2022 Midterm Elections news and updates as Democrats, Republicans fight for control of Congress

U.S. Senate candidate Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, speaks at the UAW Local 12 union rally in Toleetty Images)do, Ohio on Saturday, August 20, 2022. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Critics slammed Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, for appearing in a photo with the American Federation of Teachers union president Randi Weingarten on Saturday. 

Ryan is running against Republican J.D. Vance for Senate Ohio and Weingarten posted with Ryan after appearing with the Ohio Democrats' Family Reunion event to talk about education. 

"While they attack our institutions and smear us and the work we do, the people in this room are rolling up our sleeves to help people. And the way we help people isn’t through hate, division, or political attacks – it’s by leaning in on solutions," Weingarten told the crowd at the event on Saturday.

Read more from Fox News' Hanna Panreck here.

Mehmet Oz, Republican Senate candidate for Pennsylvania, and Democratic nominee, current Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman (Mark Makela, Hannah Beier/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Pennsylvania Republican Senate nominee Dr. Mehmet Oz held a press conference in Philadelphia Monday in which he addressed rising crime across the state and blasted his opponent, Democratic Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, for his lenient stance toward criminals.

Speaking alongside the Philadelphia Fraternal Order of Police, who endorsed his campaign, Oz lamented that increased violent crime had become "normalized," and described it as a "cancer" that was affecting the entire state, not just cities like Philadelphia, which saw a string of murders in recent days.

Oz went on to criticize Fetterman, a member of the Pennsylvania Board of Pardons, for seeking the release of certain prisoners from jail, some of which, Oz said, were convicted murderers.

"He's clearly way outside the norms of the Democratic Party, the Republican Party and the people of Pennsylvania," Oz said.

Oz implored that police departments "be allowed to do their jobs," and stressed the need for more officers on the streets of cities like Philadelphia.

He went on to warn against voters choosing to support Fetterman.

"This is a transformative election. We have to get this right. We cannot send someone to Washington who is disrespectful of the rules of society. who thinks they're better than those rules, no more than the people around them, and will make arrogant decisions that could compromise all of us," Oz said.

"We need thoughtful, measured individuals who know how to make difficult decisions," he added.

A new CBS/YouGov poll shows Republicans with a slight lead over Democrats and the economy far ahead of abortion as the top issue on voters' minds just weeks ahead of the November midterm elections.

According to the national poll of registered voters, 46% of respondents said they planned to support a Republican candidate, just one point ahead of the 45% who said they planned to support a Democratic candidate.

Of the voters who said they were likely to vote in November, 82% said the economy was very important to them as they cast their vote, while 76% said inflation was very important.

Falling further down the list was abortion, which Democrats across the country have made a focal point in their campaign messaging. Just 59% of likely voters said it was very important to them as they cast their vote and 20% said it wasn't important, compared to just 2% for the economy and 4% for inflation.

Read more from Fox News' Brandon Gillespie here.

Migrants who recently arrived from Venezuela after crossing from Mexico wait to be assigned a hotel room provided by the El Paso Office of Emergency Management on Sept. 21, 2022, in El Paso, Texas. (Joe Raedle)

As the volume of migrants illegally crossing the southern border into the U.S. exceeded 2 million this fiscal year, a new poll finds that most registered voters approve of the decision by some Republican governors to send illegal immigrants to Democrat-run cities, and many see it as an effective way to draw attention to the immigration issue.

The CBS/YouGov survey found that 51% of registered voters approve of sending illegal immigrants to Democratic cities, compared to 49% who disapprove. Additionally, 88% of those who approve say it is an effective way of bringing attention to the issue of illegal immigration. 

Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., recently flew 50 illegal immigrants to Martha's Vineyard, a famous vacation spot for the wealthy, angering many on the left. Within 48 hours of their arrival, Martha's Vineyard called in the National Guard and swiftly relocated all 50 migrants out of the beach town. Some Democrats called the GOP governor's move a form of "human trafficking."

Read more from Fox News' Aubrie Spady here.

A new ad from businessman Rick Caruso is blasting Rep. Karen Bass, D-Calif., his opponent in the Los Angeles mayoral race, for praising the Church of Scientology.

The ad flips between video clips of Bass speaking at an apparent Church of Scientology event and quotes from news articles and individuals putting the church's morals into question.

"I know your goal and your commitment is truly to make a difference," Bass says in one of the ad's video clips, speaking to what appears to be church members.

The ad then shows quotes from an article in Time Magazine, referring to the church as "a global scam."

It then jumps back to another video clip of Bass from the same speech, praising the Church of Scientology's founder, L. Ron Hubbard.

The ad then jumps to a quote from what it said was a former spokesperson of the church, calling it "homophobic."

"The Church of Scientology I know has made a difference, because your creed is a universal creed," Bass is then seen saying in her speech.

A quote from a New York Times article then flashes on the screen, saying members of the church were "beaten" and "pressured to have abortions."

"I look forward to helping you bring about the difference for everyone in this city, this 'Golden State' of California, and from here, the nation, and from the nation, the world," Bass is then seen saying.

The ad ends by showing a quote from a Forbes magazine article saying, "Karen Bass' statements ... just don't add up."

Crime has surpassed abortion among concerns for Americans, who also said they trust Republicans more than Democrats to handle it, giving them the highest lead on the issue in more than 30 years, according to a recent ABC/WaPo poll released Sunday.

According to the survey produced for ABC News by Langer Research Associates in New York City, the economy (89%), education (77%) and inflation (76%) topped out the issues voters consider "highly important" as midterms loom, but those issues were followed closely by crime at 69%, which beat out abortion at 62%.

Immigration and climate change brought up the rear at 61% and 50%, respectively.

Asked which political party they trust to do a better job handling key issues, respondents answered 52% in favor of the Republican Party when it comes to crime, compared to 38% for Democrats.

Read more from Fox News' Jon Brown here.