What is at stake?
Thousands of local, state and federal elections will be held on November 3. Among them are 36 governors and a large number of mayors. But the national focus is on the congressional elections, where all 435 members of the House of Representatives are up for re-election, as well as 33 of the 100 senators. In addition, two Senate special elections will be held.
What is the situation now - and what is likely to happen?
President Donald Trump's Republican Party currently holds power in both chambers. However, its advantage is not that great: Republicans have 53 of the 100 seats in the Senate and 218 in the House of Representatives, compared with the Democrats' 214 (two seats are vacant and one member is an independent).
According to combined polls and analyses by Real Clear Politics, Cook Political Report and Silver Bulletin, among others, the Democrats are likely to take control of the House of Representatives - and perhaps even the Senate. It is common for the incumbent president's party to lose ground in midterm elections. The result is usually seen as an indication of how the public feels about the White House's policies and a measure of the political climate ahead of the next presidential election.
What can the Democrats do if they take control of either chamber?
In addition to electing the speaker and blocking legislation that President Trump wants to pass, a Democratic-led House of Representatives can launch reviews and investigations of the Trump administration. The House of Representatives can also vote, by a simple majority, to impeach Donald Trump - something that has already happened twice during his presidency.
If the Democrats take control of the Senate, they can block the president's appointments of judges, ministers and other high-ranking officials, which the Constitution requires the Senate to review and approve. The Senate also acts as a court in impeachment cases. Conviction requires at least a two-thirds majority; no president has ever been removed from office through impeachment.
Does a congressional majority really matter when the president is Donald Trump?
Yes. No president wants to be slowed down by congressional investigations. In addition, certain legislation, including the federal budget, must be approved by Congress.
However, Donald Trump, like his predecessor, Democrat Joe Biden, relies largely on so-called executive orders. In a polarized climate, when it has become difficult to push bills through both chambers, it is faster to bypass Congress with executive orders. In this way, Trump has, among other things, imposed tariffs and travel bans on people from certain countries, and given the immigration police ICE increased powers. The disadvantage of executive orders is that they are less durable: they have not been reviewed by Congress, and a subsequent president can easily overturn one by issuing a new order.
What trends have emerged among Democrats during the election campaign?
It is primarily the progressive “left wave” that has made headlines. Several candidates who won primaries - including Angie Nixon in Florida, Claire Valdez in New York and Melat Kiros in Colorado - are members of the left-wing organization Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). Abdul El-Sayed, a physician running for Senate in Michigan, is not a DSA member but is seen as a symbol of the progressive movement because of his calls for universal healthcare.
There are already a handful of prominent DSA members in Congress, including Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
However, the left has not been successful everywhere, and it remains to be seen how well DSA candidates fare in general elections, since most Americans are considered to be politically centrist. President Donald Trump has also loudly warned of the dangers of what he calls “communism”, likening it to “a cancer”.
And on the Republican side?
Most of the focus is on Donald Trump - even though there is no presidential election. The president launched the Republican Party's first-ever convention ahead of a midterm election, an event party officials have dubbed “Trumpapalooza”, and he has urged voters to pretend he is on the ballot.
Trump claims that the United States is safer and more prosperous since he moved into the White House. But his economic policies, tariffs and war with Iran are unpopular, and the president's approval ratings are falling. Some congressional candidates have deliberately distanced themselves from Trump during the election campaign.
What are the most important election issues?
Budget issues are most important to voters, according to a Pew Research survey. Food prices are high, and the war with Iran has caused fuel prices to rise dramatically. Immigration, healthcare and foreign policy are also important issues, but are overshadowed by the economy.
Many Democratic voters are also outraged by raids by immigration police ICE.
Facts: Support for Donald Trump
Republican Donald Trump began his second term as US president on January 20, 2025. Since then, his approval rating has declined, as is common for a sitting president. In recent months, in line with the war with Iran and the resulting increase in the cost of living, the decline has become more pronounced.
Currently, 38.8 percent say Trump is doing a good job, while 59.6 percent say he is not, according to a Real Clear Politics compilation of 18 recent polls. The figures are in line with those reported by Silver Bulletin, a website started by polling expert Nate Silver, which found that 37.5 percent of Americans approve of Trump's performance.
According to Fiftyplusone, an opinion aggregator that weights current polls using a mathematical model, Trump's support is even lower: 34.9 percent.
The November 3 midterm elections to Congress will determine whether Trump's party, the Republicans, can retain its majority in both chambers.
Congress is the federal legislature of the United States, based in the Capitol in Washington, D.C. Its work runs in two-year terms - the 119th Congress began on January 3, 2025.
Congress consists of the Senate, with 100 members, two from each state, and the House of Representatives, with 435 seats distributed according to the states' populations.
Republicans hold 53 seats in the Senate. South Dakota Senator John Thune is the majority leader, and New York Democrat Chuck Schumer is the minority leader.
In the House of Representatives, Republicans have 218 seats and Democrats 214; two seats are vacant and one member is an independent. Mike Johnson is the Speaker, and Hakeem Jeffries is the minority leader.
Congress enacts federal laws, decides on taxes and appropriations, and approves the federal budget, whose fiscal year runs from October 1 to September 30. Congress also reviews and approves ministers and other high-ranking officials, and can remove federal officials, including the president and judges, through impeachment.
Sources: US Congress, House Press Gallery
