Seth McLaughlin
Articles by Seth McLaughlin
Jeb Bush a formidable foe for emerging GOP field
Jeb Bush is casting a shadow over the entire field of potential Republican presidential candidates, as the former Florida governor continues to ponder a run in 2016 and keep his political options open. Published March 20, 2014
Jeb Bush leads 2016 GOP presidential field, UVA’s Center for Politics says
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush now sits atop the leader board in the latest rankings of potential 2016 GOP presidential candidates by the University of Virginia's Center for Politics. Published March 20, 2014
Scott Brown’s bid for New Hampshire U.S. Senate seat a win-win for GOP
Former Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown's bid for a Senate seat in neighboring New Hampshire is shaping up to be a win-win for the GOP — giving the party a chance to unseat first-term Sen. Jeanne Shaheen and, at the same time, forcing Democrats to spend money defending her. Published March 19, 2014
Reince Priebus urges GOP to tone down anti-immigrant rhetoric
Republican Party chief Reince Priebus said Tuesday that the GOP can make big gains among Hispanic voters even if it doesn’t support legalizing illegal immigrants, as long as the party finds better messengers and tones down anti-immigrant rhetoric. Published March 18, 2014
A year after RNC postmortem: GOP outreach advances, but key voters still distant
Republican officials said Monday that they have improved their nuts-and-bolts campaign and are making big strides in voter outreach — but there is little evidence that it is making a difference in reaching the minorities, women and young voters who are key to winning national elections. Published March 17, 2014
No clear-cut leader in Nebraska Republican primary
Tea party and conservative groups have been able to pick a clear favorite in most of this year's Senate GOP primaries — but that's not the case in Nebraska, where four candidates, all claiming conservative bragging rights, are running. Published March 16, 2014
Sarah Palin endorses Ben Sasse in Nebraska GOP primary
Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the 2008 GOP vice presidential nominee, endorsed Ben Sasse for U.S. Senate in Nebraska. Published March 13, 2014
Florida election emblematic of new reality of money
So much outside money poured into this week's special election in Florida that the battle in the Tampa-area district felt more like a fight for the presidency than a congressional race. Published March 12, 2014
David Jolly wins in Florida, GOP keeps swing district seat
Republican David Jolly won Tuesday's special election for the open seat in Florida's 13th Congressional District, defeating Democrat Alex Sink in a hard-fought race that offered both parties the chance to test-drive their political messages ahead of the midterm elections. Published March 11, 2014
Hard-fought congressional election in Florida is seen as a bellwether
Republicans and Democrats are spending millions of dollars on Tuesday's special congressional election in Florida, a race seen by leaders on both sides as the first real test of the parties' broader strategies for this fall. Published March 10, 2014
Former Iowa GOP chief takes post with Rand Paul PAC
The former head of the Iowa Republican Party has taken a job with Sen. Rand Paul's political action committee — providing more evidence that the Kentucky Republican is laying the foundation for a 2016 presidential bid. Published March 10, 2014
CPAC 2014: Straw poll signals Paul-Cruz showdown for conservative voters
The one-two finish of Rand Paul and Ted Cruz in The Washington Times/CPAC straw poll over the weekend cemented their rock star status among grass-roots activists — and signaled that the two tea party favorites are destined for a showdown over which senator will carry the conservative flag in the contest for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination. Published March 9, 2014
CPAC 2014: Poll shows GOP discontent, Congress frustration
Last week's Conservative Political Action Conference did little to dispel the notion of a deep rift between grass-roots activists and national GOP leaders, with CPAC's three-day straw poll showing frustration with Congress and a growing discontent with "establishment" presidential candidates. Published March 9, 2014
Palin dings Obama, calls for conservative reinforcements in Washington
Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin called on conservatives Saturday to strengthen their limited government ranks in the midterm election - even if it means replacing GOP lawmakers that have been reluctant to take a more aggressive stance against the Obama administration. Published March 8, 2014
Rand Paul wins 2014 CPAC straw poll, Ted Cruz finishes a distant second
Sen. Rand Paul demolished his competition in the 2014 Washington Times/CPAC presidential preference straw poll on Saturday, winning 31 percent of the vote -- nearly three times the total of second-place Sen. Ted Cruz. Published March 8, 2014
CPAC 2014: Carson ‘not sure’ what God has in store for him
Dr. Ben Carson teased thousands of conservatives Saturday morning about his political future, saying he does not know what God has in store for him, suggesting that he could have a future in elective politics. Published March 8, 2014
CPAC 2014: Rand Paul urges conservatives to fight for liberty
Sen. Rand Paul urged the thousands that turned out for the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) to imagine electing a "friend of liberty" to the White House who will defend the Constitution and push back against a federal government that is trampling over their individual rights. Published March 7, 2014
Foster Friess: Rick Santorum ‘needs to be heard’ in 2016
Foster Friess, the billionaire who backed Mr. Santorum's dark-horse run in 2012, said Friday that he will back Mr. Santorum in the 2016 election. Published March 7, 2014
CPAC 2014: Despite GOP push on immigration, doubts rampant
Despite a year of pressure from top Republican leaders saying it's politically necessary for the party to pass an immigration bill, rank-and-file conservatives at CPAC are unconvinced, saying they want their party focus to be on border security rather than working with Democrats to legalize illegal immigrants. Published March 6, 2014
CPAC 2014: GOP optimism, agenda emerge at CPAC
Gov. Chris Christie fired up the crowd at CPAC Thursday with his call for Republicans to present a positive agenda, while Sens. Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio laid out the outlines of what that kind of agenda could look like — and Rep. Paul Ryan sounded like a man who's seriously thinking about running for the White House. Published March 6, 2014
