GOP Archives - Page 5 of 7 - The Minnesota Sun

Commentary: Vote to Impeach Imperils Liz Cheney’s GOP Leadership Role

January 15, 2021January 14, 2021 Minnesota Sun Staff

Among the 232 votes in the House of Representatives to impeach Donald Trump a second time were 10 cast by Republicans — and now the GOP has a messy church fight on its hands. That’s because one of the 10 breaking ranks was Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, who chairs the GOP conference. The immediate question for House Republicans is whether Cheney should remain in that post after voting to impeach Trump. But this is a proxy fight. The broader question is whether Trump populism ought to remain Republican Party orthodoxy.

10 Republicans Voted to Impeach President Donald Trump

January 14, 2021January 13, 2021 Minnesota Sun Staff

Unlike Trump’s first impeachment in early 2020, 10 House Republicans ultimately supported the Democrat-led effort the second time around and voted to impeach the president.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi introduced the sole article of impeachment on Tuesday accusing President Donald Trump of inciting insurrection. On Jan. 6, a pro-Trump mob clashed with Capitol Police and stormed the Capitol itself, forcing lawmakers into hiding and resulting in the deaths of five people.

Murkowski Becomes First Republican Senator to Call on Trump to Resign, Report

January 9, 2021January 9, 2021 Minnesota Sun Staff

Sen. Lisa Murkowski on Friday called on President Trump to resign, making the Alaska Republican the first in the GOP Senate conference to publicly call on him to step down.

Commentary: It’s Time for Mitch to Go

January 8, 2021January 7, 2021 Minnesota Sun Staff

Senator Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who currently holds what I suppose we now call the Office of the Outgoing Senate Majority Leader, has to go. He’s a man unsuited for the times. The results prove it.

It is McConnell who has been the architect of Republican defeat in the Senate. Heading into the 2016 election, there were 54 Republican senators. After the election there were 52. Then, in 2018, McConnell backed the disastrous candidacy of Martha McSally for an open seat in Arizona. It was McConnell who picked her and crowded out other viable candidates. That year McSally lost by 2.4 percentage points to Kyrsten Sinema while, at the same time, Republican Doug Ducey cruised to a nearly 15-point win as Arizona’s governor.

Analysis: How the GOP Lost Control of Washington, and What Comes Next

January 7, 2021May 18, 2021 Admin

ow that Democrats are poised to control the White House, Senate and House, the traditional game of finger-pointing and recrimination will begin inside the GOP.

The first instinct for politicians will be to assign blame, call names and jockey for position. But the 2020 election wasn’t just an election, it was a political watershed in which the rules and strategy for winning were rewritten.

Republican Party Treasurer Ron Kaufman Worked with Democrat Howard Dean, Their Firm Helped Major Bernie Backing PAC

January 5, 2021January 4, 2021 Admin

As the Republican National Committee’s annual winter meeting approaches, GOP insiders are voicing concern over a top RNC establishment figure who is up for reelection.

The RNC will meet for three-days on Amelia Island, Florida, starting on January 6, the same day Congress convenes for what is shaping up to be a contentious session for the certification of the Electoral College vote for Joe Biden.

Report: At Least 140 GOP House Members Plan to Challenge Electoral College Results on January 6

January 2, 2021January 1, 2021 Minnesota Sun Staff

At least 140 Republican members of the U.S. House of Representatives plan to challenge the electoral vote results on January 6 when Congress meets to certify the next president, CNN reported on Thursday.

Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.), who launched the effort to challenge the “flawed election,” expressed surprise on Twitter that the number of House members joining him had grown that high.

Republicans Have Doubled the Number of Poll Watchers for Georgia Runoffs, Officials Say

January 2, 2021January 1, 2021 Minnesota Sun Staff

Georgia Republicans say they have doubled the number of poll watch volunteers to supervise the contentious Senate runoff elections which will be tallied next week.

A total of 8,000 people volunteered to join a “historic effort” to ensure election integrity ahead of Jan. 5, Fox News reported, citing GOP officials. The number of recruits increased two-fold from the 4,000 volunteers who have been supervising early voting in the state for the past few weeks, according to Fox.

Trump: ‘Unless Republicans Have a Death Wish,’ They Should Pass $2,000 Relief Checks for Americans

December 30, 2020December 29, 2020 Minnesota Sun Staff

President Trump on Tuesday ripped Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell for blocking a bipartisan House-approved bill that would have provided millions of Americans with a $2,000 relief check.

