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Jen Bendery

@jbendery.bsky.social
67K followers 430 following 6.3K posts

Senior politics reporter for HuffPost. Drop me a tip or a hello: jen.bendery@huffpost.com Signal: jbendery.41

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Jen Bendery @jbendery.bsky.social · 12h
fair response
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Jen Bendery @jbendery.bsky.social · 14h
Paxton is in real trouble. Democrat James Talarico has been leading in the polls, and the tens of millions of dollars the GOP has poured into this race to try to save Paxton hasn’t moved the needle. www.natesilver.net/p/nate-silve...
natesilver.net
FLIPR 2026 midterm election forecast
Silver Bulletin's prediction for every Senate, House, and gubernatorial election in 2026.
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Grizzled Shopkeep @grizzled-shopkeep.bsky.social · 14h
Also San Antonio is a blue city and Hispanics have soured on Republicans since the 2024 election by about 20 points.
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Cheryl Rofer @cherylrofer.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
The immensely wealthy men who run the AI companies are forcing the economy to serve their dreams and crowding out everyone else's.
paulkrugman.substack.com
AI Versus Everything Else
The hyperscaler boom is crowding out other investment
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Jen Bendery @jbendery.bsky.social · 14h
“Of course the economy is horrible,” Paxton's senior advisor Michelle Smith said on X. In another post, Smith said it’s obvious “the economy is hurting everybody right now.” Trump yesterday: My rallies are showing people "how great the economy is doing." Tonight should be interesting!
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Jen Bendery @jbendery.bsky.social · 14h
Meanwhile, the RNC just sent this out.
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Jen Bendery @jbendery.bsky.social · 14h
LOL: "Of course the economy is horrible," Ken Paxton's senior advisor Michelle Smith said today on social media, hours before Trump -- who insists the economy is "great" -- heads to Texas for a campaign rally with Paxton. www.huffpost.com/entry/live-u...
huffpost.com
‘Of Course The Economy Is Horrible' Ken Paxton Advisor Says Ahead Of Trump’s Texas Rally
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Jen Bendery @jbendery.bsky.social · 17h
Flanagan, who has the edge in her race against Republican Michele Tafoya, now boasts the endorsement of both Clinton and her 2016 presidential primary rival, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).
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Jen Bendery @jbendery.bsky.social · 19h
NEW: Hillary Clinton is endorsing Minnesota Democratic Senate nominee Peggy Flanagan, making her first congressional endorsement in 2026 and taking a swing at Trump in the process. www.huffpost.com/entry/hillar...
huffpost.com
Hillary Clinton Endorses Peggy Flanagan In Minnesota Senate Race
The Democratic lieutenant governor is the first to get Clinton’s public backing in any 2026 Senate or House race.
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Jen Bendery @jbendery.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
News of the Cornell rape case has fueled a 73% spike in calls to the National Sexual Assault hotline in the last week. "Yesterday alone, they were more than double normal. Many of those contacting the hotline say they were prompted to call as a direct result of reading about Jane Doe," says RAINN.
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Max Aemilius @upontherocks.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Kansas, you in danger girl
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Jen Bendery @jbendery.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
😂
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Jen Bendery @jbendery.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
! Kansas now rated a toss-up, insane
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Jen Bendery @jbendery.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
JFC, how did we get here: Gavin Newsom says he’s directed his state to monitor threats after Trump suggested he wouldn’t care if Iran decided to “take out” Los Angeles and San Diego. www.huffpost.com/entry/live-u...
huffpost.com
Newsom Says State Will Monitor Threats After Trump Says Iran Can Target Democrat-Led Cities
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Geoff Brumfiel @gbrumfiel.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
The IceCube neutrino detector has won the 2026 Nobel Prize in physics. The Trump administration has proposed slashing its budget in half in 2027.
