An Early Look at Virginia Democrats’ Proposed House Map (Cook Political)
Virginia Democrats’ redistricting plans are now on hold thanks to a judge in deep red Tazewell County, who ruled that a constitutional amendment to greenlight new district lines could not go before voters this year. But that didn’t stop the General Assembly from rolling out a gerrymandered map that would give Democrats the ability to win as many as 10 of the commonwealth’s 11 congressional districts — a massive boon to the party, which currently holds six seats.
The final decision now rests with the Supreme Court of Virginia, a seven-member body without a clear ideological bent.
If the court reverses the ruling, Democrats can move forward with a statewide special election on the constitutional amendment, which would give the majority Democratic General Assembly temporary control over redistricting until the 2032 redistricting cycle, when that power would return to the bipartisan redistricting commission. Democrats previously passed legislation setting the special election date for April 21; to keep that date on the calendar, the court must make a decision within the next couple of weeks.
www.cookpolitical.com/...
Democrats agonize over their Texas Senate primary
Progressive senators are wading into Democratic primaries across the country, at times breaking from their leaders to back more left-leaning or insurgent candidates — with the notable exception of Texas.
That’s starting to change.
The March 3 primary in a red state where Democrats haven’t claimed a Senate seat in 38 years has become an urgent priority, even though many in the party feel too burned by past Texas near-misses to get involved.
www.semafor.com/...
Republican Cash Edge Threatens to Swamp Democrats in the Midterms
For the first time in years, Democrats are sounding the alarm about money problems.
The Republican National Committee began this year with nearly $100 million more than the Democratic National Committee.
The Supreme Court is widely expected to loosen restrictions on party funds in the coming months in a way that could help Republicans take fuller advantage of their fund-raising edge.
www.nytimes.com/...
Susan Collins officially announces reelection bid in Maine
Sen. Susan Collins formally announced her reelection bid in Maine, a boon for Republicans’ efforts to keep the Senate that also sets up another competitive election in the Pine Tree State.
“At a time when Washington seems broken and trust is low, Maine needs experienced, steady leadership and a senator committed to the hard work it takes to get things done,” Collins wrote in an op-ed in her hometown Bangor Daily News on Tuesday.
Her campaign also released a video on social media of Collins opening a box of New Balance shoes — a brand with manufacturing facilities in Maine — and declaring she is running for reelection.
www.politico.com/...
DCCC Announces Second Expansion of the House Battlefield for 2026 Cycle with 5 New Offensive Targets
Today, the DCCC unveiled five new offensive additions to House Democrats’ Districts in Play for the 2026 cycle, bringing the total number of districts to 44.
This is the second time the DCCC has expanded the offensive map in as many months. Last April, we launched our initial offensive map of 35 Districts in Play – a list that was already larger than at the start of the 2024 cycle. The first expansion was unveiled in December.
The new offensive targets are all in districts that Trump won by 13% or less, and reflect a sustained, dramatically positive political environment where Democrats are overperforming in all special elections since Trump was inaugurated, including in congressional special elections by more than 17%.
dccc.org/...
Delgado Drops Out of Democratic Primary for N.Y. Governor
Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado announced on Tuesday that he was suspending his primary challenge for governor of New York, leaving Gov. Kathy Hochul unopposed in the Democratic primary as she campaigns for re-election.
Mr. Delgado had hoped to run to the left of Ms. Hochul, who persuaded him in 2022 to leave his House seat to become her No. 2, following the resignation of her original lieutenant governor. Mr. Delgado repeatedly butted heads with Ms. Hochul, and declared his own candidacy for governor last year.
But at the State Democratic convention last week, Mr. Delgado failed to meet the threshold to qualify for an automatic spot on the primary ballot. He also failed to get the backing of the progressive Working Families Party, which declined to endorse him.
