Tag: 2026 elections

The Weirdest Campaign Strategy Ever Seen

Of all the ways to build an image while running for office, this has got to be the worst.

California State Senator Scott Wiener just helped to kill a bill that would have prevented registered sex offenders from holding office.

The Gateway Pundit reported,

California State Senator Scott Wiener helped kill a bill that would have barred registered sex offenders from running for or holding public office in California.

On Tuesday, Wiener’s Senate Elections and Constitutional Amendments Committee defeated Assembly Bill 2753 after the measure had sailed through the State Assembly unanimously.

Authored by Assemblymember Esmeralda Soria of Merced, the bill would have prohibited anyone required to register as a sex offender under California’s three-tier system from seeking or serving in state or local offices such as city council, school board, or the legislature.

The legislation was introduced after registered sex offender Rene Campos, who pleaded no contest in 2018 to a misdemeanor involving possession of child sex abuse material, announced a bid for Fresno City Council.

Soria had promised her constituents she would act to prevent sex offenders from running.

“It’s deeply disturbing that this issue is unfolding in my own backyard. The idea that a registered sex offender could run for public office in the City of Fresno is unacceptable,” Soria said in a press release announcing the bill. “This bill will ensure once and for all that registered sex offenders are prohibited from seeking public office in California, so voters can have confidence that those seeking to represent them meet the most basic standards of public trust.”

Wiener, who chairs the committee, opposed the bill and said he would support it only if amended to apply solely to lifetime Tier 3 registrants.

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Colorado Primaries Could Impact The Midterm Elections Nationwide

Colorado Democrats voted Tuesday in primaries that could hand Republicans their most useful campaign weapon of the 2026 midterms: proof that the socialist wave crashing through New York City was never just a New York problem.

Three weeks ago, the Democratic Socialists of America notched a trio of wins in New York City that sent establishment Democrats into a panic. Darializa Avila Chevalier knocked off Rep. Adriano Espaillat, chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, in the 13th District on a platform that included shutting down prisons, eliminating ICE, erasing the southern border, and opposing the deportation of illegal immigrants regardless of criminal record. Claire Valdez took the 7th District running on citizenship and voting rights for people who entered the country illegally, taxpayer-funded transgender medical treatment, and the elimination of private health insurance. Brad Lander won in the 10th District by nearly 30 points, defeating Rep. Dan Goldman, one of the most prominent anti-Trump voices in the caucus and the man who led the push to impeach the president.

Colorado now gets to answer the question everyone in Washington has been asking since New York’s results came in: was that a fluke confined to one deep-blue city, or the opening act of something bigger? Sen. Michael Bennet and Rep. Diana DeGette, two of the biggest names in Colorado Democratic politics, both face primary challenges that party insiders are taking far more seriously than they expected to a month ago.

CNN’s Harry Enten warned Democrats about the implications last week after the New York primaries. “What is true in New York City in a Democratic primary ain’t necessarily true nationwide with the general electorate,” Enten said last week. The Democratic Socialists of America have a net favorable rating of +17 among Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents, according to Enten’s data, but are 27 points underwater with the electorate as a whole. That 44-point canyon between the party’s base and everyone else is precisely the gap Republicans intend to exploit. “Socialism has become increasingly popular among Democrats, but it is a much tougher sell in the rest of the electorate,” Enten said. Favorable views of socialism among Democrats climbed from 50% in 2010 to 66% today. Among everyone else, the number has barely moved, sitting at 30% now versus 29% sixteen years ago.

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Labor Union Leader: Execute Democrats Who Break with Graham Platner via Firing Squad

Andy O’Brien, the communications director for the Maine AFL-CIO, a statewide federation of 160 local unions, posted on social media, suggesting Democrats who refuse to support Democrat U.S. Senate nominee Graham Platner should face execution after a “revolution.”

O’Brien shared a link to a the Hill opinion piece titled, “I’m a Democratic Strategist. I Won’t Stay Silent About Graham Platner,” by Democrat strategist Laurie A. Watkins. Watkins wrote that a career spent fighting for Democratic causes does not mean blindly supporting every candidate with a “D” by their name.

O’Brien’s response was brutal, saying political consultants like Watkins would be “first up against the wall when the revolution comes.”

Before supporting Platner, O’Brien was known for publicly calling out people he accused of holding extremist or neo-Nazi views.

