Florida Democratic Senate candidate Angie Nixon is running a coffee shop and bookstore in Jacksonville where, according to her own account, customers can receive free Plan B emergency contraceptive pills.
Nixon, a Democratic Socialist state representative, owns Café Resistance, which she describes as a “bookstore, coffee shop, and community hub.” In a <a href="https://convergencemag.com/articles/angie-nixon-dont-surrender-power/">June interview</a>, Nixon said the business distributes free Plan B while also hosting events and conversations for members of the “LGBTQ community.”
“We offer free black history lessons on the first and third Saturday,” Nixon said in the interview. “We host mental health workshops. We give away free Plan B emergency contraceptive pills. We invite the LGBTQ community to host conversations that build bridges.” Nixon described the establishment as a “safe place and community hub,” saying she opened it in response to Florida legislation restricting books and classroom instruction.
The café’s role in distributing contraception is one part of Nixon’s radical record on social issues that has put her at odds with Florida Republicans and Gov. Ron DeSantis. Nixon has <a href="https://x.com/AngieNixon/status/1622034876680527872?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1622034876680527872%7Ctwgr%5Efce7b459fa6eb025bc02c23b0682574de54838ae%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Ftennesseestar.com%2Fnews%2Fflorida-democrat-admits-taking-daughter-to-drag-shows-just-folx-dancing-in-cute-outfit%2Fsberry%2F2023%2F02%2F07%2F">repeatedly</a> <a href="https://x.com/NRSC/status/2089882534125478399?s=20">defended</a> bringing her children to drag performances. In 2023, amid debate over Florida legislation restricting minors’ access to adult live performances containing lewd or sexual content, Nixon <a href="https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2023/04/12/florida-lawmaker-on-concept-of-erasing-lgbtq-community-over-drag-show-drama-damn-right/">said</a> the legislation was “designed to target parents like me.”
“I know what’s appropriate for my child &amp; this is taking away MY PARENTAL RIGHTS,” Nixon wrote at the time, describing the drag show as “just folx dancing in cute outfits.” Nixon has also opposed Republican-backed restrictions on transgender policies in Florida schools. During debate over legislation expanding Florida’s Parental Rights in Education law and restricting schools from using pronouns that do not correspond with a student’s sex, Nixon <a href="https://www.clickorlando.com/news/2023/04/01/florida-house-backs-parental-rights-in-education-law-expansion/">said</a>, “The LGBTQ community isn’t going away, trans people aren’t going away.”
After the Supreme Court ruled that states and schools could prohibit transgender women and girls from participating in women’s sports, Nixon put out a <a href="https://angienixon.com/u-s-senate-candidate-angie-nixon-responds-to-scotus-ruling-allowing-states-to-bar-transgender-girls-from-girls-sports/">statement</a> criticizing the decision, arguing that it put “trans children and all young girls and women athletes in harm’s way.”
She also previously accused DeSantis of attempting to “eliminate black history and push out our LGBTQ friends.” Nixon is now taking that record to the statewide stage as she seeks to fill the Senate seat once held by Secretary of State Marco Rubio. She will face current Senator Ashley Moody to finish Rubio’s term — which ends in January 2029. Her campaign is centered on issues such as housing, wages, health care, and organized labor, while her record on cultural issues places her firmly on the party’s far-left wing.
Democrats face a steep climb in Florida, where Republicans have won statewide elections by increasingly wide margins. Nixon nevertheless argues that year-round organizing and an appeal to disaffected working-class voters can give Democrats a path back to power.
Whether that strategy can overcome Florida’s political landscape remains to be seen. But Nixon is offering voters a candidacy that pairs an explicitly socialist economic agenda with a far-left approach to some of the country’s most contentious cultural issues — a record that includes bringing her children to drag shows and operating a café where customers can receive free Plan B.

Florida Senate Candidate Angie Nixon Rallies Supporters On Eve Of Primary Election

