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Obama once urged Black men to back Harris — then he, Democrats reversed race rhetoric legacy in 2025
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Democrats historically have touted race and identity politics in the lead-up to high-profile elections, including former President Barack Obama chastising Black men for not supporting former Vice President Kamala Harris for president just one year ago.
On the 2025 gubernatorial campaign trail in Virginia, however, race was dropped from the common talking points as Obama and other Democrats rallied around former Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger, a White woman, in her battle against Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, a Jamaican immigrant and Marine veteran. Earle-Sears would have been the state’s first Black female governor if she had been victorious Tuesday.
Former Republican Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron, who is in the midst of his 2026 Senate campaign to replace outgoing Sen. Mitch McConnell, advocated that identity politics should be dropped from public discourse and replaced with discussions on merit, while noting Democrats employ race rhetoric when it’s most advantageous.
Democrats «certainly pick and choose when they want to highlight a candidate’s race and use that for political expediency,» Cameron said. «But the Republican Party has been consistent that we’re a party about merit.»
FOX NEWS POLL: HOW SPANBERGER WON VIRGINIA GOVERNOR
A split of Winsome Earle-Sears and Abigail Spanberger. (Getty Images; Getty Images)
Obama campaigned in the Old Dominion state to drum up support for Spanberger, who is the first woman elected governor in the state, just roughly a year after he chastised Black male voters in Pennsylvania for not offering an outpouring of support to then-Vice President Harris’ campaign.
«We have not yet seen the same kinds of energy and turnout in all corners of our neighborhoods and communities as we saw when I was running,» Obama said of support for Harris’ race.
«Now, I also want to say that that seems to be more pronounced with the brothers. So if you don’t mind — just for a second, I’ve got to speak to y’all and say that when you have a choice that is this clean: When on the one hand, you have somebody who grew up like you, went to college with you, understands the struggles (and the) pain and joy that comes from those experiences,» Obama said, continuing that Trump «has consistently shown disregard, not just for the communities, but for you as a person — and you are thinking about sitting out?»
Virginia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger joins former President Barack Obama, during a campaign event in Norfolk, Virginia. (Steve Helber/The Associated Press)
A year later, Obama called on Virginia voters to snub the Black female candidate in favor of Spanberger.
OBAMA INSISTED BLACK MEN VOTE FOR HARRIS BUT NOW STUMPS AGAINST VIRGINIA’S BLACK LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR
«There is absolutely no evidence Republican policies have made life better for you, the people of Virginia,» Obama said in his speech from the Virginia campaign trail Saturday. «I mean, they’ve they’ve devoted enormous energy to trying to entrench themselves in power and punishing their enemies and enriching their friends and silencing their critics. They they put on a big show of deporting people and targeting transgender folks. They never missed a chance to scapegoat minorities and DEI for every problem under the sun.»
Obama, specifically, has a lengthy list of invoking identity politics while on the campaign trail or in public settings, while Democrats since his presidency have amplified their promotion of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives from the highest echelons of government down to school classrooms until Trump signed executive orders barring such programs from government.
«I will consider it a personal insult, an insult to my legacy if this community lets down its guard and fails to activate itself in this election,» Obama said in 2016 of the Black community supporting former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s failed presidential run. «You want to give me a good send-off, go vote.»
Former President Barack Obama in the East Room of the White House, Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2022, in Washington. (Andrew Harnik/The Associated Press)
Former President Joe Biden also focused on identity politics during his lengthy tenure in the nation’s captial, including vowing he would nominate a Black woman to the U.S. Supreme Court as he went through the merits of candidates. Biden ultimately nominated now-Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court in 2022.
OBAMA ENDORSES SPANBERGER, ATTACKS REPUBLICANS IN VIRGINIA GOVERNOR’S RACE ADS
«While I’ve been studying candidates’ backgrounds and writings, I’ve made no decision except one: the person I nominate will be someone with extraordinary qualifications, character, experience and integrity — and that person will be the first Black woman ever nominated to the United States Supreme Court. It’s long overdue, in my view,» Biden said before announcing Jackson’s nomination.
Race, however, was left out of the 2025 gubernatorial race in Virginia as Earle-Sears faced off against Spanberger, with Cameron saying Democrats «played it down» as it did not benefit their party.
«The leadership in the Democratic Party certainly discounts race when it’s not somebody from their campaign or not somebody on their side of the aisle that is in the election. And that is what you saw here, is that they discounted it and they played it down, it didn’t have much significance,» Cameron told Fox Digital in a Thursday Zoom interview.
