Border crossings give Biden fresh bad news just weeks before midterm elections

Haisten Willis

October 25, 04:30 AM October 25, 04:30 AM

The Biden administration released bad news for Democrats just two weeks out from the midterm elections, announcing late Friday that there had been 2.4 million border crossings by illegal immigrants in fiscal 2022 — a new record.

Republicans and some border state Democrats have hammered the White House since President Joe Biden took office over surging illegal immigration, saying the situation has dissolved into chaos and drawing a sharp contrast with low numbers of crossings under the Trump administration. That point was driven home by the new Department of Homeland Security data.

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The White House was put on the defensive at a bad time for Biden, who has tried to keep the focus on issues like abortion, student loans, and the dangers of "MAGA" Republicans rather than unfriendly topics like immigration and inflation.

"Over fiscal year 2022, 2.4 million encounters happened on the southern border," a reporter began in a question to White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre during Monday's press briefing. "Republicans have their arguments about that. What's the White House's explanation as to what happened and why?"

Jean-Pierre responded that falling regimes and economic collapse in Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Cuba are causing millions to flee those nations, which she said is impacting the entire Western Hemisphere thanks to a 245% increase in immigration from those three countries. She also accused Republicans of using the immigrants as political pawns.

But the press secretary also touted a newly announced Biden initiative to turn away Venezuelans at the southern border, noting how it successfully suppressed crossings originating from that country since being announced on Oct. 12.

"Since the launch of this joint enforcement action, we've seen the number of Venezuelans attempting to cross the southern border decrease sharply by more than 85%," she added. "We are doing the work every day to make sure that we deal with what we're seeing at the southern border."

Whether that program, along with plans to deploy troops from 25 states and U.S. territories to the border, can change perceptions just two weeks before Election Day remains to be seen.

Biden's approval rating on immigration is just 36%, with 60% disapproving, per the RealClearPolitics average. A NewsNation poll found that the public favors Republicans to improve the immigration situation by a 7-point margin. And while Biden loudly decried Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s (R) decision to fly immigrants from San Antonio to Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, a Telemundo poll of Hispanic voters in Florida found that a majority of them (50%-43%) supported it.

The DHS figures released Friday indicated border crossings were up 27% over 2021, which was the previous all-time record, and 419% over Donald Trump's last year in office. Nearly 4.7 million immigrants have illegally crossed the border since Biden took office, which is roughly equivalent to the population of Louisiana.

GOPers also point to issues beyond the sheer number of crossings. For example, cartels made an estimated $13 billion smuggling immigrants across the border, and more than 850 immigrants died in fiscal 2022 while trying to cross, another record. Lastly, more than 10,000 pounds of methamphetamine was seized at the border in September, and fentanyl seizures set yet another new high.

Biden draws plenty of criticism from the Right over the issue, with his latest moves slammed as a last-ditch effort to save face with the electorate.

"Biden cares more about performative politics and his party's midterm chances than he does saving lives and addressing the humanitarian crisis Democrats created at the southern border," Republican National Committee spokesman Will O'Grady previously told the Washington Examiner.

The Border Patrol Union also called Biden's Venezuela move an ineffective public relations stunt.

Republicans are confident voters prefer their approach to immigration. A trio of Trump-aligned Hispanic women is hoping to flip three Texas border House districts, and buses sending immigrants to places like New York City have some Democratic big shots also calling on Biden to do more.

But the president is likely wary of drawing criticism from the other side, having seen former boss Barack Obama labeled the "deporter in chief" before leaving office.

Some criticism has already emerged on the Left, with National Partnership for New Americans Executive Director Nicole Melaku calling Biden's Venezuela program hypocritical.

"This decision comes after President Biden’s declaration less than a month ago that the pandemic is over, highlighting the hypocrisy behind the continuation of the so-called public health order," she said in a statement. "All people should have the right to seek safety and protection, not just a select few.”

Biden draws a line on abortion. Will Democrats follow?

Haisten Willis

October 23, 05:00 AM October 23, 05:00 AM

President Joe Biden offered some insight Thursday into his stance on abortion as Democrats focus on the issue ahead of the midterm elections, saying his view is contained in the text of the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision.

Many Democrats have been vague about what, if any, limits to abortion they support even while campaigning around their pro-abortion rights views, so Biden's statements will be closely scrutinized as a clue to the party leadership's thoughts.

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"Yes. There should be," Biden said when asked if there should be restrictions on abortion. "It's Roe v. Wade. Read it, man. You'll get educated."

Biden made the remarks on the White House South Lawn before boarding Marine One, momentarily grabbing the reporter's microphone as he spoke. He then walked off without elaborating, leaving some ambiguity about what exactly he meant.

The text of the Roe ruling included the so-called trimester framework, whereby abortion restrictions were not allowed in the first trimester but could be implemented by states in the second and third.

"If the State is interested in protecting fetal life after viability, it may go so far as to proscribe abortion during that period, except when it is necessary to preserve the life or health of the mother," reads the majority opinion.

This raises the question of when viability, or the point at which a fetus can survive outside of the womb, is reached.

In 1973, it was generally understood to be 28 weeks, though there is no consensus. Technological advances have brought this number down, and some hospital systems now say they can sustain life as early as 22 weeks. This standard would be just seven weeks longer than the 15-week ban proposed by Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and decried by most Democrats.

Two bills have been introduced in Congress, with supporters of each saying they would codify Roe. The first, the Women's Health Protection Act, passed the House but was defeated 46-48 in the Senate. But its opponents say it would go far beyond Roe, eliminating the ability of states to establish any limits on abortion.

“It would set up what Roe allows, which is abortion on demand through all nine months, and it also prohibits states from having pro-life policies like informed consent, keeping tax dollars from paying for abortions, or conscience protections for health providers who don’t want to participate," said Melanie Israel, a policy analyst at the conservative Heritage Foundation. "It would effectively repeal over 500 different state laws which had been held as constitutional under Roe.”

Two centrists, Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), introduced a more modest bill called the Reproductive Choice Act that they say would codify Roe, but it has found little support from Democrats.

With Congress stalled, both parties have made their case to midterm voters about abortion policies.

Biden spoke at a Democratic National Committee event Oct. 18 before a backdrop reading "Restore Roe" in block letters, during which he promised to sign an abortion bill on the first day of the next Congress if Democrats stay in power.

Vice President Kamala Harris has gone on tour in states including New Mexico, Minnesota, Texas, California, Nevada, Massachusetts, Indiana, Virginia, North Carolina, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Florida for meetings on reproductive rights, along with similar meetings with groups traveling to Washington.

"Republican Party leaders have made it clear: They want to ban abortion nationwide," Harris said in September. "And they won't stop there."

But when pressed, most Democrats haven't made clear if they would support any limits on abortion, leading Republicans to paint them as extremists who would support it for every month of a pregnancy.

"Val Demings supports abortion up until the moment of birth," her opponent, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), tweeted last month.

The issue came up again during a debate when Rubio, who co-sponsored Graham's 15-week ban, said of Demings, "She still won't answer what specific limits. She has never voted for limits."

