The Voting Hour is Near -- “The Sunday Political Brunch” -- November 1, 2026

It is estimated that about one-third of voters have already cast their ballots, which means two-thirds will have to vote on Election Day. There are a lot of issues on people’s minds, from the economy to more military action. Let’s “brunch” on that and more this week.

“Midterms Upon Us” – The 2026 midterm elections are upon us, with early voting and mail-in voting well underway. My prediction is that Democrats will win U.S. Senate seats now held by Republicans in North Carolina, Ohio, Iowa, and Alaska. That will give Democrats a 51-49 Senate majority. Democrats will also gain a net 20 seats in the U.S. House, giving them a 234-201 majority. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-New York will be the new Speaker of the House. I also predict Democrats will draft articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump in the House Judiciary Committee. Yes, the effort will be largely symbolic because Democrats won’t have 67 votes in the Senate to remove Trump from office. We may be looking at two years of gridlock in Washington, DC.

“When Will We Know?” – I expect many very close races in both the House and Senate. Also, nearly one-third of voters now cast their ballots by mail. Most states will accept mail-in ballots for another week, as long as they are at least postmarked by Election Day. It could be several days, if not a week, before we know final outcomes. This is unprecedented.

“Early Voting Update” – The Election Lab at the University of Florida has released the latest voting totals. More than 42 million people have already voted early in person or by mail. That is double the number from just a week ago. More than 60 million people have requested mail-in ballots, but only one-third have been returned. The numbers are high in states such as Iowa, Ohio, Alaska, and North Carolina, where a hotly contested U.S. Senate race is on the ballot.

Still, concerns remain about getting mail-in ballots counted. Only two-thirds of those requested mail ballots have been returned in Ohio.

“Money Matters” – Why do I come to these conclusions? In one word: money. Inflation is up to 3.7 percent, which is certainly not as high as the 10 percent inflation under President Jimmy Carter in 1980. Still, people are paying significantly more at the gas pump and at the grocery store. A gallon of gas this past week was $4.26. A year ago, it was $3.05. Diesel fuel is $6.35 a gallon, up from $3.62 a year ago. I know most people don’t use diesel, but truck drivers carrying goods to grocery stores and shopping malls do. Those outlets raise food and clothing prices, simply to pass the higher fuel costs on to consumers. Home mortgage rates are up over 7 percent. People with adjustable rates are paying more every month. Voters care about how much is in their wallets and purses.

“The Circus in Alaska” – There are new developments in the Alaska U.S. Senate mess. The governor launched a state investigation, President Trump launched a federal investigation, and new reports allege wrongdoing. At the center of it all is Senator Daniel S. Sullivan (R) Alaska.

He faced a primary challenge from Daniel J. Sullivan, a political novice who made it to the November ballot. Former Rep. Mary Peltola (D) Alaska is the Democratic nominee. The New York Times reports that two former Peltola staffers told it that, in 2025, they launched a search for another Daniel Sullivan to run as a “ringer” to confuse voters. One of those staffers was the campaign manager, who was fired in August. She has now detailed the effort to the Times. On Tuesday, voters must choose between the two Sullivans, Peltola, and a third-party candidate, with rank-choice voting. Peltola denies any involvement, saying, “I knew nothing about any other candidate on the ballot except for me and the incumbent. That is all I have ever known about. I am not interested in tricking voters.” President Trump ordered the Justice Department to investigate, saying it was "voter fraud at the highest level." FBI agents have already interviewed Daniel J. Sullivan. This race could decide which party controls the Senate.

“Renewed Attack on Iran?” – Two U.S. diplomats have told the Associated Press that President Trump is considering renewed military strikes on Iran, once the midterm elections are over. The diplomats spoke on the condition of anonymity. But they say various U.S. allies have been told to expect strikes and possible retaliation from Iran. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on X that Tehran “continues to give diplomacy a chance to succeed.” So far, the White House has not commented.

“Cuba Next?” – Many people here in South Florida and elsewhere are wondering if Cuba is Trump’s next target for military intervention. At a Florida rally for Congressional candidates, Trump said, ‘We’ll do a little stopover. Actually, what we’re going to do with Cuba is, we’re going to come back from Iran. Those beautiful ships will pass Cuba. We’ll have one of them stop about 50 yards off the coast. They’ll raise up their hands. And then we’re going to send (Secretary of State) Marco Rubio in to finish up the deal.” Cuba is in the middle of an energy and economic meltdown, after Trump ordered the seizure of Venezuelan oil. Rubio, who is a Cuban-American, is seen as someone who might be able to peacefully resolve the decades-old conflict between the U.S. and Cuba. But there is also speculation that Rubio may soon leave his job to start a full-time 2028 bid for the White House.

“Maurene Comey” – A federal judge has ruled that former Assistant U.S. Attorney Maurene Comey was fired illegally by the Trump Justice Department. This case is interesting for a couple of reasons. First, Comey is the daughter of former FBI Director James Comey, who was also fired by Trump. Maurene Comey was, by all accounts, an excellent prosecutor, best known for putting rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs and sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein in prison. District Judge Jesse Furman said Comey was fired despite “the highest accolades from supervisors and peers alike.” Her lawyers issued a statement saying, “This hard-earned victory belongs to Ms. Comey, to all civil servants, and to all fighting for the rule of law. This decision reaffirms our bedrock system of checks and balances: the President is not above the law.” It’s not yet known if Maurene Comey will return to her former job.

“Comey, Take 2” – Maurene Comey was not the only one in the family making headlines this week. For the third time, the Justice Department is attempting to prosecute former FBI Director James Comey. This time, federal prosecutors alleged Comey was involved in leaking classified information from a decade ago. Formal charges have not been filed, but prosecutors submitted a formal information, often the first step in an attempt to prosecute. Comey issued a video statement saying, “Well, they’re back — again. It would almost be funny if it weren’t such an appalling abuse of the Department of Justice — one that we cannot become numb to. Nothing’s changed with me; I’m still innocent, I’m still not afraid of these people — and I still believe in the independent federal judiciary.” Comey continues to be an outspoken opponent of the Trump administration and says this is just retribution.

“Cassidy Hutchinson Cleared” – In another defeat for the White House, a federal grand jury has declined to indict former Trump aide Cassidy Hutchinson. She was an assistant to former Trump Chief of Staff Mark Meadows. She testified before Congress about what went on at the White House the day of the January 6, 2021 Capitol riots. Some Republican lawmakers accused Hutchinson of lying during her testimony. Grand jurors didn’t agree. During her Congressional hearing, Hutchinson said she was not making up her recollections on January 6, saying, “It feels ridiculous, because in my heart I knew where my loyalties lied, and my loyalties lied with the truth. And I never wanted to diverge from that.” At the time of her testimony, Trump posted on social media that Hutchinson was a “total phony” and “bad news.”

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 political analysis air every Friday at 1:45 p.m. ET on the 22-station West Virginia Metro News Radio Network. www.WVMetroNews.com.

© 2026, MarkCurtisMedia