Trump casts his midterm ballot early in Florida

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President Donald Trump cast his ballot in the midterm elections Saturday, saying he voted for all Republicans in Florida before speaking at a Georgia rally.

Trump and first lady Melania Trump arrived at their West Palm Beach polling location at the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections office together after the president spent the morning at his nearby golf course. Trump has been criticized in the past for voting by mail despite his long history of railing against that method of submitting ballots.

Asked if he voted the party line, Trump, who was wearing an “I Voted” sticker, said, “Very much so.”

Speaking to reporters at the poll site, Trump again defended an ad from Ohio Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. The ad has faced intense blowback for featuring the estranged mother of Democratic rival Dr. Amy Acton, who lost custody of her children after her husband, the children’s stepfather, was indicted for raping Acton when she was 12.

Trump also defended his decision to instruct his administration to file its lawsuit to block certification of the U.S. Senate race in Alaska if Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan loses over the inclusion of a second candidate named Dan Sullivan on the ballot.

As for the war in Iran, he said, “I may have to finish it off. Or maybe they’ll make a deal, but I’m not sure. Either way, we win.”

Melania Trump, who this week brokered a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine in the ravaged, Russian-occupied Ukrainian city of Oleshky so that humanitarian aid could be delivered and civilians evacuated, was asked whether she might travel to Ukraine.

“We will see,” she told reporters.

In Florida, Trump has endorsed Republican Rep. Byron Donalds, who is running against David Jolly, a Republican-turned-independent-turned-Democrat, to succeed term-limited Gov. Ron DeSantis.

He has also campaigned for Republican Sen. Ashley Moody, who is running to fill the last two years of Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s former Senate term against progressive state lawmaker Angie Nixon.

Colvin reported from New York.

President Donald Trump speaks alongside first lady Melania Trump after casting his early-voting ballot for the 2026 midterm elections at the Palm Beach County Library in West Palm Beach, Fla., Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

President Donald Trump wears an I Voted sticker as he speaks after voting at the Palm Beach County Library in West Palm Beach, Fla., Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

First lady Melania Trump listens as President Donald Trump speaks after casting their early-voting ballots for the 2026 midterm elections at the Palm Beach County Library in West Palm Beach, Fla., Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

President Donald Trump listens to a question from a reporter after casting his early-voting ballot for the 2026 midterm elections at the Palm Beach County Library in West Palm Beach, Fla., Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A little more than one week before the midterm elections, the leading candidates in Alaska's U.S. Senate race are trying to rally support from Alaska Native voters, a key constituency.

Both Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan and Democratic former Rep. Mary Peltola spoke at this week's Alaska Federation of Natives conference in Anchorage.

The organization previously endorsed Peltola, who is Yup’ik, during her House races in 2022 and 2024, but it did not issue endorsements this year. Both candidates have highlighted support from Native organizations and leaders ahead of the Nov. 3 election. Sealaska Corp., a regional Native corporation in southeast Alaska, has endorsed both of them, calling it a way to “honor their contributions and commitment to our communities, and to honor the diverse positions of our shareholders.”

The race is among the most closely watched nationally, with control of the Senate at stake. On Friday, President Donald Trump — who held a rally in support of Sullivan earlier this month — said he told his administration to sue to block certification of the race if the incumbent loses. The lawsuit cites potential confusion with another candidate who is listed on the ranked choice ballot as Daniel J. Sullivan Jr.

Sen. Sullivan is listed as a Republican and the incumbent, while Sullivan Jr. is listed without a party designation. U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche wrote on social media that the lawsuit is necessary to make sure officials “have the information necessary to make a determination as to whether Alaskan voters were confused or mislead.”

Alaskan Natives represent about one-fifth of the state's population, but they can face challenges to voting in remote communities. Advocates have raised concerns in recent years with polling locations in some villages opening late or ballots not arriving on time to be fully counted due to mail delays.

There's also cynicism about whether participating in elections will make a difference.

"There’s legitimate hesitations about whether whoever they vote for is actually going to impact them,” said actor and activist Dallas Goldtooth, who is Bdewakantunwan Dakota and Dine and came to Alaska to encourage conference attendees to vote. “And our job is to say, hey, whether that matters or not, there’s an opportunity for you to make sure that your voice is counted. And I want to encourage people just to take the opportunity as much as possible.”

Sheri Buretta, who chairs the board of Chugach Alaska Corp., an Alaska Native corporation, introduced Sullivan to the conference Thursday as “one of our strongest champions.”

Sullivan, speaking as part of a congressional delegation update, said he’s learned important lessons from Native leaders. He cited work he’s done on issues such as pushing to ensure that Alaska Native Vietnam War-era veterans have access to land allotments.

Peltola, during a candidate forum Friday, became emotional speaking about the crisis of missing and murdered indigenous people and said additional law enforcement resources are needed. She also expressed support for fisheries. Subsistence fishing is critical in many Native communities.

“I will always fight to restore our fisheries. I feel like working on fish issues is my life’s work,” she said.

Energy is also a crucial issue in Alaska, including within Native communities.

Peltola recently said Alaskan Natives were being “absolutely crushed” by high costs from the ongoing war with Iran, which Sullivan has supported. Many rural communities rely on diesel for electricity and to heat their homes.

Sullivan has argued the war against Iran is temporary and that the “forever war is the Democrats’ war against Alaskan energy.”

Many Native leaders on Alaska's petroleum-rich North Slope see responsible oil drilling as critical to their region's economy, and they felt their voices weren't heard while Democratic President Joe Biden was in office. His administration sought to restrict drilling in places like the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska and Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, but Trump and the Republican-led Congress have rolled those efforts back.

Peltola has said she supports expanded oil and gas drilling and would work with Trump to accomplish that. But Sullivan and his allies have tried to align her with “ Lower 48 liberals” who oppose more drilling.

Bohrer reported from Juneau, Alaska.

People attend the Alaska Federation of Natives convention in Anchorage, Alaska, on Friday, Oct. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Haven Daley)

President Donald Trump listens as Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, speaks at a campaign rally at the Curtis D. Menard Memorial Sports Center, Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026, in Wasilla, Alaska. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

In this photo made with a smartphone, Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Mary Peltola, center, stands with supporters during a campaign event in Anchorage, Alaska, on Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Haven Daley)