A new poll released Wednesday shows Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton with a commanding lead over incumbent U.S. Sen. John Cornyn in either a two-person race or a three-person race in next year’s Republican primary. But Paxton’s lead in the poll shrinks dramatically against potential Democratic rivals in the 2026 general election.
The poll from Texan Southern University’s Barbara Jordan Public Policy Research and Survey Center shows Paxton leading Cornyn by 9 percentage points in a two-person race and by 7 points if U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt of Houston enters the primary.
“Right now, if it’s a head-to-head race between Paxton and Cornyn, Paxton is a very strong favorite, and it’s tough to see how, absent, say, a Trump endorsement of Cornyn, Cornyn could effectively flip the table on Paxton,” said Mark Jones, political science fellow at Rice University’s Baker Institute and co-author of the survey with TSU’s Michael O. Adams.
Democrats desperately want to control the U.S. House of Representatives after the 2026 midterm elections. However, their plan to wield power will likely doom their political future, but could give Republicans a golden opportunity.
An expert political strategist has issued a stark warning to the Democrats about their midterm prospects. If their plan succeeds, it would mean short-term gain but long-term pain for the embattled party.
Biden’s Inner Circle Was Willing to Do ‘Undemocratic Things’ to Keep Trump at Bay: Report– www.westernjournal.com Source Link Excerpt:
… “Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again,” written by Jake Tapper of CNN and Alex Thompson of Axios, relies on insiders who shielded the public from seeing Biden in decline.
In a new interview, Thompson said Biden aides believed “picking up the slack” for the former president was preferable to allowing President Donald Trump to return to the White House, according to the New York Post.
In the interview, Shannon Bream of Fox News noted one passage of the book that captured the mindset of aides who believed Biden “just had to win, and then he could disappear for four years. He’d only have to show proof of life every once in a while. … His aides could pick up the slack.”
Thompson noted that one source in the book is “basically admitting he shouldn’t be running again.”
“Well, this person went on to say that when you’re voting for a president, you’re voting for the aides around him. But these aides were not even Senate-confirmed aides. These are White House aides,” Thompson said, according to the Huffington Post.
“These were unelected people. And one of the things that really I think comes out in our reporting here is that if you believe — and I think a lot of these people do sincerely believe that Donald Trump was and is an existential threat to democracy — you can rationalize anything, including sometimes doing undemocratic things, which I think is what this person is talking about,” Thompson said.
Let me just say, based on what the House has passed, our chances of taking back the Senate have just increased because while Republicans claim that their tax scam will lift America across the board. The American people see it’s just plain false.
The polling data shows it. The 0.1% people will get a big tax break. The poorest 20% of Americans actually see their taxes go up. How is that fair? It’s not just taxes, it’s poor. And working class families see the costs of everyday items skyrocket.
Just what they did on the clean energy side will lose millions of jobs and cost people much more on their electricity bills. Families are gonna have to figure out how to find extra money to pay for these energy costs. Families will lose healthcare. Families will lose food benefits. Families will lose jobs, families will lose money.
The reason because the Republicans want a billionaire tax giveaway. And we’re gonna fight this tooth and nail. We know that a lot of Republicans on the Senate side are squirmy about the Medicaid cuts, the disparity in the taxes, the clean energy cuts, et cetera. And we urge everyone who’s listening to this call or who read something in the press or online to make sure that they call their Republican senators and say, don’t vote for this billionaire tax scam.
Early voting in, voter ID out as Democrats advance sweeping election bill – Scranton Times-Tribune Source Link Excerpt:
A sweeping bill to overhaul the commonwealth’s election laws has passed the Pennsylvania House. Its changes would include creating in-person early voting, giving counties more time to process mail ballots, and requiring counties to use mail ballot drop boxes.
But it doesn’t include one provision that will likely be important to its prospects: a voter ID requirement, something that Republicans, who control the state Senate, have always seen as crucial to any election law deal.
State House leaders in both parties have lately said they are open to a voter ID requirement after years of partisan fights. The chamber even advanced a stand-alone bill, sponsored by two swing-district lawmakers, that would create a lenient voter ID requirement for all in-person voters.
However, a top state House Democrat said that bill was pulled from last week’s voting calendar because some Republicans in the chamber weren’t going to vote for it. Given the limited House Democratic support, the proposal would have been short of the 102 votes needed for final passage.
“… I strongly believe now is not the time for another study. Now is the time for continued action that delivers results for the people we serve.”
Maryland Democrat Governor Wes Moore has vetoed a bill that would have created a commission to study and make recommendations regarding reparations for black residents, saying that it is “time to focus on the work itself” rather than another study.
