NationalWatch

Maine voters are weighing concerns about both U.S. Senate candidates, with anxieties over Republican incumbent Senator Susan Collins’ ties to President Donald Trump outpacing concerns about Democratic challenger Troy Jackson’s progressive alignment, according to a Fox News statewide poll released Wednesday.

Collins has represented Maine in the Senate since 1997, winning her fifth term in 2020 by nearly 9 percentage points. The new survey shows more than half of Maine voters, 55%, are concerned her voting record aligns with President Trump too often, while fewer, 43%, are worried Jackson is too close to the Democratic Socialist movement.

FOX NEWS POLL: GOP DIVISIONS SHAPE TEXAS SENATE RACE

By a 14-point margin, more independents are worried Collins is too close to Trump than are concerned Jackson is too close to the Democratic Socialists.  

Jackson, a fifth-generation logger from Allagash and former president of the Maine Senate, replaced Graham Platner as the Democratic nominee in July after Platner withdrew amid an assault allegation.

Jackson’s candidacy makes the contest more of a referendum on Collins: 61% of his supporters say their vote is mainly against Collins, up from 48% when Platner was the opponent. Only 36% say they’re voting for Jackson, down from Platner’s 50%.

FOX NEWS POLL: DEMOCRATIC ENTHUSIASM SHAPES NORTH CAROLINA SENATE RACE

The contrast is even clearer for Collins: 71% of her backers say they’re voting mainly for her, up from 53% in June. Just 27% are voting against Jackson, down from 45% when it was Platner.

Despite a major change in the Democratic ticket, the survey finds the Maine Senate race remains competitive. Jackson tops Collins by 2 percentage points, 48-46%, well within the survey’s margin of sampling error. In June, Collins was ahead of Platner by 3 points. Since then, Collins’ support is down 4 points, while Jackson does 1 point better than Platner. 

Among the subgroup of voters who rate themselves a 10-out-of-10 on certainty to vote, Jackson’s edge increases to 4 points (50-46%).

By an 8-point margin, more of those backing Collins say their choice is locked in. One in five Jackson supporters say they may change their mind before voting.

Roughly 9 in 10 partisans back their respective candidate, while independents narrowly prefer Jackson.

Jackson’s best groups include liberals, women with a college degree, and those under age 35. He also leads among men under age 45 and those in union households. He’s favored by women by 4 points, while men are evenly divided.

Collins’ biggest support comes from conservatives, White evangelical Christians, men ages 45 and up, and voters without a college degree. She’s also ahead among rural and married voters.

Compared to Platner’s numbers in June, Jackson mostly holds steady with key constituencies including women, voters with a college degree, and suburban voters, while making gains among those under age 45 (12 points better than Platner). At the same time, Collins’ previous 10-point advantage among men has evaporated.  

Almost all MAGA Republicans back Collins, but that drops to three-quarters among non-MAGA Republicans (nearly one in five non-MAGA back Jackson).

For Jackson, almost all supporters of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) movement back him, but that falls to two-thirds among non-DSA Democrats and independents.

“Replacing Platner with Jackson has allowed two other factors to assert themselves — opposition to President Trump and a desire for change,” says Republican pollster Daron Shaw, who conducts Fox News polls with Democrat Chris Anderson. “The race remains close and I’d never count Collins out, but you have to give a slight edge to the Democrats here.”

FOX NEWS POLL: VOTERS WANT MAJOR CHANGE AMID ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL DISCONTENT

Collins is the only GOP senator running for reelection this year from a state Trump lost in 2024 (former Vice President Kamala Harris won the Pine Tree State by 7 points). Meanwhile, Trump’s personal favorable rating is underwater by 20 points (39% favorable vs. 59% unfavorable).

Democrats view Maine as a must-win seat in their effort to take control of the Senate.

Inflation remains the top issue in Maine, as one-third say it will be the most important factor in deciding their Senate vote. The other priorities are immigration/border security, healthcare, and political divisions within the country.

Part of Jackson’s lead is built on the support of the 4 in 10 who say they’re falling behind financially, where he leads by 29 points.

Ratings of Collins are unfavorable by 10 points (44% vs. 54%), which is more negative than in June when her ratings were underwater by 3 points (47-50%). Jackson’s favorable rating is positive by a single point (47% favorable vs. 46% unfavorable). Views of both Senate candidates are more positive than those of their respective political parties. 

Voters who hold negative opinions of both candidates prefer Jackson by 3 points in the horse race, while those viewing both major parties unfavorably back him by 22 points. 

Ratings for both MAGA and DSA are about equally negative, with MAGA at minus 19 points and DSA at minus 21. However, there is more intensity in views of MAGA, as 50% have a “strongly” unfavorable opinion of it compared to 38% saying the same about DSA.

Many more Democrats than Republicans say they’re extremely interested in the election (D+18), and are more motivated to vote (D+9), but nearly equal numbers of both groups say they are certain to cast a ballot in November (D+3). 

In the governor’s race, Democrat Hannah Pingree continues to lead Republican Bobby Charles by 11 points, with third-party candidate Rick Bennett garnering 9%. However, nearly 3 voters in 10 say their preference in the race could change.

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Party loyalty plays a big part in Pingree’s lead, as more Democrats (92%) support her than Republicans (83%) back Charles — and the largest share of independents favor her as well.

Pingree’s personal favorable rating is net positive by 15 points (52% favorable vs. 37% unfavorable). Charles’ rating is underwater by 6 (36% vs. 42%), while 23% are unfamiliar with him. Bennett is even less well known, with 52% unable to rate him.

Conducted August 6-10, 2026, under the joint direction of Beacon Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R), this Fox News Poll includes interviews with a sample of 1,000 Maine registered voters randomly selected from a statewide voter file. Respondents spoke with live interviewers on landlines (128) and cellphones (626) or completed the survey online after receiving a text message (246). Results based on the full sample have a margin of sampling error of ± 3 percentage points. Sampling error for results among subgroups is higher. In addition to sampling error, question wording and order can influence results. Sources for developing weight targets include the most recent American Community Survey, Fox News Voter Analysis, and voter file data. Weights are generally applied to age, race, education, and area variables to ensure the demographics of respondents are representative of the registered voter population. Results among subgroups are only shown when the sample size is at least N=100. 

Fox News’ Victoria Balara contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump’s cloak-and-dagger departure from Ankara, Turkey, last month — secretly slipping off the plane he was seen boarding — was an extraordinary security maneuver, but the playbook for disguising his movements aboard Air Force One dates back years.

Trump himself has long talked about the brilliance of the bait-and-switching during his first term.

Trump’s Dec. 26, 2018, surprise Christmas trip to U.S. troops in Iraq featured a darkened Air Force One, closed window shades and an unusual military call sign intended to obscure the presidential jet’s movement. That operation was ultimately pierced by a British plane spotter, however, prompting the White House to go considerably further the following year by leaving one presidential 747 parked conspicuously in Florida while Trump secretly flew another to Afghanistan.

The history gives fresh context to reports this week detailing an even more elaborate deception July 8, when Trump left a NATO summit in Ankara amid what U.S. officials described as a credible Iranian threat against the president or his aircraft.

TRUMP USED CATERING TRUCK, AIR FORCE ONE DECOY TO EVADE IRAN THREAT: REPORT

Trump publicly boarded the legacy blue-and-white Air Force One before secretly exiting through another door into an airport catering truck and transferring to an Air Force C-32A, a modified Boeing 757, according to reports.

The larger presidential jet then departed with journalists and some White House staff aboard, with the assumption that Trump was traveling with them.

“Well, it’s only up to the Secret Service; I just follow what they’d like to do,” Trump told reporters Tuesday night after traveling to Geneva, Ohio, for the Freedom 250 Patriot Games. “So I go by the Secret Service and the military.

“They wanted me to go on a different flight, a different plane, equal safety – but they wanted me to do it, so I do it. I do what they say.”

While the call sign Air Force One (AF1) changes to wherever the president is purportedly traveling, the decoy operations are a shell game to keep U.S. enemies in the dark.

The July 8 legacy 747 used the “AF1” call sign in flight despite Trump actually traveling aboard the C-32A under the comparatively nondescript “RCH18” designation, according to reported flight-tracking data.

Reporters were instructed to keep their window shades closed – a detail that harkens back to Trump’s regaling campaign rally crowds about the Christmas night 2018 Iraq trip and another November 2019 surprise trek to have Thanksgiving dinner with troops in Afghanistan.

Those trips have a common destination: travel through foreign and potentially hostile airspace.

Trump himself helped set the cover story last month.

NEW AIR FORCE ONE TAKES FLIGHT AS TRUMP UNVEILS REVAMPED PRESIDENTIAL AIRCRAFT

Before leaving Ankara, he announced that he would use the “former Air Force One” for part of the trip home “for old time’s sake,” while the newer Boeing 747-8 provided by Qatar would fly ahead to RAF Mildenhall in Britain so U.S. service members could see it.

