Free Republic

A major Democratic super PAC also pulled out of the race in the final weeks. Senate Majority PAC, which is aligned with Democratic leadership, announced a $42 million investment in the state earlier this year. A group tied to the super PAC spent $29 million before cutting its funds in mid-October. Saving America’s Future, a pro-Trump group run by former White House aide Taylor Budowich, last week gave $1 million to NC First, a super PAC that has been funding pro-Whatley television ads, according to campaign finance reports. The amount, however, is significantly less than what Republican-leaning groups have already...

Are you sitting down? Republicans are currently showing signs of PRESIDENTIAL-LEVEL midterms turnout already in early voting in crucial states. Scott Presler breaks down the POSITIVE signals he is seeing on the ground for the GOP: In Texas, Republicans are leading Democrats by 50,000 early ballots and red counties are seeing Presidential election level voter turnout. In Pennsylvania, Democrats are DOWN 100,000 mail-in ballots from 2022, Republicans are up 50,000 and our return rate is matching Democrats. In Florida, Republicans have gained the early vote lead for Byron Donalds. Don't believe the polls. Get out and Vote EARLY, @ScottPresler

During an appearance on Fox Business Network’s “Big Money,” Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS) weighed in on his contest against Kansas Democrat nominee Adam Hamilton. Latest polls show a single-digit contest between Marshall and Hamilton. According to incumbent Marshall, gas prices are keeping the race close. “Why then is this Senate race as close as it is, Senator?” FBN host Taylor Riggs asked. Marshall replied, “Well, no, I think it’s the price of gasoline. It’s that simple, and I’m not sure it’s as close as what the national polls are showing. Six years ago, I was an open seat. The poll...

An international oil benchmark hit $110 per barrel on Friday, as the industry faces persistent shocks from the U.S.-Iran and Russia-Ukraine wars. The price of Brent crude oil, the international standard, hit $110 during Friday trading. That marked the first time it has reached that high since May 20, less than three months after the U.S. and Israel launched the Iran conflict. The commodity was trading at roughly $109.75 as of late Friday afternoon. Brent crude prices peaked in late April, when the benchmark topped $120 per barrel. Oil prices shot up during the early months of the conflict with...

A new poll of the Ohio Senate and gubernatorial races shows Democrats ahead in both contests. In the Senate race, a Bowling Green State University (BGSU) poll found former Sen. Sherrod Brown (D) ahead of Sen. Jon Husted (R) by 6 points, 48 percent to 42 percent, among likely voters. When BGSU surveyed the race in September, Brown had just a 3-point lead. Ohio voters were evenly split 48 percent to 48 percent on who they think will win, regardless of whom they support. That is narrower than September, when more thought Husted would win. In the governor’s race, Democrat...

"Americans could pay far more to heat their homes with oil this winter than last, a new analysis reviewed by Axios shows, as volatile energy markets and the Iran War deepen the affordability crisis. Why it matters: Heating bills are eating into household budgets before winter sets in, with stark divides between fuel types. By the numbers: Families that heat with oil could pay about 50% more this winter than last, according to estimates from the National Energy Assistance Directors Association (NEADA), up from its 31.3% projection in mid-September. The average cost of heating a home with oil is expected...

President Donald Trump on Saturday reiterated his pledge to give every adult U.S. citizen $5,000 if Republicans retain control of both chambers of Congress in next month's midterm elections, while warning of an economic "disaster" if Democrats win."Our country is doing so well under Republican leadership that only I can make you this promise," Trump said in a video posted on Truth Social. "If Republicans win the House of Representatives and the Senate, I'm going to give all adult citizens in the United States of America $5,000.""But Democrat policies won't allow this to happen," Trump said. "In fact, the opposite...

Vance has said he will wait until after the midterms before deciding whether to run in 2028. Vance declined to speculate about whether a poor Republican showing could discourage him from running.

President Trump on Thursday said “it’s possible” the Iran war could cost him the November midterm elections by risking Republican control of the House, Senate or both. “Well, it’s possible. It should help,” Trump told reporters outside the White House before heading to a campaign rally in the Choctaw Nation in Oklahoma. “Because Iran will not have a nuclear weapon. So when you say, ‘Is it OK for Iran to have a nuclear weapon?’ I would say 100 percent of the people say no, including worldwide. So, when you say it that way, it would help. If you don’t say...

Ken Paxton, one of the party’s top Senate candidates and a Trump loyalist, said that “everybody’s numbers dropped” after the event, according to audio obtained by The Times. Ken Paxton, the Republican nominee for Senate in Texas, told a group of conservative donors and lobbyists last week that President Trump’s midterm convention in Dallas had hurt Mr. Paxton politically, according to an audio recording obtained by The New York Times. The recording, which is muffled at times, captures Mr. Paxton being asked, “Do you feel like he’s a little bit of a drag?” It is not clear from the audio...

