Hospital exec who worked for Corzine to head Murphy transition

On an Election Night when the results exactly tracked what public-opinion polls had projected, one of the few surprises was the unexpected appearance at Gov.-elect Phil Murphy's victory party of former Gov. Jon Corzine, who has kept a low profile since leaving office in 2010 - especially after the bankruptcy of his Wall Street brokerage a year later. Then another reminder of the Corzine era surfaced Wednesday, when Murphy made his first appointment as governor-elect in naming Jose Lozano the executive director of his transition committee.

In election glow, Dems see health care as winning issue

Emboldened by election wins, Democrats are starting to see a political edge in health care, particularly widening Medicaid access for more low-income people. In Virginia, Democrat Ralph Northam promised a vigorous push as governor to expand Medicaid.

Trump’s limited appeal a warning sign for Republicans ahead of 2018 elections

Democratic election victories in Virginia and New Jersey showed Republicans losing more ground in suburban areas, where President Donald Trump's unpopularity could cost them dearly in next year's congressional races. FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump greets supporters as he departs for Bedminster, New Jersey, from the White House in Washington, U.S., September 29, 2017.

Democratic Candidate Phil Murphy Easily Defeats Kim Guadagno In New Jersey

New Jersey became the seventh state in the country where Democrats now control the legislative and executive branches with the election on Tuesday of Philip D. Murphy, a former Wall Street banker with no experience in office, as its 56th governor, according to The Associated Press. The decisive victory by Mr. Murphy, who transformed himself from a Goldman Sachs executive into a progressive Democrat to match the direction of an anxious political party, gives Democrats a badly needed lift and a governor who has vowed to make his state a bulwark against the policies of President Trump.

A year after defeating Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump’s approval at 41% in Florida

A new Florida Atlantic University poll has some good numbers for Gov. Rick Scott and better approval ratings for President Donald Trump than he gets nationally. A year after Florida flipped from blue to red and helped Republican Donald Trump to his stunning presidential victory over Democrat Hillary Clinton , President Trump has a 41 percent approval rating in a new poll of Sunshine State voters.

It’s been a very bad night for Donald Trump as Democrats score big victories

New Jersey Governor-elect Phil Murphy leaps as he jumps onto the stage at his victory party Democratic candidates in Virginia and New Jersey who sought to tap into anti-Donald Trump sentiments won contests on Tuesday to become their states' next governors. In New Jersey front-running Democrat Phil Murphy overcame Republican lieutenant governor Kim Guadagno to succeed unpopular Republican governor Chris Christie.

Pence praises GOP ‘momentum,’ but some governors may be wary

Vice President Mike Pence told a gathering of Republican governors Wednesday "we've got real momentum," despite stinging electoral defeats last week in Virginia and New Jersey, a GOP-led Congress that has failed to pass any major legislation this year and President Donald Trump's plummeting popularity. Pence's party controls a record-tying 34 U.S. governorships and part of a two-day annual Republican Governors Association meeting in the capital of Texas, the country's largest red state, was to discussing how to continue that dominance.

Vin Gopal upsets incumbent Jennifer Beck in hotly contested Dist. 11 race

Vin Gopal, the Monmouth County Democratic chairman with deep roots in the party there, defeated longtime Sen. Jennifer Beck in the state's 11 Beck, an 11-year legislator, conceded to Gopal Tuesday night, dealing a blow to Republicans in the state Senate. The race was one of the most expensive and closely watched in the state.

Bipartisan lawmakers join problem solving group in a divided Congress

Maine's Republican Senator Susan Collins and West Virginia's Democratic Senator Joe Manchin joining the group No Labels. A group that describes themselves as a movement of Democrats, Republicans and Independents working to solve problems in Congress.

Judges hear dispute over Louisiana charity hospital closure

More than two years after central Louisiana's state-owned charity hospital was closed, a legal dispute remains unsettled about whether state senators violated the law in agreeing to shutter the facility. The lawsuit accuses the Senate of flouting the open meetings law in its handling of legislation authorizing then-Gov. Bobby Jindal to close the LSU-run hospital in Pineville, Huey P. Long Medical Center.

What To Watch In Tuesday’s Elections Across The Country

A voter fills out a ballot on the first day of early voting at the Hamilton County Board of Elections in Cincinnati, Ohio, last month. But in an era when, to flip an old phrase, all politics is national, these low-profile, low-turnout elections might have a lot more to say about the direction of the country than may have been the case just a few years ago.

Menendez jurors near deliberations in bribery trial

In this Aug. 17, 2017 file photo, Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., speaks during a news conference, in Union Beach, N.J. A jury could begin deliberations Monday, Nov. 6, in the bribery trial of Menendez and a wealthy friend. less FILE - In this Aug. 17, 2017 file photo, Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., speaks during a news conference, in Union Beach, N.J. A jury could begin deliberations Monday, Nov. 6, in the bribery trial of Menendez and a ... more NEWARK, N.J. - A jury that has listened to nine weeks of testimony and evidence is expected to begin deliberations Monday in the bribery trial of U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez and a wealthy friend.

Dems bicker days before Virginia’s bellwether gubernatorial election

The dueling across Sunday news shows was triggered by the disclosure that Donna Brazile, the interim Democratic leader during the final months of the campaign, considered an effort to replace Clinton as the presidential nominee because of health concerns. "The charge that Hillary Clinton was somehow incapacitated is quite frankly ludicrous," said Tom Perez, who took over as Democratic National Committee chairman after Donald Trump won the election.

Wisconsina s Walker poised for re-election bid for third term

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, who became the first governor in U.S. history to survive a recall but flamed out early in the 2016 presidential race, planned to launch his re-election campaign for a third term Sunday at a factory outside of Milwaukee. Walker told The Associated Press in an interview Saturday before the kick-off event at Weldall Manufacturing in Waukesha that his campaign will lay out his plans to ensure everyone in the state "shares in our economic prosperity."