Television cameras then captured Trump climbing the stairs of the older jet and waving before disappearing inside.

Minutes later, according to reports, a hydraulically raised catering truck pulled up to a door on the opposite side of the aircraft. Trump and several aides entered the truck out of sight of most of the traveling party and were driven across the tarmac to the C-32A. War Secretary Pete Hegseth boarded the smaller plane separately, helping make its presence appear routine.

“I think actually the plane that I flew on was at greater risk,” Trump told reporters on the tarmac Tuesday night after the news of the switch was leaked. “I think it was at greater risk because that would be the plane I think that they would be more likely to go for.”

Trump flew aboard the C-32A to RAF Mildenhall. The smaller plane arrived shortly before the legacy Air Force One, and Trump apparently transferred back to the larger aircraft out of view before descending its stairs in front of cameras — preserving the appearance that he had been on it all along.

TRUMP SAYS HE’S IRAN’S ‘NO. 1’ TARGET AS RENEWED CONFLICT RAISES ASSASSINATION FEARS

He later boarded the newer, Qatari-provided 747 for the final leg back to Washington.

The White House has not directly confirmed the details of the shell game maneuvers, but communications director Steven Cheung said the administration uses all available means to confront threats against the president, while the Secret Service declined to discuss the operation to multiple outlets.

The elaborate ruse was set in motion after intelligence pointed to a specific danger involving Iran, which Trump acknowledged in the subsequent Air Force One press gaggle, hinting at the danger after reaching Britain.

Asked aboard the flight home about the threat, he told reporters, “I have a threat all the time. I’m No. 1 on their list.”

TRUMP SAYS HE LEFT INSTRUCTIONS TO ‘BOMB’ IRAN ‘AT LEVELS’ NEVER SEEN IF HE IS ASSASSINATED

“But if I go, you go,” Trump added in homage to the dangers of all their jobs amid the ongoing war in the Middle East.

The tactic was unusually elaborate. But keeping a presidential war-zone flight hidden — right down to manipulating what observers can see, hear and track — was familiar territory for Trump and his security team.

On Christmas night in 2018, Trump and first lady Melania Trump quietly left Washington aboard one of the two Boeing VC-25 aircraft normally used as Air Force One for an unannounced visit to Al Asad Air Base in Iraq. The flight was conducted under tight secrecy as Trump made his first trip as president to troops in a combat zone.

The aircraft did not advertise itself in the usual way, according to reports. Aviation enthusiasts identified the blue-and-white VC-25 flying over Britain under the call sign RCH358 rather than the familiar Air Force One designation. British aviation enthusiast Alan Meloy photographed the aircraft over South Yorkshire, and online aircraft trackers began piecing together its route from Joint Base Andrews toward the Middle East.

The attempt at secrecy began to unravel hours before the White House publicly disclosed Trump’s whereabouts.

Meloy’s photograph showed the unmistakable presidential 747, while aviation trackers followed the aircraft into Europe. One tracking account noted periods when the plane could no longer be readily followed and speculated that its identifying code had been changed or its transponder switched off.

The aircraft nevertheless had become conspicuous enough to fuel public speculation that Trump was making a previously undisclosed overseas trip.

Inside the plane, the precautions became even more stark as it approached Iraq. Shades were pulled down and the lights were shut off for much of the flight, according to a reporter traveling aboard the aircraft. Trump later said the security measures were unlike anything he had experienced.

The president returned to the episode repeatedly.

At the Conservative Political Action Conference, on March 2, 2019, Trump dramatically recreated the approach into Iraq, telling the crowd that crew members informed him about an hour before landing that the aircraft’s lights had to be extinguished. He described the shades being lowered and recalled going toward the cockpit as Air Force One descended toward a runway he said he could barely make out.

Trump said the experience struck him as a symbol of the costs and dangers of America’s long involvement in the region.

“Think of this: We spent $7 trillion in the Middle East and we can’t land with the lights on — 20 years later,” Trump told the CPAC crowd. “How bad is it? No, seriously, how bad is it?”

“Seven trillion dollars and we have to fly in with no lights.”

The detail describing the aircraft as darkened with its window shades closed on a trip conducted in near-total darkness were strikingly similar.

But the 2018 flight also exposed a weakness in that kind of secrecy. A highly recognizable Boeing 747 painted in presidential colors is difficult to hide in broad daylight from aviation enthusiasts holding personal cameras and handy with public flight-tracking tools.

Eleven months later on Thanksgiving Day 2019, when Trump made another secret war-zone trip — this time to Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan — the White House built its operation around avoiding a repeat.

HEGSETH ANNOUNCES JOINT TASK FORCE WITH DOJ TO PROSECUTE LEAKS TO JOURNALISTS ‘WITH THE FULL FORCE OF THE LAW’

Officials took reporters’ cellphones and other transmitting devices, arranged for Thanksgiving messages from Trump’s social-media account to appear while he was in transit and directed the small press pool to meet on the top floor of a Maryland parking garage before black vans carried them to Joint Base Andrews.

The biggest piece of misdirection was sitting in “plane” sight in Florida.

Trump had traveled to Palm Beach aboard one of the familiar blue-and-white VC-25s, and that aircraft remained parked at Palm Beach International Airport, creating the impression that the president was still spending Thanksgiving at Mar-a-Lago. Trump instead secretly left Florida aboard a smaller aircraft and returned to Joint Base Andrews.

There, a second nearly identical presidential 747 was concealed inside a hangar.

Trump boarded it at about 9:45 p.m. ET, according to contemporaneous reporting, before the aircraft departed for Afghanistan under darkness with its cabin lights dimmed and shades drawn. Reporters aboard did not initially know their destination.

That operation amounted to a true aircraft decoy: Anyone watching the presidential 747 in Palm Beach could reasonably conclude Trump was still nearby while another VC-25 was already carrying him halfway around the world.

The White House’s precautions can be linked at the time to what had happened in 2018. Contemporary reports said officials were determined not to repeat the Iraq trip, when the supposedly secret Air Force One flight had been spotted over Britain and dissected in real time by aviation watchers.

The newly disclosed Ankara operation appears to have taken that concept to another level.

Instead of merely leaving one presidential aircraft behind while Trump departed secretly on another, officials reportedly had Trump climb aboard the apparent presidential flight in public, slip away unseen and send the conspicuous jet onward with reporters and staff still believing he was aboard. The C-32A carrying Trump was made harder to follow electronically.

There is precedent beyond Trump as well. The Washington Post reported that President Bill Clinton used a decoy during a high-risk 2000 trip to Pakistan, sending a recognizable presidential aircraft ahead while Clinton arrived on an unmarked jet.

Unlike the Ankara operation, however, at least one representative of the traveling press corps had been briefed privately in advance about the deception and the risks surrounding the flight.

The distinction has become part of the controversy surrounding Trump’s July flight. Journalists aboard the legacy Air Force One did not know it was serving as the decoy or that the president had already moved to another aircraft. A senior administration official stressed to Fox News’ Peter Doocy that U.S. fighter jets escorted the “decoy” plane, and that Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent remained on that aircraft.

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The White House’s own public messaging continued to indicate Trump had traveled to Britain aboard the older presidential jet.

What looked at the time like a simple Air Force One swap was a swap inside a swap — the latest version of a presidential sleight of hand that Trump’s team had been refining since plane spotters spoiled the secret over England nearly eight years earlier.

President Donald Trump announced that White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt will leave her role at the end of the month to spend more time with her family.

Trump announced Leavitt’s departure in a statement, saying she will remain in his orbit as an outside advisor and continue playing a role in Republican politics ahead of the midterm elections.

“Our wonderful White House Press Secretary, and one of my most trusted aides, Karoline Leavitt, will be departing her role at the end of the month so she can spend more time with her beautiful young children and family, a decision I totally understand and respect!” Trump said.

“Karoline will now be one of my top outside advisors, and an influential voice within the Republican Party, as we work to defy History, and conclusively win the Midterm Elections.”

Trump praised Leavitt’s work in his administration and political operation, pointing to her involvement in his successful 2024 presidential campaign.

“Karoline has been a real leader in the White House, and has done a phenomenal job fighting for Justice, Liberty, and Freedom, since 2018, including our Historic Re-Election Campaign of 2024,” Trump said. “Karoline has been one of the best White House Press Secretaries in the History of the Office. Thank you, Karoline, for a job well done!”

Trump did not identify who will replace Leavitt as White House press secretary in the statement provided.

This is a developing story. Check back later for updates.

FIRST ON FOX: The Senate GOP’s elections chief said Michigan voters have a clear-cut choice: pick a Trump-backed Republican or support an insurgent progressive who is “for Hamas.”

“By going with [Dr. Abdul] El-Sayed, you’re talking about socialism, Marxism, communism, and someone who seems to just not like America,” Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., told Fox News Digital. “The only thing he’s not against, Hamas. He’s for Hamas, but he’s against America.”

