2026 Midterm Elections

[Free]

In amongst the noise of the coming election, a mystery has popped up.

Tom Kean Jr.’s absence from Congress prompts criticism from Democratic rivals

The unknown medical ailment that has kept Republican Rep. Thomas Kean Jr. out of the public eye for two months took center stage Tuesday during a debate of his Democratic rivals, who called his absence from Congress a sign why voters should boot him from office.

“If you were missing work, you would tell your boss, and Tom Kean Jr.’s boss is the people. He did not tell us. That’s it. And in the time that he did not show up for work, he has raised more than $600,000 just from corporate PACs alone. That tells you who his boss is,” said Michael Roth, one of four Democrats vying for their party’s nomination in the June 2 primary. “It is time that we get a member of Congress who will show up.”

Kean, who was first elected in 2022 to represent the 7th Congressional District, has missed about 80 votes since his last recorded House vote on March 5. He hasn’t been seen in person in Washington, D.C., or New Jersey since mid-March, with his staff saying only that he is dealing with a personal health issue. He released a statement on social media three weeks ago saying that his doctors expect he’ll make a full recovery and that he would return to work “very soon.”

 

[Free]

Trump's GOP purge claims Cornyn as Paxton wins: Texas runoff takeaways

President Donald Trump's purge of Republicans who have dared to defy him reached a new height on May 26 with the ousting Texas Sen. John Cornyn.

A four-term pillar of the GOP establishment, Cornyn once climbed to his party's No. 2 leadership post in the upper chamber of Congress.

But even with the support of Senate leadership and a fundraising edge, the 74-year-old lawmaker lost a bitter runoff race to state Attorney General Ken Paxton, a scandal-plagued but MAGA-coded conservative who was endorsed by the president.

With Talarico as the Democratic nominee, we have the Very Good vs Pure Evil contest for November.

 

[Free]

Sounds like a winning message.

 

[Free]

Pathetic.

 

[Free]

Desperation.

After conservative attacks on James Talarico's identity backfired, they’re now targeting his church

The latest right-wing scrutiny focuses on St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church and its longstanding outreach to marginalized communities.

www.advocate.com

Republicans have falsely called Texas Senate candidate James Talarico transgender, vegan, and questioned whether he has a real girlfriend. Now, conservatives are targeting his church.

A new Daily Wire article, billed as an investigation, labeled St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church a “woke Austin church” based on ministries and charitable initiatives listed on its website. Those include efforts focused on social justice and community outreach, including partnerships with organizations such as Planned Parenthood.

The story also attempts to characterize the church’s “Field of Hope” project, which was launched in 1993 to draw attention to the AIDS epidemic and its impact on Texas. The project reflects the church’s decades-long commitment to people affected by HIV and AIDS, as well as other marginalized communities.

 

[Noodles]

Field of Hope, more like Field of WOKE AMIRIGHT.

God these fucking MAGA idiots are exhausting. I mean if they put even a tenth of the effort they put into being the worst shitbags, instead into good shit, they might almost be the "good christians" they claim to be.

 

[Free]

Ken Paxton's attorney in his impeachment trial endorses Democrat James Talarico in U.S. Senate race

Dan Cogdell criticized Paxton for prioritizing loyalty to President Donald Trump over Texas families.

www.pbs.org

A lawyer who represented Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton for nearly a decade over accusations of corruption and securities fraud is supporting Democrat James Talarico — and not his former client — in one of the biggest U.S. Senate races.

Talarico on Monday drew attention to his campaign winning the endorsement of Houston attorney Dan Cogdell, who was part of Paxton's defense team during the Republican's historic impeachment trial in 2023 that ended in acquittal.

The legal troubles that shadowed Paxton in public office in Texas are a central attack line of Talarico's campaign, though in his endorsement, Cogdell didn't cite concerns about his client's past.

Cogdell said he didn't dislike Paxton as a person and felt that Texas lawmakers were right to eventually acquit the attorney general. But as a politician, Cogdell said, Paxton is too focused on appeasing President Donald Trump.

 

[Free]

No surprises in Maine.

Live Results: Maine midterm primaries

Primaries for U.S. Senate and U.S. House on Tuesday will set the stage for a midterm general election in which Maine is expected to play a critical role in deciding control of both chambers.

www.pbs.org

 

[Free]

Holy shit, this is the way Republicans show support for their colleagues?!

