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Midterms Nearly a Week Away, Trump, Obama Pitch In to Lure Voters; Lula Wins Presidential Runoff, Bolsonaro's Son Disappointed by Results; Serbian Opposition Celebrates Victory After Longtime President Concedes Defeat. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired October 26, 2026 - 03:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[03:00:00]

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IVAN WATSON, CNN ANCHOR AND SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hello and welcome, I'm Ivan Watson in Hong Kong, ahead here on CNN Newsroom.

Donald Trump and Barack Obama make their last minute pitch to voters in the sweet state of Michigan, with the midterm elections just over a week away.

In the major setback to Brazil's right-wing populist movement, the country's incumbent president winning a historic runoff. But his opponent is rejecting the results.

And a youth-led movement forces Serbia's long-serving leader to concede defeat.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Live from Hong Kong, this is "CNN Newsroom" with Ivan Watson.

WATSON: All right, there are just eight days left until the U.S. midterm elections, and both Democrats and Republicans are relying on heavy-hitters to try and tip the scales in their favor before next week.

Last week, former President Barack Obama and President Donald Trump made stops in Michigan over the weekend, with President Trump taking aim at Democratic Senate nominee Abdel El-Sayed. Republicans have consistently targeted El-Sayed's Muslim faith, and the President furthered those comments with more unfounded claims on Sunday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: They'll destroy our country, but we had a dark age, and now we have the golden age of America.

We don't want to see a jihadist senator. We don't want to see a member of the Muslim Brotherhood in our Senate. And we want somebody very capable, and I think Mike Rogers would do a great job, he's going to be a great senator. (END VIDEO CLIP)

WATSON: CNN's Jeff Zeleny has more details on what each party is focusing on as the clock ticks down to November 3rd.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEFF ZELENY, CNN U.S. NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: So, as the final full week of campaigning begins and the midterm elections, there's no doubt the Midwest, the middle of the country, really holds all the cards for the Senate to majority.

Look at some of these states that are really in play here, from Iowa to Kansas to Ohio to Michigan. Both the former president and the current president were campaigning throughout the weekend in Michigan, really trying to drive home the point of the importance of the Michigan race.

But as we've been traveling across the Midwest and these states in recent weeks and months, it is clear that the economy, the ag sector, is front and center in so many of the conversations. It is what is really giving Democrats an opportunity here in these Midwestern states. But on election night, which is down just eight days away, the focus on these red states is going to be so interesting.

I mean, Democrats, of course, need to net four seats and hold on to their existing ones. Of course, Michigan is central to that. But the farm economy, the manufacturing sector, really is hanging over all those diesel prices as well.

That's why on election night, the Midwestern part of the country may hold the answer to if Democrats win control of the House and the Senate and pick up key governor's races as well.

Jeff Zeleny, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WATSON: All right, joining me now is Natasha Lindstaedt, a professor of government at the University of Essex. Thank you very much for joining me, I believe you're live in Colchester right now.

The U.S. midterm elections are a referendum, you could argue, on the president. And the polls show that Trump is historically unpopular. So what does that mean now that we're just eight days out from these midterm elections?

NATASHA LINDSTAEDT, PROFESSOR OF GOVERNMENT, UNIVERSITY OF ESSEX: Well, you're right. I mean, the polls are showing, and we can look to a recent "New York Times" poll, showing that he only has a 34 percent approval rating, which is historically low. And then the last time it was that low was in 1946 with Harry Truman.

And we saw that in the 2018 midterms during Trump's first term, he was also struggling with low approval ratings, slightly better than today. And there was a huge blue wave. There were 41 seats that were picked up in the House, though the Republicans were able to retain the Senate.

Now, the projections are looking a little bit less optimistic for the Democrats this midterms. They're likely to pick up, if the polls are correct, somewhere between 20 to 25 seats in the House. And it's really a toss-up in the Senate here.

But we're seeing that overall the Democrats are polling better, with an 11-point difference over the Republicans, just because Donald Trump is so unpopular.

