We’re one week away from polls closing on one of the most unpredictable and consequential midterm election seasons ever.
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
