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'Great guy': Trump endorses Dr Mehmet Oz in Republican primary for Senate race
With almost all the results now in from Tuesday’s key primary elections, strong performances by several Donald Trump-backed candidates underscore the former president’s ongoing clout within the party – but it was far from a perfect scorecard, with North Carolina Republicans throwing out Trump-backed congressman Madison Cawthorn in his primary.
The scandal-hit Mr Cawthorn’s defeat has met with celebration among the ex-president’s critics, including within the Republican Party – where even many in the establishment wanted to see the congressman removed from office because of his extreme statements and outlandish behaviour.
Meanwhile, Mr Trump has taken to Truth Social to baselessly suggest mail-in ballots were fraudulent in Pennsylvania, where his chosen Senate candidate Dr Mehmet Oz is locked in a tight battle with former hedge fund executive David McCormick.
With only a small portion of the vote yet to be counted, the two men are just a tiny number of votes apart, putting them within the 0.5-point margin that triggers an automatic recount – and raising the possibility that mail-in votes could put Mr McCormick ahead.
Recommended From Madison Cawthorn to Dr Oz, who really won and lost on Trump’s big primary night Defeated GOP primary candidate blames Sean Hannity for her loss accusing him of ‘flat out lies’ I was kicked out of Madison Cawthorn’s primary party. Here’s what I saw beforehand Do Republicans like ‘Big Lie’ supporter Doug Mastriano suddenly now believe in legitimacy of elections?
Key points Why we won’t know the outcome of the GOP Senate primary in Pennsylvania just yet Fetterman wins Democratic nomination in Pennsylvania Senate race Election denier Doug Mastiano wins Pennsylvania Republican primary for governor Trump-backed Ted Budd wins GOP nomination in North Carolina Senate primary Madison Cawthorn loses re-election bid in North Carolina primary
Show latest update 1652940000 Do Republicans like ‘Big Lie’ supporter Doug Mastriano suddenly now believe in legitimacy of elections?
Doug Mastriano spent the months after the 2020 presidential election demanding an audit of results and amplifying Trump’s lie that his loss was due to fraudulent outcomes.
Last night Mastriano declared victory almost immediately after news networks predicted his GOP primary win for Pennsylvania’s gubernatorial race, relying on the same electoral process that saw Trump lose two years ago.
Why do Mastriano and all the other previous deniers who won their races now believe the election process is fair?
The governor in Pennsylvania appoints the secretary of state, an immensely powerful position that runs the state’s elections and signs off on electors.
Do Republicans like Doug Mastriano suddenly now believe in legitimacy of elections? Pennsylvania state senator denounced 2020 election but now he’s won, writes Andrew Buncombe
Alex Woodward 19 May 2022 07:00
1652936400 Trump says ally Dr Oz should declare victory in Pennsylvania primary
The former president baselessly suggested that his preferred candidate Dr Oz simply declare himself the winner in the Pennsylvania GOP Senate primary, and falsely claimed election officials are “unable” to count ballots – keeping up his bogus narrative that elections, if they don’t go his way, are rigged against him, throwing a wrench into the democratic process.
Trump whines that ally Dr Oz should declare victory in Pennsylvania Senate primary Comes as Dave McCormick has steady lead in mail-in ballots and race remains too close to call.
Alex Woodward 19 May 2022 06:00
1652932800 Defeated GOP primary candidate blames Sean Hannity for her loss accusing him of ‘flat out lies’
Far-right candidate Kathy Barnette, who is trailing in third in the Republican Senate primary in Pennsylvania, is blaming her finish on Fox News host Sean Hannity.
In a video posted to her Twitter account early on Wednesday morning, she thanked her supporters and attacked the Fox personality.
She said: “I do want to say: never forget what Sean Hannity did in this race. Almost single-handedly, Sean Hannity sowed seeds of disinformation, flat-out lies every night for the past five days. And that was just extremely hard to overcome, apparently”.
Defeated GOP primary candidate blames Sean Hannity for her loss ‘Almost single-handedly, Sean Hannity sowed seeds of disinformation, flat-out lies every night for the past five days’
Alex Woodward 19 May 2022 05:00
1652929225 ICYMI: Here is why we don’t know the winner in the Pennsylvania GOP Senate primary
Dr Oz and Dave McCormick are just a few tenths of one percentage point apart in the Republican primary for a US Senate seat in Pennsylvania.
It may be several days or weeks to determine who won the race, with several thousand mail-in or absentee ballots left to be counted and processed.
Thousands of printing errors involving mail-in ballots from Lancaster County must also be manually remarked, with a team of 50 volunteers and county employees working with election administrators.
The errors impacted about 16,000 of 22,000 mail-in ballots that were returned.
