Cuomo flips script on Mamdani for owning property in Uganda despite its anti-LGBT laws: ‘Silence is violence’
The race for New York City mayor intensified this week when former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, running as an independent, called out socialist candidate Zohran Mamdani for owning property in Uganda despite the country’s anti-LGBT policies. “The no-show assemblyman missed this interview while vacationing at his parents’ compound in Uganda, a country that murders LGBTQIA+ people,” Cuomo posted on X Tuesday. “Silence is violence. I hereby call on you to Boycott, Divest, and Sanction your property in Uganda and commit to stop spending tourism dollars there until they overturn their hateful, discriminatory laws which violate basic human rights.” Mamdani, who was born in Uganda, has faced criticism in recent days for spending the last part of June at his family’s compound in Uganda, where, according to a New York Post report, his wedding celebration was surrounded by armed guards. MAMDANI’S PAST ‘VISCERAL DISDAIN’ FOR POLICE ‘SCARES A LOT OF NEW YORKERS’ FOR GOOD REASON: NYC CRIME EXPERT Some, including GOP opponent Curtis Sliwa, called him a hypocrite for calling to defund the police for everyday New Yorkers in the past while employing tight security at his overseas wedding celebration. Cuomo’s post alluded to Mamdani’s strident support for BDS and sanctions against Israel. which Mamdani has promoted dating back to his college days and has stood by on the campaign trail. MAMDANI PREACHES FROM PULPIT OF RADICAL PASTOR PUSHING REPARATIONS, ABOLISHING POLICE: ‘BROTHER AND FRIEND’ Fox News Digital reached out to the Mamdani campaign for comment. Uganda has a long history of government actions against LGBT individuals, including last year, when Uganda’s Constitutional Court upheld an anti-gay law that allows the death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality.” “Queer and trans people across the United States are facing an increasingly hostile political environment,” Mamdani’s campaign website states. “New York City must be a refuge for LGBTQIA+ people, but private institutions in our own city have already started capitulating to Trump’s assault on trans rights. Meanwhile, the cost of living crisis confronting working class people across the city hits the LGBTQIA+ community particularly hard, with higher rates of unemployment and homelessness than the rest of the city. “The Mamdani administration will protect LGBTQIA+ New Yorkers by expanding and protecting gender-affirming care citywide, making NYC an LGBTQIA+ sanctuary city, and creating the Office of LGBTQIA+ Affairs.”
WATCH: Trump DOJ to fight ‘race-based gerrymandering,’ Dhillon says amid Texas redistricting battle
The U.S. Department of Justice will act to crack down on the sort of “race-based gerrymandering” at the heart of the Texas redistricting fight, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said Tuesday. “We are ensuring that all 50 states have and continue to have clean voter roles. We are challenging efforts to suppress or dilute the vote. We are attacking illegal race-based gerrymandering. And we are protecting ballot access for all Americans,” said Dhillon, who leads the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division, in a video posted Tuesday marking the 60th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. After Democrats fled the state in an attempt to stop Republicans’ attempt to redraw districts, Texas Governor Greg Abbott called on the Texas Department of Public Safety to arrest them for abandoning their duties. DOJ TARGETS NONCITIZENS ON VOTER ROLLS AS PART OF TRUMP ELECTION INTEGRITY PUSH The ongoing debate stems from a letter by the Department of Justice that told Texas officials that the current congressional maps in Texas promote racial vote dilution in violation of the Voting Rights Act. The letter, in turn, spurred Abbott to call a special legislative session to begin the process of redrawing the state’s maps. “We have notified Texas of grave concerns about congressional districts drawn with racial motivations, and we are suing other jurisdictions where there is evidence of ineligible voters on their voter rolls,” Dhillon continued Wednesday. “Our job is to make it easier to vote and harder to cheat. On this anniversary we honor the voting rights act not just by remembering it but by enforcing it for all Americans.” Democrats have decried Republicans for pushing a partisan process, but the Justice Department has said the move is an effort to promote fairer districts. The DOJ’s July letter says four of Texas’s districts currently constitute “unconstitutional ’coalition districts.’” The letter goes on to assert that courts have ruled that “coalition districts” run afoul of the Voting Rights Act and the Fourteenth Amendment. SUPREME COURT ORDERS NEW ARGUMENTS IN PIVOTAL ELECTIONS CASE “We took a look at Texas, and we found that four of their districts in Texas are comprised of these so-called coalition districts,” Dhillon said Tuesday on the “Just the News, No Noise,” a show aired by Real America’s Voice. “In other words, to get to a special minority district, you have to add together multiple minorities or count on a certain percentage of a crossover white vote. And this is too complex, too weird and too inconsistent with equal protection.”
