There are 36 races for governor in 2026, and many are shaping up to be highly competitive. On this week’s episode of The Downballot podcast, co-hosts David Nir and David Beard run through 10 of the most interesting races for governor across the country. They explain how the blue-leaning environment could help Democrats compete in red states and how ranked-choice voting systems could affect races in both Alaska and Maine.

The Davids also preview the Wisconsin Supreme Court race, a contest in which liberal candidate Chris Taylor looks like the decided favorite over her conservative rival, Maria Lazar. They discuss Democrats’ current structural advantage in races like these during the Trump era and consider the possibility of a dominant 6-1 progressive majority in 2027.

Democrats flipped not one but two districts in special elections on Tuesday night, and they managed it in Florida, of all places. On this week’s episode of The Downballot podcast, co-hosts David Nir and David Beard discuss how Democrats pulled off this most unlikely of feats in a state where their hopes have so often gone to die in recent years—and why Republicans should be particularly worried.

We’re also diving deep into Maryland politics with Baltimore Sun reporter Tinashe Chingarande, who explains why the Democrats’ hope of opening a new front in the redistricting wars ran aground in the Old Line State. But Senate President Bill Ferguson, the man who shut down any hopes of a remap, faces an unusual primary challenge that could end his long dominance over the legislature. Plus, the jam-packed race to succeed Steny Hoyer!

Illinois’ high-profile, high-dollar primaries are finally in the rearview, and oh man have the hot takes come fast and furious. On this week’s episode of The Downballot podcast, co-hosts David Nir and David Beard dial down the temperature to understand what really happened, with a special emphasis on the races for Senate and the 9th Congressional District. And no, Kat Abughazaleh did not run a “too online” campaign, as the Davids explain.

The hosts also speak with Torey Dolan, a professor at the University of Wisconsin Law School and an expert on how election law intersects with the lives of Native voters. Because Native citizenship is guaranteed by federal law while elections are governed by state law, major gaps between the two exist, especially for those living on reservations. Dolan details the challenges many Native voters face, and how they can be remedied.

On Tuesday night in New Hampshire, Democrats won yet another Republican seat in a special election—marking their 10th flip of Donald Trump’s second term. On this week’s episode of The Downballot podcast, we unpack that race, then dive into a ton of others, including Steve Daines’ attempt to hand off his Senate seat to a preferred successor, Darrell Issa’s last-second dropout, runoff drama in Texas, upcoming primaries in Illinois, and more!

Primary season started with a bang on Tuesday night, headlined by Texas’ high-intensity Senate race. But there were tons of other important elections on the ballot, not just in the Lone Star State but in North Carolina and Arkansas as well. We recap the top contests on this week’s episode of The Downballot podcast, which include the first House incumbent to lose this year, multiple races headed to runoffs, and yet another special election flip by Democrats.

We’re also joined this week by Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz, the founder of a new group devoted to electing Democrats to county-level office nationwide called Boosting Future Leaders Onward. Poloncarz tells us all about these important but overlooked posts, including their far-reaching powers and how Democrats are using them to combat Donald Trump’s attacks on our democracy. He also highlights key elections across the country taking place this year.

At long last, the 2026 primaries are upon us! On this week’s episode of The Downballot podcast, David Nir and guest host Joe Sudbay preview some of Tuesday’s most important races, including both parties’ primary for Senate in Texas, a scandal-plagued GOP congressman’s desperate bid for reelection in San Antonio, an early test for House Democrats facing upstart primary challengers in North Carolina, and more.

Also joining us is Chris Melody Fields Figueredo, who explains how her organization, the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center, helps make sure progressive ballot measures succeed and anti-democracy efforts fail. Fields Figueredo walks us through the entire life cycle of an initiative, which doesn’t end at passage—implementation is critical, too. And she spotlights some of the most important measures voters across the country will get to weigh in on this year.

Out of the blue, major Democratic players launched a bold new campaign to redraw Colorado’s congressional districts this week. On the latest episode of The Downballot podcast, co-hosts David Nir and David Beard explain why Democrats are taking their plan directly to voters, what kinds of changes it would make to the map, and what the political hurdles and legal pitfalls look like.

The Davids also discuss two Arizona Republicans who abandoned their campaigns for public office on back-to-back days last week, despite earning endorsements from Donald Trump—and why these twin dropouts show the growing limits of Trump’s influence on GOP primaries. Speaking of Trump, the hosts flag a special election coming up in his literal backyard: Next month, Democrats will have the chance to flip the Florida House district that includes none other than Mar-a-Lago.

After her weak win in 2022, Kathy Hochul’s political future looked dicey. Now, though, New York’s governor has a clear ride through the Democratic primary and looks to be in strong shape in the general election, too. On this week’s episode of The Downballot podcast, co-hosts David Nir and David Beard explore Hochul’s remarkable—and remarkably unexpected—bounceback, fueled by her eagerness to go head-to-head with Donald Trump.

The Davids also recap a string of recent elections, including progressive activist Analilia Mejia’s stunning upset in New Jersey, a big win for Louisiana Democrats on rural turf, and another massive overperformance by a Democrat in a deep-red district in Oklahoma.