The 2025 election that may determine if Republicans hold House in 2026 midterms
It’s Election Day in California, where a ballot initiative will make a huge impact on next year’s battle for the U.S. House majority whether it passes or fails. California voters are deciding whether to pass a ballot proposition which would dramatically alter the state’s congressional districts, putting the left-leaning state front-and-center in the high-stakes political fight over redistricting that pits President Donald Trump and the GOP against the Democrats. California state lawmakers this summer approved a special proposition on the November ballot to obtain voter approval to temporarily sidetrack the state’s nonpartisan redistricting commission and return the power to draw the congressional maps to the Democrat-dominated legislature. Early voting by mail in the contest has been underway for a month. The effort in California, which could create five more Democratic-leaning congressional districts, aims to counter the passage in the reliable red state of Texas of a new map that aims to create up to five right-leaning House seats. Failure to approve what’s known as Proposition 50 would be a stinging setback for Democrats. OBAMA ENDORSES NEWSOM CALIFORNIA REDISTRICTING PROP 50 Two-term Gov. Gavin Newsom, who is seen as a likely 2028 Democratic presidential contender, is spearheading the push to pass the proposition. “If we lose here, we are going to have total Republican control in the House, the Senate and the White House for at least two more years,” Newsom emphasized in a recent fundraising appeal to supporters. “If we win here, we can put a check on Trump for his final two years.” HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS REPORTING, ANALYSIS, ON 2025 ELECTIONS The push by Trump and Republicans for a rare mid-decade redistricting is part of a broad effort by the GOP to pad its razor-thin House majority to keep control of the chamber in the 2026 midterms, when the party in power traditionally faces political headwinds and loses seats. Trump and his political team are aiming to prevent what happened during his first term in the White House, when Democrats reclaimed the House majority in the 2018 midterm elections. Missouri last month joined Texas as the second GOP-controlled state to pass congressional redistricting ahead of next year’s elections. The new map in Missouri is likely to give the GOP another right-leaning seat. And North Carolina’s Republican-controlled legislature also passed a new map, which is likely to score another congressional seat for the GOP. Republican-controlled Indiana is on deck, with a special legislative session getting underway this week. But unlike those states, California voters need to weigh in before giving redistricting power back to the legislature in Sacramento. “Heaven help us if we lose,” Newsom said in a fundraising pitch. “This is an all-hands-on-deck moment for Democrats.” FIVE KEY 2025 RACES TO WATCH Proponents and opponents of Proposition 50 raised hundreds of millions of dollars in fundraising, with much of the money being dished out to pay for a deluge of ads on both sides. One of the two main groups countering Newsom and the Democrats labeled their effort “Stop Sacramento’s Power Grab.” Getting into the fight was former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who was the last Republican governor of California. During his tenure as governor, Schwarzenegger had a starring role in the passage of constitutional amendments in California in 2008 and 2010 that took the power to draw state legislative and congressional districts away from politicians and placed it in the hands of an independent commission. NORTHERN CALIFORNIA VOTERS WEIGH IN ON PROP 50 REDISTRICTING FIGHT “That’s what they want to do is take us backwards — this is why it is important for you to vote no on Prop 50,” Schwarzenegger said in an ad against Proposition 50. “Democracy — we’ve got to protect it, and we’ve got to go and fight for it.” But as Election Day neared in California, the Yes forces had dramatically outraised the No forces, and public opinion polling indicated majority support for the proposition. Even before Trump initiated his redistricting push, Ohio was under court order to redraw its maps. That could boost Republicans in a one-time battleground state that now leans right. Republicans in GOP-dominated Florida are also mulling congressional redistricting. And Democrats in heavily blue Maryland are weighing a redistricting push, while the Democrat-controlled legislature in Virginia is already pushing redistricting. Other states considering altering their maps are Democrat-dominated Illinois and red states Kansas and Nebraska. Meanwhile, Democrats could possibly pick up a seat in Republican-dominated Utah, due to a new, more competitive map, mandated by a judge.