James Talarico has gained ground in the closely watched Texas Senate race, with several prediction markets and election forecasters increasingly characterizing the contest as competitive, despite the state's long-standing Republican lean. Kalshi, a prediction market, currently gives the Democratic State Representative Talarico a 59 percent chance of winning the November election, compared with 41 percent for Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton. Another prediction market, Polymarket, similarly puts Talarico at 60 percent and Paxton at 41 percent; prediction market shares can occasionally sum to over 100 percent due to market spreads. Meanwhile, Fox News' latest Power Rankings forecast has shifted the...

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is urging “a resolution” to the Iran war, sending the strongest signal to date that Republicans on Capitol Hill are feeling the political sting of the long-drawn conflict heading into the midterm elections. “It’s been a priority and an objective of every administration, for 50 years nearly, to ensure that Iran didn’t have a nuclear capability. Now that’s done. Operation Epic Fury was an epic success. … The world is safer because of it,” Johnson said in an interview with a local TV station. “But now we’ve got to bring that to a resolution.” Johnson did...

UNITED NATIONS, Sept 22 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that Washington and Tehran were moving toward a settlement, while a senior Iranian official said Tehran could reopen the Strait of Hormuz within days if the US eased military pressure and lifted its blockade on Iranian ports.Trump's remarks came just hours after ‌he repeated a threat at the UN General Assembly to annihilate Iran if it failed to strike a deal.Speaking after a meeting with British Prime Minister Andy Burnham at the United Nations ‌in New York, Trump said: "They want to talk to us. They have been...

The U.S. national average price of diesel on Thursday surpassed $6 a gallon for the first time , according to price tracker GasBuddy, as the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran and Ukrainian attacks on Russia’s refineries have squeezed supply. Diesel fuels trucks, trains, ships and heavy equipment that keep global supply chains moving. It is also crucial to running farm equipment. The latest surge in fuel costs is adding to inflationary pressures that have already strained consumers and businesses this year, creating a political headache for President Donald Trump and Republican lawmakers as they seek to defend thin congressional majorities in...

President Trump will send $500 rebate checks to thousands of Americans who bought health insurance on Affordable Care Act exchanges, claiming they were overcharged. “Our administration is doing the right thing and giving the money back to the people who were wrongly ripped off. Nearly 1 million hardworking Americans in 30 states will soon be getting refunds of $500 each, with a check sent to their home address,” the president said in a video announcement posted on White House social media accounts Thursday morning promoting his ‘Great Healthcare Plan.” Trump said the payments would be dispatched “in just a few...

President Trump pledged a $5,000 payout to U.S. adults on Wednesday, but only if Republicans hold onto their majority in Congress come November. “Here is my promise: if the Republicans win the House of Representatives and the United States Senate, both of them … because of our tremendous strength and success economically, I will issue a dividend to every adult citizen in the United States of America for $5,000,” he said at the GOP’s midterm convention in Dallas, Texas. The legality of this disbursal is unclear. There are about 270 million adults in the U.S. Trump told attendees Wednesday that...

President Donald Trump pledged Wednesday to send every American adult $5,000 if Republicans retain control of the House and Senate in the midterm elections, an extraordinary gambit to reverse his party’s sagging fortunes in November. The dubious promise would likely cost more than $1 trillion and require congressional approval, and would further exacerbate the country’s nearly $1.8 trillion annual budget deficit and concerns about inflation. “If the Republicans win, you win with us and you get $5,000,” Trump said during the GOP’s midterm convention in Dallas. “It will be called the Trump Dividend.”

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump said Thursday he is renaming Lake Ontario to be known as “Lake America” in the United States as he exacerbates his trade war with Canada. The Republican president signed an executive order in the Oval Office that updated the lake's name for the U.S. geographic naming service. Trump cannot force Canada to follow his preferred naming convention, however.

Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) on Tuesday said President Trump will have to resume a full war with Iran days after the initial failed ceasefire deal expired. Asked if the president should follow through on his threat last month to “bomb and destroy” at least “ONE BRIDGE OR POWER PLANT” near Tehran if the Iranian regime fired at U.S. ships in the Strait of Hormuz, Scott answered in the affirmative. “I think he’s going to have to,” the Florida Republican told NewsNation’s Blake Burman in an appearance on “The Hill.” “I mean, here’s a president that doesn’t like war. None of...