ICE raid tipoffs from Dem lawmaker could mean charges, says DHS rep: ‘Looks like obstruction’
A Democratic state lawmaker tipping off ICE operations in her community could be hit with obstruction-of-justice charges, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security told Fox News Digital. After Democratic Arizona state Senator Analise Ortiz admitted on social media to alerting her community about ICE movements, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin claimed in a statement to Fox News Digital that the lawmaker is choosing illegal criminals over American citizens. “Arizona state Senator Analise Ortiz is siding with vicious cartels, human traffickers, and violent criminals over American citizens,” said McLaughlin. “Notifying the public about ICE law enforcement operations endangers law enforcement and weakens American national security,” she went on. 16 IN CUSTODY AFTER IMMIGRATION RAID AT LA HOME DEPOT, DHS SAYS In response to Fox News Digital’s question about whether Ortiz could face charges, McLaughlin answered, “This certainly looks like obstruction of justice.” She pointed to DHS statistics that ICE officers are currently facing an 830 percent increase in assaults. “The men and women of ICE put their lives on the line every day to arrest violent criminal illegal aliens to protect and defend the lives of American citizens,” said McLaughlin. “Make no mistake, sanctuary politicians like Arizona Senator Analise Ortiz are contributing to the surge in assaults of our ICE officers through their repeated vilification and demonization of ICE.” This comes after popular conservative social media page “Libs of TikTok” blasted Ortiz for posting alerts on her account giving updates on ICE operations in the area. Libs of TikTok posted a screenshot, indicating it belonged to Ortiz, that warned in English and Spanish, “ICE is present.” The post also gave the location of the federal officials’ whereabouts. VENEZUELAN SUSPECT ‘SHOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN IN THE UNITED STATES,’ POLICE CHIEF SAYS AFTER DEADLY SHOOTING Libs of TikTok wrote, “Arizona State Senator Analise Ortiz (D) is actively impeding and doxxing ICE by posting their live locations on instagram.” The account urged Border Czar Tom Homan, the DHS and ICE to file charges against Ortiz. In response, Ortiz admitted to alerting her community about ICE activity, saying, “Yep. When ICE is around, I will alert my community to stay out of the area.” Seemingly in response to the Libs of TikTok’s call for charges against her, Ortiz also wrote, “I’m not f*****g scared of you nor Trump’s masked goons.” After the comment, Arizona Senate Warren Petersen, a Republican, issued a statement reprimanding Ortiz: “Public servants have a duty to uphold the law and respect those who enforce it, not undermine them.” US CRIME DROPPED WIDELY IN 2024, FBI SAYS — WITH SOME NOTABLE CAVEATS Petersen said he had referred the matter to the U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona for investigation “as it appears she may be in violation of federal law.” Ortiz has remained defiant, writing in an X post, “I will not be intimidated. I will alert our community to avoid the area when Trump’s masked thugs terrorize us all, regardless of citizenship. Trump doesn’t respect our laws nor our constitution. My duty is to keep people safe from his unconstitutional and authoritarian actions.”
