Libertarians challenge Trump-backed Republicans, look to shake up midterms beyond GOP-Dem duopoly
In the American political scene dominated by the GOP-Democrat duopoly, Libertarians like Kentucky congressional candidate Jeremy Todd are looking to offer voters an alternative as they head to the polls during the midterm elections. “I think ultimately the Republican Party has abandoned… true conservatism, small government principles,” Todd told Fox News Digital this week, asserting that “they may be more conservative than Democrats, but, to us true conservatives, that’s not good enough.” Todd, who views himself as “right of MAGA,” mounted his long-shot U.S. House bid after Rep. Thomas Massie lost the Republican primary in Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District to Trump-backed former Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein. Democratic congressional candidate Melissa Strange is also running in the contest. “We are welcoming people who are conservative, who believe in small, limited government, to my campaign and then to a larger movement that is probably gonna need to exist post the downfall of the Republican Party,” Todd said. Former National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent, who quit his post earlier this year due to his opposition to the Iran war, and former Rep. Ron Paul, have both backed Todd. TRUMP-BACKED CANDIDATE ED GALLREIN CALLS KENTUCKY WIN A ‘DAVID VS. GOLIATH’ VICTORY AFTER DEFEATING MASSIE In a Pew Research survey of U.S. adults released earlier this month, 5% of registered voters indicated that they would vote for another candidate other than the GOP and Democratic candidates in the U.S. House race in their district, while 15% were not sure about how they would vote. The poll, carried out Sept. 28-Oct. 4, had a margin of error among registered voters of plus or minus 1.8 percentage points. Todd is not the only Libertarian running this election cycle looking to make an impact — but no candidate running under the Libertarian Party has ever been elected to the U.S. Congress. Former Rep. Justin Amash of Michigan, who switched from Republican to Independent and then to Libertarian during his final term, became “the first LP member to serve in Congress,” according to the Libertarian National Committee — but Amash, who served in the House for a decade, won all of his elections as a Republican. Libertarian candidate Ted Brown is on the ballot for the 2026 Texas U.S. Senate race that features Trump-backed state Attorney General Ken Paxton and Democratic state Rep. James Talarico. NOT EVEN SKY HIGH GAS PRICES OR THE IRAN WAR WILL STOP TRUMP SUPPORTERS VOTING MAGA Brown earned only about 2.36% of the vote in the 2024 Texas U.S. Senate contest won by incumbent GOP Sen. Ted Cruz. He dismissed the criticism he says he gets regularly from Republicans that he is merely spoiling Paxton’s chances. “They could avoid that problem by nominating a better candidate,” Brown said, noting that he delivers the same message to Democrats. “You can’t spoil a system that’s already rotten,” Brown stated. “There are a lot of people making a protest vote, and there’s good reason to.” Bill Redpath, a former Libertarian National Committee (LNC) chair who is currently listed as an at-large LNC representative, is running in the special Ohio U.S. Senate race where Trump-backed Republican Sen. Jon Husted faces former Sen. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat. Redpath earned less than 2% of the vote in a 2022 Illinois U.S. Senate bid. Todd, while speaking to Fox News Digital, urged voters not to “buy into the lesser of two evils talk. Make sure you get out there and vote and give us a real shot because we can win this.” GOP REP THOMAS MASSIE INTRODUCES 8 ARTICLES OF IMPEACHMENT AGAINST WAR SECRETARY PETE HEGSETH Todd, who supports Massie’s bid to impeach War Secretary Pete Hegseth and the congressman’s push to pass the Epstein Files Transparency Act II, is a fiscal hawk who advocates slashing government spending to address the much-discussed “affordability” issue. “The affordability crisis is not a hoax,” he said, suggesting that younger individuals particularly face this “stark reality.” “The only answer is we’ve got to cut government spending so that we stop money printing, so that we stop debasing and devaluing the currency and their wages have an opportunity to catch up. That’s ultimately what’s happening is we’re printing money faster than wages can keep up with and it’s kind of left an entire generation behind to the benefit of asset holders,” Todd said. “The easiest way you can cut government spending is get out of these stupid conflicts. We should not be paying billions of dollars to Ukraine to fight Russia. We should not be paying billions of dollars to come to Israel’s defense,” Todd asserted. “And last but not least, we should get out of this conflict in Iran. Just leave.” WHY THE HOUSE LET OUT EARLY IS A MATTER OF DEBATE AFTER JOHNSON SAYS CHAMBER HAS ‘DONE ITS WORK’ In a Sunday post on X, Todd called President Donald Trump “a warmonger.” During the Fox News Digital interview, Todd credited Trump with forging “the greatest coalition we’ve maybe ever seen in politics,” noting that Trump delivered a speech at the Libertarian National Convention in 2024 to appeal to the voting bloc. “We believe that the job of the United States military is not to wage endless regime-change wars around the globe,” Trump told that Libertarian gathering in 2024, but “to defend America from attack and invasion here at home.” Todd said since delivering that speech, Trump has gone “back on all but essentially one of the promises, which is border security.” “We’ve not gotten deportations to the level that we wanted. We’ve gotten into another stupid and maybe the biggest and most ridiculous Middle Eastern conflict,” Todd said. MTG SAYS GOP’S FUTURE ‘DESTROYED’ AFTER TRUMP-BACKED PRIMARY CHALLENGER DEFEATS THOMAS MASSIE The White House did not respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment. In a statement provided to Fox News Digital, Republican National Committee national press secretary Natalie Baldassarre declared, “President Trump has endorsed Ed Gallrein, a Navy SEAL and fifth-generation farmer who will represent the needs of working families in Congress.
