Health Care Budget Woes Await Minnesota’s Next Governor

In this Aug. 17, 2018 file photo, candidates for Minnesota governor, Democrat Tim Walz and Republican Jeff Johnson shake hands at the beginning of their first debate at Grand View Lodge, Nisswa, Minn. While Democrat Tim Walz pushes for a public health care option and Republican Jeff Johnson aims to pare back parts of the Affordable Care Act, Minnesota's next governor will face a basic math question next year: How will the state keep paying for its programs? On the first year of the job, Walz or Johnson and a new Legislature will consider the fate of a 2 percent tax on medical providers that expires at the end of the year.

Workman to stand trial on impeachment Monday despite constitutional issues

Margaret Workman, chief justice of the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals, made state history by being elected as the first woman justice. She might history again if the Senate takes up the trial on the articles of impeachment adopted by the House of Delegates.

Here are the special interests that have given the most to Robert Menendez

U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez first ran for the U.S. House in 1992 and has been raising money for his campaigns ever since. He has brought in more than $50 million during that time, according to the Center for Responsive Politics , a Washington research group.

Mitt Romney appears to recast his role in the ‘never-Trump’ movement amid his Senate bid

Mitt Romney came to Arizona to help out a fellow Senate hopeful and he ended up getting in a jam himself. The former presidential candidate and governor headlined a rally for Rep. Martha McSally on Friday in Gilbert, Arizona, to help boost her campaign to fill the Senate seat being left open by Sen. Jeff Flake's departure, but comments Romney made after the event have drawn some criticism.

How gender dynamics are playing a role in an all-female Senate race

Calls for politicians to "grow a pair of ovaries" and digs about how many shoes a candidate have might sound like lines out of "Mean Girls," but instead they're attack lines being used in one of the most hotly contested midterm Senate races. The gender dynamics at play in the Arizona Senate race may be surprising to some since the race is one of six this cycle that involve two female candidates, but it's the only one where the two women are facing off for an open seat rather than an incumbent fighting against a threat.

PHOTO: This July 16, 2014, file photo shows the U.S. Senate on Capitol Hill in Washington.

With just over three weeks remaining until November's midterm election s, it is becoming increasingly clear that both Washington and statehouses around the country could be in for major changes. No one race can tell the tale of this year's elections, but some common themes have emerged, including the backlash against President Donald Trump , the "pink wave" of female candidates running for office, a upswing in youth activism and engagement on key issues that could swing the balance of power, and an influx of veterans attempting to parlay their military experience into legislative roles.

In Kentucky, Trump rallies voters while praising McConnell

Audience members cheer as President Donald Trump takes the stage at a rally at Alumni Coliseum in Richmond, Ky., Saturday, Oct. 13, 2018. Audience members cheer as President Donald Trump takes the stage at a rally at Alumni Coliseum in Richmond, Ky., Saturday, Oct. 13, 2018.

Immigration ads spike as midterms loom

In one ad, a smiling toddler stacks toy blocks as an aspiring governor hovers behind her, shouting "Build the wall!" The Trump administration's sweeping efforts to crack down on immigration aren't on the ballot November 6. But in the leadup to a key election that will either reinforce the President's agenda or hinder it, the issue is playing a defining role. Candidates and committees have shelled out more than $150 million on campaign ads dealing with immigration so far this year, a major increase over recent election cycles.

Schumer: Feds havena t done enough to investigate limo safety

U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer says there are glaring gaps in safety data about limousines because federal officials haven't done enough to investigate limo wrecks. The Senate's top Democrat says Saturday that the National Transportation Safety Board hasn't thoroughly investigated a single limousine crash since 2015.

Antifa, Patriot Prayer brawl leads to Portland assaults

Anger over a recent left-wing demonstration boiled over in Portland - propelling conservatives into downtown streets for a counter-protest march that soon devolved into scuffles, shouting and attacks. Yelling resounded off buildings, flash bangs blasted, the police loudspeaker crackled and the smell of pepper spray wafted through the air as the twilight march broke down into random street skirmishes by 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 13. Portland Police said they observed "assaultive" behavior and began clearing streets, at times putting their hands on journalists and bystanders in order to encourage compliance.

Tester goes on the attack in Montana US Senate race debate

In this Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2018 file photo, Ranking Member Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., speaks during a hearing of the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs, on Capitol Hill, in Washington, D.C. Political observers say a key factor in deciding the outcome of Montana's high-profile Senate race will be whether independent women who voted for Donald Trump in 2016 stick with the president and support Republican Senate candidate Matt Rosendale this year.

Tester goes on the attack in Montana US Senate race debate Source: AP

U.S. Sen. Jon Tester went on the attack Saturday against Republican candidate Matt Rosendale as the Montana Democrat fights to keep his seat in a tightening Senate race. He got personal during Saturday's debate in Bozeman by contrasting his own Montana roots with Rosendale: "Somebody who was born in Maryland, made millions of dollars developing property, bought a ranch in Montana, claims to be a rancher but has no cows," Tester said.

Beto O’Rourke sharpens Cruz critiques at McAllen rally

U.S. Rep.Joe Kennedy III embraces Democratic Senate candidate Beto O'Rourke during a campaign rally at the McAllen Convention Center on Saturday ,Oct. 13, 2018, in McAllen. McALLEN - Before Beto O'Rourke sharpened his critique of Ted Cruz at the least-intimate rally he has held in the Rio Grande Valley, a nurse handed the Democratic U.S. Senate candidate a light saber.

Sarah Sanders makes guest appearance at Harvest Festival

WEBVTT The night featured many of Iowa's Republican delegation - Senators Joni Ernst and Chuck Grassley, and Representative David Young. But the star of the show, fittingly wearing red, was White House press secretary Sarah Sanders, posing with Iowans and getting in on the fu She g right down to business when she took the stage, calling out Hubbell.

Trump targets three close Senate races in Western states swing

Donald Trump will campaign in three western states over the next week, going to the mat in a bid to maintain or possibly increase the Republican majority in the U.S. Senate in the Nov. 6 midterm elections. Trump's western swing will take him to Missoula, Mont., on Oct. 18; Mesa, Ariz., on Oct. 19; and Elko, Nev., on Oct. 20, White House officials said.

A Court Victory Heals All Wounds: Trump Calls McConnell ‘the…

President Trump on Saturday anointed Mitch McConnell, the Senate majority leader, as "the greatest leader in history," an exchange that underscored how an often contentious dynamic has been smoothed by Republicans' success in seating Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh and a host of other conservative judges on the nation's courts. The praise, offered during a boisterous rally in the state Mr. McConnell represents, was delivered with Trumpian flair.