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Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn Takes on Ticketmaster After Taylor Swift Ticket Server Crash

Matt OHern
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Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn Takes on Ticketmaster After Taylor Swift Ticket Server Crash

Two months after millions of Taylor Swift fans were knocked offline while attempting to purchase concert tickets, Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn (R – Tenn.) is joining Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) to to combat the use and operation of bots in the online ticket marketplace.

Below is a transcript of Blackburn’s statements during her guest appearance on CNBC Squawk Box, with host Joe Kernen. Blackburn published her remarks in an official press release.

“When I am out and about in Nashville, I hear from tour managers. I hear from business managers, talent agents [about] how frustrated they are with what is happening with Live Nation and with Ticketmaster, and they feel it’s appropriate for us to step in. In 2016 when I was in the House, Senator Schumer and I passed the BOTS Act, which gives the FTC the authority to move in and to go after these bots to work with these ticketing platforms. And the FTC has not exercised that authority. They need to be doing it. They’ve only brought forward one case. But the point is also that these ticket platforms, when they know they’ve got a bot in their presence, they need to give that information to the FTC so that the FTC can go after this — so they can be blocked from these sites. And so fans, whether they’re fans of the Grand Ole Opry or Taylor Swift or any of the other ones that are out there, they can get the tickets for the shows that they want.”

Katie Britt and Nancy Mace Could Help Republican Party Improve Support From Young Women

Matt OHern
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Katie Britt and Nancy Mace Could Help Republican Party Improve Support From Young Women

Pundits and political analysts enthusiastically cover firebrand Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Green (R – Georgia), but Sen. Katie Britt (R – Ala) and Rep. Nancy Mace (R – S.C.) could prove to be far more vital to the Republican Party’s hope for success in future elections.

While Green is known for frequently making controversial statements, Britt and Mace built their respective bases of support through conventional grassroots efforts, including outreach to small businesses in their respective states.

Prior to Britt’s election to U.S. Senate, she served as president and CEO of the Alabama Business Council, and she is also on the Alabama Wildlife Federation Board of Directors. The 2022 Senate campaign trail was familiar territory for Britt, who as a campaign manager for Senator Richard Shelby. Britt, who has a law degree from the University of Alabama, also practiced law at Butler Snow LLP.

Political talk show host Ben Burnett, who worked with Britt during her tenure on the Alabama Business Council, sees a bright future ahead for the new Senator.

“Katie Britt and Nancy Mace have the talent and ability to bring women into the party like nobody else in Washington”, Burnett said. “Senator Britt has a long track record of luring good jobs and good ideas back into Alabama that fund things nobody can disagree with.

Congresswoman Nancy Mace has the ability to vote according to the needs and values of her district. Although she is pro life, she votes in favor of common sense legislation that may prioritize a woman’s right to choose, over her own wishes. She’s also shown that you can have adversity in her personal life, and you can still be desirable to your constituency. 

Mace’s resume prior to Congress includes a historical milestone at The Citadel, where she was the first female to graduate from the Corps of Cadets, where she received a degree in business administration. In 2019, Mace successfully advocated for the inclusion of exceptions for rape and incest in a bill for a six-week abortion ban that passed the South Carolina state house. In a speech on the state house floor, Mace revealed that she had been raped at age 16. She has said she opposes abortion but does not believe the government has the right to tell a victim of rape or incest they do not have the right to an abortion. Mace recently gained attention for her effort to get Republicans to seek a middle-ground compromise with Democrats on the sensitive issue of abortion.

“We have been tone-deaf on this issue since the time that Roe was overturned,” Mace told reporters earlier this month. “We buried our heads in the sand…We didn’t have any policy alternatives.”

“Congresswoman Nancy Mace has the ability to vote according to the needs and values of her district,” Burnett said. “Although she is pro life, she votes in favor of common sense legislation that may prioritize a woman’s right to choose, over her own wishes. She’s also shown that you can have adversity in her personal life, and you can still be desirable to your constituency.” 

