Politics
Inside Grindr’s political power play
Call it a case of strange bedfellows.
Grindr, the LGBTQ+ dating app, has expanded its political presence in both Washington and California as it seeks to flex its influence muscles on a range of policy priorities. The app’s ambitions have grown since President Donald Trump’s return to office — and much of that is due to the registered Republican running the shop.
Since April 2025, Joe Hack has navigated a GOP-controlled Washington as he pushes forward Grindr’s biggest legislative priorities. Out in California, George Arison, Grindr’s self-described “conservative” CEO, has waded into primary politics, pushing moderate San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan as the next governor.
Even amid Trump’s anti-DEI and LGBTQ+ crackdown, Hack told Blue Light News he’s found room for bipartisan agreement in Washington. And the scale of Grindr’s influence will be on full display Friday, when the app hosts its inaugural White House Correspondents Dinner weekend party — for which Democrats and Republicans alike have been clamoring to get an invite.
“We’re planting a flag,” Hack said in an interview. “We’ve been doing policy work here now for a year, and the issues we care about are important not just to us, but to our community.”
The glitzy bash — held in a $9 million, 10-bedroom Georgetown mansion — is one of the buzziest fetes of the upcoming weekend, and the guest list has been closed for more than a week. “The interest level has been insane,” Hack said. Though he declined to provide a preview of expected attendees, he teased that “very high level people from both sides” had RSVP’d. “We’ll see if they come,” he said.
Before taking over Grindr’s lobbying, Hack spent more than a decade as an aide to Republicans on Capitol Hill. That included six years as chief of staff to Sen. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), who voted against codifying gay marriage about a year after Hack transitioned to the private sector.
Now, Hack is leading a lobbying blitz at Grindr. The app has poured $1.6 million into its influence operation since it registered to lobby federal lawmakers in April 2025. In the first three months of 2026, Grindr spent $432,500 on its in-house lobbying operation, as well as an additional $120,000 across two large lobbying firms working on its behalf, according to disclosures published this week. The legislation Grindr is targeting includes issues related to “surrogacy and IVF access for same-sex couples,” as well as two bills — one sponsored by Rep. John James (R-Mich.) and one by Rep. Jake Auchincloss (D-Mass.) — that would make it more difficult for minors to download the 18+ app.
“One area that might be surprising is we’ve had very productive conversations with some House Republicans on online safety and working to keep kids safe, but also do it in a way that’s privacy-forward,” Hack said.
But its main focus has been on HIV prevention funding. Grindr partners with the Centers for Disease Control to distribute HIV self-test kits in the U.S. through its app, Hack said, and partners with other organizations globally to use its platform to increase access to health care.
Last year, Trump demanded that Congress authorize more than $400 million in spending cuts to PEPFAR, the global HIV-AIDS program started under former President George W. Bush. Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins (R-Maine) vocally criticized the cuts, and the White House ultimately relented.
Lobbying disclosures show that Grindr specifically targeted that rescissions bill. A spokesperson for Collins confirmed that her team had met with Grindr, writing in a statement that “Senator Collins has a strong record of supporting the LGBTQ community.”
“Most recently, Senator Collins has been recognized as a leading advocate for PEPFAR and continuing the U.S.’s important role in the fight against HIV/AIDs,” Collins spokesperson Blake Kernen said in a statement. “She appreciates this recognition of her leadership.”
Hack also personally contributed $3,500 to Collins, which he told Blue Light News came through a donation at a Sept. 25 fundraiser. He also said he expected to give $3,500 to Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), another partner in HIV prevention, in June.
“As the administration is contemplating PEPFAR 2.0 and what that looks like, we would like to step up in a more meaningful way as a public-private partner,” he said. “We’re not looking for tax money. What we’re looking for is really to leverage the power of our platform and our unique and unparalleled reach that no other company has, and to use that on behalf of our community to grow health care access.”
Grindr’s focus on health care, Hack said, is part of what he called Arison’s goal of expanding the platform beyond just a relationship app and into a “global gayborhood” at the intersection of telehealth, travel and leisure.
Since taking over as CEO in 2022, Arison has pushed to implement AI into the app and has been a supporter of Trump’s light-touch AI regulation policies. Despite dipping his toes into the California gubernatorial race, don’t expect Arison to become a new political player.
“In general, I don’t get involved in politics,” Arison told Blue Light News in an interview last week. “I don’t want Grindr involved in politics at all.”
As for this weekend’s party, the expectations are high among the D.C. chattering class.
Jon Levine, a reporter for the Washington Free Beacon who calls himself an “infamous conservative hatchet man,” told Blue Light News he would certainly be at the event.
