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RandySF's JournalWI-GOV: Brennan (D) launches gubernatorial bid, pledging to 'stand up to Trump's dysfunction'
Joel Brennan, a leader in the Milwaukee business community and a former Department of Administration secretary, today officially joined the Dem field for governor, vowing to confront growing costs and Donald Trump’s “chaos and incompetence.”
“I’ll be a governor who will stand up to Trump’s dysfunction and be laser focused on improving the lives of people across our state,” the president of the Greater Milwaukee Committee said in his roll-out video.
Brennan is now the 10th Dem to announce plans to run for guv, and other numbers feature prominently in his roll-out video. Brennan hasn’t previously held elected office and lost a 2003 Dem primary in a special election for the state Senate. He noted many likely weren’t familiar with him.
The numbers he ticked off in his video included the 10 siblings he grew up with, the five jobs he had to pay his way through college and the zero working blinkers on his first car. He also joked he combined to score 49 points with future NBA player Nick Van Exel when they faced each other in high school; Brennan said he accounted for eight of those points.
https://www.wispolitics.com/2025/brennan-launches-gubernatorial-bid-pledging-to-stand-up-to-trumps-dysfunction/
PA-01: Lucia Simonelli Give Democrats Another Option in the Congressional Primary
Lucia Simonelli is running against a growing field of Democratic candidates hoping to be the Pennsylvania’s First Congressional District’s (PA-01) chosen contender to unseat incumbent Republican Brian Fitzpatrick next year.
Simonelli, of Quakertown, said primary races with more than one candidate on the ballot provide voters with the biggest range of options. She also believes Upper Bucks County voters have been under-represented for far too long.
“I think there is a real potential to activate and have a strong primary election. Healthy competition for the one opportunity is valuable because the primary is part of the election process where we have a choice,” she said.
She added the best way to beat a “strong and popular incumbent” is to reach as many voters as possible.
https://buckscountybeacon.com/2025/12/lucia-simonelli-give-democrats-another-option-in-the-pa-01-congressional-primary/
Mapping Sherrill's dominant victory on N.J.'s legislative map
Assembly Democrats in New Jersey had reasons to be concerned this year. The Republican ticket was led by an experienced politician in Jack Ciattarelli, and anxiety over historical trends and polling accuracy led to a wary optimism entering Election Day.
The results of 2021 and 2024 posed a warning to legislative Democrats: Murphy had won a slim majority of 22 legislative districts in his re-election bid, while Kamala Harris secured 25 districts last year. Some Democrats feared a combination of Trump’s 2024 and Ciattarelli’s 2021 coalitions could sweep the latter to victory this year, and imperil many Democratic Assembly seats in doing so. (The State Senate wasn’t up this year, save for one special election in a blue seat.)
The anti-Trump wave, though, turned into a rip current, pulling districts thought to be solidly Republican into Democratic hands. Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill, the Democratic victor, flipped six legislative districts that Ciattarelli had won in 2021 (LDs 2, 4, 8, 11, 21, and 25), and came within 3% of flipping four more (LDs 3, 26, 39, and 40). Sherrill won 28 legislative districts — and came within a few points of carrying as many as 32, stretching the limits of the map.
In a year when everything had to go right for the GOP to have a shot at victory, nothing went right. South Jersey was central for Ciattarelli’s near-upset in 2021, but it was home to some of the biggest swings leftward last month. After winning the 1st legislative district by about 19 points in 2021, he won it by just 6 this year. He won the 2nd legislative district by about 7% in 2021, but he lost it by nearly 9% this year.
https://newjerseyglobe.com/legislature/mapping-sherrills-dominant-victory-on-n-j-s-legislative-map/
Kim will meet with Assembly freshman class
Senator Andy Kim will meet with the New Jersey Assembly’s freshman class next Monday, a meeting that comes amid Kim’s escalating battle with some of New Jersey’s most powerful Democratic bosses.
