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Republicansare launching a full-court press against the congressional Democrats wide rangingelectionand campaign finance reform bill.

"Its political corruption," the announcer charges in a new commercial that is part ofa major ad blitzby the National Republican Senatorial Committee starting Monday. "Stop the grab. Stop the fraud."

SCHUMER, MCCONNELL, SPAR OVER DEMOCRATS ELECTION BILL DURING RARE COMMITTEE SHOWDOWN

The Senate GOP reelection arm is spending seven figures to run the spots in Arizona, Georgia, Nevadaand New Hampshire, four states they hope to flip from blue to red in the 2022 midterms, when Republicans will aim to win back the majority in both the Senate and the House of Representatives.

In a memo and video released on Monday, NRSC chair Sen. Rick Scott spotlighted a new poll commissioned by the committee to target the measure.

"The bills disguised as election reform, but its really just a dishonest Democrat power grab. You also have to know if you oppose the Democrat power grab, Democrats will call you a racist. The good news is this, the American people dont buy that and theyre on our side," Scott argued.

The bill formally known as the "For the People Act," or as H.R.1 in the House and S.1 in the Senate passed the Democratic-controlled House earlier this month along party lines.

While it now faces an uncertain future in the equally divided Senate, where Democrats in the chamber say it will be a top priority when the Senate session resumes in early April,it is unifying Republicans in opposition.

Longtime Republican operative and strategist Colin Reed said ofthe measure: "To me, feels like a messaging bill that the Democrats are putting forward that doesnt really have a chance at becoming law. But it gives Republicans something to rally around and unite and move the conversation forward into the future."

IOWA'S GOP GOV. TIES HOUSE ELECTION SHOWDOWN TO DEMOCRATS' PUSH FOR MASSIVE REFORM BILL

Congressional Republicans have been railing against the legislation for weeks. And GOP leaders outside of Washington are also taking aim. Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds of Iowa warned that "state election law would be wiped away" if the Democrats bill becomes law. And Mike Pompeo, secretary of state during the Trump administration and a potential 2024 GOP presidential hopeful, charged in Iowa on Friday that the measure is a "raw power grab."

Voters deliver their ballot to a polling station, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020, in Tempe, Ariz. (AP Photo/Matt York)

The NRSC isnt alone in spending big bucks to target the bill.

Heritage Action for America, the nonprofit advocacy wing of the influential conservative think tank, recently launched a $10 million push that includes messaging to block what it calls "federal overreach" in the legislation.

Conservative groups such as the Susan B. Anthony List, the American Principles Project, the Tea Party Patriots, as well as Republican Attorney Generals Association, have also ignited efforts to take aim at the bill.

Reed, a Republican presidential and Senate campaign veteran, said the Democrats bill gives Republicans "a chance to find some targets that are juicy to the base and will allow them to be on offense as opposed to reacting to news of the day. They can lay the blame for all the atrocious things in H.R.1 atBiden, Pelosi, andSchumers feet and try to make next year a referendum on them as opposed to having to project a vision of their own."

Democrats highlight that their bill would "improve access to the ballot box" by creating automatic voter registration across the countryand by ensuring that individuals who have completed felony sentences have their full voting rights restored. The bill wouldalso expand early voting and enhance absentee voting by simplifying voting by mail. There was a surge in absentee voting during last years primaries and general election due to health concerns of in-person voting at polling stations amid the coronavirus pandemic.

20 STATE AGS DENOUNCE DEMOCRATS HR1 AS UNCONSTITUTIONAL

The measure also commits Congress to deliver "full congressional voting rights and self-government for the residents of the District of Columbia, which only statehood can provide," prohibits voter roll purges and aims to end "partisan gerrymandering" of congressional districts.

If passed into law, the bill would also enhance federal support for voting system security, increase oversight of election system vendors, upgrade online political ad disclosure and require all organizations involved in political activity to disclose their large donors, create a multiple matching system for small-dollar donations, which would be paid for by a new surcharge on "corporate law breakers and wealthy tax cheats," tighten rules on super PACs, and beef up the enforcement powers of the Federal Election Commission.