Asked why, he responded with just two words: “Hard news.”
Christine Mui contributed to this report.
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Ted Cruz on his 2028 lane, JD Vance and the GOP’s future
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DALLAS — Top Republican lawmakers had no idea President Donald Trump was going to promise $5,000 checks to every adult American so long as his party keeps control of Congress. Now, they’re grappling with how to handle the fallout.
GOP leaders have privately pushed back on similar Trump promises of giving money to Americans in the past year, according to four people granted anonymity to share details of closed-door meetings. Senior Republicans on Capitol Hill were blindsided by Trump’s Wednesday night announcement in Dallas, and are trying to manage lawmakers’ and voters’ expectations about a trillion-dollar-plus proposal they cannot deliver.
“The only thing that I knew of was that he has this concept of a dividend of all Americans being able to share in the success of America,” House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, who appeared supportive of the idea, said in an interview on the sidelines of the party’s midterm convention. “But last night, no, I was just like you and everybody else when I went, ‘Oh, that’s interesting. Okay.’”
NRCC Chair Richard Hudson added in an interview: “First, I’d heard of it, so I want to talk to him and get some details before I comment.” Hudson said the idea was “exciting,” but he didn’t indicate the House GOP campaign arm would start touting the idea in ads for battleground candidates.
As for the chances of the measure passing Congress, Hudson responded: “Not this Congress. Because Democrats in the Senate will never go through with it.”
Republican leaders, indeed, don’t have the votes to pass such an offer this year, with some in the party questioning the legality of Trump effectively declaring he would pay for votes. GOP fiscal hawks and others also quickly shot it down.
And some Republicans worry Trump’s last-ditch move steps on their carefully laid messaging about the economic benefits of their major tax cuts package — benefits which have largely been erased by the Iran war and tariffs, according to five senior Republicans, who were also granted anonymity to speak candidly.
“It seems incredibly desperate,” said one of the House Republicans.
“I see zero chance of this happening,” said another House Republican at the convention.
The scramble to figure out their position — and how serious Trump is — comes at a critical final stretch of the midterms and as many voters grow increasingly skeptical of the GOP’s record on the economy.
Democrats were quick to slam Trump’s announcement as a way to bribe Americans and distract from an unpopular trade agenda and war in the Middle East. And as Republicans gathered in Dallas for their splashy midterm convention, the emerging splits over the dividends were on full display.
GOP lawmakers have privately noted a clear divide in the messaging around Trump’s promise of $5,000 checks: The White House and Trump’s campaign social media accounts are wholeheartedly touting the idea. GOP House and Senate campaign arms, meanwhile, are not. The NRSC declined to comment on the proposal.
Vice President JD Vance defended Trump’s offer on Fox News shortly after the president announced it Wednesday night, saying it was intended to boost “the American middle class.” But Vance did not mention the Trump proposal during a closed-door breakfast with GOP lawmakers, state party officials and activists from key battleground states on Thursday morning, instead touting a string of GOP economic achievements like Trump’s executive action that aims to lower prescription drug costs and the GOP tax cuts package.
“I think we’re all looking forward to learning more,” said Rep. Bryan Steil (R-Wis.) as he left the closed-door breakfast with Vance.
Asked if he would support Trump’s proposal, Steil repeated, “I think we’re all looking forward to learning more.”
While Republicans scramble to figure out how to position themselves on the “dividend” pledge, Trump told CBS on Thursday he doesn’t think he needs Congress to approve his plan to send out payments.
Amy Natoce, a spokesperson for Ohio GOP Sen. Jon Husted, who faces a tough battle for reelection this fall, said his team “has reached out to the White House to learn more about the proposal and how it would work.” Natoce noted that “putting money directly back into the pockets of hardworking Ohioans is in line with Jon Husted’s priorities.”
Some Republicans were willing to more fully embrace the idea.
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz said Wednesday that it was “an incentive for work” — even though the money will go to all Americans regardless of employment status. Ohio Sen. Bernie Moreno pledged to draft up a bill on the checks “so that we can get the Trump Dividend passed immediately after the November 3rd election.” Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall, who’s facing a surprisingly competitive race, eagerly asked his social media followers to “comment how you will spend your $5,000 Trump Dividend when Republicans win in November.”
Fiscal hawks say they are eager for information. Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-Wis.), who serves on the House Budget Committee, declined to say whether he would support the president’s proposal which could cost more than $1 trillion.
“I would like to know how they would plan to pay for … back of envelope … well over $1 trillion,” Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) said in an interview Wednesday night shortly after Trump announced the proposal.
