Americans vote Tuesday to decide control of Congress for the second half of President Donald Trump’s term. All 435 House seats, 35 Senate seats and 36 governorships are on the ballot.
More than 57 million early votes have been cast nationwide as of Monday afternoon, according to the Election Lab at the University of Florida. That number is set to outpace the more than 58 million total number of early votes cast in 2022.
Here are six things to watch.
The House
Republicans hold a narrow 218-214 advantage, which NPR says looks all but certain to give way to Democratic control in a midterm environment that disfavours the party in power. NPR counted 70 districts where both parties are spending at least six figures in the final days, with Michigan’s 7th and North Carolina’s 1st among the costliest.
The Senate math
Republicans as per sources lead 53-47. Democrats need a net gain of four seats, since a 50-50 split leaves Vice President JD Vance with the tie-breaking vote.
The Senate battlegrounds
Alaska, Ohio, Maine and Michigan have been rated toss-ups. In Ohio, Republican Jon Husted faces former senator Sherrod Brown. In Michigan, Democrat Abdul El-Sayed meets Republican Mike Rogers. Georgia’s Jon Ossoff faces Mike Collins, and in New Hampshire, Chris Pappas confronts John Sununu.
The issues
Imbalanced economy, living costs and immigration are shaping the vote. An analysis ny a research centre claimed 84 per cent of registered voters called the economy very important to their midterm vote.
Turnout
As per records more than 48.5 8million early votes, topping the 2022 midterm record four days before Election Day, with Democrats holding a 12-point early-vote advantage.Texas surpassed its 2018 record with over 7.7 million early ballots, a turnout rate of 40.5 per cent.
North Carolina, registered 2.8 million people voted early, up 31 per cent from 2022.
The count
Coverage starts at 6 pm Eastern. Alaska, the last state to finish voting, will report its first Senate results early Wednesday morning on the East Coast. Decision Desk HQ says Alaska could take a couple of weeks to finish counting.
The new Congress will be sworn in on January 3, 2027.