Tag: Luther Strange

WASHINGTON (AP) — Competing in a contested runoff campaign for Georgia’s governor, Brian Kemp didn’t see it coming: the single-most prized endorsement in Republican politics. When President Donald Trump tweeted his support last week of Kemp over his Republican opponent, Lt. Gov. Three Trump administration officials said Trump endorsed Kemp after conferring with Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, a former Georgia governor who officials said circumvented the internal process on endorsements to advocate on Kemp’s behalf. Trump has also been inclined to endorse Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach for governor ahead of the state’s Aug. 7 primary, two of the administration officials said. During a contentious West Virginia Senate primary, Trump heeded the call of Republicans by using his Twitter feed to urge Republican voters not to support Don Blankenship, the ex-coal executive who spent a year in federal prison for violating safety regulations in a deadly 2010 mine explosion. Trump also staged a rally on behalf of South Carolina Gov. And last week in Alabama, Trump tweeted out an endorsement of Rep. Martha Roby, a Republican who was facing a runoff against Bobby Bright, a one-time Democratic congressman. In Georgia, Trump’s endorsement of Kemp came on the heels of Cagle’s endorsement by Republican Gov. Vice President Mike Pence, who led a rally on Kemp’s behalf Saturday, was among the White House officials who spoke to Trump about the Kemp endorsement, the White House official said. “But their support has created what we are now calling the ‘Kemp surge.

When President Donald Trump tweeted his support last week of Kemp over his Republican opponent, Lt. Gov. Three Trump administration officials said Trump endorsed Kemp after conferring with Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, a former Georgia governor who officials said circumvented the internal process on endorsements to advocate on Kemp's behalf. U.S. Rep. Martha Roby won Alabama’s Republican runoff on Tuesday, fighting through lingering fallout from her years-old criticism of then-candidate Donald Trump in a midterm contest that hinged on loyalty to the GOP president. Media: Time Trump has also been inclined to endorse Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach for governor ahead of the state's Aug. 7 primary, two of the administration officials said. During a contentious West Virginia Senate primary, Trump heeded the call of Republicans by using his Twitter feed to urge Republican voters not to support Don Blankenship, the ex-coal executive who spent a year in federal prison for violating safety regulations in a deadly 2010 mine explosion. And last week in Alabama, Trump tweeted out an endorsement of Rep. Martha Roby, a Republican who was facing a runoff against Bobby Bright, a one-time Democratic congressman. In Florida, Trump is expected to rally Republicans next week on behalf of Gov. "Die-hard Putnam supporters would wish the president wouldn't endorse. In Georgia, Trump's endorsement of Kemp came on the heels of Cagle's endorsement by Republican Gov. Vice President Mike Pence, who led a rally on Kemp's behalf Saturday, was among the White House officials who spoke to Trump about the Kemp endorsement, the White House official said.

The Alabama business community is on the sidelines of the state’s high-stakes Senate special election, with some leaders refusing to back Republican nominee Roy Moore because of concerns that the controversies dogging his candidacy could be bad for the local economy. Some business leaders worry that controversies engulfing Mr. Moore, including recent allegations that he sought relationships with teenage girls, will damage the state’s image as Alabama tries to attract major businesses such as Amazon.com Inc.’s second headquarters. The average of polls by the nonpartisan Real Clear Politics website puts Mr. Moore up by 2.5 percentage points—within the margin of error of most polls. In a tweet the president said, “we need Roy Moore” to pass tax cuts and other elements of the GOP agenda. Mr. Shelby, the state’s senior Republican, said that the business community has anxieties that reach beyond how their senator will vote on tax cuts. Businesses also want to safeguard gains Alabama has made over the last generation in economic development in aerospace, automobile and other industries. “In the last 25 years, a lot of us have tried to tell the world that Alabama is open for business, a good place to do business.’’ The split between the GOP candidate and the old guard in Alabama is emblematic of a broader schism within the party in the Trump era, which in many states has pitted the business establishment against social conservatives like Mr. Moore, who are hostile to transgender people and same-sex marriage. Portions of the bill were later repealed. Birmingham mobilized its residents to support the effort with a distinctive gimmick: Three large replicas of Amazon boxes were placed around the city, and residents were encouraged to pose with them and tweet photos at Amazon using the hashtag #bringatob, short from bringing Amazon to Birmingham. The Alabama GOP has a strict party discipline rule: Any GOP official who publicly supports a Democrat can be banned from running as a Republican for six years.

Seth Meyers' monologue from Wednesday, September 27. » Subscribe to Late Night: http://bit.ly/LateNightSeth » Get more Late Night with Seth Meyers: http://www.nbc.com/late-night-with-seth-meyers/ » Watch Late Night with Seth Meyers Weeknights 12:35/11:35c on NBC. LATE NIGHT ON SOCIAL Follow Late Night on Twitter: https://twitter.com/LateNightSeth…

Seth takes a closer look at how a darling of the far-right, Judge Roy Moore, won a GOP senate primary in Alabama. » Subscribe to Late Night: http://bit.ly/LateNightSeth » Get more Late Night with Seth Meyers: http://www.nbc.com/late-night-with-seth-meyers/ » Watch Late Night with…