2026 elections live updates as Trump reverses course on canceling rallies in Kansas and Iowa

Petersburg, Alaska — Daniel J. Sullivan, the independent candidate running for Senate in Alaska whose name is almost identical to the Republican senator running for reelection, left his hometown of Petersburg earlier this week, multiple sources confirmed to CBS News.

One resident and former student of Sullivan's said she saw Sullivan on a flight to Anchorage on Monday — two days before The New York Times first reported that he was recruited by operatives linked to Democrat Mary Peltola's campaign. The source added she did not know where Sullivan was headed, but another friend said he and his wife are known among friends as "world travelers." 

Dozens of Petersburg residents also told CBS News they never saw or received any campaign materials like mailers, flyers, brochures or signs since the former elementary school teacher announced his candidacy last spring.

"I don't think it's a serious candidacy," said Andrew Worhatch, a Petersburg fisherman. "I haven't seen a platform."

Read more here.

The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday rejected the Justice Department's request for California to set aside disputed ballots received in the midterm election.

The panel's 2-1 ruling is the latest setback for the Trump administration's efforts to assert control over state-run elections.

The administration has alleged California sent ballots to some 20,000 people who may not be U.S. citizens. It wants the state to set those ballots aside and not count them until citizenship can be verified. California officials say the list is highly unreliable and likely includes many people who are U.S. citizens.

A district court judge already forcefully denied that request and warned that the Justice Department's demands could disenfranchise citizens.

"As the district court found — and we discern no clear error — there is no feasible way to identify and segregate the ballots of specific individuals without potentially catastrophic effects on the entire system," the appeals court wrote.

The Justice Department said in a court filing on Friday that it sent letters to all 50 states reminding them of their obligation to preserve election records for 22 months after an election. 

The disclosure came in a filing in a suit brought by Democratic groups and officials over the Trump administration's efforts to pressure states to remove alleged ineligible voters from their rolls. District Judge James Boasberg in Washington, D.C., is overseeing the case. The judge had directed the DOJ and DHS after a hearing on Thursday to identify states where federal officials had sent communications since July 1, 2026. 

The administration told the judge that federal agencies contacted election officials in five states about voters they identified as potentially ineligible. 

The lawsuit, filed Oct. 20, was brought by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Democratic Governors Association, Nevada State Democratic Party, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries and a California voter.

The government confirmed it sent communications to California, Nevada, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Washington. (DHS contacted California, Nevada, Pennsylvania and New Jersey, while the Justice Department contacted California and Washington.) 

The government said the July 16 letters to California, Nevada and Pennsylvania did not demand that states remove voters, withhold ballots or segregate ballots, but asked state officials to work with DHS to verify whether individuals identified through a preliminary analysis were noncitizens.

In the final days of her campaign, incumbent Sen. Susan Collins is focusing on bolstering support in the northern, more rural part of Maine through smaller-scale stops highlighting projects and developments she helped secure for local communities.

On Friday morning in Greenville, a town of about 1,400 year-round residents on the southern tip of Moosehead Lake in Piscataquis County, Collins attended a groundbreaking ceremony for a new childcare facility at Greenville Consolidated School. The facility will accommodate more than 60 children and include a new town recreation and fitness center.

During brief remarks ahead of the groundbreaking, Collins spoke about her role in advancing the project and the impact the new facility will have on the community.

"I worked hard to secure more than $1.5 million in federal funding to advance this project because I am so confident that it will produce a great return in terms of quality of life," Collins said. "Quality child care helps children be ready for school as active and engaged learners. It promotes economic development by enabling parents to work, further their education and increase their own skills, knowing that their children are in a safe and happy environment. This supports the businesses that are already here, and it helps the region attract even more employers."

Collins did not take questions at the event. 

Election Day is fast approaching, and many candidates for office are busy doing everything they can to convince any remaining undecided voters.

And then there are Democrats running in New York City Districts 7 and 13, areas so blue that candidates for Congress don't need to campaign at all. 

Darializa Avila Chevalier is running in the 13th District. Claire Valdez is running in the 7th District. They're both members of Democratic Socialists of America, or DSA. 

"We're still encouraging folks to go out. Early voting has already started. Election Day is Nov. 3," Avila Chevalier said.

The district she's running in covers parts of Upper Manhattan and the Bronx. Valdez's district covers parts of Brooklyn and Queens. Both are viewed by election analysts as safely Democratic. 

