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Results for " midterm " 2,334 found 🔀 AI-powered Shuffle

Tennessee redistricting plan splits Memphis neighbors and reshapes midterms as other states follow

A new congressional map in Tennessee splits the majority-Black city of Memphis into three districts.

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May 9 • 8:26 AM EDT • Politics • ksat.com
Tennessee redistricting plan splits Memphis neighbors and reshapes midterms as other states follow

A new congressional map in Tennessee splits the majority-Black city of Memphis into three districts.

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May 9 • 8:26 AM EDT • Politics • wsls.com
🙂 Positive (39%)
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For a Moment, It Looked as if Trump’s Efforts to Rig the Midterms Had Failed. Then Three Things Happened.

Just two weeks ago, the redistricting wars appeared to be resolving in Democrats’ favor.

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May 9 • 5:45 AM EDT • Politics • slate.com
How Republicans Gained an Edge on the Midterm House Map Over 10 Days

Republicans are charging ahead in the nation’s redistricting race, and showing new bullishness after months of growing midterm fears.

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May 9 • 5:02 AM EDT • Politics • nytimes.com
WA filing closes, U.S. House battleground and GOP test emerge

The candidate filing period closed Friday, launching the 2026 midterm cycle with a House battleground and a GOP open-seat test in Central Washington.

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May 8 • 8:39 PM EDT • Politics • seattletimes.com
Virginia Supreme Court deals Democrats massive midterm blow
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May 8 • 5:41 PM EDT • Politics • cnn.com
‘The hill just got a little steeper’: Dems reel after Virginia Supreme Court voids redistricting referendum ahead of midterms
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May 8 • 1:28 PM EDT • Politics • cnn.com
Was JD Vance’s Iowa excursion a midterms jolt or a presidential test balloon?

The state where presidential dreams are born saw its first veep visit of this term

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May 8 • 1:24 PM EDT • Politics • theweek.com
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Virginia Supreme Court strikes down Democrats’ redistricting plan, dimming party’s midterm hopes

Voters narrowly approved the amendment April 21, but the court's ruling renders the results of that vote meaningless.

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May 8 • 10:42 AM EDT • Politics • pbs.org
In Huge Blow to Democrats, Virginia Court Strikes Down House Map

The decision by the state’s top court is a major victory for Republicans, wiping away a measure approved by voters to allow Democrats to gain as many as four House seats in the midterms.

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May 8 • 10:23 AM EDT • Politics • nytimes.com
AI, Democracy And The Politics Of The Kitchen Table

AI is becoming a kitchen table issue as data centers, electricity bills, jobs, privacy, children and democracy collide before the 2026 midterms.

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May 8 • 9:08 AM EDT • Politics • forbes.com
Tennessee lawmakers pass U.S. House map carving up majority-Black district in Memphis

The new voting districts approved Thursday could give Republicans a chance to win all nine of the state’s congressional seats in the November midterm elections.

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May 7 • 5:28 PM EDT • Politics • pbs.org
🙂 Positive (35%)
Tennessee Republicans approve map carving up majority-Black US House district

Republican lawmakers in Tennessee approved a new US House map Thursday that carves up a majority-Black district in Memphis, reshaping it to the GOP’s advantage as part of President Donald Trump’s strategy to hold on to a slim majority in the November midterm elections.

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May 7 • 2:53 PM EDT • Politics • cnn.com
Tennessee Republicans pass map splitting up state’s lone majority-Black district

The new map, which comes in response to last week’s U.S. Supreme’s redistricting ruling, puts Republicans in position to pick up a House seat in the midterm elections.

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May 7 • 2:25 PM EDT • Politics • nbcnews.com
High-Signal Publisher
Republicans poised to vote on new House map that would erase Democratic seat in Tennessee

Such a move could reshape the electoral map ahead of the midterms by carving up a majority-Black congressional district

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May 7 • 6:36 AM EDT • Politics • theguardian.com
Is the FDA Really Suppressing Science? Plus. . .

