2026 election live updates as candidates make final pitches, Trump says "we win in a landslide" if his supporters vote

The balance of power in Washington, D.C., could be tipped by a handful of Senate seats. One of the most competitive races on the ballot is in Maine, where incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins is being challenged by Democrat Troy Jackson.

Voters in Maine, including Norm Belanger, know their vote could impact the rest of the country. He and his wife Elizabeth typically vote for a person over a party, but on Tuesday, they're deciding to unseat the incumbent.

"Troy Jackson doesn't excite me. He would not have been my choice for the Democratic candidate," Belanger said. "On the other hand, I think he's the best choice of the two."

Other voters in Kittery said they weren't convinced to vote for any of the candidates.

"It's terrifying. Neither side seems to have a good grasp on how to run things. There's no white knight here in either party," a voter said. "Who I end up voting for, is going to be who I think is going to be the least damaging."

Read more here.

A federal appeals court late Monday halted a lower court ruling that directed the Trump administration to stop ordering state election officials to separate out or not count the ballots of alleged non-citizens.

Last week, U.S. District Judge Trina Thompson ruled that the Justice Department's efforts to get officials in California and elsewhere to comply with its pre-Election Day demands — and its repeated threats to prosecute those who don't comply — likely violated the Voting Rights Act's prohibition on attempting to intimidate, threaten or coerce" people who help others vote. The ruling, which was set to last until Nov. 16, came as part of a lawsuit filed by several labor unions and civil rights groups.

The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday granted the Trump administration's request to stay that ruling pending appeal. In a 2-1 decision, the appellate judges wrote that the government's actions were "core Executive functions that did not actually disturb the states' regulation of their own elections."

Two George W. Bush-appointed judges signed on to the ruling. 

Obama-appointed Judge Mary Helen Murguia dissented, arguing the ruling "cannot be reconciled" with another case last week in which the court refused to order California to segregate 20,000 ballots.

"The Constitution's allocation of election procedures to the states is meaningless if Defendants can coerce states into foregoing their chosen procedures by abusing their prosecutorial powers," she wrote.

In his final rally before Election Day, Democratic pastor Adam Hamilton acknowledged that his bid to represent Kansas in the Senate hinges on the state's voters making a history-defying decision.

"The last time a Democrat was elected from Kansas to the United States Senate, Amelia Earhart flew across the Atlantic Ocean for the very first time," he said at an event next door to Church of the Resurrection, the large Methodist church outside Kansas City that he has led for decades.

In order to defeat Republican Sen. Roger Marshall, Hamilton will need to win over an electorate that backed President Trump by double-digit margins in all three of his presidential runs. He leaned hard into bipartisanship during Monday's rally.

"If I get elected tomorrow night, I'm going to become Jerry Moran's best friend," he said, referring to the state's other Republican senator. "Because I want to model from Kansas for the rest of our country: This is what it looks like when a Republican and Democrat work together. I'm going to work the Democratic side of the aisle. He's going to work the Republican side of the aisle, and we're going to get things done."

His speech focused on the cost of living, healthcare and "decency."

"We've got a lot of people who've lost their freaking minds. They are no longer asking questions like, 'Is this right? Is it decent? Is this good? Is it moral?'" he said.

CBS News spoke to Hamilton supporter Cherri Shannon, who said she and her husband have knocked on doors for about four hours every Saturday for the last few weeks.

"My husband and I sat and complained about politics for a long time," she said. "And finally, I looked at him. I said, 'We got to get off the couch. We got to go do something.'"

Democratic Senate hopeful Josh Turek was with former Sen. Tom Harkin in a driveway in a small Western Iowa town when the former senator pulled out his phone to show the candidate something.

"Oh my God," Turek said as he leaned over to glance at Harkin's phone, which appeared to show the prediction market Kalshi's odds for the Senate race.

The odds had Turek up over GOP candidate Ashley Hinson, 52% to 48%. But Turek knows the race against Hinson is making out to be one of the most competitive Senate contests in the country. He said as much there in the final hours of the campaign.

"This may very well be the closest election on the entire U.S. Senate map," Turek said, surrounded by a small crowd of supporters at the canvass launch in Le Mars, Iowa. 

Read more here.

In a concert-style rally in Austin on Monday, James Talarico expressed confidence that he will be the first Democrat to win a Senate race in Texas in more than 30 years.

"Tomorrow night, we are going to do something extraordinary. We are going to do something historic. We are going to shock the nation, shock the world, when we beat the billionaires and take back Texas," Talarico said in a speech that repeatedly invoked "Friday Night Lights" and its come-from-behind storylines.

Talarico talked about cost-of-living issues and frustrations with data centers, and railed against "corrupt tariffs" and "a new corrupt war in the Middle East."

