Joy Reid Floats Conspiracy Theory That the 2026 Election Will Be Rigged: ‘Insane’ to ‘Assume We’re Going to Have Normal Elections’ By Joe DePaolo
July 6, 2025
Introduction:
(Mediaite) Former MSNBC host Joy Reid called it “insane” to “assume we’re going to have normal elections in 2026 — and added that she believes President Donald Trump intends to stay in power for the rest of his life.
Speaking Thursday with Wajahat Ali on Ali’s substack The Left Hook, Reid floated the conspiracy theory that the United States will not hold free and fair elections in 2026.
“Whenever Democrats say to me … ‘we have to coalesce for 2026,’ I always add to the end of their sentence …
‘Yeah, assuming we actually have free and fair elections,'” Reid said. “I think it’s insane, honestly, to just assume we’re going to have normal elections next year.”
Reid’s argument centered around the idea that Republican members of congress voted for the Trump-backed “Big, Beautiful” budget bill despite many expressing concerns.
Why worry about a voter backlash if the fix is in?
Tennessee Republican Announces Resignation By Craig Nigrelli
July 7, 2025
Introduction:
(Straight Arrow News) For the second time in less than a month, a Republican Congressman is leaving the House, further narrowing the GOP's already slim majority. Four-term Rep. Mark Green of Tennessee announced his resignation Friday, July 4, in a post on X.
Green, who chairs the House Homeland Security Committee, said his resignation will take effect on July 20. In his post, he wrote, "I will be doing something specifically designed to help America compete against the CCP (Chinese Communist Party), but this time in business."
What does this mean for the House?
Green's departure will temporarily reduce the GOP's House margin to 219-212, with four seats vacant. Under Tennessee law, the governor must call a special election within 10 days.
Why Thomas Massie Can Thwart Trump With Impunity By Alex Keeney
July 10, 2025
Introduction:
(Politico) Kentucky is famous for its bourbon, horses and college basketball. But in Rep. Thomas Massie’s fourth Congressional district, there are a few other pillars to know about: Cincinnati chili, served over spaghetti with Greek spices; a life-size Noah’s Ark; and a political culture that, in the words of Northern Kentucky’s political class, is a good fit for Massie’s libertarian conservatism — even if it means facing the wrath of President Donald Trump.
“Yes, we’re conservatives, but we also have independent thinking,” said Republican state Rep. TJ Roberts, a protege of Massie’s in Frankfort. “We have a consistent track record of having a very different taste, especially when we talk about foreign affairs.”
That taste has set Massie on a collision course with Trump, whom Massie has defied at key moments of his second presidency. In March, Massie ignored Trump’s wishes and voted “No” on the current continuing resolution to keep the government funded. Then, in May, Massie opposed Trump’s “big, beautiful bill,” which is to say, most of the president’s domestic agenda. Just a few weeks later, he took a swing at Trump’s foreign policy. “This is not Constitutional,” Massie said on X, embedding a screenshot of Trump’s blustery announcement that U.S. forces had struck Iran. Massie quickly threatened a war powers resolution, cosigned by Democrats, to rein Trump in.
“I am consequential here in Washington, D.C. In between launching B-2 bombers to the other side of the planet, the president spends some portion of his attention worried about what I’m going to do next,” said Massie, a 54-year-old, MIT-educated entrepreneur who founded a haptics company before moving back to his family home of Lewis County in the early 2000s.
Erm yeah, duh. Worth noting however that the GOP is even more hated rn.
Anyway, the issue is that they waffle around too much. That is the main issue, and we certainly shan't throw minorities under the bus just to "win." Can't wait for grifter pundits to once again start arguing that we need to abandon trans people.
Janelle Stelson's Chances of Beating Republican Scott Perry in Pennsylvania House Race: Poll By Isabel van Brugen
July 14, 2025
Introduction:
(Newsweek) Democrat Janelle Stelson holds a slight lead against Representative Scott Perry for a House seat in Pennsylvania's 10th Congressional District, new polling shows.
According to polling from the leading super PAC supporting House Democrats in next year's midterms shared with Politico Playbook, Stelson, a former local TV anchor, is 3 percentage points ahead of Perry in a head-to-head matchup.
Newsweek has contacted the House Majority PAC for comment.
Why It Matters
Perry, former chair of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, has represented the district since 2019. He may be in danger of losing his seat to Stelson, who narrowly lost to him by just over 5,000 votes in November.
Commandments Crusading Texas Attorney General Accused of Adultery By Mary Wingfield
July 14, 2025
Introduction:
(Baptist News Global) The Texas attorney general who has fought to get the Ten Commandments posted in every public school classroom has a problem with No. 6, according to his wife, who has filed for divorce “on biblical grounds.”
Last year, Ken Paxton also was impeached by the Texas House for a problem with No. 7, including securities fraud and a host of other accusations. However, he was acquitted by the Texas Senate in what neutral observers said was a political move urged by Donald Trump, who has well-documented problems with at least eight of the Ten Commandments.
Angela Paxton, who is a Texas state senator, posted on social media that due to “recent discoveries” she was filing for divorce on “biblical grounds.” The Texas Tribune reported the couple had not lived together for more than a year and Angela Paxton had accused her husband of adultery.
Similar accusations of adultery were prominent in Ken Paxton’s impeachment trial in 2023. Former aides accused him of having an extramarital affair with a former Senate aide.
Additional extract:
Now in his tenth year as Texas attorney general, Paxton is running in the Republican primary to unseat incumbent U.S. Sen. John Cornyn. His tenure as attorney general has featured numerous scandals, including retaliation against whistleblowers, securities fraud, bribery and corruption.
