5 days until midterms, Trump heads to South Carolina as Senate race tightens

Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s effort to restore voting rights to tens of thousands of convicted felons sparked controversy Thursday after an attorney obtained an executive citation addressed to "Betty No Last Name," purportedly notifying the recipient that her voting rights had been restored.

The citation identifies No Last Name as one of more than 66,000 Virginians whose rights to vote, serve on juries and seek public office have reportedly been restored under Spanberger's administration. The controversy comes ahead of a Nov. 3 ballot measure that would make voting rights restoration automatic upon release from prison.

"It’s a big deal," said Virginia Beach attorney Tim Anderson, who first obtained the citation for No Last Name and shared it with Fox News Digital.

"It’s clear [Spanberger] didn’t sign it. No governor and no secretary of the commonwealth would sign a restoration order that says Betty No Last Name, so they’re not looking at it; they didn’t review anything," Anderson told Fox News Digital in an interview Thursday. Each citation bears the signatures of the governor and Secretary of the Commonwealth Candi Mundon-King.

"Whereas, Betty No Last Name, by reason of conviction(s), suffers political disabilities …," the citation obtained by Fox News Digital says.

Anderson said he obtained the citation through a public records request to the Chesapeake Sheriff's Office after reports emerged that restoration notices had been sent to felons who are now deceased. He said the document originated from Spanberger's office and was sent to the sheriff's office.

He speculated that the citations were generated through a mail merge of records and signed using an autopen despite language in the documents indicating that each case had been individually reviewed.

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

A woman was shot directly outside the Republican Party of Virginia's headquarters in Richmond on Thursday afternoon, just days before Election Day, according to the state GOP.

The shooting occurred around 1:45 p.m. in front of the Obenshain Center, located in the 100 block of East Grace Street in downtown Richmond, according to local outlet WTVR.

In a post on X, the Virginia GOP said Richmond first responders arrived within minutes and confirmed that all party staff members were safe.

"Around 1:45 p.m. today, a woman was shot immediately in front of The Obenshain Center, the offices of the Republican Party of Virginia. City of Richmond first responders were at the scene within minutes. All Republican Party of Virginia staff are safe," the post read.

The party also said it had no indication that the shooting was connected to its operations."The proximity of this event notwithstanding, we have no indication that the shooting was related to the operations of the Republican Party of Virginia," the X post continued.

The shooting comes less than a week before the Nov. 3 midterm elections, as voters prepare to head to the polls in Virginia and across the country.

This is an excerpt of an article by Fox News Digital's Brittany Miller.

Rep. Chris Pappas, D-N.H., his party's nominee for the Granite State's open Senate seat, declined to say whether he would support impeaching President Donald Trump if Democrats regain control of Congress, instead emphasizing government oversight during a Thursday interview with Fox News Digital.

Asked how he would respond to pressure from his party's left flank to pursue impeachment proceedings against Trump or members of his Cabinet, Pappas pivoted to his economic priorities.

"My primary responsibility is, how do I make life better for New Hampshire?" Pappas said.

"And so my focus is going to be on housing, on health care, on child care, on energy costs, the things that I'm talking about with voters all across this state," he continued.

The congressman did not directly address whether he would support impeachment but stressed the importance of congressional checks on the executive branch.

"Now, there is also a responsibility in terms of holding folks accountable, having coequal branches of government, restoring checks and balances in Washington," Pappas said.

The Democrat, who has won four House elections in New Hampshire's light-blue first congressional district, is seeking a Senate seat in one of the nation's closely-watched midterm contests.

"I'm gonna stay focused on how we lower costs and build a fair economy. That's why I'm running for Senate," he said.

Fox News Digital's Paul Steinhauser contributed to this reporting.

Vice President JD Vance joked Thursday that he might need to consult his priest after repeatedly attacking Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico, drawing laughs from supporters as he campaigned for Republican Ken Paxton in Texas.

"Now Ken is up against a guy who, I hate to say it. Is a joke," Vance told the crowd. The vice president, a practicing Catholic, then playfully questioned whether he had gone too far in criticizing Paxton's opponent.

"I'm going to have to talk to my my priest here because I feel a little guilty at this point, going after James Talarico," Vance said.

"Should I lay off at James Talarico?" he asked the crowd.

After supporters urged him to continue, Vance obliged.

"Well, I am at heart a person who listens to the people," he joked.

