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The Cook Political Report @cookpolitical.com · 6h

How well are Democrats doing in the shutdown fight? Amy asks Democratic strategist Lis Smith for our latest Odd Years pod.

Listen here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOhJ...

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The Cook Political Report @cookpolitical.com · 7h

Several states moved closer to redistricting over the weekend.

Follow all the latest with our CPR Redistricting Tracker from @erincovey.bsky.social:

2025-2026 Redistricting Tracker: How Many Seats Could Flip?

For the past fifty years, states have almost always followed the norm of redistricting at the beginning of every decade following the Census. But when President Donald Trump successfully persuaded Tex...

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The Cook Political Report @cookpolitical.com · 1d

Maine Gov. Janet Mills’ entrance into the Senate race on Tuesday marks a significant escalation in political firepower aimed at longtime GOP Sen. Susan Collins. We are moving the contest from Lean R -> Toss Up.

Maine Senate Race Moves To Toss Up With Mills’ Entrance

Maine Gov. Janet Mills’ entrance into the Senate race on Tuesday marks a significant escalation in political firepower aimed at longtime GOP Sen. Susan Collins, the only Republican senator representin...

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The Cook Political Report @cookpolitical.com · 1d

NEW podcast! "We have a message problem, a messenger problem, an ideas problem and a brand problem." Democratic strategist Lis Smith joins Amy Walter on the latest Odd Years.

Listen: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...

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The Cook Political Report @cookpolitical.com · 5d

Matt Dunlap’s odds of pulling off an upset are slim — but navigating a primary will force Jared Golden to divert money and attention from the general election.

Read more from @erincovey.bsky.social:

Maine State Auditor Complicates Jared Golden’s Path to Victory

Rep. Jared Golden’s willingness to buck the Democratic party line has kept this seat in his party’s hands for the past seven years — while fomenting a steady undercurrent of frustration among liberal ...

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The Cook Political Report @cookpolitical.com · 6d

The New Jersey governor’s race is close, but most data still points to an edge for Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill.

Read more from Amy Walter & Matthew Klein:

Four Reasons We Still See Sherrill as the Favorite in New Jersey

Some Democrats’ blood pressure spiked last week after an onslaught of unfriendly headlines and an unusually close poll made them question their odds in the New Jersey gubernatorial contest. But most k...

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The Cook Political Report @cookpolitical.com · 7d

A check on Trump? A dangerous precedent? A new poll conducted for CPR by TrueDot.ai tested which Prop 50 messages were most persuasive to CA voters.

Read more from Amy Walter on what we learned:

‘Yes’ on Prop 50 Leads in New Poll Conducted for The Cook Political Report, but Lots of Persuadable Voters Remain

With just under a month to go until California voters decide whether to approve a temporary partisan redraw of the state’s congressional district lines, a poll of 1,000 California adults conducted for...

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The Cook Political Report @cookpolitical.com · 7d

The special election matchup in Tennessee's 7th District is set, with Republican former state government official Matt Van Epps poised to face Democratic state Rep. Aftyn Behn on Dec. 2

Here's what you need to know from @erincovey.bsky.social:

GOP Establishment Pick to Face Progressive State Rep in TN-07 Special

The special election matchup in Tennessee's 7th District is set, with Republican former state government official Matt Van Epps poised to face Democratic state Rep. Aftyn Behn on Dec. 2. Though Van Ep...

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The Cook Political Report @cookpolitical.com · 8d

Yes on Prop. 50 leads among registered voters, 50% to 35%, but almost half of all voters are not firmly committed to either side or are completely undecided.

Read this analysis from Amy Walter:

‘Yes’ on Prop 50 Leads in New Poll Conducted for The Cook Political Report, but Lots of Persuadable Voters Remain

With just under a month to go until California voters decide whether to approve a temporary partisan redraw of the state’s congressional district lines, a poll of 1,000 California adults conducted for...

www.cookpolitical.com

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The Cook Political Report @cookpolitical.com · 8d

Nobody wins these shutdowns. Occasionally one side loses ground in one, but generally not this far away from the election.

Read the latest from Charlie Cook:

When a Shutdown Isn’t Really a Shutdown

The term “government shutdown” is either a misnomer or hyperbole: As long as mail is delivered, Social Security checks are sent out, and the military and air-traffic controllers are still on duty, the...

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The Cook Political Report @cookpolitical.com · 9d

NEW podcast! We talk shutdown politics and Congressional retirements with Amy Walter, Carrie Dann, Matthew Klein & @erincovey.bsky.social.

Listen: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/e...

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The Cook Political Report @cookpolitical.com · 12d

The likelihood of a competitive Republican primary means Democrats may have a better opportunity to flip this seat, but for now, AZ-01 race remains in the Toss Up category.

Here's more from @erincovey.bsky.social:

Arizona's 1st District Stays in Toss Up Following Schweikert's Departure

Desperate to hold on to his tenuous House majority, President Donald Trump has successfully pressured ambitious Republicans in competitive districts to run for reelection rather than higher offices. B...

