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NATIONAL
Democratic National Committee
Minnesota Democratic Farm Labor Party chairman Ken Martin was elected as the new chairman of the Democratic National Committee this week, replacing South Carolina's Jaime Harrison, who declined to seek re-election for a second term.
Mr. Martin has run the Minnesota party operation since 2010. He defeated Wisconsin Democratic Party chairman Ben Wikler and former Maryland Governor and 2016 presidential candidate Martin O'Malley with more than 57% of the vote. A total of 428 Democratic National Committee members participated in the vote.
SENATE
Kentucky
State House Minority Leader and defeated 2023 Attorney General nominee Pamela Stevenson (D-Louisville) announced her run for the US Senate last weekend. Incumbent Sen. Mitch McConnell (R) is presumed headed for retirement, but he has yet to confirm that he will not seek an eighth term in 2026.
Michigan
The first individual to announce an official candidacy to replace retiring Sen. Gary Peters (D) came forward this week. State Sen. Mallory McMorrow (D-Royal Oak Township) declared her candidacy.
A crowded Democratic primary is expected. Former US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Attorney General Dana Nessel, and US Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Birmingham) are all potential Senate contenders, among others. Former US Rep. Mike Rogers, who came within 19,006 votes of defeating now-Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D) in November, is a probable GOP candidate.
North Carolina
Former Lt. Governor Mark Robinson (R), whose 2024 gubernatorial campaign was destroyed over a personal scandal revelation, said he will not challenge Sen. Thom Tillis (R) next year. Mr. Robinson said he has no plans to again seek public office. Democrats are expected to make North Carolina their top 2026 Senate conversion target. Senator Tillis has already announced that he will run for a third term.
HOUSE
AZ-6
Former Arizona state Sen. Kirsten Engel (D) has lost two close elections to US Rep. Juan Ciscomani (R-Tucson) in the state's politically marginal southeastern 6th Congressional District, so it is likely that Democratic leaders will look toward another candidate option in 2026. Such being the case, retired Marine Corps Sergeant JoAnna Mendoza (D) announced her candidacy this week. Whether she becomes the party standard-bearer for the next election remains to be seen, but it is likely that Ms. Engel's congressional opportunities have come to an end.
NY-21
Local Democratic county party chairmen have chosen Lisbon, NY dairy farmer Blake Gendebien as their upcoming special election congressional nominee once US Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-Schuylerville) is confirmed as US Ambassador to the United Nations.
Republican county chairmen have yet to announce their choice. In New York, vacancies are filled in one election. There are no special election party primaries. The local political party leadership in the counties comprising the particular district are given the power to choose the succeeding nominee.
Meanwhile, Democrats in the state legislature are considering drafting legislation to change the special election law in order to delay filling this Republican seat until much later this year. Their plan is to hold the special congressional election concurrently with either the June primary or, more preferably from their perspective, the November municipal elections. The goal is to retain the 21st District, which encompasses all or parts of 15 counties in the northeastern part of the state, as a vacant seat in order to keep the House Republican majority as slim as possible.
GOVERNOR
California
Attorney General Rob Bonta (D) announced this week that he will not run for Governor in 2026 when incumbent Gavin Newsom (D) will retire due to term limits. Mr. Bonta said he will seek re-election and urges former Vice President Kamala Harris to enter the '26 gubernatorial campaign.
Florida
The Victory Insights research firm tested the Florida Republican electorate and sees US Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Naples) opening with a big lead. Though no candidate has formally announced for Governor, Rep. Donalds appears as a definitive bet to run. The VI poll projects Rep. Donalds as holding a substantial 33-4-3-1% advantage over Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nunez, state Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson, and Miami Mayor Francis Suarez.
Meanwhile, Lt. Gov. Nunez is now scheduled to resign her position in order to become the interim President of Florida International University. Governor DeSantis will then appoint a new Lt. Governor, which could change the outlook for the 2026 gubernatorial campaign to replace him.
Illinois
The Land of Lincoln is one of 11 states that has no gubernatorial term limits. This being the case, Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) confirms that he is considering running for a third term, but will announce his decision at some point in the future. Illinois is one of the Democrats' strongest states, so winning a third term will largely depend upon clinching renomination in the March 2026 party primary.
Maryland
Governor Wes Moore (D) seems secure in what will be his re-election run in 2026, but he has already drawn at least one challenger. Retired Air Force veteran John Myrick (R), who ran for the US Senate in 2022 but fared poorly in the GOP primary, announced that he will enter next year's Governor's race.
Michigan
Representative John James (R-Farmington Hill) is way ahead in a newly-released statewide poll. The OnMessage firm tested the Michigan Republican primary electorate and finds Rep. James leading Sen. Aric Nesbitt (R-Porter Township), former Attorney General Mike Cox, and businessman and former gubernatorial candidate Kevin Rinke, by a huge 46-6-4-3% count. Representative James has not indicated whether he will enter the open Governor's campaign.
For the Democrats, Lt. Governor Garlin Gilchrist moved closer to running for Governor. Early this week, he released a statement saying he would not enter the open US Senate race, leading observers to believe he is taking one more step toward finalizing a campaign for the state's chief executive position. Additionally, Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson moved ahead to declare his candidacy for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination.
Ohio
Confirming last week's Fabrizio Lee & Associates survey – which projected businessman and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy (R) leading Attorney General Dave Yost and State Treasurer Robert Sprague, 52-18-2%, in a preliminary Republican primary gubernatorial poll – the WPA Intelligence firm this week confirms the findings.
