NBC News' messy hiring and firing of former Republican National Committee head Ronna McDaniel puts a spotlight on television's practice of paying on-air political contributors.

Louisiana politics have been dominated this year by new Republican Gov. Jeff Landry’s special legislative sessions to address crime and adopt new congressional maps.

Hawaii Republicans will hold caucuses Tuesday to cast votes in a presidential nomination contest in which former incumbent Donald Trump is the only remaining major candidate competing.

Donald Trump and Nikki Haley lead the field of candidates competing in the District of Columbia’s Republican presidential primary, which will be held Friday through Sunday.

Nikki Haley’s best-case scenario for her home state’s Republican primary might be to do well enough to be competitive on Super Tuesday.

The most prominent Republican in the race to unseat Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown next year has fired a top aide after social media posts surfaced in which the staffer criticized Donald Trump.

Despite this past week’s thrashing at the polls, Republican lawmakers in Ohio have vowed to try again to pass a measure making it harder to change the state's constitution.

Hours of breathless news coverage of Donald Trump's arraignment represented history for the country — and a throwback for news outlets.

It's been more than seven years since the 2016 presidential campaign, and Republicans are still trying to figure out how to run against Donald Trump.

A deal on Medicaid expansion in North Carolina is within reach after both legislative chambers passed competing measures before ending their annual session.

Primary elections in Ohio have set the stage for a more competitive phase of the midterm primary season, with closely watched races in Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Georgia scheduled for later this month.

Ohio’s crowded Republican Senate race has been all about one man: Donald Trump.

The venture capitalist and author of “Hillbilly Elegy” has joined the crowded Republican race for the Ohio U.S. Senate seat being left by Rob Portman.

One Ohio U.S. Senate candidate has been circulating a who’s-done-more-for-Donald Trump scorecard.

There was a brief time, not long ago, when Elise Stefanik wouldn't say Donald Trump’s name.

Donald Trump and his supporters are intensifying efforts to shame members of the party who are seen as disloyal to the former president and his false claims that last year’s election was stolen.

Donald Trump and his supporters are intensifying efforts to shame members of the party who are seen as disloyal to the former president and his false claims that last year’s election was stolen.

Ohio maternal fetal medicine specialist Dr. Michael Cackovic says Republican-backed laws banning abortions at what they term the “first detectable fetal heartbeat" defy science.

The fatal shooting of 16-year-old Ma’Khia Bryant as she swung a knife toward another girl has raised questions about why the Ohio officer chose to fire his weapon.

President Joe Biden has taken his first swing at a presidential pastime.

Some longtime Republican voters are validating Joe Biden's early approach to the presidency.

In this Jan. 20, 2016 file photo, John Weaver is shown on a campaign bus in Bow, N.H. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)WASHINGTON – Last June, the Lincoln Project was on a high. Of the $90 million Lincoln Project has raised, more than $50 million has gone to firms controlled by the group's leaders. Others used the money earned during their time with Lincoln Project to refinance homes, or purchase a new one. AdAt least two Lincoln Project employees were targeted last year, including an intern who was finishing law school, and a communications staffer.

FILEIn this file photo from Oct. 6, 2020, Jane Timken, the Chairwoman of the Ohio Republican Party, speaks at the Hamilton County Board of Elections during early voting in Norwood, Ohio. (AP Photo/Aaron Doster, File)COLUMBUS, Ohio – Republican Josh Mandel, a Marine veteran and former state treasurer, says he will make a third run for the U.S. Senate in Ohio, taking a pro-Trump message in a bid for the seat being vacated by the GOP’s Rob Portman. AdMandel abruptly abandoned his last Senate campaign in January 2018, citing unspecified health issues being experienced by his then-wife, Ilana. He personally backed her takeover of the state party four years ago from a state chair allied with then-Gov. He has about $4.3 million remaining in his Senate campaign account, and about $500,000 in a leadership PAC.

