A look ahead at the key events leading the news agenda next week, from the team at Foresight News. Delivered to your inbox on Fridays.
Leading the Week
Voters in Ohio head to the polls on Tuesday (May 3) for one of the midterms’ most closely watched primaries, which marks the first major test of Donald Trump’s endorsement power and the MAGA wing’s prospects in future races.
Hillbilly Elegy author JD Vance leads the Republican race for Rob Portman’s Senate seat, having received a last-minute surge in support following Trump’s endorsement. But Trump’s decision to back his former critic has divided supporters, providing a potential opening for former frontrunner Josh Mandel to scoop up votes from those who feel betrayed by the move. The winner of the GOP primary is likely to face Congressman Tim Ryan in November.
The primary for Ryan’s seat in the newly redrawn 13th Congressional District is another race to look out for. Trump-backed Madison Gesiotto Gilbert is among candidates in a crowded GOP field seeking to take on Emilia Sykes in what looks set to be a competitive race, as Democrats will fight to hold on to the seat Joe Biden won by just three points in 2020. There’s also interest in the 11th District, where progressive Nina Turner is challenging Rep. Shontel Brown again after losing to her in last November’s special election. In the 7th District, where Republican Bob Gibbs is retiring, former Trump aide Max Miller is among candidates in the GOP primary.
On Friday (May 6), Trump holds a rally in Pennsylvania where a similarly high-profile election takes place on May 17.
Looking Abroad
The conflict in Ukraine, with its sprawling ramifications, is set to dominate international news again this week. Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair is due to discuss Russia’s invasion at a New York Times event on Monday (May 2), and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who was recently in Kyiv, testifies before the Senate on Tuesday. There’s a flurry of diplomatic activity on the other side of the Atlantic, too, where Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Monday, followed by talks with Nordic leaders in Copenhagen and a summit with freshly re-elected French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is also visiting this week, with stops in Rome and London. Wednesday sees Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky address Danish WWII anniversary events, while Poland and Sweden co-host an international donors’ conference in Warsaw on Thursday. The conference coincides with a virtual OPEC+ meeting, where the energy implications of the conflict will inform output decisions.