Trump says Democrats replacing Platner is ‘very hard for them to do’
President Donald Trump remarked that congressional Democrats would have a hard time replacing former Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner after the embattled candidate suspended his campaign Wednesday. “It’s very hard for them to do. It’s really a question of whether or not you believe the woman. A lot of people say big falsehoods. It’s… he’s in a bind. He’s in a bind. But, should they be able to do it? Well, I guess he’s going to lose. I imagine he’s going to lose,” Trump said while speaking to reporters on Air Force One before returning to the United States from the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey. Platner suspended his campaign Wednesday evening after numerous Democrats and liberals who had previously backed him pulled their support and encouraged him to drop out of the race. PLATNER DROPS OUT OF CRUCIAL SENATE RACE AFTER BOMBSHELL RAPE ALLEGATION TORPEDOES CAMPAIGN The calls for his exit came after Politico published a bombshell report detailing rape allegations against Platner. In the story, Platner’s ex-girlfriend Jenny Racicot alleged he forced his way into her home and sexually assaulted her in 2021. The Politico report followed a New York Times story that described another physical abuse allegation against Platner, this one from Lyndsey Fifield, a digital strategist for Republican political campaigns and organizations. Trump alluded to Fifield’s allegations, wondering aloud why her allegations weren’t a catalyst for outrage in the same manner that Racicot’s were. PLATNER’S LATEST ACCUSER CLAIMS THE DEMOCRATIC SENATE CANDIDATE ‘ABSOLUTELY’ RAPED HER “It’s very interesting when the Republican woman came out with the same charge, nobody believed her… when this woman came out everybody believed her, right?” Trump asked reporters. Fifield criticized the New York Times’ handling of her accusations, spotlighting the paper’s focus on her history of working for Republicans. “I’m out here on my own, I’m the only one photographed and there’s 11 paragraphs of my work history. Like, what is this?” Fifield told Fox News Digital in a Wednesday interview. Platner maintained that his suspension was not an admission of guilt and denied the allegations. While Platner suspended his campaign Wednesday, he has not officially dropped out to clear a path for a new candidate. Under Maine state law, he would have to drop out by July 13 to allow the Democratic Party to put a new candidate on the ballot in his stead. Fox News Digital contacted the Platner campaign for comment. Fox News Digital’s Brian Flood and Joseph Wulfsohn contributed to this report.
Trump’s voter ID bill catches unlikely break as McConnell remains sidelined
An unlikely reason has chipped away, for now, at Senate Republican resistance against President Donald Trump’s flagship election priority. The Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act has hit brick wall after brick wall in the Senate, and has only twice mustered 50 votes. Still, Trump wants Republicans to pass it by any means necessary. Republicans, however, aren’t unified behind it. One lawmaker, Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has routinely voted against the bill in its variety of iterations, earning the personal ire of Trump. MCCONNELL FACES FRESH CALLS TO COME CLEAN ABOUT HEALTH ISSUES “Mitch McConnell,” Trump told reporters last month. “He’s very disloyal to John Thune. You know, John Thune was a very good person for him. I mean, he’s a very loyal person, and Mitch McConnell’s against him almost all the time because he’s angry, I guess. Probably at me.” McConnell has been absent from the Senate, which is currently in recess, for almost three weeks due to health issues. When he will return still remains unclear. But without his resistance, that’s one less “no” vote that Republicans have to contend with. REPUBLICAN SAYS TRUMP’S TOP ELECTION PRIORITY ‘DEAD’ IN SENATE AS GOP FRACTURES AHEAD OF MIDTERMS Still, it doesn’t address the broader math problem in the Senate weighing down the chances of the SAVE America Act passing. Senate Democrats are unified against it, meaning Trump and the SAVE America Act’s biggest proponents can’t break through the 60-vote filibuster, which has, in part, fueled the president’s demands to nuke the filibuster. Senate Republicans don’t have the votes to do that, either. “The only way you could get there is to undo or get rid of the legislative filibuster, and there aren’t even close to the votes here in the United States Senate in order to achieve