NationalWatch

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UPDATED 10:33 PM PT – Tuesday, November 8, 2022

Mike Lee wins Utah’s Senate seat.

Incumbent Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah) went up against Senate candidate Evan McMullin (I-Utah) in Utah’s Senate race.

McMullin, the Democrat-backed Independent, is a former undercover CIA officer and Chief Policy Director for Congress.

His challenger, Lee, was endorsed and then re-endorsed by former President Donald Trump days leading up to the election. Lee has been in the Senate since 2011, and is working to tackle issues surrounding national security, education, the Second Amendment and healthcare.

“The great people of Utah have a gem in Mike Lee,” Trump said. He then called McMullin by another name. “He will never let you down, whereas his opponent, McMuffin, will only let you down.”

McMullin has said he would work to cut healthcare costs, inflation and political extremism.

Original Article Oann

OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 8:49 PM PT – Tuesday, November 8, 2022

J.D. Vance wins Ohio’s Senate seat.

Tuesday’s highly anticipated results between J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) and Representative Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) came after the GOP campaigned in several battleground states to ensure Republicans take back the majority, and Ohio was in the spotlight.

Vance and Ryan have gone head-to-head for months.

The Trump endorsed Republican served in the Iraq War as a Marine and received a law degree from Yale Law School. He also is a bestselling author after writing ‘Hillbilly Elegy,’ which was later turned into a Netflix film.

Vance said he witnessed an economic downturn in his hometown in Middletown, Ohio as jobs and families slowly disappeared.

“The U.S. Senate needs someone who knows what it’s like to live in a left-behind community, not a career politician who has done nothing for the people of Ohio,” Vance said.

His campaign focused on the America First policy, the border crisis, combatting the drug and opioid epidemic, and ending abortion, among other top issues.

Meanwhile Vance’s Democrat opponent, Tim Ryan, has spent his career fighting for the states’ workers.

Ryan was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2002 and has since been reelected nine times. He also served in the Ohio State Senate.

The Democrat has remained focused on the quality of life and economy in his home state and has also worked across the aisle to combat the nations opioid crisis.

In the Senate, the lifelong Ohioan sought to fight raise wages, make healthcare more affordable, rebuild public infrastructure and invest in education.

Original Article Oann

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UPDATED 5:20 PM PT – Tuesday, November 8, 2022

Sarah Huckabee Sanders wins the race for Arkansas Governor.

Republican incumbent Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R-Ark.) has worked in several leadership roles for U.S senators, governors and presidential campaigns. She worked as a national political director for her father Mike Huckabee’s (R-Ark.) 2008 presidential campaign and also worked as a senior advisor to Senator Tom Cotton’s 2014 race against Democrat incumbent Mark Pryor.

She later joined Donald Trump’s presidential campaign as his senior advisor in 2016 and served as his White House Press Secretary from 2017 to 2019. She was the third woman to hold the job. Upon her departure, Trump said Sanders was “a very special person with extraordinary talents.”

Her campaign highlighted that the nation’s freedom and rule of law are under attack under the Biden Administration.

“To remain free, we must have law and order and resolve our differences peacefully,” Sanders said. “The radical lefts solution is to impose government control and censorship from the top down.”

Sanders’ Democrat challenger Chris Jones (D-Ark.) received a B.S. in physics and mathematics from Morehouse College in 1999 on a NASA scholarship. Throughout his career, Jones has worked as a physicist, minister and as non-profit leader.

His campaign focused on high quality education for Arkansans, affordable internet for every home and economic development through created high wage jobs. Jones maintained that problems are solved by bringing people together in order to move forward.

“The Promise of Arkansas is the Faith that together we can address our challenges,” Jones said. “It is the hope that unified we make space for all Arkansans to live out their unique potential.”

Original Article Oann

OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 5:33 PM PT – Tuesday, November 8, 2022

Marco Rubio wins Florida’s Senate seat.

Florida Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Representative Val Demings (D-Fla.) went head-to-head in what has been a hotly contested Senate race for Florida voters.

Rubio has served in the Senate since 2011, and has been a vocal advocate in preventing what he calls “mass migration” at the border. He has an opposing stance to Demings, who has openly stated that the country does not have open borders.

As one of Florida’s Senators, Rubio touted his accomplishments in fighting for Floridian assistance, including affordable housing, supporting small businesses and working towards disaster recovery.

