanked the party for its help at the convention. 'There's no way you can sugarcoat that,' Johnson said. Johnson said the results were because of 'voters who came out to try and save America by electing Donald Trump' but didn't come out to vote in April to 'ensure that [Trump] would have four years where he could implement his agenda without possibly the majority shifting in the House.' He said the party needs to work to get voters out in non-presidential elections. , especially as Trump is in his second term and is barred from running again by the U.S. Constitution. 'As much as many would want Donald Trump to be on the ballot again, he won't be. He won't be, and we're going to figure out how we win, but without Donald Trump on the ballot here in Wisconsin, so that's just a hard truth,' Johnson said. Following the April losses, Republican Party of Wisconsin Chair Brian Schimming came under scrutiny by some party members who blamed him for the results. Some at the convention circulated a paper seeking a vote of no confidence in Schimming though the effort never came to fruition. Fights within county parties have also broken out since the April elections. Those divisions were on display at the convention as some from a local county party sought to keep Kelly Ruh, the party treasurer and one of the people to serve as a fake elector for Trump in 2020, from being seated as a delegate. Her supporters said it was 'absurd' that members of the party would seek to block their own treasurer from voting, while others said she shouldn't be seated because to do so would subvert the vote taken by the county party. The full convention voted to seat her anyway. 'There's always power struggles,' Johnson, who declined to take sides in any fights, said. 'But I have to admit in the 15 years since I entered the political process, I've never seen as many squabbles.' Johnson warned that the party won't be able to win if Republicans are 'disunified.' U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden echoed Johnson's calls for unity, saying that people didn't vote because Republicans were fighting. 'If I hear one more person, say, RINO [an acronym for Republican in Name Only], you're gonna get the horn,' Van Orden said. 'Knock it off. We are Republicans who are Americans who are patriots. We love our country. We love our families. We love our communities.' Wisconsin RNC Chairman Terry Dittrich said Republicans need to up their game and don't have time to waste ahead of 2026. 'We stop the infighting. We start working together. We welcome the youth in. We pay attention to our goal… to make sure President Trump can finish his job in four years and go on with JD Vance for another four years and another four years and another four years,' Dittrich said. 'Let's all unify.' State Treasurer John Leiber is leading an effort to examine the recent losses — a job he was assigned by Schimming. At the convention, Leiber cautioned party members against 'pointing fingers' at others. 'That doesn't help anyone… What I'm focused on is how we can use that experience, learn from it and figure out how to win in 2026,' Leiber said. Lieber said his committee is working to gather information and data to understand ways of making progress, and he asked attendees to fill out a handout to provide feedback. He noted that he is up for reelection in 2026. 'I want to win, so I don't have any reason to try to smooth things over or sugarcoat. If anything I want to identify what exactly we need to do, what we can do better, how we do it better, and identify the ways that we can all work together to accomplish our goal, which is of course winning,' Leiber said. Schimming said that the party has to be honest about the April elections and the frustration about them. But he said Republicans need to focus and move forward to win the next election. 'Doesn't mean we agree on everything. Doesn't mean we shouldn't change tactics or strategies, but it means we gotta look forward… We're gonna work together. We're gonna listen. We're going to lead. We're going to lead, and we're going to do what it takes to win. We won the country last November and saved America. Next year, we can save Wisconsin,' Schimming said. The calls for unity come during an off year for Wisconsin elections but also as crucial gubernatorial and state legislative races lie ahead in November 2026. A race for the state Supreme Court will also take place in April with Justice Rebecca Bradley up for reelection, though that race, which won't tip the ideological balance of the Court, wasn't a prominent focus at the convention. Gov. Tony Evers has yet to decide whether he will run for a third term, but Republicans are intent on putting a Republican in office, whether that means ousting Evers or defeating another Democratic candidate. So far, only one Republican, Washington Co. Executive Josh Schoemann, has launched his campaign for the office. U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany is also considering a run for governor and spent the majority of his time on stage at the convention taking jabs at Evers. 'The question — as we have this great reset led by President Trump — is will Wisconsin be one of the winners?' Tiffany said. 