MORNING REPORT

Monday, November 2 | By Jared Gans

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In today's issue:

▪ A November surprise

▪ Judge tosses DOJ Alaska suit

▪ Murphy recovering from stroke

▪ Daylight saving time ends

Stevens shocks Democrats with Rogers endorsement

Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.) dropped a bombshell in the Michigan Senate race as she threw her support behind Republican Mike Rogers just two days before Election Day.

The congresswoman had originally been scheduled to appear with Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed at a rally brokered by Democratic Reps. James Clyburn (S.C.) and Debbie Dingell (Mich.) designed to smooth over tensions between the primary opponents. But El-Sayed disinvited Stevens from the event after she criticized him online and urged him to condemn an ad blaming U.S. support for Israel for the high cost of groceries.

The ad was produced by an outside progressive group and not El-Sayed's campaign. El-Sayed has distanced himself from it and said he didn't agree with the content but stopped short of a full condemnation.

“Abdul was very clear. He said, ‘Don’t come,’” Stevens said Sunday.

Instead, Stevens began her day with an appearance with Rogers for a service at Detroit's Perfecting Church before endorsing him. She cited various factors, including El-Sayed's past campaign appearance with controversial left-wing Twitch streamer Hasan Piker.

“As you may have seen, our Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, Abdul, said that I was no longer welcome in his campaign, and that I should stay away. And he’s right. And that’s why I am endorsing Mike Rogers for the United States Senate today,” she said in a video posted to social media Sunday.

CNN host Anderson Cooper pressed Stevens on Sunday night about what changed since she wrote in an X post in August that, "Mike Rogers will be another rubber stamp for Donald Trump’s dangerous agenda. We can’t afford to give MAGA another Senate seat in November.”

"Well, why is it OK to have the Democratic Party and a top nominee, you know, ejecting, you know, this type of, or injecting rather, this type of anger and lack of kindness?" she replied.

The reaction from fellow Democrats has been swift and furious. Multiple members of Stevens's office, including her longtime chief of staff, resigned following her decision.

“Haley Stevens’ decision to campaign with Rogers—a man who has repeatedly sold out Michigan’s working class, wants to pass a national abortion ban, and has pledged to be a loyal vote for [President] Trump’s agenda—shows that she has abandoned everything she claims to care about," said Michigan Democratic Party Chair Curtis Hertel.

Democratic Sen. Elissa Slotkin (Mich.) said in a statement on X, "anyone who makes an election this important about themselves, and not Michiganders and our democracy, should think hard about whether they are serving the greater good."

Politico reported that several House Democrats said they support removing Stevens from the caucus or having leadership punish her somehow over the endorsement.

Stevens defended her decision in comments to reporters.

“It’s my personal and private decision. I still love the party. I’ve done a ton for the party,” Stevens said. “I’ve voted for the party over and over and over again. I’m going to continue to do that as I fill out my term. Everyone should be fired up for Democrats.”

Rogers needs the help, if polls are any indication.

The final New York Times/Siena poll of the cycle, released on Sunday, showed El Sayed up 11 points on the former congressman. Decision Desk HQ gives El Sayed a 76 percent chance of replacing Sen. Gary Peters (D), and he leads Rogers in the polling average by about 4.5 points.

Still, the gap is generally within the margin of error, and a small polling error could result in a big change in the outcome.

Rogers welcomed Stevens's support, saying he was "honored" by her endorsement. He called it an example of "courage in politics."

El-Sayed, meanwhile, brushed off the endorsement, saying he's focused on issues in his state.

“This is a state of 10 million people who deserve a lot better from the government. I’m a lot more focused on the 9,999,998 that are not the ones you guys are talking about,” he told reporters.

Democrats need to net at least four seats to win back control, and a loss in the Great Lakes State would only make the job harder. The party went through a divisive primary between the progressive El-Sayed and moderate Stevens that was ultimately decided by less than 1 percentage point.

Whether the endorsement will have much of an effect is just one of many questions hanging over Election Day. The Hill's Caroline Vakil dives into other key questions and storylines to watch as votes come in. Insiders can sign up and read here.

