the DON JONES INDEX…
	GAINS POSTED in GREEN LOSSES POSTED in RED 6/5/26… 15,611.46 5/29/26… 15,603.30 6/27/13... 15,000.00
(THE DOW JONES INDEX: 6/5... 51,562.25; 5/29... 50,668.97; 6/27/13… 15,000.00)

LESSON for FRIDAY, JUNE 5, 2026 – “Primary Colorizations!”

With the 2026 midterm primary season reaching it midway prime meridian, primary colored red and blue candidates are battling it out in friendly and/or hostile states.

Tuesday’s races saw key races in California, where the strange election laws could have resulted in two red Repulicans advancing in the deep blue state, but with more ballets still to be counted, it appears that the Governor’s and LA Mayor’s races will both pit underdog Pubs against donkey favorites. President Trump’s choices mostly won, but he suffered a big loss in Iowa.

Listings, regulations and dates for upcoming and past contests were noted on VOTE 411 (ATTACHMENT ONE) which noted that California, Iowa, Montana, New Mexico, New Jersey and South Dakota held their (first) primaries Tuesday. Next Tuesday, 6/9, will feature contests in Maine, Nevada, North Dakota and South Carolina. Primaries will continue until mid-September.

A comprehensive list of Federal, state and local primaries is detailed on Ballotpedia (ATTACHMENT TWO), while statewide rosters were published in the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) as ATTACHMENT THREE). Explanatory and historical data can also be found in the Brittanica selection on primaries in Attachment Twenty Seven, below.

The wiles, will and whims of President Donald Trump were paramount in those primaries already decided, those still being counted (like California) or subjected to runoffs... as well as those still to come. The choice of Republican candidates that can hold the House and Senate without unduly angering Their President is existential given that Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told Fox anchor Sean Hannity (as reported in media including Yahoo, June 2md, ATTACHMENT FOUR) that – if the President had not won his second non-consecutive term, he would “absolutely” have gone to prison.

It was “either the White House of the Big House” Blanche said. Trump had a D.C. case “breathing down his neck,” Blanche said. “He had the Florida case which had been dismissed, but they were appealing it, and then he had a judge in New York who, there’s no scenario in which he wasn’t going to send Trump to prison.”

Following Trump’s election victory, special counsel Jack Smith dropped the federal cases against the president-elect, citing the precedent against bringing an indictment or proceedings against a sitting president.

In congressional testimony last year, “Smith said he was confident he would’ve secured a conviction against Trump on his allegations that the Republican conspired to interfere with the 2024 election” while other speculators have speculated that Djonald UnJailed might have actually welcomed the prospect of martyrdom (if not of prison diets).

A trio of Foxy reporters surveyed the primries and submitted their summaries for California, and Iowa. They reported that the Left Coast billionaire liberal believed himself to be in competition with two others... Republican Steve Hilton and Democrat Xavier Becerra.

"There are really only three people for two spots," Steyer said, describing Hilton as a "hard-right, MAGA Republican" and former Health and Human Services Secretary Becerra as a "corporate Democrat" while in the Los Angeles mayoral race (where mail-in votes were still being counted as of this morning) Republican reality star Spencer Pratt had secured the endorsement of former Illinois Democratic Governor Rod (“Blaggo’) Blagojevich. (ATTACHMENT FIVE)

Fox accountings of other races... New Mexico, Iowa etc... claimed Republicans were watching for “potential signs of November momentum.” Their summarizations of three key races were...

California governor: Steve Hilton and Chad Bianco are facing the Democrat stranglehold led by Xavier Becerra, Tom Steyer and Katie Porter...

Los Angeles mayor: Viral social media sensation Spencer Pratt is taking his upstart candidacy to the ballot box against incumbent Democrat Karen Bass as the even-further-left Councilwoman Nithya Raman lurks in third place...

Iowa governor: Trump-backed Rep. Randy Feenstra, R-Iowa, is being watched as a measure of Trump’s hold over Republican primary voters, and...

Iowa senator: Trump-backed Rep. Ashley Hinson, R-Iowa, is running to fill the seat vacated by outgoing Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, a seat Democrats are hoping to flip with one of state Rep. Josh Turek or state Sen. Zach Wahls.

Before results were counted, CalGov candidate and billionaire Tom Steyer said voters should view the contest as a choice between Republican candidate Steve Hilton, former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra and himself.

"There are really only three people for two spots," Steyer said.

Steyer characterized Hilton as a "hard-right, MAGA Republican" and described Becerra as a "corporate Democrat" while presenting himself as the only candidate willing to challenge corporate interests.

"I've been trying really hard to work for Californian people, taking no money from corporations," Steyer said.

Running on the affordability issue, the billionaire asked: "Is California still for Californian people or is California being run for corporations?"

Amidst other Fox prepolling takeaways, the disgraced Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich said he was throwing his support behind Spencer Pratt in the Los Angeles mayoral race while New Mexico voters were delighted to choose as a surge in oil revenue has generated billions of dollars for government programs “and left the next governor poised to inherit a financial windfall.”

In several multi-candidate races believed to be headed towards runoffs, the leaders in each party were urging trailers to drop out. Los Angeles mayoral candidate Pratt urged supporters of rival elephantine candidate Adam Miller “to abandon what he called a protest vote and instead rally behind his campaign in an effort to unseat Mayor Karen Bass,”

California Republicans were also preparing to take what most presumed to be a November loss (owing to infighting among the 61 candidates on the ballot) to petition the (still) Trump SCOTUS to have the results overturned “should their decision on the landmark Watson v. RNC case” prove extensive.

“Republicans are on offense with the most aggressive election integrity operation in our history, a battle-tested legal infrastructure, and a clear mission: protect the ballot box and secure every legal vote," RNC Election Integrity Communications Director Ally Triolo told Fox News on Tuesday. "This is exactly why Watson is so important."

And the nominally nonpartisan pollster Nate Silver expressed dismay of the lengthy counting policies in California where RNC Chair Joe Gruters told Fox News Digital that the state’s “dumpster-fire system is exactly why the RNC is waging our most aggressive election integrity operation to date, with more than 150 lawsuits in 34 states.

"Voters deserve timely results and elections they can trust."

President Trump, boasting of his 107-0 record in primary endorsements before Tuesday’s election, voiced his choice in several states in a social media post, whting that Hilton would "work with me and the Federal Government, the money will flow because I have confidence in him (but not any of the others!), and we will MAKE CALIFORNIA GREAT AGAIN. Steve Hilton will NEVER let you down. VOTE NOW!"

And Hilton himself promised to investigate, try and lock up Governor Newsome and other asses for “fraud, waste and abuse” – leading some to call him a wannabee dictator.

Fox added that the “brute force of the president's endorsement power and the immense grip he has on the Republican Party has been on display in GOP primaries the past month”, with candidates Trump backed “ousting incumbents he targeted in showdowns in Indiana, Louisiana, Kentucky, and Texas.”

But some candidates, like Iowa Senate primary candidate Rep. Ashley Hinson, R-Iowa, addressed the Iran war potentially becoming a “political liability” if it continues much longer.

“Nobody wants a forever war,” Hinson said.

New Jersey Democrats, moving quickly to harness the political populism of the state’s anti-ICE movement, argued that backlash to federal immigration enforcement “can help them hold off Republicans in key races.”

The issue becam especially visible after protests around the Delaney Hall ICE facility in Newark, which have become a flashpoint heading into primary night – along with the whereabouts of missing Republican mystery Congressman Tom Kean who has said he faces “undisclosed” medical issues.

Earlier (May 6^th, ATTACHMENT SIX), US News speculated that Trump’s campaign of revene and retaliation against RINOs might hurt in November where Trump's “sagging poll numbers, lingering inflation and frustration over the war with Iran” were boosting Democrats' chance of retaking control of Congress. “Some Republicans are worried that intraparty fights are costing time and money that should be focused on defending their majorities in Washington,” US News stated... citing Rick Tyler, a Republican strategist who has been critical of the president and, on the gerrymandering issue, State Sen. Linda Rogers, who said the outcome of this week's primary “will probably discourage others in other states.”

“If someone is going to ask you to take a tough vote, you may think twice about your conscience and what’s best for your community and instead what’s best for you and your career,” she said.

Fox called the practice of a sitting president “to be focused on attacking and defeating his own party members” this deep into a midterm election year “unusual”.

“It's a lot of dollars spent on taking on fellow Republicans,” said Marc Short, who worked for former Vice President Mike Pence, a onetime Indiana governor.

Politico (June 2^nd, ATTACHMENT SEVEN) even noted that outsider candidates like California’s Pratt would even threaten Vice Vance’s 2028 chances of succeeding to the Presidency – the reality-soap performer having emerged as a disruptive force in the race for mayor of Los Angeles, “churning up the city’s inert politics with performance artistry, authentic grievance and high-tech vapor.”

Unlike other entertainer-politicians, like California’s own Arnold Schwarzenegger and Ronald Reagan, Pratt did not build a long record of activism or partisan advocacy before running for office. He exploded into the Los Angeles election from the margins of public life, a minor celebrity who became an avatar of dissatisfaction with Bass.

The comparisons to Trump are inevitable but “inadequate” Politico opined, noting that Donnie had already acquired political capital before he ran for president — “a self-branded icon of American wealth and tabloid notoriety, a dabbler in local and presidential politics for decades before the “birther” crusade against Barack Obama that vaulted Trump toward the 2016 campaign.”

And that is what Vance should worry about, Politico concluded: “Not Pratt himself, but the success of a screwball candidacy made from little besides artifice and anger. The barriers to entering politics have fallen so low that it no longer requires Trump-sized talent to crash a big campaign.”

Also on Fox, formerly iconic Newt Gingrich returned from the beyond to resuscitate his and Ronald Reagan’s 1994 "Contract with America" that urges Republicans to run hard on their winning record.

Foxy Martha Jenkins (June 2^nd, ATTACHMENT EIGHT) snarked that Democrats “only seem willing to double down on their crazy ideas, moving further away from the American mainstream to embrace their activist base.” Their candidates oppose law enforcement and border security, care more about “biological men pretending to be women than real women. They fielded a candidate who had a Nazi SS tattoo and another who called for the imprisonment of "American Zionists" and spouted other antisemitic phrases,” Jenkins noted and added that Kamalala Harris (“maybe the closest thing to a party leader they’ve got”) are sore losers who “want to abolish the Electoral College, create multi-member congressional districts and immediately pack the Supreme Court...

“The midterms, like the 2024 election, will pit normal people with normal ideas against crazy.”

USA Today (May 29, ATTACHMENT NINE) added that the donkeys are also biting each others’ ears and tails over which states will get to vote first in the 2028 primary election – the privilege “that not only bestows huge influence in national politics, but brings in millions of dollars from both the campaigns and the press.”

In USAT’s “The Excerpt” podcast, Dana Taylor hosted White House Correspondent Francesca Chambers in an autopsy of the Democratic Party’s autopsy – widely ridiculed, and not only by the likes of Fox.

Chambers opined that four, maybe five states, are outdoing one another in their wokeness so as to reflect America, not only with racial, but also geographic DEI. “They want their early states to be able to reflect rural voters as well as suburban voters. Eventually, what they want is for their nominee to be someone who, going into the general election, has already been battle tested in front of different types of voters.”

To do so, state officials are tossing “swag bags” to members of the DNC... especially long-time first-timer New Hampshire and upstart Iowa, which is “pitching to go first as part of the process. It absolutely wants to go first. It's not asking to go later in the line like some other states.

“And (that) the Republicans in Iowa are guaranteed to go first, is something that they argued as part of their presentation. This matters to them because they're saying Republicans will be all over the state flooding its airwaves, talking to its voters. And basically they're saying that if they are not in the early window or if they're later down in the early window, then they're basically leaving Iowa unchecked as Democrats, and making it much harder, not just for their presidential candidates, but their congressional candidates, their Senate candidates, to be able to win.”

Taylor replies that... speaking of losers... Joe Biden is merching South Carolina as first in line, due to its DEI status and high proportion of African Americans, whose turnout is deemed necessary. Revisiting the convoluted maneuverings of the Carolinians, Iowa and New Hampshire... tossing in Nevada, Michigan and Georgia... well, Chambers argues that, “(i)f you look at South Carolina's electoral history, they're not electing Democrats at the national level and haven't done so for decades. So Democrats are looking at not just Georgia as a possible replacement or addition to, but also North Carolina is deeply under consideration. North Carolina has similar demographics to South Carolina and checks a lot of the same boxes, plus it has the benefit of having voted for Barack Obama in 2008 and it's a state that's generally considered a battleground.”

As is Michigan – another of those “core battleground states that Democrats lost in the last presidential election.”

And, she points out, Delaware is arguing that they should be first in 2028 because... “they have great beaches!”

The downside is that Delaware is home to Sad Old Joe, which evokes bad memories and an even worse smell.

So can New Mexico and Nevada argue that cosseting the Latino vote can overtake South Carolina’s blacks? Chambers predicts that, no matter what they decide, they had better decide before August – otherwise, the complicated party bureaucracy “puts them in a jam in terms of when they might be able to get a vote on it.”

The May RCP (the Real Clear Politics pollsters, not the Mayday Revolutionary Communist Party) numbers for the Emerson and LA Times surveys before Tuesday put California’s Becerra clearly leading in the Governor’s race with the former placing Democratic billionaire Steyer in the second runoff slot, the latter favoring Republican Hilton... but both statistically too close to call. Kreate held Becerra and Hilton in a dead heat while the David Binder pollsters, on the other hand, placed Hilton on top, with Becerra and Steyer following – even as the actual voting still calls results too close to call.

Of the upcoming June 9^th elections upcoming in four states, RCP 5/27 held “toxic” Nazi woman–beater assman Graham Platner leading incumbent Republican Senator Susan Collins 51-42%

South Carolina gubernatorial polls found a logjam of candidates – nobody over 20%.

Matt Towery, a conservative pollster and political analyst, told Fox News’ Sean Hannity on Monday that Democrats were outnumbering Republicans in early voting in June 16^th runoffs in the swing state of Georgia (Yahoo, June 2, ATTACHMENT ELEVEN) because of RINOs not being sufficiently supportive of President Trump as in, for example, the record high stock market (see listings below). Yahoo/USA Today colleague Fernando Cervantes Jr. cited Economist/YouGov polling that about 61% of Americans said they disapproved of how Trump handled his job as president. Trump’s current net job approval is at around -26, which is the lowest seen in an Economist/YouGov poll in any week across either of Trump’s terms in office. (ATTACHMENT TWELVE) while another Yahoo collaboration... this with CBS... cited Iranian officials who predicted the war would intensify (meaning higher prices for oil from the field and gas at the pumps).

The prospect of an escalating war, possibly to the extent of America sending boots on the ground into Iran as we did in Iraq, Afghanistan, Vietnam etcetera, has incited manly MAGA men to flex their biceps and denounce the Democrats as faggots.

After horsewhipping Cornyn, Paxton (NPR, ATTACHMENT THIRTEEN) delivered a run of insults directed at his general election opponent, Democratic Texas state Rep. James Talarico.

"He goes by a few names that you all may have heard of. Some people know him as tofu Talarico. Some people call him six-gender Jimmy. I've even heard some people call him James Talafreako," he said to laughter and cheers. "And others refer to him simply as Low-T Talarico."

Other MAGAMEN duly chimed in.

White House advisor and latenite vampire Stephen Miller used "transgender" as an insult, telling Fox News that Talarico is the Democrats' "first transgender Senate candidate." Talarico is not transgender.

"He's clearly transitioning into a female," Miller said. "When Talarico goes in for a blood test, when he gets a physical, blood doesn't come out. Soy milk comes out," the disappointed Drakulonian scoffed.

Fox host Jesse Watters taunted Talarico as a "gay vegan," before quickly adding that Talarico is "not gay and not vegan, for the record." (Talarico is neither vegan nor gay.)

Talarico has since reiterated that he eats meat and nodded to Paxton's various scandals in the process. "I've been eating barbecue since before Ken Paxton's first indictment," he said at a rally this week, referring to Paxton's 2015 indictment on federal securities fraud charges.

It's unclear how successful Paxton's masculinity attacks will be. Brendan Steinhauser is a Texas Republican strategist who worked on the 2014 campaign of Sen. John Cornyn, whom Paxton defeated in the primary. He says the overt references to manhood might help win over some voters in the conservative state, where many value "traditional masculinity."

"I think that rugged individualism, the kind of strong man who's working hard and taking care of his family, does appeal to Texans across demographics and across genders," Steinhauser said. "I think there is an attempt to sort of bring back a traditional view of masculinity and also to try and label certain men and certain types of men as weaker or as not real men," he said.

So much of their politics is focused on a sort of hypermasculinity," said Cliff Walker, who works at a Texas progressive strategy firm. "These folks are very focused on that. And it's a caricature of what being a man is."

That manosphere has had a visible impact on political discourse, says Dan Cassino, a political scientist at Fairleigh Dickinson University who studies gender in politics. He points to the fact that the language around manhood has become so explicit – that testosterone levels are mentioned as a qualification for office.

"In the past, we haven't had this sort of very explicit claim about masculinity using the language of online forums, using the language of the manosphere," he said. "And you know, this is all red pill, black pill, incel stuff. And it's a little terrifying that it's leaking out into mainstream political dialogue."

With Trump celebrating America’s 250^th with an octagon match on the White House Lawn (the fighters have not yet been named, but Talarico/Paxton might be a good draw or, better yet, Trump whupping up on Old Joe Biden) the hate is not merely leaking out into American politics – it’s gushing.

Like blood.

Take Republican Congressman Andy Ogles (R-TN) who posted Pride Month message declaring: "Homosexuality has no place in America." (Yahoo, ATTACHMENT THIRTEEN “A”)

Ogles's previous posts have included judgments like "Muslims don't belong in American society. Pluralism is a lie," and. in March of 2025, House Democrats and Republicans joined together to condemn Ogles for posting "Wanted" posters for judges outside of his office on Capitol Hill (perhaps as revenge and retaliation for the ongoing charges of fraud, subsequently dropped by a friendly DoJ).

His attack on LGBTQ Americans quickly raised eyebrows across the political and media world.

New York Times congressional correspondent Annie Karni noted, "An extreme statement even by deep red state standards."

More predictions and projections from racetothewh.com included Fed, State and Local midterms via charts, graphs and URLs (ATTACHMENT FOURTEEN) and NPR (ATTACHMENT FIFTEEN) in advance of Tuesday’s elections... NPR describing the chaos that ensued as more than sixty Democratic gubernatorial candidates scrapped and clawed, with finalists proceeding to a runoff, then election, still to be determined. They also considered the results of the California gerrymandering... a response and rebuke to Republican line drawings in other states... as well as Iowa’s attempt to flip a red state blue and previews of the races in Montana, where independent candidate Seth Bodnar is pitching to the “plague on both your houses” set and New Jersey, where the wherebouts of mysterious missing Republican Congressman Thomas Kean will be challenged by the victor among the four Democrats in the running (see the AP results in Attachment Thirty Nine below).

TUESDAY’S PRIMARIES BY STATE

Election day takeaways from CNN (ATTACHMENT SIXTEEN) included mentions of some candidates never to be heard of again such as Democrat Barack D. Obama Shaw and “LivingForGodAndCountry DeMott” who did his best as an independent but still will not advance to the November election.

Dispatches from Iowa include questions from voters as to whether Iowa has slipped deeply into the column of a red state or whether Democrats can stage a revival. The MAGA stranglehold finally slipped when unknown Zach Lahn won the gubernatorial primary over Rep. Randy Feenstra and Turek, above, and is now given an outsider’s chance to defeat Rep. Ashley Hinson to flip the Senate seat of Joni Ernst.

ABC (ATTACHMENT SEVENTEEN) reported that Feenstra, “a three-term congressman who won a last-minute endorsement from Trump last week, entered the race widely considered the frontrunner.”

But Republican activists “had been expressing their frustration with Feenstra for months as he largely eschewed public events, candidate forums and primary debates,” reported CNN’s Brianne Pfannensteil.

Turek, citing his Paralympian gold medals, said he was “honored to be Iowa's Democratic nominee for United States Senate," Turek said on X.

"Voters sent me to Washington to share their stories and be their voice in the fight to make life more affordable, safer and easier for their families," Hinson responded. "My record is one of delivering bipartisan results for Iowans, and that’s exactly what I’ll do in the United States Senate. I’ll work with anyone, from any party, to get things done for Iowa."

California’s races, according to the USA Today takeaways (Updated Wednesday, 9:32 AM ET – ATTACMENT SEVENTEEN) continue as the ballot counting... increasingly criticized by partisans of all primary colors... drags on.

The top two spots for governor in the nation's most populous state remained undetermined as Republican Steve Hilton held the narrowest of leads over Democrat Xavier Becerra. In the race for mayor in Los Angeles, incumbent Karen Bass advanced to a November runoff, the Associated Press and NBC News projected, with former reality TV star Pratt and City Councilmember Raman battling for the second spot.

L.A.'s mayoral race will take on national prominence and be heavily influenced from outside resources, fiscally and physically, Brian Sobel, a veteran California political analyst based in the San Francisco Bay Area told USA Today. 

"Pratt is already picking up a lot of money from outside the state, and he’s going to get plenty more of it,” Sobel said. “This race is going to become a referendum on big-city politics in California and in America for that matter."

Bass told her supporters she wants another four years to finish what she's started.

Meanwhile, Pratt told reporters at his campaign party, "She knows it's on. I hope she’s ready!"

As late arriving absentee ballots trickled in, CalMatters (Attachment Thirty Seven, below) and the New York Times (ATTACHMENT NINETEEN) put Becerra and Hilton ahead of billionaire Steyer and, while Steyer had a wealth advantage, Becerra... who would be the first Latino governor... was helped by numerous interest groups that do business at the state Capitol. “Oil companies, electric utilities, health care businesses, tech platforms and soda companies were among the donors that collectively put about $54 million into opposing Mr. Steyer and supporting Mr. Becerra,” leading some of the minor, more leftist donkeys to denounce him as either corrupt, or potentially corrupt.

The Times also noted several of the more competitive Congressional races including the scuffle to replace Nancy Pelosi in San Francisco and contests in both the L.A. exurbs and the quasi-rural Central Valley. Redistricting (aka “gerrymandering” has also combined Republican seats as the Democrats’ revenge and retaliation for MAGA line drawing in states like Texas.

And an earlier Times feed profiled the crusades mounted by wealthy, often “liberal” homeowners in the Golden State who want to euthanize... or at least remove... the near homeless forced by kited rents to sleep in RVs despite the fact that... due to Trump’s war on migrants... they comprise the bulk of the low-paid service industry workers. “The people who call them home feel under siege,” the Times reported

Up north a ways, where winter and jobs rather than land prices are at issue, the Montana Free Press (ATTACHMENT TWENTY) updated races in the two Congressional districts with conservative radio personality Aaron Flint prevailing on the red side for CD #1 against former smokejumper Sam Forstag while Brian Miller, a Helena attorney defeated Sam Lux, a Great Falls farrier, and state Sen. Jonathan Windy Boy of Box Elder (who paused his campaign and later restarted it amid allegations of sexual abuse and harassment) for the Democratic nomination in CD #2 will face Republican Rep. Troy Downing, who was unopposed. 

Kurt Alme, a former U.S. prosecutor for the District of Montana endorsed by Trump, defeated two other Republicans, Lee Calhoun and Charles Walking Child in the June 2 gubernatorial primary.  He’ll face U.S. Air Force veteran Alani Bankhead of Helena as well as an Independent and a Libertarian in November.

The New Jersey races, covered by nearby WHYY, Philadelphia (ATTACHMENT TWENTY ONE) scrutinized results in the so-called Garden State – finding the sublime... as in existential, such as the possibility of flipping the 2^nd CD Congressional seat, the ridiculous... Justin Murphy winning the Republican nomination for Senator in what’s been unanimously assumed a hopeless venture to to unseat Democratic firebrand Cory Booker... and the just plain strange: the 7^th CD adventures of shadowy Tom Kean (see Attachment Five, above).

Source New Mexico reported that former U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland will be the Democratic nominee to be New Mexico’s next governor after handily defeating fellow Democrat Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman in Tuesday’s primary election.  (ATTACHMENT TWENTY TWO)

In response to her win, Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin released a statement congratulating Haaland and calling her “a proven fighter who will stand up for New Mexicans, and we are fired up to elect her. While Trump’s extreme agenda has inflicted real pain on families throughout the state, Haaland will fight to bring down the cost of living, expand access to healthcare, keep communities safe, and protect public lands. Ahead of November, the DNC is ready to help organize and mobilize voters to send Haaland to Santa Fe.”

In the three-way Republican gubernatorial campaign, the Source reported that former Rio Rancho Mayor Gregg Hull was leading with 48% of the vote, followed by Doug Turner at 36% and cannabis czar Duke Rodriguez at 16% but faces an uphill struggle as New Mexico has been blue longer than Bluey.

But in South Dakota, outsider Toby Doeden and incumbent Gov. Larry Rhoden outpaced primary favorite Rep. Dusty Johnson and will engage in a runoff rematch on July 28^th. (ATTACHMENT TWENTY THREE)

Doeden, a used car dealer from Aberdeen with the requisite gift of gab, told the South Dakota Searchlight that: “They said no outsider in South Dakota can break through three career, 20-year politicians. Well, guess what? You and I, we are doing it.”

A disappointed but determined Rhoden (who had signed three bills raising sales taxes during his short tenure as Noem’s substitute) said he felt like that proverbial groundhog who came up and saw my shadow, and now there’s going to be eight more weeks of campaigning. But that’s the price we’re going to have to pay. We are going to hit the ground running next week.”

Johnson glorified President Trump in his succession speech, although he was likely one of the President’s victims as a consequence of voting against some of Trump’s favorite ventures and his support of Liz Cheney. Both Rhoden and Doeden jumped all over his backside – Doeden texting the voters that “...if you hate President Trump and all that he stands for, Dusty Johnson is the candidate for you.”

If Rhoden loses, he’ll be out of a job in January – as will Johnson, when his current term in the U.S. House ends. Then, both’ll have to go out and look for jobs – which might be difficult for Dusty due to his primarian underperformance as well as having blown through over $6 million in campaign funds he’d built up over prior election cycles.

The Searchlight did not even mention results of the Democratic primary, inasmuch as South Dakota is no longer friendly to the likes of George McGovern. (For the record, it ain’t)

While Joneses who tend to go about their lives, jobs and families and only consume what political prospects are doled out by their party of choice, the hyper-partisanship in the primaries has some incumbents... Republicans, mostly, but a few Democrats also... worried about November.

“Some Texas Republicans say they feel unheard and left behind in the version of the GOP where those furthest to the political right are running the show and controlling the party’s message. That divide,” the Fort Worth Star Telegram reported (ATTACHMENT TWENTY FOUR) was on display for the country when John Cornyn, a four-term senator with a gentlemanly reputation, lost to Attorney General Ken Paxton, an embattled MAGA champion accused of “professional and personal scandal, including allegations of infidelity and misusing his office to benefit a political donor”, by more than 28 points. It’s these voters that Republicans need to ingratiate in the five months before the Nov. 3 general election, said Southlake’s Republican Mayor John Huffman... it’s also these voters Democrats will try to attract.

Former U.S. Rep. Michael Burgess, former Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley and former Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price all said as much in interviews with the Star-Telegram. “For those of us who were Cornyn supporters the party seems to not be listening,” Price said in an email. “These are lifelong Republicans who may either not vote in November or vote for the other party.” In a text message, Price called Paxton “corrupt and immoral” and said she won’t vote for him. She’ll most likely sit the race out, but said she will study the Democratic nominee, James Talarico (who drew some publicity – maybe good, maybe bad – as a consequence of his redacting from one of the last Stephen Colbert talkshows before the blitz.

“While Cornyn didn’t name Paxton in his election night concession speech, he said that he would support the Republican ticket.”

The FWST ‘s Paxton backers have said the choice is explicit for any Republican voter, citing Talarico’s stances on illegal immigration and the border, gender issues and even his religious views as too far left for Texas.

Price, for example, told the FWST that she’s a “fiscal conservative” and not a “social liberal.” So I suppose that makes me “more of a moderate Republican, although right now, a ‘moderate Republican’ — that seems to be a dirty word,” Price said.

“This year’s GOP primaries focused on allegiance to Trump, curtailing so-called Islamification and social issues.” Price said she would like to see the party focusing on bringing in jobs, improving public education, lowering taxes and gas prices. Failing to focus on issues that people can relate to — particularly young people with families — runs the risk of alienating some voters, Price said. “Democrats haven’t had much of a message, either, but if they decide to turn themselves around and get better messaging, the Republican Party could darn well lose these folks that have always been good conservatives, just not the radical conservatives,” Price said.

ST reporter Eleanor Dearman’s polling of the dissident Pubs included Huffman’s reminisces of the good old days of the 20^th century. “My formative political years were around Bill Clinton’s scandals and a Republican Party that was very clear that character counts,” Huffman said. He soon added, “Now we nominate Ken Paxton, who doesn’t even pretend anymore.”

Primaries, Dearman advises, “often favor the more extreme candidate politically, resulting in what can be bitter partisan brawls as campaigns fight to be the victor and make it to the November ballot.” Huffman, she added, put it this way: “The hard-right primary machine, which is well-funded and well-organized, dominates Republican primaries and dominates runoffs.” “Now, we’ve got a nominee for the U.S. Senate who is scandal ridden going up against a Democrat whose policies I don’t share,” he said. “It’s put people like me – and there’s a lot of us – in a really, really hard position.”

And an NPR snipehunt described Paxton’s “run of insults directed at Talarico. "He goes by a few names that you all may have heard of. Some people know him as tofu Talarico. Some people call him six-gender Jimmy. I've even heard some people call him James Talafreako," he said to laughter and cheers. "And others refer to him simply as Low-T Talarico."

Time’s inevitable Philip Elliott opined that Steve Hilton, the deep, deep underdog for California’s governorship (ATTACHMENT TWENTY FIVE) is a man of contradictions, if not destiny.

“A British-born dual U.S.-U.K. citizen since 2021, Hilton was once a member of Margaret Thatcher’s political machine and a senior adviser to British Prime Minister David Cameron’s coalition government before becoming a Fox News personality,” who told Elliott that, given California has had 16 years of one-party rule, voters “are sensing that there's an energy for change this year. You can feel it in the energy around Spencer Pratt's campaign [for Mayor] in L.A. You can feel it around the response that we're getting up and down the state.”

Hilton’s survival in the first primary, resulting in his upcoming face-off with Becerra “breaks with Trump’s push for pushy disruptors—and is ringing true with voters who think the Democratic stranglehold of the nation’s biggest economic driver needs a reset,” and that, while he welcomed Trump’s support, he added that there might be issues on, for example, immigration and telling Elliott that: “We’ve got to lower the temperature. I think that we’ve had far too much confrontation. It’s unnecessary,” he said... “(n)o one wants to see anything like what happened in L.A. last summer” or Minneapolis. 

If there is any hope for Hilton, Elliott noted that traditional political alliances “are frayed, at best, with socialists backing a billionaire and Trump supporting an immigrant. A sex scandal tanked the hopes of a leading candidate, Rep. Eric Swalwell, and Trump’s endorsement of Hilton all but sidelined tough-on-crime Riverside Sheriff Chad Bianco.”

Hilton concluded by saying that the “incredibly powerful Democrat machine” has “been able to do exactly what it wants, and the results are really bad.”

“There's a certain place for righteous rage. It's institutions that're letting people down, but...” evoking the last Republican governor (who, of course, moved on to higher office)... “you can do it with a smile on your face,” he said.

But the Los Angeles Times delved into the conspiracy lock box with Anita Chabria’s column that President Trump might, in fact, be rooting for Hilton to fail and Steyer rise up to finish second and face Becerra in the runoff. (ATTACHMENT TWENTY SIX)

“Though President Trump endorsed Hilton, a former Fox News host, a Hilton loss may be just what Trump wants — more fuel to fire up his MAGA base with false claims of rigged elections.”

This perspective emerged after Matt Barreto, a professor of political science at UCLA and a founder of its Voting Rights Project, told Chabria that, “...(w)hether Hilton finishes first, second, or third, Trump will declare with zero evidence that there is voter fraud.” 

“You have a really rigged vote in California,” Trump said last week, when asked about Hilton and Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt, another unlikely right-wing contender.

Fraud claims here will further erode trust in our electoral system and could provide Trump with ammunition for interference across the country.

“I am worried about interference in the election by federal authorities,” State Sen. Tom Umberg (D-Santa Ana), a former federal prosecutor, said.

“I believe Donald Trump when he says, ‘I’m going to interfere in the election.’”

The strange circumstances of this particular California election may be a test for both sides. As the first results rolled in, Barreto, the UCLA voting expert, said he thought “Hilton (had) the highest probability of finishing first on Tuesday with Becerra close by in second, and Steyer in third.” Yesterday, however, he pivoted... saying Becerra had taken the lead with Hilton is second and Steyer still trailing.

If Hilton doesn’t make the top three, after having been in the lead during in-person voting, LAT contended that “MAGA will most certainly lose its collective mind.

And Trump will have something just as good as a Republican governor in the Golden State — “proof” that the election officials cheated.

THE VIEW from AFAR

Foreign journalists opined upon what roles would “history, gerrymandering, candidates, and election security” play, according to the venerable vegetables at Brittanica. (June 1^st, ATTACHMENT TWENTY SEVEN)

“Incumbent presidents pretty much hate the midterms,” the encyclopaediac Tracy Grant wrote, adding: “(i)f you’re wondering why, just ask Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. In 1994 and 2010, respectively, each president saw the Democratic Party post devastating losses in the midterms. Clinton and Obama aren’t the exception; they are the rule.”

A Brittanical examination of the 22 midterm elections from 1934 through 2018 reveals that the party controlling the White House has lost, on average, 28 seats in the House of Representatives and 4 seats in the Senate. On only two occasions since 1934 has the president’s party gained seats in both the House and the Senate.

History should not be on the GOP’s side but the 2026 midterms pose “complicating factors” beyond historical precedent, with top bulldog on the Brittanica pile being gerrymandering (basically, said the limeys, “drawing election boundaries that favor one party”).

With its tradition of history and background, Brittanica explained the legal precedents of the colonials, including issues like turnout (almost always lower than in the general elections),

California and Texas were two of seven states that changed their maps (the others being Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Utah, and Virginia). Four other states (Maryland, South Carolina, Florida, and Washington) introduced legislation to redraw their maps. Maryland’s plan did not make it out of the state legislature; but in April, Virginia voters approved a House map that could give Democrats an additional four seats. In May, however, the Virginia Supreme Court ruled that the voter-approved map had been developed in a way that was unconstitutional and said it could not be used. In April 2026 Florida’s legislature approved a new map of congressional districts proposed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. The plan could add as many as four Republican seats to the House of Representatives, but it faces a likely court challenge. The Florida constitution prohibits redrawing boundaries for purely political gain.

Brittanica weighed the Republican benefits of gerrymandering against increasing American disappointment with President Trump, citing the respected Cook Political Report (CPR) that “shows Democrats leading in 213 races and Republicans leading in 205; CPR rul(ing) 17 races as toss-ups, and 14 of those feature(ing) Republican incumbents.”

They also noted that the level of vulnerability in seats held by Republicans indicates that 2026 “may follow historic trends.”

The math in the Senate is even more complicated. Brittanica contends, because, “unlike the House, where all seats are up for election every two years, in any given year only a third of Senate seats are contested. Going into the 2026 midterms, Republicans held 53 seats and Democrats held 45, plus 2 independents who typically vote with the Democrats, in essence giving them 47 seats. If historical trends hold, Republicans could lose 4 Senate seats, flipping those numbers to 51 Democrats (including the 2 independents) and 49 Republicans.”

Electoral issues in the red range from immigration... which, according to the Pew Research Center, was listed by 82% of Trump supporters in 2024, but has since lost MAGA mojo while alienating moderates... to electoral fraud (real or imagined)... to, trailing but paramount among bluesies, affordability.

Brittanica also ventured its own take on past and future primary states (including Texas, Maine and Georgia).

Also from the U.K., Reuters (ATTACHMENT TWENTY EIGHT) assessed the impact of the American courts on American elections... stating the obvious that cases which make it to the top will usually face a Republican predisposition and seem poised to tweak the rules further in Mississipi, by strikingdown “state laws that allow late-arriving mail ballots to be counted as long as they are postmarked by Election Day,” in further “chipping away” at regulations on money in political campaigns and allowing Republican state legislators to “dismantle” voting rights provisions and, say critics, disenfranchise black and brown Americans.

As opposed to the Brittanica math, Reuters also that “Republicans are positioned in November to gain up to a dozen U.S. House seats currently held by Democrats through the process of redistricting - redrawing the boundaries of voting districts” despite Trump’s “sagging approval ratings”.

And a little comedy emerged from the Independent U.K. as they covered the stand in of Dr. Oz for SecPress Karoline Leavitt (maternity leave) wherein the loser in 2024’s Pennsylvania senate race - dismissing Americans who oppose or disapprove of President Donald Trump or his administration as “stupid” and “lost” in what IUK called a “raucous” rant denouncing Dems and RINOs who’ve “focused their entire life’s energy” on the president, reiterating: “But you know, treating stupid is really hard — and it becomes a real problem,” he added.

The little OZide prompted IUK to look back through the history of TDS (Trump Derangement Syndrome) and further to BDS (which conservative columnist Charles Krauthammer described as “the acute onset of paranoia in otherwise normal people in reaction to the policies, the presidency — nay — the very existence of George W. Bush." (ATTACHMENT TWENTY NINE)

IUK then speculated that the good Doc’s rant was planned to distract attention from OZman’s less-than-enthusiastic endorsement of Trump’s decision to elevate Federal Housing Finance Administration head Bill Pulte to lead the Office of Director of National Intelligence on an acting basis.

Peanuts from the Gallery included criticism of Dr. Oz for supporting President Trump and calling dissenters "stupid," with many labeling Oz a quack and questioning his credibility. Other comments point to frustrations with President Trump’s policies and behavior, while others highlighted “the divisiveness of the MAGA movement”.

Al Jazeera has earned respect... from some sources... for its analysis of the American Way and its take on three of the six primaries on Election Eve. (ATTACHMENT THIRTY)

“To take control of the Senate in November, Democrats need to defend all their existing seats — and flip around four... Iowa “offers a golden opportunity to gain ground,” the Jazzies opined and added that, since Turek was seen as more moderate than Wahls (Attachment Five, above) the Democratic establishment (had) largely rallied around him and, in fact, he won.

They touched upon the Tom Kean enigma, the Congressional races in Montana and South Dakota, Deb Haaland’s successful outcome in New Mexico. And in the “big behemoth”, California, Bianco was still given a chance at pulling off the all-Republican gubernatorial general which, of course, failed to materialize.

And a newer foreign scrutiny of the Americans by the GIS reports in tiny Lichtenstein, reporter James Jay Carafano... after explaining, somewhat... the mores of midterms concluded that “the country is set for an increasingly sharpening divide between left and right.”

Americans are more politically divided now than in decades, and the number of swing states remains stagnant, if not declining,” GIS declared, citing “state apportionment of congressional seats, house elections that are truly competitive – where districts have an even number of Republican and Democratic voters or a high proportion of independent voters,” as being increasingly few. So, while there will be many elections nationwide, only a few races are likely to matter in determining which party controls Congress.

These races, including in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, will be hotly contested and receive enormous amounts of attention and money. The races “may well focus on local issues and the character and competence of the candidates, rather than reflect choices over the national policies and priorities of the parties,” according to the Lichtensteiners (ATTACHMENT THIRTY ONE) – but, then again, they may not.

Carafano concluded by predicting that, if Republicans lose the House of Representatives, “the Democrats may seek to impeach the president (as they did twice before), though with little chance of success as they would not have the votes in the Senate to remove him from office.”

Otherwise, Democrats will undoubtedly conduct several investigations “to try to undermine and frustrate the administration. These actions will sharpen the political divide in the U.S., but it is not clear if either party will benefit from this divisiveness,” given that “the composition of the Supreme Court will not change significantly in the foreseeable future as justices are appointed for life. They are very selective on the timing of moving into their retirements, should they choose to step back from public life. If there are vacancies, President Trump will not nominate anyone acceptable to Democrats. And as conservatives have six seats in the nine-justice court, any individual vacancies would not materially influence the balance of the court.”

Money, clean and dirty, will play its part in November as Democrats like Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro “accused President Donald Trump, his administration and his congressional supporters of participating in or enabling corruption no fewer than a dozen times.” (NBC, ATTACHMENT THIRTY TWO)

Shapiro, one of many donkeys considering 2028, believes that corruption is increasingly at the center of the 2026 election, with Democrats making it a core tenet of their midterm messaging. Much like Trump — who has aimed his “drain the swamp” mantra at congressional Democrats who reported stock trades or Hunter Biden for his business dealings — “Democrats are seeking to take advantage of spiking levels of voter distrust in government and dissatisfaction with the economy by spotlighting examples or allegations of the president, his allies or congressional Republicans enriching themselves or providing friendly industries with special treatment.

NBC reported that Trump or his investment managers have made more than 3,700 stock trades in the first quarter of this year, according to a financial disclosure filed with the U.S. Office of Government Ethics, including some involving major corporations with dealings before his administration.” The President has pledged to protect from state regulation two industries to which he or his family members have financial ties: crypto and prediction markets. And the Pentagon recently awarded Dell a nearly $10 billion contract after the president acquired stock in the company.

“A bevy of data shows an increased number of Americans expressing distrust in institutions. An NBC News survey in March found that 59% of Americans agree that the country’s economic and political systems are stacked against them, while just 38% disagree — the most substantial split in that direction polled by NBC News since April 1992. The same survey found that 84% believe the rich and powerful are above the law and get special treatment or look out for each other, with 57% saying that trend has gotten worse in the last five to 10 years.”

Former White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, also mulling a Democratic presidential bid, said voters “do care” about alleged instances of corruption.

“They see the ballroom as corruption,” he said. “They see the arches as corruption. … They see his self-enrichment, and I’ll say it this way: They have concluded correctly he is more concerned about his personal finances than he’s concerned about your finances.”

Republicans have answered the donkey denunciations by directing attention to long-standing hot spots like Minnesota have generated multiple investigations into alleged fraud, including alleged welfare fraud – often by Somali immigrants.

Some Pubs defend the President, others suggest at least a few modern reforms that would dampen distaste in November.

Meave Coyle, a spokesperson for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, excoriated a host of Republican Senate candidates as “corrupt” in a statement.

“Republican Senate candidates have proven over and over that they’re only looking out for themselves and their wealthy special interest backers while forcing higher costs, more expensive health care, and pain at the gas pump on hardworking Americans,” she said.

“People in this area feel that folks don’t have their backs, and that the system is really working against them,” said Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti Cognetti, noting high-profile corruption scandals in her city and state. “For us here going into 2026, corruption is still a very salient issue. People don’t want to see more folks in positions of authority that let them down.”

To the Guardian U.K., the most dangerous examples of corruption are twinkling out of the high tech fronter... ranging from the highly unpopular neighborhood server farms, to humans being replaced by robots and to the growing surveillance society (also vulnerable to “bad actors”).

And they are buying America... “(f)rom Google co-founder Brin spending $82m to fight a billionaire tax to Google and Meta funding a joint Super Pac, Silicon Valley is engaged in an existential fight for its political power at home.” (ATTACHMENT THIRTY THREE)

But GUK also noted a big goof... Democratic gubernatorial candidate Matt Mahan receiving more donations than any other candidate, including from top executives at Google, Amazon, Snap, LinkedIn, Reddit and Palantir.

He finished out of the money.

NPR composed several charts detailing the money spent to date as (ATTACHMENT THIRTY FOUR). See them here.

Running down the math on crypto-billionaire Larsen, Googly Brin and others leading to what CalMatters called $39M in lobbying fees... more than in any year prior and surpassing “what was spent by the oil and gas industry, which typically tops the high roller list...” California’s Steyer (See Attachment Thirty Six, below) ultimately spent nearly a quarter of a billion dollars on his populism-coded gubernatorial bid. The fact that all that advertising didn’t translate to an electoral blowout is no surprise, said Garry South, a longtime California Democratic strategist.

“It may sound facetious to say that you can have too much money in a campaign, but in fact the way these rich self-financing candidates spend their money becomes a liability. …They wear out their welcome.”

But first...

The Associated Press (June 3, 2026, at 4:06 p.m. – ATTACHMENT THIRTY FIVE) summarized Tuesday’s winners, losers and runoff do-over-ers (California’s Senate and Gubernatorial races excepted).

As expected, incumbent and potential 2028 Presidential entry Cory Booker was unopposed in his NEW JERSEY re-election bid, and will face designated sacrifice Murphy... the “minus $24 man”.

Rep. Deb Haaland won decisively in NEW MEXICO’s Democratic primary and will be favored over former Rio Rancho Mayor Gregg Hull, to become America’s first Native American woman Governor.

Republican businessman and gubernatorial candidate Zach Lahn handed President Trump his first primary defeat, upsetting Rep. Randy Feenstra in IOWA and will move on against Democrat Rob Sand in November, while the donkeys chose Paralympian gold medalist Josh Turek to face Republican winner for the Senate.

MONTANA’s Senate seat, left vacant by retiring Republican incumbent Sen. Steve Daines, will see a matchup between former U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme and Air Force veteran Alani Bankhead and talk show host Aaron Flint clinched the Republican nomination in the First CD, with the Democratic race too close to call.

Incumbent South Dakota Governor Larry Rhoden was upset by used car dealer Toby Doeden, but qualified for the Republican runoff. The winner will face former state Sen. Dan Ahlers, who ran unopposed for the Democratic nomination.

And finally, on to CalMatters.org’s post-electoral summary: “FIVE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT CALIFORNIA’S ELECTION”... the lead being billionaire Tom Steyer trailing Democrat Becerra and Republican Hilton (above), despite pouring a few millions into his kitty followed, thereafter by the non-appearance of the dreaded “shut out” scenario had Riverside County Sheriff Chad Biano finished second amidst Republicans.

CM’s Ben Christopher (ATTACHMENT THIRTY SIX, June 3^rd) also selected the “good night for normie Democrats” after their Swalwell implosion, the rigidification of party and partisan despite 2010’s top-two primary system with the races always reverted to “partisan pattern(s)” with “energized Democratic voters gravitating around their candidate and Republicans doing the same.” 

He also noted several down-ballot upsets, some surprising new candidates and epic fails as well as victories by “Senator Who” in legislative contests.

Ballotpedia (ATTACHMENT THIRTY SEVEN) focused on California’s CD#4 not only in ideological terms, but generational.

The top two, both Democrats are incumbent Mike Thompson and Zoran Mamdani/Bernie Sanders wannabee and American Dream Institute founder Eric Jones.

Six Republicans and one Independent also ran and, as could be expected, so carved up the red vote that none came even close. The Sacramento Bee's Jake Goodrick autopsized: "A Republican candidate often advances in a top-two primary, even in a heavily Democratic district...but without a stand-out Republican to back, a scenario in which the four Republicans split votes could favor both Thompson and Jones advancing."

Next Tuesday’s races will be in Maine (featuring the explosive Platner), Nevada, North Dakota and South Carolina as the DJI shifts its focus to things military on the 82^nd anniversary of D-Day – following Memorial Day and leading up to the Fourth.

