Very few could have imagined where we’d be a year ago – or even when we started this Field Office journey together two months ago.

A norm-shattering campaign to change congressional maps in the middle of the decade has changed the political landscape and put minority representation at risk across the country. Unprecedented federal meddling in voter registration and mail-in balloting threatens to limit access to the ballot box. Assaults on immigrant communities and military occupations of urban centers has upended turnout expectations and risked dissuading eligible voters from making their voices heard.

And still, we organized.

Despite MAGA Republicans’ desperate efforts to paint over the failures of the second Trump administration, the president’s catastrophically low approval ratings risks dragging the entire party down with him, serving as an anchor around the neck of every Republican running in 2026. Democrats are surging in congressional districts and state races once thought to be reliably ruby-red “Trump Country.” Despite coming into the 2026 election cycle with an unprecedentedly large financial advantage, Republicans have begun abandoning seats they’ve held for a generation due to lack of resources as more and more of their seats come into play. A coalition of working-class Americans of all backgrounds – voters and candidates alike – are rising to the top of a bold opposition promising to deliver lower costs, an end to government corruption, and fundamental reform of the institutions Americans are saying increasingly fail to serve them.

Right now, volunteers in field offices in every part of the country are making calls, preparing walk sheets, sending texts, folding t-shirts, handing out signs, and organizing on-the-ground in the ways necessary to win in their communities. Others are sitting at kitchen tables filling out their ballot or sitting with friends making a plan to get to the polls. No matter how you’re taking action, making your voice heard is the single-most important thing any of us can be doing for the pro-democracy movement today.

But there’s still work left to do.

While polls have shifted towards Democrats in recent weeks, they remain well within the margin-of-error. In other words: this is still anyone’s race. The final week will be crucial for key races up and down the ballot.

Here’ s a quick rundown of the fights that deserve your attention in the final week.

The House (Today: 218 Republican, 214 Democratic, 2 Vacant)

A Democratic House will be a first line of defense against Trump’s recklessness and provides an opportunity for Democrats to platform an agenda they’d enact on behalf of the American people in 2029 and beyond.

States like Michigan, Ohio, Florida, and Pennsylvania have several seats that will be key for Democrats. Candidates like Randy Villegas (CA-22), Justin Pearson (TN-09), Callie Barr (MI-01), Donavan McKinney (MI-13), and Cait Conley (NY-17) stand to be next-generation leaders and bold voices for action in Congress if elected.

The Senate (Today: 53 Republican, 45 Democratic, 2 Independent)

Conventional wisdom was telling us that the Senate was out of reach for Democrats this cycle. However, several states have come into play in recent weeks, causing Democrats to raise their hopes and expand their reach down the stretch. A Democratic Senate would put a stop to Trump’s damaging picks for the federal bench and prevent him from making yet another disastrous Supreme Court appointment.

Victories in Michigan (El-Sayed), Ohio (Brown), Maine (Jackson), Iowa (Turek), Texas (Talarico), and the Carolinas (Cooper; Andrews) are key. Florida’s Angie Nixon, Mississippi’s Scott Colom, Arkansas’ Hallie Shoffner, Kentucky’s Charles Booker, and Louisiana’s Jamie Davis are laying the foundation for a durable Democratic Southern strategy for years to come. Georgia’s incumbent, Jon Ossoff, is building such comfortable leads against his Republican opponent that many GOP operatives have privately conceded that the race is lost entirely.

The States

Several statewide contests could change the political landscape this election cycle. Georgia’s Democratic slate, led by gubernatorial candidate Keisha Lance Bottoms, could solidify the progress the party has made at the federal level since 2020 and finally give them an opportunity to apply their political vision to statewide governance. Alongside Bottoms, Nevada’s Aaron Ford and Wisconsin’s David Crowley have the opportunity to become the first Black governors of their respective states – joining only three other Black Americans elected to their state’s executive office in history.

In Michigan, Democrats are working to hold the governor’s mansion and to regain the narrow State House majority that made the state a model for change. In Ohio, Amy Acton has surged in the wake of vicious attacks by her Republican opponent Vivek Ramaswamy, but remains in a neck-and-neck race that will be decided on a knife’s edge. Iowa’s Rob Sand, whose campaign has focused on anti-corruption and good governance, may defy the odds once again – having been the only Democrat to win statewide in Iowa in 2022 – and flip the state’s governor’s mansion. And don’t forget your Secretaries of State.

Down-Ballot

Every race matters, especially at the local level. The far right’s attempts to deny election results, restrict rights, ban books, and disinvest from working people starts in town halls and civic centers all around you. If you have a race for mayor, city council, school board, sheriff, or county clerk on the ballot, do your research and vote for those who will defend your values and deliver on the priorities you care about most.

Election Day is Tuesday, November 3. If you haven’t already, make a plan at peoplefor.org/vote.

If you can, spend time this week taking action on behalf of a candidate or community that needs your support. Donate to a candidate, volunteer for a campaign, or help a friend make a plan to vote. If we all do our part, there’s no way we can’t win.

See you in the field.

– Markus

When Trump returned to the presidency, he was still spouting lies about his 2020 election loss (the same ones that led to the deadly January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol). After his hand-picked conservative majority on the Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act, he pressured Republican state leaders to change congressional maps in the middle of the decade – suppressing Democratic voters and Black representation, especially in the South. Piling on, he’s also signed executive orders attempting federal takeovers of voter registration and mail-in voting rules.

