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(25)Key takeaways from Sunday
• Tight Texas contest: GOP Senate candidate Ken Paxton and his Democratic opponent, James Talarico, held dueling events this evening in one of the upper chamber’s most closely watched races. Tomorrow is the first day of early voting in the Lone Star State.
• Latest polling: National polls reflect a clear advantage for Democrats when voters are asked about their preferences for Congress, against the backdrop of President Donald Trump’s low approval rating and widespread dissatisfaction with the cost of living.
• Flashpoint in Michigan: The war of words between Trump and Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed continued at a campaign event today, with the Democrat slamming the president for attacks tied to El-Sayed’s Muslim faith.
• Russia sanctions: House Speaker Mike Johnson said there are concerns within his GOP conference about the “unintended consequences” of Trump’s moves to waive sanctions on Russian fuel sales in the final weeks before the midterms.
Abdul El-Sayed defends his outreach to Black voters
Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed on Sunday defended his outreach to Black voters in the key battleground state and mocked Republican nominee Mike Rogers’ decision to open a campaign office in Detroit.
“It’s cute that he opened an office in Detroit and invited all his friends from the suburbs to come open it for him,” El-Sayed told CNN’s Laura Coates.
The Black vote is a traditionally Democratic constituency. But Black leaders for months have warned that El-Sayed risks losing significant votes, particularly after he underperformed in areas with large Black populations during the August primary.
El-Sayed noted he is the former health director of Wayne County, where Detroit is located.
“We’re going to continue to fight for every single vote, have those conversations, share what it is that I have done and what it is I’m looking to do to make life easier for Black Detroiters and for Michiganders all over our state,” El-Sayed told Coates.
Paxton and Talarico draw stark contrasts ahead of early voting in Texas
The candidates vying to represent Texas in the US Senate, Republican Ken Paxton and Democrat James Talarico, drew stark contrasts between each other in dual rallies Sunday as they both sought boost turnout ahead of the first day of early voting in the Lone Star State.
Paxton, the state’s attorney general, claimed Talarico was “most radical Democrat ever to run statewide in Texas.”
“While Talarico fights for his radical agenda, we fight for the simple things of faith, family and freedom,” Paxton told a crowd in San Antonio. “He wants to transition our kids. He wants to transition Texas off of oil and gas. How about we transition him and his crazy ideas right out of Texas?”
Meanwhile, Talarico, hundreds of miles away in Plano, described Paxton as a corrupt politician who is unfit for office. He pointed to the 2023 impeachment trial of Paxton, and insisted that billionaires are attempting to install “their puppet” in the critical Senate seat. (Paxton was later acquitted in the trial.)
“Republicans know just as well as Democrats that there is no place in Texas for guys like Ken Paxton,” Talarico said. “It was a sobering experience, and at the end of it, Democrats and Republicans alike came to the same conclusion: This man is unfit for public office.”
Some context: This year’s Senate contest in Texas has become one of the marquee races in the fight for control of the chamber, a leading example of how Republicans are scrambling to defend deeply red terrain.
Trump will campaign every day this week as Republicans' enthusiasm worries grow
President Donald Trump will return to the White House late Sunday from a weekend in Florida, but he won’t be spending much time in the building this week.
Trump plans to headline midterm rallies every day as he works frenetically to boost enthusiasm among Republican voters amid a tough political environment.
The states he’ll visit — Kansas on Monday, North Carolina on Tuesday, South Carolina on Wednesday, Iowa on Thursday, Florida on Friday and Georgia on Saturday — all tell a somewhat similar story.
These are states Trump won in 2024, most of them relatively handily. But they are also places where Republicans are competing in surprisingly competitive races.
In Kansas, for example, Republican Sen. Roger Marshall has suddenly appeared in political trouble, despite the state not having elected a Democrat to the Senate in nearly a century.
