SRN NEWS

Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy (R) suggested Thursday his state’s midterm election certification process may be “stopped or changed” due to its investigation into ballot stacking allegations against Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola. NewsNation’s Blake Burman asked Dunleavy about the state’s probe into Peltola, which the governor announced earlier that day, and whether it could impact how election officials plan to certify midterm winners. “We are going to investigate it. We’re going to follow the law,” Dunleavy told Burman. “We are ready to do whatever we need to do to ensure that our elections are deemed credible.” “If we find out there’s wrongdoing, and if that means that the certification then is stopped or changed, then that’s what happens,” the governor added later in the conversation. Burman then pressed Dunleavy on whether he believes there’s a legitimate possibility Alaska may need to stop or change its election certification, to which the GOP governor responded, “Depending upon the outcomes of this investigation. Yes.” The New York Times reported Wednesday Peltola’s campaign recruited a man named Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. to run against incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan (R) in an effort to confuse voters. Peltola is challenging the GOP lawmaker in the Alaska Senate race. The former congresswoman’s campaign has denied it played a role in recruiting Sullivan Jr. But Republicans were quick to bash Peltola and called for investigations. The GOP-led House Oversight Committee announced a probe into the campaign Thursday, and the Justice Department (DOJ) expanded its existing lawsuit seeking to block certification if the senator Sullivan loses. President Trump also accused Peltola of election fraud and said she should be removed from the ballot, calling her reported actions illegal. Dunleavy was careful not to say definitively whether he thought Peltola’s campaign broke the law, emphasizing the state will investigate. “We’re going to investigate everyone and every organization associated with this,” Dunleavy said. “This strikes to the heart of election integrity. You can’t just dismiss what could be a ruse that could throw an election.” The Alaska Supreme Court ruled in late June, ahead of the state’s primaries, that Sullivan Jr. could remain on the ballot despite a previous GOP challenge. Dunleavy said Thursday he thinks the high court may have decided differently had it known about Peltola’s alleged involvement. “We did not want this individual on our ballot. It was the Supreme Court of Alaska that made that decision,” Dunleavy said. “I think now with this additional information … they probably would have arrived at a different conclusion.” Brought to you by www.srnnews.com

For younger voters, election-related corruption is less of a concern than for older generations. Four percent of Gen Zers say they’re worried about election fraud and cheating ahead of the midterms, compared with 14 percent of millennials, 21 percent of Gen Xers and 23 percent of baby boomers, per a CBS/YouGov poll. The results also show that young adults are more concerned with an “unwanted election outcome.” Seventeen percent of the age group is worried about it, compared with 13 percent of millennials and Gen Xers and 11 percent of boomers. “Generally, Gen Z does not trust D.C.,” Dakota Hall, executive director of Alliance for Youth Action (AYA), told The Hill. “Nor is trust built for them in D.C. It’s built for them down the street.” Politicians like New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D) serve as a case study into young adults’ trust in local politics. His campaigns to fix potholes and basketball courts, among other things that affect New Yorkers’ everyday lives, foster confidence in the city’s political system. Hall quoted an interview that podcaster Theo Von conducted with Mamdani. “You’re just giving people a chance to breathe,” he told the mayor. To Hall, this concept is key to young voters. Reports of corruption in Washington, including the Jeffrey Epstein files or President Trump’s inflated earnings while in office, muddy the waters for Generation Z. AYA polling from October found that corruption in the political system either tied or beat jobs and the economy as a top concern for young adults in the states it surveyed. “A lot of people view the corruption as to why they can’t get a job,” Hall said. “A lot of young people were in favor of the DOGE [Department of Government Efficiency] efforts because they thought it would even the playing field for them.” In reality, the economic conditions have worsened as the cost of living has increased. “Young people have the highest bulls‑‑‑ meter of all time, and they’re more informed than people believe them to be,” Hall said. Gen Z may not be as tuned in to legacy media as older generations, but that does not make it less informed. Young adults get news on social media, including from influencers they grow to trust. This is similar to their interest in local politics: seeing familiar faces break down what’s happening and why it’s important. Politicians are going to have to change their messaging to regain that trust, and it starts at elections. Brought to you by www.srnnews.com