In states like Georgia, California, and even deep-red Utah, federal agents have raided election offices, confiscated sensitive voter information, and threatened election officials with investigation and arrest.

But Trump’s historically unpopular record on affordability, his war of choice in Iran, his attacks on healthcare, and other top-of-mind issues for voters are outpacing his false claims about “election integrity.” Polls have put otherwise safe Republican seats across the country within reach of Democratic control, with voters of both parties desperate for change.

At the Republican Midterm Convention last month, Trump unveiled a new, even more desperate strategy: outright and overt cheating.

Asking the crowd of party loyalists to raise their right hands across the Dallas arena, he attempted to get everyone on board:

“I pledge, to the greatest president in the history of the United States … that I will go out with my family, my friends, I’ll [vote] any way [I can], I don’t care if I’m registered or not, I’m gonna try and cheat like hell.”

He’s not playing around – and neither should you.

As Election Day gets closer, Trump is only intensifying a dangerous and unpredictable campaign to cast doubt on the integrity of elections and lay the groundwork for a rejection of the results if Republicans lose – openly considering plans to “nationalize” state elections, send troops to polling places, and seize ballots under a (very illegal) federal “emergency.”

Here are five things you can do right now to help stop these attacks and make sure your vote is counted.

1. Check your voter registration (or register if you haven’t): Thousands of voters across the country are having their registration challenged, and federal officials are making up last-minute rules to turn you away at the polls. Register to vote before your state’s deadline and check to ensure your voter registration information is accurate at peoplefor.org/vote.

2. Serve as a Poll Worker or Election Observer: Research opportunities in your state or local community to serve as a poll worker or observer during early voting or on Election Day. Having trusted voices helping neighbors easily, safely, and securely cast their vote is needed now more than ever.

3. Write Your Secretary of State: This often-ignored office has a huge impact on the integrity of elections in your state. Take the time to write, email, call, or tag your Secretary of State ahead of the election, encouraging them to resist Trump’s pressure and maintain free and fair elections for everyone. Find your Secretary of State.

4. Vote Early: The best way to avoid last-minute interference is to get your vote in early! If your state has mail-in voting or in-person early voting ahead of November 3, take advantage of the extra time and shorter lines. Find out early voting dates in your state and make a plan at peoplefor.org/vote.

5. Take Five Friends With You: Don’t go alone – we have to make this too big to rig. Make your plan to vote today, share it with 5 friends, and ask them to come with you. Send it to 10 more friends and ask them if they’ve made a plan already. There is power in numbers!

🗳️Submit a Field Note

Is there a particular race we should be watching or an election-related topic you’d like covered? Comment below, and we may add them to a future issue!

🗺️FIELD MAP

Five Places / Races I’m Watching Closely this Week

We’re tracking over 100 key races and candidates that are essential to defending freedom, justice, and democracy at every level. Each week, I’ll share five that you should follow, too.

📍 WISCONSIN

Early voting begins in the fight to keep the Governor’s Mansion in Democrats’ control.

With Gov. Tony Evers (D) not seeking re-election, Wisconsin voters start going to the polls to choose their next chief executive today, with cost of living, healthcare, data centers, and Trump’s unpopularity squarely at the center of the conversation. After a tumultuous primary battle, Democrats chose Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley as Evers’ hopeful successor, now in a tight battle with Republican Congressman Tom Tiffany – a key figure in Trump’s 2020 election scheme. Who becomes governor will have a dramatic impact on the futures of Wisconsin voters – and potentially on the future of democracy. Wisconsin has been decided by less than 1% in the last three presidential elections, and Trump sought to overturn his narrow loss in the state in 2020 – an effort stopped only by a Democratic statewide administration.

Early Voting in Wisconsin begins today, Tuesday, October 20th, and ends Sunday, November 1st. Election Day is Tuesday, November 3rd. Make a plan at www.peoplefor.org/vote.

📍 VIRGINIA

Swing districts across the Commonwealth could determine control of the House.

Virginia voters delivered a huge boon to Democratic hopes in last year’s closely watched statewide elections, making Abigail Spanberger the commonwealth’s first woman governor and passing a slew of legislative reforms that set a blueprint for national Democrats, from a $15 minimum wage to a first-in-the-South paid family leave program. They hope to give a Democratic Congress the same opportunity by swinging key U.S. House districts in the midterms. In the Richmond suburbs, Commonwealth’s Attorney Shannon Taylor is running a close race to unseat 20-year incumbent Rob Wittman, with Cook Political Report’s rating for the 1st district race moved from “Lean Republican” to “Toss-Up” in recent weeks. In the Charlottesville-based 5th district, Tom Perriello is looking to regain the seat he held from 2009-2011, challenging first-term incumbent Republican John McGuire. The congressmen are in a dead heat in a district Trump won by 12 points in 2024.

Early Voting in Virginia is underway and ends Saturday, October 31st. Election Day is Tuesday, November 3rd. Make a plan at www.peoplefor.org/vote.

📍 TEXAS

Early voting begins in nationally-watched Senate showdown.

State Representative James Talarico’s fight to become the first Democrat elected to the Senate from the state since 1988 comes down to the wire as Texas voters begin going to the polls statewide this week. With Talarico focused squarely on affordability and fighting Trump’s corruption, State Attorney General Ken Paxton’s campaign is floundering. Ethical lapses in and out of office continue to diminish voter confidence, with rumors swirling that party officials are panicked. Recent polls have Talarico and Paxton in a dead heat. Texas Democrats know that turnout, including historic numbers during early voting, will be key to pulling off this generational shift in statewide politics.

