02c U.S. Politics – Election

Blurb:

A Virginia state delegate has introduced legislation that would bar the hand-counting of machine-readable ballots in most circumstances.

Delegate Marcia S. Price introduced HB 968 on January 13 which would prohibit ballots “from being counted by hand for any reason or purpose not specifically authorized by law.”

The legislation would amend the state code to add that, “In ascertaining the vote, the officers of election shall use ballot scanner machines to count machine-readable ballots and shall not count machine-readable ballots by hand for any reason or purpose not specifically authorized for by law.”

Blurb:

A new poll reveals the 2026 Senate race in Michigan will likely be a fiercely contested battle, with Republican Mike Rogers holding narrow leads in hypothetical matchups against Democrat candidates.

The poll, “conducted Jan. 2-6 for The Detroit News and WDIV-TV,” matches up Republican former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers against three leading Democrat candidates in a bid for the seat of Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich, who is not seeking another term.

The Rogers campaign declared the poll a win, as spokeswoman Alyssa Brouillet wrote in a statement, “poll after poll continues to show that working families are rallying behind Mike Rogers.

 

Blurb:

Macomb County Clerk Anthony G. Forlini announced Monday that noncitizens have been appearing in the Michigan county’s jury pool “at an alarming rate” and many of them are registered to vote. The data indicates that many noncitizens have potentially sat on juries and/or illegally voted in elections.

During a press conference in the courthouse jury room in Mount Clemens, MI, Forlini stated that an internal review of the county identified 239 noncitizens selected for jury duty over a four-month period from September 5, 2025, to January 8, 2026.

The jury pool is drawn from the Michigan Secretary of State’s driver’s license database, which does not consistently flag citizenship status, allowing noncitizens—such as lawful permanent residents with green cards—to be included.

Blurb:

House Republicans’ largest outside spending groups are leading their Democratic counterparts in fundraising ahead of November’s midterm elections.

The House GOP leadership aligned-Congressional Leadership Fund (CLF) and its associated nonprofit, the American Action Network (AAN), reported a $136 million fundraising haul in 2025. Meanwhile, House Democratic groups — House Majority PAC and its sister organization House Majority Forward — raised just $121 million combined in the same time span.

The GOP lead is relatively small, but the Republican groups are touting the fundraising edge, first reported by Punchbowl News, as proof they have the resources to defend the fragile House GOP majority.

“This record-breaking haul of $136 million is a testament to the sustained commitment of our donors and their trust in Speaker Mike Johnson, this Republican leadership team, and our mission,” CLF President Chris Winkelman said in a statement. “Building this historic war chest early means we have a financial head start heading into the midterms. We will defend our majority-making incumbents and push further into Democrat territory.”

Blurb:

Nick Shirley, the viral YouTuber who exposed the fraud happening at Somali daycare centers in Minnesota, took credit for Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s resignation from the 2026 gubernatorial race.

While Walz faced national scrutiny for his handling of fraud, Shirley posted a 42-minute documentary on Dec. 26, which found that nearly a dozen Somali daycare centers funded by taxpayer dollars were not actually providing services. In response to the governor accusing Shirley of being a “conspiracy theorist” who broke into daycare centers, Shirley posted on X that he “ended” Walz’s career.

“I ENDED TIM WALZ,” Shirley wrote on X.

Blurb:

Sean Spicer exposed Politico’s inadvertent publication of an internal Google document — detailing the news sources it routinely checks — with Breitbart News notably absent from the list.

On January 9, Sean Spicer, host of The Sean Spicer Show and former White House Press stated: “Ever wonder why @politico @playbookdc is so left leaning? Major blunder this morning when they accidentally linked a story to their internal google doc showing what sources they “go to” (and therefore don’t – no @BreitbartNews @DailyCaller @DailySignal @realDailyWire )”.

The screenshots show a comprehensive list of outlets Politico staff are instructed to check for aggregation, ranging from legacy outlets like the New York Times and CNN to newer entities like Semafor and Axios. However, not a single conservative-focused publication appears among the primary sources. The document even includes logins and passwords for paywalled sources but excludes any reference to Breitbart News.

