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

Former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper holds a double-digit lead over Republican nominee Michael Whatley in the race for
the state’s open Senate seat just 14 days before the election.

Elon University/YouGov poll conducted Sept. 28 through Oct. 8 found Cooper was favored by 52% of likely voters, compared with 39% who favored Whatley.

“Roy Cooper’s sustained lead over Michael Whatley in North Carolina is being driven in large part by strong support among moderates, true independents and women,” director of the Elon University Poll Jason Husser said.

The poll also found Cooper held a recognizability advantage over his opponent. Surveying likely voters, 67% said they had heard a “great deal” about Cooper, compared with 38% who said they had heard a “great deal” about Whatley. Cooper served as North Carolina’s governor for two terms, which stretched from 2017 to 2025.

Cooper and Whatley are campaigning to replace the seat currently held by Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC), who announced he would not seek reelection following several high-profile disagreements with President Donald Trump.

Ohio Democratic gubernatorial nominee Amy Acton’s campaign has released an ad condemning Republican Vivek Ramaswamy for using her estranged mother in an attack spot ahead of Election Day.

The new ad features Acton’s brother, Philip Stearns, defending his sister and accusing Ramaswamy of exploiting their childhood abuse for political gain.

“I received a lot of abuse, but Amy always got the worst of it,” Stearns says in the ad. He said Acton endured abuse as a child to protect him, adding that she was only 11 or 12 years old at the time.

“To think that that’s somehow a talking point, shame on Vivek,” Stearns said. “It’s the contempt he has for Amy. It’s the contempt he has for Ohio. He’s not fit to lead.”

The response comes after an approximately 60-second spot featuring Acton’s mother, Donna Arthur, urging voters not to support her daughter. Arthur, who said she helped establish one of the first two sexual abuse programs in the country through the Children and Family Service Association, accused Acton of having “lied her entire life.”

Stearns has described Arthur as an “estranged and abusive mother” and accused her of remaining married to a man who sexually abused Acton as a child, even after he was arrested and the children were removed from their custody.

“This desperate, disgusting attack reveals exactly who Vivek Ramaswamy is at his core — a pathetic excuse for a man,” Stearns said in a statement earlier Tuesday.

HOUSTON, Texas — Just a day after early voting began in Texas, Houstonians trickled into Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church ahead of the latest stop on Sen. Bernie Sanders’ (I-VT) Fighting Oligarchy Tour.

Sanders will be joined by Progressive Caucus Chairman Greg Casar (D-TX) and former Democratic candidate Beto O’Rourke at 3 p.m. local time. The trio visited El Paso, Texas, on Monday.

The rally, held at a prominent black church in the backyard of the University of Houston, comes as Senate Democratic nominee James Talarico slightly leads his Republican opponent, Ken Paxton, in recent polls. Talarico will need his supporters, particularly black voters, to turn out en masse to get him elected as the first Democrat statewide since 1994.

“Normally I would say to a progressive like Bernie Sanders: stay away,” Democratic strategist Jon Reinish told the Washington Examiner. “This is not good ground for you here, but I’ll tell you this. In order to prevail, Talarico and Hinojosa need to drive those young voters, college students, first time voters, infrequent anti-establishment voters, voters of color, who stayed home the last several elections and who could make a difference in a beyond razor thin race, they could have a chance to really turn those people out.”

“In this case, especially with early voting having just kicked off, they could actually be effective, juicing the numbers for the Democratic ticket statewide in a strategically chosen area like that: Young voters and frequent voters, voters of color, college students, it actually makes sense,” Reinish continued.

Rallygoers arrived decked out in campaign merchandise for Talarico, Gina Hinojosa, and Sanders, as many bought shirts and pins outside the venue. Just a few hundred yards away sits a polling location, after more than 100,000 people cast ballots in Harris County on Monday, according to Houston Public Media.

President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that he plans to spend more than $400 million to help Republicans win the 2026 midterm elections.

“Because of my belief in the Republican Party … I am pleased to announce that, having to do with the Most Important Midterm Elections in our Country’s History, I have spent, or will be spending, over 400 Million Dollars by Election Day,” Trump wrote in a social media post.

Trump did not specify where the money would come from or how it would be allocated. However, MAGA Inc., his primary super PAC, has substantial resources available to support Republican candidates through advertising and other campaign spending.

