Featured Stories
Statement - MDP Chair Curtis Hertel Congratulates Abdul El-Sayed On His Debate Victory
LANSING, Michigan, Oct. 9 -- The Michigan Democratic Party issued the following news release:
* * *
October 8, 2026
STATEMENT: MDP Chair Curtis Hertel Congratulates Abdul El-Sayed On His Debate Victory
LANSING -- Tonight, following the first U.S. Senate debate of the general election, Michigan Democratic Party Chair Curtis Hertel released the following statement:
"Abdul El-Sayed delivered a decisive debate victory tonight, demonstrating why he is the clear choice to be Michigan's next U.S. Senator. A proud son of Michigan, Abdul showed up for working families with a clear, focused agenda:
... Show Full Article
LANSING, Michigan, Oct. 9 -- The Michigan Democratic Party issued the following news release:
* * *
October 8, 2026
STATEMENT: MDP Chair Curtis Hertel Congratulates Abdul El-Sayed On His Debate Victory
LANSING -- Tonight, following the first U.S. Senate debate of the general election, Michigan Democratic Party Chair Curtis Hertel released the following statement:
"Abdul El-Sayed delivered a decisive debate victory tonight, demonstrating why he is the clear choice to be Michigan's next U.S. Senator. A proud son of Michigan, Abdul showed up for working families with a clear, focused agenda:lowering everyday costs, expanding access to healthcare, and rooting out corruption in Washington. That is the leadership Michiganders deserve, and it is the vision that won the night.
"Meanwhile, Mike Rogers showed Michiganders that he is the worst kind of self-serving politician. Rogers was exposed as a corrupt multimillionaire who abandoned Michigan for a Florida mansion, passed through the 'revolving door' to get rich off the industries he regulated in Congress, and only came back when he wanted a Senate seat. After Michiganders already rejected him once, Donald Trump hand-picked Rogers to run again to serve as a rubber stamp for his toxic agenda--and Rogers proved again tonight that he will put Trump ahead of Michigan every single time."
"The choice facing voters this November could not be clearer: Abdul El-Sayed will be a dedicated Senator who always puts Michigan first, while Mike Rogers will only ever fight for himself, Donald Trump, and the corporate special interests writing his campaign checks."
* * *
Original text here: https://michigandems.com/statement-mdp-chair-curtis-hertel-congratulates-abdul-el-sayed-on-his-debate-victory/
Mich. Democratic Party: Reminder - AG Candidate Doug Lloyd Chose Not to Prosecute Alleged Fraternity Rape Case
LANSING, Michigan, Oct. 9 -- The Michigan Democratic Party issued the following news release:
* * *
October 8, 2026
REMINDER: AG Candidate Doug Lloyd Chose Not to Prosecute Alleged Fraternity Rape Case
LANSING -- As recent reporting highlights renewed national conversations about the prevalence of sexual assault on college campuses, Michigan voters should know about Attorney General Doug Lloyd's record on this issue.
The Detroit Metro Times recently reported that Republican AG candidate Doug Lloyd has a problematic history with cases involving sexual assault, child exploitation, and domestic
... Show Full Article
LANSING, Michigan, Oct. 9 -- The Michigan Democratic Party issued the following news release:
* * *
October 8, 2026
REMINDER: AG Candidate Doug Lloyd Chose Not to Prosecute Alleged Fraternity Rape Case
LANSING -- As recent reporting highlights renewed national conversations about the prevalence of sexual assault on college campuses, Michigan voters should know about Attorney General Doug Lloyd's record on this issue.
The Detroit Metro Times recently reported that Republican AG candidate Doug Lloyd has a problematic history with cases involving sexual assault, child exploitation, and domesticviolence. One case included an 18-year-old woman who reported she was "forcibly held down and sexually assaulted outside a fraternity party." Records from Lloyd's office described the alleged victim as having a "sketchy memory of events" and Lloyd did not pursue the case. Records also show that when she reported she was assaulted with a tampon in, Lloyd's office responded that "some women enjoy having sex with a tampon in."
"Doug Lloyd has repeatedly refused to prosecute predators, putting Michiganders at risk," said Leah Leszczynski, spokesperson for the Michigan Democratic Party. "The people of Michigan deserve an Attorney General who will protect them from predators and fight for justice. Lloyd's record proves that he clearly isn't up to the task."
Read more:
* Republican Doug Lloyd is running for Michigan attorney general on his three decades of experience as a prosecutor.
* But a Metro Times review of court records, charging documents, police reports, and other case files found several instances during his tenure as Eaton County prosecutor in which cases involving sexual assault, child exploitation, and domestic violence ended with reduced charges, probation instead of jail, or no prosecution at all.
