Politics, Parties, Candidates
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Politics, Parties, Candidates
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Iowa Democratic Party: Bad News for Zach Lahn - Kim Reynolds is Still the Most Unpopular Governor in the Country
DES MOINES, Iowa, Oct. 16 -- The Iowa Democratic Party issued the following news release:
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October 14, 2026
Bad News for Zach Lahn: Kim Reynolds is STILL the Most Unpopular Governor in the Country
DES MOINES - One day before the start of early voting, a new poll from Morning Consult finds that Kim Reynolds is still the most unpopular governor in the country for nearly three years in a row -- 11 straight quarters -- while consumer sentiment in Iowa also sits at the third lowest in the country. This is terrible news for Zach Lahn, who has "cast himself as the heir" to Reynolds' failed legacy ... Show Full Article DES MOINES, Iowa, Oct. 16 -- The Iowa Democratic Party issued the following news release: * * * October 14, 2026 Bad News for Zach Lahn: Kim Reynolds is STILL the Most Unpopular Governor in the Country DES MOINES - One day before the start of early voting, a new poll from Morning Consult finds that Kim Reynolds is still the most unpopular governor in the country for nearly three years in a row -- 11 straight quarters -- while consumer sentiment in Iowa also sits at the third lowest in the country. This is terrible news for Zach Lahn, who has "cast himself as the heir" to Reynolds' failed legacyof high cancer rates, farm bankruptcies, and underfunded public schools.
Lahn has embraced Reynolds' endorsement and said he's "grateful" for everything she's done:
* Lahn said Reynolds "did the right thing" and "really put us on good financial footing" by landing Iowa with a $1.4 billion budget deficit to fund tax breaks for powerful insiders and special interests.
* Lahn promised to continue Reynolds' privatized Medicaid disaster and doesn't have a plan to address her water quality and cancer crisis.
* Lahn supports Reynolds' unaccountable private school voucher scheme and wants to expand the school voucher program to include homeschooling, leaving the door open to even more public school funding cuts.
From Iowa Democratic Party spokesperson Terra Hernandez:
"Kansas carpetbagger and career political operative Zach Lahn has literally made himself the 'heir' to the most unpopular governor in the country, running to continue her legacy of giving tax breaks to special interests, attacking public schools, and ignoring our cancer and water quality crises. Iowans are ready for change -- and they're looking forward to sending Lahn back to Kansas and ending the era of one-party rule that is holding our state back."
* * *
Original text here: https://iowademocrats.org/2026/10/14/bad-news-for-zach-lahn-kim-reynolds-is-still-the-most-unpopular-governor-in-the-country/
* * *
October 14, 2026
Bad News for Zach Lahn: Kim Reynolds is STILL the Most Unpopular Governor in the Country
DES MOINES - One day before the start of early voting, a new poll from Morning Consult finds that Kim Reynolds is still the most unpopular governor in the country for nearly three years in a row -- 11 straight quarters -- while consumer sentiment in Iowa also sits at the third lowest in the country. This is terrible news for Zach Lahn, who has "cast himself as the heir" to Reynolds' failed legacy ... Show Full Article DES MOINES, Iowa, Oct. 16 -- The Iowa Democratic Party issued the following news release: * * * October 14, 2026 Bad News for Zach Lahn: Kim Reynolds is STILL the Most Unpopular Governor in the Country DES MOINES - One day before the start of early voting, a new poll from Morning Consult finds that Kim Reynolds is still the most unpopular governor in the country for nearly three years in a row -- 11 straight quarters -- while consumer sentiment in Iowa also sits at the third lowest in the country. This is terrible news for Zach Lahn, who has "cast himself as the heir" to Reynolds' failed legacyof high cancer rates, farm bankruptcies, and underfunded public schools.
Lahn has embraced Reynolds' endorsement and said he's "grateful" for everything she's done:
* Lahn said Reynolds "did the right thing" and "really put us on good financial footing" by landing Iowa with a $1.4 billion budget deficit to fund tax breaks for powerful insiders and special interests.
* Lahn promised to continue Reynolds' privatized Medicaid disaster and doesn't have a plan to address her water quality and cancer crisis.
* Lahn supports Reynolds' unaccountable private school voucher scheme and wants to expand the school voucher program to include homeschooling, leaving the door open to even more public school funding cuts.
From Iowa Democratic Party spokesperson Terra Hernandez:
"Kansas carpetbagger and career political operative Zach Lahn has literally made himself the 'heir' to the most unpopular governor in the country, running to continue her legacy of giving tax breaks to special interests, attacking public schools, and ignoring our cancer and water quality crises. Iowans are ready for change -- and they're looking forward to sending Lahn back to Kansas and ending the era of one-party rule that is holding our state back."
* * *
Original text here: https://iowademocrats.org/2026/10/14/bad-news-for-zach-lahn-kim-reynolds-is-still-the-most-unpopular-governor-in-the-country/
Iowa Democratic Party: Ashley Hinson Loses First Senate Debate, Caught Self-Dealing With Taxpayer Dollars to Build "Luxury" Homes "Far Above Median Homes Prices"
DES MOINES, Iowa, Oct. 16 -- The Iowa Democratic Party issued the following news release:
* * *
October 14, 2026
Ashley Hinson Loses First Senate Debate, Caught Self-Dealing with Taxpayer Dollars to Build "Luxury" Homes "Far Above Median Homes Prices"
In This Week's Edition of the Ashley Accountability Alert, Hinson Was "Uncertain" and "Scrambled" in the First Senate Debate, and a New Report Uncovered Hinson's Latest Corruption Scandal
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DES MOINES - This week, Ashley Hinson melted under the bright lights of the debate stage, getting "slammed" for voting to kick 110,000 Iowans off their healthcare ... Show Full Article DES MOINES, Iowa, Oct. 16 -- The Iowa Democratic Party issued the following news release: * * * October 14, 2026 Ashley Hinson Loses First Senate Debate, Caught Self-Dealing with Taxpayer Dollars to Build "Luxury" Homes "Far Above Median Homes Prices" In This Week's Edition of the Ashley Accountability Alert, Hinson Was "Uncertain" and "Scrambled" in the First Senate Debate, and a New Report Uncovered Hinson's Latest Corruption Scandal - DES MOINES - This week, Ashley Hinson melted under the bright lights of the debate stage, getting "slammed" for voting to kick 110,000 Iowans off their healthcareand "defend[ing]" the chaotic tariffs that have hiked costs for Iowa families, cost Iowa businesses $1.7 billion in the last year, and crushed farmers.
Meanwhile, a new report from MeidasTouch News has found that Ashley Hinson and her husband performed a "bait-and-switch" in which their development company took advantage of tax credits Hinson pushed for in the state legislature and then "jack[ed] up rents and sale prices" of homes they constructed.
But that's only a taste of Ashley Hinson's latest terrible week on the campaign trail...
* First, a report from CNN over the weekend found Hinson is "unpopular" with some Iowa Republicans as she tries (and fails) to distract voters from her seven votes to continue the war in Iran that is raising costs.
* CNN pointed out that while Hinson is saying she wants the war to end, she voted just weeks ago for a seventh time to continue the conflict, even as her Iowa Republican colleagues said enough is enough.
* The report also highlighted how Hinson's "tone has steadily shifted" as she tries (and fails) to talk up her nonexistent efforts to work across the aisle while she's ranked the least bipartisan member of the Iowa congressional delegation.
* Then, a Bulwark focus group found Hinson's campaign is "stuck in a sour spot" as Trump 2024 voters in Iowa said they fundamentally don't trust Hinson.
* Iowans in the focus group said they think Hinson is "too polished" because "she's giving the answer that she thinks people want her to give versus how she genuinely feels about things."
* Others considered her a "yes person" who is afraid to stand up to her party bosses and fight for Iowa and "don't believe" she's someone who works across the aisle.
* One Iowa voter said they definitively weren't going to vote for Hinson after seeing that "Ashley Hinson sold us out to China," adding that "it's hard to get that image out of my mind, so I'm just like 'Yeah, no to Hinson. I'm just gonna say no.'"
* Next, Hinson was "uncertain" and "scrambled" as she struggled to explain her corrupt, self-dealing record, which includes her seven votes to continue the war in Iran and helping her shadow lobbyist husband gain access to her and the rest of the Iowa congressional delegation.
* While suggesting to raise the retirement age, Hinson took a nasty "swipe" at millennials, accusing them of being "the worst group of savers," even as she undermines younger generations paying into Social Security by voting to cut hundreds of millions of dollars in funding.
* It all added up for a miserable debate for Hinson that comes after multiple polls - including new ones from Fox News and Rasmussen - show her losing the Senate race as her "team has grown increasingly wary of the tight race."
* What's more, a new report from MeidasTouch News found that in the rural towns of Clear Lake and Mt. Pleasant, a development company owned by Hinson "built expensive 'luxury' homes that were above medium value and pricing out workers."
* The company took advantage of taxpayer dollars despite promising in their application for tax credits that they would build "affordable rural workforce housing."
* During this whole time, Hinson's stake in the company "skyrocketed" by up to "10x."
* To round out the week, Iowans slammed Hinson outside of one of her campaign stops to call her out for repeatedly voting against clean water legislation and taking thousands of dollars from the chemical companies that pollute Iowa's water.
* "A small group of protesters gathered outside West Des Moines City Hall ahead of the event, with some holding signs saying, 'Our kids deserve clean water. Hinson doesn't think so!!!'"
* Barbara Eskildsen, an independent from Ankeny, said she's concerned the nitrates in Iowa's water are causing people to get cancer, and she doesn't believe Hinson shares her concern.
* 'She's not handling it at all,' Eskildsen said. 'She won't even face up to it. So that's why I'm here. She needs to understand that people are concerned about it. She can't just turn her head and decide she's not going to do anything about it.'"
See What Iowans Were Seeing and Reading This Week:
CNN:
* Ashley Hinson: "I've called for an immediate and successful end to the war in Iran, so that families can get some relief at the pump and the checkout line."
* Jeff Zeleny, CNN: "Yet she didn't vote that way."
* * *
* Jeff Zeleny, CNN: "She saw that speaking out against an unpopular war can be unpopular with some Republicans."
* Hinson Supporter #1: "Just saying stop and just walking away is not the answer."
* Ashley Hinson: "No, successful ending."
* Hinson Supporter #2: "When you say stop, it almost sounds like..."
* Ashley Hinson: "A successful end."
* * *
* Ashley Hinson: "I run every race the same, so for me, it's always been going out and earning every vote and running like I'm 10 points behind."
* Jeff Zeleny, CNN: "I mean, you were saying that same thing two months ago, running like you're 10 points behind. But now some Republicans actually are concerned you may be, and the Senate Leadership Fund, as you know, invested 20 million more dollars this week."
MeidasTouch News: Ashley Hinson pushed a tax credit for developers of affordable rural homes, her company took the credit and then jacked up sales prices
* As a legislator from Iowa and a member of the U.S. House, Iowa Republican Senate Candidate Ashley Hinson backed workforce housing tax credits to build affordable homes in rural Iowa. Her husband's development company took advantage of the tax credits while jacking up rents and sale prices. In the meantime, Hinson's stake in the company skyrocketed.
* In 2021, soon after Hinson was elected to the U.S. House, Hinson's husband Matthew Arenholz helped create a property development company called BAM Development, LLC. Hinson disclosed value from BAM Development, LLC on her financial disclosure records.
* Hinson's 2024 and 2025 financial disclosures revealed that her stake in Bam Development increased dramatically in the period while she was requesting appropriations for workforce housing in rural Iowa. In her 2024 disclosure she reported a stake in BAM Development between $50,001 and $100,000. By 2025, the stake had increased anywhere from 2.5X to 10X with her disclosure now between $250,001 and $500,000.
