In today\u2019s edition \u2026 the Senate has a long to-do list before leaving town … a mysterious source of cheap gas \u2026 but first \u2026<\/p>\n
Read more Takeaways from a big primary night in Michigan, Kansas, Missouri and more<\/a><\/p>\n Abdul El-Sayed<\/b> and <\/b>Rep. Haley Stevens<\/b> were locked in a tight Democratic primary early Wednesday for Michigan\u2019s open Senate seat, leaving one of the party\u2019s most consequential contests too close to call.<\/p>\n The race pitted El-Sayed, a former public health official backed by Sen. Bernie Sanders<\/b> (I-Vermont) and other progressives, against Stevens, who was supported by Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer<\/b> (D-New York), Sen. Gary Peters<\/b> (D-Michigan) and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer<\/b>.<\/p>\n Schumer has said he thinks Stevens has the best shot at holding the seat in the general election. Progressives rallied around El-Sayed, who also secured endorsements from Sens. Elizabeth Warren <\/b>(D-Massachusetts) and Chris Van Hollen <\/b>(D-Maryland).<\/p>\n Israel became a flash point in the race. Stevens was criticized for being supported by groups tied to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. El-Sayed has faced scrutiny for campaigning with Hasan Piker<\/b>, a streamer who once questioned whether America \u201cdeserved\u201d 9\/11 and has described Hamas as less objectionable than Israel.<\/p>\n The eventual nominee will face former congressman Mike Rogers<\/b>, who was unopposed in the Republican primary. Rogers narrowly lost Michigan\u2019s other Senate race in 2024 even as Donald Trump<\/b> carried the state.<\/p>\n The Senate is set to leave at the end of the week for a five-week recess \u2014 but Senate Republicans still have a lot of work to do before they skip town.<\/p>\n The Senate is working to pass a funding bill to avert a potential government shutdown starting Oct. 1 \u2014 something neither party wants to deal with weeks before the midterm elections. The first procedural vote on the measure passed 89-4 on Monday.<\/p>\n Senate Majority Leader John Thune<\/b> (R-South Dakota) is also hustling to pass another bill with overwhelming bipartisan support: the Lindsey O. Graham<\/b> Sanctioning Russia Act of 2026. The bill \u2014 which Graham, the late Republican senator from South Carolina, championed before his sudden death last month \u2014 would add fresh sanctions on Russia in support of Ukraine.<\/p>\n Such strong bipartisan support is rare for major legislation in the bitterly divided Senate of the Trump era \u2014 but it does not guarantee the chamber will be able to pass both bills this week.<\/p>\n The Senate\u2019s byzantine rules force it to move slowly unless there\u2019s unanimous consent: no objections from a single senator. So Thune is working to reach agreements with senators who object to the legislation \u2014 by, say, guaranteeing a vote on an amendment to a bill. Senators are rarely more amenable to such deals than right before a long recess.<\/p>\n The Senate could also try this week to confirm Todd Blanche<\/b>, Trump\u2019s nominee to be attorney general.<\/p>\n The Senate Judiciary Committee approved Blanche\u2019s nomination Tuesday after Sens. John Cornyn<\/b> (R-Texas) and Thom Tillis<\/b> (R-North Carolina) reached a deal with the Trump administration. Blanche on Sunday formally rescinded an order issued a month ago to set up a $1.8 billion fund to compensate people <\/b>who said they had been prosecuted for political purposes . The move sparked a rare rebellion from Senate Republicans, some of whom feared it would be used to compensate people convicted of attacking the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.<\/p>\n But it\u2019s unclear that Blanche has the votes to be confirmed. No Democrats support his nomination. Sen. Susan Collins<\/b> (R-Maine) said Tuesday that she would not vote for him, citing steps he has taken to erode the Justice Department\u2019s independence.<\/p>\n Read more Nationals lose James Wood to oblique strain, then fall meekly to Phillies<\/a><\/p>\n Two other Republicans, Sens. Lisa Murkowski <\/b>(Alaska) and Bill Cassidy<\/b> (Louisiana), have not said whether they will support Blanche.<\/p>\n Some Republicans are pushing to do even more this week. Thune has not ruled out taking the first step toward passing legislation to send more money to the Pentagon and provide aid to farmers. But it\u2019s not clear that enough Republicans are on board with the idea, which would require the support of almost every Republican because Democrats oppose it.<\/p>\n Trump has demanded that the Senate also pass the Save America Act, a proof-of-citizenship <\/b>voting bill that Thune has said again and again does not have enough support to pass, before leaving town. Some Republicans have called for the Senate to remain in Washington until the bill passes, although others have said it is pointless.<\/p>\n Thune said Tuesday that he was not isolated from Trump even though he has resisted the president\u2019s entreaties to keep the Senate in session until the voting bill is passed \u2014 but he also expressed frustration that some of the bill\u2019s advocates refuse to acknowledge that it does not have the 50 votes needed to pass.<\/p>\n \u201cIt seems to me some days that I\u2019m the only one here who can count to 50 in this town,\u201d Thune told reporters.<\/p>\n Adam Hamilton<\/b>, a United Methodist pastor who has raised more than $4 million for his campaign, won the Democratic Senate nomination in Kansas. He\u2019ll face Republican Sen. Roger Marshall in November.<\/p>\n We\u2019re watching whether this race becomes competitive.<\/p>\n There\u2019s reason for skepticism: Kansas has not elected a Democratic senator since 1932. Still, it\u2019s not that much more Republican than some states that Democrats are targeting.<\/p>\n Trump won Kansas by 16 points in 2024. He won Texas \u2014 where polls show a close race between Democratic state Rep. James Talarico<\/b> and Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton<\/b> \u2014 by about 14 points. And he won Iowa \u2014 another state with a competitive Senate race this year \u2014 by about 13 points.<\/p>\n The Cook Political Report <\/b>shifted its rating of the race<\/a> to \u201cLikely Republican\u201d from \u201cSolid Republican\u201d Tuesday night after Hamilton won the primary. <\/i>We\u2019ll be keeping an eye on the polling in this race.<\/p>\n My colleagues who cover Capitol Hill for The Post and I have been debating our favorite Beyonc\u00e9 songs.<\/p>\n Jarrell Dillard<\/b>, our congressional economic policy correspondent, says \u201cIrreplaceable.\u201d Alexei Koseff<\/b>, who writes accountability and enterprise stories about Congress, is a fan of \u201cCrazy in Love.\u201d We asked Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez<\/b> (D-New York) to settle it for us<\/a> \u2014 and she said \u201cDon\u2019t Hurt Yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n Please nominate your own favorites by sending a note to Jarrell: jarrell.dillard@washpost.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n Read more Judge dismisses Jan. 6 seditious conspiracy charges against Oath Keepers<\/a><\/p>\n