Idaho Democrats choose small business owner in uphill race against incumbent GOP governor
Gov. Brad Little, R-Idaho, will face Democratic candidate Terri Pickens in November as he vies for a third term. Pickens, a private practice attorney and small business owner, edged out several challengers in the state’s Democratic gubernatorial primary on Tuesday, The Associated Press reported. She faces an uphill battle in a Republican-heavy state that has not elected a Democratic governor in 36 years. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report, a leading election forecaster, rates Little’s re-election bid as “Solid Republican.” IDAHO GOV BRAD LITTLE COMMENDS BOISE STATE VOLLEYBALL FOR FORFEITING PLAYOFF MATCH VS SJSU AND TRANS ATHLETE Pickens previously ran as the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor in 2022, when she lost to Republican candidate Scott Bedke by 34 points. Bedke is the state’s current lieutenant governor and is running for another term. Little, who won the state’s GOP primary, is endorsed by President Donald Trump and is expected to cruise to the general election. Former Idaho Supreme Court Justice John Stegner has also launched a bid to unseat Little as an independent. IDAHO BECOMES FIRST STATE TO PREFER DEATH BY FIRING SQUAD FOR EXECUTIONS Little, a rancher who previously served in the state Senate and as lieutenant governor, has embraced deregulation, increased public education funding and tax relief in his bid for a third term. He defeated a crowded field of GOP candidates on Tuesday, including former police officer Mark Fitzpatrick, who challenged him from the right. Little recently signed into legislation a law cracking down on transgender individuals using bathrooms that do not correspond with their biological sex. Idaho’s law is one of the most stringent in the country because it applies to private businesses in addition to public property.
Georgia GOP Senate primary heads to runoff as Republicans battle to unseat Ossoff
The quest to find the one candidate that can beat Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., isn’t quite over yet, with a runoff between a political outsider and an experienced lawmaker teed up for next month. Rep. Mike Collins, R-Ga., and former college football coach Derek Dooley are headed to a runoff election on June 16 in a state of particular political consequence for either party hoping to keep or gain power in the Senate. The contest comes after a bruising primary between Collins, Dooley, and Rep. Buddy Carter, R-Ga., and a battle that President Donald Trump has so far avoided. GOP CIVIL WAR ERUPTS OVER SHUTDOWN POLITICS IN CRITICAL SENATE RACE: ‘NOT A WINNING FORMULA’ His endorsement, as in other races, could make or break either Collins’ or Dooley’s chances moving forward. Dooley has embraced the outsider moniker, arguing that he would side with Trump in ways that benefit Georgians. “As your Senator, I’ll never forget that you’re the boss and D.C. politicians need accountability,” Dooley said on X. “Term limits. Ban insider trading. End government shutdowns. I’ll fight to end politics as usual in Washington.” Collins has heavily leaned into his MAGA bonafides in trying to court the president to back him in the race. SCOOP: TRUMP ALLY TO LAUNCH KEY BATTLEGROUND STATE CAMPAIGN IN BID TO FLIP DEMOCRAT-HELD SENATE SEAT “Georgia needs the right Republican to take on Jon Ossoff,” Collins said on X. “Someone who’s delivered, has the conservative record to prove it, and had President Trump’s back when it mattered most.” But for Ossoff’s campaign, it doesn’t matter which opponent they face in November. “Regardless of which Trump puppet makes it out of this messy and brutal GOP primary, they will be bruised and terminally inseparable from the toxic president,” Ossoff campaign spokesperson Ellie Doughtery told Fox News Digital in a statement. “Meanwhile, the juggernaut Ossoff campaign will continue building insurmountable momentum to win decisively in November.” While Trump has stayed out of the race, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, who Republicans heavily lobbied to run for the Senate until he ultimately declined, has weighed in. Kemp threw his support behind Dooley, a family friend that he believes can bring a shake-up to the GOP establishment, given his lack of political experience. TOP GOP RECRUIT FOR CRUCIAL 2026 SENATE RACE HINTS WHEN HE WILL MAKE AN ANNOUNCEMENT “I want to win our Senate seat back,” Kemp said before Election Day. “We haven’t done so well in U.S. Senate races here in the state of Georgia in the last several cycles, and we have one more opportunity to try to get one of our Senate seats back. And we got to have the right person to do that.” The runoff could turn into another political battle between Kemp and Trump, who have sparred since the 2020 election. And Dooley and Collins would act as surrogates in the back and forth should the president decide to get involved. Meanwhile, Democrats are confident that Ossoff will hold on to his seat despite being the only Senate Democratic incumbent running for re-election in a state Trump won in 2024. But the infighting among Republicans and Ossoff’s battle-tested track record have encouraged Democrats that they can win in November. Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., who, like Ossoff, beat an incumbent and again won against a Trump-backed opponent in 2023, had some advice for Republicans hours before polls closed. “I want to offer a word of encouragement,” Warnock told Fox News Digital of the GOP’s infighting. “They should keep that up.”