The inevitability of their victories doesn't make them any less notable, since they're both DSA members, along with Mayor Zohran Mamdani. 

Mamdani's endorsement of both of them was the key to their primary victories over more experienced, non-DSA opponents, according to political expert and law professor J.C. Polanco. So does that make Mamdani the most powerful politician in Washington who doesn't work out of Washington?

Read more from CBS News New York here.

Supporters of Democratic Senate nominee Mary Peltola in Juneau, Alaska, told CBS News they still support her bid. 

Peltola is facing intense criticism over a New York Times report that operatives aligned with her campaign were involved in the Dan Sullivan recruitment effort. Peltola has denied any involvement or knowledge of the scheme.

Democrat Bob Coghill said he thinks the controversy could hurt Peltola with late deciders. 

"I do think it will hurt her chances," Coghill said. "I think there are people that will see this as something just a little too clever, a little too untoward, and it's going to hurt some votes of the people who — particularly the last-minute voters."

Carter Bancroft, an independent voter heading to vote early for Peltola, said he disliked the political gamesmanship, but questioned the push to prosecute Peltola.

"Seems like a mess," Bancroft said. "Seems to me possible, probable, that he is in this race to confuse things."

He added: "I don't like the shenanigans that go on on both sides, gerrymandering in a variety of ways, that it seems like politicians stump more on confusing people, in many ways, than they do on actual issues. I feel like that's possible here, and I don't like that. On the other hand, it doesn't seem — it may be tasteless if that's true, but it's not criminal."

Democrat Leah Haskell-Cummins called the allegations against Peltola "ridiculous" and "fearmongering." She said the ballot clearly distinguished between the two Dan Sullivans, making voter confusion unlikely.

A coalition of labor unions and civil rights organizations — including the Service Employees International Union; the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees; the NAACP; and the League of United Latin American Citizens — have sued the Justice Department and Department of Homeland Security, alleging that federal officials are unlawfully intimidating California election workers and interfering with the administration of the midterm elections.

The 46-page lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Northern California on Thursday, accuses the Trump administration of using subpoenas, threats of criminal prosecution and demands involving voter eligibility to pressure state and local election officials. Plaintiffs argue that the actions exceed federal authority and threaten the lawful processing and counting of ballots.

The groups are seeking a court order barring federal officials from threatening election workers or improperly interfering with ballot processing. 

President Trump will hold rallies in Iowa and Kansas on Sunday, reversing course on plans to cancel the events and hold tele-rallies instead.

A source familiar with the plans told CBS News the rallies "were rearranged for scheduling purposes to accommodate dozens of additional tele-rallies that were recently added to the President's schedule."

Mr. Trump bristled on Thursday when a reporter asked whether he had canceled the Kansas rally because he is "sick of travel."

"You're sick to ask that question. You are sick," Mr. Trump said. 

"I don't feel I have to go to Kansas. … You've been following me for two weeks. I feel perfect. You are disgusting. Put yourself in shape. You look like hell," he added.

GOP candidates in Iowa and Kansas are in close races for the Senate. Mr. Trump was in Iowa last week and held a rally in Kansas on Oct. 19. 

Speaking to KCMO radio in Kansas, President Trump said voters need a "190 IQ" to understand the ballot in Alaska, and said people don't know what the word "incumbent" means. 

Republican Sen. Dan S. Sullivan is on the ballot, but so is Dan J. Sullivan. Democratic candidate Mary Peltola has come under scrutiny after a New York Times report that operatives aligned with her campaign sought out a candidate named "Dan Sullivan" to add to the ballot and peel voters away from the incumbent senator. 

"You need about 190 IQ to figure out the ballot," the president told KCMO. "They put a ballot down where they're talking about the incumbent Republican, and the other one. Most people don't know in Alaska, in a lot of other states too, what does incumbent mean? They don't know what incumbent means."

The sitting senator Sullivan has "incumbent" and "registered Republican" next to his name on the ballot, while Dan J. Sullivan's name stands alone:

Pope Leo XIV, the first American pontiff, submitted a mail ballot for the midterm elections in Illinois, the Vatican said Friday.

"Pope Leo XIV has exercised his right to vote as a United States citizen, whenever he was eligible to do so. The Holy See Press Office confirms that in keeping with this long-standing practice of civic participation, he has submitted his mail-in ballot in Chicago," the press office said in a statement.

