Tonight, Democrats are pulling out all the stops in the critical battleground state of Pennsylvania.

In a rare sight on the campaign trail, President Joe Biden is joined on stage by former President Barack Obama in an attempt to pump up voter enthusiasm ahead of Tuesday's election day.

They are appearing alongside Pennsylvania attorney general Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, who is running against Republican Doug Mastriano to become governor. Also on stage is the state's current lieutenant governor Democrat John Fetterman, who is campaigning against former surgeon and TV personality Mehmet Oz for a seat in the senate.

The winner here could determine who controls Congress.

Image source, Getty Images

Holly Honderich
Reporting from Kentucky

I’ve spent the day in Louisville, Kentucky, with a group of pro-choice campaigners who are hoping to block an amendment to the state constitution, called Amendment Two. Voters here are being balloted on whether the state constitution should be changed to say “nothing” inside it can be used to protect a right to abortion.

“The word you need to zoom in on is ‘nothing,’” said Beth Kuhn, a volunteer for Protect Kentucky Access, to a hesitant-looking voter. “It’s just too extreme.”

All morning, Kuhn wove up and down residential streets, knocking on doors and imploring people to vote, and vote “No”.

Many were receptive, quick to share stories of their own abortions or miscarriages.

Others, like one Catholic woman who spoke to Kuhn, whispered that she would be voting against Amendment Two, but would be keeping it a secret.

“She didn’t want her church to know,” Kuhn said.

Kentucky already has some of the strictest abortion laws in the country - the procedure is prohibited in all cases, even for rape or incest. If the amendemnt fails, pro-choice campaigners will have a better shot of fighting the abortion ban in court.

Tomorrow, I’ll do the same with anti-abortion volunteers, following them as they work to shore up support for the amendment.

Image source, .

We've got just three days until the crucial midterm elections in the US - but what are people voting for?

The midterm elections decide the make-up of the US Congress, which has two parts: the House of Representatives and the Senate.

These votes are held every two years and, when they fall in the middle of the president's four-year term of office, they are called the midterms.

There are 100 senators - two for each state - who sit for six-year terms. The House of Representatives is much larger, with 435 members representing smaller US districts. They sit for two-year terms. All House seats and one-third of Senate seats are up for grabs.

The elections are important because Congress has the power to pass or block laws in the US.

Here’s a useful breakdown of who controls which part of Congress now, and what’s at stake in this election.

The midterms will also feature governor races - called gubernatorial elections - in a majority of states. Governors, who function as the head of government in their state, serve four-year terms in most states, with the exception of New Hampshire and Vermont, where they serve two-year terms.

In some states, voters will answer special questions on key issues - called ballot initiatives. These differ from state to state. For example, abortion-related questions will be on the ballot in five states this year, and five others will be voting on legalising marijuana. Other ballot initiatives touch on voting access, climate initiatives, and even sports-betting.

Image source, Getty Images

The White House says President Joe Biden did not mean to offend workers in the coal industry after he called for coal plants across the US to be shuttered.

At an event in California on Friday, Biden said: "We’re going to be shutting these plants down all across America and having wind and solar also providing tax credit to help families buy energy-efficient appliances."

The statement drew sharp criticism from fellow Democrat and West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin, who said Biden's remarks were "outrageous and divorced from reality."

“Comments like these are the reason the American people are losing trust in President Biden," Manchin said.

In a statement on Saturday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Biden's remarks "have been twisted, external to suggest a meaning that was not intended".

“President Biden knows that the men and women of coal country built this nation: they powered its steel mills and factories, kept its homes and schools and offices warm,” Jean-Pierre said.

"He regrets it if anyone hearing these remarks took offense."

Kayla Epstein
Reporting from Atlanta, Georgia

Doors just opened at Georgia Democrat gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams’ rally in Georgia. It’s being held in a trendy Atlanta concert venue and, fittingly, they’ve got a DJ on stage entertaining supporters.

The track list so far: Work by Rihanna, and Megan Thee Stallion’s Hot Girl Summer.

I spoke with some voters, who shared their reasons for supporting Abrams.

Simone Smith, 38, said she believes Abrams is the best candidate to handle issues like affordable housing, inequality, and women’s rights.

“There’s gotta be a leveled field,” Smith said. “We gotta show up for the working class.”

Meanwhile, abortion access was a top issue for Kaitlyn Powers, 32, and Tyler Hill, 34.

