| Unsubscribe · Mark as Junk |
 | ||||||||||||||||||
| July 23rd, 2026 | ||||||||||||||||||
| In This Edition | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
 | ||||||||||||||||||
House Republicans discuss the “Bolshevik takeover” of the Democratic Party By: Matthew Foldi While history is on the Democrats’ side as they aim to flip both the House and Senate in November, one of the top assets the Republican Party has is the crop of candidates that Democrats are nominating across America. For both House and Senate Republicans, the influx of avowed socialists who are winning primaries from coast to coast is nothing short of electoral jet fuel. The Washington Reporter previously reported that a GrayHouse poll viewed by Senate Republicans found that voters across America have major reservations about the Democratic Socialist agenda that is becoming the face of the Democratic Party. But the GOP’s excitement goes beyond the Senate GOP’s polling, which additionally found that New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani — an avowed Democratic Socialist — is one of the most representative figures of the Democratic Party, trailing only President Barack Obama and Vice President Kamala Harris in who voters think is most representative of the Democratic Party. In a series of interviews with the Reporter, thirteen House Republicans expressed everything from concern for America’s future due to the far left’s success to exuberance at how toxic the Democratic Socialists of America’s (DSA) agenda is. The Reporter conducted the interviews at the latest House GOP media row hosted by Rep. Lisa McClain (R., Mich.). | ||||||||||||||||||
Heard on the Hill BIPARTISAN WIN: Rep. August Pfluger’s (R., Texas) bipartisan bill that would combat illicit xylazine made it out of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. Pfluger introduced the legislation along with Reps. Jimmy Panetta (D., Calif.), Gus Bilirakis (R., Fla.), Chris Pappas (D., N.H.), Scott Fitzgerald (R., Wis.), and Deborah Ross (D., N.C.). The Senate version was introduced by Sens. Chuck Grassley (R., Iowa) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D., Nev.). ELECTION 101: Kalshi launched a midterm hub, which currently gives Republicans a 56 percent chance of maintaining the Senate. “Prediction markets don’t care about spin or partisanship. They cut through polarization and show you what the wisdom of the crowds actually believes, backed by real money, not rhetoric,” Tarek Mansour, the co-founder and CEO of Kalshi, said. “That kind of clarity is rare right now and that’s what people are getting with the Midterms Hub.” MESSAGE DELIVERED: Sen. Ron Johnson (R., Wis.) brought a simple message to his latest interview with Punchbowl. Grace Carnathan, Johnson’s communications director, posted a picture of Johnson with his report, “Unmasked: How Biden Health Officials Purposely Turned a Blind Eye Toward COVID-19 Vaccine Safety Signals,” outside of the Punchbowl office. AIR WAVES REINFORCEMENTS: Former Rep. Mike Rogers (R., Mich.) is getting backup from GLFC, which is out with a new ad praising him for his common sense, and contrasting it with the failures of Democratic leadership in Michigan. “Common sense. Built in Michigan. Mike Rogers,” it says. INSIDE THE PRAYER BREAKFAST: Sen. Tim Scott (R., S.C.) hosted South Carolina’s annual Prayer Breakfast. Carly Moran was in the room, and her takeaways from it are that it’s important to “tell someone you love them”; “reach out to who you disagree with”; and to “let the love of God guide your steps.” DINNER WITH THE MCCORMICKS: Sen. Dave McCormick (R., Pa.) and his wife, Dina Powell McCormick, hosted a star-studded dinner at their Georgetown home, featuring Newsmax CEO Chris Ruddy, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, Fed Chair Kevin Warsh, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Tony Sayegh, Rep. Barry Moore (R., Ala.), Nick Luna, Cliff Sims, Arthur Schwartz, and Taylor Budowich. TO THE ADMIN: Parker Armstrong is now the Deputy Booking Director at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Armstrong was a longtime vet of Rep. Erin Houchin’s (R., Ind.) office. HIGH STAKES IN MICHIGAN: Rep. Shri Thanedar (D., Mich.) is one of several Democratic incumbents facing a DSA-backed challenger. Should Thanedar lose, Callie Strock with Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R., La.) office noted that it would be a huge blow to the bipartisan Congressional Sneaker Caucus. NEW ROLE: Tatum Wallace joined Sen. Tom Cotton’s (R., Ark.) office as his new communications director. Wallace will also be comms director for the Senate Intelligence Committee. She is an alum most recently of Sen. John Cornyn’s (R., Texas) office. HAPPY BIRTHDAYS: The Washington Reporter wants to wish happy birthdays to Morgan Impink, Lauren Bryan, Samantha Feigelson, and Lacey Bowersox happy birthdays! | ||||||||||||||||||
