The Cook Political Report has adjusted its ratings in two key mid-Atlantic congressional races, shifting both in favor of the Republican Party.
The nonpartisan election forecaster made its first change in the race for Virginia’s 7th Congressional District, shifting its classification from “Lean D” to “Toss Up.” The race is for an open seat, following the announced departure of Democrat Abigail Spanberger, who is leaving the House in January to run for governor. It now sees a competitive matchup between Eugene Vindman, brother of Alexander Vindman—who played a central role as a witness during Donald Trump’s first impeachment—and Derrick Anderson, a former Green Beret.
New @CookPolitical House rating changes: two Mid-Atlantic races shift in Republicans' favor.#NJ07 Kean (R) – Toss Up to Lean R#VA07 OPEN (Spanberger) (D) – Lean D to Toss Up
Despite Vindman significantly outspending Anderson on campaign ads, the race appears to have tightened.
Watch my closing message at tonight's #VA07 forum.
I will always fight for the future of the people of #VA07, my home, the place that raised me, while my opponent focuses on the past. pic.twitter.com/kxFpWuZE8t
The district covers a substantial portion of Central and Northern Virginia, including areas like Orange, Culpeper, Spotsylvania and Prince William counties, with Fredericksburg and Culpeper among its largest cities. It has a slight Democratic lean with a D+1 partisan voter index, which Cook’s Erin Covey notes may be Vindman’s saving grace in a presidential election year.
In another update, New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District, currently held by Republican Thomas Kean Jr., has shifted from “Toss Up” to “Lean R.” This change is significant as Kean’s seat is one of only 16 Republican-held districts that President Joe Biden carried in the 2020 election.
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Kean may benefit from the favorable reputation of his father, former Governor Tom Kean, among his Northern New Jersey constituents. Moreover, his opponent, Democrat Sue Altman, has struggled to gain visibility in the costly New York City media market.
Article Published With The Permission of American Liberty News
Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
Lawyers for former President Trump filed a motion on Thursday to dismiss charges related to the 2020 election brought against him by Special Counsel Jack Smith.
In their legal filing, the Trump team claims Smith was unlawfully appointed.
“President Donald J. Trump respectfully requests leave to file this proposed motion to dismiss the Superseding Indictment and for injunctive relief—which is timely and, alternatively, supported by good cause—based on violations of the Constitution’s Appointments and Appropriations Clauses,” the filing states.
The Appointments Clause says, “Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, Judges of the Supreme Court, and all other Officers of the United States be appointed by the President subject to the advice and consent of the Senate, although Congress may vest the appointment of inferior officers in the President alone, in the Courts of Law, or in the Heads of Departments.” Smith, however, was never confirmed by the Senate.
“The proposed motion establishes that this unjust case was dead on arrival— unconstitutional even before its inception,” the Trump filing states.
Trump lawyers argued that in November 2022, Attorney General Merick Garland “violated the Appointments Clause by naming private-citizen Smith to target President Trump, while President Trump was campaigning to take back the Oval Office from the Attorney General’s boss, without a statutory basis for doing so.”
Trump attorneys argue that Smith “was not appointed ‘by Law,'” and argue that he “has operated with a blank check by relying on an inapplicable permanent indefinite appropriation that was enacted in connection with a reauthorization of the Independent Counsel Act in 1987.”
“Smith was not appointed pursuant to that Act, which expired in 1999. The appropriation contemplates the possibility of appointment by some ‘other law,’ but no ‘other law’ authorized Smith’s appointment,” the attorneys continue. “The appropriation also requires that the prosecutor be “independent,” in the very particular, rigorous sense that attorneys appointed pursuant to the defunct Independent Counsel Act were meant to be independent.”
They added: “That is not true of Smith’s appointment, either.”
“For these reasons, Smith should have never been permitted to access these huge sums of money, and his use of this funding violated the Appropriations Clause,” the filing states. “Based on these violations of the Appointments and Appropriations Clauses, the Superseding Indictment should be dismissed with prejudice. In addition, an injunction against additional spending by Smith is necessary to prevent ongoing irreparable harm and to ensure complete relief for the Appropriations Clause violation.”
Trump pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Smith has until Halloween, Oct. 31, to file his response.
United States Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) is facing one dozen new criminal charges in his alleged yearslong scheme with the governments of Egypt and Qatar.
