As you hunker down for primary night—the first polls start closing in a couple of hours—be sure to get up to speed on all the critical races with our comprehensive guide. We've previewed 40 different contests!
The 2026 primary season is here, and so is The Downballot's very first primary preview of the cycle! We have our big rundown of what to watch in Texas, North Carolina, and Arkansas.
It's here! You can check out the new Rural Caucus podcast, Battlefield Appalachia on Youtube and Spotify (other places to come).
youtu.be/xvQc60jfRCE?...
(& by AIPAC I also mean DMFI & other organizations through which it has funneled $$ into those Primaries)
Genuine question: do the Christian groups intervene as regularly in Democratic Primaries? Note, I’ve seen Republican donors interfere in local Democratic Primaries & I’m sure many are Christian. I just didn’t know if the trend was as major as AIPAC involvement
Watch live: The @workingfamilies.org State of the Union Response, delivered by @summerlee.bsky.social:
i think jesse jackson was one of the most important american political figures of the post-war era and i think that his 1984 and 1988 campaigns for the democratic nomination still have a great deal to teach about forging a path to a more egalitarian world. RIP.
Pittsburgh's own Freedom House Ambulance Service revolutionized the way we do medicine and emergency services.
I'm proud to introduce the Freedom House Ambulance Service Congressional Gold Medal Act to give the folks who paved the way for modern EMS the long-overdue recognition they deserve.
BREAKING NYT:
The husband of Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer has been barred from the department's headquarters after at least two female staff members told officials that he had sexually assaulted them, according to people familiar with the decision and a police report obtained by The Times.
Donald Trump’s Feel-Good State of the Union By mixing patriotism and partisan trolls, the president tried to reset his presidency by returning to a winning formula. 812 167
Why Hazing Makes Better Men “Young men today are inundated with mixed signals, asked repeatedly to act against their instincts,” writes Catherine Morrissette. Last week, a series of police body-camera videos from a fraternity basement at the University of Iowa went viral. But the internet got it all wrong.
If you want to see where CBS is headed, and what fate might befall CNN, just take a look at the headlines that grace Bari Weiss's original website.
They were going to pass rules to phase out gas stoves, until they received 20,000 public comments against the regulations. Except, oops, it turns out the comments were generated by AI.
It is with a heavy heart that we relay the news of the passing of legendary Pirates and National Baseball Hall of Famer, Bill Mazeroski.
Maz was a 7-time All-Star who hit the greatest home run in baseball history. He was a beloved member of the Pirates family and he will be deeply missed.
Holy shit: they folded immediately after this @pamherd.bsky.social skeet
www.cnbc.com/2026/02/22/t...
Here are just 4 elections coming up in the next 10 days to know about.
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1️⃣ This Democratic lawmaker in North Carolina gave the GOP *the* decisive vote to pass a pro-ICE law last summer.
She faces a primary from a local progressive pastor, part of the Moral Monday movement.
Pritzker demands a $1,700 refund per family for the people of Illinois after Trump's tariffs were ruled unconstitutional.
Dems, pay attention. This is your midterms message.
Red, pink, and white granny squares
Making granny squares in Valentines colors
A Reuters photographer captured this image of a page from Pam Bondi's "burn book," which she used to counter any questions from Democratic lawmakers during an unhinged hearing today.
It looks like the DOJ monitored members of Congress’s searches of the unredacted Epstein files.
Just wow.
JUST IN: Tom Malinowski has conceded the #NJ11 primary to Analilia Mejia, who was the left's candidate in this crowded race.
Next up: Mejia faces a general election in April.
The Democrat who vacated the seat is a conservative who was appointed by Louisiana's far-right governor to oversee the regulation of alcohol and tobacco. Apparently the woman who was elected to succeed him is light years to his left.
GOP failed to flip ANY Dem district in 2025 (Dems flipped a lot), & none in 2026 so far. This was as clear an opening as you can imagine. Big blow to Rs.
This was one of the 20 races I identified as important to watch in February.
Details: boltsmag.org/whats-on-the...
RESULT: Democrat Chasity Martinez wins a special election for a legislative seat in Louisiana, 62% to 38%.
This was a district that Trump carried by 13% last year, so a big overperformance by Dems, but the seat was already Dem-held.
Late result for anyone still awake: Na’Cole Thompson, the Democratic candidate in the mayoral race today in Leander, Texas, has won the election.
She got 57% and won’t need a runoff, with two Republicans adding up to 43%.
There were two elections I was watching yesterday—and both ended up as clear Democratic wins.
Let's recap for those who weren't glued on here last night.
1️⃣ In Louisiana, Dems very easily held a seat that had gone for Trump by 13 percentage points in 2024.
Congrats, Chasity.
Louisiana is not as "red" as the GOP wants us to believe. If her district elects Democrats to local and state offices, it's a great omen.
#LouisianaBlue
#USDemocracy #Voices4Victory
There are two tiers of justice in America.
The DOJ was lazy and careless in protecting survivors and protected the Epstein class instead.
Americans are furious that the rich and powerful can rig the rules while ordinary people are left out in the cold.
#NJ11 update: New Jersey counted roughly 2,000 ballots today, and Analilia Mejia increased hear lead over Tom Malinowski from 0.8% to 1.1% (that's roughly +474 to +676).
really fun but also important to get to talk about ICE and 287g on a politics-elections podcast, important to connect the dots between who we're electing and how law enforcement policies are actually working out. (thanks @geoffreyskelley.com for the invite)
This is overriding a ballot initiative approved by voters.
2 elections on my radar tomorrow:
—A legislative special in Louisiana; the GOP is aiming for first seat flip since 2024.
—A mayoral election in Leander, Texas, where a Dem-endorsed candidate faces two candidates with GOP affiliations.
Details in my guide: boltsmag.org/whats-on-the...
