Roll Call

A five-week wait on a crucial Senate vote on major cryptocurrency legislation has opened wide a window of opportunity for both advocates and opponents of the measure, which would flesh out in greater detail a regulatory framework for the still-nascent industry’s U.S. operations. Just before the Senate adjourned for its summer recess earlier this month, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., punted to Sept. 15 a cloture vote on a motion to proceed to the bill amid lingering disputes

Welcome to a special edition of At the Races! Throughout the 2026 primary season, watch for these updates from the CQ Roll Call campaign team on what you need to know for Election Day. Know someone who’d like to get this newsletter? They can subscribe here. By Mary Ellen McIntire, Daniela Altimari and Nick Eskow A handful of House incumbents from Florida are fighting for their political lives Tuesday, as three states hold primary elections and California decides on a successor to disg

The House Ethics Committee announced Monday it is investigating Rep. Jimmy Gomez over sexual misconduct allegations, including “inappropriate sexual contact with a House staffer.”  The California Democrat has been facing public allegations of misconduct for months, with the New York Post reporting in April that he was spotted in 2023 kissing a staffer who worked for another member of Congress.  The committee, in its announcement, said the investigation “does not itself indicate that a

ANALYSIS — With less than three months to go before Election Day, control of both chambers of Congress remains in play.  While Democrats lack many guaranteed pickups, there continues to be growing softness or vulnerability for Republicans on the outskirts of the House and Senate battleground. President Donald Trump’s low job approval rating is creating potential targets in red-leaning areas that aren’t typically seen as Democratic opportunities.  One of the biggest examples is Iowa, w

More than a dozen House candidates in Florida have poured over $1 million into their campaigns ahead of Tuesday’s primary elections, a CQ Roll Call analysis of fundraising reports shows. The investments — by 14 Republicans running for eight different House seats — come after the GOP-led state Legislature approved a new congressional map this spring, giving Republicans four pickup opportunities this fall. In some of those races, wealthy candidates are betting on themselves to get to Congress.

The Trump administration has begun searching for new members for a vaccine advisory committee it is quietly reshaping to look at alternatives to vaccinations, a move that has drawn worries from outside groups.  The National Vaccine Advisory Committee, created in 1987, has worked across agencies to advise the Health and Human Services assistant secretary for health on strategies to prevent infectious disease through immunization. It previously focused on recommendations on

President Donald Trump took his midterm campaign tour to New York’s Long Island on Friday, seeking to boost an old friend running for governor and Republicans looking to flip two light-blue House seats. A native New Yorker, Trump was in Garden City ostensibly, to help Bruce Blakeman, the Nassau County executive who is running to unseat Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul. Trump, who referred to Blakeman as “a friend of mine, for a long time,” made the visit just two days after the release of a

South Carolina Sen. Darline Graham is consolidating the support of fellow Republicans, including former rival Rep. Russell Fry, ahead of an Aug. 25 runoff to replace her late brother, Lindsey Graham, on the November ballot. Fry finished third behind Darline Graham and Rep. Ralph Norman in Tuesday’s special primary election, missing out on a faceoff between the top-two finishers. On Friday, he became the latest prominent Republican to back Graham, who has the support of President Donald Trump.

Welcome to At the Races! Each week we bring you news and analysis from the CQ Roll Call campaign team. Know someone who’d like to get this newsletter? They can subscribe here. Editor’s note: Tuesday’s newsletter was mistakenly sent again on Wednesday. The version below has the latest information. By Mary Ellen McIntire and Daniela Altimari This week’s primaries in Wisconsin and Minnesota brought mixed results for the Democratic Party’s left flank.  While pr

TUCKER COUNTY, W.Va. — Tucked in a deep-red district in West Virginia, two tiny tourist towns rest high up in the Allegheny Mountains along the Blackwater River, nestled alongside grand waterfalls, winding hollows and scenic overlooks.  And soon, 10,000 acres between the towns of Thomas and Davis and spanning into neighboring Grant County could become home to one of the “largest data center campuses in the world,” its developers told The Wall Street Journal, including a new natural gas p