DOJ turns to Gabbard’s office for next step in grand jury probe of alleged Russiagate conspiracy
The Department of Justice made a sweeping request to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence this week for more information about allegations of a 2016 conspiracy to tie President Donald Trump to Russia, marking the next step in the department’s grand jury inquiry into the matter. A DOJ prosecutor asked the ODNI for a range of documents to supplement Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard’s recent request to the DOJ to investigate Obama administration officials over the alleged conspiracy. The Federalist first reported on the prosecutor’s request. A source familiar with the request confirmed the veracity of the report to Fox News Digital. The prosecutor requested in a letter to the ODNI a dozen categories of items, including any nonpublic material Gabbard had pertaining to the tranche of declassified documents she made public in July. DOJ LAUNCHING GRAND JURY INQUIRY INTO RUSSIAGATE CONSPIRACY ALLEGATIONS Gabbard also revealed Tuesday night on the Ingraham Angle that she had met that day with the DOJ prosecutors involved in the grand jury inquiry. Gabbard said they “have more questions, and they’re going to be really taking a deep dive into this again.” “They are committed to leaving no stone unturned as they conduct this grand jury investigation and find the truth,” Gabbard said. The revelation that a meeting had occurred and that a DOJ official leading the grand jury inquiry is seeking records from the ODNI signals that the probe is underway and in an information-gathering phase. WHITE HOUSE SENDS MIXED SIGNALS IN RUSSIA ‘HOAX’ BLAME GAME Grand jury investigations are conducted in secret and can take days, weeks or longer to conclude. Prosecutors present the grand jury with evidence, and the panelists on the jury are tasked with deciding whether probable cause exists to charge someone with a crime. Obtaining an indictment against a person through a grand jury is generally much easier than the subsequent process of securing a conviction against them. Fox News Digital first reported on the existence of a grand jury investigation related to Gabbard’s intelligence on Monday, but it remains unclear whom is being targeted in the investigation or what criminal charges could be on the table and still within the statutes of limitations. Gabbard has alleged that newly declassified evidence shows that President Barack Obama and his national security officials, including John Brennan, James Comey and James Clapper, had forgone typical protocols to compile a faulty intelligence product after President Donald Trump won the election in 2016 that undermined his election win. Gabbard alleged that the intelligence laid the “groundwork” for the Trump-Russia narrative that loomed over much of the president’s first administration. Trump’s first presidency was dominated by two-year-long special counsel inquiries surrounding Russia’s involvement in the 2016 election, but neither special counsel identified a conspiracy among Obama officials like the one Gabbard has now alleged. The DOJ official’s letter to ODNI this week also included a request for information about any intelligence community investigations into media leaks, signaling that those could also be part of the grand jury probe. Gabbard has claimed the media obtained information through the Obama administration that helped to falsely attribute Trump’s win to Russian interference in the election in the eyes of the public. Obama recently rejected Gabbard’s allegations through a spokesperson in a rare statement. “Out of respect for the office of the presidency, our office does not normally dignify the constant nonsense and misinformation flowing out of this White House with a response,” the statement said. “But these claims are outrageous enough to merit one. These bizarre allegations are ridiculous and a weak attempt at distraction.”
New Romanian law may have averted NATO clash with Russia after border strikes
Russia narrowly avoided an armed skirmish with Romania, a member of the NATO alliance, after striking just a half mile from its border. Romanian defense officials believe the new law passed by parliament explicitly allowing its armed forces to shoot down Russian drones that fly over its territory prevented the Kremlin from incurring on its territory. Russia struck a gas distribution center in the Ismail Area of Ukraine with Shahed kamikaze drones on Tuesday and Wednesday, so close to Romania’s border that Bucharest deployed F-16 aircraft to monitor. No unauthorized intrusions were reported. “They know we passed this law, and in the last two months they have avoided crossing into our airspace,” one Romanian defense source told Fox News Digital. NATO JETS SCRAMBLED AMID RUSSIA’S LARGEST DRONE ATTACK ON UKRAINE Ilie Bolojan, Romania’s then-acting president, signed the law, which Romanian parliament had passed in February in response to Russian drones spilling over into its territory during attacks on Ukraine. The law specifies that Romanian authorities must establish the drone’s position and identity, attempt contact, intercept and fire warning shots, before neutralizing it. Piloted vehicles can only be destroyed if they conduct an attack or respond aggressively. Romania shares a 380-mile-wide border with Ukraine, though at this time there is no evidence Moscow has deliberately targeted its territory. Ukraine typically receives gas through the Orlovka gas distribution center in Izmail from Greece, Turkey and Romania. RUSSIA LAUNCHED ITS LARGEST AERIAL ATTACK OF THE WAR, UKRAINE SAYS If Russia had incurred into Romanian territory and Romania responded by shooting down its drones, a tit-for-tat escalation risks drawing a NATO member state directly into the war. NATO allies agree to Article 5, a collective defense pact that states each would come to the aid of the other in the case of an attack. Earlier this week, drones believed to originate in Belarus, a client state of Russia, landed in Lithuanian territory. Other eastern European states have enacted new laws to fortify their borders from the threat of Russia: Poland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania pulled out of an international treaty banning the use of landmines over humanitarian concerns earlier this year. Lithuania this week asked NATO to help strengthen its air defenses after a Russian drone carrying explosives entered its territory. “This is not just Lithuanian airspace, not just Lithuania’s security — it is NATO airspace, NATO security and also EU security,” foreign minister Kęstutis Budrys said.
