A 42-year-old illegal immigrant convicted of repeatedly raping a child was awarded a pardon by Gov. Tim Walz’s board of pardons after the state’s clemency commission recommended it be granted to him due to "immigration concerns."

Fox News Digital reviewed documents from the Minnesota Clemency Review Commission, which voted four to two to grant a pardon to Laotian national Tue Lue Vang following his conviction for criminal sexual conduct. Vang admitted to repeatedly raping a girl over a multi-year period beginning when she was 10 years old. While the two board members who voted against granting a pardon noted the serious nature of Vang’s offenses, the four members recommending a pardon each listed concern about him being deported.

One commissioner, Zach Linstrom, who voted in favor of granting the pardon, wrote in his recommendation, "Very tough case but the kids not having a father is not in the best interest of society," referring to Vang’s six children. Artika Roller, another commissioner who voted in favor of the pardon, wrote, "The applicant stated the need for clemency related to immigration issues."

Following the commission’s recommendation, the Minnesota Board of Pardons, which consists of Walz, state Attorney General Keith Ellison and Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Natalie Hudson, awarded Vang a full pardon on June 10, essentially giving him a clean slate as he was set to be deported.

DOJ ACCUSES MARYLAND OF 'ACTIVE AND DELIBERATE EFFORT' TO PREVENT DEPORTATIONS OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS: LAWSUIT

At the time of the pardon, Homeland Security Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis remarked that "Governor Tim Walz's decision to pardon an illegal alien convicted child rapist so he can remain in our country is disgusting."

"These are the criminal illegal aliens he and his Minnesota sanctuary politicians are protecting," she said.

Vang entered the U.S. through California in 1994 and was granted legal status by the Clinton administration. Between 2002 and 2004, when Vang was between 18 and 20 years old, he had sexual intercourse with the victim four to six times. The abuse took place in St. Paul, Minnesota, in Ramsey County. The first rape took place when the victim was in fourth grade.

Documents reviewed by Fox News Digital reveal that the victim "did not understand what Vang was doing, so she let him." As time went on, the document notes that the victim began to tell her friends about the abuse, who testified that she was "angry and sad" about it. At one time, the document said that Vang offered the victim $10 to keep quiet about the abuse.

While Ramsey County District Court Judge Sara Grewing did not take a position on Vang’s pardon, Ramsey County Assistant Attorney Tami McConkey recommended against granting it.

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In her formal opposition statement, McConkey noted that her office had offered a dispositional departure to Vang because the then-12-year-old victim experienced pressure from her family not to cooperate with law enforcement after his arrest.

Vang was sentenced to 12 years in prison following his conviction. However, the sentence was stayed in favor of 30 years of supervised probation, which included one year of local confinement. Ultimately, he served eight months at the county correctional workhouse. He was discharged from probation early in 2019.

McConkey noted that there were several additional aggravating factors in the case, including Vang abusing the victim over an extended period of time, in one instance even driving her to his home to abuse her, and not using sexual protection.

A criminal complaint shared with Fox News Digital states that upon his arrest, Vang told police, "I made a mistake, but this is a minor thing. It is a cultural thing in Thailand to marry and have sex with girls as young as 12." The complaint also notes that "Vang stated [the victim] should be arrested also because she was as much at fault."

McConkey noted that "while Mr. Vang expresses shame and regret about what his children experience when then [sic] learn of the offense, he does not share any thoughts or insight about what the victim must have gone through."

Despite this, several commissioners noted that the victim supported a pardon for Vang in their reasons for their recommendation.

Commissioner Nadine Graves wrote, "The victim supports this pardon. His [Vang’s] wife stayed and has forgiven. He also [has] immigration concerns. He has remorse and was discharged from probation."

Graves noted Vang’s early discharge from probation and wrote that "he retracted his prior statement about this being a result of culture. He admits this was wrong then and will always be wrong."

Lindstrom likewise noted, "applicant’s wife supports" and "victim supports" a pardon.

ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT SOCCER COACH WHO USED ALCOHOL AND DRUGS TO SEXUALLY ABUSE KIDS LEARNS FATE

Commissioner Perry Moriearty wrote, "Despite the extraordinary severity of the underlying offense, there is substantial evidence of rehabilitation, remorse and acceptance of responsibility." He also noted in his reasons that Vang "is facing deportation" and "victim supports."

In his application for a pardon, Vang wrote, "I carry deep shame and regret for the harm I caused." He noted that he was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in December and was facing a final order of removal. He expressed worry that, because he arrived in the U.S. as a child, if he were deported he "would be sent to a place entirely unfamiliar to me, with no family, no home, and no future."

Vang wrote, "My fear is that, if deported, my children will grow up without a father, like I did" and "I will do all that I can to be here and to protect them from the outcomes of my deportation."

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None of this stopped the Trump administration from taking action against Vang. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Friday that he had stepped in to terminate Vang's legal status in the U.S. and that he had been removed to his home country of Laos.

Rubio told Fox News Digital, "Americans should never have to live in fear that foreign sex predators — shielded from deportation by their own elected officials — could endanger them or their children."

"That's why I terminated his legal status in the United States," he continued. "Vang has now been removed from our country and will never pose a threat to any American ever again."

Prince Harry is back in the U.K. to mark the one-year countdown to the 2027 Invictus Games, with a royal expert saying the event showcases the "best" of the Duke of Sussex.

Harry founded the Invictus Games, an international adaptive sporting competition for wounded, injured and sick military service members and veterans, in 2014. Harry served 10 years in the British Army, including two deployments to Afghanistan.

Meredith Constant, royal commentator, told Fox News Digital that Harry's Invictus Games only shows the royal family the "asset" they lost when Harry and Meghan Markle stepped down as senior royals.

PRINCE HARRY'S UK TRIP OFF TO ROCKY START AFTER FIRST MAJOR SETBACK

"The Invictus Games highlight the best of Prince Harry and the assets the British royal family lost when the Sussexes exited working royal life," she began. "The Invictus Games have played a massive role in bringing veterans from all over the world together to heal and celebrate community, including Harry. He shared in his book, ‘Spare,’ the PTSD he experiences, so the Invictus Games have probably helped his own healing as well."

Constant went on to share that the Invictus Games show how much Harry actually does love his country.

"Invictus Games also show the love he has for his home country. The games are named after a poem by William Ernest Henley that most British people know, particularly the line 'I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul,'" she said.

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PRINCE WILLIAM 'NO LONGER RECOGNIZES' PRINCE HARRY AS SECURITY BATTLE LEAVES DUKE 'CLOSE TO TEARS': EXPERT

"Harry took control of his own fate when he and Meghan moved their family overseas. Harry continues charitable endeavors, like the Invictus Games, that take him to the U.K., because he loves it and loves his country. He does despite the overwhelming press coverage and scrutiny his visits inevitably bring," Constant continued.

Hilary Fordwich, British royal expert, told Fox News Digital that the Invictus Games are so special because they are purely from Harry's heart.

"What sets Invictus apart is that it is based on something so genuine, from his heart and his previous military experiences. H conceived the idea after watching the ’13 Warrior Games, then built Invictus into an international sporting movement for wounded, injured and sick prior service personnel directly linked to his own identity. Via the games, he has been able to inspire recovery, rehabilitation and to garner broader respect for those who have served," Fordwich said.

Fordwich said until Markle got involved in the event, it was an opportunity for Harry "to showcase his true heart."

"Watching his interactions with the athletes, particularly in the wheelchair rugby match, but also the families and support teams, one can see he has genuinely invested heart and soul into the cause. Birmingham ‘27 countdown is particularly significant since, with sponsors quitting, this is mission critical for his being about to sustain the event in the future," she concluded.

