from States Newsroom
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By Robin Opsahl |
As the dust settles after a contentious Aug. 4 primary election day in Michigan, national Democrats are rallying behind the slate of nominated candidates in hopes of finding a path to the majority in the U.S. House and Senate through the Midwestern swing state.
After a grueling primary that saw attacks from Republicans and establishment Democrats alike, Abdul El-Sayed won the race to be the party’s nominee to face Republican former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers in the November general election for Michigan’s U.S. Senate seat.
El-Sayed’s victory, alongside other primary victories like 13th Congressional District nominee Donavan McKinney and 7th Congressional District nominee Will Lawrence, have given hope to the progressive wing of the Democratic voter base, with U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders saying, “the message here is that the days of a top-down party, I think, are finished.”
But some Democratic election watchers are concerned the progressive victories over more moderate candidates could make a path to victory more difficult for Democrats in Michigan in the general election. To help boost Michigan Democratic candidates, national figures are traveling to the state.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom visited Oakland County Sunday to support a pair of Democratic candidates hoping to flip swing seats in the Michigan House, and also said he plans to meet with El-Sayed on Monday in an effort to boost the support El-Sayed is receiving from outside of Michigan.
Former U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg also came to Michigan last week after the primary to knock doors in support of two Oakland County Democrats.
Though the national figures are officially coming to support Democratic candidates in the midterms, keep in mind: Michigan was one of the states expected to get approval from the Democratic National Committee to hold its presidential primary before Super Tuesday in 2028.
TOP IMPACT
The U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 25, 2025. (Photo by Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom)
By Shauneen Miranda | News from the States
The U.S. Senate adjourned for its summer recess early Saturday after approving a stopgap spending bill but declining to advance legislation that would require photo ID for voting.
In a rare overnight session that began on Friday, senators trudged through a slew of measures, confirmed President Donald Trump’s nomination of Todd Blanche as attorney general and then departed the nation’s capital for the coveted August recess. The chamber is not expected to return to regular session until after Labor Day.
A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer watches a crowd of protesters at Delaney Hall, a detention center, in Newark, New Jersey, on May 25, 2026. Employing new tactics, ICE arrested more people in July than in any previous month of the Trump administration. (Photo by Ben Ackman/New Jersey Monitor)
By Tim Henderson | Stateline
Federal immigration agents are employing new tactics — from arresting academics at airports to setting up a checkpoint at a popular creek in a national forest — to boost their arrest numbers, leading to more arrests in July than in any previous month of the Trump administration.
Though it is striving to fulfill the White House’s demand for more arrests, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is still falling short of the Trump administration’s announced goal of 2,000 arrests per day. And more arrests won’t necessarily translate into more deportations, said Colleen Putzel-Kavanaugh, an associate policy analyst at the Migration Policy Institute, a nonpartisan think tank.
BIG PICTURE
President Donald Trump on Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026 signed two new executive orders on birthright citizenship. In this photo, Trump addresses the nation from the East Room of the White House on July 16, 2026 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Saul Loeb/Pool - Getty Images)
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION, CONGRESS AND COURTS
USA: Trump again tries to curb birthright citizenship, following Supreme Court loss | News from the States
USA: Some Haitians targeted for ankle monitors by ICE as they face threat of mass deportation | News from the States
MN: During Operation Metro Surge, ICE arrested dozens of immigrant crime victims | Minnesota Reformer
TN: At CoreCivic, immigration crackdowns are good for business | Tennessee Lookout
KS: CoreCivic sells Kansas prison, leaving Leavenworth with oversight and financial questions | Kansas Reflector
MI: Tlaib introduces bill to prevent data sharing from TSA to federal immigration authorities | Michigan Advance
AZ: ‘Children are going to die’: Advocates decry migrant-child legal contract | Arizona Mirror
TX: Democrats in Congress, able to visit ICE lockups in Texas, describe grim conditions | Texas Tribune
NJ: NJ attorney general launches probe into embattled immigration detention center | New Jersey Monitor
USA: Price tag for Trump's DC deployment of National Guard: $1.4B more through 2029 | News from the States
USA: US employers shed 23K jobs in July | Stateline
USA: As Trump pushes for a massive $1.5T in defense spending, a few states brace for a windfall | News from the States
IA: Farm bill proposal fails in US Senate ag committee over SNAP error rate issue | Iowa Capital Dispatch
LA: Louisiana’s SNAP numbers drop, but not due to work requirements or citizenship | Louisiana Illuminator
OH: For more than 100K Ohio Medicaid recipients, worries build about the future of home care | Ohio Capital Journal
IN: ‘Powerless’: Indiana families describe the toll of losing Medicaid access | Indiana Capital Chronicle
ME: After months of GOP criticism, Maine shares details of Medicaid fraud enforcement | Maine Morning Star
AR: Arkansas seeks 2-year reprieve for state’s hybrid Medicaid expansion | Arkansas Advocate
NM: New Mexico Health Care Authority releases $50M to rural health care providers | Source NM
USA: Todd Blanche confirmed by the US Senate as attorney general; Collins, Murkowski vote no | News from the States
CAMPAIGNS, VOTING AND ELECTION LAW
VA: Campaign to enshrine voting rights in Virginia Constitution kicks off in Norfolk | Virginia Mercury
AL: Voting Rights Act commemoration comes with warnings after Supreme Court rulings | Alabama Reflector
MO: Referendum campaign asks court to block new Missouri map from November election | Missouri Independent
MD: Maryland Republicans file lawsuit challenging redistricting ballot question | Maryland Matters
AK: Alaska state elections attorney says it’s OK for candidates to temporarily conceal finances | Alaska Beacon
AK: Dark money group backing Senate Republicans launches network of fake news sites | Alaska Beacon
NC: North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson joins two dozen states in lawsuit over new Trump tariffs | NC Newsline
MO: Lawsuit seeks Missouri ballot spot for amendment limiting changes to voter-approved initiatives | Missouri Independent
FL: Amendment 3 rewrite is already underway, Gov. Ron DeSantis says | Florida Phoenix
AZ: ‘Sham’ Green Party candidates win primary races over party-backed write-ins | Arizona Mirror
MN: The primary election is Tuesday. Here’s what you need to know. | Minnesota Reformer
WI: Democratic candidates in gubernatorial primary discuss data centers | Wisconsin Examiner
TN: Blackburn advances to general election, first woman to win party nomination | Tennessee Lookout
MI: Brink, Maasdam join Lawrence for unity event after splitting moderate vote | Michigan Advance
KY: State of the race: GOP backs Comer for Kentucky governor as Dems must choose Beshear allies | Kentucky Lantern
TN: After Ogles’ primary defeat, Trump flips endorsement to Hatcher for Tennessee’s 5th District | Tennessee Lookout
FL: Who’s running for Florida’s CD 20? Inside the contentious Democratic primary | Florida Phoenix
IA: Iowa Libertarians to nominate new candidates Wednesday | Iowa Capital Dispatch
MO: Historic defeats for Missouri GOP priorities raise questions about what comes next | Missouri Independent
AR: Supporters of Arkansas direct democracy effort file suit over rejection of ballot measure petitions | Arkansas Advocate
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