Republicans will now race to replace Graham on the November ballot in a special primary election in mid-August, according to state law.
In an interview with NBCâs âMeet the Pressâ on Sunday morning, President Donald Trump said he was already considering who he might back in the race.
Kiros, a 29-year-old former lawyer, was fired from her job after refusing to remove a post that criticised law firms for their stance on Israel and Palestine and has called Israelâs actions in Gaza genocide.
Kiros is âthe latest democratic socialist to oust an incumbent Democrat this summer.
U.S. Rep. Adriano Espaillat, who leads the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and is in his fifth term, was defeated by Mamdaniâs most polarizing pick, Darializa Avila Chevalier, a democratic socialist who once helped organize pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University.
U.S. Rep. Dan Goldman, a two-term incumbent, was beaten by the Mamdani-backed former city Comptroller Brad Lander, a fixture among New York progressives who has often shown sympathy to the democratic socialist movement. And another Mamdani ally, democratic socialist state Assembly Member Claire Valdez, defeated the handpicked successor of retiring U.S. Rep. Nydia Velazquez.
A number of Democratic strongholds are hosting competitive congressional primaries, with establishment incumbents and candidates trying to fend off left-wing challengers.
State of play: In the state‘s 10th district, Jeffries is supporting Rep. Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.) while Mamdani is backing NYC comptroller Brad Lander.
In the 13th district, Jeffries-backed Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.) faces a spirited challenge from Mamdani-endorsed democratic socialist Darializa Avila-Chevalier.
Mamdani is also supporting democratic socialist State Assembly member Claire Valdez in the 7th district over Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, though Jeffries hasn‘t endorsed in that race.
(june 19, 2026)
Not long ago, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani was demonized by leaders of both political parties. On Thursday night, the 34-year-old democratic socialist was celebrated as a political force, the face of the regionâs sports renaissance, even the leader of âMamdanistan.â
In a rally with Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., that drew thousands to a Brooklyn theater, the emboldened mayor delivered a fiery message to Democratic leaders in Washington â and even those considering 2028 presidential bids â as he worked to elevate a slate of likeminded candidates in Tuesdayâs New York primaries.
Yes, Tom Steyer is a billionaire. But it matters what he is doing with that power: pushing for taxes on the wealthy, expanding universal programs, and dismantling corporate influence in our politics.
This is also about winning.
In a high-stakes race where Republicans could take the top spot, consolidating behind a candidate who is both values-aligned and building momentum is essential. Our organizers on the ground in California are seeing real energy around Steyer for Governor â and that grassroots engagement helped drive this decision.
(April 20, 2026)
SAN FRANCISCO â Today, Our Revolution, Americaâs largest grassroots independent political organizing group, announced its endorsement of Tom Steyer for Governor of California, joining a surge of prominent endorsers getting behind Steyerâs campaign as early voting approaches. Our Revolution was founded as a continuation of Bernie Sandersâs historic 2016 presidential campaign and works to mobilize voters and elect progressive candidates across the country. In the coming months, it will mobilize its more than one million Californian members to organize and volunteer in support of Steyerâs candidacy.
It is painful that the one person who has spent the past decades aggressively supporting democracy, fighting for immigrant rights, fighting the tendency toward oligarchy in our politics, and challenging the fossil fuel industry is himself a billionaire. But the facts are that Tom Steyer will not veto the billionaireâs tax, has pledged to support closing the Waterâs Edge Tax loophole, and has pledged to not take fossil fuel money.
Yet Lead Left PAC has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on Galindoâs behalf ahead of Tuesdayâs primary runoff. Democrats are accusing Republicans of orchestrating the effort.
âYou have an openly bigoted person who has no business in elected office getting boosted by a Republican PAC,â Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas) said. âSo the Republican leadership here, of course, is going to go to great lengths to hide that.â
The district is a Trump +10, and Galindo would certainly be a weaker opponent for the GOP in November than Garcia.
The Congressional Leadership Fund, the GOP super PAC aligned with House Republican leaders, has declined to say if itâs behind Lead Left PAC.
Galindo caught Democrats off guard when she placed first in the March 3 primary, despite spending just a few thousand dollars on her campaign. After a mysterious super PAC spent nearly $1 million boosting her bid, Democrats were forced to grapple with the possibility that she could win the nomination â an outcome the party worried could jeopardize its chances in the district and tie them to rhetoric theyâve denounced.
Trump handpicked and endorsed Ed Gallrein, whose victory demonstrated the presidentâs influence over GOP voters and growing frustration with Massieâs opposition to Trump. In recent weeks several other Republicans have been defeated by Trump-endorsed challengers, including Sen. Bill Cassidy in Louisiana and several Indiana state senators who defied him on redistricting.
As the Israel lobby attempts to end his political career, the Republican Rep. Thomas Massie has introduced a bill that would require lobbyists working for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, commonly known as AIPAC, to register as foreign agents.