A bizarre attack on Frank Bisignano misses the mark By: Washington Reporter Editors The Washington Reporter generally doesn’t critique other outlets’ reporting. We’ll make an exception. NOTUS questioned whether Social Security Commissioner Frank Bisignano crossed an ethical line by sending agency employees chocolate-covered pretzels from his daughter’s company. The article first quotes an ethics critic suggesting there may be a problem. Only several paragraphs later does it disclose the key fact: no agency funds or staff were used, and the gifts were reviewed and cleared through the agency’s ethics process. That should have been the lead. Had it been, the story’s premise would have disappeared. In fact, the story doesn’t even make sense. | ||||||||||||||||||
Senate GOP poll shows voters aware and concerned about Democrats’ socialist turn By: Washington Reporter Editors A new national poll conducted for the Senate Republican Conference, chaired by Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), and shared exclusively with the Washington Reporter, finds voters have deep reservations about the Democratic Socialist agenda that is fast becoming the face of the Democratic party. The survey of 1,280 registered voters, conducted by the firm GrayHouse, shows the Democratic brand being defined by the far left, and independents strongly oppose the policies that have been embraced by Democrats. When voters were asked who is most representative of the Democratic Party today, New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, the self-described socialist, ranked third, trailing only Barack Obama and Kamala Harris and outpacing figures like Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Among Democrats themselves, Mamdani again placed third as the face of their party. A senior Senate source told the Reporter that Senator Cotton will be sharing the results with the Republican Conference and encouraging members to speak out about the Democrats’ radical positions. The Senate Republican Conference is the leading communications office for the Republican Senators, and is responsible for coordinating messaging and supporting each Senate Office in its public outreach work. | ||||||||||||||||||
Graham Platner remains liability for top Democrats By: Matthew Foldi As Democrats prepare to swap Graham Platner out with Troy Jackson in the Maine Senate race, their Platner problems are poised to extend well beyond the the Pine Tree State, according to campaign finance records obtained by the Washington Reporter. Jackson himself was one of Platner’s top allies during the latter’s scandal-plagued Senate campaign. Both Democrats frequently appeared alongside each other, and both were endorsed by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.). Jackson’s ties to Platner are expected to dog him through November’s election against Sen. Susan Collins (R., Maine). But Jackson isn’t the only Democrat Platner remains closely tied to; Platner’s most recent fundraising report, filed with the Federal Elections Commission (FEC) shows that top Democrats and their leadership PACs stood with Platner until the waning days of his campaign. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) donated $62,000 to Platner’s campaign, for example. During his failed Senate campaign, Platner pushed the state’s governor, Janet Mills, to suspend her campaign in the face of overwhelming support he received from the state’s Democratic voters throughout the process. | ||||||||||||||||||
Trump-endorsed Rep. Stephanie Bice in historic position ahead of general election By: Matthew Foldi Rep. Stephanie Bice (R., Okla.) is in a historically strong position heading into November’s general election. The Donald Trump-endorsed incumbent explained to the Washington Reporter that, between her cash on hand and Trump’s support, she is well-positioned to keep “all 77 [Oklahoma] counties red.” “When I first opened my campaign office, I called President Trump to introduce him to my amazing volunteers and staff,” Bice explained. “I’m honored to have the endorsement of the president and know Oklahomans are excited to vote for candidates who will fight to keep our border secure and maintain Oklahoma’s vital energy sector.” Bice, who previously explained in an interview with the Reporter why the Trump agenda is critical to American energy security, is one of the most reliable votes in Congress for the Trump agenda, which she has millions of dollars to defend heading into November. Bice’s latest campaign finance reports show the lawmaker with over $2 million in cash on hand, which is over $600,000 more than she had two years ago. And Bice has the support of Oklahoma leaders as she heads into a matchup against Jena Nelson, which she is expected to easily prevail. | ||||||||||||||||||
