Battle over Texas congressional map could tip Washington's balance of power
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Yahoo
7 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Democratic state Rep. Josh Turek preparing to launch US Senate campaign, colleagues say
Democratic Iowa state representative and former Paralympian Josh Turek is preparing to launch a campaign for U.S. Senate this month, according to three of his current and former Iowa House colleagues. Turek, 46, of Council Bluffs, has won two gold medals in wheelchair basketball representing the United States at the Paralympic Games. He was first elected to the Iowa House in 2022 and is serving his second term representing parts of Council Bluffs and Carter Lake. He would join a growing field of Democratic candidates vying for their party's nomination in 2026. State Sen. Zach Wahls of Coralville, state Rep. J.D. Scholten of Sioux City and former Knoxville Chamber of Commerce Director Nathan Sage of Indianola have all announced campaigns. Des Moines School Board Chair Jackie Norris says she is also seriously considering a bid. Turek declined to comment. But state Reps. Austin Baeth, D-Des Moines, and Timi Brown Powers, D-Waterloo, and former state Rep. Sami Scheetz told the Des Moines Register they have spoken to Turek about his plans and say he will announce his campaign in August. "He and I, I think have a shared vision of what needs to be done for the state and our country, so I'm going to be supporting his candidacy because I really do think that he is Democrats' best chance of winning the general election next November," Baeth said of Turek. Republican U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst is up for reelection next year. She has hired a campaign manager but has not formally announced that she will seek a third term in 2026, prompting speculation about her plans. Turek has experience winning difficult races for the Iowa Legislature. In 2022, he won his first term by six votes and won reelection last fall by about 5 percentage points in a race heavily targeted by Republicans. "Josh has been one of the highest-performing Democrats in the state," Baeth said. "He has won twice in a district that Trump won. And if you drive around Council Bluffs this last October and November, you'll see yards that have a Trump sign and a Turek sign next to each other because people see him as more than a politician." Baeth said he believes Turek has the ability to compete with the other Democrats in the race, even though he's announcing a campaign later than his competitors. "He's somebody who has been doing the planning behind the scenes and I think will make up ground pretty quickly," Baeth said. "And I think the reason for that is his candidacy is unique. He's not the typical cookie cutter politician." Brown-Powers said she believes Turek's work ethic is one of his biggest assets in a race where "to win this you have to give 100%." "This is a guy who gets out of his wheelchair and crawls up steps to knock on a door, so there's some grit and work ethic there," she said. "He's not going to be easily turned away by anything." Turek, who was born with spina bifida, has said his success has been possible because of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which was led in Congress by former U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin. His colleagues said Medicaid and health care access will be central pillars of his campaign because of his own experience. Medicaid will also be a major feature of the campaign because of Ernst's vote to pass President Donald Trump's "big, beautiful bill" which includes tax cuts and cuts to spending on Medicaid and food assistance programs. The legislation extends and deepens tax cuts signed by Trump in 2017 while cutting Medicaid spending by nearly $1 trillion over a decade. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office says 10 million people are expected to become uninsured over a decade as a result of the bill. "The big, beautiful bill or the reconciliation bill is going to be a huge focus of this upcoming campaign," Scheetz said. "And I think there's definitely not a better messenger on Medicaid and the cuts to Medicaid in our state than Rep. Turek." Stephen Gruber-Miller covers the Iowa Statehouse and politics for the Register. He can be reached by email at sgrubermil@ or by phone at 515-284-8169. Follow him on X at @sgrubermiller. This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Democratic state Rep. Josh Turek preparing to mount US Senate campaign
Politico
7 minutes ago
- Politico
Musk-linked PAC spends big to promote newly enacted megabill
President Donald Trump pounds a gavel presented to him by House Speaker Mike Johnson after he signed his signature bill at the White House on July 4, 2025. | Evan Vucci/AP By Gregory Svirnovskiy 08/04/2025 05:55 AM EDT Building America's Future, a PAC that has been supported by Elon Musk, is shelling out more than a million dollars to promote recent White House wins, including a GOP domestic policy package the Tesla CEO and former Trump administration employee once called 'a disgusting abomination.' The 30-second ad, titled 'Independence,' is set to run nationally on Fox News and will congratulate President Donald Trump on the passage of Republicans' 'One Big, Beautiful Bill,' which extends his 2017 tax cuts alongside other GOP wins at the expense of nearly $1 trillion in coming Medicaid cuts. 'This Independence Day, President Trump and Congress made the working family tax cuts law,' the spot, which is to debut Monday, will say. 'Freeing Americans from taxes on their tips and overtime, doubling the child tax credit, and cutting taxes for seniors. Republicans know that our country is better off when working families keep more of what they earn. Now, they will.'
Axios
8 minutes ago
- Axios
Speaker Johnson to visit Israeli settlement in occupied West Bank
House Speaker Mike Johnson is expected to visit a settlement in the occupied West Bank on Monday as part of a private visit to Israel organized by a pro-Israel advocacy group, according to two Israeli officials. Why it matters: While many Republican Congress members have visited West Bank settlements, it is highly unusual visit for a speaker of the house to do so. Johnson's unannounced trip with a group of Republican lawmakers to Israel and was only made public after Israeli ministers issued statements about ther meeting with the delegation. Driving the news: The speaker was supposed to visit Israel several weeks ago to address a session of the Israeli Knesset, but his trip was postponed due to the Israel-Iran war. Johnson traveled to Israel on Sunday with Reps. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), Nathaniel Moran (R-Texas), Michael Cloud (R-Texas) and Claudia Tenney (R-N.Y.), who heads the Friends of Judea and Samaria caucus in Congress, which supports Israeli settlements and advocates for annexation of the West Bank. Two Israeli officials said Johnson's visit to Israel is expected to be unusually long. He is scheduled to leave on Aug. 10. A spokesperson for Johnson did not respond to a request for comment. Behind the scenes: The trip isn't an official congressional delegation and is designated as a private trip. Three Israeli officials with direct knowledge told Axios the trip was organized by Heather Johnston, the founder of the U.S. Israel Education Association, a conservative pro-Israeli advocacy group. The Israeli officials said the Israeli embassy in Washington was surprised by the trip and was not involved in its preparation. The Israeli foreign ministry and the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem were also not involved. Neither Ambassador Mike Huckabee nor anybody on his team joined Johnson's meetings on Sunday with the Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz and F oreign Minister Gideon Saar, the officials said. What to watch: The Israeli officials said Johnson and his delegation were expected to travel to Gaza and visit the U.S.- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) aid centers.
