South Dakota Gov Noem stumps for Trump in Iowa, says Nikki Haley would be ‘mistake’ as his running mate
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem traveled to Iowa to stump for former President Trump on Wednesday after saying Nikki Haley would be a “mistake” as Trump’s running mate. Noem, who endorsed Trump for president in September, was in Sioux City, Iowa, on Wednesday night and told potential Jan. 15 caucus voters that Trump is the best choice for Republicans. “I’ve known the man for years now,” Noem said onstage, according to KTIV, “worked with him when he was in the White House on tax cuts, worked with him on policies and trade agreements. I served on the Armed Services Committee, worked on foreign policy with him. He helped me build my economy in South Dakota.” Taking aim at Haley, who served as South Carolina governor and then as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations in the Trump administration, Noem told an audience, “She said that she was never going to run for president against President Trump, and now she’s running for president against President Trump.” HALEY PUSHES BACK BUT DOES NOT CATEGORICALLY RULE OUT BEING TRUMP’S RUNNING MATE “She defends him and then she attacks him. She defends you, she attacks you,” Noem said of Haley, according to the Argus Leader. “Whichever way the political winds blow is where she goes, and we cannot trust our country to somebody like that either.” Touching on foreign policy, Noem added, “We would never have the situation going on like we see in the Middle East right now if he had been in the White House. We would never see what was going on with Russia and Ukraine. I mean, he would be strong, he’d be strong against North Korea.” Noem’s visit comes before Trump is expected to campaign in Sioux Center, Iowa, on Friday. The roughly 30-minute speech in Iowa came a day after Noem was asked on-air by Newsmax host Eric Bolling, “If he picked Nikki Haley, would that be a mistake?” “Yes,” Noem replied. “But if he picked her, I would tell him I disagreed with him. But then I would support the ticket because he’s still the president, and the president still makes the decisions and, you know, I just, I’ve had a lot of disagreements with Nikki Haley over the years. And I just don’t know which Nikki Haley is going to show up every day. She’s a different person, depending on whatever works for her political agenda.” Reached for comment Thursday, a spokesperson for Haley’s campaign pointed to how Haley during an appearance on “Fox News Sunday” said she would not “play for second.” But in a Fox News Digital interview Tuesday, Haley did not categorically rule out being Trump’s running mate. During her speech in Sioux City on Wednesday, Noem also took aim at Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has been endorsed for president by Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds and visited all of the state’s 99 counties during a tour in which he touted how he defied mask and vaccine mandates in the Sunshine State, according to the Argus Leader. “We’re not going to let people who run for office rewrite history,” Noem said onstage Wednesday. “Ron DeSantis closed his businesses down. He closed his beaches down. When it was hard challenging political pressure in times when everything mattered and your constitutional freedoms were threatened, Ron DeSantis caved to pressure. And we just can’t afford to put somebody as leader of the free world that caves to political pressure.” EX-OBAMA CAMPAIGN MANAGER URGES LIBERAL VOTERS TO SUPPORT NIKKI HALEY TO SABOTAGE TRUMP Former Trump adviser Steve Bannon recently predicted a “big fight” will take place this spring over the direction of the Trump campaign. “They’re going to try to force Nikki on the ticket,” Bannon said in an appearance on the podcast “Human Events with Jack Posobiec.” “They’ll say Trump needs a woman, Nikki, on the ticket, she balances things, and she can bring together that 15% of Never Trumpers in the Republican Party,” Bannon said. “We’re going to have to have that fight. If Nikki Haley is in this administration in any capacity, it will fail. She’s a viper. She’s a viper, and once she gets in there, she’ll try to run it as prime minister. She’ll try to be Dick Cheney. Her to Trump will be just like Dick Cheney to Bush. That’s what she’ll try to do.” In an on-air interview with CBS News, Noem was asked if she was on the ground in Sioux City to audition for Trump’s vice presidential spot. She denied that was the case, saying, “I’m here to help the president win.” When pressed if she would accept an offer to run as Trump’s VP, Noem responded, “I think anybody in this country, if they were offered it, needs to consider it.” Noem also criticized Haley during the Wednesday appearance, saying, “I haven’t supported Nikki Haley. I just think I don’t really know who the real Nikki Haley is. She’s whoever she needs to be for whatever ways the political winds blow that day.” “Nikki Haley would be a bad choice because I don’t know what she will say and do next,” Noem said.
