WASHINGTON, D.C. — Far-left activists from the network funded by communist tech tycoon Neville Roy Singham can dish it out, but they can’t take it.

For years, CodePink activists, easily recognizable in hot pink T-shirts, have heckled lawmakers and officials in public settings with a tactic called «bird dogging,» cornering targets, peppering them with hostile questions, like «Why do you support baby killers?» and shaming them on social media with tactics that amount to humiliation rituals.

On Veterans Day, the agitators found themselves on the other side of the lens, and they didn’t like it.

For six hours on Wednesday, Digital followed members of CodePink, BreakThrough News, the People’s Forum, the Party for Socialism and Liberation and allied groups in the Singham network through the halls of Congress during a lobbying event organizers called the «Taxpayer Uprising.»

But when the cameras turned on them, they angrily refused to answer questions and covered the camera lens, one time with a Palestinian keffiyeh scarf and another time with a backpack designed with the pattern of a watermelon, a symbol adopted by the Palestinian movement. Then, they responded with smears and ad hominem attacks.

Finally, they published their footage of the confrontations, turning their objections to being filmed into content for their followers. One follower congratulated them on their success deploying «psychic militancy.»

LAWMAKERS THROW OUT ‘TROJAN HORSE’ ACTIVISTS THEY SAY ARE ENGAGED IN AMERICAN SUBVERSION

The day began just before 10 a.m. inside the Rayburn House Office Building, where activists in pink CodePink T-shirts and keffiyehs walked into a breakfast gathering of the U.S. House Bagel Caucus.

At 9:59 a.m., they surrounded Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., and pointed their cameras at him. Medea Benjamin, co-founder of CodePink, wore a shirt emblazoned with the message «NO WAR ON IRAN» and pressed him on Section 219 of the National Defense Authorization Act, which she called a «merging» of the U.S. and Israeli militaries.

«It is not a merging of the militaries,» Goldman said. «It is a collaboration on technology that we depend on Israel for, and they depend on us for, and it is for our own national security.»

He asked the activists whether they supported Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Hamas and Hezbollah.

«We’re not funding them. We’re funding Israel,» Benjamin replied.

When the liberal congressman called the situation in Gaza «absolutely horrific» and said he wished Hamas would allow in the aid Israel was trying to send, the group members groaned in unison. CodePink activist Tighe Barry, Benjamin’s husband, in a pink shirt and pink hat, yelled at him: «You’re a real congressman, and you just made that statement?»

«That was a horrific lie that you just said,» Barry shouted at him. «As a sitting congressman, I take deep offense at that.»

«Alright, here we are. We’re enjoying the Bagel Caucus here,» Goldman said before walking away. «Thank you for talking. Take care of yourself.»

HOW CODEPINK CO-FOUNDER MEDEA BENJAMIN’S FAMILY FOUNDATION BECAME A MAJOR FUNDER OF LEFT-WING ACTIVIST GROUPS

CodePink co-founder Medea Benjamin moved through the building wearing a backpack designed with the pattern of a keffiyeh, the checkered scarf that has become a symbol of the pro-Palestinian movement.

At 10:06 a.m., the group shuffled to the Rayburn cafeteria, where organizers had set up tables numbered by lobbying group. Pink signs reading «TAXPAYER UPRISING» and «WAR IS NOT GREEN» sat on the tables.

Confrontations began within minutes. «No, no. Hey, out of here,» a CodePink volunteer told the reporter at about 10:09 a.m.

Asked for an interview, Barry turned to his fellow activists and balked, saying, «Why would I?»

AS SINGHAM FACES FEDERAL PROBE, WIFE MARCHES IN ANTI-ISRAEL PROTEST LED BY GROUPS HE FUNDED

A woman at the check-in table asked the reporter to «move your camera away.» Another activist used a keffiyeh to block the camera’s view, and a Muslim woman in a headscarf put her hand over the lens.

At about 10:12 a.m., an activist hoisted a pink backpack printed with watermelons in front of the Digital camera.

