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    John Celock

    John Celock

    Contributor

  • Democrat Vows To Take On Koch Brothers

    Mah narrowly lost the seat to Corbet in 2012 and has spent the past year campaigning to regain it. Mah is best known for being the Kansas Democratic Party's chief foil to Kobach, primarily on voter identification and proof of citizenship issues. Mah said her main reason for challenging Corbet again is what she calls the Republican's desire to placate the Wichita-based Koch brothers and tea party interests.

  • GOP Lawmaker Compares Obama To More Evil Dictators

    The Arizona Republican state legislator who compared President Barack Obama to Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler earlier this week also seems to compare the president to Cambodian dictator Pol Pot in a newly released recording. On Wednesday afternoon, the Arizona Capitol Times posted on its website an audio recording of a phone interview it did Monday with Barton, during which she apparently compared Obama to multiple infamous dictators, including Hitler. The Times' posting was in response to Barton, who earlier that day had denied making the comparisons, accusing the newspaper of misreporting her comments in a story based on the interview.

  • Sarah Palin To Stump For Cory Booker's Opponent

    Sarah Palin will go to New Jersey Saturday to headline an event for Republican Senate candidate Steve Lonegan, days before the state's Oct 16. Lonegan's campaign and the Tea Party Express announced Wednesday night that Palin, the former Alaska governor and Republican vice presidential nominee, will appear at a rally at the New Egypt Speedway in South Jersey Saturday afternoon. The announcement comes a week after Palin announced her endorsement for Lonegan, a tea party favorite, in his race against Democrat Cory Booker.

  • GOP Lawmaker Won't Apologize For Obama-Hitler Crack

    An Arizona Republican state lawmaker refuses to resign or apologize after likening President Barack Obama to Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler and now denies she ever made the comparison. Rep. Brenda Barton (R-Payson) said in a statement Wednesday that her Facebook post on Monday calling Obama "De Fuhrer" wasn't meant to compare Obama with Hitler. Arizona state House Minority Leader Chad Campbell (D-Phoenix) on Wednesday called on Barton to resign or apologize.

  • Some States Requiring Some Married Couples To Be Treated As Singles

    While the Internal Revenue Service plans to allow same-sex married couples to file joint federal tax returns, not every state will be following suit. Several states with constitutional prohibitions on same-sex marriage have implemented rules in the past several weeks saying that same-sex married couples in their states will have to file state taxes as individuals. The U.S. Department of the Treasury ruling recognizing same-sex married couples even if they live in states that do not, was issued in August in response to the U.S. Supreme Court's decision earlier this year to overturn the federal Defense of Marriage Act.

  • GOP Voting Plan 'A Huge Mess'

    Republican officials in Arizona and Kansas want to change their voting systems so that one registration would be required for federal elections, and another would be needed for state and local elections. Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach (R), Arizona Secretary of State Ken Bennett (R) and Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne (R) plan to implement the new system in their respective states, saying it is the only way to comply with federal voter registration laws, while keeping their state proof of citizenship voting laws in place.

  • GOP Lawmaker Doubles Down On Obama-Hitler Comparison

    A Republican state legislator in Arizona is continuing to press her case that President Barack Obama can be compared to Nazi leader Adolf Hitler. State Rep. Brenda Barton (R-Payson) told the Arizona Capitol Times Monday that she believes Obama is leading the United States in the same way that Hitler led Germany. The comments to the Times came hours after she called Obama "De Fuhrer" in a post on her Facebook page while discussing the federal government shutdown.

  • GOP Lawmaker Calls Obama 'De Fuhrer'

    A Republican state legislator in Arizona wrote on Facebook Monday that "De Fuhrer" is running the federal government shutdown and forcing rangers to close national parks. State Rep. Brenda Barton (R-Payson) in a series of Facebook posts on Monday complained about President Barack Obama and "De Fuhrer," who she said is in charge of the shutdown.

  • Kansas Dems Line Up Against Against 'Galavanting' Immigration Foe

    The field to challenge Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach (R) next year continues to grow, as three Democrats have started up efforts toward seeking the party's nomination in the race. Former state Sen. Jean Schodorf of Wichita officially entered the race last month, while Saline County Clerk Don Merriman told The Huffington Post Friday that he is seriously considering joining the race. Businessman Randy Rolston of Lenexa was the first Democrat to enter the race in February.

  • Charges Fly In New Jersey Senate Debate

    Democrat Cory Booker and Republican Steve Lonegan didn't agree on much of anything during Friday's U.S. Senate candidate debate in New Jersey, trading barbs on a variety of issues including abortion and their personal finances. The two are facing off in an Oct. 16 special election necessitated by the death of Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J. in June.