The statement said Leo also voted while living in Peru, where he served as a missionary priest and bishop for years.

"The Holy Father expresses his belief in the right and the duty of citizens to participate in democratic processes," the Vatican said.

Read more here.

In an interview with Kansas City's KCMO radio Friday morning, President Trump said he "would imagine" incumbent Republican Sen. Roger Marshall is in "good shape" in the race against Democrat Adam Hamilton. A scheduled Trump rally in Kansas this weekend was abruptly canceled, replaced by tele-rallies. An Iowa rally was also canceled. 

"I just want to make sure he's in good shape," the president told KCMO. "I would imagine he would be, but, just, nobody does more for the farmers as a group. But this man is respected by everybody in Washington. … And when Kansas needs something, I will tell you, he will call me a lot. Sometimes I say, 'Roger, just relax.' We'll take care of it. He's a great guy."

On Thursday, the president said the Kansas rally was canceled because Marshall is "doing very well."

The Senate race in Kansas is unexpectedly tight, given that Mr. Trump won the state by 16 points in 2024.  

Why Pennsylvania could be one of last states to count ballots this Election Day

With four days until Election Day, Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker and city commissioners are urging people to vote.

Officials on Thursday escorted the media through a warehouse in Northeast Philly known as Philadelphia Election Headquarters. Every ballot placed in the city, whether in person or by mail, ends up at the warehouse to be counted on Election Day.

As mail-in ballots are returned, they are first sorted by a huge machine that separates the envelopes by ward and division.

Then, they are stored securely behind locked cages and won't be touched until Tuesday.

Unlike most states, Pennsylvania doesn't allow workers to start processing mail-in ballots until Election Day.

Then, starting at 7 a.m., workers use heavy-duty machines known as extractors to open the envelopes, but a person has to physically remove the ballot. From there, election workers sit at long tables and flatten the ballots before they are scanned and counted.

Read more here.

Vice President JD Vance had been scheduled to be in St. Cloud, Minnesota, on Friday for a press conference on fraud, but the trip has been canceled, according to a source familiar with the visit. 

President Trump will head to his adopted home state of Florida on Friday for a rally in Daytona Beach, after canceling a set of weekend visits to Kansas and Iowa.

The stop in Florida — a onetime swing state that has increasingly leaned red — comes as Republican Sen. Ashley Moody vies for reelection against Democrat Angie Nixon, and as GOP Rep. Byron Donalds seeks the governor's office against Democratic candidate David Jolly. There are also a handful of closely watched House races.

A day earlier, Mr. Trump campaigned in South Carolina for GOP Sen. Darline Graham.

The president has crisscrossed the country in recent weeks, holding rallies both in battleground states and on redder terrain. He has typically urged voters to "pretend that I'm on the ballot."

He canceled rallies planned for Kansas on Saturday and Iowa on Sunday, which the Republican National Committee said was because the party is "in a strong position."

Instead, he is planning to hold telerallies in 19 states in the coming days.

In a rally on Thursday, Democratic Alaska Senate candidate Mary Peltola offered some of her fullest public remarks on the controversy that has roiled her state for days.

"I just want to clear the air. I knew nothing about any other candidates on the ballot except for me and the incumbent. That is all I have ever known about. I am not interested in tricking voters. I know I can beat Dan Sullivan," she told supporters in the state capital of Juneau.

Peltola has faced two days of intense questions about how a man with nearly the exact same name as her Republican opponent, Sen. Dan Sullivan, ended up on the ballot in one of the nation's most competitive Senate races. The New York Times reported Thursday that Democratic operatives linked to Peltola's campaign helped recruit a man named Daniel J. Sullivan — allegations Peltola's team and national Democrats have strongly denied.

The Justice Department has issued new subpoenas in a criminal investigation into the election, CBS News reported, and the Trump administration is suing to block the election from being certified if Sen. Sullivan loses due to "voter confusion." President Trump says both Peltola and Daniel J. Sullivan should be removed from the ballot and prosecuted.

Alaska's Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy ordered a state-level investigation, and said Thursday the probe could "impact whether somebody is seated in the U.S. Senate."

A Peltola campaign spokesperson pushed back, calling Dunleavy's comments a "threat to overrule the will of Alaska voters."

