Category: blaze media

Adam Hamilton — a Democrat Kansas pastor whom President Donald Trump reportedly called a “pervert” — has beaten his incumbent counterpart, Republican Roger Marshall, for U.S. Senate in a historic upset.

No Democrat from Kansas has won a U.S. Senate seat since 1932, according to the Associated Press, which called the race for Hamilton late Tuesday night with him leading Marshall by about six percentage points.

‘If you’re not in favor of same-sex marriage, then be who you are. But do it lovingly.’

Hamilton — the longtime pastor for one of the largest United Methodist churches in the nation — is a supporter of transgender rights, abortion rights, and same-sex marriage, The Hill reported.

In a Park City rally last month, Trump said Hamilton “openly mocks Jesus” due to his stance on transgender rights, the Washington Post said.

Hamilton responded by saying that Trump painting him as a “pervert” was “sad” and “pathetic,” The Hill noted. Hamilton added, “It doesn’t bother me. I feel like that says more about him than it says about me.”

NBC News said Hamilton’s “upset victory in a state Donald Trump carried by 16 points in the 2024 election gives Democrats a major boost in the fight for the Senate majority.”

RELATED: Trump bashes ‘radical left’ group accused of handing gift cards to voters: ‘This is a criminal offense!’

What’s more, the news network said Hamilton has never held public office and was registered as a Republican until earlier this year. NBC News added that Hamilton, 62, ran as a moderate and garnered bipartisan support.

Hamilton said he will work with Trump on “anything the president wants to do that’s good for the people of Kansas,” The Hill noted.

As for the defeated Marshall, NBC News said he served two terms in the House prior to winning his first term in the Senate by 11 points in 2020.

As for his sociopolitical stances, Hamilton said, “There’s room for people to have differences of opinion on things. If you’re not in favor of same-sex marriage, then be who you are. But do it lovingly.”

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​Adam hamilton, Democrat, Donald trump, Kansas, Midterm elections, Pastor, Pervert, Politics, Roger marshall, Senate 

Democratic hopes to seize control of both chambers of Congress came to fruition on Election Night.

The Republicans hoped to hold on to their slim lead in the Senate after losing the House of Representatives relatively early Tuesday night, but that effort ultimately failed.

‘President Trump did a better job promoting many of the candidates on the ballot than the candidates did themselves.’

NBC News projected the fall of the Senate, and Fox News also confirmed the development.

Democrats taking control of both chambers of Congress will severely hamper the efforts of President Donald Trump to pass laws and nominate judges. They have also indicated that they plan to open numerous investigations into the Trump administration.

“LAWYER UP,” wrote Democratic Rep. Robert Garcia of California, the incoming chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

Among the more stunning results were James Talarico beating Ken Paxton soundly for one of the Texas U.S. Senate seats and longtime Republican Sen. Susan Collins losing her seat in Maine.

Exit polling found that voters were most concerned with the economy and their worsening financial fortunes.

The president has responded to the astounding losses by blaming the quality of the Republican candidates and claiming that he would have won in a landslide had he been on the ballot.

“President Trump did a better job promoting many of the candidates on the ballot than the candidates did themselves,” read a statement from a White House official.

RELATED: Trump takes DEFIANT tone after Democrats take the House: ‘Buckle up’

Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis related what the consequences were of his party losing control of Congress.

“Chance of confirming a worthy successor to [Supreme Court] Justice Thomas and/or Alito during President Trump’s term: Zero,” he wrote in a post on social media.

“Chance of confirming a worthy successor during a hypothetical GOP admin 2029-2033: probably zero (GOP won’t be able to recapture enough seats in 28),” he added.

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​James talarico, Susan collins, White house, Midterm elections, Politics, Donald trump 

Texas has rejected Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton at the ballot box on Tuesday and voted to seat Democrat James Talarico in the U.S. Senate.

Talarico is the first Democrat elected to the U.S. Senate in Texas since 1988.

The Trump-endorsed Republican … grossly underperformed in various counties … where President Donald Trump at the very least secured healthy majority support in 2024.

Paxton, who beat incumbent Sen. John Cornyn in the GOP primary runoff, was trailing Talarico 59.4%-39% when AP called the race for his liberal opponent — a call that came after the Decision Desk HQ and NBC News dubbed Talarico the victor.

The Trump-endorsed Republican, who was dogged by numerous scandals during the campaign, grossly underperformed in various counties — such as Collin, Denton, Jefferson, and Webb — where President Donald Trump at the very least secured healthy majority support in 2024.

A White House official told Fox News’ Peter Doocy, “Candidate quality matters, and President Trump did a better job promoting many of the candidates on the ballot than the candidates did themselves.”

This defeat comes after a closely watched race in which recent polls showed Talarico leading by up to seven percentage points.

RELATED: America doesn’t need a Jesus made in our political image

RONALDO SCHEMIDT / AFP via Getty Images

Talarico, whose ally Texas state Rep. Gina Hinojosa (D) won the governor’s mansion, mopped up the vast majority of early in-person votes and mail-in votes, according to NBC News.

Talarico rebranded himself as a moderate on the campaign trail.

