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

Both parties in Michigan are turning to some of their biggest names in the final stretch, seeking to consolidate their coalitions while reaching voters who could decide the outcome.

Former President Barack Obama will campaign for Democratic nominee Abdul el Sayed on Saturday. The following day, President Donald Trump will headline a rally for Republican nominee Mike Rogers and others. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) will also be in Grand Rapids on Sunday to campaign for el Sayed, while Rogers is set to join Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) next week for a discussion aimed at Jewish voters.

“Michigan is a fascinating race because we’re watching two very different political coalitions try to accomplish the same thing: energize their bases without scaring away the voters in the middle,” campaign expert Michael Fahey told the Washington Examiner. “Obama, Trump, Sanders, and Cruz are all descending on the same state, and that tells you everything you need to know about how important this Senate seat has become. Nobody is flying these people in because the race is comfortable.”

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President Donald Trump announced a rollback of select Canadian tariffs on Friday, marking a strategic decision that could boost incumbent Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) in a tight midterm election race just days before Maine’s voters head to the polls.

Collins, embroiled in a fiercely competitive battle against Democrat Troy Jackson, has long pressed Trump for release from the tariffs, as her opponent seeks to tie her to what he has described as disastrous economic policies for Maine.

On Friday, the senator touted that she had “secured” tariff exemptions for the state, with the Trump administration moving to lift some of its 50% tariffs on Canadian goods it placed on Ottawa this year. Collins said the tariff exemptions would apply to products crucial to Maine’s agricultural industries, including blueberry, potato, apple, and seaweed producers.

In a fact sheet on the latest action, the White House said the latest action reflects Trump’s continued efforts “to defend American workers and ensure fair trade, offsetting the burden and disadvantage on U.S. commerce from Canada’s discriminatory treatment.”

DETROIT — Former President Barack Obama will hit the campaign trail Saturday in Michigan, where he will rally with Democratic Senate nominee Abdul el Sayed, as President Donald Trump prepares to campaign Sunday in the state for Republican nominee Mike Rogers.

The appearances highlight the stakes of one of the country’s most closely watched Senate races, with control of Congress on the line and Michigan once again emerging as a pivotal battleground.

Obama will first campaign in Ohio before heading to Detroit, where he is expected to make the case for el Sayed and Democrats. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) will campaign with el Sayed in Grand Rapids on Sunday, while Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) is scheduled to campaign with Rogers on Oct. 28.

“Michigan is a fascinating race because we’re watching two very different political coalitions try to accomplish the same thing: energize their bases without scaring away the voters in the middle,” campaign expert Michael Fahey told the Washington Examiner. “Obama, Trump, Sanders, and Cruz are all descending on the same state, and that tells you everything you need to know about how important this Senate seat has become. Nobody is flying these people in because the race is comfortable.”

Natalie Bird, who works in Troy, MI, told the Washington Examiner she took the day off to attend Obama’s rally. Bird said she is not particularly political, but believes the Senate race has taken an ugly turn.

“Republicans have turned this race toxic and keep saying things like Abdul’s not American,” she said. “It’s such a weak thing to say. He was born and raised right here in Michigan.”

The rallies coincide with Michigan’s early voting period, which begins Saturday and runs through Nov. 1, giving both campaigns a major opportunity to motivate voters as Election Day approaches.

The Washington Examiner will be on the ground in Detroit for Obama’s rally and will bring you the latest details, including what Obama says about el Sayed, Rogers, and the increasingly consequential Michigan Senate race.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) voiced her opposition to the Trump administration’s Thursday decision to file a lawsuit blocking certification of Alaska’s Senate race if Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan doesn’t win.

“Alaskans don’t need any help voting for their preferred candidates, and the State of Alaska has already handled this by clearly distinguishing the candidates on this year’s ballot. The Department of Justice should never have filed this lawsuit,” she wrote in a post after the news came out.

There are three candidates in the race, Republican Sullivan, Democrat Rep. Mary Peltola (D-AK), and an independent also named Dan Sullivan. Republicans have accused the second Sullivan of being a Democrat plant who will take votes away from the Republican by confusing voters.

The DOJ’s lawsuit says the state should “not certify any election result that may be impacted by voter confusion.” Evidence of voter confusion include “(1) Senator Sullivan does not win the election; and (2) had all votes cast for Daniel J. Sullivan been cast instead for Senator Sullivan and Alaska’s rank-choice process played out accordingly, Senator Sullivan would have won the election,” according to the filing.

New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ), who is still a relatively fresh face in the Democratic party, is flexing her fundraising muscle for other Democrat gubernatorial candidates across the country.

In the last week, she’s raised over $500,000 for Democrat gubernatorial candidate Gina Hinojosa in Texas, and Democrat gubernatorial candidate David Crowley in Wisconsin, according to CNN. Hinojosa faces more of an uphill climb than Crowley, as she hopes to unseat Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX), who is running for his fourth term.

