Podcaster Chuck Todd melted down over the Senate’s confirmation of Todd Blanche as U.S. attorney general, claiming — without providing evidence — that Republicans who voted for him have inflicted damage on America that will take “decades” to fix.
“I do not think he understands the distinction between being the lawyer for Donald John Trump and the lawyer for the people,” Todd said of Blanche. “This is damage that&#8217;s going to take decades to get out of, and this confirmation has just made the project of fixing America a lot harder and a lot longer.&#8221;
Todd, a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/former-nbc-host-says-hell-never-enter-a-room-with-trump-in-it-again">longtime Trump critic</a> and former host of NBC’s “Meet the Press,” argued that Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Thom Tillis (R-NC), and John Cornyn (R-TX) had caved to pressure from people to whom he referred as “Trump’s goons.”
“I know the reality that they live in. I have empathy personally. These people are terrible. The Trump goons come after anybody that stands in their way, and goons is the way to call them. I understand the incoming that they&#8217;re receiving, and they just want to go into retirement, and they&#8217;re in their 60s and 70s, and they don&#8217;t want to do this. It&#8217;s exhausting, and then after they leave, they will tell us how terrible it is,” he lamented on his podcast.
Over the weekend, the U.S. Senate <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/senate-confirms-todd-blanche-as-attorney-general-in-razor-thin-late-night-vote">confirmed</a> Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche as the nation’s attorney general following a drawn-out process marked by political bargaining and divisions within the Republican Party.
The chamber voted 50-49, with two Republicans — Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) — joining Democrats in opposing Blanche’s nomination. Collins said her vote stemmed from her belief that the Justice Department “has become increasingly political.”
“Mr. Blanche has taken several actions that have further eroded the Department’s independence, and that is the basis for my vote to oppose his confirmation,” she said in a <a href="https://www.collins.senate.gov/newsroom/senator-collins-statement-on-nomination-of-todd-blanche-to-serve-as-attorney-general">statement</a> earlier this week.
Cornyn, working with Tillis, exacted a major concession from the Trump administration in exchange for their votes: kill the proposed $1.8 billion <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/senator-scorned-by-trump-threatens-to-hold-ag-nominee-hostage-over-weaponization-fund">“anti-weaponization” fund</a> that drew bipartisan backlash and never materialized.
Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), who had also voiced strong concerns about Blanche, ultimately fell in line, providing the pivotal vote.
“Mr. Blanche is not perfect, and he will tell you this,” Cassidy <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/todd-blanche-gets-guarantee-from-key-senator-on-confirmation-vote">said</a>. “But the choice is not between perfection and Mr. Blanche. It is between Mr. Blanche and another acting attorney general who may not run the department effectively under President Trump, and who indeed may not be as good as Mr. Blanche.”
That rationale angered Chuck Todd, who argued Senate Republicans have repeatedly appeased Trump on issues ranging from January 6th, public health, and the rule of law.
“But at the end of the day, they didn&#8217;t have the guts to do this when it mattered. Look, they have to sleep at night. I don&#8217;t know if they will be able to,” Todd said. “What&#8217;s the point of advice and consent? All you&#8217;re going to do is consent. And consent. I guess we should call it advice and capitulate, because that&#8217;s what this feels like–a capitulation.”

Meet the Press – Season 76

Chuck Todd Melts Down Over Blanche, Says GOP Senators Fear Trump’s ‘Goons’

