>> have a great day. on this special election day edition of "america this morning," the final countdown. >> there is no stopping us. >> america goes to the polls with control of congress at stake. new numbers overnight on this historic day, the expected turnout, the senate and the governors' races going down to the wire. >> the president campaigning late into the night. >> go out and vote republican. >> his final message and what happens tonight if democrats win the house. this hour we check in with abc news correspondents coast to coast. the races to watch, the questions on the ballot from marijuana to climate change and the so-called pink wave. how women could make history today. also this morning, an olympic bombshell. the major new fallout from the sexual abuse scandal in usa

gymnastics. cold case cracked. the breakthrough in the gruesome murder of a college student 17 years ago. health alert. a new warning about energy drinks, especially if you drink them before you work out. and the single mom enjoying a powerball windfall. just how close she came to losing the ticket. and we do say good morning, everybody, on this election day. you know it's a big deal when you have the correspondents in all 20 boxes there. >> oh, yeah. >> i'm kendis gibson. >> and i'm marci gonzalez. more than 105 million americans are expected to vote in today's midterm elections. that would be the highest turnout for a midterm this century.the white house early t morning after a string of rallies wrapping up his final pitch to voters in missouri.

36 million people have already voted early. that's nearly double the amount from four years ago. this morning a cloud of uncertainty hangs over the capitol where control of congress hangs in the balance. that's where abc's stephanie ramos begins our coverage. good morning, stephanie. >> reporter: hey, marci and kendis, good morning. well, the battle for this midterm has come down to immigration for republicans and health care for democrats. the president really in the end motivating people from both parties to go out and vote. today, president trump spends election day at the white house. he's back from his 44th rally of the 2018 campaign cycle. >> this is my last stop, right? >> reporter: in missouri he laid out the stakes of the election. >> we have to elect a republican weavit. >> reporter: the president on his final push continuing to fuel fear about illegal immigration. >> democrats are inviting caravan after caravan -- isn't

that nice -- of illegal aliens to flood into our country and overwhelm your communities. >> reporter: there is no evidence democrats have anything to do with the caravans of migrants fleeing violence and poverty. the president telling sinclair broadcasting -- >> i would like to have a much softer tone. >> reporter: but denied any suggestion that his inflamed rhetoric about immigration has emboldened racism in the country. former president obama also out on the trail this past week stumping for democrats and taking aim at president trump's lies. >> unlike some people, i don't just make stuff up when i'm talking. i've got facts to back me up. >> reporter: obama speaking to supporters monday in northern virginia, trying to help democrats win control of at least the house. all 435 seats in the house are up for voting and 35 seats in the senate. democrats need 23 seats to take back control of the house, and they also need two seats in the

senate. after 11 rallies in 8 states and weeks of campaigning for republican candidates, the white house says the president will spend today making phone calls, monitoring all of the races across the country and meeting with his political team for realtime updates. marci and kendis, the white house also says the president and first lady have invited their family and friends to the residence to watch those election returns come in. >> all right, stephanie ramos reporting live for us, thanks so much. and from the early voting to the spending on political ads, this midterm election is already one for the history books. >> yes, it is. all right, let's take a closer look now at the key races to watch tonight. in texas overnight the candidates for senator making their final pitches. >> in texas it is in our dna. it is in our character to defend liberty. >> isn't texas a red state? i mean, can a guy from el paso, texas, can we really win this? >> reporter: as ted cruz focused his final night of campaigning

on border security, his challenger beto o'rourke rallied a crowd in his home city of el paso. abc's paula faris is there. >> reporter: the mexican border is about a half mile from where we are right now. congressman o'rourke tells me the city of el paso has been one of the safest cities the last 20 years because it's a city of immigrants and they have a shared interest in the community. >> in arizona two women vying to become the first female senator. the democrat kyrsten sinema and republican martha mcsally both support the president's move to deploy troops to the border. >> having support from our military men and women makes sense in arizona. >> on border security i am working closely with president trump. >> in florida another bitter battle to the finish, tallahassee mayor andrew gillum is hoping to become florida's first democratic governor in 24 years and the state's first black governor. his opponent, the republican congressman, ron desantis, was hand picked by trump. the other big battle in the sunshine state is for the senate. incumbent democrat bill nelson facing a tough challenge from governor rick scott. abc's whit johnson is in

