House

Ilhan Omar Says She Can’t Continue to Live at Her D.C. Home Post-Raid

Michelle Del Rey — Thu, 22 Oct 2026 15:20:02 GMT

“I think ultimately, their goal is to intimidate and scare people from wanting to participate and vote,” Rep. Ilhan Omar told MS Now. (Mariam Zuhaib/AP)

Rep. Ilhan Omar said she is moving out of her Washington, D.C., home after federal agents raided the residence earlier this month.

The Minnesota Democrat, who has faced multiple death threats, told MS Now on Wednesday that she can’t “continue to live there. … So we have to figure out where to move to because our address has been public.”

Omar recounted the raid, which took place on Oct. 12, for the first time in her interview with Chris Hayes. The government said the search was part of an “ongoing federal criminal investigation,” which officials suggested was related to immigration; it has not provided evidence of immigration fraud.

Omar said she was awakened at 6 a.m. to the sound of federal agents banging on her front door. She said she initially thought there was an urgent evacuation happening throughout her neighborhood due to a potential fire.

Omar was at the home with her husband and 20-year-old son, she said.

Her husband answered the door and saw 15 to 25 Homeland Security Investigations agents standing in front of his home, Omar said.

“That’s immigration. That’s trafficking. That’s drugs,” Omar said of the agents assembled. “The fact that they were at my house that early in the morning was so bizarre.”

Omar said agents wanted her to waive her immunity as a member of Congress. She said the agents spent four to five hours going room by room and took 17 items, including several phones, one of which belonged to her youngest daughter. They also took an antique camera that had been gifted to her husband and a Somali-language book for children, she said.

Omar said she asked the agents if they had a search warrant, which they handed over. Omar said that the warrant was specifically for electronics.

“I think ultimately, their goal is to intimidate and scare people from wanting to participate and vote,” she said.

Omar said she takes the Trump administration’s threats to prosecute or denaturalize her “very seriously.” Omar moved to the U.S. from Somalia when she was 12 years old.

“It would be a huge undertaking to, I suppose, indict a 12-year-old for being so cleverly conspiring to defraud immigration services to come to the United States,” she said.

Trump Probes Are Becoming a Cash Cow for Democrats

Stephen Neukam — Tue, 20 Oct 2026 09:15:00 GMT

Photo caption: Rep. Robert Garcia is the most prolific Democrat fundraising off promises to investigate the Trump family and administration. (Mark Schiefelbein/AP)

Investigating President Trump, his family and allies has turned into an increasingly popular fundraising pitch for some Democrats, who in recent months have dangled the probes as a lure for campaign contributions.

California Rep. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the investigative House Oversight Committee, sent an August fundraising email appeal to supporters with the subject line “Subpoena power,” saying that as chair of the panel, he was prepared to compel testimony from members of the president’s family and inner circle.

“If Democrats win back the House, I’ll become Chairman — and I’ll have subpoena power,” Garcia wrote in the message to supporters. “The power to subpoena Trump’s family, Stephen Miller, Kristi Noem, Todd Blanche, and everyone involved in the Epstein files.”

But first, the email said, Democrats must win the House, so he asked donors to contribute $5 to help the party win the majority.

Democrats have made accountability for Trump, his administration and family a central part of their midterms pitch to voters. Leaders in both the House and Senate focused heavily on Trump’s corruption in the year before the election, and Garcia told The Washington Sun in June about his investigative plans if he became chairman of the Oversight Committee.

The fundraising tactic adds an ethical question to the promises from Democrats: The lawmakers seeking to run the investigations are also using them to raise money for their political operation.

The House Ethics Manual prohibits tying campaign contribution solicitations to actions taken or expected to be taken in a lawmaker's official capacity.

The House Ethics Committee declined to explain how it interprets or enforces congressional rules prohibiting lawmakers from linking campaign contribution solicitations to official actions.

Asked whether the rules distinguish between fundraising on a broader oversight agenda and soliciting donations while pledging specific investigations or subpoenas, Tom Rust, the committee’s staff director and chief counsel, replied: “No comment.”

The fundraising appeals reviewed by The Sun do not cross an ethical line, according to Kedric Payne, a former deputy chief counsel at the Office of Congressional Ethics.

Payne said the solicitations are no different from, for example, a candidate promising to repeal Obamacare while asking for supporters to contribute to their campaign.

“That’s just part of the reason that you want people to support you, because you’re going into office to do something,” Payne said.

Instead, the House ethics rules are concerned with lawmakers soliciting campaign contributions from donors who have direct interest in a specific official action, Payne said.

“The Ethics rule comes in to get those things that are in the gray where your intent may not be so corrupt to get you under the bribery standard, but you clearly are asking for a campaign contribution from certain people that they might think is tied to certain official acts,” Payne said.

