The Republican Party has faced ongoing challenges in 2025, including economic pressures, immigration concerns, and criticism over inaction in Washington. Yet, under President Donald Trump’s leadership in early 2026, a renewed sense of optimism is emerging within the GOP.
New year, new party? Not exactly. While core issues like stagnant economy, border security, and bureaucratic gridlock persist, Trump’s decisive actions are creating momentum for progress and demonstrating the impact of strong leadership.
Take Venezuela as a prime example. U.S. forces conducted a successful operation, capturing former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife and bringing them to the United States to face longstanding drug trafficking and narco-terrorism charges. This bold move removed a hostile regime, enhancing American national security by disrupting alliances with adversaries like Iran, Russia, and China, as well as narco-trafficking networks.
Economically, Trump’s move will deliver immediate gains. Venezuelan officials have agreed to supply the U.S. with 30 to 50 million barrels of oil at market prices, stabilizing energy markets, reducing dependence on unreliable sources, and helping lower gas prices for Americans. The intervention showcases a president who is decisively committed to protecting U.S. interests.
Building on this momentum, Trump’s tariff policies are positioned to yield tangible benefits in 2026 as companies ramp up reshoring efforts to navigate the trade environment. While they appeared to be a drain on the American economy in 2025, these tariffs encourage domestic production, reversing years of offshoring that cost American jobs. Apple expanded U.S. facilities for products like iPads and Watches. Nvidia initiated major investments in chip manufacturing in Arizona and Texas. Intel and TSMC accelerated semiconductor plants in Ohio and Arizona. General Electric increased its domestic operations. Whirlpool announced expansions for domestic appliance production.
GE Appliances plans to shift production of refrigerators, gas ranges and water heaters out of China and Mexico as part of a more than $3 billion investment to expand its U.S. operations in Kentucky, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee and South Carolina.
These initiatives are driving a revival in American industry, generating higher-wage jobs, more resilient supply chains, and greater energy independence. As facilities become operational in 2026, communities in manufacturing centers will see real economic gains, reinforcing support for the GOP’s America First approach.
Further bolstering this trajectory is Trump’s firm response to fraud scandals, especially those involving Somali-operated programs in Minnesota, where billions in taxpayer funds were allegedly diverted in childcare and welfare schemes. The administration has deployed approximately 2,000 federal agents to Minneapolis, frozen suspicious funding, and launched comprehensive investigations to uphold accountability. The focus on enforcing the law protects public resources for American citizens.
For Republicans, the Somali fraud scandal in Minnesota serves as a powerful unifying issue, galvanizing the party around a shared agenda to overhaul immigration policies, reform entitlement programs, and strengthen oversight mechanisms — all while reinforcing core commitments to fiscal responsibility and border security. The allegations involve billions in misused federal funds through childcare and welfare schemes, with the Justice Department charging 98 individuals, most of Somali origin, in what has been described as one of the largest fraud operations in U.S. history.
Win #10 – Minnesota Somali Fraud
As @nickshirleyy’s excellent reporting has revealed, Tim Walz’s Minnesota is rife with fraud.
To date, the DOJ has charged 98 total defendants—85 of Somali descent—in Medicaid fraud and related case programs. 64 defendants have been convicted so…
— U.S. Department of Justice (@TheJusticeDept) January 1, 2026
It allows the perfect opportunity for GOP leaders to highlight how Democrats promoted lax immigration enforcement and inadequate vetting that have enabled such abuses. Republicans should propose reforms like blocking immigrants from accessing benefits, mandatory audits for high-risk programs, and stricter penalties for those who exploit our systems.
By framing the scandal as a symptom of broader systemic failures under prior administrations, Republicans can rally their base, attract independents frustrated with waste, and build momentum for comprehensive reforms that protect American resources and sovereignty.
Republicans’ main goal for the rest of 2026 is not to waste this opportunity. Maximize domestic efforts to revitalize the economy and address fraud, waste, and abuse of American taxpayer dollars. Use the wins to highlight the successes in messaging and campaigns, pursue legislation to solidify them, and engage grassroots supporters. Trump has once again set the stage for them to win. All the GOP has to do is not screw it up.
https://drrichswier.com/wp-content/uploads/Clear-Up-For-GOP.jpg347640The Daily Callerhttp://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.pngThe Daily Caller2026-01-07 15:52:542026-01-07 15:59:01ROOKE: It Only Took A Couple Weeks For Dark Skies To Clear Up For GOP’s Future
Democrats seem to be feeling energized by some recent positive results and a classic piece of liberal media optimism that paints a picture of supposed cracks in President Donald Trump’s rural support due to tariffs and policy reforms. But history shows they might be in over their skis.
Politico reported Saturday that Democrats believe they have a chance to gain significant support from voters in GOP strongholds in rural America. The story exemplifies how the Democratic Party, fueled by wishful thinking and a visceral desire to beat Trump at any cost, is poised to squander significant resources on an illusory opportunity in rural America. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) rolled out an eight-figure investment into a first-ever dedicated rural outreach program, complete with staff hires, voter mobilization, and ads featuring disgruntled farmers.
At first glance, this appears to be strategic. Democrats cite Virginia Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger’s November gubernatorial win in which she captured 46 percent of rural voters and outperformed former Vice President Kamala Harris in 48 of 52 rural localities by attacking Trump’s tariffs and emphasizing affordability concerns.
“We have a unique opening because of all that’s happening with this administration,” Democratic Illinois Rep. Nikki Budzinski told Politico. She added that farmers and rural voters, who make up a significant portion of her district, “might be listening in a more unique way than they maybe have ever in the past. And we need to walk through that door.”
Political realities should show this as a profound misallocation of Democratic Party resources. Their move is driven more by ideological fervor and headline-chasing than by prudent political calculus. For example, Spanberger’s success in Virginia is notable but does not translate nationally. Virginia’s rural areas are influenced by proximity to suburban federal workers, and her centrist branding resonated in a state with unique demographics. Replicating her rural gains in deeper-red rural heartlands — like the Midwest or the Great Plains — requires overcoming decades of perceived Democratic neglect.
Democrats already lost a bid to pick up a rural seat in Tennessee. Republican candidate Matt Van Epps beat Democratic candidate Aftyn Behn for retiring Republican Rep. Mark Green’s vacant seat Dec. 2. Van Epps’ district is a quintessential red stronghold, stretching from parts of Nashville to rural Tennessee. Republicans have historically dominated here. Still, Democrats deployed their new affordability campaign strategy hoping for an upset.
In the end, Van Epps beat Behn by 9 points. While narrower than Trump’s 22-point win over Harris, Van Epps’ victory showed a hole in Democrats’ new plan.
Nicholas Jacobs and Daniel Shea note in their 2023 book, The Rural Voter: The Politics of Place and the Disuniting of America, that perceptions of Democratic indifference are deeply entrenched among rural voters. Authenticity and sustained presence are required to rebuild trust, not sporadic ad buys or listening tours. These voters still remember what happened to their family farms and rural communities after elite-driven trade deals like the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which devastated local economies, imposed regulatory burdens on farming, and created cultural disconnects.
