Daily Archives
74 posts · Monday
“I’ve never been in a race where I felt less control over the campaign and, like, what issues are going to matter because it’s all coming — you know — from D.C. I don’t control message or what we’re doing.”
— Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R), quoted by Politico.
“The last time a Democrat prevailed in a U.S. Senate race in Kansas, Franklin Delano Roosevelt won his first term, liquor was illegal, dust storms swept through the state and the Great Depression was nearing its peak,” Bloomberg reports.
“No state has been more reliably red than Kansas — at least in terms of Senate seats — over the last century. But Democrats suddenly see a favorable political environment in this farming state where many voters are frustrated with President Donald Trump’s economic policies disproportionately hitting rural America.”
“The angst fueled by Trump’s tariffs and the Iran war has created an opening for pastor Adam Hamilton, a moderate Democrat with a large congregation and strong name recognition. The party has its eyes on an upset victory Nov. 3 over incumbent Senator Roger Marshall, a close Trump ally in a state the president won with 57% of the vote just two years ago.”
The Bulwark: Kansas is in play. Can Adam Hamilton keep it that way?
“Senate Republicans are looking for some help come November in the form of key governor’s races that could make or break their hopes of retaining control of the upper chamber,” the Washington Sun reports.
“Even though most of the Senate contests are in friendly states to Republicans, the party’s incumbents and other candidates are swimming against the tide, with polls showing many of them trailing less than a month out.”
“Luckily for some of them, they could be buoyed by sitting governors who are also on the ballot and in pole position to nab another term.”
New York Times: Democrats lead governor races deep in Republican territory, polls show.
“The winner of Senate control would snatch one of the biggest tangible prizes of the midterms: control over President Donald Trump’s nominees,” Semafor reports.
“If Democrats are in charge, don’t expect many of Trump’s picks to move at all.”
“I’m not going to tell the voters, ‘Oh, it’s President Biden’s fault, and it’s not that bad, you shouldn’t believe your checkbooks.’”
— Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA), quoted by the Washington Sun.
“As the Trump administration weighs next steps in the Iran war, at least some in the administration worry that Iran will consider taking action to damage the president ahead of the midterms,” Semafor reports.
Said one Trump administration official: “I think that’s a real possibility that they may want to inflict some pain on the president before the midterms, and so they may do something in the next couple weeks. We’ll see.”
Los Angeles Times: Trump calls it a war, then a “military conflict.” Why the Iran fighting keeps changing names.
MS NOW: “Trump is kicking off his last weeks of campaigning with a string of rallies in deep red states, trying to boost struggling GOP candidates in unexpectedly competitive Senate races that could determine whether the party holds its majority.”
“His latest stop on that tour is Monday, when Trump travels to Grand Island, Nebraska, to rally with incumbent GOP Sen. Pete Ricketts, who’s fending off a competitive challenge from Independent Dan Osborn.”
Bloomberg: Trump campaigns deep in Republican territory.
“Democrats pressing to win control of Congress in the midterm elections are also reaching for a major milestone in their ranks: electing at least 100 women to the House, the most ever in a legislative body that is still heavily dominated by older white men,” the New York Times reports.
“With female candidates competing in many key districts that will determine the House majority, and polls showing the party gaining ground in those contests, Democrats are projecting they could have as many as 113 women in their ranks next year.”
“Latino voters, whose dramatic shift toward President Trump helped power his 2024 victory, are moving sharply back toward Democrats ahead of the midterms, two new national polls show,” Axios reports.
“Republicans built pieces of their 2026 strategy, including newly drawn House districts in Texas and Florida, around the assumption that Trump’s historic Latino gains would endure. A reversal is complicating that bet in key races.”
“The number of young Americans who say they’re ‘thriving’ is near a low point while the share of middle-age adults who say the same is at a nadir, underscoring the level of relative dissatisfaction among these key demographic groups ahead of the midterms,” Semafor reports.
