Fierce Patriots

Conservative Political News

  • Subscribe

Republicans

Report: Democrats Face Uphill Battle in 2022, Republicans Hold Redistricting Edge

by Leave a Comment

Democrats are trying to poach half as many House seats from Republicans in 2022 as they did in 2020, “trimming their target list from 39 to 21,” Axios reported on Tuesday.

“The narrowing map — which reflects where Democrats see their best chance of flipping seats — is the latest datapoint showing the challenging political landscape the party faces in the crucial 2022 midterms,” according to the report.

For Democrats, 2022 presents a perfect storm: the party already holds an extremely thin majority in the House, combined with redistricting — a once-in-a-decade process in which Republicans maintain the advantage. Even more so, President Joe Biden has not been polling well in the aftermath of the Afghanistan withdrawal. Democrats have also been scrambling to save face on issues like rising crime, the immigration crisis, inflation, and a pandemic Biden swore to end.

Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (D-NY), chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, told Axios his party must be “flexible and nimble,” considering districts are still changing.

“What’s going to determine the size of the battlefield is how far down these dark paths of racism and denying a woman’s reproductive freedom the Republican Party goes,” he continued.

Former Virginia Republican Congressman Tom Davis told Axios “Dems’ should focus on protecting the seats they have.” He said:

Democrats are on defense, there’s no question about that. In 2002, we had a five-seat majority in the House, and I was campaign chairman. I didn’t get aggressive, I just wanted to take seats off the table. We ended up picking up eight seats. That ought to be their strategy.

“Biden was elected because people didn’t want Donald Trump in their living rooms for four more years,” Davis continued. “But they didn’t vote for all this other stuff that’s coming with him, and they’re gonna react, they’re gonna pump the brakes.”

For the 2022 midterms, Democrats are targeting:

Arizona’s 2nd (open seat) and 6th districts; California’s 21st, 25th, 39th and 48th districts; Florida’s 26 and 27th districts; Iowa’s 1st and 2nd districts; Indiana’s 5th district; Missouri’s 2nd district; Nebraska’s 2nd district; New York’s 2nd, 22nd and 24th districts; Ohio’s 1st district; Pennsylvania’s 1st and 10th districts; Texas’ 23rd and 24th districts; and Utah’s 4th district.

“But nationally Republicans hold the redistricting edge. Of the 12 states with DCCC target districts, Democrats are only in charge of drawing the new maps in one (New York). Republicans control that process in 8 of the other states, comprising 11 of Dems’ 21 targets,” according to Axios. 

States such as South Carolina, Missouri, Indiana, North Carolina, Florida, Utah, and Texas, will be key for the Republicans, according to Politico. The new lines should help the Republicans to an easier path of victory with the redistricting, especially in places like Texas. In Texas, Democrats tried to win over ten of the Republican seats in the last election but were unsuccessful in all of them.

The GOP has repeatedly been projected to take back the House is 2022. According to a Rasmussen poll, most voters are optimistic the GOP will succeed in the midterms, with 60 percent of voters saying it is somewhat likely “Republicans will pick up the five seats they need to regain control of the U.S. House of Representatives next year.” Even by far-left CNN’s estimates, congressional Democrats are not in very good standing.

Overall, Maloney told Politico it is up to Republicans to win seats.

“We already hold the majority,” he said. “So my job is to hold the ones I got, and to beat a few of them. And we’re going to do that, and I can do that with a tight disciplined battlefield.

GOP Slams Democrats for Defunding Israel’s Iron Dome: They 'Capitulate to the Antisemitic Influence'

by Leave a Comment

Republicans slammed Democrats on Tuesday for defunding Israel’s Iron Dome within a government funding bill after several radical Democrats threatened to vote against the funding bill due to signing a resolution this summer to block arms sales to Israel.

The Democrat-controlled Congress must pass a funding bill and also suspend the debt limit within days to stop a government shutdown when current government funds dry up at the end of this month. The measure has little chance of passing the Senate, where Democrats need ten Republican votes.

