Author: Joseph Brusgard
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Third-highest number of Wyoming state legislative incumbents facing primaries at any point since 2010
Thirty Wyoming state legislative incumbents face primary contests in 2026, the third-most at any point since 2010. This is a 25% decrease in the number of incumbents facing challengers compared to 2024. All 30 of the contested incumbents are Republicans. Twenty-five are state representatives, and five are state senators. The only time a Democratic incumbent…
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Since 2016, nine former members of Congress have run in Florida, of whom four are running in 2026
In the 2026 election cycle, 22 former members of the United States House of Representatives — 13 Democrats and nine Republicans — have announced candidacies for a non-consecutive term in the 2026 election cycle. As of June 24, 2026, six have lost their primaries, four have advanced from the primary, and three have withdrawn. The…
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Seven senators who have served for three or more terms are running for re-election this cycle
John Cornyn’s (R-Tex.) primary loss to Ken Paxton (R) on May 26 is the first instance of a fourth-term senator losing re-election in the 21st century. Since 2000, only five senators who served three or more terms, including Cornyn, have lost their primary bids for re-election, including Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), who went on to win…
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Bill Walker's entry into Alaska's governor race is the 10th non-consecutive run by a governor in the state since 1960
On June 1, 2026, former Alaska Gov. Bill Walker (I) filed to run for governor, an office he left in 2018. Walker previously ran for governor in 2022, coming in third place, receiving 21% of the vote behind Les Gara’s (D) 24% and incumbent Mike Dunleavy’s (R) 50%. Walker is not the first former governor…
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Five candidates compete in Missouri's 6th District Republican primary as incumbent Graves retires
Five candidates are running in the Republican primary for Missouri's 6th Congressional District on August 4, 2026. Two have led in media attention: Chris Stigall (R) and Nathan Willett (R). Incumbent Sam Graves (R) is retiring from public office. Missouri Independent's Jason Hanccock wrote that the election "could become a proxy war between Trumpworld and…
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Democrats have the second-highest generic ballot lead in May of any midterm year
The Democratic Party led the generic congressional ballot by 7.6 points at the end of May, according to RealClearPolitics. Since the start of the second Trump Administration, the highest Democratic lead recorded by RCP was on May 28, 2026, when Democrats led Republicans 49% to 41%, an eight-point margin. This is the second-highest lead either…
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In five states, 2026 gubernatorial or state legislative races will determine who becomes the next top election official
Twenty-six states are holding elections for secretary of state in November. While these states hold direct elections for the office, nine out of the 12 states in which the governor or legislature appoints the secretary of state will hold respective gubernatorial or state legislative elections in 2026. In five of those states, the secretary of…
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Kansas could become the first state to change its supreme court selection method since 2021
On August 4, as Kansans vote in primaries for offices including governor and U.S. Senate, a constitutional amendment to change how the state’s supreme court justices are selected will be on the ballot. Currently, the state uses an assisted-appointment method in which a nominating commission sends a list of applicants to the governor, who selects…
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Mississippi — one of nine states with supreme court districts — could redraw the districts in the next year
While congressional and state legislative districts are supposed to be redrawn every 10 years, this is not always the case with state supreme court districts. In fact, Mississippi was set to redraw its districts for the first time since 1987, but the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Louisiana v. Callais led to the cancellation of…
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The number of incumbents in South Carolina's state legislature being challenged is tied with 2018 for the highest number in a midterm
Thirty-six South Carolina state legislative incumbents face primary contests in 2026, a 29% decrease from the number that faced challengers in 2024. Twelve of the contested incumbents are Democrats, and 24 are Republicans. All of them are state representatives, as no state senators were up for election. South Carolina has 59 contested state legislative primaries…