Tate Reeves Faces Uphill Battle to Re-Election as Mississippi Governor

Matt OHern
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Tate Reeves Faces Uphill Battle to Re-Election as Mississippi Governor

Democrats are eyeing Mississippi for a potentially shocking upset in a gubernatorial race. Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves entered his fourth year in office with an unusually low approval rating for an incumbent Republican in a dark red state.

Results from a recent Mississippi Today/Siena College poll showed Reeves with a 48 percent approval rating. What is more troubling for Reeves is the fact that only 33 percent of respondents in the same poll said they would vote to re-elect reeves, and only 15 percent said they strongly approve of Reeve’s performance in office, compared to 27% saying they strongly disapprove of his performance.

Reeves’ opponent, Democratic Public Service Commissioner Brandon Presley, is a distant cousin of the iconic American rockstar, Elvis Presley. Despite Presley’s relation to one one of the most famous Americans in history, the majority of voters (61 percent) polled said they weren’t familiar enough with Presley were not familiar with his background to offer an opinion of him as a candidate.

In a recent interview with Fox News Digital, Reeves said that he’s seeking to completely eliminate income tax in Mississippi. The last Democrat to win a gubernatorial race in Mississippi was David Ronald “Ronnie” Musgrove, who served only one term, from 2000 to 2004.

One recent milestone that could help Reeves raise his approval rate is the recent news that Mississippi’s graduation rate reached an all-time high.

“The conservative education reforms we fought so hard for over the years are working,” Reeves said. “Couple this with keeping our kids in the classroom while other states relied on virtual learning, and you can see how we got to this historic achievement. Kudos to the teachers for stepping up and going back into the classroom, and kudos to the parents for playing an active role in their kids’ education.”

An Overview of the 12 Candidates in the Kentucky Republican Party’s Gubernatorial Primary Election

Matt OHern
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An Overview of the 12 Candidates in the Kentucky Republican Party’s Gubernatorial Primary Election

With incumbent Democrat Andy Beshear seeking a second term as Kentucky’s governor, 12 Republicans have declared their candidacy in Kentucky’s Republican Gubernatorial Primary. Below is a list of the twelve candidates, confirmed by Kentucky’s Secretary of State, including their career background and voting record on major issues, if applicable.

Kentucky Republican Gubernatorial Primary Candidates

Daniel Cameron: As the Attorney General of Kentucky, Cameron recently gained statewide and national attention when he demanded records involving COVID school closures that are concealed by Governor Beshear. Cameron describes himself as a bold conservative who is endorsed by former President Donald Trump. As a rising young star in the GOP, Cameron may enjoy the benefit of an influx of additional campaign funds from out of the state, which could pose a major fundraising challenge to Beshear. Cameron’s campaign website is cameronforkentucky.com

Jacob Clark: Jacob Clark’s career experience includes working in engineering. Clark doesn’t have experience as an elected official, but has run for political office in the past. In 2022, Clark ran in the Republican Primary for the 18th District in Kentucky’s House of Representatives,where he lost to Samara Heavrin, with Heavrin getting 57.3 percent of the vote, to Clark’s 42.7 percent. Clark describes himself as a “warrior for liberty and freedom” and is a staunch supporter of the Second Amendment. campaign website doesn’t appear to be up yet, but he has a Twitter account at Twitter.com/clark4ky

David Cooper: According to David Cooper’s campaign website, his career experience includes service in the Army National Guard, and he is also an ordained minister and the author of a children’s book. Cooper doesn’t have experience as an elected official. Cooper’s campaign website is Cooperforky.com

Kelly Craft: Kelly Craft served as the United States’ Ambassador to Canada from 2017-2019. Ealier in her career, Craft was appointed by President George W. Bush as a US alternate delegate to the United Nations in 2007, where her focus included US engagement in Africa. Craft describes herself as Christian conservative. Her campaign website is KellyCraft.com

