memeorandum: Poll: Voters demand change and a check on Trump, fueling a steep Democratic midterm advantage (NBC News)

5:15 PM ET, November 1, 2026

Top Items:

Haley Stevens' High(est) Profile Meltdown — Let me share a few quick thoughts about former Democratic senate primary candidate Haley Stevens. As you've likely seen Stevens showed up this morning at a Black church in Detroit with Republican senate candidate Mike Rogers.

Mychael Schnell / MS NOW:

Haley Stevens endorses GOP's Mike Rogers as Michigan Democrats feud — DETROIT — Rep. Haley Stevens, the Michigan Democrat who narrowly lost her party's Senate primary in August, not only attended church services Sunday morning with Republican Senate nominee Mike Rogers — she endorsed him, too.

Meredith Lee Hill / Politico:

Some House Dems are now pushing to kick Haley Stevens out of their caucus — Her shock endorsement of Republican Mike Rogers escalates a feud with former Democratic primary rival Abdul El-Sayed in the final days of a top battleground race. — Abdul El-Sayed responds: “I don't actually think about Haley Stevens”

Violet Jira / Washington Post:

Democrat Haley Stevens appears with Michigan GOP Senate candidate Mike Rogers — The appearance of Stevens, who recently clashed with Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed over an ad, marked a stunning turn. She previously said she wanted a Democratic victory in the Senate race. — Loading...

Discussion: The Guardian, NBC News, Axios, Politico, Salon, Mediaite, Joe.My.God., The Daily Wire, Associated Press, Townhall and Eschaton

Christa Dutton / The Washington Sun:

Haley Stevens Breaks With Her Party to Back Republican Mike Rogers — DETROIT — Rep. Haley Stevens on Sunday endorsed Republican Mike Rogers in the Michigan Senate race, accelerating the string of headaches she's caused for Democrats in the eleventh hour of a critical race between Rogers and Democrat Abdul El-Sayed.

Associated Press:

Michigan Democrats' unity push falters as Stevens is asked to skip event with El-Sayed — Michigan Democrats are heading to church in Detroit on Sunday in an attempt to present a united front behind Abdul El-Sayed in a race that could decide control of the U.S. Senate.

Discussion: Associated Press, Straight Arrow, Roll Call, WTOP News, National Politics, Breitbart, Al Jazeera, Washington Post, Washington Examiner and NRSC

Christa Dutton / The Washington Sun:
Abdul El-Sayed Calls Haley Stevens a ‘Distraction’

Discussion: Politico, The Hill, twitchy.com and Jewish Telegraphic Agency

Politico:
Haley Stevens appears with Republican Mike Rogers after fallout with Abdul El-Sayed

Discussion: Washington Examiner, Wall Street Journal, The Hill, New York Post, The Daily Caller, The Message Box, Breitbart, Legal Insurrection, The Gateway Pundit, Meidas+, Mediaite, NBC News and Townhall

Prem Thakker / Zeteo:
BREAKING: Haley Stevens Endorses Republican in Final Attempt to Tank Abdul El-Sayed

Discussion: Townhall, NewsMax.com, Jewish Insider, RedState, The Washington Sun, Mediaite, The Post Millennial, Wall Street Journal, The Daily Caller, NewsNation, The Guardian, The Hill and New York Times

Andrew Solender / Axios:
Haley Stevens' staff and colleagues erupt at her “betrayal”

Discussion: The Hill, MS NOW, Politico, The Washington Free Beacon, Washington Post, NPR, Washington Examiner, CBS News and The American Conservative

Cheyanne M. Daniels / Politico:
Why El-Sayed's final campaign swing includes a Black church in Detroit

Discussion: KFTC-TV, Fox News, Washington Post, Political.org and twitchy.com

NBC News:

Poll: Voters demand change and a check on Trump, fueling a steep Democratic midterm advantage — Trump's disapproval rating hits a record high of 60% in a new national NBC News poll, and Democrats have a 7-point lead in the battle for Congress ahead of Tuesday's elections.

Discussion: NewsMax.com, Politico, Washington Examiner, YouGov and Washington Post

Axios:

Why Florida Republicans are “white-knuckled” about Tuesday — Florida Republicans aren't panicking about sluggish turnout for the midterms, but in the words of one GOP elder: “We're white-knuckled.” … - “I don't necessarily want to be the bearer of bad news, but I don't think the turnout …

G. Elliott Morris / Strength In Numbers:

Early voting data suggests blue wave, Dems could exceed 2018 turnout advantage — Final early voting records from Texas, Georgia, and now North Carolina show Democrats benefiting from an “engagement gap” that exceeds the party's advantage in 2018 — A few programming reminders before the Election …

Discussion: The Downballot

Jonathan Martin / Politico:

The ‘Blacklash’ Is Here … The first hint appeared in the 2025 elections, when Democrats won larger-than-expected margins in Virginia and New Jersey. Then, beginning early this year, the turnout numbers in primaries were unmistakable. And now, the story is blaring in neon as early and absentee votes soar.