Dem Senate Candidate Gives Out Free Plan B At Her Cafe

2026 Midterms

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A questionable consensus has hardened on the Democratic Left. Israel, we are told with certainty, sits at the eye of American political power, its lobby the most potent, its money the most corrosive, and its influence the real reason United States policy bends and folds the way it does. The claim is repeated so often, and with such confidence, that it has begun to pass for common knowledge. It is also being deployed, quite deliberately, as a midterm strategy.
According to the <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/fara">OpenSecrets</a> compilation of Foreign Agents Registration Act filings since 2016, Israel ranks tenth in total foreign lobbying spending. China, Qatar, Japan, Liberia, and Saudi Arabia all stand higher, and several other states outrank it as well. 
<a href="https://aipac.org/truth-lobbying">Israel</a> is not the largest foreign lobbyist operating in the United States by this measure.
<a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2026/06/22/mamdani-called-aipac-dark-money-monsters-none-of-the-candidates-seem-to-care-00970873">Zohran Mamdani</a> has called AIPAC “monsters” who move “millions in dark money” to preserve their power, turn Americans against one another, and obstruct an end to what he terms genocide. <a href="https://www.memri.org/tv/abdul-el-sayed-michigan-aipac-two-masters-israel-most-egregious-example">Abdul El-Sayed</a> has described Israel as “the most egregious” foreign government shaping American politics and declared that “our foreign policy has been handed to us by the likes of the State of Israel and AIPAC.”
<a href="https://www.axios.com/2025/10/24/axios-show-bernie-sanders-aipac-oligarchy">Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT)</a> has cast the same organization as part of a billionaire oligarchy that systematically defeats progressive critics while shielding Netanyahu. <a href="https://allisraelnews.com/rep-alexandria-ocasio-cortez-says-us-congress-is-overly-influenced-by-aipac">Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY)</a> has said Congress is “overly influenced” by AIPAC and labeled it an extremist organization that destabilizes American democracy. <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/04/us/politics/aipac-congress-democrats.html">Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN)</a> has asked why other interest groups may be scrutinized while the most “powerful lobbying group” pushing “allegiance to a foreign country” remains insulated, reducing the entire relationship to “all about the Benjamins.”
These statements are more than isolated criticisms. They form a working political agenda that turns policy disagreement into a story of external control and compromised government institutions.
Sixty percent of U.S. adults now hold an <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2026/04/07/negative-views-of-israel-netanyahu-continue-to-rise-among-americans-especially-young-people/">unfavorable</a> view of Israel, up from 53% last year. Among Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents, the number is far higher: eight in 10 view Israel unfavorably, up from 69% a year ago and 53% in 2022. Democrats under 50 years old are especially negative, with nearly half saying their view is very unfavorable. One recent survey also found that nearly three in 10 young Americans now view Jews as a <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/nearly-one-third-of-young-americans-view-jews-as-a-threat-to-society-poll/">threat</a> to society. 
Candidates who keep calling Israel the biggest foreign lobby are both speaking to and helping expand an audience that has already moved sharply against the Middle East nation, especially among younger Democrats. The claim encourages the belief that the American government itself is aligned with and controlled by Israel. For socialist and DSA-aligned activists, that picture is unifying. Their attitude is encapsulated by the Faust quote: &#8220;For all that comes into being deserves to perish.&#8221; It is a way of seeing the world that takes less intellectual effort and is more seductive.
That concentration of attention is harder to justify when larger foreign influences are taken into account. Qatar has directed <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/qatars-billions-raise-new-questions-about-foreign-influence-on-campus">billions</a> into American universities, financing socialist student organizations on campuses, research centers, and academic programming that shape how students understand the Middle East and the Jewish state. 
At the same time, a longer-running network with documented ties to the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/senate-hearing-pulls-back-curtain-on-muslim-brotherhoods-ties-to-hamas">Muslim Brotherhood</a> and Hamas-supporting infrastructure has spent decades building influence through nonprofits, campus organizing, and educational programming. The 2008 Holy Land Foundation case and later Senate testimony showed this network continuing to operate. This operation helps produce a younger cohort already primed to see Israel as uniquely illegitimate and powerful, which makes the progressive claim that Israel is the top foreign lobby land more easily and turn more readily into votes.
China has spent heavily through its own channels, advancing influence that frequently aligns with socialist and communist political ideologies, and the Foreign Agents Registration Act database shows multiple countries exceeding Israel’s registered foreign agent spending. A movement truly focused on foreign influence would examine the largest spenders and the most embedded ideological networks with equal criticism.
In a midterm cycle in which Democrats are still trying to take back the House, calling Israel the biggest foreign lobby remains useful even when the numbers say otherwise. If they win the chamber, they regain the power to investigate and, if the politics allow it, try to <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/restoring-america/faith-freedom-self-reliance/4539460/republicans-cant-take-2026-midterm-elections-for-granted/">impeach</a> President Trump again. That is why the claim continues. It is not sustained by the data; it’s sustained by what it can still deliver in an election year.

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The Left’s Israel Obsession And The Fiction Of Its Foreign Influence

