Trump’s gamble on Ken Paxton backfires as Democrat pulls off historic Texas Senate upset
Democrats just made history in Texas. President Donald Trump’s gamble on Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a strong ally of the president’s, backfired on him after Texas state Rep. James Talarico pulled off an upset to score Democrats their first Senate seat from the Lone Star State in nearly four decades. The Fox News Decision Desk called the Texas Senate race in Talarico’s favor shortly after 11 p.m. ET Tuesday night. The live music rarely stopped Tuesday at Talarico’s election night party, except for when it was confirmed that the insurgent Democrat had toppled Paxton. News of his victory replaced the thundering music with an eruption of cheers, chants of USA and a wave of joy that reverberated through the event space. Even Talarico’s most staunch, four-legged supporter, Kodak, was roused from a nap. His owner told Fox News Digital that the canine fan had voted for Talarico earlier that day. TRUMP BACKS PAXTON IN TEXAS REPUBLICAN SENATE SHOWDOWN WITH CORNYN It comes after Trump opted to back Paxton over longtime incumbent Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, earlier this year, who Republicans in Washington, D.C., believed would be a better candidate during a midterm cycle in which political headwinds, spurred by economic stress and war, pushed back against the party in power. Cornyn posted on X when Talarico won, “The voters have spoken, and I want to extend my congratulations to James Talarico on his election to the U.S. Senate. I look forward to meeting him and offering my assistance with his transition as he prepares to serve Texans in the U.S. Senate.” Trump made near-weekly visits to the Lone Star State, and his deep-pocketed war chest, MAGA Inc., along with national Republicans, dumped hundreds of millions of dollars to support Paxton’s struggling campaign. But it was not enough to overcome the insurgent Talarico, who styled himself a moderate dedicated to representing Texans and not Democratic interests, like Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s, D-N.Y., in Washington. It was a bitter campaign from start to finish, with Talarico painting Paxton as unfit to serve following several allegations of corruption, including his impeachment for alleged corruption by the Texas House. He was later acquitted by the Texas Senate. REPUBLICAN CAVALRY ARRIVES FOR KEN PAXTON AS BIG-BUCKS TEXAS OFFENSIVE OPENS CASH FLOODGATES “This Senate seat has been held by some of the finest Texans,” Talarico said. “Ken Paxton should be nowhere near Lyndon Johnson’s Senate seat. Ken Paxton should be nowhere near Sam Houston’s Senate seat.” Paxton, Trump and national Republicans painted Talarico as a “communist” and a vegan in BBQ-loving Texas and zeroed in on his support for the transgender community while in the Texas Legislature, most notably his floor speech on God being “nonbinary.” “I’m not asking you to imagine what I do as your U.S. senator,” Paxton told voters at a rally ahead of Election Day. “I’m asking you to look at my record and then compare it to another guy, James Talarico, the most radical Democrat ever to run statewide, bar none. “And no matter how many commercials he runs lying about his record, James Talarico is a, simply put, a Democratic Socialist just like AOC. And just like the New York mayor, Mamdani.” JAMES TALARICO BLAMES RISE IN GOP ‘EXTREMISM’ FOR PROMPTING HIS ‘GOD IS NONBINARY,’ SIX SEXES REMARKS Talarico even scored a nickname from Trump. “The name happens to be ‘Talafreako’ because he is one of the worst candidates I have ever seen,” Trump said ahead of the GOP’s midterm convention largely meant to bolster Paxton’s struggling campaign. Nonetheless, there was a schism within the GOP caused by Trump picking Paxton over Cornyn, and the longtime lawmaker made it clear that he would not be in Paxton’s corner campaigning for him after losing a bloody and bitter primary fight earlier this year. “I refuse to allow a flawed, self-centered and shameless candidate like Ken Paxton to risk everything we’ve worked so hard to build over these many years,” Cornyn said after losing his primary earlier this year. “Judgment Day is coming for Ken Paxton.” The news comes on a brutal midterm election night for Republicans at both the state and federal levels. At the time of the race call, Democrats were already projected to win control of the House majority. And the Fox News Decision Desk projected Texas Gov. Greg Abbott losing to his Democrat challenger, Gina Hinojosa, at the same time.