“I applaud the legislature’s work on this bill, and I thank the Black Caucus for their leadership,” Moore wrote in a Friday letter to Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson. “Maryland is proud to be a state with the largest Black Caucus in America, our first Black Attorney General, our first Black Senator, a Black treasurer, and a Black Speaker of the House. We have moved in partnership with leaders across the state to uplift Black families and address racial disparities in our communities. That is the context in which I’ve made this difficult decision. Because while I appreciate the work that went into this legislation, I strongly believe now is not the time for another study. Now is the time for continued action that delivers results for the people we serve.”
Under the bill, the Maryland Reparations Commission would be established to “study and make recommendations relating to appropriate 21 benefits to be offered to individuals impacted by historical inequality,” and issue its final report and recommendations to the governor in 2027.
WASHINGTON — The revelation that former President Biden has advanced prostate cancer generated more questions than answers on Monday, prompting debate among experts in the oncology community over the likely progression of his disease and resurfacing concerns in Washington over his decision last year to run for reelection.
Biden’s private office said Sunday afternoon that he had been diagnosed earlier in the week with an “aggressive form” of the cancer that had already spread to his bones, after urinary symptoms led to the discovery of a nodule on his prostate.
But it was not made clear whether Biden, 82, had been testing his prostate-specific antigens, known as PSA levels, during his presidency — and if so whether those results had indicated an elevated risk of cancer while he was still in office or during his campaign for reelection.
With all of the news surrounding former President Joe Biden over the weekend and into this week, his term as president is coming under considerable scrutiny. Discussion of the administration’s heavy use of the autopen is making a comeback, with “Autopen” trending over X this week. President Donald Trump himself has spoken up about it, in a post over TruthSocial, but also in the Oval Office when speaking to reporters on Tuesday.
As Jeff covered, the president made quite the claim, which is that Biden wasn’t even for open borders, a low mark of his administration, but rather that that was whoever was in charge.
“It wasn’t his idea to Open the Border, and almost destroy our Country, and cost us Hundreds of Billions of Dollars to get criminals out of our Country, and go through the process we are going through now. It was the people that knew he was cognitively impaired, and that took over the Autopen. They stole the Presidency of the United States, and put us in Great Danger,” Trump said in part about Biden and his administration, also warning up the levels this goes to. “This is TREASON at the Highest Level! They did it to destroy our Country. The Joe Biden that everybody knew would never allow drug dealers, gang members, and the mentally insane to come into our Country totally unchecked and unvetted. All anyone has to do is look up his record. Something very severe should happen to these Treasonous Thugs that wanted to destroy our Country, but couldn’t, because I came along. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
9/22. Dementia Joe mutilates The Pledge of Allegiance- During a campaign speech on Monday, Biden attempted to quote the Pledge of Allegiance and delivered a mutilated version of it. Biden’s errors were not done on purpose but were more likely a result of his worsening Dementia. Beyond disagreeing with Biden on most issues, the fact that he is losing his cognitive ability makes the thought of him in the White House extremely frightening.
9/27Joke or Dementia? Biden: ‘I Got to the Senate 180 Years Ago. Does Joe now think he’s 257, considering he “got to the Senate 180 years ago?” He made the statement during a live video address to the U.S. Conference of Mayors. It might have been a Joke. Hmm. Was this another brain freeze? With Biden failing mental facilities, how can we be sure? Perhaps Dementia Joe gave the 180-year response and realized it was wrong as he said it and giggled out of embarrassment. He also said he was Vice President for ten years.
10/13 Joe Biden’s Dementia Particularly Evident On Monday. If Trump made half the errors that Joe did in a single day, the media’s cries for the 25th Amendment would be deafening. Along with the socialist leanings of the Democrats who seem to control his policies, Columbus Day was a particularly frightening day for those who see Joe Biden’s Dementia as another reason he should never be elected President.
Over the weekend, Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna held a town hall in Pennsylvania’s 7th Congressional District, where controversy erupted after a speaker openly praised a convicted cop-killer currently on the FBI’s Most Wanted Terrorists list. City Council Member Ce-Ce Gerlach praised Assata Shakur – who is on the FBI’s Most Wanted Terrorists List for murdering a NJ State Trooper – calling her a “freedom fighter.” Shakur, also known as Joanne Chesimard, was convicted of murdering New Jersey State Trooper Werner Foerster in 1973 and later escaped prison, fleeing to communist Cuba where she remains a fugitive.
“In the words of freedom fighter Assata Shakur, ‘It is our duty to fight for our freedom, it is our duty to win, we must love and protect one another. We’ve got nothing to lose but our chains,” Gerlach said during the town hall.
