Overall, 2025 has been a blockbuster year for election integrity. Conservative states across the country advanced popular measures ending the late receipt of mail ballots and banning foreign interference in state elections.
But in one of the most conservative states in America, it was a vastly different story. Texas lawmakers started the year strong, with the Republican-led Senate passing a series of significant bills. But in the House, Democrats conspired to kill one reform after the other. History should record 2025 as the year Democrats sided with progressive activists and foreign-funded special interests against everyday Texans who just believe that it should be easy to vote and hard to cheat.
First on the Democrats’ chopping block was <a href="https://legiscan.com/TX/bill/SB16/2025">SB16,</a> a commonsense bill requiring proof of citizenship before anyone can register and vote. Americans overwhelmingly <a href="https://www.honestelections.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/April-polling-memo_ALEC49163789-1.pdf">oppose</a> noncitizen voting, and last year a University of Houston <a href="https://uh.edu/news-events/stories/2024/october/10222024-hobby-election-integrity.php">survey</a> found that just 56% of Texas voters believed noncitizens would be adequately prevented from voting. SB16 was intended to give the state new tools to do just that. Had it passed, Texas would be the gold standard for ensuring that only citizens can vote.
Texas Democrats obviously feel differently, but don’t expect them to admit it. Instead, they will hide behind the handful of liberal lawmakers who broke ranks and voted to put a constitutional ban on noncitizen voting on the ballot. But it is highly cynical to ban noncitizen voting and then block the tools officials need to effectively and efficiently enforce it. What do Texas Democrats have to fear from verifying that only American citizens are voting in American elections? The public deserves to know.
Next on the Democrats’ hit list: A bill to ban foreign interference in Texas elections. <a href="https://legiscan.com/TX/bill/SB2035/2025">SB2035</a> would have protected state constitutional amendments and other ballot measures from the influence of foreign nationals. The measure passed overwhelmingly in the Senate, but House Democrats killed the bill with a procedural motion in the dead of night.
They may regret that move in the light of day. Americans overwhelmingly <a href="https://hepaction.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/HEPA_OH_December_2023_Topline_Report.pdf">oppose</a> foreign interference, and seven states have passed similar bans this year alone. All these states are reacting to a growing problem. It is illegal for foreign nationals to contribute to any candidate running for political office. But a loophole allows these same foreign interests to finance highly impactful ballot measure campaigns. Just one example: Hansjörg Wyss, a Swiss billionaire, has poured almost <a href="https://americansforpublictrust.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Sixteen-Thirty-Fund-Spending-on-Ballot-Issue-Campaigns.pdf">$300 million</a> into a far-Left, D.C.-based dark money group called the <a href="https://americansforpublictrust.org/document/apt-report-foreign-backed-spending-in-state-ballot-issue-campaigns/">Sixteen Thirty Fund</a>. In turn, they have dumped $130 million in foreign-tied funds into ballot measures advancing progressive causes in 26 states.
The Texas legislature was close to closing that foreign funding loophole once and for all, until Democrats sided with foreign billionaires and fought to keep their foreign dark money flowing.
Democrats in the Lone Star State also killed <a href="https://legiscan.com/TX/bill/SB310/2025">SB310</a>, a bill to definitively ban ranked-choice voting. Ranked-choice voting is a confusing, complex system that has been rejected across the country. It leads to voter confusion, disenfranchisement, and head-scratching outcomes that see losers transformed into winners. In Alaska’s first ranked-choice election, for example, a Democrat was declared the winner of a race for the U.S. House even though Republican candidates won roughly <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/09/01/peltola-palin-ranked-choice-voting-alaska/">60%</a> of the vote. Results like this explain why liberal organizations and their billionaire donors are <a href="https://www.wsj.com/opinion/ranked-choice-voting-ballot-measures-election-863d52ff">spending</a> tens of millions of dollars across the country to sell the public on ranked-choice voting.
Ranked-choice voting’s impact on elections is so corrosive and unpopular that 17 states have taken the extraordinary step of banning it, including six states this year alone. Six more states rejected ranked-choice voting ballot measures last year by wide, bipartisan margins. But not Texas, thanks to another late-night procedural maneuver from the Left.
Three times in one year, Texas Democrats put partisan politics ahead of integrity and trust in elections. Thanks to their stonewalling, Texas is falling behind other states that made election integrity a priority. Unless Governor Abbott calls a special session, lawmakers won’t have another chance to beef up the security of Texas elections until 2027.
By then, another presidential election will be looming and the stakes will be that much higher. There will be no excuses—not even Democrats’ intransigence—for failing to get commonsense measures like foreign funding bans across the finish line.
This year, Democrats stood with foreign billionaires and defended noncitizen voting. Texans, and all Americans, deserve to know why.
* * *
Jason Snead is the executive director of Honest Elections Project Action.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
<a href="https://get.dailywire.com/gift/?utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=wisepops&amp;utm_campaign=dad&amp;utm_content=fathersdaygiftpopups">Gift Dad an All Access Membership. Use code DAD40 at checkout to save 40%!</a>

