Frederick Douglass
Updates
The Midterm Primaries of New Jersey and New York
The future of the Democratic Party is being played out primary by primary across this great nation. We’re heading into the finals of the New York State primaries, with New Jersey results rolling in.
New Jersey Primary Results
June 3, 2026
Two hotly contested Democratic primaries in central New Jersey congressional districts are the state’s most-watched races . The 7th District is key to Republican control of the House, while the 12th features a dozen Democrats competing for a progressive’s seat.
Congressional District 7 In one of the nation’s most competitive House districts, Democratic voters have nominated Rebecca Bennett to challenge Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R-Westfield).
Bennett, a former Navy helicopter pilot touted by many Democrats as a top recruit, led in both polls and fundraising heading into today’s primary. But in the race’s final weeks, she had to overcome an influx of negative ads from a mysterious super PAC with ties to Republicans, in what was apparently a GOP effort to prevent her from reaching the general election.
Congressional District 12 Adam Hamawy, a progressive Democrat, wins House Primary in New Jersey. Dr. Hamawy, a U.S. Army veteran, has been an outspoken critic of Israel’s war in Gaza. His victory makes him the heavy favorite to win in November in the left-leaning district.
New Jersey’s Republican Senate primary: Justin Murphy has defeated Robert Lebovics, Richard Tabor and Alex Zdan in New Jersey’s 2026 primary election for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate. He’ll face Cory Booker in the fall.
The seat held by U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, a Democrat, tops the ballot, though he is unopposed. Four GOP candidates are competing to challenge him in the general election in November. Their odds are slim: New Jersey has not elected a Republican to the U.S. Senate since Clifford Case in 1972.
New York Primary (June 23)
NYC Primaries Updates
Incumbent Democrats in NYC are being challenged in much the same way as U.S. Representative Adriano Espaillat’s race in CD 13. Primary candidate Avila Chevalier’s campaign is seeking to replicate the magic of Mamdani’s campaign, turning out a small army of canvassers built from the same coalition of supporters — DSA members, rent-stabilized tenants and left-leaning Democrats furious about the war in Gaza — that helped increase turnout across the city last year.
The 12th Congressional Race to replace U.S. Representative Jerrold Nadler might determine if experience matters. Or does heir apparent candidate Micah Lasher’s two decades of public service at all three levels of government become a liability? “Democrats are in the process of reshaping the coalition, and it’s still unclear what that looks like and how that translates into races other than mayor … In some ways, experience isn’t the bonus that it used to be.”
The New York State Comptroller Race
Incumbent NYS Comptroller Tom DiNapoli has been in office since 2007. He is now being challenged by Drew Warshaw, a former nonprofit housing executive and Port Authority official, and Raj Goyle, an entrepreneur, attorney and former Kansas state legislator. They met in a recent Spectrum News debate and were able to debate issues such as hiking taxes on the state’s wealthy, affordability, a moratorium on data centers, housing, childcare and the Tier Six public pension plan reform.
The Office of the New York State Comptroller’ is responsible for fiscal oversight and management of the state budget, pension funds, and procurement . The position may sound tedious, but its influence is immense—the state budget alone tops $250 billion.The American Prospect offers a way to understand how Warshaw and Goyle visions diverge.
Across The Nation
May 19, 2026 Primary These are the result of key governor, senate and statewide races across the nation including California Kentucky, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Alabama, Idaho and Oregon.
June 2 2026 Primary Results for key races including California governor, California, Iowa, Montana, New Mexico, and South Dakota. This also includes mayoral and state races. 4 Election Takeaways From Iowa and Beyond .
The U.S. Senate Races In November
A total of 35 Senate seats will be on the ballot this November, with only 11 rated as remotely competitive by the Cook Political Report with Amy Walter. Democrats need a long shot sweep, a net gain of four seats to take control of the chamber.The question is which states to watch as the battle for Senate control heats up ahead of 2026 midterms
Immigration
New York
ICE’s raids and scare tactics have separated New York families, and ICE has leaned on local law enforcement and government agencies to aid arrests, detention, and deportations. Because of this, many immigrant New Yorkers and their families live with the anxiety that living daily life in the open and interacting with the government – whether in a police traffic stop, attending school, going to work, or visiting a public hospital for care – could lead to being torn away from family. Over half of ICE detainees at Brooklyn federal prison have no criminal record, documents show.
The New York for All Act, S.2235 (Gounardes) / A3506 (Reyes), helps immigrant New Yorkers lead more open lives and take care of family, preserves state and local resources for our communities, and ensures New York dollars cannot be diverted to carry out a cruel, politicized immigration agenda.
