DeFranciso nomination for governor no slam dunk

The following is an expanded version of the second item from my "Albany Insider" column from Monday's print editions: When Assembly Minority Leader Brian Kolb surprisingly dropped out of the GOP race for governor Friday, the assumption was Senate Deputy Majority Leader John DeFrancisco was now the front-runner to take on Cuomo. But that's not a guarantee even as he has picked up a number of county chairmen endorsements since Kolb dropped out, numerous Republican leaders and operatives say.

The Way Out

It's fair to say that Donald Trump has made things difficult for the Republican Party. He has taunted its leaders, turned its debates into rap sessions about his anatomy, sabotaged its efforts to appeal to Latinos and to women, and, as he has shouted out bigoted invective, made many of its members feel shame.

A second Republican congressman just endorsed someone who…

Rep. Scott Rigell of Virginia became the second Republican member of Congress to break from party lines and endorse a candidate who is not his party's nominee. Rigell told The New York Times on Saturday that he will be voting for Libertarian Party nominee and New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson instead of Republican nominee Donald Trump.

With jab at Ryan, Trump ignites new tensions in GOP

As Republican loyalists continue to flee, Donald Trump has ignited new party tensions by refusing to endorse House Speaker Paul Ryan or Arizona Sen. John McCain, a remarkable display of party division just three months before Election Day. The Republican presidential nominee told The Washington Post Tuesday that he's "just not quite there yet," when asked about an endorsement of Ryan, who faces a primary election next week.

Obama says Trump ‘unfit’ to be president

In recent days, Trump has criticized Muslims, babies, firefighters and the military, prompting his wincing Republican backers to issue awkward denunciations Obama turned up the heat on Republicans who appear increasingly ill at ease with Trump but have not withdrawn their endorsement In a searing and virtually unprecedented presidential rebuke, Barack Obama declared embattled Republican White House nominee Donald Trump "unfit" to be president Tuesday and called on party leaders to disown him. Obama piled on as Trump's campaign reeled from multiple self-inflicted scandals, calling the 70-year-old mogul "woefully unprepared" and "unfit to serve as president."

More prominent Republicans picking Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump

On Tuesday, retiring New York Rep. Richard Hanna became the first Republican member of Congress to say he will vote for Democrat Hillary Clinton in November instead of Donald Trump. "He is unfit to serve our party and cannot lead this country," Hanna wrote in a column published in The Post-Standard newspaper of Syracuse, New York.

Republican Rep. Richard Hanna Announces He Will Vote For Hillary Clinton

New York Rep. Richard Hanna announced Tuesday that he will vote for Hillary Clinton for president, becoming the first Republican U.S. congressman to publicly declare he will cross party lines and vote for the Democratic nominee. Hanna, who represents the 22nd congressional district in upstate New York, made the announcement in a column published Tuesday on Syracuse.com, arguing that Trump is "unfit to serve our party and cannot lead this country."