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ProPublica @propublica.org · 06/10/2026
The government *still* isn’t tracking how often immigration agents detain U.S. citizens. We are. 500+ Americans have been handcuffed, held at gunpoint or held against their will in Trump’s second term. Our tally is almost certainly an undercount. THREAD (content warning: violence) ⬇️
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Jen Bendery @jbendery.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
👀
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Jen Bendery @jbendery.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
I think Vance was accusing of Dems "cheating" and "lying" to "steal an election" because of the idea they are behind the *other* Dan Sullivan being on the AK Senate ballot. But also, Trump has literally told voters to cheat in Nov and is trying to steal an election. www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-...
huffpost.com
Trump's Weird Convention Just Tied Every GOP Candidate To His Sagging Popularity
Good luck in November!
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Jen Bendery @jbendery.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
yeah....
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Jen Bendery @jbendery.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Her campaign also notes that she 1) owns 176 long guns (!) and has an "A" rating from the NRA, and 2) was described as “one of the least loyal Democrats in the House," a funny thing to brag about but I get it, she's independently minded, yada yada alaskapublic.org/news/2024-03...
alaskapublic.org
Peltola's votes show she’s one of the least loyal Democrats in the U.S. House
Alaska’s congresswoman votes against her party at twice the average rate, mostly on energy and immigration measures.
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Jen Bendery @jbendery.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Peltola's campaign spokesperson sends along this statement in response to the Sullivan/Vance rally:
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yazikus @yazikus.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Great thread. I'd recommend watching this in full. It's rather illuminating.
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Cannonball Adderall @echoloop.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
(Wikipedia entry)
Psychological projection is a defense mechanism in which the ego defends itself against unconscious impulses or qualities (both positive and negative) by denying their existence in themselves and attributing them to others. For example, a bully may project his or her own feelings of vulnerability onto the target, or
a person who is confused may project feelings of confusion and inadequacy onto other people.
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Jen Bendery @jbendery.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
UH -- JD Vance just wrapped up with this comment about... Democrats?! "They are ruthless. They will do whatever they need to do, right up to cheating, and right up to lying, right up to putting somebody on the ballot who has no reason to be there other than to help them steal an election."
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Jen Bendery @jbendery.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Scott Wheaton, 77, kinda summed up how a lot of independent voters said they viewed Peltola vs Sullivan:
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Jen Bendery @jbendery.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Did I mention I was in Alaska last month, asking dozens of voters across parties if they plann to vote in the Senate race, and if so, for whom and why? These voters' responses were not a good sign for Sullivan. www.huffpost.com/entry/alaska...
huffpost.com
Alaska’s Independent Streak Rears Its Head At The Wrong Moment For GOP
Voters say they’re tired of political division and greed. They’re worried about their fish. And one Senate candidate seems to be winning them over.
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Jen Bendery @jbendery.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Vance just bought up -- again -- that Peltola didn't pass a bill in her short time in the House. Why? Meanwhile, latest poll in the Alaska Senate race gives Peltola a 7-point lead. www.newsweek.com/alaska-poll-...
newsweek.com
Alaska poll gives Mary Peltola 7 point lead after NYT staffer report
The Democrat appears to have brushed off allegations of angry outburst and slurs, with voters unmoved by a damning NYT report.
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Jen Bendery @jbendery.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
I mean he just arrived tonight! but maybe!
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Jen Bendery @jbendery.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Kinda surprised Sullivan/Vance are repeatedly attacking Peltola for not passing bills in her term + a few months in the House. Like this is the best they got? If anything, missing 1 in 5 votes, if true, feels more notable.
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Jen Bendery @jbendery.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Sullivan, and now Vance, knocking Peltola for 1) not getting any bills signed in her one term (+ a few months) in the House and 2) being a "no show" at work because she apparently missed 1 in 5 votes during her time in the House. "Mary has been a failure for the state of Alaska," says Vance.
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Jen Bendery @jbendery.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
AK Dem Party out with a statement knocking Sullivan for bringing Vance to AK, saying he's "calling up his Lower 48 fellow Ohioan – J.D. Vance – to come bail him out." Sullivan was born and raised in Ohio. When I was in AK last month, several voters grumbled about him being "a carpetbagger."
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Jen Bendery @jbendery.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
So why is JD Vance in Alaska, a state where Trump was comfortably elected in 2024, to support a two-term incumbent Republican senator? Because this (via Nate Silver's site):
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Jen Bendery @jbendery.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
JD Vance is up now. He says it's his first time in Alaska.
