Morning Digest: Arizona threatens to sue after House GOP refuses to seat Democrat
Adelita Grijalva won a special election weeks ago but still hasn't been sworn in
Leading Off
AZ-07
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes is threatening to sue if House Speaker Mike Johnson doesn’t seat Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva “without further delay” following Tuesday’s certification of Grijalva’s special election victory last month.
As Mayes noted in a letter she sent to Johnson on Tuesday, other recent special election winners were all sworn in promptly, based on unofficial results. Now, with official results in hand, Mayes says it’s a “simple ministerial duty to administer the oath of office.” (Both Mayes and Grijalva are Democrats.)
Yet Johnson has steadfastly refused to seat Grijalva, despite her 70-30 landslide in the 7th District—and despite saying last week that he’d do so “as soon as she wants.”
A Johnson aide quickly walked back that claim, however, saying she’d only be sworn in after the federal government shutdown ends. At the same time, Johnson has repeatedly acted to keep the House out of session since Sept. 19, when it narrowly passed a Republican funding bill on a virtual party-line vote. (The Senate has repeatedly rejected that same bill.)
Not only would Grijalva further narrow the GOP’s slim majority, she’d also provide the final signature necessary to force a vote compelling the release of documents related to the investigation of Jeffrey Epstein. Johnson has opposed such a vote, though he claimed on Tuesday that keeping Grijalva’s seat vacant was unrelated.
In her letter, Mayes argued that the residents of the 7th District who are being denied representation have standing to sue, adding that the issue “of entitlement to a seat in the House is justiciable and is not a political question”—meaning that the courts are empowered to redress such wrongs.
Mayes demanded that Johnson respond by Thursday to say when Grijalva’s swearing-in will take place. If not, she said the state would “be forced to seek judicial relief to protect Arizona and the residents of its Seventh Congressional District.”
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3Q Fundraising
NH-Sen: Scott Brown (R): $1.2 million raised, $900,000 cash on hand
LA-Sen: Blake Miguez (R): $1.2 million raised, $2.5 million cash on hand
NY-Gov: Elise Stefanik (R): $3.2 million raised, $12 million cash on hand
AZ-02: Jonathan Nez (D): $765,000 raised
AZ-06: JoAnna Mendoza (D): $690,000 raised
CA-40: Young Kim (R-inc): $1.5 million raised, $4.8 million cash on hand
GA-09: Sam Couvillon (R): $103,000 raised
IL-08: Junaid Ahmed (D): $500,000 raised
IL-09: Phil Andrew (D): $725,000 raised, $650,000 cash on hand; Kat Abughazaleh (D): $619,333 raised, $1 million cash on hand
KS-03: Sharice Davids (D-inc): $678,000 raised, $1 million cash on hand
NC-11: Jamie Ager (D): $340,000 raised, $228,000 cash on hand
TX-08: Jessica Steinman (R): $625,000 raised (in 18 days)
Redistricting Roundup
IL Redistricting
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries held a meeting with Illinois Democrats on Monday to discuss redistricting, reports Politico, but party leaders still seem uninterested.
“We haven’t seen any maps,” House Speaker Chris Welch said when asked about whether Democrats might pursue a redraw. “We haven’t had any conversations with our members about maps.”
Jeffries, though, sounded more enthused in comments to reporters at the Capitol on Tuesday.
“We are not going to let Republicans successfully rig the midterm elections,” he said. “California is just the first Democratic state to respond. It will not be the last.”
As The Downballot explained in a special report, the only other blue states that could redraw their maps in time for the 2026 midterms—barring court intervention—are Maryland and Oregon.
KS Redistricting
Kansas Republicans just appropriated $460,000 of public funds to pay for a special legislative session at which they plan to further gerrymander the state’s congressional map and ban trans people from changing their gender markers on their driver’s licenses.
However, this outlay appears to be purely anticipatory, since it appears that Republicans still lack the necessary two-thirds support in each chamber to convene a special session. They may get an earful from Donald Trump on Wednesday, though, when lawmakers will visit the White House for a meeting at which redistricting will likely be a topic.
