Trump-backed Michael Alfonso wins crowded GOP primary for his father-in-law’s former Wisconsin seat
Michael Alfonso, the son-in-law of Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and Fox News host Rachel Campos-Duffy, has won the Republican Party’s nomination in Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District. The 26-year-old, endorsed by President Donald Trump, defeated a crowded field of contenders as he seeks the same northern Wisconsin congressional seat once held by his father-in-law, who represented the district from 2011 to 2019. “It is my Great Honor to endorse MAGA Warrior, Michael Alfonso, a young ‘STAR’ who is running to represent the incredible people of Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on the eve of Tuesday’s Election Day. “As your next Congressman, Michael will work tirelessly to Grow our Economy, Cut Taxes and Regulations, Champion our Amazing Farmers and Ranchers, Promote MADE IN THE U.S.A., Unleash American Energy DOMINANCE, Keep our Border SECURE, Stop Migrant Crime, Support our Military/Veterans, Safeguard our Elections, and Protect our always under siege Second Amendment,” Trump added. DEMOCRAT ESTABLISHMENT STRIKES BACK AS SOCIALIST CANDIDATE DOWNED IN BATTLEGROUND PRIMARY The seat is currently held by Rep. Tom Tiffany, R-Wis., who on Tuesday won the Republican nomination in the Wisconsin governor’s race. Tiffany was first elected to the seat in a May 2020 special election after Duffy resigned due to one of his children’s health issues. District 7 has been under control of Republicans for 15 years, and it is deemed a solid Republican by Cook Political Report. Trump carried the district with about 60% of the vote during the 2024 presidential election. NEW MIDTERM BATLEGROUND TAKES SHAPE AS PARTIES BUILD ELECTION ARMIES Alfonso will face off against Fred Clark in November, who won Tuesday’s Democratic primary for Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District. Clark, a former Wisconsin state assemblyman, said on his website that he believes northern Wisconsin has the “makings of a new rural majority.” “That’s a majority not based on old right wing and left wing politics, but a majority made up of real people who live and work in our communities,” Clark’s website said. “Fred Clark will become part of a new majority of leaders in Congress who will stand up, represent their communities, and do the work we expect from our elected representatives.” Fox News Digital’s Elaine Mallon contributed to this report.
Trump brushes off reporter question about running for third term in 2028: ‘The law is very strong’
President Donald Trump dismissed a question Tuesday night from a reporter about the possibility of him running for a third term in 2028, saying “the law is very strong.” “Everybody asks me that question, and you know that the law is very strong on that,” Trump said while speaking to reporters at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland. “I’d love to run, but the law is very strong.” “I get asked by everyone, well, even tonight they’re screaming at the event, ‘2028,’” he said, referring to the Patriot Games, which he had attended earlier that day. “No, everybody wants me to do it, but the law is very strong.” Section 1 of the 22nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution states that no one can be elected president more than twice. TRUMP TOLD DONORS ‘WE NEED TO ELECT JD,’ SOURCE CONFIRMS, AS HE WEIGHS VANCE OR RUBIO IN 2028 The amendment was ratified by the states in February 1951, roughly six years after the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt, who had served an unprecedented four terms as president. Before Roosevelt, it was a longstanding political norm for presidents to serve no more than two terms, following the precedent set by George Washington. Throughout his second term, Trump has walked a fine line between joking about seeking a third term and signaling that he may be serious about the idea. At the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on July 24, Trump opened his speech with a wisecrack about running again. TRUMP HEADS BACK TO CORRESPONDENTS’ DINNER MONTHS AFTER GUNFIRE FORCED EVACUATION “Just like my presidency, the second time is always better. It’s always better. And the third time will be better yet. I’m only kidding,” Trump said. In an interview on March 30, 2025, with NBC’s Kristen Welker, Trump struck a different chord, explicitly saying he was not “joking” about seeking a third term. “There are methods which you could do it,” he also told Welker, acknowledging one possible route in which Vice President JD Vance could run for president with Trump as his running mate, win, and then resign — allowing Trump, as vice president, to succeed him and potentially sidestep the 22nd Amendment’s prohibition on being elected president more than twice. Most constitutional scholars say this would not work. Deborah Pearlstein, a Princeton University law professor, told The Washington Post that the 12th Amendment “closes the door” on Trump securing a third term through the vice presidency. The amendment’s final sentence states that “no person constitutionally ineligible to the office of President shall be eligible to that of Vice-President of the United States.”
