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| A New Beto O’Rourke Ad and Last-Minute Canvassing: Scenes From the Final Day Before the Midterms | A New Beto O’Rourke Ad and Last-Minute Canvassing: Scenes From the Final Day Before the Midterms |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| After all the debates, rallies, ads and barbs, it’s almost here: Election Day is Tuesday. Voters across the United States will choose the winning candidates for 435 seats in the House of Representatives and nearly three dozen seats in the Senate. Thirty-six states will elect governors, including in high-profile contests in Florida and Georgia. | After all the debates, rallies, ads and barbs, it’s almost here: Election Day is Tuesday. Voters across the United States will choose the winning candidates for 435 seats in the House of Representatives and nearly three dozen seats in the Senate. Thirty-six states will elect governors, including in high-profile contests in Florida and Georgia. |
| New York Times journalists are reporting from around the country as candidates make their final pitches to the voters who will help reshape the United States for the next two years. | New York Times journalists are reporting from around the country as candidates make their final pitches to the voters who will help reshape the United States for the next two years. |
| • Here’s a guide to how, when and where to vote on Tuesday. | • Here’s a guide to how, when and where to vote on Tuesday. |
| • Make sense of the people and ideas shaping the election — and its aftermath — with our politics newsletter. | • Make sense of the people and ideas shaping the election — and its aftermath — with our politics newsletter. |
| SAN ANTONIO, Tex. — For all the talk about small government in Texas, it sure has a lot of them – 254 counties, the most of any state in the nation. | SAN ANTONIO, Tex. — For all the talk about small government in Texas, it sure has a lot of them – 254 counties, the most of any state in the nation. |
| Representative Beto O’Rourke, the El Paso Democrat trying to thwart Senator Ted Cruz’s re-election, has been to all 254, as everyone in Texas knows by now. It’s a staple of his speeches and the focus of a new campaign ad, titled “On The Road Again” and featuring Willie Nelson. | Representative Beto O’Rourke, the El Paso Democrat trying to thwart Senator Ted Cruz’s re-election, has been to all 254, as everyone in Texas knows by now. It’s a staple of his speeches and the focus of a new campaign ad, titled “On The Road Again” and featuring Willie Nelson. |
| But it’s hard for non-Texans to appreciate the enormity of such a feat. The state consumes more than 260,000 square miles, making it twice the size of Germany. Most Texas politicians don’t even bother trying to visit all the counties because of the time, travel and cost, let alone the ratio between energy expended and votes won. | But it’s hard for non-Texans to appreciate the enormity of such a feat. The state consumes more than 260,000 square miles, making it twice the size of Germany. Most Texas politicians don’t even bother trying to visit all the counties because of the time, travel and cost, let alone the ratio between energy expended and votes won. |
| The congressman’s smallest town hall was likely the one near Lubbock in Dickens County. The population of Dickens County: about 2,200. The population of Mr. O’Rourke’s event at J & M Caprock Café: about 8. | The congressman’s smallest town hall was likely the one near Lubbock in Dickens County. The population of Dickens County: about 2,200. The population of Mr. O’Rourke’s event at J & M Caprock Café: about 8. |
| — Manny Fernandez | — Manny Fernandez |
| LOWELL, Ind. — Predictions of a Democratic wave are hard to find in northern Indiana. At a get-out-the-vote rally in a barn here this past weekend, hundreds of Republicans celebrated over brats and cornbread. | |
| “The blue wave everyone is talking about will be the tears of the Democrats,” said Mark Paul John, a painter who describes himself as a “freedom artist.” | |
| “The Democrats, they are not listening,” he said as he displayed a painting of soldiers he had given police officers in Ferguson, Mo., after the killing of Michael Brown, a black, unarmed teenager who was shot by an officer. “They are just complaining.” | |
| Adam Sedia, 34, a lawyer, said the crowd was larger than it was at the same event two years ago. | |
| “A lot of people want to keep the momentum going,” he said, one foot up on a hay bale. “I’d like to see more justices like Justices Gorsuch and Justice Kavanaugh.” | |
| Republican confidence was also high outside Indianapolis, at the final stop on Sunday night of the state G.O.P.’s bus tour. David Klingerman, 72, a retired contractor, said he “wasn’t feeling” a blue wave. “I think we’ll hold steady,” he said. | |
| And up in Tippecanoe County, Bea Smith, the president of the local Republican women’s club — decked out in bright red and a sparkling elephant brooch — predicted a Republican House and Senate. | |
| The surprise on Wednesday, she said, will be “just like when Trump came in.” | |
| — Elizabeth Dias | |
| WASHINGTON — Super PACs and party organizations with money left in the bank used the final days before the election to make a few last bets. | |
| In the first 4 days of November, these outside groups disclosed nearly $8.5 million in new spending to the Federal Election Commission, in races ranging from the most competitive Senate races to House races that have seen little spending thus far. | |