[03:05:01]

And I want to point to a political poll that's showing that 48 percent of Democrats are motivated to vote just because they don't like Donald Trump, compared to 38 percent of Republicans that are motivated to vote to support Donald Trump and his policies. So a lot of people are motivated because they just don't like Donald Trump. They feel like he's not listening to their needs, and he's really struggled to deal with the economy and cost-of-living issues.

WATSON: Right, so we see that this President is historically unpopular, and yet the Republicans enjoy this huge financial advantage, and they've also engaged in this unprecedented off-calendar gerrymandering of districts. And we have to point out that the Democrats right now don't exactly have sky-high favorability ratings. So would that potentially be enough to help Republicans hold on to many of these congressional seats?

LINDSTAEDT: So this is a really good question. And there was concern from the Democrats, of course, that the gerrymandered districts were going to greatly benefit the Republicans and help Trump and his Republican Party retain control over the House.

But we're seeing the polling is showing otherwise. But the Democrats definitely have a bit of an uphill battle in some ways. I mean, part of the issue is that they just are struggling with the Democratic brand.

According to that "New York Times" poll, only 28 percent of Americans approve of the Democrats. So in terms of the way people feel about the party, it's not particularly great. But there are a lot of Democratic candidates that are good candidates from the Democrats' point of view and at least are polling well and have a good chance of winning, particularly in some of these House races.

But you're right to point out the fact that the Democrats also are dealing with a huge deficit in terms of spending. I mean, the Republicans have been outspending the Democrats by $320 million in terms of advertising. So they were able to really blitz the airways with ads that are very, very negative against Democrats, against their candidates, against the party, and so on, and the Democrats haven't been able to come up with some kind of aggressive game to counter that.

So there are a lot of things that the Democrats are dealing with that make it difficult, in spite of the fact that they have a President in Donald Trump that is so historically unpopular.

WATSON: Here's a tough question for you, Natasha. I mean, President Trump has a history of claiming frauds when elections don't go his way. If he does that again here, is there any systemic response for a president who doesn't potentially accept the results?

LINDSATEDT: I don't think he will accept the results in some of these races. And he's already claimed that he might not, that there will be investigations and so forth. And so I think we can predict that he will be saying that the results are rigged.

He's already foreshadowing this, he claims that his approval rating is actually 60 percent and not in the low 30s, and that he's going to contest this. But I think this is a little bit different than what happened in 2020 elections, where it was about him, and he was able to galvanize people to march on the Capitol and to push forward with this resurrection. This isn't him on the ballot. And so that may change the motivation of his supporters to join him in protesting the election results.

WATSON: All right. Fantastic point there. Natasha Lindstaedt from the University of Essex, thank you so much for your insight.

LINDSTAEDT: Thanks for having me.

WATSON: All right. Now, following that line of questioning, a federal appeals court is questioning the Trump administration's attempt to intervene in California's midterm vote count.

The Justice Department is seeking an emergency court order to force the state to set aside ballots cast by suspected noncitizens. But judges from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals are questioning the federal government's authority to interfere and the reliability of its claims that some 20,000 noncitizens are on California's voter rolls. Judge Mark Bennett, who was appointed by Trump, was among those challenging the administration's position.

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JUDGE MARK BENNETT, 9TH CIRCUIT COURT OF APPEALS: The United States executive is unhappy with what they're doing and doesn't like the manner in which they have determined how they're going to conduct the election. But it seems to me that under the Elections Clause, they have the right to determine the manner of the elections, including sorting out noncitizens.

[03:10:01]

It seems to me you want us to issue an injunction that is entirely inconsistent with the law the California legislature has adopted pursuant to the Elections Clause.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATSON: U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche is pushing back against criticism of a lawsuit filed by the Justice Department regarding Alaska's midterm Senate race. The DOJ wants to block the certification of that race if the incumbent, Republican Senator Dan S. Sullivan, loses. He's running against Daniel J. Sullivan, a registered Republican who appears on the ballot with no party affiliation.