NYC Mayor Adams sues Texas bus companies for transporting migrants to sanctuary city, seeks $700 million
New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Thursday announced a lawsuit against more than a dozen charter bus and transportation companies involved in busing migrants to New York City, seeking hundreds of millions of dollars for the care of migrants in the self-described “sanctuary” city. “New York City has and will always do our part to manage this humanitarian crisis, but we cannot bear the costs of reckless political ploys from the state of Texas alone,” Adams said in a statement . “Today, we are taking legal action against 17 companies that have taken part in Texas Governor Abbott’s scheme to transport tens of thousands of migrants to New York City in an attempt to overwhelm our social services system.” The lawsuit argues that the companies have violated New York state law by not paying for the cost of caring for migrants, and seeks $708 million in damages that it has already spent to care for them. It cites New York law that requires anyone who brings a “needy person” from out of state for the purposes of making them a public charge to either take them out of the state or support them. ADAMS SLAPS RESTRICTIONS ON MIGRANT BUSES COMING TO NYC FROM TEXAS AS NUMBERS RISE “Governor Abbott’s continued use of migrants as political pawns is not only chaotic and inhumane but makes clear he puts politics over people. Today’s lawsuit should serve as a warning to all those who break the law in this way,” Adams said. Adams, who has been locked in a war of words with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott over Abbott’s transportation of migrants to “sanctuary cities” since last year, recently announced an executive order requiring charter buses transporting migrants to provide 32 hours’ notice in advance of their arrival in New York City. The order also requires buses to arrive between 8:30 a.m. and 12 p.m. between Monday and Friday and drop off at one particular spot. But buses have appeared to be dodging that requirement by dropping off migrants at train stations in neighboring New Jersey, from where they can travel on a train directly into NYC. Secaucus Mayor Michael Gonnelli on Sunday accused the migrant buses of bypassing New York City’s executive order through a “loophole.” TEXAS MIGRANT FLIGHT HEADING TO NEW YORK CITY DIVERTED TO PHILADELPHIA Adams was asked about the change in strategy on Thursday, and said that the city will continue to enforce the executive order and that he had spoken to the governors of New Jersey and Connecticut. “And we’re going to continue to reach out to our colleagues in the region to say that everyone should put in place a similar EO to send a loud message that these bus operators and bus companies should not be participating in Governor Abbott’s…fiasco of really trying to destabilize these cities,” he said. He went on to take another shot on Abbott over the buses. “What he is doing is just being dogmatic about destabilizing these cities. And we must meet his challenge,” he said. Adams also received support for the lawsuit from New York Gov. Kathy Hochul who said companies have responsibility “for their role in this ongoing crisis.” “If they are getting paid to break the law by transporting people in need of public assistance into our state, they should be on the hook for the cost of sheltering those individuals — not just passing that expense along to hard-working New Yorkers. I’m proud to support the mayor’s lawsuit,” she said. Abbott, meanwhile, has brushed off the criticism he has seen from Adams and other Democratic mayors and said he is busing the migrants to help besieged Texas communities. The state says it has transported over 95,000 migrants to “sanctuary” cities which Abbott recently noted is “only a FRACTION of what overwhelmed Texas border towns face daily.” There were more than 2.4 million migrant encounters in FY 23, and officials have told lawmakers last month that they are releasing an average of 5,000 a day into the U.S. “We will continue our transportation mission until Biden reverses course on his open border policies,” Abbott said. An Abbott spokesperson this week accused mayors of “going to extreme lengths to avoid fulfilling their self-declared sanctuary city promises, yet they remain silent as President Biden transports migrants all around the country and oftentimes in the cover of night.” “Instead of attacking Texas’ efforts to provide relief to our overwhelmed border communities, these Democrat mayors should call on their party leader to finally do his job and secure the border – something he continues refusing to do,” spokesperson Renae Eze said. Fox News’ Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.