The removal of the funds for the Iron Dome speaks to the panicked mood of the Democrat leadership over enacting President Joe Biden’s massive tax and spending proposals. Therefore, the White House suggested Tuesday Biden approves of defunding the Iron Dome.

Rep. Jody Hice (R-GA) tweeted the Democrats caved to the radical left just after President Biden promised to help protect Israel from terrorism. “Speaker Pelosi JUST caved to the socialists and yanked funding for Israel’s Iron Dome from the government funding CR bill. Dems can’t even keep a promise for 24 hours,” Hice said.

Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) tweeted the far-left has shown their true colors by defending Hamas. “The radical left shows their blatant disregard for supporting our ally Israel and Israel’s right to defend itself against Hamas terrorists,” she stated.

Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) tweeted that antisemitic influence is controlling the Democrat Party. “While Dems capitulate to the antisemitic influence of their radical members, Republicans will always stand with Israel,” he said.

Rep. Randy Feenstra (R-IA) tweeted that Biden contradicted himself by proclaiming Israel to be an ally while allowing his party to abandon Israel. “President Biden proclaimed to our allies that ‘America is back,’ but since then he has abandoned Americans & allies in Afghanistan, weakened our relationship with France, and now his Party has let down Israel — our closest ally in the Middle East,” he said.

Richard Grenell, former President Donald Trump’s director of national intelligence, tweeted that Democrats are abandoning Israel.

Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) said Pelosi has capitulated to the far-left, which will further endanger Israel. “This will put Israel in danger & will further embolden countries that wish to see Israel wiped off the face of the Earth,” he tweeted. 

America Rising PAC tweeted the Democrats’ decision is consistent with their past treatment of American allies. “Over the past few weeks, Democrats have repeatedly left our closest allies out to dry,” they said.

House Republicans Twitter handle suggested House Democrats prefer Islamic terrorists over Israel. “House Democrats choose radical Islamic terrorists over our ally Israel,” the group said.

Follow Wendell Husebø on Twitter @WendellHusebø.

Washington Post Poll: No Backlash against Youngkin Due to Texas’s Abortion Law 

by Leave a Comment

Virginia GOP gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin speaks during a campaign event in McLean, Va., July 14, 2021. (Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters)

On September 2, when the Supreme Court declined to block enforcement of Texas’s law that prohibits almost all abortions after a fetal heartbeat can be detected (about six weeks into pregnancy), many political reporters and pundits speculated that the Texas law could prompt a backlash against Republicans nationwide.

“Abortion becomes a ‘huge motivator’ in governor races,” read the headline at Politico:

“It will be a huge motivator for individuals to come out and vote,” Terry McAuliffe, the former Virginia governor who is running again, said in an interview. He repeatedly described himself as a “brick wall” on women’s rights. . . .

Earlier this week, McAuliffe launched a new TV ad attacking Glenn Youngkin, his Republican opponent, featuring a doctor who said Youngkin had a “far-right agenda” on abortion. AdImpact, a political ad tracking service, reported over $92,000 in spending on the ad since it launched on Tuesday, airing over 200 times across the state in two days. The ad, along with an older second ad also attacking Youngkin on abortion, accounted for 50 percent of the campaign’s total airings in that timeframe, including primetime spots like during ABC’s “Bachelor in Paradise.”

But two new polls show there hasn’t yet been a backlash against the only Republican running in a competitive gubernatorial election this year.

A Washington Post poll of the Virginia gubernatorial race, which was conducted from September 7 to September 13, found Republican Glenn Youngkin trailing Democrat Terry McAuliffe by just three percentage points — 47 percent to 50 percent — among likely voters. Among registered voters, Youngkin trailed McAuliffe 43 percent to 49 percent. Another poll of the race conducted by Emerson from September 13 to 14 found McAuliffe leading Youngkin 49 percent to 45 percent among likely voters.

In Virginia, Democrat Ralph Northam won the 2018 gubernatorial election by nine points, and Joe Biden carried the state by ten points in 2020. 