Scott, who chairs the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), and Republicans are ramping up their rhetoric against El-Sayed, who eked out a win to secure the Democratic nomination for Senate in Michigan last week against the more moderate Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich.

PEGGY FLANAGAN WAS MINNESOTA’S NO 2 OFFICIAL AS MASSIVE FRAUD SCANDAL EXPLODED UNDER STATE’S WATCH

They’re pouncing on unearthed hot takes he’s made in the past and his proximity to Twitch streamer Hasan Piker in their quest to paint El-Sayed as a far-left candidate with extremist ties.

Republicans believe that they have a real shot at flipping Michigan’s open seat after Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., opted to retire. Scott and company view former Rep. Mike Rogers, who was the GOP nominee in 2024, as the man to secure the seat.

“I always believe that the wind’s at my back, and I always believed that momentum’s on our side,” Scott said. “And there’s no doubt about it when you look at the underlying conditions that you’d much, much, much rather be Mike Rogers than El-Sayed.”

REPUBLICANS GET THE DEMOCRAT THEY WANTED AS SOCIALIST ABDUL EL-SAYED WINS MICHIGAN SENATE PRIMARY

For starters, Rogers has President Donald Trump’s backing in a state that he won by just over 1 point in 2024, a roughly 4-point swing from 2020, when former President Joe Biden nabbed the state.

Rogers also hasn’t had to deal with a messy primary like his previous run against Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., who eked out a victory over the former House Intelligence Committee chair by just over 20,000 votes.

“Two years ago, it was a slog for Mike Rogers. He had a very expensive primary in August, and then essentially a 60-day sprint to the finish line,” Scott said. “This time he has more cash than ever, a better ground game than ever.”

“He is a strong, powerful, positive candidate. He is well known in Michigan. And so what we’re going to see as we head towards the finish line is Michiganders will make the right decision for their future, for America’s future, and it will be Mike Rogers,” he continued. “I will say on the other side, it is not going to the past, it’s going to a different, an alternate universe.”

WATCH: SCHUMER’S ANTI-CORRUPTION SPEECH DERAILED AFTER HECKLER BRANDS HIM ‘GENOCIDAL MANIAC’

El-Sayed, meanwhile, has dealt with the inverse.

He’s just over a week out from a bitter primary fight against Stevens and Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, who eventually dropped out roughly a month before the primary election.

He emerged victorious despite being vastly outspent in one of the most expensive primaries ever, and after running a campaign that pushed further left than the Democratic establishment and against Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

Shortly after his victory, Schumer and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., who leads Senate Democrats’ campaign arm, went about stitching together the wounds from the primary bloodbath.

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“Democrats are united by a common purpose: putting a check on Donald Trump by defeating his Republican enablers and taking back the Senate,” they said in a joint statement. “We look forward to working with Abdul and Democrats across Michigan to win this seat in November.”

Though Schumer and the Democratic establishment didn’t back El-Sayed, Scott contended that his rise was emblematic of the Democratic Party’s lurch to the left, particularly as moderate Democrats have been felled by progressive challengers throughout this midterm election cycle across the country.

“There’s no doubt Abdul El-Sayed represents the worst part of the Democrat Party, which is becoming, unfortunately, the most consistent voice coming out of the Democratic Party,” Scott said.

El-Sayed’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The “decoy” Air Force One that President Donald Trump was snuck off of was protected by U.S. fighter jets on its flight to the United Kingdom, a senior Trump administration official told Fox News on Wednesday.

The revelation pushes back on media fears the press corps and staff might have been left vulnerable to the perceived threat from hostile actors seeking to strike Trump’s flight out of Ankara, Turkey, last month.

The previously undisclosed security measure adds another layer to the extraordinary precautions surrounding the president’s plane swap, which left the aircraft normally associated with Trump continuing on to the U.K. without him aboard.

The press corps was joined on the “decoy” plane under U.S. fighter jet cover by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and were aware Trump was not on board, the official said.

TRUMP USED CATERING TRUCK, AIR FORCE ONE DECOY TO EVADE IRAN THREAT: REPORT

Staff and members of the traveling press pool had been instructed to keep the window shades closed throughout the flight, preventing them from seeing the fighter escort.

According to a pool report circulated Tuesday, there was little indication at the airport that anything unusual was happening. The press vans were positioned far back in the motorcade, and photographers did not see Trump board an aircraft from their usual position beneath the wing.

White House staff and reporters boarded the original plane as normal, where bags of snack mix bearing the presidential seal were waiting for them.

TRUMP’S SLY PLANE SWITCH RAISES EYEBROWS OVER SAFETY OF PASSENGERS LEFT BEHIND ON BOARD

Once aboard, however, the press was told to keep the window shades down. A Secret Service agent later came to the press cabin to reinforce the instruction, according to the pool report. When a photographer briefly opened a shade, the photographer was quickly told to close it again.

A White House wrangler told reporters only that the closed shades had been requested by the Secret Service.

Trump said Tuesday night that the decision to switch aircraft was made at the direction of his security detail and the military.

“Well, it’s only up to the Secret Service; I just follow what they’d like to do,” Trump told reporters after traveling to Geneva, Ohio, for the Freedom 250 Patriot Games. “So I go by the Secret Service and the military.”

TRUMP SAYS HE’S IRAN’S ‘NO. 1’ TARGET AS RENEWED CONFLICT RAISES ASSASSINATION FEARS

“They wanted me to go on a different flight, a different plane, equal safety — but they wanted me to do it, so I do it. I do what they say.”

The State Department declined to comment on the fighter jets.

Trump also suggested that the aircraft he ultimately traveled aboard may have faced greater danger once the swap was made.

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“I think actually the plane that I flew on was at greater risk,” Trump told reporters on the tarmac Tuesday night after news of the switch became public. “I think it was at greater risk because that would be the plane I think that they would be more likely to go for.”

Fox News’ Nicholas Kalman contributed to this report.

Photos and video emerged Wednesday showing Marine veteran Robert Gilman back on American soil following his release from Russian custody.

Gilman, a U.S. citizen who was arrested on Jan. 17, 2022, in Voronezh, Russia, and sentenced to a total of 10 years in prison, was freed on humanitarian grounds Tuesday after 1,666 days in prison. President Donald Trump said Gilman would land at Andrews Air Force Base in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday night, and after speaking with him, “he had one request — A GREAT cheeseburger when he lands.”

“Our Marine is safely back on American soil,” Sebastian Gorka, a deputy assistant to the president, wrote on X early Wednesday, sharing a video of an aircraft coming to a stop. “As President Donald Trump promised, Steve Witkoff brought Robert Gilman cheeseburgers and milkshakes!”

US MARINE VETERAN RELEASED FROM RUSSIAN PRISON AFTER 1,666 DAYS OF DETENTION

“(I snuck him a cigar for when he’s fully recovered!),” Gorka added. “And a member of our broader White House team brought him his own USMC flag. There are very few jobs like this one. No American left behind.”

In his own post, Witkoff, who is the U.S. special envoy to the Middle East, said it was a “special night welcoming an American citizen home to his family and country.”

“Thank you POTUS for never leaving anyone behind,” Witkoff also said, sharing an image of him and Gorka alongside Gilman on the plane following the landing.

“Robert is a patriot — a former United States Marine who served our country with honor. He can now finally return to his family and receive the medical care he needs,” Witkoff said in a separate post. “His return is another testament to POTUS’s extraordinary leadership and unwavering commitment to bringing Americans home. Under his leadership, Marc Fogel and Ksenia Karelina were also brought home from Russia.”

AMERICAN EX-MARINE FEARED NEAR DEATH AFTER WEEKS IN CATATONIC STATE IN RUSSIAN PRISON

Gilman was convicted in 2022 of assaulting a police officer, initially receiving a sentence of three and a half years. Gilman’s troubles in custody then increased in 2024 when he was found guilty by Russia of attacking a prison inspector during a cell check, assaulting an investigator and beating another guard.

In December 2025, Russia once again extended Gilman’s prison sentence after a regional court found him guilty of a new assault on prison staff.

However, the U.S. State Department referred to Gilman as a wrongful detainee.

Gilman is the third U.S. Marine to be taken prisoner in Russia in the last decade, following Russia’s detention of Paul Whelan in 2018 and Trevor Reed in 2019. Both were later released in prisoner swaps.

“After my discussions with President Vladimir Putin, Russia has agreed to release him, very much on a Humanitarian Basis. We appreciate this decision, and the fact that Russia asked for no one in return — No exchange took place,” Trump wrote Tuesday on Truth Social.

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“Robert Gilman has been reunited with his wonderful mother, Nancy, who is also on the plane with him, and will soon get to see all of his loved ones,” Trump added.

Fox News’ Emma Bussey Robert McGreevy, Gillian Turner, Nick Kalman and Louis Casiano contributed to this post.

President Donald Trump dismissed a question Tuesday night from a reporter about the possibility of him running for a third term in 2028, saying “the law is very strong.”

