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WHAT THEY'RE SAYING: Democrats' "Recipe for Flipping Red-State Senate Seats" and "Advantage in Candidate Quality" Generate "Momentum" Across the Map
WASHINGTON, Oct. 6 -- The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee posted the following news release:
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Oct 5, 2026
WHAT THEY'RE SAYING: Democrats' "Recipe for Flipping Red-State Senate Seats" and "Advantage in Candidate Quality" Generate "Momentum" Across the Map
With just one month to go until Election Day, an "extraordinary run of polls for Democrats" shows Republicans confronting "an increasingly precarious political map," as "growing disapproval of President Trump's handling of the economy and the Iran war have fueled Democrats' chances of control of the Senate" by winning "in places
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Oct. 6 -- The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee posted the following news release:
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Oct 5, 2026
WHAT THEY'RE SAYING: Democrats' "Recipe for Flipping Red-State Senate Seats" and "Advantage in Candidate Quality" Generate "Momentum" Across the Map
With just one month to go until Election Day, an "extraordinary run of polls for Democrats" shows Republicans confronting "an increasingly precarious political map," as "growing disapproval of President Trump's handling of the economy and the Iran war have fueled Democrats' chances of control of the Senate" by winning "in placesthat 6-8 months ago may have been unlikely."
Now, with a "significant advantage in candidate quality," Democrats "enter the final month of the campaign in a better position than anyone would have imagined when the year began" as "Republican support is really slipping for Trump," and the "surprisingly unpopular" GOP Senate candidates lead to "more voters view[ing] the Republican candidate unfavorably than favorably."
See for yourself:
CNN: With Poll Numbers Lagging, Trump Hits the Trail
CNN's MANU RAJU: You know, so much of the story right now in the midterms - and why Trump is struggling - is yes, Democratic opposition against him is at an all-time high. Democrats are energized; independents, certainly, are fleeing [from the GOP].
But Republican support is really slipping for Trump. And you look at these New York Times Siena polls that came out just yesterday - these are all states that Donald Trump won by double digits in 2024.
According to this polling, Mary Peltola, the Democrat in Alaska, is up by seven points. She's outside the margin of error. And there's the very hotly contested race in Kansas, which we'll talk about in the next segment. Ohio, we just talked about there, Sherrod Brown narrowly ahead, but within the margin of error there. And in Texas, Ken Paxton losing by six points. But that is the real issue here overall - the Republican support that is slipping from Trump.
MS NOW: Polls: Senate Races in GOP States Tilt Toward Democrats
MS NOW's JONATHAN LEMIRE: I wrote on this last week about the growing Republican anxiety that, simply, they don't feel like the President has given them anything to run on here.
And now, our closing argument this weekend appears to be about daylight savings time. And that there are so many who are just scrambling to make sense. Joe, you and I have talked about this for a long time; of course, when things tip, they tend to tip one way - and one way hard.
And there are Democrats who [...] are starting to feel very optimistic and are looking to expand the map, and yes, win in places that 6-8 months ago may have been unlikely - that's Iowa, Kansas, and the like.
New York Times: Democrats May Have Found the Recipe for Flipping Red-State Senate Seats
* On paper, the Democrats' path to winning the Senate in November is daunting. They need to flip at least two seats that President Trump won by 11 percentage points or more -- no party has pulled off a similar feat since 2008.
* But in polls over the last month, the party's path to the Senate hasn't seemed daunting at all. Since Labor Day, Democrats have been tied or ahead in nearly every nonpartisan poll of not just two but five states that voted for Mr. Trump by between 11 and 16 points: Texas, Alaska, Ohio, Iowa and Kansas.
* Today's latest New York Times/Siena polls continue the streak. They find Democrats ahead in Texas, Alaska and Ohio; tied in Kansas; and down by only one point in Iowa. If the polls were to be exactly right [...] Democrats would take the Senate with room to spare.
* This is an extraordinary run of polls for Democrats, most of all in Texas and Alaska. The Times/Siena polls -- and others over the last month -- show Democrats building a consistent and potentially meaningful lead in both states. If Democrats won Texas and Alaska, held their own seats and added North Carolina, as expected, they would need to win only one more Republican-held state, whether in Maine, Ohio, Iowa or Kansas, or elsewhere.
