Senators Face Supreme Court, Criminal Charges Before Midterms

With midterm elections just one week away, candidates are unleashing their dirtiest ads and ugliest rhetoric in last-minute garbage time. This barrage is fueled by social media more than ever before because a dozen states could tip the battle for Senate control. I feel like taking a shower right now. Shannon O'Brien, chairman of Montana's Democratic Party, just resigned to highlight how sensitive national politics have become. In an essay for MS NOW, she stated that her party "is more divided than ever not because of our values but because of the race for the U.S. Senate." The winner of this race will almost certainly vote on a nominee to the Supreme Court. O'Brien noted there are real questions about the Democratic candidate's views on issues like abortion and poverty. Virginia Democratic state senator L. Louise Lucas was just indicted on federal charges including racketeering conspiracy and money laundering related to her co-ownership of a cannabis business. The probe predates the Trump administration, yet Lucas vowed to fight back by saying she grew up under Jim Crow laws. She warned that she has seen what happens when people in power try to silence those who stand up to them. President Trump has already nationalized the election by telling people to vote as if he is on the ballot while barnstorming with increasingly tough talk about Democrats. A local council member in suburban Des Moines named Shellie Flockhart appeared in an ad ripping a Democratic candidate as just plain dangerous for kids. However, The Washington Post reported that she once pleaded guilty to child endangerment after driving drunk with two of her children. A splashy piece in Vanity Fair containing allegations against Jared Kushner just happened to come out now. This prompted Kushner's lawyer to put the magazine on notice of a potential lawsuit. The attorney for the president's son-in-law argued that Vanity Fair failed after repeated requests to produce a single bank statement or other verifiable evidence supporting these extraordinary accusations. The article, which Kushner calls completely insane, is based on a forthcoming book claiming Russian security services hacked his phone. It also discloses $700 million in secret foreign transactions and states his signature is on an account set up by Saudi Arabia and the UAE. The timing sounds more than coincidental to any observer. After decades of political coverage, I immediately knew that the toxic ad by Vivek Ramaswamy featuring Democrat Amy Acton's long-estranged mother calling her a liar would be more than just an issue in the Ohio governor's race. I sensed it would quickly become a national referendum on sleaziness. The mother, Donna Arthur, sided with her second husband even though Cledith Arthur was indicted for raping Amy Acton when she was 12 years old. The couple disappeared and the stepfather was never tried before his death. Acton has had no contact with her mother since 1978. To their credit, many Republicans led by Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine have denounced the ad. Trump defended it as fair game saying he doesn't know anything about a stepfather and that Democrats would certainly use such an ad against him. In far lesser-known races, the mudslinging grows by the day. In Texas, Republican Rep. Monica De La Cruz is sending a torrent of emails about her opponent claiming Bobby Pulido is unfit to serve in Congress. When his fellow bandmate was arrested on a child rape charge, Bobby went to his uncle the crooked district attorney and the charge disappeared along with three other felonies.

Gone." That was the word Pulido gave to Politico regarding his former accordion player. He claimed he had no idea about those child molestation charges until more than ten years later. "I've apologized for everything that I've ever joked about that offended anybody… There's a lot of tweets in there that I'm embarrassed of. There's jokes that I've told that I apologize for," he stated plainly. Yet the Washington Free Beacon points out something different. They say Pulido keeps telling shifting stories and offering conflicting information when it comes to his bandmate accused of molestation.

Meanwhile, a major Senate race is heating up in Texas between Ken Paxton and James Talarico. The attorney general has run an AI-generated spot claiming his Democratic opponent "voted for an income tax." He also says, "Texans can't afford Talarico's radical agenda." Fact-checkers have already called the income tax charge false. In response, Talarico's ad declares, "I don't have to use AI, because the truth about Ken Paxton is bad enough."

But how many voters in Texas and across the country will stop to sort out such charges? How many will just tune out these high-decibel attacks? How many will simply hit the mute button? CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP. Personally, I feel numb after watching this seemingly endless barrage on the airwaves. I have fact-checked ads for five presidential cycles, but this feels dirtier and more unhinged than ever before.

And there is a crucial question for 2026: How many voters will just stay home?