The 2026 midterm elections are just two days away, and both parties are scrambling to get their respective senators over the finish line, with candidates and close races drawing national attention – and scrutiny – in Ohio, Maine, Alaska, Texas, and Michigan.
Of the 35 seats up for reelection, these five states and their races highlight the influx of insurgent left-wing candidates, a fresh approach for Democrats in the South, and incumbents in traditionally red strongholds in jeopardy, even after a sweeping 2024 victory for the GOP.
Democrats need a net gain of four seats to reach a majority during this midterm season, with the current split being 47 Democrats to 53 Republicans in the Senate.
As President Trump reaches a record-low approval rating of 38%, according to an NBC News poll, and gas prices rise amidst the Iran war, Trump and his allies are facing a referendum in states where Trump found support in the 2024 presidential election.
In Ohio, where Trump won by 11 percentage points, incumbent Jon Husted is being challenged by Sherrod Brown, a former Senator who lost to Bernie Moreno (R–OH) in 2024.
Former President Obama rallied with Sherrod Brown in Cleveland, Ohio, yesterday afternoon, alongside a candidate in Ohio’s gubernatorial race, Dr. Amy Acton.
An October 21-22 poll from InsiderAdvantage, reported by the New York Times, has Brown ahead by 2 points, making this race a close toss-up.
In nearby Michigan, the race is heating up for an open seat between Republican Mike Rogers, a former congressman, and Democrat Dr. Abdul El–Sayed after Gary Peters (D–MI) announced his retirement in early 2025.
El–Sayed is yet another candidate running to the left of the Democratic Party establishment in what seems to be a growing cohort of progressive party candidates as voters seek change and the movement gains traction.
Former President Obama also campaigned alongside El–Sayed at a rally on Saturday, as Trump works to paint El–Sayed, a Muslim, as radical on Truth Social and in recent speeches. NBC News labeled the race as leaning Democrat as of Friday afternoon.
In Maine, a former state senator and union member, Troy Jackson, is battling a four–time incumbent serving in the U.S. Senate since 1997, Senator Susan Collins. Collins is the longest–tenured female Republican in the Senate.
NBC News describes the race as a possible flip, with an October 16-20 Fox News poll indicating a dead–even race. Jackson replaced Graham Platner after he dropped out of the race prominently due to sexual assault allegations.
The battle for Texas, where a Democrat has not been elected in a statewide race in 32 years, shows a 3–point lead for James Talarico as of October 25. Talarico, a progressive and former Presbyterian seminary student, has leaned into his faith to appeal to religious voters in Texas.
After President Trump endorsed Talarico’s challenger, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, over incumbent Senator John Cornyn, in May 2026, Talarico has emerged as a real Democratic contender with an MS NOW poll showing Talarico ahead by 3 points.
President Trump has repeatedly publicly attacked Talarico, calling him a “vegan” and referring to him as “Talafreako,” suggesting Talarico does not have the proper Texas flair.
Paxton is not immune to his own set of controversies, which means Trump is making a bet on his endorsement of Paxton over Cornyn. Paxton, who was impeached and later acquitted in the Texas state legislature, has faced accusations of extramarital affairs and was seen partying with fugitives this month while in Dubai.
The race for Alaska may freeze before election results emerge. Earlier this week, Trump ordered the Justice Department to block the election results due to potential confusion over Republican incumbent, Sen. Dan Sullivan (R–AK), and fellow GOP candidate, Daniel J. Sullivan (who also goes by Dan Sullivan).
On October 26, Maine’s Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, Mary Peltola, halted her campaign after a car accident left her with minor injuries.
Trump won Maine by 14 percentage points in 2024, but the New York Times is currently labeling the race a tossup, with Peltola ahead by 2–4 points in polling this month.
Kennedy Moore is a staff writer for On the Record and a sophomore studying Government in Georgetown University’s College of Arts & Sciences.