Democrats have run California for years. But in a nationally critical election, the party is being confronted by the limits of its own power: the race for governor is out of control. Barely a month before the start of mail-in voting, Democratic leaders are openly dreading the possible loss of a statewide election for the first time in two decades. No star has emerged from a muddled field of candidates for the state's premier job. Meanwhile the race has degenerated into finger-pointing over debate eligibility, identity politics and 2025 ballot counting — issues distant from voters struggling with soaring gas and food costs.
Vice President JD Vance has held the inaugural meeting of a new anti-fraud task force he's leading as the Trump administration seeks to show it's cracking down on potential misuse of social programs. Vance spoke Friday before the task force's closed-door meeting. The Republican vice president says the federal government for decades had not taken fraud seriously and it needed to be tackled with "a whole-government approach." President Donald Trump has made the crackdown on fraud part of a chief domestic focus as voters have said they're concerned about affordability ahead of November's midterm elections. Vance cites allegations of fraud in Minnesota, whose Democratic governor says Trump wants to "punish blue states."
The Supreme Court's conservative majority sounds skeptical of state laws that allow the counting of late-arriving mail ballots, a target of President Donald Trump. The court heard arguments Monday in a case from Mississippi that also could affect voters in 13 other states and the District of Columbia, which have grace periods for ballots cast by mail. An additional 15 states that have more forgiving deadlines for ballots from military and overseas voters also could be impacted. A ruling is expected by late June, early enough to govern the counting of ballots in the 2026 midterm congressional elections. The court challenge is part of Trump's broader attack on most mail balloting.
The U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear arguments over a Mississippi law that allows counting late-arriving mail ballots after Election Day. The high court on Monday will hear from Republicans and Libertarians who sued the state, arguing that federal Election Day statutes envision a single day for casting ballots, which would mean that grace periods for receiving mail ballots aren't allowed. The practice is a frequent target of President Donald Trump and allies who argue it delays vote tallies and leads to suspicions about the results, even though there is no evidence of fraud in late-arriving ballots. Grace periods for all mail ballots are allowed in 14 states, with an additional 15 granting extra time for military and overseas ballots to arrive.
By MICHAEL R. BLOOD and SOPHIE AUSTIN Associated Press
Does California's race for governor finally have a leader? The contest to succeed outgoing Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom is considered wide open. But a string of recent attacks on Rep. Eric Swalwell suggest his rivals might be getting antsy about him gaining ground in advance of a June primary. To listen to his competitors, he has a no-show job in Congress and he might not live in California. Swalwell has disputed those claims while picking up key endorsements from U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff and powerful labor groups. Mail-in voting begins in early May. A large Democratic field has raised the possibility of a surprise outcome.
Republicans have launched an unprecedented effort to hold the Senate floor and talk for days about a bill that they know won't pass — an attempt to capture public attention on legislation requiring stricter voter registration rules as President Donald Trump pressures Congress to act before November's midterm elections. The talkathon began Tuesday and could last a week or longer as Senate Majority Leader John Thune tries to navigate Trump's insistence on the issue and Democrats' united opposition. The legislation would require Americans to prove they are U.S. citizens before they register to vote and to show identification at the polls, among other new voting requirements.
