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STEPHEN MOORE: Foreign drug price controls are a hidden tax on Americans
The United States spends far more on healthcare, on a per capita basis, than any other country in the world. There are many reasons why, including health insurance companies. But one reason has been largely overlooked: foreign governments maintain pricing systems that limit what they pay for drugs. The difference has been absorbed in the United States, with the result that Americans cover a disproportionate share of the world’s drug costs.
These pharmaceutical pricing systems need to be called out for what they are: trade distortions. And the Trump administration should treat these distortions just as it would treat any other trade distortion: with the remedies that are available under U.S. trade law, starting with an investigation of discriminatory measures.
Countries such as Germany, France, and Japan impose government pricing mandates, mandatory rebates, and strict market controls that cap what they pay for medicines well below U.S. market prices. That puts manufacturers in a bind. They can either accept the punitive terms these countries have established or find their products shut out of these countries.
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Predictably, the manufacturers have accepted the terms, with the result that the United States has had to cover a greater share of global research and development costs. Those costs are embedded in the prices American patients pay.
Recent developments in Germany show how quickly this dynamic is accelerating. In April, the German government advanced a sweeping cost-containment proposal. The plan would expand mandatory rebates tied to public insurance growth, tighten price-volume rules with automatic increases triggered by sales, and allow selective contracting across entire classes of patented drugs.
The practical effect is to compress pricing further and limit reimbursement to the lowest-cost option within a category. Now France, Japan, and Switzerland are pursuing similar approaches. This is a broader trend across major U.S. trading partners, and Americans will once again be getting the shaft.
The countries maintaining these distorted pricing systems typically characterize them as nothing more than domestic healthcare policy, designed to limit costs and foster budget discipline. But when governments impose controls on prices that are below levels that would prevail in a market-based system, they reduce global revenues that support innovation. They also shift cost recovery onto markets that do not impose those constraints. The United States has become that market.
These policies amount to non-tariff trade barriers, and they can be addressed through U.S. trade law. There is one measure in particular.
Section 301 of the 1974 Trade Act authorizes the United States to investigate and respond to foreign government practices that are unreasonable or discriminatory and that burden or restrict U.S. commerce. It has been applied to a wide range of non-tariff barriers, including intellectual property regimes and digital services taxes. Pharmaceutical pricing systems that suppress global revenues, and shift costs onto American consumers, clearly fit within that framework and warrant formal examination.
It’s time for pharmaceutical pricing to be treated as a core issue in trade negotiations. And the Trump administration has been moving in that direction. Voluntary Most Favored Nation pricing arrangements aim to rebalance what American patients pay without imposing domestic price controls. The administration is reportedly considering Section 301 action, which suggests a growing willingness to move beyond just domestic enforcement. That can’t happen soon enough.
America’s trading partners should be pressed to adopt more balanced approaches that reflect a fairer distribution of pharmaceutical development costs. A Section 301 investigation would establish the evidentiary foundation needed to pursue that outcome and signal that the status quo is no longer acceptable.
There is also broad public support for action. Recent polling shows that a large majority of Americans believe other countries should pay a fairer share for medicines. That sentiment reflects a basic principle. A system in which one country consistently subsidizes global innovation is not sustainable.
For decades, the United States has been a leader in drug innovation, improving lives for millions of people throughout the world. But there’s no guarantee this will continue. And it might not if U.S. companies are forced to subsidize innovation. It’s time for the Trump administration to use the tools available to remedy the balance and help ensure that pharmaceutical innovation continues.
The real reason your electric bill is soaring this summer will surprise you
As summer approaches, millions of Americans are bracing for higher electric bills. For many families already stretched by rising costs, that’s simply not sustainable.
This isn’t just about hotter weather. It’s about a fundamental imbalance in our energy system that is driving costs higher.
Electricity demand is rising fast, driven by data centers, new manufacturing, population growth and the electrification of everything from vehicles to home heating. The United States is using more power in more ways than ever before, but we’re not building enough new generation to keep up. Simply put, we need more supply.
Across Exelon’s utilities, about 75% of recent bill increases are tied to the cost of generating electricity — the supply side of the equation — not delivering it. Those costs are set in wholesale markets and passed directly to customers.
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Exelon’s utilities don’t benefit when those prices spike. But customers still have to pay them.
And when supply falls behind demand, the result is predictable: prices go up, volatility increases and American families pay the difference.
