Morning Digest: Former Democratic congresswoman launches comeback bid after narrow loss

Yadira Caraveo wants to reclaim her seat in the Denver suburbs—and is opening up about her mental health struggles

Democrat Yadira Caraveo is running to reclaim the Colorado House seat she narrowly lost in 2024 (credit: Yadira Caraveo campaign Facebook)

Leading Off

CO-08

Former Democratic Rep. Yadira Caraveo announced Tuesday that she'd run to reclaim Colorado's most competitive House seat from Republican Rep. Gabe Evans, who narrowly denied her a second term last year.

Evans beat Caraveo 49-48 in the 8th District, which includes the northern Denver suburbs and Greeley area, as Donald Trump was carrying the same turf by a similar 50-48 margin, according to calculations by The Downballot.

Caraveo, however, isn't the only Democrat eager to take on Evans. State Rep. Manny Rutinel launched a campaign in January and just reported raising $1.2 million through the end of March. He spent more than $500,000, though, with almost $400,000 going toward digital ads, leaving him with about $650,000 on hand. (By entering the race after the end of the quarter, Caraveo won't file her first fundraising report until mid-July.)

Several other Democrats have also publicly or privately expressed interest in running, though that was before both Caraveo and Rutinel got in. The Colorado Sun reports, though, that state Rep. Shannon Bird and Treasurer Dave Young remain interested, but neither has said anything publicly yet. Bird launched a campaign for the state Senate in January, while Young is termed out of his current post and has not yet revealed his plans.

Evans, who currently has no primary to worry about, is building up his war chest ahead of what will be another expensive battle. The freshman congressman raised $840,000 during the first three months of the year and concluded March with $750,000 on hand.

Caraveo, a pediatrician whose 2022 win made her the first Latina to represent Colorado in Congress, spoke about her mental health struggles ahead of her comeback campaign. Late last month, she told Colorado Public Radio's Caitlyn Kim that she'd been hospitalized twice last year, including after one incident when she said she'd struggled to fall asleep with the aid of sleeping pills.

"I remember going online and—ever the doctor—looking up the dose that would land me in the intensive care unit and then taking just shy of that," Caraveo recounted. She said she texted an aide, "If I don't wake up tomorrow, tell everybody that I'm sorry." That staffer called 911, and Caraveo went to the hospital, where she was placed on a mental health hold.

While the former congresswoman revealed during her last campaign that she was being treated for depression, she told Kim she was now talking about her experience in detail "so that I can be one more little chip on that wall of trying to take down the stereotypes and the stigma that exists around mental health care."

Caraveo later told the Denver Post's John Aguilar in an interview for her campaign launch, "Now that I'm getting that proper treatment and that I'm on the right medications—that I've really taken care of issues that I had been ignoring for a long time because I was putting other people ahead of myself—I'm in an even better position to represent this district."

She added, "As long as you seek help, you can get better—you can still do hard things."

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Election Recaps

Oakland, CA Mayor

Former City Councilman Loren Taylor leads former Rep. Barbara Lee 51.2-48.8 with almost 50,000 ballots tabulated in Tuesday's special election for mayor of Oakland. We likely won't know which of the two Democrats won until at least next week: More voters will be counted on Friday, and another update is set for April 25.

The winner will be up for a full four-year term in November of next year.

Senate

IL-Sen

Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin told reporters Monday that he would not divulge whether he plans to seek reelection this week, though he assured them his decision was coming "[s]oon."

Many observers believed the 80-year-old incumbent might announce his retirement before the Cook County Democratic Party begins its process of interviewing candidates on Wednesday ahead of issuing endorsements, but Durbin said the timing of these "pre-slating" activities would not affect him.

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The senator, though, revealed Tuesday that he's raised just over $40,000 for the first quarter of the year, which only intensified the already noisy chatter that he won't seek a sixth term.

Several prominent Illinois Democrats have been preparing to run to replace Durbin, and Politico's Jordain Carney adds two new names to the list of those considering the race: nonprofit head Christopher Swann and state Sen. Robert Peters. Neither, however, appears to have said anything publicly about their interest, though there's also speculation that Peters could instead campaign to succeed Rep. Robin Kelly if she leaves her safely blue 2nd District to run for Senate.

