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Trump-backed incumbent loses primary after super PAC bankrolled by Dems meddled in race
A super PAC bankrolled by a California billionaire and frequent Democratic donor spent $2 million to unseat Andy Ogles over renewable energy policy.
Conservative firebrand who went viral with anti-CCP ad survives key primary
Marsha Blackburn defeated John Rose and Monty Fritts in the Tennessee GOP primary, positioning her as the likely next governor of the state.
Some House Republicans Are Backing a Challenger in Cory Mills’s Re-election Bid
Two Republican lawmakers have endorsed a primary opponent of Representative Cory Mills, who has been accused of assault and is under investigation by the House Ethics Committee.
Squad-backed ‘Tennessee Three’ lawmaker wins House primary in newly redrawn district
Squad-backed 'Tennessee Three' lawmaker Justin Pearson won the Democrat primary in Tennessee's redrawn 9th Congressional District after redistricting split the Memphis-area district.
El-Sayed win kicks Democrats’ Midwest ideological battle into high gear — and some Dems fear November fallout
Progressive Democrats scored key wins in Michigan's primary, and now Wisconsin's governor race and Minnesota's senate primary are the next battlegrounds.
With support for Israel roiling U.S. politics, Israelis fear a permanent shift
Abdul El-Sayed’s victory in Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary adds to a string of upsets that reflect growing criticism of Israel.
How Abdul El-Sayed rose from political oblivion to progressive breakthrough in Michigan
El-Sayed, 41, has never held elected office and entered the race seven years after losing Michigan’s Democratic gubernatorial primary by more than 20 percentage points.
Primary heat, Moody scrutiny & Daylight Saving Time: Florida Politics
Primary campaigning resembles a “circular firing squad,” US Sen. Moody under fire and President Trump weighs in on Daylight Saving Time.
Live Results: Tennessee midterm primaries
Tennessee’s senior U.S. senator eyes a job change in a state primary on Thursday while Memphis voters will choose their first U.S. House nominees under a new Republican-drawn congressional map that forced their longtime Democratic representative into retirement.
Bernie Sanders hails Michigan result as ‘most extraordinary victory that I can think of in modern American politics’
Abdul El-Sayed has never held elected office and entered the race years after losing the Democratic gubernatorial primary by over 20 percentage points.
Is Hawaiʻi Better Off Without Independent Political Polling?
We don’t know who is leading whom this primary. That might be a good thing.
Polls, prediction markets and Oklahoma politics: What you need to know this election season
Oklahoma's primary runoffs are weeks away, but people are already placing bets on who will win. Here is how prediction markets could impact our elections.
GOP lawmakers keep trying to defang voters in their own states
The big headline out of Tuesday’s primaries was the slim victory of former public health official Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary — proof that progressives are ascendant in the party, even in a key swing state.
After Michigan Loss, AIPAC Weighs a Second Effort to Defeat El-Sayed
The pro-Israel organization spent $32 million in an unsuccessful effort to defeat Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary. It might try again in the general election.
Progressives had another big primary night – with a notable exception: From the Politics Desk
Plus, Trump’s new loyalty test.
Lawsuit over Missouri’s congressional map could throw a wrench into midterms
If the court approves the request for a referendum, it could raise questions about whether Tuesday’s primary winners under the new map are the official nominees.
Progressive Victory in Michigan Senate Primary Deepens Democratic Divide
Abdul El-Sayed showed the far left can win a battleground state, but the fight for control of the party is far from over.
The fight for safer cath labs continues: ‘We have to fix the work environment’
A group of nine U.S. medical societies wants to help hospital leaders improve cath lab safety. Their primary goals are to reduce radiation exposure and prevent orthopedic injuries.
A Democratic Socialist Disparaged Thanksgiving. Will Voters Forgive Her?
“Cancel Thanksgiving,” she wrote. “VDay” brings out “the worst of humanity,” she mused. Francesca Hong’s old social media posts get a fresh look ahead of Wisconsin’s Democratic primary for governor.
Why did the polls miss so badly in Michigan?
Polls overestimated Abdul El-Sayed’s lead by 12 percentage points. That isn't unusual for statewide primary contests.
How El-Sayed won the contentious Michigan Senate Democratic primary
Abdul El-Sayed won with a populist platform buoyed by voter discontent with establishment Democrats and Israel.
Left-wing political outsider Abdul El-Sayed wins Democratic Senate primary in Michigan
Abdul El-Sayed, the son of Egyptian immigrants, would be the first Muslim US senator if elected in November.
Progressive climate organizer William Lawrence wins Michigan Democratic House primary
Activist who rallied around a datacenter moratorium will face incumbent Republican Tom Barrett in November
Political notes: A special session long on emotion, short on balloons, spot-on in witnesses
Colleagues pay tribute to outgoing Senate Majority Leader King, who lost Democratic primary in Upcounty district
Republicans move to oust embattled Florida GOP lawmaker in bitter primary fight
Reps. Cory Mills, Chuck Edwards and Max Miller face misconduct allegations that now threaten GOP control of Congress heading into midterms. Edwards has dropped his campaign.
Five Things to Know About Michigan’s Abdul El-Sayed
The 41-year-old progressive won the state’s hotly contested Democratic Senate primary, the most significant 2026 win for the party’s far left.
