1 day until midterms, Stevens backs Rogers in Michigan as final votes near

Republican New York gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman made a splash at Monday night's Knicks game as he prepares to face off against Gov. Kathy Hochul in Tuesday's midterm elections.

Blakeman, who attended the game with his son, wore a Knicks jersey emblazoned with the words "CUT TAXES" on the back.

His son's red shirt echoed a similar message, reading, "STOP HOCHUL’S TAXES & CRIME."

The pair's appearance at the game comes after Knicks owner James Dolan hosted a fundraiser for Blakeman at Madison Square Garden on Oct. 15, ahead of the team's preseason matchup against the Toronto Raptors.

At the time, Blakeman released a statement thanking Dolan for his support.

“James Dolan knows how to build businesses, create jobs, and win championships. I’m proud to have his support and his advice—and together, we’re ready to take on Kathy Hochul and deliver another win for all New Yorkers,” he said.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Monday warned that the state has never been closer to losing its Republican stronghold as he faces off against Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico.

Paxton made the remarks during a campaign rally in Allen, Texas, as voters prepare to head to the polls for Tuesday's midterm elections.

“Understand what is actually at stake here. Texas has never been this close to slipping away,” Paxton said.

“We have never been this close to losing everything that we hold dear our jobs, our livelihoods, our way of life in Texas. If Texas falls, we don't have another Texas to move to,” he continued.

“Every poll shows this is going to come down to the wire.”

Paxton urged supporters to pray ahead of Election Day and encourage fellow Republicans to head to the polls, claiming that more than 1 million Republicans had yet to cast their ballots.

Border czar Tom Homan on Monday warned that the Trump administration’s progress on border security could be undone if Democrats regain control of Congress in the midterm elections.

Homan made the remarks during an appearance on "The Ingraham Angle" the night before Election Day, warning of the consequences of a Democratic takeover.

“Under President Trump's leadership, we have the most secure border in the history of the nation. Not a single, not one illegal aliens been released from the border in almost 18 months, compared to the 12,000 a day under Biden,” Homan said.

“Since President Trump's been in office, ICE has had over 1.3 million arrests. There's 2.3 million less illegal aliens in the country because of President Trump. ICE is breaking records every month on arrests and deportations. There's a negative net migration for the first time in 50 years,” he added.

Homan also criticized federal judges who have ordered the release of immigrants from ICE custody, arguing that Democrats' congressional gains could lead to more judicial appointments he opposes.

“People need to understand, we got over 85,000 habeas cases where we had to release an illegal alien back to the street, because of a radical judge,” Homan said.

“So if you want more radical judges, then go ahead and vote for Democrats. If you want a strong border, you want strong immigration enforcement, you got one choice, and that's the Republican Party.”

Republicans and members of Michigan's Jewish community condemned Abdul El-Sayed on Monday while encouraging voters to support Republican Senate nominee Mike Rogers.

El-Sayed has been criticized by Republicans for embracing and campaigning with far-left streamer Hasan Piker.

"In this case, we are talking about a man whose top campaign person during the primary was a gentleman named Hasan Piker, who said America deserved 9/11," Michigan GOP Communications Director Ted Goodman said during a news conference. "That's not Republican or Democrat. This is a man who couldn't come out and condemn and attack on Jewish schoolchildren."

Rabbi Daniel Schonbuch, the host of the "Rabbi for America" podcast, said he and his family were proud Democrats, but the party's support for El-Sayed has made him and other Jews switch their affiliations.

Schonbuch also cited the party's treatment of Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., who has been harshly criticized within her own political circles for endorsing Rogers.

"We are very displeased how the Democratic Party has been treating Hailey Stevens, a woman who has gone out of her way, risked her career to fight against anti-Semitism and hatred, but to be kicked out of the Democratic party," the rabbi said.

"This is a signal to Jews that we're no longer safe in the Democratic part," he added. 

The surprise endorsement by Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., for Republican Mike Rogers instead of his Democratic challenger Abdul El-Sayed reinforces the notion that the GOP candidate is the best options for voter, Vice President JD Vance said Monday.

"El-Sayed's a crazy person and Mike Rogers is a patriot," Vance told Fox News Digital.

"I do think it drives home the message... gives certain voters who, you know, wouldn't normally vote for a Republican permission knowing that the Democratic congresswoman from Michigan is going to support Mike Rogers."