Lieutenant Governor Pamela Evette Makes It Official and Enters 2026 Face for South Carolina Governor By Bella Carpentier
July 14, 2025
Introduction:
(USA Today) The lieutenant governor of South Carolina walked through her vision for the Palmetto State as an official candidate for the 2026 governor's race before a Greenville crowd on July 14.
Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, a native of Travelers Rest, officially announced her campaign for governor on social media, closing out a campaign video with the tag "Pamela Evette for Governor." She made the in-person announcement at The Smokestack at Judson Mill event hall, which was filled with supporters.
Additional extract:
“I’ve fully supported every one of President Trump’s campaigns,” Evette said. “With President Trump back in the White House, South Carolina needs a governor who has earned his trust."
She also addressed her priorities for day one in office, which include eliminating the state income tax, creating a South Carolina department of government efficiency, and rolling back government regulatory agencies.
HarrisX NYC Poll: Tight Race Emerges in NYC Mayoral General Election, But Cuomo Stronger Than Adams Against Mamdani July 15, 2025
Introduction:
NEW YORK, July 15, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- A new poll from HarrisX finds the New York City mayoral race shaping up to be a tight and competitive contest, with Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani statistically tied with former Governor Andrew Cuomo and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa in a four-way race. While Mamdani leads Mayor Eric Adams in a head-to-head race, the poll shows Cuomo defeating the Democratic nominee by a wide 15-point margin in a one-on-one contest.
The survey of 585 registered New York City voters was conducted online between July 7–8, with key findings including:
• In a four-way race, Mamdani (26 percent) is tied with Cuomo (23 percent) and Sliwa (22 percent), all within the margin of error. Adams is at 13 percent and 15 percent of voters are undecided.
• In a three-way race without Adams, Cuomo (31 percent) is statistically tied with Mamdani (29 percent) and Sliwa (28 percent).
• In a three-way race without Cuomo, Mamdani leads by 10 points, winning 35 percent to Sliwa's 25 percent and Adams' 19 percent.
• In head-to-head matchups, Mamdani topples Adams 43 percent to 36 percent, but trails Cuomo 35 percent to 50 percent, a 15-point advantage for Cuomo.
Progressive Adelita Grijalva Wins Special Primary for Her Late Father's Seat By Jake Johnson
July 16, 2025
Introduction:
( Common Dreams) Adelita Grijalva prevailed Tuesday in an Arizona Democratic primary race to fill the U.S. House seat left vacant by the death of her father, progressive stalwart Raúl Grijalva.
Grijalva previously served on the Pima County Board of Supervisors and the Tucson Unified School District Governing Board, and her congressional bid is backed by prominent progressive lawmakers and organizations including Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), the Congressional Progressive Caucus PAC, National Nurses United, and the Working Families Party.
Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas), the chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, implored Arizona voters to turn out for Grijalva in a video message posted on the morning of the primary contest, calling her "the fighter we need to take on Trump and the establishment."
With more than three-quarters of the vote tallied, Grijalva has 62% support. Deja Foxx, a 25-year-old activist and Grijalva's closest competitor, has received 21% of the vote as of this writing, according to The Associated Press.
"This is a victory not for me, but for our community and the progressive movement my dad started in Southern Arizona more than 50 years ago," Grijalva said following her decisive win.
Trump Shares More Details on His Seemingly Blatant Plan to Rig the 2026 Elections By Ja'han Jones
July 15, 2025
Introduction:
(MSNBC) Donald Trump appears to be leading the most blatant election-rigging scheme in American history.
In the wake of The New York Times’ report last month on the Trump administration’s redistricting efforts in Texas, more details have emerged about the attempt to pressure the state’s leaders into a potentially unlawful — and certainly illiberal — mid-decade redraw of its congressional districts in order to shore up the GOP’s chances in next year’s midterms. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has instructed his state’s Republican-led legislature to craft a redistricting plan this summer, in a move my MSNBC colleague Hayes Brown aptly assessed as a mockery of the Voting Rights Act.
Trump’s civil rights-averse Justice Department has specifically targeted four House seats with sizable Black and Latino populations for redraws, according to The Texas Tribune.
And on Tuesday, Trump openly told reporters that he’s pushing for a “very simple redraw” so that Republicans pick up five seats. He added that other states could undergo redistricting as well.
You’ll note that this desperate push comes as recent polling shows that Trump’s mass deportation agenda has sparked a backlash from Americans — and after his signing of a widely unpopular budget that is primed to strip health care and food benefits from millions of Americans while blowing up the federal deficit to fund tax cuts that will largely favor the rich.
VA-GOV: Spanberger leads Virginia governor's race by 12 points: Survey
Former Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.) holds a double-digit lead over Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears (R) in the state’s gubernatorial race, according to a poll released on Wednesday.
The survey, conducted by the Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs at Virginia Commonwealth University, showed Spanberger leading Earle-Sears 49 percent to 37 percent among registered voters in the state. The latest results mark an uptick in support for Spanberger from the last poll, which showed her leading Earle-Sears 45 percent to 35 percent.
The poll’s results out of the lieutenant gubernatorial race and the attorney general race mirrored the governor’s race results. In the lieutenant governor’s race, state Sen. Ghazala Hashmi (D) leads conservative talk show host John Reid 46 percent to 36 percent, while in the attorney general race, former state Del. Jay Jones (D) Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares 47 percent to 38 percent.
However, roughly half of independents in all three matchups said they were undecided.