bill Cassidy

Chuck Todd

Department of Justice

John Cornyn

News

Politics

Republicans

Thom Tillis

Todd Blanche

Trump Administration

U.S. Senate

Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic Party’s nominee in the Michigan Senate race, sought to brush aside far-left streamer Hasan Piker’s incendiary past remarks suggesting America deserved the deadly 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Speaking on NBC’s &#8220;Meet the Press,&#8221; host Kristen Welker <a href="https://x.com/Acyn/status/2086458343280005235?s=20">asked</a> the socialist-aligned candidate whether he disavowed Piker’s comments, given that El-Sayed had repeatedly campaigned alongside the leftist streamer in the lead-up to Tuesday’s contentious primary against establishment-backed Congresswoman Haley Stevens.
“When asked about Hasan Piker&#8217;s comments on 9/11, Senator Bernie Sanders called it a dumb statement. Do you agree? Do you disavow those comments that America deserved 9/11?” Welker asked.
“Of course, of course, it was a dumb statement, and of course, I think Hasan himself would say that was a dumb statement. He disavowed it. So yes, America didn’t deserve 9/11,” El-Sayed said, but then immediately pivoted to qualify his remarks, suggesting that continued focus on Piker&#8217;s remarks amounted to &#8220;cancel culture.&#8221;
“But, you know, to sit here and play gotcha politics with dumb things somebody said out of context that they disavowed themselves and say, ‘Oh, well, what does that mean about what you think?’ I want to be held accountable for what I say and what I do, rather than this idea that we’re so stuck in cancel culture that all of us agreed was a bad idea back in 2020, but we seem to want to bring back,” he added.
Welker then <a href="https://x.com/RNCResearch/status/2086455727267197342?s=20">pressed</a> El-Sayed on whether he plans to continue campaigning alongside Piker through the fall.
&#8220;Look, I&#8217;m less concerned now with who I&#8217;m campaigning with and a lot more concerned about who I&#8217;m campaigning to. We got a lot of work to do to continue to build the coalition that&#8217;s going to beat Mike Rogers,&#8221; he said.
&#8220;Would you welcome him, though, on the campaign trail with you?” Welker asked.
&#8220;So, I think we have this notion sometimes on shows like this that we cannot or should not talk to certain groups of people. And I will tell you that the three million people who listen to Hasan are people I want to make sure understand that there&#8217;s a pathway into our politics &#8230;&#8221; El-Sayed said.
Natalie Baldassarre, a national press secretary for the Republican National Committee (RNC), blasted El-Sayed&#8217;s connection to Piker. 
&#8220;El-Sayed is a terrorist sympathizer and an America-hating socialist. His refusal to distance himself from Hamas-hugging radicals like Hasan Piker reaffirms his true allegiance is to terrorist groups, not America,&#8221; Baldassarre said in a statement to The Daily Wire.  &#8220;Democrats&#8217; refusal to disavow this clown shows they either share his poisonous ideology or they&#8217;re too cowardly to confront it.”
The back-and-forth over Piker’s most fringe and alienating views comes as former President Barack Obama <a href="https://apnews.com/article/elsayed-obama-michigan-senate-democrats-trump-723a1c44a2e2ebf713f176fafb23021e#">reportedly called</a> El-Sayed to discuss November’s election, which could prove pivotal in determining the balance of power in Washington.
“I was grateful for his advice. It was very warm, very inviting, and I know that he knows the critical role that Michigan is going to play,” El-Sayed told NBC.
If elected, El-Sayed would become America’s first Muslim senator. His parents are both Egyptian immigrants, and his father <a href="https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2018/0329/Can-a-Michigan-doctor-become-America-s-first-Muslim-governor">was a part-time imam</a>, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-islamist-marxist-takeover-of-middle-america">The Daily Wire</a> previously reported. His father-in-law <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/">is a founding committee member</a> of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), which has close ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, according to the federal government.
His background and hard-Left platform — which includes <a href="https://abdulforsenate.com/priority/money-out-of-politics/#h-supreme-court-reform">Medicare for all</a>, <a href="https://statenews.com/article/2026/04/abdul-el-sayed-denounces-iran-war-calls-for-abolishing-ice-in-campus-rally">abolishing ICE</a>, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/yes-michigans-abdul-el-sayed-really-wants-to-defund-the-police-here-are-the-receipts?author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Yes%2C+Michigan%E2%80%99s+Abdul+El-Sayed+Really+Wants+To+Defund+The+Police.+Here+Are+The+Receipts.">defunding the police</a>, <a href="https://abdulforsenate.com/priority/money-out-of-politics/#h-supreme-court-reform"> restructuring the U.S. Supreme Court</a>, and raising taxes on billionaires — galvanized the Democratic Party’s far-Left base, including streamer Hasan Piker, who has used his large social media network to rally support for socialist candidates.
Tuesday’s primary highlighted the Democratic Party’s accelerating ideological shift, with the establishment failing to stop the socialist-aligned Left nationwide. Supporters of the socialist movement viewed El-Sayed as their best chance to prove a leftist candidate could win statewide in a battleground like Michigan.
Since President Donald Trump’s re-election, the Democratic establishment has watched its leftist wing barnstorm the country, racking up one victory after another. Socialist Zohran Mamdani’s upset in New York City’s mayoral primary kicked off the movement’s breakthrough, followed by <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/mamdanis-socialists-upset-incumbent-dems-in-house-primary-sweep">three Democratic Socialists of America-backed leftists</a> ousting longtime Democratic representatives. The socialist-aligned Left also steamrolled its way through <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-trashes-the-socialist-poised-to-be-next-mayor-of-d-c">Washington, D.C.</a> and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/socialist-hot-streak-continues-as-radical-leftist-unseats-15-term-democrat?author=Brecca+Stoll&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Socialist+Hot+Streak+Continues+As+Radical+Leftist+Unseats+15-Term+Democrat">Denver</a>, then succeeded in nominating <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/platner-caves-suspends-senate-campaign">Graham Platner</a> for the U.S. Senate in Maine before he dropped out of the race following a rape allegation.
Hoping to block the socialist surge in Michigan, Republican Mike Rogers offered an olive branch to moderate Democrats and independent-minded voters.
“If you are among the majority of Democratic voters who woke up on Wednesday feeling well, hopeless, because the person who won does not represent your values, then just know there is still hope,” Rogers <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/mike-rogers-makes-his-pitch-for-dem-support-in-michigan-after-el-sayeds-divisive-victory">said</a>. “And to the vast majority of people across Michigan who do not want to throw their support behind a campaign filled with anger, divisiveness, calls for violence, and the views that are out of touch with your values, then you have a home with us.”

Web Summit Vancouver 2026 – Day Two

El-Sayed Shrugs Off Hasan Piker’s 9/11 Comments

2026 Midterms

Abdul El-Sayed

campaigns

Democratic socialists

Democrats

El Sayed

Hasan Piker

Michigan

Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) secured Tennessee&#8217;s Republican gubernatorial nomination Thursday, prevailing over two conservative rivals even though President Donald Trump stayed out of the race.
With more than 90% of the vote in, Blackburn led four-term U.S. Rep. John Rose and state Rep. Monty Fritts with 43.5% of the vote. <a href="https://x.com/DecisionDeskHQ/status/2085537742864138332?s=20">Decision Desk HQ</a> called the race at 9:24 p.m. ET.
The Daily Wire&#8217;s Lynden Blake was at Blackburn&#8217;s victory party, where a cheering crowd greeted her.
&#8220;The real work begins right now,&#8221; Blackburn told supporters. &#8220;We have to unite. We have to defeat the Democrats in November. We&#8217;ve got to send a message loud and clear, we&#8217;re a solid red conservative state, and all of these socialist, communist policies end at the Tennessee state line.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
Senator Marsha Blackburn takes the stage for her victory speech in the TN Governor GOP Primary. <a href="https://x.com/realDailyWire?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@realDailyWire</a>. <a href="https://t.co/kk95jU8xD6">pic.twitter.com/kk95jU8xD6</a>
— Lynden Blake (@LyndenBlake) <a href="https://x.com/LyndenBlake/status/2085546775201378662?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 7, 2026</a></blockquote>
In the Tennessee legislature, Blackburn helped lead the charge to eliminate the state&#8217;s income tax. Following her election to the U.S. Senate, she became a close ally of  Trump and has been a leading Republican voice on issues including immigration, China, election security, and restricting transgender athletes from competing in women&#8217;s sports.
The longtime Republican, who just won a second Senate term, is expected to coast to victory over Shelby County Public Defender Jerri Green (D-TN) this fall in an overwhelmingly red state that has backed Trump in all three of his presidential runs and has not elected a Democrat to statewide office since 2006. 
Leading up to Election Day, Rose campaigned on his rural farming roots while attacking a $30 million incentive package for a <a href="https://nashvillebanner.com/2026/06/17/john-rose-starbucks-ad-tennessee-dei/">Starbucks corporate expansion</a> in Nashville, arguing the funds should instead support local small businesses and core state services. Fritts, meanwhile, raised little money and centered his campaign on religious issues, vowing to find a First Amendment workaround to <a href="https://www.actionnews5.com/2026/07/28/tenn-governor-candidate-calls-ban-mosques-non-christian-religions/">ban mosques</a> and other non-Christian religious groups.
Strong early voting turnout reflected heightened interest on both sides, driven by the open race to replace Republican Gov. Bill Lee and the legislature&#8217;s elimination of Tennessee&#8217;s last Democratic congressional district. Polls leading up to the primary also suggested a <a href="https://nashvillebanner.com/2026/07/30/tennessee-republican-primary-poll-blackburn-rose/">tightening</a> race as Blackburn came under fire for <a href="https://nashvillebanner.com/2026/07/14/republican-gubernatorial-debate-dodged/">skipping debates</a>, limiting media access, and releasing a <a href="https://x.com/AdImpact_Pol/status/2074953981957194064?s=20">viral campaign ad</a> in which she crushed a fortune cookie at a Chinese restaurant.
“How hard am I gonna crack down on China? Well, here’s a clue,” Blackburn says as she smashes fortune cookies. “It doesn’t take a fortune cookie to figure it out: here in Tennessee, we’re going to stop Communist China and protect Tennessee land.”
Blackburn has voiced her views on China in Congress since <a href="https://www.blackburn.senate.gov/taking-on-china-since-day-one-senator-blackburn-s-record">2003,</a> when she recognized the threat of Chinese intellectual property theft. In the ad, Blackburn promises to work with the Trump administration to continue the fight.
“As I’ve said from the beginning, Tennessee should be America’s conservative leader, and one of the places that we can — and should — lead is in showing the rest of America how to stand up to and confront Communist China,” Blackburn had told <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/marsha-blackburn-crushes-chinese-fortune-cookies-in-first-ad-of-gov-campaign">The Daily Wire</a>. “As governor, I’ll work with the legislators to tighten up those loopholes and hunt down every adversary who tries to get a foothold in our state.” 
The MAGA firebrand has also pledged to partner with the Trump White House to deport illegal immigrants, combat violent crime, expand school choice, and govern in a way that keeps Tennessee a <a href="https://marshablackburn.com/issue/ensuring-tennessee-remains-a-safe-haven-for-conservatives/">&#8220;safe haven&#8221;</a> for conservatives.
If Blackburn wins the November general election, her Senate seat will become vacant, setting up a closely watched appointment and likely a competitive special election for one of Tennessee&#8217;s two U.S. Senate seats.
<a href="https://www.cookpolitical.com/governor/race/479601">The Cook Political Report</a> rates the Tennessee governor&#8217;s race as Solid Republican.

