Midterm Countdown: Candidates Stump as Senate Races Hang in Balance

WHO:

Fox News - Alaska voters Robby, a sculptor; Beth, a retired medical-field worker; and Marge, an 80-year-old former nurse, criticized Mary Peltola’s campaign over allegations involving another Dan Sullivan.

Fox News - Robby said Peltola “betrayed the trust of Alaska voters” and described the alleged recruitment as “underhanded” and “cheating.” Marge said Peltola should take a lie detector test; Beth said she had never cared for Peltola.

Al Jazeera - Republican Senator Dan Sullivan is seeking re-election against Democrat Mary Peltola and an independent candidate with the same name. Peltola denied recruiting the other Dan Sullivan; Trump called the alleged plan “a scheme” and “election fraud.”

Al Jazeera - The Senate races covered include Iowa’s Ashley Hinson and Josh Turek; Kansas’s Roger Marshall and Adam Hamilton; Maine’s Susan Collins and Troy Jackson; North Carolina’s Michael Whatley and Roy Cooper; Ohio’s Jon Husted and Sherrod Brown; Texas’s Ken Paxton and James Talarico; Georgia’s Mike Collins and Jon Ossoff; Michigan’s Mike Rogers and Abdul El-Sayed; and New Hampshire’s John Sununu and Chris Pappas.

CNN - Alaska candidate Mary Peltola said she “knew nothing about any other candidates on the ballot,” was “not interested in tricking voters,” and called the story a “distraction” and “diversion.”

CNN - Ohio gubernatorial Republican nominee Vivek Ramaswamy ran an ad featuring Democrat Amy Acton’s mother. Acton said she had no contact with her mother since age 12, around when her mother’s husband was indicted for allegedly sexually abusing Acton. Ramaswamy’s campaign later discontinued the ad.

CNN - Trump criticized the appearance of Ohio Senate candidate Jon Husted and Texas Senate candidate Ken Paxton. Vice President JD Vance joked about Husted’s “derriere” during a Fox News town hall before answering an affordability question.

CNN - Robert F. Kennedy Jr. made claims about Arab achievements that CNN described as untrue. In Michigan, Haley Stevens’ fiancé, Jason Turkish, backed Mike Rogers; Stevens said she still supported El-Sayed. El-Sayed’s campaign told Stevens to stay away from its events.

WHAT:

Al Jazeera - Democrats need a net gain of at least four Senate seats to take control; Republicans hold a 53–47 majority.

Al Jazeera - Alaska’s four-candidate ballot uses ranked-choice voting. Peltola raised $33 million in October versus nearly $14 million for Sullivan; Republicans spent $42 million and Democrats $38 million. Recent polls showed Peltola narrowly ahead.

Al Jazeera - In Iowa, Josh Turek outraised Ashley Hinson $20 million to $14 million; polls showed Hinson narrowly ahead. Hinson voted against six resolutions seeking to end U.S. involvement in the Iran war, according to PolitiFact.

Al Jazeera - In Kansas, Hamilton outraised Marshall $14 million to $6 million; Democratic groups spent $28 million versus Republicans’ $22 million. Recent polls showed Hamilton narrowly ahead.

Al Jazeera - In Maine, Jackson raised about $26.9 million versus Collins’ $25.2 million through mid-October; Republican groups spent $76 million versus Democrats’ $40 million. Polls showed a close race.

Al Jazeera - In North Carolina, Cooper raised $50 million and had $9 million available; Whatley raised $14 million and had $900,000. Polls showed Cooper ahead by double digits.

Al Jazeera - In Ohio, Brown raised $68 million through October 14, versus Husted’s nearly $20 million. Outside groups spent $232 million on the Republican side and $118 million on the Democratic side; polls showed Brown ahead by three to five points.

Al Jazeera - In Texas, Republican outside groups spent $300 million and Democratic groups $76 million. Talarico outraised Paxton by $110 million and had $9.6 million more in campaign funds as of September 30. Elon Musk gave $158 million to a Republican super PAC; polls showed Talarico narrowly ahead or tied.

Al Jazeera - In Georgia, Ossoff outraised Collins by nearly $126 million through October 14 and had $15.1 million, versus Collins’ $1.1 million. Outside spending was $19 million for Democrats and $17.9 million for Republicans; polls consistently showed Ossoff ahead.

Al Jazeera - In Michigan, El-Sayed raised $45 million through September, more than twice Rogers’ nearly $21 million. Republican groups spent $136 million, versus Democrats’ about $70 million. Polls mostly showed El-Sayed narrowly ahead.

Al Jazeera - In New Hampshire, Pappas raised $24 million versus Sununu’s $6 million; Republican outside groups spent $37 million versus Democrats’ $20 million. Polls showed Pappas ahead by five to eight points.

CNN - Trump said Obama had “got the White House looking like Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory.” CNN reported that Republicans used the remark as a culture-war issue.

WHERE:

Fox News - Robby, Beth, and Marge spoke outside an early-voting location at Midtown Mall in Anchorage, Alaska.

Al Jazeera - The Senate contests discussed are in Alaska, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, North Carolina, Ohio, Texas, Georgia, Michigan, and New Hampshire.

CNN - The reported campaign sideshows involved races and political events in Alaska, Ohio, South Carolina, New Hampshire, and Michigan.

WHY:

Al Jazeera - Rising prices, voter dissatisfaction with Trump, and the Iran war have made Senate contests more competitive; affordability was a central issue cited by candidates and voters.

CNN - The alleged second-Dan-Sullivan candidacy was reportedly intended to confuse Alaska voters seeking to vote for Senator Dan Sullivan; Peltola said attention should instead focus on affordability.

HOW:

Al Jazeera - Alaska voters rank candidates by preference under the state’s ranked-choice voting system.

CNN - CNN reported that the final campaign period included political ads, candidates’ public comments, fundraising, and disputes within parties and families.

(UPDATED November 1, 2026 12:57 UTC)

Alaska’s Senate race faces allegations Mary Peltola recruited a namesake challenger; she denies it. Democrats need four seats to take control, with several contests competitive. Affordability dominates voter concerns as campaign spending and disputes intensify.