State of the 2026 midterms with Larry Sabato and Bruce Wolpe

The US midterm elections in just a couple of weeks will be the first real test of how Trump 2.0 is playing out with voters. In the lead up to the election, USSC recorded a special discussion between Dr Larry Sabato, Director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia and USSC Non-Resident Senior Fellow Bruce Wolpe for a live event.

What are the key races to watch? How will Trump’s approval ratings impact the results? Could the polls all be wrong again?

 

Larry and Bruce discuss these questions and everything you need to know ahead of the 2026 midterms.

 

The full video with slides is available on our YouTube channel and follow Sabato’s Crystal Ball for updated predictions.

 

Subscribe to the USSC Briefing Room on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube.

 

Produced by: Elliott Brennan

Music by Dan Phillipson, licensed through PremiumBeat

What is USSC Briefing Room?

The USSC Briefing Room is a podcast from the United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney. It gives you a seat at the table for a briefing on the latest US news and foreign policy. Co-hosts Mari Koeck, Jared Mondschein and Samuel Garrett talk to experts to cover what you need to know and what's beneath the surface of the news.