Demings said she endorsed "a woman's right to choose up to the time of viability" but did not name a specific time frame.

Ultimately, voters will now decide for the first time in 50 years what limits they support. A survey from Republican polling firm WPA Intelligence found that voters believe the Democratic Party's position is "more extreme" than the Republican position by nearly 2-to-1.

But Democrats think the issue will help drive turnout among their voters, and some party leaders even mark the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization decision as the beginning of a rebound in Biden's presidency. Polling from the Kaiser Family Foundation found that abortion access is motivating majorities of Democratic women, women of reproductive age, and Democratic-leaning voters in states that have restricted the practice.

How crime and homelessness could flip Oregon red for the first time in decades

Sarah Westwood

October 22, 02:12 PM October 22, 02:12 PM

PORTLAND, Oregon — Business owners in Oregon’s largest city say crime is not only affecting their ability to operate, but also, potentially, their vote next month.

“I basically pull up here every morning and sort of hold my breath, hoping that no one’s destroyed my porch and broken into my business,” Amanda Horne, the owner of Grindhouse Coffee, told the Washington Examiner.

Vandals and burglars have repeatedly hit Horne’s Portland business over the past two years, she said in an interview in front of broken stained glass panels that her late grandfather had made for her shop.

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Small business owners across the city deal with the same daily realities, Horne said, because of a lack of policing.

“It’d be a lot easier to make a list of who hasn’t been broken into than who has. It’d be a much shorter list,” she said.

Homelessness and crime in Portland have exploded over the two years following the civil unrest that was inspired by the murder of George Floyd. City leaders initially cut funding from the police budget under pressure from activists, but they later added the money back amid a rise in violence.

The sense of lawlessness in Portland has persisted.

That sense has driven some voters in the liberal enclave of Portland (and indeed, all around the reliably blue state of Oregon) to reconsider their party loyalties heading into an election that could deliver to Oregon its first Republican governor in 40 years.

Gerald McAleese, the owner of Kell’s Irish Pub in downtown Portland, said homelessness has completely changed the neighborhood and his business since he opened his doors in 1990.

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“It’s been [a] catastrophe, in just one simple word,” he said in an interview.

McAleese said repeated pandemic closures and the 2020 riots complicated his ability to retain staff, saying he has gone from employing 62 workers to 12.

Loretta Guzman, the owner of Bison Coffeehouse, announced earlier this month that she planned to host an event to convene community members and police officers at her shop. Hours after she posted about the gathering, vandals arrived with crowbars and bags of paint that they sprayed across the floor and walls of her coffeehouse.

The attack was featured during the final gubernatorial debate of the race this week. Democrat Tina Kotek, Republican Christine Drazan, and unaffiliated candidate Betsy Johnson were each asked to speak about the anti-police sentiment that seemingly drove the vandals — a sentiment that has permeated throughout Portland over the past two years.

Both Drazan and Johnson took aim at Kotek for her previous defense of rioters who wrought havoc across the city for months following the height of 2020’s racial protests.

“I’ve had people sleeping in my door entrance and starting fires in the middle of the night. I’ve had needles in front of my shop. I’ve had throw-up all over out there,” Guzman told the Washington Examiner. “And I’m the one who has to come and clean it.”

Drazan has opened up a narrow lead in several recent polls, thanks in large part to the strong appeal of Johnson, whose candidacy has pulled more voters from the Democratic Party than from Republicans.

A poll commissioned by Kotek’s campaign and released this week showed the Democratic candidate with a 2-percentage-point lead over Drazan.

But independent polls have registered a slight lead for Drazan, although the race remains exceedingly close heading into Election Day.

In a deeply Democratic state like Oregon, undecided voters could break toward the dominant party in the final days of the race.

There are nearly 300,000 more registered Democrats than Republicans in the state, giving Democrats a sizable voter registration advantage.

But more voters are registered as unaffiliated than as supporters of either party — which could help explain Johnson’s unusual strength in the polls.

Guzman said she believes Johnson’s support among voters is higher than what pollsters are picking up.

“They show her polls being low, but I think a lot of people are looking at her, and I think Christine Drazan, people are really looking at her,” Guzman said. “I think that Tina’s low on the polls. That’s just my opinion and listening to people.”

“I think a lot of people are ready for change. And they feel that people have not listened to them or stood up for them,” she said. “A lot of people don’t feel safe right now.”

Horne, like other Oregonians the Washington Examiner interviewed this week, said Kotek’s backing remains significant due to the state’s heavy Democratic tilt.

“I know there are a lot of loyal people that are wanting Tina Kotek,” Horne said. “And then there’s a lot of people who are not wanting her in because of her current seat, and things just haven’t changed, and so I think it’s kind of a gamble, honestly, at this point.”

Kotek served as the Democratic speaker of the state’s House for nearly a decade.

Swing and a miss: New Senate forecast shows three key states slipping away from Democrats

Ryan King

October 22, 01:08 PM October 22, 01:10 PM

With the midterm home stretch in full gear, Republicans appear to have momentum on their side in their quest to flip the Senate as three states move in their direction in a key forecast.

RealClearPolitics's Senate projection recently moved three battleground Senate races to the GOP: Arizona, Georgia, and Nevada. Meanwhile, FiveThirtyEight has tightened its projections for the Senate amid a deluge of polling showing the Republicans gaining ground.

"Was a bit skeptical of the GOP poll surge before, but I think the evidence for it is now pretty convincing, and if anything I'm more bearish on Democratic chances than our model is," FiveThirtyEight's Nate Silver tweeted.

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FiveThirtyEight gives Republicans a 45% chance of winning the Senate, which diverges from RealClearPolitics's projection that the GOP will secure a 53 to 47 seat majority in the lower chamber.

Both forecasts project that Republicans are favored to win the House. Given the 50 to 50 split in the Senate, the GOP only needs to win one seat to secure the upper chamber. Vice President Kamala Harris serves as the tiebreaker vote when the Senate is evenly divided on issues.

Republican Adam Laxalt is now polling ahead of incumbent Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) in the Battle Born State by 1.2 percentage points in the RealClearPolitics aggregate. However, Republicans Blake Masters of Arizona and Herschel Walker of Georgia are polling behind their Democratic rivals in their respective Senate contests.

Walker has been rocked by a recent scandal following a bombshell Daily Beast report earlier in the month that he paid and encouraged a woman to have an abortion — an allegation he denies. But the forecast appears to assume that the race will head to a runoff, giving him more time to make up ground.

Masters has long trailed incumbent Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ), but he appears to have made a little headway in recent polling against him. He is trailing by about 2.5 points, but adjusting for October polls, that gap narrows to 0.7, per RealClearPolitics.

Republicans have rebounded massively in generic congressional polling, now favored over the Democrats by 3.1 points. This is up from where they were in June before the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization decision that preceded a substantial GOP polling tumble in the metric.

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Numerous polls have pegged economic woes such as red-hot inflation as a top issue for voters ahead of the midterm elections, and voters generally express more confidence in Republicans to handle the problem.