Menendez and his wife, Nadine, face charges of obstruction of justice, among others.
BREAKING: U.S. Senator Bob Menendez and his wife have been charged with obstruction of justice in a superseding indictment in the bribery case against him. pic.twitter.com/y4nAj1yNeY
The new charges come days after one of the New Jersey businessmen who was previously indicted alongside Menendez, his wife Nadine Menendez, and two others agreed to plead guilty and cooperate with the investigation.
Among the new charges in the superseding indictment are conspiracy, obstruction of justice, public official acting as a foreign agent, bribery, extortion and honest services wire fraud.
Menendez had faced four counts of conspiracy to commit bribery, conspiracy to commit honest services fraud, conspiracy to commit extortion under color of official right, and conspiracy for a public official to act as a foreign agent.
The new charges add the underlying so-called substantive crimes to the conspiracy charges.
Menendez persists in his innocence and pledges to do whatever it takes to retain his Senate seat.
This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.
Georgia National Guard from United States, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R) has officially entered the race for governor, setting the stage for a competitive Republican primary to succeed outgoing Gov. Brian Kemp (R), who is term-limited. In a two-minute campaign launch ad released Wednesday, Raffensperger portrayed himself as a principled conservative willing to take tough stands, vowing to uphold the Constitution and defend Georgia values.
“I’m a conservative Republican, and I’m prepared to make the tough decisions,” Raffensperger declared in the ad. “I follow the law and the Constitution, and I always do the right thing for Georgia, no matter what.”
Watch:
The announcement pits Raffensperger against prominent GOP contenders including Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, who has received former President Donald Trump’s endorsement, and Attorney General Chris Carr, both of whom have strong support among grassroots conservatives. The winner of the GOP primary will likely face a high-profile Democratic opponent next November.
Revisiting the 2020 Election Clash With Trump
Raffensperger became a household name during the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election, when Georgia became a critical battleground. After President Trump narrowly lost the state to Joe Biden by just under 12,000 votes, Trump and his allies raised concerns about election irregularities and widespread allegations of voter fraud. Raffensperger, as the state’s chief elections officer, found himself at the center of the storm.
Despite mounting pressure from Trump and many Georgia Republicans to challenge or overturn the results, Raffensperger maintained that his office’s audits and recounts showed no evidence of widespread fraud that would change the outcome. In a now-famous phone call, Trump urged Raffensperger to “find” enough votes to change the result — a conversation that later became a flashpoint in national debates over election integrity and presidential power.
While Raffensperger’s stance drew praise from Democrats and corporate media, it also alienated many in the Republican base, who felt he failed to investigate potential irregularities aggressively enough. That divide has lingered within Georgia GOP politics and is certain to shadow his gubernatorial campaign. Many grassroots conservatives remain skeptical of Raffensperger, while others credit him for adhering to the letter of the law during an unprecedented political firestorm.
A Crowded Field on Both Sides
The Republican primary is shaping up to be one of the most watched in the nation. With Raffensperger, Jones, and Carr already in the race, GOP voters will have a clear choice between different brands of Republican leadership — from establishment-minded governance to more populist, Trump-aligned approaches.
On the Democratic side, the field is also taking shape. Declared candidates include former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, former GOP Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, former state Sen. Jason Esteves, state Rep. Derrick Jackson, former DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond, and former pastor Olu Brown. There is also persistent speculation that Stacey Abrams could enter the race again, potentially setting up a dramatic rematch after her narrow 2018 and 2022 defeats.
Georgia has transformed into a true political battleground over the last decade, with Republicans still holding most statewide offices but Democrats making steady gains. The 2026 gubernatorial race will be pivotal in determining whether Georgia remains under GOP control or flips blue.
The nonpartisan election handicapper Cook Political Report rates Kemp’s seat a “toss up.”
Can Raffensperger manage to make peace with Trump and secure his endorsement? Tell us what you think in the comments below!
CNN senior political commentator Scott Jennings signaled that he would run for Sen. Mitch McConnell’s (R-KY) seat in 2026 if President Donald Trump tells him to.
During an interview with Jennings on the Real America’s Voice show Bolling!, host Eric Bolling asked, “A lot of people are floating your name to take over, to jump into Mitch McConnell’s Senate seat next year in ’26. You thinking about it?”
