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Josh Eisen, a Republican, recently sat down for an interview with News 12s Tara Rosenblum after becoming the eighth candidate in the race for Rep. Nita Loweys congressional seat in the 17th District.

So far, the businessman is the only Republican to vie for the seat. Rep. Lowey, the first women to ever head the House Appropriations Committee is retiring at the end of her term after 31 years in office.

People call me a glutton for punishment. I call myself a progressive Republican, said Eisen.

He says he believes a Republican can win with the seat, which has been a Democratic stronghold.

A Republican can win in this [political] climate. At the end of the day, people make decisions about an individual with compelling ideas, he said.

Eisen spent decades starting, owning and investing in small businesses in the legal and education spaces. He's also the son of a Holocaust survivor, which is why he says he has a passion to stand up to radicalism.

Eisen has already laid out an ambitious list of priorities, including a Medicare rehaul and a $500 million investment into commercial drones.

We've all seen the technology where a drone can drop an 800-pound payload within a quarter-inch anywhere across the globe. That the technology hasn't made it to the consumer is unfathomable and it needs to happen, said Eisen.

Another Republican, former Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino is also said to be considering a run. News 12 has learned Astorino was meeting with party officials in Washington Monday, but he has not said whether he's finalized a decision.

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'Progress is not partisan': Only Republican in race for Rep. Lowey's seat speaks to News 12 - News 12 Bronx

Brian Howey, Columnist Published 7:15 p.m. CT Nov. 26, 2019

INDIANAPOLIS The spooks eyes at the Londonskaya Hotel bar burned holes in me. Every time I glanced in his direction they were trained on me. I had entered Odessa, Ukraine as part of the last hurrah of Sen. Richard Lugars old Republican internationalist order in this pre-partitioned nation.

Brian Howey(Photo: Provided)

Vladimir Putin held only shadow power in the old Soviet remnants. His fractured standing belied a reeling nation, the former Soviet Union, in steep demographic decline. High rates of alcoholism, suicide and plunging birth rates defined this former empire. Donald Trump was a wannabe presidential aspirant who owned a couple of Gary riverboat casinos and a New York real estate empire.

It would have been impossible to foresee how this churn of events would play out a dozen years hence in Moscow, Kiev, Washington and even Indianapolis. The old Republican internationalist order that once thrived in Indiana has ended, begging the question in the emergent era of the Trumpian cult of personality, so what if it has?

The Indiana aspect of this story can be told through the hyper-supplicant Pences, with the Vice President accepting full ownership of that cult; Indianas two Republican senators, Mike Braun, who owes his station to Trump, and Todd Young, a former Lugar staffer who, had he taken a different career path, might have found himself briefing the Senate in a manner similar to Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman.

Last week Vindman, former Ukrainian ambassador Marie Yovanovitch, and State Department Ukrainian expert Dr. Fiona Hill testified before Congress of a disinformation campaign echoing Putins Kremlin that it was the Ukrainians, not the Russians, who meddled in the US 2016 elections. The Republican senators received a briefing on the Ukrainian fiction as multiple sources discredited the story.

In the wake of the sensational impeachment testimony which appears not to have swayed public opinion, the question for Hoosier voters remains, does it matter? Do people care? I dont think they do. Hoosier voters appear to be giving President Trump the benefit of the doubt, preferring to decide his future at the November 2020 ballot box.

Two recent polls in Indiana, the Old National/Ball State and the Bowen Center poll, put Trumps approval at 52%, while a Morning Consult poll had Trumps Indiana approval at 50%. While the perception is that Trump remains wildly popular in Indiana, particularly after he used the immigrant caravan and the Kavanagh hearings to help forge Sen. Brauns upset of Joe DonneLlly in 2018, another way to read this would-be Trump has faced a steep decline even in Indiana, given he won the state in 2016 with 59% of the vote. In 2018, Trump routinely drew capacity crowds on behalf of Braun, filling arenas with overflow crowds in Fort Wayne, Elkhart, Evansville, and Indianapolis. So the perception persists that he remains an outsized political force to be reckoned with. A national CNN/SRSS poll puts support for Trumps impeachmenrt at 50%, with 43% opposing. Neither figure has changed since October, with support for impeachment remaining at its highest level thus far in CNN polling.

