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Tim Scott tells MAGA voters Trump ‘is on the ballot’ as GOP fights to grow Senate majority in 2026

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Tim Scott tells MAGA voters Trump ‘is on the ballot’ as GOP fights to grow Senate majority in 2026

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As he aims to not only defend but expand the GOP’s 53-47 Senate majority in next year’s midterm elections, Sen. Tim Scott has a message for MAGA voters who don’t always go to the polls when President Donald Trump’s name isn’t on the ballot.

“Donald Trump is on the ballot, and that’s why he’s been so active around the country,” Scott, the chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) said this week in a Fox News Digital interview.

Scott, a Republican from South Carolina and Trump ally, said, “I look forward to seeing the president on the campaign trail across this country.”

And the president appears to be delivering.

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WHATLEY: ‘THE PRESIDENT AND HIS LEGACY’ ON 2026 BALLOT

Former RNC Chairman Michael Whatley, a 2026 U.S. Senate candidate, is greeted onstage by President Donald Trump, at a campaign event, Friday, Dec.19, 2025, in Rocky Mount, N.C. (Alex Brandon/AP Photo)

Trump on Friday night held the second leg of his affordability tour during a stop in battleground North Carolina, home to what is shaping up to be one of the most crucial, combustible, and expensive Senate battles next year.

“We’re certainly going to need him to be on the ballot,” former Republican National Committee Chair Michael Whatley told Fox News Digital, as he pointed to Trump.

THE GOP’S TAKE ON HIGH-PROFILE SENATE DEMOCRATIC PRIMARIES: ‘THEY’RE IN SHAMBLES’

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Whatley, the Trump-backed clear frontrunner for the GOP Senate nomination in the 2026 race to succeed retiring Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, joined Trump at Friday night’s event.

“When you think about what happens if we lose the House, if we lose the Senate, if the Democrats take over, and they go right back to investigations and hoaxes and impeachments, that is really, truly the president and his legacy are going to be on the ballot,” Whatley emphasized.

Trump and Republicans spotlighted rising prices as they swept to major victories in 2024, retaking the White House and Senate and holding their majority in the House.

But with inflation remaining persistent, Democrats have been laser focused this year on the issue of affordability, which fueled their decisive victories in last month’s 2025 elections and their overperformances this year in a slew of special elections.

But Scott predicts the tide will turn.

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“I’ve said 2026 is a year of affordability, and the great news is President Trump has been producing time and time again,” he touted.

Pointing to the tax cut provisions in the GOP’s sweeping domestic policy measure signed into law this past summer by Trump, Scott said “2026 is shaping up to be the year where Donald Trump’s activities, his actions, the legislation we’ve passed, shows up for the American voter. And consumers all across the country will see a more affordable economy because of President Trump and the Senate majority and the House majority in the hands of the Republican Party.”

GOP SENATE CAMPAIGN CHIEF AIMS TO EXPAND 2026 MAP IN THIS BLUE-LEANING STATE

Lauren French, communications director at Senate Majority PAC, the top Senate Democrat-aligned outside group, told Fox News Digital that “even Tim Scott is occasionally right — 2026 will be the year of affordability.”

But taking aim at the GOP narrative, French argued that affordability will continue to grab top billing with voters “because Americans can’t afford Donald Trump and Republican policies that continue to drive up the cost of groceries, basic goods, and, right now, Christmas presents.”

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“The out-of-touch insistence from the GOP that the economy is thriving proves they don’t understand what working families are facing, which is probably why Democrats won or dramatically overperformed in every contested election this year,” she emphasized. “2026 will be no different as Democrats continue to put forward real plans to address the cost-of-living crisis.”

There are 35 Senate seats up for grabs next year, including special elections for GOP-held seats in Florida and Ohio. Overall, Republicans are defending 22 of the seats.

But the map of competitive races is much smaller.

Scott reiterated that open Democrat-held seats in battleground Michigan and swing state New Hampshire are two of the NRSC’s top targets, along with Sen. Jon Ossoff in battleground Georgia, whom Republicans consider the most vulnerable Democrat seeking re-election next year.

4 KEY SENATE SEATS REPUBLICANS AIM TO FLIP IN 2026 MIDTERMS TO EXPAND THEIR MAJORITY

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The NRSC chair is also eyeing blue-leaning Minnesota, where the Senate GOP campaign arm is working to recruit former professional football sideline reporter turned political activist and commentator Michele Tafoya, who is inching closer to jumping into the race.

“We’re excited about expanding our map, and Minnesota is one of the target states that we’re looking at,” Scott said. “We see real reasons to be optimistic. President Trump was very close in Minnesota. It’s a four-point race. We know with the right candidate, we will be successful.”

Apparently pointing to Tafoya, Scott suggested Republicans are likely to land “a strong candidate in the race,” and teased “wait and see” for “better news.”

Scott will likely be playing defense in Texas, where there’s currently a nasty three-way GOP Senate primary, as well as in North Carolina, Maine and Ohio.

Asked his prediction for next year, Scott said “54 is clearly within our grasp right now, but with a little bit of luck, 55 is on our side.”

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But the rival Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) sees it differently.

“While Democrats have expanded the map and created a path to flip the majority in 2026, Senate Republicans are facing a string of embarrassing recruitment failures and messy primaries — and their toxic agenda of health care cuts and price spikes for hardworking Americans will cost them at the ballot box,” DSCC spokesperson Joe Bush told Fox News Digital.

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Detroit, MI

Metro Detroit weather forecast, June 26, 2026 — 4 p.m. Update

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Metro Detroit weather forecast, June 26, 2026  — 4 p.m. Update


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Milwaukee, WI

Brewers Are Making a Mistake With Andrew Vaughn’s Playing Time

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Brewers Are Making a Mistake With Andrew Vaughn’s Playing Time


There are few things that the Milwaukee Brewers haven’t done right so far in 2026.

