54.5 million Americans have cast ballots before Tuesday's midterms

54.5 million Americans cast ballots by 10 a.m. Eastern time on Monday, according to a University of Florida analysis. That number exceeds the 46 million early votes recorded during the 2022 midterm elections. The count includes 30 million in-person votes and 24 million mail-in ballots submitted by roughly 210 million registered voters.

Democrats have led the early voting surge, with more than 11 million registered Democrats casting ballots compared to about 8 million registered Republicans. Texas saw the largest jump, with more than 7.7 million early voters. In South Carolina, where President Donald Trump won by nearly 18 percentage points in 2024, early voting is up 83 percent from the same point in 2022. Kansas, Michigan, and Maine have also reported increased turnout.

Campaigning intensified as the cost-of-living crisis and the US-Israel war on Iran became central issues. Democrats are aiming to reclaim control of both chambers of Congress, which are currently held by Republicans. All 435 House seats and 35 of 100 Senate seats are up for election, along with governorships in 36 states.

The Michigan Senate race saw a sharp turn when Democratic Congresswoman Haley Stevens endorsed Republican candidate Mike Rogers over her party's nominee, Abdul El-Sayed. Stevens, who lost the Democratic primary to El-Sayed in August, cited tensions over US support for Israel. El-Sayed had opposed military aid to Israel, arguing that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pushed the US into the Iran war.

El-Sayed responded to the endorsement by calling a vote for Rogers a vote for Trump. His campaign reported a fundraising surge following Stevens' announcement. Democratic leaders rallied around El-Sayed, who has faced Islamophobic attacks during the campaign. Curtis Hertel, chairman of the Democratic Party in Michigan, told CNN that Stevens does not speak for the larger community.

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer called Stevens' endorsement a despicable betrayal. He stated that Senate Democrats support El-Sayed to fight for the economic interests of working families in Michigan, contrasting him with Rogers, whom Schumer described as a tool of Trump and billionaire donors. Michigan Jews for Democracy also backed El-Sayed, rejecting Stevens' attempt to divide the community two days before the election.

Trump celebrated Stevens' decision during a rally in Iowa on Sunday. He said he would love it if she joined the Republican Party and called her action an act of bravery. A federal judge also dismissed a Trump administration lawsuit seeking to block Alaska from certifying the loss of Republican Senator Dan Sullivan. The administration argued a rival with the same name could change the outcome. Sullivan said he would accept the election results. Alaska's race is one of seven toss-up Senate contests that could determine the majority in the upper chamber.