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Tennessee's primary elections on Thursday came after Republican legislators carved up the state's only majority-Black district in a bid to win all nine of the state's House seats.
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We speak with Dr. Abdul El-Sayed after his victory in Michigan's primary race for U.S. Senate sent shockwaves through the Democratic Party. El-Sayed, a former public health official, ran a progressive campaign focused on affordability, Medicare for All, getting money out of politics, and opposing Israel's genocide in Gaza. He defeated Congressmember Haley Stevens, who was backed by tens of millions in outside spending including by AIPAC, the powerful pro-Israel lobby group.
"In an era where many of us can't afford basic things like groceries or rent or healthcare, the idea that your government is sending your tax dollars to buy bombs and tanks for foreign governments seems anathema," El-Sayed says. "That money could be spent to fix your potholes, rebuild your kid's school."
El-Sayed says his focus now is on beating Republican nominee Mike Rogers, whom he calls a "bootlicker for Trumpism," and to present a positive vision for his party that can lead into the next Democratic presidential administration.
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Mr. Ogles, a two-term congressman, had held off primary threats before, despite controversy. But on Thursday, Charlie Hatcher, a former state agriculture commissioner, delivered an upset.
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Get live results and maps from the 2026 Tennessee primary elections.
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Get live results and maps from the 2026 Tennessee primary election.
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Two Republican lawmakers have endorsed a primary opponent of Representative Cory Mills, who has been accused of assault and is under investigation by the House Ethics Committee.
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Get live results and maps from the 2026 Tennessee primary election.
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Representative Andy Ogles received President Trump's endorsement, but his challenger, Charlie Hatcher, a former state agriculture commissioner, has the backing of Gov. Bill Lee.
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Racial and ethnic splits, and a wide lead among younger voters, were enough for Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, a progressive, to hold off Haley Stevens, a moderate, in Michigan's Democratic Senate primary.
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Surveys greatly overestimated how Dr. Abdul El-Sayed would fare in the state's Democratic Senate primary, revealing some typical polling challenges.
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