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Articles by Seth McLaughlin

With his wife Elaine Chao, left, looking on, Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell addresses his supporters following his victory in the republican primary, Tuesday, May 20, 2014, at the Mariott Louisville East in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley)

Sen. McConnell challenges Grimes to ‘Lincoln-Douglas’ debates

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on Wednesday challenged his Democratic rival Allison Lundergan Grimes in the high-profile Kentucky Senate race to join him in three "traditional Lincoln-Douglas" style debates, saying it will give voters to get a clear view of their thinking before the airwaves are blanketed with campaign ads.

May 21, 2014
U.S. Senate candidate Alison Lundergan Grimes gave her victory speech at her primary election night celebration at the Carrick House in Lexington, Ky., on Tuesday, May 20, 2014. (AP Photo/The Lexington Herald-Leader, Pablo Alcala)

Democrat Grimes vows to answer to voters, not president, in new ad

Fresh off her primary win, Alison Lundergan Grimes rolled out her first television ad in her general election campaign against Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, casting herself as a post-partisan figure who is ready to shake things up in Washington and is not going to be a rubber stamp for any president.

May 21, 2014
With his wife Elaine Chao, left, looking on, Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell addresses his supporters following his victory in the republican primary, Tuesday, May 20, 2014, at the Mariott Louisville East in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley)

McConnell wins in landslide in Kentucky primary

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell promised to "crush" the tea party in this primary election season, and the Kentucky Republican did his part Tuesday night by winning a landslide primary victory over businessman Matt Bevin — the latest victory for the Republican establishment.

May 20, 2014
“It’s going great so far,” American Conservative Union Chairman Al Cardenas says of the start of this week’s CPAC gathering in Prince George’s County. “I’d rate it a 9.5 right now. Pretty good for the first day of the festivities.” (Associated Press)

Cardenas to step down as ACU leader

Al Cardenas is stepping down as chairman of the American Conservative Union after spending more than three years leading the nation's oldest grass-roots conservative organization.

May 20, 2014
**FILE** Rep. Michael K. Simpson, Idaho Republican (Associated Press)

Outside interests spend big in Idaho Republican primary

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce looks to keep its perfect primary record intact on Tuesday when Idaho voters head to the polls to decide between GOP establishment favorite Rep. Michael K. Simpson or tea party-backed political novice Bryan Smith.

May 18, 2014

Social conservatives wary of RNC convention in Las Vegas

Social conservatives say the Republican Party should deny Las Vegas's bid to host its 2016 presidential convention after the Nevada Republican Party erased from its platform the pro-life and traditional-marriage language.

May 18, 2014
Sen. Marco Rubio, Florida Republican, spoke out Tuesday in favor of gradually raising the retirement age, which currently sits at 67, and transitioning Medicare to a voucher system. (associated press)

Sen. Marco Rubio takes on entitlement reform

Sen. Marco Rubio said Tuesday that Congress has a responsibility to tackle entitlement reform sooner rather than later, making him the latest of the likely 2016 Republican presidential contenders to say it is time for the party to address the thorny subject head-on.

May 13, 2014
Rep. Raul Labrador, Idaho Republican, said the GOP will loosen penalties on illegal immigrants if Democrats will increase visas for high-tech workers. (Associated Press)

Republicans look to loosen penalties on illegal immigrants

Republican Rep. Raul Labrador on Thursday offered a potential immigration deal to the White House, saying the GOP would agree to loosen penalties on illegal immigrants if President Obama would agree to increase visas for foreigners who work in high-tech fields.

May 8, 2014
House Rules Committee Chairman Pete Sessions, R-Texas, joined at right by Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., responds to a point from Democrats on the panel as lawmakers work on the creation of a special select committee to investigate the 2012 attack on the U.S. diplomatic outpost in Benghazi, Libya, that killed the ambassador and three other Americans, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, May 7, 2014. House Republicans on Wednesday moved toward an election-year special investigation of the deadly attack, brushing aside Democratic concerns over the panel's scope and composition. The Obama administration, meanwhile, accused Republicans of "political motivation" after they issued a fundraising email linked to the Benghazi probe. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

House votes to create special panel for Benghazi investigation

Saying they were tired of administration stonewalling, House Republicans voted Thursday to create a select committee to investigate the 2012 terrorist attack in Benghazi — but drew only scant support from Democrats who rallied around President Obama and called the probe a partisan inquisition.

May 8, 2014
** FILE ** Steven LaTourette (Associated Press)

GOP establishment trumps tea party in early primaries

The GOP establishment has rattled off a series of victories in the opening rounds of the 2014 primary season, sending a strong reminder of the power its web of fundraisers, donors and kingmakers wield at the ballot box and leaving the tea party looking for its first signature win of the election year.

May 7, 2014
Thom Tillis speaks to supporters at a election night rally in Charlotte, N.C., after winning the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate Tuesday, May 6, 2014. Tillis, the Republican establishment’s favored son in North Carolina, won the state’s Senate nomination by running as a proud conservative who’s not terribly different from his tea party and Christian-right opponents. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

Boehner wins in Ohio, Tillis takes North Carolina race

In matchups of the Republican establishment versus tea party challengers, House Speaker John A. Boehner won his GOP primary race Tuesday night and North Carolina state House Speaker Thom Tillis came out on top in the U.S. Senate primary race — and won the 40 percent of the vote required to avoid a July run-off election.

May 6, 2014
Rep. Paul Broun. (Associated Press) ** FILE **

Republican Senate candidates stake out difficult immigration stances

While most of the Republicans testing the 2016 presidential waters are in favor of a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants, the GOP's Senate candidates are generally focusing on the enforcement side, calling for a crackdown — a striking difference that underscores just how difficult the issue is for the party.

May 5, 2014
Republican senatorial candidate Thom Tillis, front-runner in North Carolina's primary, may face a runoff election in July that could impede his Senate bid. (Associated Press)

North Carolina Republican primary could hamper Senate hopes

The biggest question looming over North Carolina's GOP Senate primary on Tuesday is whether state House Speaker Thom Tillis can gain enough support to win the nomination outright and shift all of his attention to Sen. Kay Hagan, one of the more vulnerable Democrats in the midterm elections.

May 5, 2014
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker speaks during an event to announce the expansion of Family Care, a state-administered program that provides long-term care to disabled and elderly residents under Medicaid during an event at Options for Independent Living in Green Bay Monday, April 21, 2014. (AP Photo/Press-Gazette Media, Jim Matthews)

Federal judge strikes down Wisconsin’s voter ID law

A federal judge reopened the voter identification debate Tuesday when he struck down a new Wisconsin law, saying it discriminated against blacks and Hispanics, and renewing doubts about the Republican push for stricter voting laws across the country.

April 29, 2014