"We have an affordability crisis because we have a corruption crisis," he said, calling the Republican candidate, state Attorney General Ken Paxton, "the embodiment of this corrupt system." (Paxton was impeached by the state House on bribery and other allegations in 2023, but was later acquitted by the state Senate. He has long denied all wrongdoing.)

And Talarico criticized billionaire Elon Musk, who has poured hundreds of millions of dollars into the race, saying he is "almost singlehandedly bankrolling this effort to install Ken Paxton in the U.S. Senate."

President Trump ended his pre-midterm swing by urging people to vote in an appearance on Fox News' "Hannity."

"I'm just asking everybody to pretend that I'm on the ballot," the president said, reiterating a frequent theme in his midterm rallies and appearances. He added that "in a way, I am" because if Republicans lose, his legislative accomplishments could be "wiped out."

"If our people vote, we win in a landslide," he said.

One day after Rep. Haley Stevens shocked fellow Democrats and endorsed Republican Mike Rogers in Michigan's tight Senate race, she offered an explanation of her decision late Monday, writing at one point that Democrat Abdul El-Sayed is "not fit to serve in the United States Senate."

Stevens wrote in a lengthy X post that her decision "was not impulsive, and it was not made for me by anyone else. It was a decision of conscience."

"Mike Rogers and I disagree on many things. But Michigan has to elect a senator and there is no neutral choice that absolves me of responsibility. Once I concluded that Abdul El-Sayed is not fit to serve in the United States Senate, I had to confront who should," she wrote.

Stevens noted that she initially endorsed El-Sayed, her opponent in the Democratic primary. But she said she felt "shut out" during the general election, with "little effort to listen to the voters who supported me." She also reiterated her concerns about El-Sayed's supporters, pointing to an outside PAC's ad blaming U.S. aid to Israel for the price of groceries, and an El-Sayed campaign ad that showed Tucker Carlson.

She pointed to El-Sayed's decision not to include her in a campaign event on Sunday, after a dayslong rift between the two Democrats over Stevens' criticism of El-Sayed.

"If a candidate cannot make room for people who supported his primary opponent, how will he represent an entire state filled with people who disagree with him?" she said.

And she derided the idea that her fiancé — who endorsed Rogers days earlier — was "pulling the strings," calling the notion that she didn't come to the decision on her own "sexism dressed up as political analysis"

"My fiancé has his own views. I have mine. I made this decision, and I am proud of it. Do not question my independence simply because you disagree with my conclusion."

She said she was "troubled" by the angry reactions from other Democrats, saying they "rushed to condemn me, question my motives, and push me out," though she said: "I still believe in the promise of the Democratic Party."

The U.S. military has launched limited defensive strikes at Iranian targets near the Strait of Hormuz, three U.S. officials confirmed to CBS News.

The strikes came on the eve of Election Day, as President Trump floats restarting hostilities with Iran after the midterms and as the U.S. and Qatari mediators broker talks on a U.S.-Iran deal.

Read more here.

Republican Texas Senate candidate Ken Paxton urged his supporters to show up at the polls, warning them in a pre-Election Day rally that "Texas has never been this close to slipping away."

"Every poll shows this is going to come down to the wire," Paxton said.

Paxton highlighted his record as Texas attorney general, including his frequent lawsuits against the Biden administration, and said his agenda will be to "fight so that every Texan can own a home, so that you can raise your family and have a healthy life without going broke."

He also blasted his Democratic opponent, state Rep. James Talarico, arguing the race could decide control of the Senate and casting Talarico as a tax-and-spend "radical." He said: "He does have a plan for your money — it just doesn't include you."

"I'm not asking you to imagine what I'd do as your U.S. senator. I'm asking you to look at my record, look at what we've already accomplished and then compare that to James Talarico," Paxton said.

And he once again accused Talarico of being a "vegan who hates meat," a grisly allegation for any Texas political candidate — and one Talarico has strongly denied.

President Trump spent much of his telerally for Alaska Republicans railing against the reported effort by Democratic operatives to get a person with nearly the same name as GOP Sen. Dan Sullivan on the ballot, saying to the senator, "It's terrible what they put you through."

"This is voter fraud at the highest level, and the Democrat candidate who was involved in the scheme, Mary Peltola, I mean, she should be removed from the ballot. Something has to happen," the president said. "A thing like this can never ever be allowed to happen again."

The New York Times reported last week that operatives linked to Peltola's Senate campaign helped recruit a man named Daniel S. Sullivan. Peltola and national Democrats have denied those allegations.

Mr. Trump also called Alaska's ranked-choice system, which allows voters to rank the four candidates on the ballot rather than just selecting one, a "total scam."

In his last speech before Election Day, Democratic Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed reiterated many of the themes of his general election campaign.

El-Sayed's stump speech in Detroit, and in recent weeks, has begun with a call-and-response to his main campaign's slogan: "Money out of politics, money in your pocket, Medicare for all."

