Seth McLaughlin

Sen. Ted Cruz wins Republican Leadership Conference Presidential Poll

Sen. Ted Cruz won the Republican Leadership Conference's 2014 presidential preference straw poll, cementing his status as one of the darlings of grassroots activists.

Cruz: GOP can empower grassroots by ditching consultants, ‘Soviet-style campaigns’

Sen. Ted Cruz said Saturday that the GOP can bolster its appeal by sticking to its conservative principles and embracing a bottom-up campaign model that empowers grassroots voters.

Donald Trump: Clippers sale shows the ‘dollar has gone to hell’

Real estate mogul Donald Trump said the $2 billion sale of the Los Angeles Clippers means that "the dollar has gone to hell."

Haley Barbour: Ideological purity is the ‘enemy of victory’

Former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour warned Friday that ideological purity is the "enemy of victory" and that the GOP must broaden the Republican coalition to win elections and to enact conservative policies that will change the direction of the nation.

Sarah Palin campaigns with tea party favorite in Louisiana

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal blasts Common Core

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal made it clear Thursday that he no longer supports the nationwide K-12 school stands known as Common Core, which have become a lightning rod for the GOP base.

GOP must find God, ‘Duck Dynasty’ star warns

Phil Robertson, the patriarch of the "Duck Dynasty" television series, warned the GOP that it "can't be right for America if you are wrong with God."

Mississippi mud-slinging of Cochran, McDaniel turns off voters

Henry Barbour, a major player in Mississippi Republican politics, says he never would have stood behind Sen. Thad Cochran's re-election push so quickly if not for the early onslaught by out-of-state tea party groups eager to slay the veteran lawmaker.

Rick Santorum endorses Chris McDaniel in Mississippi Senate primary

Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum on Thursday endorsed state Sen. Chris McDaniel's bid to unseat incumbent Thad Cochran in Mississippi's high-profile Republican Senate primary.

Michelle Nunn leads potential GOP challengers in Georgia Senate race

A new poll released Friday shows that Democrat Michelle Nunn holds an edge over the two Republicans who are vying to run against her in the Georgia race to replace retiring GOP Sen. Saxby Chambliss.

Republican Mitch McConnell vows to fix damage done to Senate under Harry Reid

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell vowed Thursday that if given the opportunity to lead the Senate he would watch over the upper chamber in a much different fashion that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Georgia, Kentucky primaries to sow seeds for Republican control of Senate

Republicans on Tuesday will cast votes in the two states where they are most vulnerable heading into November's elections — Georgia and Kentucky — where primaries could leave the GOP champions bruised as they prepare to face strong female Democrats.

Former Va. Sen. James Webb won’t rule out White House bid

Former Virginia Sen. James H. Webb Jr. refused Monday to rule out a run for president, saying he is weighing his options.

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.

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.

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.