As far as TFN is concerned, the definitive source for news about campaigns and elections is Bolts Mag. Check ‘em out and see what they’ve got to say about the races you’re interested in. Ballotpedia is a good resource for just-the-facts.
The League of Women Voters Education Fund lets you find your local candidates here. (h/t)
TFN doesn’t focus much on elections, preferring to concentrate on policy and systemic issues like some fucking snob too fucking good to get its hands dirty on the campaign trail. That said, when we’ve got the bandwidth, we’ll try to post info here about upcoming races.
Keep in mind, these are not endorsements. We’re drawing attention to progressives and other Democrats so you can check them out. TFN has not vetted the field to say that listed candidates are better than unlisted candidates. If there’s someone you wanna see here, lemme know.
Here’s who is making endorsements of interest to progressives:
Justice Democrats endorsements are here.
Leaders We Deserve endorsements are here.
Our Revolution endorsements are here.
Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC) endorsements are here.
Working Families Party (WFP) endorsements are here.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) endorsements are here.
Here’s a bare-bones listing, some with links to more detailed writeups below by contributing writer Paula Schaap.
Alaska
U.S. Senate
Aug. 18, 2026, top-four primary. Former Rep. Mary Peltola website.
California
U.S. House
June 2, 2026, top-two primaries
11th district primary. Saikat Chakrabarti website.
Justice Democrats: “…helped write and launch the Green New Deal … running to make San Francisco affordable through a national housing plan, implement a bold clean economy agenda where everyone prospers, and stopping corruption in our democracy by ending congressional stock trading and creating publicly financed elections.”
Florida
U.S. House
Aug. 18, 2026, Democratic primaries
10th district primary. Rep. Maxwell Alejandro Frost website.
Progressive Change Campaign Committee: “…understands the way that working people and people of color are unjustly marginalized and left behind by our society.”
Georgia
U.S. Senate
May 19, 2026, Democratic primary. Sen. Jon Ossoff website.
Illinois
U.S. House
Nov. 3, 2026, general election
3rd district general election. Rep. Delia Ramirez website.
Progressive Change Campaign Committee: “…bold, transformative solutions to homelessness and poverty…”
Iowa
U.S. Senate
June 2, 2026, Democratic primary.
Maryland
U.S. House
June 23, 2026, Democratic primaries
6th district primary. Alexis Goldstein website.
8th district primary. Rep. Jamie Raskin website.
Progressive Change Campaign Committee: “…an expert on the Constitution, voting rights, and gerrymandering.”
Massachusetts
U.S. Senate
Sept. 1, 2026, Democratic primary. Sen. Ed Markey website.
Progressive Change Campaign Committee: “Markey is a lifelong progressive fighter who has been endorsed by Elizabeth Warren and AOC.”
Michigan
U.S. Senate
Aug. 4, 2026, Democratic primary. Abdul El-Sayed website.
Missouri
U.S. House
Aug. 4, 2026, Democratic primaries
1st district primary. Former Rep. Cori Bush website.
Justice Democrats: “…a fighter for economic, racial, environmental and healthcare justice.”
Our Revolution: “…championed Medicare for All, cancellation of student debt, expanding reproductive rights, and reallocating resources from policing to people. Her agenda is not incremental—it’s transformative.”
Maine
U.S. Senate
June 9, 2026, Democratic primary. Graham Platner website.
Our Revolution: “…stepping up to defend workers’ rights, protect Maine’s natural resources, and fight for affordable health care, housing, and education for all.”
New Hampshire
U.S. Senate
Sept. 8, 2026, Democratic primary. Rep. Chris Pappas website.
New Jersey
U.S. House
Nov. 3, 2026, general election
11th district general election. Analilja Mejia website.
Our Revolution: “A former union organizer, she helped win a $15 minimum wage and paid sick days, and later as National Political Director for Bernie Sanders’ 2020 campaign, she helped build a nationwide movement to un-rig the economy and take on corporate power.”
New York
U.S. House
June 23, 2026, Democratic primaries
7th district primary. Claire Valdez website.
10th district primary. Brad Lander website.
Our Revolution: “…a proven progressive leader with a track record of delivering for working people and standing up to corporate power.”
North Carolina
U.S. Senate
Nov. 3, 2026, general election. Former Gov. Roy Cooper website.
Ohio
U.S. Senate
May 5, 2026, special-election Democratic primary. Former Sen. Sherrod Brown website.
Pennsylvania
U.S. House
May 19, 2026, Democratic primaries
12th district primary. Rep. Summer Lee website.
Our Revolution: “one of the boldest progressive voices in the U.S. House — fighting to end big money in politics, expand healthcare, protect workers, lead on climate justice, and defend voting rights.”
Progressive Change Campaign Committee: “…championing initiatives that support sustainable jobs, environmental responsibility, police accountability, and gender and racial equity. She is a tireless advocate for workers’ rights, union protections, and the fight for a liveable wage.”