“Everybody asks me that question, and you know that the law is very strong on that,” Trump said while speaking to reporters at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland. “I’d love to run, but the law is very strong.”

“I get asked by everyone, well, even tonight they’re screaming at the event, ‘2028,’” he said, referring to the Patriot Games, which he had attended earlier that day. “No, everybody wants me to do it, but the law is very strong.”

Section 1 of the 22nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution states that no one can be elected president more than twice.

TRUMP TOLD DONORS ‘WE NEED TO ELECT JD,’ SOURCE CONFIRMS, AS HE WEIGHS VANCE OR RUBIO IN 2028

The amendment was ratified by the states in February 1951, roughly six years after the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt, who had served an unprecedented four terms as president.

Before Roosevelt, it was a longstanding political norm for presidents to serve no more than two terms, following the precedent set by George Washington.

Throughout his second term, Trump has walked a fine line between joking about seeking a third term and signaling that he may be serious about the idea.

At the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on July 24, Trump opened his speech with a wisecrack about running again.

TRUMP HEADS BACK TO CORRESPONDENTS’ DINNER MONTHS AFTER GUNFIRE FORCED EVACUATION

“Just like my presidency, the second time is always better. It’s always better. And the third time will be better yet. I’m only kidding,” Trump said.

In an interview on March 30, 2025, with NBC’s Kristen Welker, Trump struck a different chord, explicitly saying he was not “joking” about seeking a third term.

“There are methods which you could do it,” he also told Welker, acknowledging one possible route in which Vice President JD Vance could run for president with Trump as his running mate, win, and then resign — allowing Trump, as vice president, to succeed him and potentially sidestep the 22nd Amendment’s prohibition on being elected president more than twice.

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Most constitutional scholars say this would not work. Deborah Pearlstein, a Princeton University law professor, told The Washington Post that the 12th Amendment “closes the door” on Trump securing a third term through the vice presidency.

The amendment’s final sentence states that “no person constitutionally ineligible to the office of President shall be eligible to that of Vice-President of the United States.”

Michael Alfonso, the son-in-law of Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and Fox News host Rachel Campos-Duffy, has won the Republican Party’s nomination in Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District.

The 26-year-old, endorsed by President Donald Trump, defeated a crowded field of contenders as he seeks the same northern Wisconsin congressional seat once held by his father-in-law, who represented the district from 2011 to 2019.

“It is my Great Honor to endorse MAGA Warrior, Michael Alfonso, a young ‘STAR’ who is running to represent the incredible people of Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on the eve of Tuesday’s Election Day.

“As your next Congressman, Michael will work tirelessly to Grow our Economy, Cut Taxes and Regulations, Champion our Amazing Farmers and Ranchers, Promote MADE IN THE U.S.A., Unleash American Energy DOMINANCE, Keep our Border SECURE, Stop Migrant Crime, Support our Military/Veterans, Safeguard our Elections, and Protect our always under siege Second Amendment,” Trump added.

DEMOCRAT ESTABLISHMENT STRIKES BACK AS SOCIALIST CANDIDATE DOWNED IN BATTLEGROUND PRIMARY

The seat is currently held by Rep. Tom Tiffany, R-Wis., who on Tuesday won the Republican nomination in the Wisconsin governor’s race.

Tiffany was first elected to the seat in a May 2020 special election after Duffy resigned due to one of his children’s health issues.

District 7 has been under control of Republicans for 15 years, and it is deemed a solid Republican by Cook Political Report. Trump carried the district with about 60% of the vote during the 2024 presidential election.

NEW MIDTERM BATLEGROUND TAKES SHAPE AS PARTIES BUILD ELECTION ARMIES

Alfonso will face off against Fred Clark in November, who won Tuesday’s Democratic primary for Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District.

Clark, a former Wisconsin state assemblyman, said on his website that he believes northern Wisconsin has the “makings of a new rural majority.”

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“That’s a majority not based on old right wing and left wing politics, but a majority made up of real people who live and work in our communities,” Clark’s website said. “Fred Clark will become part of a new majority of leaders in Congress who will stand up, represent their communities, and do the work we expect from our elected representatives.”

Fox News Digital’s Elaine Mallon contributed to this report.

New York Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul’s lead over Republican candidate Bruce Blakeman is slipping, according to a new Siena University poll released Wednesday, as likely voters in New York also gave a negative 30-47% favorability rating to the Democratic Socialists of America.

With under three months to go until Election Day, Hochul leads Blakeman 49-39% among likely New York State gubernatorial voters, down from 52-32% when registered voters were asked the same question in June.

“At this point four years ago, August 2022, when Hochul was just finishing her first year as governor, she led her opponent, former Republican Congressman (and current EPA Administrator) Lee Zeldin by 14 points, 53-39%, before going on to ultimately win the election by six points, 53-47%,” Siena pollster Steven Greenberg said in a statement.

Blakeman, who is the current Nassau County executive, said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital on Wednesday that “All of the polls we have seen in the last two months have us virtually tied with Kathy Hochul,” and, “This poll is always off and continues to be off.”

HOCHUL SAYS STEFANIK WOULD’VE BEEN TOUGHER GOP OPPONENT THAN BLAKEMAN IN SURPRISING SWIPE AT RIVAL

“We know and she knows this race is neck and neck. Kathy Hochul is desperate for people to believe that she is way ahead when she knows that her high taxes, soaring electric bills, and increased crime have made her the worst governor in America,” Blakeman added.

The latest Siena University Poll was conducted between Aug. 3–6 among 811 New York likely voters, with an overall margin of error of +/- 4.6 percentage points for those who answered the entire survey.

Fox News Digital has reached out to Hochul’s campaign for comment.

The Siena poll found that likely voters believe Hochul will do a better job than Blakeman on making prices more affordable for average New Yorkers, 48–41%, and increasing the supply of affordable housing, 51–35%.

NEW YORK SHERIFFS ‘MAD AS HELL’ AS HOCHUL PUSHES TO BAN KEY LAW ENFORCEMENT PARTNERSHIP

Respondents were more divided over the issues of keeping New Yorkers safe, where Hochul led 47-44%, and addressing undocumented immigrants living in the state, where she was ahead 45-44%, according to the Siena Research Institute.

“Not surprisingly, both candidates are holding on to their partisan bases, as Hochul leads among Democrats 80-8% and Blakeman leads among Republicans 84-9%. Likely independent voters favor Blakeman by a narrow five-point margin, 45–40%,” Greenberg said.

“Hochul holds a commanding 64-19% lead in New York City, but trails Blakeman in the downstate suburbs by eight points, 49-41%. They are running virtually even in upstate, as well as among men and with white voters; Hochul has large leads with women, Latinos and Black voters,” he added.

The Siena Research Institute also said it asked voters about the Democratic Socialists of America for the first time. The progressive political group has been exerting its influence on elections across America, with member Zohran Mamdani winning the New York City mayoral race last year.

The poll found that the group had a negative favorability rating.

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“Democrats view the DSA favorably, 50–21%, while 82% of Republicans and 57% of independents have an unfavorable view of the DSA,” the Siena Research Institute said.

Fox News Digital’s Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.

Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger was roasted for her visit to a nearly century-old fiddling convention in southwestern Virginia, with the area’s state delegate comparing her unfavorably to failed presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Clinton famously surprised the hosts of New York’s “Breakfast Club” radio program in 2016 when she said she regularly carries hot sauce in her purse — a remark critics said echoed Beyoncé Knowles and amounted to political pandering to Southern and Black voters during her 2016 race against then-businessman and reality TV star Donald Trump.

Del. Wren Williams, a Republican who represents Galax, where the 90th Annual Old Fiddlers’ Convention took place, told Fox News Digital he was proud of constituents who made their feelings about the governor known peacefully but strongly.

DEM GOVERNOR BOOED AT VIRGINIA OLD FIDDLERS’ CONVENTION

Williams said it was clear to those assembled that Spanberger was trying to “pander” to rural residents, who have pushed back on several of the governor’s priorities, including the judicially halted redistricting effort and a slew of what Richmond Republican leaders have called “the bad bills.”

“[It was] about like Hillary Clinton and her hot sauce – nobody was buying it,” Williams said.

Over the weekend, Spanberger and her public safety chief, Galax native Stanley Meador, were booed after Meador introduced the governor. Meador previously served as special agent in charge of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office during the “anti-Catholic memo” controversy that drew congressional scrutiny.

Williams told Fox News Digital that people in Galax and surrounding Carroll County — atop the Blue Ridge and just over the border from Andy Griffith’s “Mount Pilot” area of North Carolina — have felt ignored by Spanberger and said their reaction was justified.

SUPREME COURT DEALS BLOW TO VIRGINIA DEMOCRATS IN FIGHT OVER STATE COURT ELECTION MAP RULING

“These are my constituents, the same ones that she just disarmed, tried to force into one single congressional district that represented their political views, and lied every step of the way while jockeying for the national Democratic Party nod for her shot at first female president,” Williams said, referring to another parallel between Spanberger and Clinton.

