Nevada’s 3rd Congressional District: Who Will Win in 2026?

Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford has appealed to the state Supreme Court to revive criminal charges against six Republicans accused in the 2020 "fake electors" scheme. A Clark County District Court judge dismissed the case in August, ruling prosecutors withheld exculpatory evidence from the grand jury and failed to show "fraudulent intent." The defendants—Michael McDonald, Jesse Law, James DeGraffenreid, Durward Hindle III, Shawn Meehan and Eileen Rice—had faced forgery charges for submitting a certificate falsely declaring Donald Trump the winner of Nevada in 2020. Trump pardoned them federally last year, but that pardon does not cover state charges. Ford, now running for governor against incumbent Joe Lombardo, says he expects the high court to side with his office.

Arizona has filed a motion to intervene in Nevada's lawsuit challenging a Trump administration plan for major water cutbacks on the Colorado River. Arizona Department of Water Resources Director Tom Buschatzke said the mandatory cuts "would devastate Arizona's economy." Nevada sued in August, arguing the plan could severely shrink its allotment and harm Las Vegas and surrounding areas. Arizona relies on the river for about 36% of its water, much of it delivered via the Central Arizona Project canal system, which has lower-priority water rights and faces earlier cuts. The expanding legal fight could reach the U.S. Supreme Court, complicating efforts by seven western states to manage the shrinking river's supply.

Luis Alberto Osorio of Elko, Nevada, pleaded guilty to straw purchasing of firearms, trafficking in firearms, harboring aliens, and conspiracy to launder money, the Department of Justice announced. Between April 2020 and September 2025, Osorio conspired with co-defendants to buy 140 firearms, including large-caliber and long-range weapons, along with magazines and ammunition, on behalf of individuals tied to drug trafficking organizations in Mexico.

Osorio also admitted to harboring people unlawfully in the U.S. to employ them at a Nevada mining company. Officials from HSI, the DEA, and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Nevada framed the case as part of broader efforts to disrupt firearms trafficking networks that supply cartels and fuel cross-border violence. The investigation involved a multi-agency Department of Homeland Security task force, including the FBI, ATF, IRS-CI, and local Las Vegas police. Osorio faces a statutory maximum of 70 years in prison, with sentencing scheduled for February 11, 2027.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents detained Ho Yin Mo, a field representative for California Assemblymember Catherine Stefani, D-San Francisco, on September 17 while he was traveling through Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas. Mo, a former Bay Area TV reporter from Hong Kong who previously anchored Chinese-language newscasts at KTSF and studied at UC Berkeley, remains held at ICE's Nevada Southern Detention Center in Pahrump.

The Department of Homeland Security said Mo entered the U.S. legally through Los Angeles International Airport in January 2020 but overstayed his visa, and was arrested during a "targeted enforcement operation," adding that pending work authorization does not confer legal status. Stefani disputed the characterization, calling Mo a legal employee and "selfless public servant" who helps constituents access health care, childcare and food assistance, and urged his release. U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli publicized the case on social media, saying no one is exempt from immigration law.

The arrest is part of a broader escalation in airport-based ICE enforcement targeting travelers with visa or status complications, coinciding with record monthly arrest totals under the Trump administration.

The Hawk fire, which ignited near a hiking trail northwest of Reno, Nevada, over the weekend, forced tens of thousands to evacuate—at one point reaching roughly 90,000 residents under evacuation orders or warnings—and burned over 15,000 acres, with containment reaching 85% this week. Authorities confirmed at least 47 homes destroyed, with the number expected to rise, and six people injured, including three civilians and three firefighters, none life-threatening. Officials say the fire, like most U.S. wildfires, was human-caused, though whether it was intentional remains under investigation. Driven by wind gusts exceeding 40 mph and low humidity, flames spread nearly 6 miles in under 24 hours through dry grass and brush near Somersett, a master-planned community, before jumping Highway 395. Nevada's governor declared an emergency and activated the National Guard; schools closed and two medical facilities evacuated patients.