A young man in a keffiyeh, with a name tag that read «Finn,» then planted himself in front of the camera and moved with it as it tried to pan around him.

«Is this what you do in your free time, is like, wander around?» he taunted.

Melissa Garriga, CodePink’s media contact, refused to answer any questions, priding herself to the team on refusing to answer emailed requests for comment from Digital.

Asked a question by the reporter standing right in front of her, she cupped her hand behind her ear and said, «I’m sorry, I can’t hear you. Can you speak up?»

Asked again, she responded, «I still can’t hear you. You’re gonna have to talk a little louder. Sorry.»

Then, again: «Can you please speak up?»

Asked about Singham’s funding of CodePink, Garriga waved her hand across the lens. «I don’t have to respond to you,» she said.

At 10:14 a.m., Garriga put her hand fully over the camera: «Just buzz off,» she said.

The activist with the «Finn» name tag returned and held a gray jacket over the lens, then a canvas tote bag, then a keffiyeh, one after another.

Minutes later, a red-haired woman in a keffiyeh waved her hands in front of the camera.

Shortly after 10:20 a.m., CodePink co-founders Jodie Evans and Benjamin took charge of the room. Evans married Singham in 2017 when he sold his company, Thoughtworks, for an estimated $785 million. He used some of those proceeds to pump $285 million into a network of nonprofits that have been pro-China and pro-communist. Several of their leaders hit the halls of Congress on Wednesday.

«Alright, everybody, we want to start our program,» Evans said at 10:22 a.m.

Benjamin urged them to confront lawmakers wherever they found them.

«Remember, they work for us. They’re not better than us. They are public servants,» she said. «And so, if you see them, try to engage them.»

She told the activists how to spot members of Congress in the hallways: They wear lapel pins and aren’t holding anything, because staff carry documents, binders and other items for them, she said.

«The worst it could be is they say, ‘I’m not a congressperson,’» she said.

Singham has denied acting at the direction of the Chinese government. Asked if her husband would do an interview, Evans, the only member of the entourage to respond professionally to questions, smiled and said, «No, he’s shy.»

Fresh from a propaganda tour to China, the Singham network activists pressed lawmakers to slash the military budget, pull out U.S. troops and end U.S. military ties with Israel — demands that align with China’s foreign policy agenda.

Rania Khalek, a co-host of «BT Live» at BreakThrough News, slipped into the cafeteria.

When Digital asked Khalek about BreakThrough’s funding from Singham, she responded, «Oh dear. I’m not speaking to you.»

A man in a pink shirt stepped backward to plant himself in front of the camera. Khalek raised her phone, filmed the reporter and asked, «Are you harassing us?» She then answered her own question: «Yes.»

Asked whether she was with the Party for Socialism and Liberation, a woman standing with Khalek smiled and replied, «Am I?» She has led Party for Socialism and Liberation protests at the White House and is a member of the Party for Socialism and Liberation.

At 10:26 a.m., two activists stepped in front of the camera at once and another pushed a cafeteria chair into the reporter’s path.

At 10:33 a.m., Khalek walked behind Benjamin and Evans with the activist from the Party for Socialism and Liberation to hit offices.

By 10:35 a.m., the activists had moved to the second floor of the Rayburn building, where U.S. Capitol Police officers stood outside Room 2267, the office of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y. A yellow sign taped inside the office door read, «OFFICE CLEARED.»

The activists only met with a staffer.

At 11:11 a.m., Benjamin did a stand-up video in front of Jeffries’ door, casting the image of a dramatic confrontation between activists who «packed» the small office foyer and Jeffries.

At 11:20 a.m., Khalek exploded.

Near the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, «The fact that you pretend to care about free speech right now while literal journalists in Gaza are being, like, executed, sniped in the head by the IDF with U.S. weapons, is a freaking joke. Okay? Nobody cares what you think.»

Holding up her phone, she added, «I’m literally doing journalism right now. See?»