After facing backlash, O’Brien said the post was meant as a joke referencing a science fiction novel, not a call for violence. He apologized to anyone offended and said he never intended to suggest harming people over their political views.

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“Wants To Be More Political Than His Daddy”: Alex Soros Plows $103 Million Into Unhinged Democrats Ahead Of Midterms

The uncomfortable reality for socialist Democrats is that the anti-capitalist and anti-American movement is not an organic uprising from the working class, as they often portray in their propaganda.

The same left-wing politicians and activists who talk about dismantling capitalism and throwing wrenches into the capitalist system, all while pushing nation-killing progressive experiments across the West, are often backed by billionaire dark money and, in some cases, foreign influence networks.

A New York Post report released this weekend found that left-wing billionaire George Soros and his son, Alex Soros, who is even more politically extreme than his father, have funded Democrats and socialists to the tune of a staggering $102.8 million so far in the midterm cycle.

The Soros family seems hell-bent on advancing a far-left, radicalized agenda to reshape the nation into what can only be described as a leftist hellhole, something already present in blue cities plagued by years of violent crime and chaos.

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Grammy-winning Democrat boasted about recruiting sex offender bandmate days before they performed together at school concert

Bobby Pulido, a Democrat and Grammy-award-winning musician performed at a middle school alongside a convicted sex offender bandmate.

Pulido’s close relationship with embattled accordionist Frankie Caballero is under increased scrutiny as his race for Congress heats up.

He is running against Texas Republican Monica De La Cruz in a crucial neck-and-neck race for control of the House of Representatives. Democrats only need to flip four seats to seize the majority.

The Democrat’s appearances with Caballero occurred both before and after he served a four-year sentence for indecent sexual contact with an eight-year-old girl from 2014-2017, the New York Post first reported.

In May 2018, one year after Caballero was released from prison and placed on Texas’ Public Sex Offender Website, Pulido boasted of recruiting Caballero to his band.

Days later, the Tejano singer played with Caballero at a benefit concert for a Texas middle school. Children were present at the concert held at the Richard R Flores Stadium, according to a report from Axios. 

The Daily Mail had previously reported on Pulido’s partnership with Caballero, but the middle school show was unknown until this week.

Caballero reportedly played with Pulido as long ago as the 1990s, when the accordionist faced other charges for sexual assault that were eventually dismissed.

He continued to be featured in Pulido’s shows from time to time until 2021.

His campaign manager, Abel Prado, previously told the Daily Mail in a statement: ‘Bobby extends his deepest sympathies and support to all of the victims involved.

‘Bobby was never made aware of Caballero’s sex offender registration and would never knowingly associate with anyone with that kind of history.’

But Pulido’s campaign has indicated that the singer was aware of some of his accordionist’s problems, acknowledging a struggle with ‘addiction.’

‘When Jimmy Montez management learned of Caballero’s criminal history in 2021 he was immediately fired and that relationship was severed.’ 

The Pulido campaign did not respond to the Daily Mail’s requests for comment about the school concert gig.

A spokesperson told Axios that Republicans planted the ‘nothing story’ and that Pulido is a ‘public figure who has been an open book for over 30 years.’

Comments from a 2019 podcast interview indicate that Pulido knew about his fellow musician’s brushes with the law. 

‘He can do anything with the accordion,’ Pulido said. ‘But get this, they locked him up. I remember when I started out, I went to get him out of jail.’

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James Talarico Says Black Churches Understand Jesus Better than White Churches

Texas Democrat U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico said many white churches do not reflect the Jesus described in the Gospels and argued that black churches have a “deeper and more accurate” understanding of what it means to follow Jesus.

Speaking on the September 2024 podcast titled “Holy Conversation: Faith and Politics,” Talarico said too many white churches focus on the afterlife instead of on “freeing the oppressed and healing the sick and feeding the hungry.”

“Too many white churches are focused on the afterlife and not really much on this life,” Talarico said. “In my opinion, a lot of white churches don’t resemble the Jesus we meet in the Gospels of being out in the world, of freeing the oppressed and healing the sick and feeding the hungry.”

Talarico also praised black churches, saying they have a better understanding of what it means to follow Jesus than many white churches.