‘No better group’: Veteran says special ops should get same concealed carry permit as retired cops
A retired Army special operations veteran is urging Congress to give qualified former special operators nationwide concealed carry privileges enjoyed by retired U.S. law enforcement officers, arguing the elite troops are uniquely trained to protect themselves and Americans. “It needs to happen,” Gavin Glasenapp, who served 20 years and 12 combat deployments in the Army, told Fox News Digital on Monday. The Special Operations Forces Concealed Carry Act was put forward last week by Sen. Tim Sheehy, R-Mont., months after a companion bill by the same name in the House was introduced in April by Rep. Pat Harrigan, R-N.C. “These are proven men and women,” Glasenapp, the training operations manager at Delta Defense for the U.S. Concealed Carry Association (USCCA) said, adding “They’re specially selected, uniquely trained.” TRUMP’S PUSH FOR NATIONAL CONCEALED CARRY RECIPROCITY WOULD PROTECT GOOD GUYS WITH GUNS “I can think of no better group of people to be equipped to defend themselves and others around them. In fact, that’s part of our core values here at Delta Defense. “We believe every American has the inalienable right to self-defense, and I can think of no better group that to really emulate that and really show you what that looks like.” More well-trained good guys with guns to stop the bad guys with guns will help keep America safe again, Second Amendment advocates argue. Last month, President Donald Trump trolled his critics and gun-control advocates with a post that went viral: “Over 273 Americans have been shot since the war in Iran … in Chicago.” CHICAGO’S DEADLY JUNETEENTH WEEKEND LEAVES 7 DEAD AS TRUMP SHAMES DEM GOV FOR INACTION Chicago is among the Democrat-run cities with strict gun laws and, yet, a raging gun violence crisis every summer. Notably, an armed bystander last week in Idaho, strapped by the shoulder with an FN Five-seveN semi-automatic pistol, was able to engage a mass shooter, forcing him to flee and saving countless lives, local police hailed. That bystander, Jordan Salinas, had concealed carry training, and local police noted he followed “observe, orient, decide and act” (OODA) protocol as a good guy with a gun able to help stop a bad guy with one. “That would be the OODA loop,” Glasenapp said. “That’s kind of become almost a university taught system of being situationally aware. You know, observing a threat and making decisions as far as what your next steps are going to be. And the big thing with that OODA loop is it’s just that: It’s a loop. You should constantly be observing, orienting on things, deciding, acting, and then redoing it over and over again.” MARYLAND SYNAGOGUE SUES COUNTY OVER LAW RESTRICTING CONCEALED CARRY NEAR HOUSES OF WORSHIP Nationwide concealed carry reciprocity, making it lawfully easier to carry concealed state to state, has faced congressional obstruction from gun-control advocates, but expanding the Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act (LEOSA) to special ops veterans would allow more good guys with guns to stop bad guys with guns. It also could be a baby step, ultimately, in gun-rights advocates’ push for nationwide reciprocity. The fact highly trained special operations veterans are not afforded the permission to carry concealed firearms across state lines might be a surprise to some. “[LEOSA] allows retired law enforcement officers to carry concealed throughout the country, which is very convenient, actually, because sometimes state laws as far as concealed carry or possessing weapons can be very different when you travel state to state,” Glasenapp said. “So, for example, if you’re a retired law officer, and you’re on a cross-country road trip with your family, that definitely streamlines things a lot. You’re not having to check things like a reciprocity app.” COMBAT VET SENATOR CHOKES UP OVER FALLEN FRIEND IN FIERY FLOOR SPEECH ABOUT IRAN WAR: ‘WE WILL FINISH IT’ The most popular reciprocity app is the USCCA Concealed Carry app, which provides a live interactive permit reciprocity map, state gun laws, and permit management tools for all 50 states. READ THE BILL – APP USERS, CLICK HERE: A key distinction between the proposed Sheehy Senate bill and Harrigan’s House version is annual certification requirements for special ops veterans. “Our Special Operations Forces spend their careers protecting the American people with unmatched discipline, judgment, and professionalism,” Sheehy wrote in a statement. “This bill honors that reality by giving qualified special operators the same nationwide concealed carry privileges already afforded to retired law enforcement officers. Our elite warfighters never stop serving, and this bill ensures the law reflects the trust they’ve earned through a lifetime of sacrifice.” Sheehy’s