Campaigns and Elections

Democratic South Carolina State Representatives Hamilton Grant and Annie McDaniel look over a proposed congressional map during a meeting in the Blatt Building at the South Carolina State Capitol in Columbia on Friday, May 8, 2026. Some observers worry that the recent wave of gerrymandering across the country will help deepen polarization among voters and entrench lawmakers in a way that makes them less accountable to constituents.

The Right Wants to Erase Minority Representation. We’ll Register Millions to Stop Them. The Right Wants to Erase Minority Representation. We’ll Register Millions to Stop Them.


Their insult will arouse us—and put Republican incumbents’ own seats at risk.

May 13, 2026 / Yusef D. Jackson

Richard “Bigo” Barnett, who was convicted of for his actions at the January 6 riot, shows off his pardon from President Donald Trump, at a news conference on February 21, 2025, with members of the Proud Boys, Oath Keepers, and other January 6 offenders who received pardons or commuted sentences.

The Devastating Double Standard for January 6 Rioters The Devastating Double Standard for January 6 Rioters

The Trump administration wields the full strength of its punitive power against immigrants, political opponents, and marginalized groups—and pardons January 6 offenders.

May 13, 2026 / Kali Holloway

Gutting the Voting Rights Act

Gutting the Voting Rights Act Gutting the Voting Rights Act

SCOTUS’ racist ruling.

May 12, 2026 / OppArt / Brian Stauffer

Analilia Mejia, US Democratic House candidate for New Jersey, arrives to speak during an election night event at Montclair Art Museum during a New Jersey special election in Montclair, New Jersey, on Thursday, April 16, 2026.

Democratic Voters Are Clear: It’s Time to Fight Democratic Voters Are Clear: It’s Time to Fight

The party’s base has sent the same message in primary after primary: playing it safe won't cut it in 2026.

May 12, 2026 / Katrina vanden Heuvel and John Nichols

US Senate candidate from Maine Graham Platner during a campaign event with the Maine AFL-CIO in Portland on May 1, 2026.

Who’s Funding the Super PAC Attacking Graham Platner? Who’s Funding the Super PAC Attacking Graham Platner?

A flood of billionaire money is pouring into Maine’s Senate race to stop a populist challenger.

May 12, 2026 / Donald Shaw

A mobile billboard in Washington, DC, sponsored by The Frontline, a coalition including the Working Families Party, the Movement for Black Lives, Rising Majority, and United We Dream

How the Working Families Party Can Promote Black Political Independence How the Working Families Party Can Promote Black Political Independence

In many state and local races, the WFP ballot line has helped Black candidates win office without falling in line with the Democratic political establishment.

May 12, 2026 / Anthony Conwright

Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger at an event in Woodbridge, promoting the redistricting measure that was on the ballot in April.

On Redistricting, Will Virginia Democrats Surrender, or Get Creative? On Redistricting, Will Virginia Democrats Surrender, or Get Creative?

Democrats must stop conceding that the only answer for various racist voting laws is that Democrats just have to vote more and harder and better.

May 11, 2026 / Joan Walsh

The January Sixer Behind the Attack on Voting Rights

The January Sixer Behind the Attack on Voting Rights The January Sixer Behind the Attack on Voting Rights

In this week’s Elie v. US, our justice correspondent digs into blockbuster revelations about the lead plaintiff in the VRA case. Plus, the enduring Cult of Trump.

May 8, 2026 / Elie Mystal

President Donald Trump greets Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán outside the West Wing of the White House in Washington, DC, on November 7, 2025.

Hungary Just Showed How to Kick Out a Strongman Hungary Just Showed How to Kick Out a Strongman

Trump is using authoritarian tactics that were perfected by Viktor Orbán. But the Hungarian authoritarian leader’s defeat may also offer a road map for beating Trumpism.

May 8, 2026 / Column / Sasha Abramsky

Protesters yell in a Senate committee meeting during a special session of the state legislature to redraw US congressional voting maps Wednesday, May 6, 2026, in Nashville, Tenn

The GOP’s “Jim Crow Gerrymander” Rips Up Memphis and America’s Civil Rights Legacy The GOP’s “Jim Crow Gerrymander” Rips Up Memphis and America’s Civil Rights Legacy

As Republicans destroy historic Black-majority House districts in the South, they are being compared with segregationists George Wallace and Bull Connor.

May 7, 2026 / John Nichols

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