* Records reviewed by Metro Times also show how Lloyd's office handled another sexual assault complaint.
* An 18-year-old woman reported that she had been forcibly held down and sexually assaulted outside a fraternity party. She went to a hospital for a rape kit immediately afterward and reported the alleged assault to police.
* According to the records, the woman later said that when she met with Lloyd's office and pointed out that she still had a tampon in at the time of the alleged assault, she was told that "some women enjoy having sex with a tampon in."
* Records from Lloyd's office described the woman as "very intoxicated" with a "sketchy memory of events" and said a witness didn't believe she was unable to consent.
* The office ultimately didn't pursue the case.
* After the case was dismissed, the woman was also the subject of a disparaging email exchanged between two police detectives and later obtained by the Lansing State Journal.
* "Lol tell her not to get drunk, bang some guy, then call assault when she realizes she made poor choices in life," the email read.
* * *
Original text here: https://michigandems.com/reminder-ag-candidate-doug-lloyd-chose-not-to-prosecute-alleged-fraternity-rape-case/
MDP Congratulates Garlin Gilchrist on His Debate Victory
LANSING, Michigan, Oct. 9 -- The Michigan Democratic Party issued the following news release:
* * *
October 8, 2026
MDP Congratulates Garlin Gilchrist on His Debate Victory
LANSING -- In response to tonight's debate between the candidates for Michigan Secretary of State, Michigan Democratic Party Chair Curtis Hertel released the following statement:
"Your vote and your personal information belong to you. Tonight, Garlin Gilchrist made clear he will fight to keep it that way as Michigan's next Secretary of State. He will defend Michigan's elections from Donald Trump's interference, shine a
... Show Full Article
LANSING, Michigan, Oct. 9 -- The Michigan Democratic Party issued the following news release:
* * *
October 8, 2026
MDP Congratulates Garlin Gilchrist on His Debate Victory
LANSING -- In response to tonight's debate between the candidates for Michigan Secretary of State, Michigan Democratic Party Chair Curtis Hertel released the following statement:
"Your vote and your personal information belong to you. Tonight, Garlin Gilchrist made clear he will fight to keep it that way as Michigan's next Secretary of State. He will defend Michigan's elections from Donald Trump's interference, shine alight on the special interests trying to buy influence, and bring his experience as a computer engineer to making government services faster and easier to use.
"Meanwhile, MAGA Anthony Forlini's willingness to hand voter data to the Trump administration and give an election denier a job in his office are disqualifying. Michiganders deserve better, and Garlin Gilchrist showed tonight why he should be our next Secretary of State."
* * *
Original text here: https://michigandems.com/mdp-congratulates-garlin-gilchrist-on-his-debate-victory/
Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee: New - Obama Marvels at Democrats' Senate Chances [Washington Post]
WASHINGTON, Oct. 9 -- The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee posted the following news release:
* * *
Oct 8, 2026
NEW: Obama Marvels at Democrats' Senate Chances [Washington Post]
With just under four weeks to go until the midterm elections, former President Barack Obama "emphasized the urgency of the political moment" and the need "not to get complacent" at a recent fundraiser that raised $3.6 million for the DSCC and Democrats' efforts to retake the Senate.
With a stellar slate of candidates who are "representative of their states and cultures," President Obama said that there are
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Oct. 9 -- The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee posted the following news release:
* * *
Oct 8, 2026
NEW: Obama Marvels at Democrats' Senate Chances [Washington Post]
With just under four weeks to go until the midterm elections, former President Barack Obama "emphasized the urgency of the political moment" and the need "not to get complacent" at a recent fundraiser that raised $3.6 million for the DSCC and Democrats' efforts to retake the Senate.
With a stellar slate of candidates who are "representative of their states and cultures," President Obama said that there arenow states in play that he "would not have imagined being in play" at the start of the cycle, going on to say Democrats are "doing an excellent job."
See for yourself:
Washington Post: Obama marvels at Democrats' Senate chances
* Former president Barack Obama expressed surprise at Democrats' expanding midterm map at a private fundraiser Wednesday night, but warned donors not to get complacent about the party's chances, according to excerpts provided to The Washington Post.
* "There are states right now in play that I would not have imagined being in play," Obama told donors in a fireside chat in Great Falls, Virginia, with Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Delaware), a vice chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. "If you had told me, and -- I know I'm the hope guy -- but if you had told me that the polling currently shows James Talarico ahead of Ken Paxton ... I would have said, eh, I don't think so."
* But Obama cautioned the crowd that winning those races is far from a sure bet.
* "All these races that are showing we've got a 2- or 3-point lead or it's a toss-up, we could end up losing all of them by 2 points," he said. "It's within the margin of error."