"I think alot of Michiganders are thinking: 'Let's keep the crazy guy out of the United States Senate," he added.

"The View" co-host Sara Haines defended Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., during a discussion on Monday about the Democrat's decision to endorse Michigan Republican U.S. Senate candidate Mike Rogers over Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed, pushing back against critics who called the endorsement a betrayal.

Co-hosts Sunny Hostin and Ana Navarro both argued that Stevens endorsed Rogers for the wrong reasons, with Hostin saying, "Shame on her," if the move was motivated by a bruised ego. Stevens said during an interview on Sunday that it was El-Sayed's "anger" and "lack of kindness" that led her to endorse Rogers.

"I disagree. And I actually think that, although there’s a lot of Islamophobia here that are muddying the waters, there are deep concerns about his beliefs," Haines said. "Campaigning with Hasan Piker, you could not put enough room between me and that man. And we went after the Republicans for going around with Nick Fuentes, also problematic." 

"We have got to know when we denounce someone," she continued. "And if crossing party lines can be an act of conscience for Liz Cheney, I don’t know why the automatic response was that this was betrayal somehow." 

Haines, a registered independent, said Stevens' decision was "brave."

"Integrity is not just backing your party when you support your party," the co-host added. "The real test is backing them when it costs you something. I keep hearing, 'Donald Trump is so dangerous,' and that is true, but that can’t end every conversation we have about what we’re willing to accept on our own sides." 

This post is an excerpt from an article by Fox News Digital's Hanna Panreck.

Federal prosecutors have charged 63 people, including four illegal immigrants, in connection with alleged illegal voting, fraudulent voter registration, and other election crimes across the country, the Justice Department announced Monday.

The cases include voting illegal immigrants in federal elections, falsely claiming claims of U.S. citizenship to register to vote and the fraudulent submission of a voter registration application in another state, authorities said.

Today’s announcement marks the largest surge of voter-fraud arrests since President Trump returned to office,” said Attorney General Todd Blanche. “These foreign nationals allegedly took advantage of the trust of the American people and flouted the laws that govern our nation’s elections."

In the nine weeks, 195 people across 25 states have been charged with illegal voting and registration offenses.

The polls opened in Guam, where voting sites opened at 7 a.m. local time on Election Day.

Voters have until 8 p.m. to cast their ballots in person in the U.S. territory. Guam law allows public and private sector employees up to two consecutive hours of leave to vote, according to Pacific Daily News.

Voting also opened on the Northern Mariana Islands.

Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, who is running for state auditor, encouraged voters to ignore the public polling and turn out in force to back conservative candidates.

"The polls are nonsense," LaRose told Fox News Digital. "The same polls that said (Sen.) Bernie Moreno was going to lose two years ago are saying that Jon is going to lose, but they're wrong. We're seeing the energy all over the state."

Republican candidates have pushed conservatives to turn up at the polls in an effort to keep the majorities in both chamber of Congress.

Ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, Americans appear divided over whether Republicans or Democrats are best equipped to take on the top issues on the ballot.

Voters across the country cited a range of issues important to them. Some Republicans acknowledged the economic woes felt by others, while some Democrats conceded that certain individuals in their party hold more radical views not shared by mainstream America.

"I don't like this creeping communism that's coming in this country and this wokeness," Tom from Pennsylvania said.

Michael from Indiana said he's reliably voted Republican, but is thinking about switching affiliations given the economy, gas prices, and inflation. "Something has got to change," he said.

Others cited the high cost of groceries and housing as their main concerns. "That is a big concern for me," said Pennsylvania resident Brooke.

"This is a temporary situation due to the war in Iran and it'll be over in a short period of time," Kevin from Pennsylvania said.

"Everything has gone up over the year. It's not necessarily one party's fauly," said Cary from New Jersey.

Ever since the 2016 presidential election that first got President Donald Trump elected and the ensuing Russiagate scandal, there has been increased scrutiny on foreign meddling in U.S. elections and threats to the American voting system.

Now, 10 years later, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth is directing his entire intelligence and spy forces on ensuring foreign adversaries do not interfere in Tuesday's midterms.

The Pentagon chief has ordered America's military intelligence and cyber agencies to mobilize against foreign threats to the 2026 elections by directing his department's sprawling intelligence apparatus to make election security a priority in what he calls a "no-fail mission."