Tennessee
U.S. House
Aug. 6, 2026, Democratic primaries
9th district primary. State Rep. Justin Pearson website.
Justice Democrats: “…a justice warrior and democracy champion who organizes, mobilizes and activates People Power.”
Texas
U.S. Senate
Nov. 3, 2026, general election. State Rep. James Talarico website.
Our Revolution: “…a strong defender of public education … a clear and unwavering voice for economic justice, healthcare access, and a more accountable government. He has repeatedly challenged corporate influence and called out policies that prioritize the wealthy and well-connected over everyday people.”
U.S. House
Nov. 3, 2026, general election
37th district general election. Rep. Greg Casar website.
Progressive Change Campaign Committee: “…a demonstrated track record of fighting for affordable housing, criminal justice reform, and to raise the minimum wage.”
Vermont
U.S. House
Aug. 11, 2026, at-large Democratic primary. Rep. Becca Balint website.
Progressive Change Campaign Committee: “She delivered on raising the minimum wage, paid family and medical leave, Vermont’s first gun violence prevention legislation, increased affordable housing, and the nation’s strongest protections for reproductive rights”
Washington
U.S. House
Aug. 4, 2026, top-two primaries
7th district primary. Rep. Pramila Jayapal website.
Progressive Change Campaign Committee: “…leading the charge for a $15 minimum wage, founding an immigrant rights’ organization, and passing legislation to help rape survivors.”
Wisconsin
U.S. House
Aug. 11, 2026, Democratic primaries
1st district primary. Randy Bryce website.
Our Revolution: “…will fight to raise wages, protect unions, expand health care, and make housing and education affordable for all.”
Let me know what I’ve missed or screwed up!
A few staunch Newsfuckers have volunteered to keep this page up to date with analysis and commentary. So, thank you, and take it away…
Contributing Writer: Paula Schaap is a lawyer and business and economics journalist who lives in the greatest city in the world, New York (no, I’m not willing to engage in debate on that one.) More caveats: I’m a diehard Democrat, so don’t look to me for fair and balanced when it comes to election reporting. I will, however, try to be somewhat accurate in reporting facts; my opinions are another thing altogether.
SPRING IS HERE AND SO IS PRIMARY SEASON!
Heya, Newsfuckers:
Before you get all wrapped up in the November midterm general elections, we have primaries to contend with. And by primaries, we mean the only game in town for anyone who cares about the U.S. remaining a democracy: the Democratic party primaries.
And because it’s hard to hold anyone’s attention for long in our digital age, TfN isn’t going to feature every Democratic primary. Rather, we’re going to try to highlight races where a progressive candidate is running, and try to suss out their chances in the current environment, or TCE™.
But if there’s a race you think we should pay attention to, or if you have some (verifiable) inside information we can check out, feel free to say so in the comments.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Shawn Harris, Georgia, CD-14 – Special Election runoff April 7 (early voting April 6)
We’re about to start off by featuring something different than what we just said we would because we’re only a few days away from a runoff for a special election that was held in March after Marjorie Taylor Greene picked up her marbles and went home, ostensibly over wannabe ballroom-builder and sometime-president Donald Trump’s refusal to release the Epstein Files. Or maybe because she was more prescient, earlier, than many political reporters about the way the tsunami winds were gonna blow.
Democrat Shawn Harris is a native Georgian who raises cattle on his Polk County farm after retiring from the Marines as a Brigadier General. So when he talks about the needs of a mostly rural and exurban district, he knows whereof he speaks. There were a dozen Republican candidates in the first special election, including Clay Fuller, who came in second behind Harris, and who’s endorsed by gold toilet aficionado and sometime president DJT. The fact that a Democrat already beat the Republican has led GOP strategists to opine that it’s hard to predict anything from special elections. Which sounds less than fully confident to us.
Shawn Harris’s campaign site.
Outcome: Shocker, the Republican won. But Democrats are still celebrating. Because, despite the fact that Clay Fuller won, the vote shifted 25% toward the Democrats, a result that pollster G. Elliott Morris called more bullish for Democrats future prospects than the Wisconsin Supreme Court election where the Democrat actually won.
Maryland, CD 6 – Alexis Goldstein – Democratic primary June 23 (early voting June 11-June 18)
Alexis Goldstein has already established her creds as a take-no-bullshit candidate: She was fired from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau because she alerted security that non-authorized people were rummaging through Americans’ private financial data. Turns out those people were DOGE stooges, so, naturally, instead of being praised for doing her job, Goldstein was fired. Now, she’s running in Maryland’s sixth Congressional District, an area that’s home to many federal employees and chances are most are sympathetic to her story. She faces a crowded field, including the incumbent, April McClain-Delaney, and returning Congressman David Trone, who vacated the seat to run for Senate in 2024, and lost.
