The Primary used to be just the first step in the electoral process — now the primary has transformed, in many places into the moment when the election is all but decided. It's shaping Congress.
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Eric McDaniel
Eric McDaniel is a congressional reporter for NPR's Washington Desk.
Ashley Lopez
Ashley Lopez is a political correspondent for NPR based in Austin, Texas. She joined NPR in May 2022. Prior to NPR, Lopez spent more than six years as a health care and politics reporter for KUT, Austin's public radio station. Before that, she was a political reporter for NPR Member stations in Florida and Kentucky. Lopez is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and grew up in Miami, Florida. [Copyright 2025 NPR]