Jasmine Crockett

Tennessee gubernatorial candidate Marsha Blackburn has posted a lip-sync style video to social media, joining a format that has become common among politicians seeking to reach younger audiences on platforms like TikTok. The style has previously been used by Democratic figures including Rep. Jasmine Crockett and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, and Blackburn's entry into the trend has drawn notice and criticism from conservative commentators who questioned the strategy behind it.

The video comes as Blackburn campaigns for governor of Tennessee ahead of the state's 2026 election cycle, part of a broader midterm landscape in which Republicans are working to hold their congressional majorities. While the clip itself is a minor campaign moment, it reflects the growing use of viral, short-form social media tactics by candidates across the political spectrum as they try to engage voters outside traditional campaign messaging. Reaction to the video has been mixed, with some questioning whether the approach fits Blackburn's political brand.

Texas Democratic Party Chair Kendall Scudder says the party has erased its debt and built a $30 million coordinated campaign since he took over in March 2025, up from a $2 million effort under his predecessor. He credits a restructuring that moved staff out of Austin and into Dallas, Houston, Eagle Pass, and Amarillo, along with recruiting more than 1,000 precinct chairs, as key to preparing for competitive races ahead of the 2026 midterms and the 2030 redistricting cycle.

Scudder also addressed the contested Senate primary won by State Representative James Talarico over U.S. Representative Jasmine Crockett, arguing Talarico now has a party infrastructure Beto O'Rourke lacked in his narrow 2018 loss. On data centers, he accused Governor Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton of feigning opposition while Abbott's administration has committed roughly $1 billion in taxpayer incentives to the industry, calling their posture insincere and warning it could hurt Republican turnout in rural Texas, where the issue has become politically sensitive.

Sen. Ted Cruz said Monday the Texas Senate race between Republican Ken Paxton and Democrat James Talarico could cost as much as $200 million, calling it "a real fight" despite predicting a GOP win. Paxton, the state attorney general, won a costly May runoff over Sen. John Cornyn after President Trump's endorsement, ending Cornyn's Senate tenure. Cruz said he would campaign and use his super PAC to help Paxton unify the party after the bruising primary.

Talarico, a state representative and progressive Christian, won the Democratic primary outright over Rep. Jasmine Crockett. Texas hasn't elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1988, but recent polling shows a tight race, prompting the Cook Political Report to shift its rating from "Lean Republican" to "Toss Up." With Republicans holding 53 Senate seats, an unexpectedly competitive Texas contest could draw national GOP resources away from other battlegrounds and factor into the fight for Senate control.