New Mexico accountant wins GOP primary, looks to cash out two-term Democrat in November
Steve Jones has won the GOP primary in his bid to unseat a two-term Democrat in the reliably blue 1st Congressional District of New Mexico. Jones, 77, will face off with Democratic incumbent Rep. Melanie Stansbury in the November general election. SIX SENATE SEATS THE GOP AIMS TO FLIP IN NOVEMBER’S ELECTIONS Jones, a retired accountant with experience in the energy sector, beat his Republican opponent, gun range owner Louie Sanchez in a ___ to __ vote on Tuesday night. In the 2022 midterm election, Stansbury was re-elected with 56% of the district’s vote. Democrats in the district typically get at least 54% of votes, with Republicans trailing behind at about 46%. WITH THE VERDICT IN AND HIS CRIMINAL TRIAL OVER, TRUMP IS ‘UNLEASHED’ In New Mexico’s latest redistricting, the 1st Congressional District saw boundary adjustments that expanded the district to include more rural areas to the south and east of Albuquerque – like Santa Rosa and Fort Sumner – while relinquishing a portion of southwest Albuquerque. Jones, a “devout member of the Lutheran church,” is also an Army veteran. In 2022, he lost a write-in bid for a seat in the state’s 2nd Congressional District.
Amit Shah, Anurag Thakur, Kiren Rijiju retain their Lok Sabha seats
Union Home Minister Amit Shah won from his constituency of Gandhinagar in Gujarat with a mammoth margin of over 7 lakh votes, surpassing his 2019 victory margin of 5.55 lakh votes.
Bob Menendez’s son survives House primary challenge despite dad’s criminal charges
Embattled Sen. Bob Menendez’s son, Rep. Rob Menendez, D-N.J., has survived a primary challenge despite the criminal indictments putting his father’s political future in peril. Menendez’s opponent was Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla, who sought to tie the first-term Democrat to his father and denounced the pair as a “political machine” running Garden State politics. “It’s time to move on from the party bosses and Menendez machine that have dominated NJ politics. In Congress, I won’t be beholden to anyone except for the voters,” Bhalla wrote on X Monday. REPUBLICANS SEE EMBATTLED MENENDEZ’S POTENTIAL INDEPENDENT BID AS CHANCE TO FLIP SENATE SEAT Menendez’s victory over Bhalla all but ensures his re-election in November in the safe blue district, which includes parts of Newark and Jersey City. The elder Menendez and his wife were hit with more than a dozen criminal charges related to accusations he used his position in the Senate to benefit Egypt’s government and interfere in cases against three New Jersey businessmen, who were also charged. The criminal indictments say Sen. Bob Menendez accepted bribes of cash and gold bars in exchange for aiding Cairo, a particularly damning accusation that forced him to temporarily step back from his role as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. SEN BOB MENENDEZ MAY BLAME WIFE NADINE DURING FEDERAL CORRUPTION TRIAL: COURT DOCS There’s no evidence that the younger Menendez is tied to his father’s alleged crimes – however, the indictments reignited frustration among New Jersey progressives about the political dominance the Menendez family has exerted over the state for decades. Before joining Congress in January 2023, Rob Menendez was a commissioner of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, a position he was appointed to by New Jersey’s progressive Gov. Phil Murphy. He ran to represent New Jersey’s 8th Congressional District in 2022 after five-term former Rep. Albio Sires, D-N.J., retired, having cruised to victory with 83% of the vote. SEN MENENDEZ CHARGED WITH OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE IN ANOTHER SUPERSEDING INDICTMENT Sires represented the 8th District after congressional maps were redrawn; he previously held the 13th District, which was also represented by Sen. Bob Menendez from 1993 until 2006, when he was elected to the Senate. Despite his father’s political baggage, Rob Menendez clinched the support of the top three House Democrats – Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y.; Minority Whip Katherine Clark, D-Mass.; and Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar, D-Calif.