Senate
KY-Sen
Former state Attorney General Daniel Cameron has released a new poll of Kentucky’s GOP Senate primary that shows him holding steady in first place, though his two rivals are inching upward.
Cameron’s survey, conducted by co/efficient, gives him a 39-22 lead over Rep. Andy Barr, while businessman Nate Morris takes 8% of the vote. It’s been a while since Cameron publicized an internal, but shortly after Mitch McConnell announced his retirement in February, he put out numbers that likewise had him at 39%, with Barr at 18 and Morris at just 3.
Last month, Politico reported that unnamed Republican power-brokers were trying to push Cameron to run against GOP Rep. Thomas Massie instead of continuing his Senate bid—a report that Cameron sharply disputed, saying he was “still leading in all the polling and will continue to do so.”
ME-Sen
Democratic Gov. Janet Mills made her long-awaited entry into Maine’s Senate race on Tuesday with some high-powered allies in her corner, but before she can take on Republican Susan Collins, she’ll have to get past a pair of opponents in next year’s primary.
In her launch video, Mills leads with her high-profile clash earlier this year at the White House with Donald Trump, when he threatened to withhold school nutrition funds from the state for its policies regarding transgender students playing sports. Mills famously responded, “See you in court.” Not long after, she won, and funding was restored.
She also lights into Collins, saying she’s one of “too many politicians in Washington … who’ve forgotten their principles and let bullies like Trump have their way.” Mills also slams the senator for helping Trump “overturn Roe v. Wade“ as footage of Collins warmly chatting with Brett Kavanaugh plays onscreen.
That’s a change in tone from a month ago, when Mills offered praise for Collins’ work in Washington.
“She’s in a tough position,” the governor said. “I appreciate everything she is doing.” Collins said she was “delighted” by Mills’ kind remarks.
Mills, who is term-limited in her current post, was the target of a monthslong recruitment effort by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. Senate Democrats didn’t hesitate to confirm Schumer’s preferences when the DSCC immediately set up a joint fundraising committee with Mills’ campaign on the day of her launch.
In many respects, Mills fits Schumer’s ideal mold: She’s a former prosecutor and state attorney general who ultimately won two terms as governor—victories that make her the only Democrat to win statewide since 2006. That distinction comes with something of an asterisk, though, as Maine’s only statewide officers are its governor and two U.S. senators—one of whom, Angus King, is an independent who caucuses with Democrats.
But looming over Mills’ candidacy is the question of her age, something she herself has acknowledged. Mills is 77 and would be 79 at the time of swearing-in, should she win, making her the oldest freshman senator in history by four years. (The current record-holder is Vermont Democrat Peter Welch, who was 75 when he took office in 2023.)
In an interview with Meidas Touch, Mills said of concerns about her age, “It’s a fair point, and it’s a legitimate consideration. God knows it’s a consideration for me and has been these many months I’ve been thinking about it.”
Mills would also be 85 at the end of what would be her first term—and also apparently her last.
“I would not plan to serve more than one term,” she told the Boston Globe.
One would-be primary rival did not seem to share those worries. Brewery owner Dan Kleban, who entered the race just last month, dropped out and endorsed Mills following her launch, saying she’s “the right leader for this moment and is in the best position to win.” (Kleban previously told Semafor, “I’m 100 percent in this race. I don’t really care who gets in.”)
Two other contenders, though, made it clear they weren’t going anywhere. Former congressional aide Jordan Wood and oyster farmer Graham Platner both said they welcomed Mills to the race, with Wood adding that voters have told him they “want an open and vibrant primary where every candidate shows up and earns their trust.”
Platner went further, questioning just how open the primary might be.
“Chuck Schumer should be focused on fighting Donald Trump and protecting healthcare for millions of Americans, not meddling in a Maine primary,” he said in response to the formation of the DSCC’s joint fundraising committee. “DC’s choice has lost to Susan Collins five times in a row. We can’t afford a sixth.”
