Latest news with #primarychallenge
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Cornyn leans into Texas redistricting fight amid uphill reelection bid
Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) is leaning into the Texas redistricting battle as he seeks to fend off a conservative primary challenge from state Attorney General Ken Paxton (R). On Tuesday, Cornyn publicly called for FBI Director Kash Patel to assist in tracking down Democrats who fled the state in protest. Two days later, the senator and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) separately confirmed that the FBI was assisting in the effort. The move to get out in front of the redistricting battle allows Cornyn to ingratiate himself with the state's deeply conservative base, who have distanced themselves from the incumbent senator in his uphill primary battle against Paxton. 'I think this is a good opportunity for Cornyn to show that he's a fighter and that's willing to take on an issue that's a red meat issue that resonates with the base. When you see those opportunities, you have to take them,' said Brendan Steinhauser, Cornyn's former campaign manager and a Texas-based GOP strategist. 'In campaigns like this, you don't get to control events. You can only control how you react and respond to them,' he continued. 'This is exactly the kind of thing he needs.' Cornyn's allies have touted the senator's move. The National Republican Senatorial Committee rolled out a digital ad titled 'Cornyn Fights, Paxton Folds.' The incumbent senator and his allies have also taken a number of swipes at Paxton in the process, pointing out that the state attorney general was in Europe as the redistricting battle erupted. Paxton had previously traveled to Scotland at the end of July and met with President Trump during his trip to his Turnberry golf course. 'Memo to @kenpaxtontx:Hey, Ken. Are you in the office today? It's kind of important. Let me know if you need the off the golf course in Scotland and do your job. President Trump and Governor Abbott need a focused AG. For once,' Cornyn said in a post on the social platform X earlier this week. An unnamed Republican strategist called Paxton's decision to stay in Europe 'a missed opportunity' but added it was not 'necessarily a vulnerability.' 'Texas Democrats doing this wasn't a surprise,' said an unnamed GOP strategist.'I'm really surprised that Paxton didn't plan better and go, 'You know what, I should probably do my visit with Trump and at least come back to Austin for a day and half.'' The same strategist argued that Cornyn's role as a federally elected official has forced him to 'cheer from the stands,' while it is easier for Paxton to get involved as a state elected official. 'It's such a state-centric issue,' the strategist said. 'If anybody, it would traditionally advantage Paxton over Cornyn just given his role in being able to use the Texas judicial system to chase these folks down.' And Paxton has emerged as a prominent voice in the fight. He initially criticized Cornyn's call for the FBI to intervene on Steve Bannon's 'War Room' podcast on Tuesday, saying it was 'purely a state issue.' But Paxton later reversed in a statement to The Hill, saying he was open to the FBI getting involved. 'I'm in full support of using every possible method to secure a quorum and hold lawless Democrat legislators accountable for abandoning Texans, including involving federal authorities and the FBI,' Paxton said. And as state attorney general, Paxton has used his office to take action against Texas Democrats. Paxton announced this week he would seek judicial orders 'declaring that runaway Democrats who fail to appear by the Speaker's deadline have vacated their office.' Additionally, Paxton said he is investigating whether former Rep. Beto O'Rourke's (D-Texas) political group is breaking laws by allegedly 'bankrolling' the state Democratic lawmakers' out-of-state travel. 'It's more about the actions he takes, it's more about the statements, it's more about having a voice in this, and you don't necessarily have to be in the state to accomplish that,' Steinhauser said. The pro-Paxton Lone Star Liberty PAC compiled mainstream media coverage of the state's redistricting saga and Paxton's response, along with conservative media figures praising the state attorney general, into a digital spot released on Friday. The redistricting battle comes as Cornyn faces the biggest fight of his political life in his bid to hold onto his seat. Outside groups backing Cornyn have spent swaths of money boosting Cornyn in recent weeks. According to The Texas Tribune, the Senate GOP leadership-affiliated One Nation has spent more than $4 million in advertising, while Texans for a Conservative Majority, another pro-Cornyn group, has spent $3.2 million. The pro-Cornyn Conservative Majority Project has spent roughly $500,000. 'They're just throwing everything at the wall possible to try to capture one poll that shows him with momentum and really gaining on Paxton,' the unnamed strategist said. 'They're doing it to get the president's attention.' Most polls have shown Cornyn consistently trailing Paxton, in many cases by double digits. Cornyn's team has maintained that there is plenty of time to close the gap by next year. There is also hope that an endorsement from Trump, who has given no indication he will wade into the primary, would boost Cornyn. 'These skirmishes on redistricting and otherwise are just bigger parts of the play for Cornyn in a mad dash to try to do anything he can to take the lead in polling,' the strategist said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CNN
