“The nation’s election system is in a messy legal limbo, with fights over mail-in voting, electoral maps and voter records still locked in court,” Axios reports.
“Americans are in the eye of the storm, with over half saying they don’t think the 2026 midterms will be conducted fairly or are unsure, according to a new poll.”
“Just 45% think the midterms will be conducted fairly, a sentiment shared by 37% of independents and 48% of both Democrats and Republicans.”
James Talarico (D) said his opponent, Ken Paxton (R), “is ‘lying to the people of Texas’ with a new AI advertisement that Talarico said puts ‘words in my mouth,'” CBS News reports.
Said Talarico: “When you look at this ad, they are using AI in order to mislead the people of this state, and that is completely consistent with a liar like Ken Paxton.”
“President Trump’s unusual midterm convention is also an unusual fund-raising opportunity for the Republican Party,” the New York Times reports.
“To begin with, the two-day extravaganza in Dallas is more like a cash-for-seat reception than it is a traditional experience for delegates who carry out party business at a normal presidential-year convention.”
“Mr. Trump’s convention will still have unofficial delegates, even if they have no formal business to conduct — and some state parties are charging them for the right to attend, much as fund-raising events charge those who want to attend a VIP reception.”
A new The Economist/YouGov poll finds President Trump’s approval at 37%, while 61% disapprove.
“President Trump’s departure to Texas on Wednesday was delayed after an inflatable emergency slide on the new Qatar-gifted Air Force One deployed on the tarmac before he boarded, prompting workers to eventually remove it,” CBS News reports.
“Republicans are using their midterm convention to make a congressional stock-trading ban part of their anti-corruption pitch — even as President Donald Trump’s own investment accounts continue actively trading millions of dollars,” CNBC reports.
“Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) is one of at least two speakers expected to call for restrictions on congressional stock trading during the Dallas convention’s opening day Wednesday, which includes a focus on ‘Government Integrity.'”
“Since returning to office, Trump has maintained an unusually large and active investment portfolio.”
A new Univision/YouGov poll finds James Talarico (D) leading Ken Paxton (R) in the U.S. Senate race, 48% to 43%.
A new Univision/YouGov poll in Texas finds Gina Hinojosa (D) and Greg Abbott (R) tied in the governor’s race, 47% to 47%.
“The idea of federal law enforcement seizing ballots in the middle of an active election would have once been considered impossible,” NPR reports.
“Now, as President Trump continues his unprecedented hunt for voter fraud, ballot seizures and search warrants are scenarios voting officials and the legal community are actively preparing for.”
“UCLA’s Safeguarding Democracy Project released a guide Wednesday to help judges navigate search warrant affidavits related to the voting process.”
“One thing is missing from President Trump’s midterm gathering for Republicans this week: any semblance of official party business that forms the backbone of traditional quadrennial conventions,” the New York Times reports.
“Essentially, Mr. Trump has stripped out all the perfunctory, yet necessary, parts of a typical presidential convention and kept the made-for-TV elements.”
“Only once before in modern political history, in 1982, has a national party held a midterm-year gathering in advance of the midterm elections. That event, held by Democrats, went so poorly that the next party chairman called such events ‘places for mischief’ and canceled plans to do it again in 1986.”
Reuters: What to know about Trump’s unusual midterm convention.
“Millions of residents could be excluded from the U.S. census, congressional representation could be reshaped and federal funds could be reallocated across states under changes proposed by the Trump administration,” the Washington Post reports.
“In the proposal posted to the federal register Wednesday, the Census Bureau suggested adding a citizenship question to the decennial questionnaire, which President Donald Trump has wanted since his first term.”
“The U.S. Postal Service is poised to play a critical new role in determining which mail ballots are delivered to voters this fall,” the New York Times reports.
“If the Supreme Court allows President Trump to move forward with an executive order he issued in March, the agency would screen ballots after they are submitted by election officials and would deliver only those that comply with new rules.”
“Two dozen states have sued to halt the plan, calling it unconstitutional.”
New York Times: Trump’s mail voting plan is coming to a head. Here’s what to know.
“As Republicans gather with President Donald Trump in Dallas this week in an effort to boost their sagging midterm elections prospects, their political challenges mounted with an ominous number flashing across financial terminals and news sites: $100,” the Washington Post reports.
“Brent crude, the global benchmark for oil, crossed that threshold Wednesday amid fresh fighting in Iran, dimming the GOP’s hopes that the high gas prices driving voter frustration would ease before ballots are cast.”
“The elevated oil price is certain to push up prices at the pump, which are already averaging more than $4 per gallon of regular gasoline nationwide, in this final stretch of the campaign.”
Fox News: Record gas prices squeeze Americans as summer travel season ends, midterms loom and Iran war wages on.
“I mean, this is the most corrupt administration in American history. Donald Trump makes Richard Nixon look like a choir boy. It ain’t even close.”
— House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), quoted by MS NOW.
“Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, when asked whether she’d consider running for Texas governor or a Senate seat, said she is focused on her current job,” Bloomberg reports.
Said Rollins: “That is a ‘no’ right now for sure. We’ve got way too much to do to be thinking about a potential run in the future.”
“Iran is ready for a more intense war and will escalate its counterstrikes if the U.S. continues attacking its territory and infrastructure, according to a senior official from the Islamic Republic,” Bloomberg reports.
“Tehran has no intention of backing down in the face of an American naval blockade and attacks on its oil tankers, said the official, who asked not to be identified discussing sensitive matters. Economic pain may be increasing, they said, but the country’s leaders see the war with the U.S. as posing an existential threat that leaves them little choice but to keep fighting.”
“The U.S. military’s top officer said Wednesday that the Pentagon needs Congress to approve a defense budget as the department negotiates deals with weapons makers to rapidly expand munitions production,” the Washington Sun reports.
“Gen. Dan Caine, the chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, stopped short of discussing the Pentagon’s recent munitions agreements specifically. But his comments come as the department is striking ambitious, long-term deals with defense companies whose production goals depend on funding Congress has yet to provide.”
Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.
Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.
Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.
Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.
Goddard is the owner of Goddard Media LLC.
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