Kennedy pushes plan to halt Congress pay during government shutdown
FIRST ON FOX: A Republican senator wants to stop members of Congress from receiving paychecks as federal workers go without pay during the ongoing government shutdown. As the shutdown enters its 35th day, federal employees, air traffic controllers and other employees have either missed paychecks or received only partial pay. Members of Congress, however, are constitutionally required to get a paycheck, even if the government is closed. Some lawmakers have said that they would forego a paycheck, while others have introduced legislation to prevent their colleagues from getting paid. SENATE REPUBLICANS PLOT LONGER-TERM FUNDING BILL AS GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN CONTINUES Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., jumped into that arena and has two bills that would both halt lawmakers from getting paid as the shutdown continues and deal with the constitutional issue. “I don’t see missing paychecks or empty dinner plates as leverage or bargaining chips,” Kennedy said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “My bills ensure Congress feels the same pain as the folks we’re failing to pay — our troops, air traffic controllers, and federal workers. If we can’t do our jobs and fund the government, we don’t deserve a paycheck — plain and simple.” One of the bills, the “No Shutdown Paychecks to Politicians Act,” would see lawmakers go without pay for every day that a shutdown is underway. Members of Congress on average make $174,000 a year. That number can fluctuate depending on whether a lawmaker is in a leadership position. GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN SPARKS GOP PLAN TO PENALIZE LAWMAKERS WITH NEW SALARY TAX Kennedy’s desire to see that lawmakers don’t get paid runs into the Constitution, however. Article I, Section 6 of the Constitution requires that “Senators and Representatives shall receive a Compensation for their Services, to be ascertained by Law, and paid out of the Treasury of the United States.” Then there is the 27th Amendment, ratified in 1992, which prevents Congress from passing a law affecting its pay during the current congressional term. That’s where his other bill, “Withhold Member Pay During Shutdowns Act,” comes into play. That legislation would sidestep the 27th Amendment by not cutting pay to lawmakers, but instead withholding it in escrow until after the November 2026 elections. MORE LAWMAKERS SAY THEY’RE REJECTING PAYCHECKS AS GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN DRAGS ON That bill is also being carried in the House by Rep. Bryan Steil, R-Wis., who said in a statement to Fox News Digital, “If service members, men and women of federal law enforcement, and other essential employees are working without pay during the Schumer shutdown, members of Congress should not be paid either.” Kennedy’s effort is not the only legislative attempt to stop lawmakers from getting paychecks during the shutdown. Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, introduced legislation that would impose a tax, similar to Kennedy’s bill, that would increase each day that the Senate is in session. Then there’s a constitutional amendment proposed by Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., last week that would require lawmakers forfeit their paychecks. That money would then be sent to the U.S. Treasury Department to help pay down the national debt. Passing a constitutional amendment requires that two-thirds of the House and Senate advance the proposal and then be ratified by three-fourths of the states.
The true cost of the 2025 Elections
The year after a presidential election is typically the low point when it comes to campaign trail action, but 2025 is not your typical off-year election. Between competitive races for governor in New Jersey and Virginia, a high-profile showdown for New York City mayor that’s grabbed plenty of national attention, and the Proposition 50 ballot initiative in California in the bitter battle between President Donald Trump and Republicans versus Democrats over congressional redistricting, 2025 has been a beehive of campaign activity. And that means plenty of money has been inserted into this year’s campaigns. HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS REPORTING ON THE 2025 ELECTIONS As of early October, New Jersey Democratic gubernatorial nominee Rep. Mikie Sherrill had raised roughly $17.5 million dollars, with GOP rival Jack Cittarelli at $16.5 million. Sherrill, as of a month ago, had spent around $11 million on her campaign, with Ciattarelli dishing out nearly $13 million. FIVE KEY 2025 RACES TO WATCH In Virginia, the Democratic nominee for governor, former Rep. Abigail Spanberger, hauled in nearly $12 million in fundraising in October alone, with Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears raking in $9.5 million last month. In New York City, where there are fundraising and spending caps, Democratic Party nominee Zohran Mamdani hauled in nearly $17 million in public and private contributions, with Independent candidate former Gov. Andrew Cuomo at $12.5 million and GOP nominee Curtis Sliwa raising nearly $6 million. And none of these figures include the tens of millions of dollars dished out in all three races by outside groups, such as super PACs. Meanwhile, the Prop 50 battle in California, the nation’s most populous state, saw a surge in spending. A whopping $140 million was dished out as of last month in the battle between Democrats and Republicans in left-leaning California to return control of congressional redistricting from the current non-partisan commission back to the Democrat-dominated legislature. The Yes on Prop 50 forces pulled in nearly $100 million, vastly outraising and spending the No forces.
