The House looks pretty likely to go Democrat, but the Senate appears to be more in play.
asserted
Senate → look → play
Basically, Democrats need to pick up four seats to get control of it; seven races are considered toss-ups by Cook Political Report as of right now, just a few days before Election Day, but Democrats have leads (within the margin of error) in all of them, despite heavy Republican spending in most.
The Reason Roundup Newsletter by Liz Wolfe Liz and Reason help you make sense of the day's news every morning.
"
asserted
you → need → news
If Democrats win all seven races, along with the ones in which they are favored, they would secure their largest Senate majority since the Obama administration," notes The Washington Post.
asserted
Post → win → administration
"If Republicans win all seven races, they would maintain their current 53-47 majority in the Senate, picking up a Democratic-held seat in Michigan to offset a loss in North Carolina.
asserted
they → win → Carolina
They need three of the six Republican-held toss-ups to reach 51, assuming they also hold Michigan, the only Democratic seat on the list.
asserted
they → need → list
Michigan looks like the GOP's best shot at going on offense, since Mike Rogers cleared the Republican field without a primary while Democrats slugged it out all through August.
asserted
Democrats → look → August
Meanwhile, the rest of the map looks like a list of Republican problems rather than Democratic strengths; make of that what you will.
asserted
you → look → that
Maine is the only Republican seat up this year in a state Trump lost in 2024; Ohio features Sherrod Brown, who lost his seat by just four points in 2024 while Trump carried the state by 11; and Alaska has Mary Peltola, who in 2022 became the first Democrat to represent the state in the House in half a century.
asserted
who → lose → century
Each of these races is close for its own reasons, but the reasons happen to cut one way this year.
asserted
reasons → happen → reasons
Not included in the list of toss-ups—Alaska, Kansas, Maine, Iowa, Michigan, Texas, and Ohio—are Georgia, where Democrat Sen. Jon Ossoff looks likely to win, and New Hampshire, an open seat that anyone could technically take but that looks likely to go Democrat.
uncertain
that → include → that
Toss-up is merely a description of how close races look right now; earlier in the cycle, Georgia and New Hampshire were considered toss-ups, but Democrats are now favored to win.
asserted
Democrats → look → cycle
These things aren't static, of course, and different forecasters think about each race differently.
asserted
forecasters → think → race
Some of the toss-up races are primarily due to one party—frequently Republicans—running really terrible candidates (such as Ken Paxton in Texas, whose prospects we discussed on this week's Reason Roundtable).
asserted
we → toss → Roundtable
Other races have their own specific quirks, like in Kansas, where a Democratic Methodist pastor who is broadly liked (with no voting record to ding) is running against a Republican incumbent, who is facing headwinds related to high diesel prices that have raised the cost of running farm equipment and shipping goods, along with beef import tariffs that have pissed off farmers.
asserted
that → have → farmers
But most pollsters surveyed by The New York Times—including Nate Silver and Patrick Ruffini, both former guests on my show, Just Asking Questions—seem to believe Democrats will win both the House and Senate.
asserted
Democrats → survey → House
"After a woman said she was raped at knife point in Central Park over the weekend, the police said on Monday that they had stepped up patrols of the park as they searched for an assailant," reports The New York Times.
asserted
Times → say → assailant
"The 39-year-old woman told the police that she was jogging on the east side of the park near East 66th Street shortly before 8:30 p.m. on Saturday when a man dressed in black approached her brandishing a knife.
asserted
man → tell → knife
He dragged her into a wooded area, raped her and ran off, the police said."
asserted
police → drag → her
This is the latest in a string of crimes in the area, including the murder of a 63-year-old homeless woman who slept in the park, and a 32-year-old woman who was robbed while riding a bike.
asserted
who → include → bike
"Flávio Bolsonaro fled Brazil for the US hours after losing the presidential election and being ordered to surrender his passports, Folha de S.Paulo reported citing allies of the conservative senator," reports Bloomberg.
asserted
Bloomberg → flee → senator
- Microsoft shrinks headcount.
asserted
Microsoft → shrink → headcount
"Fox News is suffering a catastrophic drop in viewership, which has plunged to historic lows just before the midterm elections, according to new data.
uncertain
which → suffer → data
Preliminary Nielsen ratings obtained by Status ahead of their official release show that the Trump-friendly juggernaut is on track to post its lowest-rated month in total day viewers since December 2023, averaging just 1.1 million total viewers throughout October 2026," reports The Daily Beast.
asserted
Beast → obtain → October
"Among the key 25-54 demographic coveted by advertisers, the outlet is headed for its lowest-rated month in a quarter-century, averaging a paltry 98,000 viewers.
asserted
outlet → covet → viewers
The collapse represents a brutal 27 percent drop in total viewers and a 32 percent dive in the 25-54 demographic compared to last October."
asserted
collapse → represent → October
How could this go wrong?
uncertain
this → go → ?
Cherelle Parker tells @EmilyRPeck that the city hopes to launch its historic mortgage program "before the end of 2026."
asserted
city → tell → 2026
"Imagine getting a mortgage, a 30-year commitment, with no PMI," Parker said, and accessible "with less-than-perfect credit."
asserted
Parker → imagine → credit
The Aporia
