Political News
Reports on political developments, legislation, and leadership. The Daily Signal provides news and conservative analysis of American politics.
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opinion
Securing America’s Economy: Secretary Scott Bessent to Speak at Forum 2026
Days after the midterm elections, conservatives will gather just outside Washington, D.C., for The Forum 2026 to debate where their movement goes next. Hosted by The Heritage Foundation, The Forum 2026 will welcome Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent as a featured speaker. Bessent will be joined by other leaders, including commentator Scott Jennings, television personality… -
news
CAIR Closes Up Shop in Florida After Federal Court Defeat
The Council on American-Islamic Relations has suspended operations in Florida after a federal court rejected its request to block the state’s designation of the organization as a domestic terrorist group. Earlier Thursday, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier posted on X: “This morning, a federal court upheld Florida’s Domestic Terrorist Organization law and rejected CAIR’s attempt… -
opinion
Victor Davis Hanson: Trump’s Second Term—the Counterrevolution Explained
Editor’s note: This is a lightly edited transcript of today’s video from Daily Signal senior contributor Victor Davis Hanson. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to see more of his videos. This video was recorded before Tuesday’s midterm elections. Hello, this is Victor Davis Hanson for the Daily Signal. In an earlier video, I talked a little… -
news
Scramble for Power Breaks Out on Capitol Hill
With Republicans headed into the minority in both chambers, candidates for leadership are earnestly making their cases while GOP staffers quietly size them up. The race opened early Wednesday as House Speaker Mike Johnson told his staff he would not run for minority leader, a source familiar with the decision told the Daily Signal. Within… -
news
Karen Bass Ousted: DSA Member Nithya Raman Is LA’s Next Mayor
Nithya Raman, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, is projected to become Los Angeles’ next mayor after defeating incumbent Mayor Karen Bass. Decision Desk HQ called the race for Raman on Wednesday at 7:49 p.m. EST, with Raman receiving 52.10% of the vote compared with Bass’s 47.90%. The result came as a surprise,… -
opinion
But Wait, There’s More: How a Popular Vote Deciding the President May Have Moved One Step Closer to Reality
A postscript to the 2026 midterms: The bodies aren’t even cold, and a conversation with the Election Transparency Initiative’s Ken Cuccinelli made all of the disparate stories come together. This, as Virginia conservatives stare at the darker blue hue that the media pundits will use to color their state boundaries with from now on, wondering… -
news
Efforts to Return Education to the States Must Continue, Letter to Congress Urges
A coalition of conservative organizations is urging congressional leaders to continue the Trump administration’s work of closing the Department of Education. “We urge each of you to continue the essential process of closing the U.S. Department of Education,” states the letter sent Thursday to Education Secretary Linda McMahon; Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D.; Speaker… -
news
DOJ Civil Rights Chief Harmeet Dhillon Resigning
Harmeet Dhillon, assistant attorney general for the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice, plans to resign from her post, two sources familiar confirmed to the Daily Signal. Dhillon has been a strong advocate for parental rights, religious liberty, and constitutional freedoms. Attorney General Todd Blanche said he accepted Dhillon’s resignation on Thursday afternoon…. -
opinion
3 Reasons Florida Didn’t Go Blue Like Texas
Call it a tale of two states. Both Republican-run. Both prosperous. Both heavily populated states that influence the rest of the nation. Yet in the blue tsunami, the results in Texas and Florida were very different. “In January … of the 10 largest states in this union, only one state will have Republican control of… -
opinion
Victor Davis Hanson: What Trump Must Do After the Midterm Losses
Editor’s note: This is a lightly edited transcript of “Victor Davis Hanson: In His Own Words” from Daily Signal senior contributor Victor Davis Hanson. Subscribe to Hanson’s own YouTube channel to watch past episodes. Victor Davis Hanson: I will say something, though, also about the midterms very quickly. Yes, what can he do now and what can… -
news
Referendum or Turnout Problem? GOP Insiders Split Over Who’s to Blame for Midterm Losses
Republicans lost Congress on Tuesday because voters felt the administration and the GOP stopped caring about them, several insiders told the Daily Signal. “This is a middle finger,” one former senior administration official said of the midterm election results. “I think it comes down to affordability and the war, and Americans feeling like the administration… -
analysis
PINK-AND-BLUE WAVE? The Role of Transgenderism in the Midterms
Transgender activist groups are getting out ahead of their skis when they interpret Democrat midterm victories as an endorsement of transgender ideology. The Human Rights Campaign touted its efforts boosting Democrats and portrayed the election results as vindication for candidates who resisted Republican attacks on transgender issues. The results, however, tell a more complicated story…. -
opinion
Victor Davis Hanson: America Faces a Radical New Political Reality
Editor’s note: This is a lightly edited transcript of today’s video from Daily Signal senior contributor Victor Davis Hanson. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to see more of his videos. Hello, this is Victor Davis Hanson for the Daily Signal. I’m speaking late on midterm night, and it looks like this blue wave materialized in the… -
exclusive
EXCLUSIVE: White House Finalizes Policy to Lower Health Care Costs
FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—President Donald Trump finalized new Medicare policies to lower costs by more than $1 billion next year for seniors, an administration official told the Daily Signal. “Next year, America’s seniors will save over $1 billion on high-cost drugs, like infusions to treat cancer, and over $2 billion over the next decade… -
news
Socialists Gain Ground in Congress, Setting Up Fight Over Democrat Agenda
Democratic Socialists of America are celebrating over 50 wins from Tuesday night’s midterm elections. With some races yet to be called, there will be at least five new socialists entering the House of Representatives and one entering the Senate for the 120th Congress. “Over 50 DSA victories tonight prove socialism can win in the U.S…. -
analysis
The ‘Becerra Era’: A New Governor, and the California That Could Have Been
Summary “You have now entered the Becerra Era,” declared California Gov.-elect Xavier Becerra in his victory speech Tuesday night. But for the nearly 3 million Californians who cast their ballots for Republican Steve Hilton, hopes for a different direction for the Golden State have faded as another Democrat administration prepares to take office. So, what… -
news
‘The Country’s Gonna Pay’: Congressman Weighs Why Trump’s Midterm Strategy Didn’t Work
Some Republicans are pointing fingers at President Donald Trump after his 32-day midterm blitz failed to save GOP majorities in Congress. “This was a complete repudiation of Trumpism,” one GOP strategist told the Daily Signal. “When you lose literally everything, there is no one else to blame. Trumpism expired, and conservatives need to start rebuilding… -
analysis
Did Socialists Just Lose Some of Their Expected Leverage in Congress?
The Democratic Socialists of America emerged from the 2026 midterms significantly stronger, but in a strange twist, the Democratic Party’s overwhelming success may deprive the DSA’s seven House members of the leverage they expected to wield. The DSA expanded its congressional footprint, helped elect allies at the state and local levels, and can point to… -
opinion
The Socialists Won More Than Just Elections on Tuesday
Summary Five new candidates backed by the Democratic Socialists of America won House seats Tuesday. Together with reelected Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., that brings the number of DSA-backed members in the next House of Representatives, as of this writing, to at least seven. This marks a significant expansion for a movement… -
news
‘Everyone Knows Why We Lost’: Vance Blames Iran War for Blue Wave
Vice President JD Vance blamed the Iran war for 2026 Democrat victories Wednesday in a blunt post on X. “The reason we lost is the war. The president himself said so last night,” stated Vance, who, at this point, is the presumed front-runner for the 2028 GOP presidential nomination. “If you’d like to argue it…