He said that "it shouldn't be this hard" to "afford a tank of gas," to "buy a second bag of groceries" or to "pay your taxes and know that that money is going to be spent on you and your kids instead of dropping bombs on somebody else and their kids" — alluding to his longstanding criticism of U.S. aid to Israel.

El-Sayed did not mention Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens' explosive decision on Sunday to endorse his Republican opponent, Mike Rogers.

He drew the most applause when he talked about his "bet on Michigan" toward the end of his remarks.

"When they say, 'Ah, you can't win. Your name, how you gonna do that?' I'm like, 'You don't understand. I didn't bet on me. I bet on the goodness of the people of the state of Michigan,'" he said. "And the thing that bothers me about it is that when they say I can't win, they're not talking about me. They're talking about you."

El-Sayed was introduced by his wife, Dr. Sarah Jukaku, who has not frequently spoken at rallies.

"When everyone asks me, 'What's he really like outside of the big rallies, the fiery press conferences and the TikToks?' To that, my answer is actually quite simple. With Abdul, what you see is what you get," she said. "He says the same things no matter where he is and no matter who he's talking to. Because he believes and means those things."

She also introduced herself as a physician, but "the kind that actually practices medicine." El-Sayed — who graduated from medical school but has not practiced medicine, instead working in public health roles — joked about the conservative criticism of his medical credentials.

"Can we give it up for the actual physician in our family? I know the right wing is about to go crazy on that comment," he said.

In a pre-Election Day rally, Republican Michigan Senate candidate Mike Rogers praised Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens for her unexpected Sunday endorsement, saying: "You can't diminish courage when you see it."

"Our Sunday … wasn't really planned to look like it was," Rogers told supporters. "But someone else had enough courage to believe that that was more important than party."

Rogers said he spoke with Stevens briefly before she withdrew her endorsement for fellow Democrat Abdul El-Sayed, and she "didn't agree with me on much on policy, but … we both knew that we both loved America, and we loved America more than we loved our parties."

He framed the endorsement as a corrective to "hate" and "divisiveness" from El-Sayed's team.

The endorsement came after a rift between Stevens and El-Sayed burst into public view. They were expected to appear at a joint event on Sunday, but those plans were called off after Stevens pushed El-Sayed to apologize for statements he'd made on Israel and disavow an outside group's ad. El-Sayed slammed Stevens and said she was "relitigating" their primary.

Democrats were shocked and furious with Stevens. Rogers alluded to the backlash, saying: "Man, have they given her a rough go, and tried to say everything from fill-in-the-blank to fill-in-the-blank."

Rogers also highlighted his other efforts to win over more moderate Democrats, saying he campaigned in Detroit neighborhoods "where Republicans, candidly, hadn't been in a very long time."

"People knew something was wrong. Mean, angry divisiveness could not be the way in the future for our great state," he said.

A federal judge on Monday denied a request from several Democratic groups to bar the Justice Department from asking state and local election officials to remove alleged noncitizens from their voter rolls or segregate their ballots.

In his ruling, U.S. District Judge James Boasberg wrote that the Justice Department is "attempting to browbeat" states into removing people from voter rolls, and noted that states have raised concerns about the accuracy of the lists of alleged noncitizens assembled by the federal government. But he ultimately found that the plaintiffs did not have standing to sue.

"Even extraordinary merits questions cannot justify the extraordinary relief of a preliminary injunction or temporary restraining order if those seeking it lack standing," Boasberg wrote. He also noted that the government's "attempted interference has yet to alter a single rule or process governing the upcoming election," in part because state officials have resisted the Trump administration's efforts.

Earlier Monday, the Supreme Court rejected the Trump administration's request to force California to separate around 20,000 mail ballots from people it claims are noncitizens, after lower courts also refused to intervene. 

And in a separate lawsuit brought by labor groups, a California judge last week ordered the government to stop trying to "intimidate" and "threaten" election workers by ordering them to separate out ballots and dangling criminal charges if they don't comply.

In a pre-Election Day rally with Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Democratic Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed did not mention his public rift with ex-primary rival Haley Stevens, who endorsed Republican nominee Mike Rogers over the weekend.

El-Sayed expressed confidence during the event in Royal Oak, saying at one point that President Trump and Vice President JD Vance "can't seem to keep my name out their mouth."

"I don't know that Donald Trump actually knows what my name is. It's either Abdul or Muhammad," he said, breaking into a Trump impression. "The reality of it is that I don't really need him to know my name. He can just go ahead and call me senator after tomorrow."

Asked by CBS News after the rally if there's anything he wishes he would've done differently, El-Sayed said there's, "like, four things I wish I could've done differently today."

"Tactically, 15 things we could have done differently, and strategically, 15 things we could have [done] differently. But we had our mission aligned, and I'm really just grateful for that," he said.

