By Tiffany Williams –
Two days before the November 3 midterms, a federal judge dismissed a Justice Department lawsuit in Alaska, and a Michigan Democrat who narrowly lost her Senate primary endorsed the Republican who could defeat her party’s nominee. More than 52 million votes had already been cast as President Donald Trump turned his attention to Iowa and Kansas, two states he carried handily but where his party is still fighting to hold Senate seats.
Alaska Judge Dismisses Bid to Block Senate Certification
A federal judge on Sunday dismissed the Justice Department’s lawsuit seeking to block certification of Alaska’s U.S. Senate race if Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan loses. The suit sought to prevent the state from making a Sullivan defeat official. Sunday’s ruling dismissed that request while voters still had time to decide the race.
Sullivan, a Trump ally, faces former Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola. The ballot dispute has drawn national attention because Alaska is among the handful of races that could determine which party controls the Senate for the final two years of Trump’s term.
Trump Returns to Iowa and Kansas With Republican Seats at Risk
Trump’s closing campaign schedule puts him in territory Republicans have reason to defend. The Iowa and Kansas stops were initially canceled, then abruptly restored to the schedule after Trump took a break from rallies Saturday.
His first stop was scheduled for Sunday afternoon in Dubuque, Iowa, where three contests illustrate the stakes for Republicans. The party is fighting to keep a U.S. Senate seat and the governor’s office. Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District, which includes Dubuque, has also become competitive as Republicans try to protect their narrow House majority.
Trump planned to close the weekend in Salina, Kansas, where Democrat Adam Hamilton is trying to end a 94-year drought for his party in U.S. Senate elections. A Hamilton victory would cost Republicans a seat in a state Trump won comfortably. With control of the chamber in play, the president devoted one of his last campaign stops to defending it.
Haley Stevens Endorses Republican Who Faces Her Former Primary Rival
In Michigan, Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens appeared alongside Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers at a Detroit church service Sunday. Hours later, she endorsed him over Abdul El-Sayed, the Democrat who narrowly defeated her in the August primary. Her endorsement puts her on the same side as Trump in one of the country’s most closely contested Senate races.
Stevens had been disinvited from a joint event with El-Sayed scheduled for that same day. She has criticized his comments about Israel, and her fiancé said last week that he would vote for Rogers because he believed El-Sayed had done too little to address concerns in the Jewish community.
“Abdul promises to get money out of politics,” Stevens wrote in a statement Friday. “He can begin by getting Israel out of his explanation for everything Michigan cannot afford.”
Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy Hospitalized After Stroke
Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy suffered a stroke Saturday after he “started experiencing numbness in his arm while at his son’s hockey game,” his chief of staff, Allison Herwitt, said Sunday. “He was taken to a local hospital, where it was discovered he had experienced a stroke,” she said.
“He was transferred to Johns Hopkins for further monitoring and is responding well to treatment. The doctors are encouraged by his progress, he is awake and alert, and we are optimistic he will make a full recovery.”
Murphy, 53, was elected to the U.S. House in 2006 and to the Senate in 2012. The Connecticut Democrat is not on Tuesday’s ballot.
Pope Leo XIV Casts Mail-In Ballot in Chicago
The Vatican confirmed Friday that Pope Leo XIV cast a mail-in ballot in Chicago ahead of the November 3 midterms. The Chicago-born pontiff, formerly Robert Prevost, is the first pope to vote in a U.S. general election.
The Holy See press office said Leo “has exercised his right to vote as a United States citizen” and has done so “whenever he was eligible to do so.” The Vatican cited his long-standing belief in civic participation in confirming his vote.