Demings, who has served in Florida’s 10th Congressional District since 2017, said on her Senate campaign website that she is fighting for better jobs, healthcare for all and is also a proponent of affordable housing.

During their Senate debate, Rubio and Demings spared over inflation, abortion and immigration.

Original Article Oann

GOP Eyes Arizona US House Seats in Bid to Flip Control Arizona GOP gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake greets supporters at the Republican Party of Arizona rally on election night on November 08, 2022 in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Justin Sullivan/Getty)

Associated Press Wednesday, 09 November 2022 12:28 AM EST

The partisan makeup of Arizona's U.S. House delegation and control of Congress itself are up for grabs Tuesday, with Republicans hoping to shift the state's 5-4 Democratic tilt by picking up two and possibly three seats.

Redistricting after the 2020 U.S. Census gave the GOP candidates a leg up in those three districts. Meanwhile, a district that had strongly favored Republicans for the past decade got only slightly less GOP-friendly. The other five districts are shoo-ins for the incumbents in districts that heavily favor the sitting members of Congress.

Nationally, Republicans need to net just five seats to take control of the U.S. House.

The most vulnerable Democratic incumbent is three-term U.S. Rep. Tom O'Halleran, whose sprawling 2nd Congressional District covers much of northeastern Arizona and dips south to the northern Tucson suburbs. Redistricting remade the district into one that strongly favors the GOP by drawing in the Prescott area.

O'Halleran hopes his voting record as a moderate is enough to overcome the heavy Republican advantage as he faces political newcomer Eli Crane. A businessman and former Navy SEAL, Crane has the endorsement of former President Donald Trump.

Democratic Rep. Greg Stanton has a better chance of beating Republican Kelly Cooper, a restaurant owner and Marine veteran who is another political newcomer, in the 4th District that includes parts of Tempe, Mesa, Phoenix and Chandler. The district has been held by Democrats since being created a decade ago, but Stanton faces a tougher fight as he seeks a third term.

Cooper, who also has Trump's backing, blames Stanton and President Joe Biden for inflation, high gas prices and the number of border crossings.

Stanton points to Cooper's call to defund the FBI, release people who attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and paints Cooper as an extremist on abortion, which has been a big focus for Democrats this year.

Southern Arizona's 6th District, held by retiring Democratic Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick, also is slightly less favorable to Democrats under maps approved last year by the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission.

Republicans have chosen Juan Ciscomani, a former senior adviser to outgoing GOP Gov. Doug Ducey with strong ties to the business community, as their candidate in the district that runs from Tucson east to the New Mexico border. He's facing Kirsten Engel, an environmental law professor who resigned from the state Legislature to run for Congress.

The lone Republican U.S. House incumbent facing a realistic challenge is David Schweikert, whose wealthy 1st Congressional District covers parts of northeast Phoenix, Scottsdale, Paradise Valley and Fountain Hills. He faces Democrat Jevin Hodge, who runs a Head Start program and has called out Schweikert for past ethics issues and his support for Trump.

Schweikert says voters in the slightly less GOP-tilted district prefer his positions on the economy.

Republican Reps. Debbie Lesko in the 8th District and Paul Gosar in the 9th faced only write-in candidates and won. Democratic Reps. Ruben Gallego in the 3rd District and Raul Grijalva in the 7th also were reelected.

Republican Rep. Andy Biggs in the 5th is expected to cruise to victory because of the political makeup of his district.

Original Article

Tudor Dixon Bashes Fox's 'Premature' Call: 'This Race Is Not Over Yet' (Newsmax)

By Eric Mack | Wednesday, 09 November 2022 12:19 AM EST

Despite some projections suggesting Michigan Democrat Gov. Gretchen Whitmer will win Tuesday night, GOP gubernatorial challenger Tudor Dixon is vowing to continue battling in a race too close to call.

Newsmax has not called the race, but Dixon was trailing the incumbent and some "premature" election calls have left former President Donald Trump's endorsed candidate angry.

"This race is not over yet, and Fox's call was premature," Dixon told her campaign headquarters. "We expect counting to continue into tomorrow in our major counties. This race has a long way to go."

Original Article

Hochul Defeats Zeldin in NY Governor's Race Kathy Hochul (Getty Images)

By Jack Gournell | Tuesday, 08 November 2022 11:58 PM EST

Kathy Hochul, who became New York's governor when her predecessor Andrew Cuomo resigned amid scandal, defeated GOP challenger Lee Zeldin on Tuesday, Newsmax projects.