Sexual predators, drug traffickers among ICE’s ‘worst of the worst’ roundup in Virginia
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrests in Virginia have nearly tripled under President Donald Trump’s leadership compared to the previous administration, prompting Homeland Security to call out some of the state’s “worst of the worst” dangerous and violent offenders captured just last week in the state. The undocumented immigrant offenders highlighted by DHS came from Central America and the Caribbean, including El Salvador, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Jamaica, and the Dominican Republic. Meanwhile, their crimes ranged from drug smuggling to domestic violence, rape, “carnal abuse,” making terroristic threats, extortion and more. “This past week, ICE took down sexual predators, drug traffickers, rapists, abusers and other violent thugs across the Commonwealth,” said Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. “These arrests underscore the reality of open border and sanctuary policies that allowed criminals around the world to come to America and roam free across our country. Under President Trump and Secretary Noem, the U.S. is closed to lawbreakers. We will continue to use every available tool to make America safe again.” MAJOR BLUE COUNTY IN HOT SEAT AFTER VIOLENT ILLEGAL ALIEN ARRESTED 10 TIMES FINALLY NABBED BY ICE One of the offenders from Guatemala, Westher Antonio Jacobo Morales, was previously deported in 2016, but committed a felony when he chose to come back and re-enter illegally once again, according to DHS. Arrested last week by ICE officers in Richmond, Morales has a rap sheet that includes rape, extortion and violating a court order. A second offender from Guatemala, Daniel Soc-Patzan, entered the country illegally in 2013 and was issued a final order of removal that same year. He was arrested last week by ICE officials in Richmond as well. According to DHS, Soc-Patzan has a rap sheet including multiple infractions for assault and aggravated domestic violence. Meanwhile, another illegal immigrant criminal highlighted by DHS had a criminal history involving “carnal abuse” and sexual assault. That individual, Harvin Francisco Rivera-Diaz, was arrested last week in Richmond after illegally crossing the southern border from Nicaragua in 2022 under the former Biden administration. Adolfo Flores Ramirez, an illegal immigrant from El Salvador, was arrested the same day, in Northern Virginia’s Loudoun County. His criminal history included charges of driving under the influence, domestic violence and assault. In addition to undocumented immigrants from Central America, ICE officials in Virginia picked up criminal illegal aliens from the Caribbean as well. BIDEN-ERA ‘UNVETTED’ IMMIGRANTS NABBED AFTER VIRGINIA HIGHWAY GUNFIRE AS BORDER DEBATE HITS GOVERNOR’S RACE One from Jamaica, Shannovan Emeil Facey, was issued a final order of removal in 2013 but has managed to stay in the United States until now after his arrest in Richmond. His criminal history includes drug smuggling, drug possession and weapons charges, according to DHS. A second criminal illegal alien from the Caribbean included a man from the Dominican Republic who was arrested last week by ICE agents in Norfolk. The man, Elvin Tiburcio Mirambeaux, has a criminal history including making terroristic threats and drug possession. Past “worst of the worst” roundups include arrests made in Los Angeles of illegal immigrant gang members, murderers and child predators. For example, Mexican national Juan Carlos Marin-Hipolito was convicted of murder and sentenced to 50 years to life in prison, DHS said. Diego Fernandez-Martinez, also from Mexico, had convictions for carjacking, vehicle theft, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of a controlled substance for sales, robbery and prisoner in possession of a weapon, according to DHS, which noted he was also a member of the Surenos gang. Meanwhile, a “worst of the worst” Halloween weekend roundup included arrests of criminal illegal aliens convicted of intercourse with a minor, sexual abuse, kidnapping, homicide and other serious crimes. DHS highlighted that 70% of ICE arrests are of criminal illegal aliens charged or convicted of a crime in the U.S., according to a statement to Fox News Digital. With multiple important statewide elections in Virginia looming, Fox News Digital reached out to Virginia candidates for governor and attorney general, including Democrat gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger, Republican gubernatorial candidate Winsome Earle-Sears, Democrat Attorney General candidate Jay Jones and Republican Attorney General Jason Miyares, for comment on these recent arrests. “Disobedience of the law has no place in Virginia. Attorney General Miyares has proven time and again that violent offenders, including those in our country illegally, will face swift and uncompromising justice when they harm innocent Virginians,” representatives for Miyares said. “Jay Jones, on the other hand, would take our Commonwealth in the opposite direction. He intends to turn Virginia into a sanctuary state, tying the hands of law enforcement and endangering every law-abiding Virginian.” Jones, Spanberger and Sears didn’t respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment.
