Free Republic

Max Azzarello is the name given by the man who set himself on fire outside the Trump trial in New York after leaving behind a “rambling” manifesto and social media accounts in which he sang about starting a “revolution.” “Start a “f****** revolution,” he sang over and over again on Instagram in January. “You’ve got nothing to lose.” Another Instagram post showed him posing as an Uncle Sam-like figure, pointing at the camera. It read, “I want you to tear down a haunted carnival.” Heavy has located the manifesto, on which he writes, “My name is Max Azzarello, and I...

Republican congressional candidate Scott Jones’ pledge to support his party’s likely presidential nominee Donald Trump has cost him the endorsement of a key labor ally. On Saturday, a spokesman for the Teamsters Joint Council 7 confirmed the group has withdrawn its endorsement of Jones, who is challenging Democratic Rep. Ami Bera in suburban Sacramento County’s 7th Congressional District. Scott Jones Rome Aloise, president of Teamsters Joint Council 7, last week sent a letter to Jones stating his group was “extremely disappointed” with Jones’ decision to vote for Trump, whom Aloise said has taken “diametrically” opposite positions to Jones on collective...

On Thursday, House Majority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) told reporters that Donald Trump’s nomination would help Republicans running for office, not hurt them. McCarthy cited the fact that turnout in the first nine presidential primaries had risen this year from 2008, while Democratic turnout had declined. McCarthy used the example of the 7th District, where Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones is challenging two-term Democrat Rep. Ami Bera (D-CA), telling to the Sacramento Bee, “I have big hopes that that one is going to be very competitive.” Jones has made immigration one of his top issues: last October, after an...

To many Democrats, ObamaCare is a four-letter word. Most Democrats in competitive elections are seeking to avoid the topic, opting not to tout the controversial law on their campaign websites. In a review of battleground races, The Hill found that out of 50 Democratic candidates with active campaign websites, only 11 mention the healthcare law by name, either as "ObamaCare," "Affordable Care Act," or "ACA." Fourteen more mention the law, but not its name, and half the candidates omit it entirely from their websites. President Obama has trumpeted that more than 8 million people have enrolled in ACA-related plans. Meanwhile,...

A duo of conservative candidates will descend on Kentucky to appear with Sen. Mitch McConnell’s (R-Ky.) challenger, Matt Bevin, just two months out from his primary. Mississippi state Sen. Chris McDaniel, Sen. Thad Cochran’s (R-Miss.) primary challenger, and California Republican House candidate Igor Birman, running for Rep. Ami Bera’s (D) seat, will both appear at FreePAC Kentucky, a conservative event FreedomWorks is hosting in Louisville on April 5. The group has endorsed all three candidates. Glenn Beck and FreedomWorks President Matt Kibbe will also appear at the event. According to a release, it will bring together grassroots activists from across...

The Republican field in California’s competitive 7th District is poised to grow after Labor Day, with two prospective candidates planning to make announcements about the race. Former Rep. Doug Ose, a Republican who represented a large portion of the redrawn 7th District from 1999 until 2005, is expected to make an announcement on his plans for the race after Labor Day, according to a source close to Ose’s campaign. The source would not confirm whether Ose plans to run, but other operatives in the Golden State say Ose is likely to enter the race. Another Republican, Igor Birman, who currently...

Liberal activists organized by CREDO SuperPAC are planning to protest outside a fundraiser that House Speaker John Boehner is holding Wednesday on Portola Road in Woodside with Rep. Dan Lungren, R-Gold River. The event with Boehner, R-Ohio, costs up to $35,000 a plate or $5,000 for a photo opportunity, and is occurring just six miles from the Atherton home in which President Obama is scheduled to hold a $35,800-a-plate fundraiser at about the same time.CREDO SuperPAC says it has launched a campaign against Lungren with four full-time organizers and a Carmichael field office to mobilize local voters to defeat a...