Alaska is a critical state in the fight for control of Congress, and the lawsuit wants a court to step in if the incumbent loses, but would have won if all votes for the other Sullivan had been cast for the Senator. Blanche defended the lawsuit's merit to CNN on Sunday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TODD BLANCHE, UNITED STATES ATTORNEY GENERAL: The real wrong here is that Alaskans are going to be confused and will not have their vote heard. So an Alaskan intends to vote for one candidate, but is confused because of the second candidate with exactly the same name, who has voted Democrat his entire life, who donated money to the other Democrat opponent, is running.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATSON: To another election in South America. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has won re-election, securing an unprecedented fourth term in office. 80-year-old Lula da Silva beat his right-wing challenger and Trump ally, Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, who's the son of convicted former President Jair Bolsonaro.

Opinion polls leading up to Sunday's runoff showed the race neck and neck, projecting a nail-biter of a night. But after the votes were tallied, Mr. Lula da Silva had secured 51.8 percent of the vote, while Flavio Bolsonaro received just over 48 percent. Take a listen to what he had to say during his victory speech.

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LUIZ INACIO LULA DA SILVA, BRAZILIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): This election was a defeat for denialism, a defeat for lies.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATSON: Now, the election was not without issues. A last-minute Supreme Court order extending voting by two hours is causing controversy after Senator Bolsonaro cited it as a reason the results should be rejected.

And that's despite the fact that his campaign requested a similar extension. Senator Bolsonaro says he won't accept Sunday's election results.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FLAVIO BOLSONARO, BRAZILIAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE (through translator): We will take legal action. We will ask for this election to be annulled. This had never happened in Brazil's history.

What happened today was not normal. In fact, it was unacceptable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATSON: Okay, for more on this, I want to bring in Daniela Portella Sampaio. She's a senior fellow for Latin American security at the Royal United Services Institute. Great to see you here.

This may sound like a bit of a cliche, but it did appear that Brazil was at an ideological crossroads in this election. Now Flavio Bolsonaro is disputing the election results. Is there a risk that this could lead to the kind of instability that was associated with his father, who refused to accept the results of the last presidential election when he lost?

DANIELA PORTELLA SAMPAIO, SENIOR FELLOW FOR LATIN AMERICAN SECURITY, ROYAL UNITED SERVICES INSTITUTE: So first of all, thank you very much for having me here.

Yes, so he has said that because of the confusion that was during the ending of the voting yesterday, he will challenge the results. But this will all depend on the Supreme Court and how the judiciary will understand what was at stake for his claim. So basically, what he says is because it was closed two hours later, many people would have had the possibility to vote, but some ballots were closed, some were not.

Others would say that the difference in four million votes would not make the difference if it was open for an extended time or not. So it depends on how his allies at the Congress would try to get his claim ahead. But what happens is that half of the population probably would be upset with the results that they saw yesterday.

WATSON: Okay, can I ask, what does Lula da Silva's re-election mean for U.S.-Brazilian relations? Because, you know, Trump didn't fully endorse Flavio Bolsonaro, but he has long been seen as an ally of his incarcerated father. So what's your take on that going forward?

[03:15:01]

SAMPAIO: Well, so far it looks like that Trump is silent, so he has not congratulated Lula for his victory. He made a slight comment when Flavio Bolsonaro was ahead during the first round, saying that it was a happy and a good sign for what some analysts call the don't vote doctrine or a hemisphere that is basically aligned to the U.S. So what we would expect is that the relationship between Brazil's future government and Trump's government is not going to be that easy, considering that Trump and Lula first had kind of, that what Trump said that they had chemistry, and suddenly this has faded away.

But considering that they had this shield of the Americas and an alignment that was for the U.S., and Lula's actually advocated in his government to have more diversified partners to Brazil, so we might expect some friction, especially with regards to organized crime, that Trump has nominated as president to organize crime organizations, PCC, and the Red Command as terrorist organizations.

And for Lula's government, he was against that. Flavio was supporting that. So we're probably going to expect not a very easy relationship in the next two years. WATSON: And now that da Silva's won re-election, when he finishes his victory lap, what are going to be some of his biggest challenges governing moving forward?

SAMPAIO: So he is going to see a legislative that's basically very, like, leads majority to the right. There is a population, and not only the population, but the legislative also very critical of the judiciary, because Brazil, like the U.S., has a Supreme Court whose ministers are nominated by the president. And at the moment, we have a majority that have been nominated during the different mandates of Lula.