	IN the NEWS: MAY 28th, 2026 to JUNE 4th, 2026
Friday, May 29, 2026 Dow: 51,032.46	The week begins with disasters. Gas explosion at Dallas apartment kills ten. Recovery continues at Washing State chemical tank with six of nine bodies recovered. Five are killed in bus crash on I-95 in Virginia with forty more injured. Train explodes and burns, closing AMTRACK service into New York. Blue Origin blows up on the launching pad due to an “anomaly” causing Elon Musk to call the explosion “...most unfavorable. Rockets are hard.” (But there is good news as some of the Laotian gold miners are found alive, although still trapped in a cave.) Veep Vance hopeful but strikes continue amidst Trump’s can kick by proposing more talks that do not include Iranian nukes, Lebanon or sanctions. Critics are hooting and hollering TACO... even, as Blanche and Bessent backtrack on sanctions like two strips of BACO. “Patriotic” pro-Trump projects arise independent of collapsing White House escalate to funding Capitol rioters, putting Trump face on $250 bill, renaming the Kennecy Center and erecting an enormous arch dedicated to Himself.
Saturday, May 30, 2026 Dow: Closed	The Laotian gold miners are rescued, just before being drowned by new monsoon rains after more than a week underground. They emerge cold and hungry, but to celebrations in Laos and the world. Trump and his minions continue to insist that a deal with Iran is just around the corner. Trump, meeting with the National Security Council, says that Iranians are “desperate” for a deal, but they disagree. DefSec Hegseck says a deal is “close” but hung up on the nuclear issue. At home, however, the courts hand the President defeats over renaming the Kennedy Center and the handout to Capitol riots (aka the “Anti-Weaponizaation” fund and, as the Freedom 250 fund turns into a Trump glorification project, more artists are dropping out, even Milli Vanilli. But Vanilla Ice still stays the course. In a busy weekend sportsfest, San Antonio wins game 7 and will play the playoff-unbeaten Knicks in the NBA finals while the meteorolical strange NHL finals will pit Carolina against Vegas. (Ice, Ice baby? Hell no!) Speaking of Hell, #1 Janos Sinner is upset at the French Open as is #2, Djokovic and American defending champion Coco Gauff. 14 year old escapes crazed kidnapper in Michigan. 12 year old bird imposter from Oklahoma gets 27M Tik Tok views.
Sunday, May 31, 2026 Dow: Closed	It’s Talkshow Sunday (and, also, Nationl Smile Day with a Blue Moon overhead). Few smiles, plenty of blue as the wars continue but, at least, gas prices are down a bit. President Trump hardens his demands; not only must Iran not make nuclear weapons, they shall not buy them. The nearness of a deal is called “an agreement to negotiate an agreement” and tired pundits are calling it Groundhog Day all over again. On ABC’s Week, Dan Abrams notes that courts have redlighted both the Kennedy Center name change and Weaponization giveaway – sending matters to SCOTUS to rule on whather a President can sue himself, settle and collect from the taxpayers. Sara Isgur believes not, the matters must eventually be decided by Congress – and Republicans are conflicted, to which Abrams answers they won’t deny Him. The blowback may harm Pubs in midterms but Dems are hated too, Sen. Cory Booker citing Nazi candidate in Maine. National Economic Council’s MAGAman Kevin Hassett says the leftist media focus on negatives. Profits are so high that corporations can throw a trifle to the workers despite the lying liberals. The fault remains with Joe Biden still at fault and losers anxious about the economy are delusional/. Happy! Happy! Happy! Roundtablers on Cornyn/Paxton/Talarico triage compare results to the story of the scorpion and the frog. Chris Christie calls Talarico the scorpion and Cornyn a frog who prostituted himself to Djonald DisSatisfied for years, but it wasn’t enough. Donna Brazile says she’s a snake who says Dems can upset if they turn out youth and Latinos. Petrick McHenry (R-Nb) says that while Tally is “strange”, Repubs will win but will have to spend a lot of money, while Sanderista Faiz Shakir says populist hatred of billionaires might increase turnout. On what Brazile calls Trump’s “vanity projects” Christie says Americans will celebrate July 4^th at home, not at the failing DC party after POTUS says he’s better than “overrated” George Washington. On “The Week”, Jill Biden says her husband is fighting prostate cancer, says he is aging, not declining and Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Ct) says Trump’s easing of sanctions is helping Putin’s war on Ukraine. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius says Krauts are shaking of their post-Hitler pacifism and are sending drones to Ukraine and, aso, giant cockroaches imprinted with bombs and cameras. They also plan to bring back the draft. Ex-Vice Pence merches book, says Trump is fighting “the radical left” and predicts victory for Paxton because the overriding concern of conservatives is abortion and DEI. He says that while ‘Pubs may have lost their way, Dems have lost their minds.
Monday, June 1, 2026 Dow: 51,010.97	June is the beginning of Hurricane Season and National Dairy Month, And Congress is back in session. Trickling back to DC, the pols prepare to deal with Iran cancelling their cease fire and all talks because of Israeli attack on Lebanese civilians and American bombing of drone and radar sites. President Trump says that Iran has to be held responsible for Hezbollah, so Dems should stop “chirping”. He he says he will abide by the courts if they rule against Kennedy Center and Weaponization and is apparently doing a TACO on the failing Freedom Festival despite Vanilla Ice holding firm. It’s also Marilyn Monroe’s 100^th birthday and National Dinosaur Day. Summer of sequels will bring the cartoon Paw Patrol to “Dino Islane” while Taylor Swift will sing a themr for “Toy Story Five”. Some older musicians face health issues... the bad: Peabo Bryson’s stroke and “frail” Frankie Valli (92) cancels farewell tour; the good: Rod Stewart beating sinusitis and the mixed; Barry Manilow beating lung cancer but his voice turning growly like Rooster Rod. In Hollywood, residents worried that smoking tourists around the Sign might spark more wildfires even as ABC wins a Peabody for its reporting on last year’s blazes. Low budget horror “Backrooms” upsets Grogu at the box office.
Tuesday, June 2, 2026 Dow: 51,307.79	On primary election day in six states (above), California voters face a primarial rematch among red and blue Gubernatorial candidates as well as for Mayor of Los Angeles, while Trump acolytes sweep the rest – with the exception of hotly contested Iowa. Scandal envelops true blue Graham Platner of Maine (sex crimes and Nazi tattoos). SCOTUS greenlights Alabama’s redlighting of black Congressional districts – leading to a resuscitation of the 60’s civil rights marches. President Trump faces an obstreperous ally, Israeli PM Bibi Netanyahu for escalating attacks against Lebanese civilians to such extent as has Djonald UnAppreciated calling and shouting: “What the (redacted) are you doing?” while SecState Marco, being grilled by Congress, continues to express faith that the Iranian War is over. (“We’re losing,” Hakeem Jeffries replies,) The Russo-Ukrinian war also escalates with Putin hurling “massive” firepower (73 missiles and 626 drones) against civilians. POTUS nominates Bill Pulte as National Intel Director and elevates Acting AyGee Todd Blanche to leading man, with Repubs dismayed even after he BACOs on giving Anti-Weaponization payouts to Capitol rioters – Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) calling it “a payout pot for punks”. No new Ebola cases in the USA, but “official” reports of fifty African deaths are believed to be vastly underestimated. Blue Origin CEO David Limp says Moon/Mars missions will continue despite explosion.
Wednesday, June 3, 2026 Dow: 50,687.07	Most election results are vetted and posted, except in California where the counting of the votes is expecte to last for days, maybe weeks, with likely red/blue races for Governor and LA Mayor. Iran directs more bombs against Kuwait, this time, with foreign minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi calling it “an act of seof defense.” President Trump waffles on whether there is still a cease fire, saying that cf’s are “when the shooting continues in a more moderate manner.” No moderation for St. Petersburg (Russia, not Florida) when Ukraine retaliates with its own massive bombardment just as Sad Vlad arrives for meetings with his queasy economists and rallies with supporters, President Zelenskyy appeals for guns and money from the EU (granted) and US (not). Mad bombers strike America too – one holds bank customers hostage in Bakersfield CA deep into the nite, another is arrested upstate at the Sacramento Airport. Police spokesthings say he’s a “known paranoid”. Mad scientists are also arrested in an attempt to smuggle monkeypox (or, as the wokesters say M–Pox into the USA. And a trafficker is arrested for smuggling 2,000 across the border from Mexico... reptiles!
Thursday, June 4, 2026 Dow: 51,562.55	Tired of waiting, FBI snipers shoot the Bakersfield hostage taker with no damage to the hostages (except, perhaps mental). He’s one Anthony Harris, a known sex offender, whose sole demand was to face off with the Feds, not local police. That was Mistake Two. (Mistake One: his IEDs were duds) As the culture and media wars escalate, the now Trumpy CBS fires “60 Minutes” reporter Scott Pelley for disloyalty to His President during a meeting chaired by Bari Weiss minion Nick Bilton. CBS holds waffly tribute to the victim who says “they’re murdering our network.” (Perhaps Pelley can hook a job assisting Steven Colbert in writing his sequel to the Lord of the Rings!) And, as usual, That President predicts victory over Iran “this weekend” and says he looks forward to meeting the new Ayatollah (presumably recovered from the bombing that killed his father, the old one). A mystery Iranian “official” says resumption of the shooting war is inevitable, but talk of an Israeli – Lebanese cease–fire sends the stock markets soaring. And an old hand is back on the police blotter... former Congressman George Santos for insider trading on both crypto and gambling casinos; saying that he would go to the State of the Union while secretly betting that he would not and cashing in. And among the common people, a homeless man in Fort Worth is told by the bureaucrats that, to keep reciving charity he would have to surrender his beloved dog. So he donates it to the local fire station.
The Don for the week might best be described as “queasy” with peace treaties collapsing, soaring inequality bolstering the billionaires (except for a few political clowns like Tom Steyer) and further squeezing the bottom 80% But, there were plenty of distractions from sports and celebrity shuffles, and President Trump even (finally) had one of his endorsed Republicans beaten in the primary.

THE DON JONES INDEX

CHART of CATEGORIES w/VALUE ADDED to EQUAL BASELINE of 15,000

(REFLECTING… approximately… DOW JONES INDEX of June 27, 2013)

Gains in indices as improved are noted in GREEN. Negative/harmful indices in RED as are their designation. (Note – some of the indices where the total went up created a realm where their value went down... and vice versa.) See a further explanation of categories HERE

ECONOMIC INDICES		(60%)
CATEGORY	VALUE	BASE	RESULTS by PERCENTAGE				SCORE		OUR SOURCES and COMMENTS
INCOME	(24%)	6/17/13 revised 1/1/22	LAST	CHANGE		NEXT	LAST WEEK	THIS WEEK	THE WEEK’S CLOSING STATS...
Wages (hrly. Per cap)	9%	1350 points	5/29/26	+0.08%		6/26	1,898.17	1,898.17	https://tradingeconomics.com/united-states/average-hourly-earnings 37.41 nc
Median Inc. (yearly)	4%	600	5/29/26	+0.0055%		6/12/26	1,131.74	1,131.80	http://www.usdebtclock.org/ 52,147
Unempl. (BLS – in mi)	4%	600	5/29/26	-2.33%		5/26	542.60	542.60	http://data.bls.gov/timeseries/LNS14000000/ 4.3 nc
Official (DC – in mi)	2%	300	5/29/26	+0.07%		6/12/26	214.63	214.48	http://www.usdebtclock.org/    7,395
Unofficl. (DC – in mi)	2%	300	5/29/26	+0.10%		6/12/26	260.84	260.58	http://www.usdebtclock.org/    13,150
Workforce Participation Number Percent	2%	300	5/29/26	-0.016% -0.03%		6/12/26	295.64	295.55	http://www.usdebtclock.org/    In 162,495 Out 105,240 Total: 267,735 60.69
WP % (ycharts)*	1%	150	5/29/26	-0.162%		5/26	149.98	149.98	https://ycharts.com/indicators/labor_force_participation_rate 61.80
OUTGO	(15%)
Total Inflation	7%	1050	5/29/26	+0.6%		6/26	906.30	906.30	http://www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi.nr0.htm     +0.6 nc
Food	2%	300	5/29/26	+0.5%		6/26	257.89	257.89	http://www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi.nr0.htm     +0.5
Gasoline	2%	300	5/29/26	+5.4%		6/26	195.66	195.66	http://www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi.nr0.htm    +5.4
Medical Costs	2%	300	5/29/26	+0.6%		6/26	268.48	268.48	http://www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi.nr0.htm     +0.6
Shelter	2%	300	5/29/26	+0.0%		6/26	239.10	239.10	http://www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi.nr0.htm     +0.0
WEALTH
Dow Jones Index	2%	300	5/29/26	+1.76%		6/12/26	389.97	396.85	https://www.wsj.com/market-data/quotes/index/ 51,562.25
Home (Sales) (Valuation)	1% 1%	150 150	5/29/26	+1.005% +2.18%		6/12/26	132.15 279.54	132.15 279.54	https://www.nar.realtor/research-and-statistics Sales (M):  4.02 Valuations (K):  417.7
Millionaires (New Category)	1%	150	5/29/26	+0.062%		6/12/26	137.26*	137.34	http://www.usdebtclock.org/    24,261
Paupers (New Category)	1%	150	5/29/26	+0.035%		6/12/26	134.95	134.90	http://www.usdebtclock.org/    36,910
GOVERNMENT	(10%)
Revenue (trilns.)	2%	300	5/29/26	+0.13%		6/12/26	476.89	477.50	http://www.usdebtclock.org/    5,480
Expenditures (tr.)	2%	300	5/29/26	+0.06%		6/12/26	291.24	291.08	http://www.usdebtclock.org/    7,136
National Debt tr.)	3%	450	5/29/26	+0.018%		6/12/26	346.52*	346.24	http://www.usdebtclock.org/    39,213
Aggregate Debt (tr.)	3%	450	5/29/26	+0.09%		6/12/26	368.82	368.46	http://www.usdebtclock.org/    108,164
TRADE	(5%)
Foreign Debt (tr.)	2%	300	5/29/26	+0.147%		6/12/26	252.42	252.08	http://www.usdebtclock.org/    9,551
Exports (in billions)	1%	150	5/29/26	+1.94%		5/26	199.71	199.71	https://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/current/index.html 320.9 nc
Imports (in billions))	1%	150	5/29/26	-2.39%		5/26	135.33	135.33	https://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/current/index.html 381.2
Trade Surplus/Deficit (blns.)	1%	150	5/29/26	+4.98%		5/26	234.98	234.98	https://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/current/index.html 60.3
									* designates anomalies – fewer millionaires, less debt
ACTS of MAN	(12%)
World Affairs	3%	450	5/29/26	-0.1%		6/12/26	470.08	469.61	Kenya suspends US Ebola quarantine assignations as two new cases arrive in Brazil. Soccer riots in Paris result in over 800 arrests. NAFTA up for renewal.
War and terrorism	2%	300	5/29/26	nc		6/12/26	283.16	283.16	Migrant supporters fight police at NJ interment camp called “inhumane”. Israelis capture 900 year old Crusader castle in Lebanon as that war and the rest (Iran, Ukraine) continue.
Politics	3%	450	5/29/26	-0.1%		6/12/26	453.30	452.85	Patriots say American disgust with both parties due not to their defects, but to foreign cyberhacker attacks. Former AyGee Pam Bondi faces Congress and EpSurvivors. House Dems promote bill to kill Trump’s Triumphal Arch.
Economics	3%	450	5/29/26	+0.1%		6/12/26	427.06	427.49	American savings rates lowest since Covid, but corporate profits and the strock markets rise. Grocery girl recommends inflation victims repleace meat with beans and clip coupons. UAW strikes GM trucks as gas prices begin falling – but home sales and rental scams escalate.
Crime	1%	150	5/29/26	+0.2%		6/12/26	203.36	202.95	Man called “Looney Tune” shoots cops. Another arrested for trafficking 2,000 Mexicans... reptiles! And another throws five kittens out of car on Homewood, AL highway. Suspect arrested in three Hawaiian homicides. High tech exec in high riae fall – suicide or murder? Fake online sex and ancestry scams proliferate. Anti-terror police with dogs and horses prepare for World Cup.
ACTS of GOD	(6%)
Environment/Weather	3%	450	5/29/26	+0.1%		6/12/26	278.58	278.86	Hurricane season 2026 begins. First Atlantic storm: Alfred. First Pacific (already brewing): Amanda, forming in Pacific, then Boris. Flash flooding drowns woman in Cocke County, TN but summer heat and storms are not out of the ordinary
Disasters	3%	450	5/29/26	+0.2%		6/12/26	463.54	464.47	Six Laotian gold miners rescued from cave, American cave rescue in Santa Cruz, CA. FAA investigates Jet Blue near crash in Florida. Driver who killed 2 year old woman blames dog for grabbing the steering wheel. Meteor falls to earth over New England (while spring snow falls). Three hikers die, one saved on Mount McKinley. 2M bees relased in truck crash.
LIFESTYLE/JUSTICE INDEX		(15%)
Science, Tech, Education	4%	600	5/29/26	-0.2%		6/12/26	619.83	618.59	Blue Origin explodes on launching pad, setting back NASA’s moon and Mars missions. TV–conomists say auto repair education will lead to good jobs. Electric planes called cheap, safe and quiet.
Equality (econ/social)	4%	600	5/29/26	+0.1%		6/12/26	670.36	671.03	“Batman” joins parental protest against police brutality in Fairfield, CA teen takeovers. Creeepy Weird Al-ish stalker stalking Sabrina Carpenter discovered and arrested. Woman in SC escapes kidnapper posing as policeman. Court greenlights transgender troops but not recruitment of more.
Health	4%	600	5/29/26	+0.2%		6/12/26	413.40	414.23	TV docs say Daraxonrasib holds off (but doesn’t cure) pancreatic cancer. New “Galleri” blood test can detect some cancers at $1,000 fee. “Afrezza” pediatric insulin inhalant tested by FDA. TV docs say one beer causes cancer, one hot dog dementia so don’t go to baseball games. Kratom called “addictive” while Creatine has many side effects. Whey protein so popular now that supplies are running out. Curds? TV shrinks say mental health improves with “monotracking”. Temu sued for unsafe toys and toxic electronics. Lawn chairs cutting off fingers recalled by Amazon. Honda recalls vehicles with bad airbags. WalMart recalls 150K fabric dressers that tip over and crush children. Flesh eating screw worms that infect cattle advance to 25 mi. from US border.
Freedom and Justice	3%	450	5/29/26		+0.1%	6/12/26	479.20	479.68	Bad week for Trump in the courts: Judge Kathleen Williams ordering his name stripped from Kennedy Center; Judge Leonie Brinkey redlights $1.776 Weaponization payout. Next for SCOTUS: gerrymanders. Other Fed judge accused of having sex with policeman in chambers. Court dismisses anti-texting ticket against woman driver with cut off hand.
CULTURAL and MISCELLANEOUS INCIDENTS			(6%)
Cultural incidents	3%	450	5/29/26	+0.1%		6/12/26	592.29	592.88	Cheap horror movie “Backstreets” upsets Mandalorian at B.O. Old “friends” propose remake (w/o Perry). Many sequels (including Avengers and Taylor’d Toy Story, more cartoons and an AI movie) upcoming. Kim Kardashian buys Marilyn’s JFK dress for $5M. In the NBA finals, San Antonio will face Knicks (where the cheap seats will go for $1,900), NHL finals will pit Carolina and Vegas and upsets abound at French Open. RIP: NHL’s Mario Lemieux, NFL’s Raymond Berry. NBA coach Rick Adelmann, “Star Wars” editor Marcia Lucas, “Mister Rogers” alum Joe Negri at 92, Emmy winner Peabo Bryson. “Alaska Bush People” star Matt Brown drowns in Okanogan (Wa) river.
Miscellaneous incidents	4%	450	5/29/26	+0.1%		6/12/26	552.85	553.40	Sailor killed on USS West Virginia at Pearl Harbor identified and buried. Man arrested for killing/eating dogs. Southwest ends survharge on fat flyers. Baby gorilla born by C-Section.

The Don Jones Index for the week of May 29^th through June 4^th, 2026 was UP 8.16 points

The Don Jones Index is sponsored by the Coalition for a New Consensus: retired Congressman and Independent Presidential candidate Jack “Catfish” Parnell, Chairman; Brian Doohan, Administrator. The CNC denies, emphatically, allegations that the organization, as well as any of its officers (including former Congressman Parnell, environmentalist/America-Firster Austin Tillerman and cosmetics CEO Rayna Finch) and references to Parnell’s works, “Entropy and Renaissance” and “The Coming Kill-Off” are fictitious or, at best, mere pawns in the web-serial “Black Helicopters” – and promise swift, effective legal action againth parties promulgating this and/or other such slanders.

Comments, complaints, donations (especially SUPERPAC donations) always welcome at feedme@generisis.com or: speak@donjonesindex.com.

ATTACHMENT ONE – FROM VOTE 411

PRIMARIES: PAST, PRESENT and FUTURE

March 

· March 3: Arkansas, North Carolina, Texas

· March 10: Mississippi

· March 17: Illinois

---

May 

· May 5: Ohio, Indiana

· May 12: Nebraska, West Virginia

· May 16: Louisiana

· May 19: Alabama, Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, Oregon, Pennsylvania 

---

June

· June 2: California, Iowa, Montana, New Mexico, New Jersey, South Dakota

· June 9: Maine, Nevada, North Dakota, South Carolina

· June 16: District of Columbia, Oklahoma

· June 23: Maryland, New York, Utah

· June 30: Colorado 

---

July

· July 21: Arizona 

---

August

· August 4: Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Virginia, Washington

· August 6: Tennessee

· August 8: Hawaii

· August 11: Connecticut, Minnesota, Vermont, Wisconsin, and Alabama Congressional Districts 1, 2, 6, and 7

· August 18: Alaska, Florida, Wyoming 

---

September

· September 1: Massachusetts

· September 8: New Hampshire 

· September 9: Rhode Island

· September 15: Delaware

---

November

· November 3: General Election

ATTACHMENT TWO – FROM Ballotpedia

ELECTIONS CALENDAR

Click here for upcoming races - all

Click here for statewide elections

Election dates and deadlines vary across the country and at different levels of government. Click here for the list of upcoming elections across the nation.

Click on your state and category below for its relevant
elections calendar:

Election calendars

· Statewide primary elections

· Statewide elections

· Congressional elections

· Ballot measure elections

· Local elections

· Recall elections

· Elections by state and year

· State filing deadlines

· Ballot and voter access

Election coverage

· U.S. Congress (special elections) · State executives · State legislatures · State judges · State measures · Local measures

· Municipal officials · Mayors · School boards · Local judges · Recalls

Upcoming election dates

Note: An election date on this list may have been scheduled initially but later canceled due to a lack of candidates or a lack of races advancing to a runoff, if applicable.

State	District	Description	Date
What's on your ballot? Enter your address into Ballotpedia's Sample Ballot Lookup tool to find out!
Arkansas	Arkansas House of Representatives District 44	Special primary for Arkansas House of Representatives District 44 special election	June 2, 2026
California	Alameda County	Alameda County general elections	June 2, 2026
California	Alameda County	Alameda County District Attorney special primary election	June 2, 2026
California	California statewide primary election	California statewide primary election	June 2, 2026
California	California District 1	California 1st Congressional District special primary election	June 2, 2026
California	Compton Unified School District	Compton Unified School District general election	June 2, 2026
California	Riverside County	Primary election	June 2, 2026
California	Riverside	General election in Riverside, California	June 2, 2026
California	Sacramento County	Sacramento County general elections	June 2, 2026
California	San Benito County	San Benito County supervisor recall	June 2, 2026
California	San Francisco	San Francisco special election	June 2, 2026
California	Twin Rivers Unified School District	Twin Rivers Unified School District general election	June 2, 2026
Iowa	Iowa statewide primary election	Iowa statewide primary election	June 2, 2026
Montana	Montana statewide primary election	Montana statewide primary election	June 2, 2026
New Jersey	New Jersey statewide primary election	New Jersey statewide primary election	June 2, 2026
New Mexico	New Mexico statewide primary election	New Mexico statewide primary election	June 2, 2026
New Mexico	New Mexico Second Judicial District Court	New Mexico 2nd Judicial District Court Seats 2, 11, 19, 24 special primary election	June 2, 2026
New Mexico	New Mexico State Senate District 33	New Mexico State Senate District 33 special primary election	June 2, 2026
South Carolina	South Carolina	S.C. local elections	June 2, 2026
South Dakota	Pierre	Pierre general election	June 2, 2026
South Dakota	South Dakota statewide primary election	South Dakota statewide primary election	June 2, 2026
Indiana	Indiana Democratic Party state convention	Indiana Democratic Party state convention	June 6, 2026
South Dakota	South Dakota Democratic Party state convention	South Dakota Democratic Party state convention	June 6, 2026
Texas	Fort Worth City Council District 10	Special general runoff election for Fort Worth City Council District 10	June 6, 2026
Florida	Florida	Fla. local elections	June 9, 2026
Georgia	Georgia House of Representatives District 177	Special general runoff election for Georgia House of Representatives District 177	June 9, 2026
Maine	Maine statewide primary election	Maine statewide primary election	June 9, 2026
Maine	Maine House of Representatives District 29	Special general election for Maine House of Representatives District 29	June 9, 2026
North Dakota	Bismarck	Bismarck general election	June 9, 2026
North Dakota	North Dakota statewide primary election	North Dakota statewide primary election	June 9, 2026
North Dakota	North Dakota	North Dakota statewide special election primary	June 9, 2026
New Jersey	Newark	Newark city general election runoff	June 9, 2026
Nevada	Nevada statewide primary election	Nevada statewide primary election	June 9, 2026
South Carolina	Charleston County School District	Special election for District 4 seat on Charleston County School District school board	June 9, 2026
South Carolina	South Carolina statewide primary election	South Carolina statewide primary election	June 9, 2026
Delaware	Delaware	Del. local elections	June 13, 2026
Texas	Arlington	General runoff election for Arlington, Texas	June 13, 2026
Texas	Irving City Council District 3	General runoff election for Irving City Council Place 3	June 13, 2026
Texas	Texas	Texas local elections	June 13, 2026
Alabama	Alabama	Alabama statewide primary runoff election	June 16, 2026
California	California District 14	Special primary election for U.S. House California District 14	June 16, 2026
District of Columbia	District of Columbia 2026 primary election	District of Columbia 2026 primary election	June 16, 2026
District of Columbia	District of Columbia	Special general election for Washington, D.C., city council at-large	June 16, 2026
Georgia	Cherokee County School District	Cherokee County School District District 3 special primary runoff	June 16, 2026
Georgia	DeKalb County	DeKalb County general election runoff	June 16, 2026
Georgia	DeKalb County School District	DeKalb County School District general runoff election	June 16, 2026
Georgia	Fulton County	Fulton County general election runoff	June 16, 2026
Georgia	Fulton County Schools	Fulton County Schools general runoff election	June 16, 2026
Georgia	Georgia	Georgia statewide primary runoff elections	June 16, 2026
Georgia	Georgia State Senate District 7	Special general runoff for Georgia State Senate District 7	June 16, 2026
Georgia	Gwinnett County Public Schools	Gwinnett County Public Schools general runoff election	June 16, 2026
Georgia	Henry County Schools	Henry County Schools general runoff election	June 16, 2026
Georgia	Muscogee County School District	Muscogee County School District general runoff election	June 16, 2026
Georgia	Savannah-Chatham County Public School System	Savannah-Chatham County Public School System general runoff election	June 16, 2026
Oklahoma	Oklahoma statewide primary election	Oklahoma statewide primary election	June 16, 2026
Oklahoma	Oklahoma House of Representatives District 92	Special primary for Oklahoma House of Representatives District 92	June 16, 2026
Oklahoma	Oklahoma State Senate District 17	Special primary for Oklahoma State Senate District 17	June 16, 2026
South Carolina	South Carolina	S.C. local elections	June 16, 2026
Indiana	Indiana Republican Party state convention	Indiana Republican Party state convention	June 20, 2026
Florida	Florida	Fla. local elections	June 23, 2026
Maryland	Maryland statewide primary election	Maryland statewide primary election	June 23, 2026
New York	New York statewide primary	New York statewide primary	June 23, 2026
New York	New York City Council District 3	Special primary for New York City Council District 3	June 23, 2026
Ohio	Whitehall	Whitehall OH mayor and city council recall	June 23, 2026
South Carolina	South Carolina	South Carolina statewide primary runoff election	June 23, 2026
Utah	Utah statewide primary election	Utah statewide primary election	June 23, 2026
Louisiana	Baton Rouge	Baton Rouge special election	June 27, 2026
Louisiana	East Baton Rouge County	Special election	June 27, 2026
Louisiana	Louisiana	Louisiana statewide party primary runoff	June 27, 2026
Louisiana	New Orleans	Orleans Parish Civil and Criminal District Court special general election	June 27, 2026
South Dakota	South Dakota Republican Party state convention	South Dakota Republican Party state convention	June 27, 2026
Texas	Lubbock City Council District 4	Special election for Lubbock City Council District 4	June 27, 2026
Michigan	Michigan Libertarian Party state convention	Michigan Libertarian Party state convention	June 28, 2026
Arkansas	Arkansas House of Representatives District 44	Special primary runoff for Arkansas House of Representatives District 44 special election	June 30, 2026
Colorado	Colorado statewide primary election	Colorado statewide primary election	June 30, 2026
Colorado	Colorado State Senate District 17	Special primary for Colorado State Senate District 17	June 30, 2026
Colorado	Colorado State Senate District 21	Special primary for Colorado State Senate District 21	June 30, 2026
Colorado	Colorado State Senate District 29	Special primary for Colorado State Senate District 29	June 30, 2026
Colorado	Colorado State Senate District 31	Special primary for Colorado State Senate District 31	June 30, 2026
Arizona	Arizona statewide primary election	Arizona statewide primary election	July 21, 2026
Georgia	Georgia District 13	Special general election for Georgia's 13th Congressional District	July 28, 2026
South Dakota	South Dakota	South Dakota statewide primary election	July 28, 2026
Guam	Guam territory-wide primary election	Guam territory-wide primary election	August 1, 2026
Virgin Islands	Virgin Islands territory-wide primary election	Virgin Islands territory-wide primary election	August 1, 2026
Arkansas	Arkansas House of Representatives District 44	Special general election for Arkansas House of Representatives District 44 special election	August 4, 2026
California	California District 1	California 1st Congressional District special general election	August 4, 2026
Kansas	Kansas statewide primary election	Kansas statewide primary election	August 4, 2026
Kansas	Kansas State Senate District 24	Special primary election for Kansas State Senate District 24	August 4, 2026
Kansas	Kansas State Senate District 25	Special primary election for Kansas State Senate District 25	August 4, 2026
Michigan	Michigan statewide primary election	Michigan statewide primary election	August 4, 2026
Missouri	Missouri statewide primary election	Missouri statewide primary election	August 4, 2026
Virginia	Virginia statewide primary election	Virginia statewide primary election	August 4, 2026
Washington	Washington statewide primary election	Washington statewide primary election	August 4, 2026
Washington	Washington	Washington State Supreme Court and Washington Court of Appeals nonpartisan special primary election	August 4, 2026
Tennessee	Tennessee statewide primary election	Tennessee statewide primary election	August 6, 2026
Tennessee	Tennessee	Tennessee judicial and local general elections	August 6, 2026
Hawaii	Hawaii statewide primary election	Hawaii statewide primary election	August 8, 2026
Hawaii	Hawaii State Senate District 19	Special primary for Hawaii State Senate District 19 special election	August 8, 2026
Alabama	Alabama District 1	New primary date for Alabama Congressional Districts	August 11, 2026
Alabama	Alabama District 2	New primary date for Alabama Congressional Districts	August 11, 2026
Alabama	Alabama District 6	New primary date for Alabama Congressional Districts	August 11, 2026
Alabama	Alabama District 7	New primary date for Alabama Congressional Districts	August 11, 2026
Connecticut	Connecticut statewide primary election	Connecticut statewide primary election	August 11, 2026
Minnesota	Minnesota statewide primary election	Minnesota statewide primary election	August 11, 2026
Vermont	Vermont statewide primary election	Vermont statewide primary election	August 11, 2026
Wisconsin	Wisconsin statewide primary election	Wisconsin statewide primary election	August 11, 2026
Alaska	Alaska statewide primary election	Alaska statewide primary election	August 18, 2026
California	California District 14	Special general election for U.S. House California District 14	August 18, 2026
Florida	Florida statewide primary election	Florida statewide primary election	August 18, 2026
Florida	Florida	Special primary for U.S. Senate Florida	August 18, 2026
Pennsylvania	Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 12	Special general election for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 12	August 18, 2026
Wyoming	Wyoming statewide primary election	Wyoming statewide primary election	August 18, 2026
Georgia	Georgia District 13	Special general runoff for Georgia's 13th Congressional District	August 25, 2026
Oklahoma	Oklahoma	Oklahoma statewide primary runoff election	August 25, 2026
Oklahoma	Oklahoma House of Representatives District 92	Special primary runoff for Oklahoma House of Representatives District 92	August 25, 2026
Oklahoma	Oklahoma State Senate District 17	Special primary runoff for Oklahoma State Senate District 17	August 25, 2026
Oklahoma	Tulsa	General election in Tulsa, Oklahoma	August 25, 2026
Michigan	Michigan Democratic Party 2nd state convention	Michigan Democratic Party 2nd state convention	August 29, 2026
Idaho	Boise School District	Boise School District general election	September 1, 2026
Idaho	Boise School District	Boise School District special election	September 1, 2026
Massachusetts	Massachusetts statewide primary election	Massachusetts statewide primary election	September 1, 2026
New Hampshire	New Hampshire statewide primary election	New Hampshire statewide primary election	September 8, 2026
Rhode Island	Rhode Island statewide primary election	Rhode Island statewide primary election	September 9, 2026
Delaware	Delaware statewide primary election	Delaware statewide primary election	September 15, 2026
Alaska	Juneau	General election in Juneau, Alaska	October 6, 2026
Alaska	Alaska	Alaska statewide general election	November 3, 2026
Alabama	Alabama	Alabama statewide general election	November 3, 2026
Arkansas	Arkansas	Arkansas statewide general election	November 3, 2026
Arkansas	Arkansas	Arkansas statewide judicial general runoff election	November 3, 2026
American Samoa	American Samoa	American Samoa territory-wide general election	November 3, 2026
Arizona	Arizona	Arizona statewide general election	November 3, 2026
California	Alameda County	Alameda County District Attorney special general election	November 3, 2026
California	California	California statewide general election	November 3, 2026
California	Central Unified School District	Central Unified School District Area 3 special election	November 3, 2026
California	East Side Union High School District	East Side Union Area 1 special general election	November 3, 2026
California	Fruitvale School District	Fruitvale School District Area 3 special election	November 3, 2026
California	Manteca Unified School District	Manteca Unified School District Area 3 special election	November 3, 2026
California	Panama-Buena Vista Union School District	Panama-Buena Vista Union School District Area 4 special election	November 3, 2026
California	Riverside	General election runoff in Riverside, California	November 3, 2026
California	Sanger Unified School District	Sanger Unified School District Area 3 special election	November 3, 2026
California	Solana Beach School District	Solana Beach School District Area 5 special election	November 3, 2026
California	Vineland Elementary School District	Vineland Elementary School District special election	November 3, 2026
Colorado	Colorado	Colorado statewide general election	November 3, 2026
Colorado	Colorado State Senate District 17	Special general election for Colorado State Senate District 17	November 3, 2026
Colorado	Colorado State Senate District 21	Special general election for Colorado State Senate District 21	November 3, 2026
Colorado	Colorado State Senate District 29	Special general election for Colorado State Senate District 29	November 3, 2026
Colorado	Colorado State Senate District 31	Special general election for Colorado State Senate District 31	November 3, 2026
Connecticut	Connecticut	Connecticut statewide general election	November 3, 2026
District of Columbia	District of Columbia	District of Columbia general election	November 3, 2026
Delaware	Delaware	Delaware statewide general election	November 3, 2026
Florida	Florida	Florida statewide general election	November 3, 2026
Florida	Florida	Special general election for U.S. Senate Florida	November 3, 2026
Georgia	Cherokee County School District	Cherokee County School District District 3 special general	November 3, 2026
Georgia	Fulton County Commission District 4	Special general election for Fulton County Commission District 4	November 3, 2026
Georgia	Georgia	Georgia statewide general election	November 3, 2026
Guam	Guam	Guam territory-wide general election	November 3, 2026
Hawaii	Hawaii	Hawaii statewide general election	November 3, 2026
Hawaii	Hawaii State Senate District 19	Special general election for Hawaii State Senate District 19 special election	November 3, 2026
Iowa	Iowa	Iowa statewide general election	November 3, 2026
Idaho	Idaho	Idaho statewide general election	November 3, 2026
Idaho	Idaho	Idaho statewide judicial general runoff elections	November 3, 2026
Illinois	Illinois	Illinois statewide general election	November 3, 2026
Illinois	Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago	Special general election for Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago	November 3, 2026
Indiana	Indiana	Indiana statewide general election	November 3, 2026
Kansas	Kansas	Kansas statewide general election	November 3, 2026
Kansas	Kansas State Senate District 24	Special general for Kansas State Senate District 24	November 3, 2026
Kansas	Kansas State Senate District 25	Special general for Kansas State Senate District 25	November 3, 2026
Kentucky	Kentucky	Kentucky statewide general election	November 3, 2026
Kentucky	Kentucky Appellate Court District 3	Special general election for Kentucky Court of Appeals 3rd Division 2	November 3, 2026
Kentucky	Kentucky Appellate Court District 5	Special general election for Kentucky Court of Appeals 5th Division 1	November 3, 2026
Louisiana	East Baton Rouge Justice of the Peace Ward 2 District 3	Special primary election for East Baton Rouge Parish Justice Court Ward 2, District 3	November 3, 2026
Louisiana	Louisiana statewide majority-vote system primary election	Louisiana statewide majority-vote system primary election	November 3, 2026
Louisiana	Louisiana	Louisiana statewide party general election	November 3, 2026
Louisiana	Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education District 1	Special election for Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education District 1	November 3, 2026
Massachusetts	Massachusetts	Massachusetts statewide general election	November 3, 2026
Maryland	Maryland	Maryland statewide general election	November 3, 2026
Maine	Maine	Maine statewide general election	November 3, 2026
Michigan	Michigan	Michigan statewide general election	November 3, 2026
Minnesota	Minnesota	Minnesota statewide general election	November 3, 2026
Missouri	Missouri	Missouri statewide general election	November 3, 2026
Northern Mariana Islands	Northern Mariana Islands	Northern Mariana Islands territory-wide general election	November 3, 2026
Mississippi	Mississippi	Mississippi statewide general election	November 3, 2026
Mississippi	Mississippi Appellate Court District 1	Mississippi IAC special election; Greenlee vacancy; District 1 Position 1	November 3, 2026
Montana	Montana	Montana statewide general election	November 3, 2026
North Carolina	North Carolina	North Carolina statewide general election	November 3, 2026
North Dakota	North Dakota	North Dakota statewide general election	November 3, 2026
North Dakota	North Dakota	North Dakota statewide special election	November 3, 2026
Nebraska	Nebraska	Nebraska statewide general election	November 3, 2026
Nebraska	Nebraska	Special elections for special districts in Lancaster County	November 3, 2026
Nebraska	Nebraska State Senate District 41	Special general election for Nebraska State Senate District 41	November 3, 2026
Nebraska	University of Nebraska Board of Regents District 4	Special general election for University of Nebraska Board of Regents District 4	November 3, 2026
New Hampshire	New Hampshire	New Hampshire statewide general election	November 3, 2026
New Jersey	New Jersey	New Jersey statewide general election	November 3, 2026
New Mexico	New Mexico	New Mexico statewide general election	November 3, 2026
New Mexico	New Mexico Second Judicial District Court	New Mexico 2nd Judicial District Court Seats 2, 11, 19, 24 special general election	November 3, 2026
New Mexico	New Mexico State Senate District 33	New Mexico State Senate District 33 special general election	November 3, 2026
Nevada	Nevada	Nevada statewide general election	November 3, 2026
Nevada	Nevada Board of Regents District 8	Special election for Nevada Board of Regents District 8	November 3, 2026
New York	New York	New York statewide general election	November 3, 2026
New York	New York City Council District 3	Special general election for New York City Council District 3	November 3, 2026
Ohio	Ohio	Ohio statewide general election	November 3, 2026
Ohio	Ohio	Special general election for U.S. Senate Ohio and 8th District Court of Appeals	November 3, 2026
Oklahoma	Oklahoma	Oklahoma statewide general election	November 3, 2026
Oklahoma	Oklahoma House of Representatives District 92	Special general election for Oklahoma House of Representatives District 92	November 3, 2026
Oklahoma	Oklahoma State Senate District 17	Special general election for Oklahoma State Senate District 17	November 3, 2026
Oklahoma	Tulsa	General election runoff in Tulsa, Oklahoma	November 3, 2026
Oregon	Oregon	Oregon statewide general election	November 3, 2026
Pennsylvania	Pennsylvania	Pennsylvania statewide general election	November 3, 2026
Rhode Island	Rhode Island	Rhode Island statewide general election	November 3, 2026
South Carolina	South Carolina	South Carolina statewide general election	November 3, 2026
South Dakota	South Dakota	South Dakota statewide general election	November 3, 2026
Tennessee	Tennessee	Tennessee statewide general election	November 3, 2026
Texas	Harris County	Harris county attorney special general election	November 3, 2026
Texas	Texas	Texas statewide general election	November 3, 2026
Texas	Texas Appellate Court District 1	Special election for Texas First District Court of Appeals Place 4.	November 3, 2026
Texas	Texas Appellate Court District 12	Special election for Texas Twelfth District Court of Appeals Place 3.	November 3, 2026
Texas	Travis County Constable-Justice of the Peace District 4	Special general election for Travis County Constable District 4	November 3, 2026
Utah	Utah	Utah statewide general election	November 3, 2026
Utah	Utah State Board of Education District 7	Special election for Utah State Board of Education District 7	November 3, 2026
Virginia	Richmond Public Schools District 6	Special election for Richmond City Public Schools, District 6, Virginia	November 3, 2026
Virginia	Virginia	Virginia statewide general election	November 3, 2026
Virgin Islands	Virgin Islands	Virgin Islands territory-wide general election	November 3, 2026
Vermont	Vermont	Vermont statewide general election	November 3, 2026
Washington	Washington	Washington statewide general election	November 3, 2026
Washington	Washington	Washington State Supreme Court and Washington Court of Appeals nonpartisan special general election	November 3, 2026
Wisconsin	Wisconsin	Wisconsin statewide general election	November 3, 2026
West Virginia	West Virginia	West Virginia statewide general election	November 3, 2026
West Virginia	West Virginia State Senate District 17	Special general election for West Virginia State Senate District 17	November 3, 2026
West Virginia	West Virginia State Senate District 3	Special general election for West Virginia State Senate District 3	November 3, 2026
Wyoming	Wyoming	Wyoming statewide general election	November 3, 2026
Guam	Guam	Guam territory-wide general runoff election	November 17, 2026
Virgin Islands	Virgin Islands	Virgin Islands territory-wide general runoff election	November 17, 2026
Mississippi	DeSoto County School District	DeSoto County School District runoff date	November 26, 2026
Arkansas	Little Rock	Little Rock general election runoff	December 1, 2026
Georgia	Cherokee County School District	Cherokee County School District District 3 special general runoff	December 1, 2026
Georgia	Fulton County Commission District 4	Special general runoff election for Fulton County Commission District 4	December 1, 2026
Georgia	Georgia	Georgia statewide general runoff election	December 1, 2026
Mississippi	Mississippi	Mississippi statewide general runoff election	December 1, 2026
New Jersey	Trenton	Trenton city general election runoff	December 8, 2026
Louisiana	East Baton Rouge Justice of the Peace Ward 2 District 3	Special general election for East Baton Rouge Parish Justice Court Ward 2, District 3	December 12, 2026
Louisiana	Louisiana	Louisiana statewide majority-vote system general election	December 12, 2026

Recent election dates

State

District

Description

Date

What's on your ballot? Enter your address into Ballotpedia's Sample Ballot Lookup tool to find out!

Iowa

Libertarian Party of Iowa statewide convention

Libertarian Party of Iowa statewide convention

May 2, 2026

South Dakota

South Dakota Libertarian Party Convention

South Dakota Libertarian Party Convention

May 2, 2026

Texas

Alamo Heights Independent School District

Alamo Heights Independent School District general election

May 2, 2026

Texas

Arlington

General election in Arlington, Texas

May 2, 2026

Texas

Arlington Independent School District

Arlington Independent School District general election

May 2, 2026

Texas

Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District

Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District general election

May 2, 2026

Texas

Castleberry Independent School District

Castleberry Independent School District general election

May 2, 2026

Texas

Clear Creek Independent School District

Clear Creek Independent School District general election

May 2, 2026

Texas

Coppell Independent School District

Coppell Independent School District general election

May 2, 2026

Texas

Crowley Independent School District

Crowley Independent School District general election

May 2, 2026

Texas

Crowley Independent School District

Crowley Independent School District Place 3 special general election

May 2, 2026

Texas

Dallas Independent School District

Dallas Independent School District general election

May 2, 2026

Texas

Eanes Independent School District

Eanes Independent School District general election

May 2, 2026

Texas

Fate

Codi Chinn recall

May 2, 2026

Texas

Forney Independent School District

Forney Independent School District general election

May 2, 2026

Texas

Fort Worth

General election

May 2, 2026

Texas

Fort Worth City Council District 10

Special general election for Fort Worth City Council District 10

May 2, 2026

Texas

Frisco Independent School District

Frisco Independent School District general election

May 2, 2026

Texas

Garland

General election in Garland, Texas

May 2, 2026

Texas

Garland Independent School District

Garland Independent School District general election

May 2, 2026

Texas

Grand Prairie Independent School District

Grand Prairie Independent School District general election

May 2, 2026

Texas

Hays Consolidated Independent School District

Hays Consolidated Independent School District general election

May 2, 2026

Texas

Irving

General election in Irving, Texas

May 2, 2026

Texas

Irving City Council District 6

Special election for Irving City Council Place 6

May 2, 2026

Texas

Irving Independent School District

Irving Independent School District general election

May 2, 2026

Texas

Katy Independent School District

Katy Independent School District general election

May 2, 2026

Texas

Kennedale Independent School District

Kennedale Independent School District general election

May 2, 2026

Texas

Killeen Independent School District

Killeen Independent School District general election

May 2, 2026

Texas

Lewisville Independent School District

Lewisville Independent School District general election

May 2, 2026

Texas

Lubbock

General election in Lubbock, Texas

May 2, 2026

Texas

Lubbock-Cooper Independent School District

Lubbock-Cooper Independent School District general election

May 2, 2026

Texas

Mansfield Independent School District

Mansfield Independent School District general election

May 2, 2026

Texas

Mesquite Independent School District

Mesquite Independent School District general election

May 2, 2026

Texas

New Deal Independent School District

New Deal Independent School District general election

May 2, 2026

Texas

North East Independent School District

North East Independent School District general election

May 2, 2026

Texas

Richardson Independent School District

Richardson Independent School District general election

May 2, 2026

Texas

Roosevelt Independent School District

Roosevelt Independent School District general election

May 2, 2026

Texas

Southwest Independent School District

Southwest Independent School District general election

May 2, 2026

Texas

Spring Branch Independent School District

Spring Branch Independent School District general election

May 2, 2026

Texas

Texas

Texas local elections

May 2, 2026

Texas

Texas State Senate District 4

Texas State Senate District 4 special general election

May 2, 2026

California

Riverside County

De Luz Community Services District, California, special ballot measure election

May 5, 2026

Florida

Florida

Fla. local elections

May 5, 2026

Indiana

Indiana statewide primary election

Indiana statewide primary election

May 5, 2026

Maryland

Berwyn Heights

Berwyn Heights, Maryland, municipal election

May 5, 2026

Michigan

Columbus (St. Clair County)

Kimberly Hetzel recall election

May 5, 2026

Michigan

Elmwood (Tuscola County)

Brinkman, Laurie, and Brown recall election

May 5, 2026

Michigan

Michigan

Mich. local elections

May 5, 2026

Michigan

Michigan State Senate District 35

Special general election for Michigan State Senate District 35

May 5, 2026

Montana

Montana

Mont. local elections

May 5, 2026

Ohio

Ohio statewide primary election

Ohio statewide primary election

May 5, 2026

Ohio

Ohio

Special primary election for U.S. Senate Ohio and 8th District Court of Appeals

May 5, 2026

South Carolina

South Carolina

S.C. local elections

May 5, 2026

Tennessee

Clarksville-Montgomery County School System

Clarksville-Montgomery County School System primary

May 5, 2026

Tennessee

Hamilton County Schools

Hamilton County Schools primary

May 5, 2026

Tennessee

Knox County Schools

Knox County Schools primary

May 5, 2026

Tennessee

Memphis-Shelby County Schools

Memphis-Shelby County Schools primary

May 5, 2026

Tennessee

Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools

Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools primary

May 5, 2026

Tennessee

Nashville

Nashville consolidated city-county primary

May 5, 2026

Tennessee

Rutherford County Schools

Rutherford County Schools primary

May 5, 2026

Tennessee

Shelby County

Shelby County primary election

May 5, 2026

Tennessee

Williamson County Schools

Williamson County Schools primary

May 5, 2026

Wyoming

Wyoming

Wyo. local elections

May 5, 2026

Delaware

Delaware

Del. local elections

May 9, 2026

South Carolina

Green Party of South Carolina Convention

Green Party of South Carolina Convention

May 9, 2026

Delaware

Delaware

Del. local elections

May 12, 2026

Georgia

Georgia House of Representatives District 177

Special general election for Georgia House of Representatives District 177

May 12, 2026

Minnesota

Minnesota

Minn. local elections

May 12, 2026

North Carolina

North Carolina

North Carolina statewide primary runoff

May 12, 2026

Nebraska

Alvo

Chris Juilfs' recall election

May 12, 2026

Nebraska

Harvard

Zhon Gering recall

May 12, 2026

Nebraska

Nebraska statewide primary election

Nebraska statewide primary election

May 12, 2026

Nebraska

Nebraska

Special primary for special districts in Lancaster County

May 12, 2026

Nebraska

Nebraska State Senate District 41

Special primary election for Nebraska State Senate District 41

May 12, 2026

Nebraska

Peru

Theresa Westfall recall election

May 12, 2026

Nebraska

University of Nebraska Board of Regents District 4

Special primary for University of Nebraska Board of Regents District 4

May 12, 2026

Nebraska

Westside Community Schools

Westside Community Schools general election

May 12, 2026

New Jersey

Newark

Newark city general election

May 12, 2026

South Carolina

South Carolina

S.C. local elections

May 12, 2026

West Virginia

West Virginia statewide primary election

West Virginia statewide primary election

May 12, 2026

West Virginia

West Virginia

West Virginia general election for judicial candidates

May 12, 2026

West Virginia

West Virginia

West Virginia Supreme Court special general election

May 12, 2026

West Virginia

West Virginia State Senate District 17

Special primary election for West Virginia State Senate District 17

May 12, 2026

West Virginia

West Virginia State Senate District 3

Special primary election for West Virginia State Senate District 3

May 12, 2026

Wyoming

Wyoming

Wyo. local elections

May 12, 2026

Louisiana

Baton Rouge

Baton Rouge special primary

May 16, 2026

Louisiana

Louisiana statewide party primary

Louisiana statewide party primary

May 16, 2026

Louisiana

Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education District 1

Special election primary for Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education District 1

May 16, 2026

Louisiana

Louisiana Supreme Court District 1

Louisiana Supreme Court special primary

May 16, 2026

Louisiana

New Orleans

Orleans Parish Civil and Criminal District Court special primary

May 16, 2026

Maine

Maine

Maine local elections

May 16, 2026

Texas

Houston City Council District C

Special general election runoff for Houston City Council District C

May 16, 2026

Texas

Texas

Texas local elections

May 16, 2026

Alabama

Alabama statewide primary election

Alabama statewide primary election

May 19, 2026

Arizona

Arizona

Ariz. local elections

May 19, 2026

Arizona

Benson

Benson City Council recall

May 19, 2026

Arizona

Mammoth

Annie Martinez recall

May 19, 2026

Georgia

Cherokee County School District

Cherokee County School District District 3 special primary

May 19, 2026

Georgia

Georgia statewide primary election

Georgia statewide primary election

May 19, 2026

Georgia

Georgia

Georgia statewide judicial and school board general election

May 19, 2026

Georgia

Georgia State Senate District 7

Special general election for Georgia State Senate District 7

May 19, 2026

Idaho

Idaho statewide primary

Idaho statewide primary

May 19, 2026

Idaho

Idaho

Idaho statewide judicial general elections

May 19, 2026

Idaho

Washington County

True Pearce recall

May 19, 2026

Kentucky

Kentucky statewide primary election

Kentucky statewide primary election

May 19, 2026

New York

Lackawanna City School District

Lackawanna City School District general election

May 19, 2026

Oregon

Oregon statewide primary election

Oregon statewide primary election

May 19, 2026

Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania statewide primary election

Pennsylvania statewide primary election

May 19, 2026

Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 196

Special election Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 196

May 19, 2026

Florida

Florida

Fla. local elections

May 26, 2026

South Carolina

South Carolina

S.C. local elections

May 26, 2026

Texas

Texas

Texas statewide primary runoff election

May 26, 2026

[hide] v • e
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ATTACHMENT THREE – FROM FVAP.GOV (FEDERAL VOTING ASSISTANCE PROGRAM)

2026 PRIMARY ELECTIONS BY STATE AND TERRITORY

This chart lists the 2026 state primary election dates in all the states, the District of Columbia and U.S. territories; primary runoff dates

(if applicable);

states with U.S. Senate races (yes/no);

number of U.S. Representative seats up for re-election.