She becomes the first woman to win election to the job.

Zeldin, an ally of former President Donald Trump who objected to the 2020 election results, closed in on polling late in the race by focusing on the issue of crime, which Republicans have been running on across the country. Nowhere was its saliency more on display than in the campaign of Zeldin, who harnessed it to carve a potential path to win in the blue state and become the first Republican elected New York governor in two decades.

Though Hochul has been governor for a year, she is not as well known as her predecessor. Cuomo was known for his aggressive style and became a national media fixture for his pandemic briefings before his tenure was overshadowed by scandal.

Hochul, a former congresswoman, was serving as Cuomo’s low-profile lieutenant governor before taking over in August 2021 when he resigned amid sexual harassment allegations, which he denies. She has tried to cast herself as a fresh change from Cuomo, promising more collaboration and transparency while trying to steer the state through the pandemic aftereffects.

The Buffalo native’s formidable campaign fundraising brought in about $50 million, which she’s used to fund a smattering of campaign ads staking herself as a defender of abortion rights and portraying Zeldin, who hails from Long Island, as “extreme and dangerous” because of his ties to Trump and his vote against certifying the 2020 election results.

As Zeldin's message appeared to be resonating in the final month, Democrats found themselves on the defensive.

Hochul began speaking more about public safety, including announcing an effort to deploy more officers to New York City subways and called in Democratic heavy hitters to rally with her in the final days, including Vice President Kamala Harris and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Zeldin is an Army Reserve lieutenant colonel who has represented eastern Long Island in Congress since 2015. He was a vocal defender of Trump during his two impeachments and as a member of the U.S. House voted against certifying Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory.

As he has run to lead New York, Zeldin has downplayed his ties to Trump, appearing with the former president at a closed-door campaign fundraiser but not at any public rallies, as candidates elsewhere have done.

He has focused almost exclusively on sending a message that violent crime is out of control — casting blame on policies passed by Democrats in Albany who control the Legislature, along with Hochul and Cuomo.

Rates of violent crime and killings have broadly increased around the U.S. since the coronavirus pandemic, in some places climbing from historic lows.

The issue became personal for Zeldin in the final month of the election, when two teenage boys were wounded in a drive-by-shooting in front of his Long Island home.

“It doesn’t hit any closer to home than this,” Zeldin said. “This could be anyone across this entire state.”

He has called for toughening the state’s bail laws and declaring a crime “emergency” that would allow him to suspend laws that curb solitary confinement in jails and that stopped automatically treating 16 and 17-year-olds as adults in the criminal justice system.

Hochul meanwhile, has poured blame on Republicans and conservatives on the U.S. Supreme Court for opposing gun control measures. She led an effort to tighten licensing rules for semiautomatic rifles after a racist mass shooting killed 10 Black people at a supermarket in her hometown of Buffalo last spring.

Original Article

GOP's Ted Budd Wins North Carolina Senate Seat in Close Race (Newsmax)

By Eric Mack | Tuesday, 08 November 2022 11:42 PM EST

In a race that was close, GOP candidate Ted Budd has held off Democrat Cheri Beasley to retain the North Carolina Senate seat Tuesday night, Newsmax projects.

Budd, endorsed by former President Donald Trump, helps the Republican's slim hopes to gain the Senate majority from Democrats.

Original Article

J.D. Vance Wins Ohio Senate Seat Over Dem Rep. Tim Ryan (Newsmax)

By Eric Mack | Tuesday, 08 November 2022 11:10 PM EST

J.D. Vance was former President Donald Trump's last stump stop and the GOP Senate candidate has held off Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, in the famous election bellwether state, Newsmax projects.

Original Article

Shapiro Defeats Mastriano for Pa. Gov Josh Shapiro (Getty Images)

By Jack Gournell | Tuesday, 08 November 2022 11:21 PM EST

Democrat Josh Shapiro is the winner of the Pennsylvania governor's race, keeping the office in Democratic hands and defeating GOP challenger Doug Mastriano, Newsmax projects.

Mastriano had the backing of former President Donald Trump and was being watch closely as it was hoped by Republicans to be a pickup.

As vote-counting continued in the closely watched Senate race, split-ticket voting showed Trump-backed Republican Mehmet Oz performing better in his race against Democrat John Fetterman. Fetterman performed poorly in the only debate between the two following a stroke in May.