Georgia currently bans abortion after six weeks of pregnancy. That’s before many women would know they’re pregnant.

“It’s scary as a woman, and there’s a lot of people who are impacted,” Powers said. Hill added that abortion “affects everyone, even men.”

Image source, Reuters

Biden has officially landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he will shortly join former president Barack Obama at a rally in support for gubernatorial candidate Josh Shapiro. He will be speaking at 17:00 ET (21:00 GMT).

Meanwhile, supporters of Donald Trump await his arrival at a rally scheduled later in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. Trump will be there in support of Republican senatorial candidate Mehmet Oz, and is expected to speak at 19:00 ET.

Image source, EPA

Anthony Zurcher
BBC North America correspondent

The 2022 midterms will be the first federal elections since the 6 January attack on the US Capitol, when Trump supporters tried to stop Joe Biden's election victory from being certified.

Far from being chastened by the riot, Trump has continued to question the results of that election and has actively supported Republican candidates who say a Trump win was stolen from them.

Many of these candidates, like secretary of state nominees Mark Finchem in Arizona and Jim Marchant in Nevada and governor candidate Doug Mastriano in Pennsylvania, are running for offices where they will have at least some control over their state's electoral systems heading into the 2024 presidential contest.

These politicians, if elected, could refuse to certify their state's election results in a close election.

They could also join lawsuits against localities based on allegations of electoral corruption, or enact new rules and regulations curtailing certain methods of voting, such as by mail or through ballot drop boxes.

In 2020, under pressure from Trump to reverse some of the results, Republican officeholders in multiple states refused to bow to his demands.

Two years from now, if a similarly contested election takes place, the outcome of these kinds of challenges could be quite different.

Read more: The conspiracy theorists running to control 2024 vote

Image source, Getty Images

The outcome of the midterms will influence the playing field for the 2024 presidential campaign, and especially the odds of Donald Trump running again - something he has repeatedly hinted at doing.

Trump maintains the 2020 election, which he lost to Joe Biden, was stolen - despite offering no credible evidence of this.

Dozens of Trump's chosen candidates are running in high-profile races across the US. Many of them have raised doubts about the validity or integrity of the 2020 vote, and some have not pledged to accept the midterm results.

Out of 595 Republicans running for state-wide office, just over half - 306 - have raised doubts about the 2020 presidential election or repeated claims that it was stolen, according to statistics from the BBC's US partner, CBS. Here's a breakdown of the numbers:

• 20 of 37 candidates for governor
• 9 of 31 candidates for lieutenant governor
• 9 of 30 candidates for attorney general
• 12 of 27 candidates for secretary of state
• 18 of 25 candidates for the US Senate
• 238 of 436 candidates for the US House of Representatives

A win for those candidates, especially those vying for secretary of state, would mean that state-level certifications of the 2024 presidential election could be in the hands of officials who have denied or raised doubts about Biden's win.

Notably, only two states - Rhode Island and North Dakota - do not have election deniers running for office.

Katty Kay
US Special correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

The date was 15 January 2022 and Donald Trump was still sore about the election of 2020. “I love Arizona,” he declared. “We had a tremendous victory in Arizona that was taken away.”

Trump chose Arizona as the site of his first rally of this midterm election year and the candidates he endorsed there are now some of the most watched of this cycle.

This summer I spent time with Kari Lake, the Republican candidate for Governor, and Mark Finchem, the Republican candidate for Secretary of State.

They are backed by Trump and could both have a big impact on the way future votes are held and counted in the state.

Both swear the 2020 election was stolen (although there is no evidence that it was). Indeed, Mark Finchem told me he did not think a Democrat could ever win in Arizona.

If these two candidates win on 8 November, will that increase the chance that Donald Trump decides to run for Presidency in 2024? It’s one of the issues we’ll be exploring on election night.

Image source, .

Image source, Getty Images

Our correspondents are also in Georgia today, where they will be speaking to voters and attending rallies in the key US state.

But what makes the race in Georgia so important?

Like Pennsylvania, Georgia also features a close Senate race that could determine who holds power in the upper chamber of the US Congress.

Republican and former NFL star Herschel Walker, who has no prior political experience and has been endorsed by Donald Trump, is running for senator in Georgia against the incumbent Democrat Raphael Warnock, a pastor who became the state's first-ever black senator in 2021.

Walker is running on a platform to curb inflation and reduce crime. He also voiced support for banning abortion - a controversial stance after it was revealed that Walker paid for an ex-girlfriend's abortion in 2009.

