Morning Digest: How New York City could move its oddly timed elections to even years
The move would boost turnout, but it faces a long road
Leading Off
New York, NY Ballot
New York City could one day shift its mayoral races to coincide with presidential elections, following a Monday vote by the city's Charter Revision Commission to place a proposal on the Nov. 4 ballot that would alter the electoral calendar.
But if voters approve the measure, which will be identified as Question 5 on the same ballot that includes this year's mayoral contest, it would mark only the beginning of a lengthy process.
That's because the state constitution determines the timing of elections in municipalities classified as cities or villages for offices such as mayor and city council, and it currently requires those contests to take place in odd-numbered years. A constitutional amendment would be needed to change this system, but such amendments face a long road to adoption.
State law requires both chambers of New York's Democratic-dominated legislature to pass a new amendment in two successive legislative sessions with an election in between before it can get on the ballot. The soonest that voters could weigh in, therefore, would be 2027.
New York does not allow citizens to place amendments on the ballot, so there's no way for voters to enact this change without the consent of lawmakers.
The Charter Revision Commission acknowledges that a win for Question 5 this fall would not change anything by itself, but says it would still be a vital step to get the process moving.
The Commission, whose 13 members were appointed by Mayor Eric Adams last year, said in a report that the higher turnout that accompanies presidential elections would make the municipal electorate more reflective of the city's diverse population. It estimates that such a switch would save taxpayers $42 million every two years.
But while the commissioners voted overwhelmingly to place Question 5 on the ballot, the decision wasn't unanimous. Former state Sen. Diane Savino, who cast the sole negative vote, argued that the race for the White House would overwhelm voter attention and distract from local contests.
"If you are a local elected official, a Council person running in the same year as a president, it's very possible to drop off from the top of the ticket to the bottom and do a serious disservice to the local government," she argued.
The rest of the Commission sees things differently. The panel's report cited testimony from the League of Women Voters saying that "aligning local and national elections may bring greater media coverage and public attention to local concerns, as more people pay attention to an election that they are likely to vote in."
The report also concluded that, because "federal and local policy is frequently intertwined," any municipal elections will involve national issues no matter when they take place.
No matter what, this year's contest for mayor—in which Democrat Zohran Mamdani is favored to defeat Adams and other candidates—will be for a full four-year term. The office would next be up in 2029, but a constitutional amendment could require that year's race to be for an abbreviated three-year term to realign the calendar.
The proposed change comes two years after the legislature passed a law to move elections for county and town governments from odd-numbered to even-numbered years.
This shift, which did not impact New York City, is the subject of ongoing litigation. An intermediate state appeals court upheld the law in May, overturning a lower court decision last year that determined it violated the state constitution. The matter, though, will need to be settled by the New York Court of Appeals, which is the state's highest judicial body.
Voters in New York City will also be asked to consider four other ballot measures this fall that have attracted more attention and controversy than Question 5.
Questions 1, 2, 3, and 4 all concern changes in housing and zoning policy. Writing at The City, a nonprofit news site, Marina Samuel says they would collectively "limit the City Council's influence in zoning and development decisions."
A majority of the Council responded with a statement urging a "no" vote on these four proposals, which they blasted as "self-serving narrative in support of expanded mayoral power."
One group that advocates for more housing construction, though, disputed that take.
"The status quo does not meet the urgency of our housing crisis—these proposed amendments do," Annemarie Gray, executive director of Open New York, told Samuel.
David Nir here, publisher of The Downballot! We hope you love reading the Morning Digest as much as we love writing it. If our newsletter is an important part of your day, we hope you’ll consider becoming a paid subscriber if you haven’t already.
Senate
GA-Sen
Republican Rep. Rich McCormick will not challenge Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff, his team tells the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Anyone who made bootleg "McCormick for Senate" stickers and beer koozies, though, may eventually get the chance to use them: The congressman last month said that, while he had not yet ruled out opposing Ossoff, he could take on Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock in 2028 instead.
Governors
KS-Gov
State Sen. Ethan Corson announced Tuesday that he would run to replace termed-out Gov. Laura Kelly, a fellow Kansas Democrat.
Kelly had very warm words for Corson on his launch. She shared his announcement video on social media and called him "the type of leader Kansas will need to keep us on the path to prosperity" and "a very strong candidate."
The governor, by contrast, did not tweet anything when state Sen. Cindy Holscher became the first Democrat to enter the race last month.