Shri Thanedar Is Ousted by a Democratic Socialist in a Michigan House Primary
Representative Shri Thanedar is among a wave of Democratic incumbents in Congress whom primary voters have sent packing in a surge of anti-incumbent fervor this cycle.
Progressive Abdul El-Sayed wins Michigan's Democratic primary for Senate
El-Sayed, an epidemiologist, backs Medicare for all and decries corporate money in politics. He beat Rep. Haley Stevens, whose supporters said she would have had a better chance in the fall.
Abdul El-Sayed calls for unity amid tight Senate race: "There's a lot of healing to do after a hard-fought primary like this"
Abdul El-Sayed has a narrow led in the state's Democratic Senate primary against Rep. Haley Stevens.
Michigan Democratic rivals Haley Stevens and Abdul El-Sayed duel in Senate primary
Left-wing outsider Abdul El-Sayed is narrowly ahead of establishment-backed congresswoman Haley Stevens.
California Republicans tried to cut him off. Then he beat them from the right
The conservative group Reform California promotes candidates to the right of the California GOP. They won in several key primary races
Post-Primary Recap: The Electability Argument Falls Flat
Kingmaking isn’t what it used to be in Democratic politics.In Democratic primaries for governor of Kansas, Michigan’s 7th district, and Michigan’s open Senate seat, battle-tested and popular Democratic elected officials urged voters to select the candidates they said would be stronger general election choices. Instead, Democratic primary voters picked candidates who were more progressive, despite warnings that those nominees could tank the party’s chances of clawing back control of Congress.
Complete Health to pay $14M to settle Medicare Advantage fraud allegations
The value-based primary care provider submitted false diagnosis codes to the CMS for three years, inflating its reimbursement by millions of dollars, according to the DOJ.
Progressives and moderate Democrats both see wins in primary races while Trump flexes power over GOP
Everyone got a little bit of what they wanted in Tuesday's primary elections. It was a good night for the Democratic establishment, the progressives and Republican candidates endorsed by President Trump.
Michigan Senate Democratic primary race remains too close to call as El-Sayed holds narrow lead
The former public health official has slight lead over congresswoman Haley Stevens, but vote count could continue well into the day
Why CT voters are seeing so much political advertising this year
Candidates for governor and Congress in Connecticut have advertised aggressively in recent weeks, leading up to the primary.
Polls, prediction markets and Oklahoma politics: What you need to know this election season
Oklahoma’s primary runoffs are weeks away, but people are already placing bets on who will win. Here is how prediction markets could impact our elections.
Abdul El-Sayed and Haley Stevens in tight contest as Michigan counts Democratic Senate primary votes
Abdul El-Sayed wins Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary, notching a Midwest victory for the left
The former public health official has defeated Rep. Haley Stevens, NBC News projects, despite facing a huge advertising disadvantage.
Takeaways from Tuesday’s primaries in Michigan, Missouri, Kansas, Virginia and Washington
Votes are being counted in Michigan, where Democratic voters are settling a Senate primary that has become the year’s most significant test of how the party’s electorate is weighing questions of ideology and electability.
Michigan primary elections, in Detroit
A woman votes at a polling station during the Michigan primary elections, in Detroit, Michigan, U.S., August 4, 2026.
Michigan’s top election official wins Democratic primary for governor, advances to battleground race
Jocelyn Benson defeated Chris Swanson in Michigan's Democratic gubernatorial primary and will face either John James or Perry Johnson this fall.
Rep. Wesley Bell defeats former Rep. Cori Bush in a Missouri Democratic primary rematch
Bell won, NBC News projects, with ad support from a pro-Israel super PAC, while Bush had backing from prominent progressives.
Michigan Senate Primary Puts Democratic Party’s Leftward Shift to the Test
Moderate Democrats see the race as a chance to try to slow a groundswell of Democratic socialist victories.
Washington state primary election results 2026
View election results for the 2026 Washington state primary.
Live results: Kansas primary election
See Kansas election results and maps for the 2026 primaries.
Live results: Virginia primary election
See Virginia election results and maps for the 2026 primaries.
Live results: Missouri primary election
See Missouri election results and maps for the 2026 primaries.
Live results: Michigan primary election
See Michigan election results and maps for the 2026 primaries.
US midterm primary elections live updates: High-stakes Michigan Senate race among key contests in five states
Voters in Michigan, Missouri, Washington, Kansas and Virginia head to polls to select candidates who will appear on November ballots
Two more House Democrats face primary danger: From the Politics Desk
Plus, the House Ethics Committee is investigating Ohio GOP Rep. Max Miller.
Live updates: Key midterm primary elections kick off in 5 states
Voters in Virginia, Kansas, Missouri, Michigan and Washington state head to the polls in contests that could shape the battle for Congress.
4 questions about the high-stakes Michigan Democratic primary
For two days last week, I lived inside the hottest political race in the country — the Michigan U.S. Senate Democratic primary between the more centrist congresswoman Haley Stevens and progressive former public health director Abdul El-Sayed. Producer Sam Weber and I flew into Detroit with some questions. How do these candidates stack up in real life? What actually matters to Michigan? Will this divide be a problem for Democrats in November? Does this race
Massachusetts House primary spotlights Lowell's growing Cambodian political influence
State Rep. Tara Hong is challenged by former Lowell Mayor and current Lowell City Councilor Sokhary Chau for the 18th Middlesex District seat.
