Democrats are hoping to increase liberal control of the state Supreme Court in battleground Wisconsin in an election that has focused largely on abortion rights as cases affecting congressional redistricting, union rights and other hot button issues also await. Tuesday’s election in the swing state stands in stark contrast to the previous two, where national spending records were set in battles over majority control. The race features Democratic-backed Chris Taylor and Republican-supported Maria Lazar. Both Taylor and Lazar are state appeals court judges. Liberals won control of the court in 2023, ending 15 years under a conservative majority. They held onto control in last year's vote.

President Donald Trump said Pam Bondi is out as his attorney general. Trump in a social media post on Thursday named Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche as the acting attorney general, though three people familiar with the matter have said he has privately discussed Lee Zeldin, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency, as a permanent pick. It marks the end of a contentious tenure of a loyalist who upended the Justice Department’s culture of independence from the White House, oversaw large-scale firings of career employees and moved aggressively to investigate the Republican president’s perceived enemies.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has positioned himself as the grassroots favorite in the runoff election to determine the party's Senate nominee. The election is May 26 and Paxton is trying to unseat John Cornyn. Paxton is drawing praise from right-wing activists who are attending the Conservative Political Action Conference near Dallas. Cornyn skipped the event, but Paxton headlined the Ronald Reagan dinner Friday night and had a private reception on Saturday. Cornyn has more fundraising and support from the party establishment, but Paxton is leaning into his “Make America Great Again” loyalty.

President Donald Trump did not attend one of the biggest yearly meetings of conservatives for the first time in nearly a decade. But even in his absence, the Conservative Political Action Conference revolved around him. There were disagreements over his war with Iran, pride over his immigration crackdown and lots of encouragement to avoid infighting as the Republican Party faces a difficult midterm election. It was a contrast with last year’s gathering, when conservatives were riding high after Trump’s return to office and Elon Musk waved a chain saw to symbolize his new role leading the Department of Government Efficiency.

A sharp generational split over the Iran war is opening up at this year’s Conservative Political Action Conference. Younger attendees tell The Associated Press they feel disappointed and even betrayed by President Donald Trump’s launch of strikes against Iran. They say his actions clash with his America-first promises. Older conservatives defend Trump and call the war a pragmatic response to threats. Some younger voters say their support has slipped, and they worry about troops deploying. Prominent conservatives in the media are also divided on the conflict. CPAC leaders are pushing for unity with tough midterms ahead.

The U.S. Supreme Court has heard arguments on whether states can continue to count late-arriving mail ballots — an election issue targeted by President Donald Trump. All 50 states require ballots to be cast or postmarked on or before Election Day, but 14 states have grace periods for receiving and counting regular mailed ballots, ranging from a day to several weeks after the election. A final ruling will almost certainly come by late June, early enough to govern the counting of ballots in the 2026 midterm congressional elections.