The fire highlights the risks of Reno's rapid growth—26% population increase since 2010—into fire-prone wildland-urban interface areas, a pattern experts say mirrors destructive fires in California, Washington and elsewhere. More than 800 firefighters battled the blaze, one of several major fires near Reno this season, including the larger Bug and Stallion fires. Experts warn that continued development in these landscapes without hardening measures will keep communities vulnerable to future catastrophic fires.

Shelby County, Tennessee's largest voting jurisdiction with more than 582,000 registered voters, heads into the November midterms under a new congressional map after the Republican-led legislature redrew districts in May, splitting the state's only Democratic-held seat, centered on majority-Black Memphis, into three districts: 9, 8, and 5. Republicans currently hold eight of Tennessee's nine congressional seats and hope redistricting helps them sweep all three Shelby County races. Early voting begins October 14.

District 9 pits Republican Brent Taylor against Democrat Justin Pearson, alongside independents. District 8 features Republican incumbent David Kustoff against Democrat Heidi Kuhn and several independents, while District 5 has Republican Charlie Hatcher facing Democrat Chaz Molder. Local political observers view District 5 as potentially the most competitive race, while some believe Pearson has a viable shot in District 9. Election officials say they've added review processes after a ballot error affected roughly 700 absentee voters in July, and expect the redistricting fight could drive higher turnout among voters upset by the changes.

Illinois Senate District 33 is contested in the Nov. 3 general election between Democrat Michele Clark of Algonquin and Republican Danielle Penman of St. Charles. Both candidates cite affordability as a top voter concern, particularly rising property taxes, utility and grocery costs, and healthcare expenses.

Penman says she would prioritize lowering health insurance premiums, boosting the local economy for small and large businesses, and addressing law enforcement staffing shortages. Clark points to political ethics as a key issue, proposing a ban on stock trading by General Assembly members, expanded term limits, prescription drug cost caps, and childcare cost relief through business tax incentives.

Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont and Republican challenger Ryan Fazio are escalating a television ad war centered on health care affordability with about 50 days left before the November election. Lamont's new ad, featuring a Bridgeport nurse, blames Fazio and Republicans in Congress for supporting the expiration of enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies, which Lamont says raised premiums by roughly $800 a month for many residents. Connecticut responded by creating a state-funded relief program covering more than 150,000 residents affected by the subsidy cuts, a step few other states have taken.

Fazio counters that Lamont has failed on affordability during his eight years in office, citing double-digit premium rate increases approved under his administration and data showing Connecticut premiums running well above the national average. Fazio says he will soon release his own health care reform plan emphasizing competition and choice. Both campaigns are spending heavily on ads, with Fazio drawing on public financing and Lamont self-funding. Lamont currently holds a double-digit lead in polling, though Fazio disputes the survey's methodology and says the race is closer than reported.

Rebecca Cooke defeated Emily Berge in Wisconsin's 3rd Congressional District Democratic primary, setting up a third consecutive matchup against Republican Rep. Derrick Van Orden. Cooke, who grew up on a dairy farm near Eau Claire and works as a waitress and small-business owner, narrowly lost to Van Orden in 2024 by less than three percentage points after also losing the 2022 primary. She entered this year's primary with backing from the DCCC's "Red to Blue" program, while Berge campaigned as a local alternative skeptical of national party influence. Cooke holds a fundraising edge, having raised about $8.6 million to Van Orden's $7.5 million, though he retains nearly $3 million more cash on hand.

The western Wisconsin district, covering Eau Claire and La Crosse, has trended Republican in presidential races but is rated a toss-up, making it Democrats' top target in the state as they seek to retake the House majority in November. Cooke is campaigning on rural frustration over Trump administration policies, including tariffs that have hurt farm exports, cuts to Medicaid and SNAP, and rising fuel and fertilizer costs tied to the Iran conflict, while Van Orden defends his record backing Trump's agenda. The race is part of a broader Wisconsin battleground that includes the 1st District, where nurse Mitchell Berman will challenge GOP Rep. Bryan Steil, and the solid-red 7th District, won by Sean Duffy's son-in-law Michael Alfonso in the Republican primary.