Election 2026

Breaking: Viral Recording Appears to Place Talarico at Ohio Psych Facility During Long Absence Despite Denial– www.westernjournal.com

pgnewser October 12, 2026 0

Breaking: Viral Recording Appears to Place Talarico at Ohio Psych Facility During Long Absence Despite Denial– www.westernjournal.com
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EXCERPT:

New unconfirmed social media reports seemingly indicate Democratic U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico of Texas has spent time at an Ohio mental health facility during his noticeable near-two week absence amid his hotly contested campaign.

Talarico’s team claimed he had a “nasty case of the flu” and had been “home in bed,” according to The New York Times.

Commentator Rhein Amacher posted on X that he put in a call to the Lindner Center of Hope in Mason, Ohio, “to determine whether Talarico was or had previously been a patient.”

“During my recorded call, an individual identifying themselves as a female facility employee reportedly stated that Talarico was no longer a patient and had been discharged within the previous 24–48 hours,” he wrote.

“Texans deserve accurate, independently verified information about candidates seeking to represent them in the U.S. Senate. The stakes are too high for speculation.”

Mail theft, scattered ballots along roadside raise concerns about mail-in voting in California: report | The Post Millennial– thepostmillennial.com

pgnewser October 12, 2026 0

Mail theft, scattered ballots along roadside raise concerns about mail-in voting in California: report | The Post Millennial– thepostmillennial.com
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EXCERPT:

“This discovery really shows we have to have greater concern for the chain of custody of ballots.”

Concerns about the security of mail-in voting in California are mounting after election mail was found scattered along a roadside. A separate region in the state also saw a theft targeting a US Postal Service truck just one month before the November midterm elections.

According to ABC 10 News, dozens of pieces of election mail, including signed and unsigned mail-in ballots, were discovered scattered along Lake Wholford Road in San Deigo’s North County region last Thursday morning. Scott Harmes, a local resident, stopped to investigate after hearing of the discovery. He said the mail was spread across the road and did not look as though a mailbag simply fell out of a USPS truck.

“The way they were spread out it almost looks like they were thrown out the window of a car,” Harmes said.

“Obviously there was a huge problem, because these didn’t get to the voter. Is it negligence? Malfeasance?” he added. “This discovery really shows we have to have greater concern for the chain of custody of ballots.”

James Talarico Is No Fan of Columbus Day– townhall.com

pgnewser October 12, 2026 0

James Talarico Is No Fan of Columbus Day– townhall.com
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EXCERPT:

Democrat Senate candidate James Talarico doesn’t appear to be a big fan of the discoverer of the Americas, the great Christopher Columbus.

In a web interview uploaded to Instagram and YouTube with Democrat darling Beto O’Rourke, Talarico remarked “I know it’s Indigenous Peoples Day, so some folks have off of work.”

The move to rebrand Columbus Day has been pursued by radical leftists to “[recognize] the resilience and diversity of Indigenous Peoples in the United States” and to stop celebrations of one of Europe’s greatest navigators because of “the past and the ongoing effects of colonialism today.” Advocacy groups have encouraged the complete erasure of Columbus Day in favor of Indigenous Peoples Day.

Talarico’s views weren’t isolated to 2023. In 2019, Talarico told a congregation that the American flag was a “complicated symbol.” One year later, Talarico would describe whiteness as a “virus” which is spread “wherever we go.” The only cure, according to Talarico, is to proclaim “loudly and unequivocally that Black Lives Matter.”

Lone Star Liberty PAC, a pro-Ken Paxton group, has uploaded a meme from an iconic scene in The Sopranos to hit back at Talarico’s take.

With Senate majority up for grabs, candidates fight for ‘kingmaker’ voters– www.latimes.com

pgnewser October 12, 2026 0

With Senate majority up for grabs, candidates fight for ‘kingmaker’ voters– www.latimes.com
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EXCERPT:

WASHINGTON — With the midterm elections just over three weeks away, the fight for control of the U.S. Senate is intensifying in battleground states, as Democrats push into red regions and Republicans pour money into key contests.

Campaigns are entering a crucial stretch for persuading the independent voters who will probably determine outcomes in swing races. Nearly all of the most competitive Senate races are in states with significant swaths of people unaffiliated with either major party — the “kingmakers” in these high-stakes midterms, said Jeremy Gruber, an independent-voting expert.

“Independent voters are going to be deciding this election in every respect,” said Gruber, senior vice president of Open Primaries, an organization that advocates for states to open primary elections to unaffiliated voters.