Historical trends also favor the GOP, as the party in power after a presidential election generally loses a bevy of seats in Congress in the following midterm election. Voters head to the polls on Nov. 8.

Biden warns Oz wants to undo ‘everything we have done’

Cami Mondeaux

October 21, 08:18 AM October 21, 08:18 AM

President Joe Biden warned voters that Dr. Mehmet Oz, who is running for Senate in Pennsylvania, would support “undoing everything we have done” if elected to Congress, criticizing the candidate for several of his policy standpoints.

During a campaign event on Thursday as Biden was stumping for Democratic candidate John Fetterman, the president used the rally to denounce who he refers to as “MAGA Republicans” — meaning GOP candidates who have centered much of their campaign on former President Donald Trump.

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“It’s a choice: What direction do you want to see this country going?” Biden said during the event. “The folks running this party are the MAGA Republicans. … They have a very different view about the government role.”

Biden’s comments echo previous sentiments in which he attempted to knock Trump-backed candidates ahead of the midterm elections, decrying “MAGA Republicans” during a speech at Independence Hall in Philadelphia in late August. The president went on to criticize Republicans in Congress for failing to back some of his legislative proposals, lamenting that “not a single Republican” voted in favor of reducing prescription drug prices as part of a provision in a COVID-19 relief bill earlier this year.

Instead, Biden praised Fetterman, lauding his stances on strengthening gun control measures and codifying abortion rights into law.

“I want to be standing next to big John when he wins because, John, you have character, pal, and it matters,” Biden said.

Fetterman is set to face off against Oz in November as the two battle to replace retiring Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA) for Pennsylvania’s open Senate seat. The race has been considered one of the most competitive of the midterm cycle as it will help determine which party gains control of the Senate come November.

For Biden, the campaign trail is infrastructure

W. James Antle III

October 20, 11:45 PM October 20, 11:45 PM

President Joe Biden is hitting the campaign trail in a slightly unorthodox way as he tries to help Democrats hang on to their slender congressional majorities in an election where they are at risk of a historic wipeout.

Biden is eschewing traditional campaign rallies and allowing vulnerable Democrats to avoid photo-ops that would likely further endanger them. But he is not staying holed up in the White House basement either, staying above the fray and avoiding headlines. He is attempting a delicate balance between throwing down-ballot Democrats a lifeline and tying them to an unpopular administration.

The president has been leveraging the power of his office by using executive order signings as an occasion to visit states where allies are on the ballot. He has also gone on a promotional tour advertising the benefits of various spending bills he has signed into law, which not so coincidentally fall in the backyards of those who are up for election, unlike himself.

Biden headlines Democratic National Committee fundraisers behind closed doors, avoiding the optics of sparsely attended public events or awkward grin-and-grips with candidates. But the appearances still allow him to raise money and give widely covered speeches amplifying the party’s main midterm election themes: the specter of former President Donald Trump and “MAGA” Republicans, dangers to democracy, the Supreme Court reversing Roe v. Wade and threatening other privacy rights, and the hypocrisy of GOP lawmakers who “vote no and take the dough” from his favored spending packages.

Case in point: Biden headed to Pittsburgh to tout the projects that would be funded by the bipartisan infrastructure law he signed last year. Then he trekked over to Philadelphia for a reception with Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, who is locked in a tight Senate race with Republican opponent Dr. Mehmet Oz.

Biden also went out to the West Coast. While more safely Democratic than the Senate swing state of Pennsylvania, Oregon’s gubernatorial election and several California House races are competitive. In Irvine, he signed an executive order aimed at lowering prescription drug costs and assailed GOP lawmakers for unanimously voting against the Inflation Reduction Act — “If Republicans take control, the prices are going to go up,” he claimed — with Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA).

The day before, Biden was in Colorado. He delivered a speech extolling the virtues of national monuments, and by the area around Camp Hale that he made over 400 square miles off-limits to gas and oil drilling in a state that is green-friendly — but not so reliably blue that Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO), up for reelection this year, can afford to sleep on his GOP challenger.

But there are limits to how far Biden is willing to go with his strategy of wielding presidential power in the light of day and hobnobbing with DNC donors behind closed doors, often at night. Notice that his itinerary skipped Arizona and Nevada, which feature two of the closest Senate races in the country. At this writing, he hasn’t been to Georgia in weeks. He is headed to Florida, however, where polling suggests statewide races that are competitive but not quite so tight.

The White House balks at this characterization of Biden’s campaign schedule. “He's been on the road nonstop, and he will continue to be on the road nonstop,” protested press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, who said the Hatch Act constrains her from delving too deeply into the president’s midterm activities. “And, you know, where he is needed, he will go.”

“It’s really a way to make the best of a bad situation,” a veteran Democratic strategist told the Washington Examiner. Biden, who was mostly able to avoid large-scale public events in 2020 because of the pandemic, is ranging between 39% and 46% job approval ratings in public polls. He is underwater by more than 10 points in the RealClearPolitics average. His numbers in many swing states are even worse.

The president can remind Democrats that some legislation has passed while the party has enjoyed unified control of the federal government; that more can pass, including filibuster reform, with as few as two additional Democratic-held Senate seats; that nothing much will pass if Republicans take even one chamber of Congress; that Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization happened. He can’t get voters who disapprove of his performance in the White House to vote for the Democratic ticket, however.

Presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump each held a dozen or more rallies in the month before their first midterm elections. Those were, however, major defeats for their respective parties. That’s what Biden is trying to avoid. Time will tell if he actually can.

Top takeaways from final debate in Oregon governor’s race

Cami Mondeaux

October 20, 08:00 AM October 20, 08:12 AM

The three candidates in Oregon’s race for governor met for their final televised debate on Wednesday, clashing on key issues such as education and homelessness as each of them sought to set themselves apart in the consequential election.

Although Oregon typically leans Democratic in its statewide races and leaves little room for surprises, the governor’s race has been deemed a toss-up by election forecasters after third-party candidate former state Sen. Betsy Johnson entered the ring. Johnson, a onetime Democrat, has shaken up the race by threatening to split the electorate between herself and Democratic candidate Tina Kotek, giving Republican contender Christine Drazan a path to victory.

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Drazan has had a surprisingly strong performance in the polls so far, prompting Republican groups to pour money into the race to score an upset victory.

Here are the top takeaways from Wednesday’s debate:

Candidates’ experience in state politics both a weapon and hindrance

All three candidates have some experience working for the state government in Oregon, offering them talking points to tout their policy achievements while also giving their opponents fodder to attack their political records.

Kotek, the former House speaker in the Oregon legislature, was knocked by her opponents for the increase in crime rates that occurred while she was in office, with Johnson accusing the Democrat of prioritizing “almost everything before she prioritized homelessness.” Kotek fired back by blaming Drazan, a former representative in the Oregon House, for delaying a bill that would allocate $100 million toward homelessness by staging a walkout during the 2020 legislative session.

