‘Pissed off’: Terence Sears fumes as wife kept from campaign stops by Democratic session
Virginia second gentleman Terence Sears rallied with the GOP ticket in his wife’s stead Friday as Democrats continued to pull Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears off the campaign trail to have her preside over their last-minute redistricting amendment session. The typically soft-spoken Sears fumed at party politicking as he headlined an event at the Obenshain family farm in Montgomery County, not far from Virginia Tech. The rally was supposed to feature his wife, who was instead stuck 200 miles away at the state capitol. Sears said a similar situation occurred in Fredericksburg Thursday, when Democrats’ activities kept Earle-Sears in the Senate president’s chair. MAN WHO WENT VIRAL FOR HECKLING WINSOME SEARS WITH RACIST COMMENT DEALT ANOTHER BLOW AFTER GETTING FIRED “I was pissed off because of what the Democrats have done to my wife,” Sears, a retired Marine Corps lieutenant, said. “And let me tell you that I’m thoroughly pissed off now.” Sears said Earle-Sears was looking forward to the rally hosted by a prominent Virginia Republican family whose kin represent Blacksburg, Shawsville, Harrisonburg and Luray in the legislature. SPANBERGER DEFENDS ABORTION AD CRITICIZING SEARS AFTER BERNIE WARNS AGAINST HIGHLIGHTING ISSUE “She would’ve loved to have been here with you, but you see the games that they’re playing and the shenanigans that they’re pulling to keep her off the campaign trail. … If you do not want to become Maryland or California, then you need to get out there and vote,” he said, adding he traveled from their home in Winchester, several hours north near the Old Line State, to stump in Southside Virginia. VA DEMS REJECT RESOLUTION CONDEMNING POLITICAL VIOLENCE WHILE HOUSE SPEAKER CUTS OFF JAY JONES REFERENCES Sears said his wife and others on the ticket would help Virginia remain a safe place to live and put a focus on educational advancement. Del. Chris Obenshain, R-Blacksburg, and Rep. Morgan Griffith, R-Va., were also featured at the event. TOP GOP GROUP DROPS BIG MONEY INTO VIRGINIA SHOWDOWN AFTER DEM AG NOMINEE’S VIOLENT TEXTS GO VIRAL Griffith, who could be the only remaining Republican in Virginia’s congressional delegation if a map highlighted by Senate President pro tem L. Louise Lucas comes to pass, lambasted the current redistricting effort and special session being held as people are already actively voting. Before he introduced lieutenant governor candidate John Reid, Griffith offered an aside about Reid’s father he said rang true amid the current partisan turmoil in Richmond. Griffith said former House Minority Whip Jack Reid, R-Powhatan, found Democrats’ behavior to become such that Reid began handing out “B.S. Deflector” sunglasses during a session, suggesting they could be useful in the current controversial situation. OBAMA’S ‘WINGMAN’ DUMPS $300K INTO NEW VIRGINIA REDISTRICTING FIGHT AS DEMS CALL LAWMAKERS BACK “When the speaker does something really stupid, we’re going to put on these B.S. Deflectors,” Griffith recounted Reid telling the GOP conference when they were in the state House together. It wasn’t too long after that the shades became needed, Griffith recounted. “Jack gives us all the signal, we put on these sunglasses. The media wants to know what’s going on, and Jack goes out and says, ‘We call B.S. when we see it, and that ruling by the speaker was B.S’.” “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree,” Griffith quipped, introducing John Reid.
