5 days until midterms, Trump heads to South Carolina as Senate race tightens

The Justice Department has subpoenaed California election officials in a criminal investigation into allegations of noncitizens on the state's voter rolls, The Associated Press reported Thursday.

Subpoenas issued to Los Angeles County election employees demand records related to federal allegations of ineligible voters and efforts to prevent noncitizens from casting ballots.

The subpoenas, issued Oct. 21 and Oct. 24, order officials to appear in court Nov. 4, just one day after the midterm elections.

One subpoena identifies the investigation as a criminal probe conducted by Homeland Security Investigations, according to the AP.

All four U.S. attorneys in California were issuing subpoenas, a person familiar with the investigation told the outlet.

Los Angeles County Registrar Dean Logan pushed back, declaring that "threats and intimidation have no place in elections."

Michigan Democrats are scrambling to project unity in the final days before Election Day, with Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed preparing to reunite with former primary rival Rep. Haley Stevens after her fiancé publicly endorsed Republican Mike Rogers.

El-Sayed and Stevens are expected to campaign together Sunday at a Detroit church alongside Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., according to The Associated Press, marking their first joint public appearance since shortly after their bitter August primary.

The attempted show of unity follows a fresh Democratic headache after Stevens' fiancé, Jason Turkish, told The Detroit News he would vote for Rogers instead of El-Sayed.

Stevens reaffirmed her support for El-Sayed on CNN Wednesday but urged his campaign to "shut out the hate and call it out."

The intraparty turmoil comes amid mounting concerns among Michigan Jewish voters over El-Sayed's criticism of Israel, his associations with controversial streamer Hasan Piker and a left-wing group's advertisement linking U.S. support for Israel to grocery prices.

Rogers, meanwhile, campaigned alongside President Donald Trump on Sunday and Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, on Wednesday as Republicans seek to capitalize on Democrat divisions in the battleground Senate race.

DALLAS — Two Texas voters who have voted Republican in the past told Fox News Digital at Democrat James Talarico’s rally that they’re backing him in the Senate race.

“We’re here in support of honesty, decency and integrity,” Lori said. “That’s what we like to see in a candidate and we think Talarico is all that in one.”

Lori said she had voted in at least one Republican primary before, hoping to find “a reasonable Republican.” Tony said Texas voters have long known the state is Republican, but “you got to pick the right one.”

The couple also said they were optimistic Texas could shift toward Democrats. Asked whether the state might turn blue or purple, Lori said, “One can only hope. We’re optimistic.”

They viewed President Donald Trump’s repeated campaign appearances in Texas as a sign Republicans were nervous about the race.

“I think it demonstrates itself that you’re nervous,” Tony said. Lori added, “And being here doesn’t help.”

With early voting nearing its end, Tony urged Texans to cast their ballots: “Everyone get up off your tush and go vote.”

President Donald Trump is expanding his get-out-the-vote efforts with a tele-rally blitz across nearly 20 states as Republicans make their final push ahead of Tuesday's midterm elections.

The Republican National Committee announced Thursday that Trump will focus on reaching voters through tele-rallies during the final 72 hours of the campaign, allowing him to connect with more Americans in the closing stretch.

With Republicans in a strong position in Kansas and Iowa, previously scheduled in-person rallies in those states will no longer take place as planned, the RNC said.

"Voters across the country want to hear from President Trump before Election Day, and this 72-hour sprint will be a huge boost in the closing days," RNC Chairman Joe Gruters said.

Trump's tele-rally schedule is expected to span nearly 20 states, including Alaska, Arizona, Florida, Michigan, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas and Virginia.

The RNC said additional campaign events could be announced before Election Day.

Former Rep. Mary Peltola, D-Alaska, pledged Thursday to fight Washington's "rigged system" even as her Senate campaign faces allegations of involvement in a scheme to manipulate the state's ballot.

"I am the only candidate in this race with a plan to ban congressional stock trading, crack down on self-dealing, enact term limits, and fix the rigged system in DC that's shutting down Alaska," Peltola wrote on X.

The message comes amid mounting scrutiny of allegations that Democratic operatives sought to recruit another candidate named Dan J. Sullivan to confuse voters and potentially siphon support from incumbent Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan.

The Justice Department has issued more than 30 subpoenas in the past 24 hours as part of its criminal investigation into Alaska's Senate ballot controversy, DOJ sources told Fox News.

The investigation centers on how Daniel J. Sullivan, who shares a name with incumbent Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan, appeared on the ballot and whether there was coordination with Democratic Senate nominee Mary Peltola's campaign.

The subpoenas follow a New York Times report alleging Democratic operatives recruited a similarly named candidate in an effort to confuse Alaska voters and potentially siphon votes from the Republican incumbent.

