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Congressional and gubernatorial campaign season, Trump's grip on Republican primaries, and Democrats' strategy to retake Congress
President Trump and his allies are escalating allegations of election fraud in California, claiming the state's vote-counting process is "rigged" as mail ballots continue to be tallied days after the June 2 primary. There has been no…
4 MIN READFormer reality television star Spencer Pratt fell to third place in the Los Angeles mayoral primary Sunday, overtaken by Democratic socialist Nithya Raman as late vote counts shifted the race’s trajectory.
3 MIN READChristmas Day won the Epsom Derby by 3 lengths on June 7 at Epsom Downs as the race favorite, Benvenuto Cellini, was ruled a non-starter after stewards found his hind leg was caught in the starting gate. The victory was trainer Aidan…
3 MIN READGraham Platner, a military combat veteran who was a political unknown less than a year ago, has surged to the front of Maine’s Democratic Senate primary race on a platform of taxing the wealthy and offering government-funded healthcare to…
5 MIN READAaron Spencer, the Republican nominee for sheriff in Lonoke County, Arkansas, said Thursday he is "more committed than ever" to his political campaign after a state judge dismissed a second-degree murder charge against him. Spencer had…
3 MIN READFORT RECOVERY, Ohio — While President Trump's approval ratings have slipped nationally amid economic concerns and the Iran war, a core group of supporters in deep-red Ohio say they remain firmly in his camp. In interviews with the Wall…
3 MIN READPeruvians vote Sunday to elect their 10th president in a decade, with polls showing a tight runoff between hard-right candidate Keiko Fujimori and leftist Roberto Sánchez. About a quarter of voters remained undecided heading into election…
3 MIN READSteve Hilton, a British-born Republican and former Fox News host, is banking on California's unusual primary rules and widespread voter discontent to advance in the governor's race, with early returns showing him in a tight battle for…
3 MIN READSACRAMENTO, Calif. — Democrat Xavier Becerra advanced to the California governor general election on Friday, after winning the largest share of primary votes. Becerra, the former U.S. health secretary and state attorney general, leaned on…
3 MIN READDonald Trump alleged without evidence that Democrats are cheating in California's primary elections, claiming in a late-night social media post that the U.S. attorney's office in Los Angeles was investigating. The president's unfounded…
4 MIN READMichael Stansfield, a 50-year-old tech support worker and former seminary student, took out a home equity loan to pay the $17,000 filing fee to run as a Republican in a Sacramento-area congressional district. On Wednesday, the day after…
4 MIN READRepublican Steve Hilton on Tuesday expressed optimism that he will advance to the general election in California's governor race, even as vote counting continued and the Associated Press had not called the winner of the primary. Hilton,…
4 MIN READTrump-endorsed Rep. Randy Feenstra lost the Iowa gubernatorial Republican primary to businessman Zach Lahn on Tuesday, a rare defeat for President Trump as his chosen candidates have won nearly all primary contests this cycle.
3 MIN READDemocrats across several states selected nominees on Tuesday in primaries that will shape the battle for control of Congress and governor’s mansions in November. The winners included a navy veteran in New Jersey, a Paralympic gold medalist…
3 MIN READ
Voters in Tuesday primary elections across the United States chose candidates who will compete in the November midterms, setting up general-election contests expected to draw massive spending as Democrats aim to flip Republican-held seats.
3 MIN READU.S. Senate candidates Ken Paxton, a Texas Republican, and Graham Platner, a Maine Democrat, made parallel pilgrimages to the nation's capital on Tuesday to rally party support, each facing skepticism from within their own coalitions about…
4 MIN READCalifornia's notoriously slow vote-counting system could delay results from Tuesday's primary elections for days or weeks in the tightest races, as elections offices face a deluge of last-minute absentee ballots. Voting experts say the…
4 MIN READVoters in six states, including Iowa, California and Montana, went to the polls Tuesday for primary elections that will set the stage for November’s midterm contests. Democrats aim to flip Iowa’s governor’s office and a Senate seat while…
3 MIN READA wave of Democratic doctors, scientists and public health professionals are running for office in the 2026 midterm elections, citing the Trump administration's health policies — including deep cuts to public health funding and a surge in…
3 MIN READTexas voters will choose in November between Democratic state representative James Talarico, a progressive former seminarian with a $27 million campaign war chest, and Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Trump-aligned incumbent who…
3 MIN READCalifornia voters head to the polls Tuesday for primary elections that feature tightly contested open races for governor and Los Angeles mayor. The contests are defined by uncertainty, drawing outsider candidates and established political…
3 MIN READTech billionaires have spent hundreds of millions of dollars in California races ahead of the June 2 primary election, according to campaign finance filings, in what experts describe as the state's most expensive primary season.
3 MIN READState Auditor Rob Sand has formally campaigned to succeed retiring Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds, positioning himself as a pragmatic alternative in a state Democrats have struggled to win since 2011. As Iowa voters head to primary polls…
3 MIN READDemocratic lawmakers and labor advocates are meeting with Midwest autoworkers in union halls across five states, aiming to win back blue-collar voters ahead of the 2026 midterm elections as offshoring concerns and tariff impacts mount in…
3 MIN READU.S. Sen. Ed Markey won the Massachusetts Democratic Party's endorsement Saturday, defeating U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton with nearly 73% of delegate support at the state convention in Worcester. Moulton, a moderate Democrat challenging the…
3 MIN READGuardian columnist Sidney Blumenthal argued on Saturday that Sen. John Cornyn's recent primary defeat to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton marks a terminal shift in the Republican Party, which Blumenthal said has transformed from a…
3 MIN READCalifornia gubernatorial candidates are rushing to deliver their closing arguments as the state's primary election approaches its Tuesday conclusion, with former U.S. health secretary Xavier Becerra, billionaire campaigner Tom Steyer and…
3 MIN READGraham Platner, the presumptive Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Maine, aired a campaign ad on the cable station that broadcasts Boston Red Sox games attacking the team’s ownership over private equity — then saw the ad pulled midway…
3 MIN READPresident Donald Trump on Wednesday celebrated Texas Republican Ken Paxton’s Senate runoff victory over Sen. John Cornyn as a sign of momentum for his party’s November midterm prospects, even as Republican operatives warned that his…
3 MIN READFreshman Rep. Christian Menefee defeated veteran Rep. Al Green in a Democratic primary runoff Tuesday for a Houston-area congressional district, a generational contest forced by a Republican-led redistricting that pitted two sitting…
3 MIN READVoters in Texas will hold a Republican primary runoff on Tuesday to decide the party’s U.S. Senate nominee, after John Cornyn and Ken Paxton both advanced from the March 3 contest. The winner will face Democratic state Rep. James Talarico…
3 MIN READDavid Brock Smith won the Republican primary for U.S. Senate in Oregon on Friday and will face Democratic incumbent Jeff Merkley in November, following the state’s May 19 primary election. Merkley, first elected in 2008, is generally…
3 MIN READState Sen. David Brock Smith won the Republican primary for U.S. Senate in Oregon on Friday, emerging from a seven-candidate field to challenge Democratic incumbent Jeff Merkley in the November general election.
3 MIN READGeorgia Republicans will hold runoffs to choose nominees for governor and U.S. Senate after the state’s primary failed to produce outright winners, the Associated Press reported. Former college football coach Derek Dooley advanced to face…
3 MIN READA contentious U.S. House Republican primary is underway in southeast California, where incumbents Ken Calvert and Young Kim are attacking each other over loyalty to President Donald Trump ahead of a June 2 vote. The race has been…
3 MIN READDavid Brock Smith won the Republican primary for U.S. Senate in Oregon on Friday, the Associated Press reported, setting up a November general election against Democratic incumbent Jeff Merkley. The state senator emerged from a field of…
3 MIN READFormer Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan said Thursday he is suspending his independent campaign for Michigan governor, citing an increasingly “toxic” political climate linked to President Donald Trump’s war with Iran and rising gas prices.…
3 MIN READRepublican Ken Paxton is pressing his bid in the final days of the U.S. Senate Republican primary runoff against incumbent John Cornyn, leaning on President Donald Trump’s endorsement, according to a campaign stop near Austin on Thursday.…
3 MIN READAlabama voters on Tuesday set up a rematch between Republican incumbent-hopeful Tommy Tuberville and Democrat Doug Jones for governor, while GOP and Democratic nominees for an open U.S. Senate seat will be decided in June runoffs. Alabama…
3 MIN READTuesday’s primaries across several states left party insiders focused on two themes: President Donald Trump’s continuing influence over Republican nominees and Democratic Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s strength in supporting…
3 MIN READTexas Attorney General Ken Paxton highlighted President Donald Trump’s endorsement as he campaigned in the final days before the Republican U.S. Senate primary runoff against incumbent John Cornyn, drawing national attention and…
3 MIN READTwo Republican U.S. House members from California are locked in an increasingly bitter primary fight southeast of Los Angeles, where redistricting forced the longtime incumbents into the same district and each is now working to outflank…
3 MIN READFormer Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan on Thursday suspended his independent campaign for Michigan governor, pointing to a sharply polarized political environment driven by President Donald Trump's war with Iran and surging gasoline prices.
3 MIN READDemocrats are trying to prevent Maureen Galindo from winning the Democratic nomination in Texas’ 35th Congressional District runoff Tuesday, after accusing her of repeatedly expressing antisemitic views. Galindo is running against Johnny…
3 MIN READEd Gallrein, endorsed by former President Donald Trump, defeated U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie in the Kentucky Republican primary. The race, which was the most expensive U.S. House primary in history, highlighted Trump's continued influence…
3 MIN READGeorgia Republicans will hold runoffs for U.S. Senate and governor after Tuesday’s primary left no winners, with former college football coach Derek Dooley facing Rep. Mike Collins for the Republican Senate nomination. Former Atlanta Mayor…
3 MIN READFormer Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan said Thursday he is suspending his campaign for Michigan governor, citing an increasingly “toxic” political climate tied to President Donald Trump’s war with Iran and rising gas prices. Duggan, a longtime…
3 MIN READAlabama voters have set up a rematch for governor between Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville and former Sen. Doug Jones, while GOP and Democratic candidates in an open U.S. Senate race will face June runoff elections. The governor’s race…
3 MIN READPresident Donald Trump’s endorsement helped dislodge Rep. Thomas Massie in Kentucky and shaped Republican contests across Georgia, Alabama and other states, according to takeaways from Tuesday’s primaries. On the Democratic side,…
3 MIN READFormer Navy SEAL Jared Hudson will face U.S. Rep. Barry Moore in a June 16 runoff for the Republican nomination for Alabama’s open U.S. Senate seat, while U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville and former U.S. Sen. Doug Jones are headed for a rematch…
3 MIN READPresident Donald Trump’s years-long false assertions that the 2020 presidential election was stolen have become a defining feature of Georgia’s Republican primary runoffs, with several candidates who have echoed those claims advancing to…
4 MIN READPresident Donald Trump on Tuesday endorsed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in the Republican runoff for the U.S. Senate seat held by John Cornyn, boosting Paxton’s effort to unseat an incumbent. Trump made the endorsement in a social…
3 MIN READDemocrats are trying to stop Maureen Galindo from winning the Democratic nomination in a Tuesday runoff against Johnny Garcia in Texas’ 35th Congressional District, where Galindo has repeatedly expressed antisemitic views. Democratic…
3 MIN READDemocrats backed by Gov. Josh Shapiro won primary elections in several Pennsylvania swing congressional districts Tuesday, setting up the candidates the party hopes to use to flip House seats in November, the Associated Press reported.…
3 MIN READUS Rep. Thomas Massie lost the Kentucky Republican House primary on Tuesday to Ed Gallrein, a president-backed challenger, in a contest that reflected Donald Trump's clout with GOP voters. Massie, who has served in Congress since 2012,…
3 MIN READU.S. voters on Tuesday chose nominees in Republican and Democratic primaries across several states, reshaping campaigns ahead of the fall general election. The Associated Press said Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie’s loss to a Trump-backed…
3 MIN READFormer Navy SEAL Jared Hudson advanced Wednesday to a June 16 runoff against U.S. Rep. Barry Moore for Alabama’s open U.S. Senate seat, the Associated Press reported. On the Democratic side, business owner Dakarai Larriett and lawyer…
3 MIN READAlabama voters on Tuesday advanced candidates for governor and an open U.S. Senate seat, setting up a rematch for the governorship between former Democratic Sen. Doug Jones and GOP Sen. Tommy Tuberville, and runoff elections next month for…
3 MIN READVice President JD Vance spent 54 minutes at the White House briefing room lectern on May 19, five minutes longer than Secretary of State Marco Rubio's appearance two weeks earlier, as the two leading potential Republican presidential…
3 MIN READPresident Donald Trump on Tuesday endorsed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in the Republican primary for the U.S. Senate, boosting his effort to oust incumbent Sen. John Cornyn in next week's runoff.
3 MIN READDemocrats in Pennsylvania backed by Gov. Josh Shapiro won their primaries Tuesday in three swing congressional districts, setting up November matchups that party leaders hope will flip four Republican-held seats and help capture a U.S.…
3 MIN READOregon voters went to the polls Tuesday to choose party nominees for governor, U.S. Senate and House seats, and to decide a ballot measure that would raise gas taxes and vehicle fees to fund transportation infrastructure projects.…
3 MIN READRep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican who has been one of President Donald Trump's most vocal critics in Congress, faces a primary challenge Tuesday from Ed Gallrein, a farmer and former Navy SEAL who entered the race at Trump's…
4 MIN READDefense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday traveled to Kentucky to campaign against Rep. Thomas Massie on the eve of the Kentucky primary, stepping away from the Iran war to wade into a congressional election testing President Donald Trump's…
3 MIN READGeorgia Republicans head into Tuesday's primary without a clear frontrunner to take on Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff, with Rep. Mike Collins positioning himself as a Trump loyalist even as some of his own supporters question his ability to…
3 MIN READGeorgia Republicans failed to settle two marquee contests in Tuesday's primary, sending the state's Senate and governor races to June runoffs. Former University of Tennessee football coach Derek Dooley and U.S. Rep. Mike Collins advanced…
3 MIN READRep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky lost his Republican primary Tuesday to Ed Gallrein, a challenger endorsed by President Donald Trump, in what the Associated Press described as the most expensive U.S. House primary in history.
3 MIN READFormer Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein defeated incumbent Rep. Thomas Massie in Kentucky’s Republican House primary on May 19, 2026. The upset came after President Donald Trump hand‑picked and endorsed Gallrein, highlighting the president’s…
3 MIN READAlabama’s Republican nominee for governor, Tommy Tuberville, and former Democratic Sen. Doug Jones won their Tuesday primaries, setting up a rematch for governor and runoffs next month for an open U.S. Senate seat, according to the…
3 MIN READLouisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy returned to the U.S. Capitol after losing his Republican primary reelection bid and told reporters he has no regrets about his five-years-ago vote to convict President Donald Trump in a Senate impeachment trial.…
3 MIN READGeorgia Republicans are heading toward a runoff to choose their nominees for governor and the U.S. Senate after Tuesday’s primary failed to produce outright winners. The GOP Senate runoff will pit former college football coach Derek Dooley…
3 MIN READDefense Secretary Pete Hegseth traveled to Kentucky on Monday to campaign against Rep. Thomas Massie ahead of Massie’s Republican primary, attacking what he called Massie’s refusal to support President Donald Trump. Hegseth said he was…
3 MIN READOregon voters on Tuesday rejected a gas tax increase and related fee changes that Democratic lawmakers passed last year, a result Republicans portrayed as a rebuke timed amid rising pump prices from the war with Iran. Democrats’ Gov. Tina…
3 MIN READPennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and national Democrats celebrated Democratic primary wins Tuesday in four Pennsylvania congressional districts, setting up fall contests in which Democrats hope to flip Republican seats. The outcomes include…
3 MIN READPresident Donald Trump endorsed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in the Republican primary runoff for the U.S. Senate, aiming to unseat incumbent Sen. John Cornyn. Paxton and Cornyn advanced to a May 26 runoff after finishing as the top…
3 MIN READPresident Donald Trump toppled Rep. Thomas Massie in Kentucky’s Republican House primary Tuesday, a high-profile test of how GOP voters respond to Trump-backed challengers. On the Democratic side, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro won…
3 MIN READVice President JD Vance and former Florida Sen. Marco Rubio used the White House press briefing room on Tuesday as a high-visibility platform, while President Donald Trump has not yet named a successor and has publicly tested the two men…
4 MIN READOregon voters are voting Tuesday in party primaries and a statewide ballot measure on transportation funding, with the results shaping November’s congressional and state races. In the governor’s race, Democratic Gov. Tina Kotek faces nine…
3 MIN READIdaho voters will nominate candidates for federal, state and local offices in primary elections Tuesday, with Republican U.S. Sen. Jim Risch seeking a fourth term facing three primary challengers and Gov. Brad Little also on the GOP…
3 MIN READJames Freeman isn't writing about Chris Kyle.
James Freeman’s *Wall Street Journal* column, published June 1, 2026, presents itself as a civic-minded nudge to Maine Democrats reconsidering their Senate nominee.