The bill, known as the Americans Insist on Political Agent Clarity (AIPAC) Act, would amend the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938 (FARA), which requires those working to influence government policy on behalf of a foreign power to register with the US Department of Justice (DOJ).
During the session, political leaders, including the Communist Party of Israel Secretary-General Adel Amer and Hadash Secretary Amjad Shbita, addressed the regional political situation. Discussions centered on the fragile ceasefire, the risk of renewed war on Iran and Lebanon, and the concerning rise of internal fascism and ongoing occupation of Palestinian, Lebanese and Syrian territories.
âThe establishment of the Joint List is not merely a tactical maneuver,â Hadash stated in an official communique. âIt is a fundamental mission to shift the political balance of power and intensify the struggle against the occupation.â In addition to election preparations, Hadash leadership issued a formal call for public mobilization. Activists and supporters are urged to participate in International Workersâ Day events on Friday, May 1, in Tel Aviv, on Saturday, May 2 in Nazareth and other localities.
As the Minnesota Democratic primary to succeed the retiring Sen. Tina Smith in the United States Senate heats up, Rep. Angie Craig is privately distancing herself from AIPAC. While courting the crucial endorsement of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) party, Craigâs campaign staffers have told DFL delegates that the pro-Israel lobby is not funding her candidacy, according to messages obtained by Drop Site News. AIPAC has held at least a dozen fundraisers for Craig, however, over the course of the past year.
Craigâs behind-the-scenes communications are an indication of AIPACâs growing toxicity in primary races as it advocates blanket U.S. support for a state committing an unpopular and brutal genocide in Gaza. In two recent races, AIPACâs millions in support, once firmly understood as a moniker of credibility with the DC political class and financial protection from grassroots-funded challengers, has proven it can do more harm than good.
In the 228-197 final vote, a total of four DemocratsâReps. Jared Golden of Maine, Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington, and Thomas R. Suozzi of New Yorkâjoined with all but 25 Republicans who voted to pass a 10-day extension. Twenty GOP members voted against it, while five did not vote.
Ahead of the votesâincluding on separate versions asking for a 5-year and then 18-month extensions of Section 702âopponents of any clean extension, including Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), said anyone opposed to warrantless spying on Americans must vote no.
(November 5, 2026)
With that in mind, my calculus is straightforward: I know that if I were to continue my campaign, I would prevail. My record of winning the most challenging district held by any Democrat â of outperforming the top and bottom of the ticket four times â speaks for itself. Regardless of what angry partisan commentators may say, I retain the trust of the coalition of Democrats, independents and Republicans that has repeatedly defied the trends of political polarization by electing me.
I donât fear losing. What has become apparent to me is that I now dread the prospect of winning. Simply put, what I could accomplish in this increasingly unproductive Congress pales in comparison to what I could do in that time as a husband, a father and a son.
(March 24, 2026)
Former Rep. Susan Wild is the latest Pennsylvania Democrat to consider challenging Sen. John Fetterman in 2028, according to a person familiar with her thinking who told Semafor sheâs getting encouraged to run.
Itâs the latest sign of Pennsylvania Democratsâ keen interest in ousting Fetterman, whoâs increasingly isolated in his party, even within his state delegation. House members from the same state are generally loath to criticize their colleagues, especially in a battleground like Pennsylvania, but frustrations with Fetterman are boiling over a full two years before a possible Senate primary.
CHICAGO â Gov. JB Pritzker emerged as the kingmaker in deep-blue Illinois after pouring millions of dollars and staking his political reputation to deliver his hand-picked Senate candidate a primary victory on Tuesday.
The result strengthens Pritzkerâs standing within his party at a critical moment, as he prepares for a November gubernatorial campaign for his third term and looks ahead to a potential presidential run in 2028.
The primaryâs biggest winner might be Strattonâs top booster: Gov. JB Pritzker.
The Democratic governor, who is widely seen as a 2028 presidential contender, was unopposed in his own primary as he seeks a third term. But he pumped millions of dollars into lifting Stratton over two members of Congress in the race to replace retiring Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin.
More than $32 million in outside spending poured into four Chicago-area House contests, a tidal wave of cash led by groups tied to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the crypto sector and the artificial intelligence industry.
AIPAC and the A.I. industry wound up with split decisions. The crypto sector lost the two races where it spent roughly 90 percent of its money. And progressives failed to build momentum early in midterm primary season.
Here are four takeaways from primary night in Illinois:
(January 20, 2026)
A key reason is a reality that Sen. Bernie Sanders described soon after Trumpâs 2016 win: âCertainly there are some people in the Democratic Party who want to maintain the status quo. They would rather go down with the Titanic so long as they have first-class seats.â
Democratic Party leaders should be removed from seats of party power or bypassed as relics of bygone eras. Their ongoing refusals to distance from corporate power, rich elites, and militarism have alienated much of the partyâs base.
