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DNC chair predicts wins in key governor races as Trump agenda faces first test

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EXCLUSIVE: PHILADELPHIA, PA – Democratic National Committee (DNC) chair Ken Martin is confident his party’s investment in 2025’s most consequential elections will pay off.
«I do expect that we’ll win those elections in New Jersey and Virginia,» Martin said in an exclusive national interview with Fox News Digital, pointing to the only two states holding gubernatorial contests this year. «We feel pretty bullish about our chances.»
Democrats are looking to rebound from last year’s setbacks – when the party lost control of the White House and Senate and failed to win back the House majority – with strong showings in next week’s races.
The New Jersey and Virginia contests are viewed as early tests of President Donald Trump’s agenda and as a barometer for next year’s midterm elections, when Democrats hope to win back control of Congress.
FIVE KEY RACES TO WATCH IN NEXT WEEK’S ELECTIONS
Democratic National Committee chair Ken Martin addresses party members at the DNC’s summer meeting, on Aug. 25, 2025, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Paul Steinhauser – Fox News )
The DNC has dished out over $7 million – a party record – for get-out-the-vote and organizing efforts this summer and autumn in New Jersey, Virginia, and Pennsylvania, where Democrats are fighting to retain three state supreme court seats.
«I’ve always taken the position that every election matters, whether it’s an on year off year, whether it’s a local election, a federal election, every inch of ground that we gain here adds up,» Martin emphasized.
Martin said that since Trump returned to the White House in January, «there’s been 45 elections on the ballot. Democrats have overperformed in all of them to the tune of about 16 percentage points on average.» While confident, he added that «we’re not taking anything for granted.»
DEMOCRATIC AND REPUBLICAN NOMINEES IN CRUCIAL GOVERNOR’S RACE TOUT SURGE IN EARLY VOTING NUMBERS
Asked what a ballot box setback would mean for Democrats, Martin said his focus is on «turning out every single vote we can over these next several days left to make sure we do win.»
He reiterated, «I do expect that we’ll win those elections in New Jersey and Virginia. We have terrific candidates who are running great campaigns.»
Martin spoke during a two-day campaign swing through Pennsylvania, ahead of return stops to boost voter turnout in New Jersey and Virginia.

Rep. Mikie Sherrill, the Democratic nominee for governor in New Jersey, greets voters at a senior center in Elizabeth, N.J., on Oct. 29, 2025 (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)
In blue-leaning New Jersey, polls show a tight race between Democratic nominee Rep. Mikie Sherrill and GOP rival Jack Ciattarelli, who is vying in the race to succeed term-limited Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy.
Asked why Republicans feel bullish about their chances to capture the Garden State’s governor’s office, Martin told Politico in a recent interview that «New Jersey is the best place, probably, for Donald Trump to actually stop the Democratic momentum — or at least minimize the Democratic momentum that we’ve seen throughout this year.»
Presented with his comments, Martin said that «we expect this race to be close, and it certainly seems like it will be close.»
And he noted that «history is not on our side in the sense that we’ve never elected, at least in 50 years, a Democrat to a third term in the governorship» in New Jersey.
HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS REPORTING AND ANALYSIS ON THE 2025 ELECTIONS
Still, he argued that Sherrill «is running a really strong campaign on a message that’s resonating with New Jerseyans.»
In Virginia, recent controversy in the state’s attorney general race has complicated Democrats’ efforts to hold the governor’s mansion, forcing nominee, former Rep. Abigail Spanberger, to defend against GOP attacks. Polls had shown Spanberger with a solid lead over Republican rival Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears.

