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What They're Saying: GOP "In Real Trouble" and Facing "Challenges in Retaining Control" as Senate Democrats Compete "Even In Red Territory"
WASHINGTON, Sept. 9 -- The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee posted the following news release:
* * *
WHAT THEY'RE SAYING: GOP "In Real Trouble" and Facing "Challenges in Retaining Control" as Senate Democrats Compete "Even In Red Territory"
Bloomberg: "[...] the Senate increasingly appears up for grabs in an environment rife with parallels to 2006, a wave election that swept Democrats into power [...]"
NBC News: "Now, there's an increasing sense in both parties that the Senate is up for grabs this fall, even in red territory"
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With less than two months until Election Day, a new wave ... Show Full Article WASHINGTON, Sept. 9 -- The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee posted the following news release: * * * WHAT THEY'RE SAYING: GOP "In Real Trouble" and Facing "Challenges in Retaining Control" as Senate Democrats Compete "Even In Red Territory" Bloomberg: "[...] the Senate increasingly appears up for grabs in an environment rife with parallels to 2006, a wave election that swept Democrats into power [...]" NBC News: "Now, there's an increasing sense in both parties that the Senate is up for grabs this fall, even in red territory" - With less than two months until Election Day, a new waveof coverage is highlighting how Democrats are "running strong campaigns in GOP territory" as "an ever-present hum of anger" creates "challenges in retaining control" of the chamber. GOP strategists warn that they're "in real trouble" as Democrats continue to "see expanding opportunities with voters irate over the rising cost of living" in a political environment showing "parallels to 2006."
Democratic Senate candidates have become competitive "even in red territory," as the number of Republican-held Senate seats rated toss-up or lean Democratic has surged "from three in May to six as the post-Labor Day midterm homestretch is about to begin."
Now, even "Republicans acknowledge they face historical headwinds" as GOP leadership publicly acknowledges the "competitive environment," and states that he does "worry" about losing the Senate majority.
See what they're saying:
CNN: Democrats enter the midterms looking to conquer red territory (https://www.cnn.com/2026/09/08/politics/democrats-target-red-territory-2026-midterms)
* On Friday, Sen. Roger Marshall took a rare step for a Republican incumbent running in Kansas: launching an attack ad against his Democratic rival.
* When pastor Adam Hamilton launched his campaign for the seat four months ago, the odds seemed long. [...] But as the traditional post-Labor Day sprint to the midterms begins, Hamilton is optimistic.
* "People are very frustrated," Hamilton said in an interview, recalling a recent conversation with a 79-year-old man who handed him a receipt for diesel for his truck and told him, "This is why I'm voting for you."
* From the suburbs of Philadelphia to California's Central Valley, such stories are fueling Democratic hopes that they can not only flip the House but also capture the majority in the Senate by running strong campaigns in GOP territory. If successful, Democrats would both provide a consequential check on President Donald Trump for his final two years in office [...]
* Republicans acknowledge they face historical headwinds as the party in power two years after winning the White House and capturing unified control of Washington. And Trump has not helped by starting a war with Iran that has exacerbated a cost-of-living crisis that was already on the top of voters' minds.
* Trump's emergence as a main character in the midterms, despite his unpopularity across the country, has excited Democrats and left Republicans in competitive districts weighing how closely to tie themselves to him.
* Democrats generally agree their best opportunities to pick up Senate seats are in Maine, North Carolina and Ohio, and then in tougher territory including Alaska, Iowa and Texas.
* "Democrats have six core offensive opportunities and we are still expanding the map, forcing Republicans to scramble to defend deep red states as we head into November with multiple paths to win the majority," Devan Barber, the executive director of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, said in a statement.
* In a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll, voters said they favored Democrats over Republicans on the generic congressional ballot by 5 percentage points. They disapproved of Trump's job performance by a 25-point margin and his handling of the economy by even more.
* For Democrats, the strategy for the midterms is simple: speak to the mounting economic frustrations of voters, including those who took a chance on Trump in 2024 but now feel betrayed.
* The economy is a far more sensitive issue for Republicans, who have to sympathize with voters' concerns while grappling with Trump's insistence on continuing the war. Trump said Wednesday he was "not affected" by the midterms when considering an end to the war.
* Republicans have mostly remained united behind Trump on the war [...]
NBC News: The Senate is up for grabs, as Democrats navigate a tough map and Republicans face a stormy environment
* From the start of President Donald Trump's second term, it was clear this year's battle for the Senate majority would come down to what happened on Republican turf. Now, there's an increasing sense in both parties that the Senate is up for grabs this fall, even in red territory.
* "I worry about that, for sure," Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said of the prospect of Republicans losing their 53-47 majority in a recent interview with KELOLAND News. "I'm a realist. And I just think you -- I don't ever try and sugarcoat things. I think it's a competitive environment right now."
* Several battlegrounds have started to tilt toward Democrats, and real fights are emerging in red states. And interviews with 20 strategists from both parties involved in Senate races, with several granted anonymity to speak candidly about party strategy, detail bruising fights to come across the country.
* "Democrats are in the strongest position yet to win the Senate majority," Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, the New York Democrat who chairs her party's Senate campaign arm, told NBC News in a recent interview.
* To net the four-seat gain they need, Democrats are looking to tap into what one strategist described as "an ever-present hum of anger" in the electorate over high costs and political corruption. Voters' negative views of Trump, particularly his handling of the economy and the Iran war, have persisted for months.
* "There's absolutely no way these races aren't competitive and aren't tough and aren't going to come down to the wire," said Lauren French, a spokesperson for Senate Majority PAC, the main Democratic outside group involved in Senate races. She noted, though, that a Democratic majority was unthinkable at the start of the election cycle but is now a "real possibility."
* [...] Republicans were more pessimistic. "We're in real trouble," one GOP strategist said.
* Democrats are gearing up to make the fall campaign about high costs and corruption in Washington.
* "What I'm seeing right now is an unprecedented anger in the electorate," said Democratic strategist Chuck Rocha, who is advising Democrat James Talarico's campaign in Texas and other outside groups involved in Senate races.
* Rocha likened the current dynamic to the 2024 presidential race, when Democrats tried to tout the Biden administration's accomplishments to voters. "No matter how many good things I told them, they were just pissed about the price of groceries," he said. "That has not changed, and now Republicans are in charge."
* Republican strategists were particularly pessimistic about their prospects in Georgia, where GOP Rep. Mike Collins is taking on Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff, who has built a massive fundraising advantage and continues to draw attention with viral speeches.
* Some Republicans are also concerned about the race for an open seat in North Carolina, where former Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper is considered a formidable candidate as he runs against former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley.
* GOP operatives had mixed views of their prospects in Maine, the only state where Trump lost in 2024 and Republicans are now defending a Senate seat. Some worry the difficult political environment may be longtime GOP Sen. Susan Collins' downfall [...]
* Democrats believe they have strong recruits who can buck the party brand in red states, including Peltola, Turek and former Sen. Sherrod Brown, who is challenging Ohio GOP Sen. Jon Husted. The Ohio race is particularly concerning to some Republicans, who acknowledge Brown has a proven ability to win over Trump voters, as he leans this year into voter opposition to data centers.
* Democrats are also increasingly optimistic that even redder states could be in play, such as Kansas and Mississippi.
* In Kansas, they believe megachurch pastor Adam Hamilton could have unique cross-partisan appeal as he takes on GOP Sen. Roger Marshall. And they say GOP Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith could have a competitive race against District Attorney Scott Colom.
* Gillibrand did not rule out spending resources in those states, saying, "We are excited about really expanding our investment."
* [...] Democrats -- and even some Republicans -- believe the president's tariff policies have created headaches for GOP incumbents in the heartland, including in Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska, where GOP Sen. Pete Ricketts is facing independent Dan Osborn.
Associated Press: The GOP was confident about keeping its Senate majority. Now the fight for control is wide open
* Republicans appeared to have a firm grip on the Senate heading into the final two years of President Donald Trump's term. But with less than two months until Election Day, control of the chamber is now up for grabs.
* Democrats have found themselves competing in states that once seemed beyond their reach as President Donald Trump's slipping approval ratings and voters' dissatisfaction with the economy create a difficult political environment for Republicans.
* Senate Majority Leader John Thune told South Dakota's KELOLAND News last week that he does "worry" about losing the chamber.
* Democrats need to net four seats to win the majority. The original path had been to hold Michigan, Georgia and New Hampshire while winning back Republican-held seats in Alaska, Maine, North Carolina and Ohio. But things have changed.
* "We now have multiple paths for the majority," Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said last month. "We found new states -- Iowa, Texas -- which people a year ago weren't even paying attention to."
* Democrats increasingly see a real possibility in Texas, a state that has been an elusive goal for decades, and other GOP-led states including Iowa, Alaska and Ohio.
* In Texas, Democrat James Talarico faces state Attorney General Ken Paxton, who ousted four-term incumbent Republican Sen. John Cornyn to win the GOP nomination. Senate GOP leadership backed Cornyn, seeing him as the stronger general election candidate.
