Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* In an outcome that would’ve been tough to predict a few months ago, state Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani cruised past former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary.
* On a related note, while Cuomo called Mamdani to concede the primary race, the former governor did not immediately rule out the possibility of running as an independent in the general election.
* Meanwhile, in Buffalo, acting Mayor Christopher Scanlon lost a Democratic primary to state Sen. Sean Ryan, who’s now favored to win the office in November.
* In Illinois, Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker is reportedly poised to launch a bid for a third term, though the move would not prevent the incumbent governor from launching a possible 2028 presidential campaign.
* Twelve years after losing a re-election bid in Massachusetts, and 11 years after a failed campaign in New Hampshire, former Republican Sen. Scott Brown is launching another Senate bid, running in New Hampshire again.
* In Texas, where Democrats are increasingly convinced that Republican Sen. John Cornyn might lose his primary race, there’s growing interest in the contest. Terry Virts, a retired NASA astronaut, kicked off his candidacy this week.
* Last fall, Republican Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks’ re-election fight in Iowa against Democrat Christina Bohannan was one of the nation’s most competitive contests. In 2026, Bohannan will give it another try.
* And in Louisiana, Sen. Bill Cassidy wasn’t looking for another Republican primary challenger, but he has one anyway: State Sen. Blake Miguez threw his hat into the GOP ring last week, joining state Treasurer John Fleming in taking on the incumbent.