Jay Jones addresses supporters after winning the Democratic nomination for Virginia Attorney General as wife Mavis Jones looks on in Norfolk, Virginia, on June 17, 2025. (Trevor Metcalfe/The Virginian-Pilot/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
The controversy centers on Democratic attorney general nominee Jay Jones, who apologized for texts sent in 2022 comparing then-House Speaker Todd Gilbert to mass murderers Adolf Hitler and Pol Pot, saying that if given two bullets, «he would use both» on the Republican lawmaker.
Republicans have demanded Jones withdraw from the race.
«Let me be very clear, I immediately condemned those vile and indefensible comments and text messages that he made and called on him to apologize,» Martin said. «He needed to apologize to Virginians, which he did.»
Asked by Fox News Digital if he should have called for Jones to step aside, Martin said, «That’s not up to me to decide. That’s up to Virginians to decide whether or not his comments were disqualifying, and they’ll make their decision in a few days.»
Martin also called Pennsylvania’s state supreme court retention elections in Pennsylvania «critical for our party, because what we’ve seen over many years now is attempts by billionaire donors and special interests to buy Supreme Court seats throughout the country, and it’s an attempt actually to thwart our democracy.»
«The reality is, is for us, this is a critical election for the National Democratic Party, because if they win here, if these billionaire donors are able to win these three Supreme Court races, they will certainly take this on the road and try to do this everywhere else in the country,» Martin warned.
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The Republican National Committee (RNC), asked to respond to Martin’s remarks, pointed to its fundraising edge.
«Ken Martin has turned the DNC into a debt-ridden circus run by radicals — and we sincerely hope he keeps up the great work, RNC national press secretary Kiersten Pels argued in a statement to Fox News Digital. «Regardless of what happens next Tuesday, it won’t be because of anything Ken Martin did. The DNC is broke, desperate, and wasting its last dollars trying to save face in blue states, and even then, Democrats are struggling to hold on.»
elections,virginia governor race,2025 2026 elections coverage,new jersey,pennsylvania,democratic party,campaigning,donald trump
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Cientos de tractores bloquearon Madrid en rechazo al acuerdo comercial de la Unión Europea con el Mercosur

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Trump threatens ‘consequences’ after 6 House Republicans voted to reverse his Canada tariffs

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President Donald Trump is threatening to back election challengers against the six House Republicans who joined Democrats in voting to reverse his tariffs on Canada.
The president sent out an ominous warning to GOP lawmakers in the House and Senate just before his agenda suffered a blow on Capitol Hill Wednesday evening.
«Any Republican, in the House or the Senate, that votes against TARIFFS will seriously suffer the consequences come Election time, and that includes Primaries!» Trump posted on Truth Social.
He argued that the trade deficit was reduced significantly while U.S. financial markets hit significant high points because of his tariff policies.
TRUMP’S TARIFFS COULD BE UNDONE BY ONE CONSERVATIVE DOCTRINE: ‘LIFE OR DEATH’
President Donald Trump speaks to reporters and members of the media at Mar-a-Lago Feb. 1, 2026, in Palm Beach, Fla. (Al Drago/Getty Images)
«In addition, TARIFFS have given us Great National Security because the mere mention of the word has Countries agreeing to our strongest wishes,» Trump continued.
«TARIFFS have given us Economic and National Security, and no Republican should be responsible for destroying this privilege.»
Democrats successfully got a vote on a measure to reverse Trump’s national emergency at the northern border using a mechanism for forcing votes over the objections of House majority leadership called a privileged resolution.
TRUMP’S SIGNATURE TARIFFS HANG ON KEY QUESTION ABOUT CONGRESS’ POWER BEFORE SUPREME COURT
The six Republicans who voted in favor of the measure were Reps. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash.; Kevin Kiley, R-Calif.; Don Bacon, R-Neb.; Jeff Hurd, R-Colo.; and Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa.
One Democrat, Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, voted with the majority of Republicans on the matter. It passed 219-211.

Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, attends a news conference in the Capitol Visitor Center in Washington July 17, 2025. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
It’s not clear how much impact Trump’s threat will have, however.
Neither Newhouse nor Bacon is running for re-election in the 2026 midterms, and Trump is already endorsing a primary challenger against Massie.
Kiley, whose district was heavily altered by California Democrats’ new congressional map, has not yet said whether he will run for re-election or where he will do it.
He told Fox News Digital when asked for a response to Trump, «This was a resolution regarding the emergency declared by the president over fentanyl from Canada. Congress has an obligation under the National Emergencies Act to evaluate every six months if the emergency still exists. Canada has now significantly cracked down on fentanyl, so there’s no basis to extend the emergency another six months.»
Fitzpatrick and Hurd are both well-liked incumbents in their districts, which are top targets for Democrats come November.
Hurd told Fox News Digital his constituents were «directly affected by these policies.»
«Today’s vote is grounded first and foremost in the Constitution. Article I gives Congress the authority to regulate commerce with foreign nations and to levy tariffs. Over time, Congress has delegated limited authority to the executive branch, particularly in matters involving national emergencies. But those delegations were never intended to serve as a permanent vehicle for sweeping, long-term trade policy,» he added.
«If we normalize broad emergency trade powers today, we should expect that a future president — of either party — will rely on the same authority in ways many of us would strongly oppose. Institutional consistency matters. The Constitution does not shift depending on who occupies the White House. My responsibility is to defend the separation of powers regardless of political convenience.»
Trump signed an executive order in February 2025, enacting an additional 25% tariff on most goods from Canada and Mexico. Energy from Canada was subject to an additional 15% tariff.