So you have a population that is at the moment not trusting that much the judiciary institution. He's going to see a Congress and a Senate that is basically aligned to the right. So that makes his governability much harder.

And also all the promises that he has made during his campaign in terms of increasing the social benefits and security social benefits. And Brazil has a very high interest rate. And so far, the markets are responding negatively to these results.

So he's going to see not only probably a legitimacy crisis, but also a governability challenge and an economic challenge as well in the next few years.

WATSON: Yes, it does sound like he's headed for administration and for divided government and rule going forward. Well, Daniela Portella Sampaio from the Royal United Services Institute, thank you so much for joining us here on CNN.

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Another big election result.

There were cheers and fireworks in Serbia, where after 14 years in power, Aleksandar Vucic conceded defeat in Sunday's election. The election was a showdown between Vucic's right-wing Serbian Progressive Party and a student-led opposition movement which accused the government of corruption and of dismantling democracy. Vucic, who had been endorsed by Russian President Vladimir Putin, blamed the media, alleged interference by unnamed European countries, and a, quote, "American deep state for his loss."

The student-led opposition spent two years working for this moment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MILA, LAW STUDENT: We are surprised, we didn't know this would happen. It's literally a miracle and thank God, everything will be okay and now, Serbia is free.

FILIP, VOTER: Unreal, this is like a dream. I don't know how else to describe it. Like, I have a feeling I need to wake up. I'm going to wake up, but it's not, it's reality.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATSON: All right, now I have a quick programming note for you. There's a new way to watch "CNN Newsroom." We're streaming in the U.S. and now Canada and the U.K. So this means you can watch us on the CNN app if you're in one of those three countries.

[03:19:56]

You can visit cnn.com/allaccess to learn how to stream live 24/7 news, to explore exclusive new features, read unlimited articles, and watch our library of award-winning original series and films. Go check it out.

And there's much more to come here on "CNN Newsroom." We'll hear from Russians who say their loved ones are being forced to join the military against their will, whether by deception, coercion, or violence. Their stories are ahead.

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WATSON: Welcome back.

Six people have been injured in a Russian drone strike on a residential building in central Ukraine. Rescue workers pulled residents out of the heavily damaged building.

Ukrainian officials say the Russian drone attack took place in the early hours of Sunday morning. Russian officials say a Ukrainian drone strike on the city of Belgorod killed two people and injured 13. That attack also took place overnight Sunday.

The regional governor says the attack damaged cars, houses, and commercial buildings. Another person was reported killed in a village in the region.

Vladimir Putin has strongly denied speculation that he's planning to call up hundreds of thousands of Russians to fight in Ukraine. Moscow has also maintained that it only sends volunteers to risk their lives on the front lines.

[03:25:06]

But CNN is hearing from Russians who say their relatives are being coerced or deceived into joining the military in a sort of hidden mobilization. CNN's Clare Sebastian reports.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Did you sign the contracts voluntarily, shouts one woman. They forced you. They beat you, shouts another in tears.

Desperately, the women tried to blockade a bus leaving this military recruitment center in Russia's Penza region. The video, which emerged in June, a rare glimpse into a quiet shift underway in Russia's military recruitment system, a system it claims is entirely voluntary. VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): We see every

day on the television and on the Internet how in Ukraine they catch people like homeless dogs and drag them forcefully to the front. Here, people go voluntarily, as you know, and sign contracts.

SEBASTIAN (voice-over): Since a mass mobilization drive in 2022, Russia has mostly relied on life-changing financial incentives backed by high-octane marketing to convince men to join up. But in the last few months, as Russian battlefield losses have mounted, reports of forced, violent and deceptive recruitment have risen sharply.

ARTEM KLYGA, RUSSIAN HUMAN RIGHTS LAWYER: Now it's a day to day practice. They try to find people who are from vulnerable groups, who got some financial problems, who got problems sometimes even with their health.

SEBASTIAN: Russians are very afraid that speaking out on this topic will put them or their families at risk. But we managed to exchange messages with several people who contacted us via human rights groups, piecing together a picture of what some are calling a covert mobilization.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): My brother was detained in a state of alcoholic intoxication by unknown employees and taken to the local contract service recruitment center. They forced him to sign a contract.

