Neighborhood backlash collides with America’s tech arms race — but is this the plan to fix it?
A national security push to expand the infrastructure behind America’s technological ambitions is running into resistance from the communities being asked to host it, pitting Washington’s race to stay ahead of China against mounting local backlash. Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, D-Va., who represents America’s “Data Center Alley,” warns that backlash could obstruct the very buildout Washington considers a national priority unless Congress steps in — arguing that community buy-in is necessary to keep expansion moving. “The communities are being steamrolled by the industry,” Subramanyam told Fox News Digital. “They’re not feeling like anyone’s listening to them.” Subramanyam is pitching a four-part federal plan aimed at breaking what he sees as a false choice between unchecked development and outright moratoriums. The proposal addresses siting, power costs, energy and water measurement, and security for the facilities and surrounding communities. TRUMP’S DATA CENTER PUSH FRACTURES CONGRESS AS LOCAL ANGER EXPLODES: ‘GRASPING AT STRAWS’ “If you are concerned about a race with China, when it comes to building data centers and AI, you should want to work with us on a plan to get community buy-in for where to build data centers,” Subramanyam said. His Fair Share Act would push states to require large power users to cover more of the infrastructure costs needed to serve them, according to the plan. HOMEOWNERS IN THE HEART OF AMERICA’S AI BOOM ARE GETTING AN UNEXPECTED PAYOFF “At the federal level, if we say that we’re going to take away some of your federal funding if you do this, then it will be a no-brainer,” he said, arguing data centers should “pay their fair share for the infrastructure that needs to be built because of them.” The tension surfaced again this week as Fox News Digital reported on complaints of noise and encroachment from a massive data center built against an Ashburn cul-de-sac. Subramanyam said many residents in his district understand the need for the infrastructure but object to how he says its costs and burdens are distributed. Loudoun County says data center revenue has helped it lower its real-property tax rate, from $1.145 per $100 of assessed value in 2016 to $0.805 in 2026, according to the county. But Subramanyam argued residents must weigh those benefits against costs he says can appear elsewhere, particularly on utility bills. “What’s not OK is feeling like they come in, jack up utility costs and we pay for their power infrastructure,” he said, also citing water, air quality and other community concerns. The industry disputes that data centers are driving higher residential power bills. The Leesburg-based Data Center Coalition has cited a recent analysis by energy consulting firm E3 that found no historical evidence that data centers increased residential electricity costs under existing rate structures. Fox News Digital reached out to the trade group, which is based in Data Center Alley, for comment on the package. Subramanyam argues infrastructure with national implications cannot continue developing “ad hoc” under a patchwork of state and local rules. CHINA ‘THROWING GASOLINE ON THE FIRE’ IN AI DATA CENTERS RACE, SAY LAWMAKERS Other pieces of the plan would establish federal standards for siting and measurement and develop protections against security threats, including attacks on critical infrastructure overseas. “I know that localities do zoning, states do energy policy and other related things, but Congress and the federal government need to get involved,” Subramanyam said. AMERICA’S REDDEST STATE CHASES BILLION-DOLLAR BOOM AS OTHERS SOUR ON MASSIVE EMERGING INDUSTRY Those concerns have also become a focus of state action. Gov. Abigail Spanberger unveiled a September framework aimed at strengthening local control, shifting more infrastructure costs onto major power users and setting new standards for water use and grid reliability. “In the years before I took office, data centers came to Virginia, and the commonwealth did not have a clear or coordinated plan to address their impacts on Virginians — on their electric bills, their water, their land, their air, or their quality of life,” Spanberger told Fox News Digital. Leaders across the political spectrum, from Spanberger to Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, have crafted plans and emphasized the issue’s importance on multiple fronts. Just across the Blue Ridge, West Virginia has taken a different approach, creating a microgrid program designed to attract large projects. Critics have raised concerns about limits on local government powers, while proponents have mapped out potential property tax elimination. Jefferson County stakeholders recently debated the issue with the state’s data-economy liaison at a forum in Shepherdstown, where county Commissioner Cara Keys criticized the potential loss of local control while the liaison maintained that project approvals would be handled judiciously, according to WVMetroNews. “Two things can be true: You can support data centers, and you can be against the guardrails lacking in [the law],” Keys said. SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER For Subramanyam, the sharply different approaches on either side of the Blue Ridge illustrate the patchwork he says Washington must address before local resistance hardens further. “The only plan I’ve seen is either to do nothing or a full moratorium,” he said. “And to me, neither of those is a viable option moving forward.”
