Arizona senator urges veterans, NC residents to fight against Trump in 2026

Democrats need North Carolina voters to help take back Congress in 2026, because Republican President Donald Trump doesn’t care about America’s veterans or its citizens, U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly told over 250 people gathered for a town hall Sunday in Raleigh.

“I wish my colleagues on the other side of the aisle would grow a spine and stand up,” the Arizona Democrat said to thunderous applause as he encouraged the crowd to hold its leaders accountable for their decisions.

“We do have sympathetic ears on the other side of the aisle, but we don’t have the sympathetic voices,” Kelly said. “They will not speak out against the president, and that’s because they are, I would say, generally, more afraid of the president than they are afraid of their constituents.”

The standing-room only event, hosted by state Attorney General Jeff Jackson and the North Carolina Democratic Party, covered a range of topics, from next year’s midterm elections to gun control and the growing political and economic threat from China.

Kelly, a former U.S. Navy combat pilot and astronaut, took a similar message to Asheville on Saturday. On Monday, he and his wife, former U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords, will join Mecklenburg County residents for a Labor Day parade in Charlotte.

Democrats looking to take back Congress

The 2026 election will be especially pivotal for the nation and North Carolina, because voters will elect multiple U.S. House lawmakers and choose a new senator. Securing Democratic control of either body will give Democrats an opportunity to right the ship, Kelly said, as he voiced support for former N.C. Gov. Roy Cooper in his race to replace Republican Sen. Thom Tillis in 2026.

“We have a second Trump administration that has gotten completely off the rails and is in totally uncharted territory, and doesn’t care at all about ethics or the rule of law or our institutions or our relationships with our allies,” he said, adding that “it’s doing significant damage.”

The latest Trump move to get rid of mail-in ballots is also disappointing, and could disenfranchise military veterans, many of whom serve in various roles overseas, Kelly said.

“They risk their lives in defense of this country. They have as much of a right as anybody to have their vote counted,” he said.

But people are fighting back, Kelly added.

“For every one of you, there are thousands and thousands of people across this country that are ready to fight for our rights and our future, the future of our kids and our grandkids and service members and retired folks and young people who are trying to get an education and a start in life,” Kelly said.

Jeff Jackson calls VA staff cuts a hit to state

Sunday’s event in Raleigh specifically targeted veterans and their families, who came out to learn more about national issues and ongoing cuts to Department of Veterans Affairs facilities.

Trump announced three months ago that more than 75,000 VA jobs would be cut by September, Jackson said, but the plan has since been scaled back to 30,000 jobs. VA Secretary Doug Collins has said many of those positions could be eliminated through a hiring freeze and deferred resignations, or just left unfilled when current workers leave, and won’t affect veterans seeking care.

But the cuts are coming at a time when many VA facilities already face increasing demand for services, driven in part by more female veterans seeking care and more veterans being eligible for health benefits under the PACT Act because they were exposed to toxic substances.

Trump’s plan to cut VA services “would be a major hit to North Carolina from an employment standpoint, but more significantly from a treatment standpoint,” said Jackson, who served in the U.S. Army and remains active in the Army National Guard.

He noted that 350,000 N.C. veterans receive services and roughly 17,000 people work at VA facilities statewide. North Carolina is home to over 615,000 veterans, giving it the eighth-largest veteran population in the country.

The cuts will also reverse VA improvements over the last decade, Kelly said, making it harder for veterans to get needed treatment. It’s part of Trump’s plan “to extend a big, giant tax cut to the wealthiest Americans and make it not look as bad,” he said.

Trump’s policies have also made it difficult for VA workers to collectively seek better wages and benefits, Jackson said. He noted the state attorney general’s office filed a brief Saturday in support of a lawsuit challenging Trump’s August order ending collective bargaining agreements for thousands of employees represented by five major labor unions.

Part of the problem, Kelly said, is that the president and his family never served in the military.

“He just doesn’t understand us. He doesn’t understand service. He doesn’t understand sacrifice to this nation and sacrifice before self,” Kelly said. “Certainly, he doesn’t even understand the ultimate sacrifice that so many veterans have made across the history of this great nation.”

How to bring change to North Carolina

Bernardine Donato listened carefully as she sat in the audience with her service dog, Orleans.

As a U.S. Navy and Air National Guard veteran with 24 years of service, Donato said she was hoping to hear how N.C. Democrats can compete next year despite the legislature’s gerrymandering and Republican control of the State Board of Elections.

She also praised Kelly for taking the time to visit North Carolina and let people know “what’s really going on,” adding that it was also good to see Jackson, a fellow veteran, “standing up for us.”

“It’s really frustrating right now that a lot of us feel like, what are the Democrats really doing? And why are they not standing up more?” Donato said.

Kelly said after the event that short of a voter-driven ballot initiative, which is not possible in North Carolina, residents can push for passage of the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which would give the government more authority to address voter discrimination. The bill was introduced in the House earlier this year, and in the Senate on July 29.