that,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said last month. There is the talking filibuster, which Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, has pushed for months, which Republicans have yet to turn to, largely over concerns of floor time being eaten away and fractured unity leading to Democratic wins. Then there is the budget reconciliation route, which Trump has pushed Congress to consider. While Senate Republicans aren’t leaping at the prospect, the House is moving full steam ahead. GOP INFIGHTING OVER TRUMP’S VOTER ID BILL ERUPTS AS TOP SENATOR CALLS STRATEGY ‘FANTASY’ House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told Fox News’ Shannon Bream that he would move ahead with the reconciliation plan. “We passed it three times in the House. We’re going to try one more time on a budget reconciliation bill, and I think that will be the way to get it through the Senate, and finally, to the president’s desk.” Notably, though, House Republicans have not passed the version of the SAVE America Act that Trump desires, which would include a strict crackdown on mail-in balloting, a ban on transgender athletes in women’s sports and a ban on transgender surgical procedures for minors. But even the bill’s biggest backers see reconciliation as a far-fetched option. Lee last month told Fox News Digital that the SAVE America Act was “policy, it’s non-budgetary. Therefore, SAVE America itself is not eligible for consideration in a third reconciliation.” There could be alterations, like giving states federal funding to start doling out enhanced REAL IDs with citizenship verification in a reconciliation package, while separately passing a voter ID bill. However, Lee believed that there was “no evidence that there is a viable path to a third reconciliation bill.” “I hope there is. I would love to be wrong on that. I want us to do that. I think we should do that. But the schedule that we’ve got, to my great disappointment, is not — it doesn’t accommodate any of it.”
Jeb Bush praises Trump for crippling Iran’s military, but warns of ‘threat’ to US from reported drones in Cuba
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush praised President Donald Trump for his efforts in crippling the Iranian regime, but warned that Cuba is now believed to have hundreds of explosive drones from Tehran. Bush made the statement at a United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) event on Wednesday, standing next to an Iranian Shahed-136 drone. The Shahed family of drones are cheap but effective kamikaze weapons that Iran has used extensively in the Middle East, in addition to shipping them to Russia for use against Ukraine. “We have decimated Iran’s capability to make mischief in the region. There’s no doubt about it,” said Bush, who is UANI’s chairman, adding that he applauds the Trump administration for their work. “I also want to point out that the press reports are that there are 300 of these in Cuba,” Bush said, gesturing toward the drone. TRUMP SAYS IRAN CEASEFIRE IS ‘OVER’ AFTER IRANIAN ATTACKS TRIGGER MASSIVE US RESPONSE “We have very good defense capabilities, so this is not a press conference to scare the bejesus out of people. The United States does have capabilities of defending the homeland, for sure,” Bush qualified before saying the drones nevertheless pose “a threat.” Bush was joined at the event by Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla., who warned attendees that while Shahed drones are a “terror weapon,” they are also the future of how wars are going to be fought. CUBA PLUNGES INTO THIRD MAJOR BLACKOUT THIS YEAR AS POWER CRISIS WORSENS “This is the face of warfare,” he said of the drone, noting that AI capabilities were drastically advancing the effectiveness of drones. “This is how war is going to be carried out in the future, and it’s being carried out right now.” Gimenez emphasized the effectiveness of drones in the war in Ukraine, where Kyiv’s forces have manufactured millions of small explosive drones for their defense, and to great effect. Former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Mark Wallace, now CEO of UANI, also spoke at the event, calling the Shahed drone “the ubiquitous terror weapon of mass destruction in modern warfare.” “This drone has struck our allies across the region, killed American troops, our allies across the region … and has been raining terror across the Middle East at our bases and the like,” Wallace said. Wallace told Fox News Digital that the drones in Cuba were transferred years ago, before the current conflict between the U.S. and Iran.
