Election Week Roundup: Big Races, Controversies, and a Pop Star's Surprise

Just days before important midterm elections, several big stories shook the political world across the United States. A government agency sent a surprise email praising President Trump. A famous pop star showed up to support a Democratic candidate in Ohio. Fighting also broke out between Democrats in Michigan at a very bad time. All of this happened as millions of Americans were getting ready to vote on Tuesday.

The head of the Social Security Administration, Commissioner Frank J. Bisignano, sent an email to people who have online Social Security accounts. In the email, he praised President Donald Trump and said the agency was becoming a 'model of excellence.' The emails went out on Friday and Saturday, just days before Tuesday's elections. Many people who got the email were upset and said it felt like political advertising, not a message from a government office.

The Social Security Administration did not answer questions about why it sent the email or whether it was timed with the election. The agency also did not say how many people received the message. More than 100 million Americans have online accounts with the agency, so the email likely reached a very large number of people.

In Iowa, Democratic Senate candidate Josh Turek ran a campaign ad that upset many in his own party. The ad said he does not support 'males competing in female sports' and is 'against taxpayers paying for sex changes.' A Democratic county leader named Kathy Winter said she could not vote for Turek because of his views. She said she could not support someone who promised to make life harder for transgender Iowans.

Turek's race against Republican Rep. Ashley Hinson for a Senate seat is very close. Republicans had already spent millions attacking Turek on transgender issues before he ran the ad. Turek said he ran it to 'set the record straight.' While some Democrats defended him, LGBTQ+ groups and some party leaders spoke out against the ad.

The social media platform X temporarily shut down an account linked to Senator Dan Sullivan of Alaska. The platform said the account broke rules against fake profiles. Sullivan's campaign said the account belongs to the real senator, and it was restored by Saturday afternoon. Sullivan is in a tough race against Democrat Mary Peltola.

Things got more complicated in Alaska because a retired teacher also named Dan J. Sullivan is on the ballot as an independent. The New York Times reported that Peltola's campaign may have helped recruit the retired teacher to confuse voters. Both the retired teacher and Peltola's campaign denied this claim. Republicans said they are investigating the matter.

In Spartanburg, South Carolina, a plan for a huge $2.8 billion data center upset many local residents. Construction began before many people in the community even knew about it. Tom Corbit, a retired data center manager, said people should have more of a voice in these decisions. Democratic candidate Annie Andrews has called for a two-year pause on new data center construction in the state.

Republican Senator Darline Graham says data centers help the United States compete with China. A new political action committee connected to data center companies spent nearly $1.5 million on ads supporting Graham. For voters like Corbit, that support from big companies is a reason to vote for Andrews instead. The race between Graham and Andrews is described as very tight.

Pop star Olivia Rodrigo used two concert stops in Columbus, Ohio, to support Amy Acton, the Democratic candidate for governor. During a Friday show, Rodrigo gave Acton a bouquet of flowers in front of the crowd. On Thursday, she wore an 'Amy Acton for Governor' T-shirt during her encore. Rodrigo, a three-time Grammy winner, has been a strong supporter of women's health issues and raised $20 million for related causes through a music festival.

A Florida sheriff's office is investigating after swastikas were found painted on trees near an early-voting site in Orlando. Orange County's election supervisor found the symbols near the Taft Community Center and called police. The swastikas were painted over by Friday, and the voting site stayed open. Officials said hatred has no place in elections.

Just days before Election Day, two Michigan Democrats got into a very public argument. Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic Senate nominee, and Representative Haley Stevens, who lost to him in the primary, clashed over whether they could campaign together. El-Sayed's team asked Stevens to stay away from their events. Other Michigan Democrats were shocked and urged both sides to stop fighting and focus on getting out the vote.