* Despite the massive public financial rewards Hinson's company got for building townhomes in a rural area, they still jacked up the price of rent and home sales for their units. Even though on its application for the tax credits, BAM Development, LLC had claimed the Emerald Cove townhomes would cost as little $275,000 to buy, the units were later listed as "Luxury Condos." Two sold for $400,000 and $402,000, which was $65,000 above the average home price in Clear Lake at the time.
* The entire point of BAM Development's application for tax credits was predicated on the idea of building affordable rural workforce housing. But after reaping all the public benefits of building affordable homes, Hinson's company performed a bait-and-switch, took the tax credits and built expensive "luxury" homes that were above median value and pricing out workers. All the while, Hinson's value in the company skyrocketed.
Bulwark: A group of Iowa voters reveals why MAGA is flailing
* Rep. Ashley Hinson, the Republican nominee for Senate in Iowa, seems to be stuck in a sour spot, based on our group of Iowans who voted for Trump in 2024 but now disapprove of him.
* Joel, 39, said of Hinson: "[...] But I think she comes across as almost too polished--like she's giving the answer that she thinks that people want her to give versus how she genuinely feels about things."
* Rhonda, 55, was more sympathetic, with a caveat: "[...] Do I think that she is a 'yes person,' and are there questions? Yes."
* Amanda 42: "I don't know much about Ashley Hinson other than the little flag that the little tiny one-engine plane flew around for like six days out of the ten days over the state fair that said something about 'Ashley Hinson sold us out to China' or something like that. . . . It's hard to, you know, get that image out of my mind, so I'm just like, 'Yeah, no to Hinson.' I'm gonna, you know, say no."
* Joel: "[...] Did I believe what I heard? I would give it a three based on everything I've seen and everything I've heard. . . . She mentioned one bill that she worked with, with others, but I don't believe that's been the case in a lot of areas."
* Celeste: "[...] It's probably like a three or a four for believability. [...] So I just have questions about her claims, and I wish that there was more evidence."
* * *
Original text here: https://iowademocrats.org/2026/10/14/ashley-hinson-loses-first-senate-debate-caught-self-dealing-with-taxpayer-dollars-to-build-luxury-homes-far-above-median-homes-prices/
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October 14, 2026
Ashley Hinson Loses First Senate Debate, Caught Self-Dealing with Taxpayer Dollars to Build "Luxury" Homes "Far Above Median Homes Prices"
In This Week's Edition of the Ashley Accountability Alert, Hinson Was "Uncertain" and "Scrambled" in the First Senate Debate, and a New Report Uncovered Hinson's Latest Corruption Scandal
-
DES MOINES - This week, Ashley Hinson melted under the bright lights of the debate stage, getting "slammed" for voting to kick 110,000 Iowans off their healthcare ... Show Full Article DES MOINES, Iowa, Oct. 16 -- The Iowa Democratic Party issued the following news release: * * * October 14, 2026 Ashley Hinson Loses First Senate Debate, Caught Self-Dealing with Taxpayer Dollars to Build "Luxury" Homes "Far Above Median Homes Prices" In This Week's Edition of the Ashley Accountability Alert, Hinson Was "Uncertain" and "Scrambled" in the First Senate Debate, and a New Report Uncovered Hinson's Latest Corruption Scandal - DES MOINES - This week, Ashley Hinson melted under the bright lights of the debate stage, getting "slammed" for voting to kick 110,000 Iowans off their healthcareand "defend[ing]" the chaotic tariffs that have hiked costs for Iowa families, cost Iowa businesses $1.7 billion in the last year, and crushed farmers.
Meanwhile, a new report from MeidasTouch News has found that Ashley Hinson and her husband performed a "bait-and-switch" in which their development company took advantage of tax credits Hinson pushed for in the state legislature and then "jack[ed] up rents and sale prices" of homes they constructed.
But that's only a taste of Ashley Hinson's latest terrible week on the campaign trail...
* First, a report from CNN over the weekend found Hinson is "unpopular" with some Iowa Republicans as she tries (and fails) to distract voters from her seven votes to continue the war in Iran that is raising costs.
* CNN pointed out that while Hinson is saying she wants the war to end, she voted just weeks ago for a seventh time to continue the conflict, even as her Iowa Republican colleagues said enough is enough.
* The report also highlighted how Hinson's "tone has steadily shifted" as she tries (and fails) to talk up her nonexistent efforts to work across the aisle while she's ranked the least bipartisan member of the Iowa congressional delegation.
* Then, a Bulwark focus group found Hinson's campaign is "stuck in a sour spot" as Trump 2024 voters in Iowa said they fundamentally don't trust Hinson.
* Iowans in the focus group said they think Hinson is "too polished" because "she's giving the answer that she thinks people want her to give versus how she genuinely feels about things."
* Others considered her a "yes person" who is afraid to stand up to her party bosses and fight for Iowa and "don't believe" she's someone who works across the aisle.
* One Iowa voter said they definitively weren't going to vote for Hinson after seeing that "Ashley Hinson sold us out to China," adding that "it's hard to get that image out of my mind, so I'm just like 'Yeah, no to Hinson. I'm just gonna say no.'"
* Next, Hinson was "uncertain" and "scrambled" as she struggled to explain her corrupt, self-dealing record, which includes her seven votes to continue the war in Iran and helping her shadow lobbyist husband gain access to her and the rest of the Iowa congressional delegation.
* While suggesting to raise the retirement age, Hinson took a nasty "swipe" at millennials, accusing them of being "the worst group of savers," even as she undermines younger generations paying into Social Security by voting to cut hundreds of millions of dollars in funding.
* It all added up for a miserable debate for Hinson that comes after multiple polls - including new ones from Fox News and Rasmussen - show her losing the Senate race as her "team has grown increasingly wary of the tight race."
* What's more, a new report from MeidasTouch News found that in the rural towns of Clear Lake and Mt. Pleasant, a development company owned by Hinson "built expensive 'luxury' homes that were above medium value and pricing out workers."
* The company took advantage of taxpayer dollars despite promising in their application for tax credits that they would build "affordable rural workforce housing."
* During this whole time, Hinson's stake in the company "skyrocketed" by up to "10x."
* To round out the week, Iowans slammed Hinson outside of one of her campaign stops to call her out for repeatedly voting against clean water legislation and taking thousands of dollars from the chemical companies that pollute Iowa's water.
* "A small group of protesters gathered outside West Des Moines City Hall ahead of the event, with some holding signs saying, 'Our kids deserve clean water. Hinson doesn't think so!!!'"
* Barbara Eskildsen, an independent from Ankeny, said she's concerned the nitrates in Iowa's water are causing people to get cancer, and she doesn't believe Hinson shares her concern.
* 'She's not handling it at all,' Eskildsen said. 'She won't even face up to it. So that's why I'm here. She needs to understand that people are concerned about it. She can't just turn her head and decide she's not going to do anything about it.'"
See What Iowans Were Seeing and Reading This Week:
CNN:
* Ashley Hinson: "I've called for an immediate and successful end to the war in Iran, so that families can get some relief at the pump and the checkout line."
* Jeff Zeleny, CNN: "Yet she didn't vote that way."
* * *
* Jeff Zeleny, CNN: "She saw that speaking out against an unpopular war can be unpopular with some Republicans."
* Hinson Supporter #1: "Just saying stop and just walking away is not the answer."
* Ashley Hinson: "No, successful ending."
* Hinson Supporter #2: "When you say stop, it almost sounds like..."
* Ashley Hinson: "A successful end."
* * *
* Ashley Hinson: "I run every race the same, so for me, it's always been going out and earning every vote and running like I'm 10 points behind."
* Jeff Zeleny, CNN: "I mean, you were saying that same thing two months ago, running like you're 10 points behind. But now some Republicans actually are concerned you may be, and the Senate Leadership Fund, as you know, invested 20 million more dollars this week."
MeidasTouch News: Ashley Hinson pushed a tax credit for developers of affordable rural homes, her company took the credit and then jacked up sales prices
* As a legislator from Iowa and a member of the U.S. House, Iowa Republican Senate Candidate Ashley Hinson backed workforce housing tax credits to build affordable homes in rural Iowa. Her husband's development company took advantage of the tax credits while jacking up rents and sale prices. In the meantime, Hinson's stake in the company skyrocketed.
* In 2021, soon after Hinson was elected to the U.S. House, Hinson's husband Matthew Arenholz helped create a property development company called BAM Development, LLC. Hinson disclosed value from BAM Development, LLC on her financial disclosure records.
* Hinson's 2024 and 2025 financial disclosures revealed that her stake in Bam Development increased dramatically in the period while she was requesting appropriations for workforce housing in rural Iowa. In her 2024 disclosure she reported a stake in BAM Development between $50,001 and $100,000. By 2025, the stake had increased anywhere from 2.5X to 10X with her disclosure now between $250,001 and $500,000.
* Despite the massive public financial rewards Hinson's company got for building townhomes in a rural area, they still jacked up the price of rent and home sales for their units. Even though on its application for the tax credits, BAM Development, LLC had claimed the Emerald Cove townhomes would cost as little $275,000 to buy, the units were later listed as "Luxury Condos." Two sold for $400,000 and $402,000, which was $65,000 above the average home price in Clear Lake at the time.
* The entire point of BAM Development's application for tax credits was predicated on the idea of building affordable rural workforce housing. But after reaping all the public benefits of building affordable homes, Hinson's company performed a bait-and-switch, took the tax credits and built expensive "luxury" homes that were above median value and pricing out workers. All the while, Hinson's value in the company skyrocketed.
Bulwark: A group of Iowa voters reveals why MAGA is flailing
* Rep. Ashley Hinson, the Republican nominee for Senate in Iowa, seems to be stuck in a sour spot, based on our group of Iowans who voted for Trump in 2024 but now disapprove of him.
* Joel, 39, said of Hinson: "[...] But I think she comes across as almost too polished--like she's giving the answer that she thinks that people want her to give versus how she genuinely feels about things."
* Rhonda, 55, was more sympathetic, with a caveat: "[...] Do I think that she is a 'yes person,' and are there questions? Yes."
* Amanda 42: "I don't know much about Ashley Hinson other than the little flag that the little tiny one-engine plane flew around for like six days out of the ten days over the state fair that said something about 'Ashley Hinson sold us out to China' or something like that. . . . It's hard to, you know, get that image out of my mind, so I'm just like, 'Yeah, no to Hinson.' I'm gonna, you know, say no."
* Joel: "[...] Did I believe what I heard? I would give it a three based on everything I've seen and everything I've heard. . . . She mentioned one bill that she worked with, with others, but I don't believe that's been the case in a lot of areas."
* Celeste: "[...] It's probably like a three or a four for believability. [...] So I just have questions about her claims, and I wish that there was more evidence."
* * *
Original text here: https://iowademocrats.org/2026/10/14/ashley-hinson-loses-first-senate-debate-caught-self-dealing-with-taxpayer-dollars-to-build-luxury-homes-far-above-median-homes-prices/
Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee: Three Weeks Out - Senate Map "Expands" For Democrats as GOP Sees "Rising Threat to the Senate Majority" on "Increasingly Shaky" Battleground
WASHINGTON, Oct. 16 -- The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee posted the following news release:
* * *
Oct 14, 2026
THREE WEEKS OUT: Senate Map "Expands" For Democrats as GOP Sees "Rising Threat to the Senate Majority" on "Increasingly Shaky" Battleground
With less than three weeks to go until Election Day, coverage continues to highlight how Democrats are on offense, increasingly competing in "deep in Trump territory" as an "increasingly shaky" Republican Senate map "provide[s] little reassurance for the GOP" amid the potential "worst midterm environment [for Republicans] in decades."