Garcia is the most prolific of the Democrats fundraising off the promise to launch Trump probes. The Sun analysis of archived emails collected by the Archive of Political Emails, a publicly accessible database of political fundraising messages by the nonprofit Defending Democracy Together, found a few dozen similar emails, primarily from Garcia, but also several other Democrats on the Oversight Committee — Reps. Dave Min of California, Ro Khanna of California, Yassamin Ansari of Arizona and James Walkinshaw of Virginia. The list is not exhaustive, but in all those identified, Democrats ask for contributions to their own campaigns or to party committees, promising to investigate Trumpworld.

“Donald Trump and his family have treated the White House like a personal ATM,” said another fundraising email from Garcia late last month. “That’s why I’m asking you to contribute $5 before our most important fundraising deadline: midnight.

“As the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, I’m prepared to investigate the profiteering, expose the cover-ups, find the records, and drag the people responsible before Congress.”

Of the 32 fundraising emails in the archive that invoked the prospect of investigating the administration and Trump associates, the California Democrat’s campaign sent 28. The count includes repeated solicitations built around similar messages.

The other Democrats each sent one qualifying email. Walkinshaw told supporters in a September fundraising pitch that Democrats would gain the power to investigate and issue subpoenas if they win.

“Here's my message to Donald Trump: Save everything, because we’re coming for it,” Walkinshaw wrote. The next paragraph asked supporters to contribute to his reelection campaign.

Garcia’s campaign raised more than $700,000 in the third quarter of this year, bringing its total for the cycle to $3.3 million, according to Federal Election Commission data. The campaign ended September with $1.6 million on hand. Garcia’s seat is considered safely Democratic. He has also raised $1.4 million for the campaign arm of House Democrats this cycle, and over $1 million for the committee’s Red to Blue program that pushes resources to candidates trying to flip a Republican seat. The California Democrat also contributed $335,000 to fulfill his dues to the campaign arm.

A spokeswoman did not see an ethical issue, saying the solicitations provide clarity.

“Rep. Garcia is proud to be able to raise millions of dollars for the DCCC and candidates around the country,” Sara Guerrero, a spokesperson for Garcia, said in a statement. “He will continue to be straight up and clear to our supporters about what our agenda is and what will happen when we win the majority.”

String of Sexual Misconduct Scandals in the House Hasn’t Fast-Tracked Ethics Reform

Oriana González — Tue, 20 Oct 2026 09:05:00 GMT

Speaker Mike Johnson has remained noncommittal on bringing a bipartisan ethics reform package to lawmakers before the election. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call via AP)

Following a string of sexual misconduct scandals in the House earlier this year, lawmakers pledged to overhaul how the chamber — and Congress in general — handles allegations in order to protect staff.

But months have passed since the high-profile resignations of Reps. Eric Swalwell (D-California) and Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) following allegations of misconduct involving congressional aides — and Republican leadership has yet to prioritize any action on stricter ethics rules.

The day before House Speaker Mike Johnson canceled most of the House’s session in September, Reps. Teresa Leger Fernández (D-New Mexico) and Kat Cammack (R-Florida) approached him in the chamber to let him know they wanted to introduce their long-awaited bipartisan ethics reform package before lawmakers left Washington before the election.

But Johnson was noncommittal.

“It hadn't been official that we weren't going to have the time to be able to finalize and do the last bit of work we needed, so I was still pushing for us getting something done,” Leger Fernández told The Washington Sun, recalling the Sept. 2 conversation. “He knew in his mind he was going to cancel. So he was saying, ‘Well, you know, we’ll get something done, but I don’t know.’”

The following morning, House Republican leadership sent out the official notice canceling two weeks of session, giving members more time to hit the campaign trail but cutting legislative business short.

Leger Fernández and Cammack, the chairs of the Democratic and Republican women’s caucuses, respectively, have been working on a legislative package to overhaul how the House addresses sexual misconduct allegations. The joint effort was announced by both Johnson and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries in May, but it has repeatedly stalled due to the House schedule being cut short this fall.
U.S. Congress (5000x3333, AR: 1.50)“I repeatedly pointed out that I had thought we should get these done earlier, but the constant breaks and interruptions in the legislative session have meant we haven't been able to finalize the work,” Leger Fernández said.

Leger Fernández said that meant it was difficult to get input from staff: “We kept having to cancel steps that were important to move us forward.”

When House lawmakers return to Washington after the midterms, they will have just 20 legislative days in the Capitol to get anything done. That period is expected to be busy, particularly if Republicans lose the majority in one or both chambers of Congress: Lawmakers have to approve a spending bill since government funding runs out on Dec. 11, negotiate a must-pass Pentagon policy bill, and debate permitting reform and college sports legislation. Republicans are also weighing another reconciliation bill to pass their legislative agenda and extend the debt limit.

Cammack and Leger Fernández expect to introduce a package that would include proposals like prohibiting members from dating staffers (currently, they’re only barred from having romantic relationships with staff in their own offices), updating the Congressional Accountability Act (a law that requires Congress to follow employment laws that apply to the private sector), and creating a “one-stop shop” to make it easier for people to come forward with allegations, Cammack said. Both women’s caucuses have held multiple meetings and listening sessions with male and female staffers and members of Congress to come up with recommendations.