'Will Wisconsin be one of the winners like Texas and South Dakota, Tennessee, Florida? States like that are winning, people are moving to those states, businesses are growing, people want to be there. Are we going to be one of those states or are we going to be like the losers in Illinois and Minnesota?' 'We all know what the problems are. The question is how are we going to fix it?' Tiffany said. 'We can fix it easily by replacing Tony Evers in 2026.' U.S. Rep. Tony Wied from Wisconsin's 8th Congressional District said Republicans need to keep up their momentum into the next year, and in the race for governor the 'fight starts right now' and can't wait. 'We have a governor who refuses to even say the word mother,' Wied said, referring to Evers' proposal to update language in state laws related to infertility treatments, 'who fights the Trump administration at every single turn, who would rather protect illegal aliens than hard-working Wisconsinites. State Rep. Mark Born (R-Spring Green) and Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu (R-Oostburg) were also critical of Evers during a panel discussion. Born said he introduced a 'ridiculous budget again' that included 'reckless spending,' and 'massive policy trying to rewrite everything that's happened in the state in the last more than a decade now.' LeMahieu said that Evers is trying to 'turn us into Minnesota, turn us into Illinois — states that have out of control spending.' 'If you could think of a dumb idea for government, the governor probably had it in his budget,' Born said. Lawmakers said it would be essential they keep control of the Senate and Assembly to continue to stop Democrats' agenda. Running under new legislative maps in 2024, Republican lawmakers lost 14 state legislative seats in the last elections — leaving them with slimmer majorities in the Senate and Assembly. In 2026, Democrats are seeking to flip the Assembly, which currently has a 54-45 Republican majority, and the Senate, which currently has an 18-15 Republican majority. 'We're going to be up against it this next year, but we're out there fighting, knocking on doors. We are the firewall against really horrible liberal policies coming into Wisconsin,' LeMahieu said. The Senate will be particularly crucial as it will be the first time the new district lines are in place for the half of the seats up for election. While addressing the convention, former Gov. Tommy Thompson said some have been telling him that they are afraid they will lose the state Senate. 'Don't even think that way,' Thompson said. 'We are winners, not losers. We're going to campaign. We are going to unite… and we're going to win.' Republicans were complimentary of Trump's first few months in office, including his efforts to detain and deport noncitizens, bar transgender people from certain spaces, eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and cut investments in social programs. Wied said the border is 'more secure than at any other point in history.' 'Trump is doing what he said he would do. Under President Trump and Republican leadership, illegal immigrants will no longer be given a free pass in this country,' Wied said. 'If you break the law, you are going to face consequences.' 'Isn't it great that border crossings are going down and deportations are going up?' Tiffany asked. 'Isn't it great to live in America like that? Johnson was not completely on board with everything Trump is doing, expressing concern about the cost of the so-called 'big beautiful bill' Trump is working to get through Congress, which using the budget reconciliation process to make the 2017 tax cuts permanent, increase funding for immigration enforcement, expand work requirements for food assistance and cut Medicaid costs by implementing work requirements. 'The big, beautiful bill isn't what it's advertised to be,' Johnson said. 'We're not going to be bending the debt curve down. We would be exacerbating the problem by a total of about $4 trillion over the next 10 years.' Splitting from Johnson, Van Orden said that Republicans should also be united on Trump's bill. 'We don't need grandstanders in the Republican party — stop talking and get it done,' Van Orden said, echoing Trump. U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina delivered a keynote address to the convention, praising Trump for his immigration policies and his efforts to stop transgender women from participating on women's sports teams. Mace is known for seeking to bar transgender people from certain spaces, including bathrooms, locker rooms, and targeting her Democratic transgender colleague in the House of Representatives and other transgender individuals. 'I like an immigration policy kind of how I like my sweet tea — with a lot of ICE,' Mace said, playing on the acronym for Immigration and Customs Enforcement. 'There has never been a president stronger than Donald Trump. They impeached him. They raided his home. They indicted him. They even shot him, and the man still survived. He stood tall. We prayed for him every single time, because no weapon formed against him shall ever prosper,' Mace said. 'Trump is back. He's securing the border. He's deporting illegals. He's protecting women's sports, and he's declaring there are only two genders, and DEI under Donald J Trump is DOA.' Mace, who noted she's considering running for governor of South Carolina in the future, took her comments further telling convention goers that the U.S. is in a battle. 'It's not necessarily a battle between the parties or left and right or ideology. It is a battle between good and between evil, and we cannot allow this evil to win,' Mace said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump-appointed judge orders White House to restore Associated Press access