Governors

IA-Gov

Three Republican state legislators have informed the Des Moines Register's Stephen Gruber-Miller that they could run to succeed Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, a Republican who unexpectedly announced last week that she would not seek another term.

The most prominent member of this trio is state House Speaker Pat Grassley, who is the grandson of longtime Sen. Chuck Grassley. The younger Grassley said, "As for my political future, I'm not ruling anything out."

State Rep. Bobby Kaufmann, meanwhile, told Gruber-Miller he's "considering" seeking the governorship, but that he'd back Grassley if he ran. Kaufmann also comes from a well-connected family: His father, Jeff Kaufmann, has served as state GOP chair for the last decade.

State Sen. Mike Bousselot, finally, did not close the door on anything. He said, "I take it as a really high compliment that anyone would think of me" as a possible candidate for governor. Bousselot served as chief of staff to then-Gov. Terry Branstad, who was Reynolds' immediate predecessor.

But while all three lawmakers have extensive connections in state politics, Bleeding Heartland's Laura Belin believes that only Kaufmann would have a shot to land an all-important endorsement from Donald Trump—though he may not be MAGA's first choice.

Rather, she argues, Kaufmann would only have an opening if two more prominent Trump allies, Attorney General Brenna Bird and Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker, decide not to run.

Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, meanwhile, said Tuesday that she would not seek the GOP nod, though no one had seriously mentioned her as a possible candidate.

Morning Digest: In a surprise, Iowa Republican Kim Reynolds is first governor to retire this cycle

ME-Gov

Attorney Bobby Charles on Tuesday became the first notable Republican to launch a campaign to replace Maine Gov. Janet Mills, a Democrat who is termed out of office. Charles served in the Reagan White House before working in both Bush administrations, and his role as a drug enforcement officer at the State Department has helped make him a frequent presence on Fox News.

MI-Gov

Former Attorney General Mike Cox entered the race for Michigan's open governorship Tuesday, a move that comes more than three months after he set up a fundraising committee. Cox joins Rep. John James and state Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt in the GOP primary.

Cox won the attorney general's office in 2002 by beating Democratic state Sen. Gary Peters, who is now the state's senior U.S. senator, by a 48.9-48.7 margin—a difference of just 5,200 votes. Cox decisively held his post during the 2006 Democratic wave, but his run for governor four years later ended with a disappointing third-place showing in the primary. Cox's wife, Laura Cox, later served in the state House and as state party chair, but Mike Cox has not appeared on the ballot since his 2010 defeat.

The few polls that we've seen show him badly trailing James in the primary, but the former attorney general self-funded $1 million in January as he prepared to reintroduce himself to voters. And he can likely spend far more: Cox was the lead attorney in the lawsuit brought by victims of serial sexual abuser Robert Anderson against the University of Michigan, which ended with a $490 million settlement in 2022.

NM-Gov

Rio Rancho Mayor Gregg Hull launched a website on Tuesday identifying him as a Republican candidate for governor, and his team says he will be holding an "official kickoff event on June 2." Hull, who also said he's raised $200,000 so far, is the first Republican to join the race to succeed New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, a Democrat who cannot seek a third term next year.

Hull's announcement came one day after businesswoman Nella Domenici said she would not seek the Republican nomination for governor or "any other statewide position" next year. Domenici, who is the daughter of the late Sen. Pete Domenici, challenged Democratic Sen. Martin Heinrich last year but lost 55-45.

OH-Gov

The Republican firm Fabrizio Lee has released a survey to Semafor that shows businessman Vivek Ramaswamy crushing Attorney General Dave Yost 75-19 in next year's Republican primary for governor of Ohio—an improvement from Ramaswamy's already large 52-18 advantage Fabrizio found in January.

That earlier survey was conducted for a pro-Ramaswamy group, though there's no word on whether these new numbers were done for the same client.

