Alexander Zemlianichenko AP Russian businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin said he interfered in past US elections and will continue to do so in the future, the first such admission by a figure formally implicated by Washington in efforts to influence US politics. In comments posted by the Concord catering company’s press service on Russia’s Facebook counterpart VKontakte, Prigozhin said: “We have interfered (in the US election), we are interfering and we will continue to interfere. Carefully, precisely, surgically and in our own way , as we know how to do”. The remark was published on the eve of the US midterm elections in response to a request for comment from a Russian news website. “During our operations, we will remove both the kidneys and the liver at once,” Prigozhin said. He did not elaborate on the cryptic comment. Prigozhin, who is often referred to as “Putin’s chef” because his catering company handles Kremlin contracts, has been formally accused of sponsoring Russia-based “troll farms” that seek to influence US policy. — Reuters
Virginia could offer Tuesday’s first hint of how Republicans might perform nationally
State Sen. Jennifer Wexton, Democrat of Virginia and candidate for U.S. Representative, greets attendees during a campaign rally in Manassas, Virginia, U.S., Sunday, Nov. 4, 2018. Andrew Harrer | Bloomberg | Getty Images One of the first states to close the polls Tuesday night will be Virginia, where voting closes at 7 p.m. ET. For those watching election results at home, there are three House races in the commonwealth whose results could provide clues as to how Republicans nationally will fare in their bid to win a large majority in the House. All three races feature Democratic women in tough matchups with relatively moderate Republican challengers, two of whom are women. In Virginia’s 2nd District, which includes Virginia Beach, Democratic Rep. Elaine Luria is seen as particularly vulnerable in her race against state Sen. Jen Kiggans. In the 7th District, which includes Washington’s outermost suburbs and two rural counties, former CIA agent turned Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger is facing Prince William County Supervisor Yesli Vega, a former police officer. Crime and abortion have dominated the campaign airwaves. Further north, in the wealthiest and most well-educated part of the state just outside DC, Democratic Rep. Jennifer Wexton is defending her seat against Hung Kao, a Navy veteran, in the 10th District. President Joe Biden won Wexton’s district by double digits in 2020. —Christina Wilkie
This is where the polls close for Election Day in each state
A sign is seen as voters line up for the U.S. Senate runoff at a polling place in Marietta, Georgia, January 5, 2021. Fresh Mike | Reuters Each state conducts its own elections, which means poll closing times vary significantly on Election Day. Below is a list of when polls close in each state. Schedules are organized by state, not by time zone. So, for example, while half of Kentucky is in the Eastern Time Zone and the other half is in Central Time, the polls will close at 6 p.m. ET statewide, so it’s listed as 6 p.m. This is not an official list, and some counties keep polls open longer to accommodate large turnouts, so check with your local board of elections to determine when your polls will close.
6 p.m
Kentucky and Indiana
7 p.m
Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Kansas, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Vermont, Virginia and Wyoming
7:30 p.m
Arkansas, North Carolina, Ohio and West Virginia.
8 p.m
Alaska, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Washington, DC, Idaho, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Utah, Washington, and Wisconsin.
