The Briefing, Vol. XIII, Issue 38
Sept. 22, 2025
This week:
- Don’t take the black pill
- A decision next month for Sununu
- Will that dog Hunt? A possible Texas three-way contest.
Outlook
Sunday’s memorial service for Charlie Kirk provided a great deal of context and perspective for conservatives rattled at his assassination by a leftist ideologue. No one could miss the thousands of appalling celebration videos posted in the wake of Kirk’s death. And no one could miss that most of the “very online Left” has been living in denial that a person steeped in their ideology was behind this.
But here’s the reality: Not only are most normies appalled by this, but even most liberals are appalled by it. And it matters.
Yes, a disturbingly large minority of leftists are so deformed as to want those who disagree with them dead, and thousands went online to say so. But there is a silver lining: The overwhelming majority even of left-leaning Americans do not want this kind of assassination-culture society either. And yes, despite what some are saying, there is indeed a demand and a national need for unity, so long as it acknowledges and excludes the assassination-celebrators and the violent crazies. Ezra Klein’s conciliatory essay on Kirk — harshly criticized by many on the far Left — represents the true opinion of many liberals. Many of them continue to live in fear of expressing that point of view, though, and in part due to the extreme left’s ongoing threats of violence against anyone standing in their way or reporting on their activities.
Peaceful Coexistence: Meanwhile, Erika Kirk’s touching forgiveness of her late husband’s assassin represented the best of everything Christians and conservatives have to offer to American political and cultural life. And it does not stand in isolation. Indeed, the complete lack of any violent retaliation to Kirk’s killing so far stands in stark contrast to the far-left’s opportunism during the 2020 “summer of love” after the killing of George Floyd, which resulted in dozens of deaths and billions in damage to major cities.
As a side note, it is also worth mentioning President Trump’s frank declaration that, unlike Kirk, he does not love his enemies — that he needs Kirk’s widow to convince him to change his ways. On the one hand, this frank declaration sums up the reservations Christian conservatives have always had about Trump. On the other hand, it is also a disarmingly sincere statement that explains what a lot of them like about him.
In sum, there is a temptation on the Right today to take the black pill — to deem that America is coming apart at the seams and cannot be saved, that we’re already in a civil war, that there can be no unity with anyone or nearly anyone involved in the Left. But this is not so — or at least it need not be so.
There are so many signs of hope — the most important of which is that Kirk was winning (and his followers will continue to win) in his quest to change the culture on college campuses from one of fear, violence and preference falsification to one of cheerful and peaceful open debate.
Another important point is that the Christian religion Kirk loved and held to has never spread by avenging its martyrs — rather, the blood of the martyrs has always been the seed of the church.
As for the republic, it is most likely to survive if its most stable and based supporters keep their minds level, against all obstacles, and react peacefully to provocation. This is precisely what they have done in the wake of Kirk’s death, and the value of this must not be overlooked.
Governor 2026
Minnesota: Gov. Tim Walz (D), undeterred by the 2024 result and the release of his running-mate’s book “107 Days,” is running again to become Minnesota’s first-ever three-term governor. An early poll shows him leading all Republican comers, at least for the moment. Much like Colorado (although still more politically competitive), Minnesota is one place where Republicans just never really made a comeback after the Obama era.
Senate 2026
New Hampshire: Former Sen. John Sununu (R) announced that he will make a decision next month about whether to run for the open Senate seat being vacated by Jeanne Shaheen (D), who defeated him in 2008. Democrats are likely to nominate U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas (D).
North Carolina: Mark this one down as the most important Senate race in next year’s midterms. Former Gov. Roy Cooper (D) has a four-point lead over likely Republican nominee and former RNC Chairman Michael Whatley (R) in a new poll of the race to succeed retiring two-term Sen. Thom Tillis (R).
The poll, from the Republican pollster Harper, is slightly better for the Republican than Harper’s poll of last month. But this race is headed for a photo finish no matter what. Whatley is relatively unknown, and Cooper is the strongest possible Democratic candidate, as a former two-term governor. But like most races in the Tar Heel State, this one is headed for a finish within a three-point margin, one way or another.
Republicans have accumulated a 95,000-voter advantage among active registered voters and are expected to gain an overall voter registration advantage sometime early next year. Democrats are definitely losing ground here, but that doesn’t mean Cooper can’t win.
Texas: Rep. Wesley Hunt (R) may be moving toward becoming the “third wheel” in the primary between the apparently doomed incumbent Sen. John Cornyn (R) and the more controversial Attorney General Ken Paxton (R). A new poll from a pro-Hunt group has him at 23 percent — 5 points behind Cornyn and 15 points behind Paxton — but leading in head-to-head races against either man.
Since 50 percent is required to avoid a runoff, this means Hunt, a conservative without the RINO branding that has harmed Cornyn and also without Paxton’s baggage, could put himself into a primary runoff against Paxton by just edging out Cornyn, who has so far refused to leave the race.
President Trump, has still not taken a side here, but he reportedly views both Paxton and Cornyn as allies. He could yet clarify the situation by appointing Cornyn to a position within his administration or in the judiciary.
