Midterm candidates court rivals from other parties

Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski endorsed Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins in Alaska on Tuesday.

The move joins a growing list of cross-party endorsements in key midterm races. In Kansas, former Republican governors Bill Graves and Mike Hayden announced support for Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Adam Hamilton in September and October. In Texas, the campaign for Democratic U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico reported that more than two dozen former GOP officials have backed him.

Kel Seliger, a former GOP state senator, joined the Talarico campaign this week rather than backing Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton. Seliger said he served with both men and described Talarico as honest and direct. "I think the things that he does are going to be what is best for Texas. Not what's best for Elon Musk," Seliger said.

Republican officials say they expect similar crossover support for their nominees. Natalie Baldassarre, national press secretary for the Republican National Committee, pointed to the race in Michigan between Mike Rogers and Abdul El-Sayed. She also cited the campaign coalition known as Democrats for Mike Rogers as evidence of cross-party appeal in the current cycle.

Political scientists suggest these endorsements may have a limited impact on final results. Joshua Blank, research director for the Texas Politics Project, noted that cross-party voting usually involves a small share of the electorate. "We're not talking about a large group of Republicans crossing party lines to vote for Democrats," Blank said. He added that these behaviors are idiosyncratic and occur among a small segment of voters.

Blank stated that the effect could matter if elections are close. Recent polling indicates that several midterm races have become tightly contested. Some races are now statistically tied, meaning the margin of error overlaps with the current polling numbers.

Candidates continue to promote their bipartisan support in the final days of the election season. The endorsements span three states and include former governors, senators, and state officials.