Former Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron said Democrats «played … down» race in the 2025 gubernatorial race in Virginia as it did not benefit their party. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
«I do think the Democratic Party historically has focused on the identity of candidates. And that’s why I tell folks that we don’t need a country that’s built on diversity, equity, inclusion. We need a county that’s built on merit, excellence, intelligence and integrity. And that should be the case … not only in the corporate space or in industry, but in politics as well. Does a candidate connect with people? Does a candidate have the values of a particular community? That should be the focus,» he said, adding that Republicans are all-in for supporting candidates with merit over identity.
Fox News Digital reached out to Obama’s office for comment regarding his previous remarks on race and identity politics compared to the 2025 election but did not immediately receive a reply. Fox News Digital also reached out to the Winsome-Sears campaign for any post-election comment Thursday.
UNDERCOVER VIDEO EXPOSES WHAT SPANBERGER’S CAMPAIGN ORGANIZER REALLY THINKS OF HER: ‘WHAT THE F—‘
Spanberger’s campaign was rocked by an undercover video showing a campaign organizer lamenting the race pitted a «White woman who was in the CIA» against «a Black woman.»
Virginia Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Sears addressing the Virginia FREE Leadership Luncheon in McLean, Virginia. (Cliff Owen/AP Photo-File)
«CIA agent, literally, which is crazy, like yeah, vote for the CIA agent, guys, like what the f—,» a campaign organizer for Spanberger said in a video with an undercover journalist in September that was first reported by Fox News Digital.
«I don’t know what happened. We’re in, like, the darkest timeline,» she continued. «Our only choices are between a Black woman, which ordinarily all for, but this time you think we should bring back slavery, Winsome.… Even with that, it’s like either vote for the Black woman who thinks that slavery should be brought back or vote for the White woman who was in the CIA.»
Only two states across the country held gubernatorial elections this off-season election in 2025: New Jersey and Virginia. Earle-Sears was the only Black candidate to run for governor out of the four major-party candidates running in either state.
Former President Barack Obama backed former Virginia Rep. Abigail Spanberger in the 2025 gubernatorial election. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Cameron said that his tenure as Kentucky attorney general, as well as his run for the Senate, focus on his merit and policies, while encouraging that example be used by all politicians going forward.
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» I want folks to focus on my values when I was the attorney general, certainly,» he said. «I won, I think, 113 of 120 counties, and people didn’t care what I looked like. They cared about my values. And so I’m optimistic that when it comes to the future of this country, people, here in Kentucky, and I think in Virginia, and a lot of places is: Do you stand with the America first agenda? Are you focused on standing with president Trump? And that’s certainly something that I’m focused on in my race here for the Senate here in Kentucky.»
gubernatorial,2020 presidential election,governors,virginia,elections
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Ruud Gullit y la historia de su rechazo a un gigante de Europa que terminó definiendo su carrera: “Era demasiado pronto”
En la historia del fútbol, existen decisiones que alteran el rumbo de una carrera y, en ocasiones, de un deporte entero. El caso de Ruud Gullit y su rechazo al Arsenal cuando apenas tenía 17 años es uno de esos episodios poco conocidos, pero fundamentales, que definieron el destino de una de las mayores leyendas del fútbol neerlandés.
La propia voz del protagonista permite entender cómo ese “no” a tiempo marcó la diferencia y abrió una trayectoria irrepetible.
A finales de los años setenta, Ruud Gullit brillaba en el HFC Haarlem, club de la liga neerlandesa, cuando recibió una propuesta que cambiaría su perspectiva profesional. “Cuando tenía 17 años, escuché que el Arsenal quería ficharme”, relató el exfutbolista a Gambling Insider, citado por FourFourTwo. En ese momento, el club londinense contaba con la observación de Liam Brady como ojeador y ya había iniciado negociaciones con el Haarlem.
La magnitud de la oferta era inusual para un futbolista tan joven que apenas comenzaba a destacar en su país natal. “Era un privilegio que un club tan grande se interesara por mí a esa edad, pero era demasiado pronto para dar ese salto en mi carrera, así que lo rechacé”, explicó el propio Gullit, subrayando que la decisión no se debió a falta de ambición, sino a una evaluación racional de su desarrollo personal y futbolístico. “Simplemente no quería mudarme al club en ese momento”, añadió el exjugador.
La determinación de Gullit lo llevó a permanecer algunos años más en Haarlem antes de buscar el siguiente paso adecuado para su evolución.
Tras su negativa al Arsenal, Gullit continuó su formación en los Países Bajos. En 1982, firmó con el Feyenoord, donde compartió vestuario con el legendario Johan Cruyff y logró el doblete de liga y copa en su segunda temporada. Este proceso de maduración resultó clave para su posterior explosión en la élite. “Terminé pasando algunos años más en Haarlem antes de irme al Feyenoord, lo que sentí que era el movimiento correcto para mí”, reconoció.