Vance went on to accuse Democrat donors in Washington of selecting Talarico because they believed he could win statewide, before mocking the candidate's past remarks about gender and race.

"I wonder if any of those donors got their money back when all the videos came out of him talking about his favorite drag queens, or how there are six genders, or about or about how whiteness is a disease," Vance said.

The vice president also accused Talarico of being beholden to Senate Democratic leadership.

"But if we're being honest, the real problem with Talarico is that he is an empty suit," Vance said.

He later delivered a fiery appeal to Texas voters ahead of Tuesday's election.

"Texas ain't surrendering. Texas is not becoming California," Vance declared, urging supporters to back Paxton in the closely watched Senate race.

Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., warned Thursday that Democrats are increasingly concerned President Donald Trump may refuse to accept the results of next week's midterm elections, accusing the president of being unwilling to rule out illegal actions involving election security.

Speaking exclusively with Fox News Digital while campaigning in battleground New Hampshire, Kelly raised the possibility of Trump challenging election results if Republicans lose control of Congress.

"Yeah, we're really concerned," Kelly said when asked whether Senate Democrats fear Trump might reject an unfavorable outcome.

"Think about this for a second, when he lost the election in 2020. This guy sent a mob to Capitol Hill to attack the other branch of government to try to change the outcome of an election," Kelly said.

"Is there any limit to what he would do?" he asked.

Kelly also raised concerns about the potential deployment of military personnel to polling places, claiming Trump has refused to rule out such a move.

"When he's asked about deploying the military on election day, he doesn't rule it out, even though it's against the law to do that, to send U.S. Troops to polling places is illegal, and he will not rule out doing illegal things," Kelly said.

Fox News Digital's Paul Steinhauser contributed to this reporting.

Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy has ordered an investigation into the state's Senate ballot controversy as Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan accused Democrats of orchestrating a scheme to confuse voters, warning Thursday that the allegations could trigger a backlash just five days before Election Day.

The controversy centers on Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., a candidate whose name closely resembles that of the Republican incumbent. A New York Times investigation reported that Democratic operatives sought to recruit a similarly-named challenger to potentially divert votes from the senator.

Speaking with Martha MacCallum on Fox News' "The Story," Sullivan accused Democrat challenger Mary Peltola and national party officials of deceiving Alaskans.

"I think people are disgusted by it," Sullivan said. "You know, the word's getting out."

Sullivan claimed Democrats spent more than a year organizing the effort and subsequently denying involvement.

"This goes to character, it goes to judgment, it goes to integrity," he said.

The state's Republican governor has also ordered a criminal investigation into the controversy, according to reporting discussed on the program. Separately, MacCallum reported that a senior Justice Department official said the federal investigation had expanded dramatically over the previous 24 hours.

Peltola's campaign and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee have denied involvement in recruiting the similarly named candidate.

Sullivan said the controversy was resonating beyond Republican voters.

"I know Democrats right now have reached out to me who are disgusted by these actions, and I think it's going to have a big blowback," he said.

Asked whether his campaign was preparing legal action if the second Sullivan's vote total affected the outcome, the senator confirmed that attorneys were reviewing their options.

"There's lawyers that are evaluating all these different options," Sullivan said.

The reported recruitment by Democrats of a second "Dan Sullivan" to allegedly confuse voters in Alaska’s Senate race drew a rare public rebuke from Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, who appeared to break four years of silence on her personal X account.

The New York Times reported that members of Mary Peltola’s team helped recruit a candidate who shares the name of incumbent Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan, potentially confusing voters in a closely watched race that also features Republican Gerald Heikes.

In a statement on her personal account @LisaForSenate, Murkowski said the report "revealed… a pattern of lies and coverups" on the part of Peltola.

"While some may try to write this off as just how politics works now, ballot-stacking should have no place in our electoral process," Murkowski said.

"Run and win on your merits: your views, your policy ideas, and your accomplishments. By contrast, recruiting candidates to manipulate the field and influence voting outcomes is simply wrong."

"Alaskans deserve the honest truth from Mary and her campaign," she said, adding that such a "culture of deception" does not belong in elections or with lawmakers.

Her previous post on the account was dated November 2022 and featured a video message wishing Alaskans a happy Thanksgiving.

Murkowski's official Senate account posts regularly, with its two most recent posts criticizing the Trump Justice Department for launching a lawsuit in the "Decoy Dan" situation prior to the Times' report and highlighting her visit to the Alaska Federation of Natives Convention.