* Paxton has been shadowed for decades by legal and ethical questions, including indictments for securities fraud, though he was not convicted.
* Talarico and allied groups have spent nearly $30 million on advertising since the May runoff, compared to less than $3 million by pro-Paxton groups...
* Democrats have also upped their spending in Alaska, Iowa, Ohio and North Carolina, all states currently held by Republicans.
* Democrats' path has widened in part because of Trump's slumping job approval, notably on handling the economy, which was at 32% according to an AP-NORC poll in July -- down from 40% in March 2025, shortly after he took office.
* Trump's trade policies and the war in Iran, with its corresponding inflated fuel costs, have added to the economic uncertainty for voters less than two months before Election Day.
* Some Republican Senate candidates have defended Trump's policies while confronting concerns about their economic impact. In Michigan, where Trump's tariffs on Canada have become a central issue, Rogers has backed the president's approach [...]
Bloomberg: Democrats See Wider Path to Take Senate as Trump Backlash Grows
* Democrats see expanding opportunities with voters irate over the rising cost of living, the country mired in an unpopular war with Iran and President Donald Trump's job approval polling at a low point. While House control has long been considered in play, the Senate increasingly appears up for grabs in an environment rife with parallels to 2006, a wave election that swept Democrats into power amid a backlash to the Iraq War.
* Trump's interventions have added to Republicans' challenges in retaining control. In Texas, his GOP primary endorsement tipped the scales in favor of scandal-plagued Attorney General Ken Paxton, and the Senate election in the usually reliable Republican state is now rated a toss up by nonpartisan analysts like the Cook Political Report. A trade war he just triggered with Canada threatens industries in border-state Senate battlegrounds including Maine, Michigan and Alaska.
* Texas
* Democratic candidate James Talarico is leveraging scandals in Paxton's record to raise doubts about his character. The Republican state attorney general has been plagued by accusations of infidelity, financial mismanagement and a state impeachment trial on charges approved by the Republican-controlled state House. The Talarico campaign fed the storyline with a cheeky ad featuring surveillance video of Paxton taking an expensive pen another attorney left at a courthouse security checkpoint.
* Talarico, a soft-spoken Presbyterian minister-in-training, is campaigning as a bridge-builder to independent and disaffected Republican voters. He even hired a former policy aide to current Texas Republican Senator John Cornyn, who Paxton defeated in the party primary after securing Trump's endorsement.
* Though Texas typically has been an easy state for Republican candidates to win, recent polls show the race a toss up and most even give Talarico a slight edge.
* North Carolina
* Democrats' best pickup opportunity is in North Carolina, a classic swing state where popular two-term former Democratic Governor Roy Cooper has been leading Republican Michael Whatley to succeed retiring Republican Senator Thom Tillis.
* Cooper's campaign is unabashedly built on the national Democratic theme of affordability. He is currently traveling the state on what his campaign calls the "Make Stuff Cost Less Tour." And he taps resentments over electricity costs and gasoline prices by regularly attacking Whatley for his past work as an energy-industry lobbyist whose clients included local utility Duke Energy.
* Alaska
* Former Democratic Representative Mary Peltola led Senator Dan Sullivan in the state's first round of voting, after attacking the Republican incumbent for soaring costs of healthcare and fuel, with the price of a gallon of gas soaring above $20 a gallon in some of the state's remote villages.
* Trump's tariffs, especially on Canadian goods, and the expiration of some Affordable Care Act tax credits for health coverage, have had a disproportionate effect on Alaskans, who already face some of the highest consumer prices in the nation.
* Peltola has campaigned against a "rigged system" in Washington she says rewards special interests over working people.
* Maine
* Democrats have long seen Maine as key to taking back the Senate, as it's the only GOP-held state on the map where Trump lost in 2024 [...]
* [Susan Collins' approval ratings] have slumped in the Trump era, and the president's trade war with bordering Canada has battered Maine's economy.
* This will also be the first time Collins has run for reelection since the conservative Supreme Court majority she helped install overturned the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that established the constitutional right to an abortion.
* Ohio
* Former Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown, a veteran populist fighter, has been relentlessly attacking incumbent Republican Senator Jon Husted as the "face of data centers" for the former lieutenant governor's past support of tax breaks for the facilities.
* Residents of the state, a hub of data center construction, have turned against the energy-intensive facilities as they have been hit with soaring electricity bills. Brown has made the cause the centerpiece of a campaign built around the theme of affordability, also hitting his Republican opponent for supporting healthcare cuts and tax cuts for the wealthy.
* Iowa
* [Iowa is] heavily exposed to the blowback from two of the president's biggest foreign policy priorities. Farmers and the state's agricultural economy have been hit by foreign trading partners' retaliation against Trump's tariffs, while surging fuel and fertilizer costs in the wake of the war on Iran have added to financial burdens.
* Democratic candidate Josh Turek, a state representative who was born with spina bifida and played for the US men's wheelchair basketball team at four Paralympic Games before getting into politics, promotes his focus on "common sense, prairie populism" and the cost of living.
* Kansas
* Close Trump ally Roger Marshall faces off against Methodist megachurch pastor Adam Hamilton in another farm state squeezed by the trade war and higher fuel and fertilizer costs.
* Georgia
* [...] Ossoff has been a phenomenal fundraiser and consistently led in polls.
* His opponent, Trump-aligned US Representative Mike Collins, has struggled to raise money and faced serial distractions, including a CNN report that his son-in-law posted white nationalist and antisemitic content.
* * *
Original text here: https://www.dscc.org/article/what-theyre-saying-gop-in-real-trouble-and-facing-challenges-in-retaining-control-as-senate-democrats-compete-even-in-red-territory/
* * *
WHAT THEY'RE SAYING: GOP "In Real Trouble" and Facing "Challenges in Retaining Control" as Senate Democrats Compete "Even In Red Territory"
Bloomberg: "[...] the Senate increasingly appears up for grabs in an environment rife with parallels to 2006, a wave election that swept Democrats into power [...]"
NBC News: "Now, there's an increasing sense in both parties that the Senate is up for grabs this fall, even in red territory"
-
With less than two months until Election Day, a new wave ... Show Full Article WASHINGTON, Sept. 9 -- The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee posted the following news release: * * * WHAT THEY'RE SAYING: GOP "In Real Trouble" and Facing "Challenges in Retaining Control" as Senate Democrats Compete "Even In Red Territory" Bloomberg: "[...] the Senate increasingly appears up for grabs in an environment rife with parallels to 2006, a wave election that swept Democrats into power [...]" NBC News: "Now, there's an increasing sense in both parties that the Senate is up for grabs this fall, even in red territory" - With less than two months until Election Day, a new waveof coverage is highlighting how Democrats are "running strong campaigns in GOP territory" as "an ever-present hum of anger" creates "challenges in retaining control" of the chamber. GOP strategists warn that they're "in real trouble" as Democrats continue to "see expanding opportunities with voters irate over the rising cost of living" in a political environment showing "parallels to 2006."
Democratic Senate candidates have become competitive "even in red territory," as the number of Republican-held Senate seats rated toss-up or lean Democratic has surged "from three in May to six as the post-Labor Day midterm homestretch is about to begin."
Now, even "Republicans acknowledge they face historical headwinds" as GOP leadership publicly acknowledges the "competitive environment," and states that he does "worry" about losing the Senate majority.
See what they're saying:
CNN: Democrats enter the midterms looking to conquer red territory (https://www.cnn.com/2026/09/08/politics/democrats-target-red-territory-2026-midterms)
* On Friday, Sen. Roger Marshall took a rare step for a Republican incumbent running in Kansas: launching an attack ad against his Democratic rival.
* When pastor Adam Hamilton launched his campaign for the seat four months ago, the odds seemed long. [...] But as the traditional post-Labor Day sprint to the midterms begins, Hamilton is optimistic.
* "People are very frustrated," Hamilton said in an interview, recalling a recent conversation with a 79-year-old man who handed him a receipt for diesel for his truck and told him, "This is why I'm voting for you."
* From the suburbs of Philadelphia to California's Central Valley, such stories are fueling Democratic hopes that they can not only flip the House but also capture the majority in the Senate by running strong campaigns in GOP territory. If successful, Democrats would both provide a consequential check on President Donald Trump for his final two years in office [...]
* Republicans acknowledge they face historical headwinds as the party in power two years after winning the White House and capturing unified control of Washington. And Trump has not helped by starting a war with Iran that has exacerbated a cost-of-living crisis that was already on the top of voters' minds.
* Trump's emergence as a main character in the midterms, despite his unpopularity across the country, has excited Democrats and left Republicans in competitive districts weighing how closely to tie themselves to him.
* Democrats generally agree their best opportunities to pick up Senate seats are in Maine, North Carolina and Ohio, and then in tougher territory including Alaska, Iowa and Texas.
* "Democrats have six core offensive opportunities and we are still expanding the map, forcing Republicans to scramble to defend deep red states as we head into November with multiple paths to win the majority," Devan Barber, the executive director of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, said in a statement.