Sky-high gas prices aren’t shaking Trump’s MAGA faithful in oil country as supporters warn of bigger threat
TEXAS — Gas prices are soaring ahead of the midterm elections, but President Donald Trump’s supporters at campaign rallies in Texas say the rising costs aren’t shaking their loyalty to the president, with some warning that the country’s future is at stake. “I do experience that costs are high, but I’m in for the long haul and I support everything that he’s been doing,” one supporter told Fox News Digital at Trump’s rally in Lubbock, Texas. Fox News Digital spoke with Trump supporters at rallies in Lubbock and Corpus Christi, two cities in a state deeply tied to America’s oil and gas industry where voters acknowledged the economic squeeze but remained firmly behind the president. For some, concerns about the country’s future and the rise of socialism are adding urgency to the approaching election. The national average for a gallon of regular gasoline stood at approximately $4.25 on Wednesday, up nearly 40% from roughly $3.05 a year earlier, according to AAA. TRUMP WON THIS RELIABLY RED STATE BY DOUBLE DIGITS. NOW A DEADLOCKED RACE IS BRINGING HIM BACK Trump acknowledged the higher costs during his Lubbock rally while pointing to increased American oil production and his administration’s recent energy deal with Venezuela as steps toward bringing prices down. “Our country is making a fortune while people have to pay more at the pump,” Trump said, adding that gas prices are “going to come down really fast.” “The ones we care about are our people at the pump,” Trump told the crowd. “And those numbers are going to start coming down very, very rapidly.” During his earlier stop in Corpus Christi, Trump announced the arrival of the first million barrels of Venezuelan oil secured through an agreement with the South American country, which the White House says is being provided at no cost to American taxpayers and will be refined in Texas. The administration has touted the agreement as a major step toward expanding America’s energy supply and supporting domestic jobs, arguing that the additional oil will eventually help lower costs for consumers. The White House said the broader agreement would give the U.S. majority control over approximately 65 billion barrels of proven Venezuelan oil reserves, expanding American access to energy resources as Trump pushes to boost supply and bring down prices. NOT EVEN SKY HIGH GAS PRICES OR THE IRAN WAR WILL STOP TRUMP SUPPORTERS VOTING MAGA Stephen Elsher of Corpus Christi said the economy remains his top concern heading into the midterms, but he believes Republicans are the ones who can turn things around. “I’d like to see it turn around and do better for this next year,” Elsher told Fox News Digital. “Without the Republicans in charge, we won’t go that direction.” Meanwhile, the Democratic Party has faced growing pressure from its progressive wing, with democratic socialist candidates gaining prominence and sparking debate over the party’s direction. Trump repeatedly warned voters against what he described as the “radical left Democrat communist” agenda during his Lubbock rally, arguing that Democratic policies would raise taxes, threaten Texas oil and gas jobs, and weaken border security. “The choice in this election is very simple,” Trump told supporters, contrasting his economic agenda with what he described as the consequences of Democratic control. TRUMP’S MAGA FAITHFUL SEND WARNING TO REPUBLICANS AHEAD OF HIGH-STAKES MIDTERM ELECTIONS For some Trump supporters at the Texas rallies, concerns go beyond affordability, with attendees warning that the rise of socialism poses a threat to the country’s future. “We can’t lose our republic,” Susie, a Corpus Christi supporter, told Fox News Digital, warning that the country is under siege by Democrats, socialists and communists. Elizabeth Trigo, who attended Trump’s Lubbock rally with her daughters, said the midterms are about more than just the next election, pointing to the country’s future and preserving opportunities for the next generation. “I think the main reason this election, the midterms, is a lot of it has to do with the future,” Trigo told Fox News Digital. “The most important thing is opportunity again. Trump is on the side of opportunity.” Trigo said she wants Trump to continue fighting the war on drugs and pushing back against socialism during his remaining two years in office.
