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Fox News
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Fox News
Vance warns of 'penalty' for Dems who opposed the 'big, beautiful, bill' ahead of 2026 midterms
Vice President JD Vance said that anyone who opposed President Donald Trump's "one big, beautiful bill" should face consequences ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. The measure includes key provisions that would permanently establish individual and business tax breaks included in Trump's 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, and incorporates new tax deductions to cut duties on tips and overtime pay. All Democrats, along with five Republicans in both the House and the Senate, voted against the massive tax and domestic policy bill. However, Trump signed it into law on July 4. "Anybody who voted against it, I think they ought to pay a penalty," Vance said Monday in Canton, Ohio. "Because they voted against all those great things for the people of Akron and the people of Northeastern Ohio." "The craziest thing is if you're a Democrat and you don't like this legislation, then come and talk to us," Vance said. "Make some proposed changes. Tell us 'You know, this provision isn't so good. We'd like to change it a little bit, and if we change it, then I can get to yes.' This is the process of government. And these guys didn't even come to the White House and try to make their concerns known. They didn't try to make the legislation better. They just attack, attack, attack." Vance then said he believed Democrats don't care about grocery prices, whether employees receive a raise or not, or if Americans are even employed in the first place. "Their obsession in government is letting illegal aliens into this country, and attacking Donald J. Trump," Vance said. "I don't think the American people should reward that broken style of politics, and I don't think they're going to come November 2026." Vance's remarks come as he champions the "big, beautiful bill," with Republicans looking to defend their slim House majority — and potentially pick up a few seats — in the high-stakes 2026 midterm elections. Vance visited Pennsylvania's 8th District on July 16, when he praised the measure and offered support for the district's Republican representative, Rep. Rob Bresnahan, who was elected in 2024 and is in a vulnerable seat. Vance is also slated to speak at fundraisers for the Republican National Committee on Tuesday in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and Big Sky, Montana, Axios first reported. Among those who voted against the "big, beautiful bill" in Ohio was Rep. Emilia Sykes, who represents Canton, where Vance spoke on Monday. Sykes is in a vulnerable district as well and barely secured a victory over her opponent in the 2024 election by 2.2 percentage points, according to The New York Times. A spokesperson for Vance doubled down on the vice president's remarks on Monday and pointed to a new Wall Street Journal poll released on Friday that found that 63% of voters hold a negative view towards Democrats, and only 33% hold a favorable one – a new low since 1990. "The Democrats just hit their lowest approval rating in 35 years, and all they can do is distract voters from the enormous wins the Trump administration is racking up," a Vance spokesperson said in a statement to Fox News Digital. "Voters are sick of Democrat politicians constantly blowing hot air. Meanwhile, the vice president is visiting contested House districts around the country selling the substantive provisions in the president's landmark One Big Beautiful Bill." A Fox News poll released this month revealed that a majority of voters oppose the "big, beautiful bill." The poll, which was conducted between July 18 and 21, found that 58% of all registered voters oppose the measure, while 39% approve of it. No Democrats got on board backing the "big, beautiful bill," joined by Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Thom Tillis of North Carolina, and Rand Paul of Kentucky and Republican Reps. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., labeled the bill "cruel" during floor remarks that lasted hours on July 3, pointing to Medicaid and SNAP reforms that reports suggest would remove millions of beneficiaries from the programs. "What is contemplated in this one big, ugly bill is wrong. It's dangerous, and it's cruel, and cruelty should not be either the objective or the outcome of legislation that we consider here in the United States House of Representatives," Jeffries said.
