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

Sand said he wanted to ensure children in the state do not become a combination of hungry and angry by providing free breakfast and lunch in schools.

“I think this is something that we should all be invested in because I get so hangry if I’m not eating. I know it’s the same for kids,” Sand said.

Sand said he has discussed with his two sons, ages 9 and 12, how their classmates may be struggling in school if they are hungry or if they have other challenges at home.

“I don’t want my boys to be hangry in school, and I don’t want the other kids that are in the class with them to be hangry either because that’s going to disrupt everyone’s experience,” Sand said.

Sand said it would be possible to fund a free school breakfast and lunch program by pulling additional federal dollars from national assistance programs in which “other states are chipping in.”

“There’s always the statement, ‘There is no such thing as a free lunch,’ and I say you have a point, but this lunch is on sale,” Sand said, referencing the quote attributed to free-market economist Milton Friedman.

SAN MARCOS, Texas — Texas Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico slammed his Republican opponent, Attorney General Ken Paxton, for not debating him amid reports of him partying with two fugitives in Dubai.

“Paxton showed up in London for the Fourth of July to party with the British,” Talarico said at a rally Thursday night. “He showed up in Dubai for New Year’s Eve to party with his fugitive friends. He will literally show up anywhere but a debate stage here in Texas.”

Just before Talarico called out his opponent, multiple rallygoers told the Washington Examiner voters “deserve” to see a debate between the two, as they remain locked in a tight race.

Last week, the Wall Street Journal reported Paxton attended a 2025 New Year’s party in Dubai with two fugitives who did not return to the United States. Photos also surfaced of the Texas Republican in London over the Fourth of July weekend.

The rally comes just a day after CNN hosted a town hall with Talarico, where he engaged in a debate with six voters from across the political spectrum after challenging Paxton to multiple debates.

Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) cited an unsuccessful effort to defeat the nomination of War Secretary Pete Hegseth when asked for a time her opposition to Republican policies determined the outcome of a vote.

“At one point, I had organized people to vote against Secretary Hegseth,” Collins said at Thursday night’s Maine Senate debate in Bangor. “As you undoubtedly have read, at the very last minute, one of our Republicans changed his mind. Otherwise, he would’ve been defeated for that job.”

Collins appears to be referring to retiring Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC), a Republican who revealed in a new book that he “regrets” his vote to confirm Hegseth at the outset of President Donald Trump’s second term.

Collins was one of three Senate Republicans to vote “no,” alongside Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Mitch McConnell (R-KY), but Democrats needed a fourth for Hegseth’s nomination to be blocked.

At the debate, Collins proceeded to cite an unspecified report she said showed her vote changed the outcome of a Senate vote 56 times.

“I voted against my own party more often than any other senator on either side of the aisle,” Collins said, before taking a jab at her Democratic challenger, Troy Jackson. “That is not something that Troy could ever say. He’s going to be an automatic vote for the Democrat position, no matter what.”

MONROE, Michigan — Republican voters gave Vice President JD Vance a warm welcome Thursday but expressed slightly less enthusiasm about the prospects of a Vance 2028 presidential bid.

Attendees at Vance’s midterm campaign rally for Republican U.S. Senate nominee Mike Rogers and other down-ballot Republicans generally voiced favorable opinions regarding the vice president while speaking to the Washington Examiner, but two in particular weren’t dead set on him being the next president.

Rachel Dohring, a fitness trainer from the United Kingdom who moved to Michigan as a teenager, told the Washington Examiner that she was “ecstatic” that Vance was in the state supporting Rogers. Dohring said she was backing Rogers because she thought Abdul el Sayed would bring “absolute carnage” like other Muslim politicians have allegedly done in England.

Dohring, when prompted, added that she would vote for Vance should he be the Republican presidential nominee but told the Washington Examiner that she really wanted Secretary of State Marco Rubio to run, citing his lengthier political career.

Ferl Vornia, a retired Ford autoworker from Monroe County, told the Washington Examiner that he was voting Republican in 2026 and 2028 because “if we don’t get it right, the Republicans will get it wrong.”

Vornia offered that he would vote for Vance if he’s the nominee — “President Trump didn’t pick him out of a barrel of monkeys” — but similarly said he’d like to see what Rubio and other Republicans, including Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), have to offer in a primary election.

Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) said she did not regret voting to confirm Robert F. Kennedy Jr., telling moderators at Thursday night’s debate that she does not support his vaccine skepticism but said he’s been “helpful” as health and human services secretary.

“I agree among some issues, disagree with him on others,” Collins said in Bangor, citing his emphasis on chronic disease as something she supports.

When pressed on her vote, cast at the outset of President Donald Trump’s second term, Collins said Kennedy helped her expedite a lower-income home heating program in Maine.

A protester interrupted the final debate between Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) and her Democratic challenger, Troy Jackson, on Thursday night.

The protester was swiftly removed from Gracie Theater in Bangor, Maine, but not before shouting toward the stage at Collins, introducing himself as a young person who’s “terrified” about data centers he said were “destroying” the climate. He began by apologizing that he was “so sorry to interrupt.”

Collins responded by quipping, “This is obviously one of Troy Jackson’s supporters.”

Troy Jackson then told Collins to “shut up.”

“Still the one” blared on the speakers as a crowd welcomed Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) to the final debate of the Maine Senate race on Thursday evening.

The debate is one of four that have been held over the last couple of weeks, but this one will feature a live audience and be held in Bangor, Maine.

Outside the venue, the Gracie Theater at Husson University, Troy Jackson supporters also gathered with signage and a large banner that read “Let Them Eat Road Salt.” The phrase is a riff on Jackson’s “we can’t eat road salt” remark at a prior debate.

BANGOR, Maine – “Still the one” blared on the speakers as a crowd welcomed Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) to the final debate of the Maine Senate race on Thursday evening.

The debate is one of four that has been held over the last couple weeks, but this one will feature a live audience and be held in Bangor, Maine.

Outside the venue, The Gracie Theater at Husson University, Troy Jackson supporters also gathered with signage and a large banner that read “Let Them Eat Road Salt.” The phrase is a riff on Jackson’s “we can’t eat road salt” remark at a prior debate.

MONROE, Michigan — Vice President JD Vance drew laughs and middle fingers from a Republican crowd Thursday afternoon.

Vance took the stage at a Republican National Committee rally backing former Michigan Rep. Mike Rogers, the Republican nominee for the state’s open U.S. Senate seat.

“This is a lively crowd! What’ve y’all been drinking?” the vice president, a diehard Ohio State fan, joked before poking fun at the crowd. “It’s great to be in Monroe, right here in the heart of what folks used to call the Rust Belt, and now we are rebuilding it. No more rust here. We’re building gold, right here in the state of Michigan. And not too far, I might add, from Buckeye football.”

The crowd responded to Vance’s joke with boos and by flipping him the bird.

“Oh, man. A hardcore Republican crowd just gave me about 45 middle fingers, but that’s OK,” he joked. “You all can make fun of me on Buckeye football all you need, so long as we get out there and make Mike Rogers the next senator from the great state of Michigan.”

President Donald Trump is reportedly slated to campaign for Republicans in Iowa on Thursday, Oct. 22, and Sunday, Nov. 1, in the lead-up to the midterm elections.

Jeff Kaufmann, Chairman of the Iowa GOP, posted on X Thursday afternoon that he spoke with Trump and said the president is “anxious for Iowans to hear his message before they vote.”

Republicans up and down the ticket are fighting stiff competition from Democrats in Iowa. According to the RealClearPolitics average, Democratic Senate candidate state Rep. Josh Turek (D-IA) has a 1-percentage-point lead over U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-IA) for the state’s open seat. Democrat gubernatorial candidate Rob Sand has a more than 8-percentage-point lead over Republican Zach Lahn, per the RealClearPolitics average.

Iowa also has three competitive House seats currently held by Republicans. Early voting in Iowa started on Oct. 14.

FLAT ROCK, Michigan — Vice President JD Vance traveled to Flat Rock on Thursday afternoon to take part in a CBS News town hall that will air this weekend, with just over two weeks until Election Day 2026.

Vance, who is pulling double duty this cycle as the Republican National Committee’s finance chairman, has been a top GOP surrogate, crisscrossing the nation in recent weeks in support of downballot Republicans as polls indicate a potential blue wave in November.

