Americans on Tuesday cast the final ballots in closely fought elections that will determine whether Democrats lose control of Congress, and with it the ability to push forward on President Joe Biden's agenda in the next two years.
The party that controls the White House typically loses seats in midterm elections. Polls suggest Tuesday's results will be no exception, as concerns about high inflation and crime, as highlighted by Republicans, outweigh warnings from Democrats about the end of national abortion rights and the violent Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the US Capitol .
Thirty-five Senate seats and all 435 House of Representatives seats are on the ballot. Republicans are widely favored to pick up the five seats they need to control the House, while the Senate - currently split 50-50 with Democrats holding the tie-breaking vote - could come down to a quartet of toss-up races in Pennsylvania, Nevada, Georgia and Arizona.
Even before the midterm elections were completed, the 2024 presidential election was taking shape. Former President Donald Trump on Monday sent his strongest hint yet that he would be kicking off his third consecutive White House campaign soon, telling supporters in Ohio that he would be making a "big announcement" on Nov. 15.
He did not specify what that would be, but he has been telegraphing plans to run again since shortly after losing his 2020 reelection bid to Biden.
Hundreds of supporters of Trump's false claims that his loss was due to widespread fraud are on the ballot this year, including several seeking positions that would give them direct oversight of the 2024 presidential elections in competitive states.
Reflecting the country's deep political divide, Henry Bowden, a lawyer from the wealthy Buckhead neighborhood of Atlanta, said he voted for a mix of Republicans and Democrats on Tuesday. He cast his ballot for Republicans Brian Kemp for governor and Brad Raffensperger for secretary of state and Democrats Raphael Warnock for the US Senate and Jen Jordan for attorney general.
"I was very split," said Bowden, 36, who described himself as a moderate Republican. "I was really trying not to vote for any of the Republicans that are too much in Trump's pocket and all the election denial stuff. I was very tired of that."
More than 42 million Americans voted ahead of Election Day, either by mail or in-person, according to data from the US Election Project.
As Election Day began, a senior US cybersecurity official said there is "no specific or credible threat" to disrupt election infrastructure.
State election officials caution that full results may not be known for days as they count ballots in close races - with control of the US Senate perhaps not known until a potential Dec. 6 runoff in Georgia.
There are 36 governors' races, including campaigns in the swing states of Michigan, Wisconsin, Nevada, Arizona and Georgia.
In Congress, a Republican-controlled House would be able to block bills addressing Democratic priorities such as abortion rights and climate change. Republicans could also initiate a showdown over the nation's debt ceiling, which could shake financial markets, and launch investigations into Biden's administration and family.
Republicans will have the power to block aid to Ukraine if they win back control of Congress, but analysts say they are more likely to slow or pare back the flow of defense and economic assistance.
A Republican Senate would hold sway over Biden's judicial nominations, including any Supreme Court vacancy, intensifying the spotlight on the increasingly conservative court.
FINAL PUSH
Some Democratic candidates deliberately distanced themselves from the White House as Biden's popularity languished. On Monday, the final day of campaigning, Biden headed to Democratic-leaning Maryland, rather than a swing state.
"It's Election Day, America. Make your voice heard today. Vote," Biden, who cast his ballot in early voting in Delaware, said in a Twitter post on Tuesday morning.
Trump is scheduled to vote in Florida later on Tuesday.
The Supreme Court's June decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 ruling that had established a nationwide right to abortion, had galvanized Democratic voters around the country, temporarily raising Democrats' hopes they could defy history.
But in the closing weeks of the campaign, forecasters have grown more confident that Republicans will win a majority in the House, perhaps flipping 20 seats or more.
Despite one of the strongest job markets in memory, stubbornly rising prices have left voters dissatisfied, helped along by attacks from Republicans over gas and food prices, as well as crime.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll this week showed more than two-thirds of Americans believe the country is on the wrong track, with just 39% approving of the way Biden has done his job. Trump's polling is similarly low, with just 41% of respondents to a separate recent Reuters/Ipsos poll saying they viewed him favorably.
The prognosis has left some Democrats questioning the party's campaign message, which centered on protecting abortion rights and American democracy.
"What we've seen over the last month is political gravity begin to reassert itself," said Jacob Rubashkin, an analyst at the nonpartisan forecaster Inside Elections. "Voters care a lot about the economy, and they blame Biden for inflation."
Biden and other Democrats have sounded the alarm over Republican contenders who have either echoed or refused to contradict Trump's false claims that he lost the 2020 election due to widespread fraud.
The prevalence of election deniers among Republican candidates has elevated down-ballot races that typically receive little attention, including contests for secretary of state, the top election official in most states.
In swing states such as Nevada, Arizona and Michigan, the Republican nominees to head up the states' election apparatus have embraced Trump's falsehoods, raising fears among Democrats that, if they prevail, they could interfere with the 2024 presidential race.
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