State and Local Elections

New York State Senator Jabari Brisport (third from left), with New York City Council member Chi Osse (second from right), speaks at a protest against rent increases and aggressive evictions in Brooklyn in 2022.

The Battle for Black Brooklyn The Battle for Black Brooklyn

This Primary Day, New York City’s leftist insurgents and the borough’s Black political establishment are headed into their biggest face-off yet.

Jun 19, 2026 / Mark Winston Griffith

Maryland congressional candidate Alexis Goldstein.

“Step One, Find the Billionaire Money. Step Two, Take the Billionaire Money”: A Conversation With Alexis Goldstein “Step One, Find the Billionaire Money. Step Two, Take the Billionaire Money”: A Conversation With Alexis Goldstein

The Maryland congressional candidate is running to ban data centers, abolish ICE, and get back what the rich have stolen.

Jun 17, 2026 / Q&A / Sarah Leonard

New Hampshire Representatives Alice Wade and Sam Farrington are on different sides of the Free State debate.

The Next Generation’s Fight Over New Hampshire’s Libertarian Project The Next Generation’s Fight Over New Hampshire’s Libertarian Project

Twenty-five years after libertarians began migrating to New Hampshire to consolidate power, young politicians are deciding whether to embrace their vision—or resist it.

Jun 16, 2026 / StudentNation / Genevieve Morrison

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents run out of Delaney Hall Immigration Detention Center on June 7, 2026.

The Trump Administration Is Addicted to Violence The Trump Administration Is Addicted to Violence

In this week’s Elie v. US, our justice correspondent warns of a potential ICE invasion of New York. Plus: The administration escalates its assault on trans rights.

Jun 12, 2026 / Elie Mystal

Democratic US Senate candidate Graham Platner and his wife, Amy Gertner, wave to supporters as they arrive at Platner’s primary election event in Blue Hill, Maine, on June 9, 2026.

Is Graham Platner Fit to Be a US Senator? Is Graham Platner Fit to Be a US Senator?

The Democrats of Maine answered that question.

Jun 10, 2026 / Corbin Trent

Tom Steyer, Democratic gubernatorial candidate for California, speaks to members of the media prior to a campaign event in Santa Rosa, California, US, on Wednesday, May 27, 2026.

Tom Steyer Is Prepared to Take On the AI Billionaires Tom Steyer Is Prepared to Take On the AI Billionaires

The California gubernatorial candidate understands exactly what’s at stake, as he explains in an exclusive interview.

May 29, 2026 / John Nichols

Texas Attorney General and US Senate candidate Ken Paxton waves to supporters as he takes the stage during a primary runoff election night watch party in Plano, Texas, on May 26, 2026.

Trump’s Texas Senate Primary Win Is Going to Backfire Spectacularly Trump’s Texas Senate Primary Win Is Going to Backfire Spectacularly

While MAGA candidate Ken Paxton’s win isn’t an assured victory for Democrats, he’ll at least embroil the GOP in a nightmare of its own making.

May 28, 2026 / Ana Marie Cox

Dr. Harry Edwards is inducted into the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame in San Francisco on May 15, 2025.

Dr. Harry Edwards on the NAACP’s Call to Boycott Gerrymandering States Dr. Harry Edwards on the NAACP’s Call to Boycott Gerrymandering States

The 83-year-old sociologist and activist reflects on what is missing in the current effort to organize athletes politically.

May 27, 2026 / Dave Zirin

Civil rights, union, and religious leaders from New York City rally approximately 1,200 demonstrators to board a dedicated Pennsylvania Railroad train from New York Penn Station to Washington Union Station in Washington, DC, and march in support of the civil rights bill that would become the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

We Forgot What It Took to Gain Freedom We Forgot What It Took to Gain Freedom

The assault on voting rights should remind us.

May 22, 2026 / Analilia Mejia

US Representative Katie Porter (D-CA), businessman Tom Steyer, businessman Steve Hilton, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, former US Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan look on during a CNN California Governor Primary Debate at East Los Angeles College on May 5, 2026, in Monterey Park, California. CNN hosted a debate with seven of the top contenders in the race for California Governor. The debate was moderated by CNN anchors Kaitlan Collins and Elex Michaelson. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Memo to California’s Next Governor: Rural Places Matter Memo to California’s Next Governor: Rural Places Matter

Rural communities are crucial to the state—and the country. Why do they get so little attention?

May 21, 2026 / Erica Etelson

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