Associated Press
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Associated Press
Former Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper will run for the US Senate in North Carolina in 2026
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Former Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper will run for the U.S. Senate in North Carolina, giving Democrats a proven statewide winner in an open-seat race that is expected to be one of the most competitive 2026 contests. Cooper made the announcement Monday with a video released on social media and his campaign website. The former two-term governor will immediately become the front-runner for the Democratic nomination in the race to succeed retiring Republican Sen. Thom Tillis. Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley plans to run for the GOP nomination, with President Donald Trump's blessing, according to two people familiar with his thinking who were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly before an official announcement. Whatley, the former North Carolina GOP chairman, received Trump's endorsement after the president's daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, passed on the seat. Cooper's candidacy is a big recruiting win for Democrats, who see the seat as a top pick-up opportunity in what will be a challenging year. To retake the majority in 2026, Democrats need to net four seats, and most of the contests are in states that Trump easily won last year. Trump won North Carolina by about 3 percentage points, one of his closest margins of victory. Trump endorsed Whatley on his Truth Social platform last week, posting that should he run, 'Mike would make an unbelievable Senator from North Carolina.' Video focuses on the middle class Cooper's video announcement emphasized the middle class, which he said is in danger of being eliminated in America with unfavorable election outcomes next year. With no mention of Trump, Cooper said 'politicians in D.C.' are 'running up our debt, ripping away our health care' and 'cutting help for the poor,' even as they 'give tax breaks to billionaires.' 'That's wrong. And I've had enough,' Cooper added. Ex-U.S. Rep. Wiley Nickel already has been campaigning for the Democratic nomination for months. Reached by phone, Nickel said he would release on Tuesday a statement about his political future. Party primaries would be March 3. State Democrats anticipating Nickel would stand aside quickly rallied around Cooper. Cooper 'is one of the best champions North Carolina has ever had, and we are confident he will flip this seat in 2026,' state Democratic Party Chair Anderson Clayton said in a release. Current Democratic Gov. Josh Stein also endorsed Cooper on Monday. Cooper's political history goes back to 1980s Cooper, 68, has been on statewide ballots going back a quarter-century — serving 16 years previously as attorney general before being first elected governor in 2016. With an electoral career going back nearly 40 years, Cooper has had a knack for winning in a state where the legislature and appeals courts are now dominated by Republicans. State law barred Cooper from seeking a third consecutive gubernatorial term. He spent the spring on a teaching gig at Harvard. 'I never really wanted to go to Washington. I just wanted to serve the people of North Carolina right here, where I've lived all my life,' Cooper said in the video. 'But these are not ordinary times.' State and national Democrats were longing for Cooper to join the race well before Tillis announced June 29 that he would not seek a third term. That news came after Trump threatened to back a primary candidate against him as Tillis opposed Medicaid reductions in the president's tax break and spending cut package. North Carolina Democrats on Senate losing streak Democrats haven't won a Senate race since 2008 in North Carolina, where independent voters tend to vote Republican in federal elections. Statewide races can be financially exorbitant because there are so many television markets — hundreds of millions of dollars are expected to be spent in the race. As governor, Cooper steered the state through the coronavirus pandemic, Hurricanes Helene and Florence and a law that became an early flashpoint in the culture wars over access to public restrooms by transgender people. That 'bathroom bill' was rolled back early in Cooper's first term, and the state's economy soared during Cooper's tenure. Medicaid expansion approved and a landmark greenhouse gases law enacted, he fell short in stopping legislation that widely expanded private school vouchers and narrowed abortion rights. Cooper's perceived accomplishments raised his national profile in 2024, making him a potential running mate for Kamala Harris until he said it 'just wasn't the right time' for him and for North Carolina. Republicans panning Cooper's long record Republicans on Monday immediately jumped on Cooper's vast political record in an attempt to paint him as having radical views. The Senate Leadership Fund, the campaign arm of Senate Republicans, released a social media video blasting in part Cooper's gubernatorial vetoes of legislation that barred transgender girls from playing on girls' sports teams in schools and that directed sheriffs to comply with federal immigration agents' requests to detain certain jail inmates. The bills ultimately became law after veto overrides. Republicans also have cited a Cooper gubernatorial administration they say was slow to respond to Helene and for executive orders that restricted businesses and school instruction too long during the pandemic. As for the roaring state economy, Republicans credit themselves through lower taxes and deregulation. 'There are people you trust in the driver's seat. Roy Cooper isn't one of them,' the National Republican Senatorial Committee said in its own video. 'Roy Cooper isn't just off course — he's a wreck.' Tillis' retirement announcement heartened far-right Republicans and strong Trump supporters who have been unhappy for years with his willingness to challenge Trump's actions and his Cabinet agency choices. Republicans had deferred to Lara Trump, who is a North Carolina native, North Carolina State University graduate and a popular former RNC co-chair with Whatley during the 2024 election campaign. She posted on the social media platform X last Thursday that she would not seek the Senate seat. Another potential candidate, first-term Rep. Pat Harrigan, R-N.C., said over the weekend he would seek reelection instead.