According to Richard Fitzwilliams, royal expert, there is "little doubt that Invictus is uniquely valuable."

"It helps veterans and serving soldiers with physical injuries and mental health conditions. Harry was behind a much-praised, though little-watched five-part series on Netflix which contained stories of the courageous men and women the Games help. Its 10th anniversary was rightly celebrated with a service at St Paul’s which Harry attended solo," Fitzwilliams said.

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The Invictus Games are held every two years and bring together competitors from countries around the world to compete in adaptive sports such as wheelchair basketball, wheelchair rugby, sitting volleyball, swimming, indoor rowing, cycling, athletics and archery.

More recent editions have also added winter sports like alpine skiing, snowboarding, skeleton and wheelchair curling. While medals are awarded, the focus is less on winning and more on rehabilitation, resilience and building community among veterans and active-duty service members recovering from physical injuries, illnesses or psychological trauma such as PTSD.

The Games have become one of the defining charitable initiatives of his public life, continuing even after he stepped back as a senior working royal. The next Invictus Games are scheduled to take place in Birmingham, England, in July 2027, marking the first time the event has returned to the U.K. since the inaugural Games in London in 2014.

A bipartisan housing bill became law Saturday at midnight after President Donald Trump declined to sign it, capping a weeks-long saga over whether the president would veto the measure amid frustrations with Congress over his stalled agenda.

Trump refused to sign the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act — legislation aimed at expanding the nation’s housing stock and lowering costs — in an attempt to pressure Congress to pass the SAVE America Act, despite the housing bill clearing both chambers with overwhelming majorities.

"I will not sign the Housing Bill, which has been fully approved by Congress and sent to the White House, in PROTEST over the fact that the United States Senate is not capable of passing THE SAVE AMERICA ACT, which is polling at 97% with the Republican Party, and very high with the non-politician Dumocrats," he declared on Truth Social Friday morning. 

The Trump-backed election measure, which would require proof of citizenship to vote in federal elections and impose voter ID requirements, has struggled to overcome the Senate’s 60-vote threshold. 

Meanwhile, the House has not passed a version of the bill that includes the president’s proposed crackdown on mail-in voting and banning men from women’s sports.

HOUSE CONSERVATIVES DERAIL GOP AGENDA IN SAVE AMERICA ACT SHOWDOWN

Under the U.S. Constitution, Trump had 10 days, not including Sundays, to sign or veto the housing measure after the House formally transmitted the legislation to the White House in late June. The president ultimately chose neither option, allowing the measure to become law without his signature.

Though Trump declined to veto the legislation, he sharply criticized elements of the bill and argued it should not have been a legislative priority in recent weeks.

"It's so unimportant … compared to the SAVE America Act," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office in late June. "I think the SAVE America Act is exactly what it says. It's saving America from crooked elections."

Trump went on to call the housing bill "a yawn," adding, "compared to the SAVE America Act, just about everything is a big yawn."

It would have taken a two-thirds majority in both chambers to override a veto — a margin the House and Senate exceeded when they passed the legislation. However, it remains unclear whether so many Republicans would have defied the president had he vetoed the bill.

Trump also appeared to criticize the bill over a provision restricting Wall Street investors from purchasing single-family homes — a policy he first proposed during his January State of the Union address and later urged Congress to pass. Trump previously argued the investor ban would give individual homebuyers a leg up against private equity firms in the housing market.

"I don't want to hurt people that own houses, too," Trump later told reporters, appearing to reference the provision. "These people, for the first time in their lives, they have valuable houses. They've become rich. I don't want to hurt them either. What you want to do is what's good for everyone, get the interest rates down."

The law also aims to boost housing supply by streamlining federal environmental reviews, loosening rules around the construction of factory-built homes, and incentivizing local governments to modify their zoning laws to allow more housing, among roughly 60 provisions.

Trump’s souring on the legislation created headaches for Republicans, who touted the bill as an affordability win as voters grapple with high housing costs.