Rural Americans deserve to be seen, heard and supported. That isn’t happening in D.C.
Additionally, the opportunity cost for Democrats is staggering. Midterms historically favor the opposition, but only if resources are deployed efficiently. Diverting eight figures to erode margins in unwinnable rural districts dilutes efforts in competitive suburbs or urban turnout operations where Democrats are more likely to generate positive voter support. Democrats even admit that rural communities won’t be a gold mine of election-day votes. They merely seek to chip away at 80+ Trump margins.
The real reason Democrats are touting this campaign strategy and Politico is giving them the runway to do it is because it keeps donors engaged. It’s performative politics for elites sitting inside their offices, visualizing narratives of Democratic inroads in Trump country to generate media buzz.
The issue is that it spreads a bruised and battered Democratic Party, still recovering from 2024, too thin. They are diverting millions from winnable suburbs or shoring up their base, all for marginal erosion in places they’ll never flip. This Politico narrative offers false hope post-2024 that Democrats have been hoping for to drum up much-needed donor dollars, but in return could forfeit real opportunities elsewhere.
That doesn’t mean that Republicans shouldn’t remain vigilant in their duties to support rural America. After all, complacency is why Republicans were able to win over blue-collar voters after decades of being staunchly pro-Democrat. It’s now more important than ever for the GOP to deliver tangible results. It’s the only way to keep their massive rural bloc securely red.
https://drrichswier.com/wp-content/uploads/Democrats-Willing-To-Chase.jpg335640The Daily Callerhttp://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.pngThe Daily Caller2025-12-30 04:23:322025-12-30 04:31:26ROOKE: Democrats Willing To Chase Political Pipe Dream Straight Off A Cliff
Republicans headed into Christmas with a string of developments that reinforced their electoral footing, legal strategy, and governing momentum.
From holding a competitive House seat to locking in a major confirmation, the party closed the year with tangible wins rather than talking points. Taken together, these moments offered the GOP fresh proof of durability heading into 2026.
1. GOP Holds Tennessee Seat In Crucial Special Election
Republicans successfully defended a critical House seat in Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District, keeping it firmly in GOP hands after a closely watched special election. Republican Tennessee Rep. Matt Van Epps defeated Democrat Aftyn Behn with 52.4% of the vote as returns neared completion.
The race followed the July resignation of former Republican Tennessee Rep. Mark Green and attracted heavy spending from both parties despite the district’s Republican history. Van Epps’ victory reassured GOP strategists that even high-profile vacancies in competitive districts can stay red.
2. Republicans Rack Up Election Integrity Court Victories
While attention focused on President Donald Trump’s fast-moving agenda, the Republican National Committee quietly secured multiple election-law wins in court. The RNC prevailed in key legal battles across Arizona, Georgia, and Washington tied to election procedures and safeguards.
“These cases represent that a lot of times, things get started and resolved during an election year, but many times they don’t, and the RNC doesn’t walk away from them,” an RNC official told the Caller. “We are here to see these things through.”
One ruling from Arizona’s Court of Appeals concluded that Secretary of State Adrian Fontes failed to follow proper rulemaking when finalizing the state’s Election Procedures Manual. Party lawyers argued the manual weakened protections against non-citizen voting and restricted ballot challenges. The court’s decision validated those concerns.
Republicans notched additional legal victories in Georgia and Washington after courts rejected efforts to loosen absentee ballot rules and upheld signature verification requirements. The rulings reinforced GOP-backed election laws and capped a series of wins that RNC leaders say strengthen voter confidence while heading into the 2026 cycle.
3. GOP Polling Signals Midterm Staying Power
National polling suggested Republicans head into the 2026 midterms in a competitive position. A Reuters/Ipsos survey found that 46% of voters aged 50 and older plan to back Republican congressional candidates, compared with 38% who favor Democrats.
Older voters tend to turn out in higher numbers during midterm elections. Even Democratic strategists conceded the numbers show their party faces internal challenges as Republicans consolidate support among consistent voters.
4. Senate Confirms Trump’s NASA Pick In Bipartisan Vote
The Senate delivered a late-year win by confirming billionaire entrepreneur Jared Isaacman as NASA administrator by a 67–30 vote. The confirmation capped a rocky nomination process after Trump briefly withdrew Isaacman earlier in the year.
Isaacman, a close ally of Elon Musk, ultimately cleared the chamber before the calendar expired. Without Senate action, Trump would have needed to restart the nomination process, making the vote a timely institutional victory.
“You are as committed to American supremacy in the final frontier as is this committee and the entire Senate,” Republican Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, the Commerce panel’s lead Republican, told Isaacman. “My hope is that you will be confirmed and in this role before the end of this year.”
5. GOP Stays Aligned On Election Participation Strategy
Republican leaders closed the year by reaffirming unity on voter participation and election security. The RNC told the Daily Caller it has no plans to break with Trump on mail-in voting despite reports suggesting a strategic shift.
Party officials said their focus remains on securing ballots while boosting turnout, arguing their legal work has improved voter confidence. GOP leadership framed the approach as a continuation of existing strategy rather than a retreat from Trump’s longstanding skepticism of mail-in voting.
“The RNC’s mission is to protect the vote and turn out the vote by strengthening voter confidence. Our election integrity work has boosted Republican participation by addressing concerns about security, and this cycle we’re again ensuring every ballot is secure and properly counted,” GOP Press Secretary Kiersten Pels told the Caller.
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.
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As Democrats plot to retake power during next year’s midterm elections, some are embracing a strategy considered politically toxic by many in the party.
Democrats squaring off in primaries across the country are calling for the abolition of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or for major changes that would strip the agency of its core functions. The resurgence of the “Abolish ICE” movement comes as some Democrats argue President Donald Trump’s illegal immigration crackdown has gone too far, though leading Democrats have still not coalesced around an alternative immigration policy platform.
“Let me be clear, fuck ICE,” Democratic Illinois House candidate Patty Garcia said during a campaign announcement in November. “It’s time to abolish ICE and hold Trump and his entire clan accountable.”
Garcia, who controversially became the presumptive Democratic nominee for a deep blue seat by default following a retirement gambit by her boss, is likely to take her anti-ICE advocacy with her to Congress next year.
Other high-profile Democratic House candidates such as outgoing New York City comptroller Brad Lander and Illinois House candidate Kat Abughazaleh have also forcefully called for the agency’s dismantlement. Lander and Abughazaleh are both running in contested primaries.
“I’m happy to say abolish ICE,” Lander told Zeteo News in June. “I hope other people will say it too.”
Authorities arrested both candidates in separate incidents earlier in 2025 for interfering with ICE proceedings. Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner has gone further and suggested that individual agents should face trial.
Left-wing Democrats in Congress, who may not use the viral slogan themselves, appear to welcome some of their colleagues using “Abolish ICE” messaging.
