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Sabato invokes 1974 as Planet America surveys the Senate map

ABC's election preview looks beyond Michigan's endorsement rupture to competitive contests in Iowa and Kansas, with Larry Sabato flagging South Carolina.

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ABC News In-depth Story of November 3, 2026Trari Newsroom

Why this story? One of ABC News In-depth's most watched videos since yesterday, with 125,361 views.

Have Democrats been tripped by a “despicable betrayal” Michigan? | Planet America

Things we can learn from the video

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1:06The Georgia preview presents Jon Ossoff's polling lead and campaign attacks on Republican challenger Mike Collins.
3:19Michigan's contest is complicated by Haley Stevens endorsing Republican Mike Rogers rather than Democrat Abdul El-Sayed.
14:50Alaska's preview examines Mary Peltola's challenge and the ballot controversy involving two candidates named Dan Sullivan.
17:45The hosts present polling showing Democrat James Talarico ahead of Republican Ken Paxton in Texas.
21:55Kansas polling puts Democratic minister Adam Hamilton ahead of Republican Senator Roger Marshall.
27:06Larry Sabato compares the political climate with the post-Watergate midterms; he flags South Carolina at 28:03.

Kansas and Iowa receive close attention in Planet America's final midterm preview, as John Barron and Chas Licciardello examine how far Democrats' polling strength might extend into Republican territory.

The ABC News In-depth broadcast has drawn about 125,000 views since yesterday. Alongside its coverage of Haley Stevens endorsing Republican Mike Rogers in Michigan, it adds a state-by-state assessment and an interview with University of Virginia political scientist Larry Sabato.

In Kansas, the programme presents polling that puts Democratic minister Adam Hamilton ahead of Republican Senator Roger Marshall. In Iowa, its polling graphics show a close Senate contest between Democrat Josh Turek and Republican Ashley Hinson, alongside a clearer advantage for Democrat Rob Sand in the governor's race. These are pre-election leads, not results.

Sabato reaches back to the post-Watergate midterms of 1974 to describe the political climate. His comparison rests on his assessment of Donald Trump's deep unpopularity, rather than a prediction that every competitive contest will fall the same way.

He also directs attention to a less widely discussed possibility: Annie Andrews' challenge to the Republican Senate seat in South Carolina. "Nobody believes it, but South Carolina is actually in the mix," he says.

Michigan remains a central concern. The hosts show Stevens backing Rogers after losing the Democratic nomination to Abdul El-Sayed, before asking Sabato about the consequences. But the programme's broader question is where national dissatisfaction might translate into Senate seats, with Texas, Georgia, Maine, Ohio and Alaska also examined.

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