"It’s irresponsible to postpone signing the Housing bill due to the SAVE Act," Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., a retiring lawmaker who lost re-election to a Trump-backed challenger, wrote on social media. "We need to start delivering relief to people for the high cost of housing ASAP!!"

WARREN TELLS TRUMP TO 'SIGN THE DAMN BILL' AS BIPARTISAN HOUSING PACKAGE REMAINS STALLED IN WASHINGTON

Trump abruptly canceled a signing ceremony for the legislation at the U.S. Capitol in June with GOP leaders. The stage had already been set, with at least one senior Republican arriving unaware the president had called off the event shortly before it was scheduled to begin.

The president then declared he would not sign the legislation until Congress passed the SAVE America Act, despite Senate GOP leaders insisting the votes do not exist to advance the measure.

Trump has also expressed frustration with the Republican-controlled Senate for declining to weaken the legislative filibuster, which requires 60 votes to advance most legislation in the upper chamber.

"GET SMART REPUBLICANS, IF YOU DON’T, YOU WON’T BE IN OFFICE FOR LONG!" Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on Sunday.

Before Trump came out against the bill, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt called it "one of the most significant pieces of housing affordability legislation in American history" and said it included an array of policies "long championed" by Trump.

Meanwhile, Trump political operative James Blair touted the legislation for including the president’s Wall Street investor ban, which he referred to as a "signature commitment."

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has argued that Republicans will still promote the landmark housing bill ahead of November.

"We'll still celebrate it, but he's trying to make a point, and I think he's making it very effectively," the speaker recently told reporters, referring to Trump. "And the fact that you all ask me every three steps down the hallway illustrates that he has achieved the desired objective, and that is to make SAVE America the number one thing, because if we don't get that right, everybody's concerned about what happens next."

Russian missiles and Iranian-supplied drones continue to slam into Ukrainian hospitals and apartment blocks with regularity. These are not precision strikes aimed at military targets; they are clumsy, often wildly inaccurate terror attacks designed to break the will of the Ukrainian people.

In this, they echo the Nazi V-1 and V-2 "vengeance weapons" of 1944-45. Those terror weapons killed thousands of civilians in London and Antwerp, but achieved little militarily. They also mirror the Luftwaffe’s Blitz on British cities in 1940. The bombs fell — but British resolve only hardened.

The same dynamic is playing out now in Ukraine. Every Russian strike on civilians strengthens Ukrainian determination to fight on.

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Meanwhile, Ukraine has seized the initiative with a weapon the Russians has yet to counter: massed, AI-enabled drones and long-range cruise missiles produced at scale and employed with laser-like focus for operational and strategic effect.

Operationally, Ukrainian strikes have methodically dismantled Russian logistics across the southern theater from the Donbas approaches all the way to Crimea. Drone strikes on fuel convoys, ammunition trucks, rail hubs and bridges have created chronic shortages of fuel, water, ammunition and food for Russian troops.

Reports from occupied Crimea and the southern land corridor document rationing, long lines at gas stations and mounting chaos. Ukrainian strikes have effectively placed large portions of the Russian southern front under a logistics lockdown.

DRONE OFFENSIVE HITS RUSSIAN OIL TANKERS AND REFINERIES AT 'INDUSTRIAL SCALE' AS MOSCOW BANS DIESEL EXPORTS

With supply lines under constant interdiction, half or more of Russia’s southern grouping now operates under severe strain — a situation that risks localized collapse if the pressure continues. This, while Russian territorial gains have slowed to a crawl — and even reversed.

Strategically, Ukraine has accomplished something extraordinary. Its sustained campaign of long-range drone and missile strikes against Russian oil refineries and energy infrastructure intensified dramatically in the last month. Kyiv has inflicted damage on Russia’s fuel production capacity that took the U.S. Army Air Forces two full years of strategic bombing to achieve against Nazi Germany in World War II.