The 2026 midterms have officially become the most expensive election cycle ever, with a handful of races dominating the ad spending charts. On Monday, the current cycle reached $11.21 billion in ad spending and reservations, surpassing the $11.2 billion spent during the 2024 cycle, which included $3.2 billion for just the presidential race, according to AdImpact. The firm also found that four races this year rank among the 10 most expensive nonpresidential races on record, with a fifth race this cycle not far behind. The totals below account for ad spending and future reservations through Oct. 27 and include spending in both primary and general elections. Here are five of the most expensive races this cycle: Texas Senate The U.S. Senate race in Texas has become the single most expensive nonpresidential race of all time, with $557.6 million in ad spending and future reservations as of Tuesday. Republicans have spent $269.4 million on the general election alone, while Democrats have spent $130.8 million. Ohio Senate The Ohio special Senate race crossed $500 million in ad spending and reservations this week, making this cycle the only one on record to have multiple races surpass half a billion dollars. This year’s Senate race in Ohio ranks as the third most expensive nonpresidential race of all time, falling behind the 2024 Ohio Senate race, when former Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) was unseated by Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio). California governor California’s governor’s race has drawn $349.4 million in ad spending and reservations as of Tuesday, becoming the most expensive governor’s race ever, though much of that money was spent on the crowded primary race. According to AdImpact’s Tuesday ranking, the 2026 governor’s race ranks seventh on the list of all-time most expensive nonpresidential races. Michigan Senate In eighth place on the all-time list, as of Tuesday, Michigan’s open Senate race had drawn $347.5 million in ad spending and reservations, as Democrat Abdul El-Sayed faces off against former Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) for retiring Sen. Gary Peters‘s (D-Mich.) seat. The primaries alone saw $98.2 million by July 31, a few days before the election, already more than tripling the state’s previous record for a nonpresidential primary. That made it the third most expensive Senate primary on record, according to AdImpact, behind this year’s Senate race in Texas and the 2022 Senate race in Arizona. Much of that spending went to El-Sayed’s Democratic opponent, Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.). Georgia governor The state’s 2020 special election for Senate ranked 10th in AdImpact’s tally, with $303.5 million spent on that race. But this year’s contest for governor falls not far behind, with $297 million spent as of Monday on aired ads and future reservations. That total is largely driven by the $268.5 million in GOP spending — mostly from the personal fortune of Republican nominee Rick Jackson. Much of the total spending was dished out during the primaries. By mid-June, just days before the GOP runoff, the race had already drawn more than $162 million in advertising, according to AdImpact data analyzed by the Wesleyan Media Project. Republican candidates accounted for roughly $133.6 million of that. Jackson, a healthcare executive, now faces former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms (D) in the race to succeed term-limited Gov. Brian Kemp (R). Polling shows the race in a statistical dead heat. Brought to you by www.srnnews.com

Oct 30 (Reuters) – Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Navy said on Friday that two oil tankers were involved in incidents and stopped in waters south of the Strait of Hormuz, after ignoring radio warnings and attempting to use what it described as an unauthorized route through the strategic waterway. Iran also said on Friday that it destroyed a US unmanned vessel in the eastern Strait of Hormuz. There was no immediate confirmation from the US military. (Reporting by Yasmine Ghania; Editing by Alex Richardson) Brought to you by www.srnnews.com

WASHINGTON, Oct 30 (Reuters) – US President Donald Trump, speaking ahead of November 3 midterm congressional elections, said on Friday he believed the war with Iran will end soon, but did not say how that would happen. “It’s going to get wrapped up soon,” Trump said in an interview with Kansas City radio station KCMO. “We need a guarantee there’ll never be a nuclear weapon.” Trump has said the US would not strike Iran before the elections.  (Reporting by Susan Heavey and Doina Chiacu; Editing by Michelle Nichols) Brought to you by www.srnnews.com