• Midwestern unity : Abdul El-Sayed, Michigan’s Democratic nominee for US Senate, will hold a get-out-the-vote rally today in Detroit with other members of the party’s statewide ticket. El-Sayed is trying to reach Black voters as Republican nominee Mike Rogers makes a strong push to cut into a core Democratic constituency. Watch Rogers this morning on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

• “Really tough times” : Republicans are privately grappling with voter anger about “corrupt politicians” and billionaires. Amid concerns about the cost of living and foreign policy, corruption appears to be breaking through in midterm campaigns — and particularly affecting the GOP as it tries to hold onto the House.

• Tight Texas contest: GOP Senate candidate Ken Paxton and his Democratic opponent, James Talarico , will hold dueling events this evening in one of the upper chamber’s most closely watched races.

Abdul El-Sayed looks on after taking part in a debate with Republican rival candidate Mike Rogers, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on October 8. Jim Vondruska/Reuters Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed yesterday disavowed the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist political movement, during a heated exchange at a town hall.

El-Sayed, who could make history as the first Muslim elected to the Senate, has frequently faced Republican accusations that he is sympathetic to interests connected to Islamic terror. In recent days, Republicans including his GOP challenger, Mike Rogers, and President Donald Trump have commented about potential connections to the organization.

An attendee at a town hall in Caro, Michigan, repeatedly pressed El-Sayed about the Muslim Brotherhood, saying he had yet to hear the candidate reject the organization.

El-Sayed, after disavowing the movement, blasted the man for implicitly assuming his “dual loyalty.”

The latest attacks came after old tweets from El-Sayed’s half-sister resurfaced online, including a post from 2012 in which she described having “an amazing talk with my mom about her activism in the Muslim Brotherhood during the early 70s while she was in college.”

Earlier this week, El-Sayed denied allegations that he or his family has ties with the Muslim Brotherhood, telling reporters that to think that anybody in his family was part of the organization was “an insane thing to assume.”Read our full report on El-Sayed’s town hall interaction here.

Country band The Chicks praised Texas Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico as a “man with a plan” while bringing him onstage at a concert in San Antonio last night.

“We have a very special guest tonight,” Natalie Maines, the group’s lead vocalist, told the crowd. “He’s a man with a plan.”

“He’s a man who would never take another person’s pen that doesn’t belong to him,” she continued, referencing an incident from more than a decade ago involving Talarico’s Republican opponent, Ken Paxton, reportedly pocketing a $1,000 pen, which his campaign has said was a mix-up.

Addressing the crowd, Talarico said that it was “so good” to return to the city, where he once taught sixth grade language arts.

“I have loved The Chicks for as long as I can remember,” Talarico said. “Their music, their songwriting, their harmonies, but also what they represent,” he continued, adding that he is “so proud” that the band is from Texas.

Talarico also lauded the group’s “courage, conviction, and a willingness to speak truth to power.”

More context: The Chicks, formerly known as the Dixie Chicks, faced backlash in the early 2000s for their comments about former President George W. Bush.

In 2003, before the invasion of Iraq, Maines said at a concert that the group, which got its start in Dallas, did not endorse the war and were “ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas.”

Their remarks about Bush triggered boycotts and backlash from fans, resulting in country stations across the country pulling the group’s music from the radio.

ing. Ken Paxton speaks to attendees as he kicks off his campaign's bus tour during an event at the Rockwall Municipal Airport in Texas on Saturday. Tony Gutierrez/AP The US Chamber of Commerce is endorsing Ken Paxton in the Texas Senate race, giving the GOP candidate a boost as he scrambles to shore up support from traditional Republicans in a tight race.

The endorsement comes months after Paxton defeated the chamber’s original choice in the contest, Sen. John Cornyn, in a contentious primary runoff. Paxton, the state attorney general, now faces Democratic state Rep. James Talarico, who is trying to become the first Democrat to win statewide office in decades.

Paxton and his allies have been pushing to consolidate his GOP base in the closing weeks of the race, especially as incumbent Sen. Cornyn continues to withhold his endorsement. President Donald Trump, who endorsed Paxton over Cornyn in the primary, said Thursday that Cornyn is doing “everything possible to make it hard” for Paxton to win in November.

