Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton wins Democratic Senate primary in Illinois
By Bridget Bowman, Kailani Koenig and Shaquille Brewster Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton has won the Democratic Senate primary in Illinois, NBC News projects, vaulting ahead of two members of Congress with a boost from Gov. JB Pritzker in the expensive race. Stratton defeated Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi and Robin Kelly in the race to succeed retiring Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin, taking aim at members of her party in Washington, D.C., for not standing up to President Donald Trump. Stratton was leading vote-rich Cook County with 40% to Krishnamoorthi’s 29% and Kelly’s 23%, with around 80% of the expected vote in. Stratton, a South Side native,
Illinois primary puts Democratic divides on display up and down the ballot
By Bridget Bowman, Ben Kamisar and Natasha Korecki Virtually all of the different battles simmering inside the Democratic Party this year are on display in Tuesday’s primaries in Illinois, where retirements by key House Democrats and the state’s senior senator opened new theaters for intraparty hostilities. Deep disagreements over issues like immigration and Israel policy, tactical battles over how best to take on the Trump administration, questions about age and whether to empower a new generation of leaders, and the enduring tug of war between progressives and moderates for influence in the party are all at the forefront as Illinois Democrats weigh potential successors
Most Americans support requiring photo ID to vote. Democrats in Congress reject it.
By Sahil Kapur WASHINGTON — Republicans are aggressively touting a popular provision in their sweeping SAVE America Act to overhaul elections nationwide: requiring photo identification to vote. It’s a policy long opposed by Democrats in Congress, who liken it to nefarious Jim Crow-era laws aimed at preventing African Americans from voting. But that message is increasingly falling flat with the American public, including Black voters, as photo IDs are increasingly required for common activities, like flying. A Pew Research Center poll in August tested a variety of election rules and found that 83% of U.S. adults support “requiring all voters to show government-issued photo identification to
As Trump pressures Congress on the SAVE America Act, states push their own versions
By Jane C. Timm As a Republican push to pass the SAVE America Act has stalled in Congress, even amid escalating pressure from President Donald Trump, efforts are underway at the state level to fill in the gaps. Lawmakers in a dozen states have advanced legislation this year that would require residents to prove their U.S. citizenship to register to vote or bring photo ID to the polls, according to the Voting Rights Lab, a nonpartisan group that tracks election legislation. Those proposals are two of the central planks of the SAVE America Act at the national level. The latest example comes in Florida, where
Voters who say economic and political systems are stacked against them tie a record high
By Bridget Bowman Nearly 6 in 10 voters say the economic and political systems are stacked against people like them, tying a record high over roughly 40 years of national NBC News polling. According to the latest NBC News survey, 59% of registered voters agreed that those systems are stacked against them, while 38% disagreed with that sentiment and 3% were not sure. The share who agreed with that notion tied a high point in April 1992, a record set after NBC News began polling this question in 1988. An overwhelming share of voters (84%) say they agree with the statement that
GOP Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith and Democrat Scott Colom to face off in Mississippi Senate race
By Bridget Bowman GOP Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith will face off against Democrat Scott Colom in November in Mississippi, with NBC News projecting that both have won their respective primaries on Tuesday. It will be a difficult race for Colom, a district attorney. A Democrat has not won a Senate race in Mississippi since 1982 and President Donald Trump won the state by 23 points in 2024. And Ty Pinkins, who was the Democratic Senate nominee against GOP Sen. Roger Wicker in 2024, is running for Senate again, but as an independent. But some Democrats, including Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chairwoman Kirsten
HBCU Grad Heads To Runoff In Election to Replace Marjorie Taylor Greene In Congress
By Bridget Bowman Republican Clay Fuller and Democrat Shawn Harris advanced Tuesday from a crowded field to a runoff in the special election to replace former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene in Georgia, NBC News projects. Fuller, a district attorney, benefited from President Donald Trump’s endorsement in the solidly GOP district in the northwest corner of the state. Harris, a retired Army brigadier general and cattle rancher, lost to Greene in the 2024 general election in the 14th District. Neither candidate was projected to win the majority needed to avoid a runoff in the special election. With 99% of the expected vote in, Harris
Voters head to the polls for special election in Marjorie Taylor Greene’s Georgia district
By Owen Auston-Babcock The Georgia district that sent Marjorie Taylor Greene, once a fierce defender of Donald Trump, to Congress is now deciding how to replace her — and whether to let the president make the pick. Voters are heading to the polls for a special election Tuesday in Georgia’s 14th Congressional District where all candidates appear on the same ballot regardless of party. Of the 17 Republicans in the race, five unofficially withdrew after the deadline and will still appear on the ballot along with three Democrats. If no candidate receives a majority of the vote, the top two vote-getters
Senate Republicans splinter over SAVE America Act’s path as Trump calls for more revisions
By Sahil Kapur, Brennan Leach, Fiona Glisson and Ryan Nobles WASHINGTON — The prospects for President Donald Trump’s SAVE America Act grew murkier Monday as divisions deepened among Senate Republicans about how to pass it and whether it’s possible to overcome Democratic opposition. Some say they’re convinced a “talking filibuster” under current rules could lead to passage of the sweeping election overhaul bill, even though it hasn’t worked before. Another GOP senator proposed a different path with less support. And the Senate’s top Republican emphasized that the path is “unclear” as the 60-vote rule may be too difficult to overcome. “Having studied it and researched it pretty thoroughly, you
Democrat Roy Cooper and Republican Michael Whatley set to face off in key North Carolina Senate race
By Bridget Bowman The matchup is set in North Carolina’s crucial Senate race, with Democratic former Gov. Roy Cooper and former Republican National Committee chair Michael Whatley winning their primaries, NBC News projects. The North Carolina race will be central to this year’s battle for the Senate as Republicans defend their 53-47 majority. It’s a must-win race for Democrats if they have any hope of netting the four seats they need to take control of the chamber. Democrats are confident that Cooper will be a formidable candidate after he won races for governor in 2016 and 2020 even as President Donald Trump carried the