The urgency around courting nonaligned voters has been on display at recent debates, in ads flooding the airwaves and in the campaign money pouring into key states. For Republicans, it has become an effort to put distance between themselves and President Trump; for Democrats, it’s often a rhetorical shift toward the center and away from the far left.

In Iowa, Republican Ashley Hinson used a Wednesday night debate to emphasize her willingness to break with Trump. In Kansas, Democrat Adam Hamilton is circulating a video in which he describes himself as both liberal and conservative. In Alaska, a GOP-backed ad blitz launched last week aims to persuade voters that Democrat Mary Peltola isn’t independent-minded.

Abdul El-Sayed Turns The Tables On Kristen Welker When She Tries To Divide Democrats– www.politicususa.com

pgnewser October 12, 2026 0

Abdul El-Sayed Turns The Tables On Kristen Welker When She Tries To Divide Democrats– www.politicususa.com
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EXCERPT:

Abdul El-Sayed was the Democratic non-incumbent Senate candidate that Republicans wanted to run against in the general election. Republicans were flat-out giddy when El-Sayed won the Democratic primary for Michigan’s open Senate seat, but things have not gone as well or as easily as Republicans expected.

El-Sayed has shown himself to be a good campaigner and an even better communicator.

There were many questions that Meet The Press’s Kristen Welker could have begun her interview with El-Sayed with. The number one issue on the minds of voters is the economy. Welker could have asked about gas prices, diesel prices, inflation, or any other economic that is front and center.

Abdul El-Sayed Turns The Tables On Kristen Welker When She Tries To Divide Democrats– www.politicususa.com

pgnewser October 12, 2026 0

Abdul El-Sayed Turns The Tables On Kristen Welker When She Tries To Divide Democrats– www.politicususa.com
News Source
EXCERPT:

Abdul El-Sayed was the Democratic non-incumbent Senate candidate that Republicans wanted to run against in the general election. Republicans were flat-out giddy when El-Sayed won the Democratic primary for Michigan’s open Senate seat, but things have not gone as well or as easily as Republicans expected.

El-Sayed has shown himself to be a good campaigner and an even better communicator.

There were many questions that Meet The Press’s Kristen Welker could have begun her interview with El-Sayed with. The number one issue on the minds of voters is the economy. Welker could have asked about gas prices, diesel prices, inflation, or any other economic that is front and center.

The United Auto Workers tries to reassert political power in Michigan as it faces internal divisions

pgnewser October 12, 2026 0

Blurb:

SHELBY TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — Walter Usakowski was mowing his lawn in a northern suburb of Detroit when three canvassers from the United Auto Workers approached.

“I don’t even need to talk to you,” Usakowski said. As a retired member, he was already supporting the union’s slate of Democratic candidates in the Nov. 3 midterms.

Article continues below this ad

But he is not sure how many of the other “guys in the shop” will vote for Democrats. He worked at Ford Motor Co.’s Sterling Axle Plant for more than 45 years, and he knows many members who backed Republican President Donald Trump.

The election-year canvassing was one part of the UAW’s efforts to reassert its political power in Michigan, a premier political battleground. Although the union generally backs Democrats, its membership is more divided over which party best represents working-class interests. It also is reckoning with past corruption scandals, a drop in membership and a lack of transparency that has eroded trust within its ranks.

“It’s not going to be an overnight thing,” said JJ Jewell, who is part of the UAW’s Community Action Program executive committee. “Even if this election goes fantastically, that’s not mission accomplished. That means we’re 1% of the way done.”

James Talarico’s Woke Insanity Claims The Bible Supports Killing Babies in Abortions– www.lifenews.com

pgnewser October 12, 2026 0

James Talarico’s Woke Insanity Claims The Bible Supports Killing Babies in Abortions– www.lifenews.com
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EXCERPT:

U.S. Senate candidate for Texas James Talarico had just begun voicing regret over his past statements that there are six genders, that men should play in women’s sports, and that “God is nonbinary.” Then Talarico’s lesbian “minister” was caught on camera with an entirely different spin, telling an undercover journalist that his newfound moderation is all a lie to get more votes.

Texas voters are right to be concerned that his campaign’s “Christian” packaging is false advertising. So, let’s check his record.

Talarico made his name as the progressive “Christian” alternative to Republican Ken Paxton, the current Texas attorney general, who has been endorsed by President Donald Trump.

As a member of the Texas House of Representatives, Talarico voted against SB 14, the law protecting minors from mutilating gender surgeries and sterilizing puberty blockers. Now he claims he only opposed certain parts of the bill and wanted to see amendments before he could vote for it.