Original Article

Federal Judge Tosses Vindman Lawsuit Against Trump Allies (Newsmax)

By Michael Katz | Tuesday, 08 November 2022 10:48 PM EST

A federal judge on Tuesday dismissed a lawsuit filed by a key witness in the first impeachment of former President Donald Trump, Breitbart reported.

Retired Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman filed the lawsuit in February, alleging witness intimidation by Donald Trump Jr., Rudy Giuliani, and two Trump White House staffers.

Vindman’s lawsuit alleged that, following his subpoena to testify as part of the House investigation, Vindman became the target of “a dangerous campaign of witness intimidation by President Trump and a group of conspirators” to deter him from testifying.

The Hill reported among the defendants listed in the federal suit were Trump Jr., Giuliani, and Trump advisers Dan Scavino and Julia Hahn.

The 29-page ruling was issued by Judge James Boasberg, a Barack Obama appointee to the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. He said Vindman’s complaint failed to make an adequate showing the defendants conspired against him.

“Plaintiff’s pled facts, taken as true, certainly suggest that Defendants leveled harsh, meanspirited, and at times misleading attacks against him,” Boasberg wrote, according to The Hill. “But political hackery alone does not violate (the law at issue).”

In 2019, Vindman testified about a phone call in which Trump was alleged to have offered a quid pro quo to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a phone call that led to Trump’s impeachment. The alleged deal involved an exchange of U.S. military aid for an investigation into Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden’s son, Hunter, and his ties to Ukrainian businesses during the run-up to the 2020 presidential election.

Hunter Biden was on the board of a Ukrainian energy company, Burisma, that was under investigation at a time when Biden allegedly insisted Ukraine fire the head prosecutor.

Following the Senate’s acquittal of Trump, Vindman was fired from his post at the White House National Security Council, and he retired from the military soon thereafter. He alleged he was a victim of “bullying” and “retaliation” by the Trump White House, which he blamed for ending his military career.

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Original Article

Federal Judge Tosses Vindman Lawsuit Against Trump Allies (Newsmax)

By Michael Katz | Tuesday, 08 November 2022 10:48 PM EST

A federal judge on Tuesday dismissed a lawsuit filed by a key witness in the first impeachment of former President Donald Trump, Breitbart reported.

Retired Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman filed the lawsuit in February, alleging witness intimidation by Donald Trump Jr., Rudy Giuliani, and two Trump White House staffers.

Vindman's lawsuit alleged that, following his subpoena to testify as part of the House investigation, Vindman became the target of "a dangerous campaign of witness intimidation by President Trump and a group of conspirators" to deter him from testifying.

The Hill reported among the defendants listed in the federal suit were Trump Jr., Giuliani, and Trump advisers Dan Scavino and Julia Hahn.

The 29-page ruling was issued by Judge James Boasberg, a Barack Obama appointee to the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. He said Vindman's complaint failed to make an adequate showing the defendants conspired against him.

"Plaintiff's pled facts, taken as true, certainly suggest that Defendants leveled harsh, mean-spirited, and at times misleading attacks against him," Boasberg wrote, according to The Hill. "But political hackery alone does not violate (the law at issue)."

In 2019, Vindman testified about a phone call in which Trump was alleged to have offered a quid pro quo to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a phone call that led to Trump's impeachment. The alleged deal involved an exchange of U.S. military aid for an investigation into Democrat presidential candidate Joe Biden's son, Hunter, and his ties to Ukrainian businesses during the run-up to the 2020 presidential election.

Hunter Biden was on the board of a Ukrainian energy company, Burisma, that was under investigation at a time when Biden allegedly insisted Ukraine fire the head prosecutor.

Following the Senate's acquittal of Trump, Vindman was fired from his post at the White House National Security Council, and he retired from the military soon thereafter. He alleged he was a victim of "bullying" and "retaliation" by the Trump White House, which he blamed for ending his military career.

Original Article

New Hampshire Dem Sen. Hassan Holds Seat, Defeats GOP's Bolduc (Newsmax)

By Eric Mack | Wednesday, 09 November 2022 12:02 AM EST

Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., has held off the challenge from Republican Don Bolduc, giving Democrats a key hold as they seek to stem the tide of a red wave and keep the Senate majority in these midterms, Newsmax projects.

Hassan, a former governor, had been considered vulnerable given her narrow win in 2016. But her odds improved after popular Gov. Chris Sununu took a pass at challenging her, and Republicans nominated Bolduc, a retired Army general who has espoused conspiracy theories about vaccines and the 2020 presidential election.