version requires a yearly, state-standard, active-duty-level firearms qualification at the individual’s expense, plus completion of a Justice Department-certified “Concealed Carry Use of Force in Society” course before carrying. SUPREME COURT STRIKES DOWN BLUE STATE’S ‘VAMPIRE RULE’ IN MAJOR WIN FOR GUN RIGHTS Harrigan’s bill just expands the LEOSA standards to special ops veterans and calls for “no separate certification of firearms training is required for a qualified special operator.” “I don’t believe the annual re-certification requirement should be required for either the proposed special operations forces concealed carry act or the current HR 218/LEOSA,” according to Glasenapp, who urges regular training regardless if it is required. “Both of these communities have spent their professional careers training and qualifying with various handguns and other small arms.” The Senate bill defines a qualified special operator as a former member of the armed forces who went through a special operations assessment, was selected for qualification training and held a special warfare or special operations occupational specialty or skill designator recognized by U.S. Special Operations Command. Glasenapp said the distinction matters because firearms proficiency is a fundamental and continually reinforced part of training for many of the operators the legislation is intended to cover. An infantryman or infantry officer in the Army’s 75th Ranger Regiment, for example, would be “intimately familiar with small arms,” including rifles and handguns, he said. “There’s going to be continuing training on that,” Glasenapp said, noting that firearms skills can deteriorate without practice.
Ex-New Jersey mayor, her husband charged for using fake ballot signatures after she pleaded guilty to DUI
A former New Jersey mayor who previously pleaded guilty in a DUI case involving her child is facing new charges alongside her husband after prosecutors alleged false signatures appeared on her nominating petition for a Democratic primary race. Gina LaPlaca, the former mayor of Lumberton Township who remains a member of the township committee, was charged with making a false statement under oath, knowingly filing a false petition, tampering with public records and falsifying or tampering with records, the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office announced Tuesday. LaPlaca’s husband, Jason Carty, was also charged with knowingly filing a false petition, tampering with public records and falsifying or tampering with records. The petition submitted by Carty to the Lumberton Township Municipal Clerk for the primary election included an affidavit signed by LaPlaca saying she “personally circulated the petition [and] that such petition was signed by each of the signers thereof in his/her own handwriting.” DEM OFFICIAL PLEADS GUILTY TO CHILD ABUSE FOR DRIVING DRUNK AT TRIPLE LEGAL LIMIT, ENTERS DIVERSION PROGRAM An investigation found that LaPlaca, 47, and Carty, 49, had collected signatures for the petition, prosecutors said. “An investigation by the Prosecutor’s Office revealed that multiple individuals whose names and purported signatures appeared on LaPlaca’s nominating petition indicated they had neither signed the petition nor authorized anyone to do so on their behalf in support of the candidate’s nomination,” the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office said. Prosecutors said that without the allegedly fraudulent signatures, LaPlaca’s petition would not have contained enough valid signatures to qualify her as a candidate for the June 2026 Democratic primary for Lumberton Township Committee. VIRGINIA SCHOOL SAFETY DIRECTOR CHARGED WITH DUI AFTER WINTER STORM LaPlaca and Carty have a court appearance scheduled on Sept. 21 in Mount Holly, New Jersey. LaPlaca served as Lumberton’s mayor from 2021 to 2025. Although she left the mayor’s post, she retained her seat on the township committee, with her current term set to expire at the end of this year. She sought re-election to the committee in the June Democratic primary but finished third in the contest for two open seats, behind Mayor Terrance Benson and his running mate, Kendra Hatfield. The new allegations come after LaPlaca pleaded guilty earlier this year in a DUI case stemming from an incident in which her child was in the vehicle. Prosecutors said LaPlaca was intoxicated when she picked up her child from daycare in March 2025. Witness video showed her vehicle swerving out of its lane and nearly striking a utility pole while the child was inside. Police said her blood alcohol concentration was 0.30%, more than three times the legal limit of 0.08%. LaPlaca was sentenced to three years of supervision under a pretrial intervention program, including mandatory attendance at Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.
