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Trump-backed candidates score major boost from deep-pocketed AI Super PAC in upcoming primaries

Tue, 26 May 2026 05:00:42 -0400

FIRST ON FOX — A deep-pocketed super PAC working to elect AI-friendly candidates is making major investments in upcoming Senate and House primaries ahead of November's midterm elections.

Leading the Future, a pro-AI group with a sizable war chest that is backed by industry executives, is pledging to spend $2 million in Senate races in Louisiana, Montana and Oklahoma, with $1.5 million to be deployed immediately.

And the super PAC, which is powered by donors including Greg Brockman, president of OpenAI, and his wife Anna, in addition to venture capitalists Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz, will dish out $750,000 in upcoming House primaries in California and Washington state. The developments were reported first by ӣ��Ƶ Digital.

The group's new round of spending comes after it claimed victories in North Carolina, Texas, Illinois and Georgia, where it poured money into key primaries to elect candidates in both parties who oppose a patchwork of state AI regulations and are more supportive of the industry. And it comes as AI industry money has been increasingly shaping political primaries amid fighting over federal and state regulations.

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In Louisiana, Leading the Future is backing Republican Rep. Julia Letlow, who is facing off against state Treasurer John Fleming, a former congressman, for the GOP Senate nomination, in a June 27 runoff election, in the race to succeed Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy.

Cassidy, who was targeted by President Donald Trump as he ran for re-election, was ousted last week as he came in third in the GOP primary, with Letlow and Fleming advancing to the runoff.

Letlow, who is backed by Trump, is considered the frontrunner for the nomination and for the general election in the solidly red state.

TEXAS GOP COULD STALL TRUMP’S BOLD AI VISION WITH RED TAPE AS CHINA RACES AHEAD: 'INVESTORS ARE NERVOUS'

Leading the Future is backing former U.S. Attorney in Montana Kurt Alme, who resigned last March to launch a Republican Senate campaign in Montana in the race to succeed retiring GOP Sen. Steve Daines. Montana's primary will be held on June 2.

Daines withdrew from the Republican primary minutes before the filing deadline last year, and endorsed Alme, who is also backed by Trump.

In Oklahoma, Leading the Future is backing Rep. Kevin Hern, the frontrunner in the June 16 GOP primary in the race to fill the final two years of the term of former Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin, who stepped down earlier this year to serve as Homeland Security Secretary in the Trump administration. Hern is also backed by the president.

Leading the Future says it plans to "implement a fully integrated paid strategy, including broadcast, cable, streaming/digital, direct mail, and texting to ensure our candidates are defined early and supported across the most effective voter contact channels."

The group is also supporting Republican Rep. Jay Obernolte in the June 2 primary in California's 23rd Congressional District, which is anchored in San Bernardino County but includes slivers of Los Angeles and Kern counties.

Leading the Future said their investment "reflects the importance of standing behind proven legislative champions who have already demonstrated leadership on artificial intelligence, innovation, and the broader pro-growth technology agenda."

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The group is also backing Republican Angela McKinney in Washington state's 4th Congressional District — in the central part of the state — in the race to succeed retiring GOP Rep. Jim Newhouse. Washington state's primary will be held on Aug. 4.

Both California and Washington state hold nonpartisan, "jungle" primaries, where all candidates are on the same ballot, with the top two finishers advancing to the general election.

Leading the Future raised more than $125 million in 2025 and reported more than $70 million in the bank at the beginning of this year. It hauled in another $25 million during the first three months of this year.

Zac Moffat, a veteran Republican consultant who serves as a co-strategist for Leading the Future, said the group is "identifying opportunities where our resources can help cultivate a deep bench of pro-innovation leaders in Congress who understand both the enormous economic benefits of AI and the importance of establishing a clear national framework. Building that coalition now is critical to our mission at Leading the Future and we're proud to announce our support."

Leading the Future has also targeted candidates who support more guardrails on the industry, which critics argue could stifle innovation and cede growth to China. The group is pledging to spend millions to shut out Democratic New York state legislator Alex Boros from Congress.

The group's aggressive midterm presence comes as the Trump administration is pushing for a single federal AI framework and the buildout of supporting infrastructure, including data centers.

FOX NEWS POLL: VOTER SENTIMENT ON AI IMPROVES, BUT SKEPTICISM REMAINS

Trump has prioritized American innovation in AI and maintaining a competitive edge over China over increased regulation of the burgeoning industry.

The Trump administration has pushed back against restrictive state-level regulations and last week the president postponed an expected executive order that would have boosted federal oversight of the industry after apparent pushback from AI leaders.

But the latest public opinion polls indicate that Americans are increasingly concerned about the use of AI in daily life, with worries about job displacement, data privacy and the weakening of human skills.

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In the most recent ӣ��Ƶ national poll, voters had negative views on AI by 50 points when it comes to privacy (63% hurts, 13% helps), by 35 points on U.S. job creation (56-21), by 15 points on the national economy (42-27), by 5 points on people’s daily lives (38-33), and by 4 points on their own personal lives (30-26).

The poll spotlighted a partisan divide, with Democrats and independents by double-digits more likely to say AI hurts rather than helps in each area, and a majority of Republicans supportive of AI.

Trump flexes MAGA muscle in Texas Senate runoff clash between Cornyn and Paxton

Tue, 26 May 2026 04:00:37 -0400

AUSTIN, TX - President Donald Trump has a new target this week as he takes aim at Republican critics — longtime GOP Sen. John Cornyn of Texas.

Trump is targeting Cornyn as "VERY disloyal" as he backs Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a major Trump ally and MAGA firebrand, in Tuesday's combustible and expensive runoff election for the GOP Senate nomination in the right-leaning state. The ballot box showdown serves as the latest test of Trump's immense grip over the Republican Party and the strength of his endorsements in GOP nomination races.

The winner of the runoff will face off against rising Democratic Party star state Rep. James Talarico in the general election in a race that is among a handful that may decide if the Republicans hold their slim 53-47 majority in the Senate. Talarico, who topped progressive star Rep. Jasmine Crockett, a vocal Trump critic, in the March primary, is trying to become the first Democrat in nearly four decades to win a Senate election in Texas.

The Senate contest is the most high-profile showdown on a ballot that also includes Democratic and Republican runoffs for Texas Attorney General, as well as key primary battles for four U.S. House seats, including a Democratic Party runoff in the 35th Congressional District where one of the two candidates in a social media post proposed converting an ICE detention center into a prison for American supporters of Israel.

TRUMP BACKS MAGA ALLY PAXTON IN TEXAS SHOWDOWN WITH CORNYN

Trump's targeting of Cornyn comes three weeks after the purging of five state senators in Indiana's primary who had opposed his push for congressional redistricting, a week and a half after helping to oust Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana — who, five and a half years ago, voted to convict Trump in his second impeachment trial — and one week after defeating vocal GOP critic Rep. Tom Massie of Kentucky.

The Texas runoff is also being held one week after Trump endorsed Paxton, after sitting on the sidelines in the race for months.

"Ken is a true MAGA Warrior who has ALWAYS delivered for Texas, and will continue to do so in the United States Senate," Trump wrote in a social media post last Tuesday.

The two heated rivals topped a crowded field of contenders in the early March primary, with Cornyn edging Paxton. But since neither cleared the 50% threshold, the nomination race headed into overtime.

Trump, in backing Paxton, said that "John Cornyn is a good man, and I worked well with him, but he was not supportive of me when times were tough."

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Pointing to the senator's past criticism of him, Trump added, "John was very late in backing me in what turned out to be a Historic Run for the Republican Nomination, and then, the Presidency."

Cornyn, in a ӣ��Ƶ Digital interview on the eve of the runoff, emphasized his support for the president and his agenda.

"President Trump has called me a friend and a good man, and we've worked with him closely for both terms of office," the senator said.

Paxton, who grabbed significant national attention the past dozen years by filing lawsuits against the Obama and Biden administrations, disagreed.

"John Cornyn fought Trump on the border. And you can go back over about a decade and see that he was not for the border wall," Paxton charged in an interview on ӣ��Ƶ' "The Big Weekend Show."

CONTENTIOUS REPUBLICAN SENATE PRIMARY IN TEXAS HEADED INTO OVERTIME

Paxton also argued that the senator "fought the president's reelection. He fought him in 2024, said his time had passed, and he fought him in 2016. So this is not a pro-Trump guy. I don't know if we could be more different on the Republican issues than John Cornyn and me. So there is a vast difference between the two of us."

Cornyn pushed back.

"I don't know how much more with him I could be than 99.3% of the time," the senator told ӣ��Ƶ Digital.

"I want him to be successful. I want America to be successful, and I want Republicans to be successful. But you know, in the end, as I said, Texans are the only ones going to be able to make a choice, and I think Texans can be pretty independent," Cornyn added.

Paxton has faced a slew of scandals and legal problems that have battered him over the past decade. In 2023, the Texas House of Representatives voted to impeach Paxton, but he was eventually acquitted of all charges by the state Senate.

And Paxton is dealing with a very messy divorce, with his wife citing "biblical grounds" based on "recent discoveries" in filing last year to end their marriage.

Cornyn, who is supported by Senate Majority Leader Sen. John Thune and the National Republican Senatorial Committee, has repeatedly argued that if Paxton is the GOP's nominee, the party will be forced to spend millions of dollars to keep the seat from flipping and that Republicans down-ballot will suffer.

"He's gotten more and more emboldened as he's gotten away with all the scandal and mischief that now is very well known, but were he to be the nominee and be exposed to general election voters, especially independents, I think it's going to be a very rocky time," the senator predicted.

TRUMP OWNS THE GOP - BUT WILL REPUBLICANS PAY A PRICE IN THE MIDTERMS?

And pointing to Talarico, who hauled in an eye-popping $27 million in fundraising during the first three months of this year, Cornyn said, "There will be an incredible tsunami of Democratic funds coming in against Paxton, were he the nominee. Conversely... if I am the nominee... we'll be able to shoulder the burden pretty much on our own. I won my last general election by 10 points. I think I can do similarly against somebody who's as far left and radical as James Talarico."

While Paxton has shifted his ads to target Talarico in the wake of the Trump endorsement, Cornyn and allied groups continue to blast Paxton.

"I don't think anybody could honestly argue that we haven't fought hard to make the case here," Cornyn said of his campaign.

And he emphatically said he's "worked too long and too hard to help build the Republican Party in Texas, and in the United States Senate, and to keep Texas the envy of the nation when it comes to opportunities and pursuing the American dream, to let that go, to squander it, and let it go without a fight. So I'm still optimistic on the outcome, but obviously it depends on who shows up."

The other statewide runoff in Texas is for attorney general, in the race to succeed Paxton.

In the expensive GOP showdown, four-term Rep. Chip Roy is battling state Sen. Mayes Middleton, the president of an independent oil and gas company.

Middleton, who edged Roy in the March primary, has dished out roughly $17 million of his own money to back his campaign. But Roy, a former Texas assistant attorney general and former chief of staff to conservative Sen. Ted Cruz, received a late surge in fundraising from major backers.

"We've gotten the financial support necessary to compete with my self-funder opponent, who's got his inheritance money that he can just spend," Roy highlighted in a ӣ��Ƶ Digital interview on the eve of the runoff.

Roy has argued that Middleton's lack of courtroom experience would make him a poor attorney general.

"Having been the first assistant attorney general makes me ready on day one, but it's also that I've been a prosecutor, I've been in court, I've sat in front of a judge, stood in front of a judge, argued cases, and he has never done any of those things. And we think those things should matter," Roy emphasized.

Middleton has pushed back, questioning Roy's conservative credentials and running ads claiming Roy's "betrayed MAGA" as he has pointed to the times the congressman has broken with Trump over policy.

"Chip Roy is someone that has spent a decade fighting the president. He actually said President Trump committed impeachable conduct on the House floor," Middleton told ӣ��Ƶ Digital. "Instead of spending 10 years fighting President Trump, what have I done? I've spent 10 years fighting to defeat the left, which is what matters the most in this race."

But Roy, responding, said "everyone knows that I'm a longtime defender and supporter of the president's agenda, of the America First agenda, the MAGA agenda, but I'm also an independent thinker who will stand up and make the case. And pointing to Middleton, Roy charged, "MAGA is not something you just buy. My opponent thinks you can buy the brand."

Middleton returned fire, arguing, "Chip Roy is putting out there that he is a top ally to President Trump when the exact opposite is the case."

Roy, showcasing his electability, said "I beat Democrats before in a tough race" and that he "knows how to win."

The winner of the GOP runoff will likely face Democratic state Sen. Nathan Johnson, who came close to clinching his party's nomination in the primary. Johnson is facing off against former Galveston Mayor Joe Jaworski.

Also in the spotlight are Democratic and GOP runoffs in the redrawn majority-Latino 35th Congressional District.

Democratic Party leaders are slamming housing activist and sex therapist Maureen Galindo for her Instagram post on imprisoning American Zionists at an ICE detention center. She added that the prison would have a castration facility for pedophiles, which she claimed would likely include "most of the Zionists."

She also said that her rival in the runoff, Bexar County Sheriff's Deputy Johnny Garcia, should be tried for treason over his support for Israel.

The comments have spurred support for Garcia, who's running as a moderate. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the Texas Democratic Party, Talarico, and even progressive champion Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have backed Garcia.

The winner of the Democratic primary will face off against either Republican state Rep. John Lujan or Carlos De La Cruz, an Air Force veteran and brother of Rep. Monica De La Cruz of Texas.