One rally speaker, former Senate primary candidate Mallory McMorrow, mentioned Stevens in all but name, saying Rogers "is not who we should be endorsing to be the next United States senator."

Retiring GOP Rep. Darrell Issa of California said of Rep. Haley Stevens of Michigan that he doesn't think "for a moment that she is leaving the Democratic Party or that she's disgruntled with Democrat proposals." 

"I don't think she's in love with Mike Rogers," he told reporters at the Capitol. But he said of Stevens' endorsement of Michigan GOP Senate candidate Mike Rogers that "it's really about a Senate candidate who's unfit."  

"I think she's realizing that her Democrat opponent that beat her in the primary is too extreme for Michigan, too extreme for America, and I think she said so that she's uncomfortable with his antisemitic behavior — or what appears to be antisemitic, to say the least — and extreme statements like 9/11 victims got what they deserve," Issa said. (Hasan Piker, a livestreamer who supports Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed, said several years ago that "America deserved 9/11." Piker later retracted that statement, and El-Sayed called the comment "dumb.")

Stevens was lambasted by Democrats after she endorsed Rogers over El-Sayed, but Issa suggested that not everyone disagreed with her.

"I think what's important is there certainly are a number of people who did not come out and denounce her, were simply being quiet, and I think many of those are people who look at his antisemitic rhetoric and look at his statement relative to 9/11 and so on, and find it too much for them to speak in [El-Sayed's] favor," Issa said.

In a telerally to boost Republican Sen. Darline Graham of South Carolina, President Trump noted to supporters that he's the one who encouraged her to run for a full term after she was appointed to fill the Senate seat held by her late brother, Lindsey Graham.

"I got her into this thing, and I have to make sure that she wins, and she wins big, and I think she will. She's doing very well," Mr. Trump said.

Graham previously ran the South Carolina Commission for the Blind, but had not stood in an election prior to this year. She is running against Democrat Annie Andrews in a race that CBS News rates GOP-leaning. Some recent polls have suggested the contest could be tighter than expected, though Democrats have historically struggled in statewide races in South Carolina. 

President Trump will be monitoring election night from the White House, a White House official said. 

Asked by CBS News about President Trump's weekend visit to Iowa, Democratic Senate candidate Josh Turek said "I thought it was good for him to come out here" because "I don't think he understands" the challenges Iowans face.

"I think it was good to see what healthcare cuts are doing to a state with a healthcare and a cancer crisis. That it is good for him to see what has happened with the tariffs and with the war in Iran, because both have hurt Iowa more than any other state," Turek said during a campaign stop in Le Mars, Iowa.

The Supreme Court on Monday turned down a last-ditch effort from the Trump administration to require California to separate mail ballots received from thousands of people that it claims are not U.S. citizens.

The court said in a one-line, unsigned order that it was denying the Justice Department's request for an injunction requiring election officials from California to set aside the ballots from 20,000 alleged noncitizens. There were no noted dissents. 

Read more here.

During a telerally for Republican candidates in New York, President Trump told his supporters that "tomorrow is the most important midterm election in the history of our country."

"You have to pretend I'm on the ballot because when I'm on the ballot, we get almost 50% more voters out," he said, predicting a "tremendous victory" if his supporters show up to vote.

Mr. Trump held the virtual event for GOP Rep. Mike Lawler, who is running in a competitive district, and New York gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman. 

Democratic Rep. Debbie Dingell of Michigan said Rep. Haley Stevens' stunning endorsement of GOP Senate candidate Mike Rogers over Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed is having the opposite effect of what she intended. 

"You're seeing a backlash," Dingell said in an interview on "The Takeout with Major Garrett" on Monday. "It's galvanizing many communities."

Read more here.

Two years ago, President Trump made historic gains with Hispanic voters nationwide and won a majority of Texas Hispanics, upending conventional wisdom and setting back the Democratic Party's hopes of making the state competitive.

But now, Hispanics may be coming back. 

They're frustrated with the state of the economy and  concerned about the Trump administration's immigration policies. These factors and Mr. Trump's sagging approval ratings are giving Democrats hope in Texas' competitive Senate, House and governor's races.

"There's a Hispanic hurricane coming," said Democratic strategist and CBS News political contributor Chuck Rocha, who advises the Democratic Senate and gubernatorial candidates in Texas. "We just don't know quite yet if it's going to be Category 2 or Category 5, but it's washing ashore right in front of the GOP, and they don't know what to do about it."

But Republicans say enthusiasm for Democrats is still muted.

Read more here.

Taking to Truth Social, the president said he'll be joining Sean Hannity's Fox News show Monday night at 9 p.m., in what could be his final pitch before Election Day.

"This is the Golden Age of America with 25 Trillion Dollars of Growth and Wealth being created just since my Election — A very short period of time," he wrote. "There has never been anything like it in World History, nor has there been anything close."

