The Key 2026 Midterm Races Hollywood Is Watching

As encouraging as polls are for Democrats, left-leaning Hollywood activists are viewing Tuesday’s midterm elections with a lot of anxiety — and just a bit of cautious optimism. In fact, throughout the cycle, as candidates courted the industry’s deep pockets at tony backyard venues and one-on-one phone calls, the fatigue of donors was well apparent, whether that be from the crushing losses of 2024, the devastating wildfires and the industry’s production downturn. There has been movement in the past month or so, as it became apparent that Democrats’ chances of retaking control of the House and the Senate were holding steady or improving. Watch on Deadline That has been apparent by recent events featuring Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) and James Talarico, the Texas state senator seeking to flip a U.S. Senate seat to a Democrat. Other candidates who have trekked to L.A. include Sherrod Brown, hoping to return to his Ohio U.S. Senate seat, and Abdul El-Sayed, whose bid to hold a Michigan seat was marked by last-minute drama over the weekend, when his Democratic rival for the nomination endorsed the Republican opponent. There is split in the industry when it comes to the race for Los Angeles mayor, with Karen Bass seeking another term against a strong challenge from Councilwoman Nithya Raman. A Berkeley IGS/Los Angeles Times poll last week showed a tie among likely voters. Meanwhile, the race for California governor has been relatively quiet, perhaps given the sizable lead that Democrat Xavier Becerra has opened up in polling against Republican challenger Steve Hilton, the former Fox News host. RELATED: Trump Loses At SCOTUS As High Court Rejects California Noncitizens Voting Request On Midterms Eve Among the large donors is Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings, who has contributed more than $2.5 million to the House Majority PAC and $1 million to the Senate Majority PAC, as well as $300,000 to Hakeem Jeffries’ Victory Fund and almost $600,000 to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. On other side of the aisle, Skydance CEO David Ellison late last year gave $250,000 to Security is Strength PAC, the committee to support the late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) that is now backing his sister, Darline. Ellison gave extensively to Democrats in the last cycle, including almost $1 million to Joe Biden’s campaign, with Kamala Harris taking over the campaign after he dropped out. That said, overall, there had been “considerable dropoff at the major donor level, particularly if measured by support for major Democratic national committees,” GLS Partners’ Andy Spahn, the political consultant, wrote via email. But there has been “high energy” at the smaller donor levels, drawing new donors and giving to candidates like Jon Ossoff and James Talarico. Jon Vein, an entrepreneur and longtime donor and activist in Democratic politics, said activity has picked up in the past month. “People recognize the importance of taking the Senate as it relates to a whole bunch of things, including lifetime appointments to the Supreme Court,” he said. There also has been some engagement: Mathew Littman, who leads The Working Group, which organizes Hollywood creatives, went to Michigan with about a dozen others last month to campaign with Jocelyn Benson, the Democratic nominee for governor, and attend party rallies. He also hosted a recent Zoom organizing/fundriasing call with candidates including Brown, Ohio gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton and Texas gubernatorial nominee Gina Hinojosa. “We are going to do well [Tuesday],” said Littman, who runs the firm HowLitt with Dori Howard. “Compared to where we were two years ago, it is a gigantic change. One of the reasons for the change is we are running great candidates.” He said that the level of activity still was down from previous cycles, which he attributes to “a lot of PTSD from 2024.” That trepidation, he said, might even carry over into 2028, even if Democrats have a good night. “People are so burnt out by what happened,” he said. Here are the races being most closely watched: Jon Ossoff vs. Mike CollinsIndustry donors have showered Ossoff with contributions, reflecting not just his multiple trips to the West Coast but with the possibility that he will be a 2028 presidential contender (even though he denies he’s interested). His