With four days left before midterm elections and several very close races in key states, Democrats and Republicans are trying to rally their bases. As of today, 28 million early votes have been cast in 46 states.
At a campaign rally in Miami earlier this week, President Biden pullied out heavy hitters ahead of the midterm elections. Former President Barack Obama was also out campaigning for Democratic Party candidates — he ncouraged voters at a rally in Las Vegas to vote next Tuesday as a way to, in his words, “fight for democracy.”
“The only way to save democracy is if we, together, fight for it. And that starts with electing people who know you, and see you and care about you and believe in you,” the former president said during the event.
Republican Representative Liz Cheney of Wyoming says she is endorsing a Democratic Party candidate for the first time ever and is urging voters to take a stand.
“If we want to ensure the survival of our Republic, we have to walk away from politics as usual,” she said. “We have to walk away. We have to stand up every one of us and say, we’re gonna do what’s right for this country. We’re gonna look beyond partisan politics. If the people in our party are not doing the job they need to do, then we’re gonna vote for the people in the other party because we are Americans, above all else.”
On the other hand, some Republicans are feeling confident about what will happen on November 8.
“This is our year. Democrats can’t run on anything they’ve done. People don’t like what they’ve done,” said Florida Republican Senator Rick Scott at a National Republican Senatorial Committee.
Former President Donald Trump has also been rallying support for Republicans in different states.
“Go out and vote up and down the slate, vote for Republicans. Good, great Republicans,” he said Trump during the rally in Texas.
Each party is fighting for every vote they can get, and a new poll from The New York Times and Siena College focusing on four key states that could determine which party controls the Senate shows very tight races.
There is also a focus on voter access to the ballot box, and courts have stepped in.
For instance in Arizona, a judge issued an order restricting a right-wing group from carrying guns within 250 feet of the ballot boxes. They also can’t speak to or yell at voters — or film them in the voting booths. This was after a coalition of groups asked the court to intervene in what they said was a case of voter intimidation.
In Pennsylvania, the Supreme Court ruled that local election boards cannot count any general election ballots mailed in without dates or with incorrect dates. The ruling is a win for Republicans, who filed the case and say it is meant to ensure election security. Democrats counter that the lawsuits are really efforts to disallow votes in tight races.
