作者： root

伊媒：美以袭击伊朗法尔斯省 酿35死

2026年3月2日 16:20 / 联合早报

据伊朗塔斯尼姆通讯社星期一（3月2日）报道，以色列和美国袭击伊朗南部法尔斯省，造成至少35人死亡。

特朗普对伊朗升级军事行动 分析：欲转移国内焦点

2026年3月2日 16:53 / 联合早报

近期，特朗普在国内连遭争议与政策挫败。分析认为，对伊朗升级军事行动更像一场“转移性战争”，旨在转移舆论压力。 （路透社）

在国内丑闻缠身、政策受挫之际，美国总统特朗普突然升级对伊朗的军事行动。有分析认为，这不仅是一次地缘政治决策，更是一场带有明显政治动机的“转移性战争”，试图以外部冲突重塑舆论焦点，压过国内争议。

英国《卫报》评论员奇维斯（Christopher Chivvis）撰文指出，当前局势与2003年伊拉克战争前夕存在令人警惕的相似之处。

当年，美国在尚未充分回答“是否应该开战”的前提下仓促入侵，结果付出沉重代价。如今，华盛顿同样在缺乏公开审慎辩论的情况下，将军事行动推向以政权崩溃为目标的方向，却几乎没有认真评估战争是否必要，以及能否带来稳定的政治结果。

奇维斯认为，特朗普的决策逻辑并非围绕长期战略展开，而更偏向于展示力量本身。在这种思维框架下，军事行动不再是服务于战略目标的工具，而成为吸引注意力、塑造强硬形象的手段。战争的政治效果，甚至比战争的实际结果更为重要。

这一判断并非脱离背景。近期，特朗普面临多重国内压力，包括公民权利争议、已故性罪犯爱泼斯坦档案风波，以及最高法院否决他关税政策的法律依据。

肯塔基州众议员马西（Thomas Massie）日前在社交平台X上发文指出，这场战争无法转移他推动司法部公开所有与爱泼斯坦相关文件的努力。

他说：“温和轰炸地球另一端的一个国家，也无法让爱泼斯坦档案消失，这就像道琼斯指数涨到五万点也不会让问题消失一样。”

奇维斯指出，特朗普在此情势下升级对外冲突有助于重置公共议程，将国内焦点转移至国家安全与对外威慑。

文章进一步提醒，即便短期内军事打击削弱伊朗军力，也难以保证出现稳定的政治继任结构。冷战后多次干预的经验显示，削弱中央权威往往带来长期碎片化与权力真空，而非自动过渡至更可持续的秩序。军事力量擅长摧毁，却未必擅长重建。

此外，冲突升级或冲击海湾航运与能源市场，推高油价；伊朗局势若失控，也可能引发新一轮人道危机与难民外溢效应。在美国同时应对亚洲战略竞争与欧洲安全承诺之际，另一场长期中东冲突势必分散资源，削弱整体威慑力。

奇维斯总结指出，威慑不仅建立在实力之上，也依赖可预测性与联盟凝聚力。若外交政策由表演驱动，而非战略思考主导，即便初期看似强势，也可能在长远中削弱国家实力。历史已经表明，为展示而发动的战争，往往难以善终。

澳大利亚不介入美伊冲突 排除部署部队 | 联合早报

发布/2026年3月2日 17:18

澳大利亚不介入美伊冲突 排除部署部队

澳外交部长黄英贤明确表态，澳洲并非中东问题的核心国家，不会参与针对伊朗的任何打击行动，并排除在冲突升级情况下向中东部署部队的可能性。 （路透社）

澳大利亚称，不会参与针对伊朗的任何军事行动，并排除在冲突升级情况下向中东部署部队的可能性。此前，以色列对德黑兰发动新一轮空袭，伊朗则以更多导弹袭击作为回应。

伊朗最高领袖哈梅内伊于2月28日在袭击中身亡，美国方面也报告在这场战争中首次出现美军伤亡。美国总统特朗普暗示，冲突可能还将持续四周。

澳大利亚外交部长黄英贤星期一（3月2日）表明，堪培拉不会介入。

她对澳洲媒体第九频道（Channel Nine）说：“澳大利亚并非中东问题的核心国家。我们没有参与这些打击行动，也不预计未来会参与。”

