‘When you look at the numbers, we win’: the prophetic Texas pastor poised to take Jasmine Crockett’s House seat

Rev Dr Frederick Douglass Haynes III is reclaiming a faith-based politics to counter Trump-allied white evangelicals

It was that point in the evening: dinner plates were cleared; speeches had run long; people were chatting, milling or eyeing the exit. But then the Rev Dr Frederick Douglass Haynes III took the stage. Bald, bearded, bespectacled and dressed in black, he delivered a mix of fiery sermon and performance poetry. Soon the guests were back in their seats – rapt, listening, clapping and whooping.

Haynes’s rolling cadence was evocative of the pulpit but the political message was far from kumbaya. Aiming to succeed Democratic star Jasmine Crockett in Texas’s 30th congressional district, he danced like a butterfly with references to the boxer Muhammad Ali and rapper Tupac Shakur. But he also stung like a bee, branding Donald Trump as “President Pickpocket” and Republicans as the authors of racist gerrymandering and voter suppression. Continue reading...


https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/oct/11/rev-dr-frederick-douglass-haynes-iii-texas-house?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Trump Urges Sen. John Fetterman To Switch Parties And Become A Republican

President Donald Trump is openly encouraging Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania to switch parties and become a Republican.


https://www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-fetterman_n_6acaff2ee4b07a91872131e3?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Stop talking about the US ‘Jewish vote’. It's not that simple | Judith Levine

Political parties vie for Jewish support based on false assumptions about a single issue: Israel

Everybody wants the Jewish vote. As if there were one. Jews are educated, generally liberal. Although they comprise only about 2% of the electorate, they vote in high numbers, overwhelmingly for Democrats. In 2024, 79% chose Kamala Harris. They are also assumed to be steadfast friends of Israel, no matter what it does. Republicans, waging a fake war on antisemitism while courting white supremacists, consider Jews increasingly up for grabs.

Nationally, Jewish Americans are concentrated in a few bright blue spots. A 2020 map from the Jewish Electorate Institute showed a third of Jews living in 20 congressional districts – out of 435 – most of them in New York, New Jersey, California and (purple) Florida. Of these, only one sent a Republican to Washington. Continue reading...


https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/oct/09/jewish-vote-israel?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Marcy Kaptur: longest-serving congresswoman’s bid for another House term roiled by anti-trans ad

Democrat in Congress since 1983 rebuked over ‘dangerous’ campaign ad – will it harm her chances in tight Ohio race?

Last month, Marcy Kaptur, the longest-serving woman in congressional history, released a video advertisement in which she looks directly at the camera and says exactly what she thinks about one of the most divisive issues facing Democrats today.

“Here’s the truth: I voted with Republicans to keep transgender ideology out of our schools because parents know what’s best for their kids,” Kaptur says, “and boys should not play in girls’ sports.” Continue reading...


https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/oct/10/marcy-kaptur-ohio-trans-ad?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger