{"id":279521,"date":"2026-05-05T10:17:11","date_gmt":"2026-05-05T10:17:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/279521\/"},"modified":"2026-05-05T10:17:11","modified_gmt":"2026-05-05T10:17:11","slug":"from-indiana-to-texas-may-primaries-to-watch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/279521\/","title":{"rendered":"From Indiana to Texas, May primaries to watch"},"content":{"rendered":"

Write to us at startingpoint@globe.com<\/a>. To subscribe, sign up here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Happy Election Day, the first of several in May as the primary season 2026 revs up. Today, voters in Indiana and Ohio head to the polls. And while there will be much to talk about in my home state of Ohio, I want to zoom in on Indiana where, as my colleague (and native Hoosier) James Pindell points out, a series of races will test the strength of President Trump\u2019s endorsement.<\/p>\n

James writes:<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cIn one of the most reliably Republican states in the country, seven GOP state Senate primaries have become a referendum not on ideology, but on loyalty. The question is simple: should incumbents who broadly support Trump be removed for defying him on a single, high-profile vote?\u201d<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s just the first Tuesday in May. Here are just a few more races this month we have our eyes on that will also test just how much sway the president still has among the base: <\/p>\n

*This is not an exhaustive rundown, but if there\u2019s a race you think we should add to the \u201cmust watch\u201d list next month, send me a note<\/a>!<\/p>\n

May 16: Louisiana<\/p>\n

Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry postponed House races in response to a Supreme Court ruling that struck down the state\u2019s congressional map<\/a>, but the Senate primary that will determine the fate of Republican Senator Bill Cassidy is slated to continue as scheduled. Cassidy, who voted to impeach Trump after the Jan. 6 riots, has spent months showing public deference<\/a> to Trump but to no avail. <\/p>\n

Trump not only endorsed one of his opponents, Representative Julia Letlow, he also derided Cassidy on Truth Social last week<\/a> after Trump\u2019s surgeon general nominee was pulled due to lack of support. But that doesn\u2019t mean Letlow has it in the bag. Louisiana State Treasurer John Fleming is also in the hunt and in an Emerson College poll<\/a> released last week, even leads the pack, albeit by one point. If no candidate receives a simple majority, the top two candidates will compete in a runoff on June 27.<\/p>\n

May 19: Kentucky <\/p>\n

Republican Representative Thomas Massie has long marched to his own drummer. The seven-term congressman flouted Trump\u2019s many directives during his first term; this primary season Trump and his allies are trying yet again to unseat Massie, this time with Ed Gallrein, a former Navy SEAL. <\/p>\n

May 26: Texas runoff<\/p>\n

So far, President Trump has not endorsed in the hotly contested Texas Senate race<\/a>. On one side is Senator John Cornyn, four-term incumbent <\/a>who some in the MAGAverse believe is too aligned with the old Republican guard to be effective. The other is Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a longtime Trump loyalist with a host of ethical issues that some Republicans worry could make the race more competitive in the fall. It\u2019s been expensive and nasty as Cornyn and Paxton have attacked each other in increasingly personal terms. <\/p>\n

The winner will face off against Democratic Texas State Representative James Talarico<\/a>, a newcomer to the national political scene who many national Democrats see as their best hope to finally win statewide in the long elusive Lone Star State. How hopeful are they? Look no further than his first quarter fundraiser haul of $27 million<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\ud83e\udde9 3 Down: Tattooed<\/a> | \u26c5 78\u00b0 Year\u2019s warmest<\/a><\/p>\n

\"CallaCalla Walsh.Globe Staff photo illustration<\/p>\n

All-American radical: Calla Walsh was a rising star in Mass. politics after helping Ed Markey win reelection in 2020. How did she become a mouthpiece for the Iranian regime?<\/a><\/p>\n

Abortion pill: Massachusetts providers of mifepristone are in limbo<\/a> after an attempt to sharply restrict its use. Yesterday, the Supreme Court temporarily restored access to the pill <\/a>through telehealth, mail, and pharmacies, but the legal battle is continuing.<\/p>\n

