Donald Trump Poll News

Over a dozen of President Biden’s campaign staffers, hired to re-elect the president, issued an anonymous letter Wednesday, protesting Biden’s approach to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.

In a letter shared on Medium, 17 current Biden for President staffers called for Biden to advocate for an immediate cease-fire in the war started by the Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas’ surprise attack on innocent Israelis.

“As your staff, we believe it is both a moral and electoral imperative for you to publicly call for a cessation of violence,” the staffers wrote in the letter.

The anonymous letter argued that the deaths of Palestinians “cannot be justified.”

BIDEN TAKES GROWING HEAT FROM DEMOCRAT ALLIES, FAR-LEFT ‘SQUAD’ ON ISRAEL DECISION

“Complicity in the death of over 20,000 Palestinians, 8,200 of whom are children, simply cannot be justified.”

The staffers said that Israel’s “indiscriminate” bombings in Gaza are “fundamentally antithetical” to Biden’s belief in justice, empathy and the dignity of human life.

“We joined this campaign because the values that you — and we — share are ones worth fighting for. Justice, empathy, and our belief in the dignity of human life is the backbone of not only the Democratic Party, but of the country,” the letter said. “However, your administration’s response to Israel’s indiscriminate bombing in Gaza has been fundamentally antithetical to those values — and we believe it could cost you the 2024 election.”

In addition to calling for an immediate cease-fire, the 17 individuals urged Biden’s administration to end unconditional military aid to Israel and advocated for a deescalation in the region, including the release of hostages.

MOST ISRAELIS OPPOSE US PUSH FOR ISRAEL TO SCALE BACK HAMAS WAR: POLL

The letter also urged the Democratic president to investigate whether Israel’s actions in Gaza violate the Leahy Law, which prohibits the U.S. military from funding foreign military forces implicated in gross violations of human rights.

The aides argued that a majority of Democrats support an end to Israel’s bombings in Gaza.

BIDEN OFFICIAL GETS HEATED IN CLASH WITH REPORTER WHO ASKS IF US HAS ESCALATED GAZA WAR WITH RED SEA PRESENCE

“Americans, especially young Americans, feel extraordinarily passionate about this issue. In fact, 72% of voters under 30 — a key Democratic voting bloc — disapprove of your handling of the conflict in Gaza,” the letter said.

The staffers argued that it is not “merely enough to be an alternative to Donald Trump,” but Biden needs to support a cease-fire.

“It is not enough to merely be the alternative to Donald Trump,” the letter said. “The campaign has to shift the feeling in the pits of voters’ stomachs, the same feeling that weighs on us every day as we fight for your reelection. The only way to do that is to call for a cease-fire.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Earlier in Dec, dozens of staffers protested their boss’s Israel policy.

“Ceasefire” was spelled out with lit candles in front of the protesters with a sign behind them reading, “President Biden, your staff demands a cease-fire.”

Former President Donald Trump asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday to put his name back on the Republican 2024 primary ballot in Colorado.

The appeal has been filed, but the case has not yet been officially docketed by the court. The next step would be for the high court to decide whether to expedite review, and whether to hear the case on the merits. 

The justices could vote privately in the next few days on whether to fast-track consideration.

Earlier this month, the Colorado Supreme Court, in a 4-3 vote, overturned a lower court ruling that allowed Trump to appear on the ballot as a presidential candidate. In their opinion, the justices on the state’s high court wrote that Trump “incited and encouraged” the use of violence to prevent the peaceful transfer of power on Jan. 6, 2021, when many of his followers stormed the U.S. Capitol.

GUNMAN ARRESTED AFTER BREACHING COLORADO SUPREME COURT, HOLDING GUARD AT GUNPOINT: COPS

In Wednesday’s filing, Trump’s lawyers urged the high court to reverse the Colorado Supreme Court ruling and “return the right to vote for their candidate of choice to the voters.”

The case is being appealed based on several arguments, including whether the president is among those officials subject to disqualification by Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, the so-called insurrection clause; and whether Section 3 is “self-executing,” meaning that it allows states to remove candidates from a ballot in the absence of any congressional action. 

Trump’s lawyers have said individual states don’t have the authority to enforce Section 3 and would cause confusion for voters. 

On Tuesday, Trump appealed the decision to remove him from Maine’s Republican primary ballot for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. That appeal heads to Maine’s Supreme Court. 

Several states have issued challenges to Trump’s eligibility to run for a second presidential term over his efforts to overturn President Biden’s 2020 presidential win. 

The U.S. Supreme Court has not said whether it will take on Trump’s case. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP 

Former Colorado state Rep. Dave Willaims, chair of the state Republican Party, called the effort to ban Trump from the ballot a “constitutional crisis.”

“The need for the United States Supreme Court to step in is paramount to protecting everyone’s right to vote for the candidate that they think is best,” Williams told Fox News Digital. “The more likely the Supreme Court waits to take up this case, the more likely you’re going to see other states like Maine follow Colorado’s lead and that’s something we shouldn’t tolerate.”

Former Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron has been hired to help lead a group pushing back against what it sees as “woke ideology” in the corporate sector, marking the Republican’s next chapter since losing his bid for governor in one of the nation’s most closely watched elections in 2023.

Cameron accepted the job as CEO of 1792 Exchange, a role that will include trying to thwart investing that considers environmental, social and governance factors. It was an issue Cameron dealt with as attorney general and frequently talked about during his unsuccessful attempt to unseat Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear, who notched a convincing victory for a second term last November.

Cameron, 38, who was pegged as a rising Republican star with ties to U.S. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell and former President Donald Trump, didn’t rule out another run for elected office but said he’s looking forward to delving into his new role in the meantime.

RUBY-RED KENTUCKY BEGINS NEW LEGISLATIVE SESSION WITH BUDGET TALKS, POLICY CLASHES ON HORIZON

“We will shine a bright light on those whose ideological agendas seek to dismantle American freedom and prosperity,” Cameron said in a news release. “We will stop investment management firms, elected officials and corporate interests from using other people’s money to advance their radical political agendas.”

The 1792 Exchange says its mission is to steer public companies to a neutral stance on divisive, ideological issues. In announcing Cameron’s hiring, its founder, Nathan Estruth, said: “I simply cannot imagine a more capable and qualified chief executive to help us safeguard free exercise, free speech and free enterprise.”

