Politics

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — One of the best opportunities for Democrats to regain a governor’s office this year is in Maryland, and the race to succeed term-limited Republican Larry Hogan has drawn a crowd of candidates. Winning back the seat shouldn’t seem so tough for Democrats in a state where they outnumber Republicans by a 2-1 ratio, but the GOP has won three of the past five elections.

Nationwide, Republicans hold a 28-22 edge in governor’s seats. Of the 36 governor’s races this year, Maryland and Massachusetts represent the best chances for Democrats to narrow the gap.

Maryland Democrats see an opening now because the popular Hogan, only the second Republican governor to win reelection in the state history, cannot seek a third term.

That’s attracted prominent Democrats to Tuesday’s primary, including members of former President Barack Obama’s Cabinet: onetime Labor Secretary Tom Perez, who also was chairman of the Democratic Party, and ex-Education Secretary John King.

Also in the race are Wes Moore, a bestselling author supported by Oprah Winfrey; Comptroller Peter Franchot, the state’s tax collector, who has name recognition in Maryland from four successful statewide races; and former state Attorney General Doug Gansler.

The primary winner will probably face either Kelly Schulz, a Republican endorsed by Hogan, or Dan Cox, who is backed by Donald Trump.

Given some of the GOP successes over the past two decades, Democratic voters are thinking more carefully about who can win in November.

Nancy Duden, 61, voted early in Annapolis, for Perez. It was a decision she struggled over during the drive to the voting center.

“Sometimes there aren’t very good choices, and this time there were so many good choices that I think people really need to pay attention to the qualifications of each candidate,” she said. “But I also think you have to give thought to who can actually win.”

Democrats once held the governor’s mansion for more than three straight decades. When Republican Robert Ehrlich won in 2002, he was the first in his party to be governor in 36 years — since Spiro Agnew in 1966.

A poll last month by the Sarah T. Hughes Center for Politics at Goucher, The Baltimore Banner and WYPR found no clear front-runner among the Democrats, with Franchot at 16% and Moore and Perez each at 14%.

The primary comes less than a month after a new Maryland law approved by the Democratic-controlled legislature took effect to expand abortion access. It was passed in anticipation of the Supreme Court striking down Roe v. Wade, which the justices did in June.

Less than a week later, Hogan directed the Maryland State Police to suspend the state’s “good and substantial reason” standard for permits to carry handguns after the Supreme Court struck down a similar New York law.

The Supreme Court also limited the reach of the nation’s main air pollution law that’s used to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from power plants — a blow to environmentally conscious Maryland, home to the Chesapeake Bay, the nation’s largest estuary.

“We’ve got to keep Republicans away from the Statehouse,” said Doug McLaine, 78, who voted early in Annapolis for Moore and expressed concern about the gun ruling as the nation confronts a wave of mass shootings.

Moore, a former Army combat veteran who served in Afghanistan and former CEO of a national anti-poverty group, said the high court’s rulings have illustrated how “massively important” it is for Democrats to regain the governor’s office.

“Governors matter in this moment, now more than ever before, because governors are really a last line of defense that many constituents are going to have against just barbaric rulings that we’re seeing from this Supreme Court,” Moore told The Associated Press.

Perez, who also served as assistant attorney general for civil rights during the Obama administration and was a county council member in Maryland’s most populous jurisdiction in the suburbs of the nation’s capital, said it’s more important than ever for states to set the tone on crucial issues such as job creation, clean energy, health care and reproductive health.

“There are so many ways that we can set example for the rest of the country, and I think Maryland is one of the top opportunities to flip a seat from red to blue,” Perez said.

While Democrats who control Maryland’s legislature have been able to override many of Hogan’s vetoes over the years, the governor has had impact. For example, he recently blocked a request to accelerate $3.5 million in annual spending for training to expand the number of people who can provide abortions in the state.

Franchot, who has kept an amiable working relationship with Hogan on a powerful state spending panel with three voting members, had urged Hogan to release the money.

