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(62)Key takeaways from Thursday
• Texas blues: President Donald Trump preemptively blamed outgoing Sen. John Cornyn, whom he spurned in the primary, and GOP strategist Karl Rove for a potential Senate loss in the Lone Star State. His comments underscore GOP anxiety about the race, with Republicans pouring millions of dollars into the reliably red state.
• Fundraising boost: SpaceX founder Elon Musk is doing his part to bolster the GOP’s campaign in Texas, where many of his business interests are based. According to third quarter FEC filings, the billionaire contributed more than $150 million that flowed to a Texas PAC supporting Attorney General Ken Paxton in his Senate race against Democrat James Talarico.
• Pivotal Senate seat: Vice President JD Vance was in Michigan, where the Senate seat remains a prime pickup opportunity for the GOP. Vance renewed attacks on Democrat Abdul El-Sayed as he rallied for the GOP candidate Mike Rogers. At the same time, the Democratic candidate was campaigning in the Upper Peninsula, where New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez joined him.
Marshall outraised by more than ten times in Kansas race coming online late
Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall raised just $866,000 for his reelection campaign in the third quarter, new filings show, while his Democratic challenger, Adam Hamilton, raised $9.4 million.
It’s an ominous contrast for Marshall, whose race has moved from the fringes of the competitive map to serious contention in the final weeks of the midterms, amid intensifying midterm headwinds for Republicans.
Marshall, meanwhile, has been dealing with sharp blowback over reporting on his involvement in lawsuits over medical debt. Hamilton’s campaign has seized on the developments, drawing complaints from Marshall, who called the reporting a “hit job” during a debate last month and said he engaged in “common business practices.”
As the race has come online, outside money has begun pouring in. Over just the final weeks, more than $37 million worth of advertising is set to air, including more than $10 million from a leading Republican super PAC mounting an 11th-hour effort to buttress Marshall.
Musk also put nearly $89 million into his own super PAC
It was already known that Elon Musk has plowed big sums into helping Republicans win the midterms.
New filings with the Federal Election Commission are offering more details on exactly where that money landed.
In addition to the $158 million he sent to the Senate Leadership Fund in the July-to-September fundraising quarter, the tech billionaire also donated nearly $89 million to his own super PAC, America PAC, records show. That group is undertaking a massive ground operation to turn out voters across more than two dozen House and Senate races.
Protester interrupts Maine Senate debate to confront GOP Sen. Collins on data centers
During Maine’s Senate debate Thursday night, a protester shouted at GOP Sen. Susan Collins about the impact of data centers, claiming they are “destroying” the climate.
Collins immediately accused her Democratic opponent, Troy Jackson, of planting the protester, but Jackson said he did not know who the person was.
El-Sayed again denies family connections to Muslim Brotherhood
Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed on Thursday once again denied allegations that he or his family has ties with the Muslim Brotherhood.
“To the best of my knowledge, nobody in my family’s been a member of this organization,” El-Sayed told reporters Thursday. “It’s like an insane thing to assume.”
El-Sayed, who could make history as the first Muslim elected to the Senate, has oft faced Republican accusations that he is sympathetic to interests connected to Islamic terror, with the latest comments coming from Vice President JD Vance as he campaigned in Monroe today.
The latest attacks came after old tweets from El-Sayed’s half sister resurfaced online, including a post from 2012 in which she described having “an amazing talk with my mom about her activism in the Muslim Brotherhood during the early 70s while she was in college.”
El-Sayed noted that his parents divorced when he was 3 and he did not see his mother for years.
“Now, I don’t know what my mother was doing in Egypt in the 1970s,” the Democrat said, “but I want to dig deeper into the insinuation at the core of the question, because the reason you would ask that question is to imply that somehow I’d have dual loyalties, that my full loyalty wouldn’t be to the Constitution of this country and there is literally nothing in my record, nothing that you can point to, to say that I’m not fully and 100% committed to the Constitution.”
“They want to talk about me or point to my mom or my sister,” El-Sayed said, adding, “I’m running for office. Judge me by my actions and my work.”
Trump: "No real reason for me to go to Maine"
President Donald Trump said Thursday there is “no real reason” for him to campaign in Maine, where a crucial Senate seat and a seat in the House could be up for grabs.
Trump insisted in an interview with Newsmax that he was “solid” with Maine, touting that he “won the lumberjacks and fishermen,” using that as a reason why he would “probably not” be visiting the state before Election Day.