SEBASTIAN (voice-over): The family wrote a formal complaint. It was rejected. Here's another.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Unknown men arrived by car and took him, sitting on a bench with a couple of other men by the entrance to his apartment block.

SEBASTIAN (voice-over): This person says their uncle, a man in his late 50s with severe health problems, was taken.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): They slipped him a document to sign, apparently a notification that they were here. It turned out to be a contract.

SEBASTIAN (voice-over): Both have now been reported missing in action.

The relatives we spoke to talk of a climate of fear.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): I struggle to fall asleep. I have nightmares. They catch me.

SEBASTIAN (voice-over): Fear made worse by a rise in a different type of financial incentive.

PAVEL MALKOV, GOVERNOR OF RUSSIA'S RYZAN REGION (through translator): We will encourage those who provide assistance in attracting citizens to sign contracts. We will provide financial payment for each contract soldier.

SEBASTIAN (voice-over): Igor, whose name we've changed for safety reasons, left the country three months ago, but is still too afraid to show his face. Despite having a medical exemption, he says he found himself pressured to sign both a contract and a mobilization order at his local recruitment office.

IGOR, RUSSIAN WHO LEFT THE COUNTRY RECENTLY (through translator): They really pushed hard for me to sign and accept the mobilization order. In reality, this mobilization order meant that if mobilization were declared, I would have to report for duty immediately. However, the staff insisted that wasn't the case at all.

SEBASTIAN: How did you feel at that moment?

IGOR (through translator): Well, I panicked a bit, worried that someone might sign on my behalf. I wouldn't have been able to do anything about it.

SEBASTIAN (voice-over): A growing sense of helplessness. Just war demanding ever more sacrifice at home.

Clare Sebastian, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WATSON: CNN has reached out to the Russian Defense Ministry for comment.

All right, stay with us, because there is much more to come here on "CNN Newsroom," including Israel's election tomorrow. It will be the first vote since the October 7th Hamas attack. What's at stake and why the outcome is far from certain.

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[03:30:00]

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WATSON: Hello and welcome. I'm Ivan Watson in Hong Kong.

The Palestinian Authority is warning that the residents of Hebron in the occupied West Bank are being subjected to collective punishment by Israel.

Israeli soldiers could be seen searching homes and blocking the streets of Hebron on Sunday. The operation comes after Palestinian gunmen opened fire on an Israeli military checkpoint. The IDF says two of its soldiers were killed in the attack and the two gunmen were shot dead.

The head of Hebron's municipality says more than 1,300 Palestinians could face losing their homes. That's in addition to the 1,200 that have already been displaced.

Meantime, Israeli voters will decide tomorrow which direction the country should take. Former military chief Gadi Eisenkot has emerged as the principal challenger to Israel's longest-serving prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. Eisenkot leads the new centrist Yashar party, but the latest polls show neither candidate's party has a clear path to victory.

CNN's Oren Liebermann has the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF: To some extent, every recent Israeli election has been a referendum on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. And from that perspective, this one is no different. But it's so much more than that.

Israelis will have their first chance to weigh in in a national election on whether the government that presided over October 7th and the myriad failures leading up to that should stay or go. Before that, there were massive protests over this Israeli government's attempts at a judicial overhaul. There are unfinished conflicts in Iran, Lebanon, even Gaza, Syria, and what's happening in the occupied West Bank.

So all of those are the main issues when it comes to security. There are also bigger social questions here. What to do with the ultra- Orthodox population, and should there be a mandatory military conscription of the ultra-Orthodox, as the Israeli military has a tremendous shortfall in manpower.

Then, of course, there's the simple economic question. What about the cost of living, and what to do about that? Jerusalem and Tel Aviv have incredibly high costs of living. So all of these will factor into the election here.

Now, in the outgoing Knesset, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has a majority, 64 seats out of 120, and that has kept him in power.