| The biggest investment of the weekend was $670,000 from Integrity NJ, a super PAC opposing Senator Robert Menendez, the New Jersey Democrat who faced bribery and fraud charges before they were dropped by the Justice Department. The Senate races seen as likely to determine control of the chamber —Missouri, Florida, Arizona, Nevada and Indiana — also drew significant spending. | |
| But some money went to races that aren’t on the national radar. Michael Bloomberg’s super PAC, Independence USA, spent more than $400,000 on T.V. ads boosting Kendra Horn, a Democrat, in Oklahoma’s 5th district, a seat that saw its first significant super PAC spending during the last week of October. And Maine Liberty PAC, a group whose biggest donors come from Texas, Nevada and California, spent $225,000. The group has been supporting Republican Eric Brakey’s challenge of Maine’s independent senator, Angus King. Polls show King leading the race by double digits. | |
| Even with Election Day less than 24 hours away, the spending continues. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, which tracks political spending, $7.7 million in spending was reported on Election Day and the day before it in 2016. | |
| — Rachel Shorey | |
| ORLANDO, Fla. — Nancy Batista is a 32-year-old Guatemalan immigrant with a file full of voters to contact and a message for President Trump. | ORLANDO, Fla. — Nancy Batista is a 32-year-old Guatemalan immigrant with a file full of voters to contact and a message for President Trump. |
| “How many more things can we tolerate?” she said, canvassing with a half-dozen Latinos on a sleepy cul-de-sac. “We all feel like we have been targeted.” | “How many more things can we tolerate?” she said, canvassing with a half-dozen Latinos on a sleepy cul-de-sac. “We all feel like we have been targeted.” |
| Ms. Batista oversees the Florida operation for Mi Familia Vota, a Latino civic group that says it has registered some 30,000 new voters in the state this cycle, about half of them Puerto Ricans. | Ms. Batista oversees the Florida operation for Mi Familia Vota, a Latino civic group that says it has registered some 30,000 new voters in the state this cycle, about half of them Puerto Ricans. |
| [Read more: Who are we talking about when we talk about Latino voters?] | [Read more: Who are we talking about when we talk about Latino voters?] |
| While Ms. Batista said the group takes care to avoid partisan advocacy for individual candidates when engaging with voters, it has not been subtle about its feelings toward Mr. Trump. Most recently, it released an advertisement featuring a dramatization of Mr. Trump slapping Latinos across the face. Its title, “Trumpadas,” is a play on the Spanish word “trompada,” which is a punch. | While Ms. Batista said the group takes care to avoid partisan advocacy for individual candidates when engaging with voters, it has not been subtle about its feelings toward Mr. Trump. Most recently, it released an advertisement featuring a dramatization of Mr. Trump slapping Latinos across the face. Its title, “Trumpadas,” is a play on the Spanish word “trompada,” which is a punch. |
| “We are very anxious,” Yadhira Barrios, 39, a canvass organizer, said in Spanish, after a mostly unsuccessful door-knocking swing. | “We are very anxious,” Yadhira Barrios, 39, a canvass organizer, said in Spanish, after a mostly unsuccessful door-knocking swing. |
| But “good work,” she added, “is never in vain.” | But “good work,” she added, “is never in vain.” |
| — Matt Flegenheimer | — Matt Flegenheimer |
| Handshakes. Rallies. A “tax ax.” The New York Times has 16 photographers fanned out across the country covering the final days of campaigning for the midterm elections. Keep up with the latest images here. | Handshakes. Rallies. A “tax ax.” The New York Times has 16 photographers fanned out across the country covering the final days of campaigning for the midterm elections. Keep up with the latest images here. |
| LAS VEGAS — Nearly three hundred members of the Culinary Workers Union gathered at headquarters over coffee, granola and breakfast burritos Monday to kick off their election eve canvass, the penultimate push after months of grueling door-knocking across the state on behalf of two Democrats: Jacky Rosen, who is running for Senate, and Steve Sisolak, who is running for governor. | |
| “We vote, we win! We vote, we win,” the members chanted repeatedly throughout the kickoff event, which featured Ms. Rosen and Senator Catherine Cortez Masto, a Democrat elected in 2016 with union help. | |
| “I’m running to repeal and replace Dean Heller,” quipped Ms. Rosen, cribbing a popular political slogan used by Republicans. Her campaign has hammered incumbent Senator Dean Heller, a Republican, over his vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act. | |
| “I’m excited, really excited, and a little nervous,” she told reporters. She avoided commenting on the national stakes of the Senate race in Nevada. “I’m not a pundit, and we’ll leave that to the pollsters. But I believe we’re going to win.” | |
| — Jose A. Del Real | |
| TUCKER, Ga. — “Will you give me a hug like you kind of like me?” Stacey Abrams asked a child. | TUCKER, Ga. — “Will you give me a hug like you kind of like me?” Stacey Abrams asked a child. |
| “Tell me your name,” the Democratic nominee for Georgia governor said to person after person. | “Tell me your name,” the Democratic nominee for Georgia governor said to person after person. |