Meet the candidates aiming to make history in the 2025 Elections
There’s plenty on the line on Election Day 2025, with the top ballot box contests viewed as crucial barometers ahead of the battle for Congress in next year’s midterm elections. Bragging rights and political momentum are at stake for Democrats and Republicans as two states will choose new governors, while the nation’s most populous city will vote for a new mayor in a high-profile showdown. And California, the country’s most populous state, will decide whether to jump into the bitter battle over congressional redistricting that’s pitting President Donald Trump and the GOP against the Democrats. But this year’s elections could also be one for the record books, as a handful of top candidates aim to make history. HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS REPORTING, ANALYSIS, ON THE 2025 ELECTIONS The 34-year-old democratic socialist state lawmaker from the New York City borough of Queens shocked the political world in June with his convincing win over former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and nine other candidates to capture the Democratic Party’s mayoral nomination. FIVE KEY RACES TO WATCH IN THE 2025 ELECTIONS Now Mamdani, the Ugandan-born frontrunner in the New York City mayoral race, could make history as the city’s first Muslim and first millennial mayor. Virginia’s Republican nominee for governor made history four years ago when she won election as the state’s first female lieutenant governor. Earle-Sears, who was born in the Caribbean island nation of Jamaica and immigrated to the U.S. as a 6-year-old, served in the Marines and is a former state lawmaker, would make history again if she wins Tuesday’s election. She would become the nation’s first Black woman to win election as a governor, as well as Virginia’s first female governor. The former CIA officer and former three-term member of Congress, who is the Democratic Party’s gubernatorial nominee, would also break barriers with a win. FIRST TIME VOTING? HERE IS THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO BALLOT BOXES, CRITICAL ISSUES ON ELECTION DAY If she secures victory, Spanberger would also become the first woman elected governor in Virginia. New Jersey has elected a woman as governor. Republican Christine Todd Whitman won two terms in the 1990s. But Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill, her party’s gubernatorial nominee this year in New Jersey, would become the first female Democrat to win the Garden State’s governor’s office if she comes out on top in Tuesday’s election. Both major party nominees for Virginia lieutenant governor will land in the record books if elected. Democratic nominee state Sen. Ghazala Hashmi would make history as the first Muslim and first Indian American elected as Virginia lieutenant governor. And Republican nominee John Reid would become the first openly gay man elected lieutenant governor. Omar Fateh has already landed in the record books as the first Somali American and Muslim elected to the Minnesota Senate. He would make history again if he is elected as Minneapolis’s first Muslim and Somali American mayor.
Will Election Day 2025 be remembered as the rise of the socialists?
Looking out over a sea of supporters, New York City Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani told a boisterous crowd that his campaign is a “movement of the masses.” With a week and a half until Election Day, some 10,000 supporters gathered to hear Mamdani and his two most high-profile supporters, progressive champions Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York. Mamdani, the 34-year-old democratic socialist state lawmaker from the New York City borough of Queens, shocked the political world in June with his convincing win over former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and nine other candidates to capture the Democratic Party’s mayoral nomination. HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS REPORTING ON THE 2025 ELECTIONS Fast-forward four months, and Mamdani’s on the cusp of making history as the first Muslim and first millennial mayor of the nation’s most populous city, which would give the Democratic Socialists of America their biggest electoral boost ever. A Mamdani general-election victory in New York City would also be seen as another sign of the rise of the socialist-aligned wing of the Democratic Party. HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS POLLING IN THE 2025 ELECTIONS And a Gallup poll conducted in August indicated two-thirds of Democrats viewed socialism positively, while only 42% of Democrats saw capitalism in the same favorable light. But Cuomo, fighting for a political resurrection after resigning as governor four years ago amid multiple scandals, argues that he’s the real Democrat in New York City’s mayoral race, and charges that Mamdani’s democratic socialist agenda would trigger an exodus of people and business. “The socialists want to take over the Democratic Party. That’s what Bernie Sanders is all about. That’s what AOC is all about,” Cuomo recently claimed. Some Republicans view a Mamdani victory as a political gift that will keep on giving. NEW YORK CITY VOTERS EMBRACE DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISM Since his primary victory in late June, Republicans have aimed to make Mamdani the face of the Democratic Party. And if he’s elected mayor, they’ll increasingly work to link Mamdani to vulnerable Democrats up for re-election in next year’s midterms. “We saw our clearest sign yet that this radical insurgent movement in the Democrat Party is succeeding, and they are ending what has always been known as the Democrat Party in America,” House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told reporters last week, after Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York, the top House Democrat, endorsed Mamdani. But moderate Democrats push back at the GOP’s messaging. “I love New York, but it’s a very liberal place, and I don’t know that you can necessarily apply that to the rest of the country,” Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen of Tennessee said after Mamdani’s stunning primary victory. Other Democrats point to the party’s nominees for governor in New Jersey and Virginia, moderates Rep. Mikie Sherrill and former Rep. Abigail Spanberger. Meanwhile, a new center-left group named “Welcome,” in their inaugural report, argued that left-leaning ideas and rhetoric have badly weakened the Democratic Party. And the group is urging Democrats to jettison some of the party’s progressive language about race and LGBTQ issues.