Corson's entry into the race came the same day that Lt. Gov. David Toland said that he would not join the contest. Toland, the only Democrat who holds statewide office other than Kelly, had kept political observers guessing for months whether he'd seek the top job.
The Democratic field may not be settled, though, as state Senate Minority Leader Dinah Sykes expressed interest in running earlier this month. Republicans, meanwhile, have their own crowded primary.
Corson, a former executive director of the state Democratic Party, was elected to the state Senate in 2020 from a constituency in Johnson County, which is the state's most populous. Holscher represents a neighboring district in the same county, which includes several communities in the Kansas City suburbs.
MN-Gov
MPR reports that Gov. Tim Walz is "now inclined to wait" until the conclusion of the Minnesota State Fair, which runs from Aug. 21 through Sept. 1, before deciding whether to seek a third term.
Walz has recently sounded as though he's inclined to run again, but he told MPR that the assassination of Melissa Hortman, who led the Democratic caucus in the state House, was weighing heavily on him, saying he had "no closer and more effective political ally."
NV-Gov
Washoe County Commission Chair Alexis Hill unexpectedly said Monday that she intends to seek the Democratic nomination to take on Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo.
Hill, who told the Nevada Independent to expect an announcement in a few weeks, will need to get past Attorney General Aaron Ford in next year's primary before she can focus on the incumbent. The attorney general, who is termed out of his current office, all but announced back in December that he'd be running for the state's top job, though he has yet to kick off his campaign.
Ford had appeared to be on a glide path to the Democratic nomination, but things became more complicated even before Hill revealed her plans. Former Gov. Steve Sisolak, who narrowly lost reelection to Lombardo in 2022, said in April he was weighing a possible comeback bid. We haven't heard anything new from Sisolak over the ensuing three months, however.
House
AZ-02
Former Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez on Tuesday publicized endorsements from all four Democrats in Arizona's congressional delegation: Sens. Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego, and Reps. Yassamin Ansari and Greg Stanton. Attorney General Kris Mayes is also backing Nez.
Nez, who announced earlier the same day that he'd seek a rematch against Republican Rep. Eli Crane, is the only prominent Democrat running to flip the conservative 2nd District. Former state Rep. Eric Descheenie, who was elected to his only term in 2016, launched a bid before Nez did so, but he ended June with less than $200 in the bank.
CA-09
Former Stockton Mayor Kevin Lincoln announced Tuesday that he'd seek a rematch against Democratic Rep. Josh Harder in California's 9th District. Last year, Harder held off Lincoln 52-48 in a race where the National Republican Congressional Committee spent over $1 million to aid the challenger.
That win came as the 9th, which includes Stockton and nearby communities in the Central Valley, swung hard to the right. Donald Trump, according to calculations by The Downballot, carried the district by a slender 49-48 spread, four years after Joe Biden won it 55-43.
CT-01
Southington Councilman Jack Perry announced Tuesday that he would oppose Connecticut Rep. John Larson in next year's Democratic primary—a kickoff that came on the incumbent's 77th birthday.
Perry, the founder of a waste disposal business, did not directly mention the congressman's age or recent health issues in his launch. Instead, the 35-year-old challenger called for "fresh leadership in Congress" and called himself a "working-class guy."
Perry joins Hartford Board of Education member Ruth Fortune in a primary that could attract additional prominent names.
State Rep. Jillian Gilchrest tells the CT Mirror's Mark Pazniokas that she's considering taking on Larson, while former Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin confirmed an earlier report about his own interest in the race.
Gilchrest said that, while she's "been trying to be respectful of the congressman," that task "is becoming more difficult" as her would-be rivals get organized. Bronin, for his part, informed Pazniokas that he'd told Larson "my hope that he might consider letting this be the time to pass the baton so that new voices can compete to carry that work forward."
Larson, though, remains adamant that he won't depart voluntarily.
"You just don't say, 'I'm younger. Time for a change. Vote for me,'" the congressman told Pazniokas. Larson also argued that his seniority on the Ways and Means Committee was vital for his constituents, noting that he'd become chair of the influential Social Security subcommittee if Democrats returned to the majority.
Larson also related what he says he told Bronin when the former mayor asked him to retire: "I can give you my answer right now. I'm running."
GA-13
Financial services lobbyist Pierre Whatley has joined the crowded Democratic primary seeking to deny renomination to longtime Rep. David Scott in Georgia's 13th District.
Alluding to serious questions about Scott's health and fitness for the job, Whatley told Politico that it's "time for more engaged, more present leadership," particularly in "such a safe blue seat." Whatley, a former congressional staffer, also "defended his clients as entities helping underrepresented communities … maintain access to financial services."