Asked whether it was acceptable for Singham network activists to disrupt congressional hearings, Khalek answered with a question of her own: «Is it okay to fund genocide?» Then she walked away. At 11:22 a.m., she lashed out, calling the reporter a «genocide apologist.»

Another activist stepped in front of the camera and took over. «Shame on you. You’re completely shameless,» she said. «You are a disgrace to this profession!»

The Party for Socialism and Liberation activist filmed the exchange with Khalek.

BreakThrough News later posted the confrontation on Instagram and X, quoting Khalek, who lives in Lebanon, saying: «Stop justifying bombing my country!»

One follower praised the outburst as «psychic militancy.»

Her outburst over, Khalek proceeded to go chase lawmakers.

At 11:25 a.m., a woman in a pink CodePink shirt draped a keffiyeh over the camera lens, then followed the reporter and raised it onto the lens again.

Olivia DiNucci, CodePink’s D.C. coordinator, wore an olive jacket that read «STOP ARMING ISRAEL.» DiNucci has heckled Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Palantir CEO Alex Karp and scores of others, and has written first-person accounts of her own arrests and disruptions inside Congress. On Wednesday, she threw her hand in front of the camera.

«We just don’t wanna talk to you, because you’re complicit in genocide,» she yelled. «Is that really hard for you to understand?» She continued: «We’re not interested in talking to people who support murdering babies.»

At 11:34 a.m., Benjamin, Khalek and the Party for Socialism and Liberation activist intercepted a congressman walking past the Rayburn House Office Building sign, pressing him on the activists’ demands.

«That’s propaganda,» he responded.

By lobbying day’s end, at 3:28 p.m., on the steps of the U.S. Capitol, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., spoke to Digital, as the activists stood with their signs, cordoned away behind police barricades. Their signs read «WELCOME TO DC / LET’S END WAR» and «HEALTHCARE NOT WARFARE.»

«Some people like yelling and screaming and making a lot of noise,» Scalise said. «They sure do want attention focused on them so people can see how radical they are. And some of these people are just against the foundations of what made this nation great.»

«We’re here at a Veterans Day ceremony of all things and they want to protest,» he said. «Anybody who would protest Veterans Day, you know, they need to really check themselves. Maybe there’s another country that they like better than America, they’re free to go there. We love this country.»

Scalise added, «Ask Europe who liberated it. It was the United States with our allies that stopped the Nazis, stopped fascism, and we’ve always been the ones, America, standing up to the bad guys.»

«You just follow the money when you see who funds some of these groups that hate America,» he said. «It tells you everything you need to know.»

The money behind the groups involved in the lobbying day is substantial.

According to IRS filings, Singham has given $1.098 million to BreakThrough’s BT Media Inc., $1.33 million to CodePink and $22.44 million to The People’s Forum.

CodePink lists 56 organizations taking part in the Taxpayer Uprising with an estimated $40 million in annual revenues, according to Digital’s investigation. The coalition includes the Council on American-Islamic Relations, American Muslims for Palestine, the Democratic Socialists of America’s International Committee and the Communist Party USA, which says on its website that it «is guided by Marxism-Leninism.» Other participants describe themselves in socialist terms, including Friends of Socialist China, which calls itself «a platform based on supporting the People’s Republic of China and promoting understanding of Chinese socialism,» and Qiao Collective, which says it is «committed to the principles of socialist internationalism.»

They’re not grassroots groups. They have big revenue totals: CAIR Foundation at $9.4 million, the People’s Forum at $7.1 million, the Institute for Policy Studies at $5.7 million, Nonviolence International at $3.7 million, Global Exchange at $3 million, American Muslims for Palestine’s AJP Educational Foundation at $2.1 million, CodePink at $1.8 million and BreakThrough at $1.5 million.

Digital couldn’t identify any group registered under the Foreign Agents Registration Act, according to the Justice Department’s FARA database. Last year, Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., wrote a letter raising concerns about CodePink’s pro-China lobbying. Rubio has pressed the Justice Department about Chinese Communist Party information warfare through these nonprofits. House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith, R-Mo., has sent subpoenas to the People’s Forum, BreakThrough News and a related Tricontinental thinktank as allegedly aligned with the Chinese Communist Party propaganda operation.