Cameron’s four-year term as Kentucky’s attorney general ended Monday when his successor, former federal prosecutor Russell Coleman, also a Republican, was sworn in. Cameron broke barriers as Kentucky’s first Black attorney general and the state’s first major-party Black nominee for governor.

Cameron, a staunch conservative, is a former legal counsel to McConnell and won Trump’s endorsement early in the crowded GOP primary for governor, navigating the feud between the GOP heavyweights.

DEMOCRAT ANDY BESHEAR WINS GOVERNOR RACE IN DEEP-RED KENTUCKY, A MAJOR BLOW TO REPUBLICAN HOPES AHEAD OF 2024

Cameron said Wednesday that his family will continue living in Kentucky. He and his wife, Makenze, are expecting their second child in the spring. They have a 2-year-old son.

He pointedly didn’t rule out another run for elected office at some point in the future.

“We’ll continue to be engaged and continue to work to make sure that this commonwealth and our country are the best possible version of themselves,” Cameron said in a phone interview.

Cameron’s term as attorney general was marked by a series of legal challenges against state and national Democratic policies. Known for his disciplined style, he didn’t offer any post-mortems Wednesday on his unsuccessful campaign for governor.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“We worked really hard and met a lot of people and had a lot of rewarding experiences, and certainly grateful to have served as the AG and then to have been the Republican nominee for governor in Kentucky,” he said in a phone interview. “Never in my wildest dreams growing up did I think that would occur in terms of a sequence of events in my life.”

Nearly 12 years ago, now-Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley wrote about how she renamed her husband, which resurfaced amid the Republican primary.

A senior politics correspondent for Vox took to social media on Wednesday and posted an excerpt from her 2012 book “Can’t Is Not an Option” in which Haley recounted how she modified how people refer to her now-husband, Michael Haley.

“You may be wondering how ‘Bill’ became South Carolina First Gentleman Michael Haley,” Haley wrote in her book. “After we started dating, I looked at him one day and said, ‘What’s your name?'” 

FIRST ON FOX: HALEY MORE THAN DOUBLES HER FUNDRAISING WITH A $24 MILLION HAUL THE PAST THREE MONTHS

“‘You know it’s Bill,’ he said, puzzled.”

“‘You just don’t look like a Bill. What’s your whole name?'”

“‘William Michael.'”

“From that point on, I started calling him Michael, and all my friends did the same. When he transferred to Clemson his sophomore year, my friends became his friends, and before we knew it, he was universally known as Michael. Everyone who knew him before I did knows him as Bill, and everyone who met him after I did knows him as Michael.”

“He looks like a Michael,” she wrote.

HALEY’S MOMENTUM IN THE REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL RACE APPEARS TO BE PAYING OFF

Haley’s ‘renaming’ of her husband appears to have been first reported in 2012 but is widely unknown today. The X post racked up over 1 million views.

Haley has experienced momentum in the polls in recent months on the heels of well-received performances in the first three GOP presidential primary debates. She leapfrogged Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for second place in New Hampshire, which holds the first primary and second overall contest in the Republican nominating calendar.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP 

She also aims to make a fight of it in Iowa, where the latest polls suggest she is pulling even with DeSantis for a distant second place behind Trump, who remains the front-runner in the GOP nomination race as he makes his third straight White House bid.

Haley’s campaign did not provide a comment.

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, leading a GOP delegation to the southern border on Wednesday, slammed what he said is a “truly unconscionable” migrant crisis at the southern border and blamed it on President Biden’s policies – as encounter numbers hit record levels and talks over supplemental funding have so far failed to produce an agreement.

Johnson led more than 60 Republicans to the southern border to assess the ongoing crisis, where migrant encounters hit a record 302,000 last month.

“One thing is absolutely clear: America is at breaking point with record levels of illegal immigration,” he said in a press conference.

BIDEN ADMIN EYES MORE DEPORTATION FLIGHTS TO VENEZUELA AS MIGRANT NUMBERS SHATTER RECORDS

“The situation here and across the country is truly unconscionable. We would describe it as both heartbreaking and infuriating,” he said.

Republicans were clear that they blamed the crisis on the policies of the administration, pointing to the rollback of Trump-era policies like the Remain-in-Mexico policy and a greater number of releases of migrants into the interior, both under Notices to Appear and through the “expanded lawful pathways” set up by the administration.

“Rather than incentivizing people to come, the president needs to deter people from coming. Rather than discussing amnesty with Mexico…this administration should reinstate the Remain-in-Mexico policy,” he said.

“This is an unmitigated disaster, a catastrophe and what’s more tragic is it’s a disaster of the president’s own design,” he said, accusing the president of putting out a “welcome mat” for illegal immigrants.

The border trip comes not only amid high numbers but amid ongoing negotiations in Washington over the White House’s border supplemental request. The administration has requested $14 billion for border funding as part of the $100 billion+ package which includes money for Ukraine and Israel.

HOUSE HOMELAND SECURITY COMMITTEE SETS FIRST MAYORKAS IMPEACHMENT HEARING

Republicans in both chambers have said the package does not include enough limits on asylum and the use of humanitarian parole, and negotiators in the Senate have been trying to find a way to come to an agreement with the administration.

But Republicans in the House have gone a step further and want the entirety of the House Republican border bill, passed last year, to be included. That includes money for more Border Patrol agents, the restarting of wall construction and significant limits on the release of migrants into the interior. Johnson said the bill, H.R. 2, is the “necessary ingredient.”

“Because it has provisions that fix each of these problems and these things work together,” he said.

ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT POPULATION SOARS UNDER BIDEN: GOVERNMENT DATA

However, Democrats in the Senate have ruled out H.R. 2 and similar proposals as a non-starter. Even some reported concessions by the Biden administration, including the establishment of a Title 42-style removal authority, have been met with anger from some liberal Democrats.

The Biden administration, meanwhile, sought to pin some of the blame on Republicans for failing to agree to the funding request as it is. 

“We have House Republicans that are literally blocking the president’s effort to do something. That’s what they’re doing. They’re playing political games. They’re doing political stunts,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Wednesday.

LIBERAL MAYORS PUSH BIDEN FOR EMERGENCY DECLARATION, ADDITIONAL FUNDING TO DEAL WITH MIGRANT CRISIS

“Speaker Johnson is continuing to block President Biden’s proposed funding to hire thousands of new Border Patrol agents, hire more asylum officers and immigration judges, provide local communities hosting migrants additional grant funding, and invest in cutting edge technology that is critical to stopping deadly fentanyl from entering our country,” spokesperson Andrew Bates said earlier Wednesday.