Obama admin first launched the investigation into Ilhan Omar’s alleged brother marriage
The investigation into whether Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., married her brother in an alleged immigration fraud scheme in 2009 began under former President Barack Obama in 2016, Fox News Digital has confirmed. A U.S. Attorney in Minnesota, appointed by then-President Joe Biden, eventually shut down the probe in 2021, a source familiar with the matter told Fox News Digital. Now, the issue has been thrust back into the spotlight as part of a new federal investigation into the Somali-born congresswoman, part of which centers on whether she or her father committed immigration fraud on her application to become a U.S. citizen. REP ILHAN OMAR’S IMMIGRATION HISTORY FACES NEW SCRUTINY AS FEDERAL INVESTIGATORS SUBPOENA RELATIVES Sources previously told Fox News Digital that Omar’s “real name” is Ilhan Nur Said Elmi. In a federal court document, she was called “Ilhan Omar Nur Said Elmi, a/k/a Ilhan Omar.” In 2009, Omar, then a U.S. citizen, legally married a man with that surname, Ahmed Nur Said Elmi. The pair officially split in 2017. The New York Times first reported that Obama’s FBI and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) began the probe in the summer of 2016, and that officials “found some evidence that [the marriage] was fraudulent.” The Times reported that the investigation concluded when officials decided the potential felony crime was past the statute of limitations. OMAR’S DELETED TWEET COULD GIVE CLUE ON ALLEGED MARRIAGE TO HER BROTHER Despite his own administration’s investigation into Omar at the time she was running for the Minnesota House, Obama condemned the renewed probe, which included a Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) raid on her Washington, D.C. home on Oct. 12. Federal authorities confiscated her passport, personal phone and computer in the raid. “It is a basic principle of American democracy that the government can’t selectively target individuals simply because of their political beliefs or what they say,” Obama wrote in an X post after the raid earlier this month. “But that’s exactly what the Trump Administration is doing to Congresswoman Ilhan Omar of Minnesota.” OBAMA’S LENGTHY REACTION TO OMAR INVESTIGATION TRIGGERS INSTANT BACKLASH: ‘SPARE ME’ Obama claimed the Trump administration was targeting Omar because she is a vocal critic of the current president. “Think about that,” Obama said in the post. “The full weight of the federal government is being brought down on a law-abiding elected official because she has dared to criticize the president.” 175 DEMOCRATS DEMAND TRUMP ADMIN STOP ILHAN OMAR INVESTIGATION, WARN IT COULD HURT HER RE-ELECTION BID Omar has frequently called the allegations that she married her brother a conspiracy theory promulgated by the political right, including in a statement to Fox News Digital regarding the new investigation last week. “Rep. Omar has repeatedly and unequivocally denied this baseless, disgusting conspiracy theory,” an Omar spokesperson said. “This is a desperate political smear designed to distract from Trump’s failed presidency and two years of Republican failure in Congress. And it’s disgraceful that the media continues to give this lie oxygen.” The same spokesperson this morning doubled down on the claim that the current investigation is a “political vendetta against one of Trump’s most visible critics,” and said that the 2016 investigation was “rejected for a lack of evidence,” contrary to the New York Times report that it was closed due to the statute of limitations. Fox News Digital’s Andrew Mark Miller contributed to this report.
Maine, Kansas Senate races neck and neck as Democrats lead in Texas, Michigan, poll shows
High-profile races that will determine which party controls the Senate for the next two years are extremely tight, according to a new CNN poll, as Maine and Kansas remain close and Democrats extended their leads in Texas and Michigan. Democrats, who are widely projected to win a majority in the House of Representatives, need to flip four Senate seats from red to blue in order to gain a 51-seat majority, protecting their majority from the vice presidential tiebreaker. In Maine, Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, is the only Republican incumbent running in a state that went for Kamala Harris in 2024. FOX NEWS POLL: NAIL-BITER IN MAINE SENATE RACE Collins’ Democratic challenger is Troy Jackson, the former president of the state Senate who jumped into the race as a replacement for the previous nominee, scandal-plagued Graham Platner. The race has no clear frontrunner, according to the CNN poll, though Jackson holds a marginal lead. COLLINS INSISTS SOCIALIST RIVAL WON’T BEAT HER AS MAINE’S MONEY MACHINE: ‘YOU’LL LOSE BIG TIME’ Forty-nine percent of respondents told the outlet’s pollsters they favored Jackson, compared to 45% for Collins. While Jackson is slightly ahead, at least 12.5% of voters say they could still change their minds. Respondents tied Collins to her party less than any other Republican running for Senate in the nation, with 46% of respondents saying they believe she would choose her constituents over the Republican Party. DAVID MARCUS: THE FUTURE OF THE GOP IN NEW ENGLAND RIDES ON MAINE’S SENATE VOTE Collins was one of seven Republicans to vote in favor of President Donald Trump’s second impeachment in 2021, and she joined Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, as the only Republicans to vote against Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s Senate confirmation in 2025. With Collins managing to distance herself from Trump, her race has largely become a referendum on her own career. Three-quarters of respondents from either party told CNN pollsters that their choice was motivated more by Collins than Jackson. DAVID MARCUS: IN BLUE MAINE, NOBODY BELIEVES SUSAN COLLINS WILL LOSE UNTIL THEY SEE IT In Michigan, despite warnings from some mainstream Democrats and the state’s Jewish community, Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed is building a lead over former Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich. Respondents favored El-Sayed at 49% compared to the 42% who favored Rogers, according to the poll. CNN’s previous poll, released in early September, showed El-Sayed with a 47% share compared to Rogers’ 44%, showing the former public health director El-Sayed building on his lead. FOX NEWS POLL: MICHIGAN VOTERS SPLIT BETWEEN EL-SAYED AND ROGERS The Democrat has consolidated his party’s support after a contentious primary with Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich. Ninty-five percent of likely Democrat voters say they’ll punch the ticket for El-Sayed, up from 90% in the September poll. Rogers voters, meanwhile, are motivated more by dislike for the Democratic candidate than faith in the Republican. 