US midterms: Biden, Trump take center stage on eve of vote

On the eve of midterm elections that could result in a period of political upheaval in the United States, President Joe Biden and his predecessor Donald Trump attended rallies in a final call to voters on Monday.

Tuesday's vote will be the first national election since the violent January 6 insurrection by supporters of Trump. It also comes mid-way through Biden's term, serving as a test of support for the embattled president.

Republicans and Democrats in states across the country also traded final blows ahead of the vote that could thwart Biden's presidency, weaken Western support for Ukraine and even open the door for a return to the White House for Trump.

Biden warns 'democracy is at risk'

Biden's last pitch to mobilize voters took place in Maryland, where the Democratic nominee, Wes Moore, is expected to win back the Republican-held governorship.

"Today we face an inflection point," Biden told a cheering crowd on Monday at Bowie State University, a college outside Washington DC. "We know in our bones that our democracy's at risk and we know that this is your moment to defend it."

Control of the Senate could be decided by just a handful of results. Besides Ohio, one of the tightest races is occurring in Pennsylvania, where Democratic Lt. Gov. John Fetterman is up against Republican TV doctor Mehmet Oz.

Trump to make 'big announcement' on November 15

In the state of Ohio, Trump urged supporters to vote Republican, as his supporters chanted back "USA! USA! USA!" while the former president talked up the size of the crowd.

And then he went on to say he will be making a "very big announcement" next week, with the former president expected to jump into the race for the White House in 2024.

"Not to detract from tomorrow's very important, even critical election... I'm going to be making a very big announcement on Tuesday, November 15 at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida," he told a cheering crowd in Ohio on the eve of US polls which will determine control of Congress.

The comments were the closest the Republican politician has come to confirming his intention to run, building on his message last week that he "will very, very, very probably do it again."

"This is one of the most important races in America," Fetterman told a crowd on Monday outside a union hall near a steel plate mill in Coatesville, some 40 miles (65 kilometers) west of Philadelphia. "Dr. Oz has spent over $27 million (€26.95 million) of his own money. But this seat isn't for sale."

Musk backs GOP

Meanwhile, Elon Musk, whose purchase of Twitter has Democrats worried that it could unleash a wave of disinformation, used his platform on Monday to back the GOP.

"I recommend voting for a Republican Congress, given that the Presidency is Democratic," he tweeted.

Nevertheless, that message came too late for more than 40 million Americans who had already cast early ballots.

Election-eve lawsuits target ballot rules

Judges in several states were busy on Monday warding off last-minute requests from Republican officials.

A judge blocked a rural Arizona county's plan to conduct a full hand-count of ballots from the current election, a measure requested by Republican officials who expressed concerns, without providing evidence, that counting machines could not be trusted.

Elsewhere, a Wisconsin judge, less than 14 hours before polls opened, refused to order that military absentee votes be pulled aside and sequestered until it can be verified that they were legal, saying that would be a "drastic remedy" that
could disenfranchise citizens.

What you need to know about the election

US voters on Tuesday will elect their representatives in Congress. All of the 435 seats in the House of Representatives up for grabs, as well as 35 seats in the Senate.

Even with people voting in all 50 states, just a handful of battleground elections will likely determine whether Democrats or Republicans control the House of Representatives and Senate.

If the Democrats lose control of one or both houses of Congress, Biden will unlikely be able to pass much, if any, legislation in the second half of his term due to long-standing Republican policy to block nearly all bills coming from a Democratic White House.

In addition to the congressional races, 36 states are electing their governors. 

jsi/rs (AP, Reuters, AFP)