It’s not a rescue mission. It was an already scheduled mission which is why it’s 6 months long. Two of the originally scheduled crew got their seats bumped so the boeing capsule test asteonauts would have seats for a normal return. Wilmore and Wiliams could have returned in the other spacex capsule that was already up there in case of emergency. They were never stranded.
The GOP has a supermajority in the NC House. NC has a democratic governor, who is term limited, and a right wing lt. governor. Plus the GOP state legislature went ham with gerrymandering and redistricting before this upcoming election. So the republican hold on the state might deepen.