2026 WATCH — Outgoing Democratic North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper told WSOC-TV’s Joe Bruno that running for Senate in 2026 is “on the table,” though he hasn’t decided yet. Republican Sen. Thom Tillis is up for reelection then. … Tarrant County Republican Party Chair Bo French said he’s “not ruling anything out” when it comes to primarying Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) in 2026, citing Cornyn’s “refusal to support all of Donald Trump’s Cabinet nominees.” French said that “people from all over Texas” have been asking him to challenge the incumbent. … Former Fall River, Massachusetts, Mayor William Flanagan, who switched his affiliation from Democratic to Republican after saying he could “no longer identify with” the Democratic Party, is considering a challenge to Democratic Rep. Jake Auchincloss in the blue-leaning MA-04, per WPRI’s Raymond Baccari. BALLOT BATTLE — Future New Jersey “primary election ballots will be arranged in office block style,” which is how ballots across the country look like, “according to a draft of legislation prepared at the request of the Assembly Select Committee on Ballot Design,” The New Jersey Globe’s David Wildstein writes. Earlier this year, Democratic Sen.-elect Andy Kim sued to get rid of the county line system — the state’s decades-old ballot design that gives party-backed candidates an advantage by placing them in a more favorable position on the ballot. But while the county line system is not long for this world, many things are still undecided. “Facing resistance from lawmakers fearful of progressive activists, the Assembly Select Committee on Ballot Design is considering dropping a proposal to place brackets around the names of running mates seeking the same office in primary elections,” Wildstein later reported. “Legislators are also moving away from a section in the proposed legislation that would give candidates seeking reelection the option of identifying themselves as incumbents on the ballot.” The state Assembly is poised to vote on the bill later this month. FOR YOUR CALENDAR — “Several top gubernatorial candidates and Jewish leaders in New Jersey are calling on the state to reschedule next year’s June 3 primary election — which overlaps with the Jewish holiday of Shavuot, making it impossible for observant Jews to vote on that date,” Jewish Insider’s Matthew Kassel reports. A spokesperson for Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy told JI that the governor is “open to working with the legislature to shift the date.” PULL UP A CHAIR — Rep. Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.) will serve another term as chair of the DCCC after House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries reappointed her. … Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly will continue to serve as chair of the Democratic Governors Association in 2025 after taking over from Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz earlier this year as he ran for vice president. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear was selected to be vice chair next year and chair-elect in 2026. COURT WATCHIN’ — “The North Carolina Democratic Party filed a federal lawsuit on Friday seeking to invalidate Republicans’ challenge of over 60,000 ballots cast in the state Supreme Court election,” The News and Observer’s Kyle Ingram writes. Democratic state Supreme Court Justice Allison Riggs narrowly beat Republican Appeals Court Judge Jefferson Griffin, a win that was reaffirmed by a recount last week. The race is now undergoing a second recount, which is expected to be completed by Tuesday, though “Griffin’s main recourse for challenging the results is the election protests he has filed, which aim to disqualify over 60,000 votes.” … Another tight state Supreme Court race was decided Friday in Mississippi, when Republican state Sen. Jenifer Branning defeated incumbent state Supreme Court Justice Jim Kitchens in a runoff election. “Judicial races in Mississippi are technically nonpartisan,” Mississippi Today’s Taylor Vance writes. “The state Republican Party worked hard to oust Kitchens, one of the dwindling number of centrist jurists on the high court, and consolidate its infrastructure behind Branning.” IN THE STATES — “House Speaker Dade Phelan on Friday announced he is dropping his bid for another term leading the lower chamber, ending a bruising, monthslong intraparty push to remove him from power,” The Texas Tribune’s Jasper Scherer, James Barragán and Renzo Downey write. “Phelan narrowly survived a brutal primary challenge in May, but 15 other House Republicans lost their seats, many of them Phelan supporters who were ousted by challengers running on explicit pledges to oppose the Beaumont Republican’s speakership. … With Phelan out of the picture, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and the rest of the GOP’s most conservative faction could have a willing ally in driving a hardline agenda through the Legislature.” Patrick is planning to run for reelection in 2026. Over the weekend, state Rep. David Cook was named the House GOP Caucus’ endorsed candidate for speaker, though state Rep. Dustin Burrows, who is backed by Phelan, claimed “that he had the necessary votes to become the next speaker,” per the Tribune. IN THE CITY — Democratic New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who is up for reelection next year amid a score of legal troubles, “left open the possibility of switching to the Republican Party in a pair of Friday morning interviews,” POLITICO’s Joe Anuta writes. “Adams was a member of the GOP from 1995 through 2002, and was asked during an appearance on NY1 whether he would return to the party. He did not rule out the possibility.”
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