His record on women’s sports tells the same story. In 2021, Talarico voted against HB 25, the Texas law requiring student athletes in public schools to compete on teams that match their biological sex. Back then, he didn’t talk about amendments. He told his colleagues, “You can’t compromise with hate,” and argued that “some things are more important than perfectly fair competition in sports.”

Now that he’s running statewide, Talarico says he will oppose trans athletes playing in girls’ sports “if it risks safety or fairness.” That little word “if” is doing a lot of work. It means Talarico reserves the right to decide when it’s “fair” and “safe” for a boy to compete against girls and share their locker room, and in those cases, he’s fine with it.

But here’s the truth: it is always unfair for men to play against women, and men in women’s sports always endanger women.

God made us male and female, equally loved, differently formed. No amount of political denial of that reality changes the reality God created, nor the level of hurt women will face because of transgender ideology. To deny our natural state, made in God’s image, is to deny God Himself.

Talarico’s disconnection from reality — and from Biblical principles — goes beyond the gender issue to the most basic right we all have: life.

Talarico has claimed that abortion and gay marriage are mentioned nowhere in the Bible. This is an embarrassingly debunkable statement, one that we at Students for Life Action (SFLAction) exposed months ago with the copious Bible verses defining humans as male and female, husband and wife, and revealing God’s intention for our lives before we are even in the womb.

While Talarico does not seem committed to what Scripture actually says, many who attend church do care.

That’s why our student leaders went to Talarico’s own church, stood outside, and left flyers on the cars of the worshippers inside. It was the first stop in our campaign to reach more than 100 churches, reminding the faithful of Biblical truth: Life begins at conception, God abhors murder, and He made every one of us in His image, male and female.

Certainly, Talarico’s radical theology is an effort to cut into the pro-life, pro-faith voters who consistently vote Republican. As ABC News noted, many Democrats are trying to reclaim the faith conversation for their political ambitions.

But we’ve seen this before. After values voters helped decide the 2004 election, Democrats turned to progressive activist Rev. Jim Wallis. He wrote a bestselling book, God’s Politics, took it on a national tour, and went to Capitol Hill teaching Democrats how to talk to Christians and campaign for their votes.

More than 20 years later, Democrats still can’t figure it out, because they aren’t true believers. Even Wallis admitted at the time, “It’s so transparent when somebody is being inauthentic about religion.” Talarico is just the 2026 version of a decades-old Democratic problem. And it’s hard to reclaim the faith conversation when your apologetics are about explaining why the Bible doesn’t mean what it says.

The race is tight. And as Talarico has struggled under the weight of his past lunacy, notice where he went to clean it up. He didn’t go to MSNOW or The Nation, the Leftist outlets his base trusts. He went to Fox News to tell conservative voters not to believe what they have heard him say in interview clips.

Meanwhile, in far-Left circles, he is actively working to appeal to radical pro-abortion, pro-child-mutilation socialists by repeating their messaging. He recently went viral talking about his favorite drag queen. And in a private Zoom call with the far-Left Austin Sierra Club, Talarico spoke of dismantling capitalism, climate change doomerism, and our country being one of white supremacy and billionaire-contrived class warfare, reports Townhall.

This is not a genuine change of heart; it’s voter-segmented packaging, built on the hope that liberals won’t watch Fox and conservatives will believe he doesn’t really mean what he says.

Jesus cares about truth. In John 14:6, we read: “Jesus said…, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’”

Talarico can’t even agree on that, saying all faiths are “equal pathways to truth.”

So, to answer the New York Times question, “Can James Talarico Reclaim Christianity for the Left?” the answer is no. Telling people that God doesn’t mean what He says is the oldest trick in Scripture. It started in the Garden, with a serpent asking Eve, “Did God really say…?”

Christian voters should not be fooled. Talarico is a radical leftist who is saying whatever gets him elected. His own people don’t even buy what he is selling to voters.

 

 

Shock Polls: Dems TWICE As Likely to Support Hitler, and Trump’s Popularity Soars With Young Voters – PJ Media– pjmedia.com

pgnewser October 12, 2026 0

Shock Polls: Dems TWICE As Likely to Support Hitler, and Trump’s Popularity Soars With Young Voters – PJ Media– pjmedia.com
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EXCERPT:

Turns out that one of the biggest signs your spouse is cheating on you is when he or she suddenly accuses YOU of cheating.

(Assuming, of course, that you’re not actually cheating. ‘Cause if you are, your spouse is just being observant.)

Accusing someone of what you’re guilty of is a “tell” — a not-so-subtle form of self-incrimination, because our accusations are a defense mechanism. They’re psychological projections that hide our demons — a very specific, uniquely tailored smokescreen.

