Polls begin closing in US midterm elections to determine control of Congress

Polling stations across the United States closed on Tuesday evening, with millions of Americans casting their votes in midterm elections that could potentially shift control of Congress. Opinion polls indicated that Democrats were favored to win the House majority, while a handful of Senate races were crucial in determining whether the Democrats could take control of both chambers. The Senate battle was taking place in nearly ten closely contested races, most of which were in Republican strongholds.

History did not favor President Donald Trump and his Republican Party, as they had lost congressional seats in all but two midterm elections since World War Two. Trump's approval rating was near its lowest in his career, with voters frustrated by the ongoing conflict with Iran, higher fuel prices, and wider affordability concerns.

President Trump had urged supporters to "pretend I'm on the ballot," a message Democrats gladly echoed. In televised remarks aimed at swaying voters dissatisfied with US support for Israel, Trump threatened to stop $3.8 billion in annual funding to Israel after the end of the year, though the manner of doing so was unclear given a 2020 law mandating the funding levels.

Progressive Democrat Abdul El-Sayed, who would become the first Muslim US senator if elected, faced millions in opposition spending from Israel-linked groups over his criticisms of the US ally. Despite their efforts, Democrats emphasized that El-Sayed would be better equipped to address affordability issues, such as high gas prices and food costs.

In Detroit's predominantly Black neighborhood, Natalia Towns expressed her skepticism about Republican candidate Mike Rogers's efforts to win over Black voters, stating that El-Sayed would be more effective in tackling cost concerns.

While election issues like voting machine malfunctions were reported in various locations across the country, election experts stressed that these problems were usually isolated and did not significantly impact the overall results. Trump deployed 1,000 election monitors across all 50 states, a move that Democrats criticized as potential voter intimidation.

However, in two-thirds of the jurisdictions listed by the US Justice Department, voters had supported Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris over Trump in the 2024 election, according to a Reuters analysis.