* In a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll, voters said they favored Democrats over Republicans on the generic congressional ballot by 5 percentage points. They disapproved of Trump's job performance by a 25-point margin and his handling of the economy by even more.
* For Democrats, the strategy for the midterms is simple: speak to the mounting economic frustrations of voters, including those who took a chance on Trump in 2024 but now feel betrayed.
* The economy is a far more sensitive issue for Republicans, who have to sympathize with voters' concerns while grappling with Trump's insistence on continuing the war. Trump said Wednesday he was "not affected" by the midterms when considering an end to the war.
* Republicans have mostly remained united behind Trump on the war [...]
NBC News: The Senate is up for grabs, as Democrats navigate a tough map and Republicans face a stormy environment
* From the start of President Donald Trump's second term, it was clear this year's battle for the Senate majority would come down to what happened on Republican turf. Now, there's an increasing sense in both parties that the Senate is up for grabs this fall, even in red territory.
* "I worry about that, for sure," Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said of the prospect of Republicans losing their 53-47 majority in a recent interview with KELOLAND News. "I'm a realist. And I just think you -- I don't ever try and sugarcoat things. I think it's a competitive environment right now."
* Several battlegrounds have started to tilt toward Democrats, and real fights are emerging in red states. And interviews with 20 strategists from both parties involved in Senate races, with several granted anonymity to speak candidly about party strategy, detail bruising fights to come across the country.
* "Democrats are in the strongest position yet to win the Senate majority," Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, the New York Democrat who chairs her party's Senate campaign arm, told NBC News in a recent interview.
* To net the four-seat gain they need, Democrats are looking to tap into what one strategist described as "an ever-present hum of anger" in the electorate over high costs and political corruption. Voters' negative views of Trump, particularly his handling of the economy and the Iran war, have persisted for months.
* "There's absolutely no way these races aren't competitive and aren't tough and aren't going to come down to the wire," said Lauren French, a spokesperson for Senate Majority PAC, the main Democratic outside group involved in Senate races. She noted, though, that a Democratic majority was unthinkable at the start of the election cycle but is now a "real possibility."
* [...] Republicans were more pessimistic. "We're in real trouble," one GOP strategist said.
* Democrats are gearing up to make the fall campaign about high costs and corruption in Washington.
* "What I'm seeing right now is an unprecedented anger in the electorate," said Democratic strategist Chuck Rocha, who is advising Democrat James Talarico's campaign in Texas and other outside groups involved in Senate races.
* Rocha likened the current dynamic to the 2024 presidential race, when Democrats tried to tout the Biden administration's accomplishments to voters. "No matter how many good things I told them, they were just pissed about the price of groceries," he said. "That has not changed, and now Republicans are in charge."
* Republican strategists were particularly pessimistic about their prospects in Georgia, where GOP Rep. Mike Collins is taking on Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff, who has built a massive fundraising advantage and continues to draw attention with viral speeches.
* Some Republicans are also concerned about the race for an open seat in North Carolina, where former Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper is considered a formidable candidate as he runs against former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley.
* GOP operatives had mixed views of their prospects in Maine, the only state where Trump lost in 2024 and Republicans are now defending a Senate seat. Some worry the difficult political environment may be longtime GOP Sen. Susan Collins' downfall [...]
* Democrats believe they have strong recruits who can buck the party brand in red states, including Peltola, Turek and former Sen. Sherrod Brown, who is challenging Ohio GOP Sen. Jon Husted. The Ohio race is particularly concerning to some Republicans, who acknowledge Brown has a proven ability to win over Trump voters, as he leans this year into voter opposition to data centers.
* Democrats are also increasingly optimistic that even redder states could be in play, such as Kansas and Mississippi.
* In Kansas, they believe megachurch pastor Adam Hamilton could have unique cross-partisan appeal as he takes on GOP Sen. Roger Marshall. And they say GOP Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith could have a competitive race against District Attorney Scott Colom.
* Gillibrand did not rule out spending resources in those states, saying, "We are excited about really expanding our investment."
* [...] Democrats -- and even some Republicans -- believe the president's tariff policies have created headaches for GOP incumbents in the heartland, including in Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska, where GOP Sen. Pete Ricketts is facing independent Dan Osborn.
Associated Press: The GOP was confident about keeping its Senate majority. Now the fight for control is wide open
* Republicans appeared to have a firm grip on the Senate heading into the final two years of President Donald Trump's term. But with less than two months until Election Day, control of the chamber is now up for grabs.
* Democrats have found themselves competing in states that once seemed beyond their reach as President Donald Trump's slipping approval ratings and voters' dissatisfaction with the economy create a difficult political environment for Republicans.
* Senate Majority Leader John Thune told South Dakota's KELOLAND News last week that he does "worry" about losing the chamber.
* Democrats need to net four seats to win the majority. The original path had been to hold Michigan, Georgia and New Hampshire while winning back Republican-held seats in Alaska, Maine, North Carolina and Ohio. But things have changed.
* "We now have multiple paths for the majority," Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said last month. "We found new states -- Iowa, Texas -- which people a year ago weren't even paying attention to."
* Democrats increasingly see a real possibility in Texas, a state that has been an elusive goal for decades, and other GOP-led states including Iowa, Alaska and Ohio.
* In Texas, Democrat James Talarico faces state Attorney General Ken Paxton, who ousted four-term incumbent Republican Sen. John Cornyn to win the GOP nomination. Senate GOP leadership backed Cornyn, seeing him as the stronger general election candidate.
* Paxton has been shadowed for decades by legal and ethical questions, including indictments for securities fraud, though he was not convicted.
* Talarico and allied groups have spent nearly $30 million on advertising since the May runoff, compared to less than $3 million by pro-Paxton groups...
* Democrats have also upped their spending in Alaska, Iowa, Ohio and North Carolina, all states currently held by Republicans.
* Democrats' path has widened in part because of Trump's slumping job approval, notably on handling the economy, which was at 32% according to an AP-NORC poll in July -- down from 40% in March 2025, shortly after he took office.
* Trump's trade policies and the war in Iran, with its corresponding inflated fuel costs, have added to the economic uncertainty for voters less than two months before Election Day.
* Some Republican Senate candidates have defended Trump's policies while confronting concerns about their economic impact. In Michigan, where Trump's tariffs on Canada have become a central issue, Rogers has backed the president's approach [...]
Bloomberg: Democrats See Wider Path to Take Senate as Trump Backlash Grows
* Democrats see expanding opportunities with voters irate over the rising cost of living, the country mired in an unpopular war with Iran and President Donald Trump's job approval polling at a low point. While House control has long been considered in play, the Senate increasingly appears up for grabs in an environment rife with parallels to 2006, a wave election that swept Democrats into power amid a backlash to the Iraq War.
* Trump's interventions have added to Republicans' challenges in retaining control. In Texas, his GOP primary endorsement tipped the scales in favor of scandal-plagued Attorney General Ken Paxton, and the Senate election in the usually reliable Republican state is now rated a toss up by nonpartisan analysts like the Cook Political Report. A trade war he just triggered with Canada threatens industries in border-state Senate battlegrounds including Maine, Michigan and Alaska.
* Texas
* Democratic candidate James Talarico is leveraging scandals in Paxton's record to raise doubts about his character. The Republican state attorney general has been plagued by accusations of infidelity, financial mismanagement and a state impeachment trial on charges approved by the Republican-controlled state House. The Talarico campaign fed the storyline with a cheeky ad featuring surveillance video of Paxton taking an expensive pen another attorney left at a courthouse security checkpoint.
* Talarico, a soft-spoken Presbyterian minister-in-training, is campaigning as a bridge-builder to independent and disaffected Republican voters. He even hired a former policy aide to current Texas Republican Senator John Cornyn, who Paxton defeated in the party primary after securing Trump's endorsement.
* Though Texas typically has been an easy state for Republican candidates to win, recent polls show the race a toss up and most even give Talarico a slight edge.
* North Carolina
* Democrats' best pickup opportunity is in North Carolina, a classic swing state where popular two-term former Democratic Governor Roy Cooper has been leading Republican Michael Whatley to succeed retiring Republican Senator Thom Tillis.
* Cooper's campaign is unabashedly built on the national Democratic theme of affordability. He is currently traveling the state on what his campaign calls the "Make Stuff Cost Less Tour." And he taps resentments over electricity costs and gasoline prices by regularly attacking Whatley for his past work as an energy-industry lobbyist whose clients included local utility Duke Energy.
* Alaska
* Former Democratic Representative Mary Peltola led Senator Dan Sullivan in the state's first round of voting, after attacking the Republican incumbent for soaring costs of healthcare and fuel, with the price of a gallon of gas soaring above $20 a gallon in some of the state's remote villages.
* Trump's tariffs, especially on Canadian goods, and the expiration of some Affordable Care Act tax credits for health coverage, have had a disproportionate effect on Alaskans, who already face some of the highest consumer prices in the nation.
* Peltola has campaigned against a "rigged system" in Washington she says rewards special interests over working people.
* Maine
* Democrats have long seen Maine as key to taking back the Senate, as it's the only GOP-held state on the map where Trump lost in 2024 [...]