In other words, every accusation is a confession.

This is why I can’t wait for Sept. 15, 2027. (Shame it doesn’t fall on Oktoberfest.) Because that’s the day “literally Hitler” will finally out-Hitler the real Hitler.

Donald Trump announced he was running for president on June 16, 2015. Immediately thereafter, the media compared him to Adolf Hitler — and the blitzkrieg hasn’t gestoppt. Trump’s been branded “literally Hitler” so many times, it’s become a cliché.

And June 16, 2015 was [checks watch] 4,131 days ago.

Meanwhile, Hitler’s reign lasted precisely 4,473 days. (It ended with a bang.) This means that, on Sept. 15, 2027, Donald Trump will be the new record holder: Heil to the chief!

He’ll be the longest-reigning Hitler in Hitler history!

Hitler, Hitler, Hitler. That’s been the media narrative from day one: Trump is “literally Hitler,” every awkward MAGA hand gesture is a secret S.S. salute, and the Republican Party has been taken over by Nazis.

Never Trumpers gleefully promoted this narrative, layering it with a bipartisan façade. (Karl Rove repeated it again last week.) But it’s a lie.

“Literally Hitler” has a Jewish daughter, Jewish grandkids, an immigrant wife, and a veep who’s married to a Hindu Indian. “Literally Hitler” is wildly popular in Israel. “Literally Hitler’s” most loyal ethnic bloc isn’t white people or Aryans — it’s Native Americans.

And while the media was obsessively comparing Trump to Hitler, the Democratic Party was captured by Israel-obsessed, pro-Palestine socialists, i.e., the DSA.

DSA stormtroopers insist they’re not antisemites. They claim their criticisms are limited to Israel’s political policies; their only motivation is to ease the suffering of the poor, neglected Palestinian civilians.

Israel’s status as a Jewish state, you see, is entirely coincidental.

Yet it’s awfully revealing how many of the DSA’s enemies were also the REAL Hitler’s enemies. There’s an absurd degree of overlap: The DSA hates Israel, despises AIPAC, and vows to eliminate “Jewish influence” and/or “the globalists” (wink, wink). The Nazis and DSA both oppose free market capitalism, condemn “profiteering” business owners, support the government takeover of private industries — plus a dramatic expansion of mandatory, government-controlled social programs.

Every accusation is a confession.

Speaking of which, two polls just dropped. They’re not receiving much mainstream news coverage, mostly because the media loathes the results. The first poll undermines 4,131 days of a “literally Hitler” PR campaign. It’s the final solution to the mashugana Trump-is-Hitler narrative.

Turns out that the National Socialists and Democratic Socialists share more than just a name.

The second poll is even worse: It imperils the media’s demoralization campaign for the 2026 midterms. For months and months, the talking heads have been trying to convince you that a Blue Wave is inevitable — and the MAGA coalition is kaput.

Iran and Epstein have killed it. MAGA is finished.

Yet it seems a key demo is returning home: young voters. Trump’s numbers have suddenly spiked.

Let’s begin with “literally Hitler”:

It’s from a YouGov survey on the popularity of world leaders, both living and dead. What’s fascinating is that Republican and independent results were 100% identical: Just 1% of each had a “very favorable” opinion of Hitler, 4% had a “somewhat unfavorable” opinion, 6% had a “somewhat unfavorable opinion,” 79% had a “very unfavorable opinion,” and 10% “don’t know.”

On absolutely every question about Hitler, Republicans and independents were indistinguishable.

This means that if Republicans are Nazis, then so are independents. (Go ahead, Democrats: Go bash independents as Nazis. I double dog dare ya!)

Because we’re not Nazis, of course. Just 5% of us think the Führer was fab.

Yet TWICE as many Democrats are fans of Hitler!

Too bad YouGov didn’t ask Democratic respondents if they also supported the DSA: I’ll betcha a Diet Coke there’d be a big-arse correlation between the DSA boosters and the Hitler fanboys. (“The enemy of my enemy” and all that.)

It’s gotten so bad, MORE than twice as many Democrats now approve of Hitler as approve of Trump!

The media can scream in every beer hall that Trump is “literally Hitler” and MAGA voters are all Nazis, but the evidence is overwhelming: The Democratic Party is the most pro-Hitler major political party in America today.

And Democrats are twice as likely to SUPPORT Hitler as the people they’re accusing of BEING Hitler!

