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Year: 2025

Battle for governor in closely watched election may be headed for a photo finish

Battle for governor in closely watched election may be headed for a photo finish

With the November election just 15 days out, the Republican nominee in one of the nation’s only two races for governor this year is feeling confident. “The energy across the state is electric. The reception in minority communities has been great, and on being endorsed by prominent Democrats, that tells you all you need to know in terms of the people of New Jersey wanting change. And that’s what this election is all about. Change,” Jack Ciattarelli said this weekend in an interview on “Fox News Sunday.” Ciattarelli, who’s making his third straight run for Garden State governor and who nearly upset Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy four years ago, has good reason to be optimistic he can pull off victory in blue-leaning New Jersey. In a state where registered Democrats still outnumber Republicans despite a GOP surge in registration this decade, three public opinion polls released last week — from Fox News, Quinnipiac University and Fairleigh Dickinson University — indicated Ciattarelli narrowing the gap with Democratic gubernatorial nominee Rep. Mikie Sherrill in the race to succeed the term-limited Murphy. THE POLITICAL BOMB TRUMP EXPLODED IN THE NEW JERSEY SHOWDOWN FOR GOVERNOR The Fox News poll conducted Oct. 10 – 14, put Sherrill at 50% support among likely voters, with Ciattarelli at 45%. Sherrill’s 5-point advantage was down from an 8-point lead in Fox News’ September survey in New Jersey. New Jersey and Virginia are the only two states to hold gubernatorial showdowns in the year after a presidential election, and the contests traditionally grab outsized attention and are viewed as political barometers ahead of the following year’s midterm elections. CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT THE LATEST FOX NEWS POLLING And this year, they’re being viewed, in part, as ballot-box referendums on President Donald Trump’s unprecedented and combustible second-term agenda. While Democrats have long dominated federal and state legislative elections in blue-leaning New Jersey, Republicans are very competitive in gubernatorial contests, winning five out of the past 10 elections. And Trump made major gains in New Jersey in last year’s presidential election, losing the state by only six percentage points, a major improvement over his 16-point deficit four years earlier. Ciattarelli, interviewed by Fox News Digital last week in Bayonne, New Jersey, noted that he “made big gains” in his 2021 showing “in Hudson County and Passaic County,” two long-time Democratic Party strongholds. “And the President did very, very well in ’24 in those very same counties. And if you take a look at who’s been endorsing me, including some very prominent Democrats here in Hudson County, people want change,” Ciattarelli emphasized. But Ciattarelli is also aiming to energize Republican base voters in what’s likely to be a low-turnout election. Multiple sources confirmed to Fox News that Trump will hold a tele-rally with Ciattarelli ahead of Election Day. Trump’s teaming up with Ciattarelli may help energize MAGA supporters, many of whom are low propensity voters who often skip casting ballots in non-presidential election years. And last week, Ciattarelli was joined at a jam-packed diner stop in Saddle Brook, New Jersey, by Vivek Ramaswamy, the MAGA rock star who is running for governor next year in his home state of Ohio. Ramaswamy, the multimillionaire biotech entrepreneur and conservative commentator who pushed an “America First 2.0” platform as he ran for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination before ending his bid and becoming one of Trump’s top supporters and surrogates, told Fox News Digital that a Ciattarelli win this year would “set the table for even bigger and more decisive victories, hopefully in places like Ohio next year.” And this week another well-known Republican politician in MAGA world is headed to New Jersey. Fox News has learned the Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida, a top House ally of the president who has Trump’s backing as he runs next year for Florida governor, will team up with Ciattarelli on Wednesday. ONLY ON FOX: RAMASWAMY SAYS GOP VICTORIES IN THE 2025 ELECTIONS WOULD ‘SET THE TABLE’ FOR BIGGER WINS IN 2026 Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin, commenting on why Republicans feel bullish about the New Jersey showdown, raised concerns. “New Jersey is the best place, probably, for Donald Trump to actually stop the Democratic momentum — or at least minimize the Democratic momentum that we’ve seen throughout this year,” Martin said in a Politico interview.  But the Democratic Governors Association (DGA) forecasts a Sherrill victory in two weeks. “As numerous polls show her holding a strong lead and earning more than 50% of the vote, Mikie Sherrill is rising to meet the moment in this incredibly competitive race,” DGA spokesperson Izzi Levy told Fox News. “It’s clear that Mikie has the momentum, and that New Jersey voters are all-in to reject Ciattarelli for a third time this November.” Sherrill had plenty of company on the campaign trail this weekend from major Democratic Party surrogates, including two of the biggest names in the party — Govs. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan and Wes Moore of Maryland. “From Maryland to New Jersey, we’re united with one goal – making sure every voice is heard at the ballot box,” Moore wrote on social media. “Proud to stand with @MikieSherrill and community members in Newark to get out the vote. Let’s finish strong this November!” And former President Barack Obama endorsed Sherrill and starred in a new ad for the party’s nominee. CIATTARELLI WELCOMES TRUMP’S HELP IN FINAL STRETCH IN BATTLE FOR NEW JERSEY GOVERNOR While Trump isn’t on the ballot, he’s loomed large over the New Jersey gubernatorial election. At the second and final debate two weeks ago, Sherrill charged that her GOP rival had “shown zero signs of standing up to this president. In fact, the president himself called Jack 100% MAGA, and he’s shown every sign of being that.” Asked whether he considered himself part of the MAGA movement, Ciattarelli said he was “part of a New Jersey movement.” HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS REPORTING ON THE 2025 ELECTIONS When asked to grade the president’s performance

