News Analysis: Uncertainty, frustration define messy midterm battles for mayor, governor and Congress
Key takeaways
- Even some Democrats have railed against the status quo.
- With Trump’s grip on the Republican base intact despite abysmal overall approval ratings, many Republican candidates have courted his approval — and been hammered for it by their Democratic opponents.
- Republican voters are being warned of a blue wave in November giving Democrats control of Congress and grinding Trump’s agenda to a halt.
Voters are dealing with a perplexing and unsettled landscape in Los Angeles and across California. (Mario Tama / Getty Images) By Kevin Rector Staff Writer Follow May 24, 2026 3 AM PT 11 min Click here to listen to this article Share via Close extra sharing options Email Facebook X Linked In Threads Reddit Whats App Copy Link URL Copied! Print 0:00 0:00 1x This is read by an automated voice. Please report any issues or inconsistencies here.
With little more than a week left until primary voters winnow the candidates for Los Angeles mayor, California governor and Congress, there remains a palpable sense of political uncertainty among the electorate — attributable to a lack of clear front-runners, redrawn political maps, messy party infighting and competing voter frustration with both President Trump and the state’s Democratic establishment.
In a state where Democrats hold a substantial advantage among registered voters and Trump lost in 2024 by more than 20 percentage points, MAGA-aligned Republicans are nonetheless competing on a message of ineptitude from longtime liberal leaders to address the state’s most intractable problems. Even some Democrats have railed against the status quo.