Marjorie Taylor Greene, the onetime MAGA loyalist who rose to prominence for her ardent support of President Donald Trump, says she is resigning from Congress after a public feud with him.
In a statement released Friday, the Georgia Republican criticized the direction of the political movement she once supported.
Her relationship with Trump soured after she joined calls from Democrats to release files related to the investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, which Trump had initially opposed. Trump subsequently rescinded his endorsement of Greene and broke with her last week.
Greene said she will step down from office on Jan. 5.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s supporters are relaunching the political party he formed last year — potentially creating a pathway for him to run for president again in 2028 and offering a home for disaffected Kennedy-aligned voters who backed Republicans in 2024.
A group of former Kennedy campaign staff, volunteers and backers have resurrected the We The People Party, the minor party Kennedy created to gain ballot access in some states during his long-shot independent presidential campaign.
Levi Leatherberry, chair of the We The People Party and a former Kennedy campaign staffer, said the organization is aiming to drastically expand its ballot access in the next three years. The nascent campaign’s first target is New York, where a Kennedy-aligned gubernatorial candidate could put the party on the state’s ballot.
“We only need to get to, like, 26 states for it to be as useful as it will be to any presidential candidate,” Leatherberry said of the party’s ballot access mission in an interview. “That's our focus. Building out, so we are actually useful, we're actually something to be reckoned with.”
The revitalized party is hoping to fold in voters across the political spectrum who identify with the medical freedom movement — the same voters Kennedy targeted with his campaign, and the same voters President Donald Trump and Republicans are hoping to appease through the “Make America Healthy Again” movement.
Leatherberry said he hopes the We The People Party will eventually be on the ballot in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. But he hinted that the party could create leverage for Kennedy or another ideologically aligned candidate without gaining ballot access nationwide.
“And yeah, we will be able to run national candidates,” he added.
The reboot comes amid some tension between Kennedy and some of the president's most ardent supporters. Over the summer, Trump whisperer Laura Loomer attacked Kennedy and Stefanie Spear, one of Kennedy's top aides at Health and Human Services and a key cog in his 2024 president run.
Loomer claimed Spear was laying the groundwork for a 2028 presidential run for Kennedy. Kennedy defended Spear and called speculation he would run for president a "flat-out lie” and an attempt to “drive a wedge” between him and Trump. "Let me be clear: I am not running for president in 2028,” he said in August.
Leatherberry said he has not spoken to Kennedy since taking over leadership of the party. Kennedy did not respond to a request for comment sent through a HHS spokesperson.
Shortly after Kennedy abandoned his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination in favor of an independent bid, his campaign formed the We The People Party to circumnavigate cumbersome ballot access requirements for independent candidates. In some states, ballot access is significantly easier for candidates backed by a political party than for independents.
Even though Kennedy dropped out of the presidential race and endorsed Trump before Election Day, his name appeared on the ballot in 31 states. In nine of those states, he appeared on a We The People Party line.
Aides close to the president have been eager to keep Kennedy and his MAHA supporters in the tent ahead of the midterms, viewing them as crucial supporters who helped fuel Trump's victory in 2024. After a vaccine regulator had been forced out under pressure from Loomer, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles intervened and worked with Kennedy to get him reinstated.
In September, Leatherberry and other Kennedy supporters formally relaunched the We The People Party with an eye toward 2028. In a livestreamed organizing event, Leatherberry laid out a vision of gaining ballot access in dozens of states before the midterms and then endorsing a candidate in a national convention ahead of the next presidential election. That hypothetical candidate, Leatherberry said, would avoid the costly and litigious signature gathering process required of independent candidates in most states.
“Our candidate will be on — free, day one,” Leatherberry said in September. “That means we can already nominate a presidential candidate, or national candidates, or local candidates for free.”
Although Leatherberry hopes the party can recruit candidates in down-ballot races to expand the party’s influence quickly, thus far only one candidate has accepted a We The People Party endorsement: Larry Sharpe, a longtime Libertarian Party member who served as a Kennedy campaign surrogate in 2024 and is currently running his third consecutive campaign for governor of New York.
