Friday, September 4, 2026

With under 60 days until the midterms, there is still of time to change the political map

On Thursday, the House of Representatives decided to cancel votes for the last two weeks of September, meaning that after next week’s break for Labor Day and Rosh Hashanah, the House will only be in business for four days until the midterm elections.

Right now, Republicans are going to need all the help they can get ahead of November. Midterms have a certain rhythm: two years after electing a president, voters either feel the administration has not lived up to its promises or seen them implemented and they now have buyer’s remorse.

All signs seem to show that for President Donald Trump and Republicans in the Senate and House of Representatives. Trump now boasts a 33 percent approval rating. He’s bleeding with Hispanic voters who had broken for him in 2024 and even more telling, he is starting to fall with white voters without college degrees and rural voters.

But every once in a while, a curveball can come along. In 1998, after Republicans impeached Bill Clinton but failed to convict him, Republicans actually lost House seats. In 2002, in the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks, Republicans earned a solid majority in the House and Senate. And most recently, in 2022, when the Supreme Court killed the right to an abortion in the Dobbs v. Jackson decision, Republicans only barely won the House while Democrats held numerous governorships and netted a Senate seat.

And then, sometimes, a wave is so big that the minority party can win in an unexpected place. Here are some twists that could help shape what the political future of the nation will look like after November.

Read more here.

By Eric Garcia

Reading list

Alex Woodward: Are Jan 6 rioters getting taxpayer payouts? New lawsuit claims DOJ refuses to say
Sarah Ditum: I’m only sad that Gloria Steinem lived to witness Donald Trump trash all she fought for

Daily briefing

Mike Johnson abruptly cancels final weeks of House votes amid panic over midterm elections

The House of Representatives abruptly canceled the final two weeks of votes for September, effectively giving the body four days of work before the midterm elections. Eric Garcia reports from the Hill.

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QUOTE OF THE DAY

I don’t know if it will, but it should.

President Donald Trump, on whether his proposed ballroom should be named for him.

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