"Mary won't be intimidated by Dunleavy, Sullivan, or any of their DC allies who are trying to steal this election from Alaskans before votes are counted," the spokesperson said.

As the controversy over the two Dan Sullivans draws nationwide reactions, CBS News visited remote Petersburg, Alaska, to look for one person who hasn't spoken out — Daniel J. Sullivan.

The retired teacher hails from the small fishing town, located on an island in southeastern Alaska that's only accessible by air or sea. In prior interviews, he has insisted he isn't trying to trick people and is genuinely interested in becoming a senator.

CBS News visited his house, only to find no one home.

But we spoke with a friend and former colleague who said Daniel J. Sullivan wouldn't do anything malicious.

"I wouldn't be surprised if this was actually, some campaign person may have come up with this idea," Mary Ellen Anderson said. "Whether Dan bought into it or not, I don't know. I don't think so. I can't imagine him being used that way."

Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed will make a joint appearance with Rep. Haley Stevens at an event in Detroit on Sunday, two sources familiar with the matter told CBS News, marking one of their only side-by-side campaign events since facing off in the primary.

The Associated Press was first to report the event.

Stevens endorsed El-Sayed, but the former rivals — who offered starkly differing visions for the future of their party during the primary — largely haven't campaigned alongside each other.

On Wednesday, Stevens' fiancé, Jason Turkish, told The Detroit News he plans to vote for Republican nominee Mike Rogers, arguing El-Sayed — a vehement critic of Israel — had acted "recklessly toward the safety of Jews in the community."

In a CNN interview later that day, Stevens reaffirmed her support for El-Sayed, saying, "We're a household divided." She added that El-Sayed still needs to work to win undecided voters.

Ohio governor candidate Vivek Ramaswamy's controversial attack ad featuring the estranged mother of his Democratic opponent, Dr. Amy Acton, is off the air after the Republican spent about a quarter of what his campaign initially said it would invest to run it.

Ramaswamy said during a campaign appearance in Vandalia, Ohio, on Thursday that the ad's planned run was over. His campaign originally said it would spend $4 million to air the ad, but data from the ad-tracking firm AdImpact showed it spent roughly $1 million.

The divisive spot had provoked backlash in Ohio and among politicians of both parties. It featured Donna Arthur calling her daughter a lifelong liar. That was despite the two having not seen each other for nearly 50 years. Arthur lost custody of her children in 1978 after her husband, their stepfather, was indicted for raping Acton when she was 12.

Ramaswamy had defended the ad, though a later version trimmed some portions.

Acton campaign spokesperson Addie Bullock said in a statement that Ramaswamy "should never have run his despicable ad in the first place, and it's totally unsurprising that he took it off the air in the most cowardly way possible, without even the hint of an apology to Dr. Acton, her family, or to the people of Ohio."

President Trump and Vice President JD Vance said they supported the decision to air the ad. The president said he told Ramaswamy to leave it on the air, adding "she's fair game."

-CBS/AP

The Justice Department has issued grand jury subpoenas to state and local officials in California, according to sources with direct knowledge and copies seen by CBS News.

The move escalates a dispute over allegations by the federal government that the state may have as many as 20,000 non-citizens registered to vote ahead of the midterm elections.

The subpoenas were issued between Oct. 21 and 24. News of the subpoenas came not long after a judge rejected the Trump administration's bid to require California election officials to separate out tens of thousands of mail ballots.

"There's a lot of pissed-off farmers right now at Trump and Marshall," said Kansas farmer Jeff Preisser, "because you see the situation we're in."

In the final stretch of Kansas' unexpectedly competitive Senate race between Republican Sen. Roger Marshall and Democrat Adam Hamilton, the Preisser family laid out their situation for CBS News, handing over a piece of paper detailing their heightened expenses. 

It cost them $737,375 more to operate their farm in 2026 than last year, almost entirely due to higher diesel and fertilizer costs wrought by the Iran war. Meanwhile, drought, low commodity prices and trade wars have cut their revenue by $325,000.

The squeeze has pushed Kansas farms to the edge — scrambling farmers' political loyalties.

Read more here.

Voting in the midterms is already well underway, with 44.8 million Americans already casting ballots as of Thursday evening, according to the University of Florida Election Lab.

That includes nearly 23.6 million in-person early votes and 21.3 million returned mail ballots.