Early Voting in Texas is underway and ends Friday, October 30th. Election Day is Tuesday, November 3rd. Make a plan at www.peoplefor.org/vote.

📍 WASHINGTON, D.C.

Mayoral transition and midterm outcome will set the stage in new battle for DC autonomy.

The nation’s capital continues to be ground zero for many of Trump’s most destructive impulses, from the deployment of National Guard troops to the tearing down and unauthorized building of federal monuments. Through both his presidential terms, Democratic Mayor Muriel Bowser has been Trump’s local foil– at first an outspoken adversary, then a more cautious counterpart under the Republican trifecta. After 12 years on the job, Bowser decided against running for a 4th term and will very likely pass the torch in January to 38-year-old Democratic Socialist Janeese Lewis George – the winner of June’s Democratic Primary, giving her a major structural advantage in deep-blue D.C. Trump has already threatened a fresh showdown with the young new mayor, calling her “radical” and proposing new actions to curtail DC’s already limited Home Rule. In Congress, 18-term Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton, DC’s retiring non-voting delegate, will likely be replaced by DC Councilman Robert White (D). A Democratic Congress will be a necessary line of defense for the city and an essential coalition in the fight for eventual statehood.

📍 FLORIDA

With a tough Senate flip less out of reach, a coalition is forming around Nixon.

Florida Democrats’ nominee for U.S. Senate Angie Nixon, a state representative and mother of five, shocked pundits with her successful populist campaign in the primary and continues to turn heads in a tough general election increasingly defined by affordability. With many polls putting the race within single digits, national Democrats are increasing their investment as Nixon’s grassroots campaign catches fire. On Sunday, Black Men for Angie Nixon hosted an organizing call that featured local and national voices, including Nixon’s husband Jarrett Morene, rapper and activist Killer Mike, Rep. Justin J. Pearson, and Congressman Everton Blair.

Since the Reagan era and televangelist Jerry Falwell Sr.’s “Moral Majority” movement, the Republican Party has used their troubling positions on women’s rights, LGBTQ+ equality, reproductive justice, immigration policy, and drug laws as wedge issues – building a movement of religious fundamentalism that gave birth to the present-day MAGA movement. The rise of right-wing extremism has changed the face of American politics itself, culminating in the selection of a far-right Supreme Court majority that has since overturned Roe v. Wade, ended Affirmative Action, and eviscerated the Voting Rights Act. What we’ve seen since is a new generation of far-right politicians using religion as a weapon to restrict freedoms, ban immigrants, censor teachers, and otherwise bludgeon the Constitution.

Meanwhile, the strong bonds that the Democratic Party sustained for decades – especially with the Black Christian church and Jewish communities of faith – have tattered in the years since the Civil Rights movement. Once upon a time, Democrats saw leaders like Rev. Jesse Jackson and Jimmy Carter, a lifelong Sunday School teacher, build durable multi-ethnic, multi-religious political coalitions in the 1970s – rooted in compassionate, justice-oriented definitions of faith that inspired their political agendas. Less than a decade later, Democrats had all but ceded the argument. Houses of worship that sparked movements like “Souls to the Polls” struggled to find resources to organize voters. Baseless attacks on Democratic candidates being “Godless” and “immoral,” especially in the wake of the Clinton impeachment, went politely unanswered. Centers of faith that had once been a launchpad for progressive political leadership suddenly became a liability in the era of culture wars.

Then, Donald Trump – a twice-divorced, 34-time-convicted embodiment of no things Holy – held up a Bible in front of St. John’s Church after violently expelling peaceful protesters in 2020, and proclaimed to be “God’s chosen leader” for the nation.

Then, progressive pastors traded their pulpits for politics.

The most notable was the 2020 election of Rev. Raphael Warnock, pastor of Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church, the same congregation once led by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Upon his election, Warnock became the first Black Democrat elected to the U.S. Senate from the former confederacy. He has continued to grow his profile as a political and moral counter to the far-right and – both on Capitol Hill and in the religious community – has become a voice of clarity on abortion rights, voting rights, and an end to the death penalty.

But that’s not all. In recent years, more Democrats of all faiths have become prominent voices and are now seen as quintessential to shaping the Democratic Party’s platform and agenda. Senator Bernie Sanders and Mayor Zohran Mamdani are two such examples. While not religious leaders, both have been compelled to dispel the zero-sum and divisive politics of white Christian nationalism by leaning into the progressive values and proud American heritage of their own faiths.

In 2026, even more voices are rising to the occasion; and Democrats are leaning in.

Texas’ James Talarico, a Presbyterian seminarian, has notably put his fight against Christian nationalism at the center of his campaign for the U.S. Senate. Rather than shy away from his religion, Talarico has made it a central feature. He’s vehemently refused to accept that there’s a “set Christian orthodoxy,” asserting instead that God judges not on what you say, but on what you do. Talarico has championed abortion rights, affordability, and immigration reform as examples of “loving thy neighbor as thyself.” In Texas, Talarico’s compassionate Christianity just might be enough to convince the ruby-red state to send him to the U.S. Senate.

