2025-2026 election thread for Senate, House, State and cities

[weatheriscool]

[weatheriscool]

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The Economist/YouGov Poll
August 29 - September 2, 2025 - 1691 U.S. Adult Citizens
Generic Congressional Vote
If the elections for U.S. Congress were being held today, who would you vote for in the district where you live?

Total:
The Democratic Party candidate 38%
The Republican Party candidate 34%
Other 1%
Not sure 12%
I would not vote 15%
Totals 100%
Unweighted N (1,690)

Source: See page 64 of https://d3nkl3psvxxpe9.cloudfront.net/d ... 3c69M7.pdf

What is also encouraging for Democrats is the trend. They have actually gained two point since the previous Economist/YouGov Poll that was reported upon on August 25, 2025

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I am not sure how reliable the Washington Examiner is, but they presented a recent article indicating that Chelsea Clinton is not considering a run for Nadler's seat:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/politics/elec ... -AA1LOfyu

[firestar464]

Completely unsubstantiated and likely false; if this were true, outlets would be reporting on it already. This is just another one of those random X accounts

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Here is a USA article confirming that Chelsea is not considering entering the race for Nadler's district:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics ... 3c0e&ei=52

Edit: In Weatheriscool's defense, there were some fairly widespread media reports that Chelsea was considering a run until that story was fact checked by other media sources and a Chelsea representative denied the reports.

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Democrats Overperform in Florida as They Cruise to Victory in Two Elections
By Kate Plummer
September 3 , 2025

Introduction:

(Alternet) Florida Democrats have increased the party's share of the vote in two state special election victories.

On Tuesday night, RaShon Young and LaVon Bracy Davis won their elections for Florida's House of Representatives and Senate, respectively. The proportion of the vote they both received was more than what former vice president and 2024 Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris won in those seats in the November 2024 election.

Political experts who spoke to Newsweek were divided about what these results might mean for the Democratic Party's chances in the midterms next year, amid a broader pattern of electorally exceeding expectations so far this year.

"Although I wouldn't pop the champagne corks just yet if I were the Democrats, I would feel a bracing electoral wind at my back," said Thomas Whalen, an associate professor who teaches U.S. politics at Boston University, about the two Florida elections.

Additional Extract:

Mark Shanahan who teaches American politics at the University of Surrey in the U.K. said: "These were expected wins in Democrat districts, so while the candidates performed better than Kamala Harris last November, these were special elections for the Florida Legislature with a low turnout and no real expectations of Republican wins.

Read more here: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politic ... e&ei=111

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‘Bet It On the Underdog’: Talarico Officially Enters the Texas Senate Primary
By Adam Wren
September 9, 2025

Introduction:

(Politico) State Rep. James Talarico entered a crowded Texas Senate race Tuesday, the latest Democrat vying to take on the monumental task of flipping the state.

Talarico is widely viewed as a rising star in the party, but he enters the primary as an underdog. Former Rep. Colin Allred, a civil rights attorney and former NFL linebacker, just spent north of $94 million last year in an 8.5-point loss to Sen. Ted Cruz that won him significant name identification across the state. He also boasts a growing list of endorsements and a 10-week head start on the 36-year-old Talarico.

But Talarico, the former middle school teacher and seminarian who grew up the son of a single mother, has attracted significant attention since he flipped a Trump-leaning state House district in the Austin suburb of Round Rock, winning it by 2 percentage points in 2018. He has since built a viral video presence leaning on his theological background and scored a coveted sitdown on Joe Rogan’s podcast in July.

Now Talarico will test the power of the attention economy to mobilize Democratic donors, volunteers and voters in a state that has long been out of reach. An eighth-generation Texan, Talarico said he knows there’s a steep path — both to the nomination and the Senate — but he’s ready for a challenge (he once walked 25 miles across the length of his district twice, holding three town halls over 10 hours).

“This is not going to be easy by any stretch of the imagination,” Talarico told POLITICO in an interview. “We’re going up against the political establishment in both parties. We’re going up against those billionaire mega-donors and their puppet politicians. But you know, my life has always shown me that it’s a good idea to bet it on the underdog.”

Read more here: https://www.politico.com/news/2025/09/ ... 00550887

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New York Gov. Hochul formally endorses Zohran Mamdani for NYC mayor

Source: ABC News

September 14, 2025, 10:32 PM

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul formally endorsed Democratic New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani on Sunday night, writing in an opinion piece that she is "confident that he has the courage, urgency and optimism New York City needs to lead it through the challenges of this moment."

"In the past few months, I've had frank conversations with him. We've had our disagreements," Hochul wrote in the New York Times. "But in our conversations, I heard a leader who shares my commitment to a New York where children can grow up safe in their neighborhoods and where opportunity is within reach for every family. I heard a leader who is focused on making New York City affordable — a goal I enthusiastically support."

Hochul said she and Mamdani had discussed policing, combating antisemitism, and New York's economy, and that it was important to her that New York's next mayor "would not be someone who would surrender one inch to Donald Trump."

"Zohran Mamdani and I will both be fearless in confronting the president's extreme agenda — with urgency, conviction, and the defiance that defines New York. And we must never allow Mr. Trump to control our city like the king he wants to be… Zohran and I don't see eye to eye on everything, and I don't expect us to," Hochul wrote. "I will always reserve the right to disagree honestly and to argue passionately. But I also believe that New York State and New York City are at their best when we stand together against those who attempt to tear us apart," she said.

Read more: https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/new-yor ... =125567563

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Wisconsin Democrat Kelda Roys Launches Run for Governor
By Scott Bauer
September 15, 2025

Introduction:

(Wisconsin Watch) A Wisconsin state senator who came in third in the Democratic primary for governor in 2018 is running again, saying in her campaign launch video that “extremists” like President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk are putting the nation’s democracy at risk.