“You’re gonna hear rhetoric like that because people are in their communities, and they’re seeing masked men and unmarked vehicles go and terrorize our communities in broad daylight,” Democratic Florida Rep. Maxwell Frost told the Daily Caller News Foundation in a brief interview on Friday.
Though Frost did not say whether he would use the phrase himself, the left-wing Floridian said “there needs to be huge changes to ICE” and that $170 billion allocated for border security and immigration enforcement signed into law by Trump in July should be clawed back.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) countered that anti-ICE messaging is dangerous for the men and women serving in law enforcement.
“Attacks and demonization of ICE is wrong,” Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told the DCNF in a statement. “President Trump campaigned on immigration enforcement, the American people voted for it, and Secretary [Kristi] Noem is delivering.”
McLaughlin also stated ICE officers are facing a 1,150% increase in assaults as compared with the same period in 2024 under the Biden administration.
Some Democrats are actively trying to distance themselves from the “abolish ICE” movement, which has proven unpopular over consecutive electoral cycles.
“Obviously, there are practices going on at ICE that I fundamentally disagree with, but I don’t think the abolition movement, just like the Defund the Police movement, is the answer,” Democratic Florida Rep. Jared Moskowitz said in a brief interview.
“I wouldn’t use that [abolish ICE] language,” Democratic California Rep. Ami Bera said Thursday. “But if we get the majority, obviously we’ll investigate what they’re doing.”
National Republicans appear eager to paint Democrats as the party of “open borders” with calls to eliminate ICE trickling back into some Democrat’s messaging.
“Abolishing ICE has become the radical litmus test Democrats can’t resist,” National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) spokesman Mike Marinella said in a statement.
Rather than condemn the politically toxic slogan, leading Democrats have cast doubt that “Abolish ICE” is making a messaging comeback.
House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar and Democratic Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin both told the DCNF they were not aware of Democrats supporting the agency’s dismantlement.
“The only time I hear that [abolish ICE] is actually from my Republican colleagues,” Aguilar, the third-ranking House Democrat, insisted. “I haven’t heard any Democrats calling for defunding law enforcement agencies.”
House Democratic Whip Katherine Clark dodged when asked whether calls to abolish ICE are welcome in the party. The second-ranking House Democrat said her caucus is focused on lowering costs.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries asked the DCNF for the names of individuals who are calling for ICE’s abolition when pressed on the topic Friday. The lead Democrat said he had not spoken with any “abolish ICE” proponents about their views and slammed Trump’s deportation agenda.
Just 38% of American adults approve of Trump’s job performance on immigration, according to an AP-NORC poll released Thursday. However, a November Reuters/Ipsos poll found that voters favor Republicans to handle immigration than Democrats by a 12-point margin.
Democratic California Rep. Jimmy Gomez, who has previously endorsed belligerent rhetoric against Republicans, argued that ICE needed to be met with resistance, though stopped short of abolition.
“We need to meet them where they’re at,” Gomez told the DCNF. “If they’re in the streets, we got to be there.”
Andi Shae Napier and Caden Olson contributed to this report.
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.
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With the 2026 midterms fast approaching, seven intense Democratic primary contests are taking shape across the country and highlighting divisions regarding the future of the party.
As Democrats look to reclaim control of Congress after Republican gains in 2024, several key battles could play a decisive role in determining the party’s chances at earning a majority in either chamber.
In California, the race to replace Governor Gavin Newsom is heating up, with a matchup between former Democratic Rep. Katie Porter and current Rep. Eric Swalwell taking center stage.
Porter opted not to seek reelection to her House seat in 2024, instead running for Dianne Feinstein’s open U.S. Senate seat. She finished third behind Democrat Adam Schiff and Republican candidate and former professional baseball player Steve Garvey. She is now mounting a statewide comeback with a bid for governor.
A series of videos showed Porter lashing out at a reporter during an interview and berating a staff member, opening the door for another Democrat to enter the race. California Rep. Eric Swalwell stepped into the breach in November, positioning himself as the candidate that will be a “fighter and protector.”
The two, however, risk splitting the Democratic vote, as California uses a top-two open primary system. All candidates appear on the same ballot and the two highest vote-getters advance to the general election, regardless of party. A recent poll showed how the intra-party fight between Porter and Swalwell is benefiting Republican candidates.
Dem CA gubernatorial candidate Katie Porter seen shooting death stares at her staff during a Zoom meeting after they messed up her lighting.
“I need the lights off… the bright lights… I need you to turn these off. These, that are killing me… Not that dark.”
An Emerson College poll from December shows two Republican gubernatorial candidates, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco and former Fox News host Steve Hilton, in a virtual three-way tie with Swalwell. It’s possible that if Democratic support doesn’t coalesce around either Porter or Swalwell, voters in the deep blue state could be choosing between two Republicans in the general.
Just north of Sacramento, another competitive race is emerging to fill Democratic California Rep. Nancy Pelosi’s congressional seat, after she announced she will not seek reelection ahead of the 2026 midterms. Pelosi has represented the San Francisco area for 20 terms and has served twice as Speaker of the House.
Pelosi served as a key foil to the Democratic ‘Squad’ while serving as speaker, and her exit opens the door for the far left of the party to consolidate more power. Neither candidate vying to replace her carries the experience of a longtime political tactician like Pelosi, and both boast far more progressive policy platforms.
California State Senator Scott Wiener, who has represented much of San Francisco in the state Senate since 2016, has announced his candidacy for the 11th congressional district.
Wiener previously authored a 2019 bill aimed at reducing certain sex offender registry requirements in the state, calling the existing policy “blatant discrimination against LGBT young people regarding California’s sex offender registry.”
Creepy California State Senator Scott Wiener held a pumpkin carving event for children with drag queen shows
His staff then allegedly assaulted an independent journalist who was filming it
Wiener initially said he would not challenge the former speaker for her seat, yet he announced a campaign shortly before Pelosi revealed she would be retiring. He explained that the move was necessary after Saikat Chakrabarti — former chief of staff to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and co-founder of Justice Democrats — launched a self-funded bid for the seat, reshaping the primary dynamics, according to a CNN report.
Chakrabarti had announced his challenge to Pelosi earlier in 2025, campaigning on a progressive platform that includes Medicare-for-All, affordable housing, and higher taxes on billionaires.
The former chief of staff had previously helped orchestrate Ocasio-Cortez’s 2018 upset victory, played a key role in drafting and promoting the Green New Deal, and worked on Bernie Sanders’ 2016 presidential campaign — experience he now highlights as central to his political credentials.
On the East Coast in Maine, a heated Democratic Senate primary is underway between establishment party candidate and current Maine governor Janet Mills, who has the backing of the Democratic political machine, and “working-class” candidate Graham Platner. Both are aiming to unseat current incumbent Republican Maine Sen. Susan Collins.
Mills, if elected, would be one of the oldest freshman senators at 77 years old, and is currently under fire for supporting taxpayer-funded health care for illegal immigrants and defying President Donald Trump’s executive order to prohibit men from competing in women’s sports.
