Alaska's Republican governor has ordered an investigation in response to President Donald Trump 's demand for a criminal probe of whether Democratic Senate nominee Mary Peltola's campaign was involved in recruiting a spoiler candidate with the same name as Republican incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan.
Political parties often support extra candidates on the ballot to try to pull votes from their rivals. In Ohio’s Senate race, Republicans have been tied to an effort to boost a socialist to votes from Sherrod Brown, the Democratic candidate challenging Sen. Jon Husted.
A federal judge rejected a Trump administration request to stop California from processing the ballots of up to 20,000 people over allegations that they are likely noncitizens, warning it would “wreak havoc” on the midterm elections. The ruling comes as more than 3.7 million people have already voted in the state.
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Justice Department pushes politically sensitive cases before midterms
Trump’s Justice Department has been scrambling with a blitz of headline-making actions and cases. Defense lawyers, Democrats and other critics say the timing and targets are no coincidence and reek of politics.
This month alone, the Justice Department escalated an investigation into Democratic U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar with a search of her home; brought criminal charges against two former FBI officials accused of falsely downplaying their knowledge of investigations involving Hunter Biden; revealed a fresh attempt to prosecute former FBI Director James Comey; and made an unsuccessful attempt to indict a former White House aide who delivered dramatic but disputed testimony about Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
On top of lawsuits related to voting in Alaska and California, the moves have largely been directed at outspoken Trump critics or issues that animate the Republican’s base.
Peltola dismisses the claims as a ‘distraction’
Peltola’s campaign didn’t immediately respond to a message early Thursday seeking comment on the Alaska governor’s order to investigate whether her campaign was involved in recruiting another Dan Sullivan to join their race against Sen. Dan Sullivan.
But during a campaign stop in Soldotna, the former congresswoman suggested the New York Times’ report was a “distraction” from issues such as Sen. Sullivan’s support of the war in Iran.
“This is just another distraction. It’s another diversion,” she said in a video posted online. “This is all stuff to sell newspapers. This is all stuff to get subscriptions.”
The Alaska Supreme Court ruled that Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., a retired schoolteacher in the small fishing community of Petersburg, was qualified to run.
The retiree has repeatedly denied running at the Democrats’ behest and has said he had no contact with Peltola’s campaign: “Zero, none, zilch,” he said in June after announcing his run.
Trump casts doubt on whether Peltola would be seated if she wins
As the president made his way to a rally in South Carolina, he was asked whether Democratic nominee Mary Peltola would be seated to represent Alaska in the Senate if she wins.
“Well, you’re going to have to see what happens,” Trump responded. “It’s hard to believe that she could even be allowed to run.”
Republicans have made similar moves before. House Speaker Mike Johnson delayed swearing in Rep. Adelita Grijalva of Arizona after she won a special election in 2025, preventing her from supplying the last signature needed to force a House vote on releasing the Epstein files.
Vance wants Peltola investigated for fraud
Vice President JD Vance didn’t go as far as the president did in calling for Mary Peltola, the Democratic Senate candidate in Alaska, to be prosecuted over her campaign’s alleged role in recruiting the non-incumbent Dan Sullivan onto the ballot.
But he said “I think we should certainly look into whether she committed election fraud.”
“I mean, she is a person who, for months now, has pretended that she has had nothing to do with the fact that they have put a fraudulent person, a person explicitly designed to confuse Alaska voters, on the ballot,” Vance told reporters ahead of his campaign trip Thursday to Texas. “She is trying to steal a Senate seat from the voters of Alaska, and it’s disgraceful.”
Trump won’t say if Brazil’s Lula is rightful winner of election
The president said he’s willing to talk to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva after the Brazilian President’s election victory over conservative Flávio Bolsonaro in a hotly contested race that bucked a trend of conservative electoral results in Latin America.
“I thought the election was a very great embarrassment to the people of Brazil,” Trump told reporters. “I watched the election. I didn’t take sides. I let it be. I was asked not to take sides by the president, the current president. I didn’t take sides.”