黄英贤称，澳洲政府正与航空公司商讨，协助滞留在中东地区的澳大利亚人，但她承认，在中东地区大部分空域关闭的情况下，撤离计划将面临困难。

延伸阅读

伊朗报复波及周边国家 迪拜等国际机场遇袭
美伊冲突各国表态疾呼克制 全球和平再增变数

她指出，约有11万5000名澳洲人身处中东，最可行的回国方式仍是在商业航班恢复运行之后。她拒绝透露政府是否正计划安排包机撤侨。

中东是澳洲人前往亚洲和欧洲的重要航空枢纽。3月2日，当地空中交通依然受阻，阿提哈德航空（Etihad Airways）和阿联酋航空（Emirates Airline）已取消部分自澳洲出发的航班。

伊朗：美以袭击致555伊朗人死亡

2026-03-02T09:19:06.000Z / 来源：新明日报

伊朗红新月会星期一（3月2日）发布公告说，555名伊朗人在美国和以色列的袭击中遇难。

伊朗首都德黑兰时间2月28日上午，美国和以色列联手对伊朗发起大规模军事行动。伊朗随后对美国在海湾地区的军事基地和以色列发起还击，一些中东国家遭到波及。

美国总统特朗普星期一宣布，针对伊朗的军事行动可能还将持续四周左右。

Eight US Senate races to watch in the 2026 midterm elections

March 2, 2026 11:04 AM UTC / Reuters

WASHINGTON, March 2 (Reuters) – Democrats face an uphill battle to capture the U.S. Senate in the November midterm elections, as Republicans are defending just two seats seen as competitive by nonpartisan analysts and hold a 53-47 majority. Democrats are defending four competitive seats and would need to pick up another four to take the majority. Elections will be held for 35 of the chamber’s 100 seats this year.

TEXAS
—–

Texas has been a Republican stronghold for generations, but a messy primary could put a Senate seat at risk. Incumbent Senator John Cornyn, a traditional establishment conservative, is trailing populist Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in opinion polls, and the presence of a third candidate, Representative Wesley Hunt, could push Tuesday’s primary to a May 26 runoff if no candidate wins an outright majority.

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Paxton has a loyal following among conservative activists, thanks to his attacks on Texas immigration groups and what he calls illegal voting, and he appears to be the frontrunner despite a series of personal and professional scandals. He has won three statewide elections, most recently in 2022, but analysts say a primary victory could make the state more open to a Democratic upset.

The Democratic primary faces a marquee matchup between Representative Jasmine Crockett, a partisan warrior with an in-your-face style, and state Representative James Talarico, a Presbyterian seminarian who is aiming to appeal to more moderate voters. Analysts say Crockett could appeal more to Democratic primary voters but would have a harder time winning a general election.

NORTH CAROLINA
————–

Democrats have an opportunity to pick up an open seat in North Carolina, where Republican Senator Thom Tillis is opting to retire after clashing with Trump over immigration, the Federal Reserve and fiscal matters.

The state’s moderate former Democratic Governor Roy Cooper is favored to win Tuesday’s primary, while Republicans have lined up behind Michael Whatley, who previously led the party’s political arm as chairman of the Republican National Committee. Trump has endorsed him.

Analysts see the race as one of the most competitive this year.

ALASKA
——

Though this northern outpost usually elects Republicans, this year’s Senate race could be competitive as former Democratic Representative Mary Peltola seeks to unseat incumbent Republican Senator Dan Sullivan.

Sullivan has held the seat since 2015 and should be favored to secure another term in a state that Trump won by 14 points in the 2024 election.

