Jeff Singer
@jeffsinger.bsky.social
Managing Editor at The Downballot. Email jeffsinger -at- the-downballot -dot- com
Hex marks the spot!
The Downballot@the-downballot.com · last wk.We've got a fantastic announcement: The Downballot has just released a new version of our one-of-a-kind "hexmap," which shows every congressional district as the same size. @donnermaps.bsky.social has been hard at work updating it for all 10 states with new maps. Check it out here! 🧵
The Downballot's best-of-breed quarterly fundraising charts are out! We have complete 2Q data for more than 750 candidates for both the Senate and House. Find it all here!
The Downballot's 2Q 2026 Senate and House fundraising reports roundup
We have complete data on more than 750 candidates for Congress
the-downballot.com
Folks, a *very* exciting announcement: The Downballot has just published updated 2024 presidential results by congressional district for every state with a new map this year! That's 10 states in all, covering a full one-third of the House. Please dive in!
The Downballot releases presidential results for every new House district, sponsored by Grassroots Analytics
10 state have new maps for the midterms. We have data for all of them.
the-downballot.com
I think the "insiders are replacing Platner" attack is dumb, but if Maine Democrats are worried about it, the 4D chess move would be to try to convene a special legislative session to change the law for filling vacancies to require a NEW, SPECIAL primary, knowing full well Republicans will block it.
To unlock our complete primary preview, *and* every upcoming preview (many more to come!), *and* support our work, you can upgrade to a paid subscription right here! www.the-downballot.com/subscribe
Subscribe to The Downballot
Covering every election, from kickoff to call. Click to read The Downballot, a Substack publication with tens of thousands of subscribers.
the-downballot.com
Georgia is also on our minds. Trump and Brian Kemp are behind the same candidate for governor, but he has to overcome a massive spending blitz from his billionaire opponent. Lots more on all these races, and more, in our primary preview.
The Downballot@the-downballot.com · 2mo agoThere's a lot to watch on this busy primary night! • Does Trump's endorsement make the difference in an unexpectedly competitive GOP runoff for Alabama's open Senate seat? • How does a last-minute sexting scandal impact Trump's chosen candidate in Oklahoma? • Who will lead the nation's capital?
In the history of the Swing State Project, Daily Kos Elections, and The Downballot, we've never quite had a headline like this!
Morning Digest: Flesh-eating parasite attacks district where GOP governor has stalled on calling special election
"If this isn’t cause for calling a special election, I don’t know what is," says Democratic candidate
the-downballot.com
Polls start closing for tonight's primaries in about 40 mins in South Carolina. We've got previews of every key race—around 20 in all—in all four states that are on the docket:
Do South Carolina Republicans love Trump more than they hate Lindsey Graham?
Tuesday will test whether conservatives will hold their noses if Trump tells them to
the-downballot.com
A frustrating false choice. As we've shown—with actual maps!—Democrats can target many Republican seats while respecting the VRA, even if SCOTUS no longer does. www.the-downballot.com/p/how-democr...
How Democrats can fight new GOP gerrymanders—while still respecting the VRA
Democrats could target more than 20 Republican districts before 2028
the-downballot.com
Jeff Singer@jeffsinger.bsky.social · 2mo agoOr as stephenwolf.bsky.social has demonstrated, Democrats can counter Republican gerrymandering AND respect the VRA. www.nytimes.com/2026/06/04/u...
Or as stephenwolf.bsky.social has demonstrated, Democrats can counter Republican gerrymandering AND respect the VRA. www.nytimes.com/2026/06/04/u...
The Downballot@the-downballot.com · 3mo agoA must-read new piece from @stephenwolf.bsky.social: How Democrats can counter Republican gerrymandering while still respecting the Voting Rights Act.
Get up to speed on *every* major primary taking place tonight in California, New Jersey, Iowa, South Dakota, New Mexico *and* Montana with our one-of-a-kind preview!
The biggest primary night of the year is here
We preview more than 30 races across the country, from California to New Jersey
the-downballot.com
Grab a jumbo iced tea and settle in with our behemoth preview of *all* of Tuesday's top primaries, featuring more than 30 races across half a dozen states. We've got everything from #CAGov to #MTSen to #IA02 and even New Mexico's land commissioner!
The biggest primary night of the year is here
We preview more than 30 races across the country, from California to New Jersey
the-downballot.com
Not sure anything I've ever written aged as badly as what I said when Ken Paxton was indicted for securities fraud in 2015: "Paxton is refusing to step down so far, but it’s hard for a state’s top law enforcement official to continue serving when he’s accused of breaking his own state’s laws."
Morning Digest: Why Texas’ attorney general is facing life in prison
Prosecutors charge Texas AG Ken Paxton with first-degree felony securities fraud—get the latest on his refusal to resign.
dailykos.com
The Downballot@the-downballot.com · 2mo agoSenate Majority Leader John Thune said in January that spending massive amounts to get John Cornyn nominated "will allow us to deploy resources to places like Michigan and North Carolina." Thune's allies spent massive amounts, got stuck with Ken Paxton, and *still* need to use money elsewhere.
Sen. John Cornyn is the heavy underdog vs. Ken Paxton in tonight's GOP primary runoff, and there's far more to watch in Texas. A Dem congressman *will* lose in Houston, GOP meddles to boost toxic candidate in Dem race, a notorious far-right extremist could win another key primary ... and much more.
John Cornyn searches for an upset in brutal Republican primary runoff
We preview a Texas-sized election night across the Lone Star State
the-downballot.com
A must-read new piece from @stephenwolf.bsky.social: How Democrats can counter Republican gerrymandering while still respecting the Voting Rights Act.