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New court records show that the mother of Democratic Michigan Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed worked for an American-based Islamic charity later designated by the federal government as a terrorism supporter, after the organization was accused of financially supporting Osama bin Laden, the Taliban, and Hamas.
Fatten Fathy Elkomy, El-Sayed’s birth mother, worked for the Islamic American Relief Agency (IARA), also known as the Islamic African Relief Agency, from 1999 through at least 2004, according to records first reported by the <a href="https://www.themidwesterner.news/2026/08/docs-abdul-el-sayeds-mother-worked-for-designated-terror-group-iara-that-provided-direct-financial-support-to-osama-bin-laden-taliban-hamas">Midwesterner</a>. The Treasury Department designated IARA a global terrorist organization in October 2004.
The Treasury Department <a href="https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/js2026">accused</a> IARA’s international offices of providing “direct financial support” to bin Laden, al-Qaeda, and other terrorist organizations. 
The Treasury designation said IARA had been affiliated with Maktab al-Khidamat, an organization co-founded and financed by bin Laden that was a precursor to al-Qaeda. According to the department, IARA and bin Laden’s network had commingled funds and cooperated in fundraising and spending. An IARA program also worked with an institute controlled by bin Laden that provided assistance to Taliban fighters, Treasury said.
The department further said that information available to the U.S. government showed that overseas IARA branches provided hundreds of thousands of dollars to bin Laden in 1999. 
IARA&#8217;s American operation was later separately prosecuted by the Justice Department over illegal transfers to Iraq. In 2016, IARA-USA <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdmo/pr/iara-pleads-guilty-transferring-nearly-14-million-iraq-violation-sanctions?">pleaded guilty</a> to conspiring to violate U.S. sanctions and other offenses after secretly transferring $1.375 million to Iraq. 
Federal prosecutors said the organization had used its tax-exempt status to solicit donations while concealing prohibited transfers. The organization was subsequently dissolved. 
Several IARA officials and employees were also prosecuted. Executive Director Mubarak Hamed received nearly five years in prison after pleading guilty to conspiring to illegally transfer more than $1 million to Iraq, obstructing tax laws, and lying to federal agents. Another top IARA fundraiser pleaded guilty to conspiring to lobby for the organization’s removal from a government list of charities suspected of terrorist ties. 
Elkomy was not charged in the federal case or named as a co-conspirator, and the court records cited here do not establish that she knowingly supported terrorism.
In a 2004 interview with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Elkomy defended her work for IARA, saying she was helping orphans and children who had lost a parent. 
“I’ve been working there serving orphans and children with at least one deceased parent, and it breaks my heart they’re not going to get any help,” Elkomy said at the time.
Court records from the subsequent IARA prosecution nevertheless reference Elkomy multiple times. According to the Midwesterner’s review of the government&#8217;s proposed exhibit list, her name appears in 14 exhibits, including records involving eight wire transfers and five recorded telephone calls between 1999 and 2002. 
One document concerned an IARA-USA request to transfer $24,607.34 to its Iraq office.
The revelation comes as El-Sayed, who narrowly <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/abdul-el-sayed-secures-far-lefts-biggest-victory-yet-over-dem-establishment">won the Democratic nomination</a> for Michigan’s open Senate seat earlier this month, campaigns to become the first Muslim elected to the U.S. Senate. He will face Republican Mike Rogers in November.
The newly uncovered records add to previously reported connections between El-Sayed’s family and organizations with documented ties to Islamist networks. His father-in-law, Tayeb Jukaku, <a href="https://freebeacon.com/democrats/abdul-el-sayeds-father-in-law-a-top-donor-to-an-el-sayed-super-pac-is-among-top-leaders-of-muslim-brotherhood-organization-linked-to-terror-funding/">has served</a> on the founding committee of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) since at least 2007 and previously served as president of the Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). Jukaku has also contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars to Fighting for Michigan PAC, a super PAC supporting El-Sayed. 
Both ISNA and CAIR were identified as unindicted co-conspirators in the federal Holy Land Foundation terrorism-financing case. Federal prosecutors claimed that the Holy Land Foundation funneled more than $12 million to Hamas, while a federal judge later found that the government had presented ample evidence connecting ISNA and CAIR to Hamas. 
The family connections come as El-Sayed has faced scrutiny over his own <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/abdul-el-sayed-dedicated-his-life-to-sharia-law">past statements </a>concerning Islam and Sharia law. As a 24-year-old medical student in 2009, El-Sayed told The New York Times that he had chosen a Sharia-compliant mortgage because he did not want to reach the end of his life having failed to follow Islamic law.
“Ultimately, the question is, when I die and I stand before God and go through everything I did in my life, I don’t want to say I did it the easy way instead of the Sharia-compliant way,” El-Sayed said at the time.
The Daily Wire reached out to El-Sayed’s campaign for comment but did not receive a response before publication.

Abdul El-Sayed/Dearborn

Abdul El-Sayed’s Mother Worked For Terror Group That Funded Bin Laden And Taliban

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Graham Platner, the former Democratic Senate nominee, is scheduled to headline a Labor Day rally in Ellsworth, Maine, next month, marking one of his first public appearances since his scandal-infested campaign collapsed.
The event, billed as a “Labor Day Rally for Labor,” is being organized by Hancock County Activists and Acadia Action Peacemakers, two groups that have helped organize “No Kings” protests and other activist events in the area. According to <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2026/08/13/graham-platner-maine-event-speaker-01036207">Politico</a>, Platner will speak about the history of unions and the role organized labor has played in American communities. The event is scheduled for Sept. 7 at Ellsworth City Hall.
The Hancock County Democratic Party has said that the event is not an official party function and is not affiliated with the Maine Democratic Party. The county party has nevertheless <a href="https://hancockdems.org/event/labor-day-rally-2026/">shared information</a> about the event, with social media posts mentioning Platner&#8217;s appearance reportedly deleted while the event remained listed on its website.
Platner&#8217;s return to the public eye comes mere months after he abandoned his campaign against Republican Sen. Susan Collins. Platner won the Democratic nomination in June and quickly became a national figure, winning endorsements from prominent left-wing figures including Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA). His campaign subsequently unraveled after <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/a-new-sexual-assault-accusation-rocks-maine-democrat-graham-platner">reports came out</a> that a former girlfriend accused him of sexually assaulting her in 2021. Platner denied the allegation and said the accusations were false.
The allegations followed months of other controversies surrounding the candidate, including sexually explicit messages sent to women, controversial social media posts, allegations from former girlfriends of disturbing behavior, and a tattoo of Nazi imagery.
Ultimately, Platner <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/platner-caves-suspends-senate-campaign">suspended his campaign</a> in July, and Maine Democrats subsequently <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/democrat-party-bosses-crown-new-nominee-to-replace-graham-platner">selected</a> former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson to replace him on the ballot.
Jackson has attempted to distance himself from the controversy while inheriting Platner&#8217;s Democratic coalition. He previously endorsed Platner and appeared alongside him at campaign events, but called for Platner to leave the race after the sexual assault allegation emerged.
Platner has largely remained out of the public eye since departing the race. His upcoming Labor Day appearance suggests that, despite his political collapse, he may not be finished playing a role in Maine and in the far-Left political movement more broadly.