For example, he posed with meat after previously clutching pearls over animal welfare and the impact of meat consumption on “climate change”; walked back some of his more radical theological claims such as “God is nonbinary”; and masqueraded as a “border security Democrat” despite repeatedly voting against border and immigration security measures.

Talarico — whom White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller dubbed the “first transgender Senate candidate” — was evidently able to convince some Texans of his election-time conversion. He certainly won over members of the Bush family.

Texas’ 2026 U.S. Senate race was the most expensive non-presidential race on record, according to AdImpact. Over $407 million was reportedly spent on ads and reservations in the general Senate election — and Republicans outspent Democrats $140.7 million in vain.

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​James talarico, Ken paxton, Donald trump, Senate, Texas, Midterm election, John cornyn, Politics 

Ohio’s closely watched U.S. Senate race has been called.

The contest between incumbent Republican Sen. Jon Husted and Democratic former Sen. Sherrod Brown ended with Brown securing a Democratic pickup.

‘This victory belongs to all of us. Thank you, Ohio.’

According to the Associated Press, Brown defeated Husted in Tuesday’s special election.

As of 11:10 p.m. ET, Brown had received 48.6% of the vote to Husted’s 46.5%, with 87% of the expected votes reported.

RELATED: Amy Acton wins Ohio governor’s seat, beating Republican Vivek Ramaswamy

Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

Brown celebrated the win with a few posts, including his congratulations to fellow Democrat and the next governor of Ohio, Amy Acton.

In a second post that included a short video, Brown wrote, “This victory belongs to all of us. Thank you, Ohio.”

Husted was appointed to the Senate in January 2025 after then-Sen. JD Vance became vice president. Brown sought a return to the seat after losing his previous Senate seat to Republican Bernie Moreno in 2024.

As of Friday afternoon, the latest polling average on Blaze Poll Watch favored Sherrod Brown over Jon Husted by 3.4 points — 47.9%-44.5%.

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​Jd vance, Jon husted, Ohio, Senate race, Sherrod brown, Special election, Us senate, Politics 

President Donald Trump is not backing down despite Democrats taking the U.S. House of Representatives in the midterm elections Tuesday.

A White House official put the blame of the election night losses on Republican candidates and implied that the president was eager to ramp up his efforts to fight the left.

‘Regardless of how today plays out, President Trump’s resolve to stop the Radical Left is only going to become stronger.’

“President Trump was not on the ballot, and it’s proven that Trump voters show up when he is on the ballot,” the official said, according to The Hill.

“Also, candidate quality matters, and President Trump did a better job promoting many of the candidates on the ballot than the candidates did themselves,” the official added.

The official described the mood at the White House as “defiant” and added that voters would regret supporting Democrats.

“Anyone who voted Democrat today is going to have a serious case of buyers [sic] remorse when gas prices come down quickly when the Iran conflict is solved but they’re still stuck with [a] list of liberal extremist Democrats,” the official continued. “And a final note here: regardless of how today plays out, President Trump’s resolve to stop the Radical Left is only going to become stronger.”

The official concluded, “Buckle up.”

The president reiterated the point in a brief post on Truth Social.

“I wasn’t on the Ballot and if I was, we would have won IN A LANDSLIDE! Thank you for your attention to this matter,” he wrote.

In a previous post, he also blamed Fox News for bad coverage and touted that he had the overwhelming support of Republicans in polling.

RELATED: ‘Fire will rise’: Muslim pundit promises ‘reckoning’ if Abdul El-Sayed loses — and also if he wins

Democrats have made astounding gains on election night and are closing in on capturing the U.S. Senate. Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has conceded to his Democratic challenger, and James Talarico has flipped one of the state’s seats in the U.S. Senate.

Early exit polling showed that voters were upset about the economic fallout from the military operation against Iran, and many were not happy about the state of the economy.

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​Election night, Us house, White house, Politics, Donald trump, Democrats 

With long-time Iowa Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds wrapping up nearly a full decade in office, the Midwest state was primed for new leadership. On the ballot, Republican Zach Lahn faced off against Democrat Rob Sand to see who would lead the state, and the results are in.

Lahn, a businessman and farmer, co-founded an investment firm called Homeplace Ventures, as well as a private school in Wichita, Kansas, called Wonder. Sand has served as the state auditor of Iowa since 2018. Before that, he was a chief prosecutor with an emphasis on public corruption cases.

‘Fifteen years of work essentially goes down the drain in one election.’

Leading up to election night on Tuesday, the Iowa governor race appeared to be slipping away from Republican control. According to Blaze News Poll Watch, Sand led Lahn with more than half of voter support.

Even worse, Sand’s victory trajectory had been on a slow-but-steady climb since August, while Lahn’s prospects slid downward.

That’s why it comes as no surprise that Sand clinched the governor’s seat on election night. Sand is the first Democrat to be elected Iowa governor since 2006.

Although Iowa has morphed into a red state since electing President Donald Trump in 2016, political change is common when it comes to the Iowa governorship, often rotating between Republicans and Democrats every several decades.

RELATED: WATCH LIVE: 2026 midterm election results — Nick Freitas, John Doyle, Steve Deace, Glenn Beck

Blaze Media

Iowa resident and BlazeTV host Steve Deace has followed this race closely.