▪ The Hill: Five races that will tell the story of the midterms.

▪ The Hill: The six races that could decide Senate control.

CALL FOR NOMINATIONS: The Hill is currently collecting nominations for its annual Top Lobbyists list, made up of the most influential folks in Washington. Know a lobbyist who moved the needle this year? Nominate them for The Hill’s Top Lobbyists here by Friday, Nov. 6.

Join The Hill LIVE on Election Night

The Hill's Decision Desk '26: Election Night In America will be moderated by Cory Smith and Drew Petrimoulx, joined by Chris Stirewalt and other special guests. The live special features sharp analysis on the most consequential races across the country, the biggest developments in real time, and live race calls powered by election data provider Decision Desk HQ. Watch us on your preferred streaming platform or on TheHill.com.

3 Things to Know Today

Trump will deliver remarks this afternoon at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, reportedly focusing on an update on his various projects around the nation’s capital and a closing message promoting the administration’s accomplishments ahead of the midterms.
Democrats edged out their Republican opponents in seven key battleground Senate races in the final polls from The New York Times and Siena University. Still, most of the results were within the margin of error.
All nine passengers traveling in a business jet have been confirmed dead after the plane nose-dived into a South Florida neighborhood Sunday. There were no immediate reports of deaths or injuries on the ground. An investigation into what happened is underway.

LEADING THE DAY

DISMISSED: A federal judge has tossed the Justice Department's lawsuit challenging the results of Alaska's Senate race if a second candidate named Dan Sullivan leads to Democrats flipping the seat.

Democrat Mary Peltola, a former congresswoman, is seeking to oust Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) in one of the most critical Senate contests of the cycle. The New York Times reported last week that Peltola's campaign recruited Daniel J. Sullivan, a retired teacher, as a ploy to help take votes away from the incumbent.

Even before that report, the controversy led to a preemptive lawsuit from the Justice Department. U.S. District Judge Sharon Gleason ruled Sunday the administration hadn't shown how she could rectify their concerns, noting that ballots have already been prepared and the election is Tuesday.

The Alaska Supreme Court has already signed off on the other Sullivan's candidacy.

The administration plans to appeal the ruling. Separately, Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy (R) has ordered an investigation into the situation and indicated that certification of the election could be delayed based on the probe's finding.

If Peltola wins a close vote, the legal fight looks set to escalate.

▪ The Hill: Sullivan says he will accept results.

▪ The Hill: Judge dismisses Trump suit against Wall Street Journal again.

▪ The Hill: State supreme court races to watch Tuesday.

RESPONDING WELL: Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) is recovering after suffering a stroke over the weekend.

Murphy's chief of staff, Allison Herwitt, said the senator started experiencing numbness in his arm while at his son's hockey game Saturday and was taken to a local hospital, where it was discovered that he had a stroke. He was transferred to Johns Hopkins University's hospital for further monitoring and is responding well to treatment, she said.

Herwitt said Murphy is awake and alert and expected to make a full recovery. Murphy has served in the Senate since 2013 and was reelected to a third term in 2024.

▪ The Hill: Plan for lame-duck sprint in Congress runs into obstacles.

OFF RAMP? Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth may have an exit strategy from the administration as Sen. Marsha Blackburn's (R-Tenn.) bid to become governor of Tennessee will likely leave a Senate seat vacant.

Two sources familiar with the matter told The Hill's Filip Timotija that Hegseth is interested in the open seat, while another source said he's campaigning behind the scenes for it. A fourth source who works closely with the Pentagon said his interest is an open secret.

The report comes as Hegseth seems to be at the top of Democrats' list of administration officials to conduct oversight on should they retake control of one or both chambers of Congress.

Two sources regularly in the Pentagon said questions are swirling inside the department over how long Hegseth lasts in his current role even if he's not impeached. The Pentagon's press secretary dismissed Hegseth's interest in the Senate as "beltway gossip by anonymous sources."