In February, Donald Trump and his White House team announced that they'd already won their case against The Associated Press in the 'Gulf of America' case. In fact, following a procedural development in February, the White House heavily promoted images featuring the Republican-preferred name for the Gulf of Mexico and a giant 'VICTORY' stamp over the southeastern United States. Those inclined to believe the president and his political operation likely assumed that the case was over. It was not. In fact, as NBC News reported, a federal judge has now ruled against the White House. A federal judge on Tuesday called The Associated Press' exclusion from White House events 'contrary to the First Amendment' and ordered the Trump administration to treat the newswire as it would any other media publication. U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden ... ordered the administration to 'put the AP on an equal playing field as similarly situated outlets, despite the AP's use of disfavored terminology.' '[U]nder the First Amendment, if the Government opens its doors to some journalists — be it to the Oval Office, the East Room, or elsewhere — it cannot then shut those doors to other journalists because of their viewpoints,' McFadden added in his ruling. For those who might benefit from a refresher, it was in early February when the White House prevented Associated Press journalists from attending official events for an exceedingly misguided reason: AP reports referred to the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of Mexico. Trump and his team want news organizations to instead use the Republican-endorsed name — the 'Gulf of America' — so the White House punished the AP over it. What was not immediately obvious at the time was whether the incident was a one-day retaliatory tantrum or the start of something larger. It quickly became apparent that the White House had settled on the latter. The wire service took the matter to court, and in legal filings, White House officials acknowledged that the president personally approved the access ban for AP journalists. Trump and his team were likely delighted to learn that the case would be heard by McFadden — a Trump-appointed conservative and longtime Federalist Society member. They were far less pleased when he ruled against the White House anyway. The president and his lawyers are expected to appeal the ruling (McFadden's order won't take effect until Sunday, giving the administration several days to file an emergency appeal), but as the case proceeds, it's worth re-emphasizing the fact that there are larger principles at stake that are far broader than what people call a body of water. Indeed, this controversy, at its root, is about a White House waging an aggressive campaign against the free press and, in this instance, is also trying to bully one of the nation's leading news organizations into submission as part of an Orwellian campaign. Team Trump appears to have embraced a vision of the First Amendment in which people and businesses are free to use the words and phrases that Republicans like — or face the consequences. A conservative federal judge has now told the White House that such a position is unconstitutional. This post updates our related earlier coverage. This article was originally published on
CBS News
01-04-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Wisconsin Supreme Court race draws attention — and money — from national figures as state heads to the polls Tuesday
Residents of the Badger State will have their last chance Tuesday to vote in an unusually high-stakes race for a seat on Wisconsin's Supreme Court. The nonpartisan election pits Dane County Judge Susan Crawford, who is backed by the Democratic Party, against Republican-endorsed Waukesha County Judge Brad Schimel in what has been the most expensive judicial election in American history. The campaigns and their supporters have spent more than $81 million , attracting endorsements and campaign appearances from Elon Musk , Vermont Democratic Sen. Bernie Sanders and other national political figures. The race is seen by some as an early swing-state test of voter sentiment related to President Trump's performance in the White House, but it's also a crucial statewide race that could swing ideological control of Wisconsin's closely divided highest court. Liberals currently hold a 4-3 majority, and the court is expected to consider cases related to abortion rights, congressional redistricting, union power and voting and election rules. By Monday morning, 644,800 