Billionaire Anger Shapes Midterm Senate Campaigns

Republicans were privately grappling with voter anger over billionaires, “corrupt politicians,” the cost of living and foreign policy as candidates made campaign appearances less than two weeks before the midterm elections. In Texas, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce endorsed Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton, praising his defense of “free enterprise” and policies that empower businesses. At protests and campaign events, voters raised concerns about affordability and political power.

Business Endorsements and Tax Proposals

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce endorsed Paxton as he sought to consolidate support from traditional Republicans. Neil Bradley, the Chamber’s executive vice president and chief policy officer, 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. Cornyn continued to withhold his endorsement, while President Donald Trump said Thursday that Cornyn was “doing everything possible to make it hard” for Paxton to win in November. Paxton and his allies had worked to consolidate the Republican base.

Paxton centered his general-election campaign on economic issues. He proposed new tax deductions to lower living costs and criticized Democratic state representative James Talarico for voting against a 2019 bill to constitutionally ban an income tax in Texas, which currently has no income tax. Talarico was seeking to become the first Democrat to win statewide office in decades.

That evening, the candidates planned competing events in one of the Senate’s most closely watched races. Sen. Bernie Sanders and other leading Democratic surrogates were also back on the campaign trail, according to the live report.

Voters, Protests and Affordability

Thousands of voters and protesters attended “No Kings: Vote Early” events across the country. Organizers said they aimed to oppose voter-suppression efforts and help people plan to vote. Anti-Trump sentiment was also present.

In Washington, D.C., people gathered near the site of Trump’s proposed triumphal arch. Peter Jipp, a retired climate scientist, 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.”

Members of the Georgetown College Democrats attended a gathering at the Lincoln Memorial. 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, explaining that raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement affected his family and community. “And then the economy, you know, it’s unaffordable,” he said.

CNN’s Rafael Romo also spoke with people at an event in Marietta, Georgia. Demonstrators gathered at an intersection, holding signs criticizing Trump and urging people to vote. The live report said corruption appeared to be affecting the GOP as it sought to retain control of the House.

Michigan Race and Party Appeals

Democratic Michigan Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed planned a get-out-the-vote rally in Detroit with other members of the party’s statewide ticket. He aimed to reach Black voters and demonstrate party unity. Republican nominee Mike Rogers was pushing to cut into a core Democratic constituency and was scheduled to appear on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

At a town hall the previous day, an attendee repeatedly pressed El-Sayed to reject the Muslim Brotherhood. El-Sayed said: “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 had commented on possible connections between El-Sayed and the organization. El-Sayed denied that he or his family had ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, calling the claim “an insane thing to assume.” The 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.”

In San Antonio, The Chicks brought Talarico onstage at a concert the previous night. Lead vocalist Natalie Maines called him “a man with a plan.” Talarico said he had taught sixth-grade language arts in the city and praised the band’s “courage, conviction, and a willingness to speak truth to power.” The group faced boycotts and backlash after Maines criticized the Iraq war at a 2003 concert. Country radio stations across the country pulled its music.