There goes another one

Rep. Mark Walker (R-N.C.) is forgoing another term in the House after his North Carolina district was redrawn to favor Democrats, instead opting to hold out for a potential Senate bid in 2022, he announced on Monday.

  The Hill

I guess he figures the dust will have settled by then.

Walker, who served as a Baptist minister before being elected to the lower chamber in 2014, previously considered a primary bid against Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) before ultimately deciding against the move. He held the position of chairman of the Republican Study Committee during the 115th Congress and rose to become a member of leadership during the 116th Congress, serving as the vice chairman of the House Republican Conference.

Walker, a Trump ally, currently holds the position of co-chairman for the president's North Carolina reelection efforts, which he says will be a top focus for him as the election approaches.

“After we have secured more conservative policy and Republican electoral victories for North Carolina, we will take a look at the 2022 Senate race and we are thankful to have President Trump’s support,” he continued in his statement.

[...]

Walker noted the president has voiced willingness to support him in a bid for higher office in the future after Trump ultimately decided to stick with supporting Tillis during the 2020 cycle.

“If I can quote this verbatim, I asked, ‘Mr. President, if we run for another position would you support us?’” Walker told McClatchy, which first reported the news of his decision. Trump responded by saying, “Anything,” according to Walker.

And he believed him?  Ding dong. 

His use of the royal "we" is interesting.

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.

There Go Those Activist Judges

A federal judge on Saturday issued a scathing rebuke to Florida's top election official in an order cancelling a hearing on a lawsuit over vote-by-mail ballots.

U.S. District Judge Mark Walker accused Florida Secretary of State Ken Detzner of delaying a hearing on the lawsuit "so that he could use every second available to run out the clock" so there wouldn't be enough time to address problems raised in the lawsuit. The judge also said Detzner's actions amounted to an "undeclared war' on the right to vote in Florida, the largest swing state in the presidential election.

[...]

"This court will not allow the Florida Secretary of State — a high-level officer of the State of Florida — to take a knee and deprive Florida citizens of their most precious right," Walker said in his order.

  ABC News

Was that a dig at Colin Kaepernick?

"If one were skeptical, it would appear that the Florida Secretary of State requested as much time as he felt he could possibly justify so that he could use every second available to run out the clock," the judge wrote. "And by wasting a week on his scintillating response, he quite nearly succeeded."

The activity of the Florida canvassing board seems reasonable. Apparently, they're tossing mail-in ballots where the signatures don't match the voter's registration. The argument is that the people should be allowed to clear that up, since voters who forget to sign are given that opportunity, and that's certainly valid.  That must cost a good deal - the article says over 23,000 ballots were rejected in 2012.

Maybe Detzner did try to "run the clock", which is crappy.  But where were the activist judges when Katherine Harris oversaw the Florida voter purge in 2000? Oh, that's right, interfering with the recount to help her out.

Believe it or not, Detzner was appointed by Rick Scott.  Perhaps he, along with many other Republican status quo protectors is scared to death there might be a Trump presidency.

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.