Midterm Campaigns Chase Cross-Party Endorsements as Races Tighten

With the November midterm elections approaching, candidates in multiple states are emphasizing endorsements from officials and voters of the opposing party. Campaigns are using these cross-party signals to argue their appeal extends beyond their base. However, political scientists caution that such support may not significantly alter final results unless races are extremely close.

In Alaska, Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski endorsed Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins on Tuesday. This endorsement joins a trend of GOP figures supporting Democratic candidates in other states. In Kansas, former Republican governors Bill Graves and Mike Hayden announced their backing for Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Adam Hamilton in September and October, respectively.

Texas Senate candidate James Talarico’s campaign reported that more than two dozen former GOP officials have endorsed him. This week, former state senator Kel Seliger added his name to the list. Seliger chose Talarico over Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton, citing a preference for directness and honesty.

“James Talarico is not some wild-eyed socialist and he may believe in a lot of things that Democratic Party believes in that I don’t,” Seliger said. “But I think he’s going to be honest. And I think he’s going to be frank and direct. I think that the things that he does are going to be what is best for Texas. Not what’s best for Elon Musk.”

Republican Party officials also expect crossover voting to influence outcomes. Natalie Baldassarre, national press secretary for the RNC, pointed to races in Michigan and Texas as examples where cross-party appeal is visible. She specifically cited the “Democrats for Mike Rogers” coalition in Michigan, where Mike Rogers is running against Abdul El-Sayed.

Joshua Blank, Research Director of the Texas Politics Project, noted that cross-party voting usually involves a small share of the electorate. He described these behaviors as idiosyncratic rather than a large-scale shift. “We’re not talking about a large group of Republicans crossing party lines to vote for Democrats, or a large group of Democrats possibly crossing party lines to vote for Republicans,” Blank said.

Blank added that these voters could be decisive if elections are close. Recent polling indicates that several midterm races have become statistically tied, making the influence of split-ticket voters potentially important in final tallies.