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By Wayne Selcher* [Midterms] [Resumo] [Clipping da semana] 

Here is the weekly report for October 19 of events concerning the 2026 US midterm elections, selected with the support of Perplexity AI. All the sources have been verified. 

Biggest development 

Midterm ad spending passed $10 billion on Oct 14 per AdImpact. It is on pace to exceed spending in the 2024 presidential cycle. [NPR and TIME Magazine] 

Other notable developments 

AI ads: Wesleyan Media Project research, reported by the NYT, found 220-plus videos with AI-generated content and more than $137 million spent promoting AI ads. About 70% had no AI disclaimer. Most were tied to Republicans. That total is larger than last week’s $80 million estimate. The two analyses use different methods. [Brennan Center for Justice, The New York Times and Wesleyan Media Project] 

Race ratings: Cook Political Report reportedly moved 11 House races toward Democrats on Oct 16, after 18 shifts the prior week. Montana’s 1st went to Toss Up. [Cook Political Report] 

Polling: Silver Bulletin says the Democratic surge has leveled off at about D+8.9, down from a D+9.1 high. That revises last week’s “cycle high” framing. [Newsweek] 

Pew survey: Pew (Sept 28–Oct 4) shows Democrats ahead 44–36 on House preference. 63% of Democratic supporters say they are extremely motivated to vote, versus 46% of Republican supporters. It was published Oct 8, so it also belongs in last week’s coverage. [Pew Research Center] 

Early voting: North Carolina had accepted 501,321 early ballots through Oct 17, up 38.2% from 2022. Georgia reached nearly 365,000 in-person early voters by Oct 15. [Center for NC Politics and Fox5 Atlanta] 

Fundraising: The Republican Senate Leadership Fund raised a record $272.9 million in the third quarter, and Democratic Senate Majority PAC a record $151 million. Elon Musk has given more than $276 million to federal groups. [CNBC and NPR] 

Wisconsin: Officials urged voters not to mail ballots within two weeks of Election Day. This follows an Oct 6 court ruling against a late-ballot backup plan. [Wausau Pilot & Review]

* Wayne A. Selcher, PhD, is Professor of International Studies Emeritus, Department of Political Science, Elizabethtown College, PA, USA, and a regular contributor to OPEU. His major academic interests are Comparative Politics, American society and politics in comparative context, American Foreign Policy, Latin American Politics and Foreign Policy (especially Brazil), and Internet use in international studies teaching and research. He is the creator and editor of the WWW Virtual Library: International Affairs Resources, a web guide for online international studies research in many topics. E-mail: wayneselcher@comcast.net.  

** Review and edit: Tatiana Teixeira. This content does not necessarily reflect the opinion of OPEU, or INCT-INEU.   

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