Overnight, CodePink posted the video where she spoke to her team’s camera in front of Jeffries’ office, with the caption, telling the world: «We just packed the office of Hakeem Jeffries.»

politics, capitol protests, us protests, socialism, anti semitism

Billy Idol , Oasis , Wu-Tang Clan , Phil Collins, Sade , Queen Latifah , Iron Maiden , Joy Division/New Order y el fallecido Luther Vandross serán incorporados al Salón de la Fama del Rock & Roll este sábado por la noche. Pero la lista de quienes se presentarán y actuarán se va acortando día a día y se ve cada vez más escasa, y es difícil saber cómo será la ceremonia con tantos artistas que no interpretarán los repertorios que definen el espectáculo.

El representante de Sade declaró que ella no asistirá, un día después de que los fans supieran que Oasis tampoco se presentaría. Iron Maiden y miembros clave de New Order ya habían anunciado su ausencia. Phil Collins probablemente aparecerá, pero no tocará. Es posible que el Salón de la Fama del Rock & Roll haga algunos anuncios de último momento sobre quiénes serán los encargados de incorporar a los nuevos miembros y quiénes podrían interpretar sus canciones en su lugar, aunque a los organizadores les gusta mantener gran parte del espectáculo en secreto. Por segundo año consecutivo, la ceremonia, que se celebra alternativamente en Cleveland, Nueva York y Los Ángeles, tendrá lugar en el Peacock Theater del centro de Los Ángeles. Tras dos años de transmisión en directo, el Salón de la Fama del Rock vuelve a su formato anterior, en que el público no podrá verla hasta que se emita una versión editada en ABC y Disney+ en diciembre.

La lista de homenajeados de 2026 también incluye a MC Lyte, Celia Cruz , Fela Kuti y Gram Parsons, junto con los productores musicales Rick Rubin, Linda Creed, Arif Mardin y Jimmy Miller, y el presentador de programas de variedades Ed Sullivan.

Artistas que ingresan

Ocho de los homenajeados de este año ingresaron por la entrada principal, en la categoría de intérpretes. Un comité de nominaciones los sometió a votación de más de 1200 personas, entre las que se incluyen figuras de la industria musical e historiadores. Los artistas pueden optar a ingresar al Salón de la Fama 25 años después del lanzamiento de su primer disco, pero el proceso de nominación puede ser mucho más largo.

Phil Collins

El cantante, compositor y baterista inglés de 75 años ya forma parte del Salón de la Fama como miembro de Genesis y ahora vuelve a ingresar por una carrera en solitario que le brindó algunos de los mayores éxitos de la década de 1980.

El ganador de ocho premios Grammy entró en la competición con su primera nominación en solitario y había sido elegible desde 2006.

¿Actuará? No. Collins ha declarado que los problemas de salud que lo han mantenido alejado de los escenarios desde 2022 le impedirán actuar el sábado. Sin embargo, es probable que aparezca para aceptar el reconocimiento.

Canciones clave: “In the Air Tonight”, “Against All Odds”, “One More Night”, “You’ll Be in My Heart”.

Sade

Primero, un dato curioso que incluso los fans más acérrimos podrían desconocer: Sade es el nombre del grupo. En serio. También es el nombre de pila de su vocalista, Sade Adu, nacida en Nigeria y criada en Inglaterra, lo que lleva a muchos a pensar que es solista. Pero será incluida en el Salón de la Fama junto con los miembros de su banda, quienes cautivaron al público con su mezcla de jazz, R&B suave y sensual y pop sofisticado cuando se lanzaron en Gran Bretaña a mediados de la década de 1980.

¿Actuarán? No. Muchos fans esperaban que subieran juntos al escenario por primera vez desde 2011, pero el representante de Adu dice que ella no asistirá a la ceremonia.