Americans Vote In The 2024 Presidential Election

Texas Dems Continue To Block Election Integrity Efforts

Democrats

Elections

illegal immigrants

Opinion

Texas

Voter Registration

Voters

Editor’s note: This is the sixth and final installment of a six-part series by pollster Brent Buchanan on the politics of the American South. In the last installment, Buchanan took a close look at Georgia to tell the story of the South’s political crossroads. Today, he offers suggestions for how Republicans can achieve political victory in the South.
We hope you enjoy.
—
It’s easy to oversimplify American politics. But when it comes to our collective understanding of regionality, it really is as simple as North, East, South, and West.
Engrained in the minds across generations, defined by mighty rivers and a brutal Civil War, the South — more than any other region — is more politically consequential than it ever has been. For most of modern American history, the “Solid South” was a real thing that helped Democrats win the White House and the presidency.
Today, it is a myth.
The real story of America’s South, as you’ve been reading in this <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/author/brent-buchanan" target="_blank" rel="noopener">six-part series</a>, is the story of an emerging patchwork of political intricacies and growing political dominance. Our exclusive analysis of the South shows 10 distinct regions transcending state lines and traditional constructs, showing vulnerabilities and opportunities for both parties – but more for Republicans — if they can capitalize before Democrats find a rudder and sales pitch.
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-929707" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/Full-Map-2.jpeg" alt="" width="670" height="407" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/Full-Map-2.jpeg 670w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/Full-Map-2-300x182.jpeg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 670px) 100vw, 670px" /></div>
State lines determine the borders for how we’ll count votes, but voters and their stances on key issues of the day don’t adhere to state lines. How well each party understands and adapts to the South’s regional realities will determine the balance of power for the 2026 midterm elections and the rest of Donald Trump’s presidency.
To culminate this deep analysis of aggregated demographic variables, survey responses, and trends in everything from education, income, gender, age, and partisanship, we offer four things Republicans should focus on to achieve political victory in the South.
<h3>Base Fortress Regions With GOP Ceilings</h3>
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-929697" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/DixieBigSkyTrumpianH-mapsx3.png" alt="" width="785" height="409" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/DixieBigSkyTrumpianH-mapsx3.png 785w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/DixieBigSkyTrumpianH-mapsx3-300x156.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/DixieBigSkyTrumpianH-mapsx3-768x400.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 785px) 100vw, 785px" /></div>
Pollsters and political operatives felt the tremors of America’s massive political realignment before most of the mainstream media caught on, but by now it’s common knowledge that Trump’s emergence as the central figure of political life was the catalyst of a growing Diploma Divide.
But Trump reflects an electorate whose political preferences began changing even before he came down that golden escalator.
While this realignment has happened nationally, it’s most prominent and evident in the South. For the Republican Party, three main regions anchor its new political advantage. What we’ve dubbed Dixieland, Big Sky South, and the Trumpian Highlands serve as base fortresses from diploma-divide-driven gains from Democrats — but offer little to no room for growth. In 2024, Trump’s ballot shares were 71% in Dixieland, 70% in the Big Sky South, and 75% in the Trumpian Highlands.
“This is about as good as it’s going to get for the GOP in these New South buttresses,” said Nicholas Valdiviez, Cygnal’s Sampling Lead for this project. “These three strongholds are reliable for Republicans, but it’s unreasonable to expect they can deliver more than they already have.”
So what? As we’ve seen in previous cycles, it can be easy to try and offset lagging performance in harder-to-get voter groups by surging turnout in reliable regions like these. But the GOP’s focus should be on keeping turnout and engagement at these levels — which won’t be easy as these areas aren’t growing as much as other Southern regions less friendly to Republicans. There’s more peril in the ceilings of these fortresses if voters are unenthused and stay home.
<h3>Wild Cards &amp; Volatility: Regions That Could Flip</h3>
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-929705" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/TexMexCondoCoal-mapsx2.png" alt="" width="767" height="295" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/TexMexCondoCoal-mapsx2.png 767w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/TexMexCondoCoal-mapsx2-300x115.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 767px) 100vw, 767px" /></div>
If you’ve followed this series, you know the only states we called out as standalone fixtures in the still uncertain political future of the South were <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hold-what-the-peach-states-political-patchworks-mean-for-2026?author=Brent+Buchanan&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=What+The+Peach+State%E2%80%99s+Political+Patchworks+Mean+For+2026%C2%A0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Georgia</a> and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bbq-politics-how-north-carolinas-sauce-divide-mirrors-voting-behavior?author=Brent+Buchanan&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=1&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=BBQ+Politics%3F+How+North+Carolina%E2%80%99s+Sauce+Divide+Mirrors+Its+Voting+Behavior%C2%A0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">North Carolina.</a> Beyond the regions we’ve identified as the TexMex Nexus and Coastal Condo Coalition, those are the two states with the highest volatility and uncertainty heading into the midterm elections.
North Carolina’s split personality in politics is mirrored by its split choice in barbeque sauces, while Georgia’s newish designation as a swing state is defined by a seeming disappearance of the traditional Black Belt and regional creep from the stronghold of the Trumpian Highlands. Both states are incredibly consequential to party control in Washington — but they’re not the only volatile areas we’re watching.
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-929699" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/CoastalCondoCoal-map1.png" alt="" width="484" height="383" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/CoastalCondoCoal-map1.png 484w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/CoastalCondoCoal-map1-300x237.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 484px) 100vw, 484px" /></div>
First, let’s look at the Coastal Condo Coalition, centered in Florida&#8217;s densely urbanized southern tip. It is one of the most demographically and economically unique regions in the South. Traditionally a Democratic stronghold (Democrats lead 45% to 32% in registration), this region has seen notable Republican gains since 2016, culminating in a 6.6% swing toward the GOP in 2024. This is its best performance in years, nearly flipping the partisan split to 49-51.
Then, let’s look at the TexMex Nexus. This region spans heavily Hispanic areas along the Texas border, and in scattered urban centers, it has been one of the most politically dynamic zones in our Southern analysis. After holding steady at a near 50-50 partisan split in 2012, this region took a sharp left turn in 2016, moving 10 points toward the Democrats — double the next largest leftward shift in the South. That trend continued into 2020 with another 4-point Democratic gain, making it seem like a prime target for Democrats as their registration advantage grew to 53% over the GOP’s 39%.
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-929701" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/TexMexNexus-map1.png" alt="" width="514" height="383" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/TexMexNexus-map1.png 514w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/TexMexNexus-map1-300x224.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 514px) 100vw, 514px" /></div>
But 2024 brought a dramatic reversal, as the Tex-Mex Nexus saw the second-largest rightward swing of any region, moving 9 points toward Republicans and ending at a D+5 margin — a five-point improvement for the GOP compared to 2016. This shift was powered by significant Republican gains among Latino voters, particularly men, and by a focus on economic and border issues that resonated locally.
So what? With popular Governor Brian Kemp out of contention for the Georgia Senate race, the state remains in flux alongside its northern swing state counterpart, North Carolina. Factor in the fact that neither the Coastal Condo Coalition nor the TexMex Nexus is on lock for the GOP, and you have the four biggest wild cards in the South.
<h3>Stagnation &amp; Gridlock in the “Sweet” Burbs and Faux South</h3>
So, now we’ve got the Republican strongholds identified and the wild cards laid out — but that’s only half the picture. Vast swaths of the South are in political gridlock where even the sheer force of personality from someone like Trump has managed to crack — or break. These are the regions we’ve labeled the Sweet Tea Suburbs and the Faux South. While old voting patterns seem to be fading, these regions remain “stuck zones,” political wastelands where entrenchment and razor-thin margins offer no clear advantage to either party.
“These are not battlegrounds in the traditional sense,” Valdiviez says. “Rather they are stagnant bogs who have more impact on their urban cores and outlying mixing zones of other regions and therefore should be pursued nice-to-have incremental gains rather than outright winnable. The catch is these areas are political fronts that if left unattended could wind up being potential wild cards.”
So what? With so much talk of massive realignments and sweeping partisan shifts, both in strongholds and wild cards, these doldrums are different, and should be approached differently. The GOP’s only hope is to nibble around the edges of these regions with dynamic quality candidates and a message more akin to hometowns than the machinations of Washington, D.C.
<h3>Growth Regions: The GOP’s Next Frontier</h3>
Now for the fun part: the opportunities for Republicans in the South. If you’ve been following along so far, it’s a bit of a rollercoaster to say the least, but here are the three regions we think will comprise the next frontier for Republicans.
The Soulful South stands out among them, but not because of the 58% Republican ballot share or because Georgia’s Black Belt is now less visible in our regional analysis. Rather, the Soulful South stands out because it has been <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-end-of-democratic-assumptions-how-minority-voters-are-reshaping-southern-politics?author=Brent+Buchanan&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=3&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=The+End+of+Democratic+Assumptions%3A+How+Minority+Voters+Are+Reshaping+Southern+Politics" target="_blank" rel="noopener">trending rightward</a> since 2012.
The fact that Democrats take these voters for granted — combined with the connection forged by Trump’s candidacy — has made the Soulful South a budding ground of opportunity for Republicans going forward. Overconfidence here is perilous, but with Democrats without a message or a messenger that resonates with this predominantly black region, our analysis shows more to gain for Republicans than to lose. They should keep their foot on the gas here.
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-929703" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/SoulfulSouth-map1.png" alt="" width="455" height="361" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/SoulfulSouth-map1.png 455w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/SoulfulSouth-map1-300x238.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 455px) 100vw, 455px" /></div>
Our proprietary naming conventions and analysis also identify the Republican Resettlers and Big Hat Bloc regions as prime opportunities. The Republican Resettlers region, fueled by an influx of newcomers from liberal states seeking communities with conservative governance (you heard that right), has shown some of the most consistent rightward movement in the South, swinging eight points further right by 2024 to reach an R+17 margin. As migration trends continue, especially along the Georgia and Florida coasts, this bloc is poised to expand its influence and deliver reliable support for Republican candidates.
Similarly, the Big Hat Bloc, which experienced setbacks during the early Trump years, has rebounded with record Republican margins in 2024. This region’s mix of cultural conservatism and economic focus makes it fertile ground for further Republican consolidation, especially if the party can maintain strong turnout and continue to address local priorities — much like those strongholds we addressed earlier.
With both regions trending right and absorbing new, like-minded residents, the GOP’s prospects for midterm gains are strong, provided they stay focused on localized outreach and avoid complacency in data, spending, and messaging.
So what? This is where Republicans should surge their efforts with non-college educated, non-white voters, and even those <a href="https://cygn.al/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Cygnal-Election-2024-Focus-Group_Analysis.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ticked-off, young, working class, and diverse</a> voters within these regions. These are new constituencies for the GOP, and now is the time to further build out these inroads and lock in the gains for the post-Trump era.
<h3>Conclusion: The States and Their Shapes</h3>
As Americans, we know the regionality of our nation inherently, and we understand that state lines can be pesky and a bit funny. We also know those lines serve a multitude of purposes, chief among them governance and counting votes. With that in mind, it only makes sense to examine the South from our <a href="https://www.cygn.al/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/10-Regions-of-the-American-South-1.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">distinct regional perspective, noting</a> that Texas and Florida alone are projected to gain eight new congressional seats by 2030, with other Southern states like Georgia, Tennessee, and North Carolina also on the rise.
This shift comes at the expense of traditional blue state strongholds in the Midwest, fundamentally redrawing the map of political opportunity in America. The parties that best understand these new Southern realities — where regional identities like we’ve defined here, not state lines, drive turnout and loyalty — will tip the upper hand for 2026 and the next decade.
But here’s the catch: like the Democrats before them, Republicans can’t afford to treat the South as a monolith or rely on pre-Trump playbooks.
The story of the South today is one of ceilings, wild cards, gridlock, and growth. The lesson for Republican campaigns, operatives, and strategists is as clear as it is urgent: the old assumptions are dead, and the new map of power is regional, dynamic, and deeply local. The party that can surge turnout in fortress regions, lock in gains in growth zones, nibble at the edges of gridlocked suburbs, and win the battle for the wild cards will be the party that defines the next era of American politics.