* Nonetheless, just about everything has gone right for the Democrats so far. They enter the final month of the campaign in a better position than anyone would have imagined when the year began. While the story varies somewhat by state, Democrats are cooking with the same recipe across all five contests: At a time when Mr. Trump is very unpopular, Democrats have nominated popular, relatively moderate candidates against surprisingly unpopular Republicans.
* By now, it's hard to be surprised by bad poll results for Mr. Trump. Still, these results from such Republican-leaning states -- which gave Mr. Trump an average of 56 percent of the vote in 2024 -- are striking.
* Across the five states, the president's approval rating was just 40 percent, while 57 percent had an unfavorable view. That's not much better than Mr. Trump's ratings in recent national polls. The results also represent a significant decline in his support since our last polls in four of these states in June. Since then, his ratings have fallen by five points.
* There are two basic possible explanations for how Mr. Trump's numbers are this bad in these states. One is that his ratings have continued to slide everywhere, not just in these states, since our last Times/Siena poll, which wouldn't necessarily be hard to explain with gas prices and mortgage rates rising.
* Another possibility is that Mr. Trump is suffering disproportionate losses in these five Republican-leaning states. Demographics, alone, would not be a sufficient explanation. It would take something more, like greater exposure to high diesel prices in the Farm Belt. Or there could even be a break in Mr. Trump's support among the traditional Republicans who never loved Mr. Trump's conduct or his policies on issues like tariffs or immigration, but nonetheless consistently backed him in every general election.
* Interestingly, all five of these states voted against Mr. Trump in the 2016 Republican presidential primary.
* In all five states, Democrats have something more going for them, even beyond Mr. Trump's extraordinary unpopularity: a significant advantage in candidate quality.
* Let's take the simplest measure: favorability. In all five states, more voters view the Democrat favorably than unfavorably, while more voters view the Republican candidate unfavorably than favorably.
* This is a real triumph for Democrats in such reliably Republican states. They've managed to find candidates who are both personally appealing and ideologically acceptable to red-state voters.
* In all five states, voters say that the phrase "has good character" describes the Democratic candidate better than the Republican.
* Of all the polls, none capture the Republican challenge better than Texas, where the Democrat James Talarico is leading the Republican Ken Paxton by six points.
* If Democrats are cooking with the same recipe in all five of these states, Texas is the one where Republicans have contributed the finest ingredients. The president's approval rating has fallen to just 38 percent among likely voters there -- the same as in our last national poll -- and Mr. Paxton is the least popular of all 10 Senate candidates tested in these polls. And all of this is occurring in a state where Hispanic voters, who are swinging hard toward the Democrats, represent a large share of the electorate.
* While the G.O.P. is spending hundreds of millions of dollars to try to bring down Mr. Talarico, so far his candidacy appears essentially undamaged. His favorable ratings actually ticked up since the last Times/Siena poll in June.
* Unlike most states, Alaska holds a top-four primary -- all candidates from every party compete on the same ballot, and the top four candidates advance. In this year's primary, the Democrat Mary Peltola finished eight points ahead of the Republican incumbent, Dan Sullivan -- quite similar to the result of the poll.
* Ohio has been an epicenter of the backlash over data centers, and Mr. Brown was an early mover in trying to capitalize on the issue against the incumbent, Mr. Husted. As my colleague Shane Goldmacher reported in August, a memo from the National Republican Senatorial Committee warned that "more than any other thing in this race, data centers are the anchor hanging around Husted's neck."
* The Times/Siena poll found that voters preferred Mr. Brown on A.I. and data centers by around 10 points -- a bigger lead on A.I. than any candidate had in any of the polls. It was Mr. Brown's biggest lead on any question.
* Kansas? If you're not the kind of person who follows the latest polls (and we have a great new page tracking the latest polls, if you would like to do so), you might be surprised that we're polling Kansas at all. But it has been on the edge of the radar for a while, and over the last month a string of nonpartisan, Democratic and Republican polls have all shown an extremely close race. Our poll shows a tie.
* How are Democrats so competitive in Kansas? There are a lot of factors, but what might get them over the top is the appeal of their candidate, Adam Hamilton. He is the senior pastor of the largest United Methodist congregation in the country, and he's a first-time candidate who says he's running against socialism and health care cuts.
* Mr. Hamilton has the highest net favorability rating of any of the candidates tested in these polls, and he may have more room to grow. Overall, 28 percent of likely voters said they hadn't heard of him. The danger for Republicans is obvious: If more voters learn that he's no ordinary Democrat, Mr. Hamilton might gain more support.
