Elections & Campaigning

Deeply saddened by the loss of Senator Edward Brooke. He was a true trailblazer; those of us who followed cannot thank him enough. Rest in peace.

I think one of the most important things we did as a party this cycle is we didn’t nominate any cavemen. It’s very hard to climb out from under that…anytime somebody said something boneheaded on our side of the aisle, we’d pounce on that and say, ‘You don’t speak for Republicans; that’s not our position.’

Many of the naysayers out there said that Utah would never elect a black, Republican, LDS (Mormon) woman to Congress. Not only did we do it, we were the first to do it.

If you are against everything Joni Ernst or Mia Love stand for, then this election was bad for you and the policies you care about, not bad for women. It should be obvious, but ‘women’ - half the population - are not a uniform voting block with uniform ideas about what is best for them.

In South Carolina - in America - it takes a generation to go from having a grandfather who is picking cotton, to a grandson in Congress. We are thankful for those trailblazers who came before us and said the status quo was not enough…Our values and our issues are central. The most important things we have to offer are on the inside. This is the testament to progress made.

If the ways that we’re approaching the Republicans in Congress [aren’t] working, I’m going to try different things -- whether it’s having a drink with Mitch McConnell or letting John Boehner beat me again at golf, or weekly press conferences - I don’t know if that would be effective…Whatever I think might make a difference in this, I’m going to be trying out up until my last day in office.

There’s a prevailing idea that there’s something ethically wrong with being poor, and that America’s run according to Christian values. But when people are practicing genuine Christian values, they themselves are directly prosecuted…Let’s bear in mind that America just had midterm elections where $4 billion was spent on campaigning — [campaigning] is just telling you that something’s good. But feeding the homeless? That’s illegal.

You're much more pleasant to debate than Joe Biden.

Racial discrimination in elections in Texas is no mere historical artifact. To the contrary, Texas has been found in violation of the Voting Rights Act in every redistricting cycle from and after 1970.

I want to be a much better president than I have been until now.

You struck a nerve with the whole community…I’ve been in the community for a long time fighting for [marijuana legalization]…. now we got people like yourself who are standing up. You show that this multi culture is not just a bunch of thug dudes that’s trying to push weed - but it’s women. And they speak with intelligence, and speak from a right frame of mind…

Congrats to Chelsea Clinton and husband Marc! And how long till [baby] Charlotte is asked for a yes or no about running in 2052?