The Biden administration has said it is pursuing a policy of expanding lawful pathways for migration while increasing “consequences” for illegal entry — pointing to what it says are over 460,000 returns of illegal immigrants since Title 42 ended in May, more removals than in all of FY 19. 

But it says it needs comprehensive immigration reform to fix what it says is a broken system. The administration unveiled a bill in January 2021, but it has been rejected by Republicans due to its inclusion of a pathway to citizenship for millions of illegal immigrants already in the U.S.

While the two approaches appear to clash, the administration said Tuesday evening that there has been progress in talks.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“Our negotiations with the Senate continued over the holidays, and we continue to be encouraged by the progress being made. And while we are not there yet, we believe we are moving in the right direction,” a senior administration official told reporters.

On Wednesday, however, Johnson said that after the trip Republicans were more resolved to “stand for sanity.”

“If President Biden wants a supplemental spending bill focused on national security, it’d better begin by focusing on America’s national security,” he said.

Former Rep. George Santos, R-NY, has a new career path in mind, hoping to head Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in 2025 under a re-elected President Donald Trump — arguing that the agency has had its hands tied “for far too long.”

Santos, was elected to the House in 2022 but was expelled from Congress late last year because of charges he faces related to allegations of defrauding campaign contributors and misusing campaign funds. He is currently in talks with prosecutors to reach a plea deal.

But the former congressman already has one eye on the future and in a post on X, formerly Twitter, said his New Year’s resolution is “that President Trump returns to the white house and in 2025 I can be appointed Director of ICE.

TRUMP SAYS HE WILL CARRY OUT THE ‘LARGEST DEPORTATION OPERATION IN AMERICAN HISTORY’ IF ELECTED 

He said it’s time to “reclaim our country” and took aim at what he called “nonsense” numbers being pushed by the media.

“We have over 50M+ people who have invaded our sovereignty over the years due to careless and neglectful immigration policy, if given the job I know exactly where to start and run the much needed raids of removals proceedings this country needs,” he said.

Estimates typically put the number of illegal immigrants in the country between 11 and 20 million. Meanwhile there are approximately six million people on ICE’s non-detained docket. FY 23, meanwhile, saw approximately 2.4 million encounters at the southern border — a new record.

Trump has promised to launch a mass deportation operation if re-elected to the White House, in contrast to the narrowing of enforcement seen under the Biden administration.

ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT POPULATION SOARS UNDER BIDEN: GOVERNMENT DATA

“Following the Eisenhower Model, we will carry out the largest domestic deportation operation in American history,” Trump said in September.

That message is something that Santos says he can get behind.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“ICE has had their hands tied for far too long with the sole exception of the great four years of DJT,” he said. “The time is now and that’s why I’m putting my name in the mix for a role that will take grit and a fearless person and not a coward that will fear media spin.”

A recent ICE report found that the number of illegal immigrants being deported has increased but it is still a fraction of the increase in the illegal immigrant population. There were 142,580 removals in FY 23, up considerably from 72,177 in FY 22 and 59,011 in FY 21, but still down from the highs of 267,258 under the Trump administration in FY 19. ICE noted that the 142,580 removals were in addition to over 60,000 Title 42 expulsions in FY 23 at the border, some of whom it said would have otherwise been subject to deportation.

 

Welcome to Fox News’ Politics newsletter with the latest political news from Washington D.C. and updates from the 2024 campaign trail. 

Subscribe now to get Fox News Politics newsletter in your inbox.

What’s Happening? 

– Federal court expected to begin releasing names of Epstein associates as early as today

– Biden gets torched by allies over Israel funding

– NYC Mayor admits migrants bring crime

Court victories

A federal judge on Tuesday dismissed most of the civil counts against former President Donald Trump and two others in connection with the death of Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick during the U.S. Capitol riots on Jan. 6.

In a 12-page ruling, U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta dismissed three of the five civil counts in a lawsuit filed last January by Sandra Garza, Sicknick’s girlfriend.

The lawsuit sought damages from all three men for claims of wrongful death, conspiracy to violate civil rights, and negligence per se based on D.C.’s anti-riot law.

White House

BORDER BATTLE: Biden admin wants more deportation flights as crisis breaks records …Read more

ACT QUICKLY: Massachusetts federal lawmakers call on Biden to remove Cuba from list of countries protecting terrorists …Read more

BLUE FLAME: Biden torched by Dem allies, far-left ‘Squad’ over Israel funding decision …Read more

Tales from the Campaign Trail

TOWN HALL TIME: Fox News announces town halls with Haley, DeSantis ahead of Iowa vote …Read more

FIELD TRIP: South Carolina sent students to summer camp in communist China on Nikki Haley’s watch …Read more

‘VOTER SUPPRESSION’: Maine Democrat who barred Trump from ballot said voter ID laws were ‘rooted in White supremacy’ …Read more

MAJOR FUNDRAISING HAUL: Haley more than doubles her fundraising with a $24 million haul …Read more

‘WRONGFULLY VILLAINIZED’: Ramaswamy welcomes endorsement from controversial former GOP rep …Read more

‘GONE TO HELL’: Sen Cotton endorses Trump for president to get country ‘back on track’ …Read more

‘BE THE HERO’: GOP governor says Chris Christie has the chance to help Haley beat Trump in early primary …Read more

Capitol Hill

‘TERRIFYING’ TACTIC: Marjorie Taylor Greene describes swatting of her home, says daughters also targeted …Read more

BETTER LATE THAN NEVER: Blackburn cheers Harvard president’s resignation, says it should have happened sooner …Read more

‘IMMORAL WAR’: Sen. Sanders calls for US to end funding of Israeli PM Netanyahu’s ‘immoral’ war …Read more

CLOSING RANKS: House Republican leaders close ranks around Trump as Iowa caucus looms …Read more

IT’S A DATE: First Mayorkas impeachment hearing set by House committee …Read more

Across America

‘ROBBERY PATTERN’: NYC Mayor admits migrants are committing crimes … Read more

MEDIA MELTDOWN: Associated Press mocked after calling plagiarism a ‘conservative weapon’ against academics …Read more

REJECTED: Liberal city’s gas ban dealt fatal blow by federal court …Read more

EMPOWERING ‘LEFTIST ACTIVISTS’: Free-market advocates warn about Biden admin’s ‘digital discrimination’ rules …Read more

‘DEEPLY CONCERNING’: Two CCP-linked groups hold NYC New Year’s events, Dem lawmakers attend …Read more

OVERSTEPPING: Texas emergency rooms not bound by Biden admins guidance on emergency abortion, federal court rules …Read more

2A FIGHT: Colorado gun group sues state over ‘ghost gun’ ban …Read more

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.