 

[Free]

The left is coming for the Democratic Party.

Democratic Rep. Dan Goldman loses New York primary to former City Comptroller Brad Lander

NBC News projects that Lander, a progressive backed by Mayor Zohran Mamdani, won the Democratic nomination in the 10th District.

www.nbcnews.com

Democratic Rep. Dan Goldman has lost his New York City primary to former City Comptroller Brad Lander, NBC News projects, following a battle that highlighted Democratic divisions over Israel and showcased the clout of Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who backed Lander.

Lander won in New York’s 10th Congressional District amid a wave of challenges from Mamdani allies to sitting members of Congress as Mamdani looks to build on his momentum from last year’s election and further reshape the city’s politics.

Goldman is the fifth House incumbent to lose a primary so far in 2026, as a swath of voters express frustration with their party’s leaders.

 

[Cristiano]

Hearing Hannity's voice crack when he announced that a Mamdani backed candidate won is so satisfying.


The Israel First crowd is scared - it is becoming a liability. Dan Goldman seemed like a good guy, but it is quickly becoming the litmus test of our times. His record of support for Israel and that AIPAC money was a weapon used effectively to defeat him. We will see much more of this.

 

[Free]

 

[Cristiano]

Mamdani backed candidates won 3/3. None of them accepted AIPAC money. It is definitely a positive shakeup that speaks to how dramatically things are shifting.

 

[Cristiano]

 

[Cristiano]

This is that Hope and Change stuff Obama talked about:

 

[Beebo Brink]

Some background history on this race:

Dan Goldman was district shopping when he first ran for NY-10. He moved from his home neighborhood (Upper East Side?) down to lower Manhattan specifically to run for that seat and outspent the local candidate by tapping his considerable personal fortune. He basically bought the election, and his carpet-bagging was duly noted by many voters.

Dan Lander, on the other hand, ran for mayor against Mamdani, but in a brilliant strategic move -- calculated to take advantage of ranked choice voting in that election -- both Mamdani and Lander presented a united front. They praised each other, and urged people to vote for either one of them as 1st choice and the other as 2nd choice. That strategy put Mamdani over the finish line, but earned enormous good will for Lander, too. So as Mamdani's popularity has risen, he's carried Lander along with him.

 

[Noodles]

I cannot even get remotely excited until after the election. Fuck knows what stupid cheat ass bull shit the Nazis are going to pull to steal the election this round.

Also not looking forward to Vance, if there is a blue sweep especially I guarantee they will be hardcore pushing Vance as some sort of totally perfect savior type to try and salvage 2028.

 

[Cristiano]

His analysis is spot on - a progressive movement is solidifying finally. I hope it continues to spread - we need to get rid of so many feckless corporate AIPAC democrats and replace them with fighters. Next up, we need to get rid of Schumer and Jeffries. They are both pathetically weak.

 

[Free]

A correct decision. Four of the justices only continue to prove they're orange partisans.

The Supreme Court upholds grace periods for mail-in ballots, siding against the GOP

The U.S. Supreme Court has upheld a Mississippi law that allows election officials to count mail-in ballots that are postmarked by Election Day but received up to five days after it.

The ruling is a loss for the Republican Party, which brought the case, ahead of this year's midterm elections.

Eighteen states and territories, including Mississippi, have such mail ballot grace periods. Most of the states are Democratic-led, including California, Illinois and New York. A dozen additional states have grace periods for ballots returning from overseas, like from military members.

These grace periods have historically provided voters time to get their absentee ballots to officials in case there are any issues with the Postal Service — as well as any other unforeseen issues, such as weather events.

 

[Free]

Uh oh, the DSA got a hit outside NYC.

Democratic socialist Melat Kiros defeats 15-term incumbent in Colorado House primary

The democratic socialist Melat Kiros unseated the long-serving US representative Diana DeGette in Colorado’s primary elections held on Tuesday, the latest in a string of high-profile victories for the party’s insurgent left.

The Associated Press reported that Kiros had defeated DeGette for the Democratic nomination in the deep-blue first congressional district centered on Denver. Kiros’s triumph came a week after New York voters unseated two Democratic congressional incumbents and replaced a third who was retiring with candidates who had campaigned on standing up to Israel amid accusations that it was carrying out a genocide in Gaza.

Her success in the solidly Democratic first district all but ensures her election in November.