Drazan and Kotek engaged in several heated exchanges, frequently accusing the other of lying about their voting records and policy stances. Both Johnson and Drazan accused Kotek of being the “original defund-the-police candidate” and walking with “rioters” during racial justice protests in the summer of 2020, prompting Kotek to decry her opponents for misrepresenting her record.

Johnson adamant about staying in race despite risking Republican victory

The trio acknowledged the unusual circumstances surrounding their three-way race, conceding it could result in some partisan advantages for the winning party.

Johnson was previously a Democrat before leaving the party last year to run for governor, noting voters shouldn’t have to choose between a “left-wing liberal promising more of the same or a right-wing Trump apologist.” Despite trailing in the polls and threatening to split the vote, Johnson has refused to drop out — remaining adamant she could still win.

Johnson criticized Kotek for introducing policies that “spoiled” the Democratic Party, arguing her leadership was too far to the left. Kotek responded by warning that Johnson’s presence in the race would increase the chance for a Republican win, noting that “we don’t need to take a hard right turn to put our state back on track.”

Candidates point to policing reform to crack down on crime

Crime has emerged as a focal point in the governor’s race, as both Johnson and Drazan have spent much of the midterm cycle knocking Kotek for rising crime and homelessness rates in the state, which have reached record-breaking levels this year.

Kotek proposed increasing the number of sworn officers in the state and providing more training for local police departments to train recruits. Drazan agreed, contending cities have experienced higher rates of crime because of a shrinking police force — vowing to ensure the state police department is fully funded.

Johnson touted her record while she served in the state legislature, noting the Oregon State Police had adequate funding while she was in office. However, she said, Democrats limited the effectiveness of police departments by passing legislation that restricted police tactics and enforced consequences for misconduct — policies that Kotek and Drazan both supported.

Local issues like Great Salt Lake erosion in Utah become potent campaign cudgels

Cami Mondeaux

October 17, 03:30 AM October 17, 03:30 AM

The pitched battle for a Senate majority is being fought, in part, along the Great Salt Lake's miles of flat expanses in northern Utah.

The iconic ultra-salty lake, larger in square mileage than the state of Rhode Island, is rapidly drying. Its water is being diverted to nearby communities in Utah, one of the nation's fastest-growing states. The Great Salt Lake's shrinkage has now become a hot topic in a Senate battle that wasn't on many people's political radar screens earlier in the 2022 cycle: the race between Utah Republican Sen. Mike Lee and independent candidate Evan McMullin.

To be sure, Lee is a favorite to win reelection. Lee is nearing 12 years in the Senate, where he has become a national spokesman for conservative causes. Utah is one of America's most Republican states, regularly giving GOP presidential nominees some of their best results.

Polling also shows Lee leading. A Sept. 13-15 OnMessage Inc. poll for the Senate Republicans' campaign arm, the National Republican Senatorial Committee, put Lee at 51% and McMullin way back with 34%. And a Lighthouse Research & Development poll conducted a few days later for the Utah Debate Commission showed a somewhat close race, with Lee leading McMullin 48%-37%.

But supporters of McMullin, a former undercover CIA officer and chief policy director for House Republicans before growing disaffected with the GOP in 2016, when the party nominated Donald Trump for president, note the results of a Deseret News/Hinckley Institute of Politics poll. The survey, conducted from Sept. 3 to Sept. 21, gave Lee a lead over McMullin of only 36% to 34%. Another 16% said they didn't know who they would vote for, while 13% would mark the ballot, which includes two third-party candidates in addition to Lee and McMullin, for somebody else.

The McMullin campaign can point to a mid-July Deseret News/Hinckley Institute poll showing environmental protection legislation has emerged as one of the top five issues facing Utah voters. It's easy to see why, even in one of the nation's most Republican states. If the Great Salt Lake continues to shrink and shrivel, the effects on the state’s environment, wildlife, and economy would be catastrophic, according to local experts.

The erosion of the largest saltwater lake in the Western Hemisphere reflects the importance of local issues in a high-stakes battle for Senate control. The chamber has been split 50-50 since Jan. 20, 2021, and Democrats hold the majority thanks to Vice President Kamala Harris's tiebreaking vote.

Both Lee and McMullin are well known in Utah. In 2016, McMullin ran for president as an independent, appearing on the ballot in 11 states, receiving a bit over 732,000 votes (0.53%). But McMullin in Utah nabbed 21.54% of the 2016 presidential vote (Trump, however, won the state with 45.54%, to Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton's 27.46%).

Running for Senate this year, McMullin is pursuing a nonpartisan campaign, pledging he won't caucus with either party if he makes it to the Senate. McMullin got a serious boost in April when Utah Democrats decided not to put forward their own Senate nominee and instead combine forces with his candidacy.

On the campaign trail, McMullin has talked up the need for mitigation efforts around the rapidly shrinking Great Salt Lake, where the salinity of the water averages about 12%, making it much saltier than the ocean. Lee, in contrast, has focused, among other issues, on his high-profile roles in helping to get confirmed former President Donald Trump's three Supreme Court justices. And Lee wrote a book released in June Saving Nine, arguing against expanding the size of the Supreme Court, as some liberal Democrats argue.

But local issues have played outsize roles in state races in recent years, sometimes yielding surprising electoral results. In short, voters often are most interested in topics that affect them directly. In the 2021 Virginia governor's race, Republican Glenn Youngkin, a wealthy former private equity executive and first-time candidate, emphasized education extensively on the campaign trail. That ended up being a deciding factor with many voters, giving Youngkin a win over Democratic rival Terry McAuliffe, a former governor who sought a comeback.

Limited water options

Salt Lake City and its suburbs are among the nation's fastest-growing regions, with the population surpassing 1.2 million residents in 2021. But with rapid population growth comes a range of environmental problems. Water that is typically diverted from rivers and snowfall into the Great Salt Lake is being sent elsewhere, causing the lake to reach its lowest water levels on record.

The lake's shrinking water levels, which threaten the state’s surrounding ecosystem, air quality, and economic growth, have prompted state legislators and local officials to begin allocating federal dollars toward preserving it. But local biologists are also seeking help from federal lawmakers to boost their efforts.

The lake has already shrunk by more than 65% over the last three decades, taking up less than 1,000 square miles, compared to the 3,300 it covered in the late 1980s, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. As the water levels continue to shrink, the lake’s salinity will only rise — threatening the local ecosystem.

Because the Great Salt Lake is a terminal lake, meaning it only retains water that flows into it without outflowing to other bodies of water, it relies on a consistent inflow to maintain its water levels. This has historically been done by melting snowfall in the Utah mountains that is diverted to the lake via small streams and rivers.

However, as the state has experienced a surge in population growth, more and more of this water has been diverted to other sources, such as farms, residential areas, and businesses. This process, combined with climate change, has greatly reduced water levels in the lake.

“We're taking too much water too early in the process of trickling downstream, and so now we have the pressures of climate change, where we're seeing these extremely high temperatures and we're getting more precipitation in the form of rain instead of snow,” Bonnie Baxter, a biology professor at Westminster College in Utah, told the Washington Examiner. "This is on top of a system where we've diverted so much of the water and the aquifers are depleted so we don't get a rebound effect. … In fact, if we get a good water year, what happens is the reservoirs upstream fill up and the water never makes it down to the lake.”