The General Election is Tuesday, November 3, 2026.

State State Primary State Primary Runoff General Election

U.S. Senate U.S. Representative

Alabama May 19 June 16 Yes 7

Alaska August 18 — Yes 1

American Samoa — — — 1 Delegate

Arizona July 21 — No 9

Arkansas March 3 March 31 Yes 4

California June 2 — No 52

Colorado June 30 — Yes 8

Connecticut August 11 — No 5

Delaware September 15 — Yes 1

District of Columbia June 16 — — 1 Delegate

Florida August 18 — Yes 28

Georgia May 19 June 16 Yes 14

Guam August 1 — — 1 Delegate

Hawaii August 8 — No 2

Idaho May 19 — Yes 2

Illinois March 17 — Yes 17

Indiana May 5 — No 9

Iowa June 2 — Yes 4

Kansas August 4 — Yes 4

Kentucky May 19 — Yes 6

Louisiana May 16 June 27 Yes 6

Maine June 9 — Yes 2

Maryland June 23 — No 8

Massachusetts September 1 — Yes 9

Michigan August 4 — Yes 13

Minnesota August 11 — Yes 8

Mississippi March 10 April 7 Yes 4

Missouri August 4 — No 8

Montana June 2 — Yes 2

Nebraska May 12 — Yes 3

Nevada June 9 — No 4

New Hampshire September 8 — Yes 2

New Jersey June 2 — Yes 12

New Mexico June 2 — Yes 3

New York June 23 — No 26

North Carolina March 3 May 12 Yes 14

North Dakota June 9 — No 1

Ohio May 5 — Yes 15

Oklahoma June 16 August 25 Yes 5

Oregon May 19 — Yes 6

Pennsylvania May 19 — Yes 17

Puerto Rico — — — 1 Resident

Rhode Island September 9 — Yes 2

South Carolina June 9 June 23 Yes 7

South Dakota June 2 — Yes 1

Tennessee August 6 — Yes 9

Texas March 3 May 26 Yes 38

Utah June 23 — No 4

Vermont August 11 — No 1

Virgin Islands August 1 — — 1 Delegate

Virginia August 4 — Yes 11

Washington August 4 — No 10

West Virginia May 12 — Yes 2

Wisconsin August 11 — No 8

Wyoming August 18 —

ATTACHMENT FOUR – FROM YAHOO

ACTING AG TODD BLANCHE SAYS TRUMP ‘ABSOLUTELY’ WOULD HAVE GONE TO PRISON IF HE LOST THE 2024 ELECTION

By Josh Marcus Updated Tue, June 2, 2026 at 4:20 PM EDT

President Donald Trump was almost certainly bound for prison until he won the 2024 election, according to Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, who previously served as the Republican’s personal lawyer.

“Is it an accurate statement to say he either wins in ‘24, wins the White House — it’s either the White House or the big house?” Fox News anchor Sean Hannity asked Blanche on an episode of the Hang Out with Sean Hannity show that was released on Tuesday.

“Oh yeah, absolutely,” Blanche responded.

The Trump official pointed to the cloud of legal scrutiny hanging over Trump during the 2024 election, which included special counsel Jack Smith’s multiple cases against the Republican in Washington and Florida, as well as the then-candidate’s guilty convictions in New York in his hush money trial.

“Don’t forget he had a D.C. case breathing down his neck,” Blanche said. “He had the Florida case which had been dismissed, but they were appealing it, and then he had a judge in New York who, there’s no scenario in which he wasn’t going to send Trump to prison.”

Following Trump’s election victory, the special counsel dropped the federal cases against the president-elect, citing the precedent against bringing an indictment or proceedings against a sitting president.

In congressional testimony last year, Smith said he was confident he would’ve secured a conviction against Trump on his allegations that the Republican conspired to interfere with the 2024 election.

“The timing and speed of our work reflects the strength of the evidence and our confidence that we would have secured convictions at trial,” Smith told the House Judiciary Committee. “If asked whether to prosecute a former President based on the same facts today, I would do so regardless of whether that president was a Republican or a Democrat.”

The president continues to challenge the New York conviction, both in state court and in an effort to move it to federal court.

Since returning to the White House, the president has vowed to seek payback for the alleged “weaponization” of the justice system he claims to have suffered.

Republican Congressman Straight Up Declares ‘Homosexuality Has No Place in America’

Mediaite

MAGA Pollster Admits Big Problem for Trump on Fox News

The Daily Beast

‘Barack Obama’ Is Running for California Governor, but There’s a Catch

The DOJ is investigating an alleged decade-long “grand conspiracy” between officials who investigated or prosecuted the president.

As part of the settlement in his recent suit against the IRS, Trump also sought to create a nearly $1.8 billion “slush fund” to compensate allies and victims” of government “weaponization.”

ATTACHMENT FIVE – TAKEAWAYS FROM FOX (IN REVERSE CHRONOGY)

REPUBLICANS CHASE BREAKTHROUGHS IN MULTIPLE STATE PRIMARY ELECTIONS

Republicans are watching a slate of six state primary elections for potential signs of November momentum, with voters casting ballots in California, Iowa and other states. The contests could influence key races for Congress, governorships and local power, including a closely watched Los Angeles City Hall bid by Spencer Pratt, who is running as an independent with Republican support and a Trump endorsement.

Covered by: Eric Mack, Paul Steinhauser and Greg Wehner

WHAT TO KNOW

California governor: Steve Hilton and Chad Bianco are facing the Democrat stranglehold led by Xavier Becerra, Tom Steyer and Katie Porter.

Los Angeles mayor: Viral social media sensation Spencer Pratt is taking his upstart candidacy to the ballot box against incumbent Democrat Karen Bass.

Iowa governor: Trump-backed Rep. Randy Feenstra, R-Iowa, is being watched as a measure of Trump’s hold over Republican primary voters.

Iowa senator: Trump-backed Rep. Ashley Hinson, R-Iowa, is running to fill the seat vacated by outgoing Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, a seat Democrats are hoping to flip with one of state Rep. Josh Turek or state Sen. Zach Wahls.

TOM STEYER SAYS CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR RACE IS DOWN TO THREE CANDIDATES BATTLING FOR TWO SPOTS

California Democratic gubernatorial candidate Tom Steyer argued on election day that the state's crowded governor's race has effectively narrowed to three contenders competing for two spots in the general election.

Speaking Tuesday, Steyer said voters should view the contest as a choice between Republican candidate Steve Hilton, former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra and himself.

"There are really only three people for two spots," Steyer said.

Steyer characterized Hilton as a "hard-right, MAGA Republican" and described Becerra as a "corporate Democrat" while presenting himself as the only candidate willing to challenge corporate interests.

"I've been trying really hard to work for Californian people, taking no money from corporations," Steyer said.

The former hedge fund manager and climate activist argued that California's affordability crisis should be the central issue in the race, saying many residents can no longer afford to live in the state.

Steyer claimed corporate interests are driving up costs for consumers and said his campaign is focused on addressing those concerns.

"Is California still for Californian people or is California being run for corporations?" Steyer asked.

"In my mind, the only possible answer to that is California is for Californians, not for corporations."

Steyer said the governor's race has become a referendum on whether elected leaders will prioritize residents or corporate interests, framing that question as the defining issue facing voters as they cast their ballots.

Posted by Greg Wehner

23 mins ago

BLAGGO JOINS PRATT PACK WITH ENDORSEMENT IN LA MAYOR RACE

Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich is throwing his support behind Spencer Pratt in the Los Angeles mayoral race.

In a post on X, Blagojevich shared a throwback photo featuring himself, Pratt and Heidi Montag from 2003 while offering his endorsement of the reality television personality's campaign.

"Best of luck to the people of L.A. Hope they choose a new Mayor. Rooting for the guy on my right," Blagojevich wrote.

The post comes as Pratt has ramped up his campaign messaging in recent days, positioning himself as an alternative to incumbent Mayor Karen Bass and other challengers in the race.

Posted by Greg Wehner

33 mins ago

NEW MEXICO VOTERS CHOOSE GOVERNOR NOMINEES AS OIL REVENUE BOOM RESHAPES RACE

Candidates for governor of New Mexico participate in a public forum in Rio Rancho, N.M., on April 28, 2026, ahead of a June 2 primary election: From left to right, they are Democratic Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman, Republican businessman Doug Turner; Republican cannabis entrepreneur and health care expert Duke Rodriguez, Democratic former U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, and Republican former Rio Rancho mayor Gregg Hull. (AP Photo/Morgan Lee)

New Mexico voters are selecting Democratic and Republican nominees for governor Tuesday in a race that will determine who succeeds term-limited Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham.

According to the Associated Press, the primary is taking place as New Mexico finds itself in an unusual position: state leaders continue to face pressure over issues such as crime and education, while a surge in oil revenue has generated billions of dollars for government programs and left the next governor poised to inherit a financial windfall.

On the Democratic side, former Interior Secretary Deb Haaland and Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman are competing for the nomination. Republicans are choosing between former Rio Rancho Mayor Gregg Hull, businessman Duke Rodriguez and communications consultant Doug Turner.

Independent voters are also eligible to participate in the primary under a recently enacted election law, opening the nominating contests to a sizable group of voters who previously could not cast ballots in partisan primaries.

The eventual winner in November will take office with substantial resources generated by New Mexico's energy sector, setting up a debate over how best to use the state's oil-fueled revenue while tackling persistent challenges facing residents.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Posted by Greg Wehner

1 hour ago

SPENCER PRATT URGES ADAM MILLER SUPPORTERS TO UNITE BEHIND BID TO DEFEAT KAREN BASS

Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt is urging supporters of rival candidate Adam Miller to abandon what he called a protest vote and instead rally behind his campaign in an effort to unseat Mayor Karen Bass.

In a video posted to social media, Pratt argued that voters dissatisfied with Bass should reconsider supporting Miller, claiming the candidate has failed to gain traction despite spending millions of dollars on his campaign.

"We all agree that Karen Bass has failed the city as mayor. We need change," Pratt said.

Pratt claimed Miller has struggled to connect with voters and argued that the businessman is not a viable contender in the race.

The reality television personality also criticized Miller's past political associations and questioned his handling of charitable funds, though he did not provide evidence for the allegations in the video.

Despite those criticisms, Pratt acknowledged that Miller "seems like a nice enough guy" before arguing that Los Angeles' challenges require stronger leadership.

"LA is in dire straits and needs a pitbull, not a shrinking violet," Pratt said.

Pratt's central argument focused on electability, telling viewers that backing Miller would only improve Bass' chances of remaining in office.

"A vote for Miller is a vote for Karen Bass," Pratt said.

The video marks one of Pratt's most direct appeals yet to voters supporting another candidate, as he seeks to position himself as the leading alternative to the incumbent mayor.

Posted by Greg Wehner

1 hour ago

REALITY TV STAR SPENCER PRATT TESTS LA VOTERS' APPETITE FOR POLITICAL OUTSIDER

Spencer Pratt drew both support and skepticism from Los Angeles residents as voters headed to the polls in a closely watched mayoral primary against incumbent Karen Bass and City Councilmember Nithya Raman.

Pratt, 42, has been a vocal champion for LA residents since losing his home during the deadly 2025 Palisades wildfire. He launched his mayoral campaign in January with a focus on ousting Bass due to her alleged mishandling of the LA fires.

While he's played into the media circus and is backed by a number of public and private celebrity endorsements, locals remain divided over their choices for mayor.

LA resident Brian Lovoto adamantly believed Pratt's not the candidate his city truly needs.

Posted by Greg Wehner

1 hour ago

'ENTOURAGE' CREATOR BLASTS LOS ANGELES LEADERSHIP, CITES CRIME AND QUALITY-OF-LIFE CONCERNS

"Entourage" creator Doug Ellin blasted the state of Los Angeles in a social media video, saying crime concerns and declining quality of life have left many residents frustrated with the city's direction.

Ellin, who created the hit HBO series that helped glamorize life in Southern California, said a home invasion at his residence dramatically changed how he approaches security.

"I now have 15 cameras at this house, German shepherds, three legal guns," Ellin said in the video, noting that he previously went years without locking his doors.

The television producer argued that concerns about crime are widespread throughout his neighborhood, saying residents have increasingly turned to private security and surveillance systems.

"Everyone in my neighborhood has got the same problem," Ellin said. "They're all putting cameras and hiring security guards because we're all getting broken into."

Ellin reserved some of his sharpest criticism for Los Angeles leadership, arguing that the city has deteriorated in recent years.

"This city has collapsed in the last five years," he said.

The producer also weighed in on local politics, criticizing the choices voters have been presented with in recent elections and expressing frustration with the direction of city government.

Ellin said he remains personally invested in Los Angeles because of the role it played in his career and because of the image of the city he helped popularize through "Entourage."

"I made this city look great. I did it for years. I glorified it," Ellin said.

He added that he often encounters people who moved to Los Angeles after watching the show but now tell him they are unhappy living in the city.

Posted by Greg Wehner

2 hours ago

DEM GOV CANDIDATE ROB SAND VOTES, TALKS ROOTING OUT WASTE, FRAUD, AND ABUSE

Iowa Democratic gubernatorial candidate Rob Sand told Fox News on primary day that rooting out waste, fraud and abuse in state government remains a driving force behind his campaign as he seeks to flip the governor's office in 2026.

Sand, who currently serves as Iowa's state auditor, pointed to his experience as a public corruption prosecutor and watchdog over taxpayer spending when asked what motivates him on the campaign trail.

“I'm mostly, at the end of the day, focused on good government. That can be seven years of being the chief public corruption prosecutor in the attorney general's office, it can be two terms of state auditor, it could be focusing on the idea that independent voters should get to participate, right?” he said. “That would be good government, it would be better government than what we're doing right now.”

“I look around over the last two terms and we've seen so many examples of just absolute abuse of positions of trust and power,” Sand continued.

Sand cited several examples he said demonstrated a lack of accountability in state government, including a $20 million Workday contract, increased spending related to Iowa's school voucher program and a $170,000 taxpayer-funded settlement stemming from an open records violation.

“I'm sick of this. I grew up in Iowa where we had Chuck Grassley and Tom Harkin…We had divided government in the statehouse most of the time, and there was basically an acknowledgement that to get something done you'd have to acknowledge that a broken clock is right twice a day and work with the other people who were sent there with respect to the voters who sent them in order to get something done,” he said. “That's what I want to get back to. People who are paid to basically make sure that Republican candidates win, like to scare people with words like California, New York, Minnesota. Those are all one-party states.”

“I want Iowa to be a divided government, to be not redder or bluer, but to be better and truer,” Sand added. “I think most Iowans are ready for that, and they would see it as a meaningful change in the right direction.”

Posted by Greg Wehner

2 hours ago

TOM STEYER HIGHLIGHTS PUBLIC TRANSIT WITH ELECTION DAY SUBWAY TRIP

California Democratic gubernatorial candidate Tom Steyer marked election day Tuesday with a ride on Los Angeles' Metro D Line.

"No better day to ride the D (train) than election day," Steyer wrote in a post on X alongside a video of himself boarding the train and interacting with fellow passengers.

The video showed Steyer standing aboard the train, speaking with riders and shaking hands during the trip.

"I'm Tom Steyer and I'm about to ride the D," Steyer said before boarding.

After stepping onto the train, Steyer appeared impressed with the experience, remarking, "That is one sweet train."

The post came as voters headed to the polls in primary elections across several states, with Steyer using the occasion to highlight public transportation in one of California's largest cities.

Posted by Greg Wehner

3 hours ago

IOWA GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE ROB SAND CELEBRATES 14TH WEDDING ANNIVERSARY ON ELECTION DAY

Iowa Democratic gubernatorial candidate Rob Sand took a moment away from the political spotlight Tuesday to celebrate a personal milestone, marking his 14th wedding anniversary with his wife, Christine.

"Happy Anniversary, Christine! 14 years of marriage today and stronger than ever. Love you," Sand wrote in a post on X.

The anniversary coincided with primary election day, as voters in several states headed to the polls in contests that could help shape the political landscape ahead of the November midterm elections.

Posted by Greg Wehner

3 hours ago

SOUTH DAKOTA GOP GOVERNOR RACE TIGHTENS AS VOTERS MAY NOT GET A WINNER TONIGHT

South Dakota’s Republican primary for governor is shaping up to be a closely contested race as voters head to the polls, with a late surge in advertising and campaign spending tightening the four-way contest and raising the possibility that the nomination may not be decided tonight.

The Dakota Scout reported that conflicting poll numbers and a wave of recent spending have increased the likelihood of a secondary runoff election.

While U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson has maintained front-runner status throughout much of the campaign, Gov. Larry Rhoden, House Speaker Jon Hansen and Aberdeen businessman Toby Doeden remain in contention.

The Dakota Scout noted that the crowded field and aggressive final push by all four campaigns have created uncertainty about the outcome as voters cast their ballots.

If no candidate secures the threshold needed to win the nomination outright, South Dakota voters could face a runoff election later this summer.

Posted by Greg Wehner

4 hours ago

RNC ELECTION INTEGRITY UNIT HAS ‘STAFF ON THE GROUND’ FOR CALIFORNIA PRIMARY

President Donald Trump has sought to make election integrity efforts a priority at the RNC and new Chairman Joe Gruters has followed suit in a multi-million dollar investment.

The Republican National Committee's election integrity operation has "staff on the ground" as eyes and ears on watching every legal ballot cast Tuesday.

Also, the RNC shared an election integrity whistleblower form from "California Project the Vote."

RNC Chairman Joe Gruters blasted California’s election system in a statement to Fox News Digital.

“California continues to be the model of how not to run elections,” Gruters said. “Its dumpster-fire system is exactly why the RNC is waging our most aggressive election integrity operation to date, with more than 150 lawsuits in 34 states. Voters deserve timely results and elections they can trust.”

The RNC and Gruters are standing by for a landmark Supreme Court decision at the end of this month: Watson v RNC.

"The RNC is fighting for a singular Election Day," RNC Election Integrity Communications Director Ally Triolo told Fox News on Tuesday. "This is exactly why Watson is so important."

That case will help determine U.S. legal precedent on whether a state can "ballots that are cast by federal election day to be received by election officials after that day."

“Republicans are on offense with the most aggressive election integrity operation in our history, a battle-tested legal infrastructure, and a clear mission: protect the ballot box and secure every legal vote," Triolo added in a statement.

Posted by Eric Mack

5 hours ago

RNC CHAIR JOE GRUTERS BLASTS CALIFORNIA’S ‘DUMPSTER-FIRE’ ELECTION SYSTEM

After pollster Nate Silver rebuked California's accepting of delayed election results, RNC Chairman Joe Gruters is blasting "its dumpster-fire system."

"California continues to be the model of how not to run elections," Gruters told Fox News Digital in an exclusive statement Tuesday. "Its dumpster-fire system is exactly why the RNC is waging our most aggressive election integrity operation to date, with more than 150 lawsuits in 34 states.

"Voters deserve timely results and elections they can trust."

Posted by Eric Mack

5 hours ago

TRUMP PUTS POLITICAL MUSCLE ON THE LINE IN HIGH-STAKES GOVERNOR PRIMARIES

President Donald Trump has been undefeated in congressional and gubernatorial primaries this cycle at a 107-0 clip.

President Donald Trump’s extremely firm grip over Republican Party voters once again faces key tests in crucial gubernatorial primaries in California and Iowa.

Trump on Tuesday re-upped his support in California for GOP gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton, a one-time British political strategist turned American conservative commentator and former Fox News Channel host whom the president recently endorsed in the race to succeed term-limited Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Pointing to Hilton, Trump wrote in a social media post, "He will work with me and the Federal Government, the money will flow because I have confidence in him (but not any of the others!), and we will MAKE CALIFORNIA GREAT AGAIN. Steve Hilton will NEVER let you down. VOTE NOW!"

California holds what’s known as a jungle primary, where all candidates regardless of party affiliation appear on the same ballot, with the top two finishers advancing to the general election.

There are a whopping 61 candidates on the ballot but only a handful of contenders have a good chance of making the cut.

Among the top three in the race are Hilton, and Democrats Xavier Becerra – a former longtime congressman and California attorney general who later served as a Cabinet secretary in former President Biden's administration, would become the first Latino Golden State governor in modern history – and Tom Steyer, a billionaire hedge fund founder turned environmental activist who unsuccessfully ran for his party's 2020 presidential nomination and who’s dished out over $200 million of his own money on his gubernatorial bid.

Also in the race is Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, a Republican. Bianco has argued that he's the most conservative candidate in the race but has seen his support deteriorate after Trump backed Hilton.

Hilton, in a primary-eve interview with Fox News Digital, argued that "every vote for him [Bianco], I'm afraid to say it's nothing personal. I have a good relationship, and I'd love to work with Chad. I'd love him to join my team. We can work together to save California. But every vote for him right now is actually a vote for a Democrat, A Democrat top two for the general election, which is a disaster."

Hilton and Bianco are both hoping to become the first California Republican in the Democrat-dominated state to win a gubernatorial election since then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's 2006 re-election two decades ago.

Democratic candidates former Rep. Katie Porter, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, are among the other better-known contenders.

Trump’s other big test comes in right-leaning Iowa.

The president late last week endorsed Republican Rep. Randy Feenstra in the competitive GOP gubernatorial nomination race in the battle to succeed retiring longtime Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds.

Feenstra is one of the front-runners in primary ballot box showdown that also includes entrepreneur and private school co-founder Zach Lahn, who is backed by the influential conservative group Turning Point USA, as well as state Rep. Eddie Andrews, former state Rep. Brad Sherman and former state administrative services director Adam Steen.

The winner will face Democratic state Auditor Rob Sand, who is unopposed in his primary. Sand is the only Democrat currently elected to statewide office.

The brute force of the president's endorsement power and the immense grip he has on the Republican Party has been on display in GOP primaries the past month, with candidates Trump backed ousting incumbents he targeted in showdowns in Indiana, Louisiana, Kentucky, and Texas.

Iowa, once a key general election battleground state, shifted to the right over the past decade. Trump carried the Hawkeye State by 13 points in his 2024 presidential election victory and Republicans control the governor’s office, the legislature, and hold both U.S. Senate and all four U.S. House seats.

But with Republicans facing a very rough midterm political climate, Democrats are optimistic about their chances in Iowa this autumn.

Posted by Paul Steinhauser

6 hours ago

CALIFORNIA GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE STEVE HILTON URGES GOP CONSOLIDATION AT PRIMARY DAY EVENT

California gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton used a primary day campaign stop to urge Republican voters to consolidate behind his campaign, warning supporters that backing anyone else could risk leaving the GOP out of the general election.

“A vote for anyone except me is a vote for two Democrats in the top two,” Hilton told supporters Tuesday in Huntington Beach. “That is the reality. It’s a very serious moment for our state.”

Hilton acknowledged that some Republican voters might be considering supporting another GOP candidate, including Chad Bianco, in hopes of placing two Republicans in the general election. But he rejected that strategy as unrealistic.

“I understand why people would want that, but it’s not real,” Hilton said. "It cannot happen. And it’s very dangerous."

Hilton framed the day as a make-or-break moment for California Republicans under the state’s top-two primary system.

“We have to get a Republican in the top two,” Hilton said. “I don’t love this crazy top -two system, but it’s the one we’ve got and we got a win with what we’ve got.”

The race had become a “very tight three horse race,” according to Hilton, noting billionaire Tom Steyer was gaining after spending heavily.

“We can’t take anything for granted,” Hilton said.

The Republican candidate also called on attendees to keep working after voting, telling them to text, email and knock on doors to drive turnout.

“This is your mission today,” Hilton said. “We have to tell every single person… this is your job. To help save our state of California.”

Hilton cast the campaign as part of a broader push against Democrat control in California, saying voters across the state were ready for change.

“This really is the year we can turn things around and get our state back on track,” Hilton said. “We are done with the Democrats.”

He closed by telling supporters the election was in their hands.

“We have the power today,” Hilton said. “No one else can tell us what the future for California could be. We decide that.”

Posted by Eric Mack

6 hours ago

VANCE JOINS TRUMP IN BACKING HILTON ON ELECTION DAY

Vice President JD Vance threw his support behind Republican Steve Hilton on Tuesday as Californians headed to the polls in the state’s gubernatorial primary.

“Good luck today to my friend Steve Hilton, who is running to become the next governor of California,” Vance wrote Tuesday on X. “He's a good guy and I encourage everyone to get out there and support him. California is such a beautiful state--it just needs better political leadership!”

The Election Day boost comes after President Donald Trump endorsed Hilton in the crowded race to succeed Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom, who is term-limited. Trump’s backing helped consolidate national Republican support around Hilton ahead of California’s top-two primary.

Hilton, a former Fox News host and adviser to former British Prime Minister David Cameron, is among the Republicans seeking a spot in the November runoff.

California’s primary system sends the top two vote-getters to the general election regardless of party.

Posted by Eric Mack

7 hours ago

REP. ASHLEY HINSON VOTES IN SENATE GOP PRIMARY, CALLS HERSELF 'COMMON SENSE MINIVAN DRIVING MOM'

Iowa Senate primary candidate Rep. Ashley Hinson, R-Iowa, cast her ballot Tuesday morning in Marion as voters headed to the polls in the state’s primaries.

“I'm a common sense minivan driving mom,” Hinson said after casting her vote for herself. “I think Iowans, at the end of the day, just want someone who's going to be able to relate to their issues.”

Hinson told Fox she is not worried about Democrat Josh Turek winning over Republican voters in the general election, arguing that Turek and Zach Wahls are both “extremely liberal.”

“Josh Turek's record in the Iowa House proves he's continuing to stand up for illegal immigrants over Americans,” Hinson said. “He supports high tax rates and, again supports radical gender ideology, and I think Americans and Iowans will certainly reject that in November.”

Hinson also addressed the Iran war potentially becoming a “political liability” if it continues much longer.

“Nobody wants a forever war, and that's what I was trying to express to that constituent of mine,” Hinson said. “I actually don't even know if it was a constituent or not. But what I think is important is that we do resolve it as quickly as possible, but it is about safety and security for here at home.”

Hinson said she trusts President Donald Trump “to hopefully bring this war to a close as quickly as possible."

Posted by Eric Mack

7 hours ago

POLLSTER NATE SILVER RIPS POSSIBLE CALIFORNIA ELECTION RESULT DELAYS

Pollster Nate Silver is calling out California’s slow vote-counting process due to mass mail-in balloting processes, warning that prolonged election result delays are both unusual and damaging to public trust.

“The fact that California elections often can't be resolved for weeks is kind of insane and not common in other electoral systems around the world,” Silver wrote on X early Tuesday.

“Like honestly 'it's going to take us several weeks to tell you who won the election' is failed state sh-- and should be much more stigmatized,” he added in a reply.

Silver, the statistician and election analyst best known for founding FiveThirtyEight, argued that the public has become too accepting of drawn-out vote counts – echoing a long-held point of contention from President Donald Trump and myriad conservatives pushing to move the Save America Act in the stalled Senate under Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D.

“The fact that it's tolerated is bad too a textbook example of learned helplessness,” he concluded.

California has frequently taken longer than many other states to finalize election results because of its heavy use of mail ballots and extended ballot-processing rules.

Results of Tuesday night's election might not come for weeks.

Posted by Eric Mack

7 hours ago

SCHUMER SHADOW LOOMS OVER IOWA SENATE PRIMARY AS DEMOCRATS CLASH OVER PARTY'S FUTURE

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., is throwing his political weight into the Iowa primary races Tuesday night. (Getty Images)

He is not on the ballot, but longtime Democratic Senate Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York is on the minds of plenty of Iowa Democrats in Tuesday’s Senate primary in the Hawkeye State in a race that is among a dozen across the country that may determine if Republicans hold their slim Senate majority in the midterms.

State Rep. Josh Turek, a four-time Paralympian, and state Sen. Zach Wahls are facing off for the Democratic Senate nomination in the battle to succeed retiring Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa.

Wahls, a progressive who Republicans have likened to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, has the backing of liberal champion Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass. Turek, the more moderate Senate contender who flipped a GOP-held Iowa House seat in 2022, is backed by former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

Turek also has the tacit support of Schumer and Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chair Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand. And VoteVets, an establishment-aligned outside group, has spent big bucks on behalf of Turek.

Wahls is showcasing a “Iowans over insiders” theme as he accuses Turek of being beholden to Schumer and big bucks from outside political groups aligned with the Democratic Party establishment.

Rep. Ashley Hinson, R-Iowa, is the overwhelming frontrunner to secure her party's Senate nomination in the race.

Hinson, a former TV news anchor who is in her third term representing Iowa's 2nd Congressional District, is facing a long-shot challenge from former state senator and former U.S. Senate candidate Jim Carlin. Hinson is backed by Trump, Senate Majority Leader Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., the National Republican Senatorial Committee, which is the campaign arm of the Senate GOP.

Hinson, who in 2020 flipped a Democrat-held seat that covers the northeastern portion of Iowa, is seen as a rising star in the party.

Iowa was once a key general election battleground state but has shifted far to the right the past decade. President Donald Trump carried the state in all there of his presidential election campaigns, including by 13 points in 2024.

But the retirements of Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds and Ernst along with the rough political midterm climate facing Republicans, have Democrats optimistic they can flip the seats.

Posted by Paul Steinhauser

8 hours ago

NEW MEXICO’S GOVERNOR RACE PUTS HISTORY, BLUE STATE'S DIRECTION ON BALLOT

Former Interior Secretary Deb Haaland is facing Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman in a contest that could shape the next phase of Democrat politics in the longtime blue state.

Haaland, a former congresswoman and the first Native American Cabinet secretary, would become the first Native American woman elected governor of any state if she wins in November.

Bregman is running as a law-and-order Democrat with a prosecutor’s profile, giving the primary a clear contrast in style and emphasis.

Republicans also have a three-way race for governor, with former Rio Rancho Mayor Gregg Hull, medical cannabis entrepreneur Duke Rodriguez and business owner Doug Turner competing for the nomination.

The general election will decide who manages a state budget deeply tied to energy production at a moment when oil and gas revenues remain central to New Mexico politics.

Sen. Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., is running for another term and faces a Democrat primary challenge from community organizer Matt Dodson.

On the Republican side, Larry Marker is running as a certified write-in candidate and must receive 2,351 votes to become the GOP nominee. If he falls short, no Republican Senate candidate will appear on the general election ballot.

Polls close at 9 p.m. ET in New Mexico.

Posted by Eric Mack

9 hours ago

GOP GOVERNOR PRIMARY TAKES CENTER STAGE IN SOUTH DAKOTA

A crowded Republican primary for governor could shape the state’s political direction well before November.

A sitting governor, a congressman, a legislative leader and a businessman are all fighting for control of the state GOP’s future.

GOP Gov. Larry Rhoden is seeking a full term after taking over in 2025, when Kristi Noem left to join President Donald Trump’s Cabinet.

But Rhoden did not clear the field. He faces a competitive primary against Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-S.D., state House Speaker Jon Hansen and businessman Toby Doeden.

The race carries extra stakes because South Dakota requires candidates for governor, U.S. Senate and U.S. House to win at least 35% of the vote to avoid a runoff. If no candidate hits that mark, the top two advance to a June 23 runoff.

At the top of the federal ballot, Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., is running for a third term and faces U.S. Navy veteran Justin McNeal in the Republican primary.

Former state trooper Julian Beaudion is unopposed for the Democrati nomination, while independent Brian Bengs — who ran against Senate Majority Leader John Thune in 2022 — is also running in November.

South Dakota’s lone House seat is also open because Johnson is running for governor. Attorney General Marty Jackley is running in the Republican primary against James Bialota, while Democrat Nicole Gronli is set for the general election.

The state remains strongly Republican, meaning tonight’s GOP winners will likely enter the fall campaign with a clear advantage.

The last polls close at 9 p.m. ET in South Dakota.

Posted by Eric Mack

9 hours ago

MONTANA’S GOP SHAKE-UP OPENS A RARE DOOR FOR NOVEMBER

Two surprise Republican retirements have turned a normally red-state primary night into one of the more intriguing watches on the map.

The question is whether Montana Republicans quickly consolidate behind President Donald Trump-backed candidates — or whether late retirements, independent bids and Democrat enthusiasm can create a more unpredictable fall map than expected.

The top race is the Republican Senate primary to replace Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., whose last-minute decision to abandon his reelection bid scrambled the field.

Former U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme quickly jumped in and locked down major GOP support, including endorsements from President Donald Trump and Sen. Tim Sheehy, R-Mont.

He faces Lee Calhoun and Charles Walking Child in the Republican primary.

Former state Rep. Reilly Neill leads the Democrat field. The winners will move on to a November race that also includes independent Seth Bodnar, the former University of Montana president, whose campaign could complicate the general election in a state with a strong independent streak.

Montana’s 1st Congressional District is also open after Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Mont., announced his retirement. Trump has endorsed conservative radio host Aaron Flint, who is running against several Republicans for the nomination.

On the Democrat side, union organizer Sam Forstag is facing former gubernatorial candidate Ryan Busse. Forstag has drawn national progressive attention, including support from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., who campaigned in the district last month.

Primay polls close at 10 p.m. ET in Montana.

Posted by Eric Mack

9 hours ago

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP URGES CALIFORNIA TO VOTE FOR STEVE HILTON FOR governor

President Donald Trump is throwing his political weight behind Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton's upstart campaign in the deep-blue state.

"CALIFORNIA: Vote today for Steve Hilton for Governor," Trump wrote on Truth Social on Tuesday morning.

"He will work with me and the Federal Government, the money will flow because I have confidence in him (but not any of the others!), and we will MAKE CALIFORNIA GREAT AGAIN. Steve Hilton will NEVER let you down. VOTE NOW!"

Posted by Eric Mack

9 hours ago

ANTI-ICE PROTEST-STRICKEN NEW JERSEY SET FOR PRIMARY DAY

Polls close at 8 p.m. ET in New Jersey, where several House and Senate primaries will test the direction of both parties ahead of November.

New Jersey Democrats have moved quickly to harness the political populism of the state’s anti-ICE movement, arguing that backlash to federal immigration enforcement can help them hold off Republicans in key races.

The issue has been especially visible after protests around the Delaney Hall ICE facility in Newark, which have become a flashpoint heading into primary night.

The marquee race is in New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District, where Democrats are choosing a nominee to take on Rep. Tom Kean Jr., R-N.J., in one of the state’s most competitive House seats.

Kean has no primary challenger, but he has drawn scrutiny after missing more than 100 House votes while dealing with an undisclosed medical issue. Rebecca Bennett, a former Navy helicopter pilot, is among the Democrats seeking the nomination.

In the Republican Senate primary, former TV reporter Alex Zdan is seen as the likeliest nominee to face Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., in November. Still, the result will be watched for any overperformance by Richard Tabor, Justin Murphy or Robert Lebovics, which could signal lingering volatility inside the state GOP.

In New Jersey’s 10th District, Rep. LaMonica McIver, D-N.J., seeks to continue representing the heavily Democrat Newark-area seat.

In the 11th District, Rep. Analilia Mejia, D-N.J., a progressive who has called for abolishing ICE, is looking to advance in another race shaped by the party’s left flank.

The most crowded contest is in the 12th District, where Democrats are competing to replace retiring Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman in a safe Democrat seat. Adam Hamawy, a trauma surgeon and former Army medic backed by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., has emerged as a leading progressive contender.

He is running on a platform that includes abolishing ICE, an arms embargo on Israel and changes in Democrat leadership. Hamawy has also faced scrutiny for connection convicted terrorist Sheik Omar Abdel-Rahman, a blind Egyptian cleric convicted in 1995 of conspiring to blow up the United Nations and other New York-area landmarks.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Posted by Eric Mack

10 hours ago

STEVE HILTON VOWS TO INVESTIGATE GOV. NEWSOM FOR CALIFORNIA FRAUD IF ELECTED GOVERNOR

Republican California gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton said Monday that if elected governor, his first executive order would create a “Taxpayer Fraud Strike Force” to investigate and prosecute alleged fraud, waste and abuse in California government — with Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom at the top of the list.

Hilton detailed the proposal in an on-camera Fox News Digital interview with Paul Steinhauser in Los Angeles on the eve of California’s top-two primary, where voters will decide which two candidates advance to the November general election.

“This is my first executive order,” Hilton said. “This is Day 1 of the new administration. We’re going to clean house in California.”

The draft executive order, released by Hilton’s campaign, would establish the California Taxpayer Fraud Strike Force to investigate alleged fraud, corruption, theft, abuse of public funds and government mismanagement.

“We will not spare anyone,” Hilton said. “Gavin Newsom will be top of our target list because for years Newsom was warned by the state auditor, by other state agencies, his own state agencies, that billions of dollars were being stolen, and he did nothing about it.

“What we’re going to be investigating with this executive order, setting up a task force, a strike force to look at criminal prosecution, is whether there was criminal negligence on the part of Gavin Newsom and other state officials,” Hilton added. “And if there was, then they will be prosecuted.”

California’s Tuesday primary features a crowded top-two field, with Hilton among the leading Republican candidates and several Democrats, including Xavier Becerra and Tom Steyer, competing for a spot in November.

“I don’t think there’s anything more serious than taking responsibility for taxpayer money,” Hilton said. “We have the highest taxes in the country, in California, and we get the worst results. And one of the reasons is that the money has been stolen.”

When reached for comment, Newsom’s office did not take Hilton's candidacy seriously.

“Who is Steve Hilton?" a statement to Fox News read. "California will keep leading the way in cracking down on fraud with tougher laws, more investigations, and stronger accountability to protect taxpayers. While this individual wants to create headlines, we are actually doing the work to take any allegations of fraud seriously.”

Fox News' Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.

Posted by Eric Mack

11 hours ago

TRUMP’S KINGMAKER STATUS ON THE LINE, ONCE AGAIN, IN HIGH-STAKES GOP PRIMARY SHOWDOWN FOR GOVERNOR

The immense power of President Donald Trump’s endorsements in Republican primaries will once again face a key test on Tuesday.

Trump late last week endorsed Republican Rep. Randy Feenstra in the competitive GOP gubernatorial nomination race in the battle to succeed retiring longtime Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds.

Feenstra is one of the front-runners in primary ballot box showdown that also includes entrepreneur and private school co-founder Zach Lahn, who is backed by the influential conservative group Turning Point USA, as well as state Rep. Eddie Andrews, former state Rep. Brad Sherman and former state administrative services director Adam Steen.

The winner will face Democratic state Auditor Rob Sand, who is unopposed in his primary. Sand is the only Democrat currently elected to statewide office.

The brute force of the president's endorsement power and the immense grip he has on the Republican Party has been on display in GOP primaries the past month, with candidates Trump backed ousting incumbents he targeted in showdowns in Indiana, Louisiana, Kentucky, and Texas.

Iowa, once a key general election battleground state, shifted to the right over the past decade. Trump carried the Hawkeye State by 13 points in his 2024 presidential election victory and Republicans control the governor’s office, the legislature, and hold both U.S. Senate and all four U.S. House seats.

But with Republicans facing a very rough midterm political climate, Democrats are optimistic about their chances in Iowa this autumn.

Posted by Paul Steinhauser

11 hours ago

REPUBLICANS CHASE BREAKTHROUGHS IN MULTIPLE STATE PRIMARY ELECTIONS

Republicans are looking for signs of a political breakthrough as voters head to the polls in a slate of primary elections spanning California, Iowa, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico and South Dakota.

The most attention-grabbing race is in Los Angeles, where reality TV personality and social media viral sensation Spencer Pratt is trying to turn celebrity, clever ads and a Trump endorsement into a serious challenge for City Hall.

Running as an independent with Republican backing in the deep-blue stranglehold of Los Angeles, Pratt has centered his campaign on homelessness, crime and government accountability, arguing that families no longer feel safe in the nation’s second-largest city.

Mayor Karen Bass, seeking a second term, has lined up major Democrat support, including endorsements from Gov. Gavin Newsom and other top California Democrats.

But Pratt’s rise has given Republicans a rare opening in a city where they have not won the mayor’s office in three decades. The key question is whether he can force the race into a November runoff.

California’s governor’s race is another major test. With Newsom term-limited, Republican Steve Hilton is trying to capitalize on a crowded Democrat field and California’s top-two primary system, where all candidates run on the same ballot and the top two advance regardless of party.

If Democrats split their vote, Republicans could have a path to the general election in a state where statewide GOP victories have been elusive for years.

Meanwhile, Iowa offers a different kind of test: President Donald Trump’s influence inside the Republican Party. His endorsement in the GOP gubernatorial primary will be closely watched as another measure of his clout with primary voters.

On the Democrat side, Iowa’s Senate primary is also drawing attention as establishment and progressive forces battle for the nomination.

Posted by Eric Mack

ATTACHMENT SIX – FROM US NEWS

TRUMP'S SUCCESS AT PURGING REPUBLICAN DISSENTERS MAY NOT HELP IN MIDTERM ELECTIONS

The primary election results in Indiana have shown how President Donald Trump can punish Republican lawmakers who defy him

By Associated Press May 6, 2026, at 8:47 a.m.

Five months ago, President Donald Trump was stinging from one of the first political defeats of his second term as Republican state senators defied him on redistricting in Indiana. Now he has proved he can still punish wayward party members after he endorsed a slate of challengers who defeated almost every one of the lawmakers he wanted to dislodge.

But that success may not help Republicans' odds in November's midterm elections, when Trump's sagging poll numbers, lingering inflation and frustration over the war with Iran have boosted Democrats' chance of retaking control of Congress. Some Republicans are worried that intraparty fights are costing time and money that should be focused on defending their majorities in Washington.

“Every dollar going toward keeping seats we already have, and not winning ones we don’t, really matters,” said Rick Tyler, a Republican strategist who has been critical of the president.

However, Trump doesn't seem to have any second thoughts about purging his party of dissenters. Indiana's primary will likely bolster his confidence in other primaries this month, as he tries to oust U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky.

It also ratchets up the pressure on Republican lawmakers in other states to move aggressively to redraw congressional district boundaries this year. Alabama and Tennessee have already begun special sessions that could limit Black voters’ strength in Democratic-leaning districts, and some of Trump’s allies in South Carolina want to follow suit.

State Sen. Linda Rogers, one of the Indiana lawmakers who voted against redistricting and lost her seat Tuesday, said the outcome of this week's primary “will probably discourage others in other states.”

“If someone is going to ask you to take a tough vote, you may think twice about your conscience and what’s best for your community and instead what’s best for you and your career,” she said.

Indiana Gov. Mike Braun, who sided with Trump, said it was a “historic night” and he thanked Republican voters who “stood with me and President Trump to nominate some great America First conservatives.”

TRUMP STARTED THE REDISTRICTING COMPETITION

Redistricting efforts began last year when Trump saw an opportunity to give Republicans an additional edge. Indiana stood out as a Republican-run state that declined to give Trump what he wanted, even as GOP- and Democratic-led states traded gerrymandering maneuvers in a national competition.

After the Indiana Senate rejected the redistricting plan in December, Trump pledged to punish defiant lawmakers. His allies spent more than $8.3 million on races that usually see very little spending.

Andy Zay, a state senator who voted for redistricting, resigned in January to become chair of a state utility commission. He was a target of harassment and threats in the months leading up to the vote, and he said Trump's influence and heavy spending made it tough for incumbents to hang on in the primaries.

“Trump matters and money matters,” he said.

Five of Trump's targets lost their races. One won. One race was too close to call.

Trump allies celebrated the results and warned other Republicans who might be thinking of opposing the president.

“Redistrict ASAP for the November election or you face a real risk of losing your seat. No excuses,” Robby Starbuck, a conservative activist, wrote on social media. “Reschedule primaries if you must but redraw the map. Voters demand action NOW, not weakness.”

Redistricting efforts were supercharged last week when the U.S. Supreme Court gutted a provision of the Voting Rights Act that influenced how political lines are drawn in areas with large nonwhite populations.

James Blair, one of Trump’s top political advisers, posted an image from the movie “Gladiator” depicting Russell Crowe’s ancient Roman character Maximus exulting after a combat victory.

IN CONGRESS, MASSIE AND CASSIDY HAVE STOOD UP TO TRUMP

Trump himself was relatively restrained on social media. He shared a series of photos celebrating the victories of candidates he endorsed in Indiana and Ohio, which also held primaries Tuesday. But he otherwise passed on boasting or renewing his attacks on Massie or Cassidy.

Massie has been among the members of Congress who frustrated the president by pressing for the release of the Jeffrey Epstein case files, challenging Trump for taking military action in Iran without congressional approval, and voting against the party’s sweeping tax-and-budget bill last year.

“I vote with the Republican Party and this president 90% of the time, and the 10% of the time that I’m not voting with the party or the president, I’m keeping the promises that the president and I campaigned on,” Massie recently told Kentucky's PBS affiliate.

