By Madison McVan | Reporter
Good morning, Reformers.
Our newsroom is in the final stretch of preparations for tomorrow’s election. I’ll let you in on a little journalism secret: We pre-write articles for a number of different outcomes. Send your well-wishes to Reformer editor J. Patrick Coolican today as he works through all of the drafts.
Our voter guide, like the rest of our coverage, is available without a paywall. Share with those who could use it.
For you political junkies who are already anxiously reading everything election-related, I come to you with a buffet of some of the best political stories I’ve read over the past few days. (All gift links, of course.)
First up: the New York Times is officially giving President Donald Trump the Biden treatment: “His performances on the road and at the White House this fall have produced many head-scratching moments that have revived questions about his age and stability.” White House correspondent Peter Baker and Times AI projects editor Dylan Freedman teamed up to analyze Trump’s speech, finding signals that the president is experiencing age-related disinhibition or cognitive decline.
Over the weekend, U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., who lost to Abdul El-Sayed in the Democratic primary for the Senate, issued a surprising endorsement of El-Sayed’s opponent, Republican Mike Rogers. The reversal came as a surprise even to Stevens’ staff, many of whom immediately resigned. Check out the coverage from our sister outlet, the Michigan Advance, which is all over the story.
Related: Adam Serwer of The Atlantic wrote about the overt racism in Republicans’ closing messages, particularly against El-Sayed. “Put simply, bigotry remains a large part of American politics because some American voters like it, and many others do not find it disqualifying,” Serwer writes. “If Republicans thought this kind of talk was politically ineffective, they would not engage in it.”
And, my favorite Texan political writer, Christopher Hooks, wrote about Republican Senate nominee Ken Paxton. Just trust me on this one.
To the Reformer:
King County, Washington, election workers dump out a bin full of ballots from a local drop box to sort ahead of the midterm election on Oct. 29, 2026, in Renton, Washington. (Photo by Jake Goldstein-Street/Washington State Standard)
By Ashley Murray and Jonathan Shorman
When the polls close Tuesday night, the 2026 U.S. election will go down as one of history’s most expensive and extraordinarily ugly midterms — galvanizing record-breaking early voter turnout among a deeply divided electorate.
Voters on Saturday crossed the high-water mark of 52.7 million early votes cast, surpassing the midterm record set in 2022, though analysts were reluctant to translate it into a Democratic wave on the way.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump’s Department of Justice continued to run into a firewall of federal judges, losing its previous cases to take over mail-in balloting and obtain state voter rolls in advance of the midterms.
By Kevin Hardy
As concerns rise about the potential for federal influence over the results of next week’s midterm elections, many voting experts and advocates remain confident that the nation’s highly localized systems of administering and counting votes will persevere.
For months, state officials have been planning for federally induced electoral chaos in the form of federal law enforcement or immigration agents at polls, election investigations or attempts to overturn unfavorable results.
But the nation’s vast network of state and local election offices is resilient by design, said Mai Ratakonda, program director of election protection at States United Democracy Center, a nonpartisan nonprofit dedicated to fair elections. Election officials are prepared for close races, recounts and potential interference, she said. And she noted courts have largely blocked President Donald Trump’s efforts to intervene.
IN OTHER NEWS
OH BY THE WAY
In lieu of one song for your Monday, how about several? One of my favorite bands, Jungle, released a Tiny Desk Concert this morning. Enjoy.
That’s all from me. Have a great day!
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