BREAKING: GOP pundit and CNN contributor Scott Jennings says he’s open to running for Mitch McConnell’s seat — but only if President Trump asks him to.
“Yeah, I haven’t made any announcements about that,” replied Jennings, who worked as a special assistant for former President George W. Bush. “There’s three people in the race, I know them all, like them all, have been in and out of their lives in varying degrees over the years. I’ve supported them all in various endeavors, so I’m confident the seat will remain Republican.”
He continued, “I do think politics is a team sport, and I think Trump’s the head coach. And eventually he’s gonna weigh in on this, and my political advice would be to anybody, you know, if he calls a play, we’re gonna have to run it. I wouldn’t want to run against the president in Kentucky. So, I don’t really have any announcement about it at the moment.”
After Bolling pressed, “If Trump taps you, you’re gonna run?” Jennings said cryptically, “I pay very close attention to everything the president says.”
McConnell, who has held his Senate seat since 1985, announced in February he would not seek re-election in 2026 amid growing concerns over his health.
Rep. Andy Barr (R-KY), former Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron, and businessman Nate Morris have all declared their candidacy in the race.
President Donald Trump signs Executive Orders, Thursday, April 17, 2025, in the Oval Office. (Official White House Photo by Molly Riley)
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is increasingly signaling that Vice President JD Vance is his preferred heir to the MAGA movement, according to multiple White House insiders, though the president has stopped short of offering a formal endorsement for the 2028 Republican nomination.
The reports suggest Trump has moved away from privately weighing Vance against Secretary of State Marco Rubio and now speaks more confidently about the vice president’s political future.
White House Sources Point To Vance
According to Axios, White House aides say Trump has begun making comments such as “JD looks great” and no longer frames the question as a choice between Vance and Rubio. One administration source told Axios that “JD is earning it, and Trump sees it.”
The turning point for Vance reportedly came in mid-June when he joined presidential envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff in helping negotiate the memorandum of understanding with Iran, a key step toward ending the conflict.
The diplomatic breakthrough coincided with the June 16 release of Vance’s book, “Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith.” Already scheduled for a promotional tour, Vance received additional national exposure because of his prominent role in the negotiations.
Vance conducted 33 interviews during June, appearing on conservative podcasts, at White House press briefings, in informal media gaggles, and on programs across the political spectrum, including HBO’s “Real Time with Bill Maher” and ABC’s “The View.”
One Trump adviser told Axios that although the president does not watch “The View,” he saw clips from Vance’s appearance and was pleased with what he saw.
Trump Hasn’t Made It Official
Despite the reports, Trump has not publicly endorsed Vance as his successor.
Over the past year, the president has repeatedly praised both Vance and Rubio while emphasizing that the next presidential election remains years away. He has previously suggested that the vice president would naturally have an advantage but has also described Rubio as a strong potential leader.
Political observers note that withholding a formal endorsement allows Trump to maintain influence within the Republican Party while avoiding an early succession battle.
Rubio Remains An Influential Figure
Rubio continues to be viewed as one of the administration’s most influential officials, but allies say he has shown little interest in challenging Vance for the Republican nomination.
The secretary of state has publicly praised Vance and has previously indicated he would support the vice president if he decides to seek the White House in 2028.
2028 Race Already Taking Shape
Although the Republican presidential primary is still more than two years away, speculation about Trump’s eventual successor has intensified as potential candidates build fundraising networks and expand their national profiles.
For now, Trump has not formally anointed a successor. But according to White House insiders, the president increasingly appears to view Vance as the leading contender to carry the MAGA banner after he leaves office.
Donald Trump is offering his two cents on the unprecedented battle for House Speaker.
In a series of Truth Social tweets, the former President urged Republican lawmakers to vote for Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) after he failed to secure the position through three rounds of voting.
“Some really good conversations took place last night, and it’s now time for all of our GREAT Republican House Members to VOTE FOR KEVIN,” Trump posted on Truth Social.
“CLOSE THE DEAL, TAKE THE VICTORY, & WATCH CRAZY NANCY PELOSI FLY BACK HOME TO A VERY BROKEN CALIFORNIA,THE ONLY SPEAKER IN U.S. HISTORY TO HAVE LOST THE ‘HOUSE’ TWICE! REPUBLICANS, DO NOT TURN A GREAT TRIUMPH INTO A GIANT & EMBARRASSING DEFEAT. IT’S TIME TO CELEBRATE, YOU DESERVE IT,” the 2024 presidential candidate continued.
