Tag: West Virginia

Democrats court West Virginians with pre-existing conditions On Tuesday, President Trump will head to West Virginia, home to one of the most competitive Senate races in the country. A Gallup poll following Mr. Trump's first year in office found that he received his highest approval ratings in 2017 from West Virginians. He and his campaign are hoping to convince West Virginia voters that a vote for Morrisey is a vote against coverage for pre-existing conditions. We actually got rid of Obamacare, except for one vote. Three in four say a candidate must agree with them on health care to get their vote. Health care may be more of a make-or-break issue for Democrats. Incumbent Republican Rep. Don Young is running for reelection in Alaska's one at-large House seat. Senate primaries In Wyoming, incumbent Republican Sen. John Barrasso is expected to advance and win reelection this fall. Gubernatorial primaries There are gubernatorial primaries in both Alaska and Wyoming. In Alaska, the Republican gubernatorial primary is very competitive.

(You can also get "5 Things You Need to Know Today" delivered to your inbox daily. That state's ex-governor, Tim Pawlenty, won't be getting his old job back, though, after he lost the GOP primary. Paul Manafort: Closing arguments start this morning in the trial of President Trump's ex-campaign chairman after the defense rested its case without calling a single witness. West Virginia: Lawmakers in the Mountain State did something that might be a first in US history: impeach an entire state Supreme Court. We'll never really know just how many children were hurt by this. Turkey's fighting back against planned US tariffs with new tariffs of its own. Tensions between the US and Turkey ramped up over Turkey's detention of an American pastor and President Trump's plans to increase tariffs on Turkish steel and aluminum. The emails are part of a court filing in an immigration case brought by the ACLU, which calls the practice a "trap." University of Maryland President Wallace D. Loh, apologizing to the family of football player Jordan McNair, 19, who died of heatstroke after a workout this summer. Loh said the school "accepts legal and moral responsibility" for the errors that led to his death.

Political strategist and pollster Frank Luntz says that the “only way” that Republicans maintain their congressional majority in the midterms is if they cater to two types of voters: the pro-Trump wing of the party, as well as independents and swing voters. “The problem for the GOP is that they have to win both of these groups if they are to keep the majority,” Luntz told Powerhouse Politics podcast hosts Jonathan Karl and Rick Klein. “Frankly, at this point in August, I don't think it's likely.” Luntz's comments came mere hours after President Donald Trump credited himself for Republican Troy Balderson's "great victory" in the OH-12 special election. With less than 1 percent separating Balderson from his Democratic opponent, Danny O'Connor, the race is still too close to call. According to the political consultant, because there are these “two different constituencies with ... two different attitudes towards Donald Trump," the president's campaigning efforts aren’t always helpful for GOP candidates. In states like Montana, North Dakota and West Virginia, Luntz believes Trump can “make a difference.” “Those are the places I would send him to,” he said. But in other places like Philadelphia and Cleveland, Luntz claims that Trump may even harm Republican candidates’ chances by campaigning for them. “There are places where Donald Trump is still insanely popular but that does not do anything for the independent. That does not do anything for the swing voter,” he said. “I question whether ... there's enough time to push that narrative to avoid a debacle for the Republicans in November.” Luntz called the future prospect of “Speaker Nancy Pelosi” attempting to negotiate with President Donald Trump “unimaginable.” And yet, the political strategist says it's “possible that that's exactly what voters will do.” “There will be some Trump voters who are going to do that out of protest, not understanding that the consequence of that vote will be things like impeachment, attempts to roll back tax cuts,” he stated.

But unlike every election since 2010, this year finds the Democrats playing offense and the Republicans back on their heels. There is one health proposal most Democrats and Republicans agree is a good idea — providing “reinsurance” to help insurers pay for their sickest patients, thus enabling them to lower premiums for everyone. But legislation in Congress that would extend those programs nationwide failed to get a vote in either the House or Senate earlier this year — another casualty in the partisan fight over health care. This week’s panelists for KHN’s “What the Health?” are Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News, Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Alice Ollstein of Talking Points Memo and Rebecca Adams of CQ Roll Call. Democrats are playing up the Trump administration’s contention in a lawsuit that since the Congress got rid of the penalty for people who don’t get health coverage, insurers don’t need to cover preexisting conditions. Republicans are seeking to prove that they care about health care too, by pointing to their efforts to cut taxes on health care industries and to expand health savings accounts that allow consumers to set aside money for medical bills in tax-free accounts. A growing number of Democrats in the House and Senate are also expressing support for a “Medicare-for-all” health care system. Rovner also interviews KHN’s Emmarie Huetteman, who wrote the latest Bill of the Month. It features a very expensive surgical bill and a very persistent patient. Plus, for “extra credit,” the panelists recommend their favorite health stories of the week they think you should read, too: Julie Rovner: The New York Times’ “Meet the Rebate, the New Villain of High Drug Prices,” by Katie Thomas Anna Edney: USA Today’s “Hospitals Know How to Protect Mothers.

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.

Watch LIVE at 6:40pm EST: President Trump delivers remarks at the 'Salute to Service' charity dinner benefiting active and former service men and women. The event will be in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, home state of Democratic senator Joe…

Democratic senator from West Virginia faces tough re-election fight, says he regrets backing Hillary Clinton in 2016; reaction from Alex Conant, former communications director for Senator Marco Rubio, and Democratic strategist Isaac Wright. FOX News Channel (FNC) is a 24-hour…

Former coal company exec and senate candidate Don Blankenship came in third in his losing bid to win a GOP primary in West Virginia, and he is a sore loser. » Subscribe to MSNBC: http://on.msnbc.com/SubscribeTomsnbc About: MSNBC is the premier…

The Story: On the Republican side, in the West Virginia Senate primary Tuesday, the state's Attorney General, Patrick Morrisey, defeated a large field of candidates,...

Tuesday marks the first big primary election day of the 2018 midterms, with contests in West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana and North Carolina. The FiveThirtyEight Politics podcast team breaks down which primaries are the most important to watch and what they could mean for the midterms this fall. The crew also debates whether President Trump deserves more credit from the media for things that are going well, such as the economy and a pledge of denuclearization from North Korea. You can listen to the episode by clicking the “play” button above or by downloading it in iTunes, the ESPN App or your favorite podcast platform. If you are new to podcasts, learn how to listen. The FiveThirtyEight Politics podcast publishes Monday evenings, with occasional special episodes throughout the week. Help new listeners discover the show by leaving us a rating and review on iTunes. Have a comment, question or suggestion for “good polling vs. bad polling”? Get in touch by email, on Twitter or in the comments.