FILEIn this file photo from Oct. 6, 2020, Jane Timken, the Chairwoman of the Ohio Republican Party, speaks at the Hamilton County Board of Elections during early voting in Norwood, Ohio. Timken, who has been linked closely to Donald Trump, stepped down Friday, Feb. 5, 2021 as the party's chair, a signal of her interest in running for the U.S. Senate for the seat being left by the GOP's Rob Portman. (AP Photo/Aaron Doster, File)CINCINNATI – An Ohio Republican linked closely to Donald Trump stepped down Friday as the party’s chair, a signal of her interest in running for the U.S. Senate for the seat being left by the GOP’s Rob Portman. With Trump’s backing, Jane Timken took over the party leadership from a state chair allied with former Gov. In her last Tweet before her announcement, Timken criticized Rep. Anthony Gonzalez, an Ohio Republican, for voting for Trump's impeachment.

Stephen Colbert mimicked poking his head out from under a table after playing a clip of Guilfoyle on CBS' Late Show." I'm glad we already have kids, because I think I was sterilized by that.He called Guilfoyle a vengeful banshee who will haunt your dreams.On The Daily Show, Trevor Noah said Guilfoyle's speech was so loud that Canada called the cops. I want to wish a speedy recovery for anyone who watched the convention on headphones, he said. MSNBC's Morning Joe ran portions of her speech side-by-side with Dwight Schrute's classic award acceptance speech in The Office.Somewhere, Kimmel was taking notes. That stands in contrast to Colbert, who is doing the Late Show live for the two weeks of the convention.

When Joe Biden steps to the podium Thursday night as the Democratic Partys presidential nominee, he will offer himself to a wounded, meandering nation as balm and as a bridge. That is how he is presenting himself as the person to lead the country beyond the tumultuous tenure of President Donald Trump. John Kasich endorsed Biden and assured anti-Trump Republicans that he had no worries Biden might make a sharp left turn in office. His sister points to that childhood crucible as seminal and newly applicable in Bidens campaign against Trump amid the backdrop of a changing electorate. In a primary presumed to be about Democrats' ideological rift between progressives and the center-left establishment, Biden took aim at Trump.

Our democracy.Throughout their convention, the Democrats have summoned a collective urgency about the dangers of Trump as president. Yet on the third night of the Democrats four-day convention, party leaders also sought to put forward a cohesive vision of their values and policy priorities, highlighting efforts to combat climate change and tighten gun laws. Democrats hope that Harris and Obama in particular can help bridge the divide between those reassured by Bidens establishment credentials and those craving bolder change. I have sat in the Oval Office with both of the men who are running for president, Obama continued, describing Biden as his brother. Beyond the carefully scripted confines of the virtual convention, there were modest signs of tension between the moderate and progressive wings of Bidens Democratic Party.

In this image from video, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., delivers a nominating speech during the second night of the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2020. (Democratic National Convention via AP)WASHINGTON For nearly three minutes at this week's Democratic National Convention, Cindy McCain recounted Joe Biden's friendship with her late husband, John McCain, the Arizona senator and former Republican presidential candidate. Meanwhile, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, one of the most dynamic young stars of the Democratic Party, spoke for just 60 seconds. California Rep. Ro Khanna, head of the California delegation to the convention, said people need to be inspired to vote. Among those who have addressed the convention is Ady Barkin, a progressive activist who after being diagnosed with A.L.S.

(Scott Olson/Pool via AP)NEW YORK After a night in which television struggled to keep up with the Democrats' virtual convention, networks were rewarded with the most traditional of political events a powerful speech. This will not be like any convention we have seen before, ever, CNNs Anderson Cooper said at the opening of his networks coverage. Segments spent on broadcast networks previewing speeches by Obama and Sanders seemed like time-wasters when there were other things to show. Wallace's colleague, Dana Perino, stumbled into an unfortunate word choice in an effort to convey enthusiasm for Obama's address. Four years ago, when Hillary Clinton was nominated, 25 million people tuned in to the first night.

