Pejorative

A group called Nonnegotiable Michigan, started by rabbis in the state, pressed Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed to publicly affirm support for Israel's existence and the safety of Zionist Jews before Election Day. El-Sayed did not address the demands, and the campaign's final days were instead dominated by Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens' endorsement of his Republican opponent, Mike Rogers. The movement has since gathered thousands of signatures nationally, including from out-of-state rabbis and University of Michigan students, with organizers framing it as a template for future elections.

Critics on the left, including rabbis allied with El-Sayed, argue the campaign alienated his supporters and indirectly benefited Rogers, while J Street raised concerns about possible coordination with AIPAC-aligned figures, which organizers deny.

Orange County Dist. Atty. Todd Spitzer is campaigning for reelection with the slogan "#NoLAinOC," framing Los Angeles — and its progressive district attorney George Gascón — as a cautionary example of what he says Orange County must avoid. Critics, including his opponent Pete Hardin, a former O.C. prosecutor, argue the messaging distracts from problems within Spitzer's own office, including harassment lawsuits filed by staff prosecutors. Spitzer denies the slogan is an attack on L.A., citing his UCLA education and police career there. The slogan revives a long pattern of O.C. politicians contrasting the county favorably against L.A., even as data shows homelessness, crime, and population loss trends in Orange County are comparable to or worse than those in L.A. County.

A campaign sign for Alexis Stadler, a candidate for the Union County Public Schools Board of Education in Waxhaw, N.C., was defaced with a black swastika, prompting the Union County Sheriff's Office to open an investigation as a possible case of ethnic intimidation. Stadler, who is raising her children in both Catholic and Jewish traditions with her Jewish husband, says she has faced repeated antisemitic harassment during her campaign, including slurs and offensive memes. Despite the incident, she says she will stay in the race while taking added precautions for her family's safety.

Sharon Goldman of the American Jewish Committee called the vandalism an attack on American democratic values, citing the organization's recent findings that most American Jews feel less safe than a year ago. Stadler's opponent, Linda Robinson, condemned criminal acts generally but declined to specifically denounce the incident, accusing Stadler of using it to distract from political disagreements. Authorities say such incidents are not common in Union County.

Diplomatic efforts between Washington and Tehran remain deadlocked, with analysts warning that failure could trigger renewed fighting within weeks. The two sides have fundamentally different negotiating styles: Trump pushes for quick, splashy deals and has set unrealistically short deadlines in past rounds, while Iran's government favors a slower, narrow, transactional truce negotiated with minimal public visibility. Mutual distrust runs deep — Iran accuses Trump of attacking during past negotiations, including after the June memorandum of understanding collapsed, while US officials cite Iranian strikes on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz as evidence Tehran cannot be trusted to honor agreements, particularly given hardline factions like the Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Both governments face domestic political pressure complicating compromise. Trump, in a recent interview, expressed skepticism that peace with Iran is achievable and suggested he is considering renewed military action after the midterms. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has defended continued dialogue despite what he called repeated US betrayals, though hardliners within Iran's security establishment argue negotiations are futile and favor further military escalation instead.

Alaska Democrat Mary Peltola, running to unseat Sen. Dan Sullivan in one of the midterms' most closely watched Senate races, is facing scrutiny after a New York Times investigation detailed a pattern of volatile behavior toward staff dating back to her time in the U.S. House. Nine former aides told the Times that Peltola directed profane outbursts at staff, including one incident in which she reportedly shoved a male aide on his chest, and that she used slurs, including an offensive term for gay people and "retard," on multiple occasions, allegations her campaign has denied or disputed while acknowledging some language. Aides also described her disparaging Planned Parenthood in a text message during a 2024 vote dispute, and some recounted being asked to feed her family's pet chameleon while she traveled.

The report says low morale culminated in a major campaign shake-up in August, just before Alaska's top-four primary, in which her campaign manager was fired and her chief of staff demoted, with two longtime political contractors also reassigned or dismissed. Peltola's campaign attributed any behavioral lapses to grief following the deaths of her mother and husband in 2023, denying claims of mistreatment. Peltola finished first in the August primary, keeping Alaska's Senate race, complicated by ranked-choice voting and other candidates on the ballot, among the contests likely to determine Senate control.