Midterm campaigns push cross-party endorsements as polls tighten

Cobb County residents following the national midterm elections are seeing a surge in cross-party endorsements from candidates in key states. In Alaska, Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski endorsed Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins on Tuesday. This move adds to a trend in recent weeks where Democratic campaigns have emphasized support from Republican officials and voters.

In Kansas, former Republican governors Bill Graves and Mike Hayden announced their backing for Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Adam Hamilton. Graves made his endorsement in September, while Hayden announced his support in October. In Texas, the campaign for Democratic U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico stated that more than two dozen former GOP officials have now endorsed him.

Kel Seliger, a former GOP state senator, joined the list of Talarico supporters this week. He chose to back Talarico over Republican candidate Ken Paxton, the current Attorney General. Seliger explained that he has served with both men and does not view Talarico as a "wild-eyed socialist." He said he believes Talarico will be honest, frank, and direct, acting in the best interest of Texas rather than for Elon Musk.

Republican Party officials also expect to benefit from voters crossing party lines. Natalie Baldassarre, the national press secretary for the Republican National Committee, pointed to races in Michigan and Texas. She cited the contest between Mike Rogers and Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan, and the race between Ken Paxton and James Talarico in Texas. Baldassarre also mentioned the coalition known as "Democrats for Mike Rogers."

Joshua Blank, the research director for the Texas Politics Project, noted that while candidates promote this bipartisan support, the actual effect on election outcomes is usually small. He stated that they are not seeing large groups of Republicans voting for Democrats or vice versa. Instead, these are idiosyncratic behaviors occurring among a small share of the electorate. Blank added that if the elections are close, this support could be the deciding factor.

Recent polling indicates that several midterm races have become increasingly tight. In some cases, the candidates are statistically tied. As the election season enters its final days, both parties are leveraging these endorsements to court undecided voters in competitive districts.