“And in the black churches that I’ve been in, they, I think because of their position in this country historically and currently, have a much deeper and more accurate understanding of what it means to follow Jesus in the 21st century,” Talarico continued. “So I’m glad that we are learning from black churches. I know my church has up in North Austin, and it sounds like this church is.”

Talarico has criticized Christianity. Earlier this year, the Texas state representative and Presbyterian seminarian told The New Yorker that Christianity is the “most violent” religion and has caused “damage” to Islam.

He has opposed President Donald Trump’s immigration restrictions on people from terrorism-prone countries and expressed support for Muslim communities. During remarks to the Pakistani American Council of Texas, Talarico condemned Trump’s restrictions on travel from countries identified as hotspots for radical Islamic terrorism, calling the president “a threat to all of us” and saying he stood with his “Muslim brothers and sisters.”

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Democrat Rep. Seth Moulton ERUPTS and Knocks Down Reporter’s Camera When Pressed on Endorsing ‘Nazi Tattoo’ Senate Nominee Graham Platner

Democrat Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA) lost it on camera Wednesday when a reporter pressed him on whether he plans to endorse the scandal-plagued Maine Democrat Senate nominee Graham Platner ahead of the midterms.

The Massachusetts congressman appeared to erupt in anger and knocked down a camera rather than give a straight answer about backing the controversial candidate.

The tense moment, captured by Fox News’ reporter Cameron Cawthorne, comes as Democrats face growing questions about party unity and which radical nominees their leaders are actually willing to stand behind in key races.

As The Gateway Pundit has reported, Graham “Nazi Tattoo” Platner, the self-described communist and oyster farmer, won Maine’s Democrat Senate primary earlier this month despite a growing list of serious scandals.

Platner has a chest tattoo resembling the Nazi SS Totenkopf (Death’s Head) symbol. He claims he got it in 2007 in Croatia without knowing its meaning and later covered it up.

He has also been hit with old Reddit posts in which he called himself a “communist,” wrote “all cops are bastards,” agreed that rural white Americans are “racist and stupid,” and referenced political violence and armed resistance.

Additional reporting revealed Platner sent sexual text messages to other women while married and faced accusations from multiple ex-girlfriends of unsettling and, in at least one case, physically threatening behavior.

He has also drawn fire for deleted Reddit comments blaming sexual assault victims and telling them to “take some responsibility.”

Moulton himself previously rushed to Platner’s defense. In late May he told CNN that Platner “clearly made a mistake” with the Nazi-linked tattoo but “owned that mistake,” “took responsibility for it,” and that it was “not disqualifying.” Moulton contrasted Platner favorably with Republican Sen. Susan Collins, whom he accused of doing “Donald Trump’s bidding.”

But when asked point-blank this week about actually endorsing the nominee, Moulton’s calm defense evaporated. The video shows him lashing out and appearing to knock over the camera instead of answering.

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James Talarico Said Christianity Is the ‘Most Violent’ Religion, Has Done ‘More Damage’ to Islam

Texas Democrat U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico, who is running against Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton, has accused Christianity of causing unmatched harm while opposing President Donald Trump’s immigration restrictions on terrorism-prone nations and repeatedly aligning himself with Muslim communities.

Texas state Rep. and Presbyterian seminarian James Talarico said earlier this year in a New Yorker profile that Christianity is the “most violent” religion and has done “more damage” to Islam than it has done to any other religion.

The remarks stand in contrast to figures from the Cato Institute, which say radical Islamic terror has killed at least 3,100 Americans in the United States since 1975, along with thousands of U.S. soldiers overseas. The Cato figures also state that radical Islamic terror has accounted for 87 percent of terrorism-related deaths over the past 50 years.

In a clip provided exclusively to Breitbart News, Talarico spoke to the Pakistani American Council of Texas and criticized President Donald Trump for restricting immigration from countries described as radical Islamic terrorism hot spots. Talarico called Trump “a threat to all of us” and said he stands with his “Muslim brothers and sisters.”

Talarico has publicly supported Muslim Texans for years. In 2017, Talarico wrote, “Proud to stand with our Muslim neighbors today. Texas is big enough for all of us. #NoBanNoWall.” Critics of Trump’s policy frequently referred to it as a “Muslim ban,” though Breitbart News noted that the January 2017 order applied to countries previously identified as particularly vulnerable to terrorism, partly because of substandard internal record-keeping, including Iraq, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen, rather than to Muslims generally.