As water continues to shrink, that salinity could reach 17% by the end of the summer and threaten the algae in the water. The algae is a crucial food source for brine shrimp that live in the lake, which in turn are crucial food sources for the millions of migratory birds that travel through the area each year.

But the shrinking water levels pose an even greater threat to the surrounding population: As the lake recedes, more dust that contains harmful contaminants such as arsenic and copper (some of which have settled in the lake due to nearby mining) become airborne.

“That dust problem is a potential catastrophic crisis,” Baxter said. “We get particulate matter and also heavy metals blown into the air, so it's an air quality problem. As the lake shrinks, more of that basin is exposed, and some of that lake bed will become airborne.”

State lawmakers eye shrinking water levels

In theory, fixing the shrinking levels is simple: Divert water back to the lake. This, however, is easier said than done.

Utah legislators have sought to address the shrinking Great Salt Lake because of the potential air quality threats it poses to nearby residents, as well as the state’s economy.

During Utah's legislative session earlier this year, lawmakers passed a bill that would divert funds to “prepare and maintain a comprehensive plan” for the lake that would develop strategies to “deal with a fluctuating lake level” and encourage nearby development to preserve its water levels. Lawmakers also established a Great Salt Lake Watershed Enhancement Program that aims to increase water flow into the lake.

Utah’s members of Congress, all Republicans, have also pushed efforts to bring federal help to the lake. Sen. Mitt Romney and Reps. Chris Stewart, Burgess Owens, and John Curtis introduced legislation that would authorize $10 million for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to “monitor and assess the water availability and conditions” of the Great Salt Lake. Lee also supported the legislation.

Utah Senate candidates talk up lake shrinkage

McMullin has long pointed to environmental issues in Utah since launching his election bid in October.

While applauding efforts already being spearheaded by local legislators and Congress, McMullin said he would continue working on efforts to preserve the lake. This would include strengthening economic development in rural areas, investing in low-emissions innovation, and developing water conservation practices, among other things.

“There are already some wise steps being taken to address the shrinking lake — and we will all need to be aggressive to do our part,” McMullin told the Washington Examiner. "Utah is one of the most stunning places on Earth. We are fortunate to call it home, and tens of millions of others visit from around the world every year. We have a responsibility to be stewards of this beautiful place that powers our economy."

McMullin said environmental issues are just one area where that attitude can help, he said, because it’s “an issue where there is common ground.”

“No one wants to see the lake levels receding to record-low levels and or our air quality further damaged by exposed shores and salt flats,” McMullin said. “This Senate race is about replacing divisive and ineffective senators like Mike Lee, changing the broken politics of Washington, and coming together to solve problems. It doesn’t matter if you’re a Democrat, Republican, or independent — the health and future of the Great Salt Lake affects all of us, and we have to be willing to work together to address it.”

Lee's Senate office and reelection campaigns did not respond to questions from the Washington Examiner about Great Salt Lake erosion mitigation efforts.

Midterm governor races grow in prominence

David Mark

October 17, 01:00 AM October 17, 01:00 AM

Governor races are staples of midterm elections, with 36 state chief executive offices up every four years. Still, they often take second billing to contests for the Senate and the House, where the majorities stand a chance of switching practically every election cycle.

But in 2022, gubernatorial races are not wanting for attention.

Gubernatorial contests are among the highest profile of the midterm election roster. Like races for attorney general, secretary of state, and state supreme court seats, governors will play a vital role in the logistics of the 2024 presidential race. Governors’ signatures are required to send Electoral College vote tallies to Congress after a presidential election. It’s usually a formality, but in 2021, it became a flashpoint that led to violence at the Capitol on Jan. 6, when supporters of defeated President Donald Trump tried to stop certification by Congress of then-President-elect Joe Biden’s 306-232 Electoral College victory.

Abortion also looms prominently in gubernatorial races. The Supreme Court’s June 24 Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization decision, effectively making abortion law a state concern, means there could be dramatically different policies in place on the longtime hot-button social issue depending on who gets elected governor. In Pennsylvania, for instance, Democratic nominee Josh Shapiro, his state’s attorney general, has made support for abortion rights a central theme of his race against Republican rival Doug Mastriano, a state senator who has said the procedure should be illegal in virtually all instances.

“After the Dobbs decision, abortion has become a huge issue across the country. Governors are the last line of defense and the first line of progress. We’ve seen in races across the country, including Michigan, Arizona, and Wisconsin, Republicans have taken extreme stances that are out of step with the electorate,” said David Turner, communications director for the Democratic Governors Association, told the Washington Examiner.

Republican governors, meanwhile, tout their work combating the Biden agenda amid the president's lackluster approval rating and political headwinds facing Democrats in the midterm elections, in which the out-of-power party usually picks up seats. That's bad news for Democrats since the party holds the White House and majorities in the Senate and House, though by razor-thin margins in both chambers.

“Whether you’re a parent seeing your grocery bill skyrocket or a young family struggling to keep up with the costs of a baby or a senior who’s seen your savings deplete, inflation and Democrats’ failures on the economy are front of mind for every voter," Joanna Rodriguez, a Republican Governors Association spokeswoman, told the Washington Examiner. "And instead of working to address the problem sincerely, Democrats have decided to just pour gasoline on the fire with more spending and higher taxes.”

Democratic governors aren’t ceding the mantle of fiscal conservatism.

“They’ve been able to talk about their records of cutting costs for families,” said Turner, of the Democratic Governors Association.

That includes Connecticut Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont cutting property taxes in his state and Michigan Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer enacting car insurance rebates. Whitmer, elected governor in 2018, in May announced that $400 auto refund checks have been sent to nearly three-quarters of eligible Michiganders from the Michigan Catastrophic Claims Association catastrophic fund surplus.

Republicans are also looking south as Nov. 8 nears, with a simmering U.S.-Mexico border crisis making life difficult for Democratic gubernatorial candidates politically.

“Resources at every level of government are being drained because of the Biden administration’s failures at the southern border, but it’s not just border states paying the price," said the RGA's Rodriguez. "The record amounts of fentanyl and drugs flowing over the border into communities across the country is unprecedented, and Republican governors refuse to stand by and watch Americans die because Joe Biden and Democrats in Washington refuse to act. Governors are utilizing state resources in new and innovative ways, they’ve offered to meet with the president, and even after he ignored them, the governors still put forward policy solutions they knew would relieve the situation.”

Gubernatorial races also draw attention because they differ from federal races in issue set, campaign texture, spending rules, and other areas. It’s not uncommon for states that tilt to one party or the other to elect members of the rival camp as governor because the job is seen as a more technocratic, get-things-done role.

Three of the deepest-blue Democratic states have Republican chief executives: Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker, and Vermont Gov. Phil Scott. Conversely, a stalwart Republican state in presidential and Senate races, Kansas, has a Democratic governor, Laura Kelly. And Louisiana, where Trump beat Biden 58%-40%, has a two-term Democratic governor, John Bel Edwards. In Kentucky, too, where Trump won over Biden by an even wider 62%-36%, Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear has defied his state’s GOP partisan lean.