Russia is helping China close gap with US forces amid Taiwan tensions, warns longtime military leader
Sound alarms are blaring over an escalating partnership between Russia and China to subvert the U.S. military amid rising hostility between the world powers. Retired Rear Adm. Mark Montgomery tells Fox News Digital that Moscow may be providing Beijing with technology to make its submarines harder for the U.S. Navy to detect, potentially eroding a key military advantage in the tensions over Taiwan. “Russia is giving incredibly important technology to China. They’re allegedly giving them submarine quieting technology,” Montgomery, co-author of the new book “Axis of Aggressors,” told Fox News Digital. THREE KEY REASONS WHY AMERICA CANNOT AFFORD TO LOSE TAIWAN TO COMMUNIST CHINA Montgomery said Russian forces are providing the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) with submarine-quieting technology, an area where China has long sought to improve its capabilities. Such a transfer, he warned, could weaken a critical U.S. advantage in undersea warfare — a gap that has long favored American forces. “Any weakening of our asymmetric advantage in undersea warfare is a big deal,” he cautioned. The Navy says its submarine force relies on technological superiority and stealth to maintain its undersea advantage, while China has continued to face weaknesses in submarine propulsion and quieting even as it rapidly modernizes its fleet. Quieting technology reduces a submarine’s acoustic signature, making it harder to detect and track. Russian assistance in that area could help Beijing narrow the gap, complicating the U.S. Navy’s ability to find Chinese submarines in a potential future conflict over Taiwan’s independence from the CCP. The Chinese Embassy did not directly address whether Beijing has received Russian submarine-quieting technology when reached by Fox News Digital. “Military cooperation between China and Russia consistently adheres to the principles of non-alliance, non-confrontation, and non-targeting of third parties, playing a significant role in safeguarding the sovereignty and security of both nations and maintaining international and regional peace and stability,” the embassy said in a statement. “We hope that relevant parties will view China-Russia military cooperation objectively and rationally, and stop groundless speculation.” The embassy said Taiwan is China’s internal affair and urged the U.S. to safeguard stability in the bilateral relationship and across the Taiwan Strait. Montgomery’s warning echoes concerns raised by Adm. Samuel Paparo, commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, who told the Senate Armed Services Committee in April 2025 that China was receiving “potentially submarine quieting help” from Russia. US FALLS BEHIND IN HYPERSONIC RACE AS CHINA, RUSSIA GAIN EDGE Paparo said China’s backing of Russia’s war effort — including machine tools and legacy chips — was part of a broader exchange in which Moscow was returning assistance in military areas where it holds particular strengths. The exchange reflects a deepening relationship in which Russia and China are increasingly providing capabilities the other lacks, Montgomery said. “This transactional relationship is putting the United States and its most important allies and partners at risk,” he said. Paparo sounded a similar warning in November 2024, saying he expected Russia to provide China submarine technology that could help close America’s undersea advantage. He described the relationship between Moscow and Beijing as a “transactional symbiosis.” China, meanwhile, has helped Russia rebuild its defense industrial base during the war in Ukraine. Paparo told senators Beijing provided 70% of the machine tools and 90% of the legacy chips that enabled Moscow to rebuild its war machine. Montgomery said China’s support extends beyond those supplies. “And then China has backstopped the whole thing,” Montgomery said, pointing to increased Chinese foreign direct investment and trade with Russia as well as components used in Moscow’s ballistic, cruise and hypersonic missiles. The support has helped keep Russia’s economy and war machine operating, Montgomery argued. In return, he said, Moscow is increasingly providing Beijing with military technology it had previously been reluctant to share — including the alleged submarine-quieting assistance. In October 2024, the Treasury Department said a Russian defense firm coordinated production of Garpiya attack drones at factories in China, using Chinese-made engines and components before the weapons were transferred to Russia for use in Ukraine. Russia has provided Beijing with more direct military assistance as well. A 2025 RUSI investigation, based on leaked Russian contracts and correspondence, found that Moscow agreed to equip and train a Chinese airborne battalion and transfer technology that could help Beijing develop similar capabilities itself. Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine is now in its fifth year, with no ceasefire agreement in place despite continued diplomatic efforts. The prolonged war has deepened Moscow’s dependence on Chinese industrial and financial support while giving Russia battlefield experience and military technologies that could be valuable to Beijing in a future Taiwan contingency. For the U.S., the stakes are particularly acute around Taiwan. American submarines are central to U.S. planning for a potential Indo-Pacific conflict, and quieter Chinese vessels could make it harder to track, deter and counter the People’s Liberation Army Navy in waters surrounding the island. Montgomery said the possible transfer reflects the broader argument of “Axis of Aggressors,” America’s adversaries are increasingly trading the capabilities each lacks, creating challenges that span Europe and the Indo-Pacific. Fox News Digital has reached out to the Russian embassy for comment. U.S. Indo-Pacific Command declined to comment.