“Fifteen years of work essentially goes down the drain in one election. I assume that we’re gonna find out just how many multicolored-hair trannies truly live in the state of Iowa, ’cause they’re all gonna be running agencies there in January and acting like the last 15 years never happened,” Deace said.

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​Iowa, Zach lahn, Rob sand, Politics 

Republican Ashley Hinson and Democrat Josh Turek have campaigned for a U.S. Senate seat in Iowa, and the results are in.

Hinson and Turek have been nearly dead-even throughout most of the Senate race, based on data pulled from Blaze News Poll Watch. At times, their popularity skirted past each other, trading places with only a 0.1% difference between them.

‘What do you think about your own base if you don’t want to talk to your own base?’

However, something changed in August. Although their popularity was still closely contested, Turek took a narrow lead and kept it all the way through to election night.

After tallying up all the votes, Turek won the Senate race, while Hinson suffered an upsetting defeat.

Turek will replace Republican Sen. Joni Ernst, who is retiring this year. His victory ultimately disrupts Republicans’ Senate streak, becoming the state’s first Democrat senator since Tom Harkin retired in 2015.

RELATED: WATCH LIVE: 2026 midterm election results — Nick Freitas, John Doyle, Steve Deace, Glenn Beck

Blaze Media

Iowa resident and BlazeTV host Steve Deace, who followed this race closely, said this about Hinson:

How many conversations [do] you think I’ve ever had with Ashley Hinson? It’s a low number. Like the lowest of them all. Zero.

Somehow, I’ve managed to build the largest media platform ever to come out of the state of Iowa. I happen to have a media platform. [Hinson] wants to run for statewide office, and typically, [politicians] want to pay people like me to get access to the platform. No interest whatsoever.

What do you think about your own base if you don’t want to talk to your own base?

Both candidates on the ticket have notable political experience. Getting her start as a journalist for KCRG-TV in Cedar Rapids, Hinson later went on to serve as an Iowa House representative from 2017 to 2021, and she was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2020.

As for Turek, he has served as a House representative since 2022. Before that, he was a former professional basketball player, as well as a Paralympic medalist.

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​Iowa, Josh turek, Politics 

Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott was voted out of office on Tuesday, losing to Gina Hinojosa — an open-borders Democrat who has championed taxpayer-funded health care for illegal aliens and sanctuary cities in the Lone Star State.

Abbott, who first assumed office in 2015 and led his state through the worst of the Biden border crisis, called the Texas Democratic state representative Tuesday evening to concede the race after trailing her by double digits.

‘You all helped me to be your governor for 12 years.’

With 82% of the votes in, Hinojosa led Abbott 53%-45.7%, according to the Associated Press.

In response to the Abbott campaign characterizing her as a radical, Hinojosa said, “I plan to spend an entire campaign focused on the fact that working people are too broke,” adding that her “pronouns are mom, Texan, and soon-to-be governor.”

Hinojosa — who previously voted against restrictions on sex-rejection surgeries on kids — largely ran on a populist platform, promising to “lower healthcare, grocery, and utility costs, make home ownership a reality, and put $1500 in your pocket.”

RELATED: Paxton swept away by blue wave after most expensive Senate race on record

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Her win constitutes a major upset — not only for Abbott but in a state that hasn’t had a Democratic governor since 1995.

Although the Republican-controlled state legislature can restrict her ability to radically transform Texas, she in turn can torpedo Republican lawmakers’ agenda with vetoes and strategic appointments.

Abbott, whom then-Gov. George W. Bush appointed in 1996 to the Texas Supreme Court, battled the Obama administration as the Lone Star State’s attorney general and battled the Biden administration as its 48th governor.

He told his supporters after conceding the race, “The thing that I’m most proud about is that you all helped me to be your governor for 12 years. Thank you very much.”

The governor also said that he would help his Democratic successor with the transition.

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​Greg abbott, Texas, Gina hinojosa, Governor, Midterm election, Leftist, Politics 

In a stunning upset, Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms defeated Republican billionaire Rick Jackson Tuesday to become the first black female governor in American history and Georgia’s first Democrat governor since 1998.

Bottoms led Jackson 54.2% to 45.8% with about 85% of the expected vote counted, according to NBC News. Though Jackson ran toward the middle, his moderate disposition did nothing to stem the tide against Bottoms.

‘I’m not running to be his favorite governor.’

The last Democrat to win was Roy Barnes, who secured the seat in 1998. Barnes lost his 2002 re-election bid to Sonny Perdue, Georgia’s first Republican governor since Reconstruction ended. Republicans have held the office ever since — until now.

Jackson spent more than $200 million of his own fortune, according to AP. On the campaign trail, Jackson promised to govern like “Trump with a Southern tone” and become the president’s “favorite governor.”

Bottoms turned that line against him.

RELATED: North Carolina extends voting hours in mostly liberal areas, denies extension to some pro-Trump counties

Elijah Nouvelage/Bloomberg via Getty Images

“I’m not running to be his favorite governor,” Bottoms said during the candidates’ only debate. “I’m running to work on behalf of people like you.”