Given the crowded legislative calendar, even supporters pushing for action admit it’s likely to get punted.

“I’m not confident anything’s going to get done when we get back,” Rep. Nancy Mace (R-South Carolina) told The Sun. “It’s going to be a disaster. I mean, we’re going to be trying to get through as much as we can, hopefully, before the end of the year. I don’t know how much of an appetite there is for ethics reform.”

“I don’t think women are taken seriously on the hill. Period,” added Mace, who said she’d personally support the efforts.

A senior House Republican, who was granted anonymity to speak candidly, concurred, telling The Sun that the lame-duck business “will more likely dictate” whether ethics reform gets brought to the floor.

Still, Cammack told The Sun that she and Leger Fernández are “committed to getting a product out the door on the floor and passed by the end of this year.”

Cammack recalled that Johnson told her and Leger Fernández “that this is a priority and that he is going to do everything he can to help us make sure that this gets wrapped up by the end of the year.” Johnson’s office did not comment for this story.
U.S. Congress (5000x3333, AR: 1.50)But Democratic lawmakers pointed to Johnson’s record on issues related to sexual misconduct as a reason why they believe ethics reform will not get done. They noted he refused to bring a bill to the floor to release files related to Jeffrey Epstein, and he took nearly five months after allegations against Gonzales first came out to call on him to not run for reelection. The speaker is also supporting Rep. Max Miller’s (R-Ohio) reelection campaign despite allegations of domestic violence made by his ex-wife, and he dismissed concerns related to Rep. Cory Mills (R-Florida) after a judge issued a restraining order against him to protect his ex-girlfriend from “dating violence.”

“Anybody with ethics reform on their bingo card in the lame-duck session from Republicans should go get a new bingo card. It ain’t happening,” said one House Democrat, who was granted anonymity to speak candidly. “If it does, it would be a shock to the world, and inconsistent with the way the Republicans have led for the last two years.”

A second House Democrat said, “I hope [Cammack] is right. But I’m not holding my breath.”

Jeffries told reporters in late September that there is an “expectation that there is going to be decisive action that Congress takes in a bipartisan way on this issue as soon as we return.” While Johnson has not publicly made any commitments, he has been supportive of some of the measures floated by Cammack and Leger Fernández, such as barring members from having romantic or sexual relationships with congressional staffers.

Members of Congress have pushed for reforms in the next session starting in January. At a House Rules Committee hearing in September for members to make suggestions to the rules package for the upcoming Congress, some lawmakers pushed to ban members from dating any congressional staffer, to update members’ training to prevent sexual misconduct, and to amend members’ code of conduct to ensure there are clear consequences for sexual misconduct, including facing expulsion votes and getting removed from committees.

“We need due process,” Leger Fernández, a House Rules Committee member, said at the hearing.

Some of the provisions in the House package would need Senate action, which Cammack said could add difficulties.

“If I’m being honest, it appears that the Senate seems more intent on passing college sports reforms than actually doing the work that the House has sent them, so that’s pretty frustrating, which is why we’ve also talked about just a rules package that would be [a resolution] that would have impacted the House only, but we know that the issue of sexual misconduct is not exclusive to the House, it’s on Senate side too,” Cammack said.

Both Leger Fernández and Cammack said they haven’t formally introduced a bill because lawmakers haven’t been on Capitol Hill to discuss the details and generate support for it. They considered introducing one during one of the brief pro forma sessions, when one member presides and no significant business is conducted.

“This is about cleaning up the House,” Cammack said. “There’s so many things that people are unaware of. We recognized early on there would be an education campaign, so introducing in a pro forma doesn’t exactly help us in driving that awareness campaign.”

Outside groups pushing for ethics reforms have grown impatient with the delays.

“You’ve had several members who are no longer running for reelection because of the issue, and all of those members have either resigned or have decided not to seek reelection because of public pressure, not because of a process has demanded they leave, but because of the public saying we don’t want these people to come back,” said Emma Davidson Tribbs, founding director of the National Women’s Defense League. “The public wants the system to be adjusted, and, to me, that says that they should be taking this seriously.”
Congress Ethics Swalwell (3777x2518, AR: 1.50)Cheyenne Hunt, founder and executive director of Reckoning Action, told the Sun: “This is a story that women organizers know all too well: Our concerns and things that we take up as important are often put on the back burner.”

“I don’t have a profound amount of faith in Republicans prioritizing this in a lame-duck scenario,” she added.

Hunt, a lawyer and Democratic activist who played a key role in bringing allegations against Swalwell and former Maine Senate Democratic candidate Graham Platner to light, said that she anticipates that any sort of change would take place in the next Congress, where Democrats are expected to have control of at least one chamber. Leger Fernández told The Sun that House Democratic leadership has committed to scheduling a vote on ethics reform next year if they win the majority in November.

The fact that the process has not been prioritized by Republican leadership “sends a clear message to women that there is still very much an old boys club in Washington that is gumming up the gears here to try and make Capitol Hill a safer place to work,” Hunt added.