“I think that should have been done immediately,” Franchot said.

Gansler, who lost the Democratic primary in 2014 to then-Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown, who went on to lose to Hogan, said the past two elections have illustrated the dangers of choosing a Democrat who is too liberal.

“In order to truly fight climate change and bring back the Chesapeake Bay, we need to have a Democrat in office, and we cannot commit political suicide again by electing a Democrat in the primary who cannot win in the general election,” Gansler said.

King, a progressive Democrat, said he believes the party has a great opportunity to flip the governor’s office.

“In order to do that we need a candidate who’s going to inspire folks across the Democratic Party, and particularly inspire young people, people of color and people who are outraged by the Supreme Court decisions on abortion access and gun safety, and I think I’m the best positioned to do that,” King said.

Jon Baron, a former nonprofit executive, and Ashwani Jain, a former official in Obama’s administration, also are running. Rushern Baker, a former Prince George’s County executive, announced he has suspended his campaign, though he is still appearing on the ballot. Jerome Segal, an activist, and Ralph Jaffe, a retired teacher, also are on the ballot.

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Follow AP for full coverage of the midterms at https://apnews.com/hub/2022-midterm-elections and on Twitter at https://twitter.com/ap_politics.

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RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — To promote the recently signed Virginia budget and its array of tax cuts, Gov. Glenn Youngkin hosted two high-energy campaign-style celebrations, complete with bright lighting, throngs of supporters and a booming playlist that harkened back to his winning run last year.

Other bill signings and news conferences in Richmond have featured a similar flair, like a carefully staged gas-tax proposal announced at a gas station where Youngkin washed windshields for drivers. And in the otherwise plain governor’s briefing room, a collection of Virginia and American flags has been added.

Youngkin is also increasingly expanding his focus beyond Richmond’s Capitol Square. He was in Nebraska this month to give the keynote speech at the state GOP convention. He plans additional stops on behalf of Republican gubernatorial candidates after Labor Day, along with appearances for candidates in some of Virginia’s most competitive congressional races.

In his first six months as governor, Youngkin has moved quickly to assert himself as a new voice in the party. It’s a dramatic and tightly choreographed transformation for a political newcomer who appears to be carefully cultivating his public image in a way that’s driving talk about his possible ambitions for higher office.

“By and large they have an operation that’s more coordinated, scripted,” said longtime Virginia political analyst Bob Holsworth. “They have an image they want to put forward, and they’re not trying to do anything that could detract from that.”

Speculation that Youngkin, a former private equity executive, might seek higher office — perhaps even a 2024 presidential bid — took off the moment he defeated Terry McAuliffe in a race the former Democratic governor entered as the perceived favorite. Virginia does not allow an incumbent to run for a second consecutive four-year term.

Youngkin drew national attention for navigating a win in a state long trending blue, running on a solidly conservative platform while keeping former President Donald Trump at a distance and impressing voters who found the candidate to be friendly and sincere.

Some speculate Youngkin might make a shortlist as a vice presidential contender or eventually challenge one of Virginia’s Democratic U.S. senators. He has been coy about his future, saying in recent interviews that he’s focused on Virginia but declining to rule anything out.

The 55-year-old was sworn in Jan. 15 and recently wrapped up work from his first legislative session, which saw some of his top priorities defeated by the Democratic-controlled state Senate. But he emerged with plenty to promote after focusing on specific campaign pledges and working to push Virginia to the right.

A few Democrats joined with Republicans on votes to ban school districts from imposing mask mandates, regulate sexually explicit classroom materials and expand a school innovation initiative Youngkin pushed. The compromise state spending plan enacts tax cuts — many of which Youngkin campaigned on — expected to save a family of four over $1,100 a year.

His administration has also loosened state COVID-19 quarantine and mask guidance beyond the federal government’s recommendations.