James Freeman uses the memory of Chris Kyle as a political cudgel to bludgeon Graham Platner out of the Maine Senate race.
The Wall Street Journal’s editorial page is engineering a primary hit in Maine, and James Freeman’s June 1 “Best of the Web” column is the payload.
California's candidates abandon the migrant while fighting for the governorship.
Look, the FAKE NEWS is trying to make a big deal about some singers — very overpriced, very boring singers, nobody even knows who half of them are — quitting my FREEDOM 250 celebration.
Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie lost his Republican House primary on Tuesday, according to the Associated Press, after President Donald Trump backed and attacked his eventual replacement, Ed Gallrein. The defeat underscored Trump’s influence over primary outcomes in the party, coming after the president helped topple Sen. Bill Cassidy in Louisiana over the weekend.
John Cornyn is calling himself my FRIEND—nice try, John, very nice try—and he's saying he supported me 99.3% of the time.
SUFFERN, N.Y. — President Donald Trump used a campaign-style rally in a competitive New York congressional district on Friday to test his midterm economic message, but he veered repeatedly off-script, touching on voter ID, crime, transgender athletes, and the Democratic Party before circling back to tax cuts.
President Donald Trump traveled to the Hudson Valley region of New York on Friday to promote the tax law he signed last year and to support Republican Rep. Mike Lawler ahead of November elections. The event at Rockland Community College was framed as an economics message, but Trump veered off-topic at the start, talking about voter identification, crime in cities, transgender women in sports and using “Dumocrats” for Democrats. Trump and Lawler emphasized the law’s state and local tax, or SALT, changes as they sought to counter slumping approval ratings on the economy.
Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie lost his Republican primary for reelection Tuesday, after President Donald Trump endorsed Massie’s challenger and targeted the incumbent throughout the campaign, Associated Press reported.
The architect relabels collapsing foundation cracks as a messaging error.
Karl Rove's op-ed in the Wall Street Journal, published Wednesday, May 20, 2026, deploys a familiar set of apparatus-management techniques beneath the guise of mid-term electoral triage. This column walks through the piece paragraph by paragraph as it appears, exposing how a former White House insider tells his own coalition to absorb the consequences of its own leadership while pretending the blame belongs to a single errant commander-in-chief.
Kentucky U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie lost his Republican House primary on Tuesday, capping a campaign in which President Donald Trump repeatedly attacked the incumbent. Trump-backed challenger Ed Gallrein defeated Massie, another episode of the president’s influence over party nominations.
U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville won the Republican nomination for Alabama governor on Tuesday, according to results reported by the Associated Press, setting up a rematch with Democrat Doug Jones. Meanwhile, the race for Alabama's open U.S. Senate seat will be decided in a June runoff after no candidate cleared the majority threshold in either party's primary.
Rep. Thomas Massie, a seven-term Kentucky Republican known for his independent streak, lost his primary reelection bid Tuesday after President Donald Trump handpicked and backed challenger Ed Gallrein in what the Associated Press described as a vicious and costly campaign against the incumbent.
Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie lost his Republican House primary Tuesday, after President Donald Trump backed and helped install Ed Gallrein as the challenger who defeated the incumbent, according to the Associated Press. Massie, a libertarian-leaning backbench Republican who often voted against party and presidential priorities, cast his loss as a fight over whether lawmakers should follow the president or the Constitution.
U.S. Representative Thomas Massie, one of the most outspoken Republican critics of President Donald Trump, lost his northern Kentucky House primary on Tuesday to Ed Gallrein, a challenger endorsed by Trump, in a contest that tested the president's hold on his party.
Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, returning to the Capitol after losing his primary, said Monday he has no regrets about voting to convict President Donald Trump on impeachment charges five years ago.
Democratic voters in Pennsylvania will choose their nominees Tuesday in four competitive congressional districts that the party views as critical to retaking the U.S. House of Representatives in November. All four Republican incumbents — Brian Fitzpatrick in the 1st District, Ryan Mackenzie in the 7th, Rob Bresnahan in the 8th, and Scott Perry in the 10th — are unopposed in their primaries and will face the winners of contested Democratic races.
Voting concludes Tuesday in Georgia as Republicans choose their nominees in a crowded primary for governor and a competitive U.S. Senate race that could help determine control of the closely divided chamber.
Washington (AP) — Democratic voters in Tuesday’s Pennsylvania primary will choose nominees in a race that could determine whether the party flips four Republican‑held U.S. House seats in the November 2026 midterms. The primaries also decide the tickets for lieutenant governor, the state Senate, the state House and a special election in the 196th House district.
US Rep. Thomas Massie lost Kentucky’s Republican House primary Tuesday to Ed Gallrein, a challenger Trump endorsed and backed, the Associated Press reported. The defeat adds to a series of Republican upsets in which voters backed Trump-aligned challengers against sitting incumbents. After the loss, Massie told supporters that “There is a yearning in this country for someone who will vote for principles over party,” AP reported.
Kentucky voters head to the polls Tuesday for state primaries that include a major contest in the 4th Congressional District and crowded races to succeed retiring Sen. Mitch McConnell, with Democrats and Republicans also selecting candidates for the state legislature and U.S. House seats.
Idaho voters will head to the polls Tuesday for state primaries that determine Republican and Democratic nominees for federal and statewide offices, setting the stage for the November general election, the Associated Press reports. Polls close at 8 p.m. local time, with different cutoff times across Idaho’s time zones. The AP’s decision notes also break down who can vote in each party’s primary, the size of Idaho’s registered voter base, and what to expect from early ballot releases and vote-counting.
Alabama voters head to runoffs next month for an open U.S. Senate seat after Republican Tommy Tuberville and Democrat Doug Jones won their governor primaries, setting up a rematch. The runoff for the Senate nomination will be held June 16, while redistricting litigation could force new House primaries in August under revised maps.
Georgia Republicans will head into June 16 runoffs after Tuesday’s primary left no outright winners for the Republican nominations for governor and U.S. Senate in the battleground state, with campaigns now turning to extra fundraising and organizing. The GOP Senate runoff pairs former college football coach Derek Dooley and Rep. Mike Collins, while Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and healthcare billionaire Rick Jackson advance for governor. Democratic Rep. Keisha Lance Bottoms won the Democratic nomination for governor.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth traveled to Kentucky to campaign against Rep. Thomas Massie ahead of Massie’s GOP primary, framing the contest as a test of President Donald Trump’s influence. Hegseth said he was speaking as “a private citizen” while repeatedly invoking Trump, as Massie criticized the move as politically driven.
Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy, back in Washington after losing his Republican primary for reelection, said Monday he has no regrets about his “momentous” vote to convict President Donald Trump in his first impeachment trial. Speaking to reporters at the U.S. Capitol, Cassidy said the vote upheld the Constitution, even as it cost him his seat.
Shapiro-backed Democrats won Tuesday primaries in three Pennsylvania congressional swing districts, putting new Democratic nominees in place to challenge Republican incumbents in November, the Associated Press reported. Gov. Josh Shapiro also won his party’s nomination for governor without opposition and plans to face Republican state Treasurer Stacy Garrity in the fall.
President Donald Trump won another Republican primary on Tuesday, unseating Rep. Thomas Massie in Kentucky and reinforcing a pattern in which Trump-backed candidates take control of GOP nominations. On the Democratic side, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro won primary races for multiple endorsed candidates, while Alabama primaries were partially voided after the state postponed voting in several districts.
Oregon voters vote Tuesday in Democratic and Republican primaries for state and federal offices and a statewide ballot measure, while Democrats and Republicans choose nominees in separate contests. The Associated Press notes that Oregon elections are conducted predominantly by mail, with ballots due by 8 p.m. local time and counted over multiple days. The primaries also unfold with national politics in the background as Gov. Tina Kotek campaigns against President Donald Trump and voters weigh Measure 120’s proposal to raise gas taxes and vehicle fees for transportation improvements.
Sen. Bill Cassidy placed third in Louisiana's Republican Senate primary on Saturday, ending his reelection bid five years after he voted to convict President Donald Trump in the Jan. 6 impeachment trial — a vote Republican primary voters never forgave, despite Cassidy's years-long effort to align himself with Trump's agenda. Trump-endorsed U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow finished first and will face former Trump administration official John Fleming in a June 27 runoff for the Republican nomination.
The political fallout from Bill Cassidy’s impeachment vote against President Donald Trump came into focus as Cassidy failed to advance in Louisiana’s Republican Senate primary. Charles Wandfluh, who supported U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow, said Cassidy’s approach left him trying to stay close to Trump after voting to convict him. Trump backed Letlow, praising her victory and declaring Cassidy’s political career over in a post on social media.
Georgia Republicans are competing in a Tuesday primary to choose a nominee to take on Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff in November, as the party worries its chances are tighter than in past Senate races. Rep. Mike Collins, Rep. Buddy Carter and Derek Dooley, backed by outgoing Gov. Brian Kemp, are each aiming to position themselves for a general election against Ossoff.
Voting ends in Georgia Tuesday in competitive Republican primaries for governor and a U.S. Senate seat that could shape the balance of the chamber in the Nov. 2026 elections, with runoff odds if no candidate wins a majority, the Associated Press reports. Polls close at 7 p.m. ET, and Republicans are seeking nominations to succeed term-limited Gov. Brian Kemp and to challenge first-term Sen. Jon Ossoff.
Idaho voters will hold primary elections Tuesday that will determine party nominees for U.S. Senate, House and several statewide offices, a step in setting up the 2026 general election, the Associated Press Decision Notes reported. Polls close at 8 p.m. local time (10 p.m. ET for much of the state, 11 p.m. ET in Pacific time counties), and the AP said it will declare winners only when a trailing candidate can no longer catch up.
Kentucky voters head to the polls Tuesday for party primaries that will determine nominees for U.S. Senate, five U.S. House seats and the state General Assembly, plus a mayoral race in Louisville. U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie, a frequent Trump critic, faces Ed Gallrein in the Republican primary in Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District.
Oregon’s Democratic Gov. Tina Kotek and a large field of challengers face voters Tuesday in a primary that also includes a statewide ballot measure, Measure 120. Voters will choose nominees for governor, the U.S. Senate and House seats, state Senate and state House races, and a nonpartisan state labor commissioner contest, as well as decide whether to raise gas taxes and vehicle fees to fund transportation projects.
Pennsylvania Democrats and Republicans vote Tuesday in party primaries that will set nominees for competitive U.S. House seats and statewide offices, with polls closing at 8 p.m. ET. The Associated Press decision notes highlight that Democrats are seeking four Republican-held districts they view as critical for their effort to retake the House in November.
Louisiana voters decide Saturday whether Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy survives a primary challenge from Trump-endorsed Rep. Julia Letlow and state Treasurer John Fleming, in an election that showcases the president’s ongoing campaign of retribution against Republicans he views as disloyal.
U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy was decisively defeated in Louisiana's Republican primary on Saturday, finishing behind Trump-endorsed U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow and State Treasurer John Fleming, who will compete in a June 27 runoff to determine the likely next senator from the deep-red state.
Facing a party brand they acknowledge is toxic across much of red-state America, Democratic leaders are embracing a new strategy for the 2026 midterms: promoting independent candidates over their own party's nominees in several high-profile Senate and House races, party officials told The Associated Press.
U.S. Rep. Andy Barr and former state Attorney General Daniel Cameron are navigating a delicate balancing act in Kentucky’s Republican Senate primary, maintaining calculated distance from retiring Sen. Mitch McConnell even as they acknowledge his decades-long influence in the state.
Julia Letlow and John Fleming advanced Saturday in Louisiana’s Republican Senate primary, with Sen. Bill Cassidy failing to qualify for a runoff. Letlow will face Fleming in a runoff June 27 after both capitalized on President Donald Trump’s political influence as he presses party loyalty ahead of midterm elections, according to the Associated Press.
Kentucky Republicans vying to replace retiring Sen. Mitch McConnell are calibrating their campaigns to keep him at arm’s length even as they acknowledge his continued influence. In Tuesday’s GOP primary, Rep. Andy Barr and former state Attorney General Daniel Cameron are competing for the nomination, with both stressing they are not trying to relitigate the senator’s legacy. Political scientist Stephen Voss said the candidates are walking a “razor’s edge” between staying loyal to McConnell and responding to voter unhappiness with the senator’s era of party politics.
Democratic leaders are testing a red-state strategy in this year’s midterm contest season, in some cases encouraging voters to choose independents rather than Democratic nominees. In Nebraska, Democrats selected Cindy Burbank for the U.S. Senate race while also saying the effort aims to prevent an independent candidate, Dan Osborn, from drawing more support from the Democratic party line on the fall ballot.
Louisiana voters head to the polls Saturday for a revamped primary election that includes a Republican contest for U.S. Senate featuring Sen. Bill Cassidy, state Treasurer John Fleming and U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow. The new schedule also includes primaries for state Supreme Court, the Public Service Commission and a state school board, along with five statewide constitutional amendments.
In New York's heavily Democratic congressional district, the June primary between incumbent Rep. Dan Goldman and former city Comptroller Brad Lander has turned the federal immigration court at 26 Federal Plaza into a campaign battleground. Both Democrats have made the Trump administration's deportation operations at the Lower Manhattan courthouse a central issue — but with sharply contrasting strategies.
Vice President JD Vance campaigned in Bangor, Maine, on Thursday for former Gov. Paul LePage, a Republican vying to flip a competitive U.S. House seat, and accused Democrats of enabling widespread government fraud. The stop, the first Vance has billed as a fraud‑fighting event, sharpened a partisan message ahead of the state’s June 9 primary.
Iowa state Rep. Josh Turek and state Sen. Zach Wahls each argued in a Thursday debate that they represent the best chance to flip the open U.S. Senate seat this fall, highlighting a Democratic struggle over how to reclaim rural and working-class voters in a state that has trended Republican.
Democrat Xavier Becerra has surged into contention in California's governor race after rival Eric Swalwell's exit, with his 35-year career in Washington and Sacramento attracting both endorsements and attacks in the final weeks before the June 2 primary.
Vice President JD Vance visited Bangor, Maine, on May 14 and touted the Trump administration’s anti-fraud efforts while campaigning for former Gov. Paul LePage in the state’s competitive 2nd Congressional District primary. Vance, labeled “fraud czar” by President Donald Trump, also criticized Democratic Gov. Janet Mills and framed Democrats as enabling fraudsters. Mills and other Democratic-aligned groups said Vance’s messaging was aimed at distracting from costs and healthcare concerns.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Democrat Xavier Becerra is leaning on more than 35 years in state and federal office as he seeks California governor in the June 2 primary, while critics in the final stretch question his competence and point to legal and record-based attacks. Becerra, formerly California attorney general and President Joe Biden’s health secretary, has recently benefited from endorsements and shifts in the Democratic field after Eric Swalwell exited.
Two Democrats vying to be Iowa’s next U.S. senator debated Thursday on how to win the Republican-held seat, highlighting a dispute within their party over the best path to reclaim the chamber. State Rep. Josh Turek argued he can win by reaching independents and moderate Republicans who supported President Donald Trump, while State Sen. Zach Wahls criticized national Democratic leaders and called for winning back rural and working-class voters.
North Carolina voters are weighing the effects of President Donald Trump's signature tax legislation against a continued climb in inflation as they prepare to cast ballots in the upcoming midterm elections. The economic tug-of-war is reshaping the political landscape in the battleground state, where retirees, service workers, and small-business owners report diverging impacts on their finances.
Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin is confronting a crisis of confidence among party officials less than six months before the 2026 midterms, even though Democrats have notched a string of election victories under his tenure. Major donors are holding back, liberal influencers are questioning his refusal to release an internal autopsy of the 2024 election, and some strategists have informally discussed recruiting a replacement, the Associated Press reported Wednesday.