While Sullivan is a mainstream conservative Republican, Alaskans have also repeatedly shown a willingness to back more moderate candidates, such as Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski.

Peltola, another moderate, has demonstrated the ability to win a statewide race. She became the first Alaska Native elected to Congress in 2022 and narrowly lost her seat in 2024.

MAINE
—–

Five-term Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine is no stranger to a competitive election. As chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, she oversees government spending levels, a job that has also led to clashes with the Trump administration this year.

A party moderate, she is deemed the Republicans’ best chance at holding the seat. Her challenger is likely to be either the state’s current Democratic governor, Janet Mills, or the progressive rival, Graham Platner, who will face off in a June 9 primary.

Mills, 77, is older than Collins, 72, and would be the oldest senator ever elected to a first term. The Democratic base cheered Mills when she stood up to Trump in defense of transgender rights. Platner is an oysterman and Marine Corps veteran running on a populist message, though controversies over past online comments and a tattoo that resembled a Nazi symbol have highlighted his political inexperience.

GEORGIA
——-

In the four competitive Senate races that Democrats need to defend, two are in states with Republican governors, underscoring the political challenge. Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff is running for reelection in Georgia after flipping the seat in an early 2021 runoff.

Ossoff, 38, is the youngest current senator. He has focused on issues relevant to his state, such as leading the fight against cuts to the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Trump has not endorsed anyone ahead of the May 19 Republican primary, extending the three-way competition between U.S. Representatives Mike Collins and Buddy Carter, and the Republican governor’s pick Derek Dooley, an attorney and former college football coach.

NEW HAMPSHIRE
————-

Democrats will need to defend an open seat here as three-term Senator Jeanne Shaheen is retiring. The New Hampshire race’s three main contenders are familiar to the state’s electorate, famous for civic engagement.

Both Republican candidates in the September 8 primary have already served in the Senate. John E. Sununu represented the state for one term until he lost in 2008, and Scott Brown served between 2010 and 2013, representing neighboring Massachusetts. Trump has endorsed Sununu.

On the Democratic side, Representative Chris Pappas, a four-term centrist, would be the first openly gay man elected to the Senate.

OHIO
—-

Formerly a swing state, Ohio has steadily trended to the right over the past decade, ousting long-serving Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown in 2024.

Brown is running again, hoping he will fare better in a year when Trump is not on the ballot.

But he faces a tough opponent in incumbent Republican Senator Jon Husted, who served as secretary of state and lieutenant governor before he was appointed to the Senate to fill Vice President JD Vance’s seat.

MICHIGAN
——–

With Senator Gary Peters retiring, both parties have a chance to win a Senate seat in this midwestern battleground state.

Multiple Democrats, spanning the party’s ideological spectrum, are running in the August 4 primary. Four-term Representative Haley Stevens is courting her party’s leadership, as Michigan state Senator Mallory McMorrow and Abdul El-Sayed, a progressive activist, try to show they can break the establishment mold.

Trump endorsed former longtime U.S. Representative Mike Rogers for his second Senate campaign. The Republican served in the Army, worked in the FBI and ran unsuccessfully for the Senate in 2024.

Reporting by Andy Sullivan and Bo Erickson; Editing by Scott Malone and Cynthia Osterman

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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美以空袭伊朗 东京股市重挫

发布/2026年3月2日 17:57

受美以空袭伊朗事件影响，日本东京股市两大股指星期一（3月2日）显著下跌，日经股指一度跌超1500点，市场普遍担忧国际油价飙升将拖累全球经济增长。 （彭博社）

日本东京股市两大股指星期一（3月2日）显著下跌。日经225种股票平均价格指数收盘下跌1.35%，东京证券交易所股票价格指数下跌1.02%。

新华社报道，受上周最后一个交易日纽约股市三大股指下跌及美以军事打击伊朗影响，东京股市两大股指2日低开。上午交易时段，日经股指一度跌超1500点。随后跌幅有所收窄，大盘呈现涨跌互现的拉锯态势。一些市场分析人士认为，由于市场担忧国际油价飙升拖累世界经济增长，投资者普遍持观望态度。