Maine Senate Candidate Graham Platner Holds His Primary Election Night Event

Graham Platner Isn’t Exiting The Stage In Maine

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The socialist frontrunner in Wisconsin&#8217;s Democratic gubernatorial primary hired a self-described &#8220;sex worker&#8221; to run her campaign and voted against a law that bans grooming children.
State Rep. Francesca Hong, who held a 20-point advantage in the polls going into Tuesday&#8217;s primary, was one of just six Wisconsin lawmakers to vote against a measure that bars adults from &#8220;engaging in a course of conduct, pattern of behavior, or series of acts with the intention to condition, seduce, solicit, lure, or entice a child&#8221; to participate in sexual activity or pornography.
The bill overwhelmingly passed the Wisconsin State Assembly 93-6 and cleared the state Senate by voice vote before Democratic Gov. Tony Evers (D-WI) signed it into law in March.
Hong, according to The New York Post&#8217;s <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/08/11/us-news/wisconsin-socialist-francesca-hong-voted-against-anti-child-grooming-law-responding-to-pervy-teacher-pursuing-14-year-old/">report</a>, has not publicly explained why she voted against the legislation. Others who voted against argued that it was redundant to existing state law.
The legislation initially came about as a response to the case of Christian Enwright, 31, — a teacher from Kenosha who pled guilty to 15 misdemeanor counts of &#8220;<a href="https://captimes.com/news/education/kenosha-teacher-scandal-spurs-legislation-new-policy-and-a-lawsuit/article_28fc8e7e-4328-4e32-9881-bda07e89388e.html">disorderly conduct</a>&#8221; in connection with his interactions with students, including a 14-year-old girl.
&#8220;[Enwright] engaged in classic grooming behavior, preying on the vulnerability of at least one female student, under the guise of being a mentor, to foster and further a predatory relationship with her,&#8221; a school district investigator said.
In addition to inspiring the new anti-grooming law, Enright&#8217;s actions sparked a lawsuit by a student&#8217;s parents against both him and the school district. Media outlets did not publish the names of either the girl or her parents because she still attended school in the district.
Hong entered Tuesday&#8217;s primary as the clear polling frontrunner. The democratic socialist has raised eyebrows during the campaign with a number of her old social media posts — in which she called for the cancellation of Thanksgiving and suggested abolishing the Senate.
She has also called for defunding the police — a position she&#8217;s tried to temper throughout her campaign — as recently as 2021, saying, &#8220;Police exist to uphold white supremacy. Defund then abolish. Reform can’t be an option.&#8221;
She also made headlines with her support for legalizing sex work, a point she punctuated by hiring an OnlyFans model to manage her campaign.

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Socialist Voted Against Child-Grooming Bill. She Might Be Elected Governor.

Socialist Voted Against Law That Bans Grooming Kids. She Might Be Elected Governor.

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Governor Gavin Newsom (D-CA) is scrambling to rewrite history — and reinvent himself — as his party lurches leftward and embraces candidate after candidate who&#8217;s younger and more extreme than the last.
Newsom, recognizing the appetite in his party for &#8220;insurgents&#8221; and agents of &#8220;change,&#8221; insisted that he could be all of those things while also bringing the experience that came with his more than two decades in elected office.
&#8220;I think what&#8217;s happening is there&#8217;s just a desire for change,&#8221; Newsom said. &#8220;I think this notion of insurgency over incumbency is the real message here, and people just want fighters — they want people with conviction, strength, clarity, people that get it and want to get things done. And they&#8217;re done with the status quo, and I totally respect that.&#8221;
Newsom went on to claim that despite his eight years as governor — and more than a decade in elected office prior to that — he was not an example of the &#8220;status quo&#8221; people were so desperate to leave behind. Instead, he still viewed himself as the &#8220;insurgent&#8221; rather than the &#8220;incumbent,&#8221; coining a new phrase to describe his position in the field: &#8220;established insurgent.&#8221;
&#8220;I&#8217;ve long felt like I&#8217;ve been an established insurgent,&#8221; he explained, adding, &#8220;I&#8217;ve always had that mindset. I&#8217;ve been in elected office a long time, but I&#8217;ve never been naive about people&#8217;s desire for change, including my own desire for change.&#8221;
Newsom&#8217;s comments came as he traveled to Michigan, where Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed eked out a narrow victory over the more established Democrat Rep. Haley Stevens. The likely 2028 hopeful brushed aside concerns about El-Sayed&#8217;s more extreme views and alignment with far-Left streamer <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hasan-piker-gloats-over-socialist-election-victories">Hasan Piker</a> — who is well known for praising Islamist terrorist groups like Hamas and Hezbollah, idolizing communist dictators like Mao Zedong, and making outlandish claims like &#8220;America deserved 9/11.&#8221;
El-Sayed, despite being given multiple chances to denounce Piker, has doubled down at every opportunity — but Newsom did not appear to be bothered by that, and instead argued that El-Sayed&#8217;s success was simply a manifestation of the people&#8217;s &#8220;desire for change.&#8221;
Responding to Republicans who have argued that El-Sayed is just more proof that the Democratic Party is embracing the extremes, Newsom said that was &#8220;nonsense,&#8221; adding, &#8220;He&#8217;s not even a member of the DSA.&#8221;
The California governor, whose term ends in January, is expected to launch a presidential campaign ahead of the 2028 election cycle — and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/a-new-2028-poll-just-shook-up-both-parties">recent polls</a>, which show democratic socialist darling Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) eclipsing him, might be the inspiration behind his attempts to reinvent himself.