California voters decide who will succeed Newsom in consequential governor’s race
The Fox News Decision Desk projects former Biden Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra will defeat Republican Steve Hilton in the race to succeed term-limited Gov. Gavin Newsom, keeping California’s governorship in Democratic hands. Becerra has spent more than three decades in public office, beginning with his election to the California State Assembly in 1990 before serving over two decades in Congress. He left the House in 2017 after then-Gov. Jerry Brown appointed him California attorney general, won a full term in the post the following year and later served as President Joe Biden’s HHS secretary from 2021 to 2025. Becerra and Hilton emerged from California’s crowded nonpartisan top-two primary in June, when Becerra finished first with roughly 28% of the vote and Hilton advanced in second with about 25%. More than 9.4 million Californians cast ballots in the primary, according to certified results from the California secretary of state’s office. CALIFORNIA FACES UNLIKELY TAX REVOLT AMID BILLIONS IN ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT HEALTHCARE COSTS Becerra’s victory extends Democrats’ long-running dominance of statewide politics in California, where registered Democrats substantially outnumber Republicans. A Republican has not won a California gubernatorial election since Arnold Schwarzenegger’s re-election in 2006 and has not occupied the governor’s mansion since he left office in January 2011. Hilton, a former Fox News host and onetime policy advisor to British Prime Minister David Cameron, campaigned as a change candidate, arguing that years of Democratic control in Sacramento had contributed to California’s high cost of living, homelessness and other problems. He proposed cutting taxes and state spending, rolling back regulations and climate mandates and expanding energy production to lower housing, electricity and gasoline costs. Hilton also received President Donald Trump’s endorsement but said during the general election that he would work with the administration while disagreeing with the president when necessary. Becerra will inherit a state confronting persistent challenges over housing and energy costs, homelessness and looming budget deficits. NEWSOM SPARS WITH TRUMP-APPOINTED PROSECUTOR OVER 20,000 SUSPECTED NONCITIZENS ON VOTER ROLLS Affordability was also a central theme of Becerra’s campaign, with the Democrat arguing that rising costs threatened what he called the “California Dream.” But he offered voters a markedly different prescription from Hilton, proposing a larger role for state programs and enforcement rather than broad cuts to taxes, spending and regulation. Becerra proposed accelerating housing construction, expanding childcare assistance and early education, strengthening Medi-Cal and cracking down on landlords he accused of price gouging. He also pointed to his record as HHS secretary, including efforts to lower prescription drug costs and expand access to health coverage. SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER The candidates offered sharply different approaches to the Trump administration as well. Becerra campaigned on protecting California policies and programs from federal challenges, drawing on his record of repeatedly taking the first Trump administration to court during his tenure as state attorney general. Becerra also reaffirmed during the campaign his support for protecting access to transgender medical procedures, including for transgender youth. He previously championed the issue as HHS secretary, when he defended leaving treatment decisions involving transgender minors to families and medical providers rather than politicians. Hilton previously told Fox News Digital that Californians are growing fed up with years of Democratic leadership, pointing to homelessness, high taxes and the soaring cost of living as reasons voters may be ready for a change. “I know everyone says, ‘Well, it’s California, Republicans can’t win.’ I don’t know. I think people are sick of all this,” Hilton said. “And they’re sick of Becerra just taking them for granted, and I think we can win this election.” Newsom was barred from seeking a third consecutive term after winning the governorship in 2018 and re-election in 2022. His departure comes amid continued speculation about a potential 2028 presidential bid. Becerra will be sworn in as California’s 41st governor in January 2027.
