2026

Home 2026 Page 17

Report: Former Congressman Mulling Senate Challenge

Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

Former New York congressman Lee Zeldin is reportedly considering a run for Senate.

On Monday, Zeldin told reporters he’s considering challenging Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D) in 2024, according to Politico.

“We’ll keep an eye on the race,” Zeldin said while at the state Capitol on Monday to visit with lawmakers. “If we did run, it would be an extremely competitive race.”

The former Long Island congressman received nearly 47 percent of the vote against Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) last November, the best performance by a Republican gubernatorial candidate in the solidly-blue state in two decades.

Gillibrand is running for her third term in the Senate next year. The Democrat has even launched a fundraising campaign on the possibility Zeldin may enter the race.

“It was something that I was giving no thought to, but she was trying to fundraise. And the best way to fundraise in the first quarter of 2023 was to speak about a viable opponent,” Zeldin said in an interview before joining former presidential advisor Kellyanne Conway at a dinner for the New York State Federation of Republican Women near Albany.

Zeldin said his main focus right now is helping out candidates for local office this year “who helped us during last year’s race.” He’s spent recent weeks traveling the state to campaign with the candidates “and that’s where the focus will remain” for the moment.

“We’ll see how the race shapes up,” he said of the possibility of challenging Gillibrand. But he acknowledged that “there’s even more of a Democratic-favored turnout” in a presidential election year than in a midterm like the one in which he led the GOP ticket in 2022.

Earlier this week, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s spokesperson told reporters the “Squad” member would not be challenging Gillibrand for the Senate seat in the next election.

Lauren Hitt, Ocasio-Cortez’s spokesperson, told Politico Sunday that the representative will not throw her hat into the ring in 2024.

“She is not planning to run for Senate in 2024,” Hitt said. “She is not planning to primary [Kirsten] Gillibrand.”

Last month, Zeldin publicly endorsed Donald Trump for president despite previously calling for a “robust” primary field.

“The GOP is filled with amazing talent to save our country from the failed policies of the Biden Admin. Our nominee in 2024 will be the 45th & 47th POTUS, Donald Trump,” he wrote.

“Our economy will be stronger, our streets will be safer, & our lives will be freer. He has my full support!”

Amanda Head: Sources Reveal When to Expect DeSantis’ 2024 Announcement

1

America is waiting…

When will Florida Governor Ron DeSantis officially throw his hat into the ring for the 2024 Republican nomination? Sources close to the governor are spilling the beans…

Watch Amanda explain the situation below:

Opinions expressed by contributors do not necessarily reflect the views of Great America News Desk.

Republican Presidential Candidate Says Carlson Would Be ‘Good Addition’ to Primary Field

4
Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America,

Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy says that Tucker Carlson should enter the Republican primary.

“I think he’d be a good addition to the race,” Ramaswamy said in an interview with POLITICO, when asked whether he thinks the former Fox News host should mount his own presidential campaign. “I think someone should only do this if they feel called to do it, but I think it’d be good for the country if he got in, to be honest with you.”

He called Carlson “one of the smartest voices in the conservative movement,” and lauded Carlson’s willingness to “defect from party orthodoxy when necessary.”

“There’s definitely a thought leadership vacuum in political media, across the political spectrum. And Tucker was one of the great political thinkers and commentators of our time,” Ramaswamy said.

The 37-year-old biotech entrepreneur and author of “Woke Inc.” also recently squared off against fired CNN host Don Lemon.

So far, it’s unclear what Carlson’s next step will be but it’s unlikely to include a run for the White House in 2024.

How do you feel about a potential Tucker Carlson bid? Tell us in the comments below!

Former Clinton Official Says Trump Should Be Kept Off 2024 Ballot Over ‘Treason’

2
Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

Democrats will try anything to keep Donald Trump from running for president.

On Monday, Former Labor Secretary Robert Reich (D) called for secretaries of state to refuse to place Trump’s name on the ballot in 2024.

“The most obvious question in American politics today should be: why is the guy who committed treason just over two years ago allowed to run for president?” Reich wrote in an op-ed for The Guardian. “Answer: he shouldn’t be.”

“Secretaries of state – who in most cases are in charge of deciding who gets on the ballot – must refuse to place Donald Trump’s name on the 2024 ballot, based on the clear meaning of section three of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution,” Reich urged. 

Reich, who served as labor secretary under former President Bill Clinton, argued that Trump is guilty of treason through his actions on Jan. 6, 2021, as a mob of supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol.

Reich also made a similar argument as House Democrats last year who introduced legislation that sought to bar Trump from office under the 14th Amendment. 

The amendment states, “No person shall … hold any office, civil or military, under the United States … who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States … to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof.” 

“Can any of us who saw (or have learned through the painstaking work of the January 6 committee) what Trump tried to do to overturn the results of the 2020 election have any doubt he will once again try to do whatever necessary to regain power, even if illegal and unconstitutional?” Reich asked. 