On to the second poll:

Newsweek: Donald Trump’s Approval Rating Quietly Shifts With Youngest Voters

This headline is a splendid example of media bias: More people read the headline than see the article, which is why pro-Trump polling news tends to be headlined via vague-sounding “shifts” — who knows what really happened? — whereas anti-Trump polling news leads with the stats. Example A is this morning’s gem from USA Today.

(It’s also adorable that Newsweek described it as a “quiet shift.” Yeah, when the rest of the media ignores a story, it sounds pretty dang quiet, doesn’t it?)

It’s a deliberate PR strategy. Polling results consistently have a pro-Democrat bias anyway, so when you blast the anti-Trump stats in the headline and bury the rest, it heightens the illusion of overwhelming Democratic support. Conservative voters are thus demotivated.

Everyone hates Trump! Why, the Blue Tsunami will swallow the world! There’s no point in even voting, ‘cause we’re getting killed.

But beyond the headline, here’s what Newsweek reported:

President Donald Trump’s approval among voters aged 18 to 24 rose from 25 percent in July to 41 percent in September, according to a Newsweek analysis of Harvard/Harris polling.

The shift challenges the idea that young Americans who backed the president in 2024 are uniformly moving away from him before the midterm elections.

It’s an eye-popping statistic: Over the past two months, Trump’s support has jumped by 64%!

Young voters are most vulnerable to changes in the job market, good or bad. Affordability woes hit Zoomers disproportionately to Boomers. They surf the crest of cultural changes; they’re early adopters of political shifts.

And they’re now racing away from the Democratic Party.

This suggests that the 2026 midterms are anything but decided. Just because voters haven’t been shy about expressing their dissatisfaction with Republicans doesn’t mean they prefer the Democrats.

The opposite could be true: Yes, they’re disappointed in President Trump’s progress and expected better/faster results — but he’s still a WAY better option than those DSA weirdos!

As we near Election Day, more Americans will likely feel the same way. Because everything tightens in the homestretch. Wayward demos return home.

That’s been the historic norm: One domino falls, then the other.

It begins with young voters, but that’s not where it ends.

So stay engaged. The midterms aren’t close to over. The media wants to demoralize you, but there are plenty of reasons for optimism.

A 64% jump in youth support is extraordinary! (Especially for a Republican.)

Just know you won’t be reading the good news in a headline, because that’s not how the propaganda game is played. Instead, the media relies on dog whistles, bias, and selective reporting — while tarring Republicans for the crimes of Democrats.

I’m not cheating! YOU must be cheating! I’m not Hitler! YOU must be Hitler!

But every accusation is a confession.

The Democrats and the media aren’t just pointing fingers. They’re holding up a mirror.

This is why they keep seeing Hitler.

One Last Thing: 2026 will reach a crescendo with the midterm elections. Nothing less than the future of our country teeters in the balance.

Never before have the political battle lines been so clearly defined. Blue wave or red wall, the 2026 midterms will transform our country.

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Poll: 1 in 4 Trump voters say GOP candidates should break from the president– www.politico.com

pgnewser October 12, 2026 0

Poll: 1 in 4 Trump voters say GOP candidates should break from the president– www.politico.com
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EXCERPT:

One in four Trump voters say GOP candidates should break with the president to win in November, according to the latest POLITICO Poll, conducted by independent firm PF Global.

The findings underscore the degree to which even loyal Republicans understand President Donald Trump is a drag on the ticket. Persistent inflation, $4 gas prices, 7% mortgage rates, a quagmire in the Middle East and a trade war with Canada have given Republican candidates no shortage of opportunities to take the president to task.

Michigan’s GOP Senate candidate Mike Rogers this week became the latest example when he called for an end to the “tariff war” with Canada — a notable shift after he spent weeks defending the president’s decision.

“It was brilliant by Mike Rogers … when you talk about the affordability issue, in every poll I get back, every week, more and more people have this as their top issue,” said Michigan-based GOP consultant Jason Roe, who is working on Rep. Tom Barrett’s (R-Mich.) reelection campaign. “Obviously the price of gas is a result of the Iran war, and in Michigan, more than anything else, the trade war with Canada.”

Rogers is hardly the only example. Florida GOP Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar used an ad filmed in front of the White House to call out the president’s immigration crackdown. Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-Iowa), in her bid to win the Iowa Senate seat,has called for an end to the Iran war amid souring diesel costs. Ken Paxton, the GOP’s embattled Texas Senate nominee, has now been the subject of four leaks exposing his private attempts to distance himself from Trump and the national party.

“It’s just all dictated by the data,” said a GOP strategist working on a Senate campaign, granted anonymity to speak candidly about the president. “They see the writing on the wall about the gas prices and the inflation. Running as a Trump sycophant is not going to work in 2026. It’s the only political move you can do in Michigan, a state like that. It’s toxic to be tied to the man.”

