Abortion in the United States

The ACLU of Indiana is facing a major staff exodus after four of its five principal attorneys, including longtime legal director Ken Falk, resigned in protest over incoming executive director Nikkita Oliver's planned direction for the organization. Staffers filed complaints alleging Oliver questioned Jewish attorneys' objectivity, called the ACLU "too pure" on civil liberties, and wanted to steer the nonpartisan group toward partisan goals, risking its tax-exempt status. Oliver disputes the characterizations as mischaracterized rumors. The board is standing by Oliver, whose start date has been delayed pending an HR review, while four board members have also departed. Critics worry the turmoil could weaken Indiana's civil rights litigation on abortion, prison conditions, and free speech.

Arizona's attorney general race pits Democratic incumbent Kris Mayes, who won the seat by just 280 votes in 2022, against Republican Warren Petersen, the state Senate president since 2021. Mayes points to actions against scams, fentanyl trafficking, corporate mergers and rising rents, while Petersen has campaigned on restoring the office's focus on crime, fraud and corruption, backed by endorsements from major law enforcement organizations.

Donald Trump looms large over the contest. Mayes has joined multiple lawsuits against Trump administration policies, including mail-in voting restrictions, tariffs and vaccine rules, and has defended abortion access after Arizona's near-total abortion ban was upheld. Petersen, a strong Trump ally who helped launch the 2020 election audit in Maricopa County, supports the abortion ban, backs restrictions on transgender athletes, and has pledged to support mass deportations. Polling shows Mayes with a modest lead, but with a large share of undecided voters, the race is expected to be one of Arizona's closest statewide contests this cycle.

Michigan's Senate contest between Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed and Republican Mike Rogers has become a test of how much religious identity shapes voter behavior heading into the 2026 midterms. El-Sayed, a Muslim epidemiologist, has faced attacks invoking his faith, including comments from Rep. Nancy Mace calling Muslim officeholders a "trojan horse" and President Trump's unsubstantiated claim that El-Sayed "hates Jews." Rogers has run ads tying Democrats to voter disillusionment and linked El-Sayed to remarks made by others about 9/11.

Commentators have drawn comparisons to anti-Catholic bias faced by John F. Kennedy in 1960, with Democratic Reps. Jamie Raskin and Debbie Dingell framing the race as a broader referendum on democracy versus authoritarianism rather than religion. The race also follows a pattern seen in a Michigan House primary, where a Trump-endorsed Christian candidate with an Arabic name underperformed among Republican primary voters. The outcome could signal whether economic and foreign-policy discontent with the Trump administration outweighs identity-based appeals for Michigan voters this cycle.