U.S. Senate News

Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., is going up against one of his closest friends in the U.S. Senate for the plum post of Budget Committee chairman — a matchup that could determine, in part, the policy agenda as Republicans take control of the upper chamber next month. Sessions, the ranking minority member of the Budget Committee,…

For two years, Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin has concealed his plans for financing single-payer health care. His lead consultant, Jonathan Gruber, has admitted to deceptive policymaking and called lack of transparency “a huge political advantage.” But at least one man knows what Vermonters can expect to pay for Green Mountain Care and isn’t afraid to…

As the lame-duck Congress limps to the finish line, billions of dollars in federal energy subsidies could be up for grabs. The perennial procrastination has solar and wind-power lobbyists scrambling for tax credits. Last week, lawmakers reached a deal on a $440 billion tax package only to have President Obama threaten a veto. The package would have…

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., today said a new House committee report on the 2012 terrorist attacks in Benghazi is “full of crap.” The report by the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, two years in the making and released Friday evening, asserts that intelligence and military officials responded appropriately during the attacks on the U.S….

One of a trio of Republican congressmen will take over a conservative caucus in the U.S. House with  a 40-year history that some members see as compromised. Although a front-runner has emerged, insiders warn a bump in support for a candidate favored by House leadership could affect the outcome. Next Tuesday, three lawmakers seek the chairmanship…

She has to go through freshman orientation again. But this time, as the newest representative from the 59th District of the West Virginia House of Delegates. This spring, college freshman Saira Blair will skip class for the state capital to be sworn in as the youngest state representative in the nation. While still a senior…

It was a GOP wave. In a near-sweep of yesterday’s midterm elections, Republicans shifted the balance of power in the U.S. Senate, gaining at least seven seats, widened their majority in the House by at least 11 seats and defeated Democrats in 24 governor's races. "We are headed to Washington and we are going to make ’em squeal,"…

With only hours to go before the polls open on Election Day, six races that could determine whether Republicans take back the U.S. Senate look to be tight as a tick. Of the nine Senate races identified by The Daily Signal as instrumental to the balance of power, just one — Iowa — is a…

Half of Hispanics don’t think it matters who controls the senate after the November election, according to a new poll. When asked. “If control of the Senate switched from the Democrats to the Republicans after this election, do you think that would be a good thing, a bad thing, or wouldn’t it make any difference?”…

Breitbart News reporter Matthew Boyle was removed, without explanation, from a campaign event for Sen. Jeanne Shaheen in Exeter, N.H., yesterday despite the event having been advertised as a press conference open to media. According to Boyle’s account, campaign staffers for the Democratic senator checked Boyle in and directed him to the back of the…

FREDERICKSBURG, Va.—Blasting as “fundamentally un-American” the seizure of assets from citizens, a state lawmaker wants to rein in police powers in Virginia. Virginia law currently allows police to seize property without even a hearing. State Delegate Mark Cole, a Republican from Spotsylvania, has introduced legislation to be taken up in the General Assembly next January that…

In the first debate of their heated U.S. Senate race, the incumbent Democrat’s attacks last night on the policy positions of his Republican challenger took on a personal tone. Rep. Tom Cotton, the challenger, and Sen. Mark Pryor, the incumbent, squared off at the University of Central Arkansas in Conway. Joining them to debate who would serve…

Republican lawmakers say the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency enjoys a “beyond cozy” relationship with a liberal environmental action group that seeks to reshape national energy policies in a way that would hurt American businesses and families. Sen. David Vitter, R-La., the top Republican on the Environment and Public Works Committee, told The Daily Signal that the…

To understand Sean Haugh, know that instead of ending his phone conversation with a Daily Signal reporter by saying “Goodbye,” he implored: “Have fun.” Haugh, who begins conversations with a “Howdy,” appears to be a gentle, non-confrontational type who doesn’t fit the persona of a third-party candidate threatening to unhinge a Senate race. Haugh — pronounced…

A heartland contest between an embattled Republican incumbent and an upstart challenger could decide whether Democrats lose control of the U.S. Senate Republicans need to net six seats to take over the Senate, and in recent days, Kansas appears to have moved from leaning in independent candidate Greg Orman’s favor to a toss-up that could…

What can a Google search or Twitter mention tell us about a political race? Search interest and social media mentions can tell a story beyond the toplines of a poll. It’s a question the team at Echelon Insights wants to answer. Over the next several weeks, founders Patrick Ruffini and Kristen Soltis Anderson will produce…

Unable to break free from each other in the polls, North Carolina’s Senate candidates played offense Tuesday in their second debate. Incumbent Democrat Kay Hagan and her Republican challenger, North Carolina House Speaker Thom Tillis, both used a specific weapon — numbers — to make their attacks clear. With time running out before the Nov….