The Cook Political Report

New Editors Roundtable pod: A Tough Week for Incumbents and Senate Surprises Listen now | Amy, Jessica, Erin and Matthew join the Roundtable this week.

Listen on Substack:

thecookpoliticalreport.substack.com/p/new-editor...

NEW podcast! A Tough Week for Incumbents and Senate Surprises - with Amy Walter, Matthew Klein, @jessicataylor.bsky.social & @erincovey.bsky.social.

Listen on Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a...

Could an Independent Really Upend a Montana Senate Race? Montana Republican Sen. Steve Daines dropped his reelection bid at the last possible moment on Wednesday night, leaving only enough time for his preferred successor, former U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme, to...

Montana GOP Sen. Steve Daines dropped his reelection bid at the last possible moment on Wednesday, leaving only enough time for his preferred successor, former U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme, to file for the now open seat.

Read more from @jessicataylor.bsky.social:

Voters Are Sick of the Status Quo. House Incumbents are Starting to Face Their Wrath. The opening night of the 2026 primary season saw one House incumbent lose, four forced into a runoff and one barely hold on. There’s no clean through-line connecting these members, whose vulnerabiliti...

The opening night of the 2026 primary season saw one House incumbent lose, four forced into a runoff and one barely hold on.

Read @erincovey.bsky.social on what we learned in Texas and North Carolina:

Will Iran Impact the Midterms? For the GOP, There’s Not Much Upside There are more questions than answers about what the coordinated U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran will mean for the future of the region and the Iranian regime. However, from the standpoint of the 202...

The unfolding war in the Middle East has massive implications for the geopolitical order in the near and not-so-near future. But, here at home, these events are not going to improve Trump’s political standing.

Texas and North Carolina Primary Recap: WWDJT Do? The results of the first primaries of the 2026 midterm election are yet another reminder that the political universe orbits around President Donald Trump.In Texas, where Republican candidates spent mo...

The results of the first primaries of the 2026 midterm election are yet another reminder that the political universe orbits around President Trump.

Read CPR's overview of Texas and North Carolina primaries.

Messy Texas Senate Primaries Careen to an End — Or Probable Overtime for GOP The first Senate primary of the 2026 midterms features hotly contested Texas races on both sides, with a veteran GOP incumbent in peril and Democrats fighting over the best approach to win statewide f...

Read @jessicataylor.bsky.social's analysis on the primary dynamics:

As expected, the GOP primary in Texas is headed to a runoff between GOP Sen. John Cornyn and state Attorney General Ken Paxton. With about two third of the vote counted, Cornyn has a narrow lead with 43%, while Paxton has 41%.

NC-01: Laurie Buckhout, the 2024 nominee, won the GOP primary and will face Rep. Don Davis (D) in November. Race rating: Lean R

LIVE SOON: CPR Election Night Live: TX and NC Primaries Starting Mar 3 at 8:00 PM EST

Starting in 1 hour! Following today's primaries? Join Carrie Dann, @jessicataylor.bsky.social and @erincovey.bsky.social for their analysis as results come in.

Watch CPR Live on Substack @ 8pm ET: open.substack.com/live-stream/...

Ahead of Texas Primaries, Ads Focused on Trump Swamp the Airwaves President Donald Trump is a ubiquitous presence on the television airwaves almost anywhere in the country, but perhaps no more than in Texas this cycle.

And from Carrie Dann -> a look at broadcast ads in the Senate and House primaries.

Texas Primary Preview: Republicans Go RINO Hunting March 3 may be a brutal night for several members of the Texas delegation. Along with Democratic Reps. Al Green and Julie Johnson, GOP Reps. Tony Gonzales and Dan Crenshaw are in serious danger of bei...

From @erincovey.bsky.social and Matthew Klein -> a Republican House primary overview. GOP Reps. Tony Gonzales and Dan Crenshaw face serious primary challenges on March 3 that could go to a runoff.

Texas Primary Preview: Two House Democrats in Danger of Losing Primaries Several House Democrats in the Lone Star State could have their careers cut short this cycle, largely due to the ripple effects of gerrymandering.

From @erincovey.bsky.social -> Several House Democrats in the Lone Star State could have their careers cut short this cycle, largely due to the ripple effects of gerrymandering.

Messy Texas Senate Primaries Careen to an End — Or Probable Overtime for GOP The first Senate primary of the 2026 midterms features hotly contested Texas races on both sides, with a veteran GOP incumbent in peril and Democrats fighting over the best approach to win statewide f...

Texas voters head to the polls today for primaries. Get up to speed with these stories.

From @jessicataylor.bsky.social -> the Senate primaries feature hotly contested races, with a GOP incumbent in peril and Dems fighting over the best approach to win statewide.

Battleground Issue Tracker - powered by AdImpact Understand the issues driving the midterm elections in 2026 with this new tool brought to you by The Cook Political Report and AdImpact. Covering Senate and House races rated as Toss-Up or Lean by The...