Firefighters union boss wins hotly-contested Dem primary in a key Pennsylvania swing district
One of the nation’s most narrowly divided swing congressional districts chose its Democratic nominee Tuesday evening, as Bob Brooks was projected to win in Pennsylvania’s 7th Congressional District. The contested primary brought Democratic Party divisions front and center, featuring firefighters union boss Bob Brooks — endorsed by both Gov. Josh Shapiro and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. — former federal prosecutor Ryan Crosswell, Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure and EMILY’s List-endorsed candidate Carol Obando-Derstine, who is seen as the preferred pick of the district’s last Democratic representative, former Rep. Susan Wild of Allentown. Brooks received several high-profile endorsements from Shapiro, Sanders, Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Lt. Gov. Austin Davis and top state Democrats, including House Majority Leader Matt Bradford of Skippack and Sen. Vincent Hughes of Northwest Philadelphia. TRUMP PLEDGES ‘AMERICA’S NEW GOLDEN AGE’ AS HE RALLIES IN PA’S POST-INDUSTRIAL THIRD-LARGEST CITY Brooks also earned the endorsement of the mayor of the area’s largest city — Allentown, the third-largest city in the commonwealth. Meanwhile, McClure — the only current local officeholder in the race — did not immediately gain traction against Brooks. Brooks appeared to weather intraparty controversy after old social media posts expressing more moderate or conservative views resurfaced — including one using an off-color sexual term to describe former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick for criticizing law enforcement during the BLM era. FIRM THAT PROPELLED MAMDANI TO VICTORY IN NY LOOKS TO UNSEAT HOUSE GOP MEMBERS IN PA Crosswell was born in nearby Schuylkill County but for many years worked in Washington for the Justice Department. He was one of several prosecutors who resigned in protest of the Trump administration dropping a federal probe into former New York City Mayor Eric Adams. Adams has since become less critical of the right and has often dinged his successor, Zohran Mamdani, on social media. The district’s tri-city hub of Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton — known locally as “A.B.E.” or “The Valley” — has a blue-collar history that has at times entered the national consciousness through Billy Joel’s famous anthem about Bethlehem Steel and other firms “closing all the factories down,” while the now-blighted SteelStacks often serve as both a backdrop for what once was and a rallying call for politicians pushing what comes next. That “next” has included a wave of new warehouses and firms dedicated to interstate commerce, along with growth tied to the tech sector. GOP CHALLENGER UNSEATS REP. SUSAN WILD IN PENNSYLVANIA Farmland in the northern part of the district is gradually being developed into homes and warehouses — to the chagrin of many longtime residents — as an influx of people from higher-tax New Jersey and New York, along with the area’s changing socioeconomic makeup, brings more liberal and progressive voters into a once “Reagan Democrat”-style region rooted in agriculture and union labor. The district’s current boundaries still reflect that contrast, as the farther north one travels, the more rural, agrarian or forested — and conservative — the area becomes. Wild drew criticism twice for appearing to insult the Trump-supporting swath of Carbon County, the only one of the district’s three counties entirely within the 7th Congressional District to vote for Mackenzie in 2024. The Republican in the race, Rep. Ryan Mackenzie of Lower Macungie, was a state representative in western Lehigh County for many years before upsetting Wild by one percentage point in 2024. Mackenzie has since drawn praise from President Donald Trump and criticism from the left, whose protesters often gather outside his office and spill onto busy Cedar Crest Boulevard in southwest Allentown. As the House GOP’s narrow majority hangs in the balance, it remains to be seen which side is energized enough to turn out for its candidate in a race the nation will be watching closely.