Prime Minister Mark Carney delivers remarks in Quebec City, Quebec, Jan. 22, 2026, after his participation at the World Economic Forum in Davos. (Renaud Philippe/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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At the time, the White House said it was punishment for those countries’ unwillingness to do more to stop the flow of illegal immigrants and illicit drugs into the U.S.
Opponents of Trump’s tariff strategy have criticized his moves against Canada in particular, arguing it was unjustly harming one of the closest allies and trading partners of the U.S. to the detriment of Americans.
But Republicans who voted against the legislation pointed out that Trump said the fentanyl crisis was the reason for issuing the emergency in the first place, adding the drug was still killing Americans.
The legislation now heads to the Senate, where Republicans have voted to rebuke Trump’s tariff strategy in the past despite similar warnings from the president.
house of representatives politics,politics,donald trump
INTERNACIONAL
El avance de China en Guatemala

Además de Huawei, se informa que la República Popular China ha aprovechado la presencia de su observador en el Parlamento Centroamericano (PARLACEN), con sede en Ciudad de Guatemala, para facilitar las visitas regulares de su embajador en Costa Rica a Guatemala y así interactuar con políticos, funcionarios locales y empresarios costarricenses, incluyendo viajes pagados a China. Según informes, dicho viaje en 2025 incluyó a Luis Aguirre de CABAL, Cristian Álvarez y José Pablo Mendoza de Creo, Luis Rodríguez de VAMOS y Cornelio García de TODOS, entre otros. Según quienes monitorean estos asuntos en Guatemala, se está considerando otro viaje similar para el primer semestre de 2026.
Además de los viajes a la República Popular China, los agentes del país también han llevado a congresistas guatemaltecos al Parlamento de América Latina y el Caribe (PARLATINO), con influencia de la República Popular China, entre ellos Andrea Villagrán de Semilla y Duay Martínez de Vamos. La República Popular de China también ha recurrido a grupos de presión para forjar relaciones con funcionarios guatemaltecos, como Lina Chen, quien se reunió en septiembre de 2025 con el presidente de la Asamblea Legislativa guatemalteca, Neri Ramos, entre otros.
Además del PARLACEN, se informa que la República Popular de China también está intentando, con menos éxito, obtener representación en el Sistema de la Integración Centroamericana (SICA) y el Banco de Integración Centroamericana (BCIE).
En el ámbito comercial, la importación de productos chinos se ha convertido en un negocio lucrativo para importadores guatemaltecos como Cofiño Stahl, Grupo de los Tres, Grupo Q y Siekavizza en los sectores automotriz y de motocicletas. Grandes puntos de venta de productos chinos, como China Mall, China City y China Depot, se han expandido significativamente en el país, perjudicando a las tiendas minoristas y productores locales. El empresario guatemalteco Luis Pedro Barnoya, importador de productos chinos de nivel medio y organizador de viajes de negocios a la República Popular de China, ha establecido un pequeño consejo para promover dichas actividades. Las actividades semiencubiertas de facilitación comercial de la República Popular China en la Ciudad de Guatemala son objeto de chismes públicos, incluyendo su organización de promoción comercial, CCPIT, que durante un tiempo celebró reuniones en el hotel Barceló, y su uso del restaurante Tamarindo en la Quinta Avenida para organizar reuniones con ejecutivos visitantes de la República Popular China.
En el sector de las telecomunicaciones, además de las iniciativas ya mencionadas de Huawei, los dispositivos de la compañía, así como los de ZTE, se ofrecen a través de los dos principales proveedores de telecomunicaciones, Claro y Tigo. Las empresas chinas Xiaomi y Honor también tienen presencia en el país.
La empresa Hytera, con sede en Shenzhen, condenada por robo de propiedad intelectual de Motorola, habría suministrado radios digitales a las fuerzas de seguridad guatemaltecas.
En el sector de la seguridad, una importante compra de 1000 vehículos Isuzu de fabricación china para la policía guatemalteca, bajo la dirección del primer ministro del Interior del presidente Arévalo, Francisco Jiménez, fue cancelada debido a preocupaciones sobre corrupción. Se informa que operadores portuarios privados del país, como APM y Chiquita Brands, utilizan grúas, escáneres y otros equipos digitales de la marca ZPMC china. Hikvision, empresa china de equipos de vigilancia, desempeña un papel importante en el mercado guatemalteco de seguridad comercial y personal. Durante administraciones anteriores, empresas chinas intentaron, sin éxito, adquirir terrenos tanto en el Atlántico como en el Pacífico para construir instalaciones portuarias.