Paxton, a well-known culture warrior, has sought to center his general election campaign around more economic issues that are important to groups such as the US Chamber of Commerce. He has proposed new tax deductions to lower the cost of living and gone after Talarico for voting against a 2019 bill to constitutionally ban an income tax in Texas, a state which does not currently have one.

Demonstrators take part in a "No Kings: Vote Early" rally near Memorial Circle in Arlington, Virginia, on October 17, 2026. The national day of action is taking place in cities across the country focusing on voter turnout, early voting and election protection, ahead of the midterm elections. Amid Farahi/AFP/Getty Images Enthusiastic voters and protesters turned out by the thousands at “No Kings: Vote Early” events across the country yesterday.

While previous “No Kings” protests were framed primarily as opposition to President Donald Trump and his administration, organizers said yesterday’s events intended to oppose voter suppression efforts and help people make plans to cast their ballots. But there was plenty of anti-Trump sentiment at the events, too.

CNN attended several of the demonstrations to hear why people showed up and why they think voting is so important this election cycle.

A crowd of people gathered in Washington, DC , just steps away from the site of Trump’s proposed triumphal arch, to protest several of the president’s policies and encourage others to vote during the midterm election.

DC college students gathered on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, carrying signs ranging from “veto the cheeto” to “grab ‘em by the mid-terms.”

Jeremiah Fuentes, an 18-year-old freshman at Georgetown University, attended the event with the Georgetown College Democrats group. He said he’s “really excited” to vote for the first time and that his top issues are immigration and affordability.

CNN’s Rafael Romo also spoke to voters yesterday at a “No Kings” event in Marietta, Georgia, where people gathered around a busy intersection with signs criticizing Trump and encouraging people to vote.

Demonstrators participate in the No Kings Vote Early rally and march in Cincinnati, Ohio, on Saturday. Jason Whitman/NurPhoto/AP With nearly two weeks until the midterm elections, both Democratic Party and GOP hopefuls held campaign events across the US yesterday, while thousands of events aimed at promoting mass turnout for the elections also took place. Catch up on yesterday’s main developments: President Donald Trump promised a $100 million investment in a pharmaceutical plant in Kentucky if Republicans hold onto Congress, the latest gift he’s offered to supporters if his party wins in November. Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed held a town hall in the city of Midland, where he slammed gun policies and disavowed the Muslim Brotherhood , an Islamist political movement.

GOP Sen. Darline Graham of South Carolina, who was appointed to fill her late brother’s seat and is now running for a full term, broke with Trump over his executive order waiving sanctions on Russian fossil fuel sales. Vivek Ramaswamy, Republican nominee for Ohio governor, campaigned in the state’s Monroe County, which gave Trump nearly 80% of the vote in 2024.

He promised to be “the most conservative governor we have ever seen in the history of our state.”“No Kings: Vote Early” events were planned to take place in all 50 states and Puerto Rico. Rallygoers in Washington, DC , held signs including “Hands off our vote” and “You can’t fix stupid but you can vote it out.”ing.

THERE MUCH FOR THAT. AND WHILE THE PRESIDENT CAMPAIGNS THERE IN KENTUCKY, THE MAP IS LOOKING INCREASINGLY WORRISOME FOR REPUBLICANS. A NEW UPDATE FROM THE COOK POLITICAL REPORT SHIFTS 11 ADDITIONAL HOUSE RACES TOWARD DEMOCRATS, AND THOSE INCLUDE DISTRICTS THE PRESIDENT WON BY DOUBLE DIGITS IN 2024.

AND JOINING US NOW TO BREAK THAT DOWN IS COOK POLITICAL REPORT FOUNDER AND CONTRIBUTOR CHARLIE COOK. CHARLIE, IT'S GREAT TO HAVE YOU HERE WITH US IN THIS LATEST UPDATE. YOU ALL POINT OUT THAT REPUBLICANS TROUBLES ARE PARTICULARLY PRONOUNCED IN THESE MIDWESTERN RED STATES.