Platner, a political first-timer who has become a progressive darling, is angling his campaign around Democratic populist policies like Medicare-for-All, labor protections, climate action, and anti-corruption reforms.
He’s been drawing large crowds, even as he faces controversies over past social media posts and a tattoo that resembled a Nazi symbol which he had covered up.
In Maine, another significant race is unfolding in the state’s 2nd Congressional District following Rep. Jared Golden’s surprise announcement that he will not seek reelection.
Before Golden bowed out on Nov. 5, State Auditor and former Secretary of State Matt Dunlap had already launched a primary challenge on Oct. 6, criticizing Golden’s moderate record and his frequent alignment with Republicans. It marked the first primary challenge Golden had faced since 2018.
Prior to ending his campaign, Golden released polling indicating that he had the best shot at holding the seat for Democrats — and his exit suggests Democrats will have to dump a lot more money into the race than anticipated.
In that poll, Dunlap was trailing former Republican Maine Governor Paul LePage by 10 points, according to a NOTUS report.
Dunlap is not the only Democrat trying to replace Golden. Jordan Wood, a former chief of staff to Katie Porter and vice president at End Citizens United, initially launched a campaign for Collins’s Senate seat, but shifted to the race for the 2nd Congressional District on Nov. 12 shortly after Golden announced he would not seek reelection.
He comes to the race with Washington experience and is significantly younger than the 61-year-old Dunlap.
The first-time candidate has centered his campaign on economic issues affecting working families and already has a $1 million war chest from his Senate campaign.
Down in the Longhorn state, Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett announced her run for Republican Sen. John Cornyn’s seat in the final hours of the filing period. Her entry into the Democratic primary roiled the party, with former Rep. Colin Allred suspending his campaign and opting to run for a North Texas congressional seat against an incumbent Democrat.
Crockett will go up against State Rep. James Talarico, a former middle school teacher and Presbyterian seminarian.
Talarico’s campaign platform is based on his fight as a state representative leading the “fight against the billionaire mega-donors and puppet politicians.” He says he is now running to fight against “corruption” in Washington and “win back power for working people,” according to his campaign website.
Crockett’s entry into the race threatens to take a potentially competitive state off the table for Democrats. She has expressed that she has no intention of trying to win over Trump supporters and is running on an unabashedly progressive platform, compared to Talarico’s left-populist agenda. Yet her loyal left-wing base makes her a strong contender to win the primary.
In fact, Crockett is seen as so toxic that Republicans reportedly goaded her to run so they could better protect the seat.
The National Republican Senate Committee (NRSC) began testing Crockett’s name in internal polling in July, as first reported by the Daily Caller News Foundation. The results showed her leading a hypothetical Democratic primary. In the months that followed, the NRSC quietly encouraged Crockett to enter the race, a push that ultimately led her to join the Senate Democratic primary at the last minute.
GOP insiders believe either the incumbent Cornyn or Attorney General Ken Paxton would breeze to victory against Crockett, allowing them to save valuable resources for other races throughout the country.
In Massachusetts, Democratic Rep. Seth Moulton, is making generational change the centerpiece of his campaign against incumbent Sen. Ed Markey. Moulton argues that Democrats need new leadership after the 79-year-old senator’s nearly half-century in Congress — Markey would be 86 at the end of another term if reelected.
Moulton, a 47-year-old former Marine, previously beat incumbent Rep. John Tierney in 2014 and voted to block Democrat California Rep. Nancy Pelosi from becoming speaker of the House in 2018, according to a Politico report.
Moulton has faced backlash in his overwhelmingly blue state for tacking to the center. He suggested that his party’s recent electoral setbacks were tied to its stance on allowing transgender girls to compete in girls’ sports, according to a New York Times report.
His comments prompted his campaign manager to resign, drew a public rebuke from the state’s Democratic governor, and even led a Tufts University political science chair to threaten to stop sending students to intern in his office.
Markey — often viewed as more progressive than the moderate, reform-minded Moulton — has indirectly rejected claims he is too old to run for reelection, highlighting his alleged energy, fresh ideas, and commitment during crises like the government shutdown.
Following mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s victory in New York City, Democrats are now turning their attention to holding the governor’s office in the Empire State.
Incumbent Democrat New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, who previously served as lieutenant governor under former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and assumed the governorship in August 2021 following his resignation, is running to maintain her residency in Albany.
She made a late appearance alongside Mamdani in his mayoral campaign, publicly throwing her support behind him and pointedly snubbing Cuomo, who had launched an independent bid after losing the primary to Mamdani.
Hochul is facing a primary challenge from her own lieutenant governor, Antonio Delgado, who launched his bid in an effort to unseat Hochul in June.
Delgado spent three years in the U.S. House before Hochul tapped him in 2022 to serve as lieutenant governor, making him the first Latino to hold statewide office in New York.
In a video previewing his announcement, he appears speaking to New Yorkers across the city while calling for “universal health care,” “universal pre-K,” and pledging to fight “the Trump administration’s attacks” on deep-blue New York.
Although Hochul and Delgado began their tenure on good terms and were elected to full terms together, their relationship has cooled as they diverged on key issues, even as the Democratic Governors Association (DGA) has signaled its full support for Hochul heading into the 2026 primary.
Delgado’s public divergences with Hochul began to surface most clearly when he urged President Joe Biden to withdraw from the 2024 presidential race. After the election, he reinforced that message in a New York Times op-ed calling for the Democratic Party to change direction, concluding with the line: “A new path is both necessary and possible, but we will not chart it with the same politicians telling the same old stories. We are ready for the next generation.”
He later deepened the divide by calling for New York City Mayor Eric Adams to resign, even as Hochul adopted a more measured approach. The split over Adams prompted spokesperson Avi Small Hogrebe to issue a statement underscoring that “Lieutenant Governor Delgado does not now and has not ever spoken on behalf of this administration.”
These tensions — driven by disagreements over party loyalty, political strategy, and generational change — ultimately led Hochul to remove most of Delgado’s staff and resources, underscoring the widening rift between them, according to a Politico report.
Over the past year, Delgado has gone from a somewhat reluctant lieutenant governor to a political outcast who is no longer on speaking terms with Hochul.
Polls show the Republican frontrunner, Rep. Elise Stefanik, performing slightly better against Delgado, though neither matchup appears to be particularly competitive.
Recent special election and off-year victories for Democrats have the party convinced they’re looking at a blue wave in the 2026 midterms. Even if they are able to regain the majority in Congress, the tense fight between progressives and moderates and younger and older candidates threatens to severely bruise the Democrats in the process.
https://drrichswier.com/wp-content/uploads/Seven-Primaries-DC.jpg352640The Daily Callerhttp://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.pngThe Daily Caller2025-12-11 15:13:422025-12-11 15:15:53Seven Primaries That Could Tear Democrats Apart In 2026
The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), the House GOP’s campaign arm, is arguing that Republicans are well-positioned to maintain control of the lower chamber — one year out from Election Day 2026.
