BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — The party of Colombian President Gustavo Petro secured a victory in congressional elections, but will have to build coalitions with other parties to carry out announced reforms, including a controversial push to rewrite the nation’s constitution.
Petro's Historical Pact party won almost a quarter of all seats in the Senate on Sunday, more than any other party.
But its staunchest opponents also made gains, with the Democratic Center party — the conservative party led by former President Álvaro Uribe — securing 17 seats in the 103-member Senate.
In the House of Representatives, the Democratic Center received the most overall votes, with the Historical Pact coming in fifth place. But votes in the House don't always correlate with the number of seats each party gets. After a formula is applied to assign seats to different regions, Petro's party could have a higher representation in the House.
Traditional parties including the Liberals and Conservatives lost ground in the Senate, while the Green Party also saw a smaller showing.
“The country seems to be turning away from voices in the center, and it's becoming more polarized,” said Carlos Arias, a political consultant based in Bogota.
Jorge Restrepo, an economist at Bogota’s Javeriana University, said the election results showed that Colombia, a nation governed for decades by technocratic administrations on the center and the right, is no longer “immune to populism.”
“The Petro administration has taken a series of measures that are popular in the short term” but not sustainable in the long term, Restrepo said.
He pointed to a massive increase in the nation’s minimum wage, decreasing gasoline prices and reforms to the nation’s labor laws that have increased overtime payments.
“These decisions have helped to increase the popularity of the Historical Pact,” Restrepo said. “And make its critics more unpopular.”
The congressional election came just two months before Colombia holds a presidential election that will be crucial for the nation’s security policies and for the continuation of economic reforms led by the current government.
During its four years in power the Petro administration has pushed for negotiations with the nation’s remaining rebel groups while changing labor laws that recently included a 23% increase to the nation’s minimum wage — despite a 5% inflation rate last year.
Petro has said he would like to nationalize Colombia’s health care system, so that private insurance companies no longer handle social security payments. He has also pushed for changes to the pension system that would enable the government to administer a greater portion of pension payments.
Petro opponents have threatened to roll back some of these reforms, which they argue lead to wasteful government spending.
They have also signaled a more confrontational approach toward rebel groups that have increasingly threatened civilians with extortions, kidnappings and death threats, as they fight over territory and finance themselves with cocaine exports.
On Sunday, a coalition of parties on the center and the right held a presidential primary in which they elected Paloma Valencia, a senator for the Democratic Center, as their presidential candidate.
The coalition picked up 5.7 million votes, which turned Valencia into a serious contender in the upcoming elections, said Sergio Guzmán, a political risk analyst in Bogota.
Petro is barred from running in the election by Colombia’s constitution. But his party’s candidate, Sen. Iván Cepeda is ahead in polls, followed by Abelardo de la Espriella, an ultra conservative lawyer who has described himself as an admirer of Salvadoran president Nayib Bukele.
Sunday’s showing by Valencia suggests that she could now compete with De la Espriella for Colombia’s conservative vote.
“Abelardo’s candidacy seems shaky now,” Guzmán said, adding that the lawyer’s congressional list gained around 600,000 votes on Sunday, just a tenth of the votes cast for the primary won by Valencia.
There will be at least half a dozen candidates competing in May’s presidential election, including two members of smaller left-wing parties.
If none of the candidates gets 50% of the votes a run off will take place in June between the top two contenders.
Yan Basset, a political science professor at Bogota’s Rosario University, said that a victory by a conservative candidate would kill existing efforts by the Petro administration to rewrite Colombia’s constitution.
Petro has argued that a constitutional reset is required to empower voters and advance economic reforms previously blocked by the nation's judges. But critics describe the effort as a power grab intended to diminish judicial oversight over the nation's executive branch.
Basset said that if Cepeda, the Historical Pact candidate, wins the election, his government would struggle to change the constitution, due to the new makeup of Colombia’s Congress.
“The left won, but they only had a quarter of the seats,” Basset said. “I don’t think that there is the appetite among their potential coalition partners” to change the constitution.
Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america
Supporters of Sen. Paloma Valencia of the Democratic Center gather after she won the nomination of an opposition coalition for the upcoming presidential election in Bogota, Colombia, Sunday, March 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Ivan Valencia)
Election workers count ballots after voting ended after polls closed in legislative elections in Bogota, Colombia, Sunday, March 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Ivan Valencia)
An election official dismantles a voting booth after polls closed in legislative elections in Bogota, Colombia, Sunday, March 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Ivan Valencia)
For a state that’s home to Hollywood, there isn’t much star power in California’s gubernatorial race. It’s a somewhat different story in Los Angeles, where a reality television personality is running for mayor as the city prepares to host the Olympics.
