All articles tagged with #senate
Retired teacher Dan J. Sullivan advances to the Alaska U.S. Senate general to face incumbent Dan Sullivan and Rep. Mary Peltola in a ranked-choice contest, a setup that could cause voter confusion due to the two candidates named Dan Sullivan on the ballot.
A University of Texas/Texas Politics Project poll of 1,200 registered voters (Aug. 5–13, MOE ~2.8–3.5) finds the U.S. Senate race in Texas statistically tied (Talarico 42% to Paxton 39%), Gov. Greg Abbott leading Democrat Gina Hinojosa 45% to 40%, and broad opposition to local data centers (57% oppose). Independents favor Talarico while Republicans stay loyal to Paxton; Libertarian and 'no preference' options also appear in the results.
Darline Graham is projected winner of the South Carolina Senate primary runoff, defeating Ralph Norman 52.5% to 47.5% with about 99% of votes tallied and roughly 800 votes remaining; county results show Graham carrying several counties while Norman leads in others, sealing the statewide margin.
Trump’s renewed tariff push against Canada—most notably a 50% levy on $20 billion of goods—reinforces cost-of-living concerns and unsettles Republican candidates in battleground states such as Maine, Michigan, Iowa, North Carolina, and Alaska, complicating the party’s midterm messaging and Senate strategy.
Incumbent Republican Dan Sullivan faces Democrat Mary Peltola in Alaska’s U.S. Senate race, while a second Republican named Dan J. Sullivan also appears on the November ballot after court rulings; Alaska’s ranked-choice voting could amplify vote-splitting dynamics in this high-stakes contest.
Trump-endorsed Darline Graham won South Carolina's Republican Senate runoff to fill the vacancy created by her late brother Lindsey Graham, positioning her to win a full term in November against Democrat Annie Andrews. The win underscores Trump’s sway with GOP voters and followed heavy ad spending from both sides; her challenger Ralph Norman framed himself as a proven conservative, while Graham faced questions on foreign policy after a runoff debate.
More than a dozen Republican senators publicly criticized President Trump's plan to import tariff-free, discounted beef to lower grocery prices, arguing it would hurt American ranchers and could raise prices in the long term; the unusually broad GOP rebuke includes several senators facing re-election this year and highlights tensions between affordability goals and cattle producers' interests.
South Carolina's 45-day GOP Senate runoff pits Darline Graham—appointed to replace the late Lindsey Graham and backed by Trump—against Rep. Ralph Norman, with Democrat Annie Andrews awaiting in November. The race tests Trump’s political influence and Graham’s readiness amid questions about experience.
Trump’s tariff approach—lauded by allies as a tool to bolster domestic industry—remains a flashpoint in major Senate contests (Maine, Ohio, Michigan and Alaska), where candidates frame tariffs as rising costs for local industries and for cross-border trade with Canada. In Maine, Collins promotes a Canada-friendly stance while opponents argue tariffs hurt voters; in Ohio, Brown and Husted navigate Canada-related trade tensions amid broader tariff criticism, with Democrats highlighting cost increases as they campaign. The policy’s resonance with voters could influence midterm outcomes as Republicans defend control and Democrats weaponize tariff costs in ads and debates.
Canada's tariffs could have outsized effects in Maine, Michigan, and New Hampshire, complicating Republicans' bid to defend the Senate; Sen. Susan Collins opposes the tariffs, while other GOP candidates defend them, underscoring how rising costs and border economics may influence the 2026 races.
Alaska’s Senate race has become unusually tangled as incumbent Dan S. Sullivan faces a rival Dan J. Sullivan and a Mary Peltola bid, with former Anchorage mayor Dan A. Sullivan endorsing the incumbent; under ranked-choice voting, Peltola leads Dan S. Sullivan 48% to 43% as Dan J. Sullivan sits around 2.4%, while prosecutors explore possible ballot-confusion schemes and the Alaska Supreme Court allowed Dan J. Sullivan to stay on the ballot. The race is considered a tossup by analysts.
Former Anchorage Mayor Dan A. Sullivan endorsed incumbent Sen. Daniel S. Sullivan in Alaska’s high-stakes Senate race, joining a field that also includes another Dan Sullivan (retired teacher Dan J. Sullivan) and Democrat Mary Peltola; the contest, managed under Alaska’s ranked-choice system, has drawn national attention as candidates vie to advance to the general election.
Democratic Senate hopeful Mary Peltola is drawing scrutiny for missing hundreds of votes across offices: 794 of 4,265 Alaska House votes (18.6%) during 1999–2009 and 22 of 60 Bethel City Council meetings (36.7%) (2011–2013), plus a 17.2% miss rate in Congress (235 of 1,370 roll-call votes) from 2022–2024. Her campaign attributes absences to maternity leave and fishing-season commitments, while critics argue the record raises questions about public-service dedication as she contends with Dan Sullivan in the Alaska race ahead of the general election.
Democrats are turning more GOP Senate seats into battlegrounds for the midterms, with Iowa, Alaska and Texas now toss-ups and Michigan, North Carolina and Ohio as paths to a 51-seat majority; Maine appears likely next, leaving six Republican seats in play and prompting heavy outside spending as both parties defend or attack in states like Mississippi, Kansas and Nebraska.
Darline Graham, Lindsey Graham’s sister, is running to keep South Carolina’s Senate seat but showed in this week’s GOP primary debate that she lacks political experience, notably admitting she’s not well-versed in national security. She emphasized support for the military and pushed back on being a polished politician, then tried to clean up the image on Hannity. Critics argue her lack of a personal, executable platform hurts her campaign as Trump’s endorsement may not overcome the perception of establishment status, while opponents question her readiness compared with her veteran political rival Ralph Norman.