Senate majority leader indicates there’s not enough support to eliminate filibuster despite Trump push
While President Donald Trump is pressuring Senate Republicans to nix the filibuster, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said during an interview on Fox News Radio’s “Guy Benson Show” that “there just simply aren’t the votes” to eliminate the “60-vote threshold.” While Republicans hold the majority in the upper chamber, the procedural hurdle serves as a check on the majority party’s power due to the threshold required to advance matters towards a vote in the chamber. Thune suggested that there is likely no more than 10 to 12 of the 53 GOP senators who would vote to eliminate the filibuster. SENATE REPUBLICANS PLOT LONGER-TERM FUNDING BILL AS GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN CONTINUES The senator said it had been an “important tool” for Republicans when they had the minority, noting that last year they “blocked a whole host of terrible Democrat policies” due to “the 60-vote threshold.” While Thune suggested that Democrats would vote to eliminate the filibuster if they have the majority, he warned that if Republicans “do their dirty work for them,” Republicans will “own all the crap” Democrats would later do. TRUMP’S ‘NUCLEAR’ DEMAND NOT LANDING FOR SENATE REPUBLICANS AMID SHUTDOWN President Donald Trump is pushing Republicans to end the procedural hurdle. “The Democrats are far more likely to win the Midterms, and the next Presidential Election, if we don’t do the Termination of the Filibuster (The Nuclear Option!), because it will be impossible for Republicans to get Common Sense Policies done with these Crazed Democrat Lunatics being able to block everything by withholding their votes. FOR THREE YEARS, NOTHING WILL BE PASSED, AND REPUBLICANS WILL BE BLAMED. Elections, including the Midterms, will be rightfully brutal,” the president declared in a portion of a lengthy Truth Social post. SENATE RETURNS TO WORK AS GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN NEARS LONGEST IN US HISTORY OVER OBAMACARE FIGHT CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “TERMINATE THE FILIBUSTER NOW, END THE RIDICULOUS SHUTDOWN IMMEDIATELY, AND THEN, MOST IMPORTANTLY, PASS EVERY WONDERFUL REPUBLICAN POLICY THAT WE HAVE DREAMT OF, FOR YEARS, BUT NEVER GOTTEN. WE WILL BE THE PARTY THAT CANNOT BE BEATEN – THE SMART PARTY!!!” he declared.