* [Susan Collins' approval ratings] have slumped in the Trump era, and the president's trade war with bordering Canada has battered Maine's economy.
* This will also be the first time Collins has run for reelection since the conservative Supreme Court majority she helped install overturned the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that established the constitutional right to an abortion.
* Ohio
* Former Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown, a veteran populist fighter, has been relentlessly attacking incumbent Republican Senator Jon Husted as the "face of data centers" for the former lieutenant governor's past support of tax breaks for the facilities.
* Residents of the state, a hub of data center construction, have turned against the energy-intensive facilities as they have been hit with soaring electricity bills. Brown has made the cause the centerpiece of a campaign built around the theme of affordability, also hitting his Republican opponent for supporting healthcare cuts and tax cuts for the wealthy.
* Iowa
* [Iowa is] heavily exposed to the blowback from two of the president's biggest foreign policy priorities. Farmers and the state's agricultural economy have been hit by foreign trading partners' retaliation against Trump's tariffs, while surging fuel and fertilizer costs in the wake of the war on Iran have added to financial burdens.
* Democratic candidate Josh Turek, a state representative who was born with spina bifida and played for the US men's wheelchair basketball team at four Paralympic Games before getting into politics, promotes his focus on "common sense, prairie populism" and the cost of living.
* Kansas
* Close Trump ally Roger Marshall faces off against Methodist megachurch pastor Adam Hamilton in another farm state squeezed by the trade war and higher fuel and fertilizer costs.
* Georgia
* [...] Ossoff has been a phenomenal fundraiser and consistently led in polls.
* His opponent, Trump-aligned US Representative Mike Collins, has struggled to raise money and faced serial distractions, including a CNN report that his son-in-law posted white nationalist and antisemitic content.
* * *
Original text here: https://www.dscc.org/article/what-theyre-saying-gop-in-real-trouble-and-facing-challenges-in-retaining-control-as-senate-democrats-compete-even-in-red-territory/
ICYMI: Roger Marshall "Sued 700 Patients for Debts; 81 Were Arrested. Now He's a Senator" [New York Times]
WASHINGTON, Sept. 9 -- The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee posted the following news release:
* * *
ICYMI: Roger Marshall "Sued 700 Patients for Debts; 81 Were Arrested. Now He's a Senator" [New York Times]
New York Times: "Mr. Marshall, a Republican who is seeking re-election this fall, filed lawsuits against more than 700 patients with outstanding bills during his decades-long career as an obstetrician-gynecologist, [...] Patients were arrested in 81 of those cases for missing court dates"
New York Times: "When Mr. Marshall was elected to Congress, he quickly parlayed his experience ... Show Full Article WASHINGTON, Sept. 9 -- The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee posted the following news release: * * * ICYMI: Roger Marshall "Sued 700 Patients for Debts; 81 Were Arrested. Now He's a Senator" [New York Times] New York Times: "Mr. Marshall, a Republican who is seeking re-election this fall, filed lawsuits against more than 700 patients with outstanding bills during his decades-long career as an obstetrician-gynecologist, [...] Patients were arrested in 81 of those cases for missing court dates" New York Times: "When Mr. Marshall was elected to Congress, he quickly parlayed his experienceas a doctor and health care investor into a central role in Republicans' 2017 attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act"
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New reporting from The New York Times sheds light on how, as a doctor, Roger Marshall filed more than 700 lawsuits against patients who struggled to cover medical bills - including over unpaid bills "as little as $101." Marshall's lawsuits produced 81 arrests, garnished paychecks, drained bank accounts, and left Kansas families in financial ruin as they grappled with an 18 percent interest rate on their medical bills.
The reporting details how Marshall chose to sue patients over unpaid medical bills, a practice that experts say is "definitely on the extreme side," as "lawsuits against patients are relatively rare" because doctors have "wide discretion in how to handle unpaid bills" and "can decide when to involve a debt collector, file lawsuits or drop the debt entirely if a patient seems unable to pay."
Last year, Marshall was caught on camera backslapping his colleagues and laughing as he voted to spike premiums for more than 159,000 Kansans, later telling CNN's Kaitlan Collins that he would "absolutely" vote against keeping health care affordable for Kansans by extending ACA tax credits.
Read more:
New York Times: A Doctor Sued 700 Patients for Debts; 81 Were Arrested. Now He's a Senator (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/08/us/politics/roger-marshall-obgyn-doctor-debts.html)
* It was Easter weekend in 2007 when a police car pulled up to Joe Vasquez's home in rural Kansas.
* A doctor had filed a lawsuit against him and his wife over an unpaid $4,561 bill from her emergency hysterectomy three years earlier. They had missed a court date, and the doctor's lawyers asked the court to issue an arrest warrant.
* Police took the couple into custody as their grandchildren prepared for an egg hunt, Mr. Vasquez said. They spent two days in jail before their son could borrow the money to post bond.
* "We had no money to pay," said Mr. Vasquez, now 68. At the time, his wife was working at a manufacturing plant and he was on disability, he said.
* The doctor who sued the couple was Roger Marshall, now a senator from Kansas. Mr. Marshall, a Republican who is seeking re-election this fall, filed lawsuits against more than 700 patients with outstanding bills during his decades-long career as an obstetrician-gynecologist, according to a New York Times analysis of Kansas court records.
* Patients were arrested in 81 of those cases for missing court dates, the record show. In an additional 13 lawsuits, Mr. Marshall's lawyers sought warrants but it is unclear whether an arrest occurred.
* They also garnished patients' paychecks and bank accounts. They routinely charged patients an 18 percent annual interest rate.
* The unpaid bills ranged from several thousand dollars to as little as $101. About half the lawsuits were filed under Mr. Marshall's name and the rest by Heartland Regional OBGYN, the medical practice he solely owned from 1998 to 2012 and then co-owned with another doctor from 2013 to 2019.
* Some facing lawsuits were new mothers with outstanding bills from their deliveries. Most lived in Barton County, a rural area with above-average uninsured and poverty rates. Some patients the Times spoke with lacked insurance; others had health coverage but were responsible for part of their bill.
* "I had every intention to pay, I was just struggling," said Kellie Clutts, whom Mr. Marshall sued in 2015 over a $129 bill. Ms. Clutts said the charge was from a postpartum visit shortly after her daughter's birth.
* Mr. Marshall sued Ms. Clutts when her baby was 9 months old and eventually garnished her bank account.
* "I was recently divorced, trying to do everything on my own," said Ms. Clutts, 45. "I told them I could make partial payments, but it seemed like no matter what I said, they wanted the full amount at once."
* Court records show that Mr. Marshall's lawyers repeatedly requested arrest warrants, including in Mr. Vasquez's case. They filed dozens of briefs arguing that warrants were needed because of the defendant's "refusal to obey Court orders."
* Doctors have wide discretion in how to handle unpaid bills. They can decide when to involve a debt collector, file lawsuits or drop the debt entirely if a patient seems unable to pay.
* "There is a lot of variation," said Barak Richman, the co-director of the health law program at George Washington University who has studied medical debt litigation in three states. "There are a lot that do bring lawsuits but also a whole lot that don't. It's not because they're in a different position, they've just decided they're not going to do it."
* Some hospitals and doctors have increasingly relied on litigation as insurance deductibles have risen, leaving patients responsible for a great share of their bills.
* Even so, wage garnishments and arrests of patients are "definitely on the extreme side," Mr. Richman said.
* Neale Mahoney, an economist at Stanford University, has conducted research in one state finding that lawsuits against patients are relatively rare, with about 1.7 percent of hospital stays resulting in litigation.
* "It's not surprising there are outliers but this does seem to be an extreme case," in terms of how far a doctor went to pursue debt, Mr. Mahoney said.
* Federal law made debtors prisons illegal centuries ago but many states' laws allow for arrests when the defendant in a debt lawsuit misses a court date.
* The Times interviewed eight people Mr. Marshall sued between 2003 and 2015. Most described themselves as living paycheck to paycheck, often deciding between paying medical bills or buying groceries. Two said that the bills Mr. Marshall pursued in court stemmed from late miscarriages that required surgery.
* Mr. Marshall stopped practicing medicine after winning election to Congress in 2016. But some of his collection work continued during his time serving in the House of Representatives, from 2017 to 2021, The Times found.
* 'Doc Marshall'
* Mr. Marshall spent more than 25 years practicing obstetrics before running for Congress in 2016. In campaign materials, he frequently trumpeted his work delivering babies and the financial success of his medical practice. Both his Senate and his campaign websites refer to him as "Doc Marshall."
* "For 5,000 Kansans, life began here, in the trusted hands of Dr. Marshall," an ad during his 2020 campaign for Senate said, showing the senator holding two newborns.
* His current campaign website says that he was often "the only OB-GYN in the area" in his largely rural region of the state. He has also highlighted his care of low-income patients. Sometimes, he said in 2017, women drove "over a hundred miles" to see him because he accepted Medicaid, the public health benefits program for the poor.