Back in Odessa, Ukraine, HPI was confronted with a female beggar outside the Londonskaya hotel. We gave her American money and she threw it on the ground and spat on it. Americans were never very popular here. The question American voters may ponder heading into the 2020 elections is whether the cult of personality that is Trumpism is ultimately diminishing our standing in the world. Trump seems to think siding with Vladimir Putin is a politically expedient move.

Luga used this particular mission to Odessa to outfit Ukrainian Navy vessels with equipment that detects highly enriched uranium signatures on shipping entering ports like Odessa. He had the begrudging approval of Presidents Boris Yeltsin, Putin, Dmitri Medvedev and Bush41.

But its the Chinese who are poised to become a global powerhouse, particularly after Trump withdrew from the Trans Pacific Partnership, which would have cemented Western rule of law and economic norms in that sphere. Instead, Trump has opted for a trade war that does not promise resolution prior to the 2020 election, another factor that could impact his Indiana base of support.

What Hoosier voters should ponder is President Trump sidling up to the waning petro kleptocrasy despot of Putin and ask the question on whether the old international order matters.

HPI asked Sens. Young and Braun about the emerging and widely discredited Ukriane narrative pushed by The Kremlin and Trump White House. Braun did not respond to my inquiry. Young did, citing a Nov. 20, 2017 Brian Howey column, in which he said, President Trump said he believed Russian President Putin didnt meddle in the U.S. election.. I asked if Young believes Putin? No.1, theres something known as a diplomatic lie that is often deployed by sophisticated diplomats and leaders in furtherance of our national interest. Lets keep that in mind, he explained. No. 2, our intelligence community, which I trust, has indicated that Russia has hacked our elections. It never indicated that Russia has influenced our elections.

In a December 2018 Howey Poliiics Indiana Interview, Sen. Young said he generally trusts U.S. intelligence assessments. As a former Marine Corps intelligence officer, I've spent a lot of years relying on the work produce of our intelligence professionals. I trust their work product, Young responded to HPI questions about the gruesome dismemberment murder of Washington Post columnist and Indiana State University graduate Jamal Khashoggi. They don't always get it right but they're the best in the world. That informs my work on this and on other issues.

Young added, I'm always wanting to more information on what's going on in the world and the conversations that top leaders have. That will always be imperfect information I'll have. Vis-a-vis Russia, the Trump administration has been as vigilant as I can imagine with respect to their actual actions. President Trump and others in this administration, working with this Republican Congress, has sent heavy weaponry into Ukraine, to try and deter to the extent possible Russian encroachment. Clearly this president is a different sort of president than those I've served in my life time. That's one of the reasons the American people elected him. He communicates differently, he makes decisions differently. He wants to shape policy in different directions. I've not only accepted that, in many cases I embrace it.

One key final point: While U.S. ambassadorial class is in chagrin over Trumps protocol breaches, the masses dont appear to care. It may take a decade or more before we know if it matters.

The columnist is publisher of Howey Politics Indiana at http://www.howeypolitics.com. Find Howey on Facebook and Twitter @hwypol.

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Brian Howey: The end of the old Republican internationalist order - Courier & Press

The election is over. The votes are in. The Virginia Legislature will now be free from Republican control for the first time in decades. Having the Democrats in control of all three branches of state government is NOT the end of the world, even if some readers seem to think so. Democrats are not perfect, but I have confidence that the newly elected majority will pursue policies which will do the most good for the most people.

Initiatives regarding education, gun safety, climate change/environmental protection, expanding health care to more residents, the ERA and many other areas which affect us all will now be debated and voted upon, rather than being smothered to death in Republican controlled committees. And maybe there can be needed corrections made in matters like gerrymandering, pay-day lending, and campaign finance reform.

Now the task for all of us is to free our country from the Party of Trump. The image of America and what it represents to its citizens and to the rest of the world has been steadily degraded over three years. The ongoing testimony from the impeachment hearings is showing that the intentions of this president are even more foul and corrupt than anyone would have imagined from an occupant of that office. What he did was not a simple quid pro quo, but more a situation of bribery/extortion, with implications for our National Security. Vladimer Putin must be delighted.