And in Kansas, Adam Hamilton – pastor of the nation’s largest United Methodist congregation based near Kansas City – is catching national headlines for his unexpectedly tight race for the U.S. Senate. A self-described “moderate,” Hamilton has been a prominent voice this cycle against a vocal minority of right-wing Christian nationalists. After winning the Democratic primary in August, Hamilton has criss-crossed the state on a platform focused on ending the chaos in Washington and bringing people together to solve the tough problems facing Kansas and the country. And it’s getting attention. Hamilton, the same candidate who carries a small Bible in his back pocket, was attacked this past week by Vice President J.D. Vance, who called Hamilton’s views “left-wing radicalism dressed in the skin suit of our religion.” What Vance is really saying isn’t hard to miss: unless you’re MAGA, our Christianity isn’t for you. In spite of the attacks, most recent polls have Hamilton narrowly leading Republican incumbent Roger Marshall in a state where Democrats haven’t elected a U.S. Senator in nearly a century.

Faith of all kinds is and always will be important to our collective American experience, whether we share the same faith or none at all. Religious communities will always be places where we gather, learn our place in the world, grapple with hard questions, and learn the ways we treat our neighbors.

However, if the far-right has proven anything, it’s that they can also be places used to divide, misinform, and disengage. Progressive candidates rooted in these communities are proving that they can and must be a part of the coalition-building Democrats envision in the years to come.

🗳️Submit a Field Note

Is there a particular race we should be watching or an election-related topic you’d like covered? Comment below and we may add them to a future issue!

🗺️FIELD MAP

Five Places / Races I’m Watching Closely this Week

We’re tracking over 100 key races and candidates that are essential to defending freedom, justice, and democracy at every level. Each week, I’ll share five that you should follow, too.

📍 NEWNAN, GEORGIA

Democrats are expanding their coalition in the fight for the State Capitol.

With early voting starting today in Georgia, we’re bringing the state in focus once again. Keisha Lance Bottoms is working overtime to build the enthusiasm needed to finally give Democrats control of the governing agenda at the state level. Georgia Democrats know that also means expanding the map in the race for the Georgia General Assembly. Many promising young progressive candidates are working hard to put once-safe red districts in play. They include 24-year-old wunderkind JerMarkus Jacobs, running to unseat a five-term Republican state senator outside of Atlanta. A former intern at both the Georgia State Capitol and the White House, this Georgia State University student is running an aggressive campaign demanding more accountable leadership that delivers for his native Newnan.

Early Voting in Georgia begins today, Tuesday, October 13th and ends Friday, October 30th. Election Day is Tuesday, November 3rd. Make a plan at www.peoplefor.org/vote.

📍 TENNESSEE

Young candidates focused on change could help win U.S. House majority.

Despite Republican attempts to gerrymander Democratic voters out of representation in Congress, Tennessee Democrats have fielded an energetic group of federal candidates that may defy maps. Justin J. Pearson’s bold campaign for the 9th congressional district is one to watch – but not the only one. A new generation of progressive leaders is changing the traditional campaign formula all over the state. In the 2nd district surrounding Knoxville, 33-year-old Michaela Barnett is countering four-term Rep. Tim Burchett with a hopeful, results-focused campaign on healthcare, jobs, infrastructure, and fighting corruption. Chaz Molder has already gained a reputation as a unifier and problem-solver since being elected Columbia’s youngest-ever mayor in 2018, making his Democratic candidacy for the 5th district a compelling answer to the most unproductive and divisive Congress in modern history.

Early Voting in Tennessee begins Wednesday, October 14th. Make a plan at www.peoplefor.org/vote.

📍 MICHIGAN STATE HOUSE

Progress post-Whitmer is about more than one ballot line.

Michigan’s narrow Democratic majorities in both houses of the legislature helped Gov. Gretchen Whitmer advance a bold and aggressive agenda – including universal background checks for gun sales, protecting reproductive rights, repealing right-to-work laws, and providing free school meals for every K-12 student. But progress has been harder since losing the House majority in 2024. Michigan Dems are putting their faith in a few familiar faces who narrowly lost their seats in the last election to wage a 2026 comeback. Jaime Churches, a 5th-grade teacher from Grosse Ile is in a rematch with Turning Point USA field organizer Rylee Linting to take back her 27th district seat. Jim Haadsma is also staging a return in the 44th district. Compelling new faces include Sarah Pounds, a housing advocate running in Oakland County’s 54th district; Alex Hawkins, an Army veteran, national guardsman, and former congressional staffer running in the 55th; Tom Turner, a former DOD official who resigned in protest against Trump’s policies, running in the 57th; and 29-year-old Joseph McClusky, running a ambitious, people-focused campaign for a normally tough 86th district in western Michigan.

📍 NEVADA

What happens here could change Washington.

After sticking with Democrats at the presidential level since 2008, Nevada proved to still be one of the swingiest of swing states, going to Trump in 2024. This year, Nevada Dems hope they can help put the brakes on his second-term agenda by growing their numbers in Congress. The only House district currently held by Republicans is the Reno and Carson City-based 2nd district, represented by retiring Rep. Mark Amodei. Teresa Benitez-Thompson – chief of staff to Nevada Attorney General and gubernatorial candidate Aaron Ford, who also served as majority leader of the Nevada Assembly – is polling within the margin of error against Republican Dave Flippo. The Vegas-based 4th district has recently been moved up on the Democrats’ priority list, with incumbent Steven Horsford vying for reelection. The first Black person to represent Nevada in Congress and former Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, Horsford won reelection in 2024 with 52.7% of the vote.

Early Voting in Nevada begins Saturday, October 17th. Make a plan at www.peoplefor.org/vote.

📍 IOWA

Rob Sand is hoping to once again be the candidate Democrats can count on.

