Metaphorically speaking, the ink is still wet on the vote tallies from the 2022 election, but last week saw the beginning of what will be California’s highest-profile political contest of 2024 — a duel for the U.S. Senate seat that Dianne Feinstein has held for three decades. Feinstein, who will...
Rep. Katie Porter Will Seek Feinstein’s Senate Seat in 2024
LOS ANGELES — Democratic Rep. Katie Porter of California said Tuesday she will seek the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a fellow Democrat and the oldest member of the chamber. “Especially in times like these, California needs a warrior in Washington," Porter said in a video...
Warnock Makes History With Win as Dems Near Senate Majority
ATLANTA — Democrat Raphael Warnock won one of Georgia’s two Senate runoffs Wednesday, becoming the first Black senator in his state’s history and putting the Senate majority within the party's reach. A pastor who spent the past 15 years leading the Atlanta church where Martin Luther King Jr. preached, Warnock defeated Republican...
Fate of Trump’s $2,000 Checks Now Rests With GOP-Led Senate
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s push for $2,000 COVID-19 relief checks now rests with the Senate after the House voted overwhelmingly to meet the president's demand to increase the $600 stipends, but Republicans have shown little interest in boosting spending. The outcome is highly uncertain heading into Tuesday's session. Senate...
Senate Sends Trump Defense Bill He Has Vowed to Veto
WASHINGTON — The Senate on Friday approved a wide-ranging defense policy bill, sending it to President Donald Trump, despite his threat to veto the bill because it does not clamp down on big tech companies he claims were biased during the election. The final vote was 84-13, mirroring a similarly...
Hardening Partisan Map Steepens Democrats’ Climb to Retake Senate
WASHINGTON — Pinned six years in the minority, Democrats have an uphill but real shot at wresting Senate control in January, with more opportunities in 2022. Yet as states increasingly sort themselves along hardening partisan lines, it's complicating Democrats' drive to win the majority and keep it. Thanks to this...
GOP Unveils $1.4T Spending Bill Amid Post-Election Turmoil
WASHINGTON — Republicans controlling the Senate unveiled a government-wide, $1.4 trillion spending bill on Tuesday, a largely bipartisan measure that faces uncertain odds during this period of post-election tumult in Washington. The GOP-drafted measure contains funding for President Donald Trump's border wall and other provisions opposed by Democrats, but top...
Election Splits Congress, GOP Bolstered as Democrats Falter
WASHINGTON — The election scrambled seats in the House and Senate but ultimately left Congress much like it began, deeply split as voters resisted big changes despite the heated race at the top of the ticket for the White House. It’s an outcome that dampens Democratic demands for a bold new agenda,...
Control of Senate at Stake as Trump’s Allies Face Democrats
WASHINGTON — Control of the Senate is a razor-close proposition in Tuesday's election, as Republicans fight to retain their majority against a surge of Democratic candidates confronting the president's allies across a vast political map. Both parties see paths to victory, and the outcome might not be known on election night....
Frenzied Final Day Brings Firsts for California Legislature
SACRAMENTO — Hundreds of newly passed California bills could be in jeopardy after most of the Republicans in the state Senate were forced to vote remotely for several days because of the coronavirus — a legally untested procedure legislative leaders expect will prompt a lawsuit in the coming weeks. The...