Free Republic

Democrats successfully defended a conservative seat in rural Louisiana on Saturday night, as Chasity Martinez defeated Republican Brad Daigle by a dominant 62-38 margin—a massive 37-point overperformance compared to the 2024 presidential result. Republicans had hoped to score their first legislative pickup of any kind during Donald Trump’s second term, and they had good reason to think they might succeed in the 60th House District. Voters in the district, which includes part of Assumption and Iberville parishes (Louisiana’s equivalent of counties), had long backed state and local Democrats but had moved decidedly toward Republicans on the federal level in recent...

Dear Republican presidential nominee for the 2028 election: I am here from the future to tell you why you just got crushed, as the EU censor-plex completely encircles the MAGA movement and the White House is not doing nearly enough. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQuF7LBqT7A

President Donald Trump’s approval rating with Republicans has taken an eight-point hit since the fall, according to data from a national polling series. Newsweek contacted the White House via email for comment outside regular working hours. Republican National Committee (RNC) national press secretary Kiersten Pels told Newsweek that Trump has "lowered prices, secured the border, and ensured workers keep more of their hard-earned pay," adding: "With strong momentum, Republicans are united, energized, and ready to win in the midterms." Why It Matters It signals a measurable softening in GOP support over just more than three months, as overall approval numbers...

Top California Republican Steve Hilton blasted GOP rival Sheriff Chad Bianco for skipping Tuesday’s gubernatorial debate — and for taking a knee with George Floyd protesters in 2020. Before answering questions from moderators, Hilton wanted to address the “RINO who is not in the room.” “In 2020, during the Black Lives Matter riots, he took a knee when told to by BLM,” Hilton said. “Now, he says he was praying.” Hilton urged voters not to take his word for it, but see the video of the “shifty sheriff” online for themselves. ... Hilton is considered the leading Republican in the...

Campaign finance disclosures filed late Saturday revealed details of the president’s unmatched political fundraising operation.Donald Trump’s political war chest grew dramatically in the second half of 2025, according to new campaign finance disclosures submitted late Saturday, giving him an unprecedented amount of money for a term-limited president to influence the midterms and beyond. Trump raised $26 million through his joint fundraising committee in the back half of last year, and another $8 million directly into his leadership PAC. And a super PAC linked to him has more than $300 million in the bank. All together, a web of campaign accounts,...

Now over a year into the new congressional term and moving toward the midterms, the Republican-controlled U.S. Congress has been racking up one major victory after another. Don't believe it? Just look at the facts. The Babylon Bee has the receipts with the following list of things the GOP has accomplished while in power: 1. Got Little Debbie Zebra Cakes added to the Capitol cafeteria: The far-reaching magnitude of this cannot be overstated. 2. Thought long and hard about doing something: They're not sure what it was, but they definitely considered it. 3. Added a cool light show to the...

Back in 2016, I, along with a lot of people, made the argument that that election was critical to the future of the country. It was and America made the right choice. I made the same argument in 2020 and while America made the right choice the Democrats ran a coup d'état and we suffered through four years of watching whoever was controlling Joe Biden basically run the country into the ground. Then, two years ago I made the same argument, that basically, if America made the wrong choice the Republic was going to soon find its end. Thankfully America...

The Republican establishment is on the verge of extinction. Donald Trump’s first term wasn’t enough to kill it off: Trump came into office in 2017 with establishment figures such as Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan leading the party in Congress, and Trump’s own vice president, Mike Pence, had been chosen for that role as a reassurance to the old guard... This time, though, things are very different. Though congressional Republicans have yet to become thoroughly MAGA, there’s no longer a sense that GOP leaders in the House or Senate represent a distinct political brand of their own, as McConnell and...

With the notable shift among Latino voters who supported Trump in 2024—drawn by mainstream media coverage of his promised tough stance on illegal immigration—now, as millions of Venezuelans worldwide, including immigrants in Miami and Nicaraguans, celebrate the sight of their despised dictator Maduro in handcuffs, this delivers a massive boost to Trump. It not only validates his hardline foreign policy but also strikes a blow against Iran's meddling influence in Latin America, weakening Tehran's key ally in the region and advancing U.S. interests.

Republicans are demanding accountability over the Minnesota fraud scandal, accusing state Democrats of failing to prevent billions of dollars in taxpayer funds from being stolen. A Florida lawmaker is now calling for aggressive federal action, comparing the alleged fraud to "organized crime." "This is what the mafia does. They steal, they lie, they cheat," Rep. Mike Haridopolos, R-Fla., said on "Fox News Live" Thursday. "The federal government has to use the full powers that we used to destroy the mafia back in the 1960s. Nothing short of it," he added. Federal authorities have launched an operation in Minnesota to "identify,...

