PROP 314 (HCR 2060) LUCHA Appeals Ruling, Challenges AZ Supreme Court to Stand with Arizonans

Posted on by Arizona Legislative Report Staff
“ Proposition 314 has no place on the ballot box. This is a package of already failed and vetoed legislation that violates the single-subject rule in our case’s argument. The Stop and Frisk bill will disproportionately target Arizonans and subject them to suspicion and persecution. This discriminatory legislation will not only grant law enforcement immunity but will also lead to over-policing in every community across our state,” said Alejandra Gomez, Executive Director of LUCHA. Gomez continued , “This is Stop and Frisk on steroids. Arizonans, even those hundreds of miles from the border, will be under the intense vigilance of law enforcement. A routine traffic stop could quickly escalate into an inquiry about citizenship status and possible detainment based solely on the color of your skin and your last name. We urge the Arizona Supreme Court to hear our case and deny this proposition on constitutional grounds.”

Mrvan has cash lead in CD1, but GOP dominates in federal races

Posted on by Tom Davies

Democratic U.S. Rep. Frank Mrvan goes into the fall campaign with a $1 million cash advantage over his Republican challenger, although that could disappear quickly if national money again pours into what is likely Indiana’s only competitive congressional race.

Republican candidates have commanding fundraising positions in Indiana’s U.S. Senate race and for the seven U.S. House seats now held by the GOP. (Democratic U.S. Rep. André Carson has a similar strong position in his reelection campaign.)

Republicans saw multimillion-dollar primary campaigns in the three open congressional seats that drew large fields, with sizable personal loans from candidates and spending by national groups pumping up the totals. 

A similar pattern played out in the 5th Congressional District where U.S. Rep. Victoria Spartz prevailed in the Republican primary after reversing her decision to not seek reelection.

Here are details from campaign finance reports for the 2024 election cycle through June 30 for Republican and Democratic general election candidates and major primary challengers that were due this week to the Federal Election Commission (*denotes general election candidate):

U.S. SENATE

Rep. Jim Banks (R) — $5,553,816 raised; $3,175,470 cash on hand*

Valerie McCray (D) — $61,506 raised; $15,685 cash on hand*

CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 1

Rep. Frank Mrvan (D) — $2,297,616 raised; $1,472,994 cash on hand*

Randy Niemeyer (R)  — $645,359 raised; $446,528 cash on hand*

Mrvan is going for his third term against Lake County Councilman Randy Niemeyer, who is the county Republican chairman.

Mrvan won the 2022 election with 52.8% of the vote over Republican candidate Jennifer-Ruth Green as national groups poured some $20 million into the race, according to the political spending tracking website Open Secrets.

Niemeyer was endorsed by national Republicans ahead of the primary, but it is uncertain yet how much outside support he’ll receive.

Niemeyer’s campaign said Wednesday that he was honored by the “widespread support” he’s received around northwest Indiana and that Mrvan’s support for President Joe Biden “doesn’t represent Hoosier values.”

“With deep local roots and robust grassroots support, Randy’s commitment to common sense leadership will win out this November,” the Niemeyer campaign said in a statement to State Affairs.

The Mrvan campaign didn’t reply to a message Wednesday seeking comment. 

Indiana Democratic Party Chair Mike Schmuhl has said holding the longtime Democratic seat is a top priority for the party.

“Region families are already rejecting Niemeyer’s dangerous ultra-MAGA agenda,” Schmuhl said in a May statement. “They’ll re-elect Frank Mrvan this fall because he believes in union labor, protecting women’s rights, and investing in a brighter future for Northwest Indiana.”

CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 2 

Rep. Rudy Yakym (R)  — $1,995,627 raised; $692,164 cash on hand*

Lori Camp (D) — $47,721 raised; $23,812 cash on hand*

CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 3

(Open seat with Rep. Jim Banks running for Senate)

Marlin Stutzman (R) — $1,035,312 raised; $53,423 cash on hand*

Tim Smith (R) — $1,344,140 raised

Wendy Davis (R) —$1,049,191 raised

Andy Zay (R) — $746,827 raised

Kiley Adolph (D) — $40,454 raised; $12,856 cash on hand*

Notes: All the top Republican candidates made large loans to their primary campaigns. Smith made a $1,114,000 loan, followed by Stutzman, $580,000; Davis, $263,000; and Zay, $100,000.

