WASHINGTON, Feb. 5 -- The Democratic Governors Association issued the following news: After hiding from reporters for the first two weeks of his campaign, Richard Irvin finally started talking to reporters but refused to say who he voted for in the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections and whether the 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump. "With the shadow of Donald Trump still hanging over the Republican Party," wrote ABC 7, "Irvin dodged repeated questions about whether he voted for Trum  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 5 (TNSPol) -- Common Cause issued the following statement on Feb. 4, 2022, by President Karen Hobert Flynn: * * * January 6 was an insurrection that left people dead and scores of seriously injured in its wake. It was not legitimate political discourse no matter what the GOP says. It was a violent attempt to overturn the legitimate results of the 2020 presidential election and ignore the will of the people. It was a dangerous and irresponsible attempt to try to intimidate Cong  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 1 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following legal sidebar (No. LSB10691) on Jan. 28, 2022, entitled "Justice Breyer Retires: Initial Considerations". The legal sidebar was written by legislative attorneys Valerie C. Brannon and Joanna R. Lampe and section research managers Michael John Garcia and David Gunter. * * * On January 27, 2022, Justice Stephen G. Breyer announced that he would retire from active service as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court a  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 2 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R47025) on Feb. 1, 2022, entitled "U.S. Circuit and District Court Nominees Confirmed During the First Year of the Biden Presidency: Overview and Analysis" by American national government analyst Barry J. McMillion: * * * SUMMARY This report provides statistics related to the nomination and confirmation of U.S. circuit and district court nominees during the first year of the Biden presidency. This report  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 1 -- The Democratic Governors Association issued the following news: It's been two weeks since Richard Irvin entered the GOP primary for governor of Illinois, and Radio Silent Richard is still running from reporters -- literally. Irvin "hasn't taken questions since he announced his run," wrote Politico last week. Asked why some label him a Democrat, Irvin started "inching toward the stairs to his office," "wrapped up the conversation," and "turned on his heel and climbed the   more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 3 -- The Democratic Governors Association issued the following news: Anti-science COVID denier Scott Jensen is the current frontrunner in the Minnesota GOP gubernatorial primary, the latest straw poll confirms. In the poll, conducted from participants at the Minnesota Republican Party's biennial caucus, Jensen had a decisive lead over the rest of the field. The caucus results put Jensen in a strong position to win the party's endorsement in May, which all leading GOP candidates  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 4 -- The Democratic Governors Association issued the following news: In yet another sign that the Maryland Republican primary will be a far-right sprint dominated by Donald Trump loyalty contests, a new poll from Public Policy Polling shows Trump-endorsed Dan Cox beating Kelly Schulz in a head-to-head match up. The poll also shows that when respondents are informed of Donald Trump's endorsement of Cox and Larry Hogan's endorsement of Schulz, Cox's lead grows to a massive 34 po  more

WASHINGTON, Jan. 31 (TNSPol) -- The Democratic National Committee issued the following statement: * * * DNC spokesperson Adonna Biel released the following statement ahead of defeated former President Donald Trump's rally in Texas: "Defeated former President Donald Trump's rally in Texas today is just the latest stop on his tour de extremism. "Each Trump rally is a reminder that the Republican Party has fully surrendered to the most incompetent wing of their party. "As a result of failed  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 5 -- The Democratic National Committee issued the following statement on Feb. 4, 2022: * * * After nearly every single House Republican voted against lowering costs for families, bringing manufacturing jobs home, and making the United States competitive with China, DNC spokesperson Ammar Moussa released the following statement. "This is the story of today's Republican Party -- consistently standing in the way of job creation, easing supply chain bottlenecks, and lowering cost  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 5 -- The Democratic National Committee issued the following statement on Feb. 4, 2022: * * * DNC spokesperson Adonna Biel released the following statement in response to former Vice President Mike Pence saying the defeated former president "is wrong" at the Federalist Society meeting. "Let's be very clear -- former Vice President Mike Pence doesn't deserve credit for 'breaking' with Trump after standing shoulder to shoulder with him for nearly six years. "Pence stood silent   more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 3 -- The Democratic National Committee issued the following statement: * * * DNC Rapid Response Director Ammar Moussa released the following statement ahead of the RNC's winter meeting this week in Salt Lake City. "This week promises to be a wide open window into exactly how much Donald Trump has completely solidified his stranglehold on the Republican Party - and how it has nothing else to offer to the American people. "Ronna McDaniel is going to have to explain why they've  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 1 -- The Democratic National Committee issued the following news release: Let there be no doubt -- the Republican Party can't seem to get their message straight about Ukraine and Russia because many Republican lawmakers sat idly by and watched Donald Trump sell out our allies to appease Putin. While President Biden stands strong with our allies to hold Russia accountable, Republicans are at war with themselves: Washington Post: Opinion: Trump never met a dictator he didn't pr  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 5 -- The Democratic National Committee issued the following news release: Every time we think the Republican Party couldn't possibly get more disastrous and chaotic, Republicans prove us wrong. Instead of working to address the issues most important to American families - like lowering costs - Republicans have spent the last week in an all-out war with each other while defending the violence of January 6. The Republican National Committee censured two sitting House Republicans  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 3 -- The Democratic National Committee issued the following news release: You would think Republicans would have learned by now that they can't have it both ways with Donald Trump. The choice for Republicans is clear: either you stand fully with a defeated former president who incited an assault on our democracy, or you're pushed out of the Republican Party altogether. While Donald Trump is reaching new levels of unhinged - suggesting pardons for January 6 insurrectionists and  more