WATCH: Omar-backed mayor mocks outrage over Somalia July 4th trip with sarcastic ‘apology’
St. Louis Park Mayor Nadia Mohamed, who made history as the first Somali American elected mayor of a U.S. city, fired back at critics who criticized her Fourth of July weekend trip to Somalia during the country’s 250th anniversary weekend. The controversy began after local news outlet Alpha News reported that Mohamed, who has repeatedly been praised by Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., was in Somalia over the semi-quincentennial Fourth of July weekend, citing a Somali news outlet that reported on her visit she made alongside the country’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud. Video from the Somali president’s X account highlighted the visit and, according to Alpha News, photos appeared to show the mayor’s arrival with “a large welcoming party waving American and Somali flags.” WALZ, MINNESOTA BOARD OF PARDONS CLEARS CONVICTED ILLEGAL ALIEN CHILD SEX OFFENDER FACING DEPORTATION “Allow me to offer my sincerest apology for daring – for having the audacity – to take vacation time to see family members I have not seen in 10 years,” Mohamed sarcastically said in a video posted to her social media accounts following criticism for not being stateside. “Allow me to apologize for utilizing the federal holiday that we have, and the time off that we have to be able to go see my grandmothers – in which I have not seen in 10 years, in which six of those years I have worked diligently to serve the good people of St. Louis Park – I am so sorry. How inconsiderate of me! How treacherous – is it treacherous? Treacherous of me!” A LOOK AT WHAT’S INSIDE THE AMERICA 250TH TIME CAPSULE BURIED IN PHILADELPHIA “If you must know, I also met with the president of Switzerland, the then-president of Switzerland, but nobody asked me about that one,” she continued. “I would’ve loved to have told you about that. I would have loved to have had an entire news article written about that. I will do better next time. I will.” Mohamed remains in Somalia, according to the city, which told Fox News Digital the trip is personal, privately funded and unrelated to city business. However, the city did not provide a return date when asked, saying only that Council Member Yolanda Farris is currently performing the mayor’s duties as designated mayor pro tem. Mohamed concluded her “apology” video by calling the complaints about her trip “bullying.” “Reading the comments on this post,” she said, while trying to contain laughter. Honestly, it’s the way that people do not fall for this s—. It’s the way that people do not fall for this propaganda. It is the way that people do not fall for this bullying – because that’s what this is.” It’s all about “clicks” off the backs of “hating” Somali people, Mohamed argued. “The minute they mention Somali people, their clicks and views go up,” she said before the video cut.
Trump to ask Supreme Court to rehear birthright citizenship case after ‘insane decision’
President Donald Trump will ask the Supreme Court to reconsider its decision on the birthright citizenship case, he announced on Wednesday. Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social that the court’s decision to uphold birthright citizenship, even in the case of children of illegal immigrants and those in the U.S. temporarily, was “absolutely insane.” The president said he was already seeing examples of the ruling being exploited. “Signs and Billboards are being put up all over our Southern Border, and Mexico, advertising BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP, with ‘Deliveries starting at $4000.’ Likewise, similar signs going up all over our Country. Billions of Dollars will be illegally made by this SCAM, with Citizenship going to anyone willing to pay,” Trump wrote. ABBOTT ORDERS PROBE AFTER TEXAS HOSPITAL ADVERTISES ‘BIRTH PACKAGES’ IN MEXICO: ‘CITIZENSHIP IS NOT FOR SALE’ “I will be asking for a Rehearing by the United States Supreme Court, IMMEDIATELY. This miscarriage of justice will destroy America if they don’t change their absolutely insane decision,” he added. The court’s ruling allows the losing party to file a petition for a rehearing within 25 days of the ruling being handed down. However, a majority of justices on the court would have to agree to rehearing in order for it to be considered again. TRUMP SUFFERS MAJOR SUPREME COURT DEFEAT AS JUSTICES UPHOLD BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP The 6-3 decision, handed down on the court’s final day of session, saw Chief Justice John Roberts writing that all children born on U.S. soil “to parents unlawfully or temporarily present” are “citizens at birth” under the 14th Amendment. Conservatives have sought a way to move forward against birthright citizenship in the days since the ruling, with some saying a constitutional amendment may be necessary. TRUMP’S ‘HERO’ JUSTICE OFFERS ROADMAP AFTER SUPREME COURT REJECTS BIRTHRIGHT ORDER Others have pointed to arguments from justices like Bret Kavanaugh, who sided with the majority, but did not outright state that the Constitution enshrines birthright citizenship. Kavanaugh argued in a concurring opinion that Trump’s mistake was imposing limits via executive order, but said those limits might rightfully be imposed by an act of Congress. House Speaker Mike Johnson has said Republicans are exploring such a legislative push, but there has been no public progress since the ruling.
