JD Vance publicly broke from President Donald Trump ‘s defense of the Iran war Wednesday after the Republican Party’s deep losses in the midterm elections, attempting to distance himself from voters’ clear rebuke of the president as the vice president faces questions about his own political ambitions.

Vance, who has said he would decide after the election whether to run for president in 2028, issued a lengthy social media post blaming the unpopular conflict with Iran for the GOP’s drubbing. Vance said, “If you’d like to argue it was worth it, that losing the Senate for the next 6 years was worth it, then do so.”

But arguing that the war was worth it is what Trump repeatedly did on the campaign trail, continued to do in interviews as election results came in and did again Wednesday morning. As he led reporters on an impromptu visit to the ballroom he’s constructing at the White House, Trump said, “The Iran thing, we had to do and we continue to do it.”

Trump said he spoke to Vance on Wednesday morning and, when asked about the vice president’s post, he called it “good” and said, “I know how he feels about it,” and “I think it was fine.”

More in the article.

JD Vance publicly broke from President Donald Trump ‘s defense of the Iran war Wednesday after the Republican Party’s deep losses in the midterm elections, attempting to distance himself from voters’ clear rebuke of the president as the vice president faces questions about his own political ambitions.

Vance, who has said he would decide after the election whether to run for president in 2028, issued a lengthy social media post blaming the unpopular conflict with Iran for the GOP’s drubbing. Vance said, “If you’d like to argue it was worth it, that losing the Senate for the next 6 years was worth it, then do so.”

But arguing that the war was worth it is what Trump repeatedly did on the campaign trail, continued to do in interviews as election results came in and did again Wednesday morning. As he led reporters on an impromptu visit to the ballroom he’s constructing at the White House, Trump said, “The Iran thing, we had to do and we continue to do it.”

Trump said he spoke to Vance on Wednesday morning and, when asked about the vice president’s post, he called it “good” and said, “I know how he feels about it,” and “I think it was fine.”

More in the article.

President Donald Trump gave extended comments Wednesday, not about the Republican Party’s midterm election wipeout but instead justifying his building a sprawling White House ballroom.

Trump invited reporters into a cavernous construction site and talked about the building project for nearly 20 minutes without mention sweeping Republican defeats around the country the night before.

“This has been a structure the likes of which has never been seen anywhere,” Trump said before watching crews erect what he said would be the project’s last beam and even signing what was being built.

The president had no public events on his schedule originally, but called reporters together at the last minute. He also briefly took questions, insisting, “If I were on the ballot I would have won.”

He said a series of rallies he held leading up the election featured a lot of love from his supporters that “we weren’t able to transfer love to the candidates.”

More in the article.

President Donald Trump gave extended comments Wednesday, not about the Republican Party’s midterm election wipeout but instead justifying his building a sprawling White House ballroom.

Trump invited reporters into a cavernous construction site and talked about the building project for nearly 20 minutes without mention sweeping Republican defeats around the country the night before.

“This has been a structure the likes of which has never been seen anywhere,” Trump said before watching crews erect what he said would be the project’s last beam and even signing what was being built.

The president had no public events on his schedule originally, but called reporters together at the last minute. He also briefly took questions, insisting, “If I were on the ballot I would have won.”

He said a series of rallies he held leading up the election featured a lot of love from his supporters that “we weren’t able to transfer love to the candidates.”

More in the article.

Democrats took control of the Texas state House after historic wins for governor and U.S. Senate in Tuesday’s elections.

Republicans had taken control in the 2002 election and had held it since.

The win for Democrats was part of a series of sweeping gains in state governments for the party during the midterm elections, seizing several legislatures and shifting the balance of power across some battleground and historically Republican-leaning states.

The party took full control — both statehouse chambers and governors’ offices — in at least five states where they previously shared power.

The wins put pressure on the party to answer to an electorate angry over the rising cost of living, high gas prices, inflation and the lack of affordable housing. State governments shape a wide array of policies affecting everyday lives, including tax rates and abortion rights, school choice and education funding, data center development, and the use of artificial intelligence and law enforcement surveillance cameras.

“Now it’s time to deliver,” Wisconsin Democratic Party Chairman Devin Remiker said.

More in the article.

Democrats took control of the Texas state House after historic wins for governor and U.S. Senate in Tuesday’s elections.

Republicans had taken control in the 2002 election and had held it since.

The win for Democrats was part of a series of sweeping gains in state governments for the party during the midterm elections, seizing several legislatures and shifting the balance of power across some battleground and historically Republican-leaning states.

The party took full control — both statehouse chambers and governors’ offices — in at least five states where they previously shared power.

The wins put pressure on the party to answer to an electorate angry over the rising cost of living, high gas prices, inflation and the lack of affordable housing. State governments shape a wide array of policies affecting everyday lives, including tax rates and abortion rights, school choice and education funding, data center development, and the use of artificial intelligence and law enforcement surveillance cameras.

“Now it’s time to deliver,” Wisconsin Democratic Party Chairman Devin Remiker said.

More in the article.

Gina Hinojosa was elected the first Democratic governor of Texas in more than 30 years on Tuesday, ousting Republican incumbent Greg Abbott and catapulting a decided underdog to the helm of what has long been the nation’s most populous red state.

She will become Texas’ first Latina governor — and the first Democrat to hold the office since Ann Richards in the 1990s — following a groundbreaking victory that topples one of the nation’s most prominent Republican governors and steadfast supporters of President Donald Trump, possibly accelerating the state’s shift to an emerging battleground.

Her victory was part of an electrifying night for Democrats in Texas, where James Talarico also won election, defeating Republican Ken Paxton in the race for the U.S. Senate.