30-07-2025
- Business
- CNN
New York Rep. Jerry Nadler draws a 26-year-old Democratic primary challenger
Rep. Jerry Nadler, the dean of the New York congressional delegation, is getting a primary challenger for next year — and it's not from the Democratic Socialists of America. Liam Elkind, a 26-year-old who started an organization during the Covid-19 pandemic that delivered food and medicine, is pitching his run as 'respectfully asking' Nadler to retire. He told CNN that he no longer thinks the 78-year-old Nadler has the energy nor mindset that Democrats need to respond to President Donald Trump and to rebuild their own party. 'There has to be a way of both honoring the 49-year-political career of someone like Jerry Nadler while asking him to build a bridge to the future,' Elkind told CNN. Elkind is coming into the race with the promise of heavy financial backing, including from LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman. Among the local political figures backing him are Dan Doctoroff, who served as a deputy mayor under Michael Bloomberg, and former City Councilman Rafael Espinal, who told CNN, 'This isn't about removing Nadler, but about who is the best person to carry the baton.' Nadler began his political career representing the Upper West Side of Manhattan in the State Assembly, and has been in Congress since 1992. He retains deep loyalty with voters and local politicians, and after handily winning a 2022 primary that pitted him against a fellow incumbent in a redrawn district, he represents the Upper West and Upper East sides as well as Midtown. Elkind grew up in Nadler's district. While he's now living outside of the redrawn lines in an apartment in Chelsea, he is preparing to move in with his brother on the Upper West Side for the duration of the campaign. He'll do that while completing a Ph.D. he began as a Rhodes scholar at Oxford, writing a dissertation about the effects of campaign finance reform on elections. Part of his decision to run, Elkind told CNN, was a conversation he had with Nadler this spring at a local political event. 'What's the plan?' Elkind says he asked about Trump, and says the congressman responded by saying that the president's tariffs will crash the economy and hand Democrats the midterms. 'For a man I respected, a man I grew up voting for, it felt like such an un-strategic take,' Elkind said. A Nadler spokesman called this a passing conversation at an event that wasn't a time to talk strategy. He pointed to the congressman's questioning of Trump officials at House hearings last week and headlining a rally in New York on Monday to criticize the Israeli government's conduct of the war in Gaza as just the most recent evidence of his engagement. 'Congressman Nadler will stake his record of accomplishments against anyone,' said Rob Gottheim. 'Unfortunately, with this individual, I don't think there's any record to speak of.' Nadler is 'going to serve until he doesn't,' Gottheim added. 'He feels he is an effective member of Congress.' Others in the district have been gearing up for congressional runs when Nadler retires, but not to run against him. Elkind said he ranked Democratic mayoral primary winner Zohran Mamdani fifth on his own ballot last month. He disagrees with the democratic socialist on issues including freezing rents and government-owned grocery stores, and for his declining to condemn the phrase 'globalize the intifada.' (Elkind noted that he is Jewish himself.) But Elkind said the focus on affordability and a new approach to politics is much of what's on his mind too. Meanwhile, Nadler's endorsement of Mamdani the day after the primary — done in part, people involved previously told CNN, to quiet primary concerns and connect with the direction Democratic voters chose — has backfired among some of the district's more moderate and Jewish voters who are upset he gave cover to the 33-year-old assemblyman. 'It's hard for me to imagine a better remedy for the problems that ail us in this country today than to bring the kind of leadership that Liam will bring into the arena of public issues,' Dan Weiss, the former president and CEO of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, told CNN.
