Political Wire

Undecided Voters Care More About Inflation

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G. Elliot Morris: “According to our combined polling data, 45% of undecided voters name prices and inflation as the most important problem facing the country, and another 18% pick jobs and the economy. That’s 63% naming prices or the economy, compared with 48% of voters who say they’ve already decided for whom and whether to vote.”

“On the relative prioritization of almost every issue, undecided voters look more like voters who have already decided to vote for Democrats than those who say they’ll vote Republican.”

“They also really don’t like how Trump is handling prices. If undecided voters are just tuning in, and if they rank prices as a top priority, then how they feel about the incumbent’s performance on prices is likely to be decisive. Overall, 69% of undecided voters disapprove of the job Trump is doing in general, and just 14% approve. “

How the Supreme Court Is Shaping the Midterm Elections

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“From gerrymandered voting maps to the latest surge in political spending, the Supreme Court’s fingerprints are all over the 2026 midterms,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“A string of decisions from the court’s conservative majority has rewritten the rules that govern American elections, and this fall’s fight for Congress is the first to feel the full effects.”

Wes Moore Says Key Races in South ‘in Play’

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“Gov. Wes Moore (D-MD) said Sunday that he believes several statewide races in the historically red U.S. South are ‘in play’ for Democrats this cycle,” ABC News reports.

Said Moore: “They are in play, and we have made mistakes in not investing earlier. And I don’t even think just earlier in this cycle — I think earlier in this generation.”

Another Bonus Quote of the Day

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“Look, if people thought they were voting for me, my brother would be up by 30 points. Come on.”

— Former New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R), quoted by CNN, on voters confusing him with his brother, who is running for U.S. Senate.

GOP Closes Campaign with Unapologetic Bigotry

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Jonathan Cohn: “Republicans keep saying their campaign against Abdul El-Sayed isn’t trying to exploit fear and hatred of Muslims.”

“Then they keep doing things to prove that it is.”

“They’ve been at it for months—literally since the first hours after El-Sayed won the Democratic nomination in early August, when the GOP launched ads referring to him by his full first name, ‘Abdulrahman.’ But they may have hit a new low last week, with an attack ad that’s all over the internet and television. Its central claim is that El-Sayed wants to impose sharia law, the religious code of Islam, on the rest of America.”

What Each Party Fears About the Other

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“If Democrats take over Congress, Republican voters are worried they’ll move too far to the left and enact socialist policies. If Republicans keep control, Democrats fret about President Donald Trump having unchecked power,” CNBC reports.

“Those are the findings from a new CNBC poll that shows what each side of the political divide fears about the other as the midterm election looms. Republicans in the survey also say they worry about weakened border security and higher taxes under a Democratic Congress. Democrats say they’re concerned about continued Immigration and Customs Enforcement deportations and ongoing military efforts in Iran under a Republican one.”

Trump Has Pushed 13% Off Food Stamps

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The Guardian: “Enrollment in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program has decreased significantly over the past year in the U.S. following restrictions imposed by the Trump administration, which has forced more people to seek help from food banks or go hungry.”

“The number of people who receive food stamps has dropped from 41.6 million in July 2025, before the One Big Beautiful Act took effect, to 36.5 million in June 2026, a 13% decrease.”

Extra Bonus Quote of the Day

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“Vivek Ramswamy has disgraced himself. Ramaswamy started with soaring rhetoric, post-partisan, data-dependent, technology entrepreneur, here to bring good government to the American people. But like the pigs at the end of Animal Farm: they despised the two-legged farmers, by the last chapter they’re living in the house, up on their hind legs, little vests on, pocket watches. They became exactly what they abhorred. That’s what happened here.”

— Anthony Scaramucci, quoted by The Hill.

Machado Returns to Venezuela

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“Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado returned to Caracas in a surprise move that could pose the biggest test yet to acting President Delcy Rodríguez’s political opening and the Trump administration’s strategy for post-Maduro Venezuela,” Bloomberg reports.

“Machado also thanked President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio for their support, signaling an effort to underscore her ties with Washington even as her return risks complicating the administration’s Venezuela strategy.”

Democrats Aim for Deep-Red Mississippi Senate Seat

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ABC News: “Why are major Democrats and Republicans flocking to Mississippi in recent weeks?”

“In a climate where polls show President Donald Trump’s approval ratings cratering, Democrats are unusually optimistic about Scott Colom’s chances of flipping the Senate seat held by incumbent Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith — even in deep-red Mississippi.”

Talarico Leans Into Growing Rivalry with Elon Musk

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“A rivalry between the world’s richest person and one of the most prominent Democratic candidates is intensifying during the final stage of this year’s midterm elections,” the New York Times reports.

“On the campaign trail in Texas, James Talarico, the Democratic nominee for Senate, is increasingly criticizing Elon Musk over his role in the race. Mr. Musk made a huge contribution this fall to a group aligned with Ken Paxton, Mr. Talarico’s Republican opponent, recent campaign finance disclosures showed.”

“The race in Texas, a pivotal contest that could determine control of the Senate, is now in part a test of whether Democrats can turn Mr. Musk into a political boogeyman and whether his infusion of cash can lift a Republican candidate who has lagged behind his opponent in fund-raising.”

Measles Surge Exposes Republicans’ Vulnerability

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“A growing measles outbreak coupled with health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr’s vaccine scepticism has emerged as a political problem for Republicans as November’s midterm elections approach,” the Financial Times reports.

“Next month, the U.S. is expected to lose its measles elimination status as determined by the World Health Organization, joining the UK, Canada and other countries. As of October 22, the U.S. had 4,588 confirmed measles infections, double the number of cases in all of 2025 and the most since 1991.”