Eric Deters: Nicknamed “The Bulldog” for his aggressive defensive of his clients during his career as an attorney, Eric Deters describes his political philosophy as “a registered Republican with Libertarian and conservative views.” Deters currently hosts a political talk show on, 700 WLW, Realtalk 1160. Deter’s political experience includes serving as chairman for Chairman of Northern Kentucky for Trump in 2016 and the Kenton County Republican Party from 1988-1992. Deters also served as the state party’s Congressional District 4 chairman from 1990 to 1992, the same district where he served as chair for Larry Forgy’s campaign for governor in 1991. Deter’s campaign website is detersforgovernor.com

Bob DeVore: Bob DeVore served in the U.S. Navy from 1974 to 1999. His public service experience also includes serving on on the McCreary County School Board from 2000 to 2006. In the private sector, Devore has worked as a dock lead at UPS. Devore ran for Jefferson County Clerk of Court in 2022 and finished in second place to Barbara Holsclaw. DeVore describes himself as a Christian conservative. Devore’s campaign website is morewithdevore.com

Mike Harmon: As Kentucky’s State Auditor since 2015, Mike Harmon enters the race with the advantage of name recognition and deep knowledge of Kentucky’s budgeting. Harmon also spent 13 years as a member of the state legislature, where he served as the Vice Chairman of the House Standing Committee on Tourism Development and Energy. He also served as a member of the committees for Banking and Insurance, Elections, Constitutional Amendments & Intergovernmental Affairs, Health and Welfare. Harmon describes himself as a Christian conservative dedicated to returning constitutional leadership to the governor’s office. Harmon’s campaign website is mikeharmon.com.

Alan Keck: Alan Keck was elected mayor of his hometown of Somerset in November 2018. Keck, who also has experience as a business executive, describes himself as “a family man, businessman and innovator ready to lead Kentucky…a man of deep faith who is ready to give hope to working families.” Keck’s campaign website is keckforkentucky.com

Ryan Quarles: As the state’s Secretary of Agriculture, Ryan Quarles touts one of the longest lists of endorsements from state. From 2010 to 2014, Quarles served as member of the House of Representatives.Quarles describes himself as an outspoken advocate for Kentucky’s farmers. A native of Scott County, Quarles grew up on his family’s farm in central Kentucky, an area where they have lived and farmed for more than 200 years.Quarles’ campaign website is ryanquarles.com

Robbie C. Smith: As a high school math teacher from Madison County, Robbie C. Smith describes himself as a pro-life Christian and a common man for the Commonwealth. Smith has also stated that he believes lockdowns are unconstitutional. Smith’s campaign website is rsmith4gov.com

Dennis Ray Ormerod: The only information available for Ormerod is found on the Kentucky Secretary of State’s official list of declared candidates, which shows Ormerod as a resident of Louisville who filed to run on January 6, 2023.

Johnny Ray Rice: The only information available for Rice is found on the Kentucky Secretary of State’s official list of declared candidates, which shows Rice as a resident of Berry, who filed to run on January 6, 2023.

Biden’s White House Press Secretary Makes Misleading Claim About Ron DeSantis, Florida Schools

Matt OHern
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Biden’s White House Press Secretary Makes Misleading Claim About Ron DeSantis, Florida Schools

At a press conference earlier this week, President Biden’s White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre took an opportunity to criticize a decision by the Florida Department of Education’s decision to not include African American studies as part of Advanced Placement testing, but her criticism included false allegations about Governor Ron DeSantis and the state’s curriculum, implying a block on any studies or course materials about black Americans.

“It is incomprehensible to see that this is what this ban—or this block, to be more specific—that DeSantis has put forward. If you think about the study of black Americans, that is what he wants to block and, again, these types of actions aren’t new, especially from what we’re seeing from Florida, sadly,” Jean-Pierre said. She declined to discuss the state’s actual objections, but Florida state law already requires the teaching of African American history in public schools, including the history of African Americans, including the history of African peoples before the political conflicts that led to the development of slavery, the passage to America, the enslavement experience, abolition, and the history and contributions of Americans of the African diaspora to society.

