Congress

Titanic-sinker or GOP ‘salesman’? A Senate fiscal hawk grabs a critical gavel

Published

4 weeks ago

July 20, 2026

Sen. Ron Johnson is jumping directly into a legislative train wreck.

The Wisconsin Republican cut his teeth as a fiscal hawk willing to irritate his own party in pursuit of his deficit-shrinking dreams. Now, following Lindsey Graham’s death, Johnson is poised to take over the Senate Budget Committee gavel — and assume an outsized role in helping shepherd the GOP’s current attempt to pass another party-line spending bill.

In theory, the ascension will give Johnson something he’s long wanted: a megaphone to promote the agenda of spending restraint he has struggled to make resonate in the rank-and-file.

“I wish Lindsey were alive,” Johnson said in an interview. “This is not the way you want to become chairman of the Budget. But set that aside — you know, this is a role that I think I’m pretty well suited for.”

His new reality is rocky, however, as he finds himself in the middle of a messy intra-party fight over how to advance a filibuster-skirting reconciliation bill to fund the Iran war and enact parts of the so-called SAVE America Act.

House Republicans want to adopt a budget blueprint for that bill this week, and it’s pitting fiscal conservatives, who want spending offsets, against defense hawks and lawmakers with ties to farm country, who say the framework wouldn’t spend enough on their priorities. Senate GOP leaders are bracing for an enormous headache.

And while just days ago Johnson likely would have locked arms with the deficit hawks to demand changes, things are different now. The soon-to-be Budget chair is instead having to reconcile his penchant for being a squeaky wheel from the sidelines with his new responsibility to help craft an agreement that leadership can then sell to skeptical colleagues as the midterms rapidly approach.

“It’s not going to be easy. My initial effort is going to be, try and get everybody on the same page,” Johnson said. “I was in the private sector for 30-some years, and I sold plastics, so my main skill set is, I’m a salesman. That’s what you’ve got to do, so — you have to convince people.”

Johnson as a dealmaker would be a U-turn from just last year, when the three-term Republican briefly threatened to help tank the One Big Beautiful Bill Act as he pushed for steeper spending cuts; he repeatedly compared the tax-and-spending megabill to the Titanic.

For many of his colleagues, those tactics were a flashback to 2017, when he vowed to oppose the GOP’s tax cuts package until he secured better treatment in the bill for “pass-through” businesses — which comprise most privately held companies — before cutting a deal.

Johnson has also long felt free to buck his own party, using posts at the helm of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee and an investigative subcommittee to dig into pet issues that have been ignored by Senate leadership — namely conspiracies around the Biden family, the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks and the safety of the Covid-19 vaccine.

But Johnson told colleagues during a closed-door lunch last week that he would, as Budget chair, listen to the Senate GOP Conference and act in its best interest, according to Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), a fellow fiscal hawk.

“It’s not just one person talking. I’ve got a responsibility to my committee and to the conference as well,” Johnson said to reporters about how he’ll navigate his new role.

After all, Johnson recently witnessed what can happen when a chair of a key committee doesn’t go along with the party-line plans of GOP leaders: Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Chair Rand Paul (R-Ky.) was cut out of negotiations on the border security portion of last year’s reconciliation package when he wanted to spend less than leadership’s mandate.

Johnson isn’t yet officially chair of the Budget Committee — that will happen in the coming days — but the seniority system guarantees he’ll land it. He has already met with House Budget Chair Jodey Arrington (R-Texas) and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, the latter of whom outlined the challenges awaiting Johnson in efforts to pass the third reconciliation bill of the 119th Congress.

And Johnson noted how even before he had returned to Washington following Graham’s death, fellow Wisconsinite and House Administration Chair Bryan Steil used a shared flight back to D.C. to pitch the senator on the feasibility of getting some election security incentive measures through the Senate’s strict budget reconciliation rules.

“I think [Johnson’s] going to operate in what is in the best interest of the conference,” Thune said in an interview. “And I think he’ll consult a lot not only with our allies over here in the Senate and his members of the committee, but also with the House.”