[03:34:59]

In fact, this is the first Israeli government since the late 80s to last its full four-year term. And Netanyahu's coalition, his block of right-wing, far-right, and ultra-Orthodox parties has proven incredibly loyal to him. But all of the major pollsters in the final round of pre-election polling that came out late last week predict and suggest that Netanyahu will fall far short of a majority.

Here's the challenge. His main rival, former military chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot, also doesn't have a clear path to a majority in the Knesset that's required to oust Netanyahu. And that leads into the complicated question of Israeli political calculus.

In theory, or at least according to the election polls, Eisenkot would be able to oust Netanyahu if he has the support of the Arab parties in some fashion. But Eisenkot's coalition is not nearly as ideologically solid as Netanyahu's.

Eisenkot will have to rely on right-wing, centrist, and left-wing parties, as well as some form of support from the Arab parties, and that makes his political calculus much, much more difficult. If Netanyahu has proven anything as Israel's longest-serving prime minister, it's that he knows how to play Israel's political game, and that will be a far greater challenge for Eisenkot than it is for Netanyahu.

As for the role that President Donald Trump plays in these elections, well, he gave his full-throated endorsement of Netanyahu quite late in the game here, and it's unclear that it will shift voters with now just a couple days to go.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WATSON: Thank you. Oren Lieberman there.

"CNN Newsroom" will be right back after a short break. Stay with CNN.

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WATSON: Welcome back. Here are your business headlines.

Elon Musk announced SpaceX has raised $40 billion in a debt-financing deal for graphics processing units.

[03:40:05]

SpaceX needs the chips to reach its artificial intelligence goals. Musk's post comes as investors begin to question the enormous sums companies are spending for the A.I. infrastructure build-out.

President Donald Trump says the U.S. trade dispute with Canada will be resolved soon. He offered no specifics on a possible deal, but said Canada is, quote, "willing to give us anything at this moment." The comments came during a political rally Sunday in Michigan, where Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers has been working to distance himself from the President's tariff policies in the auto sector.

Oil prices are down after surging to near six-month highs last week. The price drop comes amid investors' hope of easing hostilities between the U.S. and Iran, but attacks from Yemen's Houthis on key oil producer Saudi Arabia has kept the market wary. Meanwhile, the head of the International Energy Agency said earlier that he does not expect energy markets in 2027 to return to where they were before the Iran war.

All right, thanks for watching. I'm Ivan Watson in Hong Kong.

For our international audience, "World Sport" is next. In Northern America, more "CNN Newsroom" is coming up after this short break.

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[03:45:00]

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WATSON: Hi there. Welcome back.

Latino voters appear to be turning away from President Trump, but he claims that all is well. CNN polling shows that the president's approval rating among Latino voters is low across the board, including just 20 percent who say they approve of his overall job performance. The Latino vote could be just enough for the Democrats to swing critical congressional seats in the midterms.

CNN's Rafael Romo has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The President's statement about Latino voters came towards the end of his almost one-hour-and-40-minute speech Saturday night in Perry, Georgia, as he tries to rally his Republican base in the final stretch of campaigning ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. The President made two points regarding Hispanic voters.

The first one was that they're still supporting him. And the second one, that they approve of his immigration crackdown.

TRUMP: The Hispanic population voted for us in numbers never seen before. And they're still there.

They're still there. And you know who wanted security at the border more than anybody else? Everyone said, oh, you're never going to get any Hispanic.

The Hispanic people wanted the security.

ROMO: We wanted to hear from Latino voters themselves, so we went to a Venezuelan barbecue restaurant here in the Atlanta metro area, located in Gwinnett County, the most diverse county in the state of Georgia. That's where I met with brothers Elio and Carlos Carrasquero, who were born in Venezuela, but are naturalized American citizens.

What's interesting about these brothers is that even though they are identical twins, raised in the same home with the same traditional Venezuelan values, Elio is a conservative voter who has supported Republicans since he became a citizen, but describes himself as an anti-Trump Republican who prefers the compassionate conservatism of President Reagan and the Bush family, while Carlos is a progressive who supports Democrats and plans to vote to keep Jon Ossoff in the U.S. Senate. Both brothers told me that for the first time since they became U.S. citizens, more than a decade ago, they agree on the same thing.