Experts on Brazil said Trump tried to sway the election by citing the prosecution of Bolsonaro’s father as he imposed steep tariffs on Brazil, sanctioning the Brazilian judges involved and designating two Brazilian gangs as terror groups to reinforce Bolsonaro’s tough-on-crime campaign.
Asked if Lula was the rightful winner, Trump demurred.
“I don’t want to come into it right now,” Trump said.
Democrat painted as Trump yes man in GOP-linked Senate race fliers
Republican mailers promoting a socialist Senate candidate in Ohio have begun portraying the Democratic candidate, Sherrod Brown, as a yes man for Donald Trump.
The continuing effort to pull support from Brown comes in the former three-term senator’s tight race against Republican Sen. Jon Husted. Federal disclosure reports show Enough Promises Ohio PAC, which sent out the fliers, received $2.5 million from Conservative Americans PAC. It has ties to Trump’s MAGA Inc.
The new mailers promote independent candidate Greg Levy over Brown with messages such as “When Donald Trump Asks... Sherrod Brown Always says ‘YES’” and “Stop Trump. Ditch Sherrod.”
Levy has condemned the mailers as “dirty tricks.” Brown’s campaign said Ohioans “won’t be deceived.” For months now, Husted and his allies have assailed Brown as a liberal beholden to Democrats.
Hochul tells Nicki Minaj to chill
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has a few suggestions for Nicki Minaj after the Trump-supporting rapper called the governor an “evil woman” who “will not escape God’s wrath.”
“Well, maybe she ought to get outside and be offline a little more,” Hochul told reporters when asked about Minaj’s comments. “Stop going to Trump rallies because it’s kind of poisoning your mind.”
Hochul’s response came after Minaj fired off a tirade against the Democrat on X that also endorsed the governor’s Republican opponent, Bruce Blakeman.
Minaj has been amping up her relationship with the White House and spoke at a Trump rally in Michigan this week.
Trump turns stolen election claims from rhetoric to action
Democrats, election officials and voting rights groups have long worried that Trump would try again to overturn an election when his party is trailing.
It’s no longer hypothetical.
Academics believe the Department of Justice lawsuit seeking to preemptively contest a potential Republican loss in the Alaska U.S. Senate race is the first time since the Civil Rights era that the federal government has sued to halt certification of an election, a duty the Constitution places in the hands of states.
Democrats and other groups that oppose Trump have been running exercises for months to rehearse responses to election interference, and have lawsuits pre-written. They also plan to have tens of thousands of people monitoring the polls on Election Day.
So far, early voting has been quiet, with about 35 million Americans already casting ballots without any notable disruption.
Democrat needs disaffected Republicans to win in South Carolina
That means voters like Brent Chaplin — a 37-year-old who works in finance and accounting. He said he’s a registered Republican, “but it’s hard to be that right now.”
He said he cast his ballot for Annie Andrews for Senate, and encouraged voters to think beyond partisan politics.
“You just can’t go and say I’m a Republican, I’m just going to vote Republican,” said Chaplin, who voted for Trump in 2016. “You’ve got to put some brainpower into it and think about it. So hopefully it is a message to the powers that be to wake up, pick better candidates.”
Benjamin Updegraft, a 32-year-old software engineer, expressed frustration that the Senate seat might stay in the Graham family.
“The Senate is not an inherited position,” he said. “This is not a country where these noble titles are passed down between families.”
Senate candidate urges South Carolina voters to try a Democrat
Annie Andrews has a request for voters in South Carolina who haven’t sent a Democrat to the U.S. Senate in nearly three decades: Just give me a chance.
“Let’s try something new for once,” Andrews said Wednesday. “If she doesn’t do what she says she’s going to do, you can fire me in six years. I promise that I won’t let you down, that I’m going to win you all over.”
Senate races are often an afterthought in this Republican stronghold. But Andrews, a pediatrician who previously ran unsuccessfully for Congress, has mounted an unexpectedly competitive race against the sister of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, who was appointed by the Republican governor to fill the remaining months of her brother’s term.
