Steve Kornacki previews the Texas GOP primary runoff between Ken Paxton and John Cornyn
Source: NBC News Politics · Bias: Center Left
Summary
President Trump's endorsement of Texas attorney general Ken Paxton will put the president's influence to the test against incumbent GOP Sen. John Cornyn. NBC News' Steve Kornacki and Houston Chronicle's Jeremy Wallace break down the polls.
Steve Kornacki previews the Texas GOP primary runoff between Ken Paxton and John Cornyn
Center Left
President Trump's endorsement of Texas attorney general Ken Paxton will put the president's influence to the test against incumbent GOP Sen. John Cornyn. NBC News' Steve Kornacki and Houston Chronicle's Jeremy Wallace break down the polls.
President Trump late Saturday night once again urged Republican senators to “terminate the filibuster” in an effort to pass his oft-championed voting bill and other legislation “before it’s too late.” “The all Republican Senators! Terminate the Filibuster, which the Dumocrats will do as soon as they get the chance, and PASS THE SAVE AMERICA ACT,…
The Trump administration reached two weeks of renewed strikes on Iranian military targets this week, with tensions in the region remaining high heading into Sunday. Iran-backed Houthi rebels launched missiles and drone attacks at Saudi Arabia on Saturday, in an apparent retaliation for Saudi attacks on a coastal city in Yemen. It was the latest…
Maine Democrats on Saturday overwhelmingly nominated Troy Jackson, a former state Senate president and logger by trade, as their party’s nominee to challenge longtime Republican incumbent Susan Collins in November’s high-stakes US Senate election.“Well, thank you, Maine,” Jackson, 58, said after securing the votes of 566 of 571 delegates during Saturday’s special Democratic convention at Cross Insurance Center in Bangor. “Today we turn the page, today this becomes a general election campaign, and today we win the work of defeating Susan Collins in November.”“For nearly 30 years, Collins has told Maine that she is ‘concerned’,” Jackson said, referring to the 73-year-old incumbent’s go-to word when President Donald Trump and Republicans attack rights and justice. “She was concerned while she rubber-stamped Trump’s Medicaid cuts and gutted our healthcare.”“She’s concerned when she cut taxes for corporations and the wealthy,” he continued. “Concerned when she confirmed justices who overturned Roe v. Wade. And really tragically, she was concerned when she gave [US Immigration and Customs Enforcement] billions to terrorize our neighbors and murder people in the streets with no accountability.”“But concern does not lower the costs of groceries or gas,” Jackson said. “Concern does not keep our monitoring wards of rural hospitals like down in Lincoln County open. Concern does not restore all the rights that she’s taken away. Maine does not need another six years of concern. We need someone with courage. We need a fighter, and we need a senator who remembers exactly who sent them to Washington.”“So if you’ve ever been ignored, underestimated, pushed around, or told that you have to wait your turn while the rich cut the line, I’m asking you to stand with us in this campaign,” he continued. “If you believe in your heart that healthcare is a right, stand with us. And if you believe that workers deserve power, stand with us. And if you believe our freedoms are worth defending, stand with us.”“And if you believe that Maine deserves a senator who will fight like hell for working-class people, well, stand with us,” Jackson added. “We have a party to unite, we have a movement to build, and we have a senator to defeat.”Jackson’s improbably rapid rise followed former Democratic nominee Graham Platner’s withdrawal from the race earlier this month amid allegations of sexual assault and abusive behavior. Supporters of Platner’s progressive platform warned at the time that they would not back a replacement candidate who did not share the same pro-worker, anti-war agenda.While Collins spokeswoman Blake Kernen called Jackson a “low-energy version” of Platner, Maine Democrats decided the fifth-generation lumberjack fit the bill.“The working class has been left behind and forgotten about,” Shelly Mountain, a former Aroostook County Democratic Committee chairwoman and Jackson delegate at the convention, told NBC News. “He is definitely working class and always—has always—been a champion for the working class.”Progressive politicians, advocacy groups, and labor organizations cheered Jackson’s nomination, with Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) saying that “he’s ready to fight for working people and flip this seat.”International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) president Brian Bryant said Saturday that “Troy Jackson knows firsthand what it means to work hard for a living and fight for a better future for working families.”“Throughout his career, he has stood shoulder-to-shoulder with union members and working people, never backing down from a challenge when workers’ rights were on the line,” he added. “He represents the strength of a people-powered movement focused on fairness, opportunity, and economic justice. Troy has our full support as he heads to the general election.”
President Trump’s newly announced tariffs could put Republican candidates at risk going into the midterms as Democrats seek to go on the offensive over the economic impact of Trump’s trade agenda. The Trump administration announced Thursday it will impose double-digit tariffs on imports from 60 trading partners over forced labor violations. Those duties went into…
Republican lawmakers heading home for summer recess faced a messaging crisis after accomplishing little despite holding majorities in both chambers, according to Politico. GOP members were aware they will confront voters' frustration over issues dominating national attention: rising gas prices, inflation, and healthcare costs. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise attempted to project confidence Thursday."Cost of living comes up. Safety and security, border security comes up. All of them come up, you know, and that's why it's important to remind people that we're addressing those issues," he said. Yet his claims are contradicted by the Iran war consistently draining resources, driving fuel prices and souring the economy for working families. The timing of the war powers vote coincides with members leaving town and four Republican defections. In addition, Vulnerable Michigan incumbent Rep. Tom Barrett claims GOP lawmakers are already worried about Democratic takeover prospects in 2027, Politico wrote. “We have a hell of a lot of work to do, that’s clear,” one House Republican who was granted anonymity told the outlet.Watch the video below. Your browser does not support the video tag.
A Republican group has vowed to spend at least $42 million against the new nominee to be one of Maine’s Democratic senators, Troy Jackson, the Daily Caller […]
