Seth McLaughlin

NRA convention: 2016 Republican hopefuls vow to defend gun rights, slam Obama, Clinton

An invigorated National Rifle Association tested the mettle of potential 2016 Republican presidential hopefuls and ramped up for an expected battle against Hillary Rodham Clinton — though the gun rights group said it also will keep a watchful eye during President Obama's final years in office.

Lindsey Graham: ‘We are at war’ and must kill Islamic extremists

Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said Friday that the Obama administration has left the nation vulnerable to an attack, and urged those who turned out for the NRA's annual meeting to make sure that the next president takes the fight to Islamic militants.

Marco Rubio: Obama has been a ‘weak president’

Jeb Bush to Obama: Focus on Islamic extremism, not gun owners

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush called on the Obama administration to spend more time focusing on defending the nation against Islamic extremists and less time on curbing the constitutional rights of ordinary Americans.

Bobby Jindal muses on possible Hillary Clinton campaign slogan: ‘What difference does it make?’

When Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal wondered aloud Friday at the annual National Rifle Association meeting about possible slogans for Hillary Rodham Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign, one of the attendees belted out a recommendation: "What difference does it make?"

Scott Walker slams Obama on gun rights, foreign policy at NRA meeting

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker warned Friday the nation's freedoms are under assault at home and abroad, telling gun rights advocates at the annual National Rifle Association meeting here that President Obama is neglecting his duty to stand up for constitutional rights of ordinary Americans — including when it comes to the Second Amendment.

Wayne LaPierre of NRA: ‘Hillary Clinton will bring a permanent darkness’

Wayne LaPierre, executive vice president of the NRA, unloaded a series of political attacks Friday against former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, saying the former first lady doesn't have the decency to be the nation's first woman president.

Obama-Bloomberg gun control agenda worries Democrats heading into 2016

President Obama said this week that he hasn't given up on pushing for tighter gun controls, but many of his fellow Democrats in Congress are wishing he would drop it, having concluded that the issue is an electoral loser for them. If anything, they fear the politics are getting worse.

Rand Paul, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio battle for tea party’s 2016 support

Sen. Rand Paul officially announced his bid Tuesday for the Republican presidential nomination, vowing to bring the tea party's anti-Washington message to the 2016 contest under a "banner of liberty that clutches the Constitution in one hand and the Bill of Rights in the other."

Rand Paul enters presidential race, vows to ‘take America back’

Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky on Tuesday officially launched his 2016 presidential bid, casting himself as a different kind of Republican, while vowing to stand for liberty in what is shaping up to be a wide-open GOP nomination race.

Scott Walker reverses amnesty support in bid to woo conservative primary voters

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker has become the latest potential Republican presidential candidate to try to tailor his position on immigration to the party's primary electorate, assuring voters that he is now against granting citizenship rights to illegal immigrants.

Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio launch 2016 White House bids at symbolic locations

When choosing where to become the first major presidential candidate to announce his campaign this year, Sen. Ted Cruz selected Liberty University — sending clear signals to both Christian GOP primary voters and his potential rivals that the Texan plans to zero in on social and religious conservatives.

GOP 2016ers question Iran nuclear deal; Hillary Clinton calls it step in right direction

The likely field of 2016 GOP candidates have started to weigh in on the framework of the nuclear deal that the United States and five others countries struck with Iran, casting doubt about whether the accord will put the breaks on the Persian nation's ability to develop a nuclear weapon.

Benjamin Netanyahu’s spokesman rips Iran nuclear deal

A spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday panned the nuclear deal that the Obama administration and other nations struck with Iran and pledged that the Jewish nation would continue to make its case publicly against the accord that has set the table for a final agreement this summer.

Marco Rubio confirms Miami’s Freedom Tower will be backdrop for ‘big announcement’

Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida has confirmed that he will be making the announcement about his political future on April 13 at the iconic Freedom Tower in downtown Miami, the Miami Herald reported.

Religious freedom fight energizes conservatives, spark backlash against Republicans

The divisive battle over gay rights and religious freedoms that broke out this week in Indiana and Arkansas has thrust the nation's culture wars back onto the front page and exposed just the sort of rift on social issues that Republicans had been wary of as they set the table for their 2016 presidential contest.

Hillary Clinton’s popularity sinks, but likely 2016 GOP rivals worse off

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's personal popularity has slipped over the past couple years, but she still has a higher favorable rating then a half dozen of her potential GOP rivals for president in 2016, a Washington Post/ABC News poll said.

George Will challenges Ted Cruz’s ‘theory’ for running

Conservative columnist George Will says that Sen. Ted Cruz's theory for running for the White House — that he can get "more votes from traditional Republican constituencies" — was "slain" by the outcome of the 1964 presidential race and simply doesn't add up.

RNC to launch ‘Stop Hillary’ campaign: report

The Republican National Committee plans to launch a "Stop Hillary" campaign that aims to politically attack the former secretary of state, the clear favorite to win the 2016 Democratic nomination should she enter the race, The Washington Examiner said.

Harry Reid’s retirement puts Nevada seat in play, UVA analysis shows

Sen. Harry Reid's retirement has strengthened the Republicans' chances of flipping the Nevada Senate seat in the 2016 election, according to a new breakdown from the University of Virginia's Center for Politics.