Trump blasts Schumer, Democrats as ‘country-hating thugs’ amid blockade on Senate nominees
President Donald Trump lashed out at Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer on Wednesday, accusing the lawmaker of “extortion” for holding up Trump’s nominees in the Senate. Trump made the statement from his Truth Social account, arguing that never in U.S. history have so many of a president’s nominees been bottlenecked in the Senate. Senate Republicans had been negotiating with Schumer to speed up the nomination process this week, but the talks broke down. “Politically embattled Senator, Cryin’ Chuck Schumer, wants the Republicans to pay, as extortion, two billion dollars in order for the radical left Democrats to approve the hundreds of Trump appointments who have been waiting for months, and are raring to go,” Trump wrote. “This has never happened before. There has never, in U.S. history, been such a delay. They are extortionists! Republicans must create legislation in order to get out of the grasp of these country-hating thugs. Move quickly!” he added. TRUMP TELLS SCHUMER TO ‘GO TO HELL’ OVER SENATE NOMINEE DEAL FUNDING DEMANDS AFTER NEGOTIATIONS COLLAPSE Lawmakers left Washington on Monday without a deal, leaving Republicans deeply frustrated with Schumer and Senate Democrats for their unprecedented filibustering of every one of Trump’s nominees. Only Secretary of State Marco Rubio received a smooth confirmation. Schumer and the Democrats had demanded that Trump free up billions in funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and foreign aid, accounting for Trump’s claims of a $2 billion “extortion.” GRIDLOCK CRUMBLES AS SENATE ADVANCES SPENDING BILLS IN RACE AGAINST SHUTDOWN Republicans are now discussing a rule change that would block Democrats from filibustering the nominees, allowing them to clear the Senate with just a simple majority. “I think that way is going to happen anyways, because of what Schumer has done. He’s forced this, and it’s ridiculous that he’s doing this,” Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., said Tuesday. “And so, whatever, we’re at this point, and we’ll do, you know what they say, every action requires an equal [reaction], and that’s what we’re at right now.” Currently, over 1,200 positions go through Senate confirmation. Senate Republicans have been able to confirm over 130 of Trump’s picks so far, but there are over 140 nominees still pending on the Senate’s calendar. “I think they’re desperately in need of change,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., told reporters on Tuesday. “I think that the last six months have demonstrated that this process, nominations, is broken. And so I expect there will be some good robust conversations about that.” Fox News’ Alex Miller contributed to this report
Mamdani’s past ‘visceral disdain’ for police ‘scares a lot of New Yorkers’ for good reason: NYC crime expert
New York City socialist mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani’s past stances on policing are a legitimate reason for New Yorkers to be concerned, despite his recent walkbacks, according to a New York City crime expert who spoke to Fox News Digital. “I think what scares a lot of New Yorkers about the policy positions taken by Zohran Mamdani over the years is that he has exhibited not just a lack of appreciation for the men and women that stand on that [police] line, but a visceral disdain for them, which has led him to push for things like defunding and dismantling the police,” Rafael A. Mangual, senior fellow and head of research for policing and public safety at the Manhattan Institute, told Fox News Digital, shortly after a gunman killed four people in midtown Manhattan, including a NYPD police officer. “It’s not so much as just that he said, well, I wanna allocate some of this money to other places. He has gone so far as to say that we should dismantle the entire department.” Mamdani recently attempted to walk back some of his past anti-police comments during a press conference in the aftermath of the shooting, but Mangual, who wrote an op-ed on the walkback for the New York Post, says he still has concerns despite the attempt to clarify past comments. MAMDANI PREACHES FROM PULPIT OF RADICAL PASTOR PUSHING REPARATIONS, ABOLISHING POLICE: ‘BROTHER AND FRIEND’ “Even if he doesn’t necessarily follow through on the most radical positions that he has taken in the very recent past, he has expressed support for a lot of initiatives that would erode public safety in lots of different ways, including and especially in the communities that deal with the brunt of our nation’s gun violence problem,” Mangual said. Mangual pointed to several possible scenarios under a Mamdani mayorship that could lead to problems for security in the city, including potentially working with the city council to eliminate the NYPD gang database, which Mangual said would be an “absolute disaster” for the city. NEW YORK LAWMAKER SOUNDS ALARM ON POTENTIAL ‘DEVASTATING’ EFFECTS OF MAMDANI VICTORY: ‘CHAOS’ “The other thing that Mamdani mayoralty might get us is an NYPD that’s even less equipped than the current NYPD, which is certainly operating well below the ideal level in terms of force size,” Mangual explained. “It’s approaching skeleton crew status. The NYPD at the turn of the century had about 41,000 officers in its ranks, whereas now I think below 33,000 are just right around that mark. That’s a really big change, especially given how many more 911 calls that department is fielding on an annual basis and how much more it has to do in a post-9/11 world where the department kind of took on these additional counter-terrorism and intelligence aspects to it. So, you run the risk of creating a situation in which a department that is already starved for recruits is going to become even more unattractive to people who are considering work in that department.