There are some limits: No Republican has completely broken with Trump, and several are eager to stand next to him on stage or in the Oval. Few dare to criticize him directly. And many still lean on their ties to the president on the campaign trail and in their social media profiles as they seek to rally the MAGA base.

A White House official, granted anonymity to discuss internal thinking, scoffed at the idea that Rogers’ — or any other candidates’ — efforts to distance themselves from Trump administration policies, amounted to a major break with the president.

“If I’m a candidate that’s physically trying to push away from the president, I’m not attending this stuff. I’m just gonna back away all the way,” the official said. “Being in the midst of a campaign and needing to talk to the issues that are being discussed as kitchen table topics, you just kind of have to.”

White House spokesperson Davis Ingle pointed to the Trump administration’s efforts to lower prescription drug costs, cut taxes, secure the border and grow job numbers: “No one can dispute the fact that President Trump has created one of the most robust coalitions in political history with the MAGA movement, and the president understands how to communicate with them. President Trump is the unequivocal leader, best messenger, and unmatched motivator for the Republican Party, and he is committed to maintaining Republican majorities in Congress.”

Politicians touting their independence from Washington is nothing new. But as the poll reveals, it’s notable

that so many who voted for Trump, who has been the GOP’s dominant force for a decade, are ready for candidates to take that leap.

Much of the fracture is driven by the non-MAGA wing of his coalition, the people who voted for Trump in 2024 but do not identify as part of his most loyal base, the survey found. When asked about specific issues such as the economy, trade and tariffs, data centers, immigration and the Iran war, non-MAGA Trump voters were roughly twice as likely as MAGA Trump voters to say their GOP candidate should break from the president.

But Trump still retains an intense hold over the base. More than two-thirds of MAGA voters said GOP candidates should continue to align with Trump across all of those issues.

That creates a no-win situation for many Republican candidates: Tie yourself to Trump and his policies too tightly and you lose independents and non-MAGA Republicans. Break too far, and you risk leaving MAGA disenchanted.

Candidates trying to thread that needle are quick to praise the president but blame his advisers, as Salazar did, or avoid mentioning Trump by name at all.

Roe said each candidate has to measure the “downstream effects” of a decision to distance themselves from the president, adding that it’s a balance between “alienating your base with appealing to voters that are looking for some independence.”

On the campaign trail, many Republicans acknowledge that the president remains an asset in shoring up base voters crucial to November. It’s part of the reason Trump has aggressively traveled to red states — including Alabama, Alaska, Iowa, Nebraska, Ohio and Texas — bastions of conservatism that need his star power to coax die-hard supporters to the polls. The White House official pointed to the president’s rally with South Carolina Senate candidate Darline Graham ahead of her run-off as an example of Trump’s ability to juice turnout.

RNC press secretary Natalie Baldassarre insisted that Republicans “remain united behind the president’s agenda” and are “laser focused on winning.”

“Our candidates will run the races necessary to best represent their districts and prevent Democrats from taking control,” she said.

The president is telling voters to “pretend” he is on the ballot, and he has insisted the party is already in a better place as he blitzes states across the country, touting his economy and arguing that higher prices are a small price to pay for national security amid the lingering war with Iran.

But some candidates are still nervous that if they campaign beside the president, they could alienate undecided voters. Some Republicans have encouraged Trump’s team not to send the president to a blue-leaning Omaha district and other key districts where his approval rating is underwater ahead of Election Day.

“I don’t think there are that many candidates who are clamoring for Trump to come to their state. But to the extent they do, it’s a gamble that they’ve already lost the voters who are gonna vote against them, and they need to light a fire under the voters who are sitting it out, and he’s the torch,” said Democratic strategist David Axelrod, who was chief strategist for Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign. “The problem is the torch can burn the whole house down.”

The damned-if-you-do, damned-if-you-don’t dilemma is perhaps best captured with Paxton’s campaign in Texas. On Wednesday, Trump took the stage in San Antonio, bringing up Paxton, the same day his latest closed-door comments complaining about the Iran war and high prices dragging down his campaign went public.

But standing on stage with Trump, he struck a much different tune.

“Wow, what is it like to be up on stage with the president of the United States? Pretty amazing,” he said. “Mr. President, I want to thank you for coming for me, for coming for us and for coming for Texas.”