In South Carolina, too, the polls have been tighter-than-expected as Sen. Darline Graham, who was appointed to replace her brother Lindsey after he died this year, battles in her first election.
Many national Republicans have written off the Senate race in North Carolina entirely. Major groups began this month to divert resources from the state, where GOP candidate Michael Whatley has long been trailing in polls. They invested the money instead in Kansas, a state they never expected to be defending.
In all his stops, Trump has been urging his most ardent supporters to pretend he is on the ballot, aware that many of his fans don’t vote when he’s not up for election himself.
But Republican candidates who appear alongside him also take the gamble that his historic unpopularity could become a liability for moderates and independents.
Midterms roundup: Democrats go on offense as candidates rally in red and purple states
Our reporters are on the ground in key states as we enter the final two weeks of the midterm election cycle.
The GOP is trying to hold off election losses as national polls show Democrats have an advantage. In the latest CNN Poll of Polls averaging recent “generic ballot” questions — which ask voters which party’s congressional candidate they would support in their district — the Democrats lead the Republicans 54% to 45%, with little variation in the margin across polls.
If you’re just joining us, here’s the latest from the campaign trail:
Michigan Senate race: GOP Senate candidate Mike Rogers distanced himself from Trump’s false comments about his opponent, Democrat Abdul El-Sayed, in an interview with CNN’s Dana Bash this morning, but he still attempted to tie the Democrat to an Islamist political movement.
Meanwhile, El-Sayed campaigned in Flint and Detroit. In Flint, his war of words with the president continued. “Donald Trump and JD Vance can’t seem to keep my name out of their mouth,” El-Sayed told a crowd. Later, in Detroit, El-Sayed shifted his focus to support for unions as he spoke to the Northern Midwest Regional Council of Carpenters.
Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed pointed to the Trump family's dealings in the Middle East as he responded to Republican attacks on his faith and name. The Michigan-born doctor would be the first Muslim to serve in the US Senate if elected, facing Republican Mike Rogers in a competitive race.
Maine Senate race: Democratic Senate candidate Troy Jackson stressed his support for ending the war in Iran, but did not appear to have a clear plan on how the US should exit the conflict. Asked by CNN how the US would pull out of the war and what that would mean for the Strait of Hormuz, Jackson replied that “Iran controlled it before.”
Massachusetts GOP candidate suspends campaign: Shawn Oliver, the GOP candidate for lieutenant governor of Massachusetts, suspended his campaign after he was arrested and charged with operating a vehicle under the influence of liquor.
Kansas: CNN’s Manu Raju spoke with Sen. Roger Marshall and his Democratic challenger, pastor Adam Hamilton about the surprisingly competitive contest:
Republicans are ramping up efforts to hold on to Sen. Roger Marshall’s seat as Democrat Adam Hamilton, a pastor, is challenging him. CNN’s Manu Raju traveled to Kansas to speak with both candidates about the race and what’s at stake.
Energy costs complicate GOP campaigns: Energy market traders have blamed a spike in oil prices on ongoing supply concerns due to the US-Iran war. Trump has insisted that prices will soon come tumbling down, but the path toward ending the conflict and restoring stability remains unclear. Many Republicans are facing questions about the issue as they make their pitch to voters on the campaign trail. Meanwhile, House Speaker Mike Johnson said he’s been in touch with the White House about concerns within his Republican conference about the “unintended consequences” of Trump’s moves to waive sanctions on Russian fuel sales.
CNN’s Jeff Zeleny, Manu Raju, Aileen Graef, Katherine Koretski, Molly English and Alison Main contributed to this report.
"Friday Night Lights" cast members rally behind Talarico: "We are in the fourth quarter"
Some of the cast of the Emmy Award-winning high school football drama “Friday Night Lights” teamed up with Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico in a new video announcing a slew of campaign events.
The video features actors Jesse Plemons, Connie Britton and Adrianne Palicki encouraging voters to turn out for Talarico in next month’s midterms.