House Republican Thomas Massie suggests Obamacare could now be labeled ‘Trumpcare’
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., criticized President Donald Trump and Republican lawmakers over Obamacare on Wednesday, suggesting that it could now be referred to as “Trumpcare.” “Might as well call it Trumpcare now. Our party has made no serious effort to repeal Obamacare and legalize affordable health insurance after taking control of the House, Senate & White House,” Massie wrote in a post on X. “Why? Because the current system enriches insurance and hospital companies,” he added. MASSIE LASHES OUT WHEN PRESSED ON EX-GIRLFRIEND’S ALLEGATIONS OF AFFAIR WITH GOP FIREBRAND A user responded to the congressman’s comments by asking, “How can things get done without votes. Is trump able to do something on his own?” Massie replied that the president has “endorsed literally every Republican who wants to keep Obamacare.” MASSIE POSITIONS HIMSELF FOR POTENTIAL POLITICAL FUTURE AFTER PRIMARY DEFEAT: ‘I WON’T BE GOING AWAY SILENTLY’ White House spokesman Kush Desai said in a statement to Fox News Digital, “This is an astonishingly uninformed take. No president has done more to take on big insurance and hospital special interest groups than President Trump – phasing out taxpayer-funded subsidies to insurance companies, cracking down on private hospitals profiting from federal programs meant to help non-profits, and more. The Trump administration continues, moreover, to work with Congress to pass the President’s Great Healthcare Plan that will slash costs and increase transparency for every American.” Massie lost the Republican primary in Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District in May to President Donald Trump-backed challenger Ed Gallrein, a former Navy SEAL. TRUMP ADMIN CRACKS DOWN ON ESTIMATED $10 BILLION IN OBAMACARE FRAUD, BOOTS MILLIONS FROM ROLLS Massie has served in the U.S. House of Representatives since late 2012.
Trump holds Washington hostage over SAVE Act as midterm clock ticks on GOP control
President Donald Trump is turning the stalled SAVE America Act into a leverage fight on Capitol Hill, tying the bill to unrelated Republican priorities as the party races to use its congressional majorities before the midterms. The fight now stretches across defense spending, housing legislation, Senate primary politics and the filibuster, as Trump pushes Republicans to move the stalled elections bill before the party’s midterm window narrows. The latest pressure point came Tuesday, when Trump tied the stalled elections bill to a proposed “Reconciliation 3.0” package seeking $350 billion in new defense spending. “The SAVE AMERICA ACT, which everyone is asking for, paired with the full funding of our Great Department of War, can be passed, very quickly, ensuring that the United States of America stays FREE for Generations to come,” Trump wrote on Truth Social Tuesday. TRUMP’S SAVE AMERICA ACT SHOWS SIGNS OF LIFE IN THE SENATE DESPITE REPUBLICAN REVOLT The SAVE America Act includes Trump’s long-sought voter ID and citizenship verification, which has faced obstacles in the Senate. Trump has warned about the need for voter ID laws for years, including from the 2016 campaign trail. In late June, Trump announced a last-minute cancellation of the signing of the 21st Century ROAD Act of Housing, while issuing an ultimatum to get the SAVE Act passed. The housing bill had bipartisan support and would have expanded the supply of homes and lower costs while also giving individual buyers a leg up by banning large institutional investors from purchasing single-family homes. The cancellation came as a shock to members on both sides of the aisle, with Republican Maine Sen. Susan Collins saying the decision “made no sense,” while Democratic Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren said Trump refused to sign at the “11th hour.” “The SAVE America Act has always been a top priority for President Trump, and it remains one. This is commonsense legislation, supported by the vast majority of Americans, that will secure our elections for generations to come,” White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson told Fox News Digital. “The president knows how critical this issue is for the American people, and he will not stop fighting until it is passed,” Jackson added. Democratic lawmakers have argued the SAVE Act would create unnecessary barriers for eligible voters, disenfranchising them. “In fact, he won’t sign our bipartisan bill to finally bring relief to the housing market until he gets his SAVE Act to rig the midterms and kick millions of American citizens off the voter rolls. America First,” said New York Sen. Chuck Schumer, referencing the housing act. “Donald Trump thinks that passing a voter suppression law is the most important thing for our country,” posted House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on X. TRUMP SUFFERS MAJOR SUPREME COURT DEFEAT AS JUSTICES UPHOLD BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP The SAVE Act also became entangled in the Texas Senate fight between Attorney General Ken Paxton and incumbent Sen. John Cornyn, where the filibuster and Trump’s endorsement became part of the same pressure campaign. Texas Republican Senate nominee Ken Paxton previously sounded the alarm on the importance of getting the bill passed during his campaign in March. “I would consider dropping out of this race if Senate Leadership agrees to lift the filibuster and passes the SAVE America Act,” he wrote on X at the time. Cornyn backed the SAVE Act and said he would reconsider his longtime support for the filibuster