* The former president has been ramping up his involvement in the midterms in recent weeks, announcing an upcoming campaign stop in Michigan for Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed and cutting ads supporting candidates in crucial battlegrounds. Previously, he appeared in an ad for Iowa Senate candidate Josh Turek and at an event for Talarico.
* The fundraiser for the Senate Democrats' campaign arm raised $3.6 million.
* Obama painted a bleak picture of the state of the country and emphasized the urgency of the political moment to the donors, saying he sees a threat to democracy if the Trump administration continues on its path unchecked.
* He criticized the Supreme Court's failure to "hold the line" against the Trump administration and stressed the importance of a Democratic Senate to the judiciary, given federal judicial nominees require Senate approval.
* "If you get two more years of Trump acting with impunity, along with additional judicial appointments, so that at some point the scales may tip in the direction where he's got carte blanche, you now have a very serious danger to democracy in addition to just bad policy," Obama said.
* If Democrats control the Senate, it could make "an enormous difference" on who is appointed, Obama said.
* "I would say that the judiciary, during this moment of challenge to our democracy, has bent but not broken," Obama said. "We have seen it hold the line in some important areas. To the extent it has not, it's been the Supreme Court."
* Obama described a "breakdown in trust, the coarsening of the public discourse, the constant violation of norms, the way that our basic institutions, the executive branch, Congress, the courts seem to have been corrupted," as signs the country is on the wrong track.
* "If we found out our kids were doing some of this stuff, they would be on some serious punishment, right?" Obama said of public officials' behavior. "And so, we all get a sense of a lowering of standards of behavior that extend beyond any particular policy."
* Obama praised Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-New York) for recruiting candidates whom he described as representative of their states and cultures, mentioning Turek's focus on tariffs and Alaska Democratic candidate Mary Peltola being "all about fish."
* "Being the head of the Democratic Party is a pain in the butt, because you've got people from every walk of life," Obama said.
* He said it can be challenging to fashion a cohesive Democratic message with such disparate candidates, but that Democrats are united by core values shared by them all.
* "What I can say is that I expect Democrats to stand for treating everybody with dignity and respect," he said. Obama also listed fairness for people of different sexual orientations, equal rights between men and women, ensuring an economy that is not "rigged," and believing the government should provide every child a good education among other core values.
* "It's not that we don't have a North Star, but we have to be able to give our candidates the ability to tailor those core values into ways that speak and relate to the particularities of the state they're in," Obama said. "I think we're doing an excellent job."
* * *
Original text here: https://www.dscc.org/article/new-obama-marvels-at-democrats-senate-chances-washington-post/
Democratic Governors Association: Aaron Guckian Goes Full MAGA, Says That Rhode Island Can't Afford to Import "Lower Class" People
WASHINGTON, Oct. 9 -- The Democratic Governors Association posted the following news:
* * *
Aaron Guckian Goes Full MAGA, Says that Rhode Island Can't Afford to Import "Lower Class" People
Oct 07, 2026
In shocking and offensive comments delivered on LiveNow from Fox last week, Republican nominee for governor Aaron Guckian said that Rhode Island is "importing people who are lower class" who are making the state unaffordable.
The comments are straight out of the Trump playbook - a dog whistle demonizing "lower class" people and immigrants instead of offering real solutions to actually bring
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Oct. 9 -- The Democratic Governors Association posted the following news:
* * *
Aaron Guckian Goes Full MAGA, Says that Rhode Island Can't Afford to Import "Lower Class" People
Oct 07, 2026
In shocking and offensive comments delivered on LiveNow from Fox last week, Republican nominee for governor Aaron Guckian said that Rhode Island is "importing people who are lower class" who are making the state unaffordable.
The comments are straight out of the Trump playbook - a dog whistle demonizing "lower class" people and immigrants instead of offering real solutions to actually bringdown the cost of housing and health care for working families. And they make clear that Guckian as governor would rather attack hardworking Rhode Islanders struggling to make ends meet than take action to build a more affordable and welcoming state.
WATCH (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tRjs4boDkw) Aaron Guckian go full MAGA on Fox News:
"Aaron Guckian is officially running to be the Donald Trump of Rhode Island," said DGA spokesperson Kevin Donohoe. "A month from the election, Guckian is going full MAGA, attacking Rhode Island's working families instead of offering real solutions to make the state more affordable. Guckian's comments are hateful, out-of-touch - and show he would just be another MAGA politician who imitates Donald Trump and does nothing to lower costs."
Transcript:
Aaron Guckian: We are, you know, exporting right now, wealth, right, and we're importing people that, you know, are unfortunately lower class, and we can't afford it. We can't afford this anymore.