“That should make all of us uncomfortable,” Hunt continued.

Trump’s Endorsement May Not Matter in the Next House Republican Leadership Race

Kadia Goba, Reese Gorman — Fri, 16 Oct 2026 09:04:00 GMT

Fri, 16 Oct 2026 09:04:00 GMT https://www.washingtonsun.com/campaigns/trump-endorsement-mike-johnson-house-republican-leadership-election

President Donald Trump's close relationship with House Speaker Mike Johnson may not be a factor in the next GOP leadership election. (Alex Brandon/AP)

There’s a big factor missing from the next race to lead House Republicans: President Donald Trump.

With House Republicans facing the prospect that they could be in the minority next year, and Trump himself entering the back end of his own lame-duck period, some believe the president’s influence won’t close the deal for Mike Johnson if he runs to remain the top elected leader.

“Not one bit,” one GOP lawmaker, given anonymity to speak freely, told The Washington Sun when asked if Trump’s endorsement matters. “Especially if we have lost, because people will blame him.”

Trump’s unique power has loomed over leadership races since Kevin McCarthy's bruising bid in 2023, when the president’s endorsement and personal phone calls helped sway some holdouts from blocking McCarthy’s path.

Trump intervened again during the next speaker’s race, after McCarthy was ousted 10 months later, when he thwarted Rep. Tom Emmer’s chances with a simple Truth Social post calling the Republican whip “totally out of touch.” And when Mike Johnson sought a full term as speaker in 2024, the president pressured some reluctant members to coalesce around Johnson to help him secure the gavel in 2025.

Heading into the next Congress, Republican lawmakers are split on Trump’s pull, with some saying it’s “not nearly as much” this round and others saying the president’s opinion would have some impact.

Johnson has made it clear he wants to lead his conference, whether or not Republicans maintain the majority. He currently has the backing of the president, who still thinks fondly of the Louisianan, according to two White House officials. But the path for Johnson won’t be easy, members say.

“He will not run unopposed,” one senior GOP member said.

Asked to comment on the speaker’s plan, a Johnson spokesperson referred The Sun to recent interviews with Johnson saying he believes Republicans will keep the majority and that he will remain the top leader.

But in an interview with Fox News recently, Johnson said he was unsure of what his next chapter would be if Democrats flip control of the House, saying that “if God moves on our hearts” he could go back to his hometown of Shreveport to start a “lawn business.”

Days later, in an interview with CBS News, he clarified his comments were "tongue in cheek” and added, “I would expect my colleagues would call upon me to continue to lead the conference in a divided government” if House Republicans lost the majority.

There are two other potential candidates laying the groundwork to lead the GOP conference next year. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise is popular with many members, who view him as personable, loyal and a savvy operator. And then there’s House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan, who has been traveling and raising money for colleagues over the past year in what many view as building support to run for the top post.

Even if Johnson had Trump’s backing, that hasn’t always helped in the past. In 2023, following McCarthy’s ouster, Trump publicly backed Jordan for speaker over Scalise. However, on the private ballot, Scalise came out victorious.

Similarly, when Jordan did eventually get the nomination after Scalise dropped out, Trump’s endorsement didn’t translate into votes on the floor, as a bloc of members opposed him on multiple ballots.

Following the defeat, Jordan has been attempting to rebuild his image into someone who is a team player. He’s been in constant contact with the Republican conference through weekly, and at times daily, check-ins with his colleagues across the conference, multiple members told The Sun.

“Jim Jordan calls me every week, and he knows I wasn’t for him last time and not for him this time, and yet he still calls,” one lawmaker told The Sun.

Trump will have a bit more sway if Republicans retain the majority because lawmakers will have to publicly cast their ballot for speaker on the House floor. But, in the minority, members will vote via secret ballot the week after the midterms in a closed-door election, where Republican lawmakers say Trump’s power diminishes dramatically.

White House spokesperson Liz Huston, asked about Trump’s role, told The Sun, “President Trump is focused on maintaining Republican majorities in Congress.”

“If we win, then POTUS runs the show, as always,” one lawmaker, given anonymity to speak candidly, told The Sun. “But if we lose, he’s got a lot less stroke.”]]>

Rep. Ilhan Omar's Phone Was Seized and Relatives Were Subpoenaed for Criminal Probe: AP Source

The Associated Press — Wed, 14 Oct 2026 22:27:31 GMT

Though the Republican focus on Omar’s background dates back years, the search notably took place three weeks before the November midterms, in which Omar is seeking reelection.(Richard Tsong-Taatarii/Star Tribune/AP)

By Alanna Durkin Richer

Federal authorities investigating Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar seized the Democratic lawmaker's phone and have issued more than a dozen grand jury subpoenas, including to some of her relatives, according to a person briefed on the probe.

The subpoenas were issued for a grand jury collecting evidence in Minnesota as federal authorities probe potential fraud in Omar's immigration paperwork, said the person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss an ongoing investigation. The investigation led to federal agents searching Omar's Washington, D.C. home on Monday just weeks before the November midterms, in which Omar is seeking reelection.