"I promise you, Democrats, independents and Republicans, the people who voted for me and those who did not, that I will keep working every day to serve you faithfully, to listen to you and to work with you to address the challenges facing your families, our state and our country," Hassan told cheering supporters in Manchester.

Hassan spent much of the campaign casting Bolduc as "the most extreme nominee for U.S. Senate that New Hampshire has seen in modern history," and pouncing on his past statements on abortion, Social Security, and the 2020 presidential election.

"Had he stayed strong and true, he would have won easily," Trump wrote of Bolduc on his social media platform Tuesday night.

Nearly two years after Trump's defeat, there has been no evidence of widespread fraud. Numerous reviews in the battleground states where Trump disputed his loss have affirmed the results, courts have rejected dozens of lawsuits filed by Trump and his allies, and even Trump's own Department of Justice concluded the results were accurate.

Bolduc, who insisted voters weren't interested in rehashing 2020, sought to both harness dissatisfaction over the economy and draw upon the connections he forged from the nearly constant grassroots campaigning he did after he unsuccessfully sought the nomination for the state's other senate seat two years ago. And he spent much of the campaign trying to link Hassan to Biden administration policies he said were hurting Americans.

In his concession speech, Bolduc urged his supporters to hold elected officials accountable.

"We have created a rumble. We have created an idea that government should not tread on its people and that career politicians must change," he said in Manchester. "We didn't win today, but imagine if we continue to come together, if we join hands, if we decide that they work for us and we don't work for them."

"If we can do this even in losing we will win," he said.

Hassan defeated Republican Sen. Kelly Ayotte in 2016 to become the second woman in American history to be elected both governor and U.S. senator, following fellow New Hampshire Democrat Jeanne Shaheen.

Original Article

Massachusetts' Healey Is 1st Lesbian Elected Governor in US (Newsmax)

STEVE LeBLANC Tuesday, 08 November 2022 10:39 PM EST

Democrat Attorney General Maura Healey has been elected governor of Massachusetts, making history as the nation's first openly lesbian governor.

Healey, the state's first woman and openly gay candidate elected to the office, defeated Republican Geoff Diehl, a former state representative who had the endorsement of former President Donald Trump.

Her election returns the governor's office to Democrats after eight years of Republican leadership under the popular Gov. Charlie Baker, who opted not to seek reelection.

Healey and her running mate, Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll, were among three all-female governor/lieutenant governor tickets in the U.S. that began Election Day with a chance to become the first such pairing elected to lead a state.

The Republican all-female ticket of Sarah Huckabee Sanders for governor and Leslie Rutledge for lieutenant governor won in Arkansas. In Ohio, the ticket of Democrat Nan Whaley and running mate Cheryl Stephens lost to Republican Gov. Mike DeWine.

Healey was also one of two openly lesbian candidates who ran to be a governor in the country. Healey and Democrat Tina Kotek, a candidate for governor in Oregon, each began the day with a chance to become the first open lesbian elected governor of a state.

Healey addressed supporters at a downtown Boston hotel after her victory Tuesday night.

"To those who voted for me and to those who didn't, I want you to know that I'll be a governor for everyone, and I'll work with anyone who's up for making a difference in this state," Healey said.

Healey also addressed the historic nature of her win.

"Tonight, I want to say something to every little girl and every young LGBTQ person out there. I hope tonight shows you that you can be whatever, whoever you want to be, and nothing and no one can ever get in your way except your own imagination, and that's not going to happen." Healey said.

"I stand before you tonight proud to be the first woman and the first gay person ever elected governor of Massachusetts," she added.

Healey — elected eight years ago as the nation's first openly gay attorney general — snapped what's become known in Massachusetts as the "curse of the attorney general." Since 1958, six former Massachusetts attorneys general have sought the governor's office. All failed.

During the campaign, Healey pledged to expand job training programs, make child care more affordable and modernize schools. Healey has also said she would protect "access to safe and legal abortion in Massachusetts" in the wake of the Supreme Court's decision overturning Roe v. Wade.

The 51-year-old has also checked off what she considers a series of accomplishments during her time as the state's top law enforcement officer, including protecting students and homeowners from predatory lenders and suing Exxon Mobil over whether the oil giant misled investors and the public about its knowledge of climate change.