Iowa hasn’t elected a Democrat to the Governor’s mansion since 2006, but Rob Sand – the 44-year-old State Auditor and only Democrat currently elected statewide – could once again defy the odds. The former Assistant State Attorney General (who turned down a Harvard admission to attend the University of Iowa Law School) could be the nation’s second-youngest governor, born just one day before Arkansas’ Sarah Huckabee Sanders. Running on a reputation as a no-nonsense defender of the taxpayer and reliable straight-talker, Sand’s commonsense agenda promising to lower costs and reform government to work for working people may just break through. An Emerson College poll published last week put Sand 4 points ahead of Republican Zach Lahn, 49% / 45%.

In the 2004 election, it was the tipping-point state, swinging the election to President Bush. In 2008, and again in 2012, President Obama carried the state in his bid for the White House. It wasn’t uncommon during that time for the state to send both a Democrat and Republican to represent them in the U.S. Senate and elect governors of both parties.

Then came 2016.

The working-class coalition that Democrats had built – one that had kept the largely rural state competitive for a generation – fell apart across the rust belt. A dip in Democratic turnout meant Hillary Clinton would lose the state by double the amount of her Democratic predecessors. It hasn’t returned since. While once thought of as a bellwether, Trump won the state in all three of his presidential campaigns. The state’s Democratic senator was ousted in 2024 and its gubernatorial races were double-digit Republican victories.

This year could be different.

Over the last decade, the Ohio Democratic Party has been quietly rebuilding. They have built a bench of bold leaders at the local level, revived their grassroots organizing, and focused on issues like lowering costs and making it easier for working families to thrive.

With Trump’s approval ratings at historic lows and the midterms serving as a referendum on the party in power, Buckeye state Democrats believe it’s their time for a comeback.

They’ve built a 2026 bench that is encouraging enthusiasm and closing polling gaps. Physician and former director of the state’s Department of Health Amy Acton is the party’s nominee for Governor. Born in Youngstown, she became “Ohio’s trusted face” during the response to the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. In the special election for the U.S. Senate seat, Democrats have asked Senator Sherrod Brown to get back in the fight — elected three times before losing the most expensive Senate election of 2024. As the only Democratic name for a non-judicial statewide seat that’s won in 20 years, they feel good about this progressive champion’s chances. They’ve fielded bold, experienced candidates like Rep. Allison Russo for Secretary of State, Mayor Annette Blackwell for Auditor, and Judge Marilyn Zayas for the Ohio Supreme Court. Champions like Rep. Emilia Sykes and candidate Brian Poindexter are becoming prominent voices for a new generation of leadership at the federal level.

The Republicans are another story entirely.

Trump’s second-term policies are kicking Ohioans in the gut. Tariff policies and foreign wars are causing pain for local businesses and sending prices soaring at the grocery store and at the gas pump. Insane claims during the 2024 campaign about migrants “eating the dogs” in Springfield and the erosion of asylum protections are putting hardworking immigrant communities across the state at risk. His approval rating in the state hovers between 35 and 40 percent.

Despite that, Trump went to Vandalia this past weekend to campaign for his cast of endorsed candidates. Speaking for nearly a full hour, he ordered supporters to vote for his picks – “even if you hate them.”

They include Vivek Ramaswamy, a tech millionaire and one of Trump’s 2024 primary opponents – who many skeptics believe will use the seat as a stepping stone for a 2028 bid for the White House. Incumbent Jon Husted is running to finish the full term in the seat vacated by Trump’s Vice President, J.D. Vance, after being appointed in 2025 by Republican Gov. Mike DeWine. In the Senate, he’s been a staunch Trump defender, including on the ongoing War in Iran and rolling back voting rights protections by authoring a bill to impose national voter ID.

Trump’s coming back to Ohio next week because polling is tight. A September Marist College poll put Acton up 6 points ahead of Ramaswamy for Governor. The same poll placed Brown 8 points ahead of Husted for the Senate.

In 2026, Democrats may begin to prove that while Republicans learned how to win Ohio, they have not governed to keep it. A 2026 resurgence could put Ohio back on the national electoral map for 2028 and beyond.

– Markus

🗓️In-Person Early Voting in Ohio begins TODAY, Tuesday, October 6th and ends Sunday, November 1st. Election Day is Tuesday, November 3rd. Make a plan to vote.

📢Support Ohio Democrats up and down the ballot (in-person and virtual)

🗳️Submit a Field Note

Is there a particular race we should be watching or an election-related topic you’d like covered? Comment below and we may add them to a future issue!

🗺️FIELD MAP

Five Places / Races I’m Watching Closely this Week

We’re tracking over 100 key races and candidates that are essential to defending freedom, justice, and democracy at every level. Each week, I’ll share five that you should follow, too.

📍 CALIFORNIA

Voting underway in battle to lead state post-Newsom.

The nation’s most populous state will see the end to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s nearly three-decade climb to the top of California politics with a choice: Former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra (D) or Trump-endorsed news commentator / election denier Steve Hilton (R). Republicans haven’t won the Governor’s mansion in 20 years, but polling has tightened in recent weeks. Becerra, who also served as CA Attorney General and a long-time member of Congress, would make history as the state’s first Latino governor since 1875.

Mail-in ballots will begin arriving in mailboxes this week. In-person early voting sites open statewide on Saturday, October 31st.

