Over the course of this election, we’ve monitored key toss-up congressional races, fact-checking false claims and distortions of the facts on a host of topics. But some issues have loomed larger than others.
Common Themes in the 2026 Midterms
Issues: Jeffrey Epstein case
Alaska Senate Candidates Attempt to Link Each Other to Epstein
In Alaska’s tossup Senate race, Democrat Mary Peltola has put out a new ad misleadingly accusing Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan of casting “the deciding vote” to keep the Epstein files “hidden.” While Sullivan voted against considering an amendment to an otherwise unrelated bill that would have released the files earlier, he, like the rest of the Senate, supported a bill to make the records public.
Sorting out the Facts on Epstein Claims
The House voted nearly unanimously on Nov. 18 to force the Department of Justice to release “all unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials” related to the investigation and prosecution of Jeffrey Epstein. In the days before and after the bill passed, representatives from both parties hurled accusations against political opponents related to Epstein and the contents of some recently released documents.