Khanna didn’t object to Gerlach’s remarks, and neither did Lamont McClure or Carol Obando-Derstine—the Democrats vying for the PA-07 nomination to face Republican Ryan Mackenzie—as both have remained silent and refused to denounce the comments.
The Ohio Republican Party has voted to endorse Vivek Ramaswamy for governor, following President Donald Trump’s endorsement.
At its central committee meeting, the party voted for Ramaswamy over state Attorney General Dave Yost and announced the results in an endorsement social media post on Friday.
“INTRODUCING: Ohio’s Endorsed Candidate for Governor,” the Ohio GOP wrote in the post, along with a photo of Ramaswamy.
President Trump endorsed Ramaswamy for governor in February.
In a post to Truth Social on February 24, Trump wrote:
VIVEK RAMASWAMY is running for Governor of the Great State of Ohio. I know him well, competed against him, and he is something SPECIAL. He’s Young, Strong, and Smart! Vivek is also a very good person, who truly loves our Country. He will be a GREAT Governor of Ohio, will never let you down, and has my COMPLETE AND TOTAL ENDORSEMENT!
After “Far Right” win Suppressed by EU, Romania Delivers an Even BIGGER “Far Right” Victory
The current flag bearer of the de facto “Romania First” party, George Simeon, has finished first in the first round of Romania’s Presidential elections. He won the first round with 41% of the vote to second place Nicusor Dan. He finished with 21% of the total vote. Simeon appears set to win by an even bigger margin of victory than his party leader predecessor, Calin Georgescu, did in December of 2024. That election was cancelled by the EU, and Georgescu banned from running for public office.
Romania’s president appoints caretaker PM following presidential race loss fallout – Euronews Source Link Excerpt:
Romania’s interim president has appointed a caretaker prime minister, a day after Marcel Ciolacu stepped down following the failure of his coalition’s candidate to make the runoff in a rerun of the presidential election.
Ilie Bolojan signed a decree to appoint Interior Minister Catalin Predoiu of the liberal NLP party to helm the government until a new one can be formed.
The interim post can be held for a maximum of 45 days, granting Predoiu limited executive powers.
The shake-up comes after the coalition’s candidate, Crin Antonescu, came third in Sunday’s first round presidential vote, behind nationalist George Simion and pro-Western Bucharest Mayor Nicusor Dan.
Simion heads to the second round of the Romanian Presidential Election as the clear favorite.
The Globalists’ nightmare is fast becoming a reality, as MAGA-influenced, right-winger George Simion – who is against military support for Ukraine and skeptical about the EU – won a major victory in the first round of ‘redo’ of the presidential election in Romania.
“George Simion came first with 40.96% of the vote, and will go into the runoff on 18 May as the clear favorite against the liberal mayor of Bucharest.
Nicusor Dan narrowly beat Crin Antonescu, candidate of the governing coalition, with just under 21% of the vote.”
Calin Georgescu and George Simion.
The presidential election in Romania was cancelled last December over unproven allegations of campaign fraud and Russian interference after Calin Georgescu had an unexpected landslide victory.
Voter ID and vote-by-mail reform bills move to Pa. House – Pennsylvania Capital-Star Source Link Excerpt:
Pennsylvania lawmakers will consider a package of election reforms including a voter ID requirement and changes to the commonwealth’s vote-by-mail law after a House committee passed the long-debated measures.
Most Democrats have staunchly opposed proposals requiring voters to prove their identities every time they vote but leaders have recently expressed a willingness to negotiate in exchange for support on other measures to modernize Pennsylvania’s election system.
On Tuesday, House Bill 771, sponsored by Rep. Thomas Mehaffie (R-Dauphin) passed with a bipartisan 14-12 vote in the House State Government Committee. Democratic Reps John Inglis of Allegheny County and Nancy Guenst of Montgomery County voted in support.
The committee voted along party lines, however, to approve an omnibus bill that would eliminate ambiguity in Act 77, the law that gave Pennsylvanians the option to vote by mail without an excuse for the first time in 2020.
The vote-by-mail provision has been the subject of numerous lawsuits, including one now before the U.S. Supreme Court, as candidates and parties have argued over how election officials should handle irregularities, such as errors on completed ballots, that are not explicitly addressed.
The bill would make clear that county election officials are required to notify voters if their mail-in ballots have been rejected for the lack of a signature and give the voter an opportunity to “cure” the error.
Among other changes, House Bill 1396 would also give election workers up to a week before Election Day to prepare to count mail-in ballots, a process that has been a bottleneck for election results in parts of the state, providing fodder for election deniers.
