US Midterms Reach Final Days as Leaders Rally Voters and Legal Battles Unfold

UPDATE - follow-up to 2026 elections live updates: Trump supports Republicans with telerallies: With Election Day just three days away, political campaigns across the United States are entering their final stretch as party leaders make closing arguments to voters.

House Races and Legal Battles

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries joined a rally in Virginia Beach on Saturday for the 2nd Congressional District race between Republican Rep. Jen Kiggans and Democratic nominee Elaine Luria. Jeffries told CBS News he is very confident Democrats will take back control of the House because voters are fed up with what he termed MAGA extremism, adding that President Trump will have no choice but to accept the results if Democrats win. Meanwhile, the Alaska Attorney General's Office filed a motion on Saturday to dismiss a Justice Department lawsuit that seeks to stop the certification of a potential Democratic Senate win by independent candidate Daniel J. Sullivan. The DOJ lawsuit claims the candidacy violates the National Voter Registration Act and causes voter confusion, but state officials argued the legal challenge has no basis and that ballots were carefully designed to protect voter secrecy. U.S. District Judge Sharon Gleason set a Saturday deadline for arguments on dismissing the case, which follows a New York Times report that people linked to Democratic candidate Mary Peltola helped recruit the second Sullivan, a claim Peltola has denied.

State Campaigns and Telerallies

In Texas, Democratic gubernatorial nominee Gina Hinojosa spoke at a Houston event for Senate hopeful James Talarico, telling supporters that the race is a fight for a state run by the people rather than billionaires. Nationally, President Trump turned to TruthSocial to announce a series of telerallies backing Republican candidates. Trump hosted an event supporting Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, Senate candidate Jon Husted, and House candidates Mike Carey, Eric Conroy, and Derek Merrin, as part of a six-rally national push. He also announced a separate telerally for Pennsylvania candidates, backing gubernatorial hopeful Stacy Garrity and Representatives Ryan Mackenzie, Rob Bresnahan, Scott Perry, and Lloyd Smucker. Separately, Republican Senator Ted Cruz warned on his Verdict podcast that the GOP risks losing both chambers of Congress and facing a historic defeat in Texas due to massive early voting turnout by Democrats.

Context

The November midterm elections serve as a crucial referendum on the sitting administration, with control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate hanging in the balance. High-stakes legal challenges and intensive get-out-the-vote efforts are standard features of the final days of American congressional campaigns as both parties mobilize their bases for the final vote count.