Major refineries from Moscow to the south have been hit repeatedly. Processing capacity has been slashed by more than a third. Russia now faces a genuine fuel crisis: lines at pumps, regional shortages and emergency measures. Putin himself has acknowledged the "difficult period."

The cruel arithmetic is now unavoidable. Who gets the remaining fuel? Front-line troops? The Russian military’s broader needs? Civilian motorists? Trucks and trains hauling food and goods? Farmers trying to bring in the harvest? A food crisis looms as transport and agriculture feel the squeeze.

Ukraine has gone further. Long-range strikes have also targeted Russian military electronics plants and missile production facilities. In June, Ukrainian forces hit a key electronics plant in Voronezh that produces components for Iskander missiles and other systems. When new Russian missiles emerge from damaged factories, they will fly with inferior avionics. Accuracy will suffer. The terror weapons aimed at Ukrainian apartments and hospitals may soon struggle to even hit a city center.

Ukrainian drones have not stopped at Russia’s borders. Naval and aerial drones have ranged far into the Black Sea and beyond, striking Russia’s shadow fleet of tankers used to evade sanctions and fund the war. Attacks have occurred off Turkey’s coast and even in the Mediterranean — vessels hit hundreds or thousands of miles from Ukrainian territory. This campaign degrades Moscow’s ability to export oil and generate war revenue.

All of this flows from Ukraine’s rapid mastery of drone technology and its decentralized, innovative military culture. Ukrainian industry has scaled production of AI-enhanced drones and cruise missiles at a pace that Russia’s legacy, Soviet-style, rigid, top-down systems cannot match.

There is a painful lesson here for the United States.

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Much of our Navy — aircraft carriers and submarines alike — remains vulnerable to massed drone attacks, both by air and sea, when at port. Air bases, power grids and other critical infrastructure also sit exposed. Adversaries could launch similar drone swarms from Cuba or Mexico, or from Chinese merchant vessels loitering off our coasts. We have seen what cheap, massed drones, some with warheads larger than a ton, can do when employed with imagination and industrial scale.

America must absorb these lessons quickly. President Donald Trump’s Department of War has called for urgent investment in layered counter-drone and missile defenses — the Golden Dome initiative — as well as hardened infrastructure and our own rapid innovation in unmanned systems. It’s up to Congress to fund it. We must reward decentralized initiative and speed rather than bureaucratic caution. The alternative is to learn these truths the hard way.

Russia’s terror campaign has failed to break Ukraine, while Ukraine’s precision campaign is systematically degrading Russia’s ability to wage war. Fortunately, war’s harsh lessons are plainly displayed for America to see — as we strive to deter adversaries.

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FIRST ON FOX: CHESTER, N.J. – The husband of Brooke Hanlon, who was found stabbed to death inside her Chester, New Jersey home, has obtained a lawyer, authorities confirmed to Fox News Digital.

Investigators with the Morris County Prosecutor's Office Major Crimes Unit confirmed to Fox News Digital that Conor Hanlon has been communicating with investigators following his wife’s killing.

The new mother was found dead on June 6 with "multiple sharp force injuries" confirmed by the medical examiner the Morris County Prosecutor's Office said.

'THAT WAS THE LAST I HEARD FROM HIM': SLAIN NJ THERAPIST’S NEIGHBOR RECALLS LAST CONTACT WITH HUSBAND

The agency said it has been in touch with "several" family members throughout the investigation.

When asked whether Hanlon has been cooperative throughout the probe, authorities chose not to comment.

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Fox News Digital obtained a Computer-Aided Dispatch (CAD) log of a 911 call made at the home on June 6 that was initially reported as a "Cardiac or Respiratory Arrest."

SLAIN NEW JERSEY THERAPIST'S SISTER SAYS FAMILY IS LIVING A 'NIGHTMARE' ONE MONTH LATER

According to the log, the 911 call came in at 4:29 p.m., and within 13 minutes at approximately 4:42 p.m., a dispatcher enters the note "suspicious death" to the log.