GOP Presidential Nominee Donald Trump Holds Town Hall in Warren, MI

Marsha Blackburn Cruises To Big Primary Win In Tennessee Gov Fight

Gov. Bill Lee

Marsha Blackburn

President Trump

Republican Primary

Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) announced Thursday that he has been released from a rehabilitation facility and will continue his recovery at his Kentucky home, ending a months-long hospitalization that fueled speculation about his health and renewed calls for the 84-year-old to resign.
“Elaine and I are grateful for the many well wishes and support from friends, colleagues, and Kentuckians, and for the attentive care I’ve received from excellent doctors, nurses, therapists, and hospital staff,&#8221; McConnell <a href="https://x.com/AndrewDesiderio/status/2085436771714650136?s=20">said in the statement</a>.
The Kentucky Republican, who is not running for reelection, provided no timeline on a possible return to Washington, D.C. Between June 15 and August 5, McConnell missed 51 roll call votes, <a href="https://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/missing">according to a government tracker</a>. His absence could also derail Todd Blanche’s nomination to be the U.S. Attorney General, as the acting Attorney General is struggling to earn 50 votes for confirmation.
“On the advice of my doctors, I’ll maintain an intensive regimen of physical therapy from home during the state work period, and I’ll continue to engage with my staff and colleagues on important Senate business,&#8221; McConnell said in the latest health update.
The 84-year-old’s extended hospitalization has fueled mounting questions about both his health and what would happen if Kentucky’s longest-serving senator were unable to complete his final term. He has remained hospitalized <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/senator-mitch-mcconnell-hospitalized?author=Jacob+Wheeler&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=84-Year-Old+Mitch+McConnell+Hospitalized+After+%E2%80%98Unknown+Medical+Incident%E2%80%99">since June 14</a>, when emergency responders were dispatched to his Washington residence following what was widely reported as an emergency radio traffic describing a cardiac arrest requiring CPR. 
The lack of information sparked widespread speculation online. Still, it has also drawn renewed attention to an unusual wrinkle in Kentucky election law that could become significant if McConnell were to resign or otherwise vacate his seat before his term expires in January 2027. With a Democrat occupying the governor’s office, Republican lawmakers<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kentucky-legislature-senate-vacancies-faf6f1f41fa42c3e0b818fc3fb3d4d4a"> recently moved</a> to eliminate the governor’s appointment authority in favor of a special election process.
Previous health updates included photos with his wife, Elaine Chao, and statements from McConnell’s physician. 
“Senator McConnell continues his recovery from a fall at home in June. OAP physicians visit with the Senator every day, discussing all aspects of his rehabilitation care,” the Office of the Attending Physician <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/mcconnells-office-shares-new-photo-and-update-on-the-senator">said July 27</a>. “Since his discharge from hospital care, he has maintained a strenuous course of physical therapy and rehabilitation, including multiple sessions a day designed to rebuild strength and reduce the risk of future falls.”
“His bout with childhood polio continues to be a significant factor in his mobility. He is not yet medically cleared to leave the rehab facility and return to the office,” the OAP added.