Explaining his vote against Trump's signature domestic achievement, Massie called it “a big spending bill” and said he has voted consistently “not to bankrupt this country.”

Trump has endorsed Massie's challenger, retired Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein, and campaigned for him before the May 19 primary. In Louisiana, Trump backs Rep. Julie Letlow over Cassidy in their May 16 primary, which includes a third candidate, state Treasurer John Fleming.

Cassidy was among the Republican senators who voted to convict Trump on 2021 impeachment charges after the Jan. 6 riot. But he also has given Trump consistent support. Most notably, the Baton Rouge physician advanced Robert Kennedy Jr.'s controversial nomination as Trump's health secretary.

The two-term incumbent is campaigning aggressively against Trump's chosen candidate without mentioning the president in his attacks on Letlow.

“Sen. Cassidy is running like he's 10 points down and is pounding the pavement every day,” Cassidy campaign manager Katie Larkin said in a statement.

Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., noted Wednesday that Trump has gone after Massie before, only for the congressman to win reelection.

“Thomas Massie has been very popular in his district,” McCarthy said during a “Fox & Friends” interview. Still, he warned, it is not an ideal situation for any Republican to run without Trump's backing.

INDIANA SHOWS HOW FAR TRUMP WILL GO TO PURGE GOP

It is unusual for a sitting president to be focused on attacking and defeating his own party members this deep into a midterm election year. And it's yielded notable spending that is not directed at Democrats. In Louisiana, Letlow, Cassidy, and other campaign organizations have plowed more than $28 million into attack ads.

“It's a lot of dollars spent on taking on fellow Republicans,” said Marc Short, who worked for former Vice President Mike Pence, a onetime Indiana governor.

Short said it wasn't clear that Trump's involvement would help Republicans' chances in November.

“There've been questions before, when he engages in these inner-party contests, will they work out as well when we get to the general election?”

Rogers, the Indiana state senator, faced almost $670,000 in television ads against her, funded by political action committees associated with Braun and U.S. Sen. Jim Banks, R-Ind.

Yet even in defeat, she said she does not regret her vote against redistricting.

“It would have been easy for me to hit that ‘yes’ button,” she said. “To hear the number of people who asked me not to, then the number of people who thanked me, would mean I wasn’t representing them.”

ATTACHMENT SEVEN – FROM POLITICO

THE BIGGEST THREAT TO JD VANCE IS SPENCER PRATT

Washington loves Rubio. A brash bully from outside conventional politics is the bigger potential challenge.

By Alexander Burns 06/02/2026 05:55 AM EDT

Alexander Burns is POLITICO's senior executive editor, North America. He was previously POLITICO's head of news. He has covered elections and political power across the U.S. for over a decade and co-wrote a best-selling book about Donald Trump and Joe Biden.

There are only three real threats that could complicate Vice President JD Vance’s path to the Republican nomination in 2028.

One would be a spectacular betrayal by President Donald Trump. America’s gossip-in-chief has played enough 2028 parlor games with friends and aides to ensure a stream of stories about Trump considering alternatives to Vance — chiefly, Secretary of State Marco Rubio. There is a long way between Trump’s kibitzing and actually intervening to wipe out his loyal deputy.

The second would be a grisly scandal that implicates Vance, specifically, with smoking-gun evidence. It would have to be indefensible even for the Trump administration. Vance has given us no reason to expect that kind of demise.

The third threat to Vance is Spencer Pratt.

The reality-soap performer has emerged as a disruptive force in the race for mayor of Los Angeles, churning up the city’s inert politics with performance artistry, authentic grievance and high-tech vapor.

Pratt, 42, has delivered a slashing message about Democratic mismanagement of homelessness and crime, and an evocative-if-embellished personal story about losing his home in the Palisades wildfire. Boosted by campy AI videos and slobbering TMZ coverage, he has drawn close to Mayor Karen Bass in polls of the first round of voting.

A runoff in the liberal city would be much harder.

“While Pratt’s campaign has attracted national attention, it is unlikely a Trump-aligned Republican could win over a city where Democrats outnumber Republicans by nearly four to one,” my colleague Jeremy B. White wrote.

Pratt has managed all this without any training to lead an important city. Unlike other entertainer-politicians, like California’s own Arnold Schwarzenegger and Ronald Reagan, Pratt did not build a long record of activism or partisan advocacy before running for office. He exploded into the Los Angeles election from the margins of public life, a minor celebrity who became an avatar of dissatisfaction with Bass.

The comparisons to Trump are inevitable and inadequate. Trump was one of the most recognizable people alive before he ran for president — a self-branded icon of American wealth and tabloid notoriety, a dabbler in local and presidential politics for decades before the “birther” crusade against Barack Obama that vaulted Trump toward the 2016 campaign.

Who was Spencer Pratt, until he became a major candidate for high office?

And that is what Vance should worry about: Not Pratt himself, but the success of a screwball candidacy made from little besides artifice and anger.

The barriers to entering politics have fallen so low that it no longer requires Trump-sized talent to crash a big campaign. Thousands of Americans have bigger public platforms than Pratt did at the start of his race. All of them have access to the same AI hype tools his campaign uses.

So, if there’s going to be a challenge to an orderly handover of Republican leadership in 2028, it is far less likely to come from one of the usual suspects — Rubio, Ted Cruz, Glenn Youngkin and so on — than from a Pratt-like fireball aimed at Washington.

The national political environment is awfully inviting for such a candidate.

Without a dramatic change in the country’s trajectory, the next presidential campaign will start next winter with the electorate in a foul mood, contemptuous of both parties and rightly upset about the federal government’s failure to address the national cost-of-living crisis. The Trump White House, like the Biden administration before it, has been as passive and ineffectual on affordability issues as most California Democrats have been on housing and crime.

An economy-focused outsider on the right — railing about how damn expensive everything is, unburdened by the need to defend Trump’s trade wars and his role in spiking energy prices — might make things uncomfortable for any 2028 contender from inside the current administration.

The conservative political ecosystem works in many ways to the advantage of a candidate like this one.

The Trump-era GOP is a relatively simple machine: not a jumbled-up coalition like the Democrats, who are subdivided to their detriment into countless ideological and generational and racial factions, but a movement of people with largely overlapping values and impulses and media consumption habits.

Trump has made it so, first by purging dissenting voices and then by failing to lock in support from working-class racial minorities who voted for him in 2024. He has built a party optimized for its attraction to a certain kind of neon-lit anti-politician.

IS VANCE THAT MAN, FOR 2028?

Close enough, probably. The vice president is a canny operative who has navigated the GOP’s cultural and political currents with skill. Someone who rode a mega-bestseller into the Senate, and now maintains a Twitter tail gunner persona in the country’s second-highest office, won’t be easily surprised by the appetites of the Republican base.

Still, the risks to him are real if the cost of living keeps spiraling and the Trump White House keeps skidding.

And there is only so much Vance can do if voters are less drawn to “Hillbilly Elegy” than to “The Hills.”

ATTACHMENT EIGHT – FROM FOX

REPUBLICANS CAN WIN THE MIDTERMS IF THEY JUST STOP UNDERSELLING SUCCESS

Gingrich proposes a 'Contract with America'-style strategy as Democrats push positions far from the mainstream

By Martha Jenkins  Published June 2, 2026 5:00am EDT

Republicans head into the 2026 midterms with a rare advantage: a concrete record of accomplishments to run on, powered by President Donald Trump’s second-term successes.

Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich has proposed a practical midterm strategy reminiscent of his 1994 "Contract with America" that urges Republicans to run hard on their winning record.

That record includes such wins as the Working Families Tax Cut, which has already brought positive effects to the economy. The "Big Beautiful Bill" extended the 2017 tax cuts, ended taxes on tips and overtime, ended taxes on Social Security for most seniors, expanded the child tax credits and childcare tax credits. It also permitted businesses to write off major investments, made permanent a 20% small-business tax deduction, loosened restrictions on oil and gas lease sales, expanded Workforce Pell grants, provided investment accounts for children and expanded access to zero-deductible telehealth.

Remarkably, not a single Democrat voted in favor of this powerhouse legislation.

TRUMP TOUTS POTENTIAL 20% TAX REFUNDS FROM 'BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL'

Republicans should be shouting these accomplishments from the rooftops.

Compare that to the Democrats, whose much-delayed, much-hyped, then much-feared "autopsy" of what went wrong in 2024 finally hit the press. Sadly, it left out any fruitful evaluation of the real reasons for their loss — the failed policies of the Biden administration and the promises of then-Vice President Kamala Harris to enact even worse ones.

In fact, Democrats only seem willing to double down on their crazy ideas, moving further away from the American mainstream to embrace their activist base. Their candidates oppose law enforcement and border security. Their candidates care more about biological men pretending to be women than real women. They fielded a candidate who had a Nazi SS tattoo and another who called for the imprisonment of "American Zionists" and spouted other antisemitic phrases.

DEM REP DENIES THAT GRAHAM PLATNER'S TATTOO IS 'DISQUALIFYING,' SAYS CANDIDATE 'TOOK RESPONSIBILITY FOR IT'

Democrat candidates care more about illegal aliens than American citizens, epitomized by the fact that not a single Democrat stood during the president’s State of the Union address when asked if they support American citizens over illegal immigrants. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries thinks continued racial division is the way to go, asking athletes to withdraw or boycott Southern universities, even though the best options for them might be universities like Alabama, Georgia or Auburn.

Harris — maybe the closest thing to a party leader they’ve got — isn’t doing the Democrats any favors either. Her recent call for a "no bad idea brainstorm" focused on nothing but unconstitutional pipe dreams.

Harris and other prominent Democrats openly push to fundamentally rewrite the rules of American democracy. If they had their druthers, they’d abolish the Electoral College, create multi-member congressional districts and immediately pack the Supreme Court. These positions are no longer fringe; they are the mainstream of today’s Democratic Party.

REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: DEMOCRATS SAY THEY CAN STILL FLIP THE HOUSE DESPITE GOP REDISTRICTING GAINS IN THE SOUTH

Marc Elias, the Democrats’ redistricting strategist, has gone so far as to imply that the entire state government of Virginia should be thrown out and reconstituted after the Virginia Democrats’ redistricting referendum was deemed unconstitutional by the state’s Supreme Court. Talk about a sore loser.

The Democrats simply will not learn from their mistakes. Still, Republicans aren’t guaranteed a midterm victory and, despite the proven success of their agenda, there’s more work to be done to convince voters that Trump and Republicans are the team unlocking prosperity for Americans.

For example, though inflation has largely been tamed by the Trump administration, it’s still nagging enough to mention. High gas prices also remain a tangible pain point for many voters. Republicans should make the case that their energy policies have already generated over $4 billion in new lease revenues and domestic energy production. These policies — as well as a smart resolution to the Iran war — are the surest path to lasting relief at the pump.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS OPINION

Another "must do" for Republicans is to ensure the MAHA (Make America Healthy Again) movement’s successes are getting through to moms. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., has made significant progress getting America on the path to better health. Under his leadership, artificial food dyes known to contain carcinogens have been eliminated.

Vaccines are being reexamined for true efficacy and requirements are being relaxed to give families more choices for their children. The "Eat Real Food" campaign encourages families to move away from the ultra-processed foods filled with unpronounceable, unhealthy chemicals and toward real, nourishing whole foods.

Women care about their families’ health and are seeing positive changes on grocery store shelves and in the doctor’s office, and it’s President Trump and Republicans who’ve empowered the Make America Healthy Again transformation. In 2026, the issue of health should be just as important on the campaign trail as the economy.

The midterms, like the 2024 election, will pit normal people with normal ideas against crazy. The 2026 map is receptive to Republican ideas, and Republicans have a popular and winning record. Now they need to become their own best cheerleaders and make sure every voter knows it.

ATTACHMENT NINE – FROM USA TODAY

2028 PRIMARY MAP FIGHT HEATS UP AMONG DEMOCRATS

Dana Taylor Updated May 29, 2026, 9:34 a.m. ET

Democrats are debating which states will vote first in the 2028 presidential primary, with the DNC evaluating twelve candidates on criteria such as regional balance, racial diversity, swing‑state relevance and the ability to “battle‑test” nominees. The party may select at least four states—one from each major region—and possibly a fifth, while states like Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Nevada, Michigan and Delaware are making their cases.

On the Friday, May 29, 2026, episode of The Excerpt podcast: With the 2024 election over, Democrats are already battling over which states will vote first in the 2028 presidential primaries. A dozen states pitched their case to the Democratic National Committee, citing diversity, swing-state relevance, and political tradition. The early slots carry outsized influence and millions in campaign and media spending. Francesca Chambers, USA TODAY White House correspondent, breaks down the contenders and who could come out on top.

Podcasts: True crime, in-depth interviews and more USA TODAY podcasts right here

Dana Taylor:

With the 2024 presidential election in the rearview mirror, the chase is on now for Democrats to determine which states will get to vote first in the 2028 primary election, the privilege that not only bestows huge influence in national politics, but brings in millions of dollars from both the campaigns and the press. Arguments from 12 of them were presented to the Democratic National Committee this past week. They range from those based on racial diversity to electoral history. Which states will emerge victorious?

Hello and welcome to USA TODAY's The Excerpt. I'm Dana Taylor. Today is Friday, May 29th, 2026. Joining me to dig into all of it is USA TODAY White House Correspondent Francesca Chambers. Welcome back to the show, Francesca.

Francesca Chambers:

Thanks, Dana.

Dana Taylor:

First, being one of the first four states to vote in a primary, gives those states and their voters an enormous amount of influence. Besides helping to nominate a candidate who can win in 2028, what kinds of things is the DNC considering here?

Francesca Chambers:

Well, it might actually end up being five states. They have said it will be at least four, one from each of the regions of the United States, but they could end up picking five, which we'll talk about a little bit later about why they might want to do that. But what they're looking for, essentially, Dana, is to make sure that they're reflecting America with their early voting. And so, for them, that looks like racial diversity, but also geographic diversity. They want their early states to be able to reflect rural voters as well as suburban voters. Eventually, what they want is for their nominee to be someone who, going into the general election, has already been battle tested in front of different types of voters. This is really important for Democrats as they try to figure out how to rebuild after a really bruising loss to Donald Trump, not just in the 2024 election, but in the 2016 election too. So two times in the past decade, they've lost to Republicans.

And not only are they still trying to figure out why, they're also trying to figure out whether or not they can use their early calendar to address it.

Dana Taylor:

Francesca, the DNC rules mandate that the first four states to vote before Super Tuesday come from all four regions in the US, Eastern, Southern, Midwestern and Western, and that the DNC can choose a fifth state if they want. Are there any states new to this application process? And if so, what case are they making?

Francesca Chambers:

So the DNC actually did this four years ago heading into the 2024 election. And I know that listeners might not be tracking this as closely as me, but you may remember some of the dramatics, because President Joe Biden then weighed in at the last minute after it took months for them to decide what they were going to do about the primary calendar. So states already had an opportunity to make a presentation before the committee. But this is a brand new game and some states are getting a clean slate here. There are states like Iowa that were cut from the early window before, that have an opportunity now as one of the 12 to try and get back in there. At the same time, there are states that were added to the early window last time, like Georgia, that might not be able to stay in it. Because Georgia wasn't able to meet the Democratic National Committee's requirements in the end, and so it didn't end up holding one of these early primaries, those being the ones that come before Super Tuesday.

So in the presentation, the committee members were really reflecting on that and we're concerned that if they pick Georgia again, what if they can't make the window. And what if they kick out a state like South Carolina in favor of Georgia, and then Georgia can't make it. So all these things, Dana, are being rehashed out all over again. The states already had an opportunity to do it once, and I think what you're seeing in the process now, is they've learned from some of their past, you could say mistakes, and people have really upped the game this time.

Dana Taylor:

I want to stick with Iowa for a second. After nearly 50 years of Iowa and New Hampshire leading the Democratic primary schedule, a 2020 Iowa caucus plagued by voting issues and inaccuracies convinced Democrats to change things up. Now Iowa wants its first in the nation's slot back. What have they said to try to convince the DNC here?

Francesca Chambers:

Well, New Hampshire took a few jabs, by the way, at Iowa, noting that they always vote on time and their votes are counted on time as well, and also that they just have a better history of picking the eventual nominee. At the same time, I'll note that both of those states were giving out swag bags to members of the Democratic National Committee too, Iowa and the former Raygun notebooks, for those who are familiar with the popular business in Iowa. And New Hampshire put some of its local businesses inside of their bag too. So people really pulling out all the stops as they try to convince members to put them back in. But there are some very real arguments that are being made too. So Iowa is pitching to go first as part of the process. It absolutely wants to go first. It's not asking to go later in the line like some other states.

And the Republicans in Iowa are guaranteed to go first, is something that they argued as part of their presentation. This matters to them because they're saying Republicans will be all over the state flooding its airwaves, talking to its voters. And basically they're saying that if they are not in the early window or if they're later down in the early window, then they're basically leaving Iowa unchecked as Democrats, and making it much harder, not just for their presidential candidates, but their congressional candidates, their Senate candidates, to be able to win once you get to the general election because all of that time will have already been ceded to Republicans who are spending a ton of money in the state as well.

Dana Taylor:

In 2024, then President Joe Biden suggested this shakeup that put South Carolina first. Why are Democrats considering changing the order yet again, and what is South Carolina arguing?

Francesca Chambers:

Right. So President Joe Biden, as I was saying, waited at the last minute to say that South Carolina should go first. South Carolina was the state where he had his first primary victory in 2020, so it holds a special place in his heart. But also one of the arguments in favor of South Carolina going first is that it has a racially diverse population. And the number of African Americans in the state, which are traditionally a huge base for the Democratic Party, is something else that's on Democrats' minds. But there's a problem with South Carolina going first, at least in the minds of Iowa and New Hampshire. New Hampshire has a state law that mandates that it hold the first primary of the election cycle. When Biden put South Carolina first, he put New Hampshire and Nevada second and on the same day. And then after that there was Michigan as well as Georgia, which we talked about, Georgia didn't end up making it as part of this because they were unable to change their state law in order to be able to go first.

So now looking at this, Democrats are facing a really tough decision. What do they do with this situation with New Hampshire? When New Hampshire is indicating it's going to go first anyway because of its state law. Do you keep South Carolina at the beginning of the calendar at that point in order to be able to show what your values are if you're a Democrat? At the same time, they're looking at mixing South Carolina potentially all together, Dana, because South Carolina, not a battleground state. If you look at South Carolina's electoral history, they're not electing Democrats at the national level and haven't done so for decades. So Democrats are looking at not just Georgia as a possible replacement or addition to, but also North Carolina is deeply under consideration. North Carolina has similar demographics to South Carolina and checks a lot of the same boxes, plus it has the benefit of having voted for Barack Obama in 2008 and it's a state that's generally considered a battleground.

And also we can't forget about Michigan. Michigan was new to the early window last time. That's where it replaced Iowa. And Michigan is fighting to stay in that early window, Dana. They're pointing out that they have really diverse geography, as well as a diverse state. And one thing that's really working in Michigan's favor here, is Michigan is another one of those core battleground states that Democrats lost in the last presidential election.

Dana Taylor:

And then just so I understand, in noting that New Hampshire rebelled against the DNC calendar in 2024, held their primary before Super Tuesday without the DNC's blessing, they did it anyway, might they be penalized for that in 2028 in some way?

Francesca Chambers:

In responding to their presentation, members actually said that they did a very good job. And as someone who was deeply in the weeds on this last time, I noticed that they changed their argument more this time. Before it had been very much "We've traditionally been first, we always go first, we should be first." And that really rubbed committee members last cycle the wrong way and may have worked against them. So when they came forward this time and made arguments about, "Because we've done it before, we have extensive experience at vetting candidates and we've demonstrated our ability to vet candidates, you'll see candidates who will be doing retail stops so our voters get to know them really well. They're very discerning with their judgment." Those arguments seem to resonate more with members of the committee who get to ask questions, by the way, after each state makes their presentation.

So I liken it a little bit to the Supreme Court where you can get a really good sense of where committee members are and what they're actually thinking based on the types of questions that they're asking. But multiple members said that they thought that New Hampshire did a better job presenting this time, than it did the last time. So it might actually end up better for New Hampshire. I would also note that in that last election when New Hampshire rebelled, allies of President Biden ended up doing a write-in, and Biden ended up winning the state anyway. So New Hampshire went first, Biden still won New Hampshire. A key question facing Democrats is whether or not they want to have that battle all over again. New Hampshire's noting that Democrats are going to come to the state anyway. So when it's a wide open primary, and it actually matters this time because you don't have an incumbent running for reelection, is that really the kind of distraction that you want in 2028?

Dana Taylor:

And what case is Delaware making?

Francesca Chambers:

So Delaware is a very interesting case here because they would potentially replace New Hampshire or be in addition to if there was a decision to do five, but most likely would potentially replace New Hampshire under this proposal. And Delaware, one of the arguments they made, Dana, is by the way that they have great beaches, which maybe that'll get some members' attention. But one thing that I've heard in just talking to some members about this that concerns them about Delaware, is that it is most associated as the home state of former President Joe Biden. Joe Biden is still a sore subject for some Democrats after he abruptly quit the race in 2024 and then tapped Vice President Kamala Harris with 107 days to go, as she wrote in her book, to be the nominee. That ended up being a big problem for Democrats because not only did she not run the gauntlet and go through this primary process, which they believe battle tests their candidates, she didn't have enough time to put together a general election campaign, they thought, that could beat President Donald Trump.

And so, in looking at Delaware as a potential option here, it's certainly on their mind that they don't want to make it seem like they chose Delaware because it's home to Joe Biden. And also after he weighed in to pick South Carolina to go first, they really want to do their own process. They really want to be the ones to have the say in the end on this.

Dana Taylor:

The one region we really haven't dug into yet is the West with Nevada and New Mexico wanting the slot. Nevada seems to have a good chance being a battleground state with a diverse working class and Latino population group that Democrats lost huge ground with in 2024, Francesca. It was also one of the four in 2024. How likely do you think it is that New Mexico would replace it as one of the first four primaries?

Francesca Chambers:

I don't think that this is very likely at all. They're going to have more than one state pitch for every region here. And so, of course we're going to see multiple states pitching against Nevada. But Nevada's biggest problem was that it used to have a caucus, and in order to address that problem so it didn't get kicked out of the early window, it moved from the caucus to a primary. And so, they've already addressed the issue that I think Democrats had leading into the last cycle with Nevada. In fact, if anything, Nevada was upgraded last time once President Biden put them on the same exact day as New Hampshire. And considering that New Hampshire had, again, always held the first primary, Iowa held the first caucus, then New Hampshire held the second contest and the first primary, to be on the same day as New Hampshire was a big win for them.

Understandably, it was Biden who made that calendar, but I just really haven't heard any heartburn about Nevada at all. Especially for the reason that you're raising here, which is that there is a huge Latino population that was one area where Donald Trump really cut into Democrats support. If anything, they're looking in other states for a bigger Latino population as part of their search. And Nevada, also another major battleground state that's seen as a must win. New Mexico, not so much.

Dana Taylor:

Finally, what's the deadline for the DNC's decision here?

Francesca Chambers:

So I wouldn't say that there's a deadline per se. Last time this went into December, but they could afford as Democrats to let it go a little bit longer last time because Biden was running as an incumbent. So it didn't really affect anyone's campaigning aside from the fact that, again, he had to run a write-in on the New Hampshire side, or rather his allies ran the write-in. This time it's a lot different because there's a whole host of Democrats that we expect to be running in 2028, and that field is already coming into focus as we look at the 2026 midterms. I think we all have an idea of who these folks are that are probably running for president this time. They're out there campaigning already. Some of them not being super shy about saying that they're considering presidential runs. So they have to start making decisions, the candidates, about what states that they're going to be in right now. A lot of them will start announcing their campaigns early in 2027.

So it's less of an official deadline and more of an unofficial deadline, I think, that's haunting Democrats right now. They want to be able to give clarity to their prospective candidates. And also, I really don't think that they want this to drag on like it did last time. It went months and months and then eventually Biden got involved. I've been told that they're looking to make a decision by August, the end of the summer, because that's when Democrats will hold their summer meeting. Once this calendar is set by the rules and bylaws committee, it has to go before the entire Democratic National Committee to get a vote. That's typically a routine process, but it still has to get a vote, and that typically happens at one of their big meetings. So if they miss that August timeframe, that puts them in a jam in terms of when they might be able to get a vote on it.

Dana Taylor:

Francesca Chambers is a White House correspondent for USA TODAY. It's always good to have you on The Excerpt, Francesca.

Francesca Chambers:

Oh my gosh, thank you guys so much for having me and for letting me nerd out on this one.

Dana Taylor:

Thanks to our senior producer, Kaely Monahan, for her production assistance. Our executive producer is Laura Beatty. Let us know what you think of this episode by sending a note to podcasts@usatoday.com. Thanks for listening. I'm Dana Taylor. I'll be back Monday morning with another episode of USA TODAY's The Excerpt.

ATTACHMENT TEN – FROM RCP (REAL CLEAR POLITICS)

ELECTIONS 2026, 2028 LATEST POLLS

Explore up-to-date all the latest 2026 and 2028 primary & general election polls. Gain valuable insights into the evolving political landscape and stay ahead of the latest trends.

Name of Race

All Election Polls | 2026 Polls - Senate | Governor | House | 2028 Polls | SOTU Polls | All Latest Polls

Race	Poll		Results		Spread
Saturday, May 30
2026 California Governor - Open Primary	Emerson		Becerra 28, Hilton 21, Steyer 22, Bianco 12, Porter 5, Mahan 5, Villaraigosa 2, Thurmond 1		Becerra+6
Friday, May 29
2026 California Governor - Open Primary	LA Times/Berkeley IGS		Becerra 25, Hilton 21, Steyer 19, Bianco 11, Porter 7, Mahan 4, Villaraigosa 1, Thurmond 1		Becerra+4
2026 California Governor - Open Primary	David Binder Research**		Becerra 26, Hilton 27, Steyer 22, Bianco 9, Porter 8, Mahan 4, Villaraigosa , Thurmond		Hilton+1
Thursday, May 28
2026 California Governor - Open Primary	PPIC		Becerra 23, Hilton 20, Steyer 15, Bianco 13, Porter 12, Mahan 7, Villaraigosa 5, Thurmond 1		Becerra+3
2026 Los Angeles Mayor	LA Times/Berkeley IGS		Bass 26, Raman 25, Pratt 22, Huang 9, Miller 5		Bass+1
2026 Generic Congressional Vote	Emerson		Democrats 50, Republicans 41		Democrats+9
2026 Generic Congressional Vote	Big Data Poll		Democrats 51, Republicans 38		Democrats+13
2028 Democratic Presidential Nomination	Big Data Poll		Harris 29, Newsom 16, Buttigieg 10, Ocasio-Cortez 9, Kelly 6, Shapiro 5, Beshear 3, Pritzker , Whitmer 2, Khanna		Harris+13
2028 Democratic Presidential Nomination	Emerson		Harris 10, Newsom 16, Buttigieg 18, Ocasio-Cortez 11, Kelly , Shapiro 10, Beshear 9, Pritzker 4, Whitmer , Khanna 1		Buttigieg+2
2028 Republican Presidential Nomination	Emerson		Vance 36, Rubio 35, Trump Jr. , DeSantis 5, Kennedy Jr. 3, Haley 5, Carlson , Cruz 1, Ramaswamy , Youngkin		Vance+1
2028 Republican Presidential Nomination	Big Data Poll		Vance 36, Rubio 15, Trump Jr. , DeSantis 7, Kennedy Jr. 6, Haley 4, Carlson 3, Cruz 4, Ramaswamy , Youngkin 2		Vance+21
Wednesday, May 27
2026 Maine Senate - Collins vs. Platner	UNH		Platner 51, Collins 42		Platner+9
2026 Maine Governor - Democratic Primary	UNH		Shah 28, Jackson 28, Bellows 13, Pingree 12, King 7		Tie
2026 Maine Governor - Republican Primary	UNH		Charles 37, Bush 18, Midgley 11, Mason 9, Jones 7, Wessels 6, McCarthy 2		Charles+19
2026 California Governor - Open Primary	Kreate Strategies**		Becerra 27, Hilton 26, Steyer 20, Bianco 9, Porter 5, Mahan 4, Villaraigosa 1, Thurmond		Becerra+1
2026 Generic Congressional Vote	Economist/YouGov		Democrats 46, Republicans 41		Democrats+5
Tuesday, May 26
2026 South Carolina Governor - Republican Primary	Trafalgar Group		Evette 20, Wilson 19, Mace 15, Norman 16, Reddy 19, Kimbrell 2		Evette+1
2026 South Carolina Governor - Republican Primary	SCPC**		Evette 16, Wilson 14, Mace 13, Norman 15, Reddy 10, Kimbrell 1		Evette+1
2026 South Carolina Senate - Republican Primary	Trafalgar Group		Graham 52, Lynch 28, Mitchell 4, Dismukes 3, Herrmann 3, Cowen 2		Graham+24
2026 Generic Congressional Vote	Rasmussen Reports		Democrats 47, Republicans 41		Democrats+6
Monday, May 25
2026 Texas Senate - GOP Runoff (Cornyn vs. Paxton)	Quantus Insights		Paxton 53, Cornyn 43		Paxton+10
Sunday, May 24
2026 Generic Congressional Vote	Wall Street Journal		Democrats 48, Republicans 40		Democrats+8
2028 Democratic Presidential Nomination	Rasmussen Reports		Harris 34, Newsom 12, Buttigieg 10, Ocasio-Cortez 11, Kelly 9, Shapiro 9, Beshear 4, Pritzker 2, Whitmer , Khanna		Harris+22
Friday, May 22
2026 Texas Senate - GOP Runoff (Cornyn vs. Paxton)	SoCal Strategies**		Paxton 57, Cornyn 35		Paxton+22
2026 Georgia Senate - GOP Runoff (Collins vs. Dooley)	Insider Advantage		Collins 46, Dooley 41		Collins+5
2026 Georgia Governor - GOP Runoff (Jones vs. Jackson)	Insider Advantage		Jones 48, Jackson 42		Jones+6
2026 Louisiana Senate - GOP Runoff (Letlow vs. Fleming)	Harper		Letlow 52, Fleming 35		Letlow+17
2026 Iowa Senate - Democratic Primary	PPP (D)**		Turek 52, Wahls 31		Turek+21
2026 Generic Congressional Vote	Morning Consult		Democrats 47, Republicans 41		Democrats+6
Thursday, May 21
2026 Georgia Governor - GOP Runoff (Jones vs. Jackson)	Quantus Insights		Jones 46, Jackson 44		Jones+2
2026 Georgia Senate - GOP Runoff (Collins vs. Dooley)	Quantus Insights		Collins 54, Dooley 37		Collins+17
2026 Minnesota Senate - Republican Primary	Quantus Insights		Tafoya 52, White 9, Schwarze 4, Weiler 2		Tafoya+43
2026 New York 7th District - Democratic Primary	Emerson		Valdez 23, Reynoso 21, Won 13, Kumar 1		Valdez+2
2026 New York 10th District - Democratic Primary	Emerson		Lander 57, Goldman 23		Lander+34
2026 New York 12th District - Democratic Primary	Emerson		Lasher 22, Bores 20, Schlossberg 11, Conway 10, Schwalbe 3		Lasher+2
2026 South Dakota Governor - Republican Primary	Emerson		Doeden 26, Johnson 23, Rhoden 19, Hansen 16		Doeden+3
2026 Generic Congressional Vote	Data for Progress**		Democrats 51, Republicans 43		Democrats+8
Wednesday, May 20
2026 Maine Senate - Collins vs. Platner	Pan Atlantic		Platner 48, Collins 41		Platner+7
2026 Maine Governor - Democratic Primary	Pan Atlantic		Shah 29, Jackson 12, Bellows 10, Pingree 9, King 24		Shah+5
2026 Maine Governor - Republican Primary	Pan Atlantic		Charles 36, Bush 20, Midgley 2, Mason 13, Jones 3, Wessels 1, McCarthy		Charles+16
2026 Maine 2nd District - Democratic Primary	Pan Atlantic		Baldacci 39, Dunlap 17, Wood 15		Baldacci+22
2026 California Governor - Open Primary	Evitarus**		Becerra 22, Hilton 22, Steyer 15, Bianco 11, Porter 6, Mahan 4, Villaraigosa 1, Thurmond 1		Tie
2026 Los Angeles Mayor	Cygnal		Bass 25, Raman 18, Pratt 22, Huang 5, Miller 5		Bass+3
2026 Rhode Island Governor - Democratic Primary	Emerson		Foulkes 40, McKee 20, Stevens		Foulkes+20
2026 Generic Congressional Vote	Quinnipiac		Democrats 50, Republicans 39		Democrats+11
2026 Generic Congressional Vote	CBS News		Democrats 45, Republicans 40		Democrats+5
Tuesday, May 19
2028 Democratic Presidential Nomination	Echelon**		Harris 23, Newsom 17, Buttigieg 10, Ocasio-Cortez 11, Kelly 6, Shapiro 5, Beshear 2, Pritzker 4, Whitmer 4, Khanna 1		Harris+6
2028 Republican Presidential Nomination	Echelon Insights**		Vance 36, Rubio 17, Trump Jr. 6, DeSantis 12, Kennedy Jr. 2, Haley , Carlson 3, Cruz 2, Ramaswamy 3, Youngkin 1		Vance+19
2026 Generic Congressional Vote	Economist/YouGov		Democrats 46, Republicans 43		Democrats+3
2026 Generic Congressional Vote	Reuters/Ipsos		Democrats 39, Republicans 38		Democrats+1
2026 Generic Congressional Vote	Echelon Insights**		Democrats 51, Republicans 43		Democrats+8
Monday, May 18
2026 Texas Senate - Paxton vs. Talarico	TSU/YouGov*		Talarico 45, Paxton 45		Tie
2026 Texas Senate - Cornyn vs. Talarico	TSU/YouGov*		Talarico 44, Cornyn 45		Cornyn+1
2026 Texas Governor - Abbott vs. Hinojosa	TSU/YouGov*		Abbott 49, Hinojosa 43		Abbott+6
2026 North Carolina Senate - Whatley vs. Cooper	Carolina Forward/Change Res.		Cooper 49, Whatley 42		Cooper+7
Kentucky 4th District - Republican Primary	Grayhouse**		Gallrein 51, Massie 44		Gallrein+7
Kentucky 4th District - Republican Primary	Big Data Poll		Gallrein 50, Massie 50		Tie
2026 Alabama Senate - Republican Primary	Quantus Insights		Hudson 36, Moore 27, Marshall 14, Walker 1, Burton , Deas , Murphy		Hudson+9
2026 Generic Congressional Vote	New York Times		Democrats 50, Republicans 39		Democrats+11
Sunday, May 17
Kentucky 4th District - Republican Primary	Big Data Poll		Gallrein 50, Massie 50		Tie
2026 Georgia Senate - Republican Primary	InsiderAdvantage		Collins 32, Dooley 26, Carter 21, McColumn 2, Coyne 1		Collins+6
2026 Georgia Governor - Republican Primary	InsiderAdvantage		Jackson 31, Jones 27, Raffensperger 16, Carr 10		Jackson+4
Saturday, May 16
2026 Arizona Governor - Biggs vs. Hobbs	Noble Predictive Insights*		Hobbs 41, Biggs 37		Hobbs+4
2026 Arizona Governor - Schweikert vs. Hobbs	Noble Predictive Insights*		Hobbs 42, Schweikert 35		Hobbs+7
2026 Arizona Governor - Republican Primary	Noble Predictive Insights		Biggs 48, Schweikert 18		Biggs+30
Kentucky 4th District - Republican Primary	SoCal Strategies**		Gallrein 49, Massie 42		Gallrein+7
Friday, May 15
Kentucky 4th District - Republican Primary	Big Data Poll		Gallrein 49, Massie 51		Massie+2
2026 South Carolina Senate - Republican Primary	InsiderAdvantage		Graham 56, Lynch 13, Mitchell 2, Dismukes 2, Herrmann 1, Cowen 3		Graham+43
Thursday, May 14
2026 Michigan Senate - Rogers vs. El-Sayed	MIRS/Mitchell Research		Rogers 42, El-Sayed 41		Rogers+1
2026 Michigan Senate - Rogers vs. Stevens	MIRS/Mitchell Research		Rogers 42, Stevens 39		Rogers+3
2026 Michigan Senate - Rogers vs. McMorrow	MIRS/Mitchell Research		Rogers 43, McMorrow 41		Rogers+2
2026 Michigan Governor - James vs. Benson vs. Duggan	MIRS/Mitchell Research		Benson 42, James 30, Duggan 13		Benson+12
2026 Michigan Governor - Johnson vs. Benson vs. Duggan	MIRS/Mitchell Research		Benson 42, Johnson 32, Duggan 13		Benson+10
2026 North Carolina Senate - Whatley vs. Cooper	Carolina Journal/Harper		Cooper 50, Whatley 39		Cooper+11
Wednesday, May 13
2026 California Governor - Open Primary	Emerson		Becerra 19, Hilton 17, Steyer 17, Bianco 11, Porter 10, Mahan 8, Villaraigosa 4, Thurmond 1		Becerra+2
2026 California Governor - Open Primary	David Binder Research**		Becerra 22, Hilton 23, Steyer 15, Bianco 13, Porter 12, Mahan 7, Villaraigosa 2, Thurmond 1		Hilton+1
2026 Michigan Governor - Republican Primary	MIRS/Mitchell Research		James 32, Johnson 23, Cox 19, Nesbitt 7		James+9
Kentucky 4th District - Republican Primary	Quantus Insights		Gallrein 53, Massie 45		Gallrein+8
2026 Los Angeles Mayor	Emerson		Bass 30, Raman 19, Pratt 22, Huang 4, Miller 7		Bass+8
2026 Generic Congressional Vote	Cygnal		Democrats 49, Republicans 42		Democrats+7
Race		Poll		Results		Spread
Tuesday, May 12
2026 Michigan Senate - Democratic Primary		MIRS/Mitchell Research		El-Sayed 28, Stevens 18, McMorrow 17		El-Sayed+10
2026 Michigan Senate - Rogers vs. El-Sayed		Detroit Chamber/Glengariff		Rogers 45, El-Sayed 40		Rogers+5
2026 Michigan Senate - Rogers vs. Stevens		Detroit Chamber/Glengariff		Rogers 44, Stevens 42		Rogers+2
2026 Michigan Senate - Rogers vs. McMorrow		Detroit Chamber/Glengariff		Rogers 43, McMorrow 41		Rogers+2
2026 Michigan Governor - James vs. Benson vs. Duggan		Detroit Chamber/Glengariff		Benson 34, James 29, Duggan 23		Benson+5
2026 Michigan Governor - Johnson vs. Benson vs. Duggan		Detroit Chamber/Glengariff		Benson 34, Johnson 26, Duggan 23		Benson+8
2026 Alabama Senate - Republican Primary		Remington Research		Hudson 20, Moore 23, Marshall 16, Walker 1, Burton 1, Deas 2, Murphy 1		Moore+3
2026 Generic Congressional Vote		Economist/YouGov		Democrats 45, Republicans 40		Democrats+5
2026 Generic Congressional Vote		CNN		Democrats 45, Republicans 42		Democrats+3
2026 Generic Congressional Vote		Atlas Intel		Democrats 55, Republicans 40		Democrats+15
2028 Democratic Presidential Nomination		Atlas Intel		Harris 13, Newsom 21, Buttigieg 22, Ocasio-Cortez 26, Kelly , Shapiro 2, Beshear , Pritzker , Whitmer 1, Khanna 1		Ocasio-Cortez+4
2028 Republican Presidential Nomination		Atlas Intel		Vance 30, Rubio 45, Trump Jr. 0, DeSantis 11, Kennedy Jr. , Haley , Carlson , Cruz , Ramaswamy 1, Youngkin		Rubio+15
Monday, May 11
2026 Generic Congressional Vote		Financial Times		Democrats 52, Republicans 44		Democrats+8
2026 Generic Congressional Vote		Reuters/Ipsos		Democrats 41, Republicans 35		Democrats+6
2028 Democratic Presidential Nomination		Financial Times		Harris 38, Newsom 16, Buttigieg 9, Ocasio-Cortez 9, Kelly 6, Shapiro 5, Beshear 2, Pritzker 3, Whitmer , Khanna		Harris+22
2028 Republican Presidential Nomination		Financial Times		Vance 40, Rubio 14, Trump Jr. 15, DeSantis 8, Kennedy Jr. 5, Haley , Carlson 2, Cruz 3, Ramaswamy 2, Youngkin		Vance+25
Sunday, May 10
2026 California Governor - Open Primary		Kreate Strategies**		Becerra 20, Hilton 22, Steyer 14, Bianco 13, Porter 9, Mahan 9, Villaraigosa 1, Thurmond		Hilton+2
Friday, May 8
2026 Louisiana Senate - Republican Primary		Quantus Insights		Letlow 42, Fleming 30, Cassidy 20, Spencer 2		Letlow+12
2026 Louisiana Senate - Republican Primary		Fabrizio Lee & Assoc.**		Letlow 32, Fleming 21, Cassidy 26, Spencer 1		Letlow+6
2026 Generic Congressional Vote		RMG Research**		Democrats 50, Republicans 41		Democrats+9
Thursday, May 7
2026 South Carolina Governor - Republican Primary		Trafalgar Group		Evette 25, Wilson 23, Mace 15, Norman 20, Reddy 10, Kimbrell 4		Evette+2
2026 California Governor - Open Primary		Mellman Group**		Becerra 20, Hilton 20, Steyer 12, Bianco 14, Porter , Mahan , Villaraigosa , Thurmond		Tie
2026 Massachusetts Senate - Democratic Primary		Emerson		Markey 37, Moulton 32, Rikleen 1, Gates 1		Markey+5
Wednesday, May 6
2026 Alabama Governor - Republican Primary		Alabama Daily News		Tuberville 65, McFeeters 7, Santivasci 3		Tuberville+58
2026 Generic Congressional Vote		NPR/PBS/Marist		Democrats 52, Republicans 42		Democrats+10
2026 Generic Congressional Vote		Morning Consult		Democrats 46, Republicans 43		Democrats+3
2026 Generic Congressional Vote		Forbes/HarrisX		Democrats 48, Republicans 46		Democrats+2
Tuesday, May 5
2026 Georgia Governor - Republican Primary		Quantus Insights		Jackson 27, Jones 22, Raffensperger 14, Carr		Jackson+5
2026 Georgia Senate - Republican Primary		Quantus Insights		Collins 33, Dooley 23, Carter 14, McColumn , Coyne		Collins+10
2026 Texas Senate - GOP Runoff (Cornyn vs. Paxton)		University of Houston		Paxton 48, Cornyn 45		Paxton+3
2026 Louisiana Senate - Republican Primary		BDPC**		Letlow 33, Fleming 21, Cassidy 21, Spencer		Letlow+12
2026 New York Governor - Blakeman vs. Hochul		Siena		Hochul 49, Blakeman 33		Hochul+16
2026 Generic Congressional Vote		Economist/YouGov		Democrats 44, Republicans 41		Democrats+3
Monday, May 4
2026 Georgia Governor - Republican Primary		Remington Research		Jackson 29, Jones 28, Raffensperger 14, Carr 5		Jackson+1
2026 Georgia Governor - Democratic Primary		Atlanta Journal-Constitution		Bottoms 39, Thurmond 10, Esteves 8, Duncan 7, Jackson 1		Bottoms+29
2026 California Governor - Open Primary		KGTV-TV/SurveyUSA		Becerra 10, Hilton 20, Steyer 18, Bianco 12, Porter 8, Mahan 7, Villaraigosa 5, Thurmond 2		Hilton+2
2026 New Mexico Governor - Republican Primary		Albuquerque Journal		Hull 30, Turner 21, Rodriguez 9		Hull+9
Sunday, May 3
2026 Generic Congressional Vote		ABC/Wash Post/Ipsos		Democrats 49, Republicans 44		Democrats+5
Friday, May 1
2026 Georgia Senate - Republican Primary		Atlanta Journal-Constitution		Collins 23, Dooley 11, Carter 13, McColumn 1, Coyne 1		Collins+10
2026 Georgia Governor - Republican Primary		InsiderAdvantage		Jackson 28, Jones 24, Raffensperger 18, Carr 11		Jackson+4

ATTACHMENT ELEVEN – FROM YAHOO

TRUMP-FRIENDLY POLLSTER PREDICTS TROUBLE FOR REPUBLICANS IN MIDTERM ELECTION

By Lauren Sforza Tue, June 2, 2026 at 1:11 PM EDT

A conservative pollster is sounding the alarm on the GOP’s chances in the Georgia midterm elections.

Matt Towery, a conservative pollster and political analyst, told Fox News’ Sean Hannity on Monday that Democrats are outnumbering Republicans in early voting in the swing state of Georgia. His warning comes as recent polls show Democrats with the edge over Republicans on the generic congressional ballot.

“I’m concerned about one thing, and that is Republican turnout. In Georgia, Democrats turned out 150,000 more early voters than Republicans in the red state of Georgia. That’s not a good sign to me. I think more has to be done now to lay the groundwork,” he said.

Towery also said Republicans should be touting President Donald Trump’s achievements more, suggesting that Americans are only hearing about the negative news, including the Iran war.

“I don’t think enough of President Trump’s achievements are being put out there for the general public to see. They see this barrage that’s created by the liberal media. They hear nothing but war. The President has achieved phenomenal things, including, by the way, the stock market hitting another record, I think today,” he said.

“But you don’t hear about it. And I think the Republicans need to start making that case, whether they have to buy ads or whatever, right now, because it’s going to be too late in October and November,” he added.

Georgia has emerged as a competitive swing state in recent years. It was the state that gave former President Joe Biden his 2020 presidential victory, flipping a state that was previously won by Trump. In the 2024 election, Trump narrowly won Georgia with 50.7% of the vote.

A Georgia Senate election poll conducted by Emerson College Polling/Nexstar Media in March showed Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff with the edge over three hypothetical Republican opponents. He had a 3-point lead over Rep. Buddy Carter, a 5-point lead over Rep. Mike Collins and an 8-point lead over Republican Derek Dooley.

Collins and Dooley advanced to a runoff race during the GOP primary election in Georgia last month. The runoff election will be held on June 16.

ATTACHMENT TWELVE – FROM YAHOO/USA TODAY

TRUMP HITS NEW LOW IN LATEST APPROVAL RATING POLL

By Fernando Cervantes Jr., USA TODAY Tue, June 2, 2026 at 6:00 PM EDT

A record-high number of Americans say they disapprove of President Donald Trump’s time in the White House, according to the latest Economist/YouGov poll.

The poll, released June 2, showed that about 61% of Americans said they disapproved of how Trump handled his job as president. Trump’s current net job approval is at around -26, which is the lowest seen in an Economist/YouGov poll in any week across either of Trump’s terms in office.

According to the latest poll, Independents have also become more negative towards Trump’s time in office. According to YouGov, a record high 71% Independents say they disapprove of Trump’s job, another low not seen in either of the president's terms in office.

The nationwide poll, which interviewed 1,604 adults, was conducted between May 29 and June 1. YouGov said the poll's margin of error was ±3.5 percent.

NEW LOW AFTER NEW LOW

U.S. President Donald Trump danced on stage after delivering remarks during a campaign and economic policy event in the Eugene Levy Fieldhouse at SUNY Rockland Community College on May 22, 2026 in Suffern, New York.

Trump’s latest low in the Economist/YouGov poll comes only a week after the president hit similar metrics in the same poll. In another poll conducted between May 22 and May 26, Trump’s disapproval rating was of 59%, two points lower than this week's poll.

The poll released May 27 also found 63% of Americans say the economy is getting worse, compared to 13% who responded it was getting better.

Trump’s approval rating has been net negative for roughly a year and has trended more negative in recent months.

These are Trump’s polling averages as of June 2:

· New York Times: 38% approve, 58% disapprove

· Silver Bulletin: 38.4% approve, 57.8% disapprove

· RealClearPolitics Poll Average: 40.1% approve, 57.2% disapprove

USA TODAY’s Kinsey Crowley contributed to this report.

Room bursts into laughter as MAGA influencer flounders to name one way the economy has improved under Trump

The Independent

Jill Biden memoir shares frosty encounter with Melania ‘who only wanted to talk about the weather’

The Independent

‘Wipeout!’ Mark Halperin Reports Republicans Are Going ‘Bonkers’ Watching Trump ‘Screw’ Up the Midterms

Mediaite

ATTACHMENT THIRTEEN – FROM NPR

WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A MAN IS A THEME IN TEXAS SENATE RACE AS PAXTON ATTACKS TALARICO

BY Danielle Kurtzleben May 30, 2026 5:00 AM ET

After Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton won the state's Republican Senate primary this week, he delivered a run of insults directed at his general election opponent, Democratic Texas state Rep. James Talarico.