Canciones clave: “Smooth Operator”, “No Ordinary Love”, “Like a Tattoo”, “Kiss of Life”

Billy Idol

El cantante de rock inglés de 70 años, con un estilo que recuerda al punk, también era elegible para el Salón de la Fama desde 2006, y los votantes lo incluyeron después de su segunda nominación.

¿Actuará? Sí. Idol, que estuvo de gira por Estados Unidos este verano y tuvo una residencia en Las Vegas, planea tocar y dice que lo dará todo cuando lo haga.

Canciones clave: “Dancing With Myself”, “White Wedding”, “Rebel Yell”, “Eyes Without a Face”.

Wu-Tang Clan

La épica coalición de hip-hop de Staten Island, integrada por RZA , GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Masta Killa y, anteriormente, el fallecido Ol’ Dirty Bastard, ingresó al Salón de la Fama con su primera nominación. Eran elegibles desde 2017. Han sido innovadores del hip-hop desde su álbum debut de 1993, “Enter the Wu-Tang”.

¿Actuarán? Quizás. El año pasado hicieron una gira juntos que se anunció como gira de despedida.

Canciones clave: “CREAM”, “Protect Ya Neck”, “Wu-Tang Clan Ain’t Nuthing Ta F’ Wit”, “Gravel Pit”.

Oasis

Los hermanos Noel y Liam Gallagher, figuras del Britpop conocidas por su rivalidad, ingresan al Salón de la Fama con su segunda nominación. Cumplían los requisitos desde 2019. A sus 54 años, Liam Gallagher es el miembro más joven de la generación de 2026. Ingresan al Salón un año después de una gira de reencuentro que los reunió por primera vez en 16 años, y han anunciado que repetirán la experiencia el próximo año.

¿Actuarán? No. Noel Gallagher ha anunciado un concierto en solitario en un festival de jazz de Londres el sábado. Y según informa Rolling Stone, su hermano menor, que se ha burlado de la idea de asistir a la sala desde que cumplió los requisitos para hacerlo, tampoco estará presente.

Canciones clave: “Wonderwall”, “Live Forever”, “Don’t Look Back in Anger”, “Champagne Supernova”.

Joy Division y New Order

Las dos bandas de rock británicas recibirán una inusual nominación conjunta que tiene sentido dadas sus integrantes y circunstancias. Joy Division fue una banda post-punk oscura e influyente formada en 1976. Cuando su carismático vocalista, Ian Curtis, falleció en 1980, los miembros restantes formaron New Order, que se orientó hacia la música electrónica y de baile.

¿Actuarán? Quizás de alguna forma. Gillian Gilbert y Stephen Morris, miembros clave de New Order y esposos, declararon a Vulture en septiembre que ninguno de los dos viajará porque Gilbert está recibiendo tratamiento contra el cáncer. El bajista de ambas bandas, Peter Hook, lleva años distanciado de sus compañeros y desde hace tiempo interpreta las canciones de ambos grupos con su propia banda, Peter Hook and the Light. Su representante declinó confirmar si asistirá. Joy Division era elegible desde 2003 y entró con su tercera nominación.

Canciones clave: “Love Will Tear Us Apart”, “Disorder”, “Blue Monday”, “Bizarre Love Triangle”.

Iron Maiden

La arrolladora banda de rock que lideró la nueva ola del heavy metal británico a partir de finales de la década de 1970 fue incluida en el Salón de la Fama, un reconocimiento que muchos consideraban merecido desde hacía mucho tiempo.

¿Actuarán? No. Iron Maiden sigue en plena forma y con mucho éxito, tanto que están de gira por Australia y no aparecerán ni para aceptar el premio ni para tocar. Los votantes los eligieron en su tercera nominación. Habían sido elegibles desde 2005.

Canciones clave: “The Trooper”, “Fear of the Dark”, “Run to the Hills”, “Aces High”.