In the solidly blue, Houston-based 18th Congressional District, 78-year-old Democratic Rep. Al Green will face off with recently-elected 38-year-old Rep. Christian Menefee, for a seat redrawn last year by Republicans as part of their congressional redistricting push.

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Democratic Rep. Julie Johnson is running against former Rep. Colin Allred in the Democratic-dominated, Dallas-based, 33rd Congressional District.

And in the newly drawn 9th Congressional District, a right-tilting seat in the Houston area, Trump-endorsed Army veteran Alex Mealer faces Abbott-endorsed state Rep. Briscoe Cain.

ӣ��Ƶ' Luke Travisan contributed to this report

Platner in the hot seat as Maine voters rip his 'horrible' comments amid Reddit scandal

Fri, 22 May 2026 05:00:05 -0400

Voters in Maine are split on whether the many controversies that have followed Democrat Graham Platner’s Senate campaign carry enough weight to sway their vote come November.

To some, the off-color remarks about sexual abuse, terror and race — made years before he launched his Senate bid — are simply the fallout of military service and its strain on the mind.

"I think they’re unfortunate, but coming back from a stressful situation like that, I don’t know what the hell I’d say. So, I’m not going to hold it against him," Joe, a voter from Shapleigh, Maine, told ӣ��Ƶ Digital, alluding to Platner's history as a Marine.

But to others, the comments speak to a character that should not be given a place in Congress.

MAINE SENATE CANDIDATE CITES COMBAT TRAUMA WHEN CONFRONTED ON 'TERRIBLE' POSTS ABOUT SEXUAL ASSAULT

"I think it's kind of ridiculous. I mean, is that all right to say things like that and be, ‘okay, we're gonna vote for him?’ I don't think so," Tina, a voter from Sanford, Maine, said.

Platner’s many comments have drawn public attention in Maine, where he is poised to become the Democratic nominee to challenge incumbent Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine. It’s a seat Democrats believe presents a ripe opportunity; a chance to finally knock off a moderate Republican in a Democratic-leaning state.

With two-term Gov. Janet Mills ending her Senate bid late last month, Platner is considered the party's presumptive nominee and is expected to cruise to the nomination in next month's primary. Democrats will then have to hope that his past remarks don’t turn enough voters away to inadvertently hand Collins a sixth term.

Collins, who first took the seat in 1997, last won re-election in 2020, defeating Democratic challenger Sara Gideon by a 51.0% to 42.4% margin.

Platner, in one resurfaced Reddit post, once blamed rape victims for failing to protect themselves.

"How about people just take some responsibility for themselves and not so f---ed up when they wind up having sex with someone they don’t mean to?" Platner wrote in 2013.

"If you don’t want to be in a compromising situation, act like an adult for f---s sake."

LEFT-WING DEM SENATE HOPEFUL CHEERED ON ANTIFA VIOLENCE IN UNEARTHED RANT: ‘KILL A MOTHERF---ER’

Coupled with an op-ed where he called some terrorists "freedom fighters" and another Reddit post where he called police "bastards," Marg, a resident from Sanford, Maine, believes the pile of incendiary comments should give voters pause.

"I think it’s horrible. He doesn’t have my vote, that’s for sure. Not only does it weigh on me, it weighs on a lot of other people," Marg said.

Christine, a voter from Acton, Maine, said the sexual assault comments are particularly troubling.

"I’m a victim of sexual abuse in the past. That comment really struck home. I know people make mistakes — I’m willing to give them the benefit of the doubt, but I’m just being honest with saying that I’m kind of turned off by it," Christine said.

To other voters, the comments, while troublesome, aren’t the focus of the election.

"He seems like he’s out for the working man. He is a working man. And he sounds like he’s looking out for us," Ray, a man from Lebanon, Maine, said.

When pressed on Platner’s comments, Ray doubled down on his support.

"No, it doesn’t matter, he’s still getting my vote," he told ӣ��Ƶ Digital.

Still, others said that they had come to expect as much from figures running for Congress. Cathy, a resident of Shapleigh, Maine, said the comments wouldn’t weigh on her.

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"Not really, no. I think all politicians do weird stuff," Cathy said.

Voters in Maine will first decide on their party’s respective nominees through the primary elections on June 9. From there, nominees will face off in the general election on Nov. 3.

Platner apologized for his controversial Reddit posts after they first made headlines last fall soon after he launched his Senate campaign.

And Platner has said he got the skull and crossbones tattoo that resembles a Nazi symbol in 2007 while drinking with fellow Marines stationed in Croatia. He said that he covered up the tattoo with a new design after learning last year that it resembled a Nazi symbol.

A Republican group supporting Collins is already blasting Platner with a new ad and website that highlight his past controversial comments and his now covered-up tattoo.

The candidate said in a ӣ��Ƶ Digital interview last week that he's not concerned about the attacks, which are likely just a taste of things to come.

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"The Democratic establishment tried to use all those attacks against me and failed miserably," Platner said as he referred to a spot from the Mills campaign before she dropped out of the race. "Now the Republican establishment is going to try to use the exact same attacks, and that will also fail miserably."

Platner insisted that "the people of Maine understand exactly what this is. They're not happy to see millions of dollars poured into negative TV ads in a state that, quite frankly, could use millions of dollars of investment in lots of other things instead of just negative television. And I don't think it's going to work, because it hasn't up until this point."

Democrats release 2024 election autopsy that chair says 'does not meet my standards'

Thu, 21 May 2026 10:51:03 -0400

Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin is publicly disowning his party’s own 2024 election "autopsy," calling the long-delayed report a product that "does not meet my standards" after Democrats suffered what he described as a "painful and consequential" defeat to President Donald Trump.

The blunt admission came as Martin described former Vice President Kamala Harris' 2024 defeat as a "punch to the gut" and acknowledged the Democratic Party’s "brand is in trouble and needs repair."

"I am not proud of this product; it does not meet my standards, and it won’t meet your standards," Martin said of the report, adding that he could not "in good faith put the DNC’s stamp of approval on it."

Martin emphasized that he was releasing the report for the sake of transparency "as I received it – in its entirety, unedited and unabridged – with annotations for claims that couldn’t be verified."

DEMS DEMAND RELEASE OF HIDDEN DNC AUTOPSY AFTER 2024 COLLAPSE: ‘WE GOT OUR BUTTS KICKED’

The report argues Democrats weakened their own political infrastructure through cuts to state party support, declining voter registration efforts and reduced grassroots organizing, while also failing to listen to key voting blocs — mistakes it says allowed Republicans to make gains with voters Democrats have increasingly struggled to reach, particularly in middle America.

CNN was first to release a copy of the report.

Annotations that appear in the report, however, pick apart certain claims for lacking evidence.

READ THE DNC 2024 ELECTION AUTOPSY – APP USERS, CLICK HERE:

In one such section, the report claims that "the Harris campaign appears to have relied on Trump being unacceptable rather than building an affirmative case for Harris," to which an annotation reads, "No evidence provided for this claim."

Martin, who was elected DNC chair early last year, has faced pressure from within the party and increased public criticism over the autopsy controversy and over the DNC's fundraising woes. The party remains far behind the rival Republican National Committee in a key fundraising metric: cash on hand.

Former DNC vice chair David Hogg, a vocal Martin critic, on Thursday called for the chairman to resign.

"This autopsy, and the months-long debate about even releasing the report, is a demoralizing joke. It’s clear that Chair Ken Martin has lost the confidence of his staff, supporters, and most importantly, millions of Americans counting on the DNC to help Democrats win up and down the ballot in 2026 and 2028," Hogg charged.

"Ken Martin should resign, and the DNC should select a new leader who demonstrates competence, creativity, moral clarity, and a relentless commitment to actually changing the broken Democratic Party brand," Hogg emphasized.

Hogg, a gun-control crusader who was elected a DNC vice chair as Martin won election as chair, stepped down from his position last summer after upsetting party leaders for his efforts backing primary challenges against what he called "asleep at the wheel" older, longtime incumbents in safe, blue districts.

Dan Pfeiffer, a former senior advisor to then-President Barack Obama and a co-host of the popular progressive podcast "Pod Save America" who has been critical of Martin's handling of the autopsy, also urged that the chair step down.

"Ken Martin is not up to the job, and his continued presence is going to make the DNC woefully ineffective heading into the midterms and then the critical 2028 primaries, where the DNC plays a major role," Pfeiffer argued. "He should step down for the good of the party, and if he won’t, the DNC should fire him."

Martin has insisted numerous times in recent months that he would not step down, and pointed to the slew of ballot box victories and election overperformances by Democrats in the 16 months since Donald Trump returned to the White House.

Longtime New Hampshire Democratic Party Chair Ray Buckley, a former DNC vice chair, told ӣ��Ƶ Digital: "I have great confidence in Ken Martin. He continues to be in communication with DNC members and State Parties about how he can best support our efforts to win in November."

"Now that the report has been released, it is abundantly clear that many concerns have already been addressed or are being addressed. It is time for Democrats across the country to focus on November," Buckley emphasized.

Following the Democrats’ sweeping losses in the 2024 election cycle, the DNC launched an internal autopsy investigating where the party fell short in securing a win in both the presidential election and the majority in Congress.

Democratic Party officials interviewed over 300 Democrats from all 50 states for the report, which Martin promised would examine the party's mistakes in 2024 and offer a roadmap to victory going forward.

DEMOCRATS' MIDTERM PUSH CLOUDED BY INFIGHTING OVER PARTY KEEPING 2024 AUTOPSY UNDER WRAPS

There was controversy surrounding the report as it was being compiled, after reports last summer said the autopsy would skip analyzing whether then-President Joe Biden should have run for re-election in 2024 and would pass on judging key decisions made by Harris and her team, after she replaced Biden as the party's nominee with just over three months to go until the 2024 election.

Despite facing growing calls from Democrats to release the report, DNC officials had argued it was being withheld ahead of the midterms to keep the party focused on retaking the House and Senate in November. Martin said in a statement at the time that if releasing the autopsy will not help Democrats win in the midterms, then it is purely a "distraction."

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Other Democrats argued publicly releasing the autopsy before the midterms would improve transparency and help the party regroup ahead of November’s elections.

Harris, who is mulling making another White House bid in 2028, recently told donors she believed the DNC should make the autopsy public. The news was first reported by NBC News and confirmed by ӣ��Ƶ Digital.

A source with knowledge said that Harris had not discussed the autopsy with DNC Chair Ken Martin, and that the former vice president did not know in advance about Martin's decision in December to keep the 2024 election postmortem under wraps.

ӣ��Ƶ Digital's Leo Briceno and Hannah Brennan contributed to this report.

Trump owns the GOP. Could Republicans pay the price in the midterms?

Wed, 20 May 2026 20:00:02 -0400

President Donald Trump took to social media on Wednesday morning to showcase the power of his political endorsements, touting that the candidates he backed went 37-0 in Tuesday's GOP primaries from coast to coast.

"We won all races last night. Every one of them," Trump told reporters.

The brute force of the president's endorsement power and the immense grip he has on the Republican Party were on full display in a number of high-profile ballot-box showdowns, including Trump-backed Ed Gallrein ousting Rep. Thomas Massie in the GOP primary in Kentucky's 4th Congressional District, a race that grabbed outsized national attention.

But Trump's heavy hand in this year's primaries could cause repercussions in the autumn, when Republicans will be defending their razor-thin House and slim Senate majorities in the midterm elections.

TRUMP-BACKED FORMER NAVY SEAL DEALS KNOCKS OUT MASSIE IN HIGH-STAKES SHOWDOWN

While those concerns will mount as the midterms creep closer, on Tuesday night the political headline was Trump once again successfully flexing his muscles to exert payback on Republicans who defied him.

Two weeks after purging five state senators in Indiana's primary who had opposed his push for congressional redistricting, and three days after helping to oust Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana — as the senator who, five and a half years ago, voted to convict Trump in his second impeachment trial lost his bid for renomination — Trump obliterated Massie.

Massie, who for 14 years has represented Kentucky's 4th Congressional District, in the northeastern part of the red-leaning state, has long been one of Trump's most vocal GOP critics in Congress. The libertarian-minded lawmaker has repeatedly taken aim at the president over foreign policy, including the Iran war and unconditional U.S. military aid to Israel. And he's also been a thorn in Trump's side for successfully pushing for the release of government files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

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Gallrein’s nearly ten-point victory over Massie in a race that was expected to be much closer represents a major win for Trump’s political operation and pro-Israel allied groups, who spent aggressively to unseat the sitting lawmaker.

Speaking at his victory celebration, Gallrein thanked Trump for his support, saying, "My focus is on advancing the president's and the party's agenda to put America first and Kentucky always."

Taking to social media after Massie's defeat, White House communications director and longtime Trump aide Steven Cheung warned, "Do not ever doubt President Trump and his political power. F--k around, find out."

Veteran Republican strategist and communicator Ryan Williams told ӣ��Ƶ Digital, "The Republican Party is Trump’s party, and if you cross him, he’ll hit back at you ten times as hard and defeat you. He’s getting better at this as time goes on. His grip on the party has increased, not decreased."

"Anybody at this point who doesn’t understand this will be out of a job if they cross the president," Williams emphasized.

Meanwhile, Rep. Andy Barr of Kentucky, backed by Trump in recent days, cruised to the Republican Senate nomination in the race to succeed retiring Sen. Mitch McConnell, a former longtime Senate GOP leader.

And Sen. Tommy Tuberville, a top Trump ally in the Senate, easily captured the GOP gubernatorial nomination in solidly red Alabama.

But some Trump-backed candidates will have to wait a little longer before securing a ticket to the general election.