The only prohibition of teaching that involves different races in Florida involves class instruction that could make someone feel “personal responsibility” for historic wrongdoings because of their race, sex or national origin. The AP course rejected by the state Education Department contained references to Critical Race Theory, a section of the curriculum on Black Queer Studies “explores the concept of the queer of color critique, grounded in Black feminism and intersectionality.”

Another part that tackles the concept of “colorblindness” includes a recommended book on the topic that colorblindness within the U.S. criminal justice system “functions as a contemporary system of racial control — relegating millions to a permanent second-class status.”

National Review columnist Stanley Kurtz noted that the curriculum also advocates the overthrow of the capitalist system.

Reporters from a variety of media outlets have tangled with Jean-Pierre in recent weeks regarding her lack of transparency, her lack of preparation for inevitable questions on current events, including the recent revelation that classified documents were found on President Biden’s private property.

Nikki Haley Teases a 2024 Presidential Primary Run vs. Trump

Matt OHern
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Nikki Haley Teases a 2024 Presidential Primary Run vs. Trump

Nikki Haley made national headlines again after she teased a potential 2024 presidential run during an interview with Brett Baier on Fox News.

During the interview, the two-time Governor of South Carolina and former United Nations

Ambassador touted her successful record in campaigns.

“We need to go in a new direction,” Haley added. “So do I think I could be that leader? Yes, But we are still working through things and we’ll figure it out. I’ve never lost a race. I said that then I still say that now. I’m not going to lose now, stay tuned,” she concluded.

Haley would appeal to Trump loyalists as well as establishment conservatives who weren’t enthusiastic supporters of Trump’s 2016 candidacy, nor his Presidency. Haley has occasionally expressed disagreements or disapproval of certain decisions and actions by Trump, she never strongly condemned Trump’s character or policies while she served as ambassador, but she used harsh words about her former boss after the January 6, 2021 incident at the U.S. Capitol.

“We need to acknowledge he (Trump) let us down,” Haley said back in February 2021, shortly after the Jan. 6 Capitol rioting. “He went down a path he shouldn’t have, and we shouldn’t have followed him, and we shouldn’t have listened to him. And we can’t let that ever happen again.”

Even in the 21st Century, Nikki Haley faced tough odds to getting elected as the first female Governor of South Carolina. As a female who was raised by immigrant Indian Punjabi Sikh parents in, Haley’s path to political prominence was far different than her rivals and predecessors in the Palmetto State. She is considered the third non-white person to have been elected as governor of a Southern state, after Virginia’s Douglas Wilder and Louisiana’s Bobby Jindal. As we learned from Barack Obama’s success in 2008, Americans enjoy an inspiring story that involves overcoming adversity.

Border Security Update: Rick Scott Visits Immigration Crisis Area in Marathon, Florida

Matt OHern
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Border Security Update: Rick Scott Visits Immigration Crisis Area in Marathon, Florida

MARATHON, FL – Senator Rick Scott (R – Fla) visited the Florida Keys, including the city of Marathon, where hundreds of Cuban refugees were recently detained and sent back to Cuba after they attempted illegal entry into the United States. During Scott’s survey of the area, he met with local, state and federal officials to learn more details about the challenges faced due to the influx of refugees in the region. Scott received a briefing from U.S. Coast Guard Rear Admiral Brendan McPherson, Monroe County Sheriff Rick Ramsay, and Customs and Border Protection’s Air and Marine Operations on the local response to the migrant crisis in the Florida Keys.

“Right now, our country is experiencing record-high levels of illegal immigration,” Scott said in an official statement. “And what President Joe Biden has done is brought his illegal immigration crisis that he created on our southern border right to Florida’s front door. What I heard and saw during my briefing and tour with Sheriff Rick Ramsay, Admiral McPherson, and CBP in the Keys today makes me furious and is absolutely heartbreaking. Our brave law enforcement officers, including CBP agents and Coast Guard, are doing everything they can to keep our communities safe, but this administration has completely abandoned them and left them shorthanded. Every state is a border state, and we cannot allow the communist Cuban regime to weaponize our legal immigration system and take advantage. Florida is an immigration state, we encourage and welcome legal immigration—but it must be done legally. These evil regimes in Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua cannot continue to be emboldened by Biden’s appeasement and wide open borders. Where is [Director of Homeland Security Alejandro] Mayorkas? Where is Joe Biden? They don’t care, but I won’t stop fighting to fix this. I’m going to keep showing up, keep holding them accountable and not let up until we secure the border.”