Vice President JD Vance Tours Nucor Steel Berkeley In South Carolina

The South’s Next Act: Wild Cards In 2026 And Beyond 

2026 Midterms

Georgia

North Carolina

Republican Party

Southern States

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) has issued a subpoena compelling former White House physician Kevin O&#8217;Connor to testify on Capitol Hill at the end of June.
A probe into the Biden White House — and any attempts that were made to hide the former president&#8217;s physical and cognitive decline from the American people — was announced earlier in the week. The investigation will also explore the extensive use of an autopen during Biden&#8217;s presidency, with particular attention paid to whether or not Biden was aware of what was being signed when the autopen was in use.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🚨 COMER SUBPOENAS BIDEN&#8217;S DOCTOR TO TESTIFY ON AUTOPEN AND MENTAL DECLINE SCANDAL!
&#8220;The Committee expressed its interest in whether your financial relationship with the Biden family affected your assessment of former President Biden’s physical and mental fitness to fulfill his… <a href="https://t.co/ynYm8j0iuC">pic.twitter.com/ynYm8j0iuC</a>
— Oversight Committee (@GOPoversight) <a href="https://twitter.com/GOPoversight/status/1930735148708032954?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 5, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;COMER SUBPOENAS BIDEN&#8217;S DOCTOR TO TESTIFY ON AUTOPEN AND MENTAL DECLINE SCANDAL!&#8221; the X post from the Oversight Committee read.
The remainder of the message was directed at O&#8217;Connor, noting that the Committee had already requested that he appear voluntarily to address the issues at hand. Since he had refused to do so, the subpoena was the next logical step toward getting the necessary information.
Comer directed a <a href="https://oversight.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/2025.05.06-Subpoena-Cover-Letter-to-Dr.-Kevin-OConnor.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">letter</a> to O&#8217;Connor, which stated in part, &#8220;On May 22, 2025, the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform requested that you — because of your role as former Physician to the President for President Joe Biden — appear for a transcribed interview on June 25, 2025, broadly regarding ‘the circumstances surrounding your assessment in February 2024 that former President Biden was ‘a healthy, active, robust 81-year-old male, who remains fit to successfully execute the duties of the Presidency.’&#8221;
<a href="https://get.dailywire.com/gift/?utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=wisepops&amp;utm_campaign=dad&amp;utm_content=fathersdaygiftpopups" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gift Dad an All Access Membership. Use code DAD40 at checkout to save 40%!</a>
&#8220;The Committee expressed its interest in whether your financial relationship with the Biden family affected your assessment of former President Biden’s physical and mental fitness to fulfill his duties as President,&#8221; the letter continued. &#8220;Given your connections with the Biden family, the Committee sought to understand if you contributed to an effort to hide former President Biden’s fitness to serve from the American people. You refused the Committee’s request.&#8221;
&#8220;On June 4, 2025, your counsel responded to the Committee’s request for testimony. Instead of complying with the Committee’s legitimate request, they wrote that you &#8216;cannot appear for the requested interview,&#8217; citing your legal obligations pursuant to &#8216;the provisions of D.C. Code § 14-407 [sic],&#8217; your ethical obligations pursuant to &#8216;Principal No. IV of the Code of Ethics of the American Medical Association (AMA),&#8217; and the &#8216;physician-patient privilege.&#8217; These arguments lack merit.&#8221;
&#8220;To advance the Committee’s oversight and legislative responsibilities and interests, your testimony is critical,&#8221; Comer concluded. &#8220;Accordingly, please see the attached subpoena for testimony at a deposition on June 27, 2025.&#8221;