Bottoms has called for Medicaid expansion, an increase of the state minimum wage to $15 per hour, a pause on data center development, and an end to Flock camera expansion, according to AP.

She also wants to repeal Georgia’s abortion ban, which made abortions after six weeks illegal. She called it “a life and death issue.” It certainly is, though perhaps not in the way she intended.

Bottoms will succeed the term-limited Gov. Brian Kemp (R). She may not have a free hand once in office. Republicans are heavily favored to keep the state Senate, according to AP.

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​Georgia, Keisha lance bottoms, Brian kemp, Politics 

Darline Graham has lost the U.S. Senate seat long held by her brother in South Carolina.

Graham had been the Republican candidate for only a couple of months after winning a Republican primary runoff following a fast-tracked special election.

‘For the Good of our Nation … I hope Darline does this.’

Democrat Annie Andrews, a pediatrician from Kentucky, ran a tough race against Graham, where the two were neck and neck in polling to the end.

RealClearPolling showed Graham with a +2.7-point advantage just a couple of weeks out from the election. Meanwhile, Blaze News’ Poll Watch has Graham at just +1.9 in the last days before midterms.

In the end, Andrews overcame the deficit and won the seat 50.6% to 47.2% with 93% of the votes counted, according to NBC News.

RELATED: South Carolina Senate poll tracker

Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Graham was supported by President Donald Trump before she even decided to run for office, promising to endorse her if she did. Her brother won his primary in June with nearly 57% of the vote.

At the same time, Andrews defeated two Democratic primary competitors with 61.5% of the vote.

“During her visit, I asked Darline, for the Good of our Nation, to run for the U.S. Senate in the Special Republican Primary on Tuesday, August 11, 2026,” Trump said at the time, per The Hill.

“I hope Darline does this, in that there would be nobody better to honor the legacy of her beloved brother, Lindsey,” the president added.

RELATED: Conservatives demand competition — except in their own primaries

Joe Raedle/Getty Images

In October, Trump and Graham appeared face-to-face at a rally in Pendleton, South Carolina, where he gave her his full support.

Andrews had previously run in South Carolina for the House of Representatives in 2022, but lost to Rep. Nancy Mace (R).

Andrews has called for the restoration of Roe v. Wade, the expansion of Medicaid and Medicare, and to keep “families together” and ensure “due process” in regard to immigration.

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​Lindsey graham, Darline graham, South carolina, Annie andrews, Politics 

Results are in for one of the highest-profile gubernatorial elections in the country.

The highly polarizing race between Democratic candidate Amy Acton and Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy for governor of Ohio has come to a conclusion.

Acton, a physician, won the race by a 5-point margin with 87% of votes reported.

According to the Associated Press, Acton won the election by five points on Tuesday night, upsetting Republicans’ hopes of retaining the governorship, which has been held by term-limited Republican Mike DeWine since 2019.

The results of the contest were much closer than some may have expected in the red state.

Acton, a physician, won the race by a five-point margin with 87% of votes reported, according to the AP.

RELATED: Trump endorses controversial Ramaswamy ad — and bashes media trying to force him to take video down

Michael Swensen/Getty Images

One of the biggest “October surprises” of the campaign — which soon became the central pillar of the race in the eyes of many — came when Ramaswamy’s campaign featured Acton’s estranged biological mother calling her a “liar” in an expensive campaign advertisement.

Ohio has been a consistently red state for the last three presidential elections, with 2024 support reaching its zenith at roughly 55%.

As of Friday afternoon, the Blaze Poll Watch average showed Acton ahead of Ramaswamy by three points, beating him 48.2%-45.2%. Acton’s lead expanded to 4.2 points on the afternoon of Election Day.

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​Amy acton, Election results, Gubernatorial election, Red state, Vivek ramaswamy, Politics, Ohio, Mike dewine 

The U.S. House of Representatives fell relatively early to Democratic control on election night.

NBC News projected that Democrats would take over more than 240 seats in the House and seize control of the lower chamber of Congress. They needed only 218 to take control.

‘Let’s get to work.’

Democrats are hoping to increase their wins and take the U.S. Senate as well.

Polling ahead of Election Day showed the favorability rating for President Donald Trump had fallen as low as 38% in some surveys. Voters were unhappy about the economic effects of the Iran conflict and inflation eroding the wage gains under the current administration.

CBS News projected Democrats would win control of the House as well. CBS estimated that Democrats would take 253 seats, far more than they needed for a majority.

Democrats will almost certainly block as much of the president’s agenda as they can, and many have promised to use their newfound powers to investigate members of the administration and the president’s supporters.

Early exit polling showed that the economy was the top concern for 39% of the respondents. An astounding 75% said they were “angry” or “dissatisfied” about the direction of the country.

In a post on Truth Social on Tuesday, the president blamed Fox News for what he said was negative coverage about the state of the country. He has also joked that if the U.S. voters rejected him, he would move to Israel and become its prime minister.

“Let’s get to work,” reads a post from House Democrats Tuesday night.

RELATED: Even WaPo forced to admit there’s a BIG problem with election polling

Blaze News is covering the rest of the election live with Glenn Beck, Steve Deace, John Doyle, and Nick Freitas.