Mitch McConnell

Sen. Mitch McConnell Gives Major Update After Months In Hospital

Kentucky

Sen. McConnell

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) endorsed Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed on Wednesday, despite El-Sayed spending much of his primary campaign arguing Schumer should no longer lead Senate Democrats. 
The endorsement is the latest example of Democratic establishment figures quickly <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/establishment-dems-fall-in-line-behind-el-sayed?author=Drew+Berkemeyer&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=2&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Establishment+Dems+Fall+In+Line+Behind+El-Sayed">falling in line</a> behind the socialist-backed nominee after spending months attempting to stop his insurgent campaign.
“Democrats are united by a common purpose: putting a check on Donald Trump by defeating his Republican enablers and taking back the Senate,” Schumer and Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chair Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) said in a <a href="https://www.dscc.org/article/dscc-statement-on-abdul-el-sayeds-victory-in-michigan-senate-primary/">joint statement</a>. “We look forward to working with Abdul and Democrats across Michigan to win this seat in November.”
The endorsement came one day after El-Sayed narrowly defeated establishment-backed Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI) in Michigan&#8217;s Democratic Senate primary, one of the party&#8217;s most closely watched ideological battles of the 2026 cycle. 
Throughout the campaign, El-Sayed cast himself as a threat to Democratic leadership in Washington. 
“If you&#8217;re Chuck Schumer, I&#8217;m dangerous,” El-Sayed <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DaMhOM0OXte/">said</a> during the primary campaign.
He also <a href="https://www.c-span.org/clip/us-senate/el-sayed-introduces-van-hollen-as-the-next-senate-majority-leader/5203501">publicly backed</a> Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) to replace Schumer as Democratic leader should the party regain control of the Senate. 
“If I have anything to do about it, the next Senate majority leader — Chris Van Hollen,” El-Sayed said while introducing the Maryland senator at a campaign event.
Despite those attacks, Schumer, who endorsed Haley Stevens during the primary, quickly backed El-Sayed after Democratic voters rejected the establishment&#8217;s preferred candidate.
Schumer&#8217;s endorsement follows similar moves from Michigan Democrats who spent months backing Stevens before uniting behind El-Sayed after Tuesday night&#8217;s results. 
Michigan Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), retiring Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI), and Stevens herself all pledged to support him in November.
“Together, let&#8217;s stop MAGA Republicans so we can get to work and deliver results for the people of Michigan,” Whitmer said.
Slotkin likewise called for party unity. 
“There is nothing more important than the mission of the next 90 days: uniting, keeping this seat blue, flipping the House and Senate, and providing a real check on President Trump,” she <a href="https://x.com/ElissaSlotkin/status/2085003232149913780">wrote</a> after the race was called.
Stevens, whose candidacy became the vehicle for the Democratic establishment&#8217;s effort to block El-Sayed&#8217;s nomination, also quickly endorsed her former rival. 
“I want to congratulate Abdul El-Sayed on winning the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate,” Stevens said in a <a href="https://haleyformi.com/news/haley-stevens-statement-on-election-results/">statement</a>. “I am proud to offer my support as he takes on Mike Rogers in the general election.”
She added that Republicans wanted Democrats to emerge from the primary “tired and divided,” saying, “I&#8217;m not going to let that happen.”
 The rapid consolidation behind El-Sayed comes despite the Democratic establishment spending months trying to prevent his nomination.
Stevens entered the race with endorsements from Schumer, Whitmer, Peters, former Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), and other prominent Democrats, while outside groups spent tens of millions of dollars backing her candidacy.
El-Sayed, meanwhile, built his campaign with support from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), and other leaders of the party&#8217;s Left wing. He campaigned on Medicare for All, abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement, ending U.S. military aid to Israel, restructuring the Supreme Court, and raising taxes on billionaires.
His victory continued a broader trend that has unsettled Democratic leaders this cycle, with socialist-backed candidates defeating multiple establishment Democrats in congressional primaries across the country.
El-Sayed now faces Republican Mike Rogers in a race widely viewed as critical to determining control of the Senate. With Michigan representing one of Democrats&#8217; best opportunities to hold a key seat in 2026, party leaders have rapidly coalesced behind a nominee who spent months arguing they should no longer be leading the party.

Trump Threatens No Back Pay For Shutdown’s Furloughed Workers

‘Cuck’ Schumer Endorses El-Sayed, Who Campaigned On Replacing Him

2026 election

2026 elections

2026 midterm

Chris Van Hollen

Chuck Schumer

Democratic establishment

Democratic Party

Endorsement

Kirsten Gillibrand

Senate

Senate Democrats

A Senate panel investigating Dr. Anthony Fauci has reportedly obtained a copy of the cellphone he used during the COVID-19 pandemic ahead of a key committee vote Thursday to hold him in contempt of Congress. 
The <a href="https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/anthony-fauci-covid-phone-senate-96ebd8be?st=68LAAW">Wall Street Journal</a> reported Wednesday that the Department of Health and Human Services, which is led by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr, transferred a copy of the phone&#8217;s records to the Senate Homeland Security Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. 
Fauci used the phone during his tenure as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, according to The Journal, which also revealed that Sens. Ron Johnson (R-WI) and Rand Paul (R-KY) have obtained &#8220;millions of additional Fauci-related pages&#8221; from government servers.
On Wednesday, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/when-it-comes-to-anthony-fauci-rand-paul-is-just-getting-started?topStoryPosition=undefined&amp;author=Mary+Margaret+Olohan&amp;category=Original&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=1&amp;rowHeadline=Top+Stories&amp;rowType=Top+Stories&amp;title=When+It+Comes+To+Anthony+Fauci%2C+Rand+Paul+Is+Just+Getting+Started">The Daily Wire</a> interviewed Senate Homeland Security Committee Chairman Rand Paul, whose release of Fauci&#8217;s private diaries helped set the stage for an explosive Capitol Hill hearing where Fauci invoked the Fifth Amendment more than 100 times.
“Historically, votes like this have gone to the full Senate, but I think there’s no absolute rule that says we can’t send it directly to the Department of Justice,” Paul said. “So my plan is that if we win the vote on Thursday, to immediately send it to the Department of Justice with a recommendation for prosecution, even if it passes the whole Senate.”
Paul’s office sent two criminal referrals to the Biden Justice Department, the senator said, and two more under President Donald Trump’s administration.
“This will be the first time that our entire committee or the majority of our committee sends it,” he noted. “So we’ll see what happens. We’ll discuss with [Senate Majority Leader John] Thune whether or not he thinks he can get the votes to do it on the floor.”
A floor vote would require 60 votes to pass, meaning Democrats would have to cooperate. Last week, Thune said that Fauci’s answers were “completely inadequate” and that the floor vote was “certainly an option that ought to be available to us.”
Paul told The Daily Wire that he does not expect Democrats to support a contempt vote and that he wants the Justice Department to prosecute Fauci for contempt of Congress. He plans to send the DOJ a legal brief arguing that Fauci could not invoke the Fifth Amendment because President Joe Biden&#8217;s pardon eliminated any risk of self-incrimination, leaving him with only an obligation to answer truthfully.
Statutory penalties for <a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/2/192">contempt of Congress</a>, a federal misdemeanor, carry fines between $100 and $100,000 and a mandatory sentence of one to 12 months in prison.
“This is an important case because I think a lot of people anticipate that President Trump is going to issue similar pardons to many people in his administration who will end up being called before Congress, and the precedent here is important,” Mark Osler, a law professor and pardon power expert, told the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/fauci-fifth-amendment-congress-justice-department-paul-868a0dfcf016d830571fb6a78afae4f9">Associated Press. </a>
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US-POLITICS-HEALTH-VIRUS-HEARING

