2026 midterm elections live updates: Latest news, results, and analysis

The gloves are already off in Michigan’s closely watched Senate race — and the first punches are coming from the political groups backing each candidate.

Just before Republican Mike Rogers and Democratic nominee Abdul el Sayed are set to face off Thursday night in their first general election debate in Grand Rapids, the Republican National Committee and a major Democratic Senate super PAC are trading attacks over everything from taxes and healthcare to President Donald Trump and campaign cash.

The RNC is warning Michigan voters that Rogers will use the debate to expose what spokesman Hunter Lovell called a “socialist conman.”

Lovell also went after el Sayed over his fundraising efforts, accusing the Democrat of “begging AOC, the Soros family and coastal elites for cash.”

Democrats, meanwhile, are going after Rogers for his absence from a September debate in Detroit.

Senate Majority PAC, the Democratic super PAC working to elect Democrats to the Senate, accused Rogers of avoiding Michigan voters before Thursday night’s matchup.

“Mike Rogers spent a month dodging Michigan voters, and tonight he gets to explain why,” Senate Majority PAC press secretary Christyna Thompson said. “He cheered on Trump’s war until gas prices made it a political problem, and now he wants credit for changing his mind. Rogers told everyone exactly who he’s running to serve, and it’s Donald Trump.”

Former President Barack Obama endorsed Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-PA) for reelection as Pennsylvania’s governor on Friday, adding in his message that Shapiro was one of his “earliest supporters.”

“As governor, he has stood up to the chaos, cruelty, and corruption coming out of Washington, and he’s gotten stuff done for the people of Pennsylvania — like delivering free school breakfast, safeguarding healthcare, cutting taxes, and protecting our freedoms. Pennsylvania: Governor Shapiro has your back. And in this election, I am asking you to have his,” Obama said.

Shapiro is taking on Trump-endorsed Republican state treasurer Stacy Garrity in November, aiming to hold on to his seat for a second term after Trump flipped Pennsylvania red in 2024. Shapiro, a suspected 2028 presidential candidate, debated Garrity this week and did not commit to serving out a full second term if he is reelected.

Shapiro is the latest endorsement from Obama, who has played his hand with a series of endorsements this week, including endorsing Democrats David Crowley in the Wisconsin governor’s race and Keisha Lance Bottoms in Georgia’s gubernatorial race.

Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) is planning campaign stops in Nevada, South Carolina, and New Hampshire to boost Democratic candidates ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, visiting several states that could play a key role in his possible 2028 presidential bid.

Booker will campaign for Nevada gubernatorial candidate Aaron Ford and Rep. Steven Horsford (D-NV), marking his third visit to the state this year. In South Carolina, he will stump for Senate nominee Annie Andrews, who is challenging Sen. Darline Graham (R-SC), and Democratic gubernatorial nominee Jermaine Johnson.

Both Nevada and South Carolina are early voting states in the 2028 presidential primary calendar. Booker also plans to visit New Hampshire, another early primary state, to support candidates “up and down the ticket,” according to an aide.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) will head to Bucks County, Pennsylvania, on Saturday to rally support for Democratic congressional nominee Bob Harvie alongside Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-PA) as Democrats seek to flip a competitive House seat.

Harvie, a former Bucks County commissioner and public school teacher, is challenging incumbent Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) in Pennsylvania’s 1st Congressional District.

Fitzpatrick, who has cultivated a reputation as an independent-minded Republican, has won the district five times. Democrats see an opening this cycle after then-Vice President Kamala Harris carried the district by 1 percentage point in the 2024 presidential election. Fitzpatrick, however, won reelection that year by 13 percentage points. The Cook Political Report rates the race as “Likely Republican.”

Jeffries’s stop in Pennsylvania is part of a seven-state tour launched this week as Democrats broaden their House targets and downballot candidates ahead of the midterm elections while Republicans work to defend their majority.

Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is planning to visit Virginia to support candidates hoping to flip the state’s Republican districts blue.

Buttigieg will rally with Tom Perriello, Shannon Taylor, and former Rep. Elaine Luria in Henrico County, Virginia, on Oct. 19.

Buttigieg has been criss-crossing the country to support Democratic candidates in downballot races. He regularly visits the Midwest and rural areas where Democrats are less well represented.

Maine Democratic Senate nominee Troy Jackson accused Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) and her husband of profiting from the Iran war Thursday evening during the candidates’ second televised debate, a charge that the five-term incumbent rejected as “absolutely outrageous.”

Jackson was referencing Collins’s financial investments in oil and natural gas companies, suggesting they were at the center of why the centrist Republican and frequent swing vote does not “use her leverage to stop this war.”

“But instead, they’re making money. I mean, Sen. Collins and her husband are making money more off of this war,” Jackson said. “So does a whole bunch of other people, and that’s why this doesn’t stop, because they got us in another fertile war that we’re never going to get out of, and people in the state are feeling the effects of it.”

Collins responded by demanding that Jackson apologize.

