Campaigns

The sudden death of four-term Sen. Lindsey Graham this weekend has injected even more uncertainty into a turbulent campaign season. At the time of his death, the South Carolina Republican was running for his fifth six-year term. Last month, he handily defeated his primary challengers, a field that included conservative insurgent Mark Lynch. He was […]

Maine Democrats have begun laying out the process for replacing Graham Platner as the party’s Senate nominee, as candidates race to assemble campaigns for a weekslong sprint to set up a marquee Senate matchup. Platner posted a letter declaring his withdrawal of candidacy to social media on Friday afternoon, making official his announcement earlier this […]

Maine Democrat Graham Platner suspended his campaign for Senate on Wednesday night, a move that allows the state party to select an alternate candidate to face Republican Sen. Susan Collins in a marquee matchup this fall.  Platner’s announcement that he would drop out of the race comes two days after he denied a Politico report […]

A pseudo Senate primary has formed in Maine as Democrats wait on Graham Platner to potentially end his campaign in the face of an allegation of sexual assault.  Platner, the Democratic nominee to challenge Republican Sen. Susan Collins this fall, has denied the accusation but said Monday that he was reassessing the future of his […]

President Donald Trump’s midterms campaign schedule has been lighter this year than his pace of hitting the road for Republican candidates during a 2018 midterm elections cycle that saw big Democratic gains. The GOP campaigner in chief had, between Jan. 1, 2018 and July 7, 2018, held nine road shows to boost Republican congressional hopefuls, […]

Graham Platner, the Democratic nominee for Senate in Maine, said Monday that he was “taking time to reflect on the best path forward” as he denied a Politico report that he had sexually assaulted a woman he previously dated.  “Regardless of the inaccuracy of the reporting but mindful of the political reality it will inflict, […]

Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow’s decision to end her campaign for Senate sets up a fierce contest between the Democratic Party’s establishment and progressive wings with about a month to go until the primary.  “I haven’t been shy about calling for new leadership and a better Democratic Party. I mean it.” McMorrow said in a […]

Welcome to At the Races! Each week we bring you news and analysis from the CQ Roll Call campaign team. Know someone who’d like to get this newsletter? They can subscribe here. By Daniela Altimari and Andrew Menezes At 250, America is a nation unsettled. “American Pride Falls to 25-Year Record Low“ blares the latest Gallup poll. […]

Colorado Democrat Diana DeGette was counting on her decades of experience in Congress to sweep her to victory over her insurgent rival in her deep-blue district. . The 15-term House incumbent pitched herself as the type of “strong, bold, hardened leader” who would hold President Donald Trump accountable. “Now is not the time to gamble […]

Victories in some Democratic primaries by far-left candidates have given President Donald Trump a new campaign-trail boogeyman amid his low poll numbers: communism. “It’s becoming a communist party. These are not social ‘Dumocrats,’ these are hardcore, godless communists,” Trump said Friday, using a relatively new derisive nickname for members of the opposition party. “All communists […]