Trump has not won Maine in any of the elections in which he’s run.
“I’d like to go to Maine. I love Maine, but I’m so solid with Maine too,” Trump continued. “It’s, you know, can’t get much more solid.”
Longtime GOP Sen. Susan Collins, in a debate this week, criticized the war in Iran and sought to distance herself from the president as she attempts to hold on to her Senate seat against Democrat Troy Jackson.
And Republicans are trying to pick up a seat in Maine’s 2nd Congressional District, where House Speaker Mike Johnson was campaigning this week.
El-Sayed holds rally alongside Ocasio-Cortez in Michigan's Upper Peninsula
US Senate Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed ended his tour through Michigan’s Upper Peninsula tonight with a packed rally inside Marquette’s Vandament arena, where more than a thousand Michiganders showed up to hear him speak.
Marquette is the bluest part of the Upper Peninsula, home to Northern Michigan University, and voters more likely to support Democrats.
New York Rep. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez took the stage first, delivering a pointed attack against Republican US Senate nominee Mike Rogers, accusing him of doing little for the interests of people in this area while he was in Congress.
“Mike Rogers has already spent 14 years in Congress with the power to do something and what his record actually shows is 14 years of saying one thing to Michiganders and turning around and doing another thing in Washington,” Ocasio-Cortez said.
Ocasio-Cortez, with a chance to test her own political message in a battleground state, focused her speech on access to reproductive care, grocery prices, access to healthcare and the high cost of living.
Ocasio-Cortez is expected to head south to Pontiac, Dearborn and Detroit on Friday, where she’ll campaign for El-Sayed alongside Reps. Ayanna Pressley and Debbie Dingel.
El-Sayed walked out on stage to the tune of Tupac’s “changes” delivering his stump speech to a roaring crowd.
The candidate will continue his campaign through Michigan tomorrow, staying in the Upper Peninsula for a stop in Sault St. Marie for a rally at Lake Superior State University.
Jackson outraises Collins nearly four-to-one in Maine
Republican Sen. Susan Collins was outraised by her Democratic challenger, former state Sen. Troy Jackson, by nearly four-to-one in the third quarter, a concerning signal for the veteran incumbent.
Third quarter reports with the Federal Election Commission showed that Jackson took in $20.4 million since he filed on July 7 to run as the replacement for ex-nominee Graham Platner, whose campaign imploded earlier the same month.
Collins, meanwhile, raised just over $5.2 million to her principal campaign committee during the reporting period.
Entering October, Collins still had an advantage in cash on hand, about $5.4 million to just under $4 million for Jackson.
But Jackson’s ability to quickly energize Democrats behind his bid and Collins’ inability to keep pace with his fundraising entering the general election sprint have kept Democratic hopes alive of flipping the seat despite the turbulence of the race.
Tafoya outraises Flanagan in Minnesota Senate race during Q3
Republican Michele Tafoya outraised Democrat Peggy Flanagan in the third quarter of the year for the US Senate race in Minnesota, a contrast to Democratic fundraising strength in other key races.
The filings showed that Tafoya raised $4.9 million for her principal campaign committee between a pre-primary report covering the first three weeks of July, and a quarterly report through the end of September.
Over the same stretch, Flanagan, the lieutenant governor of Minnesota, raised about $4.3 million for her principal campaign committee. And entering October, and the critical final weeks of the election, Tafoya had about $2.1 million in cash on hand compared to about $1.5 million for Flanagan.
The Senate contest in Minnesota has flown under the radar, with attention focused on marquee races in Ohio, Texas, Michigan and elsewhere. It’s set to see less than $3 million in ad spending over the final three weeks of the election.
But some Democrats have expressed unease over the trajectory of the race there, even as the state hasn’t elected a Republican statewide since 2006. And the Q3 fundraising totals are a yellow light for a party feeling increasingly confident about its midterm prospects.
GOP Rep. Max Miller addresses divorce in new ad
Republican Rep. Max Miller is up with a new ad, which features him talking straight to camera about his divorce amid a bitter custody battle with ex-wife Emily Moreno, the daughter of Ohio GOP Sen. Bernie Moreno.
The congressman and his ex-wife are locked in an ongoing custody battle to renegotiate the terms of their shared parenting agreement. His ex-wife has leveled allegations of abuse against him, which he has denied.
“Despite relentless press and investigations, every allegation against me was proven false,” Miller says in the ad. “As a result, I thankfully share equal custody of our sweet daughter.”
