Sep 26, 2026 · 41 min
Deep-red states expose Republican midterm vulnerabilities
‘Every man for himself’: Republicans suddenly sweating races in deep-red states
The episode tests whether Republican unease in Kansas and Texas reflects a broader backlash that could reshape the midterms and election rules.
- 1Democratic momentum is emerging in Kansas and Texas as Republican voters voice dissatisfaction with Trump and incumbent leaders.
- 2The Supreme Court limited mass voter removals while allowing federal use of disputed voter-registration data.
- 3Jamie Raskin argues taxpayer-funded Trump messaging and family business benefits illustrate unusually brazen political corruption.
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Jamie Raskin links taxpayer-funded Trump advertising and Trump-family business benefits to a broader argument about political corruption.
The brief
Chris Hayes opens on Republican anxiety in deep-red states, where Democratic momentum in Kansas and vulnerability around Greg Abbott in Texas challenge assumptions about the midterms.
The Kansas Senate race between Adam Hamilton and Roger Marshall becomes a test of conservative discontent over inflation, immigration raids, foreign policy, and Donald Trump’s declining support.
Jamie Raskin explains how the Supreme Court allowed federal use of unreliable voter data while blocking states from mass removals, raising concerns about intimidation and disenfranchisement.
Raskin also attacks a taxpayer-funded Trump advertisement and describes government contracts and regulatory benefits involving Trump-linked companies as evidence of political corruption.
Polling and race ratings increasingly favor Democrats, but Republican spending, turnout, undecided voters, and volatile state polls leave the midterm outcome unsettled.