Ilhan Omar on track for fifth term as Minnesota voters maintain far-left streak
Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., fended off four challengers in her Democratic primary on Tuesday as she heads to the general election where she will fight to retain her seat for a fifth term representing Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. The incumbent Somali-born congresswoman faced lower profile challengers — Julie Trang Le, a former federal immigration prosecutor; Abena McKenzie, a nurse who ran against Omar in the 2024 primary, receiving just 0.38% of the vote; Latonya Reeves, DNC member and a longtime activist running from Omar’s right; and Nate Schluter, a political outsider with barely any footprint in the race. But no challenger had realistic potential of overtaking Omar, who has solidified her spot in Congress through appealing to the increasingly progressive voter bloc in her district, which hosts the largest concentration of Somali Americans in the U.S. SOCIALIST SURGE: FAR-LEFT DEMOCRATS TEST NATIONAL PLAYBOOK AFTER BLUE-CITY PRIMARY SHOCKS The 5th District includes Minneapolis and several nearby suburbs and is one of the most Democratic congressional districts in Minnesota. Omar has represented the district since 2019. She was one of the first two Muslim women elected to Congress and the first Somali American elected to the House. The one-time refugee and a founding member of the so-called Squad has become one of the Democratic Party’s most prominent progressive voices. She has repeatedly drawn national attention for her positions on immigration, healthcare and U.S. policy toward Israel. 2026 MIDTERMS: PRIMARIES, KEY RACES AND ELECTION RESULTS The primary in Minnesota, where Omar secured the nomination for a fifth-straight term, comes as progressive and socialist candidates have scored several high-profile victories around the country in this year’s Democratic primary races. There’s much debate over whether those advances by the far-left faction of the party will be a feature or a downfall for Democrats looking to regain control of Congress in the 2026 midterms. Omar will now advance to the general election in November to face the Republican nominee, who will be chosen in Tuesday’s GOP primary race between Dalia Al-Aqidi, a pro-Israel former journalist born in Iraq and considered the frontrunner; John Nagel, a retired Minnesota State Patrol lieutenant; and long shot political outsider candidates Angie Windhauser and Abbey Zieska. The 5th Congressional District in Minnesota has consistently elected Democrats for decades, making the Democratic primary the race that often draws the most attention. Bipartisan ranking by the Cook Political Report puts the race at ‘solid Democrat’ with a +32 rating, making it highly unlikely that the district would flip red.
Schumer dealt another blow as progressive insurgency scores win in key Senate battle
Progressives again scored a victory in Minnesota where Gov. Tim Walz’s second-in-command toppled an establishment-backed member of Congress. Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan eked out a victory over Rep. Angie Craig, D-Minn., on Tuesday, marking yet another battle won in the progressive proxy war to reshape the Democratic Party during this midterm election cycle. Flanagan, like other progressives in the hunt for a position of power in Congress, has honed her left-leaning bona fides by backing Medicare for all and pushing an end to military aid to Israel. REPUBLICANS GET THE DEMOCRAT THEY WANTED AS SOCIALIST ABDUL EL-SAYED WINS MICHIGAN SENATE PRIMARY She’s also vowed to go after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the wake of two deadly immigration enforcement-related shootings in Minnesota and used Craig’s support of legislation, like the Laken Riley Act, as a political cudgel to build a distinction between the two of them. Those positions have earned her the backing of progressive heavyweights like Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., and even Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn., whose decision to retire from the Senate opened up the contest. Notably, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., who is running for governor, has not weighed in on the race so far. Craig, who was viewed as the safer, more moderate pick, had the backing of the Democratic old-guard, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. BIG MONEY PROPELS DEM MEGACHURCH PASTOR TO VICTORY IN LONGSHOT KANSAS SENATE BID Republicans are licking their chops, too, at Schumer getting handed another loss. “Morale among Chuck Schumer’s establishment is at an all-time low, and Bernie Sanders’ socialist flank is filling the gap with candidates like Peggy Flanagan and Abdul El-Sayed,” Bernadette Breslin, a spokesperson for the National Republican Senatorial Committee, told Fox News Digital. And it’s also brought reams of cash into the race. Craig has raised nearly $13 million this cycle, according to filings from the Federal