Spending by outside groups totaled $4.6 million, according to tracking by Open Secrets. Anti-Stutzman spending came to $2.2 million, with the group American Leads Action accounting for $1.8 million of that total. The prominent anti-tax group Club for Growth spent nearly $750,000 in total against Davis and Smith.

CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 4

Rep. Jim Baird (R) — $475,747 raised; $431,484 cash on hand*

Charles Bookwalter (R) — $181,073 raised

Derrick Holder (D) — $1,055 raised; $258 cash on hand*

CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 5

Rep. Victoria Spartz (R) — $1,437,987 raised (spent $2,974,583 relying on previous balance); $39,783 cash on hand*

Chuck Goodrich (R) — $5,498,313 raised

Max Engling (R) — $206,559 raised

Raju Chinthala (R) — $300,596 raised 

Deborah Pickett (D) — $18,370 raised; zero cash on hand*

Notes: Goodrich fueled his campaign with $4.6 million in loans, while Spartz loaned $700,000 to her campaign.

Outside spending totaled about $660,000, according to Open Secrets. Americans for Prosperity led that spending with $285,000 in support of Goodrich.

CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 6

(Open seat with Rep. Greg Pence retiring)

Jefferson Shreve (R) — $5,779,058 raised; $64,623 cash on hand*

Mike Speedy (R) — $1,585,960 raised

Jamison Carrier (R) — $872,661 raised

Bill Frazier (R) — $348,302 raised

Jeff Raatz (R) — $125,383 raised

John Jacob (R) — $40,111 raised

Cynthia Wirth (D) —$8,486 raised; $5,454 cash on hand*

Notes: Personal loans by the candidates to their campaigns dominated, led by Shreve ($5.7 million), Speedy ($1.45 million), Carrier ($750,000) and Frazier ($348,152).

Outside spending reached about $345,000, according to Open Secrets. Americans for Prosperity spent $216,000 in support of Speedy.

CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 7

Rep. André Carson (D) —$537,777 raised; $492,609 cash on hand*   

John Schmitz (R) — Won post-primary caucus, reported $4,210 raised and cash on hand

CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 8

(Open seat with Rep. Larry Bucshon retiring)

Mark Messmer (R) — $1,042,177 raised; $139,414 cash on hand*

John Hostettler (R) — $53,971 raised

Richard Moss (R) — $757,656 raised

Dominick Jack Kavanaugh (R) — $528,366 raised

Erik Hurt (D) — no fundraising reported*

Notes: Large candidate loans to their campaigns were made by Moss ($745,000), Kavanaugh ($500,000) and Messmer ($25,000).

Outside groups spent at least $5.9 million on the race, according to Open Secrets. Pro-Messmer spending amounted to about $2 million, with anti-Hostettler spending at $3.1 million. Top spenders to support Messmer were the Republican Jewish Coalition Fund ($950,000) and Defend American Jobs ($500,000). Those spending against Hostettler included the United Democracy Project ($1.6 million) and American Leads Action ($1.5 million).

CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 9 

Rep. Erin Houchin (R) — $1,261,274 raised; $819,853 cash on hand*

Timothy Peck (D) —$203,920 raised; $32,157 cash on hand*

Tom Davies is a Statehouse reporter for State Affairs Pro Indiana. Reach him at [email protected] or on X at @TomDaviesIND.

Indiana’s post-pandemic academic recovery slow but measurable, ILEARN data shows

Posted on by Jarred Meeks

Indiana students’ post-pandemic academic recovery has been slow but measurable, new assessment data released Wednesday shows.

According to Indiana’s Learning Evaluation and Assessment Readiness Network (ILEARN) data for last school year, 30.8% of students were proficient in both English/language arts and math. The figure is up from last year, but it still lags results from 2019, when 37.1% were proficient in both.

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted students’ learning, and education officials have been trying to help them rebound ever since.

ILEARN was first used to gauge the academic performance of students in third through eighth grades in 2019. And since 2021 — the assessment wasn’t used in 2020 — education leaders and legislators have looked to the data to determine how students are faring after the pandemic. Indiana Secretary of Education Katie Jenner on Wednesday told reporters “2021 reset our baseline.”