Republicans slam the measuresaying it would lead to a federal government takeover of elections andaccuse Democrats of trying to change election rules to benefit themselves. But Democrats say the measure is needed to combat the push by GOP lawmakers in some states where Republicans control the governors office and the legislature to pass bills that would tighten voting laws, which Democrats characterize as voter suppression.

A controversial bill that tightens voting access rules was signed into law on Thursday by Republican Gov. Brian Kemp of Georgia.

Earlier this month in Iowa, Reynolds signed into law a bill that shortens the early voting period from 29 to 20 days and requires that most absentee ballots be received, rather than just postmarked, by Election Day.

The current push by Republicans state lawmakers to beef up what they call election integrity was ignited by then-President Trumps repeated claims ahead of last Novembers election that the loosening of restrictions on voting by mail would lead to "massive voter fraud" and "rigged" elections.

After his defeat to President Biden, Trump falsely said that the election was "stolen" as he unsuccessfully tried to upend Bidens victory. Recent polling indicates that election integrity remains a major concern for Republican voters.

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Reed, the GOP strategist, notedthat the issues of election integrity and voter suppression excite both sides.

"Its a juicy thing to both bases. Democrats will argue that Republicans are disenfranchising voters and Republicans will argue that Democrats are putting in place polices that will make it impossible for them to ever win an election again," Reed said. "Base messaging is motivated by fear and both of those have a way of spinning up the supporters in each camp into action and unification."

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S1 slammed as 'political corruption' as Republicans go all-in on attacking Dems' election reform bill - Fox News

1. Republican Wave of Voting Restrictions Swells  The Pew Charitable Trusts
2. Georgia Governor Signs Republican-backed Election Bill Amid Outcry  Voice of America
3. Georgia General Assembly Approves Sweeping, Republican-Led Voting Bill | 90.1 FM WABE  WABE 90.1 FM
4. Georgia G.O.P. Passes Major Law to Limit Voting  The New York Times
5. Georgia Republicans speed sweeping elections bill restricting voting access into law  CNN
6. View Full Coverage on Google News

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Republican Wave of Voting Restrictions Swells - The Pew Charitable Trusts

Led by U.S. Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), a group of Republican senators will be in McAllen Friday on the border.

They'll take a first-hand look at the backlog at the border, and the scramble to find space for all migrants stopped trying to get into Texas.

Until we get this current crisis under control I dont see an avenue for doing other immigration reform. I have said previously that I would like to provide a permanent legal solution for DACA recipients. I think they have been used as a political football for too long, said Senator John Cornyn.

The latest news from around North Texas.

A group of Democratic congressmen and women, led by U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-TX), will travel to Carrizo Springs to tour the facility holding more than 700 teenage boys.

The trips are happening as pressure increases on the Biden administration to take action.

Vice President Harris will be the point person on the border.Former U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro, who has been active in border issues, calls this a great move.

With Vice President Harris you have somebody who is very familiar with this issue, from the time that she was attorney general of California back in 2014 when we saw a wave of unaccompanied minors, she actually led the effort in California to respond to unaccompanied minors, said Secretary Castro.

It is a big project with more than 11,000 now in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services custody.

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Texas-Led Republican and Democratic Delegations Head to Border Friday - NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth

President Joe Biden scoffed when asked during a press conference on Thursday whether he expects to run for reelection against former President Donald Trump in 2024. He suggested the GOP might not even exist in three years.

"Oh, come on. I don't even think about I have no idea," Biden said when asked whether he'll be facing off against Trump. "I have no idea if there will be a Republican Party. Do you?"

Biden wouldn't promise that he'll run for reelection in 2024, but said it's his "expectation" that he will do so and that Vice President Kamala Harris will be on his ticket, calling Harris "a great partner."

"I've become a great respecter of fate in my life," he said during the first formal press conference of his presidency. "I've never been able to plan ... three and a half years ahead, for certain."

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Biden says he has 'no idea if there will be a Republican Party' in 2024 - Business Insider

There was an era when New Jersey Republicans could be proud of their partys role in furthering the cause of ending discrimination against African-Americans. And the high-water mark of that era in Garden State politics was the election of 1985.