Hinojosa’s win served as validation for Democrats’ long deferred dream that demographic changes in the state would be followed by a shift in political power. It also elevates Hinojosa, a 52-year-old state legislator from a liberal Austin district since 2017, into a breakout Democratic star, even as she did not have significant support from the national party for her campaign.

More in the article.

Gina Hinojosa was elected the first Democratic governor of Texas in more than 30 years on Tuesday, ousting Republican incumbent Greg Abbott and catapulting a decided underdog to the helm of what has long been the nation’s most populous red state.

She will become Texas’ first Latina governor — and the first Democrat to hold the office since Ann Richards in the 1990s — following a groundbreaking victory that topples one of the nation’s most prominent Republican governors and steadfast supporters of President Donald Trump, possibly accelerating the state’s shift to an emerging battleground.

Her victory was part of an electrifying night for Democrats in Texas, where James Talarico also won election, defeating Republican Ken Paxton in the race for the U.S. Senate.

Hinojosa’s win served as validation for Democrats’ long deferred dream that demographic changes in the state would be followed by a shift in political power. It also elevates Hinojosa, a 52-year-old state legislator from a liberal Austin district since 2017, into a breakout Democratic star, even as she did not have significant support from the national party for her campaign.

More in the article.

All but one of the slate of five Washington state Supreme Court candidates backed by Democratic leaders led their races handily after the initial vote count Tuesday night in an election that will transform the court.

Two recent appointees of Gov. Bob Ferguson, a new face to the high court and its chief justice all were ahead, with more votes to count in the coming days. 

Their four opponents were backed by the state Republican Party.

The one Republican-backed candidate having some success is King County Superior Court Judge Sean O’Donnell, who leads the tightest race of the bunch over Democrat-endorsed appeals court Judge Ian Birk by 2 percentage points. This was the most closely watched of the five races.

These races garnered more attention this year for several reasons. Four justices are leaving the court, creating a rare opportunity to change its makeup. Conservatives have been unhappy with its decisions in recent years. 

The high-earners income tax, which voters are deciding on in this election via Initiative 645, is sure to land before the court, setting the stage for a decision on its constitutionality and whether to overturn nearly century-old precedent.

More in the article.

Buoyant Democrats were on course Tuesday to strengthen their grip on power in the Washington state House.

But the caucus is poised to lose its longest-serving member, and a series of intraparty battles could unseat incumbents in both legislative chambers. Meanwhile several incumbent Republicans are staving off stiff challenges. Numerous races deserve a close eye through the week as votes continue to be counted.

Democrats are seeking to widen their majorities in Olympia. They already run the show with a 59-39 majority in the House and 30-19 in the Senate. But this election will help them inch closer to a two-thirds supermajority, at least in the lower chamber. All 98 House seats and 24 of the 49 Senate positions were on the ballot this year.

The magic number for the Democrats to get a two-thirds supermajority of 66 seats in the House is seven pickups from Republicans.

And Democratic political consultant Dean Nielsen expects his party to flip at least seven state House seats.

“What should I wear for the funeral for the Washington State Republican Party?” he said in a text message.

On the other side, state Republican Party Chair Jim Walsh sees the Democrats picking up a couple, but falling short of the seven they’d need.

More in the article.

In Washington’s biggest tax fight in decades, voters were backing the state’s new high-earners income tax in Tuesday’s vote count, rejecting an initiative that would repeal it.

Initiative 645, the tax-repeal proposal, was trailing with 58% of voters opposed. The “no” vote was bolstered by a huge margin in Democrat-dominated King County, where 66.5% of voters were against I-645. It also trailed in Snohomish and Pierce counties.

If Tuesday’s result stands, it would mark a tectonic shift in Washington’s tax code, ending the state’s holdout status as one of a handful without an income tax — keeping in place what backers called the “millionaires tax” passed by the Legislature this year.

Courts will likely still have the last word on the tax as a lawsuit challenging its constitutionality is pending.

Hundreds of thousands of ballots remain to be counted in the coming days.

The mood at the No on 645 campaign, at Seattle’s Reverie Ballroom, was upbeat as national results confirmed a good night for Democrats and liberal causes.

Speaking to the crowd, state Senate Majority Leader Jamie Pedersen, D-Seattle, the prime architect of the tax, framed the historic vote as a long-sought win.

“For 93 years, we have been saddled with an anchor around our neck, with a tax system that is bad for working people, that’s bad for small businesses, that’s bad for just about everybody except for the 1%,” he said.

More in the article.

In Washington’s biggest tax fight in decades, voters were backing the state’s new high-earners income tax in Tuesday’s vote count, rejecting an initiative that would repeal it.

Initiative 645, the tax-repeal proposal, was trailing with 58% of voters opposed. The “no” vote was bolstered by a huge margin in Democrat-dominated King County, where 66.5% of voters were against I-645. It also trailed in Snohomish and Pierce counties.

If Tuesday’s result stands, it would mark a tectonic shift in Washington’s tax code, ending the state’s holdout status as one of a handful without an income tax — keeping in place what backers called the “millionaires tax” passed by the Legislature this year.

Courts will likely still have the last word on the tax as a lawsuit challenging its constitutionality is pending.

Hundreds of thousands of ballots remain to be counted in the coming days.

The mood at the No on 645 campaign, at Seattle’s Reverie Ballroom, was upbeat as national results confirmed a good night for Democrats and liberal causes.

Speaking to the crowd, state Senate Majority Leader Jamie Pedersen, D-Seattle, the prime architect of the tax, framed the historic vote as a long-sought win.

“For 93 years, we have been saddled with an anchor around our neck, with a tax system that is bad for working people, that’s bad for small businesses, that’s bad for just about everybody except for the 1%,” he said.

More in the article.