2026 Midterm Elections

Public disputes concerning the 2026 U.S. midterm election cycle, including campaigns, candidates, conventions, advertising, endorsements, and election-related policy promises.

Related cases

Case

Jon Ossoff’s travel with Natalie remark about Donald Trump and Natalie Harp

At an Atlanta reelection rally, Senator Jon Ossoff said President Donald Trump did not want to do the work of the presidency and instead wanted to build a ballroom and “travel with Natalie” on a Qatari aircraft. Trump allies accused Ossoff of misogyny and of implying an affair with White House aide Natalie Harp. Ossoff did not apologize and said senior White House aides are powerful taxpayer-paid public officials whose influence is fair to scrutinize.

Case

Did Mike Collins support compensation for January 6 defendants?

At an August 11 Savannah campaign event, Mike Collins said the federal government has a liability when it harms someone after a pardoned January 6 defendant asked about compensation for people he said were targeted by a weaponized political system. Jon Ossoff said the answer backed taxpayer-funded payments to violent January 6 participants; the Collins campaign said it did not back automatic or blanket payouts for people prosecuted for January 6.

Case

Did Jon Ossoff’s Social Security ad fairly represent Mike Collins’s radio interview?

Jon Ossoff’s campaign ran an ad using Mike Collins’s words “get off of Social Security, get back into the workforce” to say Collins wanted to push beneficiaries off Social Security. Collins’s campaign said he misspoke and meant Medicaid; Ossoff’s campaign said the ad fairly reflected Collins’s support for pressuring beneficiaries into work. The full radio interview contains the surrounding discussion of tax cuts, Medicaid, Social Security, and work incentives.

Case

Hasan Piker’s “Hamas over Israel” comparison

Hasan Piker affirmed a hypothetical preference for Hamas over Israel through lesser-evil reasoning. Jon Favreau disputed the moral comparison, while the ADL cited it as whitewashing terrorism. Piker later acknowledged Hamas war crimes and denied endorsing its domestic policies, while maintaining that Israeli occupation was the overriding concern.

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Statements

Mike Collins

Role at the time: Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in Georgia

August 11, 2026Mixed or conditional

Responding to

Did Mike Collins support compensation for January 6 defendants?

"“A lot of things have been politicized and weaponized. And when the federal government harms you, then yes, they have a liability to you. That’s easy, yes sir.”"

Why we used this label

Collins’s answer is conditional on government harm and responds to a question broader than January 6 defendants, but the question was posed by a pardoned January 6 defendant who explicitly included January 6 participants.

Georgia Recorder report on Mike Collins’s January 6 compensation remarksSavannah breakfast Q&A; Collins campaign clarification

Read statement Did Mike Collins support compensation for January 6 defendants?

Scott Jennings

Role at the time: Republican political strategist and CNN political commentator

August 11, 2026Condemned

Responding to

El-Sayed's cycle-of-violence framing rationalized the antisemitic attack or improperly shifted explanatory responsibility toward Israel and Jews.

"That's how you would justify any and all political violence. That is a dangerous mindset."

Why we used this label

The statement directly rejects the explanation-versus-justification distinction at the center of the dispute.

Scott Jennings Podcast — Radical Left Lunacy01:02:50

Read statement Abdul El-Sayed's cycle of violence framing after the Temple Israel attack

Jon Ossoff

Role at the time: Jon Ossoff U.S. Senate campaign

August 8, 2026Condemned

Responding to

Did Jon Ossoff’s Social Security ad fairly represent Mike Collins’s radio interview?

"“He wants to push you off Social Security.”"

Why we used this label

The campaign uses the excerpt to make a critical policy characterization of Collins’s position on Social Security.

FactCheck.org review of Ossoff’s Social Security advertisement and campaign responsesOssoff advertisement, full radio quotation, and campaign responses

Read statement Did Jon Ossoff’s Social Security ad fairly represent Mike Collins’s radio interview?

Tim Miller

Role at the time: Host of The Bulwark Podcast

March 24, 2026Condemned

Responding to

El-Sayed's cycle-of-violence framing rationalized the antisemitic attack or improperly shifted explanatory responsibility toward Israel and Jews.

"Anyone who would think a statement condemning a terorrist attack on a synagogue is a 'risk' is insane and should be fired from the campaign."

Why we used this label

The authored post directly rejects the political hesitation surrounding condemnation of the attack.

Archived Tim Miller reaction to El-Sayed's Temple Israel response

Read statement Abdul El-Sayed's cycle of violence framing after the Temple Israel attack

Mike Rogers

Role at the time: Republican U.S. Senate candidate in Michigan

March 24, 2026Condemned

Responding to

El-Sayed's cycle-of-violence framing rationalized the antisemitic attack or improperly shifted explanatory responsibility toward Israel and Jews.

"If you're having a moral crisis over whether to condemn terrorism, you're unfit for office."

Why we used this label

The statement treats El-Sayed's contextualization as disqualifying sympathy for the assailant.

Abdul El-Sayed calls statement on Temple Israel attack a riskFull report

Read statement Abdul El-Sayed's cycle of violence framing after the Temple Israel attack

Abdul El-Sayed

Role at the time: U.S. Senate candidate in Michigan

March 18, 2026Challenged the characterization

Responding to

The Temple Israel attack should be understood in part through the cycle of violence created by the regional war and the Israeli airstrike that killed members of the assailant's family.

"It was a risk."

Why we used this label

He maintained the decision to provide causal context rather than accepting critics' characterization of the statement as excusing terrorism.

Abdul El-Sayed calls statement on Temple Israel attack a riskFull report

Read statement Abdul El-Sayed's cycle of violence framing after the Temple Israel attack

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Chip Roy

Chip Roy is a Republican U.S. representative for Texas's 21st Congressional District, which includes parts of the Austin and San Antonio areas and the Texas Hill Country. A lawyer and former federal prosecutor, he previously served as first assistant attorney general of Texas and chief of staff to U.S. Senator Ted Cruz.

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Marjorie Taylor Greene

Former United States representative from Georgia and conservative political figure.

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Marc Short

Marc Short is chairman of Advancing American Freedom and a founding partner of Advance Strategies. He previously served as chief of staff to Vice President Mike Pence and White House director of legislative affairs under President Donald Trump.

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Joan Walsh

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Daniel Goldman is a Democratic U.S. representative for New York's 10th Congressional District. A former federal prosecutor in the Southern District of New York, he has also worked as a legal analyst and congressional investigator.

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Gloria Allred

Gloria Allred is a civil-rights attorney and founding partner of Allred, Maroko & Goldberg. Her work includes employment discrimination, sexual harassment, and representation of sexual-assault victims.

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Erica York

Erica York is a senior economist at the Tax Foundation, where she researches federal tax policy. She has also taught at Sterling College and holds a master's degree in economics from Wichita State University.

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Matthew Boyle

Matthew Boyle is Washington bureau chief for Breitbart News, where he covers U.S. politics and conducts interviews with public officials. He joined Breitbart in 2012 after reporting for The Daily Caller.

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Jake Shields

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Reem Ibrahim

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Evan Kilgore

Evan Kilgore is an American conservative commentator and social media personality. His commentary addresses United States politics, religion, and national identity, and he describes himself publicly as an American exceptionalist.

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