That was the year in which incumbent Republican Governor Tom Kean scored a landslide reelection victory over Democrat Essex County Executive Peter Shapiro. Going into 1985, Shapiro was viewed as THE coming superstar in the Democratic firmament of New Jersey politics.

In the 1985 gubernatorial general election, however, the Shapiro supernova was irrevocably extinguished, as Tom Kean carried every county in the state and actually won an astounding 60 percent majority of the African-American vote. In the words of that great political sage, Lorenzo Pietro Berra, a/k/a Yogi Berra, it never happened before, and it hasnt happened since.

The GOP 1985 triumph among Black voters was a tribute to three individuals: Governor Tom Kean, the then Department of Energy Commissioner Lennie Coleman, and the late New Jersey GOP State Chair Frank B. Holman, Jr. In the second Kean term, Coleman served as the Commissioner of the Department of Community Affairs.

Each of these three individuals served separate distinguishable roles in that memorable 1985 campaign. Since the passage of the Civil Rights Acts of the 1960s, no Republican trio in any state has more effectively conducted outreach to and dialogue with the African-American community in any state in the nation.

Tom Kean set the tone of this relationship with his slogan, The Politics of Inclusion. For Tom, this was more than a mantra: it was a determination to have government decision making include in its process those ethnic groups and economic sectors that had been traditionally excluded. This was a key factor as to why Kean will rank in history as New Jerseys greatest governor of the Twentieth Century.

To me, Lenny Coleman is an authentic New Jersey hero. He is a proud African-American who overcame the most severe obstacles of racism to achieve outstanding success in the arenas of academia, government, and business. He was the ideal ambassador of the Kean administration to and from the African-American community.

My only regret: Lenny Coleman was a superb president of baseballs National League, but he should have been the Commissioner of baseball as well.

Frank Holman, a great patriot, was a Brigadier General in the US Air Force, serving during the Korean War. He had a gruff voice and a tough way of presenting himself, but that was all a cover for a heart of gold. His heart and strength made him the greatest street politician I ever saw in either party during my nearly four decades of involvement in New Jersey politics.

And as Tom Kean put it in his book, The Politics of Inclusion, Frank Holman was absolutelycommitted to reaching out to the people Republicans have always ignored. This made Frank a beloved figure among all New Jersey racial and ethnic groups.

Frank was a dear friend of mine, and I have often compared him to my all- time favorite baseball manager, Leo Durocher. Leo was a virtual father figure to Willie Mays, and like Frank Holman, he didnt care what was your race or creed, as long as you helped his team win. When Southerners on the Brooklyn Dodgers in spring training in 1947 circulated a petition in opposition to Jackie Robinson playing, Leo awakened his teamat 1:00 amand screamed, I dont care what color Jackie Robinson is I dont care if he has stripes like a f__k__g zebra! The man is going to win us a lot of ball games! Then Leo proceeded to tell the racist players on the Dodgers, in most colorful terms, that they could use that petition for toilet paper.

I could have seen Frank Holman doing the same thing if he had been the manager of the 1947 Brooklyn Dodgers!

The triumvirate of Kean, Coleman, and Holman made me proud to be a New Jersey Republican. It was truly a party promoting racial and ethnic understanding.

Todays New Jersey Republican Party, however, under the leadership of Republican State Committee Chair Mike Lavery, is now marching in lockstep with the national Republican Party in a determined effort to suppress the African-American vote.

My hero of the 2020 presidential election was the African-American voter. The increased participation of African-American voters, men and women, was the key factor in the defeat of Donald Trump, an authoritarian racist who would have further destroyed the social fabric of America during his second term.

A major factor in the increased African-American vote was the passage of state statutes throughout the nation enhancing and protecting the ability to vote by mail. Republicans opposed passage of these statutes, claiming that they would result in voter fraud. This proved to be nonsense. Trumps owndirector of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, Chris Krebs, called this 2020 election the most secure in American history.

The leadership of the national Republican Party knows this, and they are hellbent on suppressing the African-American vote wherever possible. They are engaged in massive efforts to erect barriers to voting by mail, and they also are trying to get states to require voter ID, which severely impacts the ability of African-Americans to vote.

Minority voters disproportionately lack government issued identification cards. Nationally, up to 25 percent of all African-Americans lack government issued identification cards, compared to only eight percent of whites.

