Key Senate Races and Local Voter Guides Ahead of 2026 Midterms
WHO:
The Texas Tribune - Republican operative John Wittman said Republicans’ fundraising shortfall after the primary meant they missed an opportunity to define James Talarico early.
ABC News - House Speaker Mike Johnson described the election as “a spiritual battle” and said voters had a duty to vote; he called Democrats “Marxists, socialists, communists.”
ABC News - Antjuan Seawright, an adviser to Rep. James Clyburn, said Clyburn was still inviting Haley Stevens and Abdul El-Sayed to join him for church.
The New York Times - Lewiston Mayor Carl Sheline declined to endorse Democratic Senate candidate Jordan Wood; Wood said, “It’s just an environment of possible retribution.”
The New York Times - Susan Collins’s spokeswoman Blake Kernen said she secures federal funding for communities in all 16 of Maine’s counties, “whether they vote for her or not.”
The New York Times - Collins said, “All that goes away,” if Troy Jackson were elected, referring to the projects she said she had secured.
The Texas Tribune - Former Texas Democratic Party executive director Manny Garcia said, “The whole world changes when you break through and win a statewide race in Texas.”
The Texas Tribune - Pro-Paxton Lone Star Liberty PAC spokesperson Gregg Keller said Republicans needed to inform Texas voters about James Talarico’s cultural positions.
ABC News - Texas Senate candidate James Talarico called Elon Musk’s spending “David vs. Goliath” and said, “The people of Texas are my slingshot.”
NPR - National Republican Senatorial Committee press secretary Bernadette Breslin alleged that members of Mary Peltola’s campaign recruited Daniel J. Sullivan to run in Alaska; The New York Times first reported the allegation.
The Texas Tribune - Texas GOP operative Chad Wilbanks said Ken Paxton had more difficulty consolidating Republicans than James Talarico had consolidating Democrats.
The Texas Tribune - Republican operative John Wittman said Republicans’ lack of funds after the primary hindered their ability to define Talarico early.
The Texas Tribune - Texas Democratic Party Chair Kendall Scudder said, “We are human shields right now against big, billionaire, special-interest money.”
The Texas Tribune - U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz said, “Texas is excruciatingly close” and warned, “We could lose every single statewide race in Texas.”
The Texas Tribune - Texas Comptroller Don Huffines said, “the early vote is not in our favor,” and warned, “When we lose Texas, we will lose the USA, and when we lose the USA, you will lose the free world.”
Fox News - Republican Senate candidate and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton urged supporters to pray, volunteer, contact Republican friends, and vote; his opponent is Democratic state Rep. James Talarico.
NPR - Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand chairs the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC); Bernadette Breslin is national press secretary for the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC).
NPR - Contenders named in competitive Senate races include Roy Cooper, Abdul El-Sayed, Mike Rogers, Sherrod Brown, John Husted, Mary Peltola, Dan Sullivan, Josh Turek, Ashley Hinson, Rob Sand, Susan Collins, Troy Jackson, Roger Marshall, Adam Hamilton, Peggy Flanagan, Michelle Tafoya, Chris Pappas, Jon Sununu, Kelly Ayotte, Darline Graham, Annie Andrews, Cindy Hyde-Smith, Dan Osborn, and Jon Ossoff.
The Intercept - James Talarico, Frederick D. Haynes, and Gina Hinojosa are Christians running for public office as Democrats in Texas.
WHAT:
The Texas Tribune - Talarico’s campaign said Paxton’s travel to luxury destinations cost taxpayers $3.3 million; prosecutors dropped Paxton’s felony securities-fraud charges after he agreed to pretrial diversion without admitting guilt.
ABC News - Early voting totals were approaching 50 million; about 112 million people voted in the 2022 midterms.
ABC News - President Trump’s MAGA Inc. super PAC said he was scheduled to call into six tele-rallies covering Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York, Michigan and two Florida events.