* In 1998, he and eight other doctors opened a four-bed surgical center in Great Bend. It steadily grew into a full-service hospital generating tens of millions of dollars in revenue. He served as the hospital's board chairman, and his family remained co-owners of the hospital until March 2017, two months after he was sworn into office.
* Mr. Marshall earned salaries both from his obstetrics practice and the hospital. In 2015, his combined earnings from the two was about $780,000, his 2016 financial disclosure report shows. His current worth is between $3 million and 9.8 million, according to his most recent financial disclosure report.
* Great Bend Regional Medical Center also filed hundreds of lawsuits against patients during the years Mr. Marshall was either an investor or board chair.
* More than a dozen of those lawsuits occurred while Mr. Marshall served in Congress and before he sold his ownership stake in the hospital, according to Kansas court records and Mr. Marshall's financial disclosures.
* When Mr. Marshall was elected to Congress, he quickly parlayed his experience as a doctor and health care investor into a central role in Republicans' 2017 attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act, the sweeping health care law enacted under President Barack Obama. "I may be the only physician in Congress to help run a hospital," he said.
* One Patient, Three Arrests
* The first time Meischa Zimmerman was arrested for missing a court date related to a C-section bill from Mr. Marshall was in 2011. She was home with her 2-year-old, and eight months pregnant.
* "I asked them quietly: Can you not handcuff me in front of my daughter?" said Ms. Zimmerman, 44. "I explained to my daughter I was going for a ride."
* Ms. Zimmerman was arrested twice more, in 2013 and 2016, each time posting $200 bonds that would go toward paying down her debt, according to receipts The Times reviewed. Court records indicate that she was hand-delivered notices of the hearings she needed to attend, but Ms. Zimmerman said she did not receive such documents.
* Her last arrest occurred the week after Mr. Marshall won his first congressional election.
* Ms. Zimmerman was uninsured during the earlier pregnancy, in 2009, but had explored enrolling in Medicaid. All states offer Medicaid coverage to low-income women during pregnancy and for a short period after. But states set their own income caps, and Kansas has long had one of the lowest in the country, limiting the benefit to women who earn less than 150 percent of the poverty line.
* Ms. Zimmerman was not working at the time and thought she might qualify. She made an interview appointment at her local Medicaid office but went into labor the night before, so didn't show up and never completed the paperwork. Five months later, with her $3,596 bill for the delivery still unpaid, Mr. Marshall sued her.
* "I had to choose whether I'd pay my electricity or pay $50 to a doctor who didn't need it," she said.
* Ms. Zimmerman said she set up a $50 monthly payment plan in 2010 but sometimes could not keep up. Mr. Marshall's law firm was charging 18 percent interest on her bill, and she recalls being told that it had ballooned to over $7,000 with interest.
* Ms. Zimmerman is among 81 patients whose court records indicate that an arrest occurred. Their debts ranged from $114 to $4,683. In some cases, efforts to collect a debt would continue for over a decade and lasted into Mr. Marshall's congressional career.
* Most patients did not attend their original court date, which led to a default judgment. Four of the eight patients The Times interviewed said they never received their summons, which court records indicate were typically delivered by mail. Some sent in handwritten letters asking for leniency.
* One, whom Mr. Marshall sued in 2004 for $1,200, asked that she not be held liable for care she received "for me and my twins (who I lost)." She was still found responsible for the bill.
* Another hired a lawyer, who wrote a brief protesting a $520 bill for a surgery to remove placenta that remained in a patient's uterus after childbirth.
* "The service that the plaintiff seeks payment for should have been part of the original birthing services for which the plaintiff has already been paid," the lawyer argued. That case was dismissed.
* Mr. Vasquez said he did not recall receiving a summons for his lawsuit or a notice of his court date in 2007. Court records indicate both documents were delivered.
* The couple had health insurance, he said, but believe something went wrong with the billing. Mr. Vasquez recalls Mr. Marshall's office offering a $250 monthly payment plan that he could not afford.
* "Every little bit of money we were getting went for rent and bills," he said.
* Mr. Vasquez was recovering from surgery, with fresh stitches in his arm, when the police arrived at his house. Because of that, he was not handcuffed and was kept in a solitary cell.
* "It was just me in that itty-bitty room," he said.
* After the arrest, the Vasquezes worked with a law firm to roll this and other debts into a payment plan. Eight years later -- 11 years after the emergency surgery -- in November 2015, Mr. Marshall's lawyers filed a letter with the court releasing the judgment against them.
* * *
Original text here: https://www.dscc.org/article/icymi-roger-marshall-sued-700-patients-for-debts-81-were-arrested-now-hes-a-senator-new-york-times/
* * *
ICYMI: Roger Marshall "Sued 700 Patients for Debts; 81 Were Arrested. Now He's a Senator" [New York Times]
New York Times: "Mr. Marshall, a Republican who is seeking re-election this fall, filed lawsuits against more than 700 patients with outstanding bills during his decades-long career as an obstetrician-gynecologist, [...] Patients were arrested in 81 of those cases for missing court dates"
New York Times: "When Mr. Marshall was elected to Congress, he quickly parlayed his experience ... Show Full Article WASHINGTON, Sept. 9 -- The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee posted the following news release: * * * ICYMI: Roger Marshall "Sued 700 Patients for Debts; 81 Were Arrested. Now He's a Senator" [New York Times] New York Times: "Mr. Marshall, a Republican who is seeking re-election this fall, filed lawsuits against more than 700 patients with outstanding bills during his decades-long career as an obstetrician-gynecologist, [...] Patients were arrested in 81 of those cases for missing court dates" New York Times: "When Mr. Marshall was elected to Congress, he quickly parlayed his experienceas a doctor and health care investor into a central role in Republicans' 2017 attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act"
-
New reporting from The New York Times sheds light on how, as a doctor, Roger Marshall filed more than 700 lawsuits against patients who struggled to cover medical bills - including over unpaid bills "as little as $101." Marshall's lawsuits produced 81 arrests, garnished paychecks, drained bank accounts, and left Kansas families in financial ruin as they grappled with an 18 percent interest rate on their medical bills.
The reporting details how Marshall chose to sue patients over unpaid medical bills, a practice that experts say is "definitely on the extreme side," as "lawsuits against patients are relatively rare" because doctors have "wide discretion in how to handle unpaid bills" and "can decide when to involve a debt collector, file lawsuits or drop the debt entirely if a patient seems unable to pay."
Last year, Marshall was caught on camera backslapping his colleagues and laughing as he voted to spike premiums for more than 159,000 Kansans, later telling CNN's Kaitlan Collins that he would "absolutely" vote against keeping health care affordable for Kansans by extending ACA tax credits.
Read more:
New York Times: A Doctor Sued 700 Patients for Debts; 81 Were Arrested. Now He's a Senator (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/08/us/politics/roger-marshall-obgyn-doctor-debts.html)
* It was Easter weekend in 2007 when a police car pulled up to Joe Vasquez's home in rural Kansas.
* A doctor had filed a lawsuit against him and his wife over an unpaid $4,561 bill from her emergency hysterectomy three years earlier. They had missed a court date, and the doctor's lawyers asked the court to issue an arrest warrant.
* Police took the couple into custody as their grandchildren prepared for an egg hunt, Mr. Vasquez said. They spent two days in jail before their son could borrow the money to post bond.
* "We had no money to pay," said Mr. Vasquez, now 68. At the time, his wife was working at a manufacturing plant and he was on disability, he said.
* The doctor who sued the couple was Roger Marshall, now a senator from Kansas. Mr. Marshall, a Republican who is seeking re-election this fall, filed lawsuits against more than 700 patients with outstanding bills during his decades-long career as an obstetrician-gynecologist, according to a New York Times analysis of Kansas court records.
* Patients were arrested in 81 of those cases for missing court dates, the record show. In an additional 13 lawsuits, Mr. Marshall's lawyers sought warrants but it is unclear whether an arrest occurred.
* They also garnished patients' paychecks and bank accounts. They routinely charged patients an 18 percent annual interest rate.
* The unpaid bills ranged from several thousand dollars to as little as $101. About half the lawsuits were filed under Mr. Marshall's name and the rest by Heartland Regional OBGYN, the medical practice he solely owned from 1998 to 2012 and then co-owned with another doctor from 2013 to 2019.
* Some facing lawsuits were new mothers with outstanding bills from their deliveries. Most lived in Barton County, a rural area with above-average uninsured and poverty rates. Some patients the Times spoke with lacked insurance; others had health coverage but were responsible for part of their bill.
* "I had every intention to pay, I was just struggling," said Kellie Clutts, whom Mr. Marshall sued in 2015 over a $129 bill. Ms. Clutts said the charge was from a postpartum visit shortly after her daughter's birth.
* Mr. Marshall sued Ms. Clutts when her baby was 9 months old and eventually garnished her bank account.
* "I was recently divorced, trying to do everything on my own," said Ms. Clutts, 45. "I told them I could make partial payments, but it seemed like no matter what I said, they wanted the full amount at once."
* Court records show that Mr. Marshall's lawyers repeatedly requested arrest warrants, including in Mr. Vasquez's case. They filed dozens of briefs arguing that warrants were needed because of the defendant's "refusal to obey Court orders."
