The upcoming midterm elections are shaping up as a referendum on the Trump presidency. Some have even described the November midterms as “the most important midterms since 1862.” This is not just a battle for control of Congress, including several competitive seats in California. 2026 is also a once-in-a-generation contest for political power in the states—with consequences for voting laws, redistricting, abortion, homelessness, and the direction of state policy for years to come. These elections are taking place amid unusually high concerns about election integrity. A recent Gallup poll found that 67% of American adults are concerned about “political leaders pressuring election officials to change election outcomes,” 57% are concerned about “ballots not being properly handled, counted, or secured,” and 52% concerned about voter intimidation near polling places.
We have the perfect guest speaker to help us make sense of all this. Seema Mehta is a veteran political writer for the Los Angeles Times, covering national and state politics. She has written about every presidential campaign since 2008, as well as multiple gubernatorial, senate, congressional and mayoral races. Seema is a graduate of Syracuse University. She was a Knight-Wallace fellow at the University of Michigan during the 2018-19 academic year, studying AI, automation, and their impacts on Midwestern voters. In 2026, she was a fellow at USC’s Dornsife Center for the Political Future. Seema has also taught at Loyola Marymount University.
