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Daughter of this blue bastion’s last Republican senator shatters state Republican fundraising record

Daughter of this blue bastion’s last Republican senator shatters state Republican fundraising record

FIRST ON FOX — The daughter of New Mexico’s last Republican senator has set a new fundraising record for a GOP Senate candidate in the blue-leaning southwestern state. Nella Domenici’s campaign announced early Friday that the candidate brought in over $1.25 million from mid-January, when she launched her bid, through the end of last month, which brought to a close the January-March first quarter of 2024 fundraising. Domenici’s campaign cash figures were shared first with Fox News Digital. Domenici, the daughter of former longtime Republican Sen. Pete Domenici, is the presumptive GOP nominee and is aiming to defeat Democrat Sen. Martin Heinrich, who is running in November for a third six-year term representing New Mexico in the Senate.  The $1.25 million haul is being touted as the largest fundraising total of any Republican U.S. Senate candidate in New Mexico history for the first quarter of an election year. DAUGHTER OF NEW MEXICO’S LAST GOP SENATOR LAUNCHES CAMPAIGN Domenici’s campaign also showcased that she received donations from more than 1,100 individuals.  “What an incredible outpouring of broad support in such a short amount of time – New Mexico is truly ready for a change,” Domenici said in a statement. And she argued that “for too long, New Mexico has been hurt by career politicians like Martin Heinrich who have put their extreme progressive ideology ahead of solving problems and the best interests of New Mexicans.” Henrich has yet to announce his first-quarter fundraising. He brought in nearly $4.5 million last year and ended 2023 with roughly $3.5 million cash-on-hand in his campaign coffers, according to filings with the Federal Election Commission. Pete Domenici served for 36 years in the Senate before retiring at the beginning of 2009 at the end of his sixth term. The legacy of her father, who died in 2017, gives the younger Domenici a powerful political brand and plenty of name recognition in New Mexico. And with decades of her own experience in the finance industry at Bridgewater Associates (where she served as chief financial officer), Credit Suisse and Citadel Investment group, Domenici comes with a broad fundraising network of her own. She said when announcing her bid that she would make an initial investment of a half million dollars. Domenici also has the backing of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, the campaign arm of the Senate GOP, which encouraged her run.  But New Mexico, which was once a general election battleground, in recent cycles has shifted to the left and is no longer considered a crucial swing state. President Biden carried the state by 10 points in 2020, and it’s been 15 years since a Republican held a Senate seat in the state. And Heinrich won re-election in 2018, which was a blue-wave cycle, by more than 30 points.