“That is absolutely outrageous, and you owe me an apology,” she said. “That is absolutely outrageous. To say that my husband and I are making money off the war in Iran is absolutely outrageous.”

Collins noted that she’s repeatedly voted in favor of war powers resolutions as part of failed bipartisan attempts to end President Donald Trump’s ability to continue the war.

One of the hottest moments of Thursday night’s Michigan Senate debate came during a question over the candidates’ support of Flock cameras, AI-powered license plate readers which have generated a political firestorm over government surveillance, in which Mike Rogers suggested his opponent’s mother had ties to an al Qaeda-linked organization.

Rogers, a former FBI agent, said that some government surveillance programs were “were really, really important in catching people who were suspected of terrorists.”

He then appeared to suggest Democratic nominee Abdul el Sayed would not support such measures because of his family’s ties to terrorist organizations, leading to a testy exchange.

“And why would that bother you? Well, if you have someone in your family that might be on … the watch list,” began Rogers.

“Are you going to go ahead and say that I’m a — go ahead and say it … you’ve been tip-toeing around it the whole time” interrupted el Sayed.

“No, I’m gonna say, did you not have family, did you not?” said Rogers as the two candidates talked over each other.

“What your mom was working at. I was going off to that organization that was indicted for funneling money to al Qaeda. That’s your mom. My mom worked at the Chamber of Commerce. I’ll put my mom up any day for that,” Rogers concluded after a lengthy exchange.

El Sayed rebutted by saying Rogers is fine with the federal government spying on citizens.

The exchange sparked from a question about whether the candidates would support government guardrails.

El Sayed said he “absolutely” supports guardrails on the emerging technology, adding that the “idea of being surveilled wherever you are without your consent is a very dangerous thing.”

Rogers, the Republican nominee, when asked whether he supports guardrails, said he believed local government should be in charge of the process and would oppose states using it against citizens who haven’t committed crimes.

“I would not be for that at all,” said Rogers.

The candidates for Iowa‘s 2nd Congressional District exchanged jabs during their second debate on Thursday, each saying the other used their families in attack ads.

Iowa Democrat Lindsay James accused Republican challenger Joe Mitchell of using a photo of her 16-year-old daughter in an attack ad.

“I want folks to know that my opponent has used my 16-year-old daughter in an attack ad against me, used images of her, and put that on social media,” James said.

Mitchell quickly asked for more information and insisted “that is not true.”

James clarified that the picture of her daughter’s face was blurred but said she was “clearly identifiable.”

Mitchell shot back that James had also used a photo of his “entire family” in an ad as well. “Don’t throw my family in here too,” Mitchell said.

“I am deeply concerned about protecting kids, and I am deeply alarmed by what Joe Mitchell will do to win this seat and become, you know, the next member of Congress,” James said.

Republican Mike Rogers called Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s “public efforts in Minnesota,” in which federal immigration agents killed two people in January, “probably not appropriate” during an hourlong testy debate against Democratic nominee Abdul el Sayed.

Rogers was asked to name an instance in which he thought President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement tactics went too far, prompting the response.

“You always want to go in quiet, get the bad guy. Get out of the neighborhood for less problems. So that’s that to me was something that they could have done differently. They made that correction. They made that adjustment,” Rogers said.

He added the deportation effort has led to the “largest decrease in murders ever recorded.”

Rogers, a former FBI agent, concluded his answer by saying he “would apply the same law enforcement standards to the FBI as I do ICE agents. I think they do fine. Doesn’t mean every one of them is perfect.”

El Sayed was then asked whether he believes an illegal immigrant who’s committed a violent crime and has a deportation order should be deported, to which he responded “yes,” before criticizing Rogers for his statement.

“He said it was probably not right. I mean, definitely not right. They killed two people,” el Sayed. “You can keep a safe and secure southern border. I believe we have to keep a safe and secure southern border.”

El Sayed also reiterated his support for pathways to citizenship for illegal immigrants and said ICE was “terrorizing folks in our streets.”

Rogers, in a rebuttal, said el Sayed has “called for open borders, decriminalizing crossing the border, giving illegals identification and allowing them on Medicare.”

“You can’t get a worse plan than what you hear from Abdul,” said Rogers.

During the second debate for Iowa’s open House seat, Republican Joe Mitchell slammed Democrats, including his opponent, Lindsay James, for decrying rising gas prices while simultaneously supporting Green New Deal environmental legislation.

“We’re dealing with the Democrat Party that has been for the Green New Deal for the last 10 years, including my opponent, who has voted on legislation in the Capitol to tell counties that they can ban propane and natural gas if they want to do that and go to a net carbon solution,” Mitchell said.

Mitchell went on to say that Democratic candidates in Iowa are “acting like they care about the price of gas and price of diesel when they actually hate fossil fuels.”

“They haven’t done anything in the last 10 years to build more refineries, to incentivize that, to extract more oil. They’ve actually done the exact opposite,” Mitchell said.