Trump-backed candidate defeated in Republican Senate primary in New Jersey
In a rare setback for Donald Trump, the candidate the former president endorsed in the New Jersey’s Republican Senate primary went down to defeat on Tuesday. The Associated Press projects that Trump-endorsed Mendham Borough Mayor Christine Serrano Glassner will be defeated by real estate developer and hotelier Curtis Bashaw. Republicans believe they have a shot at winning in November, something they haven’t done in a Senate election in blue state New Jersey in over half a century. CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS PRIMARY NIGHT ELECTION RESULTS A major reason for the optimism is the prospect of a three-way race in New Jersey. Longtime Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez, who is on trial for federal corruption charges, is not running for re-election as a Democrat. On Monday, Menendez filed a petition with nearly 2,500 signatures to run for re-election as an independent. Polls indicate the embattled senator’s independent bid would potentially take votes away from likely Democratic Senate nominee Rep. Andy Kim, who won the Democratic Senate primary on Tuesday. SIX SENATE SEATS THE GOP AIMS TO FLIP IN NOVEMBER’S ELECTIONS Kim defeated labor leader Patricia Campos-Medina and activist Lawrence Hamm. He’ll now face off in the general election against first-time politician Bashaw, an entrepreneur and historic preservationist who is recognized in the Garden State for leading the restoration of the historic Congress Hall and the Virginia Hotel in Cape May, at the southern tip of the Jersey Shore. While Serrano Glassner was endorsed by Trump at a large rally in Wildwood, New Jersey, three weeks ago, Bashaw was the leading fundraiser in the race. Bashaw also enjoyed an advantage on the primary ballot, as he had the county line in two-thirds of the state’s 21 counties. New Jersey has long allowed counties to print ballots that include a prominent party line, which are widely viewed as helping candidates with establishment backing. Kim sued in federal court to overturn the county lines in the Democratic primary. But the GOP county lines were upheld. Navy veteran Albert Harshaw and former Tabernacle Deputy Mayor Justin Murphy were also running in the Republican Senate primary. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub
Underdog candidate Andy Kim wins NJ Senate primary, setting up battle against Bob Menendez
New Jersey Rep. Andy Kim defeated his Democratic rivals in the state’s Democratic primary Tuesday night and will face off against embattled Sen. Bob Menendez in November, who is running for re-election as an Independent. Rep. Kim defeated challengers Lawrence Hamm and Patricia Campos Medina to have the opportunity to unseat Menendez who has held the elected role since 2006, currently serving his third term. Menendez is embroiled in a bribery scandal also involving his wife, Nadine. He faces various criminal charges of conspiracy, obstruction of justice, bribery, acting as a foreign agent, extortion and honest services fraud. Menendez and his wife have both pleaded not guilty to bribery and obstruction of justice charges. They are accused of accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes in the form of cash, gold bars and a Mercedes-Benz for the benefit of various business persons and the Egyptian government. ANDY KIM GAINS MOMENTUM OVER NJ FIRST LADY IN DEMOCRATIC SENATE CONVENTION TO REPLACE BOB MENENDEZ In February, Kim defeated New Jersey first lady Tammy Murphy in the state’s first Democratic convention by a large margin – indicating he’d earned significant momentum and ultimately leading Murphy to drop out of the race. “The energy that we have is real, and it should not be underestimated,” Kim said after securing the county-line in Monmouth in February. Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., has notably backed Kim in the congressman’s bid to win the contested primary for New Jersey’s Senate seat. ANDY KIM SEES 3RD STRAIGHT WIN OVER NEW JERSEY FIRST LADY TAMMY MURPHY IN PRIMARY BATTLE FOR BOB MENENDEZ SEAT Fetterman was an early proponent of calling for Menendez’s ouster from Congress after federal prosecutors charged Menendez, his wife and business associates with taking bribes in cash and gold bars in exchange for helping the government of Egypt — and, in a later indictment, Qatar as well. Menendez and the other defendants have pleaded not guilty, and the senator has vowed to fight the charges. Unlike the first time he was indicted — charges that ultimately led to a hung jury in 2017 — Menendez has lost support within the Democratic Party in his home state, where his influence was once virtually unassailable. Kim also had filed a lawsuit as part of his bid for the Senate seat claiming that New Jersey’s primary ballot design unconstitutionally favors candidates who have the support of political party leaders and should be scrapped. NEW JERSEY SENATE CANDIDATE ACCUSES ‘DEMOCRATIC PARTY ELITES’ OF MANIPULATING PRIMARY RACE In March, U.S. District Judge Zahid Quraishi granted Kim a preliminary injunction, ordering the use of office block ballots for the June primary. “The integrity of the democratic process for a primary election is at stake and the remedy Plaintiffs are seeking is extraordinary,” Quraishi wrote in his opinion. He added that the plaintiffs “have met their burden and that this is the rare instance when mandatory relief is warranted.” The court victory, Kim said, was “built from the incredible grassroots work of activists across our state who saw an undemocratic system marginalizing the voices of voters, and worked tirelessly to fix it.” “While fixing this unfair ballot system is a massive step forward towards perfecting our democracy, there is still work to be done. Both in New Jersey and nationwide, we need to regain the trust of the voters we serve,” he said in a statement. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Kansas City police funding amendment to make August appearance on Missouri ballot