“The bottom line is we have to keep after it for students,” Jenner said. “We have to ensure our students have the foundations in reading and math.”

During a Wednesday State Board of Education meeting, state officials highlighted Indiana students’ progress since 2021.

In the past three years, all of the student cohorts have improved their math ILEARN proficiency rates. Most cohorts also saw increases in their English/language arts marks. (The only proficiency decreases in the past three years have been experienced by the third grade and eighth grade cohorts in English/language arts.)

But students’ English/language arts scores and math scores are still about 7 percentage points behind 2019 scores.

Education officials also noted ongoing efforts to help students, such as tutoring grants available through Indiana Learns, the state’s decision to streamline Indiana’s academic standards and ongoing overhauls related to the “science of reading.”

Indiana is far from the only state struggling to shore up its students’ learning loss, Jenner said.

ILEARN, an Indiana-specific assessment, can’t be used to compare and contrast academic scores in other states. However, National Assessment of Educational Progress, or NAEP, scores can.

Indiana’s fourth and eighth grade students performed significantly better than the national average in mathematics, and they were slightly ahead of the national average in reading, according to 2022 NAEP data. But despite the state’s good standing, its 2022 fourth and eighth grade mathematics and reading scores, the latest available, trailed 2019 marks in the same categories.

“The NAEP scores nationwide [are] down in reading and in math, so it’s a national recovery, and in many respects it’s a global recovery,” Jenner said. “Nations across the world are struggling to overcome the learning challenges that we experienced.”

Other takeaways from the ILEARN data:

  • Minority students’ proficiency rates continue to trail those of their white and Asian peers.
  • Black students, who have shown improvement each year since 2021, still have low proficiency rates in English/language arts (20.9%) and math (17%).
  • Over the year, math proficiency rates were slightly down or stagnant at every grade level except for the state’s seventh grade cohort.
  • Students in special education and students receiving free/reduced-price meals had modest improvements in English/language arts and math.

Outgoing Rep. Younger resigns; caucus set for late July

Posted on by Brett Stover

Rep. David Younger is ending his first and only term early after resigning from the Legislature.

Younger, R-Ulysses, was elected to the 124th House District seat in 2022. He hadn’t filed for reelection and told State Affairs that Tuesday was his last day as a lawmaker. 

He sold his house the same day and officially moved out of the district. Younger said he moved after recently accepting a job in Oakley at the Northwest Kansas Educational Service Center, a group that works to support local districts in the area.

Republicans Benjamin Fuentes and former Rep. Marty Long, Younger’s predecessor, are running for the 124th House District in the August primary, and no Democrat is running for the seat.

The Stevens County Republican Party notified precinct committee members Wednesday that it will hold a replacement caucus July 29, party Chair Erick Nordling said.

Younger gained a high profile for a freshman lawmaker as he repeatedly broke with Republican leadership on key issues. In particular, Younger was one of a small group of legislators who repeatedly voted to sustain Gov. Laura Kelly’s vetoes of GOP-backed tax bills.

The vast majority of his fellow Republicans respected his stances, Younger said, though a handful still tried to change his mind. He said the intensity of whipping votes “wasn’t as bad as people maybe thought it was” because he was upfront about his views.

Younger, a former superintendent, said he’s encouraged by the number of Republican candidates — particularly in rural districts like his — he sees as taking pro-education stances.

He hopes more lawmakers like him can get elected this fall and suggested a renewed push for private school vouchers could be on the horizon next session.

“We need to support those people with our time and money if you really value public education,” Younger said. “It will be under attack again this next year.”

Overall, Younger said, he had a wonderful experience in the Legislature.

“I have zero regrets because I will continue to support kids and families and public education,” he said.

Brett Stover is a Statehouse reporter at State Affairs Pro Kansas/Hawver’s Capitol Report. Reach him at [email protected] or on X @BrettStoverKS.

Lee equates school choice to ‘civil right’ at RNC; Burchett lashes out at media, communists

Posted on by Jackson Baker

MILWAUKEE — Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, who likes to espouse civility in the political realm, in a speech to the Republican National Convention gave an enthusiastic endorsement to former President Donald Trump, who isn’t exactly known for treating his adversaries with kid gloves.

