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2026 midterm elections fact-checks: Nixon and Sanders in FL, Vance holds CBS town hall in MI

2026 Midterms Elections National
Woman voting in presidential elections 2024
A voter works on her ballot at a polling place at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library on Election Day, Nov. 5, 2024, in Simi Valley, Calif. (AP)
By PolitiFact Staff
October 17, 2026

PolitiFact is fact-checking multiple competitive 2026 midterm election races across the United States. Follow this live blog for our latest fact-checks and updates.

To suggest a claim for us to fact-check, email truthometer@politifact.com. 


Our Sources

See links in live blog.

Browse the Truth-O-Meter

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stated on December 8, 2021 in an interview with Hugh Hewitt:
Gas prices were “$1.86 when I left” the White House.
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stated on September 5, 2017 in a tweet:
Rescinding the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program “will harm our economy.”
True
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Bloggers
stated on March 2, 2017 in a headline:
“Doctors who discovered cancer enzymes in vaccines all found murdered.”
Pants on Fire!
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David Menchetti
stated on November 28, 2016 in testimony before the Illinois House Labor and Commerce Committee:
“The causation standard in Indiana is exactly the same as it is in Illinois.”
True
By PolitiFact Staff • December 19, 2016
Kasim Reed
stated on September 16, 2016 in a White House press conference:
“If you look at any real analysis,” the Trans-Pacific Partnership is “going to generate better-paying jobs that are more stable.”
Half-True
By PolitiFact Staff • September 30, 2016
Kasim Reed
stated on November 17, 2015 in press release:
While the smoking rate nationally has fallen, more than 18 percent of Georgians still light up.  
Mostly True
By PolitiFact Staff • November 30, 2015
NextGen Climate Action Committee
stated on August 8, 2014 in a campaign ad:
Says Rick Scott “is letting Duke (Energy) keep collecting billions” despite troubled power plants.
Half-True
By PolitiFact Staff • August 13, 2014
Georgia Department of Transportation
stated on July 19, 2011 in a press release:
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False
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Republican National Committee
stated on June 5, 2008 in in a news release:
Obama couldn’t have afforded his home without Rezko’s help.
False
By PolitiFact Staff • June 17, 2008

2026 midterm elections fact-checks: Nixon and Sanders in FL, Vance holds CBS town hall in MI

Clear
Social Media
stated on October 12, 2026 in an image:
If an election worker writes anything on your ballot before you put it in the voting machine, “your ballot could be disqualified.”
False
By Paul Specht • October 16, 2026
Mike Collins
stated on October 13, 2026 in in a debate:
U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff is “all for abortion up until and past birth.”
False
By Maria Briceño • October 16, 2026
Social Media
stated on October 11, 2026 in publicaciones en redes sociales:
Una grabación de audio es prueba de que James Talarico fue dado de alta de un “hospital psiquiátrico” el 10 de octubre.
Pants on Fire!
By Loreben Tuquero • October 16, 2026
Senate Leadership Fund
stated on October 1, 2026 in an ad:
New Hampshire U.S. Senate candidate Chris Pappas “lied about dating an Amazon lobbyist, then voted on bills Amazon lobbied on.”
Mostly False
By Louis Jacobson • October 15, 2026
Senate Leadership Fund
stated on September 28, 2026 in an ad:
“Sherrod Brown supports sex changes for minors. Irreversible surgery on kids. Like me,” Soren Aldaco.
Pants on Fire!
By Loreben Tuquero • October 14, 2026
Mariannette Miller-Meeks
stated on October 2, 2026 in a Facebook post:
“I don’t own a single individual stock.”
True
By Evan Watson • October 14, 2026
Donald Trump
stated on October 2, 2026 in a rally in Alabama:
James Talarico is “a vegan” and “what they don’t show you is that, after every barbecue … he throws up.”
Pants on Fire!
By Amy Sherman, Caleb McCullough • October 13, 2026
X posts
stated on October 11, 2026 in posts:
Audio recording is proof James Talarico was discharged from a “mental hospital” on Oct. 10.
Pants on Fire!
By Loreben Tuquero • October 12, 2026
Amy Acton
stated on September 21, 2026 in a campaign ad:
Vivek Ramaswamy “pushed an Alzheimer’s drug that he knew didn’t work. He made hundreds of millions of dollars scamming people.”
Mostly False
By Cami Henry-Seymore • October 12, 2026
James Talarico
stated on October 6, 2026 in an ad:
Texas Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton voted “to protect puppy abusers.”
Mostly False
By Caleb McCullough • October 12, 2026
Sherrod Brown
stated on September 18, 2026 in an ad:
Sen. Jon Husted voted “to kick 490,000 Ohioans off their healthcare.”
Half-True
By Louis Jacobson • October 9, 2026
Angie Nixon
stated on October 4, 2026 in an Oct. 4 CBS Miami interview:
President Donald Trump has deported “over 13,000 Cubans since he has been in office, his first term and his second term.”
Mostly True
By Maria Briceño • October 9, 2026
Phil Berger
stated on October 7, 2026 in comments:
Suspending North Carolina’s gas tax
Full Flop
By Paul Specht • October 7, 2026
Zach Nunn
stated on September 8, 2026 in a social media post:
“We have cut the largest taxes in U.S. history.”
Mostly False
By Isabella Tisdale • October 7, 2026
Senate Leadership Fund
stated on September 22, 2026 in an ad:
Iowa U.S. Senate Democratic candidate Josh Turek “supports amnesty for illegals.”
Half-True
By Caleb McCullough • October 7, 2026
Markwayne Mullin
stated on October 1, 2026 in a speech at a rally in Oklahoma:
For President Donald Trump, “there’s no financial gain like the past presidents have had. It’s cost him to be in office.”
Pants on Fire!
By Louis Jacobson • October 5, 2026
Donald Trump
stated on October 4, 2026 in a Truth Social post:
Brazil’s quick election results are proof that places like Detroit, Philadelphia and California “take weeks to rig” their elections.
Pants on Fire!
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Donald Trump
stated on September 21, 2026 in an X post:
Roy Cooper was “in New York speaking at a New York Times ‘Climate Forward’ event” when Hurricane “Helene slammed into North Carolina.”
False
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WinSenate
stated on September 25, 2026 in an ad:
Iowa Republican Senate candidate Rep. Ashley Hinson voted against releasing the Jeffrey Epstein files.
Mostly False
By Loreben Tuquero • October 2, 2026
Donald Trump
stated on October 1, 2026 in a Truth Social post:
“I stated, numerous times, that it would take 4-6 weeks to get rid of THE IRAN NUCLEAR THREAT, and I did it in one night!”
False
By Amy Sherman, Maria Briceño • October 2, 2026
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