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October 16, 2026

74 posts · Friday

Russian Bots Manipulate View Counts On Fake Videos

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“Russian disinformation operators are deploying an army of bots to inflate view counts of fictitious posts about celebrities and Democratic candidates ahead of the US midterm elections,” Bloomberg reports.

“AI-fabricated video clips of well-known actors and musicians — including Robert De Niro, Julia Roberts and Cher — attacking Democrats began appearing on X in early September, some urging people to join a campaign dubbed #AllDemocratsAreCriminals. Scores of other clips have made false allegations of corruption and improprieties by Democratic candidates.”

Ocasio-Cortez Transfers $1 Million to Help El-Sayed

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“Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, who is campaigning in Michigan this week for Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, transferred $1 million on Friday to a political account to help elect the fellow progressive to the Senate,” the New York Times reports.

“The transfer represents a huge sum for a House member to give to a Senate race, especially one in a different state. But Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, who is considering a run for president in 2028, has made clear that she believes Dr. El-Sayed’s election would give a huge boost not just to Democrats this year but also to the broader progressive movement.”

Said Ocasio-Cortez: “I’m not waking up on November 4th wishing I did more to combat the smears aimed at Abdul. I’m leaving everything I can on the field.”

Weekly News Quiz

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San Francisco’s Mayor Asks Voters for More Power

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“Mayor Daniel Lurie is asking a lot of San Francisco voters in next month’s election as he starts to test the limits of his political popularity,” the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

“The mayor wants the electorate to give him and his successors more power over the way City Hall operates. He’s pushing a parcel tax that would extend a financial lifeline to Muni. He’s backing one ballot measure that would fund affordable housing while opposing another that seeks to earmark certain tax proceeds for affordable homes.”

Promise Me, America

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Coming soon: Promise Me, America by Joe Biden.

Joe Biden’s presidential memoir comes out right after the midterm elections.

Pre-order · Out November 17, 2026Promise Me, America
by Joe Biden · Little, Brown and Company
Pre-order on Amazon
HardcoverKindle

Another Bonus Quote of the Day

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“They will turn every committee of Congress into an investigative body, and they’ll go after the president’s family, the Cabinet, his donors and friends. Half of you in this room will be targeted. I run the protection program. I’ll take care of you.”

— Speaker Mike Johnson, quoted by Rolling Stone, telling GOP donors what will happen if Democrats take control of Congress.

Three Megadonors Are Powering the GOP Spending Edge

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“A handful of megadonors are giving big to try and keep Republicans’ midterm hopes alive,” Politico reports.

“Elon Musk gave at least $276 million to boost Republicans in the third quarter, making him by far the largest spender of the cycle. Midwestern shipping magnate Richard Uihlein put $66 million more into a super PAC that has spent in federal and state races across the country, bringing his total giving this cycle past $130 million. Pennsylvania businessman Jeff Yass put another $10 million into a super PAC backing Vivek Ramaswamy’s Ohio gubernatorial bid, increasing his total donations on the cycle to over $105 million.”

“Together, the three billionaires accounted for more than $600 million in federal donations to Republicans this cycle.”

How Claims of Widespread Noncitizen Voting Fall Apart

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“While President Trump has claimed that noncitizens voted en masse and even tipped the scales in recent elections, research from partisan and nonpartisan groups alike has shown that instances of noncitizen voting are so rare that they have never been significant enough to change the outcome of an election,” the New York Times reports.

“Investigations into noncitizen voting have historically followed a pattern. First, state or federal election officials report that hundreds or thousands of noncitizens may be on their voter lists. After further review, the figures often shrink to dozens. Each inquiry ends with few, if any, prosecutions.”

Democrats Lead in Ohio

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A new Bowling Green State University/YouGov poll in Ohio finds Amy Acton (D) leading Vivek Ramaswamy (R) in the governor’s race, 50% to 44%, with Don Kissick (L) at 4%.

Ohio Governor’s Race
Amy Acton (D) 50%
 
Vivek Ramaswamy (R) 44%
 
Bowling Green State University/YouGov poll · likely voters · ±3.95%
Ohio Senate Race
Sherrod Brown (D) 48%
 
Jon Husted (R) 42%
 
Bowling Green State University/YouGov poll · likely voters · ±3.95%

GOP Plays Defense in Key State Legislative Races

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Larry Sabato’s Crystal Ball: “In what has become a blue 2026 midterm environment, Democrats are poised to make gains in the state legislatures, according to our second and final handicapping of state legislature control before the 2026 elections.”

“In all, 15 chambers are competitive. Befitting the dynamics of the first midterm election of President Donald Trump’s second term, the Republicans are currently playing defense to a disproportionate degree.”

Watching for a Blue Wave in South Carolina

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The Atlantic: “South Carolina’s First District is a reach for Democrats, but it is one of more than a dozen races across the country where the party is testing how deep into GOP territory it can advance in November. President Trump carried the district by 13 points in 2024. Democrats flipped the seat in 2018, during their blue midterm wave in Trump’s first term. But Republicans won it back two years later and then redrew the district’s lines to cement their advantage.”

“Now the unpopularity of both Trump and the outgoing incumbent, Representative Nancy Mace, has put the seat in play again for Democrats.”

Eleven More House Races Shift Toward Democrats

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Cook Political Report: “Republicans’ troubles this cycle are particularly pronounced in Midwestern red states, where voters are frustrated by both the federal and state governments’ handling of economic issues. Half of our latest House ratings changes, all of which are shifting toward Democrats, are in Ohio, Nebraska and Kansas — three states that, for the same reasons, also have competitive Senate races.”

Extra Bonus Quote of the Day

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“You’re going to have a president someday that’s not me, and they’re going to be standing right here, ladies and gentlemen. I’d like to report the greatest growth in the history of our country. I’ve done such a good job. Remember, I did it. They didn’t do it. So just remember that.”

— President Trump, quoted by The Independent.

Democrats Eye Chance to Flip State Legislative Chambers

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“National Democrats have been growing increasingly confident about the gains they could make in Washington in this year’s midterm elections in a favorable political climate fueled by voter frustrations about the economy and growing disapproval of President Donald Trump,” NBC News reports.

“But, weeks ahead of Election Day, some are even more upbeat about the far-down-the-ballot races across the map that could result in Democrats’ emerging with a new trifecta — controlling the governor’s office and both legislative chambers — in up to eight states.”

America’s Political Divide Is Also an Economic Divide

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“One of the most telling data points from the 2020 election was that Donald Trump won 83% of America’s counties, but those counties accounted for only 29% of the U.S. gross domestic product,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“Joe Biden, by contrast, won 17% of U.S. counties, but those places produced more than 70% of the nation’s economic output.”

“It was a stark illustration of how America’s two political parties represent two different economies. Democrats dominate in cities and populous inner suburbs, where the nation’s professional class is clustered. Republicans hold sway in nonmetropolitan areas, where jobs in agriculture, mining and basic manufacturing are more common. The party’s footprint has lots of land, but a smaller share of the national economy.”

“Now there are signs this calcified economic map could change.”

Taegan Goddard

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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