to pass it, intensifying pressure in the Texas primary before Trump ultimately endorsed Paxton. Cornyn has, however, declined to support a continued push to force a Senate vote on the act. Trump also diverted his attention back to the SAVE Act in another move to push his immigration agenda after a Supreme Court ruling on birthright citizenship. After the Supreme Court ruled that children born in the United States to parents unlawfully or temporarily present are citizens at birth under the 14th Amendment, Trump turned back to the SAVE Act as part of his broader immigration and elections push. “The Supreme Court upheld Birthright Citizenship, which is too bad for our Country, but we can easily make it up in Congress through Legislation, with the support of the President, that has now been determined during this process,” Trump wrote on Truth Social at the time. CONGRESS EYES RARE BIPARTISAN HOUSING WIN WITH OR WITHOUT TRUMP’S HELP Senate Majority Leader John Thune has cast doubt on the bill’s path forward, saying Republicans do not have the 60 votes needed to overcome a Democratic filibuster. Trump has pushed Senate Republicans to change the rules and pass the bill by a simple majority, while pressing Democrats to publicly defend their reliance on the filibuster. Trump has sounded the alarm that the SAVE Act may never pass if it doesn’t cross the finish line before November. Republicans and administration officials have joined Trump’s crusade by using their speaking engagements to help push the SAVE Act. Vice President JD Vance said by passing the legislation to get voter ID, Republicans will stop talking about election fraud. “We are the only advanced democracy anywhere in the entire world that doesn’t require you to show a voter ID to vote. It’s simple. Just give us election integrity laws, give us voter ID, and then we will have the confidence to say the American people, there’s no cheating,” said Vance. “So stop it and give the American people voter ID.” The Senate is scheduled to return from its Independence Day recess the week of July 13. Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to clarify Sen. Cornyn’s position on the SAVE Act.
The surprising hidden cost quietly adding nearly $132K to new home prices revealed
Government regulations are adding nearly $132,000 to the cost of newly built houses, according to a new report released as Americans struggle to become homeowners. The findings show that more than one-quarter of the final prices of newly constructed homes come as housing affordability remains a top concern nationwide, with elevated mortgage rates and limited inventory putting homeownership out of reach for many families. The issue is also expected to be a key focus heading into the 2026 midterm elections, as lawmakers face growing pressure to address high housing costs and the affordability crisis overall. AMERICA’S HOUSING MARKET COULD RUN OUT OF SOMETHING MORE IMPORTANT THAN HOMES The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), which commissioned the report, argues that regulations imposed by federal, state and local governments have become a major driver of the nation’s housing shortage and affordability challenges. The study found regulations add an average of $131,734 to the cost of a newly built home, representing 26.4% of the final sale price. The estimate, based on the average new-home price of $499,500, marks the largest increase between consecutive NAHB surveys since the organization began tracking the data in 2011. Regulatory costs have climbed a whopping 40% since 2021. “We update our study every five years and this reinforces what we have been saying all along — that the cost to build a single-family home in this country continues to escalate and exacerbate the housing affordability crisis,” NAHB President and CEO Jim Tobin told Fox News Digital. “We’re up 40% over the last five years, and now regulatory burdens at every level of government are totaling more than $130,000 for the cost of a new home.” NAHB estimates the U.S. faces a structural housing shortage of 1.2 million homes, arguing rising regulatory costs make it more difficult to increase supply. Tobin said regulatory costs vary across the country, with states in the Southeast, including Texas, Florida and the Carolinas, generally maintaining a lower-cost regulatory environment than states such as California, New York, New Jersey and Illinois. AMERICANS KEEP MOVING TO TEXAS AND FLORIDA — BUT ONE OTHER RED STATE IS GROWING EVEN FASTER He also said he expects regulatory costs to continue rising, but believes policymakers can help slow the pace through reforms. “Anything we can do to lower that cost, I think would be really important,” Tobin said. He pointed to the bipartisan 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, which would streamline permitting, reduce barriers to new construction and expand financing tools intended to increase the nation’s housing supply. The White House and the Department of Housing and Urban Development did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on the report’s findings. NAHB said the study is not intended to argue that all regulations should be eliminated but to quantify their cumulative effect on housing affordability. “While regulations are important, they can go too far,” Tobin told Fox News Digital. “We need to make sure health and safety are protected while getting rid of the more onerous and costly regulations that do nothing more than drive up costs and keep Americans out of homeownership.” The analysis is based on surveys of 54 land developers and 337 single-family builders conducted in March 2026.