Once all ballots counted, the race is likely headed to a recount, if the men can’t escape the .5 per cent threshold that separtes them. That threshold triggers an automatic recount, under state law. That process would have to start by 1 June and end no later than 7 June.
Then, of course, the winner in the GOP primary will face John Fetterman, who won every county in the state in the Democratic primary. That general election will put the GOP candidate against Fetterman on 8 November.
Alex Woodward 19 May 2022 04:00
1652926225 “The Pennsylvania primary showed a Republican party in disarray"
The midterms are still months away, but Tuesday night was proof that the GOP is getting very good at shooting itself in the foot, writes Nathan McDermott:
Pennsylvania primary showed a Republican party in disarray The midterms are still months away, but Tuesday night was proof that the GOP is getting very good at shooting itself in the foot
Alex Woodward 19 May 2022 03:10
1652922025 Kinzinger: Cawthorn’s loss is ‘good for the country'
Illinois Republican congressman and Trump critic called the loss of the former president’s pick in North Carolina “good for the country.”
“It’s good for the party. It’s good for the 11th District of North Carolina,” he told CNN.
“DC has become kind of a growing ground for people that are just more interested in fame than governing, that are more interested in becoming famous than in actually doing the really serious work, at a time when we have a lot of challenges here at home and a lot of challenges overseas.”
Kinzinger is notably not running for re-election. He joins Liz Cheney as the only two Republican House members on the congressional committee investigating the Capitol attack. Both of them are routinely attacked by far-right members of their party.
Alex Woodward 19 May 2022 02:00
1652918425 “I was kicked out of Madison Cawthorn’s primary party. Here’s what I saw beforehand"
What was the vibe like at the auto detail shop/campaign party as Madison Cawthorn’s re-election bid came crashing down?
The Independent’s John Bowden was there. He got kicked out.
I was kicked out of Madison Cawthorn’s primary party. Here’s what I saw beforehand Asked to leave the premises, reaching rock bottom with the Madison Cawthorn campaign
Alex Woodward 19 May 2022 01:00
1652913458 Why we don’t know the results in Pennsylvania’s GOP senate primary just yet
Dr Oz and Dave McCormick are just a few tenths of one percentage point apart in the Republican primary for a US Senate seat in Pennsylvania.
It may be several days or weeks to determine who won the race, with several thousand mail-in or absentee ballots left to be counted and processed.
Thousands of printing errors involving mail-in ballots from Lancaster County must also be manually remarked, with a team of 50 volunteers and county employees working with election administrators.
The errors impacted about 16,000 of 22,000 mail-in ballots that were returned.
Once all ballots counted, the race is likely headed to a recount, if the men can’t escape the .5 per cent threshold that separtes them. That threshold triggers an automatic recount, under state law. That process would have to start by 1 June and end no later than 7 June.
Then, of course, the winner in the GOP primary will face John Fetterman, who won every county in the state in the Democratic primary. That general election will put the GOP candidate against Fetterman on 8 November.
Alex Woodward 18 May 2022 23:37
1652911456 Who is Dr Oz, the Trump-backed celebrity doctor running for the GOP primary in Pennsylvania’s Senate race?
The daytime television personality who millions of Americans have turned to for wellness advice made a surprising turn into Pennsylvania politics last year.
Now he’s the possible Republican nominee in a Senate race in a midterm election that could determine the balance of power in Congress.
Who is Dr Oz, the Trump-backed celebrity doctor running for Senate? The cardiothoracic surgeon and best-selling author because a household name as a daytime TV wellness expert criticised for pushing pseudoscience
Alex Woodward 18 May 2022 23:04
1652909044 Bill de Blasio considering entry into congressional race in newly drawn NY district
Bill de Blasio – the former New York City Mayor and candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination – has announced that he is considering whether to jump into the race for a House seat in the state’s newly drawn 10th congressional district.
He is forming what’s called an “exploratory committee” to see whether he should formally file for entry, with primary elections coming up on 23 August.
The wide-open race with the new map – which has ping-ponged over legal challenges alleging that the district favours Democrats – has attracted several candidates across the state’s Democratic leadership, including current assemblymembers and city councilors.
US Rep Jerrold Nadler, who represents the 10th district in its current shape, is instead running for the redrawn 12th district – pitting himself against another big-name Democratic member of Congress: House Oversight Committee chair Carolyn Maloney.
“Our neighborhoods need help as we recover from Covid,” the former mayor said on Wednesday. “Our nation needs help as democracy is threatened and working people struggle. I am ready to serve to continue the fight against inequality. Today I am forming an Exploratory Committee for the new #NY10.”
Alex Woodward 18 May 2022 22:24
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