TALLAHASSEE, Florida, Feb. 5 -- The Florida Democratic Party issued the following news: According to a report from Local 10 News, numerous residents of South Florida retirement homes have had their party affiliation unknowingly changed to Republican by Florida Republican Party operatives. The report states that several residents of the Haley Sofge Towers, a Miami-Dade public housing complex, unknowingly had their party registration changed after "updating" their voter registration with "people  more

TALLAHASSEE, Florida, Feb. 5 -- The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services issued the following news release: Florida Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services Nikki Fried urged the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to open an investigation into reports of voter disenfranchisement in Miami-Dade County. Local 10 News reported that multiple registered Democrats living in retirement homes were outraged to learn that their registration affiliation had been changed to Republi  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 4 -- The following is a commentary by Ray Smock, the first historian for the U.S. House of Representatives. Please consider using this on your op-ed page. By Ray Smock Newt Gingrich, the faded House Speaker who peaked in 1995 before sliding back into oblivion a few years later, is back in the news at the invitation of Would-be-Speaker-in-Waiting, Kevin McCarthy. It seems the Republican Party takes seriously the question posed by President Biden who wondered what the Republican  more

WASHINGTON, April 22 -- The following is a commentary by Ray Smock, the first historian for the U.S. House of Representatives. This op-ed is available to Targeted News Service recipients. By Ray Smock Newt Gingrich, the faded House Speaker who peaked in 1995 before sliding back into oblivion a few years later, is back in the news at the invitation of Would-be-Speaker-in-Waiting, Kevin McCarthy. It seems the Republican Party takes seriously the question posed by President Biden who wondered wha  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 4 -- The following is a commentary by Ray Smock, the first historian for the U.S. House of Representatives. This op-ed is available to Targeted News Service recipients. By Ray Smock Newt Gingrich, the faded House Speaker who peaked in 1995 before sliding back into oblivion a few years later, is back in the news at the invitation of Would-be-Speaker-in-Waiting, Kevin McCarthy. It seems the Republican Party takes seriously the question posed by President Biden who wondered what   more

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana, Feb. 3 -- The Indiana Democratic Party issued the following news release on Feb. 2, 2022: The Indiana Democratic Party, the organization that advocates for the future of Indiana and its families, today asked the media to not buy into U.S. Senator Todd Young's performative stunts about "compromise" or "bipartisanship", because he'll bail on the effort at the last possible moment. The latest example is the ongoing conversation to reform the Electoral Count Act and protect t  more

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana, Feb. 2 -- The Indiana Democratic Party issued the following news release on Feb. 1, 2022: The Indiana Democratic Party, the organization that advocates for the future of Indiana and its families, today proclaimed the Indiana Republican Party the Culture War Party as the 2022 legislative session reaches its halfway point. Since the start of the year, the Indiana GOP has pushed an agenda that would further discredit the COVID-19 vaccine, politicize classrooms, restrict a Ho  more

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana, Feb. 1 -- The Indiana Democratic Party issued the following statement by Chairman Mike Schmuhl on Jan. 31, 2022: * * * The Indiana Democratic Party, the organization that advocates for the future of Indiana and its families, today issued the following statement by Chairman Mike Schmuhl after the Indiana House of Representatives passed House Bill 1116, legislation that would restrict a Hoosier's right to vote. The Indiana GOP continues the national strategy to diminish Am  more

