Seth McLaughlin

Donald Trump rewrites GOP playbook on trade

President Trump has rewritten the Washington playbook on trade politics, and many Republican Senate candidates are chasing after him, embracing get-tough approaches that would have been unthinkable for them just a few years ago.

April 3, 2018

Todd Rokita claims Trump mantle in new ad, casts fellow Senate GOP hopefuls as disloyal

Rep. Todd Rokita went full MAGA in his latest campaign ad, dinging one of his fellow Senate hopefuls as a "RINO" and the other as a "Never Trumper" as he seeks to gain an edge with GOP primary voters a month from the Indiana primary election.

April 3, 2018

Dennis Kucinich mounts populist bid for Ohio governor

For two decades, former Rep. Dennis Kucinich was on the cutting edge of liberal politics, standing with then-Rep. Bernard Sanders to denounce a free-trade deal with Mexico and Canada on the floor of the House in the 1990s and signing on as one of the original sponsors of universal health care legislation.

March 29, 2018

Pennsylvania may become bluer after midterm election

Pennsylvania helped secure President Trump's victory in 2016, but two years later it could be the state that undercuts his presidency by helping deliver control of the House to Democrats.

March 26, 2018

Mike Braun casts his Indiana GOP Senate rivals as cardboard cutouts

Businessman Mike Braun released a new television ad Monday in which he strolls around town mocking his rivals -- Reps. Luke Messer and Todd Rokita -- in the Indiana GOP Senate primary as a couple of cardboard cutouts.

March 26, 2018

Spending bill draws lines among midterm election candidates

The 2,232-page spending bill -- which was unveiled, cleared through both chambers of Congress and signed by Mr. Trump all in the span of about 40 hours -- is already proving to be a dividing line as lawmakers approach the November midterm elections.

March 25, 2018

Conor Lamb victory in Pennsylvania came through unclear stance on abortion

Conor Lamb has been declared the winner in Pennsylvania's special congressional election, showing Democrats a path to victory in blue-collar Trump country by defusing the issue of abortion by muddying the waters on his stance.

March 22, 2018

Mississippi GOP Gov. Phil Bryant taps Cindy Hyde-Smith for Sen. Thad Cochran’s seat

The governor of Mississippi's appointed Cindy Hyde-Smith to fill the seat of retiring Sen. Thad Cochran on Wednesday, setting up what's likely to be a vicious intraparty battle when the seat is up for election in November.

March 21, 2018

Republicans call Arthur Jones, Illinois GOP congressional nominee and Holocaust denier, a ‘disgrace’

Republicans sought to distance themselves Wednesday from a Holocaust denier who won the GOP primary race in Illinois 3rd Congressional District, saying he is a "disgrace" and not reflective of the party's values.

March 21, 2018

Pro-life groups praise Democratic Rep. Dan Lipinski’s win in Illinois primary

Pro-life groups on Wednesday celebrated Democratic Rep. Dan Lipinski's razor-thin victory in the Illinois primary over a challenger who captured the support of the Bernie Sanders wing of the party and had the backing of national pro-choice groups.

March 21, 2018

High Democratic turnout in Illinois points to ‘unfavorable election cycle’ for GOP: Pollster

The strong Democratic turnout in the Illinois primary election this week provided another warning sign for Republicans ahead of the midterm elections, where they will be defending their majorities in the House and Senate.

March 21, 2018

Conor Lamb claims Pennsylvania win but Nancy Pelosi loss

Democrats claimed victory Wednesday in the close Pennsylvania special election for Congress, but one loser could be emerging: House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, who is becoming a liability to Democrats on both sides of the party's ideological spectrum.

March 14, 2018

Chris McDaniel abandons Wicker challenge; will run for Cochran’s seat in special election

Chris McDaniel bailed Wednesday on his short-lived bid to unseat Sen. Roger Wicker in a Republican primary race in Mississippi and declared he is running for the seat being vacated by GOP Sen. Thad Cochran.

March 14, 2018

DNC fundraises off Conor Lamb, declaring victory in Pennsylvania

The Democratic National Committee tried to piggyback Wednesday off Conor Lamb's performance in the western Pennsylvania special congressional election, blasting out a fundraising email urging readers to bankroll "more victories."

March 14, 2018

Conor Lamb, Democrat, stakes claim on House seat before race is officially over

Democrat Conor Lamb claimed victory Wednesday in the special congressional race in Pennsylvania before election officials declared a winner.

March 14, 2018

Rick Saccone, Conor Lamb Pennsylvania race too close to call after polls close

The race between Republican Rick Saccone and Democrat Conor Lamb hung in limbo Tuesday night, hours after the polls closed in a special congressional race that had shined a light on western Pennsylvania and the Rust Belt politics that helped fuel the rise of President Trump.

March 13, 2018

Race between Conor Lamb, Rick Saccone cost $16 million so far

This week's special congressional election being held in Pennsylvania has been a costly affair — particularly given that seat likely won't exist in 10 months.

March 12, 2018

Conor Lamb avoids Donald Trump in Pennsylvania campaign

For more than an hour, union leaders rallied support Sunday for Democrat Conor Lamb in his special congressional race against Republican Rick Saccone without mentioning President Trump a single time.

March 11, 2018

President Trump campaigns with ‘handsome’ Rick Saccone and against Conor ‘Lamb the Sham’

President Donald Trump declared Saturday that "steel is back" at a campaign rally for Republican Rick Saccone here in the heart of steel country, as he sought to give the Republican a boost in the final days of a competitive race against Democrat Conor Lamb that he being viewed as a bellwether for the midterm elections.

March 10, 2018

Rick Scott, Florida governor, signs school safety bill that tightens gun laws

Florida Gov. Rick Scott of Florida on Friday signed legislation into law that aims to prevent future school shootings, weeks after a gunman went on a shooting spree at a Parkland high school that left 17 people dead.

March 9, 2018