That doesn’t mean Johnson is disavowing his fiscal-hawk ways. He spoke this past week with White House budget director Russ Vought, a vocal advocate for steamrolling Democrats in the regular congressional appropriations process as a way to slash funding to federal agencies that run domestic programs.

Johnson also met with other Senate conservatives and members of the hard-line House Freedom Caucus, where they talked about ways to pay for the pending party-line bill.

Scott, in an interview, said Johnson understands he has to represent the entire conference but “that doesn’t mean he’ll stop being a fiscal conservative.” Arrington added that Johnson is a “real budget hawk” who “actually cares about the fiscal health of our country.”

Johnson brings a fundamentally different viewpoint to the top of the Budget Committee compared to Graham, who frequently quipped that he wasn’t sure why he had been made chair of the panel.

Graham was known more for his national security portfolio and likely would not have thought twice about greenlighting a pile of new money for the military without offsets. Johnson, on the other hand, is so committed to making the case for less spending across agencies he has more than a dozen charts related to the debt and deficit on his official website.

Bill Hoagland, a former longtime top Senate GOP budget aide, predicted the new chair will ultimately struggle to convert his colleagues into deficit-wary evangelists.

“All the stars are not aligned very well for what Johnson wants to achieve,” Hoagland said. “But bless his heart that he’s willing to make debt and deficits an issue.”

Johnson’s time atop the panel may also be relatively brief: Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), who outranks him in seniority, is expected to take over the committee in January if Republicans keep the majority after being term-limited out of chairing the Judiciary Committee.

But Johnson is already looking at how he can bring his stamp to the Budget Committee writ large, saying in an interview that he is in discussions with staff about holding a hearing in a matter of weeks to “lay out the reality of Medicaid” that could delve into allegations of fraud within the social safety net program.

And while he isn’t guaranteeing he’ll be able to deliver what his allies want for the third reconciliation package — that at least part of the $95 billion package be paid for — he did predict the Senate will make changes to the House budget resolution and that he believes some members of his panel will demand spending offsets.

“It’s something I always insisted on,” he said. “I know we have other members that will insist on pay-fors.”

Calen Razor contributed to this report.

Congress

Russell Fry backs Darline Graham for Senate in South Carolina

Published

23 hours ago

August 14, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

GOP Rep. Russell Fry threw his support behind Sen. Darline Graham (R-S.C.) for a full term in the Senate — a key endorsement for the political newcomer who’s locked in a heated primary runoff with Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.).

“On August 25, I’m asking everyone who supported our campaign to join me in supporting Darline Graham for the United States Senate,” Fry said in a statement Friday.

Fry, who unsuccessfully ran in the snap primary to replace late Sen. Lindsey Graham as the Republican nominee on the November ballot, came in third place during the first round of voting. His support for Graham — who entered the race with President Donald Trump’s early backing — will be fundamental in helping her shore up votes in his deeply conservative coastal home region, potentially countering Norman’s dominance in Upstate South Carolina.

It’s a notable shift after Graham and Fry traded fierce barbs in the leadup to the Aug. 11 primary, primarily through attack ads sponsored by their campaigns and outside allies.

Fry claimed Graham “ballooned the size” and doubled the spending of the South Carolina Commission for the Blind, which she has led since 2019. Security in Strength, a Graham-aligned PAC, blanketed local TV with an ad that shows an AI-depiction of Fry’s likeness transposed onto a slice of meat in a frying pan being dumped out by Trump.

Now, Graham and Norman are racing to win influential endorsements from powerbrokers across the state to build a majority coalition ahead of the Aug. 25 runoff.

Graham has received the backing of fellow South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott as well as Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette and GOP nominee for Agriculture Commissioner Cody Simpson — both close allies of Trump and Gov. Henry McMaster. Norman has banked the support of several senators — Sen. Rick Scott of Florida and Sen. Mike Lee of Utah — as well as former U.N. Ambassador and South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley.

Former Gov. Mark Sanford, who also ran in the Senate primary and failed to make the runoff, has not yet publicly backed a candidate.