AND IN FACT, HALF OF YOUR LATEST HOUSE RATINGS CHANGES, ALL OF WHICH, AS WE NOTED, ARE SHIFTING TOWARD DEMOCRATS ARE IN OHIO, NEBRASKA, AND KANSAS. SO HELP US UNDERSTAND WHAT'S GOING ON IN THOSE STATES, SPECIFICALLY. >> WELL, THESE ARE THE RATINGS THAT MY FORMER COLLEAGUES AT THE COOK POLITICAL REPORT. I'VE BEEN UH, SEPARATES THEM FOR ABOUT FIVE YEARS. BUT THE THING IS, WHAT WE'RE SEEING IS REPUBLICANS ARE STRUGGLING IN PLACES THAT THEY SHOULDN'T HAVE TO BE STRUGGLING. AND IF YOU THINK ABOUT WHETHER IT'S HIGH GASOLINE, DIESEL, FUEL OIL, FERTILIZER PRICES BECAUSE OF THE IRAN WAR, WHETHER YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT TARIFFS FOR FARM TARIFFS ON ON THAT HIT FARMERS PARTICULARLY BADLY, THAT RED AMERICA HAS ACTUALLY BEEN HIT MORE, HURT MORE, UH, THAN A LOT OF BLUE, MORE DEMOCRATIC AREAS OR PURPLE SWING AREAS.

AND SO WHERE WE'RE SEEING REPUBLICANS RATINGS IN BOTH SENATE AND HOUSE RACES, RACES, IT'S WHERE IT'S, IT'S DISPROPORTIONATELY RURAL SMALL TOWNS, SMALLER CITIES. IT'S NOT WHERE REPUBLICANS NORMALLY HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT, BUT, UM, THEY'VE, UH, THEY'VE SORT OF BORNE THE BRUNT OF THIS. AND THAT'S WHY REPUBLICANS ARE SO WORRIED ABOUT THEIR TURNOUT, UH, THAT THEIR OWN PEOPLE JUST MAY NOT SHOW UP, WHICH TO IS A CERTAIN, IT'S TYPICAL A LITTLE BIT TO, UH, MIDTERM ELECTIONS, BUT THIS LOOKS LIKE IT'S A BIGGER PROBLEM THAN IT NORMALLY IS FOR A PRESIDENT'S PARTY. >> AND THERE'S KIND OF PIGGYBACKING ON THAT.

ANOTHER TREND THAT HAS BEEN NOTED IN SOME OF THE RECENT ANALYSIS ON THE COOK REPORT IS, IS THAT SEATS THAT VOTED OR CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICTS THAT VOTED FOR BARACK OBAMA, BUT THEN SWUNG BACK TOWARD REPUBLICANS IN THIS TRUMP ERA ARE STARTING TO LOOK MUCH MORE COMPETITIVE THAN THEY'VE BEEN IN RECENT YEARS. AND I THINK A LOT OF THOSE WOULD PROBABLY FALL INTO THE BUCKET THAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT AS WELL. UM, BUT TELL US ABOUT THAT BECAUSE I KNOW THAT'S HAPPENING HERE IN KIND OF UPSTATE NEW YORK AS WELL >> WELL, YOU HAD, UH, SOME MINORITY, SOME HISPANIC, AFRICAN AMERICAN, YOUNG AFRICAN AMERICAN MEN.

YOU HAD CERTAIN GROUPS THAT NORMALLY ARE PRETTY DEMOCRATIC. BUT IN 24, THEY MOVED AWAY FROM DEMOCRATS. AND I THINK IT WAS BECAUSE THEY GOT HIT SO HARD BY INFLATION AND INTEREST RATES, THAT SORT OF THING. AND SO THEY KIND OF SWUNG OVER MORE TOWARDS REPUBLICANS. AND I THINK THIS TIME WE'RE GOING TO SEE THEM SORT OF KIND OF REVERT BACK TO THE MAIN, COME BACK OVER, BACK TOWARDS TOWARDS DEMOCRATS. BUT WE'RE SEEING THAT IN SORT OF CONGRESSIONAL RACES IN SOUTH TEXAS.

