DeSantis endorses Florida GOP slate including Byron Donalds in governor’s race
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis endorsed a “slate” of Republicans statewide Tuesday, including GOP gubernatorial nominee U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds. “I’m endorsing the slate here tonight … because I know it’s important for the state of Florida,” DeSantis said at the Florida GOP Leadership Forum in Tampa. The event showcased Donalds, Attorney General James Uthmeier, Florida Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia and Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson. Last year, DeSantis appointed Ingoglia as CFO and Uthmeier as attorney general. Later in 2025, the governor endorsed Ingoglia for election to the CFO post. He then backed Simpson for re-election this year. TRUMP’S HANDPICKED DESANTIS SUCCESSOR WINS CROWDED GOP PRIMARY FOR FLORIDA GOVERNOR “Tonight I was honored to earn Governor @RonDeSantis’s endorsement,” Donalds wrote in a post on X. “Governor DeSantis has done incredible work to make Florida the envy of America. As your next Governor, I will build on his success and defend the Florida Dream,” he said. FORMER FLORIDA GOVERNOR HOPEFUL HAULED OUT OF COUNTY MEETING AFTER PROTESTING ISRAEL INVESTMENTS Donalds, who won the Florida GOP gubernatorial primary in August with the backing of President Donald Trump, will face Democratic gubernatorial candidate former U.S. Rep. David Jolly in the general election. While he is currently running for governor as a Democrat, Jolly previously served in the U.S. House of Representatives as a Republican. BYRON DONALDS SHUTS DOWN BILL MAHER’S CLAIM ON GOP PRIMARY RACISM, SAYS ‘FLORIDA IS A MERITOCRACY’ Under the Florida Constitution, DeSantis, who is serving his second consecutive term, is not eligible to seek another consecutive term as governor this year. “No person who has, or but for resignation would have, served as governor or acting governor for more than six years in two consecutive terms shall be elected governor for the succeeding term,” the Florida Constitution states.
Texas Dem candidate to hold high-dollar Hollywood fundraiser while GOP gathers in Dallas: ‘Fake cowboy’
Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico is set to travel to Los Angeles in September for a high-dollar fundraiser with Hollywood celebrities, according to a report. Politico reported that “Lost” co-creator Damon Lindelof and his wife, Heidi, will host a fundraiser for Talarico in Brentwood on Sept. 10. Tickets for the event start at $500 and go as high as $13,500, according to the outlet. This will be Talarico’s second Hollywood fundraiser in a few months. The first was held in June and was described by Page Six Hollywood as a “glitzy Dem fundraiser” at the home of Hollywood producer Peter Chernin. Fox News Digital reached out to the Lindelofs and Chernin for comment. Meanwhile, Talarico’s opponent, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, will gather in Dallas for the Republican National Committee’s midterm convention, along with President Donald Trump and other Republicans. The same night Republicans rally in Dallas, former President Barack Obama will headline a Democratic House fundraiser in New York, according to The New York Times. The events put prominent Democrats on the coasts while Republicans gather in Texas. Fox News Digital previously reported that donors from outside Texas accounted for roughly 50% of the funds raised by Talarico, according to first-quarter campaign finance records. TALARICO SAYS THE DIVIDE IS ‘TOP VS. BOTTOM’ — THEN HEADS TO ONE OF AMERICA’S RICHEST DONOR ENCLAVES Talarico is taking heat from Republicans for his out-of-state fundraising. RNC spokesperson Zach Kraft told Fox News Digital that “it is no surprise that James Talarico feels more comfortable in crazy liberal California than when his handlers force him to wear a fake cowboy hat and rent a pickup truck to pretend to be a ‘real’ Texan.” Fox News Digital reached out to Talarico’s campaign for comment but did not receive a response by the time of publication. Talarico currently serves as a progressive Democratic lawmaker in the Texas House of Representatives. Since winning the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate, Republicans have continually knocked him for his record of controversial statements, including calling God “nonbinary,” saying that there are six sexes and saying that reducing meat consumption was “existential” to fight climate change. JAMES TALARICO DOESN’T DRIVE HIS OWN TRUCK IN VIRAL TEXAS CAMPAIGN AD FEATURING DODGE RAM Despite the attacks, Talarico and Paxton are running a tight race, and many Democrats believe this could be the year Texas finally flips blue. A Fox News poll from July gave Talarico a 3-point edge over Paxton, 51% to 48%, which was within the survey’s margin of sampling error. Paxton, meanwhile, has told Fox News Digital that Talarico’s lead is not surprising given his head start in the general election following his particularly messy primary runoff against incumbent Sen. John Cornyn. Speaking with Fox News on Sunday, Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., said that “money is an issue” in the race. FIRST ON FOX: MAJOR CORNYN BACKER GOES ALL-IN FOR PAXTON AS GOP RALLIES AFTER RED STATE SHOCK POLL “Mr. Talarico has been raising bucketloads of money from California, Hollywood,” he said. He called on Trump to help Paxton with cash, saying, “We in the Senate don’t have the money budgeted for Texas; we need help from the president.” SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER For his part, Trump has promised: “I’m going to help Ken Paxton, and I’m going to spend a lot of time in Texas.” Touting his history of winning the state three times on the presidential level, he said, “I’ll be going to Texas, and we’re working really hard. We want to win that race.” Trump called Paxton a “very good candidate,” while taking a jab at Talarico, saying, “‘Talafreako,’ they call him, because he is a little freaky.”
