District of Columbia
Mayor
DC voters headed to the polls to select a new Democratic candidate for mayor for the first time in over a decade as Mayor Muriel Bowser is not seeking reelection. The election proved a contentious affair as seven candidates competed in the Democratic primary to replace the long-time mayor. The city’s strong Democratic voter base nearly assures that the primary winner will be the next mayor. The candidates included: Janeese Lewis George, Kenyan McDuffie, Vincent Orange, Hope Solomon, Ernest E. Johnson, Gary Goodweather, and Rini Sampath.
The new mayor is expected to have a major impact on DC’s relationship with the federal government moving forward. The two frontrunners ahead of election day, Janeese Lewis George and Kenyan McDuffie, bring different perspectives on this relationship. McDuffie is a more moderate Democrat viewed by many as an extension of Mayor Bowser while Lewis George is a self-described democratic socialist and often compared in the media to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D). McDuffie said he would take a “both-sides” approach when it comes to DC’s relationship with the federal government, working together when possible and pushing back where necessary. Lewis George has taken a more aggressive stance believing that “complying in advance is not an adequate strategy” and more must be done to protect DC residents. Both McDuffie and Lewis George said they would end relationships between the DC police and ICE and would organize broader movements towards statehood.
In the days leading up to election day, Trump stated that if Lewis George was to win, his administration would consider “taking back” DC and running it on a federal basis. In response, Lewis George indicated that “DC decides who will be the next mayor, not Donald Trump,” and that she will “fight tooth and nail to protect Home Rule and defend against MAGA federal overreach.”
This election also marks the first time that DC voters will vote using rank-choice. Voters are allowed to rank up to five candidates in order of preference. A candidate must receive more than 50% of first-place rankings to be declared the winner. If no one clears the 50% threshold, the lowest candidate gets dropped and the ballots are then redistributed based on voters’ next choice. This process continues until a candidate clears the 50% threshold.
While it is too early to call the race, Lewis George is well positioned to secure the nomination given the size of her lead over McDuffie: 52.8% to 36.6%. Lewis George is currently a DC Councilmember representing Ward 4. First elected in 2020, she has led legislative efforts to raise wages for early childhood educators, create jobs for construction and retail workers, end subminimum wage policies for restaurant workers, expand access to SNAP, and improve traffic safety around schools. Before her time in the DC Council, she served as DC Assistant Attorney General in the Juvenile Section of the Public Safety Division under DC Attorney General Karl A. Racine. Lewis George is running on a “people-first platform” that seeks to make DC safer and more affordable and creates a government that represents residents in all eight Wards. Her public safety plan relies heavily on prevention and intervention, calling to address mental health, expand youth programs, and create community safety hubs. Other policy priorities include implementing universal affordable childcare, lowering utility costs, addressing truancy and chronic absenteeism in schools, increasing housing supply across the city, and strengthening and expanding DC’s rent stabilization program.
Oklahoma
Governor
Oklahoma is electing a new governor as sitting Governor Kevin Stitt (R) is term limited. Given the state's strong Republican lean, the Republican primary is widely viewed as the decisive contest and saw a crowded field of nine candidates, although four led in polling and fundraising: Attorney General Gentner Drummond, former State Senator Mike Mazzei, former State House Speaker Charles McCall, and Chip Keating.
At the time of this writing, Drummond and Mazzei lead each with 26.3% and 26.0% of the vote, respectively. Because Oklahoma requires a candidate to win more than 50% to avoid a runoff, the two will face each other in a runoff.
Mazzei served 12 years in the Oklahoma Senate and later as Secretary of Budget for Governor Stitt. During his time in the legislature, he focused on fiscal responsibility, taxes, and economic growth. His campaign platform for governor centers on fiscal conservatism, lower taxes, government reform, and a socially conservative agenda. Policy priorities include eliminating property taxes for seniors and veterans, addressing foreign land ownership, education, and government accountability and efficiency. Mazzei earned his B.A. in government and politics from George Mason University. He also attended the College of Financial Planning. Mazzei was backed by a recent Trump endorsement and has heavily self-funded his campaign.