Looking ahead, he has indicated he would like to see a 15- or 20-week abortion ban enacted next year. Virginia currently permits abortions in the first and second trimesters, and in the third trimester only if three physicians certify that the mother’s mental or physical health is at serious risk.

All the while, Youngkin is proving himself to be a strong fundraiser, boosted through a newly formed political action committee. The PAC, Spirit of Virginia, raised more than $1.5 million in donations over $10,000 or more during the second quarter of the year. That was far more than other governors brought in during the similar period, even after adjusting for inflation, according to the nonpartisan money-in-politics-tracker, the Virginia Public Access Project. Total receipts during the quarter were over $2.2 million, and the PAC reported spending just over $1 million.

Youngkin also broke fundraising records for his inauguration festivities.

The governor, who appears with some regularity on Fox News, has recently attracted or participated in a blitz of splashy media coverage, from a TIME magazine profile to his second Sunday morning news show. A Washington Post opinion column said it was “good news” that he was “seriously” contemplating a presidential bid.

In Richmond, Youngkin has selectively engaged with the media, withheld public records requests in cases where his office has wide discretion and released fairly limited details about his schedule, which in recent weeks has contained few public events. He did not agree to an interview for this story.

Spokeswoman Macaulay Porter said the governor is committed to engaging with Richmond journalists and noted that Youngkin routinely answers questions after his public events.

Youngkin has evaded recent questions about Trump, who has been mulling a new presidential campaign as soon as this summer.

The governor was asked on CBS’ “Face the Nation” whether Trump should stop making false claims that the 2020 election was stolen.

“Well, let me begin with my trip to Nebraska, which was really great fun,” Youngkin responded. He went on to avoid directly answering the question three more times.

Some Democrats say Youngkin has been more focused on elevating his profile than on governing.

“His political ambition is costing Virginia its world-class economic status — and that is a damn shame,” Susan Swecker, chairwoman of the state Democratic Party, said in a statement after Virginia fell from first place to third in CNBC’s “Top States for Business” ranking.

But longtime state Sen. Chap Petersen, a moderate Democrat from northern Virginia who joined Republicans to effectively end school mask mandates, expressed a modicum of approval of the governor’s leadership. Petersen said Youngkin had helped return the state to a sense of normalcy as it reemerged from the heights of the pandemic.

Petersen did say he was disappointed in several of the administration’s actions he called “petty,” including the governor’s veto of bills from a colleague who led the fight against the appointment of a Cabinet nominee. Petersen said Youngkin might accomplish more in Virginia if he dialed back the partisanship.

“I sure hope he’s focused on his current job,” Petersen said.

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By Rose Horowitch

(Reuters) -The U.S. House of Representatives on Friday passed legislation to safeguard the right to travel across state lines to seek an abortion after several states banned the procedure in the wake of last month’s Supreme Court ruling.

The Democratic-controlled House voted 223 to 205, largely along party lines, to prevent states that have limited abortion from obstructing women’s ability to seek care elsewhere.

The bill faces long odds in the Senate, where Republicans blocked similar legislation on Thursday.

Roughly a dozen Republican-led states have moved to ban nearly all abortions since late June, when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Roe v. Wade ruling that had legalized abortion rights nationwide since 1973, and more states are expected to do so.

Some Republicans in those states have tried to go further. Missouri legislators considered a bill that would allow civil lawsuits against anyone who aids a woman in seeking an out-of-state abortion.

The issue received national attention after media outlets reported that a 10-year-old girl who was raped in Ohio had to travel to Indiana to obtain an abortion.

(Reporting by Rose Horowtich; editing by Andy Sullivan and Jonathan Oatis)

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By Sarah N. Lynch

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Justice Department on Friday said it has launched a civil rights investigation into whether the Maryland State Police engages in racially discriminatory hiring and promotion practices.

The investigation, known as a “pattern or practice” civil probe, marks the latest in a string of cases launched by President Joe Biden’s Justice Department into police departments across the country for potentially systemic discriminatory conduct.

