Democrats are investing money in longshot districts for the first time in years, counting on an unpopular war with Iran and upheaval in the armed forces to put more seats in play as the party pushes for control of the U.S. House of Representatives. We take a look at some of those races, where they're hoping to do just that, with veterans' help.
Plus, President Donald Trump's Western campaign swing and new AP-NORC polling on Americans' desire for change. |
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Former Rep. Elaine Luria, D-Va., stands in a group photo with members of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1177 on July 9, 2026, in Norfolk, Va. (AP Photo/Kendall Warner) |
With anger spreading over Iran war, Democrats hope to flip Republican seats with veterans' help — By Nicholas Riccardi and Sarah Rankin
The doorbell chimed “The Star Spangled Banner” as retired Col. Lou Christensen stepped inside the large house on the northeastern edge of Colorado Springs. The registered Republican and 28-year Air Force veteran was doing something he never expected to do — attending a party for a Democratic congressional candidate. Christensen is backing Jessica Killin, a fellow veteran, over first-term Republican Rep. Jeff Crank in Colorado's 5th Congressional District, a conservative stronghold that includes five military facilities.
Democratic candidates who previously served in the military are also running in districts in Florida and Virginia with significant veteran populations. In South Carolina's 1st Congressional District, Democrat Nancy Lacore, a former Navy vice admiral fired by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth last year — is running against Republican lawyer Jennifer Honeycutt. Read more from Riccardi and Rankin on Democrats' veteran candidates. |
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Trump campaigns in Arizona and Montana |
President Donald Trump arrives on Air Force One for a campaign rally at the Laughlin Bullhead International Airport, Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026, in Bullhead City, Ariz. (AP Photo/John Locher) |
Trump defends gifted Air Force One from Qatar and makes 2nd Amendment pitch as he campaigns for GOP — By Will Weissert, Mike Catalini, Jonathan J. Cooper and Michelle L. Price
Trump used a Western campaign swing on Wednesday to pitch Republicans as vigilant supporters of gun rights and to defend his acceptance of a luxury jet from Qatar to use as Air Force One.
At an evening rally in Montana — part of a midterm roadshow designed to rally the Republican Party ahead of Nov. 3 elections — Trump hewed close to the kind of attack lines that his party wants to hear as the president travels the country, and he warned that the Second Amendment would be “under siege" if Democrats win in November’s midterm elections. But his message was more off script earlier in the day as he visited an economically struggling corner of rural Arizona, where Trump opened his remarks there by describing how the new jet parked behind him was a gift from the Qatari royal family. “When you’re given gifts, you take ’em, right?” Trump told the crowd in Bullhead City. “When they give you a 747, you say two words: ‘Thank you.’”
Read more from our team on Trump's Western campaign swing. |
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The latest AP-NORC Polls: Voters want change as Trump struggles before midterms
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President Donald Trump departs a campaign rally at the Laughlin Bullhead International Airport, Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026, in Bullhead City, Ariz. (AP Photo/John Locher) |
Frustrated with Trump, voters overwhelmingly want change in Washington, an AP-NORC poll finds — By Steve Peoples and Linley Sanders
A strong majority of voters believe that Trump is falling short at home and abroad, and they want major change in the upcoming midterm elections, according to a new AP-NORC poll that raises serious warning signs for the Republican Party at a critical moment.
The survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, conducted less than four weeks before Election Day, finds that registered voters who identify as Democrats are more enthusiastic than Republican voters about casting a ballot.
More voters want Democrats to win control of Congress and have a more negative view of Republicans.
The Democratic advantage is small in some cases, but, taken together, the findings paint a challenging picture for Republicans, who are clinging to control of Congress under the weight of an unpopular war with Iran and surging prices at home.
Read more from Peoples and Sanders on voters' desire for change.
View the AP-NORC Polling tracker. |
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People watch as Air Force One takes off after President Donald Trump spoke at a campaign rally at the Laughlin Bullhead International Airport, Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026, in Bullhead City, Ariz. (AP Photo/John Locher) |
Las Vegas-based photo journalist John Locher was there as Trump took a western campaign swing this week, stumping for candidates in Alaska, Arizona and Montana. Pablo Martínez Monsiváis, assistant bureau chief for photos, takes us to one of those rallies with this image: "John's photo shows silhouetted supporters waving beneath Air Force One, with President Trump aboard, after a campaign event in Bullhead City, Ariz.
The scene connects the crowd’s enthusiasm with the spectacle of presidential power. Against the Arizona desert sky, the aircraft stands in for Trump, showing how the imagery of the presidency becomes part of the GOP’s midterm campaign strategy."
Explore more of Locher's work covering news around the U.S. |
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