The Downballot

Here’s the downside to comfortably winning year after year: Your campaign skills get rusty in a hurry. As David Nir and guest-host Joe Sudbay discuss on this week’s episode of The Downballot podcast, that problem is now in full bloom for Republicans across the country who are suddenly facing competitive elections in states where Democrats have often been an afterthought.

The roster of creaky candidates includes the likes of Roger Marshall, Pete Ricketts, and Ken Paxton, all of whom are finding out the hard way that campaigning ain’t easy. But you can even add Susan Collins to the list. After a lifetime of softball media coverage, she’s suddenly scrambling to deal with a major corruption scandal, and she isn’t handling it well.

David and Joe also put a bow on the Missouri redistricting saga, which finally came to a close days ago when the Supreme Court smacked down Republicans—and wayward judges—once and for all. But speaking of unprepared, the GOP’s long-running effort to block pro-democracy ballot measures has left them with little time, and even less money, to campaign against them.

Democrats have blown past Republicans in primary turnout this year, but does it mean anything for November? The answer is a very firm “yes,” as co-hosts David Nir and David Beard explain on this week’s episode of The Downballot podcast. In a groundbreaking special report, our colleague Daniel Donner collected more than a century’s worth of data on primaries that demonstrate a very close correlation with general election results—and it all points toward a potential landslide for Democrats of epic proportions.

The Davids also sit down with Sara Kohen, who’s running to serve on the board of directors of the Omaha Public Power District, a major electric utility that serves nearly a million people. As Kohen tells us, the OPPD’s board holds major sway over how power is generated for its customers, including whether to pursue renewable energy over fossil fuels. She also details her conversations with voters, who are particularly concerned about data centers and soaring utility bills.

Donald Trump just tried to interfere with the midterms in a very baroque way—and swiftly got smacked down by the courts. But what exactly was he trying to do, and how was he trying to do it?

On this week’s episode of The Downballot podcast, election law expert Justin Levitt explains how the U.S. Postal Service tried to issue new rules for mail ballots that would have resulted in many never reaching voters, and how election officials fought back by showing that they would have been impossible to comply with—and almost certainly illegal. Levitt also tells us why he doesn’t think similar gambits are likely to succeed in the future.

Co-hosts David Nir and David Beard also put a bow on the Missouri redistricting saga, which came to an end just after our last episode went live when the Supreme Court made it clear that the state could not use the GOP’s new gerrymander. The Davids then discuss the belated Republican rescue mission in Texas, where a floundering Ken Paxton is finally getting some help … that may have arrived too late.

Election Day is still almost two months off, but Republicans have already begun making once-touted recruits walk the plank. On this week’s episode of The Downballot podcast, co-hosts David Nir and David Beard explain why the decision by GOP power players to torpedo one of their own candidates in a New York House race that should be competitive is such a grim moment for Republicans. It may be their first act of triage, but it won’t be the last.

The Davids also recap Tuesday’s primaries in New Hampshire, including a Democratic battle in a swingy open seat that, once again, ought to be fiercely contested by Republicans but won’t be. They wrap up with the chaotic situation unfolding in Missouri, where dueling court rulings have ordered election officials to use different congressional maps in November, prompting chaos, confusion, and a massive flurry of legal filings.

We’ve all been bombarded with those histrionic text messages making over-the-top requests for donations, but they’re more than just annoying—there are hidden victims of these hyper-aggressive fundraising practices.

On this week’s episode of The Downballot podcast, Stanford political scientist Adam Bonica discusses his deep investigation into the ways Democratic organizations and “spam PACs” are deploying these frenzied messages, which end up exploiting many senior citizens—some of whom have responded by donating literally thousands of times.

But the harm runs even deeper. As Bonica explains, even as these techniques rake in huge sums from the elderly, they’ve alienated many other donors. That’s created a serious risk of a broader crash in grassroots fundraising that could seriously undermine Democrats, something Republicans have already experienced thanks to their own slash-and-burn approach.

Co-hosts David Nir and David Beard also recap Tuesday’s primaries in Massachusetts and preview next week’s contests in New Hampshire and Rhode Island. Finally, they make sense of the chaos in Alaska, where a deadline for candidates to drop out following the state’s unique top-four primary prompted a reshuffle of the November ballot in all of the top races.