Election Commission, while Flanagan has raked in just shy of $7 million. “Peggy Flanagan is about bringing about real change, standing up to the big money interests,” Sanders told “Face the Nation” on Sunday. “There is a reason why the super PACs and the billionaires are flooding Minnesota with all kinds of money. Same thing as Michigan.” Republicans see Flanagan’s candidacy in the same vein as Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, who last week similarly squeaked out a narrow win over Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., who, like Craig, has Schumer’s backing. BOMB-THROWER DEM MAKES SHOCKING PROMISE TO KICK SCHUMER TO CURB DURING SENATE DEBATE They also have built-in messaging against her: Flanagan was Walz’s right hand as the Minnesota fraud scandal rippled across the airwaves and nation. While the scandal killed his prospects of running for reelection as governor, it has so far not kneecapped Flanagan’s candidacy. And Walz hasn’t waded into the endorsement game in the Senate contest, either. They’re confident that national Republicans’ candidate of choice, former NFL sideline reporter Michele Tafoya, will win her primary and be the candidate to turn Minnesota red. There’s also the possibility that Flanagan, who has not raked in the same level of cash that Craig did, may become a resource drain for other key races on Democrats’ score card. “Minnesota and Michigan being in play was not on Chuck Schumer’s bingo card this cycle,” a GOP operative told Fox News Digital. “It remains to be seen which battleground(s) Democrats will have to pull resources from to drag socialists like Peggy Flanagan and Abdul El-Sayed across the finish line in November.” And Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., when asked by CNN which races kept him up at night, said one contest gave him hope. “The one thing that gets me excited when I think about this election cycle on the map is Minnesota,” said Scott, the chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC). “I think Minnesota, we have a real shot with Michele Tafoya.” “What we know without question is, she is within a point of the lieutenant governor right now,” he said. “So if we can continue to let her show the contrast between the two candidates, I think Michele Tafoya’s the kind of Republican that can win.”
Minnesota House speaker ousts MyPillow CEO to win GOP governor nod
Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth has won the Republican gubernatorial primary and will move on to face the Democratic nominee in November to replace outgoing Gov. Tim Walz. The victory amounts to a significant show of strength for Demuth, who stayed in the race after losing the Republican Party endorsement to Kendall Qualls at the state convention. Qualls secured the endorsement after 10 ballots, but Demuth argued that her legislative experience and record of leading House Republicans made her the party’s strongest candidate for November. Additionally, Demuth defeated MyPillow founder and CEO Mike Lindell, who had President Donald Trump’s endorsement and has national name recognition. No Republican has won a statewide election in the state since 2006, when Gov. Tim Pawlenty narrowly won reelection by less than a percentage point. Since then, Republicans have lost 28 consecutive statewide contests through the 2024 election, an 18-year drought that became the longest for either major party in Minnesota history. KLOBUCHAR VOWS FRAUD CRACKDOWN, AUDIT OF MN GOV’T AS GOP BLASTS WALZ TIES The race was dramatically reshaped in January when Walz abandoned his campaign for a third term, saying he wanted to spend his final year in office focused on combating fraud in state programs rather than defending his political future. Walz had launched his reelection campaign only months earlier, but mounting scrutiny of fraud involving government-funded programs had become a major political liability and a central line of attack from Republicans. WALZ APPROVAL RATING CRATERS TO LOWEST LEVEL EVER AND TRAILS TRUMP AMID MASSIVE FRAUD SCANDAL: ‘TIRED OF IT’ Walz’s withdrawal marked an abrupt turn for a politician who had vaulted onto the national stage less than two years earlier as Kamala Harris’ 2024 vice presidential running mate. As governor, Walz had signed a sweeping set of Democratic priorities after his party took full control of state government, including expanded abortion protections, free school meals, legalized recreational marijuana and paid family and medical leave. But his administration also faced sustained criticism over its handling of fraud in state programs that prosecutors say could total over $9 billion. Walz’s departure opened the governor’s race and quickly turned attention to Klobuchar as a potential successor. Klobuchar ultimately entered the contest, transforming what had been shaping up as a referendum on Walz’s eight years in office into a race in which Republicans would instead have to take on one of Minnesota’s most established statewide politicians.