ELIO CARRASQUERO, REPUBLICAN VOTER: I'm not voting Republican this time. I'm voting Democrat this time. I'm not voting for an administration that is treating our people like they are.

CARLOS CARRASQUERO, GEORGIA VOTER: And I feel as an immigrant that the Republicans are, by nature, anti-immigrants. At least the last two decades.

ROMO: Both brothers are businessmen. Elio, the conservative brother, still thinks the Republican Party is better when it comes to entrepreneurship. Carlos, the progressive brother, believes the United States is a nation of immigrants and the Democratic Party has been more welcoming.

According to a recent poll by the Pew Research Center, a majority of Latino registered voters, 55 percent, say they think of their vote for Congress this fall as a vote against Trump. Another 14 percent say their vote is in support of him, while 30 percent say he is not much of a factor. In other words, this poll suggests that Trump no longer has the support of Hispanic American voters as he claimed Saturday night.

But he is right that for most of them, 75 percent, according to another poll by the Pew Research Center, the border is a major problem or crisis, although 74 percent are also critical of the handling of the border.

Rafael Romo, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WATSON: Okay, let's go to Texas now. That's where early voting is underway and where a closely watched and potentially crucial Senate race is playing out.

The latest CNN poll of polls found no clear leader in the race between Democratic State Representative James Talarico and Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. Among likely voters, 50 percent support Talarico, while 47 percent back Paxton. That slight lead for Talarico is fueling Democratic hopes of winning a Senate seat in Texas for the first time in almost 40 years.

Now Republicans are funneling huge sums of money into the race, more than $380 million so far. CNN's John King visited the Lone Star State to find out what's driving the change in a traditionally Republican stronghold.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Corpus Christi Bay, Southeast Texas. A spot on the map that was supposed to be a safe harbor for Republicans this year.

UNKNOWN: I'm calling on behalf of James Talarico, Gina Hinojosa and Democrats down the valley.

KING (voice-over): Supposed to be.

UNKNOWN: We're asking for your support for your vote.

KING (voice-over): It's crunch time and Nueces County Democrats are bursting with energy, believing even ruby red Texas might be part of a giant midterm message.

UNKNOWN: Connect with each other and figure out what we need to do ahead.

[03:50:02] KING (voice-over): The governor's race is tight, so is a nasty Senate clash. And the House race here in Texas 34, a toss up too. Despite election year redistricting, Texas Republicans thought would paint it red.

REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: I'm so grateful for Texas.

KING (voice-over): This picture does speak a thousand words. The Speaker of the House trying to save his narrow majority, looking out at the very reason he is on the road nonstop. Yes, it's a hot sweltering weekday, but still a tiny crowd.

Republicans are worried about enthusiasm, worried about turnout, worried about a big swing blue from Latino voters.

JOHNSON: Everybody's watching what you're going to do. They say that Texas is going to turn blue. Is that true?

UNKNOWN: Where did all the money go? It's like who's getting rich and where is it going? Is it the oil pipelines that are all getting rich?

UNKNOWN: Somebody's getting it.

KING (voice-over): The politics bar is in the slice of Corpus Christi added to the redrawn 34th. Four friends around the table, two Democrats and two Republicans.

KING: So let's skip the parties and the names for a minute.

Okay, raise your hand if you think things need to change. So that's everybody at the table.

KING (voice-over): Republicans Milton Reina and Richard Contreras in a very different mood from our first chat here eight months ago.

RICHARD CONTRERAS, REPUBLICAN VOTER: I don't trust what's being said right now. I think we've been told the same thing over and over again and we haven't seen any results, any action from it. And, yes, I am disappointed.

MILTON REINA, REPUBLICAN VOTER: Our war is the problem, to be honest with you. I think we're struggling with that and we need to get out of that. Need to finish it and move on.

KING (voice-over): Still on Team Abbott for governor.

REINA: I like Abbott.

CONTRERAS: I like Abbott, too.

KING (voice-over): But Republican Senate nominee Ken Paxton turns their stomachs.

KING: You're a Republican and you're having a hard time in a race that could determine which party controls the United States Senate. REINA: I need to be an American first, I think, honestly, and I have

to make that decision based on character. And right now, Paxton's character is just not doing it.