"He goes by a few names that you all may have heard of. Some people know him as tofu Talarico. Some people call him six-gender Jimmy. I've even heard some people call him James Talafreako," he said to laughter and cheers. "And others refer to him simply as Low-T Talarico."

Paxton also quickly released an ad that ends with an image of Talarico next to the words: "Radical Talarico: too low-T for Texas."

What followed was an immediate, widespread barrage of attacks on Talarico's manhood from the right. This tactic — the explicit, sometimes vulgar emphasis on masculinity as an electoral argument — is one highly visible way that President Trump has changed the Republican Party, and American politics in general, in the last decade.

A QUICK ONSLAUGHT OF INSULTS

White House advisor Stephen Miller used "transgender" as an insult, telling Fox News that Talarico is the Democrats' "first transgender Senate candidate." Talarico is not transgender.

"He's clearly transitioning into a female," Miller said. "When Talarico goes in for a blood test, when he gets a physical, blood doesn't come out. Soy milk comes out."

Florida Republican congressional candidate Dan Weldon questioned Talarico's masculinity by questioning his football knowledge: "It's a huge problem for the Democrat Party that you take one look at the men they run for elected office and just know that they couldn't name a single obscure wide receiver from the early 2000s."

Fox host Jesse Watters taunted Talarico as a "gay vegan," before quickly adding that Talarico is "not gay and not vegan, for the record." (Talarico is neither vegan nor gay.)

Some of the insults refer to comments Talarico has made over the years. In a speech he gave while running for reelection to the state house in 2022, he talked about mitigating climate change, then added, "I am proud to say that our campaign has officially become a non-meat campaign, so we are only buying vegan products from our local vegan businesses."

Talarico has since reiterated that he eats meat and nodded to Paxton's various scandals in the process. "I've been eating barbecue since before Ken Paxton's first indictment," he said at a rally this week, referring to Paxton's 2015 indictment on federal securities fraud charges.

"Six-gender Jimmy" refers to a 2021 comment where Talarico said "modern science acknowledges six biological variations based on chromosomes to argue that sex is a nuanced spectrum, not a strict binary."

"I know there are two sexes, men and women," he told CBS News this week in explaining that comment. "I also know there's a very small percentage of people who have these chromosomal abnormalities, and I believe that they deserve to be treated with dignity and respect."

It's unclear how successful Paxton's masculinity attacks will be. Brendan Steinhauser is a Texas Republican strategist who worked on the 2014 campaign of Sen. John Cornyn, whom Paxton defeated in the primary. He says the overt references to manhood might help win over some voters in the conservative state, where many value "traditional masculinity."

"I think that rugged individualism, the kind of strong man who's working hard and taking care of his family, does appeal to Texans across demographics and across genders," Steinhauser said.

On the other hand, when prices are high and rising, voters may not particularly care about things like Talarico's meat consumption, says Cliff Walker, who works at a Texas progressive strategy firm.

He added that he thinks Paxton is trying to draw attention away from his list of scandals, including an affair, the 2015 securities fraud indictment and an impeachment in the Texas House for abusing his office. He was later acquitted by the Texas Senate.

"I think that the universe of people who look at these two men and think that somehow Ken Paxton is the model of manhood and is in a credible position to critique James, and for them to make a voting decision based on that messaging, I think the universe of those folks is negligible," Walker said, later adding that he thinks Paxton is "grasping at straws."

Both the Talarico and Paxton campaigns declined to comment on the record.

TRUMP'S LEGACY

While candidates tried to out-man each other long before Trump, he brought the manhood contests to new heights, both in touting his own masculinity and diminishing others'.

And Paxton's attacks echo Trump. Paxton's list of insults, for example, sounds like President Trump in his 2016 campaign, when he used emasculating nicknames for his opponents, calling now-Secretary-of-State Marco Rubio "Little Marco" and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush "Low-Energy Jeb."

Trump's overt macho posturing has permeated his entire political career, whether he's been admiring military members, praising strongmen leaders, or donning hardhats on construction sites. In his speech firing up the crowd on January 6, 2021, he insulted Georgia Republican Gov. Brian Kemp as being small and weak.

Currently, an octagon is being built on the White House South Lawn for UFC Freedom 250, a June 14 cage-fighting event commemorating America's 250th anniversary. (It also coincides with Trump's 80th birthday and Flag Day.)

All of which can help explain how the attacks on Talarico have become so gendered, so fast.

Steinhauser, the Republican strategist, thinks Trump has not only changed how the GOP talks about men, but has inspired an effort to rewind modern views of gender roles.

"I think there is an attempt to sort of bring back a traditional view of masculinity and also to try and label certain men and certain types of men as weaker or as not real men," he said.

"I think that there has been an effort within some elements of the Republican Party – not all or not even a majority – but there has been an effort by some Republican men to do that."

Walker, the progressive strategist, agrees that Trump has overhauled the party's gender attitudes and notes the proliferation of manosphere personalities, many of them Trump-aligned:

"There is Joe Rogan, Jordan Peterson – I mean, there's the whole cast of characters, Benny Johnson, I mean, there's Matt Walsh. So much of their politics is focused on a sort of hypermasculinity," he said. "These folks are very focused on that. And it's a caricature of what being a man is."

That manosphere has had a visible impact on political discourse, says Dan Cassino, a political scientist at Fairleigh Dickinson University who studies gender in politics. He points to the fact that the language around manhood has become so explicit – that testosterone levels are mentioned as a qualification for office.

"In the past, we haven't had this sort of very explicit claim about masculinity using the language of online forums, using the language of the manosphere," he said. "And you know, this is all red pill, black pill, incel stuff. And it's a little terrifying that it's leaking out into mainstream political dialogue."

The harsh, immediate gendered attacks in the Texas U.S. Senate race are happening for complex reasons, but Cassino theorizes that it's in part about the fact that Talarico is himself a man.

"The hierarchy is already under threat," he said, noting economic problems that have dogged some working-class men. "And then if a white Christian man comes out and says, 'No, actually, we should be more compassionate. We should not be maintaining these hierarchies where white men are on top of everything,' that's a huge threat because he is potentially a trusted messenger."

ATTACHMENT THIRTEEN “A” – FROM YAHOO

REPUBLICAN CONGRESSMAN STRAIGHT UP DECLARES ‘HOMOSEXUALITY HAS NO PLACE IN AMERICA’

Ogles has a history of making bigoted and trollish remarks, including targeting American Muslims and Democrats.

BY Alex Griffing Tue, June 2, 2026 at 2:48 PM EDT

Republican Congressman Andy Ogles (R-TN) posted a shock message for Pride Month on Tuesday, declaring, "Homosexuality has no place in America."

Ogles, who has long stirred controversy with his bigoted, trollish rhetoric, added, "Happy Nuclear Family Month."

In early March, Ogles posted a similar sentiment about American Muslims, writing, "Muslims don't belong in American society. Pluralism is a lie." During a January Fox News hit, Ogles repeatedly referred to Democrats as "libtards."

In March of 2025, House Democrats and Republicans joined together to condemn Ogles for posting "Wanted" posters for judges outside of his office on Capitol Hill. Ogles was under federal criminal investigation for allegations tied to his campaign finances until earlier in the month, when the DOJ dropped the probe.

Ogles's attack on LGBTQ Americans quickly raised eyebrows across the political and media world.

New York Times congressional correspondent Annie Karni noted, "An extreme statement even by deep red state standards."

Former congressional reporter Brian Metzger added, "I guess he didn't clock that I'm gay when he said hi to me every time he passed through the Cannon Tunnel lol."

Semafor's Dave Weigle shared the post with a photo of Trump Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent – who is openly gay and a trailblazer in his role.

ATTACHMENT FOURTEEN – FROM RACETOTHEWH.COM

2026 MID-TERM ELECTION PREDICTIONS

2026 Senate Election Forecast

Explore the 2026 Senate Elections through our interactive map and detailed predictions for every race. Our model also estimates each party’s chance of winning a majority by simulating the election 50,000 times a day.

2026 House Election Forecast

The House Forecast uses data-driven projections to forecast all 435 races and each party’s chance of winning the Majority. The model accounts for each district’s recent electoral history, polling, fundraising, and other key indicators.

2026 Governor Races Forecast

Explore our interactive 2026 Governor election forecast, which predicts every race across the country. Features an interactive map, and a detailed breakdown showing how each prediction was made.

Track the Latest Polling - from the 2026 Midterms to the 2028 Presidential Election

Latest Polls for the 2026 Election

New Feature: Explore all the latest polls in one place, from 2026 midterm races to presidential approval rating polls. Includes links to the original polls, and to our in depth-polling averages.

2026 Polling for Every Governor Race

Explore polling for every Governor race, including head-to-head polls, primary polls, and candidate favorability. Built to make it easy to compare polling across every potential general election matchup.

2028 Dem Primary Polling

Follow the latest Democratic Primary Polling. Includes an interactive trend line, links to every poll, and an early look at the delegate race based purely on the current state polling.

2026 Senate Polling Average

See the latest polling for every 2026 Senate race. Beyond head-to-head polls, RacetotheWH also tracks primary polling, and whether voters view each potential candidate favorably or unfavorably.

Trump Approval
Rating

Track President Trump’s approval rating. In addition to the standard topline, this tracker includes a second measure showing how strongly voters approve or disapprove of the president.

2028 GOP Primary Polling

Keep up with the latest Republican primary polling at both the national and state level. See an interactive map showing the leader in every state, plus a trend line showing how the polls have changed.

Generic Ballot - Dem v. GOP

The Generic Ballot tracks whether voters prefer a “generic” Democrat or a “generic” Republican. It’s often treated as a rough snapshot of the national popular vote in congressional elections.

2026 House Polling Average

Check out the latest polling in House races across the country, with new polls added as soon as pollsters release them. See where each district stands and how the numbers have shifted over time.

2028 President General Election

Choose your candidates, and see who leads the national popular vote in our polling average. Next, scroll down to our interactive Electoral College map to see who’s leading in every state.

Key Senate Races

Georgia Senate Forecast & Polling

Texas Senate Forecast & Polling

North Carolina Senate Forecast

Michigan Senate Forecast & Polling

Key Governor & Mayors Races

Arizona Governor Forecast & Polling

California Governor Primary Polling

Los Angeles Mayor Race Polling

Race to the White House

2026 Election Forecast

Senate Forecast
House Forecast
Governor Forecast

Latest Polls

Trump Approval
Senate Races
Governor Races
House Races

2028 Democrat and GOP Primary

(See charts and graphs at websites listed above)

ATTACHMENT FIFTEEN – FROM NPR

TUESDAY IS A BIG PRIMARY DAY. HERE ARE KEY RACES TO WATCH

By Saige Miller June 2, 2026 5:00 AM ET

Six states — California, Iowa, Montana, New Jersey, South Dakota and New Mexico — hold elections on Tuesday. Most of the attention is on California and Iowa, where there are competitive primaries for governor. In both states, the Democratic Party also sees a road map to control of Congress in the fall.

In California's unique primary system, voters send the top two vote-getters to November's general election, regardless of candidates' political parties. Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom is term limited, and California voters will also pick who should move on to the general election in five new Democratic-leaning congressional districts.

T.V. REALITY STARS THROW THEIR HATS INTO THE RING FOR POLITICAL OFFICE

In Iowa, Democratic voters will choose a candidate in a key Senate race — the Republican in the race is already the de facto nominee. In order to win a majority in the Senate, Democrats must pick up four seats, forcing the party to win in Republican-leaning states like Iowa. For governor, the race is the first good chance Democrats have to win the office in years, but Republicans still need to select their nominee.

Here are key races to follow:

California governor | California U.S. House | Iowa governor | Iowa U.S. Senate | New Jersey and Montana

CALIFORNIA DECIDES TOP TWO GUBERNATORIAL CONTENDERS

It's been a chaotic scramble to pick the next leader of the country's largest state. After three prominent Democrats — former Vice President Kamala Harris, Sen. Alex Padilla and state Attorney General Rob Bonta — decided not to run, Democratic voters haven't had a clear front-runner for the first time in decades. Voters have more than 60 candidates to choose from, but only a fraction of those are considered serious contenders. Only the top two vote-getters will move on to the general election in November.

The race got a shakeup when former Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell, the presumed favorite, dropped out of the race after he was accused of sexual misconduct by several women. Most recently, polls show the contest could be between two Democrats — the Health and Human Services secretary under former President Joe Biden, Xavier Becerra, and billionaire philanthropist Tom Steyer.

Before Becerra was appointed to Biden's Cabinet, he served 12 terms in Congress and was elected as the California attorney general in 2016. He's considered by many as the candidate with the strongest political background. Becerra's pitch is that he is a proven leader who can hold his own and protect California from President Trump.

Steyer has forked over more than $213 million of his own fortune on the race and is also financially backed by Our Revolution, a group aligned with Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. Steyer's platform is centered on taking a stand against special-interest groups in politics.

Polling just a few points behind Becerra and Steyer is Republican Steve Hilton. The former Fox News host was endorsed by President Trump in April, after which Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, another Republican in the race, quickly dropped in the polls. Hilton's platform focuses on increasing affordable housing supply for first-time homebuyers, bolstering tech industries and reviving California's film industry.

THE OUTCOME OF CALIFORNIA'S NEW CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICTS

In response to Texas redrawing its congressional lines to create five Republican-leaning districts at the behest of President Trump, Californians approved Proposition 50 in November last year. The measure temporarily sidestepped the independent redistricting commission tasked with drawing nonpartisan influenced congressional boundaries, in favor of politically gerrymandered districts. That allowed state Democrats to redraw their map so five previously Republican-held districts now lean Democratic.

This has left those Republican incumbents figuring out their political futures. Rep. Ken Calvert, the longest-serving Republican from California, and Rep. Young Kim are running in the same district, for example, in a race that's gotten quite heated.

Then there's Rep. Kevin Kiley. After being drawn into a much more Democratic-leaning district, he decided to run in a new seat and announced he was leaving the Republican Party and running as an independent instead, though Kiley said he would still caucus with the Republicans.

Because of California's primary system, some of these more competitive seats are creating competitive primaries between Democrats, allowing primary voters to signal to the party what kinds of candidates speak to them most in places that have the most to lose — and gain.

IOWA'S GOP GUBERNATORIAL PRIMARY

Iowa Republican voters could decide the party's nominee for governor in the state's first open race for the office since 2011, as sitting Gov. Kim Reynolds opted not to run for reelection.

With five Republicans on Tuesday's ballot, Rep. Randy Feenstra is the only one endorsed by Trump. The race will test whether Trump's endorsement holds weight in a state where his approval rating has slipped over the economy and the war in Iran. Feenstra's lead may be declining, as one recent poll shows political newcomer and Iowa businessman Zach Lahn could have a shot at winning the GOP primary.

There is a good chance, though, that Iowans won't know the outcome of the race on Tuesday because a candidate must secure 35% of the vote to win outright. If no one clears that threshold, the nominee will be decided at a Republican convention where delegates — not primary voters — make the final choice.

But the Republican-backed candidate isn't a shoo-in come November. Cook Political Report categorizes the governor's race as a toss-up with a slight Republican advantage. Whatever Republican wins on Tuesday will face unopposed Democratic state Auditor Rob Sand in the general election. Sand is popular among voters and has, so far, outraised any other candidate for governor.

DEMOCRATS LOOK TO FLIP IOWA SENATE SEAT

Democratic voters in Iowa will pick which candidate they think has the best shot at beating the Republican nominee for Senate, expected to be Trump-endorsed Rep. Ashley Hinson, on Tuesday. This is a seat that Democrats believe they have a shot at flipping come November. It's part of a larger strategy of expanding their map — and winning in states currently held by Republican senators — if they want a chance to retake the Senate majority.

Iowa Democrats have a choice between state Rep. Josh Turek and state Sen. Zach Wahls. Both candidates are courting different Iowa voters, though. Turek is vying for the independent-leaning vote, while Wahls is hoping to gain the support from committed Democrats. Turek flipped a state House district held by a Republican, while Wahls represents a Senate district that is solidly blue. Both argue they are the candidate who has the right message to win in November.

And with three competitive congressional races on the ballot, some Democrats in the state are feeling like the road to a Democratic majority in Congress runs through Iowa.

LOOKING BEYOND TUESDAY

New Jersey and Montana also have competitive races that could decide which party has control of Congress.

In New Jersey, all eyes are on Congressional District 7. Four Democrats are hoping to oust Republican Rep. Thomas Kean Jr. The sitting congressman has been notably absent from Washington for weeks due to what Kean cites as unspecified medical issues. He has missed more than 100 House votes since his last recorded vote on March 5.

Two races in Montana may be more competitive than originally expected with the last-minute announcements — shortly before the filing deadline — by Republicans Sen. Steve Daines and Rep. Ryan Zinke that neither would seek reelection.

While an open Senate seat does not make Montana, which has long been considered a Republican stronghold, necessarily competitive for Democrats, an independent candidate is outraising candidates in both major parties. Seth Bodnar, Iraq war veteran and former president of the University of Montana, is hoping voters will send him instead, mostly on the message that he won't work for either party and is focused on changing the direction America is heading. In Bodnar's case, he has enough voter signatures to land himself on the November ballot, but the Montana Secretary of State's Office hasn't yet certified those signatures.

Democrats are working to flip Montana's 1st Congressional District as well. When Zinke announced he was retiring from Congress, it was seen as an opening for Democrats to compete. Now, four Democrats are angling for the open seat, including front-runner Sam Forstag, a smokejumper who is endorsed by popular progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.

ATTACHMENT SIXTEEN – TAKEAWAYS FROM CNN (REVERSE CHRONOLOGY)

PRIMARIES TODAY WILL SHAPE THE LANDSCAPE OF THE MIDTERMS IN NOVEMBER

Voters head to the polls in California, Iowa, New Jersey, Montana, South Dakota and New Mexico.

Updated 6:24 PM EDT, Tue June 2, 2026

What we're covering

• There are elections today in six states with several marquee races — in California, Iowa, New Jersey and New Mexico — that will shape the landscape of the midterms in November.

• Californians are voting in a massive gubernatorial primary to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom and in several House races under a new congressional map that aims to help Democrats flip as many as five Republican seats. There is also a tight contest for mayor of Los Angeles.

• In Iowa, there are primaries for Senate, governor and the US House, with a crowded Republican primary for governor and a showdown in the Senate Democratic primary. In New Jersey, House primaries down the ballot will set up competitive races in November.

AllCaliforniaIowaOther StatesCatch Up

9 min ago

With 61 names on the ballot, California voters have plenty of choices for governor

By Terence Burlij

In today’s primary for California governor, voters have plenty of choices.

There are better-known candidates like former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, billionaire activist and former 2020 presidential candidate Tom Steyer and former Fox News host Steve Hilton, who is endorsed by President Donald Trump.

Among the 61 names on the ballot are lesser-known contenders such as business owner Barack D. Obama Shaw, a Democrat, and LivingForGod AndCountry DeMott, who is listed as a “Logistical Professional/Chaplain” not running under a political party.

Under California’s primary system, the two leading vote-getters, regardless of party, will advance to the November election in a faceoff that will decide who succeeds Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom in leading the country’s most populous state.

Read more

22 min ago

Democrats in Iowa are hoping to capitalize on voter discontent and economic anxieties

By Jeff Zeleny in Des Moines, Iowa

Theresa Weeks was making spaghetti when a Senate candidate came knocking on her door.

“I was just watching your commercial,” Weeks said, extending her arms to give Josh Turek a hug on her front steps. “I’m delighted to see you.”

Turek is not only running to replace Republican Sen. Joni Ernst, who is retiring after two terms. He is also testing whether Democrats can still win a Senate seat in Iowa – for the first time since 2008. The party is seeking to capitalize on voter discontent and economic anxieties that are also coursing through races for governor and Congress.

Weeks has lived in Iowa for 40 years, so she well remembers when sending a Democrat and Republican to the Senate was commonplace. The midterm election may signal whether Iowa has slipped deeply into the column of a red state, she believes, or whether Democrats can stage a revival.

In the primary election today, Turek faces state Sen. Zach Wahls, 34, in a fight to become the Democratic nominee for US Senate. The winner is expected to challenge Rep. Ashley Hinson, a Republican, who is endorsed by President Donald Trump.

Read more about how Turek is hoping to spark a rural revival for Democrats

Read more

22 min ago

On election eve, Tom Steyer sang karaoke and made his closing arguments to voters

By Tori B. Powell

Businessman Tom Steyer spent the night before California’s gubernatorial primary singing karaoke with his wife in West Hollywood and making his closing argument to voters.

“Kicked off Pride Month last night at GYM Sportsbar in West Hollywood,” the Democratic candidate wrote on X today. “It’s one thing for someone to be there with you 90% of the time. I’m going to be there with you the other 10% of the time. I can’t sing (Kat and I sang “Won’t Back Down”) but I can wish you a Happy Pride.”

And just ahead of his performance, Steyer spoke with CNN’s Elex Michaelson about changes he would make in the state if elected.

He outlined a push towards a single-payer healthcare system, lowering prices across the state and improving education as part of his campaign.

“Healthcare is eating us up,” Steyer said. “We have to do something about it.”

Read more

33 min ago

Becerra begins California primary day with strong corporate backing

By David Wright

Xavier Becerra entered primary day as a frontrunner in California’s gubernatorial race, with substantial support from big donors and outside groups funded by corporate interests — which has proved to be a frequent source of criticism from his rivals.

A PAC formed to support his campaign spent nearly $15 million on pro-Becerra advertising, according to AdImpact data. Some of the PAC’s top contributors included corporations with interests in state policy: Chevron and California Resources Corporation, two of the state’s largest oil producers; DaVita, a dialysis company that has repeatedly fought California regulation; and health insurer Centene.

Meanwhile, home state tech giants Meta and Airbnb each contributed about $1 million to the pro-Becerra PAC. And on Monday, the day before the primary, Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings, a prolific liberal donor who previously said he was voting for San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan in the gubernatorial race, made a $39,200 maximum contribution directly to Becerra’s campaign.

Becerra’s rivals, billionaire activist Tom Steyer in particular, have drawn attention to the corporate backing. Steyer repeatedly needled him on the subject at debates, and sent billboard trucks past gas stations highlighting the Chevron connection.

Becerra, meanwhile, has pushed back on the criticism of his corporate support, remarking at a candidate forum in April, “it’s a free country.”

“Chevron, that’s the problem with politics. They’re not the bad guy,” he said. “Some of these candidates are saying, he took a check from Chevron, so he’s gotta be bad on the environment. I say look at my record and compare to their record.”

Read more

35 min ago

Another Trump test in Iowa

By Jeff Zeleny in Des Moines

The power of a presidential endorsement is being tested again tonight in Iowa.

For months, President Donald Trump stayed out of a five-way GOP primary for governor, declining repeated entreaties to endorse a candidate. Late last week, he relented and threw his support behind Rep. Randy Feenstra, a three-term Republican from northwest Iowa.

It was an effort to not only try and pull Feenstra over the finish line, but to avoid a messy Republican convention. Under Iowa law, if a candidate does not win more than 35% of the vote in a primary, the decision goes to a party convention, where the nominee is decided by delegates.

It’s an unwieldly process that terrified party leaders, given that Democratic candidate Rob Sand is running unopposed in his primary.

As Iowa voters left their polling places today, some said they were swayed by Trump.

“It certainly influenced it,” said Dan Breitbarth, an Iowa Republican voter. “It was definitely a topic of discussion in our household, for sure.”

Zach Lahn, a businessman and leading Republican rival of Feenstra who repeatedly praised Trump in his TV ads, responded to the presidential endorsement like this: “LFG.”

“I have never been more fired up to win this race than I am right now,” Lahn said. “It is time for a grassroots uprising.”

When the results are tabulated tonight, the power of the Trump endorsement will once again become clear.

Read more

40 min ago

Matt Mahan’s gubernatorial bid has struggled to gain traction

By David Wright

San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan entered the California governor’s race late, as a closely watched long-shot candidate seeking to position himself as a moderate, fresh face for the Democratic Party.

The 43-year-old former tech entrepreneur pointed to efforts on homelessness and crime in San Jose and his familiarity with big tech — and the pitch landed with Silicon Valley. Big-money supporters included Google co-founder Sergey Brin, venture capitalists Michael Moritz and Brian Singerman, and DoorDash CEO Tony Xu. Outside groups spent more than $25 million on pro-Mahan advertising, according to AdImpact.

It was a significant financial vote of confidence from his home region, raising the mayor’s profile while flexing big tech’s growing political influence. But it may have come too late to translate into success, with Mahan trailing in polls heading into primary day, despite efforts to capitalize on on the turmoil surrounding former Rep. Eric Swalwell’s controversial exit from the race.

In what appears to be an acknowledgement of the uphill battle Mahan faces today, Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings, a prolific liberal donorwho backed Mahan earlier in the race, made a $39,200 maximum contribution directly to Democrat Xavier Becerra’s campaign on the eve of the election.

Read more

43 min ago

GOP Rep. Kean running unopposed today has been missing from Washington for nearly 3 months

By Sarah Ferris

GOP Rep. Tom Kean, who is running unopposed in his primary in New Jersey today amid his monthslong absence from Washington, said in a new statement that he’s “more energized than ever to keep fighting for the people of New Jersey’s 7th District.”

“Right now I am focused on my recovery and under the advice of healthcare professionals, I will transition from virtual work to in person work within a matter of weeks,” Kean, who is seeking a third term in one of the nation’s most competitive seats, said. “At that time I will be completely transparent as to the nature of my medical condition.”

Voters haven’t seen or heard directly from Kean in months, who said in April that he’s dealing with a “personal medical issue” — and it’s still unclear when he might return to work on Capitol Hill. Kean has yet to offer a date for his return to House Speaker Mike Johnson and his team, who have been navigating their reed-thin margins without him since early March, according to three GOP leadership sources.

His absence is now increasingly rattling House Republicans. Kean’s colleagues say they are worried about his health — and how the unexplained absence could complicate the GOP’s ability to hold onto a critical swing seat in an already difficult midterm cycle, according to multiple sources.

54 min ago

Billionaire Tom Steyer has spent more than $200M on his campaign. Will it pay off?

By David Wright

Tom Steyer built his fortune founding a hedge fund in the 1980s, and has spent decades deploying it in Democratic politics — on climate nonprofits, President Donald Trump’s first impeachment, and a 2020 presidential campaign that ended without winning a single primary, despite over $300 million in spending.

And as of primary day, Steyer had spent more than $200 million on his California gubernatorial campaign, according to AdImpact data, a record-shattering total driving the most expensive gubernatorial primary in state history.

Between his 2020 presidential bid and 2026 gubernatorial bid, Steyer has spent more than half a billion dollars on political campaigns.

In California, the spending has funded television saturation, influencer partnerships, mobile billboards and mailers. Rivals accused him of attempting to buy the election. Steyer, meanwhile, has leaned into attacks against him, presenting the opposition as confirmation of his independence from establishment interests.

1 hr 11 min ago

California's redistricting map gets its first test today

By Fredreka Schouten

Californians are deciding House races for the first time under a new congressional map designed to help Democrats pick up additional seats through redistricting.

Last year, voters overwhelmingly approved a ballot measure, which replaced a map drawn by an independent commission with one drawn by Democrats who control the state’s levers of power. The goal: help the party flip as many as five GOP seats to eliminate gains sought by Texas Republicans in that state’s redistricting push.

There’s no guarantee that Democrats will win all the seats they seek, but today’s election offers an early test of whether the party’s expensive redistricting gambit might pay off this fall. Democrats currently control 43 of the state’s 52 House seats.

The new map already has scrambled Golden State politics.

For instance, Rep. Kevin Kiley, who has represented a district hugging California’s eastern border with Nevada as a Republican, is now running as an independent in a blue-tinged district in the Sacramento area. The contest for the open seat has drawn a big field of candidates.

In southern California, meanwhile, Reps. Ken Calvert and Young Kim are facing off in a primary that pits House Republican incumbents against one another.

1 hr 34 min ago

Here are the 7 candidates who have pulled ahead in the race for California governor

By Arit John

Five Democrats and two Republicans have pulled ahead to the front of the pack in the race for California governor. The two top vote-getters in today’s non-partisan primary will advance to the general election in November.

Here’s what to know about the candidates:

· Xavier Becerra: The former health and human services secretary became a Democratic frontrunner after former Rep. Eric Swalwell dropped out after being accused of sexual misconduct, which he denies. Becerra, who was also a California attorney general and longtime congressman, ran on his experience leading large agencies. But his record also became a liability, as critics noted he received mixed reviews for his performance as a Cabinet secretary under President Joe Biden.

· Steve Hilton: The former Fox News host was propelled to the front of the pack among Republicans when President Donald Trump endorsed him in April. Hilton, who moved to California in 2012 after working in British politics, has focused his campaign on affordability concerns, blaming Democratic leadership in the state for high costs and vowing to reduce bureaucracy.

· Tom Steyer: Steyer, a billionaire investor, made his fortune as a hedge fund manager. He later became a climate change activist and a 2020 Democratic presidential candidate. Steyer ran as a progressive and maintained a competitive edge throughout the race, thanks in part to his ability to self-fund — he donated more than $200 million to his campaign.

· Katie Porter: Porter rose to prominence as part of the 2018 class of Democrats who defeated dozens of Republicans and won control of the US House. In Congress, she was known for using a whiteboard and her background as a law professor during hearings. She left Congress after a failed 2024 US Senate bid. Her gubernatorial campaign hasn’t been smooth, either. She lost steam after a pair of viral videos showed her yelling at a staffer and having a tense interview with a reporter.

· Matt Mahan: The first-term San Jose mayor entered the race in January and has since tried to carve out a lane as a pragmatic moderate. Among Democrats, he’s been the most willing to criticize outgoing Gov. Gavin Newsom. Though Mahan received significant outside support from funders with Silicon Valley ties, he struggled to gain traction against his better-known opponents.

· Antonio Villaraigosa: Villaraigosa served as the mayor of Los Angeles from 2005 to 2013 and previously served as leader of the California state Assembly. During his gubernatorial campaign he ran as a moderate and expressed skepticism toward some of his Democratic rivals’ support for progressive ideas like Medicare for All.

· Chad Bianco: Bianco, the Republican sheriff of Riverside County, is running on reducing the size of government and has sparred with Democrats over how to handle crime and drug addiction in the state. The sheriff has also boosted election fraud claims this year, seizing more than 650,000 Riverside County ballots from the November 2025 redistricting special election.

ATTACHMENT SEVENTEEN – FROM ABC

IOWA PRIMARY RESULTS: TRUMP-BACKED FEENSTRA CONCEDES TO LAHN IN GOVERNOR PRIMARY; HINSON AND TUREK WILL COMPETE FOR OPEN SENATE SEAT

Rep. Randy Feenstra won a last-minute endorsement from President Donald Trump.

By ABC NEWS June 3, 2026, 1:00 AM

Iowa Democratic state Rep. Josh Turek will face Republican state Rep. Ashley Hinson, who was endorsed by President Donald Trump, in November for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by retiring Republican Sen. Joni Ernst, ABC News projects.

Meanwhile, in the closely watched Republican primary for governor, ABC News projects Zahn Lahn, a farmer and businessman, will defeat Trump-backed Rep. Randy Feenstra.

Feenstra, a three-term congressman who won a last-minute endorsement from Trump last week, entered the race widely considered the frontrunner.

Feenstra conceded to Lahn, both campaigns confirmed to ABC News.

Iowans also voted in primaries several competitive House races.

ATTACHMENT EIGHTEEN – TAKEAWAYS FROM USA TODAY

KAREN BASS ADVANCES TO RUNOFF IN LA MAYORAL RACE. ELECTION UPDATES

By: Phillip M. Bailey, Terry Collins, Sarah D. Wire, Katie Sobko, Mike Trautmann, Paris Barraza, James Powel, Drew Pittock and James Ward

June 2, 2026 Updated June 3, 2026, 9:32 a.m. ET

High-stakes primary races to determine control of Congress, statehouses, and even the fate of a big U.S. city brought some surprises and uncertainty on Tuesday.

In California, the top two spots for governor in the nation's most populous state remained undetermined as Republican Steve Hilton had the narrowest of leads over Democrat Xavier Becerra. In the race for mayor in Los Angeles, incumbent Karen Bass advanced to a November runoff, the Associated Press and NBC News projected, with former reality TV star Spencer Pratt and City Councilmember Nithya Raman battling for the second spot.

Meanwhile in Iowa, Republican businessman Zach Lahn, who entered the primary race for governor as a virtual unknown, stunned U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra, the party's expected nominee. Though endorsed by President Donald Trump, Feenstra conceded the race to Lahn at a watch party before the race was officially called.

In the Iowa Senate race that has made Republicans unusually nervous, State Rep. Josh Turek defeated state Sen. Zach Wahls to win the Democratic nomination. The race drew national attention for Turek's inspiring personal story as a former Paralympian born with spina bifida due to his father's Agent Orange exposure during the Vietnam War, and Wahl's history of testifying to Congress in favor of gay marriage rights while still a teenager.

Turek will face Republican U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson in November. The ruby red state is GOP-controlled at almost every level, but Sen. Joni Ernst's retirement has Democrats believing they can make this race competitive.

MORE JUNE 2 PRIMARY TAKEAWAYS: 

Former Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland is also poised to make history after winning the New Mexico Democratic gubernatorial primary, putting her on track to become the first Native American woman to serve as a governor.

Rebecca Bennett is projected to face off in November against Republican Rep. Tom Kean, who hasn't been seen on Capitol Hill since early March, for New Jersey's 7th Congressional District.

BASS ADVANCES TO RUNOFF ELECTION FOR LOS ANGELES MAYOR, AP AND NBC NEWS PROJECT

By Terry Collins

Incumbent Democratic Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass will advance to the November general election, the Associated Press and NBC News have projected.

Bass came in first with 37%, as Spencer Pratt, the reality TV star-turned-politician, had 30%, the outlets reported. Progressive Democratic socialist L.A. Councilwoman Nithya Raman was trailing in third at 21.

Bass told her supporters she wants another four years to finish what she's started.

Meanwhile, Pratt told reporters at his campaign party, "She knows it's on. I hope she’s ready!"

L.A.'s mayoral race will take on national prominence and be heavily influenced from outside resources, fiscally and physically, said Brian Sobel, a veteran California political analyst based in the San Francisco Bay Area. 

"Pratt is already picking up a lot of money from outside the state, and he’s going to get plenty more of it,” Sobel said. “This race is going to become a referendum on big-city politics in California and in America for that matter."

IN DEEP-RED SHASTA COUNTY, A HIGH-STAKES ELECTION FIGHT OVER WHO RUNS ELECTIONS

By James Ward and David Benda

A closely watched Northern California race is becoming a test of who voters trust to run elections in one of the state’s most conservative counties.

Early results Tuesday show former elections official Joanna Francescut leading incumbent Clint Curtis 59% to 41%, with many ballots still to count.

The stakes go beyond a typical local race.

Shasta County is a deep-red outlier in California, where Donald Trump won about 69% of the vote in 2024 and local politics have been shaped by ongoing debates over election integrity and distrust of voting systems.

That backdrop defines the candidates.

Francescut is a longtime insider with 17 years in the elections office. Curtis, a Florida attorney with a history of questioning elections, was appointed in 2025 despite no prior experience running elections.

Within weeks, Curtis fired Francescut — setting up this race. She has since filed a wrongful termination lawsuit.

Curtis’ tenure has been marked by controversy, including two investigations into his conduct and disputes over election administration. He denies wrongdoing.

ZACH LAHN DEFEATS TRUMP-ENDORSED REP. RANDY FEENSTRA IN IOWA

By Brianne Pfannenstiel

Republican businessman Zach Lahn, who entered the Iowa primary race for governor as a virtual unknown, stunned presumed favorite U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra to win the party’s nomination, CNN and Decision Desk HQ reported.

Though Republican President Donald Trump endorsed Feenstra in the final days of the race, it was not enough to propel him across the finish line as he struggled to win over grassroots supporters and consolidate the field.

The Associated Press called the race for Lahn at 11:50 p.m. local time on June 2, but Feenstra conceded much earlier. Lahn will face Democratic state Auditor Rob Sand, who ran unopposed for his party’s nomination. 

RADIO HOST AARON FLINT WINS GOP CONGRESSIONAL NOD IN MONTANA

By Ben Adler

Spencer Pratt isn't the only entertainer Trump-approved Republican entertainer running in a June 2 second primary. Aaron Flint, a conservative talk radio host and first-time candidate who received the president's endorsement has won the Republican nomination for Congress from Montana's 1st District, according to NBC News and Associated Press projections.

Flint, whose first campaign video inveighed against progressive Democrats campaigning for his potential general election opponent Sam Forstag, a smoke jumper and union leader, was also endorsed by outgoing Rep. Ryan Zinke. The Democratic race remains too close to call.

RANDY FEENSTRA, TRUMP'S PICK FOR IOWA GOVERNOR, CONCEDES TO ZACH LAHN

By Brianne Pfannenstiel

Republican businessman Zach Lahn, who entered the Iowa primary race for governor as a virtual unknown, has stunned U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra.  

Feenstra conceded the race to Lahn at a watch party on Tuesday evening before the race was officially called.

According to unofficial election results from the Iowa Secretary of State, Lahn was leading around 10:40 p.m. local time with about 38% of the vote − enough to clinch the nomination outright. About 95% of the vote was counted.

Candidates needed to earn at least 35% of the vote to avoid sending the nomination to be decided by grassroots delegates at a state convention.  

Republican activists have been expressing their frustration with Feenstra for months as he largely eschewed public events, candidate forums and primary debates. He was considered an early favorite and had the endorsement of President Donald Trump.

Feenstra, who gave up his congressional seat seeking to replace retiring GOP Governor Kim Reynolds, earned 37% of the vote at 10:40 p.m. local time.

Should those results hold, Lahn will face Democratic state Auditor Rob Sand, who ran unopposed for his party’s nomination. His victory in the June 2 primary would upend the race and reset the general election playing field. 

30 MINUTES AFTER POLLS CLOSED, BASS LEADS LA MAYORAL RACE

By Drew Pittock

It’s 30 minutes after California’s polls closed, and Karen Bass is currently leading the Los Angeles mayoral race with 38%, according to Decision Desk HQ. Reality TV star-turned-GOP politician, Spencer Pratt, is 10 points behind, with the progressive Democratic socialist, Nithya Raman, trailing at 20%.

This is, of course, a very preliminary understanding of the mayoral landscape, largely based on mail-in ballots cast before election day, which tend to skew older, white and Democratic.

But it could signal things to come. Stay tuned.

WHEN WILL RESULTS COME IN FOR THE LA MAYOR RACE?

By Paris Barraza

The first results reported on June 2 are expected between 8:30 and 8:45 p.m. PT, according to the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk. These results will comprise vote-by-mail ballots cast before Election Day, officials said.

TRUMP-BACKED ALME WINS GOP NOMINATION FOR MONTANA SENATE

By Sarah D. Wire and Drew Pittock

Polls in Montana closed at 8 p.m. MT/10 p.m. ET, and already U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme is projected to earn the GOP nomination for a Senate seat vacated by outgoing Republican Sen. Steve Daines, according to Decision Desk HQ and NBC News.

Daines withdrew from the race just minutes before the filing deadline and Alme, who toppled Republicans Lee Calhoun and Charles Walking Child, entered at the same time. He quickly earned endorsements from Daines and Trump.

Meanwhile, five Democrats are vying for their party's nomination to the Senate race, including former state Rep. Reilly Neill, Michael Black Wolf, Michael Hummert, Alani Bankhead and Christopher Kehoe.

No candidate has captured big money or voter interest in the longstanding red state − potentially leaving the door open for independent Seth Bodnar, the former University of Montana president, who’s currently outraising them all.

HINSON, TUREK TO MEET IN IOWA SENATE RACE

By Stephen Gruber-Miller

Republican U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson and Democrat State Rep. Josh Turek will face off for the Iowa Senate in November, the Associated Press and NBC News have projected

Hinson defeatedformer state Sen. Jim Carlin to win Iowa's GOP Senate nomination by a commanding early lead. Her win sets up a contest with Turek, who beat state Sen. Zach Wahls.

Hinson, a three-term congresswoman, said she's ready to continue working for Iowans on the Senate side.

"Voters sent me to Washington to share their stories and be their voice in the fight to make life more affordable, safer and easier for their families," Hinson said in a statement. "My record is one of delivering bipartisan results for Iowans, and that’s exactly what I’ll do in the United States Senate. I’ll work with anyone, from any party, to get things done for Iowa."

TUREK SHARED HIS JUBILATION IN A SOCIAL MEDIA POST.

"My name is Josh Turek. I am a 2-time gold medalist, 4-time Paralympian in wheelchair basketball, one of the first permanently disabled members of the Iowa House, and I am honored to be Iowa's Democratic nominee for United States Senate," Turek said on X.

HAALAND WINS DEMOCRATIC NOMINATION FOR NEW MEXICO GOVERNOR

By James Powel

Former Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland prevailed in the New Mexico Democratic gubernatorial primary held on June 2, making her likely to be the first Native American female governor in U.S. history.

NBC News and Decision Desk HQ projected shortly after polls closed that Haaland take the nomination over District Attorney for the state's Second Judicial District Sam Bregman to take the catbird seat towards replacing outgoing Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham.

She is the second Native American woman to be nominated by a major party run for a governorship. Paulette Jordan ran for the office in Idaho as a Democrat in 2018 but eventually lost in the heavily Republican state to GOP nominee Brad Little.

Haaland, by contrast is running in a Democratic-leaning state and will likely have an easier path to the state's top executive position. Both the Cook Political Report and Sabato's Crystal Ball consider the general election a "likely Democrat" win.

ADAM HAMAWY CLINCHES DEMOCRATIC NOMINATION IN NEW JERSEY'S 12TH DISTRICT

By Drew Pittock

Princeton-based plastic surgeon, Dr. Adam Hamawy, is projected to win the Democratic primary for New Jersey’s 12th Congressional District, according to NBC News and Decision Desk HQ.  

Hamawy was one of 13 Democratic candidates hoping to succeed Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman as the representative for 32 towns across Mercer, Somerset, Union and Middlesex counties. Watson Coleman announced in November 2025 that she planned to retire at the end of this term. She was first elected in 2014 and took office in 2015.

The district is considered solidly Democratic, meaning Hamawy is expected to win the general election this fall.

Hamawy went into Election Day with a fundraising lead. He has also racked up endorsements from U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a playbook that worked well for Rep. Analilia Mejia during her special election in New Jersey's 11th Congressional District earlier this spring. 

SENATE INCUMBENTS HOLD STEADY AS POLLS CLOSE IN NEW MEXICO, SOUTH DAKOTA

By Drew Pittock

Polls in New Mexico closed at 9 p.m. ET/7 p.m. MT, while South Dakota wrapped up its voting at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT.

In New Mexico, incumbent Democratic Sen. Ben Lujan is projected to retain his Senate seat, according to Decision Desk HQ and NBC News. Lujan is currently running unopposed, as no one competed in the GOP’s Senate primary.

In South Dakota, meanwhile, Decision Desk HQ and NBC News are projecting that incumbent Republican Sen. Mike Rounds will likely face off against Democratic challenger Julian Beaudoin, who ran unopposed for his party’s nomination on Tuesday.

WILL THERE BE A SPOILER IN THE LA MAYOR'S RACE?

By James Powel

The second-place finisher in the Los Angeles mayoral primary − who will be the only one to advance to the general election besides the candidate who comes in first − could be decided by the performance of the candidate likely to come in fourth.

Presbyterian minister and activist Rae Huang has been called a spoiler for Councilmember Nythia Raman by critics, as they say Huang may split the left-leaning vote in the city.

Both candidates are members of the Democratic Socialists of America. The Los Angeles DSA chapter did not endorse either of them but "recommended" a vote for Raman. In their voter guide they said "the broad left-and-progressive vote" was "split" between the two. Both have cast liberal incumbent Mayor Karen Bass as an emblem of the unpopular status-quo of the Democratic Party.

Huang told L.A. Material that a senior member of Raman’s campaign urged her to drop out and back the councilmember. "If we keep telling people to vote based on what’s viable, we won’t change our system,” Huang told the outlet. 

A poll released by the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies days before the election showed that Huang was the choice of 9% of respondents. An April poll from the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs put Huang support at 3%.

The poll showed 26% of likely voters support Bass, followed by Raman at 25% and Republican reality star Spencer Pratt at 22%,

Los Angeles political strategist Parke Skelton told L.A. Material told L.A. Material that a small number of votes could swing who moves on to November. "If there's 5,000 votes that Nithya can get by getting Huang to drop out, it could be determinative," Skelton said.

IOWA POLLS CLOSE: WHERE CAN I SEE ELECTION RESULTS?

By Mike Trautmann and Drew Pittock

Polls in Iowa closed at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT, where GOP voters are deciding who will succeed Gov. Kim Reynolds, who’s led the state since 2018 and opted not to run for re-election. The Des Moines Register will post live Iowa primary election results throughout the night.

You can find primary results for the U.S. Senate; U.S. House; Iowa statewide offices, including governor; Iowa Legislature; and Polk and Dallas County races.

Just click on one of the links below. Then bookmark the link and come back periodically for updated results.

| Iowa Congressional seats | Iowa statewide offices | Iowa Legislature | Polk County | Dallas County |

BENNETT CLINCHES DEMOCRATIC NOMINATION IN NEW JERSEY'S 7TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT

By Drew Pittock

Rebecca Bennett will face off against Republican Rep. Tom Kean in November, according to Decision Desk HQ and NBC News, setting up a must-win House race in New Jersey's 7th Congressional District.

Bennett, a former helicopter pilot in the Navy, bested three opponents for the Democratic nomination: Michael Roth, a member of the U.S. Small Business Administration; Dr. Tina Shah; and private businessman Brian Varela.

Outside New Jersey’s 7th, the House race garnered national attention after Kean hadn't been seen in the halls of Congress since mid-March. On Tuesday, he shattered a monthslong mystery when he said in a statement he would “transition from virtual work to in-person work within a matter of weeks."

Before that, however, the only widely agreed-upon fact was that Kean, the 57-year-old son of former New Jersey Gov. Tom Kean Sr., said he had been suffering from a vague medical issue, which he's promised to fully disclose at when he returns.

Situated in the northwest of the state and home to one of President Donald Trump’s golf courses, New Jersey’s 7th District is a must-win seat if Democrats hope to regain control of the House in November.

GOV. KIM REYNOLDS ON IOWA GOVERNOR'S RACE: 'IT'S GOING TO BE CLOSE'

By Stephen Gruber-Miller

Gov. Kim Reynolds spoke with reporters about casting her ballot in the five-person GOP primary race to choose her successor.

She was asked about the possibility that the race could go to a convention, which will happen if no one gets more than 35% of the vote.

"In your gut, do you believe there will be a winner tonight?" one reporter asked.

Reynolds paused for several seconds before answering.

"It's going to be close," she said.

WHAT DO RECENT LA MAYOR RACE POLLS SHOW?

By Paris Barraza

A poll released days before the Los Angeles mayoral election on June 2 shows where Mayor Karen Bass, Spencer Pratt and Nithya Raman stand.

The UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll showed 26% of likely voters support Bass, followed by Raman at 25% and Pratt at 22%, according to the Los Angeles Times, which said it co-sponsored the poll. 

Trailing behind the three contenders were Rae Huang at 9% and Adam Miller at 5%. The poll, conducted from May 19-24, found 10% were either undecided or did not vote for mayor.

Raman, a Los Angeles city councilmember, and Pratt, the former reality TV star who has spurred comments from President Donald Trump, have frequently led in the polls following Bass, although there are more than a dozen names that’ll appear on the ballots for this race.

In May, a poll found that it was Pratt who saw the largest increase in support among his fellow candidates: 22% supported the former “The Hills” star compared to 10% in March. That Emerson College Polling/Inside California Politics poll, released on May 13, found that 30% of voters supported Bass, which was up from 20% in March. 

Meanwhile, 19% supported Raman, up from 9% in March.

Miller, a nonprofit executive and entrepreneur, had 7% and Huang, a pastor and housing advocate, had 4%, according to the Emerson College Polling/Inside California Politics poll. However, 16% of likely voters were undecided.

POLLS CLOSE IN NEW JERSEY

By James Powel

Polls in New Jersey closed at 8 p.m. ET. The Garden State is one of the first in Tuesday's slate of primaries to do so, alongside South Dakota, where polls closed at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT. The next set of polls to close are in Iowa, which will close at 9 p.m. ET/ 8 p.m. CT.

KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM CALIFORNIA'S 23M VOTERS, ACCORDING TO PPIC

By Drew Pittock

The Public Policy Institute of California published five key takeaways about the "mood" of California's 23 million voters going into Tuesday's primary, as Democrats work to defend a state that's been firmly in their grasp for decades.

According to PPIC, the more than 3 million ballots that voters have returned before Election Day don't differ much from previous primaries. For one thing, primaries across the board tend to garner "lukewarm" turnout. Likewise, although California's population skews younger and more diverse, older white voters have made up the lion's share of early voters. Democrats have returned "slightly more" ballots than their Republican counterparts.

What is unique to the 2026 cycle is that, without a definitive frontrunner, Democrats have largely waited until the last minute to cast their ballots, hoping that a clearer picture of who they should throw their weight behind emerges.

On the topic of a crowded field, a May survey conducted by PPIC found that 60% of voters are satisfied with their choices.

California's primary could also serve as a referendum on the Trump administration, PPIC found, as affordability has been front-and-center in a majority of voters' minds. Escalating gas prices and "stretch[ing] a paycheck" are worries for nearly 70% of Californians, while 60% think the war in Iran will "harm their finances."

Incidentally, one of the only factors to outpace the economy in Californians' minds is the state of democracy across the country. According to PPIC, 29% of voters view threats to democracy and political extremism as the top U.S. problem today, compared to 24% of voters who placed the economy at the top of their list.

HOW DOES THE LA MAYOR RACE WORK?

By Paris Barraza

The Los Angeles mayoral race operates slightly differently from the California gubernatorial primary election on June 2.

Californians statewide will determine which two gubernatorial candidates in the crowded field of contenders, regardless of their political party, win the primary election on June 2 and move on to the general election in November.

However, the Los Angeles mayoral race doesn’t have to extend to November like California’s governor’s race. A candidate for the city's mayoral election could win the race outright if they get a majority of votes. If no candidate receives a majority of votes in this June election, then the two candidates with the most votes will face each other in an election in November.

Why does this matter? Los Angelenos, and the nation, could know their next mayor within days or weeks as results come in, or they could presumably be in for several more months of advertisements, debates and campaigning between just two contenders.

WILL DEMOCRATS SEE RESULTS OF CALIFORNIA'S PROP 50 DURING PRIMARY?

By Terry Collins

Will California Democratic lawmakers see any immediate results on Primary Day from Proposition 50?

That's the Gov. Gavin Newsom-backed measure approved by voters last year that redrew the state’s congressional districts, creating as many as five new pickup opportunities for Democrats to offset Republican-led redistricting in states such as Texas.

"I think California Democrats will see 'OK' results tonight," said David McCuan, a longtime political science professor at Sonoma State University. "We'll get a prevailing wind, but we won't get straight out Prop 50 results.

"It may be too soon," McCuan added. "November is still a ways away."

REP. TOM KEAN JR. SAYS HE WILL RETURN TO IN-PERSON WORK 'WITHIN WEEKS'

By Katie Sobko and Ed Forbes

Rep. Tom Kean Jr., the Westfield Republican who represents New Jersey's 7th Congressional District — and who has been absent from Congress since early March — said he would return to work in weeks.

"I will transition from virtual work to in-person work within a matter of weeks," Kean Jr. said in a statement issued Tuesday, June 2, New Jersey's primary election day.

Kean will run for re-election this November and will face a Democratic challenger to be decided on Tuesday. Running are Rebecca Bennett, Michael Roth, Tina Shah and Brian Varela.

WHEN DO POLLS CLOSE?

By Sarah D. Wire

Six states are holding primaries on Tuesday, June 2, as voters determine which candidates will be on ballots come November's general midterm elections in California, Iowa, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico and South Dakota. Polls close depending on state laws and time zones.

Eastern Standard Time

New Jersey polls close at 8 p.m. EST

Central Standard Time

South Dakota polls close at 7 p.m. CST.

Iowa polls close at 8 p.m. CST

Mountain Standard Time

New Mexico polls close at 7 p.m. MST

Montana polls close at 8 p.m. MST

Pacific Standard Time

California polls close at 8 p.m. PST

WHERE IS REP. TOM KEAN JR., INCUMBENT REPUBLICAN FROM NJ-7?

By Katie Sobko

On the day of New Jersey's primary election — with four Democrats vying for the nomination to challenge him — U.S. Rep. Tom Kean Jr. remains absent from Congress.

The two-term Republican congressman, who represents New Jersey's 7th Congressional District, has not been in Washington, DC, since he last voted on March 5.

His team has issued statements noting that he is dealing with a personal medical issue but is “expected to be totally fine.”

Harrison Neely, a consultant for the congressman, has told the USA TODAY Network on multiple occasions that Kean is “handling a personal health matter” and “will be totally fine and returning to a full schedule soon.”

This year's 7th Congressional District race is considered the most competitive in New Jersey. The district is made up of 93 towns in six counties, including Hunterdon, Morris, Somerset, Sussex, Union and Warren counties.

TRUMP ENDORSES MISSING CONGRESSMAN

By Sarah D. Wire

President Donald Trump on Tuesday endorsed Rep. Thomas Kean Jr., a Republican congressman from New Jersey seeking reelection despite being absent from Capitol Hill for three months.

Trump said the lawmaker, the son of a former GOP governor of the Garden State, is "working tirelessly" – even though he's missed more than 100 votes in the House of Representatives since early March.

"HE WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!" the president wrote in a June 1 social media post.

This is a must win seat for Democrats' attempt to reclaim control of the House in November. Kean is not challenged in the primary.

Kean has said he's dealing with a medical issue with a positive prognosis, though he hasn't elaborated at all on the specifics of his condition. He has not responded to requests for comment from USA TODAY or other media outlets.

about the endorsement and Kean’s whereabouts.

DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY FOR US SENATE GETS TESTY OVER OUTSIDE SPENDING

By Mike Trautmann

One of the closest-watched races tonight will be the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate between state Rep. Josh Turek and state Sen. Zach Wahls.

The two have clashed over outside spending on the race, with Wahls criticizing VoteVets spending on Turek's behalf and Turek finger-pointing at Wahls' past work with The Next 50, which promotes young Democratic candidates around the country.

VoteVets, a Democratic-aligned PAC, has spent $10 million on television and digital advertising and direct mail to support Turek since March 23, the Register recently reported.

A super PAC called Iowa Action spent $150,000 in digital and television advertising on May 7 to support state Sen. Zach Wahls.

WHO'S RUNNING AGAINST NEW JERSEY SEN. CORY BOOKER?

By Katie Sobko

The U.S. Senate race in the general election will pit Democratic Sen. Cory Booker against one of four Republicans.

The Republican hopefuls are Richard Tabor, Justin Murphy, Alex Zdan and Robert Lebovics.

WHO'S RUNNING IN NEW JERSEY'S 12TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT?

By Katie Sobko

In the 12th District, there are 13 Democratic candidates hoping to succeed Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman as the representative for 32 towns across Mercer, Somerset, Union and Middlesex counties.

Watson Coleman announced in November 2025 that she planned to retire at the end of this term. She was first elected in 2014 and took office in 2015.

The 13 candidates are:

· Assemblywoman Verlina Reynolds-Jackson

· Brad Cohen

· Squire Servance

· Samuel Wang

· Sue Altman

· Sujit Singh

· Adrian Mapp

· Adam Hamawy

· Elijah Dixon

· Kyle Little

· Jay Vaingankar

· Matt Adams

· Shanel Robinson

The district is considered solidly Democratic, and the winner of this crowded primary is expected to win the general election this fall.

Adam Hamawy has a fundraising lead. He also has racked up endorsements from U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a playbook that worked well for Rep. Analilia Mejia during her special election in New Jersey's 11th Congressional District earlier this spring. Hamawy isn’t the only one garnering attention, though. The Working Families Party has spoken out in support of Altman, and the local Communications Workers of America union has endorsed Reynolds-Jackson.

WHO'S RUNNING IN NJ'S 7TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT?

Katie Sobko

The race in New Jersey's 7th District has four Democrats — Rebecca Bennett, Michael Roth, Tina Shah and Brian Varela — vying for the chance to challenge Republican Rep. Tom Kean Jr., the two-term incumbent, who has been missing in action for more than two months.

Kean has not voted in the House of Representatives since March 5, but his staff has reiterated for more than a month that he is “handling a personal health matter” and “will be totally fine and returning to a full schedule soon.” The congressman’s absence was one of the many topics discussed at a debate this month. All four of the Democrats criticized the lack of transparency about his illness and whereabouts.

The Cook Political Report, which assesses all of the races nationally, called New Jersey's 7th Congressional District race a toss-up.

It is a race that Democrats have been focused on as a potential seat to flip in their effort to regain control of the House of Representatives.

ALL 12 NJ'S HOUSE SEATS, ONE SENATE SEAT ON THE BALLOT

By Katie Sobko

New Jersey's primary election will be held Tuesday, June 2. All 12 of New Jersey's seats in the U.S. House of Representatives are on the ballot, as is one seat in the U.S. Senate.

And while there are several contested races, only three involve incumbents. The two most watched races don’t have one.

New Jersey's 7th and 12th congressional districts each include multiple Democrats, four and 13 respectively, fighting for the chance to represent their party on the ballot this fall and be sent to Washington for the first time.

WILL THIS IOWA RACE SEE A THREE-PEAT?

By Mike Trautmann

If tonight's 1st Congressional District primaries go as predicted, Iowa will see a three-peat race for one of the most closely watched U.S. House elections in the nation.

Republican U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks and Democrat Christina Bohannan are expected to win their party's nominations tonight. If they do, they'll face each other for the third consecutive timethis November.

Miller-Meeks won the first two races over Bohannan by squeakers. But Bohannan is determined to flip the script this time, potentially aided by President Donald Trump's sinking approval rating.

More: Iowa’s 1st District primaries offer challenges from the left and right

ALL EYES ON REP. TOM KEAN JR. RACE

By Sarah D. Wire

Lots of eyes are also on New Jersey’s highly competitive 7th Congressional District currently held by Republican Rep. Tom Kean Jr. who hasn’t been seen since March due to an undisclosed illness. President Donald Trump endorsed Kean Tuesday.

This is a must-win House seat for Democrats this fall, making today’s primary essential viewing. Leading a crowded field is former Navy helicopter pilot, Rebecca Bennett who faces former Small Business Administration official Michael Roth, intensive care unit doctor Tina Shah, and businessman Brian Varela.

More: Trump endorses a mysteriously missing Republican congressman

WHAT WE'RE WATCHING IN IOWA

Sarah D. Wire

In Iowa, the political landscape has shifted significantly with the coming retirements of incumbent Gov. Kim Reynolds and U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst, both Republicans. Democrats hope to take advantage.

Republicans have enjoyed near-total control of Iowa for years. But the party faces national headwinds in 2026 as voters wrestle with Republican President Donald Trump's leadership in the White House and Republicans' control of Congress.

Read up on the 5 things we're watching ahead of Iowa's June 2 primary election.

WHO IS ON THE BALLOT FOR IOWA GOVERNOR?

Sarah D. Wire

In the Iowa governor's race Democratic state Auditor Rob Sand and his formidable campaign infrastructure face no opponent, while Republicans fight out a divisive five-way primary race in Tuesday's primary.

U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra, the GOP front-runner, faces state Rep. Eddie Andrews, businessman Zach Lahn, former state Rep. Brad Sherman and former state administrator Adam Steen.

The crowded primary means Feenstra faces the threat of failing to reach the 35% threshold needed to secure the nomination outright. If no candidate hits that benchmark, the nomination will be decided by a group of a grassroots delegates at a statewide convention June 13.

Nonpartisan elections analysts at the Cook Political Report have labeled Iowa's governor's race a "toss-up," moving it into the most competitive category the organization tracks.

LOS ANGELES MAYORAL RACE: BASS, PRATT, RAMAN FACE OFF

Paris Barraza

Los Angeles, one of the most populous cities in the nation, has a choice to make on Tuesday, June 2. Do they reelect Mayor Karen Bass, or will someone else assume the role?

Polls have shown that following Bass, Spencer Pratt and Nithya Raman have been the leading candidates in this race. Pratt, who lost his home to the Palisades Fire last January, has described himself as Bass’ “worst nightmare” and as the candidate appealing to Los Angelenos’ common sense, framing his lack of government experience as an asset for a city in dire need of fixing.

Raman’s last-minute entry in the race earlier this year stirred buzz over what it would mean for Bass. She’s spoken about frustrations with how the city is being ran and concerns with the “political establishment,” pointing to administrative slog and scrutiny over the mayor’s homelessness program, Inside Safe.

They’re far from Los Angelenos' only options. More than a dozen people in total will be on the ballot, including Adam Miller, the nonprofit executive and entrepreneur, and Rae Huang, the progressive pastor and housing advocate.

Then there’s the mayor herself, who was elected to this role in 2022 after defeating businessman Rick Caruso. Looming over Bass has been scrutiny over her handling of the Palisades Fire last year. Despite that, Bass was reportedly endorsed by former Vice President Kamala Harris. Other big names include Magic Johnson and unions like the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO.

Follow live election results of the Los Angeles mayoral race here.

WHICH IOWA HOUSE SEATS ARE BEING TARGETED BY DEMOCRATS

Sarah D. Wire

Democrats have targeted two of Iowa's four U.S. House races as pickup opportunities.

Two of Iowa's four congressional races are rated "toss-ups" by election prognosticators at the Cook Political Report and are expected to draw significant national attention.

The 3rd District, which encompasses the capital, Des Moines, is perhaps the state's swingiest, but there won't be many fireworks Tuesday because both party nominees are unchallenged in the primary. Now represented by Republican U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn, the district's electorate is about 36% registered Republicans and 31% registered Democrats. Another 32% are no-party voters. Nunn is being challenged by Democrat Sarah Trone Garriott, a state senator from West Des Moines.

In the state's southeast corner, Republican U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller‑Meeks and Democratic challenger Christina Bohannan are gearing up for what could be their third race against each other since 2022.

Each face challengers, but both Miller-Meeks and Bohannan have large operated in general election mode ahead of the June 2 primary. They have each stockpiled more than $4 million for one of the nation's top targeted U.S. House battles.

KEY CALIFORNIA PRIMARY RACES TO WATCH AS RESULTS COME IN

By James Ward

California voters head to the polls June 2 in a primary that could reshape the state’s congressional map — and influence control of Washington.

Races this year are being reshaped by Proposition 50, which redrew district lines and could alter who advances under California’s top-two system. In several districts, that system may set up same-party matchups in November.

Click here for the key races to watch as results come in statewide.

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT MONTANA'S SENATE RACE

By Sarah D. Wire

In Montana we’re watching a five-way Democratic contest for retiring Republican Sen. Steve Daines’ seat.

The five Democrats are former state Rep. Reilly Neill, Michael Black Wolf, Michael Hummert, Alani Bankhead and Christopher Kehoe.

No candidate has captured big money or voter interest in the longstanding red state — potentially leaving the door open for independent Seth Bodnar, the former University of Montana president, who’s currently outraising them all.

Daines withdrew from the race just minutes before the filing deadline and former U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme entered at the same time, quickly earning endorsements from Daines and President Donald Trump.

Alme faces Republicans Lee Calhoun and Charles Walking Child.

WHO ARE THE IOWA SENATE CANDIDATES?

Sarah D. Wire

One of Iowa's U.S. Senate seats is up for grabs after Republican incumbent U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst announced last year that she would not run in 2026.

Two Democrats, state Rep. Josh Turek and state Sen. Zach Wahls, each argue he is the more electable candidate in a general election.

Turek, of Council Bluffs, grew up with spina bifida and endured 21 surgeries before age 12 and went on to become a gold-medal-winning Paralympian representing Team USA in wheelchair basketball.

Wahls, of Coralville, says he'll motivate voters by taking on a corrupt political system that's rigged in favor of billionaires and corporations at the expense of the middle class. He rose to political prominence after giving a speech at age 19 on the Iowa House floor defending his two mothers' right to marry.

The winner of Tuesday’s primary is expected to take on Republican U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson. Hinson announced her Senate campaign hours after Ernst said she would not seek reelection. She is endorsed by major Iowa political leaders, as well as President Donald Trump.

ATTACHMENT NINETEEN – FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES

CALIFORNIA VOTES ON NEWSOM’S SUCCESSOR AFTER TURBULENT PRIMARY CAMPAIGN

The race to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom has been unpredictable for months, while Mayor Karen Bass of Los Angeles is trying to fend off two challengers.

By Laurel Rosenhall and Shane Goldmacher June 2, 2026, 5:02 a.m. ET

For the first time in more than two decades, California voters are about to pick a new governor who is not already a national figure.

The race to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom has been a tumultuous affair. It began with Kamala Harris’s flirtation with a run. It continued with Senator Alex Padilla’s brief consideration. Representative Eric Swalwell entered the race, only to implode with a flurry of sexual misconduct allegations that resulted in his resignation from Congress rather than promotion.

Voters have been left sifting through about a half-dozen contenders who have mostly struggled to capture their imagination. The top two vote getters advance to a November runoff, regardless of party.

The most intense contest has been between the race’s two highest polling Democrats, Tom Steyer, the billionaire financier who has run hard to the left, and Xavier Becerra, the former state attorney general and health secretary under former President Joseph R. Biden Jr., who would be the state’s first Latino governor in the modern era. President Trump endorsed Steve Hilton, a Republican former Fox News personality, giving him an edge to advance because there are only two serious Republicans in a race with far more Democrats.

California counts its votes slowly, so don’t necessarily expect the results to be clear on Tuesday night. But here is what to watch in the contest for governor, the Los Angeles mayoral race featuring a former reality television star, and other key congressional battles across the state:

DO VOTERS ACTUALLY WANT EXPERIENCE?

Mr. Newsom served eight years as lieutenant governor before taking the state’s top job. His predecessor, Jerry Brown, served as attorney general for four years — and eight years as governor more than two decades earlier — before seeking the office again.

Like them, Mr. Becerra has emphasized his governmental bona fides: a state legislator, a leadership role in Congress, a former state attorney general and a cabinet post under Mr. Biden. He’s the candidate who won’t need “training wheels” in the governor’s office, he likes to say.

The contrast with Mr. Steyer, who has never been elected to anything despite his 2020 presidential run, could not be sharper.

The former hedge fund manager is running as an unabashed progressive outsider who wants to raise commercial property taxes and radically change the way people get health care and electricity.

Other Democratic contenders are also campaigning as disrupters of the status quo. They include Katie Porter, the former congresswoman, and Matt Mahan, the mayor of San Jose, who both have some experience in government but have never held statewide office and have promised to upend how Sacramento does business.

But the main — and most vicious — contest has been between Mr. Becerra and Mr. Steyer.

WILL DEMOCRATS EMBRACE A BILLIONAIRE OF THEIR OWN?

California’s political graveyard is littered with the ultrawealthy who tried to buy their own way into power. There was Al Checchi, a businessman who ran for governor in 1998. There were the tech executives Meg Whitman, who ran for governor in 2010, and Carly Fiorina, who ran for Senate the same year. And Rick Caruso, the developer who spent $100 million losing the 2022 Los Angeles mayor’s race.

Mr. Steyer, who has smashed records by spending more than $200 million in a California governor’s race, is trying to change that, deluging the airwaves with ads more than 1,300 times a day in the month of May, according to an analysis by AdImpact. He has run four times as many ads as all of the other campaigns combined. And that doesn’t even count the paid influencers promoting his candidacy on social media.

But Mr. Steyer has added an unusual twist, campaigning as a billionaire who wants to raise taxes on billionaires and corporations. He is now in a close race with Mr. Becerra and Mr. Hilton to make the top two, polls show.

Mr. Becerra, who emphasized his roots as the son of working class immigrants, did not pour personal wealth into his campaign, but was helped by numerous interest groups that do business at the state Capitol. Oil companies, electric utilities, health care businesses, tech platforms and soda companies were among the donors that collectively put about $54 million into opposing Mr. Steyer and supporting Mr. Becerra.

CAN REPUBLICAN TV PERSONALITIES BREAK THROUGH?

California has been led by Democrats for more than a decade, both in Sacramento and in its biggest cities. Yet the state has shed population during that time to lower-cost red states, as rising prices and the image of homelessness has smudged the state’s once-golden image.

Now, Republicans known more for their television personas than their California policy acumen are seeking high office, both in the race for governor and for Los Angeles mayor.

Mr. Hilton, the former Fox News host, has emerged as the Republican front-runner for governor since President Trump endorsed him in April. And in Los Angeles, Spencer Pratt, a former reality TV star, is running a splashy campaign for mayor fueled by fantastical A.I. videos his fans have circulated on social media. Mr. Trump recently said he hopes Mr. Pratt will do well in the race since “he’s a big MAGA person.”

Mr. Hilton may likely advance to November but would be an extraordinary long shot to capture the governorship. But Mr. Pratt, who is challenging Mayor Karen Bass of Los Angeles, has emerged as an X-factor in the race to run the nation’s second largest city.

He lost his Pacific Palisades house in last year’s fires, which he blames on Ms. Bass and other Democratic leaders and has made a major theme of his campaign. Ms. Bass is also facing a challenge from the left in Nithya Raman, a liberal City Council member. Recent polls show a tight race, with Ms. Bass clinging to a narrow lead and Ms. Raman and Mr. Pratt in competition for second place.

WILL ONE REPUBLICAN AND ONE DEMOCRAT ADVANCE IN EACH RACE?

For months, the California Democratic Party has warned about a nightmare scenario: that so many Democrats would split the vote for governor that two Republicans would advance in the nation’s biggest blue state.

After all, Mr. Steyer, Mr. Becerra, Ms. Porter and Mr. Mahan are joined by Antonio Villaraigosa, the former Los Angeles mayor, and Tony Thurmond, the state schools chief, on the ballot.

But those fears largely subsided after Mr. Hilton opened a big lead on the other leading Republican, Chad Bianco, the Riverside County sheriff. Now with Mr. Hilton, Mr. Becerra and Mr. Steyer all clustered close together in polls it is at least theoretically possible that two Democrats advance, which would mean a bruising race all the way through November. Mr. Hilton seemed concerned enough about that possibility that he asked Mr. Bianco to drop out of the race on Saturday.

In the mayor’s race in Los Angeles, a key question is if Ms. Bass will be fending off a progressive challenger in November or a more Trump-aligned rival. Mr. Newsom recently endorsed Ms. Bass, who has faced criticism over both her initial absence during the fires that tore through parts of the Los Angeles region and her handling of homelessness.

California House races are a window into national dynamics.

With 52 House seats, California’s congressional elections offer a microcosm of the country’s many political fissures.

In San Francisco, the race to replace Representative Nancy Pelosi, the former House speaker, includes fights over progressivism, Israel, gender, artificial intelligence and more.

In the Central Valley, Republicans have been trying to elevate a more progressive Democratic challenger, Randy Villegas, to run against Representative David Valadao, one of the nation’s more endangered Republican incumbents. Republicans think it would be easier to defeat Mr. Villegas in the general election, while national Democrats have embraced Dr. Jasmeet Bains, a moderate assemblywoman, as their preferred challenger.

In Orange and Riverside counties, Representatives Ken Calvert and Young Kim were put on a collision course by Democratic redistricting. The contest has involved a caustic flurry of accusations of insufficient fealty to Mr. Trump.

In Northern California, two longtime Democrats, Representatives Doris Matsui, 81, and Mike Thompson, 75, are seeking to stave off younger Democratic challengers making arguments for generational change. A similar dynamic is playing out in Southern California, where Representative Brad Sherman, 71, is facing a younger Democratic challenger named Jake Levine.

Laurel Rosenhall is a Sacramento-based reporter covering California politics and government for The Times.

Shane Goldmacher is a Times national political correspondent.

See more on: U.S. Politics, Karen Bass, Xavier Becerra, Governor Gavin Newsom, Katie Porter, Tom Steyer

More on California

L.A. Mayor’s Race: Spencer Pratt, a former reality star, has become a national fixation as he competes in the open primary race to become the next mayor of Los Angeles. And several candidates have made the hospitality industry part of their platforms.

· Election for Governor: The state sees itself as a progressive trailblazer on many fronts, but it has never elected a woman as governor. That puts it in the minority of states.

· Election Procedures: Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation that tries to stop outside officials from taking ballots or getting involved in ballot processing.

· $400 Million Showdown: The owner of the Los Angeles Rams and the City of Inglewood are in a dispute over Hollywood Park and SoFi Stadium, which is about to host World Cup matches.

·  ‘A War on R.V.s’: The vehicles are seen as an eyesore — the most visible sign of the state’s homelessness crisis. Neighbors and politicians want them gone. The people who call them home feel under siege.

ATTACHMENT TWENTY – FROM THE MONTANA FREE PRESS

THIS STORY WAS LAST UPDATED AT 08:58 A.M. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3. 

Montana voters across the state cast ballots in Republican, Democratic and Libertarian primaries for federal, state and local legislative races, with polls closing at 8 p.m. on Tuesday. 

Montana Free Press staff will update this article with election results in major races as they become available. 

As Montana voters go to the polls and return ballots, MTFP reporters will be sharing insights and updates along the way.

06.02.2026

WESTERN CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT (MT-01)

The Associated Press called the Republican primary race for conservative radio personality Aaron Flint shortly before 9 p.m. Flint had been competing against Montana Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen, former state lawmaker Al Olszewski and retired teacher Ray Curtis. 

After incumbent Rep. Ryan Zinke announced in March that he would not seek reelection to the Western Montana seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, Flint and other high-profile Republicans surged into the field to compete for the chance to represent their party on the November ballot. 

On the Democratic ballot, four contenders sought to differentiate themselves and their records in what political observers consider the state’s most winnable district for minority-party Democrats. Those candidates are former gubernatorial candidate Ryan Busse, former smokejumper Sam Forstag, former child care executive Russell Cleveland and rancher Matt Rains. 

Shortly after 8 a.m. on Wednesday, Forstag declared victory, with a lead of about 2,900 votes over Busse. The Associated Press estimated 98% of the votes had been counted but had not yet called the race as of 8:50 a.m. In a statement on social media, Busse conceded and congratulated Forstag.

Libertarian Kimberly Persico ran unopposed in the June 2 primary.

EASTERN CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT (MT-02)

Three Democrats lined up for the chance to try to unseat incumbent Republican Rep. Troy Downing, who was unopposed by members of his own party in his bid for reelection to a second term. 

The Associated Press called the Democratic primary for Brian Miller, a Helena attorney, at about 9:45 p.m. Miller defeated Sam Lux, a Great Falls farrier, and state Sen. Jonathan Windy Boy of Box Elder. Windy Boy initially paused his campaign and later restarted it amid allegations of sexual abuse and harassment. 

Libertarian Patrick McCracken also ran unopposed in the June 2 primary. 

Independent candidate Michael Eisenhauer, a Great Falls cardiologist, did not appear on the primary election ballot. Independents must submit a required number of voter signatures to appear on the ballot in November.

U.S. SENATE

The Associated Press called the Republican primary race for Kurt Alme less than 30 minutes after polls closed and with only 8% of votes counted. Alme, a former U.S. prosecutor for the District of Montana, ran against two other Republicans in the June 2 primary, Lee Calhoun and Charles Walking Child. 

After Republican U.S. Sen. Steve Daines dropped out of his reelection campaign in March, Alme entered the fray, quickly earning endorsements from Daines and President Donald Trump. 

The Associated Press called the Democratic U.S. Senate primary for U.S. Air Force veteran Alani Bankhead of Helena shortly before 10 p.m., dealing a defeat to former state lawmaker Reilly Neill from Livingston, Christopher Kehoe, Michael Hummert and Michael Black Wolf.

Independent Seth Bodnar, the former president of the University of Montana, did not appear on the primary ballot. Bodnar has built a well-funded campaign and recently touted a sizable haul of signatures that, if certified by state election officials, would qualify him for the November ballot.

PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION

In the race for the PSC-1, a district that spans much of eastern Montana, including Billings, Great Falls and Miles City, Republican Jeff Pattinson defeated Jeremy Trebas, a state legislator and accountant from Great Falls. The Associated Press called the race for Pattison at 10:11 p.m. Democrat Angeline Cheek ran unopposed.

In PSC-5, spanning a swath of western Montana from the Flathead Valley to Lewis and Clark County, Republican candidates are incumbent Annie Bukacek, David Sanders and Joe Dooling. The PSC-5 Republican primary had not yet been called and was still neck and neck early Wednesday morning as Bukacek led the pack by one and a half percentage points over Dooling, according to the Associated Press. With 95% of the votes reported, Bukacek had secured nearly 35% of the vote, while Dooling and Sanders had 33.4% and 31.7%, respectively.

Democrat Kevin Hamm was uncontested in his party’s primary for that district.

The Public Service Commission regulates Montana utilities, including NorthWestern Energy, the shareholder-owned company that has been courting data center developers amid a proposed merger with a South Dakota-based utility. 

SUPREME COURT 

Both nonpartisan candidates for the Montana Supreme Court are set to advance to the general election in November. 

Candidates Amy Eddy and Dan Wilson are two of five judges in Montana’s 11th Judicial District which is located in Flathead County. Wilson previously ran for the state’s high court in 2024 but lost by roughly nine percentage points. 

With votes still reporting early Wednesday, Eddy had garnered 51% — or roughly 135,195 votes — compared to Wilson’s 49%, according to the Montana Secretary of State. Because turnout for the primary election tends to be markedly different from that of the general election, it can’t be assumed that these results will mirror the general election outcome. 

There has been a strong push by Montana Republicans to switch the state’s judicial races to be partisan, as a competing effort has cropped up to enshrine the nonpartisan status in the state’s constitution. Wilson has said that he is not going to weigh in on the matter, while Eddy has said she opposes switching the courts to a partisan affair. 

THE LEGISLATURE 

A number of heated and expensive Republican primary elections have been months in the making after divisions among GOP legislators were deepened during the 2025 legislative session. Some, but not all, of those races had been called Tuesday evening.

The most notable races include more centrist Republican incumbents who are running against candidates to the right of them that have gotten the endorsement of the Montana Republican Party, despite the fact that it is rare for state parties to involve themselves in elections before the primary. The outcomes from these races will have a significant impact on the balance of power at the 2027 Legislature and which faction of the GOP controls the Capitol. 

One prominent contest was between Rep. Llew Jones, R-Conrad, and Rep. Zack Wirth, R-Wolf Creek. Jones, the leader of the centrist faction and a longtime thorn in the side of the far-right, prevailed in the race for Senate District 9 by 6 points, according to the Associated Press. 

Similarly, Rep. George Nikolakakos beat Public Service Commissioner Randy Pinocci by nearly 40 percentage points in the Republican primary race for Senate District 12 in Great Falls. Like Jones, Nikolakakos leans more moderate and has been at odds with the Montana GOP. 

Other than Jones and Nikolakakos, most centrists lost to or were trailing their farther right competition as of Wednesday morning.

 Rep. Linda Reksten, R-Polson, lost by 25 points to 20-year-old college student Finley Warden — who aimed to challenge her conservative bonafides from the right — in their contest for the statehouse. Rep. John Fitzpatrick, R-Anaconda, another incumbent Republican who was competing with a state party-backed hardliner, lost his primary, also by 20 points, in a House race to Trish Schreiber, the Associated Press reported.

Former Republican Rep. Steven Galloway beat Rep. Ed Buttrey by nearly 32 percentage points in the race for Great Falls’ Senate District 11. Galloway is another staunch Republican who is aligned with the Montana GOP; he testified last summer that he wanted moderates expelled from the state GOP. Buttrey, meanwhile, was the main architect behind maintaining Medicaid expansion in Montana at the 2025 legislative session, a chief policy goal among Democrats and centrist Republicans that was opposed by hard-right Republicans. 

In Gallatin County, a pair of firebrand conservative brothers, Rep. Caleb Hinkle, who is running in Senate District 34, and Rep. Jedediah Hinkle, running in House District 67 beat their more moderate opponents by 47 and 41 points, respectively. 

During the 2025 legislative session, nine GOP senators violated the party line and formed a coalition with Democrats, effectively putting hardline Republicans in the minority. That move enraged the state GOP and the 23 Republicans who ended up in the minority in a chamber where the party controlled with what was nearly a supermajority. In the race for Senate District 34, Hinkle bested Sen. Shelley Vance, who was the only senator out of nine who was up for reelection in the same district. 

Also in Gallatin County, two Democrats representing Bozeman in the statehouse were competing against each other to represent Senate District 32, but as of early Wednesday only 82 votes separated them. Rep. Becky Edwards trailed Rep. Kelly Kortum by 3.1% with 90% of the votes counted. Also among Democrats, Monica Tranel, who has twice run for U.S. House, but lost both times to Republican Rep. Ryan Zinke, won her primary for statehouse in Missoula. 

ATTACHMENT TWENTY ONE – FROM WHYY PHILA

NEW JERSEY PRIMARY ELECTION 2026: HERE’S WHO WON AND WHO LOST, PLUS FULL RESULTS

Among other races: Democrats chose a nominee for the 7th Congressional District, which could decide control of the chamber.

By Maria Pulcinella June 3, 2026

Primary Election Day has come and gone in New Jersey.

Here’s a look at how major races unfolded:

· U.S. Senate: Justin Murphy won the Republican nomination in a bid to unseat Democratic U.S. Sen. Cory Booker.

· U.S. HOUSE

o 2nd Congressional District: Zack Mullock won the Democratic primary and will face Jeff Van Drew in November. Democrats believe the district is their best chance at ousting Van Drew, a four-term incumbent who switched parties in 2019.

o 3rd Congressional District: Marine Corps veteran and former New York City police officer Michael McGuire won the Republican primary. He’ll face Democratic incumbent Herb Conaway in November.

o 4th Congressional District: Rachel Peace nabbed the Democratic nomination and looks to unseat U.S. Rep. Chris Smith in the Republican stronghold.

o 7th Congressional District: Democrats nominated Rebecca Bennett to take on incumbent U.S. Rep Tom Kean Jr., who has missed over 100 votes in Congress for the critical Republican district since early March.

o 12th Congressional District: Army surgeon Adam Hamawy bested 12 other candidates in this crowded Democratic primary.

·

· Full race results: Here’s a look at who won and who lost across New Jersey.

Justin Murphy wins New Jersey’s Republican Senate primary. He’ll face Cory Booker in November

Murphy, an attorney, campaigned on tax cuts, spending reductions and boosting private sector growth.

12 hours ago

Army surgeon Adam Hamawy wins crowded New Jersey primary in 12th Congressional District

Hamawy bested 12 other primary candidates and will face Republican Greg Mele in November in the race to succeed retiring U.S. Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman.

14 hours ago

Zack Mullock wins New Jersey’s Democratic primary for 2nd Congressional District. He’ll face Van Drew in November

Democrats believe the 2026 general election is their best chance at ousting Van Drew, a four-term incumbent who switched parties in 2019.

14 hours ago

ATTACHMENT TWENTY TWO – FROM SOURCE NEW MEXICO

DEB HAALAND WINS NEW MEXICO DEMOCRATIC RACE FOR GOVERNOR

GOP gubernatorial candidate Hull in the lead

By: Joshua Bowling June 2, 2026 8:04 pm

Former U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland is the Democratic nominee to be New Mexico’s next governor after handily defeating fellow Democrat Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman in Tuesday’s primary election. 

Polls closed across New Mexico at 7 p.m. About 30 minutes later, local pollsters and the Associated Press called the race for Haaland.

In Albuquerque, around the Old Town plaza, Haaland supporters gathered and raised “Deb for Gov” signs in the air.

“I’ve known Deb for about a quarter of a century…long before the fancy titles,” state Rep. Derrick Lente (D-Sandia Pueblo) said from the Old Town gazebo to a crowd of Haaland supporters. 

Haaland will face the winner of the three-way Republican race for governor — between former Rio Rancho Mayor Gregg Hull, communications professional Doug Turner and former state cabinet secretary-turned cannabis CEO Duke Rodriguez — in the Nov. 3 general election. 

In response to her win, Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin released a statement congratulating Haaland and calling her “a proven fighter who will stand up for New Mexicans, and we are fired up to elect her. While Trump’s extreme agenda has inflicted real pain on families throughout the state, Haaland will fight to bring down the cost of living, expand access to healthcare, keep communities safe, and protect public lands. Ahead of November, the DNC is ready to help organize and mobilize voters to send Haaland to Santa Fe.”

In the three-way Republican gubernatorial campaign, former Rio Rancho Mayor Gregg Hull was leading with 48% of the vote, followed by Doug Turner at 36% and Duke Rodriguez at 16%.

Earlier in the evening, speaking over the sound of wind snapping against the handful of tents before the New Mexican Republican Party headquarters, Hull emphasized unity to a crowd of three dozen party faithful Tuesday evening.

“I hope to hear the same thing from every other candidate tonight. If I don’t win this primary, whoever does win this primary, I’m 100% behind that candidate, because at the end of the day, we need to win the Roundhouse,” Hull said. “We’ve got to come together, we’ve got to unify.” Source NM is at Haaland’s campaign party awaiting her remarks, and monitoring the rest of the races as well. This is a developing story and will be updated throughout the night.

ATTACHMENT TWENTY THREE – FROM SOUTH DAKOTA SEARCHLIGHT

DOEDEN AND RHODEN ADVANCE TO RUNOFF IN REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR PRIMARY, JOHNSON FALLS TO THIRD

By: Seth Tupper June 3, 2026 12:59 am Updated 3:33 am

Political newcomer Toby Doeden finished first Tuesday in South Dakota’s Republican governor primary but failed to reach 35%, setting up a runoff with Gov. Larry Rhoden while U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson — who led in several early polls — fell to third and out of the running.

With all but one of the state’s 686 precincts reported by about 3 a.m. Wednesday, Doeden led with 31% of the votes, followed by Rhoden, 25%, Johnson, 23%, and state House Speaker Jon Hansen, 21%. All the votes are from registered Republicans, whose primary races are off-limits to independents and voters from other parties. The one unreported precinct was in Oglala Lakota County.

State law requires a top-two runoff eight weeks later, which falls on July 28, if nobody reaches 35% in a primary with three or more candidates for governor.

Doeden, a vehicle dealership owner from Aberdeen who’s been involved in other businesses and rental properties, said “the career politicians told me what we collectively have done across this state was impossible.”

“They said no outsider in South Dakota can break through three career, 20-year politicians,” Doeden said. “Well, guess what? You and I, we are doing it.”

Rhoden spoke of the challenge ahead.

“I kind of feel like that proverbial groundhog who came up and saw my shadow, and now there’s going to be eight more weeks of campaigning,” Rhoden said. “But that’s the price we’re going to have to pay. We are going to hit the ground running next week.”

Johnson had expressed confidence late Tuesday evening that he would make up ground and qualify for the runoff as the final returns came in, but that didn’t happen.

“This is still a great state,” said Johnson, of Mitchell. “We are still falling behind in some key areas. We still need to go build a better South Dakota, and I’m not turning away from that obligation just because I’m not the governor.”

Johnson’s loss means he’ll be out of a job in January when his current term in the U.S. House ends. He opted to run for governor rather than seek another House term.

Prior to Tuesday, no governor primary race had gone to a runoff since the passage of the runoff law in 1985. In previous instances when a candidate failed to receive 35% in a crowded field, the nominee was decided by delegates at a state party convention.

The candidate who ultimately wins the Republican nomination for governor will advance to the Nov. 3 general election to face Dan Ahlers, who was uncontested for the Democratic nomination.

NOEM’S RESIGNATION IGNITES RACE

Former Gov. Kristi Noem opened the door for a Republican primary race when she resigned in January 2025 to accept a job in President Donald Trump’s administration.

Noem’s departure elevated Rhoden from lieutenant governor to serve the remainder of Noem’s second term, which ends in January. During his time as governor, Rhoden has worked with legislators to sign several major bills into law.

Those include laws capturing revenue from sales tax increases to reduce homeowner property taxes, a law banning the use of a legal procedure known as eminent domain to gain land access for carbon capture pipelines, and a law funding construction of a $650 million replacement for the oldest parts of the state’s 145-year-old penitentiary.

Rhoden, a lifelong rancher and welder from rural Union Center, built his campaign on his legislative achievements.

“Good policy makes good politics,” he said while launching his campaign in November.

At Rhoden’s watch party Tuesday night in Rapid City, Jim Hunt, of Faith, who has known Rhoden since high school, said his support for the governor is grounded in character.

“If it’s something that he doesn’t believe in, he’ll tell you why, because he’s honest and his integrity is number one,” Hunt said.

But Rhoden’s status as governor couldn’t prevent Johnson from entering the race last June as the presumptive frontrunner. Johnson had the highest profile due to his four terms in the U.S. House, his previous service on the state Public Utilities Commission, and his 20-plus years of involvement in statewide politics.

That long resume was an important factor for 55-year-old Republican voter Dan Harrell.

“I’m looking for experience, and so for me, the one who’s going to have the most experience for our state is going to be Dusty,” Harrell said in an interview with South Dakota Searchlight at a Sioux Falls polling place. “Just because he’s been representing us for longer than the other ones have.”

Johnson also began with more than $6 million in campaign funds he’d built up over prior election cycles.

“Ladies and gentlemen, President Trump talks about this as the golden age of America,” Johnson said in a campaign announcement speech last year. “South Dakota needs an energy and optimism to meet that moment.”

THE TRUMP EFFECT

Johnson’s opponents cited several examples from his congressional career to label him as insufficiently supportive of the Republican president.

Johnson was one of 13 House Republicans who voted with Democrats when they blocked Trump’s declaration of an emergency on the southern U.S. border in 2019. Johnson said at the time that he supported funding for border wall construction. But he opposed expanding presidential power at the expense of Congress, which he said would result from allowing the president to pay for the wall with money budgeted for other purposes.

Johnson also voted for the certification of the 2020 presidential election and the creation of an independent, bipartisan commission to investigate the rioters who attempted to stop the certification. The effort to create that commission failed, and Johnson voted against creating the Democratic-led House Select Committee that ultimately conducted the investigation. But he supported Rep. Liz Cheney when other Republicans stripped her of a House leadership position in retaliation for service on the committee.

Rhoden’s campaign published a website referencing some of those votes and describing them as indicative of “the real Dusty Johnson” — someone who’s “not with Trump.” A political action committee affiliated with Doeden sent a text message to Republican voters saying “if you hate President Trump and all that he stands for, Dusty Johnson is the candidate for you.”

Doeden, who spent at least $4 million of his own money in the race, tried to position himself as the most pro-Trump candidate. He often mentioned Trump in his initial advertisements — although not as much in the waning weeks of the campaign, as Trump’s national approval rating fell below 40%.

CANDIDATE PLATFORMS

Doeden also ran on a promise to phase out property taxes, although opponents criticized Doeden’s plan as vague. He said the state would have enough money to eliminate property taxes after he reduces state spending, grows the economy and eliminates waste, inefficiencies and redundancies in state government.

Republican voter Brian O’Connor, of Rapid City, liked Doeden’s message and outsider status.

“I just think we need somebody different, and I’ve seen those other people too much, and he’s probably the one that is the least political right now,” O’Connor said in an interview at his polling place with South Dakota Searchlight.

Johnson largely ignored the critiques of his own record. His campaign was a mix of promises to strengthen schools, the economy and public safety, and criticism of tax laws approved by Rhoden and Hansen.

Rhoden signed three bills into law during this year’s legislative session that allow for higher sales taxes. Two of them devote the extra revenue — from a scheduled statewide sales tax increase in one instance, and a new, optional county sales tax in the other — toward reducing homeowner property taxes. Hansen supported those bills but not the third one, which creates an optional sales tax that cities can impose temporarily to pay for special projects.

Ads from Johnson and political action committees supporting him criticized Hansen and Rhoden for the sales tax increases, without mentioning the homeowner property tax reductions.

Hansen, of Dell Rapids, ran on a platform of “faith, family and freedom,” seeking to capitalize on his standing as co-chair of the anti-abortion Life Defense Fund, which led the successful fight against an abortion-rights ballot question two years ago. Another major facet of Hansen’s campaign was his criticism of the state’s approach to economic development, calling the use of state funds to give tax breaks and other incentives to large companies “a breeding ground of corruption.”

Total spending by all four campaigns in the race surpassed $10 million, according to campaign finance reports filed two weeks before the election, plus more than $1 million spent by political action committees. Final figures won’t be known until the next reporting deadline in October.

Statewide voter turnout for the primary election was 35%, according to the Secretary of State’s office. Turnout among Republicans was 43%.

ATTACHMENT TWENTY FOUR – FROM THE FORT WORTH STAR TELEGRAM

GOP’S HARD-RIGHT TURN HAS THESE REPUBLICANS UNSURE THEY’LL VOTE FOR PAXTON

By Eleanor Dearman Updated June 2, 2026 9:17 AM

Southlake Mayor John Huffman is struggling to see a place for himself in a Republican Party that put Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on the November ballot for U.S. Senate. The embattled attorney general’s career has been plagued by professional and personal scandal, including allegations of infidelity and misusing his office to benefit a political donor, but has largely come out unscathed. He reached a new high May 26 when he won a bruising Republican primary runoff against incumbent Sen. John Cornyn.

For Huffman, who most recently ran as a Republican in a special election for state Senate in North Texas, Paxton’s victory despite perceived character flaws has him questioning what do in November, when Paxton will face Democrat James Talarico, an Austin-area Texas House representative, for the statewide seat.

“I don’t see much of any of myself in the Democratic Party,” Huffman said in an interview. “I also don’t see much of me in the modern Republican Party that has delivered another message that it does not care about character.”

He thinks of former President Bill Clinton’s time in office. “My formative political years were around Bill Clinton’s scandals and a Republican Party that was very clear that character counts,” Huffman said. He soon added, “Now we nominate Ken Paxton, who doesn’t even pretend anymore.”

“The defense you hear is, ‘Oh, well — we’re not electing a pastor. We’re electing a senator or president or whatever,’ ” he said. It’s ironic, Huffman said, “because that is exactly the defense that the Democrats used for Bill Clinton in the 90s, and it wasn’t good enough then, and it’s not good enough now.” The passion in his voice was apparent as the former mayor laid out the predicament he and some other Republicans are in: wondering what to do in November with two candidates that were far from his first choice to represent Texas in Washington as one of the state’s two U.S. senators.

Some Texas Republicans say they feel unheard and left behind in the version of the GOP where those furthest to the political right are running the show and controlling the party’s message. That divide was on display for the country when Cornyn, a four-term senator with a gentlemanly reputation, lost to Paxton, an embattled MAGA champion, by more than 28 points. It’s these voters that Republicans need to ingratiate in the five months before the Nov. 3 general election, Huffman said. It’s also these voters Democrats will try to attract.

‘The party seems to not be listening’ Huffman isn’t alone in his dissatisfaction on the Senate runoff’s outcome or his lack of clarity about what to do come November. Former U.S. Rep. Michael Burgess, former Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley and former Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price all said as much in interviews with the Star-Telegram. “For those of us who were Cornyn supporters the party seems to not be listening,” Price said in an email. “These are lifelong Republicans who may either not vote in November or vote for the other party.” In a text message, Price called Paxton “corrupt and immoral” and said she won’t vote for him. She’ll most likely sit the race out, but said she will study Talarico. Right now, though, he’s too liberal for her. “Bad choices for mainstream voters!” she said in a text message. Talarico says any Texan who “doesn’t want a crook as their U.S. senator” has a place in his campaign. “If I had to sum up my message to John Cornyn’s supporters looking for an alternative to corrupt Ken Paxton, I’d tell them this: I don’t answer to any one political party. I answer to you, the people of Texas,” the Democrat said in a written statement. Some Cornyn supporters have committed to backing Paxton in the fall. While Cornyn didn’t name Paxton in his election night concession speech, he said that he would support the Republican ticket.

High-ranking Republicans, including party leaders in the Senate, are calling for voters to coalesce around Paxton. They come as Republicans in Texas try to hold on to seats up and down the ballot and as national Republicans try to keep control of the U.S. House and Senate in what could be a vulnerable midterm election year.

“One thing I know about Texas: We’re not going to let them take it,” Paxton said on election night. His campaign and the Tarrant and Texas Republican parties did not return requests for comment.

The Senate runoff was a full-out brawl. Paxton pitched Cornyn as an insufficiently conservative senator and the anti-Trump candidate. Cornyn’s campaign highlighted controversies associated with Paxton and painted him as a drag on downballot candidates in November. “After every primary, some Republicans need time to get over their losses,” Tarrant County Judge Tim O’Hare said in a written statement. The GOP has “several strong nominees with better ideas and policies,” he said, turning attention to criticisms of Talarico. “I support our Republican nominee for U.S. Senate and urge every Texas Republican to do the same,” he said. “The stakes are too high to do otherwise. Republican primary voters have spoken. It’s time to unite behind every Republican nominee.”