Christie says he would ‘absolutely’ support DeSantis or Haley, but insists he’s not dropping out of 2024 race
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie says he will “absolutely” support two of his fellow candidates but also indicated that he will stay in the race for the GOP presidential nomination. Christie spoke with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt on Thursday and was asked in the interview if he believes his fellow GOP presidential candidates, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, are fit to hold the Oval Office. “Yes,” Christie replied, saying that he would “absolutely” support either one of the candidates if they were chosen as the GOP nominee. SUNUNU TELLS CHRISTIE HE CAN ‘BE THE HERO,’ HELP NIKKI HALEY BEAT TRUMP IN NEW HAMPSHIRE Hewitt then asked Christie for his “final decision” on whether he would be continuing in the GOP primary in New Hampshire. Hewitt said that Republicans “across the country” believe Christie will drop. “Well, good for them,” Christie said, with Hewitt asking the candidate if the naysayers were wrong. “Am I here? Am I on your show?” Christie asked. “You are. That’s not the answer,” Hewitt responded. “This is not ‘The View.’” “Am I going to New Hampshire? Am I … going to New Hampshire this morning and doing a town hall tonight in Hollis, New Hampshire?” Christie responded. “The answer is yes.” A spokesperson for Christie confirmed the governor is continuing his campaign for the West Wing. While some are calling for Christie to drop out of the race, his friend, New Hampshire Republican Gov. Chris Sununu, said he wouldn’t ask the former New Jersey governor to drop out. Sununu’s comments came with an asterisk for Christie, though. Sununu told Fox News that Christie’s “numbers are falling” and argued that the former New Jersey governor has “hit his limit” as he runs a second time for the White House. Sununu said Christie “has the chance to be the hero, to put Nikki [Haley] over the top, to deliver [former President] Trump that loss, Nikki that win that the rest of the country’s looking for.” Sununu, a popular Republican governor in the state that holds the first primary in the GOP presidential nominating calendar, endorsed Haley last month, delivering a blow to Christie, who is once again placing all his chips on a strong finish in New Hampshire. Christie and Sununu have long been friends and are two of the most vocal Republican critics of Trump. However, on the campaign trail and in interviews since endorsing Haley, Sununu has argued that Christie does not have a path to winning the nomination. Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser contributed reporting.
Democrat lawmaker renews call to expel Menendez after latest bribery charges
Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., renewed calls to expel embattled Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., after the latest round of federal bribery charges alleged he accepted gifts and race car tickets in exchange for aiding Qatar. “Now, accused of selling his honor and our nation for a $24,000 watch,” Fetterman wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Accused as a foreign agent for *two* nations. How much more before we finally expel [Sen. Menendez]?” Fetterman initially called on Menendez to resign in September after the first indictment. “Senator Menendez should resign. He’s entitled to the presumption of innocence under our system, but he is not entitled to continue to wield influence over national policy, especially given the serious and specific nature of the allegations. I hope he chooses an honorable exit and focuses on his trial,” Fetterman said in a statement at the time. FETTERMAN DEMANDS SEN. MENENDEZ TO BE EXPELLED FROM SENATE ON ‘THE VIEW’: ‘SENATOR FOR EGYPT NOT NEW JERSEY’ Then, in December, he stepped up his rhetoric against Menendez and called for his expulsion after Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., was expelled from the House after federal officials indicted him on 23 counts related to wire fraud, identity theft, falsification of records, credit card fraud and other charges. “But to me, I think the more important picture is that we have a colleague in the Senate that has actually did more sinister and serious kinds of things. Sen. Menendez. He needs to go,” Fetterman told the hosts on ABC’s “The View.” “And if you are going to expel Santos, how can you allow somebody like Menendez to remain in the Senate? “And you know, Santos’ lies were almost funny, and like he, you know, landed on the moon. That kinda stuff. Whereas, you know, Menendez, I think is really a senator for Egypt, not New Jersey,” he said. JOHN FETTERMAN CALLS ON BOB MENENDEZ TO MAKE ‘HONORABLE EXIT,’ RESIGN AFTER BRIBERY INDICTMENT According to a superseding indictment unsealed Tuesday, Menendez is now accused of accepting bribes and gifts in exchange for helping to benefit Qatar as part of a yearslong corruption scheme from 2021 through 2023, one year longer than originally thought, the Justice Department said. His attorney, Adam Fee, said the new allegations “stink of desperation.” “Despite what they’ve touted in press releases, the government does not have the proof to back up any of the old or new allegations against Senator Menendez,” Fee said. “What they have instead is a string of baseless assumptions and bizarre conjectures based on routine, lawful contacts between a senator and his constituents or foreign officials. They are turning this into a persecution, not a prosecution.” NEW JERSEY GOV. PHIL MURPHY CALLS ON SEN. MENENDEZ TO RESIGN FOLLOWING INDICTMENT He added that the senator acted appropriately with respect to Qatar, Egypt and other countries he interacts with. Menendez is already facing federal charges for allegedly acting as a foreign agent and accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars of bribes to benefit the Egyptian government through his power and influence as a senator. Fox News’ Louis Casiano and David Spunt contributed to this report.
