{
  "id": 17962541,
  "title": "United States votes in midterms seen as referendum on Trump presidency",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/03/united-states-votes-in-midterms-seen-as-referendum-on-trump-presidency",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-11-03T12:41:54.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Buenos Aires Times",
    "slug": "buenos-aires-times",
    "url": "https://www.batimes.com.ar/news/world/united-states-votes-in-midterms-seen-as-referendum-on-trump-presidency.phtml"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In the United States, voters cast their ballots in crucial midterm elections on Tuesday, as Democrats aimed to wrest control of Congress and impose the first significant constraints on President Donald Trump's second term in the White House. Republicans, on the other hand, saw their chances of retaining the House dim, which would grant Democrats the power to block Trump's legislative objectives and launch extensive investigations into his administration. A loss of the Senate would also jeopardize Trump's capacity to appoint Supreme Court justices and senior officials.\n\nThe election served as a nationwide verdict on Trump, with the public sentiment increasingly turning against Republicans due to mounting concerns over rising living expenses and the ongoing war against Iran. All 435 House seats and 35 of the 100 Senate seats were up for grabs, alongside gubernatorial contests in 36 states. Democrats required a mere three House seat gains and a net four in the Senate to wrest both chambers from Republican dominion. Trump, who returned to office last year vowing to curb prices, faced inflation, tariffs, and fuel costs fueled by the Middle East situation, which had burdened American citizens. The 80-year-old president's approval rating had languished near the low 30s.\n\nIn the Atlanta suburbs of Georgia, 77-year-old retired teacher Jane Callum was among the Democrats canvassing for Senator Jon Ossoff. Ossoff framed the race as a watershed moment for the nation's future, stating, \"I really feel an obligation to do everything that I possibly can to change the direction that our country is going in now, and put it more on the path to democracy and away from autocracy.\" Republicans maintained that Trump's tax cuts and immigration crackdown would benefit Americans, portraying Democratic candidates as left-wing radicals. However, in his final public campaign appearance on Monday, Trump barely addressed the economy and mostly discussed his troubled renovation of Washington's Reflecting Pool. \"This is the last day before the midterm elections, the most important midterm I believe in our lifetime,\" he declared, only to quickly revert to his renovation topic. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer labeled it a \"pathetic closing message.\" \"We're going to win. In fact, we probably already have,\" said Texas military veteran Yvonne Clouser.\n\nWhile Republicans held a 53-47 Senate majority, the electoral battleground expanded into conservative states such as Kansas, Texas, Iowa, Ohio, and Alaska. Democrats had to contend with competitive seats, including in Michigan, where a bitter internal controversy saw Congresswoman Haley Stevens endorse Republican Mike Rogers over the Democratic nominee, Abdul El-Sayed. Decision Desk HQ's final forecast predicted 241 Democratic House seats against 194 for Republicans, and a narrower 52-48 Democratic Senate majority. Despite polls potentially underestimating a party's support, Republicans hoped their constituents would turn out in force on Election Day. Over 57 million U.S. citizens had already cast early votes, demonstrating the high level of engagement. The campaign received more than $11 billion in political advertising, and a key Trump ally, Elon Musk, chipped in hundreds of millions of dollars to bolster Republican efforts. As soon as polls closed, concerns would arise regarding whether the results would be accepted by the Republicans. Trump, who attempted to overturn his 2020 election loss, persistently alleged widespread voter fraud and accused Democrats without substantiation of cheating. The Justice Department, under a close Trump ally, had already sued to potentially thwart the certification of Alaska's Senate race if Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan narrowly lost, though a court ruled against the effort on the eve of the election. The U.S. Supreme Court dismissed on Monday an emergency bid to force California to discard mail-in ballots of more than 20,000 individuals on the grounds they might not be U.S. citizens. Trump, who would watch the midterms results at the White House on Tuesday night, indicated that if he does lose control of Congress, he could simply defy Democrats. \"I veto everything,\" he told a podcast on Monday, though he added he might strike deals with Democrats eventually.",
  "summary": "Rlection amounts to a nationwide judgment on Trump, with the mood turning sharply against Republicans amid anger over soaring living costs and the war against Iran. Leer más",
  "key_points": [
    "Midterm elections held to assess public sentiment on Trump presidency",
    "Democrats target control of Congress to constrain Trump's second term",
    "Republicans face challenges in retaining House, risking loss of Senate"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Business Recorder",
        "title": "Trump's Justice Dept identifies where US election monitors will be in the 50 states",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/03/trumps-justice-dept-identifies-where-us-election-monitors-will-be-in",
        "published": "2026-11-03T13:14:30.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}