Galax, currently represented in Congress by Rep. Morgan Griffith, R-Va., would have sat at the edge of the only remaining Republican-held district under Richmond Democrats’ proposed 10-1 congressional map, which a bipartisan group of Virginia Supreme Court justices blocked earlier this year.

Virginia’s top state Republican – whose district is not far west of where Spanberger got booed – told Fox News Digital the incident proved to the governor that her policies run counter to what his neighbors want from Richmond:

“Southwest Virginians have never been shy about standing up for their values and their way of life,” said House Minority Leader Terry Kilgore of Gate City.

“When you try to take away their voice in Congress, go after their Second Amendment rights, and drive up their power bills to pay for a green energy agenda they don’t want and can’t afford, folks are going to let you know how they feel,” he said.

Former Attorney General Jason Miyares, a top figure in the “Vote No” coalition opposing Spanberger’s redistricting effort, said in a statement that the crowd’s response was predictable.

“Governor Spanberger booed in Galax. Turns out when you break your campaign promise, attempt a leftist power grab pushing an unconstitutional gerrymandering effort In order to silence rural Virginia voices, coupled with massive tax increases, it results in a frosty reception,” Miyares said.

WATCH: SPANBERGER KNOCKED FOR ‘BAIT AND SWITCH’ HYPOCRISY AS POPULARITY PLUMMETS AMID REDISTRICTING FIASCO

“Spanberger finally had to face the music,” another Virginia user wrote on X.

Other critics contrasted Democrats’ strength in Northern Virginia with opposition to Spanberger in more rural parts of the state.

“These folks booing are showing how the vast majority of those of us in Virginia feel… not those communists in the blue suburbs of DC,” Diane Cheesbrough wrote on X.

“She needs to go and take Tim Kaine and Mark Warner and Eugene Vindman with her.”

TRUMP BLASTS SPANBERGER AHEAD OF VIRGINIA MEETINGS, SAYS STATE FACES TAX BASE EXODUS LIKE NEW YORK, CALIFORNIA

Radio host Scott Adams added that rural voters “are not forgetting” the redistricting controversy.

“Southwest Virginia just delivered the message in person,” he said.

“Virginians are done with her,” added former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla.

Some observers, however, credited Spanberger with going to Galax and Carroll County despite her weak electoral support in the area.

VIRGINIA VOTERS CEMENT SWING DISTRICT REMATCH AFTER DEMS’ REDISTRICTING FAIL

“Abigail Spanberger lost [the independent city of] Galax 68 to 32 and showed up anyway,” said Democratic strategist Matt Royer.

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“A Republican would have tucked tail and stayed at home when it comes to events in places they lost, like Jason was yesterday. She won Virginia by 15 and still went to one place that booed her. That is the job.”

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Fox News Digital reached out to Spanberger and Clinton for comment.

Fourteen-term Rep. John Larson, D-Conn., met his match in Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin during Tuesday’s hard-fought primary race.

Larson, who has served in Congress since the Clinton administration, faced three challengers: Bronin, state Rep. Jillian Gilchrest and Hartford Education Board member Ruth Fortune. The sprawling district includes Hartford, Glastonbury, Bristol and Windsor Locks.

Earlier this term, during a markup of legislation providing House members with DOGE access to Treasury payment information, Larson erupted at his colleagues and began yelling:

“You will do whatever Elon Musk and Donald Trump tell you to do. Where’s the independence of the committee? Where’s the legislature? We’re an equal branch of government,” Larson yelled. “Look at the empty seats here. Where’s Elon Musk?”

HOUSE DEMOCRAT LASHES OUT WHEN GRILLED ON WHETHER SOCIALIST VICTORIES WOULD THREATEN DEM UNITY

Larson has routinely criticized Musk and President Donald Trump during his tenure, notably filing more than a dozen articles of impeachment following the arrest and extraction of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.

In that case, Larson accused Trump of piracy and other offenses. The impeachment push came as Larson faced a primary challenge from the younger Bronin.

Bronin, who also served in the Obama administration, appeared to be gaining on incumbent Larson as the year went on. He ran as a candidate seeking generational change in a longtime Democratic seat.

STATE OF PLAY: DEMS BATTLE FOR SHOT AT CRUCIAL ARIZONA HOUSE SEAT AMID GOP’S RAZOR-THIN MAJORITY

The First District has not seen a Republican lawmaker since Rep. Edwin May Jr., R-Conn., who served during the Eisenhower administration.

Gilchrest is considered a progressive who also is also pro-choice abortion rights.

Fortune, considered the lowest-funded major candidate, ran an education-focused campaign.

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Republican challenger Amy Chai, a medical doctor focused on addiction treatment, said on her campaign site that Americans are too stressed and depressed because of national divisions and need a change.

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Democrats, however, are again favored over Chai and the GOP this fall in the district.

A retired Army special operations veteran is urging Congress to give qualified former special operators nationwide concealed carry privileges enjoyed by retired U.S. law enforcement officers, arguing the elite troops are uniquely trained to protect themselves and Americans.

“It needs to happen,” Gavin Glasenapp, who served 20 years and 12 combat deployments in the Army, told Fox News Digital on Monday.

The Special Operations Forces Concealed Carry Act was put forward last week by Sen. Tim Sheehy, R-Mont., months after a companion bill by the same name in the House was introduced in April by Rep. Pat Harrigan, R-N.C.

“These are proven men and women,” Glasenapp, the training operations manager at Delta Defense for the U.S. Concealed Carry Association (USCCA) said, adding “they’re specially selected, uniquely trained.”

TRUMP’S PUSH FOR NATIONAL CONCEALED CARRY RECIPROCITY WOULD PROTECT GOOD GUYS WITH GUNS

“I can think of no better group of people to be equipped to defend themselves and others around them. In fact, that’s part of our core values here at Delta Defense.

“We believe every American has the inalienable right to self-defense, and I can think of no better group that to really emulate that and really show you what that looks like.”

More well-trained good guys with guns to stop the bad guys with guns will help America safe again, Second Amendment advocates argue.

Last month, President Donald Trump trolled his critics and gun-control advocates with a post that went viral: “Over 273 Americans have been shot since the war in Iran … in Chicago.”

CHICAGO’S DEADLY JUNETEENTH WEEKEND LEAVES 7 DEAD AS TRUMP SHAMES DEM GOV FOR INACTION

Chicago is among the Democrat-run cities with strict gun laws and, yet, a raging gun violence crisis every summer.

Notably, an armed bystander last week in Idaho, strapped by the shoulder with a FN Five-seveN semi-automatic pistol, was able to engage a mass shooter, forcing him to flee and saving countless lives, local police hailed. That bystander Jordan Salinas, had concealed carry training, and local police noted he followed “observe, orient, decide and act” (OODA) protocol as a good guy with a gun able to help stop a bad guy with one.

“That would be the OODA loop,” Glasenapp said.

“That’s kind of become almost a university taught system of being situationally aware. You know, observing a threat and making decisions as far as what your next steps are going to be. And the big thing with that OODA loop is it’s just that: It’s a loop. You should constantly be observing, orienting on things, deciding, acting, and then redoing it over and over again.”

MARYLAND SYNAGOGUE SUES COUNTY OVER LAW RESTRICTING CONCEALED CARRY NEAR HOUSES OF WORSHIP

Nationwide concealed carry reciprocity, making it lawfully easier to carry concealed state to state, has faced congressional obstruction from gun-control advocates, but expanding the Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act (LEOSA) to special ops veterans would allow more good guys with guns to stop bad guys with guns.

It also could be a baby step, ultimately, in gun-rights advocates’ push for nationwide reciprocity.

The fact highly trained special operations veterans are not afforded the permissions to carry concealed firearms across state lines might be a surprise to some.

“[LEOSA] allows retired law enforcement officers to carry concealed throughout the country, which is very convenient, actually, because sometimes state laws as far as concealed carry or possessing weapons can be very different when you travel state to state,” Glasenapp said.

“So, for example, if you’re a retired law officer and you’re on a cross-country road trip with your family, that definitely streamlines things a lot. You’re not having to check things like a reciprocity app.”

COMBAT VET SENATOR CHOKES UP OVER FALLEN FRIEND IN FIERY FLOOR SPEECH ABOUT IRAN WAR: ‘WE WILL FINISH IT’

The most popular reciprocity app is the USCCA Concealed Carry app, which provides a live interactive permit reciprocity map, state gun laws, and permit management tools for all 50 states.

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A key distinction between the proposed Sheehy Senate bill and Harrigan’s House version is annual certification requirements for special ops veterans.

“Our Special Operations Forces spend their careers protecting the American people with unmatched discipline, judgment, and professionalism,” Sheehy wrote in a statement.

“This bill honors that reality by giving qualified special operators the same nationwide concealed carry privileges already afforded to retired law enforcement officers. Our elite warfighters never stop serving, and this bill ensures the law reflects the trust they’ve earned through a lifetime of sacrifice.”

