2022 midterm election: Republicans, Democrats fight for control of House of Representatives, Senate

US President Joe Biden speaks alongside Tina Kotek (R), the Democratic nominee for governor of Oregon, during an Oregon Democrats grassroots phone banking event at SEIU Local 49 in Portland, Oregon, October 14, 2022. (SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)

Oregon's Democratic gubernatorial nominee, Tina Kotek, appears to be responding to the building momentum for Republican candidate Christine Drazan in their heated race by turning on her own party and launching attack's on the state's current Democratic governor, Kate Brown.

Kotek's attacks on Brown, while mild, have come in the final weeks of campaigning as polling has shown Drazan running neck-and-neck with the former Democratic Speaker of Oregon's state house and well ahead of independent candidate, and former Democrat, Betsy Johnson in the traditionally deep-blue state.

Oregon has not elected a Republican governor since the early 1980s.

In an ad released earlier this month titled "Liar," Kotek sought to tie Brown and Drazan together on failing to deal with the homeless crisis plaguing the state, claiming she was the only one of the three who called for action to be taken.

Read the full story here.

Fetterman, left, and Oz face off in the Pennsylvania Senate debate on Oct. 25, 2022. (NewsNation)

Questions are swirling over whether Democratic Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman's Senate campaign can recover following his unsteady debate performance against Republican nominee Dr. Mehmet Oz on Tuesday, with Democratic strategists divided over the issue.

Many critics said Fetterman's health hindered him during the debate, citing his stammered speech and seeming inability to complete certain thoughts throughout the event, while some referred to his performance as an all-out "disaster."

The Democrat began the debate noting his continued recovery from a stroke he suffered earlier in the year, as well as the criticism from the Oz campaign concerning his health, and admitted that he would likely "miss some words" or "mush two words together" throughout the debate.

Read the full story here.

PITTSBURGH – Lt. Gov. John Fetterman and Dr. Mehmet Oz are locked in a tight race for U.S. Senate, but voters in Pittsburgh told Fox News one thing was clear: Oz won Tuesday night's debate.

"Clearly, Mehmet Oz displayed a lot more public speaking skills," Jon said.

Oz, a Republican, and Fetterman, a Democrat, addressed a wide range of issues during their first and only debate, including fracking, abortion and crime.

Read more from Fox News' Hannah Ray Lambert, Jon Michael Raasch and Ramiro Vargas here:  Fetterman's 'scary' performance rattles voters: Pennsylvania reacts to Oz v. Fetterman debate

Democratic Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock. (Brandon Gillespie)

Democrat Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., is silent after a resurfaced 2016 clip shows him demanding that those who supported former President Donald Trump in his 2016 presidential run need to "repent" for their "worship of Whiteness."

"If it is true that a man who has dominated the news and poisoned the discussion for months needs to repent, then it is doubly true that a nation that can produce such a man and make his vitriol go viral needs to repent," Warnock reportedly said during a speech filmed prior to the 2016 presidential election.

"No matter what happens next month, more than a third of the nation that would go along with this, is reason to be afraid. America needs to repent for its worship of Whiteness, on full display this season," Warnock said.

The Congressional Leadership Fund announced Wednesday that two weeks before November's midterm elections they are pumping $11 million in new ad buys in more than a dozen congressional districts across the country.

The super PAC, which is linked to Republican House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, is going after 16 districts in all with the new ads. Seven of those districts are ones that President Biden won by double digits in the 2020 election that are now shaping up to be close races.

"CLF continues to raise record sums which has allowed us press our advantage deeper into the map and forced Democrats into tough decisions," CLF President Dan Conston said in a statement. "Republicans are in a great position to win the majority and we’ll continue making the investments we need in the final stretch.

"The super PAC said this big final push before Election Day comes as Democrats are cutting advertising spending in districts Biden won. 

Read more from Fox News' Ronn Blitzer: GOP super PAC pouring another $11 million into tight House races including districts Biden easily won in 2020

Arizona Secretary of State and Democratic gubernatorial nominee Katie Hobbs is backed by a far-left advocacy group that wants to defund police and abolish border patrol and recently campaigned alongside them.

Hobbs, who is locked in a tight race with Republican opponent Kari Lake, attended a campaign rally this past weekend alongside Living United for Change in Arizona (LUCHA), a progressive group that works on wage and immigration issues.

