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

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Democrat Colin Allred drops out of Senate race, announces run for 33rd Congressional District

Source: Texas Tribune

Dec. 8, 2025, 7:05 a.m. Central

Colin Allred is dropping out of the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate and pivoting to run instead for the Dallas-based 33rd Congressional District. Allred, a former Dallas congressman, was the party’s nominee for Senate in 2024, losing to Sen. Ted Cruz. In July, he launched a 2026 bid for Texas’ other Senate seat, but his path to the nomination was complicated by the September entry of state Rep. James Talarico, D-Austin, and an expected run from U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, a fellow Dallasite who is hosting an announcement event later Monday.

Allred’s swerve came on the last day for candidates to file for Texas’ 2026 primaries. In a statement, he said he was deciding to exit the Senate race because he wanted the party to avoid a runoff — a likely outcome if Crockett decided to run — and maximize its chances of winning in November. The nominee will face the winner of a three-way GOP primary between U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, Attorney General Ken Paxton and U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt of Houston.

“In the past few days, I’ve come to believe that a bruising Senate Democratic primary and runoff would prevent the Democratic Party from going into this critical election unified against the danger posed to our communities and our Constitution by Donald Trump and one of his Republican bootlickers Paxton, Cornyn, or Hunt,” Allred said. “That’s why I’ve made the difficult decision to end my campaign for the U.S. Senate.”

Instead, Allred said he will run for Congress in Texas’ newly drawn 33rd Congressional District, one of two winnable seats left for Democrats in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area after the U.S. Supreme Court last week allowed the state to use a new GOP-friendly map crafted earlier this year.

Read more: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/12/08 ... ct-dallas/

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As expected...

Jasmine Crockett Announces Campaign for Texas Democratic Senate Primary
By Jack Fink
December 8, 2025

Introduction:

(CBS) Rep. Jasmine Crockett on Monday filed paperwork to run for Democratic primary for U.S. Senate in Texas, a source tells CBS News Texas, hours ahead of a planned news conference where she announced her plans.

"I'm done with going along to get along, and it gets us nowhere," Crockett said during her announcement Monday. "I'm done watching rural hospitals and public schools close their doors. I'm done watching parents be afraid to send their kids to school or the mall or the movies because Republicans have flooded our streets with guns. I'm done with the Senators sitting around doing nothing, while Trump takes your hard-earned money, skims your Social Security, slashes Medicare, and gives tax breaks to billionaires. I'm done. I'm done watching the American dream on life support while Trump tries to pull the plug. The gloves have been off, and now I'm jumping into the ring. I'm asking for your support to be the next United States Senator from the great state of Texas."

Read more here: https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/news/jas ... primary/

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[firestar464]

More on that by CNN:

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/12/09/poli ... ric-gisler

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Wouldn't this be fucking something!!! If the tsunami is high enough they'd literally gerryfuck themselves.

[firestar464]

Brad Lander, a Mamdani ally, challenges Rep. Dan Goldman in Democratic primary with mayor-elect’s backing

https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/10/politics ... -challenge

let's gooooo

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OH-GOV: Democrat gains in race against Ramaswamy for Ohio governor: Poll

Democrat Amy Acton is polling neck and neck with Republican Vivek Ramaswamy in the Ohio governor’s race, according to a new survey.

An Emerson College Polling survey released on Thursday found Acton, a former Ohio Department of Health director, receiving 46 percent while Ramaswamy, who ran for the GOP presidential nomination last cycle, at 45 percent. A separate 9 percent said they were undecided.

The polling falls within the survey’s 3.3-point margin of error, essentially tying the two candidates.

Compared to a similar poll conducted in August, Acton has seen a 7-point increase while Ramaswamy has lost some ground with a 4-point decline.

https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/5 ... rnor-poll/

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Indiana Republicans Just Defied Trump’s Pressure Campaign to Rig Their Congressional Maps
By Ari Berman
December 11, 2025

Introduction:

(Mother Jones) An an extraordinary rebuke to Donald Trump on Thursday, the Indiana state Senate rejected a gerrymandered congressional map relentlessly pushed by the president and his allies that would have given Republicans a lopsided 9-0 advantage in the state’s House delegation by eliminating the seats of two Democratic members of Congress. The final vote was 31-19 in the state Senate, where Republicans have a supermajority: Twenty-one Republicans joined 10 Democrats to defeat the legislation.

Republican state senators who opposed the gerrymandered map sharply criticized the months-long pressure campaign by Trump and his allies, which led to threats of violence and intimidation against at least 11 state lawmakers.

“I fear for this institution,” Republican state Sen. Greg Walker, chair of the Senate Committee on Elections, said during an emotional speech this week. “I fear for the state of Indiana and I fear for all states if we allow intimidation and threats to become the norm.”

