Blake Masters projected to win GOP nomination for Arizona Senate
Donald Trump has launched a broadside against proposed reforms to the Electoral Count Act, claiming that the effort to make it more specific is proof that Mike Pence did in fact have scope to throw out the certification of electoral college votes on 6 January 2021.
“Senators are meeting right now on reforming the Electoral Count Act so that a Vice President can no longer do what EVERYBODY, except for certain Conservative legal scholars, said was not allowed to be done. So they all lied,” he wrote, adding that Mr Pence “could have sent fraudulent votes back to State Legislatures” in his view.
Meanwhile, Mr Trump is celebrating several victories for his chosen candidates in primary races held last night. Blake Masters has won the Republican nomination for the Arizona Senate race. His chosen gubernatorial candidate in the state, Kari Lake, is leading her primary opponent by a narrow margin as the vote count continues.
In Missouri, meanwhile, Eric Schmitt defeated Eric Greitens to win the Senate nomination, meaning Mr Trump’s endorsement of “Eric” proved to be a safe bet.
Anti-Trump Republicans debate colleague’s primary loss
Adam Kinzinger, a Republican congressman who sits on the 6 January select committee, has been vocal in his criticism of the Democrats’ strategy of boosting extreme congressional candidates in select GOP primaries in an attempt to choose their weakest opponent.
After Peter Meijer, who voted to impeach Mr Trump over the Capitol riot, lost his primary last night, Mr Kinzinger went on CNN to restate his position on the subject – one where many Democrats wary of playing with fire agree with him.
He soon found himself contradicted by former congressman Joe Walsh, a onetime Tea Partier-turned-furious Trump critic, who argued the Republicans have only themselves to blame. But Mr Kinzinger is having none of it:
Andrew Naughtie3 August 2022 17:15
Trump: Electoral Count Act reform effort proves Pence could have overturned election
Former president Donald Trump is claiming a Senate effort to clarify how Congress counts electoral votes after a presidential election is proof that his baseless theories on how former Vice President Mike Pence could’ve overturned the 2020 election for him were not as baseless, as nearly all reputable legal scholars have said.
Mr Trump took to his Truth Social platform on Wednesday to weigh in on the proposed legislation, which is sponsored by Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine, Democratic Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia, as well as a bipartisan group of 14 other senators.
“Senators are meeting right now on reforming the Electoral Count Act so that a Vice President can no longer do what EVERYBODY, except for certain Conservative legal scholars, said was not allowed to be done. So they all lied,” he wrote, adding that Mr Pence “could have sent fraudulent votes back to State Legislatures” in his view.
Read more below from Andrew Feinberg.
Trump claims Senate electoral reform proves Pence could’ve overturned 2020 election
The Senate is currently considering legislation that would prevent any future Vice President from unilaterally rejecting electoral votes as Mr Trump had pushed him to do on January 6
Andrew Naughtie3 August 2022 16:45
Blake Masters wins AZ Senate primary
Venture capitalist Blake Masters won the Republican nomination for Senate in Arizona, after former president Donald Trump’s endorsement catapulted him to the front of the pack of candidates.
Mr Masters beat Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich and businessman Jim Lamon in the Republican primary on Tuesday. Mr Masters earned attention after he ran ads saying that he believed that the former president won the 2020 presidential election.
He also enjoys the support of venture capitalist and Trump ally Peter Thiel, his mentor in business and for whom he worked as…