One southern state’s rise is making it America’s new ‘economic center of gravity’
DALLAS — As companies and capital flow away from traditional financial hubs like New York and California, one southern state is making an increasingly aggressive bid to become America’s next financial powerhouse. Speaking with Fox News Digital from the Texas Stock Exchange’s Dallas headquarters, former Congressman Jeb Hensarling, a strategic advisor to the exchange, said Texas is already becoming “the economic center of gravity in America.” “Texas is really becoming the economic center of gravity in America,” Hensarling said. “As New York is increasingly shoving capital out, Texas is saying, ‘You’re welcome.’ We put out the welcome mat, whereas New York, capital isn’t really made to feel at home, and capital wants to go where it’s made to feel at home.” AMERICA’S NEXT ECONOMIC POWERHOUSE MAY BE RISING IN RED-STATE TERRITORY The Texas Stock Exchange, which received Securities and Exchange Commission approval last year, is designed to compete with the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq by giving companies another venue to go public and list their shares. Supporters say the exchange is the latest sign the Lone Star State is evolving from a destination for corporate relocations into a financial center capable of challenging Wall Street. “Texas has been a great place to do business for decades,” Hensarling said. “But increasingly, it’s a great place to headquarter your business. Over the last couple of legislative sessions, because of laws passed, it’s a great place to incorporate your business. And really the last piece of that puzzle was the Texas Stock Exchange, which is now making Texas the best place to list your company and to go public.” THIS STATE ISN’T JUST GROWING — ITS ECONOMY IS GETTING RICHER PER RESIDENT The exchange has already secured primary listings from companies such as Energy Transfer, Dillard’s, Sunoco and Texas Capital Bank. Hensarling said backing from major financial firms such as JPMorgan and BlackRock, along with executives recruited from competing exchanges, demonstrates the venture is more than a branding exercise. “They don’t put their capital in places where they think it’s going to lose money,” Hensarling said. “It’s a lot of validation from the market already.” Hensarling also dismissed criticism that “Y’all Street” is little more than a catchy slogan. “If it was gimmicky, I’m not really sure the competition would be all of a sudden setting up offices here,” he said. Hensarling pointed to the exchange’s financial backers, executives recruited from rival exchanges and companies that have chosen Texas as their primary listing as evidence that it has quickly become a credible competitor. Hensarling said the exchange is simply the latest chapter in Texas’ broader economic ascent. “People are coming to Texas because, again, capital is made to feel welcome,” he said. “It’s an economic juggernaut… all in all, they’re coming here because this is where, economically, the action is.”
Latino voters swing back to Democrats ahead of midterm elections: poll
Latino voters are swinging away from President Donald Trump and Republicans ahead of the midterm elections, according to new polling from NBC News and Telemundo. The poll surveyed 800 registered Latino voters across the U.S. from Sept. 21-28, finding that 69% say they disapprove of Trump’s performance, compared to just 27% who approve. Meanwhile, roughly 66% say Trump’s deportation policies have gone too far, and 75% say Trump has mishandled the economy and cost of living, the poll found. FOX NEWS POLL: MAJORITY SAYS IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT HAS CROSSED THE LINE The poll likewise found that Democrats hold a huge advantage over the GOP among Latino voters, despite Republicans making gains with the demographic in 2024. Asked which party they would like to see in control of Congress, 59% of Latino voters said Democrats, compared to 35% who wanted Republicans. FOX NEWS POLL: SQUEEZED BY COSTS, FRUSTRATED VOTERS TURN TO THE DEMOCRATS Democrats had just a 12-point lead among Latino voters going into the 2024 elections, showing that Trump and the GOP have lost some of the ground they gained with the voting group. The GOP still shows drastic improvement among Latino voters over the last decade, however. In 2016 and 2018, Latino support for a GOP Congress sat at just 21% and 26% respectively. LEE CARTER: THE SUMMER POLLS MISSED THE POINT: VOTERS ARE MOVING — AND THE MIDTERMS BEGIN NBC News and Telemundo conducted the poll via phone interviews and online surveys via text message. The poll advertises a margin of error of 3.5%. The data is the latest in a series of polls showing Democrats have a large advantage over Republicans heading into the midterm elections. Trump argued at a political rally in Dayton, Ohio, on Saturday night that the bad polling numbers have failed to account for his influence on the elections. “These fake polls, they don’t account for one thing. They don’t account for the fact that Trump is out campaigning. They never thought this was good. They never thought this was going to happen,” Trump told a cheering crowd. “With you at my side, we have always prevailed and prevailed by a lot and got record-setting votes and record-setting victory,” Trump said. “We’ve won every battle. We’ve defeated every hope. We’ve overcome every threat. And now we are on the cusp of beating the communists, socialist, radicalized lunatics and villains once and for all. We’re going to put them down once and for all.” In the House of Representatives, Democrats are projected to win 215 seats compared to 201 for the GOP, meaning the left only needs three more victories out of the 19 possible toss-up races to clinch a majority. Republicans would need to win at least 17 of those races.
