Politics examines how power is won and constrained: election results and the coalitions they permit, party discipline, the arithmetic of a working majority, and the bargaining that precedes any significant vote. Analysis explains why an outcome was available rather than predicting the next one. Written for readers following government as a system.
Texas, North Carolina, and Arkansas held the cycle's first primaries on March 3, with Texas runoffs set for May 26 where no candidate clears 50 percent.
Alexandria Lucas · March 4, 2026
President Trump's February 24 address to a joint session of Congress lasted 1 hour, 47 minutes, and 40 seconds, the longest in history.
Henrik Larsen · February 27, 2026
Thirty-six states elect governors in November 2026, including open seats in California and New York and contested races across the industrial Midwest.
Alexandria Lucas · February 9, 2026
The first shutdown of 2026 closed February 3 when the House accepted a Senate package of five appropriations bills and a two-week Homeland Security stopgap on a 217–214 vote.
Alexandria Lucas · February 4, 2026
The 2026 map puts 35 Senate seats on the ballot, and both parties' paths to the majority run through a handful of contested states.
Alexandria Lucas · January 8, 2026