Fox News Politics Newsletter: Johnson warns against Trump’s ‘nuclear’ shutdown demand
Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest updates on the Trump administration, Capitol Hill and more Fox News politics content. Here’s what’s happening… -‘Scary Movie’ Jay Jones: GOP turns Democratic AG hopeful’s scandals into Halloween costumes -GOP hopeful warns socialist mayoral candidate in Minneapolis is a ‘copy-paste’ of Mamdani -As Congress grows older, debate heats up over when to step aside House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., warned against President Donald Trump’s demand for the Senate to invoke the “nuclear option” to end the government shutdown. Johnson was asked during his Friday press conference about a late-night Truth Social post in which Trump demanded the Senate get rid of the filibuster and its 60-vote threshold to ram through the GOP’s federal funding bill by a simple majority. “Look, I’ll just say this in general, as I’ve said many times about the filibuster, it’s not my call. I don’t have a say in this. It’s a Senate chamber issue,” Johnson said. “But the filibuster has traditionally been viewed as a very important safeguard. If the shoe was on the other foot, I don’t think our team would like it.”…READ MORE. SNAP SHOWDOWN: Two judges rule Trump admin must keep SNAP benefits in place as shutdown drags on TOXIC WATERS END: Trump EPA slashes 12 years off sewage cleanup crisis that has rocked California for decades LICENSE TO VOTE: Former VP Kamala Harris advocates for lowering the voting age RED WAVE RISING: Trump, Youngkin hold tele-rally for Virginia GOP ticket; presidential Sears endorsement remains withheld TABOO TOPIC: Trump and Xi skip Taiwan talk despite years of war preparations CASH PIPELINE: Bombshell report shows foreign charities dumped billions into US political advocacy groups, ‘erode’ democracy SHUTDOWN STANDOFF: Senate talks show signs of progress as government shutdown grinds into 2nd month FOLLOW THE MONEY: Unearthed records expose Swalwell campaign’s ‘bizarre inconsistency’ in payments to California man WHO BLINKS FIRST: Johnson raises shutdown stakes on Schumer as food stamp deadline, Obamacare cliff loom IN THE BALANCE: Cuomo picks up endorsements, rises in polls as comeback campaign nears finish line HIDING THE TRUTH: Alvin Bragg dodges mentioning signature Trump case as he campaigns for DA re-election ‘DISAPPOINTED’: Dem appointed supreme court justice in hot seat over politically charged Halloween display Get the latest updates on the Trump administration and Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.
Mamdani dances into final campaign stretch, pushing socialist affordability message ahead of NYC vote
Facing tightening polls and growing scrutiny of his progressive agenda, New York City Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani spent Friday courting senior voters on the Lower East Side, even joining a tai chi class as he delivered his final affordability pitch. The self-described democratic socialist heads into the final weekend before Election Day with a double-digit lead. In the latest Fox News Poll, released Thursday, Mamdani has a 16-point lead: 47% back him, while 15% favor Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa and 31% go for Independent candidate Andrew Cuomo. Mamdani, whose platform to freeze rents and expand city-run services has drawn fire from business groups and moderate Democrats, framed his campaign’s closing message around affordability. NEW POLL REVEALS MAMDANI’S LEAD IS SHRINKING AS CUOMO GAINS GROUND IN NYC SHOWDOWN “It’s the same message that we opened with, which is that this is the most expensive city in the United States of America, and it’s time to make it affordable,” Mamdani told Fox News Digital on Friday. CUOMO NARROWS MAMDANI’S ADVANTAGE IN LATEST POLL AHEAD OF NYC MAYORAL ELECTION Mamdani’s campaign agenda includes city-run grocery stores, rent freezes and free childcare, all of which he plans to pay for by raising taxes on corporations and the top 1% of New Yorkers. “When I stood there alongside hundreds of supporters in Long Island City on Oct. 23, last year, we said then what we say now: We’re going to freeze the rent for rent-stabilized tenants. We’re going to make the slowest buses in America fast and free. We’re going to deliver universal childcare, and we’re going to do it because, at the heart of our struggle, is for the working New Yorker who’s been pushed out of the city,” Mamdani told Fox News Digital. Less than 12 hours earlier, Mamdani greeted hospital workers at Elmhurst Hospital, canvassed taxi drivers at LaGuardia Airport and met those working night shifts in Jackson Heights. It’s a style of retail politics that Mamdani has employed throughout his campaign, particularly in this final week, as he attempts to shake any and every hand — even in the sea of local, national and international reporters following his every move. “Last night, after I spoke to taxi drivers, before I went to Elmhurst Hospital and outside of Elmhurst Hospital, I spoke to an 1199 organizer. He told me that he commutes two hours each way from Pennsylvania because he cannot afford a place to live in the city,” Mamdani said. To Mamdani, the campaign ends where it began, with a pitch to working-class New Yorkers. “We have people that we look at and understand, as New Yorkers, they can’t even live here anymore, and that is a shame,” Mamdani said. “That is unacceptable, and it doesn’t actually have to be that way. I’m looking forward to proving that starting Jan. 1.” And while Mamdani already has his eyes set on next year, affirming his commitment to keeping New York City Police Department Commissioner Jessica Tisch in her position if he is elected, the latest polling indicates Cuomo is making up some ground ahead of Election Day. The latest Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday shows Mamdani’s 10-point advantage over Cuomo is down from his 13-point lead in their poll earlier this month, and this latest poll matches the Suffolk University poll released Monday that found Mamdani losing ground with a now 10-point lead. “Make no mistake: The race is tightening, and Andrew Cuomo is closing