‘Phantom’ Obamacare accounts spark new crackdown as Oz targets broker fraud
Dr. Mehmet Oz, administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, is urging health insurers to work only with brokers who record their conversations with Obamacare applicants, escalating the Trump administration’s crackdown on unauthorized enrollments that officials say have cost taxpayers billions. Vice President JD Vance announced Tuesday that the administration’s anti-fraud task force will be removing 750,000 fraudulent recipients enrolled in Obamacare, saying the move will save American taxpayers $2.2 billion. “These [Obamacare enrollees] are phantom accounts,” Oz told Fox News Digital. “There are no human beings involved in these accounts. BOMBSHELL REPORT EXPOSES HEALTHCARE FRAUD SCHEMES AS TAXPAYERS LOSE UP TO $521 BILLION ANNUALLY He continued, “Why do I think that? We reached out to them. We wanted to know, have you filed any claims? We don’t see anything. Have you ever responded to any questions we’ve asked you? Do you have a Social Security number? Without that, I can’t tell if you made enough money to be on Obamacare or maybe too much to be.” Oz told Fox News Digital that the administration is encouraging health insurance companies to get involved in the anti-fraud push. “From now on, we’re asking insurance companies to work with brokers who record the conversations,” Oz said. “Why wouldn’t you?” he said. “What are you nervous about? What are you worried about? Why don’t you want me to hear what you discussed?” OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT UNCOVERS $500M IN FRAUD AND WASTE IN FEDERAL HEALTH BENEFITS PROGRAMS The move would help create transparency among the recipients who are applying to receive aid through Obamacare, ideally showing that the customer authorizing the transaction is verifiable and actually qualifies for the program. “I’m trying to make sure you had a real discussion to explain the policies and truly tried your best to get the right people in the right programs,” Oz said about the administration’s proposal. “Otherwise, we have massive corporate fraud.” Oz also told Fox News Digital the administration discovered 1.1 million people receiving benefits from Obamacare that did not have a Social Security number. “The 760,000 accounts that we terminated, we took out because the American taxpayers should not be paying fraudulent brokers to lie about people who don’t exist, collect premiums and run away with the money,” Oz said. VANCE TO HOST CONGRESS AT WHITE HOUSE TO DISCUSS LEGISLATIVE ACTION ON FRAUD The Treasury Department has begun handing out refund checks of $500 to roughly 1 million Americans, along with a letter from President Donald Trump slamming the Biden administration for overcharging taxpayers “to fund the operation of HealthCare.gov.” “I don’t know what’s driving this desire to hurt our ability to regulate,” Oz said. “But I can tell you, for sure, we have other tricks up our sleeve to make sure we don’t let the American people get taken advantage of.”