至收盘时，日经股指下跌793.03点，收于58057.24点；东证股指下跌40.26点，收于3898.42点。

从板块看，东京证券交易所33个行业板块多数下跌，航空运输业、证券及商品期货交易业、银行业等板块跌幅靠前；矿业、有色金属、海洋运输业等板块上涨。

伊媒：伊朗导弹袭击以色列总理办公室

发布时间：2026年3月2日 18:30
来源：联合早报

据伊朗迈赫尔通讯社星期一（3月2日）报道，伊朗武装部队使用“霍拉姆沙赫尔-4”导弹袭击了以色列总理的办公室和以色列空军司令部，“造成严重破坏”。

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Trump presses ahead with Iran war despite warnings of political risk for midterms

2026-03-02 / Reuters

By Nandita Bose, Gram Slattery and Bo Erickson

March 2, 2026 11:05 AM UTC Updated 9 mins ago

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U.S. President Donald Trump gestures as he boards Air Force One at Palm Beach International Airport in West Palm Beach, Florida, U.S., March 1, 2026. REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

• Summary

• White House sources said there was extensive debate about how the Iran operation could impact Republicans’ midterm hopes
• Advisers want Trump focus on domestic affairs, not foreign policy
• Anticipated messaging pivot to focus on healthcare, affordability before midterms delayed once again
• Long-term political impact of attack will depend on how conflict plays out in coming weeks

WASHINGTON, March 2 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump pressed ahead with military strikes against Iran despite private warnings from senior aides that the escalation could be difficult to contain and carry political risks for Republicans in November’s midterm elections, according to two senior White House officials and a Republican close to the administration.

The large-scale attack has drawn near-unanimous praise from foreign policy hawks in Washington, who have long dreamed of toppling the authoritarian regime in Tehran. But some White House officials worry the foreign policy gamble may derail Republican chances of holding onto control of Congress at a time when war-wary voters are more concerned with the cost of living than conflicts abroad.

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Before the strikes, Trump repeatedly sought briefings on how the military action could allow him to project strength domestically, the senior White House officials said. Top aides cautioned that U.S. intelligence did not provide a clear guarantee that escalation could be avoided once strikes began and that the administration risked tying its political fortunes to an unpredictable aftermath.

Trump ultimately sided with those who believed decisive action would show him as a strong leader, even if it carried long-term risks, the officials said.

None of those officials expect immediate political fallout. Instead, they expect what one described as a “slow‑burn effect,” driven by the duration of the conflict, scope of retaliation, number of American casualties and impact on gas prices.

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A Reuters/Ipsos poll on Sunday showed only one in four Americans approved of the U.S. strikes that killed Iran’s leader. About half of the respondents — including one in four Republicans — said they believe Trump is too willing to use military force. The poll closed before the U.S. military announced the first American casualties in the operation.

“The President’s decision to launch Operation Epic Fury is one that presidents of both parties have contemplated for more than fifty years, but none had the courage to execute,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement. “Right now, the White House’s main priority is working alongside the Pentagon and the interagencies to ensure the continued and ultimate success of the operation.”

FOCUS ON ECONOMY AGAIN DEFIED

With public sentiment in mind ahead of the midterms, White House officials and Trump advisers had been urging the president to focus on the topics that are top of mind for Americans, like healthcare and affordability, as he did in the State of the Union address four days before the attack.

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The weekend strikes underscored how quickly that strategy has failed, at least for now. The president said in Sunday interviews the Iran operations are expected to be a four- to five-week process, and he continued to brace the country for more American deaths after the U.S. military announced three service members had been killed.