The virtual meeting is set to include the Assembly’s 12 incoming Democrats; no freshman Republicans were elected during last month’s blue wave election.
“Senator Kim is excited to be meeting with Assembly freshmen,” Kim spokesperson Anthony DeAngelo said. “He’s already talked with Governor-elect Sherrill and Lt Gov-Elect Caldwell, and is continuing to meet our state’s leaders stepping up into new roles.”
Politico first reported on the planned meeting earlier today.
https://newjerseyglobe.com/congress/kim-will-meet-with-assembly-freshman-class/
Hillsborough Democrats announce 2026 committee slate
Hillsborough Democrats announced their municipal slate for next year as they seek to flip the township committee from GOP hands.
The 2026 Hillsborough committee slate will consist of incumbent Committeewoman Samantha Hand and US Army Veteran and community volunteer Meghann Valeo. The Somerset County town is currently held by Republicans in a 3-2 margin, but Democrats in the town are looking to build upon their strong 2026 and wrest control from the GOP.
“We could not have two better candidates for Township Committee in Samantha and Meghann, two women who embody Hillsborough’s long history of community volunteerism,” said Hillsborough Democratic Organization Chair Michele Kidd. “Whether coaching youth sports, raising funds for our local fire departments, or fighting on foreign battlefields, Hand and Valeo have proven their commitment to public service.”
Last month, Democrat Jill Gomez defeated incumbent Republican John Ciccarelli 55%-45%.
https://newjerseyglobe.com/local/hillsborough-democrats-announce-2026-committee-slate/
NJ-02: Atlantic Democratic chair endorses Tim Alexander
Civil rights attorney Tim Alexander, now on his third campaign for New Jersey’s 2nd congressional district, got an important endorsement today from the man who leads the district’s largest Democratic organization.
Atlantic County Democratic Chairman Michael Suleiman said that of the four Democrats running against Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-Dennis), Alexander “has earned strong support and trust at the local level.” Suleiman cautioned, however, that his endorsement comes in his personal capacity, and the Atlantic County Democrats will be able to make their own decision when they hold their convention next March.
“Tim’s strong name recognition throughout the 2nd district, coupled with his grassroots support across all six counties, makes him a strong candidate to flip this seat,” Suleiman said in a statement. “I’ve known Tim and his wife Anna to be consistently tenacious advocates and organizers for downballot Democrats all across South Jersey. In speaking with Tim, he assured me that his campaign will adopt a more direct and no-nonsense approach to communication, while prioritizing fundraising efforts to support the effective delivery of his message.”
Alexander, a Galloway resident, received the endorsement of the Atlantic County Democrats during both his 2022 and 2024 campaigns, and is the early favorite to do so once again this year.
https://newjerseyglobe.com/congress/atlantic-democratic-chair-endorses-tim-alexander-in-nj-2/
NY-AD74: Keith Powers secures Democratic nomination for Assembly
Keith Powers is well-positioned in his bid to join the Assembly after securing the nomination from the Democratic county committee for the upcoming special election to succeed Harvey Epstein in Manhattan.
Roughly 170 members of the committee representing Assembly District 74 participated in the vote, which took place at the Sirovich Center for Balanced Living in the East Village Wednesday night. Powers, a term-limited City Council member, was declared the winner after only one round of voting, defeating three other candidates with around 60% of the vote. Also seeking the nomination was nonprofit leader Sarah Batchu, St. Vartan Park Conservancy President Kevin O’Keefe and Marquis Jenkins, a local district leader and director of advocacy for Housing Works.
While the actual special election isn’t slated to take place until late January or early February 2026, the committee’s vote was a pivotal part of the process to replace Epstein after he vacated his Assembly seat early to join the City Council earlier this month. As the Democratic nominee, Powers is all but guaranteed to win it. The district, which encompasses parts of the Lower East Side, the East Village, Stuyvesant Town-Peter Cooper Village, Gramarcy, Flatiron and Murray Hill, is heavily blue. The Republican county committee has yet to nominate its own candidate — and it’s unclear whether it’ll even do so. Others could theoretically get on the ballot as an independent if they gather enough signatures, though they’d face immense odds.
