“The Supreme Court announced on Tuesday that it would review a long-running dispute over how much information the Department of Government Efficiency formed by Elon Musk must disclose in response to public records requests,” the New York Times reports.
Daily Archives
October 13, 2026
97 posts · Tuesday
Just dropped · Trial Balloon · Ep. 195
Shake Up
Trial Balloon · Ep. 195: Shake Up
The New Campaign Strategy Is Don’t Debate
Time: “In dozens of races up and down the ballot, candidates are forgoing the hallowed tradition of facing their opponent in person to debate actual policy.”
“In more than half of the races for Governor and Senate, the two major-party candidates are not expected to participate in any debates before Election Day. The trend holds even in races viewed as competitive. The non-partisan Cook Political Report rates five races for Governor as true toss-ups. Three—Georgia, Nevada, and Ohio—are not likely to hold a debate. The same is true so far for two of the hardest-fought Senate races—Texas and Ohio.”
“Strategists explain the evolution as a response to how voters are consuming information. They say few voters watch the debates themselves. The more in-depth coverage of a debate offered by local journalists rarely reaches as many voters as the gaffes and gotchas from the event that are clipped and amplified by partisan media.”
Extra Bonus Quote of the Day
“I don’t do this with men very often. I started examining his body. And I looked and I watched up and down. I watched his ass and I looked at the whole. And then I looked at his hands. Look at his hands, he’s got these, like, claws. And I got it. You are a great athlete.”
— President Trump, quoted by the New Republic.
Trump Asked Kimberly Guilfoyle to Resign
“Kimberly Guilfoyle has officially been asked to resign,” the New Republic reports.
“During her first White House press briefing Tuesday, newly-minted Press Secretary Katie Zacharia was asked whether President Donald Trump planned to remove his ambassador to Greece following allegations that she engaged in illegal conduct.”
Said Zacharia: “We have asked Ambassador Guilfoyle to resign. She has been a wonderful asset to the team, and we wish her well.”
Amy Klobuchar Hits 50% for Minnesota Governor
A new Star Tribune/KARE 11/Minnesota Poll poll in Minnesota finds Amy Klobuchar (D) leading Lisa Demuth (R) in the governor’s race, 50% to 41%.
Minnesota Governor’s Race
Amy Klobuchar (D) 50%
Lisa Demuth (R) 41%
Ilhan Omar’s Home Search Breaks Longtime DOJ Practice
“The federal raid at Rep. Ilhan Omar’s home in Washington, D.C. on Monday prompted reactions that fell along party lines: celebration from conservative figures and outrage from the Minneapolis Democrat’s supporters,” the Minnesota Star Tribune reports.
“It also caused some unease among some former federal prosecutors, who say the search appears to have broken a few longstanding political and legal norms within the highest level of government.”
“There has long been an informal DOJ practice to not engage in headline-grabbing investigations or raids for roughly 60 days prior to an election if the matter can wait without jeopardizing a case, so as to not influence voting.”
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Trump Targets Ilhan Omar at Rally
“An Ohio crowd chanted ‘deport’ as President Donald Trump blasted Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) during a campaign rally speech on Monday night,” Fox News reports.
Said Trump: “She’s a disaster. She comes in from a country without laws, without police, without military. All they do is shoot each other, and she comes into our country and she says, ‘I have a constitutional right.’ She’s got a constitutional right. She’s telling us about the Constitution and she’s coming from one of the worst countries anywhere on the planet.”
Ohio Trump Voters Question Whether He Cares
“President Donald Trump carried Ohio in three consecutive elections by promising voters in places like this former steelmaking powerhouse that he would revive American manufacturing and put blue-collar workers first,” the Washington Post reports.
“As he returned Monday to rally support for Republicans in the midterm elections, some onetime supporters question whether the president’s vision of American economic prosperity still includes them.”
“The shift was on display at his rally at the Covelli Centre, where entire sections of the arena and upper levels sat mostly empty.”