Eddie Bernice Johnson’s family says medical neglect led to former congresswoman’s death
The family of the recently retired congresswoman says Johnson contracted an infection at Baylor Scott & White’s rehabilitation facility that led to her death.
Biden challenger Dean Phillips faces FEC complaint lodged by left-wing group
A left-wing watchdog group has accused the presidential campaign of Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minn., of illegally coordinating with a super PAC. Campaign for Accountability on Wednesday announced that it has filed a complaint with the Federal Elections Commission (FEC), demanding an investigation into Phillips’ campaign, the super PAC Pass the Torch USA Inc. and former Republican strategist Steve Schmidt for alleged violations of federal election law. The complaint alleges that Schmidt flouted election regulations when he formed Pass the Torch USA Inc. just two weeks after leaving an advisory role with the campaign. The non-profit organization asserts evidence “strongly suggests” that he made $450,000 in coordinated communications with the campaign. Campaign for Accountability claims the PAC falsely reported the communications as an independent expenditure and “failed to disclose as in-kind contributions.” DEMOCRAT DEAN PHILLIPS ATTACKS BIDEN FOR TRYING TO UPEND TRADITIONAL PRIMARY ELECTION PROCESS “Candidates and their committees cannot coordinate strategy with super PACs. When the architect of the Phillip’s campaign suddenly moves over to lead a super PAC supporting Phillip’s candidacy the moment the ink on the blueprint is dry, the coordination is clear,” said Michelle Kuppersmith, Campaign for Accountability executive director. The FEC complaint was first reported by Axios. In a statement, the Phillips campaign called the allegations “baseless.” DEAN PHILLIPS CALLS BIDEN POSSIBLY ‘UNELECTABLE’ IN 2024 AFTER GOP IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY “The complaint is baseless and does not allege a single specific example of coordination,” a campaign spokesman told Fox News Digital. “All it takes is one look at our paid TV ads to see how different the strategies of these two entities are. Regardless, we can say without question that the campaign has at all times complied with the law and has not engaged in any coordination with Pass the Torch, Steve Schmidt or any other party.” Campaign for Accountability noted that Pass the Torch ran an ad campaign that echoed themes from Phillips’ campaign, including the message “It’s time to pass the torch to a new generation of American leaders.” The group said this message was developed by Schmidt for Phillips, who is challenging President Biden for the 2024 Democratic presidential nomination. PHILLIPS TARGETS BIDEN, FELLOW DEMOCRATS OVER BORDER POLICIES AS HE LAUNCHES PRIMARY CHALLENGE AGAINST PRESIDENT “If the communications by Pass the Torch had been created, produced or distributed after substantial discussions between Schmidt and Phillips, it would constitute a prohibited coordinated communication,” the group said. The complaint suggests that alleged improper coordination between Pass the Torch and the Phillips campaign may have violated FEC rules against accepting prohibited contributions and reporting requirements for in-kind contributions. “The FEC should immediately investigate whether Schmidt, Pass the Torch, and Dean 24 violated the law and, if so, seek appropriate sanctions,” Kuppersmith said. Phillips launched his long-shot bid to challenge Biden in October but so far has not gained much traction in the polls against the incumbent president. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
White House silent as oil production reaches record, environmentalists call for green energy
The White House was silent this week when asked about the increasing levels of crude oil production in the U.S. even as President Biden continues to push an aggressive green energy agenda. Field production of crude oil hit 13.3 million barrels per day in late December, the highest level ever recorded, according to the latest data published by the Energy Information Administration. However, the White House failed to respond to multiple Fox News Digital inquiries and address the figures in light of its climate agenda. “From day one, my administration has taken unprecedented climate action. We’re working with everyone from mayors to county officials to entrepreneurs to academics; business leaders, labor leaders, Tribal leaders,” Biden remarked in a November speech about climate change. “We’re focused in all