Commentary: Donald Trump is The Essential Man

December 28, 2020December 27, 2020 Minnesota Sun Staff

Once upon a time, there was a president called Ronald Reagan – a model of decency and probity, at once great and self-effacing, who, above all, was truly in love with America and saw it as his sacred mission to preserve and strengthen American freedom. During his eight-year tenure, he revitalized the U.S. economy, snapped us out of what his disastrous predecessor had referred to as “our malaise,” and helped bring down the Soviet Union.

Then he walked off into the sunset. And for the next seven presidential terms, we had to make do with mediocrity and self-dealing. Both parties were dominated by crime families – sorry, I mean political dynasties. The Bushes were uninspiring. The Clintons were pure slime.

Analysis: Republican’s 2020 Wins in State Capitals Sets the Stage for Lasting Victories Through the Next Decade

December 28, 2020December 27, 2020 Admin

Carrie Delrosso, a Republican, won her campaign in Pennsylvania’s 33rd House District by defeating House Minority Leader Frank Dermody, a Democrat, to capture the seat.

In Ohio’s 75th House District, Gail Pavliga won her election, flipping the seat to the GOP after running a campaign on solving the opioid crisis in the district.

GOP Blocks Standalone $2,000 Stimulus Payments Bill, House to Vote on Proposal Monday

December 25, 2020December 24, 2020 Minnesota Sun Staff

House Republicans blocked legislation Thursday that would have sent $2,000 in direct payments to Americans, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said.

House Democratic and Republican leaders met early Thursday morning in a pro forma session and held a unanimous consent vote on the standalone direct payments proposal, according to CNBC. Republican leadership voted the measure down, sinking the effort, which required all lawmakers present to unanimously vote in favor for it to pass.

Trump Tells McConnell, Fellow GOP Senators ‘Get Tougher’ and ‘Fight’ for Election Win

December 19, 2020December 18, 2020 Minnesota Sun Staff

President Trump on Friday leaned into Senate Majority Mitch McConnell and others fellow Republicans in the GOP-controlled chamber, telling them to “get tougher” and “fight” for the presidential election.

Commentary: Trumpism Without Trump Is Not Kinder and Gentler, but Harder and Fiercer

December 18, 2020December 17, 2020 Minnesota Sun Staff

The Democrats stole the election. President Trump is right to fight this. The U.S. Supreme Court was wrong to stand aside and let it happen. (Texas had standing to sue over it, for whereas Texans must grin and bear it when we are outvoted fair and square by other states, if our votes are nullified by cheating in other states, then we have been injured and we have a right to seek redress.) Even without the cheating, the impact of massive private subsidies aimed solely at boosting turnout in Democrat strongholds, pre-election bias in the press, and censorship by Big Tech may itself have been enough to tip the results in Joe Biden’s favor.

Texas Electors Pass Resolution Condemning Supreme Court Ruling as GOP Electors Cast Votes for Trump in Five Swing States

December 17, 2020December 16, 2020 The Center Square

Presidential electors met across the U.S. Monday to cast their vote for president and vice president. In Austin, while Texas electors cast their vote for President Donald Trump, they also approved a resolution to “condemn the lack of action by the United State Supreme Court” for refusing to hear a lawsuit brought against four states by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

Commentary: President Trump’s Unique Political Strengths

December 13, 2020December 12, 2020 Minnesota Sun Staff

Perhaps because John Batchelor is more an objective observer than most radio hosts, as well as the author of Ain’t You Glad You Joined the Republicans?: A Short History of the GOP, he was, to my knowledge, the first publicly to note Donald Trump’s unique political strengths.

The first unique political strength is that President Trump is blessed with his enemies.

GOP Poll Challengers in Michigan Describe Massive Fraud, Racial Hostility at TCF Center in Detroit

December 5, 2020December 4, 2020 Minnesota Sun Staff

In credible and compelling testimony Wednesday night, a pair of GOP poll watchers in Michigan described what appeared to be coordinated election fraud in the TCF Center on Election night.

Hima Kolanagireddy, an IT expert from India and Andrew Sitto, a 26-year-old college business student, both described suspicious activity such as poll workers feeding ballots into the tabulating machines after they had already been counted and poll workers filling out duplicate ballots to indicate a straight Democrat ticket when the ballots did not reflect that.