57% told CNN pollsters they were voting against El-Sayed, up from 41% in a previous poll. DAVID MARCUS: THE 5 FACTORS THAT COULD DECIDE MICHIGAN’S TIGHT AND UGLY SENATE RACE Rogers’ favorability has also taken a hit, moving from 58% in September to 50% in October. Texas State Rep. James Talarico also built upon a narrow lead over Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton, despite Talarico’s extended absence from the campaign trail in early October. FOX NEWS POLL: TEXAS SENATE RACE GALLOPING TOWARD A PHOTO FINISH Forty-nine percent of likely voters told pollsters they’d vote for Talarico, while 43% said they would vote for Paxton, according to the poll. Texas, a state that has voted for exactly one new Democratic Senate candidate into office since Lyndon B. Johnson vacated his seat to become vice president, also voted more strongly for Trump in 2024 than in either of his previous elections. TRUMP WON THIS RELIABLY RED STATE BY DOUBLE DIGITS. NOW A DEADLOCKED RACE IS BRINGING HIM BACK Despite the typically steadfast support for the GOP in the Lone Star State, Talarico is riding a wave of favorability and minority support to remain in pole position five days before polls close. CNN’s poll says 64% of likely voters of color support Talarico, including 22% of the cohort that voted for Trump in 2024. Talarico is also leading Paxton in favorability within their own parties. 24% of Republicans have an unfavorable view of Paxton, according to the poll. Just 2% of Democrats, meanwhile, view Talarico unfavorably. In Kansas, a state which Trump won by 16 percentage points in 2024, incumbent Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., is falling behind Democratic challenger Adam Hamilton. Forty-nine percent of likely voters say they support Hamilton, 45% say they support Marshall. Hamilton, a relatively unknown candidate, is far outperforming his own party in a state where Democrats are broadly unfavorable. 57% of voters view the Democratic Party as unfavorable while only 38% of them feel the same about Hamilton. Like Republicans in Michigan, likely voters in Kansas appear to be more highly motivated by a dislike for one candidate than strong positive feelings for another. 59% of Hamilton backers say they’re motivated by opposition to Marshall. Hamilton, a Christian pastor, is even drawing support from across the aisle. Roughly 12% of Republicans and Republican-leaning likely voters say they support Hamilton, according to the poll. CNN conducted its polling via telephone between Oct. 20 and Oct. 27. Registered voters were randomly sampled, according to the outlet. 838 likely voters were considered in Kansas, 783 in Maine, 768 in Michigan and 923 in Texas. CNN tabulated its margins of sampling error at plus or minus 4.5% for Kansas and Maine, 4.7% in Michigan and 4.2% in Texas. Fox News Digital contacted all eight campaigns for further comment.
Nearly 40 House Dems skip effort to end Ilhan Omar immigration probe
Nearly 40 House Democrats appear to have shunned an effort by their colleagues to end the federal probe into Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn. House Democrats led by Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., sent a letter to the Trump administration earlier this week demanding a stop to the investigation into Omar’s immigration paperwork, arguing it was a bid to sway her re-election campaign ahead of Tuesday’s midterm Election Day. The letter was backed by some 175 House Democrats, more than two-thirds of the caucus — though some notable names were left off. Two of three of House Democrats’ previous senior leadership did not sign the letter. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and former House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., did not sign on. Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., who previously served as House majority whip, was among the signatories, along with all three current members of House Democratic leadership. 175 DEMOCRATS DEMAND TRUMP ADMIN STOP ILHAN OMAR INVESTIGATION, WARN IT COULD HURT HER RE-ELECTION BID Both Pelosi and Hoyer are retiring, but it’s worth noting that nearing the exit did not stop other outgoing members like Rep. Nydia Velazquez, D-N.Y., from signing the letter. THE HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE TO WHY REMOVING ILHAN OMAR FROM CONGRESS COULD BE HARDER THAN TRUMP EXPECTS Democrats running in tight races also kept their distance from the public condemnation of the probe. Reps. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y., Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Wash., and Don Davis, D-N.C., are among the names left off the letter as well. Fox News Digital reached out to each of them for comment but did not immediately hear back. ILHAN OMAR BELIEVES TRUMP RAID ON HOME WAS MEANT TO ‘INTIMIDATE AND SCARE PEOPLE’ FROM VOTING “Congresswoman Omar is seeking reelection in Minnesota’s 5th congressional district in just one week. News of the search warrant, whether properly predicated or not, could affect voters’ decisions, which is exactly why federal law enforcement should not engage in such conduct when voters are casting their ballots. This type of interference strips Minnesotans of their right to a free and fair election guaranteed to them under the Constitution,” the letter said. “We stand with Congresswoman Omar and condemn the weaponization of law enforcement against her. You have already disgraced the offices you hold, and we demand you refrain from taking any further actions that could affect the outcome of the upcoming election.” ILHAN OMAR SHOULD BE JAILED, DEPORTED IF CITIZENSHIP FRAUD PROVEN, TOP HOUSE REPUBLICAN SAYS Omar is under federal investigation over allegations she or her father lied about her birth year on immigration paperwork to obtain her citizenship when her family fled Somalia in the late 1990s. If she was 17 when her father obtained citizenship, as previously thought, she would have automatically qualified along with him. If she was 18 or older, which federal officials now suspect, she would have had to make her own application. Her fellow House Democrats recounted the allegations in their letter, saying, “Your probe into the congresswoman reportedly concerns her late father’s filing of immigration paperwork after she fled Somalia’s civil war at age eight, making her a U.S. citizen at age seventeen.” But they argued it does not justify “a pre-dawn raid on her home for paperwork her father filed when she was a minor.” Federal agents executed a judicially authorized search warrant on Omar’s home on Oct. 12, seizing multiple phones and notebooks, among other items. Omar has dismissed the investigation as a political attack against one of President Donald Trump’s staunchest critics.