The other six new cases involving police departments such as Minneapolis and Louisville, Kentucky, however, are investigating potentially discriminatory conduct by law enforcement officers against civilians.

Friday’s case against the Maryland State Police, by contrast, relates to potentially discriminatory employment practices within the department itself.

“Discrimination has no place in any workplace, and especially in law enforcement agencies,” Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said in a statement.

“Our investigation will determine whether the Maryland Department of State Police has created racially discriminatory barriers for Black people seeking job opportunities and promotions and, if so, identify the reforms necessary to ensure equal employment opportunities.”

A spokesperson for the Maryland State Police could not be immediately reached for comment.

(Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch in Washington)

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President Biden Meets in Bethlehem With Abbas,  Supports Two-State Solution 

The US president gave no details on what his administration would do to help make a Palestinian state a reality 

 US President Joe Biden’s meeting with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank didn’t take him to Ramallah, the headquarters of the Palestinian Authority, but instead to Bethlehem, just a few miles south of Jerusalem.  

President Biden’s meeting with Abbas on Friday at the Presidential Compound in Bethlehem lasted about 75 minutes. 

Biden offered his support for a two-state solution to the Palestinians’ conflict with Israel but gave no details on what his administration would to do to make a Palestinian state become a reality. 

Standing next to Abbas and addressing reporters, President Biden said the Palestinians require a political path toward peace with Israel, even if a two-state solution to the conflict appears far off. 

“There must be a political horizon that the Palestinian people can actually see or at least feel. We cannot allow the hopelessness to steal away the future,” President Biden said. 

The 87-year-old Abbas said that the Palestinians “look forward” to US efforts to “stop settlements and settler violence” and to an end to the “expulsion of Palestinians from their land.” 

“The key to peace begins with recognizing the state of Palestine,” Abbas said. 

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. House Judiciary Committee will take up proposed legislation that would ban certain assault weapons, the panel said on Friday, citing a string of recent mass shootings across the United States that have killed 42 people.

The committee will meet on Wednesday to mark up the bill, which “would ban the sale, import, manufacture or transfer of certain semi-automatic weapons,” it said in a statement.

(Reporting by Susan Heavey; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky)

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By Richard Cowan and Rose Horowitch

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Joe Biden and other top Democrats are pushing to make abortion a central issue as they try to retain control of the U.S. Congress in November elections. But on the ground, some of the party’s most vulnerable incumbents are downplaying the issue.

From Maine to Arizona, several Democratic incumbents instead are emphasizing bread-and-butter issues like national security and job creation as they battle to retain their seats in the Nov. 8 midterm elections.

Many are trying to survive in districts that have become more Republican as a result of 2020 redistricting by heavily Republican state legislatures.

In the northwest corner of Ohio, Representative Marcy Kaptur is emphasizing the populist themes she has campaigned on since 1982 as she faces the toughest race of her career.

In campaign appearances, Kaptur is talking about reining in CEO pay and raising wages for blue-collar workers. Abortion “is not something she’ll be talking about,” according to a person familiar with the race, who asked not to be identified to talk frankly about it.

That’s not what Biden and other Democratic leaders envisioned after the Supreme Court overturned its Roe v. Wade decision that guaranteed a nationwide right to abortion.

“This fall, Roe is on the ballot,” he said in a White House speech after the June 24 decision.

VOTERS SHIFT ATTENTION?

The court’s decision was cheered by Republicans who have worked for decades to roll back abortion rights.

But it is less popular with the public.

Some 55% of Americans believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases, according to a June Reuters/Ipsos poll.

Some analysts say the court’s decision could help Democrats shift voters’ attentions away from inflation and the lingering COVID-19 pandemic.

U.S. voters historically have treated mid-term elections, which occur halfway through a president’s four-year term, as an opportunity to rein-in the president’s party. This time around that would mean punishing Democrats by electing more Republicans.

But abortion could turn that formula on its head in 2022.