US-POLITICS-EDUCATION-BIDEN

Congress Hits Biden’s Doc With Subpoena As Part Of Cover-Up Probe

2024 Elections

James Comer

Joe Biden

Politics

Newark’s Democratic mayor, Ras Baraka, filed a lawsuit Tuesday against interim U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Alina Habba after she charged him with trespassing at a federal immigration facility last month.
Baraka claims that Habba and Homeland Security Investigations supervising agent Ricky Patel, who was the lead officer in charge of arresting the mayor last month, violated his Fourth Amendment rights against “false arrest and malicious prosecution.” Baraka’s suit also accuses Habba of defamation.
Habba charged Baraka with trespassing at a federal immigration facility during an altercation on May 9, but later dropped the charge.
Habba “acted as a political operative, outside of any function intimately related to the judicial process, and in her individual personal capacity,” the <a href="https://mcusercontent.com/4a79b9be775bc92174318c05e/files/25bd88da-35a4-79cb-2804-b61dafa9349a/filedcomplaint.6_3_25.pdf">lawsuit</a> says. Patel “in this matter acted outside the scope of his employment and in his individual capacity.”
Baraka is one of six Democrats running in the primary to be the next governor of New Jersey. Baraka is <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/elections/newark-mayor-ras-barakas-arrest-shake-new-jerseys-democratic-primary-g-rcna206273">campaigning</a> as an action-oriented progressive in the crowded primary. The super PAC supporting his candidacy, One New Jersey United, has already begun funding ads highlighting his May 9 arrest.
The lawsuit’s filing coincides with the first day of early voting ahead of the June 10 primary for the New Jersey governor’s race.
<a href="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/?utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=editorial&amp;utm_campaign=memorial&amp;utm_content=editorialmemorialday&amp;_gl=1*1qdq03s*_gcl_au*MTYyNDg0MTE0OS4xNzQxODk4NTMz*_ga*MTEzOTk1NjkxNi4xNzI2MzI1MDQz*_ga_CZKR9ZYKJP*czE3NDgzNzg2NDgkbzEwMDMkZzEkdDE3NDgzODEwMTckajU4JGwwJGgw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Get 40% Off New DailyWire+ Annual Memberships</a>
The mayor arrived at Delaney Hall, used by Immigration and Customs Enforcement to house illegal immigrants, at the invitation of Democratic congressmen who wanted to inspect the facility as part of their congressional oversight authority. Baraka stood outside the facility while the assembled crowd began to call for him to be let inside, according to the lawsuit.
Baraka was later invited inside the gate of Delaney Hall by a guard who wanted to “calm the crowd,” the suit says. Patel later approached Baraka and directed him to leave. Baraka did not initially follow the order, but stayed to argue with Patel.
After finally leaving the property, Baraka was arrested and handcuffed “in an effort to effect maximum humiliation,” the lawsuit says.
On Monday night, Habba dismissed Baraka’s expected lawsuit in a post on X.
“‘Shocking’ leak from Mayor Baraka’s team: He is planning to sue the Feds,” Habba <a href="https://x.com/AlinaHabba/status/1929728392649114062">wrote</a>. “My advice to the mayor &#8211; feel free to join me in prioritizing violent crime and public safety. Far better use of time for the great citizens of New Jersey.”

Ras Baraka

Newark Mayor Sues Trump DA Over ‘False Arrest’ After ICE Facility Flap

Alina Habba

Courts

Immigration and Customs Enforcement

New Jersey

U.S.

Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani surged to within single digits of disgraced former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the New York City Democratic mayoral primary race, according to newly released polling.
According to a PIX 11/Emerson College poll released earlier this week, Mamdani, a 33-year-old Muslim from Queens who is a state assemblyman, trails Cuomo 54.4% to 45.6% after 10 simulated rounds of ranked-choice voting, a notable improvement from late March when Cuomo was ahead 38% to 10%.
“Cuomo has led in the polls since early 2025, but Mamdani has surged, gaining 23 points and winning second-choice votes nearly 2-to-1, cutting Cuomo’s ranked-choice lead from 12 points to 9 points,” Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling, <a href="https://emersoncollegepolling.com/nyc-2025-poll/">said</a>. &#8220;With four weeks to go, the question is whether Cuomo can run out the clock, or if he needs to win over second-choice voters to hold off Mamdani&#8217;s momentum.”
Cuomo maintained his strong lead in the early rounds of ranked choice voting in the poll, with Mamdani only closing the gap in later rounds.
In ranked-choice voting, voters rank up to five candidates in order of preference, and if no candidate receives more than 50% of first-choice votes, the last-place candidate is eliminated and their votes are redistributed based on voters&#8217; next choices until someone wins a majority.
The ranked-choice voting system appears to be working to Mamdani&#8217;s advantage, as, according to the poll, he continues gaining ground by picking up second-choice votes after other candidates are eliminated.
Per the Emerson report, “35% of voters support former Governor Andrew Cuomo on the first round of the ballot, 23% support State Rep. Zohran Mamdani, 11% support Comptroller Brad Lander, 9% former State Rep. Scott Stringer, 8% City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, and 5% State Senator Zellnor Myrie.”
“Cuomo’s strongest support comes from black voters (74%), voters over 50 (66%), and women (58% to 42%),” Kimball added. “Mamdani leads among voters under 50 with 61%, and holds an edge among white voters (57% to 43%) and college-educated voters (58% to 42%).”
<a href="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/?utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=editorial&amp;utm_campaign=memorial&amp;utm_content=editorialmemorialday&amp;_gl=1*1qdq03s*_gcl_au*MTYyNDg0MTE0OS4xNzQxODk4NTMz*_ga*MTEzOTk1NjkxNi4xNzI2MzI1MDQz*_ga_CZKR9ZYKJP*czE3NDgzNzg2NDgkbzEwMDMkZzEkdDE3NDgzODEwMTckajU4JGwwJGgw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Get 40% Off New DailyWire+ Annual Memberships</a>
Cuomo’s campaign maintains that the Emerson poll is an “outlier,” with campaign spokesman Rich Azzopardi <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/campaigns/state/3425895/zohran-mamdani-andrew-cuomo-new-york-city-mayor-race-closes-gap-poll/">telling</a> the Washington Examiner that the ex-governor “is the consistent and overwhelming frontrunner in this race.”
However, Mamdani has effectively formed strategic alliances with other left-wing candidates in an effort to block the 67-year-old former governor&#8217;s political comeback and consolidate his base.
Mamdani called on his supporters to <a href="https://www.cityandstateny.com/politics/2025/05/how-much-did-zohran-mamdanis-call-action-help-adrienne-adams-fundraising/405674/?oref=csny-skybox-lander">contribute</a> to rival progressive Adrienne Adams&#8217; campaign in order to help her qualify for matching public funds in a slight against Cuomo, aiming to pick up second-choice votes after other candidates are eliminated.
In a hypothetical general election matchup, the poll shows Cuomo performs better against Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa, with Cuomo winning 44% support compared to 35% for Mamdani if he were the Democratic nominee. Sliwa is the founder of the Guardian Angels and lost the 2021 mayoral election to current New York Mayor Eric Adams, a registered Democrat running this cycle as an independent, according to Emerson College Polling.
Meanwhile, incumbent Mayor Adams, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/eric-adams-back-in-nyc-mayor-race-as-an-independent">running</a> as an independent, would receive just 10% support against Cuomo but would climb to 15% against Mamdani.
Mamdani, elected to the State Assembly in 2020, has positioned himself as a leftist alternative to Cuomo&#8217;s more moderate brand of Democratic politics, campaigning on free public bus fares, free child care, and city-run grocery stores.
Mandani&#8217;s campaign celebrated the results of the poll, <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/05/28/us-news/surging-mamdani-cuts-cuomos-lead-in-democratic-nyc-mayoral-primary-to-just-single-digits-poll/">stating</a>, &#8220;Andrew Cuomo has hit his ceiling, while we&#8217;re nowhere near ours,&#8221; per The New York Post. Mamdani himself posted on X, &#8220;We&#8217;re now 8 points away from sending Andrew Cuomo back to the suburbs.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
We&#8217;re now 8 points away from sending Andrew Cuomo back to the suburbs. <a href="https://t.co/yFfhKZkg3C">https://t.co/yFfhKZkg3C</a>
— Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@ZohranKMamdani) <a href="https://twitter.com/ZohranKMamdani/status/1927838351874248869?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 28, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The Post <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/05/27/us-news/zohran-mamdani-makes-up-ground-in-nyc-mayoral-race-but-still-cant-topple-cuomos-lead-poll/">adds</a> that ranked-choice surveys released by other pollsters, including Mamdani’s own polling released on Tuesday, show Cuomo defeating the democratic socialist by significant margins.
The Emerson poll was conducted with 1,000 registered NYC voters with a margin of error of +/- 3%, and the ranked choice voting simulation included 500 Democrats, excluding undecided voters, with a margin of error of +/- 4.3 percentage points.
The primary election is scheduled for June 24, with early voting beginning June 14.

Andrew Cuomo

NYC’s Mayoral Race Takes Sharp Turn, Putting Muslim Socialist Neck-And-Neck With Cuomo

Democratic Party

Democratic Socialism

Mayor

New York

New York City

Poll

Ranked Choice Voting

The Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against North Carolina and its elections board on Tuesday over its maintenance of voter rolls.
The Justice Department’s lawsuit says that the North Carolina State Board of Elections violated federal election law and risked the integrity of its voter rolls. Voters in the state were allowed to register without providing identification, such as a driver’s license, in violation of the Help America Vote Act (HAVA), according to the suit.
“Defendants have failed to maintain accurate lists in North Carolina’s computerized statewide voter registration in violation of Section 303(a)(5) of HAVA and the sacred trust that the people of the State of North Carolina have put in them to ensure the fairness and integrity of elections for Federal office in the state, necessitating this litigation,” the <a href="https://www.justice.gov/crt/media/1401636/dl" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lawsuit</a> says.
President Donald Trump signed an <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/03/preserving-and-protecting-the-integrity-of-american-elections/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">executive order</a> in March directing the Justice Department to vigorously enforce federal election laws.
“Above all, elections must be honest and worthy of the public trust. That requires voting methods that produce a voter-verifiable paper record allowing voters to efficiently check their votes to protect against fraud or mistake. Election-integrity standards must be modified accordingly. It is the policy of my Administration to enforce Federal law and to protect the integrity of our election process,” the order states.
<a href="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/?utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=editorial&amp;utm_campaign=memorial&amp;utm_content=editorialmemorialday&amp;_gl=1*1qdq03s*_gcl_au*MTYyNDg0MTE0OS4xNzQxODk4NTMz*_ga*MTEzOTk1NjkxNi4xNzI2MzI1MDQz*_ga_CZKR9ZYKJP*czE3NDgzNzg2NDgkbzEwMDMkZzEkdDE3NDgzODEwMTckajU4JGwwJGgw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Get 40% Off New DailyWire+ Annual Memberships</a>
The Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice is responsible for enforcing the president’s directive on election integrity. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, who heads the Civil Rights Division, said in a <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-files-help-america-vote-act-lawsuit-against-north-carolina-inaccurate" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a>: “Accurate voter registration rolls are critical to ensure that elections in North Carolina are conducted fairly, accurately, and without fraud.”
“The Department of Justice will not hesitate to file suit against jurisdictions that maintain inaccurate voter registration rolls in violation of federal voting laws,” Dhillon added.
Sam Hayes, the executive director of the North Carolina elections board, acknowledged shortcomings in the state’s voter registration process.
“I was only recently notified of this action by the United States Department of Justice. We are still reviewing the complaint, but the failure to collect the information required by HAVA has been well documented. Rest assured that I am committed to bringing North Carolina into compliance with federal law,” Hayes told <a href="https://www.cbs17.com/news/north-carolina-news/department-of-justice-suing-north-carolina-for-inaccurate-voter-list/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CBS17</a>.