Governor Newsom And San Francisco Mayor Lurie Announce New Funding For Homelessness And Mental Health Ffforts In The City

Gavin Newsom Has A New Buzzword For Believing In Nothing

Gavin Newsom

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is bringing the full weight of her political influence to bear in an increasingly bitter fight over who will succeed her in Congress.
Pelosi, who has represented San Francisco in Congress for nearly four decades, is throwing her support behind San Francisco Supervisor Connie Chan as she works to defeat state Sen. Scott Wiener, and to do it, the retiring congresswoman has spent weeks mobilizing her network on Chan’s behalf. She has hosted major fundraisers for the supervisor, secured endorsements from congressional allies, and even loaned a top adviser to Chan’s campaign.
“Nancy has basically taken over Connie’s campaign,” Wiener told <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2026/08/10/pelosi-wages-war-over-her-succession-01030149">Politico</a>, contrasting Chan&#8217;s operation with his own campaign, which he said has “enormous grassroots support.”
Pelosi has made clear that she intends to see Chan elected. “I know and love this district, I know the Congress, and I know Connie. I’m proud to endorse Democrat Connie Chan and ask you to join me in electing her to Congress,” Pelosi said when she endorsed Chan.
Pelosi’s intervention is particularly notable because Wiener was once considered an ally. The two have known each other for decades, and Pelosi previously supported Wiener in his campaigns for local office. But their relationship deteriorated as Wiener positioned himself to succeed Pelosi. Wiener announced his congressional campaign in October 2025, before Pelosi publicly announced that she would not seek another term.
The timing of Wiener&#8217;s announcement has remained a point of contention among Pelosi&#8217;s allies. Former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown, a longtime Pelosi ally who now supports Chan, told Politico that Wiener had assured him he would not announce a congressional bid before Pelosi made her own plans public. Wiener disputes that account, calling it “fabrication” and saying he never made such a commitment.
Several of Pelosi’s longtime political allies and constituencies have followed her in backing Chan, including organized labor. Chan is also supported by Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA), the California Working Families Party and Our Revolution. Wiener, meanwhile, has endorsements from the California and San Francisco Democratic parties, along with several major labor unions and a majority of San Francisco’s moderate-leaning Board of Supervisors.
The latest escalation in the intraparty feud came over an AI-powered campaign chatbot created by Wiener’s campaign to attack Chan. The website, ConnieChan.ai, portrayed Chan as someone who says “no” to proposals involving housing and public transportation. Pelosi and a coalition of Democratic lawmakers and San Francisco political organizations condemned the chatbot, arguing that it could reinforce sexist and racist stereotypes.
“Women have spent generations fighting to have our own voices heard in the halls of power,” Pelosi and her allies said in a <a href="https://x.com/TeamPelosi/status/2085488807152136474">joint statement</a>. “We should not have to fight against artificial intelligence putting words in our mouths.” Wiener later apologized and announced that he would remove both the chatbot and the billboards advertising it.
The controversy has nevertheless given Pelosi another opportunity to draw a sharp contrast between her preferred successor and Wiener. Pelosi’s political intervention comes after the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/pelosis-pick-stumbles-as-pro-trans-radical-moves-one-step-closer-to-congress?author=Jacob+Wheeler&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Pelosi%E2%80%99s+Pick+Stumbles+As+Pro-Trans+Radical+Moves+One+Step+Closer+To+Congress">June primary</a> demonstrated that her endorsement alone may not be enough to determine the outcome. Wiener finished first with roughly 41% of the vote, while Chan received about 29%, sending the two into the November general election under California’s top-two primary system.
Pelosi has said her support for Chan is motivated in part by concerns over female representation in the Bay Area’s congressional delegation. Several prominent women who once represented the region, including former Sen. Dianne Feinstein, Vice President Kamala Harris, former Rep. Jackie Speier and former Rep. Anna Eshoo, have all been succeeded by men.
With Pelosi deploying her fundraising network, congressional relationships and longtime San Francisco allies on Chan’s behalf, the November contest is shaping up as more than a race between two Democrats. It is also a test of whether one of the most powerful political figures in San Francisco history can determine who inherits the seat and influence she spent nearly 40 years building.