* Doctors have wide discretion in how to handle unpaid bills. They can decide when to involve a debt collector, file lawsuits or drop the debt entirely if a patient seems unable to pay.
* "There is a lot of variation," said Barak Richman, the co-director of the health law program at George Washington University who has studied medical debt litigation in three states. "There are a lot that do bring lawsuits but also a whole lot that don't. It's not because they're in a different position, they've just decided they're not going to do it."
* Some hospitals and doctors have increasingly relied on litigation as insurance deductibles have risen, leaving patients responsible for a great share of their bills.
* Even so, wage garnishments and arrests of patients are "definitely on the extreme side," Mr. Richman said.
* Neale Mahoney, an economist at Stanford University, has conducted research in one state finding that lawsuits against patients are relatively rare, with about 1.7 percent of hospital stays resulting in litigation.
* "It's not surprising there are outliers but this does seem to be an extreme case," in terms of how far a doctor went to pursue debt, Mr. Mahoney said.
* Federal law made debtors prisons illegal centuries ago but many states' laws allow for arrests when the defendant in a debt lawsuit misses a court date.
* The Times interviewed eight people Mr. Marshall sued between 2003 and 2015. Most described themselves as living paycheck to paycheck, often deciding between paying medical bills or buying groceries. Two said that the bills Mr. Marshall pursued in court stemmed from late miscarriages that required surgery.
* Mr. Marshall stopped practicing medicine after winning election to Congress in 2016. But some of his collection work continued during his time serving in the House of Representatives, from 2017 to 2021, The Times found.
* 'Doc Marshall'
* Mr. Marshall spent more than 25 years practicing obstetrics before running for Congress in 2016. In campaign materials, he frequently trumpeted his work delivering babies and the financial success of his medical practice. Both his Senate and his campaign websites refer to him as "Doc Marshall."
* "For 5,000 Kansans, life began here, in the trusted hands of Dr. Marshall," an ad during his 2020 campaign for Senate said, showing the senator holding two newborns.
* His current campaign website says that he was often "the only OB-GYN in the area" in his largely rural region of the state. He has also highlighted his care of low-income patients. Sometimes, he said in 2017, women drove "over a hundred miles" to see him because he accepted Medicaid, the public health benefits program for the poor.
* In 1998, he and eight other doctors opened a four-bed surgical center in Great Bend. It steadily grew into a full-service hospital generating tens of millions of dollars in revenue. He served as the hospital's board chairman, and his family remained co-owners of the hospital until March 2017, two months after he was sworn into office.
* Mr. Marshall earned salaries both from his obstetrics practice and the hospital. In 2015, his combined earnings from the two was about $780,000, his 2016 financial disclosure report shows. His current worth is between $3 million and 9.8 million, according to his most recent financial disclosure report.
* Great Bend Regional Medical Center also filed hundreds of lawsuits against patients during the years Mr. Marshall was either an investor or board chair.
* More than a dozen of those lawsuits occurred while Mr. Marshall served in Congress and before he sold his ownership stake in the hospital, according to Kansas court records and Mr. Marshall's financial disclosures.
* When Mr. Marshall was elected to Congress, he quickly parlayed his experience as a doctor and health care investor into a central role in Republicans' 2017 attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act, the sweeping health care law enacted under President Barack Obama. "I may be the only physician in Congress to help run a hospital," he said.
* One Patient, Three Arrests
* The first time Meischa Zimmerman was arrested for missing a court date related to a C-section bill from Mr. Marshall was in 2011. She was home with her 2-year-old, and eight months pregnant.
* "I asked them quietly: Can you not handcuff me in front of my daughter?" said Ms. Zimmerman, 44. "I explained to my daughter I was going for a ride."
* Ms. Zimmerman was arrested twice more, in 2013 and 2016, each time posting $200 bonds that would go toward paying down her debt, according to receipts The Times reviewed. Court records indicate that she was hand-delivered notices of the hearings she needed to attend, but Ms. Zimmerman said she did not receive such documents.
* Her last arrest occurred the week after Mr. Marshall won his first congressional election.
* Ms. Zimmerman was uninsured during the earlier pregnancy, in 2009, but had explored enrolling in Medicaid. All states offer Medicaid coverage to low-income women during pregnancy and for a short period after. But states set their own income caps, and Kansas has long had one of the lowest in the country, limiting the benefit to women who earn less than 150 percent of the poverty line.
* Ms. Zimmerman was not working at the time and thought she might qualify. She made an interview appointment at her local Medicaid office but went into labor the night before, so didn't show up and never completed the paperwork. Five months later, with her $3,596 bill for the delivery still unpaid, Mr. Marshall sued her.
* "I had to choose whether I'd pay my electricity or pay $50 to a doctor who didn't need it," she said.
* Ms. Zimmerman said she set up a $50 monthly payment plan in 2010 but sometimes could not keep up. Mr. Marshall's law firm was charging 18 percent interest on her bill, and she recalls being told that it had ballooned to over $7,000 with interest.
* Ms. Zimmerman is among 81 patients whose court records indicate that an arrest occurred. Their debts ranged from $114 to $4,683. In some cases, efforts to collect a debt would continue for over a decade and lasted into Mr. Marshall's congressional career.
* Most patients did not attend their original court date, which led to a default judgment. Four of the eight patients The Times interviewed said they never received their summons, which court records indicate were typically delivered by mail. Some sent in handwritten letters asking for leniency.
* One, whom Mr. Marshall sued in 2004 for $1,200, asked that she not be held liable for care she received "for me and my twins (who I lost)." She was still found responsible for the bill.
* Another hired a lawyer, who wrote a brief protesting a $520 bill for a surgery to remove placenta that remained in a patient's uterus after childbirth.
* "The service that the plaintiff seeks payment for should have been part of the original birthing services for which the plaintiff has already been paid," the lawyer argued. That case was dismissed.
* Mr. Vasquez said he did not recall receiving a summons for his lawsuit or a notice of his court date in 2007. Court records indicate both documents were delivered.
* The couple had health insurance, he said, but believe something went wrong with the billing. Mr. Vasquez recalls Mr. Marshall's office offering a $250 monthly payment plan that he could not afford.
* "Every little bit of money we were getting went for rent and bills," he said.
* Mr. Vasquez was recovering from surgery, with fresh stitches in his arm, when the police arrived at his house. Because of that, he was not handcuffed and was kept in a solitary cell.
* "It was just me in that itty-bitty room," he said.
* After the arrest, the Vasquezes worked with a law firm to roll this and other debts into a payment plan. Eight years later -- 11 years after the emergency surgery -- in November 2015, Mr. Marshall's lawyers filed a letter with the court releasing the judgment against them.
* * *
Original text here: https://www.dscc.org/article/icymi-roger-marshall-sued-700-patients-for-debts-81-were-arrested-now-hes-a-senator-new-york-times/
DNC Congratulates Chris Pappas on Winning New Hampshire's Democratic Primary for U.S. Senate
WASHINGTON, Sept. 9 -- The Democratic National Committee posted the following news release:
* * *
DNC Congratulates Chris Pappas on Winning New Hampshire's Democratic Primary for U.S. Senate
The DNC congratulates Chris Pappas on winning New Hampshire's Democratic primary for U.S. Senate. Voters once again turned out to back candidates who are focused on lowering costs and making life more affordable.
In response to Chris Pappas' victory, DNC Chair Ken Martin released the following statement:
"Born and raised in the Granite State, Chris learned the value of hard work while helping run his ... Show Full Article WASHINGTON, Sept. 9 -- The Democratic National Committee posted the following news release: * * * DNC Congratulates Chris Pappas on Winning New Hampshire's Democratic Primary for U.S. Senate The DNC congratulates Chris Pappas on winning New Hampshire's Democratic primary for U.S. Senate. Voters once again turned out to back candidates who are focused on lowering costs and making life more affordable. In response to Chris Pappas' victory, DNC Chair Ken Martin released the following statement: "Born and raised in the Granite State, Chris learned the value of hard work while helping run hisfamily's small business, and he has brought that same commitment to his public service. Democrats have chosen a proven leader who knows how to deliver for working families. In the Senate, Chris will lower costs, protect healthcare, make housing more affordable, create good-paying jobs, support small businesses, and invest in communities throughout New Hampshire. With Democrats united, the DNC is ready to work alongside Chris to protect this seat and deliver for families across the Granite State."
* * *
Original text here: https://democrats.org/dnc-congratulates-chris-pappas-on-winning-new-hampshires-democratic-primary-for-u-s-senate/
* * *
DNC Congratulates Chris Pappas on Winning New Hampshire's Democratic Primary for U.S. Senate
The DNC congratulates Chris Pappas on winning New Hampshire's Democratic primary for U.S. Senate. Voters once again turned out to back candidates who are focused on lowering costs and making life more affordable.