Drummond was sworn into the Attorney General’s Office after defeating then-incumbent Attorney General John O'Connor in the 2022 Republican primary and winning the general election. His top priorities have included combating illegal marijuana operations and organized crime, improving relations with Oklahoma’s tribal nations, addressing government transparency and anti-corruption efforts, and public safety. Drummond’s gubernatorial run emphasizes public safety, affordability, workforce development, and government accountability. His professional experience includes working as a senior attorney with The Drummond Law Firm and the principal shareholder and director of Blue Sky Bank.
The Democratic primary included House Minority Leader Cyndi Munson, former State Senator Connie Johnson, and political newcomer Arya Azma. Munson easily secured the party’s nomination with nearly 75% of the vote. She has served as Minority Leader since 2022 and has represented House District 85 - parts of Oklahoma City - since 2015. Munson has positioned herself as a pragmatic, center-left candidate. If elected, she hopes to increase public school investments, lower health care costs, and provide tax relief for Oklahomans.
The Cook Political Report rates the governor’s race as Solid Republican, and Larry Sabato’s Crystal Ball rates the race as Safe Republican.
Attorney General
This race is also an open-seat contest as Attorney General Drummond is running for governor rather than seeking a second term. The Republican primary race is between two well-known figures: former House Majority Leader Jon Echols and Oklahoma Secretary of Energy and Environment Jeff Starling.
In the end, Echols advanced to the general election with 55.0% of the vote. He represented Oklahoma City’s House District 90 from 2013 to 2024, serving as the Majority Leader for multiple sessions making him the longest-serving person in that role. In the legislature, Echols championed religious liberty, Second Amendment rights, and transparency in state spending, founding the Legislative Office of Fiscal Transparency (LOFT) to identify waste and inefficiency. If elected attorney general, his priorities include supporting law enforcement, resisting DEI policies, supporting private property rights, and promoting Oklahoma energy. Outside of politics, Echols is a small-business owner and attorney who has practiced criminal and family law. He founded Shelter Oklahoma Schools, a nonprofit that funded storm shelters for public schools.
Nick Coffey is the Democratic nominee after entering the race unopposed. As a federal prosecutor for the Western District of Oklahoma, he has spent the past several years leading some of the state’s most high-profile and complex prosecutions. He has expressed commitment to protecting families, defending constitutional freedoms, and tackling what he deems corruption in state government.
Treasurer
The Republican primary pitted incumbent Treasurer Todd Russ against term-limited State Auditor and Inspector Cindy Byrd. Byrd moved on to the general election with 61.7% of the vote. She has served as state auditor since January 2019. Prior to this Byrd worked for 20 years as a CPA at the Oklahoma State Auditor’s County Audit Division. She received her bachelor's degree in accounting from East Central University in Ada, Oklahoma, and subsequently became a certified public accountant. In her current position, Byrd has conducted audits at every level of government and identified hundreds of millions in misappropriated and wasted public funds. In 2023, she received the Dr. Tom Coburn Transparency in Government Award.
No Democratic candidate was advanced for Treasurer.
State Legislature
All 101 seats in the State House, and 24 of 48 seats in the Senate, are up for reelection. Nineteen house incumbents did not file for re-election in 2026, including Minority Leader Cyndi Munson who is running for governor. Three senate incumbents did not file for reelection.
Georgia
Georgia voters headed back to the polls yesterday to decide their Republican gubernatorial nomination. Health care executive Rick Jackson (R) and Lt. Governor Burt Jones (R) emerged from a field of eight candidates in the May 19 primary to advance to a runoff. Jones led the initial contest with 38% of the vote to Jackson's 33.9%, setting the stage for a closely contested rematch. In the end, Jackson overcame his initial deficit and climbed past Jones, securing the nomination with 52.6% of the vote.
Rick Jackson made a dramatic entrance into the gubernatorial race in February, spending $50 million of his own money on advertising. His campaign leans heavily on his foster care backstory, with priority for office being the passage of the Fostering Success Act, which would allow foster youth to attend public colleges and universities tuition-free. His policy agenda also includes using artificial intelligence to eliminate wasteful government spending, freezing property taxes and tuition at public colleges and technical schools. and cutting the state income tax in half within four years. He also supports term limits for all elected officials, strengthening Georgia's Parents' Bill of Rights, and expanding vocational pathways.
Jackson will face former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms (D) in November, in what will be a closely watched contest. Both the Cook Political Report and Sabato’s Crystal Ball have rated the race as a toss-up.