Iran

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton toured the Youngstown Business Incubator and rallied in Liberty, stressing ties to Mahoning and Trumbull counties ahead of Election Day against Republican Vivek Ramaswamy. Acton has repeatedly addressed a Ramaswamy-backed ad featuring her estranged mother, calling her a liar and alleging mental health issues; Gov. Mike DeWine called it exploitative. Both candidates are closing with pitches on Ohio's affordability crisis, with Ramaswamy touting his business background and property-tax executive orders, and Acton emphasizing public-service experience, a working families tax cut, and school funding.

Ramaswamy has self-funded and outspent Acton nearly $80 million to $34 million overall, though Acton has outraised him recently; both have shattered Ohio's gubernatorial fundraising record, and neither has held elected office before. Democrats are banking on a late push, including a Cleveland rally with Barack Obama and expanded early voting, as prediction markets show Acton favored heading into Election Day.

Ocean County, New Jersey voters on Tuesday decide a contested Board of Commissioners race and a ballot referendum that would nearly double the county's open space preservation tax. Republican incumbent Frank Sadeghi, seeking a second term, faces Democrat Kia Phua, a Berkeley-based union official aiming to end a 37-year Democratic drought in countywide office. Sadeghi has emphasized infrastructure and managing rapid population growth; Phua is campaigning on property taxes, affordability and vendor-contract oversight.

Separately, voters will weigh raising the Natural Lands Trust Fund tax rate from 1.2 to 2.2 cents per $100 of valuation, unchanged since 1997, which officials estimate would add about $20 million annually for land preservation.

Arizona Democrats say they are "cautiously optimistic" about flipping the state Legislature, where Republicans currently hold narrow majorities in both the Senate (17-13) and House (33-27). House Minority Leader Oscar De Los Santos points to a cost-of-living backlash against Republican policies as a key factor, while Senate Pro Tempore T.J. Shope says the GOP's candidates and messaging will hold the majority. Every seat in both chambers is up for election, but only a handful of districts are genuinely competitive. If Democrats win both chambers alongside Gov. Katie Hobbs's re-election, it would end years of divided government and Hobbs's record pace of vetoes.

Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-WA), with Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) and Don Bacon (R-NE), introduced the Ronald Reagan Peace Through Strength Act to block President Trump's deal allowing Russian diesel and oil imports meant to ease U.S. gas prices. The bill would void the Treasury's Russian oil waiver, ban future waivers, and bar funding agreements that violate the 2022 Ending Importation of Russian Oil Act. It also requires intelligence agencies to quickly notify Congress of disruptions to Ukraine's defense support, following Starlink service cutoffs.

Sponsors call the deal a violation of law and a boost to Russia's war funding. The White House defends it as lowering global diesel prices. Analysts note the import volumes are too small to meaningfully affect prices.

Dearborn, Michigan Mayor Abdullah Hammoud plans to spend up to $50,000 to top off the city's municipal fuel reserves, citing concerns that renewed conflict with Iran could disrupt fuel supplies or drive up prices. Hammoud said the decision followed reports of U.S. military bases stockpiling supplies and emergency preparations abroad. The city operates its own fueling stations and aims to have reserves filled within a week, ensuring police cars, fire trucks, ambulances and public works vehicles keep running through winter. Hammoud called it a precaution, not a response to a confirmed shortage, while noting the funds otherwise could have gone toward local infrastructure projects.

Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy has directed the state's Department of Public Safety to investigate Democrat Mary Peltola's Senate campaign following a New York Times report alleging her team helped recruit a candidate, Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., sharing a name with her Republican rival, incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan, to split his votes. The probe will examine whether the scheme violated state law. Peltola's campaign and the DSCC deny involvement with the decoy candidate; Peltola called the report a "distraction." President Trump demanded prosecution and removal of both from the ballot, while Vice President Vance called for a fraud investigation. The Alaska Supreme Court previously ruled Sullivan Jr. eligible to remain on the ballot.

The controversy intensifies a closely watched Senate race pivotal to chamber control, with the Justice Department already suing to block certification if Peltola wins while the second Sullivan remains on the ballot.

A new Detroit News/WDIV poll of likely Michigan voters finds President Trump's job approval largely unchanged since late summer, with about 59% disapproving versus 39% approving—among the weakest pre-midterm numbers for a president in recent history, comparable to George W. Bush in 2006. Disapproval is even steeper on Trump's handling of the Iran War and U.S.-Canada relations. Pollster Richard Czuba says Trump's approval has become the central dividing line in Michigan's 2026 races, including the competitive U.S. Senate contest between Republican Mike Rogers and Democrat Abdul El-Sayed, where Rogers currently trails. Analysts say the dynamic echoes the 2022 midterms, when abortion politics drove Democratic wins statewide.