WOBURN, Massachusetts, Feb. 3 -- The Massachusetts Republican Party issued the following news releases: The Massachusetts Republican Party continues to move forward with its efforts to reform and refocus the organization so that it serves the grassroots, and those efforts are now being recognized at the national level. Republican National Committeewoman Ronna McDaniel announced recently in a letter to MassGOP Chairman Jim Lyons that the state party has successfully completed its GROW Leaders'   more

BOSTON, Massachusetts, Feb. 5 -- The Massachusetts Republican Party issued the following news releases: Make that three uber-leftists in the running to be the Democrats' nominee for governor. "I am a proud progressive and I am incredibly proud of my record," Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey said earlier this week during a radio interview. Healey is fighting to be mentioned in the same far-left breath as two other Dem gubernatorial hopefuls, Massachusetts Republican Party Chairman J  more

ANNAPOLIS, Maryland, Feb. 3 -- The Maryland Democratic Party issued the following news: As Larry Hogan prepares to give his State of the State address, here are the facts about his real record: his time as governor has been marred by his continual mismanagement of the COVID pandemic, efforts to slash funding for schools and public safety - and a series of ongoing scandals. From Maryland Democratic Party Chair Yvette Lewis: "Here are the facts Marylanders won't hear at his State of the State: H  more

LANSING, Michigan, Feb. 1 -- The Michigan Democratic Party issued the following statement: * * * The Michigan Democratic Party released the following statement on behalf of Chair Lavora Barnes following Mike Detmer's comments urging Republicans to "lock and load" and "show up armed" at polling places. "Mike Detmer is actively encouraging people to threaten voters and the poll workers who make our elections secure. "Detmer's comments are yet another sign that some Republicans will go to extre  more

ST. PAUL, Minnesota, Feb. 3 -- Minnesota's Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party issued the following news release: February 2, 2022, DFL Party Chairman, Ken Martin released the following statement on the Minnesota Republican Party's statewide caucus results for governor. "These results confirm that the same dangerous anti-vaccine conspiracy theories that have prolonged the pandemic will dominate the Republican primary for governor," said Martin. "Scott Jensen has put lives in danger by repeatedly lyi  more

ST. PAUL, Minnesota, Feb. 4 -- Minnesota's Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party issued the following news release on Feb. 3, 2022: On his first day as a candidate for governor, Rich Stanek lied, claiming he never used the n-word - contradicting his own words in a deposition in which he admitted to using the slur several times. Stanek's lies were exposed in a follow-up story spotlighting his deposition and past comments on the controversy. "Mr. Stanek's decision to double down on his lie about his rac  more

MONTGOMERY, Alabama, Feb. 2 -- The Alabama Republican Party issued the following news release: Baptist Medical Center East of Montgomery is in violation of Alabama House Bill 521, the Harold Sachs Act, which requires all health care facilities in the state of Alabama to set a minimum standard for visitation, even during a public health emergency. The hospital has repeatedly denied visitation access to Alabama Republican Party Minority Recruitment Director, Cedric Coley, whose mother was admitt  more

RALEIGH, North Carolina, Feb. 5 -- The North Carolina Republican Party issued the following news: While the N.C. Republican Party is disappointed in the N.C. Supreme Court's partisan decision to throw out maps duly crafted and enacted by the legislature, we are not surprised. From the outset Democrats made clear their intentions of leveraging an activist judiciary to seize political gain despite the Republican-led legislature's open, transparent, constitutional process. The NCGOP looks forward  more

CONCORD, New Hampshire, Feb. 1 -- The New Hampshire Democratic Party issued the following news release on Jan. 31, 2022: On Saturday, Chuck Morse officially stumbled into the NH GOP's "crazy, complicated" and "messy" Senate primary. Morse kicked off his campaign launch by throwing major shade at his primary opponent Kevin Smith, by being introduced by Ovide Lamontagne -- who defeated Kevin Smith in the 2012 Republican gubernatorial primary and is one of the leading anti-choice figures in the N  more

