Iowa races are among 18 shifting in Democrats’ favor, Cook says
Source: By Kim Chipman, Agri-Pulse • Posted: Monday, October 12, 2026
Battleground districts in Iowa, Michigan and North Carolina are among a whopping 18 U.S. House races shifting in favor of Democrats, a top election forecaster says. As of Friday, Democrats are seen picking up nine to 19 congressional seats in next month’s elections, giving the party a majority in the U.S. House of Representatives with 224 to 234 seats, according to new analysis from the nonpartisan Cook Political Report with Amy Walter. Republicans currently lead the House with 218 members versus 214 Democrats, one independent and two vacancies. The fight to control Congress led to more than $1 billion in political advertising last month, making it the largest September of the past three election cycles, according to AdImpact, a platform that monitors political ads. Republicans made up 60% of that spending. Of $1.1 billion in ads booked for this month and November, the GOP accounts for about 56%, the ad tracker said.