Election category, Page 75
Westmoreland primary election on track as legal challenge progresses
Uncertainty about whether two Republicans can remain on the ballot in the race for Westmoreland commissioner is not expected to impact the county’s preparations for the spring election. “Our schedule is intact right at this second. We have until April 5 to get answers,” election bureau Director Greg McCloskey said...
Trump vs. DeSantis: Rivals’ very different styles on display
DAVENPORT, Iowa — In his first trip to Iowa this year, Ron DeSantis did not take any questions from voters. He ignored the local press. He avoided the diners, pizza parlors and ice cream shops that have helped presidential contenders in the leadoff voting state showcase their personal appeal and...
Westmoreland GOP head seeks to remove 2 commissioner challengers from ballot
Attempts to remove two Republican challengers for Westmoreland Commissioner from the May ballot will be heard this week. Two lawsuits were filed late last week by the chairman of Westmoreland County’s Republican Committee alleging John Ventre and Paul Kosko, both making their second attempt to run for commissioner, did not...
Former Pa. Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar to join Pitt as visiting scholar
Former Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar is joining the University of Pittsburgh as a visiting scholar and adjunct professor, campus officials announced Thursday. She will work in Pitt’s Institute for Cyber Law, Policy and Security and also teach as an adjunct in the university’s School of Law. Boockvar’s work will...
Trump set to headline diminished gathering of conservatives
OXON HILL, Md. — The annual Conservative Political Action Conference was once one of the premier gatherings on the GOP campaign calendar — a must-stop for serious contenders testing the waters on presidential runs. No longer. Many of the party’s best-known likely candidates — from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to...
Trump planning first Iowa trip since announcing 2024 bid
DES MOINES, Iowa — Donald Trump is planning to visit Iowa in mid-March, a first foray to the leadoff caucus state since announcing his 2024 White House campaign. On Tuesday, the former president hinted at an Iowa trip “very soon” in a radio interview with Des Moines talk show host...
Allegheny County voter turnout rises with a boost from mail-in voting
Allegheny County cast more votes in the November election than any other Pennsylvania county — surpassing even Philadelphia, which has about 350,000 more residents and 100,000 more registered voters. Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald said the county’s robust efforts to help people vote by mail were a key factor. Fitzgerald...
Rep. Barbara Lee joins race for California U.S. Senate seat
LOS ANGELES — U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee on Tuesday formally launched her campaign for the Senate seat held by the retiring Dianne Feinstein, joining two fellow House Democrats in the race in the nation’s most populous state. In a video posted on Twitter, Lee ran through a list of the...
Nikki Haley announces presidential campaign, challenging Trump
CHARLESTON, S.C. — Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor and United Nations ambassador, announced her candidacy for president on Tuesday, becoming the first major challenger to former President Donald Trump for the 2024 Republican nomination. The announcement, delivered in a video, marks an about-face for the ex-Trump Cabinet official,...
Westmoreland Republicans back incumbent office holders
Westmoreland County Republicans announced their support for the party’s slate of incumbents at a meeting organized before candidates can formally enter the race. “We know incumbency is not necessarily a guarantee, but having a chance to vet candidates early is what prompted the timing,” Republican Committee Chairman Bill Bretz said....
Westmoreland gears up for 2023 election, first batch of ballot applications mailed
Applications were sent last week to nearly 53,000 Westmoreland County residents who previously signed up to be “permanent” mail-in voters. “We are required to do this every year,” said Election Bureau Director Greg McCloskey. “It’s permanent just for one year.” Voters are required each year to update their permanent mail-in...
Ousted election clerk hit with ethics lawsuit in New Mexico
SANTA FE, N.M. — A local elections regulator in rural New Mexico who was recently declared missing from work and replaced is now facing possible sanctions from a commission that oversees ethics and conduct by government officials. The civil lawsuit against Yvonne Otero was filed Tuesday by the State Ethics...
Focused on 2024, Biden sees opportunity in GOP-held Florida
TAMPA, Florida — With an eye toward the 2024 campaign, President Joe Biden on Thursday ventured to Florida, a state defined by its growing retiree population and status as the unofficial headquarters of the modern-day Republican Party. The president sees a chance to use Social Security and Medicare to drive...
