Political Wire

Democrats Target Republicans Who Voted for SNAP Cuts

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“About a year ago, cuts to the nation’s largest food assistance program went into effect as part of the Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill, affecting about 4.5 million Americans. Nearly all House Republicans voted for reductions to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, despite pleas from food banks and anti-hunger organizations,” the Washington Post reports.

“On Wednesday, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee plans to roll out mobile billboards targeting a handful of House Republicans in swing districts who voted for the cuts, accusing them of taking food off voters’ plates.”

Republicans Scramble Amid Backlash Against Data Centers

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Time: “The backlash is stealthily turning midterm elections across the country into referendums on anxieties about an economy overrun by A.I., and specifically the role of those data centers that appear to be sending both electricity bills and NIMBY-ism spiking.”

“The shift also sets in motion a messy collision between the GOP candidates adjusting to voter sentiment and the parochial whims of their party leader.”

I’ve long suspected the backlash against data centers is less about the technology itself than it is about the billionaires who control it.
Taegan

Trump Scoffs at ‘Affordability’ Issues Knows It’s a Big Deal

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“President Donald Trump often dismisses ‘affordability’ as a political attack line from Democrats. He’s still worried about it,” Politico reports.

“The president’s latest bid to lower beef prices is a last-ditch effort to ease consumer strain at the grocery store, a key driver of negative sentiment. The move, which angered farm-state Republicans and agriculture industry groups who say they were ‘blindsided’ by the announcement, underscores the growing concern inside the White House that stubborn inflation could doom the GOP’s prospects in November.”

“That fear is fueled by internal polling, reviewed by Trump and his team, which shows grocery prices top the list of Americans’ cost-of-living worries.”

Trump Now Underwater On Every Major Issue

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G. Elliot Morris: “In our new Strength In Numbers/Verasight poll, fielded Aug. 14–19, President Donald Trump’s net approval on border security — his best issue in this tracker for most of the past year and a half — fell to −5, the worst mark we’ve recorded on it and now squarely net-negative. Every one of the 12 issues we test is now underwater, and not one of them improved this month.”

“The president heads into the home stretch of the midterm elections at nearly a high point for intensity of opposition to him.”

Lawyers Gear Up as Trump Threatens Election Officials

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“The Trump administration in recent weeks has warned states that it would withhold federal funding and even arrest and prosecute election officials if noncitizens cast ballots in federal elections,” the Washington Post reports.

“Now, with high-stakes midterm elections only months away, private voting rights attorneys and some attorneys general in Democratic states are gearing up to defend election officials and file lawsuits against the federal government if they believe the Trump administration is attempting to undermine the elections.”

Trump Plans to Buy Midterm Ads About His Own Record

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“President Trump gathered his top political advisers in the Oval Office early this month to solve a problem of riches: how to spend his super PAC’s $400 million political war chest with fewer than 100 days to go before the midterm elections,” The Atlantic reports.

“Republican strategists are concerned about Trump’s low approval ratings and voter anxiety about the economy… Some GOP strategists favor focusing entirely on specific races in an effort to convince voters of the merits of individual candidates and local issues.”

“But Trump himself has rejected that approach. House and Senate Democrats, the president noted during the meeting, will make their fall campaigns a referendum on him. His advisers told him that the poor polling reflects the fact that the voting public still does not know about many of his accomplishments—the dozens of new stock-market highs, a decline in fentanyl deaths, the ‘sealed’ southern border, the increase in domestic-manufacturing production.”

Trump wants the midterms to be a referendum on his presidency.
Taegan

Alaska’s Senate Race Will Feature Two Dan Sullivans

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“Two Dan Sullivans will be on the ballot in November for Alaska’s Senate seat, CNN’s Decision Desk projects, an outcome that could benefit Democratic former Rep. Mary Peltola’s bid to flip the seat,” CNN reports.

“While incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan and Peltola were virtual locks to advance from last week’s all-party primary, where the top four vote finishers regardless of party affiliation continue to the general election, political newcomer and former school teacher Dan J. Sullivan secured his spot with just a few percentage points of the vote.”