Commentary: Republicans’ Populism Without Trump

December 2, 2020December 1, 2020 Minnesota Sun Staff

November’s result should not obscure the fact that Trump bequeathed Republicans a winning populist strategy. The question is whether there can be populism without his persona. Republicans should seek to find out, or at least they should be if they have any political sense. Trump has drawn Republicans the populist blueprint; now someone else must build from it.

Commentary: In Georgia, Weak Republican Politicians Pave the Way to Their Own Demise

December 1, 2020November 30, 2020 Minnesota Sun Staff

If he [Trump] continues to disillusion voters … by saying that the elections were rigged and that your vote doesn’t matter, this could have severe consequences for the administration in trying to keep those two seats Republican,” pollster-pundit and alleged Republican Frank Luntz said on “Squawk Box.”

In this stern admonition Luntz indicates what he considers to be the greatest danger facing Republicans in the runoff race for the two Senate seats in Georgia on January 5. Luntz’s warning puts his own spin on what purports to be an objective analysis of the forthcoming election. But Luntz’s comments do not seem to be especially convincing. Why would I think that because Trump has refused to concede openly and emphatically (when there is no need for him to do that now or ever), Republican candidates in Georgia’s senatorial races will be taking a severe hit?

Commentary: Building a New, Less Cowardly Republican Party

November 11, 2020November 10, 2020 Minnesota Sun Staff

If you are a conservative who has been waking up angry, upset, and frustrated with your representation in Congress in the week since the presidential election, you are not alone.

Many of us are wondering why the Republican Party seems to have been reactive and defensive rather than aggressive in support of President Trump and the America First agenda.

GOP Unveils $1.4T Spending Bill Amid Post-Election Turmoil

November 11, 2020November 10, 2020 The Associated Press

Republicans controlling the Senate unveiled a government-wide, $1.4 trillion spending bill on Tuesday, a largely bipartisan measure that faces uncertain odds during this period of post-election tumult in Washington.

The GOP-drafted measure contains funding for President Donald Trump’s border wall and other provisions opposed by Democrats, but top leaders in both parties want to try to mount a drive to enact the unfinished spending bills — which, along with a separate COVID-19 relief effort and annual defense policy bill, represent the bulk of Capitol Hill’s unfinished business for the year.

GOP Pushes Barrett’s Nomination Ahead, Dems Decry ‘Sham’

October 16, 2020October 15, 2020 The Associated Press

Judge Amy Coney Barrett’s Supreme Court nomination cleared a key hurdle Thursday as Senate Judiciary Committee Republicans powered past Democrats’ objections in the drive to confirm President Donald Trump’s pick before the Nov. 3 election.

The panel set Oct. 22 for its vote to recommend Barrett’s nomination to the full Senate for a final vote by month’s end.

Commentary: Dear GOP Senate, Please Get This Right!

September 23, 2020September 22, 2020 Minnesota Sun Staff

As Jack Nicholson said in “Terms of Endearment,” you were just inches from a clean getaway.
Armed with a wholly unimpressive list of accomplishments from the past four years, with the exception of confirming hundreds of federal judges, you were prepared to return home to defend your paltry record with little more than the argument that the other side is much, much worse. Which, lucky for you, is true.

All 39 Minnesota Delegate Votes Delivered to Trump at RNC

August 25, 2020August 25, 2020 Corinne Murdock

All 39 of Minnesota’s delegates delivered their votes to Trump at the 2020 Republican National Convention (RNC) on Monday. The official re-nomination took place in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Mike Lindell – Chairman of the Minnesota Delegation and Trump Reelection Campaign, notable MyPillow founder – announced the votes.

President Trump to Speak in Minnesota on Monday

August 15, 2020August 14, 2020 Corinne Murdock

President Trump is scheduled to visit Minnesota on Monday, the first stop in a three-part campaigning tour including Wisconsin and Arizona. Each speech will address “Joe Biden’s failures on jobs and the economy.”

Ken Farnaso, the deputy press secretary for the Trump campaign, confirmed Trump’s visits in a tweet Friday morning.

Former GOP Presidential Candidate Herman Cain Dies at 74

July 30, 2020July 30, 2020 The Associated Press

Herman Cain, former Republican presidential candidate and former CEO of a major pizza chain who went on to become an ardent supporter of President Donald Trump, has died of complications from the coronavirus. He was 74.