“We are in the fourth quarter, and we’re down to the final moments. The last play of the last drive,” Britton says.
“Sending James Talarico to the US Senate is going to take everything we’ve got,” Plemons, a Texas native, adds.
As the actors stress the importance of the final stretch to Election Day, the video shows a montage of Talarico on the campaign trail. It ends with the dates of the candidate’s tour stops, including tonight’s event in Plano.
Jocelyn Benson is running for Michigan governor — and finishing a marathon
Jocelyn Benson is running for Michigan governor, but on Sunday she was running a different kind of race: the Detroit Free Press marathon.
The Democrat crossed the finish line of her 40th marathon, aides said, in four hours and nine minutes.
Benson, the Michigan secretary of state, told supporters at a union hall rally in Detroit about her race as she asked them to work hard for the next 16 days until the election.
“Are you ready for this fight?” Benson said. “Are you ready to knock doors, make calls and make sure we win and we win big?”
Benson, 48, launched her bid for governor last year with a video showing her running through the streets of Detroit.
"I will not comment on his anatomy": Ohio Republicans buzz about Trump's fixation on Husted
A day after President Donald Trump offered his latest appraisal of Ohio Sen. Jon Husted’s physique, it had already become a running joke — if not explicitly stated — during a GOP gathering in rural western Ohio.
“I know the president’s been talking about me as a football player and a few other things these days,” Husted said to knowing laughs at the Darke County GOP hog roast, using the thinly veiled reference to rally Republicans for the “fourth quarter” of the election.
Trump most recently praised the physical appearance of Husted, a former college football player, during a rally Saturday in northern Kentucky, which borders Ohio.
“I examined his ass, and then I looked at his shoulders. I looked at his feet. I looked at his hand. I looked at his jawline,” Trump said. “I then patted him on the shoulder, and it was like a piece of steel. I’m still recovering.”
Ohio’s other GOP senator, Sen. Bernie Moreno, nodded to Trump’s fixation on Husted during his remarks to the hog roast.
“Unlike the president of the United States, I will not comment on his anatomy, but I will tell you that he’s a really, really good senator,” Moreno said Sunday.
Ohio State Auditor Keith Faber, who’s running for attorney general, was a little more diplomatic in his allusion to Trump’s fascination with Husted’s body.
“You heard the president talk about his football prowess,” he said.
Massachusetts lieutenant governor candidate suspends campaign after arrest
Shawn Oliver, the Republican candidate for lieutenant governor of Massachusetts, suspended his campaign on Sunday after he was arrested and charged with operating a vehicle under the influence of liquor.
Officers responded late Saturday night to a report that a vehicle was overturned after striking multiple parked vehicles, with two suffering substantial damage, according to the New Bedford Police Department.
Oliver was taken to a local hospital to treat his injuries before being arrested and charged with operating under the influence of liquor, negligent operation of a motor vehicle, a marked lanes violation, and speeding, police said.
CNN has reached out to Oliver’s campaign for comment.
Republican gubernatorial nominee Mike Minogue quickly called for Oliver to suspend his campaign on Sunday morning and said he would ask his running mate to resign if their ticket won.
“I am extremely disappointed. Shawn is lucky to be alive and lucky that no one innocent was hurt. There is no excuse for driving under the influence. After speaking with Shawn, I am asking him to suspend his campaign immediately, and when elected, I will formally ask for his resignation,” he said on X.
Massachusetts GOP Chair Amy Carnevale said in a statement that the group supports Oliver’s decision to suspend his campaign.
“Lives were put at risk and that is never acceptable. We now stand to assist Shawn in getting any help he needs to ensure he never puts himself or others in harm’s way again,’” she said.
Republicans are rushing to save this Senate seat
Republicans are ramping up efforts to hold on to Sen. Roger Marshall’s seat as Democrat Adam Hamilton, a pastor, challenges him in Kansas.