Top Republican unloads on rise of ‘anti-American’ candidates heading into midterms: ‘You got to be kidding’
LEWISTON, MAINE – Rep. Tom Emmer, on the first stop of a 56 district blitz across the country rallying Republican voters, spoke to Fox News Digital about what he describes as an “anti-American” sentiment in the Democratic Party and his party’s message on the economy. “We’re not talking about socialists, these are communists, Marxists and anarchists,” Emmer, the Republican House majority whip, told Fox News Digital this week about the rise of far-left candidates in the Democratic Party. “You got to be kidding. They want us to call them democratic socialists, there’s nothing democratic about these people.” Emmer, who was in Maine campaigning for Republican House candidate Paul LePage, specifically took issue with Democratic Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed. EL-SAYED, MAMDANI BRANDED ‘HAIR TONIC SALESMEN’ IN BRUTAL JAB FROM TOP HOUSE REPUBLICAN “This guy says ridiculous things like U.S. NFL football is an example of toxic masculinity, he supports a terrorist who believes that America deserved to lose 3,000 people on 9-11, and he’s got this Piker guy who’s just shooting his mouth off on everything anti-American,” Emmer said. “These people are anti-American more than anything else. It’s time that we have great candidates like Paul LePage, which is why I’m here, who loves his state, loves this country and believes in the promise of America. We should be out there celebrating it and defending it, not tearing it down, that’s why you vote for Paul.” With six weeks to go until Election Day and early voting already underway in a handful of states, the conventional wisdom is that Republicans may be in for some setbacks in the midterms. HOUSE CONSERVATIVES UNLEASH MULTIMILLION-DOLLAR MIDTERM BLITZ AGAINST DEM ‘SOCIALIST’ INSURGENCY As it defends its fragile House and Senate majorities, the GOP is fighting political history, which has traditionally seen the president’s party lose congressional seats during the midterms. It’s also battling high costs at the grocery stores and gas pumps tied to what polls show is an unpopular war with Iran, as well as President Donald Trump‘s underwater approval ratings. But Democrats are saddled with their own issues, from an ideological civil war between the party’s left wing and the establishment that has handed Republicans plenty of political ammunition, to a brand image that’s nothing to brag about. Add to that the Democrats’ major disadvantage as the GOP floods the airwaves with attack ads. Fox News Digital asked Emmer what he would say to Republican voters in the current political climate in terms of defending the administration’s record. “First off, remember, the Biden administration put this economy in the ditch, literally,” Emmer said. “Inflation we hadn’t seen in 40 years. Donald Trump and Republicans in the House and the Senate have been putting this economy back on track. We can talk about all the investment and everything else, but we have to be very sensitive to the fact that $4 gas, $6 diesel is unacceptable, but I would argue it still isn’t enough to vote for a communist.”
WATCH: Dem senators dodge backing Kamala Harris in potential 2028 run: ‘Very messy’
Former Vice President Kamala Harris is leaving the door open to another White House bid in 2028, but Democratic senators aren’t rushing to line up behind their party’s 2024 nominee. “Well, I’ve backed her before, but there’ll be other contenders this time,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., told Fox News Digital. “I’ve made no decisions about who I would support.” “I think we’re going to have a very, very, very messy and very big primary,” Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., said. “It’s going to be every Tom, Dick and Harry. And that’s probably where it should be.” HARRIS KEEPS 2028 DOOR OPEN AS SHE HITS MIDTERM CAMPAIGN TRAIL, WARNS ‘28 WON’T MATTER’ WITHOUT 2026 “We’ve got a lot of people who are going to run and I think we should sort that out after the midterms,” Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., said. Harris returned to the campaign trail last week alongside Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed, while continuing to leave open the possibility of another White House bid. Asked in Detroit whether she would run in 2028, Harris said she had not decided and urged Democrats to focus on November, warning that “’28 won’t matter” without success in 2026. “We’re focused on 2026,” said Sen. Angela Alsobrooks, D-Md. “We’re gonna win back the House and the Senate.” She continued, “I love Kamala Harris. I have a very personal friendship and relationship. She’s amazing. I think anybody who wants to run should. She’s obviously very well qualified. We need to focus on ’26.” DEMOCRATS SHY AWAY FROM QUESTIONS ON WHETHER HARRIS SHOULD RUN FOR PRESIDENT IN 2028 “This is going to be a wide open primary, and again, that’s democracy at its best,” Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., said. “Everyone who wants to run should be able to run for office here.” Another potential 2028 contender is Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., who represents the party’s progressive wing. Ocasio-Cortez describes herself as a democratic socialist. NEWSOM ROASTED ONLINE FOR ‘STAGED’ FLY-FISHING INTERVIEW WITH CNN ANCHOR WHERE HE DROPPED MAJOR 2028 HINT California Gov. Gavin Newsom is another potential 2028 contender, although he said last month that he would not run if Harris enters the race. “We should have a lot of candidates running so we have a very broad discussion about the future of this country,” Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., said. A July University of New Hampshire Granite State Poll found Ocasio-Cortez leading the prospective 2028 Democratic primary field in New Hampshire with 22% support among likely Democratic primary voters. Harris registered 5%. Neither Harris nor Ocasio-Cortez has announced a 2028 campaign.