Newsweek
20 hours ago
- Politics
- Newsweek
Republican Warns of 'Knife Fight' for Senate Seat as Roy Cooper Enters Race
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Outgoing Senator Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican, warned that the battle for his seat will be a "knife fight in a telephone booth" as former Democratic North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper threw his name into the race on Monday. Why It Matters The Senate election in North Carolina, a battleground roughly evenly divided between Democrats and Republicans, will likely be one of the most competitive races of the 2026 midterms, particularly after Tillis opted against running for another term. Historically, the party in the White House loses seats during the midterms, so Democrats are hopeful President Donald Trump's approval rating, which most polls suggest has dropped in recent months, could give them an advantage despite a challenging map. But federal races in North Carolina have proven elusive for Democrats, who have not won the state at either the Senate or presidential level since 2008. Cooper is viewed as a strong recruit for Democrats as he enjoyed strong approval ratings during his tenure leading the state. What To Know Cooper, who served as North Carolina's governor from 2017 to 2025 and previously held four terms as attorney general, ended months of speculation on Monday, and is now the latest candidate to seek the Democratic nomination for Tillis' seat. "I have thought on it and prayed about it, and I have decided: I am running to be the next U.S. Senator from North Carolina," Cooper said in a video posted to X. I have thought on it and prayed about it, and I have decided: I am running to be the next U.S. Senator from North Carolina. — Roy Cooper (@RoyCooperNC) July 28, 2025 Tillis spoke to the outlet NOTUS last week on the potential for Cooper to enter the race against Michael Whatley, the Republican National Committee (RNC) chair, who is endorsed by Trump but has yet to formally enter the race. "It's going to be a knife fight in a telephone booth," Tillis said about the potential match-up. NOTUS reported that Tillis also said he hopes Whatley is up for the challenge of running. Cooper has touted his record of bipartisan governance, Medicaid expansion in 2023, and efforts to raise teacher pay, while asserting that the stakes for the middle class, healthcare, and economic policy are higher than ever. Polling has shown a statistical tie between Cooper and a generic Republican candidate, with each side holding 48 percent support among likely voters, according to a recent survey from co/efficient. Senator Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican, takes the elevator at the U.S. Capitol Building on June 30 in Washington, D.C. Senator Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican, takes the elevator at the U.S. Capitol Building on June 30 in Washington, People Are Saying Political science professor at Columbia University, Robert Y. Shapiro, told Newsweek via email Monday: "I can only say the obvious: The Democrats were looking for him to run. He is seen as a more moderate Democrat and he has shown he can win a major election already in the state as governor. He was considered a possible vice-presidential running mate for Kamala Harris. So has the requisite political and governing experience to win another statewide election." President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social on Thursday: "To the Great People of North Carolina, one of the most capable executives in our Country successfully ran, along with Lara Trump, the Republican National Committee. He happens to live in your incredible State, which I love, and won, including Primaries, six times in a row! My relationship with you has been fantastic, and only enhanced by the job I did after January 20th, when I took over the flood drenched areas that were abandoned by Sleepy Joe Biden and your Governor, and, through the infusion of money and hard work, fixed the problem like nobody else has the ability to do." He continued: "The one that energized that project, and so many more, was the Chairman of the RNC, Michael Whatley. I am sending this Statement out for a very good reason. Mike would make an unbelievable Senator from North Carolina. He is fantastic at everything he does, and he was certainly great at the RNC where, in the Presidential Election, we won every Swing State, the Popular Vote, and the Electoral College by a landslide! But I have a mission for my friends in North Carolina, and that is to get Michael Whatley to run for the U.S. Senate. He is STRONG on the Border, stopping Crime, supporting our Military/Veterans, cutting Taxes, and saving our always under siege Second Amendment." "I need him in Washington, and I need him representing YOU! Fortunately, I have somebody who will do a wonderful job as the Chairman of the RNC," Trump concluded. "His name is, Joe Gruters, and he will have my Complete and Total Endorsement. So, should Michael Whatley run for the Senate, please let this notification represent my Complete and Total Endorsement. HE WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!" What Happens Next? The primaries are scheduled for March 2026.