Milwaukee has navigated difficult injuries all season and yet it is 49-29 and has the second-best record in baseball behind the Los Angeles Dodgers (52-29) heading into an important series against the Chicago Cubs. How many teams out there could accomplish this feat when guys like Andrew Vaughn Christian Yelich, Quinn Priester, Jackson Chourio, and Brandon Woodruff all missed significant time at various points in the season? These are legit, star-level pieces and the Brewers navigated the losses admirably.

Right now, all of them are healthy, except Priester. The young starter will miss the entire season. Now, Milwaukee is firing on all cylinders and yet it could be even better. Soon enough, Logan Henderson will be back. Also, the offense would arguably be even better if Vaughn was given more opportunities. Since May 4, Vaughn is only eighth on the team in plate appearances, per Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

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Despite this, Vaughn has done nothing but tear the cover off the ball. In 39 games, he has slashed .355/.444/.542 with a .987 OPS, two homers, 12 doubles, and 23 RBIs. That’s the type of production you need in the lineup every night, regardless.

The Brewers Need To Give Andrew Vaughn More Time

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Jun 7, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Milwaukee Brewers infielder Andrew Vaughn (28) rounds third base to score in the second inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images | Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images

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Brewers manager Pat Murphy acknowledged that Vaughn has had a weakness with some righties, as transcribed by Hogg.

“Heavy east-west sometimes is more troublesome for him,” Murphy said. “But for him this year you can look at it and go, ‘Yeah, against the two-seamer he’s been [worse]. But what about the times against the two-samer that he took it and got something else? You don’t get credit for being good against the two-seamer when you take it. You only get dinged when you swing at it.”

Still, this is a guy batting .355 since May 4. He’s obviously not perfect, but Milwaukee’s offense is better with him in it. Even if the club has to get creative. Jake Bauers has made his mark this season and needs playing time as well and both play first base, among others. Throughout Vaughn’s career, he has seen time at third base, second base, left field and right field, along with first base. Throughout the season to this point, there’s been chatter about how the Brewers haven’t had enough offense on the left side of the infield.

They recently promoted Cooper Pratt to play shortstop, so third base has been handled by David Hamilton and Joey Ortiz. Maybe a good idea could be trying to shift Vaughn to third base for the time being because they could then get his bat and Bauers’ bat in the lineup consistently. In that scenario, the Brewers could also consistently roll with an outfield of Chourio in left field, Garrett Mitchell in center field, and Sal Frelick in right field.

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At the end of the day, the Brewers need Vaughn’s bat in the lineup every day. If you can bat .355 over a 39-game stretch, you deserve significant playing time.

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Minneapolis, MN

Affordable senior housing revived at 600 Main St. SE

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Affordable senior housing revived at 600 Main St. SE


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The Blueprint

A team led by Lupe Development Partners and Wall Cos. wants to bring more than 100 units of affordable senior housing to a triangular parking area near the Mississippi River in Minneapolis, the latest version of a yearslong effort to redevelop the site.

On Thursday, the Minneapolis Planning Commission Committee of the Whole reviewed plans for the five-story, 104-unit building at 600 Main St. SE. The project would require a comprehensive plan amendment, rezoning and other approvals.

Jess Olstad, a city spokesperson, said in an email that the committee took no formal action.

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“The next step for the project team will be to conduct public engagement around their potential comprehensive plan amendment, and to prepare their land use applications for submittal,” Olstad said.

Steve Minn, vice president and chief financial manager of Lupe Development, said Friday that the project received “very positive feedback” from the committee.

“We’re just going to proceed with the rest of our application, which will be in the next week or so,” said Minn, who added that the proposed location is a “perfect site for housing” and that “senior housing is a need.”

A comprehensive plan amendment would require Metropolitan Council review. If the approval process goes well and financing comes together next year, the project could break ground in 2028, Minn said.

A 58-space “principal parking facility” currently occupies the 37,401-square-foot development site, which is framed by Sixth Avenue Southeast, Main Street Southeast, and a railroad property, according to a city staff report.

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The project would primarily offer one-bedroom units, though the mix would also include some two-bedroom dwellings and efficiencies. Thirty-nine stalls of underground parking are also planned.

Located near the Stone Arch Bridge trailhead in the Mississippi River Critical Area Overlay District, the project would be “compatible with the surrounding neighborhood architecture,” according to a narrative submitted on behalf of the developer.

The plan includes site improvements such as structured parking and pedestrian spaces, and a new public trail, which would connect to existing Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board trails in Father Hennepin Bluffs Park.

According to the developer’s narrative, the project “represents a reinvestment in a privately owned, undeveloped parcel that is not used for park purposes and is not planned for acquisition.”

The project would align the property’s “land use, built form, and Mississippi River Corridor Critical Area Overlay District designations with the surrounding urban context and applicable regulatory framework,” the narrative states.

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Wall Cos. and Lupe Development Partners, doing business as Bluff Street Development, have long wanted to redevelop 600 Main St. SE. In 2023, the developers pitched a plan for 80 affordable housing units on the site.

The developers’ history with the site goes back as far as 2009, when they proposed separate plans for a 98-unit and a 79-unit apartment project, as previously reported. In 2010, Bluff Street sued the city after the City Council rejected the plans. The lawsuit was dismissed in 2011.

When development efforts first started, the Mississippi River Critical Corridor Area rules and regulations had not been defined, and “there was a lot of angst in the community” about what those regulations would be, Minn said.

Those regulations are now “well defined,” clearing the way for development, he said.



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