Tag: republicans

Palm Beach County REC Voting To Replace Indicted Candidate

Palm Beach County, Florida – The Republican Executive Committee (REC) of Palm Beach County is holding an emergency meeting this week to vote on a replacement candidate for Mike Caruso on the November 3 ballot. Caruso is the incumbent Clerk of the Court and Comptroller, but he was indicted last week for child abuse, and Governor DeSantis immediately suspended him from his position. Nevertheless, Caruso has refused to withdraw from his race for re-election.

Even if the REC nominates a replacement, Caruso’s name is highly likely to remain on the November ballot. Florida election rules make it extremely difficult for a substitute’s name to appear in time. The Supervisor of Elections requires the entire process to be completed by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, August 26. A similar situation occurred in 2006 with former Republican Congressman Mark Foley, who remained on the ballot after criminal charges related to a Congressional page and ultimately lost.

Republican voters in Palm Beach County now face a difficult predicament. Many fear Caruso’s presence on the ballot could drag down the entire Republican ticket in the County, and potentially hurt Byron Donalds’ gubernatorial campaign, which needs strong turnout from Palm Beach County’s roughly 300,000 Republican voters.

Caruso still retains strong allies on the REC Board, including State Committeeman Joe LaFauci, State Committeewoman Jodi Schwartz, Secretary Katina Maxwell and Treasurer Jane Pike. LaFauci is described as a close friend of Caruso; Caruso and his wife Tracy campaigned and raised funds vigorously for LaFauci in 2024. Rumors circulate that Tracy may seek to succeed her husband as Clerk of the Court and Comptroller.

REC Chairman Cascio is currently in Europe on vacation and has insisted on running tonight’s meeting via Zoom rather than allowing Vice Chairwoman Lonnie Weinberg—the only REC Board member widely viewed as having no ties to Caruso—to preside. Cascio has publicly stated that Caruso is “innocent until proven guilty.”

Keep reading

James O’Keefe Drops Undercover Video of DMV Workers Contradicting Murkowski’s SAVE America Act Claims

The O’Keefe Media Group on Tuesday dropped another video exposing Senator Lisa Murkowski and Alaska’s voting laws.

Senator Murkowski says she opposes the SAVE America Act which would require voter ID.

Murkowski demonstrated that a person living on the small Alaska islands would not be able to vote if the SAVE America Act was passed because they would have to travel all the way to Anchorage to get an ID.

James O’Keefe went to a small Alaskan island called Unalaska and asked DMV workers if he had to travel 800 miles to Anchorage to get an ID.

“We don’t have to go to Anchorage to get an ID?” O’Keefe asked the DMV worker.

The employee responded, “No, you can come here.”

O’Keefe continued: An Unalaska resident confirmed voting takes place at City Hall and said residents “Don’t have to go to Anchorage [to register to vote or obtain ID].”

Keep reading

El-Sayed Calls the GOP ‘Pedophile Protectors’ – Then Shares a Stage with a Cleric Who Married Off His 13-Year-Old Niece

A convention program tells you everything a stump speech tries to hide. This Labor Day weekend in Detroit, Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed will take the stage at the Islamic Society of North America’s 63rd annual convention – and the roster of fellow speakers reads less like a religious gathering than a roll call of radicals.

ISNA was founded as an American arm of the Muslim Brotherhood and named an unindicted co-conspirator in the Holy Land Foundation terrorism funding case. El-Sayed’s father-in-law, Tayeb Jukaku, has sat on ISNA’s founding committee since 2007 and funneled $300,000 into a PAC backing his son-in-law’s campaign. In case you’re wondering – yes, it’s exactly as cozy as it sounds.

But the real story is who else will be behind the microphone.

The company he keeps

Start with cleric Baqir Berry, who offered this during a June sermon:

From Fox News:

We pray to Allah to save our people in South Lebanon from the evil of these Zionists, to support the Muslims and the mujahideen on His path in the East and the West, especially our mujahideen in Palestine, Lebanon, and everywhere. Oh Allah, grant them a mighty victory.

Then there’s Hassan Qazwini, head of the Islamic Institute of America, who appealed to God to “grant victory to our brothers in Iran” – a U.S.-designated state sponsor of terrorism. Even Bernie Sanders’ 2020 campaign denounced Qazwini for pushing antisemitic conspiracy theories.

