Congress

Jeffries guarantees Democratic House win in midterms despite ‘undemocratic’ rulings

Published

4 months ago

May 11, 2026

The top House Democrat guaranteed a victory for his party in the November midterms in a message to lawmakers Monday, seeking to settle nerves after a pair of redistricting-related court decisions threatened to hand several seats to Republicans.

“Democrats will take control of the House of Representatives in November,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries wrote in the “Dear Colleague” letter.

Jeffries also announced a Thursday House Democratic Caucus meeting to discuss “the steps Democrats are taking to advance the largest voter protection effort in modern American history.” Rep. Joe Morelle of New York, the top Democrat on the House Administration Committee, will help lead the briefing.

“Given the highly unfavorable political environment confronting House Republicans, the extremists will not meaningfully benefit from their scandalous gerrymandering scheme,” Jeffries said. “Quite the opposite. Democratic enthusiasm and resolve have grown more intense.”

The Virginia Supreme Court struck down a new voter-approved map Friday that would have created four Democratic-friendly districts. The Supreme Court earlier this month limited the effect of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that gives Republicans leeway to redraw majority-minority districts in the South.

Jeffries called these “blatantly undemocratic court decisions” but added “the failed GOP majority will not be able to gerrymander themselves back into power.”

Congress

Mike Johnson says he has ‘no plans’ to campaign with Max Miller

Published

23 minutes ago

September 2, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

Speaker Mike Johnson said he has no plans to campaign with embattled Rep. Max Miller — or visit his home state of Ohio at all — before the midterms.

“I have no plans to go to Ohio between now and the election,” Johnson told reporters Wednesday. “I’ve said everything I can say about the situation. It’s up to the people in his district.”

Miller is running in what had been considered a safe red district before allegations of abuse from his ex-wife Emily Moreno, the daughter of GOP Ohio Sen. Bernie Moreno, exploded into public view in recent weeks. Ohio’s two GOP senators have called on Miller to resign.

Miller has denied any wrongdoing and has vowed to continue his reelection campaign. A spokesperson for Miller declined to comment.

Johnson said Monday that he supports Miller’s reelection bid and called him a “great member.” The House Ethics Committee is investigating the allegations, which include physical assaults on his wife and daughter.

“He’s running a good campaign,” Johnson said Wednesday. “He has a nasty divorce. He’s, of course, vehemently denied the claims made. And as I’ve said many times, we allow due process to play out.”

Congress

Thune: Data centers should be ‘self-sufficient’

Published

23 minutes ago

September 2, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

Senate Majority Leader John Thune is stepping into the growing debate over data centers, saying in a local news interview this week that the facilities should be “self-sufficient.”

“They ought to be able to take care of their own utilities, their own power, and that ought to be a given any place they go in the country,” Thune told a South Dakota TV station. “But they shouldn’t be going places where there isn’t support for them at the local level.”

The comments, which appear to be the first he’s made on the matter, come as the public pushback against data centers is growing amid concerns that the data center boom is driving up energy costs — fueling demands for a crackdown from across the political spectrum ahead of the midterms.

Some GOP senators have acknowledged in recent weeks that the issue is becoming a political liability for the party, while a handful of vulnerable House Republicans are pushing for action before the midterms.

Further complicating matters for party leaders, however, is that President Donald Trump lauded data centers in a Truth Social post, saying that “only reason that communities throughout the U.S.A. should not want Data Centers is if they want to end up being backwards and poor.”

While the social media message has been causing heartburn for some inside the GOP, it’s also appearing to give little breathing room to House GOP leaders back in Washington after the summer recess, who are now under pressure from some members to deliver a legislative response before the November elections.

Many GOP lawmakers are rallying behind a bill that would require states to consider adopting a federal standard that would ensure data centers cover the costs of the grid upgrades needed to serve them.

The so-called Ratepayer Protection Act passed unanimously out of the House Energy and Commerce Committee in July, while Sen. Jon Husted (R-Ohio), who is in a competitive race against former Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown, has companion legislation around which he is trying to build support.

Congress

Introducing Rep. Aisha Wahab

Published

53 minutes ago

September 2, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

Aisha Wahab was sworn in to the House Wednesday as the 214th Democrat after winning a special election this month to replace California Rep. Eric Swalwell. With Wahab sworn in, Speaker Mike Johnson will be able to lose only one Republican on party-line votes.

The House is now back to 433 members. Vacancies created by the resignations earlier this year of Reps. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-Fla.) and Anthony Gonzales (R-Texas) not expected to filled before the end of the Congress.