According to its latest full monthly filing with the Federal Election Commission, MAGA Inc. had roughly $415 million in cash on hand and spent approximately $32 million during the 2026 election cycle. The group has backed Republican candidates across the country as the party seeks to defend its congressional majorities.

The next FEC filing deadline, Tuesday, Oct. 20, will provide a more recent look at the group’s spending and financial position.

Trump previewed the investment last month, telling reporters in the Oval Office that he expected to devote hundreds of millions of dollars to Republican campaigns.

“I think I have like close to a billion dollars in the super PAC, and I’m allocating probably four or $500 million,” Trump said in early September. “We’re going to spend a lot of money because we don’t want to lose our country.”

Democratic nominee Rob Sand, who is running for governor of Iowa, is skipping Wednesday’s PBS debate in the wake of his brother-in-law’s death.

Sand’s campaign announced he was withdrawing two days before the planned debate, which will be rescheduled sometime before the Nov. 3 election.

“Rob Sand is focused on his family during this difficult time,” campaign spokeswoman Emma O’Brien said. “We are in contact with the Lahn campaign on rescheduling, and appreciate their willingness to work with us. We will have more updates soon.”

Sand is running against Republican candidate Zach Lahn, who is endorsed by President Donald Trump. Sand and Lahn have already participated in two debates. In addition to the postponed debate, a fourth is scheduled for Oct. 27.

Sand announced the death of his wife’s brother, Walter Lauridsen II, a 42-year-old Des Moines businessman and philanthropist, late last week. Lauridsen died after he was hit by a vehicle on a highway in Lucas County, Iowa.

Sand said his brother-in-law “lived with mental health complexities,” suggesting he may have been suicidal. Lauridsen walked into the road after parking his vehicle.

The Senate Majority PAC, aligned with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), will spend $1.2 million on a new statewide television ad campaign supporting Mississippi Democratic Senate candidate Scott Colom in his challenge to Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS).

The investment marks the PAC’s first statewide television ad campaign in Mississippi, adding financial support to Colom’s bid to unseat the incumbent in a state Republicans have long dominated.

The race has seen roughly $8 million in total spending so far, with Colom’s campaign outspending Hyde-Smith’s nearly $4.6 million to $3.2 million, according to AdImpact.

Hyde-Smith was first appointed to the Senate in 2018 after former Sen. Thad Cochran resigned and won a special election later that year.

She is seeking another term in a state where Democrats have struggled to win statewide federal elections. President Donald Trump carried Mississippi by nearly 23 percentage points over Democrat Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election, and the last Democrat to win a Senate race in the state was John Stennis in 1982.

The Cook Political Report rates the race as “Likely Republican.”

Georgia voters have set a new record for early ballots cast in a midterm election cycle.

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger announced on Tuesday afternoon that 1,007,015 votes had been cast as of noon local time.

“We continue to break records each day of early voting,” Raffensperger said in a statement. “This is evidence that Georgians trust our election process. The strong turnout reflects the work our 159 county election officials do to make our elections free, fair, and fast.”

The 1 million figure is 12% higher than the 894,412 Georgians who voted early in 2022, according to Raffensperger’s office.

Early voting in Georgia began on Oct. 13 and is available through Oct. 30.

More than 48,900 absentee ballots have also been accepted statewide as of noon Tuesday. Overall voter turnout stands at 1,055,931.

Georgia’s two biggest races are over the Senate and governor’s office. Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, a Democrat, is running against Republican billionaire businessman Rick Jackson in the gubernatorial race. Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) is seeking a second term and is pitted against Rep. Mike Collins (R-GA).

Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) is heading to Nebraska to campaign for independent Senate candidate Dan Osborn, who has received Democratic backing but has not said which party he would caucus with if elected.

Khanna will join Osborn at a town hall alongside former Montana Gov. Marc Racicot and former Illinois Rep. Joe Walsh. Both Racicot and Walsh have become vocal critics of President Donald Trump. The event will mark the first time an elected official has campaigned with Osborn.

Osborn is challenging Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-NE) in November. Democrats are backing the independent in an effort to make the race competitive in a state Trump won by more than 20 percentage points in 2024.

Republicans have diverted resources to the contest in recent weeks as polling has shown Osborn within striking distance of Ricketts. However, nonpartisan election forecasters still consider Ricketts favored to win reelection.

Ricketts is seeking his first full Senate term after winning a 2024 special election to fill the remainder of former Republican Sen. Ben Sasse’s term.

The RealClearPolling average of Nebraska Senate polls shows Ricketts leading Osborn by 5 percentage points, with Ricketts at 43% and Osborn at 38%.