US Congressional Candidate Connie Chan Campaigns Ahead Of Primary Election

Nancy Pelosi Flexes Political Muscle In Fight To Pick Her Successor

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Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed criticized football as a breeding ground for “toxic masculinity” — and praised European soccer as a more egalitarian alternative — according to resurfaced writings from the far-Left candidate.
El-Sayed made the comments in a 2021 Substack post responding to the resignation of then-Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden, whose private emails containing racist and misogynistic language had become public.
“The toxic masculinity at the heart of America’s most popular sport — and men’s sports culture more generally — is way deeper than a few emails …” El-Sayed <a href="https://web.archive.org/abdulelsayed.substack.com/p/jon-gruden-is-yesterdays-coach-ted">wrote</a>.
The remarks are the latest resurfaced comments to draw attention to El-Sayed’s views on Michigan and American culture as he prepares for a general election campaign against Republican Senate nominee Mike Rogers.
El-Sayed played American football himself as a student at Andover High School in Bloomfield Hills, serving as a team captain and two-year starter at center and nose guard.
In his 2021 post, El-Sayed recalled football as an important part of his childhood, writing that “sports were my lifeline” and that he felt free on the football field. But he described the culture surrounding the sport in considerably harsher terms. He argued that a particular “bro” culture had been passed down through football for generations. “Racism, misogyny, and homophobia were lingua franca,” El-Sayed wrote.
El-Sayed contrasted that culture with the fictional soccer coach Ted Lasso, the title character of the Apple TV+ series, who he held up as an example of a healthier model of masculinity and coaching. “Ted cries. He talks through his problems. He encourages his players. He bakes biscuits (er, cookies) for his boss. He smiles … like, all the time,” El-Sayed wrote.
He argued that coaches should create an environment built around “positive, inclusive, and empowering values,” while acknowledging that sports can teach young people lessons about teamwork, perseverance, and discipline. “Sport is a metaphor for life,” he wrote.
El-Sayed also expressed a distinctly political preference for European soccer in another 2021 Substack <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20250119203517/https:/abdulelsayed.substack.com/p/europes-super-league-and-the-fragility">post</a>, writing that the sport’s promotion and relegation system “speaks to my politics.”
“But European soccer also speaks to my politics,” El-Sayed wrote. “Compared to American sports leagues, the sport is also deeply egalitarian.”
He praised the system for allowing teams to move between leagues based on performance and contrasted it with American professional sports, where teams remain in closed leagues regardless of their success. El-Sayed’s criticism of football comes as other resurfaced remarks have placed renewed attention on his sometimes-negative assessments of his home state.
During his unsuccessful 2018 campaign for governor, El-Sayed was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/el-sayed-once-trashed-beloved-michigan-vacation-destination">recorded complaining</a> about Mackinac Island, one of Michigan’s most prominent tourist destinations.
“I hate Mackinac so much,” El-Sayed said in a documentary about his campaign. “Every time I’ve ever come here I’ve hated it. Why am I here?”
El-Sayed went on to joke that if he won the governor’s race, Mackinac Island would become his summer home.
His comments have only made it easier for Republicans to portray El-Sayed as disconnected from Michigan voters. Rogers has already <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/mike-rogers-makes-his-pitch-for-dem-support-in-michigan-after-el-sayeds-divisive-victory">made appeals</a> directly to Democrats who may be uncomfortable with El-Sayed’s far-Left politics.
El-Sayed narrowly defeated Rep. Haley Stevens in last week’s Democratic Senate primary, winning 48.5% of the vote to Stevens’ 47.5%. His campaign was backed by a number of far-Left figures including Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), and Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI).
Democratic leaders who backed Stevens during the primary, including Gov. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/establishment-dems-fall-in-line-behind-el-sayed">Gretchen Whitmer</a> and Senate Minority Leader <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/cuck-schumer-endorses-el-sayed-who-campaigned-on-replacing-him">Chuck Schumer</a> (D-NY), have since fallen in line behind El-Sayed as the party’s nominee.
El-Sayed will face Rogers in November in a race that could help determine control of the Senate. The Republican nominee has already sought to make the race a referendum on the direction of the Democratic Party, arguing that El-Sayed represents an increasingly leftward movement within the party.
His past writings now provide another window into the political and cultural views of the Democratic nominee — including his longstanding preference for soccer over the sport beloved by millions of Americans every fall.

Bernie Sanders Continues His “Fighting Oligarchy” Tour In Detroit With Senate Candidate Abdul El-Sayed

Abdul El-Sayed Hates Football Too

Elections

Football

Mike Rogers

November elections

Soccer

Sports

Moderate Democrats are bracing for &#8220;the next war&#8221; inside the party.
Jonathan Cowan, president of the group Third Way, said his organization is launching a $15 million effort running through 2028 to discredit democratic socialism, The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/06/us/politics/democratic-party-socialists-moderates.html">reported</a> on Thursday. 
“We are preparing for the next war that is coming,” Cowan said. 
The money will fund opposition research on the Democratic Socialists of America, polling, social media programs, and work to educate Democratic activists and leaders. 
The push gained urgency after Abdul El-Sayed’s narrow win in Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary on Tuesday. Polls before the election had pointed to a blowout. Instead, the leftist barely edged out the establishment&#8217;s pick, Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI), in a swing state that will also host an early presidential primary in 2028. 
Democrats had hoped to keep such wins limited to more liberal areas. El-Sayed’s nomination raised concerns that a progressive could take the party’s presidential nomination and then lose the general election.
“It is deeply troubling to see radical, far-Left candidates winning in places that are potentially presidential swing states,” Cowan told the Times.
Party leaders including Michigan Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and former Vice President Kamala Harris quickly backed El-Sayed after his primary victory.
Cowan criticized candidates who court Democratic Socialists of America organizers and energy while staying distant enough to avoid the formal label, a move he called the “DSA dodge.”
The next test for the Democratic Party comes next week. In Wisconsin, democratic socialist state Assemblywoman Francesca Hong has emerged as the party&#8217;s frontrunner for governor in another battleground state. The primary is August 11.
Moderate Democrats say the goal of their anti-socialist effort is to pinpoint radical parts of the official DSA platform, including defunding the Department of War, abolishing the police and prison system, reparations, and a 32-hour workweek. 
Liam Kerr, co-founder of the Welcome PAC, argued the far-Left has, so far, gained outsider energy and attention without the full weight of those positions.
Not every leftist won this week. Former Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO) lost badly in her bid to reclaim her seat. But socialist wins have stacked up, including in primaries in New York, Colorado, and now, Michigan. In Detroit, State Rep. Donavan McKinney’s primary <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/first-u-s-city-on-track-for-all-dsa-house-delegation?author=Leona+Salinas&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=1&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=First+U.S.+City+On+Track+For+All-DSA+House+Delegation&amp;trueLinkId=4d2V2zBlcQS1zDhX%2BwNpOBGRnqtp4hQ7WnYsK1Zu5oBepBe6k7mV0DR2RcVplB7zmG8llYrWfwJOk5%2BeUFsWPg%3D%3D&amp;trueLinkTs=1782495158&amp;trueLinkExpiry=43200">victory</a> over incumbent Rep. Shri Thanedar puts the city on track to have both House seats held by democratic socialists if he wins in November, joining Rep. Rashida Tlaib. 
El-Sayed campaigned with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and made opposition to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) central to his race. 
Maurice Mitchell of the leftist Working Families Party, who campaigned in Michigan, rejected moderate Democrats&#8217; response to the rise of socialist candidates. 
“They’re missing the plot,” he said of the moderate Democrats, adding, “There is a populist insurgency taking place in this country.”

