October 2026
DOJ sues California over mail ballots, alleging they were sent to noncitizens
The Trump administration is seeking to stop the counting of some votes in California through a federal lawsuit filed Thursday, arguing that more than 20,000 voters in the state may not be citizens. The lawsuit, filed in California federal court, argues the state should set aside the ballots of more than 20,000 voters who the […]
New Dems look to boost ranks and build clout
The New Democrat Coalition is already the largest ideological bloc within the House Democratic Caucus with more than 100 members. And Rep. Greg Stanton, who chairs the group’s campaign arm, doesn’t see that changing next year. “We expect that our numbers are going to swell in the next Congress,” the Arizona Democrat said in an […]
‘Should be shot’: Trump intensifies midterms messaging
The sun-soaked crowd had been listening to President Donald Trump for just over an hour in Arizona on Wednesday. When some often-used lines about congressional Democrats and taxes got virtually no response, the president decided to go to a dark place. “They want to mutilate — cut — your children. It’s unbelievable what they do. […]
‘Scrappy’ conference chair helped shape GOP midterm message
Few House lawmakers have risen through party leadership ranks as fast as GOP Conference Chair Lisa McClain. Now comes the toughest political challenge she’s faced in her short time in office: helping maintain Republicans’ tenuous grasp on the majority. The third-term Michigan Republican, who took just four years to secure the No. 4 slot in […]
Diesel dilemma squeezes Republicans in America’s heartland
Vance and Louise Ehmke have been growing rye seed, wheat and triticale for over 50 years on a farm in western Kansas that their ancestors first homesteaded in 1885. They say decisions being made thousands of miles away in Washington are costing them. “Compared to last year, our fuel bill is $50,000 higher,” Vance Ehmke […]
‘Red to Blue’ Democrats rake in more than GOP rivals in third quarter
In their quest to flip the House, Democrats have sought to expand the battleground map by targeting seats in red-leaning terrain, and their candidates in these races dominated third-quarter fundraising, new filings show. But many of their Republican opponents, including vulnerable incumbents, entered October with larger bank balances, according to a CQ Roll Call analysis […]
At the Races: Seeing red in Minnesota?
Welcome to At the Races! Each week we bring you news and analysis from the CQ Roll Call campaign team. Know someone who’d like to get this newsletter? They can subscribe here. By Mary Ellen McIntire, Daniela Altimari and Niels Lesniewski Campaigning some thousand miles away in Ohio this week, President Donald Trump urged Minnesotans to vote […]
Former Rep. Matt Gaetz faces sex trafficking lawsuit
Republican former Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida is facing a lawsuit accusing him and others of sexually trafficking and abusing two women from 2017 to 2019. The lawsuit, filed anonymously by a pair of women in Florida federal court and docketed Thursday, alleges that Gaetz and coconspirators coordinated to pay for travel, sex and illicit […]
Calling off livestream of execution was right call, members say
Members of Congress expressed relief Thursday after President Donald Trump overturned a Pentagon plan to livestream the execution of a man convicted of a deadly 2009 shooting spree at a Texas Army base. On Oct. 8, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, in a broadcast interview, announced the department’s plan to air the Dec. 3 execution by […]
Amid ‘time of transition,’ Freedom Caucus sees room to grow its influence
The House Freedom Caucus is poised to look very different next year, with several stalwarts of the hard-line conservative bloc moving on. Reps. Andy Biggs of Arizona, Byron Donalds of Florida and Tom Tiffany of Wisconsin are all running for governor. Alabama Rep. Barry Moore is favored to win election to the Senate. Reps. Ralph […]