The New York Times - Collins said she had not spoken with Sen. Angus King in months; her aide said their last text exchange was Oct. 12.
The New York Times - Collins said she had secured $1.5 billion for projects across Maine in the past five years and cited 672 projects, including 45 new fire stations.
The New York Times - Collins’s staff said she secured $234 million for 96 projects in Cumberland and Knox counties; in Portland, she secured $51.2 million for 28 projects.
The New York Times - Collins’s campaign cited $33 million delivered for Knox County, nearly $59 million for Bangor, and more than $109.3 million for 50 Kennebec County projects.
The New York Times - Collins said she helped expedite $38 million in federal aid for heating oil.
The New York Times - More than 40 people interviewed by the newspaper described Collins as a powerful political broker who uses federal funding and constituent services to build support.
The New York Times - Collins’s opponent changed from Jordan Wood to Troy Jackson after Graham Platner’s candidacy rose and then fell; Wood subsequently ran for Maine’s Second Congressional District.
The New York Times - Collins said she would serve no more than two Senate terms but sought reelection in 2002, 2008, 2014 and 2020.
The New York Times - Collins said she would not raise that Jackson’s children’s mother was his second cousin; a Republican super PAC aired a radio ad about the relationship, and Collins said she had nothing to do with it and that it should be removed.
NPR - Ohio’s Senate race has been shaped by Sherrod Brown’s comeback bid, while economic concerns, gas prices and AI data-center growth have given Democrats an opening, the article said.
NPR - Minnesota Republicans tied state oversight failures in a Medicare fraud scandal to Democratic nominee Peggy Flanagan.
NPR - In South Carolina, Republican nominee Darline Graham was described as a political novice; ads supporting Democrat Annie Andrews were swamping her campaign.
NPR - The article said Iowa’s Democratic gubernatorial candidate Rob Sand was running one of the country’s strongest campaigns and could help Josh Turek.
ABC News - President Trump was scheduled to call into six tele-rallies for races in Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York, Michigan and Florida.
ABC News - House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Democrats would seek votes to reverse Republican health-care cuts, pass voting-rights legislation and limit President Trump’s military actions in Iran.
ABC News - Jeffries said Democrats would seek to remove Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth from office if they won the House majority.
ABC News - President Trump posted an Islamophobic cartoon depicting a torch-carrying man approaching the United States after setting fire to countries in Europe.
ABC News - Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed said the United States should invest money in domestic schools and infrastructure rather than send it abroad “to drop a bomb.”
ABC News - El-Sayed’s campaign stopped welcoming former primary rival Haley Stevens to events after she renewed criticism of him, according to a person familiar with the matter.
The Texas Tribune - James Talarico maintained a slim polling lead over Ken Paxton despite Republican attack-ad spending; the article said Paxton was the only battleground Senate nominee less popular in his state than President Trump, according to the Cook Political Report.
The Texas Tribune - Paxton’s runoff victory over John Cornyn followed President Trump’s endorsement in May; the article says Paxton won by nearly 30 points.
The Texas Tribune - Paxton’s campaign did not accept at least four debate invitations, making this the first Texas U.S. Senate race since 2000 without a debate.
The Texas Tribune - Paxton alleged Cornyn “wants me to lose” in leaked audio from a Washington fundraiser.
NPR - The article reports that President Trump said former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper “is going to become your senator,” despite calling that prospect “crazy.”
NPR - NPR’s local voter-guide roundup links resources for judicial races, including Michigan Supreme Court candidates and Missouri judges, and New Hampshire ballot questions on the register of probate and a school tax cap.
NPR - Cook Political Report ratings place North Carolina in Tier 1 as “LIKELY D”; Michigan and Ohio in Tier 2 as “TOSS UP”; Alaska, Iowa, Maine and Texas in Tier 3 as “TOSS UP”; Kansas and South Carolina in Tier 4 as “TOSS UP” and “LEAN R,” respectively; and Minnesota, New Hampshire, Mississippi, Nebraska and Georgia in Tiers 4–5 as “LEAN D,” “LEAN D,” “LIKELY R,” “LIKELY R” and “LIKELY D.”