Americans’ Confidence in Food Safety Drops to New Low
Gallup: “Americans’ confidence that food sold at most grocery stores is safe to eat has fallen to its lowest level Gallup has recorded, with 65% now very or somewhat confident. That is down from 73% last year and 72% in 2024, and well below the 81% recorded in 2019.”
Talarico Maintains Lead in Texas Senate Race
A new Siena College/ReconMR poll in Texas finds James Talarico (D) leading Ken Paxton (R) in the U.S. Senate race, 48% to 44%.
Texas Senate Race
James Talarico (D) 48%
Ken Paxton (R) 44%
The same poll in Texas finds Greg Abbott (R) leading Gina Hinojosa (D) in the governor’s race, 48% to 47%.
Texas Governor’s Race
Greg Abbott (R) 48%
Gina Hinojosa (D) 47%
Mike Rounds Removes Trump Mentions From Website
“A Senate Republican running for re-election in ruby-red South Dakota has joined a growing number of candidates putting distance between themselves and President Donald Trump,” Fox News reports.
“But it’s more subtle than Republicans opposing the Iran war or dodging Trump campaign visits as Election Day nears and his popularity struggles.”
“Just last month, Trump’s name and endorsement were featured prominently on Republican South Dakota Sen. Mike Rounds’ campaign website, but some mentions of the president have since been scrubbed.”
Most Say Trump Is Illegally or Unethically Profiting
“Most Americans think Donald Trump is profiting off the presidency in unethical or illegal ways and is focused more on his wealth than helping people like them, a new Associated Press-NORC poll finds.
“As Trump’s family business pulls in record money from new ventures helped by his policies, the survey finds that when it comes to allegations that Trump is profiting from the presidency, about 6 in 10 U.S. adults believe he is either illegally profiting or doing something unethical but not illegal. Only about 2 in 10 think the Republican president is doing nothing wrong, while a similar share say they don’t know enough to say.”
“At the same time, just over half of Americans say Trump has prioritized his personal financial interests ‘a lot’ since returning to the White House, while only about one-quarter say he puts the same emphasis on the country as a whole. Few U.S. adults, about 1 in 10, say he’s focused ‘a lot’ on people like them.”
Federal Contract Spending Set to Hit Record
“Federal procurement spending is projected to cross the $1 trillion threshold for the first time, driven by President Donald Trump’s focus on national security and immigration enforcement, according to a Bloomberg Government analysis,” Bloomberg Government reports.
“The record spending via federal contracts in fiscal 2026 reflects the steep cost of the administration’s priorities, and stands out after the now-dormant Department of Government Efficiency sought to slash government programs after Trump returned to office.”
Mary Peltola Raised $17 Million in Q3
“Former Rep. Mary Peltola (D-AK) raked in $17 million over the last three months, a sizable haul for the Democratic challenger in one of the biggest Senate battlegrounds,” Politico reports.
House Dems Launch Ads in Four More Trump Districts
“House Democrats’ campaign arm is expanding its target list just three weeks ahead of Election Day, going on the air for the first time in four more districts with coordinated ad buys with the candidates,” Politico reports.
“The move, part of $13 million in coordinated ads launching this week across 39 districts is the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s largest reach of investments this cycle as Republicans are working to defend a slew of redder seats in the final stretch.”
Republicans Retreat in Two More House Districts
The Congressional Leadership Fund and a super PAC aligned with President Trump are canceling planned advertising to help two House GOP incumbents — Reps. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA) and Tom Kean Jr. (R-NJ) — in a sign they no longer believe they can win reelection, the New York Times reports.
Democrats Hold Comfortable Lead On Generic Ballot
A new NewsNation-Decision Desk HQ/TrueDot.ai poll finds Democrats leading Republicans on the generic congressional ballot, 49% to 42%.
Generic Congressional Ballot
Democrats 49%
Republicans 42%
Taegan Goddard
Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire -- which for more than two decades has been one of the nation's most influential political news sites.
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