Trump country sees 20-year GOP grip on governor’s mansion shattered
The Fox News Decision Desk predicts Democrat Amy Acton will defeat Republican Vivek Ramaswamy in Ohio’s closely watched gubernatorial race, delivering a major upset in a state that has not elected a Democratic governor in 20 years. Acton successfully ran a campaign appealing to voters across the aisle by presenting herself as the candidate who could address issues of affordability and public education. On the campaign trail, she painted Ramaswamy as out-of-touch, wealthy and pushing policies that benefited people like himself. During the election’s closing weeks, Ramaswamy lost droves of support and faced bipartisan backlash over a campaign ad featuring Acton’s estranged mother calling her daughter a liar who could not lead Ohio until she held herself accountable. The ad did not mention that Acton had been estranged from her mother since childhood or that her mother lost custody after Acton’s stepfather was indicted on a charge of raping Acton when she was 12. RAMASWAMY OUTLINES KEY CONTRASTS WITH DEM OPPONENT LESS THAN 100 DAYS OUT FROM KEY GUBERNATORIAL ELECTION Still, Ramaswamy defended the ad amid the backlash, even as current Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine called it “deeply troubling” and urged his campaign to take it down. President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance defended Ramaswamy’s decision to air it. The ad ultimately went off the air days before Election Day, with Ramaswamy’s campaign saying its planned run had ended. Though Ramaswamy’s controversies took center stage in the national press, Acton’s record was not unblemished. Ramaswamy and his Republican allies honed in on Acton’s record as director of the Ohio Department of Health, where she led the state’s early response to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Conservatives pinned the state’s school and business closures, as well as a controversial decision to delay primary voting by closing polling stations, on Acton. This line of attack was complicated by DeWine. As criticism was being leveled against Acton, DeWine defended her by stating that “the buck stops with the governor,” noting he had instructed her to go through with the voting delay. DeWine further complicated matters for the Ramaswamy campaign in April when he questioned whether the state could afford further tax cuts, casting doubt on a key plank of the Republican’s campaign pitch. The governor also criticized Ramaswamy’s proposal to close or consolidate Ohio’s public universities, while Democrats framed the plans as a way to pay for his proposed tax cuts by reducing access to education. DeWine did, however, officially endorse Ramaswamy over Acton. DAVID MARCUS: IN SPRINGFIELD, OHIO, ONLY TRUMP CAN MEND MAGA-CHAMBER OF COMMERCE RIFT Ramaswamy also faced criticism from both the left and right over awkward moments on the campaign trail, including a batting cage video that drew ridicule on social media. A controversial social media post Ramaswamy made on Christmas Day 2024, where he lambasted American culture as having “venerated mediocrity over excellence” while discussing foreign-born engineers, angered those on the right, including fellow Indian American Nikki Haley. Many right-wing commentators on X and other platforms still point to that post as a reason to distrust Ramaswamy. DAVID MARCUS: IN DAYTON, OHIO, BOTH PARTIES FACE BITTER POLITICAL DESPONDENCY Republicans sought throughout the campaign to tie Acton to unpopular pandemic-era restrictions she helped implement as Ohio’s health director, while Acton sought to carve out a more moderate image on some issues. She broke with many in her party, for example, by opposing policies that allow biological males to compete in women’s sports. Ramaswamy entered the race with deep ties to Trump’s political movement. The former presidential candidate was initially tapped to help lead the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency alongside Elon Musk before leaving the effort as Trump took office to pursue his gubernatorial bid. He was also a prominent Trump surrogate after ending his own 2024 presidential campaign. The last time Ohio elected a Democratic governor was in 2006, when Ted Strickland defeated Republican Ken Blackwell. Ramaswamy ran with no serious primary rivals and a significant financial advantage over Acton.
Georgia governor’s mansion projected to flip blue for first time in nearly 30 years
Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms is projected to win Georgia’s gubernatorial race against Republican businessman Rick Jackson — flipping the governor’s mansion blue for the first time in more than two decades. Fox News Decision Des projects the former Atlanta mayor will become the Peach State’s first female governor and the first Black woman elected governor in American history. The victory marks a major breakthrough for Democrats in one of the nation’s most closely contested swing states. Georgia voters had not elected a Democratic governor since Roy Barnes won the 1998 election and took office in 1999, with Republicans capturing the governor’s mansion in 2002 and holding it ever since. GOP GOVERNOR CANDIDATE SKIPS DEBATE AGAINST FORMER BIDEN ADVISOR, REPLACED BY EMPTY PODIUM Fellow Democrat Sen. Jon Ossoff also won his race for reelection, Fox News Decision Desk projects. Bottoms, who served as Atlanta’s mayor from 2018 to 2022, later joined former President Joe Biden‘s White House as a senior advisor and director of the Office of Public Engagement. She emerged from the Democratic primary to face Jackson in the open-seat race to succeed term-limited Republican Gov. Brian Kemp. Jackson, a wealthy healthcare executive and first-time candidate, poured more than $200 million of his personal fortune into his campaign. He defeated Trump-endorsed Lt. Gov. Burt Jones in the Republican primary runoff , setting up the general election against Bottoms. The race drew national attention in a state that has shifted from a longtime Republican stronghold into a presidential battleground. Biden narrowly carried Georgia in 2020, becoming the first Democratic presidential candidate to win the state since Bill Clinton in 1992, before President Donald Trump returned it to the Republican column in 2024. GIANNO CALDWELL: BOTTOMS RAN ATLANTA INTO THE GROUND. WE CAN’T LET HER DO IT TO GEORGIA Bottoms campaigned on expanding Medicaid, raising the state’s minimum wage and increasing pay for public employees, while Jackson called for phasing out Georgia’s income tax and pitched himself as a political outsider who would bring a businessman’s approach to state government. Jackson repeatedly targeted Bottoms’ record as Atlanta mayor, while Bottoms attacked the Republican’s massive self-funding and sought to tie him to Trump. Bottoms’ victory ends a Republican run in the governor’s office that began with Sonny Perdue’s election in 2002 and continued through the administrations of Nathan Deal and Kemp. Fox News’ Charles Creitz contributed to this report.
