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
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
Six Senate races produced debates between October 11 and 14, and four of them were repeat meetings between the same candidates. Georgia’s Jon Ossoff and Mike Collins traded accusations over Jeffrey Epstein, the 2020 election and white nationalism, while Maine’s Susan Collins and Troy Jackson argued over Iran war votes and campaign finance. South Carolina’s … Read more
A federal judge in New York ordered the Trump administration on October 11 to stop using Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funds for a series of television ads featuring President Donald Trump. Plaintiffs say the ads kept airing afterward in hundreds of spots, and Justice Department lawyers have apologized, blaming a delay in passing the … Read more
Voters in 21 states face new rules for registering or casting ballots in the November 3 midterm elections. Nearly 40 laws passed in Republican-controlled states are taking effect for the first time this year, according to a tally cited in an October 12 Associated Press report. Courts have already changed how some of the rules … Read more
Most U.S. adults oppose betting on election results, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released October 12. Opposition crossed party lines, with 69% of Democrats and 61% of Republicans against. The poll arrives as prediction-market companies expand, sign deals with news outlets and face a federal-state fight over who regulates them. Background Prediction markets let customers … Read more
Seven closely watched midterm races, five for governor and two for the Senate, have no debate on the calendar with 23 days left before the November 3 election. In some, one candidate has refused outright. In others, nobody has said yes. This dispatch covers who is declining, what each side says, and what the missing … Read more