Ex-Biden official wins Georgia Dem primary for governor in bid to end party’s losing streak
Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, who also served in the Biden administration, has captured the Democratic nomination for governor in the key southeastern battleground of Georgia. Bottoms won a majority of the vote in Tuesday’s primary, the Associated Press reports, in a large field of candidates that also included former Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, a Republican-turned-Democrat; former state Sen. Jason Esteves; state Rep. Derrick Jackson; and former state labor commissioner and former DeKalb County CEO Mike Thurmond. Democrats are aiming to break their losing streak in Georgia, where it’s been nearly three decades since the party has won a gubernatorial election. You have to go all the way back to former Gov. Roy Barnes’ 1998 victory. Since then Republicans have been on a winning streak, with former Govs. Sonny Perdue and Nathan Deal, and Brian Kemp, all winning election and re-election. DEMOCRACY ’26: STAY UP TO DATE WITH THE FOX NEWS ELECTION HUB Bottoms was the frontrunner during the primary campaign, and faced plenty of attacks from her rivals over her single term as Atlanta mayor, which garnered harsh reviews. She was elected in 2018 but declined to seek re-election in 2022 and instead later served as senior advisor and director of the White House Office of Public Engagement in then-President Joe Biden’s administration. The former mayor’s rivals argued that Bottoms’ vulnerabilities could hurt the Democrats as they work to win back the governor’s office in Atlanta, during a midterm election cycle where the party is energized and Republicans are facing traditional political headwinds and a rough climate. That energy was witnessed the surge in turnout in early voting in Georgia. More than a million ballots were cast ahead of Election Day, with Democrats enjoying a sizable turnout advantage over Republicans.
Former prosecutor who accused Trump of weaponizing DOJ wins Dem primary
Zach Dembo, a former U.S. attorney and Kentucky policy advisor, won a primary on Tuesday evening in a bid to fill Kentucky’s 6th Congressional District seat. Although they now have their candidate, Democrats will face an uphill road to a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in the November general election to replace outgoing Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky., after a longtime physician backed by President Donald Trump won his Republican primary Tuesday evening. BALLOT BOX SHOCKER: PROGRESSIVE BACKED BY SANDERS, AOC ON VERGE OF UPSET IN DEM CONGRESSIONAL PRIMARY Ralph Alvarado, a Kentucky state senator, who was called a “true friend” by Trump in a recent endorsement, won his primary. Dembo began his career as an eighth grade English teacher before going on to law school and serving in the United States Navy Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps, according to his website. In 2017, he spent some time as a federal prosecutor and then was tapped by Gov. Beshear to become a policy advisor and legislative director. Dembo cited Trump’s weaponization of the Justice Department as the catalyst that prompted him to pursue office. “When Donald Trump started using your justice department to go after his political enemies, I resigned,” Dembo said in a campaign video. “Our system is broken.” Dembo had raised just shy of a million dollars as of the end of April — $956,000, according to FEC records. ANDY BARR MULLS SENATE BID, SAYS ‘IT’S TIME FOR KENTUCKY TO HAVE A US SENATOR WHO SUPPORTS PRESIDENT TRUMP’ Notably, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear didn’t make an endorsement in the Democratic primary for Kentucky 6th Congressional district. Democrats face steep odds in November’s general election; Kentucky’s 6th Congressional District has leaned heavily Republican in the past. Its incumbent, Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky., last won reelection in 2024 in a 63% to 37% victory over Democratic challenger Randy Cravens. REP. BARR VOWS TO STOP ‘RADICAL LEFT’ FROM DEFUNDING ICE, BORDER PATROL Barr, who has represented Kentucky’s 6th Congressional District since 2013, is pursuing a seat in the U.S. Senate to fill the vacancy of outgoing former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. McConnell, 84, is retiring.
Alabama Democrats rally around former Dem senator to challenge Trump-backed Tuberville in fall
Doug Jones, the former Democratic senator in Alabama, on Tuesday won the Democratic nomination for governor, the Associated Press reports. It’s been nearly three decades since a Democrat won a gubernatorial election in solidly red Alabama. You’ve got to go back to former Gov. Don Siegelman’s 1998 victory. DEMOCRACY ’26: STAY UP TO DATE WITH THE FOX NEWS ELECTION HUB Jones will now face a steep uphill climb to defeat Sen. Tommy Tuberville, who easily captured the Republican nomination, in the race to succeed term-limited GOP Gov. Kay Ivey. Tuberville, a top Senate ally of President Donald Trump, is backed by the president as he runs for Alabama governor.