Keep reading

Wary Of Backlash, Pro-Israel GOP Senate Hopeful Asks AIPAC Not To Spend On His Behalf

With Israel’s standing in the United States crumbling, America’s leading pro-Israel organization has become a focal point of anger among those who think the US government is putting Israel’s interests ahead of America’s. Political candidates have started seizing on this, attacking opponents who are backed by that group — AIPAC. So for, that’s largely been a phenomenon in the Democratic primaries, but now — in a jarring indication of AIPAC’s ballot-box toxicity — staunchly pro-Israel GOP Senate hopeful Mike Rogers has asked AIPAC not to spend money on his general election campaign.  

Rogers, a former US representative who chaired the House intelligence committee from 2011 to 2015, has been a stalwart backer of US aid to Israel, and was one of 12 federal legislators honored in 2015 by the US-Israel Security Alliance for his work to arm the Israel Defense Forces. 

Having won the Republican primary, Rogers faces Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed in the general election. El-Sayed is an outspoken critic of Israel and US support for Israel, which is why AIPAC blew through $30 million in a failed attempt to secure the Democratic nomination for the Israel-catering Haley Stevens. In that campaign, El-Sayed deftly portrayed Stevens as beholden to Israel. Stevens had given him all the ammo he needed; indeed, the El-Sayed campaign created a website that did nothing but show this cringy Stevens performance on a continuous loop.

When his primary victory was nearly in hand, El-Sayed taunted AIPAC, saying, “AIPAC, if you’re listening, come back and burn it again” in the general election. AIPAC was poised to start running an already-produced commercial for the November race when Rogers talked to AIPAC chair Michael Tuchin in Los Angeles last week, Axios reports. The next day, the commercial was put on ice. 

The extraordinary move by the Rogers campaign is a humiliation for AIPAC, which has long been nearly omnipotent in securing lopsided congressional votes on pro-Israel bills, and in installing pro-Israel legislators while ousting those who dare to offer even mild criticism of Israel. While AIPAC has hit “pause” on its effort in the Michigan Senate campaign, angry AIPAC officials want back in. 

Keep reading

Israel is sponsoring ads on Ted Cruz’s podcast. Is that legal?

The Israeli government is running advertisements on a popular podcast hosted by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), raising questions about whether the staunchly pro-Israel lawmaker is indirectly receiving campaign funding from a foreign country.

Radio and podcast giant iHeartMedia has syndicated Cruz’s show, “Verdict with Ted Cruz,” since 2022. Because of lobbying-related restrictions, the company cannot legally pay the senator for ad revenue. But, it turns out, that’s not the only way to ensure the money benefits Cruz.

Under an unusual licensing deal, iHeartMedia agreed to donate revenue “associated with (the show’s) advertising sales” to the Truth and Courage PAC, a super PAC dedicated to “ensuring that Ted Cruz is re-elected to the United States Senate.” The company has given at least $1,738,000 of “digital revenue” to the Truth and Courage PAC since 2023, according to Federal Election Commission filings.

The agreement has drawn significant scrutiny from watchdog groups, some of which filed a complaint against Cruz with the FEC alleging he “brazenly violated” laws that bar candidates from receiving corporate donations. Though the senator admitted to having met with representatives from the company to discuss the acquisition of the show, the agency ruled in his favor, finding that there was “no available information to indicate that Cruz solicited, directed, received, transferred, or spent the funds iHeart paid to the PAC.”

“Cruz’s role was limited to hosting the Podcast and he does not appear to have been involved with the decision for iHeart to pay the PAC, meaning that he did not direct or solicit any funds,” the commission found.

The Israeli government-funded ad revenue appears to operate in a similar gray area. The advertisements, which are part of the $7 million “I am Israel” campaign launched in June, are geared toward encouraging Christians to visit the country and see biblical sites for themselves.

“Israel isn’t a destination; it’s a revelation, where every site you’ve studied, every scripture you’ve memorized, every sermon that ever moved you suddenly has an address, a landscape, a heartbeat,” Ben Ferguson, Cruz’s co-host, says in one ad. “This is the trip that changes not just how you see the Holy Land, but how you see everything.”

Ferguson then urges listeners to “start planning your trip today” and tells them to follow “Visit Israel” accounts on social media. The ads do not disclose that Visit Israel is a public-facing entity of the Israeli ministry of tourism.

The campaign appears to exploit a loophole in election financing laws. Candidates and PACs are banned from receiving any funding “directly or indirectly” from foreign nationals, according to the FEC. But Cruz would only run afoul of campaign finance laws if Israel explicitly earmarked its contribution to go to the PAC, said Craig Holman, a leading expert on campaign finance laws and an ethics lobbyist at Public Citizen.

