Campaigns

Candidates backed by President Donald Trump swept through their Republican primaries in Arizona on Tuesday while the Democratic primary for a key Phoenix-area battleground House race remained uncalled as of early Wednesday morning.  In the GOP gubernatorial primary to take on Gov. Katie Hobbs, voters overwhelmingly backed Rep. Andy Biggs, an anti-establishment conservative and former […]

Louisiana Democrat Cleo Fields said Tuesday that he would not seek reelection this fall after his majority-Black district was redrawn to favor Republicans earlier this year.  Instead, Fields said he would seek a return to the state Senate, running for his old seat that’s newly open following the recent death of his successor. “After a […]

South Carolina Republican Sen. Darline Graham has collected several key endorsements since announcing Monday she would run for the seat of her late brother, Lindsey Graham. But the political newcomer, who entered the race for a full six-year term at the urging of President Donald Trump, now faces a potentially fractious GOP primary on a […]

ANALYSIS — The good news for Republicans is that President Donald Trump’s job approval rating isn’t getting any worse. The bad news is that many of the issues that drove his rating down in the first place are making their way back into the news, with the midterm elections creeping closer with each passing day. […]

Welcome to a special edition of At the Races! Throughout the 2026 primary season, watch for these updates from the CQ Roll Call campaign team on what you need to know for Election Day. Know someone who’d like to get this newsletter? They can subscribe here. By Daniela Altimari and Mary Ellen McIntire After a three-week […]

Former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson appears on track to clinch the Democratic nomination for Senate after his top competitors made weekend exits from the race. Jackson had the support of a vast majority of delegates who were elected across the state’s counties over the weekend to serve at a convention Saturday to pick a […]

South Carolina Rep. Russell Fry is the latest Republican congressman running to succeed the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, setting up a potential battle with President Donald Trump’s pick – the longtime senator’s sister, Darline Graham. Fry entered the race Monday, two days after his colleague Rep. Ralph Norman kicked off his campaign. With filing for […]

The National Republican Congressional Committee on Monday added seven Democrat-held House seats to its target list, bringing the total number of districts it’s targeting to 36. All of the seats are in states that have redrawn their congressional maps over the past year and were drawn to be more favorable to Republicans.  “Vulnerable House Democrats […]

President Donald Trump on Friday endorsed newly appointed South Carolina Sen. Darline Graham for a full Senate term, saying he asked her to seek the Republican nomination in next month’s special primary election to pick a replacement for her late brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham.  Darline Graham was sworn in to the Senate on Tuesday, just […]

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 Mary Ellen McIntire and Daniela Altimari With its early August primary looming, Michigan is the next state to shine a spotlight on Democratic divisions. […]