IA-02
Clint Twedt-Ball, a Methodist pastor who co-founded a neighborhood revitalization nonprofit, announced Tuesday that he was entering the Democratic primary to face Republican Rep. Ashley Hinson in Iowa's 2nd District.
Twedt-Ball, who stepped down from his aid group earlier this month after almost two decades leading it, highlighted Hinson's vote to slash "programs that impact working families that I've spent my entire career trying to help."
The new candidate joins retired Army nurse Kathryn Dolter in the primary, while state Rep. Lindsay James has also expressed interest in running. This constituency, which is based in the northeastern corner of the state, backed Donald Trump 54-44 last year.
IL-02
State Sen. Robert Peters scored an endorsement this week from Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, who is also the leader of the county Democratic Party, for the primary for Illinois' 2nd District. Cook County, which includes Chicago, is home to most of this safely blue constituency's Democratic voters.
Preckwinkle made her move at a time when the already-packed field to replace Rep. Robin Kelly, who is running for the Senate, looks poised to get its most well-known name yet.
Former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. told the Chicago Tribune this week that it's his "intention to secure a place on the ballot," though he stopped short of making an announcement. Jackson resigned from a previous incarnation of the 2nd District in 2012 before serving a year-and-a-half in prison for spending $750,000 in campaign contributions on personal purchases.
VA-05
Democrat Mike Pruitt, a member of the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors, has joined the race for Virginia's 5th Congressional District—conservative turf that has seen an unusual share of GOP infighting and could once again next year.
Pruitt, who was first elected unopposed two years ago, has a tall task ahead of him in a district that Donald Trump carried by a 56-43 margin in 2024. However, Republican voters keep sacking their elected representatives: Last year, state Sen. John McGuire narrowly ousted Rep. Bob Good in an extremely bitter GOP primary, four years after Good knocked out Rep. Denver Riggleman at a party convention.
Good, however, might be interested in a comeback. Not long after losing the primary last year, Good filed paperwork for a possible bid in 2026 and, through a spokesperson, did not rule out running again. The ex-congressman has yet to publicly announce a return engagement, but he maintains a campaign-esque website that says it's partially paid for by "Good for Congress Inc."
Legislatures
MN State Senate
Republican state Sen. Bruce Anderson died Monday at the age of 75 after a long career in the Minnesota legislature. The news of Anderson's death became public hours after Democratic state Sen. Nicole Mitchell, who was convicted on burglary charges last week, announced she would resign by Aug. 4.
Democrats began the week with a 1-seat majority in the 67-member upper chamber, and that will likely remain the case after special elections are held for both seats.
Anderson's 29th District, which is located west of Minneapolis, favored Donald Trump 65-33 last year, according to calculations by The Downballot. Mitchell's 47th District, which is based just east of St. Paul, conversely backed Kamala Harris 60-38.
NY State Senate
Assemblywoman Jessica Gonzalez-Rojas, who'd reportedly been considering a challenge to state Sen. Jessica Ramos, announced on Tuesday that she'd take on the incumbent in next year's Democratic primary.
Gonzalez-Rojas, often known as JGR, joined the race for the Queens-based 13th District with the backing of some of New York City's most prominent politicians, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Comptroller Brad Lander.
Though Gonzalez-Rojas did not mention her opponent in her kickoff, Ramos enraged progressives—and lost key endorsements—when she inexplicably endorsed former Gov. Andrew Cuomo ahead of last month's Democratic primary for mayor.
Ramos wound up taking just 0.4% of first-choice votes in that primary, and Cuomo, en route to his humiliating defeat citywide, performed poorly in her district: According to the pseudonymous data analyst cinyc, Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani beat the ex-governor 60-40 in the final round of ranked-choice tabulations.
Correction: This piece incorrectly identified Connecticut Rep. John Larson’s age. Larson is 77, not 78.
Per Axios Cooper is in for NC Sen https://x.com/Mwilburn123/status/1948082709529530634
Young Voters Turn Against Trump
Trump is now at minus 40 approval with young people, down from roughly even at the start of his term, per YouGov. The buyers remorse with Gen Z is real.
https://nitter.poast.org/pic/orig/media%2FGweg8v0XsAIa01j.jpg
https://politicalwire.com/2025/07/23/young-voters-turn-on-trump/
The real question is what this portends for the Trump-allied MAGA Republican candidates in the Midterms.