It’s Thursday, May 7. This is The Front Page, your daily window into the world of The Free Press—and our take on the world at large. Today: Aaron MacLean says Trump is poised to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory in the Iran war. Joe Klein on the life of CNN founder Ted Turner. Jillian Lederman on why cruise ships are here to stay. And much more. But first: Is the FDA suppressing science? On Tuesday, The New York Times published a story with an alarming takeaway. “FDA Blocked Publication of Research Finding Covid and Shingles Vaccines Were Safe,” read the headline. It is the latest in a string of stories that all have the same message: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and other agencies, are engaged in a cover-up—and silencing scientists trying to get the word out about the Covid vaccine. What all these stories suggest—some more subtly than others—is that the outsiders now running the public health establishment, officials such as Marty Makary at the FDA and Jay Bhattacharya at the National Institutes of Health, are on a revenge tour. That they are doing harm to the country to get back at the scientists and bureaucrats who ostracized them for deviating from the public-health consensus during the pandemic. It’s a seductive narrative. But is it true? That’s the question we address in our latest editorial. —The Editors Read [ Marty Makary's FDA Has All the Right Enemies ](https://www.thefp.com/p/marty-makary-vaccine-study-fda) [ Trump Blinks First ](https://www.thefp.com/p/iran-peace-deal-pakistan-trump-strait-of-hormuz) Aaron MacLean In return for no detectable concessions, President Trump this week gave up on forcing open the Strait of Hormuz. Now, the Trump administration looks desperate for a deal to end the war with Iran. It’s easy to understand the desire to end the war, but are they blowing the chance at victory? Aaron MacLean makes sense of the administration’s latest moves—and Iran’s response—in his column today. Read full story Aaron MacLean and Niall Ferguson: Live in New York City Join Aaron MacLean and Niall Ferguson on May 19 for a live recording of School of War at the iconic New York Historical. In a conversation as timely as it is wide-ranging, Aaron and Niall will explore the strategic stakes of the moment, including the Middle East, China, and the future of American leadership on the global stage. Get Tickets Now [ Ted Turner, the Optimist Who Built CNN ](https://www.thefp.com/p/ted-turner-cnn-tribute) Joe Klein The man who gave us CNN and the 24-hour news cycle, Ted Turner, died Wednesday at the age of 87. Today, political writer Joe Klein—who almost ghostwrote Turner’s autobiography—remembers his friend, the American media mogul who stood out for his idealism and lack of a filter—something that got Turner in trouble more than once. “His was not a traditional intelligence, but one of horizon: Ted saw things before other people did,” Joe writes. Read full story [ Nothing Can Sink the Cruise Ship ](https://www.thefp.com/p/cruise-ship-hantavirus) Jillian Lederman A viral outbreak on a cruise ship that left three passengers dead has left some people wondering: Are cruise ships on the way out? Not so fast, says Jillian Lederman, who has been on many a cruise herself. Read her piece on why 38 million people a year take a cruise—and aren’t about to stop. Read full story [ The Great Writers Who Were Terrible People ](https://www.thefp.com/p/the-great-writers-who-were-terrible) Shilo Brooks Throughout history, some of the greatest literary geniuses have also been immoral bigots. In the latest episode of Old School, Shilo Brooks is joined by Eli Lake for a conversation about those geniuses, from Voltaire to Norman Mailer and Roald Dahl—and why we should read their work despite their odious prejudices. Listen on MORE FROM THE FREE PRESS [ Inside the Digital Intifada ](https://www.thefp.com/p/digital-intifada-social-media-hamas-terror) Warren Kinsella Read full story [ This Week in American History: Trump’s Over-Arching Problem ](https://www.thefp.com/p/this-week-in-american-history-trumps-over-arching-problem) Jonathan Horn Read full story [ Humanity Is Still Evolving—and Fast ](https://www.thefp.com/p/humanity-is-still-evolvingand-fast) Razib Khan Read full story THE NEWS Thirteen D.C. Metropolitan Police officers have been placed on administrative leave and could face termination after an internal investigation found evidence that crime statistics were manipulated to make the city look safer. The Republican-led House Oversight Committee previously alleged that former D.C. police chief Pamela Smith pressured officers to skew data. Tennessee Republicans unveiled a redrawn U.S. House map yesterday that would split up Memphis’s black-majority Democratic district, the latest move in a nationwide push to redraw congressional boundaries ahead of the midterms. The effort follows a Supreme Court ruling last week on Louisiana’s districts, which Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton said gave states the green light to redraw maps along partisan lines. Israel struck Beirut for the first time since a ceasefire with Hezbollah took effect last month, saying it targeted a commander of the militant group’s elite Radwan force in the city’s southern suburbs. The strikes risk destabilizing that truce at a delicate moment, as Iran and the U.S. report progress toward a deal to resolve their own standoff. The U.S. Air Force is aiming for a Fourth of July delivery of a Boeing 747 gifted by Qatar, hoping to add it to the Air Force One fleet in time for the U.S.’s 250th anniversary, Reuters reported. (For more on the controversy surrounding the aircraft, read Jed Rubenfeld’s piece “It’s a Terrible Idea, but Trump Probably Can Accept a Free Jet from Qatar.”) Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick testified privately before Congress that he has no memory of why he and his family dined on Jeffrey Epstein’s private island in 2012, according to Reuters. The admission contradicts Lutnick’s earlier claim that he had cut ties with the convicted sex offender well before that visit. Weeks before a former JPMorgan investment banker filed a lawsuit packed with explosive allegations, the bank reportedly offered him $1 million to settle his sexual assault and harassment claims, according to The Wall Street Journal. The suit, filed by Chirayu Rana, alleges he was sexually assaulted by a female colleague, subjected to racial discrimination, and forced into a degrading dynamic at work. JPMorgan says the claims lack merit, and the female colleague’s lawyers call the accusations fabricated. A new report from the Hartford Institute for Religion Research shows that, for the first time in roughly 20 years, church attendance is trending upward, with more people volunteering and clergy expressing renewed optimism. The study’s authors described the findings, based on a survey of more than 7,400 congregations, as showing signs of widespread recovery from low attendance numbers.

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May 7 • 6:20 AM EDT • Science • thefp.com
Republicans' midterm health care dilemma

Health care costs are a huge midterm issue, but Republicans are divided on solutions.

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May 7 • 5:30 AM EDT • Health • axios.com
High-Signal Publisher
The GOP’s enthusiasm problem

Republicans would have turnout challenges in the 2026 midterm elections regardless of how President Donald Trump was doing. After all, his base has proven they largely only come out in droves when his name is on the ballot.