Though midterm elections tend to favor the party out of power, the NRCC is arguing that 2026 will be different, citing Democrats’ historic unpopularity and a more favorable political environment than Republicans had during President Donald Trump’s first term. The NRCC’s 60-second video, first shared with the Daily Caller News Foundation, also previews attack lines painting Democrats as socialists, which are expected to dominate the airwaves in the lead-up to November 2026.
“Unhinged Democrats want to destroy America,” the video’s narrator says while accusing Democrats of supporting socialism, defunding the police and open borders. “In one year, we stop them.”
Though Republicans hold a narrow majority in the House, Democrats could struggle to flip control of the lower chamber, according to the party’s slight lead in the generic ballot and rock-bottom favorability ratings.
Voters prefer Democrats over Republicans by 2 percentage points, according to a Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos survey of 2,725 respondents released on Sunday. Democrats held an 11-point advantage over Republicans at this point during the 2017-2018 election cycle, according to the same pollster.
Democrats went on to win 41 seats and retake control of the House of Representatives in November 2018.
Democrats similarly lead Republicans by 3.4 percentage points on RealClearPolitics’ polling average as of Sunday.
A recent Wall Street Journal pollfound that 63% of Americans — an unprecedentedly high percentage — have an unfavorable opinion of the Democratic Party. Just 33% of respondents hold a favorable view of Democrats.
Nearly seven in ten Americans view the Democratic Party as “out of touch,” a worse rating than respondents gave Republicans or Trump, according to the Washington Post survey. Voters’ opinions of Democrats notably showed no improvement since the poll was last conducted in April.
Republicans also perform relatively well against Democrats when voters are asked which party is better able to handle “the most important problem facing the U.S.” Voters prefer Democrats over Republicans by just two points, according to a Gallup poll released in October.
The 60-second spot also highlights Republicans’ fundraising advantage ahead of the midterms as top Democratic donors withhold cash following the party’s disastrous 2024 performance.
The NRCC outraised the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) by $720,000 between January and September. House Democrats led the NRCC in fundraising by roughly $9 million in 2017.
House Republicans’ fundraising lead this year marks the first time the NRCC has reported more cash than the DCCC during the first three quarters of an election cycle since 2015. Republicans notably won a trifecta the following year.
“House Republicans are lapping Democrats at every turn,” NRCC spokesman Mike Marinella said in a statement. “Voters across the country are fired up to build on this momentum and leave Democrats in the dust.”
The Republican National Committee (RNC) and Trump’s political operation also boast massive war chests that could be deployed to Republicans’ benefit over the following year.
The NRCC’s video deploys negative messaging in the video seeking to tie Democrats across the country to avowed socialist Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee for New York City mayor. Mamdani is featured three times in the 60-second video.
House Republicans’ campaign arm rolled out a memo last week arguing that Mamdani will hurt vulnerable House Democrats as Republicans seek to make the 34 year-old socialist the “face of the Democratic Party.”
Republicans are also poised to benefit from mid-decade redistricting with the party already touting gains in Texas, Missouri, North Carolina and Ohio.
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Nearly a year out from the midterms, House Republicans are touting a notable fundraising edge that could help the party maintain House control in 2026.
For the first time since 2015, the National Republican Congressional Committee, House Republicans’ campaign arm, has outraised its Democratic counterpart in the first three quarters of an election cycle. Though midterm elections tend to go poorly for the party in power, lackluster fundraising for Democrats and a relatively poor performance on the generic ballot show the party in a weaker position than in previous election cycles.
The NRCC has reported roughly $720,000 more in year-to-date fundraising than the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC).
In stark contrast, the DCCC held nearly a $9 million advantage after the first three fundraising quarters of 2017. Democrats would go on to win 41 seats in the 2018 midterms and reclaim control of the House.
In the first three fundraising quarters of 2025, the NRCC reported a $20 million uptick in contributions compared to the same period in 2017. The House Republican campaign arm also has $7.5 million more in the bank at the end of September 2025 than it had in September 2017.
“The numbers don’t lie: House Republicans have the momentum, the message, and the money while Democrats are broke, divided, and out of gas,” NRCC spokesman Mike Marinella said in a statement.
“The NRCC is grasping at straws because poll after poll shows House Republicans are sinking in battleground districts,” DCCC spokesman Aidan Johnson said in a statement to the DCNF. “At the end of the day, voters are what matter, and it’s clear they’re done with Republicans’ broken promises and ready to send Democrats back to the majority next November.”
Though the DCCC reported slightly more in Q3 receipts than the NRCC’s $24 million haul, House Democrats’ campaign arm has reported less in year-to-date fundraising in 2025 compared to the last cycle in 2023. The DCCC had a $23 million edge over the NRCC at the end of September that year.
Republicans have also maintained a financial edge among their most vulnerable incumbents compared to their Democratic counterparts.
House Republicans on the NRCC’s Patriot list — the party’s most endangered incumbents — raised an average of $763,000 in the third fundraising quarter, which runs from July to September.
Three NRCC Patriots, Reps. Young Kim of California, Mike Lawler of New York, and Derrick Van Orden of Wisconsin, reported fundraising hauls over $1 million in the third quarter.
Vulnerable Republican incumbents also maintained a significant cash-on-hand advantage over their Democratic counterparts through the end of September.
The DCCC’s Frontliners — considered to be the most vulnerable Democrats running for reelection — reported an average fundraising haul of $664,000 during the year’s third fundraising quarter, according to the NRCC’s analysis. Four Democrats, including Maine Rep. Jared Golden, reported more than $1 million in receipts during the third quarter.
Democrats have also not been able to keep up their polling performance on the generic ballot compared to 2017.
Democrats hold just a 2.6-point lead on the RealClearPolitics polling average as of Friday. On Oct. 24, 2017, Democrats led Republicans in the generic ballot by 10.3 percentage points.
Democrats’ weaker performance in the generic ballot comes as the party’s approval rating has fallen to historic lows. A July Wall Street Journal poll found a net favorability rating of -30 for Democrats — the worst figure for the party since the pollster began asking the question in 1990.
Matt Bennett, co-founder of liberal think tank Third Way, argued Thursday that the Democratic Party’s weak approval rating signals the party could remain in dismal shape through the midterms.
“We’re in terrible shape. Like, we just have to be very honest with ourselves — the Democratic Party is in really, really bad shape,” Bennett told Halperin.
“We have not begun to address those problems,” Bennett continued. “I do think we will not be able to fully address them until we have a leader, and that won’t be for like three years, when we nominate somebody for president.”
The Republican National Committee (RNC) also continues to trounce its Democratic rival in fundraising and cash on hand. The RNC has $86 million in the bank compared to the DNC’s $12 million at the end of September — a $74 million gap.
The DNC notably doled out $1.6 million in September alone — and has paid out more than $20 millon in total — to cover former Vice President Kamala Harris’s leftover campaign debt from her failed presidential run.
