TheRepublic.com - National elections News

Obama's new wordsmith believes in public service

Sat, 25 May 2013 03:41:51 -0400

WASHINGTON - When President Barack Obama decided to attend a memorial service in Arizona for victims of a deadly mass shooting that severely injured then-Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, he needed a speech. And fast.

Iran presidential candidate vows to resist West

Fri, 24 May 2013 14:20:51 -0400

TEHRAN, Iran - Iran's top nuclear negotiator, a candidate in next month's presidential elections, vowed Friday he will pursue a policy of resistance against the West if elected.

Some unions now angry about health care overhaul

Fri, 24 May 2013 12:44:17 -0400

WASHINGTON - Some labor unions that enthusiastically backed President Barack Obama's health care overhaul are now frustrated and angry, fearful that it will jeopardize benefits for millions of their members.

Christie's wife: He'd make a good president

Fri, 24 May 2013 09:44:17 -0400

SEASIDE HEIGHTS, New Jersey - New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's wife says her husband would make a good president.

Secretary of state repays Colo for trip to RNC

Thu, 23 May 2013 18:50:56 -0400

DENVER - Colorado Secretary of State Scott Gessler has picked up the tab for a trip he took to the Republican National Convention last year that he initially billed to taxpayers.

Smooth confirmation hearing for Pritzker

Thu, 23 May 2013 16:56:09 -0400

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama's nominee for commerce secretary was questioned briefly about her ties to a subprime mortgage lender that failed in 2001 and her role as a beneficiary of family offshore trusts in the Bahamas, but those were minor bumps in an otherwise smooth Senate confirmation hearing Thursday.

Obama nominates Latina to federal personnel agency

Thu, 23 May 2013 12:01:09 -0400

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama says he will nominate Katherine Archuleta, a former top campaign aide, as director of the Office of Personnel Management. Archuleta would be the first Hispanic to direct the agency, which oversees and sets policies for the federal government's civil service workforce.

Ex-UT Gov. Huntsman launches new PAC to back GOP

Thu, 23 May 2013 11:21:07 -0400

SALT LAKE CITY - Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman is creating a new political action committee to raise money for like-minded, Republicans across the country.

Tesla uses stock, note sale to repay government

Wed, 22 May 2013 18:38:36 -0400

DETROIT - Tesla Motors, which makes a highly acclaimed $70,000 electric car, has paid off a startup loan from the U.S. government nine years early.

Republican divisions may hinder party's momentum

Wed, 22 May 2013 07:24:24 -0400

WASHINGTON - A string of unrelated events is highlighting divisions among Republicans just when they'd like to show a united front and take full advantage of President Barack Obama's latest political problems.

Scott signs bill to expand early voting days

Tue, 21 May 2013 17:30:02 -0400

TALLAHASSEE, Florida - Gov. Rick Scott signed a bill late Monday night that will allow supervisors of elections to restore the early voting days he and the Legislature cut just two years earlier.

Top figures barred from Iran's June ballot

Tue, 21 May 2013 16:18:02 -0400

TEHRAN, Iran - Iran's election overseers removed potential wild-card candidates from the presidential race Tuesday, blocking a top aide of outgoing President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and a former president who revived hopes of reformers.

NH marks presidential primary's 100th anniversary

Tue, 21 May 2013 15:47:04 -0400

CONCORD, New Hampshire - Defenders of New Hampshire's enviable role in presidential politics paid tribute to the past Tuesday while warning other states not to interfere with its future as the first-in-the-nation primary state.

Iran candidate list for presidential race

Tue, 21 May 2013 15:41:18 -0400

The eight candidates approved Tuesday for Iran's June 14 presidential election to replace Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who cannot run again because of term limits.

NH celebrates 100th anniversary of primary law

Tue, 21 May 2013 04:05:06 -0400

CONCORD, New Hampshire - New Hampshire's first-in-the-nation presidential primary is turning 100.

Weightlifting chief Tamas Ajan wins re-election

Mon, 20 May 2013 15:07:03 -0400

BUDAPEST, Hungary - Tamas Ajan of Hungary has been re-elected to serve four more years as president of the International Weightlifting Federation, which he has led since 2000.

GOP ponders how to capitalize on Obama's woes

Mon, 20 May 2013 03:31:28 -0400

WASHINGTON - The scandals dogging President Barack Obama are a political gift to Republicans, who could use some good luck after recent election losses. It's not clear, however, how Republicans can best capitalize on Democrats' woes, legislatively or politically.

Wisconsin Gov. Walker to headline Iowa GOP event

Sun, 19 May 2013 19:40:28 -0400

DES MOINES, Iowa - Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker will visit Iowa this week to deliver a speech that may bolster speculation that he will run for president in 2016.

Dissident ex-general released in Venezuela

Sat, 18 May 2013 22:23:16 -0400

CARACAS, Venezuela - Venezuelan authorities have released a dissident ex-general who was jailed on charges of inciting unrest after the country's disputed presidential election.

Wis. not likely to take up gay marriage again soon

Sat, 18 May 2013 18:20:14 -0400

MADISON, Wisconsin - Wisconsin's neighbor Minnesota may have become the 12th state in the country to legalize same-sex unions on Tuesday. But gay marriage is not on the legislative agenda in Wisconsin, and that's not expected to change in the near future.

IRS probe ignored most influential groups

Sat, 18 May 2013 11:44:42 -0400

WASHINGTON - There's an irony in the Internal Revenue Service's crackdown on conservative groups.

Venezuela's military enters high-crime slums

Fri, 17 May 2013 16:13:04 -0400

PETARE, Venezuela - Stern-looking soldiers clutching assault rifles wave down the beat-up Chevy Caprice entering this sprawling slum on the outskirts of Caracas.

Christie: Obama wasn't assertive enough

Fri, 17 May 2013 14:21:52 -0400

BURLINGTON CITY, New Jersey - New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said Friday that President Barack Obama has not been assertive enough as three scandals involving his administration have mounted.

Edwards reactivates law license, speaking at event

Thu, 16 May 2013 19:27:32 -0400

RALEIGH, North Carolina - Former presidential contender John Edwards has reactivated his license to practice law and is setting out on the speaking circuit.

Obama walking a familiar path on IRS allegations

Thu, 16 May 2013 15:30:29 -0400

WASHINGTON - The Internal Revenue Service controversy dogging President Barack Obama is hardly the first time a White House and the tax agency have been accused of political meddling and bias. Nor is it the first time that political and social advocacy groups have searched for and exploited loopholes and fine points in the federal tax code.