In this combination image from video, former first lady Michelle Obama, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and former Republican Ohio Gov. John Kasich speak during the first night of the Democratic National Convention on Monday, Aug. 17, 2020. But it was an opportunity for Democrats and some Republicans to rally behind Biden, the party's presidential nominee. Trump sought to undermine the Democrats' big night by hosting a political rally in Wisconsin, where Biden's party had originally planned this week's convention. The Republican president made two swing-state campaign appearances on Monday, first in Minnesota and then in Wisconsin, which was to be the location for the Democrats' convention before the coronavirus outbreak.

Cindy McCain is going to bat for Joe Biden, lending her voice to a video set to air during Tuesday nights Democratic National Convention programming focused on Bidens close friendship with her late husband, Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona. Cindy McCain is not expected to offer an explicit endorsement, but her involvement in the video is her biggest public show of support yet for Bidens candidacy. Both Cindy McCain and her daughter Meghan have been outspoken critics of President Donald Trump, and the family is longtime friends with the Bidens. Trump targeted John McCain personally in 2015, saying the former prisoner of war wasn't a hero because he was captured. But while Meghan suggested in April shed be voting for Biden, Cindy has pointedly stayed out of the presidential race.

As Democrats gather virtually this week to nominate Joe Biden for the presidency, party leaders and activists across the political spectrum agree on one unifying force: their desire to defeat President Donald Trump. Taylor nodded at Bidens pick of Kamala Harris as his running mate, the first Black woman on a major party's ticket. Despite Biden's five decades at the core of the Democratic Party, he's not a natural fit for every faction in 2020. Perez called Biden an ideal figure to tie disparate factions together with Trump as the opponent. Democrats won the House majority in 2018 largely on the strength of more moderate nominees running in suburban and exurban swing districts.

ATLANTA The Democratic Party will convene, sort of, amid a pandemic that has upended the usual pomp-and-circumstance of presidential nominating conventions. Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez will be in Milwaukee, which hed chosen as the 2020 convention host city. Instead, Democrats will put on essentially an all-virtual convention, broadcasting two hours of prime-time programming, much of it pre-taped, Monday through Thursday. But people must watch to be inspired, and no one knows what kind of audience will tune in. So, in one sense, the pandemic has given Democrats a license to experiment with what amounts to a slickly produced party infomercial.

What were watching heading into a new week on the 2020 campaign:Days to general election: 78Days to first debate: 43___THE NARRATIVEThe first national political convention of the coronavirus era has arrived. President Donald Trump is working to step on the Democrats' convention and prevent Biden from earning any convention polling bounce. The Republican president launches a campaign tour on Monday that features in-person stops in three swing states, including Wisconsin. Forced to abandon their in-person convention in Milwaukee because of the pandemic, Democrats begin their all-virtual affair on Monday night. Biden won't be in Wisconsin for the Democrats' convention as initially planned this week, but Trump will.

The Democratic National Convention, which formally begins Monday, is not a convention in the traditional sense. Along the way, Biden's party will make history by unveiling the nation's first Black vice presidential nominee, Kamala Harris. Im glad that John and other moderate-type Republicans understand that it is wrong to be supporting Trump, Sanders told The Associated Press. Al Sharpton, a civil rights activist, predicted next week's convention would lack excitement. He said it likely doesn't matter, however, especially as Trump and his party prepare for their convention the following week. As excited as I am about Kamala Harris, the best weapon Democrats have is Donald Trump, Sharpton said.

FILE - In this July 24, 2016, file photo, workers prepare for the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. Still unsettled, according to convention organizers, is who gets to speak live and who must be taped. Many other details remain up in the air, organizers said, from specific time slots to how many speakers will be allowed to speak live. Biden is expected to speak live from his home state of Delaware, but advisers have not disclosed a venue. Biden allies said the candidate wanted to feature the full breadth of the party and his supporters.

