November 2, 2026

Good Monday evening. In this edition: Trump makes final pitch as court rulings and bombshell Michigan endorsement roil midterm homestretch.

• Plus, Murphy, Iran war and Washington Journal Primetime.

Midterm Elections

We're just one day out from the pivotal midterm elections, which will determine control of Congress for the final two years of President Trump's term.

• The homestretch has featured last-minute pitches to voters, a flurry of legal challenges and a major twist in the Michigan Senate race, which both parties view as critical to controlling the upper chamber.

President Trump, who has repeatedly urged Republicans to turn out as if he were on the ballot, delivered his final pitch from the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, warning that Democrats had nominated "the most extreme and dangerous slate of candidates in American history."

• "We've fought for 250 years to make it great. We're not going to let it be torn down by a bunch of people that have failed everywhere they've been," he said.
  
  

• "We'll defend our country, our culture and our heritage for generations to come. We're going to keep it the way it is. We're going to make it better and just."

On the legal front, the Supreme Court this evening rejected the Trump administration's request for California officials to set aside ballots associated with more than 20,000 voters it claims are "likely" noncitizens.

• "The application for injunction pending appeal presented to Justice Kagan and by her referred to the Court is denied," an unsigned order from the court read in response to the emergency request filed this morning.

U.S. District Judge David Carter rejected the administration's request last week, and a three-judge appeals court panel declined to intervene Friday in a 2–1 decision, citing concerns that the requested relief could disenfranchise eligible voters and disrupt the election.

• U.S. Solicitor General D. John Sauer had argued that separating the ballots would not cancel any votes but would allow time to verify the eligibility of suspected noncitizens.
  
  

• California Attorney General Rob Bonta (D) called the filing "another attempt to undermine our elections and trample on the rule of law."

In a separate election challenge, a federal judge on Sunday dismissed the Justice Department's lawsuit seeking to delay certification of the Alaska Senate race if Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan loses. The Justice Department filed a notice of appeal shortly after the ruling.

• The lawsuit, which cited concerns about voter confusion, was filed before the New York Times reported that members of Democratic candidate Mary Peltola's campaign had actively recruited another candidate named "Dan Sullivan" to try to peel off votes from the incumbent.

U.S. District Judge Sharon Gleason ruled that the federal government had failed to establish it had legal standing to file a civil complaint and offered "no workable plan" to solve the purported problem.

• "If this Court were to order that certain ballots will be segregated and subject to a future and as yet unspecified investigation by law enforcement, it would likely result in voter 'confusion and consequent incentive to remain away from the polls,'" the judge wrote.

The biggest pre-election story, however, is in Michigan, where Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI), who narrowly lost the Democratic Senate primary to Abdul El-Sayed, created a media frenzy and enraged Democrats by endorsing Republican Mike Rogers on Sunday.

• The former rivals had been set to participate in a unity event at a Detroit church Sunday, but Rep. Stevens issued a statement Friday calling on Mr. El-Sayed to apologize for comments criticizing Israel and to condemn an ad produced by an outside group.
  
  

• Mr. El-Sayed then said Rep. Stevens "seems intent on relitigating" the primary, and his campaign asked her not to participate in any further campaign events.

Rep. Stevens announced her endorsement Sunday, standing next to Mr. Rogers outside a Black church in Detroit.

• "Abdul made very clear that I was not welcome in his campaign, that he didn't need me there, that he didn't want me there," she said. "I did endorse the Democratic nominee, and he chose to close this campaign by saying I wasn't welcome."

The fallout was swift, with Michigan Democrats expelling her from the state party and numerous members of her congressional staff resigning in protest.

• "Haley Stevens' decision to campaign with Rogers — a man who has repeatedly sold out Michigan's working class, wants to pass a national abortion ban, and has pledged to be a loyal vote for Trump's agenda — shows that she has abandoned everything she claims to care about," the Michigan Democratic Party said in a statement.
  
  

• Curtis Hertel, chair of the Michigan Democratic Party, added: "Congresswoman Stevens is not a current member of the Michigan Democratic Party, nor will she be in the future."

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), who initially backed Rep. Stevens in the primary, called the endorsement a "despicable betrayal."

• "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," he said on social media.

Republicans welcomed the endorsement, which earned praise from Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and President Trump.

• "I don't know Haley, I've never met Haley," the president said at a rally in Iowa Sunday. "But Haley said what few people are willing to say. I think I'd probably — I'd love her to join the Republican Party actually."

The Michigan race remains close, but the Cook Political Report recently moved its rating to "Lean Democrat," and Mr. El-Sayed has led by single digits in recent polls.

• It's unclear how much of an impact the endorsement will have on Tuesday's election.

Watch the remarks from President Trump at the Lincoln Memorial and in Iowa, and Rep. Stevens in Michigan.

In other news…

• Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) suffered a stroke Saturday and is being treated at Johns Hopkins Hospital, his office said Sunday. The 53-year-old senator, who is seen as a potential 2028 presidential candidate, had been traveling the country to campaign for Democrats ahead of the midterms. His office said he began experiencing numbness in his arm while attending his son's hockey game and was taken to a local hospital, where doctors determined he had suffered a stroke. He was later transferred to Johns Hopkins for further monitoring. "The doctors are encouraged by his progress, he is awake and alert, and we are optimistic he will make a full recovery," his chief of staff said in a statement.
  
  

• President Trump told Axios he was in "no rush" to decide whether to resume fighting against Iran after the midterms. "One way or the other, we will do something, but there is no rush," he told the outlet. "We crippled them financially. They have no money, no gasoline and their people are getting very tired of it." Both sides have viewed the midterms as a potential turning point in the war, with negotiations continuing through Qatari mediators. "We are talking to them. It's going fine. The problem with them is ... they try and tap tap tap [us along]," the president said. "There's less urgency [on the Iranian side] than you think there would be, but they want to make a deal more than they ever wanted."
  
  

• Following the midterm elections, C-SPAN will bring its signature viewer-driven conversation to the evening with the launch of Washington Journal Primetime on Monday, Nov. 9. Hosted by Mimi Geerges, the new live weeknight program, airing at 9pm ET, will invite Americans to discuss the issues shaping the country with journalists, policy experts and other guests. Building on C-SPAN's longstanding morning call-in program, Washington Journal Primetime will explore the day's biggest news, debates on Capitol Hill and how decisions in Washington affect Americans. Viewers will be at the heart of the program, asking questions, sharing their experiences and bringing perspectives from across the country to the conversation. The morning Washington Journal will continue to air live every day from 7 to 10am ET on C-SPAN.

For your radar…

• C-SPAN will provide wall-to-wall coverage of Tuesday's elections, including live results, speeches and analysis of Senate, House and gubernatorial races. Watch LIVE on C-SPAN beginning at 4pm ET.

Was this email forwarded to you?
Sign up here

C-SPAN is on YouTube. Subscribe today for live coverage, consequential moments, memorable exchanges and the political events everyone will be talking about.