Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate, Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, remained silent Thursday on whether he still supports eliminating the Electoral College, after the Harris campaign insisted his position did not reflect that of the campaign’s. 

“I think all of us know, the Electoral College needs to go. We need a national popular vote,” Walz said during a campaign fundraiser Tuesday at the home of Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom. Walz made similar comments at an earlier fundraiser in Seattle as well.

While running for president in 2019, Harris said she was “open” to the idea of abolishing the Electoral College. However, according to campaign officials pressed on the issue following Walz’s remarks, eliminating the Electoral College in favor of a national popular vote is not an official position of Harris’ current campaign.

Fox News Digital reached out to representatives for Walz repeatedly to inquire whether he still supports replacing the Electoral College with a national popular vote, particularly after his campaign came out against it. A response was never received, but the Harris-Walz campaign did release a statement to certain news outlets suggesting Walz’s remarks were intended to express support for the Electoral College process.

IF 2024 POLLING ERRORS MIRROR THOSE IN 2020 ELECTION, TRUMP ‘WINS IN A BLOWOUT,’ CNN DATA GURU SAYS

“Governor Walz believes that every vote matters in the Electoral College and he is honored to be traveling the country and battleground states working to earn support for the Harris-Walz ticket,” a Harris campaign spokesperson said in a statement sent to select media outlets like CNN and USA Today. “He was commenting to a crowd of strong supporters about how the campaign is built to win 270 electoral votes. And, he was thanking them for their support that is helping fund those efforts.” 

Debate over whether a national popular vote should replace the Electoral College surged in 2016 when Donald Trump won the Electoral College vote, cementing his victory despite losing the popular vote to Hillary Clinton. “I think it needs to be eliminated,” Clinton told CNN after her 2016 loss to Trump. “I’d like to see us move beyond it, yes.” Clinton made similar calls earlier in her career as well.

Just last month, Democratic Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin suggested there could be deadly consequences for Americans if the Electoral College was not done away with. Raskin said a national popular vote was a far better option than the current “convoluted, antique, obsolete system from the 18th century, which these days can get you killed as nearly it did on Jan. 6, 2021.”

NEBRASKA GOP SENATOR OPPOSES ELECTORAL COLLEGE CHANGE THAT MAY HAVE HELPED TRUMP WIN RE-ELECTION

The Electoral College has been something that both Republicans and Democrats have tried to do away with in the past, but contemporary calls for its abolition surged among Democrats after Clinton’s loss. The process was established by the nation’s Founding Fathers, seen as a compromise between the election of president by vote in Congress and election by a popular vote of qualified citizens. Electoral College votes, of which 270 are needed for any presidential candidate to win, are allocated based on the Census. The process effectively allows voters in states with lower populations to have a similar impact on the election as those voters living in higher population densities. The Electoral College is also thought to be a protective measure against super thin margins and excessive recounts.

In May 2023, as governor, Walz signed a broad ranging election bill that included a provision to allocate the state’s electors based on who receives the most votes nationwide, even if it doesn’t match the outcome in their state. The measure, known as the “National Popular Vote Interstate Compact,” has been supported by 17 states and the District of Columbia, but will only take effect after all the states that have signed on have a total electoral vote count of 270. Right now, those supporting the reform only have 209, according to CBS News.

Polling from the Pew Research Center released last month showed a majority of Americans favor moving away from the Electoral College. Since 2016, the sentiment has steadily increased, and, according to Pew, more than 6 in 10 Americans today prefer the national popular vote over the Electoral College. 

Jason Snead, executive director of Honest Elections Project Action, a nonprofit that advocates in favor of retaining the Electoral College, argued Walz “said the quiet part out loud” when he insisted the Electoral College should be eliminated. 

“Democrat leaders don’t think they should have to campaign in places like Michigan and North Carolina, they want California and New York to decide every election,” Snead argued. “There is a pattern here. Democrats claim to love democracy, then set their sights on any institution that stands between them and political power: the Supreme Court, the Senate filibuster, and the Electoral College.”

Homeland Security Sec. Alejandro Mayorkas confirmed on Thursday that FEMA “will need more funds” after responding to hurricanes Helene and Milton.

Mayorkas made the statement while answering questions from reporters at the White House press briefing on Thursday. He said FEMA has enough funds to address the “immediate needs” of people affected by both hurricanes, but urged Congress to move quickly.