Special election preview: 3 House districts in Allegheny County to fill vacancies
A special election scheduled for Tuesday will fill vacancies in three Democratic-leaning House seats in Allegheny County. Voters in the 32nd, 34th and 35th state House districts will choose candidates to fill those seats. Registered voters who live in the districts have been able to vote over the counter since...
3 special elections in Allegheny County will determine state House majority
Three special elections being held Tuesday in Allegheny County will determine which party has the majority in the state House for the next two years. Voters who live in the 32nd, 34th and 35th state House districts will elect new legislators. With those seats now empty, Republicans hold a slim...
GOP declares victory in conservative state Senate district
HARRISBURG — Republicans are declaring victory in a special election for a vacant state Senate seat in a heavily Republican district in northern Pennsylvania. The Republican candidate, state Rep. Lynda Schlegel Culver, led Democrat Patricia Lawton by a more than two-to-one margin in preliminary returns from Tuesday’s special election. Once...
Allegheny County seeks to clarify confusion over permanent mail-in ballot applications
Allegheny County election officials are reminding voters that mail-in ballots are not sent to their homes on a permanent basis, and voters must complete an application at least once a year if they want to vote by mail. This week, the county will be sending out 300,000 mailings to voters...
Hempfield man announces second bid for Westmoreland commissioner
A former retired executive from Hempfield announced this week he will seek election as Westmoreland County commissioner. John Ventre, 65, said he will run in this year’s Republican primary and is targeting first-time incumbent Doug Chew as his chief opponent this spring. Chew and fellow first-term Republican Sean Kertes are...
Wisconsin judge dismisses complaint against GOP fake elector
MADISON, Wis. — A Wisconsin judge on Tuesday dismissed an open records complaint against a Republican member of the Wisconsin Elections Commission who served as a fake elector for former President Donald Trump. Allegations that the elections commission violated the state open records law by wrongly withholding documents will go...
Court greenlights holding Pa. House special elections Feb. 7
A Pennsylvania court ruled Friday that special elections to fill three vacancies in Democratic-leaning state House districts will be held together next month, with partisan control of the chamber at stake. A three-judge Commonwealth Court panel sided with the House’s Democratic floor leader, Rep. Joanna McClinton of Philadelphia, who had...
Biden’s Delaware home is now a player in document drama
WASHINGTON — It’s President Joe Biden’s refuge from Washington — a place that’s part home office, part Sunday family dinner venue, a safe place for his treasured 1967 Corvette and a makeshift campaign studio during the covid-19 pandemic. Now, Biden’s home in Wilmington, Delaware, is coming under fresh scrutiny as...
State employees’ off for Shapiro inauguration
Some 1,200 state government employees who report to the Capitol Complex to work have an extra long weekend ahead of them. Not only do they have Martin Luther King Day off on Monday, these non-essential employees have Tuesday off to reduce traffic and free up parking for Gov.-elect Josh Shapiro...
Key dates in discovery of classified records tied to Biden
WASHINGTON — Key dates related to the discovery of classified documents tied to President Joe Biden, based on statements from the White House, the president and Attorney General Merrick Garland: — Jan. 20, 2017: Biden’s two terms as vice president to President Barack Obama end. — Mid-2017-2019: Biden periodically uses...
Allegheny County Treasurer John Weinstein announces run for county executive
One of Pittsburgh’s most veteran public officials announced his candidacy Thursday for Allegheny County executive, joining a large field in the Democratic primary for the region’s top elected official. Allegheny County Treasurer John Weinstein spoke in front of a crowd of around 1,000 supporters at the Heinz History Center in...
Judges weigh GOP bid to delay 2 Pa. House special elections
HARRISBURG — Preparations are far along for two Pittsburgh-area special elections that the Republican leader of the Pennsylvania House has filed a lawsuit to delay past their scheduled date in early February. With Democrats and Republicans nearly even in the state House, the two special elections could determine partisan control...