Governors
TX-Gov
State Rep. Gina Hinojosa joined the Democratic primary to take on Republican Gov. Greg Abbott on Wednesday, kicking off her campaign with endorsements from more than half a dozen members of Texas’ congressional delegation.
Hinojosa, who would be the state’s first Hispanic governor, leaned into her roots in the heavily Latino Rio Grande Valley in her launch video.
“No te dejas. Fight back. That’s the lesson my grandmother taught me growing up right here in the Valley,” she begins. “In my hardest fights, I hear her voice tell me, no te dejas.”
“Our fight right now is against the billionaires and the corporations who are driving up prices, closing our neighborhood schools, and cheating Texans out of basic health care,” she continues. “That’s who Greg Abbott works for. I’m running for Governor to work for you.
After leaving her hometown of Brownsville, Hinojosa later attended college in Austin and ultimately ran for office there, first winning a spot on the school board, then a seat in the state House.
There, she says, she fought for school funding, slamming Abbott for “devastat[ing] our schools when he passed his voucher scam.” (After a decades-long fight, hardliners finally succeeded in passing a bill to allow parents to spend taxpayer dollars on private schools earlier this year.)
Hinojosa’s high-profile endorsers include Reps. Lloyd Doggett, Jasmine Crockett, Julie Johnson, Greg Casar, Vicente Gonzalez, Sylvia Garcia, and Veronica Escobar, as well as former Rep. Colin Allred, who is running for the Senate.
Two other candidates were already vying for the Democratic nod: businessman Andrew White and rancher Bobby Cole. Abbott is seeking an unprecedented fourth term; if he wins and serves at least two years, he’d break Republican Rick Perry’s record-setting 14-year tenure.
House
AZ-01
Arizona GOP chair Gina Swoboda, who said earlier this month that she was interested in a bid for the newly open 1st District, “is expected to announce in the next week” that she’ll run, reports Punchbowl.
CA-03
Former Democratic state Sen. Richard Pan announced a bid on Tuesday against Republican Rep. Kevin Kiley, whose 3rd Congressional District could become significantly bluer if California voters adopt a new map next month.
Pan, a pediatrician, became well-known for spearheading some of the strictest vaccination mandates in the nation, including a measure that eliminated personal belief exemptions for childhood vaccines following a measles outbreak at Disneyland in 2015. Pan also ran in the top-two primary for mayor of Sacramento last year, just barely missing out on a spot in the general election.
One other Democrat, Nevada County Supervisor Heidi Hall, has been running since the spring, but the field could grow further if voters give their approval to Proposition 50 on Nov. 4. The proposal would overhaul the 3rd District, currently a sprawling constituency that voted for Donald Trump 50-47. Instead, it would become a more compact district outside of Sacramento and would have backed Kamala Harris 55-44.
Asked in a TV interview if he’d continue his campaign no matter what happens with Proposition 50, Pan offered an awkward response to KCRA 3’s Ashley Zavala.
“The reason I’m running is to say we need to hold the Trump administration and RFK Jr. accountable, right?” he said. “They are taking apart health care. They’re taking apart public health.”
Pressed again, Pan said, “I’m running for this seat in Congress, correct, yes. With Proposition 50, the lines will change and so forth, but I’m running for Congress because I think the people of California—the people of this district—need representation.”
When The Downballot asked Pan’s campaign whether he’d continue his bid regardless of the outcome of the vote on Proposition 50, a spokesperson responded, “Yes.”
FL-07
A Florida judge has granted a restraining order to a former girlfriend of Republican Rep. Cory Mills, calling her a “victim of dating violence.”
Lindsey Langston, a former Miss United States pageant winner and a Republican state committeewoman, testified that Mills had threatened to publicize nude videos of her and physically harm any future romantic partners.
She also said that she became suspicious of the congressman following news reports earlier this year that he’d been involved in a domestic disturbance at his home in Washington, D.C., with a different girlfriend. Mills is married but says he and his wife are separated.
IA-02
Well, that was quick. Less than a month after launching a comeback bid, former Republican Rep. Rod Blum has abandoned his new campaign.
