Midterms 2026 | Left, Right & Alternative Views

The U.S. Justice Department on Friday sent letters to California county election officials demanding they set aside and help verify ballots it says may belong to noncitizens, and it asked a federal appeals court to step into its lawsuit over about 20,000 voters. NBC News reported letters went to 57 of the state's 58 counties, while the Los Angeles County registrar said at least 18 had received them. Each gives 48 hours to respond. In a letter to San Bernardino County, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bilal Essayli listed 1,133 people the office calls likely noncitizens and asked that their vote-by-mail ballots be segregated, not canceled, until citizenship is determined. The department sued L.A. County and the Secretary of State on Oct. 15 to block counting ballots from more than 20,000 such voters; a hearing is set for Tuesday. After U.S. District Judge David Carter did not rule by the DOJ's deadline, the department asked the Ninth Circuit to act, and the court ordered California to respond by noon Saturday. L.A. County said it cannot comply because the DOJ has offered no evidence or methodology.

CBS News and NBC News, on the left, lead with the letters as an escalation, giving the county counts, the 1,133 names and Essayli's warning about legal consequences. CBS adds that illegal voting by noncitizens is very rare and has not changed any race's outcome. Fox News, on the right, leads with the Ninth Circuit's order, uses the roughly 20,000 figure, and quotes the DOJ filing by Attorney General Todd Blanche and Essayli calling the situation an emergency that causes disenfranchisement and dilution of votes. Its excerpt does not mention the letters' county reach or the rarity data. Both sides agree on the 48-hour review demand and the set-aside approach. They differ in whether they foreground county pressure and skepticism or the court fight and the DOJ's urgency. Alternative outlets add L.A. County's rebuttal and Blanche's refusal to rule out blocking certification.

The Justice Department filed a lawsuit Friday in federal court in Alaska to block certification of the state's U.S. Senate race if Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan loses, and President Donald Trump said he told his administration to file it. The suit says the ballot presence of Daniel J. Sullivan, who is not related to the senator, could taint the result through voter confusion. It names Alaska's state elections director and several state election entities and asks that they not certify any result affected by that confusion, defined as a Sullivan loss if the other Sullivan draws enough votes to change the outcome. Sullivan faces Democrat Mary Peltola, a former U.S. representative whom polls suggest may hold a slight lead. The suit cites a finding by a defendant named Beecher that the second candidacy aimed to mislead voters. Election Day is Nov. 3. Peltola and Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski criticized the suit, and some fear a lengthy fight between the government and states over certification.

The right-leaning Daily Signal and Daily Caller lead with the DOJ action and the voter-confusion rationale. The Caller's headline stresses the two-Dan-Sullivan oddity and quotes the filing's claim that the second candidate's sole purpose is to help Peltola. It adds that he entered in June, that speculation arose about his intent, and that metadata tied a Democratic operative, Amber Lee, to his press release. The Signal notes he runs as an independent. Neither excerpt features Peltola's or Murkowski's objections. The left-leaning Vox and MS NOW cover the same suit but frame it as an attempt to challenge election results. Vox calls it the first major midterm lawsuit of its kind and a sign of what may follow. MS NOW leads with Peltola's charges of corruption and desperation and Murkowski's criticism. Both sides agree on the filing, the two Sullivans and the certification demand. They differ on whether the second candidate's motive or the suit's political implications come first. AP adds that Trump said he ordered the suit.

President Donald Trump on Friday defended an attack ad from Ohio Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy that features Donna Arthur, the estranged mother of Democratic opponent Dr. Amy Acton, while the ad deepened divisions among Ohio Republicans. In the ad, released earlier this week, Arthur says she loves her daughter but that Acton has a serious problem, and calls her a liar. Trump said voters could fairly use a mother's criticism and called Acton fair game. Ramaswamy, a biotech billionaire, began a statewide bus tour with fellow Republicans on Friday, starting in Powell, Ohio. His campaign said it would spend $4 million to promote the ad. Acton, 60, has said she was sexually abused as a child by her mother's husband, who was charged with raping her in 1978. Arthur stayed with him until his death in 2004.

The left-leaning New Republic leads with Trump snapping at a reporter who asked whether the abuse allegations mattered to him. It calls the ad ugly and links Trump's response to his dismissal of the Epstein findings. Rolling Stone focuses on the Republican split, the $4 million buy and Acton's history, noting that Arthur supported her husband in court. The right-leaning Blaze, in the portion available, headlines the backlash and quotes Arthur introducing herself and citing her work building sexual abuse programs. It does not mention Trump's remarks or Acton's abuse history. Both sides agree the ad is provoking a strong backlash. They differ in whom they foreground: Trump and Acton's past on the left, Arthur's own words on the right. AP and Straight Arrow News add the bus tour and Trump's endorsement.