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Graham Platner, an oyster farmer running as a Democrat in the Maine Senate primary, is being propped up as a “grassroots” candidate who can win over Trump supporters. His record tells a more complicated story.
Platner, a former Marine who served three tours in Iraq and one in Afghanistan, is described as a “political novice” who has centered his pitch against Republican incumbent Sen. Susan Collins on “making life better for his state’s working class,” according to a New York Times (NYT) report.
“I’m a veteran, oysterman, and working class Mainer who’s seen this state become unlivable for working people,” Graham wrote in a post on X.
Platner stated in an interview with the NYT that he does not consider himself a progressive or a centrist.
“He laughed at the idea that he would have any challenge in connecting with supporters of President Trump. Half of his friends and colleagues at the dock voted for Mr. Trump, he said,” according to the NYT.
The former George Washington University student and State Department employee’s limited social media history, however, shows him repeatedly retweeting Vermont Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders and mocking President Donald Trump. He has previously given political donations to former Vice President Kamala Harris and Sanders.
Platner’s platform reveals more of his progressive bonafides; he wants to force corporations to pay reparations for climate change, supports universal health care, and accuses Israel of carrying out “genocide” in Gaza, according to Zeteo.
40-year-old vet & oysterman Graham Platner demands corporations pay for climate change, says US should fund universal healthcare instead of endless war, and the Gaza genocide is the “ultimate moral test of our time.”
His affiliations with notable left-wing consultants raises further questions about his pitch to the politically homeless. Platner’s first campaign ad was produced by “Fight Agency,” a Democratic media firm that has created content for Democratic New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, Democratic Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman, Democratic Georgia Rep. Lucy McBath, and Sanders.
Morris Katz, a member of the firm and senior advisor to Mamdani, described Platner as the “real fucking deal.” Katz was considered part of Mamdani’s “inner circle,” according to the NYT.
Another senior advisor to Platner’s campaign is Joe Calvello, whose work history includes being a communications advisor for 2016 Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, a campaign spokesman for Sanders, a communications official for Planned Parenthood, and chief strategy officer for Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson. Calvello was also a communications director for Fetterman but was part of the staff exodus amid progressive backlash against the senator’s pro-Israel views.
Platner, a “competitive pistol shooter” on weekends, said he finds it “fairly amusing” to be called a liberal, according to a Politico report.
“I’m a firearms instructor. I spent multiple years, obviously, in the service utilizing firearms. I also grew up in rural Maine, where guns are a part of our existence,” he stated.
But just hours after his campaign launch, noted gun control supporter and former Democratic National Committee Vice Chair David Hogg posted a picture with Platner, also calling him the “real deal” who would “make an incredible Senator.”
Platner was also seen at a No Kings rally in Ellsworth, Maine, in June wearing a yellow construction vest with a piece of paper labeled “peacekeeper” taped to it. The No Kings group that organized the mass nationwide protests called the Trump administration “fascist” and “authoritarian.”
I’m excited to see a Downeast Maine neighbor of ours – four infantry tours, oyster farmer, worker-focused – running for @SenatorCollins‘s Senate seat. Here’s video I shot of Graham Platner back at our June Ellsworth #nokings rally, helping when the sound system faltered.
The oyster farmer and now senatorial candidate is from Sullivan, Maine and returned home in 2016 after becoming disillusioned with his job as a State Department security contractor in Afghanistan, partially because of the misuse of taxpayer money.
He left the military and contracting behind and began working in aquaculture. Platner bought a boat and began expanding his business with support from friends and family in the hospitality industry.
A large part of Platner’s campaign rests on blaming billionaires for the problems of the working class. His campaign ad is emblazoned with phrases like, “the enemy is the oligarchy” and “the enemy is billionaires.”
But in early 2021 when Platner was seeking additional funding options for his business, he settled on a fund established by a globalist billionaire.
Platner applied for the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Small Business Growth & Recovery Grant, which aims to “help U.S. small businesses — especially those owned by people of color, women, and veterans and those in lower-income communities — find their footing in a challenging economy.”
The Stavros Niarchos Foundation was founded by Greek billionaire shipping tycoon Stavros Niarchos, the founder of Niarchos Group and Hellenic Shipyards.
Niarchos’ bio states that he “understood what it meant to think and act globally long before the term ‘globalization’ came into wide use.”
Platner secured a $20,000 grant — the full amount available — from the organization.
His growing business earned him a visit from Democratic Maine Rep. Jared Golden, who toured Platner’s farm off Hancock Point by boat and later joined him “and several other small business owners for lunch in Ellsworth” in 2024. The coincidental meeting between the two former Marines came years after Platner’s $1,000 campaign donation to Golden in March 2018, according to Federal Election Commission (FEC) data.
Platner’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment.
Democrats are looking to 2026 for a chance to unseat Collins, a moderate Republican and Maine’s longest serving member of Congress. Several other previously unknown candidates have jumped into the Democratic primary, but the party is hoping Democratic Governor Janet Mills, who is term-limited from running for reelection, will jump in the race.
However, Mills has not yet committed to challenging the incumbent. Collins in 2020 breezed by Sara Gideon, the Democratic speaker of the Maine House of Representatives, with a nine-point win, despite trailing in pre-election polling and being outspent 2-1.
Many working-class Americans who previously voted Democratic are expressing skepticism about the party being able to regain their vote in future elections, the New York Times (NYT) reported Tuesday.
Several working-class interviewees told the NYT that they struggled with their decisions to vote for former President Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election. The report comes as Democrats attempt to persuade voters to embrace their ideas ahead of the upcoming midterms and 2028 White House election.
“I think I’m done with the Democrats,” Desmond Smith, a black man who voted for Biden in 2020, told the NYT. Smith told the outlet that he voted for President Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election.
When asked how the Democratic Party could win his vote back, Smith told the NYT that Democrats need to “fight for Americans instead of fighting for everybody else.”
“It seemed like they [Democrats] were more concerned with [diversity, equity and inclusion] DEI and LGBTQ issues and really just things that didn’t pertain to me or concern me at all,” Kendall Wood, a truck driver from Virginia, told the NYT. Wood told the NYT that he voted for Trump in 2024 after backing Biden in 2020.
“They weren’t concerned with, really, kitchen-table issues,” he added.
“Maybe talk about real-world problems,” Maya Garcia, a restaurant server from California, told the NYT. Garcia told the outlet she voted for Biden in the 2020 presidential election but did not vote in the 2024 presidential election.
Garcia said that Democrats talk “a lot about us emotionally, but what are we going to do financially?” She added, “I understand that you want, you know, equal rights and things like that. But I feel like we need to talk more about the economics.”
Kyle Bielski, of Arizona, told the NYT that he connected with Trump’s “America First” messaging in the 2024 election cycle. Still, Bielski told the outlet that he does not feel like the president is meeting expectations on his “America First” promises.
“We’re getting into more stuff abroad and not really focusing on economics here,” he told the NYT. “It doesn’t seem like he’s holding true to anything that he’s promised.”
