Rep. Eric Swalwell has joined the large field of Democrats running for governor of California.

Whoa: A federal court just barred Texas from using its new congressional map, drawn by the GOP to target Dems. "Substantial evidence shows that Texas racially gerrymandered the 2025 Map." Court says the old map must be used in 2026. Appeals are certain. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

The Alex Isenstadt article about Republicans being worried about special elections came earlier than usual this time! #PA18: 6 days before #AZ08: 28 days before #OH12: 7 days before #FL01: 5 days before #TN07: 18 days before www.axios.com/2025/11/14/t...

Read about this race before someone tells you that "nobody" is paying attention to it!

Louisiana politics: Very often bad, very rarely boring.

@votebeat.org is very lucky to have the one and only @baseballot.bsky.social

Democratic Rep. Al Green, 78, will face a much younger incumbent in next year's primary for Texas' new 18th District. He just won't learn who until next year.

Most retrospectives of Pelosi’s career focus on her time as leader of the House. At The Downballot, we reach back much further to explain how she *got* to the House in the first place. if you want to understand how Pelosi got her start in politics, read @jeffsinger.bsky.social’s deep dive.

One of my favorite discoveries while writing this was the New York Times' nondescript headline following Pelosi's first general election win: "DEMOCRAT ELECTED IN SAN FRANCISCO." Her retirement generated far different headlines!

For the Netroots community, for everyone who knew @arjunjaikumar.bsky.social when he was a guy posting on DailyKos and SSP as "brownsox" who loved writing about elections, today is a joyous day as he's been elected to the Cambridge School Board with the strong backing of the local teachers' union.

The next time there's an article about how voter registration numbers are an omen for the next election remember: This piece ran two days before New Jersey Democrats pulled off a blowout win.

It wasn't just the marquee races last night: Democrats racked up massive victories across the country and far down the ballot, pretty much everywhere. We recap *dozens* of elections in today's newsletter—almost a clean sweep for the Dems. Get caught up here!

Tuned into @the-downballot.com's election night stream for most of the night open.substack.com/live-stream/...

As data nerds know, MS is one of the worst states for calculating presidential election results by district ... but the indefatigable @jeffsinger.bsky.social & @donnermaps.bsky.social teamed up to get it done for Tuesday's big batch of redistricting-induced specials! docs.google.com/spreadsheets...

Our Babka prediction contest study guide is now live!

There is no question I get more than when is the babka contest. The answer is ... now!

Proud of my favorite "Central Jersey Truther" @mattbooker.bsky.social

Georgia Republican Tim Echols explains his decision to label Democrat Alicia Johnson, who is Black, as a "DEI specialist" by saying: "This is not a dog whistle. This is a whistle. I’m not being shy about it." Echols and Fitz Johnson are up next month for seats on state Public Service Commission.

Yes, Eric Adams said Andrew Cuomo was "a snake and a liar." But he didn't say Cuomo was a BAD snake and a liar!

With John Sununu reemerging, so does this ... memorable musical video Democrats made in 2008 linking him to George W. Bush.

The Utah GOP has hit on a new way to repeal anti-gerrymandering rules that they hate: a so-called "indirect" initiative that would tee up a vote by the legislature. But as @yeargain.bsky.social points out, the laws they're relying on smell pretty unconstitutional. More in today's Morning Digest →

Very excited to see this!

Kevin McCarthy told Republicans this summer he wanted to raise $100 million to stop California redistricting. So far he's absolutely *nowhere* near that goal. punchbowl.news/archive/1082...

@malcolmkenyatta.bsky.social The Downballot wrote about the PA Supreme Court twice last month!

A must read resource for why some states can redraw their maps with ease, and why it's not happening elsewhere.

My annual PSA: What do you wish people observing Yom Kippur? It's not a joyous day—it's a day of atonement and fasting. So "Have a happy holiday" is out. *But* you can wish someone a happy new year (or "shana tova"), since this time of year is closely tied to Rosh Hashanah (the new year).

Update: GOP Rep. David Schweikert, who just a month ago dismissed fears about the Medicaid cuts he voted for as "whining and bedwetting," is running for governor of Arizona.

