Senate races

South Dakota has its first Democratic contender for the state's open Senate seat in Rick Weiland, whose decision to run could set up a primary rematch between him and former Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin.

Markey leads Gomez 52-35 in the new Suffolk University/7 News poll.

Republican Gabriel Gomez is distancing himself from a group for which he once acted as spokesman, his affiliation to which has become a central line of attack for Democrats in the Massachusetts Senate race.
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Rep. Edward Markey (D-Mass.) is touting his work on telecom policy in his first ad of the general election campaign for Senate in Massachusetts.

West Virginia Secretary of State Natalie Tennant (D) leads the Democratic field for Senate in West Virginia; Rep. Shelley Moore Capito (R), the only announced contender for the seat, seems to have taken a hit in her popularity over the past few months.

Former U.S. Attorney Matt Whitaker’s (R) decision to run for Senate in Iowa makes him the first Republican to jump into what could be a potentially crowded field. 

But some Republicans in the state are far from thrilled about the party's options after a number of top-tier candidates took a pass on the race.

“I have a hard time, with this current field, seeing any of them winning the general election,” Craig Robinson, a former political director for the Republican Party of Iowa, told The Hill. “It's going to be difficult.”

Former Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown (R) leads every potential challenger in the Massachusetts gubernatorial race, according to a new poll.

The survey, from Public Policy Polling, could give Brown reason to find that race more appealing than challenging Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen in New Hampshire, a race in which he's expressed interest.

The congressman's decision deals a major blow to Democrats' hopes of picking up the seat.

Billionaire climate activist Tom Steyer may spend money to back Rep. Edward Markey (D-Mass.) in his race for the open Massachusetts Senate seat after supporting the liberal congressman in his successful primary fight.

Here’s what an aide to Steyer told Bloomberg about whether Steyer will get involved in Markey’s general election fight against Republican Gabriel Gomez:

“[T]he short answer is: It depends. . . . When climate is on the ballot through a significant difference between candidates, and local citizens want us to help them, we’ll thoroughly consider their request. In Massachusetts, a key will be whether Mr. Gomez stands with many cold-eyed realists in the military on the growing national security threat posed by climate change and fossil fuel dependence.

National Democrats are charging Rep. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), running for Senate in West Virginia, with hypocrisy for suggesting she cut back on spending in her own life while going on congressional trips to foreign nations.