The September directive reaches beyond U.S. Cyber Command and the National Security Agency, instructing the entire Defense Intelligence Enterprise — including agencies responsible for military and geospatial intelligence — to "mobilize every authorized asset, capability, and partnership" against foreign election threats.

The order puts some of the military's most sophisticated intelligence capabilities behind a mission that has grown considerably since Russia's interference in the 2016 presidential election. But with Americans preparing to vote, the extent to which Hegseth's directive has changed the Pentagon's existing election-security operations remains unclear.

The Department of War declined to provide Fox News Digital with additional details about how the order is being implemented. Cyber Command separately declined an interview request about its election-security efforts.

In practice, the directive can mean military intelligence agencies are tasked with identifying foreign hackers or influence operations overseas, warning civilian agencies about threats headed toward U.S. targets and, when authorized, Cyber Command taking action against the foreign actors or infrastructure behind them.

This post is an excerpt from an article by Fox News Digital's Morgan Phillips.

Derek Merrin, the Republican House candidate, called on conservatives in Ohio to head to the polls in the final 24 hours of his campaign, framing the race as a choice between conservative leadership and radical socialism.

Merrin, who is challenging long-serving Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur, centered his closing argument on economic relief and public safety.

"People are ready for change," Merrin told Fox News Digital during a campaign stop. "We've had liberal Marcy Kaptur, who has been one of the most ineffective members of Congress for 43 years. People want someone who's going to take on Washington, lower prices, and I'm the option that they have."

He painted his Democratic rival as out of touch with her congressional district, saying "Marcy Kaptur stands with the radical left and the socialists and those that want to defund the cops."

Michigan Republican U.S. Senate candidate Mike Rogers praised Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens for putting America ahead of her party Monday while accusing Democrats of viciously attacking the congresswoman after she stunned her party by endorsing him over Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed.

Rogers told Brian Kilmeade on the "Brian Kilmeade Show" that Stevens’ endorsement "flipped this thing upside down," saying the congresswoman called him Sunday morning while he was on his way to church before ultimately deciding to publicly back his campaign following her bruising primary loss to El-Sayed.

"This is a congresswoman who just stood up and said, 'America is more important than my party right now,'" Rogers said. "And we cannot elect somebody who is so anti-Jewish, who is divisive, who's angry, who was mean about his politics. It's just the wrong thing to do."

Rogers' comments came as Fox News reported Monday that Stevens' endorsement triggered backlash from top Democrats, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.

Schumer called the move a "despicable betrayal," while Pelosi accused Stevens of "dangerously" betraying Michigan families by backing Rogers.

The endorsement marked a dramatic break for Stevens, who had stopped short of explicitly endorsing El-Sayed in the weeks after losing the Democratic primary but continued to publicly align herself with the party. During an October CNN interview, Stevens was repeatedly pressed on whether she supported El-Sayed and declined to explicitly say she endorsed him, instead stressing that she was "still on the team" and planned to support Democrats on the ballot.

This post is an excerpt from an article by Fox News Digital's Alec Schemmel.

Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, framed the state's Senate contest on Monday as a stark choice between "common sense versus crazy," making his case to voters on both cultural and economic fronts.

Husted, who faces former three-term Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown in the upcoming special election, delivered his pitch during a campaign stop.

"We don't want to go back to the times when the Democrats ran Ohio," Husted declared. "We have an opportunity to defeat a guy, Sherrod Brown, who is the Washington establishment and has been in office for over 50 years. You can't keep electing the same old Sherrod Brown and expect different results."

Husted highlighted core policy divides to draw a contrast with his opponent.

"This is literally common sense versus crazy," Husted said. "We want photo ID, they don't. We want secure borders, they don't. We want to preserve Medicaid; they want to preserve Medicaid fraud." 

Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, is making a direct appeal to voters who may be disenchanted by allegations that the campaign of his Democratic rival recruited a spoiler candidate to siphon votes away from him.

"We are hearing stories of Peltola signs being removed from people's homes because they're saying, 'Look, I'm not all in with her anymore,'" Sullivan said Monday. "So to people who were thinking about voting for Mary Peltola, I'd be honored by your vote."

He added, "You do not have to vote for a candidate whose first order of business was to say... 'let's figure out a way to cheat and steal votes from Alaskans.'"

The comments come amid the "decoy Dan" controversy, which led the Department of Justice to file a lawsuit seeking to delay or block certification of Alaska’s Senate election if the incumbent loses.