Former President Barack Obama will campaign Saturday for Democratic U.S. Senate candidates in Ohio and Michigan, 10 days before the midterm elections, as he steps up his role in the party's push for control of the Senate. Abdul El-Sayed is the Democratic Senate candidate in Michigan, and former Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown will appear with Obama at a Cleveland rally. AP said the first event is in Cleveland, while Newsweek said Obama would go to Detroit first and then Cleveland. Newsweek reported the Michigan rally is set for 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., with the location not yet announced. Ohio has become a Republican stronghold, and Michigan backed Donald Trump in 2016, Joe Biden in 2020 and Trump in 2024. Newsweek said Obama remains one of the most popular living former presidents, and a recent Ohio survey found him the only prominent public figure there with a positive favorability rating. Newsweek also said El-Sayed has criticized the Obama administration for falling short of progressive expectations.

Right-leaning outlets tracked by Crosswire had not reported this story at the time of writing, while left-leaning and alternative/independent outlets had. Left-leaning coverage centers on Obama's draw as a closer. MS NOW calls him a "potent weapon" on a three-state swing through must-win territory, and CNN labels him the "closer-in-chief" and asks how Democrats are counting on his star power. The excerpts from both name no candidates and cite no polling or voices. AP gives a plain scheduling account that stresses the Senate stakes. Newsweek adds the distinct angle of the states' political shifts and the tension from El-Sayed's past criticism.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's administration is promoting five ballot questions for the Nov. 3 general election, when no citywide offices are on the ballot. Question 1 would remove mandatory hearings and Council disapproval for sidewalk cafes, Question 2 would cut contractor paperwork, Question 3 would simplify review of street safety projects, and Question 4 would simplify permitting. The New York Post reported that a 15-member Charter Revision Commission appointed by Mamdani chose the measures and that a role="tabpanel" tabindex="-1".6 million taxpayer-funded ad campaign backs them. City law bars public funds for advocating on ballot proposals, and critics told the Post the ads violate the law's spirit. Separately, Mamdani posted a Spanish-language video on X saying ICE agents cannot legally enter private spaces without a judicial order and that people may stay silent. At a Climate Week NYC event, he discussed AI data centers and his talks with President Donald Trump, who visited Gracie Mansion days earlier.

The right-leaning New York Post and Breitbart cast Mamdani as a socialist and lead with objections. The Post stresses the role="tabpanel" tabindex="-1".6 million cost, a Looney Tunes-style video, and the claim that the ads omit the loss of checks and balances. Breitbart leads with the ICE video, quoting his three rights and calling it advice to dodge agents. Left-leaning Mother Jones instead presents a one-on-one interview, led by his influence, endorsements, data centers as a climate issue, the Knicks and Trump's interest in him, with no mention of ballot questions or ICE. All center on Mamdani, but the right relies on critics while the left relies on his own words. Reason, an independent outlet, explains the ballot language and notes the policies were not directly introduced by Mamdani.

Democrats are favored to win the House and hold a better-than-even chance of taking the Senate in the November 3 midterm elections, according to forecasts published 10 days before the vote. Silver Bulletin gives Democrats a 95 percent chance of winning the House and a 76.4 percent chance of Senate control, and its model, updated October 22, projects a 52–48 Democratic Senate. VoteHub puts Democrats' Senate chances at 60 percent and also projects 52–48, while Decision Desk HQ and RealClearPolling averages show a closer fight. Republicans now hold a 53–47 majority, so Democrats must keep every seat they hold and flip four more. Eight states (Alaska, Iowa, Kansas, Ohio, Maine, Michigan, South Carolina and Texas) have Senate races separated by fewer than four points in Nate Silver's polling average. Ohio, reliably Republican for several elections, is competitive, and Democrats there would need to win voters who have backed Republicans, including rural voters. The result will determine which party advances legislation, leads committees and scrutinizes President Donald Trump in his final two years in office.

Right-leaning outlets had not reported this story at the time of writing, while left-leaning and alternative/independent outlets had. On the left, NPR leads with Ohio and argues rural voters could decide the winner there, while The Guardian US offers a video explainer by reporter Shrai Popat on the key races and the seats Democrats need. Neither cites forecast percentages in the excerpts. Newsweek, the alternative outlet, differs by centering polling and model probabilities, naming the forecasters and the eight closest states.