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May 7 • 5:00 AM EDT • Politics • cnn.com
Ohio emerges as a key midterm battleground: From the Politics Desk

Plus, Trump’s ballroom dance.

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May 6 • 5:59 PM EDT • Politics • nbcnews.com
High-Signal Publisher
Betting on Trump's influence? How GA-14 runoff became a testing ground as prediction markets reshape 2026 elections

Prediction markets and political betting platforms are raising new questions about democracy, regulation, and voter behavior ahead of the 2026 midterms.

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May 6 • 5:16 PM EDT • Politics • cbsnews.com
High-Signal Publisher
Trump just reasserted his domination of the GOP. But that might not be good news for the party in 2026

Tuesday showed that even a politically diminished President Donald Trump still has the juice to end a Republican’s career. But while that’s great news for Trump’s political capital, it is decidedly less great news for a GOP whose midterm hopes the president is sinking.

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May 6 • 1:36 PM EDT • Politics • cnn.com
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Michigan Democrats keep control of state Senate in election win that offers clues about midterms

Democrat Chedrick Greene won a special election in Michigan on Tuesday, securing his party’s control of the state Senate through the remainder of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s term.

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May 6 • 11:47 AM EDT • Politics • pbs.org
Takeaways from Indiana, Ohio and Michigan: Trump's flex pays off and Democrats win special election

Elections in Indiana, Ohio and Michigan on Tuesday reinforced a picture that's becoming increasingly clear — while President Donald Trump still dominates the Republican Party, Democrats seem to have the momentum ahead of November's midterm elections.

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May 6 • 10:28 AM EDT • Politics • pbs.org
🙂 Positive (35%)
State of Insecurity: New poll shows Mass. middle class is more squeezed than ever

The results are a warning shot for the Bay State’s political class, who have touted their efforts to make the state more affordable during a critical midterm election year.

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May 6 • 10:15 AM EDT • Politics • masslive.com
Poll: Trump blamed for gas prices as Democrats gain midterm edge

A new NPR/PBS News/Marist poll finds strong support for Democrats this midterm season. It also shows increasing concern about the war in Iran and the economy, particularly the price of gas.

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May 6 • 5:01 AM EDT • Politics • npr.org
High-Signal Publisher
Exclusive: Deleted tweets reveal new surgeon general pick criticized Trump and RFK Jr. health policies

Just two months before she was selected as President Donald Trump’s nominee for surgeon general, Dr. Nicole Saphier suggested the administration was hiding that measles was spreading widely enough in the United States for the country to lose its “elimination” status until after the midterm elections.

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May 6 • 5:00 AM EDT • Health • cnn.com
Exclusive: Deleted tweets reveal new surgeon general pick criticized Trump and RFK Jr. health policies

Just two months before she was selected as President Donald Trump’s nominee for surgeon general, Dr. Nicole Saphier suggested the administration was hiding that measles was spreading widely enough in the United States for the country to lose its “elimination” status until after the midterm elections.

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May 6 • 5:00 AM EDT • Politics • cnn.com
Ramaswamy advances in Ohio, and other takeaways from Tuesday’s primaries

Primaries in Indiana and Ohio reinforced President Donald Trump’s power in the GOP and set the stakes for several top-tier midterm races.

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May 6 • 5:00 AM EDT • Politics • washingtonpost.com
KFF Health Tracking Poll: MAHA and the Midterms

This KFF Health Tracking Poll finds that the cost of health care is a more prominent focus for Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) voters than issues like food and vaccine policy. Four in ten MAHA voters (42%) choose lowering health costs as the most important health priority, outranking other MAHA priorities.

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May 6 • 5:00 AM EDT • Health • kff.org
Vance Campaigns in Iowa as G.O.P. Fears Rise Ahead of Midterms

The vice president acknowledged economic headwinds, including rising energy and fertilizer costs. “We got a little — a little blip in the Middle East,” he said, referring to the war in Iran.

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May 5 • 8:23 PM EDT • Politics • nytimes.com
Vance makes three-state blitz to boost GOP in midterms: 'Not rocket science'
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May 5 • 7:17 PM EDT • Science • nypost.com
What to watch for in Indiana tonight: From the Politics Desk

Plus, Iowa emerges as a midterm battleground.

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May 5 • 4:00 PM EDT • Politics • nbcnews.com
High-Signal Publisher
White House says Trump's deals with pharmaceutical companies offer billions in savings

WASHINGTON (AP) — White House economists estimate that President Donald Trump’s deals with pharmaceutical companies to drop some of their U.S. prescription drug prices to what they charge in other countries could save $529 billion over the next 10 years. The analysis obtained by The Associated Press includes the first economy-wide projections behind a policy at the core of Trump’s pitch to voters going into November’s midterm elections for control of the House and Senate.

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May 5 • 2:15 PM EDT • Politics • pbs.org
Special election for control of Michigan's state Senate may offer fall midterm clues

A special election in a small Michigan swing district on Tuesday could have outsized consequences.

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May 5 • 11:59 AM EDT • Politics • pbs.org
Abortion pill rulings bring the issue back to the forefront in a midterm election year

Back-to-back court rulings on abortion pill access are thrusting a contentious political issue back into the spotlight ahead of this year’s midterm elections that will determine control of Congress for the second half of President Donald Trump's term.