The scope of the investigation into Omar is unclear, though Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin has suggested that authorities were examining potential crimes related to her family’s immigration paperwork.

On Tuesday, Washington D.C. U.S Attorney Jeanine Pirro said in a Fox News interview that “there are several investigations going on" related to Omar and that her office is also probing issues concerning the lawmaker's financial disclosures.

“If there was a crime that was committed, it will be prosecuted,” Pirro said.

The search of Omar's home so close to next month’s midterm contests that will determine control of the House and the Senate was swiftly condemned by Democrats, who accused the administration of targeting the Democrat for political purposes. Omar, in a statement on X, called the search an “attempt to target political enemies and weaponize federal law enforcement.”

“For 10 years, Trump has targeted me with baseless lies and smear campaigns. This is just the latest escalation in his campaign of political intimidation,” she said. “I will not be silenced.”

A phone message seeking comment was left Wednesday with a representative for Omar.

Though the Republican focus on Omar’s background dates back years, the search notably took place three weeks before the November midterms, in which Omar is seeking reelection. The Justice Department has historically sought to avoid public investigative actions involving a candidate within 60 days of a primary or general election.

Omar, who was first elected to the House in 2018, represents Minnesota’s 5th District, including Minneapolis. She is part of The Squad of progressive lawmakers who are a vibrant political force on the left wing of Congress but have also endured repeated attacks from Trump, dating back to his first term. She was one of the first two Muslim-American women in the House and the first African refugee to be elected to Congress.

Freedom Caucus Chair Freaks Out Over Being Recorded in Public

Stephen Neukam — Wed, 14 Oct 2026 16:46:50 GMT

Rep. Andy Harris speaks to a group of reporters at the U.S. Capitol. (Francis Chung/POLITICO via AP)

Republican Rep. Andy Harris demanded that police remove a journalist from a press availability he was holding Tuesday night after a campaign forum with a Democratic challenger in Maryland, erroneously citing the state’s wiretap law.

Harris, who represents Maryland’s only deep-red district and chairs the conservative House Freedom Caucus, told a reporter in the group of assembled press that they “do not have my permission to record” after Harris was asked about the Iran war.

“If you record, we will refer you to the prosecutor,” Harris told the reporter. They were working for Capital News Service, a student-run news organization that is part of the University of Maryland’s Philip Merrill College of Journalism, The Washington Sun has confirmed.

Police did not remove the reporter.

Maryland law requires what's known as two-party consent; all parties to a private conversation generally must give permission before it may be recorded. The Maryland Supreme Court said in 2018 that the state’s law applies when a person has a “reasonable expectation of privacy.”

Harris invoked the statute numerous times in the back-and-forth.

“We are in a two-party state, you are not allowed to,” Harris said. When asked why, he responded: “Because I refuse to give you permission to record.”

Harris’ argument happened in front of a crowd of other media, all recording with phones, cameras or audio devices. When multiple people chimed in to tell Harris that it was a public setting, he said, “Do you know the law?”

Harris, who is a physician, insisted he did.

“Actually, I’m a legislator. Yeah, I actually know the law well,” Harris said. “Get an officer in here. She is violating the law on two-party recording.”

Harris ultimately left the press scrum, saying, “She’s ruining all your chances to get an answer about anything. See y’all.”

Harris’ office did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday.

The spat came after a candidate forum with Democratic challenger Dan Schwartz in Cambridge, Maryland, on Tuesday. Harris is seeking his ninth term in Congress, while Democrats in the state have moved to draw him a more competitive district in the near future.

This story was updated to add the reporter’s outlet.

Emmer Gathers Republican Newbies at Border in a Texas Party Poised to Make Gains

Reese Gorman — Tue, 13 Oct 2026 17:47:44 GMT

House Majority Whip Tom Emmer speaks at the Republicans' Dallas convention in September. (Julio Cortez/AP)

McALLEN, Texas — Despite the headwinds across the country, House Republicans feel bullish about their chances to expand their grip in what’s been a solidly red state, thanks to midcycle redistricting.

Roughly a month before the midterms, House Majority Whip Tom Emmer traveled to the southwest border and gathered nine of the GOP’s top recruits competing in districts across the state for fundraisers and meetings, as the party faces the prospect of losing its majority.

Texas was where Republicans launched the redistricting war that spread across the country, and leaders still believe they’re poised to pick up at least three seats in the state. But the shuffling of the map also produced over a dozen new candidates who have very little, if any, relationship with House Republican leadership.

The Minnesota congressman used the trip as a way to not only build relationships with a bloc of candidates who are poised to join the conference next year but to also get them to bond with each other.

“This is the beginning of the relationship that these guys are going to have with their own people,” Emmer told The Washington Sun.