Trump pushing GOP get-out-the-vote efforts with another South Carolina visit
Holding South Carolina is essential if Republicans have any hope of keeping their Senate majority. In a sign of the party’s anxiety, Trump is traveling again to the state to press the party faithful to show up for Sen. Darline Graham in her unexpectedly tight race against Democrat Annie Andrews.
The trip marks the second time this month he will have visited South Carolina, a state he won by nearly 18 percentage points in 2024.
“Big Rally in South Carolina for the wonderful Darline Graham, today,” Trump posted on social media Thursday morning. “She is fantastic. Lindsey is watching, and very proud of her!!!
Wisconsin candidate for governor celebrates Brewers win
When Democratic candidate David Crowley joined thousands of fans watching the Brewers win the World Series Wednesday night, the victory was particularly sweet: As the Milwaukee County executive, Crowley helped negotiate a deal in 2023 to have state, county and city money help pay for repairs at the Brewers’ stadium to keep them in Milwaukee through at least 2050.
“It’s not just brought together those who live in this community, but everybody across the state of Wisconsin,” Crowley told WISN-TV.
Crowley faces Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, who celebrated the win by invoking the memory of Bob Uecker, the Brewers’ play-by-play announcer for 54 years.
“You know Ueck is smiling down on us tonight,” Tiffany posted on social media.
A parade celebrating the Brewers’ first World Series championship is set for Friday in Milwaukee, about five miles from where Crowley grew up.
Dirty tricks and spoiler candidates are nothing new — see the GOP in Ohio
While controversial, the situation in Alaska is not that unusual. Political parties often support extra candidates on the ballot to try to pull votes from their rivals. If state courts allow it, legal experts say, the federal government has no role challenging the results.
In Ohio’s Senate race, Republicans have been tied to an effort to boost a socialist on the ballot who would pull votes from Sherrod Brown, the Democratic candidate challenging Sen. Jon Husted.
And social media videos believed to be produced with artificial intelligence and linked to Russia are misusing real people’s names and photographs to spread disinformation about Brown and Texas Democrat James Talarico in the final stretch of midterm voting.
Speaker Johnson sees ‘dirty tricks and desperation’ in Alaska Senate race
That’s what House Speaker Mike Johnson said Thursday morning on Fox News Channel when asked about state and federal probes over whether Peltola’s campaign recruited a candidate with the same name as the GOP incumbent.
“This is an evil tactic,” the Louisiana Republican said. “They’re trying to confuse people, and we’re going to expose that.”
Paxton projects confidence, says midterms ‘always tough for the party in power’
“That’s not Texas,” GOP Senate nominee Ken Paxton said Thursday as he characterized the promises of Democratic opponent James Talarico.
Appearing on Fox News Channel from a diner in his home state, the Texas attorney general called Talarico “a socialist who wants government control.”
Paxton urged party unity after a “tough primary” for Texas Republicans, calling himself “a constitutional conservative that will fight for free market, will fight for opportunity for Texans.”
Trump has stumped in Texas three times this month, calling Paxton “a good man” as he competes in the tight race that’s become one of the most expensive in the country.
US unemployment claims slide to 194,000, the lowest since mid-July
The Labor Department report Thursday suggests layoffs remain low and most Americans enjoy job security.
Applications for jobless benefits are a proxy for layoffs, and economists watch them closely because they can provide signs of where the job market is headed. So far this year, claims have remained at historically low levels, never topping 230,000 in a single week.
But hiring has been lackluster: So far this year, employers — companies, government agencies and nonprofits — have been adding an average of 68,000 jobs a month, including a disappointing 29,000 last month. It’s better than in 2025 when monthly job creation averaged 9,700 as high interest rates and Trump’s unpredictable trade policies discouraged hiring.
Consumer spending has remained resilient and a surge in investment in artificial intelligence has lifted the GDP.
Inflation accelerated last month, highlighting affordability issues for voters
An inflation gauge closely monitored by the Federal Reserve accelerated last month, showing that prices remain elevated as Americans go to vote with affordability concerns a central issue.
Consumer prices rose 3.6% in September compared with a year earlier, the Commerce Department said Thursday, up from 3.4% in August. On a monthly basis, prices climbed 0.5%, up from 0.3% in August and the highest figure since May.