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May 5 • 11:29 AM EDT • Politics • pbs.org
🙂 Positive (35%)
The Odds: Midterms turnout
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May 5 • 9:56 AM EDT • Politics • cnn.com
Politics & Power: Supreme Court guts Voting Rights Act, reshaping redistricting battles ahead of midterms

A 60-year-old civil rights law, effectively gutted. Now, Republicans across the South are racing to redraw congressional maps — and Florida just became the first state to act, passing new lines that could flip four seats. Democrats are promising to fight back. Sean Freeder, a political scientist and analyst, joins News4JAX anchor Bruce Hamilton to discuss the pushback and the legal fights ahead.

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May 5 • 9:42 AM EDT • Politics • news4jax.com
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Democrats Sound a Bit Too Giddy About the Midterms

They should know better.

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May 5 • 7:00 AM EDT • Politics • theatlantic.com
Redistricting battles back on midterm political map as Ohio, Indiana vote in primaries

Alabama and Tennessee move into redistricting fights while midterm voters in Indiana and Ohio head to the polls, spotlighting election maps, primaries and 2026 political stakes.

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May 5 • 6:25 AM EDT • Politics • foxnews.com
Live Results: Ohio state primaries

Ohio is expected to play a high-profile role in the midterm elections.

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May 5 • 6:00 AM EDT • Politics • pbs.org
A decades-long plan to abolish the Electoral College may finally pay off

Democrats could be one midterm wave away from instituting a national popular vote. Should they?

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May 5 • 6:00 AM EDT • Politics • vox.com
Abortion pill rulings bring the issue back to the forefront in a midterm election year

Recent court rulings on abortion pill access have reignited a contentious political issue in a midterm year.

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May 5 • 12:03 AM EDT • Politics • ksat.com
Charting how Trump became a historically unpopular president

President Donald Trump appears to be more unpopular than he’s ever been. In fact, his 35% average approval rating in the CNN Poll of Polls means he’s now flirting with George W. Bush territory. Bush is the only president since Jimmy Carter to spend a sustained period of time in the mid-30s or lower. And all of it is putting the Republican Party at risk of a severe rebuke from voters in just six months’ time in the 2026 midterm elections. It’s been a pretty gradual, steady deterioration throughout Trump’s more than 15 months back as president, but a few things stand out.

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May 5 • 12:00 AM EDT • Politics • cnn.com
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‘Absolutely’: Congressman whose district is at risk from redistricting says Trump is trying to rig the midterm vote
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May 4 • 11:59 PM EDT • Politics • cnn.com
😐 Neutral (0%)
House Democrats’ campaign arm takes sides in contentious primaries key to winning midterms

The House Democratic campaign arm on Monday inflamed ongoing tensions over the influence of party leadership by taking sides in several competitive primaries for battleground House seats.

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May 4 • 3:13 PM EDT • Politics • cnn.com
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Will Texas turn blue this year?

With midterms around the corner and President Trump's approval rating low, Democrats expect to flip a lot of seats this election. Polls show a Democrat could win a statewide seat in Texas for the first time in the 21st century.

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May 4 • 9:46 AM EDT • Politics • houstonpublicmedia.org
Warned off vaccine actions, Kennedy seeks quick health wins ahead of midterms

The stakes are high for Trump’s Republican party, which risks losing control of both chambers of Congress, polls show.

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May 4 • 7:30 AM EDT • Health • detroitnews.com
Warned off vaccine actions, Kennedy seeks quick health wins ahead of midterms

The stakes are high for Trump’s Republican party, which risks losing control of both chambers of Congress, polls show.

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May 4 • 7:30 AM EDT • Politics • detroitnews.com
Insight: Warned off vaccine actions, Kennedy seeks quick health wins ahead of midterms

U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is aiming for quick wins on new health initiatives to help Republicans in November’s midterm elections, after the White House asked him to pivot from a widely criticized campaign to rewrite U.S. vaccine policy, senior administration officials told Reuters.

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May 4 • 6:03 AM EDT • Health • reuters.com
Democrats Add 8 Candidates to House Battlefield Program for Midterms

The party’s congressional campaign arm is promoting more contenders to take down at-risk Republicans — and is taking sides in some competitive primaries.

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May 4 • 5:03 AM EDT • Politics • nytimes.com
Democratic voters challenge party establishment

Restless Democratic voters are rejecting their party’s establishment while trying to unseat Republicans in the midterms to weaken Trump's grip on power.

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May 3 • 5:49 PM EDT • Politics • latimes.com
House control hinges on historically few number of seats

After aggressive redistricting, just 16 House seats are tossups, making it nearly impossible for Democrats to achieve their 2018 midterm gains of 41 seats.