“If the focus is on a decision by the Republican-dominated Supreme Court, the Democrats will appear less as a power that needs to be balanced,” said Paul Sracic, a political science professor at Youngstown State University in Ohio.

In Washington, Democrats are pushing abortion rights to the fore. The House of Representatives has repeatedly passed legislation that would establish abortion rights by law, but those bills have been blocked by Republicans in the Senate that is split 50-50 between the two parties. At least 60 votes are needed to advance most legislation.

Back home, some endangered Democrats are talking about the issue with voters.

In New Jersey, Representative Tom Malinowski has posted a dozen abortion rights messages on Twitter in the three weeks since the court’s decision.

Residents of the suburban, Republican-leaning district largely support abortion rights, said Ross Baker, a political science professor at Rutgers. “These people tend to be influenced by very abrupt changes to social policy,” he said.

But voters in some battleground districts tell Reuters that the economy, not abortion, was their top concern.

Public opinion polls put the economy at the top of voters’ worries. Crime, guns and immigration are among the issues that follow, with abortion even further down the list.

In south Texas, Henry Cuellar, the only Democrat in the House to vote against abortion rights legislation last year, narrowly defeated a liberal challenger in a Democratic primary who was backed by abortion rights groups. The longtime conservative Democrat’s campaign messages since then haven’t mentioned the issue.

Likewise, Democrats Tom O’Halleran of Arizona and Jared Golden of Maine have barely campaigned on the issue, according to a Reuters review of campaign material.

In eastern Virginia, Representative Elaine Luria decried the Supreme Court decision on Twitter as “a blow to women’s rights.” But recent campaign messages have emphasized her work to boost military spending and investigate the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Analysts caution that the issue could fade closer to Election Day as other events capture voters’ attention.

“We can’t be sure whether it will remain a highly salient issue four or five months from now,” Sracic said.

(Reporting by Richard Cowan and Rose Horowitch; Editing by Andy Sullivan and Aurora Ellis)

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SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — Gov. Kristi Noem had pledged to “immediately” call a special legislative session to “guarantee that every unborn child has a right to life in South Dakota” if the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. But nearly three weeks after that ruling, the first-term Republican remains unusually quiet about exactly what she wants lawmakers to pass.

Noem, widely considered a potential 2024 presidential candidate, isn’t the only GOP governor with national ambitions who followed up calls for swift action with hesitance when justices ended the constitutional right to abortion that had been in place for nearly 50 years.

In Arkansas, which like South Dakota had an abortion ban immediately triggered by the court’s ruling, Gov. Asa Hutchinson has said he does not plan to put abortion on the agenda of next month’s special session focused on tax cuts. And in Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis, a top potential White House contender also running for reelection, has shied away from detailing whether he will push to completely ban abortions despite a pledge to “expand pro-life protections.”

Noem has given no indication of the date, proposals or whether a special session will even happen to anyone beyond a small group of Statehouse leaders. When asked whether the governor still plans to call lawmakers back to the Capitol, her office this week referred to a June statement that indicated it was being planned for “later this year.”

It’s a change of tack from when the Supreme Court’s decision first leaked in May and the governor fired off a tweet saying she would “immediately call for a special session to save lives” if Roe was overturned. The enthusiasm placed Noem, the first woman to hold the governor’s office in South Dakota, in a prominent spot in the anti-abortion movement.

However, as the abortion ban became reality last month, Noem kept her plans a secret besides saying “there is more work to do” and pledging “to help mothers in crisis.”

Some conservatives in the South Dakota Legislature wanted to take aggressive action, including trying to stop organizations or companies from paying for women to travel out of state for an abortion, changing the criminal punishment for performing an abortion and possibly clarifying state law to ensure the ban didn’t affect other medical procedures.

Republican state Sen. Brock Greenfield said many South Dakota lawmakers attending the state party’s convention on June 24, the same day as the Supreme Court ruling, expected Noem would call them back to Pierre this week for a special session, but “obviously that hasn’t come to fruition.”