Blurb:

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D) pledged to govern the Big Apple as a Democratic Socialist during his inauguration speech and declared he would revive “the era of big government.”

After taking the official oath of office with his left hand on a Quran at City Hall early Thursday morning, the newly minted 34-year-old mayor took a ceremonial oath of office from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) in the afternoon.

Mamdani vowed to hold to the radical views he pushed during his campaign against former Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-NY) and Republican Curtis Sliwa.

“We will transform the culture of City Hall from one of no to one of how. We will answer to all New Yorkers, not to any billionaire or oligarch who thinks they can buy our democracy,” he said. “We will govern without shame and insecurity, making no apology for what we believe.”

“I was elected as a Democratic Socialist, and I will govern as a Democratic Socialist,” he added.

Blurb:

A Somali-born Democrat politician and daycare owner in Minnesota is returning to electoral politics even as the state’s childcare sector faces a sprawling fraud scandal that has drawn national scrutiny and could total billions of dollars.

Abdi Daisane, a Democrat, announced on Christmas Eve that he plans to run for the state Legislature again in 2026.

The announcement comes two years after he lost a race to a Republican incumbent.

Daisane previously ran unsuccessfully for the St. Cloud City Council in 2016.

Blurb:

Department of Justice attorney Harmeet Dhillon on Friday fired off a letter to Minnesota’s secretary of State  demanding records pertaining to the state’s controversial same day  voter “vouching” registrations.

Minnesota allows same-day voter registration, even for individuals who do not have identification if a registered voter from the same precinct vouches for their residency. A registered voter can vouch for up to eight people, but cannot vouch for others if someone vouched for them.

Employees of residential facilities such as nursing homes or homeless shelters are allowed to vouch for an unlimited number of residents at their facility, provided they can verify their employment.

Blurb:

Democrat U.S. Senate candidates in Minnesota are facing severe blowback as the state reels from a jaw-dropping $9 billion money laundering scandal that is shaking up the political landscape as the saga continues to unfold.

This staggering Somali-led fraud scheme, uncovered by prosecutors, has siphoned off billions in public funds.

The scandal is now casting a dark shadow over the state’s Democrat leadership as the 2026 U.S. Senate race heats up.

Blurb:

Pennsylvania’s mail scandal — that mail vendor Capitol Presort Services reportedly failed to deliver the state’s mail for a month — is another reason we should not trust the mail with our elections.

Philadelphia Inquirer reporter Gillian McGoldrick reported Saturday that 3.4 million official letters from Pennsylvania state agencies were stuck in limbo from Nov. 3 through Dec. 3. The communications did not get sent until last week, after the state fired the mail vendor and hired another one to send the letters.

It is not clear why state workers can’t handle mailing letters without the complication of a contracted vendor.

Some of the delayed letters contained time-sensitive communications about services with important deadlines, including notices for recipients to interact with agencies or lose benefits, according to McGoldrick’s report. Health coverage, SNAP food benefits, child abuse clearances, decisions about elder abuse and foster homes for kids, along with timely notices of hearings — all from the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services — reportedly piled up at the vendor instead of being given to the U.S. Postal Service for delivery.

Important communications from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation were also delayed. Halted mail included driver’s license and vehicle registration renewal reminders, vehicle registration cards, driver’s license camera cards, and address card updates.

Blurb:

Heading into the midterm election season, the economy is still the No. 1 issue for voters, including among President Donald Trump’s Make America Great Again coalition, a new poll shows.

The poll from NBC News Decision Desk showed that Republicans and MAGA Republicans are slightly shifting their outlook on the economy, becoming more likely to say their personal financial situation is worse off today than it was one year ago. The poll found that 64% of people think the economy is on the “wrong track,” compared to 60% at the beginning of the year.