NPR - NPR’s voter-guide article includes resources for gubernatorial, congressional, judicial and local contests, including ballot-question explainers and mail-voting instructions.
The Texas Tribune - More than $500 million had been spent on the Texas Senate race since the primary by October 23, with more than $300 million coming from Republicans.
The Texas Tribune - Republican groups aired ads accusing Talarico of voting for an income tax based on his opposition to a measure intended to make implementing a state income tax harder; Texas has never levied a state income tax.
The Texas Tribune - Talarico was off the campaign trail for nine days with influenza; he has Type I diabetes. The facility at the center of an online conspiracy confirmed he had never been a patient there.
The Texas Tribune - The article says Paxton’s runoff victory over John Cornyn was by nearly 30 points.
The Texas Tribune - More than 6.8 million Texans voted during the first 11 days of early voting, over 40% more than at the same point in 2022, according to the Texas Secretary of State’s Office.
The Texas Tribune - Republican groups spent more than $272 million on the Senate race; combined advertising spending since the primaries reached $408 million. Republicans spent nearly $100 million attacking Ken Paxton during the primary, and an outside group affiliated with Senate GOP leadership later spent $182 million on attack ads against James Talarico.
The Texas Tribune - Talarico announced a $25 million investment in outreach to Black voters after his primary against U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett.
The Texas Tribune - Paxton did not accept at least four debate invitations, making it the first Texas U.S. Senate race since 2000 without a debate.
The Texas Tribune - Paxton’s international luxury travel cost taxpayers $3.3 million, according to Talarico’s campaign claims.
Fox News - At a Houston rally, Paxton said, “First, pray. Pray for Texas. Pray for our leaders. Pray for me,” and warned, “if we lose Texas, we lose America.” He described his contest with Talarico as a choice about law enforcement and the country’s direction.
NPR - The Cook Political Report rates Alaska, Iowa, Kansas, Ohio, and Texas as Senate toss-ups. North Carolina is rated likely Democratic; Georgia likely Democratic; South Carolina leaning Republican. Democrats need a net gain of four Republican-held seats to control the Senate.
NPR - NPR reports competitive Senate contests in Alaska, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Ohio, South Carolina, Texas, Mississippi, Nebraska, and Georgia. Republicans’ principal pickup targets are Michigan, New Hampshire, and Minnesota.
NPR - NPR’s voter-guide article lists voter resources and local election coverage from member stations across the country, including guides for Senate, House, governor, ballot-measure, and local races.
NPR - The voter-guide article says the election also includes ballot measures concerning abortion, LGBTQ+ rights, and billionaire taxes.
WHERE:
The New York Times - Collins’s campaign activity included stops in Lewiston, Fryeburg, Orrington, Windham and Greenville, Maine.
ABC News - James Talarico made his closing argument in Houston; Ken Paxton made his in Fort Worth.
Fox News - Paxton spoke at a rally in Houston, Texas.
NPR - The Senate races discussed span Alaska, Iowa, Kansas, Ohio, Texas, North Carolina, Michigan, Maine, Minnesota, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Mississippi, Nebraska, and Georgia.
WHY:
The Texas Tribune - The article said the Iran war and resulting high gas prices, along with Talarico’s fundraising, were factors that helped make the Texas Senate contest unexpectedly competitive.
NPR - Republicans’ Senate pickup opportunity in Michigan centers partly on whether Abdul El-Sayed can win in a purple state and Mike Rogers’s turn toward MAGA politics and use of racist attacks.
The New York Times - Wood said people told him they could not donate to his campaign because they believed Collins would review donor reports and keep track of contributions; Collins’s spokeswoman denied that she reviewed such lists.