in fast,” Cuomo campaign spokesman Rich Azzopardi said in a statement this week. The latest Fox News poll finds independent candidate and current mayor Eric Adams, who endorsed Cuomo last week, received 2% support despite dropping out of the race Sept. 28. Adams will still appear on the ballot. Despite traded jabs this year, Adams has joined Cuomo on the campaign trail in a last-ditch effort to boost the anti-Mamdani vote. Adams announced Friday his plan to increase the NYPD’s headcount by 5,000 officers, increasing the total number of officers to 40,000 by 2029, which he says will be the highest level in 20 years. It’s a $17.8 million investment for the upcoming fiscal year with plans to raise the investment to $315.8 million by 2029. “The vast majority of New Yorkers want more police officers on their streets and in their subways, and that is what we are delivering by adding these 5,000 new officers,” Adams, a former NYPD officer, said in a statement Friday. Mamdani’s approach to public safety and past criticisms of the NYPD have been a major point of contention for his mayoral campaign. He apologized this month on Fox News to the NYPD for his past comments, including calling the department “racist, anti‑queer & a major threat to public safety” in 2020, among other insults. Mamdani was asked to respond to Adams’ new proposal Friday. “I have said time and again that I believe we have the right number of police officers,” Mamdani said, arguing that Adams does not have the money to hire an additional 5,000 officers. “We know what New Yorkers actually care about,” Mamdani added Friday. “It’s not a question of headcount. It’s a question of safety, and that’s exactly what I’m going to deliver in retaining Commissioner Tisch and creating a Department of Community Safety and finally ensuring that we live up to the words that Eric Adams … said four years ago, that New Yorkers need not choose between safety and justice.”
Sen. Warner blasts Trump admin for excluding Democrats from briefings on boat strikes: ‘Deeply troubling’
Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, slammed the Trump administration after it held briefings with only Republican lawmakers on the U.S. military strikes targeting alleged drug boats in the Caribbean. Warner called the move to exclude Democrats from the national security briefings “indefensible and dangerous.” “Shutting Democrats out of a briefing on U.S. military strikes and withholding the legal justification for those strikes from half the Senate is indefensible and dangerous,” the senator said in a statement. “Decisions about the use of American military force are not campaign strategy sessions, and they are not the private property of one political party.” “For any administration to treat them that way erodes our national security and flies in the face of Congress’ constitutional obligation to oversee matters of war and peace,” he continued. HEGSETH SAYS MILITARY CONDUCTED ANOTHER STRIKE ON BOAT CARRYING ALLEGED NARCO-TERRORISTS Warner said the partisan “stunt” is a “slap in the face” to Congress’ war powers responsibilities and to the men and women in uniform. He also stressed that it sets a “reckless and deeply troubling precedent.” Reports indicate that the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) produced a legal opinion justifying the strikes, which Democrats have been demanding in recent weeks. “The administration must immediately provide to Democrats the same briefing and the OLC opinion justifying these strikes, as Secretary Rubio personally promised me that he would in a face-to-face meeting on Capitol Hill just last week,” Warner said in his statement. “Americans deserve a government that fulfills its constitutional duties and treats decisions about the use of military force with the seriousness they demand.” The Pentagon, responding to Warner’s criticism, claimed that the “appropriate” committees were briefed on the strikes. “The Department of War has briefed the appropriate committees of jurisdiction, including the Senate Intelligence committee, numerous times throughout the operations targeting narco-terrorists,” Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson said in a statement. “These have occurred on a bipartisan basis, and will continue as such.” SENATORS LOOK TO BLOCK TRUMP FROM ENGAGING IN ‘HOSTILITIES’ IN VENEZUELA On Wednesday, Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee also penned a letter demanding to review the legal justification behind the series of boat strikes they say appear to violate several laws. “Drug trafficking is a terrible crime that has had devastating impacts on American families and communities and should be prosecuted. Nonetheless, the President’s actions to hold alleged drug traffickers accountable must still conform with the law,” the letter states. The Trump administration has also been scrutinized over the strikes by members of his own party, including Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., who raised concerns about killing people without due process and the possibility of killing innocent people. Paul has cited Coast Guard statistics that show a significant percentage of boats boarded for suspicion of drug trafficking are innocent. The senator has also argued that if the administration plans to engage in a war with Venezuela after it has targeted boats it claims are transporting drugs for the Venezuela-linked Tren de Aragua gang, it must seek a declaration of war from Congress. In the House, Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., has made similar statements. This comes as Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth announced the U.S. military on Wednesday struck another boat carrying people he said were narco-terrorists. The strikes were carried out in the Eastern Pacific region at the direction of President Donald Trump, killing four men on board. That was the 14th strike on suspected drug boats carried out since September. A total of 61 have reportedly been killed while three survived, including at least two who were later repatriated to their home countries. The Pentagon has not released the identities of those killed or evidence that drugs were on board.
Hannity town hall: GOP candidate reveals which far-left policy he will eliminate first as governor
In a televised town hall with Fox News host Sean Hannity on Thursday, New Jersey Republican gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli announced which far-left policy will be his day-one priority to eliminate if he is elected governor. With just five days until Election Day, Ciattarelli trails his Democratic opponent, Rep. Mikie Sherrill, by seven points in deep blue New Jersey. Nonetheless, while speaking with Hannity in Point Pleasant, New Jersey, Ciattarelli maintained that his campaign holds the momentum to upset Sherrill and flip the state red. If he should win the race, Ciattarelli told Hannity that his very first priority would be eliminating New Jersey’s sanctuary policies, keeping local and state authorities from cooperating with federal immigration enforcement operations. “Executive order number one, on day one, no town in this state will be a sanctuary city, we will not be a sanctuary state,” said Ciattarelli, as the crowd, filled with local New Jerseyans, broke into applause. TRUMP TOUTS REPUBLICAN GARDEN STATE GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE WHILE TRASHING DEM OPPONENT “Here’s the good news,” he went on. “Many of the things that [current Democratic Gov. Phil] Murphy has done were by executive order. They weren’t codified by the legislature, which means I can reverse them on day one.” “Having sanctuary cities and us being a sanctuary state encourages illegal immigration, and it handcuffs our local police in certain ways; we’re not doing that. I’m going to reverse that on day one,” he said, adding, “If a local police chief and mayor want to work together to preserve safety in our community by partnering with a federal agency, I’m not going to get in the way.” Ciattarelli also announced he would prioritize eliminating cashless bail, saying the policy “has created a professional criminal who’s learned how to game the system.” CRIME AND IMMIGRATION DIVIDE NEW JERSEY VOTERS AFTER EXPLOSIVE CIATTARELLI-SHERRILL DEBATE “Talk to your local cops and they’ll tell you about this dynamic known as ‘arrest, release, repeat,’ it’s demoralizing for cops,” he explained. Despite having unsuccessfully run for New Jersey governor two times already, Ciattarelli told Hannity the early voting results have him in a “really good position to win.” During the town hall, he also knocked Sherrill for refusing to release her military records relating to the disciplinary action she faced for involvement in a cheating scandal at the U.S. Naval Academy. Sherrill has maintained that she did not cheat but was kept from walking with her graduating class for refusing to give up information on those who cheated. “All she has to do is approve the release of her disciplinary records, and we’ll know why she was disciplined. And if what she is saying is true, her disciplinary records will confirm that, but she won’t release them,” he said, adding, “There’s a pattern here.” NEW JERSEY GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATES TOUT EARLY VOTING NUMBERS AS TRUMP LOOMS OVER TIGHT RACE He also dinged Sherrill over her endorsement from New York socialist candidate Zohran Mamdani. “We’ve called on her to reject that endorsement, but she hasn’t,” he said as Hannity noted, “Just like she’ll be the most transparent but never give out her naval records.”