New York has some of the most burdensome ballot access requirements in the country — it was the only state without any independent or third-party presidential candidates in 2024. Sharpe himself failed to make the ballot in 2022, running as a write-in candidate instead, and a judge ruled Kennedy could not appear on New York’s ballot last year due to his improperly listing his residency.
But if Sharpe gets enough support in the gubernatorial race on the We The People Party line next year, it would make it possible for Kennedy — or anyone else — to run on that line in 2028.
Sharpe defined the party as united in its distrust of both Republicans and Democrats, and the two-party system at large — without any core ideological underpinnings.
“It is basically an anti-establishment party,” Sharpe said. “Anti-establishment is very vague.”
Some of Kennedy's supporters have also extended that wariness toward the Trump administration. Some MAHA supporters have targeted Spear, Kennedy's close aide, and Wiles, the White House chief of staff, claiming both were undermining the movement.
Kennedy flew to their defense. “The MAHA movement has no better friend in Washington than [Wiles] who has supported every effort to end the chronic disease epidemic and restore health freedom to every American,” he wrote on social media earlier this month.
Leatherberry also indicated interest in working with Tulsi Gabbard, the Democrat-turned-Trump campaign surrogate now serving as the Director of National Intelligence, and with Rep. Thomas Massie, the Libertarian-leaning Kentucky Republican whose repeated antagonization of Trump has inspired a well-funded primary challenge.
A spokesperson for Gabbard declined to comment. A spokesperson for Massie did not respond to a request for comment.
Leatherberry insisted he’s neutral on whether Kennedy should run for president, or whether the We The People party should endorse a presidential candidate in 2028. But Sharpe said he hopes Kennedy will run as a third-party candidate to carry the torch for the anti-establishment voters the party represents.
“I think he kind of has to,” Sharpe said. “Unless someone else steps up. And at the moment, I don’t see anybody else stepping up.”
A version of this article first appeared in POLITICO Pro’s Morning Score. Want to receive the newsletter every weekday? Subscribe to POLITICO Pro. You’ll also receive daily policy news and other intelligence you need to act on the day’s biggest stories.
Battleground Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) — who has thwarted repeated GOP efforts to unseat him in a red district — will not seek reelection, writing in an op-ed Wednesday “that now is the right time to step away from elected office.”
Golden was facing both a primary challenge from his left and a strong challenge from former Maine GOP Gov. Paul LePage in the state’s 2nd District, which President Donald Trump won by about 10 points in 2024.
“I have never loved politics,” Golden wrote in the Bangor Daily News. “But I find purpose and meaning in service, and the Marine in me has been able to slog along through the many aspects of politics I dislike by focusing on the good work that Congress is capable of producing with patience and determination.”
“But after 11 years as a legislator, I have grown tired of the increasing incivility and plain nastiness that are now common from some elements of our American community — behavior that, too often, our political leaders exhibit themselves,” he continued.
Golden’s unexpected withdrawal from the race buoys the campaign of Matt Dunlap, the state auditor who jumped in the race last month and attacked Golden from the left, accusing the fourth-term lawmaker of voting too often with Republicans in Congress.
Prior to Dunlap’s campaign launch, Golden’s campaign released polling showing Dunlap trailing LePage by 10 points. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee reportedly urged Dunlap not to challenge Golden — which the DCCC has not refuted.
Dunlap’s campaign rolled out a slate of dozens of endorsements last week, including one from a former state senator who was also listed as an endorser of Golden earlier this year.
In a social media statement, Dunlap praised Golden’s tenure in Congress.
“I want to thank Jared Golden for his military service and years in public office,” he wrote on X. “We may have disagreed on issues, but I believe he is a good person, husband, and father.
Golden said he was motivated to step away from public life in part due to the rise in political violence around the country — pointing to the killing of Charlie Kirk, the attempted assassinations of President Donald Trump, the attack on Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and the killing of Minnesota state legislator Melissa Hortman.
“These have made me reconsider the experiences of my own family, including all of us sitting in a hotel room on Thanksgiving last year after yet another threat against our home,” Golden wrote. “There have been enough of those over the years to demand my attention.”
