Murkowski breaks with party to back Alaska Democrat as Trump pushes GOP downballot

Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska endorsed Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins on Tuesday, a move that places her on the opposite side of the party line from her own state's current governor. Murkowski, who has frequently clashed with President Donald Trump and the national Republican leadership, told KTUU-TV that Kreiss-Tomkins is a young Alaskan with a perspective the state needs right now. She added that he will work with the state legislature, a factor she said is vital for Alaska's at-large representative and senators in Washington.

In a news release, Murkowski encouraged Alaskans of every political stripe to consider Kreiss-Tomkins, stating that the state needs leaders who put its interests first. She criticized the administration of incumbent Governor Mike Dunleavy, who is barred from seeking reelection by term limits. Murkowski said the Dunleavy administration has left federal money on the table and failed to capitalize on opportunities from the federal government. Kreiss-Tomkins, who has campaigned on a theme of bipartisanship, said in a statement that he was honored by the senator's support. He faces three Republican challengers in the November 3 election, which will use ranked-choice voting.

In Texas, President Trump held rallies in Corpus Christi and Lubbock on Tuesday to campaign for Attorney General Ken Paxton, the Republican candidate for Senate. The races in Texas are considered even, a development notable given that Trump won the state by more than 13 points in the previous election. Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico held a rally in Lubbock near the president's stop. Trump urged undecided voters to check their 401(k) accounts before casting their ballots and predicted that elevated gas prices would fall rapidly. He also defended a previous comment about Republican Senator Jon Husted’s college football career, telling the crowd in Lubbock that he had made a mistake by focusing on one part of Husted’s anatomy while ignoring others.

Trump is scheduled to travel to Ohio on Wednesday for his third visit to the state this month. He plans to campaign for Husted and Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. Both races in Ohio are considered toss-ups. Husted faces Democrat Sherrod Brown, who served in the Senate from 2007 to 2025. Ramaswamy faces Democrat Amy Acton. Vice President JD Vance, who grew up in Ohio, also visited the state last week. Former President Barack Obama campaigned in Cleveland over the weekend for Brown and Acton.

The House of Representatives control will likely be decided by 47 battleground districts identified by CBS News. Twenty of those seats are currently held by Democrats, and 27 are held by Republicans. The current House composition includes 218 Republican seats, 214 Democratic seats, and two vacancies. CBS News models suggest Democrats are on track to take control with 229 seats, though Republicans retain a path to maintain a narrow majority if they hold at least 215 of the contested seats.

Senate control hinges on 10 key races. Seven of these seats are held by Republicans in Maine, North Carolina, Ohio, Kansas, Iowa, Texas, and Alaska. Three are held by Democrats in New Hampshire, Michigan, and Georgia. Republicans currently hold 53 seats in the Senate, while Democrats hold 47.

In Ohio, gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy avoided mentioning his campaign’s recent advertisement featuring Acton’s estranged mother at two campaign stops on Tuesday. At a hunting and fishing retailer in Hebron, Ramaswamy spoke for seven minutes and described the election as a fork in the road, warning that Democratic wins could infect Ohio. At a second event, he criticized Acton for leaving her role as public health director during the pandemic but did not reference the ad. The advertisement has drawn criticism from Republican Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and others.

More than 35 million people have voted early as of Tuesday, according to the University of Florida Election Lab. All 35 Senate seats are up for election, and voters in 36 states will select their governors. The election is scheduled for Tuesday, November 3.