En el ámbito delictivo, empresarios chinos también han estado involucrados en lavado de dinero y otras actividades ilícitas. Entre ellos se encuentra Wenshen “Alex” Xu, quien fue arrestado en julio de 2025 por importar precursores químicos para drogas sintéticas a través de Guatemala y extraditado a Estados Unidos.
En el ámbito periodístico, personas como Claudia Méndez, de Con Criterio, y el reconocido bloguero Ben Kei Chin, han sido llevadas por agentes chinos a la República Popular China y a otros destinos en múltiples ocasiones y se han convertido en reconocidos defensores públicos del cambio en las relaciones diplomáticas del país.
A medida que la República Popular China y sus agentes han avanzado en Guatemala, Taiwán ha buscado proteger al país contra tales esfuerzos, siendo un buen socio en múltiples ámbitos, como la seguridad, el desarrollo, la educación y el comercio. En agosto de 2025, Taiwán donó 252 motocicletas a la policía guatemalteca y 50 vehículos al Ministerio de Desarrollo Social (MDS) de Guatemala. También construyó un hospital en Chimaltenango, inaugurado en febrero de 2023, y un centro neonatal en San Juan de Dios, Ciudad de Guatemala, en abril de 2024. Taiwán también financia y supervisa regularmente proyectos de infraestructura de transporte guatemaltecos, en particular las mejoras a una carretera que conecta Ciudad de Guatemala con la costa atlántica del país. En educación, Taiwán ha otorgado 600 becas en las últimas dos décadas, incluyendo 66 tan solo en 2025.
En comercio, en las últimas tres décadas, Taiwán ha importado aproximadamente mil millones de dólares en productos guatemaltecos, incluyendo 90 millones de dólares en azúcar guatemalteca tan solo el año pasado, así como café y otros productos.
A pesar de estas actividades, Taiwán tiene un perfil relativamente bajo entre los guatemaltecos como un importante proveedor de beneficios para el país. Algunos consultados para este trabajo expresaron su frustración por la falta de proyectos de mayor visibilidad en Taiwán, como un estadio. Si bien las empresas taiwanesas Lakymen y Diforza son importantes empleadores en Guatemala, algunos consultados para este trabajo perciben que las empresas taiwanesas podrían invertir más en el país para generar empleos de alta calidad.
Si bien algunos miembros del gobierno guatemalteco, según se informa, simpatizan ideológicamente con el establecimiento de relaciones con la República Popular China, prácticamente todos los consultados para este trabajo creían que el presidente Arévalo no abandonará a Taiwán. Sin embargo, los guatemaltecos entrevistados para este trabajo ya están concentrados en las próximas elecciones nacionales de julio de 2027. La República Popular China ha cortejado a líderes de prácticamente todos sus principales partidos. Quien prevalezca podría calcular que los beneficios materiales de abandonar a Taiwán superan los riesgos de ofender a Estados Unidos. Washington y Taipéi, sin duda, seguirán de cerca esta posibilidad.
* El Dr. Evan Ellis es investigador del Centro de Estudios Estratégicos e Internacionales (CSIS, por sus siglas en inglés).
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