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

President Donald Trump received a heartfelt welcome from Republican Sen. Darline Graham at his Thursday rally in Rock Hill, S.C., as she told the president he would always be part of her family because of his close friendship with her late brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham.

"You know, I've mentioned to you before that Lindsey considered you one of his dearest friends, and you will always be part of the Graham family," Graham told Trump after joining him onstage.

Graham thanked the president for his endorsement and praised his efforts campaigning for Republican candidates across the country.

"We are so proud of you, Mr. President, because you have worked so hard to make our country better, stronger and greater," she said.

Trump returned the compliment as she concluded her remarks.

"She is a natural and she's a great woman. So get out and vote," he told the crowd.

President Donald Trump renewed his call for Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola to be removed from Alaska's ballot and prosecuted Thursday, accusing Democrats of recruiting a candidate with the same name as incumbent Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan to confuse voters.

Speaking at a campaign rally in Rock Hill, S.C., Trump revisited the controversy surrounding Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., whose appearance on Alaska's Senate ballot has sparked allegations of election interference.

"This is voter fraud at the highest level," Trump declared.

Trump accused Peltola of involvement in the alleged scheme and demanded consequences for both the Democratic candidate and the similarly-named challenger.

"And the Democrat candidate who was involved in the scheme, Mary Peltola, who treats her staff horribly, by the way, so badly that they they think she's abusive, actually should be removed from the ballot and prosecuted," Trump said.

"And so should the fake Dan Sullivan," he added.

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, suggested that Americans could die if Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed is elected, suggesting that the Democrat could use U.S. intelligence to tip off terrorists.

"If Abdul El-Sayed becomes the senator from Michigan, there is absolutely nothing to stop Chuck Schumer from placing Abdul El-Sayed on the Senate Intelligence Committee. The Senate Intelligence Committee has access to our most closely-guarded secrets. And if I am correct that he is a passionate supporter of the Muslim Brotherhood, there is a very real risk that Americans will die as a result," Cruz warned.

"We have American service men and women in harm's way fighting Muslim Brotherhood terrorists right now. And we also have intelligence covert operatives heroically going undercover trying to anticipate and stop terror attacks before they happen, before they kill Americans. We have every reason to believe that Abdul El-Sayed, if he found out, 'OK, they're about to apprehend these terrorists,' that he would let those terrorists know," Cruz claimed.

The El-Sayed and Rogers campaigns did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's comment requests on Thursday.

Speaking to Fox News chief political anchor Bret Baier last week, the Democratic candidate said that he has "never been" and "never will be a member of the Muslim Brotherhood."

"I am interested in serving the United States. I'm interested in swearing an oath to the Constitution that every senator has swore an oath to," El-Sayed said.

El-Sayed is facing President Donald Trump-backed former Rep. Mike Rogers in the Michigan U.S. Senate contest.

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Alex Nitzberg.

President Donald Trump mocked a protester who attempted to interrupt his speech at a rally for Darline Graham in South Carolina on Thursday.

Trump was speaking to the crowd and urging residents to vote when the unidentified protester began shouting.

"Here we go. Paid protester," Trump said as he heard the commotion, which was quickly drowned out with shouts of "USA."

"Paid protester. They pop up every once in a while. Don't worry about it," Trump said laughing.

"No, they're all trained, paid. They don't do a good job," Trump said, going on to call the man a "sloppy looking guy."

Justice Department announced on Thursday that 18 aliens, including an illegal alien, in North Carolina have been indicted for illegally voting.

“Illegal voting is just that: illegal,” said Acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter. “If you’re not an American citizen, you cannot vote in our federal elections. We want to prevent illegal voting from occurring, which is why we’ve now charged 30 people just in North Carolina who have violated our laws by illegally registering to vote and illegally voting. We need to preserve the integrity of the ballot box by ensuring only those eligible are casting ballots.”

The most recent indictments allege that all nine defendants falsely claimed to be U.S. citizens to register and vote in the 2024 general election, the DOJ says.

The charges of falsely stating or claiming U.S. citizenship to vote carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Voting by an alien carries a maximum penalty of one year in prison and a $100,000 fine.

President Donald Trump had harsh criticism for Democrats in Alaska amid recent reports that they intentionally sought someone with the same name as the incumbent Republican to run as a spoiler.

