Results of Tuesday’s Primaries Highlight Ongoing Conflicts Within Both Parties

At NPR, Maham Javaid reports that six states held primary elections Tuesday, with Trump-endorsed candidates performing well in South Carolina's Senate primary and Wisconsin's gubernatorial race. In South Carolina, Darline Graham, sister of the late Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, advanced to a runoff for her brother's seat. On the Democratic side, two races tested the strength of progressive candidates. In Minnesota's Senate primary, progressive Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan defeated centrist Rep. Angie Craig, while in Wisconsin's gubernatorial primary, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley narrowly edged out democratic socialist state Rep. Francesca Hong. PRRI finds that only 49% of Americans agree that the American Dream — if you work hard, you’ll get ahead — still holds true today; Republicans (76%) are significantly more likely to say they still believe in the American Dream than independents (46%) and Democrats (30%).

At ABC News, Steven Beynon writes about the aftermath of President Donald Trump mobilizing National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., last year, citing the assault and attempted carjacking of a 20-year-old programmer who worked for the now-defunct Department of Government Efficiency as evidence for his argument that crime in D.C. was out of control. The deployment, dubbed "Make D.C. Safe and Beautiful," has since expanded to around 4,000 troops from states and territories nationwide. Though the force will shrink from its summer peak, it's expected to remain a fixture in D.C. for the rest of Trump's term, at a projected additional cost of $1.4 billion. PRRI finds that a slim majority of Americans (52%) agree that the deployment of the National Guard to patrol American cities may cause more violence than it prevents, while 44% disagree — both Democrats (80%) and independents (60%) are more likely to agree than Republicans (23%).

In a collaboration between El Paso Matters and Religion News Service, Robert Moore and Cindy Ramirez report on how Catholic parishioners and other community groups organized against a $126 million immigration detention facility in Socorro, Texas. The detention center, which had originally been planned by former Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, would have been the largest Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in the nation, housing up to 8,500 people. While numerous political and advocacy groups opposed the plan, much of the opposition came from three Catholic parishes that began organizing in opposition to the detention center in April. As of February 2026, PRRI finds that 55% of white Catholics and 25% of Hispanic Catholics agree that the federal government should detain immigrants who are in the country illegally in internment camps until they can be deported, compared with 41% of Americans overall.

For Axios, Maya Goldman reports on the Trump administration’s finalized plan to cut off federal Medicaid funding for hormone therapy, puberty blockers and other medical care for transgender youths. The rule is the latest escalation in the administration’s effort to limit transition-related care, which has tested the boundaries of executive powers and could undercut federal and state protections. Six in ten Americans believe the cuts in federal funding of healthcare programs such as Medicaid, Medicare, and the Affordable Care Act have gone too far (60%), according to the 2025 PRRI American Values Survey. While major medical groups consider transition-related care to be safe and appropriate, the administration said it’s adopting the policy to “help to protect these children” from procedures they see as harmful. According to PRRI, Americans are evenly split on their views toward laws that would prevent parents from allowing their child to receive medical care for a gender transition (49% oppose vs. 47% in favor).

Learn more in the Survey Report: Political Violence in America: Public Perceptions, Polarization, and Accountability