Hi, I’m Astead Herndon,

I just launched a new newsletter called The Midterms, Actually. Every Tuesday, I’ll take you beyond the polls and predictions to identify the big ideas and key people behind the political shifts that are shaping the 2026 midterms — and could define US politics well beyond November.

The main question in the midterms is one of congressional control: Americans will have their first opportunity to provide a check on Donald Trump’s unpopular second presidency, and a Democratic-led House or Senate would most certainly be a thorn in his legislative side. But its longer-lasting impact will be how it shapes what’s to come after that, and that’s what I’m focused on. 

Each edition of this newsletter will have two parts: One Big Idea that I’m seeing across our reporting each week. And What I’m Hearing, where I’ll connect with a reporter in a key location on the electoral map to get the local view on the national conversation.

I hope that this newsletter will provide you with new insight about where we are as a country and what's at stake as we look forward. If you'd like to join me on this journey, sign up to get it in your inbox every week.

Read the first edition here.