“The juxtaposition between a successful State of the Union address that focused on affordability and the economic issues that voters care about and going to war in the Middle East days later is not just whiplash-inducing, it’s head-spinning,” said Rob Godfrey, a Republican strategist.

“Making midterm voters comfortable with that juxtaposition will be one of the most important things that the White House needs to undertake in the next few weeks.”

One informal Trump adviser, who has been to the White House in recent days, argued that the main electoral danger lies not with middle-of-the-road or independent voters, but with members of Trump’s MAGA movement, for whom non-interventionism was a key part of the president’s pitch during the 2024 campaign.

Many of those voters could simply stay home during the midterms, during which voter turnout already tends to be low, the adviser said.

With 58% of Americans disapproving of Trump’s performance in office, according to a February Reuters/Ipsos poll, Republicans will need heavy turnout among core supporters to fend off Democratic gains that could flip control of the U.S. House of Representatives and maybe even endanger the Republican stronghold in the Senate.

COMPETITIVE HOUSE RACES MORE VULNERABLE

White House aides are modeling how a prolonged military engagement in Iran, casualties and higher fuel costs could erode public support in competitive congressional districts, the White House officials said.

The White House believes competitive races in the House, where Republicans hold a narrow majority, are far more at risk from fallout from Iran than the Senate map, the sources said.

The White House political models show dozens of swing districts where even modest voter skepticism could prove decisive, or at least force vulnerable Republican representatives – such as Colorado’s Gabe Evans, Wisconsin’s Derrick Van Orden and Pennsylvania’s Rob Bresnahan – to vote on thorny war-powers resolutions and answer questions about a widening conflict abroad when they want to be focused on domestic issues like the cost of living.

A senior Republican operative working to hold onto the party’s congressional majorities said foreign intervention carries more political risk than upside for Trump. Foreign policy victories oftentimes do not register with voters, though foreign policy quagmires typically do.

“Unless this operation goes bad, voters, especially for the midterms, don’t care about foreign policy,” the operative said.

Trump’s capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro in a raid last month prompted little political blowback and resulted in no American deaths. However, since that operation in early January, Trump’s approval rating dropped from 42% to 39%, according to the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll.

Analysts said a short-lived war that results in Iran giving up its nuclear program and installing new leaders would be received more positively than a protracted conflagration in which many Americans die.

Interviews with Trump supporters show that – even as a sizeable minority are wary of his growing penchant for foreign intervention – many are willing to go along with his transformation from self-declared “peacemaker” to aggressive military tactician.

“This totally blindsided me, I didn’t even know this was even being thought about,” said BJ Moore, an 83-year-old Trump voter from Atlanta, Georgia, about the Iran operation. “No one wants to be involved in a war, but Iran just killed thousands of their own people, so I’m fine with what Trump did.”

Reporting by Gram Slattery in Murren, Switzerland, Bo Erickson in West Palm Beach, Florida, and Nandita Bose in Washington; Editing by Colleen Jenkins and Stephen Coates

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Photos showing last moments of men executed by Nazis acquired by Greece after appearing on eBay

March 2, 2026 / 6:12 AM EST / CBS/AFP

Greece has acquired a trove of World War II photographs showing the last moments of 200 men executed by German soldiers following the assassination of a Nazi general, the culture minister said Saturday.

The collection includes 262 photographs, 16 documents and four contemporary banknotes. The photographs are believed to have been taken by a German soldier who had also served in Belgium and France.

“The transfer of ownership of the photographic collection… has been completed,” Lina Mendoni said in a statement.

The ministry had previously said they showed “the last moments” of 200 communists executed at an Athens shooting range on May 1, 1944.

Twelve of the photographs had appeared on the eBay site Crain’s Militaria earlier this month before being taken down.

They had provoked strong emotions in Greece, especially among relatives of the victims.

Greece acquired a trove of World War II photographs showing the last moments of 200 men executed by German soldiers. Greece Culture Ministry

Ministry officials then traveled to Belgium to meet the collector who put them for sale and verify their authenticity.