Trump made the comments while speaking to the press before boarding Air Force One on Thursday. In Alaska, Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Ak., is facing an indepentent challenger by the same name in addition to his Democratic opponent, Mary Peltola.

"The Alaska situation is terrible. What Peltola has done and what Schumer and the Democrat Party have done, it was a scheme, it was election fraud, total election fraud at the highest level. Criminal. Nobody's seen anything like it," Trump said.

"We'll see how that works out. I guess it's being looked at, but, it's a very, very bad thing. Very sad. We have a great senator there. As you know, if they tried to confuse him and, I mean, I'm, I'm a IQ person. You look at list of, names, they also put another person on you that nobody's even talking about. But when you take a look at, the names you would be, I would say most people would be inclined to vote for the Daniel as opposed to the Dan. The way it sets up, it's very unfair. It's very confusing and meant to be. It's a fraud," he added.

High-profile races that will determine which party controls the Senate for the next two years are extremely tight, according to a new CNN poll, as Maine and Kansas remain close and Democrats extended their leads in Texas and Michigan.

Democrats, who are widely projected to win a majority in the House of Representatives, need to flip four Senate seats from red to blue in order to gain a 51-seat majority, protecting their majority from the vice presidential tiebreaker.

In Maine, Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, is the only Republican incumbent running in a state that went for Kamala Harris in 2024.

Collins' Democratic challenger is Troy Jackson, the former president of the state Senate who jumped into the race as a replacement for the previous nominee, scandal-plagued Graham Platner.

The race has no clear frontrunner, according to the CNN poll, though Jackson holds a marginal lead.

Forty-nine percent of respondents told the outlet's pollsters they favored Jackson, compared to 45% for Collins. While Jackson is slightly ahead, at least 12.5% of voters say they could still change their minds.

Respondents tied Collins to her party less than any other Republican running for Senate in the nation, with 46% of respondents saying they believe she would choose her constituents over the Republican Party.

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Robert McGreevy.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., rejected a question from CNN chief congressional correspondent Manu Raju about seating newly elected Democrats as a "nonsense narrative."

While campaigning in Iowa for Republican Rep. Zach Nunn, whose seat is among those that Democrats are targeting ahead of next week's midterm elections, Johnson fielded questions from Raju about President Donald Trump and the GOP's political strategy during the elections and beyond.

"Will you vow to seat every Democrat who wins on Jan. 3?" Raju asked, referring to the day elected members will be sworn in.

"Of course, this is a nonsense narrative," Johnson replied. "We are going to follow the law."

"What if Trump says ‘it's a rigged election’?" Raju asked."Look, I'm a constitutional attorney. I've always been steady and consistent about this. This is going to be a no-drama swearing-in ceremony, but we're going to hold the majority, and I'm going to be the speaker of the House," Johnson said. "And when I administer the oath, there will be one on Jan. 3. We'll administer the oath to everybody."

Raju pressed Johnson, "If Trump says 'Don't seat them,' you'll resist, then?"

"I'll do my job as the speaker of the House," Johnson replied. "The president has vowed, of course, he wants to follow the law as well. That's what's going to happen."

FOX One unveiled a new interactive election experience on Thursday that will give users unprecedented access to results, polling, and analysis.

FOX One, Fox Corporation's wholly-owned direct to consumer streaming service, announced the new election experience developed in partnership with FOX News Media, designed to give viewers more context and more local relevance as results come in for the upcoming midterm elections.

"Election night is expected to be among the most demanding live events we cover. The results don't arrive in order, and no two viewers are following the same set of races," Amit Dudakia, SVP & Head of Product at FOX Direct to Consumer, said in a statement. 

"With FOX One, we're keeping coverage from Fox News and FOX Stations at the center and building the context around it, so viewers aren't toggling between a stream and a second screen to understand what just happened," Dudakia added. "The reporting stays front and center and the answers come to you."

The features will roll out on FOX One in the lead-up to Election Day, and the full experience will be available as election coverage begins.

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

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., predicted that Darline Graham will surge to victory in South Carolina to secure her late brother's seat.

Thune made the statement Thursday during an appearance on Fox News.

"You know, you had a short amount of time after Lindsey's passing and Darlene had to get through two elections and then try and raise money for another election, and didn't give her a lot of time to to draw contrast with and define her opponent. She's now had the opportunity to do that. And I think in the end, when the voters of South Carolina understand how liberal Annie Andrews her opponent is, they're going to come home," Thune said.