“Only 44% of adults ages 18 to 29 describe themselves as thriving, according to Gallup, 20 points lower than the high measured in 2010. Forty-five percent of adults 30 to 44 say the same; both figures have declined in the years since the COVID-19 pandemic.”
“The U.S. Supreme Court reconvenes Monday on the eve of the midterm elections to begin a new term that will confront a fresh wave of appeals from President Donald Trump and the prospect of explosive legal challenges to 2026 election results,” ABC News reports.
“The first case for oral argument involves climate change and a blockbuster bid by local governments to sue energy companies for financial damages over alleged harms from fossil fuels — the first-of-its-kind dispute to reach the justices. Potentially billions of dollars are on the line.”
“This year the court will also decide whether states can ban semi-automatic weapons like the AR-15; deny federal ballots to voters who don’t provide proof of citizenship on state registration forms; and block religious schools from taxpayer-funded programs when they discriminate against LGBTQ+ families.”
NPR: Supreme Court’s new term kicks off with blockbuster climate change case.
“Democratic state officials and organizations across the country are preparing for a scenario in which the Trump administration deploys federal agents to the polls in November,” the Washington Sun reports.
“The administration has said it has no plans to send federal agents to polling locations on Election Day. But President Donald Trump and some of his close advisers have left voting rights organizations and state officials uneasy after deflecting when asked about whether they will be deployed.”
“It’s not just vulnerable Republicans in swing districts distancing themselves from their party leader,” the Washington Sun reports.
“As President Donald Trump travels the country touting the ‘greatest’ American economy in history, even senators in safe red states are beginning to push back on his rhetoric and policies.”
“Democrats’ House campaign arm is expanding its targets even further into Trump country, as the party grows increasingly bullish they will not just win, but win big next month,” Politico reports.
”The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee added six more candidates to its coveted ‘Red to Blue’ list on Monday, districts President Donald Trump won by an average of 16 points or more in 2024.”
“Democrats are heading into the last month of the midterm elections campaign with ambitions going deeper and deeper into red territory, while Republicans are grim about their hopes of holding on to either chamber of Congress,” the Washington Post reports.
”Historically, the opposition party almost always makes gains in the midterms, and President Donald Trump is less popular than ever. His support has weakened especially with independents in high-quality polls and among swing demographics that propelled his 2024 majority.”
”Republicans have also tended to underperform when Trump isn’t on the ballot because more consistent voters have shifted toward the Democrats. More Democrats voted in this year’s primaries — a sign that they are also more likely to turn out now, with early and mail voting already underway in 43 states leading up to Election Day on Nov. 3.”
“Iran’s national security adviser has warned that the rapidly deteriorating economy has plunged the country into one of the most difficult periods in its history,” the New York Times reports.
“Mohsen Rezaei, Iran’s top security official, made the rare admission on Saturday at a high-level government meeting about how to stabilize the economy after more than seven months of war.”
“With a month to go before the midterm elections, the U.S. map keeps shifting in Democrats’ favor. Senate seats in states that President Trump won comfortably are now seen as tossups and House seats that he carried by double digits are in danger of flipping,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“At the same time, Democrats are struggling to coalesce around an ideological platform and face a steep financial disadvantage to Republicans. In some blue-leaning states, Senate GOP candidates are staging strong challenges, giving Republicans hope of potentially tempering any Democratic gains elsewhere—and forcing Democrats to devote money and energy to defending their home turf.”
“Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called for snap elections Monday, gambling that anger over high rents and toward right-wing lawmakers who blocked legislation to ease the housing crisis will galvanize support for his socialist party,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“Sánchez, who has led a left-wing minority government since 2023, cast the election as a stark choice between securing a ‘broader progressive majority’ in parliament or opening the door to Spain’s most right-wing government since military dictator Francisco Franco died in 1975.”
Taegan Goddard
Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire -- which for more than two decades has been one of the nation's most influential political news sites.
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