The Texas Tribune - The article said a Talarico loss could deter future Democratic investment in Texas, while a win could reshape the national political map ahead of the 2028 presidential race.
The Texas Tribune - Texas could gain congressional seats and Electoral College votes after the 2030 Census, increasing its significance in presidential elections.
ABC News - Democrats were targeting at least 60 House seats, including districts President Trump won by double digits in 2024.
The Texas Tribune - Talarico’s campaign said he sought to attract right-leaning voters by featuring testimony from moderate or former Republicans.
NPR - The article identifies economic concerns, including tariffs and rising diesel prices affecting Iowa agriculture, as factors putting Republicans on the defensive in the state’s Senate race.
NPR - Republicans’ Alaska recruiting allegation concerned a reported effort to recruit Daniel J. Sullivan, whose name is similar to incumbent Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan’s.
NPR - Democrats’ Senate prospects have improved as the field widened; the article cites polling, advertising spending, candidate and surrogate travel, and the continued war in Iran.
NPR - The article identifies Republican turnout as a key factor in the Senate outcome; low turnout could affect whether Democrats gain one or two seats or six or seven.
HOW:
NPR - NPR’s voter-guide roundup links Pennsylvania mail-ballot instructions from WITF, including how voters can cast ballots by mail and vote “over the counter.”
NPR - NPR’s voter-guide roundup includes voter resources for Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
NPR - The Cook Political Report’s tiered ratings identify North Carolina as the most likely Senate seat to flip, followed by Michigan and Ohio; the article lists the remaining competitive races in five tiers.
Fox News - Paxton asked supporters to pray, volunteer, contact Republican friends, and ensure they vote.
NPR - The voter-guide article directs readers to state and local public-radio resources for election information and reporting.
(UPDATED November 1, 2026 06:56 UTC)
Texas Republican Ken Paxton faces Democrat James Talarico in a closely watched Senate race. Talarico’s campaign says Paxton’s luxury travel cost taxpayers millions, while Republicans struggle to define Talarico. Maine Senator Susan Collins touts local projects as she faces challenger Troy Jackson.
--
(UPDATED November 1, 2026 01:56 UTC)
Texas Democrat James Talarico holds a narrow polling lead over Republican Ken Paxton in the Senate race. Paxton has skipped debate invitations, while Republicans struggle to unite and define Talarico. In Maine, Republican Susan Collins touts billions in federal projects as she faces Democrat Troy Jackson.
--
(UPDATED October 31, 2026 22:56 UTC)
Texas’s Senate race is fiercely competitive, with James Talarico narrowly leading Republican Ken Paxton in polls. More than $500 million has fueled the contest, while early voting surged across Texas. Paxton declined debate invitations, as both campaigns fought to consolidate voters and define their opponents.
--
(UPDATED October 31, 2026 21:57 UTC)
James Talarico holds a narrow polling lead over Ken Paxton in Texas’s costly Senate race. More than 6.8 million Texans voted early, while Paxton declined multiple debate invitations. Nationally, several Senate contests remain toss-ups, with Democrats needing four seat gains for control.
--
(UPDATED October 31, 2026 20:57 UTC)
Texas’s Senate race is tight, with millions voting early and spending soaring. Republican Ken Paxton faces Democrat James Talarico amid fierce attacks and fundraising. Nationally, several Senate contests remain toss-ups, making turnout crucial to control.
--
(UPDATED October 31, 2026 15:59 UTC)
Texas’s Senate race is fiercely competitive, with Republicans warning they could lose statewide contests. More than 6.8 million Texans voted early, while campaign spending reached $408 million. Ken Paxton urged supporters to pray and vote against Democrat James Talarico.
--
(UPDATED October 31, 2026 07:58 UTC)
Texas Republican Ken Paxton urged supporters to volunteer and vote against Democrat James Talarico. Five Senate races are toss-ups, and Democrats need four gains to control the Senate. Competitive contests span thirteen states, alongside major ballot measures on social issues and taxes.