The Michigan Senate Race is a Microcosm of National Politics
The Senate primary in Michigan pits establishment candidate Haley Stevens against populist El-Sayed. The race reflects growing tensions in the Democratic Party and national political changes.
Judge overturns SCGOP decision, ruling Danny Ford can appear on ballot
A judge ruled that farmer Danny Ford II can run in the special GOP Senate primary after the party initially blocked him.
Harger: My primary ballot is sitting on my microwave. If a politics nerd is cramming, the August primary isn't working
We moved primaries from September to August in 2008 to give election officials more time to process mail-in ballots. That made logistical sense. For actually getting people to vote, it's a flop.
Washington primary election voting ends today. The race for its 3rd Congressional District is just getting started
Ballots should be turned in to official drop boxes by 8 p.m. on Aug. 4.
It's primary day in WA. Here's what to know
It's not too late to return your ballot or register to vote and vote in person this primary day. See what's on the ballot and how you can vote.
What to Watch for in Michigan’s High-Drama Primary | WSJ Politics Newsletter for Aug. 4
Plus, Democrats woo religious voters, and why the Trump administration moved to support the cratering Japanese yen
IDEAYA Biosciences Reports Second Quarter 2026 Financial Results and Provides Business Update
Registrational OptimUM-02 trial of the darovasertib combination in metastatic uveal melanoma (mUM) met its primary endpoint; new drug application (NDA) filing...
What to watch in Michigan’s Democratic Senate showdown and other key races in Tuesday’s primaries
Michigan Democrats on Tuesday will settle a Senate primary that has emerged as the most significant test of the party’s direction this year — one that will gauge whether the progressive insurgency that has toppled establishment figures and incumbents on deep blue turf all spring and summer extends into one of the nation’s biggest political battlegrounds.
Former progressive Squad member Cori Bush attempts political comeback against Missouri US Rep. Bell
Former U.S. Rep. Cori Bush is attempting a political comeback in a Missouri Democratic primary
Former progressive Squad member Cori Bush attempts political comeback against Missouri US Rep. Bell
Former U.S. Rep. Cori Bush is attempting a political comeback in a Missouri Democratic primary.
Healey announces first steps to lower health care costs, investment in primary care
Massachusetts is setting out to lower health care costs with steps like investing more state resources in primary care, supporting nursing recruitment, standardize out-of-network service rates and more, Gov. Maura Healey announced Monday…
Fact-checking Abdul El-Sayed and Haley Stevens' claims ahead of the Michigan Democratic Senate primary
Michigan Democrats will pick their nominee for the U.S. Senate on Aug. 4 in a battle dominated by views on U.S.-Israel relations and the Democratic Party’s future.
Michigan’s primary reflects a Democratic base transforming in Trump 2.0: From the Politics Desk
Plus, Todd Blanche’s AG nomination is back on track ahead of a key committee vote.
Democratic states urge Supreme Court to block Trump's new limits on mail ballots
President Trump's executive order required the U.S. Postal Service to use state-by-state lists of eligible voters who may send a ballot by mail.
If Not AOC, Then Who?
What do we do if Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez decides not to run for president in 2028? It makes sense that many leftists are currently focused on calling on her to take the plunge. But the absence of a Plan B, or even much discussion about one, is worrisome. The US Left can’t afford to sit out the 2028 Democratic primary. Doing so in 2024 was a disaster: our abstention self-marginalized anti-billionaire politics from the national conversation and thereby gave space for Harris to pivot to the “center” (i.e. the policy preferences of corporate donors, establishment hacks, and AIPAC). Abstaining again in 2028 would be especially counterproductive since democratic socialists now have so much wind in our sails after our big electoral wins in NYC and across the country. It’s time to deepen our momentum, organization, and profile — not to retreat to the margins during America’s single most important political battle. Even more urgently, keeping Trump’s heir out of the White House may depend on whether leftists and the party’s unprecedentedly disenchanted base can force the Democrats in 2028 to take meaningful steps towards a very angry electorate and away from the corporate-consultant blob that has helped get us into this mess. If AOC (or Abdul El-Sayed) decides to run, we should enthusiastically go all in — DSA, fighting unions, progressive organizations, anybody who wants to see a better country and world. But, as far as I can tell from the outside, there’s a real chance that she doesn’t run. And we can’t just wait and see where she lands before discussing alternatives, since AOC’s decision might not come for quite a while, giving us little time to scramble at the last minute for an alternative. So we should start working now on getting a Plan B into motion, and recruiting a good candidate for the role. Here’s one idea. A Worker Candidate — Healthcare Not Warfare 2028 Run a union worker Leftists don’t need to always run experienced, well-known socialist politicians for high-profile contests. Lula, the current president of Brazil, began his political career as a metalworker militant who ran for governor of São Paulo in 1982. Especially in an era of institutional distrust, it’s possible to lean hard into making a virtue out of a working-class comrade’s distance from traditional politics. Experience abroad shows this clearly. Rachel Kéké — an immigrant hotel housekeeper — ran as the candidate of the leftist La France Insoumise for the National Assembly in 2022, defeating a former minister in the Macron government. The Belgian Workers’ Party in 2024 won its first Flemish seat in the European Parliament by running Rudi Kennes, a three-decade veteran of the Opel Antwerp auto factory. And the South Korean left in 2024 elected auto factory militant Yoon Jong-oh to the National Assembly. If a tiny French Trotskyist organization could make such a big splash in 2002 and 2007 by running