Learn more here:

Battleground Issue Tracker: All About Trump for the GOP, Affordability for Dems Each week, The Cook Political Report Battleground Issue Tracker — powered by AdImpact — will rank the top issues discussed in campaign advertisements in each Senate and House contest that CPR rates in...

👏 Introducing The Cook Political Report Battleground Issue Tracker powered by AdImpact.

Each week, our Battleground Issue Tracker will rank the top issues featured in broadcast campaign advertising in every competitive Senate and House contest.

Ahead of Texas Primaries, Ads Focused on Trump Swamp the Airwaves President Donald Trump is a ubiquitous presence on the television airwaves almost anywhere in the country, but perhaps no more than in Texas this cycle.

President Donald Trump is a ubiquitous presence on the television airwaves almost anywhere in the country, but perhaps no more than in Texas this cycle.

Read Carrie Dann's analysis:

Mark your calendars! Primary season starts tomorrow, Tuesday March 3, and we'll go live on Substack at 8pm ET. Join Carrie Dann, @jessicataylor.bsky.social and @erincovey.bsky.social as they watch results come in and answer your questions.

Watch here: open.substack.com/live-stream/...

Texas and North Carolina Senate Primaries Are Tuesday. Listen now | Here's What To Watch For.

Listen on Substack:

thecookpoliticalreport.substack.com/p/new-editor...

NEW podcast! Texas and North Carolina Senate Primaries Are Tuesday. Here's What To Watch For - with Amy Walter and @jessicataylor.bsky.social.

Listen on Apple:
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...

What We Learned About 2026 Messaging from State of the Union Night There are plenty of reasons to dismiss the salience of the State of the Union address. While it is watched by millions of people, most are already fans of the current administration. You tune in if yo...

President Trump’s State of the Union address — and Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s response — was a useful exercise for 2026 candidates who are looking for guideposts for their own messaging this fall.

Messy Texas Senate Primaries Careen to an End — Or Probable Overtime for GOP The first Senate primary of the 2026 midterms features hotly contested Texas races on both sides, with a veteran GOP incumbent in peril and Democrats fighting over the best approach to win statewide f...

The first Senate primary of the 2026 midterms features hotly contested Texas races on both sides.

Read this from @jessicataylor.bsky.social:

North Carolina Primary Preview: Valerie Foushee Faces Serious Challenge North Carolina, one of the most gerrymandered states in the country, has few competitive House races despite the state’s purple hue. But two districts on opposite sides of the state look increasingly ...

Democratic Rep. Valerie Foushee (NC-04) faces a highly competitive rematch against her 2022 foe, Durham County Commissioner Nida Allam.

Read this North Carolina primary preview from @erincovey.bsky.social:

Meet the 16 Former Congressmembers Who Can’t Get Enough of Washington Just when you think you’re out, Washington pulls you back in.

Chances of success vary widely for the 16 former representatives hoping to make comebacks this year.

Read Matthew Klein on who is pursuing bids for their old jobs.

Trump’s Mired Approval Rating President Donald Trump will deliver the first State of the Union of his second term to a public that is decidedly more sour on the job he’s doing than they were during his first address to Congress la...

President Donald Trump will deliver the first State of the Union of his second term to a public that is decidedly more sour on the job he’s doing than they were during his first address to Congress last March. Read this from Amy Walter:

Texas Primaries Are Next Week: Here’s What To Watch for (House Version) Listen now |

Listen on Substack:

thecookpoliticalreport.substack.com/p/texas-prim...

NEW podcast! Texas Primaries Are Next Week: Here’s What To Watch for (House Version) - with Amy Walter, Matthew Klein & @erincovey.bsky.social.

Listen on Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...

Texas Primary Preview: Republicans Go RINO Hunting March 3 may be a brutal night for several members of the Texas delegation. Along with Democratic Reps. Al Green and Julie Johnson, GOP Reps. Tony Gonzales and Dan Crenshaw are in serious danger of bei...

Texas GOP Reps. Tony Gonzales and Dan Crenshaw face serious primary challenges on March 3 that could go to a runoff.

Here's @erincovey.bsky.social & Matthew Klein with a Republican primary preview:

Affordability Is Only Part of the Problem for Voters — And for Political Leaders Republican allies of President Donald Trump have made clear — sometimes in not-so-subtle ways — that the party risks a catastrophe at the polls in November without a more coherent message about afford...

The battle over affordability is the defining issue for 2026. But in 2028, voters of all political stripes are going to demand more than just lower costs.

Read Amy Walter's latest column:

Flush With Cash, Businessmen Try to Upend GOP Primaries for Governor in Georgia and Michigan Wealthy businessmen are trying to shake up the races for governor in Georgia and Michigan.Health care executive Rick Jackson has rocketed to the top of Peach State GOP primary polls after spending $10...

Wealthy businessmen are trying to shake up the races for governor in Georgia and Michigan.

Here's more from @jessicataylor.bsky.social: