Welcome to the Tuesday, June 2, 2026, Brew.
By: Briana Ryan
Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day:
- A new congressional map is enacted in Louisiana, blocked in Alabama, and dead in South Carolina
- It’s Election Day in six states
- Washington, D.C., is holding its first mayoral election using ranked-choice voting
A new congressional map is enacted in Louisiana, blocked in Alabama, and dead in South Carolina
Nine states have now redrawn their congressional maps ahead of this year's midterm elections. Louisiana became the latest on May 29, when Gov. Jeff Landry (R) signed a new congressional map that redrew one of the state's two majority-Black districts. The new map could shift the state's U.S. House delegation from a 4-2 to a 5-1 Republican-Democrat split.
The Louisiana House of Representatives passed the map on May 28, 66-35, on a party-line vote. The Louisiana Senate passed it on May 29 on a 28-10 party-line vote.
Alabama could still join the list of states with new maps.
Alabama is currently still blocked from using a congressional map the Legislature drew in 2023. It drew that map after the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed a lower court ruling against a 2021 map that contained one majority-Black district. The Legislature’s remedial map drawn in 2023 was also blocked in federal court for still containing one majority-Black district. As a result, a court-appointed special master drew the districts that were used in the 2024 elections — and which are slated to be used again this year.
That’s because after the U.S. Supreme Court lifted injunctions against the 2023 map in light of its decision in Louisiana v. Callais, the case returned to the lower court for reconsideration. On May 26, the lower court again blocked the Legislature’s 2023 map as a racial gerrymander. The state appealed the following day, and Justice Clarence Thomas ordered plaintiffs to respond by June 1 at 4 p.m.
If Alabama's 2023 map is allowed to take effect, it could shift the state's U.S. House delegation from a 5-2 to a 6-1 Republican-Democrat split.
One state that will not enact a new congressional map ahead of this year's midterm elections in South Carolina.
On May 26, the South Carolina Senate voted 24-20 against ending debate on a new congressional map. Twelve Republicans joined 12 Democrats in voting against it. The state Senate then adjourned the special session, which Gov. Henry McMaster (R) called after the regular session ended May 14. The South Carolina House of Representatives previously passed the map 74-37 on May 20. The map would have shifted the state's sole Democratic-held district toward Republicans. Representative James Clyburn (D) has represented the district since 1993.
Based on the 2024 presidential election results, if Alabama's 2023 congressional map is allowed to take effect for this year's midterm elections, Republicans could net 10 congressional districts due to mid-decade redistricting efforts this year.
Click here to learn more about redistricting ahead of this year’s elections.
It’s Election Day in six states
Voters in California, Iowa, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, and South Dakota are headed to the polls today, June 2. Here's a look at the 13 battleground primaries that we're watching closely.
California
California uses a top-two primary system. In a top-two primary system, all candidates appear on the same ballot. The top two vote-getters, regardless of their partisan affiliations, advance to the general election.
Sixty-one candidates are running for the open governor's office, and the large number of Democrats could send two Republicans to the general election. There are 24 Democrats, 12 Republicans, one Libertarian, one Peace and Freedom candidate, and 23 no party preference candidates on the ballot. According to the Associated Press' Sophie Austin, Democratic Party leaders were initially concerned that the large number of Democrats would split the Democratic vote and allow two Republicans to advance to the general election. However, the odds of that happening decreased when one of the noteworthy Democratic candidates — Eric Swalwell — withdrew from the race and President Donald Trump (R) endorsed Steve Hilton (R). Xavier Becerra (D), Matt Mahan (D), Katie Porter (D), Tom Steyer (D), Antonio Villaraigosa (D), Chad Bianco (R), and Hilton lead in polling and media attention.
Nine candidates are running for the 4th Congressional District, in which there are generational and fundraising contrasts between the two leading candidates. As of May 13, Rep. Mike Thompson (D), who is 75 years old and has served in the U.S. House of Representatives since 1999, raised $3,482,591. Eric Jones (D), who is 35 years old and has never served in public office, raised $8,138,514.
Twelve candidates are running to succeed Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D) in representing the 11th Congressional District. Mission Local's Joe Eskenazi wrote, “Pelosi has held this seat since 1987. There hasn't been a serious and competitive race for two generations." Saikat Chakrabarti (D), Connie Chan (D), and Scott Wiener (D) led in fundraising, endorsements, and media attention.
Representative David Valadao (R), Jasmeet Bains (D), and Randy Villegas (D) are running for the 22nd Congressional District, in which there is an ideological divide between the two Democratic candidates. According to CalMatters' Maya C. Miller, there are contrasting views over which candidate could defeat Valadao in the general election in the "conservative-leaning, working-class district" — the moderate Bains or the progressive Villegas.
Eight candidates are running for the 40th Congressional District — one of two primaries this year in which two incumbents are running against each other due to redistricting. According to ABC7's Josh Haskell, Rep. Ken Calvert (R) represents 51% of the new district, and Rep. Young Kim (R) represents 35% of the new district. In addition to Calvert and Kim, Joe Kerr (D) and Esther Kim Varet (D) lead in fundraising and polling.
Four candidates are running for the 41st Congressional District, where a rematch is underway between the two leading candidates. Rep. Linda Sánchez (D), who currently represents the 38th Congressional District, is running against Hector De La Torre (D), whom she defeated 33% to 29% in the 2002 six-candidate Democratic primary for the 39th Congressional District.
Eleven candidates are running for the open insurance commissioner's office amid wildfires across the state that have affected insurance policies in recent years. Ben Allen (D), Steven Bradford (D), Jane Kim (D), Stacy Korsgaden (R), and Patrick Wolff (D) lead in media attention.
Sixteen candidates are running in the nonpartisan primary for mayor of Los Angeles — including Mayor Karen Bass and two leading candidates who are running to the left and right of her. Although Los Angeles mayoral elections are nonpartisan, Bass and Nithya Raman are Democrats. The Los Angeles Times' Steve Lopez writes that "Raman is to the left of Bass and the traditional left in Los Angeles." The third-leading candidate, Spencer Pratt, is a Republican running to the right of Bass. If a candidate wins at least 50% of the vote in the primary, they win the election outright. If no candidate does so, the top two vote-getters advance to the general election.
Iowa
Josh Turek and Zach Wahls are running in the U.S. Senate Democratic primary, which highlights a debate within the Democratic Party over which type of candidate is more electable in a general election. According to the Des Moines Register's Stephen Gruber-Miller and Brianne Pfannenstiel, "[Wahls] is seen as the liberal candidate. He argues that a union-supported progressive with a working-class message can cut through the noise and energize the Democratic base. ... Turek casts a more moderate image that his supporters believe will appeal to independents and disaffected Republicans."
Montana
Contested Republican primaries are taking place for 12 seats in the Montana Senate following the Montana Republican Party's April 2025 censure of nine Republican state senators. At the start of the 2025 legislative session, the nine Republican state senators voted with the chamber's Democrats to change the session's procedural rules. KTVH's Jonathon Ambarian wrote, "It was only the start of what became a session-long storyline, as that group of nine went on to vote against GOP leadership on numerous procedural motions and some key legislation."
Five of the nine Republican senators' districts are on the ballot this year. Of the five, one incumbent — Shelley Vance — is running for re-election, two — Jason Ellsworth and Bruce Gillespie — are running for the Montana House of Representatives, and two — Wendy McKamey and Russel Tempel — are retiring from public office. That group of four incumbents not running for re-election in the Senate accounts for 40% of the chamber's 10 retiring Republicans.
New Jersey
Rebecca Bennett, Michael Roth, Tina Shah, and Brian Varela are running in the Democratic primary for the 7th Congressional District — a district three independent race forecasters have rated the general election as a toss-up. In 2024, Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R) won the district by 5.4 percentage points, and Trump won it in the year's presidential election by one percentage point. In the 2025 gubernatorial election, Gov. Mikie Sherrill (D) won the district by 1.1 percentage points.
Thirteen candidates are running in the Democratic primary for the open 12th Congressional District, making it the most crowded U.S. House primary in New Jersey this year. Rider University's Micah Rasmussen said that the retirement of the district's incumbent, Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D), and the historical precedent that the incumbent president's party typically loses seats in the U.S. House in midterm elections have led to a large number of candidates. Susan Altman, Brad Cohen, Adam Hamawy, Adrian Mapp, Verlina Reynolds-Jackson, Shanel Robinson, and Jay Vaingankar lead in endorsements and media attention.
South Dakota
Governor Larry Rhoden, Toby Doeden, Jon Hansen, and Dusty Johnson are running in the Republican primary for governor, which could result in South Dakota's first primary runoff since the state adopted runoffs in 1985. The law states that a congressional or gubernatorial candidate must win at least 35% of the vote to avoid a runoff. If no candidate reaches that threshold, the top two vote-getters advance to a runoff. According to the University of Minnesota's Eric Ostermeier, none of the 32 congressional or gubernatorial primaries since the law's enactment have resulted in a runoff.
Click here to check out more about the elections we're following today, June 2. If you're a voter in one of these states, make sure to check out our Sample Ballot Lookup Tool before you get to the polls.
Washington, D.C., is holding its first mayoral election using ranked-choice voting
Later this month, on June 16, seven candidates will compete in the Democratic primary for mayor of Washington, D.C., in the city's first mayoral election using ranked-choice voting (RCV). In 2024, D.C. voters approved Initiative 83 73% to 27%, which established RCV for the city's elections and created a semi-open primary system.
This year also marks the city's first open mayoral race since voters elected Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) in 2014. Bowser is retiring from public office.
Janeese Lewis George (D) and Kenyan McDuffie (D) lead in media attention.
Lewis George has served on the D.C. Council since 2021. She is campaigning on building more housing, and her campaign website says she would "reform zoning laws, streamline the permitting process, and break down other barriers to building more housing all across the city and particularly near the Metro, schools, and parks.”
McDuffie served on the Council from 2012 to 2026. In his response to Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, McDuffie said he would focus on affordability: "I will put affordability at the center of utility regulation, requiring every major rate case to be measured by its impact on household budgets.”
The Washington Examiner's Rena Rowe wrote, "The matchup has emerged as a battle between competing visions for the district's Democratic Party. Lewis George has embraced a more progressive, left-wing message and drawn comparisons to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, while McDuffie has cast himself as a centrist Democrat closely aligned with Bowser."
Gary Goodweather (D), Ernest E. Johnson (D), Vincent Orange (D), Rini Sampath (D), and Hope Solomon (D) are also running in the primary.
Click here to read more about the primary for mayor of D.C. Also, if you're a D.C. voter, check out our Sample Ballot Lookup here to prepare for Election Day.
