Gov.-elect Tim Walz names first 5 commissioners

From the back left Jennifer Ho, Housing Finance Agency, Margaret Anderson Kelliher, Department of Transportation, Alice Roberts-Davis, Department of Administration, Nora Slawik, Metropolitan Council, and Myron Frans, Department of Management, stood behind Governor-elect Tim Walz and Lt. Governor-elect Peggy Flanagan at the State Capitol in St. Paul Tuesday.

Two Martinez appointees move into protected jobs

Two more of Gov. Susana Martinez's political appointees - a Gaming Control Board member and the director of adult prisons - have slid into civil service jobs as Martinez prepares to leave office Dec. 31, state government personnel records show. The job changes make it possible - but don't guarantee - that the Martinez appointees will remain employed with the state under the administration of Gov.-elect Michelle Lujan Grisham, a Democrat.

Kansas Medicaid expansion in doubt despite governor support

Democratic and moderate Republicans lawmakers worked together last year to try to make Kansas the latest state to expand Medicaid, only to see their bipartisan effort rewarded with a veto from former conservative GOP Gov. Sam Brownback. The election this month of a governor who supports Medicaid expansion seemed to remove the biggest hurdle for those hoping to bring health coverage to thousands of the state's poor.

The Latest: Trump distancing self from fate of GOP in House

President Donald Trump appears to be distancing himself from the fate of House Republican candidates two days before the midterm elections. Trump told reporters as he left the White House en route to a pair of rallies Sunday that he thinks "we're going to do well in the House, but as you know, my primary focus has been on the Senate, and I think we're doing really well in the Senate."

Election Waves Illustration by Greg Groesch/The Washington Times

I've been arguing for months that the ideal outcome in the midterm elections to set up Donald Trump for a landslide re-election in 2020 is for Republicans to hold the Senate and narrowly lose the House. Mr. Trump is best when he has a foil to run against - and who better than the least popular politician in America, Nancy Pelosi.

Victims speak out after Heitkamp ad

Experts worry about the spread of the disease in a new continent, and about a sense of complacency now that Brazil's Zika crisis has largely waned. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo called for the state's hate crime unit to look into a fight between the far-right Proud Boys and the anti-fascist Antifa.

GOP on defense to explain pre-existing condition protections

This combination of file photos shows Wisconsin Republican Gov. Scott Walker, left, and his Democratic challenger Tony Evers in the 2018 November general election. Walker, who is seeking a third term, has been working for years to repeal Obama's health care law and signed off on the state attorney general joining the lawsuit against it.

Resignation shakes up Alaska’s governor’s race

In a stunning October surprise, Alaska's lieutenant governor resigned Tuesday for making unspecified "inappropriate comments," imperiling the re-election hopes of Gov. Bill Walker, a man with whom he shared a brother-like bond. Walker, who has been locked in a tough re-election fight with Democrat Mark Begich and Republican Mike Dunleavy, had already been in talks with Begich.

Midterm Election Could Reshape Health Policy

Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., speaks on a proposed protection plan for people with pre-existing health conditions, during a news conference on Capitol Hill, July 19, 2018, in Washington, D.C. Mark Wilson/Getty Images hide caption Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., speaks on a proposed protection plan for people with pre-existing health conditions, during a news conference on Capitol Hill, July 19, 2018, in Washington, D.C. Obamacare - as the Affordable Care Act is commonly known - won't be on the ballot next month. But the fate of the eight-year old health care law could be decided by which party wins control of Congress in November.

Repubs Attempt State Supreme Court Coups in FL, WV as SCOTUS May Have …

" Repubs Attempt State Supreme Court Coups in FL, WV as SCOTUS May Have Stolen U.S. Senate: 'BradCast' 10/16/2018 " Guest: Slate's Mark Joseph Stern; Also: SCOTUS steals US Senate; Early voting fails on first day in GA; Michael death toll rising... Florida Panhandle facing catastrophe; Michael was 4th 'major' hurricane to make US landfall in 15 months; PLUS: Despite destruction, GOP still denying science, economic impacts... Guest: Jordan Wilkie of WhoWhatWhy; Also: Despite devastating cost of recent hurricanes, Rubio, Trump offer false claims about economy to justify lack of action on climate change... Anything and everything to keep us looking away from the stuff that actually matters, in PDiddie's latest toon collection... Guest-host Angie Coiro w/ Tina Vasquez on ICE, immigration; Bill Browder on Khashoggi; Sarah Craft on the death penalty; Eliza Griswold on a family's fight against ... (more)

Spending tops $51m in Tennessee US Senate contest

Tennessee's contentious, open U.S. Senate contest has run up a tab that tops $51 million so far, more than half of it spent by outside groups that are clogging TV airwaves with attack ads. Federal campaign finance disclosures filed this week show that Democratic former Gov. Phil Bredesen's campaign has spent $11.7 million since the race began, while outside groups have spent about $13 million to help him.

The Latest: Kelly pledges bipartisan team as Kansas governor

Republican Kris Kobach, from left to right, Libertarian Jeff Caldwell, independent Greg Orman, Democrat Laura Kelly and independent Rick Kloos participate in a gubernatorial debate at KWCH-TV, Tuesday, Oct. 9, 2018, in Wichita, Kan. less Republican Kris Kobach, from left to right, Libertarian Jeff Caldwell, independent Greg Orman, Democrat Laura Kelly and independent Rick Kloos participate in a gubernatorial debate at KWCH-TV, Tuesday, Oct. 9, ... more Republican Kris Kobach, from left to right, Libertarian Jeff Caldwell, independent Greg Orman, Democrat Laura Kelly and independent Rick Kloos participate in a gubernatorial debate at KWCH-TV, Tuesday, Oct. 9, 2018, in Wichita, Kan.

Hickenlooper, in first fundraising push for federal PAC, raises more than $280,000

Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper speaks at the re-dedication of United Airlines' renovated flight training center on Oct. 9, 2018 in Denver. Gov. John Hickenlooper's foray into federal politics appears to be off to a strong start, raising more than a quarter of a million dollars in under a month.