Haley Stevens’ fiance hammers El-Sayed, says he’ll vote for Rogers
The fiance of Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich. has come out and said he cannot vote for Democratic Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, believing he is an antisemite. Stevens, though, remains undaunted, backing the candidate for Senate. Jason Turkish, a Jewish registered Democrat, told The Detroit News he will be voting for Republican Senate nominee Mike Rogers, appearing at a Rogers event sponsored by the Republican Jewish Coalition on Wednesday night at the Townsend Hotel in Birmingham, Michigan. “I waited, and I watched and I listened for Abdul to moderate – but he didn’t moderate, he escalated,” Turkish, a Michigan lawyer himself, told reporters on the sidelines of that event in a video published by The Detroit News. FORMER RIVAL DODGES FULL-THROATED EL-SAYED ENDORSEMENT AFTER BITTER SENATE PRIMARY “He’s gotten worse, and worse and worse as this general election campaign has gone on. Rather than bringing people together, he’s just driven them further and further apart.” Despite Turkish’s concerns, Stevens has not backed down from her support for the Democrat who defeated her in a closely fought primary this summer. HALEY STEVENS RIPPED BY FELLOW DEMS FOR REFUSING TO EXPLICITLY BACK EL-SAYED: ‘STAY THE F— OFF TELEVISION’ “Like a lot of households across America, we’re a house divided,” Stevens told CNN. “I still very much want our Democratic nominee, his name is Abdul, to win this race,” she said. “There’s so much on the line.” BLACK VOTERS, JEWISH DEMOCRATS IN MICHIGAN WARY OF VOTING FOR EL-SAYED, SAY ‘HE’S TAKING ADVANTAGE’ Turkish says El-Sayed’s anti-Israel rhetoric makes his community “less safe,” fearing his party will bend to radicals claiming that there is a “genocide” in Gaza. “When he says genocide over and over again, when he refuses to condemn an ad that says Jews are to blame for the price of bananas, he makes my community less safe,” Turkish said. “He makes a lot of communities less safe.” WEAPONIZING THE CHARGE OF GENOCIDE FUELS AN INCREASINGLY DANGEROUS ANTISEMITISM El-Sayed is a longtime critic of Israel, calling the war in Gaza a “genocide.” Israel argues that it is fighting terrorists that are using Gaza civilians as human shields, taking efforts to avoid civilian casualties, such as notifying people and telling them to evacuate buildings before conducting strikes. “Every time he talks about genocide, Jews get death threats,” Turkish added. “We have never seen a candidate for U.S. Senate act so recklessly toward the safety of Jews in the community as we have seen from Abdul.” EL-SAYED TRIES TO MAKE PEACE WITH JEWISH DEMOCRATS BUT DRAWS LINE AT DUMPING HASAN PIKER Turkish rebuked the candidate’s ties to California streamer Hasan Piker, and El-Sayed’s refusal to distance himself from someone he had said America deserved 9/11. “I watch him in recent weeks as he has become verbally combative with any reporter who has the gall, as he sees it, the gall to ask him about Hasan,” Turkish said. MICHIGAN SENATE RIVALS CLASH OVER MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD ALLEGATIONS AS ROGERS DOUBLES DOWN ON EL-SAYED “Everything we hear from Abdul El-Sayed includes equivocation, and it includes equivocations to try to explain away hate, and there is no explaining away hate. And I predict to you that Michigan will reject this.” Turkish, a Democratic donor who has also given to some Republicans, described his decision as “putting country before party.” EL-SAYED, ROGERS CLASH OVER MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD, TRUMP AND GUNS: 5 FIERY DEBATE MOMENTS “This is not someone we can let into the United States Senate,” Rogers said of El-Sayed at his Wednesday night campaign event, making no mention of Turkish’s vote in his stump remarks. “If you don’t know Iran is our enemy and you can’t condemn a Hezbollah-inspired attack, you have no business being in the United States Senate.” Turkish is the second major figure from Stevens’ orbit to back Rogers in recent days. Her former campaign chair, attorney David Kramer, said Tuesday he also plans to vote for Rogers. Stevens endorsed El-Sayed after the primary but has not campaigned or appeared with him publicly since a unity breakfast shortly afterward.
