The 2026 midterm election cycle has been full of electoral blunders by both parties. Many candidates whose scandals or extreme politics have turned easy wins into tough fights. Here are eight of the worst.
Ken Paxton, Republican for US Senate in Texas
By far the biggest self-inflicted wound of the 2026 midterms.
Even with President Donald Trump as unpopular as he is, a blue Texas shouldn't be a realistic possibility. Yet Ken Paxton, the state's attorney general – impeached over bribery allegations and acquitted, dogged for a decade by a securities fraud case dropped only after he paid restitution and accused of adultery by his wife – trails slightly in the polls.
Republicans shot themselves in the foot when they swapped Sen. John Cornyn, an ordinary Republican widely seen as the far stronger
candidate, for the scandal-ridden Paxton. Now they're spending more than twice as much as Democrats just to keep the race afloat.
Abdul El-Sayed, Democrat for US Senate in Michigan
Abdul El-Sayed is Democrats' biggest mistake.
Michigan hasn't elected a Republican senator since 1994, and in an election this favorable, the seat should have been an easy win. But Democrats passed over more moderate options for a progressive who supports Medicare for All, abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement and cutting off military aid to Israel, and who've campaigned with Twitch streamer Hasan Piker, who once said America deserved 9/11. That puts him out of step with Michigan voters.
Former Republican Rep. Mike Rogers lost the Senate seat to Elissa Slotkin by three-tenths of a point in 2024, a year Trump carried the state. In a far better year for Democrats, El-Sayed leads him just 50% to 48%.
Max Miller, Republican for US House in Ohio
Paxton may be the GOP's biggest blunder, but the allegations against Rep. Max Miller of Ohio are far more serious.
His ex-wife, Emily Moreno, the daughter of Republican Sen. Bernie Moreno, alleges in court records that he once held a gun to her head, scalded her with hot water and fractured their young daughter's collarbone. Miller denies all of it, but the House Ethics Committee is investigating whether he engaged in domestic violence or illegal drug use.
Miller stayed in the race anyway, and a congressional district Trump won by 11 percentage points is now a toss-up.
Troy Jackson, Democrat for US Senate in Maine
Troy Jackson got the Democratic Senate nomination after Graham Platner's campaign collapsed in Maine. He was supposed to bring Platner's working-class energy without the baggage. But former colleagues in the legislature have accused him of bullying and angry outbursts.
He once called Trump a "child rapist," on Facebook, and his support for abortion rights and same-sex marriage reverses positions he held earlier in his career. He's also trying to attract working-class voters with a progressive platform many of them don't support.
In a state Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris won by about 7 points, Jackson leads Republican Sen. Susan Collins just 50% to 46%.
Darializa Avila Chevalier, Democrat for US House in New York
Now that she's won the Democratic nomination, Darializa Avila Chevalier is almost certain to win New York's 13th Congressional District. That doesn't make her a good candidate.
The democratic socialist, endorsed by Mayor Zohran Mamdani, posted calls to abolish police, prisons and borders and to seize private property on a since-deleted account. She also has called Joe Biden a "rapist" and the country a "f---ing disgrace," made crude remarks about interracial relationships, mocked U.S. service members as war criminals and wrote about wiping her dirty hands on the American flag.
She now says she regrets the posts, but once she's in Congress, she'll embarrass her party and pull it further left. Democrats will be sorry for stretching their tent this far.
James Talarico, Democrat for US Senate in Texas
Texas legislator James Talarico isn't a bad candidate in the way Paxton is, and he may be the Democratic Party's best shot at winning a U.S. Senate seat in more than 30 years. But against a nominee as damaged as Paxton, he should be winning by more than a couple of points.
On the campaign trail, Talarico calls himself a "border security Democrat," yet in the Texas House he voted against border measures, and he once called ICE a "secret police" force. He accused Republicans of loving their guns more than children but now says he believes in the Second Amendment. And after claiming there are six biological sexes, he conceded there are two.
Texans have reason to wonder which Talarico they'd get.
Vivek Ramaswamy, Republican for Ohio governor
Former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy earned a late spot on this list with an October surprise that backfired.
In the race for Ohio governor, his campaign produced an ad featuring the estranged mother of his Democratic opponent, Amy Acton, calling her daughter "a liar." Acton was taken out of her mother's custody at 12, after her stepfather was charged with raping her.
Instead of raising questions about Acton, the ad has drawn rebukes from both parties, including Republican Gov. Mike DeWine, who endorsed Ramaswamy, and one top forecaster has moved the race toward Acton. Yet Ramaswamy is putting $4 million behind the ad, and Trump is defending it, handing Democrats a talking point through Election Day.
Peggy Flanagan, Democrat for US Senate in Minnesota
As Minnesota's lieutenant governor, progressive Peggy Flanagan can't escape the welfare fraud scandal that prosecutors say could total as much as $9 billion and that drove her boss, Gov. Tim Walz, to abandon his reelection bid.
Democrats would have been wise to insulate themselves by picking an outsider, or at least someone further removed from the scandal. Instead, Flanagan led Republican Michele Tafoya by a single point in a recent poll in this blue state, and the race is trending toward Tafoya.
Why do parties keep nominating candidates like these? Because primary voters pick them, and primary voters typically don't care very much about electability.
Republicans follow Trump's endorsement religiously, while Democrats answer to their progressive activist base. Party leaders can no longer stop them. Everyone else holds their nose and votes against the other side, and the parties count on it.
No wonder Americans hate politics.
Dace Potas, a law student, is an opinion columnist for USA TODAY. Follow him on X: @DacePotas
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Hold your nose: The 8 worst candidates of 2026 midterms | Opinion
