‘This is voter fraud at the highest level,’ president tells rally crowd in South Carolina; Alaska governor orders inquiry into Peltola campaign amid Republican outcry

• Alaska governor orders investigation into Peltola’s Senate campaign

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With days until the midterm elections, a new poll from CNN places Democrats well in the lead in key Senate races in Texas and Michigan, while projecting tighter contests in Kansas and Maine.

In Texas, the poll found 49% of likely voters would back James Talarico, the Democratic nominee, over Republican Ken Paxton, who netted just 43%.

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© Photograph: Kent Nishimura/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: Kent Nishimura/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: Kent Nishimura/AFP/Getty Images

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• Alaska governor orders investigation into Peltola’s Senate campaign

• Sign up for the Breaking News US email

With days until the midterm elections, a new poll from CNN places Democrats well in the lead in key Senate races in Texas and Michigan, while projecting tighter contests in Kansas and Maine.

In Texas, the poll found 49% of likely voters would back James Talarico, the Democratic nominee, over Republican Ken Paxton, who netted just 43%.

Continue reading...

© Photograph: Kent Nishimura/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: Kent Nishimura/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: Kent Nishimura/AFP/Getty Images

President Donald Trump is finishing the midterms with a cross-country blitz of campaign rallies that allow him to bask in applause when he's otherwise profoundly unpopular.

When Americans cast their ballots in this year's midterm elections, they'll not only be picking who represents them in Congress, but also weighing in on a range of topics that could change their state laws and constitutions.

Obama remains the Democratic Party's best motivator nearly a decade after leaving the White House. And he's taking his star power on the road in the final days of the midterm elections, which will help determine the balance of power in American politics on Nov. 3.

Blake Miley yelled “fascist” as President Trump spoke at a midterm campaign rally. The violence that followed “was not right,” she said.

© Nick Fancher for The New York Times

Hope, dread and the final stretch to Election Day.

© The New York Times

The fallout from Vivek Ramaswamy’s brutal spot targeting his Democratic rival in the Ohio governor’s race showed that even in the Trump era, a political attack can be seen as going too far.

© Shannon Stapleton/Reuters

Speaking at a campaign stop, Ramaswamy said the advertisement, which features Acton's mother calling her "a liar," had nothing to do with childhood abuse.

The G.O.P. nominee in Ohio has given conservatives space to reckon with the ethical degradation of Trumpism.

© Alex Wong/Getty Images