Politalking US 
This briefing reflects reporting and polling available as of October 21, 2026. Candidates, endorsements and polling can change before Election Day on November 3, 2026. Why This Race Matters A Senate seat in one of the country’s most reliably Republican states has become competitive in the final weeks of the campaign. South Carolina has not … Read more
This briefing reflects reporting and polling available as of October 21, 2026. Candidates, endorsements and polling can change before Election Day on November 3, 2026. Why This Race Matters Western Montana has produced the state’s closest federal race in years. Republican Rep. Ryan Zinke is not running again, which leaves an open seat that both … Read more
–> This briefing reflects reporting and polling available as of October 21, 2026. Candidates, endorsements and polling can change before Election Day on November 3, 2026. Why This Race Matters A Republican who won his last race by 13 points is now defending a seat in a competitive contest. Rep. Rob Wittman has represented Virginia’s … Read more
Reading In most American elections, voters mark one name and the candidate with the most votes wins, even without a majority. This rule, called plurality voting, is simple, but it can produce a winner whom most voters opposed when three or more candidates split the vote. Ranked choice voting (RCV), also called instant runoff voting, … Read more
Before the 2026 general election took shape, party primaries decided who would be on the ballot, and some of the most revealing moments of the campaign happened at rallies held while those contests were still open. This post collects eight of them, four from Republican events and four from Democratic ones, each held before the … Read more
The No Kings coalition held its fourth nationwide day of action on Saturday, Oct. 17, this time built around early voting rather than street protest. Organizers reported events in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., including marches to polling places, ballot drop-off walks, voter registration booths and poll-watcher training. The White House dismissed the effort, … Read more
Campaign money in the final weeks is moving toward Republican-held seats once treated as safe, and away from races where a side thinks the outcome is settled. Through October 12, Republican-aligned groups led total congressional ad spending, $1.98 billion to $1.75 billion, while Democrats led in House races, AdImpact reported. Republican groups are adding money … Read more
Race ratings in several Republican-held contests have moved toward Democrats since October 6, with the biggest changes in the Midwest and Mountain West. Kansas’s Senate race is now a Toss Up, Alaska’s governor’s race leans Democratic, and Montana’s open House seat is a Toss Up. On October 16, Cook Political Report moved 11 races toward … Read more
Three debates on October 15 closed out the campaign’s televised exchanges in two states that could help decide control of Congress. In Alaska, Sen. Dan Sullivan and Mary Peltola accused each other of dishonesty over the Iran war and prices, and in Maine, Sen. Susan Collins and Troy Jackson held their fourth and final Senate … Read more
About eight in ten American voters say the country needs substantial change or complete upheaval in how it is governed, according to a new AP-NORC poll released October 15. The economy and cost of living top voters’ priorities, and more voters prefer Democratic control of Congress than Republican control. Neither major party is viewed favorably … Read more
The Justice Department has warned California election officials that they could face federal criminal exposure if they knowingly count ballots from people the government identifies as noncitizens. The October 16 warning came one day after the department sued California to stop it from counting mail ballots from more than 20,000 people it describes as likely … Read more
Five governor’s races produced debates between October 12 and 14 that showed how differently candidates treat the format. Georgia’s Republican nominee skipped his debate and left his opponent alone on stage, Illinois’s two candidates talked over each other for an hour, and New York’s Kathy Hochul and Bruce Blakeman fought over an ICE shooting and … Read more