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May 3 • 11:37 AM EDT • Politics • latimes.com
Curing U.S. Health Care, Part II

On March 23, 2010 President Barack Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act — usually referred to either as the Affordable Care Act or as Obamacare — into law. Joe Biden, then the vice president, could be overheard whispering “This is a big fucking deal.” And it was. The ACA, which went into full effect in 2014, created a system of subsidies and regulations designed to make health insurance available to many Americans who had previously been left out. It worked: In 2010 there were 47 million uninsured people in America, but by 2016 this number had dropped to 27 million. This still fell short of the universal health insurance that every other advanced nation has, but it was real progress. In 2017, during his first term, Donald Trump tried to destroy the ACA, replacing it with the American Health Care Act — legislation that would have eliminated most of the provisions that expanded health insurance under Obama. At the time the Congressional Budget Office projected that the G.O.P.’s replacement bill would nearly double the number of Americans without health insurance, increasing the total uninsured population by 23 million and undoing all of the progress achieved under the ACA. However, the attack on Obamacare failed by one vote in the Senate, and the ensuing public backlash against the G.O.P. delivered a large victory in the 2018 midterms to the Democrats. After these developments many observers assumed that the ACA had become a more or less permanent feature of American life. Such assessments, however, failed to take into account the deep hostility of the U.S. right toward policies that expand access to healthcare. As we’ll see, this hostility goes back generations. And the second Trump administration has taken actions that the CBO projects will add 16 million people to the rolls of the uninsured by 2034. How did we get here? And now what? Today’s primer will analyze the political economy of U.S. healthcare since the 1940s and the combination of danger and opportunity created by the current crisis. Beyond the paywall I will discuss the following: US health care on the eve of Trump II 80 years of US health politics The Obamacare story The new assault on healthcare

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May 3 • 6:31 AM EDT • Health • paulkrugman.substack.com
Inside Democratic Fundraiser ActBlue’s Big Spending and Internal Drama

The group faces investigations from the Justice Department and congressional Republicans six months before the 2026 midterms.

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May 2 • 9:00 PM EDT • Politics • wsj.com
Kemp won't seek to change Georgia's congressional map this year

There will be no changes to Georgia's congressional map before the 2026 midterm elections are held, Gov. Brian Kemp said on Friday.

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May 2 • 1:43 PM EDT • Entertainment • gwinnettdailypost.com
Ted Cruz warns of high stakes during Iowa visit as 2026 midterms loom

As Republicans gathered at a conservative event in Clive ahead of a pivotal midterm election, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, warned that what happens in Iowa could help determine the direction of the country.

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May 2 • 12:38 PM EDT • Politics • kcci.com
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The politics of Trump's ballroom

WEST PALM BEACH, Florida — President Trump was about a half-hour into his second speech of the day, musing about the danger he faced last week at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. “Saturday night, it was good for one thing. People are loving my ballroom now,” Trump told a crowd last night. “That’s the only thing. They love my ballroom.” Ever since he was hustled off stage at the Washington Hilton last week, after an attempted shooter breached the dinner’s security perimeter and sent guests diving to the floor, the president has argued that the incident is proof for why his White House ballroom is needed. Only his planned $400 million, 90,000-square-foot project, Trump has reasoned, can keep a president truly safe at major events. It’s true that a bunch of GOP lawmakers have jumped on board with new legislation and words of support for Trump’s project. House Speaker Mike Johnson, Sen. Rand Paul and other prominent Republicans went on TV to talk about the need for a ballroom. But as we reported at The Washington Post this week, “people” aren’t really changing their minds on Trump’s ballroom. A new Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll found that most Americans still oppose the ballroom project: 56 percent against it versus 28 percent in favor. The numbers are the same as a poll from last year, the Post’s polling whiz Scott Clement found. Other new polls have found similar margins, too. “I’m just not a giant fan, especially of extravagance,” one independent voter told me. “I mean, in the era we’re in right now, given how much people are struggling, it just doesn’t make a lot of sense to me to spend $400 million on a ballroom.” How we got here The Washington Post has followed Trump’s ballroom project very closely. (My colleague Jonathan Edwards may have written the most total words of any reporter about the project; I may be second.) The project exploded as a national issue after Trump tore down the White House’s East Wing after initially promising not to touch it.1 Historic preservationists sued, and about a month ago, a federal judge ordered a halt to ballroom construction.2 The only way the ballroom could proceed, U.S. District Judge Richard Leon ruled, was if Congress explicitly authorized Trump’s plans. (An appeals court has stayed Leon’s order for now.) The judge’s ruling raised an obvious question: would Congress authorize the project? Keep in mind, “authorization” doesn’t mean that Congress needs to necessarily fund the planned $400 million project; they could just sign off on the private donations that Trump has solicited to pay for the ballroom.3 But GOP lawmakers really didn’t want to talk about the ballroom, we reported at The Post just a few weeks ago. One major reason was the ballroom’s bad polling — not a small detail with many of their own midterm elections looming. The White House Correspondents’ Dinner incident, and Trump’s advocacy, may have changed the political conversation around the ballroom. As this week’s polling shows, it doesn’t seem to have affected the fundamental questions surrounding the project. To put it another way, voters still say that cost-of-living concerns are top-of-mind heading into the midterms. Some Republican and independent voters have told me that they see the ballroom as a vanity project that will help Trump but do nothing for their own lives. It might not help Republicans that Trump has dismissed some of the cost-of-living concerns. He’s described “affordability” as a buzzword manufactured by Democrats whose policies helped cause inflation. “They’ve got one good line of bullshit,” Trump said in his first speech yesterday, delivered at a Florida retirement community known as The Villages. Thanks for reading Dan Diamond's newsletter! Subscribe for free to stay up-to-date on my work. Subscribe Speaking of Trump’s speeches… I’m down in Florida because it’s my “duty week” as a White House reporter — basically, I follow the president wherever he goes. (And then hand the baton off to one of my Washington Post colleagues next week.) As part of my duty week, I’ve spent a few days covering the White House’s reaction to Saturday’s attempted shooting, including officials’ review of the security protocols to protect the president. Trump was restrained in the wake of the incident, addressing the nation from the White House briefing room about the need for peaceful dialogue and trying to lower the temperature. But he’s clearly been itching to get back out of the White House, and I was curious to hear how his Florida speeches would go. And — to my ears — it was an unburdened Trump. Not the one we saw Saturday night in the White House briefing room, but the one we witnessed on the campaign trail in 2024. Loose, dropping profanities, mocking everyone, including members of his team. “We have a man here who knows more about Medicaid, Medicare, medical crap than any human being. Where’s Dr. Oz? Where the hell are you, stand up,” Trump said, referring to Mehmet Oz, the administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. “It’s the most boring trip I’ve ever made. He’s telling me about Medicare, Medicaid. All I want to do is take care of you, I don’t care. I said, ‘You work out the details.’” I wrote up the speech, as Trump headed to West Palm Beach to deliver more remarks a few hours later. The White House didn’t like my story. Their rapid-response team called it the work of a “total loser”4 and “a miserable TDS-ridden moron.” You can be the judge of whether it’s a fair story or the product of someone afflicted with “TDS.” (The White House’s shorthand for “Trump Derangement Syndrome.”) I’ve pasted the story below with a gift link, meaning that you don’t need to be a Washington Post subscriber to read it. It might prompt you for an email address, though. Meanwhile, I’ll be down in Florida for the rest of the weekend, covering the president. It’s TBD whether those stories will be deemed TDS-afflicted, too. 1 Jonathan details the past six months of ballroom fallout, reactions and the implications for executive authority here. I also had a great time talking about Trump’s ballroom and other projects with Australia’s ABC News Daily on a podcast this week. 2 The judge allowed underground construction and national security-related work to continue. But that hasn’t been enough for Trump, who says the ballroom itself is essential for his protection. 3 The ballroom donors include companies like Palantir, Google and Amazon. For transparency, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos owns The Washington Post, where I work. No one has ever interfered with our team’s coverage of the ballroom or our mentions of Amazon or Bezos, and if that changed, I’d speak out. 4 To be fair, I’ve spent the morning working on stories and writing this Substack post rather than enjoying the beautiful Florida weather. So they may be onto something about who’s winning and who’s losing.