Trump Bedminster golf course falls to Dems as Republicans lose key House seat
A key New Jersey swing district is falling out of Republicans’ grasp on Tuesday night in a critical victory for House Democrats. New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District, which is where President Donald Trump’s Bedminster golf course is located, is projected to be represented next year by former Navy helicopter pilot Rebecca Bennett after she was projected to defeat Rep. Tom Kean Jr., R-N.J. Kean, the son of former Garden State Gov. Tom Kean Sr., was seeking a third term representing the affluent area encompassing suburbs and exurbs of New York City. DEMS PICK CHALLENGER FOR GOP CONGRESSMAN WHO VANISHED FROM PUBLIC VIEW AMID HEALTH MYSTERY Multiple election forecasts, including Fox News Power Rankings, projected he would lose to Bennett in what was expected to be an overall difficult year for Republicans trying to keep their congressional majorities. Kean is known to keep a low profile on Capitol Hill. But he was thrust into the spotlight earlier this year over a four-month absence from Congress that he later revealed was due to his getting treatment for depression. He received some blowback, however, for not revealing the specifics of his issue until his return. REPUBLICAN CONGRESSMAN WILL END MONTHSLONG ABSENCE FROM DC AFTER MISSING 135 ROLL CALL VOTES “When I first informed the public that I was dealing with a medical issue, I was still trying to understand what was happening myself,” Kean said on the House floor when he returned. “When I said I hoped to return in a matter of weeks, I believed it. Those were the best estimates the doctors could provide. But, as the over 48 million of my fellow Americans being treated for this illness have come to discover, there is no timeline for healing. There is no timeline for recovery. Only the work of getting better one day at a time.” He defended Trump’s economic record and war in Iran during his and Bennett’s first and only debate, while she criticized the president’s tariffs and blamed the Middle East conflict for the high gas prices Americans are grappling with. Kean told Fox News Digital of his own record in August. “I’ve been a really effective legislator who’s brought things back to the district, who’s listened to my constituents on their needs and their concerns, in contrast to my opponent, who has really been a very abject partisan,” Kean said. Republicans across the U.S. have been sandbagged by Trump’s low approval numbers despite the president crisscrossing the country in the weeks before the election in a bid to turn out the base. FOX NEWS POLL: AS ECONOMIC PAIN DEEPENS, DISAPPROVAL OF TRUMP HITS NEW HIGH Several House Republicans told Fox News Digital early Tuesday night that they had given up hope of keeping the majority. “It’s a bloodbath,” one senior House GOP aide said. And Kean’s district was one of the earliest in which GOP groups waved the white flag. Fox News Digital was told by multiple sources last month that the House GOP leadeship-aligned Congressional Leadership Fund and Trump-aligned MAGA Inc. were pulling their investments out of the district to triage races in other parts of the country. A source close to Kean’s campaign brushed it off at the time, telling Fox News Digital the campaign was set for cash. Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told attendees at a fundraiser for Kean that Fox News Digital attended in August, “We consider this a top three race, not just a top 10. That’s how important it is to us. It has a target on its back.”