A Harvard University model found that Democrats have a 78% chance of winning the U.S. Senate, which would be disastrous for Republicans for the next two years.

2026 midterm polling map: Where the polls stand

pollwatch.theblaze.com

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​Election night, House democrats, House of representatives, Politics, Donald trump 

Roy Cooper has never lost an election, and his winning streak continued Tuesday.

Cooper flipped the seat of outgoing Republican Sen. Thom Tillis, who declined to run for another term in office. Tillis frequently clashed with President Donald Trump and has struck a defiant tone in his last days in office.

‘We have more in common than divides us.’

Cooper led Whatley 64.6% to 33.7% with roughly 62% of the vote in on Tuesday, according to NBC News.

Though most of the tabulated ballots so far come from early voting, Whatley won’t be able to bridge the gap with the remaining Election Day ballots. So far, Cooper has secured 66% of the early in-person vote, while Whatley has received 59% of the Election Day vote.

It’s the first time a Democrat has won a Senate seat in North Carolina since 2008, according to NBC News.

Cooper’s Election Night watch party, held at a hotel in state capital Raleigh, was jubilant. Music is blaring and attendees are celebrating with CNN playing in the background, according to an AP description.

Republicans turned their attention elsewhere since polling began to indicate a wipeout in the Southern state.

RELATED: Last-minute dirty tricks: Michigan voters reportedly being told they can’t split their ticket as Democrats defect for Rogers

Alex Wroblewski/Bloomberg via Getty Images

The national GOP began shifting North Carolina campaign cash elsewhere in October, signaling pessimism regarding Whatley’s odds, according to the AP. A top Republican super PAC canceled its ad spending in the race to protect more viable seats elsewhere in the country, according to NBC News.

President Trump slammed Cooper in his North Carolina rallies.

“He’s going to become your senator,” Trump said of Cooper at an October rally in North Carolina. “And it’s crazy.”

Whatley was aligned with Trump’s agenda, campaigning on his tax cuts and the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The Republican candidate also hit Cooper as soft on violent crime. Trump called North Carolina’s cities “blood-soaked killing fields.”

Whatley, 58, is a former state GOP and RNC chairman but has never held elected office. He trailed Cooper in fundraising.

Cooper previously won four terms as attorney general and two as governor. He ran toward the middle, focusing on affordability and promising to “make stuff cost less.”

“North Carolina — I’m grateful for your trust,” Cooper said in an X post after media outlets called his race. “We have more in common than divides us. Here’s to building better days ahead!”

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​Early voting, Roy cooper, Thom tillis, Politics, North carolina 

The Republican National Committee’s Election Integrity team warned poll workers not to break the law after reports that some told voters they weren’t allowed to split their tickets.

The RNC Counsel’s Office sent Michigan county clerks a stern letter demanding that they follow the law. The Michigan Constitution explicitly allows voters to select a straight-ticket option on the ballot but specify particular candidates from the other party farther down the ticket.

‘The RNC is monitoring this issue in real time, and we are prepared to take whatever actions are necessary to protect Michiganders’ rights to vote for the candidates of their choosing.’

“We have received credible reports from across Michigan that election inspectors are telling voters that, if they vote a straight party ticket, they may not cross over and vote for a candidate from the other party,” RNC Election Integrity counsel Luke Bunting and senior counsel James Hasson wrote in the letter. “As you know, that is false. The Michigan Constitution expressly permits voters to select the straight party option but then cast votes for individual candidates of a different party.”

“As a clerk, it is your obligation to administer this election in accordance with state law and the Michigan Constitution. The Secretary of State has been notified and has taken steps to address this issue,” the RNC lawyers wrote. “The RNC is monitoring this issue in real time, and we are prepared to take whatever actions are necessary to protect Michiganders’ rights to vote for the candidates of their choosing.”

RELATED: Scanners down, ballots ‘already submitted’: RNC plays whack-a-mole on Election Day

Anadolu/Getty Images

Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.) endorsed Republican Mike Rogers in the Michigan U.S. Senate race over Democrat Abdul El-Sayed on Sunday. She also cited El-Sayed’s close friendship with controversial streamer Hasan Piker and his views on Israel and Jewish Americans.

Several notable Jewish and black Democrats have signaled that they are voting for Rogers.

“Please don’t feel as though that you cannot, if you liked Mike Rogers, that you cannot vote for him. You can, if you want to,” Detroit City Councilwoman Mary Waters told the New York Post on Monday.

Rogers has an uphill battle ahead of him. Michigan hasn’t elected a Republican to the Senate since 1994.

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​Election integrity, Mike rogers, Poll workers, Politics, Abdul el-sayed, Michigan 

Socialism is increasingly a political liability, but Democrats appear to have found a way around the label: Sell the same socialist ideas, but leave the label behind.

And Democrats like Abdul El-Sayed and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.) are doing just that.

“Obviously, Democrats are very good at recruiting these particular candidates with a certain aura that they are confident have the potential to win, and they all have radical left socialist policy positions,” BlazeTV host Allie Beth Stuckey explains, noting that “El-Sayed has been very careful not to publicly associate with DSA” while running.