Missouri voters in August will weigh in on a constitutional amendment requiring Kansas City to spend more money on police, the state Supreme Court ordered Tuesday. CITY OF KANSAS CITY HAS ‘SEPARATED’ FROM EMPLOYEE WHO DOXXED HARRISON BUTKER FOLLOWING SPEECH, MAYOR SAYS The high court changed the date when the ballot measure will appear from November to Aug. 6, the same day as Missouri’s primaries. The court in April took the unusual step of striking down the 2022 voter-approved amendment. Democratic Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas has said voters were misled because the ballot language used poor financial estimates in the fiscal note summary. The measure requires the city to spend 25% of general revenue on police, up from previous 20%. A lawsuit Lucas filed last year said Kansas City leaders informed state officials before the November 2022 election that the ballot measure would cost the city nearly $39 million and require cuts in other services. But the fiscal note summary stated that “local governmental entities estimate no additional costs or savings related to this proposal.” Voters approved the ballot measure by 63%.
FBI director warns of jihadist attack in US, similar to Russian concert hall: ‘Heightened terrorist threat’
FBI Director Christopher Wray told a Senate Appropriations subcommittee on Tuesday that there is an increasing concern of a potential coordinated attack in the U.S., similar to the Islamic State in Khorasan Province (ISIS-K) attack in March at a concert hall in Russia. Wray met with the Senate Appropriations subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies to make his case on the department’s request of $11.3 billion for FY25, or $661 million more than last year. He told members of the subcommittee that when he met with them last year, he walked them through how the U.S. was already in a heightened threat environment, and since then, threats from foreign terrorists have risen to another level. “Just in the time that I’ve been FBI director, we’ve disrupted multiple terrorist attacks and cities and communities around the country. We need funding to continue protecting America from terrorism,” he said. Wray continued, saying since Oct. 7, the FBI has seen a “rogues’ gallery” of foreign terrorist organizations call for attacks on the U.S. and its allies. “Given those calls for action, our most immediate concern has been that individuals or small groups will draw a twisted inspiration from the events in the Middle East to carry out attacks here at home,” he said. “But now, on top of that, increasingly concerning is the potential for a coordinated attack here in the homeland, not unlike the ISIS-K attack we saw at the Russian concert hall back in March.” On March 22, Moscow’s Crocus City concert hall was attacked by terrorists, leaving 137 people dead and over 180 wounded. The gunmen who conducted the attack were identified by Russian media as Tajik nationals. After walking in with automatic weapons, the terrorists indiscriminately opened fire on the 6,200-seat venue. FBI DIRECTOR CHRISTOPHER WRAY CITES INCREASED FOREIGN THREATS IN FISA REAUTHORIZATION PLEA: ‘ROGUES’ GALLERY’ Wray also spoke about an elevated threat to the Jewish community in the U.S., which was already in place before Oct. 7, but has increased since. He said the increase in hate crimes significantly increased by 60% in the first four months after Oct. 7. Though not all the hate crimes targeted the Jewish community — some targeted Muslim-Americans, Arab-Americans and others — the vast majority did target Jews, Wray explained. FBI DIRECTOR WARNS OF ‘ELEVATED’ PUBLIC, NATIONAL SAFETY; PUSHES FOR INCREASED FUNDING “They are targeted by foreign jihadist inspired terrorists, whether it’s ISIS, al Qaeda or others,” the FBI director said. “They’re targeted by Shia terrorists, Iran and its proxies. They’re targeted by domestic violent extremists, you know, white supremacists and others, as well as anarchists and some of the folks who are, you know, pro-Palestinian and so forth. “So, they have the tragic distinction of really being targeted by almost every type of terrorist organization there is out there, foreign and domestic, across the spectrum,” Wray continued. “And so, they desperately need our help, and we’re going to give it to them.” But in terms of the budget, Wray told the subcommittee if Congress cuts the budget, it will have “very significant” consequences. FBI DIRECTOR HAS BEEN SOUNDING ALARM ON ‘HEIGHTENED THREAT ENVIRONMENT’: IS AMERICA LISTENING? He told the lawmakers the FBI would not be able to fill about 1,000 positions, which means the work the agency is doing to protect people from terrorism would fall short. “That’s fewer tips and leads followed; fewer terrorist attacks detected. That’s a significant concern in a heightened terrorist threat environment,” Wray said. “It helps out the terrorists, the cartels, the violent gangs, the Chinese government, the hackers, the child predators. I can go on and on.” Wray was asked how the FBI prioritizes its resources to be able to protect communities from the various threats, and he pinpointed one major concern that drives all prioritization. “Terrorism, which includes both foreign terrorism and domestic terrorism, remains our number one priority,” Wray said.