Republican Iowa Senate nominee Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-IA) criticized President Donald Trump’s reported deal to purchase Russian diesel, saying the United States should not make further agreements with Moscow.

“I don’t think we need to be making any more deals with Russia,” Hinson said. “I’m banned from going to Russia because of the strict stance that I’ve taken. We need to make sure that dictators aren’t allowed to win wars.”

Hinson said she shared Trump’s goal of lowering costs for working families and diesel users but opposed striking deals with Russia. The two are scheduled to rally together in Iowa on Thursday.

The agreement has drawn bipartisan criticism from lawmakers concerned that the U.S. could undermine Ukraine’s war effort against Russia.

Hinson faces Democratic state Rep. Josh Turek in a competitive race to succeed retiring Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA). Turek holds a 1-percentage-point lead in the latest RealClearPolitics polling average, putting the race within the margin of error.

Turek has sought to capitalize on frustration among Iowa farmers and agricultural workers over Trump’s tariff policies, which have disrupted export markets, as well as rising costs tied to the war in Iran. The conflict has driven up diesel prices, fertilizer costs, and other agricultural expenses.

The Russian diesel agreement was announced earlier this month as the administration sought to ease global energy prices ahead of the November midterm elections.

President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance have released their campaign schedules for the final two weeks before the Nov. 3 midterm elections, with Trump planning a series of rallies across several battleground states to boost vulnerable Republican candidates.

Trump is scheduled to make the following campaign stops:

• Oct. 20: Greenville, North Carolina
• Oct. 21: Clemson, South Carolina
• Oct. 22: Sioux City, Iowa
• Oct. 23: Fort Myers, Florida
• Oct. 24: Perry, Georgia
• Oct. 25: Port Huron, Michigan
• Oct. 27: Lubbock and Waco, Texas

Vance is scheduled to make two campaign stops:

• Oct. 21: Cincinnati, Ohio
• Oct. 22: North Platte, Nebraska

The campaign appearances come as Republicans work to defend their congressional majorities in an election that will determine control of both chambers of Congress for the second half of Trump’s term. The president has pledged to make an aggressive push for Republican candidates in the closing weeks of the campaign.

In early September, Trump said he would crisscross the country to support vulnerable Republicans, targeting 35 races nationwide in roughly 30 days. He also reviewed a series of virtual campaign events he called “telehalls,” suggesting he could participate in as many as 10 in a single night.

The travel schedule signals an effort by the White House to use Trump’s political profile to mobilize Republican voters and shore up support for candidates in competitive races. Vance’s appearances add a second campaign surrogate to the final stretch, allowing the administration to reach voters in multiple states as Election Day approaches.

The Senate Leadership Fund, a super PAC dedicated to maintaining a Republican majority in the Senate, is airing a new radio jingle attacking Maine Democratic Senate nominee Troy Jackson over his family relationships and a contentious exchange with Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME).

The ad, set to a tune, targets Jackson over his long-term relationship with his second cousin, Lana Pelletier. The couple has two sons together but are not married.

“Troy Jackson is weird. He has two kids with his cousin. If he’ll screw his own family, he’ll screw yours too,” the song says.

The jingle also criticizes Jackson for telling Collins to “shut up” during a recent debate, portraying the Democrat as a bully who mistreats women.

“Troy Jackson’s a bully. He’s always yelling at women,” the song says before playing the clip of Jackson telling Collins, “Shut up, Susan!”

The attack comes as Maine’s Senate race has emerged as a key battleground in Republicans’ efforts to retain control of the chamber. Collins is facing one of the toughest reelection challenges of her career as Democrats seek to flip the seat.

A RealClearPolitics polling average covering Sept. 23 through Oct. 14 showed Jackson with a narrow lead of less than 2 percentage points over Collins, underscoring the competitiveness of the race heading into the November midterm elections.

GREENVILLE, North Carolina — North Carolina Democrats berated Michael Whatley, the Republican Senate nominee, for supporting the Iran war, arguing that rising fuel costs are burdening families, farmers, and community food-delivery efforts in the state.

“North Carolinians are facing skyrocketing costs right now, thanks to Donald Trump and Michael Whatley’s agenda,” said state Sen. Kandie Smith Tuesday morning. “Trump is probably coming to Greenville today to reward Michael Whatley for loyally cheering on his war, his Iran war.”