“So, something in him understands that socialism, just blatant socialism, saying that I’m a democratic socialist, the way that Bernie Sanders did, is still not popular enough,” she says.

“They think they can sell the ideas without selling the packaging of socialism. They might be right about that. The truth is, the DSA doesn’t care,” she adds.

Stuckey explains that in July of this year, “DSA officials said that they were mobilizing organizers, volunteers, and resources to support El-Sayed’s campaign.”

“So, he might not openly say, ‘I’m a socialist.’ The socialists are saying, ‘We openly support El-Sayed.’ And that tells you what you need to know,” she says.

And while AOC was talking about “the means of production using socialist terminology” just a couple of years ago, she now “won’t call herself a socialist.”

“The truth is that the Democrats are playing it well. Socialism scares a lot of people off, just the word itself,” Stuckey says.

And because of this, the Republicans have “got some work to do.”

“What happens with the Republicans,” Stuckey explains, “unfortunately, is that they run a very conservative campaign, and then they end up moderating once they get in office. What happens with progressives is that they run a moderate campaign, and they end up going to the left once they get in office.”

“So, just understand that if you’re voting, you think you’re voting for a moderate Democrat, you’re actually voting for a radical progressive,” she continues. “If you think that you’re voting, in many cases, for a hardline conservative Republican, you’re probably voting for ultimately a moderate Republican.”

“Not always, but a lot of times,” she adds.

Want more from Allie Beth Stuckey?

To enjoy more of Allie’s upbeat and in-depth coverage of culture, news, and theology from a Christian, conservative perspective, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

​Socialism, Democrats, Abdul el sayed, Midterms, Alexandria ocasio-cortez, Blazetv show 

Join the live conversation on BlazeTV! Get seven days of BlazeTV+ free and submit your questions to our hosts: https://blazetv.com/midterms

Election night 2026 is here! Join Glenn Beck, Steve Deace, John Doyle, Nick Freitas, Sara Gonzales, Pat Gray, Dave Landau, Auron MacIntyre, and more for live midterm election results, breaking updates, race calls, and analysis throughout the night.

WATCH LIVE: 2026 Midterm Election Results | Nick Freitas, John Doyle, Steve Deace, Glenn Beck

We’re following the biggest 2026 Senate, House, and governor races across America as Republicans and Democrats compete for control of Congress.

2026 MIDTERM RACES WE’RE WATCHING

Texas Senate: Ken Paxton (R) vs. James Talarico (D)Ohio Senate: Jon Husted (R) vs. Sherrod Brown (D)Georgia Senate: Jon Ossoff (D) vs. Mike Collins (R)North Carolina Senate: Roy Cooper (D) vs. Michael Whatley (R)Maine Senate: Susan Collins (R) vs. Troy Jackson (D)Michigan Senate: Mike Rogers (R) vs. Abdul El-Sayed (D)New Hampshire Senate: Chris Pappas (D) vs. John Sununu (R)Iowa Senate: Ashley Hinson (R) vs. Josh Turek (D)Pennsylvania, Virginia & New Jersey: key House races that could help determine control of Congress

Beyond the election results, we’ll discuss the future of the Republican Party, the Trump administration’s impact on the midterms, the growing influence of socialism, and what the results could mean for the 2028 presidential election.

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​Politics, News, Blazetv, Blazetv show 

North Carolina’s State Board of Elections extended voting hours for three Democrat-heavy precincts and two that swung for President Donald Trump. The board also denied requests from three other counties, two of which swung hard for Trump in 2024.

The State Board of Elections voted Tuesday to extend voting at five precincts in Columbus, Hertford, Lenoir, and Wilson Counties after what Executive Director Sam Hayes called “technical glitches.” No unofficial results will post anywhere in the state until the last site closes at 8:15 p.m., the board said.

‘These are not indications of malicious activity, and the processes are in place to respond to each scenario.’

Three of those five precincts that got extra time Tuesday went for Kamala Harris by at least 68% in 2024, according to North Carolina State Board of Elections data.

Tabor City received the longest extension. The computer system at the South Williams precinct in the Tabor City Courthouse crashed temporarily, according to the Columbus County elections director. Workers switched to an emergency backup, and no voters were turned away, the director said. The precinct has been allowed to remain open for 45 extra minutes.

In Kinston, printer problems held up the opening of the K8 precinct at Holloway Recreation Center for “about 45 minutes,” Lenoir County Elections Director Kristie Smith told the board, Neuse News reported.

The board of elections eventually gave Lenoir County’s affected precinct an extra 30 minutes of voting time.

Hertford County received two extensions for 25 minutes at Como Fire and Rescue and 30 minutes at the Murfree Center in Murfreesboro. Wilson’s city recreation building got 15.

RELATED: Scanners down, ballots ‘already submitted’: RNC plays whack-a-mole on Election Day to protect the vote

Peter Zay/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

Anyone who arrives after 7:30 p.m. at the five sites will cast a provisional ballot, per state law.

Hertford is a left-leaning jurisdiction. The county broke 62.9% for Kamala Harris in 2024.

Harris also won Wilson, albeit by a much thinner margin. Columbus went for Donald Trump by 66.6%, and Lenoir broke for him by around 53%, according to NCSBE results.