Dead man running: Deceased congressman wins election in New Jersey
Many elections are marked by reports of dead people voting, but a dead person being elected is far less common. Yet that’s exactly what happened Tuesday when Rep. Donald Payne Jr. won a primary in New Jersey’s 10th Congressional District. The beloved congressman and member of the Congressional Black Caucus suffered a fatal heart attack April 24, according to the New York Post. The filing deadline for primary campaigns in New Jersey was in March. Congressman Payne was the only candidate to register. DEMOCRATIC NEW JERSEY REP. DONALD PAYNE JR. DEAD AT 65 It isn’t surprising Payne Jr. was not challenged in the primary. He had held the seat since 2012, and his father occupied it for 20 years prior to that. Payne Jr. succeeded his father when the elder Payne also died in office. The Garden State’s election rules dictate that Payne cannot be replaced on the ballot. Instead, a special primary election will be held July 16. Nearly a dozen Democrats have already made it known to party leaders that they intend to vie for the seat. New Jersey’s 10th district is one of the bluest in the country, with a whopping 6-1 Democratic registration advantage. It includes Newark and other urban areas of Hudson, Union and Essex counties and hasn’t been represented by a Republican since 1946. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
Rep. Chip Roy grills AG Garland over DOJ lawsuit against Texas to stop illegal immigrant enforcement
U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, on Tuesday grilled Attorney General Merrick Garland over the Justice Department‘s lawsuit against Texas to stop the state from enforcing border security measures. Garland was testifying before the GOP-led House Judiciary Committee during the panel’s annual oversight hearing when he was asked about the court being waged against the Lone Star state. During his remarks, Roy pointed to the deaths of Lizbeth Medina and Laken Riley, both of whom were allegedly killed by illegal immigrants. In an effort to secure its border with Mexico and a surge in migrant arrivals, Texas has chosen to enforce immigration law as well as bus migrants to Democratic-led cities to relieve overwhelmed border towns. The Justice Department is suing the state over SB 4, which would allow local police to arrest illegal immigrants and for judges to order them deported. BIDEN ORDER TO BLOCK MOST ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS WHEN CROSSINGS SURGE, AS ELECTION NEARS “What we have is a continued effort by the federal government to fail to secure the border of the United States and Americans are dying or getting shot… two young women are dead,” Roy said. “Do you believe that Texas has a right to defend itself and to ensure that people who are in this country are not here illegally?” As attorney general, Garland said his heart goes out to the families of those killed by illegal immigrants. “I say secondly, as attorney general, the way to stop people like this from coming into the United States is to give more resources to ther Border Patrol,” he replied, before being cut off by Roy. “Lizbeth Medina would be here alive today if we were following the law,” Roy said. “Laken Riley would be here today if we had not released a killer onto the streets of the United States of America through parole policies that this administration is advancing.” FOX NEWS POLL: VOTERS SAY THE US-MEXICO BORDER IS A BIG PROBLEM “The Department of Justice (DOJ) is suing the state of Texas in court, taking valuable resources, to go against the people of Texas when Texas simply wants to say that we should have a say in stopping people who are here illegally, arrest them and be able to deal with it on our own terms when the federal government refuses to do its job,” he added. Money won’t solve the problem if the DOJ and President Biden refuse to enforce immigration laws, Roy said. Medina, a 16-year-old Texas high school cheerleader, was found dead in her bathtub in December 2023. The suspected killer, Rafael Govea Romero, a 24-year-old illegal immigrant from Mexico, is accused of stalking the high school cheerleader and aspiring nurse before allegedly striking her over the head and stabbing her in the Edna apartment that she shared with her mother. Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student at Augusta University in Georgia, was attacked in February while on a run. The alleged killer, Jose Ibarra, 26, who is from Venezuela, illegally crossed into the U.S. through El Paso, Texas, in September 2022, and was released via parole.