At Exelon, we see firsthand the pressure customers are under.
We serve nearly 11 million Americans. We hear from them when bills rise and share their frustrations. That’s why we launched the Exelon Promise, which includes a $60 million Customer Relief Fund and protections to help ensure large energy users don’t unfairly shift costs onto families and small businesses. We’re also investing billions to strengthen the grid, improve reliability and prepare for continued growth in demand.
But if we want to meaningfully lower energy bills across the country, we don’t need a less capable grid; we need to start with a simple, common-sense solution: produce more electricity and do it faster.
In many regions, power supply isn’t just tight, it’s shrinking, as older plants retire faster than new ones come online. At the same time, demand continues to climb. The North American Electric Reliability Corporation has warned that more than half the country faces elevated risks of electricity shortfalls during peak summer conditions, which could mean brownouts or blackouts.
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That’s not just a reliability concern. It’s a cost problem that shows up on monthly bills.
The average monthly electric bill has increased significantly in recent years, rising by nearly 30% between 2021 and 2025, according to the National Energy Assistance Directors Association. Families and small businesses are feeling it.
What many don’t realize is where those increases are coming from. Too often, we’re having the wrong debate, focused on symptoms instead of solutions.
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America needs an all-of-the-above energy strategy that brings more power online quickly and responsibly. That means investing in energy storage, nuclear power, natural gas, renewables, new technology, energy efficiency and the transmission infrastructure needed to deliver it all.
We also need to confront the barriers slowing progress. Lengthy permitting timelines, insufficient supply chains and outdated regulatory structures can delay new generation for years. We simply don’t have that kind of time.
We should be open to solutions that can deliver results at scale. In certain cases, allowing regulated utilities to develop and own generation could help bring more power online more quickly and at lower cost. A recent Charles River Associates analysis found that allowing utilities to develop and own generation in certain cases could save Americans up to $20 billion a year while reducing outage risk.
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The goal shouldn’t be ideological. It should be practical: more supply, greater stability and lower prices over time.
But no utility can solve a nationwide supply challenge alone.
As our nation approaches its 250th anniversary, this is a moment to remember what has always set America apart: the ability not just to dream big, but to build the infrastructure that powers our freedom and prosperity. From the railroads that connected a continent to the electric grid that brought power to every home and business, American workers and energy providers have helped build the strongest, most dynamic economy in the world — meeting big challenges head-on.
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This moment calls for that same mindset.
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Energy is the backbone of our economy. It powers our homes, fuels innovation and supports everything from small businesses, schools and hospitals to advanced manufacturing and new technologies.
If we want to keep that progress going — and if we want to ease the burden on American families — we need to act with urgency and clarity.
That starts with a clear priority: build more power, bring more supply online and use every available tool to get it done.
Because when America produces more energy, Americans pay less for it.
Maryland sheriffs should not be handcuffed by reckless sanctuary politics
Last week, my organization, the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), filed a federal lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland on behalf of 17 of Maryland’s 24 sheriffs challenging the state’s newly enacted "Community Trust Act."
This so-called "trust" legislation is nothing less than a dangerous sanctuary mandate that deliberately obstructs cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities. We decided to represent these sheriffs because they are on the front lines of public safety, sworn to uphold both the state and federal constitutions, yet they have now been placed in an impossible constitutional bind by Annapolis politicians.
These 17 plaintiffs represent 70 percent of Maryland’s county sheriffs. They came to us not seeking political gain but relief from a law that handcuffs their ability to protect their communities. As executive director and general counsel of FAIR, an organization dedicated to immigration policies that serve America’s national interest, I could not stand by while dedicated officers are ordered to release criminal illegal aliens back into neighborhoods where they pose ongoing threats.
The ironically named "Community Trust Act" prohibits or severely restricts local correctional facilities from honoring U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainers, sharing critical information with federal authorities, or detaining removable criminal aliens beyond their scheduled release — except in the narrowest of circumstances. This is not "community trust." The law demands judicial warrants for routine cooperation that federal law already authorizes. It is state-mandated obstruction that turns Maryland into what the sheriffs rightly call an "ultra-sanctuary" state.