Dems hand GOP fresh midterm weapon by opposing widely used voter ID
Senate Democrats’ recent rejection of voter ID is giving Republicans fresh ammunition in the midterm fight, putting them on the opposite side of a practice that is common across the country and broadly popular with voters in both parties. Republicans have developed a cynical view of why Democrats won’t play ball with voter ID, arguing that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and his caucus don’t want to give the GOP a win heading into the midterm elections. “Democrats are gonna vote against it because they don’t want to give the president a win,” Sen. Jim Banks, R-Ind., told Fox News Digital. “They don’t want to give Republicans a win. They’ll screw the country and stuff.” DOZENS OF HOUSE DEMOCRATS REJECT BILL FUSING CONGRESSIONAL STOCK BAN WITH FEDERAL VOTER ID Republicans’ latest attempt to pass a federal voter ID law, which was paired with another popular issue to ban insider trading in Congress, comes months after initially launching their push to pass the SAVE America Act, a high priority for President Donald Trump that Schumer and Democrats have time and again rejected. Earlier this year, Democrats argued that voter ID isn’t so bad, it’s just how Republicans were approaching it that they disagreed with — Schumer dubbed the SAVE America Act “Jim Crow 2.0” and contended it would disenfranchise Black and Brown voters. “Democrats support voter ID,” Schumer said on a press call earlier this year. “In fact, we included it, and it is included, in our Freedom to Vote legislation several years ago.” INSIDE THE SENATE’S CHAOTIC ALL-NIGHTER THAT LEFT TRUMP’S SAVE AMERICA ACT ON THE SHELF But as the months have dragged on, an issue that voters overwhelmingly support has become a place for Democrats to dig their heels into the dirt against. Requiring identification to vote is already a practice in 36 states. Of those, 23 require photo ID, while 13 accept another form of identification, such as a bank statement. Nine of those states have Democratic senators. “We already have it,” Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., told Fox News Digital. “I mean, Virginia has a voter ID law that our citizens really like.” “Virtually every state has a voter ID law,” he continued. “So, what, there has to be a one size fits all federal thing for states [that[ are already doing this?” SCHUMER, DEMOCRATS SAY THEY SUPPORT VOTER ID, THEN BLOCK GOP AMENDMENT TO REQUIRE IT Republicans say that the Democratic resistance has a more nefarious intent. Requiring voter ID would allegedly nuke some of their voter base, illegal immigrants, and therefore lower their chances of winning in federal elections. “Well, it’s evident Democrats want to make it easier to cheat,” Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo., told Fox News Digital. ” Republicans want to make it easier to vote, make sure nobody’s cheating. And that’s where we are on this voter ID, an 80/20 issue or not even more.” Barrasso argued that identification is required in several mundane instances of life, from boarding a plane to buying a beer — and even to get into some rallies held by Democratic candidates during this election cycle. “They’re complete hypocrites on this,” Barrasso said. “But [what] we need to do is elect more Republicans to be able to win these elections and make sure we have people here that see what the American people see, which is, you have to have a photo ID to vote.”
Trump launching ‘Super Intelligence Force’ to ensure American dominance
President Donald Trump announced Sunday the creation of a new federal “Super Intelligence Force” tasked with coordinating the government’s efforts to keep the United States at the forefront of rapidly developing artificial intelligence technology. The new force, known as SIF, will coordinate federal engagement with consumers, public-interest and religious groups, critical infrastructure providers and technology companies, Trump said in a Truth Social post. “The Super Intelligence Force is tasked with coordinating the effort of the Federal Government to ensure that America continues to lead the World in Super Intelligence,” Trump wrote. TRUMP ANNOUNCES NEW ‘AI FORCE,’ VOWS TO PROTECT INDUSTRY AS AI CZAR ANNOUNCEMENT NEARS Trump said the technology “is bigger than the Industrial Revolution, and the Internet” and would “protect the interests, and improve the lives, of all Americans.” The president said the effort will be led by senior administration officials and report directly to him and White House chief of staff Susie Wiles. TRUMP REBRANDS AI, REJECTS ‘GLOBALIST SCHEME’ TO CONTROL TECH Last week, Trump officially renamed artificial intelligence to “Super Intelligence” across the executive branch, following a high-level summit with top tech leaders at the White House. Trump, who has opposed imposing formal guardrails on SI, said at the time that the tech executives signed a “morally binding” document he dubbed the White House Accord on Super Intelligence. “They almost viewed it as a separate kind of constitution,” Trump said of the tech leaders. “When they signed that, it meant a lot.” Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg wrote on X later that day that he viewed the summit as a “positive step.” “I think it’s a significant positive step that the leaders of every major American lab have committed to implementing robust internal controls and multiple layers of audits and reviews,” Zuckerberg wrote. Fox Business’ Sophia Compton contributed to this report.