Out of nine given categories, 27% of the 20,252 people polled between Nov. 20 and Dec. 8 listed the economy as the No. 1 issue that matters most to them, with 44% of survey respondents listing “inflation and the rising cost of living” as the most important economic matter to their family.

Blurb:

A new Emerson College Polling survey has Ohio Democrats riding unexpected momentum heading into the 2026 elections, tightening two major statewide races and signaling trouble for Republicans who once dominated the state.

The poll, released Thursday, shows both the governor’s race and U.S. Senate contest narrowing sharply since August, a shift that lines up with some surveys showing a decline in approval of the GOP among Ohio voters.

Emerson surveyed 850 voters between Dec. 6 and 8, using cellphone voter lists and an online panel. The poll carries a margin of error of 3.3%.

The biggest shake-up comes in the governor’s race. Democrat Amy Acton has surged seven points and now leads Republican Vivek Ramaswamy 46% to 45%. In August, Ramaswamy held a commanding 49% to 39% advantage. That lead has effectively evaporated.

Blurb:

Utah Governor Spencer Cox, a Republican, has stunned conservatives after he appeared to endorse the presidential prospects of Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro,  a rising Democrat star widely expected to run for president in 2028.

Cox joined Shapiro for a joint CNN interview that aired while President Donald Trump was holding an economic rally in Pennsylvania.

Shapiro, who enjoys strong poll numbers in his battleground state, has long been viewed as a likely Democrat contender and was reportedly a finalist to become former Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate before she ultimately chose Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.

During the interview, CNN host Dana Bash directly asked Cox whether Shapiro would make a good president.

“Yeah, I do,” Cox replied immediately.

Blurb:

Serious questions are mounting in Michigan as state lawmakers raise alarms over what they describe as large-scale voter registration irregularities — including tens of thousands of new registrations flagged with invalid Social Security numbers and a voter roll that reportedly exceeds the state’s adult population by roughly half a million names.

State Sen. Johnson has publicly warned that Michigan’s election system is “wide open for abuse,” pointing directly to the Help America Vote Verification System (HAVV) — the database intended to confirm the accuracy of voter registration information.

According to Johnson, roughly 100,000 people registered to vote in Michigan last year, and 36% of them — about 36,000 applicants — submitted invalid four-digit Social Security number matches, yet were still allowed to complete registration.

“This should never happen,” he said. “If those numbers cannot be verified, the registration should not go through. Period.”

Blurb:

New Venture Fund, a hub of the Left’s dark money network, bankrolls both sides of climate lawfare: the lawyers who file lawsuits against energy companies and a nonprofit training judges to view such cases favorably. The fund, however, claims these projects are “unrelated.”

In its 2024 tax filing, New Venture Fund reported sending $2.3 million to Sher Edling, L.L.P., a law firm that represents Democratic prosecutors when they file climate litigation against tax filings. The fund also gave $1.25 million to the Environmental Law Institute, a nonprofit that trains judges how to approach their work to “make environmental, economic, and social progress.”

“New Venture Fund works with numerous projects and institutional funders to advance their missions on a variety of issues, including education, health care, and the environment,” a spokesperson for the nonprofit told The Daily Signal in a statement Friday. “Our grants to Sher Edling and the Environmental Law Institute were made on behalf of two separate fiscally sponsored projects. These grants are unrelated and have no connection to each other.”

Blurb:

 

The Indiana House of Representatives passed a controversial bill that would redistrict the state and possibly flip two seats to the Republican column in the midterm elections.

Fifty-seven members voted for the bill, while 41 voted against it. The bill will go to the Indiana Senate, where some Republicans have said they oppose the redistricting effort.

‘Fair maps are essential to protecting Hoosiers’ voices in Washington, and today the House voted to do just that.’

Republican Indiana Gov. Mike Braun urged the Senate to pass the bill.

“Fair maps are essential to protecting Hoosiers’ voices in Washington, and today the House voted to do just that, delivering a strong congressional map,” Braun said. “I commend Speaker Huston and his caucus for having the courage to protect Hoosier voters. I urge the Senate to move quickly next week and adopt this map so Indiana can move forward with confidence.”

