How this all works

Most federal and state races happen in two rounds. First comes the primary, where each party picks its nominee — usually just party members voting, though some states let any registered voter participate (an open primary) and a few still run caucuses where people gather in rooms and literally stand in corners to declare their choice.

Then comes the general election, usually on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. That's where everyone votes and the winner actually takes office. If no candidate clears the threshold a state requires (often 50%), the top finishers go to a runoff.

When a seat opens up mid-term because of a resignation, death, or expulsion, the state holds a special election. And every ten years, after the census, congressional and state-legislature districts get redrawn — a process called redistricting. Drawing those lines to favor one party is called gerrymandering; it's legal in most states but courts occasionally strike maps down when they go too far.

Ballot measures — propositions, initiatives, referenda — are laws voters decide directly. No legislature involved. Available in about half the states and many cities.

U.S. House: 435 members. Two-year terms. Each represents a district of about 760,000 people. Originates tax and spending bills. Power usually comes from committee assignments and seniority more than from speeches on the floor.

U.S. Senate: 100 members — two per state, regardless of population. Six-year terms, staggered so about a third of seats turn over every two years. Confirms judges, cabinet officials, and treaties. The filibuster lets a minority block most bills unless 60 senators vote for cloture — which is why so much legislation gets routed through reconciliation, a budget-process carve-out that only needs 51.

Governor: Runs the state. Signs or vetoes bills, appoints judges and agency heads in most states, commands the National Guard, and usually sets the annual budget priorities. The office ranges from very strong (New York, Texas) to almost ceremonial (a few states where real power sits with the legislature).

Attorney General: The state's top lawyer. In most states, elected separately from the governor — which means an AG can sue (or defend against) the federal government or their own governor. Enforces consumer-protection and civil-rights law.

Secretary of State: Confusingly, this is almost always the official who runs elections — not foreign policy. They oversee voter registration, ballot certification, and election results. Rarely newsworthy, until suddenly they are.

Mayor: Depends entirely on the city charter. "Strong mayor" cities give the mayor executive authority over the police, budget, and agencies. "Weak mayor" cities leave that to a hired city manager and the mayor is mostly a ceremonial figurehead. Read the charter, not the press releases.

Campaigns run on money, and where the money comes from shapes who they listen to. The FEC — the Federal Election Commission — collects disclosure reports from every federal campaign. They're public, searchable, and usually tell you more than the candidate's website.

A PAC (Political Action Committee) is a group that raises money to support or oppose candidates. PACs are capped in what they can give directly. A Super PAC, created after the Citizens United decision in 2010, can raise unlimited money from anyone — individuals, corporations, unions — but legally can't coordinate directly with a candidate's campaign. ("Legally" is doing a lot of work in that sentence.)

Dark money is political spending where the original donors aren't disclosed, usually routed through 501(c)(4) social-welfare nonprofits before hitting a Super PAC. Legal. Opaque. A lot of modern campaign spending.

When this site shows "$15M raised" for a candidate, that's their campaign-committee receipts as reported to the FEC. It doesn't include Super PAC spending on their behalf — which is often much larger.

Every candidate page on this site has the same structure so you can compare apples to apples:

• TL;DR: One sentence summarizing who they are and their defining policy profile. Generated from their public record.
• Decode grade: A data-backed letter grade computed from observable signals — transparency, track record, specificity, accessibility. Not an opinion; two candidates with identical records get identical grades.
• Issue grid: Where they land on the 10 standard issues (supports / opposes / mixed / unclear), plus a plain-English explanation for each.
• Record, Promises, Money, Opposition: Four short paragraphs that separate what they've actually done, what they're running on, who funds them, and the strongest fair critique opponents make.
• Voting record & sponsored bills: Links into Congress.gov for federal incumbents, or state-legislature databases. Always click through if a specific vote matters to you — summaries lose nuance.

If a section is blank or says "insufficient data", that's deliberate. We'd rather leave it empty than guess — an assigned-middle grade for a candidate with no public record misleads voters.

Quick definitions for the jargon that pops up on candidate and race pages.

Attorney General

The state's top lawyer. Enforces state law, represents the state in court, often sues (or defends against) the federal government.

Ballot measure

A law (or constitutional amendment) voters decide directly — no legislature needed. Called propositions, initiatives, or referenda.

Bioguide

The official biographical directory of members of Congress, maintained by the Clerk of the House and Secretary of the Senate.

Caucus

A party gathering where members debate and pick a nominee, instead of a private ballot. A handful of states still use them.

Closed primary

Only voters registered with the party can vote in its primary.

Cloture

The Senate's rule for ending debate on a bill. Takes 60 votes — which is why so much legislation dies to "the filibuster."

Dark money

Political spending where the original donors aren't disclosed — usually routed through 501(c)(4) nonprofits before hitting a PAC.

FEC

Federal Election Commission. The federal agency that collects and publishes campaign finance filings. Lightly enforces the rules.

FEC report

A candidate's campaign-finance disclosure — who donated, how much, and where the money went. Filed quarterly.

Filibuster

A delaying tactic where a senator can indefinitely extend debate. 60 votes (cloture) are required to stop it and force a vote.

General election

The final head-to-head election where voters pick the actual officeholder, usually held in November.

Gerrymandering

Drawing district lines to favor one party or incumbent. Legal in many states; courts sometimes strike down maps that go too far.

Governor

The state's chief executive. Runs the state government, can veto bills, appoints judges and agency heads in most states.

Incumbent

The person currently holding the office. They're running to keep it.

Mayor

The chief executive of a city. Powers vary a lot by charter — "strong mayor" cities run day-to-day government; "weak mayor" cities leave that to a city manager.

Open primary

Any registered voter can pick a party's ballot on primary day — you don't have to be registered with that party.

PAC

Political Action Committee. A group that raises money to support or oppose candidates. Capped in what they can give directly.

Primary election

A contest within a party to pick its nominee for the general election. Rules vary by state (closed, open, or semi-open).

Reconciliation

A special Senate process that lets budget-related bills pass with 51 votes (no filibuster). Used for big tax & spending laws.

Redistricting

The once-a-decade process of redrawing congressional and state-legislature maps after the census.

Runoff

A follow-up election held when no candidate clears a required vote threshold (often 50%). The top finishers face off again.

Secretary of State

In most states, the official who runs elections — voter registration, ballot certification, and election results.

Special election

An off-cycle election to fill a seat that opened up mid-term — usually from a resignation, death, or expulsion.

Super PAC

A PAC that can raise unlimited money but can't coordinate directly with a candidate's campaign. Since Citizens United (2010).

U.S. House

The lower chamber of Congress. 435 members, each serving a 2-year term. Districts are redrawn every 10 years after the census.

U.S. Senate

The upper chamber of Congress. 100 members (2 per state), 6-year terms. About a third of seats are up every two years.

Veto

The executive's rejection of a bill. Legislatures can override a veto, but usually only with a supermajority.