• A judge ruled that conservative group True the Vote did not violate the Voting Rights Act in challenging the eligibility of over 360,000 Georgia voters before a 2021 runoff election for two U.S. Senate seats.
• U.S. District Judge Steve Jones issued a 145-page decision in favor of True the Vote, stating that the evidence did not show voter intimidation.
• Despite the ruling, Jones expressed concerns about the reliability of the group’s list of challenged voters, stating it “utterly lacked reliability.”

A conservative group did not violate the Voting Rights Act when it announced it was challenging the eligibility of more than 360,000 Georgia voters just before a 2021 runoff election for two pivotal U.S. Senate seats, a judge ruled Tuesday. But he expressed concerns about the group’s methods.

U.S. District Judge Steve Jones issued a 145-page decision in favor of Texas-based nonprofit True the Vote. Fair Fight, a group founded by former Democratic Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, had sued True the Vote and several individuals, alleging that their actions violated a section of the 1965 Voting Rights Act that prohibits voter intimidation.

The evidence presented at trial did not show that the actions of True the Vote “caused (or attempted to cause) any voter to be intimidated, coerced, or threatened in voting,” Jones concluded. But he wrote that the list of voters to be challenged compiled by the group “utterly lacked reliability” and “verges on recklessness.”

GEORGIA LAWMAKER APPOINTED TO JUDGESHIP, TRIGGERING SPECIAL ELECTION FOR HOUSE SEAT

“The Court has heard no testimony and seen no evidence of any significant quality control efforts, or any expertise guiding the data process,” he wrote.

In the weeks after the November 2020 general election, then-President Donald Trump and his supporters were promoting false claims of widespread voter fraud that had cost him the election. In Georgia, two U.S. Senate races that would ultimately decide control of the Senate were headed for an early January runoff election.

True the Vote announced the voter challenges just after early in-person voting began for that runoff. The group said it had good reason to believe the voters no longer lived in the districts where they were registered and were ineligible to vote there.

BLACK VOTERS IN GEORGIA ‘DISAPPOINTED’ BY BIDEN: ‘IT MAKES ME WONDER WHY I VOTE’

Georgia election officials rejected only a few dozen ballots cast in the runoff, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. The two Democratic challengers went on to beat the Republican incumbents by ten of thousands of votes, securing control of the Senate for their party.

Jones wrote that to succeed in proving a violation of the Voting Rights Act, Fair Fight and the individual voters who sued along with it would have had to show that True the Vote’s actions caused or could have caused someone to be “intimidated, threatened, or coerced” from voting or trying to vote.

Fair Fight’s arguments “suggest that any mass challenge of voters near an election (especially if negligently or recklessly made) constitutes intimidation or an attempt to intimidate,” Jones wrote, adding that he disagreed. He noted that county election boards ultimately decide whether someone is eligible once a challenge is filed. The law doesn’t limit the number of voter challenges or their proximity to an election, he wrote.

“In making this conclusion, the Court, in no way, is condoning TTV’s actions in facilitating a mass number of seemingly frivolous challenges,” Jones wrote in a footnote. “The Court, however, cannot under the operative legal framework say that these actions were contrary to Georgia law (which is unchallenged by Plaintiffs).”

Fair Fight had argued that public statements True the Vote made about the challenges amounted to voter intimidation. But Jones disagreed, pointing out that the statements were not aimed at any particular voter and none of the challenged voters who testified said they had seen the statements.

GEORGIA GOV. KEMP ANNOUNCES $1K YEAR-END BONUS FOR TEACHERS, STATE EMPLOYEES: ‘WHOLLY APPROPRIATE’

True the Vote President Catherine Engelbrecht celebrated the ruling, saying in an emailed statement that it “sends a clear message to those who would attempt to control the course of our nation through lawfare and intimidation.”

Fair Fight Executive Director Cianti Stewart-Reid expressed disappointment, saying in an emailed statement that in the past two years other groups have drawn “from True the Vote’s anti-voter playbook to launch their own mass voter challenge efforts that continue to this day.” She vowed that Fair Fight would continue to push back against the challenges.

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. has officially met the requirements to appear on his first 2024 presidential election ballot.

According to election officials in Utah, Kennedy met the 1,000-signature requirement to appear on the state’s general election ballot well before the March 5 deadline, and once he files as a candidate, will be included.

The positive news for Kennedy is a sign his campaign isn’t slowing down as the country enters the presidential election year, something that could further complicate the race for President Biden and former President Trump as polls show a likely 2020 rematch.

BIDEN CONTINUES BLEEDING SUPPORT FROM KEY VOTER GROUPS AS DEMS SOUND ALARM OVER 2024: POLL

Kennedy first launched a campaign for the Democrat presidential nomination in April, but became an independent candidate in October after the Democratic National Committee refused to hold any primary debates.

Recent polls have shown sizable support for Kennedy that draws from voters who would otherwise back Biden or Trump, including in a Fox News poll released ahead of Christmas.

That poll found 41% support for Trump, compared to 37% for Biden and 14% for Kennedy. Independent candidate Cornel West and Green Party candidate Jill Stein received 2% and 3%, respectively.

MAINE DEMOCRAT WHO BARRED TRUMP FROM BALLOT SAID VOTER ID LAWS ‘ROOTED IN WHITE SUPREMACY’

Another poll released just days earlier found Kennedy actually playing the role of spoiler for Biden’s hopes at winning a second term. His inclusion in the poll grew Trump’s lead over Biden from 2% to 5%, while garnering 16% support himself.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP 

Ballot access requirements vary from state to state, but Kennedy’s allies have vowed to spend millions to ensure he appears on as many state ballots as possible.

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

• In 2024, Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro faces challenges in his second year leading Pennsylvania.
• Shapiro is pressured to address a court ruling declaring Pennsylvania’s public school funding system unconstitutional.
• His administration must also oversee a presidential election.