“It might not be a bad idea to just let the dust settle and proceed very carefully, very strategically as we go forward,” said Greenfield, a former executive director of the state’s most influential anti-abortion group, South Dakota Right to Life.

The caution reflects the evolving landscape of abortion politics, as Republicans navigate an issue that threatens to divide the party while giving Democrats a potential election-year boost.

Nationwide polling conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research before the Supreme Court ruling to overturn Roe showed it was unpopular, with a majority of Americans wanting to see the court leave the precedent intact. Subsequent polling since the ruling showed that a growing number of Americans, particularly Democrats, cited abortion or women’s rights as priorities at the ballot box.

In political battleground states, some other prominent GOP governors — including possible White House contenders — haven’t charged to enact abortion bans.

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan has said he considers the abortion question settled in his state, pointing to a 1991 law that protects abortion rights. However, he has resisted efforts by the Democratic-controlled legislature to expand abortion access.

Virginia’s Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin, also considered a potential presidential contender, wants lawmakers in the politically divided General Assembly to take up legislation next year, saying he personally would favor banning most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy.

During an online forum with abortion opponents he said he would “gleefully” sign any bill “to protect life” but acknowledged that Virginia’s political reality might require compromise.

“My goal is that we … in fact get a bill to sign,” he said. “It won’t be the bill that we all want.”

In the wake of South Dakota banning abortions, Noem took a softer approach on the issue by launching a website for pregnant women. She even seemed warm to the idea of pushing for state-backed paid family leave.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who is in a closely watched gubernatorial race with Democrat Beto O’Rourke, took a similar approach to the high court ruling that could make it the most populous state to ban abortions. He issued a statement saying Texas “prioritized supporting women’s healthcare and expectant mothers” and pointed to efforts to expand programs for women’s health as well as fund organizations that dissuade women from having an abortion.

States with the nation’s strictest abortion laws, such as Texas and South Dakota, also have some of the worst rates of first-trimester prenatal care, as well as uninsured children in poverty, according to an AP analysis of federal data.

South Dakota Right to Life’s current executive director Dale Bartscher suggested Noem’s action in a special session could be part of a turn in strategy: “An entirely new pro-life movement has just begun — we stand ready to serve women, the unborn and families.”

He said he had been communicating with the governor’s office on her plans but declined to detail them.

But Noem in recent weeks has faced questioning for her stance that the only exception to the state’s abortion ban should be to save the life of a mother, even if she has been raped, became pregnant through incest or is a child.

It’s also not clear where she stands on some conservative lawmakers’ desire to target organizations and companies that are helping women leave the state to access abortion services — a proposition that could undermine Noem’s efforts to attract businesses to the state.

Brockfield warned that a special legislative session could result in “a whole lot of arguments over whether we’re going too far, or whether we haven’t gone far enough.”

At the same time, abortion rights protesters have shown up at Noem’s campaign office and named her in chants decrying the state’s ban. They see momentum growing for an effort to restore some abortion rights in the state through a 2024 ballot measure, pointing out that South Dakota voters in 2006 and 2008 rejected Republican state lawmakers’ efforts to ban the procedure.

“I’ve lived in this state my whole life and I’ve never seen people show up to protest for this issue like they have in recent weeks,” said Kim Floren, who helps run an abortion access fund called Justice Empowerment Network.

The fund has also been strategizing for a special session, including hiring legal representation and planning protests in Pierre, Floren said.

Their desires may be dismissed in South Dakota’s Statehouse, where Republicans hold 90% of seats, but abortion rights advocates say there is a fresh urgency in alerting voters to the potential impact of the state abortion ban.

“We’re going to see people die,” said Callan Baxter, president of the South Dakota chapter of the National Organization for Women. “We’re going to see some real life consequences and the exposure is going to have a big impact legislatively going forward.”

