The 2022 campaign is shaping up to be a historic, decisive moment in American politics.
From our reporters across the country, ABC News brings you all the latest on what the candidates are saying and doing -- and what voters want to happen in November's midterm elections.
"Power Trip: Those Seeking Power and Those Who Chase Them" follows 7 young reporters as they chase down candidates in the lead up to the midterms with George Stephanopoulos guiding them along the way.
Herschel Walker denies report he paid for girlfriend's abortion
Herschel Walker, a Georgia football icon and U.S. Senate hopeful, has denied a report in the Daily Beast that an ex-girlfriend claimed he paid the cost of her abortion more than 10 years ago, a claim that would seem to contradict his anti-abortion posture on the campaign trail.
Walker, a Republican, immediately denied the claim and promised to file a defamation lawsuit against the Daily Beast, which published the story, on Tuesday morning. Walker later appeared on Fox News Channel's "Hannity," where he issued additional denials.
"I can tell you right now, I never asked anyone to get an abortion," Walker told Sean Hannity. "I never paid for an abortion -- it's a lie."
The Daily Beast reported Monday that an unidentified woman who claimed to be Walker's ex-girlfriend said she sought a medical abortion after the couple conceived in 2009. The woman shared documentation with the news outlet: a receipt from an abortion clinic, a bank deposit receipt with an image of a $700 check that appeared to be signed by Walker sent within a week of the abortion and a "get well" card that appeared to be signed by Walker.
October jolts threaten to become midterm surprises: The Note
The story of the midterms has yet to be written. But with barely a month to go before Election Day, a striking array of narratives are competing for attention -- any or all of which could wind up being of outsized consequence.
There could be an October surprise in the form of a foreign-policy crisis – with a cornered Russian President Vladimir Putin challenging the world community and threatening further disruptions as a bad play on Ukraine turns worse.
Omar Gomez joins a protest for immigration reform outside Summit of the Americas at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, June 8, 2022.
Los Angeles Daily News via Getty Images, FILE
A jolt could also come domestically -- with another round of inflation data looming and Republicans getting traction with messaging around crime and immigration, both of which could easily begin resonating more.
And the Supreme Court might not be done making headlines. A new term starts Monday with Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson on the bench, but with an ascendant conservative majority in a stronger place than ever in recent history as cases impacting affirmative action, gay rights, environmental protections and state legislative powers come up for argument.
Judge rules against Stacey Abrams' voting rights lawsuit
In a blow to Democrat Stacey Abrams and her allies, less than 40 days until the 2022 midterm elections, a federal judge has upheld Georgia's election laws in "what is believed to have been the longest voting rights bench trial in the history of the Northern District of Georgia."
"Although Georgia's election system is not perfect, the challenged practices violate neither the constitution nor the Voting Rights Act," U.S. District Judge Steve Jones wrote in the ruling.
The case, filed by Fair Fight Action shortly after Abrams' 2018 loss, targeted Georgia's policies on absentee ballot cancellations, "exact match," and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger's management of voter rolls. "Exact match" policies suspended a person's voting status if there were inconsistencies between their voter registration form and identification. The plaintiffs argued this was racially discriminatory because most voters affected were Black.
"The court finds that the burden on voters is relatively low," Jones wrote about the "exact match" measure. "Here, plaintiffs have not provided direct evidence of a voter who was unable to vote, experienced longer wait times, was confused about voter registration status."
Stacey Abrams speaks onstage during the Beautiful Noise Live Equality on the Ballot panel at Buckhead Theatre, on Sept. 19, 2022 in Atlanta.
Marcus Ingram/Getty Images
Abrams said the decision was "not the preferred outcome" but represented a "hard-won victory" for Black and brown voters.
"This case and the public engagement on these issues have had measurable results: the reinstatement of over 22,000 ballots, substantive changes to voting laws, and a platform for voters of color to demand greater equity in our state," her statement read.
Out on the campaign trail, Abrams continues to defend her refusal to concede in 2018, often saying that Brian Kemp, a Republican who was then serving as secretary of state, created barriers for people to vote when he was serving as Secretary of State, which is why she did not win the election.
Meanwhile, Gov. Kemp took a victory lap following Friday's decision.
"From day one, Abrams has used this lawsuit to line her pockets, sow distrust in our democratic institutions, and build her own celebrity. Judge Jones' ruling exposes this legal effort for what it really is: a tool wielded by a politician hoping to wrongfully weaponize the legal system to further her own political goals," Kemp said in a statement.
-- ABC News' Lalee Ibssa
Sep 30, 2022, 12:06 PM EDT
Top House Dem makes election pitch, dodges Qs about aging leadership
As the House prepares to leave Washington for the final weeks of the campaign season, Democratic Majority Leader Steny Hoyer of Maryland predicted to reporters on Thursday that his party will -- despite the political headwinds and voters' ire over inflation -- "hold the majority" and even "pick up some seats" on Nov. 8.
That outlook is at odds with history and the private assessments of most, if not all, of his Democratic colleagues who believe their party is likely to lose the House where they currently hold a single-digit majority. Republicans need to gain six of more than 30 tossup seats this fall to win back the chamber.
Hoyer argued that Democrats have a robust legislative record to campaign on, including the pandemic-relief American Rescue Plan and bipartisan semiconductor manufacturing and infrastructure investment packages. In some of the 48 districts he's visited, Hoyer said he's seen repair work underway on key roads and bridges as a result of the latter legislation.
He also acknowledged that "inflation is hurting people" and that Democrats "have to bring it down."
Hoyer identified five House races where Democrats could flip GOP seats: Nebraska's 2nd District (Rep. Don Bacon); Ohio's 1st (Rep. Steve Chabot); California's 21st (Rep. David Valadao); Illinois' 13th (Rep. Rodney Davis); and Michigan's 3rd (Rep. Peter Meijer).
He also said Democrats are working to defend a number of key seats, including districts in North Carolina and Rhode Island, where incumbents are retiring, and in redrawn seats in Pennsylvania and Ohio where the representatives chose to run for Senate.
Hoyer, 83, pushed back on questions about whether he'd continue to serve in leadership if Democrats lose the House: "It's silly to speculate. It's not silly to think about it."
He said he did not agree to abide by the 2018 promise made by Speaker Nancy Pelosi to limit the top three Democratic leaders at the time to four more years at the head of the caucus -- a deal cut to appease a threat from critics of the trio, who have collectively spent decades in power even as younger generations of lawmakers emerge.