Reich peddled numerous conspiratorial scenarios in which Trump-loyalist secretaries of state and governors “alter the election machinery” to help Trump win the White House.

“Trump tried these tactics once. The likelihood of him trying again is greater now because his loyalists are now in much stronger positions throughout state and federal government,” he continued.

Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung slammed Reich and others calling for Trump to be kept off the ballot.

“What these un-democratic organizations and individuals are doing is blatant election interference and tampering. They are not even trying to hide it anymore, and it is sad they want to deprive the American people of choosing Donald Trump — the overwhelming front-runner by far — as their President,” Cheung told Fox News Digital. “History will not judge them kindly, and they will have to answer for their desecration of the Constitution.”

On Tuesday, President Joe Biden officially unveiled his re-election campaign, potentially teeing up a rematch against Trump and Biden.

Larry Elder Announces White House Bid

2
Larry Elder ,Sgt. Jacob Harrer, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The 2024 Republican primary pool has a new contender.

Conservative talk show host Larry Elder announced Thursday night that he is launching a bid for the White House.

Elder said that he is pro-life, doesn’t believe America is racist, wants secure borders, wants the U.S. to be energy independent, and wants to fix urban schools.

“I’m announcing that I’m running for the presidency of the United States on your program,” Elder said. “And thank you so much for giving me this honor and this platform.”

Elder said that the reason he wanted to run for president is because his father, older brother, and little brother all served in the U.S. Armed Forces and he did not.

“I’m the only one who didn’t serve, and I don’t feel good about that,” Elder said. “I feel I have a moral, a religious, and a patriotic duty to give back to a country that’s been so good to my family and to me. And that is why I’m doing this.”

Elder joining a growing list of Republicans vying for the 2024 nomination.

Tech mogul Vivek Ramaswamy and former United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley launched their respective White House campaigns in February. However, Donald Trump has kept a commanding lead in nationwide polls.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is also widely expected to enter the race once his state’s spring legislative session concludes.

Top Trump Adviser Drops Vice President Suggestion and It’s Wild

0
Donald Trump via Gage Skidmore Flickr

A legendary political adviser to former President Donald Trump is offering up his suggestion for a possible 2024 vice presidential nominee – one that would shock the political establishment.

In a recent edition of his “Stone Cold Truth with Roger Stone” Substack, former Trump and Nixon White House adviser Roger Stone suggests that if Trump wins the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, he pick Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. as his running mate.

“Given America’s state of peril, if RFK performs better than expected, the former President should consider the drafting of RFK as the Republican vice presidential candidate in a ‘bipartisan’ unity ticket,” Stone writes.

“This idea is not without precedent; Senator John McCain really wanted Democrat Senator Joe Lieberman as his running mate in 2008. McCain was ultimately talked out of the idea,” Stone notes.


Were Trump were to do that, it would be historic.  

Kennedy, the son of former New York senator and United States Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, is currently running for the Democratic presidential nomination against President Joe Biden.

It would also be highly controversial.  

In addition to strident left-wing political positions, Kennedy is also an outspoken conspiracy theorist and has been condemned by members of his own family for his public statements about what he believes to be a link between vaccinations and autism, along with health complications.

“Kennedy and President Donald Trump were good friends prior to Trump’s elevation to the presidency,” Stone writes.

“It has been reported that Trump, who shared Kennedy’s concerns regarding the link between vaccinations and autism, had promised RFK the appointment of a balanced blue-ribbon commission to study and report to the President on the safety and effectiveness of vaccinations,” Stone writes, adding “Trump’s failure to follow through on this pledge is most likely a significant factor in Kennedy’s decision to run in 2024.”

Nevertheless, Stone believes a Trump-Kennedy ticket could be strong.

“(T)he selection of RFK would silence those within the Republican Party who are today critical, in retrospect, of Trump’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as building a bridge for thousands of Democrats and Independents disgusted by Biden’s fumbling foreign policy and the implication of the collapse of U.S. economic dominance to vote for Trump,” Stone writes.

Opinions expressed by contributors do not necessarily reflect the views of Great America News Desk.

Trump Snags Seventh GOP Senate Endorsement

0
Donald Trump via Gage Skidmore Flickr

Donald Trump is collecting endorsements left and right.

Trump, who is on his third White House campaign, received an endorsement from Sen. Ted Budd (R-N.C.) on Thursday, moving the total to seven sitting senators

“Just a few years ago America was strong, but now under Joe Biden, we are a nation in decline,” Budd said to Breitbart. “That’s why I endorse Donald J. Trump for President. Hardworking, everyday families need a return of the America First agenda to restore prosperity and peace.”

Budd’s backing of Trump comes as GOP lawmakers in the Senate have largely stayed out of the Republican primary for president so far. While the likes of Budd and Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) have publicly endorsed Trump, many have waited to see how the primary field comes into shape.