And requiring these African-American voters to obtain voter ID places a further impact on their exercise of the voting franchise. They have to bear the cost of obtaining the underlying documents necessary to support the application for the ID,the expense of travel to the place of filing of the application, and the decrease in income attributable to the lost time at work spent in pursuit of the application.

There was a time nationally when the Republican Party could well be proud of its effort to both protect and enhance the right of African-Americans to vote. In 1965, one of the truly good and great men of American history, Republican US Senate Leader Everett McKinley Dirksen of Illinois played a vital role in the shaping and passage of the landmark Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Today, the national Republican Party, massively infested with the racist cancer of Donald Trump, is led by a pusillanimous collection of morally myopic fools dedicated to the maximum possible vitiation of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. They are at war against the passage of House Resolution One, the For the People Act, a vitally needed set of measures that will honor the heritage of those who heroically marched on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama in 1965 and provide a permanent protection of the hard won African-American right to vote.

In the era of Tom Kean, the New Jersey Republican Party would have stood in firm opposition to the national Republican Partys effort to suppress the African-American vote by the erection of barriers to vote by mail and the implementation of voter ID requirements. Todays New Jersey Republican Party, however, has rejected Tom Keans Politics of Inclusion and replaced it with the Politics of Exclusion.

The new NJGOP Politics of Exclusion first manifested itself during the 2020 campaign when the New Jersey Republican State Committee, under the leadership of former Chair Doug Steinhardt, ina despicable act of blatant attempted racial voter suppression, joined Trump for President, Inc. and the Republican National Committee infiling suit to invalidate New Jersey Governor Phil Murphys Vote-by-Mail plan. I authored a column at that time denouncing the suit, No White Republican will be Elected Governor or U.S. Senator in N.J. for at Least a Decade.

https://www.insidernj.com/no-white-republican-will-elected-governor-senator-decade/

The lawsuit failed, and I hoped that the New Jersey Republican State Committee would thereafter refrain from further efforts to Suppress-the-African-American vote.

The Politics of Exclusion reigns supreme at the New Jersey Republican State Committee, however, and on March 2, 2021, the New Jersey Republican State Committee issued a report drafted by its dubiously named Election Improvement Committee, which advocated both the enactment of Voter ID and making the exercise of vote-by-mail more burdensome. The report had the endorsement of both Chair Mike Lavery and National Republican Committeeman Bill Palatucci. The link to the report follows:

https://www.njgop.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/NJGOP-EIC-Report.pdf

I cannot say whether or not Doug Steinhardt, Mike Lavery, or Bill Palatucci are personally racist. Yet it strains credulity to believe that either the aforesaid lawsuit or this Election Improvement Committee Report is anything but a blatant effort to suppress the African-American vote, motivated by the fact that the African-American vote leans so heavily Democratic.

During the era when the Tom Kean Politics of Inclusion prevailed in the New Jersey Republican Party, the message to the New Jersey African-American community was a positive one: We want to facilitate the exercise of your right to vote, and we hope that you will vote Republican.

Under the Politics of Exclusion which now prevails in the Republican Party both nationally and in New Jersey,the message to the African-American community is a negative one: We know you vote Democratic, and we will do everything possible to suppress your right to vote.

The Republican Party has been irrevocably poisoned by Trumpian racism. The party of Lincoln is now the party of hate mongers like Ron Johnson, QAnon, and Marjorie Taylor Greene. In New Jersey, it is also the party of State Senator Mike Doherty, who denies the existence of systemic racism. The profoundly anti-racist brand of conservatism of a William F. Buckley is totally ignored in todays Trumpian-dominated Republican Party, both nationally and in New Jersey.

No thoughtful right-of-center voter who rejects racism can any longer maintain allegiance to todays Trumpian Republican Party. The creation of a new center-right political party is sorely needed,both nationally and in New Jersey. How this could come about will be a focus of my future columns.

Alan Steinberg served as Regional Administrator of Region 2 EPA during the administration of former President George W. Bush and as Executive Director of the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission.

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Under its New Politics of Exclusion, The New Jersey Republican State Committee Joins the National Republican Suppress-the-Black-Vote Effort -...