RandySF
RandySF's JournalIllinois, Kansas get AP Top 25 boosts, Nebraska falls in men's college basketball rankings
SUMMARY
1. Arizona
2. Michigan
3. UConn
4. Duke
5. Illinois
6. Gonzaga
7. Iowa State
8. Houston
9. Nebraska
10. Michigan State
11. Kansas
12. Purdue
13. Texas Tech
14. North Carolina
15. Vanderbilt
16. BYU
17. Florida
18. Virginia
19. Saint Louis
20. Clemson
21. Arkansas
22. St. John's
23. Miami (OH)
24. Louisville
25. Tennessee
https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/ap-top-25-college-basketball-rankings-illinois-kansas-nebraska/
Trump Tells Dan Bongino The GOP Should 'Nationalize' Voting in 15 'Crooked' States
President Donald Trump urged Republicans to “nationalize” the voting process in order to block “crooked” Democrat-led states from allowing illegal immigrants to vote, which the president said is going to make it nearly impossible for the GOP to win moving forward.
The president made his comment during an appearance on Dan Bongino’s Rumble program on Monday; it was Bongino’s first show back since he recently quit his job as the deputy director of the FBI.
“These people were brought to our country to vote, and they vote illegally,” Trump said. “And it’s amazing the Republicans aren’t tougher on it. The Republicans should say, ‘We want to take over, we should take over the voting in at least 15 places.'”
He added, “The Republicans oughta nationalize the voting.”
https://www.mediaite.com/politics/trump-tells-dan-bongino-the-gop-should-nationalize-voting-in-15-crooked-states/
MN-SEN: Tina Smith endorses Peggy Flanagan over Angie Craig in Minnesota Senate race
Sen. Tina Smith is endorsing Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan as her successor over Rep. Angie Craig, taking sides in a hotly contested primary to fill Smith’s Senate seat that’s been roiled in recent weeks by the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration enforcement efforts.
“Today, 3,000 federal agents are terrorizing our communities,” Smith said in a video announcing her pick that was shared first with POLITICO. “I know that right now there is no one that I trust more to stand with Minnesota than Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan.”
Flanagan, in the video, called it an “honor” to have the retiring senator’s endorsement and pledged to “continue in her footsteps.”
“We’re going to push back against the status quo and send a progressive fighter to continue representing us in Washington, D.C.,” Flanagan said.
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/02/02/tina-smith-endorses-lt-gov-peggy-flanagan-in-minnesota-senate-race-00759890
ND-AL: Former Dem-NPL state lawmaker Vern Thompson launches campaign for US House
Former state lawmaker Vern Thompson announced a campaign for U.S. House on Monday, the second Democrat seeking to challenge Republican incumbent Julie Fedorchak.
Thompson, 69, an independent trucker who hauls natural gas liquids, appeared on KFGO’s News and Views with Joel Heitkamp on Monday to announce his congressional run.
“The people deserve better,” Thompson said. “And I can holler on the sidelines, like at a ballgame, but it’s time to get off my butt and get into the game.”
He represented the Minnewauken area, near Devils Lake, in the North Dakota House from 1989-1990 and served from 1997-2000 in the Senate, including one session as Senate minority caucus leader.
https://northdakotamonitor.com/briefs/former-dem-npl-state-lawmaker-vern-thompson-launches-campaign-for-us-house/
IL-COMP: 4 Democrats seeking to replace Mendoza as Illinois comptroller
Who wants to manage Illinois’ checkbook as the state faces growing financial uncertainty? Three state legislators and the treasurer of one of the state’s largest counties have raised their hand.
Incumbent Comptroller Susana Mendoza — who has first took office in 2016 in the middle of the state’s infamous two-year budget stalemate — is not seeking reelection. Her departure created the first open primary for the Democratic party for a statewide constitutional office since 2018.
The comptroller’s primary responsibility is ensuring the state’s bills are paid — a task that wasn’t always easy, but one that Mendoza has fine-tuned in recent years.
With Mendoza stepping aside, state Sen. Karina Villa of West Chicago, Rep. Margaret Croke of Chicago, Rep. Stephanie Kifowit of Oswego, and Lake County Treasurer Holly Kim are running in the Democratic primary. Each sat down with Capitol News Illinois reporters in recent days to answer questions on our Capitol Cast podcast.
https://capitolnewsillinois.com/news/election-26-4-democrats-seeking-to-replace-mendoza-as-illinois-comptroller/
Committee advances bill that would tighten candidate deadlines for upcoming election
South Dakotans hoping to run in the June primary election this year could have less time to circulate their nominating petitions, based on a bill making its way through the legislative process.
