It was a massive blowout for progressives up and down the ticket in Wisconsin on Tuesday night, capped by a rout in the race for the Supreme Court that saw liberals expand their hard-won majority. On this week’s episode of The Downballot podcast, co-host David Beard and guest host Joe Sudbay break down all of the top contests, as well as the special election for Marjorie Taylor Greene’s old seat, which saw another massive Democratic overperformance.

Beard then talks with G. Elliott Morris from Strength in Numbers about his new report on Donald Trump’s job approval broken down by congressional district, which shows Trump underwater in a huge number of Republican seats. Elliott explains how he produced this unique data set and tells us where Trump has lost the most ground—and with which groups of voters.

There are 36 races for governor in 2026, and many are shaping up to be highly competitive. On this week’s episode of The Downballot podcast, co-hosts David Nir and David Beard run through 10 of the most interesting races for governor across the country. They explain how the blue-leaning environment could help Democrats compete in red states and how ranked-choice voting systems could affect races in both Alaska and Maine.

The Davids also preview the Wisconsin Supreme Court race, a contest in which liberal candidate Chris Taylor looks like the decided favorite over her conservative rival, Maria Lazar. They discuss Democrats’ current structural advantage in races like these during the Trump era and consider the possibility of a dominant 6-1 progressive majority in 2027.

Democrats flipped not one but two districts in special elections on Tuesday night, and they managed it in Florida, of all places. On this week’s episode of The Downballot podcast, co-hosts David Nir and David Beard discuss how Democrats pulled off this most unlikely of feats in a state where their hopes have so often gone to die in recent years—and why Republicans should be particularly worried.

We’re also diving deep into Maryland politics with Baltimore Sun reporter Tinashe Chingarande, who explains why the Democrats’ hope of opening a new front in the redistricting wars ran aground in the Old Line State. But Senate President Bill Ferguson, the man who shut down any hopes of a remap, faces an unusual primary challenge that could end his long dominance over the legislature. Plus, the jam-packed race to succeed Steny Hoyer!