The custody case is expected to go to trial after the midterm election in November.
Miller made the decision to stay in the race in August despite a growing number of politicians in Washington and Ohio called on him to step aside in order to protect a congressional seat in what is supposed to be a safe GOP district. Trump won the district by 11 points in the last election but Democrats have been bullish about their chances there with iron worker Brian Poindexter.
“I stayed in this race because I want the best future for our girl and your family,” Miller says in the ad.
The ad comes the same day as a FEC report showed Miller raised just over $146,000 in the third fundraising quarter and donated a million dollars to his campaign.
El-Sayed fires back at Vance: "We believe in an America big enough for all of us"
Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed fired back at comments made earlier today on the campaign trail by JD Vance, in which the vice president framed the race as “a battle between those who loath the United States of America and those who love it.”
“At his little rally, he wanted to raise questions about my commitment to America,” El-Sayed told a crowd in Marquette, Michigan. “Let me tell you, nobody understands how deep and profound the gift of this country is, like a kid who was born here but for the accident of history that allowed that to happen.”
Vance and El-Sayed have traded barbs throughout the campaign cycle, as Republicans have looked to use the progressive as a Democratic boogeyman. As El-Sayed put it: “Donald Trump and JD Vance can’t seem to keep my name out their mouth.”
At a campaign rally in Michigan in August, Vance called El-Sayed “evil” and incorrectly tried to imply that El-Sayed wants to bring Sharia law to the US.
“They’ve been saying all kinds of things, trying to point to my name and my faith, ‘he’s a Muslim’ — Yeah, I am a Muslim, but I also understand my allegiance is to a constitution,” El-Sayed said.
Rep. Mike Collins' lackluster fundraising hamstrings GOP in Georgia
Rep. Mike Collins, the Republican nominee for US Senate in Georgia, reported raising just $2.8 million in the third quarter and holding just $1.1 million in cash on hand entering October.
Collins’ inability to galvanize Republicans behind his bid against Democratic incumbent Sen. Jon Ossoff has been a significant blow to the GOP’s hopes of flipping the battleground seat.
Ossoff, by contrast, raised more than $33 million for his campaign in the third quarter — and more than $100 million for the cycle so far — and is in such a strong position that he may have leftover campaign cash for future aspirations.
That asymmetry has hamstrung Republicans’ ability to compete with Ossoff on Georgia voters’ screens, even as GOP outside groups have overwhelmed Democrats with money in other races.
Correction: An earlier version of this post included the wrong number for Rep. Mike Collins’ third quarter campaign receipts. It is $2.8 million.
Maine Sen. Susan Collins doubles down on Trump criticism over Iran
GOP Sen. Susan Collins doubled down on her criticism of the Iran war as the Maine Republican continues to distance herself from President Donald Trump.
When asked if Congress should have been consulted before Trump decided to go to war, Collins said, “Congress definitely should have been consulted.”
Michigan voter says he would pay $6 or $7 for gallon of gas to improve Iranians' lives
Rob Price, a voter from Pinckney, Michigan, said he would pay even higher prices for gas if that meant the Iranian people could have an opportunity for freedom outside of an oppressive government.
While President Donald Trump initially encouraged the Iranian people to rise up against their government after the first US strikes in February, that hasn’t happened as the war has continued.
Much of the conflict in recent months has focused on reopening the Strait of Hormuz, a critical corridor for the transport of oil and gas. CNN reported today that Trump is weighing new strike plans, as he seeks an end to the deeply unpopular war and high prices that have Republicans bracing for potential backlash from voters in the midterms.
The average gas price in Michigan are $4.58 per gallon, according to AAA. CNN spotted a gas station near Vance’s event that was selling diesel for $6.75 and regular for $4.39 per gallon.
Price told CNN that he’s concerned about the upcoming election.
“I think that the current administration has done a lot of good things for the American people that the American people, the majority, don’t know about,” he said. “I would hate to think that all of that is for nothing.”
Republicans are trying to make people fear El-Sayed, Ocasio-Cortez says
Republicans are trying to make Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed “look big and scary” in advertisements as the GOP tries to win the critical seat, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said Thursday.
Ocasio-Cortez, who is campaigning with El-Sayed this week, said Republicans are trying to make people “scared” of the Senate candidate.
Marquette County narrowly voted for former President Joe Biden in 2024, who received just about 4,000 more votes than President Donald Trump.