“ Mangual explained that Mamdani was part of a “legislative landscape” as a state assemblyman that pushed bail reform and discovery reform that “have essentially made it significantly less likely that perpetrators who are arrested will be, A, prosecuted and B, held to account in a meaningful way.” Mangual said he is concerned that Mamdani’s resume will hurt police recruiting and eventually make the city less safe as the NYPD struggles to achieve full staffing. “So, now you have a situation in which you might have a mayor who has just set himself up for a terrible relationship with the police department who is signaling that he’s going to cooperate with an increasingly radical city council who wants to take even more away from that police department, who is then going to send a signal that, ‘Hey, you are not going to have a good time working here,’” Mangual said. Fox News Digital reached out to the Mamdani campaign for comment.
Vance, Bondi, Patel to huddle at VP residence for Epstein strategy meeting
Vice President JD Vance is hosting senior Trump administration officials at his residence in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday evening for a strategy dinner to discuss how the administration should handle the ongoing Jeffrey Epstein fallout and move forward, Fox News has learned. Vance has invited U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, FBI Director Kash Patel, and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche to dinner at the sprawling, 12-acre vice-presidential residence in Northwest Washington. White House chief of staff Susie Wiles is also expected to be in attendance, according to sources familiar. News of the dinner was first reported by CNN. It comes after weeks of unsuccessful attempts by senior Trump officials to quell mounting public pressure to release more information related to the Epstein investigation — underscoring the sticking power of the Epstein scandal despite a fast-moving news cycle. Trump supporters have been among the leading voices demanding the release of additional information. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT WEIGHS RELEASE OF GHISLAINE MAXWELL INTERVIEW The Justice Department and the White House have also struggled to coordinate their messaging on the ongoing fallout from the Epstein scandal, following the release of an unsigned July 7 memo that said they did not plan to release additional information about the investigation. Most recently, the White House and DOJ have been at odds over whether to release an audio file and transcript from Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche’s interview with Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell late last month, senior administration officials confirmed. COMER SUBPOENAS THE CLINTONS, TRUMP’S DOJ IN HOUSE OVERSIGHT’S EPSTEIN PROBE It is unclear how long the audio footage and transcripts from the interviews between Blanche’s interview with Maxwell are, but they do exist, Fox News Digital reported yesterday, and discussions remain underway today involving whether — and when — to release the transcript. Fox News Digital reported yesterday that DOJ officials have both the audio and transcript from Blanche’s interview with Maxwell, which took place over two days at the U.S. Attorney’s office near the Federal Correctional Institution in Tallahassee, Florida, where Maxwell had been serving out a 20-year prison sentence for sex trafficking. Maxwell was transferred last week without explanation to a new, minimum-security women’s federal prison camp in Texas. Anything released by the Trump administration would almost certainly involve heavily redacting any identifying information of individuals named in the transcript in order to protect victims — something Bondi has stressed in public on multiple occasions. News of Vance’s dinner prompted fresh concerns from family members of one Epstein victim, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who committed suicide earlier this year. “We understand that Vice President JD Vance will hold a strategy session this evening at his residence with administration officials,” Giuffre’s sibling said in a statement Wednesday shared with Fox News Digital. “Missing from this group is, of course, any survivor of the vicious crimes of convicted perjurer and sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein. Their voices must be heard, above all,” they said. “We reiterate that Ghislaine Maxwell should have remained in a maximum security prison and does not deserve the luxuries currently afforded her.” Pressure to release information has been unrelenting in the weeks since July 7, when the Justice Department said in an unsigned memo that it did not plan to release more information about the investigation. The Justice Department and FBI also said that investigators had not found a so-called “client list” from Epstein, as had been suggested widely online, and by some Trump officials earlier this year. Asked on Fox News in February about news that the DOJ would release “the list of Jeffrey Epstein’s clients,” and when that would happen, Bondi replied, “It’s sitting on my desk right now to review.” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt later said Bondi had been referring more broadly to all the files related to Epstein, and not a single list.