 Trump endorsed Sen. Budd in his primary race, giving him a significant boost in a crowded Republican field.

Trump has also picked up the endorsement of 39 House members, according to The Hill’s endorsement tracker.

Tim Scott Opens Presidential Exploratory Committee

1
Michael Vadon, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., has taken the first step toward the race for the White House.

The prominent Republican senator announced the news accompanied by a slickly produced video on Twitter earlier this morning.

“On this day, April 12, 1861, in this harbor, the first shots of the Civil War were fired and our country faced the defining moment: Would we truly be one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. America’s soul was put to the test – and we prevailed,” Scott said at the top of the video.

Scott vowed that he’d “never back down in defense of the conservative values that make America exceptional.”

“That’s why I’m announcing my exploratory committee for President of the United States,” he added.

As The Washington Times reports:

The presidential exploratory committee allows Mr. Scott to raise funds for expenses such as polling or travel before making the leap into the race.

He would square off against Mr. Trump and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, the Republican who appointed him to his Senate in 2012 before he won a series of elections to remain a senator.

Other Republicans, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, are expected to enter the race.

Scott is on what he calls his “Faith in America” listening tour, which he said would help him decide whether to launch a presidential campaign. Word of the tour was first reported by Fox News earlier this year.

Nikki Haley Campaign Rips Trump, DeSantis in Leaked Memo

11
The White House from Washington, DC, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The gloves are coming off…

The attacks from Nikki Haley‘s presidential campaign are heating up. In a leaked memo to donors, Haley’s campaign unleashed a barrage of attacks targeting her 2024 primary rivals.

The memo from Betsy Ankney, Haley’s campaign manager, casts Haley as above the political fray in the GOP presidential primary, recapping her more-than $11 million fundraising haul in the first quarter and early efforts in critical primary and caucus states like New Hampshire and Iowa. 

Donald Trump had a pretty good Q1, if you count being indicted as ‘good,’” Haley’s campaign wrote.

“It’s increasingly clear that Trump’s candidacy is more consumed by the grievances of the past and the promise of more drama in the future, rather than a forward-looking vision for the American people,” the memo reads.

Haley’s campaign also takes aim at Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who’s widely expected to launch a White House bid later this spring once the state’s legislative session concludes.

“Ron DeSantis essentially launched his presidential campaign with a national book tour during this period and made one misstep after another, confirming what many observers have long suspected: he’s not ready for prime time,” the memo reads.

“None have taken the plunge,” it says. “That’s of course their decision, but they certainly did nothing to help themselves in the first part of the year. By contrast, Nikki is a decisive person. When she puts her mind to something, she’s IN IT, devoting all her energy to it night and day, week-in and week-out.”

The campaign took a slight shot at other contestants without specifically mentioning their names, suggesting they aren’t worth naming to begin with.

“And then there are the others,” the memo reads. “Wait, what others?”

Former Trump Official Jumps Ship, Joins Competitors Campaign

3
Vivek Ramaswamy speaking with attendees at the 2022 AmericaFest at the Phoenix Convention Center in Phoenix, Arizona.

A top supporter of former President Trump in the crucial early-voting state of New Hampshire is joining rival Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy’s campaign.

According to Fox News, longtime state Rep. Fred Doucette, who served as New Hampshire co-chair of Trump’s 2016 and 2020 presidential campaigns, is joining the Ramaswamy campaign as a senior strategist and co-chair in New Hampshire.

The Granite State holds the first primary and second overall contest in the GOP’s presidential nominating calendar.

Doucette, the current deputy majority leader in the Republican-controlled state House of Representatives, said in a statement that Ramaswamy is a candidate that gives someone to vote for instead of someone to vote against, in a thinly-veiled jab at President Joe Biden.

“Vivek is the person who will deliver the America First agenda, without the drama,” Doucette said in a statement released on Thursday by the Ramaswamy campaign.

Doucette stressed, “I believe that President Trump’s agenda worked” and said his decision not to support the former president as he runs a third straight time for the White House was “terribly hard.”

“I came on board in March of 2015 and we were fired up. We were energized. We were engaged. We were about getting it done,” Doucette recalled. But he described the current Trump campaign as “flat.”

Doucette argued that Trump’s 2024 campaign “is not taking a page and looking forward” and said that impression “played into a lot of my decision-making.” He added that Trump supporters in the key primary and general election battleground state “were disappointed” in some of the decisions made by the Trump campaign.

“Fred gets things done. He has a proven track record of leadership, delivering results and winning,” Ramaswamy said in a statement“We’re taking America First to the next level, and I am confident Fred will be a key asset in our mission in the crucible of New Hampshire politics. We’re ready to roll and revive the American experiment, starting with the Granite state.”

Ramaswamy has hit the ground running since announcing his presidential campaign in February, traveling to New Hampshire and Iowa numerous times.