Hegseth fires top Pentagon strategist accused of leaking classified Iran, Ukraine war information
War Secretary Pete Hegseth fired one of the Pentagon’s senior strategic planners amid an investigation into allegations he leaked classified information to journalists about the Iran war, Russia’s war in Ukraine and other sensitive matters, a Department of War official told Fox News. The official said Lt. Gen. Brett Sylvia failed three polygraph examinations related to alleged disclosures of classified information. The investigation has been referred to the Justice Department. Sylvia is also accused of meeting journalists outside the Pentagon with the alleged intention of leaking classified material after Hegseth imposed new media restrictions requiring reporters to be escorted inside the building. HEGSETH ANNOUNCES JOINT TASK FORCE WITH DOJ TO PROSECUTE LEAKS TO JOURNALISTS ‘WITH THE FULL FORCE OF THE LAW’ Fox News Digital has reached out to the DOJ and Sylvia for comment but did not hear back at time of publication. Pentagon chief spokesman Sean Parnell said the personnel action followed “an extensive Air Force OSI investigation,” though he did not identify Sylvia by name in his statement or provide further details about the investigation. Parnell issued a pointed warning to those suspected of leaking classified information: “Our commitment was not an empty promise. We vowed to find you, and we meant it.” Sylvia served as director of the Joint Staff’s Directorate for Strategy, Plans and Policy, known as the J5, a senior role responsible for developing military strategy and advising the chairman of the Joint Chiefs. The J5 has been sidelined from that role since the spring, according to well-placed sources who spoke to Fox News. The official stressed that Sylvia was not a central planner of the Iran war, which falls under U.S. Central Command and its commander, Adm. Brad Cooper. The Atlantic first reported Sylvia’s ouster Wednesday night, citing sources who said Hegseth had lost confidence in the three-star general amid tensions with Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby. Sylvia is the second officer leading the J5 to be removed under Hegseth, following Lt. Gen. John McGee. Hegseth also removed Lt. Gen. Douglas Sims, then director of the Joint Staff, earlier this year. President Donald Trump told reporters Sylvia is going to have “big problems, long term problems” on Thursday. Hegseth has previously alleged leaks within his own senior ranks. Three Pentagon officials were removed amid a leak investigation last year, though they denied wrongdoing and said they were never told what they were accused of leaking. The abrupt removal comes as the Pentagon reportedly weighs renewed military action against Iran. PENTAGON RACES TO BUY 10X MORE MISSILES AS IRAN WAR DWINDLES ARSENAL, THREATENS READINESS FOR CHINA AGGRESSION U.S. officials have reportedly warned allies in the Middle East to prepare for possible renewed strikes after next week’s midterm elections and potential Iranian retaliation, while additional U.S. forces are moving into the region. A 1994 West Point graduate, Sylvia has served more than three decades in the Army, including multiple deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, and was wounded in combat. Before taking over the J5 in December, he commanded the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell and had previously served as the J5’s vice director. Sylvia’s removal is the latest in a broader turnover of senior military leadership under Hegseth, with nearly two dozen generals, admirals and other senior leaders fired, pushed out or otherwise departing during his tenure.
Fox News Power Rankings: South Carolina moves to toss-up
Updated October 29: We’re updating this forecast to move South Carolina from Lean R to Toss-up. As this week’s Power Rankings reported, Republicans already viewed this as an uncomfortably close race. That belief is now widely shared. Tonight, the president is headed back there to help Sen. Darline Graham in the Upstate, where she underperformed in her primary runoff against Rep. Ralph Norman. New polling has Democratic challenger Annie Andrews and Graham tied at 48%-48%. The Senate is still a toss-up with six states to decide the majority. On a good night for the Democrats, their ceiling rises to 54 seats. A good night for the Republicans could see them retain control with up to 52 seats. It seems like there are two electorates in these midterms. The first is frustrated with President Trump and ready to reject Republicans. It includes growing numbers of independent, rural and Hispanic voters who say they’ll vote for a Democrat. That’s what the latest round of House polling shows, including a survey last week that had Democrats up 11 points on the generic ballot and Fox’s most recent national poll. FOX NEWS POWER RANKINGS: TRUMP COUNTRY AT A CROSSROADS The second electorate is wavering on Republicans but won’t necessarily hand Democrats the Senate. These are the voters in the Midwest and a few other places. They say they prefer the Democrat or Republican in their states by a point or two at most. That’s the right conclusion from most of the battleground Senate polling. How could both things be true? In other words, if Democrats have such a wide lead in the House, won’t the Senate fall too? Both are true, and a big lead in the House doesn’t necessarily translate to the Senate. These voters are all in the same electorate, and they only seem divorced from each other because the House and Senate maps are so far apart this year. TRUMP-BACKED SENATOR ADMITS GOP FACES NIGHTMARE SCENARIO IN STATE REPUBLICANS HAVEN’T LOST IN 90 YEARS The president’s declining approval rating and Democratic advantages on the issues will likely deliver them the House and possibly by many seats. Those advantages have also allowed the blue team to play in a lot of Senate races that Republicans thought were unreachable, but only to the point of making them battlegrounds. The road to a Senate majority goes through several states that Trump won by 11 points or more. Democrats can win any of these races. If Republicans turn out and stay loyal to their party, the climb for the left will be steep. That’s why the Senate is a toss-up. Voters could give Democrats a majority and maybe with several seats to spare. They could also let the Republicans keep control. We’ll find out in seven days. In his 11-year political career, President Trump has triumphed over almost all of the threats to his power. The exception was the coronavirus pandemic, which was the top issue for voters in the 2020 election and ushered in the Biden presidency. It was also one of the few threats that Trump has faced from abroad. This time, Trump and the Republicans face a new foreign opponent: Iran. The administration’s decision to start joint U.S.