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Once thought doomed, President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Justice Department has survived the Senate and now will take the helm as the nation’s top law enforcement official.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche was confirmed early Saturday morning as part of a mad blitz by lawmakers to wrap up their work and jet from Washington, D.C. Now, he’ll officially replace Pam Bondi as attorney general.

Blanche, who is Trump’s former personal lawyer, nearly saw his confirmation hopes go up in smoke as Republicans struggled to swallow his role in rolling out the nearly $2 billion anti-weaponization and sweeping IRS audit immunity for the president and his family.

TRUMP'S AG PICK SURVIVES — FOR NOW — AS REPUBLICANS QUESTION IF WHITE HOUSE DEAL WILL HOLD

However, a last-minute ally emerged: Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., who announced on Friday that he would back Blanche’s confirmation after spending days keeping tight-lipped on his decision.

Though he was concerned about weaponization at the Department of Justice (DOJ) and just how binding an agreement to nix the anti-weaponization fund and limit Trump’s audit immunity would be, he argued that having a Senate-confirmed attorney general was a better option than a placeholder.

"Mr. Blanche is not perfect, and he will tell you this," Cassidy said on the Senate floor. "But the choice is not between perfection and Mr. Blanche. It is between Mr. Blanche and another acting attorney general, who may not run the department effectively under President Trump."

TRUMP'S PICK FOR TOP LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL GETS CRUCIAL LAST-MINUTE LIFELINE FOR CONFIRMATION

Still, Sens. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Susan Collins, R-Maine, joined all Senate Democrats to oppose Blanche’s confirmation.

Murkowski announced her opposition hours before Cassidy’s lifeline. She contended that despite Blanche’s trek to Alaska and numerous meetings with him, she could not support him to be the next attorney general.

She was worried about his connection to the anti-weaponization fund, a weaponized Justice Department, Blanche’s role in the Epstein Files release, and the uncertain future of the fund, which several Republicans have raised concerns about over whether taxpayer dollars would flow to rioters who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

TRUMP ADMIN PUSHES BACK ON 'SLUSH FUND' ATTACKS AGAINST ANTI-WEAPONIZATION FUND AND LAYS OUT WHO QUALIFIES

"The country needs an Attorney General who will check the worst impulses of this administration," Murkowski said. "I hope Mr. Blanche is able to achieve that, if confirmed, but I simply do not have confidence that will be the case."

Collins raised similar concerns earlier in the week, and was the first Republican out of the gate to cast doubt on Blanche’s chances of confirmation.

"While I believe Mr. Blanche is a capable lawyer, the Department of Justice has become increasingly political," Collins said. "Mr. Blanche has taken several actions that have further eroded the Department’s independence, and that is the basis for my vote to oppose his confirmation."

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Senate Democrats are rallying around Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed in the race to beat Republican Mike Rogers as the party scrambles to defend its seat in an effort to win back the Senate majority.

El-Sayed narrowly defeated moderate Rep. Haley Stevens after a bruising primary that exposed the party’s progressive-moderate divide, leaving Democrats with the task of unifying behind him ahead of one of the nation’s most competitive Senate races.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., a progressive who endorsed El-Sayed, told Fox News Digital Friday that he believes El-Sayed will beat Rogers in November.

ROGERS OPENS DOOR TO DEMOCRATIC VOTERS AFTER EL-SAYED’S PRIMARY VICTORY: ‘THERE IS STILL HOPE’

Several Democratic senators approached by Fox News Digital expressed confidence in El-Sayed, even after prominent Democrats chose to back Stevens during the primary over questions of whether El-Sayed could win in November.

"I am very confident we’re going to win in Michigan," Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., said.

But the same senators weren’t as quick to defend or back some of his more radical policies — like calling for defunding the police, abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Medicare for all and his strong opposition to Israel.

"You can ask him," Murray said after Fox News Digital followed up by asking for her views on his more extreme policies.

Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn., also said she thinks El-Sayed will beat Rogers, but when Fox News Digital asked about her views on his policies, she walked away saying she was "looking for the ladies room."

Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., said "time will tell" when asked if he could beat Rogers in the general election. He was the only lawmaker to tell Fox News Digital he actually disagreed with some of El-Sayed’s progressive policies.

"He's got 90 days," Warner said. "He brought a lot of energy. There are obviously places I don't fully agree with him either."

‘SPECIAL SAUCE OF CRAZY’ — MIDWEST DEM CANDIDATE’S POLICIES TOO EXTREME FOR VOTERS: OPPONENT

Many lawmakers and candidates with socialist views have argued that the success of like-minded candidates in primaries reflects voters’ growing disconnect with the Democratic establishment.

Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., defended El-Sayed by pointing to his medical background as an epidemiologist and former Wayne County health director, arguing that experience is needed in the upper chamber amid concerns over healthcare.

"I am going to be working very hard to get a Democratic majority in the United States Senate," Baldwin told Fox News Digital.

She continued, "To have a doctor at a time when healthcare and the cost of healthcare is top of mind — that would be a voice that's very much appreciated."

BERNIE SANDERS, DSA REVEAL DEMANDS FOR DEM PARTY AFTER SOCIALISTS SWEEP NEW YORK ELECTIONS

Sen. Deb Fisher, R-Neb., warned "regular Democrats" that the radicalization of the party and leaving behind more mainstream Democratic principles will lead them to a party they no longer connect with.

"I think it just shows how crazy Democrats are becoming," Fischer said. "Regular Democrats who are working people, who are worried about their families… worried about making ends meet, they want to own their own businesses… create that… that's an American dream."

"They're going to realize that what they're watching that party morph into isn't them anymore."

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"Today I am the most famous and talked-about person in the country." Those words from the diary of Dr. Anthony Fauci are certainly true as the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs moves forward with holding him in contempt for refusing to answer over a hundred questions about his past conduct and statements as the former head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

The contempt vote will start a process that is fraught with political and legal challenges. Even putting aside the objections to the direct referral from the Committee to the Justice Department (rather than submit the matter to a full Senate vote), there remain serious questions about whether Fauci can be held in contempt after invoking his right to remain silent under the Fifth Amendment. As I have previously stated, this area is rather murky and Fauci likely has the advantage in any litigation.

At the outset, it is important to note that Fauci always faced a risk of perjury in his prior appearances. Even if immunized, a witness can always be prosecuted for false statements. Fauci is in a much stronger position today than he was in prior hearings due to the sweeping pardon he received from former President Joe Biden. Yet, he suddenly decided to remain silent when his own words came back to contradict him.

FAUCI'S NEWLY RELEASED COVID DIARIES REVEAL BIZARRE FIXATION ON FAME AS PANDEMIC DEATHS MOUNTED

Now for the legal questions.

If a witness is immunized, they can be compelled to testify. If, for example, the Senate granted Fauci immunity, there would be little question about his answering these questions as well as the ability to charge him for any false statements.

The Senate Committee is arguing that the Biden pardon had the same impact. Since Fauci cannot be prosecuted for any acts during the extended period of the pardon (going back to 2014 when the government allegedly funded "gain-of-function research). Chairman Rand Paul did an excellent job in putting this issue into sharp relief in his final set of questions by framing his inquiry as confined to the period of his pardon.

The argument is credible and, for many, compelling: since Fauci cannot be prosecuted for any conduct during the pardon period, he has no legal exposure so long as he speaks truthfully.

For Fauci, that is a question that could be highly subjective. He referred to the risk of a "perjury trap" in his opening statement. He declared, "The only conclusion I can reach is that the sole reason he is calling me before this committee is to get me to say something — anything — that could vindicate his repeated public pledges that I end up, in his words, quote, ‘behind bars.’"