Scott’s tour of the area followed Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ activation of the National Guard to address the surge of Cuban refugees since the start of 2023.

Brian Kemp on a Ticket with Trump or DeSantis Could Improve GOP Odds for Victory in 2024

Matt OHern
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Brian Kemp on a Ticket with Trump or DeSantis Could Improve GOP Odds for Victory in 2024

Whether the 2024 Republican nominee is Trump or DeSantis, they’ll need to retake Georgia in the win column for Republicans if they have any hope of winning enough electoral votes overall. Democratic voter registration has increased in Georgia, thanks in large part to a new generation of young, female suburban voters throughout the Atlanta Metro region. In 2020, Biden was able to build on Hillary Clinton’s vote shares in the densely-populated Metro Atlanta counties of Gwinnett, Cobb, and Henry, increasing her vote shares of 50%, 48%, and 50% to 58%, 56%, and 60%, respectively–in all three cases, the best showing for a non-Georgian Democrat since John F. Kennedy in the 1960 election. 

Kemp, who won re-election 7.5 against a well-known and extremely well-funded Stacey Abrams could improve the 2024 Republican nominee’s margin just enough among certain demographics to tip the state in the GOP’s favor. Adding Kemp to the ticket as a VP would likely bring an improved especially middle aged women, who went for Biden by a 16-point margin, and women under 20, who went for Biden by a 33-point margin. Kemp and Trump have had their fair share of differences over a variety of issues. In 2022, Kemp condemned Trump for hosting Kanye West and holocaust-denier Nick Fuentes. In 2020, Kemp drew the ire of Trump for not removing Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger after the electoral vote count went unchanged. “Racism, antisemitism and denial of the Holocaust have no place in the Republican Party and are completely un-American.” nation’s most prominent white nationalist figure,” said Kemp.

One major area where Kemp gained favor with all Republicans was his pro-business stance during the COVID-19 crisis. Georgia was one of the earliest states to lift lockdown restrictions. Kemp’s outlook on COVID restrictions were extremely similar to DeSantis’, but Kemp didn’t make as much of a spectacle on cable television as DeSantis.

Kemp’s balance of business support with a low-key approach to his public appearances have limited his name recognition compared to governors such as DeSantis, but that personality difference could prove to be a positive counter-balance as a Vice President who would likely be paired with Trump or DeSantis at the top of the 2024 ticket.

Georgia political talk show host Ben Burnett is a believer in Kemp. 

“Brian Kemp knows how to build a ground game, is firm in his beliefs and mild-mannered enough to be likable,” said Burnett. “If you are a conservative who wants to win the Presidency, then you need somebody who can go to Davos and represent conservative principles in a likable way. He checks a ton of boxes.”

In 2020, exit polls revealed that Trump lost Georgia in large part to female voters, especially middle aged women, who went for Biden by a 16-point margin, and women under 20, who went for Biden by a 33-point margin. In 2022, Kemp easily won re-election despite Warnock defeating Walker. 2022 exit polls showed Kemp winning female voters aged 45-64, a group which Trump lost by one percent in 2020. Perhaps the most striking difference was with women aged 65+, where Kemp improved on Trump’s margin of victory by five percent, take 57 percent compared to Trump’s 52. Trump-protege and Senate candidate Herschel Walker Democratic voter registration gains in Georgia are directly attributable to the new generation of suburban voters throughout the Atlanta Metro region. Biden was able to build on Hillary Clinton’s vote shares in the densely-populated Metro Atlanta counties of Gwinnett, Cobb, and Henry, increasing her vote shares of 50%, 48%, and 50% to 58%, 56%, and 60%, respectively–in all three cases, the best showing for a non-Georgian Democrat since John F. Kennedy in the 1960 election. 

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