“Kevin McCarthy will do a good job, and maybe even a GREAT JOB – JUST WATCH!” Trump predicted.
On Tuesday, the 118th Congress held three rounds of voting for House Speaker, but the California Republican fell short of crossing the 218 vote threshold as 19 Republican hardliners opted to support Rep. Jim Jordan(R-Ohio).
However, despite Trump’s attempts to sway favor back towards McCarthy, lawmakers say even Trump’s endorsement isn’t enough.
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) who was among the 19 Republicans to oppose McCarthy, responded to Trump’s endorsement.
“Sad!” Gaetz said in a Wednesday statement. “This changes neither my view of McCarthy nor Trump nor my vote.”
Gaetz has been one of the most prominent figures to declare his opposition to McCarthy’s bid for Speaker and has worked to secure major concessions from the California Republican. However, negotiations have still fallen short and ultimately Rep. Gaetz nominated Rep. Jordan for Speaker during the first round of voting on Tuesday.
On Tuesday, the Florida firebrand also sent a letter to the Architect of the Capitol on Tuesday questioning why House Speaker candidate McCarthy was already inhabiting the Speaker’s office when he had yet to officially win the position, according to The Hill.
“I write to inform you that the Speaker of the House Office located in the U.S. Capitol Building is currently occupied by Rep. Kevin McCarthy,” Gaetz said in the letter.
“As of this morning, the 117th Congress adjourned sine die, and a Speaker from the 118th Congress has not been elected,” he continued. “After three undeciding votes, no member can lay claim to this office.”
J.P. Cooney, a former top deputy to special counsel Jack Smith in the Biden-era Justice Department, has launched a Democrat bid for Congress in Virginia — centering his campaign on his role in prosecuting President Donald Trump.
Cooney announced his candidacy in a post on X, writing: “I was fired by Donald Trump’s Department of Justice because of my work to prosecute him. But I won’t let Trump – or anyone – stop me from serving. I’m J.P. Cooney, and I’m running for Congress in Virginia’s 7th District.”
I was fired by Donald Trump's Department of Justice because of my work to prosecute him.
But I won't let Trump – or anyone – stop me from serving.
I'm J.P. Cooney, and I'm running for Congress in Virginia's 7th District. https://t.co/6WnMrUNG5w
According to his LinkedIn profile, Cooney served as Principal Deputy to Special Counsel Jack Smith and was a lead prosecutor in the federal cases brought against Trump alleging obstruction of justice and conspiracy. Those cases, filed during a period of intense political division, were widely criticized by Republicans as unprecedented uses of prosecutorial power against a political opponent — particularly as Trump was running for president.
Many conservatives have argued that the prosecutions reflected a broader pattern of what they describe as a “weaponized” Justice Department under Democrat leadership. House Republicans have held hearings examining federal law enforcement’s conduct in high-profile political investigations, questioning whether equal standards were applied across party lines.
Smith, whose tenure as special counsel was sharply debated on Capitol Hill, praised Cooney in remarks reported by The New York Times. “I’ve known J.P. for a long time and I think the world of him as a person and as a public servant,” Smith said. “He’s a man of integrity who has committed his career to upholding the rule of law.”
For Republican voters in Virginia, Cooney’s campaign is likely to revive debates about the legitimacy and timing of the Trump prosecutions. GOP leaders have consistently maintained that the legal actions were politically motivated and designed to damage Trump’s electoral prospects rather than to serve impartial justice.
Adding another layer of controversy, Cooney is running in Virginia’s 7th Congressional District — a district that does not yet exist in its current proposed form. According to The New York Times, Democrats in Virginia are advancing a redistricting effort that would significantly alter the 7th District’s boundaries. That plan would face legal hurdles and would ultimately require approval via ballot referendum.
Republicans in the state have criticized the redistricting push as an attempt to engineer a more favorable electoral map, particularly in competitive suburban districts that have swung between parties in recent cycles. Virginia’s 7th District has been one of the most closely watched battlegrounds in the Commonwealth, reflecting broader national shifts in suburban voting patterns.