Discussion: MS NOW

Jonathan Martin / Politico: The ‘Blacklash’ is here — With help from Eli Okun, Ali Bianco and Irie Sentner — Good Sunday morning.

Natasha Korecki / NBC News:
‘Sea change’: Early voting numbers show Hispanic turnout exploding in Texas

Discussion: NewsMax.com, Hopium Chronicles, Joe.My.God. and CBS News

Andrew Solender / Axios:
Dems and GOP quietly bankroll dozens of third-party spoilers

Discussion: Al Jazeera and The Washington Sun

Ronald Brownstein / CNN:
If a blue wave is coming, here are the races where it will start

Discussion: Politico, NPR, The Hill and Axios

Washington Post:

Judge tosses DOJ's attempt to delay Alaska Senate results if Republican loses — The decision shot down the Trump administration's extraordinary request to block the election's resolution if Sen. Dan S. Sullivan narrowly loses. Another candidate, Dan J. Sullivan Jr., is also running.

Discussion: Democracy Docket, Straight Arrow, CNN, CBS News, Politico, Reuters, The Gateway Pundit and Alaska Public Media

Anna Griffin / New York Times:
Did the Peltola Campaign Seal the Fate of Alaska's Ranked Choice Vote?

Discussion: emptywheel, NewsMax.com, Al Jazeera and The Hill

Chris Hippensteel / The Guardian:
Judge dismisses Trump attempt to block Alaska Senate race results if Republican loses

Discussion: Washington Examiner, CNBC, CNN and Daily Mail

Wil Courtney / Webcenter Fairbanks:
Court dismisses DOJ lawsuit attempting to delay election certification, separate ballots

Discussion: MeidasTouch, The Hill, Washington Examiner, MS NOW, CNBC, Reason, RedState and Political.org

NBC News:
Federal judge dismisses Trump attempt to interfere in Alaska Senate race

Discussion: Democracy Docket, NPR, KCLU and The Independent

Violet Jira / Washington Post:
Sen. Dan Sullivan says he will accept Alaska's election results even if he doesn't win

Discussion: NBC News, Bloomberg, NewsMax.com, Political.org and The Hill

Matthew Choi / Washington Post: Both parties tried to game Alaska primary field

Nicholas Riccardi / Associated Press:
Sullivan claims Peltola is ‘still lying’ about campaign's involvement in Alaska ballot controversy

Discussion: New York Post, The Independent and The Hill

Politico:

Chris Murphy is hospitalized after stroke — Sen. Chris Murphy is being hospitalized following a stroke, an aide to the Connecticut Democrat said Sunday. — “Yesterday afternoon, Senator Murphy started experiencing numbness in his arm while at his son's hockey game.

Discussion: Western Massachusetts News, The Guardian, RedState, Crooks and Liars, The Daily Wire and Talking Points Memo

Steven Sloan / Associated Press:

Sen. Chris Murphy had a stroke and is in the hospital, his office says — Sen. Chris Murphy is in the hospital after having a stroke, according to the Connecticut Democrat's office. In a statement Sunday, Murphy's chief of staff, Allison Herwitt, said the senator “started experiencing numbness …

Barak Ravid / Axios:

Trump has frank call with Netanyahu about next move in Iran war — President Trump had a candid phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Saturday about the state of U.S. negotiations with Iran and how quickly to return to combat, according to one Israeli and one U.S. source.

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, The American Conservative, Washington Examiner, Al Jazeera, The Japan Times and National Review

Will Weissert / Associated Press:

Trump signals he'll give closing election pitch at the Reflecting Pool, a revamp plagued by problems — President Donald Trump signaled Sunday that he'll make his closing pitch of the midterm elections at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, pushing his slow, expensive and problem-plagued efforts …

Discussion: The Washington Sun and The Independent

Mira Bhakta / The Hill:
Trump says he'll become ‘Mr. Veto’ if Democrats take Congress

Discussion: Washington Examiner, Political.org, New York Post, The Independent, Daily Mail, NewsNation and Reuters

Bloomberg: Trump Says He May Be ‘Mr. Veto’ If Democrats Win Midterms

New York Times:

Gaffes and Men's Bodies: Analysis of Trump's Speeches at Age 80 — A Times review of the president's public speeches finds that he is more profane, more absolutist, longer-winded and less coherent than he was in 2016. — NEWS ANALYSIS — A Times review of the president's public speeches finds …

Discussion: Althouse

David French / New York Times:

Trump Has Found the Attorney General of His Dreams — October was a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad month for the Department of Justice. — The worst moment happened on Oct. 5, when the department made a third attempt to prosecute James Comey, the former director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.