Former AG William Barr’s free market group sues California over EV truck mandate

Former AG William Barr’s free market group sues California over EV truck mandate

FIRST ON FOX: A free market business group whose legal arm is led by two-time former U.S. Attorney General William Barr has filed a federal lawsuit against California over its climate regulations for phasing out diesel-powered heavy-duty vehicles. The American Free Enterprise Chamber of Commerce – which was launched in 2022 to fight government regulations – filed the lawsuit this week in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California, naming California Attorney General Rob Bonta and California Air Resources Board (CARB) Executive Officer Steven Cliff as defendants. AmFree Chamber and co-plaintiff Associated Equipment Distributors allege that California’s Advanced Clean Fleets (ACF) regulations violate the federal Clean Air Act since the state never obtained a waiver from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to pursue the plan. Under the ACF rules, which kicked in this year, trucking companies must rapidly transition their fleets from diesel-powered to zero-emissions vehicles. “California’s attempt to effectively abolish the internal combustion engine by forcing Americans to buy EVs is not only illegal but a threat to our American free enterprise,” Barr, who chairs the advisory board at AmFree Chamber’s Center for Legal Action, told Fox News Digital. “This mandate is unlikely to produce any net reduction in carbon emissions, and even if it does, any benefit will be negligible in comparison to the massive costs these mandates impose on our economy and individual American families.” VULNERABLE HOUSE DEM BUCKS PARTY ORTHODOXY, BLASTING HIS STATE’S PROPOSED EV MANDATE “We filed this suit to protect Californians from government overreach and to ensure they have continued access to affordable, reliable and accessible fleets,” Barr added. “AmFree’s Center for Legal Action will continue to file state and federal suits that take on climate mandates that are only being implemented to move the liberal agenda forward but as a result have put a choke hold on our American economy.” In addition to arguing that California violated the Clean Air Act, the lawsuit further alleges the ACF regulations are preempted by the Energy Independence and Security Act and the Federal Aviation Administration Authorization Act. The former authorizes the federal government to set fuel economy standards and the latter seeks to preempt state trucking regulations with federal standards. TRUCKERS CHALLENGE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION OVER CLIMATE CRACKDOWN ON ELECTRIC BIG RIGS CARB adopted the ACF, the most aggressive truck electrification plan of its kind anywhere in the nation, in April 2023. The regulations require operators who manage short-haul tractor trailers, government fleets and “high priority” fleets to begin transitioning to zero-emissions vehicles this year. “High priority” fleets are those with more than 50 trucks or are managed by private companies with at least $50 million in revenue. The new rules require fleets using drayage trucks – which are short-haul trucks that transport goods from ports and rail yards – to only buy zero-emissions alternatives starting this year and to fully be zero-emissions by 2035. Fleets classified as “high priority” must either begin purchasing only zero-emissions vehicles this year or adhere to state targets, such as having a quarter of box trucks and vans to be zero-emissions by 2028. And for fleets managed by state and local governments, 50% of heavy-duty vehicle purchases must be zero-emissions this year. That requirement increases to 100% by 2027. Overall, the ACF requires all commercial truck sales for all fleets must be zero-emissions beginning in 2036. FEDERAL COURT STRIKES DOWN BIDEN’S CLIMATE RULE FOR STATES “If people want to buy electric vehicles, then they ought to be free to do so,” AmFree Chamber CEO Gentry Collins told Fox News Digital. “The substance of our complaint here is not about being opposed to EVs. The substance of our complaint is about being opposed to the mandates.” He noted the higher costs and lower range of electric trucks, which currently represent a tiny share of new truck purchases nationwide. In a statement to Fox News Digital, CARB spokesperson Kate Lamb said the agency doesn’t comment on pending litigation. However, she pointed to various figures showing the projected health and climate benefits of the ACF regulations. “While trucks represent only 6% of the vehicles on California’s roads, they account for over 35% of the state’s transportation-generated nitrogen oxide emissions and a quarter of the state’s on-road greenhouse gas emissions,” she said. Bonta’s office didn’t respond to a request for comment.

Democrats ripped for admitting ‘quiet part out loud’ after panic about key strategy helping Trump

Democrats ripped for admitting ‘quiet part out loud’ after panic about key strategy helping Trump

