US votes today in high-stakes midterm elections

Washington: Americans vote on Tuesday in midterm elections that will decide whether President Donald Trump keeps a Republican-controlled Congress for the last two years of his term or faces a Democratic majority.

All 435 seats in the House of Representatives, 35 of the 100 Senate seats, and 36 governorships are up for election. Most opinion polls suggest the results could be strongly unfavourable for the Republican Party.

Republicans go into election day holding both chambers by thin margins. In the House of Representatives, Speaker Mike Johnson has 218 Republicans and one independent, Kevin Kiley of California, against 214 Democrats, with two seats vacant. "For Jeffries to get a chance to take the speaker's gavel, Democrats must attain a net gain of three seats, pushing their numbers to at least 218 -- a simple majority," ABC News reported.

The Senate is split 53-47. Democrats need a net gain of four seats to make Chuck Schumer majority leader, while Senate Majority Leader John Thune can lose three seats and keep control with Vice President JD Vance's tie-breaking vote. Thirty-five Senate seats are on the ballot, 22 of them held by Republicans.

Trump's next two years in office will depend on which party controls either chamber of Congress or both.

Earlier, Trump declared the midterms a referendum on the first 20 months of his second administration, telling citizens to vote as if he were on the ballot.

For Trump, a Democratic House would mean investigations by committee chairs and leverage for Democrats over government funding, including money for the war with Iran. A Democratic Senate would also give Schumer's party control over the confirmation of judges and Cabinet nominees.

For Democrats, the risk lies in the Senate map, which runs through states Trump won, some by double digits. Winning the House but falling short in the Senate would leave Republicans in charge of confirmations.

Polls close in the first states at 6 p.m. Eastern time. Results in close races, including Alaska's ranked-choice count and California's slow count, could take days.

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