Some of the images had received bids worth more than $2,000 before Belgian collector Tim de Craen took them down, France 24 reported.

“I fully understand that these photographs are of a particularly sensitive historical nature,” he told Greek newspaper I Kathimerini.

The executions followed the killing of a German general and his staff by communist guerrillas a few days earlier.

Greece was under Nazi occupation from 1941 until 1944.

Most of the executed men had been arrested years earlier during anti-communist raids by the police of Greek dictator Ioannis Metaxas.

Until now, the only testimony of the 200 victims’ final moments were from handwritten notes they threw out of the trucks taking them to the execution site.

One of the pictures shows the men marching through a field. Others show them standing against a wall at the shooting range.

Greece acquired a trove of World War II photographs showing the last moments of 200 men executed by German soldiers. Greece Culture Ministry

The most dramatic photograph shows several of them looking defiantly into the camera. Two of them appear to be singing.

“The photographs shocked me,” Polymeris Voglis, a university professor in social history in Greece, told France 24. “Although the execution of 200 resistance fighters is a well-known historical event, until now there has been no photographic evidence of it.”

“Some of the photographs show the faces of the men, reflecting their determination as they walk proudly towards the firing squad,” Voglis told the outlet.

Ten US House races to watch in 2026

By Andy Sullivan
March 2, 2026 11:06 AM UTC Updated 19 mins ago

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A view of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 29, 2025. REUTERS/Ken Cedeno Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

WASHINGTON, March 2 (Reuters) – Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives will defend a narrow majority in the November midterm elections, while Democrats hope to pick up enough seats to win control of the chamber, which would give them the power to investigate President Donald Trump’s administration.

Voters will select candidates in party primary elections over the next several months. Some of these races could provide clues about the direction of each party and the competitiveness of the overall election.

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Here are some races to watch in the coming months:

TEXAS 23RD DISTRICT: A SCANDAL-TARRED INCUMBENT VS. A RIGHT-WING INFLUENCER (MARCH 3)

Republican Representative Tony Gonzales is battling a late-breaking scandal as he tries to hold off a challenge from right-wing YouTube personality Brandon Herrera.

Local media have published text messages indicating Gonzales had an affair with a staffer who died by suicide last year. Gonzales faces an ethics investigation in Congress and several of his colleagues have called on him to resign. He has denied wrongdoing, but the allegations will not help his primary battle with Herrera, who came within 350 votes of unseating him in the 2024 primary.

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Herrera, a gun company owner who calls himself “the AK Guy,” has joked about veteran suicide and the Holocaust on his YouTube channel. The sprawling district, which stretches from San Antonio to El Paso, is solidly Republican, but analysts say it could potentially become competitive in November.

TEXAS 2ND DISTRICT: THE RIGHT TARGETS A VETERAN (MARCH 3)

Republican Representative Dan Crenshaw, a combat veteran who lost an eye in Afghanistan, has a solidly conservative track record but has been targeted by right-wing media for his support of Ukraine and his vote to certify Trump’s 2020 election defeat. He is the only Republican House incumbent in Texas not to win Trump’s endorsement this time.

Crenshaw is being challenged by Steve Toth, an ordained pastor who is one of the most conservative members of the Texas Legislature. If he unseats Crenshaw, that would send a warning to other Republicans who occasionally break with Trump.

TEXAS 21ST DISTRICT: TEIXEIRA AT THE PLATE (MARCH 3)

Former Major League Baseball star Mark Teixeira is the front-runner in a crowded field to fill an empty seat representing the Hill Country between Austin and San Antonio. Teixeira won a World Series ring with the New York Yankees but has never held elected office. He is backed by Trump, Texas Governor Greg Abbott, and several senior House Republicans. But with more than 10 candidates vying for the Republican nomination, Teixeira may not clear 50%, setting up a May 26 runoff.

