Inching Toward Election Day Issues -- “The Sunday Political Brunch” - October 4, 2026

Election Day 2026 will be here in less than a month. Issues ranging from the economy to war and other topics are driving last-minute discussions. Let's "brunch" on that and more this week.

"Iran War Moves into Europe?" – For weeks I have been expressing concerns that the unpopular Iran War was going to move beyond the Middle East, and even across the oceans. Now, we have our first glimpse of that. Police in the United Kingdom detained five Iranian supporters outside of a U.S. air base in England. They also had three vans loaded with canisters of gasoline, but no explosives. The men were detained at the perimeter of RAF Fairford, where U.S. military bombers are staged. It is suspected they were plotting a terrorist attack. One suspect has dual UK-Iranian citizenship. British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said, "There are strong indications that Iran played a part in what happened over the weekend at RAF Fairford, but of course it remains an ongoing, complex, and serious police investigation." The oddity here is that police had the same five in custody days earlier, but they were released on bail, and the earlier charges haven't been specified. President Donald Trump said, "I wouldn't have done that." I worry this same scenario will play out on American soil.

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"Peace Deal Dead?" – Iran says it has received the U.S. response to Tehran's proposal to end the nearly eight-month war. But Iran did not disclose what the response was. But if you read between the lines of some of the arguing, it is clear the U.S. did not agree on Iran's plan to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz, where 20 percent of the world's oil passes through. President Trump said Iran is "losing so badly," and that its offer "would not be acceptable." Still, negotiators from both nations remain in talks. Once again, financial markets reacted poorly, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropping more than 440 points Wednesday, but bounced back by more than 200 points on Friday. Oil hovered just above $91 per barrel. AAA says the average price of a gallon of gas is $4.43, and diesel is at record highs. Many states are suspending their gas taxes with just four weeks until Election Day. The key swing state of Ohio has suspended its 38.5-cent gas tax until the end of this year. Ohio has also suspended its 47-cent-per-gallon diesel tax. Can it save incumbents on Election Day? We'll see. I say, "It's too little, too late." Meanwhile, late Friday, the G7 nations announced they will free up 100 million barrels of oil and diesel. We'll see if it helps.

"The Art of the 'Steel'" – President Trump announced this past week that South Korea will invest $54 billion in a Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) pipeline in Alaska. Standing next to Trump for the Oval Office announcement was Sen. Daniel Sullivan (R) Alaska, who is locked in a tight reelection race against former Rep. Mary Peltola (D) Alaska, and the race could determine which party controls the U.S. Senate. Sen. Sullivan said, "Mr. President, this one is huge for Alaska." Democrat Peltola questioned the timing so close to Election Day, saying, "He's been working on this deal and other deals in Alaska, the pipeline, for almost 20 years, and we're now getting it done." Trump made a similar announcement about a $15 billion steel plant in Iowa, where Republicans also risk losing a Senate seat. Let's be clear – what he is doing is not illegal, but certainly voters are open to questioning the timing and motive of both deals.

"Poll Foreshadows Election?" – A new poll from the Associated Press and NORC is got good timing for Republicans. Among those surveyed, 69 percent disapproved of Trump's overall performance in his second term, while 31 percent approved. 73 percent disapprove of how he's handling the economy, while just 26 percent approve. Trump's best numbers were for handling of immigration problems, where 39 percent approved but 60 percent disapproved of his immigration policies. Trump has been telling voters to make their choices as if his name were on the ballot. That may be a "be careful what you wish for" moment. The president has just over four weeks to change a lot of minds.

"Death of the Death Penalty?" – Regardless of whether you support or oppose the death penalty, I am sure there are many people in both camps who are appalled at what happened Wednesday night in Tennessee. Convicted murderer Christa Pike was given what should have been two lethal doses of pentobarbital. Pike began snoring loudly but never died, according to journalists who were there to witness the event. WPLN reporter Catherine Sweeney said, "I covered all the executions last year, and most of the ones this year. We haven't seen anything like it. It went really poorly." Gov. Bill Lee (R) of Tennessee suspended any further executions until a third party can review this case. Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti (R) Tennessee said in a statement, "The Governor has appropriately called for an investigation. We need to know what happened." Pike is alive and receiving medical treatment. She was convicted of killing 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer in 1995.

"A Presidential Dark Horse" – Former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel has confirmed he may seek the Democratic Party nomination for president in 2028. The 66-year-old has a long political resume including two terms as mayor, six years in the U.S. House, White House Chief of Staff for President Obama, and White House Political Director under President Clinton. Most recently, he was Ambassador to Japan for President Joe Biden. With all that experience, Emanuel says he "knows what to do on day one" if elected president. He added, "We are at a tipping point in this country." Can he win? Well, it's likely to be a very crowded field with other candidates such as Gavin Newsom, Kamala Harris, Pete Buttigieg, Andy Beshear, Gretchen Whitmer, and Josh Shapiro. I say it's anybody's race. Emanuel has already been visiting New Hampshire.

"Kristi Noem Troubles" – It's not been the best of years for former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. First, she lost her Cabinet spot, but was given the new title of United States Special Envoy for the Shield of the Americas. That role was loosely defined, if not ill-defined, in terms of its powers and parameters. At the very least, she was a special regional ambassador to Central and South America and the Caribbean nations. Her credibility went off the rails last week when she wrote extensively about U.S. relations with Colombia, but misspelled the nation's name as Columbia in several social media posts. Then came word that Noem was divorcing her husband of 34 years. She is widely rumored to be in a relationship with former top aide and top Trump advisor Corey Lewandowski. To those who say, "Who cares?" and "Why does this matter?" Lewandowski served as an unpaid Chief of Staff to Noem in a job he may not have been qualified for. For example, he has no law enforcement or national security experience.

"Kennedy Center Renaming Fight" – President Trump has suggested he might order a demolition and rebuild of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, which also briefly bore the name of President Donald J. Trump. In response, there was a bipartisan bill in the U.S. Senate to prevent such carnage. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D) Oregon and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R) Alaska co-sponsored a bill that would have prevented the demolition of any presidential monument without Congress's approval. They tried to pass the bill via what's known as "unanimous consent." That means if no senator objects, the bill is approved. Sen. Markley said, "We are in a chapter where President Trump wants to demolish this memorial. He wants to demolish this enormously incredible building, which hosts operas and plays and ballets, concerts." But Sen. Mike Lee (R) of Utah objected, and that froze the entire process. In a Senate of 100 people, one person can unilaterally kill legislation. Lee told the Deseret News, "Democrats should join us in lowering the cost of living and securing American elections instead of wasting the Senate's time with partisan scaremongering they haven't even tried to run through the appropriate committee process." Late Friday, the Board of Directors announced this year's Kennedy Center Honors will be moved to a sports arena in Downtown DC

Mark Curtis, Ed.D., is a South Florida-based political writer and analyst who has covered news and politics nationwide for the past 50 years. He is a multiple award winner, including two prestigious Edward R. Murrow Awards. For ten years, he was the Chief Political Reporter for seven Nexstar Media TV stations, covering the Washington DC media market, West Virginia, and its five neighboring states. Curtis is a former Congressional Fellow who worked in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate. Over the years, he has contributed as a writer and analyst at Patch.com. His commentary and analysis air every Friday at 1:45 p.m. ET on the 22-station West Virginia Metro News Radio Network. www.WVMetroNews.com.

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