House Democratic leaders are trying to flex some muscle this week after two members defected on a key procedural vote. It's stoking fury among members across the political spectrum. Why it matters: The blowup offers a preview of the chaos that party leaders could face in January if they take back the House majority. - Meanwhile, an effort to give House Democratic leaders more tools to keep their members in line next year is falling flat among rank-and-file members. - "It'll be dead by next week," predicted one senior House Democrat, speaking to Axios on the condition of anonymity to comment candidly on the maneuver. Driving the news: Reps. Jared Golden (D-Maine) and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-Wash.) touched off a flurry of anger from…
National Democrats and Republicans are pressuring local TV stations to respond in opposite ways to a new federal court ruling on political ad rates, Axios has learned. Why it matters: How they respond will have a major impact on the fight for control of Congress by deciding which party's ad money goes further in the final stretch of the 2026 midterms . - The 4th Circuit Court of Appeals this week overturned an FCC rule extending discounted ad rates for individual congressional campaigns to political parties and super PACs. - In other words: The court ruled that outside groups still have to fork over multiple times what the actual candidates pay to run political ads. - Democrats tend to do their strongest fundraising at the candidate…
A federal appeals court ruling Tuesday could erase a new midterm advantage for Republicans. Why it matters: The 2-1 ruling would block Republicans from using cash-rich party committees to buy more political TV ads at discounted rates. - Republicans plan to appeal the decision, setting up another high-stakes campaign finance fight as the fall ad wars heat up ahead of November. Driving the news: The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit ruled the FCC was wrong to extend discounted candidate broadcast rates to political parties and joint fundraising committees that include non-candidate groups for ads they coordinate with candidates. - The rates paid by super PACs and other outside groups are often several times higher than…
Mitchell Berman, the Democratic nominee in Wisconsin's First Congressional District, confirmed that accounts on the affair-seeking site Ashley Madison and the hookup platform Adult Friend Finder belonged to him, even as his campaign sells voters on his life as a devoted family man. Berman, a 40-year-old former Veterans Affairs nurse, won his August 11 primary […] The post Wisconsin Democrat's 'devoted husband' campaign image collides with Ashley Madison records appeared first on American Almanac .
Mitchell Berman, the Democratic nominee in Wisconsin's First Congressional District, confirmed that accounts on the affair-seeking site Ashley Madison and the hookup platform Adult Friend Finder belonged to him, even as his campaign sells voters on his life as a devoted family man. Berman, a 40-year-old former Veterans Affairs nurse, won his August 11 primary with 44 percent of the vote and is now challenging Republican incumbent Bryan Steil in a district President Donald Trump carried by five points in 2024. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee considers the seat in play. But a Washington Free Beacon review of data-breach records has surfaced a problem that could reshape the race before it starts. Breach data from Ashley…Open
Democrats have renewed hope that they could take back the Senate after the Cook Political Report shifted red seats to toss-ups in Texas and Iowa. Also, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee added five more House seats in its "red to blue" list. Rep. Suzan DelBene (D-WA), the chair of the DCCC, joins Peter Alexander to share more on why her party is feeling confident as November inches closer.
House Democrats went into the vote on the Stop Insider Trading Act last month groaning that it was all a big Republican set-up. Now they're fuming that the trap has been sprung. Why it matters: A well-funded Republican group is blanketing the airwaves lauding GOP lawmakers in key swing districts — including some with reputations for prolific stock trading — as champions on the issue. - "Corrupt congressmen treat the House floor like a trading floor. Thankfully, Congressman Rob Bresnahan voted to stop it," says one of the ads . - Issue advocacy group Choose Freedom Inc. has put a whopping $9 million into running the spots across nearly 20 congressional districts, according to ad tracking firm AdImpact. Catch up quick: The House voted…
AI:House Democrats are absolutely losing their minds after realizing their attempts to weaponize insider trading allegations have backfired spectacularly. Following the passage of the Stop Insider Trading Act, a well-funded Republican operation has launched a massive $9 million blitz across nearly 20 swing districts to expose the hypocrisy of leftist lawmakers who decry GOP stock trading while ignoring their own ethical rot. While Axios tries to frame this as mere political maneuvering, it is actually a devastating reality check for Democrats who are fuming that the "trap" was sprung on them. This aggressive ad campaign by Choose Freedom Inc. highlights the blatant double standards inherent in Washington, turning the very issue the…Open
Rep. Mike Lawler 's (R-N.Y.) fight to hold on to a key battleground seat is getting a behind-the-scenes assist — for now, at least — from an unlikely group: House Democrats. Why it matters: Kamala Harris carried Lawler's district in 2024, but some Democrats are privately wary of spending the small fortune it would take to oust one of the GOP's most bipartisan — and electorally savvy — members. - "If you're going to have a Republican, it's the kind of Republican we want in the Congress," a Democratic source told Axios of Lawler, also noting that the New York City area is the nation's most expensive media market. - A senior House Democrat told Axios: "I don't think Lawler is beatable." State of play: Republicans are outspending…
AI:In a revealing look at the internal calculations of the Democratic Party, reports indicate that some House Democrats may intentionally avoid spending resources to defend New York’s 17th District seat held by Republican Mike Lawler, despite it being a critical battleground for House control. While the GOP is heavily outspending the opposition with millions reserved via the Congressional Leadership Fund and other groups, some Democratic strategists are privately suggesting that Lawler may be unbeatable due to the exorbitant costs of the New York media market and his bipartisan appeal. Although leadership-aligned groups like House Majority PAC claim they will do whatever it takes to elect nominee Cait Conley and oust Lawler, internal…Open
Democrats have gone from treating Rep. Max Miller (R-Ohio) as a best-case-scenario target to a genuinely vulnerable incumbent whose downfall is worth a real investment. Why it matters: Democratic groups tell Axios they plan to put their money where their mouth is and spend to win the seat, which Trump carried by double digits in 2024. - Phil Gardner, a spokesperson for the centrist Blue Dog Action Fund, said his group spent nearly $200,000 to support Miller's Democratic opponent, Brian Poindexter, in the primary "to make sure Democrats would be on their strongest footing if Max Miller started crashing out." - "We're prepared to invest again in the general election and finish the job," he told Axios. - The Saturday deadline for Miller…
Elizabeth Simons, the billionaire daughter of late hedge-fund titan James Simons, is funneling hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Democrats' official House campaign arm, even as she simultaneously finances a super PAC backing a democratic socialist in New York. Simons donated $354,000 to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee this election cycle and cut additional […] The post Hedge-fund heiress bankrolls both Democratic establishment and socialist candidates with millions appeared first on American Almanac .
Elizabeth Simons, the billionaire daughter of late hedge-fund titan James Simons, is funneling hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Democrats' official House campaign arm, even as she simultaneously finances a super PAC backing a democratic socialist in New York. Simons donated $354,000 to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee this election cycle and cut additional checks to individual House candidates, the New York Post reported , citing an analysis of Federal Election Commission data. She also gave $250,000 last August to New Yorkers for Lower Costs, the super PAC supporting Zohran Mamdani, a self-described democratic socialist running against former Gov. Andrew Cuomo. That quarter-million-dollar check was the largest…Open