La progresión no se detuvo en Rotterdam. En 1985, Gullit pasó al PSV Eindhoven, consolidando su estatus como una de las figuras emergentes del fútbol europeo. Su talento atrajo la atención del AC Milan, que en 1987 rompió el récord mundial de traspasos para asegurarse sus servicios. Ese mismo año, ganó el Balón de Oro, y su llegada a Italia marcó el inicio de una etapa dorada tanto a nivel individual como colectivo.
Durante su etapa en el AC Milan, Gullit conquistó tres títulos de la Serie A y dos Copas de Europa, siendo pieza central en el resurgimiento del club lombardo y en la consolidación de la liga italiana como epicentro del fútbol mundial.
Además, lideró a la selección de los Países Bajos en la obtención de la Eurocopa 1988. Este camino de gloria difícilmente habría sido igual si, en su adolescencia, hubiese optado por la oferta del Arsenal.
Mientras alcanzaba la cima en Italia y Europa, el Arsenal vivía sus propios procesos de reconstrucción. El club londinense celebró títulos de liga en 1989 y 1991, pero los aficionados aún se preguntan cómo habría influido la presencia de un joven Gullit en el equipo durante los años ochenta. La pregunta sobre el impacto potencial de una decisión tan temprana sigue vigente entre los hinchas y analistas británicos.
En 1995, tras una exitosa etapa en Italia, Gullit dejó la Sampdoria para unirse al Chelsea inglés, ya en el tramo final de su carrera, donde se convirtió en jugador-entrenador y logró la FA Cup.
Su paso por Inglaterra llegó mucho después de aquel primer contacto con el fútbol británico, reafirmando la importancia de aquel rechazo inicial al Arsenal. “Era demasiado pronto para mí. Necesitaba estar preparado y crecer antes de afrontar un reto fuera de los Países Bajos”, sentenció el neerlandés en sus declaraciones.
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A government shutdown, big or small, is usually a front-and-center issue for lawmakers — but the most recent partial closure could be put on the back burner as Congress returns to several issues in Washington.
Senate Democrats and the White House are still at odds over funding the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), as the shutdown dragged into its tenth day. Neither side is budging, with the most recent concrete action coming early last week.
Trump, who proved pivotal in striking a funding truce with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., in January, was not directly involved in recent negotiations.
‘TARIFFS SUCK’: SOME REPUBLICANS PRIVATELY CELEBRATE AS SUPREME COURT BLOCKS TRUMP POLICY
President Donald Trump has not had any «direct conversations or correspondence» with congressional Democrats recently. (Evan Vucci/The Associated Press )
Trump has not had any «direct conversations or correspondence» with congressional Democrats recently, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said, noting that the White House and its representatives have been handling the dialogue.
«But, of course, Democrats are the reason that the Department of Homeland Security is currently shut down,» she said. «They have chosen to act against the American people for political reasons.»
Senate Democrats offered a counter to the White House’s own counterproposal, which quickly was rejected as «unserious» by Leavitt. It’s a peculiar instance, given that this is the third shutdown during Trump’s second term, and neither side appears to be in a particular rush to end it.
DEMOCRATS RISK FEMA DISASTER FUNDING COLLAPSE AS DHS SHUTDOWN HITS DAY 5
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and his caucus have not relented in their position as DHS enters its tenth day of being shut down. (Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., told Fox News Digital that there’s «some room for give and take» in the negotiations, but remained firm in the GOP’s positioning against requiring Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents from getting judicial warrants, unmasking or other reforms sought by Democrats that could increase risks for agents in the field.
«I felt like, you know, the last offer the White House put out there was a really — it was a good faith one, and it was clear to me that they’re attempting, in every way, to try and land this thing so we can get DHS funded,» Thune said.
Funding the agency will be a top priority for the upper chamber, but they’ll be delayed because of winter storms descending on the East Coast. The weather has caused the Senate to delay a vote on the original DHS spending bill until Tuesday night, ahead of Trump’s State of the Union address.
There are other issues that could get in the way of hashing out a deal, including a possible conflict with Iran and Trump’s desire to move ahead with tariffs without congressional approval.
GOP WARNS DEMOCRATS USING DHS SHUTDOWN TO STALL SENATE VOTER ID PUSH
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., warned that Senate Democrats were trying to tie up Republicans from hitting the campaign trail ahead of the pivotal 2026 midterm cycle. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Trump told reporters Friday that he was «considering» a limited military strike against Iran, which already has riled up some in Congress, who are demanding that lawmakers get a say on whether the U.S. strikes.
Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., said in a statement that he has a war powers resolution to block an attack on Iran filed and ready, and challenged his colleagues to vote against it.
«If some of my colleagues support war, then they should have the guts to vote for the war and to be held accountable by their constituents, rather than hiding under their desks,» Kaine said.
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On the heels of the Supreme Court’s ruling to torpedo his sweeping duties, Trump is considering bypassing Congress to move ahead with another set of global 10% tariffs.
