Democrat Tells Mary Trump Her Party Is 'Not Flat Footed This Time'

Vermont Democratic Representative Becca Balint told Mary Trump that her party is prepared for Republican attempts to block voting or contest results in Tuesday's midterm elections, saying Democrats learned their lesson from the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.

"We got caught flat footed on January six," Balint said on The Mary Trump Podcast. "We are not flat footed this time. And that's also what I want viewers to know is that we are planning for every possible scenario that they could try to pull in trying to deny us both access to the ballot and making sure that everyone's ballot is counted fairly."

Balint, who sits on the House Judiciary Committee, said members of Congress are working with secretaries of state, attorneys general, voting rights groups and election lawyers. Trump, the president's niece and a frequent critic, mostly agreed with her guest.

Balint Points to Voter Rolls and Alaska

Balint argued that Democrats should use plain language. "They are trying to block us from voting," she said, "whether it is demanding the voter rolls whether it is in the case of Alaska, trying to preemptively say if their guy doesn't win obviously there was malfeasance."

The voter-roll fight is on the record. By February 26, the Justice Department had sued 29 states and the District of Columbia for refusing to hand over their voter registration lists. Attorney General Pam Bondi said at the time that "accurate, well-maintained voter rolls are a requisite for the election integrity that the American people deserve."

Alaska is more tangled. The state's Senate race pits Republican Senator Dan Sullivan against Democrat Mary Peltola, and a second, unrelated candidate named Dan Sullivan is also on the ballot. The Justice Department asked a court to delay certification if the incumbent loses by a small margin, citing possible voter confusion, KUOW reported. Election law experts had broadly called that case weak.

The New York Times reported last Wednesday on alleged Democratic operatives and the second Sullivan's candidacy, with reporting drawn from Peltola's attorneys and advisers and from aides at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. The Peltola campaign and the DSCC have denied the report. Donald Trump called it "Voter Fraud at the Highest Level," and Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy, a Republican, ordered a state investigation. Senate Majority Leader John Thune has said a "fake Dan Sullivan" loss would need fixing.

Democrats Favored in House Polling

Balint said, "I think we are on track to flip the House of Representatives," and called the party's path to a Senate majority less clearly defined. She also cautioned that "we have to vote in massive, massive numbers so that they cannot deny us the victory."

The numbers support her optimism about the House. Democrats lead by 8.5 points in PolitiKool's polling average of the generic congressional ballot, 49.8 percent to 41.3 percent. Trump's approval stands at 37.7 percent in PolitiKool's polling average.

What a Democratic House Would Investigate

Balint's legislative list started with cost of living: reversing Medicaid cuts, restoring Affordable Care Act subsidies and SNAP benefits, investing in housing and mental health, "getting rid of this asinine tariff regime" and moving to "bring an end to the war in Iran."

She said Representative Robert Garcia of California would chair the Oversight Committee and Representative Jamie Raskin of Maryland would chair Judiciary, and that Democrats would be "following all the receipts that we've been gathering."

One target is former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who has since been removed from the post. Balint accused Noem of running "a pay to play scheme" with FEMA money involving Corey Lewandowski, her adviser. She did not offer specifics, and the allegation is hers: the Oversight Democrats' request seeks an inspector general investigation and does not establish wrongdoing. As ranking member, Garcia has already called for an inspector general investigation into Lewandowski's influence over DHS contracts and asked for records of his role in FEMA grant approvals.

Balint also promised answers on "why Ghislaine Maxwell was, you know, move to a low security facility." Maxwell is serving 20 years for helping Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse underage girls. In August 2025 she was moved to a minimum-security federal prison camp in Bryan, Texas.

Raskin has his own list. He has pressed the Justice Department over whether Trump's pardons went to loyalists as political favors.

What Comes After Tuesday

Asked what she was most looking forward to, Balint named accountability first, saying she was "super excited about, you know, holding people accountable for the damage that they've done to our country." She said she was "also really excited" about antitrust work, which she described as "breaking up these big monopolies." She has been in the minority for four years.

A majority would give Garcia and Raskin subpoena power. Whether Democrats get it may come down to the Alaska count and any court fight that follows.