Following the town hall, Vance will deliver remarks in Monroe, Michigan, at an RNC rally, but at least one high-profile Republican candidate will not be in attendance. Rep. John James, the Republican nominee in Michigan’s gubernatorial race, announced Thursday afternoon that he would not attend the event. James currently trails Jocelyn Benson, the Michigan secretary of state and Democratic gubernatorial nominee, by 6.8 points in the RealClearPolitics polling average.

The pair will debate on Thursday evening.

White House officials declined to say if Mike Rogers, the Republican nominee for Michigan’s open U.S. Senate seat, will attend the event in Monroe. The RealClearPolitics average showed Rogers down 2.7 points to Democratic nominee Abdul el Sayed as of Thursday afternoon.

Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-OH) urged Republicans to prepare an ambitious budget reconciliation package for the lame-duck session after the November midterm elections, warning that the party could have a narrow window to advance its legislative priorities if Democrats take control of Congress.

“We will do a reconciliation bill — one way or the other we will,” Moreno said, referring to the fast-track budget process that allows certain legislation to pass the Senate with a simple majority rather than the usual 60-vote threshold. “Obviously, if we lose control of Congress, it’ll be the Last Supper.”

Moreno said the package would be “giant” and include “all the Republican priorities that we can get done.”

The Ohio Republican called on lawmakers to remain in Washington through the end of the year if Republicans lose control of both chambers, arguing that they should use the weeks between the election and the new Congress to push legislation.

“If we lose the House and the Senate, we should be here from Nov. 9 until Dec. 31 with no break at all,” Moreno said. “Like, we’ll have turkeys here for Thanksgiving because we have to get this done.”

Michigan Senate candidate Mike Rogers’s wife handed out gift cards for gas at a Detroit gas station on Wednesday as his campaign battles to flip the seat red in just a few weeks.

Kristi Rogers passed out free $10 gift cards to customers at Freedom Fuel, a gas station near I-94, according to the Detroit News. It is unclear whether she mentioned her husband’s close race with Democrat Abdul el Sayed during the encounters, which took place shortly before Michigan votes in the 2026 midterm elections on Nov. 3.

AUSTIN, Texas — Democratic gubernatorial candidate Gina Hinojosa held an event Thursday morning demanding that Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) debate her, but she was instead greeted by a write-in candidate pressuring Hinojosa to debate.

Write-in candidate Jenn Mack marched onstage just minutes after Hinojosa arrived, calling for “equal airtime.” The crowd quickly booed her off as security took Mack off stage.

While majority of the crowd chanted for Abbott to come out, some scorned Mack’s removal from the event.

“She’s a legitimate contestant for governor of the state of Texas,” an attendee said. “You just ran her off the stage.”

Hinojosa has challenged Abbott to four debates and shown up outside the governor’s mansion in Austin with an extra podium to field questions from reporters, trying to goad Abbott into a forum.

The event was moved to a nearby park after the Department of Public Safety blocked off the streets surrounding the governor’s mansion, where she addressed her supporters.

Former President Bill Clinton is making his first appearance of the midterm campaign season alongside Democrat David Jolly, who is vying for the Florida governorship.

Florida turned deep red over the Trump years, and coverage of Florida Democrats in the 2024 elections likened the results to an almost extinction-level event for the state party. Democrats see a possible opening this cycle, however, and are calling in the popular former president to help mobilize voters. Clinton is slated to join Jolly at an interfaith event in Hollywood, Florida, on Oct. 20.

Like the more active former President Barack Obama, Clinton is picky about his endorsements, with each usually only entering the arena in the final weeks. He was unusually active in the 2024 election cycle, in a last-ditch effort to pump life into the ailing campaign of then-Vice President Kamala Harris.

The popular incumbent Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) is termed out, and his hoped-for successor Byron Donalds doesn’t enjoy the same level of popularity. Most polls have Donalds in the lead, but a few have Jolly on top. A Change Research poll, surveying 1,277 registered voters in Florida from Sept. 25-27, had Jolly leading 48% to 46%.

Donalds is looking to make up for the uncertainty with massive spending, spending $90 million on ads compared to Jolly’s $7 million.