Contender Dave Americkson🇺🇸

Republicans were destroyed because Trump took us to war in Iran for Israel. A near-extinction level defeat was the only appropriate outcome and proportionate to the depth of the betrayal. Anything less would not have humbled the “Plan Trusters” or set a strong enough precedent.

One of the things the data analysts on our side obsessed over was "composition"—whether the electorate looked close enough to 2024 for Republicans to win. And despite polls that showed a Democrat blowout, the data kept on telling us the same story: in some states turnout was merely OK, in other states it was downright amazing, and in no state was it catastrophic. There was a genuine sense of optimism on our team: our people were showing up. So, I asked the smartest data guy I know, does that mean we're going to shock the world? "No," he told me. "We might do better than the polls suggest. But the data is telling us that a lot of Trump/Vance 2024 voters are pissed and planning to vote for the other guys. Our voters are turning out, but they may not vote for us." Well, that looks prophetic now. Our voters did show up. In Florida, for example, the electorate was 9 points more Republican than Democrat, just a couple points worse than 2024. Undoubtedly there were places we could have done better on turnout. But the main problem is not turnout. The main problem is that many people who voted for Trump/Vance in 2024 voted for Democrats in 2026. There will be a lot of infighting and arguing over what happened and why that is. One of the pollsters I really respect told me that our economic messaging wasn’t sharp enough down the stretch. I’m sure that’s true. But the real reason we lost is obvious to almost everyone. Another pollster—one of the smartest people I know in politics, told me yesterday we’d lose the generic ballot by 13 points. I felt negative going into Tuesday, but even I was shocked by this. In his polling, he saw that a lot of Trump 2024 voters were angry and planning to vote for Democrats. He asked those voters who had abandoned us what would cause them to come back on our team. The top four answers, accounting for nearly all of the responses were: 1) End the war 2) Focus on cost of living/inflation 3) Put America First 4) Change our relationship to Israel Our voters showed up. And the above four reasons are why many of them voted for Democrats. This is according to a pollster who nailed the results. While many spent Monday attacking Rachel Campos Duffy for calling for a diplomatic resolution to the conflict, it turns out her political advice was sound. (She’s also a great person.) In the next few months, there's going to be a lot of gaslighting. Expect to hear any number of establishment politicians say the solution to our woes is amnesty. I'm open to the idea that we should change enforcement—by focusing more on businesses that hire illegal labor, for instance. But anyone pushing amnesty is lying to you. The reason we lost is the war. The president himself said so last night. If you'd like to argue it was worth it, that losing the Senate for the next 6 years was worth it, then do so. Argue it was a worthwhile cost to pay. Agree or disagree, that's at least honest. But everyone knows why we lost. And any honest conversation about where we go from here must start there. I remain hopeful about our country. To the people who are pissed off and want to say, “I told you so”: you’re right, you did tell us so. Take that energy into electing Republicans who share your worldview. To the people who are just pissed at the results, you should be. Let’s take that anger and get back to the work of saving our country.

🔥🚨BREAKING: Byron Donalds has reportedly erased David Jolly's lead and now leads the Florida governor race by 4,921 votes, 2,656,224 to 2,651,303 (49.4% each), with 64.4% of the expected vote in as of 7:44 PM ET, per AP. Jolly led by 4.9 points just 22 minutes earlier, and the panhandle closes at 8 PM ET.

Vote RED🇺🇸❤️

These young ladies are giving me hope! 🇺🇸

it's hard to miss @NICKIMINAJ

🚨BREAKING🧵 - For all those who are slow on the uptake ... the J5/J6 pipe bomber was a cop. In this pre-taped episode, @KyleSeraphin and I host two experts, formerly with the ATF and US Air Marshals. You'll want to see their analysis of the videos of "Hoodie," originally released by @FBI. (🧵Continued in comments.⬇️)