Sherrill raised the money partially through a major fundraiser in New York City last week.

CIRCLEVILLE, Ohio — Sen. Jon Husted (R-OH) encouraged Ohio voters to implore their friends to cast a ballot, even if they are “tired of all the negative ads and don’t really like politics.”

Husted’s comments, at a rally in Centerville, come after the state’s gubernatorial race was upended this week by the Republican nominee Vivek Ramaswamy receiving bipartisan criticism for an attack ad with the mother of his Democratic opponent, Amy Acton.

“If they give you any backlash and they say, ‘Well, you know, I’m tired of all the negative ads, and don’t really like politics, and you know, I’m kind of worn out,’” he said. “You tell them this: If dead people can do it, you can too.”

Husted, who is in a tight race against former Sen. Sherrod Brown, criticized his Democratic counterpart’s record from half a century in public service.

The senator also remarked on President Donald Trump’s compliments regarding his physique.

“President Trump’s commented recently that I used to play football,” he said. “He said a few other things too.”

“All right, but here’s the deal. It’s like the fourth quarter of a football game. You get hit. You get knocked down,” Husted continued. “Are you going to get back up? Are you going to quit? Are you going to fight and win? And fight and winning means over the next 11 days you’re going to call people every day. You’re going to get them to the polls and you’re going to get out there and vote and you’re going to help us deliver a victory on Nov. 3.”

CIRCLEVILLE, Ohio — Rep. Mike Carey (R-OH) urged residents in Centerville, Ohio, to be part of a “red wall” during the last stop on the first day of the state Republican Party’s bus tour before Election Day.

Carey’s 15th Congressional District was changed mid-decade to include Centerville.

“I had Pickaway County for one year, and I lost you in redistricting,” he told the crowd. “But I’ll tell you what, it’s great to be back.”

Carey, whose race is considered lean Republican by the Cook Political Report, criticized Democrats as liars.

“Democrats lie very loud, but you know what we as Republicans do?” he asked. “We tell the truth a lot longer.”

“And on Election Day, they keep talking about some type of blue wave,” the congressman said. “This, friends, is the red wall that will stop their little tidal pool.”

Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), who faces reelection next month, is touting her involvement in getting the Trump administration to provide additional tariff exemptions for Maine farmers.

“Many of our farmers and growers rely on specialized equipment, packaging materials, and other products from Canada that are either unavailable from American suppliers or cannot be replaced without incurring significant expense,” Collins said on Friday.

Some of the state’s agricultural industry players that get to benefit from the tariff exemptions include blueberry, potato, apple, and seaweed producers.

The 73-year-old senator’s statement coincided with an announcement from the White House that said some U.S. tariffs on Canada were being refined to “better serve the public interest.”

Among the products that are being removed from the scope of the tariffs are plywood sheets, some paper products, certain machinery and refrigeration equipment, and certain packing crates and boxes, according to a White House fact sheet. The list of goods matches the categories of products that Collins announced were receiving tariff relief.

The administration’s move to remove 50% tariffs on certain Canadian products appears to have been made to help Collins and other Republican candidates in the midterm elections, according to the Wall Street Journal. The new tariff actions will take effect on Oct. 30.

President Donald Trump gave words of praise to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who briefly appeared onstage at a Florida rally.

Trump first complimented Kennedy’s physique, saying he has the body of a 30-year-old man, before commenting on the HHS chief’s family legacy.

“Did anybody ever see the build, the body on Bobby? He’s got the body of a 30-year-old,” Trump told the crowd after Kennedy walked off stage. “But he has done an amazing job. … Think of it, think of it. He’s a Republican, and he’s the most important Kennedy in the Kennedy family by far.”

The president has repeatedly praised the physical appearance of Sen. Jon Husted (R-OH), complimenting his strong backside, legs, and shoulders.

Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch, a Republican, ordered Democratic Senate candidate Scott Colom’s campaign to remove its artificial intelligence-generated ads that may violate state law.

“Recent AI-generated ads posted by the campaign on their social media platforms appear to violate State law against the use of ‘deepfakes’ to influence elections,” Fitch said in a statement on Friday. “The Attorney General asked that the ads be removed or else the office may file an injunction as authorized by law.”

One of the ads featured Colom’s opponent, Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), running away from reporters. The video has been taken down.

“Cindy Hyde-Smith is clearly desperate, and she and her allies are once again trying to weaponize the justice system to distract from the real issues,” Colom said. “Clearly this was parody, maybe too close to home because she knows she does love to hide from her own constituents and reporters.”

Fitch made the legal threat in response to a complaint filed by the Mississippi Republican Party.