Blackburn has indicated that if she wins the gubernatorial race, she plans to name her successor.

▪ The Hill: Congress’s defense bill streak could be in jeopardy.

▪ CNN: Hegseth’s future could be on the line if Democrats win the House.

WHEN & WHERE

The president will participate in telerallies at 11 a.m. and 11:45 a.m. He will deliver remarks at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool at 2 p.m. He will participate in seven additional telerallies through the rest of the day, starting at 4 p.m. until the last one at 8:15 p.m.
The House will convene at 2 p.m. for a pro forma session.
The Senate will meet at 4:30 p.m. for a pro forma session.

Who's really winning the midterms?

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ZOOM IN

FALLING BACK: Daylight saving time came to an end Sunday as most of the country switched their clocks back an hour. Trump hopes it won't happen again.

The president has gone all in advocating for the Sunshine Protection Act, which would make daylight saving time permanent year-round, ending the biannual clock changes. The legislation passed the House earlier this year, but the Senate has yet to take it up despite a pressure campaign from the president.

The Hill's Mallory Wilson reports how the debate has grown divisive even within the GOP.

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), generally a staunch ally of the president, has become a chief critic of the proposal, expressing concern about the late sunrises that would result from permanent daylight saving time.

“Arkansans don’t want their kids going to school in the pitch dark, and I’ll always put Arkansas first,” he wrote in a post on X last month.

Trump recently touted the push at a rally in Mississippi last week, calling the time change "ridiculous." He pointed to data showing less crime is committed when there's more light in the evening.

But Wilson notes that supporters of both sides can point to data to back their case.

Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) doesn't seem eager to move the bill quickly, saying it doesn't have a clear path to pass. Whether a Democratic majority would be more inclined to move on it remains uncertain.

▪ The Hill: Trump says he’ll become ‘Mr. Veto’ if Democrats win Congress.

ELSEWHERE

COME TOGETHER: Israeli opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot appears to be making some inroads toward replacing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government, though obstacles remain.

Eisenkot is set to meet with the leaders of the other parties in his bloc this week for the first time since Israel's parliamentary elections last week to coordinate their strategy, Haaretz reported. He received a boost over the weekend as one of the top leaders of Joint List, a coalition of Arab political parties, said his group was prepared to support the bloc to replace Netanyahu's government.

Yousef Jabareen, the party's chairman, said initial contacts have been made with the leaders of the anti-Netanyahu coalition.

But he declined Eisenkot's call to declare Hamas a terrorist organization, one of four conditions that Eisenkot has laid out for members of the Knesset to join him in a government. A senior Joint List member, Ahmad Tibi, emphasized that it would support the government but did not want to be part of it.

With the results of the Israeli election finalized, the opposition bloc led by Eisenkot won 48 seats of the Knesset. Netanyahu's coalition won 53, while the two Arab groups won 19. None won enough alone for a majority of the parliament's 120 seats.

Eisenkot would have a path to a majority through working with the Arab parties, but other members of his bloc have ruled out forming a coalition with them.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog will decide whether Eisenkot or Netanyahu gets the first chance to form a governing coalition.

▪ The Hill: Democrats weigh Israeli election results amid uncertainty.

▪ The Associated Press: Officials say results will stand despite Netanyahu’s claims.

OPINION

The polling average won. Now what? Jon Cohen writes in The Hill.
Will Tuesday be a blue wave or just an anti-Trump surge? Douglas MacKinnon writes in The Hill.

THE CLOSER

And finally … History was made in the WNBA on Saturday as the Golden State Valkyries won Game 7 of the finals to become the fastest team to ever win a championship in league history.

The Valkyries defeated the Atlanta Dream by a score of 68-63 to clinch the series, four games to three. The championship came in just the Valkyries' second year as a franchise, the quickest any team has won it all after their creation.

They are just the third team ever across the NBA, WNBA and former Basketball Association of America to win the finals within their first two seasons, ESPN reported. The win brings an end to the WNBA's 30th season, which saw record viewership and attendance as the league moves into the mainstream.

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