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
Indiana Lawmakers Reject Obama’s Stimulus Success Story
When President Barack Obama first visited Elkhart, Indiana, in March 2009, the county’s unemployment rate had just spiked to 18.9 percent—the highest in the country. Pointing to those numbers at the time, Obama urged Congress to pass an $800 billion economic stimulus package to keep the nation from slipping further into a recession “we may be…Philip Wegmann -
- Opinion
The Zombie Voter Apocalypse: California Refuses to Admit Its Voter Fraud Problem
Hollywood has always loved making films about the walking dead, but in Southern California it appears they have a real life problem with “zombie” voters. An investigation by CBSLA2 and KCAL9 found that hundreds of deceased persons are still on voter registration rolls in the area, and that many of these names have been voting…Hans von Spakovsky -
- News
First, the IRS Took $68K From Connecticut Bakers. Now, It’s Investigating Them.
For nearly 100 years, Vocatura’s Bakery has been a New England staple. The family business was started in Westerly, Rhode Island, in 1919 and moved to its current home in Norwich, Connecticut, in 1956. There, the family bakes bread using its six-decade-old industrial oven and serves up pizza—square, but not sicilian—and sandwiches—including one “as long…Melissa Quinn -
- News
Texas Sues Obama Administration Over Transgender Bathroom Directive
Texas, joined by eight other states and officials from two other states, sued President Barack Obama’s administration on Wednesday over the president’s national school bathroom directive that threatens to take away federal school funding for districts that do not follow new transgender student guidance. “This is an overreach of the federal government,” Harrold Independent School…Leah Jessen -
- News
Maryland Farmer Who Had $41K Seized by IRS Continues to Fight for Money
Maryland farmer Calvin Taylor has lived his life always trying to do the right thing. Taylor and his wife Debora operate C.W. Taylor Farms in Preston, Maryland, where they grow sweet corn and raise chickens, and run several farm stands, called Taylor’s Produce, across Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Through their business, the couple employs a number…Melissa Quinn -
- Opinion
Why New Mexico Resorted to Suing EPA for Gold King Mine Spill
A back-hoe operator accidentally struck an oil pipeline in Alaska in 1994, and 1,000 to 5,000 gallons of oil spilled into the Skagway River. The Environmental Protection Agency had his supervisor—who was at home and off-duty at the time of the accident—criminally prosecuted for negligent discharge under the Clean Water Act. A district court sentenced…John-Michael Seibler -
- News
3 Things Texas Is Doing to ‘Defy’ Obama’s Transgender Directive
The Obama administration’s directive that public schools give transgender students access to the bathrooms and locker rooms of their choice will not stand in Texas, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said. “We are going to look at every pathway to resist the federal government,” Patrick, a Republican, said in a Wednesday interview with The Daily Signal….Leah Jessen -
- Opinion
School Choice Gets a Big Win in Nevada Court Decision
On Wednesday, families got one step closer to finally being able to access the most expansive education choice option of any state. A trial court judge dismissed a lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) against Nevada’s nearly universal education savings account (ESA) program. The suit, Duncan v. State of Nevada, challenged the…Lindsey Burke -
- News
Utah School Board Members Push to Reject Federal Money to Avoid Transgender Guidelines
Instead of following transgender student guidelines pushed by the Obama administration, some Utah district school board members have plans to create a budget that would be free from federal funding, according to reports. Brian Halladay, Wendy Hart, and Paula Hill, school board members in the Alpine School District, penned an open letter to Utah state…Leah Jessen -
- News
Mississippi Lawmakers Demand State Education Department Oppose Obama’s Transgender Guidelines
A group of Mississippi state lawmakers have joined the governor in calling for a top state education official to reject the Obama administration’s transgender student guidelines or resign. “Now Obama is threatening our school funding to force his liberal ideologies of immorality on our nation at the expense of our helpless children,” Mississippi state Rep….Leah Jessen -
