Free Republic

PADUCAH, Ky. — Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) can almost taste becoming Senate majority leader, but first he has to make sure he isn’t the Republican who costs the GOP its shot at chamber control. His strengths and weaknesses were on full display in his battle against Alison Lundergan Grimes this weekend, underscoring just how tough his race is against the Democrat. Read more: http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/senate-races/214431-mcconnell-faces-toughest-test#ixzz39cwSApxA Follow us: @thehill on Twitter | TheHill on Facebook

Gov. Chris Christie trails former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton among New Jersey voters surveyed in a poll about the 2016 presidential race. The Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday shows Clinton leading the Republican governor 50 to 42 percent. Both are considering 2016 runs but haven't committed.

Republican U.S. Rep. Kerry Bentivolio, considered by some to be an “accidental” congressman, was easily defeated Tuesday in a Michigan district and became the third U.S. House incumbent to lose his seat this year. Lawyer and businessman David Trott, 53, who contributed nearly $2.5 million of his own money to his campaign, will face Democrat Bobby McKenzie, a counterterrorism expert, in the November general election to represent the 11th congressional district covering a swath of Detroit’s western and northern suburbs. …

“I continue to believe that we have to reform our immigration laws. I think that’s good for the country. I wouldn’t say that because of politics,” said Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.). The possible presidential hopeful was speaking to “Fox News Sunday”—from Iowa. Although he favors immigration reform, Rubio says he’s changed his mind about doing it all at once, in one bill—even though he was one of 14 Republican senators who voted for such a bill one year ago. …

Unlike many of his fellow Republican lawmakers, U.S. Senator John Cornyn sounded a conciliatory note when talking about the border crisis in San Antonio on Friday afternoon. He complimented the federal government on its response along the border and treatment of the children who have immigrated from Central America, said that he would be open to compromise on his controversial — but bipartisan — proposal that would require the children have a hearing before an immigration judge within seven days of entering the country; and added that he would not touch President Barack Obama’s current policy that allows children of...

The Senate minority leader, long reviled among many on the right for what they see as kowtowing to Democrats, is in a tough race for his seat—and in trouble with the Tea Party. If Alison Lundergan Grimes pulls off an upset victory over Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell in November, she may have Tea Partiers to thank. But don’t expect conservative voters to rally to Grimes—they simply aren't getting behind McConnell. Although the five-term Republican ended up winning a a tough primary challenge from businessman Matt Bevin handily, the race was one of the most vicious and ugly this cycle,...

Dear “Conservatives” and “Establishment Republicans,” I write today in the hope you all can get over whatever anger, distrust or bruised egos this primary season and political year has caused you. We on the right need to unite and send a message to progressives by unambiguously retaking the U.S. Senate in November. We all have some problem with what’s happened so far. Someone we liked lost a primary. Someone we didn’t won. Some piece of legislation we hate passed; some other piece we liked did not. No one is completely happy, but we all know things can get much worse...

RICHMOND, Va. – U.S. Rep. Eric Cantor tells a Virginia newspaper he will resign his seat in the House of Representatives months earlier than expected.

The Republican-controlled House of Representatives voted 225-201 on Wednesday evening to authorize Speaker John Boehner (R.-Ohio) to sue President Barack Obama and other administration officials for taking actions implementing the Affordable Care Act that do not follow the language of the law but that the Republican-led House nonetheless has not previously voted to defund and now intends to continue funding. Rather than take action under its own constitutional authority to curb what it believes are unconstitutional acts by the president, the Republican majority will now ask federal judges to curb the president. Article 1, Section 9, Clause 7 of the...

ouse GOP leadership is beginning to crack on its position that it would not include any language intended to prohibit the President from expanding the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) executive amnesty in a border bill package. House GOP leadership is beginning to crack on its position that it would not include any language intended to prohibit the President from expanding the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) executive amnesty in a border bill package. Unable to find enough Republicans to pass the bill without the help of Democrats, who are lining up against the border bill, GOP leaders...