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Within the hour, Major Crimes Unit detectives were notified.

The log also indicates several days of investigative activity at the home following the initial call.

SLAIN NEW JERSEY THERAPIST'S SISTER SAYS FAMILY IS LIVING A 'NIGHTMARE' ONE MONTH LATER

Detectives, investigators and the medical examiner, among others, were recorded on the log from June 6 through June 12, when the log was officially closed out.

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It was not immediately clear who Hanlon's lawyer is. Hanlon has not been accused of any crime or wrongdoing.

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Fox News Digital previously made calls to Hanlon that were not returned.

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The investigation is active and ongoing.

Two days after President Donald Trump's Fourth of July address, attendees at the Great American State Fair told Fox News Digital they saw the speech as patriotic, not partisan.

"He's talking about taking down communism," David from New Jersey said.

"That's the definition of our whole country. Built on capitalism, that's our whole country. If that's what he was talking about, I don't think that's political at all. It's just about the freedom that we have here. If it wasn't for that, we wouldn't be here."

Thousands of Americans packed the National Mall on Saturday to celebrate the nation's 250th anniversary, touring exhibits from all 50 states despite sweltering heat and severe thunderstorms that temporarily paused celebrations.

TRUMP SET TO DELIVER 'HISTORIC' SPEECH CELEBRATING AMERICA'S 250TH ANNIVERSARY

Hours later, President Donald Trump delivered his 37-minute address, honoring veterans and the nation's founding while declaring that "no dream in history is bigger" than the American experiment and adding, "We don't want communists in our country," before a record-setting fireworks display.

Despite hitting on major historical themes and railing against communism, critics quickly accused Trump of being divisive and delivering a partisan July 4 speech over the weekend.

Matt from Florida said that while others may have disliked Trump's speech, he saw it as a tribute to veterans and Medal of Honor recipients.

"It's really nice to see him share the stage instead of just giving a speech and going away like most presidents do," he said. "It was just nice to actually see him treat the whole thing as a giant event as opposed to just a limelight on himself."

MEDIA ATTACKS DONALD TRUMP'S FOURTH OF JULY CELEBRATION, CLAIMING IT 'SULLIED' AMERICA 250

Ed and Linda from Ohio said they missed Trump's speech while waiting for the fireworks, but Ed said he supports the president "100 percent," while Linda added, "You should be able to rise above your political opinion and still enjoy the country's Fourth of July."

Doug and Karen from Texas said they approved of President Trump's message.

"It wasn't too political, it was what we needed to hear," Doug said.

"It was good," Karen added. "People need to hear it."

LEE GREENWOOD SAYS HE'S 'VERY PROUD' TO STAND NEXT TO TRUMP DURING AMERICA'S 250TH CELEBRATION

Kim from Michigan called July 4 "a political holiday," saying people will always find something to criticize.

"Throughout our history, it's been about our politics and what we stand for as a people, and what we believe in and what we're willing to fight for," she said.

Priya from California said politics naturally belongs in a Fourth of July speech, adding that America must change course "from a very negative direction that the country has gone."

"I think there's an intricate part that politics play obviously in the 250 years that we have been a nation," she said. "For it to last another 250 and hopefully beyond, we have to pay attention to that. We have to understand the political climate and what it's going to take for this nation to last and be prosperous."

With just under four months to go until this year's midterm elections, a top Senate Republican remains confident of the GOP's chances.

Sen. Tim Scott, the chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, recently told Fox News Digital this spring that he's "incredibly optimistic" the GOP can not only hold but expand its current 53–47 majority in the upper chamber.

But his counterpart at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, is equally confident her party can flip control of the Senate, telling Fox News Digital earlier this year she sees "all the makings of a blue wave" heading into November.