#inline-newsletter-nloptin-6148b5d12177c .inline-newsletter-subscribe__cta label {
font-size: 1.2rem;

line-height: 1.5rem;

color: #000000;
}

#inline-newsletter-nloptin-6148b5d12177c .inline-newsletter-subscribe__cta p {
font-size: 1.05rem;

line-height: 1.45rem;

color: #000000;
}

#inline-newsletter-nloptin-6148b5d12177c {
background-color: #ffffff;

border-width: 1px;

border-color: #cccccc;
}

#inline-newsletter-nloptin-6148b5d12177c .inline-newsletter-subscribe__email-submit {
border-color: #e92131;
background-color: #e92131;

color: #ffffff;
}

#inline-newsletter-nloptin-6148b5d1219b0 .inline-newsletter-subscribe__cta label {
font-size: 1.5rem;

line-height: 1.7rem;

color: #000000;
}

#inline-newsletter-nloptin-6148b5d1219b0 .inline-newsletter-subscribe__cta p {
font-size: 1.05rem;

line-height: 1.45rem;

color: #000000;
}

#inline-newsletter-nloptin-6148b5d1219b0 {
background-color: #ffffff;

border-width: 1px;

}

#inline-newsletter-nloptin-6148b5d1219b0 .inline-newsletter-subscribe__email-submit {
border-color: #eba605;
background-color: #eba605;

color: #ffffff;
}

#inline-newsletter-nloptin-6148b5d121a5c .inline-newsletter-subscribe__cta label {
font-size: 1.3rem;

line-height: 1.5rem;

color: #dd9933;
}

#inline-newsletter-nloptin-6148b5d121a5c .inline-newsletter-subscribe__cta p {
font-size: 1.05rem;

line-height: 1.5rem;

color: #2d2d2d;
}

#inline-newsletter-nloptin-6148b5d121a5c {
background-color: #ffffff;

border-width: 1px;

border-color: #999999;
}

#inline-newsletter-nloptin-6148b5d121a5c .inline-newsletter-subscribe__email-submit {
border-color: #dd9933;
background-color: #dd9933;

color: #ffffff;
}

#inline-newsletter-nloptin-6148b5d121b0d .inline-newsletter-subscribe__cta label {
font-size: 1.5rem;

line-height: 1.7rem;

color: #0f733c;
}

#inline-newsletter-nloptin-6148b5d121b0d .inline-newsletter-subscribe__cta p {
font-size: 1.05rem;

line-height: 1.45rem;

color: #2d2d2d;
}

#inline-newsletter-nloptin-6148b5d121b0d {
background-color: #ffffff;

border-width: 1px;

border-color: #cccccc;
}

#inline-newsletter-nloptin-6148b5d121b0d .inline-newsletter-subscribe__email-submit {
border-color: #0f733c;
background-color: #0f733c;

color: #ffffff;
}

So, McAuliffe is still favored in 2021, but there doesn’t yet appear to be any significant voter backlash against Republicans in Virginia due to the issue of abortion. There was wall-to-wall media coverage of the Texas law from September 2 until September 10 (when President Biden’s vaccine mandate became the top national news story), but the Virginia race remains close according to the Emerson and Washington Post polls.

At last week’s gubernatorial debate, McAuliffe tried to put the issues of abortion and vaccine mandates front and center. Youngkin said at the debate he would not sign a version of the Texas abortion law, and he dodged a question about whether he would ever be willing to sign a law banning most abortions after six weeks, but he did say he would sign a bill that would protect the lives of babies capable of feeling pain. McAuliffe, meanwhile, admitted that he would sign a radical late-term abortion bill sponsored by Virginia delegate Kathy Tran.

More GOP Governors Back Biden's Plan to Resettle 95K Afghans in Their States

by Leave a Comment

More Republican governors across the United States are publicly supporting President Joe Biden’s massive refugee resettlement operation out of Afghanistan which is set to bring at least 95,000 Afghans to the U.S. over the next year.

Last week, the Biden administration announced that the first group of roughly 36,000 Afghans brought to the U.S. at rapid speed will be resettled across 46 states — including Texas, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania.

The only areas not receiving Afghans are Hawaii, South Dakota, West Virginia, Wyoming, and Washington, DC.