Blum offered little explanation for his decision, except to say in a statement, “It has become clear to me that I can help President Trump in other ways that are more effective than being in the U.S. House.”
The ex-congressman did not endorse any of the other Republicans running for Iowa’s 2nd District, which he represented for two terms (when it was numbered the 1st) after flipping the seat in 2014.
Blum, however, saw his career cut short when he lost to Democrat Abby Finkenauer during the 2018 blue wave. Two years later, though, Finkenauer in turn fell to Republican Ashley Hinson, who is now running for Iowa’s open Senate seat. Several Democrats are also running to reclaim the 2nd District, which backed Donald Trump 54-44 last year.
NM-02
Former Republican Rep. Yvette Herrell has endorsed Marine veteran Greg Cunningham as he seeks to flip the House district she held for a single term before losing to Democrat Gabe Vasquez in 2022. Cunningham is the only notable Republican running for New Mexico’s competitive 2nd District, though a trio of state lawmakers are reportedly considering.
TN-05
Former Tennessee Agriculture Commissioner Charlie Hatcher, who recently stepped down from his post, is set to announce a challenge to Rep. Andy Ogles in next year’s GOP primary on Wednesday, according to the Tennessee Journal.
TX-10
Army veteran Scott McLeod announced on Tuesday that he’d enter the GOP primary for Texas’ 10th Congressional District, a conservative constituency that’s open due to Republican Rep. Michael McCaul’s retirement. Two other notable Republicans are already running, while Democratic state Sen. Sarah Eckhardt says she’s considering a bid.
TX-28
Webb County Judge Tano Tijerina, a Republican recruit who’s been considering a bid against Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar since March, now says that he’ll make a decision by early December. That’s the latest he can possibly do so: Texas’ candidate filing deadline is Dec. 8.
Secretaries of State
GA-SoS
Longtime Georgia politician Vernon Jones, whose career has fared poorly ever since he left the Democratic Party to join the GOP in 2021, announced on Tuesday that he’ll run for secretary of state.
Jones joins a contest that already includes three other Republicans: businessman Kelvin King, state Rep. Tim Fleming, and Gabriel Sterling, an aide to incumbent Brad Raffensperger, who is running for governor. Democrats so far are fielding just one candidate, former Judge Penny Brown Reynolds.
To be fair to Jones, his frequent struggles to win higher office began when he was a Democrat. In the 1990s, Jones served in the state House before winning election in 1990 to become the first Black person to lead populous DeKalb County in the Atlanta area.
After two terms in office, though, Jones ran failed campaigns for the U.S. Senate (in 2008), the U.S. House (in 2010), and county sheriff (in 2014). He eventually bounced back by winning a seat in the state House again in 2016, but he thoroughly alienated fellow Democrats by supporting Donald Trump, whom he endorsed in 2020. He finally switched parties the following year, when he’d already left the legislature.
In 2022, he tried to run for governor but ultimately dropped his bid to run for the House once again. Despite having Trump’s backing—and despite claiming that people “call me the Black Donald Trump”—Jones got pasted in a primary runoff by fellow Republican Mike Collins, who is now running for the Senate.
Mayors & County Leaders
Washington, DC Mayor
Though she’d previously given every indication she’d run for a fourth term as mayor of Washington, D.C., next year, Muriel Bowser may call it quits, WAMU reports. Neither Bowser nor her campaign, however, appears to have commented, though Axios says that some members of the D.C. Council may now be eyeing bids.
PA-01: D internal for Bob Harvie, 41-41 tie with Fitzpatrick.
https://x.com/riley_rogerson/status/1978595188034375732
Argument on the Louisiana VRA case took place today. One initial take:
First take out of court: The court appeared ready to make it more difficult for Voting Rights Act vote-dilution challenges to lead to additional majority-minority districts, but a majority also seemed likely to reject Louisiana’s argument that all “race-based redistricting” is unconstitutional.
https://bsky.app/profile/chrisgeidner.bsky.social/post/3m3aqq4v4uk2m