Warnock, on the other hand, secured his victory just weeks after Trump lost Georgia in 2020. He has described himself as a "pro-choice pastor" and has been endorsed by Planned Parenthood.

The race between Walker and Warnock is incredibly close, with both tied in the polls as of Friday.

Georgia's race for governor will also be an interesting one to watch. Republican Governor Brian Kemp, a staunch conservative, is defending his seat against voting rights advocate Stacey Abrams.

The two faced off before in 2018 - Kemp narrowly defeated Abrams with 50.2% of the vote, while she received 48.8%.

Both Kemp and Abrams will be busy on the campaign trail today. Kemp will be at a breakfast event with supports, while Abrams has a rally scheduled for 15:00 EST (19:00 GMT).

Midterm elections are to be held next Tuesday and this Saturday is busy with three former presidents - as well as the incumbent - out and about campaigning.

It is an acknowledment that a lot is at stake - particularly for President Joe Biden's Democrats who stand to lose their majority in both houses of Congress if pre-vote polling predictions turn out to be true.

No wonder the Democrats have pressed into service Barack Obama and Bill Clinton - two presidents who remain popular with the support base of their party.

• President Biden began the day in Illinois where he took Republicans to task over social security and medicare - the programme of medical help mainly for the elderly. “Who in the hell do they think they are?” he asked
• Biden is due to be joined by Obama at the Get Out the Vote rally in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to generate support for gubernatorial candidate Josh Shapiro, and senatorial candidate John Fetterman. Biden is expected to speak at about 17:00 ET (21:00 GMT)
• Trump is also in Pennsylvania today hosting a rally in support of Republican senatorial candidate Mehmet Oz at 19:00 ET (23:00 GMT) in the city of Latrobe
• Earlier Bill Clinton joined his former speechwriter Josh Gottheimer in Bergen County, New Jersey. Gottheimer is running for re-election in the House of Representatives
• And First Lady Jill Biden has been in Arizona attending an Education Association campaign rally to support the re-election of Democrat Senator Mark Kelly

Image source, EPA

Image source, Getty Images

Ahead of Tuesday's midterm elections, former US President Barack Obama has become a familiar face on the campaign trail.

So far, Obama has held rallies in Georgia, Wisconsin, Arizona, Michigan and Nevada. Today, he is in Pennsylvania campaigning for Democrat candidates John Fetterman - who is running for senator - and Josh Shapiro - who is running for governor.

Most of these states are key battle grounds in the 8 November election, with results that can determine the future of the Senate, and therefore President Biden's agenda.

Meanwhile, Biden has only visited a few high-stakes states - though he joins the former president tonight at a Get Out the Vote rally in Pennsylvania.

In his remarks this week, Obama has focused his messaging on issues like abortion rights, gun control and the rise of politically-motivated violence in the US. He also accused Republicans of stirring up division for their own advantage.

Obama seen as more likely to attract votes than Bidenpublished at 17:05 Greenwich Mean Time 5 November 2022

17:05 GMT 5 November 2022

Sarah Smith
North America Editor

What is the collective noun for presidents? A posse? A phalanx? Succession? We don’t know because it’s highly unusual to have three in the same state on the same day.

I’ve now flown from Georgia to Pennsylvania - where Presidents Obama, Trump and Biden are all holding rallies.

For Joe Biden, these elections are crucial because, without a Democratic majority in Congress, he won’t be able to get almost any legislation passed - leaving him looking like a lame duck for the next two years. Disquiet within his party about whether he should be their candidate for president in 2024 will get louder the worse the results are for Democrats on Tuesday.

President Obama has been crisscrossing the US, holding rallies in key states, as he is seen as much more likely to attract votes than Biden. Not all Democratic candidates want to be seen with a president who has low approval ratings of around 42%.

President Trump has been using his election appearances to drop very heavy hints about his intention to run again in two years'. He may even announce a run as early as mid-November.

To give him momentum, he needs to see good results from the candidates he has publicly supported in order to demonstrate his influence within the Republican Party and - more importantly - his appeal to voters.

Obama laid out the issues that are at stake in this election, pleading with voters to "save democracy".

He touted the Democrats' plan to reduce prices for prescription drugs and pass laws to make housing more affordable.

The former president also touched on the issue of crime.