Commentary: The GOP Can Make Inroads with Hispanics by Doing These Two Things

July 24, 2020July 23, 2020 Minnesota Sun Staff

In expected 13 percent of the electorate in the 2020 elections, American Hispanics are likely to play a crucial role in deciding contests in Arizona, Florida, and Texas. As the country’s Hispanic population grows larger, many wonder how Republicans can bring this demographic into their fold. Given that the Republican Party has dedicated a good portion of its resources to addressing this question, it’s impossible to say they’ve been ignoring Hispanics. But have they been effective?

Trump Calls off Florida Segment of GOP National Convention

July 23, 2020July 23, 2020 The Associated Press

President Donald Trump announced Thursday that he has scrubbed his planned Republican National Convention scheduled for Florida next month, citing a “flare-up” of the coronavirus.

Trump’s formal renomination will still go forward in North Carolina, where a small subset of GOP delegates will still gather in Charlotte, North Carolina, for just four hours on Aug. 24. Florida was to have hosted four nights of programming and parties that Trump had hoped would be a “four-night infomercial” for his reelection.

Former Ohio Governor John Kasich Expected to Speak at the Democratic National Convention

July 20, 2020July 20, 2020 The Associated Press

Former Ohio Gov. John Kasich, a Republican and frequent Trump critic, has been approached and is expected to speak at the Democratic National Convention on Biden’s behalf next month, according to a person with direct knowledge of the plans who insisted on anonymity to discuss strategy. Kasich is among a handful of high-profile Republicans likely to become more active in supporting Biden in the fall.

GOP Caps Attendance for Convention Over Coronavirus Concerns

July 17, 2020July 16, 2020 Minnesota Sun Staff

The Republican National Committee announced Thursday morning that it would restrict attendance for the party’s convention next month in Jacksonville, Florida.

The announcement comes a day after the RNC announced that they would move the convention outdoors due to growing concerns over the coronavirus pandemic, The Hill reported. The decision comes as positive cases are skyrocketing across the state, according to a Johns Hopkins University database.

Commentary: The Republican Party Needs a Voter Fraud Task Force in Every State

July 16, 2020July 15, 2020 Minnesota Sun Staff

The news that the Republican Party of Connecticut has created a citizen task force to record and investigate cases of potential voter fraud ahead of the 2020 presidential election is a welcome sign that some Republican leaders understand how the Democrats intend to create Election Day chaos to ensure that President Trump is defeated.

Exclusive: GOP Influencer Alexander Ali Warns Rookies Blowing Trump’s Relection

July 15, 2020July 14, 2020 Neil W. McCabe

Ali Alexander is something of veteran in the Republican digital game and he sees warning signs for the reelection of President Donald Trump–and he cannot keep quiet about. When Alexander was growing up he learned politics when his lawyer mother took him with her to phone-bank for local judges,…

Dean Phillips Challenger Says Single-Parent Homes ‘Chief Barrier’ to African-American Advancement

June 23, 2020June 23, 2020 Anthony Gockowski

Republican congressional candidate Kendall Qualls said the “chief barrier to the advancement of the African-American community is the rise of single-parent households,” not “racism, police brutality or white privilege.”

Qualls is running against Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN-03), a first-term Democrat who unseated former Republican Congressman Erik Paulsen in 2018.

Commentary: Rescuing the GOP’s Climate Policy From Absurdity

February 22, 2020February 21, 2020 Minnesota Sun Staff

For the fanatics on the far Left, and perhaps even for those deranged millions in the middle of the Democratic pack, there is nothing a Republican can say about “climate” that would impress them. As far as they’re concerned, Republicans are racist, sexist, and xenophobic, with a long history of “denying” that climate change is an existential crisis. So anything the GOP has to say on the topic has no credibility.

Special Elections Announced for Zerwas and Loeffler Seats

December 1, 2019November 30, 2019 Anthony Gockowski

Gov. Tim Walz recently ordered two special elections to fill vacancies in Minnesota House Districts 30A and 60A before the 2020 legislative session kicks off.

Housley Seeks to Overturn New 4000-Hour Training Requirement for Freelance Hair Stylists

November 11, 2019November 10, 2019 Anthony Gockowski

State Sen. Karin Housley (R-St. Mary’s Point) urged her colleagues to support a bill that would exempt freelance artists from being required to obtain a full cosmetology license for basic hair and makeup services.

Senate GOP Calls on Gov. Walz to Take Action Against DHS Employees Who Broke State Law

November 8, 2019November 7, 2019 Anthony Gockowski

Minnesota Senate Republicans are planning another hearing on the state’s chronically dysfunctional Department of Human Services, this time on new reports about the agency’s use of “illegal contract and spending practices.”