Golden called for open and competitive primaries in both parties while condemning both LePage and Dunlap as “a far cry from being standard bearers of the generations that will inherit the legacy of today’s Congress.” He added that he believed he would win if he decided to stay in the race, but dreaded the responsibility of returning to Congress.
“I don’t fear losing. What has become apparent to me is that I now dread the prospect of winning,” he wrote. “Simply put, what I could accomplish in this increasingly unproductive Congress pales in comparison to what I could do in that time as a husband, a father and a son.”
The announcement took Democrats on Capitol Hill by surprise. Many of Golden’s colleagues believed he would run for re-election despite the primary challenge.
“I sincerely commend Jared for all the work he has done for Mainers, from lowering costs to protecting lobstermen’s jobs and fighting for veterans,” DCCC chair Rep. Suzan DelBene said in a statement. “His efforts to revitalize the Blue Dog Coalition have helped to grow our party, and his willingness to cross the aisle and find bipartisan solutions was deservedly rewarded time and time again by his constituents who continued to re-elect him despite bruising campaigns.”
With Golden out of the race, Republicans are expressing confidence the GOP will flip his seat in next year’s midterms.
“Serial flip-flopper Jared Golden’s exit from Congress says it all: He’s turned his back on Mainers for years and now his chickens are coming home to roost,” NRCC spokesperson Maureen O’Toole said in a statement. “He, nor any other Democrat, has a path to victory in ME-02 and Republicans will flip this seat red in 2026.”
“Congressman Jared Golden is out after two public polls from the UNH Survey Center and other polls showed him losing Maine’s second congressional district to former Governor Paul LePage in Maine,” Brent Littlefield, a LePage campaign strategist, wrote on social media. “Team LePage is committed to helping bring stronger representation and more prosperity to the people of Maine.”
President Donald Trump has threatened to withhold federal funding from New York City in a last-ditch effort to drive the city’s voters to former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and prevent Zohran Mamdani from winning Tuesday’s election.
Trump wrote in a social media post “it is highly unlikely” he will allow the city to receive federal funding beyond “the very minimum as required” if voters elect Mamdani, the Democratic nominee for mayor, while advocating for Cuomo, who is running as an independent.
The statement marked a more forceful endorsement of Cuomo by Trump, who said in a “60 Minutes” interview on Sunday he would like to see Cuomo defeat Mamdani.
“Whether you personally like Andrew Cuomo or not, you really have no choice. You must vote for him, and hope he does a fantastic job. He is capable of it, Mamdani is not!,” Trump wrote.
Trump also urged people not to vote for Curtis Sliwa, the Republican candidate in the race, arguing that it amounted to supporting Mamdani.
Trump, who praised Cuomo’s “record of success,” offered his most unequivocal backing for the former governor in the race’s final hours. His complimentary posture toward Cuomo marks a shift from the “60 Minutes” interview, in which he framed the race as a choice “between a bad Democrat and a Communist,” adding that he would pick “the bad Democrat all the time.”
Cuomo sought to distance himself from Trump’s backhanded commendation while campaigning on Monday, repeatedly insisting to reporters that Trump did not endorse him. Mamdani’s campaign seized on the “60 Minutes” interview, painting his comments as a full-throated endorsement.
Cuomo has sought to position his campaign to win the support of Trump supporters in New York City. He privately told donors in August he’s counting on Trump to tell voters to support him over Sliwa as part of their shared goal of defeating Mamdani. The New York Times reported in August that Trump and Cuomo discussed the mayoral race in a phone call.
It’s not immediately clear the extent to which Trump could hamstring New York City’s funding if he does withhold federal dollars. But over $100 billion in federal funding flows through New York City via state and city allocations as well as disbursements to health care providers and other public entities.
Graham Platner is trying to move on from the divisive online posts that threaten to derail his insurgent candidacy for Senate.
The Maine business owner seeking the seat now held by GOP Sen. Susan Collins released a video Friday offering a lengthy explanation and expressing regret for Reddit comments that endorsed political violence, minimized rape in the military and disparaged police.
Platner said his online views were a reflection of his mental state following his return from military service in Afghanistan, and that his views have since evolved.