 

Abdul El-Sayed Wins Michigan Senate Debate Because Mike Rogers Can’t Shake Trump– www.politicususa.com

pgnewser October 12, 2026 0

Abdul El-Sayed Wins Michigan Senate Debate Because Mike Rogers Can’t Shake Trump– www.politicususa.com
News Source
EXCERPT:

The debate between the candidates for Michigan’s open US Senate seat was ugly. Mike Rogers can’t run a successful Senate campaign by cozying up to Donald Trump and running on the issues. Instead, Rogers has to make the debate about Abdul El-Sayed.

PoliticusUSA is 100% independent news and opinion. We are not influenced by any political party or corporation. Support us by becoming a subscriber.

In contrast, El-Sayed spent the debate that was loaded with personal attacks linking Rogers to Trump and the president’s unpopular policies.

The debate exchange of the night came when El-Sayed said:

 He wanted to make this about him or me, but the question is about you. Can you afford your gas? Can you afford your groceries? Under this guy who’s gonna rubber-stamp everything Donald Trump tells him to rubber-stamp, you’re gonna continue to pay way more out of your nose because he works for corporations and Donald Trump.

 

Some people might suggest that this was not the kind of debate that would help voters make a decision, but the opposite was true.

The debate was deeply insightful, just not in the way that Mike Rogers intended.

Rogers wants to have it both ways. He wants to “other” El-Sayed while distancing himself from Trump.

 

Michigan Senate hopeful Mike Rogers faces pressure over Trump’s trade war– www.cbc.ca

pgnewser October 12, 2026 0

Michigan Senate hopeful Mike Rogers faces pressure over Trump’s trade war– www.cbc.ca
News Source
EXCERPT:

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Michigan Senate candidate Mike Rogers faced pressure over U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade war with Canada during a heated debate Thursday that could sway voters in a consequential midterm race in which neither candidate ruled out future tariffs.

Trump’s escalating tariffs on Canada came up within the first 10 minutes of the debate. Rogers was asked about an advertisement released Wednesday in which he said “Canada is not our enemy,” and how he squares that position with longstanding support for the tariffs.

“I would like to see the deal made,” Rogers responded. “I have actually called the White House this week, talked to the secretary of Commerce, about getting the deal done.”

Rogers said Canada imposes tariffs on U.S. goods, without providing details about the levies or addressing the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement, which was negotiated during the first Trump administration.

But the Republican candidate said the U.S. tariffs on Canada are now too high and those should be eliminated.

“This is about getting to the best deal possible. I’d like to it end. I think we need to end it,” Rogers said before taking jabs at his Democratic opponent, Abdul El-Sayed, claiming El-Sayed’s policies would raise prices.

Anthropic Wants to Merge with the President

pgnewser October 9, 2026 0

Anthropic has launched a “presidential engagement” project in preparation for the 2028 Presidential election. They plan on engaging with major U.S. presidential candidates on AI policy to determine their political strategy. From this, their political funding strategy would follow. It’s a transparent “buy influence” program being advertised in advance ahead of the 2028 elections.

Anthropic launching ‘presidential engagement’ effort ahead of 2028 election– fortune.com
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Anthropic is setting up a “presidential engagement” program ahead of the 2028 elections, building an in-house team that will work directly with U.S. presidential candidates from both parties on AI issues, help Anthropic’s leadership set political strategy, and run the company’s political funding program.

The effort—which is taking shape before the November midterm elections and an impending initial public offering that could value Anthropic at as much as $2 trillion—underscores the extent to which government policy, and the support of the White House in particular, have become critical to the AI industry.

Anthropic is hiring a Political Programs lead to spearhead the effort and build the team. The person will “build and run Anthropic’s presidential engagement program for the 2028 cycle,” according to the job description that the company posted recently. The person in the role will “map the prospective fields in both parties, offer AI policy education to candidates and their advisors on equal terms, prepare Anthropic’s executives for those conversations, and plan ahead for the platform, convention, and transition periods.”

“Decisions made over the next two years will shape the future enormously,” reads the job description. “We want every serious candidate and elected official, in both parties, to understand the technology and the case for governing it well.”

Mike Johnson voices uncertainty about his future if GOP loses control– www.politico.com

pgnewser October 9, 2026 0

Mike Johnson voices uncertainty about his future if GOP loses control– www.politico.com
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Speaker Mike Johnson suggested that he could leave Congress if Democrats regain control — the furthest he has gone in acknowledging what he would do in a GOP House minority.

“Heaven forbid, if we lose this majority or whatever, I don’t know what my next chapter of life is,” Johnson said in an interview with Fox News posted this week. “If God moves on our hearts and says we should, you know, go back to my hometown of Shreveport and start a lawn business, I’ll do that with equal fervor.”