- News
Senate Confirms Obama Judicial Nominee Opposed by Maryland Police Unions
The Senate confirmed Paula Xinis for a federal judgeship in Maryland by a vote of 53-34, over the protests of major state police unions and outside conservative groups. Xinis, a partner and senior trial attorney at the Baltimore law firm representing the family of Freddie Gray, will serve in what is in effect a lifetime…Philip Wegmann -
- News
Conservative Group Fights California AG’s Attempt to ‘Chill’ Speech
Though a federal judge recently ruled that a conservative nonprofit group doesn’t have to disclose its donor list to California’s Democratic attorney general, conservatives believe this case is just the latest in an ongoing fight related to political activity and free speech. “This was a great victory for free speech for everyone in this country,”…Josh Siegel -
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Louisiana Republicans Move to Punish ‘Sanctuary’ Cities
Louisiana Republicans and the state’s attorney general are aiming to deter cities and localities from having “sanctuary” immigration policies by threatening to withhold funding from those that do. While the designation of a “sanctuary city” is informal, it generally refers to jurisdictions where local officials refuse to fulfill requests by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement…Josh Siegel -
- Opinion
What We Should Learn After Religious Liberty Fight in Missouri
By now you’ve likely read or heard of the knock-down, drag-out fight that we had at the Missouri Legislature on Senate Joint Resolution (SJR) 39. If passed by simple legislative majorities, SJR 39 would have placed a ballot question on either the August or November ballot pertaining to religious liberty. Missouri voters would then decide…Gregg Keller -
- Opinion
Washington Insiders Gut Military JAG Litigation Track
No wonder so many Americans on the left and right are disgusted and fed up with career Washington bureaucrats and insiders. Common sense ideas which folks outside the beltway understand and take for granted are hard to come by inside the beltway. Exhibit A is the novel idea—to the Army, Air Force, and some key…Cully Stimson -
- News
Exclusive: North Carolina Lt. Gov. Calls Obama Administration’s Jim Crow Claim ‘Shameful’
RALEIGH, N.C. — Two days after North Carolina and the Justice Department announced dueling lawsuits, The Daily Signal sat down with Lt. Gov. Dan Forest. Forest, a Republican, called the Obama administration “shameful” for equating the state’s so-called bathroom bill to Jim Crow laws and other forms of state-sponsored discrimination. “To use Jim Crow laws…Kelsey Bolar -
- News
Texas School District Adopts Transgender Guidelines Without Parental Approval
Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has called for school superintendent Kent Scribner’s resignation after Scribner adopted new transgender student guidelines for his district, without the input of parents, school board members, and others in the community. “The district did not seek any public comment or input from parents or the public,” Fort Worth resident Julia…Leah Jessen -
- Opinion
Texas Can’t Afford to Miss Out on School Choice
Last week I had the good fortune to be in Texas discussing conservative policy solutions with hundreds of dedicated men and women in San Antonio, Austin, and Houston. One of the big topics of conversation was freedom in education: How can we offer young Americans the best education possible, while ensuring that each family can…Jim DeMint -
- Opinion
DOJ’s Lawsuit Against North Carolina Is Abuse of Power
North Carolina has sustained unrelenting and coordinated attacks from big business, the entertainment industry, the American Civil Liberties Union, and now the federal government over its commonsense bathroom policies. Gov. Pat McCrory and the North Carolina Legislature have had enough of this bullying and filed separate lawsuits against the Department of Justice Monday in the reasonable…Roger Severino -
- News
Alabama Eases Licensing Restrictions for Vendors Selling Funeral Supplies and Merchandise
Alabama residents looking to purchase environmentally friendly and cheaper caskets are now free to do so in the Yellowhammer State. Gov. Robert Bentley, a Republican, signed a bill this week lifting restrictions on who can sell funeral supplies and merchandise. Under the new law, vendors can sell funeral items like caskets and shrouds without needing…Melissa Quinn