a well-spoken postal worker cadre for office — the LCR’s Olivier Besancenot received about 1.5 million first-round votes — it’s not far-fetched to expect that a much larger organization like DSA, together with a broader coalition of the willing, could run this playbook to much greater effect. This is especially the case now that almost everything DSA does immediately becomes a national news story. We don’t need someone famous. We just need a charismatic, well-vetted comrade who works in a relatable working-class occupation — e.g. a nurse, or a worker in auto or construction, or at Amazon. Ideally, they have a compelling personal story or have been part of a significant strike or organizing campaign, but even those criteria don’t necessarily have to be deal-breakers. The main lesson of the Graham Platner fiasco isn’t that we should never run outsiders for office (the momentum he generated proves the exact opposite), but that they need proper vetting and roots in democratic membership organizations like DSA or a union. In any case, there are plenty of ways to signal working-class authenticity without resorting to Platner’s or Fetterman’s performative macho white dude affect. Better to have someone of any gender or race who is actually working class, with firm socialist politics, who can speak from experience about the day-to-day realities of trying to make it in America. There are surely at least a dozen such worker leaders in our movement nationwide; we just need to sit down and convince one that their personal sacrifice for the greater good (i.e. running for president) will be worth it. If we don’t have a frontrunner with a clear path to victory like AOC (or El-Sayed, were he to win Michigan), it’s better to embrace someone whose decision to run in itself tells an important story about US politics: workers have been iced out of our political system and are now fighting hard to break back in. The novelty factor, in itself, would generate press. And it would help democratic socialists signal to the American public that our movement’s defining characteristic is that we represent workers vs. bosses, not that we’re “the furthest left” force in American politics — a framework that suggests we’re extremists and that helps our opponents isolate us from non-college-educated voters by highlighting extremely minoritarian (and misguided) stances included in DSA’s platform like prison abolition. We don’t get many opportunities to speak to tens of millions of Americans; we need to use these opportunities to broaden our appeal beyond those already in our orbit. Run to polarize the 2028 primary and general election around “Medicare for All” and “End All Aid to Israel” Why should democratic socialists use our scarce time and volunteer energy to run in a race we’re unlikely to win? Running in the 2028 primary will not only recruit us scores of members (imagine having a DSA member intervening in eleven nationally televised primary debates!), but — more importantly — it has the potential to be a decisive leap forward towards an America that finally starts meeting the needs of working people instead of HMO and AIPAC billionaire donors. Polarizing litmus tests are good, actually — as long as they’re fought for around popular demands in a thoughtful and strategic way. Democratic socialists have an opportunity and responsibility to make the 2028 primary about two of the most widely and deeply felt issues of our moment: domestically, America’s unaffordable, family-breaking private healthcare system; internationally, America’s bankrolling of the genocidal Israeli government. A candidacy relentlessly demanding Medicare for All and No Aid to Israel would pose a sharp question to the American public, the Democratic Party, and other 2028 contenders: Why can’t working-class Americans afford their healthcare bills at the same time that our government is spending at least $3.8 billion yearly to fund an Israeli regime eager to keep dragging us and the world into more forever wars? Our candidate can agitate around a clear message: I’m running to give voice to all those working-class Americans who are struggling to get by. No matter what state you live in, who you voted for in 2024, or your background, it’s just plain common sense that we should make healthcare more affordable instead of spending billions to enable the Israeli government’s crimes against humanity. Every American who agrees with me when I say ‘Medicare for All — Not a Dime for Israel’ should make their voice heard through our campaign. Racking up a high number of votes for this agenda is a crucial way to show the Democratic Party and the country as a whole that we can’t keep supporting a life-destroying status quo in our healthcare system and in the Middle East. If we want to defeat Trump’s handpicked crony this coming November, we need to speak to ordinary people’s frustrations with the status quo — we can’t keep running the same tired establishment playbook and expecting a different result. For those highly engaged voters (or skeptical media pundits) who raise concerns about wasting votes, the candidate can take the time to explain why this isn’t the case: It's true I'm a long shot. But Zohran showed anything can happen — and voting for me is a pragmatic decision, not a wasted vote. In a heavily divided primary with a large number of candidates and a very discredited establishment, my campaign and the democratic socialist movement I’m part of are positioned to be the balance of power if we can get a large enough number of voters to loudly demand Healthcare Not Warfare. Since there’s a high chance no candidate will get to 50% in the 2028 primaries, the Democrats could very well be heading towards a brokered convention, where a disciplined, principled current committed to breaking from corporate donors can play an outsized role in making sure whoever ends up with the nomination raises the banner of single-payer healthcare and cutting aid to Israel. How exactly could running this sort of primary campaign be translated into actual leverage? The candidate replies: I’m aiming to win the nomination, but if I don’t achieve that goal, my delegates and I will pledge our support in the primary only for a candidate who agrees in the general election to call for ending US aid to Israel and establishing Medicare for All at home. These are both winning planks for