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Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is experiencing a sharp slowdown in fundraising, sparking speculation that he could face a primary challenge from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in 2026. Federal Election Commission filings show the five-term New York Democrat raised just $133,000 in the last quarter \u2014 a steep drop from his usual multi-million-dollar hauls and less than half of what he raised during the same period in his last election cycle, The New York Post reported. In contrast, Ocasio-Cortez, 36, brought in $4.5 million for her House reelection campaign during the same three months. The congresswoman has not ruled out a Senate run, raising concerns that she could target Schumer directly.<\/p>\n
Schumer\u2019s campaign spent more than it raised from July through September, shelling out $322,000 while taking in less than half that amount. Although he still has $8.6 million cash on hand, that total lags behind Ocasio-Cortez\u2019s $11.8 million, an unusual reversal for the longtime Senate leader known for his fundraising prowess. Analysts point to her grassroots energy as a driving force behind contributions, with Adam Green of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee noting, \u201cThere\u2019s a big political and financial upside to being bold and capturing energy, and in this moment that accrues to AOC, not Chuck Schumer.\u201d Schumer\u2019s traditional donor base, including Wall Street, lawyers, and real estate interests, appears to be cooling amid the Democratic Party\u2019s generational and ideological shift.<\/p>\n
Despite these concerns, Schumer\u2019s office maintains that he remains focused on retaining Senate control. Spokesman Angelo Roefaro said, \u201cChuck is focused on raising money for Senate 2026 candidates.\u201d Some progressives, however, have criticized his support for older Democratic leaders, portraying the party as led by an aging leadership out of touch with younger voters. Political analysts caution that Schumer\u2019s fundraising decline may be temporary, given his extensive donor network and ability to mobilize resources when needed. With Ocasio-Cortez\u2019s grassroots fundraising surging and Schumer under growing scrutiny, Democrats are preparing for what could become a high-profile intraparty clash in New York.<\/p>\n
Newly unearthed Federal Election Commission records show that Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA), one of President Donald Trump\u2019s most outspoken critics, has made more than $360,000 in campaign payments since 2021 to a California man for \u2018bizarre\u2019 reasons.According to FEC filings, Swalwell\u2019s campaign committee and his political action committee, Remedy PAC, have issued more than 75 payments to an individual named Darly Meyer, a North Hollywood resident who also operates a limousine business called CYD Global Car Service.The payments, which span from 2021 through September 2025, vary from as little as $53 to more than $12,000 each. Filings list a wide range of descriptions for the disbursements, including \u201csecurity services,\u201d \u201csalary,\u201d \u201ctravel reimbursement,\u201d \u201cpersonal travel expense reimbursement,\u201d \u201ccar service,\u201d \u201cevent flowers reimbursement,\u201d and \u201cpostage.\u201d Individual payments totaled more than $120,000 in both 2024 and 2025 alone.<\/p>\n
Hans von Spakovsky, a former FEC commissioner and senior legal fellow at the Heritage Foundation, said the pattern of inconsistencies should trigger a formal review by the agency\u2019s enforcement arm.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is the type of bizarre inconsistency that should catch the attention of the FEC,\u201d von Spakovsky said. \u201cThese kinds of irregularities should cause the agency\u2019s auditing arm to investigate whether these were legitimate payments to a legitimate contractor.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Swalwell\u2019s campaign did not provide a detailed explanation for the varied classifications, Fox News reported.<\/p>\n
When reached for comment, the California Democrat replied only, \u201cDarly protects me and my family.\u201d However, a search of the California Bureau of Security and Investigative Services database found no record of a state-issued security license for Meyer.<\/p>\n
Public records show that Meyer\u2019s business car service markets itself as a provider of \u201ccorporate shuttles and luxury chauffeur services\u201d across California. He also serves as an administrator for a Facebook group called CaliHaitians, which describes itself as a \u201cprogressive community\u201d for Haitian Americans living in the western United States.<\/p>\n
The findings come as Swalwell continues to face scrutiny for his campaign\u2019s history of lavish spending on travel, entertainment, and luxury accommodations abroad. Past FEC filings show that Swalwell\u2019s campaign has repeatedly billed thousands of dollars for first-class hotels, private yacht charters, and luxury transportation services.In October 2023, his campaign reported spending nearly $17,000 with Just Dreaming Yacht Charters, a San Francisco-based company that advertises \u201crelaxing and luxurious\u201d yacht outings for up to 40 guests. His 2023 year-end filing also showed nearly $1,700 in charges at Dubai\u2019s five-star Burj Al Arab Hotel, along with additional expenses at 1 Hotel San Francisco, Austin Proper Hotel, and the Times Square Edition in New York.<\/p>\n
In total, Swalwell\u2019s campaign reported roughly $90,000 in travel-related expenses during the final three months of 2023 alone. Earlier filings from 2022 showed nearly $60,000 in travel spending over a six-week span, including a $1,752 charge at Hotel La Maison Champs-\u00c9lys\u00e9es in Paris.<\/p>\n
These revelations have fueled accusations from conservative watchdogs and critics that Swalwell\u2019s committees function as \u201cpersonal slush funds\u201d under the guise of campaign expenditures.Von Spakovsky said the discrepancies in the Meyer payments highlight a larger transparency problem. \u201cWhen you see this kind of reporting pattern \u2014 different labels, inconsistent descriptions, and overlapping functions \u2014 it\u2019s the sort of thing that absolutely deserves FEC scrutiny,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Swalwell, who serves on the House Judiciary Committee and has been one of Trump\u2019s most combative opponents in Congress, has long been a target of Republican criticism over ethics and security concerns.<\/p>\n
In 2020, intelligence officials confirmed that a suspected Chinese spy known as Christine Fang, or \u201cFang Fang,\u201d had developed ties to Swalwell earlier in his career, including through political fundraising. House Republicans later cited that relationship when removing him from the House Intelligence Committee in 2023, calling him a \u201cnational security risk.\u201d Swalwell denied wrongdoing, saying he cooperated fully with the FBI and was never accused of misconduct.<\/p>\n
The new FEC irregularities are expected to draw further attention from federal regulators.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf these payments were truly for security, then documentation should exist \u2014 invoices, contracts, service receipts,\u201d von Spakovsky said. \u201cIf they don\u2019t, that\u2019s when you get into potential violations of campaign finance law.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is experiencing a sharp slowdown in fundraising, sparking speculation that he could face a primary challenge from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in 2026. Federal Election Commission filings show…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2865,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2866","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hot-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t