Billionaires, Parties Contest Who Gets Political Power

On Oct. 17, thousands of voters and protesters attended “No Kings: Vote Early” events across the country, where organizers opposed voter-suppression efforts and helped people plan to vote. In Washington, D.C., retired climate scientist Peter Jipp said, “There is an ongoing effort to undermine democracy in this country. The billionaires are funding this, and the people need to take power back into our own hands.” Beneath the campaign rallies and party talking points, the events raised a question: who gets to shape political decisions, and who gets left trying to make their concerns heard?

Jeremiah Fuentes, an 18-year-old Georgetown University freshman and Indiana voter, said he was “really excited” to vote for the first time. He named immigration and affordability as top issues. “I come from a Hispanic household and ... a family of immigrants so (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) and the raids that have happened are definitely impactful for me and my community,” he said. “And then the economy, you know, it's unaffordable.” Those were the costs people described, even as candidates worked to assemble votes and party support.

Voters name the pressure points

In Detroit, Democratic Michigan Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed planned a get-out-the-vote rally with other members of the party's statewide ticket, aiming to reach Black voters and demonstrate party unity. Republican nominee Mike Rogers sought to cut into a core Democratic constituency and was scheduled to appear on CNN's “State of the Union.” Their campaigns competed for voters as people at the “No Kings” events voiced concerns about voter suppression and billionaires’ influence over democracy.

El-Sayed faced questions about his religion at a heated town hall the previous day. One attendee repeatedly pressed him to reject the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist political movement. El-Sayed replied: “You assume ... that because I am Muslim, that somehow I would have some allegiance to something that is not our Constitution.” He added, “For me, that Constitution is the guiding light.”

In recent days, Republicans including Rogers and President Donald Trump commented on possible connections between El-Sayed and the organization. Earlier in the week, El-Sayed denied that he or his family had ties to it, calling the claim “an insane thing to assume.” The latest criticism followed the resurfacing of old tweets by El-Sayed's half-sister, including a 2012 post describing “an amazing talk with my mom about her activism in the Muslim Brotherhood during the early 70s while she was in college.” El-Sayed could become the first Muslim elected to the Senate.

Party machinery and corporate backing

In Texas, Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton and Democratic opponent James Talarico planned competing events in one of the Senate's most closely watched races. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce endorsed Paxton. Its executive vice president and chief policy officer, Neil Bradley, said: “The choice is clear in Texas. Attorney General Ken Paxton has been a defender of free enterprise and the pro-growth policies that empower American businesses to thrive.”

Paxton defeated the Chamber's preferred candidate, Sen. John Cornyn, in a contentious primary runoff, but Cornyn continued to withhold his endorsement. Trump backed Paxton over Cornyn in the primary and said Thursday that Cornyn was “doing everything possible to make it hard” for Paxton to win in November. In the race's closing weeks, Paxton and his allies worked to consolidate the Republican base.

Paxton centered his general-election campaign on economic issues, proposed new tax deductions to lower living costs, and criticized Talarico for voting against a 2019 bill to constitutionally ban an income tax in Texas, which currently has no income tax. Talarico, a Democratic state representative, sought to become the first Democrat to win statewide office in decades. A legislative fight over a tax ban became part of the campaign pitch; meanwhile, voters in Marietta, Georgia, held signs criticizing Trump and urging people to vote.

The ballot's narrow lanes

The Chicks brought Talarico onstage at a San Antonio concert the previous night. Lead vocalist Natalie Maines called him “a man with a plan” and referred to an incident more than a decade earlier in which Paxton reportedly pocketed a $1,000 pen; Paxton's campaign called it a mix-up. Talarico said it was “so good” to return to San Antonio, where he had taught sixth-grade language arts. He praised the band's music and its “courage, conviction, and a willingness to speak truth to power.”

The band's earlier clash with political power came at a price. At a 2003 concert, before the invasion of Iraq, Maines said the group did not endorse the war and were “ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas.” Country radio stations across the country then pulled its music, and the group faced boycotts and backlash.

Republicans were privately grappling with voter anger over “corrupt politicians” and billionaires, as well as concerns about cost of living and foreign policy. Sen. Bernie Sanders and other leading Democratic surrogates returned to the campaign trail, while Texas Senate candidates held dueling events. The midterm election was less than two weeks away. Campaign appearances and turnout events continued across the country.