Latest news with #RepublicanPrimary
New York Times
16 hours ago
- Business
- New York Times
Nate Morris, Wealthy Business Executive, Enters Senate Race in Kentucky
A wealthy Kentucky business executive on Thursday entered the race to succeed Mitch McConnell in the United States Senate, casting himself as the only political outsider in the field and an unwaveringly loyal supporter of President Trump. The executive, Nate Morris, announced his candidacy on a podcast hosted by the president's son Donald Trump Jr. The race is expected to be among the biggest and most expensive Republican primary battles of 2026. While he is not as well known as two other Republican candidates — Representative Andy Barr of Kentucky, and Daniel Cameron, a former state attorney general — Mr. Morris can use the wealth he accumulated as a founder of a successful waste and recycling company to quickly introduce himself to voters. 'You've got two McConnellites that owe everything to Mitch McConnell versus the outside business guy that's running as the MAGA candidate,' Mr. Morris said in an episode of 'Triggered,' the podcast hosted by the president's son, that was released on Thursday. 'I think that contrast is going to be very, very striking to Kentuckians all over the state because they've had enough. They've had enough of Mitch.' Mr. Morris, Mr. Barr and Mr. Cameron are competing for support among Republican primary voters who have soured on Mr. McConnell, 83, a political titan in Kentucky who announced this year that he would not seek re-election after serving for more than 40 years in the Senate. They are also jockeying for the president's coveted endorsement in a state that Mr. Trump won by 30 percentage points in 2024. On the Democratic side, State Representative Pamela Stevenson, an Air Force veteran and the minority leader of the Kentucky House, is also running for Mr. McConnell's seat. She is expected to be a major underdog in the deep-red state. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
The Independent
19 hours ago
- Politics
- The Independent
JD Vance has 30-point lead over 2028 rivals despite Trump listing him behind Marco Rubio, new poll finds
President Donald Trump has about three years and six months left in his second term, but one top GOP figure has already opened up a commanding lead in the race to succeed him as the Republican Party standard-bearer. An Emerson College poll released on Friday revealed that Vice President J.D. Vance has a whopping 34-percent lead in a hypothetical Republican primary rac e over his next-closest potential rival, Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The survey found Vance garnering support from 46 percent of GOP primary voters, while Rubio only received 12 percent. The next-highest hypothetical vote-getters were Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., with DeSantis — who unsuccessfully challenged Trump for the GOP nomination in last year's election, getting 9 percent of support, while Kennedy garnered support from 5 percent of respondents despite being a registered Independent, not a Republican. Vance's commanding lead among potential Republican primary voters could be an indicator that the GOP faithful see him as the natural heir to Trump's nationalist-populist iteration of Republicanism. But it could also be a result of Vance's high-profile role giving him higher name recognition than Rubio despite the ex-Florida senator spending years on the national political scene. Trump, who has often floated — perhaps in jest — the idea of running for and serving an unconstitutional third term, has been reluctant to throw support behind any possible political heir so early in his term. But in an interview with NBC News last month, the president seemed to favor his fellow Floridian over his current vice president when asked who he saw as a successor, mentioning Rubio's name before Vance's during an appearance on Meet the Press. 'You look at Marco, you look at J.D. Vance, who's fantastic … you look at — I could name 10, 15, 20 people right now just sitting here,' he said after moderator Kristen Welker asked about his confidence that his brand of MAGA republicanism would outlast his time in the White House. A White House official later told NBC that they'd been surprised by Trump elevating Rubio's name over Vance's, but it wasn't exactly out of place for the president to do so given his history of stoking and reveling in competition and rivalry among his inner circle. Another White House aide said Trump sees both men as 'both very loyal and very talented,' while an ally of the ex-Florida senator said people in Rubio's orbit are 'feeling really good about how things are playing out' given Trump's decision to allow Rubio to also serve as his national security adviser — the first time a president has allowed his Secretary of State to have that dual role since Henry Kissinger did so under President Richard Nixon five decades ago. The Rubio ally acknowledged Vance has the advantage in an eventual GOP primary race but said the Secretary of State has 'the pole position' should the vice president falter for any reason. Another Rubio ally noted that in Trump-era politics, one can fall just as fast as one can rise. 'Vance is the guy for now, but as we have seen, for now isn't forever,' they said.
Axios
a day ago
- Politics
- Axios
Scoop: Pro-Trump group unleashes first TV ad against Massie
A pro-Trump super PAC is out with its first TV ad against Rep. Thomas Massie, the Kentucky Republican targeted for defeat by the president, Axios has learned. Why it matters: President Trump's powerful political operation is showing that it's willing to unload part of its massive $500 million war chest to unseat Massie, who the White House views as its chief Republican detractor in the House. MAGA Kentucky's commercial is set to begin airing on Friday, and is the first part of an overall $1 million ad buy. The ads will be concentrated on Fox News and broadcast TV stations in the Cincinnati and Louisville markets. It will also be airing digitally, aimed at targeted Republican voters. Zoom in: The spot concludes by saying that Massie, an anti-interventionist who was critical of Trump's decision to strike Iran, "sided" with with the country's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The spot flashes an image of Massie alongside Khamenei and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), a pair of prominent liberals who also criticized Trump for attacking Iran. The ad also targets Massie for voting against Trump-backed legislation aimed at cutting taxes and funding border security. "Let's fire Thomas Massie," the ad says. Representatives for Massie did not respond to requests for comment. The background: MAGA Kentucky is affiliated with Trump's official political apparatus. It is led by senior Trump advisers Chris LaCivita and Tony Fabrizio. Trump advisers are actively recruiting a primary challenger to Massie, with an eye toward clearing the field so Massie rivals don't splinter support. "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," Trump wrote on Truth Social on Sunday. The other side: Massie allies argue that his libertarian streak has made him politically popular in his conservative central Kentucky district.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Who is Republican mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa?
NEW YORK CITY (PIX11) — Curtis Sliwa ran unopposed and won the Republican primary for New York City mayor for the second consecutive election cycle. Sliwa, a longtime New York City radio broadcaster, lost the 2021 election to current Mayor Eric Adams. More Local News The Brooklyn native began his career as an activist in 1977 when he started the 'Magnificent 13,' a small civilian group combatting violence and crime on the New York City subway system, according to Sliwa's campaign. In 1979, the group was renamed as the 'Guardian Angels,' known by their red berets, which Sliwa regularly sports. As an unarmed group of community members, the Guardian Angels were required to take karate classes, learn life-saving techniques and know the legal requirements of a citizen's arrest before taking patrol. In the 1990s, Sliwa shifted his career focus to the radio waves of New York, hosting drive-time and midday shows for WABC and WNYM over three decades. When he announced his mayoral campaign in 2020, Sliwa put his broadcasting career on hold. Sliwa ran unopposed in the 2025 Republican primary for New York City mayor, clearing the way for a return to the ballot in November. More News: NY Elections Sliwa's campaign has focused on issues like public safety, reforming Rikers Island, housing, education and transit safety. Notably, Sliwa has promised to hire 7,000 NYPD officers, enhance recruitment and pay and repeal cashless bail, among other things to prevent crime in the city if elected. With the promise of supporting New York City correctional facilities and officers, Sliwa plans to keep Rikers Island open, bring back solitary confinement in jails, give corrections officers more control and make recruitment a priority. To make the city more affordable, Sliwa wants to audit city spending, incentivize local landlords to create more housing instead of high-rise developers and give communities more power in zoning decisions. To combat homelessness and transit violence, Sliwa plans to reinstate the NYPD's Homeless Outreach Unit, expand mental health response teams, enforce public transit rules against harassment, loitering, and unsafe behavior, as well as increase patrols in and around subway stations. Members of the Guardian Angels misidentified and detained a Bronx man they believed to be a migrant while Sliwa was being interviewed live on television in 2024, which prompted backlash from Gov. Kathy Hochul, the Associated Press reported. In 2023, Sliwa was arrested during a migrant-related protest outside of Gracie Mansion, which turned violent between those for and against asylum-seekers. Spencer Gustafson is a digital content producer from Long Island who has covered New York state and city news since 2023. See more of his work here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Incumbent Willsboro supervisor loses Primary to newcomer
WILLSBORO — A challenger won the Republican Party race for Willsboro town supervisor against the incumbent in Tuesday's Primary Election. Darren Dickerson garnered 62 votes, compared to six-term supervisor Shaun Gillilland with 47 votes. Dickerson will be the Republican nominee in November's general election. Gillilland filed an independent nominating petition as the Willsboro-Reber Party and will still be on the Tuesday, Nov. 4 general election ballot as the independent candidate. Gillilland first took office in 2014 and is the chairman of the Essex County Board of Supervisors. Essex County had several Republican Party primaries Tuesday. Town of Elizabethtown Town Clerk/Tax Collector: Marietta Brady, 15 votes; Patti Doyle (winner), 74 votes. Town of North Hudson Town Council (two seats): Republican: Brian DeZalia (winner), 38 votes; Larry Koller (winner), 35 votes; Frank Darwak, 11 votes. Town Justice: Sally Wachowski (winner), 32 votes; Deborah Duntley, 20 votes. Town of Ticonderoga Town Justice: Thomas Dedrick, 135 votes; Brenda Wells, 85 votes; Thomas Ruby, 91 votes; Philippe LaPerle (winner), 176 votes. Town of Wilmington Superintendent of Highways: Louis Adragna (winner), 49 votes; Cameron Grady, 35 votes; Darren Lawrence, 7 votes. Clinton County Town of Schuyler Falls Town Council: Conservative: Shelia Baker (winner), 4 votes (write-in). Franklin County No local offices were on the ballot.