Even that statement could present a matter for litigation. Congress previously found in 2013 when high-ranking IRS leader Lois Lerner also pleaded the Fifth after giving an opening statement before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. The Justice Department under the Obama administration refused to prosecute. Fauci will argue that such a general statement does not waive the privilege and that, when asked a question, he promptly and consistently invoked it.

Of course, this is the Trump administration, not the Obama Administration. Ironically, if the matter is litigated, the administration will be in the position of defending the pardon, which it has long questioned, as the result of Joe Biden's infamous autopen. The ability to hold Fauci in contempt becomes dependent on that pardon being valid.

REPORTER'S NOTEBOOK: WHY FAUCI'S 111 FIFTH AMENDMENT PLEAS COULD END UP BEFORE THE COURTS

The Justice Department can argue that the Supreme Court has consistently held that the mere fear of a perjury charge is insufficient to compel witnesses who are immunized, dating back to 1896 in Brown v. Walker.

Moreover, the Supreme Court has held that "anticipatory perjury" is not a basis for such a refusal to testify in cases such as United States v. Apfelbaum.

However, Fauci can cite new state investigations as unaffected by the federal pardon, as well as new questions arising outside the pardon that could theoretically pose ongoing risks of criminal prosecution.

Courts have generally adopted broad interpretations to protect the right to remain silent, a touchstone of our legal system. That is why I believe Fauci likely has the edge in any challenge.

The fact is that it is uncertain. The cases in this area remain relatively sparse, and any pardon case is highly case-specific to the confines and scope of the specific pardon.

If so, Fauci can remain silent, but that silence will remain deafening for many in this country.

The right to do something does not make it the right thing to do. Fauci, in my view, was wrong to invoke the privilege against self-incrimination even if it was his right to do so. Millions of Americans lost loved ones during the pandemic, and the United States had one of the worst records in dealing with COVID-19 in terms of costs and deaths. Fauci's diaries exposed disturbing contradictions between what he previously stated publicly and what he actually believed. Americans have a right to know the truth, and Fauci was not saying a thing, invoking the privilege 111 times.

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He will say nothing to the families who lost loved ones or the business owners ruined by now-debunked pandemic measures.

ANTHONY FAUCI'S PRIVATE DIARY AND EMAILS SHOW HE KNEW LOCKDOWNS FAILED AND PUSHED MASKS WITHOUT EVIDENCE

He will say nothing to the scientists who were canceled, blacklisted, and fired for opposing these policies. Those scientists did not get the bobbleheads and celebrity photos that Fauci celebrated in his diaries. As the mob hounded them, Fauci said nothing as he gushed about his own fame in his diary.

He will say nothing despite the protection of a presidential pardon. For that, he should be rightfully condemned. Fauci's contempt of Congress is challengeable, but his contempt for the public is undeniable.

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Abdul El-Sayed won Michigan’s Senate Democratic primary Tuesday over Congresswoman Haley Stevens. El-Sayed had a 1% win in a race that featured a third candidate, Mallory McMorrow, who had dropped out but who nevertheless polled around 4% of the total vote.

Mike Rogers is the GOP nominee in the fall against El-Sayed. In 2024, Rogers — a very respected, former seven-term Congressman from Michigan who served as Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee — tallied 2,693,680 votes, or 48.30% of the total electorate in the state in a Senate race he lost to Elissa Slotkin. Republicans need only turn out the same electorate as voted in 2024 and Rogers will win the 2026 race.

That sort of turnout is usually, however, a big lift in a non-presidential year, because statewide elections are not as exciting to the average American as presidential contests.