At the precinct level, things swing a bit further in Democrats’ direction, based on that same 2024 voting data.

Harris won Kinston’s K8 precinct by a whopping 94.3% for Harris. The former vice president also won Como’s and Murfreesboro’s affected precincts by around 70% each.

Trump did win south Williams by 63.5%, however.

The State Board of Elections denied Gates, Watauga, and Wilkes Counties’ requests for extended voting times, according to the News & Observer. Trump previously won Wilkes and Gates by 79.3% and 60.3% respectively, while Watauga broke 52% in Harris’ favor.

In Gates County, the person with the building key showed up late and delayed the start of voting, according to the Carolina Journal. A computer problem also delayed voting by at least 20 minutes in Wilkes County, and a voter had to be escorted in Watauga, which caused a similar delay, according to the outlet.

Hayes told reporters the issues were routine and nothing to be concerned about.

“During every election, minor disruptions arise such as power outages, tabulator issues, printer jams, longer lines than previously anticipated,” Hayes claimed, according to the News & Observer.

“These are not indications of malicious activity, and the processes are in place to respond to each scenario,” Hayes said.

The North Carolina State Board of Elections did not immediately respond to Blaze News’ request for comment.

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​Election, Kamala harris, North carolina, State law, Politics, Donald trump 

Early exit polling results were released by many outlets on Election Day, and the results showed an unhappy electorate that wasn’t terribly enthusiastic about voting for Democrats.

The results showed voters were beaten down by inflation and not too happy about the direction of the country.

‘Voters across parties express concern about affording everything from gas to groceries to utilities.’

CNN exit polling showed that the top concern for 39% of voters was the economy. Another 32% said their top concern was “democracy,” while 14% said it was immigration.

Health care, foreign policy, and crime rounded out the next three concerns at 8%, 4%, and 3% respectively.

CNN found that Trump had only a 38% approval rating and a 62% disapproval rating.

However, Democrats are not that much more popular, according to NBC News exit polling. Only 43% of respondents said they had a favorable view of Democrats, while 38% said they had a favorable view of Republicans.

And 16% said they had a favorable view of neither party.

CBS News reported that only 25% of exit poll respondents said they were “enthusiastic” or “satisfied” about the direction of the country.

Thirty-seven percent said they were “dissatisfied” with the direction of the country, while another 38% said they were “angry.”

Forty-four percent said that their financial situation was worse than two years ago. Only 38% said it was about the same, while 18% said it was better than two years ago.

“Voters are feeling it in their pocketbooks,” CBS summarized. “They are more than twice as likely to say their finances are worse rather than better, based on early exit polls. Voters across parties express concern about affording everything from gas to groceries to utilities.”

The exit polling appeared to corroborate a previous warning from pollster Frank Luntz.

“I’m still skeptical. In the end, Republicans are less likely to participate. They’re less likely to believe the polls are happening. I’m most interested in turnout,” he said in a recent segment with CNN. “They’re polling how the electorate overall feels and not polling the people [that] are actually going to participate.”

RELATED: NBC polling analyst finds MASSIVE problem for Democrats ahead of Election Day

NBC chief data analyst Steve Kornacki voiced similar skepticism about the popularity of Democrats.

“Voters out there who disapprove of Trump, aren’t happy about where the economy is, inflation, are they willing to take the next step and vote for Democrats given how unpopular Democrats are as a party?” Kornacki asked.

“Or does that keep the Democrats from fully capitalizing on what otherwise for them is a very promising political climate?” he added.

NBC reported that exit poll interviewers were going to be talking to voters outside of over 450 polling locations in 15 battleground states for the U.S. Senate elections.

The national exit polling sample will likely include more than 75,000 voters questioned at polling locations, via phone, and in online interviews.

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​Election day, Exit polls, Us senate, Midterm elections, Politics 

I hate to be the bearer of bad news. I know we all want the election madness to end — at least those of us who are not political consultants, pollsters, potential candidates, and reporters — but it is not over on November 3.

In fact, it is just beginning. Because Election Day no longer decides anything: It is merely the dividing line between one political campaign and the next.

I will be glad when Election Day has come and gone, but I’m not so naive as to believe that the vitriol will subside on Nov. 4.

Even worse, elections are no longer about policy or about determining the future of the country. Instead they have become one of two things: either a referendum on President Trump or a verdict on whose ads were most effective in destroying the opposition candidate.

Let’s skin the last skunk first. Political advertising as a general rule is the reason decent American citizens all despise politics — the dark art of getting elected.

Dirty ads are nothing new. We all remember the Willie Horton ad that helped get George H.W. Bush (R) elected president over Gov. Michael Dukakis (D) in 1988, and there are numerous other examples through the years, including LBJ’s famous “Daisy” ad that aired only once, linking his opponent to the threat of nuclear war.

But in general, dirty ads used to be a relatively small part of a campaign, held in reserve as a last desperate measure to save a flailing campaign or a single kill shot to disable a flailing opponent permanently. Not any more. These days, with the addition of named but virtually anonymous super PACs in the mix, the dirty ads air continuously from Labor Day till Election Day, with one aim only: to damage, undermine, and ultimately destroy the reputation of the opposition candidate.