More primaries are being held on Tuesday as well. Democrats are banking on a rare chance to regain ground in Iowa, a rural state that has repeatedly eluded them in recent years. Republicans, meanwhile, are grappling with a New Jersey congressman whose unexplained absence could put their already slim majority at risk.
— California: Voters are weighing in on who should lead the nation’s most populous state, where there is no clear leader among candidates vying to advance in the race to succeed Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom. Plus, U.S. House races are on the ballot, along with the Los Angeles mayor’s race.
— New Mexico: Contests in the state include primaries for congressional seats, a U.S. Senate seat and a long list of statewide offices, but the governor’s race is the main attraction. Former Interior Secretary Deb Haaland is running for the Democratic nomination, which could put her on a historic path for Native American leaders.
— New Jersey: One of this year’s most closely watched House midterms will take place in the battleground district represented by Rep. Tom Kean Jr., who has drawn public scrutiny and concern after missing more than 100 House votes due to an undisclosed medical issue. Voters are deciding which Democrat will run against him in November.
— Read more about races in Iowa, Montana and South Dakota.
Here's the latest:
Republican Spencer Pratt is dismissing Nithya Raman’s campaign as “weak” and effectively over. The only real race, he says, is between him and Democratic incumbent Karen Bass.
Raman, a former Bass ally and progressive city council member, is challenging the mayor from the left.
In a social media video posted Monday, Pratt says Raman hasn’t gotten anything done during her six years in city leadership. He calls a vote for Raman a waste.
“At this point, it’s me and Karen,” Pratt says.
President Donald Trump on Tuesday urged his followers to vote for Hilton, a former Fox News TV host and British political adviser.
“He will work with me and the Federal Government, the money will flow because I have confidence in him (but not any of the others!), and we will MAKE CALIFORNIA GREAT AGAIN!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Meanwhile, Vice President J.D. Vance called Hilton a “good guy” and encouraged Californians to vote for him.
“California is such a beautiful state--it just needs better political leadership!” Vance wrote on X.
Nithya Raman was once an ally to Bass, but she filed to challenge her as mayor just hours before the filing deadline. Raman described the city as “at a breaking point.”
She has promised to speed up housing construction, bring back entertainment industry jobs and improve services in a city known for dirty streets and buckled pavement.
Raman hasn’t drawn as much national chatter as Pratt, a former reality television star whose supporters have tried to boost his candidacy with AI-generated videos.
Last week, Raman took a shot at that tactic with her own video showing her flanked by supporters. “No AI was used in the making of this video,” it said.
The nation’s most populous state is dominated by Democrats, but some are unsure of who to vote for.
“I’m kind of pinching my nose and voting this go-around rather than being excited,” said Colin Culver, a 21-year-old San Diego resident who ultimately voted for Tom Steyer.
It’s been a chaotic campaign, particularly when former Rep. Eric Swalwell dropped out of the race after being accused of sexual assault.
Paul Mitchell, a Democratic strategist tracking ballot returns, said some voters “are holding onto the ballot because they have seen this kind of topsy-turvy governor’s race,” and “they’re waiting to make sure they’re making the right choice.”
Two Democrats are seeking their party’s nomination to replace Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, a term-limited Democrat who will leave office at the end of 2026. Sam Bregman, an Albuquerque-based district attorney, is campaigning on his law enforcement record and promises to stand up to the Trump administration.
Former congresswoman and U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland has emphasized her ancestral roots in the state and experience working in the nation’s capital.
Haaland leads Bregman in fundraising by a wide margin, but the primary has become increasingly combative. Bregman’s campaign has seized on the fact that Haaland has declined multiple opportunities to debate him. Meanwhile Haaland’s campaign has cast Bregman as out of touch with everyday New Mexicans, highlighting his personal wealth.
By any measure, Bass’ first term has been challenging. The worst wildfire in city history began while she was traveling with a presidential delegation in Ghana. Homelessness continues to be a challenge.
“I haven’ always got it right,” Bass says.
But now she wants a second term, which would allow her to keep leading the city of 4 million people as it hosts the Olympics in 2028.
Bass is facing challenges from the left and the right. Progressive city council member Nithya Raman and Republican reality television personality Spencer Pratt are among the 14 names on the ballot.
With so many candidates, no one is likely to get a majority of the vote on Tuesday, meaning the election would be settled by a November runoff between the top two.
One of the most closely watched House races in this year’s midterms is unfolding in the New Jersey district represented by Rep. Tom Kean Jr., who’s been absent from votes for nearly three months.
Kean is running unopposed in the Republican primary, where he’s has Trump’s support. But his absence because of an undisclosed personal medical issue has generated outsized interest in the contest.
Kean is seeking a third term.