Michigan Senate Candidate Abdul El-Sayed Holds Rally In Detroit With Sen. Bernie Sanders And Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

How Some Dems Are ‘Preparing For The Next War’ Against Socialists

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Democratic socialists

Michigan Primary

A Hawaii Democrat running for Congress was arrested after allegedly threatening beachgoers before being knocked unconscious by a right hook.
Kirill Basin, 40, who is mounting a long-shot primary challenge against Rep. Jill Tokuda (D-HI), was cuffed and thrown behind bars on <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/08/04/us-news/hawaiian-democrat-kirill-basin-arrested-for-threatening-man-with-knife/">$1 million bail</a> after turning a sunny day at Keawakapu Beach into a physical altercation. Police hit the Democrat with two felony counts of first-degree terroristic threatening after he allegedly brandished a knife and implied he was armed.
Video of the August 1 seaside spectacle shows the wannabe lawmaker strutting around, appearing to harass beachgoers after someone asked him to lower the volume of his music. Threatening to send people to the hospital, Basin turned his fury toward a woman, saying that he would &#8220;put [her] in the ground.&#8221;
That’s when local Maui resident Kama Homan stepped in. When the belligerent candidate shoved Homan, the martial-arts-trained bystander answered with a left-right combo that dumped Basin over the beach chairs — and when Basin got up swinging a chair, Homan batted it aside and laid him out cold with one punch. After reviving the Democrat, Homan offered a succinct warning: &#8220;Watch your f*cking mouth, Haole boy.&#8221; Unhinged, Basin staggered back to his feet, charged toward Homan again, shouting &#8220;Come on, b*tch!&#8221; and allegedly pulled a five-inch switchblade.
Police later recovered the knife from the water, landing the defeated candidate in a cell with strict court orders to stay off the beach, stay sober, and undergo a mental health assessment if he manages to post his million-dollar bond.
Basin’s <a href="https://kirill4congress.com/">campaign website</a> boldly trumpets his slogan: &#8220;FIGHTING. WITH ALOHA.&#8221; His platform preaches that &#8220;hate and grievance&#8221; ruin politics, insisting that Americans &#8220;must act with love. Urgently.&#8221; The candidate’s site also promises &#8220;Courage to lead&#8221; and &#8220;Compassion to serve.&#8221;
Unfortunately for Maui residents, this isn&#8217;t the first time the chaotic candidate has confused &#8220;Aloha&#8221; with assault. Back in May, Basin was arrested after allegedly <a href="https://www.civilbeat.org/2026/05/longshot-congressional-candidate-pulled-gun-on-maui-county-workers/">storming</a> a Maui County government building with a gun and threatening two employees during a bizarre rage episode. Just days before that incident, police had to physically escort him out of a South Maui town hall after he <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/hawaii-democratic-house-candidate-faces-felony-threat-charges-beach-fight-caught-video">harassed</a> a council member and his assistant, earning himself a restraining order after firing off terrifying texts declaring, &#8220;you’re f*cked.&#8221;
In a paranoid social media post shortly before the May incident, Basin even claimed three police officers tortured him for 14 hours, vowing his lawsuit would ensure &#8220;it’ll never happen to anyone again.&#8221;