UM, AND, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF PLACES AROUND WHERE, UM, GROUPS THAT REPUBLICANS THOUGHT THEY HAD BEEN MAKING SOME INROADS MAY BE SLIPPING GOING BACK TO WHERE THEY WERE PRIOR TO 2024. >> AND AS SOMEBODY WHO HAS COVERED POLITICS FOR A LONG TIME AND DONE A LOT OF ANALYSIS OF AMERICAN VOTERS, I'M CURIOUS WHAT HAPPENED.

WHAT WE ARE SEEING IS A TREND NOW IS WE'RE SWINGING SO FAR BACK AND FORTH, BACK AND FORTH, ESPECIALLY IN THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH. BUT EVEN IN CONGRESS AS WELL, OBVIOUSLY, YOU HAVE A LOT OF DISTRICTS, FAR FEWER DISTRICTS, LET'S SAY, THAT ARE TRUE PURPLE. THAT REALLY COULD BE A SWING DISTRICT. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR FOR OUR POLITICS? AND HOW DOES THAT IMPACT WHAT WE'RE SEEING RIGHT NOW? >> WELL, I THINK YOUR POINT ABOUT SWINGING IS ABSOLUTELY RIGHT.

I MEAN, THIS IS THE FIRST TIME IN AMERICAN HISTORY THAT WE HAVE NOW HAD FIVE CONSECUTIVE NEW PRESIDENTS COME INTO OFFICE, TAKE THE OATH OF OFFICE WITH MAJORITIES IN BOTH THE SENATE AND THE HOUSE. AND WHEN THEY LEFT OFFICE, THEIR PARTY HAD NOT ONLY LOST THE PRESIDENCY, BUT LOST THEIR MAJORITIES IN BOTH THE HOUSE AND SENATE. SO STARTING WITH, YOU KNOW, BILL, BILL CLINTON, GEORGE W. BUSH, BARACK OBAMA, DONALD TRUMP, JOE BIDEN, UH, SO THAT A PARTY GETS IN, THEY OVERREACH, THEY TRY TO DO TOO MUCH OR TWO, TOO MANY THINGS TOO FAST AND GET THROWN OUT. AND THEN THE OTHER PARTY COMES IN AND THEY DO THE SAME

THING. THE OTHER STATISTIC IS THAT, UH, YOU KNOW THAT IN THE 13 ELECTIONS THAT WE'VE HAD THIS CENTURY, STARTING 2000, IN 11 OUT OF 13 CONTROL OF EITHER THE HOUSE, THE SENATE OR THE PRESIDENCY HAS FLIPPED FROM DEMOCRAT TO REPUBLICAN OR REPUBLICAN TO DEMOCRAT, 11 OUT OF 13. THAT'S THAT'S THAT WE'VE NEVER SEEN THIS BEFORE. SO YOUR POINT ON SWINGING IS ABSOLUTELY RIGHT. >> YEAH. AND IT IS IT IS ALSO INTERESTING TO THEN SEE WHAT THAT MEANS WHEN THESE PARTIES GOVERN AND THEN HOW IT'S KIND OF A RINSE AND REPEAT. SO WE WILL SEE WHAT THAT MEANS MOVING

FORWARD. BUT YEAH, GO AHEAD. DID YOU HAVE A LAST POINT >> YEAH. THE VOTERS IN MIDTERM ELECTIONS, VOTERS PUNISH WHOEVER HAS DISAPPOINTED OR BETRAYED THEM. MOST RECENTLY. AND WHICH OFTENTIMES MEANS THEY ARE TURNING AGAINST THE PARTY THAT THEY JUST VOTED FOR TWO YEARS EARLIER. AND THAT'S THE NORM.

AND, AND THAT'S WHAT SEEMS TO BE REALLY, REALLY, REALLY HAPPENING HERE IS THAT THEY WERE MAD AT AT JOE BIDEN, THE BIDEN-HARRIS ADMINISTRATION, TWO