As I wrote in my free new book The Blue Road to Trump Hell, âThe Democratic Party enabled Donald Trump to become president twice because of repetition compulsions that still plague the top echelons of the party.â To eject Republicans from power â and to advance a strong progressive agenda â true leadership must come from grassroots mobilization.
(June 19, 2025)
Other Democrats cited what they described as Martinâs ham-handed approach to the DNCâs influential rules and bylaws committee, which is charged with setting the 2028 presidential primary calendar. Martin purged members of the panel, including Weingarten and Saunders, who had supported Martinâs top opponent in the February election for DNC chair.
Of the 15 Democrats he took off the panel, 13 of them hadnât voted for Martin, according to an internal record obtained by POLITICO.
(November 5, 2025)
The Working Families Party is open to backing a challenger to Hochul in the 2026 Democratic primary, including Lieutenant Governor Antonio Delgado, who is running a longshot campaign to Hochulâs left.
âWe will make that decision, likely in late January or early February, shortly after we see the governorâs executive budget proposal,â Gripper said. âSheâs going to have to prove to her own party why she shouldnât be primaried.â
(March 20, 2025)
„Ultimately, we don‘t have a unified front where everybody‘s on the same page about saying, âHey, wait a second. We‘re all trying to make a living here. We‘re all trying to get by, irrespective of race, irrespective of gender and sexual orientation. We‘re all trying to make a living. Why is it so hard for all of us to make a living?â
We have to be able to address it, because if we don‘t address it, then we will continue to be in the stock that we‘re in, because people will not invest in the system. They will stay home; 500,000 Democrats stayed home in New York. So people are staying home.“
(June 2, 2025)
After months of open political warfare with Ms. Hochul, Mr. Delgado said Monday he would challenge her in next yearâs Democratic primary.
âPeople are hurting and New York deserves better leadership,â Mr. Delgado said in an interview. âThereâs an absence of bold, decisive, transformational leadership.â
That phrase has become the theme for Mr. Delgadoâs campaign, the first official challenge to Ms. Hochul, and a message he repeats in a video announcing his candidacy.
He never mentions Ms. Hochul by name in the video, but he suggests that everyday New Yorkers deserve a governor with a vision to fight for them as they face unaffordable housing, child care and health care costs.
(August 14, 2025)
The governor is not alone in her hesitancy. Prominent Democrats from New York â including the Senate minority leader, Chuck Schumer; Senator Kirsten Gillibrand; and the House minority leader, Hakeem Jeffries â have not made an endorsement in the race. Of the 10 House Democrats in New York City, only four have endorsed Mr. Mamdani.
Like House Democrats, Ms. Hochul is facing re-election next year, potentially against Representative Elise Stefanik, a top Republican supporter of President Trump. Some political observers think that an enthusiastic endorsement of Mr. Mamdani could hurt the governor in more conservative areas of the state.
Disgraced former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who was backed by prominent national Democrats and an unprecedentedly deep-pocketed super PAC funded by billionaires and corporations, conceded defeat after it became clear that Mamdani‘s lead was insurmountable. With 93% of the votes tallied, Mamdani led Cuomo 43.5% to 36.4%.
Mamdani‘s primary win, a stunning upset, is expected to become official after the ranked-choice tally next week. In his victory speech, Mamdani said that his campaign and its supporters „made history.“
„In the words of Nelson Mandela, ‚It always seems impossible until it is done,'“ he added. „My friends, we have done it.“
That Mr. Mamdani had such success while running on a far-left agenda, including positions that once were politically risky in New York â like describing Israelâs actions in Gaza as genocide and calling for new taxes on business â may challenge the boundaries of party orthodoxy and unnerve national Democratic leaders.
Lander was later released after New York Governor Kathy Hochul condemned the arrest and visited New York City to lobby for his release. Five other mayoral candidates also condemned Landerâs arrest, although current Mayor Eric Adams has stayed silent. Adams âhas sold this city out to Donald Trump to try to get his own pardon,â says Lander. âLetâs be clear: Itâs only himself he cares about, and he is putting New Yorkâs immigrants in harmâs way.â
(June 17, 2025)
Lander, who is also running for mayor in next weekâs Democratic primary, was held inside the building for over four hours before he was eventually released without charges after an intervention by Gov. Kathy Hochul.
âI know I will get due process and that my rights will be protected,â Lander said to a throng of supporters who gathered spontaneously in Foley Square that evening after his release.
âBut Edgardo will sleep in an ICE detention facility God knows where tonightâŠhe has been stripped of his due process rights in a country that is supposed to be founded on equal justice under law,â Lander continued, naming the immigrant detained by federal agents at the same time the comptroller was taken into custody.