Mr. Trump touted tax breaks on tips, overtime and Social Security. 

"It has all been a BLESSING for our Country," he said. "It is my Great Honor to be your President during this Great Time in American History!"

As of Monday afternoon, more than 57 million Americans have cast their ballots, according to the University of Florida Election Lab. 

Nearly 32 million people have voted early in person, and more than 25 million have cast their ballots by mail, according to the UF Election Lab. 

That 57 million number easily surpasses the nearly 46 million who voted early in the 2022 midterm elections.

During a campaign stop in the Portland area, Maine Democratic Senate candidate Troy Jackson told CBS News "I feel good" about voters in Northern Maine.

"I mean, I've been winning up there for two decades," Jackson said, pointing to his time representing the area in the Maine state legislature.

Both Jackson and Republican Sen. Susan Collins hail from the state's northernmost county, Aroostook County. Collins is from Caribou, and Jackson is from the small logging town of Allagash, which is even further north. The county is heavily GOP-leaning.

"I don't know that I'm going to win … in that area, but you know, I feel good," he continued. "People up there know that I've been fighting for them for a long time, and I'm an Aroostook County guy. You know, that's where I live and that's where my heart is."

Maine leans Democratic, but Collins has a long history of outperforming other Republicans. She is seeking a sixth term, and has run on her record of bringing federal funding home and pointed to her record of pushing back against President Trump. 

Collins supporter Tom Knowlton called the senator "awesome," saying she "gets s*** done."

But Democrats have argued she hasn't pushed back enough. Jackson supporter Marge Baird told CBS News the race is "very big for the state of Maine."

"Susan Collins was wonderful in the very beginning, many years ago, and just isn't helping right now," she said.

During an event for Texas Senate candidate Ken Paxton, Republican Sen. Ted Cruz warned supporters: "If the election were over today, the Democrats could well win every single statewide position in Texas."

Cruz issued a similar warning last week, as Paxton faces a competitive contest against Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico.

"If the election were today, it would be ugly," he said Monday. But he noted that there are more Republicans than Democrats in Texas, arguing: "If our people show up tomorrow, we win."

Cruz also addressed the divisions among Texas Republicans since Paxton defeated incumbent Republican Sen. John Cornyn in a bitter primary earlier this year. His message to Republican voters was: "Whatever you're upset about, it's fine. Spend the next two years trying to make the party do better. But tomorrow, show the hell up."

During the event in Conroe, Texas, located in Montgomery County north of Houston, Paxton told the crowd that a vote for Talarico is "a vote for a guy named Chuck Schumer to run the U.S. Senate, and I know Montgomery County won't like that."

During a campaign stop at a small business, the Democratic candidate in Iowa's competitive Senate contest reminded people that he won his first state House race in 2022 by just six votes.

Josh Turek urged his supporters to make "six touch points" in the final stretch before the election, by speaking to people about the race or bringing them to the polls.

"If each and every one of us does just a little bit more than what we've done before, it will be the difference between winning and losing this election," Turek said in Onawa, Iowa.

In brief remarks, Turek said, "Iowans are struggling" with the impacts of tariffs and the Iran war.

The Republican nominee, Rep. Ashley Hinson, is also closing out her campaign by focusing on the cost of living. President Trump held a rally for Hinson last month, but she has put some distance between herself and the president, calling for the Iran war to come to a "successful and immediate end" and vowing to "push back on [Mr. Trump] when necessary."

One Turek supporter who attended the Onawa event, Doug Zima, said his top issue is "anti-Trump."

"I think we need sanity in the Senate," he told CBS News. "Iowa has the oldest senator and now we need to balance it, I think, with a Democrat to balance out Chuck Grassley."

After campaign stops in New York and Ohio, Vice President JD Vance told reporters: "I feel good about tomorrow, but obviously it's in the hands of voters."

Asked about Sunday's seismic news that Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens is backing Republican Michigan Senate candidate Mike Rogers, rather than Democrat Abdul El-Sayed, Vance said, "I certainly think it helps."

"I think it drives home the message, maybe gives certain voters who … wouldn't normally vote for a Republican permission, knowing that the Democratic congresswoman in Michigan is going to support Mike Rogers. I think a lot of people from across the political spectrum can, too," the vice president said.

The competitive House race in Texas' 15th congressional district — a working-class, predominantly Latino region near the U.S.-Mexico border — could be a major test of the politics of immigration and whether the Hispanic voters who swung toward Republicans two years ago will swing back toward Democrats.

Both candidates, including the Republican, are expressing concerns about President Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration. The district includes the border city of McAllen.

