YONKERS, N.Y. (AP) 鈥� President Joe Biden pilloried Republicans up and down ballots across the nation as election deniers who reveled in political violence, while his predecessor, , urged voters to oppose 鈥済rowing left-wing tyranny" on the final Sunday before that could reshape Washington's balance of power.
Wrapping up a five-state, four-day campaign swing with an evening rally at Sarah Lawrence College in Yonkers, New York, Biden championed Democratic Gov. . She's locked in a tight race with Rep. Lee Zeldin, who is looking to become the state's first GOP governor since George Pataki left office in 2006.
The president said hundreds of Republican candidates for state, federal and local office are "election deniers, who say that I did not win the election, even though hundreds of attempts to challenge that have all failed, even in Republican courts.鈥�
Biden said that for the deniers, 鈥淭here are only two outcomes for any election: either they win or they were cheated.鈥�
Biden said Republicans were willing to condone last year's and that, after the recent attack on , husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, some in that party made 鈥渓ight of it鈥� or were 鈥渕aking excuses.鈥�
鈥淭here's never been a time in my career where we've glorified violence based on a political preference," the president said.
More than 41 million people have voted early in Tuesday's races, which will decide control of Congress and key governorships 鈥� the first national election since a mob overran the Capitol. Earlier Sunday, as Trump addressed supporters in Miami, a reference to the House speaker prompted chants of 鈥淟ock her up!" 鈥� a stark reminder of just how far apart each side is.
Trump is hoping that a strong GOP showing on Election Day will generate momentum for the that he is expected to launch this month.
鈥淚 will probably have to do it again, but stay tuned,鈥� Trump said, teasing an event he has with Republican Senate candidate in Ohio, JD Vance, for Monday. "We have a big, big rally. Stay tuned for tomorrow night.鈥�
Trump also told the crowd that "every free and loving American needs to understand that the time to stand up to this growing left-wing tyranny is right now,鈥� while calling on his supporters to reject the 鈥渞adical left-wing maniacs鈥� and adding that Hispanics would show up strong for GOP candidates.
Sen. Marco Rubio joined Trump at the rally as he seeks reelection. Not attending the Miami event was Florida's Republican governor, , who is running for reelection against Democrat Charlie Crist and is widely considered Trump鈥檚 most formidable challenger if he also were to get into the White House race.
Instead, DeSantis held his own, separate events Sunday in another part of the state where he stuck to the centerpieces of his reelection campaign, including railing against COVID-19 vaccine mandates and 鈥渨okeness鈥� in schools and other parts of society. The governor's counter political programing avoided antagonizing Trump 鈥� meaning it didn't deliver the dueling 2024 events that could be in his and Trump's near future.
Trump said Sunday that Florida would 鈥渞eelect Ron DeSantis as your governor.鈥� But he was more confrontational during a Pennsylvania rally on Saturday night, referring to Florida's governor as 鈥淩on DeSanctimonious.鈥�
It's a rivalry that's been simmering for more than a year as DeSantis has taken increasingly bold steps to boost his national profile and build a deep fundraising network.
Trump remains the most popular figure in the Republican Party. Still, many of his supporters are eager for the prospect that DeSantis might run, seeing him as a natural successor to Trump, without the former president's considerable political negatives.
For national Democrats, meanwhile, the focus is on the fate of their narrow control of the House and Senate, which could evaporate after Tuesday.
New York Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, head of the Democrats鈥� House campaign arm, is in a tough contest for his seat. But he insisted Sunday that Democrats are 鈥済oing to do better than people think on Tuesday,鈥� adding that his party is 鈥渘ot perfect鈥� but 鈥渨e are responsible adults who believe in this democracy.鈥�
鈥淚 think this race is razor-close and I think everybody who cares about the extremism in this 鈥楳AGA鈥� movement 鈥� the racism, the antisemitism, the violence 鈥� needs to get out and vote and that鈥檚 not just Democrats, it鈥檚 independents and fair-minded Republicans,鈥� Maloney told NBC鈥檚 鈥淢eet the Press,鈥� referring to former President Donald Trump鈥檚 鈥淢ake America Great Again鈥� slogan.
Voters may rebuke the party controlling the White House and Congress amid surging , and . History suggests the party in power will suffer significant losses in the midterms.
On a weekend that also featured Democratic rallies by former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, first lady Jill Biden attended church services while campaigning in Houston on Sunday. Like her husband and his presidential predecessors, she argued that democracy itself was on the ballot.
"So much is at stake in this election," she said. "We must speak up on justice and democracy.鈥�
Traveling in Chicago Vice President Kamala Harris struck a similar tone, saying, 鈥淭hese attacks on our democracy will not only directly impact the people around our country, but arguably around the world.鈥�
Trump he lost the 2020 election only because Democrats cheated and has even begun raising the possibility of this year. Federal intelligence agencies are warning of the from far-right extremists.
Ronna McDaniel, the Republican National Committee chairwoman, said Democrats were 鈥渋nflation deniers,鈥� trying to deflect the other side's branding of her party as anti-democracy for simply because Trump lost it.
鈥淚f we win back the House and the Senate, it鈥檚 the American people saying to Joe Biden, we want you to work on behalf of us and we want you to work across the aisle to solve the problems that we are dealing with," McDaniel told CNN's 鈥淪tate of the Union."
Lee Saunders, president of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, the nation鈥檚 largest union of public employees, has been traveling the country rallying for Democrats. He said, 鈥淚t鈥檚 going to be hard, it鈥檚 going to be tough, but we aren鈥檛 giving up hope."
鈥淐learly people are concerned about the economy," Saunders said. But he added that voters also are 鈥渃oncerned about the freedoms being taken away from them, whether you鈥檙e talking about voting rights or whether your talking about a women鈥檚 right to choose.鈥�
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Weissert reported from Washington. Gomez Lincon reported from Miami. Associated Press writers Jill Colvin and Hope Yen in Washington contributed to this report.
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Learn more about the issues and factors at play in the midterms at . And follow the AP鈥檚 election coverage of the 2022 elections at .
Will Weissert, Adriana Gomez Licon And Aamer Madhani, The Associated Press
