Polls opened across the United States on Tuesday for midterm elections that will decide which party controls Congress for the final two years of President Donald Trump’s term.
All 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 35 of the Senate’s 100 seats are on the ballot, and voters in 36 states are also choosing governors. More than 57 million Americans had already cast early ballots, with some of the heaviest turnout in Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio and Texas, according to Al Jazeera.
Republicans hold 53 Senate seats to 47 for Democrats and the independents who caucus with them, and have a narrow majority in the House. A party needs 218 seats to control the House and 51 for an outright Senate majority, with the vice-president breaking any 50-50 tie.
Democrats have campaigned on the cost of living and on ending the war with Iran, while Republicans are counting on loyal voters despite Trump’s low approval ratings and the historical tendency of the president’s party to lose seats in midterms.
The Cook Political Report rates seven Senate races as toss-ups: Alaska, Kansas, Iowa, Maine, Michigan, Ohio and Texas. Six of those seats are held by Republicans. In Michigan, Democrat Abdul El-Sayed faces Republican Mike Rogers, and in Texas, Democrat James Talarico is challenging state Attorney General Ken Paxton.
The first polls close at 6 p.m. Eastern time (3 p.m. Pacific) in parts of Kentucky and Indiana. Close races could take days or even weeks to call; in 2022, CBS News did not project a Republican House majority until November 17, the BBC noted.
Sources: Al Jazeera, BBC News
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