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Jen Bendery @jbendery.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Omg Sullivan just introduced Vance as "the president of the United States." 😂 He corrected himself after. Then he asked the crowd to give Vance a warm welcome -- and "Free Byrd" started playing as the cameras panned to an empty plane.
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Jen Bendery @jbendery.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
1) most if not all Dems will support Schumer for majority leader if Dems win the Senate 2) okay, her staff should have fed her fuckin lizard 3) she was in the House for a few months, and then one term. not a lot of time to pass your bills into law!
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Jen Bendery @jbendery.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) holding a rally in Fairbanks right now -- with JD Vance soon to join -- and so far his hits on Mary Peltola are 1) she said she'd support Chuck Schumer for Senate majority leader 2) she was a mean boss 3) she didn't pass her bills into law in her 1.5 terms in the House.
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Jen Bendery @jbendery.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Crank is in a tight race against Democrat Jessica Killin in Colorado’s 5th Congressional District. Cook Political Report has called this the fastest-trending Democratic seat in the country, and last month shifted its rating of this seat from “likely Republican” to “lean Republican.”
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Jen Bendery @jbendery.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Sky and Amanda Roberts, the brother and sister-in-law to Virginia Giuffre, are Crank's constituents. In the ad, they knock him for blowing them off when they tried to meet, and for his multiple votes to block efforts to release the Epstein files. "He has no business being in Congress.”
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Jen Bendery @jbendery.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
New DCCC ad features the family of Virginia Giuffre, a victim of Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse who died by suicide, calling out Rep. Jeff Crank (R-Colo.) for refusing to meet with them + helping to cover up Trump's ties to Epstein. “Virginia deserved better." www.huffpost.com/entry/live-u...
huffpost.com
Family Of Epstein Victim Calls Out GOP Congressman In New Ad
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Jen Bendery @jbendery.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Nearly 1,400 people laid off at Ohio truck factory days before a Trump rally. One laid off worker said he voted for Trump three times. Now, he says he’s done with the president. www.huffpost.com/entry/a-gut-...
huffpost.com
A Gut Punch In Ohio: Nearly 1,400 Laid Off At Truck Factory Just Days Before Trump Rally
One laid off worker said he voted for Trump three times. Now, he says he’s done with the president.
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Joaquin Castro @joaquincastrotx.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Trump is coming to San Antonio Wednesday. I invited him to the Dilley Trailer Prison. He should face the children he’s traumatizing. Can the president look these innocent children in the eyes and tell them they deserve to be there?
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Jen Bendery @jbendery.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
👀
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Greg Sargent @gregsargent.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Something big may be happening: Trump's world-historical misrule may be creating the conditions for the emergence of a coalition similar to the one that ousted Viktor Orban earlier this year: Anti-corruption, anti-authoritarian, pro-democracy. I made this case here: newrepublic.com/article/2161...
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Jen Bendery @jbendery.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
👀 Justice Samuel Alito told CBS he "thought about" retiring this year, and it's something he thinks about "every term" because "somebody at my age" has to think about it. He also said he "has to" think about retiring every year. (He's 76.) www.huffpost.com/entry/live-u...
huffpost.com
Justice Alito Addresses His Possible Retirement Timeline
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Jen Bendery @jbendery.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Good grief. Where do you live?
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Jen Bendery @jbendery.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Also, are you based in San Antonio?
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Jen Bendery @jbendery.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
That's one one Alaskan voter told me was her voting plan!
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Dan Froomkin/Press Watch/Heads Up News @froomkin.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
What would Time's sad and useless Trump interview have been like if I were in charge? On @ms.now: www.ms.now/opinion/trum...
ms.now
Opinion | Time magazine’s big interview with Trump was a huge missed opportunity
Dan Froomkin: This is not a normal president. To get useful answers out of him, journalists need to break out of their standard interviewing molds.
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Jen Bendery @jbendery.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
I think they are throwing everything they can at this race and will continue to do so.
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Brandi Buchman @brandibuchman.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Check out my new pen.
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