With the United States midterm elections due the following day, party leaders from both sides are pushing hard to win over voters. Democrats hope to take control of both chambers of Congress, which is currently held by Republicans under President Donald Trump.
On Tuesday, all 435 House seats and 35 of the Senate’s 100 seats will be contested, along with governor races in 36 of the 50 states. The cost of living, worsened by the US-Israel war on Iran, has become one of the central issues of the campaign.
Stevens backs Republican rival in Michigan Senate race
On Sunday, Democratic Congresswoman Haley Stevens endorsed Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers rather than her own party’s nominee, Abdul El-Sayed, in Michigan. The contest is among the races being followed most closely nationwide. Stevens had lost the Democratic Senate primary in August to El-Sayed.
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Her decision came after weeks of friction over US military and political support for Israel, which has been accused of committing genocide in Gaza. El-Sayed has opposed military aid to Israel and argues that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu drew the United States into the Iran war. Stevens, for her part, has accused El-Sayed of anti-Semitism because of his criticism of Israeli conduct in Gaza.
El-Sayed responded that backing his rival would amount to backing Trump, saying a vote for Rogers “is going to be a vote for Donald Trump.” His campaign reportedly raised significantly more money in the period after Stevens switched sides.
Democratic leaders close ranks around El-Sayed
Party leaders have rallied behind El-Sayed, who has faced Islamophobic attacks during the campaign. Curtis Hertel, chair of the Democratic Party in Michigan, criticised Stevens in an interview with , saying, “She does not speak for that larger community.”
Chuck Schumer, the Democratic leader in the Senate, also condemned Stevens’s endorsement. Writing on X, he called it “a despicable betrayal from Representative Stevens.” He said Senate Democrats support El-Sayed because he would fight for the economic interests of working families in Michigan, whereas Rogers, in Schumer’s words, is a tool of Trump and wealthy donors.
The advocacy group Michigan Jews for Democracy has also thrown its weight behind El-Sayed. In a statement, it said Stevens does not speak for the state’s Jewish community and rejected what it called her attempt to divide that community, two days before the election.
Democrats have expressed anger at Stevens, but Trump welcomed her move. Speaking at a rally in Iowa later on Sunday, the president said he would “love” to see her join the Republican Party. “Haley said what few people are willing to say,” he added. “It’s a thing called bravery.”
The open question is whether Stevens’s endorsement will persuade some of her supporters to vote for Rogers, or lead them to stay home altogether. Polling, as reported by a news agency, suggested El-Sayed has largely consolidated Democratic support.
Alaska judge rejects bid to block Senate certification
A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit by the Trump administration that sought to stop Alaska from certifying a loss by Republican Senator Dan Sullivan. The administration had argued that another candidate on the ballot, sharing the same name, could change the outcome.
The ruling came days after the US Department of Justice filed its own lawsuit seeking to decertify the Senate race results if Sullivan lost. Sullivan, an ally of Trump, has since pledged to accept the outcome. “I’m going to accept the election results,” he told on Sunday.
Alaska’s Senate race is one of seven key toss-up contests that will likely determine whether Republicans keep their majority in the upper chamber of Congress.
Early voting surges across key battleground states
According to a University of Florida analysis, 54.5 million of roughly 210 million registered voters had cast ballots early as of 10am US Eastern time on Sunday, which is 15:00 GMT. That total included 30 million in-person votes and 24 million mail-in ballots. In the 2022 midterms, 46 million people had voted early.
Enthusiasm among Democrats has been stronger this year, the same analysis found, with more than 11 million registered Democrats having voted early compared with about 8 million registered Republicans.
Early voting has risen sharply in Texas, a major battleground, where more than 7.7 million people have already voted. An Associated Press polling analysis showed early voting in South Carolina up 83 percent compared with the same point in 2022. Trump won that state by nearly 18 percentage points in 2024, and it has open races for governor and US Senate this year. Kansas, Michigan and Maine have also recorded increases.
These turnout figures, however, do not reveal which candidates voters chose or what the final results will be.
