Americans Vote in High-Stakes Midterms as Michigan Senate Race Intensifies and Supreme Court Rebuffs Trump Administration in California

Washington: Congressional candidates across the United States delivered their closing appeals to voters on Monday, on the eve of midterm elections that will determine control of Congress for the final two years of President Donald Trump’s term. Tensions were particularly high in Michigan, where Democrat Abdul El-Sayed is seeking to become the first Muslim elected to the US Senate, and in California, where the Supreme Court turned back an attempt by the Justice Department to intervene in the counting of ballots.

All 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 35 of the 100 seats in the Senate are being contested on Tuesday. Democrats are widely expected to regain the House, while the Senate presents a tougher challenge for the party. A loss of either chamber would limit President Trump’s ability to advance his legislative agenda and would give Democrats the power to launch investigations into his administration. A Democratic Senate majority would also enable the party to block the President’s nominees to the federal judiciary, including the Supreme Court.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll completed on Monday showed 46 percent of registered voters intending to support Democratic candidates in congressional races, compared with 38 percent for Republicans. Early voting, both in person and by mail, has reached a record level, with 57 million ballots cast as of Monday afternoon, compared with 45 million in the entire 2022 midterm elections.

Trump’s Final Campaign Address

President Trump, 80, has campaigned extensively for Republican candidates, appearing at events in 20 states over the past 32 days, according to the White House. His final major appearance before polling day was a speech marking the delayed reopening of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, one of several Washington public works projects he has prioritised since returning to office. During remarks lasting more than 20 minutes, the former real-estate developer spoke at length about the project’s pipes, joints, caulking, granite resurfacing, algae and leaks.

“So we have a lot of great things planned for Washington, and I could get into the nation, but for that you don’t have enough time,” the President said, also referring to the White House lawns, a new Marine One helipad, a golf course, and plans for a triumphal arch that are currently facing a legal challenge.

He made only a brief reference to the election, telling the audience: “When you vote, remember: A party that hates America cannot be allowed to rule over the people who built our country.”

Supreme Court Rejects Bid on California Ballots

In a swift ruling on Monday, the Supreme Court rejected the Trump administration’s request to temporarily prevent California from counting mail-in ballots submitted by more than 20,000 registered voters whom federal officials alleged were likely not US citizens. California had argued that the federal lawsuit would disenfranchise those voters on the basis of vague allegations and that the method used to identify non-citizens was prone to error.

Separately, a federal judge on Monday ordered the administration to stop demanding that California set aside ballots cast by individuals appearing on lists of suspected non-citizens.

Michigan Senate Contest Grows Heated

In Michigan, El-Sayed, a physician and former public health official, is locked in a close race with Republican Mike Rogers. The contest became more contentious over the weekend when US Representative Haley Stevens, who lost the Democratic primary to El-Sayed, announced her support for Rogers.

Following the announcement, El-Sayed’s campaign reported raising $2.4 million on Sunday, its largest single-day total, driven largely by small-dollar contributions. Alabas Farhat, a member of the Michigan House of Representatives, said the endorsement would motivate Democratic voters, citing a rise in early voting in Dearborn, a city with a large Arab American community.

“She’s ignited a new fire among the base to go out and vote with this betrayal of the party,” Farhat said.

El-Sayed, an Egyptian American Muslim born in Michigan, has faced attacks from President Trump and other Republicans who have questioned his loyalty to the United States and, without evidence, labelled him a sympathiser of terrorism. El-Sayed has described the questioning of his loyalty as “shameful.” The attacks form part of a wider pattern of inflammatory rhetoric directed at Muslims and transgender people, and portraying Democrats as communists and dangerous radicals.

In Sterling Heights, a suburb of Detroit, several Rogers supporters expressed anti-Muslim views. Norm Nichols, 65, described El-Sayed as “unfortunately” belonging to the Muslim community and claimed the community has a tendency “to invade the United States and take over from within.” Another voter, Carolyn Clauw, 65, said she believed El-Sayed would commit acts of terrorism against the United States.

Legal Disputes in Alaska

The Trump administration has also sought to intervene in electoral matters in Alaska. On Sunday, a federal judge dismissed a Justice Department lawsuit aimed at blocking certification of the results should Republican incumbent Senator Dan S. Sullivan lose by a narrow margin. The Justice Department had argued that voters could be confused by the presence on the ballot of a challenger named Daniel J. Sullivan Jr.

The matter has unsettled the campaign since The New York Times reported last week that the campaign of Democratic candidate Mary Peltola had been involved in recruiting the second Sullivan as a spoiler candidate. Peltola has denied any involvement, and Sullivan Jr. has denied coordinating with her campaign. Senator Sullivan said on Sunday that he would accept the outcome of Tuesday’s vote, even as the administration pursues a criminal investigation into the matter.

Barry Bracken, a retired fisheries biologist and supporter of Sullivan Jr. from the candidate’s hometown of Petersburg, said two FBI agents visited him on Friday to ask about his $500 campaign donation. According to Bracken, who has known Sullivan Jr. for more than 40 years, the agents said they were looking into possible fraud and asked whether he had donated to the campaign intentionally. He told them he had, and they left shortly afterwards. “They seemed kind of embarrassed to ask,” Bracken said.