It is becoming clear that there may, in fact, be nothing that Trump wouldnt do to further his own personal interests. And he acts with impunity because no one will stop him. The silence of nearly the entire collection of elected Republicans to Trumps awful words and his crude, cruel, and dangerous actions has been shocking. They are choosing party over country.

Even worse, they have chosen him over country.

In the televised impeachment hearings, many Republicans have abandoned all sense of right and wrong, as they try to defend the indefensible. Meanwhile, the dear leader and his agents heap scorn on the military officers and career diplomats who have stepped forward to tell the truth.

To anyone, in the midst of all this, who still plans to vote Republican, I ask, Why? Years ago there were reasons people might do that, but what does the Republican Party stand for NOW? What good things has it done recently? Seriously.

In Frederick County, the myth of the Republican Party endures. At different polling sites on Election Day I heard too many voters ask, Which candidates are the Republicans? Thats who Im voting for.

How sad that so many remain tied to a party which, in spirit, no longer exists. What a loss for Virginia to not have Ronnie Ross, Irina Khanin, and Mavis Taintor in the Legislature to contribute their skills to the states leadership. Instead, the incumbent placeholders will continue to represent us.

And what a shame that Frederick County will not benefit from any new blood. We had the opportunity to elect 3 energetic, forward-thinking people Heidi David-Young, Steve Jennings, and John Lamanna to the Board of Supervisors. How exciting that would have been! Frederick County is on the cusp of another growth spurt. I do hope that the old guard is up to the task.

Kevin Kennedy is a resident of Frederick County.

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Open Forum: Does the Republican Party still exist? - The Winchester Star

Its not every day a fundraising email containsmore thanhyperbolic talking points.

But South Carolina state Rep. Nancy Mace, whos vying for the Republican nomination in one of the GOPs top pick-up opportunities for Congress next year, got a little more personal this week, offeringin an email to supporters to release her student records from The Citadel.

I got FOIAed, read the subject line.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee submitted a Freedom of Information Act request earlier this month for those records, but the Citadel determined they were protected by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, and notified Mace of the request.

So Mace, the first woman to graduate from the military college, decided to use the episode to make a political point and released the records herself, while also taking the opportunity to raise money and build her own email list.

What the Democrats are trying to do to keep this seat is why people hate politics. Its time to teach Joe Cunningham, Nancy Pelosi and the DCCC a lesson about attacking Republican women, Mace wrote in the Tuesday night email.

Conducting opposition researchis a routine part of campaigns in both parties. At the same time, candidates often complain aboutoppo to make the case that theyre rising above politics as usual.

If youre going to go digging for dirt when I was 18, when I had one of the toughest challenges in my life personally, then have at it, Mace, 41, told CQ Roll Call on Wednesday. It says more about you and your tactics than it does about me.

National Democrats are working to defend freshman Rep. Joe Cunningham, who flipped a Charleston-area seat last fall. He was No. 3 on CQ Roll Calls ranking of the most vulnerable House members. His race is rated a Toss-up byInside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales.

The DCCC on Wednesday accused Mace of being a career politician whos pushed extreme ideas.

Now shes trying to fundraise off the fact that folks in the Lowcountry will learn shes only interested in adding to the partisanship in Washington instead of fighting for their interests, spokesman Avery Jaffe said in a statement.

Mace saidher campaign is not conducting oppositionresearch on Cunningham. But its not uncommon for that dirty work to be done by outside groups that use the information for attacks, while the candidates those groups support focus on telling positive stories about themselves.

Last cycle, for example, the super PAC tied to House GOP leadership attacked Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger of Virginia using records that the GOP opposition research firm America Rising obtained through a Freedom of Information request. Those records included a confidential national security form known as Standard Form 86 (SF-86), which the Postal Service had improperly released to them.

Republicans have already taken personal shots at Cunningham. The National RepublicanCongressional Committee has mocked the congressman and his wife, for example, for seeking marriage counseling.

But Mace drew a distinction there since Cunninghams wife was the one who posted a video on Instagram about how their health care didnt cover the counseling sessions.

If your spouse does that, that opens themselves up to criticism, and I think theres an argument thats fair, Mace said.

Pressed on whether shed disavow ads from GOP outside groups that use opposition research or make personal attacks, Mace said she has a record of standing up to her own party.