JEWISH MICHIGAN DEMOCRATS ADMIT THEY WILL VOTE REPUBLICAN IF ABDUL EL-SAYED BECOMES NOMINEE

But Michigan in 2026 may prove to be the exception to the "exciting race" rule because El-Sayed is a radical leftist, an Islamist-supporting extremist whose far-from-the-mainstream positions may energize an off-year electorate the way a presidential campaign charges turnout every four years. El-Sayed is so extreme that he held back from commenting on Iran’s Ayatollah Khamenei’s elimination on the first day of the U.S.-Iran battle for fear of upsetting whatever small number of Michiganders who were sad that the American-killing fanatic who ordered the murder of tens of thousands of Iranians in January had himself died on February 28.

That El-Sayed hates the state of Israel is not open for debate. He does. He also routinely attacks Americans who support the state of Israel by repeatedly attacking the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, which is primarily, though not exclusively, made up of American Jews. El-Sayed, himself a Muslim, will probably energize the estimated quarter of a million Muslims in the Wolverine State as well as the Jewish population of approximately 120,000 people (about 1.2% of Michigan’s population). Most Jews and many non-Jews believe that El-Sayed is simply antisemitic, and certainly the most extreme mainstream party candidate to ever run for, much less serve in, the United States Senate.

El-Sayed will energize all sorts of demographics within the electorate, but given the polarization that follows in his wake, count on the national media camping across the state from now until November and covering every twist and turn in this campaign.

Count on Republicans across the country, as well as supporters of Israel who are not Republicans from all across the country helping Rogers raise funds for his campaign. His campaign website began to cook even before the El-Sayed primary victory was certain.

HASAN PIKER UNLOADS ON 'ISLAMOPHOBIC PIECES OF S---' DEMOCRATS AS EL-SAYED FACES PARTY UNITY TEST

Rogers versus El-Sayed is almost certainly the highest-profile race of 2026, and President Trump, Vice President Vance and every other GOP surrogate will be stumping for Rogers — just as will AOC, Bernie Sanders and every other Democratic Socialist of America extremist be campaigning aside El-Sayed. (As will notorious Twitch streamer Hasan Piker whose Tuesday-night profanity laden tirade against Democrats urging El-Sayed to moderate has gone viral thanks to opponents of El-Sayed who want to staple Piker to the candidate and merge the two into one being.

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So a 12-week free for all in Michigan is ahead, one that will tell us much more than who controls the United States Senate for the next two years. The result of Rogers versus El-Sayed will tell us which way the country is headed, to the far left or back to the traditional center-right after a year of Mamdanism running the Democrats.

Much as Buckeyes like me love to give folks from "The State Up North" a hard time, even Ohioans, when pressed, will admit it is as nice and normal a place as every other venue in the Midwest. It’s not full of coastal elites and "one-percenters."

Michigan’s collective common sense will be tested over the next three months: Will they vote for an experienced, responsible, serious legislator who understands the world and America’s role in it and who can fight for the average Michigander, or a radical who cares more for "from the River to the Sea" chants than he does the national security of the United States.

Bet on Rogers. Folks from Michigan lose their minds on the approach of "The Game" every Saturday after Thanksgiving, when the biggest contest in college football happens, but are otherwise pretty normal Americans. Like Mike Rogers.

Hugh Hewitt is a Fox News contributor and host of "The Hugh Hewitt Show" heard weekday afternoons from 3 PM to 6 PM ET on the Salem Radio Network, and simulcast on Salem News Channel. Hugh drives Americans home on the East Coast and to lunch on the West Coast on over 400 affiliates nationwide, and on all the streaming platforms where SNC can be seen. He is a frequent guest on the Fox News Channel’s news roundtable, hosted by Bret Baier weekdays at 6pm ET. A son of Ohio and a graduate of Harvard College and the University of Michigan Law School, Hewitt has been a Professor of Law at Chapman University’s Fowler School of Law since 1996 where he teaches Constitutional Law. Hewitt launched his eponymous radio show from Los Angeles in 1990. Hewitt has frequently appeared on every major national news television network, hosted television shows for PBS and MSNBC, written for every major American paper, has authored a dozen books and moderated a score of Republican candidate debates, most recently the November 2023 Republican presidential debate in Miami and four Republican presidential debates in the 2015-16 cycle. Hewitt focuses his radio show and his column on the Constitution, national security, American politics and the Cleveland Browns and Guardians. Hewitt has interviewed tens of thousands of guests from Democrats Hillary Clinton and John Kerry to Republican Presidents George W. Bush and Donald Trump over his 40 years in broadcasting. This column previews the lead story that will drive his radio/ TV show today.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM HUGH HEWITT

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A Florida man is accused of slashing his sister with a machete while she was sleeping in bed next to her 1-year-old daughter, according to officials.