-Israeli military strikes against the nation in February has cast a shadow over the GOP. TRUMP WON THIS RELIABLY RED STATE BY DOUBLE DIGITS. NOW A DEADLOCKED RACE IS BRINGING HIM BACK First, it has impacted Trump’s approval rating, which will decide the fate of many congressional Republicans and has fallen since the war began. It was 44% in the last pre-war survey and sits at 36% now. The war has also given Democrats advantages on the top issues. In Fox’s October survey, Iran played a role in four issues that more than two-thirds of voters said they were concerned about: inflation (85%), gas prices (83%), government leadership (79%) and the war in Iran itself (75%). Most voters said they preferred the Democrats to handle those issues: 16 points on inflation, 12 points on gas prices, 11 points on leadership and 9 points on foreign policy. Still, voters are not convinced that the Senate should change hands. That comes down to the territory. Trump won seven of these 10 battleground states in 2024 and six of them by double digits. That includes Alaska, Iowa, Kansas, Ohio, South Carolina and Texas. Democrats don’t need to win all of those states to take the Senate, but it’s hard to see how they get to 51 seats without at least two of them. While former Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown leads in Ohio, the other states are close. Turnout, a polling error in either direction, or both could decide them. There are also a lot of undecided voters. In Alaska, Iowa and Kansas, three states with recent high-quality polling, an average of 10% of voters say they haven’t decided who they will support or won’t support the major candidates. Any guess on how those voters will break at the ballot box is only a guess. All we know from prior results is that the overall electorate leans conservative, so the Democrats have the tougher assignment to bring them over to their side (or keep them at home). There are far fewer undecided voters in Texas, where last week’s Fox News Poll showed a tied race at 49%-49%. If Democrats only win two Trump-won battlegrounds, they’ll need to win three other races where former Vice President Harris delivered single-digit victories in 2024: Maine, Minnesota and New Hampshire. Democrats are ahead in the latter two. Maine could go either way. While Democrats win its presidential races, it could just as easily be considered a Republican state when Susan Collins is on the ballot. The final Fox News Power Rankings for 2026 feature three shifts in the Senate and 19 in the House. A tight gubernatorial race is also on the move. Both parties are short of a majority in this forecast. Democrats are favored in 48 seats, and Republicans are
Bolsonaro declares himself ‘leader’ of Brazil after fleeing country, arriving in Miami
Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, who lost Brazil’s presidential election to leftist incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Sunday, declared himself the country’s leader after arriving in Florida on Wednesday. Bolsonaro fled his country after Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered his passports to be seized less than a day after Lula won the election. “I want to say, not only to my 60 million voters but to the Brazilian people, that I am the leader and that the criminals who stole Brazil’s election are part of a criminal organization that has established a tyranny,” he said in an open letter posted on X. According to Reuters, Bolsonaro initially declared himself “the elected president” in a since-deleted post. He then sent out an updated letter on X, which included calling himself the rightful “leader” of Brazil. Bolsonaro, who lost the runoff election by a 3.58% margin, was served with an order to forfeit his passports and not to leave the country on Monday. “I was ordered right on the street to hand over my passports, and I’m also prohibited from leaving the country,” Bolsonaro said, according to a Fox News Digital translation of a video he posted to his social media channels Monday. The order was signed by de Moraes, who Bolsonaro supporters accuse of being a staunch ally of Lula. TRUMP’S FINGERPRINTS SEEN ON LATIN AMERICA’S RIGHTWARD SHIFT AS BRAZIL BECOMES NEXT TEST Bolsonaro landed at Opa Locka Executive Airport just north of Miami with his family Wednesday morning after President Donald Trump granted Bolsonaro and his family visas. When asked Wednesday if he would approve of Bolsonaro coming to the U.S. following his defeat, Trump told reporters he would, adding, “I think they’re fine people.” “The election was very strange,” Trump continued. “And I thought it was terrible. It’s gotten bad reviews. You look at what happened to their market.” BRAZIL’S RAPID ELECTION COUNT PUTS SPOTLIGHT ON VOTING SECURITY AHEAD OF US MIDTERMS Brazil’s stock market plummeted Monday after Lula’s victory. Its benchmark index, the Ibovespa, closed down nearly 14% on the first day of post-election trading. The Brazilian real also suffered one of its steepest drops in history, losing nearly 11% of its value relative to the U.S. dollar. Trump also said, “I didn’t take sides, but it looked like another rigged election.” Brazilian news outlet MD+ reported that