Rep. Massie presses Garland on constitutionality of Special Counsel Jack Smith’s appointment
Republican Congressman Thomas Massie, R-Ky., pressed Attorney General Merrick on the constitutionality of appointing Jack Smith as special counsel in a hearing Tuesday. Garland testified before the House Judiciary Committee and was questioned by Massie on Smith’s appointment to oversee the classified documents and January 6 probe into former President Donald Trump. “What gives you the authority to appoint a special counsel to create…you’ve created an office in the U.S. government that does not exist without authorization from Congress,” Massie posed to Garland. Massie referenced amicus briefs in the cases brought by the DOJ against Trump filed by former Attorney General Ed Meese under Ronald Reagan – in which he argues that the case that Garland’s appointment of Smith — a private citizen — is in violation of the Appointments Clause of the Constitution. SPECIAL COUNSEL IN TRUMP CASE UNCONSTITUTIONAL, FORMER REAGAN AG SAYS “Not clothed in the authority of the federal government, Smith is a modern example of the naked emperor,” the brief states. “Improperly appointed, he has no more authority to represent the United States in this Court than Bryce Harper, Taylor Swift, or Jeff Bezos,” they argued. Meese argues that the “illegality” of Smith’s appointment is “sufficient to sink Smith’s petition, and the Court should deny review.” Meese and company noted in the brief that Smith was appointed “to conduct the ongoing investigation into whether any person or entity [including former President Donald Trump] violated the law in connection with efforts to interfere with the lawful transfer of power following the 2020 presidential election or the certification of the Electoral College vote held on or about January 6, 2021.” JOHNSON FLOATS DEFUNDING SPECIAL COUNSEL’S OFFICE AMID JACK SMITH’S TRUMP PROBE Garland responded to Massie that, “there are regulations under which the Attorney General appoint Special Counsel, they have been in effect for 30 years, maybe longer, under both parties. The matter that you’re talking about, about whether somebody can have an employee of the Justice Department serve as special counsel has been adjudicated,” he said. Garland argued that special counsel appointments that he and other AGs, including Attorney General William Barr, have made cite a regulation that points to a statute. Meese, however, in his briefs filed in several points in the Trump cases, argued that “none of those statutes, nor any other statutory or constitutional provisions, remotely authorized the appointment by the Attorney General of a private citizen to receive extraordinary criminal law enforcement power under the title of Special Counsel.” JACK SMITH ASKS JUDGE TO RESTRICT TRUMP STATEMENTS AFTER ‘INFLAMMATORY’ REMARKS ABOUT FBI RAID “Second, even if one overlooks the absence of statutory authority for the position, there is no statute specifically authorizing the Attorney General, rather than the President by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, to appoint such a Special Counsel,” the former AG wrote. Meese’s brief was even mentioned in a question by Justice Clarence Thomas in the Supreme Court oral arguments over Trump’s presidential immunity – which the high court is expected to decide this month. “It seems like you’ve created an office that would require an act of Congress, yet there’s not an act of Congress that authorizes that. And even if it didn’t require an act of Congress, and you’ve already admitted that there was no act of Congress that established this office, it would still require, according to the Constitution, a nomination by the President and confirmation by the Senate,” Massie said to Garland.