parts of America: cities, suburbs, small towns, and rural communities and Tribal Nations.” “We’re just getting — and we’re just getting started. And we really are. We’re just getting started,” he added. “All told, my Investing in America Agenda and those bold climate laws are the most au—ambitious in American history.” ALASKAN NATIVE AMERICANS UNLEASH ON BIDEN ADMIN’S CLIMATE AGENDA: ‘COMMUNITIES AND CULTURE ARE AT RISK’ Prior to December, the previous oil production of 13.1 million barrels a day was set in March 2020 during the Trump administration and shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic forced drilling to decline substantially. The Trump administration pushed various policies to encourage fossil fuel development. However, shortly after taking office, Biden immediately took steps to curb oil and gas production on federal lands, issuing a moratorium on all new fossil fuel leasing, a move he promised as part of his climate-focused campaign platform. But in June 2021, after the administration was sued by a group of state attorneys general, a federal court struck the moratorium down. It was permanently struck down in August 2022. OFFSHORE OIL AND GAS PERMITTING PLUMMETS TO 2-DECADE LOW UNDER BIDEN Following the court rulings, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland announced that her agency would again proceed with fossil fuel leasing. The DOI then modified the federal oil and gas leasing program in April 2022 and ultimately held the administration’s first onshore lease sales months later. The agency was subsequently sued by environmental groups for holding the sales in a case that remains ongoing. But the administration has pursued a pared-back oil and gas leasing program despite a legal requirement to hold quarterly lease sales. DOI was sued by energy industry groups led by the Western Energy Alliance and the Petroleum Association of Wyoming, despite holding the sales in 2022, not regularly holding sales in accordance with the Mineral Leasing Act. In addition, the administration finalized the most-restrictive offshore oil drilling plan in U.S. history last month. Under the final five-year offshore oil and gas leasing program, the federal government will hold just three Gulf of Mexico lease sales through 2029, marking a stark departure from plans finalized under both Democratic and Republican administrations. Biden has also signed legislation earmarking billions of dollars for green energy development and issued various goals for replacing fossil fuels with alternatives across sectors as part of his effort to curb global warming. BIDEN ADMIN HOLDS 73 MILLION-ACRE LEASE SALE AFTER APPEALS COURT STEPS IN “President Biden is working overtime to speed the shift to clean energy,” Josh Axelrod, a senior advocate for the Natural Resources Defense Council’s nature program, told Fox News Digital. “His administration has sparked a heartland manufacturing renaissance with clean energy at its core. It’s creating jobs, making the country more energy secure and strengthening the domestic supply chain for the building blocks of a modern economy.” “Big Oil, meanwhile, exploits a deck stacked in its favor to bank short-term profits by tying us all to the fuels of the past,” he continued. “That business model has to change. This administration’s focus on clean energy policy can bend the curve in the right direction. There’s obviously a lot of work still to do to make that happen.” He added that the United Nations recently agreed to phase down fossil fuel production in the coming decades but noted that the U.S., Saudi Arabia, China, Russia and the 16 other top energy-producing nations plan to extract twice as much oil, gas and coal by 2030 “as a climate-safe world can tolerate.” Axelrod urged Big Oil to recognize “the sun is setting on fossil fuels and find its place in a clean energy, fossil-free future.” “Oil drilling is one of the reasons we lose two football fields worth of wild lands every minute,” Lisa Frank, the executive director of Environment America’s Washington legislative office, told Fox News Digital. “Large swaths of the United States, including the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and the Grand Canyon, are too special to drill or mine.” “Environment America applauds President Biden’s actions to protect these unique places for wildlife and for generations to come,” Frank said. “At the same time, we’re still drilling for more oil on U.S. lands and in our oceans. When we drill, we spill, so the sooner we can switch to clean, renewable energy, the better.”