Sheehy’s version requires yearly, state-standard, active-duty-level firearms qualification at the individual’s expense, plus completion of a Justice Department-certified “Concealed Carry Use of Force in Society” course before carrying.

SUPREME COURT STRIKES DOWN BLUE STATE’S ‘VAMPIRE RULE’ IN MAJOR WIN FOR GUN RIGHTS

Harrigan’s bill just expands the LEOSA standards to special ops veterans and calls for “no separate certification of firearms training is required for a qualified special operator.”

“I don’t believe the annual recertification requirement should be required for either the proposed special operations forces concealed carry act or the current HR 218/LEOSA,” according to Glasenapp, who urges regular training regardless if required. 

“Both of these communities have spent their professional careers training and qualifying with various handguns and other small arms.”

The Senate bill defines a qualified special operator as a former member of the armed forces who went through a special operations assessment, was selected for qualification training and held a special warfare or special operations occupational specialty or skill designator recognized by U.S. Special Operations Command.

Glasenapp said the distinction matters because firearms proficiency is a fundamental and continually reinforced part of training for many of the operators the legislation is intended to cover.

An infantryman or infantry officer in the Army’s 75th Ranger Regiment, for example, would be “intimately familiar with small arms,” including rifles and handguns, he said.

“There’s going to be continuing training on that,” Glasenapp said, noting that firearms skills can deteriorate without practice.

Special operators have another advantage when it comes to navigating different rules: years of operating under changing restrictions in different jurisdictions and even different countries.

“These are folks that have not only dealt with changing state lines, but different rules and different regulations in different countries,” Glasenapp said. “We’re talking international travel and dealing with rules of engagement that are constantly changing depending on what theater you’re in.

“They can definitely adapt on the fly.”

READ THE HOUSE VERSION OF THE BILL – APP USERS, CLICK HERE:

Glasenapp also rejected the notion that military experience alone means special operations veterans would treat civilian concealed carry like operating in a combat zone – a fear gun-control advocates have.

He said he held a Tennessee concealed carry permit himself while serving on active duty and stressed that carrying a firearm as a civilian comes with different legal responsibilities.

“What you’re doing as a civilian carrying every day … is going to be different than when you’re in a combat zone,” said Glasenapp, who said he deployed 12 times during his military career.

“Get familiar with local, state and federal law as far as what you can and can’t do,” he said. “You’ve got to make different decisions and act in different ways.”

The veteran also said he would support broader nationwide concealed carry reciprocity, arguing that gun owners currently face a complicated patchwork of laws when traveling between states.

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But, on the narrower proposal before Congress, Glasenapp said he believes special operators have already demonstrated the judgment and skills necessary to earn the expanded protection.

“I certainly hope this passes and becomes U.S. code,” Glasenapp said.

“I think it needs to happen.”

MADISON, Wis. – For a second straight week, the progressive left-wing won a high-stakes Senate primary battle over the establishment in what is seen as a setback for longtime Democratic Senate Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer.

But the biggest ballot-box face-off between the far left and the center in the ongoing fight for the ideological future of the Democratic Party ended with a narrow victory for the establishment, as Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley defeated democratic socialist state Rep. Francesca Hong in Wisconsin’s gubernatorial primary.

Meanwhile, the Democrats’ generational showdown claimed another longtime member of Congress.

And it was a split decision for President Donald Trump‘s endorsements in statewide Republican nomination contests, as Minnesota, Wisconsin, Connecticut, Vermont, South Carolina and Alabama held primaries on Tuesday.

DEMOCRATIC GROUP LAUNCHES $15 MILLION WAR ON DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISTS: ‘MORTAL DANGER’

Upper Midwest showdowns

“I know we don’t have the final results right now, but I do know we are ready to keep fighting,” Democratic gubernatorial candidate state Rep. Francesca Hong told supporters at a primary night event in Wisconsin’s capital city before the race was called.

Hong, a former chef and single parent who is a Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) member, narrowly lost to Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, who consolidated support from more mainstream Democrats and was backed by retiring Democratic Gov. Tony Evers.

Crowley will face Rep. Tom Tiffany, who cruised to the GOP nomination. Tiffany is a hard-right member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus who was backed by Trump in the primary. The general election winner will succeed Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, who decided against seeking a third term in office.

DEMOCRACY ’26: STAY UP TO DATE WITH THE FOX NEWS ELECTION HUB

Hong was backed by top nationally known progressives, including Reps. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Ro Khanna of California, a potential 2028 Democratic presidential contender. But two champions of the left, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, didn’t endorse in the race.

Hong ran on a platform that includes guaranteed paid leave, boosting the state’s minimum wage from $7.25 to $20 per hour and a one-year moratorium in Wisconsin on building AI data centers. Hong has faced scrutiny over years-old social media posts calling for defunding and abolishing the police. But she says she no longer supports cutting police budgets or abolishing police departments.

She also made national headlines over the past two weeks for a resurfaced social media post from 2020 where she argued that the country should “cancel Thanksgiving” in order to “stop celebrating colonialism.”

Hong walked back her Thanksgiving comments amid backlash and now says that Thanksgiving is her “favorite holiday.”

The Democratic primary was rocked this summer, as Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez and former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, two of the major contenders for the gubernatorial nomination, exited the race. And Crowley, who earlier suspended his campaign and backed Rodriguez, re-entered the contest.

MEET THE FAR LEFT INSURGENTS WAGING WAR ON THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY IN THE 2026 MIDTERMS

Crowley was backed by Evers, who joined him on the campaign trail in the closing stretch leading up to the primary, as they both questioned Hong’s electability and warned that a victory by her would help Tiffany in the general election. Meanwhile, pro-GOP super PACs, including one aligned with the Republican Governors Association, shelled out millions of dollars to boost Hong in the primary, because they view her as the weakest Democratic candidate.

The final pre-primary polls indicated Hong with a healthy double-digit lead. But the polls were off again, as they were a week ago when left-wing Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed narrowly edged more moderate Rep. Haley Stevens for the party’s Senate nomination in Michigan, which, along with Wisconsin, is a key Midwestern battleground.

While his margin was razor-thin, El-Sayed’s win boosted the left. Fast-forward to this week, and progressives scored another victory, as Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan downed moderate Rep. Angie Craig by roughly 20 points to capture the Democratic Senate nomination.

Flanagan, who was backed by top progressives including Sanders and Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, will now face off with GOP nominee Michele Tafoya, a former longtime NBC Sports reporter, in the race to succeed retiring Democratic Sen. Tina Smith.

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It’s been 24 years since a Republican won a U.S. Senate election in Minnesota. But Flanagan’s victory may boost the GOP hopes of flipping the seat in a left-leaning but competitive state.

Craig was supported by Democratic establishment leaders, including Schumer. Craig’s defeat is the second major setback for Schumer in a week, following El-Sayed’s victory in Michigan. And Flanagan has said that if elected in November, she wouldn’t support Schumer remaining as Democratic leader in the Senate.

Democrats’ generational battle

Rep. John Larson of Connecticut became the seventh House Democrat ousted so far this primary season.

Larson, who’s been in Congress for nearly three decades, was defeated by double digits in the Democratic primary in Connecticut’s solidly-blue 1st Congressional District by former Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin.

With both candidates touting their progressive credentials, this race was less about ideology and more about generational change in the party, which was fueled two years ago by then-81-year-old President Joe Biden’s exit from the presidential race amid questions over his physical and mental stamina following a disastrous debate performance against Trump.

The 47-year-old Bronin is three decades younger than the 78-year-old Larson, who became the latest political victim of a push by Democratic voters to sweep out older incumbents and replace them with younger leaders.

“John Larson is a good man, but he’s been in Congress since the 90s. The stakes are just too high to keep doing the same thing,” Bronin, a retired Naval intelligence officer, argued in one of his campaign ads.

Larson countered by touting his experience and his record as a fighter in Congress.

“We are a country in absolute crisis. We need our toughest fighters. I’ve taken on Trump, DOGE, and ICE, and won,” Larson wrote in a social media post.

Larson joined Reps. Al Green of Texas, Diana DeGette of Colorado, Adriano Espaillat of New York and Shri Thanedar of Michigan, who also fell to younger primary challengers.

The generational battle will likely play out on a larger stage in a couple of weeks, as 47-year-old Rep. Seth Moulton challenges 80-year-old Sen. Ed Markey, a progressive leader, in the party’s Senate primary in Democrat-dominated Massachusetts.

Split decision for Trump

Backed by Trump, appointed Sen. Darline Graham captured the most votes in Tuesday’s special Republican Senate primary in South Carolina, in the race to succeed her brother, the late Sen. Lindsey Graham.

But with no candidate topping 50% of the vote, Graham will face off in a runoff in two weeks with Rep. Ralph Norman, who came in second. Rep. Russell Fry and former Gov. and former Rep. Mark Sanford, as well as other contenders, fell short in the special primary, which was held one month to the day after the longtime senator suddenly died at age 71.