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May 2 • 10:34 AM EDT • Politics • dandiamond.substack.com
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43%
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Iran deadlock: is Trump now ‘stuck’?

The president may be ‘trying to look relaxed’, but upcoming midterms and rising oil prices are ramping up pressure

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May 2 • 2:10 AM EDT • Politics • theweek.com
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😐 Neutral (18%)
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35%
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Capitol Recap: Proposal to tax high earners stirs debate over policy, and politics, in Montpelier

The House Committee on Ways and Means has spent the last three weeks crafting proposals that would raise income taxes on households that earn more than $586,000 a year. Though the legislation has no chance of becoming law this year, some Democrats hope the debate will resonate with voters heading into the midterm elections.

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May 1 • 3:22 PM EDT • Politics • vermontpublic.org
As Iran War Reaches 60-Day Mark, Republicans in Congress Grow Impatient With Trump

Months into the operation and with midterms looming, some lawmakers are calling for Congress to restrain the president’s war power or set terms for bringing the conflict to a close.

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May 1 • 1:48 PM EDT • Politics • nytimes.com
Slotkin spars with Hegseth over potentially sending troops to the polls for midterms
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Apr 30 • 5:58 PM EDT • Politics • cnn.com
'Do you want the crazies back in charge?' Rep. Jim Jordan talks elections

As the November midterm elections approach, Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, is looking ahead to what could be a tough race for Republicans, but said the GOP’s campaign message should be simple.

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Apr 30 • 5:16 PM EDT • Politics • spectrumnews1.com
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64%
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36%
The Real Reason Republicans Are Dropping out of Midterm Races Before They Even Begin

November can’t come soon enough.

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Apr 30 • 3:31 PM EDT • Politics • esquire.com
Florida legislature approves new congressional map intended to boost Republicans in midterms

The vote came just two days after Gov. Ron DeSantis unveiled his proposal and the same day that the U.S. Supreme Court rolled back a key provision of the Voting Rights Act.

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Apr 29 • 9:01 PM EDT • Politics • pbs.org
🙂 Positive (35%)
Supreme Court ruling will reshape American politics. The only question is when

The U.S. Supreme Court's conservative majority on Wednesday handed Republicans their biggest victory yet in the perpetual battle to control the House of Representatives and statehouses across the country — but it may have come too late to have much of an effect on this year's midterm elections.

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Apr 29 • 4:23 PM EDT • Politics • wral.com
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😐 Neutral (9%)
wow
42%
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Florida legislature approves new congressional map intended to boost Republicans in midterms

The Florida Legislature approved a new congressional map intended to maximize Republicans’ advantage in the state as part of the national redistricting battle that President Donald Trump launched ahead of this year’s midterms.

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Apr 29 • 3:22 PM EDT • Politics • cnn.com
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100%
KFF Health Tracking Poll: Health Care Costs and the Midterms

This KFF poll finds that health care costs continue to top the public’s list of affordability worries, even as concerns about gas prices have risen in recent weeks, with two-thirds of the public expressing worry over affording health care costs.

