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

If you wanted to pick a red state to be a case study in how to alienate supporters of President Donald Trump, then it would be Kansas.

Transcontinental truck routes intersect just outside Salina, about 100 miles from the geographic center of the country. Need to talk to a trucker about the impact of diesel prices? That’s the spot.

The impact of Immigration and Customs Enforcement deportations on the agricultural economy? Head to Dodge City in the west, where federal agents have been raiding meatpacking plants, sending shockwaves through legal as well as undocumented migrants.

Want to know about how Trump’s policies have affected beef producers? Then stop off at a sales ring where ranchers will complain about opening up the country to cheap imports.

And what about farmers, who worry about China closing down soybean markets in a trade war and the price of diesel sending their costs soaring?

The president won the state by 16 points just two years ago, but now it is very definitely in play for Democrats hoping to pick up a Senate seat.

And so Trump is flying to Wichita later Monday to campaign for Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS), whose reelection effort has been buffeted by all those headlines. Earlier this month, Washington Secrets spent a day with him, visiting the places where he grew up and worked.

Trump’s decision to appear in Wichita, specifically, shines a light on the Republican strategy in the state.

The city, known as the “aviation capital of the world,” is the main battleground.

Adam Hamilton, the Democratic candidate, will clean up in the suburbs of Kansas City, in the northeast of the state. That is where he founded a megachurch, and he will do well in Johnson County, home to about 1 in 4 of the state’s voters.

Marshall, like other Republicans across the nation, can rely on support in the rural west of the state.

So to win, he will have to run up the vote in Sedgwick County, with Wichita at its center. The county counts for about 18% of voters, including a high proportion of independents.

Secrets wonders whether he will address those awkward comments he made recently about Bombardier, one of the city’s major employers!

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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.”

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.

President Donald Trump portrayed the French protests as a cautionary tale for the United States during a rally in Kansas for under-pressure Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KY).

“If you want to see what is at stake in this election, just look at what’s happening in France, a once great nation that is being conquered, looted, and burned to the ground by migrants, jihadists, and communists who hate Christianity, and they hate, frankly, the Western civilization itself,” Trump told a crowd in Wichita on Monday.

Trump claimed that in Europe, “globalist, left-wing politicians have treasonously imported millions and millions of third-world migrants who are totally incompatible with [the] West, and they are incompatible with Western values.”

“They despise everything about France, and they’re destroying that country,” he said. “We’re not going to let that happen to this country. … This is what’s happening to France. They want it to happen to our country. It’s never happening here.”

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Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) is facing his most competitive reelection battle yet, with a tough political environment for Republicans as his Democratic challenger, Gina Hinojosa, creeps up in the polls.

Abbott, who is seeking a fourth term, faces possible headwinds as President Donald Trump grapples with low approval ratings amid rising gas prices and the war in Iran. The president’s party has historically faced challenges in midterm elections.

“I’ll tell you in football terms: It’s like playing an away game, as opposed to a home game,” Abbott told the Washington Examiner in an interview. “It doesn’t mean you can’t win. You just got to play harder, and that’s exactly what we’re doing.”

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KATY, Texas — Early voting kicked off in Texas on Monday as hundreds of supporters of Republican Gov. Greg Abbott showed up in support at Clays, a Southern restaurant north of Houston.

“All of us, we got to fight together, and we will win this election,” Abbott said. “We will destroy the Democrats, and we will keep Texas, Texas.”

Supporters arrived at the restaurant in the hours leading up to the governor’s stop, where he spoke for about 15 minutes before taking pictures with his supporters. Rally attendees snacked on burgers and nachos while sipping on sweet tea.

The governor encouraged attendees to vote early and celebrated those who voted as soon as the first polls opened.

Other attendees shared a similar belief.

“What I’ve been working on is going door to door, knocking on, trying to get people motivated to get out and vote, and also sending out messages, text messages to people, trying to not just encourage them, but also remind them that hey, early voting starting,” Mike Michna, candidate for Texas House’s 134th District, told the Washington Examiner at the rally. “Let’s get out and vote.”

Other candidates are also ringing in the start of early voting across the state. Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico and Republican nominee Ken Paxton will rally 14 miles apart from one other Monday evening in Fort Worth, Texas, marking the start of each of their early voting tours.

Abbott’s opponent Gina Hinojosa held a press conference Monday morning in Austin in which she accused the governor of violating state law by withholding his communications with trillionaire Elon Musk.

Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) has an 8-point lead over Democrat David Jolly in the 2026 race to be Florida’s next governor, according to the latest poll in the matchup.

Donalds had the support of 50% of respondents in a new Univision-YouGov poll released Monday, while Jolly carried only 42%. Likewise, in the Florida Senate race, incumbent Sen. Ashley Moody (R-FL) leads her Democratic challenger, Angie Nixon, 51% to 42%.

Donalds’s race to succeed term-limited Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) is listed as “leans Republican,” while Moody’s is listed as a “solid Republican” seat, per the Cook Political Report.

Vice President JD Vance was heckled by a protester who called for the full release of the Epstein files at a North Carolina rally on Monday, with Vance joking about the heckler being an illegal immigrant.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I’m going to have to amend something I said earlier. I said that we have had zero illegal border crossings in the United States. But one isn’t bad, right?” Vance said, as the protester was escorted out of the room by security.

The heckler had sat in the stand directly behind Vance at the Hendersonville, North Carolina, rally on Monday. Republican candidates from up and down the midterm ballot sat in the front row beside Vance, with GOP Senate candidate Michael Whatley in the first seat. Whatley is in a “likely Democratic” seat, facing off against former Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper.

A Kansas man has been charged with threatening to kill President Donald Trump after allegedly posting online comments about shooting the president and claiming to have mapped out nearby rooftops ahead of Trump’s Monday visit to Wichita.

Jaden John Read was charged with knowingly and willfully threatening to take the life of or inflict bodily harm on the president, according to a federal criminal complaint filed Oct. 17. The charge carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.

The alleged threats surfaced ahead of Trump’s planned Monday evening rally in Wichita, where the president is scheduled to campaign for Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS). Marshall is facing a competitive reelection contest against Democratic challenger Adam Hamilton, making the president’s visit a significant moment in a race that could have implications for the Senate majority.

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