It may have seemed out of place for a university professor from the liberal enclave of Iowa City to be holding court at a roadside bar and grill in a rural county where Republican Donald Trump won overwhelmingly two years ago. But that's part of Christina Bohannan's long learning curve as a Democratic candidate for Congress, as she make her third go at it this year.
Plus, Trump's upcoming trip to Ireland, a look ahead at this week's elections and Sunday's IndyCar race through Washington. |
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Christina Bohannan, Democratic candidate for U.S. House, speaks during the Scott County Democrats Annual Family Picnic, in Bettendorf, Iowa, Sunday, Aug. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Joseph Cress) |
Third time the charm? Democrat Christina Bohannan tries again in pivotal US House race in Iowa — By Thomas Beaumont
Bohannan lost to Republican Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks in Iowa's 1st Congressional District in 2022 and 2024. Now she's banking on Trump's sagging popularity, healthcare struggles and economic concerns to put her over the top in a race that could help Democrats regain control of the U.S. House. Miller-Meeks is digging in for a difficult campaign, describing Bohannan as a “radical progressive.” If Bohannan pulls off a victory this time, it could be the first ripple of what Democrats see as a potential national wave.
The Democrat is reaching into rural counties to shave the Republican edge. That's why Bohannan was in Louisa County, a place she did not visit in the months leading up to the 2024 election, when she lost to Miller-Meeks by only 799 votes. It was the second-closest House race that year, and far closer than Bohannan's loss in 2022, when she fell short by 23,000 votes.
Iowa's 1st District is a microcosm of the state, largely rural with urban and suburban pockets. A geographic area larger than Massachusetts, more than half of its 20 counties have populations of less than 20,000 residents.
Read more from Beaumont on Bohannon's 2026 strategy in Iowa's 1st. |
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Trump is heading to his golf course in Ireland in September |
President Donald Trump tees off during the opening ceremony for the Trump International Golf Links golf course, near Aberdeen, Scotland, July 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) |
Trump is heading to his golf course in Ireland to watch the Irish Open golf tournament next month — By Will Weissert
Trump plans to visit Ireland next month to attend the Irish Open golf tournament at his golf course in Doonbeg in County Clare on the country’s Atlantic coast, according to a White House official.
The trip is the most recent example of how the president blurs the line between official business and travel in ways that can benefit his family business. His sons have taken over day-to-day control of the Trump Organization, but the September trip once again lays bare how Trump has leveraged his second term to pad his family’s profits in a variety of ways.
Trump is scheduled to be in Ireland on Sept. 12 and 13 and will join an event with U.S. embassy workers and business officials before attending the golf tournament at Trump International Golf Links Ireland in Doonbeg, according to the White House official, who was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. Trump's course in Bedminster, New Jersey, hosted a LIV golf tournament in August. Another Trump course at Doral in South Florida is scheduled to host a PGA event, the Cadillac Championship, in March 2028.
Trump has talked about his course in Turnberry, Scotland, hosting the British Open, which it last did in 2009, before Trump bought the resort. A return of the British Open to that property continues to face major logistical hurdles.
Read more from Weissert about Trump's upcoming trip to Ireland. |
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AP Elections Spotlight: Summer reruns |
U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., left, reaches over to shake hands with Sen. Darline Graham, R-S.C., during a debate ahead of the special GOP Senate runoff election to replace the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., in Newberry, S.C., Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Meg Kinnard) |
South Carolina Republicans will pick a new nominee for U.S. Senate on Tuesday, and Oklahoma Republicans will decide on a nominee for governor. Meanwhile, Democrats in the Atlanta area will elect a new representative to Congress.
Sound familiar? That’s because it’s the second or third time this year these same voters will cast ballots for these same offices. Welcome to Runoff Week.
South Carolina (Polls close 7 p.m. ET): In the race to replace the late Sen. Lindsay Graham as the GOP nominee in November, his sister, Sen. Darline Graham, trails Rep. Ralph Norman in fundraising and stumbled on a foreign policy question at their debate, but Trump rallied support for her at a campaign event Friday in Myrtle Beach.
Graham was the top vote-getter in the Aug. 11 special Republican primary with about a third of the vote, compared to about a quarter of the vote for Norman. She led across central South Carolina and the Lowcountry, while Norman did best in the Piedmont and Upstate regions. The third-place finisher, Rep. Russell Fry, carried the counties in his congressional district. He has since endorsed Graham.
Georgia-13th (Polls close 7 p.m. ET): The winner of the special runoff to replace the late Democratic U.S. Rep. David Scott will complete the remaining months of his term but will have a relatively short tenure in Congress. Neither Marcye Scott, who is David Scott’s daughter, nor Everton Blair will compete for a full two-year term. Both are Democrats, so the outcome with further tighten the Republican majority in Congress.
In the July 28 special election, Scott led in five of the district’s six Atlanta-area counties. Blair carried his home county of Gwinnett.
Oklahoma (Polls close 8 p.m. ET): State Attorney General Gentner Drummond slightly outperformed Trump-backed former state Sen. Mike Mazzei in the June 16 Republican primary for governor. Drummond narrowly carried Oklahoma and Cleveland counties, two of the state’s most populous. Mazzei carried Tulsa County, which has the second-largest population, but edged Oklahoma County as the county with the most primary votes cast.
Trump’s primary picks in 2026 have a strong winning record, but the most notable exceptions have been in primaries for governor.
Read more from Robert Yoon on the votes in South Carolina, Georgia and Oklahoma.
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Race car driver Graham Rahal races during the IndyCar Freedom 250 Grand Prix auto race in Washington, Sunday, Aug. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Nick Wass) |
Washington-based photographer Nick Wass was there as Washington hosted an IndyCar race through its streets on Sunday, when Trump kicked off the Freedom 250 Grand Prix by leading a slow lap in the presidential limousine through the course.
Soon after, the president waved the green flag to start the race and drivers began whipping through downtown, including a stretch along Pennsylvania Avenue not too far from the White House.
Read more from Michelle L. Price on the IndyCar race through Washington. |
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