House Dem back in the spotlight as brother faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted
The efforts of Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, to move past his indictment and subsequent pardon by President Donald Trump are clashing with his brother’s legal troubles. Martin Cuellar, sheriff of Webb County, Texas, faces a court hearing Thursday over accusations of having misappropriated county funds. The case, coupled with the closeness of the Cuellar family, is complicating Henry Cuellar’s political outlook as he wages a campaign to continue his congressional career in one of the country’s most competitive districts. It’s been over half a year since Trump pardoned Cuellar from an indictment on charges of bribery, conspiracy and money laundering. “This pardon gives us a clean slate. The noise is gone. The work remains,” Cuellar said in a post to X, announcing that very same day that he would pursue re-election. FORMER INDIANA REP STEPHEN BUYER RECEIVES FULL PARDON FROM TRUMP FOR 2023 INSIDER TRADING CONVICTION Cuellar was accused of accepting nearly $600,000 in bribes from an oil and gas company controlled by the government of Azerbaijan and a Mexican bank. Although those charges are gone, Cuellar’s case is still very much in the public eye as his brother fends off accusations of siphoning funds. Martin Cuellar, who has pleaded not guilty, faces up to 10 years behind bars and a possible $250,000 maximum fine for allegedly using county employees and resources to run his own disinfecting business, Disinfect Pro Master. Martin allegedly took home about $175,000 in illegal proceeds between 2020 and 2022, according to the Department of Justice. “They allegedly opened Disinfect Pro Master in April 2020 and entered into service agreements with local businesses and restaurants despite having no employees or supplies of their own,” the U.S. attorney’s office wrote. SWALWELL FRIEND GALLEGO DEFENDS CAMPAIGN-FUNDED SUPER BOWL, MIAMI TRIPS: ‘GO WHERE THE MONEY IS’ “The indictment alleges WCSO employees handled the company’s day-to-day operations from the sheriff’s office, where they picked up schedules and equipment to conduct disinfecting services both on and off the clock with the county.” Connections between Cuellar and his siblings are further strengthened by their closeness. In the past, Cuellar has used his campaign fundraising apparatus to bolster his family’s chances in their own official pursuits, records show. According to FEC filings, Cuellar’s campaign and his leadership PAC have paid $11,000 to his sister Rosie Cuellar for doing work for the campaign in 2022 and then donated $1,200 to her bid to become a judge. He has similarly donated $8,400 to his brother, Martin Cuellar, and his campaign to become sheriff in 2008 and 2020. To at least one onlooker, the family’s woes look interconnected. “The latest legal trouble surrounding Henry Cuellar’s family proves one thing: The scandals didn’t end with Henry. They simply moved down the family tree,” Christian Martinez, the national Hispanic press secretary for the National Republican Congressional Committee, said in a statement. “The Cuellar family’s culture of corruption has turned South Texas into a case study of what happens when one self-serving family holds power for too long.” SWALWELL PAL ACCUSED OF USING CAMPAIGN CASH TO BANKROLL ‘LUXURY LIFESTYLE’ — INCLUDING SUPER BOWL TICKETS Cuellar’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. Having cleared the Texas primary in March, Cuellar now heads to the general election on Nov. 3. Cuellar last won re-election in a 52.8% to 47.2% victory over Republican challenger Jay Furman in 2024.