As a sitting elected official, Powers had a big advantage going into Wednesday’s meeting. Those odds were only further boosted earlier after Epstein endorsed him for the seat earlier this month. He also spoke in favor of Powers minutes before the vote, formally nominating him for the committee’s consideration.
https://www.cityandstateny.com/politics/2025/12/keith-powers-secures-democratic-nomination-assembly/410086/?oref=csny-homepage-river
In NJ midterms, Republicans have a recruitment problem
Democratic candidates in New Jersey are clamoring to run in what both parties see as competitive races in next year’s midterm elections. The same cannot be said for the GOP.
In a cycle when both parties have their eyes on the House majority, up to a dozen candidates are lining up to run on the Democratic side in key New Jersey congressional races, compared to just one or two from the GOP.
Political experts said the lack of candidate recruitment is a key indicator roughly a year out from the midterms that Republicans — who hold the White House, Senate and House — are anticipating a wave election, and not in their favor.
“ When you have a party that has lots of really good candidates jumping out of the gate and chomping at the bit, that's usually an indication that they think the party has good chances,” said Micah Rasmussen, director of Rider University's Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics. “When you don't see people coming out of the woodwork, that's an indication that the candidates believe that the party is not going to have as good a shot.”
https://gothamist.com/news/in-nj-midterms-republicans-have-a-recruitment-problem
Democrats question how court cases upholding Florida's congressional map warrant redrawing it
No congressional maps were presented at a second meeting of the Florida House’s redistricting committee. Now, Democrats are questioning why any would be drafted at all.
Andy Bardos, counsel for the House, told members that two key court cases contribute to a different legal landscape than when the Legislature last approved congressional lines in 2022. Most importantly, the Florida Supreme Court upheld that map, which was drawn by Gov. Ron DeSantis’ staff and broke up a seat previously held by a Black Democrat. The other case out of Louisiana awaits a Supreme Court ruling in the coming term.
Rep. Kevin Chambliss, a Homestead Democrat, questioned how the Florida Supreme Court upholding the existing map merited the reconsideration of new lines.
“That map was deemed constitutional,” Chambliss said. “If that was conclusive to an action, then that means that’s done. So then what is the reason why we’re doing it now? I’m confused, because it seems like there was a conclusion there based on the court case, and now we’re having a conversation where the second court case isn’t even finished yet.”
https://floridapolitics.com/archives/769219-democrats-question-how-court-cases-upholding-floridas-congressional-map-warrant-redrawing-it/
The DLCC Target Map 2026
The 2026 midterms are a historic opportunity to fundamentally shift the state legislative balance of power by capturing new majorities, supermajorities, and trifectas, while flipping seats in every chamber on the ballot and breaking GOP supermajorities.
The DLCC’s 2026 Target Map pinpoints where Democrats must focus our attention and resources to strengthen our firewall in state legislatures and counter the MAGA extremism of Donald Trump and the Republican Congress in Washington, D.C.
This progress can only be realized through well-funded campaigns across the country that drive voter enthusiasm with clear, affirmative messaging and vision. Majorities in many states could come down to just a few districts and a few votes per precinct and the DLCC’s national strategy to bring attention and resources to this fight will make all the difference.
Over the last decade, the DLCC’s data-driven, evidence-based strategy has won back 10 legislative majorities – nearly half of all Americans now live in a state with at least one Democratic legislative chamber. While Donald Trump and MAGA extremists control Washington, D.C., state Democratic majorities are holding the line and moving policy forward to improve lives and lower costs for families while protecting freedoms and expanding opportunities.
https://www.dlcc.org/the-dlcc-target-map-2025-2026/
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