USA Today: Democrats gain edge in tight Senate races in new poll
* With less than a month until November's midterm elections, Democrats running for the U.S. Senate have forged leads or dead-heats in five traditionally Republican states - momentum that suggests the party has increased its potential for flipping the chamber for the remainder of President Donald Trump's term.
* A new New York Times/Siena University poll, released Oct. 2, found Democrats have leads or were neck and neck in key Senate races in five states - Alaska, Iowa, Kansas, Ohio and Texas - considered to be reliably Republican.
* Heading into 2026, Democrats had been considered a lock to regain control of the House of Representatives. But growing disapproval of President Trump's handling of the economy and the Iran war have fueled Democrats' chances of control of the Senate, too.
* The Times/Siena poll found Democrat Mary Peltola, a former member of Congress, held a seven-point lead over incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan in Alaska. In Texas, Democrat James Talarico had a six-point lead (51% to 45%) over Republican Ken Paxton, according to the poll, conducted Sept. 21-Oct. 1.
* Also in the poll, former U.S. senator Sherrod Brown had a three-point margin in Ohio over Sen. Jon Husted, who was appointed to fill the empty seat left when JD Vance became vice president.
* In Kansas, where it has been more than 90 years since a Democrat was elected to the U.S. Senate, Methodist pastor Adam Hamilton is tied with Republican Sen. Roger Marshall, the poll found. Similarly, Democrats have not won a Senate race in 18 years in Iowa where Democratic state Rep. Josh Turek trails Republican U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson by one percentage point.
* The poll also found that 57% of those surveyed across the five states strongly or somewhat disapproved of Trump's job as president - just the latest sign of disapproval of the president's performance. More than one-fifth of likely voters (21%) said the economy was the most important issue in deciding their vote. Other important issues: inflation/cost of living (8%), character/competence of candidate (8%) and Immigration (8%). Among Independents, those three issues were rated slightly higher, the poll found.
* Democrats are also competitive in five other states Trump won by double digits in 2024: Florida, Nebraska, Mississippi, South Carolina and Kentucky. President Trump has kicked off a barnstorming tour seeking to energize Republican voters in red states including Texas, Oklahoma, Alabama, Ohio and Nebraska.
* "Not only is there a swing away from the Republican Party compared to 2024, but the swing actually seems to be somewhat bigger in red America than in blue America, and that's putting these states that Trump won easily very much into play," said David Hopkins, a political science professor at Boston College, told Reuters.
Newsweek: Republicans Face Midterms Disaster--What Polling Reveals
* With exactly one month until Election Day, Republicans are confronting what appears to be an increasingly precarious political map, as polling and election forecasters show Democratic candidates competitive or ahead in several races that could determine control of both chambers of Congress.
* Democrats are hoping polling surges and low approval ratings for President Donald Trump help them ride a massive blue wave into the majority in both the House and the Senate.
* Voters head to the polls on November 3, with every House seat and 35 Senate contests on the ballot. Democrats need to pick up four seats each in both the House and the Senate to gain control of the chambers. Political forecasters like Cook Political Report and Sabato's Crystal Ball have shifted numerous races toward Democrats, and though many contests remain within tight and within polling margins of error, the emerging picture raises the prospect of substantial Republican losses.
* The generic ballot--which assesses how a typical politician would fare in a race based just on party--puts Democrats ahead by over eight points, according to RealClearPolitics' polling average.
* [...] the battleground has expanded to longtime GOP strongholds amid voters' dissatisfaction with the economy, inflation and the Iran war.
* A polling snapshot from Election Central, updated September 28, showed Democrats leading in six Republican-held Senate contests--Alaska, Iowa, Maine, North Carolina, Ohio and Texas. And four major election forecasters--FiftyPlusOne, Silver Bulletin, Split Ticket, and VoteHub--predict that all five of those races (taking out Iowa) favor Democrats.
* Despite the GOP currently holding North Carolina, former Democratic Governor Roy Cooper has taken such a commanding lead over his opponent, former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley, that NBC reports that the GOP's top Senate super PAC has paused spending in the race.
* If each party won every other seat they are expected to hold, victories in those six races would put Democrats above the four-seat gain needed for Senate control.