As ... Show Full Article WASHINGTON, Oct. 16 -- The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee posted the following news release: * * * Oct 14, 2026 THREE WEEKS OUT: Senate Map "Expands" For Democrats as GOP Sees "Rising Threat to the Senate Majority" on "Increasingly Shaky" Battleground With less than three weeks to go until Election Day, coverage continues to highlight how Democrats are on offense, increasingly competing in "deep in Trump territory" as an "increasingly shaky" Republican Senate map "provide[s] little reassurance for the GOP" amid the potential "worst midterm environment [for Republicans] in decades." Asthe map expands for Democrats, Republicans' "concern is evident" as their "faltering" Senate candidates fail to catch steam - forcing national Republicans to dump "resources into traditionally red districts and states at the expense of their once-expansive ambitions in Democratic areas."
Meanwhile, Democrats are "enter[ing] the final month of the campaign in a better position than anyone would have imagined when the year began," continuing to expand the map thanks to a "significant advantage in candidate quality" after recruiting a slate of formidable, all-star candidates who are "both personally appealing and ideologically acceptable to red-state voters."
See for yourself:
CNN: Democrats eye ambitious Senate map that was once unthinkable as anti-Trump backlash grows
* [...] Democrats increasingly believe they have a real chance to win seats deep in Trump territory as Republicans face their worst midterm environment in decades and the Senate map abruptly expands.
* Democrats are now adding Kansas to a growing list of unlikely targets as they also try to flip Texas, Alaska and Iowa - all four states that Trump won by double digits in 2024. With just 22 days to go, Senate Democrats' top super PAC surprised some in its own party by investing $5 million in Kansas - a state that hasn't elected a Democrat to the Senate in nearly a century.
* "The gap is closing in Kansas," Senate Majority PAC spokesperson Lauren French said in a statement.
* [...] Voters' anti-Trump backlash is driving Democrats to gamble in even redder seats. In recent days, there's a growing sense that their party has a real shot in Kansas, in particular, where Republicans are spending almost $10 million on air to defend incumbent Sen. Roger Marshall.
* Recent public polling showed a tied race between Marshall and Democrat Adam Hamilton in a state that Trump won by 16 points two years ago. Democrats' own internal polling in Kansas, too, showed Hamilton in a true position to compete.
* "Democrats expanded the map deep into GOP territory and created new opportunities to flip seats - putting us in the strongest position yet to win the Senate majority," Schumer's campaign arm, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, spokesperson Maeve Coyle said. "Between now and Election Day, we will keep all options on the table and pursue every strategic path to victory as resources allow."
* With Kansas now on the map, and optimism abounds, Democrats are privately talking seriously about having a real shot of defeating Republicans in states like South Carolina, Mississippi and Nebraska.
* Even so, Senate Democrats are not dismissing the chances outright of an upset in these states. Schumer's campaign arm has encouraged senators to play up the expanding map, including tightening races like Mississippi or South Carolina, and has told senators directly, "We don't take options off the table," according to one person familiar with the discussions. And Schumer has personally told donors that Mississippi's Senate race deserves attention, another person familiar with the discussions told CNN.
CNN: 'Trump is dragging the party down': GOP scrambles to stop steep midterm losses
* The Republican Party's midterm campaign has turned into a triage operation just three weeks out from November, as officials race to avert losses in a string of once-safe seats that they increasingly fear could cost them total control of Congress.
* The worsening landscape has alarmed GOP operatives across several battleground states, forcing the party to pour resources into traditionally red districts and states at the expense of their once-expansive ambitions in Democratic areas.
* And after months of pressing President Donald Trump to ramp up his travel on behalf of key candidates, some Republicans now worry he's grown so unpopular that his presence on the campaign trail may in some cases be doing more harm than good.
* The widening number of competitive races has complicated Republican leaders' plans to make up ground by unleashing hundreds of millions of dollars down the stretch. Despite a massive cash advantage fueled in part by pro-Trump super PAC, MAGA Inc., the spending so far has failed to significantly shift Republicans' fortunes as more money gets diverted toward races once counted on as comfortable wins.
* Already, the Senate Leadership Fund, the top GOP super PAC in Senate races, has suspended its ad reservations in North Carolina and plowed at least $10 million into Kansas [...]. It also recently invested $5 million in South Carolina to boost incumbent Sen. Darline Graham amid concerns among some Republicans she's losing ground to Democrat Annie Andrews in the deep red state.
* That's on top of the more than $100 million that the Senate Leadership Fund has spent in Texas to boost Ken Paxton, who is scrambling to shore up GOP support in his race with Democrat James Talarico after a bruising primary campaign. Trump himself has now traveled to Texas three times in one month to rally voters on Paxton's behalf.
* "We were all hoping the war was going to be over now, but it's not," said one Trump adviser. "We shouldn't have a fight in a place like Texas, but obviously we do."
* The Senate map has also provided little reassurance for the GOP. Paxton is suffering a drip-drip of damaging audio leaks from a private fundraiser, further frustrating Republican officials who already believe he's running a poor campaign. Democrats hold polling leads in swing states like Georgia and North Carolina, while making insurgent runs in solidly red states like Alaska and even Kansas.
* Inside the White House, Trump and his top advisers are clear-eyed about the difficult odds of keeping the House and the rising threat to the Senate majority, people familiar with the matter said.
Axios: Republican midterm triage puts bleak outlook into focus
* Republican super PACs are flooding the airwaves in once-safe states, and pulling down ads for races that look like lost causes. President Trump, his approval ratings near record lows, is popping up in some of America's reddest states.
* [...] money -- and how campaigns and PACs spend it -- rarely lies. Nor do the contrails of Air Force One.
* Republicans have been forced to pour well over $100 million into Ken Paxton's Senate race in Texas against Democrat James Talarico, and to plead for millions more to defend Senate seats in Alaska, Iowa and Ohio.
* What they're saying: Republicans' efforts now appear more focused on calling for party loyalists to show up at the polls than on persuading new voters.
* "Every time they up a buy [ads] on their end, it's always in the red states," said J.B. Poersch, president of Senate Majority PAC, the Democrats' main outside group working to win the Senate.
* Zoom in: After pulling out of North Carolina (which Trump won by 3 points) last Friday, the SLF -- Republicans' main Senate super PAC -- put a fresh $14 million in normally deep-red Kansas.
* This week, it sent a $5 million "insurance policy" to South Carolina (which Trump won by 18 points) to boost Republican Sen. Darline Graham.
* But [Republicans'] concern is evident in their thundering attack ads in red states such as Kansas, South Carolina and Texas.
New York Times: Economic Pain and an Unpopular Trump Put G.O.P. on its Heels With Three Weeks to Go
* Three weeks from Election Day, deep frustration over an economy that feels unworkable for Americans at most every level, from farmers to truckers to consumers, has expanded the map of competitive electoral contests into areas that seemed safely Republican just a couple of months ago.
* Sustained high prices are putting at risk some of the constituencies, states and congressional districts that President Trump and Republicans won decisively in 2024. The widespread discontent has prompted candidates, parties and major G.O.P. fund-raising groups to shift their messages and ad spending in crucial races to try to move voters in the final days of the midterm campaign.
* With control of the House, Senate and the vast majority of the country's governor's offices and legislatures at stake, Republicans are examining their own deteriorating internal polling, along with their experiences with voters, and say they are reassessing their odds and triaging the map.
* Still, Republican baggage is piling up, regionally and nationally. Mr. Trump is facing backlash to mass deportations in South Texas and South Florida. His party is bracing for anger at expanding data centers in states including Ohio and Michigan. In big farming states, record diesel prices have arrived just in time for harvest season. In colder northern states, spiking heating oil costs loom for families.
* "When you've got a sitting president whose job approval rating is in the high 30s," said Colin Reed, a veteran Republican strategist, "it makes it really difficult for any Republican candidate to compete and win."
* Mr. Trump's unpopularity over his handling of the economy -- one of his biggest strengths when he ran two years ago -- is driving Republican troubles in a nationalized political environment.
* Those advantages have provided little comfort to Republicans who see their candidates faltering in increasingly red corners of the nation.
* Republicans also recently pulled money from the Senate race in North Carolina, where Senator Thom Tillis, a Republican, is retiring. They redirected cash to Kansas and South Carolina, which remain a stretch for Democrats but would have seemed out of reach earlier this year. The top super PAC backing Senate Democrats, Senate Majority PAC, is reserving $5 million in ad time in Kansas.
* "There are states right now in play that I would not have imagined being in play," former President Barack Obama said at a fund-raiser for Democratic Senate nominees in Virginia on Wednesday, rattling off states such as Texas, Kansas and Nebraska.
* [...] But polls show voters are focused squarely on their deep unhappiness with the direction of an economy that Mr. Trump had promised to fix.
* "The lower-income, blue-collar voters that Donald Trump brought to his winning coalition for Republicans is the demographic group of voters who are being impacted most by the higher energy costs," Mr. Shumaker said.
* Recent New York Times/Siena University polls of red states show Democrats also doing well with younger voters, older voters, independent voters and Latino voters who backed Mr. Trump in 2024.
* * *
Original text here: https://www.dscc.org/article/13586/
* * *
Oct 14, 2026
THREE WEEKS OUT: Senate Map "Expands" For Democrats as GOP Sees "Rising Threat to the Senate Majority" on "Increasingly Shaky" Battleground
With less than three weeks to go until Election Day, coverage continues to highlight how Democrats are on offense, increasingly competing in "deep in Trump territory" as an "increasingly shaky" Republican Senate map "provide[s] little reassurance for the GOP" amid the potential "worst midterm environment [for Republicans] in decades."
As ... Show Full Article WASHINGTON, Oct. 16 -- The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee posted the following news release: * * * Oct 14, 2026 THREE WEEKS OUT: Senate Map "Expands" For Democrats as GOP Sees "Rising Threat to the Senate Majority" on "Increasingly Shaky" Battleground With less than three weeks to go until Election Day, coverage continues to highlight how Democrats are on offense, increasingly competing in "deep in Trump territory" as an "increasingly shaky" Republican Senate map "provide[s] little reassurance for the GOP" amid the potential "worst midterm environment [for Republicans] in decades." Asthe map expands for Democrats, Republicans' "concern is evident" as their "faltering" Senate candidates fail to catch steam - forcing national Republicans to dump "resources into traditionally red districts and states at the expense of their once-expansive ambitions in Democratic areas."
Meanwhile, Democrats are "enter[ing] the final month of the campaign in a better position than anyone would have imagined when the year began," continuing to expand the map thanks to a "significant advantage in candidate quality" after recruiting a slate of formidable, all-star candidates who are "both personally appealing and ideologically acceptable to red-state voters."
See for yourself:
CNN: Democrats eye ambitious Senate map that was once unthinkable as anti-Trump backlash grows
* [...] Democrats increasingly believe they have a real chance to win seats deep in Trump territory as Republicans face their worst midterm environment in decades and the Senate map abruptly expands.
* Democrats are now adding Kansas to a growing list of unlikely targets as they also try to flip Texas, Alaska and Iowa - all four states that Trump won by double digits in 2024. With just 22 days to go, Senate Democrats' top super PAC surprised some in its own party by investing $5 million in Kansas - a state that hasn't elected a Democrat to the Senate in nearly a century.
* "The gap is closing in Kansas," Senate Majority PAC spokesperson Lauren French said in a statement.
* [...] Voters' anti-Trump backlash is driving Democrats to gamble in even redder seats. In recent days, there's a growing sense that their party has a real shot in Kansas, in particular, where Republicans are spending almost $10 million on air to defend incumbent Sen. Roger Marshall.