In response to Chris Pappas' victory, DNC Chair Ken Martin released the following statement:
"Born and raised in the Granite State, Chris learned the value of hard work while helping run his ... Show Full Article WASHINGTON, Sept. 9 -- The Democratic National Committee posted the following news release: * * * DNC Congratulates Chris Pappas on Winning New Hampshire's Democratic Primary for U.S. Senate The DNC congratulates Chris Pappas on winning New Hampshire's Democratic primary for U.S. Senate. Voters once again turned out to back candidates who are focused on lowering costs and making life more affordable. In response to Chris Pappas' victory, DNC Chair Ken Martin released the following statement: "Born and raised in the Granite State, Chris learned the value of hard work while helping run hisfamily's small business, and he has brought that same commitment to his public service. Democrats have chosen a proven leader who knows how to deliver for working families. In the Senate, Chris will lower costs, protect healthcare, make housing more affordable, create good-paying jobs, support small businesses, and invest in communities throughout New Hampshire. With Democrats united, the DNC is ready to work alongside Chris to protect this seat and deliver for families across the Granite State."
* * *
Original text here: https://democrats.org/dnc-congratulates-chris-pappas-on-winning-new-hampshires-democratic-primary-for-u-s-senate/
Republican Are Caught Between Trump and a Hard Place
WASHINGTON, Sept. 8 -- The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee posted the following news release:
* * *
Republican Are Caught Between Trump and a Hard Place
*
"Several congressional hopefuls have removed or downplayed mentions of the president and his priorities as Trump's popularity wanes."
Republicans want you to know they are 100% MAGA... at least until the general election starts.
Republicans are scrubbing mentions of Trump in an attempt to deceive voters of their true allegiance:
In Florida: Mike Beltran who said he "felt inspired by President Trump's 2016 victory" and was ... Show Full Article WASHINGTON, Sept. 8 -- The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee posted the following news release: * * * Republican Are Caught Between Trump and a Hard Place * "Several congressional hopefuls have removed or downplayed mentions of the president and his priorities as Trump's popularity wanes." Republicans want you to know they are 100% MAGA... at least until the general election starts. Republicans are scrubbing mentions of Trump in an attempt to deceive voters of their true allegiance: In Florida: Mike Beltran who said he "felt inspired by President Trump's 2016 victory" and wasrunning for Congress to "stand with President Trump to finish making America great again," now makes no mention of the President.
In Kentucky: Ralph Alvarado "recently scrubbed his website of language casting him as an 'America first fighter' and an ally to Trump. He now touts his 'independent leadership.'"
In Michigan: Mike Bouchard "featured a prominent banner at the top of his website noting Trump's endorsement before the state's Aug. 4 primaries. He has since removed mention of the president from his homepage..."
In Iowa: "On [Joe Mitchell's] website [earlier] this summer, Mitchell called himself a 'trusted voice in the MAGA movement' and pledged to 'always fight for the hard-working Iowans who have made their support for President Trump loud and clear.' Now: Iowa needs fighters in Congress who will 'clean up Washington and put working families first.'"
In Texas: "Eric Flores, a Texas Republican running against Democratic Rep. Vicente Gonzalez in a district that Trump won in 2024, took out language in a section about his priorities that said he would 'support President Trump's agenda.' The president's endorsement, however, remains at the top of his list of endorsements on his website."
In Alaska: "Republican Rep. Nick Begich, an incumbent in Alaska facing a challenge from independent Bill Hill, removed mention of working 'along side President Trump' to deliver for Alaska."
In Arizona: "Rep. Elijah Crane (Arizona), a staunch conservative, declared his right-wing stances on his campaign website earlier this year, pledging to end 'forever wars' and 'reckless government spending.' He also had a section on his issues page about 'defeating woke and weaponized government,' and vowed to 'ban Critical Race Theory.' None of those stances remain on his website..."
DCCC Spokesperson Aidan Johnson:
"Changing your website doesn't change your record. House Republicans spent the entire cycle tying themselves to Donald Trump and his disastrous economic agenda that has made life unaffordable for American families. No amount of late-night backspacing can hide that reality from voters."
***
Original text here: https://dccc.org/republican-are-caught-between-trump-and-a-hard-place/
* * *
Republican Are Caught Between Trump and a Hard Place
*
"Several congressional hopefuls have removed or downplayed mentions of the president and his priorities as Trump's popularity wanes."
Republicans want you to know they are 100% MAGA... at least until the general election starts.
Republicans are scrubbing mentions of Trump in an attempt to deceive voters of their true allegiance:
In Florida: Mike Beltran who said he "felt inspired by President Trump's 2016 victory" and was ... Show Full Article WASHINGTON, Sept. 8 -- The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee posted the following news release: * * * Republican Are Caught Between Trump and a Hard Place * "Several congressional hopefuls have removed or downplayed mentions of the president and his priorities as Trump's popularity wanes." Republicans want you to know they are 100% MAGA... at least until the general election starts. Republicans are scrubbing mentions of Trump in an attempt to deceive voters of their true allegiance: In Florida: Mike Beltran who said he "felt inspired by President Trump's 2016 victory" and wasrunning for Congress to "stand with President Trump to finish making America great again," now makes no mention of the President.
In Kentucky: Ralph Alvarado "recently scrubbed his website of language casting him as an 'America first fighter' and an ally to Trump. He now touts his 'independent leadership.'"
In Michigan: Mike Bouchard "featured a prominent banner at the top of his website noting Trump's endorsement before the state's Aug. 4 primaries. He has since removed mention of the president from his homepage..."
In Iowa: "On [Joe Mitchell's] website [earlier] this summer, Mitchell called himself a 'trusted voice in the MAGA movement' and pledged to 'always fight for the hard-working Iowans who have made their support for President Trump loud and clear.' Now: Iowa needs fighters in Congress who will 'clean up Washington and put working families first.'"
In Texas: "Eric Flores, a Texas Republican running against Democratic Rep. Vicente Gonzalez in a district that Trump won in 2024, took out language in a section about his priorities that said he would 'support President Trump's agenda.' The president's endorsement, however, remains at the top of his list of endorsements on his website."
In Alaska: "Republican Rep. Nick Begich, an incumbent in Alaska facing a challenge from independent Bill Hill, removed mention of working 'along side President Trump' to deliver for Alaska."
In Arizona: "Rep. Elijah Crane (Arizona), a staunch conservative, declared his right-wing stances on his campaign website earlier this year, pledging to end 'forever wars' and 'reckless government spending.' He also had a section on his issues page about 'defeating woke and weaponized government,' and vowed to 'ban Critical Race Theory.' None of those stances remain on his website..."
DCCC Spokesperson Aidan Johnson:
"Changing your website doesn't change your record. House Republicans spent the entire cycle tying themselves to Donald Trump and his disastrous economic agenda that has made life unaffordable for American families. No amount of late-night backspacing can hide that reality from voters."
***
Original text here: https://dccc.org/republican-are-caught-between-trump-and-a-hard-place/
Nevada Democrats Mobilize Volunteers Across the State During a Labor Day Weekend of Action
LAS VEGAS, Nevada, Sept. 8 -- The Nevada Democratic Party posted the following news release:
* * *
Nevada Democrats Mobilize Volunteers Across the State During a Labor Day Weekend of Action
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This weekend, NV Dems mobilized organizers and volunteers across Nevada as part of our Labor Day Weekend of Action. Volunteers knocked doors, made phone calls, and sent texts in congressional districts across the state, reaching out to tens of thousands of Nevada voters. At Congressman Steven Horsford's LaborFest BBQ, over a thousand voters joined Horsford, Assembly Majority Leader Sandra Jauregui and ... Show Full Article LAS VEGAS, Nevada, Sept. 8 -- The Nevada Democratic Party posted the following news release: * * * Nevada Democrats Mobilize Volunteers Across the State During a Labor Day Weekend of Action * This weekend, NV Dems mobilized organizers and volunteers across Nevada as part of our Labor Day Weekend of Action. Volunteers knocked doors, made phone calls, and sent texts in congressional districts across the state, reaching out to tens of thousands of Nevada voters. At Congressman Steven Horsford's LaborFest BBQ, over a thousand voters joined Horsford, Assembly Majority Leader Sandra Jauregui andNV Dems Chair Daniele Monroe-Moreno to recognize the value of organized labor and register voters in North Las Vegas. Throughout the weekend, volunteers spoke directly with voters and heard firsthand how rising costs are putting additional pressure on Nevada families. From STORIES Nevadans are experiencing the impact of the Lombardo-Trump economy.
Weekend of Action photos:
Information about voting can be found at iwillvote.com/nv.
