Kimberly Adams

And tomorrow, we're going to be having my annual cherry blossom party on Economics on Tap.

It is just about peak bloom here in D.C., and because it is a Japanese-themed festival here in D.C., I'm going to be speaking with a local sake importer, and we're going to be tasting some sake live on the YouTube livestream.

So feel free to bring your own sake and any questions you might have about the sake business or the drink itself.

As always, our YouTube livestream starts at 3.30 Pacific, 6.30 Eastern.

Don't miss it.

Make Me Smart is produced by Courtney Bergseger.

Today's program was engineered by Alexander Simpson with mixing by Montana Johnson.

Ben Talladay and Daniel Ramirez composed our theme music.

Our supervisory senior producer is Daisy Palacios.

Nancy Fargali is executive producer of Marketplace Shows.

And Marketplace's vice president and general manager is Neil Scarborough.

Hello, everyone.

I'm Kimberly Adams.

Welcome back to Make Me Smart, where none of us is as smart as all of us.

Primary season for the 2026 midterm elections is well underway, with votes to winnow down party candidates already held in Texas, Arkansas, Mississippi, North Carolina, and Illinois.

There's another wave of elections coming up in May, with other states mostly in June and August.

So today we're taking a look at the money that's shaping the races so far and what those inside the world of campaign finance and campaigns in general are watching as the midterms get closer.

So here to make us smart about this is Democratic strategist Tim Lim, president of Lim Consulting Services.

Tim, welcome to the show.

Thanks for having me.