Massive upset: Andrews downs Trump-backed Graham in ruby-red South Carolina
The Fox News Decision Desk projects that Democratic challenger Annie Andrews has defeated appointed GOP Sen. Darline Graham, the younger sister of the late longtime Sen. Lindsey Graham, to win a six-year term representing South Carolina in the Senate. With her major upset, Andrews, a pediatrician who ran as an outsider, becomes the first Democrat in nearly three decades to win a Senate election in South Carolina. Having a very familiar name in South Carolina and receiving two 11th-hour campaign trail stops by President Donald Trump weren’t enough to help push Graham over the finish line in the ruby-red southeastern state. DEMOCRACY ’26: STAY UP TO DATE WITH THE FOX NEWS ELECTION HUB The race became increasingly competitive in the final weeks of the campaign. And outside groups aligned with Republicans and Democrats poured cash and resources into the ballot box showdown at the 11th hour. With some of the top nonpartisan political handicappers shifting the contest in the direction of the Democrats, Trump traveled to South Carolina with less than two weeks until Election Day to rally with Graham. “She’s smart and incredible. She’ll never let you down,” Trump said as he praised Graham at an Oct. 21 stop in Upstate South Carolina. SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER Democratic strategist Mally Smith told Fox News Digital that “South Carolina bows to no king.” “President Trump tried to hand-pick his successor in South Carolina, and the voters emphatically rejected his choice. Americans are sick of electing MAGA puppets to higher office who enable Trump’s erratic behavior and blatant corruption,” said Smith. During the general election campaign, Graham emphasized her support for Trump’s agenda, continuing her brother’s work in the Senate, and spotlighting cost of living issues. “I know how it feels to live paycheck to paycheck. There’s been many years in my life that I’ve lived paycheck to paycheck like a lot of South Carolinians. So I know they’re feeling it at the gas pumps,” Graham said in a recent interview on Fox News’ “America Reports.” “Suspending the gas tax, that’s a temporary solution. I’m all for that. I’m glad that President Trump eased regulations on red-dyed diesel. I think that helps farmers. But the long-term solution is easing regulations on drilling and oil refineries.” Andrews also made affordability, along with healthcare costs, a centerpiece of her Senate campaign, and highlighted her experience as a pediatrician working with children and families. “I never in a million years thought I would be running for federal office, let alone a US Senate seat, but I have 20 years of experience working inside America’s broken healthcare system, coming face to face with all of Washington’s failures in my hospital exam rooms. And I take that experience and I bring it to the campaign trail,” Andrews emphasized in a recent Fox News Digital interview. After her brother’s sudden death in July, GOP Gov. Henry McMaster appointed Graham to fill the remainder of the late senator’s current term, which concludes at the end of this year. At the time of his death, Lindsey Graham had won renomination in South Carolina‘s June primary. With Trump’s urging and support, Graham ran in a special Republican Senate nomination primary to succeed her brother. She defeated Rep. Ralph Norman in a late August runoff election after the two advanced two weeks earlier from a crowded 10-candidate primary.
JD Vance says Haley Stevens’ endorsement of GOP’s Mike Rogers will ‘certainly’ help Michigan Senate race
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Vice President JD Vance addressed Rep. Haley Stevens’, D-Mich., endorsement of GOP Senate candidate Mike Rogers over his Democratic opponent, Abdul El-Sayed, saying that he believes the endorsement will “certainly” help Rogers in the midterm. Vance spoke to reporters at Joint Base Andrews following two rallies for GOP candidates in New York and Ohio, responding to a question from Fox News Digital about the impact that Stevens’ endorsement will have on the race. “I certainly think it helps,” Vance said. “I mean, the message is whether you’re a reasonable Democrat, a Republican, a conservative, an independent or just a liberal who loves the United States of America. El-Sayed is a crazy person and Mike Rogers is a patriot.” MICHIGAN DEM CLAIMS STEVENS SHOT DOWN ROGERS ENDORSEMENT RUMOR HOURS BEFORE TURNING ON EL-SAYED “I do think it drives home the message, maybe gives certain voters who, you know, wouldn’t normally vote for a Republican permission, knowing that the Democratic Congresswoman of Michigan is going to support Mike Rogers.” The vice president then emphasized that Rogers is a “good guy” and said he believes Michiganders are seeing El-Sayed as a “crazy guy” that would not be good for the state. EL SAYED’S LEFT-WING ALLIES ATTACK ‘EVIL’ STEVENS AFTER BOMBSHELL ROGERS ENDORSEMENT Stevens endorsed Rogers on Sunday, while taking a swipe at El-Sayed in the process. “Hey Michigan, as you may have seen, our Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, Abdul, said that I was no longer welcome in his campaign and that I should stay away,” Stevens said. “And he’s right, and that’s why I am endorsing Mike Rogers for the United States Senate today. I don’t belong in Abdul’s campaign.” MAMDANI, HASAN PIKER AMONG RADICAL LEFT-WING VOICES ERUPTING OVER HALEY STEVENS’ ENDORSEMENT SWITCH Both El-Sayed and Rogers penned opinion pieces for Fox News Digital on Monday ahead of Election Day, with the two candidates laying out their reasoning for entering the race. “I’m running for Senate because no Michigander deserves to be left behind,” El-Sayed wrote. “That’s why we’ve held over 700 events in over 120 cities. I’ve sat down with Michiganders from all walks of life, all of whom are hurting from the Rogers-Trump agenda and are hungry for change.” EL-SAYED, ROGERS CLASH OVER MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD, TRUMP AND GUNS: 5 FIERY DEBATE MOMENTS Rogers didn’t spare El-Sayed from criticism in his piece, noting his Democrat opponent’s connection to far-left communist streamer and activist Hasan Piker. “As a former Army officer and FBI street agent, I would never have imagined that I would be running against someone who associates with terrorist sympathizers. El-Sayed has invited someone to our state who openly proclaims, ‘America deserved 9/11.’ He took donations from individuals linked to terrorist organizations.” ABDUL EL-SAYED REPORTEDLY CALLED HASAN PIKER WARNING HIS RHETORIC WAS ‘COSTING’ VOTES Stevens also criticized El-Sayed’s connection to Piker following her endorsement of Rogers, and has previously said Piker “should be condemned” for his extremist views. During a livestream in May, Piker directed investigators to Neville Roy Singham as a target of subpoenas issued by the Treasury Department, saying Singham’s “operation” in the U.S. includes the openly Marxist ANSWER Coalition and the Party for Socialism and Liberation, known as PSL. “I think that ultimately the target is probably Singham and his operation from PSL to ANSWER Coalition to CodePink — like anything that he has ever financed,” Piker said. “Not sure how much money he has now, but he’s been a funding vehicle for a lot of political movements in the country, like a lot of activism, and they hate that s—, so they’re trying to jam them up.” HASAN PIKER BRUSHES OFF DEMS WHO SEE HIM AS A LIABILITY, NAMES HIS ’28 CHOICE A Fox News Digital investigation found that Singham has pumped $285 million into six organizations including $22.44 million to the People’s Forum, a hub for communist organizing in New York City; $1.33 million to CodePink; $68.7 million to Justice and Education Fund Inc., a nonprofit that funnels money to anonymous projects overseas; $1.098 million to BreakThrough BT Media, a propaganda arm; and $16.76 million to Tricontinental Ltd., a pro-communist think tank. The Party for Socialism and Liberation and ANSWER Coalition share office space at the People’s Forum and share leadership with the People’s Forum. After Vance returned to Joint Base Andrews in Washington, D.C., on Monday afternoon, El-Sayed and Rogers both held rallies in Michigan in a final message to voters. HALEY STEVENS’ ENDORSEMENT STUNT BACKFIRES WITH EL-SAYED SETTING SINGLE-DAY FUNDRAISING RECORD On Vance’s final rally blitz, he spoke to voters in Ohio and New York, advocating for Jon Husted, Vivek Ramaswamy, Andrew Constantino, among others. He was joined by Department of Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Donald Trump Jr. during his remarks. Crowds of a couple of hundred supporters gathered at the two airport hangars where Vance spoke in the two states as he delivered his message encouraging Republicans to get out to the polls for Tuesday’s midterm elections.
How a midterm tie gets settled in the case of the Senate
In the World Cup, they play overtime, then rely on penalty kicks to settle ties. The National Hockey League plays a short overtime, followed by a shootout. NHL games used to end in ties. In the playoffs, the teams keep going – until there’s a winner. In the 2020 playoffs, the Tampa Bay Lightning finally topped the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-2 after a staggering five overtimes. In other words. They played nearly THREE total games. That’s the equivalent of 26 innings in baseball. Speaking of Major League Baseball, teams play extra innings. And keep playing until one team is ahead and the home team has completed an at-bat in the bottom of the inning. MLB modified its rules a few years ago, introducing a “ghost runner” on second base to start the 10th inning. That’s an effort to end the tie and finish the game sooner. If only there were a method to settle a tie in the U.S. Senate. THE NINE KEY RACES THAT WILL DECIDE WHO CONTROLS THE SENATE, AND WHERE THEY STAND Yes. In the case of a tie roll call vote, the vice president — who doubles as president of the Senate – can vote to break a tie vote. In fact, the VP doesn’t even have to cast a ballot if it’s a tie and the roll call vote is going the way he or she wants. By rule, tie votes go down to defeat in the Senate. But what if we wake up Wednesday morning (if not Friday or Saturday morning or sometime in early December, depending on how hotly contested things are) to discover that the Senate is tied at 50-50? There is nothing in the Senate’s 44 standing rules which serves as a tiebreaker. The Founders didn’t provide a system to bust up a tie and determine which side is in the majority or minority. And no, it’s not written down anywhere that the party of the President is automatically thrust into the majority. Maybe soccer is on to something with penalty kicks. At least there’s a system. There’s nothing concrete to sort out which party controls the Senate if things are deadlocked at 50-50. There was a tie was a Senate tie in 1881 after resignations and political maneuvering. The Senate was also tied for a period in 1954. Nearly ten percent of all senators died during the two-year Congress which stretched from early 1953 to early 1955. However, the Senate featured two ties in recent Senate history. Both instances reflect what the Senate did to sort out which party captured the majority. One tie came after the 2000 election. The other in 2020. Both elections took a while to sort things out. In 2026, Alaska, we’re looking at you. It took until early December, 2000 to determine that Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., defeated then-Sen. Slade Gorton, R-Wash., establishing a 50-50 Senate. In fact, the tie for the Senate from the 2020 election wasn’t even established until two days into the new Congress on January 6, 2021. Yes. That was the day of the Capitol riot. Sens. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., and Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., both won runoffs to set the 50-50 split. In early December, 2000, the Supreme Court finally settled the Florida election dispute between President George W. Bush and Vice President Al Gore. Republicans had held the Senate. But then Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss., and Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., engineered a power-sharing agreement between the parties. This aligned with the election of Vice President Dick Cheney. Lott would serve as the Majority Leader and the GOP technically had the “majority.” But the bipartisan pact granted Daschle some special floor powers. Republicans chaired each committee. However, there was equal representation by both parties on each panel. The full Senate had to ratify this agreement. And it did just that. Such a process is subject to two filibusters requiring 60 yeas. One to bring up the proposal for debate. Another to terminate the debate. Then a simple majority to pass it. But none of that was a problem. The Senate greenlighted it with all 100 senators signing on. Why such smooth sailing? Republicans feared Democrats would stall the agenda of President George W. Bush. So they got on board. Democrats agreed because they knew they were kinda, sorta in the majority. Otherwise, they were relegated to an outright minority. Former Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., was well aware of those same dynamics in 2001. He insisted that Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., propound – word-for-word – the same accord in 2021 which Lott and Daschle hammered out. Which brings us to a potential tie in 2027. Is there the political will in the Senate – let alone the votes – to agree to such a compact? President Trump is still president. And Vice President JD Vance is still President of the Senate. What would they say about that? Unclear. The Senate isn’t compelled to present a dedicated “majority” or “minority.” The concept of a “Majority Leader” is relatively new – only dating back to the early 20th Century. The Senate is a body of “equals.” Thus, the Founders didn’t expect one senator to wield operational control of the Senate. You won’t find the words “Majority Leader” anywhere in the Constitution. Just Speaker of the House and President of the Senate. If there’s a 50-50 Senate and an impasse, could Vance suddenly have more power? Maybe. As President of the Senate, he can’t debate. He can only preside over the body and break ties. Moreover, would Vance even want to assert more authority? It’s unclear what that could be. And what would all of this do to his plans to run for president in 2028? EVERYTHING TO KNOW ABOUT HOUSE AND SENATE CONTROL, BALLOT MEASURES AND 2026 ELECTION DAY POLL CLOSING In fact, a deadlocked Senate with no power sharing agreement could potentially hamstring Vance. It wasn’t that long ago that the Vice President spent
EXCLUSIVE: Woman allegedly raped by illegal alien after Clinton-appointed federal judge ordered his release
EXCLUSIVE: An illegal alien who was released from immigration custody by a Clinton-appointed federal judge in August has been charged with allegedly raping a woman inside her own Minnesota home two months later, federal immigration authorities told Fox News. Marcotulio Melendez Diaz, 42, of Honduras, was working as a handyman on Oct. 11, when he allegedly overpowered and repeatedly raped the resident against her will. The assault inside the Mounds View home was captured on her indoor surveillance video, officials said. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) blasted U.S. District Judge Orlando L. Garcia for ordering his release, arguing that the incident could have been prevented if Melendez Diaz had remained in custody. ILLEGAL ALIEN ‘PIRATE’ WHO HIJACKED PLANE TO US FREED BY CLINTON-APPOINTED JUDGE ICE URGES NEW YORK NOT TO RELEASE SALVADORAN NATIONAL ACCUSED OF RAPING 16-YEAR-OLD GIRL ON LONG ISLAND “This is what happens when activist judges side with criminal illegal aliens over Americans,” the agency said in a statement. “ICE arrested him, and an immigration judge ordered his deportation. But a Clinton-appointed federal judge ordered him RELEASED. “And now an American woman has suffered a horrific crime that could have been PREVENTED.” ICE sources told Fox News that Melendez Diaz was initially apprehended and released at the southern border by the Biden administration in April 2024. He was arrested again in Minnesota in January 2026, during Operation Metro Surge, and transferred to ICE detention in Texas, according to the officials. On March 30, an immigration judge issued a deportation order against him, which Melendez Diaz appealed, the authorities said. FEDERAL JUDGE BLOCKS DEPORTATION OF DOMINICAN ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT SHOT BY ICE DURING NYC ARREST ATTEMPT While the deportation order was under review, Garcia, a federal judge in the Western District of Texas, ordered his release from ICE custody after granting his habeas petition on due process grounds, finding that his detention had been unlawful or unreasonably prolonged. The ruling allowed Melendez Diaz to return to Minnesota. On Oct. 9, Melendez Diaz’s appeal was rejected, and the Board of Immigration Appeals issued a deportation order against him. Just two days after his deportation order became final, he was charged with rape. Melendez Diaz was charged with felony first-degree criminal sexual penetration involving coercion. He remains in custody and faces up to 30 years in prison if convicted.