Healey also targeted OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma and members of the Sackler family over allegations they deceived patients and doctors about the risks of opioids.

During the campaign, the Democrat warned Diehl would "bring Trumpism to Massachusetts." Diehl served as co-chair for former President Donald Trump's first presidential campaign in Massachusetts and won his endorsement for governor in a state that roundly rejected Trump in 2016 and 2020.

Although Healey is the first woman in Massachusetts elected governor, she's not the first to serve in the office. Republican Jane Swift, then lieutenant governor, became acting governor in 2001 when Gov. Paul Cellucci resigned to become ambassador to Canada. Swift was never elected governor.

Since 1991, Republicans had held the corner office at the Statehouse for all but eight years when Democrat Deval Patrick was governor.

Original Article

Maryland Legalizes Marijuana; 4 Other States Also Voting (AFP via Getty Images)

ANDREW DeMILLO Tuesday, 08 November 2022 10:24 PM EST

Voters in five states were deciding on Election Day whether to approve recreational marijuana, a move that could signal a major shift toward legalization in even the most conservative parts of the country.

The first result came in Maryland, where voters approved legalization, making it the 20th state to take that step. Measures also were on the ballot in Arkansas, Missouri, North Dakota and South Dakota.

They follow moves by President Joe Biden toward decriminalizing marijuana. Biden last month announced he was pardoning thousands of Americans convicted of simple possession of marijuana under federal law.

Advocates of the marijuana initiatives have said Biden's announcement may give a boost to their efforts.

Heading into the election, recreational marijuana was legal in 19 states, and polls have shown opposition to legalization softening. All of the states with recreational marijuana on the ballot, except for Maryland, voted for Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election.

The five states also currently have legal medical marijuana programs. That includes Arkansas, which in 2016 became the first Bible Belt state to approve medical marijuana. The state's dispensaries opened in 2019, and more than 91,000 patients have cards to legally buy marijuana for medical conditions.

The legalization campaigns have raised about $23 million in the five states, with the vast majority in Arkansas and Missouri. More than 85% of contributions in those two states have come from donors associated with companies holding medical marijuana licenses, according to an Associated Press analysis of the most recent campaign finance reports.

In Arkansas, supporters have been running upbeat ads touting the thousands of jobs they say will be created by the measure. Opponents have run more ominous spots, warning voters to “protect Arkansas from big marijuana.”

The initiative has drawn the criticism of traditional legalization opponents as well as some medical marijuana advocates, who say the Arkansas proposal places too many limits and would only benefit a handful of dispensaries. Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson, a former head of the federal Drug Enforcement Administration, has also opposed the measure.

Missouri's proposal would legalize recreational marijuana for adults 21 and older and expunge records of past arrests and convictions for nonviolent marijuana offenses, except for selling to minors or driving under the influence. Maryland's proposal will also make changes in criminal law and create automatic expungements of past marijuana possession convictions.

North Dakota's measure would allow people 21 and older to legally use marijuana at home as well as possess and cultivate restricted amounts of cannabis. It also would establish policies to regulate retail stores, cultivators and other types of marijuana businesses.

South Dakotans, including a sizable number of Republicans, voted to legalize marijuana possession in 2020, but that law was struck down by the state Supreme Court in part because the proposal was coupled with medical marijuana and hemp. This year, recreational pot is standing by itself as it goes before voters.

In Colorado, where recreational marijuana has been legal for nearly a decade, voters on Tuesday are taking up a proposal that would allow the use of certain psychedelic substances. If approved, it would make Colorado the second state to take such a step.

Melody Finley, a Republican in Little Rock, Arkansas, said she voted for the state's legalization measure because she thinks it can help some people for certain conditions.

“If you can buy alcohol, you can buy that, too," Finley, 47, a dance instructor, said.

But Rick Huffman, a voter in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, on Tuesday voted against that state's legalization proposal, two years after supporting recreational marijuana on South Dakota's ballot in 2020.

“I’ve got a kid that’s a teenager now,” he said. “So I think it’ll eventually happen, but maybe I’ll wait until my kids grow up.”

Jeff Borgrud, 68, a Democrat in Fargo, North Dakota, said he voted against that state's recreational marijuana proposal.

“I don’t see any use for marijuana use," Borgrud, a retiree and Navy veteran, said. “Maybe an occasional medical purpose but very limited."

Original Article

OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 2:22 PM PT – Tuesday, November 8, 2022

Ohio GOP Senate candidate J.D. Vance has casted his ballot in the Buckeye State.