* Recent public polling showed a tied race between Marshall and Democrat Adam Hamilton in a state that Trump won by 16 points two years ago. Democrats' own internal polling in Kansas, too, showed Hamilton in a true position to compete.
* "Democrats expanded the map deep into GOP territory and created new opportunities to flip seats - putting us in the strongest position yet to win the Senate majority," Schumer's campaign arm, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, spokesperson Maeve Coyle said. "Between now and Election Day, we will keep all options on the table and pursue every strategic path to victory as resources allow."
* With Kansas now on the map, and optimism abounds, Democrats are privately talking seriously about having a real shot of defeating Republicans in states like South Carolina, Mississippi and Nebraska.
* Even so, Senate Democrats are not dismissing the chances outright of an upset in these states. Schumer's campaign arm has encouraged senators to play up the expanding map, including tightening races like Mississippi or South Carolina, and has told senators directly, "We don't take options off the table," according to one person familiar with the discussions. And Schumer has personally told donors that Mississippi's Senate race deserves attention, another person familiar with the discussions told CNN.
CNN: 'Trump is dragging the party down': GOP scrambles to stop steep midterm losses
* The Republican Party's midterm campaign has turned into a triage operation just three weeks out from November, as officials race to avert losses in a string of once-safe seats that they increasingly fear could cost them total control of Congress.
* The worsening landscape has alarmed GOP operatives across several battleground states, forcing the party to pour resources into traditionally red districts and states at the expense of their once-expansive ambitions in Democratic areas.
* And after months of pressing President Donald Trump to ramp up his travel on behalf of key candidates, some Republicans now worry he's grown so unpopular that his presence on the campaign trail may in some cases be doing more harm than good.
* The widening number of competitive races has complicated Republican leaders' plans to make up ground by unleashing hundreds of millions of dollars down the stretch. Despite a massive cash advantage fueled in part by pro-Trump super PAC, MAGA Inc., the spending so far has failed to significantly shift Republicans' fortunes as more money gets diverted toward races once counted on as comfortable wins.
* Already, the Senate Leadership Fund, the top GOP super PAC in Senate races, has suspended its ad reservations in North Carolina and plowed at least $10 million into Kansas [...]. It also recently invested $5 million in South Carolina to boost incumbent Sen. Darline Graham amid concerns among some Republicans she's losing ground to Democrat Annie Andrews in the deep red state.
* That's on top of the more than $100 million that the Senate Leadership Fund has spent in Texas to boost Ken Paxton, who is scrambling to shore up GOP support in his race with Democrat James Talarico after a bruising primary campaign. Trump himself has now traveled to Texas three times in one month to rally voters on Paxton's behalf.
* "We were all hoping the war was going to be over now, but it's not," said one Trump adviser. "We shouldn't have a fight in a place like Texas, but obviously we do."
* The Senate map has also provided little reassurance for the GOP. Paxton is suffering a drip-drip of damaging audio leaks from a private fundraiser, further frustrating Republican officials who already believe he's running a poor campaign. Democrats hold polling leads in swing states like Georgia and North Carolina, while making insurgent runs in solidly red states like Alaska and even Kansas.
* Inside the White House, Trump and his top advisers are clear-eyed about the difficult odds of keeping the House and the rising threat to the Senate majority, people familiar with the matter said.
Axios: Republican midterm triage puts bleak outlook into focus
* Republican super PACs are flooding the airwaves in once-safe states, and pulling down ads for races that look like lost causes. President Trump, his approval ratings near record lows, is popping up in some of America's reddest states.
* [...] money -- and how campaigns and PACs spend it -- rarely lies. Nor do the contrails of Air Force One.
* Republicans have been forced to pour well over $100 million into Ken Paxton's Senate race in Texas against Democrat James Talarico, and to plead for millions more to defend Senate seats in Alaska, Iowa and Ohio.
* What they're saying: Republicans' efforts now appear more focused on calling for party loyalists to show up at the polls than on persuading new voters.
* "Every time they up a buy [ads] on their end, it's always in the red states," said J.B. Poersch, president of Senate Majority PAC, the Democrats' main outside group working to win the Senate.
* Zoom in: After pulling out of North Carolina (which Trump won by 3 points) last Friday, the SLF -- Republicans' main Senate super PAC -- put a fresh $14 million in normally deep-red Kansas.
* This week, it sent a $5 million "insurance policy" to South Carolina (which Trump won by 18 points) to boost Republican Sen. Darline Graham.
* But [Republicans'] concern is evident in their thundering attack ads in red states such as Kansas, South Carolina and Texas.
New York Times: Economic Pain and an Unpopular Trump Put G.O.P. on its Heels With Three Weeks to Go
* Three weeks from Election Day, deep frustration over an economy that feels unworkable for Americans at most every level, from farmers to truckers to consumers, has expanded the map of competitive electoral contests into areas that seemed safely Republican just a couple of months ago.
* Sustained high prices are putting at risk some of the constituencies, states and congressional districts that President Trump and Republicans won decisively in 2024. The widespread discontent has prompted candidates, parties and major G.O.P. fund-raising groups to shift their messages and ad spending in crucial races to try to move voters in the final days of the midterm campaign.
* With control of the House, Senate and the vast majority of the country's governor's offices and legislatures at stake, Republicans are examining their own deteriorating internal polling, along with their experiences with voters, and say they are reassessing their odds and triaging the map.
* Still, Republican baggage is piling up, regionally and nationally. Mr. Trump is facing backlash to mass deportations in South Texas and South Florida. His party is bracing for anger at expanding data centers in states including Ohio and Michigan. In big farming states, record diesel prices have arrived just in time for harvest season. In colder northern states, spiking heating oil costs loom for families.
* "When you've got a sitting president whose job approval rating is in the high 30s," said Colin Reed, a veteran Republican strategist, "it makes it really difficult for any Republican candidate to compete and win."
* Mr. Trump's unpopularity over his handling of the economy -- one of his biggest strengths when he ran two years ago -- is driving Republican troubles in a nationalized political environment.
* Those advantages have provided little comfort to Republicans who see their candidates faltering in increasingly red corners of the nation.
* Republicans also recently pulled money from the Senate race in North Carolina, where Senator Thom Tillis, a Republican, is retiring. They redirected cash to Kansas and South Carolina, which remain a stretch for Democrats but would have seemed out of reach earlier this year. The top super PAC backing Senate Democrats, Senate Majority PAC, is reserving $5 million in ad time in Kansas.
* "There are states right now in play that I would not have imagined being in play," former President Barack Obama said at a fund-raiser for Democratic Senate nominees in Virginia on Wednesday, rattling off states such as Texas, Kansas and Nebraska.
* [...] But polls show voters are focused squarely on their deep unhappiness with the direction of an economy that Mr. Trump had promised to fix.
* "The lower-income, blue-collar voters that Donald Trump brought to his winning coalition for Republicans is the demographic group of voters who are being impacted most by the higher energy costs," Mr. Shumaker said.
* Recent New York Times/Siena University polls of red states show Democrats also doing well with younger voters, older voters, independent voters and Latino voters who backed Mr. Trump in 2024.
* * *
Original text here: https://www.dscc.org/article/13586/
Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee: Roundup - In Battleground Debates, Weak GOP Senate Candidates Unable to Escape Their Records of Corruption, Extremism, and Rubber-Stamping Toxic Agenda
WASHINGTON, Oct. 16 -- The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee posted the following news release:
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Oct 14, 2026
ROUNDUP: In Battleground Debates, Weak GOP Senate Candidates Unable to Escape Their Records of Corruption, Extremism, and Rubber-Stamping Toxic Agenda
CNN: "Tuesday's Senate debates in Maine, Georgia and Iowa offered a revealing look at how Republicans are navigating a difficult political environment in the closing weeks before the midterm elections, with control of the narrowly divided Senate at stake"
-
Across the Senate map last night, Democrats put their weak, flawed ... Show Full Article WASHINGTON, Oct. 16 -- The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee posted the following news release: * * * Oct 14, 2026 ROUNDUP: In Battleground Debates, Weak GOP Senate Candidates Unable to Escape Their Records of Corruption, Extremism, and Rubber-Stamping Toxic Agenda CNN: "Tuesday's Senate debates in Maine, Georgia and Iowa offered a revealing look at how Republicans are navigating a difficult political environment in the closing weeks before the midterm elections, with control of the narrowly divided Senate at stake" - Across the Senate map last night, Democrats put their weak, flawedGOP opponents "on the defensive" and held them to account for their corruption and self-enrichment, their "close ties" to white nationalists, and their refusal to stand up to the Trump administration's reckless tariffs and price-spiking war in Iran - underscoring just some of the "challenges facing Republicans as they try to hold onto their Senate majority."
Amid a "difficult political environment" and "the president's plummeting popularity," GOP Senate candidates shamelessly and desperately scrambled to paper over their records as loyal foot soldiers for the Trump administration:
* In Iowa, Josh Turek slammed hypocritical Ashley Hinson - who has said she is running to be Trump's "top ally" in the U.S. Senate - for her self-enrichment in DC, her openness to raising the retirement age, and her support for the administration's tariffs and the Iran war. Asked directly if she would vote to end the war in Iran, Hinson said no.
* In Georgia, notorious bigot and MAGA extremist Mike Collins claimed that diesel prices, which are at a record high, are "coming down," and flatly refused to answer for the open federal investigation into himself and his office by the bipartisan House Ethics Committee for misusing taxpayer funds or to denounce his connections to neo-Nazi propaganda.
* And in Maine, Troy Jackson held Susan Collins - a "reliable vote" who "never let the Republicans down" - to account for her own admission that there aren't enough votes in the U.S. Senate to end the Iran war - making the point that it's time for Democrats to control the chamber - for voting to confirm all of Trump's pro-trade war nominees, and for handing over $70 billion to ICE without guardrails or accountability.
See for yourself:
IN GEORGIA
[View image in the link at bottom.]
Jewish Insider: Rep. Mike Collins ducks question about white nationalist influencer son-in-law at Senate debate
* Rep. Mike Collins (R-GA) on Tuesday dodged a question about his son-in-law, a white nationalist influencer who has apparently recorded and posted antisemitic and white nationalist videos while living on Collins' property, at the second Georgia Senate debate.
* Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) had hammered Collins on the issue, and Collins' other ties to extremist figures including former congressional staff, at a previous debate last week, accusing Collins of hiring "half of the Third Reich."
* "These young people feel like they've been forgotten, and they're just lashing out" [said Collins].
* Ossoff responded by pressing Collins to commit to ensuring that no more neo-Nazi propaganda would be shared from his home before the election.
* "Mike, if any of those folks were based in my house, then I'd understand you'd ask me to take responsibility for them," Ossoff shot back. "What I asked you, Mike, was can you commit for just three weeks to stop the production of neo-Nazi propaganda from your home? We all know what's happening. Why can't you stop it? Why won't you commit right now to stop it?"
* Collins also defended his support for the Iran war, praising the administration for having the "leadership" to send in U.S. forces to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.
IN IOWA
[View image in the link at bottom.]
The Hill: Hinson, Turek tangle in fierce final Iowa Senate debate
* Rep. Ashley Hinson (R) and state Rep. Josh Turek (D) squared off in a heated second and final debate for the open Iowa Senate seat on Tuesday.
* The pair, who clashed in their first debate last week, are locked in a toss-up race for outgoing Sen. Joni Ernst's (R) seat in the upper chamber. Election forecasters have moved the race in the ruby red state in Democrats' favor, as Republicans face tough political headwind this cycle.
* Turek [...] expressed opposition to the president's deal with Moscow but quickly hammered the House Republican's votes against a war powers resolution to rein in the war in Iran.