“President Biden indicated that FEMA and the Department of Defense would have to get through their immediate needs in this recovery phase. I’m wondering, after your early assessments of damage from Hurricane Milton, coupled with the damage from Hurricane Helene, do you still believe that to be the case?” a reporter asked.

“Yes, I do,” Mayorkas responded. “We have the resources to respond to the immediate needs of individuals impacted by Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton, and the associated – it’s very important to remember – the tornadoes associated with the hurricane.”

VIDEO RESURFACES SHOWING FEMA PRIORITIZING EQUITY OVER HELPING GREATEST NUMBER OF PEOPLE IN DISASTER RELIEF

“That being said, we will need additional funds, and we implore Congress when it returns to, in fact, fund FEMA as is needed,” he added.

FEMA HEAD DENIES AGENCY IS SHORT ON MONEY FOR DISASTER RELIEF BECAUSE FUNDS WENT TO ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS  

Mayorkas appeared at the briefing remotely from North Carolina, where he is helping coordinate response efforts.

Earlier this week, FEMA revealed that it had less than 10% of front-line staff available for deployment amid preparations for Milton.

FEMA released a daily briefing on Wednesday revealing the agency had only 8%, or 1,115, FEMA staff members currently available as preparations continued. This number represents a significant drop in availability from a year prior, after an operations briefing from late September 2023 showed the agency had 20% of the same staff available for deployment.

SPEAKER JOHNSON ADDRESSES CLAIMS FEMA DIVERTED FUNDS TO IMMIGRATION EFFORTS: ‘AMERICAN PEOPLE ARE DISGUSTED’

A FEMA spokesperson indicated to Fox News Digital that the availability numbers released by the agency are only in reference to the cadre of staffers who are part of FEMA’s incident management core capacity. They are the first line of FEMA staffers to deploy in any disaster.

Meanwhile, the FEMA spokesperson pointed out the agency has a total workforce of 22,000 staffers it can call on, as well as resources from other agencies such as the Department of Homeland Security.

Meanwhile, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has deployed 10,000 National Guard members in the response to Milton. Roughly 3,000 of those have been sent from other states to aid the recovery effort.

Fox News’ Aubrie Spady contributed to this report.

Georgia Democratic Rep. Hank Johnson re-introduced a death row appeals bill that would allow death row inmates the opportunity to introduce newly discovered evidence in their appeal. 

H.R. 9868, also called the Effective Death Penalty Act, was initially introduced in 2009 and later in 2020. The bill would amend a provision in the U.S. Code that currently governs circumstances under which a state prisoner can file a habeas corpus petition. 

“We’ve got innocent people on death row right now with no opportunity to show compelling new evidence of innocence,” Johnson said in a press statement released on Wednesday. “The status quo is inhumane and unconstitutional.” 

TEXAS DEATH ROW INMATE’S LAWYER SAYS ‘THERE WAS NO CRIME’ AS SHE MAKES LAST-DITCH EFFORT TO SAVE HIS LIFE

Under current law, a federal court cannot grant a habeas corpus petition unless the petitioner has already exhausted all state court remedies. This requirement was explained by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1999, with the Court stating that such a requirement “is designed to give the state courts a full and fair opportunity to resolve federal constitutional claims before those claims are presented to federal courts.” 

The bill would allow a death row inmate to not only introduce newly discovered evidence that “demonstrates that the applicant is probably not guilty of the underlying offense,” but to also raise an ineffective counsel claim on direct appeal. Some states do not currently allow for such a claim on direct appeal. 

The added provision comes as a result of the 2022 Supreme Court case, Shinn v. Ramirez, when the Court held that a habeas corpus court may not conduct an evidentiary hearing or consider evidence beyond the state-court record based on an ineffective counsel claim. 

OKLAHOMA AG SUPPORTS NEW TRIAL FOR DEATH ROW INMATE WHO HAS HAD 3 ‘LAST MEALS’

“I believe we should completely abolish the death penalty, but while 25 states – half of which are in the South – still have some form of capital punishment on their books and some states like Alabama, Texas and Georgia continue to hold state executions – America needs the Effective Death Penalty Appeals Act to help wrongly convicted people on death row present newly discovered evidence that they are innocent,” Johnson said in the statement. 

Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-ME, Democratic House Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton and Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., are co-sponsoring the bill. 

The Supreme Court, which kicked off its new term earlier this month, heard oral arguments Wednesday on an appeal from Oklahoma inmate Richard Glossip, who has maintained his innocence in connection with a 1997 murder-for-hire of the owner of a motel he previously worked at. Glossip’s initial conviction was reversed by the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals after the court found he had received “constitutionally ineffective assistance of counsel in numerous respects,” according to the brief filed. 

Glossip now argues before the Supreme Court that he did not receive a fair trial as a result of the prosecution suppressing evidence of a key prosecution witness’s testimony. Justice Neil Gorsuch did not participate in hearing the appeal due to his prior involvement in the appeals process while serving on a lower court. 

The family of a Georgia woman who died after undergoing a medication abortion – and was subsequently cited by Democrats as a tragic example of red states’ “restrictive” abortion laws – is blaming the hospital for the woman’s death and readying a lawsuit, according to their attorney. 

Amber Thurman, 28, died in 2022 after experiencing complications from taking abortion pills. She traveled to the Piedmont Henry Hospital in Stockbridge to receive a dilation and curettage procedure to remove the remaining tissue from the terminated pregnancy, but hospital staff allegedly waited about 20 hours before performing the procedure. 

High-profile civil rights and personal injury attorney Ben Crump will represent the family in their upcoming case against the hospital. Crump pinned blame for Thurman’s death on the hospital and not Georgia’s recent law that bans abortion after six weeks of pregnancy, Spectrum News reported. 

“Even under Georgia law, the doctors had a duty to act to save Amber,” Crump said last week. “She had taken the abortion pills and there were tissues left. There was no viable fetus or anything that would have prevented them from saving her life while she suffered.”

HARRIS ECHOES DEBUNKED CLAIM ABOUT GEORGIA ABORTION LIMITS CAUSING WOMAN’S DEATH DESPITE PUSHBACK FROM DOCTORS

“You have a duty to stabilize her and then give her the option to go to another hospital facility,” Crump said. “But you cannot let her suffer and die on your hospital bed when the death is preventable.”

WALZ REPEATS GEORGIA ABORTION DEATH FALSEHOOD DECRIED BY DOCTORS AS ‘FEARMONGERING’

Republican Gov. Brian Kemp signed the LIFE Act into law in 2019, but it did not take effect until 2022, after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, which effectively ended the recognition of a constitutional right to abortion. 

Thurman’s death in August 2022 has since become the first known abortion death since the Supreme Court’s decision, with Democrats, including Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, citing her death as the result of “restrictive” Republican-backed abortion laws. 

GEORGIA DOCTORS SPEAK OUT TO CHALLENGE MISINFORMATION ON STATE’S ABORTION LAW, DEATH OF AMBER THURMAN

Georgia’s heartbeat law states that “no abortion shall be performed if the unborn child has a detectable human heartbeat except in the event of a medical emergency or medically futile pregnancy.” The law makes exceptions for abortions after the six-week mark, including in the event of a medical emergency or medically futile pregnancy, or a pregnancy through rape or incest when the probable gestational age of the baby is less than 20 weeks. 

ProPublica first published an article on Thurman’s death last month, blaming her death and another Georgia woman’s death, Candi Miller, on the overturning of Roe v. Wade and the state’s new abortion limits. 

Harris cited Thurman’s death on Sunday during an interview on the popular “Call Her Daddy” podcast.

“[Thurman] was, as described by her family, so excited and so ambitious, and she had plans. Then she found out she was pregnant, and she didn’t want to go through with her pregnancy. And she was living in Georgia, and she couldn’t receive care there because she was past six weeks. And so she ended up going to another state, and…she couldn’t get there on time. And because the other state had been so overwhelmed by all these women coming from all these southern states who couldn’t get treatment in their own state, her window for her appointment had closed and instead of having a surgical procedure, she had medication and basically went back home and then had some complications and went to the hospital because she was bleeding.”

“And they delayed 20 hours before they treated her,” Harris continued, suggesting that Georgia’s laws prevented her from receiving lifesaving care.

In a previous press release announcing Crump would represent Thurman’s family members in court, he did blame Thurman’s death on Georgia’s abortion law. 

