50 million early votes cast as Trump shifts to virtual rallies in final days

Early voting totals neared 50 million voters heading into the weekend of October 31. This figure stands against the 112 million total ballots cast in the 2022 midterm elections. The numbers reflect a closing sprint in several states where early balloting is concluding.

President Donald Trump stepped away from in-person rallies on Saturday. He scheduled calls to six tele-rallies instead. The events are set for races in Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York, Michigan, and two separate calls for Florida. Trump spent the morning and early afternoon at a golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida.

His super PAC, MAGA Inc., confirmed the lineup for the virtual events. The White House released few details on what to expect from the calls. This approach differs from his typical rally speeches, which often run for 90 minutes or more. On his social media site, Trump posted, “Answer your phones, and ENJOY!”

The president had blitzed the closing weeks of October with rallies across the country. He visited states he won comfortably in each of his three campaigns. On Sunday, Trump is set to hold rallies in Iowa and Kansas. Those events were previously scheduled, pulled, and then rescheduled.

In Texas, Republican Ken Paxton and Democrat James Talarico made final weekend pushes in a tossup U.S. Senate race. Paxton, the state attorney general, campaigned in Fort Worth on Saturday morning. He warned voters against restoring Democratic control of Capitol Hill. “The left in this country keeps getting more and more radical,” Paxton said. He told supporters the election would “go down to the wire.”

Paxton, who defeated Republican Sen. John Cornyn earlier this year with Trump’s help, urged Republicans to match the early voting turnout from Democrats. He cast Talarico as the frontman for a far-left agenda. “I’m not exaggerating when I say, if we lose Texas, we lose America,” Paxton said. He asked the crowd to pray for Texas and for him.

Talarico, a state lawmaker, was scheduled to rally support in Houston later on Saturday. The race has become a measure of voters' frustration with Trump's leadership and his party. Talarico is backed by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.

In Virginia's 2nd Congressional District, Hakeem Jeffries campaigned with former Rep. Elaine Luria. Luria is in a rematch with Republican Rep. Jen Kiggans. Jeffries pledged to hold votes on reversing Republicans' healthcare cuts and pass voting rights laws. He specifically named Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth for oversight. “In the majority, one of the first things we are going to do is run Pete Hegseth out of town,” Jeffries said.

House Speaker Mike Johnson answered in a Michigan tossup district with warnings about Democrats. He called the election a spiritual battle and framed Democrats as Marxists and socialists. “These are Marxists, socialists, communists. It’s their ideology,” Johnson said. He noted that communists murdered tens of millions in the 20th century.

Democrats face internal divisions in a tight Michigan Senate race for a seat they already hold. Nominee Abdul El-Sayed and former primary rival Haley Stevens were expected to campaign together with Rep. James Clyburn on Sunday. That plan is in doubt after Stevens renewed criticism of El-Sayed. His campaign is no longer welcoming her to events, according to a person familiar with the matter. Antjuan Seawright, an adviser for Clyburn, said the congressman was still inviting both to join him for church on Sunday morning.