Ruben Altidore, 36, repeatedly hacked at his sister in her bedroom in an unsuccessful attempt to kill her on Monday in Margate, which is located about 40 miles north of Miami, according to an arrest report per WPLG.

"Oh my God, why aren’t you dead yet?" he shouted during the attack, according to the arrest report.

Altidore was arrested on Monday in connection with the attack. He was charged with attempted felony murder, aggravated child abuse and violation of probation, according to jail records.

BELOVED TEACHER KILLED AS SHE SLEPT, DAUGHTER STABBED IN ATTACK AS MOTIVE REMAINS UNCLEAR: DA

His sister survived the attack but suffered serious injuries.

She suffered a 10-inch wound that reached the bone on the back of her right thigh, a four-inch laceration to the back of her right hand with the possible amputation of at least four fingers, a near amputation of her left index finger and thumb and a cut to her left palm with a near amputation of her left thumb, according to investigators.

The victim’s 1-year-old daughter was found after the attack lying in the bed covered in blood, though investigators said the child was not injured.

The woman eventually managed to escape and ran to a neighbor for help, WPLG reported, adding that her piercing screams were captured on home surveillance video.

MAN FACING FEDERAL CHARGES AFTER ATLANTA TRAIN PASSENGER STABBED ABOUT 20 TIMES, FBI INVESTIGATING

"My [brother] is trying to kill me," the woman reportedly screamed as investigators arrived at the scene, according to the police report.

A cousin of the victim also told investigators that Altidore attacked his sister with a machete, and a neighbor reported hearing the victim screaming after she ran outside following the attack.

"She ran to the middle of the street and then ran to my front door where she was asking for help," neighbor Luis Pereria told WPLG. "Apparently she was sleeping when this all happened. I was just baffled by it. How can you do that?"

Investigators found a large amount of blood inside the victim’s bedroom that was tracked into the hallway, to a bathroom door and outside the home.

A machete sheath was discovered in the kitchen, and a machete was found under a bed with what appeared to be "red smudges," investigators said.

Altidore was taken to the Broward County Main Jail and is being held without bond.

A motive for the attack remains unclear at this time.

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A Las Vegas police officer who was a Marine veteran was killed Tuesday while responding to a report of an armed person, authorities said. The suspect was also killed in the encounter.

Officers and police drones were sent to a business in the 4500 block of East Tropicana Avenue shortly before 4 p.m. after a caller reported that a person was waving a firearm and appeared to be intoxicated, according to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.

MULTIPLE PEOPLE KILLED IN SHOOTING AT IDAHO IN-N-OUT RESTAURANT, SUSPECT DEAD

Police said officers located the armed suspect near Mountain Vista Street and the Interstate 11 underpass. The suspect then opened fire on the officers, prompting at least one officer to return fire.

The suspect was pronounced dead at the scene.

A 30-year-old officer was wounded during the exchange and taken to University Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead, Clark County Sheriff Kevin McMahill said during a news briefing.

"A 30-year-old Las Vegas police officer was then worked on heroically by the Clark County Fire Department, other officers and EMS," McMahill said. "He was transported to UMC where nurses worked to save his life."

DEPUTY US MARSHAL FATALLY SHOT WHILE SERVING ARREST WARRANT IN LOUISIANA

"Unfortunately, our officer has passed," the sheriff continued.