In the past, the Louisiana Republican has steered clear of the hypothetical.

Johnson also did not rule out a run at minority leader, instead telling Fox News that House Republicans will hold onto the majority and he will stay speaker.

“I’m going to be the speaker in the next Congress,” Johnson said, when asked if he would run. “I’m not going to talk about the scenario where we don’t win the House, because I am laser-focused on winning the House.”

With the midterms less than a month away, Republicans are doing everything they can to salvage their chances of maintaining their majority in an unfavorable political environment.

As some Republicans privately worry about their chances of holding onto the House, many believe jockeying for a GOP minority leader race is already underway.

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise and Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan are potential names floating around to take over. House Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) had also been named as an option, though he could also run to stay as whip.

Trump keeps changing who gets his $5,000 dividend—only 21% of voters believe he’ll actually pay it– fortune.com

pgnewser October 9, 2026 0

Trump keeps changing who gets his $5,000 dividend—only 21% of voters believe he’ll actually pay it– fortune.com
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EXCERPT:

Politicians all over the world have been grappling with how to deal with low voter turnout, as it keeps falling in recent decades even as the number of countries holding elections (and the voters voting in them) has grown, according to International IDEA. Some jurisdictions have implemented paid holidays from work while political campaigns increasingly offer rides to the polls. Then the president of the United States recently began toying with another, arguably more enticing initiative: offering cash.

Should the GOP sweep the midterms come November, President Donald Trump promised every American adult a $5,000 check in their mailbox. It’s not the first time the noted dealmaker offered such a deal, but what is fresh is new details of who will actually get the check, which seemingly change with every passing day as the election draws closer.

As a result, voters are taking Trump’s word with a grain of salt. An Economist and YouGov poll from September found that only 21% of registered voters think Trump would “definitely or probably would” issue that $5,000 dividend if Republicans retain control of Congress, while more than half (57%) said he probably or definitely would not. Even among Republicans, less than half (45%) think Trump will follow through.

Trump first announced the payment on Sept. 9 as a $5,000 “dividend” for every adult U.S. citizen if Republicans sweep both the House and Senate in the midterm elections. Speaking at a Republican midterm convention in Dallas, he introduced a dividend component—saying the payment would be made because of what he described as the country’s “tremendous strength and success economically.”

“If the Republicans win, you win with us and you get $5,000,” Trump said during the midterm convention. “It will be called the Trump Dividend.”

In a post on Truth Social on Oct. 3, Trump wrote: “If Republicans win the House of Representatives and the Senate in the 2026 Midterm Elections, I’m going to give all Adult Citizens in the United States of America, $5,000.”

Centrist Democrats are afraid of expanding the Supreme Court– www.dailykos.com

pgnewser October 9, 2026 0

Centrist Democrats are afraid of expanding the Supreme Court– www.dailykos.com
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Oh boy, here we go with this shit.

“Third Way, the center-left think tank, is urging moderate Democrats to back common-sense reforms to prevent the left from pushing court expansion, an unpopular position that could motivate the G.O.P. base and alienate independents,” reported Puck News. “Instead, Third Way executive Lanae Erickson is suggesting that Dems pass legislation that would place 18-year term limits on justices—a cadence that would eventually lead to the appointment of two new justices every presidential term.”

Let’s call this a “yes … and?” situation. Term limits are a fine idea for judges, especially when coupled with strict ethics reforms, which Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, who sits on the Senate Judiciary Committee, is ready to unleash if Democrats win the Senate this November.

But term limits aren’t enough, and I’m not sure where the notion that court expansion is “an unpopular opinion” is coming from. A recent Marquette Law School poll paints a different picture:

Yes, term limits and ethics are overwhelmingly popular and should be the first step. But expanding the court is still supported by a majority of Americans. Is it contentious and controversial? Of course. Republicans won’t surrender their ill-gotten Supreme Court gains lightly. But it’s a divided country, and attitudes toward the court are aptly aligned with our nation’s partisan split.

There is no reason that Democrats shouldn’t expand the court if given the opportunity.

The stakes are simple: Democrats can pass all the popular legislation they want, but it means little if a right-wing Supreme Court can simply strike it down—and continue rolling back rights that Americans have relied on for generations. And no, there’s no shrugging their shoulders about it. Democrats can’t simultaneously claim they’re powerless because of the court and also refuse to use the constitutional power they have to reshape it.

Despite this, Third Way has been surprisingly progressive of late, embracing an economic populism that includes dramatically expanding affordable housing, taking on entrenched corporate interests, and even declaring healthcare a “basic human right” while pushing automatic coverage for everyone.