The Democratic primary for Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District, the seat that gives the state its single “blue dot” electoral vote, was too close to call late Tuesday, with activist Denise Powell holding a narrow lead over state Sen. John Cavanaugh, the Associated Press reported. Powell led by about 2 percentage points with more than 51,000 votes counted, but Douglas County — home to more than 90% of the district — had a large number of ballots still to tally and expected to provide an update Wednesday afternoon. The winner will face Republican Brinkner Harding, who has President Donald Trump’s endorsement, in a November race for a seat Democrats see as a top pickup opportunity after five-term GOP Rep. Don Bacon’s retirement.
Denise Powell won the Democratic primary in Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District on Wednesday, setting up a fall matchup against Brinker Harding, an Omaha City Council member endorsed by President Donald Trump. The Omaha-area district is a “blue dot” that has favored Democratic presidential candidates three out of five times since 2008, even as it elects a Republican representative for House. AP called the primary after Douglas County election officials reported the number of outstanding mail-in and provisional ballots left too few to change the outcome.
Rep. Thomas Massie is seeking reelection in Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District as President Donald Trump backs a primary challenger and attacks Massie personally. In Covington, Ky., Massie supporters debated whether they can remain loyal to Trump while voting for Massie ahead of next Tuesday’s Republican primary.
Omaha, Nebraska’s Democratic primary for Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District House seat was too early to call late Tuesday, with Denise Powell leading state Sen. John Cavanaugh by about 2 percentage points as more than 51,000 votes were counted, according to the Associated Press. The winner will face Republican Brinkner Harding, who was endorsed by President Donald Trump.
Democrats keep winning at the ballot box, but Democratic National Committee chair Ken Martin is facing a crisis of confidence among party officials ahead of the 2026 midterms. A coalition of party donors, allied strategists and influential voices has raised concerns over Martin’s leadership and his refusal to release an internal 2024 election “after-action report.” Martin has declined to comment, while allies cite a 50-state spending strategy and argue the party should stay focused on November.
Former President Barack Obama met with U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico on Tuesday at an Austin taco shop, lending his support to a Democrat running in a state the party has not won statewide in decades.
Denise Powell won the Democratic primary in Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District on Wednesday, defeating state Sen. John Cavanaugh in a close race. The Omaha-area district—often described as a “blue dot” because Democrats win it in some presidential years—now sets up Powell to face Brinker Harding, an Omaha City Council member endorsed by President Donald Trump.
Republicans in Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District are weighing Tuesday’s primary between Rep. Thomas Massie and Ed Gallrein, a challenger backed by President Donald Trump. Voters at a Lincoln Day Dinner in Covington said some are torn over how to balance support for Trump with loyalty to Massie, who has repeatedly broken with Trump’s agenda in Congress.
Former President Barack Obama met with Democratic U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico in Austin on Tuesday, according to the campaign’s supporters and Obama’s prior remarks. The visit aimed to boost Talarico’s bid in Texas, where Democrats face long odds in a race tied to who wins a May 26 Republican primary runoff.
In Georgia’s Republican gubernatorial primary next Tuesday, former state election chief Brad Raffensperger is trying to break from the political label he earned after defying Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election. The candidate, a conservative Christian businessman, is spending millions of his own money and says he wants voters to focus on jobs and government priorities rather than the fight that put him in Trump’s crosshairs.
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger is gambling that Republican primary voters can forgive his most famous act — refusing to help Donald Trump overturn Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential victory — as he competes for the governor’s nomination against Trump-endorsed Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones and billionaire Rick Jackson.
West Virginia voters head to the polls Tuesday for primaries that will test Republican Governor Patrick Morrisey's political sway as he works to reshape the state legislature, while deciding contested nominations for the U.S. Senate and U.S. House.
Nebraska's state primary on Tuesday will determine party nominees for Senate, governor, and House, but it is an unusual Democratic U.S. Senate primary — where both candidates accuse each other of being 'fake' entries designed to sway the general election — that has drawn the most attention.
Voting in West Virginia’s primary election opens Tuesday with polls closing at 7:30 p.m. ET, and with separate ballots for party-registered voters. The election includes contests for the U.S. Senate and House, state Senate and House races, and special and general elections for members of the state judiciary. Republican Gov. Patrick Morrisey is not on the ballot but is backing candidates in key primaries as U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito seeks a third term.
Nebraska voters head to the polls Tuesday for primaries that include a U.S. Senate race featuring Republican incumbent Pete Ricketts and a Democratic contest between Cindy Burbank and Bill Forbes, while voters also choose nominees for governor, Congress and the nonpartisan state Legislature.
In Indiana’s Tuesday primary, Donald Trump-backed challengers ousted nearly all Republican state senators who defied him on redistricting, a demonstration of the president’s enduring power to enforce party loyalty even as it drains millions from the GOP’s broader effort to hold Congress. The purge emboldened Trump’s push to unseat additional dissenters in Louisiana and Kentucky, but some party strategists fear the infighting is sapping attention and cash from the fight against Democrats in November.
Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins of Maine disclosed Wednesday that she has a benign essential tremor, a condition she has lived with for the entirety of her nearly three-decade Senate career, as she faces a competitive reelection fight in which age and health have become issues.
DETROIT (AP) — Republican confidence about winning back Michigan in 2026 is eroding, as a special election loss by nearly 20 points, surging gas prices tied to the Iran war, and a messy internal primary for governor darken the party’s outlook in a premier swing state, according to party strategists and public polling data.
Republicans in Indiana’s Tuesday primary tested how far President Donald Trump will go to punish party members who oppose his redistricting plans, with several of his endorsed challengers winning. The outcome underscored the leverage Trump and his allies have used in intraparty contests as the party heads toward November midterms.
Republican Sen. Susan Collins disclosed Thursday that she has a benign essential tremor, saying it has been part of her decades-long Senate career and that it does not interfere with her work. Collins said she first confirmed the tremor to a Maine television station on Wednesday after online scrutiny of her health in recent videos.
Detroit Democrats won a special state Senate election by nearly 20 points, a result that Michigan Republicans said once looked within reach. The loss, coming as gas prices rise and the Iran war and tariffs weigh on the state’s auto and trade industries, is fueling doubt inside the GOP as it targets 2026 races for governor, the Legislature and the open U.S. Senate seat.
The leading candidates for California governor clashed Tuesday in a CNN debate on taxes, President Donald Trump and state-funded healthcare for immigrants without legal status, as mail voting was already underway ahead of the June 2 primary. The race to succeed term-limited Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom features Democrats Xavier Becerra, Katie Porter, Tom Steyer, Matt Mahan and Antonio Villaraigosa alongside Republicans Steve Hilton and Chad Bianco.
Ohio’s primary on Tuesday set up two marquee statewide contests for November: a U.S. Senate race likely to help determine control of the chamber and a governor’s race Democrats view as their best chance of victory in two decades. Democrats nominated former Sen. Sherrod Brown to challenge Republican Sen. Jon Husted, while Vivek Ramaswamy won the Republican bid for governor to face Dr. Amy Acton, the unopposed Democratic nominee.
Biotech billionaire Vivek Ramaswamy and former Ohio health director Dr. Amy Acton won their respective party primaries for governor on Tuesday, while former U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown advanced to a November rematch with Republican Sen. Jon Husted in a Senate race pivotal for control of the chamber.
The Wyoming Republican Party voted at its convention in Douglas last weekend to defy state election law and adopt new bylaws that allow the party to endorse and spend money on candidates before the primary, drawing sharply divergent reactions from candidates for governor, U.S. House and other statewide offices.
President Donald Trump’s effort to purge Indiana state senators who opposed his redistricting plan mostly succeeded Tuesday, with five of his backed challengers winning primary races and sending a warning to Republicans ahead of the midterms. Meanwhile, Democrats continued a string of special election victories with a win in a bellwether Michigan district, and primaries in Ohio set up closely watched contests for governor and U.S. Senate.
President Donald Trump’s endorsed candidates won at least five of seven contested Republican primary races for the Indiana State Senate on Tuesday, according to results reported by the Associated Press, delivering a striking political victory five months after lawmakers rebuffed his push to redraw the state’s congressional map.
Seven candidates for California governor met in a two-hour televised debate Tuesday, trading sharp attacks over gas prices, tax policy, and the role of President Donald Trump as mail voting is already underway for the June 2 primary. Democrats largely focused on Trump as the state’s greatest threat, while the two Republicans on stage argued Democrats’ policies have made California unaffordable.
In California’s crowded Democratic race for governor, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan has emerged as a favorite of tech investors, who have backed his campaign with major donations and television advertising. Mahan, a former tech executive, faces concerns from labor leaders and some Democratic voters about whether he will adequately regulate the industry and stand up to its influence ahead of the June 2 primary.
California governor candidates clashed on taxes, President Donald Trump and healthcare in a CNN-broadcast debate Tuesday, with mail voting already underway for the state’s primary. The candidates also argued over state-funded healthcare for immigrants without legal status and whether California should move to a single-payer system.
Wyoming Republican statewide candidates are split on whether to seek or accept endorsements after the party voted to adopt bylaws that would allow it to back one Republican over another ahead of the primary. The move would challenge a Wyoming law that bars the party from endorsing or financially backing a candidate in opposed primary races.
Republicans secured most of the marquee primary outcomes Tuesday in Indiana, reinforcing President Donald Trump's grip on his party, while Democrats advanced in Ohio and won a Michigan special election that kept their state Senate majority. The results add to a growing pattern ahead of November's midterm elections: Trump still leads the GOP, but Democrats are finding momentum in special races and nomination fights.
COLUMBUS, Ind. — A majority of Republican Indiana state senators whose opponents were endorsed by President Donald Trump lost in Republican primary elections Tuesday, underscoring the president’s influence in the party after lawmakers rejected his redistricting plan five months ago.
Two-hour debate among seven candidates to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom touched on gas prices, taxes, healthcare and immigration as mail voting was already underway for a primary election that ends June 2, according to the Associated Press.
Democrats are mounting their most ambitious Iowa campaign in a decade, betting that dissatisfaction with President Donald Trump’s leadership and the rising costs of the Iran war will put the state back in play for the 2026 midterms. Vice President JD Vance will visit Des Moines on Tuesday to support Republican Rep. Zach Nunn, a sign of White House concern about competitive races in a state Trump won by double digits in 2024.
Democrats see a path to regain influence in Iowa as Vice President JD Vance visits Des Moines on Tuesday to support Republican Rep. Zach Nunn and as voters weigh leadership dissatisfaction and rising costs tied to the Iran war, according to interviews with Iowa Democratic leaders and candidates. The party plans to expand ground operations ahead of June contests, focusing on cost-of-living themes and targeting multiple statewide and federal seats.
Indiana voters will vote Tuesday in state primaries that include Trump-backed challenges to several Republican state senators, alongside Democratic and Republican contests for U.S. House nominations under existing district lines, the Associated Press reports. Polls close at 6 p.m. local time statewide, with some Central-time-area precincts closing at 7 p.m. ET.
Vice President JD Vance made his first trip to Iowa since taking office on Monday, promoting the administration’s tax and tariff policies and casting Iowa’s GOP as aligned with working-class voters. Speaking at a steel manufacturing facility in Des Moines with Rep. Zach Nunn, Vance attacked Democrats on issues including immigration and fraud and praised Nunn ahead of November midterms.
Ohio voters will choose party nominees in statewide primaries Tuesday, with races in governor, U.S. Senate and key U.S. House districts setting up November contests that could shape control of Congress. The Associated Press outlined what to watch, including who is on each party ballot, when polls close, and how and when results are reported as votes are tallied.
Dr. Amy Acton, the Democratic nominee for Ohio governor, faces a central line of Republican criticism tied to the COVID-19 orders issued in 2020 while Gov. Mike DeWine was battling the pandemic. Acton, who was Ohio’s health director when coronavirus restrictions were put in place, is now seeking to become the first Democrat in two decades to win the state’s top office as she runs against Republican Vivek Ramaswamy in the general election.
Ohio voters head to statewide primary polls on Tuesday to choose candidates for governor, the U.S. Senate and House, and other statewide offices, with many candidates already setting their sights on November. The Republican race for governor centers on Vivek Ramaswamy, facing Casey Putsch, while Democrats will pick Dr. Amy Acton as their nominee. The Associated Press said it will not declare winners until there is no scenario in which a trailing candidate can close the gap.
Ohio's 2026 governor's race is drawing fresh attention to the state's early COVID-19 response, as Democrat Dr. Amy Acton — the former state health director who signed the orders closing schools and businesses — faces Republican Vivek Ramaswamy, whose own pandemic-era business ties and advisory role have come under scrutiny.
President Donald Trump endorsed Kentucky Rep. Andy Barr for the U.S. Senate on Friday, May 1, 2026, and pushed Barr’s rival, businessman Nate Morris, to leave the race and accept an ambassadorship in his administration. The endorsement gives Barr a significant advantage in the Republican primary to succeed retiring Sen. Mitch McConnell, the former Senate GOP leader. Morris announced shortly afterward that he was stepping aside and endorsed Barr, clearing the field of a potentially competitive challenger days before the May 19 primary. Trump and Morris each praised the other on social media, with Trump calling Morris a “strong MAGA Warrior.”
Maine Gov. Janet Mills abandoned her U.S. Senate campaign Thursday, unable to match the fundraising or enthusiasm of political newcomer Graham Platner, marking a high-profile defeat for Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, who had personally recruited her. Mills’s exit clears the way for Platner, a 41-year-old oyster farmer with no prior elected experience, to become the likely Democratic nominee against Republican Sen. Susan Collins, and it highlights a growing revolt by Democratic voters against their party’s aging leadership.
President Donald Trump endorsed Rep. Andy Barr in Kentucky’s Republican Senate primary on Friday, backing the congressman for the seat retiring Sen. Mitch McConnell is vacating. Barr is set to face former Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron in the May 19 GOP contest, after Trump said he asked entrepreneur Nate Morris to step aside and join his administration.
Janet Mills is campaigning for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate in Maine against Graham Platner in a June 9 primary, framing herself as the strongest choice to defeat longtime Republican Sen. Susan Collins. Mills, 78, is urging voters to look beyond their preference for “new faces,” while Platner, 41, has drawn larger crowds and more money since entering the race last summer.
The Rev. Adam Hamilton, pastor of the largest United Methodist Church in the U.S., launched a campaign Thursday for the Democratic nomination for a U.S. Senate seat in Kansas, entering a race that Republicans have dominated. The Johnson County pastor will face incumbent Republican Roger Marshall, who aligned closely with President Donald Trump in his 2020 Senate run.
California’s crowded 2026 governor race featured a chaotic televised debate on April 28, with eight candidates interrupting one another and grappling with questions on costs, housing and wildfire insurance. Candidates sparred over policy proposals including a pledge by Xavier Becerra to freeze home insurance rates, as mail ballots were set to go out within a week.
Billionaire climate activist Tom Steyer is seeking the Democratic nomination for California governor by casting himself as a “billionaire who wants to tax other billionaires” as he competes for attention ahead of the June 2 primary, according to interviews and political figures cited by The Associated Press. Steyer’s campaign has drawn both progressive support and heavy opposition from business groups, with critics questioning whether his proposals are politically and economically feasible.
Ohio’s contested Republican primary for governor is approaching, with Vivek Ramaswamy leaning heavily on his national profile while some within his party raise concerns about his competitiveness with conservative voters ahead of the May 5 election. The potential headwinds include discontent over costs of living and other issues, as well as criticism of some of his proposals and backlash tied to Ramaswamy’s background.
Ohio’s Republican governor primary on May 5 is fast approaching, but a rival in the GOP field is showing signs of traction that could complicate Vivek Ramaswamy’s path to the party’s nomination. The contest also raises questions for Republicans about whether low turnout could cost them in November against Democrat Amy Acton, Ohio’s former public health director.
Josh Shapiro, the Democratic governor of Pennsylvania, is trying to shape his party’s slate in this year’s midterm primaries while seeking reelection this fall, according to interviews and campaign activity reported by The Associated Press. At the start of the campaign trail, Shapiro said he is focused on winning his governor’s race and helping Democrats win competitive federal primaries, including races targeting seats in the U.S. House.
Many groups that helped reelect Donald Trump as president are increasingly dissatisfied with his performance, according to an AP-NORC poll released April 23. The survey of more than 2,500 U.S. adults finds declining approval among Hispanic adults, younger adults under 45 and men, even as most Republicans still approve of his job performance. The poll ran April 16-20 as Americans faced fluctuating oil prices and spent more at the gas pump.
ATLANTA (AP) — Burt Jones is leaning on his work in the Georgia Senate as he challenges Rick Jackson in a contentious Republican primary for governor, after President Donald Trump endorsed Jones last year. Jones has used his legislative leadership to pursue proposals targeting Jackson’s company and has run television ads attacking Jackson on that record, while Jackson argues Jones’ actions show corruption.
