N. Carolina House sends pistol permit bill to Cooper’s desk
March 15, 2023 GMTRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina’s House sent a sweeping firearms bill to the governor's desk on Wednesday that would discard a longstanding requirement that handgun buyers obtain a permit from their county sheriff.
Warnock’s campaign chief sees lessons from Dems in Georgia
March 15, 2023 GMTATLANTA (AP) — When Quentin Fulks went back home to Ellaville, Georgia, last year, people kept telling him how proud they were to watch a native son lead Sen. Raphael Warnock’s reelection bid. Then came the caveat: They still weren’t going to vote for his boss.
Youngkin scores some legislative wins as he eyes White House
March 12, 2023 GMTRICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who quickly shot from political newcomer to potential 2024 Republican presidential candidate, kicked off his state’s legislative session in January by telling lawmakers that he wanted "to get more done and to get it done faster.”
Marianne Williamson begins longshot 2024 challenge to Biden
March 4, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Self-help author Marianne Williamson, whose 2020 White House campaign featured more quirky calls for spiritual healing than actual voter support, launched another longshot bid for the presidency on Saturday, becoming the first Democrat to formally challenge President Joe Biden for the 2024 nomination.
Biden rallies Senate Democrats, endorses Republican measure
March 2, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden visited the Senate on Thursday to demonstrate unity among Democrats — but he ended up endorsing a Republican priority instead.
With Democrats acknowledging they cannot get much done in the closely divided Congress, Biden has pledged to try to find areas where the two parties can agree.
Echoes of Pelosi as new leadership era begins for Democrats
March 2, 2023 GMTBALTIMORE (AP) — A new generation of House Democratic leaders taking over for Nancy Pelosi debuted at the party’s annual retreat, feisty and fired up to brag about their accomplishments with President Joe Biden and counter Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s new Republican majority.
Biden rallies Democrats as GOP pushes him toward 1st veto
March 2, 2023 GMTBALTIMORE (AP) — President Joe Biden implored House Democrats on Wednesday to go out and sell the accomplishments of the last two years to voters, rallying the lawmakers at a time when their party is confronting the limits of its power in a newly divided Washington.
Keisha Lance Bottoms leaving White House, returns to Atlanta
February 28, 2023 GMTCOLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — President Joe Biden has appointed former Columbia, South Carolina, Mayor Steve Benjamin as a top White House adviser, taking over from Keisha Lance Bottoms, the former Atlanta mayor who had assumed the role in June.
West Virginia GOP majority House OKs religious freedom bill
February 27, 2023 GMTCHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — West Virginia's GOP supermajority House of Delegates passed a bill Monday that would create a test for courts to apply when people challenge government regulations they believe interfere with their constitutional right to religious freedom.
Dems consider break with tradition to get Biden more judges
February 23, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Even as Democrats celebrated the 100th judicial confirmation of Joe Biden's presidency, they are clamoring for more — and some are flirting with ending a century-long Senate practice to help make it happen.
Chair of South Carolina Democrats isn’t seeking reelection
February 22, 2023 GMTCOLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Trav Robertson, the leader of South Carolina's Democrats, said Wednesday that he won't seek another term as party chair as the state prepares to host the party's first 2024 presidential primary in the nation.
Pennsylvania House nears vote on child-abuse lawsuit window
February 21, 2023 GMTHARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania House Democrats put their freshly minted majority status to work Tuesday in shutting down Republican efforts to make changes to legislation designed to let victims of childhood sexual abuse file otherwise outdated lawsuits.
Doctor says Biden’s ‘vigorous’ as he readies for 2024 run
February 16, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Despite testing positive twice last year for the coronavirus, President Joe Biden has no long-term symptoms and has been declared “healthy, vigorous” and “fit” to handle his White House responsibilities, according to a routine medical checkup performed Thursday.
North Carolina House passes gun bill with bipartisan support
February 15, 2023 GMTRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina House Republicans and some Democrats passed a previously vetoed gun bill Wednesday that opponents warn could endanger children and teachers.
The House voted 77-43 to approve the measure, which would let people with concealed weapons permits carry openly or under clothing while attending religious services at locations where private or charter schools also meet.
GOP Ohio House speaker prioritizes conservative wish list
February 15, 2023 GMTCOLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Fledgling Ohio House Speaker Jason Stephens laid out an unflinchingly conservative list of Republican priority bills for the new legislative session on Wednesday, appearing to sideline some bipartisan hopes of Democrats who supported his surprise election after weeks of intraparty pressure.