Republican Lt. Gov. Burt Jones of Georgia finished first in the GOP gubernatorial primary, but didn't top 50%, forcing a runoff next month with billionaire businessman Rick Jackson.

It was the same story in Alabama, where Trump-backed Rep. Barry Moore finished first but will need another victory in next month's runoff to secure the Republican Senate nomination in the race to succeed Tuberville.

And this past weekend, Trump-backed Rep. Julia Letlow was forced into a runoff with Louisiana Treasurer John Fleming as Cassidy was sent packing.

Trump putting his hand on the scale in red states like Louisiana, Alabama and Kentucky shouldn't be an issue in the general election, but it could be in battleground Georgia, and in red-leaning Texas, where Democrats are hoping to win a U.S. Senate election for the first time in nearly four decades.

Democrats feel Trump gave them an early Christmas gift by endorsing MAGA firebrand and ally and supporter Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton over longtime GOP Sen. John Cornyn with one week to go until the runoff election for the Republican nomination.

"Ken is a true MAGA Warrior who has ALWAYS delivered for Texas, and will continue to do so in the United States Senate," Trump wrote in a social media post as he announced his backing of Paxton, which likely ends Cornyn's hope of winning renomination.

The winner of the GOP runoff will face off in the autumn with rising Democratic Party star state Rep. James Talarico, who has built a massive war chest this year while Cornyn and Paxton have traded fire in their combustible race.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, the National Republican Senatorial Committee and many GOP leaders in the nation's capital saw Cornyn as the candidate better equipped to successfully defend the seat in Texas, which Democrats are trying to flip as they work to win back the chamber's majority.

That's because Paxton has faced a slew of scandals and legal problems that have battered him over the past decade, as well as his ongoing messy divorce.

Some Republicans are concerned this could be a flashback to 2022, when then-former President Trump flexed his muscles in the GOP primaries, with some of his picks, including Georgia's Herschel Walker, falling short in the midterms, as Republicans failed to win back the Senate.

"Trump got his way in most of the primaries in 2022 also. Didn’t portend great results in the general election," vocal Trump critic and GOP consultant Sarah Longwell posted on social media Tuesday night.

Williams said, "The president has shown that he puts personal loyalty over political considerations even when it puts a safe seat at risk."

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And pointing to this year's midterms, when the GOP as the party in power will face traditional headwinds as well as an extremely challenging political climate, Ryan said, "That’s the situation Republicans find themselves dealing with heading into what should be a challenging midterm election."

Ex-Biden official wins Georgia Dem primary for governor in bid to end party's losing streak

Tue, 19 May 2026 22:49:55 -0400

Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, who also served in the Biden administration, has captured the Democratic nomination for governor in the key southeastern battleground of Georgia.

Bottoms won a majority of the vote in Tuesday's primary, the Associated Press reports, in a large field of candidates that also included former Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, a Republican-turned-Democrat; former state Sen. Jason Esteves; state Rep. Derrick Jackson; and former state labor commissioner and former DeKalb County CEO Mike Thurmond.

Democrats are aiming to break their losing streak in Georgia, where it's been nearly three decades since the party has won a gubernatorial election. You have to go all the way back to former Gov. Roy Barnes' 1998 victory. Since then Republicans have been on a winning streak, with former Govs. Sonny Perdue and Nathan Deal, and Brian Kemp, all winning election and re-election.

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Bottoms was the frontrunner during the primary campaign, and faced plenty of attacks from her rivals over her single term as Atlanta mayor, which garnered harsh reviews. She was elected in 2018 but declined to seek re-election in 2022 and instead later served as senior advisor and director of the White House Office of Public Engagement in then-President Joe Biden's administration.

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The former mayor's rivals argued that Bottoms' vulnerabilities could hurt the Democrats as they work to win back the governor's office in Atlanta, during a midterm election cycle where the party is energized and Republicans are facing traditional political headwinds and a rough climate.

That energy was witnessed the surge in turnout in early voting in Georgia. More than a million ballots were cast ahead of Election Day, with Democrats enjoying a sizable turnout advantage over Republicans.

Bottoms will face either Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, who is backed by President Donald Trump, or healthcare executive and billionaire businessman Rick Jackson in the general election.

Jones and Jackson were the top two finishers in Tuesday's GOP gubernatorial primary in Georgia. Since no candidate topped 50% of the vote to secure a majority, Jones and Jackson now advance to a June 16 runoff.

Democratic Governors Association spokesperson Kevin Donohoe said in a statement: "Buckle up for four more weeks of Burt Jones and Rick Jackson going scorched earth on each other and further jeopardizing Republicans’ chances in the general election.

And he argued, "Months of infighting has been a disaster for Georgia Republicans – and a gift for Democrats.

This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.

Alabama Democrats rally around former Dem senator to challenge Trump-backed Tuberville in fall

Tue, 19 May 2026 21:52:43 -0400

Doug Jones, the former Democratic senator in Alabama, on Tuesday won the Democratic nomination for governor, the Associated Press reports.

It's been nearly three decades since a Democrat won a gubernatorial election in solidly red Alabama. You've got to go back to former Gov. Don Siegelman's 1998 victory.

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Jones will now face a steep uphill climb to defeat Sen. Tommy Tuberville, who easily captured the Republican nomination, in the race to succeed term-limited GOP Gov. Kay Ivey.

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Tuberville, a top Senate ally of President Donald Trump, is backed by the president as he runs for Alabama governor.

Trump ally Tommy Tuberville cruises to Alabama GOP governor nomination

Tue, 19 May 2026 21:24:58 -0400

Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville, a top Senate supporter and ally of President Donald Trump, cruised to the GOP gubernatorial nomination in his home state of Alabama on Tuesday.

Tuberville defeated longshot rivals Ken McFeeters, an insurance agency owner, and Will Santivasci, a small business owner, to capture the Republican nomination in the solidly red state in the race to succeed term-limited GOP Gov. Kay Ivey.

A former longtime college football coach — who spent 10 years as head coach at Auburn University in Alabama — Tuberville was elected to the Senate in 2020. Tuberville ran as an outsider who was closely aligned with Trump.

"God bless the great state of Alabama!" Tuberville wrote in a social media post after clinching the nomination.

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Trump, on the eve of the primary, doubled down on his support for Tuberville.

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"He is a Lifelong Leader, both on and off the field — A true WINNER!" the president posted on social media.

Tuberville, who was the overwhelming polling and fundraising frontrunner in the primary, will now be the clear favorite to win November's gubernatorial election in Alabama, a state that Trump carried by 30 points in 2024.

Republican Governors Association chair Gov. Greg Gianforte of Montana said in a statement that "Tuberville has proven he is an America First fighter who can deliver real results for the people of Alabama. As Governor, he will defend Alabama’s values, work with President Trump to continue bringing good-paying jobs to Alabama, and stand up to the radical left’s woke ideology."

Tuberville will face off in the general election against former Democratic Sen. Doug Jones, who easily topped a crowded field of rivals to win his party's gubernatorial nomination.

The Democratic Governors Association, in a social media post, said: "Doug has dedicated his career to fearlessly fighting for what is right for the people of Alabama – no matter how difficult. And he’s running to continue that important work."

Trump's Georgia candidate heads to GOP runoff for governor against billionaire businessman Jackson

Tue, 19 May 2026 20:45:35 -0400

President Donald Trump's endorsement wasn't enough to carry Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones to outright victory in the Republican primary race to succeed term-limited conservative Gov. Brian Kemp.

But the president's backing did help Jones advance to a runoff in the race for the GOP nomination in the crucial southeastern battleground state.

Jones and healthcare executive and billionaire businessman Rick Jackson were the top two finishers in Tuesday's GOP gubernatorial primary in Georgia, the Associated Press reports. Since no candidate topped 50% of the vote to secure a majority, Jones and Jackson now advance to a June 16 runoff.

"Tonight, Georgia sent a clear message — you can't buy this state and now, Georgia, it's time to finish the drill," Jones said in a statement. "Georgia is too important to risk handing it to a billionaire Never Trumper with a checkbook.

Jackson, in a statement, pushed back at Jones.

"In the weeks ahead, Burt Jones will come after us even harder than he already has because he doesn’t want his cartel broken up. It’s what politicians always do. Every time he attacks, remember why… Burt is a career politician desperate to cling to power so he can profit off it," Jackson said. "I'm an outsider who's going to shake things up."

The large field of eight Republican candidates also included state Attorney General Chris Carr and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.

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Jones, a former captain of the University of Georgia football team, an oil executive and heir to the Jones Petroleum Company, served as a state senator before winning election in 2022 as lieutenant governor. A major Trump supporter, he was endorsed by the president last August.

"The president is still very popular, and here in the state of Georgia, he's got an unbelievable approval rating," Jones told ӣ��Ƶ Digital last week.

Pointing to Trump, Jones emphasized that "he and I have a long standing relationship — friendship — and I've always been a big supporter of his, and he's a very big supporter of mine, as well."

Jackson, who launched his gubernatorial campaign in February and has spent more than $80 million of his own money on behalf of his bid, says Trump inspired him to run.

TRUMP SCORES MAJOR PRIMARY VICTORY AS CASSIDY OUSTED IN LOUISIANA

"I just thought, you know, if you had somebody doing business solutions for the state of Georgia, just like Trump is for the United States, I just felt like I would have a major impact on the state of Georgia, and so that was one of the reasons I wanted to get in. I was inspired by President Trump," Jackson told ӣ��Ƶ Digital.

Jackson was unknown to Georgia voters a few months ago, but thanks to an avalanche of ads, his story of building a business empire despite growing up in foster care and not being able to afford college is now well known in the Peach State.

And Jackson is running as an outsider.

"I'm confident that at the end of the day that the people are going to vote for me one way or the other, because they can see somebody that's actually like Trump, not just endorsed. And from that standpoint, I think having an outsider is what our people want," he said.

But Jones questions his rival's support for the president, pointing to Jackson's past donations to Democrats and anti-Trump Republicans as an example of his break from the MAGA wing of the party.

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"He's been dishonest about who he is. He's been dishonest about who he's supported in the background," Jones charged. "He's actually, you know, portraying himself as something that he's not."

Jackson says the attacks on him are "just lies" and referring to Trump, adds, "I'm going to be his favorite governor."

And he argued, "Months of infighting has been a disaster for Georgia Republicans – and a gift for Democrats.

The winner of next month's runoff will face off in the general election with former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, who captured the Democratic nomination for governor.

Bottoms won a majority of the vote over a large field of candidates that also included former Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, a Republican-turned-Democrat; former state Sen. Jason Esteves; state Rep. Derrick Jackson; and former state labor commissioner and former DeKalb County CEO Mike Thurmond.

Shapiro vs Trump-backed Garrity set for high-stakes Pennsylvania governor showdown

Tue, 19 May 2026 20:19:06 -0400

The general election showdown for governor in the crucial northeastern battleground of Pennsylvania is set between Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro and Republican state Treasurer Stacy Garrity.

Neither Shapiro nor Garrity faced any opponents as they cruised to the Democratic and GOP gubernatorial nominations in Tuesday's primary.

Shapiro, who is viewed as a likely contender for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination, has kept his eye on his 2026 re-election, which is the top-of-the-ballot race in a state that is holding a handful of crucial congressional races that may decide if the Democrats win back control of the U.S. House.

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In a primary night speech to supporters, Shapiro said that in "these divisive times, and with a politically divided Legislature….we’ve shown that we can get stuff done and do it in a way that shows respect to all Pennsylvanians — no matter what you look like, where you come from, who you love, or who you pray to or choose not to pray to."

Shapiro highlighted that during his tenure he's increased investment in public education by 30% and increased the number of teachers in the state, "saved the people of Pennsylvania hundreds of millions of dollars on their energy bills" by taking on the utility companies, and showcased that nearly 23,000 new jobs have been created.

But Garrity, in a statement, took aim at a governor who touts that he "gets sh-t done."

"Today, Pennsylvania ranks 38th in the nation economically, 39th in education, and 41st overall under Josh Shapiro’s failed administration," Garrity said in a statement.

Garrity charged that "nearly 70% of our 8th graders can’t read at grade level, thousands of Pennsylvania families are heading for the border to find opportunity in other states around the nation, and Harrisburg is now spending roughly $5 billion more than the state brings in. All of these failures fall at the feet of Josh Shapiro, and the buck stops with him."

Shapiro, in his speech, tied Garrity to President Donald Trump, who has endorsed her.

"We cannot afford to give Trump a rubber stamp in the Governor’s Office – and that’s exactly what we’re up against," the governor claimed. "My opponent is running on her complete and total allegiance to Donald Trump – because she’s more focused on serving him than fighting for you. She proudly wears her MAGA hat, while I wear the Pennsylvania jersey."

Even though neither Shapiro nor Garrity faced opposition in the primary, were busy on the campaign trail.

Garrity has been crisscrossing the state to raise her profile among voters and to boost running mate Jason Ritchey, who is facing a primary challenge for lieutenant governor.

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Shapiro, who's already a household name in the Keystone State, has also been on the campaign trail, helping congressional candidates he's endorsed in competitive Democratic congressional primaries.

Trump-backed Navy SEAL vet delivers major blow to Massie in fiery GOP primary

Tue, 19 May 2026 19:57:46 -0400

HEBRON, KY - President Donald Trump on Tuesday scored another victory in his revenge campaign against GOP critics, further flexing his grip on the Republican Party after a string of primary wins in recent weeks.

Trump-backed Ed Gallrein, a former Navy SEAL and Kentucky farmer, defeated the president’s longtime antagonist, Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., according to The Associated Press.

