This week on the Hill: Midterm debates, Trump Alaska trip take center stage

Senate and House debates return to center stage this week as candidates nationwide make their cases to voters less than a month before Election Day. The spotlight turns to contests in Iowa, Maine and New York, as both parties fight for control of Congress.

President Trump, meanwhile, is set to campaign about as far from Washington as possible. He’ll travel Tuesday to Alaska to boost Sen. Dan S. Sullivan’s (R) reelection campaign. The trip follows a jaunt to Ohio on Monday.

In Iowa, Rep. Ashley Hinson (R) and state Rep. Josh Turek (D) are scheduled to face off again Tuesday, hosted by KCAU 9, as they compete for the seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa). Hinson has sought to publicly distance herself from Trump on certain issues, calling for an immediate end to the military conflict in Iran and arguing that Iowans are being “squeezed” at the pump.

In Maine, Sen. Susan Collins (R) and challenger Troy Jackson (D) will go head-to-head for their third and fourth debates: On Tuesday, hosted by WABI and WAGM, and Thursday, hosted by News Center Maine, Portland Press Herald and Maine Public.

Collins and Jackson already squared off twice last week, defending their records and reiterating their talking points on abortion, the economy and immigration.

In New York, WPIX-TV is also hosting a debate Thursday between Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) and Democrat Cait Conley, who are vying to represent the 17th Congressional District, which covers part of Westchester County.

Hinson and Turek to face off again: The Iowa Senate race is one of the key contests that will determine which party controls the upper chamber.

Collins and Jackson debates Nos. 3 and 4: Collins has framed herself as a moderate Republican who stands up to the Trump administration from time to time, while Jackson is a progressive Democrat.

Trump to campaign in Alaska: The president’s visit comes as the Alaska Senate race has become increasingly competitive between the incumbent and former Rep. Mary Peltola (D).

Lawler and Conley to spar: Lawler is trailing Conley in several polls, and the nonpartisan Cook Political Report rated their race as a toss-up.

The debate between Hinson and Turek comes after a Friday poll from Emerson College Polling and The Hill found the Republican barely leading her Democratic opponent. Hinson notched 47 percent support, while Turek received 45 percent. Her lead is within the survey’s margin of error. Libertarian candidate Thomas Laehn received 2 percent support, and 7 percent of voters were undecided.

Hinson has publicly tried to separate herself from Trump amid voter frustrations over the rising gas and grocery costs at home. Cook Political Report refers to Iowa as “ground zero for backlash to the effect of Trump’s tariffs and Iran War on the agriculture industry.”

She has called for the House to return to session “immediately” to pause diesel exports, suspend the gas tax and create a diesel relief program for farmers and truckers, for instance.

During a debate between the two candidates last week, Hinson said, “I don’t want this to be a forever war, so I want to make sure we do everything we can. I trust in our U.S. military, the greatest fighting force in the world, to bring this to a close as quickly as possible, because I know people are getting squeezed.”

Turek, meanwhile, is running as a moderate Democrat and emphasizing his record of voting with Republicans in the statehouse. During the debate, he mentioned areas of agreement with Trump, like the prohibition of taxes on tips, overtime and Social Security and the need for a “safe and secure” southern border.

He also said he does not support Congress pursuing another impeachment of Trump, and he said lawmakers instead should focus on passing legislation to lower costs.

Collins and Jackson are slated to face off twice again this week, on Tuesday and Thursday.

Decision Desk HQ’s polling averages show Jackson, who became the party’s pick after their initial nominee withdrew this summer, leading the five-term incumbent by just over a point in the blue-leaning Pine Tree State.

The rivals clashed on the debate stage twice last week, butting heads over the military conflict in Iran, Trump’s immigration crackdown and their financial moves in the run-up to Election Day. Collins defended her decision to seek a sixth term, after pledging she would only serve for two terms 30 years ago.

Collins was reelected in 2014 by nearly 40 points, but she won her 2020 bid by a comparatively slim 9 points. She’s now considered one of the most vulnerable senators in the 2026 cycle.

At one point during the second debate last week, Jackson argued that Collins “could use her leverage to stop this war. But instead, they’re making money.”

“I mean, Senator Collins and her husband [are] making money, more, off of this war, and so is a whole bunch of other people, and that’s why this doesn’t, doesn’t stop,” he said, to which Collins replied, “That is absolutely outrageous, and you owe me an apology.”

Jackson also pressed Collins on her 2018 vote to confirm Brett Kavanaugh to the nation’s highest court, tying Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision to overturn abortion rights in Roe v. Wade. Collins said she looks at justice nominees for “whether they’re fit to serve on the court” rather than trying to predict how he or she would vote on any issue.

Trump heads to Alaska for incumbent Sullivan

Trump is set to headline a midterm rally in Wasilla, Alaska, on Tuesday, just one week after Vice President Vance hit the campaign trail in the state.

His visit comes as Sullivan is facing a competitive reelection bid against Peltola, as well as another Republican named Dan J. Sullivan. Sabato’s Crystal Ball, an election handicapper based at the University of Virginia, moved the race from “toss-up” to “leans Democratic” last week.

Decision Desk HQ also has Peltola slightly favored to win, while the Cook Political Report has the race listed in the “toss-up” category.

All three candidates will participate in a debate on Wednesday, hosted by AARP.

Trump has sought to boost the incumbent Alaska senator, most recently involving Dan S. Sullivan in the announcement of a $54 billion investment in a project to export natural gas from the state.

Lawler, who is fighting for his political life in a tough reelection contest, will meet Conley again on the debate stage.

The two clashed over data centers , affordability, housing and foreign policy in a debate last month. Lawler had largely touted his congressional record and the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which Republicans have rebranded as the Working Families Tax Cut Act, while Conley focused on what she would prioritize if elected to Congress.

Lawler also argued that he has not voted with Trump “100 percent of the time.”

What I’ve done is actually do my job, which is to represent my constituents and actually work in a bipartisan way. Why do you think Jared Golden, a Democrat from Maine, endorsed me? My best friend in Congress is Josh Gottheimer, a Democrat. We work collaboratively all the time,” Lawler said then.

A recent poll by Emerson College and PIX11 found Lawler trailing Conley, with around 48 percent of likely district voters supporting Conley, while 46 percent backed the Republican lawmaker. The remaining respondents were still undecided less than five weeks out from the November election.

Helen Huiskes, Mira Bhakta, Julia Mueller, Julia Manchester, and Sarah Davis contributed.