Harmeet Dhillon

DOJ: North Carolina Violated ‘Sacred Trust’ With Faulty Election Rolls

Civil Rights Division

Department of Justice

Sen. Tommy Tuberville announced on Tuesday that he will run to be the next governor of Alabama.
Tuberville announced his gubernatorial bid from Byron’s Smokehouse in Auburn, Alabama, the same spot he announced his bid for U.S. Senate, his first run for elected office, in 2019. The former longtime college football coach enters the race as the favorite after other notable Republicans passed on entering the race.
“President Trump was a guy that really was behind me in doing the Senate race. He&#8217;s been behind me ever since. And, today, I will announce that I will be the future governor of the great state of Alabama,” Tuberville said during an appearance on Fox News’ “The Will Cain Show.”
Tuberville leaned into his ties to President Donald Trump during his announcement, though the president has yet to make an official endorsement in the Alabama race.
“We’ve got a lot of work to do nationally. I&#8217;m looking forward to that with President Trump. He&#8217;s got us on the right track,” Tuberville continued. “Meantime, I will be running every weekend, doing the things I need to do to make sure that I can get over the threshold and win this governor&#8217;s race, come back to Alabama, and work with President Trump … because he&#8217;s fully supportive of this, to keep making America great again and put Alabama first.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) announces he is running for Governor of Alabama. 
“Today I will announce that I will be the future Governor of the great state of Alabama.”
“I’ve still got 18 months to go with President Trump to Make America Great Again. We’ve got a lot of work… <a href="https://t.co/SfxTyRYEkh">pic.twitter.com/SfxTyRYEkh</a>
&mdash; RedWave Press (@RedWave_Press) <a href="https://twitter.com/RedWave_Press/status/1927461579324264501?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 27, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Tuberville’s announcement has long been expected. Expectations about his eventual candidacy warded off other potential candidates. Republican Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth <a href="https://www.facebook.com/willainsworthAL/posts/pfbid023SfWC35cTtduT4jjN5pRKFnNsH2Q9bYWySrBrfQasKsrnk5ryw31Q8km1XTo7RTxl?rdid=aNURcE1tbwMlobVB#" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> last week that he would be forgoing the opportunity to run.
The Alabama gubernatorial race will be to replace outgoing Republican Governor Kay Ivey, who is termed out.
Tuberville began his career in politics toppling Democratic former Sen. Doug Jones from the U.S. Senate in 2020. Jones won a 2017 special election to replace former Sen. Jeff Sessions, who had left the Senate to serve as Trump’s attorney general. Sessions ran to reclaim his old seat in 2020, but lost in the GOP primary to Tuberville.
As for who might replace Tuberville in the Senate, <a href="https://www.semafor.com/article/05/27/2025/gop-chatters-about-auburn-coach-bruce-pearl-for-senate" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Semafor</a> on Tuesday reported that Auburn University&#8217;s men’s basketball coach Bruce Pearl seems to be eyeing a run. Pearl is &#8220;an outspoken Israel supporter and opponent of antisemitism,&#8221; Semafor notes.

Tommy Tuberville

Tommy Tuberville Announces Run For Governor To ‘Put Alabama First’

Alabama

U.S. Senate

Larry Krasner, the far-Left Philadelphia district attorney backed by George Soros, won the Democratic primary over a more moderate challenger on Tuesday night, likely securing a third term as he continues to push soft-on-crime policies.
Krasner was declared the winner over Pat Dugan, a U.S. Army veteran and former head administrative judge of the Philadelphia Municipal Court, according to the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/philadelphia-district-attorney-election-31df19bdb5fb6e10ad65e5702468e2b9" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Associated Press</a>. With 83% of the vote counted as of Wednesday morning, Krasner was <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/05/20/us/elections/results-pennsylvania-district-attorney-philadelphia-primary.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ahead</a> of Dugan by nearly 30 percentage points. Krasner&#8217;s primary victory all but ensures his third four-year term, as no Republican candidate is running in the general election in November in the deep blue city.
During the primary race, Dugan nearly doubled Krasner&#8217;s donations, raking in $900,700 to Krasner&#8217;s $499,900 between November 2024 and May 2025, Philadelphia&#8217;s public radio station WHYY <a href="https://whyy.org/articles/philadelphia-district-attorney-race-campaign-finance/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. More than half of the money Krasner received for the primary came from people living outside of the city, including from wealthy leftists like Ben Cohen, co-founder of Ben &amp; Jerry&#8217;s, and Patricia Quillin, the wife of Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings. Dugan, meanwhile, received most of his money from donors within Philadelphia.
Krasner focused his re-election messaging on national politics and President Donald Trump. In March, Krasner <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/soros-das-comments-about-punching-trump-could-haunt-him-in-re-election-fight" target="_blank" rel="noopener">called</a> Trump and his supporters &#8220;fascists&#8221; and &#8220;bullies who need to be punched in the face as hard as possible.&#8221;
“Trump likes crime. Fascists like crime. Right-wing Republican MAGA people like crime and they like it because it gins up a crisis that doesn’t have to be, which allows them to scapegoat different groups of marginalized people so they can eliminate our rights. This is a very old playbook,” he added.
<a href="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/?utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=editorial&amp;utm_campaign=memorial&amp;utm_content=editorialmemorialday" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Memorial Day Sale – Get 40% Off New DailyWire+ Annual Memberships</a>
Dugan portrayed himself as a moderate compared to Krasner, slamming the district attorney&#8217;s policies. Some of Krasner&#8217;s lenient policies include ending cash bail for some offenses, cutting back on parole supervision, and pushing for reduced sentences for certain crimes. Krasner oversaw a massive spike in homicides after taking office in 2018. Homicides in the city jumped from 351 in 2018 to 562 in 2021, according to Fox News. Philadelphia <a href="https://pennsylvaniaindependent.com/politics/philadelphia-violent-crime-hits-20-year-low-as-trump-says-city-is-suffering/#:~:text=The%20nonprofit%20Pew%20Charitable%20Trusts,%2C%20while%20murder%20fell%2026.4%25." target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> a drop in violent crime to a 20-year low in 2024.
The district attorney was impeached by the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in 2022, but a Commonwealth Court judge ruled that the articles of impeachment didn&#8217;t meet the state constitution&#8217;s requirement.
The Philadelphia GOP <a href="https://www.inquirer.com/politics/philadelphia/patrick-dugan-gop-write-in-votes-pennsylvania-primary-election-2025-20250520.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">urged</a> voters to write in Dugan&#8217;s name on the Republican line in the primary election. If he receives 1,000 write-in votes, he could run as a Republican in the November general election. Dugan&#8217;s campaign manager, however, said he would decline the GOP nomination.