Congress

Capitol agenda: Wasserman Schultz roils Democrats, again

Published

1 day ago

August 14, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

Florida’s primary next week will test whether Debbie Wasserman Schultz can survive her latest fall from grace within the Democratic party she’s served for decades.

Her run in the state’s 20th District has roiled the caucus: Wasserman Schultz, 59, is facing a crowded slate of challengers —several of them younger, several of them Washington outsiders — in an election cycle that has increasingly seen its voters oust longtime incumbents in favor of generational insurgents.

But it’s her decision to run in one of a dwindling number of majority-Black districts after Republicans redrew her former seat that has deeply divided colleagues.

“It’s a painful situation,” says Rep. Yvette Clarke, the Congressional Black Caucus chair. “To have a beloved colleague who made a decision basically to run in a district where historically there’s been CBC representation, and I know that the community has been really disrupted by it.”

The CBC has warned that 19 representatives of 61 could lose their seats this cycle thanks to a Supreme Court ruling making it harder to challenge congressional maps on racial discrimination grounds.

Wasserman Schultz’s gambit is that voters in the district will want someone with her seniority and experience to take on President Donald Trump.

“We have to make sure we’re putting the strongest fighter on the field,” she told Blue Light News after entering the race.

But she’s wholly unwelcome by the rest of the all-Black primary slate. Competitor Dale Holness tried to convince her she could keep her redrawn district blue by running there instead. But Wasserman Schultz refused.

“The biggest disappointment for me, and what makes me most upset, is she was positioned to win that seat better than anyone else in South Florida,” Holness said, “and she gave up that fight for expediency to take something away from a community that has been most loyal to the Democratic Party.”

Now, given her name recognition and more than $3.3 million in fundraising, she’s considered the front-runner for the 20th District.

Some critics view Wasserman Schultz’s race as similar to the controversy that forced her to step down as DNC chair in 2016. That’s when Bernie Sanders supporters accused her of tipping the scales in the presidential primary for Hillary Clinton, and Wasserman Schultz became the face of an establishment critics said was fixated on protecting its power.

Still, Wasserman Schultz maintains a deep bench of supporters from her party – including Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, a past CBC chair and a friend going back 20 years. Cleaver campaigned with her in the district and called it a “tough situation.”

“Wouldn’t it be ugly if I’m driving down the street with Debbie Wasserman Schultz in my red convertible, and I see an African American standing on the road without a ride, and they ask me to stop, put Debbie out of the car? Let them get in because they are African American? I don’t roll like that.”

What else we’re watching:

— CONGRESS’ SOCIAL MEDIA STARS: A little known Louisiana Republican just a few years ago, Speaker Mike Johnson has easily cleared over a million followers on X. So too has House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer laps them both, with 3.6 million follows on X. And Senate Majority Leader John Thune — though he’s been at the top of his party for fewer years — is trailing at around 373,000 followers. And apart from leadership, a Blue Light News analysis shows members of the 119th Congress are growing more viral than ever.

— JEFFRIES TARGETS FILIBUSTER, VOTING RIGHTS: Jeffries Thursday spelled out his more ambitious goals if Democrats take control of both chambers. On his agenda: pushing for Senate filibuster reform, passage of the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act, a full repeal of the 2010 Citizens United campaign finance decision and changes to structure of the Supreme Court, Jeffries said in comments at the National Association of Black Journalists conference in Atlanta.

Kimberly Leonard, Riley Rogerson and Cassandra Dumay contributed to this report.

Congress

Who are the biggest social media stars in Congress?

Published

1 day ago

August 14, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

Members of the 119th Congress are bigger on social media than ever before.

Dozens of lawmakers boast millions of Instagram followers and nearly 100 have launched TikTok accounts — in spite of Congress’ own attempts to reign in the platform.

With attention so often the most valuable currency on Capitol Hill, large followings can translate to opportunities for members to elevate their profile, drive a narrative or make a stink that’s impossible for leadership to ignore. Generating clippable moments has become a ubiquitous goal of committee work, floor debates and any other congressional business that involves a camera.