Tejano music singer and Democratic candidate Bobby Pulido is hoping to win back the Latino voters who have increasingly favored Mr. Trump and Republicans in recent years, including by focusing on concerns over Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Pulido said Republicans secured the southern border, but "now there's chaos in the streets," pointing to "aggressive ICE enforcement." The Democrat told CBS News he will "be sure to let my side know that we can't have a chaotic border. Absolutely not."

His opponent, incumbent Republican Rep. Monica De La Cruz, has tried to distance herself from Mr. Trump's deportation crackdown. She told CBS News she has warned the White House and Republican leaders that ICE operations are hurting the local economy.

"Enforcement should focus on the cartels and the criminals, not hardworking immigrant families," she said. De La Cruz added that, while she expects Republicans to win in Texas, she believes "it's a wake-up call for Republicans to remain focused on affordability and to come to a solution when it entails immigration."

— Camilo Montoya-Galvez and Suvro Banerji

After kicking off his remarks talking about the Reflecting Pool and other projects of his in Washington, D.C., Mr. Trump turned to the midterms. He claimed Democrats want people in the country illegally so they can vote. 

"With your vote, we will decide these extremists will be given power or not power," the president said. "We'll either keep America strong — I think we're having, this is the golden age of America. We've never done anything like it."

Mr. Trump said all the records he's made won't matter "if we're going to be foolish and let people who hate our country win an election."

The president reiterated that a sitting president's party often loses the midterms, setting up the potential possibility for Republican losses Tuesday. 

"For some reason, the sitting president doesn't win the midterms," the president said. "But we gave this a very strong shot."

In his final scheduled remarks before Election Day, aside from telerallies, President Trump made the case that the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is better and more beautiful than ever before. 

He claimed that other presidents, including his predecessors Joe Biden and Barack Obama, tried to renovate it but they were unable.

"It's a complete job and we're very proud of it," the president told reporters, with the reflecting pool in the background. 

"We fixed the leaks, we resurfaced the bottom in a beautiful dark blue, very dark blue, they call it American flag blue, but it's very dark," Mr. Trump said. "And if you had a regular blue, like I personally love the lighter color blue, but then you wouldn't have any reflecting." 

The president reiterated claims that the Trump administration was unable to prove in courts about vandals with knives tearing up the reflecting pool. The Trump administration ultimately dropped charges against an Olympian charged with vandalizing the pool, in addition to other people charged with vandalism. 

It's not clear why the president chose to focus on the reflecting pool the day before Election Day. 

"This is a massive piece of pool," he said. "There's never been anything like it, when you look at the size. It's the biggest anywhere in the world by far." 

Tacked onto his remarks about the reflecting pool, the president claimed the country is creating trillions of dollars in wealth since the beginning of his presidency, through tariffs. 

"Our whole country is booming," he said. "We're booming like we've never boomed before."

Hours before Election Day, President Trump is delivering a speech in front of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool with a message for the American people — "Back, and more beautiful than ever!" 

That's what's written on a sign, with an aerial photo of the pool, where Mr. Trump is scheduled to speak at 2 p.m. Reporters had begun assembling about an hour ahead of the speech. 

Giving Washington a makeover, from the Kennedy Center to the triumphal arch, has been a cornerstone of his second term in office. 

It's not clear why the president chose this spot for his remarks, which a White House official said will "highlight this administration's achievements to make the country safer and wealthier while drawing a clear contrast between the Republicans' commonsense America First agenda and the Democrats' radical, America Last agenda."

Vice President JD Vance campaigned in northern New York for Republican Anthony Constantino, who was backed in the primary by President Trump, attempted to tie Democrat Blake Gendebien to former President Joe Biden.

Calling him "Blake Gende-Biden," Vance said that Democrats are "trying to get you to send a message that even here in beautiful upstate New York, the communists can win."

The Trump administration has asked the Supreme Court to intervene in its effort to force California election workers to set aside mail ballots from thousands of people it claims are not U.S. citizens. 

The Justice Department's request for emergency relief came after a federal appeals court on Friday declined to order California officials to segregate the ballots cast by more than 20,000 people included on a government list of suspected noncitizens. 

More than 6 million mail ballots have been returned statewide as of Sunday, according to the California secretary of state's office. Voting has been underway in California since early October. 

The emergency appeal to the high court came in the fast-moving legal battle unfolding in the run-up to Tuesday's elections. The Trump administration so far has not been successful in convincing lower courts to require the ballots at issue to be put aside. 

But in the request to the Supreme Court, Solicitor General D. John Sauer said the government is seeking a "modest remedy" that will ensure any ballots cast by people who are not American citizens do not "debase or dilute valid votes."

"Once California commingles the challenged ballots with lawful ones, there is no way to get the challenged ballots back," he wrote in a filing. "The only way to preserve the district court's ability to grant relief to the United States after a full merits proceeding, therefore, is to segregate the challenged ballots now."

 The candidates in the New York governor's race traversed the state on Sunday, looking to score late points with voters ahead of Tuesday's election.