E-bikers beware: Planet savers or sidewalk-speeding menaces to pedestrians? New legislation is targeting e-bikes, scooters, and mopeds<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Wellesley killings: With Janette MacAusland still in custody in Vermont, here\u2019s what we know about the case<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Time-out rooms: Parents want to know if their kids have been placed in such rooms. Despite a state effort at transparency, schools are still not required to inform parents<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Tobin alight: A group of artists in Fort Point have been working on a $10 million project to call attention to climate change by illuminating the drab Tobin Bridge with what they describe will be a \u201crhythm of light.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

A mini-Pluto? It\u2019s only 300 miles across, maybe formed by a volcano or comet. Now astronomers believe they\u2019ve detected an atmosphere around the tiny, icy world beyond Pluto<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u2018The bloodless murder of legislation\u2019: After promising more transparency, the Mass. Legislature is still killing bills without votes<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Joe Biden: The former president has re-entered the political arena yesterday by endorsing former aide Dan Koh<\/a> in the race to fill the House seat that Seth Moulton is departing.<\/p>\n

94 bridges: That\u2019s how many bridges in Rhode Island are in the same \u201cpoor\u201d condition as the partial span that fell on rail tracks<\/a> and disrupted Amtrak traffic last month.<\/p>\n

By David Beard<\/a><\/p>\n

\ud83c\udf7d\ufe0f Al fresco: Patio season has begun. For those of you loving the weather, still having COVID-avoidant tendencies, or fond of keeping an eye on the meter, here\u2019s where to eat outside<\/a> in Boston. Plus, 10 new restaurants for spring<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udc60 Met Gala: OK, fashionistas and \u201cPrada 2\u201d filmgoers: Here are photos of Nicole Kidman, Anna Wintour, and many more on the red carpet<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udf66 Where is \u2018Swirly?\u2019 The two-foot ice-cream-cone mascot of Flour\u2019s Boston Common location has vanished<\/a>. Was he swiped by collegiate pranksters? Owner Joanne Chang has pleaded for the return of the lattice sugar cone likeness \u2014 no questions asked.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udd75\ufe0f\u200d\u2640\ufe0f Making \u2018Matlock\u2019 great: The deep rapport between Kathy Bates and Sam Anderson, as wife and husband, has become a key element<\/a> of the legal drama, Don Aucoin writes.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udc8d Running, not walking: An English teacher and a dance teacher bring romantic intensity and intention<\/a> to their courtship.<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udfb8 Jon Butcher Axis: A concert Friday will conclude a four-decade-long Boston rock story<\/a> that included two major label deals, a Grammy nomination, and arena tours opening for Rush and Def Leppard.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udedf Ahoy there! It\u2019s a three-bedroom home. It\u2019s also a shuttered restaurant named Sailor Stan\u2019s. They\u2019re both for $739,000<\/a> on Rocky Neck in Gloucester.<\/p>\n

Several reader praised us for looking past the Boston sports wreckage and pointing to the playoff-contending Boston Fleet in yesterday\u2019s Starting Point<\/a>, but also urged us not to forget the Revolution and the Legacy. \u201cI love the support for Women\u2019s hockey, but why is soccer always overlooked?\u201d Joseph Murphy asks.<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s right that the Revs are off to a strong start<\/a> \u2014 and the Legacy, in their first year, got their first victory<\/a> over the weekend. Here\u2019s hoping for more Boston sports happiness this year. <\/p>\n

Thanks for reading Starting Point.<\/p>\n

This newsletter was edited by David Beard<\/a> and produced by Ryan Orlecki<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u2753 Have a question for the team? Email us at startingpoint@globe.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u270d\ud83c\udffc If someone sent you this newsletter, you can sign up for your own copy<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcec Delivered Monday through Friday.<\/p>\n

Jackie Kucinich can be reached at jackie.kucinich@globe.com<\/a>. Follow her @JFKucinich<\/a> and on Instagram at @JackieKucinich<\/a>.<\/p>\n