Democratic Rep Jesús ‘Chuy’ García declines to seek re-election: reports
Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García, D-Ill., is reportedly not planning on seeking re-election. The lawmaker, who was first elected to Congress in 2018, represents parts of the southwest side of Chicago. García, a longtime progressive, will not seek re-election as of Tuesday, FOX 32 Chicago reported, citing a source familiar with the matter. Monday was the last day for candidates to file paperwork in Illinois to run in the 2026 midterm elections. The Chicago Sun Times also reported that García plans to withdraw from the race. García filed petitions with the Illinois State Board of Elections for his re-election on Oct. 27, but in a last-minute maneuver, García’s chief of staff, Patty Garcia, filed petitions to replace him just ahead of the 5 p.m. deadline on Monday, according to the newspaper. HOUSE REPUBLICAN PLANS TO LEAVE CONGRESS AFTER MORE THAN 2 DECADES IN OFFICE FOX 32 noted that Patty Garcia previously served as the congressman’s district director, and prior to that, she served with the Latino Center for Leadership Development. Chicago Alderman Raymond Lopez, a former challenger to Rep. García, criticized the move, telling FOX 32 that “the machine’s gonna do what the machine’s gonna do.” “For the party of ‘No Kings,’ this is a bad look,” Lopez told FOX 32, referencing the widespread anti-President Donald Trump “No Kings” protests. The Urban Center, a centrist nonprofit organization in Chicago, also slammed the maneuver. In a statement, Juan Rangel, CEO of The Urban Center, classified the move as a “classic machine maneuver from a career politician who seeks to deny the voters a say on their representation,” according to FOX 32. Prior to his election to Congress, García served on the Cook County Board of Commissioners and even challenged then-incumbent Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel in 2015, forcing him into a runoff election. The Chicago Sun Times said that two sources confirmed the lawmaker’s plan to step down and added that he is expected to pull the petitions that were filed late last month. His decision to step down leaves the city with five open congressional seats and an open Senate race ahead of the March primary. DICK DURBIN, NO. 2 SENATE DEMOCRAT, WON’T SEEK RE-ELECTION In April, Sen. Dick Durbin, D- Ill., the Senate Democratic Whip and the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, shook up Illinois politics when he announced that he would not seek re-election in 2026 for what would have been his sixth term. When he made the announcement that he would be retiring, Durbin, 80, who was first elected to the Senate in 1996, said the decision was not an easy one. “I truly love the job of being a United States Senator. But in my heart, I know it’s time to pass the torch,” Durbin said. In addition to the candidate shakeup, Illinois Democrats are considering a redistricting plan. While last week the lawmakers refused to vote on the plan during their veto session, they maintained that “all options” remained on the table, according to FOX 32. Fox News Digital reached out to Garcia’s office for comment.
Your guide to key ballot measures being voted on in California and New York City on Tuesday
Voters in California and New York City will be voting on key ballot measures on Tuesday, with some of them drawing national attention for their significance. Both measures could have ripple effects far beyond their borders — influencing control of Congress and reshaping how America’s biggest city conducts elections. Together, the proposals offer voters in the nation’s two largest blue strongholds a chance to reshape how political power and housing policy are decided. Read on to learn more about each of the top measures. LIVE UPDATES: ELECTION DAY 2025 The most notable ballot measure being voted on is Proposition 50 in California, where residents are deciding whether to pass a ballot proposition which would dramatically alter the state’s congressional districts. The measure puts the left-leaning state front and center in the high-stakes political fight over redistricting. California state lawmakers this summer approved a special proposition on the November ballot to obtain voter approval to temporarily sidetrack the state’s nonpartisan redistricting commission and return the power to draw the congressional maps to the Democratic-dominated legislature. GOP HOPEFUL WARNS SOCIALIST MAYORAL CANDIDATE IN MINNEAPOLIS IS A ‘COPY-PASTE’ OF MAMDANI The effort, which could create five more Democratic-leaning congressional districts, aims to counter the passage in the red-state of Texas of a new map that aims to create up to five right-leaning House seats. Failure to approve the measure would be a stinging setback for Democrats. Proponents and opponents of Proposition 50 reported raising more than $215 million as of Oct. 2, with much of the money being dished out to pay for a deluge of ads on both sides. One of the two main groups countering Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Democrats is labeling its effort “Stop Sacramento’s Power Grab.” Also getting into the fight is former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, the last Republican governor of California. EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT ELECTION DAY 2025: CRITICAL ELECTIONS, BALLOT MEASURES AND MORE “That’s what they want to do is take us backwards. This is why it is important for you to vote no on Prop 50,” Schwarzenegger says in an ad against Proposition 50. “Democracy — we’ve got to protect it, and we’ve got to go and fight for it.” When voters head to the polls, a “Yes” vote will approve the Newsom-backed plan to re-draw the maps starting in 2026 and a “No” vote would keep the existing maps. In addition to deciding who will be the city’s next mayor, 5.1 million registered New York City voters will also decide on a measure, known as Question 6, that would move election dates for city offices to the same year as federal presidential elections. According to the city’s official election website, “‘Yes’ moves City elections to the same year as Federal Presidential Elections, when permitted by state law. ‘No’ leaves laws unchanged.” Advocates of moving the election to coincide with federal elections argue it will increase turnout and thus provide results more representative of the electorate as a whole. Opponents argue that key local issues will get buried in national politics if the elections are moved. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Affordable housing is perhaps the most talked about campaign issue in New York City and voters will be asked two questions related to that issue when they walk into polling places on Tuesday. Proposal 2 is framed as a way to “fast track” affordable housing in the city. “This proposal would make two new processes to fast-track certain affordable housing projects,” New York City’s election website says. “The first process is for publicly financed affordable housing projects. The second process is for affordable housing projects in the 12 community districts with the lowest rates of affordable housing development.” Proposal 4 in New York City is described by the collection committee as a vote to, “Establish an Affordable Housing Appeals Board with Council, Borough, and Citywide Representation.” “This proposal would change the current land use review process when the City Council rejects or changes an affordable housing project,” the measure is framed. “The proposal would create an Affordable Housing Appeals Board, made up of the local Borough President, Speaker of the City Council, and Mayor. The proposal would allow the Appeals Board to reverse the City Council’s decision with a two-to-one vote.” Housing is also the focus of Proposal 3, “where a Yes” vote “simplifies review for limited land-use changes, including modest housing and minor infrastructure projects” and a “no” vote is described as a vote that “leaves these changes subject to longer review, with final decision by City Council.”