Trio of brutal sex criminals among the 3,500 criminals Roy Cooper released early from prison By: Matthew Foldi Former Gov. Roy Cooper (D., N.C.) has been under fire since launching his Senate campaign for what his critics view as his soft-on-crime record as Governor of North Carolina. For months, GOP organizations, like the Senate Leadership Fund (SLF) have spotlighted Cooper’s “Felon Friday”; another trio of sex criminals is the latest that Republicans are using to argue that Cooper should not be elected to the Senate. As governor, Cooper worked with activist groups to expedite the release of over 3,500 criminals — among that group were murderers, rapists, and pedophiles; 51 of them had been serving life sentences. The most high-profile of them was DeCarlos Brown Jr., who murdered Iryna Zarutska on public transportation in Charlotte, North Carolina. But Brown is far from alone in posing a problem to Cooper politically and to the public safety of North Carolinians. While Cooper claimed that “each and every case” of clemency was vetted, another trio — that of David Wayne White, Carlos D. McCombs, and Kenny Purcell Green — is another liability. | ||||||||||||||||||
Movement builds for “nonpartisan” legislation to end government shutdowns for good By: Matthew Foldi A bipartisan group of lawmakers is scoring backup for its push to end government shutdowns once and for all, as one of its leaders testifies on the Hill about the need for the legislation. As Sen. James Lankford (R., Okla.) testified to the House Appropriations Committee before Reps. Tom Cole (R., Okla.) and Rosa DeLauro (D., Conn.), groups ranging from the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) to the Bipartisan Policy Center Action to Americans for Prosperity to the International Brotherhood of Teamsters to Americans for Tax Reform back his bipartisan, bicameral, bill. “Very simply, if we get to the end of a fiscal year and appropriations are not complete, an automatic continuing resolution kicks in, but Members of Congress and the White House Office of Management and Budget have to remain in Washington, D.C., in session, seven days a week,” Lankford noted. “During that time, Congress cannot move to legislation other than appropriations bills until we finish our work.” He added that a recent poll found that over 80 percent of respondents support his proposal, which he described as “nonpartisan.” The groups backing the bill, which range from public sector unions to conservative free market advocates, does not agree on much. But, in the face of what Teamsters President Sean O’Brien described as “increasingly commonplace” government shutdowns, Lankford and his colleagues — Sen. Maggie Hassan (D., N.H.) and Reps. Jodey Arrington (R., Texas) and Jimmy Panetta (D., Calif.) — want to change that. | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| Op-Ed: Ashley Baker: Brussels reaches into the server racks By: Ashley Baker This week, 25 Republican lawmakers urged President Donald Trump to open trade investigations into the European Union’s (EU) “anti-competitive acts, policies, and practices” of “economic extraction and regulatory coercion against American firms.” Their letter specifically cited the European Commission’s effort to single out Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure for “gatekeeper” treatment under the Digital Markets Act (DMA), warning that subjecting both companies to the DMA would impose “unprecedented regulatory burdens that European and Chinese cloud competitors would not face.” The Republican lawmakers are right. Last month, I argued in The Center Square that Europe’s digital rulebook constrains American technology firms without democratic accountability and that Washington should be prepared to respond. The proposed gatekeeper designations of AWS and Azure supply the clearest illustration of this pattern. The Commission has yet to issue a final decision, but its reasoning is already indefensible. | ||||||||||||||||||
 | ||||||||||||||||||
| The Washington Reporter © 2026 Washington Reporter. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy · Terms & Conditions · Unsubscribe |