9 pm
New York NOTE: New Hampshire closing times vary by county, but none are earlier than 7 p.m. Tennessee also varies, as does North Dakota, where polls close between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. —Christina Wilkie
Abortion rights are on the ballot in these states. Here’s what you need to know
A billboard against Proposition 3, a ballot measure that would codify abortion rights, is seen along I-75 outside Detroit, Michigan, US, November 6, 2022. Evelyn Hockstein | Reuters Voters in California, Kentucky, Michigan and Vermont will decide during the midterm elections whether abortion is protected by their state constitutions. But Michigan and Kentucky are shaping up to be the two biggest abortion battlegrounds in between. Michigan is poised to become a safe haven of constitutionally protected abortion rights in the Midwest, where access is shrinking. Kentucky, on the other hand, is set to cement its abortion ban unless reproductive rights activists pull off an upset victory in the conservative southern state. — Spencer Kimball
Five states will decide whether to legalize recreational marijuana
Members of the DC Marijuana Justice community hold a 51 blast on the National Mall ahead of President Joe Biden’s address to a joint session of Congress to call on the administration to take action on legalization and expungement on Wednesday, April 28, 2021. Tom Williams | CQ-Roll Call, Inc. | Getty Images Voters in a handful of states — including four that traditionally favor Republicans — are set to decide Tuesday whether to legalize recreational marijuana, paving the way for its sale and cultivation in newly regulated markets across the country. Arkansas, Maryland, Missouri, North Dakota and South Dakota could join 19 other states and the District of Columbia that have already legalized recreational marijuana. The votes come about a month after President Joe Biden urged state and local officials to follow his lead by pardoning those convicted of previous federal charges of simple possession of marijuana. — Stefan Sykes
New Twitter CEO Elon Musk backs GOP-led Congress as critics question his tweets, handling of platform
Musk’s plan to buy Twitter has alarmed policymakers around the world. Joe Skipper | Reuters Twitter’s new CEO Elon Musk has backed Republicans in their bid to win congressional majorities in the midterm elections, saying “shared power curbs the worst excesses of both parties.” “Therefore, I recommend voting for a Republican Congress given that the Presidency is Democratic,” Musk wrote in a tweet addressed to “independent voters.” In a follow-up tweet, Musk added: “Hard-line Democrats or Republicans never vote for the other side, so independent voters are the ones who actually decide who’s in charge!” Musk’s tweets and other aspects of his leadership have come under intense scrutiny since the billionaire Tesla and SpaceX boss bought Twitter last month for $44 billion. The succession was marked by massive layoffs, a strong reception from some advertising groups, and confusion over the platform’s policy changes. A regular stream of comments from Musk, most from his own Twitter account, added more chaos to the mix. He blamed “activist groups” for Twitter suffering a “massive drop in revenue … even though nothing has changed with content containment.” Days later, Musk announced that anyone on Twitter impersonating people without clearly identifying themselves in the parody accounts “will be permanently suspended.” He has also responded to many of his critics, including progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and has responded positively to numerous prominent conservative media figures. — Kevin Breuninger
2024 cycle begins: Trump, other key figures drop hints
Former US President Donald Trump speaks during a midterm election rally in Miami, Florida, US, November 6, 2022. Marco Bello | Reuters The midterm race may still be in full swing, but it’s clear that some key figures are already laying the groundwork for 2024 and beyond. Former President Donald Trump, who has regularly hinted that he might seek the White House again, this weekend dropped some of his strongest proposals yet. “I promise you in the next very, very, very short time, you’re going to be so happy, OK,” Trump said Saturday at a rally in Pennsylvania for GOP Senate candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz and candidate for governor Doug. Mastriano. “We’ll get it back and you’ll hear it very soon. Very, very, very soon.” Trump, who has never conceded defeat to President Joe Biden in 2020, considered announcing his next presidential bid at that rally, but chose not to draw attention away from Oz and Mastriano’s campaigns, a source said. source to NBC News on Sunday. Trump at that rally also took a shot at Florida Gov. Ron DeSandis, widely seen as having presidential aspirations, calling him “Ron DeSantimonio.” Meanwhile, GOP Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas has reportedly decided not to run for president in the next cycle. And Biden has privately told allies he plans to run again, news outlets reported. — Kevin Breuninger
Use this guide to watch the top Senate races on Election Day
