Democratic socialist Janeese Lewis George opens up lead in Washington, D.C., mayoral primary
By Alexandra Marquez City Council member Janeese Lewis George, a democratic socialist, leads the pack in the Democratic primary for mayor of Washington, D.C., as the city continues to tally later-arriving ballots. With about two-thirds of the expected vote counted, Lewis George has 53% of the first-place votes, with former City Council member Kenyan McDuffie — who previously held a citywide at-large council seat — in second place at 37%. The rest of the vote is scattered among five other Democratic hopefuls. With more votes to count, it’s not clear whether the race will go to a ranked-choice tabulation, which is
Ted Cruz urges passage of ‘Protect College Sports’ act, warns HBCUs if it doesn’t
Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz, a co-author of the Protect College Sports Act, is urging the Congressional Black Caucus to support the bill, per a report by Roll Call. Cruz and Democratic Senator Maria Cantwell have been reaching out to Congressional Black Caucus members to gather input and secure their support for the bill in both the House and the Senate. The CBC is standing firm on its decision not to support it over voting redistricting efforts in several Southern states. The proposed Protect College Sports Act, introduced by Cruz and Blackburn, would provide the NCAA with limited antitrust exemptions to enforce several eligibility and roster-management
Trump tests and looming battleground races highlight Tuesday’s primaries
By Bridget Bowman, Adam Edelman and Ben Kamisar President Donald Trump’s endorsement will once again be put to the test in multiple Republican primaries on Tuesday, which will also mark the kickoff of major general election campaigns for Senate and governor in battleground Georgia. Voters head to the polls for primaries in Oklahoma, as well as the District of Columbia, where the battle for mayor has highlighted broader divides in the Democratic Party. And Alabama and Georgia are holding primary runoffs in races where no candidate won a majority of the primary vote on May 19. In California, voters in the 14th Congressional District
South Carolina Republicans pushing to block HBCU project funding after controversy
South Carolina State University is now part of state budget negotiations as the fallout continues from the Pamela Evette commencement controversy as some republicans eye the state’s only public HBCU. The latest development centers on $5 million in proposed funding for a convocation center at SC State. According to WIS, several Republicans in the General Assembly have urged members of the budget conference committee to block that money after the university removed Evette as its commencement speaker. Evette, South Carolina’s lieutenant governor, had been scheduled to speak at SC State’s May 8 commencement. The university later changed course following days of student protests and cited security
Democrats reluctantly accept Platner as GOP wields his candidacy against them
By Dan Merica and Theodoric Meyer When Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-New York) and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-New York) put out a joint statement on Democrat Graham Platner’s win in Maine on Tuesday night, it was 80 words into the 89-word message before they mentioned the controversial Senate candidate by name. The statement, issued by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, offered no words of praise for Platner, only a prediction that Maine voters “will elect Graham Platner” over Sen. Susan Collins (R), helping Democrats to retake the Senate majority. The tone of the statement highlights how national Democratic leaders,
Judge warns DOJ not to ‘play possum’ with ‘anti-weaponization’ fund it says is dead
By Ryan J. Reilly WASHINGTON — A federal judge denied a request to temporarily halt the Trump administration’s proposed “anti-weaponization” fund but warned the Justice Department not to misrepresent the status of the $1.8 billion fund, which acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told Congress is not moving forward. “Don’t play possum with this court,” U.S. District Judge Richard Leon warned a Justice Department attorney in court Wednesday afternoon after he rejected the temporary restraining order request from Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, one of several groups seeking to block the fund. In addition to Blanche’s remarks to lawmakers about the status of the fund,
Democrats await ranked choice vote in Maine to decide key House nominee
By Ben Kamisar Republican former Gov. Paul LePage is moving on to the general election in Maine’s 2nd District, NBC News projects, as the crowded Democratic field in one of the country’s most important battleground districts remains unresolved ahead of a ranked choice voting tabulation. The seat is being vacated by Jared Golden, one of the most conservative Democrats in the House and a candidate who has held on to it repeatedly, even as Donald Trump carried the district in 2020 and 2024. His decision to retire jeopardizes Democrats’ ability to hold the seat, and Republicans are optimistic they can finally
Nithya Raman leaps past Spencer Pratt in tight race to make L.A. mayoral runoff
By Scott Bland Los Angeles City Council member Nithya Raman, a Democrat, has taken a narrow lead for second place over former reality TV star Spencer Pratt, a registered Republican, in the race to take on Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass in a runoff this fall. NBC News projected Bass’ advancing to the runoff last week, but the outstanding question, as the city and the state continue counting ballots, is whom she will face and what kind of matchup that will be. NBC News hasn’t projected the winner of the other spot in the runoff. The picture as it looked on election night
Some Republicans cast votes against Trump priorities as Senate takes up ICE and Border Patrol bill
By Sahil Kapur and Frank Thorp V WASHINGTON — The Senate began voting Thursday on a $70 billion bill to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol through the end of President Donald Trump’s term. Republicans plan to pass the bill without any Democratic support. But first, they’ll have to endure a “vote-a-rama” during which senators from either party can offer amendments, which Democrats will use to make Republicans take painful votes. There were some early signs of trouble as the first Democratic amendment was held open by GOP leaders for three hours, followed by multiple votes in which various factions of Republican
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz faces backlash for running in a district long represented by Black Democrats
By Matt Dixon and Scott Wong WASHINGTON — Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz faces significant pushback from Black Democrats after she decided to run in a newly redrawn district in South Florida that has a plurality of Black voters and a crowded primary field. The Florida political landscape was scrambled after Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation last month creating new congressional maps. Instead of running in the 22nd Congressional District, where she lives, Wasserman Schultz opted to run in the more Democratic-leaning 20th District, which has long been represented by a Black Democrat. The move has angered Black leaders and candidates in the district, especially