Battleground Dem touts bipartisan record, but can’t name single issue she’d work with Trump on
A Democratic Senate candidate in Minnesota touted her bipartisan record Sunday but could not name a single issue she would work with President Donald Trump on, instead accusing his administration of “continued grift.” The exchange came as Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, Minnesota’s Democratic Senate nominee, campaigns against Republican Michele Tafoya in a race Republicans see as a rare opportunity to flip a traditionally blue state. Flanagan’s answer underscored the sharply partisan nature of the Minnesota race, where she has cast Tafoya as a rubber stamp for Trump and pledged to oppose the administration at nearly every turn. “I just want to be really clear that I’ve got a long track record of working with folks on the other side of the aisle,” Flanagan told Fox News’ Bill Melugin when asked if there were any policies she could see herself working with Trump on. Flanagan pointed to her work at the Children’s Defense Fund–Minnesota and her time in the Minnesota Legislature, where she served alongside a Republican majority and helped pass bipartisan legislation, as evidence of her ability to work across the aisle. “I think that, you know, that proves that I have the ability to work with folks,” she continued. PEGGY FLANAGAN DEMANDS EXPANDING THE SUPREME COURT AND ABOLIHING ICE Flanagan’s bipartisan pitch comes against the backdrop of a campaign built around opposing Trump’s agenda. She has called for dismantling ICE, passing Medicare for All, and reversing the administration’s Medicaid and SNAP cuts, while accusing Trump of using the presidency to enrich himself. “Right now, I’m deeply concerned about the Trump administration, the continued grift, making money hand over fist directly from the Oval Office,” she continued in her response to Melugin on whether she would work with Trump on anything. The Democratic Senate candidate went on to tell Melugin that what she has been “hearing” on the campaign trail is that voters want someone who will be a “check” on Trump, not his ally. “They’re interested in whether people are going to be a check on this guy, and roll back some of the devastating cuts and impacts on Minnesota,” Flanagan concluded in her answer about working with Trump. “That’s the place I’m going to start.” Flanagan is facing Republican Michele Tafoya, a former NFL sideline reporter who has turned the race into a referendum on the massive fraud scandal that unfolded under the Walz administration. Tafoya has argued that Flanagan, who served as Walz’s No. 2 as lieutenant governor, should share responsibility for the scandal, while also tying her opponent to progressive positions, including Medicare for All and dismantling ICE. MN SENATE CANDIDATE RIPPED FOR BLAMING WALZ FOR FRAUD DESPITE BEING HIS #2: ‘KNOWS SHE’S COOKED’ The race has become unexpectedly competitive after Tafoya narrowed the gap in Minnesota, prompting Fox News to shift its rating from “Likely Democrat” to “Lean Democrat.” “The more that Minnesotans learn about me and my opponent and see what my opponent has failed to do over the last eight years alongside [Democratic Gov.] Tim Walz, they’re understanding Minnesota needs change. We need fresh ideas, we need an independent thinker and they’re jumping on board,” Tafoya said in a Fox News Digital interview. Flanagan has repeatedly tied Tafoya to Trump, whose approval ratings are well underwater in Minnesota. “Michele Tafoya is all in for Donald Trump — and he’s all in for her,” Flanagan said last month in a social media post. But Tafoya appears to be putting some daylight between herself and Trump, as she highlights her support for abortion rights. SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER “I’m a pro-choice Republican not afraid to stand up to my party,” Tafoya says in a new campaign commercial. “When Trump is right, I will work with him. When he is wrong, I will stand up for Minnesota.” While the ad drew opposition from some Republicans, including Mercedes Schlapp, a senior fellow at the Conservative Political Action Conference, Trump subsequently signaled support for Tafoya at an Ohio rally he headlined. “You have to vote for Michele Tafoya, who’s a very respected person,” the president said. Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.