Josh Shapiro, the Democratic governor of Pennsylvania, is using this year’s midterm campaign to rally support for Democrats at the top of the ticket and down the ballot, aiming to win control of the state legislature and help shape the party’s slate in competitive congressional primaries. Speaking to Democrats in Lock Haven, Shapiro said his focus is on beating his opponent for governor and on sending a message to Donald Trump. His effort includes backing endorsed candidates in Pennsylvania House and U.S. House primary contests that Democrats hope to flip.
Kalshi said it fined and suspended three congressional candidates for betting on their own election outcomes on its prediction-market platform, according to disciplinary documents. Mark Moran, Ezekiel Enriquez and Matt Klein all received five-year suspensions, while Klein and Enriquez agreed to settlements and Moran did not.
A televised debate among six leading candidates for California governor showed sharp partisan divides on issues including homelessness and taxes, with Democrats also competing to stand apart in a crowded race. The contenders said Democrats will fight President Donald Trump in the heavily Democratic state, while Republicans blamed Democratic rule for the state’s problems.
Six leading candidates for California governor faced off in a televised debate on April 22, 2026, in Los Angeles. The discussion highlighted stark partisan divides over homelessness, youth social‑media bans, and the role of billionaire Tom Steyer’s wealth in the race. With California’s top‑two primary system threatening a possible two‑Republican runoff, Democrats scrambled to differentiate themselves amid a crowded field.
Burt Jones, the Trump-endorsed lieutenant governor of Georgia, is leaning on his legislative record as he faces rival Rick Jackson in a bruising Republican primary for governor. The campaign battle has included Jones-backed efforts tied to Jackson Healthcare and sharp attacks in ads over Jackson’s role in state health-care contracting. The May 19 contest also unfolds amid ongoing disputes in Georgia over election equipment and possible special legislative action.
The Human Rights Campaign is investing $15 million in the 2026 midterm elections, directing the spending at Republicans in battleground House districts and supporting Democratic Senate candidates in several states, the group said. In an Associated Press interview, HRC president Kelley Robinson said the effort aims to shift messaging and regain footing after recent campaign and courtroom setbacks over LGBTQ+ rights.
Betty Yee, a former California state controller, suspended her campaign for governor on Monday, citing insufficient donor support. Yee, who sought to become the state's first female governor, withdrew from the race just over a week after fellow Democrat Eric Swalwell left the contest following sexual assault allegations he denies.
Billionaire hedge fund manager Tom Steyer is saturating California with campaign advertisements, spending at least $115 million on television, radio, and digital ads—nearly 30 times the spending of his nearest Democratic rival in the state's wide-open race for governor. The spending dwarfs what all other major Democratic candidates and independent committees supporting them have combined to spend.
Jon Husted, Ohio's Republican U.S. senator, is seeking re-election this fall in a campaign shadowed by a $60 million bribery scandal that has roiled state politics for more than five years. Husted was recently called to testify as a defense witness in the criminal trial of two former energy executives. A mistrial in March has set the stage for a retrial scheduled to begin Sept. 28, just weeks before the November elections.
Democrat Analilia Mejía won the special election for New Jersey's 11th Congressional District on Thursday, defeating Republican Joe Hathaway by roughly 20 percentage points and keeping a seat Democrats need as Republicans maintain a thin House majority. The Associated Press called the race for Mejía, 48, minutes after polls closed on April 16.
ATLANTA (AP) — Democrats are competing for the party’s nomination in Georgia’s May 19 governor primary with far less attention and money than they did in 2022, raising concerns they could miss another opportunity to win the state’s governor’s office. National Democratic leaders have pledged funding and said Georgia is “in play,” while multiple candidates—including former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms—try to build momentum toward a potential June 16 runoff.
President Donald Trump presented renderings of a $400 million White House ballroom featuring hand-carved Corinthian columns on Air Force One, drawing Democratic comparisons to Marie Antoinette and concerns among some Republicans that his focus on grand architectural projects distracted from voter priorities ahead of November's midterm races.
Democrats reported large fundraising hauls in several competitive Senate races in the first three months of 2026, an effort to signal voter enthusiasm in states that will decide control of the chamber. Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico said his campaign raised $27 million, while Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff said he raised $14 million and former Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown reported $10.1 million. Republicans and outside groups also brought substantial money, and party finances still show a broader imbalance heading toward November elections.
ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia Democrats are seeking to reset their campaign message and fundraising ahead of the May 19 governor’s primary, but their field is attracting far less money and media attention than four years ago. The Democratic contest has multiple candidates, including former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and challengers such as Geoff Duncan, Jason Esteves and Mike Thurmond, as Republicans spend heavily on advertising. The Democratic Governors Association says it will help ensure whoever wins the nomination has funding for the general election.
President Donald Trump is making a rare trip to Las Vegas for a midterm-election message focused on tax cuts he signed into law last year, including a proposal he says makes tips tax-free. In interviews and remarks in Nevada, he and supporters tied the benefits for tipped workers to broader affordability concerns, even as higher gas prices—linked to the Iran war—have undercut household budgets.
New Jersey voters in the 11th Congressional District will elect a replacement for Democratic Gov. Mikie Sherrill in a special congressional election Thursday. The seat was last held by Sherrill, and Democrats are aiming to keep the district moving in their direction while Republicans try to narrow the party’s House majority gap. The Associated Press said it will not call a winner until it determines there is no scenario that would allow trailing candidates to close the gap.
Democrats reported strong early fundraising totals for several competitive Senate races, using the money to build support and counter Republican attacks ahead of midterm contests. The Associated Press reports that in the first three months of 2026, Texas Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico said his campaign raised $27 million, while Democratic incumbents and challengers in Georgia, Ohio and other states reported totals including $14 million for Sen. Jon Ossoff and $10.1 million for former Sen. Sherrod Brown. But AP’s reporting also highlights a broader financial imbalance for Democrats at the national party level and in states the GOP won in 2024.
House Democrats are launching a task force aimed at overhauling ethics rules, protecting access to the ballot, and highlighting Trump family business dealings as Democrats seek political momentum before the midterm elections, according to an Associated Press report. Rep. Joe Morelle will spearhead the effort, which will include progressive and moderate members and draws on messaging tactics used by Hungarian opposition forces after Viktor Orbán’s ouster, AP reported.
President Donald Trump is campaigning in Las Vegas for the 2026 midterm elections, telling tipped workers that tax breaks he signed last year are leaving “more money in their pockets.” The pitch comes as many residents say higher gas prices have eroded that relief during the war involving Iran, which the White House links to the elevated fuel costs.
Democrats in Virginia are lining up to run in newly created congressional districts even before voters decide on a new congressional map, with the April 21 decision poised to determine boundaries for the 2026 midterms. Olivia Troye, a former aide to Mike Pence who has become a critic of President Donald Trump, announced that she will run in the newly created 7th Congressional District.
Voting for California governor begins in about a month, with mail-in voting scheduled to start in under a month, according to the Associated Press. The top-two primary system will put all candidates on one ballot and advance only the two highest vote-getters to November.
A ballot proposal that would reduce Massachusetts' state income tax rate from 5% to 4% has pitted business coalitions against union leaders and Democratic lawmakers, with both sides projecting sharply different consequences for the state's roughly $61 billion budget. The measure remains before the Joint Committee on Initiative Petitions and has not been certified for the November ballot. House Speaker Ron Mariano said raising other taxes is a possibility if voters approve the question, but recently indicated he is open to negotiating a compromise with the committee that organized it. The committee said it is open to that idea.
Residents of New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District will vote Thursday in a special election to fill the House seat vacated by Democratic Gov. Mikie Sherrill, with Democrat Analilia Mejia and Republican Joe Hathaway on the ballot. Polls close at 8 p.m. ET, and the Associated Press said it will not call the race until it determines there is no scenario in which trailing candidates can close the gap.
On Tuesday in Sacramento, the leading contenders for California’s open governor’s race gathered for the first joint forum since U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell suspended his campaign amid sexual‑assault allegations, leaving the contest unusually wide‑open as more than 50 candidates prepare for the June 2 primary.
The American Postal Workers Union plans to launch a national TV ad campaign promoting voting by mail, stepping into a debate that has been fueled by President Donald Trump’s attacks on mail ballots. The 30-second spot, sponsored by the 200,000-member union, begins airing this week in Ohio and then expands to other states. The campaign comes as Trump signed an executive order aimed at creating a nationwide list of verified eligible voters and restricting postal workers from sending absentee ballots to those not on each state’s approved list.
Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell abruptly suspended his campaign for California governor and said he planned to resign from Congress, throwing rival Democrats and Republicans into a scramble over who can consolidate his supporters. His withdrawal followed sexual-assault allegations reported by the San Francisco Chronicle and later by CNN.
Paul Dans, a chief architect of Project 2025, ended his Republican primary challenge to Sen. Lindsey Graham in South Carolina, withdrawing on the last day to remove his name from the June 9 ballot. The decision sets up a GOP contest that tests support for President Donald Trump and his MAGA movement in a state where Graham has long been a fixture.
Prominent candidates for California governor gathered in Sacramento Tuesday, addressing the changed landscape after U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell suspended his campaign amid sexual assault allegations. The candidates, five Democrats and one Republican, focused on affordability and business friendliness, with only a few directly commenting on Swalwell's departure.
Republicans are reassessing their standing after Democratic wins in elections in Wisconsin and Georgia this week, with GOP officials and strategists saying the results point to a tougher road ahead for November midterms. In Wisconsin, Democrats expanded their majority in a statewide Supreme Court contest and won a race for mayor’s office in Waukesha, a conservative suburb outside Milwaukee. In Georgia, Republican candidate Clay Fuller won a congressional special election to replace Marjorie Taylor Greene, but by a much smaller margin than Republicans enjoyed in the past.
Republicans acknowledged Democratic wins in special elections in Wisconsin and Georgia on Tuesday, with some warning that the results could foreshadow tighter midterm races. Democrats pointed to the victories as evidence of momentum going into November, when control of Congress and state governments is at stake.
Democrats are struggling as outside groups flooded the party’s first round of midterm primaries with campaign cash, AP reported April 10. Democratic officials and lawmakers said the surge has left some candidates marginalized and has inflamed intraparty disputes over how Democrats should respond.
Republicans assessed Tuesday’s special-election results in Georgia and Wisconsin with a mix of concern and insistence that the contests offer limited guidance for November midterms. U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, a Republican gubernatorial candidate in Wisconsin, said, “We got our butts kicked,” after Democratic wins that expanded its advantage on the state Supreme Court and won the mayor’s office in Waukesha. In Georgia, the Republican party praised a victory that was narrower than the margin Marjorie Taylor Greene previously won, with some Democrats calling it a warning sign ahead of more competitive races.
Democratic Rep. Debbie Dingell visited Abdul El-Sayed’s campaign event in Ann Arbor, Michigan, to gauge how young voters are showing up ahead of the midterm elections. In a packed University of Michigan lecture hall, many attendees described political frustration with both major parties but said they still want candidates who can generate new energy. Several pointed to a generational mood shaped by Donald Trump’s time in office and by a desire to stop “scraping by” and get “tangible change.”
Republicans in Wisconsin and Georgia sought to interpret election results this week as Democrats widened their gains ahead of the November midterms, with some party figures conceding the party’s setbacks. In Wisconsin, Democrats scored a 20-percentage-point blowout in a Supreme Court race and won a Waukesha mayoral contest. In Georgia, a Republican candidate to replace Marjorie Taylor Greene in Congress won, but by a smaller margin than past GOP strength in the district.
Republicans took stock of Democratic victories in Wisconsin and Georgia as the parties look ahead to the November midterms, with the outcome of state and local races feeding uncertainty about where the electorate may be headed.
New York-based Democrats running for the 2028 presidential nomination used Al Sharpton’s National Action Network convention to warn Black voters that the Trump administration is undermining voting rights ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said the administration would send ICE and CBP officers to “scare people away from the polls,” and Maryland Gov. Wes Moore called the effort “voter suppression.” Other prospective contenders including Gov. Josh Shapiro and Rep. Ro Khanna framed the contest as a moral test and urged attention to Black history and civil-rights priorities.
Slotkin, a Michigan Democrat and U.S. senator, met Tuesday with Trump voters in Iowa ahead of this fall’s midterm elections and also plans a health-care town hall with state Sen. Sarah Trone Garriott. During the focus-group lunch, Slotkin said she is “interested in being a part of the next generation” that can “rehab the Democratic brand,” while pressing voters on what would lead them to consider a Democrat.
By the time streaming personality Hasan Piker appeared with Abdul El-Sayed at two Michigan campaign events on Tuesday, the Democrat had already sparked internal party debate over how far the party should go to court young voters. The visits—at Michigan State University and the University of Michigan—came as El-Sayed seeks the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate, in a primary also featuring U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens and state Sen. Mallory McMorrow.
Republican Clay Fuller won Tuesday Georgia’s 14th Congressional District, taking Marjorie Taylor Greene’s former House seat and turning back Democrat Shawn Harris. The race in the deep-red district, where Republicans gained ground nationally in recent special elections, also unfolded amid concern among some Republicans about President Donald Trump’s escalating rhetoric toward Iran.
Rep. Eric Swalwell on Tuesday promised that, if elected California governor, he would aggressively push back on federal immigration officers, including making them ineligible for state jobs and seeking to remove their driver’s licenses if they would not “unmask” while on duty. The town hall in Sacramento came with less than a month until California’s June 2 primary, in a crowded race shaped by the state’s top-two election system.
Voters in Georgia’s 14th Congressional District will hold a special runoff Tuesday to choose a replacement for Marjorie Taylor Greene, after she resigned in early 2026 following a public rift with President Donald Trump. The contest follows a March 10 special election in which none of the 17 candidates won a majority, setting up a matchup between Democrat Shawn Harris and Republican Clay Fuller.
President Donald Trump endorsed Republican Steve Hilton for California governor, a move his supporters said could consolidate conservative backing in a wide-open, crowded primary. Trump made the endorsement Sunday on his Truth Social account, about a month before mail ballots go out ahead of the June 2 top-two primary.
Wisconsin voters head to the polls Tuesday to choose a new Wisconsin Supreme Court justice in a race that could keep or shift the court’s liberal majority, and they will also elect Waukesha’s next mayor. The contest includes state Appeals Court judges Chris Taylor and Maria Lazar vying to replace retiring Justice Rebecca Bradley, and a Waukesha mayoral open-seat race after Mayor Shawn Reilly announced he will not seek a fourth term.
KITTERY, Maine (AP) — Graham Platner, a first-time Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Maine, is using events like trivia nights and brewery happy hours to keep his campaign visible ahead of the June 9 Democratic primary against Gov. Janet Mills. Organizers say the informal gatherings help supporters meet neighbors face-to-face while the campaign also tries to counter questions about Platner’s past statements and tattoos.
Graham Platner is using trivia nights, “happy hours” and other social events to build visibility for his bid to win the June 9 Democratic Senate primary in Maine, a contest that will determine who challenges Sen. Susan Collins. The Associated Press reported on how campaign gatherings in towns such as Kittery have turned questions about Platner’s past into a promotional format for supporters.
NEW YORK (AP) — Jack Schlossberg, the 33-year-old grandson of former President John F. Kennedy, is seeking a Democratic nomination in a crowded June primary for a Manhattan U.S. House seat. The race has drawn attention to his Kennedy lineage and the buzz around “Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette,” a TV series about his family. Schlossberg says voters are drawn to his experience and policies, not just his name.
In a prime-time address from the White House, President Donald Trump said the United States was on track to complete “all of America’s military objectives” against Iran “shortly,” while also forecasting a new push “over the next two to three weeks.” As the midterms approach, Republicans are bracing for political blowback over the Iran war and its economic fallout, including higher gasoline prices and a closed Strait of Hormuz.
Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner is leaning on trivia games and community gatherings to build support ahead of the June 9 Democratic primary against Gov. Janet Mills. The campaign is also using the events to frame Platner’s past controversies as part of a redemption story, supporters say, as Mills and Susan Collins’s campaign teams argue the approach is too risky for an electorate that prefers the known.
Jack Schlossberg, the 33-year-old grandson of President John F. Kennedy, is trying to turn his Kennedy lineage and a renewed wave of attention from a hit TV series into momentum in a crowded Democratic primary for a Manhattan House seat. The race, centered on whether voters will see family name and pop-culture hype as a substitute for political experience, is set against the retirement of longtime Rep. Jerry Nadler.