advance ballots had been returned, representing about a 40% increase over the advance total in Wisconsin's 2023 judicial race, and that year also set a turnout record. About a third of advance ballots so far have come from heavily Democratic counties of Milwaukee and Dane, in the Madison area, and that's roughly in line with their share of the advance vote in 2023. Nineteen percent of advance ballots have come from the WOW counties in the Milwaukee suburbs of Waukesha, Ozaukee, and Washington, which is a couple of points higher than their share in 2023. Given that the more liberal candidate won the 2023 race by double digits, the early turnout numbers look good for Crawford. But the bulk of the voting is expected to occur on Election Day, when Schimel could very well close a gap. Musk, the world's wealthiest person and an ally to Mr. Trump, has personally campaigned and spent big in an effort to sway voters toward Schimel, who both he and Mr. Trump have endorsed. That effort nearly collided with the justices currently seated on the state's Supreme Court, when Musk was sued over his promise to hand out $1 million to individual voters at a campaign event over the weekend. The court unanimously declined on Sunday to hear a last-minute attempt by the state's Democratic attorney general to stop billionaire Musk's checks from going out. At a rally soon after the decision, Musk handed two people oversized posters depicting $1 million checks, declaring that the money was payment in exchange for promises they'd be spokespeople for his political group. Five of the court's seven justices have endorsed a candidate in the race. The court's liberal justices have endorsed Crawford. One of the court's conservative justices has endorsed Schimel, who wore a "Make America Great Again" hat while campaigning Sunday. Polls in Wisconsin close Tuesday at 8 p.m., which is also the deadline to get absentee ballots to municipal clerks. Kabir Khanna contributed to this report.
CBS News
01-04-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Wisconsin Supreme Court race draws attention from national figures as state heads to the polls Tuesday
Residents of the Badger State will have their last chance Tuesday to vote in an unusually high-stakes race for a seat on Wisconsin's Supreme Court. The nonpartisan election pits Dane County Judge Susan Crawford, who is backed by the Democratic Party, against Republican-endorsed Waukesha County Judge Brad Schimel in what has been the most expensive judicial election in American history. The campaigns and their supporters have spent more than $81 million , attracting endorsements and campaign appearances from Elon Musk , Vermont Democratic Sen. Bernie Sanders and other national political figures. The race is seen by some as an early swing-state test of voter sentiment related to President Trump's performance in the White House, but it's also a crucial statewide race that could swing ideological control of Wisconsin's closely divided highest court. Liberals currently hold a 4-3 majority, and the court is expected to consider cases related to abortion rights, congressional redistricting, union power and voting and election rules. By Monday morning, 644,800 advance ballots had been returned, representing about a 40% increase over the advance total in Wisconsin's 2023 judicial race, and that year also set a turnout record. About a third of advance ballots so far have come from heavily Democratic counties of Milwaukee and Dane, in the Madison area, and that's roughly in line with their share of the advance vote in 2023. Nineteen percent of advance ballots have come from the WOW counties in the Milwaukee suburbs of Waukesha, Ozaukee, and Washington, which is a couple of points higher than their share in 2023. Given that the more liberal candidate won the 2023 race by double digits, the early turnout numbers look good for Crawford. But the bulk of the voting is expected to occur on Election Day, when Schimel could very well close a gap. Musk, the world's wealthiest person and an ally to Mr. Trump, has personally campaigned and spent big in an effort to sway voters toward Schimel, who both he and Mr. Trump have endorsed. That effort nearly collided with the justices currently seated on the state's Supreme Court, when Musk was sued over his promise to hand out $1 million to individual voters at a campaign event over the weekend. The court unanimously declined on Sunday to hear a last-minute attempt by the state's Democratic attorney general to stop billionaire Musk's checks from going out. At a rally soon after the decision, Musk handed two people oversized posters depicting $1 million checks, declaring that the money was payment in exchange for promises they'd be spokespeople for his political group. Five of the court's seven justices have endorsed a candidate in the race. The court's liberal justices have endorsed Crawford. One of the court's conservative justices has endorsed Schimel, who wore a "Make America Great Again" hat while campaigning Sunday. Polls in Wisconsin close Tuesday at 8 p.m., which is also the deadline to get absentee ballots to municipal clerks. Kabir Khanna contributed to this report.