In 2024, Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro could face a more complicated sophomore year in charge of Pennsylvania after his first year brought a highway collapse, a budget stalemate and friction with allies and adversaries as he navigated the battleground state’s political divides.

He is under pressure to respond to a court ruling that Pennsylvania’s system of public school funding unconstitutionally discriminates against poorer districts.

His administration must also oversee a presidential election that, four years ago, was marred by a barrage of right-wing conspiracy theories, Donald Trump-allied efforts in court to overturn it and threats against election administrators.

PA GOV. SHAPIRO SIGNS OFF ON BILL EXPANDING DISCLOSURE REQUIREMENTS FOR STATE-FUNDED UNIVERSITIES

And Shapiro, viewed nationally as a rising political star, must navigate the nation’s only politically divided legislature in which allies and adversaries alike are wary of him.

In his first year in office, Shapiro showed himself to be a low-key operator who took a hands-off approach in the statehouse and attempted to avoid political fights he might not win.

He often emphasized the need to gain approval from both the Democratic-controlled House and the Republican-controlled Senate, and focused more on what his administration accomplished — what he called a “get stuff done” administration — rather than farther-reaching agenda items that are stuck in partisan stalemate.

In 2024, Shapiro will have little runway to show how he’ll handle calls from public school advocates to propose billions of new dollars for the poorest public schools.

DEM GOVERNOR CALLS OUT PENN PRESIDENT COMMENTS ON ANTISEMITISM: ‘FAILED LEADERSHIP’

“I’m very mindful of the Commonwealth Court decision and that we need to have more equity in our system. I’m also very mindful that someone has to pay for that,” Shapiro told The Associated Press in a recent interview in his office.

A compromise deal may require Democrats to accept something they just defeated: a new $100 million taxpayer-paid voucher program to subsidize tuition at private and religious schools.

Republican lawmakers are wary of ramping up public-school spending by billions of dollars. But they are in step with Shapiro in pushing for a voucher program — a position that made Shapiro unique among Democratic governors in the U.S.

In the fall, Shapiro’s administration will be nationally watched for how it runs the presidential election, when Pennsylvania is yet again expected to be pivotal to the White House stakes.

The state remains in Trump’s crosshairs after he and Republican allies tried to overturn Biden’s 2020 victory there and Trump declared that ” bad things ” happen in Philadelphia.

Last month in Iowa, Trump told supporters to “guard the vote” and to “go into” Detroit, Philadelphia and Atlanta to “watch those votes when they come in.”

Shapiro — who as attorney general played a central role in defending Pennsylvania’s 2020 election against Republican efforts in court to overturn it — said administration officials have been meeting for months.

They are preparing on legal, law enforcement and election administration fronts “to administer an election that everyone, regardless of your choice of candidate, can have faith in,” Shapiro told AP. “That is one of our most serious responsibilities.”

The election is likely to be close.

Complicating it is a state law that prohibits counties from processing mail-in ballots before Election Day — raising the specter of another drawn-out count in Pennsylvania like the one in 2020 that gave a window to Trump-inspired conspiracy theories and false claims.

Nearly every other state allows mail-in ballots to be processed before Election Day. In Pennsylvania, Republican lawmakers have refused to allow it without attaching other election-related changes that Democrats oppose.

For his part, Shapiro’s administration ably responded to the collapse of a critical section of Interstate 95 in Philadelphia and the derailment of tanker cars carrying toxic chemicals just over the Ohio-Pennsylvania state border.

Still, getting deals in the statehouse wasn’t necessarily Shapiro’s strong suit.

A budget deal Shapiro struck with Republican lawmakers ran into solid opposition from Democrats. Shapiro then angered Republicans when he backed off it, precipitating a stalemate over spending that normally gets done in June.

Lawmakers and Shapiro last month wrapped up the last loose ends by greatly expanding subsidies for child care and private schools, among other things.

But Shapiro’s hands-off approach in the statehouse drew complaints from both sides. Shapiro chalks up such complaints to finger-pointing over partisan food fights.

“I don’t run the Legislature, right?” Shapiro told reporters at a news conference last month. “I mean, we are separate branches of this government. … Our Legislature has to figure out how to show up to work and then they’ve got to figure out how to work together.”

DEM PENNSYLVANIA GOV. SHAPIRO BLASTED OVER HANDLING OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT ALLEGATIONS

He will enter 2024 as the only governor in the U.S. with a politically divided Legislature after a Democratic victory in Virginia’s House.

Even so, for Shapiro, it may be a benefit: House Democrats block Republican bills that Shapiro might otherwise veto, while Senate Republicans block Democratic bills that are too progressive for Shapiro’s political instincts.

Shapiro brushes off that suggestion.

“I’m kind of dealing with the cards I’ve been dealt,” Shapiro told the AP. “I’ve just really focused on finding those areas where I can find common ground between the two leaders, right, in the Senate and the House, and see where we can find those points of intersection that allow me to put something forward that we can accomplish.”

Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., the No. 3 House Republican, is backing former President Trump to take back the White House in 2024.

Trump is now heading into the Jan. 15 Iowa caucus with the support of every senior House GOP leader.

“Democrats have made clear they will use every tool in their arsenal to try and keep Joe Biden and his failed policies in power,” Emmer said in a statement on Wednesday. “We cannot let them.”

He added, “It’s time for Republicans to unite behind our party’s clear frontrunner, which is why I am proud to endorse Donald J. Trump for President.”

FOX NEWS TO HOST TOWNHALL WITH TRUMP IN IOWA NEXT WEEK

Emmer released another statement later Wednesday morning leading Minnesota’s GOP House delegation which, in addition to him, includes Reps. Michelle Fischbach and Pete Stauber, in endorsing Trump.

It comes a day after House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., also threw his support behind Trump.

BIDEN’S HOMETOWN REVEALS HOW IT REALLY FEELS ABOUT ‘BIDENOMICS’

House GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., was among the first majority GOP figures to endorse the former president, announcing her decision in November 2022.

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., endorsed Trump in November of last year. 

The House Republican leadership’s unity around Trump is the latest sign of his continued reign over the GOP. 

Trump has dominated every major 2024 Republican primary poll so far, and in recent months has narrowly overtaken President Biden in some surveys of the upcoming general election.

