Working class

Texas's Rio Grande Valley, a heavily Hispanic region that backed Trump in 2024 after decades as a Democratic stronghold, is showing signs of swinging back toward Democrats in the 2026 midterms. Reporting from the area finds frustration with aggressive ICE enforcement — including arrests of longtime residents without criminal records — compounding concerns over the cost of living and housing. Voters interviewed describe disillusionment with both parties rather than renewed partisan loyalty, suggesting a persistently volatile swing bloc.

Key races, including Texas's 15th and 34th Congressional Districts, illustrate Republicans distancing themselves from Trump's immigration policies while Democrats highlight ICE overreach and affordability as central campaign themes.

Polling and interviews across Texas point to a significant erosion of Latino support for President Trump since his 2024 gains, driven by frustration over high prices, gas costs, and aggressive ICE enforcement that has rattled South Texas communities and economies. Strategists describe the shift as a rebuke of Republicans rather than genuine enthusiasm for Democrats, who still carry a damaged brand with many Latino voters. The trend could shape Texas's competitive U.S. Senate race between Ken Paxton and James Talarico, as well as newly redrawn majority-Hispanic congressional districts. Analysts expect Latino support for Democrats to partially rebound toward 2018 levels, but caution that voters remain persuadable and increasingly judge candidates individually rather than by party.

Ohio's 2026 Senate race will pit former Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown, who lost his 2024 reelection bid, against Republican Sen. Jon Husted, who was appointed after JD Vance resigned to become vice president. The winner serves the final two years of Vance's term. Democrats need four seats to flip Senate control, making the contest a key test of whether they can compete in a state that has trended Republican. Economic issues — fuel and grocery costs, trade with Canada, and health care — are expected to dominate the campaign. Recent polling shows Brown leading Husted, with Husted facing scrutiny over his ties to President Trump.

Maine Democrat Troy Jackson says he does not regret telling Sen. Susan Collins to "shut up" during their final debate, after a protester opposing data centers interrupted the event and Collins suggested the demonstrator was one of Jackson's supporters. Jackson denied any connection to the protester, identified as Bowdoin College student Henry Elgie; the Sunrise Movement claimed him as one of its own volunteers. Collins called Jackson's retort "telling," citing past criticism of his temper toward female colleagues. Jackson has acknowledged past outbursts but won't apologize. Days later, Democrats remain divided over whether his cautious, establishment-aided campaign can match Collins in the closely watched Nov. 3 race.

Republican Paul LePage, the former two-term Maine governor known as "Trump before Trump," was expected to easily flip the open 2nd District seat after Democratic Representative Jared Golden's retirement. Instead, rising fuel and living costs tied to tariffs and the Iran conflict have narrowed the race against Democratic State Auditor Matt Dunlap, who won a contested primary after Golden initially withdrew. Polls show a close contest in a district Trump carried by nine points in 2024, prompting heavy outside spending and visits from Speaker Mike Johnson and Vice President JD Vance. LePage, 78, has softened his combative style and touted his access to Trump, while Dunlap emphasizes cost-of-living concerns and LePage's past Medicaid expansion vetoes. The race is seen as the GOP's best chance to flip a Democratic-held seat this cycle.

Montana Republican congressional candidate Aaron Flint, a retired lieutenant colonel and fifth-generation Montanan, has sharpened his attacks on Democratic opponent Sam Forstag ahead of the race for the state's U.S. House seat. Speaking on Breitbart News Saturday, Flint called Forstag "an absolute phony," citing his past work as a lobbyist for the ACLU, Planned Parenthood, and the cities of Missoula and Bozeman, where he supported higher property taxes and a state sales tax. Flint also criticized Forstag's past LGBTQ advocacy work and ties to progressive figures. Flint framed the contest as part of a broader Democratic push, backed by national money, to flip traditionally conservative districts, predicting Republicans will retain House control despite the effort.

An Ohio appeals court has ruled that the state's EdChoice and EdChoice Expansion voucher programs, which direct more than $1 billion in taxpayer money to private schools, violate the Ohio Constitution's requirement for a "thorough and efficient" system of common schools. The unanimous three-judge panel found private schools face less oversight, can selectively admit students, and divert funding from public schools, which have limited options in rural areas. The ruling is stayed pending appeal, and outgoing Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson says he will take the case to the Ohio Supreme Court, arguing the program supports family choice rather than harming public schools.

The decision was welcomed by Policy Matters Ohio, teachers' unions, and a coalition of roughly 300 school districts that sued over the programs, who say lawmakers should return to a bipartisan school funding formula left unfunded for two years. The case now heads to Ohio's Supreme Court, where the outcome could have major political implications given mounting public frustration over vouchers, property taxes, and rising electricity costs ahead of the state's upcoming elections.