Gallrein’s nearly ten-point victory represents a major win for Trump’s political operation and pro-Israel allied groups, who spent aggressively to unseat the sitting lawmaker.

Speaking at his victory celebration, Gallrein thanked Trump for his support and emphasized, "My focus is on advancing the president's and the party's agenda to put America first and Kentucky always."

TRUMP TARGETS MASSIE IN EXPLOSIVE KENTUCKY SHOWDOWN AS SIX STATES HOLD HIGH-STAKES PRIMARIES

Massie, speaking to supporters at his primary night headquarters, said, "I have called and conceded the race. We've been honorable the whole time, and we're going to stay that way."

Trump repeatedly unleashed on Massie in unusually personal terms in the final days of the primary contest, while spotlighting his endorsement of Gallrein, who he recruited into the race.

The president called Massie, who has frequently opposed parts of his legislative agenda, the "worst ‘Republican’ congressman in history" on Monday.

Gallrein echoed the president’s attack in an interview with ӣ��Ƶ Digital on Monday.

"My opponent, he's running against President Trump and the agenda that has been put forward by the Republican Party," Gallrein said.

But Massie fired back that Trump’s endorsement of Gallrein was not an insurmountable challenge due to support among the conservative grassroots for his maverick politics.

"I've got the groundswell here, like my events. I've got 100–200, sometimes 300 people show up," Massie told ӣ��Ƶ Digital. "My opponent had to cancel events because he couldn't get enough people, you know, to fill up a Dairy Queen, half a Dairy Queen."

"We've been able to match them to go toe-to-toe with them on TV using grassroots donors, and it's really galvanized the nation," he continued.

Massie also charged that Pentagon Secretary Pete Hegseth’s decision to campaign for Gallrein on Monday showed Trump’s political operation believed Massie was "up in the polls."

"They wouldn't be sending the Secretary of War to my congressional district if I weren't," he added.

Trump also personally campaigned against Massie in his solidly Republican district in March, calling him "disloyal" to the Republican Party and the United States.

TRUMP SLAMS REPUBLICAN MASSIE AS 'NOT MAGA' FOLLOWING CONGRESSMAN'S CRITICISM OF IRAN STRIKES

A libertarian-minded lawmaker, Massie was one of a handful of Republicans to vote against the president’s landmark tax cut and spending law, citing its impact on budget deficits. He also helped engineer the legislative effort compelling the Department of Justice to release the Epstein files over the vigorous objections of the White House, which later endorsed the effort.

As of late, Massie has emerged as one of the fiercest Republican critics of Trump’s war with Iran and has repeatedly voted with Democrats to curtail the military campaign.

That policy stance — combined with his votes against military aid to Israel and resolutions denouncing antisemitism — drew pro-Israel donors allied with Trump into the race to defeat Massie.

"Here's the thing, I've got nothing against Israel. I just have never voted for foreign aid," Massie told ӣ��Ƶ Digital. "When I said America First, I meant it. I don't vote for foreign aid to Egypt, to Syria, to Ukraine. I've got a flawless record on this, and I'm not going to ruin it by sending foreign aid to one country."

Massie, in his concession speech, said, "Welcome to the most expensive congressional primary ever in the 250-year history of this country. It's not just the most expensive. This thing went on longer than Vietnam."

He lamented that bipartisanship has "become a dirty word in this country."

But Massie said that despite his defeat, there is still "a yearning in this country for somebody who will vote for principles over party. You all don't like bullies and you don't tolerate them. And I love you for it."

The Kentucky primary contest comes after a string of closely watched GOP primary contests where Trump’s endorsement power proved consequential.

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The president celebrated unseating five Indiana GOP lawmakers earlier in May who helped block the state from redrawing its congressional map to benefit Republicans ahead of November’s midterm elections. Another win for the president came Saturday after Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., was shut out of the runoff election for a third Senate term.

The defeated senator notably voted to convict Trump following his second impeachment in January 2021.

Massie successfully fended off primary opponents in 2022 and 2024, though Gallrein posed the most formidable challenge to the incumbent since Massie first won election to the House in 2012.

ӣ��Ƶ' Olivia Palombo contributed to this report

Trump backs Paxton in Texas Republican Senate showdown with Cornyn

Tue, 19 May 2026 12:39:38 -0400

President Donald Trump is finally taking sides in the contentious and costly Republican Senate primary showdown in Texas between longtime Sen. John Cornyn and state Attorney General Ken Paxton.

The president on Tuesday, in a highly anticipated announcement, endorsed Paxton, a MAGA champion. The president's extremely potent endorsement came one week before the runoff between Cornyn and Paxton in right-leaning Texas.

"Ken is a true MAGA Warrior who has ALWAYS delivered for Texas, and will continue to do so in the United States Senate," Trump wrote in a social media post.

The two heated rivals topped a crowded field of contenders in an early March primary, but since no one cleared the 50% threshold, the nomination race headed into overtime, with the runoff election on May 26.

Trump teased his long-awaited endorsement on the grounds of his colossal ballroom, which is still under construction as the Senate mulls whether to provide hundreds of millions in security funding for the project. He decided that now was the time to endorse, after several months of staying neutral, because early voting for the next week's runoff had opened.

"There are those that say whoever I endorse is going to win," Trump said. "I don't know if that's true, but historically, that's absolutely true. I just don't like to say it because I don't like to brag."

Cornyn or Paxton will face off in the general election against rising Democratic Party star state Rep. James Talarico, who topped progressive firebrand Rep. Jasmine Crockett, a vocal Trump critic, in the Democrats' primary. Talarico is trying to become the first Democrat in nearly four decades to win a Senate election in right-leaning Texas.

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Talarico, in a statement, argued that "it doesn't matter who wins this runoff. We already know who we're running against: the billionaire mega-donors and their corrupt political system."

This year's Senate showdown in Texas is one of a handful across the country that could determine if Republicans hold their majority in the chamber in the midterm elections. The GOP currently controls the Senate 53-47.

Paxton has faced a slew of scandals and legal problems that have battered him over the past decade, as well as his ongoing messy divorce.

But Trump, in his endorsement, said "Paxton has gone through a lot, in many cases, very unfairly, but he is a Fighter, and knows how to WIN. Our Country needs Fighters, and also Loyalty to the Cause of Greatness."

Paxton, in a statement on X after the Trump endorsement, wrote: "I am incredibly honored to have President Trump’s COMPLETE AND TOTAL ENDORSEMENT. No one has ever fought harder for the American people than President Trump, and I look forward to championing his America First agenda in the Senate!"

Trump, in backing Paxton, said that "John Cornyn is a good man, and I worked well with him, but he was not supportive of me when times were tough."

Pointing to the senator's past criticism of him, Trump added, "John was very late in backing me in what turned out to be a Historic Run for the Republican Nomination, and then, the Presidency."

Cornyn, in a statement on X, wrote, "I have worked closely with President Trump through both of his Presidential terms and voted with him more than 99% of the time. He has consistently called me a friend in this race. It is now time for Texas Republican voters to decide if they want a strong nominee to help our GOP candidates down ballot and defeat Talarico in November, or a weak nominee who jeopardizes everything we care about. I trust the Republican voters of Texas."

TRUMP TEASES ENDORSEMENT COMING SOON IN CRUCIAL GOP CLASH

The president took to social media the day after the March primary to say that an endorsement would be coming soon and that he would "be asking the candidate that I don’t Endorse to immediately DROP OUT OF THE RACE!"

And multiple sources at the time told ӣ��Ƶ and other news organizations that it was likely that Cornyn would land the president's support.

Hours later, Paxton said that he would stay in the race for the Republican Senate nomination even if Trump endorsed Cornyn.

Asked if he would end his Senate bid if Trump backed Cornyn, Paxton, a MAGA firebrand and longtime Trump supporter and ally, said no in an interview with Real America's Voice.

"I’ve spent a year of my life campaigning against John Cornyn because John has not represented the people of Texas well," Paxton argued. "He’s been against Trump in both of his elections, said he shouldn’t run last time. ... The people of Texas, at least the Republicans, would like something different."

Asked about Paxton's comments, Trump said a day later in a Politico interview, "Well, that’s bad for him to say… maybe that leads me to go the other direction," the president added.

CONTENTIOUS REPUBLICAN SENATE PRIMARY IN TEXAS HEADED INTO OVERTIME

In a twist, Paxton said a few hours later that he would "consider dropping out of this race if Senate Leadership agrees to lift the filibuster and passes the SAVE America Act."

The bill, formally titled the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, would, if passed into law, require proof of citizenship to register to vote in federal elections. The GOP-backed bill passed the Republican-controlled House but faces legislative roadblocks in the Senate due to opposition from Democrats.

"The Save America Act is the most important bill the U.S. Senate could ever pass, and I'm committed to helping President Trump get it done," Paxton wrote in a social media post.

"For the good of our country and for the good of passing President Trump's agenda, I am determined to help him get this done," he added.

And Paxton charged, "John Cornyn is a coward who has refused to support abolishing the filibuster to pass this bill."

A Trump endorsement never came in the ensuing days and weeks, and the ‘Save America Act' remains stalled in Congress.

The Cornyn campaign and aligned super PACs spent nearly $100 million in the primary campaign to run ads attacking Paxton and Republican Rep. Wesley Hunt — who came in third — with the senator charging in the closing weeks of the campaign that Democrats would flip the seat in the general election if Paxton was the GOP's nominee.

PAXTON VOWS HE'S STAYING IN THE SENATE RACE

Cornyn, his allies and the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), the campaign arm of the Senate GOP, repeatedly took aim at Paxton over his political bagage.

"Over the next 12 weeks, Texas Republican primary voters will hear more about my record of delivering conservative victories in the United States Senate, and learn more about Ken's indefensible personal behavior and failures in office," Cornyn told reporters on Tuesday night.

"Just like the primary, we have a plan to win the runoff, and we are in the process of executing it," Cornyn said. "Judgment day is coming for Ken Paxton."

Paxton, who has grabbed significant national attention the past dozen years by filing lawsuits against the Obama and Biden administrations, told supporters on primary night, "As we head into this runoff, we're going to make the choice even clearer. While John Cornyn was cutting deals on gun control and amnesty, I was suing corrupt Joe Biden over 107 times."

And he charged, "John Cornyn spent around $100 million trying to buy this seat. We’ve spent around $5 million."

In a social media post, Paxton touted, "The truth is clear: No one has been more loyal to Donald Trump than me—fighting the stolen 2020 election, being in Mar-a-Lago when he announced his 2024 campaign, and standing with him in NY in the face of lawfare."

ROUND TWO OF CORNYN VS. PAXTON GETS UNDER WAY

Trump, as the Texas race moved to a runoff, urged, "for the good of the Party, and our Country, itself, be allowed to go on any longer. IT MUST STOP NOW!"

And pointing to Talarico, the president argued, "We have an easy to beat, Radical Left Opponent, and we have to TOTALLY FOCUS on putting him away, quickly and decisively."

"Both John and Ken ran great races, but not good enough. Now, this one, must be PERFECT!" Trump warned.

Trump, whose clout over the GOP remains immense, stayed neutral in the Republican primary race. All three candidates, who sought the president's endorsement, were in attendance just ahead of the primary as Trump held an event in Corpus Christi, Texas.

"They're in a little race together," Trump said of Cornyn and Paxton. "You know that, right? A little bit of a race. It's going to be an interesting one, right? They’re both great people, too."

Helping Cornyn land the president's endorsement was an intense lobbying campaign by Senate Republican leaders.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., told reporters the day after the primary that Cornyn had "a great night" against Paxton. The top Senate Republican spent the last several months bending Trump’s ear at every opportunity to jump into the race and back the longtime incumbent.

"He's positioned to win the runoff, and if the president endorses early, it saves everybody a lot of money, and a lot of, you know, just 10 weeks of another spirited campaign on our side that keeps us from spending time focusing on the Democrats," Thune said.

Thune spoke with Cornyn the day after the primary, and believed that Talarico was the more formidable match-up for Republicans in November — one that Cornyn was better suited to win.

"The matchup that's good for us is John Cornyn at the top of the ticket," Thune said.

While Trump stayed neutral during the heated primary campaign, his top pollster, Tony Fabrizio, helped the Cornyn campaign. And veteran Republican strategist Chris LaCivita, who served as co-campaign manager of Trump's 2024 White House bid, consulted for a top Cornyn-aligned super PAC.

On the Paxton side of the playing field, operatives and donors were confident they could unseat the senator.

Dan Eberhart, an oil drilling chief executive officer and prominent Republican donor and bundler who supports Paxton, told ӣ��Ƶ Digital, "This was Cornyn’s shot to fend off his challenger by getting over 50%, and he couldn’t do it. The runoff voters will be even less friendly territory for Cornyn."

Pointing to former longtime Senate GOP leader Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., who has often acted as a Trump foil, Eberhart said, "This race is about MAGA vs. McConnell."

Meanwhile, Lone Star Liberty, a pro-Paxton super PAC, circulated a memo ahead after the primary that shrugged off threats that Cornyn would succeed in the runoff by continuing to hammer the attorney general over his litany of scandals, arguing there was nothing new to offer.

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"Cornyn’s talk of ‘unleashing’ new attacks in the runoff is bluster," the memo states. "The truth is that from day one, his forces fired every bullet they had. There are no new attacks left — only more of the same, at ever-greater cost and with ever-diminishing returns."