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Associated Press reporters Sarah Rankin in Richmond, Virginia; Brian Witte in Annapolis, Maryland; and Andrew DeMillo in Little Rock, Arkansas, contributed.

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By Patricia Zengerle and David Shepardson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Voting in the Senate on a bill to boost the U.S. semiconductor industry and improve competitiveness with China could begin as early as Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has been telling lawmakers, a source familiar with the issue said on Thursday.

The source said the bill would include, at a minimum, billions of dollars in subsidies for the semiconductor industry and an investment tax credit to boost U.S. manufacturing.

Lawmakers hope to pass the legislation and send it to the White House for President Joe Biden to sign into law before they leave Washington for their annual August recess.

The planned legislation would be a pared-down version of a bill the Senate passed in June 2021 that included $52 billion for chip subsidies and authorized another $200 billion to boost U.S. scientific and technological innovation to compete with China.

But that bill never became law. The House of Representatives never took it up, instead passing its own version in February similar to the Senate’s measure but also includes a number of trade proposals.

The overall plan – a priority for the Biden administration – more recently faced a new hurdle in the Senate, where it will need Republican support to move ahead.

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said on Monday that if Democrats pursue a separate partisan social spending, tax and climate bill, it “will certainly crowd out our ability” to move ahead the bipartisan chips and China competition measure.

Backers of the bill said its passage was essential for national security. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin issued a statement urging Congress to act. “Weapon systems employed on the battlefields of today and emerging technologies of tomorrow depend on our access to a steady, secure supply of microelectronics,” he said.

The comments about Schumer’s plans were consistent with what Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo told Reuters on Wednesday. She said lawmakers appeared to be moving to carve off the $52 billion in semiconductor chips manufacturing subsidies from the larger bill.

A shortage of chips has disrupted the automotive and electronics industries, forcing some companies to scale back production. Many companies think the shortage will last at least until late 2023.

(Reporting by Patricia Zengerle, Richard Cowan and David Shepardson; additional reporting by Mike Stone; writing by Patricia Zengerle; editing by Chris Reese and Leslie Adler)

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DETROIT (AP) — A suburban Detroit man sued Thursday to try to disqualify Republican Ryan Kelley from the Michigan governor’s race, saying he should be declared an insurrectionist whose votes won’t count.

Kelley faces misdemeanor charges for his role in the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. The lawsuit says the western Michigan man’s participation makes him ineligible for office under the U.S. Constitution.

The 14th Amendment states that anyone who has “engaged in insurrection or rebellion” against the U.S. and has taken an oath to support the Constitution cannot hold a state office.

Kelley took an oath in 2019 when he was a planning commissioner in Allendale Township, according to a lawsuit filed on behalf of Lee Estes.

“Whether it’s Ryan Kelley or anyone else that was illegally at the Capitol trying to overturn the will of the people, there needs to be accountability,” said Lonnie Scott of Progress Michigan, a Democratic group supporting the lawsuit.

The Michigan Republican Party noted that the lawsuit was filed by attorney Mark Brewer, former head of the state Democratic Party.

“This extreme attempt will fail and will help us elect a Republican governor to put an end to the disaster Gretchen Whitmer and Joe Biden have been for Michigan,” GOP chairman Ron Weiser said.

Kelley is among five candidates in the Republican primary on Aug. 2. The winner will face Whitmer in November.

Kelley, a supporter of former President Donald Trump, has acknowledged that he was at the Capitol during the riot but said he didn’t go inside. He has pleaded not guilty to disruptive conduct, injuring public property and entering restricted space without permission.

Polls showed he appeared to get a boost after his June arrest.

The lawsuit seeks to have election officials disregard any votes for Kelley and tell voters that they can cast another ballot if they have voted for him in the primary with an absentee ballot.

In May, an attempt to have Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene barred from the Georgia ballot under the 14th Amendment failed. She said she wasn’t aware of plans to storm the Capitol or disrupt the electoral count through violence.

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Follow Ed White at http://twitter.com/edwritez

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