Tuesday’s midterm elections will determine which party takes control of the Senate, assuming the power to lead investigative committees, push major legislation and potentially approve — or block — President Joe Biden’s judicial nominees. Candidates in a handful of must-win Senate races appear to be deadlocked at the polls, and Republicans need to pick up just one seat to win a majority. Use CNBC’s guide to the top Senate races to follow and learn important facts about each candidate. — Kevin Breuninger
2022 election spending is expected to exceed $16.7 billion
A neon voting sign is displayed on a truck during a midterm election campaign by…
title: “2022 Midterm Election Day Coverage " ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-08” author: “Eric Dorsey”
Tom Williams | CQ-Roll Call, Inc. | Getty Images Sen. Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican who is not running for re-election this year, was stuck with a beer can while participating in a World Series victory parade for the Houston Astros, police said. A purported video of the incident shows Cruz, standing in the truck bed of a military vehicle, raising his arm and trying to get out of the way as a box sails toward him from the screen. The box is seen bouncing off the senator’s body, so another man in the truck is seen pointing law enforcement in the direction the box was thrown from. Before the incident, videos showed Cruz being booed loudly by crowds lining the road for the Astros’ victory parade — an echo of weeks earlier when Cruz was booed and booed by baseball fans at Yankee Stadium. Houston police announced Monday afternoon that they arrested a 33-year-old man who “threw a beer can at U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz while the senator was on a float in the 2400 block of Smith St.” “Beer hit the senator in the chest/neck area. The senator did not require medical attention,” police said on Twitter. The alleged can thrower was taken to jail and charged with assault, according to the department’s tweets. — Kevin Breuninger
Oregon votes on stricter gun laws, only national ballot measure to address gun violence
Oregon voters will decide Tuesday whether to pass stricter gun laws — the only national ballot measure that addresses gun violence. The gun control initiative, which critics say is the nation’s “most extreme,” requires people to get permits and complete safety training to own a firearm. It also bans high-capacity magazines and calls on state police to create and maintain a searchable database of gun ownership. Advocates, including survivors of shootings in the state and across the country, say Oregon’s Measure 114 is essential to reducing gun injuries and deaths. Read more from NBC News. — NBC News
Nancy Pelosi reveals how she found out about her husband’s brutal attack
U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) holds her weekly news conference with reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington, July 14, 2022. Elizabeth Frantz | Reuters House Speaker Nancy Pelosi learned her husband Paul Pelosi had been brutally attacked last week when Capitol Police officers knocked on her door at 5 a.m., she revealed in a new interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper. “I look up, I see it’s 5, it must be in the wrong apartment,” Pelosi recalled thinking. But the banging continued, “bang, bang, bang, bang, bang on the door,” he said. “So I run to the door and I’m really scared. I see the Capitol Police and they say, ‘We have to come in to talk to you,’” Pelosi recounted. “And I think about my children, my grandchildren. I never thought it would be Paul because, you know, I knew he wouldn’t be outside, let’s say. And so they came in. At the time, we didn’t even know where he was,” he said. Paul Pelosi was attacked on October 28 by a hammer-wielding intruder who broke into the couple’s San Francisco home. Police arrived at 2:31 am. and Paul Pelosi was taken to a hospital and underwent emergency surgery to repair a fractured skull. US Capitol Police first learned of the attack when they noticed squad cars and sirens live streaming Pelosi’s home on screens at her Washington headquarters. — Christina Wilkie
Some of New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s top donors are privately sounding the alarm over GOP candidate Lee Zeldin’s surge
New York Governor Kathy Hochul speaks during a New York Women’s Get Out The Vote rally ahead of the 2022 U.S. midterm elections in Manhattan, New York, November 3, 2022. Andrew Kelly | Reuters Some of New York Gov. Kathy Hochsul’s top donors are privately panicking over the recent surge of Republican rival Rep. Lee Zeldin in the polls ahead of Tuesday’s midterms, according to people familiar with the matter. The Republican, who was endorsed by former President Donald Trump, trails Hochul by only single digits in some recent polls — prompting the governor’s corporate backers to push her to change tack, according to these people. In early October, Hotchul led Zeldin by an average of 14 percentage points, according to data from FiveThirtyEight, which aggregates data from various polls. RealClearPolitics, which reviewed several polls taken in the second half of October, showed Zeldin closing in on Hochul, who was up an average of 6 percentage points. A Quinnipiac poll from mid-October showed an even narrower lead for Hochul, who was ahead of Zeldin by just 4 percentage points at the time. Business leaders encouraged Hochul in private meetings, including one with top real estate executives in late October in New York, to move away from focusing on the implications of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and other social issues. Instead, she was advised to show how she would fight inflation and the city’s recent rise in crime, people familiar with the discussions said. — Brian Schwartz
