Republicans are looking to make big gains in Tuesday's midterm elections and are pleading with their supporters over the final weekend of the 2022 campaign to punish Democrats for soaring inflation and crime that has surged in some places.
On the other hand, US President Joe Biden and two of his Democratic predecessors warn that the prospect of a Republican victory could undermine the future of American democracy.
More than 39 million people have already voted in an election that will decide control of Congress and governorships in 36 states.
Biden is leading an election campaign in the suburbs of New York, Sunday, after former presidents, Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, gave speeches to voters, Saturday.
Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, chair of the House Democrats' campaign arm, is in a fierce competition for his seat north of New York City. But he insisted on Sunday that Democrats "will do a better job than people think Tuesday," adding that his party was "not perfect", but "responsible adults who believe in this democracy."
"This race is very close, and I think everyone who cares about extremism in MAGA - racism, anti-Semitism, violence - needs to get out and vote, and that includes not just Democrats, but independents and fair-minded Republicans," Maloney said in a TV interview.
The MAGA slogan is a reference to Trump's "Make America Great Again" slogan.
Senator Rick Scott, who heads the Republican campaign arm in the Senate, responded, "We've got great candidates and people are coming up to vote."
He added that "there is no energy on the Democratic side, this election is about Biden's agenda," according to the Associated Press.
Trump
Former President Donald Trump, who is planning a rally in Miami later Sunday, hopes the Republican Party's strong performance on Election Day will generate momentum for the 2024 elections, which he is expected to launch in the days or weeks after polls close.
However, Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, who is running for re-election against Democrat Charlie Crist, was not invited to the Trump rally, where he is widely considered to be Trump's strongest challenger if he also enters the White House race.
In Pennsylvania on Saturday night, Trump said he hoped the Republican Party would achieve a "historic victory" in the midterm elections.
Ironically, Trump referred to the governor as "Ron Desanctmonios."
The rivalry between the two has been simmering for more than a year as DeSantis has taken increasingly bold steps to bolster his national standing and build a deep fundraising network.
DeSantis, who became a national celebrity among conservatives during the pandemic when he eased COVID-19 restrictions, is rivaling Trump, who by most measures remains the most popular figure in the Republican Party.
But many Trump supporters are eager for the prospect of DeSantis' candidacy, and see him as a successor to Trump.
When Joe O'Dea, the Republican candidate for the Colorado Senate, said he would prefer someone other than Trump as the 2024 nominee, citing DeSantis and others, Trump blasted O'Dea on social media saying "MAGA don't vote for stupid people with big mouths."
Democrats
For the National Democrats, the focus is on the fate of their current control of the House and Senate.
And voters may punish the party that controls the White House and Congress amid rising inflation, fears about crime and pessimism about the country's direction.
Historically, the ruling party has suffered major losses in midterm elections.
First Lady Jill Biden attended a church service while campaigning for Democrats in Houston.
"There is a lot at stake in this election," Biden said Sunday, adding that we must talk about justice and democracy.
Federal intelligence agencies warn of the potential for political violence by far-right extremists.
President Biden's midterm plan focuses on defending his administration's key legislative achievements, while warning that abortion rights, voting rights, Social Security and Medicare are at risk if Republicans take control of Congress.
Obama, who joined Biden in Philadelphia on Saturday, noted that generations of Americans have died for democracy, and said, "You can't take that for granted."
"We have to reaffirm the values we have known for so long," Biden himself said.
At a rally in New York for Gov. Cathy Hutchul, who is in a heated battle in her bid for a full first term, former President Bill Clinton said the Democrats' loss of control of the House and Senate would have "serious consequences."
Republican National Committee Chair Rona McDaniel said Democrats are "inflation deniers", trying to distract from the other side's labeling of her party as anti-democratic for rejecting the results of the 2020 presidential election simply because Trump lost it.
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