“Assuming there is no formal agreement, then the money is considered iHeartRadio funds, with which it can do as it pleases,” Holman said.

Holman blamed court decisions like Citizens United for opening the path to Cruz’s “surreptitious financial arrangement” with iHeartMedia.

Keep reading

Iowa GOP Governor Candidate Slams Democrat in Ad For Massive Tax Hike Plot

Republican Iowa gubernatorial candidate Zach Lahn released a campaign ad Thursday saying Democrat rival Rob Sand plans to raise the average Iowan’s taxes by $7,500 a year.

The 30-second spot was provided exclusively to Breitbart News ahead of its public release. Filmed on Lahn’s farm in Belle Plaine, it opens on rising costs before cutting to an attack on Sand, the state auditor and Democrat nominee for governor. The ad casts Sand as a billionaire out of touch with working families.

In it, Lahn ties the cost of gas and groceries to his opponent and delivers the central charge directly to camera.

“But Rob Sand wants to raise your taxes by $7,500 a year. You can look it up. He is a billionaire. He doesn’t get what regular folks go through. He’s opposed tax cuts his whole career,” Lahn says in the ad. “I’m going to do everything in my power to help Iowa families as governor, because I know how hard you work. Iowa First.”

Lahn’s campaign argued the attack is grounded in Sand’s personal wealth. In a statement, campaign spokesman Dan Capodilupo said Sand’s opposition to tax cuts is easier to understand given who covers his expenses.

“It’s easy for Rob Sand to oppose tax cuts for families when someone else is paying his bills,” Capodilupo said. “His entire lifestyle and political career have both been financed by his father-in-law’s chemical fortune.”

The campaign claimed Sand married into the Lauridsen Group, Inc. (LGI), a family-owned chemical company, and asserted that Sand’s family has bankrolled his campaigns “to the tune of $13 million, the most in Iowa history.” The campaign described Sand’s operation as “effectively the seventh wholly owned subsidiary of LGI.”

Sand’s documented tax positions include a higher tax on out-of-state landowners, a ban on hedge funds and LLCs buying Iowa farmland, and ending state tax breaks for data centers. He has said he would consider an increase in the state cigarette tax to address Iowa’s cancer rates.

Sand’s campaign has cast Lahn as the outsider in the race. Press secretary Maddie Moher said Sand “has spent his career working with Republicans, Democrats, and independents to hold government accountable, uncover misspent taxpayer dollars, and deliver results for Iowans,” and would do the same as governor.

“Zach Lahn is a career political operative, and his latest attacks are a distraction from his own record and frequent flights to Kansas,” Moher said, referring to Sand’s line of attack over Lahn’s ties to Wichita.

Sand, of Decorah, has served as state auditor since 2019 and is the only Democrat holding statewide office in Iowa. He built his profile prosecuting the Hot Lotto rigging scandal as an assistant attorney general and has centered his campaign on lowering costs for Iowa families.

The ad comes as Lahn, a venture firm owner and Make America Healthy Again supporter, tries to hold an open seat Republicans have held since 2011, with Gov. Kim Reynolds not seeking reelection. Lahn won the GOP primary in a June upset, edging Trump-endorsed Rep. Randy Feenstra by less than a point.

Keep reading

James O’Keefe Offered Senator Lisa Murkowski’s Brother’s Ballot at Anchorage Polling Station with No ID Required – Murkowski Calls For O’Keefe to be Prosecuted!

James O’Keefe on Thursday released undercover video of an Anchorage, Alaska, poll worker offering him Senator Lisa Murkowski’s brother’s ballot.

Recall that RINO Murkowski was one of the Senators who opposed the SAVE America Act which would require voter ID.

An Anchorage poll worker also offered Lisa Murkowski’s State Director, Karina Waller’s ballot without an ID on Tuesday’s primary.

“I did not check in as Brian Murkowski, cast a ballot, or sign his name. We documented what happened when I gave his name, said I had no ID, and asked whether Brian could still vote,” James O’Keefe said.

“Would it be possible to vote without it [ID]?” O’Keefe asked the poll worker.

“Absolutely possible!” the poll worker said.

Keep reading

Calif.: New GOP-led bill targets sales of ‘glow-in-the-dark rabbits’ and other ‘novelty’ pets

California legislators are seeking to pass a bill that would prohibit the sale of animals that possess a “cosmetic transgenic trait,” including “glow-in-the-dark” rabbits and other so-called “novelty” pets.