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The Cook Political Report @cookpolitical.com · 14d

When Republican voters in Tennessee’s 7th District head to the polls next Tuesday, odds are that they’ll be picking their next representative.

Read more from @erincovey.bsky.social:

What To Watch in the Grand Ole Primaries for the TN-07 Special

When Republican voters in Tennessee’s 7th District head to the polls next Tuesday, odds are that they’ll be picking their next representative. But given Democrats’ track record in special elections th...

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The Cook Political Report @cookpolitical.com · 15d

NEW podcast! How's the Trump 2.0 economy so far? Great for the top 10%.

Listen to Amy Walter talk with Washington Post columnist Heather Long: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...

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The Cook Political Report @cookpolitical.com · 19d

Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee is at serious risk of losing his job to a fellow Democrat in next year’s primary.

Read this analysis from Matthew Klein:

A Shuttered Bridge Could Block McKee’s Renomination in Rhode Island

Unseating an incumbent governor is a tall task. Booting one in a primary is even tougher.But a spate of recent polls suggest that Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee, 74, is at serious risk of being ousted in...

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The Cook Political Report @cookpolitical.com · 20d

The chaos and tumult we are living through isn’t driven by our politics as much as our politics is reacting to a global transition away from institutional trust.

Read Amy Walter's latest column:

How the ‘Trust Revolution’ Explains Our Current and Future Politics

In politically tumultuous times, we usually look to history for perspective and context as we search for the outlines of a path forward.But what if the era we are living through now is ahistoric?What ...

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The Cook Political Report @cookpolitical.com · 21d

There is a wide open, crowded field of both Democrats and Republicans vying to replace term-limited Gov. Janet Mills — but some candidates may get a leg up by virtue of their familiar last names.

Read more from @jessicataylor.bsky.social:

Family Matters in Maine Race for Governor

There is a wide open, crowded field of both Democrats and Republicans vying to replace term-limited Gov. Janet Mills — but some candidates may get a leg up by virtue of their familiar last names.

www.cookpolitical.com

The Cook Political Report @cookpolitical.com · 25d

Redistricting is the surprise campaign politics story of 2025. Follow all the latest developments with our Redistricting Tracker, accessible for free through September 23.

2025-2026 Redistricting Tracker: How Many Seats Could Flip?

For the past fifty years, states have almost always followed the norm of redistricting at the beginning of every decade following the Census. But when President Donald Trump successfully persuaded Tex...

www.cookpolitical.com

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The Cook Political Report @cookpolitical.com · 26d

If Republicans hope to defy history and keep control of the House next year, a strong performance in New York will be a major part of the equation.

Read this overview from @erincovey.bsky.social & Matthew Klein:

2026 New York House Analysis: Empire State of Mind

If Republicans hope to defy history and keep control of the House next year, a strong performance in New York will be a major part of the equation. Democrats have three vulnerable incumbents in the st...

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The Cook Political Report @cookpolitical.com · 26d

NEW podcast! The next shoe to drop in the redistricting race. Plus, can Dems finally oust Sen. Susan Collins in Maine? -with Carrie Dann, Matthew Klein, @jessicataylor.bsky.social & @erincovey.bsky.social.

Listen: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...

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The Cook Political Report @cookpolitical.com · 26d

Gubernatorial contests in New Jersey and Virginia will be key early predictors of the 2026 midterm environment.

Read Amy Walter's latest column:

Will You Be My Bellwether? What We Can (And Can’t) Learn From Off-Year Elections

The New York mayoral contest has been a hotbed of debate over the Democratic Party’s identity crisis. But those who follow politics closely know that gubernatorial contests in Virginia and New Jersey ...

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The Cook Political Report @cookpolitical.com · 27d

Want to stay up to date with the Redistricting Tracker after September 23? Subscribe to CPR today!

Login | Cook Political Report

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The Cook Political Report @cookpolitical.com · 27d

For a limited time, the paywall is down for our Redistricting Tracker! Free to access through September 23.

2025-2026 Redistricting Tracker: How Many Seats Could Flip?

For the past fifty years, states have almost always followed the norm of redistricting at the beginning of every decade following the Census. But when President Donald Trump successfully persuaded Tex...

www.cookpolitical.com

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The Cook Political Report @cookpolitical.com · 27d

It’s virtually impossible to see how Democrats can retake the majority in 2026 — or even 2028 — without flipping Collins’ seat.

Read @jessicataylor.bsky.social's latest analysis.

Mills Inches Closer To Challenging Collins in Maine, but Upstart Platner Looms Large

On paper, defeating Maine Sen. Susan Collins should be the most straightforward item on Democrats’ 2026 to-do list, given that she is the only incumbent Republican to represent a state which Vice Pres...

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The Cook Political Report @cookpolitical.com · 29d

Both parties have huge problems; those facing the self-doubting Democrats these days are more obvious and immediate, but Republicans have their own difficulties that are just as challenging.

Read Charlie Cook's latest:

What Assassinations Say About Our Politics

Political assassinations often either create or expose a vacuum in a political party or movement; the tragic death of Charlie Kirk is no exception. With President Trump in a second and constitutionall...

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