CRUCIAL SENATE BATTLE ROCKED AFTER MAJOR PLAYER DROPS OUT OF RACE

Republicans — as the party currently in power — were already up against traditional political headwinds that lead to a loss of congressional seats during midterm election years. Add to that the challenging climate fueled by persistent inflation, high gas prices tied to what polls show is an unpopular war with Iran and President Donald Trump's underwater approval ratings. It's all a perfect storm that spells unfavorable outcomes for the GOP.

But Democrats have problems of their own as they try to win back control of the Senate, including a party brand that public opinion polling indicates is extremely unpopular.

Add to that high profile victories in this spring and summer by left-wing and socialist candidates over establishment rivals in Democratic primaries that is giving Republicans extra ammunition to portray all Democrats as extremists, or as Trump calls them, "communists."

Here's a look at a dozen competitive Senate seats in play that could potentially flip the balance of power in the chamber.

Republicans are defending an open seat in the southeast battleground state, with GOP Sen. Thom Tillis retiring at the end of this year.

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The GOP is rallying around former Republican National Committee (RNC) Chair Michael Whatley, who has Trump's backing after serving alongside the president's daughter-in-law and Fox News host Lara Trump in the lead up to the 2024 election.

Democrats, meanwhile, landed their top recruit when former two-term Gov. Roy Cooper launched a Senate campaign last summer. Cooper enjoys tons of name recognition in North Carolina and is 6-0 when it comes to running statewide races.

North Carolina voted for Trump for his second term, but the top nonpartisan political handicapper, Cook Political Report, rates the race Lean Democrat, with Inside Elections ranking it as a toss up.

Moderate Republican Sen. Susan Collins is running for re-election for a sixth six-year term in blue-leaning Maine.

Collins is the only Republican senator running for re-election this year in a state that then-Vice President Kamala Harris carried in her 2024 presidential election bid against Trump. And Collins has seen a deterioration of her poll numbers among Mainers from her last re-election six years ago.

But the longtime senator, who has been a top DSCC target for multiple election cycles, has proven tough to beat.

But she could prevail again as her Democratic challenger, Graham Platner continues to face controversy over his past actions and comments.

The Marine Corps veteran and oyster farmer is backed by progressive champions Sens. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif.

Republican groups supporting Collins have been blasting Platner over controversial comments he made over a decade ago on a now deleted Reddit account, a well-publicized Nazi-linked tattoo on his chest, infidelity and allegations of sexual misconduct.

The GOP's also aiming to flip an open seat in battleground state of Michigan, where Democrat Sen. Gary Peters is retiring.

Former Rep. Mike Rogers, who won the 2024 GOP Senate nomination in Michigan but narrowly lost to Rep. Elissa Slotkin, is making a second straight bid and is the all-but-certain Republican nominee.

Democrats are dealing with a titanic two-way fight between center-left Rep. Haley Stevens, who is backed by Senate Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and former Wayne County Health Department Director Abdul El-Sayed, a left-wing candidate endorsed by Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.

The primary battle, which until Sunday also included progressive state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, has already exposed numerous Democratic Party divisions and provided Rogers, who is backed by Trump, with plenty of ammunition.

Michigan's primary will be held on August 4.

Democrats scored a major recruiting victory last year when former Sen. Sherrod Brown announced he would challenge Republican Sen. Jon Husted.

A former lieutenant governor, Husted was appointed to the Senate a year ago after then-Sen. JD Vance stepped down to serve as vice president to Trump.

Ohio, once a premier general election battleground, has turned solidly red over the past decade, and Democrats view Brown as their only competitive candidate in the race to serve the remaining two years of Vance's term.

Brown lost re-election in 2024 by roughly four points while Trump carried Ohio by 11 points.

The Cook Report and fellow nonpartisan ranker Sabato's Crystal Ball rate the race as a toss up, with Inside Elections ranking it as tilt Republican.

Republicans see another flip opportunity in New Hampshire, where a long-held Democratic Senate seat in New England's only swing state is opening thanks to the retirement of Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, who is the first woman in U.S. history to be elected governor and senator.

