Topic

Maria Santos

64 articles 2013–2014

Comstock Leans In

Maria Santos · October 31, 2014

Barbara Comstock, the Republican House candidate for Virginia’s diverse Tenth congressional district in the suburbs and exurbs of Washington, lost the first thing she ever ran for: a spot on her high school cheerleading team. “After that, I was like ‘I’m never doing anything again,’” she jokes.

Strictly Ballroom

Maria Santos · May 26, 2014

Like a lot of people, I used to hate dancing in public. But unlike most people, I have professional ballroom dancers for parents. When you regularly lose your father in the grocery store only to find him practicing waltz turns down the bread aisle, a fear of public dancing is not sustainable. 

Endangered Species

Maria Santos · April 28, 2014

Kristen Day has just sent an email thanking a Democratic state representative in Michigan for supporting a bill banning abortion funding in Obamacare. He’s grateful for her note—she’s only the second person to thank him. “It’s a really lonely road, to be a pro-life Democrat,” she remarks.

Scott Walker's Successor?

Maria Santos · April 7, 2014

Rebecca Kleefisch, the Republican lieutenant governor of Wisconsin, likes to talk about butter. By the time we’re done talking, I know exactly how to buy a month’s worth from a Wisconsin Kwik Trip—and what Kleefisch thinks that has to do with Republican politics.

Experts: Veterans' Disability Programs Need Reform

Maria Santos · March 14, 2014

Daniel Gade lost his right leg in Iraq. But Gade, an assistant professor of political science at the U.S. Military Academy, does not consider himself disabled. Instead, he uses himself as an example of how the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs often inaccurately assesses disability.

An Ordinary Guy

Maria Santos · March 10, 2014

Representative Kerry Bentivolio once said, “I have a problem figuring out which one I really am, Santa Claus or Kerry Bentivolio. All my life I have been told I’m Kerry Bentivolio, and now I am a Santa Claus, so now I prefer to be Santa Claus.” Bentivolio, a 62-year-old freshman Republican from…

House Votes to Expand Ban on Federal Funding of Abortion

Maria Santos · January 29, 2014

The House voted Tuesday night to pass Congressman Chris Smith’s (R-N.J.) No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act, which expands bans on federal funding of abortions and requires that the Obamacare insurance exchanges clearly describe which plans cover abortion.

The Congressman Who Says ‘No’

Maria Santos · December 23, 2013

"Tables turn on the Michigan tea party”; “Business to tea party: Get out of our way”; “Donors Plot Against GOP Rebel”: Judging by the headlines, next year’s Republican primary in Michigan’s 3rd Congressional District is shaping up as a referendum on the conservative incumbent’s dogged adherence to…

84 House Republicans Support Legalizing Undocumented Workers

Maria Santos · September 30, 2013

When two Republicans, Sam Johnson and John Carter, deserted a bipartisan immigration reform group this month, the death knell did not sound for immigration reform. One group may have collapsed, but 84 House Republicans have publicly voiced support for granting some type of legal status to the 11…

Catholic Bishops Push for Immigration Bill

Maria Santos · September 10, 2013

Catholics across the country are now hearing their priests and bishops urging them to reform—not just their immortal souls, but immigration policy. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is promoting an extensive effort to persuade their congregations to back comprehensive…

Women Hold Protest of HHS Mandate in Washington

Maria Santos · August 1, 2013

Women Speak for Themselves, a grassroots organization of more than 40,000 women for religious freedom, gathered today at Lafayette Square in Washington, D.C. to protest enforcement of the Health and Human Services mandate, which requires employers (including some religious institutions) to cover…

Congress Nears Student Loan Fix

Maria Santos · July 18, 2013

On Tuesday night, a small bipartisan group of senators met at the White House to discuss plans to fix the interest rates on student loans. The exact details of the plan are still being drafted, but a formal release is expected soon.