Georgia lawmakers ended their annual session early Friday without settling a conflict over voting machines ahead of a July 1 deadline, leaving the state’s election process in November unclear. The dispute centers on Dominion Voting machines that print QR-coded ballots and on a 2024 law that bans using barcodes to count votes.
Georgia lawmakers spent months considering ways to curb the impact of data centers on electricity rates and local taxes but largely left the status quo in place as the 2026 session ended Thursday, according to the Associated Press. With elections approaching, activists and Democrats say the resulting anger could influence races for the Georgia Public Service Commission and the governor’s office, and help Democrats gain ground in the state House.
North Carolina Democrats are zeroing in on rural Black voters in the state’s battleground politics, after Democrats have struggled to mobilize that bloc outside major urban areas. As former Gov. Roy Cooper seeks a U.S. Senate seat in 2026, party leaders and local advocates say turnout in the east—far beyond the Research Triangle—could help determine the outcome.
Democrats’ effort to reclaim the U.S. Senate is colliding with disputes inside their own party, as senators split over whether to back establishment candidates or insurgents in several battleground races. In Maine, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has backed Gov. Janet Mills, while some Democrats have endorsed insurgent candidate Graham Platner. Similar tensions are playing out in primaries in Michigan and Minnesota as progressives push for non-establishment choices.
Arkansas Republicans Bryan Norris and Kim Hammer will compete in a primary runoff on Tuesday for the GOP nomination for secretary of state, after neither candidate won a majority in the March 3 primary. The winner will face Democrat Kelly Grappe, who ran unopposed for her party’s nomination.
Utah Democrats seeking a June 23 open primary for a new House district are leaning farther left after redistricting made the seat more competitive. Former Rep. Ben McAdams is campaigning on abortion rights and support for raising the federal minimum wage, while state Sen. Nate Blouin is positioning himself as a more progressive alternative for young voters. The outcome of the primary in the district anchored by Salt Lake City is likely to shape the party’s efforts to regain control of the U.S. House.
As early voting begins in Georgia’s 14th District, Democrat Shawn Harris is trying to win a runoff against Republican Clay Fuller for the seat vacated by Marjorie Taylor Greene. The retired Army general and farmer is banking on voter interest that has emerged after Democrats performed better than expected in other special elections.
Mark Sanford filed candidacy paperwork to run in South Carolina’s June 9 Republican primary for the U.S. House seat he has held twice before, the Associated Press reported Monday. Sanford, 65, is a former congressman and governor who served previously in the district and has also made earlier bids for higher office.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton drew major cheers at CPAC near Dallas, where activists said he should be Republicans’ choice for the U.S. Senate race over Sen. John Cornyn. At the Conservative Political Action Conference, Paxton met privately with supporters, delivered the keynote address at the Ronald Reagan dinner, and supporters booed when Cornyn was mentioned during portions of the event.
Republican Rep. Sam Graves of Missouri, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, said Friday that he will not seek reelection, joining a widening wave of retirements ahead of November’s midterm elections. Graves, 62, cited making room for the next generation as he filed plans as the candidate filing deadline in Missouri approached.
President Donald Trump told Republicans that the GOP will win “bigger majorities” in the House and Senate after the November midterm elections, even as warning signs worry some within his party. The remarks came at the National Republican Congressional Committee’s annual fundraising dinner in Washington, where House Speaker Mike Johnson presented Trump with an “America First” award.
Democrat Emily Gregory won a Florida special election Tuesday, flipping a state legislative seat in a district that includes President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, according to results reported by The Associated Press. Gregory led by 2.4 percentage points, or 797 votes, with almost all ballots counted.
Emily Gregory, a Democrat backed by voters in Palm Beach County, won a Florida special election and will represent District 87 in the state House. Gregory told The Associated Press she would welcome President Donald Trump to contact her in her new role, saying she is focused on local issues including insurance costs, groceries and gas.
After a surprise win in a Florida special election, Democrat Emily Gregory said she is excited to represent all constituents — including President Donald Trump. Gregory, a 40-year-old first-time candidate, will finish the term of a Republican who resigned, and she will face another election in November.
President Donald Trump has cast another mail ballot in Florida, even as he publicly criticizes the practice. Trump is urging Congress to pass the SAVE Act, which would severely limit mail-in voting options.
North Carolina Senate leader Phil Berger conceded his Republican primary to Sheriff Sam Page on Tuesday, following a hand recount that showed no change in Page’s narrow lead. Berger, the state’s top conservative architect for more than a decade, will now be replaced on the ticket for the Nov. general election in the 26th Senate District.
Democrat Emily Gregory won a Florida special election Tuesday, flipping a state legislative seat in a district that includes President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate. Republicans had previously held the seat until Mike Caruso resigned to become Palm Beach County clerk, setting up the vacancy.
President Donald Trump predicted Wednesday that Republicans would win larger congressional majorities after November’s midterm elections, even as some party figures voiced concerns about the war in Iran and affordability pressures. Speaking at the National Republican Congressional Committee’s annual fundraising dinner in Washington, Trump faced fresh political headwinds after a Democrat won a Florida special election that includes his Mar-a-Lago estate. The remarks came amid a partial federal government shutdown that has disrupted airport operations for weeks.
USC canceled a gubernatorial debate planned for Tuesday after candidates of color who said they were excluded accused the university of discrimination. The planned debate would have included Republicans Steve Hilton and Chad Bianco and Democrats Tom Steyer, Katie Porter, Eric Swalwell and Matt Mahan, but excluded Antonio Villara-gosa, Xavier Becerra, Betty Yee and Tony Thurmond.
A jury in Racine County, Wisconsin, convicted Harry Wait of election fraud and identity theft for requesting absentee ballots from Republican state Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and Democratic Mayor Cory Mason without their consent. Jurors found Wait guilty of two misdemeanor election fraud charges and a felony identity theft charge after a two-day trial. A sentencing date has not been set, and his attorney did not respond to an inquiry about whether he plans to appeal.
USC canceled a gubernatorial debate planned for Tuesday in California after candidates of color said the university’s selection criteria discriminated against them, according to The Associated Press. The debate was to include several mostly white candidates who met the standards, but excluded Antonio Villaraigosa, Xavier Becerra, Betty Yee and Tony Thurmond, the AP reported. USC later reversed course Monday night, saying debate co-hosts could not agree on a solution, AP said.
North Carolina Senate leader Phil Berger conceded the Republican primary for his seat Tuesday, losing to Sam Page in the 26th Senate District. Berger, a conservative architect who has led the chamber since 2011, said in a release that “the voters have spoken,” and Page will face Democrat Steve Luking in November.
Democrat Emily Gregory won a Florida special election Tuesday, flipping a state legislative seat in a district that includes President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach. Trump had endorsed Gregory’s rival, Jon Maples, and urged voters in a social media post to turn out for Maples.
Chad Bianco, the Riverside County sheriff running for California governor, seized more than half a million ballots from county election officials as his office investigated a ballot count discrepancy, the Associated Press reported. California Attorney General Rob Bonta said the move was unprecedented and aimed to sow distrust in elections. Bianco said the investigation would include a physical count and operate under a special master appointed by a judge.
In state attorney general races that could help determine U.S. policy in years to come, both parties are seeing record fundraising as legal battles against the federal government shape the political landscape for 2026. The Associated Press reports that Republican-aligned groups raised $29 million for the 2026 midterms and Democratic groups reported $28 million, twice as much as usual at this stage. Across states including Arizona and Texas, candidates are framing the AG job as a political lever as well as a legal one.
Tom Kean Jr., a Republican congressman from New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District, is trying to retain his House seat in this year’s midterm elections as Democrats target competitive races tied to President Donald Trump’s agenda and unpopularity. Kean’s district has shifted slightly more Republican since being redrawn nearly five years ago, but his reelection pitch hinges on tax cuts and local issues while Democrats challenge him on tariffs, a rail tunnel project and a proposed immigration detention facility.
In Iowa, three Democrats running for the U.S. House include pastors who say their faith shapes their campaigns and their messaging to religious voters. The Rev. Sarah Trone Garriott, a Lutheran pastor and state senator, has pushed for Medicaid protections while encouraging congregants to welcome strangers, while other clergy candidates tie their political bids to how voters interpret religion in public life.
Wisconsin Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu announced he will not seek reelection this fall, following Assembly Speaker Robin Vos’ retirement announcement last month. The retirements, coming after new legislative maps Democrats say favor them, add to Democratic optimism about flipping the state Senate.
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker condemned special-interest money flowing into the state ahead of the Democratic primary, singling out the pro-Israel group AIPAC after it spent heavily in contested races. Pritzker, a former AIPAC donor who left more than a decade ago, told The Associated Press that the group he once supported has “lost its way” and is now backing candidates aligned with former President Donald Trump.
Illinois Democrats picked new nominees for five open House and Senate seats in the state’s March primary after a cascade of retirements reshaped the ballot, an Associated Press analysis found. Outside groups poured roughly $70 million into the races and candidates spent about $54 million, totaling about $125 million, AP reported. The spending—much of it independent—tilted especially in the Democratic Senate primary and several open House contests.
The artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency industries spent millions of dollars through super PACs in Illinois Democratic primaries this week, seeking influence over how the technologies are regulated. According to campaign finance filings reviewed by The Associated Press, the groups poured money into multiple races but lost more often than they won, an early setback for tech firms trying to reshape midterm elections and establish political power.
Juliana Stratton, Illinois’ lieutenant governor, won Tuesday’s Democratic primary for U.S. Senate, edging two sitting House members to secure the nomination and a November general-election matchup against Republican Don Tracy, the former state party chair. The Illinois race became a test of the Democratic coalition as Gov. J.B. Pritzker backed Stratton and super PAC money poured into a crowded field.
Mills campaign released a Tuesday video criticizing rival Graham Platner’s deleted online comments, which discussed sex and rape in the military. The attack comes as the Maine Democratic primary intensifies ahead of the race to challenge Republican Sen. Susan Collins.
Democrats will place new emphasis on child and elder care in some midterm advertising, as an advocacy group plans to spend $50 million on campaigns in multiple states, tying caregiving costs to broader affordability worries. The Campaign for a Family Friendly Economy said the push aims to make caregiver issues more central to voting decisions as families face rising child care expenses and growing waiting lists for federal child care subsidies.
The Republican Senate runoff in Texas will proceed after neither Sen. John Cornyn nor Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton met a Tuesday deadline to withdraw from the ballot. President Donald Trump has said he plans to endorse one of the two candidates this week, but he has not yet backed either entrant.
ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia’s Republican governor race is upended by a late entry from health care executive Rick Jackson, who says he will make himself a direct mirror of President Donald Trump. Jackson’s spending blitz, his use of Trump-linked messaging, and ensuing lawsuits have left incumbent lieutenant governor Burt Jones leaning heavily on Trump’s endorsement heading into the May 19 election.
Burt Jones, the current Georgia lieutenant governor and a Republican governor nominee backed by President Donald Trump, is facing a serious challenge from health care entrepreneur Rick Jackson ahead of the May 19 Republican primary election. The Associated Press reported that Jackson entered the race in February and began flooding Georgia with political ads funded by more than $30 million of his own money.
California election officials said they are investigating whether signature collectors in San Francisco illegally offered money to people to sign ballot petitions using false names. The probe follows a video posted on X that shows a sign offering “$5” for signatures and a worker instructing what name and address to use. The California secretary of state’s office said it was “aware of, and investigating, the matter.”
Illinois will hold primaries Tuesday that set up nomination contests across a full slate of state and federal races, including Democratic U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin’s open seat. The Associated Press voting guidance highlights key dates, poll-closing time and rules for winner declarations as Democrats and Republicans pick nominees for governor, Senate and U.S. House races.
Illinois voters vote Tuesday in a state primary that includes the race to succeed retiring Democratic U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin and contests for governor, the U.S. House and the state Legislature. The primaries come as candidates seek comebacks, longtime incumbents retire, and the 2028 presidential campaign looms. Polls close at 7 p.m. local time, or 8 p.m. ET.
California election officials opened an investigation on March 13 after a video posted on X showed signature collectors in San Francisco offering $5 to anyone who would sign ballot petitions using false names. The footage, which captured a folding‑table setup with a sign that read “Sign petition for $5,” prompted the secretary of state’s office to confirm it was “aware of, and investigating, the matter.” The probe focuses on whether the collectors violated state law that bans payment for ballot‑measure signatures.
California election officials are investigating video evidence showing petition gatherers offering money for signatures in San Francisco. The video appears to show collectors paying people to sign petitions with false names, a practice illegal under state law.
Illinois Democrats are holding a competitive primary to replace retiring U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, setting up an open U.S. Senate seat and turning the race into a test of Gov. JB Pritzker’s political influence. The contest between candidates Raja Krishnamoorthi and Robin Kelly has also put Pritzker’s role—backing Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton—at the center of intraparty criticism as voters weigh how money and power shape outcomes.
A rare open U.S. Senate seat in Illinois has turned the 2026 Democratic primary into a litmus test for Governor J.B. Pritzker’s political sway ahead of a possible 2028 presidential run. Pritzker is pouring millions into Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton’s campaign, pitting her against two longtime House members—Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi and Rep. Robin Kelly—while drawing sharp criticism from Black Democratic leaders and voters uneasy about the billionaire’s role. The battle, featuring more than a dozen candidates, will likely decide which Democrat captures the seat permanently, as Illinois has not elected a Republican senator since 2016.
**Columbia, S.C. (AP)** — Long‑time South Carolina Democrat **Jim Clyburn** said Thursday he will seek an 18th term in the U.S. House of Representatives. The 85‑year‑old lawmaker, the dean of the state’s Democratic delegation, told party officials he is “healthy enough” to mount “a very vigorous campaign.” Clyburn’s decision comes as the Democratic Party eyes a possible return to the House majority in November.
Illinois Democrats vote Tuesday in a high-stakes Senate primary where Gov. JB Pritzker's multimillion-dollar backing of Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton is dividing voters and testing his influence ahead of a possible 2028 presidential bid. The contest to replace retiring Sen. Dick Durbin has become a referendum on Pritzker's political power and wealth.
President Donald Trump told House Republicans he believes a voting bill combining tighter voter identification with bans on mail ballots and restrictions on transgender rights would “guarantee the midterms.” House Republican leaders, however, have emphasized tax cuts and energy independence as they close out their annual ideas conference this week, suggesting a disconnect between the White House’s message and congressional priorities.
President Donald Trump on Wednesday campaigned in Rep. Thomas Massie’s Kentucky district and attacked the lawmaker as a “nutjob,” while also touting efforts to lower prescription drug prices in Ohio. The stops came as war in Iran has scrambled financial markets and rattled Trump’s economic message.
Republican lawmakers in Texas said in interviews with The Associated Press that former President Donald Trump could alienate his MAGA base if he endorses Sen. John Cornyn over Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in a May 26 Senate runoff.
Democratic-led states are taking steps to bar armed federal immigration officers from polling places ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, citing concerns about voter intimidation. New Mexico this week became the first state to limit armed federal personnel at polling sites, with other states considering similar measures.
The Trump administration has falsely claimed former President Jimmy Carter opposed mail-in and absentee voting, Associated Press reported in a fact check. The dispute hinges on how White House officials and President Donald Trump characterized a 2005 report while pushing federal legislation that would impose stricter voter proof-of-citizenship and photo ID requirements ahead of midterm elections.
Rep. Bennie Thompson won the Democratic nomination for Mississippi’s 2nd Congressional District on Tuesday, beating challenger Evan Turnage in a contest that drew attention to the age gap and priorities inside the party. Thompson, a longtime civil rights leader who chairs the House Jan. 6 Committee, said he was looking to return to Washington as Democrats work to retake the House in November.
Virginia’s former first lady Dorothy McAuliffe said Wednesday she will run for Congress in a newly drawn district, putting her name in a crowded Democratic primary. McAuliffe said the district would be the sprawling 7th District, if a redistricting measure voters consider April 21 is approved.
Democrat Shawn Harris and Republican Clay Fuller advanced Tuesday to an April 7 runoff in the race to succeed Marjorie Taylor Greene in Georgia's 14th Congressional District, after no candidate secured a majority in a 14-person special election field. The contest fills the seat vacated by Greene, who resigned in January following a falling out with President Donald Trump.
Dorothy McAuliffe, Virginia’s former first lady and a former U.S. State Department official, said Wednesday that she will run for Congress in a newly drawn district. If a constitutional amendment to create a new congressional map is approved in April, McAuliffe would campaign for the 7th District, which stretches from Arlington to western Augusta County.
