Latest news with #RepublicanPrimary
New York Post
4 hours ago
- Politics
- New York Post
Trump goes nuclear on Republican after Iran war powers slapdown, vows to back primary foe: ‘MAGA doesn't want him'
President Trump unleashed his fury on libertarian-leaning Rep. Thomas Massie and vowed to prop up a primary challenge after the Kentuckian co-introduced a measure to rein in his war powers. Trump, who has long been vexed by Massie (R-Ky.) in the past on a host of issues, ripped him as a 'pathetic loser' during a fiery Truth Social screed. 'Massie is weak, ineffective, and votes 'NO' on virtually everything put before him (Rand Paul, Jr.), no matter how good something may be,' Trump fumed on Truth Social Sunday. 'Massie should drop his fake act and start putting America First, but he doesn't know how to get there — he doesn't have a clue!' he added. 'MAGA should drop this pathetic LOSER, Tom Massie, like the plague!' 'The good news is that we will have a wonderful American Patriot running against him in the Republican Primary, and I'll be out in Kentucky campaigning really hard.' 3 Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie has drawn President Trump's ire in the past. CBS/Face the Nation 3 President Trump had warned Iran that he would deal with its nuclear program the easy way or the hard way. AP Massie voted last month against the House version of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which is intended to be the president's signature legislative achievement of the year and possibly his second term. The two have butted heads repeatedly in the past. In 2020, Massie opposed a $2 trillion emergency COVID-19 relief measure intended to avert a steep recession, drawing Trump's wrath. Last week, Massie banded together with Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) in rolling out a War Powers Resolution to rein in Trump's ability to strike Iran. That measure has seemingly gained more steam in Congress in the wake of Trump's strikes against Tehran's Natanz, Isfahan and Fordow nuclear facilities. Massie quickly dubbed the move unconstitutional. Massie joined Khanna for an interview on CBS' 'Face the Nation' Sunday to promote that measure. 'I represent part of the coalition that elected President Trump. We were tired of endless wars in the Middle East, and tired of wars in Eastern Europe,' Massie said on the program. 'They should have called us all back,' he went on. 'And, frankly, we should have debated this war powers resolution that Ro Khanna and I offered, instead of staying on vacation and doing fundraisers, and saying, 'Oh, well, the President's got this under control, we're going to cede our constitutional authority.'' 3 Operation Midnight Hammer was intended to wipe out Iran's nuclear capabilities. Getty Images Trump has been adamant that the strikes against Iran were necessary and has long contended that the theocratic regime cannot be permitted to obtain a nuclear weapon. 'MAGA is not about lazy, grandstanding, nonproductive politicians, of which Thomas Massie is definitely one,' Trump further fumed. 'He's a simple minded 'grandstander' who thinks it's good politics for Iran to have the highest level Nuclear weapon, while at the same time yelling 'DEATH TO AMERICA' at every chance they get,' Trump continued. 'Iran has killed and maimed thousands of Americans.' Massie's office didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. Earlier this month, Trump had lashed out at Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) over his opposition to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Like his fellow Kentuckian Massie, Paul raised concerns about the megabill's impact on the debt. The duo has a knack for voting against big-ticket GOP items and criticizing US involvement in foreign entanglements.
Wall Street Journal
14 hours ago
- Politics
- Wall Street Journal
A Nasty Texas Primary Campaign Has Republicans in a Panic
When deciding whether to seek re-election next year, Texas Sen. John Cornyn said one consideration rose above all: A desire to thwart the other Republican hopeful, state Attorney General Ken Paxton. 'I refuse to let someone of his character—or lack of character—represent Texas in the Senate,' Cornyn said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal. 'I consider this to be drawing a line in the sand.'
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Texas state Sen. Kelly Hancock to become acting comptroller, run for permanent job
Republican state Sen. Kelly Hancock launched his campaign for state comptroller Thursday shortly after taking a senior position at the comptroller's office. His appointment as chief clerk to Comptroller Glenn Hegar paves the way for Hanock, a North Richland Hill Republican, to become interim comptroller after Hegar leaves his office in June. And it gives Hancock an edge in a growing Republican primary race next year. 'Kelly is a great fit to serve as the chief financial officer of Texas,' Hegar said in a statement, who is stepping down to become chancellor of the Texas A&M University System. 'As a long-serving member of the Texas Legislature, he helped shape sound financial policy and authored the state's conservative spending cap legislation' Hegar added that Hancock is honest, trustworthy, and an 'all-around good guy.' Hancock, in a statement, cited his conservative bona fides on border security, noting he was one of the first Republican senators to call for ending in-state tuition for undocumented immigrants, which the state did earlier this month. "For over a decade, I've fought for Texas taxpayers in the Legislature, cutting red tape, passing conservative budget reforms, and holding government accountable," Hancock said in his campaign announcement. "As Comptroller, I'll make sure your tax dollars are spent wisely, transparently, and responsibly.' A quirk in state law prohibited Gov. Greg Abbott from directly appointing Hancock comptroller. Senators cannot be appointed to another position that requires Senate confirmation. The state comptroller is responsible for managing the state's money. Among the job's biggest tasks are collecting taxes, estimating state revenue, and awarding and managing state contracts. Entering the primary season as the interim will almost certainly give Hancock a leg up in a race that's already getting crowded. Railroad Commissioner Christi Craddick and former state Sen. Don Huffines, R-Dallas, are already in the race, and Huffines has been raking in endorsements — including one from U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz. Abbott was quick to endorse Hancock, in the process throwing an elbow at Huffines, who as a state senator lost his reelection bid to Democrat Nathan Johnson in 2018. 