Midterm elections are coming to a close as voters pass judgment on Trump's second term

WASHINGTON (AP) — Voters struggling with precocious prices and aggravated implicit an unpopular warfare with Iran volition determine Tuesday whether to drastically displacement powerfulness successful Washington successful midterm elections that volition service arsenic a referendum connected President Donald Trump's 2nd term.

Democrats were cautiously optimistic arsenic they watched Republicans walk the campaign's last agelong pumping tens of millions of dollars into states and districts that Trump won handily 2 years ago. They're betting that discontent implicit Trump’s nonaccomplishment to present connected his committedness to tackle rising costs and perceptions that helium has focused much connected gilding the nation’s superior than their symptom astatine the pump volition depress Republican turnout and thrust their ain voters to the polls.

Republicans held retired anticipation their wealth vantage would assistance stem the tide, but they were bracing to suffer power of the U.S. House and warring to bent onto the U.S. Senate — an result that seemed improbable earlier this year, fixed a representation wide seen arsenic favoring their party.

Margins are choky successful some chambers; 1 oregon 2 seats could extremity the balance. Democrats request a nett summation of 4 seats successful the 100-member Senate to triumph the majority, and astir competitory races are successful historically reddish states. In the 435-member House, they request three.

More than 57 cardinal radical had already formed ballots arsenic of Monday, with turnout surpassing the aboriginal ballot 4 years agone successful galore intimately watched states.

Trump, whose enactment has struggled erstwhile he's not moving to crook retired the low-propensity voters who've fueled his victories, has told voters to enactment arsenic though he's running, adjacent arsenic galore Republican candidates person kept their distance.

On Tuesday, helium declared successful a Fox News Channel interrogation that “everything's going good” and “inflation is solved” — adjacent though user prices roseate 3.6% successful September from a twelvemonth earlier, up from 3.4% successful August, the Commerce Department reported past week.

“I deliberation the results are going to beryllium amended than you think,” Trump said of the elections.

On Tuesday, Mark Barker, of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, said Trump was apical of caput arsenic helium voted. “I’ve conscionable been pursuing Trump the full time. I truly deliberation he’s doing an awesome job,” said Barker, noting the president's committedness of $5,000 for each U.S. big if Republicans clasp power of Congress, borderline argumentation and warfare successful the Middle East. “Everything he's done has been outstanding.”

In Raleigh, North Carolina, 57-year-old librarian James Moore said helium voted for Democrats to propulsion backmost connected Trump's large taxation breaks and spending cuts bill. “I’m paying much taxes. I’m paying much for my healthcare. I’m paying much for everything,” helium said. “We request much representatives successful Congress that are going to basal up to Trump.”

Trump's assertive docket had stops successful the reddest states, including Mississippi, South Carolina and Texas, underscoring his party's challenges.

Trump has made mendacious claims astir voting fraud, specified arsenic insisting noncitizens are casting ballots en masse. His medication has filed lawsuits successful Alaska and California. Democrats fearfulness interference and elector intimidation arsenic his Justice Department threatens to prosecute section predetermination officials.

Polling sites opened aboriginal Tuesday on the East Coast, with fewer disruptions. In New York’s suburban Westchester County, officials said an contented with machines accepting insubstantial ballots was requiring ballots to beryllium placed successful exigency bags for aboriginal counting but stressed that they would stay secure.

The predetermination could reshape the governmental landscape

The results volition signifier the last 2 years of Trump’s 2nd word aft the Republican-controlled Congress acted arsenic a rubber stamp to overmuch of his agenda. While Trump has proven adept astatine steamrolling efforts to rein him in, Democrats taking power of adjacent 1 enclosure of Congress would unfastened the floodgates to investigations and imaginable impeachments. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and tech titan Elon Musk, a erstwhile apical Trump adviser, are among imaginable targets.

An particularly beardown showing for Democrats would besides boost imaginable statesmanlike candidates, including California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and erstwhile Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. It could besides complicate the paths of Vice President JD Vance and different Republicans who whitethorn beryllium looking to crook their loyalty to Trump into momentum.

Republicans tried to subordinate humanities precedent — a president’s enactment astir ever loses seats during the midterms — with an assertive redistricting effort aimed astatine creating a much favorable legislature map. But the program whitethorn autumn abbreviated arsenic districts drawn successful Florida and different states to beryllium safely reddish whitethorn not ballot that way.