KING (voice-over): This side of the table is excited.

KING: Does this time feel actually different that it's possible as opposed to a dream?

RAMON HERERRA, DEMOCRAT VOTER: It does.

ANNALITA CAVADA, DENOCRAT VOTER: Well I think it does different.

HERERRA: It does.

KING (voice-over): Ramon Herrera is betting on a big swing in the Latino vote.

HERERRA: We need to stop trying to promote everything that he's doing. It's not working out.

CAVADA: Yes, I'm saying.

KING (voice-over): And Annalita Cavada sees another positive for Democrats.

CAVADA: I've seen young people more excited this time, on the line, in person.

KING (voice-over): The new 34th stretches 150 miles from Corpus Christi to the Mexican border. Kingsville is conservative, working class, more than 70 percent Hispanic. The lines for the Kingsway Family Church food bank keep getting longer.

PASTOR STEVE MARTINEZ, TEXAS VOTER: You know, the economy right now has been hard. Like, from people, we ask people right now, food is getting expensive, gas. In our community right now, lately, our electric utilities have gotten real expensive.

KING (voice-over): Pastor Steve Martinez votes his values. Abortion, gay, and transgender rights matter most to him, and he will vote Republican. But at the moment, prices matter most to many of his congregants.

MARTINEZ: Just a while ago, I was like, one guy just wasn't lying. He was like, man, I'm just struggling. The economy is hard.

You know, it's like, what do I do?

KING (voice-over): Plus, a lot of anger at ICE enforcement. Even Trump supporter Martinez says he's too aggressive and is reaching way beyond the bad guys.

MARTINEZ: A lot of people's decisions are going to be now because ICE has been just hard on a lot of families.

KING: And if their decision is made by that, then they're voting for Democrats. They're voting against Trump, right?

Cristina Alvarez, among the campaign workers walking door-to-door in working-class neighborhoods, vital to Democratic hopes.

CRISTINA ALVAREZ, CAMPAIGN WORKER: I'm here on behalf of Vicente Gonzalez for Congress.

He's my man. Oh, he's your man. Awesome, that's good to hear.

KING (voice-over): But a few doors down, a reminder every vote matters.

ALVAREZ: Okay, I'm excited.

KING (voice-over): This neighborhood is a bit more upscale. Daisy Alcazar and her husband bought here eight years ago.

DAISY ALCAZAR, TEXAS VOTER: This is home.

KING: But you say at the moment home doesn't always feel like home.

ALCAZAR: There's a lot of fear in the community.

KING: Even here?

ALCAZAR: Yes. People are inside their houses, not going outside unless they need to for survival.

KING: Ten or twelve?

ALCAZAR: Ten. Your reading skills are not working --

KING: I didn't even look at the box. That's the box.

KING (voice-over): La Pale is Alcazar's business. Traditional Mexican ice cream treats.

[03:55:01]

KING: This is what most people would think of as the American dream. Family with immigrant roots, starts a business, employs people, makes their community richer in every way.

ALCAZAR: I'm proud to be Mexican. I'm proud to represent our culture. I'm proud to grow and scale the business.

But we have never seen this before. We have never seen our community being hunted down in the streets. And that is the reality of what's happening.

KING (voice-over): Alcazar had to close a couple of shops during COVID. She will continue to sell to grocery stores and to restaurants. But this last storefront is closing soon.

KING: This right now is worse than the pandemic?

ALCAZAR: Oh, a thousand percent times. Because when there's fear in the community, it paralyzes you.

You don't eat and we don't have customers. I sell ice cream for the love of God. We sell paletas.

We are the cherry on the top where it's joy and the experience here should be joy. It should be happiness. Where the reality is we don't have customers.

KING (voice-over): Alcazar is voting blue in every race she can, hoping to send a message to the President and to the governor. She urges everyone she sees to vote and to take along family and friends. But she worries that fear will keep people home or the belief it just won't make a difference.

ALCAZAR: If we get united and we show up, I mean, we could flip everything. The reality is, is it going to happen? Will my people show up? We don't know.

KING (voice-over): John King, CNN, Brownsville, Texas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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