Three Democratic women running for Congress were in car accidents in October, days ahead of the midterm elections.
Two Democratic women running for Congress were in car accidents during the last week of October: Mary Peltola, a U.S. Senate candidate in Alaska, and Heidi Kuhn, a U.S. House candidate in Tennessee. Both experienced injuries that weren’t life-threatening and are back on the campaign trail.
U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur, an Ohio Democrat running for reelection, was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries after a hit-and-run car crash in August, not October.
There is no evidence the women were deliberately targeted, contrary to suggestions of foul play from social media users.
Social media users are spreading a rumor that three Democratic congressional candidates, all women, have been involved in car crashes in the days leading up to the 2026 midterm elections.
The claims spread on Facebook and X. Different posts shared different timelines for the supposed incidents; while some posts claimed that the crashes happened in the span of just a few days, others said they happened over the course of several weeks. Most posts implied or said that the car crashes happened within the month of October.
Snopes readers asked us to verify these claims; one reader asked on Oct. 29 whether Democratic women “running for office in deep red states” have been “involved in suspicious car accidents this week.”
These posts are referring to actual car crashes involving three Democratic women running for Congress. However, one of the three women — U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur of Ohio, who is running for reelection — was injured in a hit-and-run in early August, not October.
Mary Peltola, the Democratic candidate for a U.S. Senate seat in Alaska, sustained minor injuries in a car crash on Oct. 24. Heidi Kuhn, who is running for a U.S. House seat in Tennessee, was in a multicar collision in Memphis on Oct. 23, sustaining whiplash, as well as a broken nose and upper jawbone, she said.
As of this writing, all three women have returned to the campaign trail.
We have rated this claim as mostly true because posts online largely got the details correct, aside from the timeline regarding one candidate.
Despite speculation on social media that foul play was somehow involved, there is no evidence as of this writing that any of the three women was deliberately targeted. The three campaigns did not return requests for comment on the car crash conspiracy theories.
Here’s what we know about each inciden:
Marcy Kaptur
On Aug. 2, Kaptur’s Washington office announced in a statement that the congresswoman “was a passenger in a vehicle on her way to a church service when the car she was traveling in was struck.”
“She is active, alert, and being treated for non-life threatening injuries,” the statement said. “She expressed her deep gratitude to the hundreds of constituents who have reached out and looks forward to returning to a full schedule soon.”
A week after the incident, Kaptur posted a video on YouTube stating that people’s good wishes had made a “huge difference in my very rapid recovery,” and that her campaign manager, who also was in the car, was in “good shape.” She said in the video she would not return to Washington until September. Her social media indicates that by Sept. 6, she was back in public, actively campaigning for reelection.
In October, prosecutors in Toledo, where the crash occurred, charged Jahiem Wright, 24, with four counts of vehicular assault and two counts of failure to stop after an accident in connection with the crash.
Nothing in public court documents indicates that the car crash was purposeful or meant to deliberately target Kaptur (see Case No. CR2026-01446 using the Lucas County Clerk of Courts case search tool.)
Samantha Crist, the prosecutor on the case, said she would forward our email requesting more information to her office’s spokesperson, who did not immediately respond. The Toledo Police Department also did not immediately return a request for more information.
Here’s how the Toledo Blade, a reputable newspaper in the area, described the incident:
Wright is accused of being the driver of a speeding silver Nissan Altima that lost control after striking a puddle in the 3200 block of North Detroit Avenue during heavy rain and colliding with a black Ford Bronco carrying Ms. Kaptur and her campaign manager, Kegan Zimmermann, as they headed to a church service. The Altima’s driver then fled the scene on foot.
Despite Kaptur, 80, being the longest-serving woman in Congress, polling suggests she is in a very close race with her opponent after Republicans redrew her district for the fourth time.
Mary Peltola
On Oct. 25, Peltola’s campaign team released a statement announcing that she was postponing several events after she sustained “minor injuries” in an Oct. 24 car collision (emphasis theirs):
Unfortunately, last night while en route to the Alaska Federation of Natives Annual Banquet, the vehicle transporting Mary and her family was struck by another driver, causing minor injuries that required medical attention. Following the accident, Alaskans for Mary Campaign Manager Cheryl Bruce issued the following statement regarding upcoming “Alaska Always Tour” events:
“Mary and her family sustained minor injuries but are in good spirits. Unfortunately, per the advice of medical professionals, Mary’s upcoming events in Fairbanks and Bethel will be rescheduled for later in the week as she takes time to recover. Mary is disappointed that the accident is delaying the start of her Alaska Always Tour, and she is eager to get back on the campaign trail to speak directly with Alaskans about her plan to take on the rigged system and lower costs for working families.”
Events scheduled in Fairbanks and Bethel for Sunday, October 25th and Monday, October 26th will be promptly rescheduled in the coming days. Events scheduled in Homer, Kenai, Seward, Juneau, Anchorage, and Palmer will continue as scheduled. The campaign will release an updated schedule.
By Oct. 27, Peltola was back at rallies, per photos from her campaign website.
A bulletin from the Anchorage Police Department said that its preliminary investigation found the car carrying Peltola was rear-ended by another car. That collision caused the car with Peltola in it to careen into a third car.
A police spokesperson said in an email that there was “no indication at the time that the collision was targeted or intentional.”
“The investigation remains active and ongoing,” the spokesperson said on Oct. 30.
Peltola is in one of the most closely watched races this year as she seeks to replace Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan. Polling suggests she has a slight edge over her opponent.
Heidi Kuhn
Kuhn’s campaign team said on Oct. 24 that she and her husband, Matt, “were involved in a serious car accident” on Oct. 23.
The Democratic candidate later shared a video on her Facebook page, in which she said she and two others were injured in the crash.
“We were pretty shaken up,” Kuhn said. “This was quite a traumatic accident and we certainly have given thought to what could have happened and feel incredibly grateful.”
Memphis police spokesperson James Clements did not respond to a question as to whether any evidence suggested Kuhn was deliberately targeted, and whether there was an active investigation ongoing into the cause of the collision.
Instead, Clements sent via email what appears to be a police report of the incident, without identifying which car contained Kuhn:
On 10/23/2026 at 19:26 hours, Officers responded to a crash at I-240/Poplar Ave.
Driver 1, driving vehicle #1, was merging onto I-240E from Poplar Ave. Driver 1 advised that as she was merging, vehicle #2 jerked to the right and slammed on its brakes. Driver 1 was unable to stop before striking the rear of vehicle #2.
Driver 2 driving vehicle #2 was northbound on I-240E in lane 4. Driver 2 advised they were slowing due to traffic when his vehicle #2 was struck hard from behind by vehicle #1. Due to the contact, vehicle #2 was shot to the left, across traffic, where it was then struck by vehicle #3. Vehicle #2 then spun, and the front end made contact with the center median wall.
Driver 3, driving vehicle #3, was northbound I-240E in lane 2. Driver 3 advised that she was driving straight when vehicle #2 came across lanes in front of her. Vehicle #3 was unable to stop before striking vehicle #2, causing it to spin and strike the center median wall.
MFD transported driver 2 and passenger 2 to the hospital in non-critical condition. MFD transported driver 1 to the hospital in non-critical condition. Driver 3 and passenger 3 advised they were uninjured.
Based on the fact that Kuhn said the car in her video that she was hit multiple times and “spun,” it seems likely she was in the second vehicle.
Per her Facebook page, Kuhn visited an early voting site on Oct. 28, indicating she’s back on the campaign trail. She’s facing the Republican incumbent, Rep. David Kustoff, and appears to be a longshot candidate in a safely Republican district.
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