ӣ��Ƶ' Rich Edson and Patrick Ward contributed to this report

Trump targets Massie in explosive Kentucky showdown as six states hold high-stakes primaries

Tue, 19 May 2026 04:00:51 -0400

HEBRON, KY - Six states from coast-to-coast hold primary elections on Tuesday in one of the busiest and potentially most consequential days of the 2026 midterm calendar.

Voters in Alabama, Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, Oregon and Pennsylvania will cast ballots in Democratic and Republican primaries for the U.S. House, Senate and governor, as well as in down-ballot races. The nominating showdowns tee up this autumn's midterms, when Republicans will defend their slim Senate and razor-thin House majorities.

Meanwhile, some of Tuesday's most high-profile primary ballot box faceoffs will serve as the latest tests of President Donald Trump's immense grip over the Republican Party and the strength of his endorsements in GOP nomination races.

HEGSETH UNLEASHES ON MASSIE IN GOP PRIMARY SHOWDOWN AGAINST TRUMP-BACKED NAVY SEAL VET

Trump repeatedly targeted Massie in social media posts in the closing days of the primary campaign and praised Kentucky farmer and former Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein, who the president is backing, as "a great guy" and "a great patriot."

Gallrein grabbed some last-minute support and additional firepower on the eve of the primary, as he teamed up at an event with War Secretary Pete Hegseth.

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The president said in a video posted to Truth Social on Monday that he hoped Kentucky voters would put Massie "out of business" and that "we’re in a fight against the worst congressman in the history of our country."

Massie said in a ӣ��Ƶ Digital interview on the eve of the primary that Trump's taunts on social media may backfire.

"It shows he's losing sleep, his reputation is on the line. He really shouldn't have got involved in this race," Massie said.

The race has become the most expensive in House history in terms of ad spending, with over $32 million spent, according to the nationally known ad tracking firm AdImpact.

Much of that money has been shelled out by Trump's allies and pro-Israel groups.

"Here's the thing, I've got nothing against Israel. I just have never voted for foreign aid. When I said America First, I meant it. I don't vote for foreign aid to Egypt, to Syria, to Ukraine. I've got a flawless record on this, and I'm not going to ruin it by sending foreign aid to one country," Massie said as he defended his stance on Israel.

The race has grabbed outsized attention across the country.

"It's basically a national race at this point, the most expensive race primary in congressional history, and that's because, you know, I'm up there, I'm getting things done. I got the Epstein files released, I'm getting legislation in the farm bill, I'm getting legislation passed on the floor, and they want to shut me down," Massie emphasized.

TRUMP SCORES MAJOR PRIMARY VICTORY AS CASSIDY OUSTED IN LOUISIANA

But Gallrein, speaking with ӣ��Ƶ Digital, charged that Massie's "running against President Trump, and the agenda that has been put forward by the Republican Party."

The primary winner will be considered the overwhelming favorite in the general election in a district Trump carried by 36 points in his 2024 White House win.

Trump's endorsement is also on the line in Kentucky's Republican Senate primary, in the race to succeed retiring Sen. Mitch McConnell, the former longtime GOP leader in the chamber.

Among the 11 Republican candidates are Rep. Andy Barr, who recently landed Trump's backing, and former state Attorney General Daniel Cameron, a former McConnell aide who was the GOP's 2023 gubernatorial nominee. As part of his endorsement of Barr, Trump persuaded MAGA-minded business leader Nate Morris to drop out of the race.

Barr, at a campaign event on primary eve, showcased that he's "the only candidate in this race who has been endorsed fully and completely by this president."

Seven Democrats, including 2020 Senate nominee Amy McGrath, are running for the Democratic nomination.

Here's a look at other key races to watch on Tuesday.

Georgia

Trump's endorsement powers will also be tested in the GOP gubernatorial primary in the southeastern battleground of Georgia.

The president is supporting Lt. Gov. Burt Jones in the race to succeed popular conservative Gov. Brian Kemp, who is term-limited.

Jones is considered one of the two frontrunners in the race, along with healthcare executive and billionaire businessman Rick Jackson, who launched his campaign in February and has spent more than $80 million of his own money on behalf of his bid.

State Attorney General Chris Carr and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger are also running.

Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, former Republican Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, former state Sen. Jason Esteves, state Rep. Derrick Jackson and former state labor commissioner and former DeKalb County CEO Mike Thurmond, are among the candidates seeking the Democratic nomination.

Trump remains neutral in the competitive and combustible Republican Senate primary.

Reps. Mike Collins and Buddy Carter, and former University of Tennessee football coach Derek Dooley, the son of legendary University of Georgia head football coach Vince Dooley, who is strongly backed by Kemp, are considered the frontrunners in a crowded field of candidates.

The winner of the GOP nomination will challenge Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff. The first-term senator is being heavily targeted by Republicans, who view him as the most vulnerable Democrat in the chamber seeking re-election this year. But Ossoff has built an extremely formidable war chest.

With crowded fields, the Republican Senate and gubernatorial primaries are likely headed to runoffs on June 16.

Alabama

The president is backing Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama as a Trump ally and two other Republicans seek their party's gubernatorial nomination in the race to succeed term-limited GOP Gov. Kay Ivey. Among the candidates for the Democratic nomination is former U.S. Sen. Doug Jones.

Republican Rep. Barry Moore is running for the GOP nomination to replace Tuberville in the U.S. Senate. Moore, who is endorsed by Trump, faces six other candidates, while four Democrats are vying for their party's nomination in the solidly red state.

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Meanwhile, only three of Alabama's seven congressional districts will hold primaries on Tuesday. Elections in the other four districts are being postponed until this summer, in the wake of a key Supreme Court ruling that sparked Republicans in a handful of southern states to redraw their congressional district lines.

Republicans restored a previously drawn but never used map that eliminates one of Alabama's two majority-Black congressional districts currently controlled by Democrats.

ӣ��Ƶ' Jessica Sonkin and Mark Meredith contributed to this report

Hegseth unleashes on Massie in GOP primary showdown against Trump-backed Navy SEAL vet

Mon, 18 May 2026 19:27:16 -0400

HEBRON, KY - Ed Gallrein, the Republican congressional candidate backed by President Donald Trump who is challenging Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky for the GOP nomination, landed extra firepower on the eve of the state's primary.

Gallrein, a former Navy SEAL and Kentucky farmer, was joined on the campaign trail Monday by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.

Massie has long been one of Trump's most vocal GOP critics in Congress and the Republican primary in Kentucky's 4th Congressional District, in the northeastern part of the state, the latest test of Trump's immense grip over the GOP.

"President Trump needs reinforcements, and that’s what war fighters do. They stand behind leaders and have their back," Hegseth said at an event organized by America First Works, a Trump-aligned nonprofit political advocacy group.

TRUMP SCORES MAJOR PRIMARY VICTORY AS CASSIDY OUSTED IN LOUSIANA

Massie, a libertarian-minded lawmaker who repeatedly takes aim at the president over foreign policy, including the Iran war and unconditional U.S. military aid to Israel, also successfully pushed for the release of government files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

But Hegseth argued that Massie's record is one of "too much grandstanding, too few great votes, years of acting like being difficult is the same thing as being courageous. It’s not. Real courage means stepping up when the mission matters most, when we need that tough vote to beat left-wing lunatic Democrats the most."

"President Trump does not need more people in Washington who are trying to make a point, especially from his own party. He needs people willing to help him win, to vote with him when it matters the most," Hegseth added.

Hegseth's remarks, which came soon after a stop at nearby Fort Campbell to award medals for service members, were rare for the civilian head of the nation's military. Defense secretaries have traditionally avoided appearing at political events.

Ahead of the stop, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said Hegseth would appear only "in his personal capacity" and that "no taxpayer dollars will be used to facilitate his visit."

Hegseth noted the unusual appearance.

"I have to say up front, for the lawyers, that I’m here in my personal capacity as a private citizen, a fellow American, and a fellow combat veteran."

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But Massie, who's locked in a competitive clash with Gallrein in what's become the most expensive congressional primary in history, claimed in a ӣ��Ƶ Digital interview on Monday that Hegseth's stop "shows that I'm up in the polls. They wouldn't be sending the Secretary of War to my congressional district if I weren't."

"I think it also shows I'm tougher than Iran, and I don't even have a nuclear weapon. I mean, they are all in at this race. It's basically a national race at this point, the most expensive race primary in congressional history, and that's because, you know, I'm up there, I'm getting things done. I got the Epstein files released, I'm getting legislation in the farm bill, I'm getting legislation passed on the floor, and they want to shut me down," Massie emphasized.

Gallrein, speaking with ӣ��Ƶ Digital ahead of his event with Hegseth, charged that Massie's "running against President Trump, and the agenda that has been put forward by the Republican Party."

Kentucky's primary is being held two weeks after Indiana's primary, where Trump-backed challengers ousted five sitting Republican state senators who last December teamed up with Democrats to defeat the president's push for congressional redistricting in the GOP-dominated Midwestern state.

And the ballot box showdown in Kentucky comes three days after Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana was ousted as he sought renomination. The senator came in third in the primary, behind Trump-backed Rep. Julia Letlow and conservative Louisiana Treasurer John Fleming.

Cassidy's political defeat came five and a half years after he voted to convict Trump after he was impeached by the House for his role in the violent Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol by supporters who aimed to upend congressional certification of former President Joe Biden's 2020 election victory. Trump was acquitted by the Senate.

Massie said he "absolutely can" overcome the Trump endorsement of Gallrein. "I've got the groundswell here, like my events. I've got 100-200 sometimes 300 people show up. My opponent had to cancel events because he couldn't get enough people, you know, to fill up a Dairy Queen, half a Dairy Queen."

SCOOP: TRUMP-BACKED FORMER NAVY SEAL LAUNCHES GOP PRIMARY CHALLENGE AGAINST MASSIE

The race has become the most expensive in House history in terms of ad spending, with over $32 million shelled out, according to the nationally known ad tracking firm AdImpact.

Much of that money has been shelled out by Trump's allies and pro-Israel groups.

And Massie touted that while Trump's allies and pro-Israel groups have spent tens of millions to take him out, he said, "I've got tens of thousands of grassroots donors who are funding me $50 at a time, $20 at a time. We've been able to match them to go toe to toe with them on TV using grassroots donors, and it's really galvanized the nation."

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Trump has repeatedly targeted Massie in social media posts in the closing days of the primary campaign.

And Trump praised Gallrein as "a great guy" and "a great patriot."

But Massie said Trump's taunts on social media may backfire.

"It shows he's losing sleep, his reputation is on the line. He really shouldn't have got involved in this race, because I vote with him 90% of the time," the congressman said.

Trump scores major Republican primary victory as Cassidy ousted in Louisiana

Sat, 16 May 2026 22:53:36 -0400

Five and a half years ago after he voted to convict President Donald Trump in his impeachment trial, GOP Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana was sent packing by Republican voters as he ran for re-election.

Trump-backed Rep. Julia Letlow and Louisiana Treasurer John Fleming topped Cassidy in Saturday's GOP primary, according to The Associated Press.

With most results tabulated late in the evening, Letlow stood at 45% of the vote, Fleming at roughly 28% and Cassidy at just under 25%, Since no candidate cracked 50% of the vote, Letlow and Fleming will advance to next month's runoff for the Republican nomination. And Cassidy becomes the first elected Republican senator to lose renomination since Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana in 2012

While he wasn't on the ballot, Trump is a winner, as the primary in the solidly red state was the latest test of his endorsements in GOP nomination races and of the president's immense grip over the Republican Party.

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Trump on Saturday morning took aim at Cassidy, arguing the senator is "a disloyal disaster" and "a sleazebag, a terrible guy, who is BAD FOR LOUISIANA."

And after Cassidy was defeated, Trump returned to social media to revel in the senator's ouster, saying "it’s nice to see that his political career is OVER!"

Cassidy, in a speech to supporters after conceding, said "when you participate in democracy, sometimes it doesn't turn out the way you want it to."

"But you don't pout, you don't whine. You don't claim the election was stolen… You don't manufacture some excuse," Cassidy said in an apparent jab at Trump. "You thank the voters for the privilege of representing the state or the country for as long as you've had that privilege. And that's what I'm doing right now."

The Louisiana primary was held a week and a half after Indiana's primary, where Trump-backed challengers ousted five sitting Republican state senators who last December teamed up with Democrats to defeat the president's push for congressional redistricting in the GOP-dominated Midwestern state.

Letlow, speaking to supporters at her primary night celebration, thanked Trump for his endorsement.

"Louisiana made it clear tonight: we are ready for strong conservative leadership that will stand with President Trump and never waver," she added in a post on X.

Letlow was backed by Trump even before she entered the race in January.

"Not only did he encourage me to get into this race, but also to have his complete and total endorsement has been, wow, the honor of a lifetime," Letlow told ӣ��Ƶ Digital on the eve of the primary.

Trump's endorsement in the nomination race weighed heavily in a state he carried by 22 points in his 2024 election victory.

"It's the most powerful endorsement in the world," Letlow said, adding that Louisiana Republicans "are huge fans of the president."

Letlow was also backed by Republican Gov. Jeff Landry of Louisiana, a top Trump ally.

After cruising to re-election six years ago, Cassidy was one of only seven Senate Republicans who voted in early 2021 to convict Trump after he was impeached by the House for his role in the violent Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol by supporters who aimed to upend congressional certification of former President Joe Biden's 2020 election victory. Trump was acquitted by the Senate.

But since the start of Trump's second term, Cassidy has been supportive of the president's agenda and his nominees, including voting to approve Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

But Kennedy and his Make America Healthy Again movement were out for revenge.

That's because Cassidy, a doctor, has been a skeptic of Kennedy's push to reform the nation's health policies, including Kennedy's efforts to cut back on vaccine recommendations.