“When I got back from Afghanistan in 2011, I stayed in the Army for another year. I got out in 2012. Some of the worst comments I made, the things that I'm — I think are least defensible, that I wouldn't even try to defend, come from that time,” he said in the video message. “When I got out, I still had the crude humor, the dark, dark feelings, the offensive language that really was a hallmark — hallmark of the infantry when I was in it.”
Platner’s social media posts, including messages from as recently as 2021, have gained widespread media attention in recent days.
POLITICO reported Platner suggested political violence is necessary to affect social change in a 2018 post. The Washington Post reported Platner downplayed concerns about sexual assault in posts from 2013. CNN reported he labeled all White Americans in rural areas as racist and stupid in one 2020 post and said all cops are “bastards” in a 2021 post. The Bangor Daily News reported Platner asked why Black people “don’t tip” in a 2013 post.
The Reddit posts were deleted prior to announcing his campaign. Platner acknowledged making the posts and has apologized for them.
Platner said in his video statement that he stopped posting on Reddit “around 2020 or 2021” when he returned to Maine.
“I went from thinking that people were bad to knowing that people are good. I went from thinking that there was no hope to having nothing but hope — a hope that is rooted in the fact that it was in my community, here in Sullivan, Maine, that I got to come home and build a nice life,” he said.
Platner, who’s been endorsed by progressive Sen. Bernie Sanders, is hoping to defeat Senate Democrats’ preferred candidate Gov. Janet Mills and win the party’s nomination in Democrats’ best opportunity to pick up a Senate seat in the midterms.
Republicans quickly dismissed Platner’s video apology.
“Five minutes in which Graham Platner blames HIS FELLOW SERVICEMEN for things he said,” National Republican Senatorial Committee spokesperson Joanna Rodriguez said in a social media post.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this report misstated that Susan Collins is a GOP representative. She is a senator.
Disney announced “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” will resume airing on Tuesday, ending Kimmel's short-lived suspension following comments the host made on his show about the killing of Charlie Kirk.
In a statement released Monday, Disney said it suspended Kimmel last week “to avoid inflaming a tense situation.” The company received intense pressure from Trump allies, including Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr, over Kimmel’s comments.
“Last Wednesday, we made the decision to suspend production on the show to avoid further inflaming a tense situation at an emotional moment for our country,” Disney said in the statement. “It is a decision we made because we felt some of the comments were ill-timed and thus insensitive.”
“We have spent the last days having thoughtful conversations with Jimmy, and after those conversations, we reached the decision to return the show on Tuesday,” the statement continued.
Sinclair Broadcasting Group, which operates nearly 40 ABC affiliates, said Monday evening that it will preempt Kimmel's show on its stations when the show returns.
Kimmel’s suspension set off a wave of criticism from leaders in both parties who were concerned about political censorship.
Prior to Kimmel’s suspension, Carr condemned Kimmel’s comments and suggested that media companies who receive licensing from the FCC have “an obligation to operate in the public interest.”
“We can do this the easy way or the hard way,” Carr said last Wednesday in an interview.
Hours later on Wednesday, Nexstar Media Group and Sinclair Broadcasting Group, two of the nation’s largest owners of local television stations, said they would preempt tapings of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” because of Kimmel’s comments. Nexstar Media Group is currently pursuing a billion-dollar merger with Tegna that would require FCC approval.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A handful of prominent Republicans on Capitol Hill, including Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, warned that Carr could set a dangerous precedent and urged the Trump administration to be careful in pressuring a private company to influence its speech.
Democratic leaders in Washington and hundreds of artists and celebrities joined in condemning Kimmel’s suspension.
FCC commissioner Anna Gomez, the lone Democrat in the agency's leadership, welcomed Kimmel's return to air and praised Americans who criticized the suspension.
"I am glad to see Disney find its courage in the face of clear government intimidation," she said.
Andrew Kolvet, a spokesperson for Turning Point USA, encouraged Nexstar and Sinclair to keep their pledge to preempt Kimmel when his show returns.
“Disney and ABC caving and allowing Kimmell back on the air is not surprising, but it's their mistake to make,” Kolvet said in a social media post Monday. “Nextstar and Sinclair do not have to make the same choice.”
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