"The question is, 'who will fight to keep you and your families safe?'" Obama asked. "Is it Republican politicians who want to flood our streets with more guns? Or is it the Democratic leaders who worked with President Biden to pass the first major gun safety legislation in 30 years?"

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Youtube

Speaking about Democrat Senate candidate John Fetterman, Obama says Fetterman is a guy who "talks the talk and walks the walk".

Fetterman, he says, found his calling as a mentor for the non-profit Big Brothers and Big Sisters, and "has been fighting for other people his whole life".

The stroke has not impacted what Fetterman cares about, Obama ays.

"It doesn't change who he will represent when he gets to the US Senate," Obama says.

Obama is now speaking about one of the most contentious issues of this race - abortion.

He says that the Democratic candidate, John Fetterman, will "stand up for women" having the right to make their own decisions.

"Women everywhere should be able to control what happens with their own bodies. It shouldn't be controversial to say that the most personal of healthcare choices should be made by a woman and her doctor and not a bunch of mostly male politicians," Obama adds to loud cheering from the crowd.

Obama also says that that the right to access birth control and same-sex marriage could be at risk after if Republicans win and "re-interpret" what many Americans consider "well-settled constitutional rights".

Image source, Youtube

Former President Barack Obama is speaking to voters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, supporting the Democrat Senate candidate John Fetterman.

He is pleading with the crowd to make sure they vote on election day.

"This election requires every single one of us to do our part," Obama sad. "It is that important."

Obama referenced an "erosion of civility and basic democratic norms," accusing some politicians of stirring division just to take power.

This division, he said, is amplified by social media, where conflict and conspiracies are being promoted.

He mentioned the attack on Paul Pelosi - husband of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi - as an example of a "dangerous climate" in US politics.

"When there's an attack like this, they make light of it, they joke about it," Obama said, appearing to reference some Republican candidates' reaction to the attack.

Sarah Smith
North America editor, reporting from Glynn County, Georgia

President Joe Biden’s warnings that American democracy is under threat have clearly resonated with some voters in Georgia.

“This democracy thing was a nice experiment while it lasted” one man told me.

He said he believes talk of a second civil war is not exaggerated. He told me it has already started. Saying it began when Barack Obama won the presidency. “You can call it a slow Cold War that's heating up,” he said.

“Don’t worry about waiting for it to start - its already here”.

I asked him if he is seriously worried about politics turning violent? He said that people who want to preserve their own interests will do so by force.

“With hammers to the head and hammers to the buildings," he said, references to the attack on Nancy Pelosi's husband and the January 6th riot at the Capitol.

Do you things will get worse I asked?

“Guaranteed” he said.

Anthony Zurcher
BBC North America correspondent

Midterm elections are typically considered a referendum on the first two years of a presidential term - with the party in power often taking a beating.

Biden's approval ratings have been poor for more than a year. While Democratic fortunes appeared to have recovered over the summer, high inflation and concerns about the economy have reasserted themselves in the midterm campaign's final stretch, leaving Democrats with an uphill battle to hold both chambers of Congress.

In his first two years as president, Biden has pushed through new laws on climate change, gun-control, infrastructure investment and child poverty despite his narrow majorities in Congress.

If one of those chambers switches to the Republicans, however, they would have the power to stop Democratic bills from being passed by Congress and the result would be gridlock.

A poor night for Democrats would quickly be interpreted as a sign of Biden's continued political weakness - and could renew calls for Biden to step aside for another Democrat when the 2024 presidential campaign season begins.

The president and his advisers insist he will seek re-election, however, and unseating a sitting president in a primary election - when candidates from the same party compete for the nomination - has happened only once in the modern political era.

Image source, Reuters

The outcome of the closely-watched senate race in Pennsylvania is, at this point, anyone's guess.

Voters will choose between John Fetterman, 53, a Harvard graduate and progressive Democrat, and Mehmet Oz - best known to TV viewers as "Dr Oz" from the Oprah Winfrey Show, who is running for the Republicans.

Polls conducted since late October show a thinning margin between the two candidates - Fetterman once led in the polls, with 47.2% of voters saying they will choose him, versus Oz's 43.6%.

But as of Friday, the gap between them has become incredibly close. Fetterman is polling at 46.8% now, while Oz has jumped to 46.4% - according to an aggregate of recent polls put together by US news outlet FiveThirtyEight., external

Pennsylvania - where the last two presidential elections were each decided by barely 1% - will sure be interesting to watch next Tuesday.

Image source, Reuters