OB-GYNS DECRY THE ‘FEARMONGERING’ ABOUT GEORGIA’S ABORTION LAWS: ‘THE LIES ARE HURTING WOMEN’

“Amber Thurman’s preventable death is a horrifying consequence of draconian abortion laws that put politics ahead of women’s lives. These lawmakers bear responsibility for creating hesitation among health care workers, who are fearful of the legal consequences when providing necessary care. Her family deserves accountability for the delays in life-saving care that cost Amber her life. We are committed to seeking justice for Amber and fighting for a country where no other family suffers such a devastating loss due to dangerous, unnecessary legal barriers,” Crump said in the press release. 

OB-GYNs have criticized the recent narrative from Democrats as a misleading story that is pushed by the media. 

“I was not surprised to see this pro-abortion media try to point the blame at Georgia’s pro-life laws, but, in fact, Georgia’s laws allow doctors to intervene to save the life of the woman,” Charlotte Lozier Institute Vice President and Director of Medical Affairs Dr. Ingrid Skop recently told Fox News Digital. 

“I think the focus of the Democratic Party upon abortion as an issue is only because the American people do not understand the laws. Many times, women are hurt by abortions. It is not necessary for women to live their best life. And, of course, it’s the fearmongering and lies that have led us to this place where we are today, where people even think there would be a reason to point at the law.”​​

AMBER NICOLE THURMAN WAS A ‘VICTIM OF HIGH-RISK ABORTION DRUGS’: DR. CHRISTINA FRANCIS

Thurman’s stepfather, Elijah Warren, has called on Democrats, specifically Harris, to stop politicizing the death, saying when he sees politicians talking about Thurman’s death, it is “like a funeral happening over and over.”

“I can see [Harris] using that as the only tool in Georgia against Trump,” Warren told the New York Post this week. 

“She is going to push that; I expect it. But it’s too much. It’s kind of like a funeral happening over and over again every time I see that.”

Warren said he views Thurman’s death, which was caused by septic shock, “more as a neglect of the hospital” than the Georgia law. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“They should have watched over my stepdaughter … The abortion already happened. There wasn’t a heartbeat going on,” he said. “They should have just cleaned the tissue; that would have saved her life.” 

Fox News Digital reached out to Crump’s office for updates on the upcoming suit as well as to the Harris campaign but did not receive responses by publication deadline.

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.    

Kamala Harris’ most likely path to the presidency hinges on her winning the swing state of Michigan – but with just weeks left until Election Day, she is facing an unexpected groundswell of opposition from the state’s Jewish population, which has increasingly soured on the Biden administration’s response to the Middle East conflict. 

The drop-off in support among Jewish voters could spell trouble for Harris in Michigan, considered to be a must-win state, and where the state’s Muslim and Arab American populations have been increasingly vocal about their disapproval of the U.S. response to Israel’s wars in Gaza and Lebanon.

Now, discontent now appears to be spreading to the state’s Jewish voters as well, threatening a key bedrock of support in the state.

IDF MEETS LITTLE RESISTANCE FROM HEZBOLLAH AFTER WEEKS OF HITTING TERROR TARGETS, OFFICIALS SAY

Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., whose suburban Detroit district is home to a large Jewish American population, told the New York Times this week that she has seen a drop-off in support for Harris among younger Jewish voters who are disenfranchised by the Biden administration’s handling of the Middle East crisis and failure to take stronger action on a policy reset in the region.

Stevens told the Times that the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks that Hamas launched on Israel have indeed rallied some Jewish constituents together to combat what they see as rising hatred and antisemitism. But she noted that other, younger voters in the community are turned off by the administration’s unwavering support for Israel in the face of the intensifying conflict – policies enacted under the Biden administration, but which Harris must now confront as the party’s presidential nominee.

GEORGIA’S MUSLIM VOTERS OPPOSING HARRIS, TRUMP IN ELECTION OVER BOTH CANDIDATES’ SUPPORT FOR ISRAEL

Nearly two-thirds of Michigan’s Jewish electorate identifies as Democratic or Democratic-leaning, according to data collected by Brandeis University’s Steinhardt Social Research Institute. In previous elections, this majority has been a fairly reliable bedrock of support for Democratic presidential nominees.

But that support is anything but guaranteed this year. “I do know some more independent-type voters, and I have heard from friends with young families, of friends of theirs who have traditionally voted Democrat, that they feel a little split,” Stevens told the Times.  