Fauci’s COVID Phone Turned Over To Senate Panel Ahead Of Contempt Vote

Anthony Fauci

Coronavirus

COVID-19

fauci diaries

Health

Investigations

Pandemic

Rand Paul

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) on Tuesday poured more cold water on Democratic primary rival James Talarico&#8217;s campaign, raising fresh doubts about whether he can win November&#8217;s closely watched Senate race.
In an interview with <a href="http://nbcnews.com/politics/trump-administration/live-blog/trump-michigan-el-sayed-2026-election-congress-iran-live-updates-rcna590889/rcrd118342?canonicalCard=true">NBC News</a>, Crockett said she isn&#8217;t buying the flurry of polls showing Talarico within striking distance of — or even leading — Texas Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton in the closely watched U.S. Senate race that could flip the balance of power in Washington.
With a few months until Election Day, the traditionally safe red seat looks increasingly competitive. Three public polls released in the last week show Talarico narrowly leading Paxton, raising concerns that a bruising Republican primary may have left the GOP nominee vulnerable in November, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/senate-race-in-solid-red-state-remains-too-close-for-gop-comfort?author=Drew+Berkemeyer&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=5&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Senate+Race+In+Solid+Red+State+Remains+Too+Close+For+GOP+Comfort">The Daily Wire reported.</a>
A <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/fox-news-poll-gop-divisions-shape-texas-senate-race">Fox News poll</a> released last week found Talarico leading Paxton 51% to 48% among registered voters. A <a href="https://texaspublicopinionresearch.substack.com/p/new-poll-james-talaricos-lead-over">Texas Public Opinion Research</a> (TPOR) survey of likely voters found Talarico ahead 45% to 40%, while the latest survey from the <a href="https://static1.squarespace.com/static/67aa7aa3e284b002cd6a420e/t/6a713767d4ed824b91ea090d/1785804647961/Texas+Statewide+August2026.pdf">Barbara Jordan Public Policy Research and Survey Center</a> showed Talarico leading 47% to 45%.
Even as Republicans sound the alarm, Crockett says she isn&#8217;t sold on the Talarico hype.
“I don&#8217;t know,” she said when asked whether she thinks Talarico can turn Texas blue. “I watch money.”
“When I look at the money, if Republicans start spending money in Texas, then I&#8217;ll be convinced. But right now, national Republicans decided they wanted to dump money into North Carolina, as well as Georgia. That&#8217;s where they&#8217;re fighting, and national Democrats have not decided to dump money into Texas either&#8230; I look at: where does the NRSC stand? Where does DSCC stand? Right now, neither one are investing, which tells me that their internals are saying the same thing,” she told NBC reporter Sahil Kapur. 
Since her bruising primary loss, which she has labeled a &#8220;<a href="https://www.wfmd.com/2026/07/09/jasmine-crockett-blasts-her-texas-democratic-primary-loss-as-racist-race/">racist race</a>,&#8221; the Dallas-area congresswoman has repeatedly declined calls from fellow Democrats to campaign for Talarico.
“I won&#8217;t get on the ground to really start to feel it until maybe end of September, October, as I start to dig into which races I&#8217;m going to help out in, the races that I really feel like we can win,” she told NBC. 
Crockett’s skepticism of Talarico comes as the Senate hopeful, who has sparked backlash for his <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/this-book-is-gay-read-the-sexually-explicit-volumes-james-talaricos-church-gives-kids">fringe views on Christianity</a>, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-james-talarico-says-he-loves-trans-children-in-unearthed-clip">affection for transgender children</a>, and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-audio-thats-blowing-a-hole-in-talaricos-christian-persona">disdain for the American flag</a>, struggles to energize black voters. 
Some black activists have <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/black-activists-threaten-to-nuke-james-talaricos-senate-run">threatened to tank</a> his campaign over what they describe as his failure to engage black voters and organizations following the perceived snubbing of Crockett. At least one elected black Texas Democrat has already predicted Talarico will lose. 
“Do I think that Talarico’s refusal thus far to engage black electeds and the black infrastructure has put him at a disadvantage? Absolutely, because there’s not a lot of time to try to rally us,” Texas State Rep. Jolanda Jones, a Democrat, <a href="https://x.com/BreitbartNews/status/2074908934507233660?s=20">warned in a recent interview.</a> 
“Talarico needs to pay for us to get our voters out. Only then does Talarico have a chance to win,” Jones said. “If he continues to do what he has been doing, I believe Talarico is going to lose.”

James Talarico & Jasmine Crockett

Jasmine Crockett Pours Cold Water On James Talarico’s Senate Hype

black vote

Black voters

Elections

James Talarico

Jasmine Crockett

Midterms

Texas

The polling industry is taking another hit after getting Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary wrong, predicting a runaway Abdul El-Sayed victory in the race that instead ended in an overnight nail-biter.
Michigan Democrats on Tuesday elevated the leftist firebrand to the party’s U.S. Senate nomination, marking the biggest triumph yet for the ascendant far-Left and a humiliating defeat for the establishment’s old guard, who failed to stop him from advancing to a pivotal November clash with Trump-endorsed Republican Mike Rogers.
With more than 95% of ballots counted, media outlets called the race for El-Sayed, who led Stevens <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/08/04/us/elections/results-michigan-us-senate-primary.html">48.49% to 47.51%.</a> The unexpectedly narrow margin defied a flurry of public opinion polls showing the DSA-aligned candidate with a commanding double-digit lead.
Before Tuesday night, surveys consistently pointed to a sweeping El-Sayed victory. <a href="https://www.realclearpolling.com/polls/senate/democratic-primary/2026/michigan">RealClearPolitics&#8217;</a> polling average gave him a 10-point lead, and an Emerson College survey released a week before the election showed Stevens down by 15 points.
For weeks, the flawed surveys circulated widely on social media and blasted on cable news, fueling the perception that one of the nation&#8217;s most closely watched Democratic primaries was over before voters even went to the polls.
“Polling is imperfect, but I would encourage all media going forward to decline to publish results from these outfits unless they can explain the size of this polling error,” Caitlin Legacki, a public affairs specialist who served as a spokeswoman for the Stevens campaign, <a href="https://x.com/caitleg/status/2084976477091631357?s=20">said</a> on X. “It sure looks like it was a coordinated strategy to me!”
In fact, four separate surveys commissioned by a super PAC supporting El-Sayed showed him winning by margins ranging from 13 to 19 points, a pattern highlighted by Democratic strategist <a href="https://www.hopiumchronicles.com/p/as-his-powers-ebb-trumps-war-with">Simon Rosenberg.</a>
“I also want to note the El-Sayed campaign and their allies have deployed a tactic in this race that’s been used by Republicans in recent years, and not by us — flooding the zone with favorable polls to shape the narrative of the race,” he warned in an August 2 Substack post.
Rosenberg argued that the decline of legacy media is opening the door for partisan groups to shape election narratives through selective polling, prediction markets, and online campaigns designed to sway public opinion.
“So if I counted correctly, El-Sayed’s world released 8 of the 18 polls we’ve seen in Michigan these past two months — 44%, again almost half. This was a major effort to shape the understanding of the race. I&#8217;m not sure there has been anything like this on our side of the game in recent years,” he said.
Michigan’s red-hot primary marks the latest polling miss for an industry already struggling to rebuild trust after flawed polling convinced many Americans that Hillary Clinton and Kamala Harris were on track to defeat Donald Trump in the presidential races.
Conservative political consultant Ryan Girdusky <a href="https://x.com/RyanGirdusky/status/2084844719834620377?s=20">argued</a> that the Michigan polls oversampled white progressives with advanced degrees over other key demographic groups.
Looking ahead, the latest polling misses raise new questions about the accuracy of election forecasts predicting a Democratic sweep heading into the midterm elections, where control of the U.S. House and Senate hangs in the balance.
“Whatever happened there was a massive polling miss in Michigan, they had El-Sayed up by 15, and he&#8217;s just barely going to squeak by,” Will Chamberlain, senior counsel at The Article 3 Project, <a href="https://x.com/willchamberlain/status/2085006813099856283?s=20">said</a> on social media. “Take all those Talarico +3 polls with a very healthy grain of salt.”