GENEVA, Ohio, and JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. — Unburdened by a Congress on summer break, President Donald Trump on Tuesday watched his Patriot Games finale like a stoic Roman emperor.  But he was soon reminded that congressional business looms, and acknowledged the 80th Congress built a legal wall that could spell a dead end for his third-term dreams. There was no need Tuesday to huddle with House Republicans to help eke out a tough vote. And, with the Senate early Saturday joining the House

Roll Call Editor in Chief Jason Dick and 535 Editor in Chief Brody Mullins discuss the bipartisan legislative efforts on permitting reform with CQ Roll Call Energy and Environment Staff Writer David Jordan for the Roll Call/535 Policy Podcast Series.  Show Notes: David Jordan’s author page on Roll Call The Roll Call and 535 deep dive on cryptocurrency All things 535 News, including how to subscribe Listen/Subscribe to Political Theater on Apple Podcasts Or Spotify if that’s yo

The progressive momentum in Democratic Senate primaries continued Tuesday, with Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan defeating the more moderate Rep. Angie Craig in a high-stakes contest. But progressives were dealt a setback in neighboring Wisconsin, with state Rep. Francesca Hong, a self-described democratic socialist and the perceived front-runner in the Democratic primary, losing to Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley.   With more than 95 percent of votes counted, Flanagan was leadin

Connecticut Rep. John B. Larson became the seventh House Democrat to lose a primary this year when he was defeated on Tuesday by former Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin, whose campaign was built on a call for generational change. With more than 95 percent of votes in, Bronin was leading the 14-term incumbent, 54 percent to 33 percent, in the Democratic primary for Connecticut’s 1st District, The Associated Press reported. Two other candidates, state Rep. Jillian Gilchrest and Hartford school board

Bolstered by President Donald Trump’s endorsement, South Carolina Sen. Darline Graham advanced Tuesday to a runoff against Rep. Ralph Norman in the Republican special primary election to replace her late brother, Lindsey Graham, on the November ballot. With more than 95 percent of votes counted, Graham led a 10-candidate field with 33 percent of the vote, followed by Norman with 24 percent, Rep. Russell Fry at 20 percent and former Gov. Mark Sanford at 15 percent, The Associated Press reporte

If Congress has 99 problems, modernizing itself will always be one of them.  As members of the House Administration Modernization and Innovation Subcommittee look ahead to the remainder of the 119th Congress, they’re also trying to map out the next era. “We need to be thinking about the future and what we can do,” said Chair Stephanie Bice, R-Okla. Bice and her colleagues put out a call for ideas that closes at the end of August. “The House needs to stay current or risk falling beh

ANALYSIS — There might be some awkwardness for Michigan’s and Ohio’s Senate delegations next year.  If Michigan Republican Mike Rogers and Ohio Democrat Sherrod Brown win in November, they’ll be serving alongside the senators who defeated them in 2024. But, surprisingly, such scenarios aren’t entirely unusual. We’ve had more than a dozen of them, and a pair of Oregonians showed that it doesn’t have to be contentious and can even benefit a state. With an increase in partisanship, there

With embattled Republican Rep. Max Miller sticking with his reelection bid in the face of domestic abuse allegations, Democrats are increasingly optimistic of flipping his Ohio seat. The House Democratic campaign arm on Tuesday added ironworker Brian Poindexter to its “Red to Blue” program, which offers additional resources to promising recruits seeking to win GOP-held seats. “Brian Poindexter is exactly the kind of leader Ohio families deserve in Congress — a union ironworker who has spen

Welcome to a special edition of At the Races! Throughout the 2026 primary season, watch for these updates from the CQ Roll Call campaign team on what you need to know for Election Day. Know someone who’d like to get this newsletter? They can subscribe here. By Mary Ellen McIntire and Daniela Altimari The two flanks of the Democratic Party face off again Tuesday, with a Senate primary in Minnesota and a gubernatorial primary in Wisconsin serving as the latest tests of progressive momen

The Senate on Saturday approved acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to permanently lead the Department of Justice after a high-drama confirmation process.  The 50-49 vote to confirm Blanche fell mostly along party lines, with two Republicans breaking ranks to oppose him. Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska cited concerns ranging from the Epstein files to a so-called “anti-weaponization” fund. “While I believe Mr. Blanche is a capable lawyer, the Department of Ju