“The ascent of Sullivan’s same-name challenger realizes a long-held GOP fear in Alaska, where voters will use a ranked-choice voting system in November. With two Dan Sullivans on the ballot, Republicans are increasingly concerned that newcomer Sullivan, who filed to run as a Republican, will confuse voters and split the vote in what is shaping up to be a highly competitive race.”

New York Times: In headache for Republicans, second Dan Sullivan advances in Alaska Senate race.

Trump’s Trade Moves Add to GOP’s Midterm Anxieties

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“Republicans were already struggling to defuse simmering voter frustrations over the cost of living ahead of the midterms. Then President Donald Trump rekindled his trade wars,” Politico reports.

”Trump’s latest actions — especially his decision to impose 50 percent tariffs on $20 billion worth of Canadian goods, inviting retaliatory duties from America’s No. 2 trading partner — has sparked new pushback from GOP lawmakers and candidates.”

Trump Slingshots Darline Graham to Victory

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“President Trump had seemed to be in danger of taking a major defeat on Tuesday night,” the New York Times reports.

“His choice for Senate in South Carolina, Darline Graham, had admitted at a debate that she wasn’t ‘that informed on national security.’ Mr. Trump’s so-far-stingy super PAC was forced to spend more than $800,000 to help her. Many South Carolina Republicans expected her to lose, in what would have been the president’s first defeat in a Senate primary all year.”

“Instead, as Mr. Trump has done often since his rise to power a decade ago, he defied electoral expectations.”

Bloomberg: Trump pick Darline Graham wins South Carolina Senate runoff.

How Corporate PAC Money Gets to Dems Who Swore It Off

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“Democratic candidates’ call to get money out of politics is a central theme in the 2026 midterms, with dozens of Democratic incumbents and candidates pledging to reject donations from corporate political action committees,” NOTUS reports.

“But there’s a workaround that is enabling the flow of money from business interests into the campaign accounts of many Democrats who otherwise reject cash from corporate PACs.”

Democrats Score Victory in Campaign Finance Case

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“In the obscure yet consequential world of the cost of television ads for political candidates and parties, Democrats scored a legal victory on Tuesday ahead of the midterm elections,” the New York Times reports.

“A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit ruled that low-cost ad rates that candidates qualify for do not have to be made available to political parties.”

“The ruling is a win for Democrats, whose candidates tend to raise more money than its committees. The opposite is true for Republicans, whose party committees are more flush with cash than many of its individual candidates.”

Trump’s Trade War Gives Republicans Another Headache

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“President Donald Trump’s latest trade policies are creating new political headaches for Republicans, threatening their efforts to address voters’ economic concerns less than three months from the midterm elections,” NOTUS reports.

“In the past week, Trump escalated a costly trade war with Canada and allowed cheap beef imports to flood the U.S. market, angering many in his party who believe his policies are harming key industries and making things more expensive for consumers and businesses alike.”

“The GOP opposition was public and swift, and included Republican candidates and party leaders.”

Federal Judge Halts Ohio Proof-of-Citizenship Requirement

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“A federal judge temporarily blocked Ohio from requiring proof of citizenship when registering to vote at motor vehicle offices, a setback for conservative efforts to tighten voter registration rules ahead of the November midterms,” the Washington Post reports.

“Ohio’s law requiring proof of citizenship at Bureau of Motor Vehicles’ offices conflicts with the federal National Voter Registration Act, the court said. A preliminary injunction was granted on Tuesday.”

Trump Is Having Trouble Changing How Americans Vote

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“For much of his second term, President Donald Trump has been trying to dramatically change how people vote. He’s pushed to limit (or ban) mail voting, create strict voter ID laws, require verification of citizenship, and even once said that Republicans should ‘take over the voting’ and nationalize it,” the Washington Post reports.

“His attempts to make sweeping changes to election law have been mostly unsuccessful so far, but they have created a lot of uncertainty about how elections will be run — including this fall. In some states, ballots for November’s election will get mailed next week.”

“Election experts worry some confused voters will opt out of participating altogether.”

Taegan Goddard

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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