Bluegrass Democrats make their choice to replace McConnell, take on Trump-backed Barr
Bluegrass State Democrats chose their challenger and hopeful successor to longtime Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., on Tuesday night. Charles Booker, a progressive former state representative who has squared off with Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., in the past, clinched the Democratic nomination for Senate in Kentucky, besting a crowded field of seven candidates. Booker will now face Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky., who similarly dispatched a deep field of candidates, but was heavily spurred by a late endorsement from President Donald Trump. PRO-REPARATIONS PROGRESSIVE DEMOCRAT WHO WANTS ICE ABOLISHED MOUNTS LONGSHOT SENATE BID TO SUCCEED MCCONNELL And Trump will be a predominant factor heading into the November contest. Though the president’s approval ratings are dismal across the country, Booker will still have to beat history if he wants to win out against Barr. That’s because Kentucky hasn’t had a Democratic senator since 1999, and Trump has consistently won in the state since launching his political career a decade ago. Still, Booker is familiar with the big stage, having won the Democratic nomination in 2022. He ultimately lost to Paul by over 20 points. Kentucky Democrat Gov. Andy Beshear’s win in 2023 does give Democrats some hope in the state that they can break the cycle of GOP domination. ‘NEW DEMOCRAT PARTY’: SENATE GOP SOUNDS OFF ON ‘EXTREME’ GRAHAM PLATNER AS SENATE RACE IN MAINE HEATS UP But like so many races during this and previous cycles in the Trump era, the president was the main factor on the Republican side. “We did have a lead before the endorsement,” Barr said during a campaign event on Monday. “Our lead has skyrocketed since then in the polling that we’re looking at, but we don’t take anything for granted.” It helped him topple his main opponent, former Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron, who remained confident that even without Trump’s coveted endorsement, he could still win. REPUBLICANS FAIL TO ATTACH SAVE AMERICA ACT TO PARTY-LINE FUNDING PACKAGE Trump lauded Barr for his loyalty to him and added that he is the “only Candidate who will easily defeat the Democrat in what will be one of the most important Elections in American History.” Trump also touted Barr as a strong supporter of eliminating the filibuster, the voting barrier that has derailed the GOP’s Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act. The legislation has so far wallowed in the background of the upper chamber, thanks in part to Democrats’ strong objections to it and a lack of support among Republicans to pass it. Last month, a version of the SAVE America Act failed to gain enough Republican support at a simple 50-vote threshold. “He will do everything in his power to get it done,” Trump said. “It is desperately needed by the Republican Party to pass the SAVE AMERICA ACT, and all other things necessary for a strong and brilliant Country!”
Trump ally Tommy Tuberville cruises to Alabama GOP governor nomination
Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville, a top Senate supporter and ally of President Donald Trump, cruised to the GOP gubernatorial nomination in his home state of Alabama on Tuesday. Tuberville defeated longshot rivals Ken McFeeters, an insurance agency owner, and Will Santivasci, a small business owner, to capture the Republican nomination in the solidly red state in the race to succeed term-limited GOP Gov. Kay Ivey. A former longtime college football coach — who spent 10 years as head coach at Auburn University in Alabama — Tuberville was elected to the Senate in 2020. Tuberville ran as an outsider who was closely aligned with Trump. “God bless the great state of Alabama!” Tuberville wrote in a social media post after clinching the nomination. DEMOCRACY ’26: STAY UP TO DATE WITH THE FOX NEWS ELECTION HUB Trump, on the eve of the primary, doubled down on his support for Tuberville. “He is a Lifelong Leader, both on and off the field — A true WINNER!” the president posted on social media. Tuberville, who was the overwhelming polling and fundraising frontrunner in the primary, will now be the clear favorite to win November’s gubernatorial election in Alabama, a state that Trump carried by 30 points in 2024. Republican Governors Association chair Gov. Greg Gianforte of Montana said in a statement that “Tuberville has proven he is an America First fighter who can deliver real results for the people of Alabama. As Governor, he will defend Alabama’s values, work with President Trump to continue bringing good-paying jobs to Alabama, and stand up to the radical left’s woke ideology.” Tuberville will face off in the general election against former Democratic Sen. Doug Jones, who easily topped a crowded field of rivals to win his party’s gubernatorial nomination. The Democratic Governors Association, in a social media post, said: “Doug has dedicated his career to fearlessly fighting for what is right for the people of Alabama – no matter how difficult. And he’s running to continue that important work.”