tallahassee. >> reporter: the most recent polls out in florida show both democrats with a slight lead, but it's all about turnout, and the party that wins florida gets an influential advantage looking ahead to 2020. >> in georgia the closely watched race for governor has been plagued by allegations of voter suppression and racism. democrat stacey abrams could become the first black female governor in u.s. history. republican brian kemp who is also the secretary of state running the elections has launched an investigation accusing state democrats of hacking into voter registrations without citing any evidence. abc's steve osunsami reporting even after the ballots are counted tonight, this race may not be over. >> reporter: someone has to get to 50% of the vote, and there is a libertarian candidate in this race, a third candidate. if no one wins, a simple majority in this very tight race, then a runoff election will be scheduled for december. >> meanwhile in missouri another crucial race to determine control of the u.s. senate.

polls show incumbent claire mccaskill holding a narrow lead over the republican challenger josh hawley. republicans are optimistic they'll keep control of the senate, but in the house, many polls show democrats could take the majority tonight. our capitol hill correspondent mary bruce spoke with david muir at abc's election headquarters about what's at stake if the house turns blue. >> reporter: if democrats can take the house, they are going to put the trump administration under an intense microscope. the first thing i'm watching, the investigations, they are going to demand to see president trump's tax returns and they're going to dig into everything from conflicts of interest to questions about possible russia collusion. the second thing to keep an eye on, robert mueller. democrats are likely to take steps to try to protect the special counsel. the third big question, impeachment. democrats are treading very carefully here. don't expect them to bring it up much. they want to see what the special counsel has discovered before they make any decisions. >> bottom line according to abc news political director rick klein, this election is all about trump. >> you're seeing house candidates in the suburbs and in urban areas across the country who are being hurt by their

association with president trump. and that could be why democrats take over control of the house. meanwhile in the senate the playing ground is so much more favorable to republicans. these are big red states. >> there's a lot to watch tonight, and while the president has made immigration his top issue on the campaign trail, health care could be the winning issue for democrats tonight. our recent poll found more voters trust democrats on that issue by a 50% to 34% margin over the republicans. voters across the country are also deciding some important ballot questions today. florida will decide whether to restore voting rights to most convicted felons in the state. washington could become the first state to tax carbon emissions, and voters in michigan and north dakota will decide whether to allow recreational marijuana use. and from those ballot from those questions to all the key races, turn to abc news and our powerhouse political team for live coverage tonight beginning at 8:00 eastern. time now for us to take a

look at your weather for this election day. good morning. mother nature could make an impact on this election day particularly along the east coast where we're looking for widespread scattered showers and thunderstorms particularly in the hotly contested areas of georgia and the panhandle of florida. look for snow and a mixture of rain, sleet and snow throughout the north central part of the country. for the west coast, not quite a problem as we have on the east coast. throughout the west coast we're going to stay dry and mild up until we get to the northwest corner and in texas staying warm and dry. i'm accuweather meteorologist paul williams. coming up, the big news from amazon overnight about its new headquarters. also ahead, the olympic bombshell. new fallout from the sexual abuse scandal plaguing usa gymnastics. and later the company that allowed its workers to expense their visits to strip clubs. well, it now has a change of heart.

we're back with video showing a russian fighter jet flying dangerously close to a u.s. navy spy plane over the black sea. the pentagon says the navy plane was in international airspace when the russian jet pulled up close and banked sharply. u.s. officials call it unsafe and irresponsible, and it happened twice. a major shake-up in one of the most popular olympic sports, the u.s. olympic committee has taken the first step to remove usa gymnastics from its role as the governing body of the sport. the organization has been accused of turning a blind eye to sexual abuse by the former team doctor, larry nassar, who was sentenced to 175 years behind bars. the organization has been in turmoil and is currently looking for its fourth leader in less

