Midterm campaign updates: GOP's Cheney endorses Ohio Democrat Tim Ryan for Senate

Arizona Democratic attorney general nominee Kris Mayes and her Republican opponent, Abe Hamadeh, found little common ground on a debate stage in Phoenix on Wednesday as they sparred over abortion and on the validity of the 2020 election.

While Mayes slammed a recent court decision upholding a state territory-era law prohibiting nearly all abortions in Arizona and mandating jail time for providers, Hamadeh said he'd follow the newly reinstated ban.

When it came to the 2020 election, Hamadeh said he believes the contest was "rigged" despite verified audits and hand recounts upholding Donald Trump's loss. Mayes told ABC News after the debate that every election-denier on the ballot this fall is "dangerous."

One issue both candidates agreed on was the importance of addressing the flow of drugs into their state, though they differed on how. Hamadeh said he would work to declare drug cartels a terrorist organization on "day one." Mayes said she would work with law enforcement officials along the border and go after funding in the state's $5 billion-surplus to tackle fentanyl.

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-- ABC News' Libby Cathey

The Republican candidates for governor and Senate in Pennsylvania on Thursday sought the support of energy leaders at Shale Insight, a three-day conference in Erie convening industry heads from Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

Senate hopeful Mehmet Oz and gubernatorial nominee Doug Mastriano, who spoke back-to-back, talked encouragingly about Pennsylvania’s energy potential and vowed to tap into the state’s resources to bring jobs and economic growth.

“The key is underneath our feet,” said Mastriano, who pledged to roll back hundreds of regulations were he to win his race against state Attorney General Josh Shapiro.

The joint appearance was rare for the statewide Republican ticket, whose campaigns have developed a somewhat cool relationship as Mastriano and Oz differ on key issues and have received different levels of financial support.

Oz, who spoke first, had left the ballroom with family and staff by the time Mastriano took the stage moments later. Neither mentioned the other while speaking.

-- ABC News' Will McDuffie

The Republican candidate to be Pennsylvania's governor, Doug Mastriano, appeared to take unusual measures to avoid questions on Wednesday as the RV that typically shuttles him between campaign events left a stop without the candidate on it after ABC News waited by the vehicle.

When ABC arrived at the small meet-and-greet in Galeton, a town of less than a thousand people near the New York border, the bus, embroidered with the campaign’s logo, was parked in front of a motorcycle shop hosting the event.

But toward the end of Mastriano’s remarks, when ABC went to the bus to meet the candidate as he walked toward it, as he did at the previous stop, the RV had been driven to the back of the building, near a rear door.

As ABC News waited by the bus, a campaign spokesperson named Matt walked out, said Mastriano would not have time for questions and then reentered the building.

A few minutes later, the RV backed away and drove out of sight.

On the other side of the building, an attendee confirmed that Mastriano had left in a car.

If Mastriano was in fact avoiding questions from the press, it would not be the first time he’s done so. But six weeks from Election Day, amid a campaign underfunded and shunned by some national Republican groups, Mastriano appears to forging ahead with a strategy focused on conservative grassroots turn-out in towns like Galeton.

-- ABC News' Will McDuffie

Power Trip

"Power Trip" follows 7 young reporters as they chase down candidates in the lead up to the midterms with George Stephanopoulos guiding them along the way.

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Security and intelligence agencies are boosting their efforts to monitor online threats of political violence -- which some experts say have been exacerbated by election denialism -- as November's midterm races rapidly approach.

"We're seeing these conspiracy theories and other narratives being promoted online by extremist groups and conspiracy theory organizations like QAnon. On the other hand, we're seeing mainstream public figures in government in politics, even in the media, mimic and amplify these fringe narratives, these conspiracy theories. And that's very powerful in the sense that it tells people that these ideas aren't that wacky," John Cohen, a former Department of Homeland Security intelligence official, told ABC News.

As intelligence officials see election conspiracy theories rapidly become part of the cultural mainstream, agencies are spending more time trying to combat the misinformation before it leads to violence.

Chris Rodriguez, the director of the Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency, which helps track threats and inform law enforcement officials, told ABC News that the danger from right-wing extremists has grown.

"We've really seen an evolution of the threat. We're seeing a lot more threats toward local elected officials, for example, people in communities who actually run elections," Rodriguez said. "We've also seen calls for what is referred to as a quote 'second Civil War,' which is, again, very troubling and very concerning."

Now, Rodriguez's agency is doubling down on the coordination of information-sharing with partners.

"We've been communicating with authorities in Pennsylvania and Ohio and Arizona and Colorado to make sure, again, that we are we're doing the best that we can to keep our election officials, people who are administering elections and the public at large, safe and secure."

-- ABC News' Lalee Ibssa