Mace was a field and coalitions director during the 2016 campaign for President Donald Trump, whose request to Ukraine to investigate a politicalrival is now the subject of House impeachment proceedings. Trump carried South Carolinas 1st District by 11 points.

Asked about Trumps commentsthis summer that hedtake opposition research from a foreign government, Mace said she hadnt seen that statement.

I personally would never accept information from a foreign agent or foreign country, Mace said.

Maces email to supporters was written in the style of most fundraising emails, with erratic bolding,underlining and italics to try to drive attention to important points.

But it was unusually lengthy. She doesnt reveal that she requested her own records until the 17th paragraph.

Recipients of the email who click on the link to access her records had to first provide the campaign with their name and email address.

If you want to see my my private life, I want your email for it, Mace said when asked about that requirement.

The records, which are mostly transcripts and press releases about her academic achievement, dont reveal much that could be used against her. She earned mostly straight As her lowest grade was a C in physics and she was recommended for a commission despite being prescribed Ritalin for attention deficit disorder, which the letter said would normally make her ineligible.

Revealing that medical information, Mace said, was important to make her point.

Its sort of ridiculous the lengths that political operatives will go to hurt someone whos running for public office, Mace said. And its important to me to expose some of that, because its really ugly.

Shes submitted FOIA requests for all of her emails as a state legislator, paper copies of which she was planning to take to her local newspaper, The Charleston Post and Courier, this week.

Mace is no stranger to politics. She lost a Senate primary against Lindsey Graham in 2014 and ran a consulting firm with clients such as South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott and former Rep. Mick Mulvaney, whos now Trumps acting chief of staff.

Asingle mother to two children, Mace made national headlines earlier this year when she shared her own story ofrape on the state House floor to make the case for a rape and incest exception in an anti-abortion bill.

Mace will face a June primary. Shes been endorsed by New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, the former NRCC recruitment chairwoman whos been trying to help GOP women through primaries. The anti-tax Club for Growth, which was on the opposite side of GOP womens groups in a high-profile primary earlier this year, has also backed Mace, who had raised $518,000 by the end of September.

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SC Republican tries to turn tables on oppo research and raise money, too - Roll Call

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May 18, 2019, 11:46 PM UTC

By Dennis Romero and Winston Wilde

U.S. Rep. Justin Amash of Michigan on Saturday became the first congressional Republican to conclude that President Donald Trump has engaged in "impeachable conduct."

His conclusion came after he read special counsel Robert Mueller's redacted report on Russian interference in the 2016 election, he tweeted in a widely circulated thread.

"President Trump has engaged in impeachable conduct," he tweeted.

He also said Attorney General William Barr "deliberately misrepresented Muellers report" with a four-page summary sent to Congress in March before the release of the full, redacted report.

Barr said the report showed no collusion between Trump's campaign and Russians bent on impacting the election in his favor with hacked emails from the campaign of Hillary Clinton and with a disinformation attack that relied on social media.

Barr also declared that the report said there wasn't sufficient evidence to prosecute the president for possible obstruction of justice.

The report did not say Trump was exonerated, just that there was insufficient evidence to initiate prosecution for possible conspiracy or what the president has called collusion.

On the matter of obstruction, Mueller looked at 10 possible instances of presidential meddling in the Russia investigation. "While this report does not conclude that the president committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him," the report stated.

Amash tweeted, "Contrary to Barrs portrayal, Muellers report reveals that President Trump engaged in specific actions and a pattern of behavior that meet the threshold for impeachment."

"In fact," he said, "Muellers report identifies multiple examples of conduct satisfying all the elements of obstruction of justice, and undoubtedly any person who is not the president of the United States would be indicted based on such evidence."

Some Democratic activists seized on the congressman's conclusions as a breakthrough at a time of widespread Republican support for the president's dismissal of the Mueller report as a "witch hunt."

Actress Alyssa Milano tweeted, "HUGE."

"Thank you for your leadership, @justinamash," she stated.

Amash isn't exactly a staunch Trump supporter. He's a libertarian who in February voted with Democrats in Congress in a failed attempt to overturn the president's declaration of emergency at the U.S.-Mexico border.

Dennis Romero writes for NBC News and is based in Los Angeles.

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Republican Rep. Justin Amash says Trump committed ...