Mitchell and James are running to replace Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-IA), who is vying for Iowa’s open Senate seat.

Republican Mike Rogers faced questions Thursday night about his changing position on President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canada during a combative debate Thursday with Democratic Senate nominee Abdul el Sayed, as the candidates clashed over trade, rising costs, and the president’s policies.

Rogers, who released a campaign ad Wednesday calling for an end to the trade war with Canada, was pressed to explain the shift after previously defending Trump’s tariff policy. El Sayed, meanwhile, challenged Rogers over his support for the president and questioned whether the Republican’s new position was genuine.

The exchange put the spotlight on an increasingly contentious issue in Michigan, where economic ties with Canada make the trade dispute particularly consequential for businesses and consumers. Rogers’s new advertisement declares that Canada is not Michigan’s enemy and calls for an end to the tariff fight.

During the debate, Rogers was shown a clip of himself defending tariffs about a week earlier and asked to account for the apparent reversal.

Rogers said he wanted the two countries to reach an agreement.

“I’d like to see a deal made,” Rogers said, adding that he had “called the White House this week, talked to the secretary of commerce” about the matter.

The response left questions about what specific agreement Rogers would support and how he would persuade the Trump administration to change course. His new ad calls for ending the tariff war, but his debate comments emphasized reaching a deal.

El Sayed also faced questions about his own trade policy. When pressed on which Canadian tariffs he would keep, he did not provide a clear, specific answer.

Ossoff accused Collins of filling his office as a congressman with pro-Nazi employees, a reference to allegations that the lawmaker had multiple ties to white nationalism, neo-Nazism, and antisemitism.

During a question about data center development, Ossoff pivoted to focus on allegations against Collins.

“When you are paying more for your health insurance, when a hospital in your community is closing down, Mike Collins voted to take that money out of your pocket and out of your community and give it instead to data center developers,” Ossoff said.

“And that’s the problem, Mike. It’s not just that you’ve hired half the Third Reich to staff your congressional office and you have promoted neo-Nazi content online, it’s that you’re robbing your constituents to subsidize your donors,” Ossoff said.

The accusations against Collins include a revelation in July that his son-in-law, David Alan Scheer II, was using social media to push white nationalist views and deny the Holocaust.

Collins was asked by the moderator to “denounce white supremacy.”

“I’ve condemned racism, antisemitism, hate. I don’t care where the source is, and I tell him that too. It’s wrong. We have no place in this world for that,” Collins said.

Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) called Tuesday evening’s Georgia Senate debate a “trial” for Rep. Mike Collins (R-GA).

“And tonight, a united Georgia will hear the trial of Mike Collins. Mike Collins has brought dishonor to our state through his personal bigotry and his widely documented ties to white nationalists, and he sold out Georgia in his pathetic, childlike devotion to Donald Trump,” Ossoff said during his opening statement.

Collins is under a House ethics investigation over allegations that he and his former chief of staff misused congressional funds to pay an employee who did little to no work.

The Republican nominee responded that the ethics complaint was “bogus.”

“It is a nothingburger. It is election season, and my opponent, the Democrats, they wanted to ride this thing through the election,” Collins said. “Matter of fact, I look forward to the day they need to release all of that.”

DES MOINES, Iowa — Gary Leffler, 65, a general contractor from Altoona, Iowa, brought his patriotic tractor to the Iowa PBS station in Des Moines to show support for Republican House candidate Joe Mitchell in Thursday’s debate against Democrat Lindsay James.

Leffler, a proud supporter of President Donald Trump, told the Washington Examiner he respects the 29-year-old GOP candidate and wants to ensure Republican control of Congress.

“These congressional races in the state of Iowa are absolutely critical to the House Republicans keeping control at the federal level,” Leffler said. “If Iowa doesn’t deliver four congressional seats, I mean, you could be having Democrat control.”

Leffler attended the rally sporting a hat for Republican gubernatorial candidate Zach Lahn. When asked about Tuesday’s debate between Lahn and Democratic candidate Rob Sand, Leffler said Sand appeared unprofessional.

“His hair looked floppy. He had no tie. He looked unprofessional,” Leffler said. “He just looked like the little boy that’s lost at the amusement park.”

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) said on Thursday that Republicans were wasting money by targeting two House seats held by vulnerable Democrats in the state of New York.

“Republicans are desperately spending money in places all across the country, including in Long Island, in a fruitless effort to try and defeat Democratic incumbents while at the same time leaving Republican held seats increasingly vulnerable, including in the north country of New York state,” Jeffries said at a press conference.

Jeffries said Democrats will “make sure” Reps. Tom Suozzi (D-NY) and Laura Gillen (D-NY) are reelected, despite the heavy deluge of GOP spending against them. The minority leader said that the trends in both seats were favorable for Democrats and that the further upstate retiring Rep. Elisa Stafanik’s (R-NY) seat is “on the verge of being flipped.”

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