📍 NEBRASKA 2ND CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT

After a decade in the dark, a Latina organizer could reclaim state’s “Blue Dot,”

Despite voting for a Democrat for President in 2020 and 2024, Nebraska’s 2nd District shocked pundits by sending Republican Don Bacon to represent them in Congress the last five elections. The Omaha-area district is the bluest constituency represented by a Republican in Congress. With Bacon’s announced retirement, Democrats have put their faith in Denise Powell – a mom, small business owner, and co-founder of Women Who Run Nebraska – to reclaim the seat. After narrowly winning a competitive primary campaign, she’s focused on a working-class, anti-corruption agenda worthy of winning in November.

📍 PENNSYLVANIA

The midterms present an opportunity for Democrats to lay ground work for statewide success in 2028 and beyond.

Insanely positive polling for Gov. Josh Shapiro has kept his bid for a second term largely out of national headlines, but the discussion about Pennsylvania Democrats’ future is beginning. The most prominent figure is Shapiro’s running mate and second-in-command, 36-year-old Austin Davis. The first Black Pennsylvanian and youngest person in the nation currently serving as Lt. Governor has built an influential presence in the administration, especially on education and public safety. Swing-district Congressional candidates like Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti (PA-8) and Union Firefighter Bob Brooks (PA-7) would immediately change the pace in Washington and join a growing list of Democrats mentioned to challenge Sen. John Fetterman in the state’s 2028 Democratic primary.

📍 LOUISIANA

Close race for U.S. Senate seat affirms the need for greater investment in the South.

Statewide races in the South are continuing to challenge assumptions about the places and people worthy of Democratic investment. Jamie Davis, a third-generation Black farmer from Waterproof, is putting Louisiana Democrats within striking distance of capturing a U.S. Senate seat for the first time in over a decade. After carrying all 64 parishes in a competitive primary runoff, his “Louisiana First” platform, focused on lowering costs and making government work for working people, has attracted a broad coalition. A September Hart research poll put Davis within 4 points (44%/48%) of Julia Letlow, a Trump-endorsed Republican who ousted incumbent Sen. Bill Cassidy in the May primary.

📍 BROWARD COUNTY, FLORIDA

The next-generation of local leaders are focused on the future.

The Republican monopoly of Florida’s statewide politics can sometimes distract from the intentional work Florida Democrats are doing to rebuild – starting by elevating leaders that embody the state’s future. In the state’s second-most populous county, organizers are seizing opportunities to act more boldly at the local level and set a model of resurgence statewide. In Coral Springs, a generational shift could be underway with 38-year-old City Commissioner Joshua Simmons vying to become the city’s first Black mayor. There is also a battle to shield county schools from Republican attack and disinvestment. Roberto Fernandez III – an Army vet and former Broward social studies teacher – is running to unseat incumbent Adam Cervera, a DeSantis appointee. With about 180,000 students, Broward is the second-biggest school district in Florida. According to NPR, the district has lost nearly 40,000 students in the last five years.

In 35 states, voters go to the polls and directly elect someone to the position (others are appointed by Governors or State Legislatures), but most rarely take up space in the minds of voters outside of an election year.

A Secretary of State’s job is typically pretty mundane. They’re your state’s top official in charge of things like keeping official state records, business registration, and – most importantly – election administration. They enforce election rules, maintain statewide voter rolls, and make sure local communities have the resources they need to ensure every vote counts.

A Secretary of State’s job, while political, is not supposed to be partisan. The best holders of the office take the sanctity of their role seriously and often distance themselves from the partisanship and public displays we usually get from elected officials.

Then 2020 happened.

After Donald Trump (definitely) lost the 2020 presidential election, he spent months waging a legal, political – and eventually, violent – battle to stay in office.

Phones started ringing in Secretaries of State offices around the country and, all of a sudden, these obscure elected administrators became household names:

Brad Raffensperger. Katie Hobbs. Jocelyn Benson.

It was Trump calling. Legal threats. Lies. Pleading to “find 11,780 votes.”

And what they did made all the difference. They defended election workers who were being harassed. They protected the results of free and fair elections despite political attacks and death threats. They took unexpectedly large platforms in extraordinarily difficult times and defended American democracy before the world.

Votes were certified and these little-known officials with very important jobs quite literally saved democracy from destruction.

They may have to do it again.

Just as in the weeks leading up to the 2020 election and January 6, 2021 Insurrection, Trump is pulling out every stop to prevent what he believes is an inevitable loss in the midterms.

The courts have struck down repeated attempts from his Justice Department to take control of state voter rolls. He has threatened to prosecute and arrest state and local election officials over unsubstantiated claims regarding noncitizen voting. He has weaponized the US Postal Service to manipulate mail-in voting. His allies in Republican-controlled states and Congress have welcomed the presence of federal officers, including ICE agents, at polling places – and even encouraged a declaration of Martial Law.

Whether in this election or the next, this frequently disregarded official in your state might hear their phone ring. Do you know what they’d do to defend democracy?

26 states will elect their Secretary of State in 2026: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Vermont, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. Find out who’s on the ballot in your state.

If your Secretary of State could be one of the few people standing between democracy and dictatorship, you might as well know their name.

– Markus

🗳️Submit a Field Note

Is there a particular race we should be watching or an election-related topic you’d like covered? Comment below and we may add them to a future issue!

🗺️FIELD MAP

Five Places / Races I’m Watching Closely this Week

We’re tracking over 100 key races and candidates that are essential to defending freedom, justice, and democracy at every level. Each week, I’ll share five opportunities in the field you should follow, too.

📍 MICHIGAN

A battle from the top of the ballot to the bottom.