TribCast: A data center proponent makes his case
In this week’s podcast, former Public Utilities Commission member Will McAdams, president of the McAdams Energy Group, describes why he thinks data centers are necessary and shouldn’t be overly regulated.
Jasmine Crockett’s down-ballot slate starts to take shape as she steers clear of Senate race
The Dallas congresswoman has said she plans to focus on local races in Texas this fall rather than campaigning for James Talarico, who defeated her in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate.
Tarrant County removes 92 polling sites ahead of November election
Historically a Republican stronghold, Tarrant County has emerged as a key battleground as voters narrowly supported Democratic candidates at the top of the statewide ballot in recent elections.
Progressive push hits wall against conservative Democrat in deep-blue district
Rep. Stephen Lynch, who has cultivated a relatively conservative reputation while representing Massachusetts for the past quarter-century, has defeated a well-funded progressive challenger. Patrick Roath, an attorney and one-time aide for former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, challenged Lynch from the left, outraising him by about $300,000. Lynch and Roath clashed over a number of issues on the campaign trail, namely immigration, healthcare, money in politics and housing. Lynch was one of 46 House Democrats to vote in favor of the Laken Riley Act, legislation requiring federal authorities to detain certain migrants accused or convicted of theft and other specified crimes. Roath, who supported dismantling and replacing ICE, cited Lynch’s support for the bill as part of his reason for entering the race. MEET THE FAR-LEFT INSURGENTS WAGING WAR ON THE DEMOCRATIC ESTABLISHMENT IN 2026 MIDTERMS Roath criticized Lynch’s support of the bill as “shortsighted and expedient” and argued that it “demonstrates a fundamental failure to take seriously the threat that the Trump Administration poses to all Americans.” Lynch acknowledged that the Laken Riley Act was “imperfect,” but defended his vote principally as a response to what he called an immigration system that was “completely out of control.” On healthcare, Roath supported moving toward universal, government-funded coverage and has backed Medicare for All, while Lynch has supported a public option and sharply criticized the role of for-profit companies in the hospital system. Lynch, notably, was one of just a handful of Democrats to vote against the Affordable Care Act. The congressman justified his vote by arguing that it provided too many concessions to insurance companies. AOC SAYS MAHA ADVOCATES’ FIGHT ‘ISN’T PARTISAN’ AS SHE BLASTS HEALTHCARE SYSTEM FOR FUELING ‘A TON OF ANXIETY’ While Roath ran as an outsider populist, Lynch attempted to challenge that posturing by pointing to the progressive’s career as a corporate lawyer. Before becoming a member of Congress in 2001, Lynch was previously an iron worker, union president and lawyer. Both Lynch and Roath managed to pull together an impressive coalition of supporters. The Boston Globe, David Hogg’s Leaders We Deserve, Indivisible, Massachusetts Teachers Association, Boston Teachers Union and American Federation of Teachers Massachusetts all endorsed Roath, while Lynch secured the backing of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO, Iron Workers Local 7, Professional Firefighters of Massachusetts and the American Federation of Government Employees. In addition to falling within the context of the power struggle between the Democratic Party’s progressive and moderate wings, the primary in Massachusetts’s 8th Congressional District was also a generational battle. Lynch is 71 and Roath is just 39. ‘EXTREMIST’ AND ‘BARBARIC’: MASSACHUSETTS DEMOCRATS BREAK RANKS OVER NEW ABORTION LAW Despite his voting record, Lynch has said that his reputation as a conservative or a moderate is overstated. “Calling me the least liberal member from Massachusetts is like calling me the slowest Kenyan in the Boston Marathon,” he said in 2010. “It’s all relative.” While Lynch is conservative compared to his colleagues in the Massachusetts delegation, he has shifted to the left in recent years. Once a proud pro-life Democrat, the long-time congressman now defends Planned Parenthood and throws his support behind pro-abortion legislation. Massachusetts’ 8th Congressional District is heavily Democratic. Robert Burke, a retired telecommunications worker and small businessman, is the GOP’s nominee in the constituency.