"The president is very popular in South Carolina. It's about bringing Republicans out and ensuring that they stay with the team. And I think they will there, because as you as you look at Annie Andrews and her record now, and we've had an opportunity now to bring some definition to that, you, you know, it's a clear choice for the people of South Carolina," he added.

Former Sen. Joe Manchin predicted that Republicans will "sweep" the elections in 2028 if Democrats surge in the midterms and enter Congress with "vengeance and retribution" this cycle.

Manchin urged Democratic leaders to focus on lowering prices and pursuing the agendas of moderate Democrats who are capable of flipping Republican seats to secure a majority.

"If Hakeem Jeffries and the Democrats have the majority to 218 or more in the House, the majority is not going to be won in real blue districts. And that's where the DSA is running. DSA are not winning in swing districts where Republicans, they have to knock off a Republican or flip a seat. Those are more centrist, moderate Democrats," Manchin said.

"They just have to draw the line. We want, we want strong borders. The country needs strong borders. We need people in uniform protecting us, our police, our military, our paramedics, you know, paramedics, all these people here. And you should not let boys compete with girls. If Democrats can't say that, they're going to have a problem. If they could say that, get that out of the way. And who can basically govern the best? Who can get the prices down, who can make sure that we have stability and also a long range upward bound so our children have a chance to live a good life in America. That's what people are wanting. If they come in with vengeance and retribution, I'll guarantee it'll be short lived and the Democrats will set the Republicans up to sweep it in," he added.

Former President Barack Obama's administration investigated Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., and found evidence that her marriage may have been fraudulent in 2016.

Prosecutors within the Obama administration stalled the case after determining that the potential felony charges would fall outside the 5-year statute of limitations.

Omar has long faced rumors that she fraudulently married one of her brothers for immigration purposes. She has denied the accusation as a right wing conspiracy theory.

President Donald Trump's administration has launched its own investigation into Omar's history, a move Obama called "appalling" earlier this month, despite his own administration conducting a similar investigation.

"It is a basic principle of American democracy that the government can’t selectively target individuals simply because of their political beliefs or what they say. But that’s exactly what the Trump Administration is doing to Congresswoman Ilhan Omar of Minnesota," Obama wrote in a recent post on X.

"To understand why this is so appalling, it’s important to know the facts. Congresswoman Omar came to this country with her father when she was 12 years old. Five years later, her father became a naturalized citizen. If Ilhan had been 18 at the time, she would have had to apply for citizenship separately. But because she was 17, she became a naturalized citizen automatically," he continued.

Texas Senate candidate Ken Paxton took questions from voters at a diner on Thursday morning while discussing the issues with "Fox & Friends."

Paxton fielded questions about healthcare, education and uniting the Republican Party in Texas after the defeat of Sen. John Cornyn in the GOP primary earlier this year.

"The other guy is a socialist who wants government control," Paxton said of his opponent, Democrat James Talarico.

Paxton's appearance comes just a day after he and Talarico held competing rallies in deep-red Lubbock, Texas, on Wednesday.

The rallies put Lubbock’s political identity on display. Long a ruby-red Republican stronghold, the city is now a battleground in a Senate race in which polls show Talarico narrowly leading Paxton.

Jenny, who traveled to Paxton's rally from Brownsville, dismissed the idea that the race was close.

"What else do the Democrats have? They have Talarico going against Paxton," she told Fox News Digital. "All they’ve got is the ability to try and make people think that it’s close and there is no point in voting."

"No, it’s not close," Jenny added. "Paxton is going to wipe the floor with him."

Fox News' Amanda Macias contributed to this report.

House Speaker Mike Johnson said the polls for the midterm elections are going to prove 'historically wrong" on Election Day.

Johnson made the comments during a Thursday morning appearance on "Fox & Friends," saying Republican candidates are "superior" to their Democratic rivals and that the GOP has a better record to run on.

"We have gigantic crowds, big excitement. It feels exactly like 2024 to me," Johnson said. "I'm telling you, the polls are gonna be historically wrong in this midterm election."

His comments come as Democrats largely hold the advantage in polling, with the party favored to take the House of Representatives while the Senate is a tossup.

Democrat David Crowley is going into the final days before midterm elections with a widening lead over his GOP opponent, Rep. Tom Tiffany, R-Wisc., according to a new poll.