Michigan is one of the few states in the country where one election – with major races at both the federal and state level – will determine its direction for years to come. Abdul El-Sayed’s run for the U.S. Senate seat is rightfully well-publicized. But Michigan Democrats know they must also help Jocelyn Benson keep the Governor’s Mansion; elect Garlin Gilchrist as Secretary of State; send Eli Savit to the Attorney General’s office; and regain their once-narrow-but-effective majorities in the legislature to deliver on a bold agenda.

📍 NEW YORK 17th CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT

Progressive straight-talker boosts chances to retake seat essential to winning House majority.

This Rockland/Westchester-based district outside of New York City slipped out of Democratic control by less than 4 points after aggressive post-2020 redistricting. It’s one of only eight districts won by Kamala Harris in 2024 currently held by Republicans. 41-year-old combat veteran, national security expert (and Russia-banned badass) Cait Conley is raising Democrats’ hopes of beating incumbent Mike Lawler.

📍 ARKANSAS

People-First Farmer is giving Tom Cotton a run for his millions.

Arkansas’ Senate race is another one of those races worth paying attention to in the South. While most predictions point to Republican Tom Cotton winning a third term in the deep-red state, 39-year-old Hallie Shoffner is turning heads. The sixth-generation farmer and small business owner has emerged as a champion for lowering costs and supporting working families. An August Hendrix College poll had her leading (47%/44%) in a state Trump won by 20 points in 2024.

📍 OHIO

Statewide contests could set stage for comeback for Buckeye Democrats.

While Ohio has trended red and fallen out of swing-state conversations in recent years, there’s plenty of opportunity this year for Democrats to set the stage for a lasting resurgence. Sherrod Brown is a proven winner and working-class champion primed to take back a seat in the Senate. Ohio Democrats have also built a strong bench for statewide offices, including Amy Acton (Governor), Allison Russo (Secretary of State), and Annette Blackwell (Auditor). Putting Marilyn Zayas on the state’s Supreme Court bench alongside Jennifer Brunner would put a dent in a Republican super-majority.

📍 TEXAS STATE HOUSE DISTRICT 138

Young candidate embracing unity to flip Houston-area seat in Texas House.

For years, the 138th House district in Houston/Harris County has been under Republican control – but only narrowly. In an election where Texas Democrats are more fired up than they’ve been in years and voters of all parties are looking for problem-solvers, 29-year-old Tyler Smith believes he can unite a broad working-class coalition to achieve a quality-of-life agenda untied to party.

Across the country, ten states have adopted new congressional boundaries for the 2026 election cycle, an extraordinary mid-decade scheme set into motion by Donald Trump that has put millions of voters into different districts. Six of those states are in the South.

The lines matter. They determine which communities are grouped together, which voters are separated, and which candidates suddenly have to introduce themselves to an entirely different electorate.

But maps aren’t elections. People are.

And across the South, a generation of candidates is demonstrating why the region deserves a much closer look this November.

Consider Tennessee’s 9th Congressional District.

After Republicans redrew Tennessee’s congressional map, the Memphis-centered district changed dramatically. Into that new political landscape stepped Justin J. Pearson, the young Memphis state representative and environmental justice advocate who won the Democratic nomination in August.

The general election will be difficult for Democrats. A September Hart Research poll nevertheless found Republican Brent Taylor at 48% and Pearson at 44%—a margin within five points.

That doesn’t tell us what will happen in November. But it does tell us Pearson has built a campaign capable of competing for attention and support in a challenging district.

And that is becoming a pattern.

In Alabama, Shomari Figures is defending a seat whose boundaries have also been reshaped because of redistricting.

The new contest has drawn national attention, and the numbers are notable. A late-August Tulchin Research poll put Figures and Republican Rhett Marques at 47% each among likely voters. An earlier DCCC-sponsored survey also had the race tied at 46% apiece.

The field is telling us something the map alone cannot.

The story isn’t even confined to congressional districts. Conventional wisdom around which states matter is also being challenged.

In Texas, James Talarico is running statewide for the U.S. Senate in a state where Democrats have not won a Senate race since 1988. Yet public polling throughout the summer and into September has repeatedly shown a close contest with Republican Ken Paxton.

In South Carolina, Dr. Annie Andrews, a pediatrician and Democratic Senate candidate, has built a campaign around an unusually broad grassroots base, raising more than $12 million from nearly 500,000 individual contributions, averaging $28. And that effort is showing up in the numbers: an InsiderAdvantage poll conducted September 8–9 put Andrews at 43.2% and Republican nominee Darline Graham at 45.1%.

In Mississippi, Scott Colom is running for Senate in another state where Democrats face a difficult statewide environment, but the polls are closer than expected. A Data for Progress survey conducted in August found Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith at 47% and Colom at 41% among likely voters.

And in Florida, Angie Nixon has emerged as another candidate demanding a closer look. Two September surveys put Nixon within the margin of error of Republican incumbent Ashley Moody: Change Research had the race at 47%-47%, while a St. Pete Polls survey had Moody at 45.2% and Nixon at 44.8%.

Together, these races illustrate something important:

Southern Democrats are not simply waiting for the political terrain to become easier. They’re building campaigns in the terrain that exists now.

Pearson. Figures. Talarico. Andrews. Colom. Nixon.

They are candidates deeply rooted in their communities with rich and diverse lived experiences that inform their values on faith, affordability, defending freedom, and fighting corruption – messages that voters of all racial and political backgrounds are responding to.

Redistricting can redraw boundaries overnight. It cannot redraw relationships. It cannot erase the local organizing that connects candidates to voters. It cannot eliminate the ability of a candidate to build a coalition across communities. And it cannot tell us what happens when voters decide that a race is worth fighting.