Casting A Ballot

Everyone Is Mad At Pollsters Again After Botch In Michigan

Haley Stevens

political surveys

polling

polling industry

surveys

Senate Democrats unanimously opposed legislation Wednesday requiring pornography websites to verify users&#8217; ages before allowing access to explicit content, drawing criticism from conservatives who accused the party of siding with the pornography industry over protecting children online.
The Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee voted 15-13 along party lines to advance Sen. Mike Lee&#8217;s (R-UT) Shielding Children&#8217;s Retinas from Egregious Exposure on the Net (<a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/737">SCREEN</a>) Act. But the bill failed to advance because the committee lacked the quorum required for official action. Four Republicans were not physically present for the vote and were “ayes” by proxy, but proxy votes don&#8217;t count toward quorum. Four Democrats were similarly absent and were “noes” by proxy.
The Democratic committee members include: Ranking Member Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Ed Markey (D-MA), Gary Peters (D-MI), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), John Fetterman (D-PA), Andy Kim (D-NJ), and Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE).
The SCREEN Act would require commercial pornography websites to implement age verification technology designed to prevent minors from accessing sexually explicit material. The legislation would authorize the Federal Trade Commission to enforce the requirements and prohibit websites or third-party verification providers from retaining or selling personal information collected during the verification process.
Conservative organizations blasted the Democrats for unanimously opposing the bill.
&#8220;The porn industry is preying on America&#8217;s children for profit, and now it is doing it with the support of Democrat lawmakers,&#8221; American Principles Project President Terry Schilling told The Daily Wire. &#8220;The 13 Senate Democrats who voted against the SCREEN Act today made it perfectly clear: they would rather stand with Big Porn than American parents and children.&#8221;
&#8220;We will not back down until families across America are protected from the porn industry and the lawmakers who defend it,&#8221; Schilling continued. &#8220;The Democrats have a choice. They can join the effort to protect kids online, or they can face the political consequences of standing with the porn companies. Today, 13 of them chose poorly.&#8221;
The American Principles Project, joined by Heritage Action, Family Policy Alliance, American Compass, the Ethics and Public Policy Center, and several other organizations, urged lawmakers to pass the legislation ahead of the vote.
The coalition argued that online pornography has become increasingly accessible to children, citing research showing that 54% of children age 13 and younger and 80% of teenagers between 12 and 17 have been exposed to sexually explicit content. The groups said the average age of first exposure is now just 12.
Supporters also pointed to growing public support for age-verification requirements. According to the coalition, <a href="https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/age-verification-resources/state-avs-laws/">27 states</a> have enacted age verification laws for pornography websites since 2022, many with bipartisan support, while the Supreme Court last year upheld Texas&#8217;s age verification law in <a href="https://www.oyez.org/cases/2024/23-1122">Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton</a>, finding that governments have broad authority to protect children from sexually explicit material.
The advocacy groups argued that a federal standard is now needed because state laws create a patchwork system that leaves children in states without such laws unprotected.
The SCREEN Act would allow websites to choose among multiple age-verification methods and would not specifically require government-issued identification. Websites could instead contract with third-party verification companies or develop their own systems, provided they meet the bill&#8217;s standards.
Opponents, however, have argued that mandatory age verification raises significant privacy and free speech concerns. The Electronic Frontier Foundation <a href="https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/07/screen-act-threatens-privacy-far-beyond-adult-websites">warned</a> that the legislation would require adults to surrender their anonymity before accessing lawful online speech and argued that digital age verification creates risks that do not exist when showing identification in person.
Critics have also argued that the bill&#8217;s definition of covered websites could extend beyond traditional pornography sites to include platforms that host any sexually explicit material, potentially affecting social media sites and streaming platforms.
The SCREEN Act was considered alongside several broader online child safety proposals, including the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), which advanced out of committee Wednesday on a unanimous vote. Unlike the SCREEN Act, KOSA received bipartisan support in committee and could move to the Senate floor.

Video Streaming Platforms Stock Photos

The Dems Who Sided With ‘Big Porn’ Instead Of Parents

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Michigan&#8217;s far-Left Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed said Tuesday that he’ll tank Democrats in 2028 if they fail to embrace his radical agenda.
El-Sayed, a former public health official, <a href="https://www.politico.com/playbook">told</a> POLITICO&#8217;s Playbook on Tuesday that potential Democrat presidential candidates should consider themselves on notice unless they embrace his campaign mantra of getting money out of politics, as he put it, and passing Medicare for All.
“If not, I’m going to dog you up and down the state,” he said.
The Democrat has taken on far-Left positions, including <a href="https://statenews.com/article/2026/04/abdul-el-sayed-denounces-iran-war-calls-for-abolishing-ice-in-campus-rally">abolishing ICE</a>, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/yes-michigans-abdul-el-sayed-really-wants-to-defund-the-police-here-are-the-receipts?author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Yes%2C+Michigan%E2%80%99s+Abdul+El-Sayed+Really+Wants+To+Defund+The+Police.+Here+Are+The+Receipts.">defunding the police</a>, <a href="https://abdulforsenate.com/priority/money-out-of-politics/#h-supreme-court-reform">restructuring the U.S. Supreme Court</a>, raising taxes on billionaires, and most notably, <a href="https://abdulforsenate.com/priority/money-out-of-politics/#h-supreme-court-reform">Medicare for all</a>.
Some in the Democrat political landscape have said El-Sayed needs to shift to the middle after his primary win on Tuesday night, but note that he&#8217;s &#8220;uncompromising&#8221; and &#8220;cocky.&#8221;
“If I were still working for him, I’d advise him to moderate on immigration, policing, and centering identity politics,” former El-Sayed fundraising consultant Evan Barker said. “But based on what I know about him, he is uncompromising.”
El-Sayed notably boasted to POLITICO that he would handily win his race despite the outcome ultimately being incredibly close, and he showed off his &#8220;low stress&#8221; reading on his fitness app the night of the election. El-Sayed defeated Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI), who was viewed as a leading contender by many establishment Democrats, by a narrow 1.4-percentage-point margin.
Regarding El-Sayed&#8217;s embrace of radicalism, Michigan Democrat operatives told POLITICO they were shocked by his public embrace of radical streamer Hasan Piker.
“I was really struck that he was at that <a href="https://x.com/Cappelletti7/status/2084371877477118403?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">f*cking pool party</a> with [the Twitch streamer] Hasan Piker the day before Election Day. These guys are unbelievably cocky,&#8221; one operative said.
Piker is extremely far-Left. He&#8217;s famously praised communist dictator Mao Zedong, who was responsible for millions of deaths and human rights abuses. “Mao Zedong is one of the great leaders of this world,” Piker once said, adding that he would “never” criticize Mao. He has also faced backlash over comments related to Israel and Jews. For example, he frequently uses the phrase, “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” a slogan that is broadly interpreted as a call for the elimination of Israel.
Piker recently received a glowing profile from The New York Times, which reflects the media&#8217;s and some Democrats&#8217; shift toward a more public embrace of socialism and radicalism more generally.
If El-Sayed wins the general election against Republican Mike Rogers, he&#8217;ll become America’s first Muslim senator. His parents are both Egyptian immigrants, and his father <a href="https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2018/0329/Can-a-Michigan-doctor-become-America-s-first-Muslim-governor">was a part-time imam</a>. On his wife’s side, his father-in-law <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/">is a founding committee member </a>of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), which has close ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, according to the federal government, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/abdul-el-sayed-secures-far-lefts-biggest-victory-yet-over-dem-establishment?topStoryPosition=undefined&amp;author=Jacob+Wheeler&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=1&amp;rowHeadline=Top+Stories&amp;rowType=Top+Stories&amp;title=Abdul+El-Sayed+Secures+Far-Left%E2%80%99s+Biggest+Victory+Yet+Over+Dem+Establishment">The Daily Wire</a> has previously noted.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/crowd-roars-as-el-sayed-drops-an-inshallah-in-election-night-speech?author=Amanda+Prestigiacomo&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Crowd+Roars+As+El-Sayed+Drops+An+‘Inshallah’+In+Election+Night+Speech">Crowd Roars As El-Sayed Drops An ‘Inshallah’ In Election Night Speech</a>