Fabrizio's new poll also shows Ramaswamy, who has Donald Trump's endorsement, well ahead even if Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel runs. The survey has Ramaswamy defeating Tressel 71-11 in a hypothetical three-way primary, with Yost at 10%. Respondents also favor the frontrunner 77-17 when Tressel is the only other option.

OK-Gov

State House Minority Leader Cyndi Munson on Tuesday became the first Democrat to announce a campaign for Oklahoma's open governorship. Several Republicans are already campaigning to succeed termed-out GOP incumbent Kevin Stitt as leader of one of the nation's reddest states.

Munson generated widespread attention in 2015 when she won a special election for a suburban Oklahoma City state House seat that Mitt Romney had overwhelmingly carried three years earlier. Munson, whose upset victory made her the first Asian American woman to serve in the legislature, became entrenched as her constituency, like many ancestrally red suburbs across the country, shifted decisively to the left over the ensuing decade.

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WI-Gov

Wealthy businessman Eric Hovde is considering seeking the Republican nomination for governor of Wisconsin, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Molly Beck writes in a new look at potential candidates. Hovde, however, remains fixated on his close loss to Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin last year and doesn't appear to have said anything publicly about his future.

Baldwin fended off her Republican challenger 49-48 as Donald Trump carried the Badger State 50-49, and Hovde spent the next 12 days spreading conspiracy theories about "the last-minute absentee ballots that were dropped in Milwaukee at 4 AM."

Hovde's eventual concession didn't stop him from filing a defamation lawsuit against a Democratic super PAC over an ad that accused his bank of having "rigged the system." A judge dismissed the suit in February after ruling the spot "constitute[d] mere expressions of opinion."

Several other Republicans are thinking about taking on Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, who has yet to confirm whether he'll seek a third term next year.

Navy SEAL veteran Bill Berrien drew attention this week when he announced he was forming a PAC to help fellow Wisconsin Republicans. Berrien's statement didn't mention his own aspirations, but the Journal Sentinel reported back in January he was interested in Evers' job.

Rep. Tom Tiffany and Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann have both been more forthcoming, telling reporters that they're interested in seeking the state's top job. Tiffany said last week that he would make up his mind this summer, while Schoemann has yet to provide a timeline.

House

AZ-07

Candidate filing closed Monday for the Sept. 23 special election to succeed the late Democratic Rep. Raul Grijalva in Arizona's 7th District, and there were no last-minute surprises.

Kamala Harris carried this constituency, which includes southwestern Arizona and the western Tucson area, by a 60-38 margin according to calculations by The Downballot, so the winner of the July 15 Democratic primary will be favored in the fall.

The three main Democratic candidates are former state Rep. Daniel Hernandez, progressive organizer Deja Foxx, and former Pima County Supervisor Adelita Grijalva, who is the former congressman's daughter. Two other Democrats also filed, though neither appears to be a serious contender.

Hernandez publicized endorsements on Monday from the local branches of two unions: the American Federation of Teachers and SMART, which represents transportation workers. Grijalva, meanwhile, previously earned the backing of Sens. Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego, Tucson Mayor Regina Romero, and former Rep. Gabby Giffords.

CA-22

The DCCC is trying to recruit Assemblymember Jasmeet Bains to take on GOP Rep. David Valadao, the San Joaquin Valley Sun reports. Bains, who decisively won reelection last year as Kamala Harris was narrowly carrying her legislative district, has not confirmed her interest in seeking California's 22nd Congressional District.

CA-40

Nonprofit head Nina Linh has filed paperwork with the FEC to run as a Democrat against Republican Rep. Young Kim in California's 40th District. The Democratic field already includes art gallery owner Esther Kim Varet and Christina Gagnier, a former Chino Valley school board member.

KY-06

Republican Rep. Andy Barr has not yet announced his long-anticipated campaign for Senate, but several potential candidates are continuing to talk about running to succeed him in Kentucky's 6th District.