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Original text here: https://nvdems.com/nevada-democrats-mobilize-volunteers-across-the-state-during-a-labor-day-weekend-of-action/
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Nevada Democrats Mobilize Volunteers Across the State During a Labor Day Weekend of Action
*
This weekend, NV Dems mobilized organizers and volunteers across Nevada as part of our Labor Day Weekend of Action. Volunteers knocked doors, made phone calls, and sent texts in congressional districts across the state, reaching out to tens of thousands of Nevada voters. At Congressman Steven Horsford's LaborFest BBQ, over a thousand voters joined Horsford, Assembly Majority Leader Sandra Jauregui and ... Show Full Article LAS VEGAS, Nevada, Sept. 8 -- The Nevada Democratic Party posted the following news release: * * * Nevada Democrats Mobilize Volunteers Across the State During a Labor Day Weekend of Action * This weekend, NV Dems mobilized organizers and volunteers across Nevada as part of our Labor Day Weekend of Action. Volunteers knocked doors, made phone calls, and sent texts in congressional districts across the state, reaching out to tens of thousands of Nevada voters. At Congressman Steven Horsford's LaborFest BBQ, over a thousand voters joined Horsford, Assembly Majority Leader Sandra Jauregui andNV Dems Chair Daniele Monroe-Moreno to recognize the value of organized labor and register voters in North Las Vegas. Throughout the weekend, volunteers spoke directly with voters and heard firsthand how rising costs are putting additional pressure on Nevada families. From STORIES Nevadans are experiencing the impact of the Lombardo-Trump economy.
Weekend of Action photos:
Information about voting can be found at iwillvote.com/nv.
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Original text here: https://nvdems.com/nevada-democrats-mobilize-volunteers-across-the-state-during-a-labor-day-weekend-of-action/
NV Dems Kicks Off "Doormat for Donald" Tour With Actual Doormats for Joe Lombardo
LAS VEGAS, Nevada, Sept. 8 -- The Nevada Democratic Party posted the following news release:
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NV Dems Kicks Off "Doormat for Donald" Tour With Actual Doormats for Joe Lombardo
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Kicking off our "Doormat for Donald" tour, NV Dems is offering Joe Lombardo some interior design support with new doormats for Trump to wipe his feet on before he walks all over the governor. Since Lombardo already spent $25 million of taxpayer money on new office furniture, we thought this doormat would be a cheap interior improvement as his policies jack up everyone's costs.
With less than 60 days left until ... Show Full Article LAS VEGAS, Nevada, Sept. 8 -- The Nevada Democratic Party posted the following news release: * * * NV Dems Kicks Off "Doormat for Donald" Tour With Actual Doormats for Joe Lombardo * Kicking off our "Doormat for Donald" tour, NV Dems is offering Joe Lombardo some interior design support with new doormats for Trump to wipe his feet on before he walks all over the governor. Since Lombardo already spent $25 million of taxpayer money on new office furniture, we thought this doormat would be a cheap interior improvement as his policies jack up everyone's costs. With less than 60 days left untilElection Day, Nevada Democrats are traveling across the state to remind voters that Lombardo is solely focused on being Trump's doormat instead of lowering costs for hardworking Nevadans.
Nevada State Democratic Party spokesperson Kate Sosland released the following statement:
"From prioritizing his 'billionaire friends' over working families to promising 'pain' for Nevadans' crushed by illegal tariffs, Joe Lombardo always flattens himself into Donald Trump's doormat. After three and a half years of a governor who gets walked all over by Trump, Nevadans are ready for a leader who actually stands up for them."
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Original text here: https://nvdems.com/nv-dems-kicks-off-doormat-for-donald-tour-with-actual-doormats-for-joe-lombardo/
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NV Dems Kicks Off "Doormat for Donald" Tour With Actual Doormats for Joe Lombardo
*
Kicking off our "Doormat for Donald" tour, NV Dems is offering Joe Lombardo some interior design support with new doormats for Trump to wipe his feet on before he walks all over the governor. Since Lombardo already spent $25 million of taxpayer money on new office furniture, we thought this doormat would be a cheap interior improvement as his policies jack up everyone's costs.
With less than 60 days left until ... Show Full Article LAS VEGAS, Nevada, Sept. 8 -- The Nevada Democratic Party posted the following news release: * * * NV Dems Kicks Off "Doormat for Donald" Tour With Actual Doormats for Joe Lombardo * Kicking off our "Doormat for Donald" tour, NV Dems is offering Joe Lombardo some interior design support with new doormats for Trump to wipe his feet on before he walks all over the governor. Since Lombardo already spent $25 million of taxpayer money on new office furniture, we thought this doormat would be a cheap interior improvement as his policies jack up everyone's costs. With less than 60 days left untilElection Day, Nevada Democrats are traveling across the state to remind voters that Lombardo is solely focused on being Trump's doormat instead of lowering costs for hardworking Nevadans.
Nevada State Democratic Party spokesperson Kate Sosland released the following statement:
"From prioritizing his 'billionaire friends' over working families to promising 'pain' for Nevadans' crushed by illegal tariffs, Joe Lombardo always flattens himself into Donald Trump's doormat. After three and a half years of a governor who gets walked all over by Trump, Nevadans are ready for a leader who actually stands up for them."
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Original text here: https://nvdems.com/nv-dems-kicks-off-doormat-for-donald-tour-with-actual-doormats-for-joe-lombardo/
DCCC Statement on 'MAGA Mike' Beltran's Addition to the 'MAGA Majority'
WASHINGTON, Sept. 8 -- The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee posted the following news release:
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DCCC Statement on 'MAGA Mike' Beltran's Addition to the 'MAGA Majority'
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In response to news that 'MAGA Mike' Beltran was added to the NRCC's "MAGA Majority," DCCC spokesperson Anna Elsasser released the following statement:
"Consider it confirmed: Mike Beltran is an extremist who will always put Donald Trump and his national party bosses ahead of Floridians. Beltran was Republican leaders' second choice, and now they're stuck fighting a losing battle in a dummymandered seat that's ... Show Full Article WASHINGTON, Sept. 8 -- The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee posted the following news release: * * * DCCC Statement on 'MAGA Mike' Beltran's Addition to the 'MAGA Majority' * In response to news that 'MAGA Mike' Beltran was added to the NRCC's "MAGA Majority," DCCC spokesperson Anna Elsasser released the following statement: "Consider it confirmed: Mike Beltran is an extremist who will always put Donald Trump and his national party bosses ahead of Floridians. Beltran was Republican leaders' second choice, and now they're stuck fighting a losing battle in a dummymandered seat that'salready backfiring. Voters already know Beltran's extremism and long record of opposing efforts to lower health care and housing costs while Floridians struggled to make ends meet. Now, he wants to bring that same unpopular record to Washington and rubber stamp an agenda that's jacking up the cost of everything. Beltran is only running to be a yes-man for the most extreme voices in his party, and he will lose to Kathy Castor in November because of it."
REMINDER:
* The Case Against Mike Beltran is clear.
* Trouble in paradise.... Beltran got caught red-handed trying to lie to voters, scrubbing mention of Donald Trump from his campaign website the minute he made it through the primary.
Washington Post: Republican House candidates tone down Trump on their campaign websites
The Daily Beast: GOP Candidate Scrubs Trump From Campaign Site in Fresh Snub
The New Republic: Republican Scrubs Trump From Website After Winning Primary
Washington Examiner: Florida GOP House candidate removes major pro-Trump mentions from campaign website
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Original text here: https://dccc.org/dccc-statement-on-maga-mike-beltrans-addition-to-the-maga-majority/
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DCCC Statement on 'MAGA Mike' Beltran's Addition to the 'MAGA Majority'
*
In response to news that 'MAGA Mike' Beltran was added to the NRCC's "MAGA Majority," DCCC spokesperson Anna Elsasser released the following statement:
"Consider it confirmed: Mike Beltran is an extremist who will always put Donald Trump and his national party bosses ahead of Floridians. Beltran was Republican leaders' second choice, and now they're stuck fighting a losing battle in a dummymandered seat that's ... Show Full Article WASHINGTON, Sept. 8 -- The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee posted the following news release: * * * DCCC Statement on 'MAGA Mike' Beltran's Addition to the 'MAGA Majority' * In response to news that 'MAGA Mike' Beltran was added to the NRCC's "MAGA Majority," DCCC spokesperson Anna Elsasser released the following statement: "Consider it confirmed: Mike Beltran is an extremist who will always put Donald Trump and his national party bosses ahead of Floridians. Beltran was Republican leaders' second choice, and now they're stuck fighting a losing battle in a dummymandered seat that'salready backfiring. Voters already know Beltran's extremism and long record of opposing efforts to lower health care and housing costs while Floridians struggled to make ends meet. Now, he wants to bring that same unpopular record to Washington and rubber stamp an agenda that's jacking up the cost of everything. Beltran is only running to be a yes-man for the most extreme voices in his party, and he will lose to Kathy Castor in November because of it."
REMINDER:
* The Case Against Mike Beltran is clear.
* Trouble in paradise.... Beltran got caught red-handed trying to lie to voters, scrubbing mention of Donald Trump from his campaign website the minute he made it through the primary.
Washington Post: Republican House candidates tone down Trump on their campaign websites
The Daily Beast: GOP Candidate Scrubs Trump From Campaign Site in Fresh Snub
The New Republic: Republican Scrubs Trump From Website After Winning Primary
Washington Examiner: Florida GOP House candidate removes major pro-Trump mentions from campaign website
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Original text here: https://dccc.org/dccc-statement-on-maga-mike-beltrans-addition-to-the-maga-majority/