US midterms: 1 day to go – Democrats rally around El-Sayed amid attacks

What the report says

With one day remaining before the US midterm elections, Al Jazeera reports that campaigning intensified across the country as Democrats and Republicans tried to mobilize voters ahead of Tuesday’s vote. The article says all 435 House seats, 35 Senate seats and governorships in 36 states are on the ballot, with Democrats aiming to win back control of Congress from President Donald Trump’s Republican Party.

A major development in the Michigan Senate race came when Democratic Congresswoman Haley Stevens publicly backed Republican candidate Mike Rogers instead of her party’s nominee, Abdul El-Sayed. The endorsement followed a long-running dispute over US support for Israel and El-Sayed’s criticism of the war in Gaza and the Iran conflict. Al Jazeera says Democratic leaders quickly moved to defend El-Sayed and condemn Stevens, while Trump praised her decision at a rally in Iowa.

The article also notes that El-Sayed’s campaign has faced Islamophobic attacks, while polling cited by Reuters suggested he had largely consolidated Democratic support. In another election-related story, a federal judge dismissed a Trump administration lawsuit seeking to block Alaska from certifying a possible loss by Republican Senator Dan Sullivan. That race is among several closely watched contests that could determine which party controls the Senate.

Al Jazeera also reported strong early-voting participation, with 54.5 million ballots cast by Sunday morning, including more Democrats than Republicans among registered voters who had voted early.