With more than 54 million Americans having already cast ballots ahead of Election Day, political figures mounted a final cross-country sprint on Monday to shore up support in decisive congressional and state races. President Trump was scheduled to hold an event at the Washington, D.C. Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, showcasing recent renovations to the historic site that he made a focal point of his second term.
The closing days of the campaign brought fierce late-breaking controversies, notably in Michigan where a public rift emerged between Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed and his former primary rival, Representative Haley Stevens. Stevens announced her endorsement of Republican nominee Mike Rogers on Sunday, drawing sharp condemnation from senior party leaders including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, while drawing praise from Mr. Trump. Following the announcement, El-Sayed’s campaign reported a single-day fundraising record of over $2.4 million.
Appearing on television interviews, Stevens defended her decision by pointing to internal party divisions and a controversial outside political action committee ad, maintaining that she still hopes Democrats win control of the Senate. El-Sayed brushed off the endorsement drama during campaign appearances, emphasizing his focus on economic concerns facing Michigan voters rather than political maneuvering.
Legal and administrative battles surrounding the midterms also intensified in the final hours. The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court for emergency relief to force California election workers to segregate mail ballots from thousands of individuals classified as suspected noncitizens. Solicitor General D. John Sauer argued in the filing that segregating the challenged ballots is the only way to preserve judicial review once votes are commingled. Meanwhile, a federal judge in Alaska dismissed a separate Justice Department lawsuit that sought to block the certification of that state’s Senate results if Republican incumbent Senator Dan Sullivan loses, ruling that the federal government lacked legal standing to bring the action.
In northern New York, Vice President JD Vance campaigned for Republican congressional candidate Anthony Constantino, attempting to tie his Democratic opponent, Blake Gendebien, to former President Joe Biden. The seat, previously held by outgoing Representative Elise Stefanik, is among the fiercely contested districts that could decide the balance of power in the House of Representatives.
Nationwide, control of Congress hangs in the balance across a narrow map of competitive contests. House control is expected to be decided among 47 targeted districts, where Republicans currently defend a razor-thin majority. In the Senate, 11 primary battleground races—spanning eight Republican-held seats including Alaska, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, and Texas, alongside three Democratic-held seats in Georgia, Michigan, and New Hampshire—will ultimately determine which party holds the chamber.