In her quest to become Arizona's governor, Hobbs landed an endorsement from LUCHA, which has repeatedly called for defunding police and abolishing U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Read more from Fox News' Joe Schoffstall here: Arizona's Katie Hobbs backed by group that wants to defund police, abolish border protection

Pennsylvania Democratic Senate candidate John Fetterman particpates in a debate with his GOP challenger Dr. Mehmet Oz on Oct. 25 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. (NewsNation)

Pennsylvania Democratic Senate candidate John Fetterman's performance Tuesday evening against his GOP challenger has led one of the top political debate coaches to conclude that Fetterman "is not ready to serve" and lacks the "minimal skill necessary to serve in the U.S. Senate."

Throughout the debate, the first and only one between Fetterman and Pennsylvania Republican nominee Mehmet Oz before Election Day, the candidates sparred over issues like crime, the economy, abortion and fracking.

Brett O'Donnell, the president of O’Donnell & Associates who has served as a leading political debate coach for numerous candidates, told Fox News Digital in a statement that the conversation between the two candidates "was not a demonstration of a healthy debate."

"Fetterman is unfit to serve because he can’t defend his policy positions, can’t articulate them, and would be a poor representative for Pennsylvania given his condition," O'Donnell said. "Pennsylvanians should ask if this is the kind of representation that they want in the U.S. Senate, and they should also ask what is best for Fetterman. Shouldn’t he be allowed to recover without the pressures of being a U.S. Senator? It is clear he is not ready to serve."

Read more: Top political debate coach says Fetterman's performance against Oz shows he is 'not ready to serve'

EXCLUSIVE: The Air Force has taken responsibility for the release of an Indiana Republican House candidate's confidential personnel records that contained details about her sexual assault, according to two GOP congressmen from the Hoosier State.

In a joint statement that was first shared with Fox News Digital, Indiana GOP Rep. Jim Banks, who serves on the House Armed Services Committee, and Indiana GOP Rep. Larry Bucshon, described a discussion they had with Air Force Inspector General Lt. Gen. Stephen Davis about the Air Force Personnel Center’s release of Indiana 1st Congressional District candidate Air Force Lt. Col. Jennifer-Ruth Green’s confidential personnel records.

Jennifer-Ruth Green, Republican candidate to represent Indiana's First Congressional District. (Jennifer-Ruth Green campaign)

"On yesterday's call, the Air Force took full responsibility for improperly releasing Lt. Col. Green’s confidential personnel records to an opposition research firm just weeks before the midterm election. Lt. Gen. Davis informed us that the leaker has been identified and will be held accountable."

The congressmen also stated that there is an investigation underway to determine "whether the leaker had a political or financial motive" or had an accomplice in the release of Green's records.

"The Air Force completed its preliminary investigation and is currently investigating whether the leaker had a political or financial motive, whether the leaker acted alone, and if the Air Force needs to strengthen policies related to its handling of confidential records," the congressmen said.

Reade more: Air Force takes 'full responsibility' for Jennifer-Ruth Green sexual assault leak, GOP congressmen say

Charlie Crist

The Florida governor's race is beginning to look like a "blowout," and the U.S. Senate race is barely any closer, according to new polling from the University of North Florida.

Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis has the support of 55% of registered voters, with Democratic challenger Charlie Crist at 41%, according to a UNF Public Opinion Research Lab (PORL) poll.

Approximately 4% of those surveyed did not have a preference or refused to answer, while less than 1% of those polled planned to vote for a third party.

Read more from Fox News' Tim Nerozzi: Florida poll shows DeSantis, Rubio with double-digit leads over Crist, Demings

The campaign of John Fetterman, the Democratic nominee for Pennsylvania Senate, blamed some debate fumbles on technical issues, but the organizer of the event is hitting back.

"We are thrilled with John’s performance," Fetterman campaign spokesman Joe Calvello said following the debate with GOP nominee Mehmet Oz. "He did remarkably well tonight – especially when you consider that he’s still recovering from a stroke and was working off of delayed captions filled with errors. John won countless exchanges, counter-punched aggressively, and pushed back on Oz’s cruelty and attacks."

Nexstar, the debate organizer, rebuked the allegations from the Fetterman campaign, saying in a statement the Democrat did not utilize all the opportunities he was given to practice before Tuesday night.

"It is unfortunate that Mr. Fetterman is now criticizing the closed captioning process employed by Nexstar during tonight’s debate," Nexstar communications chief Gary Weitman said in a statement. 

"Both candidates agreed to the technical set-up for the closed captioning process weeks ago, which was implemented at the request of the Fetterman campaign. Both candidates were offered the opportunity for two full rehearsals with the same equipment used in tonight’s debate; Mr. Fetterman chose to do only one."

Read more from Fox News' Landon Mion: Nexstar refutes Fetterman campaign's claims that closed captioning was 'filled with errors'