Haley Stevens endorses Mike Rogers for Michigan’s open Senate seat, a last-minute move that jolted Democrats less than two days before voters head to the polls. The Democratic representative broke with her party and pointed to concerns about Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed’s association with political streamer Hasan Piker, whose comments about Jewish people and Israel drew criticism in August. El-Sayed has attempted to create distance from the controversy, but Stevens said he had not done enough to reassure Black and Jewish voters who supported her in the primary.
Today’s top stories in midterm politics
Stevens’ endorsement of the GOP candidate landed after weeks of worsening relations between her and El-Sayed. The fallout has been swift. Her longtime chief of staff and several staffers resigned, and the Michigan Democratic Party chair said Stevens is no longer a member of the party. Some Democrats who did not back El-Sayed in the primary remain conflicted, while others are now rallying behind him. Observers say the uproar underscores widening rifts within the party, including debates over Israel and broader questions about Democratic identity heading into 2028.
- Analysts note voters’ dissatisfaction has shifted what once looked like a favorable map for Republicans into a tougher landscape for President Trump and his party. Democrats argue they deserve a chance to enact change, while GOP leaders cast the midterms as a stark choice. Historically, midterms tend to be a referendum on the sitting president rather than a direct contrast.
- Here are six election-night signals to watch to determine control of Congress, plus a guide to poll closing times and where to monitor results.
- Ahead of Election Day, political correspondents address key questions about potential outcomes and the realities of campaign coverage.
- Insights from a year of engaging with swing voters who backed Joe Biden in 2020 and then shifted to Trump in 2024 shed light on a pivotal bloc.
- The NPR App has a dedicated 2026 Election tab for nationwide and local coverage, including headlines, playlists, podcasts and videos.
After tomorrow’s elections, Trump may consider striking Iran again, an option he has discussed with Israel. Gulf partners are bracing for potential escalation, and Qatar has been mediating with Iran over the last 72 hours to head off further conflict.
- Qatar has not detailed the talks. Iran says there is a two-day plan to halt attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz and to resume discussions with the United States, depending on Washington’s response. Trump has claimed the U.S. disabled key parts of Iran’s military and identified remaining targets. Gulf states fear more attacks could destabilize the region and disrupt global energy supplies.
The Supreme Court will hear arguments tomorrow in a dispute involving the Catholic Church and Colorado’s publicly funded pre-K program. The justices will weigh whether religious schools participating in the program can refuse admission to children of gay and trans parents, which would run afoul of Colorado’s anti-discrimination law. Colorado included religious schools to meet its goal of near-universal access for 4-year-olds, provided schools follow state bans on discrimination based on race, religion, sexual orientation or gender identity. The case reflects a broader shift by the court’s conservative majority over the past decade toward emphasizing the First Amendment’s protection of religious freedom.
Your turn
Burnout often intensifies in midlife as work and family demands mount. Psychiatrist Judith Joseph points to anhedonia, the reduced ability to find pleasure in usually enjoyable activities, which can appear alongside what she calls high-functioning depression, a “silent sister” of depression. Research highlighted in the journal Cureus found people with high-functioning depression had elevated levels of anhedonia and trauma, with parents and caregivers scoring highest. The condition is not a formal DSM-5 diagnosis, so many continue to push through symptoms and delay care until burnout worsens. Joseph offers a non-diagnostic anhedonia quiz to help identify barriers to joy, and a Five V’s framework to address them: Validation, Venting, Values, Vision and Vitals.
Behind the story
As voting begins, attention turns to mid-decade redistricting carried out by Republican-led states at President Trump’s urging to build more safe GOP districts. Despite that effort, results in many of those districts remain uncertain, and in some, Democrats now have an edge in places Trump carried by double digits two years ago. A recent Trump rally in Greenville, N.C., coincided with national Republicans pulling ads for Michael Whatley and shifting resources elsewhere. Sources indicated the visit likely aimed to boost the GOP contender in North Carolina’s 1st District, now one of the most competitive and expensive House races in the country, even after a redraw that should have favored Republicans. Similar dynamics are emerging in other redrawn districts, leaving the final outcome of the strategy in doubt heading into Election Night.
3 things to know before you go
- Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut, 53, was hospitalized after a stroke and is expected to fully recover, according to his office.
- Hackers stole more than 6 billion dollars from Binance, the world’s largest crypto exchange. The FBI determined North Korea was behind the breach.
- Oil giants ExxonMobil, Shell and Chevron reported a combined profit topping 36 billion dollars last quarter as the war in Iran pushed fuel prices higher.