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I decided to take this case because the human cost of sanctuary policies is no longer abstract; it is measured in the shattered lives of American families. At our press conference, we stood alongside Angel parents Patty Morin, Jim Walden and Tammy Nobles. Patty’s daughter Rachel was brutally raped, beaten, and murdered in 2023, and her body was stuffed into a drainpipe by an illegal alien who had evaded removal thanks in part to lax enforcement and sanctuary protections. Lance Cpl. James (Jimmie) Walden III was killed in 2017 when the motorcycle he was riding was struck by a speeding Mexican national. Tammy lost her daughter Kayla to similar preventable violence. These tragedies were not inevitable. They resulted from policies that prioritize illegal aliens over law-abiding citizens.
Sanctuary laws have failed repeatedly across the country. From New York to California to Chicago, jurisdictions that limit cooperation with ICE have seen surges in crimes committed by individuals who should have been deported long ago. Repeat offenders — convicted of assault, drug trafficking, sexual abuse, and homicide — are released back into communities because local police are prohibited from notifying or assisting what should be federal partners. The data is clear: When cooperation ends, lawlessness increases. Innocent Americans pay with their lives. Maryland is now doubling down on this failed experiment despite the evidence and despite the pleas of its own sheriffs.
This lawsuit is about more than Maryland. It is important for all Americans to oppose sanctuary laws because immigration enforcement is a national responsibility, not a local option. The Constitution’s Supremacy Clause ensures that federal law prevails in areas of national authority like immigration. States cannot nullify federal statutes or commandeer local officers to undermine them. When one state creates safe havens for criminal aliens, it affects every American through increased crime, strained resources, higher taxes, and an eroded rule of law. Criminals cross state lines, and we cannot allow a patchwork of resistance that renders federal immigration policy meaningless.
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Our sheriffs are not asking for new powers. They simply want to do their jobs without fear of state punishment for complying with federal law. The act forces them to choose between violating their oaths or facing state penalties. By interfering, Maryland is not only endangering its residents but inviting federal preemption challenges.
FAIR has long documented the failures of sanctuary policies. Law-abiding, legal immigrants and citizens alike suffer when criminals are shielded. Police cannot effectively combat gangs, drugs, or human trafficking without full access to immigration databases and detainer authority. The notion that restricting cooperation somehow makes communities safer defies both logic and experience.
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Gov. Wes Moore allowed the bill to become law without his signature, citing implementation concerns yet refusing to veto it. Sheriffs and citizens deserve better than half-measures and virtue signaling. Public safety demands full enforcement of immigration laws, secure borders, and cooperation at every level of government.
This fight transcends partisan lines. It is about whether we remain a nation of laws or descend into selective enforcement that favors lawbreakers. FAIR stands shoulder-to-shoulder with these Maryland sheriffs because their battle is America’s battle. We will pursue every legal avenue to strike down this dangerous law and restore the ability of law enforcement to keep criminal illegal aliens off our streets.
Americans everywhere should watch Maryland closely. If sanctuary ideology prevails here, it will spread. The stakes are innocent lives — daughters, sons, neighbors — who deserve protection, not political experiments.
We filed this suit to defend the rule of law, honor the lives of innocent victims like Rachel, Jimmie and Kayla, and ensure that sheriffs can fulfill their sacred duty. For Maryland and for the nation, this reckless policy must be stopped.
Hilton, Becerra, in the lead with votes still being counted in battle for California governor
HUNTINGTON BEACH, CA - Republican Steve Hilton and Democrat Xavier Becerra were leading in unofficial early returns Wednesday morning and appeared positioned to advance to the November California gubernatorial election in the race to succeed term-limited Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom in steering the nation's most populous state and one of the world’s largest economies.
Hilton, a one-time British political strategist turned American conservative commentator and former Fox News Channel host who is backed by President Donald Trump, and Becerra, a former California attorney general who later served as a Cabinet secretary in former President Biden's administration, were in the lead early Wednesday morning, with votes still being counted and results not yet certified.
"Change is coming to California, and it's long overdue," Hilton told supporters at his primary night watch party in Orange County.
Hilton, in an exclusive Fox News Digital interview following his speech, said speaking "honest, simple truths" to voters boosted his campaign. "Everything is too expensive in California. We’re going to cut people’s costs," he pledged.
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Becerra, who, if elected in November, would make history as California's first Latino governor since Romualdo Pacheco briefly served in 1875, told supporters that his campaign's success is "more than a Hollywood ending. More than a milestone. That's the everyday miracle of living in a state that makes the improbable seem inevitable. And I couldn't have done it without you."