CNN’s Manu Raju traveled to the state to speak with both candidates about what’s at stake in the race:
Republicans are ramping up efforts to hold on to Sen. Roger Marshall’s seat as Democrat Adam Hamilton, a pastor, is challenging him. CNN’s Manu Raju traveled to Kansas to speak with both candidates about the race and what’s at stake.
The war of words between El-Sayed and Trump doesn't take Sunday off
The war of words between Abdul El-Sayed and President Donald Trump doesn’t take the weekends off.
“Donald Trump and JD Vance can’t seem to keep my name out of their month,” El-Sayed, the Democratic Senate nominee in Michigan, told a crowd on Sunday. “The only time Donald Trump knows how to pronounce names like mine is when he’s begging the Qataris for a jet.”
El-Sayed, a doctor and former public health official whose parents immigrated to the US from Egypt, was born and raised in Michigan. If elected, he would be the first Muslim to serve in the US Senate.
Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed pointed to the Trump family's dealings in the Middle East as he responded to Republican attacks on his faith and name. The Michigan-born doctor would be the first Muslim to serve in the US Senate if elected, facing Republican Mike Rogers in a competitive race.
The president has taken to calling El-Sayed by the name “Mohammed.” At several of his red-state rallies – far away from Michigan – Trump has sought to belittle and mock El-Sayed.
El-Sayed is locked in a fierce battle with Republican nominee Mike Rogers, whose name was only briefly mentioned by his rival on Sunday, aside from a video-game inspired jab: “Mike Rogers is a non-playing character.”
Gas prices remain stubbornly high in the final weeks before midterms
Cost-of-living issues remain top of mind for many midterms voters, with high gas prices chief among them.
CNN’s Dana Bash pressed Energy Secretary Chris Wright on the Trump administration’s approach to the issue in an interview this morning:
Energy market traders have blamed a spike in oil prices on ongoing supply concerns due to the US-Iran war. President Donald Trump has insisted that prices will soon come tumbling down, but the path toward ending the conflict and restoring stability remains unclear.
Many Republicans are facing questions about the issue as they make their pitch to voters on the campaign trail.
Johnson raises concerns about Trump's loosening Russian sanctions
House Speaker Mike Johnson said he’s been in touch with the White House about concerns within his GOP conference about the “unintended consequences” of President Donald Trump’s moves to waive sanctions on Russian fuel sales.
“Congress voted on this decisively just several weeks ago, and we understand that Putin cannot be trusted,” Johnson told “Fox Sunday Morning Futures,” adding that he talked to “several” lawmakers on House intelligence and foreign affairs panels about their concerns on Saturday.
On Friday, Trump signed an executive order waiving the heavy sanctions on countries that import Russian oil and gas that had been passed by both chambers on an overwhelmingly bipartisan basis.
The White House has been scrambling to bring down skyrocketing fuel prices ahead of this fall’s pivotal midterm elections, though Trump’s announcement earlier this month that Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to supply hundreds of thousands of tons of diesel to global energy markets sparked backlash from many Republicans.
Johnson said he had not yet talked directly to the president about the issue because they’ve both been busy with “nonstop” campaign schedules, but he told administration officials that “we need to talk about it, and I think carefully consider the unintended consequences that that may ensue from that.”
“I know the president’s evaluating this as he does everything else,” he said, adding that Trump “wants to keep America safe, and he wants to bring down the cost of living for every American.”
Maine Senate candidate Troy Jackson says he's sure "things will stabilize" if US pulls out of Iran
Maine Democratic Senate candidate Troy Jackson stressed his support for ending the war in Iran, but did not appear to have a clear plan on how the US should exit the conflict.
Asked by CNN’s Dana Bash on “State of the Union” how the US would pull out of the conflict and what that would mean for the Strait of Hormuz, Jackson replied that “Iran controlled it before.”
“They didn’t, it was open,” Bash pushed back. “Before the Iran war? No, it wasn’t. It was open.”