How Democrats can fight new GOP gerrymanders—while still respecting the VRA
Democrats could target more than 20 Republican districts before 2028
the-downballot.com
We've previewed the key races to watch tonight from coast to coast. They include, but are *not* limited to: A closely watched primary for the nation's most Democratic House seat; key primaries for governor in Georgia and Oregon, and a pair of general elections for the Georgia Supreme Court.
Liberals could make major inroads into Georgia's Supreme Court on Tuesday
Plus, we preview nearly 30 primaries in five states ahead of a very busy primary night
the-downballot.com
The Downballot@the-downballot.com · 3mo agoThe next eight days could see some big primary defeats for congressional incumbents. Republican Rep. Thomas Massie is at the center of the most expensive House primary on record, and a Democratic congressman is guaranteed to lose in Houston in next week's Texas runoff.
I posted a legal theory on Bluesky on Friday night and by the end of the weekend, Hakeem Jeffries was talking about it with Virginia Democrats.
Cooper Lund@cooperlund.online · 3mo agoIt whips ass that people talk about how Bluesky has no influence but there’s also an entire account that the newspaper of record maintains to defend its honor on here
We covered the Georgia GOP's new law that would make elections for DA and other offices nonpartisan—in just five blue counties around Atlanta. Oh, and all the DAs are Black women. But the precise way the law ensnares these counties hasn't gotten much attention. www.the-downballot.com/p/morning-di...
Feel confident saying that this is the most watched Legal Marijuana Now Party primary *ever*.
The Downballot@the-downballot.com · 3mo agoNebraska independent Dan Osborn isn't on the ballot tonight, but there's a lot riding for him in the Senate primaries for the Democrats and ... the Legal Marijuana Now Party.
A small piece of good news out of Alabama amidst all that's happening. Montgomery is replacing its longtime Confederate-inspired flag.
City of Montgomery adopts new official city flag
The redesign followed a public contest and review process, replacing a 1952 banner with symbolism tied to Montgomery’s history, unity and progress.
alreporter.com
NEW: We've got the first polling on how Americans feel about the Voting Rights Act—and SCOTUS' decision to gut it—since Callais was handed down. The bottom line: They think we still need the VRA. Complete data at the link.
Americans still believe in the Voting Rights Act—and a plurality opposes the Supreme Court's decision gutting it
Exclusive new polling shows the court's conservative majority just issued yet another unpopular decision
the-downballot.com
Mississippi Legislative Black Caucus chair on special session to redraw Supreme Court being in old capitol building: "It’s a slap in the face to the 1.2 million African Americans in this state to be meeting in the place that established the 1890 Constitution that disenfranchised African Americans."
Mississippi House to debate redistricting in Old Capitol where Jim Crow, secession were passed - Mississippi Today
The House chamber in the current Capitol is undergoing renovations, so House leaders chose to move to the Old Capitol Museum for the special session. The Senate still plans to meet in the current Capi...
mississippitoday.org
The 2026 primary season is back, and The Downballot previews what to watch in Indiana & Ohio! • Trump redistricting revenge tour targets 7 Indiana GOP senators • 80-year-old congressman is about to find out if Republicans want generational change • Top ICE official wants to take on vulnerable Dem
Trump's redistricting revenge tour lands in the Hoosier State
We preview all of Tuesday's top primaries in Indiana and Ohio
the-downballot.com
Democrats could block new 2028 GOP congressional gerrymanders by flipping the governor's offices or state houses in Georgia and Texas this fall. The other states are likely too red, too gerrymandered, or lack state elections this year, but Georgia and Texas have very favorable demographic trends
Stephen Wolf@stephenwolf.bsky.social · 3mo agoNEW: The Supreme Court just gutted the Voting Rights Act, enabling the GOP to erase countless districts drawn to protect voters of color at the congressional, state, & local levels. We detailed each Dem VRA congressional seat that the GOP could target by 2028: www.the-downballot.com/p/with-the-v...
NEW: Now that the Supreme Court has rendered the last remaining pillar of the VRA toothless, Republicans in eight states are free to gerrymander more than a dozen congressional districts that had been designed to remedy discrimination against Black and Latino voters. We catalog them all here -->
With the VRA gutted, the GOP could target over a dozen Black and Latino House districts
The assault would be devastating for minority voting rights—and for Democrats
the-downballot.com
Republican Rep. Mike Carey seemed to be in for another easy general election in Ohio until last week, when one of the most influential Democratic super PACs booked $1.8 million to flip his 15th District. Democrats will choose their nominee next Tuesday in seat Trump would have won 55-45.
Morning Digest: An unexpected move shows Democrats are targeting an unexpected district
New ad reservations point to a contested House race in central Ohio
the-downballot.com
The NYT waits until the 20th paragraph to credit the @njglobe.bsky.social, which first broke this story last month and re-upped it last week. Politico didn't credit them at all. (We credited them in our first sentence.)
Concern Grows Over Republican Congressman’s Mysterious Absence
nytimes.com
Reporter: What do you make of Republicans saying that Virginia— AOC: Wah wah wah. We have asked Republicans for 10 years to ban partisan gerrymandering. And for 10 years, Republicans have said no. What they’re just mad at is that they have been accustomed to a Democratic Party that rolls over.
Support for impeaching Trump is at 55%, according to a new Strength In Numbers/ @Verasight.io poll, with 37% of adults opposed. Crucially 1 in 5 of Trump’s own voters support impeachment. Read and share: www.gelliottmorris.com/p/2026-04-22...
New poll: 55% support impeaching Trump
Support for impeachment rivals levels during Donald Trump's first presidency, when he was impeached twice, and for impeaching Richard Nixon after the Watergate scandal
gelliottmorris.com