Mark Teixeira, a World Series champion with the New York Yankees now favored to win a seat in the Austin area, co-hosted the trip with the GOP whip. Joining them were Chris Gober, a longtime attorney and political operative who led the redistricting effort in Texas and is running for a seat representing the suburbs of Houston and Austin, and Republican candidates Steve Toth, Jace Yarbrough, Brandon Herrera, Carlos De La Cruz, Alex Mealer, Tano Tijerina and Jon Bonck.

In addition to touring the southern border, the group also held a roundtable with local business officials, a meeting with the border patrol council and a session with local ranchers.

While most of these candidates are competing in solidly red districts, Emmer acknowledged the broader economic environment is still a challenge for his party. Gas prices have soared to more than $4 a gallon, and grocery prices continue to increase because of the war in Iran and other Trump administration policies, putting GOP candidates on the defensive.

“Look, $4 gas, $6 diesel is unacceptable. I think we all agree on that,” Emmer told The Washington Sun. “But it's still not enough to vote for a communist.”

Republican leaders’ messaging has homed in on painting a stark difference between the ideologies of the Republican candidates and their Democratic opponents.

Emmer argued that some of the Republicans in Texas are doing better than polls suggest, saying he can see the dynamics on the ground when he’s in their districts.

“With De La Cruz and Herrera, if you are evaluating them from Washington, you may have a different opinion,” Emmer said. “‘You know, this is just typical rhetoric: ‘It's in the polling,’ It's all I have, right? So, I gotta go based on what it's saying, [but] you get here, you see them. These are top-notch candidates, which, that's the first thing you need. And they're doing the right things in their races.”

Emmer’s presence here has a dual purpose: He’s touching gloves with some potential new members of the conference who will not only be his colleagues, but also vote in leadership elections shortly after the midterms. Regardless of the outcome of the election, Emmer is expected to run for whip again.

Outside discussing immigration and farm policy, developing bonds is something that this group of Texas Republicans are already taking very seriously. The Texas delegation in the House has long been a force and significant voting bloc.

During the midterm convention last month in Dallas, Gober hosted an event for fellow Texas candidates. The goal was for everyone to meet and get to know one another in a more relaxed setting, he said.

“There's limited time to build those relationships with people,” Gober told The Sun. “So one thing I kind of understood, now was this unique opportunity to start building that, because once we get to orientation, once we're all kind of running around trying to figure things out, you lose kind of that ability.”

Alex Mealer, the Republican nominee in a newly drawn seat in the Houston area, is one of the candidates who has used these opportunities to get to know her colleagues. Mealer said that Emmer has, so far, been the only member of Republican leadership to come to her district. Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan, who has aspirations for a leadership post and could challenge House Majority Leader Steve Scalise next Congress, also traveled to campaign with her, she said.

“Emmer very early on was one of the first mentors from the Congress,” Mealer told The Sun. “We will win my race, but I haven't had the opportunities as the others to travel around as much, just because we've been making sure we get across the finish line. With this many races, I appreciate him making time.”

Democrats Say the Search of Ilhan Omar’s Home Is a ‘Disturbing’ Abuse of Power

Mara Hoplamazian — Mon, 12 Oct 2026 16:20:32 GMT

Rep. Ilhan Omar said the search was an “attempt to target political enemies and weaponize federal law enforcement.” (J. Scott Applewhite/AP)

Rep. Ilhan Omar and other House Democrats accused the Trump administration of abusing its power by searching her home on Monday, just weeks before the midterm elections.

Homeland Security Investigations agents searched Omar’s home in Washington, D.C., early Monday as part of a criminal investigation.

At noon, Omar posted on social media that she was “ok.”

“Make no mistake: this is an attempt to target political enemies and weaponize federal law enforcement. For ten years, Trump has targeted me with baseless lies and smear campaigns. This is just the latest escalation in his campaign of political intimidation,” she said.

“I will not be silenced,” she added.

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Whip Katherine Clark and Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar called the search “deeply disturbing” and said it raised questions about the “continued corrupt weaponization of the federal government against Donald Trump’s adversaries.”

“For years, Donald Trump and far-right extremists have relentlessly targeted Congresswoman Omar with vile personal attacks and baseless accusations. Now, less than 30 days until the midterm election, his violent mass deportation machine has descended upon the home of a duly elected Member of Congress and her family,” the Democratic leaders said in a statement.

A search of this kind is highly unusual this close to an election, and multiple other Democrats came to Omar’s defense.

“It is no accident that this raid comes three weeks before an election where Rep. Omar is on the ballot,” New York Rep. Yvette Clarke posted. “This is part of the fascist playbook to rile up his supporters in advance of the midterms.”

Illinois Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García called the raid on Omar’s home “an extreme abuse of power and an escalation of a years-long campaign against her.”

“Trump should not be allowed to politicize the federal government against elected officials,” he wrote.

Trump has frequently criticized Omar, including spreading the idea that she had married her brother to conduct immigration fraud. No federal agency has produced evidence of those claims, and Omar, who was born in Somalia and immigrated to the U.S. as a child, has called them “disgusting lies.”

Her office has not responded to a request for comment on the search.