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
McInroy elected Canisteo village mayor, defeating Thompson in Tuesday election: Results
Independent Richard (Rick) McInroy was elected mayor of Canisteo Tuesday, defeating Republican Fred Thompson to win a two-year term in the Steuben County village. McInroy, a former village trustee and deputy mayor, bested Thompson, a long-time member of the Canisteo-Greenwood Board of Education, 218-145, according to results provided by the Canisteo Village Clerk. McInroy will take office on April 1, succeeding Monica Recktenwald, who did not run for a new term. Nearly 400 voters cast ballots in Canisteo. "I am so glad for all the support that I received. I really appreciate it," McInroy said. "I am going to work hard to make the village a place that our community can be proud of and call home." In a race for two village board seats in Canisteo, Republicans Robert Hammond and James Dineen were elected. Hammond finished with 240 votes, while Dineen picked up 232. Independent candidate Carrie McCourt had 156 votes. Other results from March 18 village elections in Steuben and Allegany counties: Democrat Amanda Khodorkovskaya defeated incumbent Republican Wendy Bush to win a four-year term as village justice. Khodorkovskaya had 87 votes to 17 for Bush. There were no other contested races in Alfred. Mayor Jim Ninos was reelected running unopposed for a second, two-year term. Ninos finished with 104 votes. Incumbent trustees Peter McClain and Tim Nichols were reelected to new two-year terms running unopposed. McClain picked up 102 votes and Nichols finished with 95. Election results were pending. Democrat Eva Sue Cunningham faced Republican Ed Soporowski in the election for mayor for a two-year term. Five candidates were running for two seats on the village board of trustees. Both seats are two-year terms. In a village board race, the Democratic Party candidates are Jaime Dyke and Gary Powers. The Republican-endorsed candidates are Robert Miles and Tara Watson. Independent Bocephus (Bo) Graham is also a candidate for trustee. Election results were pending. Three candidates ran for two seats on the Cohocton Board of Trustees. Republican incumbents Joshua Schumacher and Alan Lewis are seeking reelection. Independent candidate Wendell Freelove is also running for a board seat. Two will be elected to two-year terms of office. Incumbent Republican Mayor Sandra Azzi was favored to win a new two-year term running unopposed. Results were pending. Incumbents William Lockwood and Shelly Flint were favored for reelection to two-year terms on the village board. Veteran Republican trustees Mike Brewer and Ezra Geist, running unopposed, were favored to win new two-year terms. Vote totals were not immediately released. Results are pending in Cuba where there were no contested races. Deputy Mayor Jason Morrison picked up the backing of Republicans and Democrats in a bid for mayor. Incumbent Cuba Mayor James Barnes is not seeking reelection. For trustee, Gene Wild and Michele Miller were cross-endorsed by both parties. Two will be elected to two-year terms. Republicans Scott Tracy and Mark Specchio were elected, winning four-year terms on the village board. Tracy and Specchio are both newcomers to the board of trustees. Scott Kenney won an election for village justice. Votes totals in Dansville were not immediately available. Incumbent Republican village trustees Leroy Forshee and Joe Flint were reelected to new two-year terms on Tuesday. Flint finished with 45 votes and Flint had 38. Maureen Broughton picked up 12 write-in votes. Results are pending. Republican Phil Berry was the only candidate mayor, running to succeed outgoing mayor Michael Parks. Jim Sauerbier, a Republican, was the only candidate for the final two years of a four-year term on the board of trustees. Incumbent trustees Aimee Campbell, a Republican, and Richard Saxton, a Democrat, are the candidates for two four-year terms on the village board. For a four-year village justice position, the only candidate is Michael Horton. Horton was nominated by both major parties. This story will be updated as more results are released. Email Neal Simon at nsimon@ To get unlimited access to the latest news, please subscribe or activate your digital account today. This article originally appeared on The Evening Tribune: Results: Village election winners in Allegany, Steuben counties