GOP Senate candidate’s estranged wife confirms who she’s voting for amid divorce proceedings
Texas state Sen. Angela Paxton is addressing the “elephant in the room,” saying she’ll vote Republican this November without mentioning one GOP candidate by name: her estranged husband, Ken Paxton. Angela Paxton, who filed for divorce from the Texas Republican Senate candidate last year on “biblical grounds,” says in a new political ad that she will back the Republican ticket on Nov. 3, arguing that keeping the seat in GOP hands outweighs concerns about any individual candidate. “People have asked my thoughts about this election, and turns out, I have some,” she says in the ad. “Let’s talk about the elephant in the room.” GOP FORTRESS IS UNDER THREAT IN ONE KEY RED STATE, AND THESE VOTERS COULD DECIDE WHETHER IT FALLS “In a general election, it’s not as much about the individual players on the team; it’s about getting the whole team across the finish line,” she continues. “Either we hold every Republican seat, or we hand the future of Texas to the other team.” “That’s why I’m voting for the Republican ticket on Nov. 3,” she adds. “Let’s hold the line together.” The ad does not mention Ken Paxton by name, but its message comes as the Republican Senate candidate faces a tight general election contest against Democrat James Talarico. The latest Fox News Poll, released Thursday, found Talarico with 51% support among Texas likely voters and Paxton with 49%, a difference within the poll’s margin of sampling error. The same poll found 50% of likely voters preferred Republican control of the U.S. Senate, compared with 49% who preferred Democratic control. Angela Paxton has previously signaled that maintaining Republican control of the seat takes precedence over her feelings about the individual candidate. During an address to the Texas Federation of Republican Women in September, she similarly framed the issue as the “elephant in the room” and told the audience that “it’s not the people, it’s the seat.” REPUBLICAN CAVALRY ARRIVES FOR KEN PAXTON AS BIG-BUCKS TEXAS OFFENSIVE OPENS CASH FLOODGATES “We have more control over that seat and the future when we control the seat, when it’s still in the family, even if we’re mad at them,” she said at the time, drawing laughter from the audience. “If we lose it to the other team, the nuances that we want to fix with maybe a certain candidate are nothing compared to what it’s going to take to get it back,” she added. GEORGE W BUSH RAISES MONEY FOR REPUBLICANS, BUT NOT KEY SENATE CANDIDATE Angela Paxton filed for divorce from her husband in July 2025 after 38 years of marriage. In the filing, she alleged that Ken Paxton had “committed adultery” and said their marriage had “become insupportable because of discord or conflict of personalities.” She separately announced the divorce on social media, saying she had filed “on biblical grounds.” “I believe marriage is a sacred covenant and I have earnestly pursued reconciliation,” she wrote. “But in light of recent discoveries, I do not believe that it honors God or is loving to myself, my children, or Ken to remain in the marriage.” The new ad was funded by Texas PAC, a political action committee affiliated with Senate Majority Leader John Thune. Ken Paxton also has the support of President Donald Trump and financial backing from the president’s MAGA Inc. political action committee as well as Elon Musk’s America PAC. Fox News Digital’s Peter Pinedo contributed to this report.