The bill’s author, Assemblywoman Leticia Castillo (R-Calif.), voiced her desire to protect animals and treat them ethically, asserting that genetic engineering should not be used for arbitrary reasons.

“As technology moves forward, our responsibility to protect animals must move forward to,” Castillo said in an August 5th press release.

“Genetic engineering has the potential to improve animal health and support lifesaving research. But animals should never be changed simply to create a product that is more unusual or more profitable,” she continued.

The bill, AB 1382, passed the Assembly in California, but it stalled in committee in the state Senate, where it has been held under submission since August 13th.

In a recent press release, Assemblywoman Castillo noted that biotech startups are already engineering “designer pets,” including “glow-in-the-dark rabbits” and proposals for “unicorn”-like animals.

“‘Transgenic trait’ means a trait that has been deliberately altered, modified, or engineered, through means not possible under natural conditions, by insertion of a foreign gene using genetic engineering methods,” the bill reads. “Notwithstanding any other law, a person shall not import for profit, sell, or offer for sale in this state a transgenic pet animal that possesses a cosmetic transgenic trait.”

The bill broadly defines pet animals to include dogs, cats, rabbits, rodents, reptiles, amphibians, birds, fish and “other species of animal kept for the purpose of being a household pet.”

In a legislative analysis of the bill, the company the Los Angeles Project, a startup up in Austin, Texas, was specifically referenced. The analysis stated that the company was utilizing the gene-editing tool CRISPR with the aim to have “glowing baby bunnies” to eventually sell as pets.

The Los Angeles Project was cofounded by biohacker Josie Zayner and is using gene-editing to work on making “glow-in-the-dark rabbits, hypoallergenic cats and dogs, and possibly, one day, actual unicorns,” according to a February 2025 WIRED article.

Keep reading

DOJ Issues Grand Jury Subpoenas Whether “Other Dan Sullivan” Entered Race to CONFUSE VOTERS Against Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan

The “other Dan Sullivan” controversy just exploded into a full-blown federal grand jury investigation.

The Justice Department has issued grand jury subpoenas as investigators examine whether Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., the Democrat-friendly Alaska candidate running against Republican Sen. Dan S. Sullivan, entered the race to confuse voters and divert support from the incumbent.

The Department of Justice is examining whether the retired Petersburg teacher entered the race specifically to confuse voters, siphon support from the incumbent Republican, and boost Democrat Mary Peltola in Alaska’s ranked-choice system.

Potential charges under review include wire fraud and conspiracy to deprive Alaskans of a free and fair election process, a civil rights violation.

The subpoenas, first reported by NBC News and confirmed by Reuters, compel information from witnesses linked to Dan J. Sullivan’s operation.

The former teacher, who registered as a Republican only days before filing, has denied any intent to mislead voters. Critics call those denials laughable.

Dan J. Sullivan filed for the U.S. Senate seat just before the June deadline. Almost immediately, Republican officials and the National Republican Senatorial Committee flagged him as a “sham candidate.” Evidence piled up fast:

  • He had no prior Republican affiliation and switched parties right before launching.
  • He initially requested to appear on the ballot as “Dan S. Sullivan” — matching the incumbent’s middle initial — before correcting to “Dan J.”
  • His campaign website used a color scheme and design strikingly similar to Sen. Dan Sullivan’s.
  • He worked with a progressive consultant who had previously supported Democrat Mary Peltola.

Alaska Division of Elections Director Carol Beecher decertified him in mid-June, ruling the candidacy was “filed with a purpose to confuse or mislead” voters and compromise the ballot’s fairness.

State courts later reversed that decision, ruling election officials lacked authority to judge “good faith” beyond constitutional qualifications of age, citizenship, and residency. The Alaska Supreme Court upheld putting him back on the ballot.

Keep reading

Cause of Death Revealed for Republican Oklahoma State Senate Candidate Found Dead in His Truck

A Republican Oklahoma state senate candidate was found dead in late April, two days after he was reported missing.

Barry Christian, 54, a candidate for Senate District 38, was reported missing after he disappeared and was a no-show for a meeting earlier this year.

Authorities discovered Barry Christian’s pickup truck in the Sandy Sanders Wildlife Management Area.

At first, it was unclear if foul play was involved; however, the Oklahoma Medical Examiner ruled that Barry Christian died by suicide.

Barry Christian died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.

Christian’s family lashed out at the Oklahoma Medical Examiner’s Office for releasing the findings without their consent.

Keep reading