Free Republic

Twenty-five Republicans rebelled against John Boehner (R-Ohio), who won a third term as Speaker on Tuesday. The 25 Republicans, including three freshmen, didn't coalesce around a single alternative candidate. Rep. Daniel Webster (R-Fla.), whose nomination for Speaker became public just minutes before the vote, attracted the most votes at 12. Meanwhile, the other two long-shot candidates, Reps. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) and Ted Yoho (R-Fla.) only received three and two votes each. Additionally, freshman Rep. Brian Babin (R-Texas) voted "present" rather than voting for anyone. And two Republican lawmakers voted for people who aren't even members of the House: Rep. Gary...

Businessman Curt Clawson's easy win on Tuesday for the GOP nomination in Florida's 19th Congressional District resonated beyond the borders of the upscale, safely Republican district. With results nearly final, first-time candidate Clawson rolled up 38 percent of the vote to 26 percent for state Senate Majority Leader Lizbeth Benacquisto and 25 percent for former state Rep. Paige Kreegel. Along with fueling the candidacies elsewhere of fellow businesspeople-candidates and "anti-politicians," Clawson's primary win in the district vacated by GOP Rep. Trey Radel — who resigned after pleading guilty to cocaine possession — is also a boost for a likely presidential...

Businessman Curt Clawson won the Republican nomination for U.S. House in Florida's 19th district Tuesday, a giant step toward becoming a member of Congress in the heavily conservative district. Clawson, who loaned his campaign nearly $2.7 million of his own money through early April, defeated three other candidates in a special primary election: State Senate Majority Leader Lizbeth Benacquisto, businessman Michael Dreikorn and former state representative Paige Kreegel.

Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., has endorsed businessman Curt Clawson with days to go in the Republican primary race to replace former Florida Rep. Trey Radel. Clawson’s announcement of the endorsement offered no statement from the retiring congresswoman, but the candidate heaped praise on Bachmann, the founder of the House Tea Party Caucus.

Endorsments can be overrated but in a conservative primary with a lot of noise and mud, could a high-profile name give a candidate the edge? Congressional District 19 candidate Lizbeth Benacquisto recently got the backing of Sarah Palin, who held a fundraiser and sang the candidate's praises on Fox News. Yesterday, Curt Clawson scored the endorsement of Sen. Rand Paul, among the first tea party backed candidates to make it big. "Washington is desperate for outside leadership," Paul said. "Curt Clawson is an outsider who will bring refreshing ideas to the halls of Congress. Today, I proudly stand with Curt...

Curt Clawson has hired a record 25 consultants for his campaign. It’s a lie that he’s an outsider. He’s not a principled Conservative either, something those supporting him claim he is. Just recently Breitbart News contributor Javier Manjarres of Shark Tank wrote a hit piece on Sarah, criticizing her for choosing the wrong Conservative in the race: Sarah Palin Jumps the Gun May Not Have Fully Vetted Recent Endorsee. That is ironic coming from a RINO-infested tank who shilled for Marco Rubio when he was lying about being against amnesty early on. Where was his research and vetting then? Shark...

Former Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska will be in Southwest Florida on Thursday for a fundraising event with Florida Senate Majority Leader Lizbeth Benacquisto, R-Fort Myers, who is running in the Republican primary to replace former U.S. Rep. Trey Radel, R-Fla., in Congress. “Excited to announce that Sarah Palin is coming to Southwest Florida this week to join me on the campaign trail,” Benacquisto announced on Monday. But tea party leaders in the district backing Curt Clawson in the primary are urging Palin to reconsider her endorsement. Jack Tymann of the Naples Tea Party, Kathy Jones of the Lee County...