Other Paxton backers have said the choice is explicit for any Republican voter, citing Talarico’s stances on illegal immigration and the border, gender issues and even his religious views as too far left for Texas. But for voters like Huffman, the choice isn’t as simple as red versus blue. He points to his run for Texas Senate District 9 seat as a cautionary tale. Huffman was the first out in a three-way November special election for the Tarrant County district that includes part of Fort Worth. The open office needed to be filled mid-term after former Sen. Kelly Hancock moved to the Texas Comptroller’s office.

Labeled insufficiently conservative, Huffman didn’t advance to a Jan. 31 runoff. Republican Leigh Wambsganss did, with some of the state’s most hard-right leaders and groups in her corner. She was joined by Democrat Taylor Rehmet, a union leader who was the only Democrat in the race and the night’s top vote-getter. To the shock of the nation, Rehmet — who ran a race focused on kitchen table issues like the economy and jobs — now represents the historically red seat, a district that President Donald Trump won by 17 points in 2024. Rehmet and Wambsganss are back on the ballot in November for a full term.

As Huffman sees it, the “remnant” voters — which he describes as those concerned about competence and character — have been taken for granted. It was assumed they’d show up and vote for the Republican candidate in runoff elections, he said. “The Republicans need them — need us — in the general” election this fall, Huffman said. “Especially this year.”

He hopes the state Senate race is instructive for Republican Party leadership. “We’re really at risk for an SD-9 to play out statewide,” he said.

Whitley is arguably on the extreme end of the middle. He’s unafraid to buck the GOP and has a reputation for supporting Democrats when he thinks it’s the right thing to do. But the former Republican Tarrant County judge, who didn’t seek reelection in 2022 after nearly three decades in county office, is an example of someone who was willing to flip parties in the Senate District 9 race – cheering Rehmet as a candidate who will “roll up their sleeves and focus on the basics” such as strengthening schools, upgrading infrastructure and affordability for families. Whitley said he might flip again, this time in the U.S. Senate race. “Talarico is looking real good to me,” Whitley said. “I won’t vote for Paxton. Period. End of statement.”

Former officials search for their place in the Republican Party In an interview, Price, the former Fort Worth mayor, said was disappointed by the May 26 runoff result but “not terribly surprised.” Turnout was decent, but a lot of the — she starts to say “middle of the road” voters but stops herself — “more reasonable conservatives” didn’t vote, Price said. Roughly 880,000 people voted for Paxton in March versus 890,000 in May. About 502,000 people voted for Cornyn in May compared to 910,000 in March. “Those people didn’t jump to Paxton,” Price said. “They just didn’t vote, and that’s a shame.

And that tells you the messaging from the party probably isn’t right.” There is a segment of Republican voters being left out because they don’t vote in primaries, Whitley said. Many active members of the party aren’t interested in “confrontation and fierce debate,” he added. “And unfortunately, those who are on the radical side have no problems just calling you a RINO or anything else,” Whitley said. “If you don’t go along with 100% of what they want, then ... you’re dead to them.”

Primaries often favor the more extreme candidate politically, resulting in what can be bitter partisan brawls as campaigns fight to be the victor and make it to the November ballot. Huffman puts it this way: “The hard-right primary machine, which is well-funded and well-organized, dominates Republican primaries and dominates runoffs.” “Now, we’ve got a nominee for the U.S. Senate who is scandal ridden going up against a Democrat whose policies I don’t share,” he said. “It’s put people like me – and there’s a lot of us – in a really, really hard position.”

Former Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price said she doesn’t know that there’s a place for her in the Republican Party as it currently exists: “I don’t think there is one right now,” she said. She lost a 2022 primary bid to succeed Whitley as Tarrant County judge to O’Hare, who focused on social issues and spending cuts during his bid and was perceived as the more conservative candidate. “They painted me as a RINO in that county judge race,” she said. “No one’s reached out. … I work on party issues on the outside some and try to get everybody to vote and talk about reasonable Republican issues, but that’s not the message the party’s sending right now.”

The former mayor sees herself as a “fiscal conservative” and not a “social liberal.” “So I suppose that makes me more of a moderate Republican, although right now, a ‘moderate Republican’ — that seems to be a dirty word,” Price said.

Huffman said that he’s been labeled as a “moderate” in primaries but that if you look at his record in office, he’s not: He’s a conservative who doesn’t see a lot of what he cares about reflected in the modern Texas Republican Party. “The hard left hates me as much as the hard right, because I’m not anything close to a moderate,” Huffman said. “What I am is a … small-government, low-taxes, low-regulation, grow-business conservative Republican, who cares deeply about integrity in office and who cares about doing an excellent job.”

Whitley doesn’t “publicize himself” as a Republican anymore but said he leans conservative and is more of a Republican than a “liberal Democrat.” He intends to vote for Texas Sen. Sarah Eckhardt, a Democrat running for comptroller, over Republican nominee and former state Sen. Don Huffines.

Former Tarrant County GOP Chair Bo French also won’t get Whitley’s vote for railroad commissioner. That will go to state Rep. Jon Rosenthal, a Democrat. In 2022, Whitley picked Mike Collier, who was running as a Democrat for lieutenant governor, over incumbent Republican Dan Patrick. This year, Whitley says he’ll support Collier again, who is now running as an independent. He endorsed U.S. Rep. Colin Allred, a Dallas Democrat, over Republican Sen. Ted Cruz during the senator’s 2024 election bid. He also endorsed Democrat Kamala Harris for president that year.

“I’m looking at the individual,” Whitley said. “I’m looking for somebody who wants to go in there and solve problems and not just create them. And I don’t mind if the other side gets some publicity as a part of the win.”

This year’s GOP primaries focused on allegiance to Trump, curtailing so-called Islamification and social issues. Price would like to see the party focusing on bringing in jobs, improving public education, lowering taxes and gas prices. Failing to focus on issues that people can relate to — particularly young people with families — runs the risk of alienating some voters, Price said. “Democrats haven’t had much of a message, either, but if they decide to turn themselves around and get better messaging, the Republican Party could darn well lose these folks that have always been good conservatives, just not the radical conservatives,” Price said.

It’s not that the “red meat” issues don’t matter, Huffman said. “But that’s not what normal Texans are talking about,” he said. Huffman didn’t rule out voting for Paxton in the general election, but he’s expressed disapproval of the attorney general’s character and has concerns about some of the other Republican statewide candidates.

It’s not that he wants to be lobbied, Huffman explained in a text message. He wants to watch the race as an ordinary voter would — observing Paxton’s actions and attitude over the coming months, including the way he treats Cornyn voters and if he repents for “his well-documented betrayals of his wife,” state Sen. Angela Paxton, a McKinney Republican. “The whole point of being a politically homeless conservative is that I’m not on autopilot for either party,” he said. “I have to be earned, one race at a time.”

LOOKING AHEAD TO THE GENERAL ELECTION

Many top Republican leaders like – those backed Cornyn, Paxton and ones who opted not to endorse during the primary – are rallying around Paxton, in hopes of bringing together a disjointed Republican electorate ahead of November. Analysts, including many Republicans, perceived Paxton as the weaker candidate against Talarico in November, which some party leaders fear could require extra resources and campaign help that draws away from other competitive Senate races.

“We’ve got to pivot,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a South Dakota Republican, said in a recent interview, according to Axios. “Losing is not an option when it comes to the state of Texas and what it means for our majority in the Senate.”

But some Republicans aren’t buying. There’s “not a chance in hell” Jason Baldwin is voting for Paxton in November. “Character matters,” he said. “I don’t care if you’re Republican, Democrat, white, Black, yellow, green: We all have a character, and Ken Paxton does not align with that for me.” Baldwin previously served as the president of the Log Cabin Republicans of Fort Worth, a political group for LGBTQ Republicans that has since disbanded because Baldwin said it wasn’t welcomed into the party.

Texans went to the polls to vote for Democratic and Republican primary candidates ahead of November's midterm elections. Would he not vote in the race? Perhaps. Voting for Talarico is an option, but he needs to do more research. A lifelong Republican voter and staunch supporter of limited government, Baldwin doesn’t believe in policies like requiring the Ten Commandments be hung in classrooms and dictating what books can and cannot be read.

Baldwin said he particularly needs to learn where the Democratic nominee stands on immigration, ensuring the government is operating with a balanced budget and ending and staying out of wars. “What I know is I don’t align with what’s happening right now” in the GOP, he said.

6 HRS AGO

Usually the Texas elections are decided in the primaries. Whoever is chosen in the republican primary will usually get elected in the general election just because they have an "R" next to their name. Unfortunately, most voters don't really care about the primaries, except for the extremists, leading to victories of more and more extreme candidates (Wambangass, Paxton, Bo French). With that being said, I'm hoping the voters have reached the extent of the awful candidates chosen in the primary this year and start to realize that character counts more than party.

at: https://www.star-telegram.com/news/politics-government/state-politics/article315942361.html#storylink=cpy

ATTACHMENT TWENTY FIVE – FROM TIME

BY PHILIP ELLIOTT
Senior Correspondent, TIME

President Donald Trump has a type, at least when it comes to political candidates. They tend to be brash, razor-tongued mold-breakers, hardliners who want to own the libs, political newcomers unhindered by norms or niceties.

Then there’s Steve Hilton, a Republican who has a shot at being California’s next Governor. Hilton’s resumé reads like the opposite of what you’d expect for the next leader of a state that backed Kamala Harris over Trump by 20 points. A British-born dual U.S.-U.K. citizen since 2021, Hilton was once a member of Margaret Thatcher’s political machine and a senior adviser to British Prime Minister David Cameron’s coalition government before becoming a Fox News personality. In most other blue states, Trump’s endorsement would be the kiss of death. But under California’s jungle primary system, the top two vote-getters get to face each other in a head-to-head contest in November, regardless of party. If the latest polls bear out, Hilton is well-positioned to advance.

On a half-hour call with me this week, Hilton explained how he sees his competitiveness in the race as one of many signs that Californians are rejecting the hold-the-line liberalism that has defined California politics for a generation.

“We've had 16 years of one-party rule, and the results are in. And it's a massive disappointment on every front,” Hilton says. “People are sensing that there's an energy for change this year. You can feel it in the energy around Spencer Pratt's campaign [for Mayor] in L.A. You can feel it around the response that we're getting up and down the state.”

Helping Hilton be seen as more than just another Trump loyalist is a campaign approach emphasizing measured promises to make life easier at the granular level and pledges to work with the state’s Democratic majority. That’s all helped Hilton remain in the pretty settled first tier of candidates, alongside Democratic Attorney General Xavier Becerra and billionaire activist Tom Steyer. It breaks with Trump’s push for pushy disruptors—and is ringing true with voters who think the Democratic stranglehold of the nation’s biggest economic driver needs a reset.

So far, liberally aligned candidates like Becerra and Steyer have been fighting each other more—and splitting the Democratic vote in the process—rather than bothering with Hilton. That would change in a head-to-head-matchup, at which point issues where Hilton is closer to Trump’s position would move to center stage. A year after ICE raids in Los Angeles sparked mass protests and Trump deployed National Guard soldiers to the city, Hilton says he would work to have California work better with Trump on immigration. A challenge to the state’s sanctuary spaces law, passed in 2017, is underway, but Hilton says “I can’t just delete that” on his own. Instead, he wants to use provisions in the law—criticized by liberals at the time—that allow narrow collaboration with the feds. “We’ve got to lower the temperature. I think that we’ve had far too much confrontation. It’s unnecessary,” he says. “No one wants to see anything like what happened in L.A. last summer or, let alone, Minneapolis.” 

‘THE FIX IS PRETTY STRAIGHTFORWARD’

It’s been quite the unexpected slog through a field of candidates so numerous that all of their names don’t even fit on a single page of the ballot. Democrats in California have held the governor's mansion, state House, and state Senate for almost two decades and unrest about that trifecta out West is real. The traditional political alliances are frayed, at best, with socialists backing a billionaire and Trump supporting an immigrant. A sex scandal tanked the hopes of a leading candidate, Rep. Eric Swalwell, and Trump’s endorsement of Hilton all but sidelined tough-on-crime Riverside Sheriff Chad Bianco. It’s why Hilton, who moved to California in 2012, is in the mix in a race that is set to test assumptions about party loyalty, candidate partisanship, and money’s power. And it carries massive consequences about who will be the de facto CEO of the fourth-largest economy on the planet, between Germany and Japan, and a major player on the national political stage. This is not some backwater local election.

“It's just very obvious that it hasn't worked, this experiment in progressive governance where Democrats have had total control, able to do everything that they want. They've had two-third majorities in both chambers in the Legislature, all the statewide offices, all of the big cities, in the counties. The state Supreme Court has a 6-to-1 Democratic majority. This incredibly powerful Democrat machine that's been able to do exactly what it wants, and the results are really bad.”

Hilton, 56, has a point that is reflected in the data. In a Public Policy Institute of California survey earlier this year, most Californians reported an unflattering view of the state: 54% think that things in California are generally going in the wrong direction and 69% think that the state will have bad times financially in the next year. It’s grounded in some hard truths that Hilton has been serving in his well-polished interviews. 

“It’s not just the visible things that you can see and anyone across the country can: the homelessness and the squalor of the big cities and smash-and-grab videos of crime rampant and all those things. But actually just the basics of life,” Hilton says. When I ask him about the solution, he says, his north star would be practicality: What can work and how quickly? 

“The fix is pretty straightforward: stop doing stupid things and just lift this massive burden that everyone is laboring under in California, this bloated nanny-state bureaucracy.”

It’s a line that others—including Democrats—have used in their campaigns. Hilton is definitely tapping into an anti-Establishment mood, one California Gov. Gavin Newsom might want to note as he plots his all-but-certain 2028 presidential campaign. Hilton’s populism is grounded in an argument less about feelings than about objective fact. “There's a certain place for righteous rage. It's institutions that're letting people down, but you can do it with a smile on your face,” he tells me.

WORKING WITH THE CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE

But even if elected, Hilton will inherit a Democratic Sacramento unlikely to back most of his campaign promises. With the exception of two blips, Democrats have held the Legislature there since 1958. But the Governor controls the cogs of government through thousands of appointments to boards and commissions. In his own way, Hilton is plotting how to out-maneuver the so-called Deep State at the agency level.

Hilton is clearly a planner and player, stemming from his days as a top aide in the United Kingdom’s first coalition government running Number 10 since 1945—working with the Liberal Democrats. He even shared an office next to the Cabinet Room with his counterpart who advised coalition partner deputy PM Nick Clegg. It’s a skill that has more than a few Democrats in California paying attention to a technocratic pitch from the former London restauranteur. 

So what does Hilton promise? No more state income tax for the first $100,000 of income, gas down to $3 a gallon, electric bills cut by half, small-business taxes reduced. He plans to achieve much of that through slashing the state’s nation-leading efforts on climate change and consolidating bureaucracy with an aggressive eye on downsizing. He even has branding for his platform: “Californable.”

The accountants, though, will have their issues. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s last budget, in 2010, was $122 billion. Newsom’s most recent budget? $349 billion. Hilton’s plan would dramatically change this math.

“There’s nowhere better than California, but we’ve just been really badly governed,” Hilton says.

And when the California Legislature says not-so-much? Hilton knows he can’t override them lawmakers. But he wants to make them prove they actually think the vote is worth defending. In fact, Hilton is envisioning vetoes putting lawmakers on record; the last time a session in Sacramento overrode a veto was in 1979.

“At the very least,” Hilton tells me, “I can slow it all down and stop the problem [from] getting worse.”

That slight tweak—far from the grandiose promise of political revolution—might find power in the voters’ verdict. It’s one that echoes the grumblings in Washington after Trump’s win in 2024. “The election of a Republican Governor will change the dynamic,” he says. “People voted for change. My platform was very clear, very specific. … These are not controversial things. You could disagree about the means of getting there. I’m sure we will.”

First, though, he has to get past Tuesday’s first round of voting.

ATTACHMENT TWENTY SIX – FROM THE LOS ANGELES TIMES

WHY A LOSS FOR HILTON WOULD BE A WIN FOR TRUMP

Supporters line up to ask questions during Steve Hilton’s “Califordable” town hall and Q&A session in Santa Monica on May 31, 2026. President Trump has endorsed the British American GOP candidate for governor. 

By Anita Chabria June 2, 2026 3 AM PT

· Democrats finishing 1-2 would give Trump more fuel to fire up his MAGA base with false claims of rigged elections.

· Voter fraud claims could test a new California law meant to protect real election integrity and trust.

If the last few weeks have shown us anything, it’s that the gubernatorial primary is an unexpectedly close race among a trio of unlikely leaders: MAGA Republican Steve Hilton, and Democrats Xavier Becerra and Tom Steyer.

Though President Trump endorsed Hilton, a former Fox News host, a Hilton loss may be just what Trump wants — more fuel to fire up his MAGA base with false claims of rigged elections.

“Whether Hilton finishes first, second, or third, Trump will declare with zero evidence that there is voter fraud,” Matt Barreto told me. He’s a professor of political science at UCLA and a founder of its Voting Rights Project, meant to promote free and fair elections.

CALIFORNIA

California election live updates: Close primary races for governor, L.A. mayor

6 minutes ago

And since California will probably take days or weeks to count all the ballots, a tight race will be fertile ground for those fraudulent fraud claims. Trump has already started, clearly planning to use our primary to further his push to assert federal control of state-run elections.

“You have a really rigged vote in California,” Trump said last week, when asked about Hilton and Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt, another unlikely right-wing contender. “California’s one of the most dishonest states for voting.”

California is not, of course, dishonest in its voting, and Trump has whined about elections for so long that this rhetoric might elicit little more than a shrug from most. But California elections matter at this pivotal moment only months before the midterms. Fraud claims here will further erode trust in our electoral system and could provide Trump with ammunition for interference across the country.

Voter fraud claims may also test a new California law meant to protect real election integrity and trust — a law (Senate Bill 73, signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom last week) that has received little notice but one that could provide a model of protection for the rest of the U.S. It stops law enforcement agents, including federal agents, from “providing unauthorized access, disruption, modification, or seizure of voter rolls, voter lists, or certified voting technology,” without a court order.

CALL IT THE SHERIFF CHAD BIANCO ACT.

Bianco, another MAGA gubernatorial hopeful, seized hundreds of thousands of ballots from a recent election, claiming he was investigating the kind of wrongdoing Trump constantly alleges without proof. State Sen. Tom Umberg (D-Santa Ana), a former federal prosecutor, said the warrant Bianco obtained from a friendly judge was “woefully deficient.”

More races we are watching

· Statewide and Congress

· L.A. County and cities

· Los Angeles

· Key congressional seats

So Umberg helped pass the measure to “protect the integrity of California elections” from “rogue law enforcement officials,” he said.

And he’s not just talking about Bianco.

“I am worried about interference in the election by federal authorities,” Umberg said. “I believe Donald Trump when he says, ‘I’m going to interfere in the election.’”

Umberg is so concerned that he has two other bills in the works he hopes will be law by November. One would stop Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from being present at polling places. The other would make it illegal for anyone running for a third term as president to appear on the California ballot.

The buildup of fraud claims around California elections and the pushback from legislators such as Umberg is a background battle that hasn’t received much attention, but one that is real and consequential.

Trump, through demands for voter rolls by the U.S. Department of Justice, the promotion of the SAVE Act, vague threats of ICE or other federal agents at polls, and the placement of election deniers in key federal rolls, has gutted safeguards for voting on the national level.

States have been slow to meet the threat, largely waiting for November to see how it plays out. California, to its credit, isn’t so complacent.

The strange circumstances of this particular California election may be a test for both sides. Barreto, the UCLA voting expert, said he thinks “Hilton has the highest probability of finishing first on Tuesday with Becerra close by in second, and Steyer in third.”

But that could — and probably would — change as more ballots are counted.

By Thursday, Barreto said, it’s probable (but far from certain) that Becerra is in the lead and Hilton is second.

“There will definitely be millions more ballots counted on Wednesday and Thursday and they will be disproportionately Democratic and contribute to both Becerra and Steyer numbers,” he said.

Maybe pushing Steyer into second? Again, a long shot. But possible.

Democrats have been holding on to their ballots until the last minute this year, with a huge number waiting until just the last few days to vote. It’s possible (though unlikely) that by sheer numbers, Democratic voters will propel both Steyer and Becerra toward November.

We do know that Republicans, despite their smaller numbers, have been voting, and trusting the postal service with their ballots this time around at a fairly high rate. That’s despite Trump’s claims that mail-in voting is inherently fraudulent.

So at the same time that we are expecting a big influx of Democratic ballots in coming days, Republicans may be closer to their voting peak, meaning Hilton’s numbers could top out on election night.

If Hilton doesn’t make the top three, after having been in the lead during in-person voting, MAGA will most certainly lose its collective mind.

And Trump will have something just as good as a Republican governor in the Golden State — “proof” we cheated.

ATTACHMENT TWENTY SEVEN – FROM BRITTANICA

2026 U.S. MIDTERM ELECTIONS

What roles will history, gerrymandering, candidates, and election security play?

By Tracy Grant June 1, 2026 

TOP QUESTIONS

When are the 2026 midterm elections?

Which historical trends affect midterm elections for incumbent presidents?

What role does redistricting play in the 2026 midterms?

What states are redistricting in 2026?

When thinking about the potential outcomes and implications of the 2026 U.S. midterm elections, consider this: Incumbent presidents pretty much hate the midterms. If you’re wondering why, just ask Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. In 1994 and 2010, respectively, each president saw the Democratic Party post devastating losses in the midterms. Clinton and Obama aren’t the exception; they are the rule.

An examination of the 22 midterm elections from 1934 through 2018 reveals that the party controlling the White House has lost, on average, 28 seats in the House of Representatives and 4 seats in the Senate. On only two occasions since 1934 has the president’s party gained seats in both the House and the Senate. During the 2022 midterms the Democratic Party fared better than average, losing 6 seats in the House and gaining one in the Senate, when Sen. Raphael Warnock won reelection after defeating Herschel Walker in a runoff election in Georgia.

Going into the 2026 midterm elections, Pres. Donald Trump could be forgiven for feeling nervous about the Republican Party’s chances of maintaining its majorities in the House and the Senate. History is not on the GOP’s side. But the 2026 election—which will be held on November 3—poses complicating factors beyond historical precedent, including:

· The role of gerrymandering (basically, drawing election boundaries that favor one party)

· Election security and voting rights questions

· Key issues, including the economy and immigration

· The candidates

Let’s start with a bit of background.

WHAT ARE MIDTERM ELECTIONS?

In the United States, midterms are held every four years. They get their name from the fact that they occur in the middle of a presidential term.

Midterms are an outgrowth of the election process outlined in Article I of the U.S. Constitution, by which all members of the U.S. House of Representatives and roughly a third of the members of the U.S. Senate are on the ballot every two years. (The House of Representatives currently has 435 members, and the Senate has 100.) In addition to elections for members of Congress, many states hold their gubernatorial elections during the midterm cycle, and many local races and citizen-generated initiatives appear on midterm ballots.

In general, fewer Americans vote in midterm elections than in presidential elections. About 60 percent of eligible voters typically cast ballots in presidential election years; that percentage falls to about 40 percent for midterms. (Voter turnout in the 2018 midterm elections was 50 percent, the highest since 1914. Turnout for the 2022 midterms was about 47 percent.)

WHAT’S AT STAKE?

Midterm elections are typically about who controls Congress, specifically the House of Representatives and the Senate. With the Republicans holding a narrow margin in the House—and a more comfortable cushion in the Senate—that is particularly true in 2026. In reality, this election is less about civics and more about cartography and mathematics.

Let’s start with the maps: The topic of gerrymandering has been central to discussions about the 2026 elections in ways that make this year’s midterms unique. In general, redistricting (the redrawing of electoral maps) occurs every 10 years, after the taking of a census. Gerrymandered redistricting traditionally favors the political party in power, allowing members to draw maps that maximize the electoral strength of their party. (You can about gerrymandering and how it got its name here.) Although both racial and political gerrymandering have been challenged in the courts, they have long been staples of the political process.

And now the math: Normally, elections held in the middle of a census cycle—such as the 2026 election—would not be subject to such redistricting, but in 2025 Trump endorsed a plan to redraw Texas’s maps in a way that would be favorable to Republicans, saying that the GOP was “entitled to five more seats.” Texas’s move set off a tit for tat around the country, with California’s Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom, proposing a ballot initiative that would allow that state’s maps to be redrawn to create five seats that were likely to favor Democrats. The proposal was approved by voters in a November 2025 special election, with 64 percent of the vote.

WHAT IS A MIDTERM ELECTION?

Situated two years into a presidential term in the United States, midterm elections determine who serves in many congressional seats.

California and Texas were two of seven states that changed their maps (the others being Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Utah, and Virginia). Four other states (Maryland, South Carolina, Florida, and Washington) introduced legislation to redraw their maps. Maryland’s plan did not make it out of the state legislature; but in April, Virginia voters approved a House map that could give Democrats an additional four seats. In May, however, the Virginia Supreme Court ruled that the voter-approved map had been developed in a way that was unconstitutional and said it could not be used. In April 2026 Florida’s legislature approved a new map of congressional districts proposed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. The plan could add as many as four Republican seats to the House of Representatives, but it faces a likely court challenge. The Florida constitution prohibits redrawing boundaries for purely political gain.

Also in April, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a landmark ruling in Louisiana v. Callais on the Voting Rights Act that said that a redistricting map in Louisiana had been drawn with race in mind and, as such, was unconstitutional. In the wake of that ruling, Louisiana’s Republican governor, Jeff Landry, announced that he would delay the state’s planned May primary to give the legislature time to redraw the maps, which could create two likely Republican districts. Shortly thereafter, the Tennessee legislature approved a new map that would eliminate that state’s only seat in the House of Representatives held by a Democrat. Other Southern states were expected to follow suit.

And even more math: As of April 2026 Republicans held a 217–212 margin in the House of Representatives, with one independent and five seats vacant. (Special elections will be held to fill those open seats, and the winners will stand for reelection in November as part of the midterm process.) History suggests that Republicans could lose 28 seats and thus lose control of the House. An April 2026 analysis of the actual races by the respected Cook Political Report (CPR) shows Democrats leading in 213 races and Republicans leading in 205; CPR ruled 17 races as toss-ups, and 14 of those feature Republican incumbents. That level of vulnerability in seats held by Republicans indicates that 2026 may follow historic trends. Polling done by Fox News in January 2026 showed that Republican voters were twice as likely to vote for a Democratic candidate as Democrats were to vote for a Republican, another concerning signal for the GOP.

The math in the Senate is even more complicated because, unlike the House, where all seats are up for election every two years, in any given year only a third of Senate seats are contested. Going into the 2026 midterms, Republicans held 53 seats and Democrats held 45, plus 2 independents who typically vote with the Democrats, in essence giving them 47 seats. If historical trends hold, Republicans could lose 4 Senate seats, flipping those numbers to 51 Democrats (including the 2 independents) and 49 Republicans.

Because senators serve six-year terms, only about a third of them face election at a time. This year 35 Senate seats are being contested (there are two special elections to fill vacant seats); Republicans are the incumbents in 22 of them. It’s generally considered easier to defend a seat than to flip one.

The CPR Senate analysis in April moved four races toward the Democrats but still showed them picking up three seats, not the four that would be needed to control the Senate.

We warned you that the math and mapping were confusing. The reality, however, is that elections are decided not by historic precedent or political analysis but by voters going to the polls and casting ballots based on issues and candidates.

WHAT ARE KEY ISSUES IN 2026?

What is true by definition about midterm elections is that the president is not on the ballot, but that doesn’t mean his issues and policies aren’t. Two key issues likely to be on voters’ minds as they go to the polls—the economy and immigration—have typically been winning ones for Trump.

But the deeply unpopular immigration crackdowns across the country, particularly in Minnesota, as well as Trump’s tariff policies, some of which were struck down by the Supreme Court and which most economists agree act as a tax on U.S. consumers, have, as of early 2026, changed that. A February 2026 Washington Post–ABC News–Ipsos poll found 58 percent of Americans were opposed to the way the president was handling immigration, and 57 percent felt the same about his handling of the economy.

The economy is a particularly complicated issue: While the stock market remains near record levels, the onset of the 2026 Iran war sent gas prices soaring. But, as the Democrats learned during the 2024 election, the data doesn’t matter if voters don’t feel more prosperous, if it doesn’t seem to them that they have more money to save or to spend. In early 2026, according to a New York Times poll, 40 percent of Americans approved of Trump’s handling of the economy, down from 44 percent in September 2025. A May 2026 Washington Post poll found that the number had further eroded, with 34 percent of Americans supporting his economic policies.

HOW TO VOTE

First, check if you are eligible to vote in the state where you live. You can check on your state’s website or go to the nonpartisan vote.org to see requirements by state.

If you need to register to vote, you can check your state’s website or go to vote.gov.

Remember, election day is November 3, but many states have early voting.

Immigration has long been a strong issue for the president, who throughout his campaign said he wanted to target “the worst of the worst” for expulsion from the country. In the 2024 election, 82 percent of Trump supporters listed immigration as a top issue, according to the Pew Research Center. But immigration enforcement around the country, especially the high-profile operation in Minnesota, has Republicans—voters and elected officials alike—questioning whether the administration has gone too far. A voter in Louisiana who supported Trump in 2024 told The New York Times, “He thinks he’s picking up criminals, but he’s picking up too many U.S. citizens, as far as I’m concerned.” Brian Fitzpatrick, a Republican member of the House of Representatives from Pennsylvania, told Politico, “They need to show more balance in enforcement and more compassion and empathy in enforcement.”

Another issue that may impact 2026 midterms is a topic Trump repeatedly raises: the fairness of elections. Trump continues to maintain that he won the 2020 presidential election. (He didn’t; Joe Biden did.) Despite claims from the Trump administration that voter fraud is widespread, a study by the Brookings Institution showed incidents of fraudulent voting account for less than 1 percent of ballots cast—and are often well below that number. (For example, according to the conservative Heritage Foundation, elections in North Carolina between 1986 and 2024 generated more than 81 million votes and only 58 cases of voter fraud.)

In February 2026 Trump stirred controversy by calling for “corrupt” elections to be “nationalized.” Elections are run by the states, not the federal government, as specified in the U.S. Constitution. Democrats have speculated that the widespread discussion of voting irregularities is intended to call into question the results of the 2026 midterms should the Democrats prevail.

WHAT ARE SOME KEY STATES TO WATCH?

In the world of red states (Republican) and blue states (Democratic), sometimes it’s the purple states (where voters may choose a Republican for one office and a Democrat for another) that decide the national outcome of elections. Here is a look at some state elections that are likely to play a key role in determining who controls the Senate. In some cases, pragmatic Republicans will try to win in traditionally Democratic strongholds (think Susan Collins in Maine), while in others, new-generation Democrats will try to hold on in a demographically fluid South (think Jon Ossoff in Georgia).

• North Carolina: When Republican Thom Tillis announced his retirement from the Senate, Democrats recruited Roy Cooper, the popular former governor, to run in a bid to turn one of the state’s Senate seats blue. Cooper, who has never lost a statewide election in North Carolina, faces a formidable opponent in former Republican National Committee Chair Michael Whatley. The race is shaping up to be one of the most expensive of the season.

• Georgia: First-term Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff faces a formidable reelection race. He’s the only Democrat seeking reelection in a state won by Trump in 2024. His Republican opponent will be determined in a May primary election, but whoever it is will likely try to portray Ossoff as too liberal on issues such as immigration.

• Maine: Democrats have their eyes on the Senate seat held for five terms by Republican Susan Collins. She is the only Republican senator representing New England and the only one representing a state that Kamala Harris won in the 2024 presidential election. Collins more than likely will face progressive oyster farmer Graham Platner—after Maine’s Democratic governor, Janet Mills, dropped out of the Democratic primary in April 2026—in the general election. She has faced Democratic opposition before and always prevailed. Platner, who is young, a military veteran, and a populist, has mounted a campaign that could pose a real threat to Collins.

• Michigan: There is no incumbent in this race, as Democratic Sen. Gary Peters is not seeking reelection. Republicans are running former representative Mike Rogers, who narrowly lost to Sen. Elissa Slotkin in the 2024 election. Democrats will choose their candidate in an August primary.

A state legislator, James Talarico is trying to flip a U.S. Senate seat in Texas to the Democrats in 2026. His ability to combine progressive policies with his Christian faith has pundits speculating if he might pull it off.

• Texas: For Texas Democrats, winning a U.S. Senate seat is part quest for the white whale, part myth of Sisyphus. The last Democrat to be elected to the U.S. Senate from Texas was Lloyd Bentsen, in 1988. But Democratic state legislator James Talarico emerged the winner over U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett in a Democratic primary that featured high voter turnout and a controversy involving Stephen Colbert. On the Republican side, after a messy primary fight that went to a runoff, incumbent Sen. John Cornyn was soundly defeated by Trump acolyte and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. On May 19, less than a week before the runoff, Trump endorsed Paxton, giving his campaign a substantial boost.

• Ohio: The Republican incumbent Jon Husted was appointed to the Senate seat vacated by JD Vance when he became vice president. The former lieutenant governor of this now reliably red state seemed on a glide path to easy reelection until former senator Sherrod Brown, a much-respected Democratic fixture in Ohio politics who lost his reelection race in 2024, agreed to run again. Whether Brown’s campaign will have a different outcome in 2026 is an open question.

Quick Facts

• Alaska: The state is generally regarded as reliably red, which bodes well for incumbent Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan. But his Democratic opponent is former representative Mary Peltola, a popular politician who may appeal to the state’s ruggedly independent streak. And Peltola has a track record of beating Republicans: She won her House seat over former Alaska governor Sarah Palin.

ATTACHMENT TWENTY EIGHT – FROM REUTERS

HOW THE SUPREME COURT IS RESHAPING THE US MIDTERM ELECTIONS

By Jan Wolfe May 31, 2026 6:02 AM EDT Updated June 1, 2026

· Justices due to rule in two more major election-law cases

· Vance and other Republicans target campaign finance curbs

· Republicans challenge Mississippi mail-in ballot policy

· Court already boosted Republicans in redistricting fight

May 31 (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court this year already has given a boost to President Donald Trump and his fellow Republicans in the nationwide battle over redrawing electoral maps. In the coming weeks, it could rule in favor of the Republicans in two more significant cases related to elections ahead of the November elections that will decide control of Congress.

In a case from Mississippi, Republican Party officials are seeking to strike down state laws that allow late-arriving mail ballots to be counted as long as they are postmarked by Election Day. Trump has sought to cast doubt on the security of mail-in ballots, though evidence of voter fraud is rare, and Democratic voters tend to use this mode of voting more than Republicans.

In a separate case involving Trump's Vice President JD Vance, Republicans are seeking to further chip away at legal limits on money in political campaigns - specifically involving spending coordinated between party organizations and candidates.

They argue such curbs violate the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment protections against government abridgment of freedom of speech. The court has proven receptive to such an argument, including in its landmark 2010 decision in the case Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission.

Rulings in both cases are expected by around the end of June.

Republicans are defending slim majorities in both the House of Representatives and Senate in the November 3 midterms. If Democrats win control of either chamber, they could impede Trump's legislative agenda and mount investigations of him and his administration.

VOTING RIGHTS CASE RULING

The Supreme Court has a 6-3 conservative majority. In an April decision powered by the conservative justices in a case from Louisiana, it gutted a key provision of the Voting Rights Act, making it harder to challenge electoral maps as racially discriminatory under the landmark civil rights law.

That decision provided an immediate advantage to Trump's party ahead of the midterms, though legal experts said the impact of the two forthcoming rulings is harder to gauge.

The Voting Rights Act ruling opened the door for Republican state legislators to dismantle Democratic-held U.S. House districts with large Black or Latino populations across the South, potentially giving Republicans an electoral advantage for years to come. Black and Hispanic voters ⁠tend to vote for Democratic candidates.

That decision has been a "boon for Republicans," said Travis Crum, a Washington University in St. Louis School of Law professor.

Thanks in part to that ruling, Republicans are positioned in November to gain up to a dozen U.S. House seats currently held by Democrats through the process of redistricting - redrawing the boundaries of voting districts.

Working against Republicans in November are Trump's sagging approval ratings, as measured by public opinion polls, amid the unpopular Iran war and the higher gasoline prices it caused, and the historical trend of a president's party losing congressional seats in midterms.

CAMPAIGN FINANCE CASE

Vance and other Republicans appealed a lower court's ruling that upheld restrictions on the amount of money parties can spend on campaigns with input from candidates they support - called coordinated party expenditures. Vance was running for the U.S. Senate in Ohio in 2022 when he and other challengers sued.

Under the bedrock 1971 law regulating fundraising in U.S. federal elections, spending by a political party to advocate for or against a candidate that is not coordinated with a candidate's campaign is considered an independent expenditure not subject to amount limits. But it does restrict contributions coordinated between a party and a campaign.

Supporters of these restrictions have said they help prevent corruption. Without them, they said, wealthy donors could curry favor with candidates by routing massive sums to them through political parties, evading limits on how much any individual can donate to a candidate per election cycle.

Conservative election law attorney Dan Backer said striking down limits on coordinated spending would strengthen political parties, which "have a generally moderating impact" on U.S. politics compared to special interest groups.

"The overall political system is benefited by very strong parties," said Backer, who has represented Republican candidates and right-leaning organizations.

During December arguments in the case, conservative justices appeared sympathetic to the First Amendment argument against these limits.

Three major Republican committees - the Republican National Committee, the National Republican Congressional Committee and the National Republican Senatorial Committee - ended April with $251 million in cash and no debt. That was about double the roughly $125 million ⁠held by their Democratic counterparts, who also carried more than $17 million in debt.

"There certainly is an advantage, monetarily, on the Republican side in terms of the party committees," Johnson said. "Once that ruling comes down, there could be coordination between those committees and candidates pretty instantaneously."

Johnson added that some individual Democratic candidates in high-profile races have impressive fundraising hauls that could blunt the impact of a ruling in favor of the Republicans.

The ruling may lead party committees to seek the same discounted rates for television and radio advertisements that candidates have long received, though election law specialists said this would raise an untested legal question.

In the Citizens United ruling, the court cited the First Amendment, invalidating campaign finance limits and letting corporations and other outside groups such as labor unions spend unlimited money on elections.

MAIL-IN BALLOTS CASE

The Supreme Court's ruling in the mail-in ballots "grace period" case could lead to stricter voting rules around the country.

Casting ballots by mail has been common among some Republican voters, particularly among rural and older ones. But Trump's false claims about widespread voter fraud, including allegations involving mailed ballots, after he lost the 2020 election to Democrat Joe Biden, have made the practice less popular among Republicans.

Trump in ⁠March signed an executive order aiming to tighten mail-in voting rules, drawing legal challenges involving whether his directive infringed on the constitutional rights of individual states to regulate elections.

In the 2024 U.S. election, 37% of Democratic voters reported casting ballots by mail, compared to 24% of Republicans, according to the MIT Election Lab. In the 2020 election conducted during the COVID pandemic, 60% of Democratic voters and 32% of Republican voters cast mail-in ballots.

The Supreme Court heard arguments in March in Mississippi's appeal of a lower court's ruling that deemed its mail-in ballot law illegal in a challenge by the state's Republican Party. The law permits mail-in ballots to be counted if they are postmarked by, and then received within five business days of, Election Day.

The dispute involved whether federal laws setting the dates for federal ⁠elections preempt any state laws that allow ballots to be received after Election Day.

During March arguments in the case, a majority of the justices appeared ready to invalidate Mississippi's law.

According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 14 states, plus Guam, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and Washington, D.C., accept and count mailed ballots if they are received after Election Day but postmarked on or before - sometimes only before - Election Day.

Crum said the justices could strike down Mississippi's law but let it remain in effect for the midterms under a legal concept called the Purcell principle under which courts should strive to avoid changing voting rules too close to an election to avoid voter confusion.

The Democratic National Committee filed a legal brief warning of "disastrous ⁠consequences" if the court backs the Republicans in the case.

Striking down Mississippi's law, it said, and imposing on states an inflexible Election Day deadline for receiving mail-in ballots could disenfranchise millions of voters, "including military voters stationed away from home, overseas citizens, rural voters, elderly and disabled voters, and voters lacking reliable transportation."

Chris McIsaac, a researcher at the R Street Institute libertarian think tank, viewed requiring mail ballots to arrive by Election Day as reasonable, but said there could be administrative challenges to implementing new rules just months before an election.

"All of the voter communications and information that election offices publish in advance of elections that give the instructions for when ballots are due - that stuff happens pretty far in advance," McIsaac said. "Some of that would need to be reprinted."

ATTACHMENT TWENTY NINE – FROM IUK

DR. OZ BLASTS AMERICANS WHO DISAGREE WITH TRUMP: ‘TREATING STUPID IS REALLY HARD’

Andrew Feinberg Tue, June 2, 2026 at 3:01 PM EDT

Dr. Mehmet Oz dismissed Americans who oppose or disapprove of President Donald Trump or his administration as “stupid” and “lost” on Tuesday as he concluded a raucous turn at the White House briefing room lectern while Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt continues her maternity leave.

Trump’s Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services administrator was nearing the end of a nearly half-hour-long appearance before the White House press corps when Lindell TV personality Cara Castronuova chimed in to ask the ex-heart surgeon if he had “medical advice” for Americans with “Trump Derangement Syndrome.”

The ex-heart surgeon replied that he was “concerned” about those who’ve “focused their entire life’s energy” on the president and said it was “disheartening to see people lost that way.”

“But you know, treating stupid is really hard — and it becomes a real problem,” he added.

Oz’s snarky attack on what most polls show to be a majority of Americans was prompted by Castronuova’s invocation of the fake condition coined by MAGA-aligned media figures to malign anyone who takes issue with the Trump administration’s policies or the president’s conduct.

The term “Trump Derangement Syndrome” is an adaptation of a similar dig at Democrats, “Bush Derangement Syndrome,” which was coined by conservative columnist Charles Krauthammer during the George W. Bush administration in 2003.

Krauthammer, who was a Harvard University-trained psychiatrist before embarking on a second career as a political commentator in the early 1980s, had defined the fake medical condition as “the acute onset of paranoia in otherwise normal people in reaction to the policies, the presidency — nay — the very existence of George W. Bush."

Two decades later, the “TDS” line has been frequently deployed against Democrats — or anyone who isn’t in lockstep with Trump’s political positions — as a way of delegitimizing and denigrating that opposition by intimating that Trump’s opponents are incapable of rational political discussions.

Oz’s insult against Americans who disapprove of Trump or support the opposing political party came after he repeatedly declined to defend President Trump’s decision to elevate Federal Housing Finance Administration head Bill Pulte to lead the Office of Director of National Intelligence on an acting basis.

When the former heart specialist was asked to defend Pulte’s qualifications, he demurred, telling reporters such a query was “out of [his] lane” while voicing support for the appointment.

“I think Bill is a great guy. I know him socially. I've not worked with him in his current job, and, but I do trust the president's judgment. He is a very sharp and quick study of people, their emotional with abilities, and their ability to persevere in the face of hardship. So, I have confidence in his decision,” he said.

Trump had announced the decision earlier in the day, citing Pulte’s supposed “deep experience managing the most sensitive matters in America, the safety and soundness of the Markets,” seemingly ignoring a provision in the post-9/11 law that created the office which requires the DNI to have extensive national security experience.

Trump summons Mike Johnson to White House as reviled $1.8B DOJ ‘slush fund’ hangs in the balance

The Independent

California Governor Race: Final Polls, Odds for Hilton, Becerra and Steyer

NEWSWEEK

After issuing more than $20 billion in tariff refunds, the Trump administration is now pursuing legal action to bring the process to a standstill

Fortune

Pulte, a newcomer to government whose grandfather founded one of the country’s largest homebuilders, has used his access to federal housing records in his current job to enable attacks on multiple prominent Democrats by baselessly accusing them of mortgage fraud.

The 38-year-old official’s targets have included New York Attorney General Letitia James, Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook.

But what he lacks in experience he makes up with loyalty to Trump — and proximity. He is a frequent traveler aboard Air Force One and can often be found on weekends at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club.

COMMENT SUMMARY

Comments include criticism of Dr. Oz for supporting President Trump and calling dissenters "stupid," with many labeling Oz a quack and questioning his credibility. Other comments point to frustrations with President Trump’s policies and behavior, while some highlight the divisiveness of the MAGA movement.

ATTACHMENT THIRTY – FROM AL JAZEERA

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT TUESDAY’S PRIMARIES IN CALIFORNIA, NEW JERSEY, MONTANA

By Al Jazeera Staff Published On 2 Jun 2026 2 Jun 2026

In the United States, voters in six states are participating in primary elections that will set up the final races in November’s critical midterm elections.

Tuesday is one of the busiest primary days of the year, with voting under way in Iowa, Montana, New Mexico, New Jersey, South Dakota and California.

Candidates for no fewer than 74 seats in the US House of Representatives are on the ballot today, as voters decide who will progress to November’s general election.

Tuesday’s outcomes could shape the political landscape for the remainder of President Donald Trump’s second term, as frontrunners are decided for the midterms.

At stake is control over Congress. All seats in the House of Representatives, and roughly a third in the Senate, will be on November’s ballot. Democrats are hoping to win majorities in both chambers and wrest control back from the Republicans.

Primaries generally allow voters to pick which Democratic and Republican candidates advance to a face-off, though there are variations on the format.

In California, for instance, most statewide primary races are nonpartisan, and the top two vote-getters from any party move forward to November.

So what’s on the ballot this Tuesday? Here’s a breakdown of the races.

WHAT TO WATCH IN IOWA

One of the most closely watched races is in Iowa, a rural state that often opens presidential election seasons with its early races.

Iowa has long been dominated by the Republican Party, but Democrats believe there might be a chance to make the state’s Senate race competitive.

Republican Senator Joni Ernst is retiring after more than a decade in office. That leaves an open seat in the Senate, without an incumbent to defend it.

To take control of the Senate in November, Democrats need to defend all their existing seats — and flip around four. Iowa offers a golden opportunity to gain ground.

Two main Democrats are racing to be their nominee for Ernst’s seat: State Representative Josh Turek and State Senator Zach Wahls. Turek is seen as more moderate than Wahls, and the Democratic establishment has largely rallied around him as the favourite for November.

The Republican Party’s best bet is expected to be US Representative Ashley Hinson, a Trump loyalist who has repeatedly voted against limiting the US president’s military powers.

If no candidate wins at least 35 percent of the primary vote, the Republican nominee will be chosen at the state party convention on June 13.

WHAT TO WATCH IN NEW JERSEY

Much attention is focused on New Jersey’s primaries, too. As the 11th most populous state, it holds 12 seats in the House of Representatives.

One of its districts is represented by incumbent Congress member Tom Kean Jr. He is running unopposed in the Republican primary for New Jersey’s 7th congressional district.

Normally, incumbents are seen to have an advantage in November’s midterm races. The trouble is, Kean has missed more than 100 House votes and failed to attend public events in his district.

Kean issued a statement in April, explaining his absences as the result of a “personal medical issue”. But that explanation has been criticised as vague.

His seat is therefore vulnerable to a Democratic takeover in a state that can lean purple.

In November, Democrats hope to gain control of the House of Representatives, where they currently hold a minority of 212 seats out of a total of 435.

Leading the Democratic primary race in the 7th district is Rebecca Bennett, a former Navy helicopter pilot.

But there are three other contenders for Kean’s seat: Tina Shah, a doctor; Brian Varela, a businessman; and Michael Roth, who served as an official in the administration of former US President Joe Biden.

WHAT TO WATCH IN MONTANA

The number of seats that each state gets in the US House of Representatives reflects the number of residents that the state has.

Since 2022, Montana has had two House seats, a reflection of its relatively sparse population.

But every state, no matter the size, gets two senators. And unlike House members, who face election every two years, Senate members occupy their seats for a period of six years.

That makes the shake-up in Montana’s Senate race one to watch. The incumbent, Steve Daines, first won his seat in 2014, flipping it from Democratic control.

But days before the March deadline to appear on the primary ballot, Daines suddenly pulled out. Experts have speculated that the move was designed to clear the field for a Trump-endorsed Republican, Kurt Alme, who formerly served as a US attorney.

But five Democrats are racing in the party primary for a chance to compete for Daines’s vacant Senate seat in November.

There’s a complicating factor, though. One of the biggest candidates is not running in any primary at all.