MAINE DEMOCRAT WHO BARRED TRUMP FROM BALLOT MET WITH BIDEN TWICE, CALLED ELECTORAL COLLEGE ‘WHITE SUPREMACY’

A Fox News poll released Dec. 17 showed Trump with 69% support in the primary race, up 7% from November. 

Emmer’s endorsement is also significant given he has had a rockier public relationship with Trump than other House Republican leaders.

Trump and his allies led the charge in derailing Emmer’s bid for House Speaker in October. Trump publicly attacked Emmer as a “RINO” among other accusations on his Truth Social platform.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Emmer was among the Republicans who voted to certify the 2020 election results, while 147 of his GOP colleagues in the House and Senate did not. 

Trump did, however, endorse Emmer for re-election in 2022, when Emmer was chairman of House Republicans’ campaign arm. He praised Emmer as an “outstanding” representative who was “working hard” on GOP policy goals in a post on Truth Social.

EXCLUSIVE: Sen. Tom Cotton has endorsed former President Trump’s bid for the 2024 GOP nomination, telling Fox News Digital he looks forward to “working with him to win back the White House and the Senate” and to getting the country “back on track.”

“When Donald Trump was president, America was safe, strong, and prosperous,” Cotton, R-Ark., told Fox News Digital. “With Joe Biden as president, everything has gone to hell: families can’t afford groceries, our border is wide one to a full-blown invasion, and our enemies are starting wars everywhere.”

TRUMP PICKS UP MORE SENATE GOP ENDORSEMENTS

“I endorse President Trump and I look forward to working with him to win back the White House and the Senate so we can help hardworking Arkansans suffering from Joe Biden’s disastrous policies.”

Cotton added, “It’s time to get our country back on track.”

Cotton and the former president worked together on immigration policy and securing the border during the Trump administration.

SEN MARSHALL ENDORSES TRUMP FOR PRESIDENT, CALLS FOR END TO ‘POLITICAL PRIMARY CHARADE’

In 2017, Trump championed legislation introduced by Cotton and then-Sen. David Perdue that called for a merit-based system that would significantly overhaul legal immigration in the United States by reducing the number of green cards issued from 1 million to 500,000 a year.

The bill — the Reforming American Immigration for a Strong Economy (RAISE) Act — worked to prioritize immigrants based on the skills they bring to the United States while also safeguarding the jobs of American workers.

The bill did not pass, but it was unveiled in a high-profile ceremony at the White House.

A source close to Cotton told Fox News Digital that the senator hopes to work with Trump on immigration reform in a possible second term.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Cotton’s endorsement of Trump comes as GOP senators rally around the 2024 Republican front-runner.

Cotton joins nearly two dozen GOP senators in endorsing Trump, including Sens. JD Vance of Ohio, Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Rick Scott of Florida, Josh Hawley and Eric Schmitt of Missouri, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, and more.

EXCLUSIVE – Nikki Haley’s Republican presidential campaign says they brought in $24 million during the October-December fourth quarter of fundraising, in another sign of the Republican presidential candidate’s momentum in recent months.

The haul, shared first with Fox News on Wednesday, is more than double the $11 million raised in the third quarter and more than triple the $7.3 million brought in during the second quarter by the former two-term South Carolina governor who later served as ambassador to the United Nations in former President Donald Trump’s administration.

With less than two weeks to go until the Jan. 15 Iowa caucuses kick off the 2024 GOP presidential nominating calendar, the Haley campaign touted that they had $14.5 million cash on hand in their coffers as of the beginning of the new year.

Haley’s team, showcasing their grassroots appeal, noted that it has received contributions in the past three months across their three campaign committees from 180,000 donors, including 83,900 new contributors, which they said were “nearly the same number of unique donors in all the previous quarters combined.”

HALEY’S MOMENTUM IN THE REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL RACE APPEARS TO BE PAYING OFF

And they touted that $16.25 million of the fourth quarter fundraising haul came from digital and mail grassroots efforts.

“This is a two-person race between Nikki Haley and Donald Trump,” Haley campaign manager Betsy Ankney emphasized in a statement.

And Ankney claimed that “Nikki is the only Trump alternative with the voter support, the operation, and the resources to go the distance. Our momentum continues to build as we head into 2024.”

GOP NOMINATION RACE: WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES FOR DONALD TRUMP

Haley’s campaign didn’t provide a breakdown of money raised for the Republican primaries versus fundraising for the general election.

Haley has enjoyed momentum in the polls in recent months, thanks in part to well-received performances in the first three GOP presidential primary debates. She leapfrogged Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for second place in New Hampshire, which holds the first primary and second overall contest in the Republican nominating calendar.

She also aims to make a fight of it in Iowa, where the latest polls suggest she is pulling even with DeSantis for a distant second place behind Trump, who remains the far and away front-runner in the GOP nomination race as he makes his third straight White House bid.

HALEY AND DESANTIS TURN UP THE VOLUME ON EACH OTHER

Haley appears to be the first of the major Republican presidential contenders to showcase their fourth quarter figures. The candidates have until Jan. 15 to file their fundraising reports with the Federal Election Commission.

Trump hauled in a whopping $45.5 million during the third quarter across his multiple fundraising committees, with over $37.5 million in his campaign coffers as of the end of September.

DeSantis brought in $15 million in the third quarter, down from his $20 million haul the previous three months.

Haley has run a frugal campaign since declaring her candidacy in February of last year. But in recent weeks she’s added campaign staff and along with an aligned super PAC has launched a major ad blitz in both Iowa and New Hampshire.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP 

“First of all the accountant in me saved cash this whole time through, and it’s just that we’re spending it smart and right now it’s go time,” Haley said Tuesday in an interview with Fox News Digital ahead of a town hall in Rye, New Hampshire. 

Haley emphasized that “we’re less than two weeks out from Iowa, three weeks from New Hampshire, and we’re hitting it hard. We’re getting our message out. We’re shaking every hand, we’re answering every question. We’re rallying and the momentum on the ground is real. We feel it. It’s strong. People want something different. They’re ready.”

But Haley hit a road bump last week, with an unforced gaffe as she neglected to mention slavery when answering a question at a town hall in New Hampshire on the causes of the Civil War. 

Haley’s comments, and her clean-up attempts over the next two days, stirred controversy as they grabbed plenty of national attention.

Haley once again acknowledged in her Fox News interview that “I should have said slavery right off the bat. I was overthinking it…and I should have stated the obvious and we tried to clear that up.”