Reporter’s Notebook: Government shutdown stalls as Democrats demand Obamacare subsidy extension

Reporter’s Notebook: Government shutdown stalls as Democrats demand Obamacare subsidy extension

Government shutdowns can be pretty boring. Until a shutdown impacts you. There’s a missed paycheck. Flight delays. You can’t visit the Smithsonian. Questions about food and drug safety. You get the idea. But until you reach that tipping point, most Americans are ho-hum about government shutdowns and interpret the infighting between Democrats and Republicans as de rigueur on Capitol Hill. So they don’t pay much mind to them. However, Democrats engineered a scheme in advance of this fall’s government shutdown. They would transmogrify the shutdown into something Americans care about: healthcare. DEMOCRATS STRUGGLE FOR COHESIVE MESSAGING STRATEGY AMID SHUTDOWN STANDOFF Democrats know that healthcare consistently polls well with voters. Democrats have known for months that many people who receive their healthcare coverage via “Obamacare exchanges” would absorb a marked price spike with their premiums early next year. Moreover, notices informing people about the impending price increase would start to hit mailboxes in mid-October. So Democrats have pleaded with Republicans to subsidize Obamacare to defray looming price increases. Obamacare subsidies and the government shutdown aren’t directly connected. But Democrats believed they could link the two. And then, after people snored off to sleep about the government shutdown on Oct. 1, they were rudely awakened by a notice in the mail that their healthcare premiums were about to jump. Say what you will about the tactics, but it was a shrewd strategy by Democrats to seize on an issue important to their base. Moreover, it gave the party the opportunity to show voters that it’s “fighting” against President Donald Trump. That’s something which didn’t happen in the March funding round. In fact, the Democrats’ lack of fighting is what set a match to an internecine fight among Democrats about how to combat the president. The public and the government are absorbing the flames of that internal conflagration now, but Democrats may have found a way to salve those wounds. “Fighting for healthcare is our defining issue,” said House Minority Whip Katherine Clark, D-Mass., in an exclusive sit-down interview with Fox News. “Shutdowns are terrible and there will be families that are going to suffer. We take that responsibility very seriously. But it is one of the few leverage times we have.” That’s why healthcare is the linchpin to the shutdown. But enter Republicans. They believe Democrats own the healthcare crisis. They passed Obamacare in the first place. It was a Democratic Congress under President Joe Biden that boosted the subsidy to defray the cost of Obamacare in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), the touchstone of the Democrats’ legislative agenda. “It is the Democrats who created that subsidy who put the expiration date on it. They did it all on their own,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. Some Republicans have even reverted to their 2010 mantra to “repeal and replace” Obamacare. That said, Johnson tried to beat back those calls from conservatives. DEMOCRATS ROLL OUT NEW CAMPAIGN ADS TARGETING REPUBLICANS OVER ONGOING GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN “There’s no way to repeal and replace it because it’s too deeply ingrained right now. We have to improve it,” said Johnson. Such a declaration would have been unthinkable a few years ago. Here we have a Republican Speaker of the House arguing that Congress must sustain — even assist — Obamacare. “Obamacare has been a failure,” said Rep. Marlin Stutzman, R-Ind., on Fox News. “We’ve been enduring this now for almost 15 years.” Stutzman benefited from the GOP’s plan to ditch Obamacare in 2010. It was an historic, 63-seat midterm election pickup for Republicans. Voters sent Stutzman to Washington for the first time in that midterm. The Indiana Republican added that he’s “not sure that subsidies are the answer in the long run.” “Every couple of years they need more and more subsidies to be able to prop [Obamacare] up because it’s not affordable,” said Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., on Fox Business Network. Democrats are demanding Obamacare subsidies before they agree to a Republican plan to fund the government. “It is an inflection point in this budget process where we have tried to get the Republicans to meet with us and prioritize the American people,” said Clark. But Republicans believe the need to boost Obamacare reveals flaws in the law. “Isn’t that an indictment that there’s a problem with [Obamacare]?” I asked House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y. “The fact that it needs to be propped up in some form?” “No,” replied Jeffries. “The overwhelming majority of the American people, including in the Republican-run states, support an extension of the [Obamacare] tax credits.” Some Republicans reject extending the subsidies. DEMOCRATS BLAME GOP FOR OBAMACARE WOES TIED TO PANDEMIC-ERA SUBSIDIES “I’m not going to vote to extend these subsidies. They’re through the roof expensive,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. But other conservatives insist that Obamacare needs rescuing. “If you’re on [Obamacare] your premium is going to literally double. If you have your own private health insurance policy, your premium is going to go up and people already can’t afford their premiums,” said Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga. “People back at home are going, ‘Wait a minute, my premium is going to skyrocket.’” Greene is one of the most outspoken members of her party when it comes to concerns about the premium increases. In fact, she believes that Republicans allowed “Democrats to hold the moral high ground on it, because they’re talking about it.” Greene and Johnson spoke about her concerns several days ago. But Obamacare vexed the GOP for years. Former House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, and others led an effort to repeal and replace Obamacare. House Republicans voted dozens of times to wipe out Obamacare in 2011 and 2012. They couldn’t push such a package through the Senate, but it made for a powerful GOP talking point. Former House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wisc., got a little closer. Republicans had the Senate in 2016. So the House and Senate both voted for the first time to repeal and replace Obamacare, but President Barack Obama vetoed it. Republicans finally