NEW YORK, Feb. 5 (TNSPol) -- PEN America issued the following statement: * * * In response to the Republican Party labeling the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol "legitimate political discourse," PEN America issued the following statement from CEO Suzanne Nossel: "The characterization of the January 6, 2021 storming of the U.S. Capitol as "legitimate political discourse" is perverse, and constitutes an open invitation to an escalation of violence in American public life. "As free speech defende  more

PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania, Feb. 5 -- Race and Social Problems, a journal that says it focuses on issues germane to race and its relationship to psychological, socioeconomic, political and cultural problems from the Center for Race and Social Problems at the University of Pittsburgh, published research articles on the following topics in its March 2022 edition: Original Papers: * What Did You Call Me? An Analysis of Online Harassment Towards Black and Latinx Women * U.S. Infant Mortality Rates  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 3 -- Rep. Nancy Mace, R-South Carolina, issued the following news release: Congresswoman Nancy Mace (SC-01) released the following statement on the passage of her bill out of committee to name a post office in Beaufort after Robert Smalls: "One hundred and eighty two years ago, Robert Smalls was born a slave in Beaufort. Seventy five years later, he died having left a tremendous impact on our state and our country. Having bravely liberated himself from slavery aboard the war s  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 3 -- The Ripon Society issued the following news release: U.S. Rep. Larry Bucshon (IN-8) appeared yesterday before a virtual meeting of The Ripon Society, delivering remarks about the demands being placed on the doctors, nurses and other health care professionals who are on the frontlines of the fight against COVID-19, and the effort he is leading to provide them with some relief. "The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a significant toll on our nation's health care system," Bucshon   more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 5 -- The Ripon Society issued the following news release on Feb. 4, 2022: In remarks yesterday morning before a virtual meeting of The Ripon Society, U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) called on the President to stand up to Russia, and talked about some of the other key challenges facing America and the people she represents back home. "Putin is continuing his aggression towards Ukraine," Ernst stated, "and my thought is we need to impose sanctions now. Putin only understands strengt  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 5 -- Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-Rhode Island, issued the following floor statement, which was published in the Congressional Record on Feb. 2, 2022: Mr. President, I am not very happy to be back with my trusty and somewhat battered "Time to Wake Up" poster. Almost exactly a year ago, I delivered what I hoped would be my last "Time to Wake Up" speech and took the poster off the floor. Things looked good then. The conditions for climate progress were in place. Voters had elected  more

OLYMPIA, Washington, Feb. 5 -- Gov. Jay Inslee, D-Washington, issued the following statement on Feb. 4, 2022: * * * Gov. Jay Inslee released a statement today on the Republican National Committee's decision to censure two of its own members of Congress for investigating the violent Jan. 6 insurrection at our nation's Capitol. "Today, the national Republican Party endorsed violent sedition as 'legitimate political discourse.' The GOP censured two of its own congressmembers solely for their con  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 3 -- The White House issued the following transcript of a news briefing by Press Secretary Jen Psaki on Feb. 2, 2022: * * * MS. PSAKI: Hi, everyone. Okay, as you know, today marks the second day of Black History Month. The President and Vice President are committed to fighting for equity, opportunity, and dignity for all Black Americans each and every day. And yesterday, a couple of people asked me what we were doing, so I just wanted to give you a quick overview. On Monday  more

MADISON, Wisconsin, Feb. 2 -- The Wisconsin Democratic Party issued the following news: Last month, the Biden-Harris administration announced that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will invest $14 billion from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and other appropriations to strengthen Wisconsin's ports and waterway supply chains. President Biden's infrastructure law, which passed Congress without the vote of a single Wisconsin Republican, will fund key projects that will strengthen the U.S. supply  more

MADISON, Wisconsin, Feb. 3 -- The Wisconsin Republican Party issued the following news: As Afghan refugees leave Fort McCoy to resettle across the country, the aftermath has put Joe Biden's foreign policy failures on full display. This weekend, the Washington Examiner reported on the footprint left behind - trash, food shortages, and few spare beds in local hospitals. While Democrats like Tony Evers and Tammy Baldwin dismissed concerns at Fort McCoy as "dog whistle crap" and "false," Republica  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 3 -- Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-Rhode Island, issued the following news release: With Build Back Better's historic climate provisions stalled in the Senate, U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) this afternoon dusted off his ragged Time to Wake Up poster and delivered his 280th climate speech on the Senate floor. Whitehouse's remarks ended a year-long hiatus from delivering weekly speeches calling on Congress to pass a legislative solution to climate change. Whitehouse deta  more