Democrat-dominated California holds what's known as a jungle primary in which all candidates, regardless of party affiliation, appear on the same ballot, with the top two finishers advancing to the general election.
Tom Steyer, a billionaire hedge fund founder turned environmental activist who unsuccessfully ran for his party's 2020 presidential nomination and who has shelled out over $200 million of his own money in his bid for governor, was in third place as the results continued to be tabulated and as additional mail and provisional ballots remained to be counted. Meanwhile, more than $80 million in outside money has also been spent on the race.
Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, a Republican, as well as Democratic candidates former Democratic Rep. Katie Porter, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, were also among the whopping 61 candidates on the ballot.
Hilton is hoping to become the first California Republican to win a gubernatorial election since then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's 2006 re-election.
In his speech, Hilton showed off the lining of his blazer, with American and California flags, that he said Schwarzenegger a few years ago urged him to wear. "Arnold, I did that for you," Hilton said.
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Former Vice President Kamala Harris and Sen. Alex Padilla mulled launching Democratic bids for governor, but both last year announced they would take a pass. That resulted in the lack of a clear Golden State gubernatorial frontrunner for the first time in more than a quarter-century.
And the race was overshadowed for much of last year, as the devastation from the Los Angeles-area wildfires and President Donald Trump's immigration raids grabbed headlines in California.
But the showdown for governor entered the spotlight earlier this year when one of the leading candidates, Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell, dropped out of the race and then resigned from Congress after facing multiple allegations of sexual assault and misconduct that he continues to deny.
Swalwell's exit from the race opened the door for first Steyer and then Becerra to rise in the polls.
Bianco, who launched his campaign for governor in April of last year, was among the top contenders in the race until Trump's endorsement of Hilton in early April appeared to blunt his momentum.
From courts, critics and his own party, Donald Trump runs smack into reality
President Trump hasn’t had a great week. I don’t think anyone can argue with that.
The man who has so utterly dominated the Republican Party has been forced to backtrack or reverse himself, in part because of on-the-record outrage by GOP lawmakers.
That involved his plan to create a $1.8-billion "anti-weaponization" fund, with most of it going to Jan. 6 rioters, who he calls patriots. The idea of rewarding people who attacked police officers, took over members’ quarters and chanted "Hang Mike Pence!" touched a very deep nerve (among the public as well).
When leaders of his own party, who usually roll over and play dead, started denouncing what some of them called a slush fund, Trump knew he had a loser on his hands and yesterday tried to cut his losses: He has officially killed the funding scheme.
This, of course, grew out of his suit against the IRS, where Trump was definitely wronged by the leaking of his tax returns, but as president was "negotiating" with his subordinates.
Then there are the courts, where even the Supreme Court has not escaped Trump’s wrath on decisions he dislikes, such as striking down his unilateral global tariffs. He called out justices by name, branding them "fools and lapdogs," a "disgrace" and an "embarrassment."
Which brings us to the Kennedy Center fiasco.
A federal judge ordered that Trump’s name be removed from the glittering marble portico overlooking the Potomac River that had just been the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The judge temporarily blocked the two-year shutdown planned to begin this summer.
The president posted that unless he was in charge, he had "no interest in continuing what could only be a hopeless journey," suggesting he would turn it over to Congress.
"Unfortunately, Judge Cooper and the Radical Left would rather see it DIE than have President Trump transform it into something that everyone could be proud of, much as I have done, in many cases, throughout my life," he wrote.
Judge Christopher Cooper, setting a two-week deadline, said Trump’s renaming violated a 1964 law that made it "crystal clear" the institution was to be named for the assassinated president and that only Congress can change it.
I happen to think the center could remain open while partial refurbishing takes place, but of course no shows are booked at the moment.
The larger pattern is that many judges no longer trust the administration’s lawyers.
"Their missteps in court come as the department’s leadership takes an unusually combative tone with judges who rule against them," The New York Times says.
A Trump Justice Department spokesperson said: "Any attack on the professionalism or integrity of DOJ attorneys is outrageous and unjustified."
Finally, there is the court of public opinion for Trump, who turns 80 next month.
A lot of folks are upset about the design of the $250 bill featuring Trump’s visage. I don’t worry about that because I don’t plan on buying anything with a $250 note, but it hasn’t gone down well.