Former state Sen. Damon Thayer, who retired this year after a 12-year stint as majority leader, tells the Louisville Courier Journal's Hannah Pinski he'd make his decision "in conjunction" with state Sen. Amanda Mays Bledsoe, a fellow Republican. Mays Bledsoe is one of several central Kentucky politicians who expressed interest in running in February in the likely event that Barr seeks a promotion.

On the Democratic side, former state Rep. Cherlynn Stevenson said she was thinking about the race, even though Donald Trump carried the 6th by a wide 57-42 margin last year. Democrats, however, may still have an opening in a good year, as Gov. Andy Beshear won the district by double digits in both 2019 and 2023, and Barr won reelection by a narrow 51-48 margin in 2018.

TX-28

Former Rep. Mayra Flores' team said Tuesday afternoon that she'd been hospitalized for unspecified reasons, an announcement that came mere hours after the Republican said she'd challenge Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar in Texas' 28th District. Flores' sister later told the Texas Tribune that the candidate had been discharged.

A new statement from Flores' campaign on Tuesday evening said she "faced a sudden health scare," but was "now fully recovering and feeling stronger than ever." The note, which did not include details about why Flores was hospitalized, continued, "While she is taking time to recover, her passion for serving TX-28 has not slowed down one bit. Mayra will be back on the campaign trail soon."

Flores won a 2022 special election in the previous incarnation of the 34th District, but she lost the subsequent general election for the new version of that seat to Democratic Rep. Vicente Gonzalez 53-44. She sought a rematch last year, but Gonzalez held her off 51-49.

WI-03

Eau Claire City Council President Emily Berge said Tuesday that she would seek the Democratic nomination to oppose Republican Rep. Derrick Van Orden in Wisconsin's 3rd District.

Berge launched her campaign a month after businesswoman Rebecca Cooke announced that she would wage a rematch against Van Orden, who beat her 51-49 last year. Cooke, who came close even as Donald Trump was carrying this southwestern Wisconsin district by a much wider 53-46 margin, reported raising more than $1 million in her first weeks and ended March with $960,000 on hand.

Berge, though, argued that she would provide "new energy" for the party that Cooke, who also previously lost the 2022 primary for this seat, could not. Berge told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Democrats want a choice in this election. They don't want to be forced to vote for someone, especially someone that's lost twice before."

Morning Digest: This Democrat who nearly flipped a tough seat in 2024 is seeking a rematch

Attorneys General

TX-AG

State Sen. Mayes Middleton announced Tuesday that he was entering the primary to succeed Attorney General Ken Paxton, a fellow Republican who is leaving this powerful office behind to run for the Senate.

Middleton, who runs an oil company and other prominent businesses, said he was self-funding $10 million to begin his statewide effort. Middleton previously led the state affiliate of the far-right Freedom Caucus when he served in the state House, and the Texas Tribune identifies him as one of the most conservative legislators in the state.

Middleton's only intra-party opponent so far is former U.S. Attorney John Bash, who is currently defending Elon Musk in a defamation case. More Lone Star Republicans, though, are considering running in what's only the third open-seat race for attorney general this century.

Morning Digest: A powerful office is now open for only the third time this century

Judges

WI Supreme Court

Judge Pedro Colon tells WisPolitics that he's decided not to challenge conservative Supreme Court Justice Rebecca Bradley next year. However, Judge Chris Taylor, a former Democratic state representative, says she remains interested and will reveal more in the next few weeks.

Mayors & County Leaders

New York, NY Mayor

A new poll from Siena College for AARP New York finds former Gov. Andrew Cuomo leading Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani 34-16, with no other candidate above 6% in the June 24 Democratic primary ahead of New York City's race for mayor this fall. Cuomo, however, would win by a comfortable 54-27 margin in the eighth round of ranked-choice voting simulations.

Cuomo also secured the backing of two of the city's most politically influential unions this week: 32BJ SEIU, which represents building service workers, and the Hotel and Gaming Trades Council, which serves hotel and casino staff. Both unions previously backed Mayor Eric Adams (who is seeking reelection as an independent), and both called on Cuomo to resign as governor in 2021 when he faced escalating accusations of sexual misconduct.