Platner drops out of crucial Senate race after bombshell rape allegation torpedoes campaign
Graham Platner, the embattled Democratic Senate nominee in Maine, suspended his campaign on Wednesday amid mounting controversies and growing calls from top Democrats in his home state, in the nation’s capital, and across the country for him to immediately quit the race. Platner, a populist Democrat backed last September by progressive champion Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., was challenging longtime Republican Sen. Susan Collins in a high-profile, combustible and expensive race in Maine, which is one of a handful that will determine if the GOP holds onto its slim Senate majority in November’s midterm elections. “For the movement to continue, it can’t be me. For that reason, we are suspending campaign operations,” Platner said in a video posted to social media. Platner’s exit from the race comes five days before a crucial deadline, which, if he had missed, would have prevented Maine Democrats from replacing him with a new nominee on the general election ballot. The suspension of his campaign took place one month after Platner won a landslide victory in Maine’s June 9 Democratic Senate primary, but just two days after an explosive report on Monday afternoon contained an allegation of rape from a woman he previously dated. SCANDAL-PLAGUED PLATNER CAPTURES DEMOCRATIC SENATE NOMINATION DESPITE MOUNTING CONTROVERSIES Addressing those allegations, a visibly irritated Platner charged, “This is all false. The things that have been claimed did not happen. It is not real.” And Platner, who has run an outsider, anti-establishment campaign for nearly a year, pointed to the political class and argued, “the brutal political reality is they are going to take everything away from us.” Platner said that if he continued his bid, he’d lose the ability to raise money and access crucial voter data, essential elements to any campaign. “Those in power who have the ability to do so are using these allegations as an excuse to take away all the things that we need to run a campaign,” he charged. Longtime Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, following Platner’s announcement, said in a post on X, “Democrats are going to defeat Susan Collins, win Maine, and take back the Senate.” The Marine Corps combat veteran and oyster farmer became the all-but-certain party nominee in the spring, after two-term Gov. Janet Mills, who had been backed by Schumer and the Democratic establishment, suspended her bid after significantly trailing Platner in fundraising and polling. Platner’s suspension of his campaign comes ahead of a 5 p.m. deadline on Monday, July 13, set by state law, for candidates to withdraw from the race. Since Platner dropped out ahead of the deadline, the Maine Democratic Party will be able to replace him on the general election ballot. The party needs to select a new nominee by July 27. The Maine Democratic Party on Tuesday night, in a stunning announcement, said that party officials were working “around the clock” to determine a replacement process, but claimed that Platner and his team were trying “to put their thumb on the scale of what this process looks like.” Platner’s team, responding, said they had reached out to the party but denied they were trying to put any “finger on the scale.” A couple of hours before Platner dropped out, the state party announced it would hold a nominating convention to choose a new Senate nominee, if Platner were to exit the race. That didn’t appear to sit well with Platner, who in his video said, “What comes next needs to come from the people. Needs to come from the people of Maine. Needs to come from the voters who on June 9….said no to this kind of politics. Voted for a politics that would actually represent them. Vote against the political system. Against the donor class. Against the entrenched forces.” “I’m not asking for how this process is going to work. I’m not trying to dictate to anyone how it should be or how we get there,” he emphasized. “But I will say this, it needs to be open, transparent, and democratic. It needs to be reflective of the will and the values of the people that built this movement, the people that showed up on June 9. People in DC should stay in DC. Decisions should not be made in backrooms by people in places of political power.” The allegation that triggered Platner’s exit from the race came from Maine resident Jenny Racicot, 41, who told CNN’s Jake Tapper that “by dictionary definition” Platner “raped” her. “I thought, here’s a man who was drunk and who, by dictionary definition, raped me. And he’s blaming drunk women,” Racicot said. “So I just felt like that was a very odd take to have on that. And I also feel like with all of the comments that he made about women, sexual assault, rape, even, um, you know, the comments that he had made that was in The New York Times article about, you know, threatening people with rape, like, why does this person have this issue, like scattered throughout their life, throughout their commentary, like it‘s on their mind?” Racicot also said over the course of three interviews with Politico that Platner forced her to have sex five years ago against her will, a claim that Platner denied in the Politico story. Additionally, the report says that a man Racicot dated afterward confirmed she had told him about the incident, which was also corroborated by emails between Racicot and her therapist. “I remember him grabbing my pelvis and being really forceful of me,” Racicot told the outlet about the incident, which allegedly took place while Platner was “almost blackout drunk.” “I remember the specific moment where I thought to myself, like, ‘This is no longer my choice.’” Racicot alleged that Platner entered her home uninvited and forced her to have unprotected sex despite her telling him to stop multiple times. Racicot said in the report that “one of the reasons” she didn’t come forward until now was the “huge moral conflict” she had between her support