State Politics & News
Coverage of state politics, elections, and conservative policy battles across all 50 states shaping America’s future.
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- News
Texas Boy Says Adults Called Him ‘Little Hitler’ When He Started Raising Money for the Wall
A young Texas boy faced both praise and ridicule from adults after he opened a hot chocolate stand to raise money for President Donald Trumps’ border wall. Benton Stevens—a 7-year-old from Austin, Texas—wanted to help raise funds for a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border after watching Trump deliver the State of the Union address earlier…Jason Hopkins -
- News
Covington Student Sues Washington Post
Covington Catholic High School student Nicholas Sandmann is suing The Washington Post over its coverage of a January incident involving himself and Native American protester Nathan Phillips. Attorneys for Sandmann filed the lawsuit Tuesday, accusing the Washington newspaper of engaging in a “modern-day form of McCarthyism.” The lawsuit also blames CNN and NBC, “among others,” for taking…Tim Pearce -
- Opinion
Podcast: Lt. Gov. Dan Forest Fights for Conservative Principles in North Carolina
On today’s podcast, we’re featuring an exclusive interview with North Carolina Lt. Gov. Dan Forest. He recently visited The Heritage Foundation while in Washington and spoke to us about how tax reform has changed his state, as well as his thoughts on the national political scene, including the left’s push for government-run health care and…Robert B. Bluey -
- News
EXCLUSIVE: Audit Finds Signs of Fraud in New Mexico House Race
An audit of absentee ballots suggests fraud may have occurred in one of the closest House races in the country, The Daily Signal has learned. Democrat Xochitl Torres Small squeaked by Republican Yvette Herrell in the final results of the Nov. 6 election. On election night, Herrell declared victory in the race to represent New…Fred Lucas -
- Opinion
Amazon’s New York Reversal Shows Exactly Why Crony Capitalism Fails
Just months after announcing it would locate one of its headquarters in New York City, Amazon has announced that it’s pulling the plug on the Big Apple. Based on Amazon’s public statement, it seems the company couldn’t rely on the deals it had cut or the political support it had received to last beyond the…Rachel Greszler -
- News
Trump Demands California Pay Back Federal Government for Canceled Bullet Train Project
President Donald Trump demanded that California pay back the federal government for its abandoned high-speed rail project, in a tweet Wednesday evening. “California has been forced to cancel the massive bullet train project after having spent and wasted many billions of dollars,” Trump wrote on Twitter. “They owe the Federal Government three and a half billion dollars….Evie Fordham -
- Opinion
This K-12 Innovation Would Help Families in South Carolina Customize Learning
Cindie Smith is not one to shy away from a challenge. Having already raised two biological children, she adopted four children with special needs and is determined to help each of them succeed. Smith and her family live in Arizona, one of five states that offer education savings accounts to eligible students. With an account,…Jonathan Butcher -
- Opinion
Shutdowns Show Why Airline Industry Shouldn’t Depend On Washington
When the border funding dispute between President Donald Trump and congressional Democrats led to a partial federal government shutdown, what followed was weeks of speculation on what would cause one side or the other to back down. As it turns out, just a handful of employees at an air traffic control center in Leesburg, Virginia,…David Ditch -
- News
Washington Post Calls Ocasio-Cortez’s Claim of ‘Doctored’ Green New Deal Documents ‘Misleading’
Washington Post fact-checkers ruled Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s claim of “doctored” Green New Deal FAQ documents floating around as “misleading,” but the outlet curiously did not give her any “Pinocchios.” “No one created ‘doctored’ versions of the Green New Deal that included these outlandish proposals,” Rizzo wrote in an article published Monday. Rizzo’s article…Michael Bastasch -
- Opinion
On Occupational Licensing, Texas Is Again the ‘Lodestar State’ for Legal Reforms
Texas has been at the forefront of state prison and criminal justice reform since 2007, but it isn’t resting on its laurels. By reforming its criminal justice system, Texas has sensibly and carefully reduced its prison population, cut state spending, and expanded prisoners’ access to drug and mental health treatment and to education programs—all of…Jonathan Zalewski -
- Opinion