Larry Krasner

Far-Left Philly DA Defeats Moderate Primary Challenger, Likely Securing Third Term

District Attorneys

George Soros

Philadelphia

Disgraced former Governor Andrew Cuomo (D-NY), who resigned amid twin scandals regarding his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and multiple allegations of sexual misconduct, is now the subject of an investigation undertaken by the U.S. Justice Department.
The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/20/us/politics/andrew-cuomo-investigation-doj.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> on Tuesday that the investigation had begun about one month earlier, and that it stemmed from his order mandating that nursing homes in the state of New York accept patients regardless of whether or not they&#8217;d tested positive for COVID-19.
The times cited two as-yet-unnamed &#8220;sources familiar with the matter&#8221; and said, &#8220;The Justice Department has opened a criminal investigation of Andrew M. Cuomo, a front-runner in the New York City mayoral race, after Republicans accused him of lying to Congress about decisions he made during the coronavirus pandemic as governor.&#8221;
A Justice Department spokesperson reportedly declined to comment on the situation, citing a policy against discussing ongoing investigations either to confirm or deny their existence.
Cuomo is currently leading the Democratic field going into the next New York City mayoral election, and his spokesman Rich Azzopardi claimed that the investigation was politically motivated.
&#8220;We have never been informed of any such matter, so why would someone leak it now? The answer is obvious: This is lawfare and election interference plain and simple — something President Trump and his top Department of Justice officials say they are against,&#8221; Azzopardi said, arguing that Cuomo had &#8220;testified truthfully to the best of his recollection about events from four years earlier, and he offered to address any follow-up questions from the subcommittee — but from the beginning this was all transparently political.&#8221;
The investigation was opened by the Washington, D.C., U.S. Attorney’s Office when Ed Martin was still serving in the position on an interim basis. Jeanine Pirro has since been appointed to the role and her office will spearhead the investigation.
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) said after a hearing in June of 2024 that he had seen &#8220;overwhelming evidence&#8221; that Cuomo had been part of a 2020 audit that undercounted COVID nursing home deaths by 46%. He was referred to the Justice Department for what were termed &#8220;criminally false statements.&#8221;
The news comes just weeks after the Justice Department dropped a case against current Mayor Eric Adams — who is <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/eric-adams-back-in-nyc-mayor-race-as-an-independent" target="_blank" rel="noopener">running for reelection</a> as an independent — over concerns that it had been a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/federal-judge-dismisses-corruption-case-against-nyc-mayor-eric-adams" target="_blank" rel="noopener">political prosecution</a> undertaken by the DOJ under former President Joe Biden.

Governor Andrew Cuomo holds press briefing and makes

Trump DOJ Opens Probe Into Andrew Cuomo Over COVID Testimony, Muddying Mayoral Bid

Justice Department Probe Takes Aim At Andrew Cuomo Amid His NYC Mayoral Bid

Eric Adams

President Donald Trump said he decided to run again after his 2020 defeat to “shove it up their a**” and reap the benefits of major events he scored for the United States during his first term.
Trump, who chairs the Kennedy Center board, spoke to the center’s board members during a dinner in the White House’s State Dining Room on Monday evening. During the speech, Trump touted some accomplishments from his first term: securing the Olympics for 2028 and the World Cup for 2026 in the United States.
“We got the Olympics and then we got through Gianni, he’s the boss, he’s a friend of mine, we got the World Cup, we got them both,” said the president. “I said, ‘Man, I won&#8217;t be president. I got the Olympics and the World Cup, and I won&#8217;t be president, and they&#8217;re gonna forget that I got them, nobody&#8217;s gonna mention it, because you know, a little bit, that&#8217;s the way life is.”
“And then, you know, they rigged the election,” he added. “And then I said, ‘You know what I&#8217;ll do? I&#8217;ll run again, and I&#8217;ll shove it up their a**.'&#8221;
The crowd burst into laughter and applause.
“I then realized,” Trump continued, “I got the Olympics, I got the World Cup, and I got the 250th. Look at the way this works out.”
“If they would have left us alone and wouldn&#8217;t have cheated on the election and wouldn&#8217;t have rigged it, I would have been retired right now. I would have been happily doing something else. And instead, they have me for four more years. Can you believe it?” the president said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
🚨TRUMP: &#8220;They rigged the election. I said &#8216;You know what I&#8217;ll do? I&#8217;ll run again and I&#8217;ll shove it up their ass.&#8221;<a href="https://t.co/V0hDh8Csgf">pic.twitter.com/V0hDh8Csgf</a>
— Autism Capital 🧩 (@AutismCapital) <a href="https://twitter.com/AutismCapital/status/1924648285962436781?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 20, 2025</a></blockquote>
Trump announced in February that he would serve as chairman of the board for the Kennedy Center after firing all of its previous board members. Trump has since replaced the board members with allies including Attorney General Pam Bondi, second lady Usha Vance, and singer Lee Greenwood.
The president installed Richard Grenell, who served in the first Trump administration as acting director of national intelligence, as president of the Kennedy Center. Grenell said on Monday that he would refer an investigation into the Kennedy Center’s finances to the Justice Department.
Investigators looked into the center’s finances for the past two years and “found $26 million in phantom revenue, fake revenue,” said Grenell, adding that what was found was “criminal,” according to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/19/theater/trump-kennedy-center-season.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The New York Times</a>.
Trump and the new board have taken steps to overhaul the Kennedy Center’s programming, removing what the president has referred to as “woke” and “terrible” programming in the past. The moves have included scrapping a week’s worth of gay pride programming scheduled for the month of July.

Donald Trump

Trump Explains Why He Decided To Run Again: To ‘Shove It Up Their A**’