Meanwhile, John Anzalone, a Democratic pollster, told the NYT that Democrats “are doing nothing to move their own numbers because they don’t have an economic message.”
“They [Democrats] think that this is about Trump’s numbers getting worse,” Anzalone added. “They need to worry about their numbers.”
Some Democrats have recently called for their party to stay away from left-wing messaging and return to more center-left politics following the GOP’s victories in 2024. Additionally, various polls have shown that the Democratic Party has lost popularity with voters in 2025.
Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chairman Ken Martin said in February that Americans now see the GOP as the “party of the working class” while the Democratic Party is viewed as the “party of the elites.”
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Texas Republicans are banking on the GOP’s gains among Hispanic and Latino voters in recent elections, seeking to create four Republican-leaning, majority-Hispanic districts in the state in their mid-decade redistricting proposal.
State Republicans on Wednesday unveiled plans for a new congressional map that, if enacted, would likely flip five Democratic seats in the 2026 midterm elections — four of them being majority-Hispanic congressional districts. President Donald Trump has been urging Texas Republicans to redraw the state’s congressional maps ahead of the 2026 midterms in an attempt to widen the GOP’s narrow majority in the House of Representatives.
“Republicans have been steadily increasing their support with Hispanic voters in Texas, so they no doubt are confident that redistricting could help them gain seats,” Hans A. von Spakovsky, manager of the Election Law Reform Initiative and a senior legal fellow at the Heritage Foundation’s Edwin Meese III Center for Legal and Judicial Studies, told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “President Trump’s share of their vote in Texas rose from 34% in 2016 to 41% in 2020 to 55% in 2024. He went from getting a minority of the Hispanic vote to [getting] a majority of the vote in just eight years.”
Trump’s 2024 performance among Hispanic voters in Texas, according to exit polls, was several percentage points better than his performance among Hispanic and Latino voters nationwide. Additionally, Trump’s vote share among Texas Hispanics was only one point lower than his vote share among all 2024 voters in the Lone Star State.
In the 2024 election, 48% of Hispanics nationwide voted for Trump — the highest ever recorded percentage for a Republican presidential nominee — up from 36% in the 2020 presidential election, according to a Pew Research report released in June. Trump notched 56.3% of the overall 2024 vote in Texas to former Vice President Kamala Harris’ 42.4%.
“Everything we know about Latino voters tells us that they are highly persuadable and have in the last few election cycles made decisions based on who they believe will address their economic concerns and priorities,” Melissa Morales, president of Somos Votantes, a Democratic-aligned group that focuses on Latino voters, told Politico on Thursday.
Republicans currently hold 25 of Texas’ 38 House seats, with Trump notably carrying 27 of those districts in the 2024 presidential election, the Texas Tribune reported on Wednesday.
Two Democrats — both of them Hispanic moderates representing border districts — won their 2024 reelection bids in seats Trump carried that cycle. Democratic Texas Rep. Henry Cuellar won reelection by six points despite Trump carrying his district by seven and Democratic Texas Rep. Vicente Gonzalez won by under three points despite Trump winning his district by five.
“Republican gains with Hispanic voters in Texas are not just a single-cycle phenomenon,” Kyle Kondik, managing editor of Sabato’s Crystal Ball, the University of Virginia Center for Politics’ nonpartisan newsletter on American campaigns and elections, told the DCNF. “Back in 2020, Trump made significant gains, for instance, in heavily Latino South Texas even while losing overall to [former President] Joe Biden. Four years later, those gains continued. I think there is definitely the possibility of a swing back to Democrats to some extent in the context of the 2026 midterm — the non-presidential party often does well in such elections — but in the longer term there probably are reasonable signs of optimism for Republicans with these voters.”
“In terms of the new map draft, I don’t really think Republicans even need further gains with Latinos to realize their maximal gain — it has 30 seats that voted for Trump by 10 points or more, so it’s designed to elect 5 more Republicans than the current map,” Kondik added. “Now, the 2024 presidential result in these districts is probably more of a high water mark than a durable, every-election phenomenon, and Democrats do better, for instance, in the South Texas seats than Harris did in the presidential race. But I don’t think there’s much risk that Republicans spread themselves too thin on this map — maybe they don’t win all 30 seats in 2026, but I also don’t see them doing worse than the 25 seats they already hold.”
National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) Spokesman Christian Martinez said Thursday in a statement provided to the DCNF that “Hispanic communities are sick and tired of radical Democrats turning their backs on them time and again.”
“They are forcefully rejecting the far-left agenda that resulted in years of open borders, skyrocketing prices, and woke insanity like men in girls’ sports,” Martinez added. “Republicans are the party of common sense, and Hispanic voters know it.”
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STERLING, Va. — A crowd of Republican attorneys, voters and poll watchers piled into a classroom as Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley took the podium.
“Protect the Vote” signs lined the walls of the room in West Springfield Governmental Center for an election integrity training as Whatley stressed the importance of securing the vote in Virginia.
A crowd of roughly 50 Virginians attended the July 24 training, where they were briefed on the different roles they could play in the 2026 midterms and how to apply for those positions.
A little more than a year out from the midterm elections, the RNC is ramping up its efforts to help Republicans maintain their majority in the House and Senate. The election integrity training in the heart of northern Virginia is just the beginning of those efforts, Whatley told the Daily Caller in an exclusive interview.
“As we go into 2026, it’s building on what we built in ’24 and really through expanding the map,” Whatley told the Caller.
Whatley said the party will be focusing on Senate races in Georgia, North Carolina, Maine, Michigan and Kentucky. There are critical congressional seats they will be paying attention to as well, including in deep blue states like New York and California.
But above all, it’s about building on the momentum created in 2024.
For nearly 40 years, the GOP was subject to a 1982 consent decree, which was enacted following a lawsuit from the Democratic National Committee, that neutered the party’s ability to engage in election integrity lawsuits. The decree was lifted in 2018.
The party first began diving into the election integrity realm in 2022, an official told the Caller last year. By 2024, the election integrity division became an official department that included communications, politics, and legal arms, the Caller previously reported.
In the 2024 election cycle, the RNC filed more than 100 election integrity lawsuits across 20 states, according to the party’s website. The GOP recruited 230,000 volunteers and 6,500 lawyers, Whatley told the Caller, who personally stood by on election day and addressed issues across the country.
Since Trump won in November, the party has moved to ramp up its election integrity efforts. Specifically, the GOP has probed states to clean up their voter rolls. With that project underway, this year the party has a larger legal budget for election integrity issues, Whatley told the Caller.
“We need to be working with different state parties than we necessarily worked with in the past. We need to make sure that we expand this out and have the boots on the ground for election integrity in every one of those states,” Whatley told the Caller.
“What we’re doing right now is we’re building that program in Virginia, in New Jersey because of the governor races and the legislative races that we have here. Very, very important for us to make sure that we’ve got the system in place,” Whatley told the Caller.