Peltola's campaign has denied involvement in the effort.

President Donald Trump has condemned the alleged scheme and called for prosecutions.

Fox News' David Spunt contributed to this reporting.

Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s effort to restore voting rights to tens of thousands of convicted felons sparked controversy Thursday after an attorney obtained an executive citation addressed to "Betty No Last Name," purportedly notifying the recipient that her voting rights had been restored.

The citation identifies No Last Name as one of more than 66,000 Virginians whose rights to vote, serve on juries and seek public office have reportedly been restored under Spanberger's administration. The controversy comes ahead of a Nov. 3 ballot measure that would make voting rights restoration automatic upon release from prison.

"It’s a big deal," said Virginia Beach attorney Tim Anderson, who first obtained the citation for No Last Name and shared it with Fox News Digital.

"It’s clear [Spanberger] didn’t sign it. No governor and no secretary of the commonwealth would sign a restoration order that says Betty No Last Name, so they’re not looking at it; they didn’t review anything," Anderson told Fox News Digital in an interview Thursday. Each citation bears the signatures of the governor and Secretary of the Commonwealth Candi Mundon-King.

"Whereas, Betty No Last Name, by reason of conviction(s), suffers political disabilities …," the citation obtained by Fox News Digital says.

Anderson said he obtained the citation through a public records request to the Chesapeake Sheriff's Office after reports emerged that restoration notices had been sent to felons who are now deceased. He said the document originated from Spanberger's office and was sent to the sheriff's office.

He speculated that the citations were generated through a mail merge of records and signed using an autopen despite language in the documents indicating that each case had been individually reviewed.

This is an excerpt of an article by Fox News Digital's Charles Creitz.

A woman was shot directly outside the Republican Party of Virginia's headquarters in Richmond on Thursday afternoon, just days before Election Day, according to the state GOP.

The shooting occurred around 1:45 p.m. in front of the Obenshain Center, located in the 100 block of East Grace Street in downtown Richmond, according to local outlet WTVR.

In a post on X, the Virginia GOP said Richmond first responders arrived within minutes and confirmed that all party staff members were safe.

"Around 1:45 p.m. today, a woman was shot immediately in front of The Obenshain Center, the offices of the Republican Party of Virginia. City of Richmond first responders were at the scene within minutes. All Republican Party of Virginia staff are safe," the post read.

The party also said it had no indication that the shooting was connected to its operations."The proximity of this event notwithstanding, we have no indication that the shooting was related to the operations of the Republican Party of Virginia," the X post continued.

The shooting comes less than a week before the Nov. 3 midterm elections, as voters prepare to head to the polls in Virginia and across the country.

This is an excerpt of an article by Fox News Digital's Brittany Miller.

Rep. Chris Pappas, D-N.H., his party's nominee for the Granite State's open Senate seat, declined to say whether he would support impeaching President Donald Trump if Democrats regain control of Congress, instead emphasizing government oversight during a Thursday interview with Fox News Digital.

Asked how he would respond to pressure from his party's left flank to pursue impeachment proceedings against Trump or members of his Cabinet, Pappas pivoted to his economic priorities.

"My primary responsibility is, how do I make life better for New Hampshire?" Pappas said.

"And so my focus is going to be on housing, on health care, on child care, on energy costs, the things that I'm talking about with voters all across this state," he continued.

The congressman did not directly address whether he would support impeachment but stressed the importance of congressional checks on the executive branch.

"Now, there is also a responsibility in terms of holding folks accountable, having coequal branches of government, restoring checks and balances in Washington," Pappas said.

The Democrat, who has won four House elections in New Hampshire's light-blue first congressional district, is seeking a Senate seat in one of the nation's closely-watched midterm contests.

"I'm gonna stay focused on how we lower costs and build a fair economy. That's why I'm running for Senate," he said.

Fox News Digital's Paul Steinhauser contributed to this reporting.

Vice President JD Vance joked Thursday that he might need to consult his priest after repeatedly attacking Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico, drawing laughs from supporters as he campaigned for Republican Ken Paxton in Texas.

"Now Ken is up against a guy who, I hate to say it. Is a joke," Vance told the crowd. The vice president, a practicing Catholic, then playfully questioned whether he had gone too far in criticizing Paxton's opponent.

"I'm going to have to talk to my my priest here because I feel a little guilty at this point, going after James Talarico," Vance said.

"Should I lay off at James Talarico?" he asked the crowd.

After supporters urged him to continue, Vance obliged.

"Well, I am at heart a person who listens to the people," he joked.

Vance went on to accuse Democrat donors in Washington of selecting Talarico because they believed he could win statewide, before mocking the candidate's past remarks about gender and race.