Rep. Rebecca Reimer, R-Chamberlain, introduced a bill that would change the nominating petition deadline to the third Tuesday in March, rather than various dates currently in statute, including March 31 for some candidates.
A nominating petition signed by registered voters is required for local and statewide South Dakota candidates to get on the ballot, with signature thresholds varying by position. Prospective candidates can begin circulating petitions in January.
“South Dakota gives petitioners more time to collect signatures than it allows the election workers to prepare for the election and create a ballot,” Reimer said.
https://southdakotasearchlight.com/2026/02/02/committee-passes-bill-tighten-candidate-deadlines-upcoming-election/
Missouri Republicans move to change venue for major court cases following recent abortion rulings
Missouri Republicans are pushing a change that would move most high-profile legal fights — including ballot initiative challenges — out of the Western District Court of Appeals and into the Eastern District.
They are also hoping to block any challenges to state law or the constitution from being filed outside of Cole County.
While framed as a matter of judicial efficiency, the move comes after years of frustration among Republicans and anti-abortion advocates with decisions from the Western District, raising questions about whether the bill is aimed less at caseloads than at outcomes.
“In our experience with the Western district, we think they’ve been unfair, we think they’ve been biased, and there are a lot of people who agree with us on that,” said Sam Lee, a lobbyist with Campaign Life Missouri. “Not just on the issue of abortion, but on other issues as well.”
https://missouriindependent.com/2026/02/02/missouri-republicans-legislation-reroute-major-appeals-court-cases-cole-county-abortion/
Women's College Basketball Rankings: AP Top 25 gets new look after Week 13 schedule
SUMMARY:
1. UConn
2. UCLA
3. South Carolina
4. Texas
5. LSU
6. Louisville
7. Vanderbilt
8. Michigan
9. Ohio State
10. Iowa
11. Oklahoma
12. Michigan State
13. Ole Miss
14. TCU
15. Baylor
16. Kentucky
17. Duke
18. Texas Tech
19. Tennessee
20. West Virginia
21. Alabama
22. Maryland
23. Princeton
24. Washington
25. North Carolina
https://www.on3.com/her/news/womens-college-basketball-rankings-ap-top-25-gets-new-look-after-week-13-schedule/
House Republican forces hearing, despite no support, on restrictions for delivering advance ballots
TOPEKA — House Democrats heckled Leavenworth Republican Rep. Pat Proctor’s latest idea to undermine advance voting after he forced a hearing on a bill that nobody was willing to support.
Proctor, who chairs the House Elections Committee, and vice chair Rep. Paul Waggoner, R-Hutchinson, expressed ignorance during a hearing Tuesday about how House Bill 2493 could lead to fewer ballots being counted. The legislation would require anyone who delivers an advance ballot on behalf of somebody else to put their driver’s license number on the ballot envelope, raising privacy concerns, and that they be a qualified elector, which would disqualify the high school students who volunteer to assist voters.
Ann Mah, a former legislator from Topeka who once served as the ranking Democrat on the committee, said the bill was an example of “pure partisan politics.” She pointed out that the Democrats who use advance ballots outnumber Republicans by a 2-to-1 margin.
“That’s called, ‘If you can’t win, cheat.’ There are so many close races that if this bill became law, it could certainly swing more than a few elections,” Mah said.
https://kansasreflector.com/2026/02/01/house-republican-forces-hearing-despite-no-support-on-restrictions-for-delivering-advance-ballots/
Legislators have questions for the Secretary of State about postcards, voter data
Members of the Legislative Audit Committee including Republican Chairman Jerry Schillinger have requested more information from Montana Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen about a postcard the office mailed last month.
In addition to those questions, Committee member Rep. Mary Caferro, D-Helena, said it’s important to know whether Jacobsen is keeping voter information private, or has turned over voter records to the federal government.
Caferro told the Daily Montanan she’s concerned about citizens’ right to privacy, enshrined in the state constitution and even more stringent than federal law.
In the meantime, Jacobsen, a Republican, continues to tout achievements from the program announced in the postcard, the SAVE tool, along with her own political successes.
https://dailymontanan.com/2026/02/01/legislators-have-questions-for-the-secretary-of-state-about-postcards-voter-data/
Profile Information
Gender: MaleHometown: Detroit Area, MI
Home country: USA
Current location: San Francisco, CA
Member since: Wed Oct 29, 2008, 01:53 PM
Number of posts: 81,925