Additional Extract:

The egregious nature of this gerrymander was too much for even the Republican supermajority in the Indiana state Senate to ignore. The map’s defeat is further evidence of how, despite the Supreme Court reinstating Texas’ gerrymander last week, Trump’s gerrymandering arms race hasn’t become the lopsided victory he initially envisioned. The parties may break mostly even in the end.

Voting rights supporters in Missouri submitted more than 300,000 signatures this week to hold a ballot referendum that could ultimately block the gerrymandered map passed by Republicans in September, although Missouri’s Republican Secretary of State is now absurdly claiming he can unilaterally declare the new referendum unconstitutional, which is sure to provoke another court battle. New Democratic districts in California, Utah, and potentially Virginia could also minimize Trump’s advantage heading into the midterms.

Read more here: https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2 ... ll-fails/

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With GOP ‘Looking at’ Tyson’s Alleged Market Manipulation, Nebraska U.S. Senate Candidate Osborn Says ‘Enforce the Law’
By Julia Conley
December 12, 2025

Introduction:

(Common Dreams) Instead of “another investigation” into possible wrongdoing by meatpacking giant Tyson, independent US Senate candidate Dan Osborn is demanding that elected officials in Nebraska simply “pick up the damn phone” and demand action from the Trump administration following the company’s closure of one of the nation’s largest meat processing plants in what one antitrust expert said was a clear-cut case of market manipulation.

Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), whom Osborn is challenging in the 2026 election, said Thursday that his team is “taking a look at any allegation of wrongdoing” by Tyson, weeks after the company announced its massive plant in Lexington, Nebraska is set to close in January—putting more than 3,000 people in a town of 11,000 out of work.

Conclusion:

Osborn pointed out Thursday that Ricketts has taken more than $70,000 in campaign donations from Tyson.

“The people of Lexington need their elected officials to fight now more than ever,” Osborn said at the press conference this week. “The law that’s been on the books for over 100 years should be enforced... So pick up the damn phone, call Brooke Rollins, and get the USDA to enforce the law.”

By visiting Lexington and speaking out against Tyson’s gutting of thousands of jobs, former Federal Trade Commission member Alvaro Bedoya said that “candidate for Senate Dan Osborn is already doing more for the people affected by the Tyson closure than the current Nebraska senators.”

Read more here: https://www.commondreams.org/news/dan-osborn-2026

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Democrats Score Blowout Victory in Kentucky as Trump's Popularity Plummets
By Matthew Chapman
December 16, 2025

Introduction:

(Raw Story) Democrats continued their string of special election victories on Tuesday with a blowout win in a Kentucky state senate district that former Vice President Kamala Harris only carried by 5 points in 2024, according to calls by Decision Desk and the Louisville Courier Journal.

Kentucky Senate District 37, which consists of the neighborhoods of Louisville just west of the airport, has been vacant ever since Democratic Sen. David Yates was appointed clerk of Jefferson County. Republicans were hoping to be competitive in the race after the narrow margins in the presidential election.

But the district was more Democratic in downballot races, Yates having carried the seat by 21 points. And on Tuesday evening, Democratic candidate Gary Clemons clinched a landslide victory against Republican Calvin Leach. As of 7:30 p.m., Clemons was up by a margin of 72.6% to Leach's 25.1%.

Read more here: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politic ... a1a&ei=50

[firestar464]

Stefanik drops bid for N.Y. gov, retiring from Congress

https://www.axios.com/2025/12/19/elise- ... y-governor

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Lummis Announces Retirement from Senate
By Al Weaver
December 19, 2025

Introduction:

(The Hill) Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) announced Friday she will not seek reelection to the upper chamber next year, setting up an open seat primary in the ruby red state.

Lummis made the announcement after the Senate adjourned for the holiday break, a move that will end her stay after a single term in office.

She said in a statement that after an intense session, especially the past several weeks, she did not have it in her to serve out another six-year term.

“Deciding not to run for re-election does represent a change of heart for me, but in the difficult, exhausting session weeks this fall I’ve come to accept that I do not have six more years in me,” she said. “I am a devout legislator, but I feel like a sprinter in a marathon. The energy required doesn’t match up.”

“I am honored to have earned the support of President Trump and to have the opportunity to work side by side with him to fight for the people of Wyoming,” she continued. “I look forward to continuing this partnership and throwing all my energy into bringing important legislation to his desk in 2026 and into retaining commonsense Republican control of the U.S. Senate.”

Read more here: https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/56 ... - senate/

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Minnesota Senate Primary Becomes Major Proxy Battle for Democrats
By Caroline Vakil
December 22, 2025

Introduction:

(The Hill) Minnesota’s Democratic Senate primary is setting up a high-profile clash within the party amid a broader fight over its future.
A number of well-known Democrats have already thrown their support in the race for the reliably blue seat, which is pitting the more centrist Rep. Angie Craig (D-Minn.) against progressive Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan.