That comes as some Republicans are quietly celebrating the end of the duties, and others are open to working with the administration on a path forward for trade policy.
On tariffs, a Republican aide told Fox News that the GOP was «waiting to see what POTUS does next.»
«The State of the Union should be interesting,» they said.
politics,senate,government shutdown,homeland security
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Following the reported killing of major cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera, known as El Mencho, multiple American tourists vacationing in Puerto Vallarta told Fox News Digital they unexpectedly found themselves in the middle of a violent cartel retaliation.
As airlines canceled flights and authorities issued shelter-in-place orders, stranded visitors reported cars set ablaze, suspected cartel members blocking major roads, and stores ransacked by looters — scenes some witnesses said made parts of the popular resort city feel like «a war breaking out in the streets.»
Witnesses said they were forced to evacuate their rooms, manage with limited hotel food, and even venture outside in search of meals while waiting for Mexican authorities to regain control of the city.
Staying at an Airbnb near a main road, Eugene Marchenko, 37, of Charleston, South Carolina, told Fox News Digital he woke up to blaring horns and saw six cars completely engulfed in flames just outside his balcony. He and his wife, who had arrived in Mexico only a day earlier, were forced to evacuate for several hours, fearing that a nearby fuel tanker, also ablaze, could explode.
MAJOR DRUG LORD ‘EL MENCHO’ KILLED IN MEXICAN MILITARY OPERATION WITH U.S. INTELLIGENCE SUPPORT
«I looked down and they’re completely engulfed in flames,» Marchenko said. «It was six cars in total that burned and one fuel tanker.»
He said he watched a neighbor’s video showing men he believed to be cartel members forcing people out of their vehicles, then pouring gasoline and setting the cars on fire.
«They told the people to leave,» Marchenko said. «Then they were taking the gas and pouring the gas on the vehicle and waiting until everybody was clear before they were setting it on fire.»
Later in the afternoon, Marchenko ventured out to find food and said he saw pharmacies and corner stores completely burned down, adding that younger crowds had broken into nearby buildings to loot beer and cigarettes.
CARTELS OUTGUN POLICE: ROCKET LAUNCHERS SEIZED IN EL MENCHO RAID SPOTLIGHT CJNG FIREPOWER
Vehicles appear to carry multiple armed forces in Puerto Vallarta. (Fox News Digital)
Videos obtained by Fox News Digital show a helicopter hovering above his building, circling as if searching for someone, while Mexican armed forces and armored vehicles moved through the streets below.
Public transportation and Ubers had come to a complete halt, Marchenko added, saying that even if flights resume, he is unsure how they would reach the airport.
Despite the chaos, Marchenko noted that no one appeared to panic.
«There’s definitely not any panic from almost nobody here,» he said. «I think it’s interesting, almost everybody was just annoyed more than anything.»
SOCCER MATCHES POSTPONED AFTER MEXICO KILLS CARTEL LEADER ‘EL MENCHO’ NEAR WORLD CUP HOST
A plume of smoke rises in Puerto Vallarta on Feb. 22, 2026. (Fox News Digital)
Adriana Belli, 49, another visitor from Miami, told Fox News Digital that she had planned to spend over a week in Mexico to attend a wedding in Guadalajara and celebrate a friend’s birthday in Mexico City.
Belli said the sudden outbreak of violence was especially shocking, noting that she had spoken with American tourists staying at her Marriott resort who insisted the area was extremely safe after visiting Puerto Vallarta for 24 years.
She added that guests who had gone to the airport were under lockdown and were managing with the limited food available.
«A lot of the other tourists who had early morning flights were actually able to get to the airport, but they are now locked down in the airport and unable to leave,» she said. «So what we heard from other guests is they are just sort of surviving off of granola bars.»
A fuel tanker was set ablaze near a gas station in Puerto Vallarta on Feb. 22, 2026. (Fox News Digital)
Another source staying at a separate resort told Fox News Digital that restaurants and room service had been shut down. Guests were brought to the lobby for what was described as «the last bit of food.»
He added that this was the first trip where he and his wife were away from their 4-year-old son, and that he had to call home to tell family members where to find their will.
«This is the first time we’ve ever been away from him. My wife was saying, ‘We’re never leaving him again,’» he said. «I had to call my mom today and, you know, just tell her, ‘Look, here’s where my will is. We just created this. I don’t want you to panic, but I may need you to stay a couple days extra with my son.’»
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He added that, despite the area appearing like a war zone, he is remaining optimistic that the authorities will restore order in the coming days.
Mexico’s Defense Department said Sunday that Oseguera was killed in a military operation. The news reportedly triggered widespread unrest and uncertainty across multiple states as Mexican authorities worked to stabilize the region.
location mexico,mexican cartel violence,world,latin america
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