White House border czar Tom Homan said last month that Omar was subject to an “ongoing criminal investigation,” and he told Fox News on Monday that a search warrant had been executed in an investigation led by the Justice Department.

“There is an investigation, a warrant was served,” he said, adding that he “didn’t want to get ahead of Todd Blanche.”

Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-Illinois) called the search an effort to “target and persecute” Omar.

“We must strip them of their weapons. We must dismantle DHS. I stand in solidarity with Omar and every member of our community persecuted by the Trump administration,” she wrote on social media.

Wisconsin Rep. Gwen Moore wrote that the Trump administration was continuing to “demolish democratic norms and abuse the power of the federal government” by searching Omar’s home.

In a direct-to-camera video posted on social media, Rep. Ro Khanna urged Americans to “stand up and speak out.”

“It is simply chilling that they are targeting political opponents in this way, and it is disturbing that they are targeting Muslim Americans and a Muslim American woman legislator,” the California Democrat said.

This article has been updated with additional comments.

Federal Agents Search Rep. Ilhan Omar’s D.C. Home

Elise Foley, Mara Hoplamazian — Mon, 12 Oct 2026 12:50:29 GMT

President Donald Trump has spread claims that Rep. Ilhan Omar was involved in immigration fraud. (Francis Chung/Politico via AP)

Federal agents searched the home of Rep. Ilhan Omar on Monday morning as part of a criminal investigation — a highly unusual move this close to an election.

In a statement, the Justice Department said the search was executed by Homeland Security Investigations, part of the Department of Homeland Security, based on a warrant signed by a judge.

“This enforcement action is part of an ongoing federal criminal investigation,” the agency said.

“There is an investigation, a warrant was served,” White House border czar Tom Homan said Monday on Fox News. He declined to give more details, saying he “didn’t want to get ahead of Todd Blanche,” the attorney general.

President Donald Trump told reporters Monday afternoon that he was aware the Department of Justice was looking into Omar but said he wasn’t involved in the case.

“I think she’s a terrible person. But that’s really up to the DOJ, I have nothing to do with it.”

The Justice Department typically avoids taking public action against political figures within 60 days of an election, although it is not explicitly forbidden from doing so.

Omar posted Monday that she was “ok.”

“Make no mistake: this is an attempt to target political enemies and weaponize federal law enforcement. For ten years, Trump has targeted me with baseless lies and smear campaigns. This is just the latest escalation in his campaign of political intimidation,” she said. “I will not be silenced.”

Omar is a frequent critic of the president and a frequent subject of his ire. He has spread the claim, often from right-wing circles, that Omar married her brother as part of an immigration scheme.

“I believe she married her brother, which is totally illegal,” Trump said at a rally in May. “It’s a lovely couple, actually, but it’s a little bit on the illegal side.”

Omar, who is Somali and immigrated to the U.S. as a child, has called the claims “disgusting lies.”

Independent fact-checkers have found no documentation that Omar married her brother, and no federal law enforcement agency has produced evidence.

Homan alluded to the rumors when he said last month that Omar was subject to an “ongoing criminal investigation.”

“If someone committed an immigration violation, if someone committed marriage fraud or anything like that, regardless if they’re a congressman or not, no one's above the law,” Homan said at the time. “So, I’ll leave it at that. We’ll let HSI, Homeland Security Investigations, continue the investigation."

Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-New York), who chairs the Congressional Black Caucus, decried the search as an “abuse of power.”

“It is no accident that this raid comes three weeks before an election where Rep. Omar is on the ballot,” Clarke posted on X.

This article has been updated with comments from Rep. Ilhan Omar, the Department of Justice and White House border czar Tom Homan.

Johnson and Jeffries Are Just Bland Enough to Hit the Campaign Trail

Paul Kane — Mon, 12 Oct 2026 09:21:00 GMT

House Speaker Mike Johnson speaks during a campaign event for vulnerable Republican Rep. David Valadao. (Jae C. Hong/AP)

With voter anger toward Washington near all-time highs, congressional leaders might be expected to hide out until after Election Day to avoid giving their candidates any sense of establishment support.

Instead, some leaders are fanning out across the nation and appearing in public to try to boost candidates in the key races. House Speaker Mike Johnson trekked across the Northeast and Midwest last week to appear with Republicans in a handful of battlegrounds.

And over the weekend House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries jumped from North Jersey into the Philadelphia suburbs to boost a pair of challengers facing popular Republicans with longtime brands in their districts.

This fall is not playing out like the “Fire Pelosi” wave of 2010, when a sign with that motto hung outside the walls of the Republican National Committee for the final seven months before those midterm elections.

The House speaker at the time, Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-California), became the face of Republican campaigns and starred in what her advisers estimated to be $50 million worth of negative ads — similar to how Democrats in the mid- to late 1990s made then-Speaker Newt Gingrich of Georgia a recurring image in their campaigns against Republican candidates.

This era’s congressional leaders simply lack the menace and notoriety in the public imagination to serve as political villains for ad makers in each party.