A bottom-feeding trash site called @bluedelaware.bsky.social was stealing our work all year. We noticed it today and called them on it. They hastily deleted lots of posts, but @archive.org saved some. Sample stolen post: web.archive.org/web/20250627... Ours: www.the-downballot.com/p/morning-di...

Tired: Donors wasting massive amounts on Kevin McCarthy's "Revenge Tour." Wired: Donors not bothering to contribute to Kevin McCarthy's quest to stop California redistricting. www.politico.com/newsletters/...

pro tip for any candidate considering running: if this happens, just make the plunge! announce! don't dither! don't wait! just fucking announce! meet the moment! look at Andy Kim's quick decision to announce his challenge of Bob Menendez as an example!

I asked ChatGPT a political news question, and it cited my own writing back to me.

My Trump Isn't Threatening To Cut Off Federal Funding If We Don't Pass a New Gerrymander shirt has people asking a lot of questions already answered by my shirt.

"That’s politics 101. You never look good wearing something on your head." --- Barack Obama, 2013.

Georgia Democrats have their first notable candidate for secretary of state, which has become one of the most important offices in this swing state. Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, who Trump told to "find 11,780 votes" to overturn Biden's victory, is leaving to run for governor.

Hot off the presses: Former Democratic Rep. Wiley Nickel has launched his campaign to become district attorney in Wake County, NC, a powerful post that has jurisdiction over political corruption cases involving lawmakers and state officials. www.the-downballot.com/i/173709722/...

This is not right. The Downballot makes tons of data available for free. But when big-name pundits rip off our work without proper attribution or a link—to build up their followings and make money off us? That's bullshit. This case is especially egregious, but this happens *all* the time.

National Republicans are trying to unseat a trio of Democratic justices to set off "a seismic momentum shift in Pennsylvania that would create an opening for more conservative policy victories in the state." The incumbents' allies are fighting back by focusing on abortion rights.

Josh Kraft's consultants after last night's 49-point beatdown against Boston Mayor Michelle Wu.

Accept no imitators! This is the one and only special elections Big Board from The Downballot! There are still a few votes left in #VA11 but the vast majority have been tallied. Dem James Walkinshaw is winning by 50 in a Harris+34 district, so a 16-point overperformance—right at the average.

Hot off the presses: State Rep. James Talarico, who has become of the most prominent Democrats in Texas, launches his long-awaited campaign for the U.S. Senate.

serious question. does no one know anything anymore? you're saying the people you hate on bluesky are of the same type as the ones that produced the democratic wipeouts in the 1980s? you know, when the democratic party still had a conservative southern wing and strong support from white ethnics?

Oregon state Rep. Cyrus Javadi announces he's leaving the Republican Party and will seek reelection next year as a Democrat. Javadi's party switch comes after he provided the crucial vote to pass Democratic Gov. Tina Kotek's package to fund road maintenance.

Polling the candidates who are actually running should not be a high bar to clear, but this conservative firm faceplants repeatedly in their New Jersey survey. newjerseyglobe.com/governor/pol...

Gotta say seeing governors competing to one up each other to see who can make vaccines most accessible is a refreshing change.

Many excellent points from Josh here. "But when you look at the factors weighing down Democrats, it’s not crime or trans rights or wokeness. It’s the deep-seated belief among independents and Democratic voters than Democrats are weak and feckless"

With John Sununu reemerging, so does this ... memorable musical video Democrats made in 2008 linking him to George W. Bush.

Republicans love to make fun of Democrats for recruiting Senate candidates who lost their last campaigns ... yet here we are.

Been waiting since the weekend for the definitive Duke Cunningham obit from @joshtpm.bsky.social! Please tell me it's coming? 🥺

There’s been a lot of wishful thinking and outright misinformation about the Texas GOP’s new gerrymander. The bottom line: The map may disappoint the GOP, but it won't backfire on them. Our new piece explains why the map is *not* a dummymander.

I often think about how Black Alabamians resisted Jim Crow for half a century, at major personal and professional risk and with the likelihood they would not live to see the system fall. Because Jim Crow was immoral and the people upholding it deserved to be on their heels.