Americans vote in midterms that could end Republican control of Congress

Americans are voting on Tuesday in midterm elections that could break President Donald Trump’s grip on Washington, with Democrats poised to take the House of Representatives and challenging for control of the Senate, AFP reported.

The vote is widely seen as a national verdict on Trump’s second term. The mood has turned sharply against Republicans amid anger over rising living costs and the war on Iran, AFP said.

What is on the ballot

All 435 House seats and 35 of the 100 Senate seats are being contested, along with governorships in 36 states. Democrats need only three House gains and a net four Senate seats to take both chambers from the Republicans.

Decision Desk HQ’s final forecast projects 241 House seats for the Democrats and 194 for the Republicans, and a narrower 52-48 Democratic Senate majority. Republicans now hold a 53-47 Senate majority, but the battlefield has widened to conservative states including Kansas, Texas, Iowa, Ohio and Alaska. Polls can underestimate one party’s support, and Republicans are hoping their voters turn out in force on the day.

More than 57 million Americans had already voted early before Tuesday, which AFP said pointed to high energy. The campaign has drawn more than $11 billion in political advertising, and Elon Musk, an ally of Trump, has put hundreds of millions of dollars into Republican efforts.

Why Republicans are worried

Trump returned to office last year promising to bring down prices, but inflation, tariffs and fuel costs pushed up by the Middle East war have squeezed households. His approval rating has hovered near the low 30s. Republicans argue that Trump’s tax cuts and immigration crackdown will benefit Americans and describe Democratic candidates as left-wing radicals.

In his final campaign appearance on Monday, Trump barely mentioned the economy and spent most of the time on his problem-plagued renovation of the Reflecting Pool in Washington. “This is the last day before the midterm elections, the most important midterm I believe in our lifetime,” he said, 26 minutes into the speech. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer called it a “pathetic closing message”.

What a Democratic win would mean

Losing the House would let Democrats stall Trump’s legislative agenda and launch sweeping investigations of his administration. A Senate defeat would also threaten his ability to appoint Supreme Court justices and senior officials. Trump suggested he would simply defy them: “I veto everything,” he told a podcast on Monday.

Disputes over the count

Concern will grow once polls close over whether Republicans will accept the results. Trump, who tried to overturn his 2020 defeat, has repeatedly alleged widespread fraud, with no evidence. The Justice Department sued to potentially block certification in Alaska’s Senate race if Republican Dan Sullivan narrowly loses, but a court ruled against it on the eve of the election. We cover the court fights in our report on the Supreme Court and the California ballots.

In Michigan, a bitter internal dispute saw Democratic congresswoman Haley Stevens endorse Republican Mike Rogers over her own party’s nominee, Abdul El-Sayed.

For a wider guide, see our explainer on the 2026 midterms. Trump is expected to watch the results at the White House on Tuesday night.

What we know, and what we don’t

• Known: the seats at stake, the forecast and the early-vote turnout are as reported by AFP and Decision Desk HQ.
• Known: Democrats need three House gains and a net four Senate seats for control of each chamber.
• Unknown: the actual results; forecasts and polls can be wrong, and the Senate depends on a handful of states.
• Unknown: whether the losing side will accept the outcome, and how quickly the counts will finish.

Why it matters

The result will shape what Washington can do for the next two years, from spending and tariffs to the Iran war and investigations. For the rest of the world, including Pakistan, a weaker Trump could mean more caution on military action abroad, or a more combative president, depending on how he reacts. The answer starts to arrive when the first polls close tonight.

This article draws on reporting by Dawn and The Express Tribune, citing AFP.