23 Jan 2026 Reading time: 1 minute 
Over the next 53 days, we’ll get the opening signal for 2026; a year where a whole swath of primary challengers could start changing the Democratic Party.
These early races are a must‑watch test: can pro‑worker populists break through the donor/consultant machine?
Here are the early races I’m watching, with links to my endorsements (each one includes ways to help):
How these early races go will tell us a lot about what the rest of the 2026 primary map looks like — and where the energy is.
If you want the full list as I add more: See all endorsements →
23 Jan 2026 Reading time: 1 minute 
This is Endorsement #13 — for Analilia Mejía, running for Congress in New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District (NJ‑11).
Election note: this is a special election — Election Day is Thursday, February 5, 2026.
Her message is blunt in a way more candidates need to be: “blue no matter who” isn’t enough — we need unbought leadership that will fight the oligarchy and make the economy work for working people.
She’s a Jersey candidate with a working‑family story: her mom landing a union job changed everything — and Analilia has spent years fighting for wins like the $15 minimum wage and paid sick days in New Jersey.
Why this endorsement
- Unbought, unbossed energy. A candidate who doesn’t do the “don’t ask for much” politics that keeps working families stuck.
- Pro‑worker track record. Rooted in fights for concrete material gains like wages and paid leave.
- Willing to confront the right — and the donors. Not just opposition to Trumpism, but opposition to the money/power structure that enables it.
If you’re in or near NJ‑11 — or you just want to back more unbought candidates nationwide — consider donating or signing up to volunteer.
20 Jan 2026 Reading time: 1 minute 
This is Endorsement #12 — for Claire Valdez, running for Congress in New York’s 7th Congressional District (NY‑07).
She’s an Assemblymember, a union organizer, and a proud democratic socialist running a campaign centered on housing, healthcare, and workers’ rights.
She’s also been endorsed by labor leaders, including UAW President Shawn Fain, and by Zohran Mamdani.
Why this endorsement
- Labor movement candidate. A working‑class, union‑rooted voice who talks about corporate power like it’s real (because it is).
- Affordability first. A serious focus on housing costs, healthcare, and dignity for working people.
- Solidarity beyond borders. Clear opposition to funding forever wars, and a willingness to stand up against systems that cage and terrorize working families.
If that’s the kind of representation you want in Congress, chip in, volunteer, and share the campaign.
04 Jan 2026 Reading time: 1 minute
Five TV picks — darkly funny crime, a classic cold-case procedural, two big Apple TV+ comedies, and a Hollywood satire.
Anthology of darkly comic crime tales — each season stands alone, the casting is always great, and the tension sneaks up on you.
Detective Lilly Rush reopens dormant Philadelphia homicide investigations — a procedural with real emotional weight and great period flashbacks.
An American football coach is hired to manage a British soccer team — funny, warm, and ridiculously easy to binge.
Seth Rogen plays the newly appointed head of a movie studio, trying to keep movies alive while juggling corporate demands, egos, and chaos.
Two former best friends reconnect in midlife — strictly platonic, wildly funny, and destabilizing in the best way.