Overall, the gubernatorial map plays in Republicans' favor, said Rodriguez.

“It’s considered incredibly difficult to defeat incumbent governors, but right now, Americans are living with the repercussions of Democrats’ failures in Washington and at state capitols every day, so it’s easy to see why the most vulnerable incumbent governors are in fact all Democrats," Rodriguez said. "Each of these candidates has failed their states on issues that not only resonate nationwide but also play a unique impact in the culture and quality of life in their states: from crime in Wisconsin, Nevada, Oregon, and New Mexico to education in Kansas and Maine. Voters in blue states are seeing the success and growth of red states and realizing the only thing holding back their own state is their Democrat governor.”

Democratic strategists and consultants counter that they're the ones on the offense heading into Nov. 8. And under the right circumstances, they have a chance at overturning Republicans' 28-22 edge in governorships — or at least tie, with 25 Democratic governors and 25 Republicans.

Here are five of the most competitive gubernatorial races in 2022.

ARIZONA. The governor’s office is coming open because Republican Doug Ducey is retiring due to state term limits. Kari Lake, who was a television news anchor on Phoenix station KSAV for 22 years, won a contentious Republican primary to nab the GOP nomination. Lake is a vocal proponent of Trump’s claims that the 2020 election was rigged despite no evidence surfacing to that effect.

The Democratic nominee is Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, a former state senator and social worker. Hobbs is running as a nonpartisan problem solver who is willing to cross the aisle. Still, her role as secretary of state, which oversees elections, has become a focal point of the campaign. Multiple reviews have shown a clean and sound 2020 election in Arizona, where Biden beat Trump by less than 11,000 votes. Lake and state Republicans don't accept those findings. That makes the race unusual in that a key area is less about the current gubernatorial contest and more about looking back to the events of late 2020.

KANSAS. Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly is seeking reelection in what is otherwise a strongly Republican state. Kansas has voted for GOP presidential nominees from 1964 on and hasn’t sent a Democrat to the Senate since the 1932 elections. Kelly casts herself as a nonideological pragmatist. “As governor, Laura Kelly fulfilled her promise to be a moderate leader who would put Kansas back on track after years of fiscal mismanagement, harmful budget deficits, and underfunded schools,” Kelly’s campaign website says.

Kelly’s Republican opponent is Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt, a former state senator and a congressional aide. Schmidt also is steering toward the middle ahead of the Nov. 8 election. Schmidt has said he respects the Aug. 2 Kansas vote on abortion, which decisively rejected a proposed amendment to the state constitution to allow the Republican-controlled legislature to restrict or ban the procedure.

Kelly is the only Democratic governor running for reelection in 2022 from a state carried by Trump in 2020. Many Republicans still anticipate that frustrations with high inflation and red-state opposition to Biden will boost Schmidt’s chances of winning in November.

NEVADA. Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolak is betting Silver State voters like his brand of business-friendly progressivism. The governor’s race is one of several competitive Nevada contests this year, along with Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto’s reelection bid and three of the state’s four House races, where Democratic incumbents are trying to hold on.

Sisolak has earned the endorsement of the Vegas Chamber, a powerful business group in Las Vegas. Sisolak faces Republican nominee Joe Lombardo, who is Clark County sheriff. Lombardo in his gubernatorial campaign is leaning into education policy. Lombardo has thrashed Sisolak on education, criticizing him on school safety, curriculum claims, and pandemic-era school closures while pushing for “parents’ rights.”

OREGON. The usually blue Pacific coast state, which hasn’t elected a Republican governor since 1982, has a three-way race on its hands. Republican contender Christine Drazan in polling has been running strongly against former state House Speaker Tina Kotek, a Democrat, and former state Sen. Betsy Johnson, an independent.

Despite Oregon’s blue tilt, Democratic Gov. Kate Brown has been unpopular and is leaving office due to state term limits. Oregon's largest city, Portland, endured a 65% uptick in homicides last year relative to 2020, per the Portland Police Bureau. The city experienced heightened unrest during the summer of 2020 as protests in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd swept the nation.

Biden beat Trump 56.5% to 40.4% during the 2020 presidential election in Oregon.

But eyeing Drazan's surprisingly strong performance in Oregon, national Republican groups have begun pouring money into the race, hoping to score an upset victory. Kotek and other Democrats have hammered back at Drazan for her calling herself “pro-life” on abortion. Drazan has reassured voters that she wouldn't try to pass restrictive measures to curb abortion if she were to win.

Partisan bickering, meanwhile, has left an opening for Johnson, who was a Democratic state senator and state representative before going the independent route.

WISCONSIN. The Badger State features a barnburner of a governor’s race that could have profound implications on the 2024 presidential contest and beyond. Democratic Gov. Tony Evers is running for a second term against Republican Tim Michels, a construction company executive.

Evers, the former state superintendent of public instruction, is outwardly a low-key politician with a bespeckled, academic bearing. But that can hide a fierce competitive instinct that will come in handy in one of the country’s most competitive states.

Wisconsin in the 2016 presidential race, along with Michigan and Pennsylvania, was part of the “blue wall” that crumbled, going Republican for the first time since 1988 and handing Trump the presidency. Democrats have since clawed back some political ground in a state evenly divided between the parties. Evers in 2018 beat GOP Gov. Scott Walker, and in 2020, Biden won back Wisconsin for Democrats, along with Michigan and Pennsylvania. But Wisconsin remains highly competitive.

Election administration, like elsewhere, is a key gubernatorial race issue. Evers said he’s democracy’s last line of defense against Republicans openly plotting to steal Wisconsin’s electoral votes if they lose in November 2024. Republicans, for their part, call Evers’s economic record lackluster at best, saying unnecessary COVID-19 closures of businesses and schools hurt state residents' wallets.

JD Vance signifies willingness to help Mitch McConnell as chief

David M. Drucker

October 14, 06:12 PM October 14, 06:12 PM

PAINESVILLE, Ohio — J.D. Vance reported he expects Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) will be quickly reelected the No. 1-ranking Senate Republican in the upcoming Congress, signaling he would be snug with that development if he advancements to Congress in November.

Vance, the Republican nominee from Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH) in the race for an open Ohio Senate seat, is not taking a situation on the subject. He is backed by previous President Donald Trump and enjoys enthusiastic assist from the GOP’s populist wing. The two oppose McConnell remaining on as minority leader, or majority chief, relying on the final result of the midterm elections.

But in an interview with the Washington Examiner on Thursday all through a marketing campaign swing by means of northern Ohio, Vance did not categorical disappointment about the likelihood of the Senate minority leader currently being reupped by his GOP colleagues to provide as the chamber’s prime Republican for another two a long time. Neither did Vance voice fears about McConnell’s management of the Republican meeting generally.