In the wake of ICE’s campaign of terror in Minneapolis, Governor Hochul introduced the “Local Cops, Local Crimes Act,” to temporarily end 287(g) agreements in New York. Her proposal is a start, but falls too far short of what’s needed. The New York for All Act has stronger, more comprehensive protections for immigrants. Learn about the differences between the New York for All Act and Governor’s Hochul’s proposed bill.
In the end, as expected, budget immigration protections fall short of full New York for All proposal. But to the chagrin of both immigrant rights advocates and lawmakers who have worked on immigration issues, the final budget language does not explicitly forbid all informal cooperation between federal officials and local law enforcement.
Gov. Kathy Hochul on Friday signed into law a set of sweeping protections for immigrant New Yorkers, including a ban on law enforcement officers wearing masks and a measure barring local police statewide from enforcing civil immigration laws. One law also bars Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from entering so-called “sensitive locations,” such as churches, schools and polling places. Another law allows individuals to sue ICE for alleged constitutional violations.
Additionally, a lawsuit brought by New York Civil Liberties Union, the American Civil Liberties Union, Make The Road NY and others resulted in a decision that Federal Agents can no longer make arrests in and around three Manhattan buildings where immigration proceedings occur. This brought an abrupt end to a practice under the Trump administration that enabled agents to take into custody individuals who follow requirements to appear before immigration judges.
New Jersey
Gov. Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey signed legislation to prohibit on-duty law enforcement officers, including immigration agents, from wearing masks. The initiative is part of a package of bills the Democratic governor enacted to protect migrant rights in New Jersey, which has the country’s second-largest percentage of immigrants after California. The Trump administration then sued over the ICE mask ban.
Demonstrators gathered outside Delaney Hall in Newark amid growing tensions as a reported hunger strike continued at the 1,000-bed immigrant detention center.
Demonstrations outside the Delaney Hall immigrant detention center in Newark have at times turned violent, with the authorities deploying tear gas and wielding batons as protesters resisted calls to disperse. The latest conflict began during the Memorial Day weekend as protesters rallied in support of detainees reportedly staging a hunger strike over conditions at the center. It escalated on the holiday, after New Jersey’s governor, Mikie Sherrill, a Democrat, joined the protest.
New Jersey sues Delaney Hall operator demanding access for full inspection. New Jersey on Tuesday sued the private operator of the ICE immigration detention center in Newark, alleging that state health officials were blocked from an inspection amid reports about spoiled food, unsanitary conditions and poor medical care.
Supporters of ICE and President Donald Trump’s immigration policies faced off against protesters calling for the detention center’s closing and due process protections for detainees. Even with Newark police and New Jersey state troopers on the scene to maintain order, exchanges between the two sides were often heated and personal. On a day of glorious spring weather, Americans’ deep divide on immigration policy was on full display.
Fighting ICE Across the Nation
Hound ICE to follow the rules – for construction and occupancy, for instance, or water and sewer use – just as a private business must. “They’re saying the reason why we’re doing this is not because we’re trying to avoid immigration law, but rather we just don’t have the capacity, and we have responsibilities to our residents and if more people come here, then that’s going to draw resources away,”
In Howard County, Md., a Baltimore suburb, authorities in February revoked a building permit for the conversion of a warehouse to hold hundreds of people suspected of breaking immigration laws. In Washington County, local government swayed a federal judge to delay work on another warehouse because of environmental and community concerns. In Georgia, in a rural enclave named Social Circle , plans for an ICE detention center were thwarted in February by a fast, cheap, low-tech approach: City Manager Erik Taylor ordered a lock on the property’s water meter.
What You Can Do
Volunteer or donate to national and local immigrant advocacy groups who defend and support immigrants in our communities.
New York Immigration Coalition
New Jersey Alliance For Immigrant Justice
Get Involved
Support your Primary candidate through canvassing, post card writing, phone banking, texting, fundraisers and signs.
Contact your local, state and federal representatives and let them know your thoughts on ICE and immigration policy.
Attend town halls, forums and demonstrations
Get involved in voter registration drives in your community. Vote.org, Rock the Vote and League of Women Voters take the lead in many communities. Turn up focuses on youth led voter registration drives. Get involved with postcard drives reminding registered Democrats to vote. Indivisible, Progressive Turnout Project, and Postcard to Voters are just a few.
Next Post: The Results of the NewYork Primary and an update on Litigation across the nation
Determined 