“I want to thank President Trump, his steadfast support and his complete and total endorsement means so much to me. He knows that I will stand with him and fight for his agenda, just like Lindsey did,” Graham said at her primary night event.

Norman, who unsuccessfully campaigned this year for the GOP gubernatorial nomination in the race to succeed term-limited South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, is a Trump ally in the House and also showcased his support for the president in his Senate campaign.

Trump’s sway over the GOP remains immense, and the power of his endorsements in Republican primaries faced another test in South Carolina, which the president passed.

But the Trump endorsement hasn’t proven to be a sure bet this cycle in solidly-red South Carolina.

Trump backed Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette for the GOP gubernatorial nomination — in the race to succeed the term-limited McMaster — ahead of the state’s early June primary.

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Evette was the top vote-getter in the primary but lost the ensuing runoff election against South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson in a landslide. And Trump, ever hungry for a victory, endorsed Wilson in addition to Evette days before the runoff.

The big question going forward is whether Graham will suffer the same fate as Evette.

The winner of the Senate runoff election in two weeks will be considered the clear front-runner in the solidly red state in the midterms against Democratic nominee Annie Andrews, a pediatrician.

Meanwhile, Trump suffered a rare endorsement setback in Minnesota.

Mike Lindell, the MyPillow founder and former CEO who is a close Trump ally who joined the president in denying former President Joe Biden‘s victory in the 2020 White House race, had Trump’s backing. But Lindell lost the Minnesota Republican gubernatorial primary to state House Speaker Lisa Demuth.

EXCLUSIVE: The FBI on Tuesday marked the first anniversary of the Trump administration’s crime crackdown in Washington, D.C., touting thousands of arrests and seizures since the enhanced federal enforcement effort began.

The milestone comes one year after President Donald Trump launched the Safe and Beautiful initiative in Washington, increasing the federal law enforcement presence and deploying hundreds of federal agents and National Guard troops to combat crime in the nation’s capital.

“Last summer President Trump made the historic decision to surge federal resources to Washington D.C. to crack down on crime – and thanks to his brilliant leadership, the work of brave FBI agents and our law enforcement partners, and the support of our Justice Department, our nation’s capital is now safer than it’s been in decades,” FBI Director Kash Patel told Fox News Digital.

TRUMP’S DC LAW-AND-ORDER BLITZ MARKS ONE YEAR WITH EYE-POPPING HAUL OF SUSPECTS

“One year later, the FBI has worked with partners to make over 6,000 arrests, nearly 2,000 drug seizures, and over 1,300 illegal firearm seizures,” Patel continued. “Homicides in D.C. are down an incredible 44% from last year.”

The FBI said the enforcement effort has resulted in 6,121 arrests, 237 search warrants and the recovery of $252,592 in cash.

Patel vowed that the federal enforcement effort would continue.

“The greatest country on earth should have a capital city reflecting it – where American taxpayers can live, visit, and petition their government without fear of violent crime,” Patel said.

TRUMP’S DC BEAUTIFICATION PUSH WINS RARE DEM PRAISE AS PRESIDENT SNAPS LANDMARKS BACK TO LIFE

“Thanks to President Trump and brave law enforcement, one year later we have made historic progress to that end, and the work will only continue,” he added.

The federal surge followed a series of high-profile violent crimes in Washington, including the June 2025 killing of 21-year-old congressional intern Eric Tarpinian, the beating of a former DOGE staffer and the fatal shooting of a 14-year-old boy in a case involving alleged MS-13 gang members.

The National Guard deployment also drew criticism from Democratic leaders, including then-Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser.

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“I don’t think it’s legal, let me start there, for the National Guard to police Americans on American soil,” Bowser said at the time.

Fox News Digital’s Ashley J. DiMella contributed to this report.

MADISON, Wis — The left wing suffered a high-profile setback on Tuesday at the hands of the center-left establishment in their ongoing battle for the ideological future of the party.

Seven days after far-left candidate Abdul El-Sayed narrowly edged out more moderate Rep. Haley Stevens in battleground Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary, state Rep. Francesca Hong on Tuesday was upset in her bid to capture the Democratic gubernatorial nomination in Wisconsin, another crucial swing state.

Hong, a state lawmaker from Madison, Wisconsin and a Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) member, was defeated by Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, the Associated Press reports.

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Crowley will face off in the general election against likely Republican nominee Rep. Tom Tiffany, a hard-right House Freedom Caucus member who is backed by President Donald Trump. The race is considered a top flip opportunity for the GOP.

Crowley was heavily backed by retiring Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, with both warning that a Hong primary victory could jeopardize Democratic control of the governor’s office.

The governor’s race in Wisconsin opened after Evers announced he would not seek a third term. With Evers stepping aside, the race offered Democrats their first opportunity in 16 years to choose a nominee without an incumbent governor on the ballot.

The primary was closely watched as an early test of whether Wisconsin Democrats favored the party’s progressive wing or its establishment, with the winner advancing to a high-stakes general election in one of the nation’s premier battleground states.

Hong, a 37-year-old former chef and single mother, was backed by top nationally known progressives, including Reps. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Ro Khanna of California, a potential 2028 Democratic presidential contender. But Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, a longtime champion of the left, last week said he didn’t plan on endorsing Hong, arguing that he was not familiar enough with her campaign or the race.

SOCIALIST FRONTRUNNER’S TRADITION-TRASHING HOLIDAY RANTS COME BACK TO BITE HER: ‘WORST OF HUMANITY COMES OUT’

Hong is running on a platform that includes guaranteed paid leave, boosting the state’s minimum wage from $7.25 to $20 per hour, and a one-year moratorium in Wisconsin on building AI data centers. Hong has faced scrutiny over years-old social media posts calling for defunding and abolishing the police. But she says she no longer supports cutting police budgets or abolishing police departments.

“I’m not defunding the police, not abolishing police. I am serious about public safety,” Hong emphasized on Saturday as she took questions from voters.

Hong also made national headlines over the past two weeks for a resurfaced social media post from 2020 where she argued that the country should “cancel Thanksgiving” in order to “stop celebrating colonialism.”

Hong walked back her Thanksgiving comments, amid backlash, and now says that Thanksgiving is her “favorite holiday.”

On her resurfaced tweets, Hong told reporters on Saturday that she has “evolved” and “learned.”

Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez and former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, two of the major contenders for the Democratic nomination, exited the race this summer. And Crowley, who earlier suspended his campaign and backed Rodriguez, re-entered the contest.

2026 MIDTERMS: PRIMARIES, KEY RACES AND ELECTION RESULTS

Crowley was backed by Evers, who joined him on the campaign trail in the closing stretch leading up to the primary.

There was a growing number of more moderate Democrats concerned that if Hong captured the gubernatorial nomination, it would give Tiffany a big boost in his bid to flip the governor’s office.

A Wisconsin-based Democratic strategist who asked to remain anonymous to speak more freely argued that with Hong at the top of the ticket, “it will hurt Democrats down ballot, in key congressional and legislative races” in the Midwestern battleground

Meanwhile, pro-GOP super PACs, including one aligned with the Republican Governors Association, shelled out millions of dollars to boost Hong in the primary, because they view her as the weakest Democratic candidate.

MEET THE FAR LEFT INSURGENTS WAGING WAR ON THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY IN THE 2026 MIDTERMS

In a Fox News Digital interview on the eve of the primary, Tiffany pointed to his expected general election showdown with Hong and said his state would be “the firewall… We’ll be the place that stops socialism.”

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Asked about electability concerns, Hong told Fox News on Sunday that “this election belongs to the voters. We let the voters decide. The candidate that’s the most electable is the one that earns the most votes. So we’re focused on meeting voters up until Election Day, until the polls close.”

Democrats in deep blue Vermont have a new nominee as they take a sixth straight shot at trying to oust popular Republican Gov. Phil Scott.

Democrats in deep blue Vermont have a new nominee as they take a sixth straight shot at trying to oust popular Republican Gov. Phil Scott.

Economist Amanda Janoo on Tuesday defeated former child advocacy organization CEO Aly Richards — who is backed by former Democratic Govs. Howard Dean and Madeleine Kunin — to capture the party’s gubernatorial nomination, the Associated Press reported.

Scott was unopposed as he cruised to the GOP gubernatorial nomination. Scott is running for a sixth two-year term steering Vermont, and if he wins the general election and completes another term, he’ll pass Dean as the northern New England state’s longest serving governor. Vermont and neighboring New Hampshire are the only two states in the nation to elect governors every two years.

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Scott is a moderate Republican and a vocal GOP critic of President Donald Trump.

The governor endorsed former ambassador and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley in the 2024 Republican presidential primaries, and voted for then-Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee, over Trump in that year’s general election.

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Beating Scott in November will once again be a tough task for Democrats in a state where their party normally dominates elections.

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Scott won a whopping 73% of the vote in his 2024 re-election, besting the 69% he received in his 2022 victory.

Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth has won the Republican gubernatorial primary and will move on to face the Democratic nominee in November to replace outgoing Gov. Tim Walz.

