Seth McLaughlin

Senate GOP curtails earmarks

Senate Republicans on Tuesday voted to ban "pork-barrel" spending as a couple of Democrats rushed to join the fight on a politically potent issue that has enraged voters and helped give rise to the GOP's "tea party"-infused midterm election victories. Published November 16, 2010

McConnell agrees to temporary earmark ban

Bowing to political pressure from conservatives in his party and to voter anxiety over the federal budget, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on Monday reversed course and supported a temporary ban on earmarks in order to show he is serious about cutting federal spending. Published November 15, 2010

McConnell backs earmark ban

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said Monday he will support an earmark ban in the Senate Republican conference, a move that appears to leave House Democrats as the sole supporters of pork-barrel spending. Published November 15, 2010

Lame-duck Congress to confront agenda of competing demands

Lawmakers returning Monday for the start of the lame-duck session on Capitol Hill face an age-old political conundrum: How to respond to voter anger over federal spending without cutting into the entitlement programs and tax breaks that so many of their constituents enjoy. Published November 11, 2010

GOP senators ask colleagues to back ban on earmarks

A group of Senate conservatives issued an early challenge to their Republican colleagues, calling on them in an open letter to support a ban on earmarks — a stance the House GOP embraced earlier this year. Published November 9, 2010

Maine’s Snowe next ‘tea party’ target?

Republicans last week painted the country's northeastern corner red last week, grabbing control of the state House, Senate and governor's mansion in Maine for the first time in more than four decades in a stunning electoral sweep. Published November 8, 2010

Republicans net at least six Senate seats

Republicans held all of their Senate seats left open by retirements and picked off several seats held by Democrats to capture at least six seats in the midterm election, giving them a louder voice in the legislative chamber most likely to shape President Obama's agenda for the next two years. Published November 3, 2010

Capitol Hill’s ‘Camelot’ era coming to an end

Two years ago, it would have been unthinkable that both seats held by Kennedy family members could be won by Republicans. Published October 28, 2010

Democrats try to stir enthusiasm among black voters

Democrats are turning to black voters for help in next week's midterm elections, hoping they can be the jolt of energy needed to stem projected losses by winning key competitive congressional and gubernatorial races. Published October 26, 2010

Voters search for real solutions, but hopefuls offer ‘nothing new’

Voters are craving new ideas and an end to business as usual in Washington, but in the waning days of the congressional campaigns, candidates from both parties have dusted off their old party playbooks. Published October 20, 2010

Senate race a litmus test for Pennsylvania

Two weeks out from Election Day, Republican Pat Toomey appears poised to lead a Republican surge in Pennsylvania in a Senate race that will test just how deeply the state's "blue" roots run. Published October 18, 2010

Candidates aim to tar rivals over the outsourcing of jobs

With unemployment stuck above 9 percent, Democrats have increasingly seized on outsourcing of U.S. jobs as a campaign issue, arguing the GOP's policies have encouraged companies to shift work overseas. Published October 14, 2010

Mixed martial arts promoters flex Hill muscle

As the sport of mixed martial arts has fought for the respect and market share enjoyed by the nation's more established professional pastimes, the industry's biggest player has found that money talks in the halls of Congress and in statehouses across the country. Published October 11, 2010

Minority hopefuls add color to monochrome GOP

Republicans are poised to add a splash of color to the ranks of its officeholders in November's elections, challenging the notion that the party is a de facto white guys' club. Published October 5, 2010

Retreating lawmakers leave long ‘to do’ list

Congressional Democrats decamped from Washington this week for the campaign trail, saying they've checked off most of the boxes on their legislative wish list: health care, the stimulus package and new rules of the road for Wall Street. Published September 30, 2010

U.S. ends contracts to foreign-owned firms

Stung by criticism that American taxpayers are footing the bill for China-owned companies to expand their influence overseas, a government development agency has said it will no longer award contracts to businesses owned by foreign governments. Published September 29, 2010

Big ‘08 win boomerangs on Democrats

In Washington, where short-term political gain often morphs into long-term political pain, the breakthrough victories of President Obama and the Democrats in 2008 are coming back to haunt them in 2010. Published September 29, 2010

Hoyer, GOP spar over history of tax cuts

A top House Democrat is pushing to rebrand the looming expiration of tax cuts passed under President George W. Bush as a "Republican tax increase," arguing that the GOP deserves the blame because the tax cuts were originally written to run out at the end of the 2010. Published September 28, 2010

House Democrats OK small-business bill

House Democrats on Thursday pushed through a plan to ease credit and cut taxes for struggling small businesses, in what was likely their last best bet to improve the jobs picture before the November midterm elections. Published September 23, 2010

GOP cash fills coffers of ‘tea party’ hopefuls

Eager to present a unified front before the midterm elections, the GOP's congressional campaign committees say they are rallying their financial and political muscle behind "tea party" candidates who knocked off some of their hand-picked Republicans in the primaries. Published September 22, 2010