I don’t believe many people are wild about the surprise demolition of the East Wing, plans for a 250-foot arch, or the obsession with building a White House ballroom. That was originally going to be paid for by private donations, but now Congress wants to appropriate $1 billion in taxpayer dollars — kind of bait and switch.
The Iran War, whose settlement "talks" have been blown up by mutual attacks, is increasingly unpopular. A PBS/Marist poll last month found that 60 percent of those questioned disapprove of the war and overall are frustrated by soaring food and gas costs.
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As for the July 4 celebration, so many musicians, including Milli Vanilli, Flo Rida and Young MC, dropped out that the president canceled the concert and will turn it into a MAGA rally featuring … him.
Look, Donald Trump has always been at the center of his own narrative. He’s a born performer, dating back to "The Apprentice" days.
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I’ve interviewed Trump numerous times, and he can sit for an hour and rattle off answers on a vast array of subjects, including stuff from 40 years ago. So any talk that he’s on the verge of dementia is utter BS by uninformed critics. But he does seem less sure-footed right now.
Physically, the worst you can say about Trump is that he’s got swollen ankles and sometimes closes his eyes in meetings.
Trump is full speed ahead — that’s what he knows. Where he comes off as angry and overheated is in the barrage of late-night and early-morning Truth Social posts in which he rails against his opponents.
Hey, you don’t really expect an 80-year-old man to change, do you?
South Dakota governors race remains up in the air as GOP contest goes to runoff
South Dakota Republican businessman Toby Doeden will move on to a July runoff in the GOP gubernatorial sweeps, while the race for the second contender remained too close to call overnight Wednesday.
The news is a blow to incumbent Gov. Larry Rhoden, who still has a shot to face off in the runoff depending on whether he, U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-S.D., or South Dakota House Speaker Jon Hansen make it through.
Rhoden, the longtime lieutenant governor under former Gov. Kristi Noem, is a rancher who rose through the ranks of state legislative leadership before succeeding the former Homeland Security secretary.
Often seen with his trademark cowboy hat, the western South Dakota native spent 16 years in the state legislature and has focused on continuing Noem's platform of making South Dakota one of the nation's most affordable and business-friendly states.
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Rhoden opposes abortion, supports Second Amendment rights and has worked with his former boss on homeland security matters, including cooperating with ICE on immigration enforcement operations.
President Donald Trump was conspicuously mute in the crowded primary, an observation South Dakota News Watch recently questioned Rhoden about.
"I don't spend a lot of time fretting about it," the governor said.
"If you look at who he's endorsed, he likes endorsing winners and seldom goes out on a limb. And here we have a four-way primary with a seated House member in the race," Rhoden said, adding that Trump appears to like making safe bets.
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Rhoden, along with Doeden and Hansen, faced a challenge from Rep. Dusty Johnson, the state's lone congressman, whose statewide profile was considered stronger than that of the other candidates in the race.
Doeden ran as a political outsider and positioned himself as a populist candidate.
Largely self-funded, Doeden positioned himself as a conservative alternative to the Pierre establishment.
Hansen, meanwhile, is the establishment conservative challenger who has served in the State House for more than a decade.
Supreme Court allows Alabama GOP-backed congressional map for midterms
The Supreme Court on Tuesday gave Alabama Republicans a victory, issuing an emergency order that the state can use a congressional map likely to benefit the GOP in November’s midterm elections.
The justices granted Alabama’s emergency appeal to use a map adopted by the state legislature in 2023 that includes a single majority-Black district for this election cycle. The court’s three liberal justices dissented.
Alabama Republicans had sought to revive the previously blocked map, which is expected to give the GOP an opportunity to gain an additional congressional seat by replacing a court-drawn south Alabama district that helped elect a Black Democrat with a map that contains only one majority-Black district.
The ruling came after the Supreme Court last month vacated a lower court ruling blocking Alabama's 2023 congressional map and sent the case back for further review. Last week, however, a three-judge federal panel again blocked the GOP-backed map and ordered Alabama to continue using a court-drawn map containing two districts in which Black voters are a majority or have an opportunity to elect their preferred candidates.
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Republican Gov. Kay Ivey celebrated the ruling Tuesday evening and confirmed that Alabama’s Aug. 11 special primary election would be conducted under the 2023 map.
