Politics - Republican Party

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama pushed back hard against Republican critics of his health care overhaul plan Monday, dismissing the "politics of the moment" marked by GOP comparisons of his efforts to socialism.

WASHINGTON - Senate Republicans, divided over whether to confirm Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor as the first Hispanic justice, aren't planning a drawn-out floor debate on her nomination.

Chris Christie, the Republican nominee in this year's election for governor of New Jersey, on Monday chose Kim Guadagno -- a woman who serves as the elected sheriff of Monmouth County -- as his running mate.

If the 2012 presidential election were held today, President Obama and possible Republican nominee Mitt Romney would be all tied up at 45% each, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.

WASHINGTON - The chairman of the Republican party is accusing President Barack Obama of conducting "risky experimentation" with his health care proposals, saying they will hurt the economy and force millions to drop their current coverage.

WASHINGTON - The Senate's top Republican says he admires Judge Sonia Sotomayor's personal story but is not going to vote for her confirmation to the Supreme Court.

WASHINGTON - The Senate's top Republican says the U.S. has the best health care in the world and the system doesn't need to be scrapped.

WASHINGTON - The top Republican on the Senate committee reviewing Sonia Sotomayor's nomination said Sunday her testimony did not settle his concerns about elevating her to the Supreme Court. "I was troubled by a number of the things the nominee has said, a number of the rulings she has made," said Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Three Republican senators said Friday they will back President Barack Obama's choice of Sonia Sotomayor to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court, setting the stage for a likely easy confirmation.

WASHINGTON (AFP) - US Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor won pledges of support Friday from a handful of Republican senators, though the party's Senate leader came out strongly against her confirmation.

WASHINGTON — Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor picked up her first Republican Senate backers Friday, as Sens. Mel Martinez of Florida and Richard Lugar of Indiana offered warm praise and strong support.

The Senate's top Republican announced Friday he intends to oppose Sonia Sotomayor's nomination to the Supreme Court even as the first members of his caucus came out in support.

BEAUFORT, N.C. - Having swapped his hip-holstered Blackberry for fishing pliers, the U.S. attorney for eastern North Carolina watches closely from the captain's chair aboard the 45-foot "Jolly Mon" as his crew prepares for a day on the water.

JACKSON, Miss. - The estranged wife of former U.S. Rep. Chip Pickering claims in a lawsuit that the Mississippi Republican had an affair that ruined their marriage and derailed his political career.

WASHINGTON - In their zeal to protect their members from politically hazardous votes on issues such as gay marriage and gun control, Democrats running the House of Representatives are taking extraordinary steps to muzzle Republicans in this summer's debates on spending bills.

GOP Senators have treaded carefully during the confirmation hearing of the first Latino Supreme Court nominee, but they have still managed to hurt their standing with the crucial voting bloc

RICHMOND, Va. - Vice President Joe Biden, in the backyard of the House's No. 2 Republican, asked critics of the economic stimulus package Thursday to explain how they would help the struggling economy.

Sotomayor speeds to confirmation as nation's first Hispanic justice as GOP promises quick vote