With one day to go before the United States midterm elections, campaigning has reached a fever pitch with Democratic and Republican leaders pulling out all the stops to mobilise voters.
asserted
leaders → go → voters
Democrats are hoping to flip control of both chambers of Congress, which is currently controlled by US President Donald Trump’s Republican Party.
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which → hop → Party
South Carolina Republicans challenge Trump’s Senate pick
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Republicans → challenge → pick
Voting will also be held to elect governors in 36 of the 50 US states.
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Voting → hold → states
With the cost-of-living crisis, exacerbated by the US-Israel war on Iran, becoming one of the key talking points of these elections, here’s where things stand as of Monday:
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things → exacerbate → Monday
What’s happened on the campaign trail in the past 24 hours?
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What → happen → hours
In a dramatic political development on Sunday, Democratic Congresswoman Haley Stevens threw her support behind Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers over her own party’s nominee, Abdul El-Sayed, in Michigan – one of the most closely watched races of the US midterm elections.
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Stevens → throw → elections
Stevens had lost Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary in August to El-Sayed.
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Stevens → lose → Sayed
Her announcement followed weeks of tension with El-Sayed over US support to Israel, which has been accused of committing genocide in Gaza.
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which → follow → Gaza
El-Sayed has opposed military support to Israel, arguing that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pushed the US into the Iran war.
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Netanyahu → oppose → war
Stevens has accused El-Sayed of anti-Semitism for his criticism of Israeli actions in Gaza.
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Stevens → accuse → Gaza
El-Sayed said a vote for his rival Rogers “is going to be a vote for Donald Trump” as his campaign reportedly saw a fundraising surge after Stevens crossed party lines.
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Stevens → say → lines
Democratic leaders have rallied behind El-Sayed, who has faced Islamophobic attacks during the campaign.
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who → rally → campaign
The chairman of the Democratic Party in Michigan criticised Stevens.
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chairman → criticise → Stevens
“She does not speak for that larger community,” Curtis Hertel said in an interview with CNN.
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Hertel → speak → CNN
The leader of the Democrats in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, slammed Stevens over her endorsement of the Republican candidate.
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leader → slam → candidate
“This is a despicable betrayal from Representative Stevens,” he posted on X.
“Senate Democrats are united in our support for Abdul El-Sayed, because we know he will fight for the economic interests of working families in Michigan, unlike Mike Rogers, who is a tool of Donald Trump and billionaire donors.”
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who → post → Trump
Meanwhile, the advocacy group Michigan Jews for Democracy has backed El-Sayed.
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group → back → Sayed
“Haley Stevens does not speak for Michigan’s Jewish community,” it said in a statement, which rejected her “attempt to divide our community” two days before the election.
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which → speak → election
While Democrats have been angered by Stevens’s action, Trump celebrated her decision.
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Trump → anger → decision
During a rally in Iowa later on Sunday, the US president said he would “love” it if Stevens joined the Republican Party.
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Stevens → say → Party
“Haley said what few people are willing to say,” Trump added.
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Trump → say → what
“It’s a thing called bravery.”
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It → ’ → ?
The question now is whether Stevens’s endorsement could persuade some of her supporters to back Rogers or discourage them from voting altogether.
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endorsement → persuade → them
Polling suggested El-Sayed has largely consolidated Democratic support, according to the Reuters news agency.
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Sayed → suggest → agency
Judge dismisses Trump’s Alaska election lawsuit
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Judge → dismiss → lawsuit
Meanwhile, a federal judge has thrown out a Trump administration lawsuit seeking to block Alaska from certifying a loss by Republican Senator Dan Sullivan.
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judge → throw → Sullivan
The administration has argued that a rival on the ballot with the same name could change the outcome.
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rival → argue → outcome
Sullivan pledged to accept the election outcome, days after the US Department of Justice filed a lawsuit seeking to decertify the results of the Senate race if he loses.
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he → pledge → race
“I’m going to accept the election results,” Sullivan, an ally of Trump, told CNN on Sunday.
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Sullivan → go → Sunday
Alaska’s Senate race is one of seven key toss-up races that will likely decide whether Republicans keep their majority in the upper chamber of the US Congress.
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Republicans → toss → Congress
How many Americans have already voted?
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Americans → vote → ?
This year, out of about 210 million registered voters, 54.5 million had voted early as of 10am US East Coast time (15:00 GMT) on Sunday, according to a University of Florida analysis.
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million → register → analysis
This includes 30 million in-person votes and 24 million mail-in ballots.
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This → include → votes
In the 2022 midterm elections, 46 million people voted early.
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people → vote → elections
Early voting enthusiasm has been higher among Democrats this year with more than 11 million registered Democrats having voted early, compared with about 8 million registered Republicans, according to the university’s analysis.
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Democrats → register → analysis
Early voting has particularly surged in the state of Texas, a key battleground, where more than 7.7 million people have voted early.
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people → surge → Texas
According to an Associated Press polling analysis, in South Carolina, where Trump won by nearly 18 percentage points in 2024, early voting has surged 83 percent compared with the same point in 2022.
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voting → accord → 2022
The state has open races for governor and US Senate this year.
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state → have → governor
Kansas, Michigan and Maine have also seen a surge in early voting.
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Kansas → see → voting
…and 1 more, not listed.
The Aporia
