Downballot Counts

Primary season is all but over and now Democrats and Republicans face off against each other in earnest. Hosts Greg Giroux and Kyle Trygstad break down the state of play with less than two months to go and they explain why Democrats are in a favorable position heading into the home stretch.

The Bay State is the center of the political universe this week, with several primary elections there that may unseat incumbents with decades of experience in Congress. We speak with Mary Anne Marsh, a Democratic consultant in Massachusetts, about what's at stake in tomorrow's primaries and about who is likely to come out on top.

To avoid a blowout in this November's elections, Republicans will need to revive the nearly extinct tradition of ticket splitting, former GOP congressman Tom Davis says. That's because many GOP candidates are running in swing states that Democratic nominee Joe Biden is expected to win.

On this episode of Downballot Counts, hosts Kyle Trygstad and Greg Giroux speak with the former Virginia lawmaker about why ticket splitting is such a rarity these days and about why he thinks some threatened GOP incumbents are not in as much trouble as many believe.

The campaign season shifts into a new phase with the political conventions starting this week. And despite running against an incumbent president, Joe Biden has a very strong lead, according to a recent cluster of polls. Hosts Kyle Trygstad and Greg Giroux look at whether Biden could have a so-called "coattail effect" and about who to watch during this week's Democratic convention.

Quentin James, the founder and president of The Collective PAC, discusses his organization’s effort to elect more black candidates to federal, state and local offices. He also talks about the generational change taking place among black political leaders. (Note: This interview originally aired on the June 29 episode of Downballot Counts.)

Primary season is far from over, but we’ve already seen an above-average number of incumbent congressmen fail to win their party’s nomination. We may see more in the coming weeks, with two members of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s so-called “Squad” facing strong intra-party challengers, and a member of the Kennedy family dynasty going after a sitting Senator.

Hosts Kyle Trygstad and Greg Giroux break down the dynamics at play here and also look at the primary for an open Senate seat in Kansas, where the campaign ads are no-holds-barred.

Bloomberg Government politics reporter Emily Wilkins discusses second-quarter fundraising reports and how Democrats’ benefit from significant fundraising advantages in the House and Senate races.

Former Attorney General Jeff Sessions is fighting for his political life in this week's Alabama GOP primary runoff. Hosts Greg Giroux and Kyle Trygstad breakdown this race along with other primaries in Texas and Maine.

Quentin James, the founder and president of The Collective PAC, discusses his organization’s effort to elect more black candidates to federal, state and local offices. He also talks about what it would mean for Joe Biden to choose a black woman as his running mate.

Austin Chambers, president of the Republican State Leadership Committee, joins the latest episode of Downballot Counts to discuss the GOP's heightened focus on state legislative races this year. And Hosts Greg Giroux and Kyle Trygstad talk about Tuesday's primaries, with several longtime incumbents struggling to win their own party's nomination.