TEXAS 15TH DISTRICT: THE SINGER VERSUS THE EMERGENCY ROOM DOCTOR (MARCH 3)

Democrats are excited about the candidacy of Bobby Pulido, a Tejano music star hoping to oust incumbent Republican Representative Monica De La Cruz. But he faces a tough challenge from fellow Democrat Ada Cuellar, an emergency-room doctor who is arguing that Pulido does not support abortion rights strongly enough. Pulido says he is personally opposed to abortion but thinks it should be legal.

TEXAS 18TH DISTRICT: AL GREEN’S SWAN SONG? (MARCH 3)

Democratic Representative Al Green has served in Congress since 2005, but he’s perhaps best known for literally standing up to Trump – most recently during last week’s State of the Union speech, when he was escorted out of the chamber for holding a sign that said “Black people aren’t apes” in a protest of a racist video Trump’s White House had posted.

Green’s career might soon come to an end, as Democratic voters have pressured aging leaders to step aside after former President Joe Biden’s ill-fated 2024 reelection bid.

After a Republican-led redistricting, Green now must win a primary against fellow Democratic Representative Christian Menefee in the same downtown Houston district. Polls show Menefee, 37, leading by a wide margin.

NORTH CAROLINA 1ST DISTRICT: REPUBLICANS VIE FOR A COMPETITIVE SEAT (MARCH 3)

Republicans in North Carolina redrew their districts last year to make it easier to defeat Democratic Representative Don Davis, who represents the only competitive House district in the swing state.

Retired Army Colonel Laurie Buckhout, who lost to Davis by less than 2 points in 2024, leads a field of five Republicans who are squaring off for the chance to take on Davis in the fall. A Buckhout victory would point toward a competitive general election race, while an upset by one of the lesser-known candidates could help Davis hang on.

NORTH CAROLINA 4TH DISTRICT: A DEMOCRATIC REMATCH (MARCH 3)

A rematch in North Carolina’s Research Triangle could provide a clue about whether the Democratic Party is shifting left. Incumbent Representative Valerie Foushee faces a challenge from Durham County Commissioner Nida Allam, the first Muslim elected official in the state, who is backed by progressive groups like Justice Democrats and the Working Families Party. Those groups are also mounting challenges to other sitting Democrats who they say are not doing enough to fight Trump.

Foushee defeated Allam by 9 percentage points in 2022.

GEORGIA 14TH DISTRICT: FILLING MTG’S SHOES (MARCH 10)

The race to fill the seat vacated by former Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene has exposed divisions in Trump’s base. Some 15 candidates are running for the seat in this deeply conservative northern corner of Georgia, and Trump’s endorsement of former district attorney Clay Fuller has failed to clear the field. Fuller has vowed to move past Greene’s combative style and focus on economic development, but other candidates like former state Senator Colton Moore have portrayed themselves as more loyal supporters of the president.

ILLINOIS 9TH DISTRICT: A CROWDED FIELD FOR DEMOCRATS (MARCH 17)

Sixteen Democrats are running to fill an empty seat in a district that includes the northern reaches of Chicago and several nearby suburbs. Leading candidates include Kat Abughazaleh, a progressive Palestinian-American social media influencer who faces criminal charges stemming from an immigration protest in October; Evanston Mayor Dan Biss, who is endorsed by the retiring incumbent Jan Schakowsky; and state Senator Laura Fine.

KENTUCKY 4TH DISTRICT: TRUMP TRIES TO OUST A REPUBLICAN DISSIDENT (MAY 19)

Trump hopes to oust one of his most prominent Republican critics in Congress, Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky, who voted against Trump’s signature tax and spending bill last year and led the drive to release millions of government files on the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Trump encouraged retired Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein to run for the seat last year and endorsed him even before he entered the race. Massie, an MIT-trained libertarian, has represented the northern Kentucky district since 2012 and has won every primary by lopsided margins since then.

Reporting by Andy Sullivan; editing by Scott Malone

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