Gov. Kathy Hochul was in New York City, which typically votes blue, and Nassau County Executive and Republican challenger Bruce Blakeman spent part of his time in Suffolk County, Rensselaer County, and Oswego County, parts of the state where political experts say he stands a chance to gain some votes.

Sunday marked the final day of early voting. The New York City Board of Elections said the unofficial total number of ballots cast in the city was 690,526. Statewide, more than 1.7 million voted early, according to the state Board of Elections.

Read more at CBS New York. 

In an interview with conservative influencer Miranda Devine's Pod Force One, President Trump said he has "never worked the midterms like I have this one."

"This is really because I think it's so important," Mr. Trump said. "We've done so well. The country is so hot. We want to keep it that way."

Mr. Trump said he had been reflecting on how these rallies could be his last ones for a while, saying he feels "a little bit" nostalgic. 

"I bring it up," Mr. Trump said of these being his last campaign rallies. "There's never been anything like it."

Mr. Trump also said he would become "Mr. Veto" if Democrats take control of Congress, but he added that he will probably make deals with them.

"I guess I'll become Mr. Veto," Mr. Trump said. "I'm not going to let them run. And then at some point, we'll probably make deals."

Mr. Trump said he would "love to run again" for president, but he acknowledged that the language in the Constitution is "very exacting."

The campaign of Michigan Democrat Abdul El-Sayed confirmed in a statement Monday that they raised over $2.4 million for his Senate bid on Sunday, the day his primary rival Rep. Haley Stevens publicly backed Republican Mike Rogers. The statement said it's a single-day record for the campaign.

It comes as leading Democrats express that they feel betrayed by Stevens' endorsement of the GOP nominee.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called Stevens' endorsement a "despicable act" while House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi said Stevens "has chosen to dangerously betray Michigan families' healthcare, freedoms and future with her horrific endorsement of Mike Rogers."

El-Sayed said "none of this matters" and that he is more focused on issues important to the 10 million Michiganders.

"I'm a lot more focused on the 9,999,998 that are not the ones you guys are talking about, okay? They pay too much in gas. They pay too much in groceries," he told reporters, brushing off questions about Stevens and Rogers.

"At the end of the day, I actually don't think about Haley Stevens," he added. "I'm just less interested in the politics of it all than I am in the policy of it all. … None of this matters."

Vice President JD Vance is holding a morning rally for Republican Anthony Constantino, the GOP candidate in the northern New York district that stretches from Albany to the Canada border. President Trump won the district by more than 20 points, but Republicans are fighting to hold onto the seat. 

A Siena University poll in October showed Democrat Blake Gendebien with a narrow lead. Current GOP Rep. Elise Stefanik, a longtime Trump ally, is not running for reelection after she explored a run for governor, which she later abandoned. 

Control of the U.S. Senate will come down to just a few battleground states, including Michigan, where a close and contentious race has been playing out between Democrat Abdul El-Sayed and Republican Mike Rogers. 

Both candidates sat down separately with "60 Minutes" correspondent Ross Douthat in the closing days of the campaign. They spoke about the experiences that shaped them and their visions for the state and the nation's future.

Watch the interview here and read our fact-check here. You can also watch extended versions of the interviews with El-Sayed and Rogers on YouTube.

President Trump will be holding an event at Washington, D.C.'s Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on Monday afternoon, the day before Election Day.

Mr. Trump told reporters that he wanted to hold an event there "just to show how beautiful it is." The president has made renovations to Washington a central theme of his second term in the White House, although the Reflecting Pool renovations have not gone so smoothly. 

"But it's finished," Mr. Trump said. "It looks beautiful. Hasn't worked since 1922. It's always leaked terribly, and it works really well now. We had it working well, but it was vandalized."

The Trump administration announced plans to resurface the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in April and paint it "American flag blue" at the president's request. Images showed the water turning green less than two weeks after Mr. Trump announced that the site had reopened to "rave reviews."

Days later, chunks of peeling paint from the blue coating were spotted in the water. Mr. Trump claimed in a Truth Social post, without any evidence, that it had been vandalized. Five people were arrested for vandalism, but the Justice Department later acknowledged in a court filing that "botched installation" by the contractor was to blame.

Charges were eventually dropped against Olympian David Hearn, who asked the Justice Department's internal watchdog to investigate — a request which was denied. 

Texas Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton's campaign will no longer hold an event on the eve of Election Day at the Alamo, as originally advertised.

The campaign has not publicly commented on the change of plans. But Monday's schedule included events in Conroe and Allen, both of which are hundreds of miles from San Antonio, where the Alamo is located. The Allen event is set to start at 6:30 p.m. CT, which would not give him time to get to San Antonio that night. 

The Paxton campaign did not respond to requests for comment. 

Read more here.