Michigan Democratic Senate Primary Winner Abdul El-Sayed Holds News Conference Day After Primary Win

El-Sayed Threatens To Tank Dems In 2028 If They Don’t Get On Board With His Radicalism

El-Sayed Threatens To Tank Dems In 2028 If They Don't Get On Board With His Radicalism

Democratic Socialism

Democratic Socialists Of America

Michigan Democrats on Tuesday elevated leftist firebrand Abdul El-Sayed to the party&#8217;s U.S. Senate nomination, marking the biggest triumph yet for the ascendant far-Left and a humiliating defeat for the establishment&#8217;s old guard, who failed to stop him from advancing to a pivotal November clash with Trump-endorsed Republican Mike Rogers.
With over 95% of the vote counted and after voters waited for Wayne County&#8217;s slow counting process, El-Sayed was finally projected to win Wednesday morning. Decision Desk HQ called the race at 8:35 a.m. ET, with El-Sayed at 48.9% to Stevens&#8217; 47.5%.
Early results showed El-Sayed, the former public health director for Detroit, performing stronger than expected across multiple counties. Stevens, a four-term congresswoman from the Detroit suburbs, performed the best in areas where most of the state&#8217;s black voters live, such as Wayne, Oakland, and Genesee Counties. El-Sayed, meanwhile, outperformed his benchmarks among younger voters while Stevens severely underperformed among older voters, according to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/08/04/us/elections/results-michigan-us-senate-primary.html">election data</a>.
Tuesday&#8217;s result caps a bruising primary and highlights the Democratic Party&#8217;s accelerating ideological shift, with the establishment failing to stop the socialist-aligned Left nationwide. Supporters of the socialist movement viewed El-Sayed as their best chance to prove a leftist candidate could win statewide in a battleground like Michigan.
Since President Donald Trump’s re-election, the Democratic establishment has watched its leftist wing barnstorm the country, racking up one victory after another. Socialist Zohran Mamdani&#8217;s upset in New York City&#8217;s mayoral primary kicked off the movement&#8217;s breakthrough, followed by <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/mamdanis-socialists-upset-incumbent-dems-in-house-primary-sweep">three Democratic Socialists of America-backed leftists</a> ousting longtime Democratic representatives. The socialist-aligned Left also steamrolled its way through <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-trashes-the-socialist-poised-to-be-next-mayor-of-d-c">Washington, D.C.,</a> and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/socialist-hot-streak-continues-as-radical-leftist-unseats-15-term-democrat?author=Brecca+Stoll&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Socialist+Hot+Streak+Continues+As+Radical+Leftist+Unseats+15-Term+Democrat">Denver</a>, then succeeded in nominating <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/platner-caves-suspends-senate-campaign">Graham Platner</a> for the U.S. Senate in Maine before he dropped out of the race following a rape allegation.
In many of those races, party leaders ultimately chose accommodation over confrontation, reluctantly uniting behind nominees they had once viewed as too extreme. Michigan marked the first major exception. With control of the Senate potentially at stake, Democratic heavyweights rallied behind Stevens, fearing El-Sayed could give the GOP a ripe opportunity to flip a Senate seat and hold the upper chamber. 
High-profile establishment Democrats, including Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and South Carolina Congressman Jim Clyburn, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/things-just-got-harder-for-abdul-el-sayed?author=Blake+Schaper&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Major+Establishment+Democrat+Plants+Flag+Against+Abdul+El-Sayed">endorsed</a> Stevens.
“Just like me, Haley will do whatever it takes to get things done for the people of Michigan, and we need her now more than ever,” Whitmer said in a video <a href="https://x.com/gretchenwhitmer">posted</a> to X last month.
Stevens, who went viral for her quirky “<a href="https://x.com/FoxNews/status/2077370465522155935?s=20">stick it to them</a>” slogan, celebrated the endorsement, calling Whitmer “a champion for our state” who understands “the stakes of this race.”
It made little difference to an increasingly frustrated Democratic electorate that blames the party&#8217;s old guard for paving the way for President Trump&#8217;s election and return to power.
If elected, El-Sayed would become America’s first Muslim senator. His parents are both Egyptian immigrants, and his father <a href="https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2018/0329/Can-a-Michigan-doctor-become-America-s-first-Muslim-governor">was a part-time imam</a>, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-islamist-marxist-takeover-of-middle-america">The Daily Wire</a> previously reported. His father-in-law <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/">is a founding committee member </a>of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), which has close ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, according to the federal government.
His background and hard-Left platform — which includes <a href="https://abdulforsenate.com/priority/money-out-of-politics/#h-supreme-court-reform">Medicare for all</a>, <a href="https://statenews.com/article/2026/04/abdul-el-sayed-denounces-iran-war-calls-for-abolishing-ice-in-campus-rally">abolishing ICE</a>, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/yes-michigans-abdul-el-sayed-really-wants-to-defund-the-police-here-are-the-receipts?author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Yes%2C+Michigan%E2%80%99s+Abdul+El-Sayed+Really+Wants+To+Defund+The+Police.+Here+Are+The+Receipts.">defunding the police</a>, <a href="https://abdulforsenate.com/priority/money-out-of-politics/#h-supreme-court-reform">restructuring the U.S. Supreme Court</a>, and raising taxes on billionaires — galvanized the Democratic Party&#8217;s far-Left base, including streamer Hasan Piker, who has said that the United States &#8220;deserved&#8221; the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
In the mold of other leftist primaries, Israel emerged as one of the race&#8217;s defining issues. Stevens has embraced her identity as a &#8220;proud pro-Israel Democrat&#8221; and benefited from roughly $25 million in support from AIPAC, <a href="https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/C00799031/2001984/se">according to FEC filings,</a> while El-Sayed has called Israel&#8217;s war in Gaza a &#8220;genocide&#8221; and opposes U.S. military aid to Israel.
One El-Sayed voter <a href="https://x.com/JWheelertv/status/2084781813067600313?s=20">told NBC</a> his friend group under 25 won&#8217;t vote for any Democratic nominee who supports Israel, saying the party will have only itself to blame if Republican Mike Rogers wins the seat.
At a recent debate, El-Sayed turned his ire on Stevens over a recent vote for U.S. military aid to Israel. 
“Just last week, our friend here voted to send $3.3 billion of your tax dollars to a foreign government. That is the pro quo that comes with a quid of $30 million spent by AIPAC,” El-Sayed said. 
Stevens fired back, <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/5993136-el-sayed-stevens-michigan-democratic-senate-primary-debate/">saying</a>, “The goal is always long-term peace, and also, the prime minister of Israel has attacked me by name. Let me just say this: that the only thing that ever motivates my work is the people of Michigan, the people who I hear from.” 
The back-and-forth on the debate stage did not stop things from turning ugly on the campaign trail. Earlier this month, a black school board member supporting Stevens told El-Sayed to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/black-democrat-tells-muslim-senate-candidate-to-stop-speaking-arabic?author=Jacob+Wheeler&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Black+Democrat+Tells+Muslim+Senate+Candidate+To+Stop+Speaking+Arabic">stop speaking and playing Arabic music</a>, a viral moment that inflamed racial tensions. 
“The other candidate seems to be … doesn’t work a room. You have to know how to work the room. Don’t come out speaking only Arabic. Don’t come out with your Arabic music on,” Angie Smith said. “Represent everyone.”
Republicans see the simmering Democratic divisions as a ripe political opportunity come November. 
“The socialist takeover has its sights set on Michigan. That much is clear. They just have one major problem: we won’t let them get away with it,” <a href="https://rogersforsenate.com/news/rogers-sounds-alarm-on-socialist-takeover">said</a> Rogers, who <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2026/07/23/politics/michigan-senate-race-mike-rogers-haley-stevens-abdul-el-sayed">believes</a> his campaign is in “good shape” to win against El-Sayed. 
<a href="https://www.cookpolitical.com/senate/race/488606">Cook Political Report</a> ranks the general election race, which could determine control of the Senate, as a toss-up.