Who should lead? Democrats, Republicans struggle to decide
February 14, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — While President Joe Biden and his predecessor, Donald Trump, are preparing for a possible rematch in 2024, a new poll finds a notable lack of enthusiasm within the parties for either man as his party's leader and a clear opening for new standard-bearers.
Biden faces doubt from some voters who backed Dems in 2022
February 10, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Hillary Scholten is among the Democrats who had a surprisingly good election night in November.
North Carolina Democrats to decide if Richardson stays chair
February 9, 2023 GMTRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Hundreds of North Carolina Democratic activists will decide this weekend whether they want to keep in place Gov. Roy Cooper’s choice to lead the party organization or give the job to someone else after mixed results in the November election.
Gun safety bills gain in Minnesota amid Democratic control
February 9, 2023 GMTST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Gun safety bills are advancing at the Minnesota Legislature, backed by Democrats who are hoping their new control of both chambers will help them pass proposals that Republicans were able to block in recent years.
Democrats won Pennsylvania House, but bipartisan gap remains
February 8, 2023 GMTHARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Voters who kept three Pittsburgh-area state House seats in Democratic hands this week effectively also flipped control away from the Republican majority that has run the chamber for more than a decade, one of a handful of legislative bodies across the United States where partisan control shifted in recent months.
Virginia Senate Democrats reject 3 Youngkin appointees
February 8, 2023 GMTRICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia Senate Democrats voted Tuesday to reject several appointees of GOP Gov. Glenn Youngkin, including the state health commissioner.
The chamber approved resolutions containing dozens of Youngkin appointees after the names of those to whom they objected — Health Commissioner Dr.
What to Watch: New political vibes this State of the Union
February 7, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Look for new faces and fresh political dynamics as President Joe Biden delivers this year's State of the Union address, coupled with attention to some old problems brought back into painful focus by recent events.
House GOP votes to oust Democrat Omar from major committee
February 2, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — The Republican-led House voted after raucous debate Thursday to oust Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar from the chamber's Foreign Affairs Committee, citing her anti-Israel comments, in a dramatic response to Democrats last session booting far-right GOP lawmakers over incendiary remarks.
NC Democrats pitch abortion safeguards despite GOP majority
January 26, 2023 GMTRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina Democrats, who narrowly held off a Republican supermajority in the General Assembly, have introduced legislation to codify abortion protections into state law as Republicans are discussing early prospects for further restrictions.
McCarthy says he’ll block Schiff, Swalwell from Intel panel
January 25, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Speaker Kevin McCarthy reiterated Tuesday that he will block Democratic Reps. Adam Schiff and Eric Swalwell of California from serving on the House committee that oversees national intelligence, saying the decision was not based on political payback but because “integrity matters, and they have failed in that place.”
Rep. Gallego announces bid for Sinema’s Arizona Senate seat
January 23, 2023 GMTPHOENIX (AP) — Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego, a liberal firebrand and prominent Latino lawmaker, announced Monday he'll challenge independent U.S. Sen.
Democrats defy McCarthy with 2 selections for Intel panel
January 23, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats are picking an early fight with the House Republican majority over committee seats, nominating two California lawmakers for the Intelligence Committee in open defiance of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's vow to block them.
Missouri Democrats say House dress code debate a distraction
January 15, 2023 GMTWomen who serve in the Missouri House will face a tougher dress code when they return to the floor this week after a debate that Democrats panned as a pointless distraction from the issues facing the state.
Biden political future clouded by classified document probe
January 13, 2023 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — Virtually everything was going right for President Joe Biden as he opened the year.
His approval ratings were ticking up. Inflation was slowing.
Michigan Democrats unveil first moves in new session
January 12, 2023 GMTLANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and other Democratic leaders on Thursday wasted no time outlining their highly anticipated priorities for the session, including tax cuts and repeal of right to work, after taking total control of state government for the first time in 40 years.
Unity is new tone for often-divided Democrats in Washington
January 11, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — The infighting was so intense a year ago that Democrats who controlled both the White House and Congress couldn't win support for a sweeping social spending package that was the party's top legislative priority.
Head of Florida Democrats resigns after disastrous midterms
January 10, 2023 GMTMIAMI (AP) — The head of the Florida Democratic Party has resigned after a disastrous midterm election in the onetime battleground state. Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis won reelection by a whopping 20 points and the GOP flipped two key counties, including the once-Democratic stronghold of Miami-Dade.