And as Democrats and Republicans reckon with generational change in their ranks, the ability to message online has also become a growing litmus test for future party leaders and a prerequisite for any presidential wannabe.

Blue Light News analyzed social media followings on X, Instagram, TikTok and Facebook for all sitting members of Congress to see whose hard work to win reach and influence has paid off. For lawmakers who regularly use both an official and personal account, Blue Light News deferred to the account with the highest following.

Here’s a look at members’ internet cache and how it’s growing:

Standard bearers

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) waves as she boards an elevator on the Senate side of the U.S. Capitol March 21, 2024.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio–Cortez (D-N.Y.), two darlings of the progressive movement, boast huge numbers.

Sanders has a whopping 14.9 million followers on X, 8.9 million on Instagram, 3.7 million on TikTok and 8.2 million on Facebook.

Ocasio-Cortez is the only member of Congress to rival Sanders’ following with 12.6 million followers on X, 9.7 million on Instagram, 4.1 million on TikTok and 2.2 million on Facebook.

Another high-profile progressive, Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, stands out with 16.5 million followers across platforms. And Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, who has led a campaign to juice Senate Democrats’ social media presence, has 10.7 million followers on all platforms collectively.

“I’ve always believed in meeting people where they’re getting their information, building community, and shaping their understanding of the world,” Booker said in a statement, adding, “when we use these tools with intention and authenticity, we can break down barriers, strengthen our democracy, and stay rooted in the conversations that matter most.”

For Republicans, Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas runs ahead of the pack with his social media following: 7 million on X, 1.3 million on Instagram and 2.8 million on Facebook. Cruz, like most of his GOP peers, does not have a presence on TikTok, but he is dominating Blue Light News podcast scene with “Verdict.”

Breakout stars

Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) speaks with reporters at the U.S. Capitol on Aug. 3, 2026.

One lawmaker capturing major new social media attention this Congress is Sen. John Kennedy, whose folksy clips that regularly feature his exercise machine named “Margaret” have garnered over 1 million followers on X and Instagram.

The Louisiana Republican has also gotten a boost from other users’ almost-inescapable compilation videos of his colorful similes and sayings. The newfound stardom for the senator is also sparking buzz about a potential 2028 presidential bid — which he isn’t ruling out.

Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.), a member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, has also taken off with explanatory videos and clips of her work on the panel that have drawn in 1.2 million TikTok followers.

2028 buzz

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) speaks with reporters as he departs the U.S. Capitol on Aug. 3, 2026.

Members weighing a 2028 presidential bid have amassed some of the highest followings in the 119th Congress.

Other than Cruz on the Republican side, Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky has over 8.5 million followers across his top accounts on each platform, while Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri — who is not on TikTok — trails Paul with his own 5.6 million followers.

For Democrats, Ocasio-Cortez and Booker lead the pack, followed by Sen. Jon Ossoff of Georgia with 3.6 million followers; Sens. Mark Kelly of Arizona and Chris Murphy of Connecticut both have about 2.5 million.

Members who previously made White House runs also enjoy large followings. That includes Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, now the Democratic nominee for governor, who has 3.5 million followers and enjoyed attention for posting photos with buff, shirtless firefighters.

Best of committees

Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) speaks with reporters as he departs a vote at the U.S. Capitol on July 23, 2026.

Wielding a committee gavel also doesn’t hurt social media engagement, especially on X.

The House Judiciary Committee is led by two social media heavyweights: Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), with his staggering 6.8 million X followers, and top Democrat Jamie Raskin of Maryland, who has just under a million on X.

“We’re using social media every day to counter disinformation and to rally the forces of democracy and freedom,” Raskin said in a statement. “It’s pretty amazing to go from a situation where we used to have to issue press releases whenever we wanted to say anything to a situation where we can communicate directly with millions of people.”

Rep. Maxine Waters of California — the longtime top Democrat on the House Financial Services Committee — also stands out for her 1.4 million X followers.

Across the Capitol, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, has about a million followers on X and, at 92 years old, is famous for doing his own social media posting. He’s gone viral for his earnest use of misspelled words and abbreviations to adhere to the platform’s character limits and enjoys sharing snapshots of his everyday life — such as when he ran over a deer with his car.