Lutero Vandross

Las canciones de amor de Luther Vandross, interpretadas con una voz aterciopelada, lo convirtieron en uno de los cantantes de R&B más representativos de su época. La carrera en solitario de Vandross, nacido en Nueva Jersey, comenzó a principios de la década de 1980, y llegó a ganar ocho premios Grammy y a conseguir 11 álbumes de platino consecutivos.

También fue compositor, productor y uno de los grandes colaboradores de la música pop, con artistas como los miembros del Salón de la Fama del Rock David Bowie y Aretha Franklin. Vandross tenía 54 años cuando falleció en 2005. Era elegible desde el año posterior a su muerte, pero no recibió la nominación hasta este año, y fue elegido en la primera votación.

Canciones clave: “Never Too Much”, “Dance With My Father”, “I’d Rather”, “Here and Now”.

Influenciadores tempranos

Algunos homenajeados ingresan al Salón de la Fama por un camino secundario, recibiendo premios otorgados por comités. Sin embargo, siguen siendo considerados miembros de pleno derecho. Rubin y los otros tres productores homenajeados reciben el Premio a la Excelencia Musical. Sullivan recibirá el Premio Ahmet Ertegun para no músicos.

Y los siguientes cinco artistas ingresan al recibir el Premio a la Influencia Temprana.

Queen Latifah

Queen Latifah, nacida en Nueva Jersey y de 56 años, alcanzó un éxito sin precedentes para una rapera, convirtiéndose en una estrella a los 19 años con el lanzamiento de su álbum de 1989 “All Hail the Queen” y el sencillo “Ladies First”. Posteriormente, se hizo más conocida por su actuación en cine y televisión, incluyendo un papel en “Chicago” que le valió una nominación al Oscar.

¿Actuará? Probablemente. Aún no es oficial, pero todo apunta a que sí.

Canciones clave: “UNITY”, “Ladies First”, “When You’re Good to Mama”.

MC Lyte

Aproximadamente dos años antes que Latifah, en el cercano Brooklyn, MC Lyte abrió camino por su cuenta, convirtiéndose en la primera rapera en lanzar un álbum completo en solitario, “Lyte as a Rock”. Sus rimas contundentes aportaron una conciencia política que estaba creciendo en el hip-hop en aquel momento.

¿Actuará? Casi con toda seguridad. La artista de 56 años ha estado realizando una gira de conciertos titulada “Camino al Salón de la Fama” como antesala de la ceremonia.

Canciones clave: “Keep on Keepin’ On”, “Cold Rock a Party”, “Ruffneck”.

Celia Cruz

La reina de la salsa, innovadora y difusora de los sonidos afrocubanos, y una de las artistas latinas más populares del siglo XX, la cantante La Habana Céline se convierte en la primera integrante del Salón de la Fama que cantó principalmente en español. Tenía 77 años cuando falleció en 2003.

Canciones clave: “Vasos Vacíos”, “La Vida Es Un Carnaval”, “El Último Adiós”.

Fela Kútì

El saxofonista, director de orquesta, pionero y activista nigeriano, que falleció en 1997 a los 58 años, se convierte en el primer artista nacido en África en ingresar al Salón de la Fama el mismo año en que se convirtió en el primer artista africano en recibir el Premio Grammy a la Trayectoria Artística. Nació en 1938 en la Nigeria colonial. Su carrera musical, que abarcó desde finales de la década de 1950 hasta la de 1990, es una mezcla característica de metales enérgicos, jazz y funk con ritmos yoruba.

Canciones clave: “Water No Get Enemy”, “Zombie”, “Let’s Start”.

Gram Parsons

Considerado posiblemente la figura más importante en el giro del rock hacia la música country a finales de la década de 1960 y principios de la de 1970, Parsons se unió a los Byrds para su tema country “Sweetheart of the Rodeo”, fue miembro fundador de los Flying Burrito Brothers y grabó un par de discos en solitario en los que hizo duetos con una cantante de folk que descubrió llamada Emmylou Harris, impulsando así su legendaria carrera en la música country. Tenía 26 años cuando falleció en 1973.