Pressed on if he thought Iran would pull out of the Strait of Hormuz if the US military departed the region, the Democrat said, “I’m sure there’s a way that we can negotiate with them to get back some semblance of what it was before this and get oil prices stabilized.”
He also addressed a viral moment with incumbent Sen. Susan Collins last week, when he told the Republican lawmaker to “shut up” after she said a protester who interrupted their debate was a supporter of Jackson’s.
“Some Republicans have been spending millions of dollars attacking me and my family, making untrue claims, things that they had to take off the air, and so it doesn’t surprise me that some Republicans would be making any claims,” Jackson said when asked about the moment potentially giving oxygen to attacks by the GOP that he has had angry outburts with women in the past.
“So, again, the shut up thing. You’re going to leave it as is, no apologies?” Bash asked.
“Yeah,” Jackson replied.
Rogers distances himself from Trump El-Sayed comments
Michigan’s Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers distanced himself from President Donald Trump’s false comments about his opponent, Democrat Abdul El-Sayed, but still attempted to tie the man to an Islamist political movement.
El-Sayed, who could make history as the first Muslim elected to the Senate, has frequently faced Republican accusations that he is sympathetic to interests connected to Islamic terror.
At a town hall yesterday, El-Sayed disavowed the Muslim Brotherhood during a heated exchange, while also calling out the implications of the audience member’s question about it.
“You assume … that because I am Muslim, that somehow I would have some allegiance to something that is not our Constitution,” El-Sayed said. He later added, “For me, that Constitution is the guiding light.”
CNN Poll of Polls average shows Democrats leading nationally on the generic ballot
With Election Day nearing, national polls are telling a largely consistent story. President Donald Trump’s approval rating is hovering at or near a career low, public dissatisfaction with the cost of living remains widespread — and, against that backdrop, voters nationally give Democrats a clear advantage when asked about their preferences for Congress.
In a newly calculated CNN Poll of Polls average of recent “generic ballot” questions asking voters which party’s congressional candidate they would support in their district, the Democrats lead the Republicans, 54% to 45%, with little variation in the margin across polls. Trump’s approval rating among the American public stands at an average 34%.
The averages include an ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll and an NBC News/SurveyMonkey poll, both released Sunday.
In the ABC/Post/Ipsos poll, a majority of the public says that many everyday expenses, including groceries and healthcare, are unaffordable. Americans give Democrats the edge over Republicans to handle a broad range of key issues, including the cost of living (by a 14-point margin) and the economy (by a 9-point margin). While favorability ratings for both parties are underwater, the GOP’s ratings are more deeply so. Voters who dislike both parties, meanwhile, tilt strongly Democratic on the generic ballot.
In the NBC/SurveyMonkey poll, a 58% majority of Americans say that Trump’s policies are hurting the country, and about half, 52%, say they believe his administration is more corrupt than previous presidencies.
What we heard from Abdul El-Sayed on the trail yesterday
Michigan Democrats are uniting today for a get-out-the-vote rally in Detroit, which is set to begin at 2 p.m. ET.
The state’s Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed will be joined by Jocelyn Benson, the party’s nominee for governor; Garlin Gilchrist, who is running for secretary of state; and Eli Savit, the Democratic hopeful for Michigan attorney general.
El-Sayed held a town hall in the city of Midland yesterday. Here’s what we heard from him there:
- El-Sayed slammed gun policies, telling the crowd that guns have “more rights” than women in America when asked what he could do to prevent school shootings if he joins the US Senate.
- The Senate nominee was pressed by a town hall attendee to disavow the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist political movement. El-Sayed, who could make history as the first Muslim elected to the Senate, disavowed the movement and criticized the man for implicitly assuming his “dual loyalty.”
