SPECIAL MIDTERM ELECTION EDITION
Federal Level
Trump Names Stephen Miller White House Chief of Staff
On Friday, President Trump announced that Stephen Miller, his deputy chief of staff, will replace Susie Wiles as White House chief of staff starting Monday, November 9. CBS News described the move as the most significant change to his team since Republicans lost both chambers of Congress on Tuesday. Trump wrote on Truth Social that Wiles “has done an outstanding job” and will move to his political operation. Miller said the mission now is to “fight with all of our soul” to support the president. Rep. Robert Garcia of California, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, said Oversight Democrats will continue to investigate Miller.1
Colom Holds Narrow Lead in Mississippi Senate Count
On Friday, Democrat Scott Colom held a lead of nearly 2,500 votes over Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith as Mississippi counties kept counting ballots, according to the Associated Press. The AP said its estimate of uncounted votes fell from about 44,000 on Friday morning to roughly 30,000 by late afternoon. Secretary of State Michael Watson said 6,936 affidavit ballots had been processed, with about 80% accepted, and that roughly 3,300 mail ballots were still out, CBS News reported. Absentee ballots must arrive by November 10, and counties certify results on November 13. Mississippi does not allow candidates to request a recount.1, 2
Ron Johnson Seeks Delay in Senate GOP Leadership Vote
On Friday, Republican Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin said he wants to postpone next week’s Senate Republican leadership elections following Tuesday’s losses. In an interview on “The Takeout with Major Garrett,” Johnson said he is writing a letter to party leaders requesting the delay and that at least five Republican colleagues have signed it. He said the letter is not hostile to Majority Leader John Thune. “We don’t even know how many people are in our conference yet,” Johnson said, as the Senate races in Mississippi and Alaska remain undecided. Later Friday, President Trump said it is “up to the Republicans” whether Thune stays as leader.1
Democrat Nancy Lacore Flips Mace’s South Carolina Seat
On Friday, CBS News projected that Democrat Nancy Lacore defeated Republican Jenny Costa Honeycutt in South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District, flipping a seat held by Republican Rep. Nancy Mace. Mace, who is leaving the House, lost the Republican primary for governor earlier this year. Lacore is a former Navy admiral who was fired during Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s tenure. Her win adds to a Democratic wave in which the party has flipped more than 40 Republican House districts, according to CBS News. More than two dozen House races remained unresolved on Friday, and CBS News estimates that Democrats will hold around 256 House seats in January.1
Midterm Turnout Reaches Second-Highest Level Since 1914
On Friday, preliminary data from the University of Florida Election Lab showed that 49% of eligible Americans voted in Tuesday’s midterms, the second-highest turnout since 1914, The Washington Post reported. That figure was three percentage points higher than in 2022 and slightly below the 50% turnout of 2018. Maine, Minnesota and Michigan posted the highest rates, and all three elected Democrats to the Senate and the governor’s office. Republican pollster Daron Shaw said he expected higher turnout to help Republicans, but “it was exactly the opposite.” Analyst Tom Bonier said President Trump “was repellent to Republicans as well, so that many just chose to stay home.”3
Times Details Musk’s $474 Million Midterm Spending
On Friday, The New York Times reported that Elon Musk spent $474 million during the 2025-26 election cycle, the most in any election period by a donor who was not a candidate. More than $210 million went toward helping Republican Ken Paxton, who lost the Texas Senate race to Democrat James Talarico by 12 points. Musk also spent $12.5 million on Texas state races, where every Republican statewide candidate lost. An America PAC official told the Times that the group’s relationship with the Trump political team was strong. Reid Hoffman, a major Talarico donor, said Musk’s ability to win elections with money “has been multiply disproven.”4
State Level
Holscher Lead Holds as Kansas Governor Count Nears End