FT. MEYERS, Florida — President Donald Trump spoke at a rally on Friday at Florida Gulf Coast University for Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL), the GOP’s 2026 gubernatorial nominee for Florida, where attendees told the Washington Examiner that they support the president’s policies but are still concerned about elevated gas prices caused by the war in Iran.

Tom, a retiree who’s lived in nearby Naples since 2019, said he’s a longtime Trump supporter and often disagrees with his children over politics. He said he’s backing Donalds and Sen. Ashley Moody (R-FL) in 2026 because they share Trump’s views on immigration and Iran.

Tom added that it’s important to stop Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and understands that the president is holding off on continuing his campaign until after the midterm elections. Still, he notes that unleaded gas in his neighborhood is currently around $4.19 a gallon and wanted the president to quickly conclude the conflict after Election Day.

“Everyone has their limit,” he told the Washington Examiner in an interview.

Cunningham, a lifelong Florida resident who is now retired, similarly supported Trump’s war in Iran but added that lowering gas prices should “be a priority” for the remainder of Trump’s term in office.

Donalds, as of Friday, was leading former Rep. David Jolly by 5.6 points. Moody is leading state Rep. Angie Nixon, Democrats’ nominee for Florida’s U.S. Senate seat, by 7 points, according to RealClearPolitics.

Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) presented a custom gold coin to President Donald Trump upon his arrival to Florida on Friday.

Engraved on the coin was Trump flipping his middle finger with the words: “YOU MISSED B****ES.” The message was presumably directed at those who prosecuted Trump before he returned to the White House last year.

DeSantis said he got the coin from a friend. Recapping his conversation with the friend, the governor said, “I need to get this to the president. Can I please have one to give to him?”

DeSantis gave the gift as Trump was on his way to a rally in Fort Myers, where the president is campaigning for Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL). The congressman is running against Democratic candidate David Jolly for governor of Florida.

MARTINS FERRY, Ohio — Former Sen. Sherrod Brown downplayed the importance of national politics in his race to return to the Senate when asked by the Washington Examiner during a meet-and-greet with voters in Martins Ferry, Ohio.

“I don’t care what the national political climate is,” Brown told the Washington Examiner. “It’s what I’ve done all my life. I’ve always, I’ve taken on the reg system. I’ve taken on Wall Street. I’ve taken on the drug companies. I’ve taken on the oil companies. I’m one of the leaders against these data centers where Jon Husted’s given them a $2.5 billion tax break.”

When pressed on whether he would support a hypothetical Trump nominee for the Supreme Court should a seat open up, Brown demurred.

“I’ll have to see what happens when the Supreme Court nominations come up,” he said.

Brown is in a margin-of-error race to replace Sen. Jon Husted (R-OH) in the Senate, who was appointed in 2025 to take over Vice President JD Vance’s seat in the chamber.

Brown, in turn, served three six-year terms in the Senate before he lost his seat in 2024 to Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-OH).

President Donald Trump said Friday that he would protect Elon Musk from government weaponization if Democrats regain control of one or both chambers of Congress in the midterm elections.

Asked by a reporter if he is concerned about Democrats going after Musk, Trump explained that “we have to protect our brilliant people because we don’t have too many of them.”

The SpaceX CEO has drawn criticism from Democrats over his handling of Ukraine’s access to Starshield, a military-grade satellite network similar to Starlink. Musk reportedly ordered a slowdown of the Starshield system, limiting Ukraine’s ability to use the network for military operations.

Democrats threatened to take congressional action over Musk’s alleged efforts to hamper Ukraine in its war with Russia. Such a congressional investigation is dependent on whether Democrats can retake the House or the Senate.

“Elon said nothing wrong,” Trump said. “Elon is a very good guy. He’s a very different kind of a guy. But I think people have an obligation to protect our geniuses. You know, there aren’t that many of them.”

Musk has proven to be a strong ally of Trump and other Republicans, having spent up to $442 million on the election cycle. His latest contribution, totaling $76 million, was sent to his own America PAC in the first half of October.

President Donald Trump said Friday that he is eager to headline a campaign rally this weekend in Michigan, where he gets to talk about progressive Democrat Abdul el Sayed.

“I look so forward to Michigan, and I think it’s going to be wild,” Trump told reporters. “Because he’s a total phony, he’s a little phony. And everything about him is fake, and he’s a liar.”

The president called el Sayed a “vicious, violent jihadist” who poses as a centrist.

“I can talk about a man who’s a Muslim Brotherhood person, who’s a jihadist, and he can’t be in our Senate,” Trump said.

El Sayed denounced the Muslim Brotherhood, a Sunni Islamist organization founded in Egypt in 1928, after Republicans tried to tie him to the group.

The rally will take place Sunday in Port Huron, Michigan. Trump is expected to stump for Republican Mike Rogers, who is running against el Sayed for the Senate. Rogers previously represented Michigan in the House from 2001 to 2015 and unsuccessfully challenged now-Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) in 2024.