Congress

Koch-backed group posts 7-figure ad buy in North Carolina Senate race

Published

9 months ago

February 12, 2026

Americans for Prosperity Action, the political arm of the powerful conservative Koch network, has placed a 7-figure ad buy for former RNC Chair Michael Whatley’s Senate campaign in North Carolina, banking an early investment in a must-win seat for the GOP in what’s expected to be one of the most expensive races in the country.

The total spend in the Tarheel State will amount to over $1 million and will run on cable, marking the organization’s first TV ad buy of the 2026 midterms cycle. The 30-second spot, shared first with Blue Light News, hits on perennial Koch priorities, casting Whatley as the candidate who will “stop wasteful spending, drive down prices and cut taxes.” The package of ads will also run on internet connected TV services and Meta platforms.

Sen. Thom Tillis’ (R-N.C.) retirement announcement last year following a barrage of attacks from President Donald Trump opened a top-priority race for both parties in the swing state. Democrats haven’t won a Senate race or carried the state at the presidential level since 2008 — but Democrats have been inching closer to cinching a statewide federal win in past cycles after posting two consecutive Democrats to the governor’s mansion and maintaining a longtime hold on the attorney general’s office in Raleigh.

Whatley, the Trump-endorsed frontrunner in the GOP primary, raised $3.8 million in 2025’s final FEC filing period, which amounted to about half of the $7 million haul posted by former Gov. Roy Cooper, his likely Democratic challenger. AFP Action’s support will likely amount to just a drop in the bucket, though, as operatives in both parties have estimated that spending in the race could reach $650 million by Election Day.

The ad campaign is coupled with a grassroots door-knocking effort helmed by AFP Action, which began in North Carolina earlier this year. Whatley is set to join one of those outreach efforts himself in the Charlotte area later this month.

The significant spend in North Carolina comes as the group has made similar, albeit smaller, 6-figure digital investments in the open Senate races in Michigan and New Hampshire for Mike Rogers and John Sununu, respectively — a sign of where they might invest more down the line.

Congress

Nancy Pelosi’s successor headlines the latest round of calls

Published

8 minutes ago

November 6, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

California state Sen. Scott Wiener has officially won his bid to replace former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in Congress, The Associated Press projected Friday afternoon, as Republicans shored up their ranks with victories in three ruby red seats by smaller-than-expected margins.

Wiener bested San Francisco Supervisor Connie Chan by 9 percentage points in an expensive, heated Democrat-on-Democrat race that pitted the city’s liberal factions against each other. Chan had the endorsement of Pelosi — as well as Saikat Chakrabarti, who finished third in the June primary. She occupied the more progressive lane.

But it wasn’t enough to compete with Wiener, who spent nearly a decade in the state Senate and raised millions of dollars to win a seat he long coveted. Chan has already conceded to Wiener on Wednesday.

Friday also brought welcome news for the GOP, which saw Rep. Jeff Hurd (R-Colo.) reelected to his House seat and Republicans Mark Lamb and Anthony Constantino elected in Arizona and New York, respectively.

Lamb and Constantino were almost felled by the blue wave that saw Democrats take over the House and Senate with massive majorities. Retiring Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) won Constantino’s seat by more than 24 percentage points in 2024.

Constantino — who has spent the time since Election Day publicly feuding with other Empire State Republicans on social media — defeated Democrat Blake Gendebien by fewer than 6,000 votes.

Congress

Maxine Waters officially launches bid to lead House Financial Services

Published

4 hours ago

November 6, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

Rep. Maxine Waters on Friday launched her bid to again lead Democrats on the House Financial Services Committee, officially teeing up a clash for the role with at least one younger member.

The California lawmaker, who has led Democrats on the panel since 2013, wrote in a letter to colleagues obtained by POLITICO that she “will pursue a bold agenda focused on affordability, accountability, and accessibility.”

Waters, 88, is facing a challenge for the job from Illinois Rep. Sean Casten, 54, who launched a bid to topple her Thursday. Illinois Rep. Bill Foster, 71, is also considering running, though he is currently leaning against it.

Congress

Capitol agenda: Shutdown fight coming sooner than you think

Published

8 hours ago

November 6, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

Democrats have a chance before they take power in January to undercut President Donald Trump’s Iran war checkbook. Not everyone is on board.

Lawmakers will have to pass another funding bill by mid-December to avoid a government shutdown. Though Republicans maintain their majorities until the end of the year, some Democrats — ready to flex their new influence after a midterm blowout — want any year-end spending measure to block cash for the military conflict.

But the move could spark a shutdown fight that extends into the next year and overshadows their new majority and other policy goals.

Democrats will have to weigh the pros and cons of instigating a confrontation they won’t necessarily win.

The top Democratic appropriators, at least, didn’t appear to rule out a fight.

“Democrats will absolutely not fund Trump’s war of choice with Iran that has increased costs on American families and made us less safe,” Rep. Rosa DeLauro said Thursday in a statement to Blue Light News.

Senate Appropriations Vice Chair Patty Murray, in a statement, also attributed Democrats’ midterm gains to the unpopularity of the Iran conflict: “The American people just voted overwhelmingly to put an end to this war, and we are going to look at every tool we have available to us to bring this disastrous war to an end.”

The top Democrats in both chambers — Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer — have yet to announce whether they will try to use the moment to limit resources for the war.

Jeffries said in a statement that Democrats will have “a leadership conversation” with DeLauro about the war, “but it is clear from this election that the American people are demanding accountability and an end to the war.”

Schumer said in an interview Thursday he’s working with Murray “to get something done” on government funding before the shutdown deadline, but didn’t forecast whether he’d demand a cutoff of dollars.

The party has been consistent for months in its opposition to the Iran conflict and has so far fought off Trump’s requests for a $1.5 trillion military budget and an emergency war funding package.

Still, triggering a shutdown isn’t a risk all Democrats want to take.

“I don’t know where our leadership is on this one, but I would say that definitely there’s got to be a way to wind this down instead of saying, ‘no funding,’” a House Democratic appropriator, granted anonymity to speak candidly, said in an interview.

What else we’re watching:

— BLACK DEMOCRATS WANT SOUTHERN INVESTMENT: Black lawmakers are urging national Democrats to invest in the South after a string of stunning wins were powered by a surge in Black voters. Many of these lawmakers, who have previously chided donors for not investing earlier in promising candidates, like Scott Colom in Mississippi and Angie Nixon in Florida, are actively seeking commitments for future cycles. “You cannot reap for which you don’t sow,” said Rep. Troy Carter, who is poised to chair the Congressional Black Caucus next year. Across House races Tuesday, turnout in counties that are at least 60% Black surged 21 points compared to the last midterm in 2022, according to a Blue Light News analysis of preliminary returns. That’s more than double the increase in votes cast nationally in counties where the population is less than 20% Black.

— JEFFRIES KNOCKS PERMITTING DEAL — Jeffries Thursday said the Senate permitting deal “falls short” and raised concerns about the bill’s proposed changes to bedrock environmental laws and protections for tribal sovereignty. “We must once again support the clean energy economy and combat the climate crisis with the fierce urgency of now,” a spokesperson for Jeffries told Blue Light News exclusively. “However, the current Senate bill under consideration falls short in several areas, including the manner in which [National Environmental Policy Act] reform is undertaken and the failure to adequately protect tribal sovereignty.” Jeffries’ criticism complicates the bill’s path to passage during the lame-duck session, with a Senate procedural vote on the package scheduled for Monday.

Jennifer Scholtes, Riley Rogerson and Nico Portuondo contributed to this report.