Bennie Thompson, the longtime U.S. representative from Mississippi’s 2nd Congressional District, won the Democratic nomination Tuesday, defeating a younger challenger, Evan Turnage. Thompson, who chairs the House Jan. 6 Committee and has held the seat for more than three decades, is positioned to seek an 18th term in the November general election.
Democrats are trying to build midterm momentum around housing affordability as prices and mortgage payments strain renters and would-be buyers in Nevada, a key swing state for closely contested U.S. House races. A Las Vegas food runner, Brian Torres Suazo, said he expects to keep sharing an apartment as high housing costs keep homeownership out of reach. Republicans, including former President Donald Trump, have faced growing pressure to address affordability and have pushed policies aimed at housing demand and mortgage access.
Roy Cooper, a two-term Democrat governor, is trying to keep his political winning streak alive in North Carolina’s 2026 U.S. Senate race against Michael Whatley, a Republican backed by former President Donald Trump. Both won their party primaries this week, setting up a contest Democrats say could test GOP control in Washington and Republicans hope will flip the state’s Senate representation.
Voters in Georgia's 14th Congressional District will choose among 17 candidates Tuesday in a special election to fill the seat vacated by former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who resigned in January following a public rift with President Donald Trump. Twelve Republicans and three Democrats are competing for the northwest Georgia seat, which Trump carried with 68% of the vote in 2024. Polls close at 7 p.m. ET.
California Republican Rep. Darrell Issa announced Friday he will retire from Congress rather than seek reelection in a redrawn Southern California district, reversing a public pledge made just three months earlier that he would not quit. The retirement adds uncertainty to the race for the 48th Congressional District and intensifies pressure on Republicans' already slim House majority.
Brendan Herrera, a self-described "Second Amendment Absolutist" who built a following of millions through YouTube gun videos, emerged Friday as the uncontested Republican nominee for Texas' 23rd congressional district after Rep. Tony Gonzales announced Thursday night he would not seek reelection. Gonzales, who had admitted to an affair with a former staff member who later died by suicide, dropped out after House Republican leadership urged him to end his campaign. He said he would serve out his current term, helping his party maintain its slim majority in the House.
James Talarico won the Texas Democratic primary for U.S. Senate on Tuesday, defeating Rep. Jasmine Crockett. Within hours, conservatives began uploading clips drawn from years of his social media posts, podcast interviews, and legislative floor speeches, targeting his commentary on race, gender, religion, and immigration ahead of a November general election in a state that has trended heavily Republican. Talarico, a former state legislator, built a national profile by posting heavily on social media and sitting for lengthy podcast interviews. That visibility gave opponents hours of material to mine.
Qualifying closed Friday for Georgia's governor and U.S. Senate races, setting both fields for May 19 primary elections in a closely contested swing state. Three Republicans have entered to challenge Democratic incumbent Sen. Jon Ossoff, while eight Republicans and eight Democrats are competing to succeed term-limited Republican Gov. Brian Kemp.
Georgia Republicans are growing anxious as three candidates compete for their party's Senate nomination with no sign that President Donald Trump will weigh in before the May 19 primary. The concern sharpened after Trump's refusal to endorse in the Texas Senate race produced a costly runoff between Sen. John Cornyn and state Attorney General Ken Paxton — a scenario Georgia Republican strategists fear will repeat itself and drain resources ahead of a general election against well-funded Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff.
Ballots cast during extended polling hours in two Texas counties, Dallas and Williamson, face an uncertain future after intervention by the Texas Supreme Court. The court's decision puts a stay on a lower court's ruling to extend polling hours due to voter confusion.
Republican U.S. Sen. Steve Daines of Montana announced his withdrawal from the 2026 Senate race minutes before the filing deadline on March 4, 2026. Daines said he had wrestled with the decision for months and will now spend more time with his seven grandchildren in Montana. President Donald Trump quickly endorsed U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme as Daines’s handpicked successor, while an independent campaign was launched by former University of Montana president Seth Bodnar.
Several key races in Texas and North Carolina moved toward runoffs after Tuesday’s first primaries of 2026, including the U.S. Senate contests in Texas and multiple House matchups. The Texas Republican Senate nomination went to a runoff after neither Sen. John Cornyn nor state Attorney General Ken Paxton cleared the 50% threshold.
James Talarico, a 36-year-old Austin state lawmaker, won the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate seat in Texas, defeating Rep. Jasmine Crockett. In his victory remarks Wednesday night, Talarico positioned himself as a unifying alternative to Trump-era politics, including through Christian language and promises of a “politics of love.” He is now set to face either Republican Sen. John Cornyn or Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who advanced to a GOP runoff.
CHICAGO — Illinois’ Democratic congressional primaries are headed into the March 17 ballot with unusually crowded fields as incumbents retire, leaving open seats across the state. Political groups and debate organizers are struggling to manage the volume, and voters say they are finding it difficult to keep track of who is running and what each candidate stands for.
Sen. John Cornyn's campaign released a six-minute attack video Thursday targeting Attorney General Ken Paxton, opening a second round of campaigning in their Republican Senate runoff contest even as President Donald Trump has yet to announce whom he will back in the May 26 race. The video revisits Paxton's impeachment trial on corruption charges, which ended in an acquittal but exposed an extramarital affair, and a state securities fraud indictment that Paxton resolved through a plea deal without admitting guilt. Cornyn's team said it is spending tens of thousands of dollars to keep the ad in front of voters, a modest initial outlay in a race that had already exceeded $110 million in spending before Tuesday's primary.
President Donald Trump said Wednesday he would soon endorse one of the two Republicans competing in the Texas Senate runoff, warning that the contest between Sen. John Cornyn and Attorney General Ken Paxton "cannot, for the good of the Party, and our Country, itself, be allowed to go on any longer." Trump wrote on social media that he would demand the candidate he does not back to immediately exit the race. Paxton said he would not drop out regardless of the president's choice.
Republican U.S. Sen. Steve Daines of Montana announced on March 4 that he is retiring from the Senate, withdrawing his bid for a third term just minutes before the filing deadline. Daines said he had wrestled with the decision for months and looked forward to spending more time with his seven grandchildren and in Montana. President Donald Trump quickly endorsed Montana U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme, who entered the race seconds after Daines’s withdrawal, describing the move as Daines “passing the torch.”
In California’s governor’s race, Democratic Party Chair Rusty Hicks warned that a top-two primary “election quirk” could produce two Republicans on the November ballot. In response, trailing Democrats including Tony Thurmond and Matt Mahan pushed back, saying candidates should not be told to quit.
More states are weighing property-tax cut plans during what’s an election year for governors and legislators, but efforts to reduce taxes can run into resistance over funding for local governments and public schools. An Associated Press analysis points to lawmakers in Georgia and Florida facing political and legal obstacles as they consider whether to scale back property taxes or shift revenues to other sources.
Republican U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales of Texas will face a primary runoff after Tuesday’s vote forced him into a matchup with Brandon Herrera over allegations Gonzales had an affair with a former aide, according to the Associated Press. Gonzales has said he will not step down, and he has denied wrongdoing, while other House Republicans called on him to resign.
Texas’ early congressional primaries and North Carolina’s Democratic contest signaled uncertainty for incumbents as midterm campaigns shift around redistricting and intraparty rivalries, according to reporting this week.
The 2026 midterm campaign kicked off Tuesday with high-profile state primaries in Texas and contests in Arkansas and North Carolina, where the outcome could shape control of the Senate in November. In Texas, state Rep. James Talarico defeated U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett for the Democratic nomination for the Senate seat held by Republican John Cornyn, while Cornyn and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton advanced to a May runoff for the GOP nomination.
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Former Trump Cabinet official Ryan Zinke said Monday he will not seek reelection to a fifth term in Montana’s U.S. House seat, citing health concerns. The announcement opens the door for Democrats to compete in a state where Republicans have tightened their grip in recent years.
Dallas state Rep. James Talarico topped Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett in Texas’ Democratic Senate primary, setting up a May runoff for the Republican nomination between Sen. John Cornyn and Attorney General Ken Paxton. The Democratic win renews hopes for a major upset in November in a state that has kept statewide control in Republican hands for more than 30 years.
WACO, Texas — Candidates in Texas’ tightly competitive U.S. Senate primary were treading carefully in the final hours before Tuesday’s election as the United States and Israel carried out strikes against Iran. Some Republican candidates referenced the war only briefly, while Democrats spoke to it in different terms and some voters said they want clearer objectives and an exit strategy.
Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales of Texas will face a primary runoff after not reaching a majority in Tuesday’s GOP vote amid allegations he had an affair with a former aide. The runoff pits Gonzales against GOP challenger Brandon Herrera, according to The Associated Press.
Texas voters head to the polls Tuesday for a slate of Republican and Democratic primaries that will determine nominees for the November general election. The races include two U.S. Senate contests, with Republican Sen. John Cornyn seeking renomination against a crowded field and Democrats competing to challenge in November. In addition, voters choose nominees for governor and a full range of state offices, alongside House races in newly drawn congressional districts.
North Carolina voters will narrow the field of candidates Tuesday in a competitive U.S. Senate race and multiple other party contests that will shape the fall general-election matchup. Polls close at 7:30 p.m. ET, and the Associated Press will not declare winners until it can rule out scenarios that would let a trailing candidate catch up.
North Carolina Democrats and Republicans on Tuesday chose Roy Cooper and Michael Whatley as their nominees for the open U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Republican Sen. Thom Tillis. The victories set up a high-stakes fall race that could help determine which party controls the Senate.
Democrats are split over how to unseat Republican Sen. Susan Collins in Maine, with Gov. Janet Mills backing an establishment path while Senate candidate Graham Platner receives a high-profile boost. On Monday, Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego endorsed Platner, saying the race needs candidates who can draw disaffected voters into politics. Platner has drawn new scrutiny tied to old social media posts and a tattoo he later covered.
Democratic moderates are pushing Democratic candidates to “win the middle” in the 2026 midterms and shape the party’s 2028 message, warning that leaning too far left could cost Democrats the White House, according to Third Way’s conference in Charleston, South Carolina.
Arkansas voters will choose nominees for a full slate of federal, state and local offices in primaries Tuesday, with winners facing November’s midterm elections. Polls close at 7:30 p.m. local time, and in races where no candidate tops 50%, the top two advance to a March 31 runoff.
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday blocked a New York judge’s order that the state redraw the boundaries of the only GOP-held congressional district in New York City for the 2026 elections, over a ruling that the district diluted Black and Hispanic voters’ influence. The decision preserved the district represented by Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, covering Staten Island and a small portion of Brooklyn.
SAN ANTONIO — U.S. Senate candidates in Texas made final pitches to voters Sunday ahead of Tuesday’s primary, the nation’s first major contest of the 2026 midterm elections. Incumbent Republican Sen. John Cornyn is trying to hold on to avoid becoming the first Republican senator from Texas to lose a primary, facing challenges from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt.
In a closely watched South Texas congressional race, Democrats are turning to Latin Grammy winner Bobby Pulido, pitching the Tejano music star’s cultural ties as the best bet to win a district that Republicans say was drawn to protect U.S. Rep. Monica De La Cruz. Pulido spoke at a South Texas adult day care center as he campaigned for the Democratic nomination, where he faces Ada Cuellar, a doctor and law school graduate running to his left.
Joe Biden returned to South Carolina on Friday for a “thank you” event hosted by state Democrats, where supporters credited his 2020 primary win with rescuing his presidential campaign. At the gathering in Columbia, Biden said it was “good to be back home,” and he took aim at Donald Trump, alleging Trump was “trying to steal the election.”
Texas voters head to the polls Tuesday to cast ballots for Congress under newly drawn U.S. House maps, a shift that changes district lines for millions compared with the last election. The Associated Press spoke with residents across the state about what the redistricting has done to their representation, from Dallas neighborhoods to the Rio Grande Valley and Houston-area suburbs.
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris endorsed U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett in Texas’s Democratic primary for Senate, a major establishment stamp as Crockett seeks the party nomination against state Rep. James Talarico. Harris recorded a robocall with her endorsement, according to a spokesperson for Crockett’s campaign.
Midterm election season begins Tuesday with primaries in Texas, North Carolina and Arkansas that will offer early signals about how voters view President Donald Trump’s second-term agenda. Republicans are leaning on Trump’s endorsement power, while Democrats are testing whether their candidates should fight harder or pivot toward new faces. The primaries run into September before the November general election that determines control of Congress and statehouses.
President Donald Trump says he has “pretty much” decided whom to endorse in Texas’ Senate Republican primary, but he declined to name a specific pick ahead of the March 3 contest. Speaking Friday in Corpus Christi, Trump praised each of the three Republicans seeking the nomination—Ken Paxton, John Cornyn and Rep. Wesley Hunt—while highlighting issues including energy and economic policy.
President Donald Trump visited Corpus Christi, Texas, on Friday and said he was “pretty much” decided whom to endorse in the state’s March 3 Senate Republican primary, but he did not name his pick. Speaking in the coastal city, Trump praised each of the three contenders—Ken Paxton, John Cornyn and Rep. Wesley Hunt—while Democrats seized on economic and affordability issues ahead of the primary.
President Donald Trump delivered his State of the Union on Tuesday, and the White House is now aiming to carry the speech’s themes—economic prosperity and a more secure America—into a midterm-year campaign. Trump plans to travel first to Texas, where he is expected to highlight the economy and energy policies ahead of March 3 congressional primaries.
AIPAC has reserved at least $1.9 million for ads through its affiliated super PAC in Illinois’s March 17 Democratic primary to replace retiring Rep. Danny Davis, as Democrats debate the future of the U.S.-Israel relationship. The spending arrives alongside criticism of “dark money” routes through groups that critics say are linked to AIPAC but have not yet disclosed funding sources, and as Democrats weigh how to talk about Israel and Gaza inside their primaries.
A Department of Homeland Security official told state election administrators that immigration agents will not be stationed at polling places during November’s midterm elections, according to statements relayed to the Associated Press. The pledge was delivered in a call organized for federal agencies’ coordination and aimed at addressing Democrats’ concerns about possible election interference.
Arizona Republicans are heading toward a July primary that pits U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs, backed by President Donald Trump and Turning Point USA, against U.S. Rep. David Schweikert, a budget hawk who argues seeking Trump’s endorsement isn’t necessary. The winner will face Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs in Arizona’s general election.
Ahead of Tuesday’s Texas primary elections for U.S. Senate, candidates and outside political groups have spent more than $110 million on advertising, setting a record for a Senate primary, an AdImpact ad-tracking analysis showed. The spending spree includes a final television ad from Democratic challenger James Talarico attacking the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement.
Wesley Hunt, a U.S. representative from Texas, is facing increased attacks from Sen. John Cornyn and state Attorney General Ken Paxton ahead of Tuesday’s Republican primary for U.S. Senate. Hunt said the rising criticism is aimed at a threat he poses to their paths to the nomination.
Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger delivered the Democrats’ response to President Donald Trump’s State of the Union on Feb. 24, arguing that costs remain high for many Americans more than a year into his second term. Speaking from Colonial Williamsburg, she said Democrats are focusing on affordability and safety ahead of November’s midterm elections.
President Donald Trump delivered a record 108-minute State of the Union on Tuesday, telling lawmakers “we’re winning so much” and arguing the United States is surging at home while he is reshaping the world order abroad. The marathon address came as Trump’s political support has faced pressure heading into November’s midterm elections, and he used surprise guest moments—most notably the Olympic champion U.S. men’s hockey team—to punctuate his message.
Mayra Flores, a former Republican congresswoman from Texas' Rio Grande Valley, is fighting to reclaim a House seat in a March 3 primary, but she faces a well-funded Trump-backed rival who has emerged as the frontrunner. Eric Flores, a lawyer and former federal prosecutor, received President Donald Trump's endorsement in December—a move that shifted the race's dynamics and prompted a better-funded candidate to drop out and back him. Flores won a special election in 2022 to become the first Republican in more than 150 years to represent the Rio Grande Valley. Though she lost two subsequent races, her 2022 victory proved that Republicans could compete for working-class Hispanic voters in a region once considered safely Democratic.
President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address on Tuesday will function as a test of the message Republicans hope to deliver to voters ahead of November elections for control of the House and Senate, the Associated Press reported. The address comes as Americans express low approval of Trump’s economic and immigration leadership and after the Supreme Court struck down parts of his tariff authority, AP said.