“I have not fully commited since I really don't like the hypothetical,” Vance, 38, stated. “But look, at the end of the working day, I assume McConnell’s heading to be the the vast majority leader mainly because I feel Republicans are likely to just take the Senate back, and he’s the only person who’s heading to operate.”

McConnell, 80, has experienced an iron grip on Republican leadership in the Senate considering that successful the leading location subsequent the 2006 elections and assuming power in January 2007. Starting with that leadership election, which, like all GOP convention leadership elections, is held behind shut doors, McConnell has faced no opponents and won by acclamation 8 times consecutively. Sometime up coming yr, McConnell would turn out to be the longest-serving Senate leader in historical past, eclipsing Montana Democrat Mike Mansfield.

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But McConnell is deeply unpopular with grassroots conservatives and the broader citizens. Particularly with Trump agitating from him, some Republican Senate candidates have responded by declaring they would oppose him for yet another phrase as chief. Among the them are Blake Masters, the GOP nominee in Arizona endorsed by Trump, and Don Bolduc, the social gathering regular-bearer in New Hampshire, who was not endorsed by the previous president.

Vance, in the meantime, has struggled to outpace Ryan considering that profitable the Republican Senate nomination in Could, a victory fueled by political assist from Trump and monetary backing from GOP megadonor Peter Thiel — even with a favorable political environment and Ohio’s position as a quasi-crimson state. Republicans are self-assured Vance will end on best, but the stubborn competitiveness of the race prompted Senate Management Fund, the super PAC aligned with McConnell, to pour in $28 million.

Vance led Ryan in 3 of the final four community feeling polls, but his gain in the averages — .7 share details — amounts to a virtual tie. Evaluate that to Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, who qualified prospects his Democratic challenger, Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley, 54.3% to 35%, a yawning margin of 19.3 factors. But in a favourable sign for Vance, he entered Oct with a $3.3 million war chest, a lot more than double Ryan’s $1.5 million.

“We of course have a incredibly tough election right here in Ohio,” Vance conceded to a accumulating of grassroots Republicans at Lake County GOP headquarters in Painesville, a community of about 20,000 individuals approximately 30 miles northeast of Cleveland.

Vance is a former venture capitalist and the bestselling creator of Hillbilly Elegy, his memoir that was built into a movie by Netflix.

He has influenced conservative populists with his vocal criticism of massive firms, denunciations of cultural liberalism, and a a lot more restrained strategy to international plan that concerns U.S. management abroad. For instance, Vance is skeptical of keeping the kind of strong military assist to Ukraine favored by President Joe Biden and Republican protection hawks to assist Kyiv resist an invasion by Russia that commenced in February.

Vance emphasised he does not oppose American assistance for Ukraine, and he conceded any detente with Russia that permits Moscow to maintain territorial gains created as a final result of the invasion could empower China, of which Vance is greatly concerned. But Vance mentioned his larger fear is that the United States could lead to a risky escalation of tensions between Russia and the West by continuing to source Kyiv with offensive weaponry.

“My instinct in this article is that we shell out way far too a lot income on Ukraine proper now,” Vance said. “Is it actually in our very best fascination to have a worldwide energy crisis, a worldwide food items crisis, God forbid, a possible nuclear conflict? I actually, seriously stress that we’re not participating in a positive role listed here and that we should really be pushing in direction of deescalation.”

Vance’s position on abortion is more conventionally Republican — he opposes it. But as Republicans in the wake of the Supreme Court docket ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Well being Organization grapple with abortion coverage — some want the concern legislated in the states, some others in Washington — Vance stated that he is a admirer of both equally.

Vance reported he expects most abortion rules to be created in condition capitals, reflecting the will of voters in numerous sections of the country. But he thinks federal laws is needed to make a “minimum national standard” of “reasonable” limits to account for states committed to maintaining the treatment legal up right up until birth, even in cases in which the mother’s wellness is not at risk or exactly where the being pregnant did not consequence from rape or incest.

To that end, Vance supports a proposal from Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) to outlaw most abortions at 15 months of being pregnant.

“It’s sensible to have a least nationwide typical whilst allowing 99% of abortion policy be built by the states,” Vance mentioned. “That’s how I assume about the abortion situation. I’ve supported the Graham monthly bill. I believe that it sets a bare minimum regular when nonetheless allowing a large amount of the policymaking come about at the point out amount.”

Five takeaways from the Ohio Senate debate amongst JD Vance and Tim Ryan

Juliegrace Brufke

October 10, 10:16 PM October 10, 10:16 PM

Ohio Senate candidates J.D. Vance (R) and Rep. Tim Ryan (D) clashed on topics ranging from abortion to foreign policy for the duration of their initially discussion in Cleveland on Monday, with the two engaging in heated exchanges as they glimpse to sway voters forward of November’s election.

New polls have indicated the race to realize success retiring Sen. Rob Portman (R) is neck-and-neck in the condition that has trended crimson in current decades. The Buckeye State is expected to engage in a crucial job in which social gathering holds the the vast majority future Congress, with GOP outdoors groups seriously expending to give Vance, a enterprise capitalist and the author of Hillbilly Elegy, a enhance in the last extend as Ryan has shut the gap in the polls.

In this article are five important takeaways from the 1st of their two scheduled debates:

Ryan appeared to place length among himself and bash leaders

Both equally candidates attempted to charm to swing voters whilst painting their respective opponents as extremists.

Ryan consistently appeared to length himself from President Joe Biden and section, asserting that he has bucked celebration strains in the past and reiterating his phone calls for new leadership. He at the same time tried to tie Vance to previous President Donald Trump and controversial Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA).

The Ohio Democrat mentioned he disagreed with Vice President Kamala Harris’s remarks that the border is safe, stating that “Kamala Harris is totally incorrect on that” and feels the bash needs to do extra to tackle the dilemma.

In a single of the debate's memorable strains, Ryan alluded to Trump’s remarks at a new rally stating that Vance, a former Trump critic, is “in love” with him and “kissing my ass” for assist.

“The truth of it is I have been a large suffering in the rear close to Nancy Pelosi, and if Chuck Schumer is the chief, I will be a suffering in the rear end to him far too. I'm for Ohio — I will not kiss anyone's ass like him. Ohio requires an ass-kicker, not an ass-kisser,” Ryan claimed.

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Vance shot back again, professing that Ryan has voted with Household Speaker Nancy Pelosi 100% of the time.

Abortion continues to be a heated matter as Election Day nears

The candidates sparred in excess of abortion policy pursuing the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, which has turn out to be a key difficulty in swing states.

Ryan slammed Vance more than his stance on abortion, alleging that his position is intense and blasting him for his past remarks suggesting rape is “inconveinent.”

“That was founded regulation for 50 several years, and we then have all the chaos that we are owning now — we study at minimum a couple posts every single week of youthful folks, underage girls who have been raped, or girls who have experienced considerable difficulties with their being pregnant are not capable to get aid in the condition — they’ve gotta go to Indiana, they’ve gotta go to Illinois, and that is not superior ample for J.D. Vance,” Ryan claimed.