In comments to the Times, Cooney framed his candidacy as a response to what he described as congressional inaction. “Never has there been a Congress that has been such a weak and ineffective check on a president’s abuses of power,” he said. “I lie awake every night worrying that Donald Trump does not have the best interests of our country in mind.”
Those remarks are likely to energize Democratic primary voters but may also sharpen partisan contrasts in a state where divided government and razor-thin margins have become the norm. Virginia has trended more competitive in recent elections, with Republicans making gains in statewide contests and emphasizing issues such as public safety, parental rights in education, inflation, and federal spending.
Cooney’s entry into the race signals that the legal battles surrounding Trump will continue to spill into the political arena.
Casa Rosada (Argentina Presidency of the Nation), CC BY 2.5 AR via Wikimedia Commons
California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) is attacking Fox News prime-time hosts for their “ruthless” approach to media.
The Democrat governor, who has been floated as a possible 2024 contender, remarked over the weekend that Democrats are getting “crushed” by Fox News hosts. Newsom cited his Father-in-law as an example of someone for whom he has great respect, but at the same time, is often confused about his conservative narratives, which he blamed Fox News prime-time hosts for.
According to Mediaite, a portion of Newsom’s remarks aired Monday morning on CNN’s New Day for discussion.
“These guys are ruthless on the other side. Ruthless on the other side,” Newsom reiterated. “That prime time line up by Fox, they are ruthless. They dominate the most important thing in American politics today, and that’s the narrative. Facts become secondary to narrative. They dominate with illusion. We are getting crushed.”
Panelists Margaret Hoover and John Avlon didn’t refute Newsom’s allegation that hosts for the top-rated cable news program are consistently lying.
Coming out of the clip, Erica Hill noted, “when it comes to messaging in terms of getting crushed, this is something that has been an Achilles heel for Democrats in terms of having a united message across the party.” This may be a shock to any conservative viewer who watched years of Russian interference narratives that, for reasons good and bad, never amounted to anything other than breathless media analysis.
Hoover also noted a media narrative favorable to Democrats seemed a pretty well-oiled machine during past Democrat-led administrations.
“I don’t think necessarily Democrats suffer from lack of a narrative,” Hoover continued. “They own the presidency right now and have control of the Senate. I worry about what he’s pointing to,” which she summarized as getting away from the Michelle Obama rhetorical ethos of “when they go low, we go high.” She ultimately landed on the real issue as she saw it, which was the impact Donald Trump has on political discourse.
“[Newsom] is right in saying Democrats want a fighter right now. He has a good point about the unified narrative of Republicans that tends to put Democrats on defense because they are saying ‘Gosh, look at all those lies.”
Fox News host Geraldo Rivera might be regretting his endorsement.
Days after backing the Democrat nominee the Fox News host was left stunned after her lack of preparation for her interview with anchor Bret Baier on Wednesday.
Rivera and Sean Spicer joined NewsNation’s Dan Abrams, founder of Mediaite, on Wednesday to break down Harris’s interview and despite Rivera’s public support for Harris, he was left mostly unimpressed with her appearance.
“I am baffled by the lack of preparation going into the highest profile interview she has,” Rivera said, calling the interview “a wash.”
He argued that Harris’s weak point was in terms of immigration and the southern border.
“For example, she knew, they knew, the Democrats knew that it was going to be all about immigration. Bret was going to come out smoking on immigration and he would culminate his lament over how awful the situation is with pictures of the victims. That’s the Republican playbook, it’s obvious that it was coming. How could she not be ready to answer Laken Riley and Mollie Tibbetts and so forth?” he said.
The southern border, he added, will continue to be the weak point for Harris and her campaign.
“From this moment on, I advise them to not be the doormat when it comes to this issue,” he said. “It’s their biggest Achilles heel.”
Donald Trump released a statement after Kamala’s interview:
“Kamala Harris’ interview with Bret Baier was a TRAIN WRECK. Kamala was angry, defensive, and once again abdicated any responsibility for the problems Americans are facing. She couldn’t give a straight answer to a single question because she has no answers. Kamala’s entire campaign is based on lies about President Trump. Kamala can’t handle the pressure of an interview with Fox News—she certainly can’t handle the pressure of being President of the United States.”