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Original text here: https://www.dscc.org/article/what-theyre-saying-democrats-recipe-for-flipping-red-state-senate-seats-and-advantage-in-candidate-quality-generate-momentum-ac/
Mich. Democratic Party: President Barack Obama to Campaign With Michigan Democrats
LANSING, Michigan, Oct. 6 -- The Michigan Democratic Party issued the following news release:
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October 5, 2026
President Barack Obama to Campaign with Michigan Democrats
DETROIT -- On Saturday, October 24, President Barack Obama will travel to Detroit for a campaign rally with Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, and Michigan Democrats. President Obama will rally voters and encourage them to vote early for Democrats up and down the ballot.
Michiganders interested in attending the rally can sign up HERE. Press should email press@michigandems.com for press credentialing
... Show Full Article
LANSING, Michigan, Oct. 6 -- The Michigan Democratic Party issued the following news release:
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October 5, 2026
President Barack Obama to Campaign with Michigan Democrats
DETROIT -- On Saturday, October 24, President Barack Obama will travel to Detroit for a campaign rally with Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, and Michigan Democrats. President Obama will rally voters and encourage them to vote early for Democrats up and down the ballot.
Michiganders interested in attending the rally can sign up HERE. Press should email press@michigandems.com for press credentialinginformation.
WHO:
President Barack Obama
Jocelyn Benson, Democratic nominee for Governor
Abdul El-Sayed, Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate
Democratic candidates up and down the ballot
WHERE: Detroit, Michigan
WHEN: Saturday, October 24
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Original text here: https://michigandems.com/president-barack-obama-to-campaign-with-michigan-democrats/
Mich. Democratic Party: Michigan Independent - "Mike Rogers Senate Campaign Dogged By Past Ties To Opioid Industry"
LANSING, Michigan, Oct. 6 -- The Michigan Democratic Party issued the following news release:
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October 5, 2026
Michigan Independent: "Mike Rogers Senate Campaign Dogged By Past Ties To Opioid Industry"
LANSING -- New reporting from Michigan Independent highlights how corrupt multimillionaire Mike Rogers is being "dogged" by his toxic opioid record on the campaign trail, with critics pointing out how Rogers pushed dangerous legislation that "encouraged broader access to opioids but failed to regulate its use" at the peak of the opioid epidemic while his campaigns and political committees
... Show Full Article
LANSING, Michigan, Oct. 6 -- The Michigan Democratic Party issued the following news release:
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October 5, 2026
Michigan Independent: "Mike Rogers Senate Campaign Dogged By Past Ties To Opioid Industry"
LANSING -- New reporting from Michigan Independent highlights how corrupt multimillionaire Mike Rogers is being "dogged" by his toxic opioid record on the campaign trail, with critics pointing out how Rogers pushed dangerous legislation that "encouraged broader access to opioids but failed to regulate its use" at the peak of the opioid epidemic while his campaigns and political committeesaccepted more than $1 million from Big Pharma.
According to the report, Rogers' pro-opioid legislation was backed by industry front groups, including the American Pain Society, which disbanded after its financial ties to opioid companies were revealed, along with how the group had "played a significant role in creating the necessary conditions for the U.S. opioids epidemic." Rogers' legislation was also backed by the American Pain Foundation, which was "financially backed by opioid manufacturers" and "contributed to strategic planning for Rogers' bill," according to a presentation given at Purdue Pharma's headquarters.
Read more:
Michigan Independent: Mike Rogers Senate campaign dogged by past ties to opioid industry
* The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, in coordination with federal officials, has declared a renewal of the 2017 opioid public health emergency. Despite a 47% decline in the rate of total opioid overdose deaths in Michigan between 2021 and 2025, state officials say the crisis still claims about four lives daily.
* Former Republican Michigan U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, who is running against Democratic nominee Abdul Al-Sayed for the open Senate seat of retiring Sen. Gary Peters, sponsored legislation in the House that would have encouraged broader access to opioids but failed to regulate its use.
* Opioids are a class of highly addictive drugs that includes heroin and prescription pain relievers such as codeine, hydrocodone, morphine, oxycodone, and fentanyl.
* The number of prescription opioid overdose deaths in Michigan increased from 60 in 2000 to 527 in 2015. A state task force report showed nearly 11 million opioid prescriptions were written in 2014, nearly quadruple the number written over the previous seven years and enough to provide every state resident with their own supply of narcotics.
* From 2000 to 2015, Rogers represented Michigan's 8th Congressional District, which includes the Bay County area where fatal opioid overdose rates remain higher than in other parts of the state.
