Episode September 29, 2026 14 min 11s

Headaches for Republican Lawmakers

From Letters from an American Heather Cox Richardson

September 28, 2026

Trump posted a video ad on television with the words “Paid for by the U.S. Government,” The backlash was immediate, Social media users and lawyers alike asked why the US government was paying for a poilitical ad, The government paying for Trump’s vanity ads while at the same time announcing it is refusing to spend money on programs intended to help people was yet another headache for Republicans hoping to retain control of Congress after the midterm elections, Trump’s job approval numbers are collapsing, falling most sharply among voters who identify themselves as Republicans, Trump’s tariffs are eroding his support in the agricultural areas that used to be the backbone of his support, Republicans in battleground states are on the defense as voters turn against ICE agents conducting raids in their states, The skyrocketing price of diesel is pushing Republican candidates to call for an end to the war in Iran, Certain candidates are in the news for all the wrong reasons: Susan Collins in Maine because her campaign accepted an illegal contribution, Bo French in Texas for his inflammatory and racist posts, and Roger Marshall in Kansas for suing his patients for outstanding bills, many of them for as little as $101, Markwayne Mullins and Pete Hegseth are increasingly unpopular, And mentions of Trump’s name have dropped nearly 70% since before the 2024 election.

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