than 20 months. a split decision from amazon. the company has reportedly chosen two locations for its second headquarters. "the new york times" says one is in queens, new york. the other is in crystal city, virginia, a suburb of washington. each location will house about 25,000 employees. having two locations could give amazon a bigger pool of tech-savvy job candidates. lowe's is closing dozens of stores. the home improvement chain will close 51 locations in the u.s. and canada. the company says most of the stores are within ten miles of another lowe's location. apparently employees at under armour are no longer being allowed to use the company credit card to pay for strip clubs. "the wall street journal" says it was a common practice for executives and workers to take athletes to strip clubs after corporate events. under armour now says it's committed to providing a respectful workplace and will continue to address any inappropriate behavior. coming up, the warning about

energy drinks. but first the cold case possibly cracked. the huge break in the unsolved murder of a college student. and up next, the single mom now richer than her wildest dreams, but her powerball story almost had a very different ending. almost had a very, very different ending. a very different ending. what if numbers tell only half the story? at t. rowe price, hundreds of our experts go beyond the numbers to examine investment opportunities firsthand. like a biotech firm that engineers a patient's own cells to fight cancer. this is strategic investing. because your investments deserve the full story. t. rowe price. invest with confidence. we really pride ourselvesglass, on making it easy to get your windshield fixed. with safelite, y cen we' bthere. saving you time for what you love most.

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celebratory stroll through confetti almost didn't happen. >> october 26th started out like most other days. >> reporter: the 51-year-old grandmother and single mother of three bought her winning quick pick ticket at a local pizza shop. >> i got a slice of pizza and i said, oh, yeah, and can i get my lottery tickets? >> reporter: she thought she put them in her purse but instead left them on the floor of her sister's truck. she said she didn't think twice about them until she heard one of the big winners was in her state. when she realized she was the winner, she picked up the phone. >> and i said to my sister, get that ticket, get in your truck and get up here now and drive slow. >> reporter: lerynne opted for the lump sum of $198 million and has already set up a foundation to help others named after her late grandson. >> i want you to know that as i

stand here today, i know the responsibility that i have to do good with this money. >> reporter: but there is one thing she is going to splurge on. >> i'm going to buy a car. >> and the foundation in her late grandson's name will focus on poverty, hunger and veterans' affairs. we turn now to the breakthrough in a cold case that has puzzled authorities in florida for nearly two decades. christine franke was a student at the university of central florida when she was shot and killed during a robbery in 2001. police found dna at the scene but there was no match until this year when they sent the dna voluntary database used by people researching their family history. well, the dna apparently matched two members of one family, which eventually police say led to their cousin, 38-year-old benjamin holmes, finally possibly providing relief for christine franke's family.

>> i am so grateful just having it settled in our minds and knowing that he's behind bars and can't hurt anybody else. i honestly never thought they would find him. >> reporter: police say they matched the suspect's dna from cigars and a beer can. it's the 15th cold case possibly solved thanks to genealogy. a new warning this morning about energy drinks. researchers found consuming just one energy drink can affect the function of your blood vessels restricting the flow of blood and oxygen and eventually increasing the risk of high blood pressure and stroke. it could explain why some children have suffered heart attacks after drinking them. on monday night football, the tennessee titans quarterback marcus mariota took over the second half against the cowboys. he threw the go-ahead touchdown and sealed the game by running in another score. the titans won, 28-14. and up next in "the pulse," election overload.

the one city that has seen more political ads than anywhere else. plus, the 5-year-old who could become the poster boy for everyone who is sick of politics. "the pulse" is next. "the pulse" is next. poster boy for everyone who's sick of politics. following you everywhere? it's time to take back control with stelara®. for adults with moderately to severely active crohn's disease, stelara® works differently. studies showed relief and remission with dosing every 8 weeks. woman: stelara® may lower the ability of your immune system to fight infections and may increase your risk of infections and cancer. some serious infections require hospitalization. before treatment, get tested for tuberculosis. before or during treatment, always tell your doctor if you think you have an infection or have flu-like symptoms or sores, have had cancer, or develop any new skin growths, or if anyone in your house needs or recently had a vaccine. alert your doctor of new or worsening problems, including headaches, seizures, confusion and vision problems. these may be signs of a rare, potentially fatal brain condition. some serious allergic reactions can occur.