Kentucky physician advances to general election after receiving glowing Trump endorsement: ‘True friend’
Ralph Alvarado, a Kentucky state senator, advanced to the general election Tuesday evening to be Rep. Andy Barr’s, R-Ky., potential successor shortly after receiving an endorsement from President Donald Trump. Alvarado, who has positioned himself as a pro-Trump, America First candidate, strengthens the president’s record of endorsements in a state that’s produced a handful of the administration’s most vocal critics within his party. Amid frustrations with Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., and Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Trump praised Alvarado’s alignment in his endorsement message. TRUMP STIRS GOP PRIMARY DRAMA WITH VISIT TO MASSIE’S KENTUCKY HOME TURF “A true friend to MAGA, RALPH HAS BEEN WITH US FROM THE VERY BEGINNING!” Trump said in a post to social media on Monday. The president noted Alvarado’s efforts to turn out Hispanic voters in 2016 as a member of the National Hispanic Advisory Council for Trump. “Dr. Ralph Alvarado has my complete and total endorsement to be the next representative from Kentucky’s 6th congressional District,” Trump added. Alvarado has a background in healthcare, working as a physician for nearly 30 years, according to his online biography. He embarked on a political career in 2014 when he ran for the Kentucky General Assembly, becoming its first Hispanic member. KENTUCKY SENATE RACE FOR MCCONNELL’S SEAT HEATS UP In his campaign materials, Alvarado also highlighted his consistent support of the president. “In Kentucky, a triple crown is rare,” Alvarado said in a video. “But so is a triple-Trump. 2016, 2020 and 2024 — I stood with President Trump every single time. And in Congress, I’ll stand with him again.” Although Alvarado must still win the general election, his district has leaned heavily Republican in the past. Its incumbent, Barr, last won reelection in 2024 in a 63% to 37% victory over Democratic challenger Randy Cravens. Barr, who has represented Kentucky’s 6th congressional district since 2013, is pursuing a seat in the U.S. Senate to fill the vacancy of outgoing former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. McConnell, 84, is retiring.
Longtime news anchor-turned-House candidate wins Dem primary in key Pennsylvania district
Democrat Janelle Stelson, the longtime former anchor for Lancaster’s NBC affiliate, defeated Dauphin County Commissioner Justin Douglas in a battle to take on one of the more endangered Republicans in the House, Freedom Caucus stalwart Scott Perry. Perry, of Dillsburg, was an ally of Elon Musk’s DOGE endeavor and has staked out reliably conservative positions on most issues, chairing the Freedom Caucus in 2022, but barely held onto his seat in 2024 against Stelson by a few thousand votes. Stelson was criticized for reportedly retaining her residency in Lancaster — which is in Rep. Lloyd Smucker’s district — while running in Perry’s district, which covers much of her former news station’s coverage area. As of 2025, Stelson moved to a rental property in East Pennsboro Township, across the Susquehanna River from Harrisburg, according to the York Daily Record, which reported on the controversy. TRUMP-BACKED INCUMBENT REP. SCOTT PERRY WINS RE-ELECTION IN PENNSYLVANIA Douglas also reportedly criticized Stelson for the lack of primary debates. Stelson also was a longtime registered Republican before changing her affiliation sometime during the Trump era, according to local reports. While she has the support of Gov. Josh Shapiro, she admitted in an ABC-Harrisburg interview that she differs from some in her party on certain issues. KNIVES OUT FOR FETTERMAN: MAVERICK SENATOR JOINS LONG LINE OF DEMS PUNISHED FOR BREAKING FROM LEFT “One of the things I was very against President Joe Biden, the border was quickly becoming more of a mess than usual,” Stelson told the outlet, while adding that President Donald Trump’s response to the crisis has been a bridge too far. She also told the outlet she would support repealing Trump’s tariffs and that she is pro-choice. Perry, meanwhile, has held fast to his seat, at times easily and at times not so much, amid an increased moderate-to-progressive influx of new voters in Harrisburg’s southern suburbs like Camp Hill and Lower Allen. Come November, voters across the nation will be looking to Cumberland County and the Susquehanna Valley as one of the most conservative members of Congress battles for his political life in Pennsylvania’s increasingly shifting political landscape.