* In September 2003, Rogers introduced the National Pain Care Policy Act, which would have established both a national and six regional pain research centers to improve clinician pain-care training and patient education, including what the bill described as the "medically appropriate use of controlled substances." That bill died in committee.
* At a press conference announcing the bill, Rogers said the goal was to stimulate improvement in pain research and extend care to more Americans suffering from chronic pain. "It's about giving people with daily, hourly pain real hope for the future," said Rogers.
* He was joined by leaders of the American Pain Society, a professional membership organization, which advocated for doctors to view pain as the "5th vital sign" and ask patients to rate their pain on a scale of 1-10. The philosophy was widely adopted and the once sparing use of opioids to treat chronic nonmalignant pain eventually became widespread practice.
* APS disbanded in 2019 after a Senate report revealed the group had received $962,724.52 from opioid companies between 2012 and 2017. The report stated that APS and other groups "played a significant role in creating the necessary conditions for the U.S. opioids epidemic."
* The American Pain Foundation, a patient advocacy organization also named in the Senate report, contributed to strategic planning for Roger's bill. A ProPublica investigation later revealed the organization was financially backed by opioid manufacturers.
* Rogers cosponsored the National All Schedules Prescription Electronic Reporting Act of 2005, enacted that year by President George W. Bush. The law created a national monitoring program meant to better track controlled substance prescriptions and stop misuse. Some lawmakers complained the bill was underfunded and failed to hold opioid companies to account for their marketing practices.
* In 2015, Rogers retired from Congress to work in cybersecurity. He lost a bid for an open Michigan U.S. Senate seat to Democrat Elissa Slotkin in 2024.
* The Michigan Independent reported in August that Rogers had received $673,390 in campaign contributions from the pharmaceutical and health products industry during his political career. An analysis of his leadership PAC, the Majority Initiative to Keep Electing Republicans (MIKE R) Fund, revealed his PAC received $329,921 from the sector to support Republican candidates.
* "He took money from these companies, pushed legislation and increased their profits, while spurring a crisis that we still battle today," said Warren City Council President Angela Rogensues at a press conference in 2024.
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Original text here: https://michigandems.com/michigan-independent-mike-rogers-senate-campaign-dogged-by-past-ties-to-opioid-industry/
Democratic Governors Association: Slick Rick Jackson's Billion Dollar Empire Took PPP Loans, Ripping Off Taxpayers and Small Businesses
WASHINGTON, Oct. 6 -- The Democratic Governors Association posted the following news:
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Slick Rick Jackson's Billion Dollar Empire Took PPP Loans, Ripping Off Taxpayers and Small Businesses
Oct 05, 2026
Jackson's companies potentially committed the exact fraud that JD Vance has been cracking down on
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New reporting from The Daily Beast exposes billionaire Rick Jackson's health care empire for receiving "millions of dollars in Paycheck Protection Program loans during the pandemic" meant for small businesses.
Jackson's $1 billion health care empire ended up with "$2.6 million worth of
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Oct. 6 -- The Democratic Governors Association posted the following news:
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Slick Rick Jackson's Billion Dollar Empire Took PPP Loans, Ripping Off Taxpayers and Small Businesses
Oct 05, 2026
Jackson's companies potentially committed the exact fraud that JD Vance has been cracking down on
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New reporting from The Daily Beast exposes billionaire Rick Jackson's health care empire for receiving "millions of dollars in Paycheck Protection Program loans during the pandemic" meant for small businesses.
Jackson's $1 billion health care empire ended up with "$2.6 million worth ofloans meant for struggling small businesses." The story details how five entities directly tied and controlled by Jackson Healthcare improperly received millions of dollars in Paycheck Protection Program loans during the pandemic. The five entities should have been counted together with their parent company, Jackson Healthcare, which would have made them too big to qualify for the program.
It's just the latest example of how Rick Jackson games the system - at Georgians' expense. In the past few weeks alone, new reporting has revealed that a Jackson foreclosure company literally tried to kick one couple out of their homes. Reporting has also exposed that Jackson had to settle a lawsuit for allegedly trafficking and failing to pay nurses.
Read more about Jackson ripped off Georgians:
The Daily Beast: Must-Win MAGA Candidate Caught in Vance's Fraud Crosshairs
* JD Vance spent this week on the campaign trail talking up his latest anti-fraud mission, which even comes with a suitably Trumpian name: Operation No Doze.