November against the Republicans, and the only reason I can see that other candidates haven’t yet raised these is that they’re still more scared of the donor class than they are of the people. That needs to change. If Democratic leaders want young people, workers, and those sick of the status quo to show up in big numbers this November, they need to meet us halfway. In this way, whether or not we win the nomination, democratic socialists could still play a decisive role in 2028. The approach outlined here is similar to what radical left parties periodically do in parliamentary democracies like Denmark or Sweden when they find themselves as a junior partner electorally: they dictate to center-left allies what their terms would be for enabling, from the outside, the formation of a new government. Running a Healthcare Not Warfare candidate will make it significantly more likely that the 2028 Democratic candidate stands with ordinary people instead of donors on these two pivotal planks — a shift that will, in turn, make it easier to achieve the existentially important task of defeating MAGA’s heir in November. Look at how much popular traction the Uncommitted movement got with a similar strategy in 2024 with so little on-the-ground organization — surely we can go much further with a working-class candidate, a much bigger DSA, and a Democratic Party base that has turned against Israel, billionaires, and the hacks in the party who prop them up. Objections and Responses There are quite a few objections to this proposal, many of which are very reasonable. Let me briefly address each here. Socialists shouldn’t waste their scarce time and resources on a candidate unlikely to win. This is a good rule in general, but there are important exceptions, and presidential elections are the main one. There’s no other political contest that gets anything like this level of attention and engagement in the US, so if you want to be a serious force in nationwide politics, you basically can’t afford not to have a candidate. Far from being an overall drain on our resources, running a dynamic 2028 campaign would likely result in a major net increase in members and capacity. In that spirit, the very pragmatic Milwaukee sewer socialists — who mostly ran to win at home in Wisconsin — supported Eugene Debs’s propagandistic presidential campaigns, which they correctly saw as a crucial means of recruiting to the Socialist Party. And now that the (post-1972) Democratic Party gives more weight to voters than party operatives in determining its presidential nomination, it’s become feasible to run as a socialist in primaries without risking a split in the vote against the Republicans in November. We should just support Ro Khanna, who also supports M4A and ending aid to Israel. I like Ro Khanna and would enthusiastically vote and canvass for him for president were he to get the nomination. But there’s a real chance that Khanna’s bid for office doesn’t catch on; he lacks the grassroots organizational apparatus of DSA, and, because he’s not really of the Left or labor (despite his current very good positions), he’s unlikely to generate the type of buy-in and enthusiasm that a DSA candidate would. Moreover, Khanna would be running as an individual, not as someone emerging from and building an organized movement — his campaign would not likely focus on building sustained power from below, nor would it likely polarize the 2028 primary around M4A and Israel aid. Also, and not inconsequentially, the poor electoral results for Tom Steyer and Saikat Chakrabarti this spring suggest that there’s perhaps not much of a popular appetite in the Democrats’ base to support multi-millionaire class traitors. Much better, then, to run a democratic socialist worker. If by Super Tuesday it’s clear that our campaign has captured the main left lane in the primary, Khanna should drop out and endorse us; conversely, if he’s managed to capture this lane, DSA could at that point transform its Healthcare Not Warfare campaign into an independent campaign to elect Ro Khanna focused on winning (and holding him accountable to) those two critical planks. An openness to consolidating an anti-corporate candidate by Super Tuesday is a necessary component of the strategy I’m proposing, because otherwise we risk splitting the primary votes (per DNC rules, you need at least 15% to get any delegates to convention). We should convince Shawn Fain or Sara Nelson to run for president instead. I agree it’d be great if either ran for president, but my impression is that there’s basically no chance that will happen in 2028, because both are firmly focused on their union leadership duties (and, in the case of Fain, beating back a federal witch-hunt). This plan could have DSA end up endorsing a non-socialist, non-DSAer for president. That’s against our principles. It’s a myth, and bad politics, that socialists can’t ever support candidates who aren’t members of their organization and/or who don’t call themselves socialists. Bernie, after all, was not a DSAer. And socialists abroad regularly make tactical decisions about if and when supporting a non-socialist candidate makes sense from the standpoint of promoting working-class interests, defending democracy, and building a socialist current in the process. If your “principles” prevent you and DSA from helping achieve the momentous stride forward of having a Democratic candidate in 2028 run on Medicare for All and ending aid to Israel, those “principles” are not very good. In fact, they actively undermine the causes they’re aiming to support. We shouldn’t confuse principles (working-class independence) with tactics (the best way to advance this in a given context). In my recent article in Catalyst on Milwaukee sewer socialism (I’ve uploaded the full text here), I have a section showing how similarly rigid rules about endorsements had to be eventually discarded in the old Socialist Party nationwide after WWI because they tended to lead socialists towards a sectarian abstention from broader anti-corporate electoral insurgencies beyond their party’s control. For what it’s worth, Lenin’s current under Tsarism frequently backed bourgeois candidates in the second round of elections and Lenin himself advocated that British Communists support Labour Party candidates; for his part, Kautsky in 1912 defended the German Social Democracy’s