At Thursday’s training session, a GOP Election Integrity staffer gave an hour-long presentation to the attendees, stressing the need for more volunteers to counteract the number of volunteers the Democrats have been able to secure.
Most of the training was spent informing attendees on what qualifies them to be poll workers, poll watchers and other election-related officials. The RNC official also told attendees of a new rule that allows high school students who recently turned 18 to become poll workers.
The official also encouraged attendees to be either a poll watcher or poll worker during early voting periods and then swap roles on Election Day. Many attendees scanned the QR sign-up link provided during the presentation to sign up for the application process.
Following the presentation, several attendees enthusiastically asked questions, traded stories and connected with each other. Some, who were already poll watchers, stood up and stressed how important it was for those in the room to join their efforts, repeating that they desperately needed more volunteers because the Democratic party often has more people involved.
Others shared stories of suspicious behavior at polling locations that they either witnessed or heard about, which inspired them to attend the training.
It’s that concern among Republican voters that is the crux of the RNC’s election integrity effort.
“I can tell you that every single event that I go to anywhere in the country, if we do a Q&A, one of the first questions that I get asked is about election integrity,” Whatley told the Caller. “Every single time, every place we go, it continues to be a very top-tier issue.”
“So we’re going to make sure that we’re in a position that we’re leading this fight, and we’re being seen as leading this fight,” Whatley added, stressing that communicating the work the party has done helps give Americans the confidence to vote.
The RNC’s election integrity work has the full backing of President Donald Trump, Whatley told the Caller, adding that the Department of Justice has also been instrumental in helping with its efforts.
“To the degree that we can provide information or we can provide support for what they’re doing, we want to do that,” Whatley told the Caller.
Whatley said having former RNC member Harmeet Dhillon as Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights “is absolutely fantastic.” He also celebrated Dave Warrington, who is now White House Counsel, but was the RNC’s lead attorney during the 2024 Trump campaign.
“There’s a lot of effort around the country right now to make sure that we’re ready,” Whatley said.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune is working on his pitch to persuade voters to turn out for the Republican slate of candidates during the 2026 midterms.
Following a major victory in passing President Donald Trump’s One Big, Beautiful Bill Act, the majority leader is turning his focus to selling the public on the president’s landmark law, one of several prongs in his midterms success playbook to expand Senate Republicans’ 53-seat majority. Though Democrats are hitting the stump to argue the legislation is harmful to most Americans, Thune is calling on Republicans to defend their “record of accomplishment” and articulate a compelling message about the law’s benefits that will motivate voters to go to bat for Republicans in 2026.
“You’ve got to have a very targeted, focused way of turning voters out, and be able to deliver your message to them so that they’re motivated and have a reason to turn out,” Thune told the Daily Caller News Foundation from his office Wednesday, previewing his midterms strategy. “It will be a full on effort to make sure that the American people fully understand what was in the ‘big, beautiful’ bill and how it impacts and benefits them.”
Both Republicans and Democrats’ early messaging ahead of the midterms suggests Trump’s tax and immigration law could be a defining issue of the 2026 election cycle. Whether Republicans are successful in winning the messaging battle could determine the course of Trump’s final two years in office.
Republicans may have more work to do in informing voters of the law’s benefits given recent polling showing a majority of those surveyed viewing the president’s signature legislative accomplishment unfavorably. Opposition to the law outweighed support by ten percentage points, according to a Wall Street Journal poll published Thursday. The survey also found the legislation is viewed unfavorably by 54% of independents.
However, Thune and other Republicans are betting that voters will be open to persuasion and that many of the bill’s individual components will ultimately be viewed as popular. No Democratic lawmaker backed the president’s signature law and many dubbed the measure the “one big, ugly bill.”
A majority — 54% — of Americans said the law’s provisions permanently extending the 2017 Trump tax cuts, temporarily shielding certain Americans from taxation on tips and expanding tax relief for seniors and parents were more of a reason to support the bill than oppose it, according to a July CNN poll.
One Nation, a public advocacy organization linked to Thune, began running an eight-figure advertisement campaign in six states Wednesday emphasizing the law’s tax components.
“America is back — thanks to President Trump and Leader John Thune’s working family tax cuts,” an ad running nationally says in part. “Real relief for every American up early and home late.”
“That I think is probably the first message out of the gate,” Thune said regarding the outside groups’ “working family tax cuts” messaging. “But there’s a lot of stuff in the bill that you can talk about,” Thune said, mentioning a $1,000 tax-free contribution to a savings account for children born between 2025 and 2028, slowing the rate of spending in entitlement programs and a new tax maneuver subsidizing private school tuition.
Some Senate Republican hopefuls are already highlighting how the tax provisions will put more money back into the pocketbooks of their constituents.
“Our waitresses and waiters all across the state just got a huge lift by not having to pay taxes on their tips,” former Republican Michigan Rep. Mike Rogers, a Trump-backed candidate running to flip Michigan’s open Senate seat red, told the DCNF on Saturday. “These are direct things that impact working families.”
Senate Democrats who opposed the law could be vulnerable to attack lines claiming they voted to raise taxes, according to recent polling. Just 12% of voters in four battleground states opposed “working family tax cuts” messaging, a July poll commissioned by One Nation found.
The group launched a $5 million ad campaign torching Democratic Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff’s vote against the president’s tax relief and immigration law on July 17. Ossoff is viewed as the most vulnerable Democratic incumbent running for reelection in 2026 due to the state’s Republican tilt and Trump carrying the state in November.
Democratic lawmakers are planning to use the August recess to make their case for why the president’s bill will hurt everyday Americans. Some have pledged to travel to Republicans’ backyards and hold rallies in GOP districts and states.
Thune hinted that Republicans will need to leave Washington for at least part of August to counter Democrats’ messaging.
“The month of August, historically, has been an opportunity for our members to criss-cross their states and hit the events and interact with people and be out there on the stump delivering the message,” Thune told the DCNF. “So we want to make sure that opportunity is available to them — whatever we do in terms of nominations.”
Thune has threatened to keep the Senate in session during August to grind out the president’s nominees awaiting floor consideration if Democrats do not agree to a deal to fast-track confirmations.
The majority leader is also making strides in the other buckets of his midterms strategy: raising an avalanche of cash to tout Senate Republicans’ record across a variety of platforms and recruiting “quality candidates” to face off against Democratic challengers.
The National Republican Senatorial Committee, Senate Republicans’ campaign arm, outraised its Democratic counterpart by roughly $8 million during the first six months of the year. The Senate GOP leadership-aligned Senate Leadership Fund and its affiliates also smashed a fundraising record for the first half of 2025, bringing in roughly $85 million.
Thune is also working with the president to ensure electable candidates are positioned to win the Republican nomination in key swing states.
The majority leader will head to North Carolina this fall to fundraise for RNC chairman Michael Whatley in an effort to hold the seat in 2026, Axios first reported. Whatley, who is expected to announce a Senate bid for the open seat as early as this week, will enter the race with the president’s endorsement.
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.
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