Talk of impeachment was cooked up by a White House desperate for something to rally Democrats ahead of November’s elections, House Speaker John A. Boehner said Tuesday, flatly ruling out any action on the controversial suggestion. “We have no plans to impeach the president. We have no future plans,” Mr. Beohner said. “Listen, it’s all a scam started by Democrats at the White House.”

Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee angered his Facebook fans after endorsing Sen. Lamar Alexander against conservative state Representative Joe Carr last month. Carr has been endorsed by former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin and conservative talk radio host Laura Ingraham for the August 7th primary. And Carr has been relentlessly hammering Alexander for voting for the Senate's amnesty bill even after law enforcement officials warned Alexander that it would lure more illegal immigrants from Central America. Nearly every one of close to 450 comments beneath Huckabee's announcement on his Facebook page blasts Huckabee for supporting Alexander. One Huckabee fan said, "We...

On Fox News Sunday, Republican writer George Will said that America should let all of the illegal immigrant juveniles from Central America remain and ensure they are allowed to "go to school and get a job." "My view is that we have to say to these children, 'Welcome to America. You're going to go to school and get a job and become Americans,'" Will declared. "We have 3,141 counties in this country. That would be 20 per county. The idea that we can't assimilate these 8-year-old criminals with their teddy bears is preposterous." Will was asked to respond to Republicans...

Republican Senate candidate Ed Gillespie said he thinks there is enough evidence to support climate change after being pressed on the issue during a debate with incumbent Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.). "I believe there is ample scientific evidence that contributes to climate change but I'm not entirely dismissive of those who have a different point of view," Gillespie said. Gillespie added, "Norfolk is dealing with rising sea levels but people can debate what contributes to that or not." Still, Gillespie said he thinks the administration's new carbon pollution rules "go to far."

Officials have said that more than half of all children initially placed in shelters have gone on to be reunited with at least one parent already living in the United States, and 85 percent of all children have been placed with a close family member.

A federal judge in Denver declared Colorado's gay marriage ban unconstitutional Wednesday, but he temporarily put the ruling on hold to give the state until next month to seek an appeal.... Colorado Republican Attorney General John Suthers and Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper had requested a stay so the issue could eventually be decided by the U.S. Supreme Court — though both agreed the state ban should be declared unconstitutional.

GREENWICH, Conn. (AP) -- Republican New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said Monday he doesn't have plans to campaign for New York's Republican candidate for governor because he doesn't campaign for candidates he doesn't think can win. Christie was in Greenwich, Connecticut, to raise cash for GOP candidate Tom Foley when he was asked whether he planned to spend any time campaigning in New York, where Republican challenger Rob Astorino, the Westchester County executive, trails incumbent Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo by a large margin in public polls. "You know, I will spend time in places where we have a chance to...

Senator Pat Roberts (R-Kan) continued his refusal to debate challenger Dr. Milton Wolf prior to the upcoming August 5 primary election date on the grounds that “Wolf is not qualified to hold such a high office.” “I’ve been in this political racket for nearly 50 years,” the 78 year-old Roberts pointed out. “I didn’t just leap into the national arena as my first venture into joining the governing elite. I served on the staff of Senator Frank Carlson and Representative Keith Sebelius for over 12 years before I ran for Congress in 1980. Then I put in 16 years in...

MIAMI (CBSMiami) — Former Florida Governor Charlie Crist will announce his running mate Thursday, according to sources. A Democratic sources close to the campaign said Crist will select Annette Taddeo-Goldstein as his running mate in his bid for Governor. Taddeo-Goldstein is the head of the Miami-Dade Democratic Party and lost in a congressional bid in 2008 against Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen. Crist’s campaign has said he would make a major announcement but did not specify what it would be. He is scheduled to make the announcement at The LAB Miami located at 400 NW 26th Street.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – A truck-stop company owned by Tennessee GOP Gov. Bill Haslam and Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam has agreed to pay $92 million in fines for cheating customers out of promised fuel rebates and discounts, federal prosecutors said Monday. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Tennessee, Pilot Flying J, the country’s largest diesel retailer, accepts responsibility for the criminal conduct of its employees, including 10 who have pleaded guilty to participating in the scheme, and agrees to cooperate with the ongoing investigation. “The terms of this agreement …demonstrate quite clearly that no corporation,...