Trump urges GOP to ‘end the shutdown’ by going nuclear on Senate filibuster
President Donald Trump on Thursday called for Republicans to end the filibuster in order to end the month-long government shutdown. In a late-night Truth Social post, Trump argued that Democrats had sought to eliminate the Senate procedure when they had control of both chambers of Congress and the White House during the Biden administration, but then-Sens. Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema helped block the effort. Trump suggested using the “nuclear option,” following his return to the U.S. after his trip to Asia. “The one question that kept coming up, however, was how did the Democrats SHUT DOWN the United States of America, and why did the powerful Republicans allow them to do it? The fact is, in flying back, I thought a great deal about that question, WHY?” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Majority Leader John Thune, and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, are doing a GREAT job, but the Democrats are Crazed Lunatics that have lost all sense of WISDOM and REALITY,” he continued. “It is a sick form of the now ‘legendary’ Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS) that only comes from losing too much. They want Trillions of Dollars to be taken from our Healthcare System and given to others, who are not deserving — People who have come into our Country illegally, many from prisons and mental institutions. This will hurt American citizens, and Republicans will not let it happen.” Trump added that it is “now time for the Republicans to play their ‘TRUMP CARD,’ and go for what is called the Nuclear Option — Get rid of the Filibuster, and get rid of it, NOW!”
Shutdown seen from the pulpit: Inching along on a wing and a prayer
Every time there’s a government shutdown, I turn to an unconventional barometer to understand the depth of the impasse. I always observe the first few moments of the Senate session. Logical, right? GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN KNOWLEDGE: GAMING OUT ITS POTENTIAL END Any congressional reporter worth their salt would surely want to hear the musings of the Senate majority and minority leaders on the floor to digest where things stand with the shutdown. But I tune in to hear someone who has their palm on the pulse of the Senate. They might not rank as high as Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., or Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. But they have a direct line to someone who outranks everyone. I listen to the Senate’s opening prayer from Senate Chaplain Barry Black. “On this third day of the government shutdown, inspire them to work for your glory in all they think, say and do,” Black prayed as he opened the Senate Oct. 3. “Equip our senators for their task.” Black is a parliamentary pastor offering ecumenical intercessions in search of a shutdown solution. The shutdown impasse deepened since Black’s initial invocation more than three weeks ago. But after days of political posturing and inaction by the Congressional laity, Black unloaded on his Senate flock Monday. “When our children and grandchildren want to know what we were doing in the 119th Congress during the famous shutdown, may we not have to give these answers: ‘I helped set a new record for keeping the government closed. I failed to appeal to the better angels of my nature. I forgot Matthew 7:12, which states, do to others whatever you would like them to do to you,’” Black prayed. “Lord, remind our lawmakers that no gold medals are given for breaking shutdown records. But a crown of righteousness is given to those who take care of the lost, last and least.” Black’s sizzling sermons from the Senate pulpit are canon during times of crisis. He delivered similar prayers during the lengthy government shutdowns of 2013 and 2018-19. A DIZZYING RIDE ON THE HILL: LAWMAKERS DEBATE IN CIRCLES AS SHUTDOWN ENTERS WEEK TWO “Enough is enough,” Black prayed during the 2013 shutdown after death payments to the families of deceased U.S. soldiers ceased. “Cover our shame with the robe of your righteousness.” After U.S. Capitol Police officers were injured following a high-speed chase and shooting at the Capitol — all while not being paid in the middle of that shutdown — Black chastised lawmakers in his prayer. “Deliver us from the hypocrisy of attempting to sound reasonable while being unreasonable,” prayed Black. Black says his prayers are to God. But his position in the Senate grants him special status. Not every pastor enjoys the benefit (or pressure) of a 100-senator audience. That’s to say nothing of those watching across the country on C-Span. Black was direct in his oration Tuesday. “Lord, use our legislators to help end this government shutdown, increase their faith, hope, and love, enabling them to transform cacophony into concord,” he prayed. By day 29 of the government shutdown, it was unclear if Black’s petitions were getting through to lawmakers. Tensions rose in the Capitol as members lashed out at one another in fits of anger. “Self-serving, nasty, vicious bull!” yelled Schumer, casting aspersions at the president, calling him “a cold, heartless individual.” SCHUMER, DEMS CALL ‘BULL—-‘ ON TRUMP ADMINISTRATION OVER FOOD STAMP SHUTDOWN THREAT Lawmakers sprinkled salty language into their rhetoric. “We need five Democrat senators to pull their heads out of their