Apr 9: Platner Leads Collins by 9
Generic ballotD+5.4down 0.39999999999999947ApprovalNet -15.1Unemployment4.3%unchangedS&P 5006,782.81up 165.96000000000004
- April 7, 2026 polling (source not identified beyond RealClearPolling aggregation): Democratic primary shows Platner at 61%, Mills at 28% (Platner +33). General election matchup Collins vs. Platner: Platner 48%, Collins 39% (Platner +9). Collins vs. Mills general: Collins 45%, Mills 42% (Collins +3). Platner holds the largest advantage of any Democratic challenger tested against Collins.
- April 7, 2026 polling: Cooper 49%, Whatley 44% (Cooper +5). Cooper leads by a consistent margin in available polling.
- April 7, 2026 polling: Pappas 45%, Sununu 44% (Pappas +1). Margin is within typical polling error; race appears competitive.
- April 7, 2026 polling (UT Tyler): Republican primary shows Cornyn 41%, Paxton 35%, Hunt 15% (Cornyn +6). Democratic primary shows Crockett 55%, Talarico 37%, Hassan 4% (Crockett +18). Texas remains a Republican-held seat; primary competition on both sides is active.
- April 7, 2026 polling: Moody 47%, Nixon 36% (Moody +11). Moody holds a double-digit lead in the Florida special election matchup.
- DOGE reported two tranches of contract terminations in the week of April 2-9, 2026: (1) 141 contracts terminated with a $5.1B ceiling value and $498M in stated savings; (2) 312 contracts terminated with a $2.8B ceiling and $470M in stated savings. Annual non-defense agency obligations are reported down 22.4% (approximately $25B) compared to 2024. Source is doge.gov with language referencing 'this past week' and 'over the last 7 days.' Independent verification of savings figures is not available from Track A or Track B.
- No new escalation, de-escalation, or significant operational developments in the Iran conflict were identified in Track A sources for the April 2-9, 2026 window. Silver Bulletin generic ballot commentary notes the ballot has been stable 'during the Iran War,' confirming the conflict is ongoing as a political context factor. Net approval of the Iran war stands at -15.1 as of April 9, 2026 per Silver Bulletin.
What changed on the site today
- Front matter
- senate_maine: April 7, 2026 polling (source not identified beyond RealClearPolling aggregation): Democratic primary shows Platner at 61%, Mills at 28% (Platner +33). General election matchup Collins vs. Platner: Platner 48%, Collins 39% (Platner +9). Collins vs. Mills general: Collins 45%, Mills 42% (Collins +3). Platner holds the largest advantage of any Democratic challenger tested against Collins.
- senate_north_carolina: April 7, 2026 polling: Cooper 49%, Whatley 44% (Cooper +5). Cooper leads by a consistent margin in available polling.
- senate_new_hampshire: April 7, 2026 polling: Pappas 45%, Sununu 44% (Pappas +1). Margin is within typical polling error; race appears competitive.
- senate_texas: April 7, 2026 polling (UT Tyler): Republican primary shows Cornyn 41%, Paxton 35%, Hunt 15% (Cornyn +6). Democratic primary shows Crockett 55%, Talarico 37%, Hassan 4% (Crockett +18). Texas remains a Republican-held seat; primary competition on both sides is active.
- senate_florida_special: April 7, 2026 polling: Moody 47%, Nixon 36% (Moody +11). Moody holds a double-digit lead in the Florida special election matchup.
- doge: DOGE reported two tranches of contract terminations in the week of April 2-9, 2026: (1) 141 contracts terminated with a $5.1B ceiling value and $498M in stated savings; (2) 312 contracts terminated with a $2.8B ceiling and $470M in stated savings. Annual non-defense agency obligations are reported down 22.4% (approximately $25B) compared to 2024. Source is doge.gov with language referencing 'this past week' and 'over the last 7 days.' Independent verification of savings figures is not available from Track A or Track B.
- iran_war_status: No new escalation, de-escalation, or significant operational developments in the Iran conflict were identified in Track A sources for the April 2-9, 2026 window. Silver Bulletin generic ballot commentary notes the ballot has been stable 'during the Iran War,' confirming the conflict is ongoing as a political context factor. Net approval of the Iran war stands at -15.1 as of April 9, 2026 per Silver Bulletin.