DFL Rep Resigns from University of Minnesota Position Allegedly Created to Influence His Fellow Lawmakers

September 13, 2019December 30, 2019 Anthony Gockowski

A DFL state representative has resigned from a research position at the University of Minnesota after it was discovered that the position was created explicitly for him and with his input.

Minnesota GOP Sent Cease and Desist Letter by State Fair Over Trump Flag Display

September 3, 2019September 2, 2019 Anthony Gockowski

The Minnesota Republican Party received a cease and desist letter from the Minnesota State Fair in response to activists who were riding the popular “SkyGlider” attraction while holding Trump 2020 flags.

Minnesota’s Department of Human Services Has Lost $300 Million in Three Years, State Senator Says

September 2, 2019September 1, 2019 Anthony Gockowski

State Sen. Michelle Benson (R-Ham Lake), chair of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee, recently revealed that the Minnesota Department of Human Services has lost more than $300 million in the last three years, either “by error or fraud.”

Police Release Photo of Person of Interest in Sexual Assault at GOP Fair Booth

September 1, 2019August 31, 2019 Anthony Gockowski

The Minnesota State Fair Police Department has released a photo of a woman wanted in connection to the sexual assault of a Republican volunteer at the GOP’s state fair booth.

GOP Reps Ask Gov. Walz for ‘Independent Audit’ of DHS

August 29, 2019August 28, 2019 Anthony Gockowski

Two Minnesota Republicans sent a letter to Gov. Tim Walz Tuesday requesting an “independent audit of DHS spending” following revelations that the department owes the federal government up to $73 million.

Conservatives Lining Up to Challenge Omar

August 27, 2019August 27, 2019 Anthony Gockowski

At least two conservatives announced their candidacy this month to take on Rep. Ilhan Omar in Minnesota’s Fifth Congressional District.

Minnesota House GOP Calls on Democrats to Hold Hearings on DHS During Upcoming ‘Mini-Session’

August 4, 2019August 4, 2019 Anthony Gockowski

Minnesota House Republicans are calling on their Democratic colleagues to hold hearings on the ongoing turmoil at the Department of Human Services during an upcoming legislative “mini-session.”

Dean Phillips Attends Private ‘Conversation on Diversity’

July 28, 2019July 27, 2019 Anthony Gockowski

Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN-03) attended a private “conversation on diversity” Saturday in his home district at the Eden Prairie Community Center.

DFL Immediately Begins Smearing New Dean Phillips GOP Challenger

July 26, 2019July 25, 2019 Anthony Gockowski

Republican Kendall Qualls, a former U.S. Army Captain and businessman from Medina, filed his paperwork to run against Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN-03) on Tuesday. The Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party, of which Phillips is a member, immediately began smearing Qualls, claiming he couldn’t “say why he’s running for Congress.”

St. Paul’s Gun Control Protest for Kids Organized by Anti-Trump Organization

July 22, 2019July 21, 2019 Anthony Gockowski

More than 1,000 kids took part in a march last week from the Cathedral of St. Paul to the Minnesota State Capitol to call for an end to gun violence. The march received significant media attention, but the organization behind the event was left mostly undiscussed. The protest in…

Michigan U.S. Rep. Amash, a Trump Critic, Quits Republican Party

July 5, 2019July 5, 2019 Minnesota Sun Staff

U.S. Rep Justin Amash of Michigan is quitting the GOP. The only Republican in Congress to call for President Donald Trump’s impeachment, Amash said in an op-ed published in the Washington Post Thursday – July 4th – that he was declaring his independence from the Republican Party because the…

Star Tribune Facing Backlash for ‘Sexist’ Cartoon of Ivanka Trump

July 5, 2019July 4, 2019 Anthony Gockowski

The Star Tribune is defending a cartoon (pictured below) that conservatives in Minnesota are calling a “sexist” depiction of President Donald Trump’s daughter, Ivanka. The cartoon was drawn by Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Steve Sack in response to Ivanka Trump’s prominent role at the recent G-20 summit in Japan. “It’s…

Minnesota Democrats Vote in Favor of Bill That GOP Says Gives ‘Criminals Amnesty’

June 9, 2019June 8, 2019 Anthony Gockowski

Every Democratic member of Minnesota’s congressional delegation voted in favor of the American Dream and Promise Act, which the GOP describes as “prioritizing mass amnesty over public safety.” The bill, H.R. 6, passed the House Tuesday in a vote of 237 to 187. It would “provide green cards to…