* The initiative is aimed at cracking down on people the administration suspects ripped off taxpayers by taking pandemic-era loans they may not have been eligible for.
* "We had many, many people who took advantage of those programs," the vice president told voters in Texas.
* Which brings us to an awkward question for one of the GOP's own candidates.
* MAGA billionaire Rick Jackson is vying to be the next governor of Georgia against former Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, and has made his business record a central part of his campaign.
* "I'll be just like Trump but with a southern tone," the 63-year-old health executive said earlier this year.
* But as the race hits the final stretch, documents obtained by The Swamp's Farrah Tomazin show that five entities tied to Jackson's health care empire received millions of dollars in Paycheck Protection Program loans during the pandemic: the very loans that "Operation No Doze" is targeting.
* So how did companies tied to a billion-dollar health empire end up getting money from a program designed to help small businesses during COVID?
* Insiders say that under PPP rules, the companies that applied for the loans, entities of Premier Anesthesia (of which Jackson was previously president) should have been counted together with their parent company, Jackson Healthcare (of which he was CEO). But Jackson Healthcare is hardly a "small business." Indeed, in 2020 when COVID hit, it had more than 1,500 employees and $1 billion in revenue, while Premier's entities were operating under loan classifications with much lower staff and revenue limits.
* That in itself does not itself establish that anyone deliberately fudged the application, let alone committed fraud, but the optics aren't exactly great for a billionaire candidate whose corporate record has already come under growing scrutiny.
* Last week, for instance, the Swamp revealed how one of Jackson's other companies spent years trying to take a couple's home in a legal battle so brutal that court filings describe a cascade of devastating health problems for both spouses--and ultimately their deaths.
* Earlier, we also reported that some of Jackson Healthcare's other subsidiaries paid $5 million to settle claims that they exploited workers and breached labor laws.
* The Swamp has reached out to Jackson's campaign in relation to $2.6 million worth of loans meant for struggling small businesses.
* Meanwhile, somewhere on the campaign trail, Vance is busy promoting Operation No Doze.
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Original text here: https://democraticgovernors.org/updates/slick-rick-jacksons-billion-dollar-empire-took-ppp-loans-ripping-off-taxpayers-and-small-businesses/
Democratic Governors Association: New - Bernadette Wilson "Sued Repeatedly Over Unpaid Bills"
WASHINGTON, Oct. 6 -- The Democratic Governors Association posted the following news:
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NEW: Bernadette Wilson "Sued Repeatedly Over Unpaid Bills"
Oct 05, 2026
New reporting from Anchorage Daily News dives into Alaska gubernatorial candidate Bernadette Wilson's failed business record after it was revealed she and her company were sued three times over unpaid bills that resulted in nearly $75,000 in payments.
Over the course of just five years, "judges ordered Wilson and her garbage-collection company to pay $74,807 after three businesses sued over unpaid bills."
Wilson's record includes
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Oct. 6 -- The Democratic Governors Association posted the following news:
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NEW: Bernadette Wilson "Sued Repeatedly Over Unpaid Bills"
Oct 05, 2026
New reporting from Anchorage Daily News dives into Alaska gubernatorial candidate Bernadette Wilson's failed business record after it was revealed she and her company were sued three times over unpaid bills that resulted in nearly $75,000 in payments.
Over the course of just five years, "judges ordered Wilson and her garbage-collection company to pay $74,807 after three businesses sued over unpaid bills."
Wilson's record includeslate rent payments, multiple lawsuits over condo dues, unpaid vendor bills, repeated insufficient checks, mortgage defaults, foreclosure proceedings and garnishment of Wilson's Permanent Fund dividends to pay her debts.
As fellow Republican candidate Dave Bronson put it: "it's important that someone with this much financial and legal issues should probably get their own house in order before trying to sell the public on their ability to hold the highest office in our state."
Read more about Wilson's troubling financial history:
Anchorage Daily News: Governor candidate Bernadette Wilson has been sued repeatedly over unpaid bills, records show
* Bernadette Wilson, a Republican former talk radio host and conservative activist, has described her experience as a business owner as an asset as she runs to be Alaska's next governor. But Wilson has a history of unpaid bills, checks returned for insufficient funds, and having her Permanent Fund dividends garnished to pay her debts, court records show.