“He supports a nationwide abortion ban in which he would like girls to have to get a passport and go to Canada. Like we have obtained to have some moderation on this issue. He is received a pretty extraordinary place. J.D., you referred to as rape inconvenience, suitable? That rape is not inconvenient. It truly is a sizeable tragedy. And he thinks that we need to have Ohio point out regulation which states if you might be raped or incest, expecting by means of incest, that you ought to be forced to have the baby,” he included.

Vance shot back again that he “always considered in sensible exceptions” and alleged that Ryan’s accusation was “a misrepresentation of my view, but let's listen to it from me, not from congressman Ryan.”

Just after Ryan pointed to an underage woman who was raped obtaining to go to Indiana to get the proceedure, Vance pivoted to slam Ryan on his file on border safety, arguing that more powerful borders could have prevented the tragedy.

“The issue they hardly ever described is that poor woman was raped by an illegal alien, any individual that need to have hardly ever been in this condition in the first spot. You voted so lots of instances against border wall funding, so numerous moments for amnesty — if you experienced carried out your work, she would have never ever been raped in the first put. Do your task on border security. You should not lecture me about viewpoints,” Vance explained.

Candidates trade barbs about policing

Vance slammed Ryan over his support for adjustments to procedures similar to certified immunity, arguing that his stance would are unsuccessful to safeguard users of regulation enforcement acting in very good religion.

"We’ve acquired to boost funding for regulation enforcement. We've bought to secure regulation enforcement, and we've acquired to do a little something that Tim Ryan failed to do, which is stop the management of this place from likely immediately after experienced immunity,” Vance claimed.

Ryan asserted that he is supportive of police and has voted for additional funding and accused Vance of failing to demonstrate assist for law enforcement by raising money for these that stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6.

“J.D. Vance lifted dollars for the Lawful Protection Fund of the insurrectionists. This is the form of extremism J.D. that we wholly reject. You have online video posts, never even try out to deny it. And we bought your Twitter posts and almost everything else. Everybody's noticed it,” he claimed.

Exact-sex relationship emerges as an problem in the race

When both Vance and Ryan stated that they believe very same-sexual intercourse relationship is the legislation of the land, the candidates have been at odds about legislation to codify it into legislation.

Vance argued that he does not see the legislation as getting “about gay marriage” and feels that it could have detrimental repercussions for spiritual liberties.

“I've come out towards this bill. And I really don't assume it can be in fact about homosexual relationship. It's not about very same-sex relationship or exact-sex equality. Look, homosexual marriage is the regulation of the land in this nation. And I am not making an attempt to do nearly anything to alter that,” he claimed. "But if you look at the unique monthly bill which is currently being proposed, it would not just codify something that is currently been enacted in legislation — it would truly make it less difficult for each the governing administration and a good deal of private parties to sue spiritual organizations, if those people religious corporations don't comply with the dictates of the federal govt.”

Ryan clapped again, pointing to Supreme Courtroom Justice Clarence Thomas’s concurring viewpoint to the conclusion overturning Roe suggesting that he’s open up to overturning other settled authorized precedents.

“I voted for that in the Property of Associates. I will guidance codifying that into the Senate, but only J.D. Vance can say that — that the invoice that codifys exact same-sex relationship is not about identical-sexual intercourse marriage. It is really unbelievable,” he explained.

"The trouble we have right here is we have 15,000 marriages here in Ohio. And when you read through Justice Thomas's viewpoint on abortion, which J.D. Vance wants to celebrate, it also bundled in their nullifying these marriages. And it also bundled having rid of protections close to start regulate. This is what I'm attempting to clarify to Ohioans, that J.D. Vance is serious on these concerns.”

Candidates choose aim at every other in excess of China

Both Ryan and Vance strike just about every other in excess of their positions on China, with Ryan alleging that Vance has invested in businesses in China.

“The difficulty we're possessing now with inflation is our offer chains all went to China. And fellas like him have created a great deal of money off that, and that is specifically why the offer chains are locked up,” Ryan mentioned.

Vance shot again, accusing Ryan of flip-flopping on the challenge and alleged that his past positions on power insurance policies led to positions getting despatched overseas.

“You simply cannot do fashionable industrial manufacturing without having substantial-top quality vitality. Tim Ryan just informed a large fib," he mentioned.

"You supported banning fracking both on community lands, and commonly speaking, that crushes the Ohio electrical power sector, and that's one particular of the explanations why suppliers are going to China,” Vance claimed.

Allan Fung wins endorsement from Chris Christie in hotly contested Rhode Island race

Ryan King

October 10, 05:33 PM Oct 10, 05:33 PM

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie endorsed Republican Rhode Island hopeful Allan Fung in the race for the state's 2nd Congressional District on Monday.

Christie brought his huge personality to the country's smallest point out Monday to stump for Fung through Columbus Working day festivities in Providence and touted Fung as a design for the Republican Bash and the place extra broadly.

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“We need to have a lot more people today like Allan Fung in Congress,” Christie instructed ABC 6 Information. “People who are good, who vote their ideas, and will perform across the aisle.”

“I want somebody who’s likely to go down there and hear to the other aspect, and test to discover some widespread ground,” the former governor included.

Christie joins a increasing record of nationwide Republicans eyeing the Ocean State congressional contest. Final thirty day period, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker headlined a fundraiser for Fung. The Congressional Leadership Fund, which is aligned with Residence Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), reportedly ideas to pour upward of $1 million into the race in hopes of eking out an upset victory.

District 2 has historically been a Democratic stronghold. President Joe Biden won the district by double digits in 2020, but Fung has managed to poll strongly in opposition to his Democratic rival Seth Magaziner in the congressional contest. A new poll, which had a big margin of error of plus or minus 6.2 proportion points, observed Fung edging out Magaziner by 6 details.

The seat is held by outgoing Rep. Jim Langevin (D-RI), and as the previous mayor of Cranston, the second-largest city in the condition, Fung brings ample identify recognition into the race. Magaziner at the moment serves as the state treasurer.

Magaziner's group was rapid to return fireplace following Christie's stump for Fung, deploying their common go-to attack line with Fung, trying to find to caricature him as catering to extremist Republicans.

"If Allan Fung is palling all-around with serious Republicans like Chris Christie who desires to minimize Social Security and ban abortion, envision who he will tie himself to in Congress," reported Magaziner's communications director Patricia Socarras.

"Rhode Islanders can not hazard sending Allan Fung to Congress when he has consistently proven he supports the most extraordinary elements of his occasion," she added.

Christie earlier backed Fung in a 2014 race in which Fung unsuccessfully vied for governor versus Gina Raimondo.

Christie unveiled that he is mulling a 2024 campaign for the presidency in the course of an overall look on Actual Time with Bill Maher very last Friday. He also threw shade at former President Donald Trump, with whom relations seem to have frayed.

“The issue with the Republican Get together is we have completed a large amount of losing lately. Considering the fact that 2016, we lost the Property, we misplaced the Senate, we misplaced the White Dwelling, we dropped two winnable Senate seats in the condition of Georgia. I’m worn out of getting rid of," Christie reported.