GOP rising star helped topple Trump-backed incumbent. Now he’s caught leadership’s eye
It’s June 2026 and the summer’s intense heat is slowly creeping across the East Coast. In Florida, a different kind of heat is threatening to burn Republicans — a firestorm of political backlash that could at best force the GOP to spend millions more in the midterms, and at worst cost the party what should be a safely red House seat. Rep. Mike Haridopolos, R-Fla., was one of the first to sound the alarm publicly about embattled Rep. Cory Mills, R-Fla., and the scandals that could have sandbagged his re-election chances. It’s an unusually bold move for a first-term congressman, particularly when all of the House GOP leadership and the White House were still publicly backing Mills. But Haridopolos’ plan was well-executed — and with the help of Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., Mills went down as one of only four Republican incumbents to lose a primary in the 2026 midterm cycle. Republican election watchers saw the loss with some relief, privately feeling better about their chances with former journalist Ryan Elijah, who Haridopolos recruited to run, against Democratic former NASA official Bale Dalton. And Haridopolos was there with Elijah both figuratively and literally. The former local news anchor said he was “right there in the front row” during the primary debate. REPUBLICANS MOVE TO OUST EMBATTLED FLORIDA GOP LAWMAKER IN BITTER PRIMARY FIGHT “Not only was he there, he was kind of like the spin room. He did a lot of the media interviews, and that was huge for us,” Elijah told Fox News Digital. TRUMP’S SUPPORT DOESN’T SAVE SCANDAL-PLAGUED LAWMAKER IN PRIMARY Haridopolos told Fox News Digital, “I recognized that Cory Mills was absolutely going to lose a general election against a solid Democrat candidate. And so I went to the leadership and, of course, the president’s team and said, look, we need to find a way for Mills to step aside.” “Unfortunately, Mr. Mills was not willing to step aside. And so I let the leadership and the president know that I’d be helping someone else in the primary,” he continued. “It was not the easiest thing to do, taking on a colleague. But … this is a team sport and all of us need to work together.” WATCH: CORY MILLS BLASTS DOJ PROBE AS ‘POLITICAL OP’ AHEAD OF FLORIDA PRIMARY “Team sport” is an analogy that the Florida Republican has used frequently, and one that he’s used to try and define his tenure in the House. It’s paid off for him so far, with Haridopolos having forged close relationships with both House GOP leaders and his peers. “He’s a trusted ally and somebody you can count on. He delivers. You never have to worry about where he’s going to be,” House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., who has known Haridopolos for roughly two decades, told Fox News Digital. The two politicos first forged a relationship in their respective state houses. When Haridopolos said he would launch a campaign for Congress, Scalise said he told him, “I want to be your first check … I want to support you.” And in his short time so far, he’s already been entrusted to lead a House panel. Haridopolos is chair of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee’s space subcommittee, a fitting position for someone whose district is home to the Kennedy Space Center despite his junior status. The Florida freshman said space has long been a passion of his, dating back to his efforts as a state lawmaker to bring the shuttle program back to his backyard. NASA’S ARTEMIS FOLLOW-UP MISSION ‘RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER’ AFTER SUCCESSFUL LUNAR FLIGHT “So many people were concerned that we’d go back to the post-Apollo days, which are very detrimental to the economy of Central Florida. And so at that time, Rick Scott was governor … We decided that we needed to not just rely on NASA but start pushing for public-private partnerships,” Haridopolos said. The U.S. has seen an unprecedented resurgence of success in space in the last two years, partly propelled by the public-private partnerships that Haridopolos is pushing. NASA completed its historic Artemis II mission just this year, sending four astronauts around the moon and back in the first such mission in decades. PETER NAVARRO: TRUMP’S ARTEMIS VISION IS NOW FLYING — AND CHINA IS PAYING ATTENTION “I’m really confident that in two years we’ll be landing back on the moon,” Haridopolos said. That’s also due in no small part to the federal government investing in the new space race, after the Trump administration initially proposed a roughly 24% cut to NASA’s budget in May 2025. Haridopolos, seeing space as another frontier for national security, was alarmed. He told Fox News Digital at the time that he would seek a “constructive conversation with the White House” about a higher figure. “I’m not sure what that number will be in the end, but in my conversations with the president about space, he’s absolutely committed to it,” he said in May 2025. Eventually, President Donald Trump signed into law a spending bill that included $24.4 billion for NASA — rather than the initial $18.8 billion proposal — and approved an additional $9.9 billion in the One Big, Beautiful Bill Act. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman told Fox News Digital that Haridopolos “understands that so much of America’s future in space runs through Florida and Kennedy Space Center.” “He is serious about the mission, willing to engage on the hard issues, and always focused on how we can move the ball forward,” Isaacman said. Before his political career began, Haridopolos was a history professor at what is now Eastern Florida State College. He was born to an American mother and Greek immigrant father, and is currently married to Stephanie Haridopolos — a physician by profession who has spent the last several months as acting surgeon general. But despite his accomplishments and connections, Haridopolos’ name is not one that has garnered headlines in the way that more bombastic House Republicans have in their