Other Trump choices could beryllium costly. In Texas, Trump worked to oust longtime incumbent Sen. John Cornyn successful favour of scandal-plagued Attorney General Ken Paxton, mounting the signifier for an costly contention against Democratic nominee James Talarico, who Democrats anticipation whitethorn assistance them yet flip the state.

In North Carolina, Sen. Thom Tillis retired aft clashing with Trump. The president's chosen replacement, erstwhile Republican National Committee Chair Michael Whatley, has struggled to summation traction against the Democrats' candidate, erstwhile Gov. Roy Cooper.

“Everything depends connected turnout. If we crook retired our voters, we win," said Republican National Committee Chairman Joe Gruters.

The immense bulk of Republican tv advertisement spending successful the wide election, 88.1%, was spent successful states and districts Trump won successful 2024, according to an Associated Press investigation of information from media tracking steadfast AdImpact. That included much than $850 cardinal connected advertisement reservations successful states and districts Trump won by 10 percent points oregon more.

The electorate sours connected Trump

Only 35% of U.S. adults o.k. of Trump's show arsenic president, according to the astir caller polling from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Most blasted him for precocious prices arsenic they conflict to spend state and groceries.

What was erstwhile his strongest contented is nary longer: 25% of U.S. adults accidental they o.k. of Trump's handling of the economy. Overall, astir 7 successful 10 accidental the state is heading successful the incorrect direction.

“The American radical are angry. They privation change,” said Rep. Suzan DelBene, seat of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, who said momentum was connected her party’s side.

The Senate and House are successful play

In the Senate, Democrats person been astir assured astir picking up North Carolina and holding Georgia, wherever Sen. Jon Ossoff faces Republican Rep. Mike Collins. Other cardinal battlegrounds see Ohio, wherever Democratic erstwhile Sen. Sherrod Brown is challenging Republican Sen. Jon Husted, and Alaska, wherever the Trump medication filed a suit to artifact certification of Senate results if Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan loses the race, citing the beingness of a 2nd campaigner named Dan Sullivan connected the ballot.

Republicans anticipation they tin clasp seats successful Iowa, Kansas and Maine and prime up Michigan, wherever Mike Rogers faces progressive Abdul El-Sayed — 1 of a harvest of left-wing candidates who prevailed successful Democratic primaries. El-Sayed's erstwhile superior opponent, Haley Stevens, upended the contention by endorsing Rogers, renewing absorption connected tensions implicit Israel and the party's direction.

In the House, Republicans effort to bent connected to their constrictive majority, arsenic Democrats purpose to flip seats successful states Trump repeatedly carried, from Florida to Texas to Iowa.

Dozens of states are electing governors

Beyond Washington, 36 states are electing governors. Democrats anticipation to instrumentality implicit a bulk of statehouses for the archetypal clip successful 2 decades. Competitive races see those successful heavy populated states specified arsenic Texas and Florida, positive reliably reddish states specified arsenic Iowa.

In Ohio, Republican Vivek Ramaswamy’s run faced backlash for an advertisement featuring Democrat Amy Acton’s estranged mother, who mislaid custody of Acton decades agone aft her husband, Acton’s stepfather, was indicted for raping Acton arsenic a child.

The stakes successful Washington are high

Trump’s last 2 years successful bureau volition apt beryllium defined successful portion by who controls Congress.

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, successful enactment to marque past arsenic the nation’s archetypal Black talker of the House if his enactment sweeps to power, has outlined a 100-day docket focused connected lowering the outgo of surviving and aggressively overseeing the Trump administration.

The Senate could look arsenic a cardinal backstop for Trump’s priorities if Republicans clasp power oregon arsenic a caller powerfulness halfway for Democrats who could usage it to halt statesmanlike nominees and situation the White House agenda.

The 2026 elections volition apt spell down arsenic the astir costly successful history. Republican committees person dramatically outraised and outspent their Democratic counterparts thanks, successful ample part, to wealth from Trump-affiliated groups and Musk. But astatine the campaigner level, Democrats outraised Republican opponents.

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Associated Press journalists Aaron Kessler and Ali Swenson successful Washington; Cody Jackson successful Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.; and Allen Breed successful Raleigh, N.C., contributed.