🚨I’m LIVE on @kick 🚨 FREE BRIAN COLE, JR.  kick.com/stewpeters

Steve Baker came out with some never before seen video of the pipe bomber. He claims CCTV hows Brian Cole Jr. walking on another side of the Capitol "at EXACTLY THE SAME TIME" the bomber was placing devices, so Cole can't be the bomber. He also points to a maroon-and-gold mask, New Balance 574s, a jacket tag, his grandmother's Kohl's jacket, and Cole's mother. I actually wasted my time researching this, so you do not have to. Although, never take my word for anything. Links for the source documents are below. Just asking a couple of questions: 1. Where is the timestamp? When critics said the timestamps were added to the video, he answered, "We have them, and they will sync with the original CCTV videos." In the meantime, this is all based on vibes. The video wasn't edited by a forensic examiner. 2. His main post says Cole is seen "walking on the northwest side of the Capitol." His own thread says they began "looking on the NE side of the Capitol Campus where the legally permitted 'Jesus Lives' rally was held." 3. The FBI affidavit says Cole's phone made "approximately seven data session transactions" with towers near the party headquarters between 7:39 and 8:24 PM on Jan 5, 2021. A license plate reader logged his Nissan Sentra at about 7:10 PM at the South Capitol Street exit from I-395 South, "less than one-half mile" from where the bomber was first seen on foot at 7:34 PM. Baker's video doesn't refute that. It confirms Cole was within a few blocks of both headquarters during the window. 4. IDs from interested parties are not solid evidence. In fact, you would think former FBI agents know that is why family members don't identify people. Bias. Gait, a mask, a jacket tag, New Balance 574s (among the most common sneakers sold) - not really smoking gun. 5. Per the interrogation when shown a Nike Air Max Speed Turf shoe, Cole admitted he "used to have a pair" and "threw them away." Asked again whether he was the man on the video, he "placed his head face down on the table, and answered, 'yes.'" He then walked agents through building and planting the devices. He said he "wore a mask and hood that evening to avoid identification, and he wore gloves to avoid leaving fingerprints." 6. Explain the physical evidence. In a closet reachable only through Cole's bathroom there was 1-inch by 8-inch pipe nipples, black iron end caps and gloves. In the garage there was red wire and wire strippers. In his car there was a Home Depot receipt dated Aug 10, 2022 for pipe nipples and work gloves, bags of pipe nipples and end caps, and a 9-volt battery. His phone logged 943 events identified as a "factory reset" or "wipe." Per the FBI affidavit, his financial records also show pipe and end-cap purchases at Home Depot in 2020, including on Nov 16, 2020. 7. The phone and the video line up within seconds of the event. Per the affidavit, at 7:39:27 PM Cole's phone hit towers covering D Street SE, and at about 7:39:32 PM video shows the bomber walking westbound on D Street SE. The bombs were placed at about 7:54 PM (DNC) and 8:16 PM (RNC). Cole told agents he parked "on D Street, Southeast, between 2nd Street and 3rd Street and Folger and Providence Parks." Silence on all of this. Why? 8. The FBI estimated the bomber at "5 feet 7 inches with an error rate of +/- 1.1 inches." Cole is about 5 feet 6 inches. 9. Cole told agents he made the black powder from "charcoal, Lilly Miller sulfur dust, and potassium nitrate that he purchased from Lowes." ECF 50 notes "the sulfur that the defendant purchased was Lilly Miller brand sulfur dust." Baker says the sulfur "makes it IMPOSSIBLE to go boom." Not my wheelhouse had AI run the analysis. Checked it against source documents linked below and had AI check itself for accuracy twice. "Steve Baker’s claim that the Lilly Miller Sulfur Dust allegedly used by Brian Cole makes it “IMPOSSIBLE to go boom” is scientifically unsupported. According to the manufacturer’s safety data sheet, Lilly Miller Sulfur Dust contains 90% sulfur and 10% inert additives. Sulfur is a recognized component of traditional black powder, alongside charcoal and potassium nitrate—the very ingredients Cole reportedly admitted purchasing and using. Although additives can affect combustion and explosive performance, their presence does not automatically render a mixture incapable of exploding. Baker takes a legitimate forensic question about the functionality of Cole’s devices and transforms it into a categorical declaration of impossibility without establishing the scientific basis for that conclusion. The actual functionality of the devices must be determined through forensic examination, not speculation about a commercially available ingredient. Baker’s assertion therefore goes substantially beyond what the manufacturer's documentation establishes." 10. On Oct 15 Baker asked, "What if a certain someone didn't purchase the alligator clips and a drill bit until AFTER January 6, 2021?" DUH. The government already disclosed that Cole kept buying components after Jan 6, and ECF 50 says the "last identified purchase occurred on August 13, 2022." 11. The "2 meters" claim Baker made is not firsthand knowledge. He attributes the "law enforcement phone within 2 meters" claim to a meeting between Marshall Yates and Rep. Loudermilk. Let's see the underlying document detailing this. 12.The FBI affidavit says one tower sector was listed as facing north, but drive tests in January and February 2021 showed it facing east. The listing "was an error that was corrected in April 2021." 13. If Baker's evidence cleared Cole, Cole's lawyers would be using it. Yet none of his evidence is in one single defense filing. I would also like to know how this hail Mary video fell into his lap two weeks before the midterms. I'm sure it's just blind luck.