Democrats take sixth shot at ousting popular GOP governor who voted for Harris
Democrats in deep blue Vermont have a new nominee as they take a sixth straight shot at trying to oust popular Republican Gov. Phil Scott. Democrats in deep blue Vermont have a new nominee as they take a sixth straight shot at trying to oust popular Republican Gov. Phil Scott. Economist Amanda Janoo on Tuesday defeated former child advocacy organization CEO Aly Richards — who is backed by former Democratic Govs. Howard Dean and Madeleine Kunin — to capture the party’s gubernatorial nomination, the Associated Press reported. Scott was unopposed as he cruised to the GOP gubernatorial nomination. Scott is running for a sixth two-year term steering Vermont, and if he wins the general election and completes another term, he’ll pass Dean as the northern New England state’s longest serving governor. Vermont and neighboring New Hampshire are the only two states in the nation to elect governors every two years. SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER Scott is a moderate Republican and a vocal GOP critic of President Donald Trump. The governor endorsed former ambassador and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley in the 2024 Republican presidential primaries, and voted for then-Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee, over Trump in that year’s general election. CHECK OUT THE FOX NEWS POWER RANKINGS IN THE MIDTERM ELECTIONS Beating Scott in November will once again be a tough task for Democrats in a state where their party normally dominates elections. Scott won a whopping 73% of the vote in his 2024 re-election, besting the 69% he received in his 2022 victory.
Dems eye pick-up in Wisconsin swing district as Rep Van Orden set for rematch in key House race
A former waitress, small-business owner and nonprofit founder won the Democratic primary in Wisconsin’s 3rd Congressional District on Tuesday, setting her up for a rematch with Republican Rep. Derrick Van Orden. Rebecca Cooke, raised on an Eau Claire-area dairy farm, defeated former Eau Claire City Council President Emily Berge on Tuesday evening. The win puts Cooke back on the ballot in one of Democrats’ top House pickup opportunities this fall. It will be Cooke’s third attempt to win the western Wisconsin seat. She lost the 2022 Democratic primary to then-state Sen. Brad Pfaff before securing the party’s nomination in 2024. Van Orden defeated her that November by roughly 11,000 votes, winning 51.4% of the vote to Cooke’s 48.6%. WISCONSIN DEM TOUTS ENDORSEMENT FROM UNION PUSHING BACK AGAINST CDL CRACKDOWNS ON ILLEGAL ALIEN TRUCKERS Cooke has sought to make her working-class background central to her campaign. She grew up on a dairy farm near Eau Claire, has worked as a waitress since she was a teenager and founded the Red Letter Grant, a nonprofit supporting women entrepreneurs. She also previously operated a small retail business and served on the board of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. after being appointed by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers. Her campaign has focused on affordability, health care and the economic challenges facing rural communities, while portraying Cooke as a pragmatic Democrat able to appeal across party lines in a district that includes Eau Claire, La Crosse and much of western Wisconsin. Cooke entered the primary as the better-funded candidate and with national support from Democrats. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) added Cooke to its “Red to Blue” program, which directs party resources toward candidates viewed as viable in competitive districts. Berge, a mental health counselor and former Eau Claire City Council president, ran as a local alternative to Cooke, arguing voters should have a choice rather than see the nomination effectively decided by national party backing and fundraising. Her strongest base of support was expected to be in and around Eau Claire. IOWA DEM ADMITS BEING ‘UNCOMFORTABLE’ WITH WHITENESS AS SHE SEEKS TO FLIP COMPETITIVE HOUSE SEAT The general election is likely to renew scrutiny of Cooke’s personal finances and past political work. Van Orden’s campaign has pressed her to release a financial disclosure that was extended until Aug. 13, two days after the primary. The campaign has argued that earlier disclosures showing income from political consulting and rental properties undercut Cooke’s working-class image. Republicans have also sought to cast Cooke as a Democratic political insider, pointing to her work on Democratic campaigns and fundraising. Cooke has presented that experience as part of a broader record that includes operating a business, leading a nonprofit and working in the hospitality industry. Van Orden, a retired Navy SEAL who was first elected in 2022, is seeking a third term. The 3rd district in Wisconsin, a swing state, has leaned Republican in recent presidential elections, but Cooke’s narrow 2024 loss and substantial fundraising have made the race a closely watched contest as Democrats seek to win back the House in November. The bipartisan Cook Political Report moved the race from “lean Republican” in the last election cycle to “toss up.”