Election 2026 live updates: Americans cast their votes

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis urged Republicans not to dismiss voters' concerns surrounding rising costs affected by the war in Iran.

In an interview with Stephen A. Smith, DeSantis said some Republicans are "gaslighting" Americans by not being honest that the war is leading to higher prices.

"We have some of our voters who've checked out because they're like 'I didn't want any more Middle East wars' and now we're doing it," DeSantis said.

"[W]e just got to be honest. Gas is higher. It hurts people, working-class people, and it's higher because of this conflict," DeSantis further said. "That's just a fact. If you can't admit that to voters, then you're gaslighting them, and they're not going to listen to you on other things."

-ABC News' Hannah Demissie and Victor Oquendo

Both of New Hampshire’s candidates for U.S. Senate voted on Tuesday in the Granite State, then spoke to reporters about some of their closing arguments in the race for a Democratic-held seat that Democrats feel they must hold.

Republican candidate and former Sen. John Sununu, after voting in Rye, New Hampshire, emphasized that he’d be willing to take on President Donald Trump.

“And if you want someone who's going to stand up to their party or the president when they're wrong, that's exactly the way I've led before in the Senate… it's the New Hampshire way to be strong and independent, and that's the kind of a senator I'll be, someone who just focuses on standing up for the people of New Hampshire every single day," Sununu said.

Meanwhile, Democratic candidate and state Rep. Chris Pappas, after voting in Manchester on Tuesday, told reporters, “Today should be about how we restore the purpose of American democracy and get back to working on the issues that people care about.”

Pappas also emphasized what he framed as the stakes of the race.

“This is going to be determinative of whether we can turn the page from this era and restore checks and balances in Washington, or whether we're going to go down the same path that just isn't working out well for people and is raising costs. So I think people are going to choose change," Pappas said.

-ABC News’ Oren Oppenheim

The Justice Department in recent days has continued moving at an aggressive clip in ramping up its criminal investigation into the Alaska U.S. Senate race, sources familiar with the matter tell ABC News, with prosecutors now in the process of issuing more than 100 subpoenas and at least twenty letters alerting individuals that they are targets of the probe.

The investigation began accelerating last week after The New York Times detailed alleged efforts by Democrats and some in Democratic candidate Mary Peltola's campaign to recruit Daniel J. Sullivan, a retired teacher, to be on the ballot with incumbent Republican Dan S. Sullivan.

The target letters are being issued to Democrats whom investigators believe were involved in the recruitment effort.

A DOJ spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment from ABC News.

-ABC News' Pierre Thomas, Alexander Mallin, Luke Barr and Katherine Faulders

Democratic Senate candidate Troy Jackson attended a canvass launch in Portland, Maine, telling supporters that Tuesday's election is not just about the Senate, but is about the people of Maine.

“I mean, you all know it, and I talk about this all the time. You know, I always enjoy the team sports, and this is the ultimate team sport right now, and so this is not, you know, about U.S. Senate. This is about all of us in this race,” Jackson said.

“We are going to be able to do some really great things if we pull this off in these next seven-and-a-half hours,” he said.

Jackson was asked if he’s nervous about how he will perform in some of the counties that voted Democratic for the presidential race and Republican in the Senate race, as seen in the 2020 election, which saw former President Joe Biden win Maine but also saw GOP Sen. Susan Collins win reelection.

“Well, as far as nervous goes, I mean, I don't know how many elections I've been in, but I was nervous in every one of them, and one of them I was unopposed. If you're going to do this work, you should be nervous. I mean … it should matter to you that you know people are giving you, trusting you with your vote,” Jackson said.

-ABC News’ Hannah Demissie