“When Senate hopeful Ken Paxton attacks the masculinity of his Democratic opponent, James Talarico, he has one group in particular on his mind: Hispanic voters,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“The hotly contested race for Senate in Texas has become ugly early with open sparring between the candidates over who is more of a man. Paxton’s team is sensing an opening with Texas Hispanic voters, who have moved sharply to the right in recent election cycles. The thinking among Paxton’s aides is that they can successfully cast Talarico as not strong enough to represent Texas in Washington.”

“Not long ago, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani was demonized by leaders of both political parties. Today, just six months after taking office, the 34-year-old democratic socialist’s political strength is surging,” Associated Press reports.

“Always a darling of the far left, he has earned praise from both President Donald Trump and former Democratic critics like New York Gov. Kathy Hochul. He has emerged as the face of the region’s sports renaissance. And days before New York’s primary elections, Mamdani is testing the limits of his newfound political muscle in a bid to reshape the Democratic Party — in his state capital and in Washington — even if it means challenging his own party’s leadership.”

“The country’s most prominent pro-Israel special interest group isn’t even spending in Rep. Dan Goldman’s high-stakes primary. It could be his biggest problem anyway,” Politico reports.

“The American Israel Public Affairs Committee has a familiar electoral playbook: funnel millions of dollars into an election through a super PAC to boost pro-Israel candidates, attack those critical of Israel or both. The group’s massive spending over recent cycles has established it as a boogeyman among progressives, who’ve attempted to use AIPAC’s intervention, or the threat of it, to activate their base.”

“Former City Councilman Kenyan McDuffie, who ran as a tough-on-crime centrist, has conceded the Democratic mayoral primary in Washington, D.C., to Janeese Lewis George, a democratic socialist and D.C. councilwoman,” the New York Times reports.

“The Associated Press has yet to call the race, but Ms. Lewis George currently has around 53 percent of the vote, enough to give her an outright victory without tabulating the ranked choices in the election. In an overwhelmingly Democratic city, she would almost certainly win the general election in November.”

“Two of the biggest progressive stars in the country are taking a split path on endorsements in messy Democratic primaries, leaving some Democrats reading the tea leaves for what it means for their political futures,” NOTUS reports.

“New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is backing a trio of insurgent candidates in House races, including two who are challenging Democratic incumbents, while staying out of contentious state legislative primaries. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is supporting several Democratic Socialists of America candidates in competitive New York state legislative races, while so far staying out of contentious congressional primaries.”

“President Donald Trump believes he handed Republicans a winning playbook for the midterms — if only they’d follow it,” Politico reports.

“Gerrymander everywhere possible, get rid of the filibuster, fire the Senate parliamentarian and pass the SAVE America Act.”

“None of it is likely to happen, and the gap between what is likely and what is possible explains Trump’s frustrations with many in Congress and the anger the White House channels at operatives and pundits who say the president isn’t doing enough to help retain control of Congress.”

A Trump-backed pastor has dropped out of Oklahoma’s Republican House primary after his intimate relationship with a campaign aide was exposed, the Daily Mail reports.

The astonishing collapse comes after an investigation that exposed Jackson Lahmeyer’s intimate relationship with campaign fundraiser Caitlin Simmons Key, a former Miss Oklahoma USA.

Key said that she and Lahmeyer, who is married, kissed on several occasions during the heat of the campaign. He sent her thousands of text messages, in one telling her “I enjoyed those lips,” and recounted leaving Mar-a-Lago for a strip club at 1am after being offered cocaine.

New York Times: Trump rescinds endorsement of right-wing pastor after texting scandal.

Larry Sabato’s Crystal Ball: “North Carolina’s 11th congressional district could be a key barometer in determining how big of a Democratic wave occurs in 2026.”

“The district, wedged in the western corner of North Carolina, has not elected a Democrat since 2010, but it got a little less red between 2020 and 2024.”

“Electoral trends, combined with the perceived strength of the challenger Jamie Ager (D) and potential weaknesses of the incumbent Chuck Edwards (R, NC-11), lead many Democrats to believe they have a chance in this unlikely district.”

“Democratic socialists are flexing their growing political strength in the nation’s capitol, with Janeese Lewis George leading in vote counting in Tuesday’s Democratic primary to be Washington, D.C.’s next Mayor,” Time reports.

“If the results hold, she will be all but certain to replace Mayor Muriel Bowser as the city’s leader in January.”

“President Donald Trump’s primary victory spree has a new $100 million asterisk,” Politico reports.

“That’s the record-breaking sum the upstart self-funding businessman Rick Jackson spent to defeat Trump’s chosen candidate in the GOP primary for Georgia governor. Jackson’s flood of ads helped drown out Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and other Republicans up and down the ballot, as the billionaire tried to convince voters that he didn’t need Trump’s explicit endorsement to be a true MAGA warrior. In the end, his pitch worked, through persuasion or sheer force.”

“Tuesday’s result is the latest embarrassing and high-profile blemish in what had been a near-perfect record this year for the president.”

“House Democrats’ flagship super PAC is expanding its TV ad reservations in a pair of states upended by redistricting efforts,” NOTUS reports.

“House Majority PAC, which is closely aligned with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, is adding nearly $5 million to Miami and West Palm Beach, covering several battleground seats in south Florida, as well as an additional $6.5 million to Norfolk and Richmond in Virginia.”

“Rep. Mike Collins (R) is projected to defeat former college football coach Derek Dooley in the Senate Republican runoff to take on Sen. Jon Ossoff (D) in Georgia this fall,” according to Decision Desk HQ.

“Collins’s victory is a major win for President Trump, who issued a last-minute endorsement for the staunch ally over the weeekend.”

Voters cast their ballots in three states and the District of Columbia today, including a high-profile runoff race to take on Georgia Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff and GOP runoffs in the Georgia governor’s race and the Alabama Senate race.

New York Times: “The top race of the day is in Georgia, where Republican voters will pick a nominee in a primary runoff to challenge Senator Jon Ossoff, who had been considered the most vulnerable Democratic incumbent going into the midterm elections but has proved to be a formidable fund-raiser and popular candidate.”

Polls close at 7 p.m. ET in Georgia and Alabama and at 8 p.m. ET in Washington, D.C.

Leave your reactions in the comments as results come in.

“President Donald Trump, who loves to boast of the win-loss record of his endorsed candidates in Republican primaries, is considering hedging his bet in South Carolina’s governor’s race by potentially endorsing both remaining Republicans,” the Washington Post reports.