* Between 2019 and 2024, judges ordered Wilson and her garbage-collection company to pay $74,807 after three businesses sued over unpaid bills. In two cases, Wilson's company failed to respond to the lawsuits, leading to default judgments.
* [Wilson's] primary occupation, as she describes it on campaign flyers and in speaking engagements, is owning and operating Denali Disposal, a garbage-collection company that she started a decade ago with her stepfather, Dan Zipay.
* A real estate firm that leased a commercial facility to Denali Disposal between 2018 and 2023 alleged that Wilson was "chronically late" in rent payments, accruing late charges for delayed rent at least 18 times in a five-year period. Wilson also repeatedly tried to pay the company with checks that were returned due to insufficient funds, according to court documents.
* Prior to starting her garbage-disposal business, Wilson was repeatedly sued by her condo association between 2007 and 2015 for failing to pay dues. She defaulted on her mortgage multiple times between 2008 and 2014, state records show.
* In several cases, Wilson declined to answer court filings related to unpaid bills, giving little insight -- if any -- on her financial decisions.
* Bronson said in a statement Friday that "it's important that someone with this much financial and legal issues should probably get their own house in order before trying to sell the public on their ability to hold the highest office in our state."
* Denali Disposal was first sued in 2019 by Alaska Traffic Co., which alleged that Wilson's company purchased $9,661 in goods and services, but never paid for them.
* A few months later, Shoreside Petroleum sued Denali Disposal, Wilson and her mother, alleging that their company bought petroleum products from Shoreside on credit, then failed to pay its bills. According to court records, Wilson attempted to pay a portion of her bill using checks that were returned due to insufficient funds.
* Again, Wilson and Zipay never responded to the complaint against them and Denali Disposal. Several months after the complaint was filed, a judge granted default judgment against Wilson, Zipay and their company, ordering them to pay $57,874 to Shoreside Petroleum.
* A process server tried to contact Wilson and her mother several times, according to court records. Their Permanent Fund dividends were garnished for two consecutive years to help pay off the debt. The full amount was paid off in September 2025, three months after Wilson entered the governor's race.
* Her condo association first sued Wilson in April 2007 over a debt of $1,360 in unpaid dues. In May of that year, Wilson responded to the suit with a hand-written note, in which she wrote that her and her then-husband Chris Fournier "will have the better half of what is owed to (the association) by the end of the month, and will pay the remainder within the two weeks following."
* But in October 2007, an employee of the property management company testified that Wilson had not made any dues payments in 11 months. By then, Wilson owed $3,485 in dues, fees and charges. The association alleged that when Wilson attempted to pay with a personal check, it "was returned due to insufficient funds."
* The condo association again sued Wilson in 2013, alleging that she owed $8,018 in unpaid dues, assessments and fines. Wilson confessed to the debt, and a judge ordered her to pay the association a total of $9,132. The debt was not satisfied until 2016.
* The association last sued Wilson in 2015, alleging that she owed $2,647 in unpaid dues, assessments and fines. The case was dismissed after Wilson paid $1,855.
* According to state records, Wilson defaulted on her mortgage in 2008, 2009, 2013 and 2014. Foreclosure proceedings were repeatedly halted after Wilson renegotiated her loan with her lender.
* In 2011, Deutsche Bank sought to evict Wilson from her condo after she faced foreclosure. The case was ultimately dismissed after Wilson again entered a loan modification agreement with the bank.
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Original text here: https://democraticgovernors.org/updates/new-bernadette-wilson-sued-repeatedly-over-unpaid-bills/
DNC: With Less Than 30 Days Until the Midterms, Trump Travels to Nebraska To Peddle His Disastrous Agenda
WASHINGTON, Oct. 6 -- The Democratic National Committee posted the following news release:
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October 5, 2026
With Less Than 30 Days Until the Midterms, Trump Travels to Nebraska To Peddle His Disastrous Agenda
Today, Donald Trump will travel to Nebraska to promote his failed agenda that has made life unaffordable for working families. Trump's reckless tariffs and deadly and costly war with Iran have hiked prices on everything from gas to groceries. Now -- as his approval ratings sink to record lows and even his strongest supporters turn their backs on him -- Trump is desperately trying
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Oct. 6 -- The Democratic National Committee posted the following news release:
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October 5, 2026
With Less Than 30 Days Until the Midterms, Trump Travels to Nebraska To Peddle His Disastrous Agenda
Today, Donald Trump will travel to Nebraska to promote his failed agenda that has made life unaffordable for working families. Trump's reckless tariffs and deadly and costly war with Iran have hiked prices on everything from gas to groceries. Now -- as his approval ratings sink to record lows and even his strongest supporters turn their backs on him -- Trump is desperately tryingto rally his base as the midterm elections approach and Republicans face defeat.