Image

Dem Candidate Gets Rocked By Good Samaritan After Harassing Beachgoers

Hawaii

A Democratic congressional candidate competing Tuesday in a closely watched Michigan primary has repeatedly criticized what he calls America&#8217;s &#8220;cult of hard work,&#8221; urged the election of more socialist members to Congress, and accused Republicans of being an alliance between &#8220;fossil fuel billionaires&#8221; and &#8220;white supremacists.&#8221;
William Lawrence, a Democratic Socialists of America member, co-founder of the <a href="https://x.com/sunrisemvmt/status/2084685088919335135">Sunrise Movement</a>, and Democratic candidate in Michigan&#8217;s 7th Congressional District, made the remarks across multiple appearances on left-wing podcasts and radio programs uncovered by The Daily Wire.
Lawrence is competing in Tuesday&#8217;s Democratic primary against former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink and former Navy SEAL Matt Maasdam for the chance to challenge Rep. Tom Barrett (R-MI) in November. The district is rated a &#8220;Toss-Up&#8221; by the <a href="https://www.cookpolitical.com/house/race/483311">Cook Political Report</a> and is expected to be one of the country&#8217;s most competitive House races.
In one episode of his podcast “Hegemonicon,” Lawrence described what he sees as uniquely American problems facing the political Left. &#8220;You mentioned U.S. exceptionalism, the cult of hard work,&#8221; Lawrence said of American politics and culture.
In the same discussion, Lawrence argued that the Left needs to elect more openly socialist lawmakers and specifically called for additional Democratic Socialists of America members in Congress. &#8220;I think sometimes we want to talk about accountability, as if it&#8217;s simply a moral calculation, where we need more accountable working class and progressive or Left legislator[s] — we need more accountable DSA members in Congress,&#8221; Lawrence said.
Lawrence argued that socialist lawmakers should be supported by an organized political movement capable of protecting them after taking controversial votes against the political establishment. &#8220;But to become an outsider to that is, you know, we need a lot of reinforcements,&#8221; he said.
In a separate 2018 appearance on the left-wing radio program Rising Up With Sonali, Lawrence attacked the Republican Party in sweeping terms. &#8220;I said it before. The Republican Party is an organized alliance between fossil fuel billionaires like the Koch brothers and white supremacists like Steve Bannon and Ron DeSantis,&#8221; Lawrence said. &#8220;They do not care one bit for the idea of democracy, and they are actively dismantling every piece of our civil liberties and our freedoms that we have fought and people have died for over the course of this country&#8217;s history.&#8221;
Lawrence has built his political career through left-wing activist organizations. He helped found the Sunrise Movement, the youth climate organization that became one of the driving forces behind the Green New Deal, and has campaigned unapologetically on the far-left despite running in one of the nation&#8217;s most competitive congressional districts.
His candidacy has highlighted an ongoing divide within the Democratic Party between its far-left and establishment wings. Lawrence has received the backing of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and has both <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/progressives-michigan-join-forces-key-house-battleground-crucial-senat-rcna353212">endorsed and been endorsed</a> by Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, another left-wing darling in Michigan. More moderate Democrats have lined up behind his primary opponents, with Brink endorsed by former Governor Jennifer Granholm and Maasdam backed by Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI).
Some Democratic strategists <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/6002980-michigan-democrats-senate-house-el-sayed-lawrence/">have warned</a> that nominating Lawrence could make it harder for the party to flip the district in November, arguing his far-left positions may be a difficult fit in a swing seat that President Donald Trump carried by just over one percentage point in 2024. Lawrence has dismissed those concerns, arguing voters are &#8220;tired of the status quo&#8221; and &#8220;tired of corporate-funded&#8221; candidates.
The winner of Tuesday&#8217;s Democratic primary will face Barrett in one of the House races expected to play a key role in determining control of Congress.
Republicans have already begun highlighting Lawrence&#8217;s comments. &#8220;William Lawrence is a Champagne Socialist who attacks American competition and demonizes hard work,&#8221; Republican National Committee spokesman Hunter Lovell said in a statement provided to The Daily Wire. &#8220;Lawrence hates the American way of life, and he is on a terror path to destroy our country as we know it.&#8221;

NYC-DSA holds a rally to tax the rich

Dem Socialist Candidate Rails Against American ‘Cult Of Hard Work’

Congress

Democratic Socialism

Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH) was hospitalized on Sunday after her vehicle was involved in a hit-and-run crash near Toledo, Ohio.
The <a href="https://www.13abc.com/2026/08/02/congresswoman-kaptur-hospitalized-after-hit-skip-crash-with-non-life-threatening-injuries/">crash</a> occurred around 10:45 a.m. local time, and two people were taken to the hospital for evaluation. Kaptur, 80, was one of them. Reports thus far have not indicated whether Kaptur was driving the vehicle at the time or was a passenger.
The crash was classified by local authorities as a &#8220;hit-skip,&#8221; meaning that someone who was involved in the incident had fled the scene.
A representative from the Toledo Police Department told reporters that the investigation into Sunday morning&#8217;s accident was still in the preliminary stages, and that more information would be made available as they were able to piece things together. Police did not indicate whether or not the driver who fled the scene had been located.
Kaptur&#8217;s office released a <a href="https://www.toledoblade.com/local/police-fire/2026/08/02/u-s-rep-marcy-kaptur-hospitalized-after-car-crash-sources-say/stories/20260802111">statement</a> early Sunday afternoon, saying in part that the congresswoman was doing well and hoped to be back at work as soon as possible.
&#8220;This morning Congresswoman Kaptur was a passenger in a vehicle on her way to a church service when the car she was traveling in was struck. She is active, alert, and being treated for non-life threatening injuries,&#8221; the statement began. &#8220;We look forward to additional information from Toledo Police as they investigate the accident. Congresswoman Kaptur is thankful for the quick actions of first responders from Toledo Police and Fire Departments who arrived promptly on scene, and the medical professionals helping to take care of those involved in the crash.&#8221;
The statement concluded, &#8220;She expressed her deep gratitude to the hundreds of constituents who have reached out and looks forward to returning to a full schedule soon.&#8221;
Kaptur holds the honor of being the longest-serving woman in Congress.

HILL

Dem Congresswoman Hospitalized After Hit-And-Run Crash

Car Crash

Ohio

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