Crowley's advantage in the gubernatorial race has extended to 7 points, with 51% of likely voters favoring Crowley compared to 44% backing Tiffany, according to a poll by Marquette University Law School.

The 7-point difference fell within the poll's margin of error.

Democrats also had an advantage when it comes to voter enthusiasm in the poll, with 82% of Democrats saying they were "very" or "somewhat" enthusiastic to vote, compared to 74% of Republicans.

Marquette conducted the poll from Oct. 14-22, surveying 818 registered Wisconsin voters. The total poll advertised a margin of error of 4.3%, while the margin of error for the pool of 668 likely voters landed at 4.7%.

A top House Republican leading the investigation into ActBlue is warning that Democrats' main fundraising platform could potentially face criminal charges.

Committee on House Administration Chairman Bryan Steil, R-Wis., told Fox News Digital that the congressional investigation into ActBlue would continue and that he suspected the Department of Justice (DOJ) would act as well if federal prosecutors believed a crime could be proven in court.

"We know that ActBlue did not have the fraud prevention standards in place that were necessary to prevent foreign funds from finding their way, through the ActBlue platform, into Democratic campaigns and Democratic causes. I'm of the belief that we ultimately need to continue this investigation," Steil told Fox News Digital.

"And then, separate of that, the United States Department of Justice will make a decision as to whether or not they believe that there was a crime committed. And if they can prove that in court, my belief would be that the Department of Justice would move forward."

Steil's committee, along with the House committees on oversight and the judiciary, have for years probed allegations that ActBlue's lax verification standards have allowed foreign cash to seep into American elections. ActBlue has denied any wrongdoing and dismissed the probe as a partisan attack.

ActBlue has, however, sought to shore up its donor verification standards as the probe has gone on, including most recently rolling out a new passport verification system.

"Our investigation is about getting the facts to the American people, and, in large part, putting ourselves in a position to update our campaign finance laws for the digital era," Steil said. "So many of our campaign finance laws were written for a previous time. It is absolutely essential that we're updating our laws to actually address the fact that we are in a campaign finance digital era."

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Elizabeth Elkind.

Americans for Tax Reform president Grover Norquist warns of the potential economic fallout from key midterm ballot measures, including California's proposed wealth tax.

Committee on House Administration Chairman Bryan Steil spoke with Fox News Digital about the ongoing congressional and federal probes into ActBlue.

President Donald Trump rallied voters in South Carolina to boost candidate Darline Graham as the Senate race tightens this week.

South Carolina ETV host Gavin Jackson joined "Fox & Friends First" to discuss the political landscape and more.

A federal judge rejected the Trump administration’s request to stop California from processing ballots associated with as many as 20,000 voters the Justice Department alleged may be noncitizens.

U.S. District Judge David O. Carter warned that segregating the ballots would “wreak havoc” on the midterm elections and risk disenfranchising eligible voters. The Justice Department said it would appeal.

The case is part of a broader legal fight over federal involvement in state-run elections ahead of voting that will determine control of Congress.

Former President Barack Obama rallied Democrats in Georgia on Wednesday alongside Sen. Jon Ossoff and gubernatorial candidate Keisha Lance Bottoms as the party makes its closing appeal before Election Day.

Obama criticized President Donald Trump over White House renovations, personal wealth and rising costs, arguing that Republicans are focused on distractions instead of voters’ economic concerns.

Ossoff, who is seeking reelection, accused Trump of using the presidency for personal gain and predicted Georgia voters would deliver a political “rebuke” to the president and his party.

Bottoms, the former Atlanta mayor, could become the first Black woman elected governor in the United States. Her race against Republican candidate Rick Jackson is among the contests Democrats hope can expand the electoral map.

President Donald Trump is scheduled to campaign Thursday in Rock Hill, South Carolina, as Republican Sen. Darline Graham faces a stronger-than-expected challenge from Democrat Annie Andrews.

Trump is expected to speak at the Rock Hill Sports & Events Center at approximately 12:30 p.m. ET. Doors are scheduled to open at 9 a.m., with the event beginning at 11 a.m.

The rally will be Trump’s first visit to Rock Hill as president and comes as Republicans work to hold a seat in a state that has long been considered safely red.

Andrews is scheduled to appear at a Democratic rally in Rock Hill on Wednesday evening, putting both candidates in the same York County area during the final days of the campaign.