| “Do you think I’m going to share?” she said with a grin after a Nothing Bundt Cakes employee asked how many forks she wanted for the lemon and white chocolate confections. “That’s so cute.” | “Do you think I’m going to share?” she said with a grin after a Nothing Bundt Cakes employee asked how many forks she wanted for the lemon and white chocolate confections. “That’s so cute.” |
| Clear away the weekend’s high-wattage rallies and blizzard of advertisements, and you’ll find that most candidates spent the final days of their campaigns practicing their very personal art of retail politicking, which has always been about more than a simple handshake. | |
| It is also a blend of anecdote-summoning, child-noticing, clothing-complimenting, conversation-starting, conversation-ending, and, in 2018, selfie-taking. | It is also a blend of anecdote-summoning, child-noticing, clothing-complimenting, conversation-starting, conversation-ending, and, in 2018, selfie-taking. |
| “Your goal is to make contact with any voter that’s open to making contact with you,” said Steve Dettelbach, a candidate for Ohio attorney general. “You put your hand out to somebody and the vast majority of people will shake your hand.” | “Your goal is to make contact with any voter that’s open to making contact with you,” said Steve Dettelbach, a candidate for Ohio attorney general. “You put your hand out to somebody and the vast majority of people will shake your hand.” |
| Even seasoned politicians acknowledge that glad-handing can be something of an acquired skill — for the wooer and the wooed. | Even seasoned politicians acknowledge that glad-handing can be something of an acquired skill — for the wooer and the wooed. |
| “I talk to everyone, but you can usually see micro-signals with people who do not want strangers coming up to them while they’re eating,” Ms. Abrams said with a chuckle. “I’m an introvert by nature, so I know what to look for.” | “I talk to everyone, but you can usually see micro-signals with people who do not want strangers coming up to them while they’re eating,” Ms. Abrams said with a chuckle. “I’m an introvert by nature, so I know what to look for.” |
| Mr. Dettelbach was more blunt about the challenge: “It’s not a normal thing to engage total strangers.” | Mr. Dettelbach was more blunt about the challenge: “It’s not a normal thing to engage total strangers.” |
| Most candidates will shake more hands at Tuesday’s election watch parties. That will bring another test: remembering the names of people from campaign stops long ago. | Most candidates will shake more hands at Tuesday’s election watch parties. That will bring another test: remembering the names of people from campaign stops long ago. |
| — Alan Blinder and Sydney Ember | — Alan Blinder and Sydney Ember |
| PRESCOTT, Ariz. — Standing on a small podium set up in a shopping mall food court, Gov. Doug Ducey of Arizona had a message for the hundreds of thousands of people who have moved into his state during his time in office. | |
| “Are you ready to keep the state of Arizona red?” he asked the audience of Republican retirees in Prescott. “Welcome back to America, and remember why you left California.” | |
| Republican candidates here are appealing to their state’s moderate to conservative voting history, reminding audiences that despite all the demographic changes, Arizona is not that liberal bastion to the west. | |
| At least not yet. Strategists on both sides say the state’s early voting numbers show strong support for Democrats. That’s unlikely to affect Mr. Ducey, who has a broad lead in the polls, but it has made Democrats more confident about the chances of Representative Kyrsten Sinema, the party’s Senate nominee. | |
| — Lisa Lerer | |
| BISMARCK, N.D. — In an unusual calculation for a sitting president, Mr. Trump has campaigned relentlessly for Republican candidates and urged voters to see the election as a referendum on his own presidency. His rhetoric appears to have stuck with his base here in a deep-red state that elected him by 36 points — one he has visited three times in support of Representative Kevin Cramer, who is looking to unseat Senator Heidi Heitkamp, a Democrat. | BISMARCK, N.D. — In an unusual calculation for a sitting president, Mr. Trump has campaigned relentlessly for Republican candidates and urged voters to see the election as a referendum on his own presidency. His rhetoric appears to have stuck with his base here in a deep-red state that elected him by 36 points — one he has visited three times in support of Representative Kevin Cramer, who is looking to unseat Senator Heidi Heitkamp, a Democrat. |
| “Trump saying, ‘A vote for Republicans is a vote for me’ — well it is, because he is our president,” said Melanie Udell, a volunteer at the G.O.P. office in Bismarck. “He’s just trying to turn the country around.” | “Trump saying, ‘A vote for Republicans is a vote for me’ — well it is, because he is our president,” said Melanie Udell, a volunteer at the G.O.P. office in Bismarck. “He’s just trying to turn the country around.” |
| Maggie Dosch, a party delegate here, said a Republican Congress was needed to protect Mr. Trump from political attacks from Democrats. | Maggie Dosch, a party delegate here, said a Republican Congress was needed to protect Mr. Trump from political attacks from Democrats. |
| “If given the opportunity, some people would try to impeach him, and I think the man should have a fair chance to run the country,” she said. “He got North Dakota working again. There is a loyalty to that.” | “If given the opportunity, some people would try to impeach him, and I think the man should have a fair chance to run the country,” she said. “He got North Dakota working again. There is a loyalty to that.” |
| — Catie Edmondson | — Catie Edmondson |