The highest profile primary left for us this cycle. Fortunately both of them are solid candidates and peoples’ preferences are ideological rather than avoiding disaster (perceived or actual).
Fittingly it looks damn close to a tossup between them. I’m hoping for Flannagan, we’ll see what happens. It’s been a good cycle for the left so far.
Attorney General Todd Blanche's Senate confirmation is now down to outgoing Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA). Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins are opposing him as well as all Democrats, and Sen. Mitch McConnell is unable to vote.
Cassidy was the deciding vote to confirm health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., in an attempt to win over conservative primary voters, which did not work.
I imagine that Murkowski only announced her opposition after Thune et al. checked the numbers behind the scenes and advised her that Cassidy would vote in favor. Also, let's not rule out a dramatic return to the Senate floor by McConnell.
NC Supreme Court. Glad to see Justice Earls expanding her lead in that race. That’s a must-hold seat if we’re to have any hope of getting parity on the court again. NCDP Chair Anderson Clayton has targeted that race as possibly THE most important one in this election.
2028 is going to be a big one, provided Justice Earls wins re-election.
NC Rs are going to spend a TON of money to keep their precious state Supreme Court and Ted Budd in the Senate. I hope we do a clean sweep in 2028, get Berger's nepo baby out of the court and hopefully get Jefferson Griffin out of Circuit Court of Appeals.
Budd is — and I did not think this was possible — even more useless than Tillis. But then, until Tillis I didn’t think it was possible to be more useless than Burr, so that, I suppose is what I get for thinking.
What TRULY needs to happen is cleaning House (and Senate) in the NCGA. There has never been a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. And treachery. We need people in the NCGA that represent their districts — not themselves. Their ONLY mission is to keep themselves in power, and it doesn’t matter how badly they screw over their constituents. I give you WNC as the latest example. When *AVERY COUNTY* is unseating Republicans, you know there’s some energy afoot. And Clayton has done what I thought impossible — fielded a Democratic candidate in ALL 170 legislative districts. Somebody in the NCDP leadership finally figured out that you can’t win if you don’t run. Amazing, innit?
I have to say, ousting Phil Berger was a BIG start with cleaning house of MAGA GOP legislators. Along with unseating the traitorous conservadems (Majeed, Cunningham, Willingham) in the primaries.
Carolina Forward has a widget measuring the potential legislative makeup of a D-leaning midterm. If the polling is right about it being D+8 come Nov, Dems could hold a 67D-53R majority in the state House and a 25-25 split in the state Senate (which LG Rachel Hunt can be a tiebreaker).
I think that the other states should join Hawaii in holding primaries on Saturday, rather than Hawaii join the other states in holding them on Tuesday. Saturday elections make it a whole lot easier for most voters -- who typically work on Tuesdays and don't work on Saturdays -- to make it to the polls.
There is nothing sacred about holding elections on Tuesday. It's just the way we've always done it, because some guys wearing powdered wigs over 200 years ago decided so.
Squeaky wheel here again, but the dates for Blackburn look wonky. Her current term won’t end until January 2027, so how would a special for her seat be held in November 2026? On a more positive note, Escape From Congress would be a great headline for the group running for statehouses and governor’s mansions who currently or previously served in DC. Would make a good piece.
MN SUSA:
Craig 42
Flanagan 40
https://kstp.com/kstp-news/top-news/kstp-surveyusa-poll-demuth-in-striking-distance-of-lindell-craig-up-in-key-demographic/
The highest profile primary left for us this cycle. Fortunately both of them are solid candidates and peoples’ preferences are ideological rather than avoiding disaster (perceived or actual).
Fittingly it looks damn close to a tossup between them. I’m hoping for Flannagan, we’ll see what happens. It’s been a good cycle for the left so far.
Texas:
Talarico 47-43
Abbott 46-45
https://x.com/iapolls2022/status/2085683484064927933?s=46&t=sbdQQeYBqp0h_Zql717iTw
https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2026/08/07/congress/lisa-murkowski-opposes-todd-blanche-01028553
Attorney General Todd Blanche's Senate confirmation is now down to outgoing Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA). Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins are opposing him as well as all Democrats, and Sen. Mitch McConnell is unable to vote.
Cassidy was the deciding vote to confirm health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., in an attempt to win over conservative primary voters, which did not work.
Cassidy will probably do the same thing this time.
I imagine that Murkowski only announced her opposition after Thune et al. checked the numbers behind the scenes and advised her that Cassidy would vote in favor. Also, let's not rule out a dramatic return to the Senate floor by McConnell.
NC Supreme Court. Glad to see Justice Earls expanding her lead in that race. That’s a must-hold seat if we’re to have any hope of getting parity on the court again. NCDP Chair Anderson Clayton has targeted that race as possibly THE most important one in this election.
2028 is going to be a big one, provided Justice Earls wins re-election.
NC Rs are going to spend a TON of money to keep their precious state Supreme Court and Ted Budd in the Senate. I hope we do a clean sweep in 2028, get Berger's nepo baby out of the court and hopefully get Jefferson Griffin out of Circuit Court of Appeals.
Budd is — and I did not think this was possible — even more useless than Tillis. But then, until Tillis I didn’t think it was possible to be more useless than Burr, so that, I suppose is what I get for thinking.
What TRULY needs to happen is cleaning House (and Senate) in the NCGA. There has never been a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. And treachery. We need people in the NCGA that represent their districts — not themselves. Their ONLY mission is to keep themselves in power, and it doesn’t matter how badly they screw over their constituents. I give you WNC as the latest example. When *AVERY COUNTY* is unseating Republicans, you know there’s some energy afoot. And Clayton has done what I thought impossible — fielded a Democratic candidate in ALL 170 legislative districts. Somebody in the NCDP leadership finally figured out that you can’t win if you don’t run. Amazing, innit?
NC 11 is truly a den of inequity.
I have to say, ousting Phil Berger was a BIG start with cleaning house of MAGA GOP legislators. Along with unseating the traitorous conservadems (Majeed, Cunningham, Willingham) in the primaries.
Carolina Forward has a widget measuring the potential legislative makeup of a D-leaning midterm. If the polling is right about it being D+8 come Nov, Dems could hold a 67D-53R majority in the state House and a 25-25 split in the state Senate (which LG Rachel Hunt can be a tiebreaker).
I'm having a hard time swallowing that AR SEN poll.
Safe R, unless the bottom REALLY falls out for Republicans due to Trump 2.0.
It’s ridiculous. Probably to try and drum up fundraising
100%
I have no doubt that the race will be closer than previous AR-Sen races, but that just means a 59-41 Cotton victory instead of a 66-33 victory really
Have to assume it was some "informed ballot" BS
I think that the other states should join Hawaii in holding primaries on Saturday, rather than Hawaii join the other states in holding them on Tuesday. Saturday elections make it a whole lot easier for most voters -- who typically work on Tuesdays and don't work on Saturdays -- to make it to the polls.
There is nothing sacred about holding elections on Tuesday. It's just the way we've always done it, because some guys wearing powdered wigs over 200 years ago decided so.
Squeaky wheel here again, but the dates for Blackburn look wonky. Her current term won’t end until January 2027, so how would a special for her seat be held in November 2026? On a more positive note, Escape From Congress would be a great headline for the group running for statehouses and governor’s mansions who currently or previously served in DC. Would make a good piece.