First timers

Then-Rep.-elect Brandon Gill (R-Texas) poses for a portrait on the steps of the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Nov. 15, 2024.

If there’s one star of the House’s freshman class online, it’s Rep. Brandon Gill of Texas. The GOP hard-liner is nearing 1 million followers on Instagram, where he shares clips of his committee appearances or TV hits. He also has over 699,900 followers on TikTok with millions of “likes,” and over 368,700 followers on X.

Behind him on Instagram are Rep. Yassamin Ansari (D-Ariz.), with over 188,000 followers, and Rep. Sarah McBride (D-Del.), with over 186,000 followers — both on their top platforms.

The goal for many members isn’t just virality — “it’s effective messaging,” McBride said in a statement. “And even if it is just a funny video, we need to break through the toxicity in our discourse and remind one another of our shared humanity. At the end of the day, social media isn’t just a communications tool.”

McBride is also a lead performer on TikTok with 153,600 followers, as is Rep. Suhas Subramanyam (D-Va.), who is building his own momentum with over 73,900 followers, where he’s seemingly hopping on every trend on the app.

“I always try to reel people in with the fun or interesting stuff, and then I try to keep them around with the floor speeches and the traditional videos that you would expect from a member of Congress,” Subramanyam said. “Both are important.”

Rep. Abe Hamadeh (R-Ariz.) is another freshman on the rise with nearly half a million X followers. “I speak unapologetically, and that tends to get attention,” he said in a statement.

Of Senate freshmen, Sen. Adam Schiff wins in a landslide with 3.3 million followers on X — his top account. The California Democrat rose to prominence as a member of the House, when he was a manager of President Donald Trump’s 2020 impeachment trial.

Leaders in leadership

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) looks on during a media availability after a House Republican Conference meeting at the Capitol on July 15, 2026.

A little known Louisiana Republican just a few years ago, Speaker Mike Johnson is now widely followed online with 1.2 million followers on his official X account, where every top leader has their most substantial following. His Democratic counterpart, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, has his own 1 million.

On X, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York laps both House leaders with his own 3.6 million X followers. Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota — who has led his party in the Senate for eight fewer years than Schumer — trails with 373,000.

But former Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California, who is retiring at the end of this term, still dominates them all, with 8.6 million X followers.

Hard left and hard right

Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) arrives for a vote at the U.S. Capitol on July 22, 2026.

Members who make noise on the House floor are also skilled at grabbing attention on social media.

On the right, firebrand Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) runs away with 5.1 million followers on her personal X account, by far her biggest platform. She’s also amassed a significant following on Instagram, with nearly half a million followers.

And in the universe of far-right social media phenoms, Rep. Thomas Massie is also front and center with nearly two million X followers. The Kentucky Republican, who coined the hashtag #SassyWithMassie and is known for bucking his party, has over half a million followers on Instagram.

Trailing Massie is Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), who has close to a million followers on X. Luna’s personal Instagram account, meanwhile, boasts 791,000 followers.

In the Senate, Sen. Mike Lee of Utah — who has a penchant for waging war with leadership via social media — has 852,000 X followers.

A slate of progressives have also built mega-followings, especially the original members of the so-called “Squad.” Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) has 2.8 million followers on her personal X account, 1.6 million followers on Instagram and over 863,300 followers on TikTok.

Reps. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) also have big networks, with Tlaib passing 1.4 million followers on X and over 745,000 on Instagram. Pressley has nearing a million followers on X and near half a million on Instagram.

And that’s a wrap

As Massie learned the hard way through his primary defeat, social media success doesn’t necessarily translate into electoral victory.

Other members who will not be bringing their million-plus followers back for the 120th Congress include GOP Reps. Dan Crenshaw of Texas, who runs a popular podcast “Hold These Truths,” and high-velocity poster Nancy Mace of South Carolina.

Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett — who juiced her profile in Congress by posting unabashed takedowns of her Republican counterparts — also lost her primary for Texas Senate despite 2.9 million Instagram followers.