Kelda Roys, an attorney and small business owner who represents the liberal capital city of Madison in the state Senate, launched her campaign on Monday.

“We are in the fight of our lives for our democracy and our kids’ future,” Roys says in her campaign launch video. It shows people protesting along with images of Trump and Musk.

The two other highest-profile announced Democratic candidates are Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez and Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley. Several other Democrats are expected to join the race in coming days.

On the Republican side, Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann, 43, and suburban Milwaukee business owner Bill Berrien, 56, are the only announced candidates. Other Republicans, including U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany and state Senate President Mary Felzkowski, are considering running.

Read more here: https://wisconsinwatch.org/2025/09/wis ... ection/

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State Representative Francesca Hong, Leader of Anti-Biden Protest Vote, Announces Bid for Wisconsin Governor
By Brakkton Booker
September 17, 2025

Introduction:

(Mother Jones) The latest candidate to enter the crowded Wisconsin race for governor is a progressive who helped spearhead a protest vote against former President Joe Biden over his stance on Israel in the Democratic primary last year.

State Rep. Francesca Hong, a member of Legislature’s fledgling Socialist Caucus, is amplifying her working-class background as chef and community organizer in her campaign launch on Wednesday. She’s likely a long-shot candidate, but her presence in the race is a sign that Democrats are still sorting through what they stand for on a host of issues after their steep losses last November.

“I’m the wild card in this race,” Hong told POLITICO in an interview ahead of her campaign launch.

“Service industry folks are built different,” she continued. “I want folks to be able to know that in this state, someone like me can not only run for governor, but be governor.”

The 36-year-old Hong, whose district includes heavily Democratic-leaning Madison, the state capital and home to the state’s largest university, helped lead the state’s “uninstructed” push ahead of the state’s presidential primary last April with some 25 Democratic elected state and local officials signing onto a pressure campaign attempting to sway the Biden administration’s policies on Israel.

Read more here: https://www.politico.com/news/2025/09/ ... 00566485

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The Midterm Senate Clash That Offers a Preview of 2028
By Alex Baltzegar
September 17, 2025

Introduction:

(Politico) It was home to the most expensive Senate race in American history in 1984, and then again in 2014. Now, North Carolina is on a trajectory for another record — the first billion-dollar Senate race ever.

It’s a staggering sum that would amount to roughly twice the existing spending record, set in the 2020 Georgia Senate race. But there’s rare bipartisan consensus that a confluence of factors make it a contest capable of blowing away any and all Senate spending records, drowning broadcast and digital platforms in ads and turning North Carolina into a Senate battleground where expensive AI-driven technology is deployed at scale. It may be a glimpse at the 2028 presidential campaign, and beyond.

Foreshadowing the spending spree to come, the likely Democratic nominee, former Gov. Roy Cooper, raised $3.4 million in just his first 24 hours in the race — a new record for a one-day haul and enough to have bankrolled a full Senate campaign a generation ago.

“This could easily be a billion-dollar race, no question about it,” says Morgan Jackson, Cooper’s longtime political consultant.

With so few pickup opportunities for Democrats next year, there is no path back to a Senate majority without a victory in North Carolina. As one of America’s closest swing states — and as an open seat with no incumbent running — it represents the party’s best chance to flip a Republican-held seat. That means donors and super PACs on both sides will concentrate their firepower here, and the state will soak up money that might otherwise be spread across a half-dozen battleground

Read more here: https://www.politico.com/news/magazine ... 00567263

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NV-GOV: Governor Lombardo announces re-election bid in Northern Nevada

RENO, Nev. (KOLO) - Governor Joe Lombardo is throwing his hat in the ring for the 2026 Nevada Governor race. Community leaders and supporters gathered at the Western Nevada Supply in Sparks for the re-election speech from the Governor.

“Nevada didn’t send me to Carson City to play politics. You hired me to get stuff done.”

Before politics, Lombardo spent over 30 years with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and then eventually served as the Clark County Sheriff. “I pride myself on the common man. I learned that through my law enforcement career,” said the Governor.

The Governor says he has focused on improving healthcare, economic development, public safety, and education. “You sent me there to deliver results, restore balance to our political system, find consensus, and solve real problems that are pressing Nevadans every day.”

https://www.kolotv.com/2025/09/18/gover ... rn-nevada/

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GOP Facing 'an Immediate Firestorm' Ahead of the 2026 Midterm
By Tom Boggioni
September 18, 2025

Introduction:

(Raw Story) The hope of many Republicans who will be on the ballot in 2026 that they won’t pay a price for meddling with voters' healthcare is swiftly fading as new budget negotiations stall, according to reporting.

According to a report from Politico’s Joanne Kenen, GOP lawmakers have been hoping that the cuts in medical services and rise in rates for those taking advantage of the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, would not take effect until after the election, but that is looking less likely, putting conservative lawmakers ill at ease about what is already expected to be a tough road ahead.

According to one political analyst, Republicans are now facing an “immediate firestorm.”

“A full year before anyone casts their vote in November 2026 — meaning now, in the fall of 2025 — the American health care system will begin transitioning from an era of unprecedented expansion of coverage to an era of unprecedented cutbacks. And President Donald Trump and the GOP-controlled Congress will be easy to blame,” Kenen wrote before adding that the Republican-controlled Congress is under the gun to reach a deal on expiring Obamacare provisions.

Without a deal, “insurance premiums are set to rise, often by double-digit percentages, in and out of Affordable Care Act exchanges,” and up to 14 million Americans could lose coverage.

Read more here: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politic ... de&ei=71