ISIS claims responsibility for twin blasts in Iran that killed over 100
The Islamic State’s claim on affiliated Telegram channels supports the suspicion that the group orchestrated the attacks.
Biden admin to throw ‘morale booster’ party for staff amid renewed internal backlash over Israel: report
The White House is planning to throw a “morale booster” party amid renewed discontent among administration staff over its Israel policy, according to a new report. President Biden’s millionaire chief of staff, Jeff Zients, would throw the “off-campus” party for hundreds of staffers to celebrate their work over the last three years, and to give them a boost heading into what could be Biden’s final year in office, according to Axios. The party plans come as one senior Biden education official resigned Wednesday in protest of the administration’s policy on the war between Israel and Hamas, and as more than a dozen Biden campaign staffers similarly issued an anonymous letter expressing their discontent with the administration’s approach to the war. WATCH: BIDEN ADMIN SHIFTS BLAME AS NATIONAL DEBT REACHED HISTORIC HIGH OF $34 TRILLION The party invite was emailed to staffers on Wednesday, noting it would be held at a private venue in Northern Virginia later this month. “To ensure we are able to include as many staff as possible, this invitation is non-transferrable and does not include a guest,” Zients wrote in the invitation. Although the party will be for official staff rather than those working for the campaign, the renewed backlash over Biden’s Israel policy shows the dissent expressed by numerous administration officials as the war ratcheted up in November has only grown. BIDEN CONTINUES BLEEDING SUPPORT FROM KEY VOTER GROUPS AS DEMS SOUND ALARM OVER 2024: POLL “I cannot stay silent as this administration turns a blind eye to the atrocities committed against innocent Palestinian lives, in what leading human rights experts have called a genocidal campaign by the Israeli government,” Tariq Habash, special assistant in the Education Department’s Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development, said in his resignation letter to Education Secretary Miguel Cardona. The 17 Biden campaign staffers used similar language in their letter as they argued that the deaths of Palestinians “cannot be justified.” “As your staff, we believe it is both a moral and electoral imperative for you to publicly call for a cessation of violence,” they wrote. ACTIVISTS TROLL DISGRACED FORMER HARVARD PRESIDENT WITH ‘MOVING DAY’ SIGN, U-HAUL TRUCKS OUTSIDE CAMPUS HOME “We joined this campaign because the values that you – and we – share are ones worth fighting for. Justice, empathy, and our belief in the dignity of human life is the backbone of not only the Democratic Party, but of the country,” they added. “However, your administration’s response to Israel’s indiscriminate bombing in Gaza has been fundamentally antithetical to those values – and we believe it could cost you the 2024 election.” In November, 400 government officials from 40 departments and agencies within the administration signed a letter opposing the president’s handling of the war and demanded a cease-fire, and a leaked internal State Department memo included staffers urging the administration to change its public stance toward Israel and support a cease-fire. Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for comment. Fox News’ Sarah Rumpf-Whitten and Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.
Georgia Gov. Kemp sets date for special election to replace state lawmaker
A special election to fill a vacancy in a Georgia state House district near Augusta is set for Feb. 13. Gov. Brian Kemp on Wednesday announced the date for the election to fill the House District 125 seat formerly held by Republican Barry Fleming. The district covers parts of Columbia and McDuffie counties. Fleming resigned after Kemp appointed him to serve as a superior court judge in Columbia County. He initially won three terms starting in 2002. Fleming left the House to run unsuccessfully for Congress in 2008, but won reelection in 2012 and served until he resigned. GEORGIA LAWMAKER APPOINTED TO JUDGESHIP, TRIGGERING SPECIAL ELECTION FOR HOUSE SEAT Qualifying for the race is tentatively set for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Members of all parties will run together in the special election with no primaries to select nominees. If no one wins a majority on Feb. 13, the top two candidates will advance to a runoff on March 12, the same day as Georgia’s presidential primary. GEORGIA OPENS INVESTIGATION INTO WHETHER DEMS VIOLATED STATE ELECTIONEERING LAW Kemp will also have to set a special election to replace Republican state Sen. Mike Dugan of Carrollton, who is resigning to run for Congress.