It’s Election Day in America!
This is the midterm elections, which often do not attract the amount of attention the 2026 midterms are attracting. Why?
Americans are not satisfied with the direction of this country under President Trump. The president’s low approval rating is what essentially puts him on the ballot. Even many Trump supporters are voicing frustration over the failed promises of this president. Out of control inflation and specifically the price of gas and diesel fuel has led many Republicans to vow to vote for the Democrat candidate as a vote against President Trump.
The rhetoric coming from the president about how great the economy is can be easily proven wrong with any trip to the grocery store or gas station to fill up. President Trump’s decision to start the war with Iran contributed to the stressful economic woes of Americans.
With all of the machismo talk about how much of Iran America has bombed - Iran continues to fight back and due to its proximity to the Strait of Hormuz - appears to control much of the flow of oil to America and the free world. As a result - gas and diesel prices have put a collective burden on Americans.
This midterm election season has evolved into an election about President Trump. Recent polls show that 44% of American voters say they are voting for a Democratic candidate as a way of expressing their disapproval of President Trump.
A recent poll shows that 52% of voters want Congress controlled by the Democrats and 45% want Congress under Republican control. Nationally, 52% of voters say they are supporting Democrat candidates and 44% say they support the Republican candidate.
Frustration with the economy, the on-going war with Iran, controversy over the failure to fully release the Epstein files, and President Trump’s blatant attacks on the 1st Amendment because he is not capable of any form of criticism have led American voters to demand change. Among voters, 50% say they want a significant amount of change in America. According to 55% of voters - it is more important to vote for a candidate that will bring change rather than a candidate that has experience and a track record. That strong desire for a change in America is a problem for Republican candidates.
President Trump said that no other president has worked so hard on a midterm election and he’s right. The president and top Republicans have been spending countless days in red states where there is a meaningful challenge to Republican candidates. The desire for change is blowing in the political winds across America. Here are a few of the close contests. And before polls are criticized because of the perception that they come from the liberal media and are therefore inaccurate - you will see that the polls from conservative Fox News reflect essentially the same numbers.
Louisiana: (red state) Shreveport Times: / Republican Julia Letlow 45.6%, Democrat James Davis 44.8%
Texas (red state): NBC poll: Democrat James Talarico leads Attorney General Ken Paxton. 49% to 46%. NYT poll: Talarico is beating Paxton 50% to 43%. YouGov.com poll: Talarico 51% to Paxton’s 47%. Fox News poll: Talarico 50%, Paxton 43%.
Georgia (predominately red state): NBC poll: Democrat Jon Ossoff leads Republican Mike Collins 52% to 42%.
Kansas (red state): (Democrats have not won the Senate since 1932) Fox News poll: Democrat Adam Hamilton 49%, Republican Roger Marshall 44%
Ohio (red state) Fox News poll: Democrat Sen. Sherrod Brown 49%, Republican Sen. Jon Husted 44%
South Carolina (bright red state): NYT poll: Republican Darlene Graham (incumbent) 48% Democrat Annie Andrews 48%
Michigan (blue state): Fox News poll: Democrat Abdul El-Sayed 53%, Republican Mike Rogers 42%
Alaska (red state): NBC poll: Democrat Mary Peltola and Republican Dan Sullivan are locked in a 50%-50% tie.
President Trump and other Republicans are trying to say that results of the Alaska vote will be the result of cheating because Democrats placed another person with the name of Dan Sullivan - who is the incumbent on the ballot. This is somewhat common and it’s done to confuse voters into maybe voting for the “other” Dan Sullivan rather than the Incumbent. As much as Trump and Republicans want to scream and call foul - in 2024 - Republicans paid two Bob Fergusons to be on the ballot in Washington in hopes of confusing voters to vote for them instead of the real Democrat candidate Bob Ferguson. The two false Bob Fergusons dropped out of the race a few days before the election after the real Ferguson threatened legal action calling the ploy an “attack on our democracy." Obviously, not all Democrats agree - thus - a bogus Dan Sullivan on the ballot in Alaska.
This campaign practice is shady - but apparently, it is not illegal. The point is that Republicans used the same strategy to confuse voters in 2024.
The big question about the polls…
Are the polls accurate? Are voters actually telling the pollsters what they really think - or do they feel under pressure to reflect the current trends toward Democrats from the polls? If the polls show that President Trump is not popular and has an extremely low approval rating and the trend is toward Democrats - then voters may feel like they should be safe and go along with the trends. But when alone in the voting booth - voters will feel free to express their true feelings about a candidate.
A looming problem might be that many voters are voting for party over person. There are Republicans who could never bring themselves to vote for a Democrat - who they have been led to believe are really “commies” and “socialists” who will change this country dramatically. Elon Musk said recently that if Democrats win the midterms - it will be the end of democracy.
The fearmongering from the right is real and it can be effective. Trump and Republicans are portraying all Democrats as extremists who want to change America in profound ways and they want to allow your children to have sex changing operations. While there are a few whacked out far left Democrats who live on the other side of reality - Democrats don’t appear to have any plans to fundamentally change America. In fact, Democrats don’t seem to have plans for anything! And under Trump - America has already changed in ways that make many Americans want someone to “Bring Back America.”
It is impossible to know if the polls are accurate - but I believe there is a good possibility that the polls predicting a strong blue wave may not be as accurate as many Democrats want to believe and the results of the elections will be a surprise to many.
I believe the desire for change in America will drive a lot of people to vote in these midterms. When many voters are voting against a candidate rather than for a candidate - it says a lot about the quality of the people running for office in this country.
I have always believed that the best and the smartest don’t run because of the ugly nature of politics. So, we do the best we can with what we have and the important thing is that we honor our Founding Fathers by taking the time to VOTE!
I am concerned about the claims of a rigged election coming from the president if the Republicans don’t win. But remember - if the Republicans do win - we will all get $5,000! Or will that be another broken promise?
[As the results are known - we will compare what the polls said to the actual vote and that will determine if the polls were accurate.]