Haley Stevens gave her first interview since she endorsed Republican Senate nominee Mike Rogers on Sunday, telling CNN's Anderson Cooper she felt like there was a "weight off my shoulders."

During their 15-minute interview, Cooper repeatedly asked Stevens why she changed her mind after she reportedly told her colleague Rep. Debbie Dingell in a phone conversation Saturday night that she was not going to endorse Rogers. 

Stevens confirmed the conversation took place but never gave Cooper a direct answer about what changed her mind. She told him, "That's just where I landed with this. I woke up this morning clear-eyed, fresh and, you know, focused on what was in my heart, and that's that."

Asked again what changed her mind, Stevens replied, "I was there and just, you know, alone with my thoughts. I was writing things out, and look, this level of anger and the things that we are seeing — look, we all want Democrats to win. I'm a really proud Democrat. And by the way, Abdul's got every other Democrat with him. He just doesn't have me and a few other people who love this party."

"Nothing with me changed, Anderson," said Stevens, who had previously endorsed El-Sayed.

She cited El-Sayed's alliance with left-wing streamer and political commentator Hasan Piker and a controversial ad from Rebellion PAC that tied the war in Gaza to increased costs at home. It shows a couple in a grocery store shopping for food for their children, and the woman instructs her husband to put the eggs back, saying, "We have to set that $7 aside for killing Palestinians." El-Sayed said his campaign had nothing to do with the ad.

"That ad was very painful," Stevens said. "There are so many Democrats who want to vote for our Democratic nominee, and they're just being told, 'Hey, this is a party you don't belong in, or this is a campaign you don't belong in.'"

Stevens told Cooper she "absolutely" wants Democrats to take control of the Senate after Election Day and that it's essential for Democrats to retain the seat in Michigan to take control of the Senate.

Cooper pointed out that in August, Stevens had posted on social media that Rogers would be "another rubber stamp for Donald Trump's dangerous agenda. We can't afford to give MAGA another Senate seat in November." He asked Stevens, "Why is it OK now ... why can you afford to give MAGA another Senate seat in November?" 

Stevens replied, "Well, why is it OK to have the Democratic Party and a top nominee injecting ... this type of anger and lack of kindness?"

Cooper asked if she was referring to being disinvited from a planned joint appearance with El-Sayed Sunday.

"Anderson, I was just trying to help this campaign and stand up for people who feel hurt," Stevens replied. 

Cooper interviewed Dingell immediately following Stevens, and Dingell described Stevens' appearance as "one of the most painful interviews I have ever watched."

"I'm very concerned that this has all become a distraction," Dingell said.

President Trump spoke Sunday at campaign rallies in Iowa and Kansas, two states with unexpectedly tight Senate races. 

The president spoke for almost 90 minutes Sunday evening in Salina, Kansas, marking his final campaign stop before Tuesday's election. 

"This is my 30th rally, and I'm closing it down tonight. This is it. I had to come here to make sure that Roger got elected," he said of Kansas GOP Sen. Roger Marshall, who is being challenged by Democrat Adam Hamilton.

Earlier, in Dubuque, Iowa, he rallied for Republican Senate candidate Ashley Hinson and gubernatorial candidate Zach Lahn.

The weekend's rallies in both states were briefly called off on Thursday in favor of telerallies, but the White House announced a day later that they were back on.

Control of the House of Representatives will come down to a number of battleground seats. CBS News has identified  47 House districts that will likely determine which party will have the majority.

Of those seats, 20 are currently held by Democrats and 27 are held by Republicans.  Republicans currently hold a razor-thin majority, with 218 seats, plus an independent who normally caucuses with them. Democrats hold 214 seats. There are two vacancies.

CBS News' Battleground Tracker model estimated on Oct. 25 that Democrats are on track to take control of the House with 229 seats. There is still a path for the GOP to keep the House: The Battleground Tracker's estimates ranged from 215 Democratic seats — which would give Republicans a narrow majority — to 237 seats.

On the Senate side, CBS News has identified 11 key races that could determine control of the Senate.

Eight of those seats are currently held by Republicans: Alaska, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina and Texas.

The other three are held by Democrats: Georgia, Michigan and New Hampshire.

Republicans currently hold 53 Senate seats to the Democrats' 47. 

A federal judge in Alaska threw out the Trump administration's lawsuit seeking to block certification of the state's Senate election results in this week's midterm elections if the Republican incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan loses.

U.S. District Judge Sharon L. Gleason wrote in a 20-page order Sunday that the Justice Department did not have proper legal standing to bring the suit last week. The suit aimed to block the state's election results from being certified because a teacher named Daniel J. Sullivan is also on the state's ballot, alleging that it was a deliberate effort to confuse voters and aid the Democrat in the race, Mary Peltola.

The Justice Department filed a notice of appeal.

Read more here.