President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address Tuesday is set to test the messaging Republicans plan to use to win skeptical voters ahead of November’s midterm elections for control of the House and Senate. The address comes as public support lags on the economy and immigration and after the Supreme Court last week struck down key parts of Trump’s sweeping tariffs.
California state Senator Scott Wiener secured the California Democratic Party's endorsement Sunday for his campaign to succeed Nancy Pelosi in the U.S. House. The endorsement provides significant momentum in a competitive primary for a San Francisco seat that has been a Democratic stronghold for decades. Wiener, who has spent 15 years in city and state politics, is known for advancing contentious legislation on housing and LGBTQ+ protections. His candidacy has been shadowed by controversy over his recent shift on describing Israel's military operations in Gaza as genocide.
Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett on Thursday urged supporters to focus on experience in a heated March 3 U.S. Senate primary against state Rep. James Talarico, after a Stephen Colbert interview was pulled from CBS air. Colbert said CBS lawyers warned the show against broadcasting the interview amid concerns tied to Trump administration regulators, and the episode helped drive scrutiny and fundraising for Talarico.
President Donald Trump visited Georgia on Thursday, a state he has targeted with false claims that the 2020 election was stolen, as Republicans sought momentum ahead of the 2026 midterms. In opening comments at a local restaurant and later during remarks at a steel company, Trump raised debunked allegations of voter fraud, discussed requiring voter identification, and praised an FBI raid tied to Fulton County election offices.
Virginia Democrats on Friday passed a new congressional redistricting map designed to help their party win four additional U.S. House seats in the 2026 midterm elections. A judge's order has blocked the planned voter referendum, and Democrats are appealing to move forward with a timeline that requires a favorable court ruling within two weeks.
President Donald Trump visited Rome, Georgia, on Feb. 19, as Republicans sought momentum for the March 10 special election tied to a congressional district previously held by Marjorie Taylor Greene. At stops including a local restaurant and a steel company, Trump raised debunked voter-fraud claims, argued for voter identification before ballots are cast, and commented on an FBI raid involving election offices in Fulton County. He also promoted economic themes, including tariffs and assertions about inflation and affordability.
Democrats are rolling out a strategy in the Houston area to recruit popular social media influencers as intermediaries for messaging to Latino voters ahead of Texas’ statewide primary on March 3, according to an Associated Press report. The plan, developed by the Congressional Hispanic Caucus’ political arm, is built around stipends for participating creators and aims to expand the approach to other competitive races. Carlos Eduardo Espina, a progressive influencer with more than 14 million followers on TikTok, attended a Tuesday night rally where he promoted the effort.
Stephen Colbert said CBS pulled his interview with Democratic Texas Senate candidate James Talarico from Monday’s “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” as early voting began for the Texas primaries. Colbert said CBS attorneys feared broadcasting the interview could violate Federal Communications Commission guidance on giving political candidates equal time. CBS disputed Colbert’s account, saying its lawyers provided legal guidance about whether airing an interview could trigger the FCC’s equal-time rule.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton stepped up his bid for the U.S. Senate on Monday, launching a new round of rallies ahead of early voting that begins Tuesday in the March 3 GOP primary against Sen. John Cornyn. Paxton, a three-term statewide officeholder, framed the race as a fight against a “D.C. establishment” and has begun airing ads tying himself to President Donald Trump.
Battleground Michigan is seeing three Democrats—U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens, state Sen. Mallory McMorrow and physician Abdul El-Sayed—try to define “affordability” ahead of the Aug. Senate primary. The candidates are testing different routes to voters as Democrats seek to win back the seat held by retiring Sen. Gary Peters in the November midterm election cycle.
Derek Dooley, a former University of Georgia football coach, is entering the Republican Senate primary in Georgia while saying he did not vote for nearly two decades. In interviews with The Associated Press, Dooley said he did not vote when Donald Trump won the presidency in 2016, did not vote in 2020, but resumed voting in 2022 and backed Trump in 2024.
President Donald Trump has boasted he has more than $1.5 billion in political funds, and attention is now turning to how — and where — he may deploy the money ahead of the 2026 midterm elections and beyond. Political finance experts say the scale of the cash, collected through entities that do not always provide detailed disclosures, could translate into unusual influence over Republican campaigns.
Louisiana Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy said Friday that President Donald Trump’s backing of GOP Rep. Julia Letlow should not change how voters decide Cassidy’s reelection bid. Cassidy made the comments in Baton Rouge as he submitted paperwork for the state’s May primary, setting up a contest between two Republicans in a race Louisiana Democrats have shown little inclination to challenge.
PHOENIX (AP) — Housing developer Karrin Taylor Robson suspended her campaign for Arizona governor, saying she does not want what she called a divisive Republican primary that drains resources and deepens intraparty attacks. Her exit narrows the GOP field for the 2026 general election to two U.S. House members: Andy Biggs and David Schweikert.
Analilia Mejia, a longtime progressive organizer allied with Sen. Bernie Sanders, won a crowded Democratic primary in New Jersey’s 11th District special election for the U.S. House seat formerly held by Gov. Mikie Sherrill, the Associated Press reported. The AP declared Mejia the winner Thursday, a week after the closely contested race ended Feb. 5, and she will face Republican Joe Hathaway in the April 16 special general election.
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster on Wednesday endorsed Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette’s bid to succeed him, in a move that his supporters said could put the Republican primary on a path to a potential endorsement from President Donald Trump. Evette is competing for the nomination against Rep. Nancy Mace, Rep. Ralph Norman and state Attorney General Alan Wilson, with the June 9 primary election scheduled ahead of a runoff two weeks later if needed.
Los Angeles—California Democrats face a possible vote-splitting scenario in the June primary for governor that could let Republicans finish in the top two spots and advance to November, a Democratic consultant said. The uncertainty comes from California’s “top two” primary system, in which only the two highest vote-getters—regardless of party—advance to the general election.
Tom Malinowski conceded Tuesday to Analilia Mejia in the Democratic primary for New Jersey’s U.S. House special election, according to the Associated Press. The primary is being held to replace Mikie Sherrill, who left the seat to become governor.
Democrats in California’s governor’s race face a rare ballot math problem under the state’s “top two” primary system, which allows only the top two finishers—regardless of party—to advance. An AP analysis says the party’s crowded field raises the possibility that two Republicans could reach the November general election, a scenario that would be a political shock for a state that has been reliably Democratic statewide for years.
Republican Sen. Susan Collins announced her bid for reelection Tuesday in a Maine Senate race Democrats hope will help them win back control of the U.S. Senate. Collins, who has held the seat for five terms, faces a renewed Democratic challenge amid criticism tied to a recent immigration enforcement operation in Maine and her voting record on Homeland Security funding.
Democrats are emphasizing health care ahead of the November midterm elections, portraying higher premiums and coverage losses as central to President Donald Trump’s agenda and to congressional Republicans’ record. At a rally in Georgia attended by more than 1,000 people, U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff said Trump’s policies helped push insurance premiums higher for millions and left hundreds of thousands in his state without coverage. Republicans argue they are addressing affordability by cutting health spending and targeting what they call waste, fraud and abuse, and they say Democratic proposals would amount to more money for a broken system.
Jasmine Crockett and James Talarico are facing off in the Democratic U.S. Senate primary in Texas on March 3, with both campaigns leaning heavily on viral social media moments to win attention and fundraising. The Associated Press reports Crockett’s most-watched TikTok clip—an outside-the-Capitol exchange that includes a vulgar two-word reply—has been viewed 20.7 million times, while Talarico’s top video, from a speech-style clip about politics, has drawn 15.5 million views.
A special Democratic House primary in New Jersey between Tom Malinowski and Analilia Mejia was too close to call Thursday, with vote counting still continuing after election day. With more than 61,000 votes counted, Mejia led by 486 votes—less than 1 percentage point—while counties reported mail ballots that had not been processed. The Democratic nominee will face Randolph Mayor Joe Hathaway on April 16 after he ran unopposed in the Republican primary.
A special primary election in New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District concluded Feb. 5, with results released for the contest in the district. The Associated Press reported the outcome as part of its ongoing election coverage.
Jesse Jackson Jr., the son of civil rights leader the Rev. Jesse Jackson, is campaigning for his former U.S. House seat in Illinois, pitching a message of redemption amid a history of political fraud and prison time. The March 17 Democratic primary is set in the Chicago-area district that voters largely expect to keep Democratic, with early voting beginning Thursday.
Georgia Republican Rep. Barry Loudermilk announced Wednesday that he will not seek reelection to the U.S. House this year, citing a desire to spend more time with his family. The 62-year-old serves Georgia’s 11th Congressional District, northwest of Atlanta.
Rick Jackson, a Georgia health care business owner, announced as a Republican candidate for governor on Feb. 3, entering a crowded GOP field that includes state officials and a Trump-endorsed lieutenant governor. Jackson, 71, said he will spend $50 million of his own money and cast his run as a contrast to what he called “career politicians.”
Alabama’s Republican Party dismissed a challenge questioning U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s eligibility to run for governor, the party candidate committee said. Ken McFeeters, who filed the challenge, said Monday he was considering litigation. The challenge centered on whether Tuberville met a seven-year residency requirement, with McFeeters asserting Tuberville lives in Florida.
The Republican National Committee reported raising 172 million dollars in 2025, finishing the year with 95 million dollars in cash, while the Democratic National Committee reported 145 million dollars and ended with 14 million dollars in cash and 17 million in debt, according to year-end reports filed with the Federal Election Commission.
Geoff Duncan, a former Republican who has become a Democrat, is running for governor of Georgia in the party’s crowded 2026 primary. In an event in Marietta, he apologized for what he said were his past positions as a Republican and argued Democrats need a candidate who can expand beyond the party base.
Rep. Christian Menefee of Texas, who won a special runoff last weekend to fill a long-vacant U.S. House seat, has about four weeks to win over Houston voters in a Democratic primary shaped by a new congressional map. The seat’s previous Democratic nominee, Amanda Edwards, is also running, as is Rep. Al Green after new district lines put his home in the revamped 18th District. Residents and Democrats say overlapping elections, redrawn boundaries and delays around the seat’s vacancy have left many voters exhausted and confused.
The Republican National Committee has raised more than Democrats in 2025 and ended the year with vastly more cash, according to year-end Federal Election Commission filings. The RNC reported $172 million raised in 2025, including $95 million cash on hand at the end of the year, while the Democratic National Committee reported $145 million raised with $14 million cash and $17 million in debt. The totals point to a well-funded Republican campaign operation entering the 2026 midterms, with party committees in both chambers also reporting stronger cash positions for Republicans.
Christian Menefee, a Democrat and Harris County attorney, won a Texas U.S. House special election runoff on Saturday, defeating former Houston City Council member Amanda Edwards. The victory will narrow Republicans’ slim majority in the House and will give Menefee the remainder of the term left vacant after the death of former Rep. Sylvester Turner.
MINNEAPOLIS — U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar said Thursday she is running for governor of Minnesota, promising to take on President Donald Trump and pursue common ground as Democrats try to hold the office currently held by Gov. Tim Walz.
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan announced Thursday that he is joining the crowded race for California governor, positioning himself as a moderate Democrat with a record tackling homelessness and crime. Mahan, a frequent critic of Gov. Gavin Newsom, said his approach in Silicon Valley’s largest city has reduced the number of unsheltered homeless, cut fees to speed housing construction, and helped police solve more homicides.
Four sitting U.S. senators—Amy Klobuchar, Michael Bennet, Marsha Blackburn and Tommy Tuberville—have announced campaigns for their home state’s governor seat in 2026, a shift from staying in Washington. The Associated Press analysis says 11 senators have announced they plan to retire next year, including nine in the final year of their terms.
A special runoff election on Saturday will determine the next member of the U.S. House from Texas’ 18th Congressional District, where Houston-area voters have lacked representation for nearly a year. Democrats Christian Menefee and Amanda Edwards advanced from a Nov. 4 special election, setting up the runoff as Texas prepares to redraw the district for November elections.
In Minnesota and other states, Democratic election officials say they have started planning election-security “crisis scenarios” for the fall’s midterm elections amid aggressive federal immigration enforcement and a recent FBI search of a Georgia election office. At an annual meeting of state election officials, they described concerns that immigration agents could appear near polling places or that federal authorities could seek access to voting systems. Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said the planning is now meant to deter and mitigate scenarios that the Trump administration has “seeds” aimed at interfering with elections.
President Donald Trump visited Iowa on Tuesday to campaign on his administration's economic record, touting tax cuts and stock market gains as part of a White House push to focus on affordability ahead of November's midterm elections. The trip to Clive, a suburb of Des Moines, marks the beginning of a strategy to have Trump travel outside Washington once weekly through the midterms, which will determine control of Congress.
President Donald Trump endorsed U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany in Wisconsin’s open race for governor, a move that prompted Tiffany’s top Republican rival, Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann, to drop out less than a day later. Trump made the endorsement in a Tuesday night social media post, and Schoemann said he was “congratulat[ing]” Tiffany and wished him “great success” in November.
Alex Vindman, a former Trump impeachment witness and an Army veteran, announced on Tuesday that he is running as a Democrat for the U.S. Senate in Florida. If he wins the party nomination, he would challenge Republican Sen. Ashley Moody, who was appointed to the seat after Marco Rubio became secretary of state.
Veteran District of Columbia Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton filed paperwork to end her reelection campaign for Congress, according to an election filing reported Friday. Norton, 88, has served as the District’s sole member in the House since 1991. Her filing was submitted to the Federal Election Commission and was first reported by NOTUS.
Jasmine Crockett and James Talarico, competing in a heavily Republican state's Democratic Senate primary, debated their candidacy January 24 before hundreds of labor union members at the Texas AFL-CIO political convention. Both aligned on raising taxes on the wealthy and ending tariffs, but distinguished themselves on whether to pursue President Donald Trump's impeachment and how aggressively to cut immigration enforcement funding. The March 3 primary winner will face the victor of a Republican contest that includes incumbent Sen. John Cornyn.
Democrats Jasmine Crockett and James Talarico differed more on style than substance in their first U.S. Senate debate on January 24 at the Texas AFL-CIO convention, though they distinguished themselves on the future of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and impeachment of President Donald Trump. Crockett, an outspoken second-term House member from Dallas, said she would support impeachment proceedings against Trump, starting with investigations into his use of tariffs. Talarico, a four-term state representative and Presbyterian seminarian, stopped short of endorsing impeachment, saying instead he would fairly weigh any evidence presented during a Senate trial. Both candidates aligned on major domestic policy, including calls for higher taxes on wealthy earners, support for Medicare for all, and ending Trump's tariffs. The two will compete in the March 3 Democratic primary, with the winner facing either Sen. John Cornyn, Rep. Wesley Hunt or Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in a race expected to be challenging for Democrats in a heavily Republican state.
Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones attacked his Republican primary opponent Thursday, using disputed claims about a 2020 Fulton County election issue in connection with his refusal to comply with a federal voter-data request. State senators at an Ethics Committee meeting criticized Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger for not providing detailed voter information that the U.S. Department of Justice has demanded, but Jones emphasized an incorrect claim that 315,000 ballots were wrongly certified.
Florida Democratic state Rep. Angie Nixon announced her candidacy Thursday for the U.S. Senate seat held by Republican Ashley Moody, citing what she called an affordability crisis that Florida's leadership has ignored.
Former NFL sideline reporter Michele Tafoya launched her campaign for the U.S. Senate in Minnesota on Wednesday, seeking the Republican nomination for the seat being vacated by retiring Democratic Sen. Tina Smith. In a video posted on social media, Tafoya said her campaign would “clean up the system” by fighting corruption and supporting federal law enforcement amid immigration-related turmoil in the state.
Florida Democratic state Rep. Angie Nixon announced Thursday that she will run in 2026 for the U.S. Senate seat held by Republican Ashley Moody, the Associated Press reported. Nixon, who represents a district in Jacksonville, said her candidacy is driven by what she called an affordability crisis facing Florida residents.
Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, a Republican gubernatorial candidate, attacked his primary rival, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, again over the 2020 election during a Thursday Senate meeting in Georgia. The push included complaints about Raffensperger’s response to a U.S. Department of Justice request for detailed voter data and a renewed focus on Fulton County’s 2020 ballot documentation.
President Donald Trump is endorsing Rep. Julia Letlow in a Louisiana Republican Senate primary against Sen. Bill Cassidy, a move that puts the president at odds with parts of Senate Republican leadership. Letlow announced the bid Tuesday in Baton Rouge after receiving Trump’s endorsement, while Cassidy has faced Trump’s ire since voting to convict Trump during the president’s 2021 impeachment trial.