electoral pact with the Progressives in the runoffs. If our predecessors could be that tactically flexible in an era before the limits of their underlying strategic assumptions about intransigent class politics in capitalist democracies were made clear, then there’s no need to insist on being more tactically rigid today, after a century’s worth of accumulated experience. As long as you maintain your own political profile and organization while engaging in broader coalitional efforts, there’s zero inherent contradiction with the principle of political independence. More specifically: DSA and allied organizations should enthusiastically back Michigan’s Abdul El-Sayed if AOC declines to run and he throws his hat in the presidential ring. (I have no idea whether he’s even considering this path, but there’ll surely be chatter about it if he wins his Senate race this November.) Though he doesn’t call himself a socialist, El-Sayed is a principled Berniecrat, a consistent fighter for Palestine, and would have a clear path to victory. Using the “s” word is far less important than whether a campaign fights for the interests of working people at home and abroad — and whether actively participating in it can grow the organized working class and the Left. And the same holds true if a less anti-corporate candidate were, under pressure, to adopt our two Healthcare Not Warfare planks. Why focus only on M4A and ending US aid to Israel? There are so many other important issues to fight for! Obviously there are many pivotal issues beyond healthcare and Israel, and our candidate — and especially our organizations involved in the campaign — should be prepared to speak on all of these. But one of the crucial lessons of the Zohran campaign is that you have to relentlessly stay on message if you want to cut through the noise. CNN and Fox News will want to talk about DSA’s views on Venezuela and abolishing the police; we need to polarize the debate on the widely and deeply felt issues that are most favorable for growing the Left, isolating our opponents, and winning urgently needed changes. One recent poll found 63% of Americans support M4A, even after respondents were told it would raise taxes and eliminate most private insurance. Another found that 74% of Democrats opposed “providing additional economic and military support to Israel.” And focusing on two demands sets the campaign up to be able to leverage its mandate to make clear demands upon other candidates (which we can’t do if we run with a laundry list of demands). Talking about a Plan B is a distraction from the more urgent work of building a groundswell of calls on AOC to run. It’s good for DSAers, fightback unionists, and progressive organizations to try to convince AOC to run. This proposal is meant as an addendum to pushes to get AOC to run and to line DSA up for that eventuality, not as a substitute for those efforts. But I’m worried that, like in 2024, we might eventually find ourselves with no time to find a viable alternative unless we start now. DSA, with its abundant deliberative processes, moves slowly. The approach you’re suggesting seems risky. If a DSA candidate runs but doesn’t receive a lot of votes, it’ll undercut our current national momentum. This is a reasonable worry. All big initiatives always carry risks, and the path I’m advocating is certainly not free of these. That said, if a Healthcare Not Warfare campaign doesn’t catch on like we envisioned, it’s a pretty simple pivot in March 2028 to explain that in the future we really need our standard-bearers like AOC, or our growing bench of national electeds, to step up in presidential primaries. Moreover, it’s worth noting that the risk of my Plan B proposal is on the whole significantly less than the risk entailed by an AOC run. We should all back her if she runs, since she’d fire up the base, provide huge openings for organizing, have a real shot at defeating a Republican (especially given MAGA’s unpopularity), be a great standard-bearer for our issues, particularly M4A and ending aid to Israel, and be less willing than mainstream candidates to capitulate to any anti-democratic machinations from Trump and co. But it’s also true that AOC could lose, which would be a devastating setback to the country and the Left. Or she could win and find herself unable to pass much, if any, of her (and our) program, a demoralizing prospect. So if we’re willing to take these risks with AOC (and we should), it follows that we should be able to take lower-level risks if she doesn’t throw her hat in the ring. What’s Your Plan B? The US Left is facing its biggest opening for growth and influence since the 1930s. Initiatives that would have been impossible a few months ago are now potentially feasible. A President AOC is now easier to imagine, but if she ultimately assesses that the risks aren’t worth the potential reward in 2028, we can’t be left flat-footed. So even if you’re not convinced by the specifics of my Plan B, I hope you can at least agree that it’d be a disaster for us not to have one — and not to start getting a Plan B into motion. Hopefully other organizers and political currents will put forward their responses and alternative ideas ASAP. The stakes are too high to just wait and see. More As always, please share this article widely. This newsletter depends on all you lovely people to get the word out. Thank you! I uploaded the full text of my Catalyst article on Milwaukee sewer socialism here (it’s updated and 3x as long as the version published earlier on this substack). If you haven’t yet, please make sure to subscribe to Catalyst here; I read every issue front to back, highly recommend. 🌹🎵 Ivan Lins (arranged by Arthur Verocai) — “General da Banda” 🌹🎵
Democrats' future is on the line as El-Sayed and Stevens make final push in Michigan primary
The Democrats running for U.S. Senate in Michigan spent one of their final days campaigning in Detroit-area churches and union halls.
Urgent Politics and Easy Convenience Drive Early Voter Surge
High turnout trend holds through two weeks, boosting primary ballots 35 percent from 2024
HHS Announces HRSA Health Centers Deliver Record-Breaking Care to More Than 32.7 Million Patients
HRSA-Funded Health Centers Served More Americans Than Ever in 2025 while Expanding Access to Primary Care, Mental Health, Dental Care, and Preventive Services.