And Kennedy allies blamed Cassidy, chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, for helping sink the surgeon general nomination of Casey Means, a close Kennedy ally and top MAHA advocate, after Cassidy did not bring it to a committee vote.

Meanwhile, Trump blasted the senator as a "very disloyal person" and on the eve of the primary, the president took to social media to praise Letlow as a "Highly Respected America First Congresswoman."

Cassidy highlighted his record over two terms in the Senate in delivering for Louisiana, which is one of the nation's poorest states. And he's showcased his support for Louisiana's large oil and gas industry, which accounts for roughly 15% of the state's workforce.

"When people ask things such as, can you work with President Trump, I point out that he has signed into law four bills that I wrote or negotiated," the senator said in a ӣ��Ƶ Digital interview on Friday. "We continue to work together, by the way."

And Cassidy touted that he's "a conservative senator who delivers."

Cassidy and an allied super PAC dished out more than $20 million on ads, according to AdImpact, a national ad tracking firm. That total was more than Letlow and Fleming, combined, spent.

Some of those ads knocked Letlow over her past support for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs during her tenure at the University of Louisiana at Monroe.

Cassidy argued that Republican voters are "concerned about her shifting position on DEI. She was all in for DEI."

Defending her record, Letlow told ӣ��Ƶ Digital that "back in 2020 whenever DEI was introduced to us, we had no idea what it was back then, and I quickly witnessed it. I was in higher education at the time. I quickly witnessed the left completely hijack it, turn it into this Marxist leftist indoctrination of our children. And so, when I got to Congress for the last five years, I've been fighting against it.

Letlow also faced scrutiny from her rivals over her failure to disclose over 200 personal stock and bond trades within the mandated 45-day reporting deadline for members of Congress.

She said it "was a reporting error on my financial advisor's part. And once I realized that that had happened, I quickly remedied it. It has never happened since."

And Letlow charged that the criticism of her from Cassidy and Fleming over DEI and stock trading was "all baseless attacks, desperate attacks."

Letlow won her congressional seat in 2021, after her husband, Luke Letlow, died six days after being sworn into the U.S. House after his 2020 election victory for the seat she now holds.

Fleming, who served as a White House deputy chief of staff during Trump’s first term, argued that he was the most conservative candidate in the GOP Senate primary.

'They see me clearly MAGA," Fleming told ӣ��Ƶ Digital, as he referred to Louisiana Republicans. "I served in his entire first administration at various capacities. I was one of the first congressmen that endorsed him in 2016."

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Meanwhile, Fleming claimed that Letlow was "not the prototype for a Trump endorsement. She's much more like a Democrat."

The winner of the Republican runoff will be considered the clear favorite in the general election to keep the Senate seat in Republican hands.

ӣ��Ƶ' Luke Trevisan contributed to this story

After Indiana purge, Trump sets sights on Louisiana’s Bill Cassidy

Sat, 16 May 2026 05:00:43 -0400

BATON ROUGE, La. — After taking out five Indiana state senators who opposed his push for congressional redistricting, President Donald Trump's next target is Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana.

Cassidy, who voted five and a half years ago to convict Trump in his impeachment trial, is fighting for his political life in a competitive race against two major challengers, including one backed by the president, in Saturday's GOP Senate primary in the solidly red southern state.

The president on Saturday morning took aim at Cassidy, arguing the senator is "a disloyal disaster" and "a sleazebag, a terrible guy, who is BAD FOR LOUISIANA."

Trump and his allies, including Republican Gov. Jeff Landry of Louisiana, are backing GOP Rep. Julia Letlow in the Senate primary. Also in the race is former Rep. John Fleming, who is the state treasurer. If no candidate cracks 50% of the primary vote, the top two finishers will face off for the nomination in a June 27 runoff election.

The primary is the latest test of Trump's endorsements in GOP nomination races and of the president's immense grip over the Republican Party.

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But since the start of Trump's second term, Cassidy has been supportive of the president's agenda and his nominees, including voting to approve Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

But Kennedy and his Make America Healthy Again movement are out for revenge.

That's because Cassidy, a doctor, has been a skeptic of Kennedy's push to reform the nation's health policies, including Kennedy's efforts to cut back on vaccine recommendations.

Meanwhile, Trump has blasted the senator as a "very disloyal person."

And on the eve of the primary, the president took to social media to praise Letlow as a "Highly Respected America First Congresswoman."

Making Cassidy's climb to renomination even tougher, Louisiana will now run separate party primaries in the Senate race, which replaces a system where all candidates appeared in one single jungle primary. That guarantees a more conservative and pro-Trump electorate for the GOP nomination.

Cassidy is highlighting his record over two terms in the Senate in delivering for Louisiana, which is one of the nation's poorest states. And he's showcased his support for Louisiana's large oil and gas industry, which accounts for roughly 15% of the state's workforce.

"When people ask things such as, can you work with President Trump, I point out that he has signed into law four bills that I wrote or negotiated," the senator said in a primary eve interview with ӣ��Ƶ Digital. "We continue to work together, by the way."

And Cassidy touted that he's "a conservative senator who delivers."

In trying to avert becoming the first elected Republican senator in nearly a decade and a half to be ousted in a primary, Cassidy and an allied super PAC have dished out more than $20 million on ads, according to AdImpact, a national ad tracking firm. That total is more than Letlow and Fleming, combined, have spent.

Some of those ads have knocked Letlow over her past support for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs during her tenure at the University of Louisiana at Monroe.

Cassidy argued that Republican voters are "concerned about her shifting position on DEI. She was all in for DEI."

LETLOW EXPLAINS HER PAST SUPPORT FOR DIVERSITY PROGRAMS

Defending her record, Letlow explained in a ӣ��Ƶ Digital interview on Friday that "back in 2020 whenever DEI was introduced to us, we had no idea what it was back then, and I quickly witnessed it. I was in higher education at the time. I quickly witnessed the left completely hijack it, turn it into this Marxist leftist indoctrination of our children. And so, when I got to Congress for the last five years, I've been fighting against it.

And she charged that the criticism of her from Cassidy and Fleming over DEI is "all baseless attacks, desperate attacks."

Letlow won her congressional seat in 2021, after her husband, Luke Letlow, died six days after being sworn into the U.S. House after his 2020 election victory for the seat she now holds.

She was backed by Trump even before she entered the race.

"Not only did he encourage me to get into this race, but also to have his complete and total endorsement has been, wow, the honor of a lifetime," Letlow said.

Letlow has taken aim at Cassidy for his bipartisan efforts in the Senate, including his vote for the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law that was a signature domestic achievement for then-President Joe Biden.

Asked about her criticism, Cassidy said the "people want someone who can deliver for Louisiana. The Infrastructure Investment Jobs Act has brought $13.5 billion to Louisiana for roads and bridges and high-speed internet, and along the way creating a lot of good paying jobs. My opponent opposed that bill."

Fleming, who served as a White House deputy chief of staff during Trump’s first term, has argued that he's the most conservative candidate in the GOP Senate primary.

Fleming claimed that Letlow is "not the prototype for a Trump endorsement. She's much more like a Democrat."

And Fleming, apparently, has become a threat to Letlow, as a super PAC supporting the congresswoman started to run ads attacking him.

But Trump's endorsement in the nomination race weighs heavily in a state he carried by 22 points in his 2024 election victory.

"It's the most powerful endorsement in the world," Letlow said, adding that Louisiana Republicans "are huge fans of the president."

And the Louisiana primary comes a week and a half after Indiana's primary, where Trump-backed challengers ousted five state senators who had defied the president over his redistricting push.

The political world was closely watching Indiana's primary because it was the first of a series of major tests this month of Trump's endorsement power in GOP nomination showdowns, and the president cleared his first hurdle with ease.

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Voters in Louisiana will also cast ballots in primary contests for State Supreme Court, Public Service Commission and state school board, along with five proposed state constitutional amendments.

But the primaries for the U.S. House seats were postponed by Landry after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the state's current congressional district map.

Republican state senators in Louisiana on Thursday advanced a plan to eliminate one of the state's two majority-Black congressional seats ahead of the midterms. Louisiana's state House will likely vote on the map next week. The U.S. House primaries are being postponed until November.

McMaster revives Trump-backed push to oust Biden kingmaker from Congress

Thu, 14 May 2026 19:55:19 -0400

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, a top Trump ally and fellow Republican, announced Thursday that he is convening the state legislature in Columbia, South Carolina, starting Friday for a special session to "address the state budget and congressional districts" in his largely Republican state.

"I have issued an Executive Order calling the General Assembly back for an extra legislative session to address the state budget and congressional districts beginning Friday, May 15, at 11:00 AM," McMaster wrote on X.

The move comes amid intraparty Republican tensions over the Trump-backed effort to redraw the state’s congressional map — a push that could threaten the tenure of longtime Democratic Rep. James Clyburn, the man credited with reviving former President Joe Biden’s 2020 campaign.

Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey, R-Edgefield, and four other senators earlier this week joined Democrats to defeat a proposal that would have allowed the chamber to vote on redistricting after the South Carolina legislative session closed Thursday.

The roadblock came hours after President Donald Trump warned he is "watching closely" the redistricting effort. Trump's message came a week after five Indiana Republican state senators who in December helped sink congressional redistricting in the solidly red Midwestern state were ousted by Trump-backed challengers in GOP primaries.

Proponents of the South Carolina redraw hope that the new map will ultimately rid the state’s congressional delegation of its lone Democrat, while advising lawmakers to move the primary for House members to August.

SOUTH CAROLINA REPUBLICANS DEFY TRUMP, TANK REDISTRICTING, FOR NOW

Clyburn, the octogenarian Orangeburg, South Carolina, lawmaker considered a kingmaker in Palmetto State Democratic politics — and credited with reviving then-candidate Biden’s floundering campaign with his endorsement in 2020 — may not be long for Capitol Hill, as a redraw would almost certainly redistribute the state’s heavy Republican advantage across its seven districts.

Clyburn said he remains confident he can win re-election even under a new map.

"I don’t know why people think I could not get re-elected if they redistrict South Carolina," Clyburn said in a CNN interview. "I have a district that’s about 45 percent African American. I have no idea what the number will be after the legislature finishes, but whatever that number is, I will be running on my record and America’s promise."

Massey argued in a floor speech that following Trump’s lead on redistricting would run counter to the interests of the Palmetto State.

"South Carolina has always punched above their weight," Massey said. "Doing this will diminish that influence."

But he also acknowledged that he will likely face political payback from Trump and the president's allies.

TRUMP TARGETS RED STATE REPUBLICAN LAWMAKERS IN PUSH FOR CONGRESSIONAL REDISTRICTING

"There are likely consequences for me, personally, taking the position that I am right now," Massey said. "I’m comfortable with that. I may not like it, but I’m comfortable with it. ... My conscience is clear on this one."

The recent Callais decision at the Supreme Court — which eliminated Louisiana’s race-conscious map that provided for two largely minority-heavy Democratic strongholds — has already spurred action in Tennessee, Alabama and Mississippi, and with Clyburn’s district itself reportedly the product of a George H.W. Bush Justice Department request regarding racial makeup, its days may be numbered.

The DOJ in 1992 recommended creating a majority-Black district in South Carolina, and Clyburn swiftly won the seat upon the retirement of fellow Democratic Rep. Robin Mooneyhan Tallon of Hemingway, according to a Government Printing Office publication on Black Americans in Congress.

Clyburn is also reportedly a relative of the previous Black South Carolina congressman, Republican George Washington Murray, who served in the 1890s.

The 85-year-old recently signed documents to make his run for re-election official, quipping that he is in good health and simply celebrating the 47th anniversary of his 39th birthday soon.

If redistricting fails and Clyburn is able to run again, he will join a growing list of octogenarian — and some nonagenarian — lawmakers who remain bullish about their political prospects.

The oldest sitting member is Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, who is 92, while elderly lawmakers facing re-election in 2026 besides Clyburn include Rep. Hal Rogers, R-Ky., who is 88, and Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., who is 87. Sen. James Risch, R-Idaho, is 83 and running for re-election, which would make him 89 at the end of his next term.

Four of the leading South Carolina Republicans running for governor this year, Lt. Gov. Pam Evette, Attorney Gen. Alan Wilson, and Reps. Nancy Mace and Ralph Norman, earlier this week criticized the redistricting setback in the state Senate.

On Thursday evening, Evette called McMaster's move "a critical step for President Trump and the people of South Carolina."

And Wilson said, "South Carolina has the opportunity to lead, and lawmakers should move quickly to pass new maps before the June primary."

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Alabama convened a special session earlier in May that House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter, R-Rainsville, correctly predicted would force the courts to rule on the validity of a special-case redistricting referendum there.

Tennessee successfully redrew its map, which is likely to result in the ouster of longtime Shelby County Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen, while Mississippi hit a snag in its own efforts after Gov. Tate Reeves pumped the brakes on a Callais-spurred effort to boot former House Jan. 6 Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson in the Delta.

Republican state senators in Louisiana on Thursday advanced a plan to eliminate one of the state's two majority-Black congressional seats ahead of the midterms.

Louisiana's state House will likely vote on the map next week. The state holds its primary on Saturday, but the state's congressional primaries are being postponed until November.

Trump turns sights on Bill Cassidy, Thomas Massie after decisive Indiana primary victories

Sat, 09 May 2026 05:00:45 -0400

After taking out five Indiana state senators who opposed his push for congressional redistricting, President Donald Trump and his allies are now moving on to two other top targets in upcoming Republican primaries.

