The map is melting

A widening battlefield has Republicans bracing for a rough November. The party’s anxiety is no longer hidden behind closed doors.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, the state’s Republican U.S. Senate candidate, speaks during a campaign event at the Glorious Way Church on September 21, 2026, in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Antranik Tavitian/Getty Images)

At the end of September, the midterm battlefield is widening. States that have been safe for Republicans historically are drawing una…