This loss of support among Jewish voters in the state could be particularly damaging to Harris’ chances of victory in Michigan and her broader path to the presidency, which hinges on victory in the key battleground states of Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

Still, it’s Michigan where Harris could find herself in particularly hot water. 

As the violence in the Middle East escalates, Harris has struggled to earn the support of Michigan’s Muslim and Arab American populations, including some who have organized local voters to withhold support for the vice president in order to protest the Biden administration’s response to the war. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The state is home to roughly 300,000 voters of Middle Eastern descent, according to the most recent census data.

In recent months, some groups have urged communities to back Green Party candidate Jill Stein, while others said they are weighing the idea of backing Republican candidate Donald Trump – an almost unthinkable position just four years ago, when the former president’s so-called “Muslim ban” and other policies prompted Muslim voters to support Joe Biden by a strong 64% to 84% majority in 2020, according to exit polls.

Ethel Kennedy, the widow of Robert F. Kennedy, has died at the age of 96, her family announced Thursday.

Joe Kennedy III, a former congressman, announced Ethel’s passing in a post on social media.

“It is with our hearts full of love that we announce the passing of our amazing grandmother, Ethel Kennedy. She died this morning from complications related to a stroke suffered last week. Along with a lifetime’s work in social justice and human rights, our mother leaves behind nine children, 34 grandchildren, and 24 great-grandchildren, along with numerous nieces and nephews, all of whom love her dearly,” Kennedy wrote.

She was a devout Catholic and a daily communicant, and we are comforted in knowing she is reunited with the love of her life, our father, Robert F. Kennedy; her children David and Michael; her daughter-in-law Mary; her grandchildren Maeve and Saoirse; and her great-grandchildren Gideon and Josie,” he added. “Please keep her in your hearts and prayers.”

Ethel’s death comes at a time of division within the Kennedy family, with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. endorsing former President Trump to the anger of his siblings and other family members, who support Vice President Harris.

ROBERT F. KENNEDY, JR. LAMBASTS ‘DNC-ALIGNED MAINSTREAM MEDIA,’ ACCUSES THEM OF ENGINEERING HARRIS’ RISE

Kennedy faced has faced questions about the family drama in recent weeks following a letter from Kennedy’s siblings condemning his endorsement of Trump.

“You know, my family is at the center of the Democratic Party. I have mbers of my family that are working for the Biden administration. Biden has a bust of my father behind him at the Oval Office, and he’s been a family friend for many years,” Kennedy told Fox News in August.

KENNEDY FAMILY CHOOSES POLITICS OVER FAMILY WITH ENDORSEMENT IN 2024 PRESIDENTIAL RACE

“My family is – I understand that they’re troubled by my decisions. I love my family. I feel like we were raised in a milieu where we were encouraged to debate each other and debate ferociously and passionately about things and still love each other,” he added. “They’re free to take their positions on these issues. There are many, many members of my family working at my campaign and who are supporting me.”

“I think we all need to be able to disagree with each other and still love each other,” he concluded.

Kennedy had previously noted that his wife, actress Cheryl Hines, has not been totally on board. Hines posted on social media about the decision to withdraw, and Kennedy acknowledged that she was “very uncomfortable” with his decision.

Kennedy has not yet publicly acknowledged Ethel’s death.

The legal battle surrounding the controversial Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program continues to play out in court.

The current clash involves arguments before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit on Thursday as multiple states, including New Jersey, face off with the federal government and other parties.

The DACA program pertains to permitting undocumented individuals who arrived in the U.S. as young people to remain in America.

OBAMA MARKS 12 YEARS SINCE ‘DREAMERS’ EXECUTIVE ACTION, SEEKS ‘PERMANENT’ SOLUTION FOR DACA RECIPIENTS

“DACA temporarily delays the deportation of people without documentation who came to the U.S. as children,” according to USA.gov. 

But the policy has previously been deemed unlawful amid legal wranglings.

A 2021 order signed by U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen instructed the Department of Homeland Security “to post a public notice, within 3 calendar days of this Injunction, to be displayed prominently on its website and on the websites of all other relevant agencies, that a United States District Court has found the DACA program to be illegal[.]”

