Where we’re fighting and why it matters

Aug 25, 2026

Trump and MAGA want 2026 to be the last competitive election, and they have a plan and a strategy to cement their power.  Mid-decade redistricting, now super-charged by the SCOTUS decision gutting the Voting Rights Act, federal review of voter rolls, and attacks on mail-in voting — this isn’t a series of isolated attacks. This is about the rightwing making it harder for you to vote them out.

How can we stop them? Through the power of state legislatures.

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State legislatures are where the power to protect your vote actually lives and where you can have an outsized impact.

The state lawmakers we help elect this November will be the ones setting the rules to protect your vote. We must win power in every state chamber where it is on the line.

BUILD OR DEFEND POWER

Outline of the state of Arizona

Arizona: The Path to a New Trifecta

Flip 4 House seats and 3 Senate seats to create a trifecta for lawmakers who believe elections should be decided by voters. Despite a 6-point shift toward the right in 2024, 15 of the 18 tipping-point seats we fueled were decided by under 5 points. The path is narrow, but it is winnable.

Outline of the state of Michigan

Michigan: Regain the Trifecta

Defend a one-seat Senate majority and flip 4 House seats to rebuild the state's trifecta. In 2024, the House flipped by margins under 5 points and returned to rightwing control. Reclaiming it is essential — and within reach.

Outline of the state of Minnesota

Minnesota: Rebuild the Trifecta

In 2024, Minnesota lost their governing trifecta by a single House seat — won by just eight votes. Even as state lawmakers introduce popular policies to protect Minnesotans from federal abuse, they don't have the power to pass them. This is the impact of losing elections. In 2026, defending the Senate majority and flipping the House back would restore the trifecta — and the power to deliver for Minnesotans.

Outline of the state of New Hampshire

New Hampshire: Flip One or Both Chambers, Build the Firewall

Despite being in the minority, New Hampshire lawmakers committed to improving lives have delivered — investing in rural hospitals, maternal mental health, and workplace protections for moms. In 2026, we see an opportunity to win back seats lost by thin margins in 2024 and flip one or both chambers.

Outline of the state of Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania: Protect the House, Flip the Senate

We believe building a new trifecta in Pennsylvania for the first time in more than twenty years is possible this fall. To do it, we must defend the narrow House majority and flip three seats in the Senate to flip the chamber.

Wisconsin: New Majorities to Power a New Trifecta

Flip two seats in the Senate and five in the Assembly to build the new majorities necessary for a new trifecta. The results in Wisconsin will have an impact far beyond the state’s borders, because with the power of a trifecta, state lawmakers could draw new district maps that yield at least two Congressional seats before the 2028 election.

BREAK UNCHECKED RIGHTWING CONTROL

Outline of the state of Iowa

Iowa: Break the Rightwing House Supermajority

Iowa's rightwing lawmakers have faced virtually no check on their power — passing one of the nation's most extreme abortion bans, gutting child labor protections, and stripping public schools of funding. Last August, we helped break the Senate supermajority in a special election. This November, breaking the House supermajority — and protecting the veto power of a potential new Democratic governor — is within reach.

Outline of the state of Montana

Montana: Protect the Cross-Partisan Coalition

A cross-partisan coalition of Montana lawmakers has blocked extreme rightwing overreach while delivering real results for Montanans — keeping Medicaid affordable for 75,000 people, improving public schools, and lowering costs for working families. This November, we're fighting to keep that coalition intact.

Outline of the state of Nebraska

Nebraska: Break the Rightwing Supermajority

Breaking the supermajority unlocks the power to filibuster, preserving a competitive congressional seat and a Democratic electoral vote in the 2028 Presidential election.

Outline of the state of North Carolina

North Carolina: Protecting Veto Power

Gain seats to better protect Governor Stein's veto power. Flipping just one Senate seat would end the rightwing’s supermajority, and winning at least one additional seat in the House would put the Governor’s veto on much firmer ground.

Ohio state outline

Ohio: Break the Rightwing Supermajority in the House

Rightwing supermajorities in both chambers have used their governing power to advance restrictive abortion policies and punish cities that enact popular, commonsense gun safety policies. Building on the wins we powered in 2024, this year we see a path to break the rightwing supermajority in the Ohio House by flipping six additional seats.

The States Project is investing in every state where we can win power for lawmakers who will protect the voices of voters in elections. But to achieve our goals in these elections, we must fully fund every competitive race.

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We have the tools, the data, the relationships, and the strategy to win the races that will achieve these power thresholds. What we need now is you.

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Right now, state legislatures are the only place where we can reimagine a better future for all Americans. Fuel our work to build governing power for state lawmakers committed to improving lives:

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