With a Marine Corps Veteran running against a career politician, Ohio’s Senate race is shaping up to be one that could determine the majority in the upper chamber. J.D. Vance has branded himself as a Conservative and an outsider. He gained the endorsement of former President Donald J. Trump despite his past remarks against the president.

On Tuesday, Vance voted in Cincinnati and told reporters he believes he can win the Senate race against Democrat Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) if people get out there and vote.

The Trump-endorsed candidate has said his goal, if elected, is to bring back energy independence and restore America’s manufacturing base while focusing on America First policies. Vance has been vocal about inflation, saying the financial hardships Americans are facing have all been inflicted by spending in Washington.

“People just aren’t happy with the direction of the Biden administration,” Vance said. “They don’t want a rubber stamp for Joe Biden and Nancy Pelosi. They want an independent voice for the people of Ohio. And I think that the good thing about last night, at least one good thing about last night is that it really reinforced that we can take this country back. We just have to get people out there to vote.”

Original Article Oann

Trump-Backed Russell Fry Wins House Seat in South Carolina (Newsmax)

JAMES POLLARD Tuesday, 08 November 2022 10:11 PM EST

Russell Fry, a Republican who toppled five-term U.S. Rep Tom Rice in South Carolina's 7th House district with backing from former President Donald Trump, has won election to Congress.

Fry, a state representative, handily defeated Democrat challenger Daryl Scott in the general election. The incumbent Rice had become a focus of Trump's scorn for the congressman's impeachment vote after the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riots.

It marks the first time in 10 years that voters in the district will send a new elected official to Washington, D.C.

Original Article

Kemp Beats Abrams, Reelected Georgia Governor

Jack Gournell Tuesday, 08 November 2022 10:02 PM EST

Georgia Republican Gov. Brian Kemp defeated Democratic challenger Stacey Abrams, Newsmax projects in a rematch of the state’s last governor’s race.

Kemp clinched another term despite attacks from former President Donald Trump that threatened to snuff out support in his own party.

Abrams, a lawyer whose 2018 loss to Kemp helped launch her into Democratic stardom, was hoping to be the first Black woman to serve as a governor in the United States if she were to win. She sought to avenge a defeat that she acknowledged while refusing to use the word “concede,” saying Kemp abused his prior position as secretary of state to raise barriers to voting.

Kemp, 59, seemed on shaky ground among Republicans after the 2020 presidential election, when Trump blamed him for not doing enough to overturn President Joe Biden's narrow win in Georgia. Trump helped lure former U.S. Sen. David Perdue into a primary challenge to Kemp, whom he called a “complete and total failure”.

But Kemp motored away from Perdue during the GOP primary, winning nearly 74% of the vote. Kemp patiently explained his election actions to Republicans even as he used his office to sign conservative-pleasing bills loosening gun laws, cutting taxes and banning “divisive concepts” in schools.

While many incumbents are weakened by serious primary challenges, Kemp appeared to be strengthened. Trump's attacks gave Kemp credibility with the narrow margin of Georgia voters who are willing to consider voting for either party, a largely white, college educated and suburban demographic.

Newsmax staffer Jack Gournell contributed.

Original Article

Trump WH Staffer Max Miller Wins House Seat in Ohio (Newsmax)

JOHN SEEWER Tuesday, 08 November 2022 09:58 PM EST

Former Trump administration official Max Miller has won a House seat in Ohio in a victory bolstered by the ex-president's endorsement and the exits of two Republican congressmen.

Miller defeated Democrat Matthew Diemer and was a clear favorite after winning in the GOP primary. Miller served as both a campaign and White House aide to former President Donald Trump.

Miller initially launched his campaign to replace Rep. Anthony Gonzalez, R-Ohio, after Gonzalez voted to impeach Trump. But Gonzalez retired and so did Republican Bob Gibbs, clearing the way Miller.

Redrawn congressional maps eventually put Miller in a district with Republican Rep. Bob Gibbs, who suddenly decided to retire this year.

Original Article

Florida GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz Wins Reelection (Newsmax)

By Eric Mack | Tuesday, 08 November 2022 09:35 PM EST

Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., easily won reelection Tuesday night, Newsmax has projected, as Florida results showed strong Republican results behind Gov. Ron DeSantis and Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla.

Gaetz was endorsed by former President Donald Trump.

Original Article