* "We are in this situation because of this unnecessary war in Iran that Ashley Hinson voted in favor of continuing seven times," he said. "This has led to gas prices going up in Iowa more than almost any other state."
* Tuesday's debate took a testy turn as attention shifted to the candidates' personal finances and voting records.
* "We have a corruption crisis that's leading to an affordability crisis because we're sending people like Ashley Hinson up to D.C. not to fight for the people of Iowa but to go up there and to make themselves more wealthy and to look out for the billionaires," Turek said Tuesday.
* Attack ads opposing Hinson have focused on her personal wealth, [...]
* Turek has zeroed in on her growing wealth in Congress, particularly her husband's 2021 sale of his insurance agency to a private equity company.
* Hinson said Tuesday that she doesn't own any publicly traded stocks, which is reflected in her personal financial disclosure filed in August, though she and her husband do report a list of mutual funds and ETFs.
* Hinson's personal financial disclosure report shows that her spouse, Matt Arenholz, owns privately held stock from High Street Insurance Partners valued between $1 million and $5 million. The firm bought out the insurance company that Arenholz co-owned, according to PolitiFact. He received part of the sale.
IN MAINE
[View image in the link at bottom.]
Maine Morning Star: Three takeaways from the latest Senate debate between Collins and Jackson
* During their second to last debate Tuesday night, incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins and Democratic nominee Troy Jackson continued to make the case that their approach to a Donald Trump presidency would be best for Maine.
* The candidates had hammered this point in the first debate, when they blamed each other for Mainers' struggles, and in the second, when they disagreed over how to address high energy costs. Discussion of tariffs, among several issues, again brought this fundamental disagreement into focus Tuesday night.
* After Jackson took aim at Collins for her campaign being financially supported by nearly 100 billionaires and their spouses [...]
* "She didn't deny that 90 billionaires are funding her," Jackson added.
* Tuesday's debate put an even finer point on the candidates' different approaches to legislating under Trump.
* Jackson described Mainers' choice as one between "a senator who helps Donald Trump hurt Maine, then tells us how concerned she is, or somebody will stand up against him before another family in Maine has to pay the price," referring to the fatal U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement shooting of Johan Sebastian Duran Guerrero in Biddeford three months ago.
* How Collins has used her power also came up during debate about the president's tariffs, when she mentioned that she got concrete, pulp and road salt removed from the tariff list.
* Trump had openly promised to impose sweeping tariffs before he took office, and Jackson said, "When they did it, she acts like she's surprised: 'I'll send a letter.' That is not how you're supposed to be using your power as the most powerful U.S. senator chair of appropriations."
* But Jackson called that work "a Band-Aid for a real big problem with a narcissist in the White House that is going to do whatever he wants."
* * *
Original text here: https://www.dscc.org/article/roundup-in-battleground-debates-weak-gop-senate-candidates-unable-to-escape-their-records-of-corruption-extremism-and-rubber-stamping-toxic-agenda/
* * *
Oct 14, 2026
ROUNDUP: In Battleground Debates, Weak GOP Senate Candidates Unable to Escape Their Records of Corruption, Extremism, and Rubber-Stamping Toxic Agenda
CNN: "Tuesday's Senate debates in Maine, Georgia and Iowa offered a revealing look at how Republicans are navigating a difficult political environment in the closing weeks before the midterm elections, with control of the narrowly divided Senate at stake"
-
Across the Senate map last night, Democrats put their weak, flawed ... Show Full Article WASHINGTON, Oct. 16 -- The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee posted the following news release: * * * Oct 14, 2026 ROUNDUP: In Battleground Debates, Weak GOP Senate Candidates Unable to Escape Their Records of Corruption, Extremism, and Rubber-Stamping Toxic Agenda CNN: "Tuesday's Senate debates in Maine, Georgia and Iowa offered a revealing look at how Republicans are navigating a difficult political environment in the closing weeks before the midterm elections, with control of the narrowly divided Senate at stake" - Across the Senate map last night, Democrats put their weak, flawedGOP opponents "on the defensive" and held them to account for their corruption and self-enrichment, their "close ties" to white nationalists, and their refusal to stand up to the Trump administration's reckless tariffs and price-spiking war in Iran - underscoring just some of the "challenges facing Republicans as they try to hold onto their Senate majority."
Amid a "difficult political environment" and "the president's plummeting popularity," GOP Senate candidates shamelessly and desperately scrambled to paper over their records as loyal foot soldiers for the Trump administration:
* In Iowa, Josh Turek slammed hypocritical Ashley Hinson - who has said she is running to be Trump's "top ally" in the U.S. Senate - for her self-enrichment in DC, her openness to raising the retirement age, and her support for the administration's tariffs and the Iran war. Asked directly if she would vote to end the war in Iran, Hinson said no.
* In Georgia, notorious bigot and MAGA extremist Mike Collins claimed that diesel prices, which are at a record high, are "coming down," and flatly refused to answer for the open federal investigation into himself and his office by the bipartisan House Ethics Committee for misusing taxpayer funds or to denounce his connections to neo-Nazi propaganda.
* And in Maine, Troy Jackson held Susan Collins - a "reliable vote" who "never let the Republicans down" - to account for her own admission that there aren't enough votes in the U.S. Senate to end the Iran war - making the point that it's time for Democrats to control the chamber - for voting to confirm all of Trump's pro-trade war nominees, and for handing over $70 billion to ICE without guardrails or accountability.
See for yourself:
IN GEORGIA
[View image in the link at bottom.]
Jewish Insider: Rep. Mike Collins ducks question about white nationalist influencer son-in-law at Senate debate
* Rep. Mike Collins (R-GA) on Tuesday dodged a question about his son-in-law, a white nationalist influencer who has apparently recorded and posted antisemitic and white nationalist videos while living on Collins' property, at the second Georgia Senate debate.
* Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) had hammered Collins on the issue, and Collins' other ties to extremist figures including former congressional staff, at a previous debate last week, accusing Collins of hiring "half of the Third Reich."
* "These young people feel like they've been forgotten, and they're just lashing out" [said Collins].
* Ossoff responded by pressing Collins to commit to ensuring that no more neo-Nazi propaganda would be shared from his home before the election.
* "Mike, if any of those folks were based in my house, then I'd understand you'd ask me to take responsibility for them," Ossoff shot back. "What I asked you, Mike, was can you commit for just three weeks to stop the production of neo-Nazi propaganda from your home? We all know what's happening. Why can't you stop it? Why won't you commit right now to stop it?"
* Collins also defended his support for the Iran war, praising the administration for having the "leadership" to send in U.S. forces to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.
IN IOWA
[View image in the link at bottom.]
The Hill: Hinson, Turek tangle in fierce final Iowa Senate debate
* Rep. Ashley Hinson (R) and state Rep. Josh Turek (D) squared off in a heated second and final debate for the open Iowa Senate seat on Tuesday.
* The pair, who clashed in their first debate last week, are locked in a toss-up race for outgoing Sen. Joni Ernst's (R) seat in the upper chamber. Election forecasters have moved the race in the ruby red state in Democrats' favor, as Republicans face tough political headwind this cycle.
* Turek [...] expressed opposition to the president's deal with Moscow but quickly hammered the House Republican's votes against a war powers resolution to rein in the war in Iran.
* "We are in this situation because of this unnecessary war in Iran that Ashley Hinson voted in favor of continuing seven times," he said. "This has led to gas prices going up in Iowa more than almost any other state."
* Tuesday's debate took a testy turn as attention shifted to the candidates' personal finances and voting records.
* "We have a corruption crisis that's leading to an affordability crisis because we're sending people like Ashley Hinson up to D.C. not to fight for the people of Iowa but to go up there and to make themselves more wealthy and to look out for the billionaires," Turek said Tuesday.
* Attack ads opposing Hinson have focused on her personal wealth, [...]
* Turek has zeroed in on her growing wealth in Congress, particularly her husband's 2021 sale of his insurance agency to a private equity company.
* Hinson said Tuesday that she doesn't own any publicly traded stocks, which is reflected in her personal financial disclosure filed in August, though she and her husband do report a list of mutual funds and ETFs.
* Hinson's personal financial disclosure report shows that her spouse, Matt Arenholz, owns privately held stock from High Street Insurance Partners valued between $1 million and $5 million. The firm bought out the insurance company that Arenholz co-owned, according to PolitiFact. He received part of the sale.
IN MAINE
[View image in the link at bottom.]
Maine Morning Star: Three takeaways from the latest Senate debate between Collins and Jackson
* During their second to last debate Tuesday night, incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins and Democratic nominee Troy Jackson continued to make the case that their approach to a Donald Trump presidency would be best for Maine.
* The candidates had hammered this point in the first debate, when they blamed each other for Mainers' struggles, and in the second, when they disagreed over how to address high energy costs. Discussion of tariffs, among several issues, again brought this fundamental disagreement into focus Tuesday night.
* After Jackson took aim at Collins for her campaign being financially supported by nearly 100 billionaires and their spouses [...]
* "She didn't deny that 90 billionaires are funding her," Jackson added.
* Tuesday's debate put an even finer point on the candidates' different approaches to legislating under Trump.
* Jackson described Mainers' choice as one between "a senator who helps Donald Trump hurt Maine, then tells us how concerned she is, or somebody will stand up against him before another family in Maine has to pay the price," referring to the fatal U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement shooting of Johan Sebastian Duran Guerrero in Biddeford three months ago.
* How Collins has used her power also came up during debate about the president's tariffs, when she mentioned that she got concrete, pulp and road salt removed from the tariff list.
* Trump had openly promised to impose sweeping tariffs before he took office, and Jackson said, "When they did it, she acts like she's surprised: 'I'll send a letter.' That is not how you're supposed to be using your power as the most powerful U.S. senator chair of appropriations."
* But Jackson called that work "a Band-Aid for a real big problem with a narcissist in the White House that is going to do whatever he wants."
* * *
Original text here: https://www.dscc.org/article/roundup-in-battleground-debates-weak-gop-senate-candidates-unable-to-escape-their-records-of-corruption-extremism-and-rubber-stamping-toxic-agenda/
Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee: New - Inside Elections Shifts Additional Senate Races Towards Democrats, Warn of "Embarrassing" Potential "Blowout" for GOP in Final Stretch
WASHINGTON, Oct. 16 -- The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee posted the following news release:
* * *
NEW: Inside Elections Shifts Additional Senate Races Towards Democrats, Warn of "Embarrassing" Potential "Blowout" for GOP in Final Stretch
Inside Elections shifts Texas, Kansas, South Carolina, New Hampshire, and Florida Senate races towards Democrats
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With under three weeks to go until the midterms, race raters at Inside Elections have shifted five additional Senate races toward Democrats and are warning of a potential "embarrassing," "historic blowout" for Senate Republicans.
Inside ... Show Full Article WASHINGTON, Oct. 16 -- The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee posted the following news release: * * * NEW: Inside Elections Shifts Additional Senate Races Towards Democrats, Warn of "Embarrassing" Potential "Blowout" for GOP in Final Stretch Inside Elections shifts Texas, Kansas, South Carolina, New Hampshire, and Florida Senate races towards Democrats - With under three weeks to go until the midterms, race raters at Inside Elections have shifted five additional Senate races toward Democrats and are warning of a potential "embarrassing," "historic blowout" for Senate Republicans. InsideElections now projects a "Democratic gain of 3-5 seats," and they argue that "a Democratic gain of eight seats is not out of the question," putting Republicans "firmly on the defensive" after the battleground "expanded from the typical swing places to include Republican districts and states that are afterthoughts in most elections" and Senate Republicans shift resources to defend "states including Kansas and South Carolina."
