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Midterm elections live updates: Trump cancels weekend rallies in Iowa and Kansas

The Senate and governor races are competitive in both states.

The high-stakes midterm elections are less than a week away, and candidates are making their final pitches to voters.

There are several key House and Senate races that could determine the balance of power in Congress as well as significant races for governor around the country. The elections could ultimately determine how effective President Donald Trump's agenda is in the back half of his second term.

6:50 PM EDT

Ramaswamy says controversial Acton ad has ‘ran to completion’

Ohio Republican governor candidate Vivek Ramaswamy indicated Thursday that his controversial campaign ad featuring his Democratic opponent Amy Acton's estranged mother calling her a liar is no longer running, saying it had "ran to completion."

"It ran to completion, and we've put up four other ads," Ramaswamy told reporters. "But what I will say is, for all of the discussion around thirty-second ads, I would love, even for this final close, for this campaign to really be about policy, about are we going to do to fight for Ohioans."

Ohio Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy speaks during the Darke County Republican Party Hog Roast on October 18, 2026 in Greenville, Ohio.
Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

The ad drew bipartisan backlash after its release. Acton says her mother stood by the man who was criminally charged with sexually abusing her as a child. Acton said she hasn't seen her mother since she was 12 years old.

In a statement, Acton's campaign said, "Vivek Ramaswamy should never have run his despicable ad in the first place, and it's totally unsurprising that he took it off the air in the most cowardly way possible, without even the hint of an apology to Dr. Acton, her family, or to the people of Ohio."

-ABC News' Catherine Bouvet, Oren Oppenheim and Diana Paulsen

4:43 PM EDT

Ahead of midterms, backlash grows over soaring electricity bills

With less than one week to go before the midterm elections, soaring electricity bills have become a hot topic on the campaign trail.

Over the past year, residential electricity costs have spiked approximately 5% nationwide, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

An ABC News analysis found that in the top 10 states where electric bills have increased the most, five are home to competitive races for the U.S. Senate.

Read more.

-ABC News' Elizabeth Schulze

4:12 PM EDT

Sen. Dan Sullivan blasts Democrats over alleged 'fake Dan Sullivan' plan in Alaska Senate race

On Fox News on Thursday, incumbent GOP Sen. Dan Sullivan joined by phone and continued to blast Democrats' alleged efforts to recruit another Dan Sullivan in Alaska’s Senate race, hoping to boost Democrat Mary Peltola, as The New York Times reported.

Sen. Sullivan claimed Peltola's campaign ran a "secret operation to put a fake Dan Sullivan on the ballot with the primary purpose, the only purpose, to trick Alaskans."

PHOTO: Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, talks to reporters with Vice President JD Vance at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Oct. 6, 2026, in Anchorage.
Sen. Dan Sullivan talks to reporters at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Oct. 6, 2026, in Anchorage.
Jacquelyn Martin/AP

Alaska's Supreme Court had previously affirmed that Dan J. Sullivan's candidacy was legal -- even if it was not entirely in "good faith" or an attempt to "confuse and mislead" voters as the Trump administration and Republicans contend.

When asked about the legality of the situation, the Republican senator focused on the judgement and character of the Democrats allegedly involved.

"Their first action, literally a year and a half ago, was let's figure out a way to trick Alaskans into throwing away their vote, which they did," Sen. Sullivan said, adding "this goes to character; it goes to judgment; it goes to integrity, and of course, Alaskans care about all of those things."

-ABC News' Hannah Demissie

3:54 PM EDT

Trump rallies voters in South Carolina five days out from midterms

President Donald Trump rallied voters in South Carolina on Thursday -- just five days out from the critical midterm elections that will decide control of Congress and the future of his administration’s agenda.

The president largely stuck to his usual stump speech during the rally, his 25th since the start of this month, encouraging voters to give Republicans control of Congress in return for $5,000 checks while dishing out vicious personal attacks against Democrats both inside and outside of the state.

President Donald Trump arrives to speak during a campaign rally, Oct. 29, 2026, in Rock Hill, S.C.
Scott Kinser/AP Photo

At multiple points, the president appeared to acknowledge that -- in spite of his assurances to voters -- Republican victories on Tuesday are not a foregone conclusion, even in red states.

As he made mention of South Carolina Sen. Darelene Graham’s race, Trump noted that you "you never know" what could happen in politics and later, when discussing the Texas Senate contest, warned "we got to be careful," and "hopefully" the race is “going to be OK."

Sen. Darline Graham attends a campaign rally in Rock Hill, S.C., Oct. 29, 2026.
Scott Kinser/AP Photo

-ABC News' Emily Chang, Isabella Murray and Nicholas Kerr

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