HOPING WE'LL STILL HAVE ELECTIONS!
HOPING WE'LL STILL HAVE ELECTIONS!
Updated Aug. 6, 2025
Fresh intel from the front lines.
August 10, 2025
Gavin Newsom promised to fight fire with fire. Texas Republicans are carving up their state to crush Democrats, and Newsom made it sound like California would punch back just as hard. But when the moment came, he folded like Chuck Schumer in a budget standoff. No dismantling of the independent commission. No aggressive counter-map. Just a punt to a 2025 ballot measure.
The 2026 midterms are still 15 months away, but the latest CNBC poll just gave Democrats a reason to feel bullish: a +5 lead on the generic congressional ballot. In a political environment where Republicans control the House by a razor-thin margin, that’s not just encouraging — it’s a flashing red warning for the GOP across every battleground in 2026.
For months, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has been conspicuously quiet, no major speeches, no viral committee takedowns, no national TV barnburners. Meanwhile, Gavin Newsom and Pete Buttigieg are working overtime on the national stage, hopping battleground states, feeding cable hits, and subtly road-testing stump lines.
After months off the grid, Vice President Kamala Harris has reemerged with a full-throttle media blitz built around her new memoir, a behind-the-scenes look at the 2024 presidential election. The rollout isn’t just about book sales; it’s an image reset, offering her version of campaign history while reminding Democrats she’s still a national player.
Tracking the matchups that will shape the balance of power.
Only two states are voting for governor this year, but both are high-stakes dress rehearsals for 2026. In Virginia, Democrat Abigail Spanberger is wielding her centrist brand and formidable fundraising to flip the governor’s mansion blue. In New Jersey, Republican Jack Ciattarelli is back for a rematch after his razor-thin loss in 2021, but Democrat Mikie Sherrill’s disciplined ground game could shut him out for good.
Why it matters: These aren’t sleepy off-year contests. They’re early tests of message, money, and momentum, signals that will ripple straight into the midterms.
View 2025 Gubernatorial Forecast
It's the midterms! 435 house races, 35 senate races, and 36 gubernatorial races. All the swing states are in play, and voters are ready to send a message to Washington about the Trump Administration.
Andy Beshear (D-KY) is term-limited, and Democrats are hoping to hold onto governorships in deep red states. Will they be able to do it? Or will Republicans restore a trifecta in Kentucky and retain complete control in Mississippi and Louisiana?
Both parties will have wide-open primaries to decide who to nominate for president. Is the country set on a showdown of the Vice Presidents with a Vance vs. Harris matchup? Or is something else afoot?