Good morning, it’s Thursday, February 26, 2026. In today’s edition, Supreme Court races set spending records; Trump withholds Medicaid funds from Minnesota; new polls in California, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania:
Top Stories
ELECTIONS: Parties and interest groups spent $157 million on state Supreme Court races in the 2023-2024 biennium, the most ever recorded, according to a new report from the Brennan Center for Justice. The spending marked a 35% increase over the prior two-year period as seven states set new records for the most expensive contests ever. Liberal groups outspent conservative causes for the first time, focusing much of their ad spending on abortion rights messages. (Pluribus News)
And that spending was before a single race in Wisconsin cost more than $100 million last year.
MORE: The Florida House has approved legislation requiring elections officials to rely on information submitted to the state Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles to verify someone’s eligibility to register to vote. Florida’s REAL ID cards require drivers to submit passports or birth certificates. (State Affairs)
EVEN MORE: The Ohio House has approved legislation banning local governments from using ranked choice voting. The bipartisan legislation has already won initial approval in the Senate. Political subdivisions using ranked choice voting would face a loss of state funds under the bill. (State Affairs)
MEDICAID: The Trump administration will withhold $259 million in Medicaid reimbursement payments from Minnesota this month, CMS Director Mehmet Oz said Wednesday, over concerns about fraud in the state. Oz said the federal government would release the funds once Minnesota submits a plan to clean up alleged fraud. (NBC News)
EDUCATION: The Utah House has approved legislation limiting cell phone use during school time. The bill allows parents to request an exemption for their children to use phones during non-instructional time, and it allows school districts to set their own policy for phone use. (KSL)
MORE: The South Carolina House has approved legislation requiring public school classrooms to display the Ten Commandments. The bill also allows schools to accept volunteer chaplains. It allows teachers to put up copies of the Mayflower Compact, the Declaration of Independence and the Emancipation Proclamation, though those documents aren’t required. (SC Daily Gazette)
GAMBLING: Colorado lawmakers have introduced bipartisan legislation to prohibit sports betting apps from offering prop bets on individual athletes’ performances. The bill would also ban the use of credit cards on sports betting apps and limit the number of deposits someone can make into their account. (Denver Post)
MORE: The Mississippi House has approved legislation legalizing mobile sports wagering. Sports bets would be taxed at 22%, while gaming taxes would fall from 8% to 6% to give a tax cut to local casinos. The bill will earmark $50 million annually from online wagering taxes to the Public Employee Retirement System for the next ten years. (Magnolia Tribune)
In Politics & Business
CALIFORNIA: A new Public Policy Institute of California survey finds a five-way race in the crowded field for governor. Businessman Steve Hilton (R) is at 14%, followed by former U.S. Rep. Katie Porter (D) at 13%, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco (R) at 12%, U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell (D) at 11% and entrepreneur Tom Steyer (D) at 10%, while 30% of voters choose one of the other candidates running. (PPIC)
WISCONSIN: State Rep. Francesca Hong (D) and former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes (D) are tied atop the Democratic primary field for governor at 11% and 10%, with Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez (D) at 6%. A full 65% of Democratic voters are undecided in a new Marquette Law School poll. (Marquette)
PENNSYLVANIA: A new Quinnipiac University poll shows Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) leading Treasurer Stacy Garrity (R) 55%-37% in his bid for a second term. Shapiro’s job approval rating stands at 56%. (Quinnipiac)
UTAH: State Republicans are just 86 signatures shy of qualifying a measure for the November ballot that would eliminate the state’s independent redistricting commission and hand authority for drawing congressional district lines back to the legislature. Better Boundaries, the group opposing the repeal movement, is asking voters to rescind their signatures from the petition. (Salt Lake Tribune)
By The Numbers
27.8 million: The number of viewers who tuned in for President Trump’s State of the Union address across the seven most-watched broadcasts. That’s down about 12% from Trump’s address to Congress last year. (Hollywood Reporter)
$100 million: The amount Louisiana will pay to replace 35-year old voting machines, according to Secretary of State Nancy Landry (R). The state is considering six vendors for the new machines. (LA Illuminator)
Off The Wall
New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill (D) is formally described as the 57th governor of her state. But that doesn’t include the 17 colonial governors who served between 1701 and 1776, or the more than two dozen governors who oversaw the territory under Dutch, Swedish and English rule going back to 1624. Then there’s the question of governors who served non-consecutive terms — beginning with Peter Vroom, who won election in 1828 and 1833, and whom we’re mentioning only because of his cool name. (New Jersey Globe)
Police in Harvey Cedars, N.J., came to the rescue of a seal found napping in the middle of a snowy road on Wednesday. The seal was taken to the Marine Mammal Stranding Center’s Pool House for rest and recovery. (UPI)
Quote of the Day
“Well, I think we’re all pretty much horrified here.”
— Oregon Sen. Lisa Reynolds (D), after a presentation on AI chatbots interacting with minors. (Willamette Week)