See for yourself:
Inside Elections: 2026 Election Overview: Democrats on the March (Oct. 15, 2026)
* With less than a month before Election Day, the question is whether this will be a good or great midterm cycle for Democrats.
* While President Donald Trump has a reputation for defying political odds, his job approval rating is in the 30s and Republicans are at risk of losing both chambers of Congress. Trump's political standing has dropped steadily over the last two years and the coalition that got him elected in 2024 has diminished.
* The House and Senate battlegrounds have expanded from the typical swing places to include Republican districts and states that are afterthoughts in most elections. Republican ad spending in states including Kansas and South Carolina, as well as House seats that Trump won by more than 10 points, is evidence that the GOP is firmly on the defensive.
* Republicans are struggling to recreate their 2024 magic as GOP voters, including those in rural areas, are conflicted between frustration in the absence of a promised economic rebound and the potential for Democratic majorities. The assumption that Trump permanently changed the party coalitions is being challenged as his approval rating has dropped across the board.
* We're maintaining our Senate projection of a likely Democratic gain of 3-5 seats, but a Democratic gain of eight seats is not out of the question. (They need four for control.)
* Collectively, there are dozens of House and Senate races where the Republican and Democratic candidates are within a few points of each other. If Republicans can improve by 2-4 points in the final weeks, they can avoid embarrassing losses. But without a final boost, Republicans are at risk of a historic blowout.
Inside Elections: Senate Report Shorts (Oct. 15, 2026)
* Florida. Ashley Moody, R, appointed 2025. Democrats don't have the money to seriously challenge Moody and Republicans don't have the resources to defend her (except for a friendly super PAC), so this looks like a true test of the political environment. Just two years after Trump won the Sunshine State by a dozen points and Sen. Rick Scott won re-election by a similar margin, this race looks like it's going to be much closer. Democratic state Rep. Angie Nixon could become a household name early on Election Night, depending on the margin. Move from Solid Republican to Likely Republican.
* Kansas. Roger Marshall (R), elected 2024 (53%). Kansas has muscled its way onto a Senate battleground that has otherwise remained largely static since the beginning of the year. The Republican Senate Leadership Fund recently launched a $10 million rescue mission for Marshall, whose lead against Methodist pastor Adam Hamilton has evaporated in both parties' polling. Kansas hasn't elected a Democrat to the Senate in nearly 100 years but Marshall's unenthusiastic campaign has given Hamilton an opening. The Democrat has hammered Marshall over reporting that the OBGYN had his patients arrested for failing to pay their bills and reports about the senator's alleged use of official office funds for the 2020 campaign... Move from Likely Republican to Tilt Republican.
* New Hampshire. Open; Jeanne Shaheen (D), not seeking re-election. Prior GOP optimism has started to fade as Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas has opened up a narrow lead against former GOP Sen. John Sununu. New Hampshire is typically a swing state, but a place that also tends to vote with the national political environment, and this is not a good year for the GOP [...] Move from Toss-up to Tilt Democratic.
* South Carolina. Darline Graham (R), appointed 2026. It's been 60 years since a non-incumbent Democrat won a Senate race in South Carolina, but pediatrician Annie Andrews has a chance to do it this November. Since announcing she was running for the full term, Darline Graham has struggled to ramp up her campaign to the point that there are serious concerns about her ability to win. Late-spending by outside groups such as the Senate Leadership Fund could help right the ship. But this race is much closer than previously expected. Move from Likely Republican to Lean Republican.
* Texas. Open; John Cornyn (R), lost primary runoff. Even though Democrats haven't won a statewide race in decades, state Rep. James Talarico has led GOP state Attorney General Ken Paxton for nearly five months. The lead is narrow, but has been in the face of a few hundred million dollars in spending [...] Move from Tilt Republican to Toss-up.
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Original text here: https://www.dscc.org/article/new-inside-elections-shifts-additional-senate-races-towards-democrats-warn-of-embarrassing-potential-blowout-for-gop-in-final-stretch/
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NEW: Inside Elections Shifts Additional Senate Races Towards Democrats, Warn of "Embarrassing" Potential "Blowout" for GOP in Final Stretch
Inside Elections shifts Texas, Kansas, South Carolina, New Hampshire, and Florida Senate races towards Democrats
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With under three weeks to go until the midterms, race raters at Inside Elections have shifted five additional Senate races toward Democrats and are warning of a potential "embarrassing," "historic blowout" for Senate Republicans.
Inside ... Show Full Article WASHINGTON, Oct. 16 -- The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee posted the following news release: * * * NEW: Inside Elections Shifts Additional Senate Races Towards Democrats, Warn of "Embarrassing" Potential "Blowout" for GOP in Final Stretch Inside Elections shifts Texas, Kansas, South Carolina, New Hampshire, and Florida Senate races towards Democrats - With under three weeks to go until the midterms, race raters at Inside Elections have shifted five additional Senate races toward Democrats and are warning of a potential "embarrassing," "historic blowout" for Senate Republicans. InsideElections now projects a "Democratic gain of 3-5 seats," and they argue that "a Democratic gain of eight seats is not out of the question," putting Republicans "firmly on the defensive" after the battleground "expanded from the typical swing places to include Republican districts and states that are afterthoughts in most elections" and Senate Republicans shift resources to defend "states including Kansas and South Carolina."
See for yourself:
Inside Elections: 2026 Election Overview: Democrats on the March (Oct. 15, 2026)
* With less than a month before Election Day, the question is whether this will be a good or great midterm cycle for Democrats.
* While President Donald Trump has a reputation for defying political odds, his job approval rating is in the 30s and Republicans are at risk of losing both chambers of Congress. Trump's political standing has dropped steadily over the last two years and the coalition that got him elected in 2024 has diminished.
* The House and Senate battlegrounds have expanded from the typical swing places to include Republican districts and states that are afterthoughts in most elections. Republican ad spending in states including Kansas and South Carolina, as well as House seats that Trump won by more than 10 points, is evidence that the GOP is firmly on the defensive.
* Republicans are struggling to recreate their 2024 magic as GOP voters, including those in rural areas, are conflicted between frustration in the absence of a promised economic rebound and the potential for Democratic majorities. The assumption that Trump permanently changed the party coalitions is being challenged as his approval rating has dropped across the board.
* We're maintaining our Senate projection of a likely Democratic gain of 3-5 seats, but a Democratic gain of eight seats is not out of the question. (They need four for control.)
* Collectively, there are dozens of House and Senate races where the Republican and Democratic candidates are within a few points of each other. If Republicans can improve by 2-4 points in the final weeks, they can avoid embarrassing losses. But without a final boost, Republicans are at risk of a historic blowout.
Inside Elections: Senate Report Shorts (Oct. 15, 2026)
* Florida. Ashley Moody, R, appointed 2025. Democrats don't have the money to seriously challenge Moody and Republicans don't have the resources to defend her (except for a friendly super PAC), so this looks like a true test of the political environment. Just two years after Trump won the Sunshine State by a dozen points and Sen. Rick Scott won re-election by a similar margin, this race looks like it's going to be much closer. Democratic state Rep. Angie Nixon could become a household name early on Election Night, depending on the margin. Move from Solid Republican to Likely Republican.
* Kansas. Roger Marshall (R), elected 2024 (53%). Kansas has muscled its way onto a Senate battleground that has otherwise remained largely static since the beginning of the year. The Republican Senate Leadership Fund recently launched a $10 million rescue mission for Marshall, whose lead against Methodist pastor Adam Hamilton has evaporated in both parties' polling. Kansas hasn't elected a Democrat to the Senate in nearly 100 years but Marshall's unenthusiastic campaign has given Hamilton an opening. The Democrat has hammered Marshall over reporting that the OBGYN had his patients arrested for failing to pay their bills and reports about the senator's alleged use of official office funds for the 2020 campaign... Move from Likely Republican to Tilt Republican.
* New Hampshire. Open; Jeanne Shaheen (D), not seeking re-election. Prior GOP optimism has started to fade as Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas has opened up a narrow lead against former GOP Sen. John Sununu. New Hampshire is typically a swing state, but a place that also tends to vote with the national political environment, and this is not a good year for the GOP [...] Move from Toss-up to Tilt Democratic.
* South Carolina. Darline Graham (R), appointed 2026. It's been 60 years since a non-incumbent Democrat won a Senate race in South Carolina, but pediatrician Annie Andrews has a chance to do it this November. Since announcing she was running for the full term, Darline Graham has struggled to ramp up her campaign to the point that there are serious concerns about her ability to win. Late-spending by outside groups such as the Senate Leadership Fund could help right the ship. But this race is much closer than previously expected. Move from Likely Republican to Lean Republican.
* Texas. Open; John Cornyn (R), lost primary runoff. Even though Democrats haven't won a statewide race in decades, state Rep. James Talarico has led GOP state Attorney General Ken Paxton for nearly five months. The lead is narrow, but has been in the face of a few hundred million dollars in spending [...] Move from Tilt Republican to Toss-up.
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Original text here: https://www.dscc.org/article/new-inside-elections-shifts-additional-senate-races-towards-democrats-warn-of-embarrassing-potential-blowout-for-gop-in-final-stretch/
Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee: Marshall's Corruption Scandals Stack Up - Reports Reveal He Abused Taxpayer Dollars to Boost Campaign, Benefit Personal Property
WASHINGTON, Oct. 16 -- The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee posted the following news release:
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Oct 15, 2026
Marshall's Corruption Scandals Stack Up: Reports Reveal He Abused Taxpayer Dollars to Boost Campaign, Benefit Personal Property
Following bombshell reporting that floundering GOP Sen. Roger Marshall's "office seemed to function more as a campaign arm than a taxpayer-funded Senate office," new investigations have revealed numerous instances that "appear to show the senator and his top aide repeatedly using congressional staff and government resources in ways that experts ... Show Full Article WASHINGTON, Oct. 16 -- The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee posted the following news release: * * * Oct 15, 2026 Marshall's Corruption Scandals Stack Up: Reports Reveal He Abused Taxpayer Dollars to Boost Campaign, Benefit Personal Property Following bombshell reporting that floundering GOP Sen. Roger Marshall's "office seemed to function more as a campaign arm than a taxpayer-funded Senate office," new investigations have revealed numerous instances that "appear to show the senator and his top aide repeatedly using congressional staff and government resources in ways that expertssay likely crossed the line," including keeping a handwritten "shit list" of "companies and PACs that wouldn't donate to the campaign" and refusing to meet with Kansas teachers it deemed politically adversarial.
Another report from The Associated Press found that, despite Marshall's "strong opposition to earmarks," which he has called a waste of taxpayer money and "not American," he abused his office by pushing an earmark he sought in the Senate that would directly benefit his own property. Ethics experts call the arrangement a "conflict of interest" that "will increase the value of [Marshall's] land."
See for yourself:
Kansas Reflector: Adam Hamilton says Reporting on Roger Marshall's Use of Taxpayer Dollars Warrants Ethics Inquiry
* Democrat Adam Hamilton says reporting by Kansas Reflector and MS NOW warrants an ethics investigation into whether his opponent, U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall, misused government resources to support his campaign.
* The reporting looked at audio recordings, photos, videos, screenshots of text messages and calendar items from 2020 -- when Marshall first ran for his Senate seat -- that appear to show the senator and his top aide repeatedly using congressional staff and government resources in questionable ways. Legal and ethics experts said a mandatory all-staff meeting called by Marshall and the use of taxpayer funding during campaign trips violated federal rules.
* "They've been willing to play loose with laws and rules, at least it seems like to me," Hamilton said during a campaign stop Monday in Lawrence. "When you start using taxpayer money for your campaign in a way that's not in keeping with the election laws, that should be looked into. I think they're doing some things that are inconsistent with election laws, and that points again to questions about how you see ethics and how you see what's right and wrong."