Supreme Court Halts Louisiana Abortion Law—for Now
Late Thursday night, the Supreme Court put on hold a Louisiana law that would require abortion doctors to have admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles of their clinic. The Louisiana law was introduced by state Rep. Katrina Jackson, a Democrat, and passed overwhelmingly in the state’s House of Representatives and Senate in 2014…Elizabeth Slattery -
- News
Trump Has Authority to Declare Emergency for Border Wall, Arizona Lawmaker Says
President Donald Trump does have the authority to declare a national emergency in order to build his promised border barrier between the United States and Mexico if gridlock in Congress makes it necessary, a Republican lawmaker says. “He has the authority, and it’s not unique,” Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., said Wednesday at Conversations with Conservatives,…Rachel del Guidice -
- Opinion
This New York Scientist Is Treating Human Beings Like Lab Rats
A Chinese scientist caused an international scandal late last year when he edited the genes of a pair of unborn twins, in what became known as the CRISPR scandal. But another scientist in New York is doing something quite similar, without incurring the international backlash. His research is rife with ethical concerns and has the…Monica Burke -
- News
Florida Gov. DeSantis Issues 1-Year Deadline to Eliminate All ‘Vestiges’ of Common Core
The day before Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis introduced his $91.3 billion budget request for fiscal year 2020, which includes $21.7 billion for education programs, he issued an executive order to do away with “vestiges” of Common Core standards, “streamline” standardized testing, and revise the state’s educational curriculum. In a Jan. 31 press conference at a…John Haughey -
- News
New Jersey Becomes Second State Mandating Middle Schoolers Learn About LGBTQ Achievements
New Jersey will be the second state to mandate that middle and high school students learn about LGBTQ contributions. Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy signed Senate Bill 1569, which requires schools to adopt curriculums that “accurately portray political, economic, and social contributions of persons with disabilities and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people.” “The Governor believes that ensuring students…Neetu Chandak -
- News
Media’s Different Handling of Kavanaugh, Virginia Lieutenant Governor Accusations
The uncorroborated sexual assault allegation against Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax, a Democrat, has drawn comparisons to the uncorroborated allegations against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. Fairfax issued a statement early Monday morning disputing a report by the right-wing blog Big League Politics, which linked Fairfax to an accusation of sexual assault at the 2004 Democratic National Convention. Fairfax…Peter Hasson -
- News
In Med School Yearbook, Virginia Gov. Northam’s Page Includes Photo of Men in Blackface, KKK Robe
A recently unearthed yearbook page for Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, a Democrat who has been under fire this week for his comments about a late-term abortion bill, includes a photo featuring one man in blackface and another man in Ku Klux Klan attire. “Racism has no place in Virginia,” said Jack Wilson, chairman of the…Katrina Trinko -
- News
Jewish Therapist Sues New York City Over Law Banning Faith-Based LGBT Counseling
Licensed psychotherapist Dr. Dovid Schwartz is suing the city of New York for infringing on his and his patients’ religious faith and freedom of speech by way of a new ordinance imposing limits on counseling services to LGBT patients that the city discredits. Schwartz is a member of the Chabad Lubavitch Orthodox Jewish Community in…Joshua Q. Nelson -
- Opinion
California Restaurateur Compares MAGA Hats to White Hoods
Editor’s note: A California restaurateur tweeted this week that he wouldn’t serve anyone who came to his restaurant, Wursthall in San Mateo, if they wore a “Make America Great Again” hat. “It hasn’t happened yet, but if you come to my restaurant wearing a MAGA cap, you aren’t getting served, same as if you come…Dee Dee Bass Wilbon -
- News
Virginia Governor’s Answer on Late-Term Abortion Hints at Support for Infanticide
Virginia Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam couldn’t precisely answer whether he supports abortion until birth and suggested an infant could be born and then the mother and doctor could discuss what should happen next, in a Wednesday morning interview. “If a mother is in labor, I can tell you exactly what would happen. The infant would…Grace Carr