most recent trip was for a pair of Hollywood-centric events in October, including one hosted by James Costos, and contributors include Sally Field, Peter Chernin, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Chuck Lorre and David Geffen. Ossoff is widely expected to hold his U.S. Senate seat in Georgia, and the only question is by what margin. James Talarico vs. Ken PaxtonTalarico has raised Democrats’ hopes of flipping this Texas seat and becoming the first in the party to win election to the U.S. Senate since 1988. He has run a campaign free from much drama and focused on the baggage of his opponent. Talarico also has benefited from the publicity surrounding the FCC’s crackdown on broadcasters and the Equal Time Rule, as his appearances on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel Live! were never broadcast but placed on YouTube, where they drew much larger audiences. Donors include Barbra Streisand, Damon Lindelof, Connie Britton, Don Henley, Bob Odenkirk, Marcy Carsey and Jon Cryer. Sherrod Brown vs. Jon HustedOne of the most expensive Senate races of the cycle pits Brown against incumbent Sen. Jon Husted (R-OH), who was appointed to the seat after JD Vance was elected vice president. Donors include Tom Rothman, Bradley Whitford, Herb Alpert, Peter Coyote, Lily Tomlin and Judd Apatow, while figures like Michael Douglas have donated to the Senate Majority PAC, which distributes funds across candidates including the Ohio race. RELATED: Michael Douglas Predicts Electoral “Massacre” For Donald Trump In Midterms Josh Turek vs. Ashley HinsonOne of the closest of all U.S. Senate races is for Iowa’s open seat, where Democrat Josh Turek faces a major challenge from Ashley Hinson. Prognosticators have swung back and forth on who has the edge, but Turek has drawn support from Lawrence Kasdan, Streisand, Field and Dayna Bochco. Abdul El-Sayed vs. Mike RogersEven before Haley Stevens’ surprise endorsement of Rogers for U.S. Senate from Michigan, there have fissures in Democratic donor world over El-Sayed’s criticisms of Israel. Haim Saban has donated to numerous committees to help the party win back the House majority but also contributed $2 million to the United Democracy Project, the super PAC of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. The group invested heavily in Stevens’ campaign and opposing El-Sayed, and recently has started spending again in the race. El-Sayed, meanwhile, has garnered contributions from figures including Cynthia Nixon, Susan Sarandon, Lindelof and Jeffrey Soros. Stevens’ endorsement of Rogers has been greeted with shock and dismay from a lot of Democratic leaders, as well as industry figures who’ve been involved in races in Michigan. Littman called it “the greatest disappointment I’ve had in politics.” Karen Bass vs. Nithya RamanUp until the Times poll, there had been much sentiment that Raman was going to defeat incumbent Los Angeles Mayor Bass, who has faced a backlash over how she handled last year’s wildfires and over the ongoing problem of homelessness. Bass has gotten a boost in recent weeks as some of her most ardent critics, including Rick Caruso, have said they would vote for her. Bass has drawn contributions from Saban, Byron Allen, Marta Kauffman, John Wells and J.J. Abrams, as well as Sony and Warner Bros. Discovery. Raman’s donor list includes Paul Downs, Dustin Lance Black, Adam Scott, Ed Zwick and Gale Ann Hurd. If the race is close, it could be days, or even weeks, before a winner is declared, given the notoriously long vote-counting process in Los Angeles County. Other races are being watched, even if they have not drawn the level of support of other key contests. That includes Troy Jackson’s U.S. Senate campaign in Maine to defeat incumbent Sen. Susan Collins, with the Democrat drawing donors including Kauffman and Soros and the Republican collecting contributions from figures including Ben Silverman and Patricia Glaser. California’s Proposition 40, a 5% tax on certain residents with assets of $1 billion or more, has drawn relatively little donor opposition or support in the entertainment industry, according to campaign finance records. That largely has been left to Silicon Valley, where Sergey Brin and Eric Schmidt are among those bankrolling the campaign against it, along with support for the competing propositions 41 and 42. It’s still being watched with interest — and some worry — even if the big money is coming from up north.