(AP Photo/John Hanna)HOLTON, Kan. Establishment Republican leaders are scrambling to pull out a win in a tense party battle for the nomination in the Kansas Senate race, and they won't be able to count on last-minute help from President Donald Trump. Trump's neutrality leaves the Kansas primary heading to a tight finish Tuesday under a barrage of attack ads from political action committees. Thats why the Senate race is so important in Kansas.Republican leaders have been trying to avoid a Kobach nomination for seven months, but the stakes have increased in recent weeks. The once-safe seat in a state where Republicans have won every Senate race since 1932 now looks shaky and a loss the GOP can't afford. In Kansas, Kobach has played up his ties to the president even without an endorsement.

President Donald Trump gestures as he steps off Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., Sunday, July 26, 2020. Trump last week briefly demonstrated the kind of responsible leadership swing voters have craved. Trump is scheduled to travel to North Carolina on Monday to tour a business that's working on a COVID-19 vaccine. Trump acknowledged last week schools in some hot spots may need to delay opening, but hes also threatening to withhold federal education dollars from schools that dont open. ___2020 Watch runs every Monday and provides a look at the week ahead in the 2020 election.

Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder leaves the federal courthouse after an initial hearing following charges against him and four others alleging a $60 million bribery scheme Tuesday, July 21, 2020, in Columbus, Ohio. Federal prosecutors say Republican Speaker Larry Householder and four others including a former state GOP chairman perpetrated a $60 million federal bribery scheme connected to a taxpayer-funded bailout of Ohios two nuclear power plants. The scandals potential political fallout for Republicans was evidenced by the swift rebukes of Householder by politicians and party leaders alike. Practically before hed left the federal courthouse Tuesday, a whos who of top Republican brass was calling for Householders resignation. Still, the cast of characters caught up in the government's bribery investigation reflects Ohio's political complexities when it comes to Trump.

FILE - In this June 20, 2020, file photo President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally in Tulsa, Okla., Saturday, June 20, 2020. As the closing stretch of the campaign nears, that effort will expand to include Republicans disaffected with President Donald Trump. At the least, she said GOP backers could help mute Trumps efforts to paint Biden as a tool of the left. But Walker said he has no clear sense of Trump's campaign message or political strategy. Acknowledging concerns about his campaign, Trump named veteran GOP operative Bill Stepien as his new campaign manager.

When Vice President Mike Pence stopped at an auto plant in Ohio last month, DeWine stayed away, explaining that he and his wife were still avoiding crowds. Ohio isnt a hot spot for the virus like Florida, Texas or Arizona. Three states once hard-hit by the coronavirus New York, New Jersey and Connecticut - recently added Ohio to its travel advisory. It asks that people entering those states from Ohio, and 21 other states, quarantine for 14 days. Polls in Ohio have shown Republicans and Democrats alike giving DeWine high marks for his performance during the outbreak.

FILE - In this March 5, 2019 file photo Ohio House minority leader Emilia Sykes delivers the Democrat's response to the Ohio Governor Mike DeWine's Ohio State of the State address at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus, Ohio. As of August 2018, at least 16 states had passed use-of-force laws, according to the nonpartisan National Conference of State Legislatures. Other laws created task forces to set new standards, boosted training or improved tracking of officers' use of guns and deadly force. Police unions have often resisted attempts to restrict officers' use of deadly force and are politically potent in most states. In 2015, the board adopted statewide standards limiting use of deadly force by police officers to defending themselves or others from serious injury or death.

Two other Colorado electors who wanted to vote for Kasich then voted for Clinton. A state court found the removal of the voter was proper just before their votes were cast officially that mid-December. Colorado's then-Secretary of State Wayne Williams "impermissibly interfered with Mr. Baca's exercise of his right to vote as a presidential elector," the appeals court wrote. Clinton had won the state's popular vote in the general election, with 48.2% of the vote compared to Donald Trump's 43.3%. Jared Polis signed a law that would allot the state's electoral college votes to whichever candidate won the national popular vote.