GOP governor nominee pushes redistricting to oust state’s lone House Dem
FIRST ON FOX: Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., is calling on his state to join the growing fight over the country’s congressional maps – with eyes on the one Democrat in his delegation. Norman told Fox News Digital on Wednesday that he wants the South Carolina General Assembly to redraw its district lines, which he argued is more in line with the Palmetto State’s Republican majorities in the statehouse and state Senate. “We have Republican supermajorities in South Carolina. Let’s use them to create more competition in our congressional seats. I have no doubt Republicans can be successful in every part of our state,” Norman said. Norman, who is running for governor, said that would make South Carolina’s seats in the House of Representatives “more competitive” and that it would “move our House delegation from 6-1 to 7-0.” BETO O’ROURKE DROPS F-BOMB AS HE URGES DEMS TO ‘MEET FIRE WITH FIRE’ AGAINST GOP REDISTRICTING PLANS IN TEXAS “That will help increase Republican control of Congress and help President Trump pass his agenda. Every vote counts toward a conservative Speaker Mike Johnson rather than a liberal Speaker Hakeem Jeffries of New York City,” Norman said. And while he did not give further details about how he’d want that map to look, he did mention the lone Democrat, longtime Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., by name. “Jim Clyburn is a nice man and I respect him. But he is a liberal Democrat who helped put Joe Biden in the White House,” Norman said. “That’s not the kind of representation South Carolina needs.” Clyburn is indeed a close ally of former President Joe Biden. His support was critical to Biden winning the 2020 Democratic primary in South Carolina, a victory that was decisive in putting Biden at the front of the crowded race. He’s also represented South Carolina’s 6th congressional district since 1993. SCHWARZENEGGER PUSHES BACK AGAINST NEWSOM IN REDISTRICTING FIGHT The 6th congressional district was first gerrymandered to give Black South Carolinians greater representation in the early 1990s, resulting in the only majority-Black district in the state. South Carolina’s congressional map has seen some partisan fighting in recent years, however. In 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a lower court ruling that said a Republican-led redraw of district lines unfairly diluted Black voters’ power, primarily in South Carolina’s 1st congressional district, which neighbors Clyburn’s. The high court’s conservative majority ruled 6-3 that the district was redrawn along partisan lines, rather than racial, and therefore could be legally upheld. Redistricting is traditionally done following the U.S. census, which is taken every decade, to account for population shifts in various states. Norman’s call to redraw the lines again comes after Texas Republicans’ push to create a new congressional map that would give the GOP as many as five new seats in the House of Representatives. It’s ignited a political firestorm across the country, with liberal states like New York and California pledging to follow suit. There are now discussions in multiple states about potentially redrawing district lines as well. Fox News Digital reached out to Clyburn’s campaign for comment, as well as representatives in the South Carolina General Assembly.