Hindustan Times
a day ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Lara Trump skips North Carolina US Senate race, clears way for Roy Cooper vs Michael Whatley
President Donald Trump's daughter-in-law Lara Trump on Thursday said she would not run for the U.S. Senate in North Carolina next year, setting the stage for an expected matchup of former Democratic Governor Roy Cooper and Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley. Roy Cooper blasted the bill in a July 3 posting on social media, saying that it hurt "working families, seniors, children and veterans so those at the top can have big tax breaks."(AP) Republicans currently hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate, and North Carolina will be the site of one of the half-dozen most competitive races in next year's midterm elections, following Republican Thom Tillis' decision not to seek reelection. "After much consideration and heartfelt discussions with my family, friends, and supporters, I have decided not to pursue the United States Senate seat in North Carolina at this time," Lara Trump said in a posting on X on Thursday. Multiple U.S. media outlets, citing unnamed sources, have reported that Whatley and Cooper intend to enter the race. The two could not be reached for comment on Thursday. North Carolina is one of six Senate races that are seen as competitive by political analysts. The other five are in Georgia, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota and New Hampshire. Democrats face an uphill battle in capturing control of the chamber, as they would need to defend seats in Michigan, Minnesota and New Hampshire where incumbents are retiring and flip at least four Republican-held seats for a majority. They are seen as having better odds of capturing the House of Representatives, though efforts underway in heavily Republican Texas to redraw district lines could dim their chances in that chamber as well. Tillis opted not to seek reelection after drawing Trump's ire for voting against a sweeping tax-cut bill that will cut Medicaid funding. That may have provided Democrats with the ammunition to help sway the state's rural voters. "It would result in tens of billions of dollars in lost funding for North Carolina, including our hospitals and rural communities," Tillis said of the massive bill the Senate passed on July 1. Cooper also blasted the bill in a July 3 posting on social media, saying that it hurt "working families, seniors, children and veterans so those at the top can have big tax breaks." On Monday, in his role as Republican National Committee head, Whatley posted criticism on social media of Representative Abigail Spanberger, the Democrat running for governor of Virginia this year. His missive might provide a hint on how a head-to-head matchup with Cooper might look. "She's an open-borders, pro-DEI, radical leftist who put America last in Congress and would do the same if she's elected as governor," Whatley said of Spanberger. (Reporting by Richard Cowan; editing by Scott Malone and Rosalba O'Brien)
USA Today
a day ago
- Politics
- USA Today
Former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper announces run for Senate in a win for Democrats
Democrats notched a big win with their recruitment of Roy Cooper for the open Senate seat being vacated by Republican Sen. Thom Tillis. WASHINGTON - Roy Cooper announced he will run for an open U.S. Senate seat in North Carolina, a big win for Democrats who had been eyeing the former two-term governor as their best chance of flipping the swing state seat in the 2026 midterms. Cooper, 68, is joining what is expected to be a competitive race to succeed Republican Sen. Thom Tillis, who said he will not seek reelection. President Donald Trump has already weighed in on the race, endorsing Republican National Committee chair Michael Whatley - who has yet to announce his candidacy - in a social media post. In a video shared on X July 28, Cooper said that he 'never really wanted to go to Washington," before adding: 'But these are not ordinary times. Cooper served as the North Carolina governor from 2017 to 2025, during which he expanded Medicaid coverage in the state, raised teacher pay and worked to address climate change. He previously served in the state's legislature and as North Carolina's attorney general. After Cooper's announcement, the National Republican Senatorial Committee, the main campaigm arm for Senate Republicans, quickly released an ad criticizing him as a 'wreck.' 'There are people you trust in the driver's seat. Roy Cooper isn't one of them,' the narrator of the ad says, knocking his decision to implement COVID-19 lockdowns and veto a bill restricting transgender athletes from participating in girls' sports, among other issues. Though former Democratic Rep. Wiley Nickel of North Carolina announced a Senate run in April, numerous news reports indicate he is deciding whether to suspend his campaign. Democrats have had mixed success in North Carolina. The party last won a Senate election in North Carolina during the the 2008 cycle, when Kay Hagan defeated then-incumbent Republican Elizabeth Dole. That's also the last time a Democratic presidential nominee won the state when Barack Obama defeated John McCain en route to capturing the White House. Hagan, meantime, lost her reelection bid to Tillis in the 2014 election. Republicans currently hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate. The North Carolina Senate race will be closely watched as Democrats seek to regain control of the upper chamber and try to block Trump's second-term agenda from advancing.