  • GOP Lawmaker: Stop 'Absurd' Shutdown

    Some Republican state lawmakers are saying that the current federal government shutdown needs to end before it harms the country further. The shutdown is hurting state and local governments, they told The Huffington Post, and while they understand a need to address Obamacare at the federal level, shutting down the government is not the answer. The shutdown would do more harm than good to the Republican Party in the long-term, the GOP state legislators said.

  • Palin Bashes Booker

    Sarah Palin has weighed in on New Jersey's special U.S. Senate election, endorsing Republican Steve Lonegan over Democratic frontrunner Cory Booker. In a statement released by Lonegan's campaign Wednesday night, the former Alaska governor praised the Republican's record as mayor of Bogota, N.J., and his support for conservative causes, including repealing Obamacare. Palin, a former GOP vice-presidential nominee, also attacked Booker's record as Newark mayor, claiming that he has ignored the city's crime rate in order to tweet.

  • 'Despised' Tea Party Candidate Faces Long Odds In Governor's Race

    A controversial tea party favorite in Wyoming is pressing ahead with a 2014 Republican primary challenge against the state's popular governor despite long odds. Cindy Hill, Wyoming's embattled superintendent of public instruction, told The Huffington Post that she "absolutely" will challenge Gov. Matt Mead (R) in next year's GOP primary. Hill rode a wave of tea party support to a surprise win in the 2010 GOP primary for superintendent, but since then, she has clashed repeatedly with Mead, the Republican-controlled state Legislature and Wyoming's GOP establishment.

  • Lawmakers Won't Be 'Intimidated' By Tea Party Favorite

    Wyoming House Speaker Tom Lubnau (R-Gillette), the investigative committee's chairman, sent a letter to Superintendent of Public Instruction Cindy Hill (R) Friday saying that the committee has grown "weary of your transparent attempts to frustrate" the panel, including her large-scale document drop in response to subpoenas from the committee.

  • State Lawmakers: Tea Party Fear Dominates GOP

    Some Democratic women state lawmakers say fear of the tea party is driving the Republican Party during the current federal government shutdown and budget talks. The state legislators, in Washington for the Women Legislators' Lobby conference, come from states where Republican representatives in the U.S. House voted for budget proposals that included defunding Obamacare. The state legislators said that the votes, which have been blamed for the shutdown, would likely not harm those Congress members back home due to rising tea party sentiment among local GOP voters.

  • State Legislators: 'Shut Down The Shutdown'

    The group outlined a series of impacts it said the shutdown will have on specific states and across the country. The construction industry and public works projects were among the areas of concern. Colorado state Rep. Angela Williams (D-Denver) said her state is attempting to rebuild roads, bridges and other infrastructure damaged in the recent floods by a Dec. 1 deadline.

  • North Dakota Cities Look To Ban Discrimination

    While the North Dakota Legislature defeated a bill to ban LGBT discrimination statewide earlier this year, cities in the state are taking steps to add a level of protection. The Grand Forks City Council is likely to adopt an ordinance next month to ban discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in the city's rental housing market, which would make it the first city to do so in the state. Grand Forks adopted a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender discrimination ban on city government employment earlier this year.

  • GOP Leader: Low Minority Turnout Helps Republicans

    The top Republican in the Nevada Assembly said during a radio talk show Tuesday that low turnout from minority and young voters could contribute to a winning election season for the GOP in 2014. Assembly Minority Leader Pat Hickey (R-Reno) is coming under fire from state Democrats for comments he made on the Dan Mason Show on KOH 780-AM radio in Nevada. "It is a great year in a non-presidential election.

  • State Lawmaker's Staffer Leaves Loaded Gun In Capitol Bathroom

    A staff member for the speaker of the Missouri House of Representatives reportedly left a loaded gun in a men's bathroom in the state capitol building last week. A Kahr CM9 9 mm gun belonging to Dave Evans, House Speaker Tim Jones's (R-Eureka) legislative assistant, was found on top of a toilet paper dispenser in a bathroom stall last Friday, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Monday. A police report obtained by the Post-Dispatch noted that the gun had one hollow point bullet in its chamber and six bullets in its magazine. The gun was found in a stall by another state legislative staffer and was secured by capitol police.

  • GOP Challenger Plans To 'Expose' Cory Booker

    Republican Steve Lonegan sees a path to victory over Newark Mayor Cory Booker in New Jersey's upcoming U.S. Senate election if he keeps attacking what he describes as the Democrat's shortcomings. Sitting in a diner here Monday, Lonegan was quick to criticize Booker for his national following and celebrity-laden fundraisers, accusing him of ignoring New Jersey. Lonegan also slammed Booker's record in Newark, including a recent rise in the city's murders.