McMahill said the officer was a Marine veteran who had served with the police department since November 2023.

"A person who served this country and this community," McMahill said. "As you can imagine, I have lots of grieving police officers and a grieving community."

The police department offered its condolences to the officer’s family and pledged to support them "in every way we can in the days ahead."

Other law enforcement agencies also mourned the officer’s death.

"The Nevada State Police extends our heartfelt condolences to the family, friends and loved ones of the fallen officer, and to our partners at the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department," the agency said in a Facebook statement. "Our thoughts are with you during this difficult time."

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DETROIT — The Democratic Party's progressive wing was aiming to notch its biggest victory yet Tuesday and deliver a high-profile blow to the center-left establishment in an intensifying ideological battle.

But the anticipated triumph in battleground Michigan's Democratic Senate primary will have to wait.

The race between progressive candidate Abdul El-Sayed, a former Wayne County health director, and Rep. Haley Stevens, a more moderate contender, remained too close to call early Wednesday.

THE MIDTERM SENATE RACES THAT COULD FLIP THE BALANCE OF POWER IN CONGRESS

While the night’s biggest prize remained undecided as five states held primary elections, Democratic establishment candidates scored several victories. Those included Rep. Wesley Bell of Missouri defeating Democratic Socialists of America-backed challenger and former Rep. Cori Bush, a onetime "Squad" member, in a rematch of their 2024 showdown.

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump's powerful sway over the Republican Party was reaffirmed as two Trump-backed candidates won gubernatorial nominations in Michigan and Kansas.

Here are the top takeaways from a busy primary night across the country.

Verdict still out in high-stakes showdown

"We're going to have to wait a little longer to see the outcome of this race," El-Sayed told supporters at a primary night event in Detroit early Wednesday morning.

El-Sayed, who was backed by prominent progressive leaders including Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, held a razor-thin lead over Stevens as votes continued to be counted. Stevens was supported by establishment figures including Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York, the longtime Senate Democratic leader.

"I know it's been a long night because that's the Michigan way. But I want to give you all an update. We knew that this was going to be a close race, and that's exactly what we've got. A close race," Stevens said.

MIKE ROGERS ARGUES ABDUL EL-SAYED IS 'A SPECIAL SAUCE OF CRAZY'

The race to succeed retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters, who backed Stevens, is a must-win contest for Democrats and one of roughly a dozen Senate races expected to determine whether Republicans retain their narrow majority.

Boosted by a string of victories this spring in predominantly Democratic congressional districts, the party’s progressive wing brought its ideological battle with the establishment to the Great Lakes battleground. The combustible and expensive contest became the biggest stage yet in the intraparty fight.

El-Sayed, an epidemiologist who unsuccessfully ran for governor as an insurgent candidate in 2018, would become the nation’s first Muslim senator if elected. He has made support for "Medicare for All" a major component of his campaign.

He has also called for abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement and has been a vocal critic of Israel during its war against Hamas, characterizing Israel’s actions in Gaza as "genocide" against Palestinians.

Schumer and other establishment Democrats view Stevens, who flipped a Republican-held district during her first election to Congress in 2018, as more electable than El-Sayed, whose past comments have drawn controversy.

More than $80 million was spent on the primary, making it the most expensive Democratic Senate nomination contest in history. Much of the money came from outside groups supporting Stevens or opposing El-Sayed. The largest spender was United Democracy Project, a political action committee aligned with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.

"We all knew that we're going to spend their money. We didn't know they were going to spend $70 million of their money. We didn't know that they were going to outspend us $11 to $1. And yet we're still standing," El-Sayed highlighted in his speech.

El-Sayed urged party unity and took aim at former Rep. Mike Rogers, the Republican Senate nominee.

Stevens also targeted Rogers during her primary night speech.