One of Congress’ most powerful Democrats just survived a progressive primary revolt
The progressive push to unseat a veteran Democratic power broker fell short Tuesday, when Rep. Richard Neal defeated high school teacher Jeromie Whalen in Massachusetts’ 1st Congressional District primary. Neal, 77, has represented western Massachusetts in Congress for nearly four decades and has built considerable influence as the top Democrat on the powerful tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee. His 39-year-old challenger ran on a platform that included Medicare for All, higher taxes on the wealthy, abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement and a pledge to reject campaign contributions from corporate PACs. The race tested whether progressive voters were ready to replace a longtime Democratic incumbent, even if it meant giving up the clout Neal’s seniority brings western Massachusetts. 2026 MIDTERMS: PRIMARIES, KEY RACES AND ELECTION RESULTS Whalen sought to cast Neal as a representative of the Democratic establishment unwilling to take on wealthy interests and corporate power, while pitching himself as part of a younger generation pushing the party further to the left. Neal, meanwhile, made his experience and position in Washington central to his case for re-election, arguing that his seniority gives the district influence in Congress that would be difficult for a first-term lawmaker to replicate. The contest also unfolded against a broader debate inside the Democratic Party over its aging leadership and whether longtime incumbents should step aside for a younger generation. Progressive stalwart Sen. Ed Markey, 80, defeated a more moderate challenger 33 years his junior on Tuesday night. MEET THE FAR-LEFT INSURGENTS WAGING WAR ON THE DEMOCRATIC ESTABLISHMENT IN 2026 Neal’s position on the Ways and Means Committee also gave the race significance beyond western Massachusetts. The panel sits at the center of congressional fights over taxes and other major economic policy. His victory also ultimately preserves the seat of one of the House Democratic caucus’ most senior members while turning back a challenge built around the argument that the party needs generational and ideological change. There is no Republican filed to run against Neal in the general election.
Biden-Harris favorite gets second shot at Congress, beats Squad-backed candidate
A former Biden administration aide just won a crowded primary race in Massachusetts, setting up a glide path to the House of Representatives come November. Dan Koh came out first among six candidates to replace Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., who ended his House tenure with a failed run for Senate against incumbent Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., that came to a conclusion Tuesday night. Koh had the backing of both former President Joe Biden and former Vice President Kamala Harris, which was no surprise after his stint working in the White House. He first joined the administration as chief of staff to then-Labor Secretary Marty Walsh and later became deputy assistant to the president and deputy director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs. BIDEN INTERVENES IN DEM CONGRESSIONAL PRIMARY, WARNING ALL ‘WE DID TO HELP ORDINARY PEOPLE IS IN JEOPARDY NOW’ But his successful Tuesday primary is not the first time Koh ran for Congress. He narrowly lost the Democratic nomination in Massachusetts’ nearby 3rd Congressional District to Rep. Lori Trahan, D-Mass., in 2018. Koh is running on progressive campaign promises like abolishing “Trump’s ICE” referring to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and universal healthcare. He’s now poised to succeed Moulton in the 6th Congressional District, which includes the northeastern portion of Massachusetts and is rated a safe blue seat. HARRIS-BACKED DEMOCRAT SCRUBS BLM-ERA POSTS AS HOUSE CAMPAIGN HEATS UP Moulton, who served in the Marine Corps, has represented the district since 2015. His campaign for Senate has been marked by a bitter primary battle against Markey, an 80-year-old progressive who has been in office since 2013. Moulton, 47, ran his campaign based on generational change and arguing that Markey had long missed his chance to substantively make life better for Massachusetts residents, but that wasn’t enough to stave him off Tuesday. AOC ENDORSES SEN ED MARKEY AS INCUMBENT FACES DEM US SENATE PRIMARY CHALLENGE FROM REP SETH MOULTON Markey is backed by the far left’s marquee names, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. Meanwhile, Koh himself is a figure of the establishment left, with both his father and uncle also serving in the federal government. His father, Howard Koh, was an assistant secretary in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under former President Barack Obama. His uncle served under the Obama and Clinton administrations. Koh now moves on to face Republican military veteran Micah Jones, who is running in his primary unopposed.
