Ron desantis

Now that the last nail is in the midterm coffin with Herschel Walker’s loss in Georgia , it’s time to turn our attention to the looming rumble within the GOP. The knives were already out, but this could get downright nasty. The biggest ones are pointed at Donald Trump . He thought his 2016 magic could be replicated by MAGA celebrities across the nation. This experiment failed spectacularly during his own re-election bid and again in the 2022 midterms, but Trump has another problem. Seven years after he came down the escalator, and six (or so) years since he consolidated the right behind him, a new generation of Republicans has had time to observe Trump’s style—and absorb his lessons. They are younger and increasingly more relevant than Trump. And they’re coming for him. Once the only game in town, consider Trump’s competition in today’s right-wing attention economy. Kanye West . Elon Musk. Kari Lake . Marjorie Taylor Greene. Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin. And, of … [Read more...] about MAGA Is Eating Itself After GOP’s Midterm Disaster

ATLANTA — As Republicans smarting from Herschel Walker’s defeat in Georgia continue the process of assigning blame , one man seems to be conspicuously above reproach: Gov. Brian P. Kemp. The state’s Republican governor — once derided as an unhinged far-right disrupter following a series of wildly provocative 2018 campaign ads — has emerged in the aftermath of Tuesday’s Senate runoff as one of his party’s savvier political operators. On Nov. 8, Mr. Kemp won re-election by a resounding eight-point margin — a remarkable transformation for a politician who went from being booed by conservatives at his own events in the May primary to defeating a national Democratic star, Stacey Abrams. His ability to deftly walk a fine line of providing just enough support to Mr. Walker without being damaged by his defeat was proof of Mr. Kemp’s formidable political instincts, Republicans inside and outside the state said. He has survived and even thrived in the face of Donald J. Trump’s … [Read more...] about The Georgia Republican Unscathed by Walker’s Defeat

Follow our live coverage of the Supreme Court hearings that pits free speech against gay rights . WASHINGTON — The Senate passed landmark legislation on Tuesday to mandate federal recognition for same-sex marriages, as a lame-duck Congress mustered a notable moment of bipartisanship before Democrats were to lose their unified control of Capitol Hill. The 61-to-36 vote put the bill on track to become law in the final weeks before Republicans assume the majority in the House of Representatives at the start of the new Congress in January. It marked one of the final major legislative achievements for Democrats before Republicans shift the focus in the House to conducting investigations of President Biden’s administration and family members. The bill must now win final approval by the House in a vote expected as soon as next week, which would clear it for Mr. Biden, who said he looked forward to signing it alongside the bipartisan coalition that helped shepherd it through the … [Read more...] about Same-Sex Marriage Bill Passes Senate After Bipartisan Breakthrough