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On Politics

Mon Oct 26 2026

Zachary Schermele | Congressional Correspondent

@zachschermele

Hello, readers. Welcome back to On Politics. Zach Schermele here, USA TODAY's congressional correspondent. It's Monday, and it's the last full week before the midterms. Let's dive in.

Is Trump helping or hurting?

As he crisscrosses the country barnstorming the campaign trail, President Trump has portrayed himself as a GOP savior who is boosting Republican candidates everywhere he goes. "Every single place I go, people that are down are now winning," he told reporters a few days ago as he left the White House to hold a rally in Fort Myers, Florida.

Yet even as the president works to rally his MAGA base, polling indicates the political landscape continues to worsen for the GOP, setting off a scramble by the party to stave off a blue wave that is poised to wipe away Republicans' congressional majorities. Read more from my colleagues Joey Garrison and Zac Anderson here.

A politics rundown

•	James Comey charged in third criminal case from Trump administration
•	How Angie Nixon could flip a Florida Senate seat despite the DSA label
•	'You gotta stop': Todd Blanche pushes Alaska lawsuit in fiery interview
•	Ramaswamy follows Trump's playbook in tight Ohio governor's race

Daily photo gallery: See why Obama is comparing Trump’s White House decor to a "Cheesecake Factory"

Peltola in a car accident

Alaska Senate candidate Mary Peltola was involved in a car accident that caused the Democrat to postpone two campaign stops this week, her campaign announced yesterday. The former congresswoman and her family were traveling to the Alaska Federation of Natives Annual Banquet on Saturday when the vehicle transporting them was struck by another driver, the campaign said in a statement provided to USA TODAY. The crash caused injuries that required medical treatment. "Mary and her family sustained minor injuries but are in good spirits," campaign manager Cheryl Bruce said.

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Race for Senate control is close

Democrats are way ahead in national polls, but reluctant red-state Republican voters could still help their party retain the Senate, my colleague Terry Collins reports. The races are much closer in toss-up contests in Iowa, Texas and Kansas, states Trump carried three times, where undecided Republican-leaning voters may "come home and stay with the party," said Mary Radcliffe, head of research for the polling aggregation website FiftyPlusOne.

That's all from me for today, folks. Questions? Comments? Tips? Reach me, as always, at zschermele@usatoday.com or on Signal @zachschermele.02.