The victory amounts to a significant show of strength for Demuth, who stayed in the race after losing the Republican Party endorsement to Kendall Qualls at the state convention. Qualls secured the endorsement after 10 ballots, but Demuth argued that her legislative experience and record of leading House Republicans made her the party’s strongest candidate for November.

Additionally, Demuth defeated MyPillow founder and CEO Mike Lindell, who had President Donald Trump’s endorsement and has national name recognition.

No Republican has won a statewide election in the state since 2006, when Gov. Tim Pawlenty narrowly won reelection by less than a percentage point. Since then, Republicans have lost 28 consecutive statewide contests through the 2024 election, an 18-year drought that became the longest for either major party in Minnesota history.

KLOBUCHAR VOWS FRAUD CRACKDOWN, AUDIT OF MN GOV’T AS GOP BLASTS WALZ TIES

“There is hope for Minnesota, for the change that is so desperately needed,” Demuth told Fox News Digital about her victory at her election night watch party in St. Paul on Tuesday night. 

“People are frustrated with fraud, they can’t believe that it happened, that it was allowed to go on for so long, and so I think the message is hope, and change that is desperately needed, reducing taxes and improving education, and ending that fraud are those main messages.”

The race was dramatically reshaped in January when Walz abandoned his campaign for a third term, saying he wanted to spend his final year in office focused on combating fraud in state programs rather than defending his political future.

Walz had launched his reelection campaign only months earlier, but mounting scrutiny of fraud involving government-funded programs had become a major political liability and a central line of attack from Republicans.

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Walz’s withdrawal marked an abrupt turn for a politician who had vaulted onto the national stage less than two years earlier as Kamala Harris’ 2024 vice presidential running mate.

As governor, Walz had signed a sweeping set of Democratic priorities after his party took full control of state government, including expanded abortion protections, free school meals, legalized recreational marijuana and paid family and medical leave. But his administration also faced sustained criticism over its handling of fraud in state programs that prosecutors say could total over $9 billion.

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Walz’s departure opened the governor’s race and quickly turned attention to Klobuchar as a potential successor.

Klobuchar ultimately entered the contest, transforming what had been shaping up as a referendum on Walz’s eight years in office into a race in which Republicans would instead have to take on one of Minnesota’s most established statewide politicians.

A series of closely watched primaries across the Upper Midwest delivered key victories for the Democratic Party’s progressive wing Tuesday night — with one major test still hanging in the balance in battleground Wisconsin.

Minnesota was among the clearest signs of progressive strength, with Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan winning the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Tina Smith, while progressive “Squad” member Rep. Ilhan Omar secured another primary victory in her overwhelmingly blue Minneapolis-area district.

Flanagan defeated Rep. Angie Craig in a closely watched clash between the party’s progressive and establishment wings. Flanagan drew support from prominent figures on the left, while Craig had the backing of several leading establishment Democrats.

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Meanwhile, progressive “Squad” member Rep. Ilhan Omar won the Democratic primary in Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District, securing another victory for one of the most prominent members of the House’s progressive wing.

Omar’s win adds to a string of primary victories for the congresswoman, who has previously survived well-funded efforts to oust her.

MEET THE FAR LEFT INSURGENTS WAGING WAR ON THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY IN THE 2026 MIDTERMS

But the biggest remaining question of the night is in Wisconsin, where Democratic voters are still waiting to learn who will carry the party’s banner in the race to succeed outgoing Gov. Tony Evers.

State Rep. Francesca Hong, a democratic socialist, is seeking to extend the progressive left’s string of victories in one of the nation’s most closely divided battleground states, where Democrats are fighting to keep control of the governor’s mansion.

Hong, a 37-year-old former chef and single mother, has drawn backing from nationally known progressives, including Reps. Omar and Ro Khanna of California.

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She is running on a platform that includes raising Wisconsin’s minimum wage from $7.25 to $20 an hour, guaranteed paid leave and a one-year moratorium on new AI data centers.

Hong has also faced scrutiny over years-old social media posts calling for defunding and abolishing the police, positions she now says she no longer supports.

With most of Tuesday’s marquee contests decided, Wisconsin stands as the night’s biggest remaining test of whether the progressive left can carry its momentum into one of the nation’s premier battleground states.

Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., fended off four challengers in her Democratic primary on Tuesday as she heads to the general election where she will fight to retain her seat for a fifth term representing Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The incumbent Somali-born congresswoman faced lower profile challengers — Julie Trang Le, a former federal immigration prosecutor; Abena McKenzie, a nurse who ran against Omar in the 2024 primary, receiving just 0.38% of the vote; Latonya Reeves, DNC member and a longtime activist running from Omar’s right; and Nate Schluter, a political outsider with barely any footprint in the race.

But no challenger had realistic potential of overtaking Omar, who has solidified her spot in Congress through appealing to the increasingly progressive voter bloc in her district, which hosts the largest concentration of Somali Americans in the U.S.

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The 5th District includes Minneapolis and several nearby suburbs and is one of the most Democratic congressional districts in Minnesota.

Omar has represented the district since 2019. She was one of the first two Muslim women elected to Congress and the first Somali American elected to the House.

The one-time refugee and a founding member of the so-called Squad has become one of the Democratic Party’s most prominent progressive voices. She has repeatedly drawn national attention for her positions on immigration, healthcare and U.S. policy toward Israel.

2026 MIDTERMS: PRIMARIES, KEY RACES AND ELECTION RESULTS

The primary in Minnesota, where Omar secured the nomination for a fifth-straight term, comes as progressive and socialist candidates have scored several high-profile victories around the country in this year’s Democratic primary races.

There’s much debate over whether those advances by the far-left faction of the party will be a feature or a downfall for Democrats looking to regain control of Congress in the 2026 midterms.

Omar will now advance to the general election in November to face the Republican nominee, who will be chosen in Tuesday’s GOP primary race between Dalia Al-Aqidi, a pro-Israel former journalist born in Iraq and considered the frontrunner; John Nagel, a retired Minnesota State Patrol lieutenant; and long shot political outsider candidates Angie Windhauser and Abbey Zieska.

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The 5th Congressional District in Minnesota has consistently elected Democrats for decades, making the Democratic primary the race that often draws the most attention.

Bipartisan ranking by the Cook Political Report puts the race at ‘solid Democrat’ with a +32 rating, making it highly unlikely that the district would flip red.

A former waitress, small-business owner and nonprofit founder won the Democratic primary in Wisconsin’s 3rd Congressional District on Tuesday, setting her up for a rematch with Republican Rep. Derrick Van Orden.

Rebecca Cooke, raised on an Eau Claire-area dairy farm, defeated former Eau Claire City Council President Emily Berge on Tuesday evening. The win puts Cooke back on the ballot in one of Democrats’ top House pickup opportunities this fall.

It will be Cooke’s third attempt to win the western Wisconsin seat. She lost the 2022 Democratic primary to then-state Sen. Brad Pfaff before securing the party’s nomination in 2024. Van Orden defeated her that November by roughly 11,000 votes, winning 51.4% of the vote to Cooke’s 48.6%.

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Cooke has sought to make her working-class background central to her campaign. She grew up on a dairy farm near Eau Claire, has worked as a waitress since she was a teenager and founded the Red Letter Grant, a nonprofit supporting women entrepreneurs. She also previously operated a small retail business and served on the board of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. after being appointed by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers.

Her campaign has focused on affordability, health care and the economic challenges facing rural communities, while portraying Cooke as a pragmatic Democrat able to appeal across party lines in a district that includes Eau Claire, La Crosse and much of western Wisconsin.

Cooke entered the primary as the better-funded candidate and with national support from Democrats.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) added Cooke to its “Red to Blue” program, which directs party resources toward candidates viewed as viable in competitive districts.

Berge, a mental health counselor and former Eau Claire City Council president, ran as a local alternative to Cooke, arguing voters should have a choice rather than see the nomination effectively decided by national party backing and fundraising. Her strongest base of support was expected to be in and around Eau Claire.

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The general election is likely to renew scrutiny of Cooke’s personal finances and past political work. Van Orden’s campaign has pressed her to release a financial disclosure that was extended until Aug. 13, two days after the primary. The campaign has argued that earlier disclosures showing income from political consulting and rental properties undercut Cooke’s working-class image.

Republicans have also sought to cast Cooke as a Democratic political insider, pointing to her work on Democratic campaigns and fundraising. Cooke has presented that experience as part of a broader record that includes operating a business, leading a nonprofit and working in the hospitality industry.

Van Orden, a retired Navy SEAL who was first elected in 2022, is seeking a third term.

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The 3rd district in Wisconsin, a swing state, has leaned Republican in recent presidential elections, but Cooke’s narrow 2024 loss and substantial fundraising have made the race a closely watched contest as Democrats seek to win back the House in November.

The bipartisan Cook Political Report moved the race from “lean Republican” in the last election cycle to “toss up.”