“In the storm stirred by Washington, Republican governors across this country have stood as anchors of courage, their states as harbors of hope and their people as models of freedom,” said Lee, who chairs the Republican Governors Association. 

“But governors can only do so much,” he said. “We need strong leadership in the White House. We know what that looks like. We had it before. We needed it again. And that’s why we as Republican governors are joining together unifying in support for Donald Trump for president.

As recently as a speech to the Nashville Rotary earlier this month, Lee underscored his support for the “Disagree Better” campaign that has been advanced by the National Governors Association.

“We should learn to remember the dignity of every single human being that the person on the other side of the argument has just as much dignity as a human as you do and their opinions and their thoughts are just as valid to be heard as yours are,” Lee said at the time. “And if we can agree to disagree in a more civil way, our society would be so much better off.”

Lee, who has been campaigning for legislative candidates who would back his efforts to create a statewide school voucher program after this year’s effort failed, touched on the subject in his remarks. 

“Republican governors fought back for a parent’s right to choose their own child’s education,” Lee said. “President Trump was right when he said that school choice is the civil rights issue of our time.”

House Speaker Cameron Sexton, R-Crossville, posted photos of himself and House Majority Leader William Lamberth taking a selfie with Lee and first lady Maria Lee at the event. Sexton, who dropped his longtime opposition to school vouchers this year as part of the failed effort to include Lee’s “Education Freedom Scholarships” in a larger package of public school funding and testing overhauls, lauded the “inspiring words” from the governor.

“I completely agree with both the Governor and @realDonaldTrump when they say school choice is the civil rights issue of our time,” Sexton said. “We will make it happen here in Tennessee!”

‘Cleaning House’

State GOP chairman Scott Golden promised the Tennessee delegation at breakfast Wednesday that Congressman Tim Burchett, about to speak, would be entertaining. “There’s not a funnier guy in Congress.”

Burchet was different. That’s for sure.

Before he’d even gotten started well, there was a loud, sharp noise in the ballroom of something dropping. Everybody was startled, and Burchett’s first reaction was to say, “He missed.” He got a nervous laugh. Then he continued: “I didn’t even flinch.”

From there, Burchett went on to suggest that everything we have learned about the assassination attempt on Trump was a “cover-up,” that the establishments of media and government were “openly Marxist,” and that “we’ve got to clean house.”

Burchett verbally indicted the “military-industrial complex” and added, apropos his habit of listening to the liberal media, “Know thine enemy, know thyself.”

Speaking of his father, Burchett said: ”He went to China to fight the Communists” — presumably he meant Korea — “and then he went to UT and fought the Communists there.”

He spoke of having difficulty with the Knoxville News-Sentinel and other media when he was a county mayor and of his father saying, “Do you really want those folks on your side?”

Burchett drew this conclusion: “CNN and all those other horrible other folks and Hollywood, do we really want those folks on our side?….We are in a battle with the forces of evil. This is spiritual warfare.”
Boasting the cohesiveness of the GOP members of the Tennessee delegation in the House, Burchett said: “We try not to talk to [Steve] Cohen when the cameras are on.”

As Republicans of all stripes have been wont to do since Trump’s near miss from assassination, Burchett saw the former president’s survival as an act of God. So did Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs, the next speaker, who said of Trump’s fist-brandishing gesture upon rising from that Pennsylvania stage: “That’s the baddest son of a bitch on the planet.”

The Tennessee delegation was treated to an outdoor spectacular hosted by U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, fresh from her dais triumph of the previous evening. Clad in a red-white-and-blue spangled pantsuit, she — along with Lee and others — regaled the crowd.

For Wednesday the delegation was scheduled for an all-Southern event featuring U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana and other national GOP stars.

Officer-involved shooting deaths are down in Georgia. But more needs to be done

Posted on by Tammy Joyner

Shootings and deaths in Georgia at the hands of law enforcement are on the decline, according to state data released this month. 

In the first six months of this year, there were 41 shootings compared to 47 during the same time period in 2023, according to data collected by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. If the current pace of shootings continues, one expert predicts, officer-involved shootings could be down 20% by the end of the year.

Despite what some see as promising numbers, they are of little comfort to Mya Cullins.

