McConnell: 'Remember me? I am the guy that gets us out of shutdowns'
(CNN) - In his strongest words to date, Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, tried to quash talk that he would allow another government shutdown if he becomes Senate majority leader next year.
"Of course not. Remember me? I am the guy that gets us out of shutdowns," McConnell told CNN in an exclusive interview Wednesday.
"It's a failed policy," he said of shutdowns.
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Incumbent senator's win ends ugly Kansas showdown
WASHINGTON (CNN) - Tuesday's Senate primary in Kansas ended another ugly showdown that pit a tea party-backed challenger against an establishment Republican incumbent.
CNN projects incumbent Sen. Pat Roberts has fended off conservative challenger Milton Wolf in the state's GOP Senate primary. FULL POST
FULL STORYIn Iowa, Rand Paul makes case for more compassionate GOP
OKOBOJI, Iowa (CNN) - Sen. Rand Paul brought his recent crusade for a more compassionate Republican Party to the northwest part of Iowa on Monday, appealing to a crowd of social conservatives at a fundraiser for Rep. Steve King.
The Kentucky Republican made his push for sentencing reform in the criminal justice system, the laws of which "disproportionately affect African Americans and Hispanics," Paul said.
"Until you show that you care about them and that you want to do something about them, you're not going to win," he told the audience. "So if we want to win, we're going to have to change."
First on CNN: New Grimes TV ad hits McConnell on women's issues
(CNN) - The female Democratic candidate who hopes to topple Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell is out with a new television ad hitting him where Democrats think he is highly vulnerable - with women voters.
The ad is the latest in a series in which Alison Grimes uses real voters to pose questions for McConnell. In this ad, Kentucky resident Illene Woods asks why he voted "two times against the Violence Against Women Act. … and against enforcing equal pay for women?”
Top House Republican distances GOP from new Akin rape remarks
Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, the highest ranking woman in the House GOP leadership, said Friday that former Rep. Todd Akin's declaration that he now regrets apologizing for his "legitimate rape" comments during the 2012 campaign do not reflect the views of the Republican Party.
"I would say that Todd Akin's comments were not reflective of the Republican Party and the Republican message," McMorris Rodgers, R-Washington, told CNN. The GOP message "is about a better future for every person in this country no matter who you are, no matter your background, and we are about protecting that opportunity for everyone."
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What's behind stepped up GOP attacks on Clinton
Washington (CNN) - The 2016 presidential election's some 2 1/2 years away. Even the unofficial start of the next race for the White House is still five months away. Yet Hillary Clinton has been, and remains, the object of Republicans' obsession.
Much of their criticism of the former secretary of state focuses on the September 11, 2012, attack on the consulate in Benghazi, Libya, which left U.S. ambassador to Libya Chris Stevens and three other Americans dead. The incident - the first time a U.S. ambassador had been killed on duty in more than 30 years - happened during Clinton's watch as America's top diplomat.
Tea party wins Nebraska; WV to elect first woman senator
(CNN) –Ben Sasse, a tea party favorite, has emerged Tuesday as the winner in a crowded GOP primary battle for a U.S. Senate seat in Nebraska.
Sasse will be considered the favorite over Democratic trial attorney David Domina in the heavily Republican state's November general election. The winner of that race will succeed retiring GOP Sen. Mike Johanns.
Nebraska gubernatorial race: New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, the head of the Republican Governors Association, issued a statement Wednesday congratulating Pete Ricketts on his win for the Cornhusker state's Republican gubernatorial primary, beating out six other candidates.
In GOP civil war, an outsized advantage
Washington (CNN) - It's been widely reported. The Republican Party is locked in battle. Establishment Republicans are being challenged by insurgents hoping to purify the brand and return the GOP to small government, free market principles.
The conservative grassroots are organizing this election season to elect their preferred, ideologically pure candidate, even if that means unseating House and Senate incumbents. It's a strategy they had in 2010 and 2012 with mixed results.
Obama talks immigration in South Korea and Boehner talks baby talk
WASHINGTON (CNN) - House Speaker John Boehner talked like a baby Thursday to mock the way Republicans act towards immigration reform. President Obama, on the other side of the globe, said Friday immigrants are “who we are.”
The Republican was home at an event in Ohio when he spoke of the "attitude" of his fellow GOP congressmen.
First on CNN: Romney takes sides in GOP primary battle
(CNN) - Mitt Romney is weighing in on competitive Republican primary for a GOP held House seat in California - the latest sign that the 2012 Republican presidential nominee plans to play an influential role in helping to shape the future of his party.
CNN has learned that Wednesday Romney will endorse Tony Strickland for Congress in California's 25th district, to succeed longtime GOP Rep. Buck McKeon. The House Armed Services committee chairman announced in January that he wouldn't run for re-election this November.
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