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Good morning. I'm James Holman from the Washington Post and this is the Daily 202 for Monday, October 22nd.

In today's news, Bob Mueller zeros in on Roger Stone. The evolving Saudi story

about the death of Jamal Koshogi still doesn't add up. And the Trump

administration is moving to end federal recognition of transgender Americans.

But first, the big idea. The Midwest is poised to be the epicenter of

Democratic gains in the midterms, just as it was for Republicans during the 2010

Tea Party wave.

One under-appreciated reason why

is that Democrats nominated more temperamentally

and ideologically moderate candidates in this region

than across the Sun Belt, which might have been

ground zero for the party out of power. With the left already activated by animus toward

President Trump, generic Midwest moderates are pulling well two weeks out from the elections.

The Democratic nominees for governor in Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois,

and Kansas, each defeated more liberal alternatives in competitive

primaries by emphasizing their electability. To varying degrees, all are intentionally

bland and tacking toward the middle in the fall.

In this environment, they believe a lack of charisma might actually be an asset.

In contrast, Democratic voters selected the more liberal and fiery candidates for governor

and gubernatorial primaries from Arizona and Texas to Florida and Georgia.

...