"The U.S. Supreme Court confirmed what I have said all along and that is that Alabama knows our state, our people and our districts best," Ivey said in a statement.
"Today’s decision is a win for the people of Alabama and our elections," she continued. "Alabama is doing our part to keep America strong, and I am proud our state continues to fight the fight to ensure activists do not get the final say."
"I will see y’all at the polls August 11!" Ivey added.
The redistricting fight comes as President Donald Trump has encouraged Republican-led states to redraw congressional maps following the Supreme Court’s Callais decision, which limited the use of race in congressional redistricting. Alabama argued that the lower court’s remedial map improperly elevated race over traditional districting principles, while voting-rights groups argued that the state’s map diluted Black voting power.
In an unsigned majority opinion, the court wrote: "The State has also made a strong showing of irreparable harm and that the equities and public interest favor it."
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"We have repeatedly cautioned that lower federal courts should not "alter the election rules on the eve of an election," the majority added.
In a dissenting opinion, Justice Sonia Sotomayor argued that the map discriminates against Black Alabamians.
"Before the Court are two paths," Sotomayor wrote. "Down one lies an orderly election, held under a tried-and-tested congressional map that protects Black Alabamians’ right to vote and with which all voters, elections officials, and candidates alike are familiar."
"Down the other lies a chaotic election, held under a never-before-used congressional map that intentionally discriminates against Black Alabamians, that Alabama adopted in unashamed defiance of a prior court order directly affirmed by this Court, and that will require officials to change the voter registrations of hundreds of thousands of voters in just days at best, a task that Alabama previously represented would take months," she continued.
"The majority chooses the second path and disregards both democratic values and the rule of law." she added.
The ACLU also criticized the ruling, arguing it permits Alabama to use a racially discriminatory map.
"Today’s ruling delays relief for voters who have already spent years fighting for an equal opportunity to elect candidates of their choice and to have their voices heard," Davin Rosborough, deputy director of the ACLU’s Voting Rights Project, said in a statement.
"We remain committed to pursuing equal opportunities in Congress for our clients and Black Alabamians," he added. "We will fight for those rights even in the face of those who continue to move the goalposts and undo our nation’s progress in realizing its promise as a multi-racial democracy."
Fox News Digital's Adam Pack and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Trump-endorsed Feenstra concedes to MAHA-backed Lahn in GOP governor primary upset
Trump-backed Rep. Randy Feenstra, R-Iowa, conceded to MAHA-backed Republican Zach Lahn after the polls closed Tuesday night in Iowa’s GOP gubernatorial primary.
Lahn, a farmer and businessman who campaigned on an "Iowa First" message, pulled off a surprising upset over Feenstra in the race to succeed outgoing Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds.
Besides Feenstra, Lahn beat out former state Rep. Brad Sherman, former Iowa Department of Administrative Services Director Adam Steen and state Rep. Eddie Andrews in his bid to move on to the November general election and eventually the governor's mansion.
The result marked a major setback for Feenstra, who represents Iowa’s 4th Congressional District and entered Election Day as the best-known Republican in the race. Feenstra had a congressional profile, a fundraising advantage, support from prominent Iowa Republicans, including former Gov. Terry Branstad, and a late endorsement from President Donald Trump.
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Lahn had just around a 1,600-vote lead ahead of Feenstra shortly after midnight Eastern Time with 99% of the votes counted, according to The Associated Press' elections tracker.
"I just called Zach Lahn, and said, ‘Hey, you got to carry this torch. We got to keep this state red. You got to make sure you beat Rob Sand.' And I’m all in to help him out," Feenstra said to supporters at his election night gathering, according to a video recording shared by Iowas News Now reporter Skylar Tallal.
Trump endorsed Feenstra just days before the primary, calling him "MAGA all the way" and giving him his "Complete and Total Endorsement." Feenstra campaigned as a close ally of the president, highlighting his support for Trump’s agenda on border security, tax cuts, energy production and agriculture.
Lahn, meanwhile, ran as an outsider candidate and drew support from MAHA Action, the political group aligned with the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement. His campaign website describes him as a father, farmer and businessman advancing an "Iowa First" agenda.
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The race opened after Reynolds announced she would not seek reelection despite being eligible to run again, creating Iowa’s first open gubernatorial contest since 2006. Republicans have controlled the governor’s office since 2011.
