Latest Elections News

AP Decision Notes: What to expect in Florida's special congressional primaries

Jan. 24, 2025 07:03 AM EST

WASHINGTON (AP) — Control of the U.S. House isn’t on the line in Tuesday’s special congressional primaries in Florida, but Republicans are still eager to find replacements for former GOP Reps. Matt Gaetz and Michael Waltz to add some breathing room to their slender majority in the chamber. ...

Belarus election is poised to extend the 30-year rule of 'Europe's last dictator'

Jan. 24, 2025 05:55 AM EST

The last time Belarus staged a presidential election in 2020, authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko was declared the winner with 80% of the vote. That triggered cries of fraud, months of protests and a harsh crackdown with thousands of arrests. Not wanting to risk such unrest...

Japan's leader says he's preparing for tough negotiations with Trump on maintaining US presence

Jan. 24, 2025 01:47 AM EST

TOKYO (AP) — Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, struggling to stabilize his minority government, said Friday he will seek to maintain regional security and prepare for tough negotiations with U.S. President Donald Trump to win his commitment to maintain a strong American presence in the...

Who's the guy handing Trump those binders of executive orders? Meet Will Scharf

Jan. 24, 2025 00:13 AM EST

WASHINGTON (AP) — Those binders full of executive orders that President Donald Trump has been signing with a flourish and a wide-tipped Sharpie during his first week in office don't just magically appear before him. White House staff secretary Will Scharf has been a prominent part...

Democrats' Minnesota House boycott echoes earlier walkouts in other states

Jan. 24, 2025 00:05 AM EST

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Democrats in the Minnesota House who have boycotted daily sessions are using tactics that lawmakers around the country have tried at least two dozen times before to thwart their opponents. It's not even a first for the state. Minnesota Democrats are trying to...

What is the Laken Riley Act? A look at the first bill Trump will sign

Jan. 24, 2025 00:04 AM EST

President Donald Trump is poised to sign the first bill of his new administration, and it is named after a slain Georgia nursing student whose name became a rallying cry during his White House campaign. If signed into law, the Laken Riley Act would require the detention of...

Minnesota Supreme Court considers whether it should intervene in partisan legislative power struggle

Jan. 23, 2025 17:20 PM EST

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota Supreme Court heard arguments Thursday on how deeply it should intervene in a power struggle between Democrats and Republicans over who should control the state House of Representatives. Democratic representatives have stayed away from the state...

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost launches 2026 bid for governor

Jan. 23, 2025 16:34 PM EST

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Republican Attorney General Dave Yost announced Thursday that he is running to be the next governor of Ohio — wedging the news between the departure from the race of a top rival and the expected entry as soon as next week of a new one. Yost, 68, seeks to...

Experts worry that Trump's Jan. 6 pardons will legitimize political violence, embolden extremists

Jan. 23, 2025 14:38 PM EST

WASHINGTON (AP) — After President Donald Trump pardoned around 1,500 Jan. 6 Capitol rioters on Monday, far-right activists cheered the move and said it strengthened their loyalty to him. Some also borrowed from the president’s own rhetoric, calling for retribution. “We’ll...

North Macedonia court frees 4 convicted over 2017 parliament attack

Jan. 23, 2025 14:09 PM EST

SKOPJE, Macedonia (AP) — Four former officials from North Macedonia’s conservative VMRO-DPMNE party were released on Thursday after their convictions for organizing a violent attack on parliament in 2017 were overturned. A court in the capital, Skopje, ruled that a 2018 amnesty...