Seth McLaughlin
Articles by Seth McLaughlin
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
Debate between libertarians, social conservatives to play out at CPAC
Three decades after libertarians and social conservatives teamed up to help elect Ronald Reagan president, those on both sides are wondering whether they still have enough in common to keep the marriage going. Published March 5, 2014
Rep. Ed Royce: Way to weaken Putin is to mess with his money
The chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee said Wednesday that a couple keys to ending the crisis in Ukraine is to freeze the assets of Russian President Vladimir Putin's deep-pocketed pals and open up LNG exports to Europe. Published March 5, 2014
Obama’s budget doesn’t bode well for compromise: Rep. Paul Ryan
The chairman of the House Budget Committee says he is concerned that President Obama's budget blueprint is going to lead to more legislative gridlock on Capitol Hill over spending, entitlement programs and the national debt. Published March 5, 2014
Obama’s ‘disjointed’ foreign policy hurts U.S. in Ukraine: Rep. Rogers
The chair of the House Intelligence Committee says the Obama administration has been slow to respond to the crisis in Ukraine because it has a "disjointed" approach to foreign policy and has not done the diplomatic legwork. Published March 5, 2014
Axelrod bashes Sen. Graham for tying Ukraine to Benghazi
A former senior advisor to President Obama said Wednesday that South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham's attempt to draw a link between the crisis in Ukraine and the 2012 attacks in Benghazi, Libya show that he is worried about his GOP primary race back home. Published March 5, 2014
Bush dynasty resurgent in Texas
There is another member of the Bush family on the rise in Texas. Published March 5, 2014
CPAC to test 26 candidates for president with straw poll
This year's Conservative Political Action Conference straw poll includes more than two dozen names for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination, signaling just how wide open the race is. Published March 4, 2014
Dems hold edge on issues, but not on generic ballot: poll
A new poll shows Democrats are more trusted on the issues than their Republican counterparts, but that the parties are running neck-and-neck on generic ballots ahead of the 2014 midterm elections. Published March 4, 2014
Radio ad attacks McConnell over same-sex marriage ruling
The Senate Conservatives Fund released a radio ad Tuesday dinging Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell for supporting a "liberal" federal judge who recently ruled that Kentucky has to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states. Published March 4, 2014
Mike Lee endorses Ben Sasse in Nebraska GOP Senate primary
Sen. Mike Lee is endorsing Ben Sasse in the Nebraska Senate GOP primary contest, giving the president of Midland University the support of another high-profile conservative and tea party favorite in the tight Republican race. Published March 4, 2014
Tea party loses some steam in GOP races
Tea party challenges to Republican senators are fizzling across the country, leaving Mississippi as the only state where a longtime Republican officeholder is seriously endangered by a primary threat from his right. Published March 3, 2014
House Speaker John Boehner gets official snub by CPAC
House Speaker John A. Boehner, who has tangled repeatedly with the right wing of the Republican Party, has not been invited to this week's Conservative Political Action Conference. Published March 3, 2014
RNC considers 2016 national convention sites
The Republican National Committee began the process Monday of listening to the sales pitches from the cities vying to host the 2016 GOP national convention, where the party's standard-bearer will be nominated. Published March 3, 2014
Florida special election ‘tough terrain’ for Dems: DCCC chair
The head of the campaign arm for House Democrats downplayed the notion that a loss in a Florida special election this month would spell trouble for the party's chances of picking up a significant number of House seats in the midterm election this fall. Published March 3, 2014
Hillary Clinton leads 2016 presidential field in Virginia: poll
In the battleground state of Virginia, a new poll shows Hillary Rodham Clinton is running well ahead of her potential Democratic rivals for her party's 2016 presidential nomination and leading the entire field of likely Republicans candidates. Published March 3, 2014