According to WPA's Ohio poll, Mr. Ramaswamy would lead Messrs. Yost and Sprague, 57-26-6%. The latter two men are announced gubernatorial candidates, while a declaration of candidacy from Mr. Ramaswamy is still forthcoming.
Mr. Sprague just ended his short-lived Governor's candidacy. Instead, he is entering the open Secretary of State's race. In departing the gubernatorial campaign, Mr. Sprague pledged his support to Mr. Ramaswamy.
South Carolina
The Down Ballot political blog is reporting that a serial South Carolina politician, former Governor and ex-US Representative Mark Sanford (R), may be returning for another campaign.
Sanford's two-term tenure as Governor ended in disgrace in 2011, after he was exposed engaging in an extramarital affair with an Argentine mistress. Two years later he reemerged to win a US House special election – a seat he held until losing a renomination primary in 2018.
On Wednesday, Mr. Sanford said he is considering again running for Governor when the post comes open in 2026. Governor Henry McMaster (R), now the longest-serving chief executive in state history, is ineligible to seek a third full term next year. Other Republicans considering running for Governor are Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, Attorney General Alan Wilson, and US Rep. Nancy Mace (R-Charleston).
South Dakota
We may see a budding Republican gubernatorial primary soon develop. With Gov. Kristi Noem (R) resigning to become US Homeland Security Department Secretary, Lt. Gov. Larry Rhoden (R) ascended to the Governorship. Late last week, he indicated to reporters that he had not yet decided whether to run for a full term in 2026.
At-large US Representative Dusty Johnson (R-Mitchell) is reportedly developing a gubernatorial campaign operation irrespective of Gov. Rhoden running. It is apparent that this June 2026 Republican primary could be a battle to watch.
Wyoming
Two-term at-large Wyoming US Rep. Harriet Hageman (R-Cheyenne) is confirming that she is considering mounting another campaign for Governor. Representative Hageman came to national political prominence by defeating then-Rep. Liz Cheney in the 2022 Republican primary with a landslide 66-29% victory.
Ms. Hageman ran in 2018, but lost the Republican primary to now-Gov. Mark Gordon. Wyoming has a two-term limit on the office, but the state Supreme Court has ruled that the limit is only a statute and not in the state's Constitution. Therefore, the law could be challenged. Governor Gordon has not ruled out making such a challenge, so the Equality State political picture could become quite active as the 2026 election cycle progresses.
STATE AND LOCAL
Boston
As expected, Josh Kraft, son of New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and head of the team's philanthropic entity, announced that he will challenge Boston Mayor Michelle Wu later this year.
Mr. Kraft attacks the Mayor for abandoning her promise to make the city's transportation system free and adding too many bike lanes that cause further traffic problems on Boston's narrow and already congested streets. Ms. Wu responded saying Mr. Kraft has voted in Republican primaries while never voting in a Boston City Council or Mayor's election.
The mayoral jungle primary is scheduled for September. All candidates are placed on one ballot with the top two advancing to a runoff election if no one receives majority support in the initial vote.
New York City
Another mayoral poll was released for the 2025 election, and the results confirmed two previously released public polls. The Honan Strategy Group conducted the latest mayor's race survey and found former Governor Andrew Cuomo leading the pack of candidates, while Mayor Eric Adams is way behind.
The initial ballot test question found Mr. Cuomo topping NYC Comptroller Brad Lander and Mayor Adams 35-9-9%, with all other candidates trailing in single digit support.
New York City uses the Ranked Choice Voting system to determine the municipal election winners. Carried through to a sixth RCV round, Mr. Cuomo would defeat Mr. Lander 58-17%. Mayor Adams would be eliminated after the fifth round of political overtime voting. Among the respondents, 85% said that Mayor Adams should not be re-elected. Rounds continue until one candidate commands majority support.
Jim Ellis is a 35-year veteran of politics at the state and national levels. He has served ss executive director for two national political action committees, as well as a consultant to the three national Republican Party organizations in DC, the National Federation of Independent Business, and various national conservative groups.
Born and raised in Sacramento, California, he earned a B. A. in Political Science from the University of California at Davis in 1979. Jim raised his daughter, Jacqueline, alone after his wife died following a tragic car accident. He helped establish the Joan Ellis Victims Assistance Network in Rochester, NH. Jim also is a member of the Northern Virginia Football Officials Association, which officiates high school games throughout the region.
Editor's note:
HOW SOULS AND LIBERTY WILL MOVE FORWARD THE NEXT FOUR YEARS
There can be no doubt we have witnessed an extraordinary moment in the history of the United States and the world. The election of Donald Trump to a second Presidential term is a great victory for Christian patriots, but it is not a complete or final victory. Rather, it is a reprieve from the ceaseless assaults on life, liberty and faith we have had to endure for four years.
Donald Trump is president once again, and his decisions, Cabinet selections, and force of personality are shaping the United States and the world in ways we could only dream of.
We have a Heaven-sent opportunity to step up and ensure this victory is not merely a one-off, but the first of many and the foundation of a lasting legacy of patriotic, Christian, pro-family policies.
Souls and Liberty will be part of that effort, but we cannot do it without you. It will require reporting and activism that YOU can be a part of.
Can you step up and support us? Just once – a one-time donation is very valuable. Or, better yet, support us every month with a recurring donation. Thank you, and may God bless you.
Stephen Wynne
Editor-in-Chief, Souls and Liberty
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