Runoffs were the big story this week, with close races in South Carolina, Oklahoma, and Georgia. On this week’s episode of The Downballot podcast, co-host David Beard and guest host Kari Chisholm discuss how two Trump-endorsed candidates—Darline Graham in South Carolina and Mike Mazzei in Oklahoma—narrowly won their races, along with their prospects in the general election. They also preview next week’s primaries in Massachusetts, including Rep. Seth Moulton’s faltering challenge to Sen. Ed Markey.

Then in our deep dive, we channel the spirit of fantasy football season for a “Senate flip” fantasy draft. David and Kari take turns “drafting” each of this year’s top Senate contests, based on how likely every seat is to change hands. Of course, as with any draft, there’s plenty of analysis of every prospect!

Democrat Brandon Dukes won the last special election before November and became the 31st Democrat to flip a legislative seat since the beginning of 2025—compared to zero for Republicans. On this week’s episode of The Downballot podcast, co-host David Beard and guest host Joe Sudbay discuss that race as well as the last big primary night of 2026, with a big upset in Florida’s Democratic Senate primary.

Then in our deep dive, we talk to state Sen. Cindy Holscher, the Democratic nominee for governor of Kansas, about her race. She tells us how she got into politics during former Gov. Sam Brownback’s disastrous time in office and how Democrats have strengthened in Kansas during the Trump era. We also discuss her call for a data center moratorium in the state, why it’s become such a big issue for voters, and how to support economic growth while ensuring everyday people aren’t left out of the benefits.

Wisconsin’s Democratic primary for governor saw a shocking upset Tuesday night as David Crowley, who had dropped out of the race earlier this summer before jumping back in, defeated Francesca Hong, who’d been leading in polls by double digits.

On this week’s episode of The Downballot podcast, co-host David Beard and guest host Joe Sudbay run through all the key election results from Tuesday night, including Minnesota’s races for governor and Senate, South Carolina’s special Senate primary to replace Lindsey Graham, and the defeat of another House incumbent, this time in Connecticut.

David and Joe then preview the last big primary night of the season, with key races in Alaska and Florida. The hosts explain how Alaska’s unique top-four primary has scrambled the governor’s race, leading to real uncertainty about which major candidates will advance. And in Florida, they discuss the battles for governor and Senate as well as several House races that got upended by the GOP’s extreme new gerrymander.

Once again, Republicans are fielding an array of election deniers who nevertheless want to oversee their state’s elections, though this year’s crop might just take the cake. On this week’s episode of The Downballot podcast, Chelsey Wininger, the executive director of the Democratic Association of Secretaries of State, walks us through every competitive race her shop is focused on—including the showdown in Arizona, where the GOP nominee wants to repeal the state’s ban on pipe bombs. And no, we’re not kidding.

Co-hosts David Nir and David Beard also recap all of this week’s high-profile primaries, including Michigan’s Democratic Senate battle, an extraordinary GOP botch in a swingy House district, and some very good news for an endangered Democrat in Washington state. They wrap up with the latest on two scandal-plagued House Republicans, including one who just bailed on his bid for reelection and another whom fellow Republicans would like to see vamoose as well.

Primary season is back with a vengeance on Tuesday, with no fewer than five states holding elections—chief among them Michigan. On this week’s episode of The Downballot, we break down the bitter fight between Haley Stevens and Abdul El-Sayed as they vie to become the Wolverine State’s Democratic nominee for Senate, but there’s a lot more on the docket.

The list includes a ballot measure to make future ballot measures impossible in Missouri; a GOP effort to turn the Kansas Supreme Court into a partisan rubber stamp; and a House primary in Washington where a Republican is helping the Democrat he beat two years ago.

And speaking of Michigan, co-hosts David Nir and David Beard talk all about its hotly competitive general elections with Curtis Hertel, the chair of the state Democratic Party. Hertel spotlights the GOP candidates for governor and Senate, whose fealty to Donald Trump has taken center stage. He also explains how Democrats can flip several seats in the House and take back control of the state legislature in November.