Ocasio-Cortez encouraged people to break through that fear and tell their friends and family to cast their ballot.
A protester interrupts Maine Senate debate and confronts Collins on data centers
Early in tonight’s Maine Senate debate, a protester shouted at GOP Sen. Susan Collins about the impact of data centers.
The protester said that data centers are “destroying” the climate.
Collins immediately accused Democrat Troy Jackson of planting the protester, but Jackson said he did not know who the person was.
The debate paused briefly to remove the individual and then resumed.
Q3 filings show Musk contributed more than $150 million to bolster GOP in Texas
New filings with the Federal Election Commission on Thursday are shedding light on tech billionaire Elon Musk’s heavy influence on the 2026 midterm elections, especially the blockbuster Senate race in Texas.
After contributing more than a quarter of a billion dollars to support President Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, Musk is reprising his role as a pillar of GOP operations.
According to the third quarter report from Senate Leadership Fund – the principal GOP super PAC targeting Senate races – Musk donated $75 million on September 9, and another $83 million on September 23.
That injection of more than $150 million appeared to flow directly to another group, Texas PAC, formed specifically for the unusually competitive Senate race in the state, where many of Musk’s business interests are based.
The filing shows that SLF transferred $75 million to Texas PAC on September 10 – exactly matching Musk’s donation to SLF, one day earlier – and another $83 million to Texas PAC on September 24 – also a day after Musk gave the same amount to SLF.
In September, the same time Musk’s money began flowing to Republicans, GOP ad support skyrocketed – Texas PAC spent more than $77 million on ads in the month alone, according to AdImpact data. And in total, including the September surge and bookings through Election Day, Texas PAC is set to spend nearly $160 million on ads backing Paxton.
Abdul El-Sayed sidesteps question about Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez' political future
US Senate Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed is focused on his own race, at least for now.
El-Sayed is campaigning through Michigan’s Upper Peninsula this week alongside Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who has said she will decide her own political future after the midterms.
Pressed by CNN on whether Ocasio-Cortez should set her sights on the White House, El-Sayed again demurred.
Ocasio-Cortez, who has served four terms in Congress representing parts of Queens and the Bronx, is considering a run for the US Senate or the White House. For now, Ocasio-Cortez has said she is too focused on her own reelection to Congress.
Even as El-Sayed avoided answering the question, it kept coming up.
A nine-year-old town hall attendant in Iron Mountain, who attended with his parents, asked Ocasio-Cortez if she’d consider running for president or vice president.
The question got a big laugh from the audience, El-Sayed and Ocasio-Cortez. Both, again, declined to answer.
Ocasio-Cortez continues stockpiling campaign cash amid questions about her future
In an interview with the New York Times, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said she will decide whether to run for president in 2028 after the midterm elections. The 36-year-old New York representative questioned in the interview whether a Latina could be elected in today’s political climate. CNN’s Gloria Pazmino reports.
New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez raised $4.8 million in the third quarter and reported a cash on hand total of more than $17 million, according to a filing with the Federal Election Commission.
It’s another strong haul for the progressive favorite, who has built a fundraising operation that rivals national party committees.
But that stockpile can be transferred to a campaign for another federal office – say, a run for US Senate in 2028, with questions swirling about the plans of the seat’s current holder, Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.
It’s also a war chest that could be used to run for president, a possibility Ocasio-Cortez has openly considered. “Life doesn’t wait for you to be ready for things. Sometimes life just makes things ready for you,” she told the New York Times last month in a candid discussion of the subject.
Vance says El-Sayed "obsessed" with conflicts in Middle East rather than Michigan
Vice President JD Vance revived his ongoing feud with Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed as he rallied in Michigan Thursday, casting the candidate as “obsessed” with conflicts in the Middle East rather than issues in the state he is running in.
Framing the midterm election as “a battle between those who loath the United States of America and those who love it,” Vance said Michigan has “become ground zero in that battle.”
“It is a battle between grievance and gratitude, between politicians obsessed with foreign causes and leaders who remember that their first duty is to fight for the people right here at home,” the vice president said as he touted his support for Republican Mike Rogers.
Vance and El-Sayed have traded barbs throughout the campaign cycle, as Republicans have looked to use the progressive, and at times controversial, candidate as a Democratic boogeyman both in Michigan and other battleground races.
Some background: President Donald Trump carried Monroe County, where Vance spoke, by 27 points in 2024.