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if only harry used some... ...bounce, to dry. he would be a less wrinkly, winning guy. ♪ your election day "pulse" starting with the cover of this morning's "new york post," the president in a lounge chair with a blue, blue wave and the caption, what, me, worry? all right, well, if you think you've had enough of all the campaign talk, check this guy out. >> he is basically all of us. 5-year-old eli maddox lying down on the airport tarmac in montgomery, alabama, in his pjs. his dad walt is running for governor and has been on the campaign trail for nearly 400 days. eli is done.

>> as so many of us are. >> yeah, many americans are sick and tired of the political ads on tv. more than $5 billion was spent on this election. >> yeah, the state that saw the most campaign spending was florida where $313 million was spent on just two races, but the city that saw the most political ads on tv was phoenix followed by las vegas. >> interesting. more than 41,000 political ads aired on broadcast tv in phoenix during a six-week period. apologies, phoenix. >> yeah. an 11-year-old boy is making an impassioned plea to americans on this election day. >> jamarcus hill is not old enough to vote, but he's not too young to get out the vote. he posted this message on facebook. >> we had to do a lot to vote. we had to march in order to earn our right to vote. my ancestors had to take tests to vote, and now nobody wants to vote? if we don't vote, all their hard work is going to waste, all of it.

you see, nine times out of ten, someone is going to want to talk about change, but they're not going to make a change unless they get out there and vote. they're not going to make that difference. >> jamarcus running for president in 2044. he wants everyone to know it's not just about washington, it's about local races which can have more impact. >> well, voters have to eat, so there is plenty on the menu today. >> voters waiting in long lines can have a free pizza delivered to them thanks to a nonprofit called pizza to the polls. to request a delivery, go to polls.pizza. to request a delivery, go to polls.pizza. to polls.pizza.

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>> we're obviously decked out in red, white and blue. >> hi, everybody. it is a little cooler this morning. 38 right now in napa. we've got pretty much low to upper 40s until you get to places like san francisco, 54. cloverdale, 50. let's see where we end up this afternoon. 73 in half moon bay. a lot of low to mid-70s around the bay. even an 80 around fairfield, antioch and livermore. no weather worries for your

voting today. let's turn it over goi oithe i any traffic problems. the polls aren't open yet. we want to take you into oakland where it's been really tough on the northbound side of 880 the last several days. not seeing any lanes closed. looks like they were not working on that last night. in fact, you're cruising along at 66 miles an hour. here's a quick check of the bay bridge. traffic coming into san francisco. no metering lights on the east bay side. getting into san francisco, you're looking great, too. thank you. we begin with new developments in the east bay where a 32-year-old man wanted for shooting an antioch police officer in the head is now in custody. >> this is a five-hour standoff and came to an end overnight. amazing amazingly, the police officer is not injured. this is the scene near deerfield

drive and fawn hill way. it started when officers responded to a call about a dispute between numbers. the antioch police chief says a neighbor showed a gun and shot an officer and then barricaded himself in the home. some who live in the area evacuated while others sheltered in place. >> i'm out on the patio with my cat and i hear this, come out with your hands up like two or three times. i heard that. >> it's very quiet here. it's a big surprise for us. >> the officer was treated and released last night and the suspect is now in custody at the contra costa county detention facility. officials lifted the shelter in place order for residents 30 minutes ago. in the north bay, a man suspected of a deadry shooting at a detox shooting is in custody. davance lamar reed was arrested yesterday. during questioning, detectives say he made statements that tied

him to the shooting at the helen vine center. two victims are recovering, identified as anthony manzapit and brittany mccann. mccann dated reed, the alleged shooter. it is 4:30. if you're just waking up, good morning. a quick update on your weather and traffic. hi, mike nicco. >> hi, everybody. hello, cooler weather, thanks to this clear sky and bone dry air we're seeing on live doppler 7. look at all the stars you can see from pier 15. let's talk about sunshine, sunshine and more sunshine and temperatures above average. starting off in the mid-40s to 50s still at 7:00 this morning. by noon, 63 at the coast. 69 around the bay. 73. it will be mild midday. it will be maybe a touch warmer away from the coast at 4:00. then