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Nikki Haley says ‘Trump will not win the general election’ ahead of South Carolina primary

Nikki Haley says ‘Trump will not win the general election’ ahead of South Carolina primary

Nikki Haley asserted two days ahead of the South Carolina Republican primary that former President Trump “will not win the general election.”  “What I’m trying to tell all Republicans and anybody – Independents as well – anybody that’s voting in those primaries is if you want a change in the country, which I think the entire country wants a change, is we won’t get a change if we don’t win an election,” the former South Carolina governor told CNN’s Jake Tapper on Thursday.  She proclaimed, “Donald Trump will not win the general election. You can have him win any primary you want, he will not win a general election. We will have a female President of the United States: It will either be me or it will be Kamala Harris. But if Donald Trump is the nominee, you can mark my words, he will not win a general election.” Some general election polls have shown Haley could fare better against President Biden than Trump, but the former president has a decisive lead heading into the Palmetto State’s Saturday primary.  HALEY VOWS TO STAY IN RACE, ‘TAKE THE BRUISES’ AHEAD OF SOUTH CAROLINA PRIMARY AGAINST TRUMP Haley further warned, “Don’t complain about what happens in a general election if you don’t vote that in this primary.” “We can do better,” she added, noting that Trump and Biden are the “two most disliked politicians in America.”  She added that a majority of Americans have said they feel both men are “too old” to hold the office again.  “We need someone who can work eight years straight of hard work, day and night, fully disciplined with no drama, no vendettas, just results or the American people,” she said.  CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Haley has already lost the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary to Trump, but has said she has no plans to get out of the race.  The Haley and Trump campaigns did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Washington GOP chair calls declaring party on outside of ballot ‘questionable design’ as voters raise concerns

Washington GOP chair calls declaring party on outside of ballot ‘questionable design’ as voters raise concerns

Washington state Republican Chair Jim Walsh has called having voters write their party affiliation on the outside of their mail-in ballot a “questionable design decision” as some Washingtonians have raised concerns.  Walsh told Fox News Digital on Friday the requirement to declare one’s party is “codified in law” and is only for the primary, not the general election.  “The design where the attestation, the declaration is on the outer part of the envelope, that is not state law, that is a guideline, an administrative decision made by the Washington Secretary of State in conjunction with local county level election officials,” he said.  Walsh added, “That is not statutory, that’s just a questionable design decision by the Secretary of State working in conjunction with the local county elections people.”  RNC FILES AN ELECTION INTEGRITY LAWSUIT IN MISSISSIPPI CHALLENGING BALLOT COUNTING DEADLINES Walsh said state Republicans have been trying since 2016 to change the law requiring voters to declare their party “so that people can choose to be unaffiliated,” but have been blocked by the Democrat-led legislature. One X user snapped a photo of their ballot envelope, showing where voters must declare themselves as Democrats or Republicans, writing on Thursday, “New Washington State envelopes for mail-in ballots. NEVER had to disclose my party declaration on the OUTSIDE of my ballot before. Don’t feel really good about this.”  Cartoonist Scott Adams reposted it, writing, “How can this be real?” and X owner Elon Musk responded, “What!?” VIRGINIA DROPS LAST REMAINING CHARGE AGAINST DC-AREA ELECTIONS OFFICIAL Another voter wrote, “QUESTION- Why am I REQUIRED to list party affiliation on the outside of the envelope to VOTE?” A third X user posted a picture of their envelope, writing, “Washington State Presidential Primary Ballot … you have to declare on the outside of the envelope?!? Also no option for independents! This is how ballots get tossed before they can even be counted!” “We’re not keen on the law, but we understand it is the law and that we do need to comply both with state law and with some national and with some national party rules,” Walsh told Fox News Digital of the requirement to declare a party.  He said the “spirit of the law” is to keep voters from people from “gaming the system, being part of one party and trying to vote in the other party’s primary” but he felt there could be genuine security concerns with the declaration being on the outside of the ballot.  The Washington Secretary of State’s Office has included examples of protests voters wrote on their ballots in 2016 — in showing voters the correct way to mark their ballot — that included statements such as, “Actually I’m an Independent but if it makes you happy,” “Don’t tell me what I need to be … the voters are furious” and “I feel like I am being forced to choose a party and that’s not fair.”  The voter’s party declaration choice is removed after 60 days, according to the secretary of state’s office, noting on its website, for the “Presidential Primary only, the major political parties require voters to mark and sign the party declaration. If you choose to participate, your choice of party will not affect how you may vote in future elections. You must mark and sign the political party declaration (box) on your envelope for your vote to count.”  The office has not clarified why the declaration is on the outside of the ballot. Fox News Digital has reached out to the secretary of state’s office.  CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Fox News Digital has also reached out to the Washington Democratic Party for comment.  Washington’s presidential primary is on March 12. 

Maryland House passes bill allowing illegal immigrants access to state healthcare exchange

Maryland House passes bill allowing illegal immigrants access to state healthcare exchange

The Maryland House approved a measure on Friday to enable people to buy health insurance through the state’s health care exchange regardless of their immigration status, with the approval of a federal waiver. The House voted 101-34 for the bill, which now goes to the Senate, where similar legislation is under consideration. The measure would require the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange to submit a federal waiver application by July 1, 2025, to implement the program. The waiver is needed because of federal restrictions on undocumented immigrants using the marketplace. Washington state received such a waiver from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in late 2022. The program in Maryland could start as early as 2026, if a waiver is granted. MARYLAND PROPERTY TAX ASSESSMENT ERROR COULD COST $250M Maryland’s health care exchange was created during the 2011 legislative session to provide a marketplace for people and small businesses to purchase affordable health coverage. Through the Maryland Health Connection, Maryland residents can shop for health insurance plans and compare rates. Since Maryland created its health care exchange through the federal Affordable Care Act and expanded Medicaid, the state has cut the number of uninsured residents by more than 50%, from about 756,000 to about 350,000, or about 6% of the state’s population, said Del. Joseline Pena-Melnyk, who chairs the House Health and Government Operations Committee. Of the state’s remaining uninsured, about 256,000 of them are undocumented immigrants, Pena-Melnyk said. She pointed out that undocumented immigrants who sign up for health insurance through the exchange work in the state, pay taxes in the state and will pay for the plans. “It’s preventive medicine, cheaper when it’s preventive, and it helps all of us. This is not free, not free, not free,” Pena-Melnyk said for emphasis. But Del. Mark Fisher, a Calvert County Republican, contended that Maryland residents who are U.S. citizens often have long wait times to get doctor’s appointments, and he questioned why the state should expand health insurance coverage through the state’s exchange to people who aren’t citizens. “The term health equity is meaningless if you can’t get access to a doctor, absolutely nonsense, and that’s the experience that we’re having throughout the state, and certainly in Calvert County,” Fisher said. “I just do not understand why folks believe that when you are a citizen of the United States that you should get into a queue behind folks who are not citizens of the United States.” But Pena-Melnyk said the measure would help everyone because when people without health insurance need care, they end up going to emergency rooms where medical costs are higher. “It saves us a lot of money, because guess what? Hospitals last year spent anywhere between $120 million and $150 million in uncompensated care,” Pena-Melnyk, a Prince George’s County Democrat, said during the debate Friday, while also noting that Maryland has the worst emergency room waiting times in the nation.