What’s at stake in US midterm elections

If Democrats capture the House, they could block Mr Trump’s agenda and launch congressional investigations into aspects of Mr Trump’s administration, from his tax returns to possible business conflicts of interest and the nature of his 2016 campaign’s ties to Russian Federation.

Abrams slammed Kemp as a “bald-faced liar” who abused his powers as the sitting secretary of state when he suggested over the weekend, without offering evidence, that the Georgia Democratic Party tampered with the state’s online voter database.

Democratic Rep. Scott Kawasaki is challenging the Senate president, Pete Kelly, in Fairbanks, and the race is tight – either candidate could win. “He is so different; he really doesn’t come into a box”, Barbara, a 72-year-old born-and-raised Virginia mother who supported the president in 2016, said Monday as she paused outside a suburban Richmond shopping plaza.

Republicans moved ever closer to closing off the Democratic path to a Senate majority when challenger Mike Braun beat Indiana Sen. Some are considered vulnerable, as they are in states won by Mr Trump when he was elected in 2016. The message to many is simple: Vote like the election is up to you, because it is. His approval rating – 39% in the latest CNN poll – is within the range where the President’s party typically suffers heavy losses on Capitol Hill.

Donald Trump remains the dominant figure in American politics.

But with turnout a key unknown factor and pollsters still unsure about the effect of Trump’s maverick style on voters, both parties admit that they may be in for nasty surprises. About a quarter supported him and nearly 40% said their vote was in opposition to the President.

The previously powerless Democrats now wield at least some power in the nation’s capital, which could mean two years of gridlock, unless the president and opposition party decide it’s in their self-interest to cooperate on certain issues. Only 1-in-5 decided in the last month and even fewer said they made up their mind in the last few days or the last week.

This happened in 2012, when Democrats in House races received almost 1.5 million more votes than Republicans, with the Republicans nonetheless winning a majority of the seats (by a margin of 234-201). A slow-moving caravan of thousands of Central American migrants trekking to the United States has served as ready fodder for Trump’s diatribes for border security and immigration reform, and a roaring economy has helped the GOP foster confidence in their leadership.

Trump is still trusting his feel for what voters want to hear. That’s a good sign for the Democrats.

“So I suspect he thinks of (his stance on immigration) as his greatest hit, and an approach that can help Republicans in advance of next week’s elections”, Galdieri added.

If Republicans win the House, they will continue to control Congress and the White House, allowing Trump to continue to press toward his legislative agenda as he has since he took office.

More than 60 percent of eligible voters took part in the 2016 vote, when the presidential race was on the ballot.

Mr. Trump credits his pugilistic style with getting him to the White House and accomplishing much of his ambitious agenda.

“Frankly the candidates that have embraced the president and the president has gone in to campaign for last several weeks are candidates we see doing very well tonight in those places”, Sanders said.

On the Republican side, there will be also be a leadership contest as House Speaker Paul Ryan has announced he would not seek re-election.

All 435 seats in the House of Representatives are up for grabs this year.

The trend generally holds true in the Senate as well, but it may not this year. A CNN/SSRS poll released Monday showed Democrats with a 11-point lead over Republicans among registered voters on the generic congressional ballot, while a POLITICO/Morning Consult poll showed Democrats with only a slight advantage in the generic ballot – 43 to 40 percent among registered voters. Democrats in the Senate who appeared poised to win easy re-elections – like Tim Kaine in Virginia and Sherrod Brown of OH – did so.

Democrats were hoping enthusiasm among their voters also could flip governor’s seats in Iowa and Kansas, as well as in the traditional battleground states of Michigan, Nevada, Ohio and Wisconsin.