* Hamilton, as the leader of the nation's largest Methodist church, presents a unique challenge to Marshall in a state that hasn't elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate since 1932. Marshall has made himself vulnerable by avoiding public appearances, owning a house in Florida, being loyal to President Donald Trump and defending his history of suing patients at his medical practice over unpaid debt.
* But in the most obvious sign that the race is close, national Democrats and Republicans have poured millions of dollars into the campaigns within the past week. And President Donald Trump is heading to Kansas for a rally Monday in Wichita.
* Six years ago, Marshall also faced a competitive race that required national Republicans to invest heavily in Kansas.
* Marshall's staff didn't respond to renewed questions this week from Kansas Reflector about the records from 2020.
* Among them is a June 1, 2020, audio recording of a conversation between Marshall's chief of staff, Brent Robertson, and another congressional staffer at Marshall's D.C. office. Robertson said in the recording that the National Republican Senate Committee would have to spend money in Kansas to help Marshall -- known to his staff as Doc -- "whether they hate me or not."
* "They don't like me, and they don't like Doc," Robertson said. "Period. Period. Like, I've seen it. We've had enough in-person meetings. I mean, they hate each other. And Doc cannot stand them.
* "So there comes a point where it's just like, OK, I can grovel, and then we all just still hate each other, and they all just mistreat Doc. It doesn't matter. They're going to try to screw with us whether we're nice to them or not. And they're going to end up having to spend money whether they want to or not, if it came down to it."
* Three months before the 2020 election, Robertson made a handwritten list of companies and PACs that wouldn't donate to the campaign. He titled it "THE S*** LIST." A photo shows the list -- which included Amazon, Dr. Pepper, Keurig, RJ Reynolds and the American Beverage Association -- on congressional stationery sitting on Robertson's desk in the D.C. office.
* Other photos taken throughout 2020 show campaign mailers and donation checks on Robertson's desk in Marshall's Senate office.
* As Marshall's chief of staff, Robertson's involvement in campaign issues raises questions about the line between Marshall's campaign and his taxpayer-funded Senate office. The records obtained by Kansas Reflector and MS NOW show Robertson repeatedly telling staff to use taxpayer money for travel and meals during trips that included campaign meetings.
* During one text exchange, after staff questioned Robertson on whether the primary purpose of a trip was official or campaign, the chief of staff wrote: "Primary purpose is what we say it is."
* Experts challenged Robertson's interpretation of ethics rules. They also faulted Marshall for calling a mandatory meeting for all campaign and congressional staff in October 2020. Video of the meeting shows both staffs talking about the campaign.
* After the meeting, one staff member texted another: "Sending this message as a reference that we objected to this illegal (activity) and that I raised it with our superiors and noted that it is not permissible per the above ethics statute."
* A week earlier, on Oct. 8, 2020, Robertson texted campaign staff with orders to cancel a meeting between Marshall and the Kansas National Education Association, a union representing teachers.
* "It's a setup. They will record, topics are absurd," Robertson wrote, and noted the organization was "openly supporting" Bollier.
* Marshall intervened.
* "I want to play a game with them," he responded.
* Instead of canceling, Marshall suggested they delay the meeting for a couple of weeks and "then punt again."
* Robertson's response: "Punt two weeks. Punt again. Punt until 2026," followed by a smiley face emoji with sunglasses.
* Sherri Schwanz, KNEA president, said the organization believes in "open and honest dialogue" with the state's congressional delegation. Congress provides funding for special education, high-poverty schools, and schools serving military families, she said.
* "Kansas needs a senator who will fight for that funding and engage with the educators, students and families it serves," Schwanz said. "We're disappointed Sen. Marshall would rather play games than meet with an organization representing more than 20,000 of his constituents simply because he disagreed with our recommendation in the 2020 election. The education of Kansas students is not a game."
* Bollier, who now lives in Colorado, said she pities Marshall.
* "He will go to his grave thinking he was just fine," she said. "He's one of those people that if you put him on a lie detector test, he would pass because he really believes in what he's doing. He believes it's fine. But I kept my integrity, and I will hold onto that until my deathbed."
Associated Press: Sen. Roger Marshall Sought Funding to Address a Water Shortage. The Project Could Benefit His Ranch
* U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall wanted to solve a water rights dispute in rural Kansas that pitted farmers against environmentalists and threatened the health of a cherished wildlife refuge.
* The avid outdoorsman requested a $4.2 million earmark, records show, to help finance improvements that would increase the flow of water into the Quivira National Wildlife Refuge.
* He did not mention another interest that stood to benefit from the project: his own Rattlesnake Ranch, which borders the preserve.
* For decades, hunters have flocked to Quivira and its surroundings, drawn by hundreds of thousands of waterfowl that descend on the area every fall. As agriculture expanded in the area, however, the water supply was taxed to irrigate more crops, diminishing the flow into the refuge.
* Marshall's efforts in 2024 to secure the earmark sought to balance the needs of the refuge and farmers in his home state. But in doing so, he took action that experts said could boost his property's value and posed a conflict of interest for the Republican senator. The measure also collided with Marshall's strong opposition to earmarks, often called pork-barrel spending, to fund lawmakers' pet projects. Marshall has voted four times to eliminate earmarks, calling such appropriations a waste of taxpayer money and "not American."
* Under a federal plan, water will be pumped from a separate watershed, travel through a pipeline into Rattlesnake Creek, which is next to Marshall's property, and flow into the refuge, records show.
* The funding came through as Marshall was gearing up for a reelection bid this November that had once appeared assured. President Donald Trump carried Kansas by 16%, and the state has not elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1932.
* The race has tightened, so much so that Republican groups have poured millions of dollars into advertising to fend off Democrat Adam Hamilton, a former Republican who leads the nation's largest United Methodist church.
* Marshall's office declined to make the senator available to The Associated Press for an interview and did not respond to detailed questions about his property.
* A water rights expert and a government watchdog group have criticized the senator's decision to seek the earmark as a conflict of interest.
* Burke Griggs, a former state water rights attorney, said waterfowl hunting is "big business" in Kansas and the federal funding will help "establish a steadier water supply than (the Quivira Refuge) has had since the 1970s."
* "That will increase the value of the land," said Griggs, a law professor at Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas, who has donated money to Democrats. "Think about it: If Quivira doesn't have water, we don't have as many ducks and waterfowl staying in that area for hunting season. That would absolutely diminish the value of the property."
* Craig Holman, a registered lobbyist for Public Citizen, a nonprofit advocacy group that seeks greater government accountability, said Marshall "should not be involved in any legislative effort that provides a direct or substantial financial benefit to himself. He should have recused himself."
* He had railed against such appropriations, said his colleagues should have to defend their earmark requests on the Senate floor and described a Democrat-sponsored spending bill as "full of so much pork" it was "dripping with grease."
* "I'm going to do everything I can to blow up the process so that no one does earmarks," he told reporters in 2021.
* Marshall and his family have deep ties to the region around the preserve. He at one point owned, or co-owned, more than 1,000 acres (405 hectares) near the Quivira Refuge and has described his land as a hunting "mecca."
* The properties have provided a stream of income over the years through building rentals and oil and gas leases, according to his Senate financial disclosures.
* What remains is Rattlesnake Ranch, which is registered as a business in Kansas and listed as a commercial property with a building available for rent, according to records. Marshall owns a 20% stake in the ranch and serves as a company director, the records show.
* "As a property owner along Rattlesnake Creek for three decades," he said in a statement issued at the time, "protecting our local agricultural communities and the environment is something I take very seriously."
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Original text here: https://www.dscc.org/article/marshalls-corruption-scandals-stack-up-reports-reveal-he-abused-taxpayer-dollars-to-boost-campaign-benefit-personal-property/
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Oct 15, 2026
Marshall's Corruption Scandals Stack Up: Reports Reveal He Abused Taxpayer Dollars to Boost Campaign, Benefit Personal Property
Following bombshell reporting that floundering GOP Sen. Roger Marshall's "office seemed to function more as a campaign arm than a taxpayer-funded Senate office," new investigations have revealed numerous instances that "appear to show the senator and his top aide repeatedly using congressional staff and government resources in ways that experts ... Show Full Article WASHINGTON, Oct. 16 -- The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee posted the following news release: * * * Oct 15, 2026 Marshall's Corruption Scandals Stack Up: Reports Reveal He Abused Taxpayer Dollars to Boost Campaign, Benefit Personal Property Following bombshell reporting that floundering GOP Sen. Roger Marshall's "office seemed to function more as a campaign arm than a taxpayer-funded Senate office," new investigations have revealed numerous instances that "appear to show the senator and his top aide repeatedly using congressional staff and government resources in ways that expertssay likely crossed the line," including keeping a handwritten "shit list" of "companies and PACs that wouldn't donate to the campaign" and refusing to meet with Kansas teachers it deemed politically adversarial.
Another report from The Associated Press found that, despite Marshall's "strong opposition to earmarks," which he has called a waste of taxpayer money and "not American," he abused his office by pushing an earmark he sought in the Senate that would directly benefit his own property. Ethics experts call the arrangement a "conflict of interest" that "will increase the value of [Marshall's] land."
See for yourself:
Kansas Reflector: Adam Hamilton says Reporting on Roger Marshall's Use of Taxpayer Dollars Warrants Ethics Inquiry
* Democrat Adam Hamilton says reporting by Kansas Reflector and MS NOW warrants an ethics investigation into whether his opponent, U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall, misused government resources to support his campaign.
* The reporting looked at audio recordings, photos, videos, screenshots of text messages and calendar items from 2020 -- when Marshall first ran for his Senate seat -- that appear to show the senator and his top aide repeatedly using congressional staff and government resources in questionable ways. Legal and ethics experts said a mandatory all-staff meeting called by Marshall and the use of taxpayer funding during campaign trips violated federal rules.
* "They've been willing to play loose with laws and rules, at least it seems like to me," Hamilton said during a campaign stop Monday in Lawrence. "When you start using taxpayer money for your campaign in a way that's not in keeping with the election laws, that should be looked into. I think they're doing some things that are inconsistent with election laws, and that points again to questions about how you see ethics and how you see what's right and wrong."
* Hamilton, as the leader of the nation's largest Methodist church, presents a unique challenge to Marshall in a state that hasn't elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate since 1932. Marshall has made himself vulnerable by avoiding public appearances, owning a house in Florida, being loyal to President Donald Trump and defending his history of suing patients at his medical practice over unpaid debt.
* But in the most obvious sign that the race is close, national Democrats and Republicans have poured millions of dollars into the campaigns within the past week. And President Donald Trump is heading to Kansas for a rally Monday in Wichita.
* Six years ago, Marshall also faced a competitive race that required national Republicans to invest heavily in Kansas.
* Marshall's staff didn't respond to renewed questions this week from Kansas Reflector about the records from 2020.
* Among them is a June 1, 2020, audio recording of a conversation between Marshall's chief of staff, Brent Robertson, and another congressional staffer at Marshall's D.C. office. Robertson said in the recording that the National Republican Senate Committee would have to spend money in Kansas to help Marshall -- known to his staff as Doc -- "whether they hate me or not."
* "They don't like me, and they don't like Doc," Robertson said. "Period. Period. Like, I've seen it. We've had enough in-person meetings. I mean, they hate each other. And Doc cannot stand them.
* "So there comes a point where it's just like, OK, I can grovel, and then we all just still hate each other, and they all just mistreat Doc. It doesn't matter. They're going to try to screw with us whether we're nice to them or not. And they're going to end up having to spend money whether they want to or not, if it came down to it."
