CAMERA ACTION

Dems Fire Starting Gun on the Biggest Race of All

A surprise name was first out of the gate in the race that matters, our must-read guide to the real secrets of Washington D.C.’s darkest places reveals.

It was the most consequential election campaign since 2024, and the nooze will be oozing around the nation to shape D.C. for the next two years and beyond. Our David Gardner, Farrah Tomazin, and Sarah Ewall-Wice got down and dirty with the inside stories from the battlefields.

Melting down in The Swamp today are: James Talarico, Rick Jackson, Mary Peltola, Wes Moore, Savannah Guthrie, George Stephanopoulos, Emanuel Cleaver, Abdul El-Sayed, Andrew Ross Sorkin, Rosa DeLauro, Joe Kernen, Gavin Newsom, Allison Montgomery, Pete Buttigieg, Maxine Waters, Jon Ossoff, Jim Clyburn, Keisha Lance Bottoms, Bart Hutchins, Virginia Foxx, Eileen Laubacher, Chuck Hubbard, Lauren Boebert, Tricky Dick, and Dirty Don.

One Race Ends, and Another Begins…

Where is the most dangerous place in America right now? Between an ambitious Democrat and a live television camera.

On Wednesday morning, the race to take back the House and the Senate was over. But the race to be in front of as many viewers as possible had only just begun. The prize? Well, let’s not get ahead of ourselves here. Because nobody could possibly be thinking that there are any big prizes coming up for someone who’s just become a household name nationwide, could they?

Wes Moore was first out of the gate with a very respectable appearance on Squawk Box with Joe Kernen, and Andrew Ross Sorkin. Nothing wrong with the business channel; potential donors may be watching, and the newly re-elected Maryland governor Moore has immaculate Wall Street connections as the former CEO of the Robin Hood Foundation. Ker-ching.

But the big wins of the night brought out the big guns and James Talarico and Abdul El-Sayed had their eyes on the Big Four TV networks. They didn’t have to just talk to Texas and Michigan anymore (if they ever were). Time to talk to America.

Talarico got to chat with George Stephanopoulos on Good Morning America. Then it was on to The View with his mother, who was visiting the Big Apple for the first time and available for a heart-warming mother-and-son moment. He said he wants to work with Republicans, even those who have said “mean things” about him. Of course, he does. He also stopped by Fox News, a major change from the days when purity test Democrats avoided the highest-rated news channel like a voter avoiding Vivek Ramaswamy.

El Sayed took a (slightly) different route, plumping for the Today Show on NBC, where he got to chat with Savannah Guthrie. He clearly didn’t like what Trump had been saying about him, but he would work with Republicans, too. The Michigan senator-elect is booked for The View on Thursday.

Gavin Newsom, Pete Buttigieg, and Jon Ossoff had better up their games. The competition is on. Just a PSA to the rest of us: Stay away from those live TV cameras. It’s dangerous out there.

DIXIE TO DC

Dem Star Vaults Past Republicans in 2028 Odds Post Midterms

Julia Ornedo

Dirty Don and Tricky Dick

Donald Trump has been compared to Richard Nixon before. But even this one must hurt: the Republican Party’s Tuesday tsunami was the worst midterm slump since the post-Watergate ballot in 1974. The GOP paid a heavy price for the bugs and break-ins during Tricky Dick’s reign of error by losing 43 seats to Democrats in the House, at least three seats in the Senate and four governorships. All of which leads The Swamp to wonder: will Dirty Don follow Nixon’s lead and resign before he is impeached…

Au Revoir Donald Duck

While the rest of the nation was busy sending a message to Donald Trump, D.C. voters were taking care of Donald Duck. The DMV voted overwhelmingly to ban the force-feeding of ducks and the sale of foie gras in Washington restaurants. The fat cats will no longer be able to tuck in on fattened duck livers as a result of the vote for Initiative 86, which 86’d the sale of products made through the cruel practice. As The Swamp revealed, at least one restaurateur, Bart Hutchins, chef and owner of MAGA hangout Butterworth’s, plans to fight the ban.