Alexis Goldstein’s campaign site.
Chuck Park, New York, CD 6 – Democratic primary June 23 (early voting June 13-June 21)
When is a progressive party not a progressive party? When they refuse to back a progressive candidate after their membership endorsed him, apparently.
That appears to be the situation in NY CD-6, which encompasses a big chunk of central Queens and where the plurality of residents are Asian. Although 94% of the Queens chapter membership of Working Families Party wanted to endorse challenger Chuck Park, WFP leadership withheld their support.
The incumbent congresswoman, Democrat Grace Meng, is the first Asian-American elected to national office in New York. Meng is very much a party machine centrist who’s close to minority leader Hakeem Jeffries.
Chuck Park’s campaign site.
New Jersey, CD 11 – Analilia Mejia – Special election April 16 (early voting April 6-April 14)
Analilia Mejia, running in the NJ special election called to fill the seat vacated by Governor Mikie Sherrill, has the right progressive stuff, including being a former chair of the state’s Working Families Party. Her endorsement page reads like a Who’s Who of the Progressive Movement, though Sherrill, hardly a progressive, also endorsed her. The chances aren’t good for the Republican in CD 17, but the turnout, especially in a special election, will undoubtedly be watched by pundits with too much time on their hands, for signals of what to expect come November.
Analilia Mejia’s campaign site.
New York, CD 3 – Danielle Welch – Democratic primary June 23 (early voting June 13-June 21)
Danielle Welch is running to replace Tom Suozzi, a Long Island stalwart who returned to the district in 2024 when he won a special election after George Santos was booted from Congress over some eventually Trump commutable felonies. Suozzi was one of seven Democrats to vote for the funding bill at the start of the year that helped fund DHS, including ICE, something Welch, a public defender, features prominently in her bid to be the Democratic candidate come November. Suozzi has a big war chest and has won every time he ran for Congress in his district. He also had the political good sense to apologize for his ICE-funding vote. So, even if Welch doesn’t prevail, maybe Suozzi will reconsider when the same kind of ICE-supporting funding bill comes up for consideration right before the midterms.
Danielle Welch’s campaign site.
New York, CD 15 – Michael Blake – Democratic primary June 23 (early voting June 13-June 21)
Former assemblyman Michael Blake is back to take another crack at AIPAC fave-rave and incumbent Ritchie Torres, after he came in second to Torres in 2020. Also vying for Democratic primary votes is Jose Vega, an organizer for the LaRouche-ies. Blake and Vega appeared in an online debate on April 8, a debate that Torres declined to attend. And though the debate was between two candidates that were in general agreement that NY CD-15 deserved better than a congressman who seemed to care more about Israel than his district, one of the poorest in the country, things got ugly. When the candidates were asked if they would cross-endorse each other, Vega accused Blake of being part of the “Epstein class” when he was vice-chair of the DNC from 2017 to 2021, a characterization to which Blake, understandably, took exception. LaRouche-ies aren’t going to abandon their guy, so Vega isn’t a spoiler, per se. But Blake has his work cut out for him going up against a very well-funded candidate, so his canvassing operation needs to kick into high gear in the coming weeks.
Michael Blake’s campaign site.
New York, CD 17 – Effie Phillips-Staley – Democratic primary June 23 (early voting June 13-June 21)
Another one of the New York Congressional districts that flipped red after a disastrous redistricting effort followed by trying to push the same-old party stalwarts on voters is reflecting Democratic tendencies to repeat past mistakes. In NY CD-13, the Democratic committies for the four represented counties are throwing hissy fits over progressive Effie Phillips-Staley being interviewed by Twitch-meister Hasan Piker. A recent poll puts Phillips-Staley behind Beth Davidson and Cait Conley, and closing in on tech company founder Peter Chatzky, he of bawdy Facebook comments fame. Special Ops veteran Conley also has her problems, including allegations of carpet-bagging and working for military contractors that partner with Peter Thiel’s Palantir to bring AI to government agencies. To her credit, Davidson has called on the primary participants to rise above the internecine sniping. That doesn’t sound like the Democratic party we all know and don’t love much, but the next few weeks will tell.
Effie Phillips-Staley’s campaign site.
Coming soon to a TFN near you:
Alexis Goldstein, Maryland, CD 6
(And a host of others, including Senate races … )
Keeping TFN Going
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- Jonathan
The race I was recently told to get on top of is Pennsylvania Supreme Court seats. Timing is a way out but according to Larry Diamond from Stanford it’s critical to be all over it. Also curious if you’ve read Abundance yet - Ezra Klein and friend - and have any thoughts. Larry was in love with it. It scares me but I’m trying to stay open-minded.
I'm currently dropping my ballot in the mail for the Virginia Primary. This one didn't have the Governor's race or any Congressional races. I guess they are later in the year. I voted straight Democrat!