Four-term Rep. Chris Pappas is expected to capture the Democratic Senate nomination in the state's early September primary.

There's a primary race on the Republican side between two former senators seeking a return to Capitol Hill.

Former Sen. John E. Sununu, an older brother to former Gov. Chris Sununu, has the backing of the president and has a double-digit lead in public polling. But Trump's first-term ambassador to New Zealand, former Sen. Scott Brown, remains in the race.

Democrats were given a big boost in the red-leaning state when former Rep. Mary Peltola announced in February that she would challenge GOP incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan.

Peltola lost re-election in 2024 in the at-large district that covers the entire state by three points, while Trump carried Alaska by 11 points.

Meanwhile, there's a court battle ongoing over the Senate bid by another Dan Sullivan, a former teacher who announced his campaign in May and recently registered as a Republican.

Republicans view first-term Sen. Jon Ossoff as the most vulnerable Democrat seeking re-election in 2026.

The Peach State is a true battleground swing state.

Georgians voted for Joe Biden to be president in the 2020 elections, but then swung red to vote in Trump for a second term in 2024. FRom 2005 until 2020, the state had two Republicans representing them in the U.S. Senate before electing two Democrats to go to Washington, D.C. when Trump's first term ended.

Ossoff, first elected in that 2020 race, built a massive war chest while the GOP faced a nasty three-way primary battle for its nomination in the crucial sunbelt battleground state.

In November's midterms, Ossoff will face Republican Rep. Mike Collins, who was backed by Trump days ahead of last month's GOP primary runoff election.

While a recent Fox News poll indicated Ossoff holding a double digit lead, Republicans plan to run an aggressive campaign against the senator.

Republicans are defending an open seat in Iowa, a onetime swing state that's shifted to the right over the past decade.

But the GOP rallied around Rep. Ashley Hinson, who is backed by Trump, in the race to succeed retiring Republican Sen. Joni Ernst.

Hinson, a former local TV news anchor who flipped a Democratic-held seat in 2020, is seen as a rising star in the party.

State Rep. Josh Turek, a Paralympian, won a contested and expensive Democratic primary over more progressive state Sen. Zach Wahls.

State Rep. James Talarico is hoping to become the first Democrat since 1988 to win a U.S. Senate election in right-leaning Texas.

Talarico, who hauled in an eye-popping $27 million in fundraising the first three months of this year, defeated Rep. Jasmine Crockett in the March primary to secure the Democratic nomination.

The Democrat will face off in November against Trump-backed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. 

The MAGA firebrand, carrying plenty of political baggage, ousted longtime Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas in an expensive and combustible GOP nomination battle that went into overtime.

The retirement of Democratic Sen. Tina Smith is giving the GOP hopes they can flip the seat in the blue-leaning state.

And Republicans landed what they say is a top-tier recruit in former NBC sports reporter turned conservative pundit and activist Michele Tafoya, who is part of a crowded GOP field in next month's primary.

Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, a progressive, is facing off against more moderate Democratic Rep. Angie Craig in the race for their party’s nomination.

Republican Sen. Ashley Moody, who as Florida's attorney general was appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis last year to fill the seat once held by now-Secretary of State Marco Rubio, is on a glide path to the GOP nomination in next month's primary.

Moody will likely face off in November against Democratic challenger Alex Vindman, a retired Army lieutenant colonel, whistleblower in the 2019 Trump-Ukraine controversy and brother of Rep. Eugene Vindman.

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Polling in recent months suggests a competitive race between Moody and Vindman in right-leaning Florida.

Republican incumbent Sen. Pete Ricketts, a former governor, is seeking a full six-year term in the Senate representing red-leaning Nebraska.

He'll face off in the midterms with former union leader Dan Osborn, an independent candidate who is making his second straight run for the Senate.

Democratic nominee and former pharmacy technician Cindy Burbank is likely to drop out of the race and support Osborn in the general election.