They are Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, who voted to convict Trump in his 2021 Senate impeachment trial, and Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, a vocal GOP critic of the president.

The decisive victories this week in reliably red Indiana scored by Trump-backed challengers were the latest sign the president's immense grip on the Republican Party remains rock solid.

"I think Indiana sent a message to a lot of folks," veteran Republican campaign strategist Matt Gorman told ӣ��Ƶ.

TRUMP STRIKES BACK: GOP LAWMAKERS WHO OPPOSED PRESIDENT ON REDISTRICTING PAY PRICE

Gorman, who has advised GOP presidential campaigns and top members of Congress, said the results in Indiana show that "Trump's power within the party is unequivocal."

Five months ago, Republicans in the GOP-dominated Indiana state Senate withstood immense pressure from Trump and his allies and voted down congressional redistricting, which would have given Indiana two more right-leaning U.S. House seats ahead of the midterms.

Eight of those state senators who are up for re-election this year faced GOP primary challenges. Seeking retribution, the president endorsed challengers to seven of those eight lawmakers.

Five of the Trump-endorsed candidates won, with just one incumbent surviving and one race still too close to call.

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Trump-allied groups that supported the Trump challengers and targeted the GOP incumbents spent over $10 million in Indiana as they poured resources into the races.

The intraparty battle was seen not just as a test of fealty to Trump but a fight between MAGA forces and more traditional conservatives for the future of the GOP.

One of the groups backing Trump was the politically potent Club for Growth.

"This is a big win for Trump," Club for Growth President David McIntosh said Tuesday night.

And McIntosh, a former congressman from Indiana, said the primary victories were "a signal to the entire party that our base wants us to fight for what we believe in."

Trump's clout will be on the line again next weekend in the Louisiana primary.

Cassidy is facing primary challenges from two Republicans — Rep. Julia Letlow and former Rep. John Fleming, who is the state treasurer. Trump earlier this year weighed in on the race by endorsing Letlow.

Cassidy was one of only seven Senate Republicans who voted in early 2021 to convict Trump after he was impeached by the House for his role in the violent Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol by supporters who aimed to upend congressional certification of former President Joe Biden's 2020 election victory. Trump was acquitted by the Senate.

WHO IS JOHN FLEMING, THE FREEDOM CAUCUS FOUNDING MEMBER CHALLENGING GOP SEN BILL CASSIDY?

But since the start of Trump's second term, Cassidy has been supportive of the president's agenda and his nominees, including voting to approve Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

But Kennedy and his Make America Healthy Again movement are out for revenge.

That's because Cassidy, a doctor, has been a skeptic of Kennedy's push to reform the nation's health policies, including Kennedy's efforts to cut back on vaccine recommendations.

And Kennedy allies blamed Cassidy for helping sink the surgeon general nomination of Casey Means, a close Kennedy ally and top MAHA advocate, after he did not bring it to a committee vote.

If no candidate cracks 50% of the primary vote, the top two finishers will face off for the nomination in a June 27 runoff election.

Another major test comes three days later, on May 19, in the primary in Kentucky's 4th Congressional District, where Massie is facing a challenge from Trump-backed Ed Gallrein.

Massie has long been one of Trump's most vocal GOP critics in Congress, repeatedly taking aim at the president over the Epstein files and foreign policy.

Trump allies have spent big bucks to boost Gallrein, a former Navy SEAL, and to take aim at Massie.

Veteran Republican strategist Tim Murtaugh, who is advising Gallrein, said the Indiana results are a major warning sign for Massie.

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"Indiana is right across the border from this district, so there’s no doubt Massie knows what those primary results mean to him. And it ain’t good news, that’s for sure," Murtaugh told ӣ��Ƶ Digital.

"It’s more evidence that Republican voters want America First candidates who will stand with President Trump rather than fight him and endlessly obstruct the agenda."

But Massie has highlighted a surge in fundraising this year as he faces off against Gallrein.

He hauled in $2.5 million during the first three months of this year and just raked in nearly $1 million in the past week.

And Massie has criticized Gallrein for not debating, arguing this week that his challenger has "been AWOL for eight debates and forums so far."

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to clarify that Sen. Bill Cassidy did not vote to block Casey Means’ surgeon general nomination. The nomination was withdrawn by the White House after it stalled in committee.

Democrats’ midterm push clouded by infighting over party keeping 2024 autopsy under wraps

Thu, 14 May 2026 05:00:58 -0400

Democrats keep winning at the ballot box as the party works to win back congressional majorities in this year's midterm elections.

But despite a slew of electoral victories and overperformances in the more than 15 months since President Donald Trump returned to the White House, the party's image remains well underwater in public opinion polling and the Democratic National Committee (DNC) finds itself badly trailing the rival Republican National Committee in fundraising, a crucial gauge of a party's strength.

To make matters worse, the DNC is facing continued calls to release its internal autopsy of the party's sweeping setbacks in the 2024 election, when Democrats lost the presidency and Senate majority and fell short in winning back control of the House.

Among those calling on the DNC to make public their report on what went wrong for the Democrats in 2024 is former Vice President Kamala Harris, the party's presidential nominee two years ago.

DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE FLIP FLOPS, PULLS PLUG ON ITS 2024 ELECTION ‘AUTOPSY'

Harris, who is mulling making another White House bid in 2028, recently told donors she believes the DNC should make the autopsy public. The news was first reported by NBC News and confirmed by ӣ��Ƶ Digital.

Martin ordered the report soon after he was elected DNC chair early last year.

Throughout the process, Martin repeatedly pushed back on calling the report an "autopsy," since he noted that the Democratic Party wasn't dead. He instead labeled the report an "after-action review."

But in December, weeks after Democrats scored major victories in the 2025 off-year elections, the party announced it would not be releasing the report.

Martin, in a statement at the time, said releasing the report would be "a distraction" from the party's "core mission" to win back congressional majorities in the midterms.

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In explaining his decision, Martin wrote, "We completed a comprehensive review of what happened in 2024 and are already putting our learnings into motion. And we're winning again — even in places that haven't gone blue in decades. In our conversations with stakeholders from across the Democratic ecosystem, we are aligned on what’s important, and that’s learning from the past and winning the future."

"Here’s our North Star: does this help us win? If the answer is no, it’s a distraction from the core mission," he emphasized.

But the DNC chair's decision was criticized not only by Republicans but also by fellow Democrats.

"They are spiking an autopsy of the election that gave us Trump 2.0. If party leaders won't take the steps required to rebuild ourselves into a winning coalition, we will take it into our own hands," former DNC Vice Chair David Hogg warned in a social media post at the time.

Dan Pfeiffer, a former senior advisor to then-President Barack Obama and a co-host of the popular progressive podcast "Pod Save America," also took to social media to criticize the move.

"This is a very bad decision that reeks of the caution and complacency that brought us to this moment," Pfeiffer wrote.

His podcast co-host and fellow Obama alum Jon Favreau called the DNC flip-flop "unreal" and "baffling."

"The DNC's actual position is that if the public knew more about what Democrats got wrong in the last election, it would hurt the party's chances in the next election," Favreau wrote on X. "How does this rebuild trust between the party insiders and grassroots activists and organizers?"

Martin last month made an appearance on "Pod Save America" to push back against the criticism.

DNC CHAIR GRILLED BY LIBERAL PODCAST HOST FOR NOT RELEASING 2024 POLITICAL AUTOPSY REPORT

"We’ve been releasing that," Martin said when asked if the DNC would release a summary of the report. "The reality is we’re not hiding the ball on this. We have been sharing those things out. There’s no smoking gun here."

Martin noted that "we've been providing briefings," as he pointed to data from the report the DNC shared with Democratic stakeholders.

Harris isn't the only potential 2028 Democratic presidential contender calling on the DNC to make the full report public.

"Yeah, release the autopsy," Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey said this past weekend in an interview on NBC’s "Meet the Press" on Sunday. "They should do that," the senator added as he pointed to the DNC.

But Booker, who ran unsuccessfully for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination won by Biden and who is mulling another run in 2028, said it's imperative his party doesn't dwell on the past.

Rotimi Adeoye, a former Democratic operative who is serving as a contributing opinion writer for The New York Times, argued in a social media post that "the mistake the DNC made is they could’ve released the report earlier in the spring, whatever’s in it, you get two weeks of bad publicity, then Trump does something stupid and everyone forgets."

"Now it feels like something’s being hidden, which makes it way more salacious," he claimed.

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A person familiar with the DNC's strategy told ӣ��Ƶ Digital because of all the attention on the autopsy, "they are going to be forced to release something."

The person, who asked to remain anonymous to speak more freely, said the ongoing storyline is a distraction for the DNC with the clock ticking towards the midterms, adding "it’s just not helping to be talking about this."

The DNC pointed to Martin's previous comments when contacted by ӣ��Ƶ Digital.

Twin court rulings reshape House battlefield as Democrats fight uphill redistricting battle

Wed, 13 May 2026 14:28:13 -0400

As they push to flip the House and capture the chamber's majority in this year's midterm elections, Democrats are facing a steeper hill to climb, thanks to two blockbuster court rulings.

A Virginia Supreme Court decision last week that struck down the state's voter-passed congressional redistricting ballot measure, coupled with a ruling a week earlier by the Supreme Court to slash a key protection in the 1965 Voting Rights Act, were major setbacks for Democrats.

The twin rulings gave President Donald Trump and Republicans a major boost in their high-stakes mid-decade redistricting battle with Democrats, giving the House GOP a bit of breathing room as it defends its razor-thin majority in the midterms.

At stake is which party will control the House and the Senate during the final two years of Trump's second term in the White House.

SOUTH CAROLINA REPUBLICANS DEFY TRUMP, TANK REDISTRICTING, FOR NOW

The Virginia decision negated four more likely left-leaning congressional districts in that state. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court ruling, which determined that race should not dictate the redrawing of legislative district maps, spurred a slew of Republican-controlled southern states to quickly redraw their maps and create more right-leaning seats ahead of the midterms.

"We have a battlefield, a map, that favors Republicans," Rep. Richard Hudson of North Carolina, the chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee, noted Monday in a ӣ��Ƶ Channel interview as he pointed to the possibility of the GOP having a net gain of up to a dozen more right-tilting House districts as a result of redistricting initiated by Trump a year ago.

But some Republicans are raising concerns that the newly drawn GOP-controlled districts could put once safe red seats in play by diluting the percentage of Republican voters in those districts.

"You could, in essence, take … like here in Texas, take big cities, which are typically Democrat and split them up among several sort of suburban and rural Republicans and thereby reduce their margin and make [House Republicans] more vulnerable in an election year," veteran GOP strategist and longtime ӣ��Ƶ contributor Karl Rove said Sunday in an interview on the ӣ��Ƶ Channel.

House Democrats vow to keep fighting in the redistricting wars.

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House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries wrote in a letter Monday to fellow congressional Democrats, "Our effort to forcefully push back against the Republican redistricting scheme will not slow down. We are just getting started."

But with the clock quickly ticking toward midterm filing deadlines and the conservative majority on the nation's highest court unlikely to cooperate, the Democrats' legal options seem limited at best.

Democrats, though, still enjoy campaign tailwinds due to a rough political landscape facing Republicans.

Republicans — as the party in power — were already up against traditional political headwinds that lead to a loss of congressional seats. Add to that the challenging climate fueled by persistent inflation, soaring gas prices tied to what polls show is an unpopular war with Iran and President Trump's increasingly negative approval ratings.

Democrats have spotlighted affordability as they've won and overperformed in a slew of ballot box showdowns in the more than 15 months since Trump returned to the White House, including flipping legislative seats in red-leaning districts.

That messaging campaign will only intensify going forward, especially after this week's economic reporting indicating inflation soaring to 3.8% as gas prices top a national average of $4.50 per gallon. Prices overall are outpacing wages for the first time in three years.

ALABAMA REPUBLICANS PLOW FORWARD ON REDISTRICTING

Add to that Trump this week saying "I don't think about Americans' financial situation" while discussing what factors come into play as he tries to negotiate to end the war with Iran. The comments were an instant political gift to Democrats.

"Given the highly unfavorable political environment confronting House Republicans, the extremists will not meaningfully benefit from their scandalous gerrymandering scheme. Quite the opposite," Jeffries argued in his letter to Democrats.

Despite the redistricting setbacks, top nonpartisan political handicappers still give the Democrats the upper hand in the midterm battle for the House majority as they point to the current political atmosphere.

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The Cook Report said it still believes Democrats are "favored to win control of the House due to the poor national environment for the GOP. But they are no longer overwhelming favorites."

And Sabato's Crystal Ball said it "still think(s) the Democrats are favored overall in the House, particularly if the environment does not improve for Republicans."

Nebraska's Pillen wins Republican renomination in bid for second term as governor

Tue, 12 May 2026 21:30:39 -0400

Republican Gov. Jim Pillen of Nebraska is a big step closer to winning re-election as governor of the red-leaning Great Plains state.

Pillen easily topped five challengers in Nebraska's GOP gubernatorial primary to win his party's 2026 nomination, the Associated Press reports.

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The governor, a practicing veterinarian and chair of Pillen Family Farms who also played defensive back for the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers football team five decades ago, was first elected in 2022.

The backing of the outgoing Republican Gov. Pete Ricketts helped Pillen top a crowded field of GOP rivals in the primary before going on to easily win the general election.

SIX MONTHS TILL MIDTERMS: THE TEN RACES THAT WILL DETERMINE THE SENATE'S MAJORITY

One week after being sworn in as governor, Pillen appointed Ricketts to fill the U.S. Senate seat left vacant when Republican Sen. Ben Sasse stepped down to become University of Florida president.