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Apr 29 • 8:30 AM EDT • Health • kff.org
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“Political Disaster for Donald Trump”: Jeremy Scahill on Stalled U.S.-Iran Talks

Negotiations between the United States and Iran to end the war are at an impasse as the conflict enters its third month. The Wall Street Journal reported late Tuesday that Trump has told aides to prepare for an extended blockade of Iranian ports to ramp up the pressure on Tehran. Iran is saying it will enter into direct talks with the U.S. “when President Trump lifts what Iran considers to be the illegal military naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz,” says Drop Site News co-founder Jeremy Scahill. “Iran has maintained that it’s not shut down the strait, but that it’s just shut it down for any vessels that are linked to the U.S. war in any way.” Scahill says a disorganized Trump administration is pushing a “total propaganda narrative” that it has the upper hand in negotiations, while Iran believes it has the “three M’s” on its side: munitions, markets and the midterms.

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Apr 29 • 8:00 AM EDT • Politics • democracynow.org
Prosecutions of Trump’s foes add to GOP’s headaches in midterms

Charges against former FBI director James B. Comey and others take focus away from the economy and other issues voters care about, many Republicans say.

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Apr 29 • 5:00 AM EDT • Politics • washingtonpost.com
DeSantis' Florida redistricting map advances — but draws GOP no votes, legal scrutiny

Florida is seen as the last possible place before the November midterms for Republicans to gain seats in mid-decade redistricting, a process kickstarted last year by President Donald Trump and the White House.

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Apr 28 • 7:03 PM EDT • Politics • politico.com
For Democratic veterans making midterm pitches, the Iran war is personal: From the Politics Desk

Plus, King Charles addresses Congress. And why another assassination attempt isn't likely to change Trump's approach to public events.

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Apr 28 • 5:00 PM EDT • Politics • nbcnews.com
High-Signal Publisher
Republicans Brace for Brutal Midterms as Trump’s Popularity Slips

The elections are still six months off, and some within the G.O.P. say there is still time to right the ship.

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Apr 28 • 5:04 AM EDT • Politics • nytimes.com
GOP candidates revive anti-Islam attacks as midterms approach

Republican lawmakers and candidates across the country have escalated their anti-Islam rhetoric in recent months, warning their constituents that Islamic law could gain a foothold in the United States.

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Apr 28 • 5:00 AM EDT • Politics • stateline.org
This Is the Wrong Time for the Predictable Democrat Response to the Correspondents’ Dinner Shooting

A strong midterms push is the only way to start fixing the problems at the heart of this terrible act of gun violence.

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Apr 27 • 12:40 PM EDT • Politics • esquire.com
A Supreme Court case over pesticides is bringing out the ‘MAHA moms’ — and threats of consequences for the midterms

When a group of mothers and wellness influencers, including surgeon general nominee Casey Means, was asked to go to the White House this month, some of them assumed a few staffers would hear their grievances about the health risks of weedkillers.

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Apr 27 • 6:00 AM EDT • Politics • cnn.com
Democrat Josh Shapiro tests political muscle in swing-state Pennsylvania's midterms
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Apr 25 • 4:36 PM EDT • Politics • cbsnews.com
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😐 Neutral (19%)
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50%
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Trump’s rejection of wind projects scrambles GOP politics before midterms

President Donald Trump's attempts to cancel offshore wind projects have drawn opposition not only from environmentalists but also from Republicans.

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Apr 25 • 7:51 AM EDT • Politics • apnews.com
High-Signal Publisher
Democrat Josh Shapiro tests political muscle in swing-state Pennsylvania's midterms

Shapiro is urging Democrats in the battleground state to turn out in force as a rebuke to President Donald Trump and give Democrats control of the state legislature.

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Apr 25 • 7:01 AM EDT • Politics • wesa.fm
Republicans’ Likely Strategy as Midterms Near: Negative Campaigning

Republicans are likely to fall back on a tried-and-tested strategy for the midterms: Going negative.

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Apr 24 • 5:39 PM EDT • Politics • nytimes.com
Democrat Josh Shapiro tests political muscle in swing-state Pennsylvania’s midterms

He’s trying to persuade voters to give him Democratic control of the state legislature.

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Apr 24 • 12:45 PM EDT • Politics • courant.com
Democrat Josh Shapiro tests political muscle in swing-state Pennsylvania's midterms

Josh Shapiro may be heavily favored to win reelection as Pennsylvania governor, but that doesn't mean there isn't a lot on the line for him this year.

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Apr 24 • 12:00 AM EDT • Politics • newsday.com
Will Virginia be the final mid-decade redistricting battle?

Virginia’s referendum may mark the end of mid-decade redistricting, though uncertainty still surrounds its impact on the 2026 midterms.

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Apr 23 • 3:58 PM EDT • Politics • brookings.edu
Democrats dominate midterm fundraising, but Republicans have a huge cash advantage

The latest campaign finance reports show Democratic enthusiasm in key House and Senate races, but national Republican groups have far more in the bank to potentially spend down the road.

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Apr 23 • 5:00 AM EDT • Politics • npr.org
High-Signal Publisher
Kennedy’s new silence on vaccines is political — and it won’t last

Kennedy’s public messaging on vaccines has shifted ahead of the midterms. It won’t last.

