To The Moon

Trump stressed that the midterm election outcome could hinge on just a handful of votes, according to a report by Kyodo News on November 2. November 1 was the final Sunday before the US midterm elections held on the 3rd, and US President Trump delivered a speech at a rally in Dubuque, Iowa. He emphasized that a difference of just a few votes could determine which party holds the majority and thereby control Congress, using this to heighten a sense of crisis and shore up his support base. That same day, he also spoke in Salina, Kansas, bringing the series of rallies to a close. In both states, Senate races are extremely competitive. Military action against Iran has driven prices sharply higher, and voters are deeply unhappy about it, leaving the ruling Republican Party at a disadvantage as it tries to turn the situation around. The Senate has 100 seats, 35 of which are up for election this time; the outcomes in seven states, including Iowa and Kansas, will prove decisive. Among those seven states, all but Michigan are currently held by Republicans. In these states that were once Republican strongholds, the party has found itself locked in unexpectedly tough fights; if Democrats take the Senate seat in Kansas, it would be the first time in 94 years. Whether Republicans can keep their Senate majority remains unclear. All 435 House seats are also up for election. Democrats have gained increasing momentum in the final stretch of the campaign and are fighting hard to retake majorities in both the House and Senate. In his Dubuque speech, Trump said that terrible things could happen if Democrats win, and he urged voters to cast their ballots for Republican candidates. According to CNN, since October Trump has held 28 rallies across the country, mainly in fiercely contested states. As the face of the election, he has been energizing his core support group, the Make America Great Again (MAGA) faction. However, Midwestern farmers, seen as part of his solid support base, are unhappy because fuel prices have soared during the harvest season. Hispanic voters, who helped Trump return to the White House in the 2024 presidential election, have also become noticeably alienated over his hardline immigration policies. The report said Trump decided on October 29 to cancel rallies in Iowa and Kansas, but announced the next day, on the 30th, that they would go ahead as planned. The repeated last-minute shifts in campaign strategy have exposed disarray within his camp. On November 1, 2026, local time, US President Trump spoke at a midterm election campaign rally in Dubuque, Iowa. Visual China Group.

Five Key States to Watch in the US Midterm Elections

The Swiss newspaper Neue Zürcher Zeitung published an article titled "Midterms: Where Is the Most at Stake? Five Key States" on November 1. The full text is excerpted as follows: The midterm elections on November 3 will decide all 435 seats in the US House of Representatives and 35 of the 100 Senate seats. Overall, Republican polling support has continued to slide. Serious election observers such as the University of Virginia's "Sabato's Crystal Ball" team therefore expect Democrats to retake the House majority and possibly win the Senate majority as well. Five states remain highly uncertain.

Alaska At the northernmost edge of the United States, Democratic challenger Mary Peltola has become entangled in what is likely a self-inflicted scandal in her race against incumbent Senator Dan S. Sullivan. In recent polls, Peltola leads Sullivan slightly, about 50 percent to 48 percent.

Maine In this state, the race looks like a class contest embodied by the two candidates. Incumbent Republican Senator Susan Collins comes from an elite family of sawmill owners and political figures. Her challenger, Troy Jackson, also grew up in the forests of northern Maine, but his ancestors were loggers.

Michigan No candidate in this election is as controversial as Michigan Democrat Abdul El-Sayed. The 42-year-old son of Egyptian immigrants is running on a left-wing populist platform.

Ohio The state was long a swing state, but since 2014 voters have increasingly leaned conservative. Democrat Sherrod Brown, despite being personable and close to unions, still lost his Senate seat in 2024 after holding it for 18 years. Now 73, he is running again and leads incumbent Republican Senator Jon Husted by about 4 percentage points in polling.

Texas Democrats have not won a Senate election here since 1988. Yet this year Texas is causing Republicans the most trouble. On one hand, Hispanic voters are defecting from conservatives in large numbers; on the other, 64-year-old Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton has been prosecuted and convicted multiple times for fraud and corruption over the course of his political career. His opponent, James Talarico, is the exact opposite, representing a new kind of Democrat: young, devoutly religious and moderate in stance.