Senate Democrats are feverishly recruiting top candidates to win back majority in 2026 midterms
As they mount their uphill effort to win back the Senate majority in next year’s midterm elections, Democrats feel that they’re on a roll. Late last month, they landed their biggest recruit to date, when former two-term Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper of North Carolina declared his candidacy in the 2026 race to succeed retiring Republican Sen. Thom Tillis. Democrats view the open Senate seat in the crucial southeastern battleground state as a top pick-up opportunity next year as they try to win back control of the Senate, which the Republicans currently hold with a 53-47 majority. “It’s hard to overstate the importance of getting Gov. Cooper to run for the Senate in North Carolina, and already we are seeing a potential for a ripple effect,” longtime Democratic strategist Chris Moyer told Fox News Digital. THIS REPUBLICAN JUST JUMPED INTO BATTLEGROUND GEORGIA’S HIGH-PROFILE SENATE RACE Moyer, a veteran campaign communicator, said that Cooper recruitment is “giving more faith to potential candidates who are questioning whether there’s a chance for a Democratic majority in the Senate next year.” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) Chair Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, after landing Cooper, said he “is a formidable candidate who will flip North Carolina’s Senate seat.” Top Democrats now have their eyes on former Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio, who lost last year’s re-election bid in a onetime top swing state that’s become reliably red over the past decade. WHAT A TOP POLITICAL HANDICAPPER SAID ABOUT THE DEMOCRATS’ CHANCES TO WIN BACK SENATE IN 2026 Schumer, the top Democrat in the Senate, trekked to Ohio this summer in hopes of convincing Brown to take on Republican Sen. Jon Husted, Fox News confirmed. Brown, who served over three decades in the House and later the Senate, is viewed by Democrats as the only candidate who could potentially topple Husted, who was named at the beginning of this year to fill the seat left vacant when then-Sen. JD Vance stepped down to become vice president. Democrats landed the candidate they were hoping for in swing state New Hampshire in the race to succeed retiring longtime Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen. Four-term Rep. Chris Pappas’ announcement in early April that he would run to succeed Shaheen has cleared the Democratic primary field, as of now, of any potential rivals for the party’s Senate nomination. Meanwhile, a Republican primary in the state – where the GOP hasn’t won a Senate race in 15 years – is heating up between former Sen. Scott Brown and state Sen. Dan Innis, with the possibility of more candidates entering the race. In battleground Georgia, which President Donald Trump narrowly carried in last year’s White House race, Republicans view first-term Sen. Jon Ossoff as the most vulnerable Democrat incumbent up for re-election next year. But Ossoff is off to a very hot fundraising start, and a GOP primary between Reps. Mike Collins and Buddy Carter, and former college and professional football coach Derek Dooley, is starting to turn combustible. Of potential concern for the Democrats is Michigan, where the dynamics appear to be the opposite of Georgia, in the race to succeed retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters. Former Rep. Mike Rogers, the 2024 GOP Senate nominee who narrowly lost last year’s race, appears to have cleared the Republican, thanks in great part to Trump’s endorsement and likely arm twisting by the president’s political team. Democrats, meanwhile, have a very competitive primary on their hands. The primary race includes three well-known Democrats: Rep. Haley Stevens, state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, and former gubernatorial candidate Abdul El-Sayed, who enjoys the backing of progressive champion Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont. And popular Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan is running for the Senate as an independent, which could potentially hurt Democrats in the general election. While Texas has long been a reliable red state, and conservative firebrand Sen. Ted Cruz comfortably won re-election last year, Democrats are optimistic about their 2026 chances to potentially flip a red seat to blue. That’s because longtime GOP Sen. John Cornyn is facing a serious primary challenge from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a MAGA world rockstar. Paxton has long been surrounded by scandals, and is now dealing with a headline-grabbing divorce with his wife, state Sen. Angela Paxtom. And Democrats believe if Paxton topples Cornyn in next March’s GOP primary, he’ll be toxic in the general election. But Democrats could have a competitive primary in Texas as well. Former Rep. Colin Allred, who lost to Cruz last November, launched a second straight campaign earlier this year. Former Rep. Beto O’Rourke, who came close to ousting Cruz in the state’s 20218 Senate election before unsuccessfully running for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination and losing the 2022 Texas gubernatorial race to GOP Gov. Greg Abbott, is taking a hard look at a 2026 Senate run. State Rep. James Talarico, who grabbed national attention recently for his appearance with popular podcaster Joe Rogan, and Rep. Joaquin Castro, are also mulling bids. Democrats also feel they may have a shot in Iowa – a onetime swing state that’s become firmly red in recent election cycles – if Republican Sen. Joni Ernst decides against seeking a third term in the Senate. But they’ll likely have a much better chance of flipping a GOP-held seat in blue state Maine if longtime Republican incumbent Sen. Susan Collins decides against seeking re-election.