Annual inflation has worsened since the Iran war spiked oil and gas prices. U.S. oil prices still top $100 a barrel, up from less than $70 before the war. Polls show the inflation has soured most voters on the president’s handling of the economy. Trump’s campaign promise was gas below $2 a gallon. It currently averages about $4.25.
Alaska governor orders state probe over whether Peltola campaign should face charges
Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s directive, posted early Thursday on social media, comes a day after Trump called for the criminal prosecution of Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola.
It all comes following revelations that Peltola’s campaign appeared to be involved in recruiting a candidate with the same name as Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan.
During a campaign stop on Wednesday, Peltola suggested the Times’ report was a “distraction” from issues such as Sen. Sullivan’s support of the war in Iran.
Sununu says he would follow Collins’ example
New Hampshire Republican John E. Sununu says his former Senate colleague Susan Collins has been a “great model” for standing up to Trump.
Sununu, who is trying to regain the seat he lost in 2008, was asked during a debate Wednesday night to name a Republican member of Congress who has done what he promises to do: Oppose Trump on a key issue and remain effective.
“Susan Collins is a great example, a great model,” said Sununu, who is facing Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas in the race for an open seat. “She stands up for what she believes in, I’ll stand up for what I believe in.”
Collins, who is being challenged by Democrat Troy Jackson, has broken with Trump over the years but Democrats argue she is still too close to him.
Pappas repeatedly linked Sununu to Trump during the debate, including after Sununu criticized him for campaigning with former Vice President Kamala Harris last weekend.
Judge says Trump effort to segregate California ballots would ‘wreak havoc’
A federal judge rejected on Wednesday a Trump administration request to stop California from processing the ballots of up to 20,000 people over allegations they are likely noncitizens, warning it would “wreak havoc” on the midterm elections.
The ruling by U.S. District Judge David O. Carter comes as more than 3.7 million people have already voted in the state.
“Eroded trust in our democracy is irreparable. Once a vote is segregated, lasting harm has occurred,” Carter wrote. “If the Executive can discount votes and threaten an ongoing election due to unproven allegations, then our democracy is in danger. This Court declines to be a party to such process.”
Prosecutors for the Justice Department said they would immediately appeal the decision.
The decision is the latest legal setback for Trump in his efforts to expand federal control over state-run elections ahead of voting that will decide control of Congress for the rest of his term.
Trump wants Democratic Alaska Senate candidate prosecuted over spoiler controversy
Trump called for the criminal prosecution of the Democratic candidate running for Senate in Alaska on Wednesday after revelations that her campaign appeared to be involved in recruiting a candidate with the same name as Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan.
The race is among a handful of Senate contests this year expected to determine control of the chamber. Trump had previously directed his Department of Justice to sue to block certification of the Senate race should Democrat Mary Peltola defeat Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan.
“I think they should be prosecuted,” the Republican president said about Peltola and the other Sullivan, responding to questions about a report in The New York Times.
The newspaper obtained text messages between members of Peltola’s campaign discussing recruiting people with the same name as the two-term Republican before landing on a retired schoolteacher named Dan J. Sullivan, now one of four candidates on the ranked vote ballot in the general election.
Trump and Obama appeal to voters in pivotal states
Georgia Democrats rallied with former President Barack Obama Wednesday night, at the same time President Donald Trump was in Ohio attempting to energize his base, as both parties began crystallizing their closing messages ahead of next week’s midterm elections.
Trump has been on a weekslong sprint around the country, doing 20-plus rallies this month alone while packing upcoming days with more travel. But as Americans confront record fuel prices, rising costs and an unpopular war in Iran, the president has been keeping his focus on states that he won handily two years ago.
“If you can get out to vote,” Trump told a raucous crowd in Chillicothe, south of Columbus, Ohio’s capital, “we’re going to have a tremendous victory.”
The last Democratic president to serve two terms, Obama is increasingly campaigning for his party and gleefully acting as a foil to Trump — including criticizing the Republican for spending too much time leading White House renovations and for becoming wealthier while in office.
