October 4, 2026

Politico: “Pete Buttigieg is barnstorming the nation in the final weeks before the midterms, boosting candidates in battlegrounds and even areas traditionally hostile to Democrats. And it’s helping him look beyond November.”

”Down the homestretch, Buttigieg is set to campaign in at least six states: North Carolina, Virginia, New Jersey, Georgia and Nevada, along with his adopted home state of Michigan.”

“Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, a Democrat whose father held the same job just over a decade ago, wants you to know that he’s not a ‘nepo baby,'” Axios reports.

“Beshear brought up the phrase unprompted when Axios asked him to respond to critics who say that he won his ruby-red state largely because his dad, Steve, was elected to statewide office there four times before.”

“Beshear is likely trying get ahead of the ‘nepo baby’ charge because it could undermine one of his main pitches as a potential 2028 presidential candidate — that his success in Kentucky means he’s more electable than other Democrats.”

“Sen. John Kennedy said he would consider jumping in the 2028 presidential race if he does not like his party’s options for the Republican nominee,” the Washington Sun reports.

Said Kennedy: “On my side of the aisle, if a bunch of goobers run, and I think they’re goobers, and one of the goobers might win, and I think I could do a better job, I would consider running.”

New York Times: “Kansas’s farming-heavy economy has been buffeted by challenges both of the president’s making and out of his control.”

“Mr. Trump’s war with Iran has driven up the costs of gasoline and diesel.”

“The president, as part of his trade wars, has allowed a flood of ground beef imports into the United States with lower tariffs, squeezing Kansas cattle farmers.”

“And the administration’s immigration crackdown has rattled ranchers who rely on immigrants to keep the cattle supply chain moving.”