U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., dropped out of the GOP race for president this morning. From the Associated Press:
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Some notes from Emory University political scientist Alan Abramowitz, as he made his way back from Iowa on Tuesday:
-- Bernie moved D caucus to the left. Percentage of liberals up from 57% in 2008 to 68% in 2016. Probably a Bernie effect.
-- Iowa R caucus voters remain way to right of typical R primary voters. 85% conservative and 40% very conservative. 62% evangelical even higher than in 2008 or 2012.
-- Cruz win based largely on big margins among very conservative voters and evangelicals--voter groups that are much smaller in NH. I don't think Cruz can even take 2nd there.
-- Trump clearly needs a win in NH. I still give him a good chance because Rubio now will come under attack from Kasich, Bush and Christie who are fighting to survive after NH. Rubio needs a 2nd place finish in NH to consolidate support from establishment leaders and voters.
-- SC could be key showdown among Cruz, Trump and Christie.
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Remember that humble, polite Donald Trump we saw on Monday night in Iowa? Yeah, he's gone:
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What's interesting here is that GOP presidential candidate Jeb Bush has, rather than going after a surging Marco Rubio, gone after the fellow whose armor was dented in Iowa:
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Hillary Clinton's added a temporary boost to her Georgia operation as the race veers closer to the South.
The Democratic frontrunner, who has at least one full-time staffer here, signed up Priyanka Matha to be the campaign press secretary in the run-up to the March 1 caucus. Matha is the communications director for House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams -- one of Clinton's top supporters in Georgia.
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In Atlanta, supporters and opponents of several "religious liberty" bills held back-to-back press conferences at the state Capitol on Tuesday. Our AJC colleague Kristina Torres has the details here:
Some Christians, Griffin said, have "deeply held convictions" that made them a target of what he and others in the group said was discrimination. Several speakers at a press conference held by the group told personal stories of incidents they said trampled their faith, including a recent decision in Carroll County that Villa Rica High School and its principal should not have allowed a local church to perform baptisms in the school stadium that included 18 students and a coach on the football team.
Meanwhile, opposition to the legislation could be summed up in this Tweet from an aging “Star Trek” figure:
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In the debate over RFRA measures, there has been much debate over what the legislation would accomplish, who would be protected and who would not be.
But one clear target of religious conservatives appears to be anti-discrimination ordinances that now exist in the city of Atlanta and elsewhere in Georgia. At a literature table set up by supporters of “religious liberty” legislation was a guidebook published by the Alliance Defending Freedom, the group behind several court cases challenging anti-discrimination laws.
Click here to download "Protecting Your Ministry from Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Lawsuits." From the foreword:
This concept has led to the passage of sexual orientation, gender identity ordinances (SOGIs). SOGIs elevate sexual special interests over our cherished fundamental freedoms, especially religious freedom. These ordinances place terms like "sexual orientation" or "gender identity" in the same category as race or religion. But they are not designed for the innocent purpose of ensuring all people receive basic services. Rather, their practical effect is to legally compel Christians to accept, endorse, and even promote messages, ideas, and events that violate their faith.
Those promoting these ordinances use public sympathy – gained through misleading rhetoric about "discrimination" – to silence dissenting voices. And no ministry will remain immune if they remain true to Scripture's teachings about sexuality and gender.
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Here's an idea from the Richmond Times-Dispatch: The Virginia legislature advanced a bill allowing home schooled students to play sports in public schools. They're calling it the Tim Tebow Bill.
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A change in federal election law could make waves in Georgia. NPR has the somewhat complicated backstory:
Just last month, a state judge ruled that Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach could not enforce the proof-of-citizenship requirement for those who use the federal form. Kobach argued that those who don't provide such proof shouldn't be allowed to vote in Kansas's state and local elections.
But late last week, the EAC's new executive director — Brian Newby, a former county elections official in Kansas — sent a letter to the state saying that the agency had updated the instructions on filling out that federal form to include the proof-of-citizenship requirement for Kansas residents. This came after previous EAC executive directors had refused to add the requirement.
A similar letter was also sent to elections officials in Georgia and Alabama. Frustrated by the reversal, the panel's lone Democrat took the rare step of releasing a letter calling for Newby's letter to be withdrawn. Here's a snippet:
The Executive Director of the United States Election Assistance Commission (EAC) issued letters to the states of Kansas, Georgia, and Alabama granting the states' request to amend the state instructions to the federal voter registration form, a decision that contradicts policy and precedent previously established by this Commission. The Executive Director unilaterally moved to alter the federal voter registration form to reflect those states' proof of citizenship requirements though a proposed change to the form beyond a simple change of election office address or phone number.
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