An internal memo showing panic within the Democratic Party over its “nonpartisan” voter registration efforts potentially helping former President Trump is drawing criticism from those who say the registration efforts were a “partisan scam” from the start. Democrats across the country have become increasingly concerned over the amount of support Trump is pulling from usually reliable demographics and donors have been bickering over an internal memo casting doubt on whether the party should continue using nonprofits to register unregistered voters over fears it could help Trump, the Washington Post reported this week.  “Indeed, if we were to blindly register nonvoters and get them on the rolls, we would be distinctly aiding Trump’s quest for a personal dictatorship,” the memo explained, casting doubt on the longstanding Democrat voter registration push that typically has resulted in favorable results in previous elections. The memo argues that Democrats should focus their registration efforts only in “specific, heavily pro-Biden populations” and the Washington Post explained that “the rise in Trump support among nonregistered voters has run up against a long-held Democratic policy priority of growing the voter rolls.” DEM CAMPAIGN CALL REVEALS PANIC MODE OVER RFK JR.’S WHITE HOUSE BID, SCRAMBLE TO SAVE BIDEN RE-ELECTION HOPES Some political analysts claimed the Washington Post article shows that some Democrat registration efforts that are labeled non-partisan are in fact working solely to register Democrats. “Left-wing strategists accidentally said the quiet part out loud: their ‘non-partisan’ left-wing voter registration efforts have always been highly partisan operations designed to help Democrats,” Jason Snead, executive director of Honest Elections Project, told Fox News Digital. “This admission raises grave questions about other programs the left also claims are ‘non-partisan,’ including President Biden’s executive order using taxpayers’ money to mobilize liberal voters. The press should take note of and remember this rare moment of honesty from the left the next time they cry ‘voter suppression.’” “Democrats donors are now getting memos telling them to stop funding voter registration nonprofits because unregistered voters lean towards Trump,” investigative researcher Parker Thayer posted on X in response to the report. “It’s all a partisan scam,” he added. The memo comes as recent polling data suggests Biden is hemorrhaging support from key demographics that historically have been registered by Democrats and then voted for Democrats. Gallup polling this year showed that Democrats currently hold the lowest lead they have had with Black voters over Republicans they have ever had dating back to when the polling began in 1999 and their 12-point advantage over Republicans with Hispanic voters is the lowest since 2011.  Polling also shows that young adults are supporting Democrats at their lowest level in almost two decades. NEW HAMPSHIRE VOTERS FRUSTRATED WITH BIDEN, DNC FOR SKIPPING STATE: ‘WON’T GIVE US THE TIME OF DAY’ “By 2010, young adults were the only age category giving the Democrats an edge, and their Democratic orientation remained strong until it fell to just eight points in 2023, the slimmest since 2005,” Gallup explained. In 2016, Gallup polling showed roughly 51% of non-registered voters identified as Democrat or lean Democrat compared to 31% who identified as Republican or lean Republican. Over the last year, that number for Democrats has sunk to 42% while the Republican number grew to 40%, WaPo reported. Some Democrats pushed back in the WaPo story on the idea that registration efforts need to be re-tooled due to Trump’s strong polling numbers with reliable Democratic voters. “If you’d ask me what keeps me up at night, it’s not that young people of color are going to defect to the Republican camp. My worst case scenario is that memos like this create a disinvestment — and that makes our job very hard,” Maria Teresa Kumar, president and CEO of Voto Latino, said, adding that the memo shows “implicit bias that the mainstream folks have internalized” and that it “does a disservice because it’s trying to pit communities against each other in ways that are not helpful.” “From a nonpartisan perspective, we should help close the turnout gap, which means if Latinos, Blacks and Asian Americans are registered at lower rates, then we need to increase registration,” Biden pollster Matt Barreto told the Washington Post.  “The unregistered people of color are still leaning Democratic. They might need more of a push. But they are not leaning in the opposite direction.”

Illegal immigrant charged in ‘horrific’ child sex crime arrested by ICE after police let him go

Illegal immigrant charged in ‘horrific’ child sex crime arrested by ICE after police let him go