REPUBLICAN STATES ASK FEDERAL JUDGE TO END ‘UNLAWFUL’ DACA PROGRAM SUPPORTED BY BIDEN, OBAMA, OPPOSED BY TRUMP

But Hanen indicated that the government was not being instructed to nix the DACA status of any recipients in good standing at the time.

Similarly, a Biden-era rule pertaining to DACA has also been slapped down. 

In 2023, Hanen wrote that “the Court finds that the Final Rule, like the 2012 DACA Memorandum before it, is subject to this Court’s (and the Fifth Circuit’s) prior rulings. There are no material differences between the two programs. As such, the Final Rule suffers from the same legal impediments.”

TEXAS JUDGE WHO PREVIOUSLY DEEMED DACA ILLEGAL REAFFIRMS RULING

“We are deeply disappointed in today’s DACA ruling from the District Court in Southern Texas,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement in September 2023.

“On day one of his Administration, President Biden issued a memorandum directing the federal government to take all appropriate actions to ‘preserve and fortify the DACA policy. Consistent with that directive, the Administration has defended the DACA policy from legal challenges, and issued a final rule codifying this longstanding policy,” Jean-Pierre noted.

FIRST ON FOX: An incumbent House Democrat, who is involved in one of the tightest House races in the country in New Mexico’s 2nd Congressional District, threatened to “kill” and “bury” a fellow student during a dispute while attending college, according to police records obtained and verified by Fox News Digital.

Rep. Gabe Vasquez, while enrolled as a college student at New Mexico State University, was the subject of a police report filed by another student that claimed Vasquez used the “telephone to terrify, intimidate, threat, harass” him and threatened to “kill” and “bury” him.

In the February 2005 police report, obtained by Fox News Digital, Vasquez admitted to making a call that was construed as threatening but apologized and said, according to police, he was “very upset” over the condition of a friend of his who was suffering from alcohol poisoning on his birthday after being pressured to drink and later died.

The victim claimed in the police report that in addition to threatening the lives of the people involved, Vasquez used “several bad words in Spanish.”

Vasquez got off with a warning after promising not to contact the individual again and the matter was closed.

ANDREW CUOMO SLAMS ‘DEFUND THE POLICE’ MOVEMENT IN FIERY CHURCH SPEECH: ‘DUMBEST WORDS EVER UTTERED’

Fox News Digital reached out to the individual who filed the complaint against Vasquez, but he refused to speak about the complaint and said they “conciliated” and “went on with our lives.”

In a statement to Fox News Digital, Vasquez’s campaign manager Dylan McArthur said, “It’s sad to see Yvette Herrell stoop as low as using a close college friend’s death from nearly 20 years ago to lie about the Congressman’s character because she is trying to distract people from her horrible history of wanting to ban all abortion in the state.”

Vasquez’s interaction with the police was not the only time that he has had issues with law enforcement. 

The year before, Vasquez reportedly had a controversial interaction in New Mexico when he was accused in a police report of using the “n word” while calling a former employer of his, the Washington Free Beacon reported.

Vasquez denied being the individual who placed that call in a statement to the Daily Mail saying, “I have not and would never use language like this, this attack is categorically false.”

BALANCE OF POWER: FIVE RACES THAT COULD DECIDE CONTROL OF THE HOUSE IN NOVEMBER

Police records, first reported by the Washington Free Beacon, also show that in 2005, Vasquez was arrested by the Las Cruces Police Department after neighbors called in a noise complaint. Vasquez is alleged to have attempted to flush marijuana down the toilet before his arrest.

Vasquez was also involved in a domestic dispute with his girlfriend in Las Cruces after an argument over her drinking too much, which led police to his home “in reference to a possible domestic.” Vasquez was not arrested in that incident, which did not include physical violence.

It has also been reported that Vasquez failed to appear in court in El Paso, Texas, in 2002 for driving without insurance and that a warrant for his arrest was issued in April 2008. That warrant was finally carried out in March of this year, resulting in Vasquez posting a roughly $900 cash bond and pleading no contest, the Washington Free Beacon reported. 

Vasquez is running against former New Mexico Congresswoman Yvette Herrell in a race the Cook Political Report ranks as a “Democrat toss up.”

“Threats to kill and bury someone should not be glossed over,” Herrell told Fox News Digital in a statement. “This is extremely dangerous and unhinged behavior from Gabe Vasquez, and he owes New Mexico’s Second District an immediate explanation and apology.”