- Asked whether he believes in defunding the police, El-Sayed he had no intention of cutting money to police departments and that the slogan came out of a time during the pandemic that did not leave room for nuance. “The notion that you can sieve down all of public safety into a three-word sentence is kind of ridiculous,” he said, adding that that public safety would require investing in community violence intervention, mental health and a range of other services.
- El-Sayed said that the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has been “really supportive,” despite a substantial difference in spending on ads compared to Republicans. He also told CNN he would campaign with his former Democratic primary opponent Haley Stevens if the opportunity came up.
Warnock says he will campaign for El-Sayed to "turn out whole coalition"
Georgia’s Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock will be in Michigan this week seeking to turn out Black voters for Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed in the state’s high-stakes senate race.
Warnock was responding to a comment to Politico by Rep. Haley Stevens, who lost a competitive Democratic primary to El-Sayed, that GOP candidate Mike Rogers has been “working the Black community harder and more successfully than we have ever seen a Republican do.”
CNN has reported that Black community leaders are among those warning El-Sayed that he needs to step up his outreach efforts in order to hold together the coalition necessary to deliver the seat to Democrats.
Warnock pointed to President Donald Trump’s efforts to redraw congressional maps to favor Republicans, sometimes at the cost of seats traditionally represented by Black Democrats.
Warnock again would not rule out a 2028 presidential bid himself, telling NBC News he is “sharply focused” on the midterm elections for now.
The Georgia Democrat would also not directly answer when asked if Congress should proceed with impeaching Trump if his party regains control on Capitol Hill.
“We ought to have the investigations to get to the truth behind this, the most corrupt administration in American history. At the same time, we have to walk and chew gum. At the same time, Americans are being crushed under these costs, which are connected to his corruption,” he said.
How JB Pritzker’s possible 2028 White House bid could be helped by his midterm investments
As potential 2028 presidential candidates crisscross the country to campaign in the midterms, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker is wielding an advantage that none of the others can match: his massive personal wealth.
The billionaire has funneled nearly $40 million to Democratic candidates and groups in the midterms, donating to everything from the party’s biggest super PACs to state legislative campaigns.
And in the closing weeks of the election, he’s funding a $20 million effort to help Democrats push deeper into red territory in their bid to capture the House majority, a particularly ambitious play.
Pritzker has long been a top donor to the Democratic Party, but his midterm giving has unfolded as he considers joining what is expected to be a crowded 2028 presidential primary — and is serving multiple political purposes.
He’s boosting Democratic campaigns in the first states on the party’s revamped 2028 primary calendar. He’s working to patch up bruised relationships inside the party that he would need for a presidential bid, particularly with the Congressional Black Caucus.
And he’s become a unique force in Texas, including by giving more than $1 million to the Democratic nominee for governor, Gina Hinojosa, as her Latino allies plead for more national investment.
Read more here about Pritzker’s donations, and how this may help him in the future.
Some of the other key events to watch out for today
With just over two weeks left until Election Day, Democratic and Republican Party midterm candidates and their political allies are racing all over the map to make their case to voters and donors at rallies, town halls and other campaign stops.
Here are some of the midterm events we’re keeping an eye on this Sunday:
- In Texas, Senate candidates James Talarico and Ken Paxton are holding dueling tour stops this afternoon in different regions of the state. Democratic gubernatorial nominee Gina Hinojosa is also making a campaign stop in Houston.
- Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed is holding another town hall today, this one in Flint, as other state Democrats hold a “get out the vote” rally in Detroit.
- Sen. Bernie Sanders is rallying in Florida for progressive Senate candidate Angie Nixon as part of his “Fighting Oligarchy” tour. They are scheduled to appear in Gainesville at noon ET and Talahassee in the evening.
- Democratic Senate candidate Josh Turek is making three stops in small towns and cities on his tour across Iowa, as he faces tight polling numbers against Republican opponent Ashley Hinson.
- And Pete Buttigieg is in North Carolina to support several candidates, including Democratic Senate nominee Roy Cooper.
