Articles
18 pieces
April 1, 2026 · Downballot Staff
One Year After Liberation Day, the Tariff Clock Is Still Ticking — Right Into Midterm Season
The Supreme Court struck down Trump's IEEPA tariffs in February. His replacement — a 10% global levy under Section 122 of the Trade Act — expires July 24. That deadline is now a midterm election variable.
March 30, 2026 · Downballot Staff
The Iran War Splits Michigan's Democratic Primary Wide Open
El-Sayed's Hasan Piker rallies drew national backlash and a direct rebuke from McMorrow — now the same conflict Sen. Slotkin says is costing Michigan drivers 60 cents a gallon is becoming the race's live wire.
March 29, 2026 · Downballot Staff
The NY-17 Primary Is Already a Mess, and Republicans Are Watching
A Democratic candidate's lewd Facebook posts, a new challenger leading in polling, and a fractured primary field — all while Mike Lawler keeps quiet and banks cash.
March 28, 2026 · Downballot Staff
Six-Hour Lines at the World's Busiest Airport — and Three Georgia Republicans Have an Answer: Blame Ossoff
With TSA agents going six weeks without pay and Hartsfield-Jackson near gridlock, Georgia's Republican Senate hopefuls found a political opportunity. The problem: their own party is blocking the fix.
March 27, 2026 · Downballot Staff
The Ossoff Problem: Republicans Are Saying One Thing in Public and Another in Private
New polling shows Ossoff near 50% in R+3 Georgia — and a Washington Post report this week revealed GOP operatives privately admitting they don't know how to beat him.
March 26, 2026 · Downballot Staff
Michigan's Senate Primary Just Got Picked Apart by the Party's Two Wings
In eight days, Warren backed McMorrow and ModSquad backed Stevens. The Michigan primary is now an open proxy war for the soul of the Democratic Party.
March 24, 2026 · Downballot Staff
9-0: What the Special Election Scoreboard Means for November
Democrats have flipped nine Republican-held state legislative seats since Trump took office. Republicans have flipped zero. The Pennsylvania specials last week added a wrinkle — but didn't change the story.
March 23, 2026 · Downballot Staff
The Establishment Picks a Side in Michigan — and It Immediately Gets Messy
ModSquad's endorsement of Haley Stevens on Friday crystallized the Michigan Senate primary's fault lines — and a blown-up Axios correction made it bigger news than it might have been.
March 22, 2026 · Downballot Staff
Georgia's GOP Senate Primary Is Already a Mess — and Ossoff Is Watching
Trump hasn't picked a candidate, Kemp backed the weakest of the three, and 40% of Republican primary voters are still undecided. Jon Ossoff is keeping his powder dry.
March 21, 2026 · Downballot Staff
Brian Fitzpatrick Keeps Winning. Democrats Keep Thinking This Is the Year.
Brian Fitzpatrick has won Bucks County four times in a Biden-won district by being the Republican Democrats keep deciding they can beat next cycle. They can't.
March 21, 2026 · Downballot Staff
A Democrat Led in MTG's Old District. The Runoff Will Tell Us If It Means Anything.
Shawn Harris finished first in the March 10 special election in Georgia's R+19 14th district — now he faces a Trump-endorsed Republican in an April 7 runoff that could tighten the House majority.
March 21, 2026 · Downballot Staff
Ossoff Is Running Like He's Already Down — Because He Might Be
Jon Ossoff is fundraising like a man who knows the floor can drop out at any moment — and in post-2024 Georgia, he's right to.
March 21, 2026 · Downballot Staff
Democrats Need a Net Gain of 6. These Are the Seats.
Republicans hold the House by a razor margin. Democrats have their target list. The question is whether the political environment in 2026 is enough to flip it.
March 21, 2026 · Downballot Staff
MGP Just Voted Against Her Party — Again. That's the Point.
Marie Gluesenkamp Perez's survival strategy in a Trump+12 district is to govern like she actually represents it. Her 2026 race will test whether that's enough.
March 21, 2026 · Downballot Staff
Michigan's Open Senate Seat Is Already a War
Gary Peters is retiring, the NRSC is already spending, and Michigan just flipped to Trump. The most competitive open Senate seat in the country has no candidates yet.
March 21, 2026 · Downballot Staff
Susie Lee's District Moved Right in 2024. She Won Anyway. What Now?
Susie Lee has won four straight elections in a true tossup district by running better than anyone thought possible. 2026 will test whether that formula still works.
March 21, 2026 · Downballot Staff
The New York Suburbs Are Still Angry. Democrats Haven't Fixed That.
Crime, cost of living, and immigration turned the New York suburbs in 2022 and 2024. In March 2026, the conditions that drove that shift haven't gone away.
March 21, 2026 · Downballot Staff
The 2026 Senate Map Was Always Going to Be This Bad for Democrats
Democrats are defending Georgia, Michigan, New Hampshire, and Minnesota — a class of senators elected in the chaos of 2020 who now face a fundamentally different electorate.