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“Did They Screw Pratt?” – Trump Goes Off on California’s Rigged Elections, Reveals How Steve Hilton Beat the Cheat

President Trump on Tuesday went off on California’s rigged elections while delivering remarks in Macungie, Pennsylvania, saying Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt got cheated and that California gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton only won his race because the feds intervened. 

Trump responded to Pratt’s sham election earlier this month, saying, “Not possible for Spencer Pratt to have lost,” noting his massive 40,000 vote lead on election night. “3rd World Nation. Rigged Elections!” Trump continued. Trump has also said that Hilton only won because “there was too much heat on ’em” after robbing Pratt.

Trump was questioning California’s shady election rules, highlighting the law that a poll worker can be thrown in jail for a voting rights violation if they ask a voter to see their ID. And a voter’s identification “does not have to contain the voter’s address or be issued by a government agency,” according to the California Secretary of State’s office.

“How dare you ask me for my citizenship? Do you know in California, if you ask that question to a voter, you are criminally liable. In other words, they can put you in jail if you say, ‘Sir, you have proof of citizenship?’ They put you in jail if they ask that question. You’re not allowed to ask that,” Trump told the crowd. “Did you know that? It’s the craziest thing I’ve ever seen going on.”

Trump then went off on how they “screwed” Pratt. “It looked like he was going to win, or certainly be in the runoff, and then I started hearing rumors as the days went by, days and days went by, that Pratt is fading, he’s fading, I said they rigged the election,” Trump said. “And then lo and behold, he didn’t qualify, even though he was so far up.”

Trump further revealed that Trump-Endorsed California gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton “was definitely going to lose” until the US Attorney called the election offices and opened an investigation into the fraud. “About an hour after the call,” Trump said, they announced, “Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Hilton has won!”

“The election is totally rigged. California is totally rigged, all mail-in ballots, it’s a disgrace. We got to pass the Save America Act, okay?” Trump told the crowd.

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Moreno to Subpoena Newsom Over California Election Failures

Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) appeared on Donald Trump Jr.’s podcast Triggered on Monday, and he had a lot to say about Sunday’s election run-off in Colombia. Moreno, who is, of course, a Colombian immigrant, was back in his home country over the weekend as an international election observer. 

What he saw impressed him. 

In case you missed it, the right-wing candidate, Abelardo de la Espriella (aka El Tigre), beat out far-left president Gustavo Petro’s hand-picked successor, Iván Cepeda. Thankfully, El Tigre won. The numbers showed a tight race, a country divided. While it is a country divided, many say it’s not that divided, that there are many other factors at play here, but I’ll save that for another day. Petro is also carrying on about how it’s not a done deal and Israel and something else no one cares about blah blah blah, but it’s pretty much a done deal.

The right-minded world, including Marco Rubio, congratulated El Tigre almost immediately to show that we are watching. Plus, Petro’s hands are a bit tied with OFAC sanctions and other reasons why he doesn’t want to make Donald Trump and Rubio mad, so he doesn’t have much of a leg to stand on. He may make some short-term noise, but he’s gone in August and has his own personal agenda. 

But what struck Moreno and many of us who have been paying close attention to this situation is that despite all of that, the elections in Colombia actually went pretty smoothly. The country was able to have results ready in hours, thanks to its “world-class” system, which includes:  

  • Voter ID and proof of Colombian citizenship 
  • Paper, in-person ballots that are hand-counted. 
  • No widespread mail-in voting (Colombians living in other countries are allowed to vote)
  • Biometrics at some sites for additional security 
  • Transparent, observed elections that result in 99%-plus ballots counted the same night 

It’s the complete opposite of what we’ve seen recently in California, and Moreno wants to put an end to that and show people in the United States that it doesn’t have to be this way.  

“We made the decision, and I’ve talked to [Sens.] Rick Scott, Mike Lee, and Ron Johnson about this, we’re going to bring in the people who ran the Colombian election, we’re going to subpoena Gavin Newsom, and we’re going to have a hearing: California vs. Colombia,” Moreno said. “Why can Colombia run an election at that high level, and California is so incompetent? And I think the American people need to see this, Don — we’re going to put this right in their faces and say, ‘Look, the SAVE AMERICA act says prove you’re an American citizen and show who you are when you vote.’ And we can’t get 60 out of 100 Senators to vote for that? That’s a disgrace.”  

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