Cullins’ oldest child, Nygil, was killed by Atlanta police two years ago at Fogo de Chão, a Buckhead restaurant where he once worked. The 22-year-old was suffering from a mental health crisis at the time of his death, his mother told State Affairs. The Cullins family has spent the last two years in emotional and legal turmoil trying to get answers and clarity. 

“Throughout the whole process, not just for me but for all parents and families that have dealt with this, the struggle is the transparency,” the Henry County mother told State Affairs. “Allowing the families to see the body cam footage, to know the truth of what happened, prosecuting and charging these officers with wrongful death, which obviously is murder… and not taking so long dragging their feet. A family is already grieving. We shouldn’t have to wait countless numbers of years to find out what’s going on.”

The family filed a federal lawsuit in May against the City of Atlanta, the restaurant and others. A month later, authorities finally released 911 calls, surveillance video of the moments leading up to Nygil Cullins’ death and body camera footage of the shooting after two years of requests. 

“It’s very tough,” Georgia Bureau of Investigation director Chris Hosey said when told about the concerns of victims’ families. Whenever his agency is called in to investigate, they turn the findings over to the proper authorities, usually the district attorney’s office, and that’s normally about 90 days, he said. They do not analyze the data.

Continue reading “Officer-involved shooting deaths are down in Georgia. But more needs to be done”

Wake Up Call for Wednesday, July 17, 2024

Posted on by Yellow Sheet Report Staff
Governor calls for end to inflammatory rhetoric – has used it herself Capitol Media Services Gov. Katie Hobbs said Monday that people must “stop inflaming this kind of rhetoric” to avoid future situations that lead to politicians and public officials being threatened and attacked. Inside the private pressure campaign to force hand-counting of Arizona ballots Votebeat Republican lawmakers in Arizona privately pressured county leaders across the state to count ballots by hand instead of using machines, according to previously unreported text messages. Arizona remains among most challenging states for renters Arizona’s Family Despite reports showing rent prices have cooled off, Arizona remains one of the toughest states for renters. Still fighting last election, Arizona’s Kari Lake battles toward Senate Court News Service Key races in Arizona’s primaries, just two weeks away, could help sway the national political landscape in an already turbulent presidential election year. Number of migrants entering Arizona lowest in 3+ years AZPM Tucson Sector Border Patrol apprehended 22,400 migrants in June — two-thirds the number of people they apprehended in May. School Vouchers Were Supposed to Save Taxpayer Money. Instead They Blew a Massive Hole in Arizona’s Budget ProPublica In 2022, Arizona pioneered the largest school voucher program in the history of education. Under a new law, any parent in the state, no matter how affluent, could get a taxpayer-funded voucher worth up to tens of thousands of dollars to spend on private school tuition, extracurricular programs or homeschooling supplies. ADOT reports recovering millions for damage to Arizona highways YourValley An insurance recovery team brought $6.4 million back to Arizona by collecting insurance reimbursement for damage on state roads caused by individuals and firms, state transportation officials said. A child dying in hot car can't happen to us. Could it? The Arizona Republic “Babe, our family. How could I do this? I killed our baby. This can’t be real”. ‘Secure the Border Act’ is a racist lie. Voters must defeat it The Arizona Republic nable lay person would have kicked the so-called “Secure the Border Act” off the November ballot because the name itself is a lie. Republican official behind 'lynching' comment casts Arizona GOP's vote for Donald Trump The Arizona Republic And the honor of casting Arizona’s 43 votes in Monday’s roll call of delegates to the Republican National Convention goes to: Shelby Busch.

 

4 Questions for Julia Letlow

Posted on by Jeremy Alford

Beltway Beat: What’s your take on the revised party platform approved during the GOP Convention, particularly the new abortion language?

Congresswoman Julia Letlow: I think it addresses what it needs to address, and the Dobbs decision made it very clear those decisions need to be made by the states, on the local level. I’m encouraged by the rhetoric coming down from the party and I plan to share that with my constituents.

With so many Louisiana folks playing big roles at the convention, is it a safe bet Louisiana would have unique access to another Trump White House?

Let me put it this way: It’s an awesome time to be from Louisiana and in this delegation! I’ve met with President (Donald) Trump and he wants to be accessible to members of Congress. There’s a lot of excitement in the air.

There are plenty of races going on back home this fall. Do you plan on getting involved in any other elections, aside from your own?