Under the backdrop of Vasquez’s run-ins with police departments in New Mexico and Texas, the congressman has advocated for policies that defund police departments.

Vasquez appeared on a local news station seemingly dressed in disguise during the 2020 George Floyd unrest and said, “It’s not just about defunding police, it’s about defunding a system that privileges White people over everyone else.” 

Vasquez previously vowed he would “fully support” cutting in half the police budget of Las Cruces, where he served on the city council, Fox News Digital previously reported.

“I wholeheartedly and absolutely support police reform and the #blacklivesmatter movement, and will not be stopping short of transformational reform that brings justice to our city and to people of color in our community. You can count on my support,” Vasquez wrote to a constituent demanding “at least” a 50% reduction of the Las Cruces police department budget.

In a statement to Fox News Digital in 2022, Vasquez said, “I oppose defunding the police. As a Las Cruces Councilmember, I repeatedly voted to increase funding for the police and partnered with them, while supporting common sense reforms.” 

“Gabe Vasquez has a long track record of extreme verbal abuse,” NRCC spokeswoman Delanie Bomar told Fox News Digital. “Between calling a former colleague the n-word and now this, it’s very clear that Gabe is not fit to serve in public office, and he does not represent New Mexico values.”

Fox News Digital’s Brandon Gillespie contributed to this report

A Republican congressman from hard-hit North Carolina is accusing Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas of playing politics with Hurricane Helene after the storm ravaged the Southeast and killed more than 230 people.

Rep. Chuck Edwards, R-N.C., implored his district’s residents to not believe “outrageous rumors” about the response to the storm in an open letter published Tuesday. 

“[Federal Emergency Management Agency] FEMA officials have repeatedly affirmed that the agency has enough money for immediate response and recovery needs over the next few months,” Edwards wrote. “Secretary Mayorkas’ statement indicating otherwise was an irresponsible attempt to politicize a tragedy for personal gain.”

He also defended FEMA from “outrageous rumors” that disaster funds were being diverted to help illegal immigrants, and that aid was being blocked from reaching its destination.

TRUMP LAUNCHES GOFUNDME TO HELP HURRICANE HELENE VICTIMS, RAISES MORE THAN $1M

“We have seen a level of support that is unmatched by most any other disaster nationwide; but amidst all of the support, we have also seen an uptick in untrustworthy sources trying to spark chaos by sharing hoaxes, conspiracy theories, and hearsay about hurricane response efforts across our mountains,” Edwards wrote.

It comes after Mayorkas warned last week that FEMA did not have the funds to make it through the current hurricane season, spurring alarm across the country.

Mayorkas was forced to clarify those comments during the same conversation with reporters, stating FEMA had funding to meet its “immediate needs.”

The comments were met with skepticism by GOP leaders after Congress made $20 billion in FEMA funds available in federal funding legislation last month, and it exacerbated tensions as some North Carolina residents are already struggling with adequate supplies and aid.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., suggested to Fox News Digital last week that the House would act on additional disaster aid as soon as possible but noted it likely will not be possible until November, when Congress returns after the election. 

FOX CORPORATION LAUNCHES DONATION DRIVE FOR AMERICAN RED CROSS HURRICANE HELENE RELIEF EFFORTS

Edwards said in his letter that he was already helping prepare a supplemental funding bill for when the time comes.

The funding woes also prompted some Republicans to point to a separate FEMA-run program that provides support to illegal immigrants at the border, questioning whether the roughly $1 billion allocated there over the last two fiscal years was taken from money for disaster relief.

However, Edwards unequivocally denied that in his Tuesday letter, despite top Republicans like Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., promoting the claim.

HURRICANE HELENE: NORTH CAROLINA RESIDENTS FIGHT FOR THEIR SURVIVAL AS BASIC GOODS BECOME SCARCE

“Disaster response efforts and individual assistance are funded through the Disaster Relief Fund, which is a dedicated fund for disaster efforts,” Edwards said. “FEMA’s non-disaster related presence at the border has always been of major concern to me, even before Hurricane Helene, and I will continue to condemn their deployment of personnel to the southern border, but we must separate the two issues.”