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) says it has arrested a Colombian illegal immigrant charged with the rape of a minor in Massachusetts. The suspect was arrested but later released by local authorities despite ICE’s request to hold him. The unnamed Colombian national was stopped entering the U.S. illegally in July 2022 and then released into the U.S. with a notice to appear in court by Border Patrol. He was also enrolled into the Alternatives to Detention (ATD) program. ICE said he was arrested in Lynn, Massachusetts, in January for the alleged rape, indecent assault and battery of a minor over 14 and arraigned in court on Jan 29. Immediately, ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) lodged an immigration detainer with Lynn District Court. CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS When ICE believes a removable illegal immigrant has been arrested on criminal charges, it will lodge a detainer, which is a request that the agency be notified before the immigrant is released from custody and to hold them until ICE can take custody of them. In this instance, ICE lodged a detainer but said it was not honored by the Essex County Sheriff’s Office, and he was released from state custody. The office did not respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. It was not until March 28 when the Colombian national was arrested, according to ICE. He is in federal custody pending removal proceedings. “This unlawfully present Colombian national stands accused of a horrific crime,” said ERO Boston Field Office Director Todd Lyons said in a statement. BOSTON MAYOR SILENT ON SANCTUARY CITY POLICIES AMID MIGRANT CRIME REPORTS “There are few crimes more disturbing than the sexual assault of a child, and no person more disturbing than one who would prey upon the most innocent members of our communities,” he said. “ERO Boston will continue to prioritize public safety by working tenaciously to arrest and remove unlawfully present child sex predators from our New England neighborhoods.” Fox News was on the ground with ICE’s Boston ERO unit last week when officers made five arrests, including the Colombian national, other alleged child rapists and a member of the MS-13 gang. HAITIAN ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT CHARGED WITH RAPE RELEASED BACK ONTO STREETS IN BOSTON DESPITE ICE APPEALS Agents expressed frustration about “sanctuary” policies, which forbid law enforcement from cooperating with ICE detainers. ICE and the Biden White House have urged cities and jurisdictions to cooperate with federal authorities with regard to handing over criminal illegal immigrants. “We welcome local law enforcement’s support and cooperation in apprehending and removing individuals who pose a risk to national security or public safety,” a White House spokesperson told Fox News Digital in February in response to a question about its stance on sanctuary cities. “When a local jurisdiction has information about an individual who could pose a threat to public safety, we want them to share that information with ICE.” Fox News’ Channel’s Bill Melugin contributed to this report.

Latino voters may make or break the presidential election in swing states like Nevada

Latino voters may make or break the presidential election in swing states like Nevada

In a swing state like Nevada, every vote will matter in the upcoming presidential election. Latino voters make up nearly one-third of the state’s population and can play a critical role in determining who takes the White House.  The latest numbers show the majority of Latino voters in Nevada are registered as non-partisan, a key group President Biden and former President Trump will try to win over.  “Nosotros somos la voz para nuestro futuro. It is so important that we all go out to vote not only this primary, but this upcoming election in November,” said first-time voter Elisa Martinez.  This year will be Martinez’s first-time voting, but she’s no stranger to the process. Martinez has been involved with political campaigns since she was a child. AHEAD OF 2024 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION, SWING STATE PENNSYLVANIA SETS UP ELECTION SECURITY TASK FORCE  “It made me feel like I should take that initiative to always spread the word, so at 12-years-old, I was always telling my family let’s go vote. I’d tell my dad, hey let’s go do this on Election Day, early voting started,” said Martinez. In the last presidential election, the Latino vote was closer between Biden and Trump compared nationally. For Latinos, there are some issues top of mind right now.  “Number one, immigration. As a daughter of immigrants, coming from a family of immigrants, I feel that I want to make sure my family is safe and treated with respect. Education is definitely another big issue for me,” said Martinez. IMMIGRATION HAS BECOME THE ‘NUMBER ONE ISSUES’ IN THE 2024 RACE: FRANCIS SUAREZ “Issues that are really pressing to me are immigration reform, especially because I grew up in a community where there’s a bunch of undocumented people, and to me that matters…and healthcare, growing up, my dad was diabetic and undocumented, so it’s really difficult and in order to afford his medicine which involves two different types of insulin and three different types of pills in order to control his blood sugar,” said another first-time voter Jiromi Pena.  FAMILY HEALTH INSURANCE THROUGH WORK NOW COSTS $24,000 A YEAR Jiromi Pena also has experience with political campaigns. She says it’s important young voters educate themselves on the candidates.  “A lot of them don’t know who to vote for, but once you reach out to them and give them the information, then they kind of know what decision to make based off of the experiences they’ve had previously,” said Pena. Most of the young Latino voters in Nevada are not tied to a party, compared to older voters who are more consistent and reliable voters, according to Vote Nevada, a nonprofit focused on voting education.   “That’s where our nonpartisan voter registration shot up. If you look at voters 18-34, 61% of them are registered nonpartisan, independent,” said Vote Nevada CEO Sondra Cosgrove. Vote Nevada says there needs to be more education surrounding voting, especially catering toward the younger voters so that their voices do not go unheard.