Lahn will now face Democratic State Auditor Rob Sand in November. Sand, Iowa’s only Democratic statewide officeholder, advanced unopposed through the Democratic primary and has built a political profile centered on government accountability and anti-corruption efforts.
Early ratings have suggested the general election could be competitive. The Cook Political Report moved the race from "Lean Republican" to "Toss Up" in April, while Inside Elections has rated the contest "Lean Republican."
If Sand were to win in November, he would become the first Democrat elected governor of Iowa since Chet Culver’s victory in 2006.
Booker set to face Navy vet after former local NJ official lost in 2024 Senate race
Justin Murphy won New Jersey’s Republican U.S. Senate primary late Tuesday night, setting up a general election fight against Democratic Sen. Cory Booker in a state where Republicans have not won a U.S. Senate race since 1972.
The race was close among the top three candidates with 90% of the votes counted. Murphy was followed by suspended New Jersey State Trooper Richard Tabor, and former News 12 New Jersey reporter Alex Zdan. Physician Robert Lebovics finished last.
Murphy is an attorney and U.S. Navy veteran from Tabernacle, New Jersey, who previously served as a local committeeman and ran unsuccessfully for the GOP Senate nomination in 2024, finishing a distant third. He launched another campaign this cycle to take on Booker, casting himself as a conservative, pro-Trump grassroots candidate.
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Murphy faces an uphill but nationally watched race against Booker, a high-profile Senate Democrat and frequent Trump critic who is running unopposed on the Democratic side of the ticket as he seeks another term after first winning the seat in a 2013 special election. While Republicans are hoping to flip the seat, the party has not won a U.S. Senate race in the state since 1972.
Murphy, who describes himself as self-employed, is a former Tabernacle deputy mayor and a U.S. Navy veteran, according to the New Jersey Globe. He previously ran for the GOP Senate nomination in 2024, finishing far back in third, before launching another bid this cycle as a conservative candidate running on cleaning up his state's pollution, protecting it from ever-expanding windmill construction, parental rights, medical freedom and improving Medicare for seniors.
"I will convey my Conservative principles with confidence, energy, and optimism. The last time New Jersey elected a Republican to the US Senate was 1972; my campaign represents a new day in New Jersey politics," Murphy states on his campaign website. "Being self-employed, I can identify with middle-class voters. I know firsthand financial struggle, debt, and stress. I know the long hours and countless weeks without a paycheck that many small business owners experience as a normal part of their working adult lives. Small business owners will have no better friend in Washington."
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The GOP primary unfolded without an obvious Trump-backed favorite. Trump does not appear to have endorsed in New Jersey’s Republican Senate primary. His late New Jersey endorsements ahead of Tuesday’s primary went to House Republicans Tom Kean Jr., Jeff Van Drew and Chris Smith.
Murphy received support from two county Republican organizations and ran in some counties under the slogan "American Conservative Republican," according to NJ Spotlight News’ 2026 U.S. Senate primary voter guide.
The general election will test whether Republicans can make inroads in a state that has remained stubbornly difficult for GOP Senate hopefuls.
Booker won re-election in 2020 by more than 16 points, and early race ratings have generally listed the seat as safely Democratic heading into November.
Gregg Hull wins New Mexico GOP gubernatorial primary, setting up bid to flip governor’s office
Former Rio Rancho Mayor Gregg Hull has clinched the GOP nomination in New Mexico’s open-seat gubernatorial race.
Hull, widely viewed as a leading contender entering Election Day, campaigned on public safety, government experience and economic growth.
He defeated businessman Doug Turner and former New Mexico Human Services Secretary Duke Rodriguez.
Turner pitched himself as a business-minded conservative and political outsider focused on jobs and education reform. Rodriguez, a healthcare executive and former state cabinet secretary, emphasized addiction treatment, healthcare and government reform.
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Throughout the race, Hull argued New Mexico needs tougher approaches to violent crime, fentanyl trafficking and border security while criticizing Democratic leadership in Santa Fe.
Hull’s victory solidifies Republican support behind a candidate many in the party see as a strong statewide contender heading into November.
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He will now face former President Joe Biden's Interior Secretary Deb Haaland in the general election as Republicans attempt to flip the governor’s office in New Mexico for the first time since 2019.
The gubernatorial race to replace term-limited Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham in November is expected to be one of the most closely watched political contests in the state in 2026.