DEMOCRACY ’26: STAY UP TO DATE WITH THE FOX NEWS ELECTION HUB

"Whoever wins is going to go and take on Mike Rogers. Republicans are going to do everything they can to throw all the dirt, all the mud, the kitchen sink at us because they want to keep the U.S. Senate red, so Mike Rogers can keep rubber-stamping Donald Trump's ridiculous agenda," she argued.

The progressive-versus-establishment battle also played out in Michigan’s 7th Congressional District, a Republican-controlled swing seat that is among roughly two dozen races expected to help determine control of the House.

William Lawrence, a co-founder of the Sunrise Movement climate advocacy group, edged out two more moderate Democrats. Lawrence was backed by Sanders and El-Sayed, as well as several prominent progressive groups. He will face Republican Rep. Tom Barrett in the general election.

The party’s internal battle was also on display in Michigan’s heavily Democratic 13th Congressional District, where the Associated Press had not projected a winner early Wednesday.

Rep. Shri Thanedar, who is supported by top House Democratic leaders, was being challenged by state Rep. Donovan McKinney. McKinney was backed by Sanders, El-Sayed and "Squad" members Reps. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts and Summer Lee of Pennsylvania.

Wins for centrists to cheer

The party’s ideological warfare was front and center in Missouri’s St. Louis-based, heavily Democratic 1st Congressional District.

Bell, who was backed by House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York and other establishment figures, defeated Bush, the former two-term representative whom Bell ousted in the 2024 primary.

DEMOCRACY ’26: STAY UP TO DATE WITH THE FOX NEWS ELECTION HUB

Bell was again boosted by a major infusion of outside money, allowing him to substantially outspend Bush and her allies. Much of the funding and advertising targeting Bush came from United Democracy Project, the super PAC aligned with AIPAC.

Bush was among the first House Democrats to accuse Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians during its war against Hamas in Gaza.

"Two years ago, St. Louis voted for better and more accountable representation. We have kept that promise, whether it's bringing federal resources home to our neighborhoods, standing with working folks when they needed someone in their corner, or helping families cut through red tape," Bell said following his victory. "That work does not stop tonight."

Bush, however, lashed out at Bell, criticizing him for skipping candidate forums and claiming he was controlled by billionaires.

"It pisses me off that for the next two years, this community will be represented by someone that didn't deem you valuable enough to show up to one candidate forum where there were audience comments, even though I showed up to every one," Bush emphasized.

MEET THE FAR LEFT INSURGENTS WAGING WAR ON THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY IN THE 2026 MIDTERMS

Back in Michigan, two candidates who are far from left-wingers captured Democratic nominations in statewide contests. Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson won the Democratic gubernatorial primary in the race to succeed term-limited Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Attorney General Dana Nessel was renominated.

"It’s not all that clear that the party has shifted that far to the left," Matt Bennett, one of the leaders at the Third Way, a leading center-left Democratic organization, told Fox News Digital.

Pointing to increasingly intense Democratic opposition to Trump, Bennett said the Michigan Senate result may reflect "a unique situation where candidates matter."

"And in this moment, Democratic voters everywhere are very very angry at Trump and they’re flipping over the tables and taking it out on the establishment and Haley, for better or worse, has run as the establishment."

Trump flexes political muscle

Trump’s clout within the GOP and the power of his endorsements in Republican primaries were tested again Tuesday, and the president’s preferred candidates prevailed in two gubernatorial contests.

Trump-backed Rep. John James of Michigan, a West Point graduate and two-time Republican Senate nominee, defeated multimillionaire businessman Perry Johnson, a former gubernatorial and presidential candidate, to capture the party’s gubernatorial nomination.

James will face Benson in the race to succeed term-limited Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

In Kansas, Trump-endorsed state Senate President Ty Masterson prevailed in a crowded field of Republican gubernatorial contenders.

Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly is term-limited, making the race to succeed her a leading pickup opportunity for Republicans.

Fox News' Matthew Donnell and Luke Trevisan contributed to this report.

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