Latest news with #StateRepublicanParty
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Josh McKoon gets backing from President Trump in Georgia GOP chairman's race; Harris County's Charlie Bailey now chairs state Dems
COLUMBUS, Ga. () — Georgia statewide politics has a decidedly West Georgia flavor. The new chairman of the state Democratic Party, Charlie Bailey, is from Harris County. State Republican Party Chairman Josh McKoon is a former state senator from Columbus. Bailey is in place going into the crucial 2026 election cycle. Josh McKoon is fighting to keep his job at the Republican State Convention next month. And McKoon got a powerful push in that direction late last week. President Donald Trump weighed in on the Georgia GOP race. He gave his full-throated endorsement of Josh McKoon in a May 8 social media post. The president's post read partly: 'Josh is 100 percent MAGA, and I know he will continue to do a fantastic job.' 'I really enjoyed the working relationship we had during the election campaign,' McKoon said. 'And I think the fact that you point out that he would weigh in on something like this shows you how important the president thinks the 2020 election is. And how important it is to him to have people he trusts in these positions to carry the ball into the endzone on behalf of our candidates.' Bailey, who was elected earlier this month to lead the Georgia Democrats, will fight McKoon every step of the way next year. 'I am not surprised.' he said of McKoon's endorsement from Trump. 'Josh has supported these MAGA policies and Donald Trump every step of the way, as is his right to do. Donald Trump probably owes him that.' The 2026 Georgia election will feature some compelling races, including Democrat Jon Ossoff's attempt to hold on to his U.S. Senate seat. Republican Gov. Brian Kemp announced last week he will not challenge Ossoff. McKoon says the Republican bench is deep. 'And unlike the presidential election where we knew who are candidate was well ahead of time, and we were able to consolidate our party behind that candidate, President Trump,' McKoon said. 'This time it's more likely that you and I will be having this conversation in June of next year, 'OK, you got your nominee. Now, what are you going to do.' Bailey speculates why Kemp did not enter the race against Ossoff. 'People from Georgia ain't for Medicaid cuts, cutting HeadStart firing people from the CDC, cutting veterans benefits,' Bailey said. 'I hadn't talk to Gov. Kemp about this, but if I had to guess – if I was a betting man – he knows everything I just said is true. He doesn't want to be out there defending Donald Trump's actions on these things.' We are just 53 weeks away from next year's primaries. They are scheduled for May 19th, 2026. The Republican state Convention is set for June 6th and 7th. McKoon is facing opposition from David Cross of Gwinnett County. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Florida GOP appoints new Manatee Republican board, removes 2 elected by voters
BRADENTON, Fla. (WFLA) — Republican voters in Manatee County elected Trent Wayman as State Committeeman during the August primary election. Jacqueline Heisse also won her election for State Committeewoman. Those two positions serve as key liaisons between the local and state party. Months later, they were told they were removed from office. Hegseth creates makeup studio in Pentagon 'There was never any due process. There was no hearing for us,' Wayman said. State Republican Party Chair Evan Power sent a letter stating they were removed from office after a recommendation by the Florida GOP's grievance committee and a turnaround plan for the local party. The previous executive committee for Manatee Republicans was suspended last year after a mountain of complaints and issues. Wayman also filed a complaint against his local party. 'Our committee had not really done any work. In fact, I think we only had one meeting last year that was successful because of all the problems we were having,' Wayman said. The local Republican then said he started a local chapter connected to the Florida Republican Assembly when the Manatee Republican Party was in turmoil. 'My wife and I started the Republican Assembly the year before in 2023 because we saw the need for it,' Wayman said. 'I think what really upset them is that we beat all of their candidates in the primary.' Currently, the Supervisor of Elections Office shows close to 138,000 registered Republicans in Manatee County. In comparison, there are about 71,000 Democrats. Mark Flanagan, who also served in the Florida legislature, has been appointed to be the chair of the Manatee Republican Executive Committee. 'We have an incredible team that has been put together,' Flanagan said. Flanagan agrees with the state party reorganizing the local party. 'We are the party that champions law and order and there must always be a commitment, in a local organization and a state organization, to adhere to those same policies that we expect of others,' Flanagan said. As for Wayman, he plans to keep sharing his story after being removed from his elected position, which the Florida GOP said it has the power to do. 'I'm going to keep fighting this. I'm going to keep getting this message out until someone listens,' Wayman said. He said he's currently in the process of starting a new political party called America First. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Andrew Cuomo calls Donald Trump a ‘bully' — but critics say he should know: ‘Pot, meet kettle'
Ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo vowed he will stand up to 'bully' President Trump if he's elected New York City mayor — but critics sniped back that the Democrat knows all about bullying. Cuomo, during a speech at First Corinthian Baptist church in Harlem, said he sparred with Trump during the COVID-19 crisis. 'We almost created issues to fight about,' Cuomo said at the end of Palm Sunday service. 'It became so commonplace. But we fought about vaccines. We fought about federal resources. We fought about ships, we fought about everything,' 'And you know what I learned about Mr. Trump? He is a bully,' he said. 'And you know what you do with a bully? You stand up to a bully. When they put their finger in your chest, you step forward. You don't step back … We're going to stand up to the bully.' During his first-term as president, Trump called Cuomo a 'bully thug.' Cuomo was in Harlem to discuss his 500,000 units over 10 years housing plan, two-thirds of which will be affordable to people with low- and moderate-incomes. He said that would incentivize faith based-groups to use their surplus property for housing. Critics were more caught up on the 'bully' jab. 'Hello pot, meet kettle,' said upstate state Sen. George Borrello, who represents the Buffalo-Rochester region and dealt with Cuomo both as Chautauqua county executive and as a state legislator. 'Cuomo was the biggest bully in Albany for years,' Borrello said. State Republican Party chairman Ed Cox scoffed at Cuomo's claims. 'Talk about a bully. Cuomo is the original thug in NY politics,' he said. Queens state Assemblyman Ron Kim in 2021 claimed a spitting-mad Cuomo threatened to 'destroy' him if he didn't help contain the damage over the Cuomo administration's alleged cover-up of nursing home resident COVID-19 deaths. Kim — whose uncle died of the coronavirus in a nursing home — said Cuomo told him in a heated phone interview, 'You have not seen my wrath.' The assemblyman declined to revisit the alleged threat on Sunday. A rep for city comptroller and mayoral candidate Brad Lander said Cuomo and Trump are two peas in a pod. 'New Yorkers know that Andrew Cuomo and Donald Trump are longtime friends who share a history of corruption, daddy issues, and sexual harassment allegations,' said Lander spokesperson Dora Pekec. Cuomo resigned as governor under the threat of impeachment in 2021 over sexual harassment claims, which he denies. He is now the Democratic-front runner for mayor, according to numerous polls. But one long-time confidante of Donald Trump who also knows Cuomo well said the accusations of bullying show that both men are tough — a positive trait. 'One thing you can say for certain: Donald Trump and Andrew Cuomo are both very tough guys and in American politics only the tough survive,' said political consultant Roger Stone.