For Democrats, President Donald Trump is the larger-than-life figure who animates their liberal base, not Senate Majority Leader John Thune.

“The Republican Party is so defined by Trump that Mike Johnson and John Thune have not become high-profile figures,” said Nathan Gonzales, editor and publisher of Inside Elections, an independent political analysis publication.

Despite almost four years as Democratic leader, Jeffries does not draw nearly as much attention from the conservative political media machine as do Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

“If Republicans are looking for a big-city liberal to demonize — even one from New York City — they have two higher-profile options in AOC and Mamdani,” Gonzales told The Washington Sun.

Polling on the favorability of these congressional leaders is not as plentiful as it is for presidents and those who have run for president, but it bears out the idea that they do not have large profiles among voters, particularly among the small percentage of independents who decide late in campaigns and tend to determine the outcomes of close races.

In early September, Marquette University’s polling outfit tested all four leaders, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who has been in the spotlight the longest and, not surprisingly, is the least popular of the so-called Big Four.

Only 20% of all adults have a favorable impression of Schumer, while 54% hold an unfavorable impression, with close to a third of Americans expressing very unfavorable views of the Democrat. His own party’s voters have soured on him: Just 32% of Democrats hold Schumer in a favorable light, while 44% view him unfavorably.

The other leaders have relatively better standings. Johnson draws strong favorability among Republicans, with a split of 49% to 17%, while 68% of Democrats view him unfavorably. Almost half of independents don’t know enough about him to hold a view of the speaker.

Almost 40% of all adults have no view of Jeffries, while 21% have a favorable image of the Democratic leader and 40% view him unfavorably.

Thune, who is not even two years into the post of majority leader, is the most unknown of the quartet, with 53% of adults saying they do not know enough about him to offer an opinion.

This anonymity, plus Trump’s omnipresence in politics, makes it easier for Johnson and Thune to parachute into battleground spots without turning it into a bad story for the candidates on the receiving end.

“Even though Democrats don't like Johnson and Thune, they don't really generate the same anger among base Democratic voters compared to Trump,” Gonzales said.

So, last week, Thune dropped into Minnesota to stump with former sports broadcaster Michele Tafoya, the Republican nominee who is a long shot to win the seat of retiring Democratic Sen. Tina Smith.

He said the quiet part out loud, about how his presence there was meant to signal to Republican donors that they should support Tafoya’s campaign. “Obviously, translating that into financial resources and support coming here is something we hope to see happen,” Thune told local reporters.

In Bucks County, just north of Philadelphia, Jeffries appeared alongside the popular Democratic governor, Josh Shapiro, both of them trying to raise the profile of Bob Harvie, who is challenging Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick.

Despite the slight Democratic lean of Pennsylvania’s 1st Congressional District — Trump has narrowly lost it three straight times — Fitzpatrick has regularly won by large margins. With Shapiro cruising to reelection, Democrats hope Saturday’s event draws attention to Harvie’s underfunded campaign.

“A vote for the current congressman is a vote for the status quo. It's a vote for more of the same. But a vote for Bob Harvie is a vote for dramatic change,” told the crowd at a middle school in Yardley.

Johnson’s swing through four Pennsylvania battlegrounds included only a private stop with Fitzpatrick, who recently told The Sun that he doesn’t consider himself a member of the Republican Party anymore.

Otherwise, Johnson barnstormed across the state, drawing out local press to cover events that might otherwise get skipped if it was just Republican Rep. Rob Bresnahan at a contracting services garage in Hazelton.

“He's got a big target on his back because he's very, very good at what he does,” Johnson said of Bresnahan to a local TV station.

The same day, he appeared in the Lehigh Valley touting Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, whose reelection bid is growing increasingly difficult.

"He's very, very effective at what he does, and he has a passion that is contagious," Johnson told local reporters.

Pelosi could not take this approach back in 2010, and in the ensuing years she was a sporadic presence at public events in swing districts. By mid-October 2010, only 29% of voters had a favorable view of the House speaker, and 56% had an unfavorable image of her, according to Gallup. Almost 60% of independent voters viewed her unfavorably.

The first woman to become speaker, she had a net favorable image her first term in the office, but then Republicans turned their political machine against her.

Democrats lost a net total of 63 seats in those midterms and remained in the minority until the 2018 elections, when then-Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin took a mixed approach to stumping for candidates.

Ryan did a whirlwind tour of a dozen key districts in the final couple weeks of the campaign, but some events were closed-door to avoid drawing attention to the Republican candidate being tied to an unpopular congressional leader.

He left Congress at the end of 2018 with a net favorability rating of negative 16%, just three years after starting off with a positive rating of 13%, Gallup found.

Johnson, who is less well known than Ryan or Pelosi, has more freedom to move about these days than did those two former speakers.

Democrats did issue a statement denouncing the swing-district Republicans for campaigning with Johnson.

“The best way to shake up a broken Washington is for Pennsylvanians to vote these bums out,” said Eli Cousin, spokesman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

But they have no plans to hang a “FIRE JOHNSON” sign outside their office.