AP Decision Notes: What to expect in the Kansas state primary
Kansas Republicans will narrow down a crowded field for governor in a state primary Tuesday as they look to retake the state’s top office after eight years of Democratic rule.
Debt Digest | Federal Debt is a Health Care Problem
Welcome David Ditch to the Debt Dispatch! We are pleased to announce a new regular contributor: David Ditch will be joining the Cato Institute as a Policy Analyst for Budget and Entitlement Policy later this week. David has more than a decade of experience in fiscal policy issues, with a particular focus on federal spending. He previously worked at the Senate Budget Committee, the Heritage Foundation, and the Economic Policy Innovation Center. David’s areas of expertise include appropriations, transportation, agriculture, federalism, grantmaking, and policy options for deficit reduction. Originally from the Rochester, N.Y. area, David has a BA in Economics and Political Science from the University of Rochester and a MA in Political Management from George Washington University. David currently lives in Arlington, VA. You may have enjoyed his earlier guest posts: CBO: New Highway Bill Has More Spending, Taxes, and Deficits Trump Administration’s Proposed Changes to Federal Grants Highlight Problems of Big Government Here are this week’s reading links and fiscal facts: The federal debt is largely a health care problem. In a new report, the Congressional Budget Office and Joint Committee on Taxation find that “In 2026, federal subsidies for health insurance, net of related payments to the government, are projected to equal $2.4 trillion, or 7.4 percent of gross domestic product (GDP). In CBO and JCT’s projections, those subsidies grow by 65 percent, reaching $3.9 trillion, or 8.4 percent of GDP, in 2036. Subsidies for Medicare contribute most to that overall growth, increasing by $900 billion. Over the entire 2026–2036 period, federal subsidies for health insurance total $33.6 trillion.” Cato’s Michael Cannon emphasizes, “The long-term federal debt problem is a health care problem. […] Only two categories of federal outlays will grow faster than gross domestic product (GDP): health care subsidies and interest payments on the debt. The former is, therefore, the primary driver of the latter.” The bond market fears deficits, not the loss of tariff revenue. Responding to a New York Times essay claiming tariff revenue has grown too important for a future administration to unwind, Cato’s Kyle Handley argues: “Bond investors are not attached to customs duties as a line item revenue source. They care about the government’s overall fiscal position.” He continues, “tariff revenue is a side hustle. And the Trump administration has already promised to dole out the funds through schemes like tariff dividend rebates, farm subsidies, and pay-fors on tax cuts or other spending.” Furthermore, “tariff revenue is simply not large enough to transform the government’s fiscal trajectory.” Take net interest for example: it “reached $970 billion in fiscal year 2025, absorbing 18.5 percent of federal receipts. Customs duties accounted for only 3.7 percent of receipts—and that was before refunds (see Figure 2).” Handley concludes, “The real bond-market concern is a large and growing interest bill, persistent budget deficits, and a political system unwilling to bring spending and revenue into alignment.” Medicare’s spending growth is driven by more volume and utilization. A Congressional Research Service report finds that Medicare spending “grew at an average annual rate of 7.3%” from 1985 through 2025, and the trustees project health care expenditures will keep rising “faster than gross domestic product (GDP) in most future years.” Citing CBO, the report attributes Medicare’s projected 2026–2036 spending growth to “23% from higher enrollment, 31% from inflation, and 47% from the growth of inflation-adjusted spending per beneficiary. In other words**, the largest single driver of Medicare spending growth during the next decade is expected to be higher volume and intensity of health care services.”** Boccia and Thakur explain: “as the economy grows, Medicare spending tends to grow at least as fast—and often faster—because the program automatically pays the bill for more and more healthcare consumption by seniors, even as prices rise.” The Fed has little control over market interest rates. Cato’s Jai Kedia documents that the Fed has held its rate target steady since December, yet “nearly every rate Americans actually borrow at has climbed over the same stretch.” Kedia continues, “The Fed did nothing, and the cost of credit went up anyway. […] Markets spent these months repricing macroeconomic events such as sticky core inflation, a volatile energy market driven by the conflict in the Middle East, and global trade disrupted by tariffs, among others. None of that required a policy change to show up in borrowing costs because markets, not the FOMC, set prices.” He concludes, “Accurately priced borrowing rates will come from credible disinflation and disciplined budgets and from a Fed content to follow the economy rather than pretend it leads it.” Nearly half of US farm income comes from taxpayers. Former Reagan OMB director David Stockman notes that “in the most recently completed full year (FY 2025) farmer incomes in the US totaled $97.8 billion, but fully 42.7% or $41.8 billion of that amount came from taxpayers, not the marketplace. Nor is this some kind of one-year aberration. If we look at the most recent decade as a whole, total farm income posted at nearly $708 billion, but, as indicated, fully $322 billion or 45% of this came compliments of US taxpayers.” Cato’s Chris Edwards explains why so little of that income is market-earned: “Farmers are businesspeople, but the government shields them from just about every type of weather and market risk. Furthermore, just about every part of the agricultural industry is subsidized, including insurance, loans, marketing, research, export sales, and land improvements.” The Debt Dispatch is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Subscribe
AP Decision Notes: What to expect in Missouri’s state primary
St. Louis-area congressman Wesley Bell faces a Democratic primary rematch Tuesday with former congresswoman Cori Bush, who lost the seat to Bell in 2024.