Craig, who represents a competitive rural, exurban and suburban district in the House, has seen recent endorsements from former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). Flanagan, a former community organizer, has endorsements from Sens. Bernie Sander (I-Vt.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), among others.

The primary offers a microcosm of the broader infighting between the two wings of the party as Democrats look to potentially flip both chambers of Congress next year and the White House in 2028.

Read more here: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politic ... 0&ei=302

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‘Momentum is Growing’: Democrat Narrowly Wins Georgia Race
By Roger Anderson
December 22, 2025

Introduction:

(Fort Worth Star-Telegram) Democrat Eric Gisler narrowly defeated Republican Mack “Dutch” Guest in Georgia’s historically GOP House District 121, following Republican Marcus Wiedower’s resignation. Gisler won by roughly 200 votes of 11,000. The results marked a significant challenge for Georgia Republicans amid off-year losses elsewhere in the state.

Georgia Party Chair Charlie Bailey said, “Our momentum is only growing, and we will continue outworking, out-organizing, and out-strategizing Republicans to turn it into more wins for the people of Georgia in 2026.”

The Democratic Party of Georgia stated, “This isn’t just a win for Georgia Democrats – it’s a win for every family in Oconee and Clarke Counties who has been struggling to get ahead under 22 years of failed Republican leadership.”

Democrats have unseated incumbents in Public Service Commission races and gained ground in Virginia and New Jersey. Voters responded strongly to Democrats’ focus on costs and healthcare.

Bailey said, “All across the state, Georgians are realizing there’s only one party that’s working to lower costs, keep health care affordable, and put people ahead of big corporations – and that’s the Democratic Party.”

Read more here: https://www.msn.com/en-us/channel/sour ... c1c&ei=40

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Donald Trump and Mike Lindell are Targeting Tim Walz. Some Republicans are Worried that Could Backfire.
By Aaron Pellish
December 24, 2025

Introduction:

(Politico) Minnesota has been the white whale for Republicans in the Trump era. And 2026 could be the year they finally break through — if President Donald Trump and one of the most prolific peddlers of conspiracy theories about the 2020 election don’t sink their chances.

Republicans are growing optimistic about their chances of unseating Democratic Gov. Tim Walz next year, as he seeks a historic third term. But Trump’s increasingly caustic attacks on Walz and disparagement of Minnesota’s Somali community — and MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell’s entrance into the gubernatorial race — could hurt Republicans’ chances of regaining ground in the state, some party strategists argue.

“When the president comes in with a flamethrower and just throws that type of rhetoric, there’s no oxygen, and there’s no space for the Republican to offer suggestions and to be thoughtful in that space, because the rhetoric of the president just paints them into a corner,” said Michael Brodkorb, a former deputy chair of the Minnesota GOP who backed the Democratic ticket in 2024.

Republicans have insisted they can be competitive statewide in the blue-leaning Minnesota ever since Trump lost Minnesota by less than 2 points in 2016. But since then, winning the state has beguiled both the president — who faced a 7-point loss in 2020 and a 4-point loss in 2024 — and Republicans in other statewide races, including two fairly comfortable wins for Walz in 2018 and 2022.

Still, Republicans see an opportunity to win back the Minnesota governor’s seat for the first time since 2006 by hammering Walz, who is running despite scrutiny into his oversight of state benefits and a star turn as the Democratic vice presidential nominee that put him in the crosshairs of Republicans across the country.

Read more here: https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/ ... 00701462

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Working Families Party Seeks Banner Year as Trump-Led GOP Appears Poised for ‘Landslide Electoral Defeat’
By Brad Reed
December 29, 2025

Introduction:

(Common Dreams) The Working Families Party is gearing up to have a banner year in the 2026 midterms at a time when political trends show the Republican Party led by President Donald Trump heading for a major loss.

The party, which is now active in 18 states, is preparing to “ramp up its involvement in primary elections, supporting candidates that emphasize working-class politics and seek to disrupt the political status quo,” according to a Monday report in the Guardian.

The Working Families Party (WFP) had a number of victories in 2025, highlighted by its election of democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani as mayor of New York City.

Maurice Mitchell, national director of the WFP, told the Guardian that he thinks now is the right time for a populist progressive insurgency given that both Democrats’ and Republicans’ brands are underwater with US voters.

“Less and less people are identifying as being a Democrat or Republican,” he said. “I don’t think there’s been a better and more right time for a third party to emerge in this country that speaks to the interest of everyday working people. I believe that our time has come.”

Read more here: https://www.commondreams.org/news/work ... arty-2026

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[firestar464]

Democrats return to democracy messaging in NJ special election

https://www.politico.com/news/2026/01/0 ... n-00704771

It's more that they're linking the economy to democracy, especially as people have become more concerned about the latter as well.