Seth Bodnar, a Green Beret veteran and the former president of the University of Montana, has put himself forward as an independent. He therefore automatically progresses to November’s ballot, without having to face a primary.

Critics, however, point out that Bodnar has been using the Democratic fundraising platform ActBlue to raise money, according to media reports.

WHAT TO WATCH IN NEW MEXICO

Contenders here are competing for congressional seats, a US Senate seat and a long list of statewide offices, but the most coveted job is that of governor.

One of the most noteworthy gubernatorial campaigns has come from former Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, who is running for the Democratic nomination. Previously, she made history as the first Indigenous cabinet secretary in US history, serving under President Biden.

Should she win the governor’s race in November, Haaland — a member of the Laguna Pueblo nation — would be the first Indigenous woman to be elected governor in the US.

WHAT TO WATCH IN SOUTH DAKOTA

One of the least populated states, South Dakota only has a single House seat up for grabs.

After Representative Dusty Johnson decided to run for governor this year, his seat in the House was free.

Republicans are hoping to maintain control of that open seat, though. State Attorney General Marty Jackley is the most prominent candidate in the right-wing party’s primary. He has received Trump’s endorsement.

WHAT TO WATCH IN CALIFORNIA

California, a left-leaning state, is the big behemoth in Tuesday’s primaries.

As the state with the largest population, California is holding primaries for no fewer than 52 House races.

But many are unlikely to be competitive. Last year, California voted to redistrict to give Democrats an advantage, after Republican-led states did the same.

As a result, only California’s 22nd district is expected to be competitive. The area is currently in the midst of a heated three-way, nonpartisan primary, between Republican incumbent David Valadao, moderate Jasmeet Bains, and progressive Randy Villegas.

California’s governor’s race is also expected to be competitive. With Governor Gavin Newsom facing his term limit, no fewer than 61 contenders are in the race to succeed him.

They include former cabinet secretary Xavier Becerra, progressive businessman Tom Steyer, Fox News personality Steve Hilton and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco

ATTACHMENT THIRTY ONE – FROM GIS REPORTS (LICHTENSTEIN)

AMERICAN MIDTERMS WILL FUEL POLARIZATION, NOT POLICY

By James Jay Carafano June 1, 2026

The 2026 elections may intensify political divisions but will fall short of delivering major policy or governance changes nationwide.

In a nutshell...

· Change in congressional control may constrain the president

· Competitive races in swing states will attract attention and resources

· Narrow majorities and polarization make legislative breakthroughs unlikely

· For comprehensive insights, tune into our AI-powered podcast here.

National elections in the United States have a global impact, but primarily in years when voters will also be choosing the president. That has been an inescapable geopolitical reality for almost a century, and it is unlikely to change anytime soon. In November, Americans face another national election and the country is set for an increasingly sharpening divide between left and right afterward.

This year’s upcoming vote, however, is not for the presidency, but primarily for congressional seats. It is referred to as the “midterms” because they come at the midpoint of a presidential four-year term. In the U.S. House of Representatives, members’ terms are for two years. Thus, in every national election, always even years, each seat in that chamber is up for grabs. Senators, in contrast, have six-year terms, and one-third of those seats are contested every two years: 33 of the 100 Senate seats will be contested in the 2026 midterm vote. There will also be gubernatorial elections in 36 of the 50 U.S. states.

Despite the intense political competition expected in the campaign, the outcome of 2026 national elections will likely not significantly shift national policies or the direction of American foreign policy.

THE POWER TO DECIDE

The most consequential impact in the November elections will be which national party controls the U.S. Congress. The party that holds the majority of the seats in the House of Representatives and the Senate holds the preponderance of legislative power in the respective chambers, including control of the chairmanship of committees, the legislative agenda, the majority of staff and procedural rules.

Currently, the Republican Party has slim majorities in both houses as well as the presidency. If the Democratic Party can achieve a majority in one or both houses, it would not only undermine the president’s ability to set the legislative agenda, but it would put all the powers of the House or Senate in the hands of the president’s political opposition.

There are two primary reasons why control of either or both houses might shift to the political opposition. First, it is historically common in the U.S. for the incumbent president’s party to lose control of congressional majorities in midterm elections. This has happened in more than 20 midterm elections going back to the 1930s. Second, the margins of the majority in both houses are very small, so a small swing in numbers could shift control of either house.

SEE WEBSITE FOR CHARTS, GRAPHS, LINKS, FACTS & FIGURES HERE

BETTING THE ODDS

The likelihood of dramatic shifts in the representation of the two parties is growing smaller. Americans are more politically divided now than in decades, and the number of swing states remains stagnant, if not declining. As a result of state apportionment of congressional seats, house elections that are truly competitive – where districts have an even number of Republican and Democratic voters or a high proportion of independent voters – are increasingly few. So, while there will be many elections nationwide, only a few races are likely to matter in determining which party controls Congress.

These races, including in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, will be hotly contested and receive enormous amounts of attention and money. The races may well focus on local issues and the character and competence of the candidates, rather than reflect choices over the national policies and priorities of the parties.

Not only is this a neck-and-neck race from the start, typically, American voters do not focus on their choice at the ballot box until after the end of the summer break. For example, many consider the state of the economy to be voters’ most important issue. Yet even now in the spring of an election year, concerns about consumer prices and economic conditions may have much less impact than the hot-button issues being discussed closer to the elections.

Polls are also notoriously poor predictors. In the 2022 midterms, surveys suggested Republicans would make massive gains. They did not. And they proved a poor predictor for the next national elections, in which the Republicans handily won the presidency and secured majorities in both houses of Congress.

Absent dramatic political reversals, scandals or crisis between now and October, it is unwise to be confident of the results of the midterms until after they are announced.

A DISTINCTION WITHOUT A DIFFERENCE

Arguably, as in many previous presidential administrations, the loss of dominance in Congress halfway through the presidency may not significantly affect the president’s national agenda. U.S. President Donald Trump pushed through his top legislative priorities early in his term, as did previous presidents of both parties. In this case, President Trump had his “Big Beautiful Bill.” Presidents are therefore less dependent on congressional initiatives in the second half of their presidency.

Even if the Republicans retain one or both houses, they will likely again have only slim majorities. In such a case, it will be difficult to proceed with major initiatives, since the passage of most bills in the Senate still requires a 60-vote majority.

If Republicans lose the House of Representatives, the Democrats may seek to impeach the president (as they did twice before), though with little chance of success as they would not have the votes in the Senate to remove him from office. The Democrats will undoubtedly conduct several investigations to try to undermine and frustrate the administration. These actions will sharpen the political divide in the U.S., but it is not clear if either party will benefit from this divisiveness.

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Meanwhile, almost assuredly the Democrats will not have the votes to overcome a presidential veto of any legislation they may introduce. Americans are also becoming increasingly frustrated with government shutdowns – so control of the budgeting process may not result in dramatic leverage over the White House. Additionally, the composition of the Supreme Court will not change significantly in the foreseeable future as justices are appointed for life. They are very selective on the timing of moving into their retirements, should they choose to step back from public life. If there are vacancies, President Trump will not nominate anyone acceptable to Democrats. And as conservatives have six seats in the nine-justice court, any individual vacancies would not materially influence the balance of the court.

At the same time, presidents have significant independent authority over the executive branch, military operations and foreign policy. Foreign and national policy may not be greatly affected if Congress is dominated by the left.

SCENARIOS

MOST LIKELY: FURTHER POLITICAL DIVISION AND POLARIZATION

The most likely scenario is that the two years following the midterm elections will see an increasingly sharpening divide between left and right – each offering distinctly different visions for the future. As a result, it will be the 2028 vote, not this year’s, that will no doubt be deeply consequential in determining the future course of U.S. policy.

LIKELY: A THIN CONGRESSIONAL MAJORITY AND NO MAJOR LEGISLATION WILL PASS

If the Democrats take control of one or more houses of Congress, their agenda will be mostly focused on setting conditions for national elections rather than successfully driving major shifts in policy and governance. If Republicans hold the majority, likely the margins will still be narrow, and delivering big legislative wins for the president will be difficult.

ATTACHMENT THIRTY TWO – FROM NBC
DEMOCRATS THINK THEIR SECRET SAUCE IN 2026 IS TARGETING TRUMP AND REPUBLICANS ON ‘CORRUPTION’

Republicans think they have a potent counter — and it’s centered on Vice President JD Vance’s anti-fraud task force.

June 1, 2026, 3:45 PM EDT

By Allan Smith and Natasha Korecki

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro decried corruption during his primary night address to supporters in Bucks County last month. And then he did it again. And again.

By the end of his speech, the Democrat accused President Donald Trump, his administration and his congressional supporters of participating in or enabling corruption no fewer than a dozen times.

The following day, Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa. — who represents the battleground House district where Shapiro spoke — told reporters he was working on legislation to block the $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund the Justice Department recently announced, which opponents pilloried as a corrupt, taxpayer-funded slush fund for Trump’s allies.

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“We gotta unpack exactly what it is, what the source of the funding is in order to stop it and/or reverse it,” Fitzpatrick said in an interview. “I don’t support it. … You can’t do that.”

The episode was a striking example of how corruption is increasingly at the center of the 2026 election, with Democrats making it a core tenet of their midterm messaging. Much like Trump — who has aimed his “drain the swamp” mantra at congressional Democrats who reported stock trades or Hunter Biden for his business dealings — Democrats are seeking to take advantage of spiking levels of voter distrust in government and dissatisfaction with the economy by spotlighting examples or allegations of the president, his allies or congressional Republicans enriching themselves or providing friendly industries with special treatment.

“We’re doing it in every corner of the country,” said a national Democratic strategist, speaking on condition of anonymity. “And the idea is it’s an affordability cycle, and so everybody cares about affordability, No. 1, when you pair the message with the reason that your costs are going up is because politicians care more about themselves, they’re corrupt, they’re bought by corporate donors or they’re lining their own pockets, and that’s why they’re not looking out for you, that’s the most potent mix of the two arguments.”

“It’ll help us win in places that Trump won because, let’s be honest, Trump, with his drain the swamp and shake up a broken Washington — that attracted a lot of voters,” this person continued. “And we can claw back some people … who wanted an outsider, who didn’t like Washington politics, and we can do it by saying they’re the ones who are corrupt.”

The focus comes as Trump or his investment managers made more than 3,700 stock trades in the first quarter of this year, according to a financial disclosure filed with the U.S. Office of Government Ethics, including some involving major corporations with dealings before his administration. He has pledged to protect from state regulation two industries to which he or his family members have financial ties: crypto and prediction markets. And the Pentagon recently awarded Dell a nearly $10 billion contract after the president acquired stock in the company.

Trump told The New York Times this year he has shifted his thinking on his family’s business pursuits while in office. He believed no one cared that he limited his children from engaging in international business ventures during his first term.

“I prohibited them from doing business in my first term, and I got absolutely no credit for it,” he said. “I didn’t have to do that. And it’s really unfair to them. … I found out that nobody cared, and I’m allowed to.”

In a statement, the White House said Democrats were pursuing “the same, tired, false narrative that Democrats have pushed against President Trump, his family, and his administration for a decade — while at the same time ignoring the legitimate corruption and weaponization committed by the Biden crime family.”

“President Trump only acts in the best interests of the American public — which is why they overwhelmingly re-elected him to this office,” Olivia Wales, a White House spokesperson, continued, pointing to his efforts to stem the flow of migration into the U.S. and cut taxes as part of the “big beautiful bill.”

A bevy of data shows an increased number of Americans expressing distrust in institutions. An NBC News survey in March found that 59% of Americans agree that the country’s economic and political systems are stacked against them, while just 38% disagree — the most substantial split in that direction polled by NBC News since April 1992. The same survey found that 84% believe the rich and powerful are above the law and get special treatment or look out for each other, with 57% saying that trend has gotten worse in the last five to 10 years.

Separately, in February, Gallup found that Americans’ concerns about government remained at historic levels. Swing Left, a progressive voter outreach group, found that “system integrity and trust” was the top concern residents in battleground districts expressed in the first quarter of 2026. And Our Revolution, the progressive political organizing group, said that surveys of its 8 million members showed concerns over government and corporate corruption leapt to the top of their issues, overtaking “Medicare for All.”

Democrats’ most recognizable leaders — including 2028 contenders — have all zeroed in on the issue. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., last week announced the launch of the “End Corruption Caucus” with Reps. Jason Crow, D-Colo., and Mike Levin, D-Calif.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom told reporters at a Center for American Progress conference that the party’s “top priority” upon retaking power in Congress needs to be “immediately” putting an end to “the corruption and the graft and the grift.”

At the same conference, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., pointed to the financing of the president’s proposed ballroom, the anti-weaponization fund and Trump’s recently reported stock trades in describing a need for “cleaning up corruption.”

And Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., has centered his campaign on the issue, saying on Sunday that the Trump administration is “the most corrupt administration of all time, and everybody knows it.”

The methodical focus on the issue is especially notable given the long-standing notion, dating back to Trump’s first term, that instances of alleged corruption or ethical slips didn’t drive voters’ decisions at the ballot box. Democrats say there has been a shift, though, and it’s driven by negative feelings toward the economy. Voters were more likely to turn a blind eye during Trump’s first term because they broadly approved of his handling of the economy, the argument goes. Now, Trump is facing widespread disapproval on the economy.

Former White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, who is mulling a Democratic presidential bid, said voters “do care” about alleged instances of corruption.

“They see the ballroom as corruption,” he said. “They see the arches as corruption. … They see his self-enrichment, and I’ll say it this way: They have concluded correctly he is more concerned about his personal finances than he’s concerned about your finances.”

Republicans who spoke with NBC News said they believe they have a way to counter Democrats on corruption and appeal to voters who are ever so distrustful of government — and it’s a signature undertaking of Vice President JD Vance: his anti-fraud task force.

One national Republican strategist, pointing to surveys taken as the administration was enacting its Department of Government Efficiency agenda, said there is broad voter distaste for government waste, fraud and abuse that Republicans are seeking to root out.

“In polling that we’ve seen public and private, I don’t think either party really holds an edge on the corruption issue,” said this person, speaking on condition of anonymity. “I think if anything, it’s more of just a mutual vulnerability.”

This person pointed to states where the administration has aimed its anti-fraud task force, including Minnesota and Maine, noting competitive House and Senate races taking place there.

“I don’t think voters really associate either side as being more or less corrupt than the other,” this person said. “It’s just an issue where both sides will get blamed for it and called out for any of the stuff that they’re doing.”

Minnesota has been at the center of this space, with multiple investigations into alleged fraud, including alleged welfare fraud.

“While Democrats make excuses for waste, fraud, and abuse, Republicans are demanding accountability for scandals — like those that happened under Peggy Flanagan’s watch — and continue fighting to protect Americans’ hard-earned tax dollars,” Bernadette Breslin, a National Republican Senatorial Committee spokesperson, said in a statement.

Some Republicans have gone beyond the anti-fraud endeavor, though. Fitzpatrick and some Senate Republicans rebuked the anti-weaponization fund, which has since been put on hold by a federal court. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., has advocated for a wide-ranging ban on stock trading that includes members of Congress, the president and vice president. And House Republicans recently opened an investigation into alleged insider trading on prediction markets.

Candidates in competitive races have embraced both the corruption and fraud-fighting narratives. At a rally in Maine last month, Vance repeatedly highlighted former Gov. Paul LePage, now running in a battleground House seat, as “the biggest threat to fraudsters” when he held power and someone who would “fight fraud at the federal level.”

After Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who was impeached on bribery and corruption charges in 2023 by a GOP-controlled state House before being acquitted by the state Senate, won the Republican Senate nomination last week, Democratic opponent James Talarico framed him as “the most corrupt politician in America.” In response to Paxton’s criticisms of his past culturally progressive commentary, Talarico told NBC News that “what Ken Paxton is doing is clipping my cringey comments to distract from his career of corruption.”

Meave Coyle, a spokesperson for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, excoriated a host of Republican Senate candidates as “corrupt” in a statement.

“Republican Senate candidates have proven over and over that they’re only looking out for themselves and their wealthy special interest backers while forcing higher costs, more expensive health care, and pain at the gas pump on hardworking Americans,” she said.

In Pennsylvania, Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti, the Democratic nominee for a major House battleground seat, has focused on a series of stock trades her opponent, GOP Rep. Rob Bresnahan, made in office.

Bresnahan said financial advisers manage his portfolio and that he gave them no trading instructions, adding in an interview that Democrats “can’t assault me on my actual voting record, so they’ve resorted to character assassination.”

“People in this area feel that folks don’t have their backs, and that the system is really working against them,” said Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti Cognetti, noting high-profile corruption scandals in her city and state. “For us here going into 2026, corruption is still a very salient issue. People don’t want to see more folks in positions of authority that let them down.”

In the nearby 10th District, Democrat Janelle Stelson, who is seeking to unseat Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., described “corruption in Washington” as one of “the big three issues.” She called for term or age limits for members, banning the trading of individual stocks and the ability to go from serving in Congress to becoming a lobbyist.

She also pushed back at the sense some voters express about all politicians being, in some form or fashion, corrupt.

“But everybody’s not corrupt!” she said, before pointing to her career in local broadcast news. “I’ve asked these questions and answered it for people. Everybody’s not corrupt.”

Still, she said, voters are “really upset about” it.

ATTACHMENT THIRTY THREE – FROM GUK

TECH BILLIONAIRES ARE SPENDING UNPRECEDENTED SUMS IN CALIFORNIA RACES. EXPERTS SAY IT’S THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG

From Google co-founder Brin spending $82m to fight a billionaire tax to Google and Meta funding a joint Super Pac, Silicon Valley is engaged in an existential fight for its political power at home

By Dara Kerr

Mon 1 Jun 2026 10.00 EDT

Tech billionaires have shelled out hundreds of millions of dollars ahead of the 2 June primary election in California, in an unrivaled attempt to influence who gets to run the state that Silicon Valley calls home.

The industry has used a cover-all-bases approach, funding candidates and ballot measures big and small, contributing to what looks to be the most expensive primary season in California history. The goal, experts say, is to gain both political and regulatory leverage that will perpetuate dominance in business.

“This money is flowing in the direction of politicians that can be influential in defining the regulatory agenda for the next five years,” said Francesco Trebbi, a public policy professor at the University of California in Berkeley. “Reinforcing the cycle of economic power produces political power, and political power further establishes economic power. So, this cycle is ongoing.”

Combing through campaign finance filings with California’s secretary of state, the Guardian found:

· Google co-founder Sergey Brin has spent $82m since January, more than any other donor, to fight a billionaire tax that’s up for a vote on the November ballot.

· Democratic gubernatorial candidate Matt Mahan has received more donations than any other candidate, including from top executives at Google, Amazon, Snap, LinkedIn, Reddit and Palantir.

· Crypto mogul Chris Larsen has funded three Super Pacs with $26m to sway campaigns across California, including giving $1m to back a primary candidate for state insurance commissioner.

· Google and Meta have collectively funded a Super Pac with $10m to back assembly and senate candidates in local district races across the state.

· Silicon Valley money is flowing toward city primaries as well as state-level ones, with tech-backed Pacs sponsoring voter guides suggesting how to vote on local tax measures.

For Silicon Valley, pouring money into politics at this moment is existential as it races to develop artificial intelligence. With favorable candidates in office, tech companies say they will be able to grow at a breakneck rate while avoiding stifling regulations.

The vast amount of spending that’s been disclosed in public records probably isn’t even the half of it, Trebbi said. People looking to sway election outcomes often fund dark money entities that aren’t traceable through campaign finance filings.

“These people are sophisticated political givers, so they will use both visible and invisible forms of influence,” Trebbi said. What we’re seeing now is “just the tip of the iceberg”.

MONEY-FOR-INFLUENCE LEADERBOARD

The influx of dollars has meant that voters from Oakland to Bakersfield to Orange county have been bombarded with TV ads, robotexts and mailers touting various issues and candidates sponsored by super political action committees (Super Pacs) funded by the tech industry.

Top spenders for these Super Pacs include billionaires Larsen and Brin. Larsen, the co-founder of crypto company Ripple Labs, is worth about $12bn and has spent millions on more than a dozen primary campaigns up and down the state, targeting races and issues at a city and county level, as well as bigger state-level races. Brin, worth about $290bn, has homed in on fighting a one-time 5% tax on the state’s billionaires up for a vote in November, the proceeds from which are intended to help cover education, food assistance and healthcare programs.

To date, Brin has donated at least $82m to a Super Pac dedicated to blocking the billionaire tax, according to campaign finance filings with the state. The most recent filing, released on Friday night, showed he contributed $16m in May, on top of the $66m he’d already given this year. The former Alphabet president also spent $500,000 in San Francisco last month to battle a city measure that seeks to expand a tax on high-paid CEOs, which is up for a vote on 2 June. These donations come even as Brin moved out of California late last year to Nevada.

Larsen and Brin did not respond to requests for comment.

Along with contributing millions to Super Pacs and candidates in California, the tech world is also spending eye-popping amounts on lobbying.

An analysis by the news site CalMatters found that in 2025 alone, the tech industry paid $39m to lobby the state government. That’s more than any year prior and surpasses what was spent by the oil and gas industry, which typically tops the high roller list. According to a Bloomberg analysis, the biggest tech and AI companies spent a collective $109m on federal lobbying in 2025; that their state lobbying in California is equivalent to 36% of their federal spend showcases the state’s importance to the tech industry.

TECH PICKS A FAVORITE IN THE GOVERNOR’S RACE

Of the 62 candidates listed on the 2 June primary ballot, one has stood out as the tech industry’s darling: Matt Mahan. The centrist Democrat and upstart mayor from San Jose, a large city in Silicon Valley, entered the race late and quickly made headlines as he racked up contributions from a who’s who of the tech industry.

Before Mahan got involved in politics in 2020, he had a career in the tech sector. He was an undergraduate at Harvard with the Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg, and in 2014 co-founded a startup with funding from the Salesforce CEO, Marc Benioff, tech investor Ron Conway and Napster co-founder Sean Parker.

Since Mahan’s candidacy announcement in late January, he’s received nearly $50m in contributions, according to Politico – more than any other gubernatorial candidate (with the exception of Tom Steyer’s self-funded campaign of about $200m). Mahan has received donations from prominent venture capitalists, along with former and current executives from Google, Amazon, Snap, eBay, PayPal, Stripe, LinkedIn, DoorDash, Reddit, Netflix, Palantir, Anduril, Roblox, Riot Games and more, public records show.

Google’s Brin donated the maximum limit for an individual campaign donation at $78,400 and contributed $1m to the pro-Mahan Super Pac Deliver for California, according to public records. Mahan flew to Lake Tahoe where Brin lives in March to make a personal appeal to the billionaire and his conservative influencer girlfriend, the New York Times reported. Brin’s girlfriend, Gerelyn Gilbert-Soto, alleges that Mahan texted Brin afterwards to apologize for attending a No Kings rally.

Mahan’s overtures to both progressives and conservatives haven’t won him many friends among the state’s leading Democrats. The Silicon Valley congressman Ro Khanna chose Steyer to endorse and state assembly members from Mahan’s district have publicly criticized him, saying he was “handpicked” by the tech industry. Similarly, Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher, president of the powerful California Labor Federation, said Mahan was the only Democrat she was not promoting because she’s “opposed to the candidate funded by Trump’s big tech billionaires”.

Mahan said he had no plans to cater to special interests and his goal was for the system to work for everyone.

“I’m not running for tech, and if you look at my record – I’ve been in public office now for six years – I think you’d be hard pressed to find – you would not find a single example of me ever doing something to benefit the industry to the detriment of the community,” Mahan said. “If anything, I’ve fought hard to get them to do their fair share.”

The influx of tech cash into Mahan’s race hasn’t bolstered it as much as early predictions forecast. His campaign has failed to gain traction with a wider audience and polls have put him at just 4% of the vote. The Brin-funded Deliver for California Super Pac shuttered last month.

Mahan did not respond to further questions about his interactions with Brin or the termination of the Super Pac.

TARGETING STATE AND LOCAL PRIMARIES

Although the tech industry has mostly focused on a sole candidate for the governor’s race, it has taken more of a scattershot approach in local campaigns. Silicon Valley money has infiltrated nearly every segment of politics – from local ballot measures to state congressional campaigns to the race for California’s new insurance commissioner.

The tech executive who appears most dedicated to local politics is Larsen, the crypto mogul. He’s funded Super Pacs aimed at different causes and candidates. The Golden State Promise Super Pac has received a total of $10m entirely from Larsen and Ripple Labs, public records show. The Pac, which is devoted to combating the billionaire tax that’s up for a vote in November, launched an attack ad against the tax earlier this month.

Another Super Pac supported by Larsen is geared toward the state’s insurance commissioner race. Earlier this month, Larsen donated more than $1m to the Super Pac, Californians for an Affordable Future, which is dedicated to electing Ben Allen, a Democrat. It’s a heated primary race with several candidates vying for the seat, including Bernie Sanders-backed Jane Kim, also a Democrat.

Larsen has spread his money across elections for California’s state legislature too, mostly through a Super Pac called Grow California. He’s donated $15m to the Super Pac, while crypto evangelist Tim Draper has contributed $5m, according to public records. Grow California’s stated goal is to “rebuild a state capital”.

The Super Pac has injected hundreds of thousands of dollars into roughly a dozen state assembly and senate primaries across California. For example, Mark Pulido, who’s running for assembly in Orange county, has received more than $1.5m from Grow California. Likewise, a senate candidate in northern California’s Alameda County, Scott Sakakihara, has received more than $500,000 from the Super Pac.

“We have a group of people who are not acting in a pragmatic way. They’re not looking for balance. They’re completely fucking owned by one side,” Larsen told Politico, in reference to organized labor’s power in the legislature. “So we’re going to work on taking out those people who are not working for the people of California.”

Google and Meta have supported a similar Super Pac, California Leads, with $5m each and have distributed funds to several candidates in the Central valley, as well as to many of the same contenders as Grow California. According to public records, Pulido has received nearly $750,000 from California Leads. The Super Pac’s stated mission is “supporting leaders focused on California’s future”.

John Bennett, director of the advocacy organization California Initiative for Technology and Democracy, said spending upwards of $500,000 on a local district primary is a “huge sum of money”. He’s been studying the races and said the bulk of tech spending has gone to about a dozen open seats in the state legislature.

“They’ve been hyper-focused on those open seats, not going after incumbents this time around,” Bennett said. “So, it seems like they’re doing a long-term strategy to slowly turn the legislature to become more friendly to them.”

Other companies, like Airbnb and Uber, have also donated to local assembly and senate races across the state but with smaller contributions.

City campaigns are seeing a tech infusion too. Joe Lonsdale, a Palantir co-founder, contributed to former reality TV star and Los Angeles mayor hopeful Spencer Pratt – even though Lonsdale lives in Texas, records show. And several 501(c)(4) groups backed by Silicon Valley money have cropped up across the Bay Area sending out mailers and robotexts with voter guides that highlight preferred local candidates, along with suggestions to vote down issues like a union-backed parcel tax.

“Now they’re going at this from multiple fronts,” Bennett said. “They’re spending in elections, they’re spending in the legislature, and they’re trying to do whatever they can to ensure that they don’t lose their foothold in this economic system.”

Lauren Gambino contributed reporting

ATTACHMENT THIRTY FOUR – FROM NPR

FOUR CHARTS SHOW WHERE MONEY IS GOING IN THE MIDTERMS — AND WHO HAS THE MOST CASH

By Stephen Fowler April 23, 2026 5:00 AM ET

Texas Democratic Senate candidate Texas state Rep. James Talarico waved to the crowd before speaking Mar. 4 in Austin. Talarico raised $27m in the first quarter of 2026, leading a pack of Democrats who outraised Republicans in several key Senate matchups.

In their quest to regain control of both chambers of Congress, Democratic candidates are outraising Republicans in key contests that will decide the House and Senate majorities even as the national party faces record low approval ratings from voters.

The record-setting pace of retirements from Congress continues, led by Republicans

As the Democratic Party reckons with its future, a handful of older incumbents face well-funded, younger primary challengers who are fueled by a surge of individual contributions. This as nearly 70 lawmakers from both parties have already announced plans to retire, run for a different office or have already lost a primary election.

For Republicans, the typical midterm headwinds that blow against the party in power are compounded by President Trump's unpopularity and voter dissatisfaction around issues like the economy, immigration policy and the war in Iran.

At the same time, the national party's committees and super PACs have hundreds of millions of dollars saved up that they can — and will — deploy to counteract Democrats' enthusiasm.

Another wildcard is Trump's MAGA Inc. super PAC, which has nearly $350 million cash on hand to help sway what his final two years in office could look like – if he uses it.

HERE ARE FOUR CHARTS THAT EXPLAIN THE CURRENT POLITICAL LANDSCAPE FOR CONTROL OF THE HOUSE AND SENATE.

(See them at NPR.org)

DEMOCRATIC SENATE CANDIDATES LEAD THE FUNDRAISING PACK

To regain control of the Senate, Democrats need to defend two seats in states that Trump won in 2024 and flip four others.

As of the most recent filing deadline, Democratic candidates have outraised Republican candidates overall in seven seats held by Republicans — Maine, North Carolina, Ohio, Alaska, Florida, Iowa and Texas.

In the last quarter, Democrats also reported matching or exceeding Republican fundraising totals in several Senate races, too.

Texas Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico reported more than $27 million in receipts during the first quarter, followed by $14 million for Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff. Former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper reported nearly $9 million in his primary campaign account and millions more in a joint fundraising committee.

Additionally, independent candidates aligned with the Democratic Party raised more than Republican Senate incumbents in the deep red strongholds of Montana and Nebraska last quarter.

REPUBLICANS HAVE MORE MONEY TO SPEND — BUT THEY'LL NEED IT

While there's enthusiasm for Democratic candidates in competitive races, the negative view towards the national Democratic Party extends to donors, too.

The Democratic National Committee, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, along with allied super PACs House Majority PAC and Senate Majority PAC have been outraised by their Republican counterparts in the 2026 campaign cycle.

The Republican National Committee, the National Republican Congressional Committee, National Republican Senatorial Committee and allied super PACs Congressional Leadership Fund and Congressional Leadership Fund also have roughly double the cash on hand than their Democratic counterparts.

Add in Trump's MAGA Inc., and Republicans have nearly $850 million in the bank to defend vulnerable House and Senate races as well as pursue opportunities to pick up seats in toss-up contests.

SOME OLDER HOUSE DEMOCRATIC INCUMBENTS STILL FACE WELL-FUNDED YOUNG CHALLENGERS

As NPR previously reported, a number of older House Democrats who have not yet opted to retire are facing younger challengers who have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars almost exclusively from individual contributions. In some cases, those young challengers have outraised the incumbent.

Nearly a dozen vulnerable incumbents fit the bill, like California Reps. Brad Sherman and Mike Thompson, as well as Massachusetts Rep. Stephen Lynch. More money does not always guarantee success in challenging a sitting lawmaker, however.

Rep. Valerie Foushee of North Carolina already won her primary against Nida Allam, despite Allam raising nearly $300,000 more. In the March 3 primary, outside groups spent a record-setting $4.2 million to influence the race, primarily to support Foushee.

MOST INCUMBENTS ARE DOING JUST FINE

Control of the House and Senate still boils down to a relatively small number of districts, and incumbents who chose to run again almost always win.

Many sitting lawmakers do not have primary challengers, or if they do, those challengers raise very little money or attention.

This is reflected in campaign finance data: the average incumbent still running for re-election accounts for 94% of the primary fundraising and 80% of the general election fundraising for their seat.

Only 22 lawmakers report raising less than half of the money in their party's primary in the last quarter or overall. This includes many of the vulnerable older House Democrats like Tennessee Rep. Steve Cohen and Republican Sens. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and John Cornyn of Texas, who both face tough primary challenges.

One of them, former Rep. Sheila Cheriflus-McCormick, resigned April 21, 2026 before the House Ethics Committee was set to meet and decide on a punishment for violating campaign finance and ethics rules.

EXCERPTED FROM ATTACHMENT THIRTY SIX (BELOW)

MONEY CAN’T (ALWAYS) BUY YOU LOVE

Whether Steyer ultimately claws his way into the top two spots in the governor’s race after spending a record-setting sum on his self-funded campaign, it’s got to be a disappointing return on investment.

Steyer ultimately spent nearly a quarter of a billion dollars on his populism-coded gubernatorial bid. The fact that all that advertising didn’t translate to an electoral blowout is no surprise, said Garry South, a longtime California Democratic strategist.

“It may sound facetious to say that you can have too much money in a campaign, but in fact the way these rich self-financing candidates spend their money becomes a liability. …They wear out their welcome.”

Steyer isn’t the only candidate to have drawn deeply on his personal finances only to flounder at the ballot box. Patrick Wolff put $600,000 of his own money toward his insurance commissioner campaign, Yvonne Yiu invested $750,000 in her race to join the state Board of Equalization and Saikat Chakrabarti put up the bulk of the millions he spent in his bid to replace Nancy Pelosi in Congress. In Los Angeles, Zach Sokoloff put up $1 million — with millions more coming from his mother — to unseat the sitting city controller.

Chakrabarti couldn’t crack the top two in his race, losing to state Sen. Scott Wiener and San Francisco Supervisor Connie Chan. As of Wednesday morning, the remaining three trailed in their respective races.

ATTACHMENT THIRTY FIVE – FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

WHO WON AND WHO LOST IN TUESDAY’S PRIMARY ELECTIONS

California was still counting, and President Donald Trump saw a rare setback as results came in from primary elections across the country.

By Holliday Woodard and Stella Garner June 3, 2026, at 4:06 p.m.

November’s general election matchups are taking shape as voters in California, New Jersey, Iowa, Montana, South Dakota and New Mexico took to the polls in primary elections on Tuesday to select their party’s candidates.

The highest profile race of the day, the California election to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom, was still too close to call Wednesday afternoon, but Republican Steve Hilton was leading the crowded field.

One theme of the primary season across the country thus far has been the string of victories for Republican contenders backed by President Donald Trump. But Tuesday’s contests saw a high-profile defeat for a Trump-endorsed candidate. Despite an endorsement from the president, Republican Rep. Randy Feenstra was rejected by voters in his bid for the GOP nomination for governor.

Pick Newsletters

HERE ARE SOME KEY ELECTION RESULTS FROM EACH STATE.

CALIFORNIA: GOVERNOR, MAYOR 

The California gubernatorial election was still too close to call. Approximately 57.7% of the votes were in, with an estimated 3,687,000 ballots remaining to be counted. Known for a slow vote-tallying process, statewide results may take some time to file in.

Republican Steve Hilton as of Wednesday morning held 27.8% of the vote. The Trump-endorsed former Fox News political commentator had pledged to turn the historically blue state toward the GOP this midterm election and reverse a two-decade losing streak for Republicans seeking statewide office.

Democrat Xavier Becerra sat slightly behind Hilton, with 25.4% of the vote. A former U.S. secretary of health and human services under President Joe Biden and the state's former attorney general, Becerra surged late in the race after Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell stepped down amid sexual assault allegations.

Democratic billionaire activist Tom Steyer sat in third, earning 19.6% of the vote. With over 2 million votes scattered between the two Democratic candidates, the progressive bloc in California's jungle primary – which sees the top two vote-getters advance to the general election, regardless of party affiliation – was heavily fragmented.

The Los Angeles mayoral election was another race to watch. Incumbent Democrat Karen Bass advanced to the general election with 34.8% of the vote. Republican Spencer Pratt, a former reality TV star, had a comfortable hold on second place with 30.4% support.

By Davi Schulman June 1, 2026

Inside the Youth Gap on Capital Hill

America has fewer young leaders than any other liberal democracy. A look inside the system keeping younger leaders out.

NEW JERSEY: SENATE, HOUSE

Incumbent Sen. Cory Booker was the projected winner of New Jersey’s Democratic primary. Booker, who has held the Senate seat since 2013, ran unopposed.

A potential 2028 presidential contender, Booker will face Justin Murphy, the projected winner of a crowded Republican primary. Murphy, a Navy veteran and former Senate candidate, secured 33.3% of the ballots cast. Murphy won with little to no money in his campaign account – which was in debt $24, according to the Federal Election Commission. 

Democrats in New Jersey's 7th District voted for former healthcare executive Rebecca Bennett, who was victorious with 45.5% of the vote in the primary. Bennett handily defeated three competitors, garnering nearly half the vote. Bennett in November will take on Republican incumbent Rep. Thomas Kean Jr, who has drawn headlines after months out of the public eye and scores of missed votes in the House.

NEW MEXICO: GOVERNOR, SENATE 

Rep. Deb Haaland pulled out a decisive win in the Democratic primary for New Mexico’s open gubernatorial seat. As of Wednesday, she secured 72.3% of the vote over prosecutor Sam Bregman. Haaland will face off against former Rio Rancho Mayor Gregg Hull, who won 47% of the vote in a race against small business owner Doug Turner. If elected, Haaland would become the first Native American woman governor in the U.S.

Incumbent Democratic Sen. Ben Ray Lujan fought off democratic socialist Matt Dodson to claim 84.2% of the vote. Although no Republican candidate officially ran in the primaries, businessman Larry Marker mounted a successful campaign to appear on the ticket in the general election. Marker took over 4,000 write-in votes Wednesday morning, well ahead of the state threshold of 2,531 to qualify for the ballot.

IOWA: SENATE, HOUSE, GOVERNOR 

Rob Sand, the Democratic state auditor, went unopposed in the gubernatorial primary, while Republican businessman Zach Lahn narrowly edged out Rep. Randy Feenstra, 38% to 37.2%. Although Feenstra secured a late endorsement by Trump, it was not enough to carry him through.

Meanwhile, Ashley Hinson comfortably won the Republican Senate primary with 74.2% support.

Josh Turek, looking to flip the GOP-held seat, secured 62.7% of the vote to win the Democratic Senate primary. Turek, a Paralympian, is backed by Senate Minority leader Chuck Schumer.

By Tim Smart June 2, 2026

MONTANA: SENATE, HOUSE

Montana’s Senate seat, left vacant by retiring Republican incumbent Sen. Steve Daines, will see a matchup between former U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme and Air Force veteran Alani Bankhead. Independent candidate and former University of Montana President Seth Bodnar, who has outraised every one of his opponents, will also run in the general election.

Alme secured a decisive win in the Republican primary over opponents Lee Calhoun and Charles Walking Child. Endorsements from Daines and Trump, as well as other top state Republicans, helped him to 76.2% of the vote.

Bankhead’s nomination was an unexpected one. Largely unknown before announcing her candidacy earlier this year, she held 43.8% of the vote – ahead of former Rep. Reilly Neill’s 33%. Neill was the front-runner, with five times more campaign cash than her four opponents combined, according to The Associated Press. 

In Montana’s 1st District, Trump-backed Army veteran and talk show host Aaron Flint clinched the Republican nomination. The Democratic race had yet to be called, but union leader Sam Forstag held 37.3% of the vote. Former gubernatorial candidate Ryan Busse trailed with 33.1%.

Democrats face challenges, with Montana’s recent red voting history, but they could be looking to take advantage of the state’s more independent leanings. The state’s most recent Democratic senator, Jon Tester, held the seat for 18 years until losing reelection in 2024.

SOUTH DAKOTA: SENATE, HOUSE, GOVERNOR

A heated Republican primary contest for incumbent Gov. Larry Rhoden’s position will advance to a runoff election between Rhoden and businessman Toby Doeden, who led with 30.6% of the vote. The eventual winner will face former state Sen. Dan Ahlers, who ran unopposed for the Democratic nomination.

Finishing third among Republicans and narrowly missing the runoff was Rep. Dusty Johnson, who gave up his House seat in South Dakota’s 1st District to seek the governor’s mansion. In the running for his congressional seat are Republican state Attorney General Marty Jackley and Democratic business owner Nikki Gronli.

ATTACHMENT THIRTY SIX – FROM CALMATTERS.ORG

FIVE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT CALIFORNIA’S ELECTION, FROM CONGRESS TO THE GOVERNOR’S RACE

BY Ben Christopher June 3, 2026

IN SUMMARY:

California’s wild and wide-open primary election came to a close Tuesday with voters consolidating behind leading candidates for their parties.

It was a good night for normie Democrats, a bad one for self-funded campaigns, a mixed bag for state legislators aspiring to higher office and another electoral reminder of President Donald Trump’s dominant role in our politics — even in deepest blue California. 

At the top of the ticket, Republican former Fox News host and British political adviser Steve Hilton and longtime Democratic politico Xavier Becerra hold the top two spots needed to progress to the November election for governor. Tom Steyer, the billionaire former hedge fund manager turned left-leaning political donor, is holding a distant though technically viable third. The Associated Press has not called the race.

Veteran state election observers will know that it may be weeks before the final score of the June primary election is tallied. But a few early takeaways are already coming into focus:

MONEY CAN’T (ALWAYS) BUY YOU LOVE

(See Attachment Thirty Four above)

A GOOD NIGHT FOR ‘STANDARD’ DEMOCRATS

Anti-incumbent populism may be in the national zeitgeist, but California voters seem perfectly happy with — or at least, fine settling with — experienced, garden variety Democrats.

“What they want is a Democratic elected official who can go and fight Donald Trump,” said Andrew Sinclair, a Claremont McKenna College political science professor. 

Hence the sharp, sudden rise of Becerra following the political implosion of former frontrunner Eric Swalwell. Swalwell was also well known as an experienced politician who “Donald Trump didn’t like,” said Sinclair. Mild-mannered Becerra with a deep political resume and limited baggage was the next logical choice. “What’s your standard, out-of-the-box Democrat who you can get to fight Republicans? Becerra is probably that guy.”

It helped that Becerra’s main Democratic opponent, the self-styled populist Steyer, had the easily-attacked billionaire status, and Democrats worried about being locked out of the general election wanted to get behind whoever was polling best.

Many of the Democratic incumbents in Congress also appeared to be fending off challenges from younger, more progressive insurgents — or at least keeping them firmly in second place. Those include Mike Thompson, Brad Sherman and Doris Matsui.

PARTY STILL MATTERS

Back in 2010 when California adopted the top-two primary system, proponents pitched it to voters as a way to shake the partisan gridlock out of California politics. Rather than have Democratic and Republican primary voters predictably electing candidates who appeal to the ideological poles, a system that lets every candidate from every party compete on the same ballot was supposed to encourage across-the-aisle reaching candidates who can appeal to voters in the middle. 

Voters in the middle are less likely to show up in primary elections, said South. 

Nor has the state’s top-two system ever produced a general election race for governor with two Democrats. For all the talk of then-Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom squaring off against Antonio Villaraigosa in 2018 or the possibility of a Becerra vs Steyer showdown this year, California governor races have always reverted to the partisan pattern with energized Democratic voters gravitating around their candidate and Republicans doing the same. 

Similarly, the top two spots in both the lieutenant governor and treasurer’s races are also blue vs. red. The one exception: As of Wednesday, two Democratic candidates to become the next insurance commissioner — Jane Kim and Sen. Ben Allen — appear to be headed to the November election.

THE SHUT OUT THAT WASN’T

Democrats can now officially stop worrying about a dreaded “shut out” scenario.

With so many Democrats packed into the race and none dominating the field, many party members worried early on that the two most prominent Republicans running, Hilton and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, could claim the first and second place spot in the primary. 

Concerns over such a paradoxical, and for Democrats, nightmarish outcome prompted party chair Rusty Hicks to commission a poll to push some of the lowest-polling Democratic candidates to step aside for the good of the party and state. 

Almost none did. But either because Democratic voters were sufficiently spooked into strategically avoiding that outcome — or because a shutout was never that likely in the first place — it doesn’t appear likely to happen.

Democrats have dodged such electoral bullets before. In 2018, a glut of anti-Trump Democratic congressional candidates threatened to hand Republicans both top spots in competitive races across the state. There were no shutouts in that year’s primary. California Democrats ended up cleaning up in the subsequent “blue wave” general election. There was similar Democratic hand-wringing in the run-up to the recall election over a possible procedural fluke that could have handed the governor’s office to a Republican. Newsom swatted down the recall in a landslide. 

Despite the recurring bouts of Democratic angst, the most prominent top two “lock out” in recent memory was in a deeply conservative state Senate district in the Sierra foothills in 2022 which a crowded pack of Republicans ended up cannibalizing the GOP vote leaving two Democrats in first and second. 

The victor in that race, Sen. Marie Alvarado-Gil, ended up switching parties to join the Republicans anyway. As of early Wednesday, she is trailing in third place in her re-election contest behind Jaron Brandon, a Democrat, and Alexandra Duarte, a Republican.

SENATOR WHO?

Anthony Rendon was the former speaker of the California Assembly. In an org chart of state governance, that made him one of the three most influential people in the Capitol, alongside his counterpart in the Senate and the governor.

Alas, that wasn’t enough star power for Rendon to secure the largely symbolic position of superintendent of public instruction. As of Wednesday, he sits in fourth place.

Likewise, state Sen. Anna Caballero, a Merced Democrat who once served as the state Senate’s powerful appropriations chair, is a distant third in her bid to become treasurer — far behind Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis and little-known Republican Jennifer Hawks. Assemblymember Jasmeet Bains, a moderate Democrat, is also trailing in her race to unseat Republican Rep. David Valadao in the Central Valley, currently boxed out of the second place spot by Sen. Bernie Sanders-backed college professor Randy Villegas. And former state Sen. Steven Bradford is bringing up eighth place in the insurance commissioner contest.

It wasn’t all bad news for state lawmakers looking for other employment opportunities. Sen. Ben Allen is in second place in the insurance race, while Wiener and Sen. Aisha Wahab, two Democratic legislators from the San Francisco Bay Area, both easily claimed the top spots in their respective races for Congress.

ATTACHMENT THIRTY SEVEN – FROM BALLOTPEDIA

JUNE 2, 2026, ELECTION RESULTS

CALIFORNIA

U.S. House District 4

See also: California's 4th Congressional District election, 2026 (June 2 top-two primary)

Two Democrats, six Republicans, and one independent candidate ran in the top-two primary for California's 4th Congressional District on June 2, 2026. As of March 2026, incumbent Mike Thompson (D) and Eric Jones (D) led in fundraising and local media attention.^[1][2]

Local political observers described the primary in terms of the ideological and generational contrast between Thompson and Jones. The San Francisco Chronicle's Joe Garofali described the primary as "another example of a younger, well-funded Bay Area Democrat taking on an entrenched candidate as the Democratic Party grapples with how to win back voters," referring to the party's losses at the national level in the 2024 elections.^[2] The Sonoma Index-Tribune's Ruchi Shahagadkar said Thompson "has championed the region’s wine industry, fought for federal tax relief for wildfire survivors and served as the House Democrats’ point person on initiatives combating gun violence."^[3] Politico's Jeremy B. White said Jones is "hoping to exploit a rapidly shifting media landscape that makes it easier for lesser-known candidates to break through, as Zohran Mamdani did in New York’s mayoral primary with viral campaign videos."^[4]

Thompson was first elected to the House in 1998. He earlier served eight years in the California Senate. Thompson said he was running because "[w]ith the outcome of the last election and what’s happened since then with this (Donald Trump) administration and the Republican majority, it’s absolutely imperative that I continue the work I’ve started," referring to his position on the House Ways and Means Committee.^[1] The Democratic Party of California endorsed Thompson.^[5]

Jones was a former executive at an investment firm and the founder of the American Dream Institute, a group describing itself as "a first-of-its-kind digital engagement engine dedicated to helping the Democratic Party rebuild trust with young working Americans."^[6] Jones said he was running "to restore the American Dream for every family — not just the wealthy few."^[7] Our Revolution, an organization that advocated for the policies of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), endorsed Jones.^[8]

Also running in the primary were Sharon Brown (R), Mandy Ghusar (R), Jimih Jones (R), L. John MacKenzie (R), Raymond Riehle (R), Chuck Uribe (R), and Thomas Roach (I).

In a top-two primary, all candidates running for a given office appear on the same ballot. The top two finishers—regardless of partisan affiliation—advance to the general election. One Democrat and one Republican had, as of the 2026 primary, advanced from every top-two primary in the 4th District since 2016. Citing California State University, Sacramento, professor Wesley Hussey, The Sacramento Bee's Jake Goodrick said, "A Republican candidate often advances in a top-two primary, even in a heavily Democratic district...but without a stand-out Republican to back, a scenario in which the four Republicans split votes could favor both Thompson and Jones advancing."^[9]

The primary took place in the context of redistricting in California that changed the 4th District's boundaries from those used in 2024. Inside Elections' Nathaniel Rakich said the 2026 version of the 4th District favored Democrats overall but did so by a narrower margin than the district lines in use in 2024.^[10] As of June 2026, major election forecasters rated the general election Solid/Safe Democratic.