Republicans are heading into the midterms with a grocery-price problem they can't talk their way out of, and even friendly TV hosts are pushing back.

• Dr. Oz went on Fox News with a package of butter as a prop and claimed it costs about a dollar, and the host corrected him on air — butter runs closer to four dollars.
• The stumble echoes his 2022 vegetable-platter clip and lands as voters are angry about the overall cost of groceries, especially meat and eggs.
• In Texas, leaked audio has Ken Paxton privately blaming the Iran war for high gas and diesel prices, which he says is pushing up food costs and sinking his numbers.
• Paxton now trails James Talarico consistently, and Republican money is being rushed into seats in Kansas and South Carolina that were supposed to be safe.
• Trump insists his rallies are saving the party, but forecasters keep shifting races toward Democrats, and candidates privately treat his visits as a drag.

Outlook: With under a month to election day, Republicans look set to spend heavily just to limit losses rather than win new ground.