President Donald Trump is set to rally with Whatley Tuesday evening at the Pitt-Greenville Airport as part of a multi-state boost to help Republicans keep both chambers of Congress.

Vice President JD Vance also rallied with Whatley, state Rep. Jennifer Balkcom, the Republican nominee for North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District, and Republican Laurie Buckhout, the 1st Congressional District nominee, on Monday afternoon in Hendersonville.

The American public has largely soured on the Iran war and the subsequent increase in gas prices since the battle began in late February.

“I represent working families who are trying to make ends meet and to fight for their kids, but filling up their tank just costs too much,” Smith said.

Former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper has consistently led Whatley in polling and fundraising throughout the cycle, but Democrats are still imploring their supporters to vote early.

“I want to remind you that early voting has already started. It runs through October the 31st,” said Smith. “You can vote on Election Day on November the 3rd, but I say, why wait? I encourage people to go ahead and get your voice out now.”

The Rev. Ann Harrington, 71, told the Washington Examiner that Democrats aren’t taking the polls for granted and assuming that Cooper will win.

“Well, you can never be sure about that,” she said. Harrington also downplayed Trump and Vance’s efforts to boost turnout, claiming that “people are sick of them.”

House Majority PAC, the super PAC aligned with House Democratic leadership, has pulled roughly $750,000 in planned spending from the Miami media market, where it had intended to support Democratic challenger Eliott Rodriguez’s bid to unseat Republican Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL).

The decision comes as Democrats continue to view the heavily Latino South Florida district as potentially competitive, despite President Donald Trump carrying it by about 15 percentage points in 2024.

Rodriguez, a former local news anchor, is challenging Salazar, who has represented Florida’s 27th Congressional District since 2021. National Democrats have shown interest in the race, with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee backing Rodriguez’s candidacy. The DCCC also included him in its “Red to Blue” program, which supports candidates in competitive districts.

Salazar has also publicly distanced herself from Trump’s immigration policies, potentially complicating the political dynamics of a district with a large Hispanic electorate.

The Miami market is among the more expensive media markets in the country, making the $750,000 withdrawal from planned spending a notable shift in Democratic campaign strategy. The move does not necessarily mean national Democrats have abandoned Rodriguez, but it could indicate they are reassessing where their resources can have the greatest impact as they fight to win control of the House in November.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is set to campaign virtually with Florida’s Democratic Senate nominee Angie Nixon on Tuesday afternoon, backing a progressive challenger in a race where Democrats face steep odds of flipping a Republican-held seat.

Nixon, who is in the Florida House of Representatives, will face Republican nominee Sen. Ashley Moody (R-FL) in November. Moody was appointed to the Senate after then-Sen. Marco Rubio was tapped to be secretary of state in President Donald Trump’s administration.

A staunch progressive associated with the Democratic Socialists of America, Nixon pulled off an upset in the Democratic primary over better-funded establishment candidate Alex Vindman.

Schumer has endorsed Nixon despite her progressive politics, even as he has sparred with the party’s left flank over candidate recruitment and campaign strategy during the 2026 election cycle. The New York Democrat has faced pressure from progressives to embrace candidates who better reflect the party’s liberal base, while party leaders have emphasized electability and the need to reclaim the Senate majority.

Florida, which has shifted toward Republicans in recent election cycles, presents a difficult path for Democrats hoping to expand their Senate map. Moody, a former Florida attorney general, also benefits from the advantages of incumbency and the state’s Republican lean.

A super PAC backed by Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America launched a new $500,000 ad campaign against Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico in Texas, calling him a “pro-abortion fanatic.”

The ad highlights that Talarico, following the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision in June 2022, called on former President Joe Biden to lease federal property to abortion clinics to circumvent state laws prohibiting elective abortion. Talarico in the June 2022 letter to Biden also urged the president to hire abortion providers “as federal employees to provide immunity from state lawsuits.”

Talarico, a Presbyterian seminarian, has long been criticized by anti-abortion advocates for citing biblical passages referencing life beginning at “first breath” rather than at the moment of conception.

PAC spokeswoman Kelsy Pritchard, in a press statement, called Talarico “one of the most extreme, deceptive candidates Texas has ever seen.”

“Voters must examine not only what Talarico says, but what he does, because his record shows a true pro-abortion fanatic,” Pritchard said. “The hundreds of thousands of Texans we speak with at their doors overwhelmingly reject the agenda of Talarico and the Democrats and we are confident they can be defeated this fall.”