Top Democrat survives double-barreled challenge as party’s Israel divide hits home
House Democratic Whip Katherine Clark toppled two progressive challengers Tuesday in Massachusetts’ safely Democratic 5th Congressional District, surviving a primary fight that put Gaza and pro-Israel political spending at the center of the race. Clark, who won handily Tuesday night against fellow Democratic Party contenders Jonathan Paz and Tarik Samman, was first elected in 2013 during a special election and has held her position as House Democratic whip since 2022. The second-highest ranking Democrat after House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Clark has helped lead opposition to Republican spending, immigration and healthcare measures, including recent messaging against ICE funding and GOP cuts to Head Start and Medicaid. MEET THE FAR-LEFT INSURGENTS WAGING WAR ON THE DEMOCRATIC ESTABLISHMENT IN 2026 MIDTERMS She ran against former city councilor, educator and union organizer Paz and 27-year-old Harvard Law School researcher and union organizer Samman. Clark fended off two left-wing challengers who sought to make Gaza and pro-Israel political money central issues in the safely blue Boston-area primary. Her fundraising operation dwarfed both challengers, raising $4.5 million, while Paz raised $88,500 and Samman brought in $43,800, according to FEC filings. PELOSI-BACKED DEMOCRAT LOSES AFTER $10M FLOOD OF CRYPTO, PRO-ISRAEL MONEY While AIPAC, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, endorsed Clark and has contributed to her campaign in the past, she has taken a critical stance toward the Israeli government’s handling of the war in Gaza. AIPAC is an influential pro-Israel lobbying group that has been criticized for advocating for U.S. military aid to Israel amid the war in Gaza. Last year, Clark used the word “genocide” at a district event before clarifying that she was not accusing Israel of genocide. Then, in July, she voted to cut $3.3 billion in U.S. military aid, saying Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government had failed to meet U.S. interests and values. Clark has continued to support Israel as a sovereign Jewish state and backed U.S. assistance for some Israeli defensive systems but is critical of Netanyahu. TOP HOUSE DEMOCRAT SAYS ANTI-ISRAEL ACTIVISTS’ THREATS KEPT HIM FROM TOWN HALLS FOR A YEAR Samman and Paz have argued that while Clark has increasingly criticized Israel’s conduct in Gaza, she has yet to renounce the AIPAC money she has accepted. Clark ran unopposed in 2024. Her most recent general election opponent was Republican Caroline Colarusso, whom Clark defeated 74% to 26% in 2022.
House Democrat survives left-flank challenge as Bernie volunteer mounts insurgent bid
Rep. Jake Auchincloss advanced Tuesday against Jason Poulos in Massachusetts’ 4th Congressional District. Auchincloss has held his seat since 2021 and faced his first Democratic primary challenge since winning the seat. Progressive challenger Poulos is an AI policy researcher who has been critical of Auchincloss regarding past support for military aid to Israel and ties to AIPAC while calling for an end to U.S. military assistance to Israel. PROGRESSIVE WAVE CRASHES IN SUN BELT BATTLEGROUND AS MODERATE HOLDS HIS SEAT Poulos, who previously volunteered for Bernie Sanders’ campaign, ran on Medicare-for-all, universal basic income, taxes on corporate automation, stronger unions and student debt cancellation. He also wanted to reduce military spending and end U.S. military aid to Israel. While Auchincloss is endorsed by AIPAC, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, he has been critical of aspects of Israel’s conduct in Gaza by saying some Israeli actions in 2025 “crossed lines” on humanitarian conditions. AIPAC is an influential pro-Israel lobbying group that has been criticized for advocating for U.S. military aid to Israel amid the war in Gaza. HOUSE DEMOCRATS FRACTURE BADLY OVER MASSIE AMENDMENT TO CUT $3.3B IN U.S. AID TO ISRAEL In July, Auchincloss voted with more than 100 House Democrats to eliminate $3.3 billion in U.S. military financing for Israel, while maintaining his support for the U.S.-Israel alliance. Auchincloss campaigned on lowering housing and healthcare costs, promoting economic growth and positioning Democrats to better confront the economic disruption caused by AI. Auchincloss, who succeeded Joe Kennedy III, comes from a prominent Boston medical family. He had previously been a registered Republican and worked on former Gov. Charlie Baker’s campaign, a line his primary opponents used against him. He later returned to the Democratic Party.