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Apr 23 • 4:30 AM EDT • Politics • statnews.com
😐 Neutral (25%)
Judge bars certification of Virginia redistricting results; state AG promises appeal

A congressional map approved by Virginia voters that aims to help Democrats net four US House seats in November’s midterms faces another legal hurdle just one day after its passage. Tazewell County Circuit Court Judge Jack Hurley on Wednesday ordered that the results of Tuesday’s vote not be certified on several grounds, including that state lawmakers did not follow their own rules in passing the redistricting referendum. State Attorney General Jay Jones said his office intends to immediately appeal Hurley’s Wednesday ruling. The fate of Virginia’s referendum was already before the state Supreme Court, which stayed a previous ruling by Hurley in the run-up to the referendum and allowed Tuesday’s vote to proceed before deciding the merits of that case.

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Apr 22 • 6:45 PM EDT • Politics • cnn.com
DeSantis says he's taking up Jeffries' invitation to 'F-around and find out' on Florida redistricting effort

Gov. Ron DeSantis fires back at Hakeem Jeffries over Florida redistricting, inviting the Democratic leader to campaign in the state ahead of 2026 midterms.

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Apr 22 • 6:32 PM EDT • Politics • foxnews.com
Election officials sound alarm over political interference in midterms
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Apr 22 • 6:25 PM EDT • Politics • pbs.org
Is tit-for-tat political gerrymandering the future of US politics?

Virginia voters delivered a major win to Democrats on Tuesday.A narrow majority voted to allow lawmakers to bypass the state's bipartisan redistricting commission. That means the Democratic-led legislature will create a map that’s more favorable to them in the midterms.It's the latest chapter in a redistricting saga that President Trump started last year, but is the tit-for-tat redistricting battle the future of US electoral politics?We speak with Democratic Virginia governor Abigail Spanberger to hear her perspective.For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.Email us at considerthis@npr.org.This episode was produced by Tyler Bartlam and Matt Ozug. It was edited by Tinbete Ermyas. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.

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Apr 22 • 5:22 PM EDT • Politics • npr.org
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😐 Neutral (27%)
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67%
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Why Virginia’s New Map Matters for Democrats in the Midterms, and What’s Next

Attention now turns to Florida, and the Supreme Court.

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Apr 22 • 5:00 PM EDT • Politics • nytimes.com
Trump political director on midterm outlook: ‘It’s way too soon to declare defeat’

President Trump’s political director James Blair expressed his confidence on Wednesday for GOP midterm election victories, despite falling economic approval ratings and a recent loss on a redistric…

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Apr 22 • 1:32 PM EDT • Politics • thehill.com
Trump political operative: ‘It’s way too soon to declare defeat’ in the midterms
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Apr 22 • 1:22 PM EDT • Politics • cnn.com
Trump advisers privately strategize around a new midterm push: Democrats would be worse

President Donald Trump’s political team knows voters aren’t thrilled with the current state of affairs. But they’re betting they can convince them things will get markedly worse if Democrats win back power in November.

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Apr 22 • 10:59 AM EDT • Politics • cnn.com
With Midterms Coming Up, G.O.P. Is Bogged Down in Congress

Republican majorities are at odds on big issues as the Senate resorts to extraordinary measures to pass homeland security funding over a Democratic blockade.

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Apr 22 • 10:11 AM EDT • Politics • nytimes.com
Virginians approve Democratic map targeting 4 Republican congressional seats

Virginia voters on Tuesday approved a new Democratic-drawn congressional map that could flip four Republican U.S. House seats in November's midterm elections, U.S. media projected.

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Apr 21 • 10:25 PM EDT • Politics • detroitnews.com
Virginia approves redistricting, giving Democrats edge in midterms

The new maps in Virginia could make it easier for Democrats to take control of the US House of Representatives in November.

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Apr 21 • 9:08 PM EDT • Politics • bbc.com
Virginia votes yes on proposed congressional redistricting, AP projects

Virginia voted to approve a plan to temporarily redraw the Commonwealth's 11 congressional districts ahead of November's midterm elections, the Associated Press projects.

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Apr 21 • 8:55 PM EDT • Politics • wtvr.com
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😐 Neutral (10%)
wow
62%
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Virginia voters will approve a map giving Democrats a chance at four more House seats, CNN projects

Virginia voters will approve a map that gives Democrats the chance to net as many as four US House seats, CNN’s Decision Desk projects, in a major boost to the party’s effort to win House control in the midterms.

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Apr 21 • 8:51 PM EDT • Politics • cnn.com
SBA administrator speaks to ABC13 on economic uncertainty ahead of midterm elections: 'It's a blip'

With the war in Iran and growing costs creating uncertainty, the economy is atop voters minds heading into the 2026 midterms. While data reveals Texas is faring better economically than much of the country, growth might be slowing.

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Apr 21 • 5:32 PM EDT • Business • abc13.com
Democrats win Virginia redistricting fight, threating Republican House majority

Virginia voters passed a redistricting referendum that could boost Democrats with four additional House seats ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

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Apr 21 • 4:12 PM EDT • Politics • foxnews.com
Special edition: POLITICO Health Care Summit highlights

Republicans and Democrats agree: Soaring health care costs will be a pivotal issue in the midterms. But they have very different ideas on what to do about it.

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Apr 21 • 3:41 PM EDT • Health • politico.com