House GOP announces $24M cash haul as government shutdown drags on

House GOP announces M cash haul as government shutdown drags on

FIRST ON FOX: House Republicans’ campaign arm is announcing it brought in nearly $24 million in the months of July through September this year. More than half of that — roughly $13.95 million — came in September, as Republicans were readying for a political messaging war over federal funding. That fight is still ongoing now, more than halfway through October. The government has been shut down for 20 days as Republicans and Democrats are still in disagreement over federal spending. The National Republican Congressional Committee’s (NRCC) $13.95 million haul represents its best September in a non-election year and a 50% increase from the previous comparable September in 2023. THUNE SLAMS SCHUMER’S ‘KINGMAKER’ POLITICS, REFUSES TO ‘KISS THE RING’ IN SHUTDOWN TALKS The NRCC is ending the third quarter with nearly $46 million cash on hand and nearly $93 million raised in 2025 alone. In a statement sent to Fox News Digital, NRCC Chair Rep. Richard Hudson, R-N.C., pointed out that House Republicans already voted to keep the federal government funded last month and touted the GOP base propelling his group ahead of the 2026 elections. “House Republicans are firing on all cylinders. Our majority funded the federal government, and we’re delivering for working families and building unstoppable momentum heading into 2026,” Hudson said. “With President Trump leading the charge and voters rallying behind our conservative agenda, we’re raising record-breaking resources to hold the House and grow our majority,” he said. Republicans are battling to keep the House in next year’s midterm elections, which have historically been unfavorable to the party in power. The GOP has held the House majority since 2023. But GOP leaders have expressed confidence in their agenda and in the White House, while arguing the Democratic Party is facing a lack of cohesion and disapproval of its policies by American voters. The NRCC outpaced its counterpart, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) in the previous quarter of 2025, raising $32.3 million compared to the DCCC’s $29.1 million. SCREAMING MATCH ERUPTS BETWEEN HAKEEM JEFFRIES, MIKE LAWLER AS GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN CHAOS CONTINUES The DCCC ended the year with more cash on hand, however, with $39.7 million compared to the NRCC’s $37.6 million. Both groups and their allies have spent much of October battling over the government shutdown in the court of public opinion. Republicans are accusing Democrats of holding the federal government hostage by refusing to vote for their funding bill unless partisan healthcare demands are met. Democrats, meanwhile, have argued that Republicans are risking the healthcare costs of millions of Americans by not including an extension of COVID-19 pandemic-era Obamacare subsidies that are set to expire this year without congressional action. The House passed a seven-week federal funding bill largely along party lines on Sept. 19. It has been stalled in the Senate, however, where at least several Democrats are needed to hit the chamber’s 60-vote threshold to break the filibuster.

Trump returns to DC as dim outlook lingers, no end in sight for shutdown

Trump returns to DC as dim outlook lingers, no end in sight for shutdown

With the federal government still closed, President Donald Trump begins the week back from Florida at the center of a political stalemate that shows no signs of easing. The standoff, now dragging into its third week, comes as the Trump administration and congressional Republicans remain at odds with Democrats over healthcare subsidies. GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN 101: WE’VE BEEN HERE BEFORE, HERE’S WHAT HAPPENS NEXT Trump has placed the blame squarely on Democrats for the shutdown that has triggered thousands of federal layoffs, frozen billions in infrastructure funding and rippled through local economies nationwide. “The Democrats are kamikazes right now. They’re kamikaze pilots right now. They have nothing going. They have no future,” Trump said during an exclusive interview on “Sunday Morning Futures.“ ‘THAT ENDS NOW:’ WHITE HOUSE VOWS REMOVAL OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS FROM TAXPAYER BENEFITS Democrats say failure to act before November’s open enrollment could saddle millions of Americans with higher premiums. The White House argues that the Democrats’ plan includes billions for Medicaid coverage for undocumented immigrants, which Trump claims would put Americans’ healthcare at risk. Though once uncommon, government shutdowns have grown more frequent in recent decades as political brinkmanship has become a hallmark of budget negotiations. Since 1976, the U.S. government has experienced 20 shutdowns. The most recent one, the longest in U.S. history, occurred when a dispute over funding Trump’s border wall halted government operations for 34 days, spanning from December 2018 into January 2019.  Senators on Thursday failed for the tenth time to break the impasse, leaving the government shutdown unresolved. Meanwhile, the House has been adjourned since Sept. 19 and is not expected to reconvene until the shutdown ends.