Trump has promised a litany of dividends and checks to Americans in recent years that have never materialized.
He raised the idea of direct checks to Americans in private meetings with GOP leaders before, often with money he says are from tariffs or the DOGE cuts. It’s an idea that Trump and some close White House advisers have discussed on and off for extended periods of time, particularly during his second term.
Each time, GOP leaders on Capitol Hill have argued that such an idea wouldn’t have the votes among Republicans given the price tag — and that it would likely require Congress to codify Trump’s controversial tariffs into law.
In December, Trump sent a $1,776 check to all members of the military, a move he referred back to while unveiling the dividend plan Wednesday. And he quickly followed up on Thursday with a separate offer to send money to Americans: $500 rebate checks to about 1 million Obamacare enrollees in 30 states.
Democrats immediately pounced on the latest proposal, including several candidates locked in competitive November races.
“Is this some kind of sick joke? Donald Trump’s policies are costing us more than [$5,000] — from his illegal war in Iran and his trade wars — and this dividend is nothing but a lie that wouldn’t even begin to make up for what he’s costing us,” Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed said in a statement to Blue Light News.
A spokesperson for El-Sayed’s opponent, Mike Rogers, did not respond to a request for comment on the proposal. He also declined questions from reporters at the Dallas convention Thursday.
So far Democratic leaders have been dismissive of the idea.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called the dividends a “bribe” to Americans and said they demonstrate Trump’s weak political position.
“Trump just talks out of who knows what,” he told reporters Thursday in New York City.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and House Majority PAC did not indicate that they planned to include the dividends in messaging to voters.
Emmer dismissed the criticism that the checks were a bribe, saying Trump wanted Americans “to share in the success” of the country.
He acknowledged it’s unlikely the House takes up such a bill before the midterms, given there is no proposal drafted yet and only one week of session scheduled before November, but expressed confidence the GOP could deliver on Trump’s promise after the election.
“Let the policy guys draft it. Let them debate it. Let them move it through committee,” Emmer said. “You get it to the whip’s office. We’ll pass it.”
Kamala Harris will campaign with Sen. Jon Ossoff in Georgia and headline a fundraising dinner hosted by Fulton County Democrats next month, marking her latest involvement in the midterm elections.
Harris is also slated to join Nevada attorney general and gubernatorial candidate Aaron Ford next month in Las Vegas and campaign with Democratic challengers in two competitive House races in her home state.
“It is critical for Democrats to win this November so we can fight the Trump administration’s corruption and work to lower costs for the American people,” a Harris spokesperson said in a statement. “Vice President Harris will continue to do whatever is needed to support candidates in races where she can be helpful.”
The events in Georgia were first reported by CNN. Harris will also be the keynote speaker at the fundraising dinner on Oct. 30 in Atlanta. An Ossoff campaign spokesperson confirmed his plan to campaign with Harris. Ossoff’s campaign previously told Blue Light News that it would welcome Harris to Georgia to stump with or on behalf of the senator.
Still, the announcements come as some Democrats have been keeping distance from the party’s last presidential nominee.
In Iowa, where Democrats are hoping to flip a Senate seat and retake the governor’s mansion in a state where Harris lost by 13 points in 2024, the two candidates both declined to have Harris’ help. So did Mary Peltola, the Democratic Senate candidate in Alaska who “isn’t seeking endorsements from anyone from the Lower 48,” and House candidates in some red states and rural districts.
For her part, Harris has skirted the question of whether she will run again in 2028 and said she is focusing on the midterm elections.
“Right now midterms [are] full-time occupying my thoughts, my mind and my work,” Harris said in a recent podcast episode with Megan Rapinoe on Vox Media. “I’m spending full time working on doing everything I can to help people restore some balance in our government, which is through the midterms, winning back Congress, the House and the Senate.”
“I haven’t decided. But honestly, from my perspective, ’28 doesn’t matter if we don’t win ’26,” she said to a question on another presidential bid.
- Ted Cruz on his 2028 lane, JD Vance and the GOP’s future
- How Republicans are privately talking about their Senate map at the convention
- GOP leaders blindsided by Trump’s promise of $5K checks
- House will vote on legislation shielding consumers from data center energy costs
- Tom Emmer has a message for House GOP chairs: Term limits matter
- Trump to give $500 refunds to nearly 1 million Obamacare customers
- Hawley presses OpenAI over ‘rogue’ Hugging Face hack
- Boozman set to hold another committee farm bill vote next week
- Kamala Harris to campaign with Ossoff in Georgia
- ‘Aggressive’ Medicaid crackdowns will hurt children with autism, providers warn
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