All posts tagged: John Cornyn

Epstein accusations fly in Senate after César Chávez Monument row

Epstein accusations fly in Senate after César Chávez Monument row

Published by Sam Flores

U.S. Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah (left) and U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) Chip Somodevilla | Kayla Bartkowski | Getty Images Jeffrey Epstein allegations flew during a spat between Sens. Mike Lee, R-Utah, and Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., over the fate of the César Chávez National Monument. Heinrich, the ranking member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, objected to a bill on Tuesday to defund and close the monument after multiple women accused Chávez — an icon in the farm labor movement — of sexual assault. Heinrich objected to the bill, citing concerns that erasing the monument would diminish the work of other leaders in the farm labor movement. “I agree unequivocally that we should no longer have a monument named after Cesar Chavez,” he said on the Senate floor after objecting. “But we absolutely should not erase the monuments telling of the story of the farm labor movement. That is a story that belongs to many people, including the survivors of Chavez’s violence.” Chávez, who died in 1993, was accused by several women who …

Five races to watch on the day the 2026 midterm elections kick off

Five races to watch on the day the 2026 midterm elections kick off

Published by Sam Flores

Tuesday is the first moment of truth for the 2026 midterm elections. It’s the day the first polls will close to kick off a seven-month stretch of primaries that will help shape who will win the House and Senate on Election Day, Nov. 3. While Democrats are favored to win the House and Republicans seem likely to keep the Senate, much will depend on the results of the primaries leading up to the big day. Here are five early races taking place Tuesday that will indicate how the rest of the election could go: 1. Texas Senate Republican Primary Sen. John Cornyn, Ken Paxton, Texas attorney general, and Rep. Wesley Hunt, R-Texas. Getty Images Sen. John Cornyn, a Republican, is attempting to keep his seat in a heated primary against two challengers: State Attorney General Ken Paxton and Texas Rep. Wesley Hunt, who represents a Houston-area district. Despite Senate Republicans and establishment donors pouring tens of millions into the race for Cornyn, most polls show Paxton as the frontrunner. His track record opposing President Joe …

Why the potential return of a popular Alaska congresswoman could spell doom for Senate Republicans

Why the potential return of a popular Alaska congresswoman could spell doom for Senate Republicans

Published by Sam Flores

A popular Alaska congresswoman who narrowly lost re-election last year is expected to jump into the race for Sen. Dan Sullivan’s seat later this month, tossing a firecracker into the already chaotic scramble for control of the upper chamber set to play out in 2026. Mary Peltola was defeated in her bid to represent Alaska’s at-large congressional district for a second term in 2024, with her Republican opponent winning by slightly more than two percentage points. That defeat came amid a wave election year that devastated the Democratic caucuses in the House and Senate, and showed the congresswoman’s formidable electoral strength relative to her party’s national brand. Now, Axios reports that Peltola is in the early stages of launching a bid for Senate and is expected to formally do so later in January. Her entrance into the race would firmly place Sullivan’s Republican-held seat into play and give the Democratic Party one more avenue to obtain control of the upper chamber in a midterm sweep — the party is already slightly favored to take the …