Olympics

The Kennedy Center

Michigan Democratic Attorney General Dana Nessel said on Monday that Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, also a Democrat, violated campaign law when she announced her 2026 gubernatorial bid in a government building in January. According to Nessel&#8217;s office, however, the state law does not provide any mechanism for punishing Benson, who oversees elections and campaign finance, The Detroit News <a href="https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/2025/05/19/michigan-dana-nessel-finds-secretary-of-state-jocelyn-benson-violated-campaign-finance-law-governor/83726371007/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
On January 22, days after she accidentally posted her campaign announcement on social media, Benson officially launched her 2026 bid for Michigan governor inside the Richard H. Austin Building, which houses the Department of State in Lansing. As The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/michigan-dem-secretary-of-state-launches-bid-for-governor-hours-after-accidental-announcement" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> at the time, Benson was criticized for likely violating Michigan law, which <a href="https://www.legislature.mi.gov/Laws/MCL?objectName=mcl-169-257" target="_blank" rel="noopener">prohibits</a> “a person acting for a public body” from using “funds, personnel, office space, computer hardware or software, property, stationery, postage, vehicles, equipment, supplies, or other public resources to make a contribution or expenditure or provide volunteer personal services.”
Nessel&#8217;s office wrote on Monday that Benson &#8220;invited members of the press inside the Austin Building&#8221; and then &#8220;conducted a press conference, professionally dressed, during the day, in the lobby of the building that houses her office.&#8221;
&#8220;She gave no indication that would lead a reasonable person viewing the press conference to believe that she was there on her &#8216;personal time.&#8217; Instead, the circumstances would lead a reasonable person to believe that Secretary Benson was acting as Secretary of State with the authority of the Department of State, which is a &#8216;public body,&#8217; to invite members of the press inside her office building,&#8221; the attorney general added.
Those who break the law are guilty of a misdemeanor and subject to up to a year in prison or a fine of up to $1,000. Despite finding that the Democratic gubernatorial candidate broke the campaign law, the Michigan Department of Attorney General said it cannot impose a fine or civil penalty on Benson because the law excludes the secretary of state, according to <a href="https://www.freep.com/story/news/politics/2025/05/19/attorney-general-jocelyn-benson-broke-campaign-finance-law-governor-campaign/83726457007/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Detroit Free Press</a>. The attorney general&#8217;s office said that the &#8220;unequal treatment&#8221; in the law &#8220;is something the Legislature may want to consider addressing.&#8221;
Nessel&#8217;s office did not respond to a Daily Wire request to comment.
Michigan Republican state Rep. Jay DeBoyer told The Daily Wire that he disagrees with the attorney general&#8217;s conclusion that the office cannot pursue a punishment for Benson. The law gives the Secretary of State&#8217;s office the obligation to refer the attorney general&#8217;s findings back to the AG for a punishment, according to DeBoyer.
&#8220;If the secretary of state chooses not to refer this, that is an absolute dereliction of duty,&#8221; DeBoyer said.
&#8220;The opinion that was put out by the attorney general&#8217;s office, although finding that there was a violation, seemed to hedge in the direction of &#8216;There&#8217;s nothing we can do about it,'&#8221; he added. &#8220;There actually is, but it requires the secretary of state&#8217;s office to operate in an ethical manner and do what they should do, which is refer this to the attorney general&#8217;s office.&#8221;
Aric Nesbitt, the Michigan Republican Senate minority leader also running for governor, blasted Nessel&#8217;s office, telling The Daily Wire that the attorney general is protecting &#8220;her Democrat ally.&#8221;
&#8220;While AG Nessel, the top law enforcement official in the state, targets Trump with ridiculous lawsuits, she shields her Democrat ally from accountability,&#8221; Nesbitt said. &#8220;This double standard reeks of partisan bias, undermining election integrity. Michiganders deserve an attorney general who enforces the law, not one who holds herself and her allies above it.&#8221;
Benson&#8217;s campaign communications director, Alyssa Bradley, said on Monday, &#8220;We understand the Attorney General is issuing a new interpretation of the law.&#8221;
&#8220;We look forward to continuing the conversation with Michiganders about Jocelyn Benson&#8217;s vision to make our state the best place to be a kid, raise a kid, and call home by lowering housing costs, making our schools among the best in the nation, and standing up for our rights and freedoms,&#8221; Bradley added.
Benson defended her decision to announce her bid inside her office building in January, saying she didn&#8217;t want people to stand outside in the <a href="https://world-weather.info/forecast/usa/lansing/january-2025/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">frigid</a> Michigan winter weather. She also argued that other candidates could use the space for campaign announcements, a carve-out in the campaign law that would put Benson in the clear. Nessel&#8217;s office rejected that argument, writing that her &#8220;belief was misplaced.&#8221;

Jocelyn Benson

Michigan Dem AG Finds Dem Secretary Of State Violated Campaign Law, But Won’t Punish Her

Attorney General

Michigan

President Donald Trump on Monday called for a &#8220;major investigation&#8221; into former Vice President Kamala Harris over accusations that she paid for the endorsements of celebrities like Bruce Springsteen and Beyoncé during her failed presidential campaign. 
In an early morning Truth Social <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114532867603994760" target="_blank" rel="noopener">post</a>, Trump claimed Harris illegally paid for high-profile endorsements. 
“HOW MUCH DID KAMALA HARRIS PAY BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN FOR HIS POOR PERFORMANCE DURING HER CAMPAIGN FOR PRESIDENT? WHY DID HE ACCEPT THAT MONEY IF HE IS SUCH A FAN OF HERS? ISN’T THAT A MAJOR AND ILLEGAL CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTION? WHAT ABOUT BEYONCÉ? …AND HOW MUCH WENT TO OPRAH, AND BONO??? I am going to call for a major investigation into this matter,” Trump wrote.  
“Candidates aren’t allowed to pay for ENDORSEMENTS, which is what Kamala did, under the guise of paying for entertainment,” he added. “In addition, this was a very expensive and desperate effort to artificially build up her sparse crowds. IT’S NOT LEGAL! For these unpatriotic &#8216;entertainers,&#8217; this was just a CORRUPT &amp; UNLAWFUL way to capitalize on a broken system. Thank you for your attention to this matter!!!”
Springsteen, who performed at an October rally for Harris in Atlanta, has been attacking the Trump administration during his concerts in recent weeks. 
“In my home, the America I love, the America I’ve written about, that has been a beacon of hope and liberty for 250 years, is currently in the hands of a corrupt, incompetent and treasonous administration,” Springsteen <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/nobody-cares-bruce-springsteen-mocked-for-tirade-against-trump?author=Amanda+Harding&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=‘Nobody+Cares’%3A+Bruce+Springsteen+Mocked+For+Tirade+Against+Trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> at a concert last week in England. “Tonight, we ask all who believe in democracy and the best of our American experiment to rise with us, raise your voices against authoritarianism and let freedom ring!” 
The Harris campaign has previously come under scrutiny for large payments made to the production companies of celebrities like Oprah Winfrey, Beyoncé, and LeBron James. 
The Washington Free Beacon <a href="https://freebeacon.com/democrats/lebron-james-endorsed-kamala-harris-then-she-paid-his-company-50k/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> last month that Harris’s campaign paid James&#8217;s production company $50,000 for &#8220;campaign event production.” While James did not appear at any Harris events, he did post a social media video endorsing Harris and suggesting that Trump was a racist. 
Similarly, the Harris campaign paid Beyonce’s production company $165,000 and Oprah’s production company $1 million. Beyonce spoke briefly at a Harris campaign event in Houston while Oprah did a sit-down interview with Harris in Chicago.

Americans Go To The Polls In The 2024 Elections

Trump Calls For ‘Major Investigation’ Into Kamala Over ‘Unlawful’ Celebrity Endorsements

Menu