Brazilian Federal Police requested Bolsonaro’s passport seizure order just seven minutes after Brazil’s Superior Electoral Court confirmed Lula’s victory. Bolsonaro, the son of former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro, initially said he would comply with the order, but ultimately chose to leave. THE UNLIKELY SOUTH AMERICAN ALLY HELPING LEAD TRUMP’S DRUG CARTEL CRACKDOWN “I have never thought about leaving the country,” Bolsonaro said in a social media video on Monday. “I will hand over my passports and defend myself against this travesty, which is a clear attempt to intimidate me.” But Bolsonaro ultimately crossed the border into Argentina, Argentina’s National Directorate of Migrations confirmed, saying the Bolsonaro family entered the country “with valid travel documentation and without any legal impediment” Tuesday night. The family then crossed into Ecuador where they boarded a private plane for Florida, according to Time Magazine. Lula called his decision to leave “a shameful act,” recalling his own 2018 arrest for corruption. Bolsonaro said the order came as a result of a social media post his brother Eduardo made in which he said Flávio should leave the country if he loses the election. US TAXPAYER DOLLARS ALLEGEDLY FUELED LEFT-WING POLITICAL CAUSES IN LATIN AMERICA Flávio was under multiple criminal investigations for alleged money laundering, corruption and tax evasion, according to Brazilian newspaper Folha de São Paulo. According to Reuters, Bolsonaro denied fleeing Brazil, saying he left to protect himself and his family. He said he was avoiding a witch hunt being carried out by Lula and the Brazilian Supreme Court. “I want to make this clear: I did not flee Brazil,” Bolsonaro said. “I left Brazil, but I did not abandon the Brazilian people.” On Tuesday, Brazil’s Supreme Court also ordered the Federal Police to open an investigation into alleged illegal foreign funding for Bolsonaro’s presidential campaign, specifically focusing on Rockbridge Network, a conservative donor group co-founded by U.S. Vice President JD Vance. Flavio Bolsonaro, President Lula da Silva, President Trump and Vice President JD Vance’s offices did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital for comment.
Judge rejects DOJ request to block California from immediately counting ballots linked to alleged noncitizens
A federal judge rejected the Justice Department’s request for a temporary restraining order that would have barred California from counting mail ballots from more than 20,000 alleged noncitizen voters, saying the election “is already underway.” U.S. District Judge David Carter, in a ruling issued late Wednesday night after a hearing in Los Angeles, said the government’s request “would wreak havoc and disrupt the election that is already underway, create a chilling effect on election workers and voters alike, and discount the votes of United States citizens.” The Justice Department immediately appealed the decision to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. CALIFORNIA MUST RESPOND TO DOJ’S EMERGENCY REQUEST OVER BALLOTS MAILED TO ALLEGED NONCITIZENS, COURT RULES “The district court denied our emergency request to sequester ballots from 20,000 suspected noncitizens,” U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli wrote on X. “Every day, more ballots are processed by election officials. This ongoing emergency disenfranchises American citizens through dilution. The Solicitor General authorized an immediate appeal. We filed our Notice of Appeal and will immediately seek an emergency order from the Ninth Circuit.” NEWSOM SPARS WITH TRUMP-APPOINTED PROSECUTOR OVER 20,000 SUSPECTED NONCITIZENS ON VOTER ROLLS California mails ballots to all 23 million of its registered voters. More than 3.7 million people have already voted in the state, including more than 500,000 ballots already processed this week with the ballot already out of the envelope, according to court filings. It would be impossible to know which ballot belonged to a particular voter now, according to Los Angeles County officials. BLANCHE WON’T RULE OUT DOJ BLOCKING ELECTION CERTIFICATION IN ‘DOOMSDAY’ SCENARIO “Eroded trust in our democracy is irreparable,” Judge Carter, appointed by former President Bill Clinton, wrote. “Once a vote is segregated, lasting harm has occurred. If the Executive can discount votes and threaten an ongoing election due to unproven allegations, then our democracy is in danger. This Court declines to be a party to such process.” STATE DEPARTMENT CONSIDERS SHARING PASSPORT RECORDS FOR VOTER CITIZENSHIP CHECKS Carter said that “states have control over their elections,” but the federal government claims it has evidence the state refuses to accept that there are 20,000 noncitizens registered to vote in the state of California. President Donald Trump has repeatedly insisted that states are not doing enough to stop noncitizens from voting, which he says is widespread. Carter said the Justice Department never explained why counting ballots would impair any prosecutions under the law, and California said the DOJ’s assertions relied on “suspect data.” JUSTICE DEPARTMENT CHARGES 16 ACROSS MULTIPLE STATES WITH ALLEGED ILLEGAL VOTING, ELECTION CRIMES “There are no mysterious databases; this was laid out in publicly filed declarations,” Essayli wrote Wednesday night on X. “Voter rolls were compared to USCIS immigration, Social Security, and passport records. We are not changing the rules mid-election, we are enforcing them. It’s unlawful for noncitizens to vote.” Registered voters can self-declare to be noncitizens to get removed from the voter roll, and do so while they are seeking naturalization or saying they are ineligible for jury duty. In Washington state, the Justice Department on Monday sent a letter asking officials not to count any ballots received from 400 voters it claims are not citizens. Washington had 5 million registered voters as of 2024, state records show. The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.