AP Decision Notes: What to expect in Washington state's primary
Nine contenders for one of the nation’s most hotly contested congressional seats will compete in the Washington state primary on Tuesday.
Top Trump ally warns super PAC bankrolled by Dem billionaire is meddling in GOP primary
Rep. Andy Ogles says the $2 million clean energy PAC spending against him in Tennessee's Republican primary proves how much groups profit from subsidies.
Medicaid Recipients Fear Federal Cuts to Health Care in Rural Montana
A few years ago, Owen Fulford’s parents began noticing their son was struggling with certain activities at home and at school. They switched him to a bigger school so that he would have access to more resources, and they got him into see a primary care physician who after some work referred him to a […]
Will California voters 'orphaned' in top-two primary be strategic in November House races?
California voters left without a candidate from their own party after the top-two primary could still hold strategic sway in key congressional contests.
Black voters, divided on progressives, are pivotal in Michigan Senate primary
A disruptor or a pragmatist? In Tuesday's contest between Abdul El-Sayed and Haley Stevens, Democrats weigh whether to remake the political system or work within it.
Corporate law firms funnel nearly $1M to Democratic incumbents
Last year’s bitter legislative fight over Senate Bill 21 – to shield companies from certain lawsuits – has spilled into the summer’s primary season.
Darline Graham promotes Trump's agenda in her political debut ahead of special primary
Sen. Darline Graham made her political debut before hundreds of Republican voters in South Carolina on Saturday, saying that she never envisioned a life in poli
Entire Squad endorses Abdul El-Sayed days before Michigan Democratic Senate primary
Every Squad member has endorsed Abdul El-Sayed in the Michigan Senate primary, even as he distances himself from the Democratic Socialists of America.
Democrat U.S. senate candidate Stevens campaigns at Detroit church
U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., campaigns for the U.S. Senate seat on the. eve of the primary election at Wendell Anthony's church in Detroit, Sunday.
Democratic socialists face a prove-it moment in battleground Wisconsin
Francesca Hong, the democratic socialist leading Wisconsin’s Democratic field for governor, could soon test whether the progressive insurgency that notched primary victories in deep-blue districts this summer can prevail statewide in a perennial presidential battleground.
WA’s 2026 primary election tests Trump’s grip on both parties
Key Washington primaries offer an early look at President Donald Trump's GOP influence, Democratic divisions and the battle for Congress in 2026.
Abdul El-Sayed, accused of sexism, says his contempt is for most everyone
In Michigan’s brutal Democratic Senate primary, the candidate’s barbed wit sparked attack ads that portray him as disrespectful to women. He says that’s a racist trope.
Jay Feely: Politics should be sacrificial
Former NFL placekicker Jay Feely, who won the GOP primary for Arizona's 1st Congressional District, breaks down what he'd do if elected on 'My View with Lara Trump.'
Darline Graham promotes Trump's agenda in her political debut ahead of special Senate primary
As one of nine Republicans seeking to replace him more permanently in a special primary election set for Aug. 11, Graham is a relative political unknown facing off against some of the state's best-known GOP names.
Darline Graham promotes Trump’s agenda in her political debut ahead of special Senate primary
LEXINGTON, S.C. (AP) — Sen. Darline Graham made her political debut before hundreds of Republican voters in South Carolina on Saturday, saying that she never envisioned a life in politics for herself…
Darline Graham promotes Trump's agenda in her political debut ahead of special Senate primary
Sen. Darline Graham has made her political debut in South Carolina, stepping into the spotlight after her brother Lindsey Graham's death to advocate for President Donald Trump's policy priorities.
Darline Graham promotes Trump's agenda in her political debut ahead of special Senate primary
Sen. Darline Graham has made her political debut in South Carolina, stepping into the spotlight after her brother Lindsey Graham's death to advocate for President Donald Trump's policy priorities
Darline Graham promotes Trump's agenda in her political debut ahead of special Senate primary
Sen. Darline Graham has made her political debut in South Carolina, stepping into the spotlight after her brother Lindsey Graham's death to advocate for President Donald Trump's policy priorities.
Abdul El-Sayed, Haley Stevens Battle in Michigan Senate Primary
The Democratic primary for Senate in Michigan pits Abdul El-Sayed against Haley Stevens in a battle is reverberating through the party.
The primary political reform and precondition for all others
In its current state, the American political system has no end of ailments. Far too many factors accelerate polarization and work against moderation and narrowing the differences. Media, and the way so many citizens limit themselves to agreeable, reinforcing sources, only dials up the division. Congress has become performative and is essentially crippled in carrying […]
AIPAC helped knock him out of Congress. Now, he says, they’re losing.
Four years ago, Michigan Rep. Andy Levin lost his primary to Haley Stevens. He tells us how he got on AIPAC’s bad side.
Democrats’ factional battle hits a swing district in Michigan
Michigan’s 7th District swung to the GOP in the 2024 election after Democrats flipped it in 2018. Now, a fractious Democratic primary has drawn national attention and money.