US mid-terms latest: The mystery of the vanishing candidate

  • Published
Media caption,

American politics - 30 miles, three very different view points.

The US mid-term elections in just over two weeks' time will help define the rest of Donald Trump's presidency.

Americans will vote for members of both chambers of Congress, as well as for governors in 36 out of 50 states.

Between now and then, we'll bring you updates and all the best analysis every weekday in this round-up.

Today we look at the mystery of a vanishing candidate, a Trump bump and a beautiful friendship.

One thing that's missing

Here is some advice one Democratic candidate in Arkansas was not expecting to be issuing: don't use your ballot if your candidate is not on it.

Polls were closed for an hour in Garland County when it was discovered that the name of Susan Inman, who is vying to be the Arkansas secretary of state, was omitted from ballot papers.

This Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.View original content on Twitter
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
Skip twitter post by Susan Inman

Allow Twitter content?

This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
End of twitter post by Susan Inman

She told local media that the error was a "monumental mistake", external. A complaint has been lodged.

The duties of the Arkansas secretary of state include administering elections.

You may also like

One big number

President Trump's approval rating has hit a new high in an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll - 47%, which is the highest it has been in that particular poll since he took office. It is also more than his predecessor Barack Obama had before his first mid-terms.

FiveThirtyEight also has him at the highest point, external since month three of his presidency.

Many pundits are putting the Trump bump down to the confirmation battle of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, which they say has fired up conservatives.

The president has made these mid-term elections all about him, urging his supporters to imagine he is on the ballot.

We have been asking Americans from a dozen states what impact he has had on them while in office.

Media caption,

How Americans think Trump affects their life

With the president's popularity rising and the polls tightening in some key races, this New York Times columnist considers the prospect of Republicans keeping control of everything, external on 6 November.

One quote

"He's not Lyin' Ted anymore. He's Beautiful Ted."

You know who, on you know who.

Get a room, chaps.