On Friday, Democratic state Sen. Cindy Holscher held a 7,046-vote lead over Republican Senate President Ty Masterson in the uncalled Kansas governor’s race, according to unofficial results. Friday was also the deadline for mail ballots postmarked by Election Day to reach county election offices. A source close to Masterson said he does not plan to pursue an additional recount and would accept the result if Holscher’s win is finalized. Mike Kuckelman, a former Kansas Republican Party chair, said the numbers look “difficult to overcome,” but he urged voters to wait for a required close-race audit in all 105 counties.5, 6
Acton Says She Will Not Speak to Vivek Ramaswamy
On Friday, Ohio Gov.-elect Amy Acton said she has “no intention” of speaking to Vivek Ramaswamy, the Republican she defeated in Tuesday’s governor’s race. In her first television interview, on “CBS Mornings,” Acton pointed to an ad Ramaswamy ran late in the campaign featuring her estranged mother, which Acton called “terrible and despicable.” In the ad, her mother called her a “liar,” though Acton had not seen her since age 12. Ramaswamy said in his concession speech that he had called Acton and left a message congratulating her. “I do believe that leaders’ words matter, and we need to hold folks accountable,” Acton said.1
Mills and Pingree Pledge a Smooth Maine Transition
On Friday, Maine Gov. Janet Mills and Governor-elect Hannah Pingree held their first joint news conference since Tuesday’s election and said their teams are working closely on the transition. Mills said she has instructed every state agency to fully cooperate with the incoming administration. Pingree, who won roughly 54% of the vote, said she will stay focused on the cost of heating oil, housing and health care. Her transition committee will be co-chaired by Maulian Bryant of the Wabanaki Alliance and Roger Katz, a former Republican state senator. A recent state report estimated a roughly $1 billion gap between expected revenue and state obligations.7
Alan Wilson Names Transition Team in South Carolina
On Friday, South Carolina Governor-elect Alan Wilson announced his transition team at a West Columbia body shop where he said he held his first job washing cars. Wilson, a Republican, defeated Democrat Jermaine Johnson by 1,050,190 votes to 959,001, according to the South Carolina Election Commission. The team includes attorneys Thad Westbrook and Randy Lowell as co-chairs, Lt. Gov.-elect Mike Reichenbach and several business leaders. “Right now, state government is broken, but we’re going to fix it,” Wilson said. Westbrook said the team has already begun preparing for the inauguration and for an agenda built on affordability and accountability.8
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Article Sources
1. CBS News, “2026 midterm election live updates as Trump announces White House shakeup,” Nov. 6, 2026.
https://www.cbsnews.com/live-updates/midterm-election-results-2026-democrats-house-senate-trump/
2. Associated Press via U.S. News & World Report, “Why It’s Still Too Early to Call the US Senate Race in Mississippi,” Nov. 6, 2026.
https://www.usnews.com/news/us/articles/2026-11-06/why-its-still-too-early-to-call-the-us-senate-race-in-mississippi
3. The Washington Post, “Historic voter turnout powered Democrats’ blue wave,” Nov. 7, 2026.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/11/07/historic-voter-turnout-powered-democrats-blue-wave/
4. The New York Times, “How Elon Musk Frittered Away Nearly $500 Million on the Midterms,” Nov. 6, 2026.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/11/06/us/politics/musk-trump-midterm-election-spending.html
5. The Wichita Eagle, “’Difficult to overcome.’ Kansas Republicans brace for stunning Holscher victory,” Nov. 6, 2026.
https://www.kansas.com/latest-news/article317963817.html
6. WIBW/KCTV, “Mail-in ballots set to arrive as Kansas governor’s race remains uncalled,” Nov. 6, 2026.
https://www.wibw.com/2026/11/06/mail-in-ballots-set-arrive-kansas-governors-race-remains-uncalled/
7. Maine Public, “Maine’s governor and governor-elect discuss plans for ‘smooth’ transition,” Nov. 6, 2026.
https://www.mainepublic.org/politics/2026-11-06/maines-governor-and-governor-elect-discuss-plans-for-smooth-transition
8. WCBD News 2, “Wilson unveils transition team after gubernatorial win, names Daniel Island attorney as co-chair,” Nov. 6, 2026.
https://www.counton2.com/news/south-carolina-news/wilson-unveils-transition-team-after-gubernatorial-win-names-daniel-island-attorney-as-co-chair/