With more details from the Biden administration on the resettlement operation, more Republican governors have come out to support the plan. In August, without having vetting or screening details, 10 Republican governors announced their support for the plan and asked Biden to resettle Afghans in their states.

Those 10 Republican governors include South Carolina’s Henry McMaster, Maryland’s Larry Hogan, Massachusetts’ Charlie Baker, Utah’s Spencer Cox, Georgia’s Brian Kemp, Arkansas’ Asa Hutchinson, Arizona’s Doug Ducey, Iowa’s Kim Reynolds, Oklahoma’s Kevin Stitts, and Vermont’s Phil Scott.

Another eight Republican governors have since greenlighted the plan, including:

  • Alabama’s Kay Ivey
  • Idaho’s Brad Little
  • Indiana’s Eric Holcomb
  • Montana’s Greg Gianforte
  • Nebraska’s Pete Ricketts
  • New Hampshire’s Chris Sununu
  • Ohio’s Mike DeWine
  • Tennessee’s Bill Lee

In Alabama, which initially have 10 Afghans resettled in the state, Gov. Kay Ivey (R) said in a statement that Americans owe “a debt of gratitude to those allies who actively helped our soldiers and diplomats stay safe during our two decades in the country.”

While hundreds will be resettled across Ohio, Gov. Mike DeWine (R) thanked the refugee contractors who will resettle Afghans with taxpayer money:

These are individuals who have been partners with United States and deserve our support in return for the support they’ve given us. Thank you to the resettlement agencies and communities who have stepped forward and demonstrated they have the resources necessary to help these individuals in their time of need. [Emphasis added]

Gov. Bill Lee (R) told local media that he wants “full transparency” from the Biden administration in regards to the vetting process for Afghans while still voicing support for the plan.

“Whether it’s persecuted Christians or interpreters who served with our troops, Tennesseans have the right to know exactly who is being settled where,” Lee said. “While we await more information from the federal government, we are in direct communication with our congressional delegation, members of the General Assembly, and local officials.”

Earlier this month, when the Biden administration announced that thousands of Afghans who have not completed their immigration processing would be housed at Indiana’s Camp Atterbury, Gov. Eric Holcomb (R) said he supported bringing Afghans to the state so they could take jobs.

In recent days, Holcomb has solicited donations from Indiana taxpayers to provide Afghans staying at Camp Atterbury with necessities such as clothes and hygiene products.

Montana will have at least 75 Afghans resettled across the state by the Biden administration, a plan that Gov. Greg Gianforte (R) fully supports:

Montana welcomes our fully-vetted Afghan allies who worked alongside us, have left their homes in the face of the Taliban’s reemerging, merciless terror and seek freedom and safety. [Emphasis added]

In 2016, while running for governor, Gianforte campaigned on halting refugee resettlement to the U.S. — sharply criticizing former President Obama’s resettlement of Syrians across the nation.

While Gov. Pete Ricketts (R) said he wants to be in Norfolk, Nebraska, when Afghans touch down for resettlement in the state to publicly and personally greet them, Gov. Chris Sununu (R) said last week that he is “a lot more reassured” after having spoken to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials about the vetting process that Afghans will undergo while being resettled in New Hampshire.

Gov. Brad Little (R) wrote a letter to Biden stating he and state legislators would “not tolerate” any changes to the vetting process “in order to expedite the resettlement of refugees” but said it is Americans’ “responsibility to provide safety to those who have stood alongside America even in the most difficult of times.”

As Breitbart News reported, states, counties, and local communities no longer have veto power over refugee resettlement. Former President Trump had signed an executive order in 2019 granting states and local jurisdictions the power to refuse refugees, but Biden, in February, rescinded the order.

Over the last 20 years, nearly a million refugees have been resettled in the nation — more than double the residents living in Miami, Florida, and it would be the equivalent of annually adding the population of Pensacola, Florida.

Refugee resettlement costs American taxpayers nearly $9 billion every five years, according to research, and each refugee costs taxpayers about $133,000 over the course of their lifetime. Within five years, an estimated 16 percent of all refugees admitted will need housing assistance paid for by taxpayers.