Yahoo
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
State Rep. Steve Toth to challenge Congressman Dan Crenshaw in Republican primary
State Rep. Steve Toth, a Conroe Republican aligned with the rightmost faction of the Texas Legislature, announced a primary challenge to U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw on Tuesday, setting up the state's latest intra-party midterm clash. Toth, who is serving his fifth term in the Texas House, is part of a group of hardline GOP lawmakers who have rebelled against their own party's leadership, including Gov. Greg Abbott, for being insufficiently conservative. Seen as one of the most conservative members of the 150-person chamber, Toth has openly campaigned against his GOP colleagues, joined with the minority that voted against impeaching Attorney General Ken Paxton and thrown himself in the middle of the Legislature's numerous partisan battles over social and cultural issues. Now, Toth has Crenshaw — a Houston Republican who has represented his Harris County-based district since 2019 — in his crosshairs. 'The people of Congressional District 2 deserve an unwavering conservative who will fight for our convictions and never bend the knee to the radical left,' Toth said in a statement, citing Crenshaw's support of Ukraine aid and past comments about far-right members of Congress. Crenshaw has racked up a solidly conservative voting record in Congress while focusing his legislative efforts on standard GOP priorities, from border security to barring federal funding for gender-affirming care. But he has publicly sparred with the far-right House Freedom Caucus and key movement figures like Tucker Carlson — a difference he sees as being over the seriousness with which they take governance rather than a stringent ideological dispute. Crenshaw has referred to obstructionists in the conservative movement as 'grifters' and expressed frustration with right-wing members of Congress who ousted then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy and falsely claimed that the 2020 election was stolen. In a statement, Crenshaw pointed to legislative victories including securing flood mitigation funding for the Houston area, authorizing a study into breakthrough therapies for veterans with traumatic brain injuries and efforts to take on Mexican cartels. He also accused Toth of living outside the 2nd Congressional District, which was redrawn in 2021 and now covers more than half the residents of Montgomery County. 'I don't have much to say about Steve Toth—because there's not much to say,' Crenshaw said. 'While he was busy redrawing his home outside of TX-02, I was working hard for the people of TX-02.' Montgomery County voter registration records indicate that Toth's Conroe home is in the neighboring 8th District. Members of Congress do not have to live in the district they represent, though candidates who live outside the boundaries often face attacks from their opponents. Toth did not deny that he lives in the 8th District, but noted in a statement that his Texas House district overlaps almost entirely with Crenshaw's congressional district. 'I know this community, and I've been serving them for nearly a decade,' he said. The district boundary could soon change again, with congressional redistricting on the agenda for the Legislature's upcoming special session. Toth is by far the best-known primary opponent Crenshaw has faced in his career. Right-wing activist Jameson Ellis primaried Crenshaw in his past two elections — losing by 19 percentage points last year — but has said he is not running again this cycle. The primary challenge is Toth's second attempt to take down a sitting Republican member of Congress. In 2016, he challenged then-Rep. Kevin Brady, R-The Woodlands, pushing Brady to the lowest vote share of his 26-year congressional career. Despite being outspent by over $1.4 million, Toth came within 20,000 votes of unseating Brady, winning 37% in a four-way race. Shape the future of Texas at the 15th annual , happening Nov. 13–15 in downtown Austin! We bring together Texas' most inspiring thinkers, leaders and innovators to discuss the issues that matter to you. Get tickets now and join us this November. TribFest 2025 is presented by JPMorganChase.
CNN
10-07-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Democratic congressman: ‘I'm honored' Mamdani allies want to primary me
Congressman Ritchie Torres (D-NY) responds to reports that Zohran Mamdani allies are threatening to primary Torres along with four other New York City House Democrats. Torres says he is honored to be on the list and not worried about any 'Mickey Mouse' primary challengers.
CNN
10-07-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Dem Congressman: ‘I'm honored' Mamdani allies want to primary me
Congressman Ritchie Torres (D-NY) responds to reports that Mamdani allies are threatening to primary Torres along with four other New York City House Democrats. Torres says he is honored to be on the list and not worried about any 'Mickey Mouse' primary challengers.
