| ➔ CAMPAIGN ISSUES: A majority of Americans say the country is on the wrong track, even as economic growth and unemployment set upbeat records. In rally after rally, the president urged his supporters to stay the course, including on immigration policies, GOP tax cuts and conservative judicial appointees. But Democratic candidates made Trump an issue while arguing that Americans can’t afford GOP health insurance proposals and that middle-class wages remain too low. NBC News: Health care, Trump and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) have been among the top 2018 campaign themes. “If the Republicans want to spend $100 million criticizing me, demonizing me, I must be pretty important,” Pelosi told The New York Times. From coast to coast, voters have been sifting through candidates’ competing policy visions and promises, with Trump serving as a kind of daily high and low tide. Republican Senate candidates in Indiana, Missouri, Montana and North Dakota have seen their fortunes rise in the last few weeks as Trump talked up his tough-on-the-border immigration proposals (The Hill). Democratic candidates in red states, on the other hand, have been feeling intense political pressure for months. They have tried to persuade voters they would work across the aisle on border security, while steering clear of Trump’s recent vow to end birthright citizenship with the stroke of his pen (The Hill).
Obama, working to gin up Democratic turnout in primarily blue and purple states, left some candidates in his party with little wiggle room while denouncing Trump’s border politics as a “stunt.” Obama adopted a decidedly activist posture in the final weeks of the midterms, especially when compared with other recent ex-presidents. (The Hill).
Trump ordered thousands of armed troops to the border, pledged to bar entry to migrants who claim refugee status under U.S. law, and described Central Americans as largely without merit to cross the U.S. border, no matter what the circumstances.
“I noticed all that beautiful barbed wire going up today. ... Barbed wire, used properly, can be a beautiful sight." — Trump at a weekend rally in Montana Caravans of thousands of Central Americans who are increasingly exhausted and frustrated have splintered apart, still nearly 1,000 miles away from the United States (The Associated Press). As of this morning, a large group of the trekkers plan to push on toward Mexico’s capital (The Associated Press).
Trump told voters he would seal ports of U.S. entry and end birthright citizenship by executive action following Tuesday’s elections. However, the intensity of legal and congressional debate suggest the president’s follow-through on his rhetoric depends on what happens after ballots are counted. Forbes: How immigration policy might decide the election. 
© Getty Images Health care animated voters of all stripes and in every region of the country during this cycle. Policy decisions made by the Trump administration undercut the efforts of vulnerable Republican candidates to show their support for Americans with pre-existing conditions (that includes 102 million people) (The Hill). Medicaid expansion is on the ballot in four states on Tuesday, and voters in three states will decide whether to curb access to abortion (The Hill). The go-go economy and last year’s GOP tax cuts did not quite cut the way Republican candidates hoped this fall. Why? There were a lot of economic crosscurrents, including flat-lined wages, a jittery stock market, tariffs that increased domestic prices for goods, and nervousness about the next recession. The Associated Press: A vibrant economy complicates voting decisions. The Hill: The political sway of a robust economy was drowned out by Trump’s midterm messages. The Hill: The tech sector, a powerful force in the U.S. economy and in the financial markets, could be greatly impacted by the results of the midterm elections. The three issues to watch: Internet privacy, net neutrality and oversight of the Federal Communications Commission. The Hill: Trump’s international and national security policies, including the administration’s stance on Saudi Arabia’s war in Yemen, will inevitably change if Democrats gain a majority in the House. *** ➔ ELECTION NIGHT & LOOKING AHEAD: With a remote control in hand or computers and smartphones powered up, here’s how to keep pace with returns on Tuesday night. And, by the way, the suspense may not end when polling stations close. The Hill: An hour-by-hour viewers’ guide for election night. NBC News: Three early races to watch on Tuesday night. The Washington Post: We may not know the winners on Tuesday. ***
Congress after the midterms: Once the state-by-state results are clear, the analyses, predictions and strategies for the remainder of 2018 and into next year come into focus. The chattering class will wield fresh takes on House and Senate leadership races and committee chairs, trade, foreign policy and Wall Street, and presidential candidates in 2020. Buckle up! The Associated Press: Progress? Gridlock? How the midterms will affect the U.S. economy. The Los Angeles Times: Midterm elections unlikely to end gridlock in Washington, analysts say. Vox: If Democrats win the House, Trump’s foreign policy may be in trouble. ABC News analysis, Rick Klein: Midterm results may confuse as much as they clarify. Reuters: Financial industry lobbyists believe they can work with Democrats if the party gains the House majority next year. *** 2020 presidential primaries begin: McClatchy: Presidential hopefuls send cash to critical 2020 states. The Washington Post: Here’s how suburban voters could alter the House on Tuesday — and the White House in 2020. GOP’s Ed Gillespie: “I do not know” if Trump will see a GOP primary challenger, he tells the Harvard Political Review in an interesting interview. “It is a little early. If you are a Republican right now, you are focused on getting through these midterms and trying to hold on to the House, Senate and governorships. That is where the focus is.” | 
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