I’m old enough to remember when Labor Day of an even-numbered year marked the unofficial start of campaign season. Well, times have certainly changed. It’s a so-called “off year,” it's the first week of August, and the midterms are already up and running.

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August 8, 2025

I’m old enough to remember when Labor Day of an even-numbered year marked the unofficial start of campaign season. Well, times have certainly changed. It’s a so-called “off year,” it's the first week of August, and the midterms are already up and running.

Everywhere we looked this week, signs of a massive mobilization toward the 2026 election were already evident. Strangely, this is all happening before candidates have even entered many key races. This isn’t normal — but then again, what even is normal anymore?

Traditionally, the party in power uses the first twenty months after an election to set a legislative and policy agenda. The first 100 days might focus on a signature piece of legislation, followed by a series of smaller but meaningful priorities. Only when those are exhausted — and the majority no longer needs cooperation from the minority — does the tone usually turn bitterly partisan.

But the second Trump administration is different. Aside from pushing through a massive, unpopular budget bill, Trump has shown little interest in enacting legislation. Instead, he prefers to govern through executive orders and social media posts.

This approach has...

This is a preview of The Week, a members-only newsletter from Marc Elias and a must-read for anyone tracking the fight for fair elections. In today’s edition, Marc breaks down:

- Trump’s pressure campaign for other states to gerrymander

- The 72-hour meltdown in Texas and what it signals for 2026

- Why Democrats may have a rare opening to flip 20+ seats

- What the DOJ’s secretive push for voter data could really mean

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