Government shutdown becoming longest in US history as Democrats dig in on Obamacare
The 2025 government shutdown is hours away from breaking a record to be the longest-ever in history. The prior record was held by the 2018-2019 government shutdown during President Donald Trump’s first term. Trump signed legislation ending that shutdown in the 9 p.m. hour on the 35th day. Tuesday marks the 35th day of the current fiscal standoff. And with no deal reached yet between Democrats and Republicans in Congress, it’s all but certain that the dispute will bleed into day 36. The previous shutdown occurred over a disagreement on funding Trump’s border wall. But this time, it’s Democrats’ priorities being caught in the middle. SENATE RETURNS TO WORK AS GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN NEARS LONGEST IN US HISTORY OVER OBAMACARE FIGHT Republicans have for weeks pushed a short-term extension of fiscal year (FY) 2025 federal funding levels called a continuing resolution (CR), aimed at giving lawmakers until Nov. 21 to strike a deal on FY2026 spending. The measure is largely free of unrelated policy riders, save for an added $88 million aimed at enhanced security funding for lawmakers, the White House and the Supreme Court. But Democrats have said they will reject any federal funding bill that does not also extend enhanced Obamacare subsidies that are set to expire at the end of 2025. The enhanced subsidies were a COVID-19 pandemic-era measure that a majority of Republicans have said is no longer needed. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., have said they are open to discussing a reformed version of those subsidies, but rejected pairing the two issues together. The House passed the CR on Sept. 19. Johnson has kept his chamber out of session since then in a bid to pressure Senate Democrats to agree to the GOP bill — though they have rejected it 13 times since then. Senate Republicans have looked for different markers throughout the shutdown as possible exit points for Senate Democrats, like the nationwide “No Kings” protests, federal workers missing paychecks, the opening of open enrollment across the country on Nov. 1 and now the upcoming record-setting shutdown later Tuesday night. Sen. Mike Rounds, R- S.D., noted that both the elections on Tuesday, and the record-breaking push “as a protest against the president,” could factor into how much longer Senate Democrats continue to drag the shutdown out. TRUMP’S ‘NUCLEAR’ DEMAND NOT LANDING FOR SENATE REPUBLICANS AMID SHUTDOWN “Here’s the reality, they’re at about 25% approval rating right now, and as one of their colleagues told me, the only way they can really go up is to show their base that they’re fighting with the president, and that’s what they’re doing right now,” Rounds said. “So once they get to the point where they think they made their point, then I think there’s a possibility of actually getting something done,” he continued. There has been more optimism in the upper chamber over the last several days than the entire shutdown so far, as more and more bipartisan conversations are cropping up. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., believed that lawmakers were close to an off-ramp, but there still hasn’t been a concrete move made toward ending the shutdown yet. Senate Democrats, led by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., still want a solid deal on expiring Obamacare subsidies, and want Trump to get more involved. That desire, despite the optimism, will likely see the House-passed CR fail for a 14th time Tuesday morning. When asked if breaking the record would add more weight to lawmakers’ ending the shutdown, Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., believed it would take an outside force. “I don’t see what it is,” he said. “It’ll take some type of an outside inflection point, or the best negotiator in the world to come in.” Meanwhile, funding for critical government programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the Women, Infants, and Children program (WIC), as well as national flood insurance are running critically low on funds — potentially ensnaring millions of Americans.