* * *
Original text here: https://democraticgovernors.org/updates/watch-aaron-guckian-goes-full-maga-says-that-rhode-island-cant-afford-to-import-lower-class-people/
DNC: Corruption Watch - More Grift and Pay-to-Play Politics Exposed at the Trump White House While Vance Dodges Accountability
WASHINGTON, Oct. 9 -- The Democratic National Committee posted the following news release:
* * *
October 8, 2026
CORRUPTION WATCH: More Grift and Pay-to-Play Politics Exposed at the Trump White House While Vance Dodges Accountability
-
Trump donor admits: "Donald Trump loves billionaires and any MAGA politician. He doesn't care about average rank-and-file people unless they're for his votes."
According to new reporting, Donald Trump Jr.'s ex-fiancee and U.S. ambassador to Greece, Kimberly Guilfoyle, begged a major Trump donor for $100,000 to pay her credit card bill ahead of her confirmation
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Oct. 9 -- The Democratic National Committee posted the following news release:
* * *
October 8, 2026
CORRUPTION WATCH: More Grift and Pay-to-Play Politics Exposed at the Trump White House While Vance Dodges Accountability
-
Trump donor admits: "Donald Trump loves billionaires and any MAGA politician. He doesn't care about average rank-and-file people unless they're for his votes."
According to new reporting, Donald Trump Jr.'s ex-fiancee and U.S. ambassador to Greece, Kimberly Guilfoyle, begged a major Trump donor for $100,000 to pay her credit card bill ahead of her confirmationhearing. Guilfoyle attempted to hide the six-figure request by telling the donor, "It won't show up anywhere if you wire money to American Express."
The donor, Eric Deters, who was attempting to extract a favor from the Trump administration, admitted today that Guilfoyle's ask "absolutely was a quid pro quo" and that she is a "grifter." Deters also said that Trump and his sons were "getting rich out in the open."
Today, at his "anti-fraud" press conference, when asked about these new allegations of corruption within the Trump administration, JD Vance dodged the question, saying he doesn't "know the full details." Secretary of State Marco Rubio has also refused multiple times to comment on the allegations, but told reporters that Guilfoyle was a "strong ambassador."
In response, DNC Deputy Communications Director Kendall Witmer released the following statement:
"Donald Trump's White House is the epicenter for rampant corruption. As everyday Americans dip into their savings just to pay for groceries and gas, Trump and his administration officials are profiting off the White House -- and 'fraud czar' JD Vance is turning a blind eye. Americans are getting left behind in Trump's economy, as Trump and his inner circle enrich themselves and auction off favors to the highest bidder. Americans are fed up and tired of footing the bill -- and that's why voters are going to kick Republicans to the curb this November."
This is the latest of countless instances of Trump administration officials using their positions of power to enrich themselves. The campaign finance reports of Trump's super PAC, MAGA Inc., revealed how various companies that donated to MAGA Inc. were subsequently awarded massive federal contracts or favorable actions from the administration. Trump's sons, Don Jr. and Eric, have similarly appeared to leverage their positions to further their business ventures and help companies in which they invested or joined.
It's no wonder a majority of Americans believe Trump has inappropriately profited since returning to power and that his policy decisions are influenced by his private business dealings.
* * *
Original text here: https://democrats.org/corruption-watch-more-grift-and-pay-to-play-politics-exposed-at-the-trump-white-house-while-vance-dodges-accountability/
DCCC Statement on Jake Johnson's Debate Victory Against Brad Finstad
WASHINGTON, Oct. 9 -- The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee posted the following news release:
* * *
DCCC Statement on Jake Johnson's Debate Victory Against Brad Finstad
*
DCCC spokesperson Katie Smith released the following statement about Jake Johnson's decisive win in tonight's debate against Brad Finstad:
"It's clear why Brad Finstad has spent years dodging public accountability: he cannot defend his record selling out Minnesotans. During tonight's debate, Finstad doubled down on his support for the Iran War, reckless tariffs, health care cuts, and rising prices that are crushing
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Oct. 9 -- The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee posted the following news release:
* * *
DCCC Statement on Jake Johnson's Debate Victory Against Brad Finstad
*
DCCC spokesperson Katie Smith released the following statement about Jake Johnson's decisive win in tonight's debate against Brad Finstad:
"It's clear why Brad Finstad has spent years dodging public accountability: he cannot defend his record selling out Minnesotans. During tonight's debate, Finstad doubled down on his support for the Iran War, reckless tariffs, health care cuts, and rising prices that are crushingMinnesotans - and could not answer for putting his Big Pharma allies and lobbyists ahead of Minnesotans. Jake Johnson shared his vision to lower costs for families, tackle the fraud, and fight corruption in government. He'll win this race because it's time for change."
***
Original text here: https://dccc.org/dccc-statement-on-jake-johnsons-debate-victory-against-brad-finstad/