asses,” implored House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast, R-Fla. “I’ve got the damn statute,” bellowed Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., the top Democrat on the Appropriations Committee. She demanded the Trump Administration release a contingency fund to pay for SNAP benefits. “The money is there. Go get it, godd—it,” DeLauro fumed. The usually genial Thune excoriated Democrats during a heated floor exchange on SNAP. “This isn’t a political game! These are real people’s lives that we’re talking about!” thundered Thune. “And you all have just figured out that 29 days in there might be some consequences? That there’s people running out of money?” That said — or yelled — Thune has long told Democrats he’s willing to engage them on their healthcare demands. But with a caveat. “You want to have discussion about healthcare? Open the government. Let’s do it,” said Thune. REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: WHITE HOUSE POUNCES AFTER TOP DEM SAYS GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN GIVES PARTY ‘LEVERAGE’ At least one Democrat is willing to take that offer. “I think what’s a very fair deal is open the government and let’s just vote on extending these premiums for a year or more,” Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., said on Fox. But Democrats insist they’re not caving. “There are zero cracks on the Democratic side,” said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y. Jeffries blasted President Trump for refusing to negotiate to end the shutdown — while the president was in Asia. “Donald Trump has spent more time talking to Hamas and the Chinese Communist Party than he has in talking to Democrats on Capitol Hill to end the Trump shutdown,” the New York Democrat said. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is exasperated with the Democratic brass. “I’ve given up on the leadership,” said Johnson. “So, we’re trying to appeal to a handful of moderates or centrists who care more about the American people.” THUNE, GOP REJECT PUSHING ‘RIFLE-SHOT’ GOVERNMENT FUNDING BILLS DURING SHUTDOWN Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., is one of three senators associated with the Democrats who voted repeatedly to fund the government. There is chatter about what it will take to halt the shutdown. But the talks are informal. “I think that there’s an opportunity for us to come together, to open up the government, to address the looming health care crisis,” Cortez Masto told Chase Williams of Fox Business. “There is the will among senators on both sides of the aisle to do something. But the leadership’s getting in the
PHOTO GALLERY: President Trump and first lady host annual White House Halloween celebration
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump hosted the annual White House Halloween celebration featuring a trick-or-treat event Thursday, Oct. 30.
Trump-backed Ciattarelli tells Hannity early voting surge puts his campaign in ‘really good position’
POINT PLEASANT, N.J. – With six days to go until Election Day and one of only two races for governor in the nation this year careening towards a potential tight finish, New Jersey Republican nominee Jack Ciattarelli is highlighting the state’s robust early voting numbers. “We’ve seen more Republicans return vote by mail ballots than ever before,” Ciattarelli said Thursday during a town hall on Fox News’ “Hannity.” The town hall, hosted by Fox News’ Sean Hannity in this seaside community along the Jersey Shore, took place six days into state’s early in-person voting period. Nearly one million voters have already cast a ballot, either in-person or through mail-in voting, far ahead of the pace four years ago when Ciattarelli came close to upsetting Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy. Now, in his third bid for Garden State governor, Ciattarelli is facing off with Democratic gubernatorial nominee Rep. Mikie Sherrill in an extremely competitive and combustible race to succeed the term-limited Murphy. FIVE KEY RACES TO WATCH WITH TWO WEEKS UNTIL ELECTION DAY “The return rate’s been phenomenal. And here through the first five or six days of early voting, which goes through Sunday, we’ve been matching them voter for voter. That puts us in a really good position to win,” Ciattarelli said. HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS REPORTING AND ANALYSIS ON THE 2025 ELECTIONS But Sherrill, a U.S. Naval Academy graduate who flew helicopters during her military career and briefly served as a federal prosecutor before first winning election to Congress in 2018, is also touting the early voting numbers, calling them “really great news.” “We’re seeing such great results in the vote by mails and the early voting,” she told Fox News Digital on Wednesday after a meet and greet at a senior center in Elizabeth, New Jersey. “Certainly the trend is much better than ’21.” Ciattarelli, a one-time certified public accountant who started a medical publishing company before getting into politics and winning election as a state lawmaker, landed President Donald Trump‘s endorsement earlier this year, in the closing stretch of the GOP gubernatorial nomination race. Trump’s backing helped Ciattarelli cruise to an easy and convincing primary victory in a nomination race that centered on support for the president. Ciattarelli was joined on the campaign trail the past two weeks by two