Democratic Senate Candidate Abdul El-Sayed Campaigns In Michigan Ahead Of Primary

Abdul El-Sayed Secures Far-Left’s Biggest Victory Yet Over Dem Establishment

Democrat civil war

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As 84-year-old Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) enters the twilight of his political career, Democrats on the Left are searching for a successor to lead the movement he built. Some now believe that person could be an unlikely candidate who has never held elected office.
<a href="https://www.politico.com/newsletters/playbook/2026/08/04/the-lefts-bern-notice-01023515">Politico reported</a> Tuesday that a behind-the-scenes battle is underway over who will inherit Sanders&#8217; political mantle after the Vermont socialist transformed the Democratic Party with his insurgent 2016 presidential campaign and helped propel a new generation of leftist candidates into office.
While names such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) have been viewed as possible heirs, some Democratic insiders question whether either has the broad appeal to unite the movement. 
“It’s not certain AOC will even run for president, and right now, just Ro is really out there trying to fill that lane. That leaves a pretty thin field to pull from,” one Democratic operative told Politico.
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Instead, some on the Left are looking outside elected office and increasingly discussing United Auto Workers (UAW) President Shawn Fain.
The <a href="https://uaw.org/executive-board/shawn-fain/">57-year-old Indiana native</a> could appeal to voters seeking change and a Democratic Party desperate to stop the bleeding with the working class.
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He rose to national prominence after leading the UAW&#8217;s 2023 “stand-up strike” against the Big Three automakers, winning sizable raises while becoming one of organized labor&#8217;s most recognizable voices. Fain has also become known for his attacks on the “billionaire class,” often delivering speeches in an <a href="https://x.com/AbdulElSayed/status/2073048847656386674?s=20">“EAT THE RICH”</a> T-shirt, according to Politico.  
Unlike many of the Democratic Party&#8217;s rising stars, Fain has never held elected office, a background that some leftists reportedly view as an asset rather than a liability.
In the 2024 election, Democrats continued to win a majority of union households, but President Donald Trump made gains with organized labor. According to <a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-auto-tariffs-union-workers-0de3e6f328cae87ded425380d0462516">AP VoteCast</a>, then-Vice President Kamala Harris won just over half of union household voters, while Trump captured 44% — a two-point increase from his 2020 showing. Four years earlier, Biden carried 56% of union households. 
“If he’s willing to run, [he] might be the best candidate for the left,” Bhaskar Sunkara, a 2020 Sanders surrogate and former vice chair of the Democratic Socialists of America, told Politico’s Playbook. “Since he’s progressive but very much says his egalitarian value system comes from his Christianity, [he] can speak in a moral language that can reach more independents than other candidates, and I think it would set a good precedent for labor.”
Playbook also reported that Fain was recently approached about a potential presidential run and has not ruled it out privately.
“The only presidency I have ever had any interest in is with the UAW to continue to build on the great work we’ve done over the last 3 and a half years,” Fain said in a statement to the outlet. 
Fain has aligned himself with the Democratic Party&#8217;s far-Left wing. Fain bucked the establishment and <a href="https://x.com/AbdulElSayed/status/2073048847656386674?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">endorsed</a> Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed over moderate Rep. Haley Stevens, citing what he described as her ties to corporate interests.
“I talk all the time about &#8230; one of the biggest problems in this country right now &#8230; the rich, the corporate class,&#8221; Fain told <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0A_u0wSnMk">The Lever.</a> &#8220;They&#8217;ve divided the working class &#8230; while we&#8217;re busy pointing fingers at each other, they&#8217;re taking more and more of the profits we generate.” 
“It&#8217;s a scam,” he added.

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