John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at [email protected] Follow him on Twitter here. 

Youngkin Pledges to ‘Work Tirelessly’ to Protect Babies Capable of Feeling Pain from Abortion

by Leave a Comment

Virginia GOP gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin speaks during a campaign event in McLean, Va., July 14, 2021. (Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters)

On Friday, the political action committee of the pro-life Susan B. Anthony List endorsed Virginia GOP gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin and released the following letter that Youngkin sent to pro-life leaders and activists: 

Dear Pro-Life Leaders and Activists:

Infanticide. That is what the current Democratic Governor of Virginia defended on the radio. Advocating to keep a child, formed in the image of God, “comfortable” while a “discussion” ensues whether that child should live or die.

The Governor’s comments came as he was questioned about a radical bill in the Virginia legislature that would allow for abortions up until the moment of birth in the Commonwealth, even late-term abortions that can result in babies being born alive.

Because of the blowback, that bill never became law, narrowly defeated, 51-49 in the House of Delegates. But when pressed whether or not he’d veto the legislation if it came to his desk, the Democratic nominee for Governor, Terry McAuliffe, in April of 2021 called it a “commonsense bill” and said “I would not have vetoed the bill” if it crossed his desk as Governor.

My Democratic opponent, Terry McAuliffe, supports abortion on-demand, up until the moment of birth, paid for by the taxpayers.

As the next Governor of Virginia, I will proudly stand up for the unborn and their mothers. I believe life begins at conception. My views are formed not only by my faith, but by science as well.

Instead of working to expand late-term abortion in Virginia, I’ll proudly advocate to limit abortions when the unborn child can feel pain. The United States is one of just seven countries around the globe – in the company of China and North Korea – to allow late abortions when the child can feel pain. That’s why over 20 states have enacted Pain-Capable limits to stop late abortions. I’ll work tirelessly to add Virginia to the list.

Further, I will protect Virginia taxpayers from paying for abortions. Earlier this year – on Good Friday – Governor Northam signed into law a bill that expands taxpayer funding of abortions. I will work vigorously to stop our tax dollars from funding abortions.

We have much work to do, and first and foremost, we must win this race. I urge you to be “all in” on this campaign. Help me make Terry McAuliffe’s extreme views clear on the campaign trail: Volunteer to phone bank, go door-to-door, educate your friends and family.

With your help, we can do this, and go to work advocating for mothers and their unborn children here in the Commonwealth this November.

Youngkin and Democratic candidate Terry McAuliffe sparred over the issue of abortion at Thursday night’s gubernatorial debate. Youngkin hit McAuliffe for supporting late-term abortion and taxpayer-funded abortion, and McAuliffe admitted that he supports changing Virginia law to make it easier to get a late-term abortion. 

Youngkin said he “would not sign” a version of the Texas Heartbeat Abortion Act, calling the law “unworkable and confusing” and pointing to his support for exceptions not in the Texas law. When debate moderator Susan Page asked Youngkin if he could support a bill prohibiting abortion after a fetal heartbeat can be detected that has exceptions for cases of rape, incest, and life endangerment, Youngkin didn’t directly answer the question, pointing instead to his support for a Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act. “I do believe that a pain-threshold bill would be appropriate,” Youngkin said.

To get even that modest right-to-life protection enacted, Republicans would need control of the legislature and the governorship. Both houses of the Virginia legislature are controlled by Democrats, and state senators don’t face an election until 2023.

“The days when then-Senator Biden supported common ground, life-saving policies like the Hyde Amendment are long gone. Terry McAuliffe is a longtime pro-abortion extremist who would double down on the egregious legacy of Ralph Northam and then some,” Susan B. Anthony List president Marjorie Dannenfelser said in a statement endorsing Youngkin. “We thank Glenn Youngkin for calling out Democrats’ extremism, highlighting the stark contrast between his policy agenda and McAuliffe’s, and committing to be a champion for unborn children and their mothers as well as taxpayers in the Commonwealth.”