Pelosi says her decision on whether to retire from Congress will be influenced by attack on husband
U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., speaks during the weekly press briefing on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on April 29, 2022. Brendan Smialowski | AFP | Getty Images House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the brutal home invasion and attack on her husband Paul Pelosi by a conspiracy theorist will influence her decision on whether to retire. The formidable California Democrat has led the Democratic Party in the House for nearly 20 years. But with Republicans expected to win a majority of seats on Tuesday, there was widespread speculation even before the attack that Pelosi, 82, would decide to retire before handing the gavel to current Republican Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy . In her first major interview since the Oct. 28 attack, Pelosi did not confirm whether she has made a decision about her possible retirement. However, she told CNN’s Anderson Cooper that “her decision will be influenced by what has happened in the last week or two.” “Will the attack affect your decision in any way?” Cooper asked. “Yes,” Pelosi replied. “I will?” Cooper repeated. “Yes,” Pelosi repeated. —Christina Wilkie
DOJ announces it will monitor polls in 24 states during midterm elections
The Justice Department announced it will monitor polls across the country to ensure compliance with federal voting rights laws — just one day before midterm elections that could redefine the majority party in Congress. The department’s Civil Rights Division selected 64 jurisdictions in 24 states, including Alaska, Florida, Georgia and Nevada, to oversee both general elections and early voting. The department regularly monitored elections in the field, beginning with the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Staff from the US Attorneys’ Offices and the Office of Personnel Management will assist the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division in monitoring efforts and maintaining contact with state and local election officials. Poll monitoring is part of the department’s mission to protect civil suffrage under the Voting Rights Act, the Uniformed and Absentee Voting Act, the National Voter Registration Act, the Assistance Voting Act of America, civil rights laws and the Americans with Disabilities Act, according to the DOJ. — Chelsea Cox
“No specific credible threat” against Americans on Election Day, White House says
Americans should not worry about their security on Election Day, and the Biden administration has not been made aware of “specific credible threats,” White House press secretary Karin Jean-Pierre said. “Law enforcement has informed us that there are no specific credible threats at this point,” Jean-Pierre said during the White House press conference. “Americans should feel safe going to the polls. It’s important for Americans to do so.” President Joe Biden has repeatedly condemned threats of political violence ahead of the midterm elections and after the attack on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband, Paul Pelosi. “It remains important for the president to state strongly and unequivocally that violence has no place in our democracy,” Jean-Pierre said, adding that Biden believes leaders of both parties have a duty to communicate that. — Emma Kinery
Hundreds of unmailed Georgia absentee ballots spark lawsuit, probe
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger arrives to testify before the House Select Committee to investigate the January 6 attack on the US Capitol at the Cannon House office building on June 21, 2022 in Washington, DC. Mandel Ngan | AFP | Getty Images Georgia’s top elections official has opened an investigation into Cobb County’s failure to mail absentee ballots to hundreds of voters who requested them. The investigation by Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger’s office came a day after civil rights groups on behalf of four voters filed a lawsuit asking a judge to issue orders to ensure that all absentee ballots are counted. The head of the Cobb County Board of Elections and Registration said human error was to blame for the situation. All of Georgia’s congressional districts, one of the state’s U.S. Senate seats and its governor’s office are up for grabs on Election Day. In the Senate race, incumbent Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock is in a statistically dead battle with GOP challenger Herschel Walker, the former college star and pro football player. —Dan Manganese
Scenes from the last days of the midterm elections
Americans headed to the polls early across the country in…
