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
Person: Dan Sullivan
Explaining the Case of the Two Dan Sullivans on Alaska’s Ballot
In the Alaska Senate race, the candidacy of retired teacher Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. — not the incumbent Republican senator, Dan S. Sullivan — has been the subject of months of legal wrangling. But the issue took on increased national prominence this past week.
Alaska Ad Missing Context in Attacking Peltola’s Border Votes
An ad from the campaign of Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan in Alaska features a mother whose 22-year-old son died from fentanyl and who claims Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola took contributions from “liberals [who] opened our borders to the drug cartels” and then “voted with them against securing our border.” But the ad leaves out several important points of context.
Alaska Ad Criticizing Sullivan’s Votes Leaves Out Context, Makes False Suggestion
An ad from a Democratic-aligned super PAC claims Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan “voted to raise Alaskans’ healthcare costs by $1,800 and on that same day voted to give himself a $500,000 taxpayer-funded payout.” But that’s not the whole story, and the ad leaves the false impression that Sullivan received that money.
Midterm Ads Clash Over GOP Law’s Impact on Rural Healthcare
As the midterms approach, ads supporting Democrats and Republicans are making competing claims about how President Donald Trump’s signature domestic policy law will impact rural healthcare.
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.
Alaska Senate Race Ads Mislead on Peltola’s Votes on Military Pay Raise
Ads in the Alaska Senate race are trading competing claims about former Rep. Mary Peltola’s votes on military pay raises.
FactChecking the Alaska Senate Race
Sen. Mark Begich has portrayed his Republican opponent, Dan Sullivan, as soft on sex offenders and tough on women’s rights. Sullivan has accused the Democrat of hurting taxpayers and ignoring veterans. Both candidates and their allies have twisted the facts.
Begich’s Bogus Tax Boast
Sen. Mark Begich makes the bogus claim in two ads that he “voted against President Obama’s trillion-dollar tax increase.” He voted against a GOP resolution that set forth Obama’s spending levels for fiscal year 2013 but without the president’s policy language.
Midterm Medicare Mudslinging
Democrats, Republicans spend nearly $50 million on TV ads that repeat old, scary Medicare claims.