“The Democratic Governors Association announced Tuesday it is investing half a million dollars to flip the governor’s mansion in Oklahoma — a state the president won by 34 points in 2024,” Politico reports.
“The race between Republican former state Sen. Mike Mazzei and Democratic state Rep. Cyndi Munson is a statistical tie, according to recent polls.”
“Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro launched a federal political action committee to support Democrats running in the state’s most competitive U.S. House races next month, stoking further questions about his 2028 presidential ambitions,” Bloomberg reports.
“Shapiro’s New Path PAC allows the governor to contribute directly to a slate of Democrats attempting to oust incumbents in four Republican-held seats. A sweep of those seats by Democrats, with Shapiro’s name at the top of the ticket, would be a victory for the party he could point to during a presidential primary.”
“In June, as public opinion on data centers soured, Gov. Greg Abbott took his first big swing at reining in the industry, issuing a round of regulatory recommendations to the Legislature that included his call to end a major tax break for the facilities,” the Texas Tribune reports.
“In total, Abbott has raised about $9 million from data center-related donors since July 2025, which accounts for about 13% of the donations he’s taken in during that time.”
“The national political obsession has focused on the House and Senate, and whether Republicans will lose their lock on federal power. But Election Day could deliver another profound swing in power,” the Washington Post reports.
“Democrats appear on track to govern a majority of states across the country for the first time since 2010, which could create enormous advantages for the party in 2028 and beyond.”
“With three dozen states holding gubernatorial contests, the map holds a wealth of opportunities for Democrats in part because 19 are for open seats in a climate where the winds are blowing against the party in control.”
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.”
“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.”
“Mayor Zohran Mamdani bashed Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman in a video released Thursday in support of Gov. Kathy Hochul’s re-election campaign as he ramps up his vocal support of Hochul in the last stretch of the race,” the New York Daily News reports.
“The video was the first substantial move the mayor — who boosted his own profile during last year’s mayoral campaign with playful, grabby short-form social media content — has made for Hochul’s re-election bid.”
“For 86 years, Missouri has held on to a nonpartisan system of selecting its top judges. But after the state Supreme Court overruled the GOP’s redistricting push, some Republican lawmakers are calling for the system to be overturned,” ProPublica reports.
“Last month, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott repeated a claim he’s made for the past five years. He stated that the number of people crossing the Texas-Mexico border illegally ‘posed an ongoing and imminent threat’ across the state. In doing so, he renewed a border security disaster proclamation that has greatly expanded his powers without going through the state Legislature,” Texas Tribune reports.
“Abbott’s declaration stands in sharp contrast to the numbers reported by the Trump administration, which says the drop in the flow of migrants crossing the border has been unprecedented and has reached historic lows since it took over in January 2025.”
“Yet, since Abbott first declared an emergency at the border during the Biden administration in 2021, he’s renewed or amended the proclamation at least 69 times — 21 of those during Trump’s tenure.”
“Gov. Josh Shapiro and legislative leaders have clashed to the point of bitter monthslong budget impasses, or in some cases, left several critical issues — including second-degree murder sentencing rules and skill games regulation — completely unaddressed,” the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
“Before that, Republicans for years controlled both chambers, with a Democrat in the governor’s mansion.”
“But as the political tides turn, Democrats are hoping next month for a blue wave in the Pennsylvania State Capitol. With President Donald Trump’s 37% approval rating in Pennsylvania and Shapiro, a popular incumbent governor at the top of the ticket, Democrats are entering the Nov. 3 midterm election with a lot in their favor — and for the first time in decades imagining what Harrisburg would be like with a trifecta of power.”
“Former President Bill Clinton will make his first public campaign appearance of the 2026 midterms next week, traveling to Florida to stump for Democrat David Jolly in the state’s closely watched governor’s race,” MS NOW reports.
“Former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Republican, celebrated the 20-year anniversary of landmark climate legislation he signed while in office alongside Democrats including Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday,” the Los Angeles Times reports.
Said Schwarzenegger: “California is the perfect example of what can be done when people work together and when we don’t look at this as a Republican or as a Democratic issue.”
“Gov. Josh Shapiro said his administration is prepared to defend lawfully cast ballots in court if President Donald Trump or other federal officials attempt to throw out votes, particularly in cases that affect the outcomes of close congressional races,” the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
“‘They’re going to try to stop certain votes from being counted,’ Shapiro said Monday in an interview, referring to Trump and his allies. ‘So we’ll be in court immediately to ensure all legal, eligible votes are counted.'”
“Texas Senate candidate Ken Paxton warned that Governor Greg Abbott is struggling in his bid for reelection, made excuses for his own campaign issues, and conceded that Republicans will likely lose seats in the state legislature,” Rolling Stone reports.
Said Paxton: “Those are my two disadvantages. One was — three, actually: not having time to raise more money, having the negative ads, and my opponent is well-funded and well-known.”
Cook Political Report: “Democrats remain in an increasingly strong position to regain a majority of governorships for the first time since 2010. With President Donald Trump and Republicans’ standing deteriorating across the country — and with a strong crop of Democratic recruits running solid campaigns — even some states that Trump won by a huge margin deserve new consideration.”
“Alaska is the most notable of these shifts, moving from Toss Up to Lean Democrat, with Democrats well-positioned to flip the open governorship. And three states are moving out of the Solid Republican column into Likely Republican: Nebraska, Oklahoma and Vermont.”
“With the national political landscape tilting against Republicans ahead of next month’s midterm elections, the Illinois GOP is hoping recent scandals involving Democratic state lawmakers will breathe new life into the party’s efforts to gain more relevance in the General Assembly,” the Chicago Tribube reports.
Dallas Morning News: “Armed with a huge financial advantage and one of Texas’ most effective political operations, Abbott has begun targeting Democratic challenger Gina Hinojosa by name after ignoring her until recently.”
“Hinojosa, an Austin state representative with far less money and lower name recognition, has benefited from a difficult political climate for Republicans, raising questions about the GOP’s three-decade hold on the governor’s mansion.”
NPR: In reliably red Texas, the Senate and gubernatorial races are unusually competitive.
“Democratic gubernatorial candidate David Jolly is making a concerted effort to win over Black voters — and keep them from considering his Republican opponent Byron Donalds — in the final weeks before Election Day,” the Miami Herald reports.
Said Jolly: “The most important front that this entire race could come down to is the 10% of undecided Black voters in Florida right now.”
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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