Here in Montana, it wasn’t unusual in years past for candidates to run dignified campaigns that stressed issues and positive values. But those days may be over. And we’ll find out whether dirty politics pays off.

The campaign of Democrat Sam Forstag for the House seat being vacated by Rep. Ryan Zinke has been nothing but disgusting. The advertising being run on his behalf has smeared Republican candidate Aaron Flint with reckless disregard for the truth. One of the ads essentially asks, “Why do you think they call him For Sale Flint?” “They” don’t bother to answer, so I will. “They” call him that because Forstag’s supporters are making the claim without evidence.

Oh sure, the ads are well made and will probably convince some voters that Aaron Flint is corrupt, but there is no evidence other than that he takes campaign contributions from companies that Forstag opposes. But accepting lawful campaign contributions is not evidence that a candidate is for sale and never has been. In my opinion, such ads making baseless claims ought to disqualify the candidate they are backing. At the very least, they ought to make voters wary of candidates who manipulate voters with demagogic rhetoric and empty words.

RELATED: If Republicans can’t get Wyoming right, what are they fighting for?

Bobboz/iStock/Getty Images

Has Aaron Flint responded in kind? To an extent, yes, by pointing out that Forstag is not just a smokejumper as he portrays himself, but also a paid lobbyist for left-wing groups such as the ACLU. But Flint’s ads were launched well after Forstag’s started airing, and thank goodness they were, because without firing back, Flint would have been allowing his opponent to gain the upper hand by taking the low road. And here’s the key difference: Forstag’s ads are guessing about Flint’s supposed future behavior, whereas Flint’s ads are just stating facts about Forstag’s actual past behavior.

So yes, I will be glad when Election Day has come and gone, but I’m not so naive as to believe that the vitriol will subside on Nov. 4.

The partisan divide has become seemingly unbridgeable, and no matter what the results are on Tuesday, the temptation for politicians (and yes, for the rest of us) to paint political opponents as motivated by greed or stupidity will continue unabated. Nothing will change. If Republicans lose seats, Democrats will proclaim that America has repudiated Trump. If Republicans gain seats, Trump will claim vindication. And if the results are mixed, both parties will somehow manage to declare victory.

So as you are watching the election returns, consider this: Maybe it’s about time we think about what kind of results we want to see beyond who wins and who loses. Those are important, but even more important is restoring dignity to the electoral process itself.

It is not corrupt politicians we need to worry about; it is a corrupt system that encourages division, discord, and deceit. And it won’t go away unless voters stop rewarding the tactics they profess to despise.

This article was originally published by RealClearPolitics and made available via RealClearWire.

​American citizens, Election day, Election results, Nuclear war, Political ads, Political advertising, Political division, President trump, Super pacs, Realclearpolitics, November 3, Midterm elections, 2026 midterms, Opinion & analysis 

The fight to keep boys out of girls’ sports is heading for a major test at the ballot box — and the results could change everything. Founder and CEO of XX-XY Athletics Jennifer Sey is hopeful that the blue states potentially affected might be ready to finally draw a line.

“There’s ballot initiatives on November 3 in two very blue states, Washington and Colorado, where I live. If they pass their two ballot initiatives to protect girls’ sports, it’ll be the first time in blue states that there are laws specifically defining the category,” Sey tells Blaze Media co-founder Glenn Beck.

“In Washington it’s polling really well,” she explains. “I know that. In Colorado we had polling going in, and that informs our articulation of the initiative, and we got 20% more, 25% more signatures than we needed to get on the ballot. We don’t have polling right now, but going in to get the ballot initiative secured, we had very positive polling, 60%, 70%.”

“I mean, this is a unifying issue,” she adds.

“Let’s say it wins by 60%,” Glenn says. “What do you think that does to that 40%? That is going to set their hair on fire.”

“If we win in one of these deep-blue states, it could start a cascade of other blue states doing ballot initiatives, I hope,” Sey replies.

“If we win, though, I don’t think it will be over, because you’re right, the 40% or the ones who lost are going to be outraged. And just because there’s a law doesn’t mean they’re not going to keep doing what they’re doing, which is allowing boys to compete in girls’ sports,” she continues.

“But there will be a boundary, and we will have recourse when it happens. And it is happening in Washington. It happens all the time,” she adds.

In fact, it’s happening right now with a boy named Logan Mihailoff, who switched from the boys’ cross country team to the girls’ at CAS High School in Washington.

“He went from placing bottom of the pack to making the podium every time,” she says.

“So I think Washington has a great shot. I think in Colorado we have a shot. I’m nervous; I won’t lie. But I think we do have a really good shot,” she adds.

“I think the tide is turning,” Glenn says. “I think we’re in this weird place. You know, the tide is turning, but the left is becoming so angry, so angry and so vicious.”

“I think people are alerted to the crazy on the other side, and they say, ‘I don’t want to be associated with that,’” Sey agrees. “And it’s not a cascade, but one by one, little by little, I think cracks are being made, and I think people are distancing themselves from that side of things.”

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​Glenn beck, Jennifer sey, Womens sports, Transgender, Ballot initiative, Blazetv show