Midterm elections roundup: Down to the wire in Michigan

Former President Donald Trump’s last-minute endorsement of conservative commentator Tudor Dixon has shaken up the GOP primary for governor in Michigan, with Michigan voters heading to the polls on Tuesday. Trump is planning to hold a tele-rally for Dixon Monday night, according to the Detroit News.

Dixon has had a slight lead in recent polling in the race, and she is also backed by the wealthy DeVos family. (As a reminder, Trump’s former education secretary, Betsy DeVos, resigned after the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.)

But Dixon’s rise in the GOP primary once seemed improbable, NBC News’ Allan Smith and Henry Gomez report from Taylor, Mich. Dixon was able to take advantage of chaos in the primary after two top contenders were blocked from the ballot due to fraudulent signatures on their petitions. And a super PAC funded by the DeVos family helped elevate her candidacy. 

The key question for Dixon is: Can she win in November?

Elsewhere on the campaign trail…

Arizona Senate: Republicans Blake Masters and Jim Lamon, two top candidates in Tuesday’s Senate primary, recently told NBC News’ Vaughn Hillyard that they would have objected to the certification of Electoral College votes in 2020 if they were in the Senate.

Pennsylvania Senate: The Senate GOP’s campaign arm is privately raising concerns about Mehmet Oz’s campaign, Politico reports (although an NRSC spokesman said after the report published that “any implication that we don’t have full confidence in the Oz campaign and our chances of winning PA is false”).

Missouri Senate: The Missouri Senate GOP primary is testing whether disgraced former Gov. Eric Greitens can make a comeback, CNN reports.

North Carolina Senate: The Democratic Party engaged in “bareknuckle efforts” to remove a Green Party candidate from the ballot in North Carolina’s Senate race, the Associated Press reports.

Wisconsin Senate: State Treasurer Sarah Godlewski dropped out of the Democratic Senate primary on Friday, effectively clearing the field for Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes. That allows Barnes to focus on defeating GOP Sen. Ron Johnson, starting with a new ad released Sunday criticizing the senator as “out of touch.” 

California’s 47th District: NBC News’ Sahil Kapur reports on the Republican trying to unseat Rep. Katie Porter in this Orange County swing district.

Kansas’ 3rd District: Democratic Rep. Sharice Davids is highlighting Republicans’ opposition to abortion rights in Kansas as a strategy to retain her vulnerable seat in November’s midterm election, the AP reports.

Michigan’s 11th District/Michigan’s 12th District: Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., headed to Michigan over the weekend to rally for Reps. Andy Levin and Rashida Tlaib, two Democrats running facing primary challengers on Tuesday.