Pillen will be considered the clear favorite in the general election in a state President Donald Trump carried by 20 points as he won back the White House in 2024.

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The governor will face off against former state Sen. Lynne Walz, who won the Democratic nomination, the Associated Press reports.

Walz crushed perennial candidate Larry Marvin in the Democratic primary.

Republican Ricketts wins GOP primary in Nebraska, advances to key Senate showdown

Tue, 12 May 2026 21:10:01 -0400

Republican Sen. Pete Ricketts is a step closer to serving a full six-year term in the Senate, after winning renomination in red-leaning Nebraska's primary.

Ricketts, who was appointed in 2023 to replace Ben Sasse, and who won a 2024 special election to fill out the final two years of Sasse's term, topped four GOP primary challengers on Tuesday, The Associated Press reports.

Ricketts now heads to this autumn's midterm elections, where he will face off in what's expected to be a competitive Senate race against independent candidate Dan Osborn, the industrial mechanic and military veteran who gave Republican Sen. Deb Fischer a scare in her 2024 re-election.

Tuesday's primary was held with less than six months to go until the midterm elections, when Republicans aim to hold their razor-thin House and slim Senate majorities, and Democrats hope to ride a blue wave to escape the political wilderness.

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"Thank you, Nebraska! I'm honored to be your Republican nominee," Ricketts said in a social media post following his primary victory.

But looking ahead to the general election showdown, he added, "Our work is far from over."

In a fundraising pitch, Ricketts argued, "Out-of-state liberal donors are going to pour millions into Nebraska this fall. Chip in now and send them a message: Nebraska elections won’t be bought by liberals in California."

Even though the Nebraska Democratic Party supports Osborn in the general election, community college instructor Cindy Burbank and pastor Bill Forbes faced off for the Democrats' nomination in the primary.

Burbank secured the Democratic nomination, The Associated Press reports, as she crushed Forbes in the primary election.

Both candidates were last-minute filers, and some Nebraska Democrats alleged that Forbes jumped into the race so that a Democrat would be on the fall ballot and siphon votes away from Osborn to help Ricketts.

SIX MONTHS TILL MIDTERMS: THE TEN RACES THAT WILL DETERMINE THE SENATE'S MAJORITY

Forbes denied the claims.

Burbank says she jumped into the race to keep Forbes off the ballot in November.

Ricketts is the eldest son of TD Ameritrade founder Joe Ricketts, and, along with other family members, is part owner of Major League Baseball's Chicago Cubs.

DEMOCRATS EYE NARROW PATH TO CAPTURE SENATE MAJORITY, BUT ONE WRONG MOVE COULD SINK THEM

Ricketts won election in 2014 and re-election in 2018 as Nebraska governor. One week after finishing his second term, he was appointed to the U.S. Senate by his successor as governor, Republican Jim Pillen.

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Top nonpartisan political handicappers rank the Senate general election showdown in Nebraska as likely Republican.

The GOP currently controls the Senate with a 53-47 majority.

Big city Democrat mayor arrested at ICE protest faces voters in re-election bid

Tue, 12 May 2026 21:04:07 -0400

A big-city Democratic mayor who grabbed national attention last year as he was arrested during an anti-ICE protest outside a federal immigration detention center cruised to re-election on Tuesday.

Mayor Ras Baraka of Newark, New Jersey, easily topped 50% of the vote in Tuesday's election as he faced off against seven challengers, the Associated Press reports.

Since Baraka clinched a majority of the vote as he ran for a fourth term steering New Jersey's largest city, he'll avoid a runoff in November.

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While Baraka is a Democrat, mayoral elections in Newark are technically nonpartisan.

Baraka, who is considered one of the most progressive mayors in the nation, last year opposed the reopening of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility in Newark, which was part of President Donald Trump's second-term crackdown on illegal immigration.

On May 9, 2025, Baraka was arrested by ICE agents outside the facility after he unsuccessfully attempted to join a congressional delegation's tour of the facility.

The mayor's arrest made national headlines.

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The charges against Baraka were dropped, and he later ran for governor, coming in second to then-Rep. Mikie Sherrill in last year's Democratic gubernatorial primary. Sherrill ended up winning election as New Jersey governor.

South Carolina Republicans defy Trump, tank redistricting, for now

Tue, 12 May 2026 20:25:43 -0400

A handful of Republican state senators in South Carolina on Tuesday derailed an effort in the GOP-dominated legislature to redraw their state's congressional district map which aims to erase the only Democrat-dominated U.S. House seat ahead of the midterm elections.

Five Republican state senators broke with their party and teamed up with Democrats to defeat a proposal that would have allowed the chamber to vote on redistricting after the South Carolina legislative session comes to a close later this week.

The move came hours after President Donald Trump warned on social media that he'd be "watching closely" as lawmakers met to move forward with changing their state's map.

The setback means it will be much harder for South Carolina to join Tennessee, Alabama and Louisiana, which are altering their maps to eliminate Democrat-controlled congressional districts in time for the midterms, when the GOP will be defending its razor-thin House majority. The southern states are the latest battleground in the nationwide redistricting showdown. At stake is which party will control the House during the final two years of Trump's second term in the White House.

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The efforts by Republicans in the southern states come in the wake of a decision by the conservative majority on the Supreme Court to slash a key protection in the landmark 1965 Voting Rights Act. The justices ruled that race should not dictate the redrawing of legislative district maps.

South Carolina Republicans were trying to advance a new map that could put longtime Rep. Jim Clyburn, the only Democrat in the state's seven-person House delegation, out of a job.

Clyburn this past week remained optimistic he can still win re-election.

"I don’t know why people think I could not get re-elected if they redistrict South Carolina," Clyburn said in a CNN interview. "I have a district that’s about 45 percent African-American. I have no idea what the number will be after the legislature finishes, but whatever that number is, I will be running on my record and America’s promise."

ALABAMA REPUBLICANS PLOW FORWARD ON REDISTRICTING

Trump, in a social media post Monday night, urged "South Carolina Republicans: BE BOLD AND COURAGEOUS."

"Move the U.S. House Primaries to August, leave the rest on the same schedule. Everything will be fine. GET IT DONE!" he emphasized.

Trump's message came a week after five Indiana Republican state senators who in December helped sink congressional redistricting in the solidly red Midwestern state were ousted by Trump-backed challengers in GOP primaries.

Shane Massey, the South Carolina Senate's Republican majority leader, argued in a floor speech that following Trump's lead on edistricting would be against the interests of the Palmetto State.

"South Carolina has always punched above their weight," Massey said. "Doing this will diminish that influence."

But he also acknowledged that he will likely face political payback from Trump and the president's allies.

Other South Carolina Republicans had raised concerns that carving up the district represented by Clyburn could backfire on their party in the midterms.

The top four Republicans running for governor this year, Lt. Gov. Pam Evette, Attorney Gen. Alan Wilson, and Reps. Nancy Mace and Ralph Norman all criticized the lack of legislative action, with Evette describing it as "a betrayal of the people of South Carolina" and in "direct defiance" of Trump.

The current governor, Republican Henry McMaster, a top Trump ally, could still call the legislature back into special session to try and push through redistricting, but his office has so far said that scenario is unlikely.

WHAT'S ON THE LINE AS THESE STATES HOLD PRIMARIES TODAY

The GOP-dominated Tennessee legislature on Thursday quickly adopted a new map that would eliminate the only Democrat-controlled congressional district in the state, and would likely give Republicans control of all nine districts.

GOP Gov. Bill Lee quickly signed the new maps into law.

Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen, who represents the majority Black district that's being carved up, vowed legal action.

"Trump knows he HAS TO rig the game to keep his majority in November. And the TN GOP was willing to go along with it. It’s shameful," Cohen wrote on social media. "Next stop is the courts."

Trump praised Tennessee Republicans in his social media post and urged GOP lawmakers in South Carolina to act "just like the Republicans of the Great State of Tennessee were last week."

It's back to the future in Alabama, after the Supreme Court, in a 6-3 ideological ruling, cleared the way for the state to put in place a map Republicans drew up in 2023 that had been blocked by lower courts. The map would eliminate one of the state's two blue-leaning congressional seats.

GOP Gov. Kay Ivey on Tuesday called for a special primary election in August in the four U.S. House districts altered by the new map.

Last week, the Supreme Court said that its decision declaring Louisiana's map unconstitutional should go into effect immediately.

That cleared the way for the GOP-controlled state legislature to begin the process of reshaping the map, and hearings got underway on Friday.

Republican Gov. Jeff Landry, a top Trump ally, took swift action in the immediate aftermath of the high court's ruling, when he delayed the May 16 U.S. House primary elections in Louisiana.

Louisiana Republicans are aiming to erase one or both of the two Black-majority House seats, which are represented by Democrats.

BLOCKBUSTER SUPREME COURT VOTING RIGHTS RULING IGNITES REDISTRICTING WAR ACROSS SOUTHERN STATES

In Florida, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis last week signed a bill by the GOP-dominated state legislature that overhauls the red-leaning state's congressional districts, adding four more right-leaning seats by eliminating districts currently controlled by Democrats.

Republicans currently control Florida's U.S. House delegation by a 20-8 margin.

Democrats are fighting back.

On Monday, Democrats filed an emergency appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court seeking to halt a Virginia state Supreme Court ruling invalidating a ballot measure that would have given their party an additional four left-leaning U.S. House seats.

Last week's ruling in Virginia means the map used in the 2024 elections will stay in place for the 2026 ballot box showdowns. Democrats currently control the state's U.S. House delegation by a 6-5 margin. The now overturned map could have resulted in a 10-1 advantage for Democrats in the blue-leaning but competitive state.

How we got here

The battle over the maps ignited last spring when Trump, aiming to prevent what happened during his first term in the White House when Democrats reclaimed the House majority in the 2018 midterms, first floated the idea of rare, but not unheard of, mid-decade congressional redistricting.

The mission was simple: redraw congressional district maps in red states to pad the GOP's fragile House majority to keep control of the chamber in the midterms, when the party in power traditionally faces political headwinds and loses seats.

When asked by reporters last summer about his plan to add Republican-leaning House seats across the country, the president said, "Texas will be the biggest one. And that’ll be five."

Republican Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas called a special session of the GOP-dominated state legislature to pass the new map.

But Democratic state lawmakers, who broke quorum for two weeks as they fled Texas in a bid to delay the passage of the redistricting bill, energized Democrats across the country. Among those leading the fight against Trump's redistricting was Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom of California.

California voters in November overwhelmingly passed Proposition 50, a ballot initiative that temporarily sidetracked the left-leaning state's nonpartisan redistricting commission and returned the power to draw the congressional maps to the Democratic-dominated legislature.

That led to five more Democratic-leaning congressional districts in California, which aimed to counter the move by Texas to redraw their maps.

But the fight quickly spread beyond Texas and California.

Republican-controlled Missouri and Ohio and swing state North Carolina, where the GOP dominates the legislature, drew new maps as part of the president's push.

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But in blows to Republicans, a Utah district judge late last year rejected a congressional district map drawn by the state's GOP-dominated legislature and instead approved an alternate that will create a Democratic-leaning district ahead of the midterms.

And as mentioned, Republicans in Indiana's Senate in December defied Trump, shooting down a redistricting bill that had passed the state House.

Shelley Moore Capito wins West Virginia GOP Senate primary with Trump's endorsement backing her bid

Tue, 12 May 2026 20:01:01 -0400

Republican Sen. Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia is a big step closer to re-election, thanks in part to support from President Donald Trump.

Capito easily defeated five Republican challengers in Tuesday's GOP Senate primary in West Virginia, The Associated Press reports, to secure her party's nomination in the solidly red Mountain State.

The two-term lawmaker, who served a decade and a half in the House before first winning election to the Senate in 2014 and making history as the state's first female senator, hails from a political family. Her late father was Arch Moore Jr., a former three-term governor and six-term congressman.

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Among those trying to defeat her in Tuesday's primary was state Sen. Tom Willis, who argued that it was "time for a change" and took aim at "career politicians."

But Capito, as she ran for re-nomination, spotlighted her support from Trump.

"I’m honored to have President Trump’s complete and total endorsement as we fight to protect West Virginia jobs, make life more affordable, secure our border, and defend our shared values in the Mountain State," she wrote last month.

SIX MONTHS TILL MIDTERMS: THE TEN RACES THAT WILL DETERMINE THE SENATE'S MAJORITY

And on Tuesday, she took to X to highlight, "Proud to lead President Trump’s ticket in West Virginia today."

The National Republican Senatorial Committee, which backs Capito, touted on X after her primary victory that the senator "is ready to keep fighting alongside President Trump to put West Virginia FIRST!"

And Trump took to social media to highlight Capito's victory and his endorsement of the senator.

Capito, in a statement after her victory, said: "West Virginia Republicans sent a clear message that we are ready to continue delivering wins with America First policies through my strong leadership in the U.S. Senate."

West Virginia, once a state where Democrats dominated, is nowadays dark red. Trump carried the state by over 40 points in his 2024 White House victory.

DEMOCRATS EYE NARROW PATH TO CAPTURE SENATE MAJORITY, BUT ONE WRONG MOVE COULD SINK THEM

Capito will now be considered the overwhelming favorite in the November midterm elections, as top nonpartisan political handicappers rate the race as solidly Republican.

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The GOP currently controls the Senate with a 53-47 majority.

Former Morgantown City Council member Rachel Fetty Anderson topped four rivals to win the Democratic Senate nomination, The Associated Press reports.

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