* Three months before the 2020 election, Robertson made a handwritten list of companies and PACs that wouldn't donate to the campaign. He titled it "THE S*** LIST." A photo shows the list -- which included Amazon, Dr. Pepper, Keurig, RJ Reynolds and the American Beverage Association -- on congressional stationery sitting on Robertson's desk in the D.C. office.
* Other photos taken throughout 2020 show campaign mailers and donation checks on Robertson's desk in Marshall's Senate office.
* As Marshall's chief of staff, Robertson's involvement in campaign issues raises questions about the line between Marshall's campaign and his taxpayer-funded Senate office. The records obtained by Kansas Reflector and MS NOW show Robertson repeatedly telling staff to use taxpayer money for travel and meals during trips that included campaign meetings.
* During one text exchange, after staff questioned Robertson on whether the primary purpose of a trip was official or campaign, the chief of staff wrote: "Primary purpose is what we say it is."
* Experts challenged Robertson's interpretation of ethics rules. They also faulted Marshall for calling a mandatory meeting for all campaign and congressional staff in October 2020. Video of the meeting shows both staffs talking about the campaign.
* After the meeting, one staff member texted another: "Sending this message as a reference that we objected to this illegal (activity) and that I raised it with our superiors and noted that it is not permissible per the above ethics statute."
* A week earlier, on Oct. 8, 2020, Robertson texted campaign staff with orders to cancel a meeting between Marshall and the Kansas National Education Association, a union representing teachers.
* "It's a setup. They will record, topics are absurd," Robertson wrote, and noted the organization was "openly supporting" Bollier.
* Marshall intervened.
* "I want to play a game with them," he responded.
* Instead of canceling, Marshall suggested they delay the meeting for a couple of weeks and "then punt again."
* Robertson's response: "Punt two weeks. Punt again. Punt until 2026," followed by a smiley face emoji with sunglasses.
* Sherri Schwanz, KNEA president, said the organization believes in "open and honest dialogue" with the state's congressional delegation. Congress provides funding for special education, high-poverty schools, and schools serving military families, she said.
* "Kansas needs a senator who will fight for that funding and engage with the educators, students and families it serves," Schwanz said. "We're disappointed Sen. Marshall would rather play games than meet with an organization representing more than 20,000 of his constituents simply because he disagreed with our recommendation in the 2020 election. The education of Kansas students is not a game."
* Bollier, who now lives in Colorado, said she pities Marshall.
* "He will go to his grave thinking he was just fine," she said. "He's one of those people that if you put him on a lie detector test, he would pass because he really believes in what he's doing. He believes it's fine. But I kept my integrity, and I will hold onto that until my deathbed."
Associated Press: Sen. Roger Marshall Sought Funding to Address a Water Shortage. The Project Could Benefit His Ranch
* U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall wanted to solve a water rights dispute in rural Kansas that pitted farmers against environmentalists and threatened the health of a cherished wildlife refuge.
* The avid outdoorsman requested a $4.2 million earmark, records show, to help finance improvements that would increase the flow of water into the Quivira National Wildlife Refuge.
* He did not mention another interest that stood to benefit from the project: his own Rattlesnake Ranch, which borders the preserve.
* For decades, hunters have flocked to Quivira and its surroundings, drawn by hundreds of thousands of waterfowl that descend on the area every fall. As agriculture expanded in the area, however, the water supply was taxed to irrigate more crops, diminishing the flow into the refuge.
* Marshall's efforts in 2024 to secure the earmark sought to balance the needs of the refuge and farmers in his home state. But in doing so, he took action that experts said could boost his property's value and posed a conflict of interest for the Republican senator. The measure also collided with Marshall's strong opposition to earmarks, often called pork-barrel spending, to fund lawmakers' pet projects. Marshall has voted four times to eliminate earmarks, calling such appropriations a waste of taxpayer money and "not American."
* Under a federal plan, water will be pumped from a separate watershed, travel through a pipeline into Rattlesnake Creek, which is next to Marshall's property, and flow into the refuge, records show.
* The funding came through as Marshall was gearing up for a reelection bid this November that had once appeared assured. President Donald Trump carried Kansas by 16%, and the state has not elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1932.
* The race has tightened, so much so that Republican groups have poured millions of dollars into advertising to fend off Democrat Adam Hamilton, a former Republican who leads the nation's largest United Methodist church.
* Marshall's office declined to make the senator available to The Associated Press for an interview and did not respond to detailed questions about his property.
* A water rights expert and a government watchdog group have criticized the senator's decision to seek the earmark as a conflict of interest.
* Burke Griggs, a former state water rights attorney, said waterfowl hunting is "big business" in Kansas and the federal funding will help "establish a steadier water supply than (the Quivira Refuge) has had since the 1970s."
* "That will increase the value of the land," said Griggs, a law professor at Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas, who has donated money to Democrats. "Think about it: If Quivira doesn't have water, we don't have as many ducks and waterfowl staying in that area for hunting season. That would absolutely diminish the value of the property."
* Craig Holman, a registered lobbyist for Public Citizen, a nonprofit advocacy group that seeks greater government accountability, said Marshall "should not be involved in any legislative effort that provides a direct or substantial financial benefit to himself. He should have recused himself."
* He had railed against such appropriations, said his colleagues should have to defend their earmark requests on the Senate floor and described a Democrat-sponsored spending bill as "full of so much pork" it was "dripping with grease."
* "I'm going to do everything I can to blow up the process so that no one does earmarks," he told reporters in 2021.
* Marshall and his family have deep ties to the region around the preserve. He at one point owned, or co-owned, more than 1,000 acres (405 hectares) near the Quivira Refuge and has described his land as a hunting "mecca."
* The properties have provided a stream of income over the years through building rentals and oil and gas leases, according to his Senate financial disclosures.
* What remains is Rattlesnake Ranch, which is registered as a business in Kansas and listed as a commercial property with a building available for rent, according to records. Marshall owns a 20% stake in the ranch and serves as a company director, the records show.
* "As a property owner along Rattlesnake Creek for three decades," he said in a statement issued at the time, "protecting our local agricultural communities and the environment is something I take very seriously."
* * *
Original text here: https://www.dscc.org/article/marshalls-corruption-scandals-stack-up-reports-reveal-he-abused-taxpayer-dollars-to-boost-campaign-benefit-personal-property/
DNC: New Data - With 19 Days Until the Midterms, Trump and Republicans Can't Get a Handle on Rising Inflation
WASHINGTON, Oct. 16 -- The Democratic National Committee posted the following news release:
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October 15, 2026
NEW DATA: With 19 Days Until the Midterms, Trump and Republicans Can't Get a Handle on Rising Inflation
Despite Donald Trump's promises to lower costs on 'Day One' and 'defeat inflation,' new inflation data released today shows that in September, producer inflation blew past expectations -- rising 6.3% compared to last year -- well above expectations and the sharpest month-over-month increase in more than four years. The increase was the second-largest increase since at least 2010. ... Show Full Article WASHINGTON, Oct. 16 -- The Democratic National Committee posted the following news release: * * * October 15, 2026 NEW DATA: With 19 Days Until the Midterms, Trump and Republicans Can't Get a Handle on Rising Inflation Despite Donald Trump's promises to lower costs on 'Day One' and 'defeat inflation,' new inflation data released today shows that in September, producer inflation blew past expectations -- rising 6.3% compared to last year -- well above expectations and the sharpest month-over-month increase in more than four years. The increase was the second-largest increase since at least 2010.
Additional data released yesterday revealed that inflation reached 3.7% in September -- above expectations and the highest rate since May -- as high prices have nearly wiped out all wage gains since January 2025. Yet just yesterday, Trump said, "People say tariffs cause inflation. They haven't. Again, we have very little inflation," and "Income for hardworking Americans has soared to the highest level ever recorded."
It's no wonder consumer sentiment in October dropped to the second-lowest reading on record since the 1950s, as 70% of Americans say they will either cut back (54%) or stop (16%) spending on certain items because of Trump and JD Vance's reckless tariffs and deadly and costly war with Iran.
In response, DNC Deputy Communications Director Kendall Witmer released the following statement:
"Donald Trump and JD Vance are making life miserable for working families as their disastrous agenda is skyrocketing costs on everything, erasing all wage gains for working families. Despite Trump's promises to lower costs on 'Day One' and 'defeat inflation,' Trump's war of choice with Iran and reckless tariffs have raised costs on everything from gas to groceries. But instead of doing anything to lower costs for everyday Americans, Trump and Vance are doubling down on their unpopular agenda while begging voters to 'give us another chance.'"
Under Trump and Vance, the average American family has had to pay an additional $4,200 on everyday essentials from gas to groceries because of their tariffs and war with Iran. Americans have been forced to spend an additional $107 billion on gas and diesel alone since Trump and Vance started their war with Iran, and gas prices have now been above $4 per gallon for more days than any other year on record. Gas prices next year are projected to be 21 cents higher than forecasts from a month ago, and diesel is projected to not drop below $4 a gallon until at least 2028.
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Original text here: https://democrats.org/new-data-with-19-days-until-the-midterms-trump-and-republicans-cant-get-a-handle-on-rising-inflation/
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October 15, 2026
NEW DATA: With 19 Days Until the Midterms, Trump and Republicans Can't Get a Handle on Rising Inflation
Despite Donald Trump's promises to lower costs on 'Day One' and 'defeat inflation,' new inflation data released today shows that in September, producer inflation blew past expectations -- rising 6.3% compared to last year -- well above expectations and the sharpest month-over-month increase in more than four years. The increase was the second-largest increase since at least 2010. ... Show Full Article WASHINGTON, Oct. 16 -- The Democratic National Committee posted the following news release: * * * October 15, 2026 NEW DATA: With 19 Days Until the Midterms, Trump and Republicans Can't Get a Handle on Rising Inflation Despite Donald Trump's promises to lower costs on 'Day One' and 'defeat inflation,' new inflation data released today shows that in September, producer inflation blew past expectations -- rising 6.3% compared to last year -- well above expectations and the sharpest month-over-month increase in more than four years. The increase was the second-largest increase since at least 2010.
Additional data released yesterday revealed that inflation reached 3.7% in September -- above expectations and the highest rate since May -- as high prices have nearly wiped out all wage gains since January 2025. Yet just yesterday, Trump said, "People say tariffs cause inflation. They haven't. Again, we have very little inflation," and "Income for hardworking Americans has soared to the highest level ever recorded."
It's no wonder consumer sentiment in October dropped to the second-lowest reading on record since the 1950s, as 70% of Americans say they will either cut back (54%) or stop (16%) spending on certain items because of Trump and JD Vance's reckless tariffs and deadly and costly war with Iran.
In response, DNC Deputy Communications Director Kendall Witmer released the following statement:
"Donald Trump and JD Vance are making life miserable for working families as their disastrous agenda is skyrocketing costs on everything, erasing all wage gains for working families. Despite Trump's promises to lower costs on 'Day One' and 'defeat inflation,' Trump's war of choice with Iran and reckless tariffs have raised costs on everything from gas to groceries. But instead of doing anything to lower costs for everyday Americans, Trump and Vance are doubling down on their unpopular agenda while begging voters to 'give us another chance.'"
Under Trump and Vance, the average American family has had to pay an additional $4,200 on everyday essentials from gas to groceries because of their tariffs and war with Iran. Americans have been forced to spend an additional $107 billion on gas and diesel alone since Trump and Vance started their war with Iran, and gas prices have now been above $4 per gallon for more days than any other year on record. Gas prices next year are projected to be 21 cents higher than forecasts from a month ago, and diesel is projected to not drop below $4 a gallon until at least 2028.
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Original text here: https://democrats.org/new-data-with-19-days-until-the-midterms-trump-and-republicans-cant-get-a-handle-on-rising-inflation/