Republican Rep. Tom Kean Jr. is running unopposed in the primary for New Jersey’s 7th congressional district on Tuesday. But he’s facing growing scrutiny for an unexplained medical absence that has stretched for more than three months, causing him to miss more than 100 votes in Congress.
Trump weighed in on social media late Monday, saying Kean was “working tirelessly” to support the MAGA agenda.
Though Kean isn’t facing any GOP competition today, he’s seeking reelection this fall in one of the few genuinely competitive congressional districts left on the map. Several Democrats vying to take him on in the general election have made his absence — and the lack of clarity surrounding it — a central part of their message.
Every two years, the attention of the nation’s political class is riveted on a Democratic-leaning congressional district in California’s Central Valley. Republican Rep. David Valadao has been able to fend off repeated Democratic challengers, except in 2018, when he barely lost. But he ran again two years later and reclaimed the seat.
Democrats redrew the district to make it even tougher for Valadao. They recruited a moderate who represents the area in the state capital, Assemblywoman Jasmeet Bains, to run against him. But she’s had to battle a more liberal rival, political science professor and school board member Randy Villegas. The primary will determine Valadao’s next opponent.
That means all candidates are on the same ballot, regardless of their party affiliation. California has used that system for more than a decade.
It’s occasionally resulted in two candidates from the same party competing against each other in a general election. That happened most notably in U.S. Senate races in 2016 and 2018, when two Democrats faced off.
In the governor’s race, though, one Republican and one Democrat have always advanced to November. Democrats had feared a lockout this year given their large field of candidates. But those worries have diminished in the race’s closing weeks.
A Democrat has held the governor’s office since 2011, when Jerry Brown took over from Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Democrats have also had a firm grip on the state Legislature.
Republicans Steve Hilton and Chad Bianco say that means Democrats are to blame for the state’s expensive gas and housing, its homelessness crisis and a slew of other problems. Both have pledged to reduce regulations and taxes.
Hilton has President Donald Trump’s backing. That could help him in the primary but hurt him in the general election in the heavily Democratic state.
Holding on to Iowa is a big part of the GOP’s plan to keep its U.S. Senate majority.
A super PAC affiliated with Senate Republicans has pledged $29 million to help ensure the seat stays in GOP hands.
That means all candidates are on the same ballot, regardless of their party affiliation. California has used that system for more than a decade.
It has occasionally resulted in two candidates from the same party competing against each other in a general election. That happened most notably in U.S. Senate races in 2016 and 2018, when two Democrats faced off.
In the governor’s race, though, one Republican and one Democrat have always advanced to November. Democrats had feared a lockout this year, given their large field of candidates. But those worries have diminished in the race’s closing weeks.
The candidates are U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra, state Rep. Eddie Andrews, businessman and former conservative political director Zach Lahn, former state Rep. Brad Sherman and former director of the state Department of Administrative Services Adam Steen.
If no candidate earns at least 35% of Republican primary voters, the nominee would be selected at a contested state party convention.
Trump endorsed Feenstra on Friday, saying on social media that “Randy is MAGA all the way!”
The generational fighting that has been ripping through the Democratic Party continues in California’s primaries.
In the Los Angeles-area’s 32nd District, 42-year-old lawyer Jake Levine is challenging Brad Sherman, 71, a 15-term member of the House of Representatives.
And in the 7th District near Sacramento, 40-year-old city councilwoman Mai Vang is challenging Doris Matsui, 81, who has held the seat since her husband, a congressman himself for decades, died in 2005.
Tom Steyer, the former hedge fund manager turned climate activist, spent nearly $200 million of his money on advertising alone.
The billionaire’s ad campaign was the most expensive in the country by far this election cycle. The data comes from advertising tracker AdImpact.
Steyer’s rivals in the governor’s race and his critics have accused him of trying to buy the election.
But he’s defended his spending, saying he is fighting against powerful corporate interests that are driving up the price of living in the state. Pacific Gas & Electric, a major California utility, is among the corporations and business interests funding anti-Steyer ads.
“I’m only working for the people of California,” Steyer said last week.
They are former mayor of fast-growing Rio Rancho Gregg Hull, cannabis business owner Duke Rodriguez and public relations professional Doug Turner.
While Hull and Turner have not aligned their campaigns with the MAGA movement, Rodriguez was recently served a cease-and-desist letter from a law firm representing Trump for “deceptive use” of the president’s image in campaign materials. That contest's winner faces an uphill battle to win in a state where a Republican has not been elected to statewide office in 10 years.
A sign directs voters to a polling place for the New Jersey primary election in Cherry Hill township, N.J., Tuesday, June 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
A person walks from a polling place for the New Jersey primary election in Oaklyn, N.J., Tuesday, June 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
