Missouri

Missouri's 6th Congressional District race pits Democrat Josh Smead, an architect and small business owner, against Republican Chris Stigall, a conservative radio host and former Graves staffer, with Libertarian Andy Maidment, a retired Army officer, also on the ballot. The seat opens after longtime U.S. Rep. Sam Graves' retirement after more than two decades in Congress. Smead backs universal healthcare, increased school funding and infrastructure investment; Stigall emphasizes gun rights, border security and tax relief alongside Trump administration priorities; Maidment calls for smaller government and fiscal restraint. Some voters face new district lines after the Supreme Court ordered use of the 2022 congressional map rather than the 2025 map used in the August primary.

Missouri's 4th Congressional District race pits two-term Republican incumbent Mark Alford, a former TV anchor serving on House Armed Services and Appropriations committees, against Democrat Jordan Herrera, an Air Force veteran and Missouri assistant attorney general, and Libertarian Thomas Holbrook. Alford campaigns on an America First platform, border enforcement and reduced federal spending, while Herrera emphasizes economic security, healthcare access and limiting government regulation of personal life. Holbrook opposes gerrymandering and tariffs. The district's boundaries remain contested: the 2022 map, used for this election, covers west-central Missouri, while a newer 2025 map used for the primary would shift Kansas City into the district instead of District 5.

Missouri's 5th Congressional District, anchored in the Kansas City metro, will use the 2022 map rather than the 2025 redistricting plan for the November 2026 election, after the state Supreme Court ruled on the matter following legal challenges. The district, traditionally Democratic-leaning, pits longtime incumbent Rep. Emanuel Cleaver against Republican state Sen. Rick Brattin, who sued over primary disruptions caused by the map dispute, and Libertarian Randy Langkraehr. Cleaver, in office since 2005, has won previous races by wide margins, while Brattin is campaigning as a Trump ally focused on border security and spending cuts. The redistricting fight had aimed to dilute Kansas City's Democratic base across neighboring districts.

Iowa Democrats are hoping the 2026 midterms mark a turning point after nearly a decade of Republican dominance in the statehouse and congressional delegation. Political scientists note Iowa has swung both ways in recent cycles, and Cook Political Report now rates the 1st and 3rd Congressional Districts as leaning Democratic, with the 2nd District a toss-up. The governor's race between Democrat Rob Sand and Republican Zach Lahn also leans Democratic. Analysts cite frustration with GOP control of state and federal government, a large pool of independent voters, bipartisan messaging from candidates like Sand and Senate hopeful Josh Turek, and softer approval ratings for President Trump as factors fueling Democratic optimism ahead of the Nov. 3 election.

Ohio's 2026 governor's race could shape how the state's voter-approved reproductive-rights amendment is implemented, since the governor appoints health officials, directs funding, and decides how vigorously to defend abortion restrictions in court. Democrat Amy Acton supports abortion rights and pledges to protect the 2023 amendment while expanding access to contraception and IVF, though she has offered few policy specifics. Republican Vivek Ramaswamy, who did not respond to questions, has previously called himself "unapologetically pro-life" and backed six-week abortion bans during his 2024 presidential run, but has not detailed an Ohio agenda. Libertarian Don Kissick opposes both abortion bans and government efforts to expand abortion access, arguing government should stay out of the issue entirely.

Federal and state prosecutors charged 15 people in Southern California, with at least eight arrests, in a scheme allegedly siphoning nearly $2 billion from healthcare programs, mostly Medicaid and private insurers. At least six defendants are doctors, including chiropractor Hany Malek and surgeon Dr. Harold Tabaie, accused of making roughly $134 million performing unnecessary invasive artery procedures, plus a network of sham substance abuse treatment centers accounting for over $1.5 billion in false billing. Gov. Gavin Newsom disputed a federal official's framing of California as a fraud hotspot, noting most losses hit federal or private insurance. The case follows a broader Trump administration push against benefits fraud, including a new $25 million whistleblower program, SNAP fraud crackdowns in Ohio, and a new Missouri-DOJ partnership ahead of the midterms.

Friday marks 26 years since the Oct. 16, 2000, plane crash that killed Missouri Gov. Mel Carnahan, his son Randy and campaign advisor Chris Sifford. The Cessna, piloted by Randy, went down near Hillsboro, Missouri, en route to a campaign event as Carnahan — then the Democratic Senate nominee challenging incumbent Republican John Ashcroft — campaigned in the race's final weeks. A 2002 NTSB brief attributed the crash to spatial disorientation, attitude indicator problems and poor weather. Lt. Gov. Roger B. Wilson was sworn in as governor two days later once the deaths were confirmed, and memorials drew thousands to Jefferson City, including President Clinton and Vice President Gore.

With the ballot deadline already passed, Wilson pledged to appoint Carnahan's widow, Jean, to the Senate if her late husband won. On Nov. 7, 2000, Carnahan defeated Ashcroft, becoming the first candidate to win a U.S. Senate seat posthumously. Jean Carnahan was sworn in on Jan. 3, 2001, cementing the family's legacy of public service.