Paxton, Talarico Race Draws Trump to Texas

San Antonio, Texas: President Donald Trump is traveling to Texas this week for a campaign event supporting Senate candidate Ken Paxton, who is competing against Democrat James Talarico. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will accompany the president to display an oil tanker that has arrived with Venezuelan crude intended for Texas refineries, according to a congressional aide and two U.S. officials.

Republican strategists privately acknowledge that the Iran war is damaging their efforts to keep control of Congress for the final two years of Trump's presidency. Trump has called the conflict a "little detour." Rising gasoline prices are increasing costs for households and businesses across the economy as new hostilities continue.

Voters such as Noor Dubow, 44, a dispatcher at a trucking logistics firm in Columbus, Ohio, report frustration with the conflict. Dubow said he has regularly voted for Republicans who align with his economic views, though he has never supported Donald Trump or the president's rhetoric about immigrants. He said his early midterm ballot leaned toward Democrats because of the war.

Dubow asked, "Where are the Republicans in Congress?" and "Why aren't the Republicans holding Trump accountable?"

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker is directing campaign spending toward Senate Democratic nominees in Mississippi, Kansas, and South Carolina. The Ready for the Fight PAC, connected to Pritzker, is allocating $1 million for Scott Colom's campaign against Republican Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith in Mississippi, along with $500,000 for Adam Hamilton against GOP incumbent Roger Marshall in Kansas. The plan also includes funding for voter turnout in Mississippi and South Carolina, where Democrat Annie Andrews is seeking to defeat Senator Darline Graham. First Lady MK Pritzker donated $500,000 to Democrat Amy Acton's Senate campaign in Ohio.

Political advertising for the midterm elections has reached $11.21 billion, according to AdImpact, which monitors media spending. This amount exceeds the $11.20 billion spent during the 2023-2024 period, which included the presidential contest. The figure has not been adjusted for inflation.

Trump stated he will appeal a federal judge's order that temporarily halted plans to renovate a Washington golf course. "The Development of this World Championship Public Facility must begin, immediately, if it is to be completed in a timely and seasonal manner," he posted on social media. Trump said the East Potomac Golf Course could host major events after renovation and would remain public with reduced rates for district residents. Judge Ana Reyes issued a preliminary injunction that bars the removal or damage of additional trees on the course and requires the administration to provide 10 days' written notice before making any "irreparable modification" to the course's "forms or features." Reyes wrote, "The Court earlier stated, 'I am not the Lorax. I do not speak for the trees.' The Court still does not speak for the trees. It speaks only for the rule of law."