Climate activist Bill McKibben predicted this week that rising U.S. electricity prices will become the defining pocketbook issue of the 2026 midterm elections, drawing a direct comparison to the food inflation that cost Democrats in 2024. McKibben spoke in Ripton, Vermont, shortly after installing his fourth solar panel system on his home, as federal clean energy tax credits expired and the Trump administration continued to restrict offshore wind development. National average electricity costs rose from 15.94 cents per kilowatt-hour when President Donald Trump took office in January 2025 to 17.98 cents in October — a 12.8% increase in 10 months that exceeded the rate of increase over the prior two years combined, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Betsy McCaughey, a former New York lieutenant governor, filed paperwork to seek the Republican nomination for Connecticut governor, positioning her campaign to challenge Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont. McCaughey made the announcement after first declaring her run on Wednesday evening.
The Republican Senate primary for John Cornyn’s seat in Texas on March 3 pits him against Attorney General Ken Paxton and Rep. Wesley Hunt, both positioned as closer Trump allies. As Cornyn campaigns, he has emphasized federal reimbursement for Texas work on the U.S.-Mexico border wall and presented himself as a more effective lawmaker than a loud culture warrior, while critics and some voters question whether he has kept pace with the party’s shift. (Thomas Beaumont/Associated Press)
House control is at the center of the 2026 midterm elections, with Democrats and Republicans each targeting a relatively small number of seats in the 435-member House. The outcome will be decided by a narrow margin as incumbents weigh retirement decisions, party recruitment efforts and election-year voter trends. The AP charts highlight how history, 2025 off-year results, President Donald Trump’s role and approval, redistricting and key campaign issues could shape the contest.
COLUMBUS, Ohio — A top U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement official resigned this week to launch a Republican campaign for Congress in Ohio’s 9th Congressional District, challenging longtime Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur this fall, the Associated Press reported. Madison Sheahan, a former ICE deputy director, said she resigned Thursday and pitched her record in immigration enforcement against what she said was Kaptur’s approach during her 43 years in Washington.
Texas Republican Sen. John Cornyn is campaigning for renomination in a March 3 GOP primary in which he faces Attorney Gen. Ken Paxton and Rep. Wesley Hunt, two competitors who present themselves as closer to Donald Trump. Cornyn, 73, has leaned on a steadier, more institution-focused style, including publicly thanking Trump for federal funds to help Texans’ work on the border wall.
Republicans enter the 2026 midterm election year defending a 220-215 House majority, with President Donald Trump personally directing candidate recruiting and strategic planning in an effort to avoid a repeat of his first term, when Democrats won the chamber in 2018 and went on to impeach him twice. Democrats, buoyed by strong off-year election results in 2025 and targeting nearly 40 Republican-held districts, are more than ready for the fight, the Associated Press reported Thursday.
Madison Sheahan, 28, resigned Thursday as deputy director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to seek the Republican nomination for Ohio's 9th Congressional District, targeting Democratic incumbent Rep. Marcy Kaptur, 79, the longest-serving woman in Congress. Sheahan, who was appointed to the ICE post by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in March and previously served as secretary of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, described herself in a campaign launch video as "a Trump conservative" and said she had stopped more illegal immigration in less than a year than Kaptur had in 43 years in Washington.
MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin Democrats enter 2026 pursuing something they have not achieved in 16 years: simultaneous control of the governor's office and both chambers of the state legislature. Court-ordered redistricting, an open governor's race and a midterm election cycle historically favorable to the party out of power in Washington have put a so-called trifecta within reach, according to party officials and strategists.
Twenty-two candidates — including a former district attorney, a state senator and a trash-hauling entrepreneur — filed to contest Georgia's 14th Congressional District seat after Marjorie Taylor Greene resigned from Congress earlier this month. Qualifying closed Wednesday, drawing 17 Republicans, three Democrats, a Libertarian and an independent. The field will appear on a single all-party ballot on March 10, according to the Associated Press.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Wednesday that Democrats have assembled teams of senators and lawyers to counter any effort by President Donald Trump to interfere with the 2026 midterm elections. In a 20-minute telephone interview with the Associated Press, Schumer said cost of living was the dominant concern for American families and outlined a five-issue economic platform the party plans to run on through November.
WASHINGTON — Senate Democratic leaders said Tuesday they see a path to winning back the majority in November, but characterized it as narrow and with limited room for error. The Democrats’ latest optimism follows former Rep. Mary Peltola’s announcement that she will run for the Senate in Alaska, giving the party what Schumer called a wider opportunity to compete in a state Republicans have held.
President Donald Trump has escalated a range of moves involving Venezuela, Greenland and immigration enforcement in the first weeks of 2026, as voters prepare to vote in the November midterm elections. In the U.S., his administration’s actions also include a criminal investigation tied to Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell’s testimony, a step that drew unusual criticism from some Republican voices.
Wisconsin Democrats are pursuing a statehouse trifecta in 2026—control of the Senate, Assembly and governor—something they have not held together in 16 years. The plan leans on new district boundaries ordered by Wisconsin’s liberal-controlled Supreme Court, an open governor’s race in November and what Democrats describe as a favorable midterm backdrop for their candidates.
The Democratic National Committee announced Tuesday it will spend millions of dollars to shift control of voter registration efforts from nonprofit advocacy groups to the party itself, starting in Arizona and Nevada with at least $2 million for training organizers ahead of this year's midterm elections.
Former U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene resigned earlier this month, setting up a Georgia special election to choose her successor in Congress. Qualifying for the race closed Wednesday with 22 candidates—17 Republicans, three Democrats, one Libertarian and one independent—set to appear on the same all-party ballot.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Democrats are preparing for President Donald Trump to “disrupt and dispute” the 2026 midterm elections, arguing Democrats expect voters to reject chaos created by immigration raids in major cities. He made the comments in an edited telephone interview with The Associated Press.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Democratic leaders said they see a path to winning the majority in November, but warned it is narrow and leaves little room for error. The party received fresh momentum this week after former Rep. Mary Peltola announced she will run for Senate in Alaska, one of several battlegrounds Democrats must win to net four seats. Republican leaders, meanwhile, pointed to the states that Donald Trump carried in 2024 and said Democrats face enormous hurdles.
Seth Clark, a former Macon-Bibb County commissioner who led a campaign to establish a national park along the Ocmulgee River, announced Monday that he would seek Georgia's lieutenant governorship, becoming the second Democrat to enter the 2026 race for the office. Clark, who resigned from the Macon-Bibb County Commission before launching his campaign, said affordability and the cost of living would anchor his run.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear on Monday called on Democrats seeking governorships in 2026 to center their campaigns on solutions for the economic pressures facing working families and to speak more personally about the values and faith that motivate them. Beshear, who chairs the Democratic Governors Association heading into November's midterms, outlined the party's strategy in a sit-down interview with The Associated Press from Frankfort, Kentucky. Thirty-six governor's races are on the ballot this year as Democrats seek to build on their 2025 victories in Virginia and New Jersey.
Florida Lt. Gov. Jay Collins announced Monday that he is running for governor in 2026, entering a Republican primary that pits him against U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, who carries an endorsement from President Donald Trump. Collins, a retired Green Beret who lost a leg during military service and continued to serve five more years on a prosthetic, posted the announcement on X.
Former U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola, the first Alaska Native to serve in Congress, announced Monday she will challenge Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan in Alaska's 2026 midterm Senate race. Peltola, a Yup'ik Democrat, framed her candidacy around economic pressures facing Alaskans — particularly in rural communities where high transportation costs push the price of basic goods to extremes. "Life is difficult here, and we know that we have to take care of each other," Peltola said in a video announcement.
The Democratic National Committee said it will spend millions of dollars to shift voter registration efforts ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, starting in Arizona and Nevada. DNC Chair Ken Martin said the initiative aims to increase the party’s chances by building its own capacity rather than relying mainly on nonprofit advocacy groups and individual campaigns. The program will begin with at least $2 million for training organizers.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, head of the Democratic Governors Association, said Democrats seeking to win more gubernatorial seats in 2026 should focus their campaigns on helping Americans deal with the everyday pressure of housing, health care and other essentials. He made the remarks Monday in a sit-down interview with The Associated Press.
A second Democrat has entered Georgia’s lieutenant governor race, with Seth Clark of Macon announcing his candidacy. Clark, who recently resigned from the Macon-Bibb County Commission, said Monday he will run to succeed Republican Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, who is seeking the governor’s seat.
Mary Peltola, Alaska Native Democrat and former U.S. representative, said Monday she will challenge Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan in the state’s Senate race this year. Peltola, who served in Congress after winning Alaska’s House seat in 2022, made the announcement in a video and framed her campaign around affordability and rural Alaska costs.
Florida Lt. Gov. Jay Collins announced Monday that he is running for governor in 2026, setting up a Republican primary battle that includes U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, who President Donald Trump endorsed. Collins said he aims to succeed term-limited Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Michigan Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II said he is suspending his campaign for governor and instead will seek the Democratic nomination for Michigan secretary of state. The announcement comes as Michigan prepares for a political matchup shaped by the role of the secretary of state as the state’s top election official.
Republican senators broke with President Donald Trump over Venezuela war powers, and 17 House members crossed party lines on a health care vote, in the first full working week of the 2026 midterm election year. The back-to-back breaks came just days after Trump rallied House Republicans at Washington's Kennedy Center, underscoring growing pockets of resistance as the party begins a difficult campaign to hold both chambers.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro announced he is running for a second term on Jan. 8, positioning himself as a steady Democratic leader in a pivotal battleground state. He held events in Pittsburgh and later Philadelphia, warning that his opponents’ promises would bring “darkness and division and extremism” and citing “chaos and toxicity” from Washington, D.C.
Democratic Fulton County Commissioner Dana Barrett launched her bid for Georgia secretary of state on Jan. 8, joining a crowded Democratic primary field. The race comes as Georgia’s top elections posts are also being sought by Republicans Brad Raffensperger and Gabriel Sterling.
California Republican Rep. Doug LaMalfa’s unexpected death on Monday created a vacancy in the U.S. House ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom has control over when a special election is held to fill the seat.
The death of California Republican Rep. Doug LaMalfa has created a House vacancy and handed Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom control over when the seat will be filled, with state law giving him up to several months to call a special election. LaMalfa's death on Monday shrinks the Republican majority to 218 seats against Democrats' 213, leaving Speaker Mike Johnson with less room for defections as he works to advance President Donald Trump's agenda ahead of the 2026 midterms.
George Conway, a former conservative lawyer turned Trump critic, filed paperwork to run as a Democrat in New York’s 12th Congressional District, according to an Associated Press report published Dec. 23. Conway has not made an official announcement, and his campaign did not respond to a request for comment. The Manhattan-based district is set to be left open by retiring Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler.
President Donald Trump delivered a nearly 90-minute address to House Republicans at the Kennedy Center on Tuesday, spending more time relitigating past grievances than laying out an election-year strategy, even as the party's razor-thin House majority narrowed further with the death of a California lawmaker and the resignation of a Georgia member. The session, billed as a daylong policy forum to align the White House and House Republicans ahead of the November midterms, produced little in the way of concrete guidance on the urgent decisions the caucus faces in the coming weeks.
Pennsylvania Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro began 2026 with $30 million in his reelection campaign account, a new state record for cash on hand heading into an election year, his campaign said Tuesday. The sum more than doubles the previous Pennsylvania record of $13.4 million — also set by Shapiro at the start of 2022, the year he won the governorship.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp set March 10 as the date for a special election in the state's 14th Congressional District, one day after Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene resigned from Congress following five years in office. The all-party contest will fill a seat that the Cook Political Report rates as the most Republican-leaning district in Georgia.
George Conway, 62, a prominent critic of President Donald Trump and co-founder of the anti-Trump Lincoln Project, announced Tuesday that he is running for the U.S. House seat being vacated by retiring Rep. Jerry Nadler in New York City. Conway, a former Republican attorney who recently relocated from Bethesda, Maryland, back to Manhattan, entered a crowded Democratic primary in a solidly Democratic district covering Midtown Manhattan and the Upper East and Upper West sides.
Ohio’s gubernatorial contest is taking shape as Republican entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and Democratic former health chief Amy Acton announced their running mates on Wednesday. Ramaswamy named Ohio Senate President Rob McColley, and Acton chose former state Democratic Chair David Pepper, with Gov. Mike DeWine barred from seeking re-election by term limits.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the Democrats’ 2024 vice presidential pick, said Monday he is ending his bid for a third term as governor, less than four months after announcing his reelection campaign. Walz said negative attention and Republican attacks have made 2025 “an extraordinarily difficult year,” leaving him unable to serve full time as governor while also running to keep his job.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Democrats' 2024 vice-presidential nominee, announced Monday that he will not seek a third term as governor, citing Republican attacks and the political fallout from a federal investigation into child care fraud in the state's Somali community. Walz made the announcement at the state capitol in St. Paul less than four months after launching his reelection campaign, saying the dual demands of governing and campaigning had become untenable. Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar is considering entering the race, according to a person close to her who was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity.
President Donald Trump’s military intervention in Venezuela has become a flash point in Kentucky’s Republican primary race between U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie and retired Navy SEAL officer Ed Gallrein. Massie, a long-running Trump antagonist, criticized the strike in social media posts, while Gallrein said Massie’s stance is not what voters expect from a Republican.
U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville filed paperwork on Monday to officially enter the 2026 race for Alabama governor, saying he wants to return home and help lead economic and job growth in the state. After signing the filing at the Alabama Republican Party headquarters in Hoover, Alabama, he told reporters business recruitment and other priorities would be central to his campaign. On the Democratic side, former U.S. Sen. Doug Jones is also running, setting up a possible rematch in November.
George Conway, a prominent critic of President Donald Trump, said Tuesday that he is running for a U.S. House seat in New York City. The announcement comes as Rep. Jerrold Nadler plans to retire, opening a Democratic primary in the Manhattan-based district.
President Donald Trump met with House Republicans at the Kennedy Center to discuss their election-year agenda as Democrats aim to win control of Congress in November. The near-90-minute appearance included warnings about impeachment and a pitch to run on Trump’s first year back in office, but offered few details on a unified House strategy. The meeting took place amid pressure on health care and other issues that Republicans say are splitting their conference.
Voters in northwest Georgia will go to the polls on March 10 to select a successor to U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who resigned from Congress last week. Gov. Brian Kemp set the election date Tuesday, a day after Greene stepped down, according to the Associated Press.
The Villages in central Florida—long known as a conservative retirement enclave—has seen a small but growing Democratic presence as Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign draws more residents out of private politics, the Associated Press reported. AP said the shift is visible in neighborhood conversations, campaign-themed golf-cart parades, and visits by second gentleman Doug Emhoff.
Democrats and other critics say President Donald Trump’s administration is taking steps they worry could affect the way Americans vote in the 2026 midterm elections. They point to efforts they say aim to reshape congressional districts and to federal actions they view as targeting Democrats. Trump’s allies deny those plans, arguing the concerns are baseless.
In the run-up to the 2026 midterm elections, a slate of U.S. House members on both sides of the aisle has announced they will not seek re-election. The departures include Democratic Rep. Steny Hoyer, Republican Reps. Harriet Hageman, Dan Newhouse and Elise Stefanik, and Democratic leaders such as Nancy Pelosi, according to retirement and candidacy announcements tracked by The Associated Press.
Democrats and other critics say President Donald Trump is taking steps they fear could affect the 2026 midterm elections, including efforts tied to redistricting and federal enforcement actions. At the same time, Trump aides and the White House have denied plans to use military or armed federal agents to suppress voting, as litigation and election officials prepare for potential disruptions.
US Democrats and election-law experts are voicing renewed concerns that President Donald Trump and his administration could use federal power to influence the 2026 midterm elections, after off-year races earlier this month saw few disruptions. Democrats and critics cite moves they say range from pushing congressional redistricting and targeting political groups to pursuing aggressive federal actions around voting, including a Department of Justice push for sensitive voter data from states. The White House rejects the concerns as “baseless conspiracy theories.”
The biggest mystery in Georgia’s Republican governor race has emerged in the form of anonymous political spending: a group operating under the name “Georgians for Integrity” has put about $5 million into ads and mailers attacking Republican Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, according to the Associated Press. The ads accuse Jones of using his office to enrich himself, and the Jones campaign says the claims are false.
Members of Congress in both parties have announced they will leave the House ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, either by retiring or seeking higher office. The departures include senior Democrats such as Rep. Steny Hoyer and high-profile Republicans such as Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene.