Blurb:

CNN political commentator Scott Jennings had a stern warning for Republican lawmakers after the Republican-dominated Indiana State Senate overwhelmingly voted against a congressional map redraw that would have netted the party two seats in next year’s midterm elections, a move that significantly increases the odds of a Democrat-controlled U.S. House of Representatives in 2026.

The proposed maps would have split the Democratic Party stronghold of Indianapolis four ways, effectively eliminating the districts currently controlled by Democrats to give the GOP a 9-0 sweep when it comes to U.S. House seats. After the Indiana House advanced the motion last week, the proposed map went to the Senate, where it was soundly defeated on Thursday.

The vote was not particularly close, as 21 Republicans voted against the measure while just 19 voted in favor.  President Donald Trump and a number of key allies were furious over the move, leading organizations like Turning Point USA and the president himself to vow primary challenges.

Blurb:

California Gov. Gavin Newsom posted an AI-generated video depicting President Donald Trump, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller in handcuffs.

“It’s CUFFING Season,” reads the text that appears at the beginning of the video.

It shows Trump, Hegseth, and Miller sitting on a sidewalk with their hands behind their backs.

In the next scene, they are sitting in the back of a car with handcuffs on, and they raise their hands to their faces and begin to cry.

Finally, they are shown walking in front of a courthouse, still handcuffed.

Blurb:

Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito blocked a federal court ruling Friday that struck down Texas’ new congressional map, allowing Republicans to continue using the disputed boundaries while the high court weighs the case.

Alito ordered the League of United Latin American Citizens and other challengers to respond by Monday at 5 p.m. EST, according to the court document. The administrative stay blocks the Nov. 18 order from the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas while the Supreme Court considers the case.

The Supreme Court order states the district court’s ruling “is hereby administratively stayed pending further order of the undersigned or of the Court.” Alito signed the order personally on Nov. 21.

Blurb:

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent praised New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani and his campaign despite criticizing Mamdani’s vision for the Big Apple.

Mamdani has appointed hundreds of people to transition committees as he prepares to take the mayor’s office next year, with some of them advising him on how to enact the affordability agenda he campaigned on. The mayor-elect met with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office on Friday, to which Bessent said there is “some admiration” for someone running a campaign like Mamdani’s.

“It was a great, great campaign. He is clearly the leader of the Democratic Party now, and I think it speaks to how open-minded the president is that he invited him into the Oval Office. Senator Schumer never endorsed him, I don’t even know if he’s met with him, and President Trump wants the best for New Yorkers,” Bessent said on CNBC’s SquawkBox.

Blurb:

Our society has systematically poisoned the relationship between men and women. Nothing makes this clearer than listening to state Rep. Aftyn Behn speak about her obsession with gaining power.

Behn is the Democratic nominee in Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District special election set for Dec. 2 following Republican Rep. Mark Green’s resignation. In an audio recording released Monday, a woman believed to be Behn says that rather than having dreams about marriage and children, she frequently imagines standing in a cafeteria professing her desire for power in front of other women.

“My therapist always asks me to transcribe my dreams when they happen. And the recurring dream I’ve had is standing up in a cafeteria full of women — I don’t know why it was there or whatever — and saying, ‘I don’t want children, I want power,’ and just screaming it at the top of my lungs,” Behn is allegedly heard saying.

Blurb:

“By design or by default, Judge [Dianna] Gibson has authorized the most partisan and thus the most gerrymandered map,” Senate leader Stuart Adams said.

The Utah state legislature is set to appeal the state’s new congressional map that carves out a congressional seat that will all but certainly give a seat to the Democrats in the 2026 midterm elections. The map was brought about after Judge Dianna Gibson ruled in favor of the map that was in place.

The announcement was made on Tuesday. “By design or by default, Judge [Dianna] Gibson has authorized the most partisan and thus the most gerrymandered map in the history of the state of Utah,” Senate President Stuart Adams announced at a press conference.