10 days until the midterm elections: Where things stand
(Countdown above in EDT)
Key races checkup
Despite a scandal involving fake signatures gathered by members of his campaign, Republican Rep. Scott Taylor continues to cling to a small lead over Democrat Elaine Luria in Virginia’s Second District, which covers much of the commonwealth’s eastern shore. Taylor is running as a relative moderate in a district narrowly carried by President Trump. (Read more)
A new poll by Gray Television/Strategic Research Associates finds that among likely voters in Florida, 55 percent think climate change has contributed to the severity of recent hurricanes hitting the state, while just 29 percent do not. That could be bad news for Republican Gov. Rick Scott, who has avoided talking about climate change in his Senate race with Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson, and Republican Ron DeSantis who has had difficulty explaining his stance on the issue in gubernatorial debates with Democrat Andrew Gillum. (Read more)
Fundraising in the high-profile Senate race between Republican incumbent Ted Cruz and upstart Democrat Beto O’Rourke has now topped a combined $100 million. Numbers for the first 17 days of October show that O’Rourke raised $8.5 million, while Cruz took in donations totaling $5.2 million. (Read more)
Must-reads
If you think Republicans can’t retain control of the House, or Democrats have no real hope of retaking the Senate, you may want to think again. (Read more)
Counter to a trend in states to make it tougher to cast a ballot in national elections, a Michigan ballot initiative aims to increase voter participation. (Read more)
Federal authorities have arrested Cesar Sayoc, whose social media posts indicate he was an ardent Trump supporter, in connection with the mailing of pipe bombs to those who have criticized, and been criticized by, the president. (Read more)
See the latest Midterm Mania >>>
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Scorecard sources:
Generic ballot: FiveThirtyEight
Right track/wrong track: Gallup
Trump approval: FiveThirtyEight
At-risk seats in the Senate: Cook Political Report
At-risk seats in the House: Cook Political Report
Read more Yahoo News midterms coverage:
In deep-red Missouri, McCaskill pursues voters far off the Democratic beaten path
Menendez race pits ethical concerns against party loyalty, and loyalty is winning
Portrait of a moderate district: NJ-11 leans R, but the race leans D
Virginia Republican congressman tries to weather scandal and wave of spending
