Mississippi’s 3rd Congressional District: Who Wins the 2026 House Race?

Mississippi's attorney general has concluded that a Senatobia police officer was justified in using deadly force during a June shoplifting call that ended with the death of 1-year-old Kohen Wiley. Officers responding to a reported theft at a Walmart fired at a moving car they said was driving toward them, striking Kohen and wounding another passenger. His mother, who was not charged, disputes that the car headed toward police, and civil rights attorney Ben Crump says a preliminary independent autopsy suggests Kohen was shot from the side, not the front. Authorities have not released body-camera footage, and use-of-force experts are divided on whether the shooting was justified. The case has intensified long-standing tension between Senatobia police and Black residents.

Democrat Scott Colom, a district attorney from Columbus, Mississippi, is challenging GOP Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith in November's election, aiming to become the state's first Black U.S. senator since Reconstruction and its first Democratic senator since 1982. Mississippi has leaned heavily Republican in recent presidential races, but Colom, who won the Democratic primary in March, is pitching a faith-based message on wages, health care, and jobs to attract Black voters and a share of white support. His campaign has drawn high-profile backing, including an ad from Barack Obama and a Jackson rally appearance and fundraising push from Raphael Warnock. The race will be decided November 3.

A new CNN/SSRS poll shows Democratic Senate candidates with slight, within-margin-of-error leads in two closely watched races. In Michigan, Abdul El-Sayed leads Republican Mike Rogers 47% to 44% among likely voters. In Maine, Troy Jackson leads incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins 48% to 45%. Both races are considered pivotal to which party controls Congress after the November midterms.

Cost of living and dissatisfaction with President Trump were top concerns for voters in both states, with roughly two-thirds disapproving of his job performance and majorities calling his tariffs harmful. In Maine, Jackson's edge appears driven more by opposition to Collins than enthusiasm for him, with most of his supporters framing their vote as "against" her. In Michigan, a sizable share of voters see El-Sayed as "too liberal," though many still view him as "about right." Both races remain highly competitive, with meaningful shares of persuadable voters in each state ahead of Election Day.

New polling shows a close contest between Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Democratic challenger Troy Jackson ahead of the midterms. A Marist University survey found Jackson narrowly ahead among likely voters, within the margin of error, while a recent Fox News poll showed the race tied and a Suffolk University poll also gave Jackson a slight edge. Election handicappers rate the contest a toss-up. Collins, seeking a sixth term, would become Maine's longest-serving senator if reelected. Jackson, a logger and former state senator, replaced earlier Democratic nominee Graham Platner and has gained endorsements from former diplomats as he works to build name recognition statewide.

Polling shows a close contest between Sen. Susan Collins (R) and Democratic challenger Troy Jackson in Maine's U.S. Senate race, one week before the midterms. A Marist University survey found Jackson narrowly ahead among likely voters, within the poll's margin of error, while a Fox News poll showed the candidates tied and a Suffolk University poll also gave Jackson a slight edge. Election handicappers, including the Cook Political Report, rate the race a toss-up. Collins is seeking a sixth term; a win would make her Maine's longest-serving senator. Jackson, a former state senator, recently gained backing from dozens of former diplomats and foreign policy figures.

Early voting opened in Georgia for the 2026 midterm election, running through Oct. 30, with Oct. 23 as the deadline to request an absentee ballot. Nearly every major statewide office is open, with new officeholders guaranteed in most races. The headline contest pits Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms against Republican Rick Jackson for governor, while incumbent Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff faces Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Collins in a closely watched Senate race.

Down-ballot races include lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state, agriculture, insurance and labor commissioner, plus two Public Service Commission seats, congressional and legislative contests. Voters will also decide three constitutional amendments covering conservation-use acreage limits, nonpartisan election of probate judges, and dedicated funding for 911 systems. Turnout data is tracked through the secretary of state's Election Data Hub. The races carry significant implications for prediction markets given Georgia's status as a key battleground state.

Control of the Michigan House of Representatives, all 110 seats of which are on the Nov. 3 ballot, hinges on six competitive districts, three of them in Metro Detroit. Republicans currently hold a 58-52 majority after flipping the chamber in 2024, and Democrats need to sweep these toss-ups to regain the majority.

The key races include the 27th District (Jaime Churches vs. incumbent Rylee Linting), 31st District (Shannon Dare Wayne vs. Laura Perry, an open seat), 44th District (Jim Haadsma vs. incumbent Steve Frisbie, a rematch after Haadsma lost by 79 votes in 2024), 46th District (Jan Maino vs. incumbent Kathy Schmaltz), 54th District (Sarah Pounds vs. Roman Gaskey, another open seat), and 109th District (Anna Aho Rink vs. incumbent Karl Bohnak). Several races are drawing heavy ad spending and feature first-time candidates. Outcomes will determine whether Republicans retain their narrow majority or Democrats reclaim the chamber ahead of 2026 legislative priorities.

Former Alaska Rep. Mary Peltola, the Democrat challenging Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan, faces fresh allegations from former staffers that she used a racial slur in 2024 while in office. According to a report from the Alaska Landmine, two former aides, speaking anonymously, claim Peltola used the slur after an October 2024 dinner honoring African American soldiers who helped build the Alaska-Canada Highway during World War II, reportedly directing it at a veteran and former NAACP official who organized the event.

The claim follows a New York Times investigation, based on accounts from roughly two dozen former staffers, describing a pattern of verbal and physical abuse in Peltola's office, including use of other slurs, which led to a staff shake-up ahead of the primary. Peltola's campaign has denied the latest allegation, calling it a lie from a disgruntled former staffer.

The controversy comes as Peltola seeks to unseat Sullivan in a race with implications for Senate control, though observers note Alaska's small Black population may limit its electoral impact.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez campaigned in Portland, Maine, for Democrat Troy Jackson, who is challenging Sen. Susan Collins in one of the midterms' most closely watched Senate races. Jackson, a logger from rural northern Maine, entered the race after Graham Platner's campaign collapsed amid sexual assault allegations. Ocasio-Cortez praised Jackson's willingness to campaign alongside a progressive New York lawmaker in a politically different state, and touted policies including Medicare for All and abortion and transgender rights. Jackson addressed concerns from Mainers wary of progressive politics, drawing on his own working-class upbringing. Democrats need to flip Maine and several other GOP-held seats to retake Senate control.

A new Washington Post-Schar School poll finds Democrat Troy Jackson leading Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) 50 percent to 46 percent, with less than a month until Election Day. The race is among the most closely watched of the midterms, as Collins is the only Senate Republican defending her seat this cycle in a state that backed Kamala Harris in 2024, and the outcome could help determine control of the chamber, where Republicans hold a narrow majority.

The survey, conducted Sept. 30 to Oct. 5, shows Collins struggling with President Trump's unpopularity in Maine, with a majority of voters saying she has been too supportive of him. Jackson, a former Maine Senate president who entered the race after Graham Platner's campaign collapsed amid scandal, leads on affordability, health care, abortion and corruption, while Collins holds a wide edge on securing federal funding and bipartisan dealmaking. Collins has cast Jackson as too liberal for Maine, citing his past support for Medicare for All, while highlighting his earlier opposition to abortion rights.