Turns Out America Wasn’t Quite Done With “Woke”

The election delivered a remarkable crop of firsts that turned Trump’s culture-war crusade on its head. The blue wave hit Republicans with such force that Alabama elected its first openly transgender state legislator in Allison Montgomery, a software engineer who campaigned on healthcare, workers rights and scrapping state grocery taxes, while Michigan and Georgia also sent transgender lawmakers to their state legislatures. New Hampshire elected Chris Pappas, the first openly gay man to serve in the U.S. Senate, while Florida, Wisconsin and Nevada elected their first Black governors, and Georgia elected its first Black woman governor, trusting former Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms to run the Peach State over MAGA billionaire Rick Jackson. Minnesota and New Mexico also made history with Native American women winning statewide office, while Iowa sent Paralympic gold medallist Josh Turek to the Senate.

For a president who has made attacking diversity a political obsession, it was quite the election-night plot twist. Turns out voters weren’t nearly as bothered by diversity as Trump wanted them to be.

TUNING OUT

MAGA-Coded CBS News Ratings Crater on Election Night

Eboni Boykin-Patterson

OG Lawmakers Head for Last Dance in D.C.

Two of the country’s oldest senators will be returning to Congress in January for another six-year term. In deep red Idaho, Republican Sen. Jim Risch coasted to reelection with a double-digit victory. The GOP senator is already 83, so he will be 89 by the end of his next term. In blue Massachusetts, Democratic Sen. Ed Markey also locked in another term after beating a primary challenge. Markey is 80, so he’ll be wrapping up another term at 86. But both senators will still be younger than the oldest senator still in office, Chuck Grassley, who is currently 93. In the House, GOP Kentucky Rep. Hal Rogers, who has served 45 years, and Democratic California Rep. Maxine Waters, who has served 35 years, both coasted to easy victories for the pair of 88-year-olds.

Jim Clyburn, 86, will also be returning for another term. 84-year-old John Carter and 83-year-old Rosa DeLauro are both headed back to Congress. Democratic Reps. Emanuel Cleaver, 82, and John Garamendi, 81, along with GOP Rep. Jim Baird, 81, are all headed back to Congress. One member who might not get to return despite running again is Republican Rep. Virginia Foxx. The 83-year-old is trailing her Democratic opponent Chuck Hubbard, but the race has not been officially called.

exclusive

NO BRAINER

Top Cognitive Doctor Warns of Post-Election Trump Meltdown

Farrah Tomazin

Boebert Breaks It Down

Lauren Boebert could be among the MAGA victims of the midterm bloodbath. Her race hasn’t officially been called, but she’s trailing her Democratic opponent Eileen Laubacher by more than 4,000 votes in Colorado. If firebrand Boebert was concerned about being sent packing and not returning to Congress in the new year, she sure wasn’t showing it. She was spotted drinking a Busch Light during her election-night watch party and getting down with supporters on a makeshift dance floor. Her only post on the reports of her partying it up: “‘Merica 🇺🇸.”

Red Alert for Job Seekers

Want to investigate the Trump administration, including perhaps even the president and his family? Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee are already looking for more staff for when they take the majority in January. According to the listing, Democratic staff is seeking counsel for the upcoming 120th Congress. “These positions will assist with the Committee’s policy, oversight, investigative, and legislative work on various subject matters within our jurisdiction. These positions are full-time and based in Washington, D.C.,” the listing reads. “This is not an entry-level position.”

What Trump is saying:

“I think a part of it was Iran. But at the same time, people understood the importance of what I’ve done with Iran. I think historically it’s going to be much more important than this evening, because you can’t let the number one state sponsor of terror have a nuclear weapon.” Donald Trump on why the Republicans lost the midterm election.

Play Video

What the Republicans are saying:

“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.” JD Vance on why the Republicans lost.

What the Dems are saying:

“A lot of people in this administration should not sleep well at night.” Rep. Emanuel Cleaver on Trump’s White House.

EVICTION NOTICE

Trump Biographer Hints Who’s Next on President’s Hit List

Vic Verbalaitis

And Finally…Place Your Bets:

Who will win the Alaska Senate seat?

What they’re saying on Kalshi:

Mary Peltola - 91 percent

Dan Sullivan - 11 percent

What they’re saying on Polymarket:

Mary Peltola - 91.7 percent

Dan Sullivan - 8.7 percent

See more of our coverage in your search results.

ADD THE DAILY BEAST ON GOOGLE

The Swamp

Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here.