“I think we’re moving on,” she added. “But nobody on the ground is talking about it.”

And pointing to the media, she said “you guys have enjoyed talking about it, but nobody else is talking about it.”

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

FIRST ON FOX: During former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley’s tenure as South Carolina governor, the state partnered with a group led by the Chinese communist government to send more than a dozen students to a Beijing summer camp.

“The South Carolina Department of Education is pleased to partner with the Beijing International Education Exchange (BIEE),” a March 2015 memorandum on the state’s education department website reads. “The international division of the Beijing Municipal Education Commission is delighted to announce that invitations will be extended to 20 secondary school students from across South Carolina to attend the 5th Beijing International Student Summer Camp this year.”

“On behalf of BIEE, we invite all high schools in South Carolina to recommend 20 secondary students, between the ages of 14 to 18, to participate in the program. The camp will take place from July 14 – 23, 2015 in Beijing.”

GOP DEBATE: DESANTIS AND HALEY CLASH ON LURING CHINESE COMPANIES TO THEIR STATES, BUT WHAT’S TRUE?

A review found that the Beijing Municipal Education Commission is under the “the centralized leadership of the Education Committee of Beijing Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China” and “implements the guidelines, policies, decisions and arrangements of the CPC Central Committee,” according to the government of Beijing. 

When the CCP’s National Party Congress is out of session, the “Central Committee carries out the resolutions of the National Party Congress, leads all the work of the CPC, and represents the CPC to the rest of the world,” according to a Chinese embassy’s website.

The memorandum describes the trip as an “amazing opportunity” for the students and that the cost of “accommodations, meals, local transportation, tuition, and local activities in China” is “fully covered by BIEE.”

The trip cost the 20 students, who were accompanied by two chaperons, a total of $2,200 each to pay for their airfare and international visa.

Haley’s relationship with China during her time as governor of the Palmetto State has been an issue her Republican opponents have highlighted, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who said in October that Haley “rolled out the red carpet” for the CCP.

DeSantis also called out Haley during a GOP presidential debate for working to recruit a Chinese-owned company to South Carolina while she was governor and giving a warm speech about the company while standing next to a Chinese flag.

CHINA TELLS TAIWAN TO VOTE ON ‘RIGHT SIDE OF HISTORY’ IN ELECTION THAT COULD DETERMINE CROSS-STRAIT RELATIONS

When serving as governor of South Carolina in 2014, Haley said she considered China “a friend” and that she appreciated the “strong relationship” between South Carolina and China.

In a letter sent to then-Chinese Ambassador Cui Tiankai on Dec. 30, 2014, Haley thanked a Chinese diplomat for congratulating her on her reelection and said she was “grateful” for China’s “contributions on the economic front.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Haley told Fox News Digital in November that China won’t “threaten or intimidate” American businesses if she is elected to the White House in 2024.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Haley campaign for comment, but did not receive a response.

A spokesperson for the South Carolina Department of Education told Fox News Digital that the summer camp program “expired several years ago.”

Haley is currently polling at 16.1% in Iowa with about two weeks before the Iowa Caucus, which puts her in third place behind former President Trump at 51.3% and DeSantis at 18.6%.

Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser and Brianna Herlihy contributed to this report.

The Maine official who moved to disqualify former President Trump from the state’s 2024 Republican primary ballot last week has previously said that voter ID laws are “rooted in White supremacy.”

Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows made the claim while giving testimony to the legislature in April 2021, expressing her opposition to proposed state laws that would require voters to show photo identification to cast a ballot.

“Passing these bills would mean putting into statute discriminatory practices rooted in White supremacy,” Bellows said during her testimony. “Today, voter ID laws are the new means of voter suppression.”

BIDEN CONTINUES BLEEDING SUPPORT FROM KEY VOTER GROUPS AS DEMS SOUND ALARM OVER 2024: POLL

“These bills would not only negatively impact people of color but also the elderly, transient, people with disabilities, students and low-income communities. In order to make our democracy as representative as possible, we cannot enact practices that would shut out certain members of society,” she added.

Bellows’ opposition to the proposed laws, which did not pass, came as Democrats in a number of states opposed largely Republican-led efforts to pass laws aimed at ensuring election integrity in the wake of the 2020 presidential election, most notably in Georgia, where some dubbed a similar bill “Jim Crow 2.0.”

It also surfaced last week that Bellows, who represented Maine’s 14th District in the state Senate for roughly four years and has served as the secretary of state since 2021, previously referred to the Electoral College as a “relic of white supremacy.”

MAINE GOP STATE LAWMAKER MOVES TO IMPEACH STATE SECRETARY OVER TRUMP BALLOT REMOVAL

Shortly after taking office, Bellows penned an op-ed for a progressive platform known as the Democracy Docket. In her piece titled “Voting Rights for Our Neighbors Matter As Much as Our Own,” she touted her efforts to make “voting more accessible” and said she sought the position of secretary of state because she “was truly frightened for our democracy” after the 2020 presidential election.

She took aim at the Electoral College in her column, calling it “the relic of white supremacy” that prevents voters from being represented fairly.

In her ruling to disqualify Trump from the state’s 2024 ballot, Bellows cited Section 3 of the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution that bars people who have “engaged in insurrection” from running for elected office without two-thirds congressional approval.

HOUSE DEMOCRAT FROM MAINE RIPS STATE’S DECISION TO TAKE TRUMP OFF BALLOT

The clause was originally meant to bar former Confederate soldiers and officers from holding positions in the U.S. government or military.

It was also referenced by Colorado’s highest court in a 4-3 ruling last month to bar Trump from that state’s primary ballot, a decision challenged by the Colorado GOP, setting up a battle before the U.S. Supreme Court.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Fox News Digital has reached out to Bellows’ office for comment.

EXCLUSIVE – South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, on the eve of heading to neighboring Iowa to campaign on behalf of her friend and ally Donald Trump, says that former president is “the only person who can right the ship.”

And Noem, when asked about potentially serving as Trump’s 2024 running mate if the commanding GOP primary front-runner wins the nomination, noted that she and the former president “work really well together” and that they’ll “talk about that when it’s time to make a decision on that.”

The two-term conservative governor of South Dakota made her comments Tuesday in an exclusive national interview with Fox News Digital ahead of her trip to Sioux City.