top MAGA stars and leading allies of President Donald Trump allies – former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy of Ohio and Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida. MAGA STAR JOINS CIATTARELLI ON CAMPAIGN TRAIL IN NEW JERSEY AS REPUBLICANS AIM TO FLIP GOVERNOR’S OFFICE Trump headlined a tele-rally for Ciattarelli last Friday, on the eve of the start of early voting, and his campaign told Fox News Digital that another tele-rally with the president is expected before Election Day. In a likely close election where getting base voters to the polls will be crucial, the hope is that the tele-rallies with the president, and the recent campaign trail stops by Ramaswamy and Donalds will energize MAGA supporters, many of whom are low-propensity voters who often skip casting ballots in non-presidential election years. “We go after those one out of four Republicans …who typically only vote in presidential years,” Ciattarelli said during the Hannity town hall. “We’ve done a magnificent job, our local Republican organizations have, in getting those people to vote by mail or vote early.” While Democrats have long dominated federal and state legislative elections in blue-leaning New Jersey, Republicans are very competitive in gubernatorial contests, winning five out of the past 10 elections. While Democrats still have a large voter registration advantage over Republicans in New Jersey, the GOP has narrowed the gap in the four years since Ciattarelli fell short of victory. TRUMP PARACHUTES INTO KEY 2025 RACE And Trump made major gains in New Jersey in last year’s presidential election, losing the state by only six percentage points, a vast improvement over his 16-point deficit four years earlier. Ciattarelli, pointing to Trump’s 2024 finish in New Jersey, said “that improvement means there’s 300,000 more people today that are favorable to the president than back in 2021.” Ciattarelli was not only predicting a win at the top of the ticket, he was also forecasting down-ballot victories for the GOP in the state legislature, which the Democrats have controlled for nearly a quarter-century. Noting that the GOP flipped eight seats in 2021 “with the wind at my face,” Ciattarelli predicted that “with the wind at my back this time around I can flip 13 seats and that gives us a Republican majority for the first time in close to three decades.” The town hall took place as three new public opinion polls released on Thursday pointed to a single digit contest, with Sherrill holding the advantage. A Fox News poll conducted last Friday through Tuesday (Oct. 24–28) indicated Sherrill leading Ciattarelli 52%-45% among likely voters in New Jersey. A Quinnipiac University survey suggested Sherrill up by nine points, while a Suffolk University poll indicated Ciattarelli trailing by just four points. But other recent surveys indicated an even tighter contest between Sherrill and Ciattarelli. New Jersey traditionally elects a governor from the party out of power in the White House, which this year favors the Democrats. But Garden State voters haven’t elected a governor from the same party in three straight elections in over a half century, which would favor the Republicans. One of those political trends will be busted in next month’s election.
Trump strikes again with viral candy move during first Halloween back at White House
President Donald Trump and the first lady handed out candy at the White House Thursday evening, during which Trump repeated his viral candy move that had folks both amused and confused in 2019. The White House holds an annual trick-or-treat event for kids, which included a viral off-script moment from the president that left some laughing and others poking fun at the president in 2019. Trump, instead of putting candy in a child’s bag, who was dressed up as a minion from the Disney movie “Despicable Me,” put it on the kid’s head. Melania, following her husband’s lead, did so as well. VIRAL COMEDIAN BRINGS TRUMP, OBAMA IMPRESSIONS TO FOX & FRIENDS The viral moment was then repeated by Trump on Thursday as a child dressed as the popular DJ Marshmello, with his signature rectangular marshmallow helmet, walked up to the president and first lady. As the child held out his bag, Trump moved to place a giant candy bar on top of the kid’s helmet. The kid, seemingly confused, lifted his head back to see what Trump was doing, but eventually caught on and walked off with the candy bar on his head as Trump and the first lady smiled and watched. Melanie, however, did not follow her husband’s lead this time around. The move stirred a reaction on social media, with many calling it a recreation of the viral moment from 2019. TRUMP HIT IN THE FACE WITH MICROPHONE, QUIPS OPERATOR ‘BECAME A BIG STORY’ “PART TWO: President Trump just put a candy bar on a trick-or-treaters head AGAIN,” conservative commentator Benny Johnson said on X alongside a laughing emoji. “NO WAY! President Trump just put a candy bar on some kid’s head dressed as a marshmallow at the White House Halloween Party and made him balance it while waddling off,” added one of Johnson’s producers, Danny De Urbina. “He knows the meme. Gangster.” Visitors at the Thursday White House event commemorating Halloween included parents and children of military and law enforcement personnel, as well as foster and adoptive families. The families of various White House staff were also present.