Edwards admitted FEMA had “shortfalls” in its response but denied the federal agency was seizing private property or providing only $750 to disaster survivors, claims that were spread on the internet by unverified sources.

He also said FEMA was not conducting road closures or vehicle inspections, nor was it restricting airspace for rescue operations.

“Nobody seeking to fly resources into Western North Carolina will be prohibited from doing so by the FAA or North Carolina Emergency Management so long as they coordinate their efforts with NC Aviation,” Edwards wrote.

It comes after Elon Musk spread rumors that FEMA was blocking the distribution of supplies and that airspace was blocked amid his efforts to distribute Starlink internet connections.

Edwards also assured that Hurricane Helene “was NOT geoengineered by the government,” noting, “Nobody can control the weather.”

That came in response to online conspiracy theories that the federal government intentionally created the hurricane to take control of the area’s lithium mines.

The DHS did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Republicans in Michigan are attempting to capitalize on Vice President Kamala Harris’ struggles with blue-collar voters in the state, a demographic that has traditionally supported Democrats but has been trending in the direction of former President Donald Trump.

“Michigan’s working class isn’t fooled by Kamala Harris’ word salads and dog and pony shows. Her policies, like the radical Green New Deal, are anti-worker,” Team Trump Michigan Communications Director Victoria LaCivita told Fox News Digital. “Her attack on American energy has made the cost of living unaffordable, and her plan to ban gas-powered cars will decimate the backbone of our economy.”

The comments come as the race to win Michigan, a vital swing state in the upcoming election, heats up, with the Real Clear Politics polling average showing Harris with just a slim 0.5 point lead in the state with just under four weeks to go before the election.

Republicans have hit the state repeatedly in recent weeks, with both Trump and his running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, making several appearances in the state.

KAMALA HARRIS CONFRONTED ON NOT EARNING TEAMSTERS ENDORSEMENT: ‘WHAT WAS THEIR REASONING?’

Those appearances come as Michigan Democrats have begun to worry about the vice president’s prospects in the state, with some imploring her to visit the state more frequently as the race hits the home stretch.

According to a report in the Wall Street Journal on Tuesday, prominent Michigan Democrats, including Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, have made appeals to the Harris campaign to focus on the state more as the election draws to a close. They have also warned Harris to sharpen her economic messaging, the report notes, with fears spreading that Trump has done well to court the state’s working class voters.

Harris has struggled to distance herself from past positions that remain unpopular in the so-called “Blue Wall” states of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, including her previous support for transitioning fully to zero-emissions vehicles by 2035 and a ban on fracking.

Those concerns were also highlighted by an internal poll shared with the Wall Street Journal that was conducted by Sen. Tammy Baldwin’s campaign that showed Harris down by three points in Wisconsin, another key Midwestern state with similar voting habits to Michigan.

“The big thing is people don’t know her—they need to see more of her,” former Michigan Gov. James Blanchard, a Democrat, told the Wall Street Journal.

FIREFIGHTERS UNION PRAISED FOR ‘SIGNIFICANT NON-ENDORSEMENT’ AFTER BACKING BIDEN IN 2020: ‘HUGE WIN FOR TRUMP’

Republicans believe that is because Harris has failed in her outreach to the types of workers that have now started gravitating toward Trump.

National Republican Congressional Committee spokesperson Mike Marinella told Fox News Digital that Harris’ message does not “resonate with working class voters” such as those in the upper Midwest, something that could also help down-ballot Republicans in the critical swing states.

Harris’ struggles have also extended to union members, a group that has long been a stronghold for Democrats in the state. However, an internal poll conducted by Teamsters, one of the country’s largest and most influential unions, found that members in Michigan preferred Trump (61.7%) over Harris (35.2%), while national union leaders declined to make an endorsement in this year’s presidential race, despite supporting President Biden’s campaign in 2020.

Harris also failed to gain the support of the International Association of Fire Fighters, which also supported Biden in 2020, though she did gain the support of both United Auto Workers and the Service Employees International Union.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“The Teamsters’ own polling shows exactly what we knew – that rank and file Michigan Teamsters are supporting President Trump and his pro-worker policies,” LaCivita said. “While local chapter leadership refuses to disrupt the status quo, the Michiganders who make up these chapters want strong leadership that will protect their jobs, lower inflation, and support American industries – and that’s President Donald J. Trump.”

The Harris campaign did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.