"I wonder if any of those donors got their money back when all the videos came out of him talking about his favorite drag queens, or how there are six genders, or about or about how whiteness is a disease," Vance said.

The vice president also accused Talarico of being beholden to Senate Democratic leadership.

"But if we're being honest, the real problem with Talarico is that he is an empty suit," Vance said.

He later delivered a fiery appeal to Texas voters ahead of Tuesday's election.

"Texas ain't surrendering. Texas is not becoming California," Vance declared, urging supporters to back Paxton in the closely watched Senate race.

Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., warned Thursday that Democrats are increasingly concerned President Donald Trump may refuse to accept the results of next week's midterm elections, accusing the president of being unwilling to rule out illegal actions involving election security.

Speaking exclusively with Fox News Digital while campaigning in battleground New Hampshire, Kelly raised the possibility of Trump challenging election results if Republicans lose control of Congress.

"Yeah, we're really concerned," Kelly said when asked whether Senate Democrats fear Trump might reject an unfavorable outcome.

"Think about this for a second, when he lost the election in 2020. This guy sent a mob to Capitol Hill to attack the other branch of government to try to change the outcome of an election," Kelly said.

"Is there any limit to what he would do?" he asked.

Kelly also raised concerns about the potential deployment of military personnel to polling places, claiming Trump has refused to rule out such a move.

"When he's asked about deploying the military on election day, he doesn't rule it out, even though it's against the law to do that, to send U.S. Troops to polling places is illegal, and he will not rule out doing illegal things," Kelly said.

Fox News Digital's Paul Steinhauser contributed to this reporting.

Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy has ordered an investigation into the state's Senate ballot controversy as Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan accused Democrats of orchestrating a scheme to confuse voters, warning Thursday that the allegations could trigger a backlash just five days before Election Day.

The controversy centers on Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., a candidate whose name closely resembles that of the Republican incumbent. A New York Times investigation reported that Democratic operatives sought to recruit a similarly-named challenger to potentially divert votes from the senator.

Speaking with Martha MacCallum on Fox News' "The Story," Sullivan accused Democrat challenger Mary Peltola and national party officials of deceiving Alaskans.

"I think people are disgusted by it," Sullivan said. "You know, the word's getting out."

Sullivan claimed Democrats spent more than a year organizing the effort and subsequently denying involvement.

"This goes to character, it goes to judgment, it goes to integrity," he said.

The state's Republican governor has also ordered a criminal investigation into the controversy, according to reporting discussed on the program. Separately, MacCallum reported that a senior Justice Department official said the federal investigation had expanded dramatically over the previous 24 hours.

Peltola's campaign and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee have denied involvement in recruiting the similarly named candidate.

Sullivan said the controversy was resonating beyond Republican voters.

"I know Democrats right now have reached out to me who are disgusted by these actions, and I think it's going to have a big blowback," he said.

Asked whether his campaign was preparing legal action if the second Sullivan's vote total affected the outcome, the senator confirmed that attorneys were reviewing their options.

"There's lawyers that are evaluating all these different options," Sullivan said.

The reported recruitment by Democrats of a second "Dan Sullivan" to allegedly confuse voters in Alaska’s Senate race drew a rare public rebuke from Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, who appeared to break four years of silence on her personal X account.

The New York Times reported that members of Mary Peltola’s team helped recruit a candidate who shares the name of incumbent Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan, potentially confusing voters in a closely watched race that also features Republican Gerald Heikes.

In a statement on her personal account @LisaForSenate, Murkowski said the report "revealed… a pattern of lies and coverups" on the part of Peltola.

"While some may try to write this off as just how politics works now, ballot-stacking should have no place in our electoral process," Murkowski said.

"Run and win on your merits: your views, your policy ideas, and your accomplishments. By contrast, recruiting candidates to manipulate the field and influence voting outcomes is simply wrong."

"Alaskans deserve the honest truth from Mary and her campaign," she said, adding that such a "culture of deception" does not belong in elections or with lawmakers.

Her previous post on the account was dated November 2022 and featured a video message wishing Alaskans a happy Thanksgiving.

Murkowski's official Senate account posts regularly, with its two most recent posts criticizing the Trump Justice Department for launching a lawsuit in the "Decoy Dan" situation prior to the Times' report and highlighting her visit to the Alaska Federation of Natives Convention.

This is an excerpt of an article by Fox News Digital's Charles Creitz.

President Donald Trump received a heartfelt welcome from Republican Sen. Darline Graham at his Thursday rally in Rock Hill, S.C., as she told the president he would always be part of her family because of his close friendship with her late brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham.

"You know, I've mentioned to you before that Lindsey considered you one of his dearest friends, and you will always be part of the Graham family," Graham told Trump after joining him onstage.

Graham thanked the president for his endorsement and praised his efforts campaigning for Republican candidates across the country.