Canciones clave: “Hickory Wind”, “Love Hurts”, “Return of the Grievous Angel”.

Fuente: AP

Arts,Culture,Entertainment,Arts / Culture / Entertainment,North America

Outgoing Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, a Republican, acknowledged Thursday that the Lone Star State «turned purple» after Democrats’ so-called blue wave swept statewide races and flipped the governor’s office, a U.S. Senate seat and Texas House.

During his latest episode of the «Lt. Dan Podcast,» Patrick acknowledged that Texas’ political makeup is shifting left but stopped short of saying the state had turned blue after many others had described it as now a blue state.

«Right now, I’d say it’s purple,» he said. «We’ve been winning consistently, and people see it as a red state. But this time, the Democrats turned out more of their Democrat voters than Republicans turned out of their voters. But what really made the difference were the independent voters, the voters who don’t vote in Republican or Democrat primaries. They only vote in general elections.

«For almost every election, we’ve been winning those voters. We didn’t win them now. Will they stay voting for Democrats in the future? Two years ago, they almost all voted for the president. Four years ago, almost all voted for [Gov.] Greg Abbott, myself and the other Republicans. So, I wouldn’t say we are a blue state, but we’ve turned purple for this moment.

TED CRUZ SAYS ‘BLUE TSUNAMI’ TOOK OVER TEXAS AFTER DEMOCRATS SWEPT STATEWIDE RACES

«The wave election, a lot of factors involved from the top down, from Washington down to Texas and all the other states where Republicans lost,» Patrick added.

«I would say it’s a group of voters who are willing to change their vote election to election depending on how they feel and how they feel about who’s in charge. So, we’re not a blue state, but we’re going to have to work too hard to be sure in ’28 and ’30 and ’32 we don’t become one.»

Patrick, who ran for re-election but lost his race to Democrat Vikki Goodwin, was among the Republicans hit by Democrats’ blue wave. Abbott, who was vying for a fourth term, lost in his re-election bid to Democrat Gina Hinojosa, and Texas Attorney General and U.S. Senate candidate Ken Paxton was defeated by Democrat James Talarico as part of huge Dem gains in the state and across the country, including in other traditional GOP strongholds.

Democrats won every statewide race in Texas, bringing an end to decades of Republican control in contests that had once been considered sure bets for the GOP and leaving Sen. Ted Cruz as the only Republican holding statewide elected office.

TRUMP’S GAMBLE ON KEN PAXTON BACKFIRES AS DEMOCRAT PULLS OFF HISTORIC TEXAS SENATE UPSET

Patrick said Republicans lost voters in places and demographics they had gained in 2024, including the Rio Grande Valley and young voters. He joined President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and other Republican leaders in attributing the party’s disastrous showing last week primarily to voters’ frustrations over affordability and the Iran war, which has caused soaring fuel prices.

Gas prices are about 83 cents per gallon higher than a year ago, according to AAA, which listed the national average at $3.91 per gallon on Thursday, compared with $3.08 a year earlier.

«We were in a tidal wave, a tsunami that washed across the country where people just said, ‘I can’t afford to feed my family. I can’t afford to pay my bills. I can’t even afford to fill up my car or truck,’» Patrick said. 

«It was almost to the point where, no matter what our message was, it didn’t matter. People were unhappy, and I get it.»

«People can agree with you on cultural issues or policy issues, but it doesn’t mean they’re gonna vote for you if they can’t afford groceries,» he added.

Patrick further acknowledged that the war in the Middle East has increased the cost of fuel but refused to denounce Trump’s decision to attack Iran.

«I totally support the president on that. If they had intelligence that Iran was gonna get a nuclear weapon, we could be in the middle of World War III if he didn’t take action, or Israel could have already been blown off the map,» Patrick said. 

«So, I support what the president did, but the reality is that had an impact.»

texas, politics, midterm elections, greg abbott, war with iran, donald trump