When Congress returns next week, lawmakers will have less than a month to pass the remaining nine appropriations bills funding federal agencies in fiscal year 2026. Already, however, there are signs of further delay, with two Republican senators pledging to vote against the bill for Labor and Health and Human Services due to its inclusion of $5.69 billion for refugee assistance services. The amount is less than the $6.3 billion that HHS’s Administration of Children and Families, which runs various refugee and asylee support programs, received in fiscal years 2024 and 2025. But it is still three times higher than...

Ben Nighthorse Campbell, the former senator and US representative of Colorado known for his passionate advocacy of Native American issues, died Tuesday. He was 92. Campbell died of natural causes surrounded by his family, his daughter, Shanan Campbell, confirmed to The Associated Press. Campbell, a Democrat who stunned his party by joining the Republican Party, stood out in Congress as much for his unconventional dress — cowboy boots, bolo ties and ponytail — as his defense of children’s rights, organized labor and fiscal conservatism.

In a move that has shocked conservatives across social media, a niqab-wearing Muslim woman named Lakeshia M. Alston has filed to run as a Republican for North Carolina State Senate District 22 in the 2026 election. Alston is the only Republican in the race so far, and her history screams lifelong Democrat. The shocking move has led many to question if this is an infiltration tactic from the left, designed to disrupt GOP primaries and hand victories to Democrats in the general election. BREAKING: This person – Lakeshia M. Alston – has filed as a REPUBLICAN for North Carolina...

"Here’s a hard truth Republicans don’t want to hear: Nancy Pelosi was a more effective House speaker than any Republican this century," she wrote. "I agree with her on essentially nothing. But she understood something we don’t: No majority is permanent." The congresswoman wrote that unlike Republicans, when Democrats hold the majority, "they ram through the most progressive policies they can," and "deliver for the coalition that elected them while they are in power." Continuing her criticism of Congress' dysfunction, Mace maintained that "the current House is restrictive and ineffective," producing "control with barely any results." She argued that "Republican...

After successfully holding strong in the face of a Democrat-led government shutdown over Obamacare, a cabal of House Republicans is now waiving the white flag on the issue.On Thursday, nearly three dozen Democrats and Republicans introduced a proposal to extend taxpayer-funded Obamacare subsidies. As Federalist Senior Contributor Christopher Jacobs has regularly reported in these pages, these Biden-era subsidies — which are set to expire at the end of this year — have been a complete and total disaster. Spearheaded by Reps. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., and Jen Kiggins, R-Va., the measure “would extend and reduce the tax credits in a two-step...

The Indiana state House on Friday approved a new slate of congressional maps that tilts all nine congressional district races in favor of the GOP. The map passed in a 57-41 vote, the local Fox affiliate report. The move sends the bill to the state Senate, where some Republicans have voiced opposition. The redraw comes as President Donald Trump pushes Republicans in other states to redraw their maps to giver Republicans an edge in the 2026 midterms.

One day before Americans across the country celebrate Thanksgiving, 22 attorneys general sued the Trump administration over eligibility changes to the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. What You Need To Know On Wednesday, 22 attorneys general sued the Trump administration over eligibility changes to the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP Their complaint alleges the U.S. Department of Agriculture acted unlawfully when it issued guidance prohibiting refugees and asylees with permanent legal status from accessing food benefits Filed in a U.S. District Court in Eugene, Oregon, the lawsuit stems from Oct. 31 USDA guidance that said asylum...

Twenty-nine Republican lawmakers have backed a bill introduced Thursday morning to end taxpayer-funded abortion travel for illegal immigrants. Led by Reps. Mark Harris (R-N.C.) and Mary Miller (R-Ill.), the legislation builds on efforts dating back to the first Trump administration, when policies were enacted to block unaccompanied minors in federal custody from accessing abortions. However, a press release from the sponsors highlights how the issue continued into the Biden era. In 2021, the administration rolled out the Unaccompanied Children Program Foundation Rule, which mandated that the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) provide “access to medical care, including transportation across state...

The left sees that she might be useful in their war to bring down TrumpIt is always interesting to see who the American left claims are the leaders of the American right. There was a time during President Trump’s first term when Steve Bannon fit the role – and relished playing it. Back then most days brought another media profile of the dark genius of the MAGA movement. The Guardian, New York Times and others were obsessed. Vanity Fair would send reporters to follow Bannon as he conquered America and, er, Europe. Documentary crews were perennially in tow. Indeed one...

Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) has publicly beclowned herself for the second time in a week by falsely accusing several Republican politicians of taking money from “somebody named Jeffrey Epstein.”“Folks who also took money from somebody named Jeffrey Epstein, as I had my team dig in very quickly—Mitt Romney, the NRCC, Lee Zeldin, George Bush, McCain-Palin,” Crocket declared on the House floor on Tuesday.Crockett: Folks who also took money from somebody named Jeffrey Epstein, as I had my team dig in very quickly, Mitt Romney. The NRCC. Lee Zeldin. George Bush. McCain-Palin. pic.twitter.com/CdwuSacQpb — Acyn (@Acyn) November 18, 2025Federal campaign finance...