The legal challenge focused on the potential for voter confusion between the incumbent senator and challenger Daniel J. Sullivan Jr.

However, U.S. District Judge Sharon Gleason dismissed the lawsuit, ruling that the DOJ’s proposed remedies to investigate voter intent failed to preserve secret balloting.

Prominent Democrats and left-wing voices nationwide exploded with fury after Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., endorsed Republican Mike Rogers in the final stretch of that state's U.S. Senate race in Michigan over the weekend.

In her video posted to social media on Sunday after attending church service with Rogers, Stevens noted how El-Sayed told her to "stay away" from his campaign and slammed him for embracing radical steamer Hasan Piker — who was among those criticizing the endorsement stunt.

"Working class people’s lives are on the ballot on Tuesday—their healthcare, their rent, their bills," New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said in an X post. "Haley Stevens just betrayed them by endorsing the very Republican she said she wanted to run against."

Michigan Democratic Party Chair Curtis Hertel said on X shortly after the endorsement: "Congresswoman Stevens is not a current member of the Michigan Democratic Party, nor will she be in the future."

Stevens, who will leave Congress in January, lost the Democratic primary to El-Sayed earlier this year. She was widely viewed as the moderate, establishment candidate compared to the more progressive, left-wing policies of her opponent.

On Sunday, Stevens abandoned the party in the final hours of the Senate campaign as Democrats seek to win back control of the upper chamber.

"This is a despicable betrayal from Rep. Stevens," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said 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."

This post is an excerpt of an article by Fox News Digital's Peter D'Abrosca.

The leader of one of the nation’s oldest and largest unions stunned political observers by issuing a surprise endorsement for a Senate Republican stalwart over the weekend.

Teamsters General President Sean O’Brien, who famously nearly came to blows with now-Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin during a Senate hearing before ultimately becoming acquaintances, issued a ringing endorsement of Sen. Ashley Moody, R-Fla., signaling a major break from national union sentiment that has tended to favor Democrats.

"Just voted in the State of Florida for the first time, and very proud to have cast a ballot for Sen. Ashley Moody," O’Brien, whose 123-year-old union is about 1.3 million-strong, announced Sunday.

"Sen. Moody has been extremely helpful working with the Teamsters to protect workers’ pensions, defend good-paying jobs, and support well-funded union apprenticeship programs."

"The Teamsters look forward to working with Sen. Moody in her role on the Senate HELP Committee to pass the Faster Labor Contracts Act and get this critical legislation signed into law to protect American workers," he added.

O’Brien, a self-described "lifelong Democrat," previously spoke at the 2024 Republican National Convention, but emphasized at the time that the Democratic Party had snubbed his request to speak at its convention.

"If the far-left want to criticize me and attack me, that’s OK. If the far-right wants to do the same, that’s great. I represent 1.3 million hardworking men and women," O’Brien said at the time.

This is post is an excerpt from an article by Fox News Digital's Charles Creitz.

Vice President JD Vance called Democratic congressional candidate Blake Gendebien an "a------," during a rally in Rome, New York on Monday.

"Did I pronounce that right?" Vance asked after saying the Democratic candidate's name. "Blake Gende-Biden. The crowd has corrected me," he added.

Vance said that Gendebien "says that kids in the north country lack, quote, 'practical independence' and, quote, 'the ability to think.' What an a------, ladies and gentlemen," Vance said.

In a statement to Fox News Digital, Gendebien said, "Insults don’t heat homes or put food on the table. For two years, upstate New York and the North Country have struggled with high fuel, food, fertilizer and diesel costs, we’ve been losing our hospitals, and a tariff war with Ontario and Quebec has driven prices up even more. Only now, the day before the election, does the Vice President decide to visit. He didn’t come here to listen or learn anything. He came to rescue a floundering campaign and protect one more vote for an agenda that hurts rural America. It’s telling that he had to come introduce Anthony Constantino to Rome, the largest city in NY-21, after Tony spent the last two months outside the district."

North Country This Week reported last year that in a 2013 interview with TAUNY, "Gendebien said ... that Hispanic workers are better workers than local kids because they 'don't have practical independence and an ability to think and the knowledge these guys do.'"

Gendebien is running against Trump-backed Republican candidate Anthony Constantino in New York's 21st Congressional District.