'I endorse Kelly Hancock because I want a candidate who will actually win the election, not someone who has already lost an election to a Democrat,' Abbott said in a statement. Huffines also challenged Abbott in the 2022 Republican gubernatorial primary; Abbott drubbed him by 44 points. Prior to serving in the Legislature, Hancock was a member of his local school board. The state of Texas operates a $337 billion budget and rakes in more than a quarter trillion dollars of revenue from a variety of taxes, fees and assessments. Disclosure: Texas A&M University and Texas A&M University System have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here. Big news: 20 more speakers join the TribFest lineup! New additions include Margaret Spellings, former U.S. secretary of education and CEO of the Bipartisan Policy Center; Michael Curry, former presiding bishop and primate of The Episcopal Church; Beto O'Rourke, former U.S. Representative, D-El Paso; Joe Lonsdale, entrepreneur, founder and managing partner at 8VC; and Katie Phang, journalist and trial lawyer. Get tickets. TribFest 2025 is presented by JPMorganChase.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Grepps wins preliminary vote for Augusta supervisors seat in Republican primary
Stephen Grepps Sr. has preliminarily won the Republican primary for the Beverley Manor seat on the Augusta County Board of Supervisors. "I'm very, very excited,' said Grepps in reaction to the victory. 'I had a great team working with me, and I had, with my family, a great support network. I started this journey Feb. 2 of this year and I've knocked on over a thousand doors. I spoke to a thousand people. I'm grateful for the people, the voters of the Beverley Manor District and the people in the county in general, that supported me.' The preliminary totals came to 171 votes for Stephen Grepps Sr. and 157 votes for Justin Dimitt. This includes 73 early voting and 23 mail in ballots for Grepps, then 66 early voting and 8 mail in ballots for Dimitt. Only 4% of the 7,536 voters registered for the Beverley Manor District voted in the primary. The race next turns to the general election, though, according to the Virginia Department of Elections, no Democrats filed to run against the Republican primary victor. Grepps said he 'wouldn't be surprised' if a write in candidate decided to jump in the race, and he's prepared to continue to campaign if needed. Grepps ran on public transparency and said this would be his top priority when he gets into office. One of the biggest topics at the board of supervisors is the ongoing discussions around the Churchville fire station and the Augusta County Fire/Rescue hub model. Grepps has been a firefighting volunteer for 44 years, and wants to keep the system working. 'The career and volunteers, we want to get them all together on the same team like we were years ago,' Grepps said. 'When I moved here in 1992, there was 863 volunteers, active volunteers. It's dwindled down to maybe 200. We're the second largest county in the state, so, I want the guys and girls on both sides … to be able to come to us, let us know what we can do to.' The preliminary primary results are still unofficial results and need to be certified before the election comes to a close. More: Community support funds and road grades: THE AGENDA More: 'Long and difficult journey': Family of injured National Guard soldier sets up GoFundMe Lyra Bordelon (she/her) is the public transparency and justice reporter at The News Leader. Do you have a story tip or feedback? It's welcome through email to lbordelon@ Subscribe to us at This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Grepps wins preliminary vote for Augusta supervisors seat
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Virginia House District 97 winner: Tim Anderson
VIRGINIA BEACH — A former state delegate has clinched victory in the Republican primary race for Virginia House District 97. Tim Anderson is leading with 93.3% of the vote, and as of 8:15 p.m., was called the winner by the Associated Press. Anderson, 50, an attorney, faced political newcomer Christina Felder, 28, a substitute school teacher. He wants to substantially lower the car tax that residents pay each year, and instead use Virginia's budget surplus to reimburse localities for the lost revenue. 'We ran a clean message on eliminating the car tax, and it resonated overwhelming with the district,' Anderson said by phone Tuesday night. 'Virginia has the surplus to do it. That's going to be our campaign promise.' Voter turnout was light in the race, with no statewide Republicans on the ticket. Anderson had 959 votes to Felder's 70 votes when the Associated Press called the race. The by-precinct results for early voting and by-mail voting must be tallied by Monday, but Virginia Beach Registrar Christine Lewis said she expects to have those results before the end of the week. Virginia Beach had 835 early ballots cast in the Republican primary as of Monday, according to the Virginia Public Access Project. The district includes parts of Virginia Beach and has 63,024 registered voters. Anderson will face Democrat Michael Feggans in the general election, which is considered competitive. Republicans lost control of the seat to Feggans in 2023 and are hoping to oust him to win it back. Feggans ousted Republican incumbent Karen Greenhalgh with 52% of the vote in 2023. Anderson represented House District 83 from 2021-2023 and is making a bid for District 97 in an effort to flip the Democratic-controlled majority in the House. Anderson has moved to different districts in order to run for office. He moved last August near Lynnhaven Mall to run for the District 97 seat. Anderson was elected in 2021 to represent House District 83, a competitive seat that at the time covered western Virginia Beach and a sliver of Norfolk's Ocean View. He resigned in 2023 and moved because redistricting placed him in the same boundary lines as Republican Del. Rob Bloxom. But he was unsuccessful in a primary bid for Virginia Senate District 19 against fellow Republican Christie New Craig, who now holds the seat. Anderson's campaign raised more than $170,000 as of June 5, according to Virginia Public Access Project. Stacy Parker, 757-222-5125,