That is why the South deserves a place near the center of the 2026 political conversation.

The maps are set.

But the field is still moving.

– Markus

Join us in helping these Southern state candidates beat the odds this November: Find volunteer opportunities (in-person and virtual).

🗳️Submit a Field Note

Is there a particular race we should be watching or election question you’d like answered? Comment below and we may add them to a future issue!

🗺️MAP ROOM

5 Places / Races I’m Watching Closely this Week

We’re tracking over 100 key races and candidates that are essential to defending freedom, justice, and democracy at every level. Each week, I’ll share five opportunities in the field you should follow, too.

📍 ARIZONA STATE LEG DISTRICT 13

A new generation of state-level leadership.

Arizona’s 13th Legislative District is one of the places where the future of the state’s Democratic bench is being built in real time. Racquel “Rockee” Armstrong and Jacob Weinberg, two young, progressive voices, advanced through the August primary and are now in a four-way race to sweep a district where voters select two state representatives.

📍 NEVADA

A governor’s race separated by single digits in recent polling.

Nevada’s governor’s race is shaping up as one of the country’s closely watched statewide contests. Democratic Attorney General Aaron Ford is challenging Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo, with recent polling showing the contest within the margin of error. An Emerson College/7 News/Las Vegas Review-Journal survey conducted September 5–8 found Ford at 44% and Lombardo at 42%, with 11% undecided.

📍 CALIFORNIA 22nd CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT

A grassroots Central Valley campaign taking on a longtime incumbent.

California’s Central Valley is home to one of the year’s most closely watched House contests. Randy Villegas, a Central Valley educator and local elected official, is challenging Republican Rep. David Valadao in a district Democrats have targeted for years. A June Tulchin Research poll had Villegas at 48% and Valadao at 44%. The campaign is also demonstrating the potential reach of a grassroots model in a historically competitive region.

📍 GEORGIA

A statewide turnout test.

Georgia’s Democratic slate — including gubernatorial nominee Keisha Lance Bottoms and U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff — is heading into the final stretch with national attention focused squarely on the state. Now the challenge is turning that broad primary coalition into November turnout. Bottoms and Ossoff have already appeared together on the campaign trail, including joint events designed to build Democratic enthusiasm across the state.

📍 WISCONSIN

A new governor’s matchup with the state’s political future at stake.

Wisconsin enters the final stretch with a new matchup for governor: Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley and Republican Rep. Tom Tiffany. Crowley, 40, won the Democratic primary in August after defeating a crowded field. He now works to build a statewide coalition that connects Milwaukee County’s electorate with voters across Wisconsin and define the stakes of the governor’s race during the final weeks.

Welcome to Field Office, the newsletter that serves as the election desk from Headquarters.

On National Voter Registration Day, there’s nothing more fitting than bringing you the news that will save our democracy.

I’m Markus Batchelor, the National Political Director at People For the American Way. I’ve spent much of my career in and around elections.

I started my career as an organizer and elected official in Washington, D.C., learning what politics looks like from the other side of the ballot — knocking doors, talking with neighbors, and building coalitions; Iearning about the seemingly small decisions made in local elections that can have enormous consequences.

Since then, I’ve had the opportunity to take that work to a national level. As National Political Director, I work across our elections and political programs, including our endorsements and electoral work, helping connect the organization’s longstanding work on democracy and political power to the races happening across the country.

Over the past year, I’ve also gotten a much closer look at something else: how quickly the political conversation moves online.

That’s a big part of why, on National Voter Registration Day, I’m so excited to introduce Field Office, Headquarters’ new weekly newsletter to help voters learn a little bit more about candidates across the country.

Here, we’ll go deeper into the elections, people, and places shaping the political landscape.

We’ll bring you election news, analysis, explainers, field notes, and practical information for voters. We’ll look beyond the daily political churn to understand what is happening in particular states and communities — and why it matters.

Why “Field Office”?

Politics doesn’t just happen in Washington.

It happens in states and congressional districts. In county election offices and statehouses. At candidate events and community meetings. In conversations between neighbors. And, ultimately, at the ballot box.

Headquarters has become a place to follow the broader political moment — particularly for people who increasingly experience politics through their feeds. Headquarters was created as a digital media ecosystem designed to meet people where they are and connect political information with opportunities for civic participation.

Field Office is the next layer of that work.

On a campaign, the field office is where the work gets done. It’s where organizers meet voters, volunteers come together, and campaigns get a closer look at the communities they’re trying to reach.

That’s the idea behind Field Office.

This is where we’ll get beyond the daily political frenzy and get closer to the people, places, and races shaping the 2026 elections and beyond.

And I’m particularly excited to lead it.

I’ve spent years thinking about elections from different vantage points — as a Washingtonian and former elected official, as someone who has worked with and around candidates and campaigns, and now as People For’s National Political Director working on elections and political engagement nationally. People For already has an active 2026 elections and endorsements program across states around the country.

Field Office gives me — and the broader Headquarters team — another way to bring that experience into the conversation.

Not just from Headquarters.

From the field.

So consider this our first dispatch.

The 2026 midterms are underway.

The Field Office is open.

I’ll see you out there.

— Markus

Markus Batchelor is National Political Director at People For the American Way and leads the Field Office project within the Headquarters ecosystem. He previously served as an elected member and Vice President of the D.C. State Board of Education and is an alumnus of People For’s Young Elected Officials Network.