In response, DNC Deputy Communications Director Kendall Witmer released the following statement:
"Donald Trump has destroyed the economy, forcing working families, small businesses, and farmers to cut back or dig deeper into their savings. Trump's reckless trade war and war with Iran have sent prices for gas and groceries skyrocketing. But instead of bringing down costs, Trump is focused on building gilded vanity projects in DC. It's no wonder Trump is scrambling to rally his base less than a month before the midterms; Americans are sick of footing the bill for his failed agenda."
REMINDER: The average family in Nebraska has had to spend an additional $4,100 for everyday essentials under Trump, including $310 for groceries and $624 on housing. The average price for a gallon of gas in Nebraska is $4.21 and the average price for a gallon of diesel is $5.99. The average Nebraska family has shelled out an additional $708 on gas alone since Trump started his war with Iran. This is on top of Trump and Republicans' refusal to extend the Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax cuts, forcing monthly premiums for ACA plans to rise over 50% on average in 2026 compared to last year.
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Original text here: https://democrats.org/with-less-than-30-days-until-the-midterms-trump-travels-to-nebraska-to-peddle-his-disastrous-agenda/
DNC: Corruption Watch - Noem Used Taxpayer Funds for Massive Windfall To Political Donor's Firm
WASHINGTON, Oct. 6 -- The Democratic National Committee posted the following news release:
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October 5, 2026
CORRUPTION WATCH: Noem Used Taxpayer Funds for Massive Windfall To Political Donor's Firm
New reporting this weekend revealed that in the final hours of former Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem's tenure, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) approved spending hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars on marked-up luxury planes that went to a firm led by one of Noem's political donors.
DHS paid $108 million in taxpayer funds for a luxury private jet to Daedalus Aviation
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WASHINGTON, Oct. 6 -- The Democratic National Committee posted the following news release:
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October 5, 2026
CORRUPTION WATCH: Noem Used Taxpayer Funds for Massive Windfall To Political Donor's Firm
New reporting this weekend revealed that in the final hours of former Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem's tenure, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) approved spending hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars on marked-up luxury planes that went to a firm led by one of Noem's political donors.
DHS paid $108 million in taxpayer funds for a luxury private jet to Daedalus AviationCorporation. Daedalus's chair, William Walters, donated $10,000 to Noem's PAC in 2024 and contributed to pro-Trump groups. The donor's firm previously purchased the plane for nearly $20 million less than what DHS paid. Noem also directed the agency to spend $106 million on two smaller luxury jets, and an additional $90 million for a pair of 17-year-old planes. Donald Trump's Chief of Staff Susie Wiles directed current DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin to allow the sale to go through. During Noem's tenure, DHS used taxpayer funds to purchase 10 airplanes worth more than $460 million -- most of which were left unused.
After Noem took office, the agency awarded more than $900 million in contracts to companies led by Walters.
In response, DNC Deputy Communications Director Kendall Witmer released the following statement:
"Donald Trump promised to 'drain the swamp,' yet his administration is crawling with corruption. Kristi Noem already wasted hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars on luxury planes, tricked-out trucks, and a starring role in an advertising campaign -- and now there's even more proof that those dollars were also benefiting her political donors. Americans are fed up with Trump and his inner circle and their elite donors getting rich while they are stuck with high prices on gas and groceries -- and in less than 30 days, Americans will hold Trump and Republicans accountable."
Noem had a well-established tenure of wasteful spending of taxpayer dollars. She directed at least $375 million in taxpayer money toward vanity projects, including $172 million for two private jets, $2.4 million for gold-detailed ICE vehicles, $120,000 for Mustangs for ICE, and $700,000 for tricked-out ICE trucks. Noem regularly used her position for her personal gain, including by providing over $200 million in taxpayer money to fund an ad campaign she starred in, some of which went to a private firm with which Noem has longstanding personal and business ties.
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Original text here: https://democrats.org/corruption-watch-noem-used-taxpayer-funds-for-massive-windfall-to-political-donors-firm/
