7. Elon Musk votes Republican, sees red wave, supports Ron DeSantis

• Primaries were held across the country yesterday with a mixed bag of results for former President Donald Trump, but the richest man in the world, Elon Musk, may be the big winner. Musk took to social media and made a few pronouncements that grabbed the attention of the political world.

• Musk announced that he voted Republican for the first time ever, helping Mayra Flores turn a U.S. House seat from blue to red for the first time in decades, declared that he saw a red wave coming in 2022, and seemingly tossed some support behind Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) for president in 2024.

6. Vote with one vote margin of victory isn’t over yet

• The one vote that separates State Senator Tom Whatley (R-Auburn) and his apparent vanquisher Jay Hovey is still being discussed as talks of a recount or ALGOP steering committee challenge loom. Whatley alleged that Democrats crossed over to cost him the election, with some citing social media posts as evidence. 

• The ALGOP agreed to hear the challenge and could name Whatley the winner of the contest. The ALGOP venue appears to be the preferred choice for Whatley, who said, “Rather than spending extensive time arguing with the Hovey campaign and its legal counsel, Senator Whatley and his team instead choose to move forward with the challenge brought by his constituents to ensure that all Republican votes are counted in the race.”

5. Some races get debates

• The race for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives (AL-5) heated up significantly as Madison County Commission chairman Dale Strong and former Huntsville City Schools superintendent Casey Wardynski traded insults and policy positions on WHNT’s alternate channel last night. Wardynski cited his experience at the Pentagon, and Strong cited his experience working with economic development as a member of the Madison County Commission. Stong alleged Wardynski had inappropriate sexual relationships with people who held contracts with the system, and Wardynski said Strong illegally removed a Confederate monument.

• In the Alabama Secretary of State Republican runoff election, State Auditor Jim Zeigler and State Representative Wes Allen (R-Troy) debated in a public forum in Birmingham. Zeigler proposed the “Don’t vote, don’t complain plan.” Allen stated, though, that the job of the secretary of state was “to protect our elections,” not “increase turnout.” Zeigler later said, “Right now, we have more questions about our elections and our vote count than we have ever had before in my lifetime.” Allen declared, “We need someone who will be ready to protect our elections on day one.”

4. January 6 committee delays meeting because the staff is overwhelmed 

• While the media and their Democrats tell you that things are going wonderfully with the public hearing being held by the group looking into the riot at the U.S. Capitol, it appears maybe all is not so well. Reports of the cancellation of the next meeting added to the issues around the committee, and there are also conflicting reports about criminal referrals. Even U.S. Senator Mitt Romney (R-Utah) seems to think this is old news.

• The cancellation of the next hearing, scheduled for this morning, was met with glee by former President Donald Trump. U.S. Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) blamed the “staff putting together all the videos, you know, doing 1, 2, 3 — it was overwhelming,” which most found was lacking considering the time elapsed since the events and their vaunted public hearings — not to mention the talk of how important these are supposed to be.

3. Pro-Life organizations have been attacked since leaked opinion

• Since the leaked opinion signaling that the U.S. Supreme Court will likely overturn Roe v. Wade, there have been vandalizations and attacks at 23 different pro-life organizations across the country. Some of the attacks have included vague threats like, “If abortions aren’t safe then you aren’t either” at the Wisconsin Family Action facility.

• Attacks have taken place in Florida, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, New York, Wisconsin, Iowa, Texas, California, Oregon and Washington. This is far from over. One of the groups taking credit for some of these attacks has declared that the 30-day warning period they gave to the pro-life movement has passed and now the “leash is off” with promises of measures that will “not come in the form of something so easily cleaned up as fire and graffiti.”

2. Legislation to protect Supreme Court justices’ families passes

• In the U.S. House of Representatives, the legislation meant to protect the families of U.S. Supreme Court justices passed in a 396-27 vote. The legislation was previously passed by all members of the U.S. Senate.

• The legislation provides 24-hour security protection for the immediate family of justices. The idea for more security for staff has been discussed, but Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) advised, “The security issue is related to Supreme Court justices, not nameless staff that no one knows.”

1. ALGOP chair could bring closed primaries to Alabama

• Alabama GOP chairman John Wahl has given his support for closed primary elections in the state, responding specifically to claims that U.S. Senate candidate Katie Britt was “helpful” in electing former U.S. Senator Doug Jones (D-Mountain Brook), according to Alabama Democratic Party executive director Wade Perry.

• Wahl stated his concern for how Democrats could be trying to influence elections, saying, “[N]ext legislative cycle, I’m going to encourage closing the primary and having a registered party system where we know only registered Republicans will be voting in the Republican primary.” He added, “For me this is one of my number one targets for the next legislative cycle.”