Luke (Letlow) was really great at all of that, but I’m still new to this and navigating that. I want to help good people who want to run, and I’m passionate about recruiting more women to run. There aren’t exactly clear pathways into elected office. The last woman we had serving was Lindy Boggs, and her pathway was similar to mine. I want to work with young girls so they know there can be paths to public service.

What’s on tap for the Appropriations Committee after this break?

We got all of our appropriations bills through the committee, which was a feat in itself. I think we set a record for how fast we moved those bills. I am so encouraged by Chairman Tom Cole’s leadership on that committee. Now we have to get those bills through the floor. I really hope we get these bills through quickly and get back to regular order. 

Convention Chatter (07.17.24)

Posted on by Jeremy Alford

— JML HAS ARRIVED: When is Gov. Jeff Landry going to arrive in Milwaukee for the GOP Convention? That question was answered yesterday afternoon when Landry visited the convention floor wearing an unmissable pink seersucker suit. Not to be outdone, Public Service Commissioner Eric Skrmetta happened to be wearing his own pink seersucker suit.

— SPEAKING OF…: Public Service Commissioner Eric Skrmetta had his moment in the spotlight this week when he was selected to deliver Louisiana’s delegate votes for former President Donald Trump. Some delegates are wondering what might be next for Skrmetta, who’s close to the Trump campaign. Most of those conversations this week seem to eventually land on Louisiana’s 2026 U.S. Senate race, when Sen. Bill Cassidy, a sometimes anti-Trump voice, will be up for re-election.

— A GROWING FOOTPRINT: For many at the convention, networking is the name of the game. That’s the case with Attorney General Liz Murrill, who has spent much of her few days here meeting with attorneys general from other states. She also took meetings with a couple of conservative AG candidates. Murrill told Beltway Beat she will support various bids in the coming months and possibly even visit different states to help with campaigning. It’s all part of Murrill’s role with the National Attorneys General Association, which she has been involved with for the last two terms of state government. Her predecessor, now-Gov. Jeff Landry, previously served as president of the association and he used the role to help build out a national footprint of his own.

— ABOUT TODAY: Delegates gather at 5:45 p.m. for their fourth floor session of the convention. It’ll be another late night of speakers, with adjournment slated for 10 p.m. Elsewhere today, the Log Cabin Republicans, American Jewish Committee and Serbs for Trump all have events on the calendar. Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene also has a book signing this afternoon, among a full day’s worth of other events.

GOP Convention: Mike & Steve Speak

Posted on by Jeremy Alford

7 CORE PRINCIPLES

Speaker Mike Johnson has enjoyed plenty of screen time as chairman of the convention. But last night he had his own speaking slot.

It only took Johnson five sentences to dive into the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump.

“Everyone hear me clearly and listen to me at home and make no mistake: The House is conducting an immediate and thorough investigation of these tragic events and that work has already begun,” Johnson said.

The speaker also unleashed what may become a calling card: his “seven core principles of American conservatism.”

Johnson noted “individual freedom, limited government, the rule of law, peace through strength, fiscal responsibility, free markets and human dignity.”

While the list is being seen by new eyes this week, Johnson actually drafted the seven principles six years ago when he was working his way up through the Republican Study Committee.

Johnson ended his speech by quoting Abraham Lincoln, who referred to American as “the last best hope of man on the Earth.”

(Quoting the 16th president is a go-to for Johnson, who, when discussing times of reckoning, often cites “the better angels of our nature” from the late president’s inaugural address.)

‘COURAGEOUS UNDER FIRE’

During his roughly five-minute speech before the convention, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise got right to the point and he let folks know where he’s from.

“I was born in New Orleans,.” Scalise said as he opened his speech, “so I’ve seen some crazy things in my time.”

His big soundbite, however, was policy-based, which is what he told reporters over the weekend he really wanted to focus on.

“We will lock down the border and yes we will finish building the wall,” Scalise said to applause.

The majority leader, of course, understands better than most what the president recently suffered, and he wasn’t shy about sharing his thoughts.

“Many of you know I was the survivor of a politically motivated shooting in 2017,” Scalise said. “Not many know that while I was fighting for my life, Donald Trump was one of the first to come console my family at the hospital. That’s the kind of leader he is. Courageous under fire. Compassionate towards others,” Scalise said.”

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