That’s where Noem will headline a campaign event Wednesday night on behalf of Trump with less than two weeks to go until Iowa’s Jan. 15 caucuses kick off the GOP presidential nominating calendar. Noem’s team says that over 2,100 people have RSVP’d for the event.

GOP NOMINATION RACE: WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES FOR DONALD TRUMP

Noem, who endorsed Trump as the two teamed up at a large rally in Rapid City, South Dakota, in early September, said, “I’ve always kind of felt like the people in Iowa were my people too, because we all have the same values and background and Midwest culture.”

She said that “the Trump campaign asked if I’d be interested in going there and doing a couple of events right before the caucuses and we said absolutely. We’d love to go there and share our story about why we need President Trump back in the White House.”

“The best gift I was given as governor was that he let me do my job when he was in the White House. He helped me solve problems during COVID. He let me make the best decisions for my people,” Noem emphasized.

FOX NEWS TO HOST TOWNHALL WITH TRUMP IN IOWA NEXT WEEK

And taking aim at President Biden, who defeated Trump in the 2020 election, Noem stressed, “I feel like I get up every day now, and I’m on defense.”

Sources in Noem’s political orbit tell Fox News that part of her schedule on Wednesday is for the governor to meet with commitment to caucus people, but it also includes talking to officials who’ve endorsed Trump rivals with the possibility that a meeting with Noem may change their allegiance to Trump.

Asked if she’ll return to Iowa again ahead of the caucuses to stump for Trump, Noem pointed out that her day job may get in the way. The governor delivers South Dakota’s state of the state address next week, as the state’s 2024 legislative session gets underway.

But she added Iowa’s “not too far away, so it’s not so hard for me to run down there and do something if I’m helpful.”

Noem, who speaks regularly with Trump according to those in her political orbit, said that she most recently talked with the former president on the phone on Monday evening. She said she told him, “I’ll do whatever I can that helps to get him across the finish line. I do believe it’s that important.”

When she endorsed Trump in September, speculation soared about Noem serving as Trump’s running mate. But she said that’s not a topic she brought up with Trump in their most recent conversation.

RAISING THE STAKES: ARE TRUMP’S EXPECTATIONS IN IOWA TOO HIGH?

“He knows he has my support. I know I have his. We work really well together. We’re friends. We’ll talk about that when it’s time to make a decision on that,” she said.

And Noem reiterated that if offered to serve as running mate, “I would consider it and I think anybody who gets asked should be willing to consider it.”

Noem was interviewed as she starred in a new ad in South Dakota’s “Freedom Works Here” nationwide workforce recruitment campaign. The spot features Noem as a nurse to recruit more healthcare workers to the state. 

“We’ve got close to 20,000 open jobs in South Dakota,” the governor says in the commercial. “South Dakota is the freest state in the nation. We work hard, but we don’t pay any state income tax, so you get to keep more of your own money.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP 

The ad campaign launched last June, and the spots are running nationwide and in specifically targeted states on TV and online.

“We did a lot of microtargeting across the country,” Noem told Fox News. “These ads are specifically targeted for job openings that we have in our state to people that would be interested in moving to South Dakota.”

And she highlighted that “it’s the most successful recruitment campaign the state of South Dakota has run in its history. We’ve had thousands and thousands of people go through the application process. Over 2,000 are moving their families here and are committed and coming.”

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina’s election board finalized on Tuesday the candidates for the state’s March 5 presidential primaries, leaving President Joe Biden as the lone Democrat for the job on ballots and former President Donald Trump among the Republican competitors.

The five-member State Board of Elections voted unanimously to stick with the candidate lists provided by the state’s Democratic, Republican and Libertarian parties last month. The board had given initial approval to those names at its Dec. 19 meeting, when members also agreed to reconvene Tuesday to consider additional names before ballots are printed.

MAINE SECRETARY OF STATE DENIES POLITICS PLAYED ROLE IN DECISION TO KICK TRUMP OFF BALLOT

Board officials said that five additional people had unsuccessfully asked to join the presidential primaries. They included U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips, author Marianne Williamson and media personality Cenk Uygur for the Democrats and Jill Stein for the Green Party. A board attorney said Tuesday it was unclear which primary another person, Luis Lavin, had asked to run in.

State law directs parties to provide lists of candidates whose bids for the nation’s highest office are “generally advocated and recognized in the news media throughout the United States or in North Carolina.” The law gives the board discretion to add more candidates whom a majority believes meets the same standard. But none of the board’s members proposed doing so.

Board members who spoke Tuesday said it was appropriate to defer to the wishes of political parties holding primaries that are ultimately designed to choose delegates to their respective national conventions.

“I’m mindful that these are private political parties and that they have associational rights,” said Stacy “Four” Eggers, one of two Republicans on the board. The other three members are registered Democrats.

State Democratic Party spokesperson Tommy Mattocks defended the party’s decision last month to offer only Biden as a candidate, saying in a text that “to get on the ballot, you need to have donors in the state and be actively campaigning in the state.”

Phillips and Williamson “haven’t been here this cycle,” Mattocks added.

As for Stein, the Green Party of North Carolina wrote the board last month saying that it would not participate in the March primary, but instead offer a general election candidate after the party’s nominating convention.

In addition to Trump, the state GOP presented Ryan Binkley, Chris Christie, Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Asa Hutchinson and Vivek Ramaswamy as candidates on its presidential ballot.

By a 4-1 vote two weeks ago, the board rejected a challenge to Trump‘s candidacy by a Stokes County voter who argued the U.S. Constitution disqualifies Trump because of his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Brian Martin’s challenge said Trump violated a section of the 14th Amendment that bars from office anyone who once took an oath to uphold the Constitution but then “engaged” in “insurrection or rebellion” against it. The amendment has been cited in rulings in Colorado and Maine that have banned Trump from those states’ ballots.

In North Carolina, the board’s majority had determined that it lacked the authority in state law to consider such a primary challenge. Martin, a retired lawyer who served in Republican U.S. presidential administrations, last week appealed the board decision to Wake County Superior Court, where he asked that swift action be taken. Absentee ballots can start being mailed to requesters in less than three weeks.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The Libertarian Party will have 10 names for its North Carolina presidential primary ballots. Voters in the presidential primaries can also cast a “No Preference” vote instead of one for a candidate.

The No Labels Party, which like the Green Party is an official political party in North Carolina, can also offer a presidential ticket to place on general election ballots.