"We are so proud of you, Mr. President, because you have worked so hard to make our country better, stronger and greater," she said.

Trump returned the compliment as she concluded her remarks.

"She is a natural and she's a great woman. So get out and vote," he told the crowd.

President Donald Trump renewed his call for Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola to be removed from Alaska's ballot and prosecuted Thursday, accusing Democrats of recruiting a candidate with the same name as incumbent Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan to confuse voters.

Speaking at a campaign rally in Rock Hill, S.C., Trump revisited the controversy surrounding Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., whose appearance on Alaska's Senate ballot has sparked allegations of election interference.

"This is voter fraud at the highest level," Trump declared.

Trump accused Peltola of involvement in the alleged scheme and demanded consequences for both the Democratic candidate and the similarly-named challenger.

"And the Democrat candidate who was involved in the scheme, Mary Peltola, who treats her staff horribly, by the way, so badly that they they think she's abusive, actually should be removed from the ballot and prosecuted," Trump said.

"And so should the fake Dan Sullivan," he added.

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, suggested that Americans could die if Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed is elected, suggesting that the Democrat could use U.S. intelligence to tip off terrorists.

"If Abdul El-Sayed becomes the senator from Michigan, there is absolutely nothing to stop Chuck Schumer from placing Abdul El-Sayed on the Senate Intelligence Committee. The Senate Intelligence Committee has access to our most closely-guarded secrets. And if I am correct that he is a passionate supporter of the Muslim Brotherhood, there is a very real risk that Americans will die as a result," Cruz warned.

"We have American service men and women in harm's way fighting Muslim Brotherhood terrorists right now. And we also have intelligence covert operatives heroically going undercover trying to anticipate and stop terror attacks before they happen, before they kill Americans. We have every reason to believe that Abdul El-Sayed, if he found out, 'OK, they're about to apprehend these terrorists,' that he would let those terrorists know," Cruz claimed.

The El-Sayed and Rogers campaigns did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's comment requests on Thursday.

Speaking to Fox News chief political anchor Bret Baier last week, the Democratic candidate said that he has "never been" and "never will be a member of the Muslim Brotherhood."

"I am interested in serving the United States. I'm interested in swearing an oath to the Constitution that every senator has swore an oath to," El-Sayed said.

El-Sayed is facing President Donald Trump-backed former Rep. Mike Rogers in the Michigan U.S. Senate contest.

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Alex Nitzberg.

President Donald Trump mocked a protester who attempted to interrupt his speech at a rally for Darline Graham in South Carolina on Thursday.

Trump was speaking to the crowd and urging residents to vote when the unidentified protester began shouting.

"Here we go. Paid protester," Trump said as he heard the commotion, which was quickly drowned out with shouts of "USA."

"Paid protester. They pop up every once in a while. Don't worry about it," Trump said laughing.

"No, they're all trained, paid. They don't do a good job," Trump said, going on to call the man a "sloppy looking guy."

Justice Department announced on Thursday that 18 aliens, including an illegal alien, in North Carolina have been indicted for illegally voting.

“Illegal voting is just that: illegal,” said Acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter. “If you’re not an American citizen, you cannot vote in our federal elections. We want to prevent illegal voting from occurring, which is why we’ve now charged 30 people just in North Carolina who have violated our laws by illegally registering to vote and illegally voting. We need to preserve the integrity of the ballot box by ensuring only those eligible are casting ballots.”

The most recent indictments allege that all nine defendants falsely claimed to be U.S. citizens to register and vote in the 2024 general election, the DOJ says.

The charges of falsely stating or claiming U.S. citizenship to vote carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Voting by an alien carries a maximum penalty of one year in prison and a $100,000 fine.

President Donald Trump had harsh criticism for Democrats in Alaska amid recent reports that they intentionally sought someone with the same name as the incumbent Republican to run as a spoiler.

Trump made the comments while speaking to the press before boarding Air Force One on Thursday. In Alaska, Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Ak., is facing an indepentent challenger by the same name in addition to his Democratic opponent, Mary Peltola.

"The Alaska situation is terrible. What Peltola has done and what Schumer and the Democrat Party have done, it was a scheme, it was election fraud, total election fraud at the highest level. Criminal. Nobody's seen anything like it," Trump said.

"We'll see how that works out. I guess it's being looked at, but, it's a very, very bad thing. Very sad. We have a great senator there. As you know, if they tried to confuse him and, I mean, I'm, I'm a IQ person. You look at list of, names, they also put another person on you that nobody's even talking about. But when you take a look at, the names you would be, I would say most people would be inclined to vote for the Daniel as opposed to the Dan. The way it sets up, it's very unfair. It's very confusing and meant to be. It's a fraud," he added.