The Downballot

The inside scoop on Texas Dems' walkout

What's it like to have to indefinitely uproot your life in the face of thuggish legal threats so that you can help save democracy as we know it? Texas state Rep. Mihaela Plesa returns to The Downballot podcast to give us a rare inside look at the remarkable decision by Democrats to flee the state in an effort to block Republicans from passing an egregious new gerrymander.Plesa hammers the GOP for prioritizing partisan gain over critical flood relief; explains the devious ways Republicans want to undermine Black and Latino voting rights; and tells us about Democrats' new life on the road and the enthusiastic reception she and her compatriots have received—wherever they've gone.Co-hosts David Nir and David Beard also explore newly reported details about California's plan to fight back, including a likely special election asking voters to adopt a new map, as well as which Republican incumbents might get targeted. Get full access to The Downballot at www.the-downballot.com/subscribe

Texas Chainsaw Gerrymander

On this week's episode of The Downballot podcast, Ally Mutnick, a senior congressional reporter for Punchbowl, joins us to run down the ins and outs of mid-decade redistricting. We go through the Texas GOP's newly proposed map district by district to see how Republicans are targeting five Democratic seats—and discuss how Democrats might try to block the plan by breaking quorum in the state legislature.Then we look at the many other states where Democrats have suggested they might engage in an eye-for-an-eye response, with a particular focus on California. Mutnick also shares her thoughts on key Senate races across the country, including messy GOP primaries in Texas and Georgia; a matchup in North Carolina that already looks set; and a big outstanding question in Maine.If you haven’t already subscribed to The Downballot’s Morning Digest newsletter, just click below! Get full access to The Downballot at www.the-downballot.com/subscribe

Dems are about to land their biggest Senate recruit

The big boss is (almost) here: Former Gov. Roy Cooper is reportedly set to run for North Carolina's open Senate seat, and we're talking all about it on this week's episode of The Downballot podcast. Co-hosts David Nir and David Beard explain why Cooper is the Democrats' No. 1 recruit of the 2026 midterms.We also talk with Brian Lemek, the executive director of Defend the Vote, about how his organization helps elect candidates eager to fight for democracy. Lemek tells us that it's okay for Democrats to acknowledge that the system is broken—and that doing so allows them to connect the task of fixing our democracy with voters' everyday concerns. He also flags some of his favorite candidates running this cycle, including one surprising name. Get full access to The Downballot at www.the-downballot.com/subscribe

California's plan to thwart a Texas gerrymander

Texas Republicans already gerrymandered their maps half to death, but Donald Trump is pushing them to go even further. California Gov. Gavin Newsom, however, has proposed a tit-for-tat plan that would make the GOP pay a price, and we're exploring its potential on this week's episode of The Downballot podcast. Are Newsom's ideas legally feasible—and can he sell them to voters? A swing of as many as five House seats could depend on it.Co-hosts David Nir and David Beard also go behind the scenes to discuss what it's like to actually run in a special election with Washington state Sen. Deb Krishnadasan. She tells us all about the extremely swingy district she's defending; how the August top-two primary functions as a sort of massive poll of the November general election; and how Trump's "big beautiful bill" instantly got voters up in arms. Get full access to The Downballot at www.the-downballot.com/subscribe

Zohran's pollster pulls back the curtain on how he won

Zohran Mamdani's stunning upset in last month's primary is still reverberating, which is why we were eager to talk with his pollster, Jane Rayburn of Workbench Strategy, on this week's episode of The Downballot podcast to understand just how he pulled it off. Rayburn pulls back the curtain to explain how her firm captured the sentiments of a radically reshaped electorate, why Mamdani wanted a two-person race, and when she knew he could actually win. Plus, the challenges of polling a ranked-choice contest!Co-hosts David Nir and David Beard also delve into two major Republicans who announced retirements just before the Fourth of July: Thom Tillis in North Carolina and Don Bacon in Nebraska. Why are they bailing? Who has the inside track to succeed them? And what exactly is Lara Trump's job? We do our level best to answer all of these questions! Get full access to The Downballot at www.the-downballot.com/subscribe